HP: Card System

"Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw!"

Hermione whispered under her breath as the Sorting Hat settled onto her head.

"Ah, a studious little girl, but not lacking in bravery..." the Sorting Hat mused.

"Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw!" Hermione continued to chant, as if sheer willpower could determine her fate.

"Uh, could you let me finish—"

"Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw!"

"Alright, alright!" The Sorting Hat finally relented. "You do fit there, although Gryffindor wouldn't be a bad choice either. But go on, find your friends—Ravenclaw!"

Hermione let out a deep breath, her face slightly flushed as she placed the hat back on the stool and hurried over to the Ravenclaw table.

The moment she arrived, the students erupted into polite applause. Ted scooted over, making room for her.

"How did you manage that?" Ted asked, however, sweat was already forming on his forehead because of his anxiousness.

'The bloody butterfly flapped its wings again.'

Hermione lifted her chin, feigning composure. "Maybe it just recognized my passion for studying."

The sorting continued, and soon, the letter 'P' was reached.

"Harley Quinn Potter."

Ted blinked. That middle name… not exactly reassuring.

Unsurprisingly, the hat wasted no time. "Gryffindor!" it announced almost immediately.

Unlike in the original timeline, where the Sorting Hat debated placing Harry in Slytherin due to Voldemort's influence, this time, there was no hesitation.

Within seconds, Harley gracefully removed the hat, flicked the hem of her robe, and strutted toward the Gryffindor table, arms spread as though basking in divine light.

"ROOOOAAAR!" The Gryffindor students erupted in cheers, hooting and clapping.

The Weasley twins were especially animated, jumping up and down, ecstatic at the arrival of their new housemate.

A red-haired girl—probably Peggy Weasley—grinned knowingly. Harley had apparently met some of them before.

Next up was Jerry.

As he lacked a surname, the Sorting Hat called him up by his first name. The hat barely touched his head before shouting, "Gryffindor!"

If Jerry had any doubts about fitting in, they vanished the moment he sat down.

No one batted an eye at the round mouse ears poking out from his messy hair.

In fact, Gryffindor seemed even more excited.

"We have Jerry!" someone cheered.

"Thank you, thank you!" Jerry bowed repeatedly, shaking hands with every student who welcomed him.

Then came Neville's turn.

When "Neville Longbottom" was called, the room grew momentarily silent before hushed murmurs filled the space.

The Sorting Hat hesitated, and nearly five minutes passed before it finally declared, "Gryffindor!"

Neville bolted toward the Gryffindor table in such a rush that he forgot to take off the hat. Again. Ted smirked, finding comfort in the familiarity of the scene.

"Ah! Another Longbottom in Gryffindor! The Boy-Who-Lived!"

Gryffindor students surrounded Neville, shaking his hand enthusiastically.

His face turned red, then pale, then red again—he was clearly overwhelmed and on the verge of fainting.

Malfoy followed, unsurprisingly placed in Slytherin.

By the time Ron stepped up, only a few students remained. His fate was obvious.

"Gryffindor!"

The sorting ceremony neared its end. As Ted sat at the Ravenclaw table, he felt the castle's magical connection shift.

A grand spell wove through the walls, signaling that the new students had been officially bound to Hogwarts.

From his spot near Hermione, Ted could hear Neville whisper behind him.

"Thank you, Ted. You were right! I kept saying 'Gryffindor' in my head, and it worked!"

Ted smiled. "You weren't placed there because of that. You were always brave, Neville. Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but that courage has always been part of you."

Ron nudged Neville. "Why do I feel like Ted sounds more like a professor than the actual professors?"

Jerry nodded. "Agreed."

Hermione shot them both a look, clearly unimpressed. Ted made sense—why were they treating it like a joke?

Regardless, the sorting was done.

Final results:

Gryffindor: 10.

Ravenclaw: 9.

Hufflepuff: 9.

Slytherin: 8.

A total of 36 first-years.

Ted frowned slightly. "The British wizarding world has a population crisis…"

When considering Hogwarts' professors—none of whom had children—it was a grim outlook for magical Britain.

Even so, the number of students this year seemed slightly higher than in the original story.

The book never explicitly listed the full roster of first-years in 1991, so Ted couldn't be sure.

