Academy of the Aberrant HP DXD AU

by AnxietyOverlord

Welcome to the crossover world of HP and DXD, where Hogwarts is no longer a mere school for wizards, but an institution populated by just about every race and faction in the supernatural world. The teachers, the students, and just about everything around has a 50-50 chance of being human, or not. Read about some memory-less loser dropped into this world. OC.

2. Chapter 2: The Strongest Generation

I do not own Harry Potter/Highschool DXD or any other referenced franchise, only my own OCs.

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I watch with interest as Hannah Abbott nervously makes her way toward the Orb of Sorting, stopping only when she's standing next to Minerva inches away from the sphere.

"Take a deep breath and place your hand on the Orb. It shall do the rest." Minerva patiently instructs Hannah as the young girl nods with gratitude and does as she's told, placing a hand on the giant orb.

A few moments of silence and inaction follow until the sphere suddenly lights up, a giant yellow globe with the Hufflepuff's House Badger appearing at the orb's center.

"Hufflepuff!" The orb speaks out as soon as the globe is finished forming, the yellow color enveloping the orb fully. Minerva nods her head and motions for Hannah to move while gesturing to the Hufflepuff table. The girl nods her head rapidly and quickly runs to her new house as the yellow colors of Hufflepuff slowly envelop her robes.

The next name is called by Minerva once the orb's yellow color recedes as I hum in interest, wondering how the orb's sorting system works when compared to the hat.

"Woah… that's the way people are sorted into their houses? I wonder how it works…" Hermione comments with interest while staring at the Orb of Sorting, Holly nodding in agreement from next to her.

"I'm wondering what the conditions needed to be picked for each house are. I mean, why was the first girl put in Hufflepuff? Could she have been picked for a different house?" Holly questioned hypothetically while staring at the next person, watching them get sorted into Ravenclaw this time.

"Oh, it's actually quite simple you see. Each house embodies different personality traits that represent the students inside of them the best. Gryffindor has the bold and brave, Hufflepuff has the loyal and hardworking, Ravenclaw the intelligent and wise, and Slytherin the cunning and the ambitious." Kunou helpfully informs Holly and Hermione as they both nod in understanding.

They then have a double-take and turn to the fox girl with surprise, not having noticed her presence until she spoke. The fox girl smiled at them brightly, concealing the true amusement in her smirk with a hand.

"Is that truly all there is regarding this gigantic orb? It feels unnecessary having such a grand thing only for it to do so little…" I ask Kunou with a frown, not believing that they went through all the trouble just for something that did the same as the sorting hat.

… I guess it does look a little better than a dusty old hat. Much better in fact.

"... Not exactly. Also shouldn't you greet me first before asking such a question? You didn't even react to my presence." Kunou pouted at me with amusement in her eyes as Holly and Hermione turned to me with raised eyebrows.

"You know her, Ritchie?" Holly questions me while staring at the smiling blonde staring at her. Hermione seems to be stuck staring at Kunou's tails, amusingly enough.

"We met on the boat when we were crossing the Black Lake. Her name is Kunou." I introduce the girl to Hermione and Holly as she gives a small wave with a smile. "Kunou, these are my friends, Hermione and Holly… and yes, that Holly." Holly wryly stares at me as I shrug and point to the suddenly shocked Kunou.

"Oh wow… I didn't expect someone new to the supernatural to be friends with the Holly Potter." Kunou turned to me with amusement and a raised eyebrow as I raised one right back.

"... I met her on the train. We had a nice conversation and played some Uno. I believe that's definitely sufficient enough for the title of 'friend', don't you think so too Holly?" Holly nods her head with amusement but slightly narrows her eyes at me for some reason. Kunou simply hums in reply to my explanation.

"U-um… I'm Hermione Granger… N-nice to meet you, Miss Kunou! Your t-tails look very pretty." Hermione nervously introduces herself to Kunou as the fox girl almost preens with amusement, eyeing Hermione up like she was prey.

I pray for Hermione's safety now that the fox has her in her sights. Holly seems to notice Kunou's mischievousness judging by how she's wryly staring at the blonde.

"What did you mean by 'Not Exactly' though, Kunou?" I decide to get back on topic as Kunou turns away from Hermione after nodding to the nervous girl and humming.

"Well… look at the girl walking to the Orb right now." We watch as 'Susan Bones' places her hand on the orb, the sphere gaining TWO orbs inside of it this time. "Some people fit more than just one house, usually two, and are thus able to choose which one they end up in after seeing the choices they have." Kunou explains further as I watch Minerva walk next to the girl.

The girl seems to be trying to pull on the Hufflepuff orb, yet is failing to move it more than a few centimeters. Minerva taps her on the shoulder to get her attention and clears her throat.

"Simply speak out 'Hufflepuff' and the orb shall do the work for you." Minerva instructs and the girl makes a face of realization and nods her head appreciatively.

"H-Hufflepuff!" The girl requests and the red orb, belonging to Gryffindor, disappears as the yellow one expands and covers the sphere again.

"Hufflepuff!" It announces and the girl nods to Minerva again in thanks before running to her house table as everyone claps politely.

Though…

"Why was the Gryffindor sphere bigger than the Hufflepuff?" Holly asks Kunou curiously as the foxgirl nods her head with a smirk.

"You noticed that, did you? It's quite simple. Certain bloodlines and heritages offer automatic entry to a house, like a pureblood wizard gaining entry to either Slytherin or Gryffindor depending on their… alignment. Devils gain automatic entry to Slytherin. Most Youkai, such as myself, gain entry to Hufflepuff automatically as well." Kunou explains while staring at the next person walking to the Sorting Orb. I and the other girls nod our heads in understanding. "Ravenclaw… well, I'm not sure if anyone has automatic entry to that house. I've never heard of a person that had the superior sphere to Ravenclaw, but I imagine descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw herself might." Kunou shrugged her shoulders noncommittally.

Interesting…

"So the larger sphere would come from having both the personality traits of said house and a fitting bloodline? Like being a devil as well as a cunning person?" I speak my guess to Kunou and she nods her head happily.

"Yep! It's quite rare for people to not pick the houses they have superior spheres in, but as 'Susan' showed, there are exceptions." Kunou thankfully elaborated further as I nodded my head in understanding, having mixed feelings about this new system.

On the plus side, I get to pick my own house depending on which ones fit me. Unfortunately, everyone will get a clear view of my personality traits by which houses fit me… and if I have Slytherin on there, well, shucks.

Though there's a chance that Slytherin's reputation isn't like it is in the original Hogwarts. It's inhabited by more than just bigoted purebloods after all.

"Granger, Hermione!" Minerva calls out as Hermione flinches and stares at the woman in shock.

With a little nudge from Holly, Hermione quickly made her way to the orb while almost stumbling on air. The somewhat panicky girl quickly moves next to Minerva and hesitantly places her hand on the Orb.

"I hope she gets into a good house…" Holly worriedly speaks from next to me as I nod my head in agreement, waiting for the orb's verdict.

And oh boy was I surprised.

The Orb of Sorting lights up as four differently colored spheres appear inside of it, signifying all four houses. I heard a collective gasp echo across the hall as Hermione looked like she was going to faint.

"Incredible… Having three different houses is already rare enough, and she didn't just get three, but all four…?" Kunou muttered in awe while staring at Hermione, turning to me with another amused glance. "You truly keep such interesting company, huh?"

What is it with her and being suspicious of everything I do? I haven't done anything to warrant such behavior…

"... I'm just as surprised as you." I reply with a blink, not exactly being truthful as I can see why Hermione would fit in all the houses.

Kunou seemed to grow more smug at my answer, as if she knew something I didn't and found it to be the most amusing thing ever.

I looked at Hermione and saw her staring back at us with worry, clearly contemplative about what she should pick if her shaking indicates anything. I offer her a smile and a reassuring nod which she returns with a blink.

"... R-Ravenclaw…" The three other orbs pop out of existence one by one as the blue one remains, quickly enveloping the entire orb with its color.

"Ravenclaw!" The Ravenclaw table exploded in cheers, much louder than any of the polite clapping it was doing earlier. Holly recoiled at the sheer volume and turned to Kunou with confusion.

"Why are they so happy? I get that it's rare, but isn't that reaction a bit…" She trailed off with her words but Kunou simply nodded with an understanding smile.

"People who have all four houses as their choices usually grow up to be powerful wizards or witches. Some examples include our current Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, who had all four houses as an option when he was being sorted. Many are going to have Hermione in their sights now, so I would recommend that she be more careful from now on. Someone that possesses all four regular spheres is expected to have incredible potential. Many will do their best to either make connections with her or…." Holly seems slightly concerned at the last part but nods in understanding nonetheless, Kunou nodding back and trailing off as they both turn back to the orb to continue watching.

Interesting…

We continue silently watching people get sorted for a while until one of our names suddenly gets called.

"Lee, Richard!" Minerva reads out my name, making me blink.

"Ah, it seems it's my time. I'll see you two soon." I offer the two girls a smile and make my way to the orb, nodding in thanks to their supportive pats on the back as I walk. I try my best to ignore the burning gazes of the four heads of houses, trying my best to not let them distract me as I stand next to Minerva.

"Place your palm on the Orb, it will do the rest." She patiently instructs again and I nod in thanks, taking a deep breath and putting my hand on the orb.

The exterior is… cold. I feel my entire body tingle once I make contact with the orb, and a… link of sorts temporarily forms as I feel the orb scouring through me.

After a few moments, I feel the orb suddenly begin… laughing…?

My face grows horrified as I watch the colors begin to form at the center of the Orb of Sorting, slowly expanding as my choices encompass the entire volume of the Orb…

Several gasps and surprised yells ensue after my choices grow to their full size, revealing…

All four house orbs, at full size.

All four Superior Spheres.

I turn to Minerva with shock as she stares back at me with a similarly shocked expression. I quickly turn away to the Headmaster's table, watching the four heads of houses staring at me with varying levels of shock and interest. Dumbledore is staring at me with a smile, not looking shocked at all despite the visible interest on his face.

What the fuck is going on…?

After a long silence overtakes the entire hall, Minerva eventually speaks again. "... A-ahem… Please pick the house you desire." She instructs me with a slight stutter in her tone that I am barely able to hear.

