Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 329 Sorting Ceremony
Upon hearing Professor Edward's words, all the children obediently lined up in two rows, following behind him like tails, and entered through the automatically opening golden door.

The auditorium was formerly the banquet hall of the castle, and has now been converted into a large auditorium for students, where they eat or hold opening banquets.

Inside the magnificent auditorium, thousands of candles floated high in the air, illuminating the entire hall.

The dome ceiling, like the night sky outside, was dotted with countless stars in addition to patches of clouds, and the moon was bright and clear, seemingly within reach.

Under the starlight and moonlight, four long tables were set up in the auditorium below, their surfaces gleaming and reflecting the candlelight and starry sky.

There were also many empty cutlery pieces on the table, all made of gold, luxurious and exquisite.

In front of the four long tables were the professors' seats.

The professors sat upright, dressed in formal attire, watching the new students enter the auditorium below.

Dui sat in the gold chair in the middle of the professors' seats, with the seat to his left empty and his wife, Professor of the History of Magic, Alvin, to his right.

Lady Galadriel also attended the opening banquet and sat to Alvin's right.

Tall and beautiful, she was surrounded by a holy light, more radiant than the moon in the sky, which drew gasps and exclamations from all the students.

The elf children among them were even more delighted.

Lady Galadriel is revered by all the elves of Middle-earth, and in their hearts she is the uncrowned "Queen of the Elves".

Seeing her here now, even the reserved and introverted little elves showed expressions of excitement and surprise, all gazing at her with unwavering admiration.

Feeling the children's gaze, Galadriel smiled gently, her radiance shining even brighter, her tender eyes falling on each child.

To Galadriel's right sat Gandalf.

He looked at the group of young and vibrant children with a kind face and gentle, happy eyes.

Vice Principal Edward led the group of new students to the long table.

There was a three-legged stool there, and on the stool was a brand-new, gorgeous hat.

Once all the new students were in position, the caps began to move. The brims swayed gently, and the seams slowly opened, resembling a mouth and two eyes. A melodious voice emanated from within the caps:

"I was originally just an ordinary hat."
Belongs to the black-robed wizard Duir.
But today it is endowed with ideas and missions.
To determine your affiliation.

Listen, little wizard, listen to the tide in your heart:
If a fearless fire burns in your heart,

Daring to chase the dragon's flames, daring to cross the unknown bridge.
You will belong to Phoenix Academy.

If wisdom resides within your eyes,

Love is about finding treasures in the sea of ​​books, love is about exploring the mysteries of star trails.
Let riddles blossom, let knowledge bud.
You will belong to Thunderbird Academy.

……

No need to be afraid, no need to panic, just put me on.
I will find the sanctuary where you belong, no matter where you come from!

After singing loudly, the man in the hat bowed to the left and right of the crowd.

Dui, sitting on the professor's panel, was the first to applaud.
Other professors and freshmen also applauded, praising the hat's performance.

Vice Principal Edward took out a parchment scroll and said to the freshmen, "Students whose names are called, please come forward and sit on the stools to be assigned to your colleges."

"Anlomir!"

Anlomir, a young Dunedan, was the first to be called by name.

Alpha, an astronomy professor from Dunedan, sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the child.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Anlomir nervously stepped forward and sat down on the stool.

Immediately, the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

"Oh, a little Dúnedan. Welcome to Hogwarts. Let me see what desires you hold deepest within you... Ha, what a magnificent dream! To learn all magic? To restore the glory of the Dúnedan? And to defeat evil and protect your homeland?"
This is really a difficult situation! Where should we assign you? ..."

The Sorting Hat seemed to be talking to itself.

Anlomir's mind went blank with nervousness; he didn't know how to answer.

After about a minute, Hat finally made a decision.

"I know where to send you... Phoenix Academy!" the hat shouted. Applause followed, and the hat was removed from Anlomir's head.

Edward, the dean of Phoenix Academy, smiled and pointed to the long table belonging to Phoenix Academy for Anlomir.

Anlomir got off the stool, quickly walked to the long table and sat down, then looked forward to the arrival of the next classmate.

In particular, he hoped that his new elf friend, Alanier, could also be assigned to his academy.

Professor Edward continued reading the names.

"Ida Creamer!"

A little witch from Brie sat down on the stool.

The Sorting Hat had barely been placed on the little witch's head when a voice rang out:
"...Thunderbird Academy!"

Amidst the applause, the little witch, her face flushed, excitedly skipped over to sit down at another long table.

The branch continues,

"Brandy!"

"Dragon Academy!"

"Beth!"

"Basilisk Academy!"

……

There are a total of 107 new students this time, of which the largest number are young wizards from the Dui territory, totaling 65.

Secondly, the Elf race has a total of 33 people.

The fewest were the Dúnedan people, with only 9.

Unlike the young wizards who are evenly distributed across the four houses, the Dúnedan people are mostly assigned to the Phoenix House, which represents courage, and the Dragon House, which represents loyalty and protection.

The elves, on the other hand, were even more noticeable, with most of them concentrated in the Thunderbird Academy, which represents wisdom.

However, there are also obvious differences. For example, the elf children from the Valley tend to favor the Thunderbird Academy, while the elf children from Lorien tend to favor the Dragon Academy.

The elven children from the dark forest tend to prefer the Basilisk Academy.

Meanwhile, the Noldor elves favored the Thunderbird Academy; the Sindar elves favored the Basilisk Academy; and the Silvan elves favored the Dragon Academy.

Watching the sorting ceremony, Alpha, the astronomy professor at the head of the faculty, asked Dui with some confusion:
"Headmaster Duyle, according to the Sorting Hat, the phoenix represents courage, the thunderbird represents wisdom, the basilisk represents cunning, and the dragon represents loyalty. The first three are easy to understand, but isn't the dragon the most cunning and greedy? How can it be associated with loyalty?"

The other professors also looked at Dui, sharing the same doubts and curiosity.

Dui said slowly and deliberately, in a joking tone, "At least dragons are loyal to treasure, aren't they?"

Upon hearing this, the others burst into laughter.

This reason is indeed very valid.

After all, the dragon's obsession with treasure is well-known.

The college assignment ceremony officially ended after the last freshman completed his/her college assignment.

Edward waved his wand, which made the triangular stool disappear, and handed the Sorting Hat to Duy, saying respectfully, "Sir, the Sorting Ceremony is complete, and the Sorting Hat is now yours."

"Thank you for your hard work, Edward. And from now on, just call me Professor. After all, you're the Dean now, so there's no need to be so formal," Dui said with a gentle smile.

“Yes, Professor.” Edward never disobeyed any of Dui’s requests.

Edward sat down in the empty seat to Dui's left and gently tapped his cup with the spoon on the table, the sound echoing in the students' ears.

"Please be quiet and listen to the principal!"

All the freshmen who were exchanging ideas fell silent and looked toward the figure in the middle of the professor's seat.

(End of this chapter)