Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 153 What remains constant is change itself.

The playful expressions on Marcos and Eddie's faces gradually faded, replaced by surprise.

At this moment, the two of them had only one thought in their minds: Puni's observation skills were too amazing, and they even had the illusion that he had a natural talent for prophecy!

Even if the difficulty of obtaining a hat does not affect the admission, the ability to anticipate such a special situation is special in itself.

Fortunately, there were still a few moments left before the five-minute deadline. The Sorting Hat finally finished its long deliberation and a loud announcement resounded throughout the Great Hall.

"Gryffindor!"

Ultimately, it belongs to the Lion House, which symbolizes courage and passion.

Marcos and Eddie both breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts finally at ease.

Puni shrugged again, dismissing it as nothing.

"I already said it was just a random guess, and you actually believed me. Being caught in a hat-making situation is something that happens only occasionally; it's not that easy to happen."

Everyone thought this peculiar stalemate had come to an end, but no one expected that the real predicament would follow, much to Puni's surprise.

After Neville Longbottom put on the Sorting Hat, Marcos silently counted the time in his mind and soon found that the judgment time was well over five minutes, far exceeding Penny's record from back then.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he almost couldn't help but cheer with joy. Finally, someone had broken Puni's exclusive record.

Puni keenly noticed his subtle movements and glared at Marcos several times to suppress his excitement.

Puni was shocked as he watched Neville on the stage, unable to decide on the Sorting House.

He watched as Neville was ultimately assigned to Gryffindor by the Sorting Hat. In his panic, he even forgot to take off the hat. He ran all the way to the Gryffindor table, and when he realized his mistake, he embarrassedly turned back to return the hat.

This scene confirmed to Puni that his previous intervention in the world's trajectory had indeed brought about a change.

Now, with the companionship and care of his parents, Neville's personality and appearance remain highly consistent with the original timeline, showing no significant changes.

But this embarrassing situation, far beyond what most people would experience, is enough to prove that his inner world has undergone a complete transformation.

However, Puni cannot yet determine whether this inner change will make Neville more courageous and brave, or whether it will cause him to lose his edge and become mediocre.

Most wizards at Hogwarts do not understand the concept of the Sorting Hat; in their minds, the Sorting Hat's judgment is always straightforward and decisive.

Therefore, when Neville did not receive his sorting results for a long time, everyone present only felt that the freshman was taking an unusually long time and were a little surprised, but they did not notice anything special about it.

Even if a few senior students had heard scattered rumors about the hat-wearing incident, they regarded it as a trivial matter.

In everyone's preconceived notion, the actual process of choosing a school should be decided in an instant.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall's voice once again pierced through the noise of the auditorium and reached everyone's ears.

"Harry Potter!"

The moment the words were spoken, all the teachers and students in the auditorium turned their heads and craned their necks to look.

Everyone was curious about this legendary young man who defeated the Dark Lord, secretly wondering if he possessed a unique and extraordinary quality.

But there's nothing strange about the reality.

Apart from the iconic lightning bolt scar on his forehead, Harry looks no different from any other teenager.

After a month of careful recuperation, he was no longer thin and frail, and looked more and more ordinary, without any of the special appearance that people had imagined.

Harry steadily walked up the steps, took the Sorting Hat, and put it on his head.

In the quiet Great Hall, Penny heard him muttering to himself, the words repeating themselves, his obsession deep, all silently warning him that he absolutely could not be sorted into Slytherin.

Puni thought to himself that the combination of rumors and first impressions could indeed influence a person's judgment.

For the past month, he has been deliberately guiding Harry to learn to see things from multiple perspectives and to abandon one-sided prejudices.

Even so, Harry was still deeply influenced by Ron's daily remarks and his negative initial impression of Slytherin, and stubbornly stuck to his own ideas at the crucial moment of the Sorting.

After a brief moment of thought, the Sorting Hat delivered its resounding judgment.

"Gryffindor!"

With Harry successfully admitted to Gryphon, the entire Sorting Ceremony lost its highlights.

The sorting process for the remaining freshmen was smooth and uneventful, with all of them being assigned to their respective colleges based on family traditions and their own characteristics.

When it was Ron's turn, although he looked tense and pale, and was full of nervousness and trepidation, the Sorting Hat's judgment speed was still extremely fast.

The Weasley family has been rooted in Gryffindor for generations, with a strong family atmosphere. Ron himself does not have a strong rebellious mentality and his nature is in line with the core of Gryffindor.

