Feeling the hat being placed on his head, Asterion soon heard a curious voice.
"Hello, my young lord, may you ask your cursed spirit to allow me to check your character?"
As Asterion had mentioned earlier, Baskerville was created to protect him from everything, including mind rapists like Snape and Dumbledore, who were masters of Occlumency and Legilimency.
Asterion spoke with Baskerville, and the hat managed to perform its job clearly.
"Hmm..." It spoke with a voice full of wisdom and curiosity. "How interesting. Helga would embrace you with her unwavering loyalty to your family. Rowena would open her private library to you with her insatiable thirst for knowledge. Godric would teach you his precious swordsmanship with his bravery. Salazar might invite you to dissect some interesting snake he found."
"I must say, you are the most challenging person I've had in my thousand years of existence, my young lord. Even Merlin wasn't as difficult; the man had a heart of gold with his love for Muggles despite being from Slytherin."
"But I really didn't expect a direct descendant of one of my creators to marry a Black; I must say, it's an unexpectedly fitting combination."
The Sorting Hat continued to speak without pause as Asterion listened with curiosity. To his surprise, the hat was analyzing its own soul!
The process of such an act was so meticulous and precise that it left him speechless with the genius behind its creation.
"Do you wish to be in any specific house, my young lord?" The Sorting Hat asked, giving Asterion the option to choose for himself.
"Slytherin, please. If I end up in Gryffindor, my great-grandfather might want to set you on fire; he was already fed up with you putting Sirius in Gryffindor," Asterion mentally spoke to the Sorting Hat.
"Sirius Black, I remember the young lad; he broke the thousand-year tradition of the Black family. Before him, all members of the Black family went to Slytherin," the Sorting Hat spoke with a voice full of amusement, showing no fear of Asterion's words.
He continued, "Before I announce your house, by the order of all four of my creators, I have an obligation to say something, my young lord."
"If you wish to awaken your second Inborn Technique, seek out the Chamber of Secrets; Salazar Slytherin's heritage resides in the Chamber of Secrets, along with the method to awaken your second Inborn Technique currently dormant."
Before Asterion could even speak, the Sorting Hat spoke for the entire hall to hear.
"Slytherin!"
Everyone at the Slytherin table stood up and applauded, a shower of applause in respect for their future leader.
Asterion descended from the chair, and his robes gained a green hue along with the crest of Slytherin House.
Casting a slightly arrogant glance at Rose and Hermione, he walked over to the Slytherin table and took a seat in an empty spot. Nobody came to speak to him at the moment because it wasn't an appropriate time.
The Sorting Ceremony continued, and some new students were sorted into Slytherin, such as Draco and his cronies, whose names Asterion didn't bother to remember. The notable students sorted into Slytherin included Emilia Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini.
In addition, obviously, his fiancée, Daphne Greengrass.
It wasn't the first time Asterion had met Daphne; the Greengrass heiress had often visited Black Manor over the past three years to get to know each other and deepen their relationship. Asterion had also visited Greengrass Manor to meet his future in-laws and sister-in-law, Astoria.
It could be said that they knew each other well; they had learned a lot about each other over these three years. For Daphne, Asterion respected her, as she had renounced many things for her family. Perhaps that's why their relationship was good, even though there was no love at the moment, but they both respected each other, which Asterion greatly appreciated.
The first time they met, Asterion was surprised to recognize her as the same girl who had danced at the birthday party. What he had expected to be just a passing encounter in his life turned into the first of many, and perhaps for his whole life, until the end of his days.
Daphne, under the accusatory and envious glares of the Slytherin girls, especially from Pansy Parkinson, elegantly sat down beside Asterion.
"I sensed your magical energy on the train, is everything alright?" Daphne asked discreetly, her shoulders touching Asterion's.
Beside Daphne sat a girl with brown hair and chocolate-colored skin, Tracey Davis, Daphne's close friend, someone Asterion had met when visiting Greengrass Manor.
"It's nothing, just a particularly irritating red-headed nuisance," Asterion replied, looking at his fiancée with a slightly gentler gaze. She noticed his look and offered a small smile, her lips stained with red lipstick.
"Weasleys tend to be irritating at Hogwarts from what I've heard," Daphne murmured to him.
Before she could continue, applause rang out throughout the Great Hall, so loud it seemed to make the place tremble.
All of Slytherin table looked up and noticed a girl with white hair walking amidst the thunderous applause of everyone.
"Rose Potter!!!"
"Rose Potter!!!"
"Rose Potter!!!"
