MTS: Marvel and Beyond

The Sorting Hat was panicking, shaking its body and trying to leave Alex's head.

Finally, it succeeded and fell to the ground, wriggling towards Professor McGonagall. Once she picked it up, the hat completely relaxed.

The Sorting Hat glared fiercely at Alex, claiming what it had seen as the truth:

"He is a criminal, a demon who kills without hesitation. He has killed hundreds of people in the Muggle world and used their bodies, souls, and blood in an attempt to summon demons using ancient summoning magic!

Dumbledore you must capture him and send him to Azkaban. He cannot become the third Dark Lord!

Believe me, if he grows up, he will be a thousand times more terrifying than the Dark Lord!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd was left stunned. The young wizards around Alex immediately stepped back, trying to distance themselves from him, even the older students were no exception.

The professors on the stage immediately stood up, wands drawn, ready to point them at Alex. But after realizing that Alex was just an eleven-year-old child, they looked confused, unsure whether to subdue him immediately.

The most confused of them all was Dumbledore, the most powerful white wizard of the century. He had been wondering whether this child would be placed in Slytherin and potentially become the third Dark Lord. He hadn't expected the Sorting Hat to give him such a huge surprise, or rather, shock!

Forget about the future—according to the Sorting Hat, this child was already the Dark Lord!

Professor Quirrell, sitting at the far edge of the stage, shifted from confusion to sharp focus, glaring at Alex with a sinister expression.

When Alex noticed and turned to look at him, Quirrell quickly returned to his previous harmless demeanor.

Alex realized that Quirrell had likely been possessed by Voldemort, and it was clear that Voldemort had already noticed him.

However, compared to Dumbledore in his prime, Alex didn't regard Voldemort as much of a threat.

In fact, he was planning to solve all of Voldemort's Horcruxes in a short time, significantly altering the plot!

Seeing the suspicion directed towards him, before Dumbledore could pass judgment, Hermione stepped forward from the crowd and loudly defended Alex:

"Alex is definitely not that kind of person!

He is kind, friendly, harmonious, and always ready to help others. He is absolutely not a ruthless killer!"

Hearing Hermione's defense, Dumbledore remained silent for a moment before speaking gently:

"Miss Granger, please don't be in a rush. This may be a misunderstanding.

Alex, do you have any explanation for this?"

Under everyone's gaze, Alex remained calm. He smiled and said:

"This is a mind-sealing spell. My mind-sealing spell has reached an extremely profound level, allowing me to create nearly realistic false memories in my mind.

Just now, I constructed a scene from a dark fantasy Muggle movie in my mind, and that's what frightened the Sorting Hat."

Upon hearing Alex's explanation, Dumbledore let out a sigh of relief. Even he wouldn't believe that a newly enrolled student could be a cold-blooded killer.

However, Dumbledore wasn't easily convinced by Alex's words. He subtly used Legilimency to attempt to read Alex's memories, but Alex, realizing what he was doing, did nothing to stop him and allowed Dumbledore to view the false memories he had constructed. Of course, Dumbledore couldn't glimpse any of Alex's real memories.

Dumbledore had no intention of probing Alex's true memories. Once he had accessed the false ones, he quickly found numerous inconsistencies and confirmed that Alex's story was true.

He then spoke to reassure everyone:

"Mr. Alex is correct. The information the Sorting Hat just read was from the false memories he constructed. There is no need for concern."

Once it was clear that Alex wasn't a murderer, but a misunderstanding, everyone finally relaxed.

However, they still looked at Alex with astonishment, for they knew that a young wizard who could master such a sophisticated mind-sealing spell before even starting school must have extraordinary talent!

Among them, Draco Malfoy's gaze towards Alex gradually became more intense. He was convinced that Alex was a genius far beyond the Dark Lord!

He was certain that Alex would become the next great figure, and what he had to do was follow him and help him grow while he was still young, earning favor and growing alongside him!

