Carl, the twins, and Cedric changed into their school uniforms, chatted and walked out of the car. They're working on what Kalkop is about Quidditch, how many balls there are, how to score, how many players there are.

In their mouths, it's the best sport in the world. However, like the average person, Karl prefers football, and of course, he does not say that he does not like Quidditch, but listens with great interest.

Sharing the best things about each other is a sign of friendship, and Carl doesn't want to ruin that friendship.

"First year, first year freshman here!"

A gruff voice shouted.

The four of them looked towards the sound, and a tall, bearded man stood not far away, holding a lamp in his hand.

The little wizards rushed towards the man, with a curious look on their faces.

The man in front of him was too tall, and the tallest of these little wizards was just up to his waist.

The man smiled, "Good. I am your guide, Hogwarts Key Custodian, Rubeus Hagrid, and you may call me Hagrid. Are there any other first-year freshmen? Come with me, all first-year students come with me! ”

They followed Hagrid down a rough road, and the sky was so dark that the lamp in the man's hand did not illuminate the feet of all the freshmen, so the freshmen could only stumble and slip down a downhill road.

It was pitch black on both sides of the path, and the little wizards were silent and shivering as they walked forward in the middle of the night, or the fear of the freshmen about the upcoming sorting ceremony.

"Turn this corner and you'll see Hogwarts!" Hagrid turned his head and shouted encouragement.

Karl had been staring at the road under his feet, and when he heard Hagrid's words, he looked up, and heard the loud exclamations of the little wizards in his ears.

At the end of the narrow path is a black lake, and on the opposite side of the lake rises a majestic castle with spires and windows glittering with warm lights.

The crowd walked to the Black Lake, where a convoy of small boats docked to the shore.

"No more than four people per boat!" Hagrid pointed to the boat and exclaimed.

When the four of them were on board, Karl heard the key keeper at the front ask:

"Is everyone on board?" The man stood at the bow of a boat, "So, forward!" ”

With a heavy wave of his hand, the boats quickly lined up and rowed across the calm lake.

No one made a sound, everyone looked up and stared at the huge castle that towered into the sky.

That's what they're aiming for—Hogwarts.

"Keep your head down!"

As they approached the cliff where the castle was located, which seemed to rise above their heads, Hagrid suddenly shouted.

Everyone bowed their heads in awe.

The boat carried them through the ivy vines that covered the cliffs to a secluded open entrance. They sailed along a dark tunnel.

Eventually, they reached a pier paved with gravel and cobblestones, and were led by men to a flat, damp meadow in the shadow of the castle.

As they climbed a flight of stone steps, a large oak door appeared in front of them.

"Have you arrived? No one is left behind, right? The man looked back, and saw that no one was speaking, so he raised his great fist and knocked three times on the castle gate.

The door opened immediately, and a tall dark-haired witch in an emerald green robe stood and walked out of the gate, her expression serious, and she nodded to the man who had led them here, "Thank you, Hagrid. ”

"First-year freshman, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said.

"Leave it to me next, you can rest." She opened the door wider, and the freshmen streamed in.

The foyer of Hogwarts was large, and Karl looked up at the ceiling, which was barely visible for the top decoration, and got a physical idea of how good the school was.

Being able to make the foyer that big, regardless of anything else, at least means that the school is rich, and a rich school is often not too bad.

The hall is brightly lit, the old stone walls are polished, and the delicate stone patterns are clearly visible.

Led by Professor McGonagall, the young wizard walked down the stone floor into a small room.

There was a buzzing sound from the right side of the quiet line, and it was impossible to hear what to say because there were so many people.

Charlie, Percy should be among them, right?

Carl suddenly felt a little nervous, he looked left and right, and found that Fred and George were also pale, Cedric was slightly better, but his hands were unconsciously clenched into fists, and when he saw Carl looking at him, Cedric reluctantly smiled at him.

Everyone was nervously observing everything around them, and from time to time they could hear the subtle sound of reciting incantations.

There is no doubt that these little wizards are making their last efforts.

Professor McGonagall swept everyone with a stern gaze, and the freshmen fell silent.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall smiled.

