Hufflepuff

Kyle didn't hesitate. In a few quick steps, he was up on the platform.

Having narrowly escaped disaster, he patted his chest and looked sincerely at Professor McGonagall. "Thank you, Professor."

Perhaps she hadn't expected Hogwarts to have such a well-mannered child. Kyle's sudden gesture caught Professor McGonagall completely off guard. It took her two or three seconds to react before she shook her head and said, "It's my duty."

Though she said that, Professor McGonagall's stern expression softened considerably. And before she placed the Sorting Hat on Kyle's head, she even dusted it off.

"Such a polite child. I hope he gets sorted into Gryffindor."

Professor McGonagall was rather hopeful. Gryffindor needed model students like him most of all.

Last year, she'd dreamed of luring Cedric into her House, but Sprout and Dumbledore had both refused.

Let's see how things went this year.

Professor McGonagall fixed her eyes on Kyle and prayed the Sorting Hat would get it right for once.

"Strange. Very strange."

Once Kyle put on the Sorting Hat, he heard a faint voice by his ear. "You actually thanked her sincerely? That can't be right. I mean, are you really that well-behaved?"

"Of course I am!" Kyle replied solemnly. "You can ask around. The Weasley family and Mr. Scamander have both said I'm the most polite, well-behaved child they've ever met.

"So please don't slander me. Even if you're only a hat, I'll still file a complaint against you."

"..."

The Sorting Hat fell unusually silent. Its tip swayed back and forth on its own, as if it were at a loss for words—or perhaps wrestling with a decision.

After a long while, it finally spoke again. "Your shamelessness takes me back to a thousand years ago. Of course, back then I was just an ordinary hat, sitting on Godric's head.

"So, how about Gryffindor? I feel like you'd fit right in there... No, never mind. It's not the right place for you."

"I think..."

"Let me think." The Sorting Hat cut Kyle off just as he started to speak. "Slytherin would be better. You'd go on to great things there. Of that, there's no doubt."

"Um..."

"Wait, wait."

For the second time, the Sorting Hat interrupted Kyle. "No, that won't do either. Besides, if you go to Slytherin, Snape will probably pour all sorts of strange Potions on me. Let me think...

"Dumbledore's given me a real problem... What a pity Azkaban isn't part of Hogwarts. Or Nurmengard would do."

The Sorting Hat sounded as though it were joking, but Kyle couldn't laugh at all. What was going on? It's not like he'd done anything wrong. At most, he'd scared Kanna a little earlier. Was that enough to get him sent to Nurmengard?

Was there no justice?

Besides, the whole Wizarding World did things like that, and plenty of people took it even further than he had. Why were they all fine?

It was such a double standard.

Kyle felt he had to do something. If the Sorting Hat actually called out that place, he'd be done for.

Azkaban was one thing. It was under the Ministry of Magic, and you couldn't just send someone there on a whim.

But Nurmengard was different. Dumbledore had connections there. Sending someone over would be all too easy.

Kyle knew the Sorting Hat was probably only saying this because it was annoyed that he'd threatened to file a complaint. It just wanted to get back at him with a little prank; it wouldn't really call out that place.

But what if it did...?

The hat had existed for over a thousand years and possessed a mind of its own. No one knew what went on in its head. What if it had some kind of impulse and decided to shout something out just to liven things up?

It was possible.

"Um..." Kyle flashed a harmless smile. "That song you sang earlier was pretty good. Especially those first few lines. The lyrics were concise, and the tune was lively—much better than the Weird Sisters' old clichés."

At that, the Sorting Hat perked up. "You think it's good too, right? I knew it! It took me a whole year to come up with that song. How could it not be good? Only Dumbledore doesn't appreciate it. He even tried to persuade me to sing the school song. That old humbug!"

Uh...

Kyle had no intention of badmouthing the headmaster right under his nose. That was asking for trouble, even if he couldn't hear them.

After clearing his throat twice to brush the comment aside, Kyle continued, "If you don't mind me asking, your song sounds a little familiar. Is it rap?"

"Rap..." the Sorting Hat said curiously. "What does that mean?"

"You don't know? Did you come up with it all on your own? That's amazing." Kyle put on a look of surprise, then explained, "Rap, or rapping, is a very popular Muggle style of music."

"Muggle music..." The Sorting Hat was even more curious.

"Yeah. I think you should give it a try. It'd suit you. If you like, I can get you a gift related to it for Christmas," Kyle said sincerely.

"Good... No, I mean, we should get on with the Sorting. It's been a long time, and you must be hungry. We can't keep you from the feast." The Sorting Hat cleared its throat. "Now, where were we?"

Kyle smiled. "You said I was a polite, well-behaved child, but you didn't think Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw suited me."

"Hm? Did I mention Ravenclaw? Oh, I nearly forgot. Yes, that's right. You're absolutely correct.

"In that case, the answer is obvious..."

"Hufflepuff!"

The moment Kyle's House was announced, thunderous applause erupted throughout the Great Hall, including from the High Table.

A whole twenty minutes. The longest Sorting in Hogwarts history was finally over.

Everyone was starving. At this time in previous years, the feast would have already begun.

The Hufflepuff table was especially lively. Cedric had forgotten all about the Quidditch team and hurried over to give Kyle a warm hug.

"Brilliant, Kyle! I knew you'd end up in Hufflepuff."

Kyle grinned. "You've got a better eye than the Sorting Hat."

"Hm?" Cedric paused, not quite sure what Kyle meant.

Kyle just smiled and didn't explain.

Just then, several older students came over to shake his hand. Judging by the badges they wore, they were Hufflepuff Prefects.

It was a custom in every House. It welcomed the new students and helped the older ones get acquainted with them.

Kyle greeted them with a smile, then took the empty seat beside Cedric.

A Prefect had been sitting there before, but when he realized Kyle and Cedric knew each other, he'd offered up the seat.

Once Kyle sat down, he, like everyone else, turned his attention to the Sorting Hat.

He'd already decided on Hufflepuff. After all, Newt was a Hufflepuff, and his father, Chris, had graduated from Hufflepuff too. As a wizard who also loved Fantastic Beasts, Kyle naturally wanted to experience life there.

Besides, Kyle didn't want to think about Voldemort or the Dark Lord right now. He just wanted to lose himself in the wonders of magic and enjoy life at Hogwarts. The warm and loyal Hufflepuffs were undoubtedly the best choice.

The fact that Hufflepuff's dormitories were right beside the kitchens was very important.