Chapter 7: The Sorting Ceremony

“Welcome to Hogwarts,”

Professor McGonagall said,

“The start-of-term feast is about to begin, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must first be sorted into one of the four houses.”

“The Sorting is a vital ceremony, for during your time here, your house will be your home at Hogwarts…”

Professor McGonagall explained the four houses and the House Cup; as she left, she reminded the young witches and wizards:

“In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will take place before the entire school.

I suggest you use the waiting time to tidy yourselves and compose yourselves.”

Her gaze lingered for an instant on Wizard Sean Green, and her sternness vanished for a moment.

He suits it well…

“The Sorting Ceremony? Oh my god, I heard it’s a fight with a dragon!”

A black-haired young wizard trembled as he shared with his companion.

“What?! We’re fighting a dragon?!”

His golden-haired female companion looked like she was about to cry,

“No way! I’ve only learned Lumos!”

This sparked a wave of panic among the young witches and wizards.

“A dragon?! Adult or juvenile?!”

“Anthony, why are you being so precise now?! I say even a baby dragon could breathe us all to death in one go!”

“We’re doomed!”

The young witches and wizards naturally accepted this rumor—clearly their families had prepared them well.

Amid a chorus of sighs and groans,

Wizard Sean Green continued reading *Magical Theory*.

It was the only book he carried with him.

Though magic defied logic and ignored rules like conservation of matter,

it had existed too long for wizards, even if they were all fools, not to have uncovered some patterns.

Among all the books costing two Jin Jin Jialong, this was the one Wizard Sean remembered most vividly.

Every magical branch—charms, transfiguration, potions—found some explanation within its pages.

Wizard Sean believed this might be the most underrated book on the first-year reading list.

He was now on his third reading; each time, he gained something new.

At this moment, he was reading it for the third time, and each time he gained something different.

is innate to the wizard.

The strength of magic depends on the wizard’s emotions or mental power,

but most wizards cannot control it directly, so they require spells and wands to Making Guide it,

enabling conscious manipulation toward a purpose】

Wizard Sean understood this.

Harry Potter was a perfect example.

Before learning magic, he could move himself from the ground to the chimney and make glass vanish,

but he could only do so when emotionally overwhelmed, and he had no idea how to control his magic.

Yet with a wand and proper spells,

wizards could gain near-total command over their magic.

After two months of study, Wizard Sean had come to accept a view from his past life:

that wizards in the Harry Potter world were blood wizards, their power derived from a magical lineage.

That is, the wizards in Harry Potter are blood wizards, their power stemming from a certain magical bloodline.

【One truth of learning magic is to master as many spells as possible, including ancient ones—the more spells you know, the more you can accomplish;

another truth is that after mastering a spell, you must practice it relentlessly—proficient casting and clumsy casting differ vastly;

yet to truly unleash a spell’s full power, you must also possess sufficient mental strength】

What a concise and precise description,

no wonder the author, Adbe Wolfen, dared to call his book *Magical Theory*;

from the title alone, you could tell its status was akin to *Theoretical Mathematics* or *Fundamental Physics* from his past life.

Those books, after all, had stolen much of Wizard Sean’s joy—like Dementors in the magical world.

Read them once, joy gone.

“I’m starting to believe you.”

Hermione’s face was pale; the topics the young wizards discussed were terrifying,

and their back-and-forth chatter felt unnervingly real,

unsettling Hermione, who was new to the magical world.

Yet beside her, Wizard Sean Green seemed oblivious, still absorbed in his book.

“Should we ask Wizard Sean? He doesn’t seem afraid at all.”

Jia Jia Siting, trembling, recalled the equestrian test at Eton,

perhaps wizards were meant to slay dragons?

Was this a noble tradition?

Wizards,

were terrifying.

“Wizard Sean, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but…”

Jia Jia Siting’s plea was cut short as the Great Hall doors burst open.

The Sorting Ceremony had begun.

Wizard Sean closed *Magical Theory* and rose,

while the Sorting Hat still sat on its stool, he began considering his target house.

After all, the Sorting Hat seemed to listen to a student’s wishes.

After all, the Sorting Hat seems to listen to the young wizard’s wishes.

No, impossible.

His primary goal was to win a scholarship;

to achieve top grades, his benchmarks were Hermione and Percy.

In the original story, both were shunned by Gryffindor.

Hermione, in her first year, merely excelled in class and pointed out others’ mistakes—and was driven to cry in the bathroom.

Most Gryffindors held the belief: “No matter my skill, I won’t stay beneath anyone.”

They were brave adventurers, yet always harmed others.

Like during the Chamber of Secrets, when rumors stirred them to isolate and ostracize Harry.

As for Slytherin,

Wizard Sean had no interest in scheming; he could perfect the Levitation Charm to silent-cast level in that time.

The remaining houses—Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff—seemed better.

But Wizard Sean leaned toward Hufflepuff.

Two steps from the dorm and you get free food?

That’s awesome.

Hufflepuff: harmonious, never turned fists inward, always united outward.

Even J.K. Rowling once said she wished every child could be a Hufflepuff.

Imagine: a warm hearth, a kitchen just outside your door, and a headmaster who scolds you for fighting but still slips you a box of coconut ice cream.

Think of it: a warm fireplace, a kitchen by the front door, and a headmaster who would scold you for getting into fights or making mistakes, yet still secretly slipped you a box of coconut ice cream.

We come from the forest, we hold great love, we are loyal to nature, we are upright and faithful, we are resilient and honest, we fear no hardship,

We come from the forest, we harbor great love, we are loyal to nature, we are upright and faithful, we are resilient and honest, we fear no hardship,

“Harry Potter!”

In the center of the Great Hall,

as Professor McGonagall spoke, the noise fell quiet.

Wizard Sean heard whispers around him: “It’s him,” “It really is him,” “Harry Potter.”

Harry hurried forward, placed the wrinkled Sorting Hat on his head, and the hall fell utterly silent, awaiting the result.

The wait lasted four or five minutes.

Wizard Sean’s inner Sorting Hat song had already reached its second verse.

“Gryffindor!”

At last, the result came.

The Gryffindors went wild.

“Potter!”

“Potter!”

“We’ve got Potter!”

Even from far away, Wizard Sean could hear that voice.

Soon—

“Wizard Sean Green!”