"Marietta Edgecombe."
A Little Witch cried and floated over—her legs had long since gone soft.
"Ravenclaw."
The Little Witches sitting at the long table to the left of the aisle rose and applauded.
Then they saw this child rushing over, crying and laughing.
Ah, this… is her emotion so full?
"Shabi Allen."
A Young Wizard, moving his arms and legs together, stumbled over to put on the Hat.
"Hufflepuff."
This time, cheers erupted from the long table to the right of the aisle, and the Hufflepuffsenthusiastically waved to the new student.
Unexpectedly, the other party's response was even more enthusiastic; that joy was truly moving.
"Katie Bell."
The Little Witch, pale with fright, gritted her teeth and rushed towards the four-legged stool.
"Gryffindor."
The leftmost long table erupted in a roar of excitement, and among the laughing Little Lions, two red-haired individuals who were almost jumping onto the table were exceptionally eye-catching.
And upon discovering the seating arrangement of the four Houses this year, Karl almost couldn't maintain his composure.
Separating Gryffindor and Slytherin with the other two Houses—was it to prevent them from fighting during meals?
But thinking about it, it made sense. After all, during classes, there were Professors watching, and at other times, students were scattered and couldn't gather together.
Only during meals was it suitable for group fights, and there were plenty of weapons.
"Stebbins Byron."
"Hufflepuff."
"Cho Chang."
Cho imitated the fearful expressions of the two Little Witches before her, and fearfully put on the Hat.
Even if Merlin were resurrected, she and Nina were victims of the Smaug rumor.
As for Karl, that guy had no intention of pretending whatsoever, stating that he had other arrangements.
"Ravenclaw."
The Sorting Ceremony continued, and among the next few Young Wizards, only Audrey Fosco was in Hufflepuff.
While Eddie Carmichael and Julia Fawcett were both in Ravenclaw.
"Nina Goldstein."
Nina exchanged glances with Karl, then walked forward, carrying her brown leather case.
"Ravenclaw."
Before the Sorting Hat finished speaking, the Little Eagles were already in a frenzy, launching into a five-hit combo right away—who wouldn't smile at that?
Even Dean Flitwick couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth!
And if you remove that male, it's practically all junior schoolmates.
Eddie: (╯‵□′)╯
Moreover, the prettiest girl among the first-year new students was also in Ravenclaw.
We won! We won big! We can't win anymore!
Nina took off the Sorting Hat and winked at Karl, her playful demeanor causing another burst of commotion.
Cat? What cat?
Karl pondered Nina's lip-reading, a bit confused.
Could this girl also understand Legilimency and have seen his Jungle Cat form?
After Cormac McLaggen was sorted into Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall looked at the next name, her stern expression softening imperceptibly.
"Karl Olin."
Taking a deep breath, Karl walked up to Professor McGonagall, took the Hat, sat down, and put it on in one smooth motion.
Then a faint voice sounded in his ear:
"Let me see you… Hmm? Another troublemaker!"
"Is your wand also made with Wampus cat hair as its core? Put it aside first so I can decide which House to sort you into!"
Hearing the Sorting Hat's words, Karl finally understood what Nina meant by "cat."
Cat? No! It's Wampus cat!
Karl knew about the magical creature Wampus cat; its eyes possessed the ability to hypnotize and perform Legilimency.
But he hadn't expected a wand with Wampus cat hair as its core to also be able to defend against Legilimency.
It truly was a pleasant surprise!
"How was Nina sorted just now?"
"She chose herself, you see. Wait a minute… are you two together? But Dumbledore only mentioned that Little Witch."
Well, well! It seems Nina is a connected student!
"Headmaster Dumbledore is old, so it's normal for him to forget things after saying half a sentence."
"Is that… right?"
"Yes, yes! I can swear on the Hat on my head!"
"Alright, where do you want to go?"
"I want to go to Hufflepuff!"
"Hmm? Why Hufflepuff? I thought you'd go to Ravenclaw to find that Little Witch named Nina."
"Because to restore Hufflepuff's glory! It is our inescapable duty!"
"Alright, as you wish."
…
"Karl Olin, Hufflepuff!"
Amidst the cheers of the Hufflepuffs, Karl stood up, took off the Sorting Hat, and placed it back on the stool.
His gaze met Professor McGonagall's, and he saw the lingering disappointment in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Professor."
"No need to apologize, child. I respect your choice."
Professor McGonagall was actually mentally prepared, as Karl had already expressed his thoughts in his letter.
She just held a glimmer of hope, what if he changed his mind?
Now it seems this child is as strong-willed as her. This child is indeed like me!
…
"Derian Pucey."
"Slytherin."
At this point, the Sorting Ceremony officially ended.
The first-year Young Wizards all marveled that Karl Olin's method was indeed effective; not a single person was eaten by the evil dragon.
Karl came to the Hufflepuff long table and sat down after greeting the Hufflepuffs.
Everyone watched Professor McGonagall roll up the parchment and leave with the Sorting Hat.
Albus Dumbledore stood up, his face wreathed in smiles as he spread his arms.
"Welcome everyone to Hogwarts for a new school year! Let the feast begin!"
As his words fell, exquisite and sumptuous food instantly filled all the long tables.
Karl initially ate elegantly, then he ate faster and faster.
It had to be said, the House-elf's cooking was truly excellent!
In the eleven years he had been reborn in Britain, it had been truly difficult.
After all, it was well known that the four thinnest books in the world were: "The British Cookbook," "The American Almanac," "German Jokes," and "Italian War Heroes."
Karl wasn't the only one eating heartily; all the Young Wizards were tired and hungry from their journey.
And so, in a lively atmosphere, the feast drew to a close.
All the food and cutlery disappeared, and the tables became spotless again. After Headmaster Dumbledore stood up, the Great Hall became quiet.
"Before everyone retires for the night, I must tell you some things that are strictly forbidden at school."
"Firstly, first-year students, please note: the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students. It is extremely dangerous inside."
Dumbledore's gaze swept across the entire hall, then lingered for a long time on the Ravenclaw table.
"Furthermore, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, asked me to remind everyone not to use magic in the corridors."
"Finally, tryouts for the Quidditch team will be held in the second week. Students other than first-years who wish to try out for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch."
While listening to the Principal's speech, Karl was trying to identify the various Professors of the school.
Then he realized he could only recognize the four Deans and Hagrid, and that was based on their obvious characteristics of height, size, and oily hair.
"Before you all go to bed, let us all sing the school song!"
Dumbledore pointed his wand into the air, and golden ribbons flew from the tip, twisting into lines of text.
"Everyone choose your favorite tune, loudly, ready, sing!"
And so, all the teachers and students began to sing loudly and haphazardly:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts…"
Karl: (╬ﾟдﾟ)
It's really awful!
Can't the Sorting Hat come back and sing it?
If not, spend some money! Even if it's just to pay someone to compose a listenable tune!
This chaotic dance of demons, this wailing like ghosts, my ears are going deaf!
"Karl, why aren't you singing?"
"I'm tone-deaf."
"Huh?"