I just became the Pirate King, and you're telling me I also time-traveled at the same time.

Chapter 30 Sorting Ceremony

Upon hearing this, the other students immediately began to chime in with their own thoughts.

Some say there's a monster in the lake, others say there are vengeful spirits in the Black Lake, and still others say that Malfoy and his crew simply couldn't swim and fabricated the monster story to cover up their embarrassment.

Professor McGonagall disliked this much-discussed phenomenon and immediately called out, "Quiet!"

When the stern-faced Professor McGonagall got angry, she was quite intimidating, and all the freshmen shut up almost at the same time.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and asked, "Where is Hagrid?"

Harry shouted from the crowd, "Take the boy to the infirmary!"

"The infirmary..." Professor McGonagall's forehead creased with a deep furrow. She hesitated for a moment and said, "I have to go there and check on the student. You wait here for me to return."

After Professor McGonagall left, the group of freshmen became noisy again, sharing their gossip about the Sorting Ceremony.

First up was Ron, who declared confidently, "I have five older brothers studying at Hogwarts, and they told me that the Sorting Ceremony is extremely rigorous, and if you don't meet the standards, you could be kicked out of school tonight!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd exclaimed, "Weren't we already enrolled? How could we be expelled? We didn't just buy all those things on the list for nothing! That was a huge sum of money!"

Ron, embarrassed by his overblown boast, touched his nose and said, "I heard it from Fred and George. They always like to tease me, or maybe they're just lying to me."

At this moment, another student said, "I don't think they're lying to you. I heard that the Sorting Ceremony involves battling a giant monster, and the results determine who gets chosen. In previous years, many freshmen have lost their lives because of it!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd: "No wonder people always say Hogwarts has a certain death quota; students die every year!"

Some of the girls, who were already timid, started trembling in the corner when they heard their discussion.

Hermione impatiently interrupted the boys' wild speculations, stating logically, "How could a wizarding Sorting Ceremony be so barbaric? We're wizards, not warriors! How could we be sent to fight trolls right from the start of the school year?"

"True wizards rely on their intellect and knowledge! Therefore, I think the Sorting Ceremony is actually an exam, and the houses are assigned based on the exam scores!"

"Otherwise, why would the school remind us to buy textbooks a month in advance? Isn't it so we can prepare for the exams earlier?"

Many freshmen nodded in agreement upon hearing Hermione's explanation, finding it far more reliable than the idea of ​​fighting trolls.

However, many people looked worried and sighed. They had never read any textbooks, and some didn't even know what the books they bought were.

"Oh no, oh no! I'm definitely going to get a zero!"

"My book is still on the train, can I go back and get it?"

"It's too late, the luggage has already been delivered to the dorms!"

Hearing the groans coming from all directions, Chu Yang shook his head helplessly, thinking that these little brats were quite good at scaring him. They would never have imagined that all they had to do was put the Sorting Hat on their heads to complete the Sorting Ceremony.

Ron nervously tugged at Harry's sleeve and asked, "Have you read those textbooks?"

Harry shook his head and said, "My aunt and uncle didn't want me to go to Hogwarts. They tried everything to prevent me from getting that acceptance letter. It wasn't until a few days ago that I finally got the chance to go to the school with Hagrid's help. Do you think I saw it?"

"That's good then. It looks like we'll definitely be assigned to the same house." Ron was immediately relieved and even had the mood to wink at Harry.

"You have such a good attitude." Harry was amused by Ron, then turned to look at Chu Yang and said enviously, "Chu Yang will definitely get the highest score."

"That's true. Chu Yang's brains are beyond what ordinary people can match. I think only that girl can catch up with him." Ron clicked his tongue, agreeing with Harry's thoughts.

Hermione, sharing their unspoken understanding, looked intently at Chu Yang, saying with a mixture of resentment and despair, "You'll probably get first place this time, but only this once. I promise I'll score higher than you in the next exam!"

Although he knew Hermione had guessed the Sorting Ceremony wrong, Chu Yang still felt a headache coming on because he couldn't back down on this issue.

Hogwarts' preference for geniuses is very obvious.

Chu Yang's excellent learning ability and the fact that he was first in his grade helped him gain some minor privileges, such as reading books in the library that ordinary students could not read.

Moreover, the professors and teachers at the school are more willing to give extra tutoring to gifted students, which allows Chu Yang to learn a lot.

Just as the freshmen were having a field day, Professor McGonagall rushed to the infirmary and saw Head Nurse Pomfrey treating Malfoy, while Hagrid stood anxiously by her side.

"Hagrid!" Professor McGonagall called out softly as she entered the room.

"Oh! Professor McGonagall!" Hagrid was startled and felt a little guilty, not daring to meet Professor McGonagall's gaze. After all, strictly speaking, this was his mistake.

"Ms. Pomfrey, how is the child?" Professor McGonagall walked slowly to the head nurse and asked with concern, "Does he need to be transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Sicknesses?"

"Professor McGonagall, don't worry, it's not that serious," Ms. Pomfrey said with a smile. "This freshman just drank some dirty water and caught a cold. He'll be fine after a couple of days of rest."

Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Hagrid and asked, "Before we came, I heard some ridiculous stories from the children. Can you tell me what they were about?"

Hagrid scratched his head and said, "When I turned around, he had already fallen into the lake. I didn't see how he fell in, but there was definitely something in the lake!"

Professor McGonagall declared confidently, "We all know there are magical creatures in the Black Lake, but definitely not in that particular area. The designated protected area is a contract Hogwarts made with them a long time ago, and they wouldn't dare attack students right under Dumbledore's nose!"

"More than that, I suspect that someone used magic. Casting offensive magic on classmates is a very serious misconduct."

Hagrid immediately shook his head. "Professor McGonagall, I was nearby at the time and didn't sense any magical fluctuations. Besides, all the students left their wands on the train. You don't actually think any of them are powerful enough to cast spells without a wand, do you?"

"Hagrid, not everyone will follow the rules." Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "After the Sorting Ceremony, I will check each of them to see if they are hiding any wands."