"I'm Mike." the dark haired boy next to Terry introduced himself more cautiously.
"Alex." I said calmly in response before listening to the rest of the sorting.
"Finch- Fletchley, Justin!" "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Finnigan, Seamus!" "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Goldstein, Anthony!" "RAVENCLAW!"
"Goyle, Gregory!" "SLYTHERIN!"
"Granger, Hermione!" Mcgonagall called drawing my attention.
Unlike the two boys before her Hermione was plot-important and more than that had seen me use magic that could change her mind about what house to go in. It was more or less implied that she was perfectly in between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in the books with the hat deferring to her to choose in the end. In the books she said she chose Gryffindor because it was the house of Dumbledore who was considered the greatest white wizard. After personally seeing me cast higher year magic however I was curious if this change would cause her choice to change as well. She sat on the stool with the hat on her head and things got awkward as the hat remained silent to everyone but her for a good five minutes before speaking.-
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat called and her robes shifted colors.
'As expected, my interference wasn't enough.' I thought both satisfied and a little disappointed.
Satisfied because canon was still on track more or less still and disappointed because it would have been interesting to see how Hermione would change in Ravenclaw. Still I didn't care enough to dwell on the matter and watched the rest of the first years get sorted. I ignored most of the remaining names and the houses they got put in until the main courses arrived. First up was Malfoy who looked downright pleased with the result of him getting put into Slytherin but considering his home life that was to be expected.-
Next up was Mr. Main character himself, Harry Potter. The boy was thin to an unhealthy degree and pale from a lack of sunlight in his life with beaten up glasses on his face over his green eyes. He had short messy brown hair and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else as the whispers about him started immediately after his name was called. The hat had furrowed brows at this one and I wasn't surprised since the hat saw great potential for both Slytherin and Gryffindor in Harry according to the books.-
An interesting theory from my previous life was that Harry's potential in Slytherin actually came from the soul fragment in his head as it belonged to Voldemort. I couldn't say for sure since I was no expert on the subject of Horcruxes or souls but it wouldn't surprise me at all if that were the case given the corruptive influence the souls had on their housing objects in the books. When Harry was eventually sorted into Gryffindor though I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding in relief. I knew why this moment had me so focused too as it would be hard not to.-
Despite saying I had no care for canon the fact was I didn't like uncertainty. Any large change in canon that happened would cause many unexpected and potentially problematic things. Once I started my business in this world canon was bound to get fucked sideways anyways so I would prefer not to have to deal with a change unrelated to my actions just yet. By unrelated I of course mean things I did directly rather than the indirect results of them, I refused to think about that or I might go mad from stress.-
Anyways the Gryffindor table went wild with joy and pride at Harry's placement in that house. This was understandable given the boys importance and reputation in the magical world. After that was Ron Weasleys turn followed by Blaise Zabini's turn to be sorted, Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively. Dumbledore rose from his seat with a joyful expression and wide arms as he addressed everyone.
"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet I would like to say a few words! And here they are! Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He said before sitting back down while everyone clapped and cheered.
The moment the man had finished speaking food manifested above all the tables in great proportions. Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausage, bacon, steak, boiled cabbage, coleslaw, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and oddly enough peppermint humbugs. The sheer variety of food was nearly overwhelming and I wasted no time at all helping myself. I grabbed a helping of boiled cabbage, lamb chops, gravy and fries and dug in eagerly. The food was well made and fresh making the meal nice.
"Dear gods man, slow down! It's not going to run away." I chastised Terry who was practically not chewing his food at the speed he was eating it.
"Bugger off! My mom says I'm a growing boy and need to eat as much as I can!" he retorted with a grin.
"Keep it up and you'll be grow just as big at the waist as you are tall." Mike chimed in and we laughed.
Yes I quite liked these two so far, they kind of reminded me of Whitebeard with how carefree they are. Terry was more boisterous of the two with Mike being more reserved but still casual. Soon enough though all the main course foods vanished along with the plates and silverware we used to eat them only to be replaced with clean dishes and various deserts. Blocks of icecream in every flavor imaginable, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs, jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jello, rice pudding and other deserts. Even after his ravenous consumption of the main dishes Terry tore into the deserts eagerly.-
"Any idea what the schedule is like?" Mike asked while chewing through an éclair.
"We know as much as you do till we check the post board." an older guy said from nearby with a shrug.