Sorting Ceremony (Part One)

After the Great Door opened, Professor McGonagall emerged from it. She briefly thanked Hagrid, then began searching through the crowd with her eyes.

Fortunately, her target was rather conspicuous—and quite proactive.

The moment Luke saw Professor McGonagall, he smiled and nodded to her in greeting. Seeing Luke standing there safe and sound, Professor McGonagall seemed to have a weight lifted from her heart.

Then she led the students along the flagstone path toward a small room nearby.

Along the way, they could faintly hear the noisy voices coming from the hall beyond the wall.

Many students, who had only just calmed down, became tense once more.

Hermione, however, had something else she was more curious about this time, so she did not feel too nervous.

"You know that professor?"

She had noticed earlier that several children from wizarding families had looked at the tall, black-haired witch leading the way with awe and respect. Clearly, they had heard about her from either their parents or older siblings.

And evidently, the things they had heard were not along the lines of gentle and kind.

"Professor McGonagall. Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor, Transfiguration professor, Quidditch and cat enthusiast."

Luke looked at Hermione and continued, "She's a strict and responsible professor. Trust me, the two of you should get along quite well."

Luke believed that Professor McGonagall in her youth must have been just like Hermione—clever and perceptive, yet still possessed of courage and impulsiveness.

Hermione nodded seriously, then looked toward Professor McGonagall's back.

A moment later, they entered an empty little room. It was rather cramped, and everyone was packed shoulder to shoulder. Only then did Luke notice that Hermione was still clutching his sleeve.

So he stretched as though he were loosening up and slipped his sleeve out of Hermione's hand.

Hermione glanced at Luke but said nothing.

Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, shot Luke a glare from the front of the line. Everyone else looked nervous and solemn, but when it came to Luke, it felt as though he would fall asleep if he did not perk up soon.

Luke gave her an embarrassed smile, then resumed a proper posture.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The Opening Feast is about to begin..."

Professor McGonagall began her annual explanation of the Sorting Ceremony. The Young Wizards all perked up and listened carefully to every word she said, afraid that they might miss something, embarrass themselves during the ceremony, or be sorted into a House they disliked.

"In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will be held before the entire school. I suggest that while you wait, you tidy yourselves up and try to look a little more presentable."

Her gaze swept over Neville's utterly disheveled robes and the dirt on Ron's nose. During this time, Harry desperately tried to smooth down his hair. In the end, her eyes still landed on Luke.

Luke had deliberately dressed a little lazily rather than making himself look overly prim and proper. As a result, his robe had slipped down quite a bit, and his collar was somewhat crooked.

Professor McGonagall simply reached out, untied his robe, fastened it properly again, and straightened his collar.

After giving him one final glare, Professor McGonagall turned and left the room.

Luke felt a little unaccustomed to the stiff, proper feeling of it all.

Ron, standing behind Luke and Hermione, stared at Luke in utter shock. If he had not known that the Gaunt Family was not related to Professor McGonagall, he would have suspected she was one of Luke's blood relatives—one very close to him, at that.

After all, according to the information he had gotten from his brothers, Professor McGonagall was a good teacher who cared deeply about her students. But she rarely showed any particular concern for an individual student—unless that student was exceptionally good at Quidditch.

Of course, Fred had told him that, so Ron was not entirely sure it was true.

If Ron knew that Luke and Professor McGonagall were not related, Hermione, who did not know, had already begun to grow suspicious.

"Don't overthink it. Professor McGonagall was my guide when I enrolled. We got along very well, so she does take a little extra care of me."

Feeling the strange looks from the three people beside him, Luke smiled helplessly as he spoke.

Book poked his head out from Luke's arms and gave a "meow," as if testifying on Luke's behalf.

At the sound of the cat's meow, something wriggled in the front of Ron's robes, as though it had been startled.

Hermione did not ask any further questions. With the moment at hand, she was beginning to feel nervous too, so she started regulating her breathing.

Harry, on the other hand, had already seen Luke and Professor McGonagall getting along well before, so he could easily accept the somewhat elder-caring-for-junior atmosphere between them.

Of course, Hagrid's affection for him also played a part. It had made him think that Hogwarts teachers were all quite friendly. So although he was nervous now, it was not too bad.

Sensing the faint joy and anticipation radiating from Harry, Luke could not help lighting a candle for him in his heart.

Harry did not yet know that among the teachers he was about to meet, two held attitudes toward him that were not merely unfriendly, but downright terrible.

One cared for him, yet also hated him. Of course, if Harry became Harri, things might be much better.

The other appeared not to care much about him at all, but in truth wanted to take his little life.

It truly made one sigh—being the Savior really was a high-risk profession!

As his thoughts wandered, he also overheard Ron and the others discussing the Sorting Ceremony. He noticed Harry's panic when he heard the words "take a test." Clearly, Harry had little confidence in his magical ability.

Hermione, however, had already heard relevant information from Luke, so she did not panic.

The Ghosts swarmed in and caused a ruckus amid the new students' astonishment. They did not all leave until Professor McGonagall appeared again, making it seem as though they had simply come to watch the fun.

"Now, form a single line and follow me."

Professor McGonagall led the nervous first-years toward the magnificent Great Hall.

Nearly all the new students let out exclamations of admiration at once.

Thousands upon thousands of floating candles brightly illuminated the hall. The four long tables were covered with golden plates and goblets. At the high table sat the staff.

At a glance, Luke spotted the old man with a head and beard of snowy white hair, half-moon spectacles, and clear blue eyes as youthful as a boy's.

That was Hogwarts's Headmaster, one of the strongest wizards of the age—Albus Dumbledore.

At that moment, Dumbledore seemed to sense Luke's gaze and looked over in his direction.