… No. No way. I am not the…

The…

The dreaded Potter-Black-Gaunt-Gryffindor-Slytherin-Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw SI OC… am I!?

No! I refuse it!

I feel a sense of disgust enter my body and envelop my full body completely, my literal Essence feeling repulsed at the idea as I shake my head to clear the horrifying thought.

I quickly turn to look at the shocked Hermione as she meets my eyes and stares at me hopefully. I nod to her with a gentle smile and turn back to the orb, ignoring the glaring gazes of greed emanating from the Slytherin table. I manage to keep my smile up for a few seconds before I fail to hold back a few laughs and rub my temples with my free hand, facepalming while shaking my head exasperatedly.

I close my eyes and pull onto the blue orb, feeling the avian creature inside respond positively to my pull as the other orbs phase out of existence. The blue color envelops the entire Orb of Sorting and the Ravenclaw table screams bloody murder before the Orb could even declare the house.

"Ravenclaw!" The orb announces, yet its voice is overshadowed by the sheer noise the entire hall erupted with at my choice. Other houses groaned, yet Ravenclaw's victorious screaming overshadowed any pitiful outrage the other houses could manage.

I turn to Kunou and Holly and smile at them while making my way to the Ravenclaw table, receiving many excited greetings and pats on the back from varying students as my robes change color to blue. I note that a lot of them seem to be either Fallen or Wizards, yet many normal humans and other races are also present and greet me happily.

I recognize some of the students, some from DXD, some from Harry Potter, yet all sitting together happily in one house despite their differences in race, physiology, and abilities.

I nod and smile to everyone that greets me while making my way to Hermione, calmly taking a seat next to her as she smiles at me gratefully.

"How do you have all of them as superior spheres?" She whisper-questioned me as soon as I sat next to her, excitedly moving closer so that we could speak 'privately' amidst the crowd of Ravenclaws around us.

"... I honestly don't have the slightest clue. I… I knew that I probably fit most houses here, but I wasn't aware of any special bloodlines or ancestries that could possibly grant me all four Superior Spheres…" I respond to her speechlessly as she hums and nods her head thoughtfully, looking quite interested in my words.

"How did you choose your house without saying anything?" She questions again and I wince inwardly, not having thought of how that looked at the time. I simply did as my instincts told me to.

"... Well, I panicked and pulled on the Ravenclaw orb instead of calling out its name… and it worked." I shrugged helplessly with an awkward smile, watching the girl nod her head in understanding as if she was a detective solving an unsolvable mystery.

"Hm Hm. I see. Well, let's hope Holly also gets the choice of joining Ravenclaw! It would be amazing if all three of us made it here…" Hermione smiled at the idea, looking quite hopefully at where Holly was standing. I note with amusement that the Heads of the Houses shifted immediately after Hermione's words, Azazel staring at the other three smugly while they ignored him and stared forward at the next first year to be sorted.

"... Somehow, I don't believe that that's going to be a problem." I mutter to Hermione wryly, noting how some of their eyebrows raised immediately after I spoke.

They're listening. Got it.

Before Hermione could ask what I mean, Kunou's name is called as she walks forward gracefully under the cheers of the Youkai on all tables, prominently the Hufflepuff table.

She places her hand on the Orb and a few seconds later, three orbs appear. Red, Blue, and a Superior Yellow.

A few gasps elicit at the triple orbs' appearance, but the reaction is a lot tamer compared to mine and Hermione's. I note that Yasaka sits up once the three orbs appear, staring at Kunou with narrowed eyes.

Kunou stares at the Orb of Sorting hesitantly and slowly turns to where Hermione and I are sitting-

"Kunou." The voice of Yasaka firmly speaks over the silence as Kunou flinches and turns to her mother, looking at her with the expression of a kicked puppy. I notice that the Youkai from the Hufflepuff table stare at Kunou with pity, not at all offended by her hesitation.

"Now, now, Yasaka. Let the child pick the house their heart finds most fitting for them." Dumbledore's voice comes next, the man looking at Yasaka with his grandfatherly smile as the woman huffs and continues narrowing her eyes at Kunou.

Kunou turns back to me and Hermione, staring at us with contemplation as I catch her eyes.

I smile encouragingly and gesture for the orb with my head, not pressuring her into anything. Her eyes widen slightly and she pauses, nods, and then looks away.

"Hufflepuff!" The Orb of Sorting announces after the other two globes pop out of existence and the sphere is enveloped in the color yellow. The Hufflepuff table all exploded in cheers and the other tables offered some polite clapping as I caught Kunou's eyes one more time.

She smiled at me and nodded, moving to her new house as her outfit gained some yellow highlights despite not being a wizard's robe. Yasaka nods her head in satisfaction from where she was sitting as Azazel cackles ominously, making the Kitsune woman glare at him.

Damn… Kunou has it rough, huh?

I chat with Hermione for a minute before my attention is forcefully pulled by a very interesting name.

"Pendragon, Le Fay."

Oh damn. Those are some pretty big names, and I imagine they're even bigger in a world populated with a lot more 'wizards' than they would be in normal DXD. I can't remember too well, but I believe Le Fay was an extremely talented magician in normal DXD…?

I notice that the hall seems to grow a lot quieter as a bubbly blonde girl quickly walks up to the orb, easily moving to the Orb of Sorting and placing her palm on it.

As soon as she touches the orb, the great hall gasps with shock as… four different orbs slowly form… Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Superior Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw.

Again.

There's an almost speechless silence enveloping the hall as the third quadruple sphere student is shown today, which should not be anywhere near regular if the shock on the Hogwarts Teachers' face indicated anything.

The cheerful-looking girl glances around at the tables of the houses available to her while ignoring the surrounding shock, her vision pausing on an older blonde boy at the Gryffindor table before landing on the Ravenclaw table and quickly walking there after a few seconds of contemplation.

"... Please announce the house you'd like to enter first before moving to their table." Minerva snaps out of her daze quickly, stopping the girl and gesturing to the still-undecided orb as the girl squeaks. She pauses and nods her head, turning back to the orb sheepishly.

"R-Ravenclaw!" She stuttered out and began running away before the color could even spread on the orb, the Ravenclaw table exploding in cheers at the arrival of the girl much to her embarrassment. The other tables did not seem pleased at all with how many first years kept picking Ravenclaw.

Interesting… She should have both Gryffindor and Slytherin for being a descendent of both Arthur Pendragon and Morgan Le Fay, so the Slytherin orb comes from bloodline rather than her personality like Hermione and I.

I hummed thoughtfully and nodded my head, turning to Hermione so we could continue our conversation-

"Potter, Holly!" My head snapped back to the orb as the entire hall went deadly quiet. Hermione stopped speaking as well and stared forward as Holly slowly walked to the Orb of Sorting, her footsteps being the only audible sound in the entirety of the Great Hall.

The world crawls to a halt as Holly places her hand on the orb without any instructions needed from Minerva. The entire population of Hogwarts holds their breath as the orb slowly lights up as it usually does…

… and the world finally breathes out a gasp; four globes slowly form inside of the Orb of Sorting, several expanding into superior form as shock travels like lightning throughout the Hogwarts Great Hall… but not for the reasons you might expect.

I slowly palm my face between my two hands as… three Superior spheres form, having the colors Red, Green, and Yellow.

I feel hundreds of eyes suddenly gaze upon my form as I rub my temples in resignation, already understanding what this meant for my future.

I went from showing up Holly Potter by casting a small spell a little better than her, to revealing that my 'potential' is higher (if what Kunou said was true) to the entire world with the Orb of Sorting standing as witness.

The… The Orb laughed at me. It laughed at me.

… Should I be angry or amused…?

I begin to slowly chuckle while still rubbing my temples, the sound attracting even more attention to my person as it cuts through the silence in the Great Hall. Hermione's head slowly moved to me from where she was gaping at Holly, staring at me with confusion as I broke the silence enveloping the Great Hall.

"... W-what's so funny Ritchie…?" Hermione whispers nervously, noticing the countless gazes coming our way.

"Oh… So sorry, Hermione. It's just… so funny… yet so sad…" I chuckle a few more times and shake my head to clear the amusement, finally taking my hand away from my face and looking up to where Holly was.

She was staring at the orb in front of her with apathy, as if she had already decided her choice and was simply waiting for the right moment.

"... Um… What is…?" Hermione asks with more confusion, turning to stare back at Holly. I place my closed fist on my mouth to block any impulsive chuckles that could possibly attract more attention and gesture to the Orb of Sorting.

"The fact that Holly is about to pick the one house she does not have a superior sphere in."

"Ravenclaw!"

…

"WHAAAAAAAT!?" The Gryffindor table cried out with anger, their outrage causing the teachers to stand up quickly and begin to pacify the situation. On the other hand, the Ravenclaw's table screamed louder than ever before as Holly slowly made her way to their table.

The tables of Hufflepuff and Slytherin were not doing any better themselves, their screaming being downright deafening if not for the ear-piercing cheering and outrage of the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor houses overshadowing the other two houses.

Holly smiled awkwardly at all of the greetings and handshake requests she received as she quickly ran to my and Hermione's sides, doing her best to avoid all of the excitable Ravenclaws as she quickly took a seat and squeezed in between the both of us.

"... Fancy seeing you here, Lady Potter." I greet her with a smile as soon as Holly sits, watching her groan and slump down in her seat.

"Please… I had enough of that after the both of you disappeared. Kunou left soon after and people quickly took the opportunity to introduce themselves to 'Lady Potter'." She rubbed her temples with exhaustion as she spoke, clearly unhappy with what happened once we all left her behind.

"Ah… S-sorry you had to deal with that, Holly…" Hermione smiles sadly and rubs Holly's back soothingly as Holly smiles at the girl and turns to me with a glare.

"Why couldn't you be as supportive as her? Also, when were you going to tell me that you apparently hold an ancestry for every single house in Hogwarts? Or were you waiting to surprise me with that information later?" She glared at me half-heartedly as I laughed awkwardly and shook my head.

"Well, I wasn't originally planning to tell you as… I had no idea myself. But now that I learned of my apparent ancestry myself, I'd like to come clean to you about it…" Holly's eyebrows rose in surprise and interest as Hermione leaned closer to me from Holly's other side.

