Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Archmage

Dumbledore sat in the center of the faculty seats, looking kind and smiling.

Dudley spotted him at first glance when he looked towards the faculty seats.

Dumbledore deliberately gave Dudley a mysterious smile, as if he had prepared a special surprise for him.

Dudley didn't dig deeper. His gaze directly swept to the left of the old man, and Harry did the same.

Dumbledore's expression changed slightly in a panic. He immediately winked at Dudley, signaling him to give him some face and not start a fight on such an important occasion.

Dudley knew the stakes. He didn't plan to fight now, but it didn't stop him and Harry from memorizing the target's appearance first.

Severus Snape looked as ostentatious as a bat in his long black robe. He looked extremely shabby with his short, curly black hair so greasy that it could reflect light, as if he couldn't afford shampoo. He had a pale, gloomy face that seemed to drip with moisture, looking extremely unpleasant as if everyone owed him money. He was very easy to recognize.

Dudley didn't even need an introduction. He easily locked onto the target among the Hogwarts faculty.

So did Harry.

Of course, unlike Dudley, who recognized people based on the information from the original story, Harry used the method of eliminating by age and gender, as well as the fleeting glances that Snape pretended to make with him.

This first archenemy he had written down in his black notebook seemed to be particularly interested in his eyes. His eyes were calm and cold when looking at others, but they became complicated and gentle when they met Harry's.

His emerald eyes were almost identical to those of his mother, Lily Potter. This Snape, who had had inappropriate thoughts about his mother, was clearly looking for his mother's shadow in him!

Thinking of this, Harry's eyes became sharp and full of hatred.

When Snape met such a look in the eye, it felt like he'd been stabbed hard in the heart, the pain almost unbearable. He seemed to see Lily, the woman he loved deeply, staring at him with extreme hatred, which made him feel so bad that he could hardly breathe.

Fortunately, he then noticed Harry's face, which bore many similarities to that of the hateful James. This made him feel a little better. He just thought of it as James bullying him again!

Snape comforted himself like this and wanted to continue looking into Harry's emerald eyes to see if the inexplicable hatred in them had faded.

Unexpectedly, a first - year who didn't look like a first - year blocked his view of Harry with a hostile look on his face, blocking it completely.

[Ding——]

[Upon first meeting, unlock the current regret event of Severus Snape!]

[The Lost White Moonlight (S - Class)]

[Details: Lily Evans, the childhood sweetheart and white moonlight that Severus Snape loved deeply all his life, indirectly died because of the prophecy he leaked. This became the most unforgivable pain in Snape's life.]

[The Unattainable Position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts (A - Class)]

[Details: Snape extremely longed to get the position of professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. However, in the original story, for the sake of his life, Dumbledore never approved his application. It wasn't until Harry's sixth - year in the original story that he finally obtained the position of professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

But at that time, Voldemort regained power. He was busy being a double agent and executing Dumbledore's sacrificial counter - plan. The position he once dreamed of had become unimportant.

[Misunderstanding of the Savior's Trio (C-rank)]

[Details: In the original story, when Harry was in his first year at Hogwarts, he was unaware of the feud between Snape and his parents. Due to the limited information available, the protagonist group, led by Harry, had various misunderstandings about Snape.]

...

[Congratulations to the host for successfully resolving the C-level regret event - the misunderstanding of the Savior's Trio!]

[Thanks to the host's early planning and continuous follow - up, Snape has been thoroughly understood by Harry. The possibility of the new protagonist group having major misunderstandings about Snape has approached zero.]

[This regret event has been perfectly resolved.]

[Fixed reward: 1 C-rank fusion opportunity is hereby issued.]

[Extra reward: 1 C-rank fusion opportunity.]

[Currently available opportunities to fuse magic items: 2 C-rank, 1 D-rank, 1 E-level.]

The moment Dudley focused his attention on Snape, the System began to broadcast information about a new regret event.

One's casual efforts bring unexpected results.

Dudley didn't expect that he had inadvertently and perfectly resolved a regret event related to Snape.

However, the System reward couldn't change Dudley's opinion of Snape.

He remembered Harry's feud and how Snape had once teased his mother. As a result, his anger flared up.

Dudley used his strong body to block Snape's view of Harry. Then he quietly cast the Calm Mind Spell on himself to barely calm his angry mood.

He gave Snape a fierce glare, then gave Dumbledore a look that seemed to say 'I'm giving you face', before shifting his attention elsewhere.

"Harry, just remember what he looks like. Don't stare at him and let him have the satisfaction!"

Dudley whispered to Harry behind him using the Whispering Spell, "Mentally prepare for the big thing you're going to do later!"

"Yes! Cousin!"

Harry also whispered in reply. He calmed his mood and stopped paying attention to Snape. Instead, he began to draft a speech in his mind.

Not far away, Professor McGonagall had taken out the four - legged stool and the shabby, dirty Sorting Hat, getting ready for the Sorting.

The SS - Rank magic item - the Sorting Hat, with a round brim and a pointed top, was old and patched. It seemed to be made of an unknown kind of leather.

After Professor McGonagall placed it on the four - legged stool, the wrinkles on the hat formed the structures of eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth. It wobbly - wobbled and then began to sing cheerfully.

The general meaning of the lyrics was: It's very old and quite remarkable. It's smart and has sharp eyes. It can read minds and sort students into the right houses.

Then it sang about the characteristics of the four houses at Hogwarts.

Gryffindor values courage above all; Hufflepuff is loyal and loves the dining table; Ravenclaw has a nimble mind; Slytherin doesn't shy away from ambition.

Finally, there was the ending part of the song:

Don't be afraid, don't be nervous. Wear it, you'll be safe, because it has a mind of its own.

When the song ended, the Sorting Hat bowed to the long tables of the four houses one by one. The Great Hall erupted in thunderous applause and was extremely lively.

In the line of first - years, Ron let out a sigh of relief. His family had kept the specific Sorting process from him. He thought Sorting was a dangerous sport, but it turned out to be just wearing a hat.

At this time, Professor McGonagall reached out her hand towards the four lines of house tables in a gesture as if to press them down, and the applause in the Great Hall quickly subsided.

Then, the serious - looking vice - principal looked towards the line of first - years, took out the parchment list with the names of the first - years on it, and said that when she called out someone's name later, that person should come forward, sit on the stool, wear the hat, and go through the Sorting.

Soon, the 1991 Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony officially began.

The first wizard's name Professor McGonagall called out was, without any surprise: "Hannah Abbott!"