Hearing screams again from up ahead, Maca tiptoed, peering forward.
He saw about twenty pearly white, semi-transparent humanoid figures suddenly emerge from the wall on one side. Maca took a closer look; they were probably ghosts.
They were talking to each other, lightly gliding through the air above the room. Maca vaguely heard the word "Peeves".
"...I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost in a ruff collar seemed to have just noticed the first-year students below.
"Freshmen!" Another chubby friar smiled at them, "I think they're probably getting ready for the test, aren't they?"
Some students nodded silently, without speaking.
"I hope you're all sorted into Hufflepuff!" The friar said, "That's the house I used to be in."
"Move along now," a thin voice said beside the monk, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin."
Professor McGonagall returned, and the ghosts drifted through the opposite wall, disappearing one by one before everyone's eyes.
"Now, form a single line," Professor McGonagall told the first-year students, "and follow me."
Maca was at the back of the line, and it took a while for him to leave the room with the students in front – there was nothing he could do about it, since he was at the back to begin with.
This was the Hogwarts dining hall. The other students were already seated at the four long tables, and thousands of candles floated above them, illuminating the entire hall.
The four tables were set with gleaming gold plates and goblets. The older students were watching the new students, whispering and discussing which ones would go to their houses and which ones wouldn't.
At the head of the hall was another long table, the teachers' table. Professor McGonagall led them there, making them stand in a row facing the older students, with the teachers standing quietly behind them.
The candlelight in the air flickered slightly, making the older students' faces look a little pale. The ghosts they had seen earlier were also among them, shimmering with a faint silver light, and everyone's eyes were on them.
Maca gazed listlessly at the enchanted ceiling above. The inky blackness was dotted with countless twinkling stars, shimmering and ethereal in the faint magical haze – he could even make out a few familiar constellations.
"It's been enchanted to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History," he faintly heard Hermione's voice nearby.
Professor McGonagall gently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-year students. Maca turned his gaze from the ceiling and focused on what was happening. He saw Professor McGonagall place a pointed wizard's hat on the stool. The hat was patched, worn, and filthy. Frankly, the thought of putting that hat on his head made him feel uneasy.
As the Sorting Hat was placed down, the murmur in the Great Hall immediately ceased. They all knew the main event was about to begin.
Sure enough, the hat twitched, and a crease opened and closed like a mouth, and it 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 hat that's smarter than me."
Maca's lips twitched at this.
"You can keep your bowlers shiny, your top hats sleek and grand, I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat, and I'm better than all of them..."
The Sorting Hat continued its awful song, but Maca had already turned his gaze back to the ceiling, which was far more interesting.
It wasn't until the applause started that Maca snapped back to reality and clapped a few times as well. Some of the more outgoing first-years were already chatting with their classmates.
"Maybe I'll go to Gryffindor," a small boy with long black hair whispered to him. "My dad says I'm always very brave. I swallowed a whole Flobberworm when I was little!"
"Are you Bear Grylls?" Maca asked, swallowing hard.
"Who's that? My name is Michael Corner, you can call me Mike." The boy, Michael, tilted his head.
They were chatting idly when Professor McGonagall stepped forward and gently unfurled a roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, please put on the hat and sit on the stool to await your Sorting," she said. "Hannah Abbott!"
A little girl with flushed cheeks and two golden braids stumbled out of the line and put on the Sorting Hat. The hat was obviously too big for her, completely covering her eyes.
Maca watched the clumsy young girl, finding her quite interesting.
She sat down, and a moment later, she heard the Sorting Hat drawl, "Hufflepuff!"
The people at the table on the right applauded Hannah, welcoming her to their table, and the fat friar ghost at the long table happily waved at her.
"Susan Bones."
"Hufflepuff!" the hat called out in a different tone. Susan quickly ran over and sat down next to Hannah.
The sorting continued, the hat skillfully changing its strange tones, as if it spent every semester pondering these boring things to pass the time.
