Professor McGonagall turned around and looked at the freshmen this year. She said seriously, "Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, follow me. You need to wait in the side hall for a while."
"I ask that you remain quiet while I am gone, for the Sorting Ceremony will be one of the most important moments of your lives."
Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something. Turning her gaze toward Ian in the crowd, she added, "Mr. Titus, although you are a transfer student, you will also need to attend the Sorting Ceremony with the freshmen later."
After saying this, Professor McGonagall turned and left.
The moment she closed the door, the freshmen, who had seemed petrified just moments ago, immediately returned to their original form.
Except for a few precocious girls who were staring at Ian in a daze, most of them began chattering about the Sorting Ceremony, emphasizing that their information was reliable and top-secret.
"I think we have to go through some kind of experiment. Fred and George said it would do us a lot of harm. But I think they were joking. After all, they always like to play pranks on people, don't they..."
While Ron was explaining to Harry what was going on, he seemed to be comforting himself and didn't notice Harry's slightly pale face at all.
Harry, anxious for comfort, turned his head around. By chance, he saw Hermione reciting a spell...
At this moment, the little wizards all showed a sense of impatience and anxiety. Fortunately, this situation didn't last long and was interrupted by a ghost that suddenly emerged from the wall.
These pearly white, translucent ghosts glided across the room unscrupulously, whispering to each other and pretending to pay little attention to the first-year students.
Accompanied by the students' screams, the ghosts completed their self-introductions and the unique annual college promotion before floating through the wall and exiting in a grand manner.
Professor McGonagall seemed to have seen all of this. She was keeping track of the time, waiting for the ghosts to complete their tasks and leave before returning to the side hall.
With a serious expression and sharp eyes, she stood there motionless. She just glanced at the crowd. Her powerful aura made these freshmen, who had just been lively and carefree, fall silent in an instant.
"Now, form a single line and follow me!" Professor McGonagall ordered the freshmen, who at least now appeared to be well-behaved.
In 1991, the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony officially began.
Professor McGonagall, leading a group of nervous but well-behaved little wizards, strode toward the auditorium with great speed.
Although the atmosphere was solemn, for some reason, Ian's mind kept popping up a dubbing short video he had seen before — the scene of a mother duck going out for a trip... "Follow up, everyone behind, start counting: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5..."
Entering the hall of the auditorium, they arrived at this magical, magnificent place.
Students from all grades of the four houses were sitting quietly and solemnly at their long tables. Countless candles floated neatly in the air above the tables, serving as the source of light.
Ian carefully noticed that these seemingly simple candles didn't produce the wax oil that ordinary candles do when they burn.
"Amazing magic!" He exclaimed inwardly, then turned to look at the teachers' seats in the hall. The long table was filled with gleaming silver plates and various high-heeled glasses.
The most surprising and magical thing was the ceiling, which was highlighted in the original book. The velvety black ceiling, dotted with twinkling stars, looked exactly like the quiet night sky.
At this moment, Professor McGonagall slowly walked to the square stool in front of the first-year students and gently placed a pointed wizard hat on it. The hat, worn and dirty, was covered in various patches.
You may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge a book by its cover.
If you can find a prettier hat than mine,
I can eat myself.
You can make your bowler hats black and shiny,
Let your high silk hats be smooth and crisp,
This is the magic hat used for testing at Hogwarts,
So of course, it's much taller than your hats.
Any thoughts hidden in your mind,
No one can escape the magic hat's golden eyes and fiery gaze.
Try it on, and I will tell you
Which house you should be assigned to.
Come wear me! Don't be afraid!
Don't panic!
In my hands (even though I don't have hands)
You are absolutely safe!
Because I am a magic hat that can think!
The Sorting Hat suddenly started singing a ballad, and all the freshmen looked bewildered.
As the Sorting Hat's song ended, the entire hall erupted into applause.
"I knew I couldn't trust George and Fred. They lied to me again... again... I'm going to write to Mum and tell her they're causing trouble at school."
Ron now knew that the so-called Sorting Ceremony involved wearing a hat, even if it looked very dirty.
Although he was often pranked by his two brothers, he was really angry this time and couldn't help but think of getting revenge — by writing a letter to his mother.
Professor McGonagall, who had been waiting quietly to the side, also pulled out the parchment in her left hand.
"Now, those whose names I call, please come up."
"Hannah Abbott"
Professor McGonagall called out the name of the first new student of the school year.
When Ian heard the name, he felt inexplicably relieved as he looked at the ruddy-faced girl with two golden braids.
After hearing her name, the still-immature girl hurriedly walked toward Professor McGonagall. Her steps, however, revealed the demeanor of a queen being crowned...
"Lavender Brown"
"Millicent Bulstrode"
Freshmen came up one by one, and the Sorting Ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion, until...
"Harry Potter"
The hall suddenly became a little noisy, with students whispering to each other, all discussing the legendary boy who survived the disaster and defeated the mysterious man.
Harry, also feeling nervous, sat on the stool with his eyes closed. His hands tightly clasped the edge of the stool, and his mouth seemed to be muttering something.
A long time passed before the Sorting Hat finally shouted, "Gryffindor!"
Thunderous applause suddenly erupted at the Gryffindor table, and every Gryffindor student was cheering at this moment.
The most exaggerated ones among them, George and Fred, jumped onto the table, waving their arms and shouting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
Ian calmly watched the scene in front of him, and a sentence he had forgotten he had seen before came to mind: 'Now the door of magic is opened, and the fantastic journey begins from here!'
Everything remained the same. Harry, Ron, and Hermione belonged to Gryffindor, while Malfoy, Goyle, and Black were placed in Slytherin.
Ian noticed that, except for himself as a variable, all the student divisions had not changed.
As time passed, only one student remained to be sorted, besides Ian. After the freckled boy in front of him completed his sorting, it was finally Ian's turn.
"Ian Titus!"
With Professor McGonagall's loud voice, the hall became noisy again.
This time, the main force was the girls, whose sweet voices rose one after another. The effect Ian had at this moment was no less than Harry's.
However, he turned a deaf ear to this, ignoring the girls who kept passing on "information" and walked calmly toward the Sorting Hat.
Ian didn't intend to take shortcuts or be so-called "obsessed with sorting" during his ceremony.
He just wanted to follow his heart and let the Sorting Hat decide which house he belonged to.
Because he had already planned this when he decided to come to Hogwarts. Firstly, he didn't follow the plot at all and didn't seek any advantages. He was willing to accept any house. Secondly, he truly wanted to use this opportunity to see where he really belonged.
"Well, it's amazing that you're passionate about every house. This is rare. You know, after the four deans injected their thoughts into me, there are only a few students like you who have no prejudice against the houses and love every one of them..."
Ian truly treated all four houses equally, not just influenced by the adults' opinions.
It was more due to his love for magic and the sense of happiness that his dream had come true. With this kind of happiness, choosing any house would be a joy, without distinction.
"Perhaps you could be faster. After all, too many people are waiting for dinner to begin."
Although he didn't mind the sorting, Ian really didn't like the feeling of sitting here under the gaze of the whole school.
"Oh, I found it out. Although you hid it very well, so... Ravenclaw!"
As the Sorting Hat announced, warm applause erupted at the Ravenclaw table, where students in sky-blue uniforms clapped. Some little girls were so excited that their faces turned red. In sharp contrast, the other three houses seemed a little quieter.
Ian put down the hat and walked toward the Ravenclaw table. He ignored the empty seats left for him by those who obviously had ulterior motives and casually found a seat at the back to sit down.