The lyrics basically said that the Sorting Ceremony only required putting on the hat, then went on to describe the characteristics of the four houses in detail.
Gryffindor was resilient and brave, Hufflepuff was upright and loyal, Ravenclaw pursued knowledge, and Slytherin was ambitious.
After the song ended, thunderous applause filled the hall.
Harry applauded while looking indifferently at Ron, a faintly amused smile on his face.
Ron awkwardly scratched his head. "I'm going to kill Fred. He tricked me."
Charlie, however, looked rather grim.
Judging by what the Sorting Hat meant, it could see the thoughts hidden within one's heart.
What if the hat discovered he was a transmigrator?
The Wizarding World probably didn't conduct slice-and-dice research, right?
[Rest assured, Your Majesty. Everything produced by the Tyrant System is guaranteed to be top quality. A mere broken hat can't see through Your Majesty's true identity.]
For once, the system had said something sensible.
Charlie relaxed slightly.
Professor McGonagall took out a long roll of parchment.
"When I call a name, that person will put on the hat and sit on the stool."
"Hannah Abbott!"
A little girl with two golden braids and a flushed face walked out.
She shakily put on the Sorting Hat and sat down on the stool.
A few seconds later, the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers, and Hannah walked over with a smile.
"Susan Bones!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Terry Boot!"
"Ravenclaw!"
The Sorting Ceremony continued.
Charlie noticed that some students were sorted the moment they put on the hat, while others had to wait for quite a while.
"Hermione Granger!"
The little witch with thick brown hair nervously stepped forward.
She put on the Sorting Hat and sat on the stool for nearly a minute.
"Gryffindor!"
Hermione walked toward the Gryffindor table with a look of relief.
"Draco Malfoy!"
The platinum-haired boy swaggered forward arrogantly.
The moment the Sorting Hat touched his hair, it shouted, "Slytherin!"
Malfoy walked toward the Slytherin table with satisfaction. As he passed Charlie, he glared at him viciously.
"Harry Potter!"
When Professor McGonagall called that name, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone craned their necks, wanting to see the famous boy.
Harry nervously stepped forward and put on the Sorting Hat.
Time passed incredibly slowly as everyone held their breath and waited for the result.
Nearly two minutes later, the Sorting Hat finally spoke. "Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor table exploded with thunderous applause and cheers.
"We've got Potter! We've got Potter!"
Harry excitedly walked toward the Gryffindor table and sat beside Hermione, who had been sorted into Gryffindor earlier.
The Sorting Ceremony continued.
"Neville Longbottom!"
The round-faced boy shakily stepped forward.
To Charlie's surprise, Neville was also sorted into Gryffindor.
He certainly didn't look like someone with much courage.
"Ron Weasley!"
Ron, his face pale, walked forward.
The moment the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, it shouted, "Gryffindor!"
Ron walked toward the Gryffindor table in relief, and the Gryffindor students cheered for him.
Because Charlie's surname, White, began with W in English, he was almost last in line.
"Charlie White!"
At last, it was his turn.
Charlie took a deep breath and walked toward the Sorting Hat.
Everyone's eyes gathered on him.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron watched him nervously.
They both hoped Charlie would be sorted into Gryffindor so they could stay together.
If Charlie knew what they were thinking, he would definitely run to another house that very night. Who wanted to stay with two men when there were sweet, soft female classmates around?
At the Slytherin table, Malfoy sneered as he waited for the show.
Charlie put on the Sorting Hat, and it immediately covered his eyes.
A tiny voice sounded beside his ear:
"Let me see what's in your heart..."
The Sorting Hat's voice echoed in Charlie's mind, carrying an ancient and mysterious resonance.
Charlie suddenly felt something rummaging through his memories. The sensation was strange, but not uncomfortable.
"Oh, an intelligent mind, a desire for power, and no shortage of courage either..."
"Wh-what? Blow up the school?"
The Sorting Hat suddenly sounded confused.
Charlie jumped and quickly gathered his thoughts, stopping himself from letting his imagination run wild.
Just now, he had merely wondered how many Tyrant Points he could gain by blowing up the school.
The moment the thought surfaced, he felt that it was rather dangerous.
What if the Sorting Hat discovered that he had antisocial tendencies? Would it kick him out of Hogwarts on the spot?