After the commotion ended, the Sorting Hat was placed back on Alex's head. Realizing that it had just read false memories, the Sorting Hat muttered irritably:

"Oh, young wizard, please don't joke with me like that. After all, I'm a hat that's hundreds of years old. You nearly gave me a heart attack!

Now, remove your mind-sealing spell and let me see the real you.

Don't worry, don't be afraid. I will help you choose the most suitable house."

Alex followed the instructions and removed one layer of his mind-sealing spell, revealing the second layer.

Of course, he didn't only use one layer of the spell; instead, he created a labyrinth of false memories in his mind, an endless one. Anyone with malicious intent who tried to pry into his memories would get lost in the maze and remain trapped there forever.

At this point, Alex had sealed most of the knowledge maze, allowing the Sorting Hat to only access the specific knowledge maze he had constructed, which was designed to ensure he would be placed in Ravenclaw.

Sure enough, as the Sorting Hat explored the false memories Alex had created, it muttered:

"Mm, you possess incredible talent, and your willpower is remarkable. You have your own ambitions and dreams.

But what surprises me is that your ambition and dreams are related to knowledge. You seek to master all the magical knowledge.

So, you are more suited for—Ravenclaw!"

The Sorting Hat's sorting ceremony went just as Alex expected. He had planned to use magic to influence its judgment if things didn't go smoothly, but now, everything was proceeding without any trouble.

Once Alex's sorting was done, the rest of the ceremony continued smoothly without any further disruptions.

After all the young wizards were sorted, Dumbledore stood up on the podium and announced:

"The feast begins now!"

As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, a vast amount of food appeared on the four long tables. Alex picked up a roasted chicken leg and tasted it. It was quite good, nothing like the unpleasant descriptions often found in fanfiction.

Once the feast was over, Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw prefect, led the students toward the top of Hogwarts Castle:

"Ravenclaw students, follow me, please!"

The group slowly made their way upwards until they reached the very top tower of Hogwarts Castle, where they stopped in front of a bronze door.

Penelope turned to the group and said:

"At Ravenclaw, we value wisdom above all. To enter the Ravenclaw common room, you must correctly answer the logic riddle posed by the eagle-shaped bronze knocker. I'll demonstrate, and after that, you'll have to answer it yourself to gain entry."

Penelope walked up to the eagle-shaped bronze knocker, and it immediately asked:

"How many angels can stand on the head of a pin?"

"Seven!"

The bronze door slowly opened, and the students walked inside, four students per room.

It was worth mentioning that because there was one extra student, that person had to live alone in a separate room. Alex certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity, and he used a few clever tricks to secure this spot.

The next day, the first-year students officially began their classes. Alex got up early, used magic to clean himself, and walked toward the Potions classroom.

The Potions class was shared with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Once everyone was seated, a figure with long, loose hair, resembling a bat, entered the room.

Professor Snape didn't introduce himself but immediately got to the point:

"This class doesn't require you to foolishly wave your wands or recite spells. So, I assume not many of you will understand how to appreciate the deep science and intricate craftsmanship involved in brewing potions…"

There's no denying that although Snape had many flaws, as a master of potions and a professor at Hogwarts, his teaching ability was absolutely outstanding.

He explained the various potion recipes and the integration and conflict of the different ingredients in a clear yet profound manner. Some of his insights even gave Alex a lot of inspiration.

Suddenly, Alex thought of the complex relationship between Snape and Harry.

Because Harry's mother, Lily, was Snape's secret love, he treated Harry with special care. On the other hand, because Harry's father, James Potter, had bullied Snape at school, Snape despised Harry.

Kind-hearted Alex decided to change this situation, and a new idea immediately came to him.

Thus, he temporarily ignored Snape's lecture at the podium, took out a piece of parchment, and began scribbling, trying to create a completely new potion.

Just as the potion was about to be finished, Hermione beside Alex nudged him and whispered:

"Alex, Professor Snape is looking at you!"

