Hatstall

The spacious Great Hall,

All eyes turned toward him.

Sean saw wizards at the different long tables craning their necks,

While beside the gleaming golden plates and goblets at the professors' table, Dumbledore watched with mild interest.

Trying his best to look as though he knew nothing, Sean put on the Sorting Hat under Professor McGonagall's gentle guidance.

"I shall teach many, and treat them all equally."

Sean silently recited a quote from Helga Hufflepuff, hoping to use it to let the Sorting Hat know his Target House.

"A heartening Young Wizard,"

Sean heard a faint voice say,

"Few remember the songs this old hat has sung. You want to go to Hufflepuff? Of course... not."

Sean: "..."

He would have been better off not answering.

"Why?"

Sean asked quietly in his mind.

"Let the old hat sing again—fair Ravenclaw, from the quiet riverbank..."

The Sorting Hat suddenly began to sing, wriggling continuously atop Sean's head.

"Mr. Sorting Hat?"

Sean held his head and asked in confusion.

"Those wise and learned souls shall enter clever Ravenclaw..."

The Sorting Hat continued to sing as it wriggled.

"I want to go to Hufflepuff."

Sean seemed to realize something.

"Ravenclaw said: the students we teach must possess intelligence above all others..."

The Sorting Hat sang on without stopping.

"I want to go to Hufflepuff!"

Sean attempted one final struggle.

"Stubborn Young Wizard, why must you go to Hufflepuff?"

"Mr. Sorting Hat, why must I go to Ravenclaw?"

"Hmm, practicing spells for thirteen hours a day until you could not move;

Not even recognizing all the English letters, yet memorizing every book you bought in two months... Other than Rowena, this old hat had not seen a Wizard so hungry for knowledge in a very long time.

Slytherin could help you realize your ambitions, Gryffindor admired your courage, and Hufflepuff would accept your kind heart."

There was emotion in the Sorting Hat's voice.

"But only Ravenclaw can grant a wise Wizard the ability to pursue truth!"

"I want to go to Hufflepuff."

Sean felt much of his momentum deflate.

"All right."

Unexpectedly, the Sorting Hat agreed. Sean's emerald Eyes brightened.

"Just kidding,"

The Sorting Hat's voice grew thunderous.

"RAVENCLAW!!!"

Feeling utterly disappointed, Sean gave the Sorting Hat a pinch.

"Pain, pain, pain, pain..."

Hearing the Sorting Hat's voice made Sean feel much better.

But he did not hear the rest.

"...Heh, I fooled Ravenclaw...

Just like mother, like daughter, Rowena. Back then, you always pinched this old hat without knowing your own strength...

Twelve centuries... This old hat had finally fulfilled its promise to Gryffindor and found Ravenclaw an heir.

Just watch. Great power lies hidden within that child's frail body. This old hat is never wrong."

Ravenclaw was fine too.

Sean told himself,

At least it was not Slytherin.

Before Sean could even hand the Sorting Hat back to Professor McGonagall, he heard enthusiastic applause from the Eagle House Table.

Even Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were applauding. When Sean looked over, Justin, who had stood up, was clapping the hardest.

He had roused a group of Hufflepuffs into clapping wildly.

Seeing that,

Sean felt even worse.

What a wonderful Hufflepuff!

What a hateful Sorting Hat!

In the middle of the Great Hall,

Professor McGonagall looked gently at Sean.

His old, pilled robes had been replaced with plain Hogwarts robes;

His ill-fitting shoes had become British-style Leather Boots;

A hopeful gleam shone in his cautious emerald Eyes.

She removed the hat for him.

"Are you ready, Mr. Green? Go greet your new life."

Sean was dazed for a moment before Professor McGonagall gently ushered him toward the Ravenclaw table.

"Welcome!"

Sean saw a slightly chubby Young Wizard beside an empty seat waving at him.

"I can hardly believe you're a Hatstall!"

Curious eyes peered at Sean from behind his large Copper-rimmed Glasses. After a startled jerk, he reached out a hand toward Sean.

Unfortunately, his Copper-rimmed Glasses were slipping down, so the hand he had extended went back to push them up.

In the end, he flusteredly apologized to Sean again and again.

"Hatstall?"

Sean did not mind. His wide eyes were full of confusion.

"Oh! Merlin's beard! You don't know?"

The chubby Young Wizard's mouth fell open.

"Terry, not everyone researches that battered old hat."

A voice came from behind him.

It belonged to a male witch with long Black Hair, who interrupted Terry's next words with some helplessness.

"Don't mind him too much. Terry always likes researching these strange questions. When I had just sat down, he was asking me how many windows Hogwarts had.

Merlin's beard, who would care about that?

Unless they all fell down, they could definitely crush Terry Boot while he was counting them underneath."

"No, windows are important!"

The Young Wizard named Terry was so anxious that his face had flushed red.

"All right."

The Black-haired Young Wizard replied as if humoring him, then introduced himself to Sean with great interest.

"Hatstall.

It means a difficult Sorting case.

It refers to Young Wizards whose Sorting takes over five minutes.

They're extremely rare. Apparently, only one appears every fifty years or so.

Oh, right. I'm Michael Corner. Welcome to Ravenclaw."

He extended his hand.

Sean was even more confused. More than five minutes?

But he clearly remembered it only taking a little while.

It was as though something had stolen the time.

Sean thought so.

"Sean Green."

The two shook hands lightly.

As the last new student went to Slytherin, Dumbledore rose to his feet.

Beaming at the students, he opened his arms to them, as if nothing made him happier than seeing them gathered together.

"Welcome!"

He said,

"Welcome to Hogwarts for the start of a new school year!

Before the feast begins, I would like to say a few words.

And they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

As he spoke, Terry took frantic notes, while Michael beside him wore an expression that said, I knew it would be like this.

Sean paid no attention, because the table before him had already been magically piled high with food.

Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, pea shoots, carrots, gravy, ketchup, apple pie, Treacle Tart, chocolate cake, jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding...

Sean compared it against the menu he had made. It was exactly the same as he remembered.

Dip the beans. Time to begin.

Sean told himself.

Then, he activated one-click clearing mode.

"How does he manage to eat so elegantly and so quickly?"

The dumbfounded Michael asked another boy to his left.