Professor McGonagall glanced back at Andy, who smiled back and shut his mouth decisively.
It was George and Fred who had said it anyway, and as for Harry and Ron and the rest of them, it was a good idea to pit one against the other.
What if there is a cat lover among them?
Moreover, quite a few young wizards had heard Andy speak, and there would always be a few who were particularly bold and wanted to go and pet Professor McGonagall's cat.
Someone would always be particularly unlucky at Hogwarts, so why couldn't it be one of them?
Professor McGonagall took the small group of first-year wizards to a very small, empty room at the other end of the entrance hall. Everyone swarmed into the room, huddling together shoulder to shoulder, gazing nervously around them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts."
Professor McGonagall said, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses."
"The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."
All the young wizards were silent, each looking nervously at Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall continued, "The four houses are called. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."
"Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup."
"It is a great honour. I hope each of you will be credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"The sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you."
As the words left her mouth, Professor McGonagall's eyes wandered over Harry, Ron, and Malfoy for a moment.
Andy also followed Professor McGonagall's gaze to the few.
"What's going on with you two?" Andy asked.
He hadn't realised it earlier when he was outside, but now that he had a closer look, Harry and Ron looked as if they had just come back from the battlefield, dishevelled, and Ron even had a bruise on his face.
"It's that Malfoy!"
Ron huffed, "He was on the same boat as us ... but we also taught him a hard lesson."
Professor McGonagall swept her gaze over the group, Andy and the others immediately shut up, "Please wait quietly."
With that said, Professor McGonagall left the room.
Harry and Ron were obviously relieved, and the two of them seized the time to tidy up their clothes so that they didn't look so wretched.
It was almost time for the House to be Sorted, and the young wizards were obviously nervous.
Harry asked curiously, "How are they going to sort us into a precise house?"
Ron said vaguely, "I guess there are certain tests to pass! George and Fred said it would hurt us a lot. But I think they were joking."
"They did joke with you."
Andy laughed softly, "I've exchanged some information from George and Fred before - Ron, you should know that. They were only in bed for a night after the Sorting that year, and the next day they were fine."
"So I guess the House Sorting really won't do us much harm."
Gulp!
Ron gulped, Harry's heart fluttered violently, and Neville was even more nervous with his two legs quivering, and his entire body stood there as if he had lost his mind, like a demented person.
Whether it was taking a test in front of the whole school or lying in bed for a night after an injury, it was the last thing they wanted to experience.
"I thought you said you weren't sure about the content of the House Sorting?" Hermione looked at Andy suspiciously.
"I really don't know." Andy shrugged, "But George and Fred did spend the whole night in bed after the Sorting before they recovered."
Only instead of a hospital bed, they were lying in a bed in the Gryffindor dormitory.
All the young wizards were a little on edge, and Hermione began chanting and reciting the spells she had learnt.
"Andy, are there any spells that can be learnt quickly?" Ron asked as he turned his head to Andy, his whole body tensed.
Andy patted Ron's shoulder, this kid looked scared enough already, "Even if there is, it's too late now."
"Ah!!!"
Just then, a few people suddenly screamed at the top of their lungs.
"That's-"
Hermione squeezed Andy's arm tightly, almost breathless from fear.
"Relax, it is a ghost." Although Andy had been living in the magical world, this was the first time Andy had seen a ghost.
Andy is very curious about the life form of ghosts.
If not for the conditions, Andy really wanted to slice up the ghosts and study them properly.
About twenty or so ghosts came through the wall behind them, and these translucent, pearl-white ghosts, while crossing the room, exchanged words about something.
The young wizards were almost frightened out of their wits.
Luckily, Professor McGonagall returned at this time, and the ghosts floated and disappeared in a line through the opposite wall.
"Now, in a single row..."
Professor McGonagall gazed around the room and the young wizards fell silent, "Follow me!"
After the group pushed and shoved their way in a single line, Professor McGonagall led the young wizards out of the room, through the entrance hall, and then through a double door into a luxurious great hall.
It was luxurious, but only for this day and age.
What kind of five-star hotels hadn't Andy stayed at in his previous life?
After seeing the luxurious comforts of the twenty-first century, and then looking at the great hall of Hogwarts, one would realise that this place is in fact of an average standard.
Including the twinkling starlight dots on the ceiling, in fact, it could also be done with computer technology.
It's just that the former is magic, while the latter is technology.
It is hard to tell which is higher and which is lower, technology and magic; they are both very magical. Only technology borrows from external forces, while the power of magic originates from oneself.
This is the most fundamental difference between the two.
Andy swept his gaze around.
Thousands of candles were floating in the mid-air of the great hall, the light of the candles flickered, and the wide great hall was illuminated by the candle flames, which gave it a somewhat light and strange atmosphere.
The other students of Hogwarts were already seated on either side of the four long tables, which were adorned with glittering gold platters and wine goblets.
Another long table was set up on the dais at the top of the Great Hall, and that was where the faculty members were seated.
There were about a thousand young wizards at Hogwarts, with a slightly lesser number of new students in Andy's year, though.
(One thousand students was the official figure given by Rowling)
After all, the wizarding world is a micro-society, you can't expect an equal number of children as outside to be born here every year.
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