Unsurprisingly, the trio of Harry were sorted into Gryffindor, representing courage and spirit; Anthony and Lisa, whom they met on the train, were assigned to Ravenclaw, and of course, Ernie was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Michael, who had eaten a Flobberworm, did not go to Gryffindor as he had hoped, but was also sorted into Ravenclaw. It was clear that he was a little unwilling.
"Maca McLean."
It was finally his turn. Maca stepped forward immediately upon hearing his name, picked up the Sorting Hat, and reluctantly placed it on his head.
"Hmm… you don't seem very enthusiastic?" the Sorting Hat grumbled, wriggling slightly.
"Actually, I'd prefer if you took a bath," Maca admitted. He figured the hat could roughly read his thoughts, so honesty was the best policy.
"Yes, I think so too, but I can't just crawl to the bathroom, can I?" The Sorting Hat wriggled again, the stiff point of its brim drooping dejectedly. "But every headmaster has never thought of this, they are too busy."
After a brief complaint, it regained its original liveliness and began to mutter to itself.
"Hmm—, ah—this is difficult, very difficult," the Sorting Hat said. "Logically, you should go to Ravenclaw. The atmosphere there would allow you to absorb the essence of knowledge more fully; but your cleverness and overall perspective could be cultivated more thoroughly in Slytherin…"
"What about Gryffindor and Hufflepuff?" Maca asked curiously.
"Huh? Gryffindor! You think that's possible?" The Sorting Hat retorted directly, its tone peculiar.
"Well, actually, that's what I thought too…" Maca pouted, saying it helplessly.
At this moment, the Sorting Hat suddenly twisted itself around, using its pointed tip to rub against its wide brim, and then said, considering, "Hmm, Hufflepuff, yes, yes, that's right… you need to go there, this should be the most correct choice."
With that, without waiting for Maca to speak, it directly opened its mouth and shouted, "Hufflepuff!"
Maca, puzzled, put the hat back on the stool, and walked towards the Hufflepuff table with a head full of doubts, sitting down amidst the applause of the upperclassmen.
"Welcome! Welcome everyone to Hogwarts to start the new school year! Before the feast begins, I want to say a few words. That is – nitwits! Crybabies! Leftovers! Twist!" Maca stopped his conversation with a tall upperclassman when he heard the voice, and looked up at Dumbledore who was speaking, "Thank you all!"
After Dumbledore sat down again, everyone began to applaud.
"What does that mean?" Maca turned his head and asked the upperclassman beside him.
"I don't know, maybe the professor is just showing off his sense of humor." The upperclassman shrugged, indicating he also didn't understand. "Just go with it, don't worry about it too much."
At that moment, the long table, which had been empty, suddenly filled with a plethora of food. Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steaks, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, french fries, Yorkshire pudding, pea shoots, carrots, gravy, and tomato soup were all there, enough to make your head spin.
"What's this?" Maca reached for a plate. "Mint humbugs?"
"Professor Dumbledore has been fond of these lately." The upperclassman explained in a muffled voice while devouring the meat off a lamb chop. "He always shares his favorite sweets and drinks with everyone."
Maca shrugged after hearing this, then pushed the plate of mint humbugs away.
"Maca, aren't you hungry?" Ernie, not far away, watched Maca take small bites of the roast beef curiously and couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, actually, I've eaten quite a bit." Maca smiled. Obviously, while ensuring he didn't look too unrefined, he had prioritized speed.
"I think Ernie, he's just trying to keep up appearances!" A somewhat boisterous upperclasswoman teased Maca with a laugh.
"Aha! You saw right through me," Maca wasn't bothered in the slightest, and instead played along. "Otherwise, how else could I get a chance to talk to you, senior? I mean, a beauty like you."
The senior hadn't expected Maca to tease her in return. Caught off guard, her cheeks flushed red, but she still tried to act tough, saying, "Oh my, that's not bad. I'm claiming you, little guy, as my boyfriend!"
"Whoa! Charlotte, you're finally ready to get married!" Another girl beside her laughed and teased, seemingly her good friend.
Amidst the surrounding students' teasing, Charlotte couldn't take it anymore. She quickly lowered her head, forked a piece of roasted potato from her plate, and popped it into her mouth, her beautiful face turning even redder.