8 Chapter 8: Sorting Hat Ceremony (1)

On the high platform,

The Sorting Hat suddenly split open and became its mouth.

It started singing a silly Sorting Hat song, and As the Sorting Hat finished its song, the Great Hall exploded in applause.

The Sorting Hat bowed to each of the four houses in turn, then stopped.

At this point, Professor McGonagall pulled out a piece of parchment and loudly announced, "The following students, please come forward and put on the Sorting Hat to be sorted into your houses."

"Hannah Abbott!"

Hannah Abbott hurriedly ran up and put on the hat, which immediately shouted out, "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuffs cheered loudly to congratulate their new classmate.

One by one, each name was called out. Whenever the Sorting Hat loudly announced a house name, that house would cheer in celebration.

Gryffindor's cheers were the loudest, while two red-haired students even hissed when Slytherin was announced.

Finally...

"Arthur Gaunt"

As Professor McGonagall shouted out the name, the professors on the stage immediately turned their attention to the sorting hat.

The Slytherins were especially sensitive to this name and lifted up their necks to get a look at the last surviving member of the Gaunt family.

Among the new students, a cute, messy, brown-haired girl looked up in surprise.

Arthur seemed unaware of the attention as he approached the sorting hat. He glanced at the hat with disgust and gathered his courage before placing it on his head.

"You little brat! I am the founders hat for Hogwarts. I've helped a lot of great wizards choose their houses." The sorting hat's voice echoed in Arthur's mind.

"Oh? Then, great sorting hat, have none of those great wizards ever thought of cleaning you?"

"Who says they haven't? Two hundred years ago, a Gryffindor boy threw me into the Black Lake and washed me."

Arthur couldn't help but mock the hat.

'You call yourself to have good hygiene when just because you washed once two hundred years ago.'

"Slytherin!"

"Stop! I want to go to Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw!"

Hearing the voice of the Sorting Hat, Arthur kept repeating Ravenclaw in his mind.

"Why? Although you also have a thirst for knowledge, your ambition for magic and your bloodline prove that you are a natural Slytherin."

"Bloodline is not the only standard for sorting, isn't it? My own desire and qualities are the most important, aren't they?"

"You said that I have Ravenclaw qualities, so let me go to Ravenclaw!"

Arthur refused to compromise and continuously expressed his intention to go to Ravenclaw to the Sorting Hat.

"Okay, kid, as long as you promise me to wash me once you have time, I'll agree to it."

"No problem," Arthur immediately agreed.

"If Rowena finds out about this, she'll definitely mock this guy, Salazar, like crazy."

"Ravenclaw!"

The Sorting Hat loudly pronounced, shocking not only the young wizards but also the professors on the teacher's platform, who were stunned.

Just now, the sorting hat had just shouted "Slytherin", but it suddenly stopped and then became "Ravenclaw" after a moment of silence.

Even Professor Snape's face became as cold as ice.

For almost a thousand years of Hogwarts' history, there had never been a wizard or witch who forcefully changed the sorting hat's decision and chose a different house.

But now, a young wizard was standing in front of him, strongly rejecting Slytherin and choosing Ravenclaw instead. Wasn't this a slap in the face?

Headmaster Dumbledore's eyes, hidden behind his glasses, flashed with a hint of interest. He didn't expect the young Gaunt not to be sorted into Slytherin, which greatly exceeded his expectations.

The Slytherin students at the table also understood this, and after a brief moment of shock, they looked at Arthur with hateful eyes, one by one, wishing to draw their wands and cast a spell on him.

But Arthur didn't care about this. He placed the sorting hat on the chair with a cheerful expression and suddenly drew out his wand, pointing it at the sorting hat.

"Scourgify"

Suddenly, white water spurted out of his wand and splashed onto the sorting hat.

"Oh! Ah! Shit, that feels good," shouted the Sorting Hat.

"You're really good at it, kid. You're much stronger than the one from two hundred years ago! Do it again! I want more!" it continued.

Arthur was taken aback by the Sorting Hat's strange words. He turned around and walked towards the Ravenclaw table, ignoring the hat's cries.

Slowly, the young wizards and witches also came back to their senses and applauded for both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables.

Especially a pair of red-haired twins shouted excitedly at Arthur, "Well done, Arthur! You should have been in Gryffindor! So cool!"

Arthur walked over to Cho, sat down next to her, and looked at her surprised eyes. He whispered to her, "I'm here."

"Welcome to Ravenclaw!" Cho was very excited to see the boy in front of her become the first person in Hogwarts history to change his mind about his house publicly.

She was very moved.

Arthur looked at the girl with admiration and surprise in her eyes and gently held her hand. The two of them began to talk intimately.

The scene caused by Arthur stopped, and the sorting ceremony continued.

When Hermione took the stage, she glanced over at Arthur but was still sorted into Gryffindor.

Next up was Harry, causing another scene. When Harry was sorted into Gryffindor, the Gryffindor table erupted into thunderous cheers. The redheaded twins shouted, "We've got Harry! We've got Harry!"

However, this didn't affect Cho and Arthur, who were busy chatting and flirting with each other. The older Ravenclaw students were disappointed that Cho had snatched up such a handsome new student before they had a chance.

Soon, the Sorting Ceremony came to an end. Dumbledore stood up, and the noise in the room slowly calmed down. He looked around at the young witches and wizards seated in front of him, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

These students and this school were his life's work and proof of his success.

After a moment of silence, Headmaster Dumbledore began to speak.

"Welcome, everyone, to Hogwarts. Before we begin the feast, I'd like to say a few words: 'Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!' Thank you!" he finished with a flourish, sitting down like a madman, nothing like the greatest wizard of the 20th century that he was.

To everyone's amazement, the plates in front of the students suddenly filled with food.

The feast had officially begun!

...

https://www.patreon.com/Abyssuit

You can find up to 35 advance chapters at my patreon.