Chapter 8: Arriving at Hogwarts and Being Sorted

As the sky turned to dusk, Draco looked out the window and saw a mountain and woods under a deep purple sky. The train began to slow down.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage in the car and we will take it to the school for you," a voice announced on the train.

Hearing this, Draco felt a mixture of excitement and confusion. The train finally came to a stop and the passengers rushed off the car onto a small, dark platform. Draco packed up his book and joined the crowd.

"Hisss," he couldn't help but take a breath as he stepped off the train. The temperature outside was not warm.

"First-year students! First-year students come here, watch your step," a tall man with a thick beard called out as he maintained order.

Draco silently observed the man, Hagrid, and thought to himself, "It seems he really does have giant blood."

The new students followed Hagrid down a steep and narrow path, stumbling as they went. It was dark on either side of the path.

"Turn this corner and you will see Hogwarts for the first time soon," Hagrid shouted back.

Suddenly, a burst of bright sounds filled the air as a narrow lake came into view at the end of the path.

Across the lake on a high hillside stood a towering castle with spires, its windows shimmering under the stars.

"This is Hogwarts," Draco said in amazement, staring at the scene in front of him. Unlike the gloomy atmosphere of the Malfoy family's private estate, Hogwarts exuded a sense of history. The ancient bricks and mottled stone walls all spoke to the school's long history.

"Each boat can only hold a maximum of four people!" Hagrid called out loudly, gesturing to the small boats moored on the shore.

Draco spotted Pansy in the crowd and shouted,

"Pansy! Let's take a boat together."

He figured it would be better to share a boat with Pansy than with strangers. But Pansy gave him a frustrated look and quickly stepped into another boat without looking back.

Draco shook his head, wondering what he had done to offend Pansy and why her attitude towards him had changed again.

"I'll sort it out with her later," he thought, stepping into a small boat at random.

"Is everyone on board?" Hagrid shouted, getting into a boat by himself. "Alright, let's go!" The boats set off across the calm lake, everyone silent as they gazed up at the towering castle in the sky.

As they approached the cliff where the castle was located, the castle seemed to tower above them.

"Duck your heads!" Hagrid called out loudly as the first boats approached the cliff.

Everyone lowered their heads, and the boat carried them through the ivy-covered entrance at the front of the cliff and into a secret opening.

They seemed to travel through a dark tunnel and eventually reached a place that resembled an underground pier, then climbed up a gravel and pebble-covered ground.

Draco and the other students got off the boat one by one.

"Thank Merlin!" Neville exclaimed excitedly, spreading his arms wide as he spotted his toad, Leif, on an empty boat.

"I guess you found your toad," Draco said as he stood behind Neville.

"Yes, thank you very much," Neville stuttered, relieved to have found his pet.

"Since we found it, let's go," Draco said, looking around for Pansy but not seeing her.

Under the light of Hagrid's lantern, the first-year students climbed a tunnel through the rock and finally reached a flat, damp grassy area in the shadow of the castle.

The students climbed a stone staircase and gathered in front of a massive oak door. Hagrid raised a large fist and knocked three times on the castle gate.

The door immediately opened, revealing a tall, dark-haired witch in an emerald green robe with a serious expression. "Thank you, Hagrid," she said.

Professor McGonagall then led the first-year students to a small house.

It was quite cramped when everyone crowded inside.

"Welcome to Hogwarts,"

Professor McGonagall said. "The school banquet is about to begin, but before you enter the dining hall, you need to determine which House you will be sorted into. This is a very important ceremony, as the House you are placed in will be like your home at Hogwarts. You will take classes with other students in your House, stay in the h

House's dormitory, and spend time together in the house's common room."

Professor McGonagall introduced the new students to the four Houses, explaining certain matters about the Houses and certain rules of the school, such as the points system between the houses and deductions, the house cup, and other matters.

Harry and Ron whispered to each other, looking nervous. They thought they would have to do a test of magic, and Hermione kept reviewing the spells she had learned.

