Unknown Secrets and Hidden Truths!
9: Chapter 9: The Sorting Ceremony!
Unknown Secrets and Hidden Truths!
Draco Malfoy’s face darkened immediately after hearing Adam’s words.
As the heir of an old pure-blood family, Malfoy had grown up believing that wizarding bloodlines determined superiority.
Adam’s casual dismissal of those beliefs made him feel both embarrassed and furious.
He opened his mouth, clearly intending to argue.
However, before he could say anything, someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder from behind.
Malfoy stiffened instantly.
Turning around, he found Professor McGonagall standing there with a cold expression.
The courage he had gathered disappeared immediately.
Although Draco could act arrogant in front of other first-year students, he definitely did not dare misbehave in front of a Hogwarts professor—especially not Professor McGonagall.
After glaring viciously at Adam one final time, Draco reluctantly returned to his original position.
Professor McGonagall’s sharp eyes swept across the gathered first-year students.
When her gaze landed on Adam, she paused very briefly.
For some reason, every time she looked at this silver-haired boy, she felt as though she were observing someone far older than his actual age.
Still, she quickly regained her composure.
“Everything is ready,” she announced calmly.
“Follow me.” With that, she turned and pushed open the enormous doors leading into the Great Hall.
The moment the doors opened, countless first-year students froze in shock.
The Great Hall was magnificent beyond imagination.
Four impossibly long tables stretched across the hall, each filled with students wearing robes in different house colors.
Thousands of golden candles floated in the air overhead, illuminating the room with warm magical light.
The enchanted ceiling above them resembled a vast night sky covered in countless stars.
For many of the Muggle-born students, the sight was almost unbelievable.
Even several pure-blood children stared upward in awe.
At the far end of the hall stood another raised table where the professors sat.
The heads of the four Hogwarts houses were all present there.
And at the center sat the legendary Headmaster of Hogwarts himself— Albus Dumbledore.
The famous White Wizard.
The man who had defeated the Dark Lord.
The strongest wizard in Britain.
The hall buzzed quietly with whispers as the first-year students entered.
Hermione Granger stared upward in amazement.
“It’s enchanted to look like the sky outside,” she whispered excitedly to the students around her.
“I read about it in Hogwarts: A History.” Several nearby students looked impressed.
Others simply looked overwhelmed.
Professor McGonagall led the first-years toward the front of the hall until they stood before the teachers’ table.
There, positioned beneath the candlelight, sat a small wooden stool.
Resting atop it was an old, ragged wizard’s hat.
The hat looked ancient.
Its fabric was faded and patched in several places, and it appeared so worn-out that some students wondered whether it might fall apart at any moment.
The hall gradually fell silent.
The atmosphere suddenly became strangely tense.
Many first-year students instinctively held their breath.
Then— The hat twitched.
A tear near its brim stretched open like a mouth, and it suddenly began to sing.
“You may not think I’m pretty, But don’t judge on what you see, I’ll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me…” Its voice echoed clearly throughout the Great Hall.
The hat continued singing about the four Hogwarts houses.
About brave Gryffindor.
Loyal Hufflepuff.
Wise Ravenclaw.
And ambitious Slytherin.
Although the Sorting Hat seemed slightly biased when describing Slytherin House, it still explained the core traits valued by each house rather accurately.
The first-year students listened nervously.
Some looked excited.
Others looked terrified.
After all, the song made it very clear that their entire Hogwarts life would soon be decided.
When the Sorting Hat finally finished singing, the Great Hall erupted into applause.
Even some older students cheered enthusiastically.
The hat gave a small bow before becoming motionless once again.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long parchment scroll.
“When I call your name,” she announced, “you will step forward, place the Sorting Hat upon your head, and be sorted into your house.” The nervousness among the first-years instantly increased.
“Hannah Abbott!” A blonde girl with rosy cheeks stumbled nervously toward the stool.
Adam watched her quietly.
‘The legendary Iron-Hatted Queen herself,’ he thought with amusement.
Hannah nervously placed the Sorting Hat onto her head.
Barely a few seconds later, the hat shouted: “HUFFLEPUFF!” The Hufflepuff table immediately erupted into applause and cheering.
Hannah hurried toward her new house table with visible relief.
One by one, the first-year students stepped forward.
“Susan Bones!” “HUFFLEPUFF!” “Terry Boot!” “RAVENCLAW!” “Lavender Brown!” “GRYFFINDOR!” The sorting proceeded steadily.
Every time a student was assigned to a house, cheers erupted from one of the four tables.
Some students looked delighted.
Others appeared disappointed.
Draco Malfoy, unsurprisingly, was sorted into Slytherin almost immediately.
The Slytherin table welcomed him enthusiastically, particularly the older pure-blood students who recognized the Malfoy name.
Then came Hermione Granger.
