As soon as Professor McGonagall left, the room immediately erupted with noise. The first-years chattered excitedly, speculating about the Sorting ceremony and which houses they hoped to join.
"Do you think we'll be sorted into Ravenclaw?" Hermione nudged Felix, asking a little anxiously.
Although the young girl was proud, she still felt a little uneasy facing the unfamiliar magical world.
"Of course," Felix encouraged her decisively. "I've heard that Hogwarts has a talking hat. When new students put it on, it can sort them into the appropriate house based on their personality traits."
"But what if my personality isn't suited for Ravenclaw?" Hearing this, Hermione became even more anxious.
In fact, in the original story, the Sorting Hat had considered Hermione suitable for both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw but ultimately chose to place her in Gryffindor.
This meant Hermione was suited for Ravenclaw.
However, to prevent any unexpected outcomes, Felix still told her about the method to influence the Sorting.
"I've heard of a way: a strong desire can change the Sorting Hat's mind," Felix suggested. "As long as you strongly express your wish to join a certain house, the Sorting Hat will consider your opinion."
Hermione nodded, half-convinced, her anxiety easing slightly.
But at this point, Ron Weasley interjected.
"Why would you want to join Ravenclaw? Believe me, Gryffindor is the best house!"
He said this quite loudly, immediately attracting the attention of the surrounding first-years.
With that, it was as if he had poked a hornet's nest; he was instantly drowned in a flood of voices.
Some first-years loudly retorted that Slytherin was the best house, others championed Ravenclaw, while some little witches and wizards who favored Gryffindor loudly supported Ron.
The scene became as noisy as a marketplace.
Felix gently guided Hermione away from the center of the crowd, finally escaping the clamorous first-years.
"Don't talk to fools; it's contagious," he remarked.
Hermione giggled at his words, much of her nervousness dissipating.
The uproar continued for some time, but suddenly, the noise transformed into high-pitched screams.
A series of shrieks, like something from a horror film, caught Felix and Hermione's attention.
They turned towards the sound. The smile immediately vanished from the little girl's face; her mouth fell open, and she almost screamed herself.
This wasn't just like a horror film set; this was a horror film set.
About twenty ghosts suddenly streamed out of the wall. These pearly-white, translucent figures glided across the room, whispering amongst themselves, paying little heed to the first-years. They seemed to be arguing about something.
Compared to the terrified first-years, Felix was much calmer. In fact, he was quite interested in the physical state of these ghosts.
Across various works with magical worldviews, only the ghosts in Harry Potter possessed normal mental faculties, unaffected by negative emotions. Apart from their difficulty in interacting with physical matter, they had thought processes largely similar to ordinary people and even had their own society. In contrast, ghosts in other worldviews were either of very low intelligence with no capacity for thought; or filled with hatred, their thinking patterns vastly different from humans; or longed for reincarnation, having no attachment to reality and few strong emotions. In short, they all tended towards being non-human entities.
Unfortunately, he currently lacked both the ability and sufficient knowledge to study ghosts. Nevertheless, he resolved that one day he would thoroughly research and compare these spectral beings.
For now, Felix could only quietly try to soothe the tense and uneasy Hermione; girls often harbored a fear of such things as ghosts.
Then, they heard the ghosts begin to converse with the first-years.
"New students!" a portly Friar said, smiling at them. "I suppose you're all ready for the test, are you?"
Some students nodded silently.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. The ghosts floated silently away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first-years, "and follow me."
Following the crowd, Felix passed through a set of double doors and entered a magnificent dining hall.
They had never imagined such a magical, splendid, and grand place could exist. Students from the other years were already seated at four long tables. Above them, thousands of candles floated in mid-air, illuminating the hall. Gleaming gold plates and goblets were laid out on the four tables. At the top of the hall, another long table was set for the teachers.
Professor McGonagall led the first-years to that end of the hall, where they lined up facing the older students, with the teachers at their backs.