The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

Julien smiled without saying a word. His spirit, however, had already quietly entered that "magical resonance library" that belonged only to him.

Inside the library, candlelight shone brightly. The librarian, Murphy, was dozing amidst a pile of new books, his tail tip idly brushing the pages.

"Hey, Administrator," Julien's spirit form strolled among the bookshelves, "Tonight's a big night, is there any special 'Welcome Guide'?"

Murphy opened one of his amber eyes and yawned: "There are, for example, 'How to Stay Calm in Front of the Sorting Hat,' and 'Thirty Awkward Opening Lines for Meeting Dumbledore'?"

Julien shook his head. "I'm wondering what the Sorting Hat will see?"

Murphy opened both of his eyes, the silver-gray one gleaming with a cunning light: "Don't worry, the Sorting Hat isn't Legilimency. It can only sense your desires, your fears, the truest echoes from the depths of your soul."

"Isn't that similar to you?"

"Me? Not only can I do that, I can even... smell the unrealistic fantasies in your head."

"Oh? For example?"

"For example, you might fantasize about being in four houses at the same time, fighting in Gryffindor during the day, plotting in Slytherin at night, reading in Ravenclaw on weekends, and appearing in Hufflepuff's kitchen right on time for meals." Murphy's tone was full of disdain.

Julien blushed slightly: "I'm not that greedy! I just feel... choices shouldn't be limited by a single label."

"Sanguis non facit, sed eligit," Murphy suddenly recited in Latin. "It is not blood that makes a man, but choice. This was inscribed on the walls of the Secret Chamber by your grandfather, and now it is in your heart. The Sorting Hat is just a starting point; how you walk the path is up to you."

Julien fell silent. The wind from the lake ruffled his hair, and in the distance, the spire of Hogwarts Castle was clearly visible, brightly lit, like a dream.

Countless young wizards exclaimed "Wow!"

The small boat docked. Hagrid led the new students up the steps to a huge oak door.

With Hagrid's drumming-like intuition, the door opened, and lights suddenly burst out.

A tall, elderly witch in a dark green dress with a serious face stood at the door; she was Professor McGonagall, who was guiding Julien through his enrollment.

Professor McGonagall stood there, unsmiling, her gaze piercing. Behind her was a fireplace burning with magical flames, and the magnificent double doors leading to the Great Hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," her voice was clear and strong. "Before the feast begins, you will be sorted into your respective houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. You will study, live, and find your lifelong friends there."

She paused, her gaze lingering on Yu Lian for a moment before shifting away.

"I'll go get ready first. You guys take this opportunity to pamper yourselves."

"Do you know how to sort your houses?" Hermione asked as she straightened her clothes. "There's no going to be a test first, is there? I've memorized all my first-year books."

"Ron and I discussed this in the car. Ron's brother said that a duel might be necessary."

"A duel? With whom?" Harry's words clearly surprised Hermione. Neville and the blonde girl also shuddered.

Julien now recognized the blonde girl as Hannah, whom he had met at the Leaky Cauldron. With both the "Sword Saint" and the "Iron-Hat King" in place, the gears of fate had begun to turn.

"Maybe it's a duel with some magical creature," Ron said, quite uncertainly.

"Indeed, I've heard about it too." At this moment, a short boy with brown curly hair squeezed in and chimed in, "Hello, my name is Seamus Phoenician." The boy said, extending his hand, "I heard it's about a duel with a fire dragon."

"A fire dragon!" All the young wizards who heard it screamed in surprise, and the atmosphere around them instantly became lively.

Only Julien calmly stepped forward and shook Seamus's right hand. "Hello, Seamus. My name is Schillerm Julien Black."

"Hey? Judging from your accent and your name, you must be from France. Why didn't you go to Beauxbatons?"

"Oh, the entrance requirement there is to fight trolls, and I didn't pass, so I came to Hogwarts to try." Julien said with a helpless look on his face, unconsciously rubbing his nose with his left index finger.

“Don’t listen to his nonsense,” Hermione recognized Julien’s habitual little gesture when he lied. “Think about it, how could a school let young wizards who haven’t even started school yet fight dragons and trolls? Only a great wizard like Gilderoy Lockhart would do that.”

No one dwelled on who Gilderoy Lockhart was, but they all felt that what Hermione said made sense and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmph, really. Poverty and ignorance limit the imagination of people like you." At this moment, a haughty voice rang out; it was Malfoy.

Seeing Ron glaring at him, Malfoy nonchalantly raised his head. "I'm not talking about you, Ron. I'm talking about everyone here." He gestured to the group of people surrounding Harry and Julien.

"My dad told me that the entrance exam for Hogwarts is a Quidditch match," Malfoy said, smoothing his platinum-slicked-back hair. "That's the noble sport wizards should have."

Upon hearing this, everyone, including some of the other junior wizards, thought it might actually be true. After all, fighting a fire dragon was just too far-fetched.

Just then, Professor McGonagall turned back. "The Sorting Ceremony is ready. Now line up and follow me."

The hall was very spacious, yet it had few supporting pillars. "This must be the power of magic," Julien thought to himself.

Countless floating candles illuminated the hall.

"Look at the night sky above. It's not that there are no roofs, it's just magic. I've read about it in books." - Needless to say, this is still Hermione.

The front row was for faculty and staff. About twenty faculty and staff members sat in a row, most of them smiling as they looked at the young wizards below.

The elderly man in the center, with his white hair, long beard reaching his waist, piercing eyes, and vigorous spirit, is undoubtedly Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster.

Below the faculty seating area, there are four long rows of tables and chairs. Each row of tables and chairs has a unique color scheme.

The innermost row, with its main color scheme of red and gold, is clearly the location of Gryffindor House.

The bronze and sea blue tones are Ravenclaw.

The ones with yellow and black as the base color are Hufflepuffs.

Slytherin is characterized by its predominantly green and silver color scheme.

In a corner of the hall, a worn-out leather hat was placed on a stool.

According to Professor McGonagall, this hat is called the Sorting Hat. Each young wizard simply puts the hat on their head and will be sorted into a different house by the hat.

Just as all the young wizards were staring in astonishment at the Sorting Hat, the folds on the front of the hat suddenly parted, opening like a mouth and beginning to sing: