At Hagrid’s reminder, “No more than four people per boat!” Will, Sylvia, Hermione, and Neville climbed into the same boat.
No matter how many times Will had seen the scene in movies or read about it in books, experiencing it firsthand was completely different.
The surroundings were pitch-black.
Beneath them, the Black Lake reflected the stars above, while the majestic Hogwarts Castle was mirrored across its dark surface.
Countless illuminated windows shimmered alongside the stars in the water, making Hogwarts appear both magnificent and mysterious.
Twenty minutes later, the boats reached the castle.
In front of the enormous oak doors, Hagrid handed the first-years over to Professor McGonagall, who was dressed in emerald-green robes and wore her usual stern expression.
“Welcome to Hogwarts.”
The Sorting Ceremony was about to begin.
The first-years immediately became nervous.
Hermione had already started quietly reciting things from her books when she suddenly turned toward Will.
“Have you ever read anything about the Sorting Ceremony?”
Sylvia and Neville also looked at him expectantly.
“Yeah, you’ve read so many books. Surely you’ve come across something about it?”
The others began pestering Will with questions.
Will thought for a moment before answering seriously.
“All right. Apparently, we’re going to compete in various challenges against animals representing the four Houses. In the end, a professor will determine which animal we resemble most, and we’ll be assigned to that House.”
He continued with a completely straight face.
“Although I don’t know why modern books no longer record this, the process is described in detail in a nineteenth-century book called Hogwarts: A Guide to Its Dangers. You can look for it later.”
The compartment fell silent.
A few minutes later, the Sorting Ceremony began.
As everyone knew, Hogwarts had four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff.
The Sorting Hat assigned students to their Houses based on their personalities and characteristics.
Until now, the first-years had no idea how the process actually worked.
The details of the Sorting Ceremony were kept surprisingly secret within the wizarding world.
Even Hogwarts: A History avoided explaining the actual process.
Will felt that this secrecy was, in its own way, a rather interesting form of consideration for the students.
The first-years began lining up as Professor McGonagall called their names.
Hermione and Neville both sighed in relief.
Neville even patted his chest and let out a long breath.
Sylvia, however, was standing beside Will and glaring at him.
Several of the surrounding first-years also looked at Will, some relieved and others clearly annoyed.
“Hannah Abbott!”
Sure enough, Hannah Abbott was called first.
“Hufflepuff!”
“Terry Boot!”
“Ravenclaw!”
Will’s surname began with B, so he was called relatively early.
“Will Behrens!”
Will slowly walked toward the Sorting Hat.
He didn’t notice that Professor Flitwick was watching him closely from the staff table.
Neither did he notice the elderly wizard with the long white beard watching him with interest.
Will reluctantly picked up the old, worn Sorting Hat and placed it on his head.
Hmm…
You think I’m dirty?
The Sorting Hat’s voice sounded directly inside his mind.
“It’s not that I think you’re dirty. You really are.”
Dumbledore never cleans me, you know.
I haven’t had a proper cleaning in years.
Will’s expression twitched.
The Sorting Hat seemed to sigh.
Hmm…
Difficult.
Very difficult.
“I think Hufflepuff would be good.”
Will genuinely wanted to spend his school years with the badgers.
Hufflepuff is certainly a good choice.
They’re loyal, honest, hardworking, and tolerant.
But you clearly don’t belong there.
“Are you rejecting the request of a young wizard?”
Rejecting you?
Of course not.
My job is to choose the House that suits you best, to send you to the place where you’ll fit in.
Gryffindor created me for precisely that purpose.
The Sorting Hat paused.
My, you have talent.
A great deal of talent.
You love knowledge, which makes Ravenclaw an obvious choice.
No, no…
that’s not quite right.
You don’t merely love knowledge.
You pursue it relentlessly.
Good heavens, you must be careful not to end up in Azkaban one day.
Wizards who pursue knowledge as obsessively as you do can become extremely dangerous.
Hmm…
Slytherin would suit you very well.
Your great ambitions could begin there.
No, wait.
Ravenclaw is still very suitable for you.
No, no.
Slytherin is better.
“Wait, I’m not going…”
Before Will could finish, the Sorting Hat shouted loudly:
“SLYTHERIN!”
A scattered round of applause came from the Slytherin table.
This filthy, stubborn hat.
Are you insulting me?