Even if he harbored rebellious thoughts, his unrestrained and flamboyant nature would eventually be absorbed by Gryffindor.

In a sense, the more unruly and troublesome a student is, the better suited they are to the educational environment of Gryffindor.

The entire sorting ceremony came to a successful conclusion. After the exhaustion of the entire ceremony, Puni was already starving and had no energy to pay attention to the names and appearances of the new students. He was full of anticipation for the upcoming opening feast and the delicious food in the magic canteen.

The Sorting Ceremony concluded, and the last freshman, Blaise Sabini, was assigned to the Slytherin seat by the Sorting Hat. Professor McGonagall, with a solemn and orderly demeanor, carefully rolled up the parchment containing the handwritten list of new students, picked up the Sorting House stool with one hand, took the old Sorting Hat that had fallen silent, and walked back to her seat at the faculty table with a straight and steady posture.

Dumbledore immediately rose, surrounded by the soft candlelight. The old man's brows and eyes relaxed, his expression relaxed and pleasant. His long silver hair and beard were bathed in the warm light of the candlelight, and his light blue eyes behind his half-moon-rimmed glasses slowly swept over every seat in the Great Hall, looking at all the students.

"Welcome, students, to Hogwarts for a brand new school year. Before the formal banquet begins, I'd like to offer a few words of advice: Idiot! Crybaby! Trash! Squeeze!"

He stretched out his arms and body, his expression enthusiastic, as if announcing a joyous occasion.

That concludes my remarks. Thank you all.

The auditorium was briefly silent for a moment, then a tidal wave of applause and cheers swept through the space.

The upperclassmen were already used to Dumbledore's casual and nonsensical speaking style and reacted calmly and naturally. The group of lowerclassmen did not understand the meaning of the four short phrases at all, but subconsciously raised their hands to clap and cheer.

Whether wizards or Muggles, following the established procedures and cheering at gatherings is a common practice.

As Puni paused to ponder the deeper meaning of the four lines of advice, delicious food appeared out of thin air on the tables of the four university deans.

The once pristine and empty tabletop is now neatly arranged with gilded carved plates and crystal bowls, and a wide variety of dishes are laid out on it.

The school offers a wide variety of dishes, including grilled meat chops, seasonal vegetables, and various soups and drinks. They also cater to the tastes of students from different countries by providing international specialties.

All the dishes were steaming hot, with a rich, smoky aroma from freshly cooked food. The fragrance of spices mingled with the freshness of the ingredients, filling the entire hall. Each dish was exquisitely presented, making it both visually appealing and delicious.

All eyes were on the food, and hunger surged in their stomachs. Soon, the sounds of clinking knives and forks, whispered conversations, and the slurring of chewing filled every corner of the auditorium.

Without hesitation, Puni picked up the silver knife and fork, took a perfectly cooked thick-cut steak, plated it with stir-fried vegetables, and calmly ate to replenish the energy consumed during the entire Sorting Ceremony.

After all the students had put down their cutlery and rested after eating their fill, Dumbledore stood up again, and the noise in the Great Hall instantly dissipated, and the whole hall returned to silence.

"Everyone has finished eating. I would like to add a few rules for this semester's campus rules, which everyone must remember and abide by."

"First, students are strictly prohibited from entering the entire forbidden forest surrounding the castle without permission. Senior students should pay special attention and are strictly prohibited from starting any open fires within the forbidden forest."

"Secondly, as instructed by Administrator Filch, students are prohibited from casting spells or engaging in horseplay in the public areas of the castle corridors."

"Thirdly, the Quidditch player selection for this semester will begin in the second week. Students who are interested in applying can go to Ms. Hodge's office to obtain the selection form."

"Final warning: Any student who does not wish to suffer accidental injury or death or be subjected to pain should not enter the right-hand corridor area on the fourth floor."

The atmosphere in the auditorium suddenly froze, with only a few people laughing and making noise. Harry was among them, assuming that the headmaster was deliberately joking to scare the new students.

The laughter only stopped abruptly when the surrounding students turned to look at the group.

Before everyone could process this cautionary rule, Dumbledore loudly proposed, "Before bedtime, all teachers and students shall sing the school song together."

The students present all looked uneasy and embarrassed, but no one dared to openly disobey.

Ignoring the dissenting sentiments of the crowd, Dumbledore raised his hand and used magic to suspend the lyrics of the school song in mid-air in the Great Hall, making it easy for everyone to see and sing along.