"... My real name is… Richard Lee-Gryffindor-Slytherin-Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff…" I 'reveal' gravely as I hear someone spit out their drink from the Head of Houses table, several feminine giggles ensuing afterward as the sound of a man grumbling follows a few moments later.

Way to make a first impression on my head of house, huh?

"That's a joke, by the way." Hermione's face, which was growing more and more shocked after my 'reveal', suddenly collapsed with agony at my admittance as if I had just crushed her entire world with my words.

Holly rolled her eyes and pinched my torso painfully while blankly staring at me, an action I easily returned with an unaffected smile filled with ease and calm, not at all affected by her 'attack'.

You're a hundred years too early to hurt me with a pinch, young lady.

"Yeah, okay… How annoying." Holly grumbled and pulled her hand back, staring back at the Orb of Sorting as the Sorting Ceremony continued once again. Hermione stared at me apologetically before also turning away to continue watching.

… Though, I do wonder why Holly has a superior sphere in Hufflepuff? I understand Gryffindor since… Potter. Slytherin can possibly be from the Horcrux/Parseltongue… but Hufflepuff? I wonder why that would be…

I note with curiosity as several people of interest are sorted. Koneko got sorted into Gryffindor of all things as Rias's peerage is apparently there instead of in Slytherin or something. I noticed that Kiba seems to already be sitting despite not being sorted, so I guessed that he must be a second year student while Rias and Akeno are third years.

Oh yeah, Koneko had a superior Hufflepuff sphere and a Gryffindor one which she chose. There was also an… unnatural green sphere inside the Orb of Sorting, which I guessed to be a product of being a Reincarnated Devil and getting illegitimate access to Slytherin.

I watch in interest as Ravel makes her way to the orb, placing her hand on the Orb of Sorting and waiting. A few moments later, three different orbs appear. Blue, Yellow, and a Superior Green. The hall has already turned numb by the number of 3 and 4 orbs, so she only got some polite claps.

"Ravenclaw." She announced with a carefree smile, knowing exactly what she was about to do.

The Slytherin table exploded in outrage as Ravenclaw stole another person from them, the orb being engulfed in a deep blue color as Ravel slowly made her way to the enthusiastic Ravenclaw table. I spotted her glancing our way and making her way towards us, but the group of girls that had kidnapped the Pendragon into their ranks earlier did the same with Ravel and quickly pulled her in to chat.

I turn away with amusement, continuing to watch the rest of the sorting. The usual wizard Slytherin team, Malfoy and his gang, or whatever got into Slytherin as expected. I also caught a glance at the fanfiction queen Daphne Greengrass, surprisingly (or not?) having the cliche Platinum Blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks just as the fanfictions I read(?)(Did I?) described, having the whole "I'm an Ice Queen don't bother me" look to her.

No one particularly special that I could notice entered Hufflepuff, minus some familiar names of wizards and witches. Lots of Youkai though. And other Phantasmal species too like werewolves and fairy-looking humanoids.

The church trio I sat with on the train all got sorted into Gryffindor alongside a person named 'Lint Sellzen'. She's either a gender-bended version of 'Freed', or some other person I don't know about from DXD. She seemed quite bubbly when approaching the orb and even had a Superior sphere in Hufflepuff, even if she ended up in Gryffindor anyway.

The sorting ceremony finally wraps up, and other than those mentioned above no one else really caught my eye in the first years. I was worried I'd see a brown-haired boy start yelling about boobs and harem king, but I didn't see any of that thankfully.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean there isn't any trouble around…

I slowly move my head to look at the silver-haired girl glaring heatedly at Holly from the other side of the table, looking as if she was a single moment away from pouncing forward to begin a fight. Her gaze was not filled with hate, but a… bloodlust of sorts.

Holly has definitely noticed the other girl and shifts uncomfortably at the piercing gaze. Turning to Hermione and me for a second with a complicated gaze, she sighs and looks back at the girl now with her own glare.

The two girls begin having a heated glaring match, but they're suddenly interrupted before they could get too invested in it by the Headmaster as he begins to stand up to give a speech. My eyes widen slightly with fascination as the Orb of Sorting floats from where it was placed and moves through the air until it lands above the Headmaster's seat, landing atop a pedestal specifically fitted for it by the looks of it.

Dumbledore smiles warmly from where he's standing, probably used to the awed gazes of the first years already from years of experience. He clears his throat and any sound that was possibly present in the Great Hall immediately evaporates.

"Welcome all to a new year at Hogwarts! I'm happy to see all of the familiar faces from last year to all of the returning students, and I'm absolutely glad to see our newest students this school year." Dumbledore happily speaks to the students as some of them clap excitedly for a few seconds before stopping to allow him to continue speaking.

"I would like to thank our House Heads for clearing some time from their extremely busy schedules to oversee this ceremony." He gestures to the chairs where the Heads of Houses are seated as the Hall's residents begin to clap politely, some houses louder than others. "I have a few words I'd like to announce, but I won't be keeping you away from your food any longer. Let the start-of-year banquet begin!"

Everyone cheered happily as foods of all kinds began appearing on the tables, filling the previously empty plates. Students began eating with gusto immediately, but I noticed Holly didn't even glance at the food once it appeared.

Instead, she continued her glaring match with the silver-haired girl from earlier. They both seemed to have not paused for even a moment despite the earlier interruption, and the silver-haired girl immediately stood up from her seat as soon as the food began appearing. She began marching our way while maintaining eye contact with Holly as Holly herself stood up to face the incoming girl.

Holy crap, is this going to be the first fight of Holly's career?

I noticed in the corner of my eye that one of the older students that looked sorta familiar glanced at the Silver girl, turned away, then snapped back in shock and quickly stood up with panic while running after her.

Hermione turned to Holly in confusion as the latter girl began moving to intercept Silver. I quickly stood up and followed after Holly to try and possibly defuse the situation (or delay it long enough for someone actually capable of defusing it to come).

The two girls meet in the middle as some murmurs grow among the Ravenclaw table, overshadowed by the general volume of the Great Hall now that the banquet has commenced.

"Do you have a problem? You're glaring a bit too hard for someone I don't know. Have we met before… or are you simply a jealous idiot trying to pick a fight?" Holly began the verbal exchange with a powerful right hook as Silver girl's eyebrows twitched and her frown deepened.

"Everyone spoke of how powerful and great you are, but you don't look like anything special. I was expecting someone that'd put up a good fight, not a small girl that probably can't cast even a single harmful spell." The Silver girl replied with annoyance and continued to glare as Holly's eyes shined dangerously.

"Would you care to test that theory? You might be older than me by a few years, but I'll still kick your ass if you keep talking like that." Holly draws her wand with an angry expression on her face as the Silver girl's mouth twists into a smirk.

"I'd love to. Anywhere, anytime." Holly huffs and goes to respond again, but I interject before she could.

"Now hold on a second… Holly, I don't recommend fighting that girl. It's… not going to be worth the trouble." I turn Holly to face me as I speak, watching her face turn to confusion at my words before turning affronted.

"Do you think I can't beat her or something, Ritchie? Just because I never cared to study the first-year spells doesn't mean I never studied any other spells! You don't need to worry about me losing, I've been in the supernatural world for over a year. I know what I'm doing." No no, you have no idea what you're doing. You're going to lose terribly and I'm trying to save you from that devastating fate right now. This girl is setting off all of my danger senses.

"I do not doubt your ability to win, Holly. But this girl… seems strong enough that it would cost you an arm and a leg for your victory. Is this fight worth getting in trouble on your first day in Hogwarts?" I tried to do my best to not speak anything I shouldn't know, but I may have failed judging by the raised eyebrow of the Silver girl. Though that face quickly turned into anger once she realized I said that I believed Holly would win.

"And who the hell do you think you are? If you want to act like a beacon of goodness and humility then you should make your way to the Gryffindor table with the angels, don't bother us with your teacher's pet attitude." Silver snarled at me and I blinked in 'confusion' and turned to her 'innocently'.

"Oh! Sorry if I'm wrong, but I believe that the headstrong and stubborn ones that lack… higher mental capacities are usually the ones that end up in Gryffindor, correct? I believe that means you should reconsider houses if you didn't know already." I 'helpfully' inform Silver girl as she scoffs and takes a few moments, eventually catching on to the hidden meaning of my words as her face grows red with fury and she stomps forward toward me.

"Not another step." Holly demands with a glare as she steps in front of me, her wand raised and ready as Silver Girl stops. "How do you even know if this girl is anything to worry about or not, Ritchie? You're newer than I am to the supernatural, you don't need to worry about-"

"Call it a gut feeling if you want, but it's not worth it. Just come back with me to our seats, Holly." Holly recoils slightly at the sudden change in my demeanor and tone, glancing back at me with widened eyes. She turns hesitantly to face the Silver-haired girl before she sighs and lowers her wand, turning around to leave.

"You think I'm just going to let you go!?" Silver doesn't seem to be very happy though and steps forward to grab Holly, only to be stopped as a hand pulls her back and Holly and I turn to see who it is.

Ah, it's the girl from earlier who stood up to chase after Silver.

"I am so, so sorry about her behavior, Lady Potter. I looked away for a moment and didn't realize she was already causing trouble for you." The girl bows her head in apology while using her hand to grip Silver's head, making the girl wince at the hold. "My name is Lavinia Reni, a Ravenclaw prefect. Nice to meet you. This little idiot here is Valina. I hope she didn't offend you in any way… she's a bit too obsessed with fighting and always wanted to fight you ever since she learned of your… achievements and tales." The girl, now identified as Lavinia, smiles apologetically at Holly before turning around and dragging 'Valina' away with a disappointed frown, not allowing Holly any time to even respond.

"I literally told you to try your best to not cause trouble for ONE day, and you can't even last for more than a few minutes!? Damn it Val!" I idly hear her chastise the girl quietly as Valina whines and grumbles without actually rebutting her in any way.

Genderbended Vali. Cool. Great. Anyone else, ROB? Wait, were there any brown-haired girls- ah no one screamed anything about harems or breasts so I think my earlier assumption is still correct.

