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"Line up, the Sorting Ceremony is about to begin!"
Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut through the murmur of the Great Hall.
The line of wide-eyed first years snapped to attention. Darren obediently fell in behind a dark-haired boy — Neville, if he rembered correctly — and craned his neck to see ahead.
"I… I don't know how they're going to sort us," soone whispered nervously in front of him.
Darren glanced around. Every face was pale, anxious — even Kassandra De La Voré, the ever-cool Slytherin heiress, looked slightly uneasy.
Ah, the pure joy of tradition — scaring children before the hat ever sings.
Darren's lips twitched. He couldn't resist.
"I heard from Mada Pomfrey," he said in a hushed, trembling voice, "that they make you fight a troll."
"What?!"
"Oh, rlin's beard!"
"A troll?!"
"Are we going to die?"
The crowd broke into terrified whispers. So students went white as ghosts, while others looked monts away from crying.
Darren lowered his head, biting his lip hard enough to leave a mark — the perfect picture of innocent dread.
No one even suspected he was enjoying this.
Even Professor McGonagall had to bite back a smile as she took in the sight of a trembling crowd of eleven-year-olds.
"Alright, quiet down! The Sorting will begin."
She cleared her throat and set a patched, ancient hat on a stool.
The hat twitched once, twice — then opened at the brim and began to sing:
> You may think I'm not pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
If you can find a smarter hat,
I'll eat myself with glee…
The Great Hall erupted into applause when the song ended.
Ron Weasley groaned loudly, "So we just wear the hat? Who said anything about fighting trolls?!"
Darren winced dramatically. "Oh no… that was ," he said in a small, guilty voice. "I—I only repeated what I heard. I'm so sorry, I didn't an to scare anyone…"
> [Ding! Fatherly Value 50]
Mada Pomfrey, watching from the teachers' table, smiled softly.
This child… really does have a talent for looking pure.
Darren basked in the silent praise — and the system's reward — until Ron's muttering reached his ears.
"Figures," Ron grumbled under his breath. "Harry's brother hanging around that Slytherin witch. Both of them are bad news."
Darren blinked. Did this boy just call Betsy Greengrass evil?
Her? Evil?
He almost marched straight over to deliver a Holy Father lecture, but before he could take a step, a cool hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Kassandra.
Her expression was unreadable, but her voice was soft and dangerous. "If you go over there, I'll tell Professor McGonagall that you started it — and have you both expelled."
Darren froze mid-step.
Expelled? Over trying to spread love and tolerance?
He looked at her helplessly. She only raised an eyebrow. "I know you. You wouldn't want to get him in trouble."
He sighed in defeat and slumped back into line.
"Fine," he muttered, lips pressed tight.
> [Ding! Fatherly Value 10]
[Ding! Fatherly Value 50]
Huh? From who?
Was soone moved by his self-control? Or were they just impressed by his tragic restraint?
Darren scratched his hair thoughtfully, content to take the points either way.
Up at the staff table, Snape's black eyes flicked briefly toward him. Then, as if catching himself, the professor looked away — focusing on the cutlery in front of him.
Darren didn't notice. His gaze was fixed on the Sorting Hat.
Would it follow his wishes and put him in Slytherin?
Or would Dumbledore — who surely could control everything in this castle — shove him into Gryffindor out of spite?
He swallowed hard. Maybe for the first ti tonight, he was genuinely nervous.
Professor McGonagall unrolled a long parchnt and began reading nas.
"Hannah Abbott!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Susan Bones!"
"Hufflepuff!"
"Terry Boot!"
"Ravenclaw!"
The list went on, each na followed by cheers and applause.
Then—
"Harry Potter!"
The entire hall fell silent.
Darren's head snapped up. His heart skipped.
He stood on tiptoe, eyes wide, searching for his brother in the crowd.
And when he saw him — the ssy black hair, the lightning-shaped scar catching the light — Darren's lips parted.
"Brother…" he breathed softly.
He didn't dare shout or wave. Not here, not during the ceremony. Instead, he simply stood there, his turquoise eyes bright with quiet pride.
> [Ding! Fatherly Value 100]
[Ding! Fatherly Value 50]
[Ding! Fatherly Value 80]
[Ding…]
Nearly five hundred points flooded his system at once.
Darren blinked in shock. He thought all attention would be on Harry.
But it turned out… many eyes were watching him.
Professors, older students, even staff mbers — all noticing the little brother who didn't show jealousy, only admiration.
A saintly boy, proud of his famous sibling.
Darren grinned inwardly.
If Hogwarts was this easy to charm… he'd be swimming in Fatherly Value before the year was out.
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