"Mer... lin..."
Officer Jack murmured the name repeatedly. The girl was very patient, guiding him through it gently and firmly over and over again, while recounting the great miracles of that deity in meticulous detail.
"He possessed peerless, wondrous magic, able to foresee the future and manipulate destiny. He was the darling of nature, and all living creatures willingly heeded his words. He was an innocent, simple child, a robust and agile youth, a wise and knowledgeable elder, a soaring eagle in the sky, a humble and clever gnome."
The girl's eyes burned with intense fervor; she raised her head in profound devotion, her voice trembling. "He is the greatest of mages, the savior who delivers humanity from fire and flood, the deity who has guarded mortals for a millennium—Mer..."
"...Can't you see I'm talking to Mike? I know you're in a hurry, but these things take a queue, you know. You can wait behind that gentleman who's wiping his nose on his sleeve."
Abruptly interrupted, the girl ignored the woman who had suddenly rushed up to her and continued looking down at the kneeling Jack. Seeming displeased at the sudden interruption, her previously holy and fanatical expression stiffened, her silver eyes briefly dimming. She forced a smile. "Now, you... Urgh! Mph! Mph mph... Mph mph mph mph!!!"
"...Such a naughty child. How many times have I told you not to take fairy tales literally?" The woman trying to cut in was Professor McGonagall, suppressing her fury with all her might. With one hand, she tightly muffled the girl's mouth, while with the other, she swept the petite girl up into her arms.
McGonagall produced a Muggle identity document, apologizing to the grief-stricken, weeping police officers while explaining her presence.
"I am this child's guardian. This is her identification. She got lost on her way to school. Such a nuisance; she needs to rush to the opening ceremony immediately. Apologies for the disturbance, gentlemen. I wish you well... Farewell."
Having resigned herself to her fate, the girl stopped struggling and entered a state of void submission, letting herself be carried off. Just then, a young woman wearing a flat cap brushed past them. Despite the hat, her short pink hair remained striking.
"Leave it to me. If anything goes wrong, I'll wipe their memories."
McGonagall nodded, casting a grateful look at the young woman, though the girl in her arms hardly shared the sentiment. The once-quiet girl began to thrash, using all her strength to pull away McGonagall's hand from her mouth.
"Wipe their memories? Do you have any idea how much tongue-wagging I had to do just to stop them from interrogating me with endless bureaucratic nonsense? Who is your supervisor? Let them come see me—Mph mph!"
The girl's words caused the cap-wearing young woman to look at McGonagall in bewilderment, seemingly quite shocked by the child's outrageous statements.
"Pay her no mind, Tonks, go ahead. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I must take her away now."
Clutching the girl, McGonagall immediately Apparated, though due to Hogwarts' protective restrictions, she could only jump to the nearest fireplace, intending to use it to reach the sole accessible entry point to Hogwarts.
A sudden wave of nausea surged in the girl's chest, leaving her dizzy and disoriented until she finally felt the surrounding space stabilize.
"Who taught you to... barf... to Apparate like—blech!"
She was gently set down, a pair of hands supporting her from behind to keep her from collapsing. McGonagall's stern voice rang out from behind her. "Young lady, do you have any idea what you just did? Such antics could easily expose the entire wizarding world. Granted, you are only an eleven-year-old child, but—"
"Minerva, bring the child to the Great Hall. Otherwise, she truly will miss the opening ceremony." A voice echoing suddenly from inside cut McGonagall short. She had no choice but to bite her tongue and lead the girl out of the Headmaster's office.
Judging by the girl's behavior, she harbored a bizarre, fanatical obsession with Merlin, even styling herself a devotee. Fortunately, as a child spouting mythological nonsense, she would likely be dismissed as merely imaginative, and Tonks had already taken care of the cleanup. But why had those people wept uncontrollably, collapsing all at once and baring their souls without reservation to this child?
It was as if the girl could compel absolute obedience... A method to make any total stranger obey your every whim would be the Imperius Curse... No, if she had cast a spell, McGonagall would surely have noticed. From the moment they entered the room, McGonagall hadn't sensed even a flicker of magical fluctuation.
Out of the corner of her eye, McGonagall observed the girl walking quietly by her side ever since entering the Castle. A newly enrolled young witch—how could she possibly know an Unforgivable Curse? Pushing the doubt aside, the two reached the doors of the Great Hall.
Crossing her hands, she turned to face the girl and cleared her throat. "Go on in. Although you misbehaved tonight, I have no wish for a young witch to miss the very first opening ceremony of her life. My name is Professor McGonagall, and I will serve as your Transfiguration professor and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts."
