Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

9 month 1 number.

Another batch of new students arrived at Hogwarts Castle—while Cohen and his classmates sat at the Gryffindor long table, waiting for the sorting, or perhaps for the food to be served.

"Which college do you think Sophia will go to?" Ron asked.

Ever since hearing about the sorting system for entering the school, Sophia had been telling them on the train that she wanted to be sorted into the same house as Harry.

“I still find it a bit absurd—she looks like she’s seventeen now,” Harry said, somewhat incredulously. “And then she has to go through the sorting process in her first year.”

“Because she didn’t learn all the material from the first six grades in one summer,” Cohen said. “Cheer up, according to Sofia’s logic, she’ll drop out of school once you graduate—so it’s all just an act she put on to keep you hooked.”

"Whoa—" Ron let out a strange cry as if watching a show.

"Sigh, you lot." Hermione shook her head helplessly. "I think I should continue to revise my NEWTS exam study plan."

"Review?!" Ron asked, his eyes wide. "Review? Didn't we just finish our OWL exams?"

“That was over a year ago, Ron,” Hermione reminded him. “We’ve been in advanced classes for a year now, and there’s very little new material this year; it’s mostly exam preparation.”

“Damn it, I can’t remember anything,” Ron said in frustration, then turned his hopeful gaze to Cohen, “Cohen…”

"Would you like to work as a gatekeeper at the Ministry of Magic?" Cohen asked sincerely. "That's what I plan to do. I'll build a room in the hall, pretend I'm working, and actually play video games for a paycheck—"

“That’s fantastic,” Ron said excitedly. “I can just sit there? Actually, I can patrol and pretend too…”

“Ron, can’t you have some more ambitious goals?” Hermione said with a strange expression.

“I think I can get promoted within ten years if Mr. Norton is willing,” Ron said firmly.

"Promotion to where? The Ministry of Magic's best doorman?" Hermione quipped.

"Sounds alright." Ron nodded.

“Don’t think too badly about the future, Hermione. We don’t really have to work,” Cohen said, slumped over the table. “Anyway, Dad’s not planning to retire. I’ve decided to take my friends somewhere peaceful to waste the rest of our lives—”

“You just used the word ‘wasteful,’ didn’t you?” Hermione said. “We should do something that benefits the entire wizarding world; this place is far too stagnant.”

“CAR?” Harry asked.

"The Potion Reform Promotion Association is just a small part of it, Harry. I've already planned out the whole big picture over the summer, and I can discuss it with you—"

“The Sorting Ceremony has begun.” Cohen quickly changed the subject. “Hey, did I tell you that Mr. Flandre’s family came to my house last month…”

Cohen successfully steered the conversation aside temporarily, because none of them actually had any interest in the Pharmaceutical Reform Association and its related industries, but they didn't want to undermine Hermione's confidence.

They whispered among themselves amidst the cheers and applause that erupted around them as they awaited Sophia Norton's sorting results.

soon……

“...Sophia Norton!”

Professor McGonagall called out Sophia's name.

In the line of new students, a girl who was noticeably taller than the other new students happily ran up to the stage and sat on the small stool.

Cohen couldn't help but admire his own craftsmanship. Although Sophia's body was that of a seventeen-year-old girl on a physiological level, she didn't look out of place at all among the group of eleven-year-old freshmen.

“I’m a true alchemical genius,” Cohen exclaimed. “Nicolas Flamel would be proud of me as a student.”

“I bet the Earl would say that if he were here,” Harry said. “'I don’t believe Nicolas Flamel would be pleased that his student has created a legitimate young girl.'”

“The Earl is a real menace.” Cohen shook his head. “It’s hard to believe that the first time I heard the term ‘legal minor’ this year was from you, Harry.”

Sophia's branch was noticeably excessively long, and it was accompanied by a faint, chilling, low hissing sound. "What?"

Harry glanced worriedly at the reactions of the other students in the Great Hall.

However, it seemed that no one else heard anyone speaking, nor did they notice the faint hissing sound.

"Gryffindor!"

The Sorting Hat called out reluctantly.

Cheers and applause erupted from Gryffindor, because Sophia was Cohen's sister—the daughter of the Minister of Magic (at least that's what was publicly stated).

“Parseltongue. Sophia said if the Sorting Hat doesn’t sort her into Gryffindor, she’ll climb into the Headmaster’s office at night and bite two holes in it,” Cohen explained. “Harry, you understand that—oh—”

Cohen's doubts vanished quickly; the Voldemort soul that had been attached to Harry disappeared, and so did Harry's Slytherin heir traits.

“What?” Harry asked, puzzled. “She spoke Parseltongue—but I shouldn’t have…”

“Because Voldemort is dead, along with that piece of flesh in your body,” Cohen explained. “It’s normal that you don’t understand now—thankfully Sophia learned English.”

"Harry!" As soon as she ran off the stage, Sophia spotted Harry and Cohen sitting below and squeezed into the middle of the bench where they were.

Cohen and Hermione made way for the two of them, and Hermione even tugged at Ron, who was not moving, so that he wouldn't get in the way.

“Alright, Ron, now we don’t have to worry about Harry going to the Auror’s office,” Cohen said, pleased with his successful scheme.

"Why?" Ron asked.

“Love can ruin a person’s career,” Cohen said in a low voice, “especially love with a basilisk.”
-
Cohen is not entirely wrong.

Throughout the semester, Harry's already low motivation to study completely vanished because of Sophia's arrival. Sophia was extremely curious about everything in the castle—even though she had actually climbed the castle many times when she was a snake.

But Sophia was equally curious about the courses, especially Potions and Protecting Magical Creatures (although Cohen wasn’t sure whether she was interested in Protecting Magical Creatures or Magical Creatures themselves), as well as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts course.

The class is now taught by an old Auror from the Ministry of Magic and a Chimera—mainly the Chimera, while the old Auror feeds the lion.

“But the feeling of being a human is completely different from the feeling of being a snake!” Before Christmas, Sophia insisted on visiting the Astronomy Tower with Harry.

"Remember to get some rest, we have to go home tomorrow," Cohen reminded the two who were about to leave, nestled in the armchair in the lounge.

“Remember to bring back a baby basilisk,” the count said. “I can teach you things you don’t know how to do—”

Before the Earl could finish speaking, Harry had already been dragged out by Sophia.

“That’s terrifying,” Cohen clicked his tongue. “Luckily, I reproduce asexually.”

"Ugh..." the count uttered with disdain, "So you yourself will—"

"Shut up," Cohen said irritably. "Where's your son? I haven't seen him circling around you."

"It's already fallen in love, just like I used to be," the Count said. "Back when I dominated the galaxies—"

"You're still playing StarCraft—wait, StarCraft isn't even out yet, is it?" Cohen frowned. "Wait... what StarCraft are you playing—"

"Didn't I mention this version? I was piloting a starship with a little girl at the time..." the count said, tilting his head.

“You said last time that you used to live in the forest with an old man named John,” Cohen said dryly.

"Pretty much. I did live with an old sailor named John for a while," the Earl said nostalgically. "Back then, he dated his cyber girl, and I dated my robotic owl..."

"Screw you. Unless you pull out some spaceship right now, I won't believe a word you say," Cohen said. (End of Chapter)