Born and raised in the wizarding world, he knew there was no such thing as nobility in the wizarding world.
The term pure-blood nobility was exactly like the Tongtian-marked people of Youzhou he had heard about in his Previous Life.
Still, this was a bit much, wasn't it?
He had heard the younger of the twins say that, in novels, Slytherins were often compared to trolls.
Harry Potter was mainly written for children, so its characters were all highly stereotyped.
The villainous Slytherins were not merely fair-skinned, but downright pallid.
The female students who appeared in the story were described as either looking like poodles or being broad-shouldered and thick-waisted.
Among the Slytherin boys with actual roles, apart from rare exceptions like Malfoy, most were burly and often compared to trolls.
But Basil had never believed any of that before.
In his mind, Slytherin had always been the very model of nobility and elegance.
Then again, perhaps pure-bloods like the Malfoys and Blacks had been included among the Twenty-Eight Sacred Families partly because of their superior inherited looks.
After all, among Slytherin pure-bloods, people like Crabbe and Goyle were the majority.
Basil guessed it had something to do with their pure-blood ancestors.
Perhaps due to the influence of magic, a wizard's physical traits—including but not limited to hair color, eye color, facial features, and build—were more easily passed down to descendants than those of Muggles.
Back in the European Middle Ages, before the protective laws had been fully enforced and before wizards had gone into hiding—
Those wizards who craved power and leaned toward Slytherin often held high social status in the Muggle World as well.
And their statuses were generally limited to merchants, priests, and knights.
Only a small number, like the Malfoys, could mingle with royalty and nobility, almost like court aristocrats.
The former were often either strong and sturdy, or possessed something as luxurious as excess fat.
The latter often never lifted a finger or endured sun and wind, leaving them pale-faced and lean.
So among these Slytherin pure-bloods, the long passage of time had passed down not only family traits related to magic, such as Proficiency in Dark Arts.
They had also inherited the physical features their ancestors had developed through privileged lives.
"Basil Granger!" The Sorting Hat's voice finally jolted him out of his thoughts.
Oh no!
He had missed the Sorting of Hannah Abbott, the ruler of the Iron Throne!
If his life were a fanfiction, didn't that mean his bloodline was impure and the story had flopped?
He casually put on the hat, which nearly swallowed his entire head, and there was no conversation.
A voice immediately sounded beside his ear.
The first sentence was nearly a whisper, but the second suddenly rose into a deafening roar.
"Child, Gryffindors really do have big heads."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Identity Updated: Hogwarts, Gryffindor, First-Year Student (20 gems issued daily) Fire Spell Enhancement +1%
He paid no attention to the murmurs among the students below.
The cheers from the Gryffindors, especially Percy's—"I knew it! Where else could he have gone?"
Or the admiring looks from Harry and the others behind him, as well as the ghosts who had already heard the whole story.
Basil took off the hat and walked over to Hermione, who had been waiting to sit down with him, looking slightly disappointed.
"Only 1%? Who wants that?"
"And only 20!!!"
"Wasn't I supposed to be the protagonist?"
"How did I get shoved straight into Gryffindor?"
"I hadn't even put up a token struggle yet!"
At that moment, a translucent, pearly-white ghost wearing a wheel-shaped ruff, a knee-length doublet, and tights drifted over.
His outfit was almost identical to the Midnight Phantom costume from the game.
Only the one in the game leaned more toward dark blue.
"Child, you seem a little disappointed."
"But your choice was undoubtedly the right one."
Hermione once again couldn't help wrapping her arms around Basil's left arm.
As Basil discreetly pulled his arm free, he sighed. "I thought Slytherin was excellent."
The ghost rolled his eyes. "Slytherin has won the House Cup for six years straight! Ever since Charlie Weasley left, we haven't won Quidditch either! But that isn't excellence. It's cunning! It's treachery!"
Hermione was drawn in by the topic. "But Hogwarts, A History mentioned that Gryffindor is the finest House!"
The ghost looked immensely pleased and tried to raise his chin, but for some reason stopped halfway.
"The book is completely correct!"
"How so?" "How so?" Harry and Ron, who had somehow already finished their Sorting and taken seats nearby, asked curiously as well.
Neville said nothing. Like the other first-years around him, he pricked up his ears.
The older students, meanwhile, all glanced at the two red-haired twins and Snape at the high table.
The ghost smugly straightened his collar. "Though some of it is because students from our House like breaking school rules, the real reason Slytherin has kept winning is their Head of House and Potions professor, Severus Snape. He always finds excuses to give points to his own House and take points from Gryffindor. There has never been a Head of House as biased as him."
"I dare say that if Phineas Nigellus Black, the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts history, came back to life today, he would still be more popular than Snape."
"But that isn't surprising. After all, his name is snape—meaning to treat harshly. Hahaha."
"Then what about our Head of House? Professor McGonagall!" Ron hurriedly asked.
He hadn't understood the ghost's joke.
But it made Basil think of even more. Snape? It derives from the Old Norse sneypa, meaning "to be humiliated, disgraced, defiled." If I hadn't transmigrated, I probably wouldn't have known that a character's fate and personality were foreshadowed by his surname. I never even passed College English Band 4.
Just like Professor Cat. Minerva was Athena's Roman name, and Athena was also known as the goddess of justice.
On the other side, the ghost happened to give his assessment. "Her? She is an excellent Transfiguration teacher and Hogwarts's Deputy Headmistress."
"Oh? Isn't she a good Head of House?" Seamus Finnigan, with light tea-colored hair, cut in.
The ghost shook his head. "She is simply impartial. Well, except in the field of Quidditch."
Hermione nodded confidently. "Now that's a good Head of House! With Basil and me here, this year's House Cup will definitely be ours!"
The students around them all looked over in surprise, though that did not include the first-years.
In fact, after helping Neville search for Trevor, Hermione had practically searched the entire train.
Whenever she saw someone who looked like a new student, she would casually test their abilities.
Then she would proudly mention that she had successfully cast every spell in the textbooks.
Basil had no idea Hermione had made so many enemies.
Even in front of some young Slytherins, she had bluffed her way through with the Granger surname and her arrogant manner.
He assumed Hermione had recognized the significance of his wandless, silent Stunning Spell.
So he directly asked the ghost again, "Is there some story behind that? I mean Quidditch."
The ghost looked awkwardly toward Professor McGonagall at the high table, but the students' curious and admiring gazes made his mouth open on its own.
"I know about this. In fact, I witnessed it myself."
But his voice was drowned out.
Because the Sorting had ended, and Professor McGonagall picked up the Sorting Hat and left.
Dumbledore stood up and gave a brief speech full of platitudes, along with his signature, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
After he sat down,
Thunderous applause immediately erupted throughout the Great Hall.
In the blink of an eye, the empty golden plates on the tables were filled with food.
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