The Hogwarts school song has no fixed melody; everyone is free to hum along as they please.

In an instant, the auditorium was filled with a chaotic mix of sounds, with pitches varying and styles differing, and the chorus singing was completely disorganized.

Only the Weasley twins were unrestrained, raising their voices and singing the entire school song in the somber melody of a funeral march. Dumbledore even took a great interest and raised his hand to conduct for the two of them.

The students clapped numbly, wanting nothing more than to end this awkward chorus as soon as possible.

Puni thought to himself that the school song performance could be simplified by selecting students with outstanding singing skills to lead the singing, as the sound quality would be far better than everyone singing haphazardly.

If the school indicates that leading the singing can earn points for the college, a large number of students will naturally participate voluntarily, without all students being forced to participate in the choir.

But that would obviously be pointless.

The school song performance concluded, officially ending the opening banquet.

The heads of each college stood up one by one and called out to gather the freshmen and seniors of their respective colleges to line up.

"All new Ravenclaw students, please follow the group closely and do not get lost!" the new seventh-year prefect shouted.

The crowd dispersed in an orderly manner, with students from the four colleges forming four distinct streams of people, leaving the auditorium through the four passageways.

Puni, accompanied by Cho Chang, followed the Ravenclaw party through the crowds, up the magically moving staircase of the castle, and headed towards the Ravenclaw common room next to the main tower.

The magical staircase constantly shifts and changes direction, the corridors are winding and long, and at the end one must go around and climb the spiral tower steps.

The freshmen in the group looked tired and dejected. No one had told them before they enrolled that they would have to climb stairs a long way to get to and from their dormitories every day.

After a long trek, the group arrived at the end of the tower.

Before them stood a plain, smooth wooden door, without a lock or handle, with an eagle-shaped bronze knocker in the center of the door panel—this was the only entrance to the Ravenclaw lounge.

The prefect turned to face the lined-up students and patiently explained the rules to the freshmen: "The Ravenclaw common room cannot be opened with a password. You can only pass by answering the logical questions posed by the Eagle Ring. This place tests logical reasoning and insightful understanding, rather than rote memorization of knowledge from books. Just think carefully and give a logical answer."

After speaking, the prefect raised his hand and gently knocked on the wooden door. The eagle-shaped bronze knocker emitted a clear and warm metallic sound, and he immediately asked a question.

"With everything changing, what remains constant amidst all that is in flux?"

A freshman in the group hesitated before answering, "Is it the fundamental matter of the world?"

The eagle ring remained silent, and the wooden door made no sound of opening or closing.

Another freshman tentatively answered: "Is it the truth of the world?"

Eagle Ring remained silent and rejected the proposal; the door remained tightly shut.

Puni stood in the middle of the crowd, pondering the answer. Thoughts flashed through his mind about the laws governing magic, the orbits of stars, the constant flow of time, and even the perpetual cycle of all living beings.

Before he could answer, Qiu spoke softly and confidently beside him.

"What remains constant is change itself."

The eagle ring immediately emitted a soft, approving sound: "The answer has a logical loop; passage is permitted."

The heavy wooden door slid smoothly open along the wall, revealing an elegant and soft interior.

The interior design is understatedly luxurious and tranquil, with comfortable and warm furnishings, perfectly matching the academic and serene atmosphere of Ravenclaw.

The class leader led everyone into the room, briefly explained the rules for using the common room, the separation of male and female dormitories, and the rules for sleeping and sleeping, and then announced that the group was disbanded.

The students, exhausted from a long night's work, had no time for chatting or strolling. They turned around and headed to their dorm rooms, wanting only to rest and recuperate as soon as possible.

Puni then led Qiu Zhang to the secret room.

After leaving the secret room, Penny took Cho back to the Ravenclaw common room, but as soon as he put her back inside, he turned around and walked out again.

Qiu knew perfectly well that Puni would never obediently return to his dormitory and go to bed early.

After entering the girls' dormitory, she did not lie down immediately. After waiting for half a minute, she turned back and walked out, just in time to see Puni stepping out of the door of the common room.

Qiu Xin chuckled to herself.

Since the other party was planning to visit the castle at night, she could have simply told her that she would never stop or restrain Puni.

After witnessing the quiet and deserted night view of Hogwarts, Qiu had the idea of ​​taking a night stroll and even thought about borrowing an invisibility cloak to accompany her. However, she couldn't find a suitable opportunity to ask for help and had to give up.

However, Puni's first destination was not the secret room.