The Sorting Hat settles on my head, and for a moment its whispers try to creep deeper — searching for the other me.
But my Occlumency walls are absolute.
"Hmm… ambitious… calculating… a hunger for power and legacy… ah, Grindelwald blood, I see. A leader in the making… SLYTHERIN!"
Perfect.
Smirks, applause, and whispers greet me as I take my place — the last name Grindelwald has weight, and fear, and fascination wrapped around it. I sit confidently, already claiming my throne at the center of the table.
Draco joins me next — a predictable but valuable move. His status and influence are tools, and now those tools sit at my right hand.
Then—
Harry Potter steps up.Silence drapes the Great Hall.
The Hat pulls back memories of a cupboard, loneliness, a desperate yearning for direction. He is vulnerable — and I have already positioned myself as refuge.
"You could be great, Harry… SLYTHERIN!"
Gasps. A murmur of disbelief. The Boy Who Lived — in Slytherin.
I clap first — loud, certain.That confidence triggers others to follow. Applause spreads like green‑stained wildfire.
Harry looks relieved when he walks to me. I motion for him to sit at my left — a signal seen by everyone.
Neville follows soon after — Gryffindor.Not ideal… but workable. I can reach across tables.
Dumbledore's eyes glitter with curiosity.He sees three young first‑years bonding too quickly.He sees a Grindelwald gaining allies.He sees potential danger.
Good.
Dumbledore rises for his speech.
Warnings about danger — the Forbidden Forest.A casual mention of the fourth‑floor corridor — "off limits to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
I almost smile.Even now, he underestimates how much I know — and how early.
Then the feast begins.
Plates fill. Conversations spark. The Slytherins steal glances:The Boy Who Lived and the Grindelwald heir — side by side.
Harry leans closer and speaks quietly:
"Thanks… for earlier. I didn't know where I'd end up."
I turn to him, voice smooth as silk:
"Where you belong, Harry. With me.Together, we'll reshape everything."
The future is already shifting.Whispers are already forming into legends.
Slytherin has two kings now —and one of them is already planning to take the world.