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The door opened, and a tall witch with black hair in an emerald green robe stood at the entrance. It was Professor McGonagall.
McGonagall glanced at the first-years, her eyes lingering on Ivan and Hermione for a moment before finally settling on Harry Potter.
The stern-looking Professor McGonagall was serious, but she felt a great deal of sympathy for Harry, given his tragic life. Seeing him finally arrive at Hogwarts gave her a sense of relief.
"First-year students, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid."
McGonagall replied, "I'll take them from here."
With that, she opened the door wider.
The entrance hall leading to the Great Hall was enormous, with blazing torches lining the stone walls. The ceiling was so high it was almost invisible. In front of them was a grand marble staircase leading to the upper floors.
The young wizards followed Professor McGonagall along the stone floor.
Ivan could hear the buzz of hundreds of voices coming from the doors to the right. The students from the other years had already arrived.
But Professor McGonagall led the first-years to a small, empty chamber at the other end of the hall.
Everyone crowded inside, rubbing shoulders with each other and nervously looking around.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet is about to begin, but before you take your seats in the hall, you must first be sorted into your houses."
"Sorting is a very important ceremony because while you are here, your house will be like your family at Hogwarts."
"You will have classes with the other students in your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room."
Professor McGonagall spoke, glancing at Ivan subtly, and the perceptive boy noticed the look from the elderly witch, nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
For an exceptional young wizard like Ivan, no head of house would want to miss the chance to have him.
As Ivan's potential guiding teacher, McGonagall hoped to secure him for Gryffindor.
If another house managed to claim him, she'd probably want to toss the Sorting Hat into the furnace and turn it into ashes.
"The names of the four houses are: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."
On the surface, of course, Professor McGonagall maintained a fair and impartial attitude. "Each house has a proud history and has produced many outstanding witches and wizards."
"During your time at Hogwarts, your successes will earn points for your house, while any rule-breaking will result in point deductions."
"At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup, which is a great honor."
Professor McGonagall played the role of head of house excellently, and her serious tone caused the young wizards to fall silent. "I hope that, no matter which house you are placed in, you will bring honor to it."
"Now."
"In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of all the teachers and students of the school."
McGonagall continued, "I suggest you take a moment to tidy yourselves up and present yourselves well."
Her gaze lingered briefly on Neville's slightly askew cloak and the dirt on Ron's nose.
At that, all the young wizards began nervously fixing their clothes.
Even Hermione whispered to Ivan, and Harry, in his nervousness, tried to flatten his unruly hair.
"I'll come back to get you when everything is ready," Professor McGonagall said. "Please keep quiet while you wait."
"How do they figure out which house we go into?"
Harry asked Ron, who only had a vague idea himself. "I think we have to pass a test. Fred said it would really hurt, but I think he was joking."
A test?
In front of the whole school?
Ron's words caused a small stir among the first-years, since most of them didn't know any magic yet.
Hermione was in better shape—she wasn't scared of the idea of a test, but she was worried about not getting a good score.
For a moment, everyone seemed anxious.
Ivan could hear Hermione muttering to herself beside him, rapidly reciting the spells she had learned, uncertain which one might be tested.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, the young wizards screamed.
More than 20 ghosts had suddenly floated through the wall behind them. These pearly white, translucent figures slid across the room, whispering to each other.
'Interesting!'
Ivan ignored the ghosts' chatter, focusing more on their existence.
He activated his psychic vision and examined the ghost closest to him carefully.
In Ivan's eyes, the ghost was surrounded by a layer of magical energy, as if it were bound by some kind of power.
So, Ivan controlled his psychic vision and began to magnify the ghost's form by millions of times, observing it from a microscopic perspective.
'What's going on?'
Strangely enough, unlike the magical creatures Ivan had observed in the microscopic world, the ghost had no physical substance.
As Ivan magnified it, the ghost's structure didn't become clearer.
How to describe it?
Normally, if you magnify something like a grain of sand, you'd expect to see smaller and smaller particles that make up the sand.
But with ghosts, it was different.
As Ivan magnified the ghost, its form inexplicably disappeared from his vision once it became small enough.
Yes, it vanished.
It was as though the ghost was made up only of mist, enveloped in magic, without any smaller components.
In other words, the ghosts in the wizarding world didn't seem to follow the physical laws of atoms and molecules.
'Is this the soul?'
Ivan felt he had stumbled upon something fascinating. 'Souls don't belong to the material world, so the laws of the material world don't bind them.'
"Move forward now," Professor McGonagall called as she returned. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin."
At that moment, the ghosts floated away, disappearing through the opposite wall.
15 Chaps ahead
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"Now, line up in a single file," Professor McGonagall instructed the first-year students. "Follow me."
The young wizards at the front began to move forward, with Ivan standing behind Hermione, and in front of her were Ron and Harry.
The first-years walked out of the room, through the entrance hall, and passed through a set of double doors into the magnificent Great Hall.
Inside, students from the other years were already seated at four long tables, and thousands of floating candles illuminated the room from above.
The four tables were set with gleaming golden plates and tall goblets, while another long table at the front of the hall was reserved for the teachers.
