Hogwarts: My Spell Infinite Derivation

Chapter 81 The Sorting Ceremony, Azkaban?! (Two-part series)

Upon hearing Charles's words, the expressions of the nearby young wizards became quite strange.

The black lake in sight was bottomless, as if countless monsters were hiding within it.

On the train to Hogwarts, they overheard some upperclassmen excitedly recounting many rumors about Hogwarts.

Black Lake has appeared frequently in these rumors.

Now, Charles is actually saying that Black Lake is like a giant hot pot?

That's incredibly greedy.

Ron couldn't help but chuckle, glancing at Harry Potter and Hermione with an expression that clearly conveyed a meaning.

"This is the most talented and outstanding student in the Muggle world that you're talking about?"

"He doesn't seem very bright."

Hermione, with some concern, advised Ciel.

"I've heard that some mountains and lakes in the wizarding world possess special magic, and the Black Lake at Hogwarts is one of them."

"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you, Ciel. Perhaps you shouldn't stare at the Black Lake for too long?"

Charles smiled at this, licked his lips as he looked in the direction of the Black Lake, and said quietly.

"It's okay."

"Is it possible that I am the abyss itself?"

As he said this, Charles couldn't help but tap his wand a few times.

A series of spacetime markers burst forth from the tip of the wand, appearing instantly beneath the Black Lake and landing on the aquatic magical creatures.

"This looks plump and tender, perfect for steaming."

"This giant octopus is amazing; it's sliced ​​raw and served as sashimi."

"This big fish is a bit old, but we'll make do with braised it..."

While Ciel was muttering to himself, Hermione and Harry Potter were completely baffled, having no idea what Ciel was doing.

Ron, standing to the side, wore an expression that seemed to see through everything, already having a guess in his mind.

"It's just pretentious posturing."

"It seems that this Charles Evans has realized that he doesn't have much talent in magic, but he can't let go of his reputation and face among Muggle students, so he's pretending to be profound here."

"He doesn't react at all when he waves his wand, isn't he just like me?"

Thinking of this, the frustration of being laughed at by Hermione for failing to use magic on the Hogwarts Express vanished in an instant, replaced by a sense of superiority from knowing the truth.

Ron was secretly hoping to see a good show.

"Once school starts, this Muggle genius might not perform as well as me!"

Just then, Hagrid's call came from not far away, prompting the young wizards to board a wooden boat and cross the Black Lake.

Hermione wanted the Shire to come on the boat with them, but he refused.

Just kidding, just this short while of being bothered by Hermione and the others, their chatter almost made Ciel's head fall off.

He could confirm once again that he didn't like children at all.

Whether it's some kind of savior trio or some other child.

Even if you're incredibly popular in the original story, or a stunningly beautiful Hogwarts school beauty, sorry, you're just a naive little kid right now, don't even try to get involved!

Charles arrived alone at the shore of Black Lake, turned a floating piece of wood into a boat, and easily crossed the lake.

Meanwhile, on another ship, Ron was still talking about the Shire, and seemed to have gotten into an argument with Hermione.

"So what if he's a genius at a Muggle school? We're at Hogwarts, a school in the wizarding world. Does that mean he's necessarily amazing?"

"You all saw it, didn't you? He looked so silly just now."

"And what was the point of all those wand swings? Nothing at all!"

Ron's face was full of disdain.

"We just invited him to come on the boat, but he refused us like we were the plague."

Does he think he's something special?

"It's just pretentious posturing!"

"Harry is the most amazing! He's the boy who survived a great calamity; some say he killed Vader!"

Hermione retorted, biting her lip.

"I know Ciel Evans. He's a genius, possibly even more so than Headmaster Dumbledore. He can learn in a short time what others take years to learn. Ron, you haven't seen Ciel's abilities; you can't understand!"

"His actions must have a deeper meaning; Ron, you simply don't understand!"

Ron retorted, unconvinced.

"More talented than Headmaster Dumbledore? Hermione, you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Besides, Harry is widely recognized as the most powerful young wizard in the wizarding world. He's the boy who survived a great calamity. Some say he defeated Vulture. Is Shire more powerful than Harry? Could he defeat Vulture?"

Seeing Ron and Hermione arguing heatedly, Harry Potter looked embarrassed and whispered.

"Keep your voices down, we're almost there."

"Will there be a Sorting Ceremony when we arrive?"

"Have you figured out how to handle the Sorting Ceremony? You're not really going to send us to fight some monster, are you?"

At this point, Ron and Hermione's argument finally came to an end, and they both began to worry about the legendary, incredibly bloody and cruel Sorting Ceremony that was about to take place.

After the small boat docked, this sense of unease spread among the young wizards as if it were contagious.

Only Ciel didn't care about any of this.

At this moment, all his attention was drawn to Hogwarts nearby.

As you get closer, you can feel the omnipresent magic that permeates this castle.

It's no exaggeration to say that the castle's bricks must have some kind of magic.

In Shire's eyes, the entire Hogwarts was a giant feast; you could get a lot of points just by slurping a few bites from any brick!

He roughly estimated that, not counting the books, Horcruxes, basilisks, etc. inside Hogwarts, just considering the castle and its associated defensive magic, it might provide more deduction points than the Dragonblood Sea in Romania!

Thinking of this, Ciel's breathing quickened, and he pulled out his mithril wand, feeling an urge to imprint a large "拆" (demolish) character on the Hogwarts clock tower.

Just then, a surprised exclamation interrupted Charles's actions.

The call came from Professor McGonagall, who had come to welcome the new students to the Sorting Ceremony.

