Kyle didn't hesitate and took just a few steps to walk onto the stage. Relieved, he patted his chest, looked at Professor McGonagall sincerely, and said, "Thank you, Professor."
Professor McGonagall was momentarily caught off guard by Kyle's politeness—something she hadn't quite expected at Hogwarts. It took her a couple of seconds to respond, and then she shook her head with a slight smile, saying, "This is my duty."
Despite her formal reply, Professor McGonagall's usually stern expression softened. Before placing the Sorting Hat on Kyle's head, she even dusted it off.
"Such a polite child," she thought. "It would be great if he could be sorted into Gryffindor."
She couldn't help but feel hopeful; Gryffindor lacked role models like him. Last year, she had hoped to bring Cedric into her house, but Professor Sprout and Dumbledore disagreed.
It all depended on how things would turn out this time.
Professor McGonagall watched Kyle intently, silently hoping the Sorting Hat would place him in her house.
"Strange, very strange."
When Kyle put on the Sorting Hat, he heard a small voice next to his ear, saying, "You actually said thank you sincerely? This shouldn't be the case. Are you really that kind of good kid?"
"Of course I am!" Kyle replied earnestly. "You can ask around. The Weasleys and Mr. Scamander have all said that I'm the most polite and well-mannered child they've ever met. So please don't misjudge me, or I'll have to file a complaint, even if you're just a hat."
The Sorting Hat fell into a rare silence, its tip swaying back and forth. It seemed a bit at a loss or perhaps conflicted.
After a long pause, it continued, "Your audacity reminds me of more than a thousand years ago, back when I was just an ordinary hat on Godric's head. So, what about Gryffindor? That place might... no, never mind, it's not right for you."
"I think—"
"Let me think about it," the Sorting Hat interrupted Kyle. "Slytherin could be a good fit. You'd excel there, without a doubt."
"But—"
"Wait, wait," it interrupted again. "No, Slytherin isn't right either. If you go there, Snape might dump some strange potions on me. Let me reconsider..."
The hat muttered to itself, almost as if joking. "It's a pity Azkaban isn't part of Hogwarts. Or even Nurmengard."
The Sorting Hat's words seemed humorous, but Kyle couldn't bring himself to laugh. He wondered if he'd done something wrong—had he overstepped by scaring Kanna earlier? It seemed excessive for the hat to consider sending him to Nurmengard just for that.
Still, Kyle couldn't afford to take chances. The Sorting Hat, with its thousand years of history and independent mind, might just do something unexpected to amuse itself.
With a forced smile, Kyle complimented the hat, "The song you sang earlier was pretty good, especially the first few lines. The lyrics were simple, and the tone was lively. It's much better than the usual songs by The Weird Sisters."
Upon hearing this, the Sorting Hat perked up, "You think it's good too? It took me a whole year to write it! How could it not be good? Dumbledore just doesn't appreciate it—he even tried to convince me to sing the school song, that old bee!"
Kyle quickly moved on to avoid getting caught in badmouthing the headmaster. "By the way, your song sounded familiar to me. Is it rap?"
"Rap? What does that mean?" the Sorting Hat asked, intrigued.
"You don't know? And yet you created it yourself! That's impressive," Kyle feigned surprise, then explained, "Rap is a popular Muggle music style. I think it suits you."
The hat became even more curious, and Kyle continued, "If you're interested, I can give you a rap album as a Christmas gift."
The Sorting Hat cleared its throat, slightly flustered, "Let's get back to the sorting. It's been a while, and you must be hungry. We shouldn't delay dinner any further. Now, where were we?"
Kyle smiled. "You mentioned that I'm a good, polite child, but that Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw might not be the best fit for me."
"Hmm? Oh, right. That's what I said. And if that's the case, the answer is obvious..."
"Hufflepuff!"
When Kyle's placement was announced, the entire auditorium, including the staff, erupted in thunderous applause.
The cheers lasted for twenty minutes, marking the end of the longest sorting in Hogwarts history. After all, dinner usually started much earlier.
The Hufflepuff table was particularly jubilant. Cedric rushed over to give Kyle a warm hug.
"Great, Kyle! I knew you'd end up in Hufflepuff."
Kyle chuckled, "You've got better judgment than the Sorting Hat."
"Huh?" Cedric blinked, unsure of what Kyle meant, but Kyle only smiled.
Just then, several senior students, identifiable by their prefect badges, came over to shake hands with him. It was a customary practice, meant to welcome and introduce new students to their house.
Kyle greeted them warmly and took a seat beside Cedric. A prefect had kindly given up the spot upon realizing the two knew each other.
Once seated, Kyle joined everyone in turning his attention back to the Sorting Hat.
He had always planned on joining Hufflepuff. After all, Newt Scamander was a Hufflepuff, as was his father Chris. As someone with a love for magical creatures, it felt like the perfect place to be.
More importantly, Kyle wasn't focused on thoughts of Voldemort or the Dark Lord right now. He simply wanted to enjoy the wonders of magic and the life at Hogwarts. Hufflepuff, with its warmth and loyalty, was the ideal place for that.
Plus, their dormitory's proximity to the kitchens didn't hurt.
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(End of Chapter)