## Chapter 361: Sorting: Gryffindor
The young wizard standing at the entrance had golden-brown hair and an unusually pale complexion; when the light hit him, his bluish veins seemed almost visible beneath his skin.
He wore a brand-new black school robe, unadorned, and stood with an air of nonchalance.
Even under the scrutiny of numerous students and teachers, he showed no shyness or embarrassment. Instead, he waved openly and cheerfully greeted everyone, "Hello, everyone!"
Many Gryffindor students instinctively waved back, while the Hufflepuffs smiled kindly. Slytherin and Ravenclaw, however, continued to observe.
Professor McGonagall frowned, sweeping her gaze across the room. Only after the students quieted down did she say, "Follow me, Mr. Johnson."
The two walked to the front, where Filch had placed a small stool. Professor McGonagall then took the Sorting Hat from Dumbledore.
Carlyle had already learned the sorting procedure from Professor McGonagall before entering. He took the dusty hat, let out a disdainful "tsk," and then placed it on his head.
The pointed hat wiggled slightly on his head, seemingly in great distress.
Time passed minute by minute. Wade heard Ron Weasley mutter, "This hat isn't malfunctioning, is it? It's been over a thousand years, after all…"
Perhaps to prove itself, before Ron had even finished speaking, the Sorting Hat loudly declared, "Gryffindor!"
Immediately, enthusiastic applause erupted at the Gryffindor table. The Weasley twins slammed their hands on the table, shouting, "I knew it! He looks like a Gryffindor!"
Harry also clapped hard. His own sorting had taken a long time, so he felt a sense of kinship with students who also gave the Sorting Hat a difficult choice.
Carlyle, however, held onto the hat, not letting go, as if unaware the sorting ceremony had ended, until Professor McGonagall forcibly pulled it from his grasp.
"Oh, the wretched boy!" the Sorting Hat said angrily. "He almost tore me apart!"
Professor McGonagall suppressed her anger, not wanting to scold a new student on the first day. She said sternly, "Mr. Johnson, you may sit at the Gryffindor table!"
"Alright, Professor," Carlyle replied, feigning obedience.
Professor McGonagall gave him a deep look, then picked up the hat and stool and strode away.
Carlyle found an empty seat and sat down. He shook hands with the nearby students, but before they could properly introduce themselves, a lavish dinner appeared on the long table, with more variety than usual.
The students cheered and began to feast.
Fred leaned over to grab a piece of beef, and incidentally, gloated to Carlyle, "Nice one, challenging Professor McGonagall the moment you arrive—why were you holding onto the Sorting Hat?"
"Just chatting with it," Carlyle said with a smile. "It's my first time seeing such a smart hat. It's like it can read people's minds."
The Gryffindors weren't very interested in that topic.
Angelina said, "Hello, I'm Johnson too—Angelina Johnson. I've been at Hogwarts for so long, and this is my first time seeing a transfer student. Where were you before?"
Carlyle said, "I came from America."
"Is it Ilvermorny?" Percy showed off his knowledge. "I heard that school was modeled after Hogwarts and also has four houses. Which house were you in?"
"I didn't study at Ilvermorny," Carlyle explained. "I was learning with a teacher."
"Oh, a master-apprentice system? Very few people do that now…" Percy nodded understandingly.
Harry quietly asked Ron beside him, "Are there many other Magic schools besides Hogwarts?"
"Of course, it's not just our country, is it?"
Ron counted them off: "I know America has Ilvermorny, France has Beauxbatons, and there's Durmstrang in Scandinavia. They're all famous Magic schools."
"I know Durmstrang," Harry said. "I remember Malfoy wanted to go to that school."
"Right, because they teach Dark Magic…" Ron shook his head. "I wouldn't go to that school even if they paid me."
"Dark Magic…" Harry paused, surprised.
"Brazil has a Castel… Castelobruxo, or something like that," Ron said, struggling to remember. He explained, "Bill has a pen pal from Brazil who graduated from that school."
"Castelobruxo," Fred corrected him from beside him, then added, "Also, I heard there's a Uagadou School of Magic in Africa. They're very good at self-transfiguration…"
The students' discussion shifted to these world-renowned Magic schools. Harry's eyes were opened; it was the first time he'd realized there were so many schools different from Hogwarts.
Halfway through the meal, Carlyle asked Fred beside him, "I know we're Gryffindor, but which table is Ravenclaw?"
Fred pointed his thumb behind him. "It's the one next to us—the bronze and blue one. Yellow and black is Hufflepuff, and the last one is the cunning and treacherous Slytherin! They'll pick fights with you for no reason, so remember to hit back hard!"
Carlyle didn't listen closely to what he said. He turned and scanned the Ravenclaw table. The identical school robes seemed to blur everyone's faces.
He then asked, "I heard Wade Gray is in Ravenclaw. Where is he sitting?"
"Hmm? Wade? Are you a fan of his?" Fred looked up, then pointed with his hand. "He's sitting over there—the one with black hair."
Carlyle looked over and finally spotted his target among the crowd.
Just then, Wade seemed to sense their gaze and looked up too. Their eyes met.
Over two years had passed, and both had grown a lot, but their appearances hadn't changed significantly.
Then, Carlyle happily raised his hand and loudly called out, "Wade!"
Everyone looked over, but he completely ignored their stares, picked up his plate, and walked through the aisle in the middle of the long table.
Michael raised an eyebrow, watching the transfer student approach with his plate, a bright smile on his face. "Long time no see!"
Wade glanced at the teachers' table, where others were also watching, and let out a silent sigh. "Long time no see."
Carlyle looked at Michael and said, "Hello, can I switch seats with you?"
Michael sneered, "No."
"Alright." Carlyle wasn't disappointed. He shrugged and asked a student on the other side, "Excuse me, would you mind switching seats?"
It was a young boy from a lower year, already looking nervous sitting next to Wade. He immediately nodded, picked up his plate, and hurried to the end of the long table.
Carlyle then sat down as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even grabbing another piece of bread.
"Honestly, I always thought Britain was a culinary hell! Didn't expect the food at Hogwarts to be pretty good."
Carlyle took a bite of his bread, and seeing Wade still staring at him, he asked bluntly, "What's with that look, Wade? You're not happy to see me? I missed you quite a bit when I was in America!"
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