Chapter 125: Sorting
Chapter 125: Sorting Ceremony
[Lupin: Wizards can't use magic in front of Muggles. And there are many Muggle jobs, like accounting or fixing cars, that I don't understand at all.]
[Lupin: Plus, I have to take several days off every month, which always makes my boss unhappy. The moment they find a replacement, I'll be fired.]
[Lupin: All in all, everything's looking up now, so the past doesn't really matter anymore.]
[Wade: You live in Hogsmeade Village, so after school starts, can't Harry just go directly to school?]
[Lupin: He certainly could. But Ron invited Harry to play at the Weasley Family's house for a few days, so he'll still be taking the train to school.]
[Lupin: Taking the Hogwarts Express across the British Isles is a valuable experience for students.]
Seeing Lupin's reply, Wade couldn't help but wonder: Will Harry still be blocked by the brick wall this time, then fly to school in a car?
...
September 1st arrived quickly.
Wade got to King's Cross Station half an hour early. He didn't need his parents to see him off anymore; he just carried his trunk onto the train himself.
Anyway, the kids would be home for Christmas break, so after a year, Mr. and Mrs. Gray had grown used to these goodbyes and weren't as reluctant as they were the first time.
After Wade found a compartment, Michael, Theo, and Ryan soon arrived as well.
As they chatted, Wade kept an eye on the window outside.
From their compartment, they could just see students running through the brick wall.
It was almost eleven when the Weasley Family members started appearing one by one.
Percy, Mr. Weasley, the Weasley Twins, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley...
The smooth rhythm suddenly hit a snag.
"Woo-woo—"
The train let out a long whistle, puffing white steam, and slowly began to move forward.
A few seconds later, Lupin, with an arm around Harry's shoulder, came through the brick wall along with Ron.
"Hurry and get on!" Lupin yelled, "I'll have your trunks sent to school for you!"
Harry and Ron didn't have time to say much; they just took off running, sprinting after the gradually accelerating train.
Students throughout the train, who were saying goodbye to their parents, watched them in astonishment.
The Weasley Twins stood at the door of a carriage, reached out, gave a mighty pull, and dragged the two boys onto the train, all four of them tumbling into the compartment.
Ryan let out a sigh of relief, unable to help but say, "They should have left earlier; that was too close."
Michael, peering out over Wade's shoulder, heard him and said, "No way. The entire platform is full of Wizards; they wouldn't let them fall, would they?"
On the platform, Lupin also let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing Wade, he even smiled and waved back.
It seemed that even though Harry had set off with the Weasley Family, Lupin still made it to the train station, seeing Harry off like any other parent.
This was how, by a strange turn of events, they managed to avoid the House-elf Dobby's trap.
In the original plot, Malfoy's House-elf Dobby would have sealed off the brick wall at this time, intending to prevent Harry from attending school and getting him expelled from Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, the simple-minded House-elf didn't understand that as the Savior of the British Wizarding world, Harry—even if he was just late, let alone missed an entire semester—Hogwarts couldn't possibly expel him.
Dobby's actions only resulted in the person he wanted to protect unfairly receiving disciplinary action and ostracization.
...
The train clattered along, still arriving at Hogwarts after dark, followed by the Sorting Ceremony.
Wade also saw some familiar names—
Colin Creevey was absolutely overjoyed when he was sorted into Gryffindor. He took a long detour, running to shake Harry's hand.
The boy, enthusiastic yet shy, said, "Harry Potter, I... I really admire you... Can we take a picture together later? I have a camera."
"Uh..." Harry cast a pleading look at his friends, but seeing them all watching him with expressions of amusement, he could only say, "Alright..."
Last semester, Wade had also gotten everyone to take pictures a few times, and some of those photos were now on Harry's desk.
Dudley used to have many photos, while Harry had none.
But now he had quite a few photos... it was just that the look in this boy's eyes always made him want to avoid him...
The last person who made him feel this awkward was Gilderoy Lockhart.
Harry glanced at the teachers' table.
Gilderoy Lockhart, in his shimmering, aquamarine Robes, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he suddenly turned to look, and Harry quickly averted his gaze.
"Fantastic!"
Colin almost bounced, excitedly saying, "I know your name is in so many books, I know everything about you..."
Harry watched his mouth open and close, quickly pressing him down into the seat next to him.
"Stop talking, the Sorting Ceremony's still going on! Professor McGonagall is looking over here," Harry said.
Colin turned to look, directly meeting the Gryffindor Head's stern gaze. He pulled his neck back, finally shutting up.
"Luna Lovegood!" Professor McGonagall called out.
"Ravenclaw!"
A girl with a wand tucked behind her ear and a somewhat dazed expression walked over to the Ravenclaw table. The applause gradually died down and soon ceased entirely.
Everyone looked at the blonde girl, finding her appearance a bit peculiar.
She had a certain eccentric, almost madcap quality, similar to Dumbledore.
The girl, seemingly oblivious to any strangeness, said in a dreamy voice, "It's lovely to meet you all… Do you read The Quibbler?"
The Ravenclaw prefect shaking her hand looked a bit awkward. "The Quibbler?"
"Yes, it's my dad's magazine," Luna said.
"Oh… oh, I'll be sure to read it sometime," the female prefect replied, asking, "What kind of topics does it cover?"
"Well… things like Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and such."
"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks? I don't think I've ever read about that kind of magical creature."
"They live in Sweden," Luna said. "When I grow up, I'm going to Sweden to find them."
"Oh…" The female prefect's smile was a little strained as she desperately tried to recall if she had forgotten any part of her textbooks.
"Don't bother," another prefect whispered to her. "That's a made-up creature."
"It's not made up." Luna's hearing was surprisingly sharp. She emphasized earnestly, "My dad says they exist."
Both prefects found it difficult to keep smiling.
Next was Rolf Scamander.
He was sorted into Hufflepuff, but instead of going to his own house immediately, he ran to the Ravenclaw table.
"Wade, now we're at the same school! I'll come find you tomorrow to play…"
He hadn't finished speaking before the Hufflepuff prefect, his face grim, dragged him away.
"This year's new students are really interesting, aren't they?" Michael said to Wade with a laugh.
"Yeah, they are," Wade nodded, looking at the last new student to be sorted.
Ginny Weasley.
She looked to be in excellent spirits.
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