Snape, Touched Deep in His Soul

"Before we are students of our Houses, we are students of Hogwarts."

"From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to here, from daylight to nightfall, we made many friends."

"Some of them longed for brave Gryffindor; some looked forward to studying in wise Ravenclaw; some yearned to be accepted by inclusive Hufflepuff; some wanted to rise above the rest in Slytherin."

"Before we voiced our expectations for our Houses, we laughed and chatted together."

"But once everything became clear, we started fighting!" Basil said, looking utterly heartbroken.

Hermione clasped her hands before her chest, deeply conflicted.

She wanted both to stop this behavior, which she considered utterly outrageous, and to support Basil.

Ron, Harry, and Neville looked strangely at the one being beaten up—Draco Malfoy.

Not far away, Draco, still somewhat listless after falling into the water, flushed red with anger.

Professor McGonagall, unaware of the truth, no longer looked stern. Her gaze grew gentler still.

What she had thought was students causing trouble turned out to be good students speaking their minds.

Basil noticed this as well.

"So, could we not be sorted?"

Many students, who had thought being sorted involved fighting trolls, taking exams, or escaping dragon attacks, nodded repeatedly.

"Or rather, could students unwilling to be separated from their friends be gathered together and made into a fifth House?"

Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together. "Child, your idea is very good."

"However, the House system is an intangible legacy left behind by the school's four great founders."

"Different Houses will not affect your relationships with your friends."

Meanwhile, when Professor McGonagall had not returned for so long, Snape, sent by Dumbledore, happened to reach the doorway.

The instant he drew near, he heard an almost furious rebuttal.

He recognized the speaker at once.

That boy who had dared to swindle him, who bore the name of Hufflepuff, the courage of Gryffindor, and had Slytherin at his core—Basil Badger Granger.

Yet now, there was an inexplicable persuasiveness in the boy's voice.

"Not affect us?"

"No, it affects us greatly!"

"We are not blind or deaf."

"Ravenclaw thinks all the other Houses are idiots."

"Gryffindor thinks they are the bravest."

"Slytherin prides itself on being the noblest."

"Hufflepuff sticks together so tightly that, for over a thousand years, no student from another House has ever set foot in their common room."

Hearing this, Snape sneered and decided to put an end to this farce.

However, the words that followed stopped him in his tracks.

"Professor, if I go to Slytherin while Hermione goes to Gryffindor—"

"Can you say that our Housemates will not consider us traitors or isolate us?"

"Could we study in peace?"

"Could we really still be friends?"

A girl's voice rang out next, choked with tears. "Could we really still be friends?"

Those two questions pierced Snape's heart, which had not seen sunlight for so long, like sharp blades.

"Lily." He staggered, his right hand bracing against the wall.

In a daze, those two voices became his and Lily's from their younger days.

Their first meeting at the playground, that little girl on the swing.

Her features steadily matured, while her expression changed from familiarity, to closeness, and then to coldness.

It was at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, beside the portrait of The Fat Lady.

The girl's expression turned contemptuous. "You called me a Mudblood? But you call everyone from backgrounds like mine Mudbloods, Severus. What makes me any different?"

In the real world, the moisture that had unknowingly filled Snape's eyes dried instantly.

The gaze that had just been shattered and fragmented became hollow once more.

He strode into the room and came to Professor McGonagall's side.

He ignored the ghost that had appeared in the room at some point, as well as the astonished looks from Professor McGonagall and the students below.

He even ignored that treasure made from the eyes of the person he loved most and the face of the person he hated most.

He stared straight at the boy and girl. "Believe me, if you are in different Houses, you will not be able to remain friends."

Then he turned slightly. "Professor McGonagall, we have delayed long enough. Please proceed directly with the Sorting."

With a flick of his cloak, he strode out of the room just as he had entered.

"All right, children, follow me. It is time for the Sorting." Professor McGonagall looked at Basil again. "Do you have any more questions?"

"No." Basil closed his mouth.

Hermione, her eyes red-rimmed, whispered beside him, "Did you really consider going to Slytherin?"

"Yes," Basil chose to tell the truth. "But now it is Gryffindor."

In his mind, within the Grimoire, the border around Sorcery Doctor suddenly turned gold.

Echo: Sorcery Doctor

Quality: Gold

All spells will open their doors to you. Learning difficulty reduced by 8%.

Dark Magic will not affect your mind; neither will White Magic.

The more spells you learn, the stronger your spells become.

For every 10 spells, increase by 1%.

Maximum: 20%.

At the far end of the Great Hall, against the wall atop the raised platform at the head of the dining area, stood a long table.

That was where the teachers sat, facing the students.

At the center of the long table, Dumbledore sat in a large golden chair with a high back, occasionally turning to look at Snape, who sat at the outermost edge of the head table.

His face was cold and indifferent, paying no attention whatsoever to Quirrell beside him.

Instead, his eyes were fixed on the first-year students waiting to be sorted, their backs to the teachers and their faces toward all the upper-year students.

Dumbledore was somewhat puzzled. The backside Snape was staring at did not belong to Harry.

So he followed Snape's gaze and examined them as well.

Because of the earlier delay, the Sorting began directly after the Sorting Hat finished its song.

"Hannah Abbott!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Susan Bones!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Hermione Granger!"

"Gryffindor!"

Dumbledore noticed that Snape's eyebrow rose by half an inch.

"Basil Granger!"

Snape closed his eyes.

"Gryffindor!"

Snape's eyes opened, and Dumbledore saw undisguised excitement in them.

What puzzled Dumbledore even more was that Professor McGonagall beside him let out a long sigh, one that seemed both joyful and sorrowful.

Noticing Dumbledore's attention, Professor McGonagall said softly, "Because of the rules, a child gave up the House he had dreamed of."

She looked at the boy walking with that girl toward the Gryffindor table, though he appeared somewhat dazed, her eyes full of heartache.

??????

Dumbledore, the master of riddles, had never expected to be riddled today as well.

Basil Granger?

How had he become the center of attention today?

What about Harry?

The instigator behind it all, the root of all evil, Basil—

Had no idea that someone had seen a dazed look on that face of his, equal parts cute and handsome, mature and youthful.

As if his brain had crashed.

In reality, that was why he looked that way.

It was not because events had unfolded beyond his expectations.

It was because he had never imagined that, during the Sorting, they would have their backs to the teachers.

Having people stare at his backside—especially Dumbledore—was something Basil could never accept.

Even more outrageous, when he looked toward the Slytherin table decorated in green and silver, the sight before him shattered his worldview.

Where was the nobility and elegance?

Why had all the little snakes who followed the Slytherin Hundred Rules of Conduct turned into giant pythons?

The pythons were a group of burly men and towering, imposing women.

Mixed among them were a few little snakes: handsome, slender boys and beautiful, quiet girls.

They nodded at the first-year students looking their way.

Try looking up the Slytherin rules of conduct. This is a derivative work based on the Jinjiang Harry Potter fanfic Born Noble; once you read it, you will understand why Basil was so shocked.