The sorting hat was nothing special after all. Chu Yang, who was the instigator, lost his nervousness and calmly took off the hat, pinching its mouth formed by the folds, making its shouts cease abruptly.
Not only that, he also used a threatening gaze to make this intelligent hat learn to keep silent in an instant.
Saying the wrong thing would kill people... Oh no, it would kill the hat!
"I'm putting you back on my head now. Behave, understand?"
The sorting hat nodded repeatedly. Chu Yang smiled contentedly and put it back on.
"Ahem, I haven't been sleeping well lately, I was a bit out of sorts just now..."
"Hmm, very good, I see the potential within you."
The sorting hat said nonsense while trembling slightly, "You have the courage to go all out, an endless thirst for knowledge, and enough loyalty to your friends. More importantly, you will stop at nothing to achieve your goals... Uh, no, you know how to protect yourself and adapt to circumstances."
"Slytherin!"
Although they didn't understand why, the students of Slytherin House still applauded. They didn't know at this time that Chu Yang came from a Muggle family.
The other three are all good... Why did it choose Slytherin?
I was planning to spend my remaining school days quietly!
Chu Yang smacked his lips and said, somewhat dissatisfied, "Did you make a mistake?"
The sorting hat trembled and asked, "Was it wrong?"
Chu Yang nodded and said, "I think it was wrong."
The sorting hat said tremblingly, "Then it must be wrong, let me give you..."
Before it could finish speaking, the sorting hat was picked up by Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall looked at Chu Yang with a complex expression and said, "The sorting hat cannot decide your future. When the feast is over, Headmaster Dumbledore plans to speak with you personally. You may go now!"
The air in the entire Great Hall seemed to freeze at that moment. The students' mouths hung open. Even the senior students who were about to graduate had never seen such a spectacle!
What does it mean that the sorting hat cannot decide your future?
Let alone the students, even the professors were whispering behind the dining tables, discussing Chu Yang, their faces full of surprise. They had never seen anything so absurd.
Chu Yang scratched his head and said, "Then where do I sit?"
Professor McGonagall also had a headache and said helplessly, "You can sit wherever you like."
Chu Yang thought for a moment, then plopped down at the Hufflepuff House long table, startling the Hufflepuff students. But despite their surprise, they still warmly welcomed Chu Yang.
Chu Yang chose to sit here mainly to repay Professor Sprout's care. Although he didn't know where he would ultimately be assigned, he still had to show his appreciation.
After a brief commotion, the Sorting Ceremony continued. After Chu Yang, the other first-years' demeanor gradually returned to normal, and the sorting hat did not show any signs of being half-asleep again.
Chu Yang felt very uncomfortable eating this meal. The intense gazes from all directions gave him the illusion of sitting under a spotlight.
Whether teachers or students, their curiosity about Chu Yang subtly surpassed that of Harry Potter.
Fortunately, the appearance of the ghosts helped Chu Yang attract most of the attention.
Walls, statues, dining tables—the castle's ghosts surged from all directions, especially those that emerged from the food. Chu Yang felt a physiological discomfort just looking at them.
The first-years, who had never seen such a scene, fell into chaos again.
The more timid girls began to scream one after another.
As part of the Entrance Ceremony.
The teachers and older students enjoyed watching this scene with relish, and even Dumbledore was smiling.
"Ghosts, there really are ghosts!" Ron tugged at Harry's clothes and yelled, "Fred was right, there really are ghosts in the school."
Harry nervously pulled at his clothes, afraid of both the ghosts and Ron tearing his clothes off.
Hermione, usually the calmest and most composed of the trio, turned pale, her fingertips kneading her robes tightly, and she looked helplessly at Chu Yang, who was sitting at the next table.
Chu Yang made a relaxed gesture to her.
The translucent ghosts and the warm colors of living people formed a strong contrast. In Chu Yang's eyes, this was the boundary between life and death.
The ghosts in the Harry Potter world are more like a type of lingering spirit.
Some of them chose to become ghosts voluntarily, and according to "Nearly Headless Nick," it only requires paying a certain high price.
As for what that price is, only those who have become ghosts know.
Besides, some people became ghosts unknowingly after accidentally dying in the school.
For example, Moaning Myrtle, she was killed by the Basilisk's petrifying magic and then became a lingering spirit in the second-floor girls' bathroom.
Both are ghosts, but they are not comparable, especially the latter.
In Chu Yang's opinion, it might be related to Hogwarts.
This castle, which has existed for nearly a thousand years, holds countless secrets. Perhaps it should not be regarded as an inanimate object.
The registered student status might also be a kind of contract signed with this ancient castle, which could be activated under certain special circumstances, causing deceased students to become ghosts.
Of course, the above is just Chu Yang's guess, but he optimistically thought, "If I become a ghost after I die, the first thing I'll do is tear down Hogwarts. There's no way I'm staying here my whole life."
Hogwarts' cuisine seemed to be well-received by the first-years.
But for Chu Yang, it was just okay.
After all, Britain is known as a culinary desert.
Plus, there was a mischievous ghost who would occasionally take off its head, which directly reduced Chu Yang's already limited appetite to zero.