The Sorting Hat, which had already been lifted halfway off Will’s head, suddenly reacted.
Will ignored it and simply took the hat off completely.
With an expressionless face, he walked toward the Slytherin table, found an empty seat, and quietly watched the rest of the Sorting Ceremony.
Among the people he knew, Hermione Granger was the first to be sorted.
As expected, she went to the House she had been hoping for.
“Gryffindor!”
Neville was called next.
Surprisingly, the Sorting Hat remained on Neville’s head for several minutes.
Neville was almost “Hat-embarrassed.” Will guessed that the old hat was struggling to decide whether Neville belonged in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.
Neville was certainly brave, upright, and tenacious.
“Sylvia Lestrange!”
Neville was followed by Sylvia.
The Sorting Hat remained on her head for only a little over ten seconds before shouting:
“Slytherin!”
Sylvia walked over to the Slytherin table, raised an eyebrow at Will, and finally sat down beside him. Get faster updates on g.com.
Her expression seemed to say, How did a prospective Ravenclaw end up in Slytherin?
Will could only spread his hands helplessly.
Once the Sorting Ceremony was over, countless dishes suddenly appeared across the tables.
Will immediately began enjoying the feast.
As he ate, his gaze occasionally wandered toward the staff table.
At its center sat the greatest wizard of the century, his long white hair and beard making him instantly recognizable.
Albus Dumbledore wore a kind smile as he chatted happily with the professors around him.
Professor Flitwick happened to glance toward Will at that moment and gave him a small wave.
Will waved back.
Professor McGonagall maintained her usual stern expression, looking as though she were not particularly approachable.
Snape looked as gloomy and intimidating as ever, his dark eyes occasionally sweeping toward the Gryffindor table.
Professor Sprout, with her gray, curly hair, appeared considerably more approachable.
She was also perhaps the least imposing of the four Heads of House, though that had more to do with how memorable the other three were than any lack of presence on her part.
Will’s gaze continued across the staff table.
Professor Quirrell, with his rather peculiar turban.
Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.
Over the coming years, these professors would all become familiar figures in his life.
Well, almost all of them.
There was one subject whose professor seemed to change every year.
Just as Will lowered his head and continued eating, the professors at the staff table began discussing him.
“Professor Snape.”
“Professor Snape.”
“Hmm?”
After being called twice, Snape finally tore his attention away from the Gryffindor table and turned toward Professor Flitwick with a puzzled expression.
“I hope you’ll pay a little more attention to that boy named Will Behrens.”
Flitwick pointed toward Will.
“That boy over there.”
“Will Behrens?”
Snape was slightly surprised.
He couldn’t understand why Flitwick was specifically bringing the boy to his attention.
Could the boy be related to Flitwick somehow?
Seeing Snape’s confusion, Flitwick explained.
“I’d like you to keep an eye on him. He’s a Muggle-born, yet several years ago, without any guidance whatsoever, he somehow discovered Diagon Alley on his own and began purchasing books to teach himself magic.”
Flitwick paused.
“Don’t look at me like that. The boy has no parental supervision. For a child who knows nothing about our world, the wizarding world contains far too many dangers and temptations.”
“He’s already read an enormous number of books and taught himself quite a bit of magic. When I first received the information, I thought there had been some mistake.”
“In all my years, I’ve never encountered a Muggle-born child who entered the wizarding world in such a manner.”
Flitwick’s expression became slightly concerned.
“If he doesn’t receive proper guidance, I’m afraid he could eventually go astray.”
The other professors understood the situation after hearing Flitwick’s explanation.
Even Dumbledore turned his head toward Will, and the warm smile that had remained on his face throughout the evening faded slightly.
“With courage like that, why wasn’t he sorted into Gryffindor?” Professor McGonagall asked as she took a sip of eggnog.
“Not only that,” Flitwick continued.
“His home is filled with hundreds of books. It’s remarkable that a child his age has pursued knowledge so intensely, and I’m almost surprised he wasn’t sorted into Ravenclaw.”
There was a hint of regret in his voice.
“Professor Dumbledore, you should have seen him. He already has a considerable understanding of spellcasting and is beginning to explore its deeper principles.”
The smile on Dumbledore’s face nearly disappeared.
His eyes settled on the boy quietly cutting into his steak.
“A thirst for knowledge…” Dumbledore murmured.
“An orphan, then?”