Avoiding the twinkle behind the half-moon glasses, Ben looked at a pale face with a crooked long nose and greasy black hair on top, dressed in a long black robe who was staring intensely at someone. Ben followed his gaze which led to the one Harry James Potter, the chosen one.

Severus Snape was a man shrouded in darkness, the biggest kept secret of the whole series. He was the eccentric potions master that was also the worst nightmare of many students. Many believed that he was a vampire, looking at his very pale skin and his unnecessarily long black robe, even Ben doubted the nature of his diet.

To Ben, Severus Snape was a man who could never let go, he was a man haunted by his past and his love for Lily Potter. And for this love, he sold his soul, not once, but twice. Whether his love for Lily was true or just an infatuation turned obsession, was debatable, but the lengths to which he was willing to go for it were remarkable nonetheless.

Then there was the man, or rather were the men sitting beside Snape. Professor Quirinus Quirrell, and the parasite on his head. Quirrell was a young man who was not ready to face the evils of this world, and when he was faced with this evil, he was shown the ugly truth, that power always reigned supreme.

It does not matter whether you are good or evil as long as you are weak, you run the risk of being at the mercy of someone else's whims and fancies.

The fate of Quirrell was a fate that Ben dreaded the most, in the modern world, even if you don't have true freedom, you at least have the illusion of it. There was no such privilege for the weak in the wizarding world, he was lucky to be born a human here, there were fates much much worse. Speaking of fate, the fate of the whole world was on the shoulders of an eleven-year-old boy.

By the time Ben stopped brooding, the shabby-patched talking hat was done singing its complementary song and the whole hall was bursting with applause.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered. "You said we've to fight a troll."

"Just having a laugh mate, you need to lighten up," Ben told him, he did not look pleased.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment and Ben started to panic a little, he was worried that all his secrets will be laid bare in front of the hat.

He had practised keeping his mind clear of any unnecessary thoughts, but that was only going to work against surface legilimency, the hat was about to take a deep dive into his brain and there was nothing he could do to prevent that.

Ben focused all his thought on what house he wanted to join anything that would make the hat's job easier and save him from a deep inspection.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Each house welcomed its new students with a loud cheer.

"Brown, Benedict!" Finally, it was Ben's turn, he calmly walked towards the stool, but he was very nervous on the inside.

"Hmm, what is this? Projecting very hard, aren't you? Interesting."  the hat muttered as soon as it was placed on top of his head.

For a moment Ben felt his heart miss a beat.

"Now, where shall I put you?"

'Ravenclaw!' Ben screamed immediately in his head.

"Curious, very curious, hmm."

'What is?'

"I can sense your thoughts, but not your memories. Hmm."

'Then place me in Ravenclaw, I love books.' Ben quickly thought to the hat, trying to hide his surprise.

"Hmm, you do seem to have a good head on you. Well, if you're so sure- RAVENCLAW."

Ben quickly took off the hat and quickly made his way towards the Ravenclaw table, the Ravenclaws were roaring with applause, they got three new first years back to back. He sat down next to Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst.

As soon as he sat down, he let out a huge sigh that he had been holding for who knows how long. Not only did he get the House he wanted, but somehow his secrets were safe as well.

Ben was worried a bit because based on the memories of the original Ben, he would be sorted into Griffindor and he did not want to be so close to the action. He also did not want to live in the shadows of the chosen one for seven years.

Something that Ben noticed was that as time passed, especially after he became the Dragonborn, he was getting distant from the memories of the 11-year-old Ben. When he first arrived in this world, he could not even distinguish the two personalities, now he was somewhat clear.

It seemed the changes brought about by the system were deeper than they seemed previously.

There were not any changes in the sorting except for Ben, he was soon joined at the table by Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Kevin Entwhistle, Stephen Cornfoot, Padma Patil, Su Li, Lisa Turpin and Morag Macdougal. Ben didn't even remember hearing some of their names. There were many students at Hogwarts and only a few were mentioned in the books, so it did not surprise Ben.

Suddenly the hall quietened down, the old Goat had gotten to his feet.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are- Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered.

Ben did not know why the headmaster was hurling out playground slurs, nor was he interested in finding out. He did not have a great impression of Dumbledore. Ben knew that Dumbledore was not evil or a dark lord in disguise, but he was manipulative and incompetent and had a godfather complex on top of that.

Greatest wizard in the world they said, but could not find a single Horcrux in a decade. Makes you wonder what he did till Harry showed up, was he just waiting for the lamb to grow up, sucking on lemon drops in the meanwhile? Tom finds out about Horcruxes in the library of the school and the Headmaster has no clue as to how he turned immortal.

Dumbledore was like the Jedi council, blinded to the dark side.

Ben did not want to be involved in Dumbledore's plans and be his pawn. No self-respecting man(person) likes to be led around by the nose.

Ben saw that house ghosts were floating around their respective house table. The grey lady didn't interact much, while the Fat Frier and Nearly Headless Nick were mingling with the new students.

Griffindor's ghost even started to sing a ballad.

It was a mistake any wizard could make,

Who was tired and caught on the hop,

One piffling error, and then, to my terror,

I found myself facing the chop.

Alas for the eve when I met Lady Grieve,

A-strolling the park in the dusk!

She was of the belief I could straighten her teeth,

Next moment she'd sprouted a tusk.

I cried through the night that I'd soon put her right,

But the process of justice was lax;

They'd brought out the block, though they'd mislaid the rock,

Where they usually sharpened the axe.

Next morning at dawn, with a face most forlorn,

The priest said to try not to cry,

"You can come just like that, no, you won't need a hat,"

And I knew that my end must be nigh.

The man in the mask who would have the sad task,

Of cleaving my head from my neck,

Said "Nick, if you please, will you get to your knees,"

And I turned to a gibbering wreck.

"This may sting a bit," said the cack-handed twit,

As he swung the axe up in the air,

But oh the blunt blade! No difference it made,

My head was still definitely there.''

The axeman he hacked and he whacked and he thwacked,

"Won't be too long", he assured me,

But quick it was not, and the bone-headed clot,

Took forty-five goes 'til he floored me.

And so I was dead, but my faithful old head,

It never saw fit to desert me,

It still lingers on, that's the end of my song,

And now, please applaud, or you'll hurt me.