Audrey followed Dumbledore into the Great Hall.
The velvety magical starry sky made one feel the romance of magic;
However, the brightly lit candlesticks floating everywhere made Audrey worry about what would happen if the candle wax dripped onto the food.
The upper-year students were already seated at the four long tables. The new first-years stood in front of the professors' table, facing the older students.
"Miss Astley, quickly, into the queue!"
Professor McGall waved to Audrey, a hint of excitement in her stern expression.
Although Audrey wasn't sure if she had gained an older fan, Professor McGall's attitude toward her was clearly quite good.
But for her, a sixteen-year-old girl, to be standing among a group of eleven-year-old sprouts, she stuck out like a sore thumb. It was so...
Awkward.
But the awkwardness didn't last long, because the students below the dais suddenly began to applaud.
"Audrey!"
"Miss Astley!"
"..."
The applause came wave after wave, forcing Professor McGall to press her wand to her throat—"Sonorus."
"Silence!!"
"The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. Please do not make any unnecessary noise!"
Professor McGall waved her wand. A four-legged stool was placed in front of the new students, and she put an old, dirty, pointed wizard's hat on it.
The Sorting Hat.
In Audrey's eyes, this hat was covered in echoes of ancient magic. Four different enchantment methods were entwined on it, presumably the traces left by the four founders themselves.
...
The Sorting Hat, not wanting to be judged by its appearance, opened its brim and began to sing. The moment it opened its mouth, Audrey covered her eyes in embarrassment.
'Oh my god! This stupid hat! The lyrics are the same, but the melody is from her single "Melancholy of Cancer," released last year...'
She was, of course, happy when fans liked her.
But when the fan was a hat, she felt a bit weird.
If that hat also sang her song terribly, then she'd be a little angry.
However...
The students below the dais began to hum along, as if they were providing harmony for the Sorting Hat!
'Hey, hey, hey!!'
'You guys aren't even this in-sync when you sing the school song!'
'This is ridiculous!'
But Audrey had to stand right in the middle of the platform, accepting everyone's gaze...!
Everyone knew the Sorting Hat was singing her tune!
The young wizards hummed the tune, seeming to enjoy the Sorting Hat's song, but their eyes were all fixed on Audrey!
'Oh god, and now the ragged old hat is giving her a look that's asking for praise!'
'My friends, who can possibly understand this level of embarrassment!'
The Sorting Hat finished its song. The applause from below was thunderous. Some people even whistled and cheered.
The Sorting Hat, however, fell silent, quietly waiting for the young wizards to place it on their heads.
"This is the most well-received of the Sorting Hat's recent compositions," Dumbledore said with a smile to Professor Flitwick beside him.
Professor Flitwick smiled and nodded. "Yes, look how happily the children are smiling!"
Professor McGall, holding a roll of parchment, stepped forward.
"When I call your name, you will sit on that stool, put on the hat, and wait for your house to be called."
"Hannah Abbot!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Fat Friar's ghost began to wave at little Hannah, and the Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers.
"Audrey Astley!"
The surname Astley also started with A, so she was right after Hannah Abbot.
Audrey sighed in relief. 'The sooner I'm sorted, the sooner I can sit down and not be stared at like a fool on this stage.'
The young wizards below suddenly quieted down. They seemed to forget to breathe, watching the stage nervously.
Audrey sat on the four-legged stool, casually plopped the hat on her head, and even adjusted the angle to make it look as fashionable as possible.
"Oh, another descendant of Salazar!"
The Sorting Hat said: "Ambition... well, if living a life of eating and waiting for death counts as an ambition, you certainly don't lack the means and will to achieve it!"
"From that perspective, you are a true Slytherin, inside and out."
Hearing this, Audrey knew there would be a twist.
Sure enough, the Sorting Hat continued, "But Dumbledore hopes you'll go to Gryffindor. He even threatened me over it!"
"So, Audrey Astley, do you have any objection to being sorted into Gryffindor?"
Audrey thought in her head: 'I don't care about the sorting, you can just go ahead.'
"Good, in that case, Gr..."
The Sorting Hat suddenly clamped its mouth shut.
An ancient voice resounded in Audrey's mind:
"My descendant, my descendant who has opened the second magical circuit!"
"How many years... I have finally waited for you!"
"He actually wants to send my heir to Gryffindor? The current headmaster is truly improper!"
