Title: Holfort Legacy

Summary: Harry Potter (Hogwarts Legacy) crossover.

"Chris Fia Arclight," a woman called out at the front of the Great Hall.

At her command, one of the love interests stepped forward. As much as he tried to play cool, I could see a certain apprehensiveness in his step. Knowing what I knew about the game, he likely feared being sorted in the wrong house. Afraid to disappoint his father yet again.

He probably would want to be sorted into Gryffindor. The noble house of bravery and righteousness. Also, the house's lost artifact was a sword.

But knowing the game, he'd probably be sent to Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Probably Hufflepuff since the house always got a bad rep for being too unexceptional. The house of hard work didn't exactly scream talent, which exactly followed Chris's story arc.

As Chris sat under the Sorting Hat, I could see his frown deepen. He must have been arguing with the hat. I was curious if...

"Hufflepuff," the Sorting Hat screamed before being lifted from the boy's head.

The abject disappointment on Chris's face answered my question.

As the boy proceeded to his new housemates, the woman looked back down to her list and audibly called for me.

Stepping up, I neared the stool. Unlike the others, I didn't really care. It was a rather silly affair since I was mentally an adult. Cliques were fairly meaningless to me.

Plus, I had taken the stupid online test before at the behest of my family. I already knew I'd be sorted into Hufflepuff.

As the Sorting Hat was lowered onto my head, I wondered if there was a cleaning enchantment layered on the artifact. It looked positively filthy.

"I'm afraid I do not have such enchantments on me. The magic would make reading your mind difficult. Too much interference, you see. Though, you shouldn't be too concerned. Nobles do tend to take excellent care of their hair. In fact, your hair is quite possibly the dirtiest I've been put upon, though it is probably on the healthier end of the spectrum."

"... You've read that thought quite a bit, haven't you."

"Indeed. Now then, Leon. I see you are an Ashen Child."

"A what?"

"Well, Ravenclaw is certainly out of reach if you didn't immediately come to the natural conclusion. But I digress, I believe the term you may be more familiar with is a reincarnator."

"You've sorted many before?" I asked hopefully.

I heard the hat chuckle.

"No such luck, I'm afraid. I suspect many die young due to, how do I say, suicidal tendencies. Probably too excited thinking that they are the main characters or chosen ones. But even if I had had the fortune of dealing with Ashen Children, I'd not tell you. After all, what occurs during a sorting if between us alone."

"But at the very least, there should probably be others like me?"

"Probably, given the existence of the term Ashen Child. Though, such knowledge has been relegated to obscure myth in this era. I would not hold out much hope."

"... That is unfortunate, I suppose."

"If it is of any comfort, less reincarnators means less chance of one trying to upturn the plot. With the end of days on the line, that assurance is surely to be of some relief."

"I'm not sure. After all, the game I played did not have a crossover with Harry Potter of all things."

"Fair enough, but I can tell you have a firm enough grasp of the characters from the game to accurately predict the sorting for the previous student. Surely that must indicate that the plot, while not a perfect match, will follow similar pathways."

"... I suppose," I thought apprehensively.

"Not feeling bold enough to confidently venture forth into the unknown? Certainly not a Gryffindor."

"... While I know it's your job, I'd very much appreciate it if you would quit it with the commentary. It feels like you are insulting me."

"I do apologize. The nature of being found lacking would inherently come off as an insult, wouldn't it?" the hat said in a bemused tone.

"... You remind far too much of Luxion."

"A fine compliment from what I can see."

"Look, I already know I'm a Hufflepuff. So can we get this over and done with?"

A low chuckle echoed in my head.

"It is not up to you to nor some inane online quizlet to decide."

"Hoh? Do you suspect that I am destined for Slytherin? The house of the ambitious for the mob character?" I retorted in wry amusement.

"Not at all. While one could argue your drive to become a farmer as an ambition, it certainly isn't the grandiose vision Salazar would approve. Ironic considering his symbol does slither in the dirt."

