Branching Out as Hoped

Cypher remembered.

Iris's grandfather was often away from the castle.

He feared she was sulking with Professor Fergus, trying to surprise him...

In any case, the matter was soon dismissed from Cypher's mind.

"What about you?"

Cypher suddenly grew curious about Luna's family. Luna's household must have been similar to Iris's, otherwise she wouldn't have grown up in the castle since childhood and become Iris's best friend.

"Our Potions professor asked my great-grandfather to educate him for a while."

Cypher stood frozen in place—yet another hidden heavyweight!

"Edith Arnold!"

Professor Fergus pulled out a parchment and began calling names from the list.

Cypher abandoned his urge to keep questioning.

He focused entirely on observing the new students.

First, a small boy dashed out from behind him, rushing headlong to the Sorting Hat and plopping it carelessly onto his head.

Sure enough, the moment the hat touched his head, it shouted loudly: "Gryffindor!"

A table of wizard robes trimmed with red patterns produced a faint, scattered round of applause.

"Not enthusiastic at all."

Cypher curled his lip.

"Gringdon Black!"

A handsome boy with a cold expression stepped forward, first bowing to the Deputy Headmaster in thanks, then solemnly placing the Sorting Hat atop his head with both hands.

"Slytherin!"

The hat seemed to have deliberated for a moment.

Amid the sea of green in Slytherin, there was no applause at all. Cypher now understood just how enthusiastic Gryffindor had been.

A new ruler brings new ways. At present, the Headmaster appeared to be a solemn and rigorous man; it seemed he disliked flamboyant behavior from wizards.

"Eileen Prince!"

A black-haired girl with a pale, sorrowful face walked forward with her head down, taking small steps.

She carefully put on the Sorting Hat, and soon she too was sorted into Slytherin.

"Do you like that type of girl? Same hair color as you?"

Iris stomped hard on Cypher's foot, snorted, and turned her head away without looking back.

On the other side, Luna also pricked up her ears.

"No, I was just reminded of someone."

Cypher quickly explained.

Eileen Prince was the mother of Severus Snape.

And Severus Snape was a tragic, lovelorn figure in the original Harry Potter story.

His mother, Eileen Prince, would go on to marry a Muggle who constantly beat, scolded, and humiliated her—another tragic figure.

If he had the chance, he could give her a hand; her talent in Potions seemed considerable too. But he had to consider Iris's feelings...

While he was lost in thought, the Sorting Hat had assigned several more new students.

As the numbers dwindled, Iris and Luna were called out as well.

Only Cypher remained standing alone at the front.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle!"

Tom stepped out from the crowd, his well-proportioned frame doing everything possible to display his handsome, sunny side. He had to admit, he succeeded.

Cypher noticed quite a few upper-year female students casting glances his way.

Tom walked unhurriedly to the Sorting Hat, but Cypher saw his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

The veins on the backs of his hands bulged, as if he were extremely nervous.

"Slytherin!"

He slowly placed the hat on his head. When the Sorting Hat's voice rang out and he learned he had been sorted into Slytherin, Tom's body visibly relaxed.

And the Slytherin table broke into unusually enthusiastic applause. It seemed Tom had won the favor of most Slytherins in just one afternoon of travel on the train.

Finally, Cypher, who had been at the front of the line, became the last new student to be sorted.

"Cypher Corvin!"

As the words fell, Deputy Headmaster Fergus rolled up the parchment in his hand and tucked it into his robe.

The last new student—nearly everyone in the hall turned their gaze toward Cypher.

Another handsome young lad, with a touch of Eastern charm—more than a few senior girls felt their hearts flutter.

Bearing the weight of all those gazes, Cypher took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and strode forward with confidence.

He stopped before the Sorting Hat. The old man gave him a slight nod. Cypher paused, then realized—the old man must have known about what happened in Diagon Alley. He remembered him.

Following the example of the new students before him, Cypher offered a respectful bow, then placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

"Tough... very tough... extremely tough. You're the hardest student to sort this year. Brave—for those you care about, you'd give everything. There's ambition too, though it seems to have only sprouted recently. You're steady in your actions. Pity you don't have... otherwise, you could enter any of the four houses. In my view, Gryffindor suits you best."

Sensing the Sorting Hat was about to make an unfavorable decision, Cypher quickly voiced his own thoughts.

"Such firm conviction! Very well, I respect your choice. I merely guide you, not decide for you."

"Ravenclaw!"

Outside, from the moment Cypher put on the Sorting Hat, time began to tick by, second by second.

Gradually, scattered murmurs rose around the hall.

Before a professor could call for order, the Sorting Hat's voice rang out abruptly, and silence fell once more.

Cypher took off the Hat, bowed to it, then walked toward the two girls, who were beaming at him.

Seeing Cypher take his seat, Professor Fergus tapped the stool with his wand. Both stool and Hat vanished.

Then he stepped up to the staff table, straightened his robes, and sat down slowly.

Next, the most ornately dressed old man at the center of the staff table rose—Headmaster Armando Dippet.

As the Headmaster stood and spread his arms, the Great Hall, which had only been lit by the candles above the staff table, suddenly blazed with light.

Cypher squinted, his eyes adjusting uncomfortably.

"First, let us welcome this year's new students to Hogwarts! Let us offer them our congratulations!"

With that, the Headmaster led the applause. Whether out of respect for his authority or because the earlier cheers had built up to this moment, students from all houses erupted in warm applause.

When he felt the time was right, the Headmaster raised a hand and pressed it gently into the air.

The applause gradually faded until there was silence.

"Now then, let me go over this year's disciplinary requirements..."

After a good half-hour of rambling, the Headmaster finally concluded his leadership-style speech.

As he sat down and waved his hand, a crisp bell rang in everyone's ears.

Cypher, who had been zoning out, startled. Instinctively, he summoned Mage Hand to protect himself, then quickly withdrew it.

Luckily, no one noticed his slip—except for Luna and Iris beside him.

They didn't ask. After getting to know each other over the past half-day, they knew Cypher would tell them on his own.

Huh?

Cypher quickly reactivated the Mage Hand he had dismissed.

He felt it—a faint magical ripple on the table.

He told the two girls what he sensed, but they said they felt nothing at all.

"It's always been like this. No need to be suspicious."

Iris stuck out her tongue and made a funny face, then showed Cypher how to summon the food he wanted.