Before seeing this card, a certain question had been troubling Leon.
Namely, if he were to study at Hogwarts, which house should he choose as his home?
Although the Sorting Ceremony was decided by the Sorting Hat, the young wizard’s own thoughts and preferences were taken into consideration and respected.
As long as they met the criteria for that house and possessed a strong desire, the Sorting Hat would usually respect the young wizard’s own choice.
Before this, Leon had actually been aiming for two houses: Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
As for Gryffindor?
Leon didn’t consider himself the reckless type.
And as for Slytherin, he didn’t agree with their blood-purity supremacy theory either.
Neither of these houses met his expectations.
Regarding the intelligence required by Ravenclaw, Leon believed he could measure up, and when it came to a thirst for knowledge, he was confident he didn’t fall short of anyone.
After all, he even dared to risk Albus Dumbledore discovering his identity as a transmigrator just to come to Hogwarts and study magic.
Wasn’t that level of obsession enough to prove everything?
Compared to the traits the other houses demanded of their students, Hufflepuff was exceptionally inclusive and peaceful.
Even if you were rejected by the other three houses, Hufflepuff would always open its arms to welcome you.
These little badgers were all optimists and genuinely good people.
While the house didn’t often produce brilliant, attention-grabbing star students, it was undeniable that its graduates remained the backbone of many key positions throughout the wizarding world.
In fact, Leon had already been leaning toward Hufflepuff before this.
Now that he had drawn Helga Hufflepuff’s wizard card, he was entirely swayed.
He felt it was a hint from destiny.
Otherwise, with so many famous witches and wizards in Chocolate Frogs, why of all times did he draw Helga Hufflepuff—one of the four Founders—right when he was feeling indecisive?
Divination was a very real thing in this world.
Leon didn’t know if he had any talent for prophecy, but as long as it didn’t interfere with his plans, he was happy to respect the whims of fate.
“Leon, what are you thinking about?” Having chatted with Neville for a brief moment, Hermione noticed Leon staring blankly at Helga Hufflepuff’s card and couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m thinking about the Sorting Ceremony later.
Hogwarts has four houses, after all,” Leon replied.
“I know!
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin!” Hermione chimed in instantly, before pressing further.
“Which house do you want to go to?” “Me?
Most likely Hufflepuff.” Leon didn’t hide his preference, seeing as he had already made his decision.
“What about you?” Having shared his choice, Leon didn’t forget to ask Hermione.
After all, because of his interference, Hermione hadn’t crossed paths with Ron and Harry early on.
Without that initial encounter and Ron’s biased complaints, Leon was quite curious about what Hermione would choose—or rather, where the Sorting Hat would place her.
“Me?
I’m not really sure, but probably Ravenclaw,” Hermione said, caught off guard.
She thought back to the textbook descriptions of the qualities each of the four houses valued and gave an answer that suited her personality.
“That sounds wonderful.
It’s full of studious people just like you, so you’ll probably fit right in,” Leon added with a smile.
“Yeah.” Hermione found herself drawn to the idea.
After all, her social circle had always been tiny because she was isolated for being too clever compared to her peers.
If everyone around her was intelligent, she wouldn’t have to worry so much about that happening again.
Leon didn’t leave Neville out of the conversation either.
“By the way, Neville, which house are you hoping to get into?” “Gryffindor, I suppose.
My whole family was in Gryffindor, and Gran always says I was born to be one,” Neville said with a helpless sigh, his expression reverting to its previous timidness.
“But I think I’m going to disappoint her.
Gryffindor requires courage and a daring spirit, and I don’t really have either.
I’ll probably end up in Hufflepuff.” “There’s nothing wrong with Hufflepuff.
Students from all the houses receive the exact same education.
Your house won’t become a shackle that holds back your growth, so don’t worry about it,” Leon comforted Neville with a reassuring smile.
“Besides, who knows?
Maybe you really do have what it takes to be a Gryffindor.” “Thanks, Leon.
Honestly, as long as I don’t get expelled from Hogwarts, I’ll be happy.” Cheered up by Leon’s words, Neville looked a bit more relieved.
“But if I really do end up in Hufflepuff, it’ll be nice to have you there with me.” “Hahaha!
In that case, I’ll definitely look forward to seeing you in Hufflepuff,” Leon chuckled, teasing him playfully.
“Are you really that sure you’ll get into Hufflepuff and not one of the others?” Hermione’s eyes darted back and forth as if she were plotting something, though her mouth didn’t stop moving.
“More or less.
My mother already told me how the Sorting Ceremony works, so I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.” Leon used his witch mother as a convenient shield.
This way, whenever he let slip some insider knowledge, he had a reliable excuse to fall back on.
“You know how we get sorted?
My family refused to tell me—they said it was supposed to be a surprise,” Neville said, instantly looking at Leon with curiosity.
Hermione chimed in eagerly, “The books barely gloss over the Sorting Ceremony without any real detail.
Leon, can you tell us what we actually have to do to get sorted?” “My lips are sealed.
That’s part of the surprise, and if I spoil it, you’ll miss out on one of the best parts of starting at Hogwarts.” Leon chose to play the riddler—not out of the same mischievous malice older wizards enjoyed, but simply because he didn’t want to ruin a fine tradition.
Honestly, if he had a choice, he would have preferred not to know about the Sorting Hat beforehand either.
But it couldn’t be helped; not only did he know about the hat, but he also knew every single crisis that would strike Hogwarts over the next few years, along with the masterminds pulling the strings behind the scenes.
This was exactly why Leon favored Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
Those two houses rarely got dragged into all that nonsense.
Staying far away from Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would make his life significantly easier.
He didn’t consider himself a main character, nor did he think he had some grand destiny to fight Voldemort.
He was just an ordinary, novice wizard at Hogwarts.
Learning a bit of magic, growing some herbs of his own, and slipping into the Forbidden Forest to forage for tasty, fresh ingredients—that was the extent of Leon’s grand master plan for Hogwarts.
After all, if the sky started falling, the tall guys could hold it up.
Even if Albus Dumbledore couldn’t handle it, Leon had his own escape routes planned.
There was absolutely no need to panic.
The wizarding world extended far beyond Britain, and Hogwarts wasn’t the only wizarding school out there.
Honestly, if Hogwarts hadn’t been the closest option, Leon would have preferred to go to Beauxbatons.
Not only did it boast a gorgeous environment, but it was also full of beautiful girls and located right in France, a country famous for its romance.
Entangling himself in a beautiful romance between classes sounded wonderful, but alas, fate had dictated that he live in Britain.