Became good friends with the Boy Who Lived

The fleet set sail, and the ships automatically sailed towards the castle. Neville kept sobbing and his body was still shaking slightly.

"Are you feeling unwell, Neville?" Aeris asked softly. Neville just shook his head. Aeris murmured to himself, "I have only heard of this spell. I don't know if I can perform it. Patronus!"

As Aeris waved his wand, silver mist fell and covered Neville like a veil, illuminating the corner of the boat where a big toad was lying.

"It seems I found your toad, Neville!" Aeris pointed to the corner. Neville looked over and shouted in surprise, "Live!" He quickly hugged the toad in his arms, fearing that it would be lost again.

"How come you seem to know everything?" Hermione said sourly.

Eris chuckled and said nothing, instead turning his attention to the huge castle that seemed to reach into the sky.

When the fleet arrived at the foot of the huge cliff where the castle was located, with a loud shout of "Bow", the fleet entered an underground river. After sailing for a while, it stopped at a wide dock. In front of the dock was a ground paved with gravel and pebbles.

After checking that everyone had disembarked, Hagrid led everyone forward, climbed a flight of stone steps, and everyone gathered in front of a huge oak door.

Hagrid knocked on the door three times, and the door opened automatically, and a witch wearing square-framed glasses and with a serious expression walked out.

"First years, this is Professor McGonagall!" Hagrid introduced loudly.

"Thank you, Hagrid, leave them to me!" said Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall waved her hand gently, and the oak door opened a little wider. "Follow me!" Professor McGonagall walked into the hall.

Everyone hurried to catch up with Professor McGonagall. After walking along the stone floor for a while, Professor McGonagall brought them to a relatively small empty room.

Professor McGonagall said to them seriously, "Welcome to Hogwarts. The opening banquet is about to begin. Before you take your seats, you will go through the sorting ceremony to determine which college you will enter. During your stay at school, the college is your home. You will study, rest, and spend your spare time with classmates from the same college. Your excellence will bring glory to your respective colleges, and your bad behavior will bring shame to your respective colleges."

"We have four houses here: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each house has a long history and has produced countless outstanding wizards and witches. With the beginning of the semester, the House Cup competition also begins. Until the end of the year, everyone is competing for the House Cup. The House Cup is a great honor. I hope that no matter which house you are sorted into, you can win glory for your house."

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. It will be witnessed by all the teachers and students in the school. I suggest you tidy up your appearance and wait here for a few minutes. I will come to pick you up when it is ready. Please keep quiet."

Professor McGonagall left the room, and Archer felt Harry exhale deeply. Then Harry asked Ron, "How are we going to be sorted?"

"I'm not sure," Ron replied. "I've asked everyone, my brothers, my parents, but their answers are vague..."

Aris groaned and said, "Maybe this is the tradition of Hogwarts. Is it possible to put a tattered hat on our heads and let that hat decide our fate?"

The little wizards around who heard Aris's words looked at him with an expression of "Are you kidding me?". Just as Hermione was about to make a sarcastic remark, a large group of pearly white, translucent human-shaped smoke-like "things" walked out of the wall.

These ghosts were discussing something intensely as they walked, and some of them greeted the little wizards. Aeris also observed these ghosts with great interest.

The door opened and Professor McGonagall returned to the room. The ghosts politely saluted Professor McGonagall, who nodded in response. The ghosts then quickly passed through the wall and disappeared.

Professor McGonagall said, "Now, form a single file and follow me!" They quickly formed a line, with Hermione in front of Aris, Harry behind him, and Ron behind Harry.

They walked out of the room, through the foyer, and through a set of double doors into an incredibly luxurious dining room.

The enchanted ceiling seemed to be open to the sky, with stars and the moon shining on the dark curtain. Under the stars were four long tables filled with students. Tens of thousands of candles were floating in the air, illuminating the various gold tableware on the tables. There was another long table on the table at the top of the restaurant, which was the professor's seat.

The group of people came to a small open space not far in front of the main guest seats, between the professors' seats and the four long tables of the colleges in a row.

Professor McGonagall placed a low stool in front of everyone and placed an old, worn, patched, pointed wizard's hat on top.

Hermione turned her head and looked at Aeris with an inexplicable look in her eyes.