The Entrance Ceremony in Progress

Adam had originally thought he could enjoy some private time alone until Hogwarts.

Who knew that just as he started reading about controlling heat with magic, the door was pulled open again. Hermione leaned against the doorframe, panting slightly, and looked at him somewhat awkwardly:

"I forgot to introduce myself earlier... I'm Hermione Granger."

"...I'm Adam Reed, nice to meet you."

After the abrupt introduction, Adam blinked:

"So, did you find the toad?"

"Oh... not yet, I'm still looking."

Hermione smacked her forehead.

She was just introducing herself while chatting with those two boys when she suddenly remembered she had forgotten to introduce herself to Adam; it was so rude.

"I'll go back to looking for the toad; you keep reading."

Leaving those words behind, Hermione hurried off again.

"Wasn't she looking in this direction just now?"

Kero raised his head.

"Maybe she didn't finish looking... Want a macaron?"

Adam took out their lunch from his satchel.

"Yes—!"

As the sun was completely swallowed by the horizon, the Hogwarts Express slowly arrived at its destination.

Students didn't need to carry their luggage; the house-elves would help them deliver it to their dormitories. They only needed to change into their school uniforms on the train.

"First years! First-year students, come over here!"

As soon as they got off the train, Hagrid's penetrating voice reached Adam's ears. The half-giant held up a lantern to attract the attention of the surrounding first years.

After counting heads one by one, and finally confirming that all the first years had arrived, Hagrid led them on the initiation journey that every Hogwarts student had to experience.

"I heard this is a Hogwarts tradition; we'll retrace the steps of the founders when they discovered Hogwarts."

One of the first years whispered to the people around him, immediately eliciting a burst of exclamations from the other first years.

"This way to the boats!"

At the docks by the Black Lake, Hagrid called out to the first years to board the boats in groups of four to cross the lake.

"Only four people per boat!"

Hagrid pulled back a first year who was planning to test what would happen if a fifth person got on.

Adam followed the crowd forward when suddenly a hand reached out from the side and grabbed him.

"Ah! So you were here. Come on, we're exactly four people!"

It was Hermione. Before Adam could say anything, he was pulled onto the boat, where a red-haired, freckled boy and a boy with round glasses were smiling at him.

"...Hello."

Adam gave an awkward but polite smile.

"Hello, I'm Ron Weasley, and this is Harry Potter!"

"I'm Adam Reed."

"Hey, don't you know Harry Potter?"

Seeing Adam's calm expression, Ron was very surprised.

Of course, I know, and I also know he'll marry your sister in the future.

"Sorry, my parents aren't wizards, so... are you some kind of celebrity in the wizarding world?"

Adam looked at Harry apologetically. Harry quickly stopped Ron and Hermione, who were about to explain:

"No, it's nothing! I only found out I was a wizard recently myself."

"Heads down!"

Just then, Hagrid's voice came from afar. Ron, Harry, and Hermione obediently lowered their heads, but nothing happened.

"I think he was just talking to himself."

Adam pointed at Hagrid. The three turned their heads and saw Hagrid ducking his head to avoid the vines hanging down from the bridge—but only he needed to duck at his height.

The three who had raised their heads were a little embarrassed, but luckily it was dark, so they couldn't see clearly.

Thanks to this awkward moment, the three didn't speak again. Adam turned his head to look at the brightly lit castle in the distance.

Although he had been reluctant to come to Hogwarts before, when Adam truly saw Hogwarts standing on the high ground, he still felt a little excited. It was as if figures he hadn't met yet but were already incredibly familiar with flashed before his eyes.

Sorry, Grandma, I also think Hogwarts is the best magic school in the world.

The boat finally sailed to the dock next to Hogwarts and stopped. The first years disembarked one by one and followed Hagrid along the winding path toward Hogwarts Castle.

The gates of the castle were even larger than Adam had imagined. Hagrid raised his fan-like hand and knocked on the door a few times. Before long, the door opened, revealing a figure wearing a dark green robe.

Professor McGonagall, who can turn into a cat!

Adam, a closeted fan of fluffy things, remained expressionless, but inwardly he couldn't help but exclaim. At the same time, his hands under his sleeves began to twitch.

If he remembered correctly, Professor McGonagall's Animagus form was a tabby cat with square spectacle markings around its eyes!

Professor McGonagall had no idea that one of the new students in front of her was fantasizing about some outrageous things. She glanced over to confirm the number of new students and nodded to Hagrid:

"Thank you, Hagrid. Leave them to me now."

After Hagrid left, Professor McGonagall led the new students along another path to the entrance hall in front of the Great Hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, children. In a few moments, you will walk through these doors and join your fellow students for dinner. But before that, you must go through the Sorting Ceremony, which will determine which house you will be sorted into."

As soon as she finished speaking, the students who were looking forward to the Sorting Ceremony exchanged glances.

Were they about to face dragons/trolls/banshees/vampires...?

Seeing the expressions of the new students, Professor McGonagall knew what they were thinking. After all, she had been through the same thing herself.

She coughed slightly to regain the attention of the new students, and after everyone quieted down, she continued to announce the instructions.

Yes, she didn't tell the new students the specific process of the upcoming Sorting Ceremony.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin in a few minutes. I suggest you tidy yourselves up while you wait, as you will be sorted in front of the entire school."

Finally, after leaving these words, Professor McGonagall turned and left.

"I'm not ready yet!"

One of the new students clutched his head in pain.

"How am I supposed to last three minutes in front of a dragon?"

"What? Isn't it about finding the mermaids' treasure in the Black Lake?"

Another new student blankly took out a bottle from his pocket:

"I even brought Gillyweed..."

"But my mom said..."

"My dad..."

"My brother..."

"Ah! What's that?!"

With a cry that drowned out the other voices, the new students turned their heads to see a group of pale ghosts flying through the air, whispering to each other, before disappearing through the walls.

"Could it be that the Sorting Ceremony is different every year, and this year... it's about dealing with ghosts?"

Adam stroked his chin and expressed his opinion.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entrance hall was silent for a few seconds, followed by a chorus of swallowing sounds.

The entire entrance hall seemed to have lost a lot of heat due to the passage of the ghosts. Some new students turned pale, and some trembled slightly.

"Everything is ready now. Form a single line and follow me."

Professor McGonagall's return injected a new wave of warmth into the entrance hall. She looked at the pale-faced new students with some doubt, but in the end, she could only guess that perhaps some new student's parents had made a joke that went too far, scaring the others.

Passing through the doors of the Great Hall and walking forward along the aisle between the four long tables, Adam quickly glanced at the dishes on both sides.

Roast beef, roast sausages, roast pumpkin, roast potatoes, steak, lamb chops, roast chicken, bread, fries, Cornish pasties, Yorkshire pudding...

Adam, whose family owned multiple restaurants, scanned the dishes with his eyes, and the corresponding names and recipes naturally appeared in his mind.

Well... at least it looks good. There's no Stargazy pie. I just don't know how it tastes. Hopefully, the House-elves' cooking won't disappoint him.