"Slytherin!"
The Sorting Hat's voice boomed, as if this was its proudest moment in years.
"What? Did I hear that right? *Slytherin*?"
"No way!"
"This can't be happening!"
The Great Hall didn't erupt in applause but in stunned disbelief.
The loudest groans came almost simultaneously from the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables.
The Gryffindors had already heard about the train incident. For a first-year to humiliate Malfoy like that before even stepping foot in Hogwarts? That was the stuff of legends, a story to be passed down through generations.
Fred and George had already embellished the tale, ready to spread it far and wide once Edward joined Gryffindor.
Even the ever-rule-abiding Percy was looking forward to welcoming Edward into their house.
But the Sorting Hat put him in *Slytherin*? Was this some kind of joke?
The Slytherins, meanwhile, were even more baffled.
Forget the Malfoy incident for a second. The Bedivere family's reputation was no secret, and like father, like son. Edward openly supported Muggle-born wizards—hardly the makings of a Slytherin!
When Salazar Slytherin founded the house, he demanded absolute blood purity, not just in lineage but in reverence for it.
Sure, Edward's bloodline was ancient and pure enough, but sorting a pure-blood "traitor" into Slytherin? That felt like a slap in the founder's face.
Most of the Slytherins' faces darkened.
The palest of all was Draco Malfoy, who hadn't even been sorted yet. His mind went blank, his ears ringing, as if a troll had stomped on his head.
Crabbe and Goyle were equally shaken.
They'd always known they'd end up in Slytherin—none of them had ever considered another house.
Malfoy, a scion of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, couldn't even fathom being placed anywhere else.
But now, sharing a house with *Edward*? Maybe even the same dorm?
Malfoy was starting to think Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff might not be *that* bad.
Hufflepuff's too ordinary, sure, but with my brains, maybe Ravenclaw?
"No way, this has to be a mistake!" Ron blurted, feeling like his world had collapsed.
Edward in Slytherin was harder for him to stomach than if *he'd* been sorted there.
From the moment Edward stood up for him and Harry on the train, Ron was convinced Edward belonged in Gryffindor—no question.
Brave, honest, helpful—Ron saw a Gryffindor reincarnated.
Even if Edward was smart enough for Ravenclaw, fine, that'd make sense. But *Slytherin*? That den of gloomy, evil, pure-blood fanatics?
That house had churned out countless dark wizards for You-Know-Who!
Edward didn't fit *any* of those traits, and his parents openly supported Muggle-born wizards.
As for Harry, he'd already had a deep aversion to Slytherin, partly from Ron's descriptions and partly from his own gut feelings.
But hearing Edward's name called for Slytherin? He didn't believe his ears. A hollow emptiness filled his chest.
Then, a strange thought crept in: maybe being in Slytherin with Edward wouldn't be *that* bad?
"Silence! Silence!"
As the hall grew louder and more chaotic, Dumbledore stood, his voice cutting through the noise to restore order.
"Let's give a round of applause for Mr. Bedivere! Congratulations to Slytherin for gaining another fine student!"
He smiled and began clapping, prompting the staff and students to follow. The Slytherin table managed some half-hearted cheers, but the enthusiasm was noticeably lacking.
Edward stood, gave a slight bow to the staff table, and headed toward the silver-and-green-draped Slytherin table.
Next up was Hermione Granger, a girl with bushy brown hair and slightly oversized front teeth, who looked a bit like a beaver when she smiled. She was sorted into Gryffindor, but it took nearly four minutes.
A few more names were called before Edward heard a familiar one.
"Daphne Greengrass!"
The icy rose stepped forward gracefully.
Gasps rippled across all four tables.
The Greengrass name was well-known in the wizarding world, but no one expected this generation's Greengrass to be so striking.
"Hurry up," Daphne muttered as Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
She was talking to the hat.
"Hurry up? Another Greengrass, I see. You're a girl who values efficiency, aren't you? Don't worry, this won't take long—it's just procedure," the Sorting Hat mused, engaging her in conversation.
"Ugh, this is exactly what I was worried about. Get on with it," Daphne sighed, as if she'd anticipated the hat's chattiness.
The hat was clearly a talker, especially with wizards it found intriguing.
"Calm, clever, ambitious, and fiercely competitive. Your mind's not even on the Sorting—you're too busy thinking about beating someone."
Though the voice was soft enough for only Daphne to hear, she shifted uncomfortably on the stool.
"No one asked you to poke around in my memories. Hurry up," she snapped.
"Hurry up? Fine, then—Slytherin!"
The Slytherin table exploded into loud cheers and applause. Edward joined in, clapping enthusiastically.
Daphne, however, seemed unfazed. She walked calmly to the table and sat beside Edward.
"Had your fill of the spotlight?" she asked, giving him a curious glance.
"It's not about the spotlight. It's my choice," Edward replied earnestly.
"Whatever you say, but you've definitely stolen the show tonight—especially from Draco, who hasn't even been sorted yet, and the famous Harry Potter."
"Though, now that we're housemates, I'm starting to worry if Slytherin's got enough points to cover all the ones you'll probably lose us," Daphne said with a shrug.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, despite their dread, couldn't escape their fate. They were all sorted into Slytherin, destined to be Edward's housemates.
The trio slunk to the Slytherin table, deliberately sitting far from Edward, whispering with some older Slytherins.
Ron and Harry, meanwhile, landed in Gryffindor. Ron's sorting was instantaneous, the hat barely touching his head. Harry's took longer, with the hat wavering, but his strong preference for Gryffindor won out.
Edward genuinely cheered for them, clapping sincerely for every student's sorting.
Daphne, by contrast, was far more reserved, as were most Slytherins—only showing enthusiasm when their own house gained a new member.
Finally, after Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin, Professor McGonagall collected her parchment and returned to the staff table.
Albus Dumbledore rose, beaming, and raised his hands to quiet the students.
"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before the feast begins, I have just a few words."
"And they are: Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak! Thank you!"
"Let the feast begin!"
Edward had never heard a speech so short. In his school days or later at work, headmasters and bosses droned on endlessly with empty words.
They could learn a thing or two from Dumbledore!
With a snap of Dumbledore's fingers, the tables were instantly laden with food, as if it had always been there.
Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, roasted potatoes, chips, pudding, corn on the cob, pumpkin pasties, and all sorts of drinks…
Every student's mouth watered.
For the newly sorted first-years, nothing broke the ice better than eating and chatting. Even the Slytherins warmed up.
After all, they were now housemates, all working toward the House Cup.
Edward met a few classmates: Pansy Parkinson, a quirky short-haired girl; Blaise Zabini, a tall, dark-skinned boy; and Theodore Nott, a reserved-looking boy.
Nearly all pure-bloods or half-bloods, of course.
Edward didn't talk much at the feast—there'd be plenty of time to get to know them later.
Soon, the feast wound down, and Dumbledore waved his wand, clearing the tables of leftovers.
After warning everyone to steer clear of the Forbidden Forest and the fourth-floor right corridor, the exhausted students were finally free to head to their common rooms.
"Slytherin first-years, follow me. I don't want to deal with any lost newbies on the first day," said Gemma Farley, the Slytherin prefect and a quintessential Slytherin beauty, as she led the group down the stairs.
After winding through the chilly dungeons and countless corridors, the first-years stopped before a somber stone wall.
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