Chapter 29: The Sorting Ceremony
Chapter 29: The Sorting Ceremony
At the front of the raised table stood a four-legged stool, on which rested a patched, ancient-looking pointed wizard hat.
The hat was singing to itself but stopped as Professor McGonagall approached.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat, sit on the stool, and wait for your sorting," Professor McGonagall announced, holding a scroll of parchment.
"Colin Creevey!"
Colin froze for a moment, then quickly ran up, nervously sitting down and placing the hat on his head.
Almost immediately, the hat declared:
"Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor table erupted in applause, celebrating the addition of a new member to their house.
"Astoria Greengrass!"
"Slytherin!"
"Luna Lovegood!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Ginny Weasley!"
"Gryffindor!"
As the names were called one by one, it wasn't long before George's turn came.
"George!"
The moment George placed the Sorting Hat on his head, like the other students, he didn't hear any hesitation or questions from the hat. It immediately gave its answer.
"Slytherin!"
"Slytherin?"
George's face showed a hint of surprise, but he quickly composed himself, removed the hat, and calmly walked over to the Slytherin table to take his seat.
To be honest, he had thought he'd most likely end up in Gryffindor, with a small chance of Ravenclaw. He hadn't expected Slytherin.
But upon reflection, he realized that his preference for planning, clear goals, and occasional pragmatism did align with some of Slytherin's traits.
Perhaps, deep down, he truly leaned more toward Slytherin's characteristics.
Being in Slytherin didn't mean being evil. None of the four houses represented absolute good or absolute evil.
Gryffindor had produced wizards like Peter Pettigrew, while Slytherin had figures like Regulus Black, who sacrificed himself to resist Voldemort and refused to let a house-elf take his place.
The traits of the four houses were largely positive.
Gryffindor stood for bravery, Ravenclaw for wisdom, Hufflepuff for loyalty, and Slytherin for ambition, cunning, and determination.
"Slytherin isn't so bad. Snape is protective of his own, and he's a master of the Dark Arts. If I can bring honor to Slytherin, there should be significant rewards."
By the time George snapped out of his thoughts, the Sorting Ceremony had concluded.
Earlier, he had analyzed the personalities of each house's head and prepared plans for each scenario.
So, even being sorted into Slytherin wasn't a major issue.
Dumbledore gave a brief speech, introducing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, and then announced the start of the feast.
Instantly, the four long tables were filled with an array of delicious dishes prepared by house-elves. The hungry students immediately dug in.
George also began eating, though he kept a small part of his attention on the staff table.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a thin, sallow-skinned man with a hooked nose, greasy black hair that fell to his shoulders, and a cold, imposing presence appeared at the entrance of the Great Hall.
He strode to the staff table like a giant bat. As he passed, students from every house and year instinctively held their breath.
This man was none other than Severus Snape, the head of Slytherin House.
A master potioneer and one of the most skilled wizards, second only to the likes of Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Grindelwald.
Snape exchanged a few words with Dumbledore and McGonagall. McGonagall's expression quickly turned grim, and the three of them left the Great Hall together.
"My father just got promoted at the Ministry..."
"My mother bought me a broom worth twenty Galleons when I was seven..."
"Hmph, that's nothing. I..."
At the Slytherin table, the first-year students began boasting about their families and wealth as they ate.
Most of the students sorted into Slytherin came from pure-blood families, with a few half-bloods and almost no Muggle-borns.
Some of them had known each other since childhood.
Even if they didn't, they made a point of flaunting their family backgrounds and wealth to establish their status.
George didn't join in. His body in this world was likely that of a half-blood—a Muggle mother and a wizard father who had a brief relationship, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy. Abandoning the child to avoid burdening herself wasn't uncommon.
So, in terms of family status, he was undoubtedly at the bottom of Slytherin's hierarchy. There was no point in embarrassing himself.
As a half-blood, he only needed to demonstrate exceptional talent, like Snape and Voldemort, to earn respect and followers.
Slytherin valued blood purity, but they valued power even more—as long as you were at least a half-blood.
"Oh, Merlin's beard, it's the Bloody Baron! He looks terrifying!"
At that moment, the students shuddered as a gaunt, hollow-eyed ghost covered in blood suddenly appeared and sat down at the Slytherin table.
He took a seat right next to George.
George glanced up at the Bloody Baron, gave a faint smile, and nodded politely in greeting before calmly continuing his meal.
What was a little blood compared to what he'd seen in the lab? He had killed dozens of people; a bloody ghost wasn't going to scare him.
The Bloody Baron, however, seemed surprised that a first-year could remain so composed upon their first meeting.
As the ghost of Slytherin, he was pleased to see such a bold young wizard in his house and nodded back in acknowledgment.
"Which family is he from? He actually greeted the Bloody Baron!"
"I don't know. I've never heard of him. Probably a half-blood."
"A half-blood? But he doesn't look like one. I think he might be from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. He has that air about him."
George's composed demeanor in the face of the Bloody Baron didn't go unnoticed by the rest of Slytherin. Many were curious about this elegant and daring young wizard.
However, they quickly concluded that George was a half-blood. If he were a pure-blood, they would have heard of him, and his name, George, was unusual.
Even so, some students couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for him.
...
(End of Chapter)