"Welcome to Hogwarts."
"The Welcoming Feast is about to begin, but before that, the Sorting Ceremony."
"During your time here, your House is your home. You will attend classes together and rest in your dormitories during leisure time."
"There are four Houses, each with its own name, outstanding Wizards, and glorious history."
"During your studies, strive to bring honor to your House. Excellent performance earns points, while rule-breaking incurs deductions. The House with the most points wins the House Cup."
"The ceremony will begin in a few minutes. Use this time to compose yourselves."
"When it's ready, I will call for you. In the meantime, please remain quiet."
After Professor McGonagall finished speaking, she left the room. The Young Wizards remained quiet for less than half a minute before immediately starting to discuss the Sorting Ceremony.
Cho shook Nina's hand and poked Karl's back, signaling to start a conversation.
"They're so loud, won't they wake up the evil dragon Smaug?"
Nina's tone was very serious: "At this time, Smaug should have already awakened."
Karl, standing nearby, also had a solemn expression, "The evil dragon has been asleep for a year; he must be very hungry now. I wonder how many of us will be eaten."
The three of them seemed to be whispering, but their voices were loud enough to be heard throughout the entire room.
Other Young Wizards were drawn by their conversation and all quieted down.
Cho shivered and hugged Nina, her voice even tinged with a sob, "I don't want to be eaten by the evil dragon! I want to go home!"
Karl couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up; her acting was too spot-on. He hadn't realized this kid was such a drama queen.
"It's too late. We have no retreat now."
Nina finished her lines expressionlessly, then lowered her gaze and remained silent. The three of them fell into a collective silence.
The Young Wizards, already very nervous about the Sorting Ceremony, immediately became uneasy, and a tense atmosphere began to spread throughout the room.
Finally, a Young Wizard couldn't hold back and asked Karl, "What do you mean by evil dragon?"
"The Sorting Ceremony."
As soon as he said this, the Young Wizards collectively took a step back and instantly erupted:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"How could it be an evil dragon? Is the school crazy?"
"We're going to be eaten!"
"Please! Tell me you're joking! This isn't real!"
Facing this expected scene, Karl, who was well-prepared, pressed his hands down to signal for silence.
"Don't you know Hogwarts's motto is 'Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon'?"
"The 'sleeping dragon' here refers to the slumbering evil dragon Smaug."
The Young Wizards whispered among themselves and quickly confirmed that Karl wasn't lying. Some of them also knew this motto, so everyone's face turned pale.
"A thousand years ago, new students at Hogwarts had to enter the Castle and take the Galleons guarded by the sleeping evil dragon."
"Those who succeeded were sorted into Houses based on their performance, while those who failed… were eaten alive by the awakened evil dragon."
"That's why the motto 'Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon' came to be."
It was well-reasoned and convincing, so the Young Wizards huddled together, trembling, "What about now?"
"Because too many students were eaten, the four founders of the school sealed the evil dragon Smaugin a hat."
"Every year during the sorting, Smaug awakens, pretends to be a hat, and sings to celebrate his feast."
"And the Sorting Ceremony we face is to put on the hat, which means putting our heads into the evil dragon's mouth."
"Then, Smaug will choose some greedy, playful, naughty, disobedient… lying Young Wizards, and bite their heads off in one gulp!"
After Karl finished speaking, the Young Wizards had only one thought: This is even worse than hundreds of years ago!
At least back then, they could still run away, but now they have to stick their heads into the evil dragon's mouth right away… They're going to die!
They recalled Karl's adjectives and then despairingly realized—Oh my goodness! That's exactly me!
It was like looking in a mirror!
"Oh, and everyone, whatever you do, don't expose Smaug, because you'll definitely be eaten if you do."
"Just treat him like a hat, and firmly believe in your heart that you can get into Hogwarts. That's the highest chance of passing!"
"Finally, good luck to everyone!"
Upon hearing this, the Young Wizards couldn't help but thank Karl.
What a good person!
…
When Professor McGonagall returned, she clearly sensed that the atmosphere was off.
What happened? Why does everyone look so scared?
Did a ghost from the school visit?
But there was no time to ask; the Great Hall was waiting.
"Everyone, form a single line and follow me."
Karl, Nina, and Cho, who were the last to enter the room, now led the way.
Passing through the entrance hall and entering the Great Hall once again, Karl was immediately captivated by the thousands of candles floating in mid-air as soon as he entered, and couldn't help but marvel at how amazing magic truly was. If these were dripping wax…
Ahem! In the Great Hall, there were four long tables where older students sat, pointing and whispering about the first-years.
And on the dais at the front of the Great Hall, there was another long table with a row of oddly-dressed Professors.
Once the first-year students stood still, everyone noticed something was wrong.
Why were they all pale-faced and terrified, looking utterly petrified?
And when Professor McGonagall placed a dirty, tattered, pointed Wizard's hat on a four-legged stool, the entire Great Hall was even enveloped in a wave of despair.
The Professors exchanged glances. In the past, students were just nervous. What was wrong with this batch of new students?
They were even afraid of the Sorting Hat. What were they afraid of? Could a dragon really pop out of the hat?
…
For some unknown reason, the Young Wizards were as quiet as quails.
Karl felt something was missing, so he quietly reminded Nina and Cho.
"Look up~"
Cho cautiously glanced up, "Candles?"
"It's the ceiling."
Nina softly explained for Karl: "It's recorded in 'Hogwarts: A History' that the ceiling is enchanted to look just like the sky outside."
Karl: (▔,▔)
No way… Besides Hermione, does anyone actually read the school history before starting school?
He rubbed his ear; Nina's trailing voice made him a little ticklish.
"Wow! There really is a starry sky!"
Just as Cho exclaimed in surprise, a song suddenly rang out in the Great Hall:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
Ravenclaw, Gryffindor cherish wisdom and courage,
Slytherin, Hufflepuff cherish ambition and honesty,
To look into your mind and sort you into Houses is the meaning of my existence,
…
Come on~ Put me on~"
The Hat, with its wide mouth, finished singing and immediately drew applause and cheers from the entire hall.
Of course, except for the first-year students, who only found it noisy.
Karl, on the other hand, was quite surprised. Who said the Sorting Hat sang badly? Its performance was good enough for a concert!
The Sorting Hat twisted and bowed to each of the four House tables, then fell still.
Once the Great Hall quieted down, Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a roll of parchment, "When I call your name, you will put on the Hat, sit on the stool, and await your sorting."
The despairing Young Wizards couldn't help but let out sobs and whimpers.
It all matched! It all matched up!