Rhys did not pay any attention to the little drama at the staff table. He simply returned to his seat.
The surrounding students noticed nothing unusual at all. Daphne still believed he had genuinely gone to the bathroom.
Only Astoria frowned slightly, feeling that something seemed off.
From Rhys's occasional remarks, she could tell that he had not wanted to participate in the Global Young Wizards Tournament at all. When he said he was going to the bathroom earlier, she had actually thought he would never come back. She had even packed some food for him so he would not miss his favorite desserts.
Yet he had actually returned?
Why?
Astoria racked her brain but still could not understand it.
Rhys, meanwhile, was extremely calm.
After a series of tests and probing, he had finally understood the situation clearly. Both Rowena and Helga wanted him to participate in the tournament.
As one of the Founders, personally entering the competition to compete with a group of children was admittedly a little embarrassing. However, he could give his two old friends some face. Going in and casually participating was not entirely unacceptable.
At worst, he could just treat it as acting as a safety supervisor for the children.
But Rowena and Helga would have to pay sufficient compensation first.
Rhys's mindset had now completely shifted. He had gone from not wanting to participate in the tournament at all to being willing to participate, provided he received an appearance fee.
If Astoria could somehow guess the complicated journey of thoughts behind all this, it could only mean that her Legilimency had reached perfection.
One student after another was called to the staff table to participate in the selection ceremony. However, the expressions of the Slytherin students were not looking very good.
The reason was simple: the students of Slytherin House generally scored rather low. Some had already begun quietly muttering whether the Sorting Hat was deliberately suppressing Slytherin.
If Rhys could hear their complaints, he would definitely grab that student's hand and call them a kindred spirit. He had long believed that the Sorting Hat was suppressing the House he himself had founded.
If the current him were put back in charge of the House, the very first thing he would do upon taking office would be expelling half the students in the House and placing the remaining half under probationary observation.
Was Slytherin supposed to be Hogwarts' garbage bin? Why was every strange freak being thrown into it?
Rhys dearly wanted to shout that question directly at the Sorting Hat.
The House's decline was only reversed once Daphne was called up.
"Ninety-nine points!"
The Sorting Hat's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, and thunderous applause erupted from the Slytherin table.
A score of ninety-nine meant that becoming one of the thirteen representatives was practically guaranteed. Slytherin House finally had a worthy representative of its own.
After Daphne, Astoria also stepped forward.
Just like her sister, the magical crystal ball in her hands released a brilliant glow, crimson as blood.
The Sorting Hat whispered beside her ear:
"An outstanding child. You shall represent Hogwarts and fight for the honor that rightfully belongs to this ancient school. Now then—"
'Please wait a moment.'
Astoria interrupted the Sorting Hat inwardly.
Sorting Hat: ?
'My score absolutely cannot be lower than my sister's. If the number you announce dares to be below ninety-nine, you'd better carefully consider the consequences of such an action.'
Sorting Hat: ??
"I am the great Godric Gryffindor's precious hat—"
'But in the end, you're still just a hat, aren't you? Spells like Severing Charms, Fiendfyre, or Blasting Curses should all work on you, right? Of course, I wouldn't mind trying the Killing Curse as well…'
Astoria's tone was chilling.
Deep down, she believed there was absolutely nothing in which she was inferior to her sister. If the Sorting Hat gave her a lower score than Daphne's, she would never accept it.
Sorting Hat: "…"
"I'm merely an ordinary little hat. I only speak the truth."
At that point, the Sorting Hat suddenly raised its voice.
"Astoria Greengrass, one hundred points!!!"
The entire hall erupted into an uproar.
One hundred points???
That little girl from Slytherin had received a perfect score?
Everyone was stunned by the number. Even when Rhys leisurely walked toward the front, the students below were still intensely discussing Astoria's score.
Standing before the staff table, Rhys wore a faintly amused smile.
He was already eager to witness the methods of his two old friends.
Although he had decided to participate in the tournament, if those two old friends failed to pass his "test," then they could hardly blame him for what happened next.
With such thoughts in mind, Rhys placed the Sorting Hat upon his head.
"Ah, Lord Slytherin, you've arrived."
The moment he put on the hat, the Sorting Hat's voice rang beside his ear.
Rhys gave a quiet "Mm" and did not immediately respond to the Sorting Hat. Instead, he picked up Helga's crystal ball.
Magical power, minimum output.
Under normal circumstances, with such a weak fluctuation of magic, the crystal ball's brightness should not even compare to a candle.
Yet before Rhys could react, the crystal ball suddenly burst forth with dazzling brilliance.
In his hands, the crystal ball resembled an incandescent lamp radiating blue light.
Rhys: "…"
Well, it was not too outrageous at least…
It was merely at the level of an ordinary ninety-nine-point score, not too different from Cedric's or Hermione's earlier results.
At the staff table, Rowena glanced at Helga, whose lips curled upward slightly.
The brightness of the crystal ball could actually be manually adjusted. The instant Salazar stepped forward, Helga had already switched the crystal ball into manual mode.
She had even thoughtfully controlled the brightness for Salazar to avoid causing too much of a disturbance among the students.
Of course, Slytherin House producing "three consecutive selections" had already caused quite a commotion. The students below were utterly stunned.
'I assume you were warned in advance as well? I'm definitely supposed to receive a high score, correct?'
Rhys casually chatted with the Sorting Hat.
The Sorting Hat twisted slightly. Its outer surface seemed to darken somewhat, almost as though it had been soaked in water.
It stammered in reply, "M-My Lord, I… I can't do anything about it either… I'm only an honest hat…"
'But the strength I displayed clearly doesn't meet the required standard, does it?'
The Sorting Hat fell silent.
Damn it!
I'm just a hat!
In the end, it announced in a completely emotionless voice:
"Rhys Lint, ninety-five points!"
For the Sorting Hat, this had been an extremely difficult decision.
Rhys removed it from his head and placed it back onto the stool. Amid applause and cheers, he calmly returned to his seat.
The selection ceremony quickly reached its conclusion. The thirteen representatives who would compete for Hogwarts were finally chosen, and this long opening feast at last came to an end.
As he walked out of the Great Hall, Rhys deliberately lagged behind the crowd until he completely fell out of step with everyone else.
He stood silently within the empty corridor, waiting for the arrival of two people.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI