Chapter 9 — The Sorting Ceremony
Professor McGonagall led the new students to the front of the Great Hall and had them line up in a row facing the older students, while the professors stood behind them.
The returning students curiously examined the faces of the newcomers, speculating which House each of them would be sorted into.
Of course, even more eyes were scanning the crowd, trying to guess which one among them was the famous Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter.
Under the gaze of the many students and professors, Professor McGonagall gently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-year students and then set a pointed wizard's hat on top of it.
The hat was patched, worn, and extremely dirty.
The Great Hall fell silent. Everyone stared at the hat.
Dracula was also watching the hat. A trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes, though even more prominent was a look of amused interest.
Suddenly, the hat twitched. A wide slit opened along its brim, forming something like a mouth.
Then, in a rather unpleasant voice, it began to sing a song—
"You may think I'm not that pretty,
But don't judge by what you see,
For if you can find a hat more clever…"
As it became more animated, it even twisted its body around, using the two creases on its crown as eyes to examine the new little wizards.
"I am the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts,
Far superior to any hat you'll see…"
Just as the Sorting Hat was surveying the group of youthful faces, it happened to catch sight of a figure seated among the professors.
"Put me on and try me out,
And I will tell you where you should—AAAAAHHHH!—WHAT THE HELL—AAAAAHHHH—"
At the sudden scream, a pitch-black flame quietly appeared in Dracula's hand.
The Sorting Hat's singing—and screaming—came to an abrupt halt.
Under normal circumstances, the process would be that the Sorting Hat finished singing a rather unpleasant song, the entire hall burst into applause, and the hat bowed to the four House tables before the Sorting Ceremony officially began.
But this time, the hat had only sung halfway before letting out a strange shriek and stopping altogether.
The new students looked utterly confused. The older students were equally baffled. Even the professors had no idea what strange mood had possessed the Sorting Hat this year.
Only Dumbledore cast a subtle glance at Dracula, a faint look of understanding appearing in his eyes.
"Sorting Hat, what's wrong?" Professor McGonagall frowned and stood up to ask.
The Sorting Hat was about to speak when it suddenly noticed that the terrifying figure who had frightened it was also standing up alongside Professor McGonagall.
"Go on, continue singing. It sounded quite nice," Dracula said with a slight curl of his lips as he looked at the tattered hat.
"I… I forgot the lyrics," the Sorting Hat said nervously.
"Then just make up a new one on the spot. The ceremony still has to go on, doesn't it?" Dracula replied with a meaningful smile.
"Professor Dracula?" Professor McGonagall looked at him in confusion.
But the Sorting Hat could clearly see the faint flicker of cold, black flames dancing at Dracula's fingertips.
"I'm fine. Let's do as Professor Dracula suggests," it gulped—if a hat could gulp.
Then the Sorting Hat turned toward the older students seated at the long tables. Only when the vampire was no longer within its line of sight did it feel slightly relieved.
Nervously clearing its throat, the hat began to sing—
"You may admire Gryffindor,
For courage, daring, and chivalry abound;
You may respect Hufflepuff,
For steadfast hearts that endure every hardship;
You may revere Ravenclaw,
For wisdom and knowledge beyond compare;
You may fear Slytherin,
For ambition that shines through at any cost."
The Sorting Hat sang the impromptu song it had just composed, praising the noble qualities and unique personalities of the four founders. Then suddenly it changed its tone:
"But young witches and wizards,
You should also honor their dearest friend.
He is learned and brilliant,
Wild and unrestrained, free-spirited and bold,
Invincible wherever he stands,
Handsome and dashing beyond measure,
He…"
…
As Dracula listened to the lyrics the Sorting Hat was inventing, the corner of his eye began to twitch.
If the earlier descriptions had at least somewhat fit him, the later lines had completely abandoned all restraint. The hat seemed determined to use every positive adjective it had learned over the past thousand years!
"Ahem!" Dracula coughed heavily.
The Sorting Hat trembled when it heard the sound and immediately hurried to conclude its long-winded praise:
"If you do not know him,
Just remember this—
The founders' dear friend has always been right beside you!"
The Sorting Hat finally finished its song, and thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall. Amid the applause, both the students and the professors began whispering among themselves, discussing who exactly this nearly perfect "friend of the founders" might be.
Meanwhile, the ragged hat secretly glanced at Dracula from the corner of its eye. Only when it saw that he had not summoned the black flame again did it cautiously bow to each of the four House tables in turn before falling completely silent.
Although the singing of the Sorting Hat's song had encountered some twists and turns, the process had finally been completed, and they could move on to the next stage.
Professor McGonagall, who had been standing there for quite some time, finally let out a sigh of relief. She stepped forward and picked up a roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat, sit on the stool, and be sorted," she said. "Hannah Abbott!"
…
Once the Sorting Ceremony was properly underway, no further problems occurred, and it proceeded smoothly.
The most anticipated moment, of course, belonged to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. The Sorting Hat hesitated for a long time while resting on his head before finally making its decision.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
As soon as the Sorting Hat's voice rang out, the Gryffindor table erupted in excitement and cheers. Among them, the Weasley twins forgot all restraint and once again began jumping up and down throughout the Great Hall.
This time, however, no one scolded them. Although Headmaster Dumbledore and Gryffindor's Head of House, Professor McGonagall, said nothing, they were both extremely pleased in their hearts.
Amid Gryffindor's jubilant cheers and the disappointed sighs from the other three Houses, the Sorting Ceremony came to a fairly satisfying conclusion.
Next came the moment everyone had been eagerly waiting for—the Start-of-Term Feast.
Albus Dumbledore stood up.
Beaming at the students, he spread his arms wide, as though nothing in the world delighted him more than seeing the hall filled with young witches and wizards.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
Everyone had been waiting hungrily for quite some time. As soon as Dumbledore finished his brief speech, the students immediately began to eat heartily.
Only Dracula cast a look of disdain at the Blood Hotpot on his plate. He tapped the edge of the plate lightly with his spoon, replacing it with a bowl of Polish duck blood soup, and only then did he begin to enjoy his meal with satisfaction.
…