Even the newest first-year understood the meaning behind the surname Grindelwald.
The first Dark Lord.
The man who once swept across Europe and nearly overturned the entire wizarding world.
And more importantly—
He was still alive.
Aside from Draco, Pansy, and a handful of others already aware of Lucien's identity, nearly everyone stared at the blond-haired boy in disbelief.
They simply could not connect the elegant, polite young wizard from the train with the heir of Gellert Grindelwald.
Ignoring every strange look around him, Lucien walked calmly toward the Sorting stool.
At the staff table, Dumbledore's eyes gradually lost focus.
For a fleeting instant—
It felt as though he had returned to Godric's Hollow.
Summer sunlight.
A bright valley.
Two reckless boys dreaming of changing the world.
The familiar blond hair before him blurred into another face entirely.
A name escaped Dumbledore's lips almost unconsciously.
"…Gellert."
Beside him, Professor McGonagall sighed softly.
She genuinely regretted this now.
Lucien had made an exceptionally good impression since arriving at Hogwarts.
Polite.
Disciplined.
Powerful.
She originally assumed he came from some influential pure-blood family tied to the Ministry or the Wizengamot.
She completely forgot that Grindelwald's adopted son had also received a Hogwarts acceptance letter.
"Please put on the Sorting Hat, Mr. Grindelwald."
McGonagall handed him the hat personally.
Lucien bowed politely.
"Please call me Lucien, Professor."
Then, beneath the watchful eyes of the entire Great Hall, he sat down and placed the Sorting Hat onto his head.
The moment it touched him, an exhausted voice echoed in his mind.
"…Finally."
Lucien almost laughed.
"You again."
"Could we discuss turning off your Occlumency for five minutes?" the Sorting Hat complained bitterly. "You're making this unnecessarily difficult."
Lucien inwardly noted the reaction immediately.
Level Seven Occlumency was even more effective than expected.
At minimum, protecting his core thoughts would not be a problem.
Even Dumbledore likely could not read him properly now.
Lucien carefully loosened only the outermost layer of his mental defences.
The Sorting Hat visibly relaxed.
"Oh, thank Merlin."
Then it sounded suddenly delighted.
"And such manners! This is the first time someone's called me 'sir' in decades."
The hat began searching through Lucien's mind more thoroughly.
Almost immediately—
It became increasingly astonished.
"Incredible talent."
"Fearless."
"Curious."
"Determined."
"You possess Godric's courage…"
"Helga's integrity…"
"Rowena's intellect…"
The Sorting Hat paused briefly.
Then its tone became increasingly strange.
"…And Salazar would probably adopt you on the spot."
Lucien nearly smiled.
The hat continued muttering internally.
"You challenge authority without hesitation…"
"You pursue knowledge obsessively…"
"And somehow you're manipulating half the first-year class already…"
Several more seconds passed.
Then the Sorting Hat announced loudly—
"SLYTHERIN!"
The Slytherin table exploded immediately.
Draco practically looked ready to faint from excitement.
Pansy clapped so hard her hands turned red.
Several older Slytherins cheered loudly as if a Quidditch final had just been won.
Meanwhile, Lucien's mouth twitched faintly beneath the hat.
For a moment, he genuinely thought the Sorting Hat intended to throw him into another House purely out of spite.
Retaliation.
Blatant retaliation.
The old hat clearly remained annoyed about Hermione, Neville, and the others rejecting its original preferences.
Lucien calmly stood.
Then, before returning the Sorting Hat, he suddenly drew his wand.
The entire Great Hall froze.
"Scourgify."
A burst of cleaning magic struck the Sorting Hat directly.
Dust exploded everywhere.
Several professors nearly choked.
The Sorting Hat screamed.
"YOU LITTLE—"
Lucien smiled politely while handing it back toward McGonagall.
"You're welcome, Mr. Sorting Hat."
The Great Hall remained utterly silent.
Lucien absolutely refused to let that earlier attempted prank go unanswered.
If the hat wanted revenge—
Then so could he.
Besides, if the Sorting Hat had not interfered earlier, Harry might genuinely have chosen differently.
Another system notification appeared immediately.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Slytherin.]
[Achievement Points Awarded: 50.]
Lucien's mood improved instantly.
"Excellent," he thought calmly.
"That's enough for another five-pull later."
The moment he reached the Slytherin table, several students immediately crowded around him.
"Vincent Rowle!"
A pale boy introduced himself enthusiastically.
"Marcus Flint," announced another large student who looked more like a gorilla than a child.
"The Flint family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight."
Before Marcus could continue, several girls shoved him aside aggressively.
Their eyes practically sparkled while staring at Lucien.
After all—
Gellert Grindelwald had once been one of the most famous and charismatic wizards in Europe.
And Lucien resembled him frighteningly closely.
For many young witches, that combination was devastating.
Eventually, the final first-year completed their Sorting.
The ceremony finally ended.
Professor McGonagall lightly tapped her goblet with a spoon.
Dumbledore stood once more.
"Before we begin the feast," he announced cheerfully, "I have a few final words."
The hall quieted immediately.
"Nitwit."
"Blubber."
"Oddment."
"Tweak."
"Thank you."
The next second, mountains of food appeared instantly across the tables.
The rich aroma spread throughout the Great Hall.
Lucien had to admit—
Hogwarts food genuinely surpassed Vinda's cooking by a terrifying margin.
Around the hall, ghosts suddenly burst through walls and ceilings.
Many first-years gasped in alarm.
Nearly Headless Nick floated proudly through Gryffindor while the Bloody Baron drifted ominously behind the Slytherin table.
After some initial chaos, the feast gradually settled into normal conversation.
Eventually, Dumbledore waved his wand again.
The remaining food vanished instantly.
Then the Headmaster rose cheerfully.
"And now," he announced brightly, "before bed, let us sing the school song!"
Every professor's expression visibly darkened.
Especially Snape's.
His face somehow became even gloomier than usual.
Dumbledore ignored them completely.
With one wave of his wand, glowing musical notes floated across the hall like tiny dancing fairies.
"Everyone pick your favourite tune!"
The Great Hall instantly descended into complete catastrophe.
Hundreds of students sang at entirely different speeds and melodies simultaneously.
Fred and George deliberately sang like dying banshees.
Lucien carefully observed the professors instead.
Flitwick enthusiastically sang louder than everyone else combined.
Snape merely moved his lips silently without producing a single sound.
Exactly as expected.
Eventually, the torture finally ended.
The students were led away by their respective Heads of House toward their dormitories.
Upon reaching the entrance to the Slytherin common room, an older student stepped forward arrogantly.
"I am your prefect, Emery Carrow."
He stood before a damp stone wall decorated with twisting serpent carvings.
"The password will only be spoken once."
Then he announced proudly—
"Pure-Blood Glory."
The hidden doorway slowly slid open.
The Slytherin common room revealed itself beyond.
Dark green lighting reflected through the underwater windows while shadows from the Black Lake drifted across the walls.
Silver serpent decorations covered nearly every surface.
The atmosphere felt mysterious and cold.
Lucien had barely stepped inside when a familiar drawling voice sounded behind him.
"Mr. Grindelwald."
Snape stood nearby with his usual expression of permanent irritation.
"Professor Dumbledore requests your presence in the Headmaster's office."
....
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