Besides, some students weren't originally in the books—like Jerry.

And he wasn't the only non-human student at Hogwarts.

Among the new first-years was a dwarf girl named Clara Flash.

She barely stood over a meter tall, and though she was only 11, her small stature suggested she wouldn't grow much taller.

But she wasn't an ordinary human—Clara was a member of the dwarven race.

It was said that dwarves excelled at magic, gem crafting, and magical technology.

In recent years, Hogwarts had begun accepting more students with magical talent from other races.

Ever since the second Conjunction of the Spheres 11 years ago, intelligent species from other worlds had appeared.

Some of their children, raised in this world, had grown up knowing nothing else and were admitted to Hogwarts when they turned 11.

Particularly,Gov Oasis, a second-year Hufflepuff student from the Horn Tribe, stood out among his peers.

He was born with two short, curved horns and had a broad nose that gave him a somewhat rugged appearance.

Towering over the other second-years by a head and a half, he looked like he belonged in a much older year.

Despite his intimidating stature, his gentle nature made him well-liked among his classmates.

In Gryffindor, there was Muradin Bronzeheart, a third-year dwarf student.

At just 14, he already sported a full, bushy beard, and at the rate it was growing, he'd be braiding it in a year or two.

His stout build and deep, gruff voice made him seem older than he was, but his fierce loyalty and bravery had earned him respect among the Gryffindors.

Then there was Lorya Ida Silver, a fourth-year Ravenclaw elf.

Despite being 18, she looked no older than a six-year-old child, her delicate frame and high-pitched voice a stark contrast to her sharp intellect.

Elves aged three times slower than humans, making her physical appearance deceptive.

Yet, her knowledge and mastery of spells put her among the best in her year.

Among the Hufflepuffs, a fifth-year named Itoli, a bunny-eared girl, was a trailblazer.

She had been the first non-human student accepted into Hogwarts, thanks to Dumbledore personally advocating for her admission before the school board.

She had set a precedent, and this year, two more students from different races had joined the ranks of Hogwarts.

The growing presence of non-human students posed a challenge for the wizarding world.

On one side, wizards had to ensure their secrecy from Muggles, while on the other, they had to navigate the shifting balance of power and knowledge.

These new students brought unique skills and perspectives, but they also created competition for resources and influence.

Pure-blood supremacists, who had long opposed Muggle-borns, now found themselves facing an even greater challenge—an influx of entirely different species.

This led to a divide within the wizarding community. Some welcomed the change, eager to learn from the newcomers.

Others remained neutral, adopting a wait-and-see approach.

And then there were the hardliners, mostly from old pure-blood families, who vehemently opposed the integration of non-human students.

A decade ago, when the last Conjunction occurred, it had only brought magical creatures into the world.

But the most recent one had introduced sentient races with their own magical traditions.

Thankfully, their numbers were small, preventing large-scale conflicts—for now. Yet, many feared that this integration posed a greater threat to wizarding society than even Voldemort had.

...

"Hiss~ha!" Neville suddenly clutched his forehead, wincing in pain.

Jerry, sitting beside him, immediately turned in concern. "Neville, are you okay?"

Forcing a smile, Neville nodded. "Yeah, it's nothing. Just a sudden headache."

Harley, speaking from experience, offered, "Maybe it's just from the cold wind while we were rowing over."

"Yeah! Just eat more at dinner, that'll help!" Ron chimed in, grinning.

Neville wasn't so sure about that. The cold wind theory made sense, but deep down, he had a feeling it was something else entirely.

The pain had been sharp, like a needle stabbing into his forehead, but it faded just as quickly as it came. He decided not to worry his friends and simply nodded along.

Truth be told, the warmth of their concern made him feel better already.

Across the Great Hall, Professor Quirrell, wearing his ever-present turban, had his back turned to Neville, whispering as if speaking to someone unseen.

Meanwhile, at the head table, Snape sat with his arms folded, his cold, dark eyes fixed on Harly, who was laughing with her friends.

There was an intensity in his stare—one filled with something between hatred and deep contemplation.

Ted, observing the scene from his own table, smirked to himself. "Quirrell must have a hell of a time sleeping. Lying on his back? Out of the question."

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Word count: 1486

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