The carriage passed through a gate flanked by winged boar sculptures and drove down a wide driveway, shaking violently due to the strong winds.

Harry leaned against the window of the car and pulled off the curtain, seeing Hogwarts getting closer, many of the brightly lit windows faintly glittering behind the thick curtain of rain.

Their carriage came to a halt under the stone steps in front of Hogwarts' two oak gates, and just then, a bolt of lightning pierced the sky, illuminating all the carriages and the mysterious and eerie magical castle.

Arriving at the castle, Harry and the others stepped out of the carriage and walked up the stone steps and through a deep cavernous foyer. The sky above suddenly lit up, the hall was lit with torches, and the marble staircase was magnificent.

A Hufflepuff upperclassman, wiping her wet hair, looked up the high stairs and said, "If that Peeves were still around, he would have deliberately gotten the water balloon over our heads, he's done it many times." ”

Judging by her unhappy expression, she must have been teased many times.

Her friend said, "That bad trickster, it's been a long time since he's gone, it's perfect." ”

On the platform of the steps, with a serious face and a pair of square glasses, Minerva McGonagall, now the Headmaster of Hogwarts, greets the students.

The last first-year student arrived.

Professor McGonagall straightened the peaked hat on her head and looked down through her square-rimmed glasses. The freshmen were silent, they felt that the witch was so majestic, and seemed to be glaring at them.

"Let's go to the auditorium. Principal McGonagall said.

The other students bypassed the stairs, leaving over a hundred budding students standing below to listen to Professor McGonagall's lectures.

It's an old tradition.

Behind Harry, Headmistress McGonagall's voice was heard: "I'm Minerva McGonagall, Acting Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, first ......"

Harry, Zhang Qiu, Astoria, and Hermione walked through the two open doors on the right from the water-stained foyer, and Astoria almost fell from the slippery floor, and she hugged one of Harry's arms tightly.

Harry's foot tapped the ground, and a gust of wind blew through it, and the ground became dry.

The auditorium was as splendid as ever, and it was specially decorated for the banquet of the new semester.

Thousands of candles float above the table, illuminating golden plates and goblets.

Students who hadn't seen each other for a while were talking with their classmates about the summer vacation, and there were already quite a few people sitting around the four long college tables.

At the top of the Great Hall there was a fifth table horizontally placed, the classroom seats, and the Hogwarts professors sat one by one on one side of the table, facing their students.

The temperature inside the auditorium was noticeably warmer than outside. Harry, Zhang Qiu, Astoria, and Hermione walked past the students of Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, and everywhere they went, they all had a lot of eyes secretly looking at Harry.

When she walked to Ravenclaw College, Zhang Qiu stayed behind and sat among the girls in her class.

Harry, Hermione, and Astoria sat down at the long Gryffindor table, and next to them sat the ghost of Gryffindor House, Nick, who was almost headless.

Nick was translucent and pearly white, and tonight he wore his usual long, tight tunic with a particularly large wheel-shaped ruffled collar.

He wore this ruffled collar for two purposes, one to look funny, and the other to make sure that his head hanging from his neck didn't shake too much.

Nick funnily ripped off his head, which was still hanging from his neck, and greeted Astoria with a smile.

The cut on his neck was the same as new, and it was still bleeding.

Astoria had never seen such a frightening scene, her eyes were tightly closed, and half of her body was straining closer to Harry.

Harry glared at Nick and decided to send him to Peeves if he saw Nick take off his head again to scare Astoria.

And at the end of their long table, next to a stone pillar, Helena was standing there, quietly observing Harry. Seeing Harry looking at her, she immediately looked away.

Hermione glanced at the staff desk and said suspiciously, "Why does it seem like there is one less seat?" There are two empty seats now, one is Hagrid's, and he is still packing up the ferry he just used, and the other is Professor McGonagall's, she is talking to the new students, but there are no more professors with new faces, isn't there a school that has not yet recruited a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor?"

At the faculty desk, Professor Flitwick, the little man who taught them Charms, sat on a large pile of cushions, otherwise he wouldn't even be able to show his head out of the table.

Next to her was Professor Sprout, the herbalist teacher, whose hat was worn diagonally over her long, flowing gray hair. She was talking to Professor Sinista in the Department of Astronomy.

On the other side of Professor Sinista sat Professor Snape, a gray-faced, hooked-nosed, greasy-haired Potions teacher and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It seems that even if he became the vice principal, his ideological consciousness did not keep up, and he still looked so sloppy.

In addition, he looked at the academy students below, and he didn't know what he thought, and his mood seemed to be very satisfied.

The ceiling was enchanted and you could see the sky directly, and it was a terrible day today, with a violent wind and rain, thick black clouds rolling over it, and with a burst of thunder, a fork of lightning streaked across the ceiling, almost falling on the top of the students.

Then the door to the auditorium opened, and everyone fell silent. Professor McGonagall led a large group of first-year students to the top of the auditorium.

They stood in several rows along the staff's desks, stopped, and faced the whole school. They were shivering because they were cold and nervous.

