The Sorting Ceremony

The Sorting Hat sang a song about the four Houses, introducing their core ideals.

Canopus, who had long since known all this, was staring up at the enchanted ceiling. He was wondering whether certain magical rituals that needed to be performed outdoors could be carried out beneath this ceiling.

"Hannah Abbott!"

McGonagall picked up the long roll of parchment and called out the first name.

The little girl ran forward and placed the battered Sorting Hat on her head, looking rather nervous.

The Sorting Hat covered her eyes, then, after a moment, shouted through the wide slit in its fabric.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Canopus heard Harry and Ron beside him let out sighs of relief. They seemed glad they would not have to fight dragons.

"Canopus Black!"

Every child with at least one wizard parent craned their necks to look at Canopus.

Quite a few staff members frowned, because this child looked far too much like Sirius Black.

Seemingly unaware, Canopus walked forward and put the Sorting Hat on his head, the brim concealing his eyes.

"Oh, it has been many years. A most traditional druid."

The Sorting Hat's wistful voice echoed in Canopus's mind, and Canopus replied inwardly as well.

"Do you need to see my memories?"

"If you are willing."

Canopus had never feared spells like Legilimency, because as a traditional druid, he placed greater emphasis on cultivating the spiritual realm than modern wizards did.

There was only a still lake within his mind, with all his thoughts hidden beneath the water.

With a thought from Canopus, every experience except the memories of his previous life surfaced in his mind. He felt the Sorting Hat's power sweep gently over them before everything returned to calm.

"Very difficult, child. Very difficult."

"You possess passion and courage, coming into the mortal world to take part in the tides of this age. Gryffindor would like you. You possess a steadfast will, having undergone knightly training day after day for ten years. Hufflepuff would be proud of you. Your bloodline is purer than most, fully meeting Slytherin's requirements."

Canopus asked somewhat strangely, "What about Ravenclaw?"

"That would work too, actually. But your attitude toward knowledge leans more toward preservation and inheritance rather than obsession. Compared to the other three Houses, I would not recommend Ravenclaw as strongly."

Canopus nodded in understanding, and the Sorting Hat fell into contemplation once more.

The young wizards below began to stir. The Slytherins watched with expressions of both anticipation and distaste. Gryffindor's feelings were complicated, and quite a few people thought of the rebellious Sirius Black from the past.

Ravenclaw was indifferent, while Hufflepuff remained calm; neither House cared quite as much.

"I don't think which House we enter determines what kind of people we will become in the future, does it?"

Canopus instead comforted the Sorting Hat. "Don't be nervous. You are the authority on sorting."

"You brat, why would I be nervous? GRYFFINDOR!"

The final House was shouted out by the Sorting Hat with all its might. The Gryffindor table fell silent for a moment, then burst into enthusiastic applause.

The Slytherin students broke into a round of boos. Canopus raised the brim of the hat slightly and calmly swept his gaze from one end of their table to the other.

There was no threat or coercion in that gaze. It merely looked at them, yet held them in such disregard that it was as though they did not exist.

Those who had booed were cowed by his gaze, too afraid to make another sound, as if someone had seized them by the throat. The other three Houses erupted in laughter, while the Gryffindor students cheered loudly, nearly jumping onto the tables.

"Thank you, sir. I never expected Slytherin students to be this pathetic now."

Canopus took off the Sorting Hat and dusted it off.

The Sorting Hat helplessly curled its brim. "A few ringleaders, and the whole atmosphere turns rotten."

Perhaps Slytherin's atmosphere had gone bad ever since Voldemort began recruiting students into the Death Eaters at school.

Canopus walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Soon afterward, Neville, Harry, and Ron all joined Gryffindor.

Their faces were glowing. Neville said that perhaps there had been some mistake, yet happily looked around in every direction.

Dumbledore rose to his feet, and the lively Great Hall immediately fell silent. Everyone looked at the great white wizard with reverence.

Canopus looked at Dumbledore's grayish-white robes and inexplicably felt relieved.

"Welcome to Hogwarts for the start of a new school year! Before the feast begins, I would like to say a few words."

Canopus found the scene strangely familiar.

"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

"Thank you!"

Dumbledore wrapped up his start-of-term speech at astonishing speed. Canopus applauded sincerely. At last, there would be no long-winded speech to listen to.

A vast amount of steaming food appeared on the tables: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steaks, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips...

Canopus's fork halted in midair. Why was it all roasted meat and potatoes? This food was far too heavy.

The ghosts of each House also entered. Canopus hurriedly speared a huge piece of beef, lest a ghost strike up a conversation and delay his meal.

Thanks to druidic tradition, Canopus had no dietary taboos whatsoever.

Once Kano was about half full, the dishes on the table suddenly changed into all kinds of desserts.

Ice cream in every flavor, delicate baked pastries, fruit pies drenched in syrup, and more. After taking two bites, Kano immediately realized that British cuisine had clearly put all its skill points into the wrong tree.

The desserts and pastries were so delicious, so why were they so obsessed with potatoes and meat when it came to main courses?

When he was about seventy percent full, Kano put down his knife and fork. The children around him were still desperately stuffing desserts into their mouths, and Kano could not help feeling that Hogwarts had turned into a pig farm.

Ron shoved half an apple pudding into his mouth, chewing as he reached for another.

But the next second, the plates on the table became completely empty. The welcome feast was over.

Dumbledore stood up again. Ignoring the faint sound of burping, the Great Hall fell silent once more.

"Now that everyone is full and satisfied, allow me to go over a few important notices."

"First-years, take note: the forest on the school grounds is forbidden to all students. Some older students would do well to remember that too."

Kano let those words go in one ear and out the other. Most of his rituals were performed either by the water or in wooded areas.

At the very least, he needed to be outdoors when reviewing Druidic poetry. He would just listen to that warning and leave it at that, because the forest itself could never harm him.

"Finally, I must tell you that anyone who does not wish to suffer an accident and die a painful death should stay out of the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor."

This was the trap Dumbledore had set for Voldemort, mainly meant to train Harry, the savior.

Kano did not want to steal Harry's beginner tutorial, but if he ever faced Voldemort in a real fight, he would definitely take part.

But this year's main goal was...

Eat more, sleep more, exercise more, study hard, and grow stronger in magic.