Holly is frozen in confusion at the sudden change of the girl and her quick departure, only snapping back to reality once I grab her wrist to lead her back to our seats.

"What the hell was that Ritchie!?" She hisses once we sit back down on our chairs, ignoring Hermione's confusion momentarily.

"Huh? Oh. Maybe they knew each other well, so the girl backed off once she arrived. Not sure." I shrug in confusion as Holly blinks and rolls her eyes in annoyance, shaking her head.

"Not that! You were… oddly insistent on not fighting that girl despite my reassurances, and it wasn't out of some fear of consequences from what I saw. No, it was almost like-" Holly's mouth is blocked by my hand as I sigh tiredly, glancing at the table with the four Heads of Houses that are probably still listening and have been listening to us the entire time.

"We'll talk about it later, alright Holly?" I promised Holly with an exasperated face as she narrowed her eyes, nodding slowly with a somewhat satisfied expression on her face.

It seems this version of Harry dislikes mysteries and wishes to leave none unsolved. Holly won't let anything remain unknown from what I've seen so far. That's… probably gonna be annoying in the future with all the mysterious shit that happens in canon.

"... Hmph. There are a lot of possible eavesdroppers around, so we'll talk later. I have some questions for you though, Ritchie." She mock-glared at me as I tilted my head and nodded, simply accepting her childish behavior as it was. It's quite surprising how familiar she speaks with me despite how… recently our friendship has formed.

It may just be her lack of experience with friends her age showing through. I doubt she's learned the importance of giving your friends space or allowing them their secrets. Or really anything to do with friends. Actually… What the hell did she even do in the one year she apparently spent with Sirius?

I assume she's learned some defensive/attacking spells if she was so confident in taking out a third year, but she doesn't seem to have had much interaction with others if her wariness and attitude are anything to go by…

Wait… she recognized Hermione when she first opened our compartment. They must've met somewhere before then, no? But Hermione's a muggle so… Ah.

They must've met while they were shopping for their school supplies. That's the only reasonable time they could've seen each other previous to reaching the Hogwarts Express, as they would've stuck together had they met there.

… I'm unaware of how I acquired my equipment and wand. Neither am I aware if I ever met someone previous to the Hogwarts Express. Do I have any family or friends? I can't remember any, so it would be quite troublesome if I did…

I'll deal with that when the time comes…

Mulling over my circumstances in this new world I've found myself in, I decided to familiarize myself with the Ravenclaw students standing out or familiar to me. I manage to catch a glimpse of where 'Lavinia' is sitting, finding 'Valina' and others sitting among other somewhat familiar characters around the girl in question.

Moving along with my search, I noticed Pendragon girl and Ravel from earlier sitting with some other girls. They seem to be happily chatting with the other girls surrounding them, despite how they were 'kidnapped' earlier. Near them, an older girl with light silver hair and blue eyes sat by her lonesome with a Grimoire on her table. She seemed quite invested in whatever she was reading if her narrowed eyes and furrowed brows indicated anything.

I stop my search after looking over some probably half-fallen or 2nd/3rd generation fallen, beginning to listen to Holly and Hermione chat while eating as Holly lectures her about the dangers of the supernatural and what to do in certain situations.

Four very interested individuals are currently eavesdropping and taking notes on what to do and what not to do, so Holly's efforts are mostly in vain right now. That's not even mentioning all the other supernatural creatures with enhanced hearing listening right now. Poor Holly.

Eventually, Dumbledore stands up again and the Hall immediately goes silent. A few first years speak out quietly, trying to ask why and how the Hall went suddenly quieted, but are quickly shushed into silence by the older students.

Interesting…

"Now that we're all fed and watered, I'd like to make a few announcements. First Years are warned to not enter the Forbidden Forest without teacher supervision under any circumstances unless they wish for a gruesome death, though this warning extends to all older students as well, so please keep that in mind." Dumbledore decides to drop a brutal bomb right away with a kind smile, not even blinking at the worried and confused murmurs from the first years that were quickly snuffed out by the older students again.

Interesting… They're warned, not forbidden to enter there… It seems the Forbidden Forest is not as off-limits as one would expect. Though I don't imagine the staff would be very happy if they found out that someone was still making their way there despite the warning.

He continues. "Secondly, I'd like to inform our newest students and remind our older ones that fighting and using magic is not permitted in the halls under any circumstance. But feel free to practice your combat skills in one of our designated facilities for fighting or in one of the open areas at the back of Hogwarts Castle. Though please be mindful of your surroundings if you decide to practice in the latter."

Ah. Makes sense. Fighting is literally ingrained in half of the supernatural world. Better to tell them to fight in fortified areas where they can't do too much damage rather than tell them not to fight only to find the Great Hall wrecked the next day.

They do sound interesting though… I may check them out in the future. Perhaps with Holly and Hermione-

… Wait a second… Is the Room of Requirement still a thing? Chamber of Secrets…? I only remembered them now, but… Interesting.

"Lastly, Quidditch-" God fucking damn it. That game still exists… "-trials will be held in the third week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house's team should contact their House Aid if they wish to sign up." How do supernatural races even play that game alongside wizards? Or is it a wizard-exclusive game?

"What's Quidditch?" Hermione asks Holly with a whisper as Holly sighs and motions that she'll explain later, which Hermione accepts easily with a nod.

"That will be all for today's start-of-term notices! Thank you all for your time. Now, off to bed with you all. It's your bedtime." Dumbledore laughs merrily as if he had made some genius joke, sitting back down as some students clap politely for him.

The remaining food and all of the plates and cutlery all disappear as Dumbledore claps his hands, officially ending the start-of-year banquet.

The prefects of each house stand up and begin gathering their respective house's students, neatly lining them up and preparing to move.

"Hey Lavinia~, mind if I help lead our students to our House entrance?" Azazel himself gets up from his seat and approaches Lavinia with a lazy smirk as she turns to him incredulously with raised eyebrows.

"... You're usually gone by now doing god knows what, why would you want to inflict more work on yourself…?" Lavinia asks with surprise, staring at Azazel weirdly. Azazel simply laughs at the question and pats her on the back in a friendly manner.

"Don't worry about the small details! Is it so wrong that I wish to ensure that my dear House's students reach their safe haven without any complications?" Azazel sighs with 'concern' as all of the students stare at him with varying confusion and incredulity, some looking exasperated.

"... Um, sir… I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen you face to face…" A random wizard that looks to be in his second or third year informs Azazel as the Fallen chuckles and lightly waves at him.

"Well, nice to meet you Tony! That is your name, no?" 'Tony' seemed to be quite surprised that Azazel knew his name and quickly nodded with embarrassment, quickly turning to hide in the crowd. Azazel looks slightly smug as people blink in surprise and stare at him differently, slightly more accepting now.

Well, that's one way to convince the crowd that you're actually attentive to them… Not that I believe that he actually knows every student's name and face. He probably heard 'Tony's' specific name before and remembered it just now to use as a way to get a better first impression… with some people.

"Well… Feel free to go ahead and lead the older students in-" "I'll handle the firsties! I'd like to see our newest students myself, after all."

Lavinia tried to assign Azazel a job but was quickly interrupted. She was then left speechless as Azazel started leading the first years away, the girls standing next to her giggling at her plight.

Amusing…

"For those of you who do not know, I am the Governor General of Grigori, one of the largest organizations of the supernatural, Azazel. I am a 12-winged Fallen for those curious about my race, so you can say that I was kinda born to be the House Head of Ravenclaw." He seems almost smug about that fact, extending his twelve raven-colored wings behind him as many of the first years gasp in awe and surprise. "... Even if I was born way before it was even a thing…"

Oh yeah, he's probably hundreds of years older than even the founders of Hogwarts. What the heck is he doing playing House (Head) here anyway? I can kinda see Serafall and Yasaka, but what are he and Gabriel doing in a school centuries younger than them?

… Politics, maybe. I'm not stressing myself too much when I barely know anything. Dumbledore seems to have the Houses under control, so there shouldn't be any funny business- … too much funny business going on…

Ignorance is bliss, and I shall exploit my own ignorance for now.

I contemplated asking him some questions on my mind, but I decided that I'd rather not give him any chance to gloat further once I ask one of the questions I have.

"Excuse me for asking, but shouldn't you be quite the busy man with how you're the 'Governor General' of the organization Grigori?"

"Ah, that is very true. I am indeed a very busy man, but I make sure to do my best to make time for all of my dear house students!~"

Yeah… I'll be fine staying quiet for now.

Azazel slowly walks us through the large hallways of Hogwarts, moving towards a corner of the castle in the direction of the Ravenclaw Tower(?). He continues speaking about himself the entire time, enthusiastically answering any questions from those who ask, even if it's about the supernatural rather than him personally. Holly seems to be nodding, not at all suspicious of his character as she asks a few curious questions herself.

Hermione and I stay quiet though, the former being quite mesmerized by everything around us while I simply keep an eye out for anything that catches my eye.

… Should I inform Holly that she should be a bit more… wary… of Azazel…? He hasn't shown anything suspicious or particularly doubt-worthy, so she'd probably be more suspicious of what I know. I've already shown that I'm not as lost as a person in my situation should be, I'm not sure if advertising my-

… What the fuck am I talking about? I'm the person who was shown to have four Superior Spheres in every single Hogwarts House. The entire world already knows of me, and not just that… but as the guy who showed up Holly Potter in terms of potential and Superior Sphere amount.

Since when was subtlety an option? Being discreet has never been an option. Peace was never an option.

"... Are you alright Ritchie…? Your face is quite scary right now…" Hermione whispers to me with concern, making me blink and snap out of my thoughts.

Oh… It seems I got lost in my own thoughts. Azazel glanced at me in the corner of his eyes once he heard Hermione's words, catching my eyes as I blink at him with a confused tilted head.

I nod my head politely to him and turn to Hermione with a small smile. "Sorry about that, I was thinking about some stuff. The classes are sure to be interesting, don't you think?" I whisper back to her, perfectly aware that it was pointless.

She pipes up slightly and nods her head in agreement, a small smile on her face as she walks next to me with a pep in her step. "I agree! I can't wait to learn all of the interesting magic I've read about." She replies with a slightly higher tone out of excitement, grabbing Holly's attention who was previously listening to Azazel intently.

