A towering wizard with a thick, bushy beard and a build that looked downright intimidating emerged from the darkness, holding up a lantern. He waved one huge arm as he shouted,"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, and I'm here to escort the first-years! Any more first-years still out there?"
"Everyone here? Right then—watch your step and follow me!"
Hagrid led several dozen nervous yet curious first-year students along a narrow, uneven path. They stumbled forward for a while, until the path suddenly opened up at its end, revealing a vast lake. On the opposite shore stood a towering, magnificent ancient castle, rising into the clouds. Under the cover of night, countless lights shimmered from its windows. Spires stabbed into the heavens, echoing the glittering stars above, exuding an air of age-old mystery and grandeur.
"That's Hogwarts," Hagrid called back to the wide-eyed students. "We'll cross by boats down there—no more than four to a boat!"
He led them to the water's edge and watched carefully as each student boarded.
Avada, Baron, and Cho Chang had already grown fairly familiar with one another, so they naturally chose the same boat.
"Everyone seated? Then—off we go!"
Hagrid took up an entire boat by himself. At his signal, all the boats began moving at once, gliding smoothly toward the castle without any wind or oars. Along the way, the first-years fell into a collective silence, gazing with curiosity, nervousness, or awe at the towering castle that would bear witness to the next seven years of their lives.
Their boats passed beneath a curtain of ivy that covered the cliff face and entered a hidden open inlet. From there, they traveled through a pitch-dark tunnel before reaching a spot like an underground harbor. After scrambling up over gravel and small stones, they arrived before a massive oak door. Hagrid stepped forward and knocked three times with his fist—thud, thud, thud.
The door opened slightly, revealing a kind-faced witch wearing a patched, dun-colored robe.
"The first-years are here, Professor Sprout," Hagrid said in his deep, rumbling voice.
"Thank you, Hagrid," she replied warmly, nodding.
With a gentle wave of her hand, the door behind her swung fully open. The vast entrance could almost have fitted an entire house. Standing before the doorway, she smiled down at the crowd of students and spoke clearly:
"First-year students, welcome to Hogwarts!"
"The Start-of-Term Feast will begin shortly. However, before you formally enroll, you must first undergo the Sorting Ceremony, during which you will be placed into one of the four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin."
"Your House will be like your home at Hogwarts. You will attend classes with your Housemates, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend your free time in your common room. Your achievements will earn points for your House, while rule violations will deduct points. At the end of the year, the House with the highest score will receive the greatest honor of all—the House Cup."
"The Sorting Ceremony is conducted in front of the entire school. Please stay quiet, tidy yourselves up a little, and follow me."
Professor Sprout led the way inside. The first-years filed in behind her and stopped in the Entrance Hall, where they were given a few moments to straighten their clothes and whisper among themselves.
"I once asked my mum what the Sorting was like," Cho said mysteriously in a low voice to Avada and Baron. "She just smiled and told me I'd know once I experienced it myself. No matter how much I pressed her afterward, she wouldn't say another word."
"My parents were the same," Baron said seriously. "I even asked other elders in my family, but every single one of them kept silent. I suspect the Sorting involves some kind of magical contract that prevents students from revealing the details."
"But why?" a boy nearby couldn't help asking after overhearing them. "Is the Sorting dangerous? Or… even illegal?"
Another girl joined in. "I doubt it. My father works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he graduated from Hogwarts too. If there were any issues, he'd have investigated it long ago."
"My parents told me if you're a bad kid, you'll be sent straight to Azkaban…"
The chatter grew louder and more chaotic, leaving Avada utterly speechless.
Only in the wizarding world—where the population was so small—could people maintain such peculiar shared assumptions in such a strange setting.
"All right."
Professor Sprout clapped her hands, and the discussion immediately died down. "Line up, everyone, and follow me into the Great Hall. It's time for the Sorting."
"And one more thing—there will be some ghosts appearing. Don't be alarmed. They can't harm you or even touch you. At most, you might feel a little chilly…"
As she spoke, Professor Sprout led the students down the corridor and into the magnificent Great Hall. Students from the upper years were already seated at four long tables. Thousands of candles floated in midair above them, illuminating the hall. Each table was set with gleaming golden plates and tall goblets. At the high table on the raised platform sat the professors, with Headmaster Dumbledore seated at the center alongside several other witches and wizards.
Professor Sprout placed a four-legged stool before the first-year students, then set a pointed wizard's hat atop it. The hat was patched, worn thin, and looked decidedly grimy—no one knew how long it had been since it was last cleaned.
Avada was scanning the high table, trying to pick out professors he recognized, when he noticed that the moment the Sorting Hat appeared, every professor—including Dumbledore—raised a finger and lightly touched it to their ear. Quite a few older students below pulled out their wands and made the same gesture.
Then the brim of the Sorting Hat split open into a wide slit like a mouth, and it began to sing loudly…
"Bloody hell!"
The instant the Sorting Hat opened its mouth, Avada's expression changed drastically. He swiftly drew his wand and pointed it at his own ear.
"Muffliato!"
As the spell he'd figured out on his own took effect, the world around him fell completely silent.
When the Sorting Hat finally finished its song, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall, as if everyone were celebrating their liberation. Avada flicked his wand and dispelled the magic around his ears.
Professor Sprout stepped forward to stand beside the Sorting Hat, holding a piece of parchment."When I call your name, you will come forward, put on the hat, sit on the stool, and be Sorted."
"Michael Duncan!"
A blond boy trotted up excitedly and nearly fell off the stool as he sat down.
"Gryffindor!"
At once, loud applause burst out from the long table slightly to the right of center.
"Xavier Nott!"
"Slytherin!"
Thunderous clapping came from the far-right table, the one with the most students.
"Henry Summers!"
"Hufflepuff!"
…
"Cho Chang!" Professor Sprout called out clearly.
Cho took a deep breath, gripping the hem of her robes as she stepped forward and placed the Sorting Hat on her head. A flurry of whispers rose from the tables below.
"Wow, an Asian face—pretty rare!"
"I think the first Chinese witch at Hogwarts was decades ago. She must be the second!"
"And she's really pretty…"
The Sorting Hat hesitated for a moment atop Cho's head, then cried out, "Ravenclaw!"
The cheers from the Ravenclaw table were noticeably louder than before.
"Baron Shafiq!"
Baron turned back and smiled at Avada, then walked forward with his head held high and put on the hat.
"Slytherin!"Almost the instant it touched his hair, the Sorting Hat made its decision.
"Tsk." At the Gryffindor table, two red-haired students leaned together, whispering. "Anyone who goes into Slytherin that decisively can't be a good sort."
"Watch your mouth," said a tall red-haired wizard beside them, casting them a glance. "They're just first-years."
Baron, for his part, was quite pleased with the result and strode confidently toward the Slytherin table.
Professor Sprout was about to read the next name when she frowned at the list, pausing in silence for a moment.
"Next… um… Mr. Ken!"
Before Avada could react, the tables below erupted into whispers:
"What's going on? Not even a full name?"
"Not necessarily. Maybe his name really is Mister Ken?"
"That's way too sloppy! Were his parents drunk when they named him?"
"The last name that sloppy was Tonks, wasn't it—Ni—"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Avada sighed quietly to himself, then stepped forward. Under the gaze of the entire hall, he placed the hat on his head.
First day of school—and he was already famous across the whole castle.
(End of Chapter)