Chapter 21

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The boomerang he threw finally came back to him. McGonagall never imagined that the students who almost caused the first dropout since Hogwarts was founded would be two young students from her own house.

"What happened?"

No longer in a hurry for the sorting ceremony, McGonagall squeezed through the crowd and came to Wayne's side, asking sternly. She had to figure out what happened before deciding whether to confine the twins for a week or a month.

Wayne repeated the whole story without adding anything extra. He was an honest person. When he finished, it was Professor McGonagall's turn to face a dilemma. If she went too far, she would admit that the twins and Cedric had just followed tradition, maybe just explaining it in more detail. There was nothing wrong with that. But if she did nothing and let the twins go unpunished, McGonagall would feel extremely uncomfortable. This incident almost scared away several freshmen, so she couldn't let it go.

"Okay, I can guarantee that there is absolutely no danger in the sorting ceremony. You don't have to worry. Now form two lines, stay quiet, and follow me."

She decided to put the matter of the twins aside for now and deal with it after the sorting ceremony. Despite McGonagall's assurance, most of the new students were still extremely nervous and followed her numbly.

Hermione hadn't recovered yet. To make sure she didn't fall, Wayne held her small, smooth hand and guided her like a doll.

The group walked out of the room, through the foyer, and passed through the door on the other side, finally entering the main hall of Hogwarts. The auditorium was extremely majestic, with thousands of candles floating in the air. It wasn't environmentally friendly, but it illuminated the place as bright as day. Four long tables were placed side by side, and on a slightly higher step was a guest seat with only one vacant spot.

"The ceiling here is enchanted to look like a real starry sky."

The beautiful and magnificent scenery helped Hermione recover, and she couldn't help but share this tidbit. After speaking, she realized her hand was still being held by Wayne, and her face turned red. Seeing that Wayne had no intention of letting go, she became more anxious but was too shy to say anything, so she let him continue to hold her hand.

Professor McGonagall placed a high stool in the middle of the steps of the auditorium with a hat on it. The original color of the hat could no longer be discerned, but it definitely wasn't the taupe it was now. After doing this, McGonagall glared at the twins from her house, making them confused, before walking down the steps again and coming to the new students.

The hat suddenly moved, cracked open, and began to sing. The older students were used to this, but the freshmen found it novel. A singing hat was typical of Hogwarts, full of oddities. Wayne listened but soon lost interest. It is said that the Sorting Hat sings a different song every year. It is used only once a year and spends the rest of the time thinking about the lyrics. 

But despite its year-long preparation, the words weren't that great.

When the song ended, everyone applauded politely.

"Whoever's name I read, put on the hat and sit down, waiting for the sorting results," McGonagall said.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. It just meant wearing a hat, which anyone could do. Although this hat was so dirty that many clean witches looked at it with disgust, it seemed simple compared to the tests Wayne mentioned.

"Hannah Abbott!" 

A girl with braids ran over in a hurry. Wayne's eyes also fell on the Sorting Hat. Professor McGonagall put the hat on Hannah's head, and within a moment, the Sorting Hat decided. 

"Hufflepuff!" 

The people at the table to the right applauded Hannah and welcomed her.

"Susan Bones!" 

Susan, who had just been on the same boat as Wayne and Hermione, took her turn. 

"Hufflepuff!"

Two students in a row were sorted into Hufflepuff, which made the little badgers very happy. Cedric applauded excitedly in the crowd. Suddenly he felt someone staring at him. Turning around, Cedric noticed Wayne looking at him with a half-smile. Thinking of how he had lied to Wayne on the train, Cedric waved his hand in embarrassment. 

Wayne didn't take it seriously. Laugh, go ahead. In a while, you won't be laughing anymore. 

Professor McGonagall's anger was completely ignited. 

"...." 

"Teri Butt!" 

"Ravenclaw." 

As the line continued to dwindle, Hermione took the time to ask Wayne which house he wanted to be in. After hearing "Hufflepuff," the little witch looked incredulous. The book said that Hufflepuff was probably the most mediocre house at Hogwarts. Why did Wayne want to go there?

But it was too late. Hermione was quickly called.

She ran to the stool and hurriedly put on the hat. Because her head was so small, almost the whole hat swallowed her head. 

"Gryffindor!" the Hat shouted. Wayne wasn't surprised. Without external influence, it was normal for Hermione to go to Gryffindor.

Several more little wizards passed by. Wayne noticed that the students assigned to Ravenclaw and Slytherin were the fewest, especially Slytherin with only two students so far. Ravenclaw had four.

Hufflepuff had the most, which was true. There were still many empty seats at the other houses' tables, but Hufflepuff looked very full.

"Neville Longbottom!" McGonagall shouted again. 

When Neville put on the hat, it took a long time for the Sorting Hat to call out Gryffindor. Neville excitedly ran off with the hat, causing a burst of laughter. He blushed and trotted back to put the hat away. Wayne was sure that, at this moment, Neville wanted to hide where no one could find him.

"Wayne Lawrence!" McGonagall finally called Wayne's name. 

All the freshmen looked at Wayne, frightened by the earlier lie. Malfoy gritted his teeth. Many senior students were also watching. What a cute little wizard. Come to your sister's arms, let her love and care for you, and check your wand.

At the head table, Dumbledore raised his head, his glasses reflecting the light, and curiosity emerged in his heart. Which house would this young genius, who could spontaneously cast the Patronus Charm, be assigned to when he got his wand?

Under the spotlight, Wayne picked up the hat and put it on his head. Soon, a voice sounded in his mind. 

"Oh, what an interesting little wizard..."