The moment she sat beneath the Sorting Hat, the decision was nearly instant.
“GRYFFINDOR!” Hermione looked thrilled as she hurried toward the Gryffindor table.
Shortly afterward, Ron Weasley was also sorted into Gryffindor.
Naturally, the Weasley twins cheered louder than anyone else.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
“Harry Potter.” The moment Professor McGonagall called the name, whispers exploded throughout the Great Hall.
“Harry Potter?” “That’s him?” “The Boy Who Lived?” Countless students leaned forward eagerly.
Even many older students stared openly.
Harry nervously sat down while the entire hall watched.
For several moments, the Sorting Hat remained silent.
Then it shouted loudly: “GRYFFINDOR!” The Gryffindor table exploded with excitement.
The cheering was so loud that it nearly shook the hall itself.
Fred and George Weasley stood on their benches shouting triumphantly.
“We’ve got Potter!” Harry hurried toward the Gryffindor table looking both relieved and overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Adam quietly observed everything from the side.
Eventually, nearly every student had been sorted.
Yet Adam remained standing alone.
He frowned slightly.
Something felt strange.
He clearly remembered not being last in line earlier.
And alphabetically, “Ambrosius” certainly shouldn’t have placed him at the very end either.
Yet somehow, he had become the final student remaining.
At that moment, nearly every eye in the Great Hall turned toward him.
Professor McGonagall glanced down at the parchment before speaking clearly.
“Adam Ambrosius.” The hall grew strangely quiet.
Adam calmly stepped forward beneath countless curious gazes.
Even many professors observed him carefully.
The Ambrosius surname carried considerable weight among older magical families.
Adam sat down upon the stool.
Professor McGonagall lowered the Sorting Hat onto his head.
Instantly, a voice echoed within his mind.
“Well now…” the Sorting Hat murmured thoughtfully.
“What do we have here?” Adam remained calm.
“A love for knowledge,” the Hat continued.
“Excellent intelligence.
Strong curiosity.
A disciplined mind.
No shortage of ambition either…” The Hat paused.
“Interesting.” Adam suddenly became curious about something else entirely.
“Can I ask a question?” he thought silently.
“Oh?” the Sorting Hat replied with amusement.
“Most students are too nervous to ask questions.” “Did Gryffindor and the others place Legilimency magic inside you?” The Sorting Hat became silent for a brief moment.
Then it replied indignantly: “Of course not!
Reading minds without permission is terribly rude.” At the teachers’ table, Dumbledore suddenly coughed awkwardly.
For some reason, he had the strange feeling that the boy and the Sorting Hat were discussing something suspicious.
Unfortunately, he had absolutely no way to prove it.
“If you aren’t using Legilimency,” Adam continued, “then how are you able to sort students so accurately?” The Sorting Hat sounded almost smug.
“Understanding personality does not require Legilimency.
Humans reveal far more than they realize.” “Then you’ve never made mistakes?” The Hat paused again.
“…Perhaps,” it admitted eventually.
“No system is perfect.” Meanwhile, outside observers had no idea what was happening.
All they could see was Adam sitting motionlessly beneath the Sorting Hat for an unusually long time.
Whispers began spreading across the hall.
“Why is it taking so long?” “Is something wrong?” Even several professors exchanged puzzled glances.
Professor Flitwick leaned slightly toward Dumbledore.
“Headmaster…” “Don’t worry,” Dumbledore replied calmly, though even he looked curious.
“Everything is fine.” Then he coughed twice rather deliberately.
The sound interrupted Adam and the Sorting Hat simultaneously.
The Hat sighed dramatically.
“Seems we are being rushed.” “Wait,” Adam thought quickly.
“One final question.” “What is it?” Adam’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin truly dead?” The Sorting Hat suddenly fell silent.
A very long silence.
For the first time since their conversation began, the Hat seemed uncertain.
Finally, it answered quietly.
“…I do not know.” Adam’s expression changed slightly.
The Hat continued softly: “I have existed for a very long time.
I remember many things about Hogwarts.
But some truths…” it paused, “…even I cannot answer.” Then suddenly its voice regained energy.
“Well then!
Since you enjoy asking questions so much…” The Hat shouted loudly for the entire hall to hear: “RAVENCLAW!” Thunderous applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table.
Students dressed in blue and bronze immediately began cheering enthusiastically.
Before Adam removed the Sorting Hat, the ancient artifact whispered one final sentence into his mind.
“Some answers can only be discovered by yourself.” Adam slowly removed the hat.
A strange light flickered within his silver eyes.
‘Then I’ll uncover those secrets myself,’ he thought silently.
As he walked toward the Ravenclaw table beneath the gaze of the entire Great Hall, Adam suddenly felt that Hogwarts contained far more mysteries than he had originally imagined.
Give me more motivation!