Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Kain did not hesitate and quickly walked up to the stage.
With the relief of surviving a close call, he patted his chest and sincerely said to Professor McGonagall, "Thank you, Professor."
Perhaps not expecting such a well-mannered child at Hogwarts, Kain's sudden gesture took Professor McGonagall by surprise, and it took her a few seconds to respond. She shook her head and said, "It's my duty."
Despite saying this, Professor McGonagall's usually stern expression softened significantly. Before placing the Sorting Hat on Kain's head, she even made a point to dust it off.
"A child as polite as this would do well in Gryffindor," she thought to herself, hoping inwardly. Gryffindor was in need of such exemplary students.
Last year, she had dreamed of convincing Cedric to join her house, but Sprout and Dumbledore disagreed.
Now, to see what this year brings.
Professor McGonagall watched Kain intently, silently praying that the Sorting Hat would make a sensible choice this time.
...
"Strange, very strange."
As Kain donned the Sorting Hat, he heard a faint voice in his ear: "You're genuinely thanking me? That's unexpected. Are you really such a well-behaved child?"
"Of course, I am!" Kain replied earnestly. "You can ask around. The Weasleys and Mr. Scamander have both said that I'm the most polite child they've met.
So please don't slander me. Even though you're just a hat, I would still file a complaint."
...
The Sorting Hat fell into a rare silence, its tip swaying back and forth unconsciously, as if stuck in a dilemma or perhaps contemplating something.
After a long while, it continued: "Your shameless demeanor takes me back a thousand years, although back then I was just an ordinary hat on Godric's head.
How about Gryffindor? I think that might... never mind, it's not suitable for you."
"I think..."
"Let me think." Kain was about to speak when the Sorting Hat interrupted him again: "Perhaps Slytherin would be better. In there, you would definitely rise to greatness, no doubt."
"That..."
"Wait, wait."
For the second time, the Sorting Hat interrupted Kain: "No, that's not right either. Plus, if you go to Slytherin, Snape is definitely going to concoct some bizarre potion to pour over me. Let me think...
Dumbledore has really given me a tough problem here. It's a pity that if Azkaban were part of Hogwarts, or even Ilvermorny, that would work..."
...
The Sorting Hat's tone sounded like it was joking, but Kain was not amused... What's going on? He didn't seem to have done anything wrong, at most scaring Conner a bit earlier. Could that be a reason to send him to Ilvermorny?
That's not reasonable!
After all, the whole wizarding world operates this way, and there are many who exaggerate even more than he did, yet they are fine.
There's no such double standard.
Kain felt he should do something about it. If the Sorting Hat actually calls it out, that would be a disaster.
Azkaban is one thing; it's under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic and not just somewhere you can go.
But Ilvermorny is different; Dumbledore has connections there, and sending someone is too easy.
Although Kain knew that the Sorting Hat's pettiness was probably because he had threatened to complain about it earlier and it was just trying to save face, it was still possible.
What if the thousand-year-old, sentient hat, on a whim, decided to shout something to liven up the atmosphere?
It's all possible.
"Um..." Kain put on an innocently harmless smile and said, "That song you sang earlier was quite good, especially the beginning. The lyrics were concise, the tune upbeat, much better than the Weird Sisters' usual clichés."
Hearing this, the Sorting Hat suddenly became interested: "You think it sounded good too, right? I knew it, that took me a year to come up with, how could it not be good. Only Dumbledore doesn't appreciate it, even suggested I sing the school song, that old buzzard!"
Uh...
Kain was not about to badmouth the headmaster under his very nose; that would be suicidal, even if he couldn't hear.
After clearing his throat to muddle through, Kain continued: "If I may ask boldly, your song sounded somewhat familiar. Was it in a rap style?"
"Rap style?" the Sorting Hat asked curiously. "What does that mean?"
"You don't know! Maybe you're a natural, that's amazing." Kain first feigned shock, then explained: "Rap, also known as hip-hop or rhyming, is a very popular Muggle music style."
"Muggle music..." the Sorting Hat became even more curious.
"Yes, I think you should try it. It would suit you well," Kain said earnestly. "If you need it, I could give you a gift in that regard for Christmas."
"Okay... no, I mean, let's get sorted first, it's been a long time, you must be hungry by now, delaying the feast would be bad." The Sorting Hat cleared its throat: "Where were we?"
"You just said I'm a polite child, but you think Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw aren't suitable for me."
"Hmm? Did I mention Ravenclaw... oh, I almost forgot, that's right, you're absolutely correct. So, it seems the result is quite clear..."
"Hufflepuff!"
When Kain's sorting result was announced, the entire hall, including the teachers, erupted into thunderous applause.
This was the longest sorting ceremony in the history of Hogwarts, finally over after a whole twenty minutes.
They were indeed hungry, as dinner usually would have started by now.
The Hufflepuff table was especially lively; Cedric didn't care about Quidditch team matters anymore and warmly hugged Kain.
"That's great, Kain, I knew you'd end up in Hufflepuff."
Kain smiled, "You have a better eye than the Sorting Hat."
"Huh?" Cedric was a bit puzzled by the remark.
But Kain just smiled and did not explain.
Just then, several upperclassmen came over to shake his hand, their badges indicating they were Hufflepuff prefects.
It was customary for each house to do this, a way of welcoming and also making a familiar face in front of the new students.
Kain greeted them with a smile and then sat down next to Cedric.
The seat had previously been occupied by a prefect, but upon realizing that Cedric and Kain knew each other, he had willingly given up the spot.
Once Kain sat down, he, like everyone else, turned his attention to the Sorting Hat.
Coming to Hufflepuff had been his plan all along, after all, Newt was a Hufflepuff, and his father, Chris, had also graduated from Hufflepuff. As a wizard who also loved magical creatures, it was natural to experience it here.
Moreover, Kain didn't want to think about Voldemort or any Dark Lords; he just wanted to fully enjoy the magic and the school life at Hogwarts, and the warm and loyal Hufflepuff was undoubtedly the best choice.
Because the Hufflepuff dormitory is right next to the kitchens, which is very important.
...
(End of Chapter)
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