"So we are in agreement then. If I'm not suitable for the red, blue, or green, I must then be in the yellow house."

"Who said anything about sorting you into a house?"

I stilled at that.

"What?"

"I'm the Sorting Hat. My job is to sort the children into the houses that will see them flourish. As far as I can tell, you are an adult, and you've already earned your keep."

"So what does that mean for me?"

I could feel the hat smirk.

In a roar, the hat said, "Welcome our new spelunking professor, Leon Fia Bartfort!"

"Eh?!"

After the hubub from a first year becoming a professor, I found myself sitting next to the etiquette teacher, Professor Lucas. He was a rather welcoming fellow and promised to guide me through all the necessities, but I wasn't able to talk to him much as we needed to get the remaining first years sorted.

As we watched, I could over hear the staff debate what houses the remaining notable heirs would be sorted in.

"So how about you, Leon? Care to guess which heirs will go to which houses?" the etiquette teacher prompted. No doubt he was trying to include me with my future coworkers.

I gave a quiet hum before saying, "Julius and Greg will go to Gryffindor, Jilk will be a Slytherin, Brad will be a Ravenclaw, and Angelica will be Gryffindor."

An female professor frowned at my statement. She hissed, "You should mind your manners when speaking about those above your station."

"Now, now. Surely we can overlook this overstep this once," the etiquette teacher said gracefully. The warning in his gentle tone was understood by all, including the one for me specifically.

After a moment to let the message settle, Professor Lucas directly spoke to me, "You seem so certain about your decision. We were all certain Mr. Arclight would have been in either Gryffindor or Slytherin. Surely you must have some doubts. What gives you such confidence?"

"Mr. Arclight is not a prodigy. He is the culmination of hard work. He has no ambition beyond becoming the next Sword Saint, and he is doing it for the approval of his father, not because he specifically desires the title for personal glory. As an individual, he does not value bravery or justice. As such, neither Slytherin nor Gryffindor suits him."

Professor Lucas raised an eyebrow and said, "Rather intimate knowledge you have there. Perchance, did the Sorting Hat slip some confidential information? Did Mr. Arclight tell you details himself?"

I resisted freezing. I screwed up. I was too knowledgeable. Quick, reign it in a bit.

I nonchalantly said, "Oh you know. The grapevine is rather abundant with gossips and rumors. Lord Arclight's disappointment with his son being among them. Seeing Mr. Arclight before the sorting clued me in that he was desperate to prove something."

"Interesting. I do recall Lord Arclight's praises for his son has diminished as of late. Perhaps that is where such rumors arose," the gentleman said in a contemplative tone.

We were all shook out of our contemplation as Brad was called to be sorted. With the hat barely brushing his head, the hat hollered, "Ravenclaw!"

"I can see your appraisal is rather spot on at the moment," Professor Lucas said.

"Not much of a feat considering Mr. Fields aptitude for the arcane," the female professor said with a scoff.

"Hoh? Care to make a wager? I'm rather confident in my assessments," I said with a smile.

This foul woman just rubbed me the wrong way.

I saw the female professor slump as Angelica was sorted into Gryffindor. I had already won the bet since no one doubted that Greg would be sorted into Gryffindor.

"Damn it, I was certain that Ms. Redgrave would have been sorted into Slytherin," the woman said with a scowl before fishing out a stack of gold coins.

I snorted at that.

"Oh, what pray tell is so funny?"

"Ms. Redgrave, a Slytherin? She has much to fiery a temper to be qualified for the house of cunning and subtlety."

The professor just flared her nostrils before turning away.

The etiquette gave me a warning look, to which I gave a sheepish shrug. Rather than vocally admonish me to drive in the point, he decided to play peacemaker.

"Why did you believe Ms. Redgrave would be sorted into Gryffindor? From what I could gather, she embodied many of the traits espoused by each of the houses."

"She looks pretty in red."

One of the other male professors guffawed at my statement. The female professor looked ready to tan my hide.