"In a few minutes, the sorting ceremony will be held in front of all the teachers and students of the school. I suggest that you keep yourself in order and look refreshed while you wait. ”

Again, she swept her stern gaze over some of the wizards, all of whom nervously touched their faces and clothes.

"I'll pick you up when it's ready. I hope you can be as quiet as you are now. ”

As soon as Professor McGonagall left, nervousness and fear spread like a plague to everyone.

"What to do? I'm not ready yet! Carl heard someone's voice and was already crying.

"Mom, I'm going home! I'm not going to school anymore! "The other guy started crying too." I don't want to be eaten by the dragon! ”

This nervousness was also contagious to Carl, who was also a little nervous and couldn't help but ask the twins next to him: "Will anyone really die in the entrance exam?" ”

However, neither Fred nor George responded to him. Their faces turned pale, and they repeatedly muttered about Karl's previous guess on the train: "It's about courage, it's courage in the face of danger." ”

Seeing this scene, Carl calmed down.

They're going to be out of order in the next exam, he thought.

Such things are common in schools.

At times like these, he can't expose his nervousness, he has to stand up and say something.

"Rest assured, the exam is ······" Karl was just about to comfort the two of them when there was a loud bang behind him.

The assessment has begun?

Carl quickly turned around and clenched his wand in his hand.

"Hell!!"

The little wizards, who were already in a state of panic, screamed loudly as if they had seen a flock of wolves, crying and squeezing towards the inside of the room.

At the door of the room, the burly and huge knight was wearing bright silver-white armor, and under the hideous mask, a pair of dark eyes were cruelly looking at everyone in the room.

The broken door was still trembling, and the knight cried out excitedly:

"Game! Right now!! Begin!!! ”

He raised his sword in a burst of cold light and rushed towards the only freshman standing in place.

Karl felt his hands tremble, but he stood in front of the twins and used his other hand to pull Cedrica behind him.

This is the assessment! This is the assessment! This is the assessment!

His heart was beating wildly, and he could only keep hinting at himself.

Karl took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in his heart, and said aloud, "The flames are blazing! ”

An orange fireball gathered at the tip of the wand and flew out in the blink of an eye, slamming into the fluttering armor!

Rumble!

With the sound of an explosion, the knight flew to the ground, but quickly stood up, and although his chest was deflated, he showed no pain, and he brandished his great sword and shouted excitedly:

"You're using magic!"

Carl felt a pang of despair.

It was the only lethal spell Carl could think of, and although it was nothing more than a spell to start a fire, it took on a completely different posture under fear.

The crying behind him was louder.

Karl felt the commotion coming from behind him, and he stared nervously at the excited knight: "I'll find a way to lure him in, you guys get out quickly." ”

This room is so small that it is more possible to escape into the hall.

The Weasley twins were still silent, and Cedric was already standing beside Carl, who was speechless in fear, but he still stood beside Carl.

Karl didn't have time to look back: "Damn! You don't know magic! ”

"Who······ Who said ······" Fred and George behind him were no longer as clever as before, and they both spoke with a stammer, "We······ We ······ But I was prepared! ”

Two flashes of fire slashed in front of Karl, and two red and white rockets chased each other, flying towards the armor with a continuous crackling sound.

"That's it!" The knight shouted excitedly, "Pull out the fireworks!" ”

The rocket slammed into the knight's sword with a thud, and the violent explosion forced him to shake his hand, and the hard blade split the air and flew in the direction of Karl.

"Be careful!" Cedric beside him subconsciously wanted to stop him. Karl's eyes lit up: "Yugadim Leviosa!" ”

The glittering greatsword stopped its momentum under the influence of magic and was suspended in midair.

"Cedric!" Before he could finish speaking, Cedric had already rushed forward and grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands, and used his inertia to attack the knight.

"Oh!!!" Cedric's body was trembling because of fear, because of fear, but he didn't stop half a step.

"Bang ——!"

The sword cleaved the entire armor with a blast of wind, and Cedric couldn't hold back his inertia and collided with the knight.

