The Sorting Hat felt strangely oversized.
The moment Lucas placed it onto his head, the brim slipped down far enough to nearly cover his eyes completely.
Then immediately—
He sensed a faint consciousness brushing across his mind.
Naturally, it only encountered the perfectly fabricated memories protected beneath his Occlumency.
"Oh…"
The Sorting Hat's voice echoed inside Lucas's head.
"What a tragic childhood."
Its tone suddenly softened slightly.
"And yet… remarkably brave."
Lucas remained silent.
The Sorting Hat continued scanning his false memories rapidly.
"After escaping, you still chose to protect others?"
The hat sounded increasingly amazed.
"Oh my… such courage."
"I haven't met a child this fearless in a very long time."
Then its tone became thoughtful.
"Brave… talented… determined…"
The hat seemed genuinely delighted now.
"Looking at you almost feels like meeting Godric Gryffindor himself."
Lucas quietly asked inside his mind:
"Mr Sorting Hat, may I ask you something?"
"Oh?"
The hat chuckled immediately.
"A polite little wizard too. How refreshing."
Then suddenly—
It laughed strangely.
"Ah… I already know what you want to ask."
Lucas paused slightly.
"You're wondering about the little girl earlier, aren't you?"
The hat's tone became meaningful.
"Well… there's no reason I can't tell you."
"It may concern you directly after all."
Lucas's heart stirred faintly.
The Sorting Hat sighed softly.
"She understood you far better than you realised."
Lucas fell silent.
"She already knew you would choose Gryffindor."
The hat's voice became gentler now.
"And because of that…"
"She insisted on going there too."
Lucas's fingers unconsciously tightened slightly.
The Sorting Hat continued quietly:
"To be honest, Slytherin would've suited her extremely well."
"Ambitious. Intelligent. Proud."
"A very classic serpent."
Then the hat laughed again.
"But she stubbornly demanded Gryffindor instead."
"I respect a student's sincere wishes."
Outside meanwhile—
Professor McGonagall was beginning to lose patience slightly.
Lucas had been sitting there silently for far too long now.
She coughed lightly.
The Great Hall waited in complete anticipation.
Honestly, McGonagall desperately hoped Lucas would join Gryffindor after witnessing his Transfiguration talents personally.
The Sorting Hat's voice echoed again.
"Well then."
"Though chatting with you is entertaining, the others are waiting."
Then it suddenly became dramatically emotional.
"And remember your promise!"
Lucas blinked.
"…Promise?"
"You promised to help bathe me someday!"
The Sorting Hat sounded deeply touched.
"Do you realise nobody has washed me properly for centuries?!"
Lucas almost laughed.
Then suddenly—
The hat shouted loudly for the entire hall to hear:
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table exploded immediately.
Cheers erupted everywhere.
After all, thanks to recent newspapers, Lucas Summers already possessed enormous fame before even entering school.
Lucas removed the Sorting Hat calmly before returning it to Professor McGonagall.
Her usual stern expression finally cracked slightly into a smile.
Lucas glanced towards the staff table.
Dumbledore sat there happily applauding again.
Lucas smiled faintly and nodded back before heading towards Gryffindor.
Harry immediately grabbed him excitedly.
"Lucas! Over here!"
He dragged Lucas directly into the seat beside Kassandra.
Almost instantly, the Weasley twins appeared behind him simultaneously.
"So it's true then?"
One twin grinned mischievously.
"The newspapers weren't exaggerating?"
"Professor Dumbledore's personal disciple?" the other added dramatically.
Lucas glanced between the identical redheads calmly.
"Technically speaking," he replied smoothly, "everyone attending Hogwarts is Professor Dumbledore's student."
The twins froze briefly.
Then one groaned loudly.
"Oh no."
"You sound exactly like Percy," the other complained.
Lucas immediately felt offended on a spiritual level.
Beside him, Kassandra sat unusually quietly.
Her cheeks still looked faintly pink.
She kept secretly glancing sideways at him.
Lucas casually reached over and ruffled her perfectly neat blonde hair deliberately.
Instant chaos.
Kassandra immediately stiffened.
Then Lucas leaned closer and whispered softly beside her ear:
"Silly girl."
His voice became gentler.
"No matter what House you choose…"
Lucas smiled slightly.
"I'll still like you exactly the same."
Kassandra froze completely.
Then even the tips of her ears turned crimson instantly.
Lucas looked extremely satisfied.
Soon, Dumbledore finally stood up again.
Clearly understanding everyone's hunger levels perfectly, he skipped long speeches entirely.
"Let the feast begin!"
Instantly—
The empty golden plates filled with food magically.
Mountains of roast meat, potatoes, vegetables, pies, puddings, and countless other dishes appeared across the tables.
Ron immediately grabbed chicken legs with both hands like a starving refugee.
The poor boy had clearly been hungry for hours.
Then Lucas suddenly blinked in surprise.
A small hotpot sat directly in front of him.
He slowly looked towards the staff table.
Dumbledore winked at him cheerfully.
Apparently Tom from the Leaky Cauldron mentioned Lucas's obsession with hotpot previously.
Unexpectedly, Dumbledore actually remembered.
Honestly—
The Hogwarts house-elves possessed incredible cooking skills.
Even Lucas admitted the lamb broth tasted excellent.
Once everyone nearby noticed the hotpot, Lucas enthusiastically introduced hotpot culture immediately.
Far superior to suspicious British cuisine.
Especially compared to things like steak-and-kidney pudding or Stargazy Pie.
Then suddenly—
Harry hissed sharply beside him.
"Agh!"
He clutched his scar painfully.
Percy immediately looked concerned.
"What happened?"
Lucas calmly glanced towards the staff table.
Quirrell currently sat speaking quietly with Snape.
More specifically—
The thing attached behind Quirrell's turban had clearly reacted to Harry's presence.
Lucas understood instantly.
Voldemort's fragmented soul was stimulating Harry's scar again.
Interesting.
Lucas silently began considering practical murder methods for noseless Dark Lords.
Eventually, desserts arrived too.
Then finally—
The feast ended.
Dumbledore stood once more.
"Now that everyone is well fed…"
His eyes twinkled brightly.
"I have several announcements."
"First-years should note that the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden."
Then he looked meaningfully towards several older students too.
"Though certain upper years should remember that rule as well."
A few students looked embarrassed immediately.
Then Dumbledore's expression became slightly more serious.
"And finally…"
"Anyone wishing to avoid a painful and possibly tragic death should avoid the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor."
Harry immediately whispered towards Percy beside him:
"He can't be serious, can he?"
Lucas remained thoughtful instead.
Clearly, Dumbledore already realised Voldemort started targeting the Philosopher's Stone.
Meaning Gringotts no longer felt secure enough.
So the old man moved it personally to Hogwarts beforehand.
Lucas felt almost certain now—
The entire so-called obstacle course on the fourth floor merely existed as bait specifically prepared for Quirrell.
After all, in canon, the Mirror of Erised hiding the Philosopher's Stone was eventually placed there too.
....
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