"Four statues—representing a witch's or wizard's mind, body, soul, and heart… so this transfer student has been recognized on every front?"
"The last time this happened… I think it was sixteen years ago…"
"Where did this transfer student come from?"
The younger students burst into overlapping gasps of awe.
Without exception, they all began to applaud.
But Sean had no time to listen, because a faint voice was sounding in his ear.
"Choose Horned Serpent, and I will grant you flight across the horizon of wisdom—and the ability to hide within noise."
A wise voice spoke.
"I have seen your persistence. I am certain you will struggle like a warrior. A witch or wizard who fights to the end ultimately belongs to Wampus."
A resolute voice spoke.
"Since the moment you stepped onto the path of adventure, you have never had time for fear. I spread my wings for you."
An uplifted voice spoke.
"One who carries beauty in their heart will enter Pukwudgie."
A gentle voice spoke.
Sean guessed they had a Sorting Hat–like ability, but it seemed weaker than the Hat's—strong enough to judge, yet not enough to decide for him.
"I haven't seen a case like this in a very long time, Mr. Green. When all four statues recruit the same student, the choice is left to the student."
The young witch said.
So… what should he choose?
Sean hesitated slightly.
…
Beyond the rolling mountains of western Massachusetts lay Ilvermorny. Night's undertone turned silver-white, and the castle's bustle froze.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the small wizard in the center of the circular hall to decide.
"Horned Serpent."
Sean said slowly.
He had come to Ilvermorny to seek knowledge.
"Excellent!"
Up in the stands, Professor Tayra was the first to clap.
"He heard them…"
Headmistress Herrera's expression turned strange.
Very few people could hear what the statues said.
In fact, even being recruited by all four Houses didn't guarantee you would hear their voices.
Even she hadn't received that treatment when she was Sorted—and in all her years as headmistress, she had never encountered a student like this.
"Welcome to Horned Serpent!"
The upper-year Horned Serpent prefect shouted excitedly.
If she didn't, her voice wouldn't even carry across the stands.
In the hall below, Sean bowed silently.
In his mind, the other three voices sighed.
"A warrior returns in defeat—"
The resolute voice said.
"A warrior returns in defeat once again—"
The uplifted voice added.
"The spirit of Pukwudgie isn't only symbolized on the House crest."
The gentle voice said.
"A wise wizard always makes the correct choice."
The wise voice said slowly, with a hint of smug satisfaction.
And so the statues returned to their original stillness.
At the young witch's subtle glance, Sean stepped up onto the Horned Serpent platform.
The students there clapped hard; a few girls even looked at him shyly.
"Silence—"
The young witch spoke.
The stands fell quiet.
"Now, before the Sorting ceremony ends, let us sing the school song together!"
Up in the stands, Headmistress Herrera called out. With a light flick of her wand, lines of text rose above the tables, writhing and coiling like a serpent.
At the same time, several portraits of each House's emblematic creature floated down over the stands.
Before Sean could even react, the upper-year prefect stepped to his side and happily pressed a parchment into his hands—
Ilvermorny's school song lyrics.
Meanwhile, the students began to sway and sing:
"We stand as one,
Against the Puritans.
We draw our inspiration from the good witch Morrigan,
For she was persecuted by those who were not witches.
So she fled here from distant Ireland—this is our school's origin.
Oh! Ilvermorny of Massachusetts!
We chose it!
We chose it!
Excellent school of magic,
Your walls protect us.
Our days with you are like a dream.
You taught us everything about magic.
Now one thing is clear:
No matter where we are,
No matter where we go,
Our true home—
Our one and only home—
Is Ilvermorny!"
Now, in the stands, Sean found himself thinking—
This Christmas, no matter where he was, Hogwarts still lived in his heart, a distant and quiet symbol.
Soon, the school song ended in a scattered, uneven finish.
Only Wampus's students kept singing. Headmistress Herrera conducted the last few bars with her wand—and when they finished, her applause was the loudest.
"Now it's time for bed. Everyone back to your dormitories."
She then signaled to Sean with her eyes, indicating he could come over.
"Our House is in one of the towers. And here's a little secret—people say the founder, Isolt Sayre, could understand what the water snakes said."
The upper-year prefect smiled as she spoke to Sean.
"Is that where Horned Serpent gets its name?" Sean asked, sounding properly curious.
At that moment he remembered some of Isolt's story—how she was descended from Slytherin, and how her aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt, was her enemy.
So… did Parseltongue mutate into water-snake language?
Magic really was strange.
The prefect seemed to catch the headmistress's cue. She didn't answer, only looked at Sean with eager warmth, said her goodbye, and left.
Titles aside… he was a polite, good-looking young wizard.
That was what she thought.
And following her gaze, Headmistress Herrera was smiling and speaking:
"There's a small path from the castle that leads to the stone cottage. You have an extra bedroom there, my dear Mr. Hermes."
Professor Tayra wore an expression of as expected.
"Go on, my student. That cottage is Ilvermorny's origin—"
Sean didn't ask why Tayra wouldn't come with him. He remembered the wistful look she'd worn at the cottage earlier—so it seemed the cottage had only opened for him then.
As for why, he didn't know. He simply took it as special treatment.
He didn't know that Tayra had argued fiercely with Headmistress Herrera for a long time to secure that condition.
So he followed the small path out.
All the way toward the hidden stone cottage.
The snow underfoot was soft. The forest was white.
Every tree looked dusted with cotton, and snowflakes spun lazily in the air.
When they landed on Sean's face, they melted at once.
He realized he wasn't at Hogwarts anymore.
He opened the cottage door. The interior had completely changed—
A warm fireplace, a soft wide bed, stained-glass windows still beaded with snowmelt, and a large work area.
On the table, he even saw a full meal laid out.
He shook his head, about to start searching for this so-called "cottage secret."
At that moment, the fire in the hearth surged—and a voice Sean recognized came through it:
"Come to me, child…"
~~~
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