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A conversation at the head table was mirroring Harry's own thoughts.

"I remember a time when we had two dozen new entrants in each House. It was not so terribly long ago..."

Minerva McGonagall frowned at her employer. Normally Dumbledore didn't speak like this unless he was deep in his cups.

"I will admit I thought we could have done better than just seven new Gryffindors, Albus," she said. This was something of an understatement. Pomona now had a round dozen first-year badgers. Filius had done almost as well, and had managed to lay claim to both Ms Granger and Mr Potter, to boot. Even Slytherin had managed to claim double digits, which meant Severus was going to be more insufferable than usual.

Dumbledore ran a thumb around his goblet, humming in harmony with the sound it produced. "It will make for rather small classes, in some cases."

"Yes." Minerva was well aware; she was in charge of the timetabling. On the bright side, she wouldn't have to split her attention too far in first-year Transfiguration.

"I suspect the Hat is padding the numbers towards the green and the red as much as its remit allows. Oh, how the Houses have changed since my day."

Minerva was unable to stifle a sigh as she watched Dumbledore's hand slowly edging back to his wand. He had been on a squirrel high for a week now. "Indeed. The muggleborns become more and more enthused with learning, the purebloods grow more and more cloistered within Slytherin, and Hufflepuff's reputation has dwindled to something akin to a joke. Hence the extraordinary composition of the Houses."

Dumbledore blinked at this. "What do you mean, Minerva?"

She pushed her glasses back on her nose. "Essentially, every muggleborn student goes to Ravenclaw, because they are more excited to be learning magic than those who grew up with it are, or to Hufflepuff, because they haven't been exposed to the idea that it's a joke House. That pushes their overall numbers up, since the muggleborns make up so many of our numbers these days. Then the oldest families go straight to Slytherin, with a few exceptions like Mr Longbottom and Mr Weasley. That leaves few for Gryffindor."

Dumbledore peered about the hall. "Surely you exaggerate."

Minerva snorted. "Please, Headmaster. Pomona or I visited every muggleborn student this year, and have done for the last two decades. Precisely one of them – Mr Thomas – is in Gryffindor this year. There are none in Slytherin, and there have not been for as long as I can remember! I can only assume that the Hat knows that if it dared put a muggleborn student into Slytherin, they would end up leaving the school rather than endure their housemates!"

Dumbledore slumped in his seat a little, but did not try to deny it. He watched a small, tawny squirrel, which a minute ago had been a pickle fork, scuttle away down the table. "There must be a way to heal this rift, but I find myself stretched so thin these days. Perhaps it will only be time... time. You know, I have often thought we Sort too early. Perhaps it is a mistake to Sort at all."

Harry amidst the Vaults of Stone, Chapter 20