22 Arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat's Choice.

Cap. 20 – Arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat's Choice.

After Draco left, the atmosphere in the compartment became a bit unpleasant. Hermione was upset and frustrated to learn about the discrimination against Muggle-borns in the wizarding world.

Neville remained quiet. As a member of the sacred 28, he had several relatives who shared Draco's views. Perhaps even his grandmother had thought the same way before losing her son.

Simon simply brushed it off. Muggle-born, half-blood, pure-blood – none of it mattered in the end; you were either strong or you weren't. Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Voldemort, considered the three greats of the century, were all, to his knowledge, half-bloods. Well, Dumbledore and Voldemort were; he wasn't entirely sure about Grindelwald.

Simon wouldn't take Draco's words seriously, unless the boy insisted on being a nuisance, in which case, a good beating might be in order. After calming down, Hermione left the compartment to take a short walk, and Neville went out to search for his toad once again. Simon stayed behind, opened his notebook, and continued his studies on Occamy.

Time passed slowly. Looking outside, Simon saw the sun gradually setting behind the tall Scottish mountains. Checking his watch and seeing that it was nearly 6 p.m., he decided to change into his robes. Taking off his shirt, he quickly started putting on his uniform when someone opened the door.

- Ah! Sorry.

Simon, shirt in hand, turned to find Hermione closing the door hastily. He ignored the incident, finished dressing quickly, and, after putting on his robe, stepped outside to find an embarrassed Hermione.

- You better change quickly; we shouldn't be far from Hogsmeade.

- Yes, and sorry...

- No problem. I forgot to lock the door. For safety, I'll stay here in case Neville or someone else comes.

- Thank you.

Hermione went into the compartment and began changing quickly. She blushed a bit, remembering Simon's body. He was only 11, yet incredibly well-toned. Although she was 11, girls were always more precocious than boys, so it wouldn't be strange for her to feel a slight attraction to him.

After changing, she came out and saw Neville waiting outside. He entered after her, and after changing, the three returned inside the compartment, waiting for the train to reach the station.

The wait wasn't long. After half an hour, the train arrived at the station, and students started disembarking, each with their friends and acquaintances.

- New students, gather here! First-year students, here! Hello, Harry.

- Hello, Hagrid.

- Someone else? Are all the first-years here? Well, follow me then.

The path they followed was narrow and somewhat steep, with Hagrid's old lantern being the only source of light. The serene glow of the full moon didn't make their journey any easier.

Simon relied on his Eye of God to see the path and maintain a steady posture while descending. Hermione walked just behind him with unsteady steps, so Simon decided to help her. It wouldn't be a lie to say that he was interested in her, not in her present self, but the future Hermione.

After a few moments, the students reached the shores of the Black Lake and were divided into groups of 4 students per boat before heading to Hogwarts. Simon ended up in the same boat as Hermione and Neville, along with one more person, Seamus Finnigan.

Simon didn't recognize the boy. He knew he was a friend of Harry's in the movies, but he didn't recognize him. Red hair and freckles—if it weren't for the name and the absence of a smug face, he might have mistaken the boy for Ron.

- Everyone settled? Then let's go.

The boats slowly left the shore and sailed across the Black Lake. Simon was tempted to remove the blindfold from his left eye and look into the depths of the lake, but he restrained himself and only glanced in a certain direction.

On a hill, on a cliff at the lake's edge, a majestic castle rose imposingly. All the students briefly held their breath as they admired the structure, which gradually approached and grew larger.

- It's incredible.

- Yes.

Neville and Seamus gave a brief nod after hearing Hermione's words, while Simon just stood beside the smiling girl.

Gradually, the boats crossed the Black Lake and then docked at a pier beneath the castle. After disembarking, the excited students followed Hagrid through a passage until they reached stairs that led them to a massive wooden door. There, a middle-aged woman in elegant emerald robes awaited the children.

- Students, this is Professor Minerva McGonagall.

- Thank you for your work, Hagrid. I'll take over now.

- Yes, ma'am. Good luck, Harry.

Hagrid left after leaving a few words for Harry, while the rest of the students remained silent, waiting for the professor's words.

