Was the Sorting Hat Really That Brave?

After that unexpected incident, the Sorting Hat stopped dawdling. It could finish sorting almost as soon as it touched a new student's hair.

At that pace, soon only the last two new students remained.

"Kanna Prince!"

At the familiar name, Kyle and Cedric looked over at the same time.

"That's the little girl from the train, right?" Cedric asked curiously. "Where do you think she'll be sorted? Slytherin?"

"Probably." Kyle scratched his back without thinking. "Since she's wearing Tuofan clothes, she's most likely a Pure-blood, so Slytherin should be right... Hm?"

Just then, Kyle froze. Maybe it was his imagination, but after Professor McGonagall called Kanna's name, Snape—who had been sitting there with a stern expression, seemingly uninterested in the sorting—shifted forward in his seat. For the first time, he focused all his attention on the Sorting Hat.

Could they know each other? Kyle wondered.

Because of his special status, Snape almost never took part in social activities. But he was still one of Hogwarts' four Heads of House, not to mention a famous Potions Master. It was impossible for him not to have a single acquaintance in the Wizarding World.

Kanna's family might be among them.

At the thought, Kyle felt a chill run down his back. A bad feeling suddenly came over him.

If that really was the case, and Snape found out Kyle had once pranked Kanna, then with Snape's personality, Kyle would probably get to experience the protagonist treatment ahead of schedule.

"It can't be that much of a coincidence..." Kyle felt his scalp prickle.

What a mess.

He'd just been laughing at the Weasley Twins for getting what they deserved, and now the punishment had come for him just as quickly.

Kyle nervously watched the platform.

For some reason, when it was Kanna's turn, the Sorting Hat's pace seemed to slow right back down to how it had been at the beginning.

Everyone waited for over a minute before the Sorting Hat finally spoke:

"Hufflepuff!"

Huh??

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table. The Prefects stood up again to welcome Kanna.

Only Kyle was left staring in confusion as Kanna walked past him.

What was going on? Apart from Scamander, were there actually other Pure-blood families who came to Hufflepuff? That was pretty rare.

It wasn't unheard of. All four houses had Pure-bloods; there were just fewer of them in Hufflepuff.

As for whether Kanna had come here just to follow him... That was impossible.

Sorting wasn't a game. If anything, it could shape a wizard's future.

So even if Kanna was young and didn't know any better, the Sorting Hat wouldn't let her fool around. Otherwise, her family wouldn't simply let it go.

Kyle remembered Chris once telling him that when Sirius Black had been sorted into Gryffindor, the lady of the House of Black had caused an uproar at Hogwarts.

If Dumbledore hadn't stepped in forcefully, she would have nearly burned the Sorting Hat with Fiendfyre.

It had caused quite a stir at the time. Dumbledore had managed to suppress things at Hogwarts, but the Ministry of Magic had held meeting after meeting to discuss whether to abolish the Sorting Hat and use another method of sorting students in the future.

The proposal had plenty of support, too, because most Pure-blood families didn't want their children in any house other than Slytherin, especially the stubborn traditionalists.

Having a Gryffindor in the family was, in their eyes, nothing short of disgraceful.

Of course, the proposal was ultimately rejected.

After all, Dumbledore twenty years ago wasn't nearly as easygoing as he was now. Once he had made his opposition clear, those Pure-blood families didn't dare disregard his wishes.

And so the matter was dropped.

But from then on, none of the Pure-blood family members who had supported the proposal were sorted into any other house.

Kyle glanced toward the High Table.

It was easy enough to tell whether the sorting had gone smoothly this time: all he had to do was watch Snape. If Kanna's family really had a good relationship with Snape, then after she was sorted into Hufflepuff, Snape wouldn't just sit there calmly...

Uh...

All right, Kyle had been wrong.

At the High Table, Snape's expression was so dark it looked ready to drip. He was talking to Dumbledore nonstop, occasionally glancing toward Hufflepuff.

Kyle quickly lowered his head, doing his best to make himself inconspicuous.

Could it really be such a coincidence? Was the Sorting Hat actually that brave? Kyle felt a little uneasy.

At the same time, the last new student finished being sorted and headed to the Gryffindor table.

Dumbledore immediately stood up, beaming at the students below. He spread his arms wide. "Welcome, welcome to Hogwarts! It's a new school year, and nothing makes me happier than seeing all of you here.

"What are you waiting for? Eat!"

The empty tables instantly filled with steaming food.

Beef, roast chicken, pork chops, sausages, and steaks piled up into little mountains, enough to make anyone's mouth water.

If that all seemed too greasy, there were fragrant boiled potatoes, pea shoots, and chips nearby. They made a wonderful combination, too.

The whole Great Hall was filled with the aroma of food.

Kyle shook his head, trying to stop himself from thinking about all that nonsense.

Whatever. It had already happened, so what was the point of worrying about it? He'd just take things as they came.

No matter what, he wouldn't be the first one to suffer. The Sorting Hat was ahead of him.

Besides, even if Snape really did want to make trouble for him, it wouldn't last long. As long as Kyle could hold out until Harry Potter started at Hogwarts next year, Snape wouldn't have the time to bother with him.

Kyle steadied himself and reached for a fried chicken leg, stuffing it into his mouth.

He'd been bounced around on the train all the way here and hadn't had much appetite, so he'd only eaten a few snacks. Now he was genuinely hungry.

The House-elves were excellent cooks.

The fried chicken leg was crisp on the outside and tender within. As soon as he bit into it, the juices burst out, and its savory aroma filled his mouth.

The roast potatoes were good, too. They were cooked just right and didn't have any unnecessary seasoning, preserving the potatoes' natural fragrance. If they tasted a little bland, there was ketchup and black pepper on the side.

Kyle found the combination surprisingly good, so he took another potato.

But just as he finished cutting it and was about to reach for the black pepper, Cedric suddenly leaned over and whispered, "Have you noticed she's been staring at you?"

"Staring at me? Who?" Kyle replied without even looking up.

"That new student from the train, Kanna Prince." Cedric raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of teasing, and pointed across the table. "Don't believe me? Look. She's staring at you again."