Hatstall

The girl with two golden braids ran forward, her face flushed as she put on the Sorting Hat. She tugged it down a little farther, until the brim covered her eyes.

Vizet seemed to understand why the Sorting Hat was covered in patches.

It probably wasn't to convey a sense of history, but because the hat had actually been tugged apart before.

A short while later, the Sorting Hat split open again. "Hufflepuff!"

Cheers rose from the long table on the right, and the applause was especially enthusiastic.

The Ghost who had spoken earlier emerged from the long table and waved both hands in the air to offer his congratulations.

Hannah Abbott took off the hat and let out a long breath.

She seemed to have relaxed too much. Looking somewhat dazed, she stumbled toward the long table that was applauding.

"It was actually that simple!" Ron said angrily. He secretly glanced behind him. "George is making faces at me. He did it on purpose!"

"Susan Bones!"

"Hufflepuff!"

The children were much more relaxed now. Quite a few were eager to try, looking forward to being the next person to put on the Sorting Hat.

However, the sorting order was determined by the initial letters of their surnames, so they were doomed to wait anxiously.

The Sorting Hat took varying amounts of time to announce each house. For some, it shouted out their house the moment they put it on.

Others had to endure a long silence after putting on the Sorting Hat before it could announce the final result.

Hermione was one such case. She sat on the Four-legged stool for more than four minutes before the Sorting Hat reluctantly called out her house: "Gryffindor!"

"Oh..." Ron groaned.

Neville also sat on the Four-legged stool for a long time before the Sorting Hat firmly called out, "Gryffindor!"

"Vizet Lovegood!"

Vizet walked forward calmly and placed the Sorting Hat over his head.

With the help of Guardian Meditation, he could sense the gazes of many people watching him.

Two girls were sitting beside the long table on the left. Both Cho Chang and Penelope were watching him attentively.

There was also an attentive gaze nearby. Professor McGonagall leaned forward slightly, seemingly eager to learn the result of his sorting.

Behind him, there were two other kinds of attention.

One carried a familiar warmth and benevolence. It probably came from Dumbledore.

The other was filled with malice, like a bandit coveting a treasure.

That gaze lasted only a few seconds before disappearing without a trace.

It even made Vizet wonder whether the malicious gaze had merely been an illusion.

"Does it really need to take this long?"

He was somewhat puzzled. More than four minutes had passed, yet the Sorting Hat still hadn't announced his house.

"This Great Hall is wonderful. I know that, of course." A faint voice appeared, seeming to come from everywhere at once, like surround sound.

"Although you're a New Student, so many people are watching you. That's quite interesting..."

The voice suddenly carried a hint of helplessness. "But I have to say, you should think about something of your own. You're too special. I don't know where I should send you..."

"You're the Sorting Hat?" Vizet raised his brows, his lips moving slightly.

"Oh! Yes!" The Sorting Hat's voice grew more animated. "I don't know where you want to go. All I can do is follow your thoughts and feelings, sensing the various gazes in this Great Hall."

Vizet's heart stirred, and he immediately understood. It was because of Guardian Meditation!

He suddenly became curious about how the Sorting Hat worked. "Mr. Sorting Hat, how exactly do you sort people?"

"What a polite child." The Sorting Hat spoke cheerfully. "Have you heard of Legilimency? If you haven't, it might be a little difficult for me to explain. After all, I'm only a hat."

"I haven't." Vizet thought for a moment. Flourish and Blotts didn't seem to have any books related to it. "Where can I find an introduction to Legilimency?"

Of course, it was also possible that he hadn't finished recording every book.

The Sorting Hat suggested, "Perhaps you could look in the library. There must be something in the Restricted Section. Hogwarts possesses the oldest magical knowledge!"

"But for now... I still have to fulfill my duty. Since you're so special, why not decide for yourself which house you want to join?"

Without hesitation, Vizet said, "Send me to Ravenclaw."

"You like knowledge, do you?" Happiness seeped into the Sorting Hat's voice. "Powerful Wizards always love to explore, swimming freely in the ocean of knowledge..."

"The library welcomes you, child! Then..." The Sorting Hat finally split open and shouted the name of the house. "Ravenclaw!"

Professor McGonagall exchanged a glance with Dumbledore and shook her head slightly, looking somewhat helpless.

The Ravenclaw table erupted in enthusiastic applause, louder than the applause that had welcomed any of the other New Students.

Vizet found a gap and sat down. Although he remained expressionless in the face of such enthusiastic applause, the tips of his ears grew slightly red.

Cho Chang smiled brilliantly. "Congratulations on becoming a Hatstall."

Vizet asked, "A Hatstall? Is that a good thing?"

"Of course! It's an ancient term." Cho Chang explained, "It's only used for students whose sorting takes more than five minutes."

"You know how quickly the Sorting Hat sorts people. For the Sorting Hat to struggle over a student's house, that student has to possess multiple qualities and traits."

Vizet nodded. He felt that becoming a Hatstall had involved a bit of clever maneuvering.

At the time, he had maintained Guardian Meditation, which had made the Sorting Hat hesitate and ultimately allowed him to choose his own house.

Penelope said from beside him, "As far as I know, there have only been two Hatstalls this century. Unfortunately, they both went to Gryffindor."

"They probably had to possess extremely unique traits to become Hatstalls. Professor McGonagall up on the platform was once a Hatstall herself—a Gryffindor."

"Professor McGonagall is the Deputy Headmistress, and she's also an expert in Transfiguration. You'll understand once you attend her class. The other Hatstall was Peter Pettigrew, unfortunately another Gryffindor."

"When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fell, he confronted He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's follower, Sirius Black, and ultimately paid with his life. To commemorate him, the Ministry of Magic posthumously awarded him an Order of Merlin, First Class."

Gryffindor suddenly erupted into a commotion, shouting, "We have Potter!"

"We have Vizet too!" Cho Chang teased. "Hatstalls are just as rare. You're a Ravenclaw Hatstall."

Vizet thought of the House Cup Professor McGonagall had mentioned and couldn't help sighing. "It looks like the competition for the House Cup will be fierce..."

"Yes." Penelope nodded in agreement. "It's the highest honor in the school, representing the school's recognition of a house."

The Sorting Ceremony finally ended, and Ron ultimately became a member of Gryffindor as well.

After Professor McGonagall took away the Four-legged stool and the Sorting Hat, Dumbledore walked to the front and stood before an Owl Lectern.

The Owl Lectern immediately spread its wings and transformed into a small podium.

"The new academic year begins tonight. Welcome back to Hogwarts! Before the feast begins, I intend to say a few words..."

The statue seemed to function as a loudspeaker, amplifying Dumbledore's voice several times so that everyone could hear him clearly.

Vizet looked at the empty plates and suddenly remembered the headmasters he had encountered in his previous life.

Those headmasters claimed they would only say a few words, yet they would go on at length for at least an hour before finally putting down the microphone.

"That is: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! You may enjoy the feast! Thank you!"

"Huh?" Before Vizet could react, a rich fragrance had already surged into his nose.

Amid a burst of enthusiastic applause, all kinds of food appeared on the plates.

There was Roast Beef, pork chops, Lamb Chop, potatoes, Roast Chicken, sausages, and chips—everything one could want.

The hill-like piles of food steamed, instantly awakening his appetite.

As Penelope scooped out a spoonful of mashed potatoes, she didn't forget to add, "Dumbledore is just that kind of special headmaster. It would be wonderful if he were a Ravenclaw."