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REALMSINUS

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to my utter shock, the damn hat began to sing!

"o yee gentle minds, starving for learning

Your future rests on my haggard self

so slip me bravely, and thy mystery I shall unravel

might sort thee to the brave Gryffindor

if you have bravery and guts

or the witty Ravenclaw for those wise chaps

but worry not for Hufflepuff is ever kind

yet if hunger for power and treachery is in thee

then Slytherin awaits

slip me bravely and thy mystery I shall unravel"

I stared at the hat with fear and anxiety. my head was throbbing with a million thoughts.

the system had said that if I managed to be sorted into Hogwarts the fade would be deactivated. but the level1 sublevel 2 quest was to be sorted into Slytherin. somehow I knew that that is where the adventure awaited. if only I could by passed this and deactivate the dreadful fade thing for good, life would be much better

that is if I got sorted at all.

what if the sorting hat only sorted the natural-born wizard and witches?.i couldn't help dreading

I noticed that I was trembling. I couldn't help it. but then who would be so calm knowing that in a short while you were going to disintegrate into oblivion before such a massive audience?

oh! what. away to go. grand, just grand.

Professor McGonagall was now calling names from a list ..the students being called would sit on the three-legged stool and slip in the hat that covered their eyes.

Most of the students had already been sorted .Hermione walked bravely and slipped in the hat. I could have sworn that the sorting hat would place her in Ravenclaw. She was witty that one.

After a short while, the hat shouted Gryffindor and cheers erupted from the left table near the staff dais.

it seems she has deeper traits than met my eyes. I reached inside my thoughts and congratulated her.

then I had my name!

time seemed to slow down. I dragged my unwilling feet with great effort towards the hat.

my knees were almost giving way under me.

I guess it's time to die boy. Let's give them a show.

I sat on the stool and the professor who had noticed my trembling hands, placed the hat on my head.

"you have nothing to fear" she offered in encouragement

I wish she knew just how much I had to fear. but then, if I wasn't sorted into Slytherin, I bet she would soon find out .they all would.

Suddenly the hat voice was in my head. it was deeply probing my thoughts.

events that I had carefully hidden from everyone. in a moment, all my life since waking up in st mungo flashed before me, the gnome war and the dreadful emotion the almost failure had elicited in me. my relationship with dobby, the attainment of the mighty wand and my time travel to the dragon cave. all this flashed in my mind as if I was living all the moments at the same time

then all the emotions and feelings I had felt came flowing in the same river of flashbacks. fear love desire hate. the face of the occupants of the dragon cave especially my thoughts and fantasies about the strange girl Alice resurfaced.

"oh no ...not that", I vainly tried to block the hat from accessing my thoughts. but it seemed to always be one step ahead of me.

"ahaa what a beauty I almost wish I was a man".the ironic voice of the hat interlude here and there amidst the flow of thoughts

"hmm..that is quite a fantasy"

Then came the dragon oaths and acquisition of the elf magic.

"That is strange..." I had the damn voice again

I had to do something really fast. I could not let the system find out my current quest. but even as I thought the hat seemed to have a plan of its own the scene changed and my view of the hat before I saw it came to mind.

"mmh ..me?...convince me?".my fears and wishes to be sorted into Slytherin flashed before me as if they had suddenly attained a life of their own..and just like that, the hat had broken my last line of defense

it knew everything!

my thoughts were no longer my own. my fate was no longer my own. I calmly awaited the fade.

" mhhh, not much potential for Slytherin....a tough call indeed."

the hat seemed to peer deep into my conscience

"I have never seen this and neither have I ever said this"

the deafening voice of the sorting hat rang in my ears.

"I grant freeway"

The hat was suddenly taken from my head and the face of McGonagall swam into view. I suddenly realized that the hat had shouted the last words.

there was a commotion throughout the student tables. I turned to look at the dais and even teachers were leaning, chatting in hushed voices. only one man remained calm, the silver-haired man in the middle.

he stood up clearing his throat noisily. stretching his hands he pointed at the hall and some of the candles that had died out were replaced by others. a bright light washed across the room illuminating everything.

I was now the center of focus.

The man stared at me with a benevolent face as if seeing my struggles.his sonorous voice washed across the hall.

"The hat's decision is strange but like always it's final. you are free to choose your house for yourself.

I couldn't believe my ears, for a weird moment, I almost thought that I was inside the hat and this was one of its illusions.

free to choose? ..how was that even possible.

"A gentle voice sneaked into my head. "common... it's Gryffindor right?"...I had almost forgotten Hermione's telepathic coin

I looked at the Gryffindor table, trying to spot where she was. I spotted her sitting between the two boys from the king cross station.

cheers of beckoning erupted from all the tables. It seemed everyone wanted a piece of the first student to ever get a freeway from the sorting hat.

I tried hard to ignore Hermione's voice even though I felt really bad. they all might think I had a free choice but in reality, my choices were as limited as being sorted by the hat itself.

I turned my attention to the table on the right side. the flag with the green serpent swung to and fro as if calling me.

As I took my first step to what would be my house for the next seven years I felt the cheer from Gryffindor suddenly die. Hermione's voice snapped in my head with certain loathing.

Perhaps in due time, they would come to see the Slytherin in a new light. but I knew it wouldn't be a slight task. I might even have to fight against my team.

When the members of the house gathered around to congratulate me, warmth and sadness filled my heart. I had succeeded in my quest but I had lost a potential friend.

as the plates and goblets before me filled with food and drink, it was all I could do not to shout hurrah! as the system notification blinked from the corner of my eyes. the synthetic voice that was only audible to me boomed.

congratulations User; Draco Malfoy, you have successfully deactivated the fade and received the quest reward.

strange sorting or not, I had made it once more!