Professor Lucas, in a warning tone, said, "I do hope you keep your eyes respectful. It would not do to stare at your future queen in such a manner."

"Oh, I agree. I meant that as in Ms. Redgrave has the honor of choosing her house. In absence of any particular leanings, color could just as easily be a deciding factor. I mean, imagine. With such distinctive red irises, green would certainly clash, wouldn't you agree? Red complements is so much more, and the namesake as well."

"You're having a lark, aren't you," Professor Lucas said in surprising good humor despite my attitude.

"Quite. Doesn't mean what I said was wrong."

"So what's the real reason?"

"Her fiancé is in Gryffindor," I said simply.

"Ah, the most obvious answer," Lucas chuckled.

As we reached the end of the nobles, the protagonist stood out more and more.

"Professor Bartfort, where do you think Ms. Livia will be sorted?"

"The commoner?"

"Ah, so you are aware of the scholarship student."

"The grapevines are heavy with gossip."

"Fair, I suppose. So, your prediction?"

"Hard to say. Why so interested?"

"She somewhat of an apprentice. I actually sponsored her."

Huh, new lore bit. Neato, I guess.

"Tell me about her," I said more to maintain a good relationship with this professor than out of genuine interest.

"She's a rather precocious individual. Took an interest in some magic I performed on one of my research expeditions, and asked me to teach her. On a whim, I decided to give her a few lessons in between my work. Just soaked up knowledge like a sponge. She's a rather fast learner."

"Fast enough to warrant a scholarship?"

"More good fortune than anything else. The Queen wanted to explore the potential benefits of enrolling commoners, and I so happened to know of a commoner whom I believed could succeed at this academy."

"Fair enough, I suppose."

"So your assessment?"

"Sounds like she's a bird."

"Lovely. It will surely be of comfort to her to see a familiar face as her head of house."

"You're Ravenclaw's head of house?"

"Indeed."

"If you don't mind me asking, who are the other heads?"

"Ah, I suppose you wouldn't know. Professor Black," he said while pointing out the woman I had been antagonizing, "is the head of Slytherin, and Professor Jones," he said while gesturing to a rotund man, "is the head of Hufflepuff. I am currently acting in Professor's Kettleburns stead as Head of Gryffindor for the next few months due to her pregnancy. Oh, I should mention, Professor Kettleburn teaches spelunking as well. You need to speak with her in regards to her lesson plans."

"... Er, speaking of teaching..."

"Oh, not to worry. You'll only be expected to teach the first year's theoretical work: tips and tricks, monster weaknesses, and general good practices. The first year's first exploration venture is a joint effort for the staff."

"Well, I already suspected that would be the case. I was more concerned about the plan had I not been assigned this job."

Professor Lucas stalled, before chuckling. "I do suppose that would be a concern. The original plan was for each of us to take turns. All of us have been adventurers of some note become taking our desk jobs."

"I see."

"Not to worry, Professor Bartfort. You're in good hands."

AN

1) Honestly, a fairly decent attempt at a crossover if I do say so myself.

2) For world building details, most lower noble girls go into Slytherin only because of their 'ambition'. They don't have the good quality of the other houses. Mainly set this as a starting point premise to keep in line with Mobuseka world building. It also explains why Professor Black is such a bitch. Upper noble girls are actually a spread.

3) Marie is a Slytherin. Her overwhelming desire to get the reverse harem ending overwrites her achievements through hard work.

4) Luxion would be sorted into Hufflepuff.

Review Response

Golden Nova: I don't take requests. Nothing against the suggestions I receive. It's just that my writing is more flash of inspirations than planned. As a result, throwing ideas at me doesn't do anything for me since it's not an idea I've built up. If you want to see something, your best bet is to basically do an Inception on me by either arguing about canon enough with me or constantly talk about bits of the plot enough for it to get stuck in my head. I have written a snippet as a result of arguing the believability of the noble girl's ignorance of Leon's starting wealth. It lead to An Accurate Appraisal Part 1.