"What are you guys talking about?" Holly asks curiously as Hermione quickly places her hands on her mouth, realizing that she spoke a little too loud, and smiles apologetically at me.

"We were just talking about how we're looking forward to the classes tomorrow. Lots of magic to learn, no?" I easily inform Holly while nodding to Hermione as Holly let out a disappointed 'ah' at my reply.

"... I wouldn't say I'm the most excited person about classes or whatever, but you guys do you I suppose." Holly speaks with slight disinterest as Hermione purses her lips slightly.

I blink. "Ah, it seems we know who's getting the Bronze medal then, no, Hermione?" I turn to Hermione with a slight smile, barely keeping my amusement out of it as the addressed girl tilts her head in confusion.

"... Huh?"

Holly narrows her eyes at me. "What do you mean by that exactly?" She speaks with a dangerous tone as I turn to her with a slightly bigger smile, lacking any reaction to her tone.

"Well, I have already read a lot of books in preparation for our first year… Hermione has done the same too from what I could tell… So, if both of us already have an advantage over you… and you fail to even attempt catching up…" I let my words trail on as Holly's eyebrows furrow and she looks like she's contemplating my words. Hermione seems confused but blushes slightly in embarrassment once I speak about her early studying.

"... I see… I suppose I don't have any other choice then. Prepare to eat my dust, Ritchie. That gold medal is mine." Holly seems to have made up her mind and turns to me with a challenging smirk, lightly glaring at me.

"I'm eager to see what you can do then, Holly." I chuckle slightly as she narrows her eyes further at my uncaring attitude, almost as if I didn't believe her claim to the gold medal.

Sorry Holly, it'd be better if you had some motivation to grow stronger. If it means I have to pull on your competitive side to get you to work harder, then oh well. A man gotta do what a man gotta do.

… I don't think that saying is the correct one at this moment but whatever.

Looking back to Azazel, he seems to be still speaking to the other first-year Ravenclaws about himself and the supernatural world. He leads us through a slightly obscure hallway and into a slight clearing in the path, the area having a lot more wide space for us to stand in.

… Though that doesn't really mean much since all of the hallways of Hogwarts are massive. This place just has a bit more space.

There seems to be a giant statue of a bird of some sort, most likely a raven, standing at the very back of this clearing. Surrounding it are a few paintings and some furniture next to a fireplace, giving this area the look of a living room.

Everyone begins murmuring once we enter this area, wondering what we're doing at this dead-end. Azazel confidently walks up to the statue at the far end of the room, rubbing the beak of the gigantic raven for a few seconds.

Suddenly, the statue begins rumbling slightly and the pillar holding up the Raven splits. From between the two sides of the pillar, an archway slowly forms that appears to lead… to another door deeper inside.

The first-years all release sounds of awe and wonder at the scene as they follow Azazel into the archway, reaching the large door inside and staring at a weird-looking crystal fitted in the middle of the door. Azazel grabs the crystal and seems to be doing something with it and his magic, the crystal glowing different colors as he touches it before eventually settling on its original blue color.

"Alrighty. Everyone, please line up in an orderly way for me! This crystal here will memorize your signature and handprint once you place your hand on it, allowing you access to your new home… Ravenclaw Tower! Ignore how it looks nothing like a tower from the inside." Azazel dramatically announces while gesturing to the crystal, whispering that last part under his breath with a grin as some students chuckle while others begin to murmur in excitement.

I stare at the crystal curiously, remembering the Orb of Sorting from earlier and how it laughed at me after I touched it. Holly drags me and Hermione to the front of the line, people allowing her to do so as she lets us go and slowly places her hand on the crystal.

The crystal glows a Kaleidoscope of colors for a few seconds, awing everyone in the small archway, before settling back into its blue color as the crystal produces a 'Ding!' sound signifying success. Holly blinks in surprise at the quick process but quickly steps to the side, allowing Hermione and me to go.

Hermione goes next, placing her hand on the crystal as it glows similarly to how it did moments ago. A few moments pass and it returns to its original blue color again, producing another 'Ding!' sound as Hermione smiles and steps to the side.

I shrug and step forward, placing my hand on the crystal and closing my eyes. I immediately feel a similar connection to the one I had with the Orb of Sorting, the familiar feeling of the inanimate object laughing at me making my face grow exasperated.

… Seems this is still the Orb of Sorting. Or whatever it is that controls the Orb of Sorting. Hogwarts Castle? This you?

The crystal continues releasing amusement, the connection lasting for a few moments longer than usual (much to my chagrin) before the link shuts and the crystal returns to its original color.

I walk to Hermione and Holly's side, ignoring their slightly curious looks and standing patiently as the rest of the new Ravenclaw students place their handprints and magical signatures into the crystal.

Eventually, the last student finally takes his hand away from the crystal as it returns to its normal blue color, glowing for a few moments before slowly opening to reveal…

The Ravenclaw Common Room.

And by the gods was it beautiful. The insides were decorated with silver and blue furniture and fixtures, glamorous engravings marking every inch of the area with many glyphs, talismans, and runic writing decorating the walls and pillars. One gigantic fireplace was at the far end of the room, many chairs and couches surrounding it with some of the upperclassmen occupying them. The Common Room had two entryways on opposite ends to the left and right of where we entered, clearly separating the boys' and girls' dorms if I had to guess.

Interesting. It seems Azazel took us the long way around so that the upper-year people could enter first. Fair enough. I'd be annoyed if I had to wait for the first years to finish registering their magical signatures and handprints before entering the Common Room.

We slowly enter the Common Room, most of the first years looking awed at the beautiful scenery as an older girl starts approaching Azazel from the nearby upper-year students.

"Sir. It seems the first years have arrived, I'll take them from here and introduce them to the Ravenclaw Tower. Thank you for your help." The girl nods her head to Azazel and I note that her hands seem to be shaking, clearly nervous about approaching us and Azazel.

"Ah, go right ahead Miss Penny.~ I've already shown our newest students around a little bit and registered them to our House Crystal, so you just need to show them to their dorms and give them a quick introduction to Hogwarts." The unspoken 'or whatever it is you prefects do' makes my smile turn wry as Azazel turns back to us with one last wave, a magical circle appearing around him before he disappears with a grin.

The aforementioned 'Miss Penny' indignantly blushes slightly at the nickname and quickly clears her throat, turning to us with a 'stern' look to cover up her embarrassment. "My name is Penelope Clearwater, one of the Ravenclaw Prefect witches. If you don't know what that is, you could basically think of us as a… disciplining committee of some sort, or as close as you can get to a 'student council' member." She explains to us 'calmly' as some students murmur and nod their heads in understanding.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw Tower. Inside here is where you will be living for the foreseeable future, so please make sure to behave when you are in the tower. A dorm will be assigned to each of you individually in just a moment, and your trunks and personal belongings have already been placed in your rooms." Penelope patiently explains to us and I sigh in relief, happy to see that I will be getting a dorm all for myself instead of having to share with someone else.

That would've been… annoying, to say the least.

"Your rooms are equipped with your own bathroom with heating, a kitchen filled with all of the tools you need in case you wish to make your own food, and all the necessary furniture you'll need for the future. I'll be hosting a tour around Hogwarts tomorrow at 6 am to show you firsties around, but if you decide to not go, you can choose to use the map placed in your bedside cabinet to navigate your way around. However, I highly recommend that you come to the tour tomorrow. Hogwarts is… extremely big. And very difficult to navigate. The teachers will not be lenient with you tomorrow if you show up late to your first classes, so try your best to be there."

Some students began gulping nervously at her long speech. They all seemed disinterested regarding the tour at first, but were now a lot more interested after hearing the last part.

It seems the school is taking a lot better care of its students here than it is in the original. I mean, a kitchen for each of us? It seems that we the students are eating well here in Hogwarts. I'll probably go on the tour tomorrow so I can familiarize myself with the newly improved school. I already kinda know the layout from the books and that one map I saw, but I don't even remember half the locations of the original classes. Things may have changed significantly.

"There is a General Store selling any and all necessities you may wish to buy near the Quidditch stadium. All students are allowed a small monthly 'allowance' of sorts to use as they wish, but I recommend that you do not waste it on anything unnecessary. You're free to use your own money however you wish though." Ah, nice. I'm pretty sure that I'm broke as hell. Nice to see that I get an allowance.

"I presume this 'allowance' is also in our room?" I politely ask as Penelope turns to me with slight surprise and nods her head with a small smile.

"Yes. You should find a small silver card with an odd magical feeling on your desk that has your name and room number. It also doubles as your 'ID' here, so make sure to keep it safe!" She elaborates and urges us seriously as we all nod in understanding.

"Now, you must remember how you registered your magical signature and handprint a minute ago to enter Ravenclaw Tower, correct?" As we all nod, she continues. "You were also registering them in your dorm. I have a list here with your room numbers, once I call out your name you're free to head to your room to rest or unpack your things… or hang out in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Whatever you wish for. Do you all have any questions before I begin?"

A few hands raise and Penelope takes some time to answer them all, patiently explaining anything she's asked as she seems a lot more relaxed now that we're almost done and Azazel isn't here.

"It seems this might be where we split up." I inform Hermione and Holly as they blink and turn to me with a tilted head.

"Why? Will you head to your room immediately?" Holly questions curiously, Hermione nodding her head curiously as well.

"It has been quite a hectic day…" I trail off a little with a wry smile as Holly huffs in amusement and Hermione nods her head tiredly with a smile of her own. "So, yes, I'd like to unpack and take a rest for today. I wouldn't be against it if you visited my room once you're both done with your own stuff though." I decide to offer after a moment as Holly shrugs and Hermione nods happily, agreeing to visit later.

Hermione looks like she's about to speak but is interrupted as Penelope does first. "Richard Lee? Your room number is… Oh my… 269…" She seems quite shocked as she announces my room for some reason, leading to Holly raising an eyebrow at the surprise in Penelope's tone.

Ah, Nice.

"... Thank you. Is there a problem with that number?" I ask with slight curiosity after thanking her as she shakes her head and turns to someone else to give them their number, not elaborating further.

… How odd.

