'You've got to be fucking kidding me...'

Adrien could not believe his eyes as he watched Gerhard take a seat at the Slytherin long table. A Grindelwald? How? From where?

Irony had indeed made a mockery of him. Just a few hours ago, he chaffed about the absurdity of there being another Grindelwald, yet now, his mouth was agape, seeing his banter become a reality.

'There's no doubt about it now. This is definitely an alternate universe. Doesn't make much sense for all these changes to be happening solely because of my existence.'

Before now, even though he knew it was a bit of a stretch, he surmised that he had reincarnated into the canon Harry Potter universe and that every plot deviation that transpired was solely due to his existence.

However, by now, he was convinced that such was not the case and that instead, he was living in an alternate Harry Potter universe, one where Aurelius, Eveyln, and Gerhard existed.

It was simply too much of a stretch to think that his reincarnation caused three separate events to occur...events that, on paper, seemed to be mutually independent and distinct from one another.

Besides that, he didn't know how to feel about Gerhard's existence. Should he be wary, alert, or threatened of the boy? No, that was narrow-minded; the boy was just a kid, and he had no reason to feel apprehensive.

'Well, this just means I should use my plot knowledge as a referral. Can't continue to be so hung up on it; doing so will get me killed faster than I can say Dumbledore's full name. Who knows what else is different?

As for this Gerhard guy, I'll keep an eye out for him. He's irrelevant unless he interferes with the plot. I wonder how he's related to Grindelwald, grandson, maybe? I'll have to find out sometime.'

Adrien continued to ponder as he analyzed the current state of things in relation to the canon. The sorting ceremony had continued, though the Great Hall still held an unnerving ambiance due to the mere mention of the name 'Grindelwald.'

...

"Haywood, Beatrice!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"MacGillony, Elspeth!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"McNully, Murphy!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Orion, Amari"

"RAVENCLAW!"

...

"Scamander, Evelyn!"

Adrien's ears perked up ever so slightly the moment he heard Evelyn's name being called. He shifted his sights to the young metamorphmagus as she walked towards the stool.

Her pink hair was conspicuous; thus, she stuck out from the rest of the first years like a sore thumb. Every student subconsciously glanced in her direction, curious about the quirky-looking first year.

Evelyn sat on the stool, looking slightly nervous. Adrien expected her sorting to be relatively quick, so it surprised him when the sorting hat stalled for a minute before bellowing,

"RAVENCLAW!"

Following the bellow, the Ravenclaws immediately erupted into jubilant roars and cheers as they resonantly clapped to welcome Evelyn to her new home.

With a bright smile adorning her face, the girl in question happily trotted towards the end of the Ravenclaw long table and sat opposite Adrien.

"Seems like your prediction was spot on."

With a light smile, Adrien welcomed Evelyn.

"Evidently so," Evelyn started with a chuckle, "I was nervous for a second over there. The hat was considering placing me in Hufflepuff. Thank goodness it didn't. I'm trying to win the Inter-House Quidditch Cup during my time here."

She spoke in a low tone, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Adrien chuckled,

"You don't think they've got much of a chance, do you?"

"Not in a million years." She replied straight away.

Adrien laughed, "Why? How did you even know how good the Quidditch teams are before attending Hogwarts." he asked.

Evelyn smiled, "I'm family friends with a couple of older students here." she mumbled and then turned her head over to the Hufflepuff table, "Look over there. Do you see that brown-haired boy cheering?"

Adrien followed her line of sight and saw the boy she was referring to, "Yeah, I see him. What about him?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"His name is Gabriel Truman. He'll be in his third year this year, and his father works in the ministry. His family attended some of the balls my granduncle hosted when I was younger. He plays for Hufflepuff's quidditch team and has told me all about the quidditch scene at Hogwarts."

Evelyn murmured and looked at Adrien, who just hummed in affirmation.

"Not only him," Evelyn continued, gesturing her head in a different location along the Hufflepuff table, "Look over there, see that girl with violet hair?"