By contrast, Draco was also a bit distracted. To him, the House wasn't as important as finding Pansy and asking what was going on.

"I found you," Draco said, finally spotting Pansy as she talked and laughed with a group of girls.

The space was too cramped for Draco to approach, so he had to push his way through the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I interrupt your conversation?" Draco asked as he approached Pansy. "I think my friend and I have had some misunderstandings and I would like to clarify to her. Would you do me the favor?" He gave Pansy a slight bow as a show of respect.

"Pansy, your little boyfriend is so handsome. We won't bother you," one of the girls joked, clearly not convinced of Draco's claim of a misunderstanding.

"I have nothing to say to him," Pansy said coldly.

"I'm really angry, so he needs to coax me more," the girl next to her continued to tease, then moved away to give Draco and Pansy some privacy.

"I think I at least deserve to know what I did wrong, don't you think?" Draco asked first.

Pansy puffed out her cheeks for a moment before saying, "On the train, you didn't come talk to me actively. Did you know how boring it was for me on the train?"

"Uh..." Draco stuttered, clearly not having realized this.

"See, you just forgot about me," Pansy said, apparently guessing the truth from Draco's unnatural expression.

"I even went to other compartment to look for you on purpose," Pansy's voice dropped, but it was still audible.

"Right, maybe you just thought I was bothering you and that's why you hid from me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find you," Pansy said, her voice getting louder again as she seemed to have thought of something.

"Look, those who are privileged will have to face the consequences of their actions," Draco groaned in pain, realizing that Pansy had only checked the normal compartments and ignored the special ones.

"Then I'll blame my dad," Draco quickly passed the blame. "It was all the places my father arranged for me. I didn't know if you would come to me," he explained.

"Even if you weren't hiding from me, you must have forgotten about me," Pansy rejected his explanation.

"Right!" Draco seemed to have thought of something.

"I was helping Neville find his toad, you know, the Neville from the Longbottom family," Draco said.

"My father always wants me to have good relations with other people, and the Longbottom family is also pureblood, so I couldn't ignore him."

"That little fat man may be a bit stupid, but is that toad more important than me?" Pansy asked.

"That's a difficult question to answer," Draco said, his face looking embarrassed.

There was a moment of silence.

"No, I can't stay angry anymore," Pansy, who had been frosty just a moment ago, suddenly chuckled.

"Huh?" Draco clearly didn't understand what was happening. He saw that the girl who had been with Pansy earlier was also laughing and smiling.

"I've known for a long time that you nerds don't think much. Your expression just now was very interesting and much more fun than usual," Pansy said.

At this point, Draco didn't know how he had been prank by Pansy and her friends.

"You always try to act like a little gentleman, but it looks fake. Now it's finally a bit different," Pansy said as she approached Draco.

"The last time I threatened you, you remained so composed. It seems that I can instill anxiety for you today. It seems that I am still very important to you. I'm very happy. This is a reward for you," she said, standing on her tiptoes and giving Draco a quick kiss on the forehead.

The girl next to Pansy saw this and giggled. Pansy's face was also reddened with embarrassment.

"This is really..." Draco could only sigh that he had provoked a little witch, although this feeling wasn't bad.

"Please be quiet while you wait!" Professor McGonagall said sternly, noticing the commotion. She then left the room.

"Ah!" The girls who had been laughing suddenly screamed, along with the voices of many boys.

Draco turned to see what was happening and saw that twenty ghosts had suddenly appeared on the wall. These pearlescent, translucent ghosts glided across the room, whispering to each other.

"No solidity, thoughtless, translucence, and visually non-aggressive. These creatures seem to possess all of these characteristics," Draco observed, taking a closer look at the ghosts. Unlike the terrified reactions of the others, he seemed unfazed by their presence. Perhaps this is the characteristic of a "nerd," or studious person.