I listen in on the surrounding students' room numbers, the only thing I note is how they're all around the 400s with some of the more experienced-looking students reaching the 300s. I prepare to split off with the girls to head to my room but hear something quite interesting…

"Le Fay Pendragon… W-what… 2… 251…! Ravel Phenex… H-huh!? 250…! H-Holly Potter… 249…!? What is going on with the rankings today?" She whispers the last part under her breath with widened eyes and shaking hands, staring at the girls with slightly awed gazes.

Ah… I think I see what's going on here. 269 huh… Interesting.

Funny number go brr.

"... I suppose I will be on my way for now then, you two. Be careful while you're heading to your dorms, I'll be at mine unpacking and resting, okay? Remember, 269." I instruct the girls sternly before patting them both on the shoulders and quickly making my way out of the crowd of students towards the boys' side of the dormitories. I catch Ravel's eyes while I'm exiting the group and note a small smile on her face as she looks into my eyes with amusement concealed by a 'happy' exterior, nodding at me in recognition before turning back to the group of girls she's standing with.

… How ominous…

I swiftly exit the Common Room and climb up the stairs, walking through the hallways aimlessly while searching for my room number.

… This place is definitely using space-time charms of some sort. I can sense my footsteps being altered in a way as if the castle is sensing my intent on finding a room not present in the current 'hallway' I am in at the time, displacing me into a different one.

… No, it's trolling me. It got my magical signature earlier and locked it in my room. That means it knows which room I'm supposed to be in, but is simply moving me around.

I stop walking and release a slightly exasperated sigh, wryly staring at the floor as I almost feel the castle's amusement.

I don't actually though, since there's no link like the previous two times. I could swear it was laughing at me right now though.

As I stand there with an unsure frown contemplating how I'd find my room despite the castle's trolling, I suddenly jump away with widened eyes as I feel the space behind me displace. Turning around with adrenaline coursing through my veins, my eyes widen as I spot a newly-familiar-looking man with a smirk on his face staring at me with amusement.

"Why hello there, Richard, correct?~ You seem like you're having a bit of trouble, how about I help you out a little bit eh?" Azazel speaks with a laid-back tone, slowly lowering an extended hand that was originally meant to land on my shoulder.

What the hell…? How'd he… Really man? Ambushing me after I split off from the group? That's not cool.

"That would be quite appreciated, sir. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but the room numbers keep spontaneously changing every time I blink and I can't seem to find a way to my room…" I politely nod my head to him in thanks, not showing any of my inner complaints on my face as he chuckles and taps the ground a few times with his foot.

"Ah yes, that'd be the fault of this sneaky one under me here. You see, our lil ol' castle Hoggy Warty sometimes likes to prank our newest students if she finds them interesting. We usually get a few reports at the start of the year complaining about being randomly displaced somewhere, or suddenly getting lost despite knowing the path to their destination. The others simply think it's the newest students simply getting lost as the castle has never done anything of the sort in front of the staff… but I know better." He begins to explain with amusement while placing a hand on his pocket and moving next to me, pushing me along with his other hand as we begin walking through the hallways again.

"This castle is simply a very big prankster that doesn't wish to have her fun ruined by the staff, so she only pranks the younger students in their early years. You, unfortunately, have been chosen to be her victim for the foreseeable future, so good luck with that." Despite his words, he seems more amused than regretful at the future 'pranks' I will be enduring. I walk with a little haste in my step, making sure his arm doesn't actually touch me while he's leading me along.

"I see… I suppose I'll have to play along until she gets bored then. Thank you for informing me, sir." I reply neutrally and incline my head again as we walk, noting that Azazel seems to turn to me with a glint in his eyes after I speak.

"Oh? You don't seem to be very surprised about how the castle is alive and sentient. Nice instincts earlier, by the way. I didn't mean to startle you or anything~." Azazel grins while staring at me from the corner of his eyes, watching for my reaction.

I blink. "Ah, yes. I read in Hogwarts: A History that the castle was actually alive on page 143, line 12. That's mainly why I wasn't surprised since I was already aware." I explain with an innocent tilted head as Azazel blinks and mutters 'Ravenclaws…' under his breath. "Sorry if I was jumpy earlier, the… displacements you said it as…? Sorta made me feel woozy, so I must've involuntarily jumped at your footsteps when you were walking here I think. Though I don't remember hearing any footsteps…" I 'furrow my brows' and look at the ground in 'confusion', noting Azazel's calculating face in the corner of my eyes as we continue walking.

"That so, huh?~ Interesting… By the way, you're quite an anomaly, Richard. Your background doesn't suggest any noteworthy bloodlines or ancestries… Yet you managed to get all four superior spheres. Do you have any idea why that is, by any chance?" Azazel asks casually without looking at me as we walk. I suppress a flinch and continue walking, my face furrowing a slight bit more at his question as if I was 'confused' by the question.

"... Ah… I'm not sure what to tell you, sir. I'm not aware of any reason why I'd have all of those Superior Spheres. Shouldn't you be aware of my… history?" I rebound the question with 'discomfort' as Azazel's smile widens a bit more, nodding at my question.

"Indeed. Richard Lee, son of Erik Lee and Sylvain Lee, nee Forrest. Your parents suddenly disappeared when you were 8 without a trace, leaving you as an orphan. Your only living relative, your uncle, quickly inherited all of the wealth your parents left behind for you before dropping you off at an orphanage and taking off, leaving you to live without a proper guardian. At 12, your orphanage caught fire in a freak accident caused by one of the caretakers inside… with you as the only survivor. You've had a tough life, eh?" Azazel begins rambling his ass off about stuff I had no idea about as I fail to suppress my shocked face.

Azazel seems to have noticed my face as well, stopping his rambling with a look of horror and regret on his face as he realizes that speaking someone's 'edgy dark backstory' so suddenly and casually is a terrible idea.

I easily play into the role he's making up in his mind by allowing tears to gather in my eyes as I stop walking, clenching my fists and looking away. I almost hear the wince on his face as I 'sniffle', moving a hand to 'rub my face'.

"... Y-yes sir… You should know that I'm just… an orphan… I-I don't know why I have the superior spheres…" I 'stutter' and choke out my words as he almost seems to be having an aneurysm at his mistake, sighing deeply at his own mess up as he clears his throat.

"Ah… My bad. I should have realized that this subject was something sensitive and not to be discussed so casually." He lamely apologized as I nodded silently, 'not trusting myself to speak without crying'.

We walk silently for a few long moments as the sounds of our footsteps echo through the hallways, Azazel sending me complicated and somewhat regretful glances all the while.

Interesting… So that's my background, huh? Quite a 'coincidence' that I have no links to anyone in this new life, my parents died with my only living relative god knows where and the orphanage I was in burnt to a crisp… It seems 'fate' was very insistent that I start from absolute zero.

I silently thank my parents for bringing my body into the world and for the caretakers of the orphanage for taking care of it before I move on, continuing my thoughts without any other misgivings regarding them.

… This… does not explain where I lived during the period of time between the orphanage's fire incident and entering Hogwarts. As well as how I got enrolled in Hogwarts. Also, who took me to whatever version of Diagon Alley exists here to get my stuff? Or did I spawn with this stuff?

It seems I will be stuck guessing for a while.

"Ahem… If you'd like, I could try to figure out if you have any special ancestries from your blood if you give me a sample to analyze. It'll help you find any rela-... other relatives you may have not known about originally and could contact now?" Ah… So that's his end game huh? A sample of my blood…

I turn to him with a 'horrified' look on my face as I grip my arm, showing a common reaction a kid shows when faced with the universal threat of 'needles'. It seems it fooled Azazel quite well as he quickly shook his hands at me, denying whatever it was I was thinking of as he spoke with panic.

"Hold on! There are no needles of any sort, I'd just need to insert a small-" He begins trying to explain some nonsense about a not-needle that sounds awfully close to a needle, just apparently painless… but is suddenly interrupted by the sound of an old man clearing his throat echoing behind us.

I turn around with surprise as I spot Albus fucking Dumbledore calmly standing behind us with a smile on his face, staring at Azazel with slightly narrowed eyes and a glint in his eyes as the Fallen Governor laughs nervously.

"Ahh, nice to see you again, Headmaster. Nice weather today, eh? Pretty good atmosphere for a nice walk around Hogwarts, don't you think so Dumbles?" Azazel asks with a smile that was only barely strained, Dumbledore smiling along with a nod.

Holy shit… The audacity.

"Indeed. I believe that the weather today is quite nice… Perhaps you should indulge in a nice walk around Hogwarts as you've said. I'll make sure to help our newest student here find his way to his new dorm, so do not concern yourself with that. Does that sound fine to you, Azazel?" My goodness… Dumbledore really said 'Get out of my sight' and fired the question right back at Azazel.

Azazel chuckles nervously and nods, turning to me with a strained smile. "Well, it seems I'll be off for now Richard. My offer is always open if you-" Dumbledore clears his throat and Azazel coughs a little, smiling at me and disappearing with another magical circle.

I blink and turn to Dumbledore with a slightly tilted head, some tears still present in my eyes from the earlier 'flashback'. "Ah… It's an honor meeting you Headmaster. Sorry if I don't look… presentable." I lower my head slightly as Dumbledore chuckles lightly and walks next to me, patting me on the head.

"It is of no issue young Richard… I apologize if Azazel seemed insensitive with his words earlier. You'll come to learn that most supernatural individuals of a different race have different values and… moral views. Azazel forgot to speak about that topic to you like he should with a human, and for that I am very sorry." Dumbledore moves his hand to my back and begins leading me forward, resuming my walk through the dormitory hallways.

"It's okay sir… I just wasn't expecting to hear it so… a-abruptly. You don't need to apologize at all to me. " I shake my head and allow myself to be led forward, warily trying to sense anything out of place as I feel Dumbledore's hand on my back.

He was listening? The entire time or…

"I understand. You are certainly a… special case, young Richard. I can safely say I have never seen a person with all four superior spheres in my time at Hogwarts. In fact, young Holly is the first triple superior sphere I have ever seen. I urge you to be careful in your years in Hogwarts, young man. It will be an arduous time, but I assure you that you will make many friends and learn many useful things." He pats me on the back again and retrieves his hand as we walk, making me turn to him with a slightly curious yet 'happy' expression.