The Sorting Hat continued examining him, only to find that the thought of blowing up the school had suddenly vanished, replaced by a blank void.
The system had hidden that part of his thoughts.
"An illusion?"
The Sorting Hat pondered in confusion, then continued delving deeper into Charlie's mind.
It found that Charlie's brain was filled with nothing but: slacking off, slacking off, female classmates, slacking off, slacking off...
These thoughts were simple and pure, entirely devoid of hostility. He certainly didn't seem like someone who would blow up a school.
The Sorting Hat fell into deep thought.
By rights, this child was intelligent and ambitious, so he should go to Slytherin. But his desire for power was not particularly strong. What he wanted more was a comfortable life.
Courage? He had some, but it wasn't especially prominent compared with his other qualities.
As for the pursuit of knowledge... This child's mind was full of slacking off and female classmates. Clearly, he had no interest in studying.
That left only one choice.
"Hufflepuff!"
The Sorting Hat announced it loudly.
The Hufflepuff table immediately erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.
"Fantastic! The most handsome and adorable junior is ours."
"His eyes are so dark. He looks incredibly mysterious."
The older female students excitedly discussed him, stars shining in their eyes.
They had noticed him the moment the new students entered. Potter this and Potter that—Hufflepuff didn't care. This handsome and adorable junior was the one worth paying attention to.
Anyone who had faced the enthusiasm of older sisters should have understood that this reaction wasn't strange. They weren't lolicons.
They simply enjoyed playing with cute, good-looking little boys.
"Playing" included, but wasn't limited to, braiding his hair, putting on makeup, and dressing him up.
Charlie took off the Sorting Hat and looked somewhat surprised at the Hufflepuff table.
To be honest, he had originally thought he would be sorted into Slytherin or Gryffindor. He hadn't expected Hufflepuff.
But thinking about it, it wasn't bad. Hufflepuffs were relatively gentle, and the older female students looked quite friendly.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron watched Charlie in disappointment.
"What a shame. Charlie didn't get sorted into Gryffindor," Ron sighed.
"Yeah, but Hufflepuff isn't bad either. At least we can still see each other often," Harry consoled him.
Fred and George were even more disappointed.
"Oh, damn that Sorting Hat. It must have lost its mind to sort our kindred spirit into Hufflepuff."
They didn't mean to look down on Hufflepuff. They simply believed Charlie was better suited to Gryffindor.
At the Slytherin table, Malfoy snorted.
"Hufflepuff. As expected of a weakling."
Charlie walked down from the platform and nodded at Ron and Harry.
Then he found a seat at the Hufflepuff table and sat down, immediately becoming surrounded by enthusiastic older students.
"Hello, junior. I'm Cedric Diggory, a third-year."
A handsome boy extended his hand, a gentle smile on his face.
"Charlie White. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Jenny, a fourth-year. That girl who was just sorted into Hufflepuff is my cousin."
A blonde girl pointed toward Hannah Abbott, who was sitting several seats away.
"I'm..."
"I'm..."
The Hufflepuff students eagerly introduced themselves one after another, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.
After the Sorting Ceremony ended, Dumbledore stood up and walked to the front of the hall.
The entire hall gradually fell silent.
"Welcome, everyone!" Dumbledore spread his arms, his eyes sparkling.
"Welcome to the start of a new term at Hogwarts!"
"Before the feast begins, I'd like to say a few words."
Everyone focused on the legendary headmaster.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
The entire hall fell into silence.
The students looked at one another, unsure what the headmaster meant.
Charlie froze.
Was the old man talking to some immortal family?
Wasn't this a technique from northeastern China? Did northeastern Britain also have a northeast?
But he had no time to think about it, because appetizing food suddenly appeared on the tables.
Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steaks, along with all kinds of vegetables, pudding, fruit tarts, chocolate cake...
The feast was so abundant that it dazzled the eyes.
Charlie's eyes lit up.
Although Britain's food was generally hard to describe, the dishes on the table weren't limited to British cuisine. Most of them were exquisite French and Italian dishes.
Besides, while he had been at the Orphanage, it had been difficult for him to eat such a sumptuous meal.
Charlie immediately transformed into a dedicated eater and began devouring the food.
The sensation of fresh, tender meat juice bursting across his palate was utterly intoxicating.
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