Hearing Ron's words, Harry was momentarily stunned. Clearly, this was the first time he had heard this piece of news.
Draco, who had initially stood up, ready to mock Ron, fell silent and sat back down instead. After all, Ron's reasoning was so compelling that it left no room for retort.
Sensing the atmosphere on the boat had suddenly taken a downturn, Hermione abruptly broke the silence by pointing ahead and exclaiming, "Look! We're almost there!"
The three of them followed her gaze, and sure enough, the towering silhouette of Hogwarts Castle emerged under the starry night sky.
While the new first-years were still braving the cold winds over the Black Lake, Wentworth and the others had already arrived at Hogwarts, seated comfortably in the Thestral-drawn carriages.
The moment Wentworth stepped into the Great Hall, his eyes instinctively darted toward the staff table at the front of the room. It was only when he spotted a nervous-looking stranger wearing a purple turban that he finally allowed himself to relax.
Truthfully, throughout the journey to Hogwarts, Wentworth had been plagued with worry—concerned that his presence might have triggered a butterfly effect that would prevent Quirrell, or rather, Voldemort, from appearing at Hogwarts. If that were the case, his carefully laid plans to "raise a tiger for his own benefit" would end before they even began.
As Wentworth and Cedric took their seats, the returning students chatted about their holiday experiences while waiting for Hogwarts' long-standing tradition to commence—the Sorting Ceremony.
Soon enough, Professor McGonagall led the group of wide-eyed first-years into the Great Hall, and just as described in the books, the ceremony began in an orderly fashion.
Whether by subconscious choice or sheer coincidence, Harry and his companions found themselves standing quite close to Wentworth's seat as they awaited their turn for Sorting. Both Harry and Draco exchanged slightly nervous greetings with Wentworth.
As the Sorting Ceremony progressed, Hermione was the first among them to be placed into Gryffindor, followed shortly by Draco, who was sorted into Slytherin. As he walked toward the Slytherin table, Draco made a point to turn back and say to Harry, "I still hope you'll end up in Slytherin!" He then gave Harry a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading off.
Just as this exchange concluded, Harry suddenly let out a faint gasp.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron asked with concern.
Meanwhile, not far away, Wentworth watched the scene unfold with barely contained excitement and murmured under his breath, "It's starting!"
"What's starting?" Kirk, who had overheard him, asked curiously.
With a knowing smile, Wentworth watched the silent exchange between Harry and Snape before turning to Kirk and posing a question of his own: "Kirk, if, many years from now, you were to see your first love's son standing before you, and that child happened to be the son of your worst enemy, how would you greet him?"
Kirk thought for a moment before answering with a smirk, "I'd say, 'Come on now, call me Dad!'"
Wentworth: …
At last, with Ron having been sorted into Gryffindor, it was finally Harry's turn. As soon as Professor McGonagall announced his name, a hush fell over the Great Hall, followed by hushed whispers spreading like wildfire among the students.
Even the professors, who had been engaged in quiet conversations amongst themselves, stopped talking and turned their attention toward Harry Potter.
As Harry took measured steps toward the Sorting Hat, Kirk clasped his hands together in a fervent prayer. "Please, not Slytherin! Please, not Slytherin!"
Hearing this, Wentworth asked, intrigued, "Why do you hope it's not Slytherin?"
Without opening his eyes, Kirk replied, "Because I want to win the House Cup again! If Harry Potter joins Slytherin, he'll be a huge asset to them! Please, not Slytherin!"
Observing Kirk's intense devotion, Wentworth chuckled and said, "Trust me, if you really want to win the House Cup again, you should be praying for Harry Potter to get into Slytherin."
Kirk: ???
On Wentworth's other side, Cedric sighed wistfully and said, "It's a pity, though. Harry Potter probably won't end up in Hufflepuff. He's had such a tragic life—losing his parents at such a young age."
Hearing this, Wentworth couldn't help but glance at Cedric with a peculiar expression, thinking to himself, If only you knew that less than a year after you leave, the girl you like will fall straight into Harry Potter's arms… I wonder if you'd still say the same thing!
Up on the platform, as the Sorting Hat was placed on Harry's head, Harry shut his eyes tightly and silently pleaded, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin!
The Sorting Hat, having heard his thoughts, mused, Why not Slytherin? You could be great, you know. Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness!
Harry hesitated briefly before replying with firm determination, Because I don't want to be in the same house as the man who murdered my parents!
The Sorting Hat paused in surprise at Harry's reasoning but found it compelling enough. Moments later, it proclaimed loudly, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table, with Ron cheering the loudest of all.
Meanwhile, over at the Slytherin table, Draco clapped his hands together in frustration. Watching Harry make his way toward the Gryffindor table, he muttered under his breath, "Don't worry, Harry. I won't let those filthy idiots corrupt you."
As the Sorting continued, two new Slytherin first-years took seats beside Draco. One of them, a burly boy, extended his hand and introduced himself, "Hello, Draco Malfoy. I'm Gregory Goyle. My father has had dealings with your father, Mr. Lucius Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you. This here is Vincent Crabbe."
As Goyle spoke, Crabbe also extended his hand in greeting.
Their intentions were simple—being in the good graces of the heir to the Malfoy family would surely benefit them greatly.
However, to their surprise, Draco barely glanced at them before asking, "Do either of you know the Mending Charm?"
The two boys exchanged confused looks before Crabbe hesitantly responded, "Sorry, Draco. We don't. Do you have something broken? Wouldn't it be easier just to buy a new one? With the Malfoy family's wealth, is there anything you can't buy?"
Crabbe chuckled ingratiatingly, but his attempt to curry favor was met with nothing but silence, turning his laughter into an awkward chuckle.
Draco frowned and asked another question, "Then what spells do you two know?"
When they both remained silent and shook their heads, Draco scoffed impatiently, "Get away from me! You two aren't worthy of sitting with me!"
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