Prologue

"Grim, Reed."

I stood up, blinking. The whole ordeal was pretty depressing, and exciting at the same time. Harry Potter. A book I enjoyed quite a bit in my childhood. Full of delightful magic, and wondrous adventure.

One moment, I was just Reed Grim, that random young man walking down the street. And the next, I was still Reed Grim. But plot twist! I was now a First-Year attending Hogwarts. At the same time as Harry Potter. And I was now British. Well wasn't this just lovely?

Standing up, I moved through the crowd of first-years, my lanky and thin physique partially trembling. Messy long hair covered most of my facial features, colored a deep dirty brown. My body was in a Hogwarts Robe, which was actually not too bad. Pretty comfortable actually.

When I had just "transmigrated", approximately five minutes ago, I had also received the memories of the previous Reed Grim of this world. An orphan, he lived a dull monotonous first few years of his life, not achieving much, and being completely and unremarkably normal.

Not that I was complaining. There wasn't anything wrong with being ordinary. Not like I could talk….. In my previous life, I wasn't exactly the most…. Sane of sorts.

Walking through, I looked around the Great Hall in fascination as I walked. A majestic building it was, truly. A tall looming ceiling above, the inky blackness of night it was, with candles levitating about, flickering, they were unmoving fireflies dotting the night sky.

Don't ask. I was feeling poetic.

The great walls were engraved in many carvings and paintings, giant columns, and other intricacies enveloping each other, creating a sort of architectural beauty. A nice aesthetic they created, was the faint support beams on the ceiling that one could barely see, creating a sense of fleeting existence.

Eh. I ranted too much. But you just gotta love architecture after all. And since I had just "transmigrated" or something to another world, would it not be a shame to appreciate something. After all, for the most part, you can only ever experience something once. It would be a shame not to take it all in the first time, right?

I walked down past the long tables, all of the older students turning their heads to watch the procession. Too a small part of me, it was nervewracking, with the many people staring into the back of your head. In front, above the staff seating area, was a grand collection of stained-glass windows. Varying in a great diversity of illuminating colors, I could make up the shapes of many figures and animals. Quite interesting.

And then, of course, there was the staff. I, of course, was first to notice the grand Headmaster himself, Dumbeldore. He was quite a controversial figure to many. But hate him, or love him, he would always be that cliche old mentor guy in the background.

The old man was actually a pretty tall figure, wearing a gray square cap of sorts and a long grey wizarding robe, he gave me a grandfatherly smile, with that trademark twinkle in the eyes. His long silver locks fell down the sides of his shoulders, and his face was covered in wrinkles.

I quickly looked down and headed to the object of much interest. On an old wooden stool, was the object that would most likely decide my fate for the next seven years. The Sorting Hat. It was a dirty and patched hat, musty and a deep dirty brown color. And it had a face. Well, I have no idea how to describe that face. It was sorta…. Grumpy-looking? Had a lot of creases too.

I approached it, staring down at the hat. The hat looked on back, and we looked at each other for another few seconds before the Sorting Hat spoke:

"Are you going to put me on?"

It was a grisly deep unnerving voice.

I replied in my unusually low emotionless voice, scratching my head:

"Sorry, the culture shock. Meeting a talking hat for the first time is pretty mind-blowing."

The Sorting Hat nodded in understanding, and I sat down, taking up the dirty hat in my small hands. Really, it was still pretty disorienting, the whole body change thing. I lifted it up, placed it upon my head, and waited for my privacy to be completely violated.

Then, as if in response to my thought, the Sorting Hat…. Spoke. It was weird, like telepathy or some crap like that. The Hat talked directly within my mind, it was akin to a close whisper in my ears in some senses.

"Well, well, well…. This is very interesting…." The Sorting Hat spoke first, its mutters clouding my head.

"Truly," I replied, whispering out loud a little. Why was I so calm? Well, besides being fundamentally sort of laid-back, I also doubted the Sorting Hat would reveal anything.

"Hm. Completely ordinary throughout. Your childhood is so incredibly dull. This is a first." The Hat continued on, shifting on my head. God, I was shivering at the thought of it. How old was that hat… What if it had lice?

"Thanks," I replied, in a definitely not a sarcastic way. I was a little surprised though. Were my secrets safe? It was almost as if all the moments when I thought of the whole transmigration thing were filtered out.

"Hm… You have loyalty and cunning, yet also bravery and intelligence, despite your lack of exterior influence. Strange." The Hat twisted its…. Torso?

I sighed, thinking in my head:

"I know I'm awesome. Apologies for the immaturity."

You could get out sentences a lot easier in telepathy.

"Now, where to put you?" The Sorting Hat twisted around some more, in deep contemplation, as always.

Murmurs and whispers spread throughout the hall, with even some of the staff joining in.

"Hatstall?"

"Bloody hell… This has been going on for six minutes!?"

"Wonder what the Hats saying."

"Where will this kid go?"

"He's cute."

"Who is this kid?"

"Reed Grim. Strange name."

Meanwhile, the conversation between the Hat and me had become somewhat comical. Why? Well. For one thing, I asked the hat, 'Which house has the nicest common room?', and some other questions one would normally ask when they consider buying houses. Location, quality of living, benefits, location, accessibility. Gotta be concise and particular.

"Dang kid…. You are truly something else. Not that I'm complaining. Good fun." The Hat chortled atop my head, constantly moving.

"So, I will try to avoid drawing this out for too long. Don't want to be a pain. Now… What house?" I scratched my chin, before getting to the main part of the conversation.

Ten Minutes Later...

"So, either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff."

"Well, Grinffindor also seems to have a nice atmosphere…. The cozy and lively vibe from what you've been saying."

"I'd say Hufflepuff. In terms of atmosphere, that place is better. More homey and cozy. At least that was how it was the last time I was there. A few centuries ago I think? Ravenclaw was more studious and depressing, but it also has this mystical, knowledge-filled vibe to it. Awe-inspiring in some senses. Still, Hufflepuff has better-looking windows. Very translucent and shaded a nice yellow. They are also framed in this beautiful wood."

"At this point, we're picking on living quality and not personality….."

"Heh."

"You are enjoying this."

"Heh."

"Fine, let's just get this over with. For the better windows."

"Are you sure?"

"Goddamnit."

"Fine….. Even though loyalty isn't your most defining trait…."

The Sorting Hat gave another chortle.

Throughout the hall, most of the students had started to get a little impatient, going on to mutter among themselves as they waited. Though, there was a lot of excitement in the air. A hat-stall this long was completely unprecedented. The Ravenclaws were contemplating. Gryffindors were spreading rumors. Slytherins were sulking. And Hufflepuffs were being Hufflepuffs.

Then, clearing its throat, the Hat yelled out after so much time:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Then, a roaring chorus of cheers spread out, with the staff and most of the tables clapping.

I really felt pretty good.

Getting up, I stretched and yawned. Walking, I jostled and swept my hair, before sitting down at the Hufflepuff table, with countless people slapping my back and congratulating me.

"Bloody hell, bro! Why were you there for so long!"

"Blimey!"

"Nice job."

It was relatively a lot of positivity and such, with the Hufflepuffs warmly settling me down. I instantly had a good impression of them. Harry Potter. Hogwarts. This would be quite the thrill.