- Welcome to Hogwarts. Before we begin the welcome feast, you will go through the sorting of houses. The sorting will determine which houses you will belong to for the rest of your academic lives. You will study together, eat together, and share dormitories. You will be a family while at Hogwarts.

Minerva paused and looked at the smiling students in front of her before continuing.

- There are four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Each has its unique characteristics, carrying the legacy of the founders. Also, throughout the year, achievements will earn points for the houses, and mistakes will result in point deductions. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will receive the House Cup, a great honor. The feast will begin shortly, so just wait a bit before being called.

After Minerva left, the children began to discuss, some nervous, others excited.

- How do you think the sorting will be done?

- My brother said we have to fight against some creatures to show our skills.

While the children discussed how the sorting would be, Simon remained silent and looked to the side. Hermione was reciting all the spells she knew repeatedly, while Neville anxiously held onto his toad.

- "When did you find him?"

While the enthusiastic students awaited Professor Minerva's return, a group of translucent figures appeared from one of the walls, muttering some things and startling the new students.

- Oh? New students. So, that time has come?

- Don't pretend you didn't notice.

- Not noticing the time means nothing to us.

- Okay, here you go again with that talk.

- Oh, new students. How are you? I hope you get into Hufflepuff... that was my old house.

The students were a little scared at first, but soon they calmed down as the ghosts interacted a bit with them.

Simon recognized only the Fat Friar, who seemed to be the ghost of Hufflepuff or something like that. The ghosts stopped talking before leaving through the opposite wall they came from, seeing Professor Minerva return.

- Form a line and follow me.

The professor led the eager new students through a corridor, and together they entered a grand hall. In it, four long tables with people of different ages were gathered, looking at them. At the same time, in front of the central table where the professors sat, on a stool, an old hat suddenly came to life and started singing a strange song, surprising the students and catching Simon's attention.

- This didn't happen in the movie. Or did it? A deleted scene? Or is it something from the book?

Simon looked around for a while before focusing briefly on the Hufflepuff table. There, a young girl, around 17 or 18 years old, was looking a bit astonished at him. She had long red hair and beautiful emerald green eyes; her face, with a few freckles, had long left behind childish traits and now carried a charming beauty.

- "Heloise."

Simon turned his head, and the girl didn't call for him either. After the song, Professor Minerva approached with an old parchment and opened it while speaking.

- When your name is called, come forward, and the hat will decide which house you will be assigned to. Hannah Abbott.

A little blonde girl stepped out of the line nervously and sat on the stool as the professor placed the hat on her head. A few moments later, it gave its verdict.

- Hufflepuff.

Applause came from the young ones at the table as Ana headed toward them with a restrained but happy smile. As another girl was called.

- Susan Bones.

- Hufflepuff.

As another person was called, Susan sat next to Ana. Name after name was called as the children gradually went to their respective tables.

- Seamus Finnigan.

- Gryffindor.

- Hermione Granger.

Hermione walked quickly while trying to control her anxiety. Putting on the hat, she didn't wait long when it decided her fate.

- Gryffindor.

More applause came from the Gryffindor table as Hermione looked briefly at Simon, surprised that he guessed which house she would be in. Meanwhile, a nervous and clumsy Neville stumbled over the stool before having the hat placed on his head. After a few moments, he was assigned to Gryffindor.

He was so nervous that he even forgot to remove the hat, causing a wave of laughter. Soon after him, it was Draco's turn, who was visibly nervous. But even before the hat was placed on his head, it gave its verdict.

- Slytherin.

With an arrogant smile, Malfoy looked at Harry and Ron and headed to the Slytherin table.

- Simon Morgan.

Simon glanced briefly at the teachers' table, and for a brief moment, he felt that Dumbledore was looking at him. Sitting on the stool and having the hat placed on his head, he waited for a moment.

- "Hm. Interesting, great courage to do what is necessary. A strong thirst for knowledge. A diligent worker striving to achieve goals. But above all, a strong ambition. No doubt Salazar would be delighted with someone like you; even with your origins, your place is in Slytherin."

The expected applause didn't come. A Muggle-born... in Slytherin. Undoubtedly, it was the joke of the century.