Professor McGonagall didn't lead the new students directly into the Great Hall but instead took them into a small chamber.
She explained the Sorting Ceremony and the House Cup—things Dana had already learned countless times from the books, movies, and fanfictions he had read.
"In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will begin in the Great Hall. I suggest you…"
McGonagall's sharp eyes landed on Neville and Ron. One had his cloak fastened incorrectly, and the other still had dirt on his nose.
"Tidy yourselves up so you look a bit more presentable."
Then she turned and left, saying, "When everything is ready, I will return to fetch you. Please be quiet."
Of course, the room did not stay quiet.
The first-years immediately began whispering about the Sorting.
Wizarding families seemed to have an unwritten rule—before sending their children to Hogwarts, they had to scare them about the Sorting. The stories varied wildly.
Fred Weasley had only mildly scared Ron by saying the Sorting was painful, but others had heard even worse tales—dueling a troll, surviving three minutes against a dragon—as if Hogwarts was worse than Azkaban!
Even Azkaban doesn't make prisoners fight Dementors!
Then came the screams.
Dana turned and saw twenty pearly-white ghosts float through the walls, startling the first-years.
Seeing their reactions, Dana once again felt like he was back in Azkaban.
After all, both ghosts and Dementors made people feel cold.
Fortunately, the kind-hearted Fat Friar from Hufflepuff tried to ease the tension.
"New students! Are you all waiting for the Sorting Test?"
His friendly smile was infectious.
However, his choice of words only worsened the panic.
—See? The tradition of scaring first-years had existed for centuries. The Fat Friar had called it a Sorting Test rather than a Sorting Ceremony. Just hearing the word test made the young wizards even more nervous.
At that moment, McGonagall returned.
"Now, form a single line. Follow me."
The Great Hall was… breathtaking.
Dana had seen the movies, but the real thing was far grander than what had been depicted.
The enchanted ceiling mirrored the night sky. The long tables stretched endlessly, filled with upper-year students waiting for dinner. At the front, the professors sat like judges overseeing the ceremony.
And there, in the center—
A three-legged stool and an ancient, patched hat.
Even though Dana knew what to expect, his heart still pounded slightly.
The Sorting Hat's song was long-winded, as expected, but Dana didn't bother listening. He already knew every word.
Finally, the names were called.
"Hannah Abbott!"
Unsurprisingly—
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Of course, she would be sorted there. Dana's presence wasn't enough to change something like that.
One by one, names were called, until—
"Dana Emrys!"
Dana walked forward calmly, placing the hat on his head.
He didn't care where he was sorted. Anywhere was fine—so long as the Sorting Hat didn't suddenly yell, "Azkaban!"
He only wanted to get stronger. That was why he was here.
Hogwarts was a place of secrets—its library alone contained nearly every magical book that existed in the wizarding world.
His ultimate goal was strength.
Dana glanced at the Slytherin table.
Dunat Avery was glaring at him with unhidden hatred.
Right… He's here too.
Through him, Dana might be able to dig up some information about his past.
The Sorting Hat's voice echoed in his mind.
"Oh! I can't read your thoughts, child… yet I don't sense Occlumency… Could you be a natural Occlumens?"
Dana remained silent.
"Well, no matter. Your bloodline is ancient, powerful, and noble. You should go to Slytherin."
Dana tilted his head slightly. His gaze flickered toward McGonagall before he muttered under his breath,
"It would be nice if I could go to Gryffindor."
The Sorting Hat gasped.
"Ah! Suddenly, I can read your thoughts! This is rare—it means your will is incredibly strong—"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Sorting Hat announced.
Dana removed the hat and placed it back on the stool, amused.
"Read my thoughts? Or did you just hear what I said?"
Walking toward the Gryffindor table, Dana was met with applause.
Then—
From the Slytherin table, Dunat Avery's voice rang out.
"HE'S A CRIMINAL! HE CAME FROM AZKABAN! GRYFFINDOR ACCEPTED A CRIMINAL!"
The applause halted.
Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut through the silence.
"Mr. Avery! Watch your words! Mr. Emrys is just as much a Hogwarts student as you!"
But her words had little effect.
Dana felt the shift immediately.
His fellow Gryffindors hesitated. Their faces froze—uncertainty creeping in.
Well… except for two people.
"WOW! Azkaban?! That's so cool!"
Fred Weasley.
"Yeah! Our mom used to say if we were naughty, we'd be locked up in Azkaban! Now we have Dana! He can tell us if it's really that scary!"
George Weasley.
The only two Gryffindors still clapping—even louder than before.
Dana gave them a small smile, then quietly walked to the very end of the table.
It was better this way.
If he sat too close to the others, they might move away—how troublesome that would be.
Dana barely noticed the rest of the Sorting. He missed Malfoy being sorted into Slytherin without the hat even touching his head.
He didn't see Harry being called to Gryffindor.
He didn't see Hermione looking at him strangely.
He didn't see Hannah and McGonagall gazing at him with concern.
Instead—
His thoughts drifted.
Mother… Is this what you wanted for me?
He was startled out of his thoughts when two people sat beside him.
"Hey, Dana! We met on the train, but let me introduce myself again! I'm—"
"You're Fred Weasley."
Dana answered instantly.
Then, turning to the left—
"And you're George Weasley. Am I right?"
The twins beamed.
"Wow! You're amazing!"
"How'd you do that? Even Mom gets us mixed up sometimes!"
Dana smirked.
"In Azkaban, you learn to observe everything—so you don't get targeted by Dementors."
The twins loved this answer.
To them, Dana wasn't a criminal—he was interesting.
And besides—
What could a seven-year-old possibly have done to deserve Azkaban?
The twins had done far worse things.
When they were five, they had nearly tricked Ron into making an Unbreakable Vow.
If their dad hadn't caught them in time, Ron would be dead by now.
Now that's criminal.
"You have to tell us what Azkaban is really like!"
Fred said excitedly.
"Yeah, Mom used to scare us, saying we'd be sent there if we were too naughty! Now we have someone who's actually been there!"
Dana sighed dramatically.
"Well… to be honest, Azkaban isn't that different from Hogwarts."
The twins paused.
"…What?!"
Dana smirked.
"The same abundant magic. The same cold atmosphere. The same prejudice and oppression… and the same bread."
He poked at the loaf on his plate.
"To be fair, though—Hogwarts' bread is way better than Azkaban's. It's just… after four years of eating moldy bread, I feel sick just looking at it."
The twins burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Alright! We definitely don't want to go to Azkaban now!"
Fred grinned.
"Yeah! Or Hogwarts to study either!"
Dana raised an eyebrow.
"…Why not?"
The twins grinned in unison.
"Because there's no freedom here!"