"Hannah Abbott."
The little witch nearly tripped the moment she jumped out of line, and laughter immediately rippled through the students watching from the long tables. Hannah's cheeks turned bright red as she hurried up to the stool, and when Professor McGonagall placed the battered Sorting Hat on her head, she looked as if she were afraid the ugly old thing might swallow her whole.
The Sorting Hat seemed both amused and exasperated by that thought. Almost the instant it touched her head, it opened its mouth and shouted, "Hufflepuff!"
"Oh!" The Hufflepuff table erupted with cheers, warmly welcoming their newest member. Hannah wore a nervous yet excited smile as she hurried toward them, her steps much lighter now that the worst part was over.
"The main characters come and go, but Hannah remains a constant." Roger murmured to himself while listening to the names. His own surname, Williams, placed him near the end of the line, which gave him far too much time to get sleepy again.
"Hermione Granger."
When Professor McGonagall called her name, Hermione hurried forward at once. The Sorting Hat sat on her head for a little longer than it had for Hannah, hesitating slightly before muttering, "Hmm. Very good."
The hat wrinkled in a disturbingly human way as though deep in thought. After a moment, it finally announced loudly, "Gryffindor!"
"Just as I expected." Roger did not look toward the little witch. Instead, his attention went to Dumbledore, and he saw the headmaster clasp his hands calmly as Hermione rushed toward the Gryffindor table.
A girl so hungry for knowledge had been sent to Gryffindor. If Rowena Ravenclaw were still alive, she would probably beat that old man until his beard caught fire. Roger sighed softly, because he had tried to push things, but it seemed his effort had been useless.
If he one day fell into Dumbledore's arrangements, would he be able to resist? Beneath his oversized school robe, Roger clenched his fist for a moment, then slowly released it.
"Draco Malfoy."
Malfoy climbed onto the platform with his chin raised. Before the Sorting Hat had even fully settled over his pale blond hair, it shouted without hesitation, "Slytherin!"
"Poor kid." Looking at Draco's smug expression, Roger could not help worrying for Uncle Malfoy. Would it not be better for such an innocent little peacock to spend seven peaceful years in Hufflepuff?
"Susan Bones."
"Hufflepuff!"
Next came Ron Weasley, and unsurprisingly, he also went to Gryffindor. When it came to house placement, the Weasleys were just as predictable as the Malfoys, though they would certainly object to being compared in anything else.
"Harry Potter!"
Professor McGonagall smiled faintly as she called the saviour's name, encouraging him to step forward. The entire Great Hall fell silent at once, and every eye turned toward Harry, eager to learn which house the Boy Who Lived would join.
On the staff platform, Headmaster Dumbledore sat a little straighter. His hands lowered, and his eyes remained calm yet expectant as he watched Harry approach the stool.
Elena stayed beside Roger and gently nudged the nearly sleeping boy with pale fingers. "Why are you falling asleep now? Mr. Saviour is about to be Sorted. Hurry and use your prophetic abilities to see which house he'll enter."
"Gryffindor. I'm at the back of the line, so let me sleep." Roger yawned and casually revealed the answer without even opening his eyes properly.
"Hehe, I'm ahead of you in line." Elena looked at him proudly, as though she had scored a great victory. "My full name is Elena Cora Smaug."
Roger wondered how she could feel proud over something so small. Still, he tilted his head slightly and said, "Smaug? That's a rather uncommon surname."
"My family comes from Eastern Europe." Elena smiled but did not explain in detail.
"Nana, good girl." Roger glanced toward the platform, where the Sorting Hat seemed to be deep in thought on Harry's head, and quietly pleaded, "Help block me for a moment. I'm a little dizzy."
"All right, my Sleeping Beauty." Elena ignored Roger's eye roll and generously offered him her shoulder to lean on.
"Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor table exploded with cheers so loud they nearly lifted the enchanted ceiling. Their newest member was Harry Potter, their saviour, and the entire house welcomed him as if he had just won them the House Cup before even sitting down.
