As Hagrid prepared to beckon the young wizards to the Great Hall, he looked back to find that they were almost exhausted.

A black-haired witch in an emerald green robe stood in the square in front of the auditorium and said solemnly:

"Hagrid, you should pay more attention to the bodies of the little wizards."

"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid scratched his head, his expression a little embarrassed.

Professor McGonagall shook her head and said:

"Thank you, Hagrid, for leaving it to me."

"Okay." Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left the other side, leaving the freshmen with Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall looked like a thin old woman, but her expression was so serious that the young wizards were more nervous in front of her than in front of the tall Hagrid.

Meanwhile, Ash and Hermione, who had been lagging behind the team, were finally late.

They had obviously taken some breaks on the way, so Hermione looked in good shape.

This made Harley look at Kassandra with some resentment, blaming you for taking me away so fast!

Kassandra looked away with some weakness, her little face flushed slightly.

Professor McGonagall saw Ash at the end, smiled, stepped forward and said:

"Mr. Ash Black, Dumbledore and I have spoken about you, welcome to Hogwarts, and I hope you have a great time here."

The freshmen's eyes were all at once, and from the moment they got off the bus, they thought Ash was not ordinary—they were all freshmen, but two of the four members of his group were skilled in magic, and they knew more about Hogwarts than they did, and there were some things that even Hagrid didn't know about showing them the way.

And now, Professor McGonagall, who looked very serious, took the initiative to greet him!

Most of the little wizards couldn't hide their emotions, and most of their eyes were a little envious, even jealous. Harley and Hermione's expressions were flat, as if they took it for granted—Ash should have such abilities.

Kassandra was the only one who was a little proud, just as she was the one who was named by Professor McGonagall.

A hint of surprise flashed in Ash's eyes, and he said politely:

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall."

After the young wizards had rested for a while, no longer panting in such a disarray, Professor McGonagall led them to the Great Hall.

As they approached, Professor McGonagall reached out and pushed open the two heavy-looking oak doors, revealing the extremely large entrance hall inside. The braziers and torches that lit up the surrounding stone walls as bright as day, and the soaring ceilings were carved with magnificent patterns, all of which made the young wizards who came to Hogwarts for the first time overwhelmed and whispered excitedly.

They ascended the grand marble staircase to a high platform, where they were faced with another oak door.

Professor McGonagall led them through the door, which was a large foyer.

On the left side of the foyer are four large hourglasses of different colors placed against the wall, but instead of sand, they contain gemstones of various colors. On the right side are staircases leading to the interior of the castle, some up and some down.

But Professor McGonagall didn't stop, leading them straight through the second oak gate directly ahead.

Inside the second oak door is a small room with four braziers placed in each of the four corners, which are illuminated by the flames burning inside. Two pairs of silver knight's armor sit against the wall on the left, and two more on either side of the third oak gate in front, both standing with swords.

On the walls to the left and right of the room hung a large square flag with a huge 'H' on it, the emblem of Hogwarts House. On either side of these two pennants, the long flags of the four academies are also hung.

On the left is a lion and a badger, and on the right is an eagle and a snake.

Professor McGonagall stopped in front of the third door, though they could already hear the commotion coming from inside, it must have been some other Hogwarts students.

"Welcome to Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall exclaimed:

"The opening dinner is about to begin, and in a little while you'll be walking through this door and gathering with the rest of your classmates."

"Before you take your seats, though, you'll be assigned to your respective academies."

She faced the little wizards and pointed to the banner hanging on the wall on the right:

"Gryffindor, Hufflepuff."

Then point to the two other flags on the right:

"Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

She looked at the little wizards and said in a loud voice:

"Every academy has its glorious and long history, and all of them have produced talented magicians."

"When you're in school, the House is your home at Hogwarts."

"If you do well, you can add points to the academy."

"But if someone breaks the school rules, they will be deducted points."

"At the end of the year, the kids from the house with the highest scores will be awarded a supreme honor – the House Cup!"

"I hope you can all bring glory to your house."

"Sounds scary."

Hallie, who was at the back of the crowd, muttered quietly.

"Nope."

Ash shook his head and said softly:

"When you've been in this school long enough, you'll find ......"

"Found what?" Harley and Hermione pricked up their ears, and Kassandra watched quietly.

Ash said with a serious expression:

"The most terrible punishment for discovering this school is the demerit of points."

Hallie blinked, she didn't understand.

It's normal not to understand, and even the teachers at this school themselves don't understand what Ash is saying. But as time goes by, Hallie and her sisters will gradually discover that the most terrible punishment in this school is the deduction of points, but only the deduction of points!

Yes, the only punishment for students at this school is a point deduction – and even more serious is a weekend confinement, nothing more.

Although dropping out of school will also be talked about by professors as a threat and punishment to students.

However, in fact, only a handful of students have been expelled from Hogwarts since its founding.

The most recent one dates back fifty years ago, when Rubeus Hagrid was accused of killing Myrtle by Aragog, the spider he raised. This resulted in Hagrid being expelled from school and his wand broken.

Doesn't that sound like a severe punishment? Do you think Hagrid is innocent?

Yes, Hagrid is innocent, and Ash doesn't deny it.

But Hagrid was accused of killing his classmates, and the worst punishment he ever suffered was expulsion!

Murder!

In the Muggle world, a crime punishable by death, even in countries where the death penalty has been abolished, is punishable by life imprisonment, but at Hogwarts the punishment is just expulsion!

The reason for the expulsion was not even murder, but 'opening the secret room and unleashing the monster', without mentioning murder!

This is enough to prove that human life is not worth anything at Hogwarts, even though it rarely happens here - and it is, because death at Hogwarts does not mean the end, and the dead can continue to live in the castle as a soul.

And even human life is not valuable, let alone punishment for other actions that are not life-threatening.

And this kind of behavior, which is almost equivalent to connivance, directly leads to Hogwarts being rich in bullying in addition to wizards.

Snape is a prime example.

He was bullied at school for seven years, and his only revenge for Jaime's group was to report to the teacher and get them deducted points.

Deducting points is the harshest punishment Hogwarts can inflict on a student.

"It's child's play." Ash chuckled suddenly, though neither of them understood why he was laughing.