Professor McGonagall returned and the ghosts fluttered through the opposite wall and disappeared.

"Now, line up," she said to the first-year students.

"Follow me."

Draco was just about to leave when he noticed that his sleeve was messy. He saw that Pansy was looking at her own teary eyes.

"Don't pretend, I know you weren't scared. You've been to the secret rooms in my house before and have seen ghosts there," Draco said mercilessly. After spending time together, Pansy, who was adventurous by nature, had taken Draco to many secret rooms in the manor where they had seen ghosts before. It was impossible for a family that had been around for so many years not to have a few ghosts.

"I was wondering if you looked a bit interesting just now. But still you're the same boring person as before," Pansy pouted and returned to her normal expression, clearly frustrated with Draco's response.

They walked out of the room with the rest of the students and arrived at a luxurious restaurant.

All of the students from the other classes of the college were sitting at four long tables.

Thousands of candles floating above the tables illuminated the restaurant. The tables were adorned with shining gold plates and goblets.

There was another long table in front of the first table, which was reserved for the teachers.

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

The candlelight flickered, and the hundreds of faces watching them looked like pale lanterns.

The ghosts were also intermingled among the students, glowing with a silvery light.

Draco looked up at the ceiling and saw a twinkling of stars on the velvety black ceiling.

It was hard to believe that there was really a ceiling there.

"How can I consolidate a spell within a certain range?" Unlike others who were in awe of the surroundings, Draco was deep in thought.

Professor McGonagall gently put a four-legged stool in front of the first-year freshman, and then put a sorting hat on the stool. The hat is patched, worn out and dirty. The restaurant was silent.

Then, the hat twisted. There was a wide slit in the edge of the hat, like a mouth-the hat began to sing:

"You may think that I am not pretty,

But don't judge people by their appearance.

If you can find a hat that is more beautiful than me, I can eat myself.

You can make your bowler hat black and oily, Make your high-top silk cap smooth and straight. I am the magic hat for Hogwarts test, Is naturally superior to your hat.

Any thought hidden in your mind, Cannot escape the magic eyes of the magic hat. Put it on and try it, I will tell you which college you should be assigned to.

You may belong to Gryffindor, where there is bravery buried in the heart, Their courage, courage and boldness make Gryffindor superior; You may belong to Hufflepuff, the people there are upright and loyal, Hufflepuff students are persevering and honest, not afraid of hard work;

If you are savvy, you might enter the wise old Ravenclaw, Those who are wise and knowledgeable will always meet their fellows there; Maybe you will enter Stirling, maybe you make sincere friends here, But those cunning and insidious people will do whatever it takes to achieve their purpose.

Come and wear me! Don't be afraid! Don't panic! In my hands (although I don't even have one hand) you are absolutely safe Because I am a thinking hat!"

After the hat finished singing, the audience gave it a loud round of applause.

The hat bowed to each of the four tables in the room and then stood still.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a roll of parchment. "I will call out the names, and those called should come forward, put on the hat, and sit on the stool," she said. "Hannah Abbott!"

A young girl with rosy cheeks and golden hair stepped out of the line and put on the hat, which covered her eyes. She sat down and waited for a moment.

Then the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

The people at the table on the right applauded Hannah and welcomed her to join them at their table.

The people at the table on the right applauded Hannah and welcomed her to sit with them.

Each new student came forward, put on the hat, and waited for the hat to choose the college for them. However, it's important to note that the hat's choices are not always final. The hat follows the student's own inner desires and will. While the hat may make suggestions, if a student strongly desires a particular college, the hat will respect that desire.

For example, when Harry Potter put on the hat, he repeatedly thought, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin."

Even though the hat may have been leaning towards Slytherin for Harry, it still respected his choice.

In the case of Neville, who may seem unconventional, the hat looks at his inner qualities and makes a decision based on that.

It's clear that the sorting hat is still very accurate in its choices.

In the original timeline, Neville demonstrated the courage and bravery characteristic of Gryffindor students.