The next second, the Sorting Hat's brim opened wide, announcing in a flat voice: "SLYTHERIN!!"
Dumbledore looked at Audrey in astonishment. He clearly had an agreement with the Sorting Hat!
The Slytherin table erupted in joy. Dorca Yaxley even stood up, clapping fiercely. The prefect beside him, Gemma Farley, also stood up, smiling and applauding.
Audrey was just about to take off the hat when the voice sounded again:
"Child, accept my trial. Find my vault, and you will inherit all my knowledge!"
Audrey put the hat down, sighing inwardly.
'The owner of this voice must be one of the four Hogwarts founders, Salazar Slytherin. After all, the Sorting Hat is an alchemical product created by the four founders together. It's not strange for Salazar to have left a backdoor in it.'
'Slytherin's vault? She didn't think she'd find anything there.'
'Voldemort had already opened Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets when he was sixteen!'
So, she'd just listen to Salazar Slytherin's request and leave it at that.
Although she knew where the Chamber was, she had no desire to go, even if there might be knowledge Voldemort had overlooked.
Just imagining the food scraps and excrement the Basilisk had accumulated over the years made her skin crawl.
She walked toward the Slytherin table. After the initial cheers, the little snakes all smiled at Audrey, clapping politely.
Most Slytherin students revered pure blood. But for this very group to show such extraordinary enthusiasm for a witch suspected to be Muggle-born, wasn't it strange?
Actually, it wasn't strange at all.
Because no Slytherin would refuse to befriend someone who could add to their prestige, except for the dim-witted ones.
Audrey Astley would definitely be the most dazzling singing superstar in the wizarding world in the future. Befriending her meant they could use her huge influence to profit themselves and their families!
Under these circumstances, even if Audrey's bloodline was that of a pig, it wouldn't stop the Slytherin wizards from flocking to her!
In the face of profit, everything else can be set aside!
Over at the Gryffindor table, however, a long sigh of lament was heard.
In the Weasley twins' descriptions, Audrey was wise, brave, kind, and a rule-breaker, so she must be one of them in Gryffindor!
Thus, the Gryffindor lions had held huge expectations!
'Enrolling at sixteen, that's so cool!'
'And she's a big music star, that's beyond cool!'
'If she's also a fun person, that would be so cool!'
However, the Sorting Hat's announcement made their hearts sink to the bottom.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
"No!" Ron, among the new students, looked as if he'd been bereaved. "Harry, am I dreaming? How can Audrey be a Slytherin! She's clearly best suited for Gryffindor!"
Harry was also very disappointed. On the train, influenced by Ron, his impression of Slytherin was very poor.
But now his idol had gone to Slytherin, leaving him somewhat torn—if Audrey went to Slytherin House, then maybe it wouldn't be unacceptable if he were sorted into Slytherin too!
"Susan Bones!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Terry Boot!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"..."
"Hermione Granger!"
The Sorting Hat suddenly began to struggle.
Without a doubt, Hermione had many traits.
Brave (reckless), seeking knowledge (curious), actively working toward goals (utilitarian).
In the original universe, the Sorting Hat didn't take much time to sort Hermione, because the Hermione there had no interest in Slytherin.
But the Hermione of this parallel universe was Audrey's die-hard fan!
Fortunately, under the Sorting Hat's persuasion, Hermione's high intellect ultimately suppressed her impulse. After learning that Slytherin House wasn't very friendly to wizards from non-wizarding families, she decisively chose Gryffindor.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
...
"Draco Malfoy!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Her little cousin ran happily toward the Slytherin table, but the looks he received weren't very friendly. There was a faint, ostracizing, distant feeling.
He glanced at Audrey, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
"..."
"Harry Potter!"
The moment Harry sat on the four-legged stool, he began to mutter: "I want to go to Slytherin, I want to go to Slytherin!"
The Sorting Hat responded: "Child! Slytherin is a good choice. You will definitely achieve great things there."
"But..." The Sorting Hat hesitated. It felt Dumbledore's burning gaze—Audrey Astley had somehow been sorted into Slytherin. If Harry Potter was also sorted there, the Headmaster would tear it apart!
Although it could be repaired, and it felt no real pain, the memories given to it by the four founders told it that the feeling of being torn would certainly not be pleasant!
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table erupted in joy.
The disappointment of losing Audrey Astley was swept away by the arrival of Harry Potter!
"We got Potter!"
"We got Potter!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]