Chapter 375: The School Song and Sorting
Chapter 375: The School Song and Sorting
Byers stepped to the side, and the second and third Ilvermorny students emerged from the fire, all wearing the school uniform with the emblem of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry embroidered on their left chest and luggage.
The Ilvermorny students quickly formed a row, and behind them stood three adult wizards.
Felix's gaze swept past the middle-aged wizard and settled on a blonde witch and a dark-haired wizard, both of whom looked young but were not wearing student robes.
Most importantly, both the male and female wizards had an abstract sail emblem embroidered on their right chest, with three wavy lines beneath it.
This emblem was the symbol of the American Reform Society, which had grown rapidly over the past year. Even from a distance, Felix occasionally saw the name of this organization in the newspapers.
Then, the Hogwarts students murmured in surprise—
A row of small, gray-skinned goblins with long ears emerged from the fire, dressed like jungle warriors with leaves adorning their clothing and miniature bows on their backs, and small quivers of arrows at their waists.
The Hogwarts students couldn't help but chatter among themselves.
Professor Mcgonagall swept a stern look around the room, and they immediately quieted, swallowing their questions and curiosity.
A dozen Ilvermorny students turned their attention to the man who walked out last, highlighting his status. He bore a resemblance to Barty Crouch, more in demeanor than in appearance. Both of them seemed to possess a magical ability that allowed them to blend seamlessly into Muggle society, discussing serious issues like car emissions without any sense of dissonance.
Alden Fontaine waved his wand behind him, stirring the fire emblem into a swirling vortex. He then strode forward and shook Dumbledore's hand firmly.
"Professor Fontaine, welcome to Hogwarts", Dumbledore greeted warmly.
"Oh, Professor Dumbledore, you haven't changed a bit", Fontaine said, his eyes shining brightly. He wore a deep brown robe, his jet-black hair meticulously combed, not a strand out of place even during the firm handshake.
Dumbledore's long silver beard curved elegantly in the cool October breeze.
"Please allow me to introduce—Professor Cormac Wilkinson, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and two Teaching Assistants, Uriah Edmund and Bethany Bach, who insisted on coming. Of course, there are also my students, the main characters of this year!"
Dumbledore smiled and welcomed them, then walked ahead with the Ilvermorny headmaster. The Ilvermorny representatives followed, with the student named Byers constantly glancing around. When he spotted Felix, he slowly moved to stand next to the beautiful blonde Teaching Assistant.
"Big sister, it's Mr. Hep", he whispered, but his voice was loud enough for the students nearby to hear.
They all turned to look at the Hogwarts professors.
"Which one?" someone asked.
"The youngest one!" Byers replied.
Bethany discreetly nudged her brother, whispering, "Uriah and I saw him too. You have a whole year to interact with Mr. Hep. Now, behave yourself! The Hogwarts students are all watching!"
She smiled politely and followed behind the Headmaster and Professor Wilkinson, but when they passed the Hogwarts professors, Byers couldn't resist making a gesture of lifting a mask toward Felix.
The boy next to him laughed, teasing, "So this is the person you've been talking about all year?"
"Shut up, Graves", Byers said, somewhat embarrassed.
They only quieted down when Uriah looked over.
The Ilvermorny delegation entered the Great Hall, followed by the Hogwarts professors, and lastly, the Heads of House and students from the four houses.
The walls of the Great Hall were adorned with large silk banners, each representing one of Hogwarts' four houses: a red banner with a golden lion for Gryffindor, a blue banner with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, a yellow banner with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and a green banner with a silver serpent for Slytherin.
Behind the teacher's table, the largest banner hung, displaying the Hogwarts crest: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake intertwined around a large letter H.
“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do at this time,” Ron said. “It’s only ten in the morning, and we just finished breakfast…”
But he soon found out what was happening. As the Hogwarts students settled in the Great Hall, the Ilvermorny students standing in the center began to sing the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s school song—
“We stand united against the Puritans. We draw inspiration from the noble Wizard, Morrigan.
She was once persecuted by those who were not Wizards, so she fled from distant Ireland to come here, which is the origin of our school. Oh! Ilvermorny of Massachusetts!
We chose it!
We chose it!
The excellent magic school ~ your walls protect us; and your days are as wonderful as dreams. You have taught us everything about magic!
Now one thing is clear:
No matter where we are, no matter where we go, our true home—the unique home—is Ilvermorny!”
Following the song, the Ilvermorny students raised their wands, and the tips exploded, releasing animal-shaped fireworks that shimmered in the Great Hall. Hogwarts students saw a Horned Serpent with a glowing crystal on its forehead, a nimble Thunderbird in flight, a prowling Thunderbird, and a goblin drawing a bow. They all clapped enthusiastically.
“What’s that thing with spikes on its head and neck?” Harry asked, clapping along.
“It’s a goblin. Professor Mcgonagall mentioned in her class that its magical ability allows it to disguise itself as a porcupine,” Hermione said, tilting her head to look at the four animals. At the same time, the lion, eagle, badger, and snake on the Great Hall banners began to move, and she whispered, “Professor said Ilvermorny and Hogwarts have deep connections. Now it’s clear…”
Harry stared at the goblin-shaped fireworks in mid-air, their bodies covered in porcupine-like quills. He then looked down at the forest warriors standing behind the Ilvermorny students, who seemed idle and even a bit disgruntled. They looked like Gringotts goblins without their suits, exuding a wild aura as if they might suddenly raise their bows and shoot arrows at any moment.
“What a difference,” Harry said in amazement.
Ron clapped in confusion, more focused on the Ilvermorny students’ school song. “Why don’t we have a school song with a unified tune?”
“We do,” Hermione replied. “It’s mentioned in Hogwarts: A History. I think Professor Dumbledore believes that heartfelt praise is better than repeating the same tune year after year.”
Her gaze swept over the professors' table, and she asked curiously, “Have you seen Professor Hooch?”
Harry and Ron looked around but saw nothing.
“That’s strange. All the professors are seated, and there’s an empty chair there. Where did she go?”
At that moment, Dumbledore stood up. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and—especially—our distinguished guests,” he said with a warm smile, looking at the Ilvermorny students. “I am delighted to welcome you to Hogwarts.”
“You will be spending a considerable amount of time at Hogwarts, not just for the Triwizard Tournament. At Professor Fontaine’s suggestion, you will also have the opportunity to experience Hogwarts’ ancient traditions and the magical courses that have nurtured generations of outstanding Wizards.”
“And this all begins with the Sorting Ceremony!”
He glanced at a corner of the Great Hall, and Felix approached with a smile, carrying the Sorting Hat.
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(End of Chapter)
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