Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 22 The Sorting Hat, I even wiped your body before (Please add to your favorites and read on)

Professor McGonagall led the first-year students to the faculty table, arranging them in a line facing the entire upperclassman class. Rice could feel the teachers' gazes fixed on them from behind. At that moment, all the students and ghosts in the school were also watching them. Sandwiched between hundreds of eyes, many of the first-years began to break out in a cold sweat.

Not only did Rice notice the unusual dome of the Great Hall, but Hermione also looked up and observed the ceiling for a moment before whispering, "The ceiling here is enchanted; it looks like the sky outside. I read about it in 'Hogwarts: A History of the School.'"

"Yes," Rice echoed, "an extremely profound spell is cast on the dome, cast by the four founders together. It can be synchronized with the sky outside, and powerful wizards can also change the weather conditions of the dome."

He squinted and looked up at the dome, adding, "If anyone with ill intentions enters the castle, the weather on the ceiling will also worsen."

"Really? It's not mentioned at all in the book!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. She hadn't expected the Great Hall ceiling to have such a function.

"If it were just ordinary synchronized weather, why would it require the four founders to work together? This is classified information, known only to the headmaster and vice-headmaster." Rice looked smug. This was one of the precious legacies they left to future generations, part of the Hogwarts Castle defense system.

"How did you know that?"

Rice: ...

As Rice and Hermione were chatting, Professor McGonagall walked up to them. The stern-faced witch held a four-legged stool in one hand and a pointed wizard's hat in the other.

She gently placed the four-legged stool in front of the first-year student and put the wizard's hat on the stool.

Rice looked at the patched, tattered old hat with a complicated expression.

"Damn it, has no one washed this hat in the last thousand years?" He almost couldn't resist the urge to complain. Just thinking about having to put this hat, which hadn't been washed for who knows how many centuries, on his head gave him goosebumps.

It's no wonder the successor is afraid to clean the Sorting Hat; if he ruins it, who will sort the freshmen into their respective schools?

The Sorting Hat, which embodies the will of the four founders, has never mistakenly placed a student into the wrong house; it is the embodiment of the founders' will. While some successive headmasters are capable of recreating the Sorting Hat, the original's embodiment of the founders' will is irreplaceable.

Over time, not cleaning up the Sorting Hat became a Hogwarts tradition, inherited by generations of headmasters.

After the Sorting Hat was placed on the stool, a wide slit appeared in the brim, and then the hat began to sing.

"...You may belong to Gryffindor, where courage lies buried deep within, and whose boldness, spirit, and generosity make Gryffindor stand out..."

Rice listened patiently to the Sorting Hat's own composition of the Sorting Hat Song. Surprisingly, the lyrics were quite rhyming; she wondered which old friend had penned such a wonderful song.

"...Perhaps you will enter Slytherin, perhaps you will make true friends here, but those cunning and treacherous people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals!"

Rice: ?!

Why does it all turn into a villainous style once you get to Slytherin House? If this continues, it'll be a miracle if Slytherin House doesn't have a good reputation!

His eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to Daphne, who was standing beside him, and said, "Doesn't anyone care about the Sorting Hat's way of describing Slytherin? All the other three houses are praised, but when it comes to Slytherin, they use such strange terms like 'treacherous and cunning'?"

He finally understood that since he had left early, the other three must have tampered with the hat after he was gone!

Can't you be a little more neutral and objective? This is a sorting ceremony, can't you say something nice?

Daphne thought about it and felt that the lyrics of the Sorting Hat were indeed a bit problematic, but what it said also seemed to be true.

"It wasn't lying. Slytherin has indeed produced quite a few treacherous and cunning individuals over the years. Ever since that mysterious person appeared, the school's reputation has gotten even worse."

Seeing that even Daphne, a die-hard Slytherin fan, believed the Sorting Hat wasn't lying, Rice couldn't help but sigh.

How did the college's reputation become so bad?

After waking up, Lesborne didn't have a clear goal, but now he does: he's determined to change Slytherin's reputation.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall took a few steps forward, holding a roll of parchment in her hand.

"Whoever's name I call now, put on your hat, sit on the stool, and await Sorting," her voice echoed through the hall: "Hannah Abbott!"

One name after another was called out by her, and the line of people standing in front of the faculty seats gradually narrowed.

Neville Longbottom was called up.

After the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, he remained silent for a while. The hat seemed to have some kind of conflict with Neville, and it began to communicate with him. After Neville blushed and firmly shook his head, it called out the name Hufflepuff.

The Sorting Hat's decision did not surprise those familiar with Neville; wasn't it normal for him to go to Hufflepuff?

If the conversation between the Sorting Hat and Neville were exposed, many people would be shocked—the Sorting Hat actually thought he could choose between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and it was Neville who insisted on going to Hufflepuff House, which is why the Sorting Hat sorted him into Hufflepuff.

Hermione Granger and Daphne Greengrass were sorted almost simultaneously. The Sorting Hat made the decision to sort Daphne into Slytherin almost the instant it touched Daphne's head, but the decision for Hermione was much slower.

About three minutes later, the Sorting Hat sorted her into Ravenclaw.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Rice felt that the little girl winked at her as she walked toward the long table at Ravenclaw House.

Rice could see that Hermione initially thought Gryffindor was the best because of Dumbledore—she wanted to go to Gryffindor, perhaps simply because it was the best house. Now that she was able to face her own heart and choose the house that best suited her, Rice couldn't help but feel quite gratified.

Gradually, the students' surnames changed from "G" to Rice's "L".

"Les Lint!"

When Professor McGonagall called his name, Rice leisurely walked to the stool and sat down. Professor McGonagall walked towards him, and just as she was about to put the Sorting Hat on his head, Rice reached out his hand, took the Sorting Hat from her, and put it on himself.

Hat, I don't know if you still remember me. When you were little, I used to bathe you!

Before putting on the hat, Rice suddenly had this wicked thought.

(End of this chapter)