Orochimaru travels to Hogwarts

Chapter 33 The Call of Salazar Slytherin

"Hmm, you've caught me. I'm in a bit of a predicament." The Sorting Hat grinned and started slapping Orochimaru's forehead repeatedly.

"The moment I put it on your head, I felt that you were a kind and simple good child. The deepest part of your soul was telling me that you should go to Hufflepuff."

Is this an influence from the original body and soul?

Orochimaru was fully aware of this, but he did not intend to interrupt the Sorting Hat's mutterings.

"Later, the thirst for knowledge in your mind became so strong that even the most orthodox Ravenclaw could not compare to your desire for knowledge."

This is one's own soul.

Orochimaru lowered his gaze and remained silent. He knew full well that if it were merely about these two trivial matters, the Sorting Hat would have already given its answer.

"But I've discovered that you possess an immense amount of courage hidden deep within you. Oh, not bravery, but fearlessness. You even give me the impression that you are indifferent to death."

Ninjas who fear death are always the first to die on the battlefield.

Therefore, Orochimaru is not afraid of death.

He simply loathed death, just as a germaphobe loathes stains. Orochimaru loathed the laws of life and hated the inevitable death.

But since the Sorting Hat hasn't made a judgment yet, there must be a reason for it.

Orochimaru waited leisurely, completely out of place among the anxious crowd waiting in the auditorium.

Before long, the Sorting Hat explained the reason for his hesitation.

"What puzzles me most is your ambition. It's a really big ambition; you crave immortality and the complete defeat of death. This is a feat that no wizard has ever accomplished before."

"To achieve this goal, you need to have a calm mind, the wisdom to exhaust all possibilities, and the courage to crush all obstacles."

"This is too big, too big... bigger than Salazar's own ambitions."

Salazar was one of the four wizards who founded Hogwarts and the original head of Slytherin.

Orochimaru had read about it in the textbook "A History of Hogwarts".

But this still didn't change Orochimaru's expression. He remained calm and composed as always, as if the analysis he was being presented with was nothing more than an illusion that could disappear at any moment.

The next second, the Sorting Hat suddenly stopped, as if a program set within it was forcing it to say those words.

"Future wizards, it is Salazar Slytherin who is speaking to you now!"

"I can sense the qualities in you, the qualities a true pure-blood wizard should possess. I admire your boundless ambition and desire, and your hostility towards death."

"So I have a deal to give to you, who knows how many years from now."

"Go to Slytherin, where I have planted traces of ancient magic. Find it, use it, and achieve your unparalleled ambition!"

"You can also choose to refuse and go to Gryffindor or some other house."

"But since there is a path to immortality right in front of you, I don't think you would refuse it."

Salazar Slytherin's voice slowly came from the Sorting Hat.

Just as Godric Gryffindor hid the Gryffindor sword in the Sorting Hat, Salazar Slytherin also hid his secret in the Sorting Hat.

Moreover, Salazar's methods were so excessive.

For a young wizard who had just entered Hogwarts and hadn't even been sorted into a house, this dialogue began playing in his mind.

Although he didn't know if any wizards had ever agreed to his deal in the past, Orochimaru was certain that it would be an extremely difficult thing.

All the professors sat behind him, staring at him who hadn't been sorted into a department for a long time.

The students from the four academies sat at long tables, looking up and waiting for their results, their eyes occasionally revealing a hint of curiosity.

The offer of a trade coming from the hat, however, was vague, with details to be revealed only after he had agreed.

Under such pressure, the brave Gryffindors would likely refuse immediately.

Even the calculating and ambitious Slytherin would carefully consider the matter and ultimately politely decline the uncertain offer.

As Orochimaru analyzed the situation in his mind, a curious thought suddenly occurred to him.

Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, was sorted into Slytherin. Did he ever face such a trade offer back then?

"He refused," Salazar Slytherin said dismissively, sensing Orochimaru's thoughts. "For many Slytherins, ambition requires survival to be realized."

This is somewhat similar to my first experiment with the Reincarnation Technique.

Unlike the Impure World Reincarnation technique, which resurrects the deceased.

Taking risks with one's own soul, even in the precarious world of ninjas, is an extremely dangerous thing.

but……

Orochimaru slowly closed his eyes, sensing the ambition within him.

It was so pure; it wasn't to prove others wrong, nor was it for the sake of being a so-called prophetic child, nor was it for the glory and inheritance of any family.

He simply wanted to do it, so he did it.

A leisurely yet resolute smile appeared on Orochimaru's lips.

At this moment, he felt no murderous intent, no fear, only the unwavering ambition for immortality that he had felt after witnessing the white snake shed its skin.

He would never give any other answer.

His answer was always the same:

"make a deal."

As soon as he finished speaking, an interesting memory flooded Orochimaru's mind. Before he could look through it carefully, he could hear the Sorting Hat on his head suddenly raising its volume.

"I, Salazar Slytherin, hereby declare this wizard to be a member of Slytherin!"

The Sorting Hat's words had barely faded...

You could hear a pin drop in the auditorium.

Dumbledore gently pressed his hands against the edge of the long table to steady his breathing. At the same time, his cautious gaze lingered on the Sorting Hat, pondering why the ancient hat, passed down for hundreds of years, would utter such astonishing words.

Snape, the head of Slytherin, suddenly widened his eyes, his black eyes filled with disbelief.

He had imagined countless times what it would be like for Slyke Anguill to enter Slytherin, and even imagined Slyke arguing with the Sorting Hat, only to helplessly accept his fate of entering Slytherin, just like he had done years before.

but……

Why did the Sorting Hat announce this result in Salazar Slytherin's name after a long period of silence?

What makes Slack Anguis so special that he deserves a Sorting Ceremony that even he can only dream of?

Snape couldn't figure out the answer.

Professor Quirrell, the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and his delicate features contorted slightly.

At this moment, Professor McGonagall, who was closest to Orochimaru, was the most surprised person.

She watched from beginning to end, witnessing Orochimaru put the Sorting Hat on his head and then observing the Sorting Hat's long silence.

Even at the very end, the image of Orochimaru's lips moving silently, seemingly discussing something with the Sorting Hat, remains vivid in my memory.

but……

My Merlin!

What on earth happened?!

Professor McGonagall didn't want to think about it, but a thought kept churning in her mind, telling her the answer—

The spirit of Salazar Slytherin from a thousand years ago admires Slyke Anguill as if two ambitious wizards are appreciating each other across time and space.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her fear. Gryffindors aren't incapable of fear, but they always possess a courage that surpasses fear itself.

Professor McGonagall could be so nonchalant, but the students of the four houses could not be so indifferent.

Hufflepuff looked at Orochimaru with a mixture of fear and curiosity in his eyes, like a curious badger.

Meanwhile, the Ravenclaw students had already begun whispering among themselves, their intense thirst for knowledge oblivious to the surroundings.

As for Gryffindor...

Harry Potter, who had been standing up and shouting at Orochimaru at the top of his lungs just a moment ago, now sat down on the bench as if he had been hit on the back of the head.

The long table in Gryffindor is similar to the one Harry has at this time.

They remained silent, puzzled.

Unlike Harry, after a moment, a faint hostility began to brew in the eyes of the Gryffindors. They began to scrutinize Orochimaru one by one, as if he were not their classmate, but their enemy.

As for Slytherin...

Orochimaru turned around, put down his sorting hat, and walked leisurely to the class monitor who had stood up first and greeted him.

He gently patted the prefect on the back, then, in a tone befitting an order to a subordinate, casually remarked:

"There's no need to make such a fuss. We Slytherins should have a relaxed demeanor."