The moment those words were spoken, the other students immediately began chattering, each voicing their own theories.
Some claimed there were water monsters in the lake.Others insisted the Black Lake was filled with vengeful spirits.A few even argued that Malfoy and his friends simply couldn't swim, and had invented the monster story to cover up their embarrassment.
Professor McGonagall clearly disliked the noisy chaos. She spoke sharply, "Silence!"
When the normally stern Professor McGonagall truly lost her patience, her authority was overwhelming. Almost all the first-years clamped their mouths shut at the same time.
She cleared her throat and asked, "Where is Hagrid?"
From within the crowd, Harry called out loudly, "He took that boy to the hospital wing!"
"The hospital wing…" A deep crease formed between Professor McGonagall's brows. After a moment of thought, she said, "I must go take a look and see how that student is doing. You will wait here until I return."
Once Professor McGonagall left, the group of first-years immediately became noisy again, enthusiastically sharing every rumor they'd heard about the Sorting Ceremony.
Ron was the first to speak, swearing confidently, "I've got five brothers who studied at Hogwarts. They told me the Sorting Ceremony is extremely strict. If you don't meet the standard, you can even be expelled on the very first night!"
Someone in the crowd cried out, "But haven't we already been admitted? How can we still be expelled? Wouldn't everything we bought be for nothing? That stuff cost a fortune!"
Realizing he might have gone too far, Ron awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Uh… I heard that from Fred and George. They love messing with me. There's a chance they were just lying."
At that moment, another student spoke up, "I think they weren't lying. I heard the Sorting Ceremony involves fighting a troll, and you get sorted based on how you do in the battle. In previous years, some first-years even died!"
More gasps rippled through the crowd.
"No wonder people say Hogwarts has a death quota—students die every year!"
Some of the already timid girls huddled in corners, trembling.
Hermione cut through the nonsense impatiently, arguing with logic, "How could a wizard's Sorting Ceremony be that barbaric? We're wizards, not warriors! How could they make us fight trolls on the first day of school?"
"A true wizard relies on intellect and knowledge!" she declared. "So I think the Sorting Ceremony is actually an exam, and students are assigned to houses based on their scores!"
"Otherwise, why would the school remind us a month in advance to buy our textbooks? Obviously so we could prepare for the exam!"
Many of the first-years nodded in agreement—her explanation sounded far more reasonable than fighting trolls.
However, quite a few others immediately began groaning and sighing.
"It's over… I'm definitely getting zero points!"
"My books are still on the train—can I go back and get them?"
"Too late! The luggage has already been sent to the dormitories!"
Listening to the wails from all directions, Chu Yang shook his head helplessly. These kids were terrifying themselves. Not one of them could imagine that all it took was putting the Sorting Hat on their heads.
Ron nervously tugged at Harry's sleeve and whispered, "Have you read any of the textbooks?"
Harry shook his head. "My aunt and uncle didn't want me going to Hogwarts. They did everything they could to stop me from getting my acceptance letter. I only got the chance to come here a few days ago with Hagrid's help. So… what do you think?"
"Then we're fine!" Ron relaxed instantly, even wiggling his eyebrows at Harry. "Looks like we'll end up in the same house."
"You're really optimistic," Harry laughed, then glanced at Chu Yang with envy. "Chu Yang will definitely get the highest score."
"That's for sure," Ron smacked his lips. "His brain's on another level. I think only that girl might be able to keep up with him."
Hermione seemed to be thinking the same thing. She looked at Chu Yang seriously and said, half unwillingly and half resigned, "You'll probably get first place this time—but only this time. I guarantee that in the future, my scores will all be higher than yours!"
Chu Yang felt a headache coming on.
Even though Hermione had completely misunderstood the Sorting Ceremony, this wasn't something he could afford to back down on.
Hogwarts was very fond of prodigies.
Being academically outstanding and topping the year could earn him certain privileges—such as access to books in the library that ordinary students weren't allowed to read.
Professors were also far more willing to give special guidance to exceptionally talented students, which meant more knowledge for him.
While the first-years' imaginations were running wild, Professor McGonagall hurried into the hospital wing and found Madam Pomfrey treating Malfoy, with Hagrid anxiously standing guard nearby.
"Hagrid," Professor McGonagall called softly as she entered.
"Oh! Professor McGonagall!" Hagrid jumped, looking guilty and avoiding her gaze. Strictly speaking, this incident was indeed a failure on his part.
"Madam Pomfrey, how is this child?" Professor McGonagall asked as she walked over. "Does he need to be transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries?"
"Don't worry, Professor McGonagall," Madam Pomfrey said with a reassuring smile. "It's nothing serious. He just swallowed some dirty water and caught a chill. A couple of days' rest will see him right as rain."
Professor McGonagall finally relaxed, then turned to Hagrid and asked, "Before I came here, I heard the students telling some rather outrageous stories. Can you tell me what actually happened?"
Hagrid scratched his head. "When I turned back, he was already in the lake. I didn't see how he fell in, but there really was something in the water at the time!"
Professor McGonagall replied firmly, "We all know the Black Lake contains magical creatures, but not in that area. Hogwarts established protected zones with them long ago, and they wouldn't dare attack students right under Dumbledore's nose!"
"Compared to that, I'm more inclined to believe someone used magic. Attacking a fellow student with magic is an extremely serious offense."
Hagrid shook his head immediately. "Professor McGonagall, I was right there and didn't sense any magical fluctuations. Besides, all the students' wands were left on the train. You're not suggesting that one of them is powerful enough to perform wandless magic, are you?"
"Hagrid, not everyone follows the rules," Professor McGonagall said gravely. "After the Sorting Ceremony, I will personally check each of them to see if anyone is hiding a wand."
(End of Chapter)