The Sorting Ceremony began shortly afterward.
I stood among the other first-years and watched as one student after another was called forward.
The names came in alphabetical order, which meant I had quite a wait ahead of me.
With a surname beginning with R, I was naturally going to be one of the later students called.
I used the time wisely, observing everyone around me while also studying the Great Hall.
The floating candles, enchanted ceiling, four enormous House tables, ancient banners, and sheer scale of the chamber were even more impressive than I remembered from my previous life.
Hogwarts was magnificent.
I had barely arrived, and I was already thinking about how much knowledge was hidden inside these walls.
Eventually, after several more names were called, I heard the one I’d been waiting for.
“Riddle, Tom Marvolo.” I stepped forward.
Unlike most of the nervous children who had shuffled toward the stool with uncertain expressions, I walked with deliberate, elegant steps.
My posture was straight, my movements controlled, and there was a confidence in the way I carried myself that didn’t quite belong to an eleven-year-old.
I didn’t need to pretend to be fearless.
I simply wasn’t afraid of the Sorting Ceremony.
I approached the stool and sat down calmly, then looked toward the staff table.
My eyes briefly met Dumbledore’s.
I gave him an innocent smile.
The Deputy Headmaster smiled back.
But beneath my pleasant expression, I remained completely alert.
Dumbledore was still the greatest threat in the room.
I had no illusions about that.
My magical talent was extraordinary, and according to the system, my potential was even greater.
I could already think of several ways I could eventually surpass most wizards in Britain.
But there were still people who could potentially cause me serious problems.
Dumbledore was obviously one of them.
Grindelwald was another.
There were probably several other exceptionally powerful witches and wizards scattered throughout the world, although I didn’t know enough about them yet to name them.
Perhaps someone like Harry Potter could eventually reach that level in another timeline.
Who knew?
For now, however, Dumbledore was the man I needed to be most careful around.
The Sorting Hat was lowered onto my head.
The moment it touched me, a voice immediately echoed through my mind.
“Well…
what an interesting mind.” I remained perfectly still.
The Hat continued.
“Good heavens.” Its mental voice suddenly became considerably more serious.
“If I were a wizard, I’d send you straight to Azkaban.” I raised an eyebrow mentally.
“That seems a little excessive.” “I assure you, it isn’t.
Under ordinary circumstances, I would consider it entirely reasonable to send someone like you directly to the authorities.
However, Godric Gryffindor made me promise that every student would be sorted regardless of what I discovered inside their mind.” “You’re exaggerating.” “Am I?” The Hat sounded almost amused.
“You have several plans for conquering the world.” I mentally cleared my throat.
“That’s merely theoretical.” “You’re also scheming about how to assassinate several students.” I paused.
“That’s more theoretical.” “I saw you looking at that boy.” I knew exactly who it meant.
“You were considering stealing his invisibility cloak.” I remained silent.
“And possibly wiping out his entire bloodline.” “Okay,” I admitted mentally.
“Maybe I was thinking about that.” “Maybe?” The Hat sounded incredulous.
I could almost imagine it shaking its head.
“You’re an absolutely fascinating mixture of ambition, intelligence, cunning, paranoia, curiosity, arrogance, and surprisingly selective loyalty.
You aren’t devoid of emotion, either.
That’s what makes you even more interesting.” I didn’t respond.
The Hat continued examining me.
“Not Gryffindor.” Obviously.
“You have courage, certainly, but you’re far too calculating.
You don’t throw yourself into danger simply because something is heroic.
You evaluate whether the risk is worthwhile.” “Fair.” “Hufflepuff?” The Hat paused.
“You’re hardworking, but your loyalty is extremely selective.
You’d work tirelessly for someone you truly cared about, but you have absolutely no intention of extending that loyalty to everyone.” “Also fair.” “Ravenclaw…” The Hat seemed to consider the possibility for a moment.
“Now that is tempting.
Your intellect is extraordinary.
Your curiosity is practically insatiable.
You want knowledge for its own sake, but you also want to understand everything you can possibly use.” I smiled mentally.
“Then perhaps Ravenclaw?” “No.” The Hat’s response was immediate.
“You have far too much ambition.” I knew exactly where this was going.
“You don’t merely want knowledge.
You want power.
You don’t merely want to become powerful.
You want to become the most powerful wizard who has ever lived.
You don’t merely want influence.
You want to reshape the wizarding world.
And deep beneath all of that is an overwhelming desire to defeat death itself.” The Hat paused.
“You’re a Slytherin.” I smiled.
“Obviously.” “You are exactly the kind of student Salazar Slytherin would have appreciated.” The Hat hesitated.
“Although I’m not entirely sure that’s a compliment.” “It is to me.” The Hat almost seemed to sigh.
“Then Slytherin it is.
I would wish you luck, but considering the things you’ve been thinking about, I suspect you may eventually have countless deaths on your hands.
Perhaps you’ll surprise me.
Perhaps you’ll become something better than the future I can already glimpse within you.
But if you do become the person I fear you might become…” The Hat paused.
“Try not to end up in Azkaban.” I almost laughed.
“Don’t worry.
I have no intention of being caught.” “That’s precisely what worries me.” The Hat’s voice faded.
Then it shouted across the Great Hall.
“SLYTHERIN!” The Slytherin table erupted into applause.
I removed the Hat and stood from the stool.
For a brief moment, I allowed myself a genuine smile.
I’d known the answer before I ever sat down.
Slytherin had been inevitable.
I walked toward the table with measured confidence and found Abraxas almost immediately.
He was already applauding, looking rather pleased with himself.
“Welcome to Slytherin, Tom.” “Thank you, Abraxas.” I sat beside him, and Orion soon joined us.
The two of us immediately began talking while the remaining students were sorted.
I paid attention to the ceremony, of course, but my mind was already working through everything I’d learned from the Sorting Hat.
It had seen everything.
Not everything about my system, fortunately.
Somehow, the system remained completely hidden from it.
But it had seen enough of my thoughts to understand that I wasn’t an ordinary eleven-year-old.
That was concerning.
I would need to be especially careful around magical artifacts capable of interacting with minds.
Still, the Hat hadn’t exposed me.
That meant either it had chosen to keep my secrets or it simply believed there was no point in revealing them.
Either way, I would take the victory.
Eventually, all the students had been sorted, and the staff table prepared for the feast.
Headmaster Armando Dippet rose and gave a short speech welcoming the new students and reminding everyone of the rules and expectations for the coming year.
I listened politely, although I was considerably more interested in the food appearing across the tables.
When the feast began, I picked up my knife and fork and began eating with deliberate elegance.
Fortunately, my time with the Riddle family hadn’t been wasted.
My grandparents had taught me quite a bit about proper etiquette, posture, conversation, table manners, and the little details that distinguished someone raised within an old family from someone who had simply acquired expensive clothes.
I had also spent considerable time practicing those skills.
That was important.
Pure-blood society cared about appearances.
They cared about lineage.
They cared about manners.
They cared about confidence.
And most importantly, they cared about whether someone looked like they belonged.
I intended to belong.
As I ate, I glanced around the Slytherin table.
These were the people I would be spending the next seven years with.
Some would become friends.
Some would become allies.
Some might become rivals.
And a few might eventually become enemies.
I didn’t know which was which yet.
But I had seven years to find out.
I leaned back slightly and looked toward the enchanted ceiling above us.
My Hogwarts life had officially begun.
And somewhere beneath my polite smile, the gears of my mind were already turning.