"Do you know why I have them, sir? I… am not sure myself, and I'm worried about what they mean for my future…" I quickly looked down before he could catch my eyes, staring at the ground with 'worry and contemplation'.

Dumbledore chuckles and smiles at me in a grandfatherly way, patting my shoulder reassuringly. "While it may seem intimidating, I'd like for you to know that you are perfectly safe while inside the grounds of Hogwarts at all times. Please remember that I and the staff of Hogwarts work tirelessly to ensure the protection of our students, and you are no exception." He brings his hand back to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully at my question while releasing a hum of sorts.

"As for your superior spheres… I am not certain, but I urge you to not worry about it too much. It will bring you no good stressing yourself about it, and I am sure that you'll figure out what those spheres mean with time… I have learned that sometimes, letting fate run its course is the best action to take." Dumbledore mysteriously speaks as I tilt my head at him and smile with an incredulous expression.

"Is that the Gryffindor inside you speaking, Headmaster?" I joke slightly while rubbing my eyes with my arm to clear the remaining 'tears'. Dumbledore laughs warmly at my words, nodding his head.

"I suppose it is. Although… isn't the same Gryffindor spirit inside of me present in you as well, young Richard?" Dumbledore asks me humorously, referencing how I have a superior Gryffindor sphere as I huff and nod my head with a slight shrug. Dumbledore suddenly stops at a certain door and looks at me, gesturing to the number plate. "I believe this should be your room, isn't that correct?"

I look at the number on the door, noting that it was in fact '269'. I nod my head to Dumbledore and hesitantly approach the door, placing my hand on the crystal door handle as it glows immediately upon being touched.

I feel another connection form between me and the castle (I think), the immediate feeling of amusement and mirth transmitted into my brain ensuring that this was indeed the same entity I've made a connection with twice before. I feel 'her' send a 'shushing' feeling through our link aimed at Dumbledore as if asking me to not speak about her to the headmaster.

… There is absolutely no way he doesn't already know about you.

Turning around to look at Dumbledore, I notice that he seems to be staring amusedly at the crystal with a knowing expression. It seems the castle noticed too since she seemed sheepish and quickly unlocked the door, allowing me inside.

"... It seems the castle has taken a liking to you. It doesn't usually make its presence so obvious, even to those who it finds amusing." Dumbledore notes with amusement as the castle 'harrumphs' and cuts the link with me, leaving me slightly dumbfounded as I slowly enter my dorm.

It's… good. The place looks tidy, homey, and clean. It could certainly use some personal touches, but you can't expect Hogwarts to add a 'Live Laugh Love' for each student only for them to throw it in the trash in favor of a poster of a boy band or something.

I find my trunk lying motionless on my new bed, an ID-type card on my desk, and some basic toiletries and hygiene-based items on my dresser. I don't actually do anything with them except pocket my ID as Dumbledore is still standing in the doorway, smiling grandfatherly (I swear that word is what muthafuckingly is to Morgan Freeman) at me as I curiously take a look around.

"There aren't any listening devices or cameras in here, right? I understand if something similar is in the hallways or the common room, but there can't be any inside the room… correct?" I 'nervously' ask Dumbledore while tracing my hand on my trunk, still inspecting my new surroundings.

"Ah, of course not! The privacy of our students is something we care for extremely, it'd be blasphemous if we dared breach it like that." Dumbledore almost sounds offended, but there was still some amusement in his tone at my question. "In fact, I make sure to place some extra protection on the dorms of special students who may have to endure some… particularly nosey guests at times. That was why I was in the Ravenclaw dormitories, actually."

Oh my god… I am almost convinced that this Dumbledore is actually a really good guy without any of that greater good nonsense from fanfics. The only reason I still have a sliver of doubt is my own built-in wariness and just in case this turns out to be a facade.

"Ah… I believe this may be a bit of a silly question, but… am I one of the special students who have extra protection?" I smile sheepishly and begin opening my trunk, finding the standard required equipment stated in the letter or whatever (not that I even got to see the letter… If there even was a letter). I note that Dumbledore seems to frown slightly once I open my trunk.

"Unfortunately, you are indeed one of those who I needed to place some extra protection for. I believe you should be able to guess who else I needed to place some protections for…" He trails off a little as his frown regresses back to his usual smile, patiently waiting for my response.

"... That's quite obvious I think. At least for Ravenclaw, it would be Holly, Hermione, the Pendragon girl, and Ravel." I place a finger on my chin and hum for a few moments before answering, tilting my head at Dumbledore as if I was asking if I was correct or not.

Dumbledore chuckles. "I cannot confirm or deny if you're correct or not, but I'd say that your guesses could definitely have some plausibility…" He pats me on the back approvingly at my guess before continuing. "Although, judging by your casual usage of young Ravel's name, are you familiar with the young Phenex already?" Dumbledore questions curiously as I realize I hadn't spoken to Ravel yet in the school.

"Ah, yes. We met in the Hogwarts Express and shared a compartment for a few hours. She was quite… amiable." I smile awkwardly and decide to unload my trunk as we speak, appearing more casual and comfortable with Dumbledore's presence to him by doing that.

Dumbledore nods understandingly, staying silent for a few seconds as he watches me unpack my trunk thoughtfully.

Eventually, as I place the last of my books out of the trunk and push the big bag under my bed, Dumbledore speaks again.

"If you don't mind me asking, young Richard, you don't seem to have any personal belongings beyond the equipment given to you as… one of the students without a guardian. Did you not have anything you wished to take with you before coming here?" Ah, so they were the ones who gave me my stuff huh? What about my wand…? Interesting.

"I… didn't have anything worth taking, sir." I respond with a slightly smaller smile while lowering my eyes to the floor. "... I'm sure I'll be able to eventually buy some personal stuff for myself with the allowance the school gives though!" I speak with a slight bit of cheer, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"I see… Yes, I believe that you'll definitely manage just fine." Dumbledore nods slowly, still looking slightly contemplative. He eventually just sighs and smiles wryly, patting me on the shoulder as I turn to look at him in confusion. "How about I allow you a slightly larger allowance as an apology for Azazel's earlier… words. Think of it as a small gift to help you acclimate to your new environment."

Oh… Oh? I see your endgame, old man.

Although, there's also the unsaid part where I was almost mindraped. I'm guessing we aren't discussing that one though.

"A small gift…?" I tilt my head with a confused expression before I smile wryly. "Like an allowance, huh? Thank you very much, Grandpa." I laugh and smile brightly as Dumbledore stares at me incredulously at the nickname, chuckling along himself while patting me on the head.

If you'll try to endear yourself to me as a prominent figure, then I'll simply have to retaliate by doing the same.

What better person to cover for me than my dear 'grandfather', Albus Percival Wulfric Brian fucking Dumbledore? A young kid like me with no family, no connections, and no power… but so much potential…? It's simply a given that I'll grow up to be a successful wizard if a 'guiding hand' was to steer me in the right direction…

Not like I was planning on being a bad guy anyway. I barely know anything about myself, but I can feel horror and disgust well up inside of me at the mere idea of becoming a murderer.

I'll take having a connection to Dumbledore any day though. Especially if he isn't the serial-legilimens shown in most fanfics since that means he's actually just a goated old man that stands at the apex of wizardkind, but he's put in a hard spot after one of his previous students becomes the dark lord while going on a rampage.

"I suppose it is not dissimilar to a grandfather giving their grandson an allowance. I suppose there is no harm in calling me that in private, but make sure to call me Headmaster when in public. You already have enough attention on your head…" He wryly but seriously instructs me, making me nod in agreement as I completely understand what he meant.

Even if it was a joke, saying 'grandpa' to Dumbledore when I'm the dude who surpassed him in Superior Spheres is basically just asking for rumors to begin spreading.

And we all know what happens when rumors spread…

"... Thank you for all of the help today. I'm grateful for… everything you've done since I arrived at Hogwarts." I not-so-subtly reference saving me from the mind rape or whatever it was the House Heads were going to do to me, Dumbledore nodding without even a wince.

"It was of no issue, young Richard. It is my duty as the Headmaster of this wonderful school to protect and guide young students like yourself. Some students simply need more guidance, while others need more… protection." He smiles warmly, clearly passionate about his own words if his tone indicated anything.

And I'm the latter, got it.

I honestly would be really shocked if this was actually all a facade. It's not out of the realm of possibilities since Dumbledore had plenty of time to practice his acting skills, but I genuinely think he's a good guy. It's like a gut feeling.

Not that I trust my gut feeling completely. I barely know myself, why would I trust… myself… as dumb as that sounds.

"Having said that, I believe I have sidestepped my duties for too long now. I will have to be on my way, but feel free to call for assistance if you ever need it. Just simply contact the castle, I'll know." Dumbledore gives me one last goodbye before popping out of the room, leaving me to blink in surprise alone in my room.

… Interesting. Is it possible that the connection I form temporarily with the castle is permanent with Dumbledore…? That would be pretty cool. And annoying. But cool.

I suppose I finally have some time to rest and unpack my stuff. It's about time…

…

---

…

Sitting up from my lying position, I rub my temples to soothe the pain as I make my way out of bed.

… I may have decided to devour the entire Transfiguration book. I don't know why I thought "Do it for the funny" was a sane reason to do anything, but I loathe myself more and more with every passing second.

I've already unpacked everything, organizing my items and placing them in their respective compartments. I also took a small 30-minute power nap earlier while expecting to wake up 6 hours later feeling like shit, only to wake up almost 30 minutes later feeling refreshed and ready to go.

I'm pretty sure I'm the living dream of every college student right now.

Wait, I'm in Hogwarts. I think I'm garnering the envy of millions of humans out there right now, not just college students.

… It gets even worse now that I'm aware DXD is also present here. The degenerates are seething.

I still don't understand… Am I in an isekai? I don't have any memories of a past life, so it can't be reincarnation.

Was I just formed with a ton of memories and media in my head? Or were they wiped?

No. Let's think rationally here… If I didn't exist prior to… existing here… Why would I not know everything about DXD and Harry Potter? After all, it was supposedly crammed into my head when I was being 'created' or whatever, so that means I should know everything there is to be known.

