175: Chapter 173, the Sorting Ceremony, presided over by Rowling.

Hag was a qualified guide.

He thoughtfully held the oars as the gunwale steadied against the shore, stepped onto the bank to tie the hemp rope securing the boat, and took the suitcases handed over by the group.

Worried they might lose their footing and fall into the seawater, he extended his thick arms to give them leverage.

Then, walking ahead, he led the five of them up the stone stairs all the way to the gates of Hogwarts School, explaining things they needed to watch out for along the way.

Leon was like a restless, naughty little monkey, his head turning left and right without stopping as he curiously sized up everything around him.

Even though all he saw were ordinary brick walls, he remained tirelessly interested, as if some profound philosophy of life were hidden within these ubiquitous gray bricks.

The others were much the same.

Even Wino, who belonged to the human 'elite', looked around with a face full of novelty.

Except for Toby.

Perhaps affected by their brief conversation earlier, he kept his head down, moving his legs by instinct, lost in thought about who knows what.

"Little ones." Hag, holding a kerosene lamp, turned around. "I know you've spent two days on a train, several hours in a tricycle, and then a wooden boat.

Your bodies must be protesting everywhere right now, but I'm sorry to say you can't go back to your rooms to rest just yet."

Toby, awakened by the voice, stood on the stone stairs with the others, looking up at him slightly without letting out any dissatisfied complaints.

Hag nodded with satisfaction. "The school has areas for guests to rest, but new students aren't allowed to check in yet.

So, we must first determine which house you belong to."

"Oh!" Leon raised his hand. "I know, it's decided by the Sorting Hat, right?"

"Hahaha... thanks to Ms. Rowling's novels, I don't have to waste too much breath." Hag's laughter was somewhat gruff.

"Follow me."

Following behind him, they walked through the main gates and then crossed a wide plaza.

In the darkness not far ahead, two stone pillars over a meter tall stood side by side, with bright yellow bonfires dancing on top.

Between them was a tall wooden door.

"That's the Great Hall. Not just for the Sorting Ceremony; all major events are held there."

Leon couldn't help but take a step forward, muttering to himself, "My late grandmother would never have imagined that her grandson would one day actually come to the real Hogwarts.

And that I'm about to undergo the thrilling Sorting Ceremony..."

"Alright." Hag clapped his hands. "It's about time. Let's go, little ones."

He turned and started walking, and the five of them followed closely in a long line.

"Big brother Leon." Misha tugged at the hem of Leon's shirt in front of her. "What's behind the door?"

"A world of magic." Wino, who was behind her, smiled and took up the conversation. "Just like the fairy tales you've read.

All sorts of mysterious, powerful magic."

Misha turned her head as she walked, the night unable to hide the liveliness in her eyes. "Can I learn magic too?"

"Of course."

As Wino looked into her eyes, he didn't have the slightest intention of looking down on this little girl.

After learning that Misha was the first person to successfully pass among the second batch of those who received exam letters, Wino had used his connections to investigate her background thoroughly.

Full name—Brissot Misha.

Gender—Female.

Age—11.

Before Mr. Dumbledore mailed her the Interview Letter, she had already passed the Ying Country college entrance exams for 16+ year-olds.

If not for the "accident" of Hogwarts, she would be enrolling in London's Imperial College early next year.

A certified child prodigy.

Perhaps limited by her young age, her mindset was still a bit naive, but if anyone ignored her learning ability and IQ because of that, they were an absolute fool.

In summary, Wino felt she was worth winning over.

"Don't lead the child astray."

Toby's voice came from behind, and Wino shrugged noncommittally.

Wino didn't care much about the other's hesitant attitude.

"Humans are, after all, creatures that are selfish to the extreme," he whispered to himself.

*Creeeak—*

Within a few sentences, the group arrived before the two bonfires. Without seeing Hag raise his hand, the doors swung inward automatically.

Bright light shot out from inside the doors. They instinctively squinted, and once adjusted, they finally saw the situation inside the room.

A vast hall.

Two rows of braziers overhead were suspended by iron chains, the other ends fixed to the ceiling, with flames burning and dancing inside.

Beneath the braziers, four long wooden tables that still had empty space despite seating a hundred people were arranged vertically with equal gaps between them.

The five of them stood stunned at the door, all feeling somewhat at a loss.

Naturally, it wasn't because of the excessively long wooden tables, but because of the people sitting at them.

There weren't too many; each long table had about twenty people who looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old.

They were all wearing voluminous jet-black robes and pointed, round-brimmed wizard hats.

Right now, they were all looking at the door—more accurately, at the five people standing outside it.

"He..."

"It's been a long time since new students arrived at Hogwarts." Hag beckoned behind him. "Your upperclassmen are inevitably a bit excited.

Don't just stand there, come on over."

The five of them hurriedly followed him, walking through the aisle between the four long tables to arrive before the stone dais at the very back of the hall.

To be honest, being stared at by over a hundred people, even if those gazes were full of goodwill, was a bit much for Leon to handle.

Fortunately, the things on the stage caught his attention, providing a distraction from his nervousness.

The stone dais was not small. Three long tables were arranged in a triangular formation; the horizontal one in the middle was a five-seater, while the vertical ones on either side were two-seaters.

In the center of the three tables was a wooden chair with peeling paint, which looked quite old.

Currently, except for the wooden chair being empty, all the other seats were filled.

Leon quietly scanned the area; they were mostly middle-aged men and women, whom he guessed were the teachers of the various houses at Hogwarts.

Soon, his attention was drawn to the largest chair in the middle of the five-seater long table.

Sitting in the chair was none other than Dumbledore, whom he hadn't seen for two days.

To his right was Ms. Rowling, who also hadn't been seen since entering the station.

Dumbledore, with round-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, stood up and smiled, clapping his hands. "After experiencing a long period of closure, Hogwarts has finally welcomed new students once again."

"Oh!"

The students and teachers both on and off the stage immediately offered applause that echoed through the hall.

Hag, who had walked to the right side of the stone dais to stand, also clapped vigorously.

After a long while, the enthusiastic applause died down, and Dumbledore cleared his throat, seemingly preparing to give a speech.

The group, who were excitedly waiting for the Sorting Hat to make an appearance, looked completely bewildered.

They hadn't expected that even after coming to a magical world, they still couldn't escape the mental torture of a "leader's speech."

Fortunately, things didn't go in the direction they expected.

Dumbledore reached into the wide sleeve of his robe and pulled out a patched brown wizard hat.

*Clap clap clap—* Another round of applause.

Dumbledore pressed his hands down in front of him. "According to school rules, the Sorting Ceremony should be hosted by the Dean of Students, Ms. Moira.

But today, my granddaughter Ms. Rowling very enthusiastically requested to take on this task herself.

After seeking Ms. Moira's consent, we have decided that Ms. Rowling will be the host for this year's Sorting Ceremony.

Now, the Sorting Ceremony officially begins!"