The Sorting Ceremony Begins

The Sorting Ceremony Begins

"I asked my grandmother, but she wouldn't tell me. Uncle Algie once said that we had to defeat a Troll."

Neville grew nervous again. A Troll! Those monsters were said to be over three meters tall. His attacks probably would not even scratch one.

"A Troll!? I know about Trolls. I read about them in Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. It said Trolls possessed immense strength and magic-resistant skin. They weren't something Little Wizards could defeat."

Hermione grew tense as well. She had never imagined Hogwarts' Sorting Ceremony would be this difficult! She had thought they would merely test the Little Wizards' spellcasting ability, and she had prepared for that for quite some time.

But what had she just heard? Defeat a Troll? It seemed she needed to use this final stretch of time to study some offensive magic. Hopefully, her spells could penetrate a Troll's magic-resistant skin.

With that thought, Hermione hurriedly stood up, intending to dig through her luggage for a spellbook and see whether there were any Curses specifically meant for Giant Buster.

"Your uncle was pulling your leg, Neville. For the Sorting Ceremony, you only need to wear a hat called the Sorting Hat, and it'll decide which House you belong in."

Bell bluntly spoiled it for them. He had no interest in following that ridiculous unspoken rule.

In Bell's eyes, this so-called unspoken rule was no different from someone being beaten by their parents as a child, then deciding to beat their own children once they grew up.

Besides, Shanna would be attending Hogwarts in two years. Was he supposed to watch his little sister worry and panic until the Sorting Ceremony began just because of such a brain-dead reason? Give him a break!

"The Sorting Hat? But how can a hat decide which House we go to?"

Hermione felt relieved, but also confused.

"Apparently, the four founders of Hogwarts infused that hat with their thoughts. It can read students' minds and judge their personalities. Of course, it often respects the students' wishes too, placing them in the House they want."

Bell did not particularly like Hogwarts' tradition of Sorting. In his previous life, he had never heard of a school sorting students according to their personalities. Usually, students were sorted by grades.

People changed, and eleven-year-old Little Wizards were still at the stage where their personalities were forming. So, in Bell's opinion, rather than Sorting them based on their personalities, it was more like forcibly defining children's personalities and telling them, You should be this kind of person.

It was a suppression of their nature!

"Then which House do you want to go to?"

Neville said uneasily, "Everyone in my family was in Gryffindor. If I don't get sorted into Gryffindor, my grandmother will definitely take me home."

"What about you, Bell?" Hermione asked.

"Everyone in my family was in Slytherin, but I'm planning to go to Ravenclaw."

"I want to go to Gryffindor. I heard Gryffindor is the best House. The current headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, graduated from Gryffindor House."

"No House is the best, Hermione. In fact, the professors who taught the four Houses were the same people, so the lessons were exactly the same. Dumbledore became the greatest White Wizard of the modern age not because he graduated from Gryffindor House, but because he was Dumbledore."

Bell hesitated for a moment before deciding to persuade Hermione. He believed that the Hermione in his memories had her talent stifled. She should have been capable of achieving far more.

"I think Ravenclaw suits you better. Gryffindor might become an obstacle for you."

The Little Witch fell silent. Clearly, she had no intention of changing her decision over a single remark from Bell, whom she had only just met.

"Of course, that's only a small suggestion from me. The choice is entirely yours."

Bell shrugged indifferently. He was not close with Hermione. Though he had once liked Hermione quite a lot, the person he had liked was the "Hermione" from the books, not the one sitting beside him now.

"I still have some desserts here. Want some more?"

Feeling that he had digested some of the food in his stomach, Bell took out some cakes and other sweets.

"No, no! I really can't eat another bite!"

For the rest of the journey, Hermione kept asking questions. Some were about magical knowledge, while others concerned the wizarding world. She practically became a walking encyclopedia of questions, leaving Bell mentally exhausted.

Can't you just let me sit quietly by myself for a while!?

Aah!

It had already grown dark outside. The train would probably arrive soon, and the three of them changed into their Hogwarts School Uniforms.

Before long, the Conductor's voice echoed through the train.

"We'll arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. We'll deliver it to your dormitories."

Following the crowded stream of students, the three of them got off the train.

A Giant, roughly three and a half meters tall, stood in the distance and shouted for the first-year students to gather around him. He also bellowed Harry Potter's name, causing everyone to stand on tiptoe and strain to look over.

The group walked along a dark, uneven path and finally caught their first glimpse of Hogwarts Castle by the lake. Many Little Wizards cried out in amazement. Hermione's mouth fell open, and her eyes widened. This was probably the Little Witch's first time seeing a castle with her own eyes.

Hogwarts Castle was much larger than the Bell Family's castle, but it lacked the latter's refinement. Overall, each had its own merits. However, Hogwarts also had the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake, so the surrounding scenery was even better.

They crossed the Black Lake by boat, then Professor McGonagall led them to a small room beside the Great Hall to wait.

A group of mischievous ghosts suddenly passed through the walls and flew over the Little Wizards' heads, startling them badly. This was Bell's first time seeing ghosts, and he found them quite interesting. He really wanted to catch one and study it.

At last, the doors leading to the Great Hall opened. The Little Wizards entered in a line, forming rows as they were watched by a crowd of Seniors. Hermione and Neville, standing beside Bell, had both gone pale.

A battered, filthy old hat was placed on a stool not far in front of the new students. Everyone stared at it. Hermione and Neville thought, So this is the legendary Sorting Hat.

Suddenly, a large slit opened in the hat, and it began to sing in a harsh, unpleasant voice.

"You may think I'm not very pretty,

But never judge by appearances,

For I am a magical hat that can think."

Because its voice was so awful and it was completely tone-deaf, Bell decisively blocked out the Sorting Hat's noise attack.

After the Sorting Hat finished singing, Professor McGonagall, who had been standing beside the stool, finally spoke. "When I call your name, come forward, put on the Sorting Hat, sit on the stool, and await your Sorting."

"Hannah Abbott."

"Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted.

"Terry Boot."

"Ravenclaw!" the hat shouted again.

"Bell Menethil."