Led by Professor McGonagall, the first-years filed in one by one like little quails, walking into the Great Hall with fear and trepidation.
Their faces were filled with anxiety; some didn't even dare to lift their heads, for fear of attracting the attention of the upper-year students.
Adelaide watched these juniors with a pleasant mood, a strange sense of satisfaction welling up in her heart.
She sat leisurely at the Ravenclaw table, observing every move of the new students with great interest.
Adelaide noticed Harry standing behind Neville, almost pushing the stiff-limbed boy forward.
Neville was clearly very nervous; his steps were stumbling, looking as if he might fall over at any moment.
Harry whispered comforts to Neville from time to time, trying to get him to relax, but it didn't seem to have much effect.
Ron, following behind Harry, was slightly better than Neville; he hunched his shoulders and scanned the Gryffindor table with a panicked expression, seemingly looking for his three older brothers.
In contrast, Hermione, who was lined up behind Ron, was much calmer. When she noticed Adelaide at the Ravenclaw table, she even raised an eyebrow at her, seemingly determined to get into Ravenclaw House.
Several pure-blood freshmen, including Malfoy and Parkinson, were at the front of the line. The education they had received from a young age allowed them to maintain a certain level of dignity even under the scrutiny of so many upper-year students.
Draco Malfoy even had a hint of arrogance on his face, as if he were used to grand occasions and looked down on everything in the Great Hall; meanwhile, Pansy Parkinson appeared somewhat lively. She gave Adelaide a sweet smile that bloomed like a spring flower, causing the smile on Cho Chang's face beside Adelaide to fade significantly.
Cho Chang's behavior today was a bit unusual; she actually took the initiative to lean close to Adelaide, resting her head on Adelaide's shoulder and whispering into her ear:
"Adelaide, do you know that girl in the freshman line, fourth from the front, with the black ear-length bob?"
This sudden question caught Adelaide off guard. She noticed that as Cho Chang got closer, Hermione's face at the front of the line suddenly turned dark, her gaze staring straight at her like a knife, as if trying to pierce through her.
Adelaide's heart couldn't help but tighten; she felt Hermione's gaze burning her skin like fire, causing a slight stinging sensation.
But at this moment, she didn't dare provoke the obviously unhappy Cho Chang. Thus, she could only brace herself and pretend not to see Hermione's expression, answering Cho Chang in a pleasing tone:
"That is Pansy Parkinson, the eldest daughter of the Parkinson Family. We only met once before at a Malfoy Family party; we aren't very close."
Cho Chang didn't seem satisfied with this answer, pressing further: "If you aren't close, then why did she smile at you?"
Cold sweat began to bead on Adelaide's forehead; she felt as if her back was about to be soaked through with perspiration.
Faced with Cho Chang's questioning, Adelaide was momentarily speechless. After a moment of hesitation, she said casually, "Uh, maybe she's just naturally fond of smiling..."
To change the subject, Adelaide quickly pointed ahead and said, "Look, Professor McGonagall is bringing the Sorting Hat. Which house do you think The Chosen One will be sorted into?"
Fortunately, Cho Chang wasn't as aggressive as Hermione. Faced with Adelaide's clumsy attempt to change the subject, she merely pursed her lips and followed Adelaide's lead:
"Hmm, I think it should be Gryffindor. After all, both of his parents graduated from Gryffindor House."
Hearing Cho Chang's response, Adelaide breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, nodding quickly in agreement. "Haha, great minds think alike! I think so too."
At that moment, Professor McGonagall gently placed the dirty, old Sorting Hat onto a four-legged stool. Seeing that the Sorting Hat was about to open its mouth to sing, Adelaide's heart tightened, fearing she would be affected by the hat's song, so she unhesitatingly reached up and quickly covered both her ears.
Time passed second by second until the other students began to clap and the Sorting Hat bowed to the four tables. Only then did Adelaide slowly lower her hands from her ears.
Next, Professor McGonagall unfurled the Parchment in her hand and solemnly announced, "Alright, I will now begin the roll call. When I call your name, please put on this hat and sit on the stool to await the sorting result."
"Hannah Abbott!"
The 'Iron Hat King' of HP fanfiction wobbled out of the line. Nervousness written all over her face, she put on the hat and slowly sat down on the stool.
The Sorting Hat quickly made its decision. "Hufflepuff!"
The Hufflepuffs at the table on the far right began to cheer and clap, welcoming Hannah over.
The sorting of the new students was much faster than imagined, and it wasn't long before it was Hermione's turn.
"Hermione Granger!"
When her name was called, Hermione almost sprinted to the stool and hurriedly pulled the shabby-looking hat down over her head.
Time ticked by—ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute, three minutes, five minutes... Most of Hermione's face was covered by the hat, making it impossible for Adelaide, sitting below, to see her expression.
However, according to the original story's description, Hermione didn't seem to have spent such a long time during the sorting, did she?
The other students in the Great Hall clearly noticed Hermione's abnormality as well; they began to lean in and whisper among themselves.
Dumbledore, sitting at the high table, also saw the slight upward curve of his lips gradually flatten. His gaze fell intently on Hermione, causing Adelaide to frown.
After nearly ten minutes of silence, the Sorting Hat finally spoke—
"Gryffindor!"
This result clearly made Dumbledore breathe a sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth turned up once again.
Hearing the result, Hermione somewhat roughly snatched the Sorting Hat off her head and walked quickly toward the Gryffindor table with an expressionless face.
She sat down next to Percy, who had just been promoted to Prefect this year. Harry, Ron, and Neville all looked at her with a hint of envy.
Adelaide rubbed her chin thoughtfully. It seemed Dumbledore had indeed interfered with the sorting result. Otherwise, given Hermione's studious nature and her strong desire to be in the same house as Adelaide, the Sorting Hat's natural decision should have been Ravenclaw.
But it didn't matter. Adelaide had already planned around Hermione being in Gryffindor anyway. Having Hermione in Gryffindor just gave her an extra hidden line of influence over Harry.
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