NOVEL WEB Book 2: Chapter 4 – The Sorting
"Hannah Abbott!"
A girl with rosy cheeks and light blonde pigtails stumbled out of line. She put on the hat with trembling hands and sat down on the stool.
After a moment's pause, "HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat proclaimed.
The table on the right burst into applause and cheers as they welcomed their newest member.
Hermione couldn't hide her disappointment. The challenging test she had imagined turned out to be nothing more than this. Though slightly disheartened, she quickly bounced back - after all, her extensive preparation wouldn't go to waste, even if it wasn't needed for the sorting.
She wasn't quite sure how this shabby old hat determined students' houses. The young witch watched nervously as one student after another was sorted into different houses, growing increasingly anxious about whether she and Glenn would end up in the same house.
Sensing Hermione's tension, Glenn gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
The sorting process varied for each student, some taking mere seconds while others sat for over a minute. As more young wizards and witches found their houses, accompanied by waves of applause from their respective tables, the line of first-years grew steadily shorter.
"Hermione Granger." Professor McGonagall's voice softened imperceptibly upon seeing the familiar name, though none noticed her slight smile.
The little girl's posture immediately straightened. "Go on," Glenn withdrew his hand and gave her a gentle nudge forward.
Clutching Crookshanks, she hurried to the stool.
"Good evening, Professor McGonagall," Hermione whispered. McGonagall smiled warmly and personally placed the Sorting Hat on her head.
After a brief moment under the girl's tense expression, the hat announced its decision.
"GRYFFINDOR!" As the Gryffindor table erupted in applause, Hermione's eyes sparkled with delight, clearly pleased with her sorting.
With ninety points still in Glenn's possession, it would be perfect if he could join her house.
Professor McGonagall's pleasure was even more evident - she had had her eye on this promising student for two years, and finally got her wish. At the staff table, Dumbledore wore a broad smile, while Snape merely let out a derisive snort before shooting a sharp glance at Glenn and then turning his penetrating gaze to Harry Potter.
Harry felt his hair stand on end as a chill ran up his spine. Strange, he thought, scratching his head - the Great Hall was quite warm, yet he felt an inexplicable stare boring into him.
At the Gryffindor table, excited chatter broke out, with the Weasley twins engaging in their characteristic banter.
"Since our Quidditch team hasn't won the House Cup in four years..."
"...McGonagall hasn't smiled this brightly..."
"Could it be..."
"Could it possibly be?"
"This little girl is McGonagall's secret daughter?!"
Their exaggerated expressions drew laughter from those around them.
Suddenly, they felt an icy stare pierce through them. Like mechanical dolls, they turned to find Professor McGonagall, her usual stern expression firmly in place, fixing them with her signature deadly glare.
"Oh brother, I think we're done for," Fred said mournfully, draping an arm across George's shoulders.
"I agree completely. We'd better make a run for it right after dinner," George replied with mock solemnity.
Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the sorting.
Meanwhile, Hermione had made her way to the Gryffindor table, Crookshanks still in her arms. After attempting to explain her actual relationship with Professor McGonagall to the Weasley twins - and seeing their complete disbelief - she too rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Even the eye-roll is identical!" George exclaimed in feigned shock.
"We're definitely getting silenced by McGonagall!" Fred clutched his chest dramatically.
Hermione chose to ignore the theatrical duo, her attention fixed firmly on Glenn's slight figure at the front of the hall.
Dear God... no, Merlin help...
Soon enough, it was Glenn's turn.
He made his way out of line, his cane tapping softly against the stone floor as he approached Professor McGonagall amid curious stares. He acknowledged her with a polite nod.
Under McGonagall's expectant gaze, he put on the Sorting Hat. Behind him, Dumbledore sat up straighter in his chair, while Snape temporarily shifted his focus from Harry back to Glenn.
All three professors watched him intently.
For Merlin's sake, let it be Gryffindor (Slytherin)!
The students below murmured among themselves, clearly puzzled about how a blind student could attend a school of magic.
Whispers spread through the hall, with particularly nasty sneers emanating from the Slytherin table.