Professor McGonagall led the first-year students to the front, asking them to line up facing the older students.
The candlelight flickered, casting shadows over the hundreds of faces watching them like pale lanterns. Even the ghosts among the students glowed dimly with a silvery light.
Everyone looked up, and above them, stars twinkled on the velvety black ceiling.
"This place has been enchanted to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History," Hermione whispered to Ivan, leaning back slightly.
Professor McGonagall gently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years, then set a pointed wizard's hat on top of it.
The hat was patched, worn, and incredibly dirty.
Suddenly, the hat twisted and split open a wide seam, like a mouth, and began to sing:
♪"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.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends..."♫
When the hat finished its song, the entire hall erupted in applause.
Clap Clap Clap~~
The hat bowed to each of the four tables in turn, then became still.
"So the Sorting Ceremony is just about putting on a hat!"
Hermione said indignantly, clearly disappointed after all the preparation she'd done for the ceremony.
This sparked discontent from Harry and Ron.
Especially Ron, who was particularly annoyed with Hermione—who, as clearly noticeable as a studious student, didn't seem to understand the worries of the rest.
"But how does it determine which house we belong to?"
Hermione asked curiously. Both Harry and Ron turned to Ivan, the knowledgeable and calm one in their group. Ivan explained, "The hat is enchanted with powerful magic. The four founders of Hogwarts imbued it with their will so that it can sort students based on the qualities they valued."
"Imagine that the moment you put on the hat, the four founders are gathered around you, discussing where you should go."
For those whose blood isn't pure enough, Slytherin would express disdain.
Next would be Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, who value the courage and wisdom of the young wizard, respectively.
And for those who don't fit the other houses, the kind and accepting Hufflepuff will always open its arms to them.
Of course, this doesn't mean Hufflepuff is inferior to the other three.
Ivan believed that ambition, wisdom, and courage are all positive traits that can guide wizards toward greatness.
For children who want to "grow," Hufflepuff won't stand in the way of their aspirations.
But if you desire stability, are willing to work hard, and face life steadily, Hufflepuff will give you a warm home.
"Where did you learn all this, Ivan?"
Hermione asked. "I've never read anything like it in any of the books."
The little witch didn't doubt Ivan's words at all. After spending half a month with him, Hermione had developed a hierarchy in her mind: Ivan > professor > book > others.
"This is more like a talent," Ivan replied with a smile. "I can 'see' the magic on the hat and 'hear' the voices left behind by the four founders."
"....."
Harry and Ron both widened their eyes, clearly not expecting Ivan to possess such a skill.
"It's not that amazing. You can just think of it as me rambling."
"Tsk."
Malfoy sneered disdainfully from the front of the line.
He glanced back at the four of them with a look of jealousy. "I've never heard of such an ability. You really love showing off, don't you, Ivan Ambrosius?"
His pretentious and slightly sour tone fit the expression, 'the sky is clear, the rain has stopped, and Malfoy feels like he's superior again.'
Harry and Ron stared at Malfoy with dissatisfaction.
Both of them had a high opinion of Ivan—he was humble, knowledgeable, gentle, and steady, especially in Harry's eyes.
Ivan had stood up for him and dealt with Malfoy and his gang when they'd spoken rudely, and Harry wasn't going to let Malfoy insult someone who had been good to him!
"It's really ridiculous."
Ivan didn't care about Malfoy's sarcasm. He shrugged and said with a smile, "Then just treat it as one of my jokes. Don't worry about it."
Unlike the arrogant, peacock-like Malfoy, the other young wizards clearly admired Ivan more and were willing to believe in his words and his unique talent.
"Whoever's name I call now, put on the hat, sit on the stool, and wait for your sorting."
At that moment, Professor McGonagall stepped forward a few paces, holding a roll of parchment in her hand, and called out, "Hannah Abbott!"
"Hannah's always strong..." Ivan muttered quietly.
Even though she was at the back, Hannah was the first to be sorted.
The nervous little witch walked out of the group, nearly stumbling as she stepped forward, and sat on the stool, placing the hat on her head under the watchful eyes of everyone.
"Hufflepuff."
Ivan whispered softly, only Hermione hearing him.
"Hufflepuff!!" the hat declared loudly.
Sure enough, the people at the table to the right burst into applause and cheers for Hannah, welcoming her to join them at their table.
"Did you see that again?" Hermione asked, saying something that Ron and Harry couldn't quite understand. Ivan smiled helplessly. "You know, Hermione, sometimes even I get a little overwhelmed by it."
"What about me? Did you see which house I'll be sorted into?"
"If I told you, there'd be no surprise, right?"
Ivan didn't answer, but just blinked at Hermione, and the little witch rolled her eyes at him in anger.
"What are you talking about?"
Harry was puzzled, and Ronald was even more stupid, not knowing whether to watch the sorting ceremony or listen to Ivan and Hermione's whispers.
"Susan Bones!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Terry Boot!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Justin Finch-Fletchley!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"....."
The sorting ceremony continued, and soon it was Hermione's turn.
The little witch gave Ivan a cute glare, then quickly ran to the stool and put the hat on her head.
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15 Advance Chapters:
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