I believe that I existed before I was in this world in a world where this world was just a book/anime, but I somehow lost most of my memories. The feelings and instincts I have back up my theory, as I've constantly shown to dislike several things despite having never seen them before.

Hm, yes. Intelligence.

I continue to contemplate my literal existence for several minutes, idly kicking the air with my feet on the side of the bed as I hum in concentration. Suddenly, a few knocks resound on my door as I quickly jump off the bed and make my way to the door.

"You're already done, Holly, Hermione?-" I open my door expecting to see the H duo, only to be surprised when I find two blonde girls standing outside my door instead.

"Hello Ritchie. Hope you don't mind that I decided to come visit." Ravel smiled sweetly at me, standing in front of the door with the other blonde girl behind her. "The other girls went off to do their own thing, so I decided to take Le Fay and introduce her to you and the other girls from the train compartment." So we just gonna act like the Church trio and Koneko didn't exist? Okay…

The aforementioned girl slowly blinked, turning away from the hallway she was staring at intently to smile at me happily and extend her hand out to me enthusiastically. "Hi! I'm Le Fay Pendragon. Feel free to just call me Le Fay. You're Richard Lee, right? It's nice to meet you! You had all four superior spheres, I didn't know that was possible! How'd you do it?" I stare at her in awe as she barrages me with words and leaves me absolutely 0 time to actually answer them.

… Wow.

"... Nice to meet you too, Le Fay. I'm Richard Lee, feel free to call me Ritchie then. The pleasure is all mine. I didn't know it was possible either. I have no idea how I did it… I don't think the Orb of Sorting is a thing you 'do'." I do my best to reply to her just as quickly while taking her extended hand into mine before turning to Ravel with a raised eyebrow, the Phenex girl returning the raised eyebrow herself with a surprised expression.

"That's true! I was just surprised since I didn't think anyone would ever get more than TWO superior spheres alongside all four spheres, let alone the three and four superior spheres you and Lady Potter had! Speaking of which, can you introduce me to her and your other friend 'Hermione' later? All four of us had quadruple spheres which is so cool, I'd love to be friends!" … Honestly, not as exhausting as one would think. The bubbliness seemed overwhelming at first but she seems so happy and bright that it balances it out.

At least, those are my thoughts as I begin to smile wryly and let go of her hand after she shakes mine aggressively.

"I wouldn't mind. Feel free to just call her Holly, though. She doesn't enjoy being referred to as 'Lady Potter', so it'd make a better first impression." She lets out an understanding 'oh!' and nods her head with a grateful smile. "I'll introduce you to them when they visit later. They're supposed to visit soon after they finish up with whatever it is they were going to do."

They both wince and look slightly sheepish at my words, looking as if they know something I don't. I raise an eyebrow at Ravel, watching her laugh awkwardly before explaining.

"... Well, you see… Once you left and headed to your room, the Ravenclaws quickly surrounded Holly and began asking to shake her hands as well as questioning her… What you'd expect from a person meeting Holly for the first time, basically." Ravel explains with an exasperated smile, making me wince and sigh as I imagine the annoyance Holly is probably feeling right now.

"Last we checked, she hadn't even escaped the crowd's center yet and it was only expanding… That was 30 minutes ago." Le Fay mentioned with a weak grin, having experienced what Holly is feeling right now when she was kidnapped by the girls after her sorting earlier. To a much lesser degree though, obviously.

Damn. So once everyone got their room numbers, they began crowding Holly and fanboying/fangirling over her. How unfortunate.

"I suppose we'll have to wait for Holly to escape her fans first before I can introduce you to her then, would you both like to enter?" I smile wryly again and gesture to my room as Ravel nods with a polite smile, entering with Le Fay right behind her.

They both blink upon entering, looking confused for some reason and turning to each other with questioning looks. They seem to have a mental conversation for a few moments before turning back to me with raised eyebrows.

"... This is… your dorm?" Ravel asks with a bit of confusion, leaving me quite confused at their reaction.

Is it from the lack of decoration? I don't think it should be that ridiculous that I haven't furnished the place yet when it's only been a few hours at most.

"... Yes…? Is there a problem with it?" I tilt my head and slowly ask as Le Fay's eyes widen and she quickly shakes her head negatively.

"No no! It's nothing like that… It's just, well… Isn't it a bit… small?" Wow, way to make a man self-conscious, Le Fay. No man wants to hear those words.

Though… small? Why would-

Ah. Phenex and Pendragon. Nobility/Royalty. They probably have bigger rooms…? Division of class at its finest, ladies and gentlemen.

"Well, I am just a muggleborn after all… I don't know what you expected, but this is the room normal students have. Are your dorms bigger?" I curiously ask with an amused smile as they both look weirded out at the 'muggleborn' comment and nod their head.

"Ravel has the bigger dorm with more rooms since she will possibly recruit members to her peerage and might wish to keep them close in the future. I only have a few rooms myself, while Ravel has many." Le Fay sheepishly explains to me while taking a seat on my desk, Ravel deciding to sit on my bed herself.

… 'a few rooms'... How very uncool of you, Hogwarts. Nepotism is cringe.

"... If you wish, you're free to take one of the rooms at my dorm? I can link your signature to my dorm to allow you to enter, and I'm sure you'd appreciate the extra space." Ravel offers with a small, happy smile. Her closed eyes tell me exactly what her goal is as I stare at her in amusement.

No thanks, I'm not trying to join your peerage ma'am.

"Thank you for the offer Ravel, I really appreciate it. But… I enjoy this small space a lot more. It feels cozy, and it's nice having something that's mine if you understand what I mean." Ravel doesn't seem bothered by my rejection, but she gains an interested look on her face at my last comment. "What do you need multiple rooms for anyway, Le Fay? I understand Ravel since… Peerage. But what about you?" I turn to the bubbly blonde as she pipes up happily and smirks.

"I'm going to use one of them as a game room! Another will be a storage unit since I may have bought too many things in preparation for Hogwarts… and I'll also use one as a laboratory for spell practice and potion crafting." Le Fay proudly explained her plans as I blinked and nodded thoughtfully.

"It would've been nice having a room to practice my spellwork and whatnot in, but oh well I suppose." I admit with a shrug, not really minding it since The Room of Requirement could possibly still be a thing.

"Oh!-" "You could use one of the training rooms I have? I have too many of them to count and no peerage members as of yet, so I wouldn't mind it if you used one for yourself." Le Fay looks like she's about to offer something, but Ravel beats her to the punch as she sits up straight and offers with a bright smile.

How devious… I can see why you had a Superior Sphere in Slytherin. Very well.

"I'd appreciate that very much, Ravel. I'll take you up on that offer if you don't mind." I smile gratefully and nod to the girl as she seems to grow smug, comfortably sitting back down with a satisfied smile at my acceptance.

Wait… Wouldn't Holly also have a big boy room? Damn, I could've just asked to use her room… but rejecting Ravel for seemingly no reason would only show animosity and I honestly find her attempts at befriending me 'cute'.

Oh well. You reap what you sow or whatever.

"So, what classes are you looking forward to, Ritchie? I'm looking forward to Defense and Charms myself!" Le Fay asks once I bring a chair and sit down, unphased by her earlier interruption.

"I've already studied Charms and Transfiguration quite a bit, and I find them very interesting. I suppose I'll go with them for now, but I'd say I'm enthusiastic about all of my classes." I answer thoughtfully while staring at the roof contemplatively.

"Oh! I've also studied quite a bit of those as well. Though I've mostly been focusing on advanced branches of magic I learned in Golden Dawn, so I haven't really learned much beyond the first year's curriculum." My eyes narrowed in slight interest at her mention of 'advanced branches of magic'.

"Interesting. I'd love to see your magic at work sometime if you're free, I've not had many chances to see any advanced applications of magic yet for obvious reasons." Her eyes glow at my request and she nods eagerly, clearly pleased to find someone interested in her magic.

"Sure! Would you like to join too, Ravel? You might not be a wizard or a witch like us, but I'm sure it could be educational and I'd love to see your clan's trait at work." Ravel smiles gratefully at Le Fay and nods her head as the bubbly girl grins at her.

"I'd enjoy that very much, thank you, Le Fay."

I suppose all that's left for the day is to wait for Holly to deal with her girl-who-lived nonsense and meet up here with Hermione.

I can only hope that tomorrow passes without too much trouble…

…

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…

Hey everybody, I won't waste your time too much today. I hope you enjoy this 17k word chapter! This has taken me a LOT of time, so I'm really sorry for how late I've been with today's release. I took a '30 minute powernap' and woke up 8 hours later feeling like shit.

Quite the chapter today, huh? A little teaser for the future with this new Sorting system, I hope you guys enjoy the changes I'm making.

It's been tuff, but I certainly hope you've enjoyed.

Now, reviews time for my FF bois.

CoffeeZombi: F

ShoturoF: Thank you very much! I hope your questions are unanswered in the future.

Rodvek97: Thanks bro! Hope you continue to enjoy the story.

SackBroMyke: Well, the less mistakes people notice the better for me heh. Glad you enjoyed though!

Tenz0: Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed this then.

JustStalkingPosts: Thank you for catching that joke, almost no one else did...

Gerald Of Revea: Thank you so much! Glad to see you've read my other works too.

zackman2k12: SIR YES SIR!

flip flip2 electric bogaloo: Legendary name sir. Thank you though and I hope you enjoyed this update!

moose3333: It seems you've already been captured in my trap... The waifus have lured you into the dark side, you cannot leave anymore.

Bigguy45: Well, you got your wish with Ravenclaw! Glad you're loving the story though.

Kamui Raiu: I had a poll over on QQ (Because you can make those there) and Slytherin was third place behind Hufflepuff and obviously Ravenclaw. Sorry I couldn't put em in Slytherin lmao.

That's all for reviews. Hope you all enjoyed, if you have... feel free to follow/favorite or share your thoughts in a review. Your support keeps me going losers! I hope you're having a wonderful day and goodbye!

…

I have a pat reon now by the way! If you want to see the next chapter early or want to support me, check it out! p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / AnxietyOverlord

See you all later!

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