Anthony said with some regret, "It was so close! We were just a hair's breadth away from witnessing the hatstall for two consecutive years!"
Michael immediately said, "The probability of that is too low, but it's been a long time, and I thought it was almost a done deal."
Chris stroked his chin, his tone subtle, and said, "If it were two troublesome students in the sorting... or even siblings... I don't even want to think about it!"
Applause erupted at the Ravenclaw table, and Luna, amidst the enthusiastic applause, sat down next to Vizette.
She wore a mysterious smile. "Mr. Sorting Hat told me a lot of things, including things about you."
"About me?" Vizette asked, somewhat surprised.
Luna leaned closer and whispered, "The Sorting Hat said you were special. It took a lot of effort to sort you into a house."
"I had just put the Sorting Hat on my head when it wanted me to come to Ravenclaw, but it was too lonely, so it chatted with me a little longer."
"It even asked me if the song I sang tonight was good, saying that it took a whole year of thinking about it in the principal's office to come up with such a new song."
Vizette couldn't help but laugh and said, "The lyrics are very well written, but I just can't stand the tone of the song."
"That's what I told Mr. Sorting Hat too," Luna laughed. "He said to try a different style next year, and he also learned about the 'death metal' genre from me."
"Death metal…" Vizette remembered that last year when he and Luna spent Christmas holidays, they had listened to a tape about this genre in a department store.
"But I remember when we first heard this music, there was a band playing along, right? If it were just dry singing..."
He couldn't imagine how the students and professors would react if that deep-throated, desperate roar echoed through the auditorium.
A hint of anticipation appeared in Luna's eyes. "So Mr. Sorting Hat plans to report it to Headmaster Dumbledore and have a band come over to sing the Sorting Song with him."
...
The sorting ceremony was still ongoing, and Ginny Weasley, the youngest and only daughter of the Weasleys, had also been sorted.
Following the Weasley family tradition, she was sorted into Gryffindor almost the instant she encountered the Sorting Hat.
Hufflepuff!
The last freshman took off the Sorting Hat and hurriedly ran to the Hufflepuff table.
Professor McGonagall carefully put away the parchment scroll, placed the Sorting Hat on her arm, and left the Great Hall, announcing the start of the next segment of the proceedings.
Dumbledore stood up. Today he was wearing a dark blue brocade robe adorned with many shamrock patterns, and his pointed hat also had a shamrock metal decoration.
He adjusted his crescent-shaped glasses and slowly walked to the front of the stage. The clover patterns seemed to float back and forth in his robe with his movements, which was quite flamboyant.
While the owl statue spread its wings, Dumbledore surveyed the entire Great Hall and said with a smile, "Welcome back to Hogwarts, everyone, safe and sound..."
"After a day of travel and waiting, I'm sure everyone is starving. So... I won't say anything more. Everyone, please enjoy tonight's feast!"
As always, the opening remarks were brief, and Harry and Ron nodded in agreement after hearing them.
Harry turned his head, trying to see what Snape was doing, and ended up making eye contact with Snape.
He could only pretend nothing had happened and clap along with Ron to welcome the upcoming opening banquet.
Dumbledore walked back to the teachers' table, where various kinds of delicious food appeared on the plates, their steaming aromas wafting out.
The atmosphere at the dinner was very lively. Compared to the diverse topics last year, the main discussion at this year's dinner focused on Gilderoy Lockhart himself.
Among all the professors, Dumbledore's attire was usually the most flamboyant and extravagant.
Gilderoy Lockhart's arrival changed this situation.
He was wearing a lilac-colored robe, the pale color of which was adorned with many sequins.
Whenever he smiled, the sequins all over his body shimmered and sparkled, like a human-shaped rotating stage light, extremely dazzling.
He also wore two badges on his chest. Ravenclaw in the front row examined the badges closely and found that they were the Order of Merlin, Third Class, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts Honorary Member Badge.
His blonde hair was also well-groomed, with plenty of hairspray used to hold the waves in place so that it wouldn't be flattened by the sequined pointed hat.
As the last dessert cake disappeared from the plate, Dumbledore stepped forward again and began a new round of speeches.
The various precautions he mentioned were not much different from those last year.
The corridor on the right side of the fourth floor has been unblocked, and anyone can go there without any restrictions or penalties.
"In addition, we would like to welcome a new professor…" Dumbledore waved his hand behind him, "our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—Gilderoy Lockhart."
Upon hearing his name called, Gilderoy Lockhart straightened his clothes, ready to speak.
Dumbledore seemed to have anticipated this and did not make Gilderoy Lockhart get up to introduce himself.
"I believe all of you students already know him well, so there's no need for self-introductions... Let's sing a song and then go back to rest!"
A familiar golden ribbon appeared, floating in mid-air in the auditorium, twisting into a string of beautiful cursive characters.
Many fans of Gilderoy Lockhart expressed their regret, letting out sighs and lamentations.
There were also students who weren't fond of Gilderoy Lockhart, but after listening to Dumbledore's advice, they wanted to sing the school song for the first time.
Dumbledore beamed, using his wand as a conductor's baton, "Ready... sing!"
Vizette didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that this year's school song segment was more lively than in previous years.
...
The banquet officially ended, and amidst a chorus of yawns, the students returned to their respective college lounges.
After Penelope showed Luna around the dorms, Luna returned to the common room and sat down at a desk with Vizette.
They also had an appointment tonight to write a letter to Xenophilius, so that it would be easier to mail the letter tomorrow.
Luna thought for a moment, then took out her sketchbook. "I want to send a painting back home."
"What can I do?" Vizette frowned, thinking seriously for a moment. "How about you draw a two-dimensional picture, and I'll make it three-dimensional?"
Luna understood what Vizette meant. "Become three-dimensional? Like the pop-up books we see in department stores?"
Vizette smiled slightly, "Yes, something like that, but a bit more magical!"
Seeing Vizette's smile, Luna seemed to understand something, as if she could already see what the object looked like. "In that case, Daddy will definitely like it!"
While Luna was drawing, Vizette devised a plan to realize her idea.
He needed to use his skills in making magical items, and he continued to study Grindelwald's Notebook during his spare time over the summer, so presenting it wouldn't be difficult.
However, he wasn't satisfied with that and wanted to refine it further, creating an even more interesting effect…
….
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