Chapter 21: Is the Sorting Hat that Brave?
Chapter 21: Is the Sorting Hat that Brave?
After the unexpected incident, the Sorting Hat wasted no more time and efficiently sorted each student based on a brief touch of their hair.
With this swift process, only two new students remained.
"Connor Prince!"
Hearing this familiar name, Kyle and Cedric simultaneously turned their heads.
"Isn't she the little girl from the train?" Cedric asked curiously. "Where do you think she'll be sorted? Slytherin?"
"Probably," Kyle unconsciously scratched his back and said, "Since she's wearing muggle-born clothes, she's most likely a pure-blood, so Slytherin seems right... Hmm?"
At that moment, Kyle paused, unsure if it was his imagination, but after Professor McGonagall called out Connor's name, Snape, who had been sitting there with a stern expression as if completely disinterested in the sorting process, actually leaned forward slightly. For the first time, his attention seemed fully focused on the Sorting Hat.
"Do they know each other?" Kyle wondered.
While Snape's unique identity often kept him from participating in social activities, he was, after all, one of the four heads of Hogwarts and a renowned Potions Master. It was unlikely that he didn't know anyone in the magical world.
Perhaps Connor's family was among his acquaintances.
The thought sent a chill down Kyle's spine, and he suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
If that were the case, given Snape's personality, knowing that he had inadvertently caused trouble for Connor, Kyle felt that he might be in for an early taste of the "main character treatment."
"It can't be a coincidence, can it...?" Kyle felt his scalp tingle with apprehension.
What a twist of fate.
He had just been mocking the Weasley twins for their comeuppance, never expecting that karma would come around so quickly, striking him in the very next moment.
Kyle anxiously watched the proceedings on the stage.
For some reason, when it was Connor's turn, the efficiency of the Sorting Hat seemed to revert to its initial sluggish pace.
After waiting for over a minute, the Sorting Hat finally spoke:
"Hufflepuff!"
Huh??
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table, and the prefects once again stood to welcome Connor to their house.
Only Kyle, watching Connor walk past him, was filled with nothing but question marks.
What just happened? Aside from the Scamanders, was there actually a pure-blood family in Hufflepuff? That was indeed quite rare.
Not that there weren't any, all four houses had pure-blood students, but Hufflepuff had relatively fewer.
As for the idea that Connor might have followed him... that was simply impossible.
House sorting wasn't a game; on a larger scale, it could even influence a young witch or wizard's future path.
So, even if Connor was young and impulsive, the Sorting Hat wouldn't indulge her whims. Otherwise, Connor's family wouldn't let the matter rest so easily.
Kyle recalled Chris mentioning that there had been an incident involving Sirius Black, when he was sorted into Gryffindor. Lady Black had caused quite a stir at Hogwarts, and it took Dumbledore's intervention to prevent the Sorting Hat from being destroyed by her wrathful magic.
The incident had caused quite a stir at the time. While Dumbledore managed to contain the situation at Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic held several meetings to discuss the possibility of abandoning the Sorting Hat and adopting alternative methods for house sorting.
And this proposal had gained quite a bit of support, as most pure-blood families were reluctant to have their children sorted into any house other than Slytherin, especially those from staunch traditionalist families.
After all, Dumbledore from over twenty years ago was not as easy to talk to as he is now, and after he expressed his clear opposition, those pure-blood families did not dare to disobey him.
And so, the matter was dropped.
However, from that day on, those pure-blood family members who supported the proposal never visited the other houses again.
Kyle glanced at the staff table on the platform.
It was simple to confirm if the sorting process was normal; he just had to observe Snape's reaction. If Connor's family truly had a close relationship with Snape, he wouldn't remain calm if she were sorted into Hufflepuff...
Ugh...
Alright, Kyle was wrong.
On the staff bench, Snape's face was so gloomy that it looked like it was about to drip water. He kept talking to Dumbledore, glancing occasionally at the Hufflepuff table.
Kyle quickly lowered his head, trying to make himself less noticeable.
"Could it really be a coincidence? Is the Sorting Hat really that brave?" Kyle wondered anxiously.
At that moment, the last new student finished being sorted and joined the Gryffindor table.
Dumbledore stood up, beaming at the students below, his arms wide open. "Welcome, welcome to Hogwarts. It's a new school year, and there's nothing more delightful than having all of you here.
What are we waiting for? Let's eat!"
The once empty tables were instantly piled high with steaming dishes.
Beef, roast chicken, pork chops, sausages, and steaks formed small mountains, all of them mouth-watering.
If these dishes seemed too greasy, there were also boiled potatoes, pea shoots, and fried potato chips that exuded a clear fragrance. Eating them together created a wonderful combination.
The whole hall was filled with the aroma of food.
Kyle shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all the random thoughts.
"Oh well, it's done now. Thinking too much won't change anything. Let's just take it one step at a time," he thought to himself.
No matter what, he wouldn't be the first one to suffer. After all, the Sorting Hat was taking the brunt of any potential backlash for now.
Additionally, even if Snape really wanted to make things difficult for him, it wouldn't last long. Once next year came around and Harry Potter enrolled, Snape would be too preoccupied to bother with him anymore.
Kyle took a deep breath and reached for a fried chicken leg from the table, popping it into his mouth.
The train ride had jostled him around, and he hadn't had much of an appetite, only snacking a little. Now, he was truly hungry.
The house-elves' cooking skills were remarkable.
The fried chicken leg was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and as he took a bite, juices burst into his mouth, filling it with flavor.
The roasted potatoes were also well done, cooked to perfection without any excessive seasoning, retaining the natural fragrance of the potatoes. If the taste seemed a bit bland, there was also tomato sauce and black pepper on the side.
Kyle found that this combination was surprisingly good, so he took another one.
However, just as he cut the potato and was about to reach for the black pepper, Cedric suddenly leaned over and whispered, "Have you noticed that she's been staring at you the whole time?"
"Staring at me? Who?" Kyle replied without looking up.
"The new student we met on the train, Connor Prince," Cedric said, raising an eyebrow. "Look, she's staring at you again." He gestured towards the opposite direction, his eyes full of teasing.
(End of Chapter)
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