Admiral of Hogwarts

As soon as Professor McGonagall left the room, the whispers of some first-year students were once again heard in the room. Of course, what everyone is most concerned about at this time is the branching. So the words Hugo heard now were basically asking how they would be sorted into different hospitals later.

Except for the little wizard who asked the classmates next to him, most of the little wizards either remained silent or muttered something. Perhaps because the atmosphere became dull, the few students who just asked about how the school was divided also closed their eyes. Mouthed.

Hugo heard Hermione beside him keep mumbling something, as if she was reciting the texts and spells he had memorized before. Seeing how nervous his sister was, he reached out out of habit and held Hermione's cold hand. This is a way for the two siblings to comfort each other when the other is nervous.

This was quite effective. Although Hermione did not stop reciting the contents of the textbooks, at least she stopped trembling slightly with excitement.

"Oh my God!" Several exclamations of "Oh my God" suddenly came from the first-year students. Hugo raised his head due to these startled breaths, only to find that about twenty ghosts suddenly jumped out from the wall behind them. These pearly white, translucent ghosts glided across the room, whispering to each other.

This group of ghosts paid little attention to the first-year students below, as if they were arguing about something. A ghost who looked like a chubby little monk said: "He should be forgiven and forgotten. I say, we should give him another chance."

"My good monk, haven't we given Peeves enough opportunities? But he has given us all terrible nicknames. You know, he is not even a ghost. I said, you are here What are you doing?" A ghost wearing a wheel-shaped ruffled tights suddenly spotted the first-year students.

No one answered, including Hugo. After all, seeing a ghost on a computer screen and meeting a ghost in real life are two completely different feelings, so Hugo is also in shock now.

"New life," the chubby monk said, smiling at them. "I think I'm probably preparing for a test."

Maybe it was because this monk ghost looked so kind, so a few bold freshmen nodded silently. After seeing his question received a positive response, the fat monk ghost seemed a lot more excited. "I hope you can be sorted into Hufflepuff, the house I attended before."

At this time, the selling professor came back, and the ghosts drifted through the opposite wall and disappeared. "Now, stand in single file," Professor McGonagall said to the first years, "and follow me."

Everyone silently followed Professor McGonagall out of the room, passed through the foyer, and entered a luxurious restaurant through a double door at the back. The remaining six grades of students were already sitting around four long tables according to their houses. Thousands of floating candles in the air above the tables illuminate the entire restaurant.

"This candle must have been enchanted." Veneto stepped forward and whispered to Hugo, "If it were the ordinary candle we used before, even if the number of candles on it was doubled, it would still be impossible to This place is so illuminated.”

Hugo admitted that Veneto was right, at least if it was an ordinary candle, it would be impossible for it not to drip any wax. So on this basis, it shouldn't be difficult for the wizard to make the candle brighter.

Four tables were set with gleaming gold plates and goblets. There is another long table on the table at the top of the restaurant, which is where the teachers sit.

Hugo recognized Principal Dumbledore at first sight, because his silver-white beard looked so dazzling that it was difficult for everyone who entered the restaurant to ignore it. Then he recognized other professors one after another. After all, the professors at Hogwarts all have distinctive looks, making it difficult for anyone to mistake them.

Professor McGonagall took the first years over there and asked them to line up in a row facing all the senior students, with the teachers behind them. The candlelight flickered, and the hundreds of faces watching them looked like pale lanterns. Ghosts also shone dimly among the students.

Then she gently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-year students, then took out a pointed wizard hat from somewhere and placed it on the four-legged stool.

The hat was patched, worn, and extremely dirty. Hugo had always suspected that it had probably not been cleaned in the more than a thousand years since it was made, but in theory , it shouldn't be too difficult for wizards to cast a spell to clear it.

So Hugo suspected that this may be because as a magical creation that has experienced more than 1000 years, even the hat that was magically released by the four giants has now become extremely fragile due to the passage of time, and cannot even withstand any magic or purely manual cleaning. .

Unlike Hugo's home country in his previous life, which had the habit of repairing cultural relics to look as good as new, Europe and the United States are more accustomed to repairing cultural relics to look like new. Just like bronze vessels, when Chinese archaeologists repair them, they usually leave rust and patina on them that do not affect the strength of the vessels, but archaeologists in the West will clean the surfaces of the vessels.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, as a magical prop that is so important and even representative of the entire British wizarding community, neither Hogwarts nor other institutions in the UK would allow the Sorting Hat to become tattered like this. Unless they really can't clean it up and fix it.

Just when Hugo was thinking about this problem, the hat first trembled slightly, and then the trembling frequency became more and more frequent. At the same time, a wide slit opened on the edge of the hat, like a mouth, and then began to use a very strange sound. The tone started to sing:

You may think I'm not beautiful, but don't judge a book by its appearance. If you can find a more beautiful hat than me, I can eat myself. You can make your bowler hat black and shiny, and your top hat smooth and crisp, but I am the Hogwarts test wizard hat, so I am naturally superior to your hat.

No thought hidden in your mind can escape the magic hat's golden eyes. Put it on and try it, and I will tell you which college you should be assigned to.

You may belong to Gryffindor, where there are hidden bravery, whose daring, boldness, and boldness make Gryffindor outstanding;

You may belong to Hufflepuff, where the people are upright and loyal, and the Hufflepuff students are perseverant and honest, not afraid of hard work; if you are smart, you may enter the wise old Ravenclaw, those wise and knowledgeable people. People will always meet their colleagues there;

Maybe you'll go to Slytherin, maybe you'll make sincere friends here, but the cunning and sinister will do whatever it takes to get their way.

Come and put it on me. Don't be afraid. Don't panic. You're completely safe in my hands, for I am a thinking magic hat.

After the song ended, the audience burst into applause, but Hugo felt that it must be the hat's song just now. It was too unpleasant, so everyone seemed so happy when it stopped singing.

The Magic Hat bowed to each of the four dining tables, then stood still. Professor McGonagall took a few steps forward, holding a roll of parchment in her hand.

"Whoever's name I call now will put on his hat, sit on the stool, and wait for sorting."

The most important sorting ceremony at the beginning of the school year is about to begin.