Having just been shocked by Professor McGonagall, it was the turn of seven hundred pairs of straight eyes to stare at them, and the nervous eyes of these eleven-year-old children did not know where to go.

Professor McGonagall placed a three-legged stool on the ground in front of the freshmen, and placed a tattered, dirty, patched wizard's hat on top of the stool.

The first-year students stared at it in amazement. Others looked at it too. For a moment, there was silence in the auditorium. Then a crack near the brim of the hat opened like a mouth, and a song began to be sung.

"That was more than a thousand years ago. ”

"I've just been knitted into shape,"

......

......

"Put me on your head now,"

"You can decide where you belong. ”

Harry was moving his knife and fork, his mouth was full, and food had already appeared on Harry's plate when the plates in front of the others were empty.

He paid no attention to what was happening.

Hermione asked curiously, "I suddenly have a question, the Sorting Hat sings a different song every year, so does it stay in the principal's office all year and finish writing the song?"

"It's very likely that you can work one day a year, and it's quite easy. Harry said.

......

This is followed by the sorting process for new students.

When the last girl was assigned to Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall lost the sorting hat and stool.

Professor McGonagall returned to her place, looking around at all the students below, a rare smile, but fleeting.

She waved her wand.

All plates were piled with food.

As everyone was eating, Professor McGonagall began to speak: "Attention, everyone, I have a few announcements to make - no need to stop the forks in your hands. ”

She continued, "As before, I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest on the other side of the field is not allowed to enter except for students who have been punished for their mistakes, and Hogsmeade Village is not allowed to be visited by students below the third grade, especially new students. ”

"I'd also like to regret to inform you that there will be no House Cup Quidditch this year......" Professor McGonagall said, pausing, knowing how to react.

Sure enough, there was a clatter, and the forks, spoons, and knives in the students' hands fell on the plates, and they looked up at Professor McGonagall in dismay.

Airplanes......

The auditorium burst into discussion.

Professor McGonagall smiled, "This is because a big event will start in October and will continue throughout the academic year, taking up a lot of time and energy from professors and students, but I'm sure you're all willing." I'm thrilled to announce that this year at Hogwarts, we're hosting a great event, the Triwizard Tournament, a friendly tournament organized by three of the most powerful schools of magic and wizardry, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrand. ”

Most of the students in the auditorium looked at Professor McGonagall expectantly, hoping to hear the details of the Triwizard Tournament.

Although some students who know about it are telling others that the game has caused a death toll.

But none of the wizards seemed to care.

Professor McGonagall said, "The Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts have done a lot of work this summer to ensure that none of the participating Warriors are in danger of their lives. ”

"In October, the principals of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will come with their carefully selected contenders, and the ceremony to select the champions will take place on Halloween. A "fairest judge" will decide which students are most qualified to compete in the Triumph Cup, with the winner earning honours for their school and an individual prize of 10,000 Galleons. ”

"Oh my God! 10,000 Galleons!"

"I've only saved more than a hundred Galleons since I was a child!"

"I must sign up!"

"If I were a champion, I would be the idol of all the girls at Hogwarts!"

"Forget it, you're too good-looking. ”

Professor McGonagall immediately poured cold water on her: "After discussion, the three schools of magic and the Ministry of Magic have unanimously decided to set an age limit for this year's applicants - only students who are at least seventeen years old are allowed to register. This is one of the ways to protect the lives of the participants. ”

Some of the students, most notably the Weasley twins, protested angrily at Professor McGonagall's words, and they almost stood on the table.

"It's grade discrimination!!!

Professor McGonagall said unhurriedly, "This measure is necessary, because the program of the tournament is still difficult and dangerous, and young wizards simply have no way to face these difficulties head-on. ”

But her words could not dispel the disappointment, sadness, and anger in the hearts of the students.

Professor McGonagall changed her voice and said, "But it's not an exception......

The students under the age of seventeen in the auditorium looked at Professor McGonagall pitifully.

"There are some wizards who are not in the grade, but their strength is absolutely qualified to participate in the competition, so there is also a threshold, such as as as as can pass this threshold, you can also sign up. Professor McGonagall gave Harry a faint look.

The auditorium resounded with the cheers of a group of wizards who thought they could do it all.

Harry was holding a plate of drooling raisin pudding and chocolate cake, and when he saw Professor McGonagall's gaze, he muttered, "Look at what I'm doing, I'm not participating." ”

"Ahem...... The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations will arrive in October and will spend most of the school year with us. ”

Professor McGonagall said meaningfully, "I know that you will all behave warmly and friendly during our foreign dignitaries here. I just hope that you don't get too enthusiastic when the time comes......"

The students looked at each other suspiciously, "How do you feel that Professor McGonagall has something to say?" ”

"Alright, go to bed! Tomorrow morning you will walk into class with a clear mind and welcome your new semester, hurry!"

The auditorium was filled with an uproar and ping-pong as students stood up and flocked to the two open doors to begin their way back to the dormitory.

......