Chapter 31: The Sorting Ceremony Begins

"I asked my grandma, but she refused to tell me. Uncle Algibor once said we had to defeat a giant."

Neville started getting nervous again. A giant! It was said to be a monster over 3 meters tall. Neville doubted his attacks would even scratch it.

"A giant!? I know about giants, I read about them in 'Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection.' The book says giants have immense strength and magic-resistant skin, not something young wizards can defeat."

Hermione also became nervous. She didn't expect the Sorting Ceremony at Hogwarts to be so difficult! She thought it would just test the students' spellcasting abilities, so she had prepared for it for a long time.

But now, what did she hear? Defeating a giant? It seemed she needed to hurry and study offensive magic in these last moments, hoping her magic could penetrate the giant's magic-resistant skin.

With this in mind, Hermione quickly stood up, ready to find her spellbook from her luggage, to see if there was a spell for 'giant special attack.'

"Your uncle is just messing with you, Neville. During the Sorting, you only need to wear a hat called the 'Sorting Hat,' and then the hat will decide which house you belong to."

Bell firmly spoiled the surprise. He wasn't interested in following such a tasteless unwritten rule.

To Bell, this so-called unwritten rule was no different from a person being beaten by their parents in childhood, so they grow up to beat their own children. There was no fundamental difference.

And in two years, Shanna would also be going to Hogwarts. Did he have to watch his own sister worry and fear just because of such a stupid reason, all the way until the Sorting Ceremony began? No way!

"The 'Sorting Hat'? But how can a hat decide which house we go to?"

Hermione sighed with relief, but also felt puzzled.

"It is said that the hat was imbued with the thoughts of the four founders of Hogwarts, and it can read the thoughts and personalities of the students. Of course, most of the time, it also respects the students' decisions and sorts them into the house they want."

In fact, Bell didn't particularly like Hogwarts' tradition of sorting. In his previous life, he had never heard of a school categorizing students based on their personalities; usually, it was based on grades.

People change, and 11-year-old wizards are in the stage of forming their personalities. So, to Bell, instead of sorting students based on their personalities, it's more like forcefully categorizing children's personalities and telling them 'You should be this kind of person.'

This is stifling their nature!

"So, which house do you want to go to?"

Neville asked nervously, "My family are all Gryffindors. If I don't get sorted into Gryffindor, my grandma will definitely take me back home."

"What about you, Bell?" Hermione asked.

"My family are all Slytherins, but I plan to go to Ravenclaw."

"I want to go to Gryffindor. I heard Gryffindor is the best house. The current headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, graduated from Gryffindor."

"No house is the best, Hermione. In fact, the professors for all four houses are the same people, so the classes are completely the same. The reason why Dumbledore became the greatest wizard of modern times is not because he graduated from Gryffindor, but because he is Dumbledore."

Bell hesitated for a moment but decided to persuade Hermione. He believed that based on Hermione's experiences in his memories, she was stifling her talents, and she could achieve higher accomplishments.

"I think Ravenclaw suits you better, perhaps Gryffindor would be an obstacle for you."

The young witch remained silent, obviously not intending to change her decision just because of a sentence from the newly acquainted Bell.

"Of course, this is just my little suggestion, everything is up to you."

Bell shrugged indifferently. He used to like Hermione, but the person he liked was the 'Hermione' in the books, not the one sitting next to him now.

"I still have some desserts here, would you like some more?"

Feeling that they had digested some of the food in their stomachs, Bell took out some cakes and sweets again.

"No, thank you! I really can't eat anymore!"

In the following time, Hermione kept asking questions, some related to magical knowledge, and some related to the wizarding world, almost becoming a hundred thousand whys, exhausting Bell.

'Can't I just have a moment of peace alone!?'

o(≧口≦)o

...

The sky outside had already darkened, and the train would probably arrive soon. The three changed into Hogwarts uniforms.

Soon, the voice of the conductor echoed on the train.

"In 5 minutes, we will arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train, and we will deliver it to your dormitories for you."

Following the crowded crowd, the three got off the train.

A giant, about 3.5 meters tall, was standing in the distance shouting loudly, calling the first-year freshmen to him. He even shouted Harry Potter's name, making everyone crane their necks to look.

A group of people walked through the bumpy dark path and finally saw Hogwarts Castle by the lake for the first time. Many young wizards exclaimed in awe. Hermione's mouth widened, her eyes wide, probably the first time she had seen a castle in real life.

Hogwarts Castle was much larger than Bell's family castle, but it lacked the delicacy of Bell's castle. Overall, each had its own merits. But Hogwarts also had the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake, so the surrounding scenery was better.

They boarded small boats and crossed the Black Lake, then were led by Professor McGonagall to a small cabin next to the hall to wait.

A group of whimsical ghosts suddenly flew through the walls and over the heads of the young wizards, startling them. This was the first time Bell had seen ghosts, and he was quite interested in them, wanting to catch one for research.

Finally, the door to the Great Hall was opened. The young wizards entered and lined up, forming rows, surrounded by a group of older students. Hermione and Neville, standing next to Bell, looked a bit pale.

A shabby, dirty hat was placed on a stool not far from the newcomers. Everyone stared at the hat, thinking 'Is this the legendary Sorting Hat?'

Suddenly, a large mouth opened on the hat, and it began to sing in a hoarse, unpleasant voice.

"You may think I'm not pretty,

But don't judge a book by its cover,

...

For I am a hat that thinks."

Due to the hat's unpleasant and off-key singing, Bell promptly blocked out the noise attack from the Sorting Hat.

After the Sorting Hat finished singing, Professor McGonagall, who had been standing next to the stool, finally spoke, "Now, whoever I call, come and put on the Sorting Hat, sit on the stool, and await your sorting."

"Hannah Abbot."

"Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted.

"Terry Boot."

"Ravenclaw!" the hat shouted again.

...

"Bell Minashel ."