Chapter 19: Hufflepuff
Chapter 19: Hufflepuff
Without hesitation, Kyle walked up to the stage. Having just escaped a dangerous situation, he patted his chest and sincerely addressed Professor McGonagall, "Thank you, Professor."
Perhaps she hadn't expected such manners from a Hogwarts student, as Professor McGonagall was momentarily taken aback by Kyle's sudden gesture. After a few seconds, she shook her head and replied, "It's my duty."
Despite her words, the stern expression on Professor McGonagall's face softened considerably. And before placing the Sorting Hat on Kyle's head, she even dusted it off gently.
"It would be wonderful if such a well-mannered child could be sorted into Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall thought to herself, knowing that Gryffindor lacked students who exemplified such model behavior.
The previous year, she had dreamed of bringing Cedric Diggory into her house, but both Sprout and Dumbledore had disagreed.
Now, she wondered what this year would bring.
With keen interest, Professor McGonagall watched Kyle as she silently hoped that the Sorting Hat would make the right decision for once.
...
"This is odd, very odd," a faint voice whispered into Kyle's ear as he donned the Sorting Hat. "You're actually sincere in your thanks? This is unexpected. Are you truly one of those well-behaved children?"
"Of course, I am!" Kyle asserted. "Feel free to ask around. Both the Weasley family and Mr. Scamander will tell you that I'm the most polite and well-mannered child they've ever met.
So, I suggest you refrain from slandering me, or I'll complain about you, even if you are just a hat."
"... "
The Sorting Hat fell silent, a rare occurrence. Its tip swayed back and forth unconsciously, as if it was at a loss for words or struggling with some inner turmoil.
After a long pause, the hat continued, "Your shamelessness reminds me of a time over a millennium ago when I was just an ordinary hat, worn by Godric Gryffindor himself.
Hmm, perhaps Gryffindor would be a good fit for you... No, on second thought, that's not quite right."
"I think..."
"Let me consider this," the hat interrupted Kyle's attempt to speak. "Slytherin might be a better choice. There's no doubt you'll find glory there."
"Well..."
"Wait, hold on," the Sorting Hat interrupted again. "No, that won't do either. And if you go to Slytherin, Snape will undoubtedly pour some strange potions on me. Let me think...
Dumbledore has really given me a difficult problem... It's a shame that Azkaban or Nurmengard isn't part of Hogwarts as well."
...
The Sorting Hat's tone sounded like it was joking, but Kyle couldn't bring himself to laugh... What was going on? Had he done something wrong? At most, he had just scared Connor a bit. Did that deserve a trip to Nurmengard?
That was unfair!
Besides, everyone in the magical world did similar things, and there were plenty of people who went even further. Why weren't they being punished?
This double standard was frustrating.
Kyle felt he needed to take action. If the Sorting Hat actually shouted out 'Nurmengard,' it would be a disaster.
Azkaban was bad enough, but it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic, and one didn't just end up there on a whim.
Nurmengard, however, was different. Dumbledore had connections there, and sending someone to that prison would be all too easy.
Kyle was aware that the hat's petty threat was most likely due to its dissatisfaction with his earlier comment about complaining, and it was now trying to get back at him. It probably didn't actually intend to shout out that particular prison.
But what if...
A hat that had existed for over a millennium and possessed its own consciousness was unpredictable. What if it suddenly felt like shouting out a suggestion just to liven up the atmosphere?
The Sorting Hat was immediately intrigued. "You thought so too? I knew it! It took me a whole year to come up with that song, so it had to be good. Only Dumbledore didn't appreciate it, suggesting I sing the school song instead. That old coot!"
...
Kyle had no intention of bad-mouthing the Headmaster, not even out of the hat's earshot.
He cleared his throat awkwardly to change the subject. "If you don't mind me asking, your song sounded vaguely familiar. Was it inspired by rap music?"
"Rap music?" The Sorting Hat sounded curious. "What's that?"
"You don't know? Perhaps you're a natural! I was shocked at first," Kyle pretended to be surprised before explaining, "Rap, or hip-hop, is a very popular Muggle music genre."
"Muggle music, you say?" The hat was growing more intrigued by the second.
"Yes, and I think you'd be great at it," Kyle said sincerely. "If you'd like, I could get you a gift related to that during Christmas."
"Well... I mean, we should probably get back to the sorting," the Sorting Hat said, clearing its throat. "We've taken quite a while, and you must be hungry by now. We wouldn't want to hold up the feast any longer, would we?"
"Right, of course," Kyle smiled. "You were saying that I'm a well-mannered child, but you thought Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw weren't suitable for me."
"Hmm? Did I mention Ravenclaw... Oh, I almost forgot. Yes, that's right, you're absolutely correct."
"In that case, the result is quite obvious..."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The moment Kyle's house was announced, the entire Great Hall, including the staff table, erupted into thunderous applause.
The longest Sorting in Hogwarts history, lasting a full twenty minutes, had finally come to an end.
Everyone was truly hungry, as the feast usually started around this time.
The Hufflepuff table was particularly lively, and Cedric, forgetting about his Quidditch team concerns, enthusiastically hugged Kyle.
"This is fantastic, Kyle! I knew you'd end up in Hufflepuff!"
Kyle smiled. "You have better insight than the Sorting Hat."
"Hmm?" Cedric was taken aback for a moment, not quite understanding what he meant.
But Kyle just smiled without elaborating further.
Just then, several older students approached to shake his hand, their badges indicating they were Hufflepuff prefects.
It was customary for prefects to welcome new students and introduce themselves, making themselves known to the freshmen.
Kyle smiled and greeted them politely before taking a seat next to Cedric, which had been vacated by one of the prefects upon learning that the two were already acquainted.
Once Kyle was seated, he, like the others, turned his attention back to the Sorting Hat.
Being sorted into Hufflepuff had been his intention all along. After all, Newt had been a Hufflepuff, and his father, Chris, had graduated from the same house. As a wizard with a passion for magical creatures, he wanted to experience the same house as them.
Additionally, Kyle wanted to set aside thoughts of Voldemort and the Dark Lord for now. He intended to immerse himself in the wonders of magic and the school life at Hogwarts, and the warm and loyal Hufflepuffs were the perfect choice.
The fact that the Hufflepuff dormitory was located right next to the kitchen was also a significant bonus.
...
(End of Chapter)
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