"Ah!!h

The screams behind him were even louder.

Carl's heart sank.

In the fallen armor, a dwarf floated slowly.

It has a pair of evil black eyes, a big mouth, and is squeaking and laughing: "Hey! That's a good firework! ”

This is the front of the armor? An evil spirit?

The spell he had learned flashed in Carl's mind, and he raised his wand head-on: "Fluorescent flicker!" ”

A dazzling white light erupted from the tip of the wand.

Although this spell is only used for lighting, it is said to have a certain exorcism effect. This is also the only magic that Carl has mastered, and at this time he can only use a dead horse as a live horse doctor.

Sure enough, the magic had no effect, and behind the dwarf, no matter how hard Cedric tried to hang on to the armor, the armor still crawled up.

"Now!" He smirked. "Remember Uncle Ben's name."

"Peeves !!!"

Professor McGonagall returned, looking hurried, followed by a man with greasy hair and a gloomy look.

"Oh my God!" Professor McGonagall's mouth pursed even deeper, "I'm just gone!" ”

"I told Dumbledore not to let Peeves come to the feast." The man with a gloomy expression said softly.

Peeves no longer had the arrogance he had just now, he stood in place, rubbing his hands, and hunched his waist: "Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, I'm just finishing ······"

Professor McGonagall didn't listen to his nonsense and raised her wand, "I think you need a little lesson. ”

With a slight touch of her, Peeves immediately turned into an inflated balloon, his face growing on the balloon, and he was now full of chagrin, "Professor, I swear!!" ”

"When the dinner is over, you'll be back! Hope this will keep you honest for a few days! ”

Her stern gaze swept over all the freshmen, and then at Cedric next to the armor, "Now, can anyone explain to me what happened?" ”

All the freshmen looked at Carl in unison.

When Carl stammered to explain everything under the increasingly stern gaze, Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but it finally turned into a sentence:

"Everyone, line up in a single line, follow me."

Karl breathed a sigh of relief, walked into the young wizards under the gaze of the two professors, and followed Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape out the door.

Except for Carl and the others, the other little wizards were all preoccupied, their legs seemed to be filled with lead, and they walked extremely slowly, as if this was the way to the execution ground.

Carl walked in the middle of the line with a blank face, and could even faintly hear someone's suppressed crying.

With George in front of him and Cedric behind him, Fred in front of George, Carl in the midst of his friends, was at ease.

Maybe the test ahead was scary, but now that he had such a group of friends, Carl felt that he could get through it all.

A warm current flowed through Carl's body, a warmth that was completely different from the warmth of home, but no less fascinating.

Passing through the foyer, past a double door at the back, the freshmen who followed Professor McGonagall and the others finally entered the luxurious dining room, their final examination office.

Carl had never seen such a palatial and magically wonderful restaurant.

The enchanting night sky on the ceiling twinkled with countless stars, and thousands of candles fluttered in mid-air, blooming far brighter than they should be, illuminating all corners of the entire restaurant.

Students from the rest of the school were already sitting around four long tables with glittering gold plates and goblets.

At the top of the dining room was a long table with the workers' seats, and the Hagrid they had seen before was sitting in the lower corner of the workers' table, where there were two separate tables with the tall Hagrid and an old man who looked snarky.

Professor McGonagall brought the first-year students over there and had them line up in front of the entire upper class, with the teachers behind them.

At this time, the lights of the candles dimmed, and the hundreds of faces staring at them were reflected like pale lanterns.

The ghosts also mingled with the students, shimmering with a hazy silver light, bringing the entire banquet from the human world to the underworld.

The room was completely silent, and Carl couldn't help but gasp when he heard one of the freshmen nearby.

Professor McGonagall gently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-year freshman, and placed a top wizard's hat on the stool.

The hat was old, patched, and to Carl's astonishment, it was so dirty that everyone had forgotten to clean it.

Soon, he had no time to think about it, and all eyes were on the hat, and the restaurant was silent.

Then, the hat writhed and coughed a few times, as if to clear his throat. The brim of the hat cracked a wide slit like a mouth—and the hat began to sing.