Chapter 16. Hogwarts.
Lynn, rubbing his smooth chin, hadn't even had time to fully appreciate the changes in his brain and his new title when he heard Hagrid shout,
"Only four people can sit in a boat!"
He pointed to a row of small boats moored by the Black Lake and repeated, "Note! No more than four people per boat!"
With that, he led the way, jumping into a small boat.
Lynn and three other young wizards he didn't recognize boarded a small boat.
Soon, Hagrid looked around and, seeing that all the new students were on board, he commanded all the boats like a general:
"Alright, let's set off now."
The small boats moved automatically without wind, carrying the group of new students quickly across the Black Lake.
In the small boat Lynn was in, there were two men and a woman. Their brows were furrowed, their lips tightly pressed together, their faces pale, and they looked extremely nervous.
Only Lynn was relaxed, even having the leisure to splash some water.
The newly acquired title seemed to have a pretty good effect. Although it had some side effects, these were completely avoidable, at least far better than the previous title that insulted his character.
The only drawback was that the name was a bit unpleasant.
He scooped up a handful of lake water and brought it close to his eyes, only then realizing that the Black Lake wasn't truly black, but rather a dark green.
"Aren't you worried at all?" the girl with two small braids and a few freckles asked him, puzzled.
Lynn blinked. "Worried about what?"
"The Sorting Test," a boy said. "They have some special method to determine which students belong to which house. According to those who have experienced it, it's a process they never want to recall."
Lynn only then remembered that Hogwarts had such a tradition.
But this wasn't surprising; after all, it had been almost twenty years since he read the Harry Potter series, including this life, and he might not remember some of the details.
Lynn looked at them innocently.
"I've always lived in a normal society and know almost nothing about the magical world."
Lynn's calm demeanor initially led the three young wizards on the ship to hope that he was a mole who knew some inside information and could share some gossip with them. However, it turned out that he knew even less than they did, which immediately disappointed them.
"Are your parents Muggles?" another boy looked at him suspiciously.
Lynn nodded calmly. "If by Muggle you mean ordinary people who can't use magic, then I guess they are."
The boy straightened his back, as if he were kindly explaining some things about Hogwarts to him, but his tone carried a hint of contempt.
"Then you can't be sorted into Slytherin. Hogwarts has four houses. Slytherin only accepts those with pure-blood wizarding blood and outstanding magical talent, like me.
The other three houses, Ravenclaw values intelligence, Gryffindor values courage, and Hufflepuff values loyalty. Hmm, my parents told me that this house has very lenient standards for selecting students. It's said that most of the Muggle family wizards with little talent come from here. I guess you'll most likely be sorted into this house."
Lynn had seen many unlikable brats like this in the orphanage and was already used to it.
He shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "I'm fine with going anywhere, but I heard from the wizards in Diagon Alley that the best house at Hogwarts right now is Gryffindor, right?
Apparently, our headmaster is from there, while Slytherin doesn't have a good reputation; they say it's a breeding ground for dark wizards."
The boy, clearly from a pure-blood family with a history of blood discrimination, was slightly stung by Lynn's little jab. His face flushed, and he wanted to argue,
but after muttering under his breath for a while, he couldn't think of a rebuttal.
Lynn didn't dwell on this little incident, because they soon crossed the Black Lake and reached the other side.
Hagrid led them off the small boat and together they walked to the oak door at the front of the castle. Then, he pounded heavily on the door three times its normal size with his fist.
The door was immediately opened from the inside.
Professor McGonagall, her expression always serious, stood straight before the new students.
Upon seeing Professor McGonagall, Lynn couldn't help but recall his audacious act of petting the cat. Although he knew Professor McGonagall wouldn't mind, he still shrank back guiltily.
"I've brought the first-year students, Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall nodded, glancing at the young wizards. Her stern gaze intimidated many of the first-year students who were meeting her for the first time.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take care of them now."
The young wizards followed the notoriously serious Vice-Headmaster to a small room within the castle. After Professor McGonagall's annual address, she left to prepare for the Sorting Ceremony.
The group of new students, already feeling suppressed for so long, immediately erupted in excitement.
Some of them had already known each other on the train, and now, without the professor's supervision, they chattered excitedly.
Lynn initially eavesdropped on some of their conversation, but lost interest after discovering it was mostly unfounded speculation about the Sorting Ceremony.
Meanwhile, the system in his mind, having completed its main Hogwarts quest, issued a new one.
[Main Quest: Obtain a commendation from the corresponding course professor.
Reward: Appropriate magical talent and effect +1]
Lynn pondered the new quest from the system. The system's scope for praise was quite broad; for example, Professor McGonagall's casual praise had boosted his Transfiguration talent.
Therefore, completing this quest seemed relatively easy; simply being slightly more active in class after the start of the semester would suffice.
What Lynn was concerned about was whether this method could be used to repeatedly farm points.
Although it seemed a bit like wishful thinking, it was still worth a try.
Professor McGonagall quickly returned, had the new students line up, and then led them out of the cubicle to the Great Hall, which also served as the dining hall at Hogwarts.
The hall was very lively, with students from the four different houses sitting at four long tables, while the professors sat at a long table on a raised platform. Lynn spotted Professor Fawkes among the professors at a glance.
He was still wearing that long overcoat that seemed completely out of place for a wizard, with a tie underneath.
Fawkes noticed Lynn's gaze and smiled and waved at him.
After their eyes met, what caught Lynn's attention most was the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, sitting in the very center of the professors' table, with a large white beard, strange crescent-shaped glasses, and a perpetually smiling appearance like a kind, approachable old man.
Without giving Lynn time to observe the most outstanding headmistress in Hogwarts history, Professor McGonagall led them to the platform, then brought out a stool and placed a dirty, tattered hat on it.
After the famous Sorting Hat finished its cheerful song, enthusiastic applause erupted from the students and professors at the five long tables.
For a school like Hogwarts, the start of the school year was indeed a joyous occasion for all young wizards, but among the many present, only the new students were not particularly happy.
The long-awaited Sorting Ceremony had culminated in something as simple as wearing a hat; no one would be pleased .
However, it was at least a relief, as wearing a hat wasn't difficult,
even if the hat looked dirty and sang strangely.
"Mien Agnes!"
Professor McGonagall called out the first young wizard's name.
A dark-haired boy stumbled along, running up to the four-cornered stool, and, under the watchful eyes of all the Hogwarts students and professors, sat down and put on the hat.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Sorting Hat quickly shouted, "Ravenclaw!"
A cheer erupted from the Ravenclaw table.
Lynn's palms were slightly sweaty.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous in this environment. He was very close to the Gryffindor table; he could even hear a senior Gryffindor wizard muttering in frustration, having lost his bet on the first-choice house.
"Lynn Bellok."
Lynn's name was third. He took a deep breath and jogged to Professor McGonagall's side.
He hadn't lied earlier; Lynn genuinely didn't care which house he was sorted into. He had no prejudice against Slytherin, nor was he overly enthusiastic about Gryffindor. He admired Ravenclaw's intelligence and appreciated Hufflepuff's loyalty and humility.
His nervousness stemmed solely from the Sorting Hat itself.
Lynn couldn't control the Occlumency spell, a reward from the system, so he didn't know if it would work.
But thinking about it now was useless; all he could do was put the hat on his head.
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