The Sorting Ceremony

The hundreds of faces watching them below looked like pale little lanterns in the flickering candlelight.

The ghosts scattered among the students made the once-dull silverware gleam. To avoid the eyes below, Harley looked up and happened to see the beautiful black velvet ceiling, dotted with stars.

She heard Hermione whisper in her ear, "Someone enchanted it to make it look more like the night sky outside. I learned that in Hogwarts: A History."

If only I could use that spell on my own ceiling. Then I wouldn't have to see those spiders crawling around anymore, Harley thought.

Professor McGonagall brought over a four-legged stool and placed a pure white pointed hat on it.

Before everyone's eyes, the part of the hat that resembled a human face reluctantly opened its mouth. "I was going to sing a song, but I'm in a bad mood."

"First-years! Come here! Put me on! I'll tell you which Academy you belong in!" it shrieked.

Professor McGonagall stood to one side with a long roll of parchment in hand. "When I call your name, please put on this hat, sit down, and wait for it to assign you."

She called, "Hannah Abbott!"

A pink-faced little girl with a head full of blond hair stepped out of the line. After putting on the oversized hat that covered even her eyes, she sat down quietly.

A moment later, the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff students sat at the far-right table. When Hannah came down and joined them, they all applauded and cheered. Even a plump ghost among them waved at her.

Professor McGonagall continued calling names. Whenever a student was assigned to a house, that house's students would begin applauding. Ron grew more and more nervous, because there were very few unassigned students left. Even Hermione and Malfoy had gone up.

Hermione went to Gryffindor, while Malfoy seemed to have forgotten what had happened on the train. He was assigned to Slytherin with a proud look on his face. Yet he did not look Harley's way, whether because he did not dare to or did not want to.

Harley was nervous too. However, Professor Snape, who had brought her away from Dudley's house, was watching from behind her. That eased her nerves somewhat.

Besides, Professor Snape had told her a little about the Sorting Ceremony. She simply waited silently for Professor McGonagall to call her name.

"—Harley Potter!"

The Great Hall fell silent for a moment at that name, then erupted into loud chatter, like a pot coming to a boil. People began whispering among themselves.

"Is that the Potter I'm thinking of?"

"That Harley Potter?"

"Oh my gosh! She's so pretty! And those clothes—I want a set like that too!"

"You probably can't afford it, man. Those clothes look custom-made!"

Harley thought she had been prepared, but she really had not.

It was impossible not to feel nervous at a time like this. She touched the little snake around her right wrist and walked stiffly, expressionlessly, to the hat. She put it on and sat down.

"You..." The hat's voice echoed in her mind.

"Girl, you're very talented. You crave knowledge too. You're even very brave—and you want to prove your worth? Oh, now this is interesting. You could go to any of the four houses!"

Harley asked in her mind, "Then where do you think I should go, Mr. Hat?"

The Sorting Hat was silent for a moment before saying, "You don't seem nervous at all, so—"

It shouted loudly at the crowd, "—Slytherin!"

Snape pumped his fist hard, but quickly coughed and returned to his upright, composed posture.

Harley walked toward the Slytherin table. The students in green robes all looked ecstatic, but when Harley approached without expression, they lowered their heads in greeting.

Little did they know that her mind was Chaos: Why are they bowing to me?!

Draco Malfoy no longer wore that proud look. He seemed to want to shrink beneath the table. Harley noticed him and deliberately went over to sit beside him.

Malfoy tried his utmost to look as though he was not afraid of her at all, but he did not even dare to glance at Harley from the side. He merely stared down at his plate, as if it contained gold and silver treasure.

The Sorting Ceremony ended completely a few minutes later. Ron, Hermione, and Neville had all gone to Gryffindor. Harley was alone in Slytherin, and she could not help feeling a little disappointed.

A tall old man with a beard and hair as white as snow stood from the teachers' table. He cleared his throat, and Harley recognized him as Dumbledore—the "greatest white wizard of the age" printed on collecting cards, and the headmaster of Hogwarts.

In a booming voice, he said, "Welcome! Welcome to Hogwarts. This is a new school year, and a brand-new beginning for Hogwarts! Because this year, we will be adopting an unprecedented new method of teaching! You will learn the true mysteries of magic!"

"Now, please allow me to take a little of your time. I have a few announcements to make."

He continued, "Due to the change in teaching methods, the first-years will be under the care of Professor He Shenyan beside me. I believe quite a few of you have already seen him in the newspapers. As for all students from second year onward, please pay attention to the notice boards in your common rooms. I must remind you that there have been some minor changes to the curriculum."

He sat down. The young man to his right stood and nodded to everyone.

Harley noticed that when he stood, quite a few female students let out soft gasps. She herself was a little surprised by how unimaginably handsome he was. Yet more captivating than his face were his eyes.

They were like whirlpools. The moment one looked into them, it was hard not to want to lose oneself within them.

The man gave a light cough, then said, "I don't want to delay everyone's dinner. I'm afraid some of you are already starving."

His little joke drew quiet laughter from the students and relaxed them somewhat. At least this professor did not seem to have such a stern personality, which would make things easier for them.

"Just as Professor Dumbledore said, first-years, please arrive at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom on the fourth floor before nine thirty tomorrow morning for class. That is all." After saying this briefly, he smiled and sat down.

Harley heard people at the Slytherin table begin discussing it quietly.

Dumbledore sat in his seat, smiling as he waved an arm downward. Countless delicious foods suddenly appeared on the empty plates, everything one could possibly want.

Harley's eyes lit up the instant she saw vanilla ice cream, but she also saw roast chicken, steaks, and rows of sausages. Choosing was always difficult, especially when choosing among foods she had barely ever eaten before.

After the feast ended, Harley realized that she might have overeaten—actually, there was no "might" about it.

She had eaten three vanilla Ice Creams, two steaks, a huge mound of mashed potato, and even half a fish.

Malfoy, sitting beside her, had barely eaten anything. The whole time, he watched in trembling fear as Harley expressionlessly devoured the food at a pace fit for battle. In Malfoy's eyes, the way she wielded her knife and fork was probably no different from wielding them over his own body.

His appearance made Harley roll her eyes at him when she found the time.

Dumbledore stood again and said, "Now that everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, let me say a few more words. I hope you do not find this old man too bothersome."

"I'm sure everyone has noticed that there is no dress requirement this year. Therefore, it does not matter whether you wear robes or a jacket. However, several rules still remain. For example, students are strictly forbidden from entering the Forbidden Forest on the grounds. Please remember that."

"At the same time, Administrator Filch has asked me to remind everyone not to cast spells in the corridors between classes, and that wandering the halls at night is prohibited."

"The original classes and examinations for upper-year students will no longer be held. As for why, you should understand after attending Professor He's class tomorrow. That is all I have to say. Thank you all for listening so patiently."

At the Gryffindor table, two red-haired boys let out a wail. "No! Headmaster! What about the school song this year?"

Dumbledore laughed and said cheerfully, "If you wish, you may stay and sing it yourselves. I'll start you off—choose any tune you like! But I'm afraid I have some matters to attend to and must leave first."

With that, he waved his hand, and music began to play. The two boys started singing, followed by everyone else. Amid the disorderly chorus, Dumbledore left the Great Hall.