Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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After this unexpected incident, the Sorting Hat stopped wasting time, essentially sorting the new students as soon as it touched their hair.
With this efficiency, only the last two first-years remained.
"Kanna Prince!"
Hearing this familiar name, Kyle and Cedric glanced over at the same time.
"That's the girl from the train, right?" Cedric asked curiously. "Where do you think she'll be sorted into? Slytherin?"
"Probably," Kyle said, scratching his back subconsciously. "Since she's wearing extraordinary clothes, she's probably a pureblood, so Slytherin, right... huh?"
At this moment, Kyle froze. He wondered if it was his imagination, but after Professor McGonagall called out Kanna's name, Snape, who had previously maintained a stern expression and seemed completely uninterested in the Sorting, actually moved forward, his attention fully focused on the Sorting Hat for the first time.
"They can't know each other!" Kyle thought to himself.
Although Snape, due to his special status, rarely participated in social activities, he was, after all, one of the four Heads of House at Hogwarts and a renowned Potions Master. It was impossible for him not to have acquaintances in the wizarding world.
Perhaps Kanna's family was among them.
At this thought, Kyle felt a chill run down his spine, a sudden, ominous feeling welling up in his stomach.
If that were the case, then, with Snape's personality, if he knew he'd tricked Kanna, he'd probably be treated like a hero even beforehand.
"It can't be such a coincidence..." Kyle's scalp tingled.
What a sin!
I'd just been teasing the Weasley twins about their evil deeds getting their comeuppance, but I never thought the retribution would come so quickly and the next second it would be me.
Kyle glanced anxiously at the stage.
For some reason, when Kanna's turn came, the Sorting Hat's efficiency seemed to plummet back to its initial state.
Everyone waited for over a minute before the Sorting Hat finally spoke:
"Hufflepuff!"
Huh?
The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers, and the prefects rose again, welcoming Kanna.
Kyle, alone, watched Kanna walk past him, a puzzled expression on his face.
What was going on? Besides the Scamanders, another pure-blood family was actually visiting Hufflepuff? That was truly rare.
It wasn't that there weren't pure-bloods; all four houses had pure-bloods, but Hufflepuff had fewer.
As for whether Kanna had come after him...that was impossible.
Sorting wasn't a game; it could even affect a wizard's future.
So even if Kanna was young and naive, the Sorting Hat wouldn't let her misbehave. Otherwise, Kanna's family wouldn't let it go.
Kyle remembered Chris once telling him about the Black lady who had caused a scene at Hogwarts when Sirius Black was sorted into Gryffindor.
If Dumbledore hadn't intervened, the Sorting Hat would have nearly burned with a Fiendfyre.
This matter caused quite a stir at the time. Although Dumbledore suppressed the decision at Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic held several meetings to discuss whether to abandon the Sorting Hat and adopt a different method of sorting the houses.
This proposal also received considerable support, as most pure-blood families, especially the most die-hard conservatives, were reluctant to send their children to a house other than Slytherin.
To them, having a Gryffindor in the family was a disgrace.
Naturally, the proposal was ultimately rejected.
After all, Dumbledore wasn't as easy to talk to over twenty years ago. After he clearly expressed his opposition, the pure-blood families didn't dare to deny him their favor.
The matter fell through.
However, since then, the pure-blood families who supported the proposal haven't visited other houses again.
Kyle glanced at the professors' table.
It was easy to confirm whether the sorting was done properly. Just look at Snape's reaction. If Kanna's family really had a close relationship with Snape, he wouldn't have sat there calmly after she was sorted into Hufflepuff...
er...
okay, Kyle was wrong.
In the classroom, Snape's face was so gloomy it looked like water dripping from his eyes. He was constantly talking to Dumbledore, occasionally glancing at Hufflepuff.
Kyle quickly lowered his head, trying to minimize his presence.
It couldn't be such a coincidence. Was the Sorting Hat really that brave? Kyle's heart was pounding.
Meanwhile, the last new student had just finished sorting and went to the Gryffindor table.
Dumbledore immediately stood up, beaming at the students, arms outstretched. "Welcome, welcome to Hogwarts! It's a new school year, and nothing could be more delightful than seeing you. What are you waiting for? Eat!"
The previously empty tables were instantly piled high with steaming food.
Beef, roast chicken, pork chops, sausages, and steaks piled high like mountains, the very sight of them whetting your appetite.
If those were too greasy, there were also fragrant boiled potatoes, pea, and chips to go along with them. The aroma of food filled the entire hall.
Kyle shook his head, trying to shut his mind from all that clutter.
Never mind. Things had already come to this point, so what was the point in dwelling on them? He'd just have to take it one step at a time.
Regardless, he wouldn't be the first to suffer. There was still the Sorting Hat hanging over him.
Besides, even if Snape really wanted to cause trouble for him, it wouldn't last long. As long as he could make it until Harry Potter started school next year, he wouldn't be in the mood to bother with him anymore.
Kyle calmed himself, reached out, grabbed a fried chicken drumstick from the area in front of him, and stuffed it into his mouth.
He'd had no appetite after the long train ride, so he'd only had a few snacks. Now he was really hungry.
The elves' cooking was quite good.
The fried chicken drumstick was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The juicy flavor instantly filled his mouth with a delicious bite.
The baked potato was also good, cooked perfectly and without any unnecessary seasoning, preserving the potato's natural fragrance. If you find the flavor a bit bland, there were separate ketchup and black pepper on the side.
Kyle found the combination surprisingly good, so he grabbed another one.
But just as he finished cutting the potato and was about to grab the black pepper, Cedric suddenly leaned over and whispered, "Did you notice she's been staring at you?"
"Staring at me? Who?" Kyle replied without even looking up.
"That's the first-year named Kanna Prince I met on the train." Cedric raised his eyebrows and pointed in the opposite direction with a teasing look in his eyes. "Look, she's looking at you again."
[End of the chapter]