He tilted his head towards the woman sitting next to him, who was speaking into his ear. Harry thought she looked like someone’s unmarried aunt, short and plump, with curly gray-brown short hair topped by a very ugly pink bow, matching her fluffy pink cardigan draped over her robe.

At this moment, she slightly turned her face and took a sip from a goblet.

So everyone saw a pale, toad-like face and a pair of droopy-eyed eyes with bulging eyeballs.

"What a toad!" Harry shook his head in admiration, "Just as lovely as Neville’s Lafu."

"Hey!" Neville returned Harry’s gaze with irritation, "I’m still here!"

"Oh right, you’re still here." Harry said with a fake smile, "Look, doesn’t she resemble your Lafu?"

Neville glanced at the old woman and then at his toad Lafu, trying to argue, but the words caught in his throat.

Not...

Just...

She damn well does look a lot alike.

"See." Harry spread out his hands, "You think they look alike too, don’t you?"

"They do look alike." Ron also fake smiled and patted Neville’s shoulder, "Of course, maybe this toad teacher will be kind to you on Lafu’s behalf."

"That’s enough, you guys!" Neville banged the table.

At that moment, Draco leaned over.

"Harry, Harry!"

"What’s up?" Harry turned his head to ask.

"That woman is one of Fudge’s people." Draco said, raising his chin and gesturing towards Umbridge, "It’s her, Dolores Umbridge... Looks a lot like Longbottom’s fat toad, right?"

"Not just you, we all think so." Ron laughed, for the first time in his life thinking that Malfoy wasn’t... completely blind.

At least, in this matter, great minds think alike.

"My dad asked me to remind you to be careful with her." Draco said before sneaking away.

Harry certainly knew that Lady Umbridge was one of Fudge’s people, leaving him somewhat displeased, as his previous plan of a three-year slacker period was effectively submerged upon Umbridge’s arrival.

Vivi’s task was to let him hone his political struggle ability at school—being a wizard, relying solely on magic power was certainly possible—but wizards also had societies and couldn’t escape the whirlpool of politics.

Just then, Hagrid also came in and sat in his place.

Upon seeing Harry, Hagrid raised his hand to greet him.

Harry did the same, mouthing "Rock Cake" silently to him.

Seeing Harry’s mouth shape, Hagrid was even happier.

Having someone appreciate his Rock Cakes, especially the person closest to him, Harry, how could he not be pleased?

He decided in his heart that he must add something extra to the Rock Cake.

He had to let Harry eat happily and assuredly.

Annie: Ahminos.

About half a minute later, the door leading to the hall opened, and a long line of seemingly startled first-year students were led into the hall by Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall was holding a chair with an ancient Wizard Hat placed on it, tattered with overlapping patches, and the brim was frayed with a wide tear on the side.

It was the Sorting Hat, the last time Harry saw it was during the last sorting.

The buzz of conversation in the hall slowly subsided, and the first-year students formed a line in front of the staff table, facing the other students as always during the annual ceremony.

Professor McGonagall carefully placed the chair in front of them, then stepped back.

The first-year students’ faces flickered in the candlelight, with a little boy in the middle seemingly trembling.

Looking at this little boy, Harry couldn’t help but reminisce about how a hundred years ago, he was just as anxious during his own sorting.

Thankfully, Gareth took care of him then, and he got to know so many good friends at Hogwarts—and, of course, Cassandra couldn’t be excluded.

If it weren’t for Cassandra’s secret aid, those Pure Blood Slytherins would certainly have swarmed over like flies to annoy him.

Thinking of this, Harry found himself missing Cassandra.

Turning back, wanting to look for Cassandra, he came up empty at the Slytherin table.

Sigh...

He sighed in his heart.

But... maybe in a few days, he could find time to visit her.

Thinking of this, Harry lowered his head to sniff his robe.

It still carried Cassandra’s fragrance—seemingly, Cassandra had fixed a magic spell on the robe that made its scent everlasting.

When he looked up again, the tear beside the Sorting Hat’s brim opened like a mouth, and then it sang loudly.

Unsurprisingly, the gibberish song invented anew each year, almost incomprehensible.

However, this year’s song was noticeably profound and educational.

The lyrics highlighted the necessity of unity, yet it acknowledged that since Phineas Black resigned as Hogwarts’ headmaster, the four houses had never united.

Not once.

"A bit off-topic this year, isn’t it?" Ron raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Probably." Harry hesitantly agreed, but what he didn’t say was he had heard the Sorting Hat sing off-topic songs before—back in 1889.

"I wonder if it ever issued a warning before?" Hermione said, sounding slightly anxious.

"It has, it has," Nearly Headless Nick chimed in knowledgeably, leaning over Neville to address Hermione, "In 1889, back when it was Phineas Black as headmaster, the Sorting Hat warned students to unite..."

"And then what?" Ron hastily asked.

"Oh, of course the four houses united." Nearly Headless Nick chuckled.

"Huh?!" Ron was incredulous, "How could that be possible? The Slytherin house from a century ago must have been more steadfast in pure blood ideals than now, how could they have united with the other houses?"

"That’s because you don’t know just how unlikeable Phineas Black was as a headmaster." Nearly Headless Nick teased before floating away.

How unlikeable?

Ron pondered, could anyone be more unlikeable than Snape?

Far in the Headmaster’s Office, Principal Phineas Black sneezed.

He didn’t know that his title of "The most unpopular person in Hogwarts history" was about to slip away.

"Quiet!"

Professor McGonagall said sternly, tapping the table with her hand.

Students who had been whispering immediately lowered their heads or sat up straight, in short... no one dared to challenge Professor McGonagall’s authority.

Kidding, who would be so blind as to provoke Professor McGonagall, that Professor Cat would surely let them experience what true power meant.

"Euan Abercrombie!" Professor McGonagall announced the first name loudly.

That formerly frightened little boy stumbled forward and sat on the chair.

"Abercrombie?" Ron whispered, "If he were in our year, would he be first, or would Hanna Abbo be first?"

"Certainly Miss Abbo." Hermione lowered her head and confidently replied, "Look, Abercrombie is Abercrombie, and Abbo is Abboct, first and second letters are the same, but for the third, Abbo is B, while Abercrombie is E, so B would come before E, thus Miss Abbo would be ahead of Abercrombie."

"Is there any last name that would be ahead of Abbo?" Ron asked, still unsatisfied.

"Yes." Harry interjected, "Abaddon, Abbadon, one letter difference from Abbo on the fourth character, with A ahead of O."

Just then, the Sorting Hat announced the sorting result.

"Gryffindor~!"