"SILENCE!" Professor McGonagall's sharp command rang out. Having full knowledge of the situation, she was particularly disappointed by her students' reaction.
She cast an apologetic glance at Glenn, though he remained focused on his sorting.
Meanwhile, Glenn seemed completely unaffected by the external commotion as he engaged in what could only be described as a mental... standoff? with the Sorting Hat.
Sorting Hat: ...
Glenn: ?
Sorting Hat: ...
Glenn: Are you there?
A resigned voice echoed in his mind: "Would you kindly lower your Occlumency barriers? I can't see a thing."
Glenn: ...
He quietly relaxed his mental defenses, allowing select information to filter through.
"Don't pry too much, and keep what you see to yourself. Understood?"
The Sorting Hat gave a slight tremor.
"Oh, oh, naturally. Now, let me see.
Hmm... hmm~
Your will is extraordinarily strong, you're shrewd, and will use any means necessary to achieve your goals. My, my, that's quite remarkable.
You know when to advance and retreat, how to preserve yourself, extremely level-headed...
Oh? And what's this? Extreme devotion as well, ah~ but only to family, I see..."
"You've looked long enough. Make your decision." Glenn released a subtle hint of killing intent, urging the hat to conclude.
The hat shuddered, and the voice in Glenn's mind vanished. He immediately reinforced his mental barriers.
The Sorting Hat's rough, slow voice spoke above his head, "Very well, very well, in that case..."
"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat declared, seemingly eager to be done with this particular student.
At the Gryffindor table, Hermione let out a disappointed wail, inadvertently squeezing Crookshanks too tightly and causing him to yowl in protest.
She shot an accusatory glare at Snape, thinking, "I knew you had ulterior motives regarding Glenn, you despicable man!"
She blamed everything on Snape, convinced there must have been some manipulation involved.
Meanwhile, Snape's thin lips curved into a satisfied smirk.
At least one promising student had been sorted into Slytherin; otherwise, he would have had some choice words for the old bee in his office.
Catching Hermione's fierce glare, he returned it with a challenging smirk of his own.
He would thoroughly enjoy tormenting this little know-it-all who hadn't made it into Slytherin.
Hermione: !
Her bushy hair seemed to crackle with indignation as she convinced herself she'd uncovered some grand conspiracy.
How dare they resort to such underhanded tactics!
Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged resigned sighs - disappointed but not surprised. They had expected Glenn's chances of being sorted into Slytherin were highest.
Glenn made his way to an empty seat at the Slytherin table, his cane guiding his steps as the entire hall watched his progress.
No one spoke to him, which suited Glenn perfectly fine.
Shortly after, two burly boys took seats across from him.
Then Draco Malfoy was also sorted into Slytherin. He strutted to Glenn's side amid enthusiastic Slytherin cheers and settled himself next to him.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, and I'm sure you've heard of the Malfoy family - yes, that one," Draco turned to address Glenn. Despite Glenn's plain robes and obvious blindness, something about his bearing suggested nobility, and Draco was inclined to extend his assistance.
Glenn responded with a silent nod, prompting Draco to continue smugly, "Where are you from? I've never heard of the Hawthorne name before. Which side of your family has the magical blood?"
"I'm Muggle-born," Glenn replied evenly.
The Slytherins chatting around Draco fell into an immediate, heavy silence, wordlessly shifting away from Glenn's position.
At the Gryffindor table, Hermione, who had been watching Glenn closely, noticed the sudden change in atmosphere. Her expression darkened with concern.
Having just learned from older students about Slytherin's typical behavior, the young witch grew increasingly worried for Glenn. Sensing trouble, she began to rise from her seat.
Draco's smile froze, his expression flickering between emotions. His eyes lingered on Glenn's face, covered by the black cloth, before he paused briefly, his voice taking on a harsh edge: "So you're a Mud-"
At that precise moment, a name from the front captured everyone's attention, including Draco's.
"Harry Potter!"
"Potter? That Potter?" "Is it THE Harry Potter?" "The Harry Potter who defeated You-Know-Who?"