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Chapter 920: Doubts and the Newcomers
🕑 Added 2023-11-01 09:39:10 +0000 UTCThe hat became motionless once more; and applause broke out, but it was punctured with muttering and whispers.
All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbors and Evan knew exactly what they were talking about.
What he didn't expect was that the Sorting Hat thought the same as he did, or that the Four Founders themselves had these worries.
Was it really right to sort new students arbitrarily and affect their future life?
Evan thought that he could ask this question to the Four Founders themselves. It was hard to say, but if he could get the Time-Turner the Titan had told him about, he would definitely go back to a thousand years ago to meet Rowena Ravenclaw again, and he would get the key to the secret treasure from her.
Besides, Evan was also more concerned about the final progress between her and Gryffindor. Was there any outcome to their love?
Judging from the current situation, Gryffindor had no descendants, and Ravenclaw had only one daughter, Helena Ravenclaw.
Helena used her mother's surname, and no one knew who her father was.
It could be anyone, and although Gryffindor was the most likely, there was no need to hide it, and Ravenclaw's surname should not be used.
The Gryffindor family was a well-known pure-blood wizarding family, even if it was not as prominent as the Ravenclaw family.
This matter was full of doubts. Evan even wondered whether Ravenclaw gave birth to a child with another wizard, who then suddenly disappeared or died because of some reason, and this person's identity was particularly sensitive and inconvenient to disclose.
Gryffindor had to stand by and guard the mother and daughter silently for the rest of his life...
Although this was highly unlikely in terms of Ravenclaw's own status and strength, it couldn't be ruled out entirely.
Evan felt that he should write this story down. As a novel, it would definitely be welcomed.
Beside him, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were discussing the warning from the Sorting Hat.
"I've never seen the hat like that before?" said Harry, feeling it different.
“Branched out a bit this year, hasn’t it?” said Ron, his eyebrows raised.
“Too right it has!"
The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts Houses and its own role in sorting them. They could not remember it ever trying to give the school advice before.
“I wonder if it’s ever given warnings before?” said Hermione, sounding slightly anxious.
“Yes, indeed,” said Nearly Headless Nick knowledgeably, leaning across Neville toward her. "The Sorting Hat feels itself honor-bound to give the school due warning. It is the supervisor of Hogwarts and represents the Four Founders to some extent. If it feels necessary, it will warn the school and remind everyone to pay attention."
"Oh, did this happen in history?" Hermione asked with interest.
"Yes, although not often, every time the Sorting Hat gave an early warning, the school encountered big things. I remember that there was one time eight centuries ago, when I first came to Hogwarts, the whole school was going to close down..."
"Quiet!" He was interrupted by Professor McGonagall before he finished speaking.
She was waiting to read out the list of first years’ names, while giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches.
Nearly Headless Nick placed a see-through finger to his lips and sat primly upright.
The muttering in the Great Hall came to an abrupt end, and everyone turned to Professor McGonagall.
With a last frowning look that swept the four House tables, Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out,
“Abercrombie, Euan."
It was a little boy with two surprisingly big ears, the one who was the most nervous in the crowd just now.
Looking terrified, he stumbled forward, and put the hat on his head; it was only prevented from falling right down to his shoulders by his very prominent ears.
The Sorting Hat considered for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Gryffindor House clapped enthusiastically. As Fred and George stood up to welcome him, Euan Abercrombie staggered to their table and sat down, looking as though he would like very much to sink through the floor and never be looked at again.
"Ron, as prefects, we should let the first years be by our side so that we can guide them." Hermione hurriedly said, remembering it, she stared at the panicked children." You too, Evan, the Head Boy must set an example."
Slowly the long line of first years thinned.
At Hermione's insistence, Evan and Ron had to let some first years sit next to them.
Beside Evan was a little girl named Kate. She had short golden hair and bright blue eyes. She was cute, but she was so shy that she blushed when she spoke.
She never seemed to think that as soon as she enrolled, she would sit next to a big figure like the Head Boy, and she was almost suffocated with excitement.
At the long table, the other first years who had just been assigned to Gryffindor looked at Kate enviously.
The little girl was very nervous. She answered Evan’s questions honestly and was very cooperative...
From the conversation, he knew that Kate came from a Muggle family, too.
She knew little about the entire wizarding world and listened to Evan’s introduction of the school with admiration.
In the middle of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall kept reading the names of the students. This year there seemed to be more students than in previous years, and everyone’s stomach was rumbling with hunger.
Finally, “Zeller, Rose” was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and stool and marched them away as Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet.
“To our newcomers,” said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, “welcome! To our old hands … welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"
There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate.
Everyone was looking forward to the tables. Food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread, sauces, and flagons of pumpkin juice.
Evan heard Kate let out a low exclamation, and she looked at the food incredulously.
"Head Boy Evan, how did all this food come out?" She said in surprise, "is it magic?"
"Not exactly; the food still has to be cooked by someone. The house-elves in the kitchen prepare them first, then put them on the corresponding long tables downstairs, and use a Switching spell to send them up..." said Evan, and stopped suddenly.
Seeing Kate's confused expression, he realized that he had to explain to her first what a house-elf was.