Alex slowly raised his head after hearing Hermione's whisper, only to find Professor Snape staring at him with a cold gaze.

What Alex didn't expect was that he was now receiving the same treatment as Harry Potter, the protagonist of the story.

Snape spoke coldly:

"By the way, some of you may have come to Hogwarts already knowing quite a few spells, including some that even older students struggle to master. But that doesn't mean you can disregard the mysterious subject of Potions and ignore my lectures! Mr. Alex, I've heard that before coming to Hogwarts, you already had an extremely deep understanding of the mind-sealing spell. I wonder, what kind of expertise do you have in Potions?"

When Snape mentioned Alex's name, everyone turned their attention to him. During the sorting ceremony, Alex had stunned everyone with his performance, and they all knew that a monster had arrived in the first year. Not only did Alex possess a profound mastery of the mind-sealing spell before attending Hogwarts, but he was also an orphan from the Muggle world.

This meant that he had never been exposed to magic before, and he had managed to achieve a level of expertise in mind-sealing magic in just two months over the summer, something that took most people decades of effort to accomplish!

This wasn't just talent; it was monstrous, extraordinary!

Now, hearing Snape's question, everyone was eager to see if this prodigy would have any expertise in Potions.

As Snape slowly walked toward Alex, Alex remained calm, waiting for Snape to ask his question.

Sure enough, Snape's question caused Alex's expression to turn somewhat odd. Wasn't this the same question Snape asked Harry Potter in the original storyline?

Snape's gaze grew colder as he asked:

"Tell me, Mr. Alex, the talented new student, what happens if I add powdered daffodil root to an infusion of mugwort?"

With Alex's perfect memory, he had already memorized all the textbooks from first to seventh year, even including knowledge that not even Aurors were taught.

So, even if Snape asked him questions from seventh year, Alex could answer. There was no need to mention a question that had appeared in the original story.

Alex gave a standard, elegant smile and replied:

"Professor Snape, powdered daffodil root and mugwort create a powerful sleeping potion, known as the Draught of the Living Hell."

Snape was slightly surprised by Alex's answer but continued with his questioning:

"Mr. Alex, if I wanted a piece of bezoar, do you know where I would find one?"

"A bezoar is a stone that can be found in the stomach of a goat and can cure most poisons."

Snape raised an eyebrow but didn't stop. He asked again:

"What's the difference between the boat-shaped aconite and wolf's bane?"

"They are the same plant, collectively known as Aconite."

Upon hearing Alex correctly answer every question, Snape appeared surprised. He asked several more questions, and Alex answered them all, some of which even went beyond the textbook content and into material for higher years.

Noticing this, even Snape couldn't find a single mistake. However, despite this, being biased toward Slytherin, Snape had no intention of giving Alex extra points.

But just as Snape was about to return to his desk, he suddenly noticed the various herb names Alex had written down and gave them a curious glance.

It only took a few glances for Snape to be captivated.

The properties of these herbs intertwined with one another. If one could make a potion using these ingredients, it would undoubtedly create a potion with a certain effect.

And this was a potion that Snape had never seen before.

This meant that Alex had just invented a new potion!

Snape's eyes slightly lit up as he looked at Alex and asked:

"Mr. Alex, what were you just doing?"

Alex replied, "Professor Snape, inspired by earlier thoughts, I've been trying to create an entirely new potion."

Upon hearing Alex's words, the surrounding students immediately began whispering among themselves.

They hadn't expected Alex to try creating a completely new potion.

However, most of them believed Alex couldn't possibly succeed. Some students even quietly mocked him for being overconfident, but before their discussion could go on for long, Snape's reaction left them speechless.

Snape's eyes grew even brighter, and in a rare turn of events, he actually encouraged Alex:

"Not bad, you have a solid foundation in potion-making. This potion is only one step away from being perfected. Ten points to Ravenclaw!"

Then he asked, "So, can you tell me what effect your potion has?"

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