He Was the Savior?!

Inside the compartment, the four of them talked quite a bit about Sorting.

As the sky gradually darkened, mountains and forests appeared beneath the deep purple heavens.

The train seemed to be slowing down.

"In five minutes, the train will arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be delivered to the school for you." The announcement echoed through the train.

"Oh, we need to change into our robes!"

After changing, Harry was so nervous his stomach churned. He stuffed the remaining sweets into his pockets and followed the stream of students flooding down the corridor.

Damon stepped off the train. The chill of the night refreshed him, and an excited smile appeared on his face, making the young witches secretly watching him tremble inwardly.

A lantern swayed above the students' heads, and a booming voice shouted:

"First-years! First-years, over here! Harry, come this way! How are you?"

"Oh, Hagrid!" Harry looked at the giant's bearded face and happily led his friends forward, failing to notice Damon beside him staring wide-eyed.

"Come on, follow me. Any more first-years? Watch your step. All right! First-years, follow me!"

"Just around this bend, you'll get your first look at Hogwarts," Hagrid called over his shoulder, followed by a chorus of awed "Oohs!"

At the end of the narrow path, a black lake suddenly spread before them. On the high slope across the lake stood a magnificent castle, its towers rising one after another, its windows glittering beneath the stars.

"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted, pointing at a row of little boats moored by the shore.

Damon stepped into a boat with great interest, watching ripples spread across the surface of the Black Lake as the other three quickly followed.

They crossed the Black Lake, drifted toward a cliff, passed through a curtain of ivy covering the cliff face, followed a tunnel to an underground harbor, and finally climbed onto a pebbled shore.

Hagrid raised a massive fist and knocked three times on the castle doors.

The doors immediately swung open. A tall, dark-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood before them. Her expression was stern, though it softened slightly when she spotted Damon among the crowd.

"I am Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Now, form a single line and follow me."

Standing among the line, Damon passed through a pair of double doors into the magnificent dining hall. Ignoring the older students already seated at the four tables, he leisurely admired the thousands of candles floating in the air and the velvety black ceiling above, where stars twinkled.

And while Damon admired the strange sight, the vast majority of those in the hall had also turned their eyes toward him, including Albus Dumbledore, seated in a great golden chair at the center of the staff table.

The much-anticipated Sorting Ceremony had begun.

Professor McGonagall gently placed a four-legged stool before the first-years, then set a pointed wizard's hat atop it—a patched, worn, and extremely filthy hat.

"So this is the Sorting Hat?"

Damon looked at the dirty Sorting Hat and wondered whether he ought to give the thing a thorough washing someday. The hat seemed to sense his thoughts. It wriggled and began to sing.

You may think I'm not very pretty,

But never judge by looks alone,

If you can find a hat more handsome than me,

I'll eat myself whole.

Come and put me on!

There's no need to fear!

Don't panic!

In my hands—though I haven't even one—

You'll be perfectly safe, for I am a thinking magical hat!

When the magical hat finished singing, Damon was the first to applaud, even calling out his approval. Harry looked at him strangely—Damon had been so calm in the compartment, so why did he now seem drunk, his spirits frighteningly high?

Professor McGonagall stepped forward a few paces, holding a roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat, sit on the stool, and await Sorting."

"Hannah Abbott!"

A rosy-cheeked little girl with two golden braids stumbled out of the line. She put on the hat, which fell over her eyes.

She sat down.

After a brief pause, the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

The people at the table on the right applauded and cheered for Hannah, welcoming her to sit with them.

"Susan Bones!" "Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted again.

Sometimes the Sorting Hat made its decision quickly, sometimes slowly. Before long, it reached someone Damon knew.

"Hermione Granger!"

Hermione practically ran to the stool and hurriedly pulled the hat over her head.

"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted.

Then—"Harry Potter!"

As Harry walked forward, a sudden murmur swept through the dining hall, like the hiss of tiny flames.

"Potter? Did it say Potter?" "Is that Harry Potter?"

A commotion rose from the crowd. No one knew what they were talking about, but some of the male students began cheering excitedly.

"He's actually Harry Potter!"

"No wonder he's the Savior—of course he could defeat a fourth-year student!"

The girls shrieked in excitement, their cries so piercing that even the teachers at the staff table turned to look.

Snape, dressed in black robes with long hair so greasy it looked as if it had not been washed in ten thousand years, sneered:

"Harry Potter, the Savior? How sensational, isn't it?"

Dumbledore raised his head and looked at the flushed boy in surprise.

"I didn't expect him to cause such a stir."

But when Harry reached the stool, the two men were dumbfounded—the commotion below instantly vanished once everyone got a clear look at Harry's face. The atmosphere shifted from fervent to cold so quickly it was astonishing.

But after a while, chatter rose again from below—after all, that was Harry Potter, the living Savior!

Harry's face turned red as he put the Sorting Hat on and tugged it down hard, wishing he could bury his entire face beneath it—he knew what they were talking about!

They had mistaken Damon for him. This was awful, absolutely awful!

In the end, under Harry's fervent wish, he went to Gryffindor.

Although everyone's excitement had dimmed somewhat after the earlier misunderstanding, they still gave Harry thunderous cheers and applause. It was just that—mixed within those cheers and applause, there always seemed to be a hint of hesitation?

However, Harry was far too nervous to notice.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry quickly turned his gaze toward where he had been standing before—Damon had not been Sorted yet. Where would he go?

Only four unassigned students remained in the hall. Among the waiting students, both first-years and older students finally got a clear look at the person they had been searching for.

What would his name be?!

"Lisa Turpin!" "Ravenclaw!"

Three remained.

The students craned their necks, their gazes fixed firmly on the most handsome boy among them!

"Ron Weasley!" "Gryffindor!"

Red-haired Ron thought those gazes were directed at him. Even his steps toward the stage trembled slightly, and he secretly hoped no one had noticed.

But after he was Sorted and returned to his seat, a cheer like a landslide and tsunami suddenly erupted behind him!

"Damon White!"

As that name rang out, the figure who had drawn every student's gaze began to step forward. One young witch finally could not contain her excitement, and with her scream, the entire hall turned into a roaring storm.

Whoosh!

As that figure stepped forward, the entire hall erupted in the loudest cheers it had ever heard, like waves crashing on and on without end.