Chapter 49: The Pride of Pureblood

 "What crisis?"

Cho Chang asked the question before Ian could.

"Naturally, it's the Sorting Test."

The aloof girl let her gaze roam over the three of them one by one.

"There's a special challenge at the school that will determine which House you belong to."

"My family told me a few days ago that it's a terrifying experience no one wants to recall."

The blonde girl's expression was somber, even grim.

"My dad mentioned it would be unforgettable for me as well… They wouldn't really make us fight dragons, would they?"

Cho's eyes widened in worry.

Opposite them,

Aurora abruptly looked up, her gaze bright with excitement.

"What are you doing?"

Cho flinched, startled by Aurora's sudden reaction.

"She wants to fight a dragon,"

Ian remarked knowingly, recognizing Aurora's eagerness—he understood the truth behind the Sorting, after all. He lowered his voice and added:

"And just think—Dragon materials are incredibly valuable. The school wouldn't give us such freebies just for kicks."

At these words,

Aurora's eyes immediately lost their spark.

"????"

"????"

The two girls across from them exchanged looks of astonishment. Could their peers really be this unafraid of something as colossal as a dragon?

"Are you both from Muggle families?"

the blonde asked once she'd regained her composure.

"Does that matter?"

Aurora's heterochromatic eyes calmly regarded her.

"I'm guessing you are."

The blonde's tone cooled noticeably. She cast a scornful glance at Ian and Aurora.

"Otherwise, you'd never dream up nonsense about fighting dragons."

Moments earlier, she had only seemed aloof, but now there was a distinct sense of condescension in her voice.

"Sounds like you're headed for Slytherin."

Aurora showed no anger. She merely offered a flat remark in reply.

"Naturally. Remember my name—Daphne Greengrass. My entire family was in Slytherin, and it's Hogwarts' greatest House."

"I'll achieve heights that the likes of you could never hope to match."

Daphne noticed Ian pulling a small metal box from his trunk.

"What are you doing?"

she asked, frowning.

"Oh, don't mind me. Please go on. I just want to learn a bit more about the school, since I'm a Muggle-born orphan."

Ian sighed as he pressed a button on the little gadget.

"So, you're a Mudblood."

Daphne's voice dripped scorn.

"You'll never be placed in Slytherin—a House that gathers only pureblood honor. Maybe Hufflepuff would pity you enough to take you in."

Clearly,

she was an all-too-familiar proponent of pureblood superiority.

"Daphne, you shouldn't speak like that about our classmates," Cho Chang said, frowning at her. Daphne, however, showed no remorse.

"I'm just stating facts. I'm not hypocritical enough to pretend they're just like us."

Her words grew harsher. She even angled her wand backward, apparently to avoid having Ian or Aurora share in its light. Cho, meanwhile, looked quite uncomfortable.

"Well, that's just your perspective,"

Cho said, clearly irritated by Daphne's attitude.

"Yes, indeed, we're not the same as you,"

Aurora finally spoke, remaining calm throughout. She turned to look at Ian. He was cautiously watching her hand in case she reached for her wand.

"Don't worry. I can handle this."

The German girl sighed, thinking perhaps Ian misunderstood her.

"You're braver than I am, then."

Ian tucked the little device back into his trunk. Noticing Daphne had shifted her wand's glow away from them, he pulled out his own Elder Wand.

The Black Lake at night was far too dark.

"What are you doing?"

Aurora reacted before anyone else, grabbing Ian's arm—her mismatched eyes reflecting a rare tension.

"Ha, are you challenging me to a duel?"

Daphne glowered at Ian her tone laced with disdain. Cho Chang tried in vain to calm them both down.

"I'm not the one throwing a tantrum. And I'm not interested in childish duels,"

Ian replied, shaking his head, exasperated.

All he wanted was to bring some light into the darkness; Daphne's wand light was hardly more than a pinprick.

"Lumos!"

He cast the spell aloud.

Light flared suddenly,

sweeping aside all other little pinpoints of illumination. Like a small sun, it bathed a wide swath of the lake and surrounding boats in radiant whiteness.

"What's going on over there?"

