"It's alright, Professor. I don't consider this a sad thing. It's precisely because of past hardships that my current life seems all the more precious!"
Cro smiled slightly.
Another gold treasure chest.
He was only two gold treasure chests away from three diamond treasure chests!
It seemed promising to earn three diamond treasure chests today.
"It's wonderful that you can think like this," Professor McGonagall replied gently.
She placed the Sorting Hat on Cro's head with anticipation.
After doing so, she stepped back, filled with hope.
If Cro could join Gryffindor, that would be perfect!
"Hmm, let me see... Wait! What is this? What is this?!"
The Sorting Hat exclaimed in shock, its voice tinged with fear.
The crowd in the hall was drawn in by the outcry.
Hermione and Cassandra clenched their fists, anxiously watching Cro.
Malfoy and his friends, on the other hand, wore cold smiles, eagerly hoping for Cro to make a mistake and be expelled from Hogwarts!
Cro remained calm, even feeling a bit amused.
The reason was simple.
The Sorting Hat's outcry had already brought him several treasure chests.
Although they were all low-level bronze chests.
"Dumbledore! Dumbledore!! Quickly take this guy away, save me! This child is... a born Dark Lord!"
The Sorting Hat screamed in horror, writhing in an attempt to detach itself from Cro's head.
Unfortunately, it had no arms or legs.
No matter how it twisted, it couldn't escape from the top of Cro's head.
"A Dark Lord? How could that be? Isn't the Sorting Hat only responsible for assigning houses? Why would it say that this person is a Dark Lord?"
"Who knows? After all, it's something left behind by those four. It might have some hidden abilities."
"Who is this person? How can they be called a born Dark Lord? How will the school handle him?"
"What do you expect? Someone like this should definitely be executed or thrown directly into Azkaban! We can't let him grow up!"
The crowd in the hall immediately fell into discussion.
Several professors began to converse amongst themselves.
Clink, clink, clink~
Dumbledore tapped his glass.
"Everyone, quiet down. The Sorting Hat has encountered some issues. Let me resolve this."
The bustling hall fell silent instantly.
Dumbledore slowly walked to Cro.
"Sorry, child. The Sorting Hat has malfunctioned and may have caused you some trouble. But don't worry, I will sort this out."
"Dumbled...!"
The Sorting Hat widened its eyes, wanting to argue that it wasn't malfunctioning.
But it was abruptly silenced by Professor McGonagall with a spell.
Cro stood up without care.
"This thing has been around for a long time, and you haven't serviced it, so it's normal for it to break down. I don't blame you."
"However..."
Cro turned his words.
"If this thing is broken, then what house am I going to? You can't just let me choose for myself, can you?"
Dumbledore stroked his white beard and exchanged a glance with Professor McGonagall.
"You're the only new student who hasn't been assigned to a house yet. If you want to choose for yourself, you can! If not, you can wait until we fix the Sorting Hat."
Dumbledore wore a kind smile.
Although he knew the Sorting Hat wasn't lying, he could sense the faint aura of a dark wizard from Cro.
But he didn't feel any malice from Cro, indicating that he only had an affinity for dark magic.
He might even be quite talented in it.
However, he hadn't killed anyone with dark magic.
This suggested that Cro was someone worth cultivating.
At least he wouldn't turn Cro into a dark wizard like that person.
Thinking of this, Dumbledore's murky eyes flashed with brilliance.
He hadn't properly guided that person, allowing him to go down the wrong path.
This had always been a thorn in his heart.
This time, he wouldn't make the same mistake!
[Detected a strong emotion of appraisal!]
[Reward: Diamond Treasure Chest!]
...
Cro's breath caught as he looked at the Sorting Hat like it was a treasure god.
The Sorting Hat quickly closed its eyes in fear.
In just a few short sentences, it had brought him so many treasure chests.
Twenty-eight bronze treasure chests!
Seventeen silver treasure chests!
Three gold treasure chests!
One diamond treasure chest!
Plus the previous treasure chests he had.
In just one day, he had earned four diamond treasure chests!
Hogwarts truly was a sacred place for treasure hunting!
Cro couldn't help but smile widely, filled with anticipation.
This was a diamond treasure chest from Dumbledore.
He wondered what it would contain.
"Have you decided which house you want to join? You can choose from all four houses!"
Dumbledore stroked his beard.
"Gryffindor represents courage and bravery, Ravenclaw is the embodiment of wisdom!"
"Hufflepuff is the realm of loyalty and honesty, while Slytherin is the cradle of ambition and power!"
Dumbledore explained the four houses to Cro.
His words resonated throughout the hall, making the students from each house proudly puff out their chests.
Hermione and Cassandra looked at Cro with anticipation, hoping he would choose to join their house.
Professor McGonagall also looked at Cro with encouraging eyes.
If this child could enter Gryffindor, she was sure she could teach him to become a fearless lion!
Cro smiled slightly.
"All four houses are great, so I choose..."
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T/N:
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