As a result, Neville, Hermione, and were all sorted into Gryffindor.

"Draco Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said.

"Since the soul is no longer a original, will the result change?" Draco was no longer as calm as he appeared at this moment, but was caught up in his thoughts.

Draco slowly walked out of the line, thinking, and put on the sorting hat.

This time, however, it was not like the original: As soon as the hat touched his head, it screamed, 'Slytherin!'

The sorting hat fell into thought, and soon a voice spoke in Draco's ear.

"Ravenclaw, absolutely Ravenclaw. I've been working for a long time and I've never seen a child with such a strong curiosity. I think the knowledge you have now would allow you to graduate early. Ravenclaw is the right place for you, isn't it?"

"Oh, no!" Draco felt the hat shaking on his head.

"Hidden ambition, what kind of burning ambition is hidden behind your thirst for knowledge? Knowledge is just a means to an end for you, not the end itself. After all these years, I almost missed it."

"Slytherin!" Finally, the sorting hat made its decision.

"Is this destiny?" Draco smiled and then walked to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Pansy.

He didn't notice the complex expression on Hermione's face in the crowd.

"Ron was right, he really is a Slytherin, wasn't he? Is it really true that he can be judged as a wicked person just because of this?" Hermione struggled with these thoughts, clearly affected by what Draco had said earlier.

"To be honest, I thought you'd be sorted into Ravenclaw," Pansy said.

"Then my parents would have to disown me," Draco said exaggerately.

"That would be quite the scene," Pansy chuckled at the thought.

Suddenly, a wave of cheers filled the room. Weasley's twin brothers shouted loudly, "We have Potter! We have Potter!"

"It seems that our savior classmate is really charming," Draco couldn't help but comment.

"It's just luck," Pansy pouted, obviously frustrated that the so-called "savior" ended up in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.

After the last student, was sorted into Slytherin, Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took the sorting hat away.

A tall, thin old man stood up.

Draco silently looked at the old man in the crowd.

The man had a long hooked nose, half-moon shaped glasses, a pair of sharp blue eyes, a long silver-white beard, and silver-white waist-length hair. This was Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the time!

Dumbledore said, "Welcome everyone to Hogwarts for the new school year! Before the banquet, I'd like to say a few words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you all!"

He sat down again. Everyone applauded and cheered.

Then all the students began to enjoy the food in front of them.

"Who would eat mints at dinner!" Malfoy couldn't help but be speechless.

It seemed that Hogwarts had once again lowered the bar for British cuisine.

It was difficult to end the dinner, as Malfoy heard various versions of the school songs of the different colleges. It seemed that anyone could sing a school song in any tune they wanted. The Weasley twins even used "Funeral March", and Dumbledore used his magic wand to add the last few bars for them.

"Slytherin's freshmen, follow me," the senior said after the party.

They would take the freshers to find their respective bedrooms.

Following their leader, the freshers of Slytherin descended many stairs and finally arrived at the common room.

Behind an empty, wet stone wall was a long, low basement. The walls and ceiling were made of rough stone and round, green lights hung from the ceiling on chains.

The giant snake carving on the door made a hissing sound: "Password?"

"Pure blood," the senior replied. Then they said to the freshmen in the back, "Remember this password. I don't want anyone sleeping in the hallway. Of course, I'm not worried about you catching a cold, but I don't think anyone would be willing to let the our house lose points."

"Yes," the group answered neatly.

"It seems that the sense of honor can make a Slytherin obey more than an order," Draco thought silently.

They entered the room and Draco glanced at the fireplace. Unconsciously comparing it to his own home, he came to the conclusion, "It seems that Hogwarts is short on education funds."

Of course, this was just a joking thought.

Nothing eventful happened afterwards. Draco found his bedroom, put away his luggage, and went to bed, ending his day's journey.

"The exciting college life is finally beginning," was Draco's last conscious thought before falling asleep.