Seeing the ghost being shooed away by the Professor, Hermione patted her flat chest; she had really been scared half to death just now.
Beside her, Harvey, born with a heart of steel, shook his head in silence.
"It's just a ghost, is it really that scary?"
No one knew that as he said those words, his calves were trembling slightly...
Truth be told, Harvey wasn't just being stubborn.
If someone's head suddenly fell off in front of you, who wouldn't jump?
After the little interlude, Professor McGonagall continued the ceremony.
"Alright, next is Susan Bones."
...
"Next, Hermione Granger."
After a dozen or so students, it was finally Hermione's turn.
Before she left, Harvey gave her an encouraging look.
Hermione took a deep breath and walked up the steps with confidence and poise.
Almost the second she sat down, before the Sorting Hat had even touched her bushy hair, it shouted.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Hermione paused for a second, then stood up quickly, placed the Sorting Hat back on the stool, and walked toward the Gryffindor table amidst a burst of applause.
"Next, Harvey Ferguson."
Harvey was still thinking to himself that Hermione was destined for Gryffindor after all.
When he heard Professor McGonagall call his name, he froze for a second.
Snapping out of it, Harvey straightened his robes and walked up the steps with elegant, measured strides.
Coming to the stool, Harvey gently pinched the edge of the grimy Sorting Hat to avoid touching too much dust.
Looking at the Hat, which was constantly shedding dirt.
He gritted his teeth and pulled it down over his head.
The moment he put it on, Harvey heard the Hat's rambling, peculiar voice in his mind.
"Hoo-la-la... I am the greatest magical hat in the world... which House does the little wizard want?"
"Is it Gryffindor for the brave and righteous? Or Hufflepuff for the kind and honest...?"
"Go to Gryffindor!"
"Oh? But the thoughts in your head tell me... you want to go to the House with the most pretty girls?"
"I. WANT. TO. GO. TO. GRYFFINDOR!"
Harvey emphasized every single word.
"Aha~ I see. The Sorting Hat follows the deepest desires of every wizard's heart, so—"
"RAVENCLAW!"
Harvey: "..."
Seeing the slightly disappointed look in Hermione's eyes below, Harvey's face went stiff.
This Sorting Hat is completely unreliable.
He was clearly a studious, upright young man, yet the Hat slandered him by saying he only wanted to go to Ravenclaw because of the pretty girls??
"Clap, clap, clap..."
Harvey stood up decisively and put the Hat down, walking toward the Ravenclaw table as the applause rang out.
Professor McGonagall was somewhat surprised; she had expected Harvey to be sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin.
To think he ended up in wise, scholarly Ravenclaw?
But the ceremony had to continue, so Professor McGonagall pushed her doubts aside and called the next name.
"Harry Potter."
The moment the name was spoken, the Great Hall went dead silent, followed by a "buzzing" wave of noisy whispers.
"Is that the Harry Potter?"
"The Boy Who Lived?"
"The savior of the magical world?"
The new students had been a bit reserved, but hearing the name that represented a miracle, they joined the gossip army immediately.
Being the subject of so much discussion, Harry Potter was clearly nervous; he kept his head down and hurried up the steps.
This time, the Sorting Hat hesitated for a long time.
Even as the noise in the Hall died down, the Hat still hadn't given a clear answer.
Some students were getting impatient.
Even if you're the savior, you can't waste everyone's precious dinner time.
Under the hungry glares of the students, Harry Potter began to sweat from the pressure.
Fortunately, the Sorting Hat finally stopped deliberating.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The applause from below was scattered and thin, a sharp contrast to Harry Potter's legendary reputation.
Professor McGonagall was patient with the famous Harry Potter and gave him a word of encouragement.
"Go on, don't be afraid, Harry. Gryffindor House is your home now."
Harry Potter nodded vigorously, his face glowing with excitement as he walked toward the Gryffindor table.
Next, Professor McGonagall called another heavyweight name.
"Draco Malfoy."
At the table, Harvey noticed Harry Potter's rival, Malfoy, who was from a prestigious Pure-blood family.
Malfoy tossed his handsome, short blond hair and walked up the steps with an exaggerated aristocratic gait, deliberately slow.
Then, he took his time picking up the Sorting Hat, making every movement look as elegant as possible...
"Mr. Malfoy, please hurry up. Don't keep the other students waiting; wasting time is a shameful act."
Professor McGonagall's impatient urge made Malfoy look quite awkward; he was so busy posing that he ended up annoying the Professor.
"Hahaha~~"
A burst of laughter erupted from the students below.
Seeing Malfoy make a fool of himself on stage, Harvey suddenly understood why he would become Harry Potter's rival.
This little show-off couldn't stand anyone being more impressive than himself.
Harry Potter's fame was known to everyone in the Wizarding World.
No wonder Malfoy targeted Harry at every turn.
"Perhaps there is an even deeper interpretation."
Harvey's thoughts had already drifted to the "fifth dimension."
He had heard that England was famous for its "obsessive and dramatic" men...
...
The Sorting Ceremony ended, and all the students stared hungrily at the plates in front of them.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore rose slowly, casting a wandless, non-verbal Sonorus charm.
"Welcome, new students, to the warm and friendly family of Hogwarts. And welcome back to our older students for a new school year."
"Before the feast begins, I would like to say a few words—"
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
The moment he finished, roast beef, steak and kidney pies, Yorkshire puddings, chicken pies, and all sorts of delicacies instantly appeared on the plates in front of the students.
The Ravenclaw first-years were still whispering about the meaning of Dumbledore's words.
Harvey, however, had already started devouring the feast before him.
In his eyes, only good food and... beautiful people should never be neglected.
The daily meals at Hermione's house were typical English fare, like roasted salmon, fried chicken breast, and mashed potatoes.
While Mrs. Granger's cooking was decent, Harvey could never get used to it; after all, eating a vegetable chicken wrap with tomato soup for lunch is just really weird...
Half an hour later.
Harvey had swept through the chicken pies, beef pies, and puddings like a hurricane, finishing all three dishes.
Since the food in the Great Hall was provided by the Hogwarts house-elves.
Logically, it should have been unlimited.
Because house-elves would constantly prepare more and use magic to transfer the dishes to the Hall.
Yet Harvey had managed to empty three entire platters on his own.
One could only imagine just how much he had actually eaten.