20 Harry in Gryffindor?

"Harry in Gryffindor?"

After everyone was seated, it was time for the first-year students to enter. As they began to walk in, Hermione's comment about the ceiling could be heard, making Stephen smile softly.

After the headmaster's introduction, which finally marked the beginning of the ceremony, he mentioned the prohibition of the third floor and other school rules. In this world, the reason for the prohibition would be the destruction of the Philosopher's Stone, but in reality, only a replica had been destroyed. Stephen's grandmother had said she wouldn't take any risks facing her great-grandchildren until she saw them with her own eyes.

Finally, the Sorting Ceremony began. As expected, each student was sorted into their respective house. Then it was Harry's turn.

"Harry Potter."

As soon as that name was called, absolute silence fell over the Great Hall, and all eyes turned to the boy as he nervously climbed onto the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

Taking advantage of everyone's focus, no one noticed a young man moving while making himself invisible.

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin," Harry whispered softly.

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know. Everything is here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness. There's no doubt about it, is there?" the Sorting Hat responded.

"I beg you, not Slytherin," Harry pleaded.

"Well, if you're sure—"

"Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat suddenly announced, shocking everyone. Even the Slytherins forgot to applaud.

Harry, not understanding what had just happened, was completely frozen. The most notable reactions came from the professors, especially Snape, while old Dumbledore had already noticed Stephen's presence.

"Alright, Mr. Flamel, although your prank was masterfully executed, let's allow the Sorting Hat to properly choose young Potter's house," Dumbledore said, having detected Stephen standing invisibly beside Harry.

"Tsk, I guess invisibility alone isn't enough to fool you, old man. Haha," Stephen said, reappearing after deactivating the spell.

"Flamel, stop fooling around and get back to your seat before I deduct points from my own house on the first day of classes," Professor McGonagall said, visibly furious.

"Yes, Professor," Stephen said with a mock salute before returning to his seat next to the twins, ruffling Ron's hair on the way.

"Now, as I was about to say before being interrupted… Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat announced, giving Stephen a look of disapproval.

As Harry was sorted into Gryffindor, the house erupted in applause, with one of the twins shouting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

"Although I must say, Stephen's prank was hilarious, hahaha," said Lee Jordan.

"I didn't find it funny," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, Harry, you should be careful with Stephen," Ron warned his friend.

"Why? Is he a bad person?" Harry asked, looking at Stephen.

"No, he's not bad. It's just that his pranks… are a bit…" Ron trailed off, unable to finish before one of the twins, who had overheard, jumped in.

"It's just that Stephen loves surprising people, and what's more surprising than a good scare? That's why Ron is traumatized, hahaha," said Fred.

"But don't worry, no one ever gets hurt by his pranks. Well, except for those who faint," added George.

"Hey, even if they faint or get too scared, I always help them to the infirmary, and most of them remember it with a smile afterward," Stephen said, realizing they were talking about him.

"Well, that's why he's known as the Dark Prince, hahaha. Right, Your Highness?" Jordan teased from across the table.

Stephen rolled his eyes at the ridiculous nickname.

"Although I prefer 'The Magic Warrior,'" Fred added with a grin.

"There's also the one he shares with Fleur—'The Invincible Pair,' hahaha," George added, recalling the nickname given to Stephen and Fleur during the adult dueling tournament, where they dominated every match without a scratch, using similar combat styles.

"Magic Warrior? Invincible? Why?" Harry and Ron asked, catching the attention of the other first-years.

But before they could get an answer, Dumbledore called for the food to be served. Seeing all the delicious dishes, they quickly forgot the conversation and began eating—especially Ron, who devoured chicken legs with both hands as if there were no tomorrow.

After the meal, Percy, the prefect in charge of the first-years, led them to the dormitories.

Meanwhile, Stephen was talking with the headmaster.

"Old man, why go through all this trouble making Snape watch over Quirrell? Just show up behind him, knock him out with a karate chop, and check what he's hiding. Easy," Stephen told Dumbledore.

When they brought the fake Philosopher's Stone, Stephen was fully aware. In fact, he had been tasked with watching over Harry since Dumbledore suspected that some Death Eaters might have infiltrated the school, though he never imagined that Voldemort himself was the one who had done so.

Stephen didn't reveal this information because if they found out, Voldemort's soul would simply escape and possess another person. Even with his knowledge of astral magic, Stephen couldn't destroy a soul—only touch it or push it slightly. And he had no desire to touch a soul as corrupt as Voldemort's.

So instead, he simply told the headmaster that Quirrell was drenched in dark magic, prompting Dumbledore to assign Snape to keep an eye on him.

"You should know that as headmaster, I have many restrictions when it comes to taking action. You must remember that there is a school board. And how do you think they would react if a headmaster attacked a professor without solid proof?" Dumbledore said with a strained smile.

"Being headmaster sounds boring. You should have become Minister of Magic instead—then you wouldn't have to deal with that idiot Fudge," Stephen said resentfully.

"While I appreciate your support, I don't believe I would be the right choice for Minister. And I see you're still having trouble with Fudge. Is there anything I can do to help?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"Those pseudo-noble idiots and Fudge want me, like Tony Stark, to hand over the technology behind Magitech, claiming that monopolies shouldn't exist and that competition should be fair. And as Stephen Strange, they want me to turn over all my research on Eldritch magic and every spell I know to help advance the British wizarding world."

"I don't think you can help much, old man. But if they keep pushing and I lose control and start handing out beatings, can you stop me?" Stephen said, frustrated.

"I don't know much about the business world, but ever since you decided not to use your last name for influence, this was to be expected. But it will help you grow, boy. And don't worry, I'll stop you—after you land a few punches on each of them," Dumbledore said, amused.

"Also, they've banned portal magic until I give them all my research. Damn it, I never should've created those portal sensors, or else I'd be sending them all to the North Pole without their wands. I'm leaving, old man—I need to talk to Professor McGonagall about my selected subjects," Stephen said before turning to leave.

Dumbledore stopped him. "I know I've said it before, Stephen, but please look after Harry. We don't want him getting hurt because of the trap."

"Yeah, don't worry. Even if he loses a limb or two, I'll keep him alive for the prophecy," Stephen said.

"How did you—" Dumbledore started, surprised.

"I know many things, old man. Or have you forgotten how you got that nickname?" Stephen said with a grin, reminding Dumbledore of their bet and how the Flamels had tricked him into believing Stephen was a natural-born prophet.

"Forgive me. As you can see, I'm an old man, so I might forget things. In any case, thank you for looking after Harry. Don't keep the professor waiting—she's probably still mad about your prank today," Dumbledore said, watching Stephen walk away.

Thank You for Reading

Dear readers,

Thank you for joining me on this literary journey. If you enjoy my novel and wish to continue reading, I invite you to support my work through Patreon and Ko-fi. Your contribution will allow me to keep creating and sharing more exciting chapters.

I hope to count on your support and continue bringing you unforgettable stories!

ko-fi.com/yodarki

https://www.patreon.com/c/YoDarki