Chapter 17: Sorting Hat Ceremony and Ghosts

As soon as Professor McGonagall left, the crowd immediately became noisy. 

The new students excitedly chatted, speculating about the sorting process and which house they wanted to join.

"Do you think we can be sorted into Ravenclaw?" Hermione nudged Alaric, feeling a bit uneasy.

Although the girl was proud, she felt a bit anxious in the unfamiliar magical world.

"Of course," Alaric encouraged confidently, "I heard that Hogwarts has a talking hat. When new students put it on, it can determine the suitable house based on their personality traits."

"But what if my personality doesn't fit Ravenclaw?" Hermione became even more anxious upon hearing this.

In the original story, the Sorting Hat initially considered Hermione suitable for both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw but ultimately chose Gryffindor.

In other words, Hermione is suitable for Ravenclaw.

But in order to prevent any mishaps from happening, Alaric reminded her of the method to influence the Sorting Hat's decision.

"Didn't I tell you? I heard about a method: strong desires can change the Sorting Hat's opinion. As long as you strongly express the desire to join a particular house, the Sorting Hat will take your opinion into consideration."

Hermione nodded, feeling a bit reassured.

However, Ron chimed in with his opinion, "Why join Ravenclaw? Trust me, Gryffindor is the best house."

His loud voice immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding new students, and he found himself overwhelmed by various responses.

Some students vehemently disagreed, stating that Slytherin was the best house, while others were advocating for Ravenclaw. On the other hand, some wizard kids who favored Gryffindor loudly supported Ron.

The scene became as noisy as a marketplace.

Taking Hermione away from the center of the commotion, Alaric comforted her, "Don't listen to fools; you might catch their foolishness."

His words amused Hermione, easing some of her inner tension.

The commotion continued for quite some time, but suddenly, the noise turned into high-pitched screams.

Screams akin to a horror movie scene attracted the attention of Alaric and Hermione.

They turned to see Hermione's smiling face immediately vanish, replaced by her open mouth, nearly screaming.

This was not just "like" a horror movie scene; it was an actual horror movie scene.

About twenty ghosts suddenly appeared on the wall. These pearly-white, semi-transparent ghosts slid across the room, talking to each other and paying little attention to the first-year students. They seemed to be arguing about something.

Compared to the startled new students, Alaric was much calmer. Instead, he was interested in the physical state of these ghosts.

Throughout various magical worldviews, only the ghosts in "Harry Potter" had normal intelligence and were not influenced by negative emotions.

Apart from being able to touch and affect tangible matter—differentiating them from humans—they had thought patterns similar to ordinary people. 

They even had their own society. In contrast, ghosts in other worlds were either of low intelligence, lacked thinking abilities, harbored hatred with thought patterns vastly different from humans, or desired reincarnation and had no attachment to reality, lacking strong emotions.

Regrettably, Alaric currently lacked the ability and sufficient knowledge to study ghosts. However, he was determined to thoroughly study these ghosts one day in the future.

Now, he could only comfort the nervous Hermione in a low voice. Most girls were always afraid of things like ghosts.

Then, they heard the ghosts talking with the new students.

"Freshmen, oh! I suppose you're ready for the test?" Fat Friar smiled at them.

Some students silently nodded.

"I hope you get into Hufflepuff!" the Friar said. "I used to attend that house."

"Now, move forward," a thin voice said. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin."

Professor McGonagall returned, and the ghosts floated away, disappearing through the opposite wall.

"Now, line up," Professor McGonagall told the first-year students. "Follow me."

Following the crowd, Alaric passed through a double door and arrived at a luxurious dining hall.

They never imagined such a magical, magnificent place. 

Students from other houses were already seated at four long tables, and above the tables, thousands of floating candles illuminated the dining hall. 

The four tables were adorned with glittering gold plates and tall wine glasses. At the head of the hall, there was another long table for the teachers.

Professor McGonagall led the first-year students to the other side, asking them to face the senior students in a row, with the teachers behind them.

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