McGonagall paused, recalling the girl's absolute knack for trouble, and sighed with faint resignation. "Perhaps I shall be your Head of House as well, who can say? There is one thing I hope you understand: Hogwarts cares for every witch and wizard who enters these halls. If you encounter any difficulties, whether it is the Headmaster, myself, or any of the professors here, we will assist you. Naturally, appropriate guidance and proper punishment will be administered should you stray."
The doors of the Great Hall slowly swung open. Four long tables of different colors stood in the center of the hall, seated with young witches and wizards of various ages who turned curious gazes toward the girl late for her own sorting.
Above stretched an endless night sky dotted with floating candles, while four banners hung from the walls on either side. At the very front of the hall, directly facing the girl, stood a benevolent, white-bearded old man holding a wizard's hat, smiling at her. Behind him sat a row of adult witches and wizards—the professors and staff of Hogwarts.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. From this day forward, you shall live and study here as a witch." McGonagall flicked her wand, transforming the girl's everyday clothes into wizard's robes bearing the Hogwarts crest.
It appeared she was the last student to undergo the Sorting ceremony. McGonagall caught Dumbledore's eye; the Headmaster nodded in understanding, looked down at the final name on the parchment, and frowned slightly.
"Iblis Grimm."
The girl's ethereal voice drifted from beside McGonagall.
"May kind and stern benevolence grant you Merlin's blessing and protection. Since your interference tonight was unintentional, I shall let it pass."
Before McGonagall could react, the girl stepped into the Great Hall. Once fully inside, the silver-haired, silver-eyed girl instantly became the center of attention. Her skin outshone the snow, and her vibrant eyes glimmered like distant, brilliant stars in a silent night sky, shifting with a mesmerizing light. The corners of her lips curved into a gentle, watery smile, plunging everyone who looked upon her into a trance.
The girl walked up to Dumbledore and came to a halt. Upon the elevated dais, the judgment arrived right on schedule.
"Time is up."
As the words fell, a deep, resonant chime echoed as if from the vault of the heavens, causing everyone present to feel their hearts skip a beat.
At the staff table, a glass dropped and shattered, instantly swallowed by the grand, muffled chime. The lingering echoes refused to dissipate, reverberating through the air above.
Meanwhile, in a cramped house in London's West End, rotting trash filled the room. In the corner lay a pile of torn and shredded debt notices; Jack's body hung suspended from the ceiling beam, swaying slightly to the rhythm of the fading bell.
Dumbledore was the first to snap back to his senses. Taking a fleeting moment to steady himself, he read out the girl's name.
"Iblis Grimm."
At a gesture from Dumbledore, Iblis composed herself and sat down upon the wooden stool before her, the wide brim of the hat obscuring most of her vision. A raspy, gender-neutral voice issued from the tattered wizard's hat.
"Where shall I place you, little witch? Tell me your wish."
Iblis arched an eyebrow, then stood up straight with the hat still on her head, facing the crowd and clearing her throat. A devilish smile crept back onto her lips. Standing near the doors of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall pressed a hand to her forehead, harboring a deeply ominous premonition.
"Bewildered children, as a most devout servant of Merlin, I shall guide your path. Hesitate no longer, cast aside your worries, and surrender your hearts to Merlin. Believe in the true deity, he—"
"Who told you to speak out loud?! Are you a fanatic worshiper of Merlin?!" The Sorting Hat hastily interrupted the girl as murmurs of discussion began to ripple through the room. Unfazed, the girl tapped the hat atop her head.
"Quite amusing, isn't it? Look at their ignorant, foolish faces."
The expressions of the crowd below were truly a sight to behold, leaving even Dumbledore momentarily stunned. He gave a light cough to signal the Sorting Hat to proceed.
"Never mind, I'll look for myself..." The tip of the Sorting Hat swung from side to side as its mind-reading powers took effect on Iblis.
McGonagall, who had been preparing to return to the faculty table under the assumption that everything would now proceed normally, was jolted by a piercing shriek. Looking back up at the dais, she saw the Sorting Hat twisting its patched body frantically, hopping up and down as it begged Dumbledore for help.
"Dumbledore! Save me, save me! I don't want to, I won't—!!"
Dumbledore caught the Sorting Hat cleanly as it flew off the girl's head. Before he could utter a question, the hat shrieked like a madman, its leather mouth tearing as if about to split open.
"Azkaban, Azkaban! Send her to Azkaban!!!"