Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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A few minutes later, more and more ghosts began to appear in the small room. Tall, short, thick, thin, and all shapes and sizes, they were a real surprise to the new students.
Initially, the young wizards were genuinely frightened, but they soon discovered that these ghosts weren't scary at all. Instead, they were friendly and warmly greeted everyone.
To ease their nerves, one ghost even performed a special ghostly trick, like holding its head in its hands.
"Cool..." someone exclaimed, watching the head bouncing up and down.
"Thank you for the compliment, but I have something even cooler."
The ghost, seemingly intrigued, flung its head forward, then performed a magnificent front flip, followed by a triple-and-a-half spin in the air, landing with its hands and catching its head firmly.
The movements were smooth, the gestures graceful, and every touch was perfectly executed.
Unsurprisingly, the routine drew applause from everyone, even Kyle.
This kind of talent isn't often seen.
Spectacular, truly spectacular.
"Thank you, thank you everyone." The ghost circled the room, bowing slightly to everyone. He proudly declared, "Oh, did I forget to mention that I joined the Headless Hunter Club using this very trick? Of course, I'm not trying to show off. I mean, you all have great taste."
After that, the atmosphere heated up completely. The young wizards gathered around, urging him to do another trick.
The ghost wasn't shy either. While he didn't perform the same difficult tricks as before, his continuous tricks still had everyone laughing.
"Heh."
But just then, a sinister sneer suddenly rang out from the side. "What's there to be proud of?"
Everyone instinctively turned to look, only to realize that the speaker was also a ghost.
"My apologies, Sir Nicholas Porpington," the headless ghost recognized his colleague in the ruff and quickly said, "I was just trying to amuse the children, nothing more."
"That would be nice."
"Of course, and I sincerely hope Sir Porpington can join the Headless Hunter Club this year."
Nearly Headless Nick gave him a blank look before disappearing through the wall.
Distracted by his presence, the headless ghost stopped his performance and shrugged, saying, "Well, everyone, it's time for the Sorting to begin. Get ready now. See you later."
With that, he also disappeared through the wall into the Great Hall.
Everyone felt sorry, but there was nothing they could do but watch the headless ghost leave.
However, the atmosphere in the room didn't drop much.
After the ghost show, everyone was delighted and even more excited for the upcoming Sorting.
…Except for Kanna.
She was the only one in the room who hadn't paid attention to the ghost show.
Until Professor McGonagall returned, the little girl had huddled in a corner, her complexion nearly gray, and she still exuded an aura of despair.
Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall didn't notice.
"I was away for just a moment, and you guys made such a mess!"
She pursed her lips, looked at the group of first years below with a serious face and said, "The entire hall can hear your laughter. Is it that funny, or do you think sorting is a ridiculous thing?"
Professor McGonagall's voice was not loud, but everyone was silent, lowering their heads and not daring to breathe.
This went on for over a minute before Professor McGonagall continued, "Remember, Sorting is a serious matter. Please remain silent. Now, form a single file and follow me."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone was in motion. Within a minute, they were lined up and followed closely behind Professor McGonagall.
Kanna was among them, dragged along by Kyle, moving with the dazed, almost zombie-like pace.
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They left the room, crossed the entrance hall, and passed through a set of double doors, finally entering the magnificent Great Hall.
Compared to the Great Hall, the Great Hall was even more magnificent.
Its size was astonishing. Even with four long tables filled with students, it didn't feel crowded at all.
The tables were decorated with luxurious golden plates and goblets, and thousands of candles floated in the air, illuminating the room.
Above, the velvety black ceiling was dotted with stars and billowing clouds, leaving everyone stunned.
Someone whispered to their companions, "This place is enchanted. It looks just like the sky outside. I read about it in 'Hogwarts, A History.'"
Kyle looked in the direction of the voice, but when he saw the boy speaking, his interest faded.
What a shame! If he had started a year later, he and Hermione would have become good friends.
They walked all the way to the front of the hall before stopping.
Further up were the faculty seats.
Dumbledore, dressed in purple robes, sat in the center, his silver hair and beard neatly trimmed. He wore his signature half-moon glasses and looked at each new student with a gentle gaze.
Next to him sat the four Heads of House:
Severus Snape, the sleek-haired Head of Slytherin;
Filius Flitwick, the diminutive Head of Ravenclaw; and
Pomona Sprout, the affable-looking Head of Hufflepuff.
As for Professor McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor, her seat was temporarily vacant due to her duties as Sorting House.
Including them, there were about twenty professors attending the opening banquet today. Kyle, after a lot of guesswork, could only recognize less than ten, and he had no recollection of the rest.
But that was understandable. Hogwarts was so large, and if he only remembered the few professors he knew, it wouldn't be enough.
Moreover, half of the professors he knew were still disposable, which made the number even smaller.
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Kyle averted his gaze.
Just then, Professor McGonagall placed a square stool in front of the new students and placed a patched, brown, pointed wizard's hat on it.
Well, let's call it brown.
The hat was incredibly dirty, and even though Professor McGonagall's movements were gentle, it still kicked up a lot of dust.
Furthermore, in the candlelight, it shimmered, clearly showing signs of patina. It was practically impossible to discern its original color.
Kyle was sure that if this hat wasn't the Sorting Hat and it showed up in his house, either he or Chris would be dead.
Or, they were both beaten to death by Diana.
[End of the chapter]