Daphne looked at the legendary Rose Potter with a curious gaze; after all, she was The-Girl-Who-Lived, the one who held the record for defeating a dark lord when she was just a baby.
"Is she powerful?" Daphne asked Asterion.
"Yes, in a fight to the death, I can kill her at the cost of dying myself," Asterion replied indifferently, watching Rose sitting in the chair.
"I didn't expect her to be a Special Grade Witch," Daphne narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Dumbledore certainly hid her very well from the magical world."
"You're wrong, Rose Potter wasn't raised in the wizarding world; I dare say she was raised with her Muggle relatives," Asterion whispered to her.
This made Daphne widen her eyes; she couldn't believe that the savior of the British magical world was raised by Muggles. But then she realized something. Her blue eyes fell upon the old man sitting in the head chair.
"Dumbledore did this intentionally to prevent Rose Potter from siding with the Pure-Bloods, knowing the pain of Muggle-borns; Rose would fight for the rights of the most disadvantaged class!"
"I didn't expect Dumbledore to think decades ahead..." Daphne sighed in wonder at Dumbledore's foresight.
"That old man may seem innocent, but he's more cunning than all the patriarchs of the noble houses combined!" Asterion huffed coldly.
"Gryffindor!"
The applause sounded even more grandiose as the Sorting Hat spoke.
The Gryffindor table practically turned into a wave of noise and chaos.
The noise naturally ceased when Professor McGonagall looked at the students of the house she oversaw.
After all the new students were sorted into their respective houses, Albus Dumbledore gave a speech to all the students and ended with a strange phrase that nobody understood.
Dinner was served, and everyone who was hungry ate eagerly.
Asterion and Daphne ate in silence until the entire sorting ceremony officially ended.
All students followed their respective prefects to the common rooms.
"The password to enter the common room is Pure-Blood. If you forget, you'll have to sleep outside or hope someone opens it for you," the Slytherin prefect told all the new students.
The Slytherin Common Room was located beneath the Black Lake. Casting a dim, slightly greenish illumination, the predominant color was green with touches of silver, giving the entire common room an elegant and cozy ambiance.
"The chair next to the fireplace is the seat of the Slytherin leader, belonging to the strongest person in the entire house," the prefect continued, introducing everything to the new students.
Asterion glanced at the chair and walked towards it. The prefect wanted to reprimand the arrogant new student, but upon seeing who it was, wisely remained silent.
Sitting in the chair, Asterion crossed his legs and looked at all the members of the Slytherin house. His red eyes gained a phosphorescent hue, appearing especially sinister under the dim light of the room. Beside him, Baskerville materialized and rested his head in his master's lap, his hundred eyes coldly surveying the teenagers and young adults.
"From this day forth, I am the law, I am your king and ruler. I don't care what you think of me, but know that those who dare challenge me will suffer," his cold and regal voice sent shivers down people's spines.
Looking at everyone for a moment, Asterion continued, "During my reign at Hogwarts, I intend to change the entire Slytherin House. I don't want others to fear or despise us; I want the other houses to look at us and feel envy for not being in Slytherin."
"For those who obey my orders, I will personally teach and train them in private lessons on Saturdays." When Asterion said this, regardless of age or gender, everyone looked at him with excitement.
They all knew he was the second special-grade wizard in England, meaning they would be personally trained by one of the most important figures on the planet. At this moment, even if Asterion wanted to change the house crest, they would accept it without hesitation.
"The older students supervised the younger ones, reminding them not to forget the rules," Asterion stroked Baskerville's head in his lap. "I'll give you one warning. Rose Potter is someone you cannot touch; she's a Special Grade Witch. If you don't want to be humiliated, stay away from her."
His final words made the faces of the older students change drastically. Perhaps the patriarchs of each noble house would hear about this news the next day.
Rose Potter being a Special Grade Witch changed everything; it meant that the Light Faction possessed two Special Grade witches!
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Next Chapter: Chapter 45 - Classroom (1), Chapter 46 - Classroom (2), Chapter 47 - Classroom (3), Chapter 48 - First Class of Defense Against Cursed Spirits (1), Chapter 49 - First Class of Defense Against Cursed Spirits (2), Chapter 50 - Request (1), Chapter 51 - Request (2), Chapter 52 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (1), Chapter 53 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (2), Chapter 54 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (3), Chapter 55 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (4), Chapter 56 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (1), Chapter 57 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (2), Chapter 58 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (3), Chapter 59 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (4), Chapter 60 - School Council, Chapter 61 - Mission (1), Chapter 62 - Mission (2), Chapter 63 - Mission (3), Chapter 64 - Mission (4), Chapter 65 - Mission (5).