"Gryffindor? Why?" Hermione asked, bewildered by Victor's confident answer. She had read about all four Hogwarts Houses before coming to school. Gryffindor represented courage, and she felt she was better suited for the house of wisdom, Ravenclaw.
"Why? You'll have to ask yourself that!" Victor said with a smile, giving her a cryptic answer that left Hermione puzzled.
It was true that Hermione possessed Ravenclaw qualities. But in the original story, every time Harry and Ron got into trouble at Hogwarts, Hermione was almost always involved. If she had been a Ravenclaw, the other students would have thought she was wasting their time by even talking to them.
Also, the name Ravenclaw literally translates to "raven's claw," which implies a "greedy plunderer" when it comes to knowledge.
Hermione's desire for knowledge wasn't pure; she often used it as a tool to get praise and get ahead. She lacked a pure respect for knowledge. So, compared to Ravenclaw, a house that encouraged her fiery nature, like Gryffindor, was a much better fit for her.
"No, you can't…"
"They're ready inside. Everyone, follow me!"
Hermione, annoyed by Victor's riddles, wanted to press him for an answer. But Professor McGonagall's arrival interrupted her, and her cold stare put an end to the growing tension between Draco and Ron.
Victor thought that if they had kept glaring at each other, they might have ended up kissing.
Pushing open the beautiful, carved doors, a magnificent hall came into view.
The ceiling of the hall was alive with thunder and lightning, and occasional rumbles echoed from above.
On both sides of the hall were rows of animal statues, each a different animal: a lion, an eagle, a snake, and a badger, representing the four houses of Hogwarts.
A huge flaming torch was suspended from the mouth of each statue, and the light from the hundreds of floating white candles illuminated the entire hall.
In the hall below were four long tables with empty seats, ready to welcome the new students.
The second-year students and above were whispering to each other, their eyes carefully sizing up the new students.
After walking through the doors, Professor McGonagall led the first years down the middle aisle of the hall and stopped in front of the professors' table. Behind her was a stool with a pointed hat with a face on it. Behind the stool sat all the professors and staff of Hogwarts. In the middle of the professors was a long-bearded old man, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.
Professor McGonagall pressed her hands down, signaling the students to stop. She then turned and walked up the steps, standing next to the Sorting Hat. "Before the Sorting Ceremony begins, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words to you all."
With that, she stepped aside. Dumbledore, with his long white beard, slowly stood up and addressed all the students.
"I have a few words to say before the Sorting Ceremony begins. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
"I must also tell you that the Forbidden Forest is, as its name suggests, forbidden to all students."
"And our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that the corridor on the third floor on the right-hand side is also out-of-bounds."
"If you don't want to die a horrible death, don't go there!"
"Thank you!"
With that, Dumbledore sat down again, handing control back to Professor McGonagall.
The Sorting Ceremony officially began.
Professor McGonagall opened the parchment in her hand. "When I call your name, please come forward. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it will determine your house." Professor McGonagall held up the Sorting Hat.
"Hannah Abbott!"
A rosy-cheeked girl with two golden pigtails walked to the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. The Sorting Hat immediately shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The corresponding house erupted in applause.
"Hermione Granger."
The second name called was Hermione's. When she heard her name, Hermione was startled. She walked forward, taking deep breaths and muttering, "No, okay, relax, don't be nervous."
Hermione, with a heavy heart, sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head.
"Hmm, yes, good, that's it! GRYFFINDOR!"
In less than five seconds, the Sorting Hat had made its decision, and the Gryffindor table burst into applause.
Hermione, excited and shocked, ran to the Gryffindor table. Victor had been right; she had been sorted into Gryffindor.
Then the rest of the ceremony went on as usual, with students being sorted into different houses. The most notable one, of course, was our protagonist, Harry Potter. The entire hall, with the exception of Slytherin, erupted in thunderous applause when he was sorted into Gryffindor.
But at this moment, Victor, watching the Sorting Hat in the distance, was thinking about which house he should be in. To be honest, he wasn't sure if the Sorting Hat could accurately sort him into the right house with the Mind Ward he had put up. Of course, if he wanted, he could just control it.
