From behind a door on the right side of the entrance hall, a steady murmur of voices could be heard. But Professor McGonagall didn't lead them in.
Instead, she stopped, turned on her heel, and swept the group of nervous first-years with a sharp, no-nonsense look.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said crisply.
"In a moment, you will enter the Great Hall and go through the Sorting Ceremony. It will decide which house you will be joining. This is very important. During your seven years here, your house and Hogwarts will be your home. You will attend classes together, live together, and eat together. I expect you to treat your housemates like family."
"There are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each has a long and noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards."
Her gaze landed briefly on Draco Malfoy.
Though the spell had long worn off, Malfoy still looked like he'd been dragged backwards through a Quidditch pitch. His eyes were puffy, his hair disheveled, and his robes creased like they'd been chewed by a troll.
Professor McGonagall paused, her stern eyes shifting to Vaughn with a very pointed glare.
"I am aware that certain... incidents occurred on the train today. Very unpleasant ones. Let me make this absolutely clear, I expect this to be the last time. Once you've been sorted, your behavior will reflect on your house. Good conduct earns points. Misbehavior loses them. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup, a great honor. I suggest you follow the rules and make your house proud."
Vaughn blinked innocently at her, his expression the very picture of misunderstood virtue.
Professor McGonagall's eye twitched, but she turned back to the group. Her voice was calm, though her patience was clearly strained.
"The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. I suggest you tidy yourselves up. The entire school will be watching."
And with that, she turned and swept into the Great Hall.
The tension broke like a popped balloon. Everyone exhaled at once.
Draco Malfoy began frantically smoothing down his robes and patting at his hair.
Harry and Ron took turns awkwardly flattening each other's cowlicks, and Hermione pressed her lips together, fussing over her now-tidy curls.
Around them, the other first-years were fixing collars, wiping noses, and nervously straightening sleeves.
Then someone gasped.
Vaughn looked up and saw nearly two dozen ghosts drift through the wall.
They floated gracefully over the crowd, whispering and murmuring among themselves. Some were friendly-looking, others carried expressions like thunderclouds, and one or two even tried to strike up conversation with the stunned first-years.
No one dared respond.
Except Vaughn, who was mildly intrigued. He'd always been curious about how ghosts worked. Back when he was a reader of magical theory books, he'd often wondered about the formation of spiritual echoes in magical environments. Now that he was face-to-face with the real thing, he was fascinated.
But now really wasn't the time for ghost-chats.
The ghosts began to drift away just as Professor McGonagall returned. She surveyed the group with another sharp look and said, "Everything is ready. Line up in a single file. Follow me."
The students fell into line and followed her through the tall double doors of the Great Hall.
On either side of the long hall were four tables, packed with older students watching the newcomers with a mix of curiosity and scrutiny.
Vaughn spotted Percy, Fred, and George waving at him and Ron.
He returned the wave with a small smile. Ron, however, was too nervous to notice anything beyond his own feet.
Above them, the enchanted ceiling shimmered with stars, casting a serene, starlit glow over the room. It looked exactly as the books had described.
At the front of the hall, a ragged old hat sat on a stool.
And then, to Vaughn's internal sigh, it began to sing.
He promptly cast a Silencing Charm over his ears. There were few things more painful than listening to a hat try to rhyme.
Only when the hat stopped twitching and Professor McGonagall stepped forward with her parchment did Vaughn lift the charm.
"Abbott, Hannah!"
The Sorting had begun.
One by one, students walked up to the stool, placed the Sorting Hat on their heads, and waited as it made its decision.
Among those Vaughn recognized, Hermione was the first to go. She nearly sprinted to the front, sat down, and barely had the hat on her head before it called out:
"Gryffindor!"
Harry followed soon after, and he too was placed in Gryffindor. The house table erupted into cheers, hands thundering on the wood.
Vaughn glanced toward the staff table.
Snape looked like someone had just force-fed him a lemon. Dumbledore, behind his half-moon spectacles, was beaming with delight. His deeply lined face radiated satisfaction, as if everything was going exactly to plan.
Vaughn couldn't help but smile.
The story of the Boy Who Lived was finally underway. From this point on, the strongest powers in the magical world would begin to maneuver around him. Vaughn felt lucky to be here, watching it all unfold up close.
At last, they reached the Ws.
Ron, courtesy of his first name, was called up before Vaughn. He stumbled toward the hat, arms swinging like a broken puppet, and plopped down on the stool.
The moment the hat touched his head, it bellowed, "Gryffindor!"
The table roared.
Percy jumped to his feet, shouting, "That's my brother!"
Fred and George whooped and whistled like lunatics.
Then came, "Vaughn Weasley!"
Fred and George pounded the table with enough force to shake the plates.
"Vaughn! Vaughn!"
"Gryffindor! Gryffindor!"
The rest of the house, infected by the twins' enthusiasm, joined in with cheers and laughter.
Vaughn walked toward the stool, all while keeping Occlumency firmly in place. Deep down, he sighed.
"Sorry, Fred, George."
He knew himself too well by now. His thirst for knowledge, his ambition, his hunger for power, none of those pointed toward Gryffindor.
The hat barely touched his head before a whispering voice filled his ears.
"My, my... such excellent Occlumency. You can't hide from me, you know. I contain the minds of all four founders. And anyone who uses Occlumency this well usually has something to hide... secrets, perhaps?"
"A clever one. I see two houses that are clearly out of the question. No, for you, there's really only one choice..."
"Slytherin!"
The word rang out like a thunderclap.
All at once, the Gryffindor table went silent.
Percy, halfway into a cheer, froze with his mouth open. Fred and George tumbled backward off the bench in disbelief. Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth. Harry and Ron stared, eyes wide.
Even Professor McGonagall turned to glance at Dumbledore.
The greatest wizard of the age was watching Vaughn's retreating back with narrowed eyes and a deep, unreadable expression.
For a moment, the entire hall seemed to hold its breath.
Then Dumbledore cleared his throat, breaking the silence. He gave a slight nod.
Professor McGonagall hurried over and lifted the Sorting Hat from Vaughn's head.
Slowly, the hall returned to motion. But the murmurs began, hushed voices, flickering glances, whispers rushing like wind through the rows.
All of it aimed at one boy with unmistakable red Weasley hair and a green-trimmed robe.
Vaughn ignored them. His eyes flicked toward the glowing blue panel hovering in front of him:
[Main Quest ①: Enroll at Hogwarts - Completed]
[Reward: 1 Talent Point, 50 Mana Units]
[Claim reward?]