The boat sailed past a curtain of ivy and slowly moved along a waterway that led to the castle. Torches were hung on both sides of the stone walls of the waterway, and the air was humid. They could vaguely see an old underground harbor not far away, and a few empty boats were floating around.
When they reached the shore, the little wizards got off the boat and surrounded Hagrid. Fred nudged George with his elbow and pointed at a huge rock. "I think there's an elevator hidden behind that rock."
George looked at the rock, which stood by the side of the stone stairs. "Maybe. They won't let us climb the stairs while we're hungry, right?"
"Ahem." Anna coughed twice. "Why do I remember that all the electronic devices around Hogwarts malfunction?"
"Then..." George was still hopeful. "Maybe they'll let us fly up directly!
Isn't it too magical to climb the stairs? "
Hagrid finished inspecting the boat and had a strange expression on his face. Obviously, he found that the boat was different from the others, but he quickly forgot about it. "Little wizards, this way!"
Seeing that he was going up the stairs, everyone hurried to follow him.
"Phew... Anna, do you think the Hogwarts have... physical education?" Fred felt that he had not exercised for a long time.
"Probably not... but I think... phew... you can suggest to the headmaster..." Anna put her hands on her hips and struggled to keep up with Hagrid's footsteps. Hagrid, on the other hand, was very relaxed. He just took a few steps with his long legs.
"Lee Jordan, you look... quite comfortable... phew..." George patted Lee Jordan's shoulder. "Do you exercise regularly?"
"Oh, I've been helping out in my aunt's shop." Lee Jordan patted his arm. "Helping to move boxes and stuff."
"Finally..." Fred let out a long sigh of relief and stepped on the wet grass. He looked around. "This place looks familiar..."
The huge oak door stood in front of the group of little wizards, who were already exhausted. After counting the number of people, Hagrid nodded with satisfaction.
He walked to the door and knocked on the wooden door with his fist that was as big as the lid of the trash can. "Knock, knock, knock!"
"Creak …" The wooden door opened at lightning speed, and Hagrid's nose came into close contact with it. "Ouch!" Hagrid shouted.
A tall female adept stood by the door. She wore a dark green robe decorated with strange patterns and looked very serious. Her hair was neatly combed, and every strand of hair seemed to be giving off an aura of 'I'm not to be messed with.'
"Prof … Prof Nag …" Hagrid covered his nose and stuttered, "The freshmen … are all here!"
"Hagrid …" Professor Mag took out his wand and tapped on Hagrid's nose gently. He felt a little helpless. "I remember reminding you to stay away from the door after you knock. The door opens outwards."
"Oh, thank you!"
Hagrid realized that his nose had returned to normal. He quickly moved to the side to avoid being injured by the door again.
Professor Mcgonagall pushed the door open completely. "I'll lead them in. Thank you, Hagrid."
"Come this way, little wizards." Professor Mcgonagall signaled the children to follow her. "I have something to tell you."
"Okay, Prof Nag," the twins replied, imitating Hagrid's voice.
"It's Professor Mcgonagall," Professor Mcgonagall raised her eyes and corrected them. She paused for a moment and suddenly realized that the two looked very familiar. She then secretly glanced at Anna, who was standing beside the twins.
'Terrorist' Anna was looking at the auditorium on the side of the main hall with great interest. It was so noisy that it looked like hundreds of sparrows were having a meeting.
Professor Mcgonagall led the little wizards to a small empty room. "Ahem." She coughed and looked at Anna again, but quickly looked away. "Quiet."
The nervous little wizards were so quiet that they did not dare to breathe.
"First of all, welcome to Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry."
Professor Mcgonagall raised her voice. "The opening banquet is about to begin, but before that, you'll be assigned to your respective school …"
"Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each school has its own characteristics, and they've all cultivated powerful wizards …"
"I think you've noticed the hourglass by the door. During the school period in Hogwarts, excellent performance will add points to the school, otherwise, points will be deducted … The score will be reflected by the number of gems in the hourglass." Professor Mcgonagall paused for a moment. "At the end of the year, the school with the highest score will win the School Championship …"
"That's an extraordinary honor. I hope you can all win glory for your school."
"Then …" Professor Mcgonagall looked at everyone's clothes. "Not bad. This year's little wizards are not bad. Follow me. Line up!"
Lee Jordan swallowed hard. He walked behind the twins and quietly pulled Fred's robe. "Seriously, we have to remember to work as a team …"
Professor Mcgonagall happened to hear him and looked at him curiously. Why would a hat need to work as a team?
A group of people arrived at the auditorium. The moment they entered, they saw thousands of candles floating in the air. It looked grand and magnificent. Four long tables filled the auditorium.
Gryffindor's table was on the far left. They were looking at the group of new students curiously. From time to time, they would put their arms around each other's shoulders, whisper to each other, and laugh.
Hufflepuff's table was next to Gryffindor's, and Anna could see Nymphadora and Shirley greeting them.
Ravenclaw's table was covered with a dark blue patterned tablecloth. Several old students tried to heat up the tableware on the table with the candles, but they were frightened by the ghosts.
Slytherin's table was on the far right. It was the furthest away from Gryffindor's table. From the position, one could vaguely feel the hostility between the two schools.
Slytherin's table had a black tablecloth with green snake-shaped decorations. The small snakes sat in groups of two or three, silently watching the new students.
The four tables closest to the stage were empty. It seemed that they were reserved for the new students. There was another long table on the stage. Dumbledore sat in the middle, and the teachers sat on both sides of him.
The white-bearded old man had a kind smile on his face.
Professor Mcgonagall led the young wizards to the front of the stage. Anna could see clearly that in the middle of the stage, there was a small chair with a beast's leg. On top of it was a 'not-so-clean' hat.
"What are they trying to do?
They want us to sit there for half an hour and clean the hat? "George guessed.
"Half an hour is quite difficult." Fred touched his chin. "The stain on it looks a bit old. Maybe it's older than you."
Perhaps only the two brothers had the leisure to look at the old dirt on the hat. Anna looked at Lee Jordan. The young man was so nervous under the eager gaze of the old students that he could not speak.
Everybody's attention was fixed on the Sorting Hat, and the 'plain,' pointed hat wriggled and split with glee.
Anna could even see the end of the thread and the ragged cloth exposed at the opening.
"Through the forest, across the black lake, your footsteps are light, you stagger forward …"
The hat sang in the unique voice of the hat. "… When you come here … you may think that I'm not beautiful, but that's because I have to hide myself. When you know what I have, you won't be too fascinated by me …"
"I can see the real you …"
"Gryffindor, never lacking in courage, clever and intelligent … Hufflepuff, upright and outstanding, kindness makes their actions full of love … Ravenclaw, learning is above all, always full of exploration spirit … Slytherin, there are all talents, and they speak well …"
"Wear me on your head, and don't be frightened!" The hat bowed to the crowd and soon became motionless, just like an ordinary old hat.
Enthusiastic cheers came from the audience, and there was even a hooligan whistling sound from the leftmost table.
"By the way, please don't think of anything too rude," the hat added. "Especially 'this hat is too dirty', I'll be very sad!"
Anna touched her hair that she had just washed last night. Her mind was full of 'this hat is indeed not very clean'.