As a master of Transfiguration, she could tell at a glance that the wooden boat that Shire was riding on was not provided by Hogwarts, but was created by Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall strode through the crowd, surveying the wooden boat Charles was riding in, and lavished praise upon it.

"Perfect Transfiguration!"

"You actually transformed a piece of wood into a boat, and it looks exactly like the real thing, both in terms of functionality and texture. You actually sailed across the Black Lake in it."

"Even upperclassmen couldn't do that, it's unbelievable!"

Professor McGonagall's call drew the attention of the young wizards, temporarily easing their tension.

"Transfiguration?"

"That wooden boat was actually created using transformation magic?"

"You're kidding, right? Isn't Transfiguration supposed to be the most difficult magic subject? My brother told me that in first grade, being able to turn a match into a needle is already considered very good."

"That little wizard, he turned the wood into a boat?"

"He hasn't even enrolled yet, is this guy about to graduate?"

"Wait, is Hogwarts really this complicated?"

Among the crowd, Ron's eyes widened, and his face turned bright red.

Hermione, on the other hand, was beaming with pride, as if she were the one who had cast the Transfiguration spell, and gave Ron a defiant glare.

Professor McGonagall looked at Charles and grew to like him more and more.

Such a young wizard with divine magical powers and such a talent for Transfiguration, wouldn't it be a shame if he didn't come to Gryffindor?

"If the Sorting Ceremony hadn't started yet, Mr. Charles, I would definitely add fifty points to your house just for that Transfiguration."

Charles smiled, but inwardly sighed.

No, what's the benefit of these extra points?

Isn't it just the little red flower you get in kindergarten in my past life?

As for the Academy Cup, it's just a big award.

Children might enjoy it, but Shire really wasn't interested.

At that moment, he reminded Professor McGonagall of something.

"Professor, is the Sorting Ceremony about to begin?"

Professor McGonagall snapped out of her reverie of admiring Shire's transfiguration and hurriedly led the young wizards toward the Great Hall.

Charles walked through the crowd, surrounded by curious glances and whispers, making him feel like a member of society among elementary school students leaving school.

He could only quicken his pace with a blank expression, silently saying something to himself.

"I have to apply to skip most of the courses."

"Otherwise, I'd rather eat a hundred pounds of dragon dung than spend the next few years attending classes and living with them!"

Fortunately, once they entered the hall, the anxiety and tension about the Sorting Ceremony filled the hearts of every young wizard, and no one had time to pay attention to others.

As for the older students who had already taken their seats, their eyes were all turned toward Harry Potter, excitedly whispering about which house he would go to.

Soon, the Sorting Ceremony officially began, and the Sorting Hat appeared before the young wizards.

The first little wizard was called by name.

"Hannah Abbott!"

Hannah, the granddaughter of Old Tom at the Leaky Cauldron and who had brought Shire meals a few times, stumbled toward the Sorting Hat, her face flushed.

The moment the Sorting Hat put it on, it blurted out "Hufflepuff".

A round of applause erupted at the Hufflepuff table, welcoming Hannah's arrival.

Then came wave after wave of applause.

When Harry Potter put on the Sorting Hat, plunging it into a long silence, and finally chose Gryffindor, the applause from Gryffindor was so loud it seemed to lift the dome off.

The Weasley brothers were still there, yelling and cheering.

"We have Potter!"

"We have Potter!"

As the applause gradually subsided, another name was called.

"Charles Evans!"

In that instant, the young wizards who had just heard Professor McGonagall praise Shire, as well as many professors on the professors' bench, all turned their gazes toward him.

A hint of anticipation appeared on Dumbledore's face.

He already knew what Charles had just done; it was a testament to his considerable skill in Transfiguration.

He had never taught Ciel Transfiguration, meaning Ciel was entirely self-taught, proving that Ciel's magical talent was even greater than Dumbledore had initially predicted.

In this way, the henchman he had prepared for Harry Potter would be even more powerful, and he believed that he could play a huge role in the fight against evil.

Quirrell also shifted his gaze from Harry Potter to Shire.

Voldemort hissed in his mind.

"Judging from the disgusting look in Dumbledore's eyes as he stares at the Shire, that old bastard must be trying to turn this little wizard into a pawn again."

"Heh, I'm determined to make Charles my man, to make him willingly devote himself to the realm of dark magic."

Under these watchful eyes, Charles calmly walked to the front of the Sorting Hat.

He knew the principle behind the Sorting Hat's sorting system, which was similar to Seeking Thoughts, allowing the Sorting Hat to judge a person's character through their thoughts.

"If the brain is closed, the sorting cap won't be able to read any information."

"Alright, let's loosen up a bit and finish this ceremony quickly."

The next moment, Ciel reached out and put on the Sorting Hat.

The first thought that came to mind when the Sorting Hat read this was—

"This hat looks quite old. How should I cook it?"

"How about chopping it into big chunks, stir-frying it with some spicy crayfish sauce? I heard that stuff tastes good even with shoe soles, it should be good with hats too, right?"

"Hiss, I'm getting hungry..."

The Sorting Hat froze, then, as Ciel conjured up images of it being fried and cooked in his mind, its expression gradually turned to horror.

The next moment, a piercing scream erupted from the Sorting Hat, so sharp it seemed to shatter the heavens.

The Sorting Hat screamed hysterically.

"Azkaban!"

"It has to be Azkaban!"

"Help! Help! Take this little wizard off his head! The Sorting Hat is in mortal danger!"

That's the minimum update for today. I feel like I could write an extra chapter, but it'll be a bit late.

(End of this chapter)