Hannah Abbott!

The sky outside the window had grown dark, and the magical lamps in the carriage had been lit long ago.

Matthew was reading a travelogue. In his free time, he occasionally read other kinds of books, and sometimes he found interesting clues in them.

Neville had fallen asleep with his toad in his arms, while an anxious Hermione sat nearby, muttering as she read.

Jerry shot Matthew a disdainful look. The guy enjoyed teasing first-years; he'd been fooled by Matthew himself back in the day.

" The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on board, and we'll have it delivered to the school for you." The conductor's voice rang through every carriage.

The train gradually slowed, then finally came to a halt.

After a ten-hour journey, the train had at last reached its final stop.

Even after the conductor's reminder, Neville was still fast asleep.

"We're here." Matthew patted Neville on the shoulder and woke him.

When Neville came to, Matthew stood up, straightened his robes, and said, "Come on, let's get off. Someone will take you first-years to your entrance test in a moment. We'll part ways here. Maybe we'll meet again."

Neville's bleary eyes suddenly cleared. He picked up the textbooks from the seat, his face deathly pale.

"Oh! There's an entrance test, too! I just fell asleep. I haven't memorized anything!"

Would they expel him? Maybe he'd become the first unlucky child in the Longbottom family to be expelled from Hogwarts. He had no idea how he'd face his grandmother when he got home.

Hermione ignored them. She held a copy of A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and muttered to herself, seeming to memorize its contents.

Matthew smiled faintly. He hadn't lied to them. There was an "entrance test," but it was the Sorting Ceremony, conducted by the Sorting Hat. All they had to do was put on the hat to complete their "entrance test."

Matthew and Jerry got off first and walked along the platform toward the row of carriages without horses.

They heard someone shouting loudly from the far end of the platform: "First-years! First-years, over here!"

The man was exceptionally tall; the first-years beside him didn't even reach his thigh. He held up a magical lamp, making him easy to spot.

He was Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds, Rubeus Hagrid.

Jerry picked a carriage and complained, "Couldn't someone clean these? A lot of the carriages are covered in mold."

He drew his wand and gave the carriage a cleaning.

Matthew raised an eyebrow. He saw a blond boy walking toward them.

"Hey, Geralt, don't you have to keep your girlfriend company?" Jerry had spotted him too.

Geralt awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and said, "Pansy's a first-year. She still has to attend the Sorting Ceremony."

Matthew thought the name sounded familiar.

"You don't even spare girls who haven't started school yet. You've got quite a broad taste." Jerry teased him.

Once the three of them were seated, the carriage set off with a rattle, and Geralt eagerly recounted his busy summer.

Before long, the carriage stopped beside the stone steps in front of the castle entrance.

Geralt, who was sitting on the outside, jumped out first and muttered, "I'm starving, but there's still the Sorting Ceremony later."

Pansy had eaten all the snacks he'd brought along the way.

"I've got three sandwiches here." Matthew kindly took them out and shared them with Jerry and Geralt.

"Oh, Matthew, you're as dependable as ever!" Geralt ate in great mouthfuls. He was clearly starving.

The three of them ate their sandwiches as they headed toward the Great Hall.

Jerry grinned and asked, "What family is your new girlfriend from? What if she gets sorted into Gryffindor?"

Geralt stuffed the rest of his half-sandwich into his mouth and mumbled, "The Parkinson family. It's not like I've never dated a Gryffindor. Besides, she won't end up in Gryffindor. She's definitely a Slytherin."

Pansy Parkinson? Matthew remembered now. Wasn't she Little Malfoy's girlfriend?

Jerry immediately mocked him. "I remember when you broke up with your Gryffindor ex-girlfriend, she poured ink over your head."

Geralt swallowed his food and said proudly, "That was when I was still immature. A clever Slytherin doesn't make the same mistake twice."

After that, Geralt only pursued other girls once he'd already broken up with someone.

They entered the Great Hall and sat midway down the Slytherin table.

Geralt greeted the girls beside him enthusiastically, and before long, he was chatting with them.

Matthew glanced toward the High Table on the raised platform and happened to meet the eyes of an old man with a white beard. His eyes were bright behind his half-moon spectacles, and his blue irises seemed to sparkle.

When their eyes met, the old man gave him a kindly smile.

Matthew could only smile back.

A few seconds later, Dumbledore looked away and calmly began talking with Professor Snape.

Matthew felt he'd been added to Dumbledore's list of people to watch. He didn't know why he'd attracted Dumbledore's attention. He was just an excellent student who'd come top of his year.

As for his past conflicts with classmates, those weren't unusual in Slytherin.

There were many supporters of Pure-blood Supremacy in Slytherin, but plenty of Half-blood Wizards as well. The two groups were naturally at odds.

A commotion broke out at the entrance to the Great Hall as Professor McGonagall led the first-years inside.

The first-years were nervous, unsure what trials they were about to face.

At that moment, Professor Quirrell hurried into the Great Hall, a scarf wrapped around his head. He was late.

Matthew glanced at the scarf on Professor Quirrell's head. He knew Voldemort was attached to the back of Professor Quirrell's head. The head covering was there to hide Voldemort's face.

Professor Quirrell found a seat as far from Dumbledore as possible.

Professor McGonagall set a four-legged stool in front of the first-years, then placed a battered wizard's hat on it.

The Sorting Hat had been very dirty before, until it met Matthew.

He'd rinsed it with "Aqueous Spring."

At the time, it had shrieked, "Azkaban! Azkaban! You should be sent to Azkaban!!!"

The Great Hall fell silent. Then the Sorting Hat began to sing its newly written song, which it had spent an entire year composing.

"Look, the one with the scar on his forehead is Harry Potter." Jerry pointed toward the first-years.

Harry was walking with Ron. Hermione and Neville weren't with them; because of Matthew's interference, they still hadn't met.

Matthew was curious about what changes this would bring. Would the "Iron Triangle" of the main characters be broken up?

When the Sorting Hat finished singing, Professor McGonagall stepped forward a few paces, a piece of parchment in her hand.

"When I call your name, put on the hat, sit on the stool, and wait to be sorted."

Professor McGonagall glanced down at the parchment.

"Hannah Abbott!"