Sorting Ceremony!!

"In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the entire school."

Professor McGonagall's gaze swept over all the young wizards whose clothes were in disarray.

"So I suggest you use the time while you wait to tidy yourselves up and look a little more presentable."

Harry nervously pressed down on his unruly, sticking-up hair.

Devero was perfectly calm.

Although not being able to load an entry right now left him feeling a little listless,

he had just used the Zen Meditation Method for a bit.

He immediately felt refreshed and alert.

Sure enough, this Wisdom of the Sages was really useful!

"When they're ready over there, I'll come back to get you."

Professor McGonagall said.

"Please remain quiet while you wait."

With that, she left the room.

As soon as the professor was gone,

the young wizards grew restless.

They all began discussing the Sorting Ceremony.

Devero, meanwhile, wasn't worried at all.

Unlike these kids who knew nothing,

he had read all seven original books and watched all eleven movies. He was a veteran Harry Potter fan.

Something as trivial as Sorting didn't concern him in the slightest.

It would be great if he got into Ravenclaw, where he'd always wanted to go.

Going to Gryffindor and hanging out with the main cast would be pretty good, too.

At worst, he could end up in Hufflepuff and regularly get free snacks from the House-elves.

Slytherin was the one place he wanted to avoid most.

After all, that was the House his master, Snape, belonged to.

It gave him a bit of a psychological shadow.

Besides, he'd already offended Malfoy and the others on the train, who were all but guaranteed to end up in Slytherin this year.

He didn't want to spend the next seven years stuck with them.

If the Sorting Hat thought he was suited to Slytherin,

he could always follow Harry's example from the books.

Just silently repeat,

Not Slytherin! Not Slytherin! Not Slytherin...

That should probably work.

The Sorting Hat surely respected a person's wishes.

Otherwise, how could a cowardly, despicable person like Wormtail have ended up in Gryffindor?

So, plan sorted!

Speaking of which,

as soon as they'd gotten off the train,

Devero had spotted Malfoy and the others, whom he'd thrown into another compartment earlier.

They were all sporting bruises and swollen faces.

That last throw by Devero

had probably given them quite a nasty fall.

As they walked, the other kids kept laughing at them.

Even Malfoy, who was usually the most arrogant of them all,

kept his head lowered so no one would see his injuries.

Watching them,

Devero felt absolutely delighted.

He didn't know why,

but it was as if his fear of getting expelled had vanished.

So Devero took the opportunity

to practice the Zen Meditation Method.

The young wizards around him weren't in the mood to talk or fool around.

They were all extremely nervous.

Hermione was muttering to herself,

quickly reciting the spells she'd learned.

Devero calmed his mind and adjusted his breathing.

The Zen Meditation Method could be practiced while standing,

though it wasn't as effective as sitting.

As he adjusted his breathing,

Devero relaxed his whole body.

He suddenly felt as though the world was drifting farther and farther away.

Hermione's recitation grew quieter and quieter,

until he couldn't hear it at all.

Even if a ghost had suddenly appeared and sent the young wizards running in panic,

it couldn't have disturbed Devero.

Devero entered a state of meditation.

It was as if the entire world consisted only of him and the magic flowing through him.

All around him was a hazy Gray Mist.

Devero felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

Gradually,

he felt as if his control over magic was growing stronger.

The immediate reason for this feeling was that

the Gray Mist surrounding his body was slowly receding.

Devero could now see the young wizards slipping past him,

trying to avoid the ghost that had suddenly appeared.

But it seemed like he was seeing them from a third-person perspective.

He could even see himself!

He wasn't seeing it with his own eyes.

Devero couldn't quite describe the feeling.

It was like getting up in the morning and looking in the mirror,

only for the reflection to suddenly appear from a completely different angle.

He'd suddenly discover that he looked much stranger than he had before.

Devero tried to keep his magic flowing,

hoping to see if he could push the Gray Mist back even farther.

But after trying,

nothing happened.

His magical ability probably wasn't strong enough yet.

So Devero returned to his usual practice.

After circulating his magic twice more,

he emerged from his practice.

He slowly opened his eyes.

His hearing and vision felt sharper, and his mind was incredibly calm.

It was as if nothing that happened next could unsettle him.

Just then, the ghosts finished greeting the first-years

and disappeared through the walls.

"Oh, my! Devero, you can't imagine what you just missed!"

Neville came from a wizarding family,

but this was probably his first time seeing a ghost.

He was shaking all over with fright.

Devero smiled faintly.

They'd be seeing ghosts all the time from now on.

"It's all right, Neville. I heard we've got a class taught by a ghost."

At this,

Neville went even paler.

"Now, form a single line."

Professor McGonagall had returned.

She addressed the first-year students.

"Follow me."

Following Professor McGonagall,

the young wizards filed into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was brightly lit.

Four long tables represented the Four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

Each table was set with fine dishes and silver candlesticks.

The candlelight shimmered softly across the polished tabletops.

The older students were already seated.

All their eyes turned toward the newcomers.

Of course,

most of their attention was drawn to Harry.

He was terribly embarrassed and tried not to react to all the stares.

The most eye-catching feature was the ceiling of the Great Hall.

Even Devero was stunned by the magnificent, fantastical sight.

It had been enchanted

to show a star-filled night sky.

Stars glittered in the darkness,

as if the entire universe had been brought into the hall.

The moon hung in the sky,

casting a soft silver glow

over every corner.

Professor McGonagall led the first-years along a long red carpet,

toward the front of the Great Hall.

There, on a high stool, sat a battered hat—the Sorting Hat.

Sure enough,

the Sorting Hat was patched,

worn out,

and filthy.

For a moment, Devero wasn't sure he wanted to put it on his head.

Before long,

the hat began singing the Sorting Hat's Song in its strange, off-key voice.

It gave a brief introduction to the Four Houses

and earned a round of applause from the hall.

So he'd be sorted into a House he liked,

Devero joined everyone else in giving it the applause it deserved.

Next came the inevitable Hannah moment.

Sure enough, she was sorted into Hufflepuff.

Devero was somewhere around the middle of the line,

after Malfoy

but before Harry.

One by one, the young wizards stepped forward

and were sorted into their respective Houses.

Malfoy seemed to start whispering with Slytherin's Prefect as soon as he sat down.

Every so often, he pointed at Devero.

He was probably tattling.

Finally.

"Devero Alexander!"

The surname wasn't very common in Britain.

It drew a few sidelong glances.

Devero strode forward confidently.

He walked up the steps with a flourish and picked up the Sorting Hat.

Just as he was about to put it on his head,

the Sorting Hat suddenly shrieked,

"SLYTHERIN!!!"