Lucien watched the Sorting continue calmly from the centre of the first-year line.
At this point, the future had already changed beyond recognition.
The only thing still remaining constant—
Was the so-called Chosen One.
"Hannah Abbott…"
Lucien recalled the future briefly.
"If I remember correctly, she eventually marries Neville."
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"If Neville enters Hufflepuff instead, perhaps things will progress much faster."
Just then, Professor McGonagall called the next name.
"Neville Longbottom!"
Neville nearly tripped over his own feet walking toward the stool.
Clearly, being watched by the entire Great Hall terrified him.
The Sorting Hat settled onto his head.
Unlike earlier students, however, the Sorting Hat remained silent for quite a while.
It was clearly arguing with him internally.
"You're certain?" the Sorting Hat asked inside Neville's mind.
"I… I think so."
"Interesting…"
Several more seconds passed.
Then—
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted into loud applause once more.
Professor Sprout looked delighted beyond words.
Dumbledore, however, frowned slightly.
"Neville Longbottom…" he murmured thoughtfully.
Both of Neville's parents had been Gryffindors.
His grandmother practically worshipped Gryffindor ideals.
Yet somehow—
Neville had willingly chosen Hufflepuff.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Next—Hermione Granger!"
Hermione immediately stiffened.
Then she took a deep breath and marched forward with determination written all over her face.
Lucien almost smiled.
She looked less like a nervous student and more like someone heading into battle.
"Don't panic," Hermione muttered quietly to herself while approaching the stool. "You've memorised everything."
Just before sitting down, she glanced nervously toward Lucien.
Then the Sorting Hat dropped over her head.
Nearby, Ron muttered under his breath—
"She's mental."
Clearly, he still remembered Hermione following Lucien around earlier on the train.
Harry immediately frowned at Ron's comment.
He had already started feeling increasingly uncomfortable with Ron's behaviour after the Trevor incident.
Lucien calmly turned his gaze toward Ron.
The pressure alone nearly made Ron choke.
He instantly lowered his head without daring to meet Lucien's eyes.
Professor McGonagall heard him as well.
"Mr. Weasley," she said sharply, "speaking badly about classmates behind their backs is not acceptable behaviour."
Ron turned scarlet again.
At that exact moment, the Sorting Hat suddenly sounded unusually helpless.
"Well now…"
Its voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Why does every first-year this year seem determined to make their own decisions?"
Several professors looked startled.
Then the Sorting Hat shouted—
"RAVENCLAW!"
The Ravenclaw table burst into applause.
Hermione immediately pulled off the hat before looking triumphantly toward Lucien.
Her smug expression practically screamed:
"See? I'm brilliant."
Lucien quietly shook his head in amusement.
The moment Hermione sat down at the Ravenclaw table, several older students immediately surrounded her excitedly in conversation.
Most of them also kept glancing curiously toward Lucien.
Meanwhile, Lucien's thoughts drifted elsewhere entirely.
"So that's two already…"
Hermione and Neville had both diverged completely from canon.
Without Hermione beside him—
How exactly were Harry and Ron supposed to survive future disasters using their combined half-braincell?
Honestly, Lucien was becoming increasingly curious.
So far, everything aboard the train had achieved excellent results.
He had established authority among the students.
Earned favourable impressions from professors.
And successfully separated two key future allies away from Harry.
Now—
Only Harry remained.
If Harry truly entered Slytherin tonight…
Dumbledore would probably lose sleep for the next seven years.
Soon afterward, Draco, Pansy, Theodore, and several other students completed their Sorting successfully.
Then finally—
The climax arrived.
"Harry Potter."
The moment McGonagall called the name, the Great Hall instantly exploded into whispers.
Even many older students stood up slightly for a better look.
At the staff table, Dumbledore's attention sharpened immediately.
Harry walked slowly toward the stool before placing the Sorting Hat onto his head.
Inside Harry's mind, the Sorting Hat sighed.
"Well now…"
"You're difficult."
Harry swallowed nervously.
"I can see courage. Kindness. Talent."
"And…"
The Sorting Hat paused briefly.
"…outside influence."
Harry blinked.
"What?"
"That blond boy."
The Sorting Hat sounded deeply amused.
"Before you, several students already ignored my instincts because of his advice."
Harry immediately realised who it meant.
"Lucien?"
"Yes. Him."
The Sorting Hat chuckled quietly.
"Interesting child."
Harry hesitated.
"Was he wrong?"
"No," the Sorting Hat admitted honestly. "He's absolutely correct."
"There's no perfect House."
"Only the House most suited to each person."
Then the Sorting Hat's voice sharpened.
"So then, Harry Potter…"
"What do you truly want?"
"Gryffindor?"
"Slytherin?"
Harry froze.
For the first time, he genuinely hesitated.
Outside the hat, time continued passing.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three.
The Great Hall gradually grew restless.
Until now, no student had taken this long.
Even Professor McGonagall looked increasingly surprised.
Several students had already started wondering if the Sorting Hat finally broke after centuries of use.
At the staff table, Dumbledore's expression gradually darkened.
As Headmaster, he understood the Sorting Hat perfectly.
There was only one explanation for such hesitation.
Harry genuinely could not decide.
Dumbledore slowly turned his gaze toward Lucien.
During the summer, he deliberately arranged countless subtle influences around Harry.
Hagrid.
The Weasleys.
Gryffindor ideals.
Everything had been carefully prepared to push Harry naturally toward Gryffindor.
And yet—
Harry still hesitated.
Because of Lucien Grindelwald.
At this moment, Dumbledore finally realised something dangerous.
Lucien's influence over people might actually rival Grindelwald's.
Inside the Sorting Hat, Harry still remained uncertain.
Finally, the Sorting Hat sighed dramatically.
"You still can't decide?"
"Very well then."
"I'll decide for you."
Then it shouted loudly across the hall—
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table exploded immediately.
"We've got Harry Potter!"
"Harry Potter's in Gryffindor!"
Fred and George nearly knocked over several goblets celebrating.
Ron looked delighted.
At the staff table, Dumbledore quietly relaxed at last.
Lucien, however, merely shook his head calmly.
He had lost this round.
But not completely.
Because he noticed something extremely important—
Harry's reaction.
Harry smiled after joining Gryffindor.
But only politely.
There was no overwhelming excitement.
No deep sense of belonging.
No emotional attachment.
Dumbledore forced Harry into Gryffindor—
But failed to make Harry truly love it.
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You won the Sorting," he thought calmly toward Dumbledore.
"But you didn't win Harry."
Eventually, the noise settled again.
Professor McGonagall lowered her gaze toward the parchment for the next name.
Then suddenly—
She froze.
A strange expression crossed her face.
Several professors immediately noticed the hesitation.
Even Dumbledore slowly looked up again.
McGonagall glanced briefly toward him before finally speaking.
Her voice echoed clearly throughout the Great Hall.
"Lucien Grindelwald."
Silence.
Absolute silence descended instantly across Hogwarts.
....
Join my exclusive P@treon community for 60+ thrilling chapters!
Link: pa*treon.com/MidnightWonder (Remove the *)
If you join now you will get 2 Chapters for free as well.
Don't miss out, join now!