The boomerang they threw finally came back to hit them in the face.
Professor McGonagall never imagined that the near-trigger for the first-ever freshman dropout incident in Hogwarts history would be none other than the dynamic duo from her own house.
"What exactly happened?"
No longer in any rush to begin the Sorting Ceremony, Professor McGonagall pushed through the crowd and marched over to Wayne, demanding answers sternly.
She needed to fully understand what had occurred before deciding whether to give the twins a week of detention—or a whole month.
Wayne retold the story without any embellishments. He was just that kind of honest person.
When he finished, it was McGonagall's turn to feel conflicted.
If she were being objective, the twins and Cedric had simply followed tradition, albeit describing it in more detail than usual.
Technically, they hadn't broken any rules.
But if she let it slide without consequence, McGonagall would feel deeply uncomfortable.
They had scared several first-years nearly out of enrolling—this couldn't be ignored.
"All right, I can assure you that the Sorting Ceremony is completely safe. There's no need to worry."
"Now, line up in two rows and follow me quietly."
The matter with the twins could wait until after the Sorting.
Despite McGonagall's reassurance, most of the new students remained visibly tense, silently trailing behind her like zombies.
Hermione still hadn't fully recovered from the fright, so to make sure she didn't stumble, Wayne gently took her soft little hand, leading her along like a living doll.
The group exited the room, passed through the entrance hall, then through another set of doors, finally stepping into Hogwarts' Great Hall.
The hall was magnificent—thousands of floating candles lit the space, bright as daylight, though completely unenvironmental.
Four long tables were arranged side by side, and up a slightly elevated platform was the staff table—currently missing just one seat.
"The ceiling here is enchanted to look like the real night sky," Hermione explained instinctively, the awe-inspiring scene helping her calm down.
Only after speaking did she realize that Wayne was still holding her hand. Her cheeks turned pink.
Noticing Wayne had no intention of letting go, she grew flustered. But too shy to say anything, she let him lead her, completely at his mercy.
Professor McGonagall placed a high stool in the center of the hall, and on it, a tattered hat.
Its original color was impossible to tell—definitely not the dirty brown it had become.
After setting everything up, McGonagall gave the Weasley twins a hard glare—leaving them looking confused—then walked back down to stand in front of the first-years.
Suddenly, the hat twitched, splitting open at the brim like a mouth, and began to sing.
The older students were used to it, but the first-years found it quite novel.
A singing hat—truly, nothing was too weird for Hogwarts.
Wayne listened for a bit but quickly lost interest.
It was said that the Sorting Hat sang a new song every year, and spent the rest of the year writing lyrics.
But a flop was a flop—even with a full year of preparation, the lyrics still sucked.
When the song ended, the crowd politely applauded.
"When I call your name, come up, put on the hat, and sit down," McGonagall instructed. "Wait for your house to be announced."
The crowd collectively exhaled in relief. So it was just wearing a hat? That was manageable.
Although the hat was filthy—many of the more fastidious girls looked disgusted—compared to the trials Wayne had described earlier, this was a walk in the park.
"Hannah Abbott!"
A girl with braided pigtails hurried forward.
The little girl placed the hat on her head, and before long, the hat made its decision.
"Hufflepuff!"
The table on the right applauded, welcoming Hannah warmly.
"Susan Bones!"
Susan, who had just been on the boat with Wayne and Hermione, was next in line.
"Hufflepuff!"
Two students in a row being sorted into Hufflepuff made the badgers cheer with joy. Cedric clapped excitedly in the crowd.
Suddenly, he felt a gaze fixed on him.
Turning his head, he saw Wayne looking at him with a half-smile.
Remembering how he had tried to bluff Wayne on the train, the honest Cedric gave him an awkward little wave.
Wayne didn't seem to mind at all.
Go ahead and laugh.
You won't be able to laugh in a bit.
Professor McGonagall's fury had been thoroughly ignited.
"…"
"Terry Boot!"
"Ravenclaw."
The line of students kept shrinking. Hermione took the opportunity to ask Wayne which house he wanted to be in.
When she heard "Hufflepuff," the little witch was completely baffled.
The books said Hufflepuff was supposed to be the most "mediocre" house at Hogwarts — why would Wayne want to go there?
But there was no more time. Alphabetically, Hermione's name was called very soon.
She practically ran to the stool and hurriedly put on the hat. Her head was so small that it nearly disappeared inside it.
"Gryffindor!" the Hat shouted, as expected — Wayne wasn't surprised.
Without any external influence, it was perfectly normal for Hermione to end up in Gryffindor.
Several more young witches and wizards went up after that.
Wayne noticed that the fewest students were being sorted into Ravenclaw and Slytherin — especially Slytherin. So far, only two had gone there.
Ravenclaw only had four.
Hufflepuff had the most by far. The other house tables still had plenty of empty seats, but Hufflepuff's looked nearly full.
"Neville Longbottom!" McGonagall called again.
When Neville put on the Sorting Hat, it took a long while before it finally shouted "Gryffindor!" Neville was so thrilled he ran off with the hat still on his head, making everyone laugh.
Blushing, he ran back to return the hat. Wayne was certain that at this moment, Neville desperately wished he could turn into Trevor and hide somewhere no one could find him.
"Wayne Lawrence!" McGonagall finally called Wayne's name.
All the new students turned to look at him. His earlier bluffing had certainly startled them. Malfoy was especially gritting his teeth in frustration.
Quite a few senior girls' eyes lit up as well.
What an adorable little wizard. Come into big sister's arms and let her pamper you… and inspect your wand.
At the head table, Dumbledore looked up, his glasses glinting with light, curiosity rising in his heart.
This little prodigy who could cast a Patronus the moment he picked up a wand — which house would he be sorted into?
Under everyone's gaze, Wayne calmly picked up the hat and placed it on his head.
Very quickly, a voice rang out in his mind:
"Oh, what an interesting little wizard…"