Once more, Adrien followed her gaze and looked at the girl she was referring to. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw her. Violet hair, slightly above average looks, Hufflepuff...It could only be one person,

"Her name is Nymphadora Tonks. She goes by Tonks though... she dislikes her first name. She's also a fifth year. Like Gabriel, her father works in the ministry, meaning she's also attended my granduncle's balls. She's told me quite a lot about Hogwarts...That's how I know."

Evelyn cheerfully explained, looking back at Adrien.

"I see. Makes sense."

With a slight nod of his head, Adrien mumbled in response. It made sense considering Evelyn's grand uncle was none other than Theseus Scamander, who worked as an Auror for the British Ministry of Magic in the early 1900s and, thus, had extensive connections.

Nonetheless, he was slightly surprised that Evelyn already knew Tonks.

"By the way, I can't believe Aurelius got sorted into Slytherin. It's quite bewildering, don't you think?" Evelyn then opined.

"Yeah. I mean -"

The sorting ceremony continued as Evelyn and Adrien conversed amongst themselves until the last first-year student was sorted. After which, Dumbledore stood up, orated his start-of-the-year speech, and told all the students to enjoy the start-of-term banquet.

As soon as Dumbledore sat down after speaking, a plethora of different foods appeared in front of everyone. From chickens as fat as encyclopedias to all sorts of fish, food decorated every inch of the House tables.

'Sigh...It's times like these I miss Filley's cooking. I can't wait to grow up...'

Adrien couldn't help but grumble seeing the myriad of dishes in front of him.

He imagined himself sitting in the dining hall of the Flamel Manor, with a wide assortment of French cuisine at his front and the savory scent of a steamy Boeuf Bourguignon wafting through his nostrils.

He inwardly drooled at the thought; he really couldn't wait to grow up.

Unbeknownst to the young Frenchman, his dejected look caught the attention of a blonde-haired girl seated beside Evelyn.

"Food's not to your liking, I take it?" The girl chuckled.

Adrien's eyes darted to the girl. She looked around their age and had long , curly blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and a snub nose. He flashed a half-smile,

"Sort of. The food looks great, but seeing it makes me reminisce about the food back home."

The blonde girl gave a low-pitched hum as a response, "I see. You're from France, right? you have a slight french accent." She asked with a contemplative look.

"Yeah, I am. Moved from there to here 2 years ago. I'm Adrien Flamel, by the way; you are?" Adrien introduced himself and asked, stretching his hands out for a handshake.

"Penelope Clearwater, second year. It's a pleasure to meet you." Penelope beamed an amiable smile and shook his hand.

'Penelope Clearwater? Isn't she the girl that got petrified in the Chamber of Secrets book?'

Pleasantly surprised by the girl's identity, Adrien mused as he shook her hand. She was pretty much a side character, so he never paid too much attention to her appearance when he read the books, which was why he wasn't able to recognize her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Adrien replied cordially.

Penelope then turned to Evelyn and the brown-haired boy seated beside Adrien, "What about you guys? Can I get your names?"

"Evelyn Scamander." Evelyn affably introduced herself.

"Orion Amari." The brown-haired boy smiled and said.

Like that, they talked as they ate the flavorsome banquet dishes. Adrien spoke a lot and was bombarded with all sorts of questions about France by various students.

Evelyn talked a lot as well and asked a bunch of questions about classes and school life to the older students.

About half an hour into the banquet, Dumbledore stood up and announced that the forbidden forest was off limits, reminded everyone that magic was prohibited in the corridors, and announced a few things about quidditch and clubs.

Following his announcements, he beckoned all the students to sing the school song, and everyone stood up and sang along with him. Adrien didn't sing because he found the piece tacky.

Evelyn, being the energetic girl she was, merrily sang along with the other Ravenclaws. Her enthusiasm was contagious, enough to cause Adrien to seriously consider chiming in.

"And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

With those droll words, Dumbledore concluded the eventful and vibrant start-of-term banquet.