Many Thanks to Tim Jutzi, Junkurrji O'shane Nona, Jun0s4, Blargalargle, and Devon Stamper for their patronage!♥♥
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"So?"
Ivan didn't mind chatting with this magical hat.
Out of all the magical items he'd encountered, only the Sorting Hat had creativity—something that ordinary alchemical creations lacked.
This showed how powerful the magic the four founders had infused into the creation of this hat truly was.
"How about Slytherin?"
The Sorting Hat didn't make a choice immediately but instead suggested tentatively, "I can sense that your blood is exceptionally pure, even more so than the four who created me."
If Salazar Slytherin were still alive and saw a wizard like Ivan, he might have been willing to duel Gryffindor for him.
Ambrosius's eternal bloodline was beyond extraordinary.
Pure blood like Ivan's was already considered the pinnacle in the magical world.
"Sorry," Ivan replied, although he saw all four houses as equal, some things weren't as simple as they sounded. "I'm not particularly fond of the snakes from the Slytherin House. Perhaps you should reconsider, Mr. Hat?"
"How about Ravenclaw?"
"You are very intelligent, possess great wisdom, and have extraordinary talent," the Sorting Hat remarked. "The two most suitable houses for you are Slytherin and Ravenclaw."
Ravenclaw represented wisdom, and Ivan's deep love for magic would allow him to thrive in that academic environment.
"Ravenclaw?"
Ivan had a good impression of Ravenclaw.
If he were on his own, Ivan thought joining the House of the Studious Eagles might be a solid choice.
"It seems this result still doesn't satisfy you."
Sensing Ivan's hesitation, the Sorting Hat immediately understood his thoughts.
In fact, the moment Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor, Ivan had already made up his mind.(Simp~)
He didn't want to go to Slytherin—it was filled with tension and toxicity, dominated by pure-blood supporters like Malfoy and his ilk.
Some might argue that it would be advantageous for Ivan to win over pure-blood nobles.
However, Ivan thought, 'A bunch of insects—what qualifications do they have for me to win them over?'
'I don't want to play house with those pompous brats, when the time comes, they would kneel.'
In the wizarding world, magic is power.
For Slytherin, you don't need to play games of manipulation or exchange favors.
As long as you are powerful enough, many will come to you on their own.
Why should Ivan bother with emotional connections when a group of people could be made to kneel with just the wave of a wand?
Of course, this isn't to say there aren't any truly excellent students in Slytherin.
Ivan simply thought it wasn't worth spending time making friends with the students from the Snakes—the return on investment was just too low.
"It seems you've made your decision," said the Sorting Hat. "Then, Gryffindor!!"
As the Sorting Hat announced the result, Ivan stood up, removed the hat gracefully, and handed it back to Professor McGonagall, who looked thrilled and teary-eyed.
'I won! I won!'
At that moment, the head of the house McGonagall wanted to say was: 'Slytherin, stay away from my Student!'
"Welcome to Gryffindor, young Ivan," Professor McGonagall congratulated him softly.
Ivan smiled in return, then strode confidently towards the Gryffindor table. Gryffindor had just welcomed their new Lion King!
Neville, who was sitting next to Hermione, was shocked and quickly gave up his seat for Ivan.
"I was so scared just now. I thought you might be sorted into another house," Hermione admitted as soon as Ivan sat down, finally expressing her earlier worries. Thankfully, they had both been sorted into the same house.
Neville, Harry, and Ron also warmly welcomed Ivan's arrival.
Soon after, the sorting ceremony came to an end.
Albus Dumbledore stood up.
He looked at the students with a smile, stretching out his arms towards them. Nothing seemed to make him happier than seeing all the students gathered together.
"Welcome!" Dumbledore said. "Welcome to Hogwarts, where we begin a new school year. Before the banquet starts, I'd like to say just a few words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
"Thank you all!"
He sat back down, and the hall erupted into applause and cheers from the four long tables.
As Dumbledore finished speaking, a wide variety of delicious dishes appeared on the long tables, including roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steaks, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes, fried potato chips, Yorkshire puddings, pea sprouts, carrots, gravy, ketchup...
Having been in this time period for a while, Ivan had grown accustomed to the 90's British cuisine.
It must be admitted, however, that Hogwarts' cuisine is packed with nutrients and protein—Everything a child needs in his/her developing years.. just a little bland.. ehm*
'Oh!!? Yum!'
Fortunately, the food at Hogwarts was exceptionally delicious.
Ivan, Hermione, and the other first-year wizards were already starving. With so many delicacies in front of them, no one could resist and eagerly devoured the food.
After everyone had filled their stomachs, the remaining food disappeared from the plates, leaving them clean once again.
A little while later, desserts arrived.
There were all sorts of treats: ice cream, apple pie, treacle tarts, chocolate sponge cake, fried jam donuts, wine-soaked pudding, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding...
As they enjoyed their desserts, the young wizards began talking about their families.
Harry became the center of attention, as everyone was curious about his life in the Muggle world. Unfortunately, Harry didn't want to talk about his miserable childhood.
Soon, the conversation shifted to Ivan.
Hermione was busy asking Percy, a senior, for advice. She was eager to learn more about spells, particularly Transfiguration, which she had been trying to study on her own but knew little about.
Not just her—even Ivan hadn't fully delved into mastering Transfiguration before starting school.
"Ivan, how did you learn so much magic?"
Harry asked, looking at Ivan with admiration. He wanted to learn from him and pick up a few spells himself.
Harry didn't expect to be as skilled as Ivan; if he could master even 20% or 30% of Ivan's abilities, he would be satisfied.
Ivan wasn't sure how to respond.
He didn't want to discourage Harry, so he casually shared a few tips on wand casting with him.
Halfway through the conversation, Harry suddenly put his hand to his forehead. He glanced toward the teacher's table, and Ivan noticed that Snape was staring in their direction.
But unlike Harry, Ivan focused his attention on Professor Quirrell, who was sitting next to Snape.
'A cloud of gray mist.'
Ivan saw a faint gray mist lingering behind Quirrell's head—it was barely noticeable, but it was definitely there.
'That must be Voldemort's current state. Pathetic!'
He wasn't sure whether Dumbledore had noticed, but adhering to the principle of staying out of things that didn't concern him, Ivan decided not to get involved in Dumbledore's "savior training plan."
Pushing those thoughts aside, Ivan enjoyed the rest of his dessert.
As the last of the pudding vanished, the feast officially came to an end.
Dumbledore stood up, and the hall fell silent once again.