A girl with two golden braids ran forward, her face flushed, and put on the Sorting Hat. She then pulled it down a bit, and the brim covered her eyes.
Vizette seemed to understand why the Sorting Hat was covered in patches.
It was probably not meant to convey a sense of historical weight, but rather that this hat was genuinely damaged.
A moment later, the Sorting Hat tore open again, "Hufflepuff!"
Cheers and applause erupted from the long table on the right.
The ghost that had spoken earlier emerged from the long table and waved its hands in the air in congratulation.
Hannah Abbott pulled down her hat and let out a long breath.
She seemed to have relaxed too much and appeared somewhat dazed. She stumbled and ran toward the long table where the applause was taking place.
"It's that simple!" Ron was furious, glancing back furtively. "George is making faces at me; he's doing it on purpose!"
"Susan Bones!"
Hufflepuff!
The children were much more relaxed now, and many were eager to try, hoping that they would be the next ones to wear the Sorting Hat.
However, the sorting order was determined by the first letter of their surnames, which meant they could only watch helplessly.
The Sorting Hat took varying amounts of time to announce a house; for some people, the Sorting Hat would announce their house as soon as they put on the hat.
Some people, after putting on the Sorting Hat, needed to go through a long period of silence before the final result could be announced.
Just like Hermione, who sat on the four-legged stool for more than four minutes before the Sorting Hat reluctantly called out the name of the house: "Gryffindor!"
"Oh…" Ron groaned.
Neville sat on the stool for a long time before the Sorting Hat called out firmly, "Gryffindor!"
"Vizette Lovegood!"
Vizette calmly stepped forward and placed the Sorting Hat over his head.
With the help of the Guardian Meditation Method, he was able to feel the attention of many people.
Two girls were sitting at the long table on the left, and both Cho Chang and Penelope Clearwater were giving him their attention.
Surrounded by watchful eyes, Professor McGonagall leaned forward slightly, anticipating the sorting results.
Behind him, there were two other groups of people paying attention.
A concerned gaze, carrying a familiar kindness, must have come from Dumbledore.
Another gaze, however, was filled with malice, like that of a robber eyeing treasure.
That gaze lasted only a few seconds before vanishing without a trace.
It even led Vizette to believe that the malicious gaze was just an illusion.
He wondered if it really took that long.
He was puzzled; more than four minutes had passed, and the Sorting Hat still hadn't announced which house he belonged to.
"This auditorium is beautiful, of course I know that." A subtle voice sounded, as if it were surround sound, omnipresent.
"It's really interesting that so many people are paying attention to you even though you're a freshman..."
The voice suddenly carried a hint of helplessness, "But I must say, you should think about your own things. You're too special; I don't know where to send you..."
"Are you the Sorting Hat?" Vizette raised an eyebrow, his lips moving slightly.
"Oh! Yes!" The Sorting Hat's voice became more invigorated. "I don't know where you want to go. I can only follow your thoughts and feel the gazes of this Great Hall."
Vizette's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood that it was because of the "Guardian Meditation Method".
He was curious about the workings of the Sorting Hat. "Mr. Sorting Hat, how do you sort the houses?"
"Very polite child," the Sorting Hat said cheerfully. "Have you ever heard of Legilimency? If not, I might have some difficulty explaining it, after all, I am just a hat."
Vizette recalled a scene from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which mentioned Legilimency. "Mr. Sorting Hat, Legilimency is... you can know what I'm thinking?"
"Very close!" The Sorting Hat's tone revealed a hint of surprise. "If you want to know more, you can go to the library; Hogwarts has the oldest magical knowledge!"
"However, for now... I still need to fulfill my duties. Since you are so special, why don't you decide for yourself which house you want to go to!"
Without hesitation, Vizette said, "Let me go to Ravenclaw."
"You love knowledge, don't you?" The Sorting Hat's tone was filled with delight. "Powerful wizards always have a particular fondness for exploration, swimming freely in the ocean of knowledge..."
"Welcome to the library, child! And..." The Sorting Hat finally burst open, shouting the house name, "Ravenclaw!"
Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged a glance, shook their heads slightly, and looked somewhat helpless.
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted at the Ravenclaw table, louder than the applause that greeted the other new students.
Vizette found an opening to sit down, and although he remained expressionless in the face of such enthusiastic applause, his ears turned slightly red.
Cho Chang smiled brightly, "Congratulations on becoming a hatstall for the house."
Vizette asked, "hatstalls? Is that a good thing?"
"Of course! It's an old term," Cho Chang explained. "Only students who spend five minutes or longer under the Sorting Hat are referred to by this term."
"You know how fast the Sorting Hat sorts houses. For the Sorting Hat to be conflicted about which house a student belongs to, the student must possess a variety of qualities and traits."
Vizette nodded, feeling that he had taken a shortcut to becoming a hatstall in the sorting process.
He realized it was because he had been maintaining the Guardian Meditation Method that the Sorting Hat was in a dilemma, ultimately allowing him to choose his own house.
Penelope Clearwater, standing nearby, said, "As far as I know, there have only been two hatstalls this century, but unfortunately they both went to Gryffindor."
"Perhaps one must possess extremely unique qualities to become a hatstall. Like Professor McGonagall on stage, she was once a hatstall, a Gryffindor."
"Professor McGonagall is the vice-principal and is also an expert in Transfiguration magic. You'll understand when you start class, but unfortunately, she's also a Gryffindor."
Suddenly, Gryffindor erupted in commotion, shouting, "We have Potter!"
"We also have Vizette!" Cho Chang joked. "hatstalls are extremely rare, and you are a Ravenclaw hatstall."
Thinking of the House Cup that Professor McGonagall had mentioned, Vizette couldn't help but remark, "It seems the House Cup is quite competitive..."
"Yes." Penelope Clearwater nodded in agreement. "That's the highest honor in the school, representing recognition of the house."
The Sorting Ceremony finally ended, and Ron became a member of Gryffindor.
After Professor McGonagall removed the four-legged stool and the Sorting Hat, Dumbledore walked to the front of the stage and stood in front of the griffin-shaped lectern.
The griffin-shaped lectern immediately spread its wings and transformed into a small lectern.
"The new school year begins tonight. Welcome back to Hogwarts! Before the banquet begins, I'd like to say a few words..."
The lectern acted like an amplifier, amplifying Dumbledore's voice so that everyone could hear it clearly.
Looking at the bare plate, Vizette suddenly remembered the principals he had met in his previous life.
Those principals said they would just say a few words, but they ended up talking for at least an hour before finally putting down the microphone.
"That is: Idiot! Crybaby! Trash! Twist! Everyone, please enjoy the feast! Thank you all!"
"Huh?" Before Vizette could react, the rich aroma had already filled his nostrils.
Amidst enthusiastic applause, various kinds of food appeared on the plates.
Whether it was roast beef, pork chops, lamb chops, potatoes, or roast chicken, sausages, and crisps, they had it all.
The mountain of food, steaming hot, instantly whetted his appetite.
As Penelope Clearwater scooped out a spoonful of mashed potatoes, she couldn't help but remark, "Dumbledore is such a special headmaster. It would be nice if he were a Ravenclaw."
...
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