The Sorting Ceremony Begins

A wizard with a thick beard and a terrifyingly large build emerged from the darkness, lantern in hand, waving his arms as he shouted, "I am Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, here to guide the first-year students! Are there any more first-years?"

"Is everyone here? Right then, watch your step, follow me!"

Hagrid led the few dozen nervous and curious students stumbling along a rugged, narrow path for a while, until a vast lake suddenly spread out at the end of the trail. On the opposite shore stood a magnificent, ancient castle that pierced the clouds, its dense lights glowing under the shroud of night. The towering spires atop it punctured the firmament, echoing the twinkling stars and exuding an ancient, mysterious aura.

"That's Hogwarts ahead! You can cross by taking the boats at the shore; no more than four to a boat!" Hagrid called back to the wide-eyed first-years, then led them to the water's edge, watching as they boarded one by one.

Avada, Baron, and Cho Chang were already quite familiar with each other, so they naturally chose to share a boat.

"Everyone seated? Right then—off we go!"

Hagrid occupied a boat all by himself. At his command, all the boats began to move without the wind, gliding steadily and in unison toward the castle on the opposite bank. Along the way, the students fell into a collective silence, their eyes fixed on the towering castle that would house them for the next seven years with a mix of curiosity, nervousness, and awe.

The small boats carried them through a curtain of ivy covering the cliff face, into a hidden, open entrance, and then along a pitch-black tunnel until they reached a place resembling an underground pier. Finally, they climbed onto a patch of gravel and small pebbles, arriving before a massive oak door. Hagrid stepped forward and knocked three times on the door with his fist.

The door opened a crack, revealing a kind-faced witch wearing a patched, taupe robe.

"The first-years have arrived, Professor Sprout," Hagrid said in a muffled voice to the witch.

"Thank you, Hagrid."

Sprout nodded gently, then gave a light wave of her hand. The door, which had only been open a sliver, swung wide, the massive opening large enough to fit a house. She stood before the threshold, smiling as she gazed at the sea of heads below, and spoke in a clear, loud voice:

"First-year students, welcome to Hogwarts!"

"The opening feast is about to begin. But before you officially enroll, you must first undergo the Sorting Ceremony to be placed into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin."

"Your house is like your family at Hogwarts. You will attend classes with your housemates, sleep in your house dormitories, and spend your free time in your common room. Your outstanding performance will earn your house points, while rule-breaking will result in point deductions. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the highest honor: the House Cup."

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin, and it will be held in front of the entire school. Stay quiet, tidy yourselves up a bit, and follow me."

Sprout led the way into the entrance hall, the students filing in behind her. She stood still, giving them a moment to straighten their robes and whisper among themselves.

"I once asked my mother what the sorting process was like," Cho whispered mysteriously to Avada and Baron. "But she just smiled and told me I'd find out when I got there, and no matter how much I pressed her, she wouldn't answer."

"My parents were the same," Baron said seriously. "I've asked other elders, but they all remained silent without exception. I suspect the sorting process might involve a magical contract that prevents students from revealing the specific details."

"But why?" a boy nearby, having overheard their conversation, couldn't help but ask. "Is the sorting process dangerous, or perhaps even illegal?"

Another girl joined the discussion. "That's unlikely. My father works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he's a Hogwarts graduate. If there were any issues, he would have investigated it long ago."

"My parents told me that if you're a bad kid, you get sent straight to Azkaban..."

The chatter grew louder and louder, leaving Avada speechless.

It's only because the magical world is so small that they can maintain such a strange, unspoken agreement about something so bizarre.

"Alright."

Sprout clapped her hands, causing the discussion to die down. "Everyone, line up. Follow me into the Great Hall to prepare for the sorting."

"Also, there will be some ghosts appearing shortly. Do not panic; they will not harm you, and they cannot even touch you. At most, they might make you feel a bit cold..."

As she spoke, Sprout led the students through the corridor and into the magnificent hall. Students from other years were already seated at four long tables, with thousands of candles floating in mid-air above them, illuminating the dining hall. The four tables were set with shimmering gold plates and goblets. The teachers' seats were on a dais at the front of the hall, where another long table sat, with Headmaster Dumbledore and several other wizards and witches seated behind it.

Sprout placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years and set a pointed wizard's hat upon it. The hat was patched, worn, and looked filthy; it was hard to tell how long it had been since it was last cleaned.

Avada was scanning the teachers' table, trying to identify the professors he recognized, when he noticed that the moment the Sorting Hat appeared, every professor—including Dumbledore—simultaneously reached up and tapped their ears. Many of the older students below also drew their wands and performed the same action.

Then, the brim of the Sorting Hat split open like a mouth and began to sing in a loud voice...

"What the hell!"

As soon as the Sorting Hat started, Avada's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly pulled out his wand and pointed it at his own ears.

"Muffliato!"

As his self-researched spell took effect, Avada felt the world go completely silent.

After the Sorting Hat's song ended, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall, as if everyone were celebrating their own release. Avada waved his wand, dispelling the magic on his ears.

Professor Sprout stepped forward, standing beside the Sorting Hat with a piece of parchment in her hand. "I will call your names, and you will put on the hat, sit on the stool, and begin the sorting."

"Michael Duncan!"

A blonde boy ran up to the stage in excitement, nearly tripping as he sat on the stool.

"Gryffindor!"

As soon as the words were spoken, huge applause erupted from the long table to the middle-right.

"Shabi Nott!"

"Hufflepuff!"

Thunderous applause broke out from the long table on the far right, where the most students were seated.

"Henry Summers!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Cho Chang!" Sprout read aloud. Cho took a deep breath, clutching the hem of her robe as she stepped forward and put on the Sorting Hat. A wave of discussion rippled through the long tables below.

"Wow, an Asian face. You don't see that very often!"

"I think the first Chinese wizard at Hogwarts was decades ago. This must be the second!"

"And she's so pretty..."

The Sorting Hat hesitated for a moment on Cho's head before shouting, "Ravenclaw!"

The cheers from the Ravenclaw table were noticeably louder than before.

"Baron Shafiq!"

Baron turned back to smile at Avada, then held his head high as he stepped forward to put on the Sorting Hat.

"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat shouted almost the instant it touched his hair.

"Tch." At the Gryffindor table, two red-headed faces were huddled together, whispering, "Going into Slytherin so decisively, he's definitely no good."

"Watch your tongue." A tall red-headed wizard nearby glanced at them. "He's a first-year, after all."

Baron seemed quite satisfied with the result and strode toward the Slytherin table.

Professor Sprout was about to read the next name, but as she looked at the student list, her brow suddenly furrowed, and she fell silent for a brief moment.

"Next, er... Mister K!"

Before Avada could react, the tables below were already buzzing with discussion:

"What's going on? Why isn't there even a full name?"

"That's not necessarily true, maybe his name really is Mister K?"

"That's just too lazy! Were his parents drunk when they named him?"

"The last name this lazy was Tonks, right, Ni..."

"Shut up, you idiot!"

Avada sighed silently, walked forward, and put on the hat under the gaze of everyone.

On the first day of school, he had become famous throughout the entire school.