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The hat slipped down over his eyes, blocking the view of the hundreds of students now staring at him, but Alex\'s thoughts were racing.

The Sorting Hat, seemingly talking to itself, murmured, "Interesting... very interesting. Serious, disciplined, with a strong sense of honor and an endless thirst for knowledge. Yet, you question rules, don\'t you? You have the makings of greatness, not unlike others I\'ve seen before. But you\'re not quite like a typical first-year... why so mature in your thinking?"

Alex, fascinated by the hat\'s ability to probe his thoughts, couldn\'t help but wonder how it worked.

\'Can this thing really read my mind? What kind of enchantment could give an object such awareness?\' His curiosity about the hat\'s construction and its alchemical properties grew, and he began to ponder what it would take to take it apart and understand it.

"Put those thoughts away, young man!" the Sorting Hat snapped, offended by his curiosity.

The hat\'s scolding only fueled Alex\'s desire to explore its workings.

\'So it can respond to my thoughts... fascinating. Is it a sentient object or something else entirely? Could it be the result of someone embedding a soul in an item?\'

"Enough!" The Sorting Hat, clearly exasperated, cut in. "You\'ve got potential, but let\'s see where you belong."

There was a brief pause before it shouted for the whole hall to hear, "Slytherin!"

Alex blinked, slightly surprised. He hadn\'t expected that, though he quickly shrugged it off. The hat had made its choice.

His robe\'s trim changed color, emerald green and silver replacing the plain black, and the Slytherin crest appeared proudly on his chest. As he rose to join his new housemates, he caught a glimpse of the Sorting Hat, which seemed to glare back at him, almost as if holding a grudge.

Charles and Vivian, seated at their respective tables, looked shocked. Alex could see it on their faces—they hadn\'t imagined him being sorted into Slytherin. But Alex remained unbothered, casually striding over to the Slytherin table.

He took a seat beside Vivian, who had been sorted into Slytherin earlier.

"Welcome, Alex Wilson," a confident voice greeted him. A girl with long dark brown hair and sharp eyes extended her hand. "I\'m Vanessa Greengrass, Slytherin\'s prefect. It\'s good to have you with us."

"Pleasure to meet you, Prefect Greengrass," Alex responded, shaking her hand with a polite nod. "You can call me Alex."

Vivian, who had been sitting nearby, leaned over excitedly. "I can\'t believe it! I thought you\'d go to Ravenclaw for sure," she said, her voice filled with surprise.

Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn\'t matter where I ended up. Though, I think the hat might have had a personal issue with me." He smirked, recalling the hat\'s irritated tone.

"You\'re joking," Vivian said, clearly confused.

"Don\'t worry about it," Alex waved her off, casting a glance around the table.

His eyes landed on Travers, who sneered at him from the other end of the table. Alex felt the weight of the stare but paid little attention to it. He was more interested in sizing up the people around him, curious about his new housemates. It was important to understand the people he\'d be living within this unfamiliar magical world, especially with the rising tension in the wizarding world outside the school walls.

Leaning toward Vanessa, he asked quietly, "Do we have anyone named Avery or Snape in our house?"

Vanessa looked surprised by the question but quickly answered, "Neither of them are students here now. I think they\'ve both graduated. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Alex replied casually, but inwardly, he was relieved. He had heard about those names before and was glad they weren\'t around.

Soon, the sorting ceremony ended, and the hall quieted down as an elderly wizard with a long white beard stepped forward. It was Dumbledore, the headmaster. He gave a brief speech, his warm voice filling the hall, but Alex paid close attention to the old man.

The famous wizard who led the fight against Voldemort seemed almost ordinary—nothing about him screamed "powerful" to Alex.

"That\'s Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of our time," Vivian whispered to Alex, eyes wide with awe.

Alex only nodded, still not sure what to make of him.

He listened as Dumbledore finished his speech, signaling the start of the feast. With a tap of his spoon, food appeared on the tables in an instant. Platters of roast chicken, beef, potatoes, vegetables, and more filled the plates. The students cheered and eagerly reached for the food, laughter and excitement filling the air.

Alex noticed that while the first-years dug in with enthusiasm, the older students, particularly those in Slytherin, were more reserved. Alex cut a piece of lamb chop and ate it slowly, savoring the taste. He wasn\'t particularly hungry, having eaten a good amount of snacks on the train earlier, but he noticed that the food at Hogwarts was much better than anything he\'d had outside. The seasoning was rich, though still a bit greasy.

As the banquet continued, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly shifted when ghosts started to appear, floating down from the ceiling or rising through the tables. The sight made many of the first-years jump in surprise, gasping at the eerie figures.

Alex\'s eyes lit up with curiosity. It was his first time seeing ghosts up close, and he couldn\'t resist trying to touch one as it passed by.

His hand went straight through the ghost, leaving him fascinated by the lack of any physical sensation.

\'If only I could study one of these ghosts. I wonder what kind of magic binds them here,\' Alex mused, his mind already buzzing with ideas. His thoughts were always more academic, and he was often drawn to mysterious things, which made him a natural fit for Slytherin—though he hadn\'t yet fully accepted that.