After the dinner, the first-years, who should have gone directly back to their dorms to rest, were instead led back to the lounge next to the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall began checking if the first-years had brought wands, to determine if Malfoy's incident was man-made.
After a 15-minute check, the results surprised Professor McGonagall.
Among all the first-years, not a single one carried a wand.
This meant that the possibility of Malfoy's encounter being man-made could basically be ruled out.
"This matter should be reported to Headmaster Dumbledore as soon as possible!" A rare solemn expression appeared on Professor McGonagall's usually stern face.
Chapter 33 Dumbledore's Invitation
However, despite her slight panic, she did not forget to bring Chu Yang to the Headmaster's office.
The two ascended to the eighth floor via a spiral staircase. At the end of the corridor was an oak door with a griffin knocker. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, picked up the knocker, and tapped on the door.
With a creak, the door opened. Professor McGonagall led Chu Yang into the room. What greeted their eyes was a large wooden table laden with snacks.
The room was spacious, filled with peculiar silver objects that looked like magical creations, yet also somewhat like mere decorations.
The wise old man stood by the window, seemingly deep in thought.
"Dumbledore, Chu Yang is here," Professor McGonagall reminded him.
"Thank you, Minerva, you may go!" Dumbledore smiled and nodded, then walked past the wooden table in the center of the room and straight to Chu Yang.
"Before I leave, there's something I need to tell you." Professor McGonagall quickly walked to Dumbledore's side and whispered about Malfoy and the Black Lake.
A hint of surprise flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. He mused, "We should wait until Malfoy wakes up to question him about the specific situation. Let's set aside what others have said for now."
"I understand." Professor McGonagall nodded, then turned and left the Headmaster's office.
"You must be Chu Yang, aren't you? Sprout mentions your name to me so often that for a while I thought I was living in the East." Dumbledore smiled as he invited Chu Yang to sit down, and offered him some snacks from the table.
The moment Chu Yang took the snacks from Dumbledore's hand, their eyes met, and Dumbledore experienced the same encounter as the sorting hat.
Three or four seconds later, Dumbledore quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The oppressive feeling conveyed by the gaze was something even he found hard to bear.
"No wonder the sorting hat reacted that way. It seems you harbor something extraordinary that prevents others from prying into your thoughts."
Dumbledore exclaimed, "Because you are an orphan, we naturally assumed your parents were Muggles, but now it seems that idea might be inaccurate."
"Your parents should have come from a famous wizarding family in an ancient Eastern country, otherwise it's hard to explain what's within you."
Chu Yang shrugged, answering indifferently, "I don't know where they were from, but I am indeed an orphan."
"Also, you just mentioned prying into my thoughts..."
Chu Yang looked at Dumbledore with piercing eyes. Anyone who experienced Legilimency twice in one day would be angry.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Chu Yang. This is one of my few bad habits as Headmaster for so many years, always wanting to be careful and cautious in everything, but neglecting other more important things."
Dumbledore said softly and sincerely, "From your perspective, you certainly have reason to be angry, but I also hope you can understand this old man."
Dumbledore was a very intelligent wizard, and his most intelligent trait was his ability to win people over with his kind and sincere demeanor.
Chu Yang was well aware of this, yet even so, the anger in his heart was rapidly disappearing.
Dumbledore smiled, "As compensation, I can grant some reasonable requests, such as providing more scholarships."
"I love to read!" Chu Yang said without hesitation, "Headmaster Dumbledore, if possible, I hope the library can open up more areas for me, allowing me to absorb more knowledge."
Chu Yang's request was clearly not what Dumbledore had anticipated. He had originally thought that a child from an orphanage would decisively choose financial assistance.
Dumbledore praised him, "As a wizard, this is undoubtedly a wise choice. However, knowledge can also be dangerous, especially for a child your age who cannot yet discern such danger."
"Moreover, you have just started school and still have a lot of basic knowledge to learn. To become a great wizard, you must take every step steadily."
"Therefore, I will temporarily reserve your request and allow you to access more knowledge at the appropriate time."
Chu Yang did not press the matter and calmly accepted Dumbledore's advice.
Dumbledore's refusal was within Chu Yang's expectations. He hadn't intended to achieve his goal all at once, and getting a promise from Dumbledore was already an excellent outcome.
As long as Chu Yang continued to display extraordinary talent, causing Dumbledore to change his mind, the magical knowledge hidden in the library would eventually be his for the taking.
Dumbledore was pleased with Chu Yang's maturity, which surpassed that of his peers.
If it were any other 11-year-old, they would likely have given him a hard time for a long while.
"Sprout told me about some of your unusual qualities, and the sorting hat also seemed to have difficulty deciding your placement. So, do you have any thoughts on this?"
Dumbledore at this moment was like a kind old neighbor, amiably discussing the issue with Chu Yang. Chu Yang felt a sense of equality from his attitude, and this attitude alone made one feel close to him.
Chu Yang closed his eyes, pondered, and finally shook his head.
Dumbledore pushed up his glasses and asked, "Child, can you show me your magic?"