Wade walked quickly, put on the Sorting Hat, and murmured to himself, "Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff! I want to go to Hufflepuff!"
"Hufflepuff?" a tiny voice said. "Oh, perhaps you didn't hear the song I just sang. That's alright, I can sing a verse just for you—'Where they are just and loyal—'"
Wade: "..."
He vaguely sensed something.
The Sorting Hat continued to sing: "'Hufflepuff students are tenacious and honest—'"
Wade: "..."
Alright, I get it, no need to sing anymore!
The Sorting Hat rustled: "'And unafraid of toil—'"
Wade: "..."
That's a bit much! Your voice is a little too loud!
The Sorting Hat whispered, "While Hufflepuff never refuses any student who desires Hogwarts, there is a more suitable place for you... Hmm—it's always hard for people to truly know themselves, isn't it?"
Wade quickly thought, "I'm not going to Slytherin!"
"Of course, it's—" the Sorting Hat bellowed, "RAVENCLAW!"
The second table on the left began to clap, the applause measured. Wade sighed inwardly, took off the hat, and walked towards the table decorated in teal and blue.
—Stubborn Sorting Hat! So what if I'm not honest, loyal, or hardworking enough? I like being friends with honest, loyal, and hardworking people, isn't that allowed?
Several Ravenclaw students stood up and shook his hand. The boy leading them said, "Welcome to Ravenclaw, I'm West Moore, the Head Boy."
Another boy leaned in and said, "Your name is Wade Gray? Then you're a perfect fit for our House!"
"What do you mean?" Wade asked.
"Oh, Benson, don't tell that joke of yours," West said, a hint of helplessness in his voice as he remembered something.
Benson winked and said, "Because our House ghost is also named Gray—the Grey Lady."
Wade looked at him, and after a few seconds, slowly said, "...Oh, so?"
Benson: "..."
West pushed the boy's head back. "I told you already, don't try to be like the Weasley twins; you don't have the comedic bloodline."
Benson slumped onto the table as if deeply wounded, completely dejected. Wade thought his current expression was actually quite funny.
He sat down and looked around.
No introductions were needed; in his eyes, everyone around him had a name (or two) hovering above their heads. However, Wade had no impression of almost everyone in Ravenclaw; they probably weren't mentioned in the plot at all. The only exception was a very cute black-haired girl not far across from him—[Cho Chang]. She was looking at the new students being sorted, not noticing Wade's gaze.
The people at the staff table also matched his memories—silver-haired, long-bearded Albus Dumbledore; sallow-faced, greasy-haired Severus Snape; tiny Filius Flitwick, no bigger than a three-year-old; nervous Sibyll Trelawney; plump Professor Sprout; and Quirinus Quirrell with his front face and Tom Riddle with his back face.
Of course, Wade, sitting at the Ravenclaw table, was like an invisible person; the professors didn't pay him any attention.
The Sorting Ceremony continued.
"Michael Corner!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
Before Wade, a blond boy named Anthony had been sorted into Ravenclaw and was enthusiastically greeting everyone. Soon after, a boy with long, curly black hair named Michael Corner arrived and sat next to Wade. Then came Padma Patil, the younger of a pair of Indian twin sisters; her elder sister, Parvati Patil, had been sorted into Gryffindor.
There weren't many new Ravenclaw students, only about ten or so in total. The new students, reserved yet excited, observed their surroundings until a name suddenly rang out—
"Harry Potter!"
The entire Great Hall abruptly fell silent, followed by a buzzing murmur of discussion.
"Potter? Harry Potter?"
"Is that the Harry Potter?"
At the Ravenclaw table, even some of the usually aloof students who barely acknowledged the new arrivals couldn't help but turn their heads and crane their necks to see the black-haired boy walking towards the Sorting Hat.
When he put on the hat, many people held their breath, from Gryffindor to Slytherin, from Headmaster Dumbledore to Argus Filch, the castle caretaker standing at the door. Everyone was watching the shabby hat and the little boy whose face was mostly obscured by it.
The chatter gradually subsided.
Finally—
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Sorting Hat roared, and the Hall erupted in enthusiastic cheers and applause. Gryffindor's cheers were the loudest, but almost everyone in Ravenclaw also applauded—a treatment not given to other students during their sorting.
"I knew he'd go to Gryffindor!" Benson said seriously to West. "Harry Potter would of course be in Gryffindor, where else could he go?"
"Shut up, Benson. Two months ago you said Harry Potter was just a character in a book and didn't actually exist!" West retorted, rolling his eyes.
As the last new student was sorted into Slytherin, Professor McGonagall left with the Sorting Hat, and Dumbledore stood up, spreading his arms.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our feast, I have a few words to say. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
Hearing this classic opening speech, Wade clapped vigorously.
"What does he mean?" Michael, sitting next to him, asked.
"I don't know," Wade said.
"Then why are you clapping?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Isn't such a short speech worth clapping for?" Wade countered.
Michael thought for a moment, then agreed, "You're right!"
Warm applause accompanied by cheers. In a blink of an eye, the empty long tables were laden with food: roasted beef, lamb chops, chips, mashed potatoes, and more. Although vegetables were scarce, the aroma was rich, and it looked delicious.
The students, who had been hungry for a long time, immediately gorged themselves. After almost everyone had eaten their fill, the main courses vanished, and numerous desserts appeared on the long tables. Students with full stomachs had to slow down their tasting, which also freed up time to chat with those around them.
The new students' conversations naturally centred on their family backgrounds and bloodlines.
A boy named Stephen said, "I'm from a pure-blood family. My mother was also in Ravenclaw, and my father was in Gryffindor. I've already read all the school textbooks at home."
"What about you, Wade?" someone asked.
Wade candidly replied, "My parents don't do magic."
"Then magic must be a completely new field for you, right?" Stephen said sympathetically. "You'll have to work a bit harder at school."
"Yes, I will try my best," Wade said with a smile.
"Even though I'm a half-blood, I think whether you're pure-blood or Muggle-born, it doesn't make any difference at all," Michael said to Wade. "For example, in my family, my father is a wizard, but he's not as smart as my mum, so my mum decides everything at home."
Wade Gray's surname starts with "G," Hermione Granger's is "Granger," and Harry Potter's is "Potter" . This explains why Wade was sorted after Hermione and before Harry.