Victor thought about it. Should he go to Gryffindor? But the protagonist was there, and it seemed a bit boring. Besides, based on the experience of many other time-travelers, being near the protagonist meant a lot of trouble. He didn't want that.
Should he go to Slytherin? That was even more impossible. A bunch of stuck-up pure-blood children in a damp and gloomy dungeon under the Black Lake? That didn't match his sunny and cheerful personality, and he was afraid he would get rheumatism.
Ravenclaw seemed like a good choice. They had their own library, which would be helpful for his magical research, and the academic atmosphere was great. But having to answer a riddle every time he went to his common room was a bit annoying. Victor wasn't very good at brain teasers.
What about Hufflepuff? It was close to the kitchens, so he could have the house-elves cook for him whenever he was hungry. That sounded nice, too!
After thinking it over, Victor finally decided on Ravenclaw. He could always eat later; it was just a few extra steps, and the house-elves wouldn't refuse his request. As for the riddle to get into the Ravenclaw common room? What's the big deal? If the door wouldn't open, he could just go through a window. He could fly, after all.
"Victor Dreyar."
At that moment, Professor McGonagall finally read Victor's name. Victor walked up to the stool, glancing at the Sorting Hat with a strange expression. Then he looked at Professor McGonagall and said, "It's been a while, Professor McGonagall."
"It has, Mr. Dreyar. Please, come up," Professor McGonagall replied, gesturing toward the stool with her eyes, wanting him to finish the Sorting Ceremony as soon as possible.
But to everyone's surprise, Victor didn't move. Instead, he stared intently at the Sorting Hat in Professor McGonagall's hands, his eyes widening. He subtly pulled out his wand and suddenly said to Professor McGonagall, "Excuse me, Professor, one moment, please!"
Before Professor McGonagall could react, Victor pointed his wand at the Sorting Hat and shouted, "Scourgify!"
With a flash of white light, the Sorting Hat was cleaned from top to bottom.
Ah, that's better, Victor thought, putting his wand away with a satisfied expression.
The reason he did this was that the hat was so disgusting. It didn't look so bad from a distance; it just looked old. But up close, the hat wasn't just old, it was shiny with a greasy sheen that looked like it was a thousand years of accumulated hair oil.
Victor wasn't a germaphobe, but he refused to put something so filthy on his head. He was going to clean that hat, no matter what.
Meanwhile, the students in the hall slowly came to their senses. In their shock, they began to shout, "Oh, nice! Well done!" They had long been grossed out by the greasy hat, and many people had been disgusted by it during their own Sorting. Today, they finally felt vindicated.
But in contrast to the students' excitement, Professor McGonagall was utterly flabbergasted. She pointed at Victor and said, her voice shaking with rage, "Oh! Heavens, Mr. Dreyar, how dare you…!"
"Because of your actions, your house will lose ten points on the very first day!"
"Oh," Victor shrugged, not caring. He didn't really mind the punishment.
"Minerva, calm yourself," Dumbledore said, slowly standing up. "There is no need to be so angry. Besides, it's not a bad thing."
"That was a very impressive Scouring Charm, Mr. Dreyar." Dumbledore gave Victor a deep look, then turned to Professor McGonagall. "While his actions were a bit…abrupt, the Sorting Hat hasn't been cleaned in centuries. Furthermore, Mr. Dreyar has not broken any school rules, so there is no need to give a new student a negative first impression."
"Don't you agree, Minerva?"
"Fine, I understand, Headmaster Dumbledore." Since the Headmaster had said so, Professor McGonagall could only retract the punishment with a sigh. She returned to her usual serious demeanor, watching Victor warily, and picked up the now-spotless Sorting Hat again. "Mr. Dreyar, we will now continue the Sorting Ceremony."
"Alright, thank you, professors. Let's continue!" Victor said, walking over and sitting on the stool.
As expected, as soon as the hat was placed on his head, the two of them started arguing. The two childish beings bickered for several minutes until Dumbledore intervened, and Victor was finally sorted into Ravenclaw, just as he had wanted.
And with that, Victor's life at Hogwarts officially began.