On the platform, almost every professor from Dumbledore to Madam Hooch applauded for Harry. He walked to the Gryffindor table, where the prefects shook his hand and the students gave him a welcome so warm that his face lit with genuine happiness.
Harry was truly happy. At Hogwarts, he felt something like home for the first time, a warmth he had never experienced in the Dursleys' house.
"Roger, you're amazing. You guessed right again." Elena looked down at the sleeping Roger and marvelled at his uncanny prophetic talent.
After a long wait, all the first-years ahead of them had been assigned to their houses. Eventually, only Elena and Roger remained, and the little witch blushed deeply when everyone noticed that Roger had fallen asleep against her shoulder.
In truth, Elena had called his name several times as their turn approached. But Roger was sleeping so soundly that she could not bear to pull away and let him fall to the floor.
"Mr. Williams," Professor McGonagall called helplessly.
"Mr. Williams!" She raised her voice several octaves before Roger finally woke up.
"Ah, what's wrong?" Roger struggled to open his eyes, and the young wizards burst into laughter when they saw his dazed expression.
"Oh, Professor McGonagall, are you going to return my wand?" Roger looked at her expectantly, but Professor McGonagall simply shook her head and gave no reply.
"Elena Cora Smaug."
Elena blushed and lowered her head as she stepped forward, allowing Professor McGonagall to place the Sorting Hat on her head. The hat sat there for only a brief moment before speaking in a pleased tone.
"Yes, a pursuit of wisdom and a hunger to explore the unknown." The Sorting Hat nodded repeatedly. "Without a doubt, Ravenclaw!"
Elena's face filled with joy and pride when she heard Ravenclaw. Roger's eyes widened slightly, because he had not expected the girl from Eastern Europe to become a Ravenclaw student.
"Roger Williams."
"Williams, another pure-blood. Definitely Slytherin," Ron said from beside Harry, sounding entirely certain.
"No, Roger has a very broad understanding of magic. He'll definitely go to Ravenclaw," Hermione retorted at once. She had just heard Ron claim that all bad wizards came from Slytherin, and she found that kind of careless judgment deeply irritating.
"Hmph, he'll be Slytherin. Just watch." Ron glared at Hermione, still annoyed by the bossy little witch who had embarrassed him on the train.
"Hmm, another difficult choice." The Sorting Hat sensed Roger's personality and aura the moment it touched his head, then fell into thought. "You have considerable talent. I can smell dragon blood and moonlight on you."
"Huh?" Roger was genuinely surprised. "Is your nose that sensitive? Wait, you don't even have a nose."
"Though I have no nose, I possess unmatched wisdom." The Sorting Hat sounded extremely pleased with itself. "I can sense your talents through the thoughts and aura you release. Extraordinary spellcasting potential, impressive potion-making ability, and a mind that does not enjoy being led."
Roger did not like the way the hat lingered over that last sentence. He stayed silent and waited for its decision, hoping it would not say anything too troublesome aloud.
"How about Gryffindor?" the Sorting Hat suggested.
"Are you sure?" Roger objected firmly at once, even though Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor, was standing right next to him. "What does any of that have to do with Gryffindor? I hate brainless courage."
"Oh, I see." The Sorting Hat nodded as though it had understood everything, then shouted, "Slytherin!"
"See? I knew it." Ron raised his chin smugly. He had known Roger would be sent to Slytherin, the place he believed was full of bad wizards.
Hermione looked somewhat dejected as she watched Roger walk toward the Slytherin table. She knew the two houses had completely different values, and that made her worry about what kind of person he might become there.
The Slytherin prefects and older students rose to welcome Roger Williams, the young heir of a recognised pure-blood family. Their applause was controlled but enthusiastic, and several pairs of eyes examined him with interest.
"You're from the Williams family?" Malfoy's eyes shone with excitement. He had heard about this old pure-blood family from his father.
"That's right." Roger sat down on the bench, his attitude toward Malfoy polite but distant.
The four houses were all excited by the arrival of their new students, and Professor McGonagall had to tap her glass with a spoon before the hall finally quieted. "Attention, everyone." Her voice echoed through the Great Hall, and the students immediately turned their focus to her.
.....
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