"Wow, that's one intense Lighting Charm!"

"Merlin's beard! I haven't even learned the Levitation Charm yet!"

Cries of astonishment rose from the other boats. Even Hagrid turned around, dumbfounded, to see where the brilliant light was coming from.

"Impossible! He's just a filthy Mudblood!"

Daphne gasped as the brightness stung her eyes, raising an arm to shield them in disbelief.

"Nothing's impossible. You just need more practice,"

Ian retorted, taking a seat. Aurora, meanwhile, had turned her face away, letting the blazing light hit only her back so it wouldn't hurt her eyes.

"How do you have such powerful magic?"

Cho asked, squinting through the intense glow—her surprise focused on the spell's sheer potency.

"Obviously, it's the Four Founders granting me their blessing,"

Ian answered with a flippant grin.

"…"

Cho rolled her eyes, at a loss for words.

Daphne, for her part, looked rattled, no longer keen on spouting insults. She might be a pureblood supremacist, but not so foolish as to press matters now.

"He's just some Mudblood who's been practicing on the sly. Once we start lessons, I'll surpass him soon enough!"

she fumed silently to herself.

An awkward quiet settled in the boat.

After everyone adjusted to the flood of light from Ian's wand, it no longer felt overwhelming. Ian occasionally chatted with Cho, while Aurora remained silent, gazing out over the lake as though lost in thought. For Daphne Greengrass, time dragged painfully on.

"How long until we reach the school?"

she muttered.

At last,

the boat glided up to the far shore of the Black Lake.

"Follow me, everyone!"

Hagrid, lantern in hand, led them off the rocky shore. A winding path of loose stones climbed toward the castle's entrance, and Hagrid marshaled the students up the stone steps before it.

"That bright wand light came from their boat,"

"Was it that handsome boy?"

"I bet it was Daphne Greengrass—my dad said she's amazing."

…

Though they'd escaped the small confines of the boat, Daphne's torment was not yet over. Hearing the mixed whispers from all around nearly made her want to turn around and run home.

"Professor Snape? Why you? Where's Professor McGonagall?"

Hagrid rapped on the castle door with his red umbrella, only to find Snape waiting on the other side—rather than the usual Deputy Headmistress.

Snape, clad in black robes and sporting greasy hair and a hooked nose, gave a cold laugh.

"Do you think I'm unqualified to greet the new students?"

His intimidating presence quickly silenced all their chatter. Most of the first-years seemed too frightened to keep whispering.

Everyone felt anxious and uneasy.

Even Aurora appeared slightly stiff—after all, she was only a little girl herself. Ian alone, armed with the knowledge from a certain J.K. Rowling, felt calm enough to admire the ancient castle's décor.

Everywhere he looked bore the signs of age,

as though thousands of students had passed through here, studying and playing. Torches burned along the stone walls, casting warmth and driving out the chill as they ventured deeper into the castle.

"Creak~"

Snape pushed open the doors of the Great Hall.

A grand spectacle greeted the young wizards. Thousands of candles floated high above, lighting the vast space as brightly as day. The four House banners hung in midair, softly billowing. Plates and goblets on the long tables shone brilliantly beneath the flickering flames.

All eyes, however,

were drawn to the ceiling of the Great Hall. Like black velvet bejeweled with countless stars, it perfectly mirrored the night sky, much like the breathtaking expanse they had just witnessed over the Black Lake.

"It's beautiful,"

Aurora breathed, gazing up at the enchanted ceiling.

"It's enchanted with some very advanced magic so it can reflect the sky outside,"

Ian remarked, feeling as though something was missing.

"Hmm, I've seen someone reading Hogwarts: A History,"

he quipped quietly, satisfied that the moment felt just right. Then, his gaze traveled to the raised platform at the front of the hall, where Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, and other professors sat, waiting for the new students.

Ian was curious about all the teachers.

But most of all,

his attention was drawn to a small four-legged stool bearing a battered, pointed wizard's hat—overlooked by many in the crowd.

The Sorting Hat.

A millennium of history

had unfolded under that hat's witness.

And countless stories

would begin right here.

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