Kyle didn't hesitate, striding confidently to the platform.
After his close call, he patted his chest and looked sincerely at Minerva, "Thank you, Professor."
His genuine politeness caught her off guard — such courtesy was rare at Hogwarts. After regaining her composure, she shook her head, "It's my duty."
Despite her words, Minerva's stern expression softened noticeably. She even took special care to dust off the Sorting Hat before placing it on Kyle's head.
'What a wonderful addition he'd make to Gryffindor.' She thought hopefully. Her house desperately needed model students like this.
Last year, she had hoped to recruit Cedric, but Sprout and Dumbledore had blocked that attempt. Perhaps this year would be different.
Minerva watched Kyle intently, silently willing the Sorting Hat to make the right choice.
"Strange, very strange." The Hat's faint voice whispered in Kyle's ear, "You actually meant that thank you sincerely? That can't be right — are you truly such a well-behaved child?"
"Of course I am!" Kyle replied earnestly, "Ask the Weasleys or Mr. Scamander — they'll tell you I'm the most polite child they've ever met. So don't slander me, or hat or not, I'll file a complaint against you."
"..."
The Sorting Hat fell into an unusual silence, its tip swaying unconsciously as it struggled to find words.
Finally, it spoke again, "Your shamelessness reminds me of a time over a thousand years ago, when I was just an ordinary hat on Godric's head. Well then, how about Gryffindor? I feel that might... no, that's not right for you."
"I think..."
"Let me think." The Hat interrupted just as Kyle was about to speak, "Slytherin might be better — there you would certainly achieve greatness, of that there's no doubt."
"Um..."
"Wait, wait." For the second time, the Sorting Hat cut off Kyle's words, "No, that's not right either, and besides, if you went to Slytherin, Snape would surely pour all sorts of strange potions on me. Let me think some more... Dumbledore has given me quite the puzzle... if only Azkaban were part of Hogwarts, or even Nurmengard would do."
"..."
Though the Sorting Hat's tone seemed joking, Kyle couldn't find it funny at all. What was going on? He hadn't done anything wrong, had he? At most he'd just scared Kanna a little earlier — surely they wouldn't send him to Nurmengard for that?
This wasn't fair!
Everyone in the wizarding world did such things, and plenty did far worse than what he'd said. So why weren't they in trouble?
Talk about double standards.
Kyle knew he needed to act — if the Hat actually announced that, he'd be done for.
Azkaban was one thing — it was under Ministry control, you couldn't just send someone there. But Nurmengard was different. Dumbledore had connections there; sending someone would be all too easy.
Deep down, Kyle knew the petty Hat was probably just saying this because it was annoyed about his earlier threat to complain. It was trying to get back at him — it wouldn't actually announce that place.
But what if... A hat that had existed for over a thousand years with its own consciousness — who knew what it was thinking? What if it had a moment of whimsy and decided to shout it out just to liven things up?
Anything was possible.
"Um..." Kyle put on an innocent smile and said, "That song of yours earlier was really good, especially those first few lines — simple lyrics, lively rhythm, much better than those clichés from the Weird Sisters."
Hearing this, the Sorting Hat perked up, "You thought it was good too, right? I told you — it took me a year to come up with that, how could it not be good? Only Dumbledore doesn't appreciate it, even trying to get me to sing the school song instead, that old honeybee!"
Er... Kyle wasn't about to badmouth the headmaster right under his nose — that would be suicidal, even if he couldn't hear.
After clearing his throat to gloss over it, he continued, "If I may ask, that song of yours sounded familiar — was it in rap style?"
"Rap style?" The Sorting Hat asked curiously, "What's that?"
"You don't know! Could it be you developed it naturally? That's amazing!" Kyle exclaimed with feigned shock, "Rap, also called hip-hop, is a very popular style of Muggle music."
"Muggle music..." The Sorting Hat mused with growing curiosity.
"Yes, I think you should try it — it would suit you perfectly." Kyle said sincerely, "If you'd like, I could bring you something related to it as a Christmas gift."
"Alright... no, what I mean is, let's get back to the sorting — it's been quite a while, and you must be hungry. We shouldn't delay the feast." The Sorting Hat cleared its throat and said, "Now, where were we?"
Kyle smiled and said, "You were saying I'm a polite, good child, but you didn't think Gryffindor, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw suited me."
"Hmm? Did I mention Raven... oh, right, that's correct, exactly right. You're absolutely right. Well then, the result is quite clear... HUFFLEPUFF!"
When Kyle's sorting result was announced, thunderous applause erupted throughout the Great Hall, including from the staff table.
A full twenty minutes — this sorting, arguably the longest in Hogwarts history — was finally over. They were all truly hungry, since normally the feast would have started long ago.
The Hufflepuff table was especially lively, with Cedric, no longer concerned about Quidditch team matters, warmly coming over to give Kyle a hug.
"That's fantastic, Kyle! I knew you'd end up in Hufflepuff."
Kyle smiled and said, "You have better judgment than the Sorting Hat."
"Hm?" Cedric paused, not quite understanding what he meant.
But Kyle just smiled and didn't explain.
Several older students — Hufflepuff prefects, as indicated by their badges — came over to shake his hand. This welcome ritual helped new students become familiar with their prefects' faces.
Kyle smiled warmly as he greeted them, then took the empty seat beside Cedric. One of the prefects had been sitting there but graciously moved after noticing their friendship.
Once settled, Kyle joined the others in watching the Sorting Hat continue its work.
Joining Hufflepuff had been his plan from the start — after all, both Newt and his father Chris were Hufflepuffs. As someone who shared their passion for magical creatures, he naturally wanted to experience their house firsthand.
Besides, Kyle wasn't interested in dark matters like Voldemort or Dark Lords. He simply wanted to immerse himself in the magic and wonder of Hogwarts life, and the warm, loyal Hufflepuff house was perfect for that.
And of course, having the dormitory right next to the kitchen was a definite bonus.
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