Sorting Hate.

But before McGonagall could begin reading off the list, surprising all the new children, the hat twitched and a rip near the brim of the dirty hat opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may want me to prettify,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can identify

A smarter hat than me.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

Believe me, there were several other heads,

Who tried to tear me open to see.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Whose pathway lives to measure the strong.

Their hearts are not to be housed indoors,

Because they live only to get along;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are as bright as the Sun.

Working day or night with huff and puff,

Building Towers in their fun.

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

Whose mind gave us the mundane and the magical,

Yet her disciples all sought knowledge without flaw.

In pursuit of truth in both Grand and Practical.

Or perhaps in Slytherin

Where a true Master was born

Whose mind delved into the dark and mean

To achieve all that one can mourn.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

With the song done the hall burst into a round of loud applause but Loki tuned it out in favour of analyzing what the Sorting hat had just said.

But his memory wouldn't cooperate well.

'I think I heard it say pathway, but was it talking about the Beyonder pathways?'

'And didn't it say it could read my mind!? Will it read all my memories and know that I have been reincarnated?'

'Huh….can I ask it for the lyrics to the song?'

'I felt like I missed something important.'

'Damn. Need to work on that occlumency thing fast.'

"Abbott Hannah!" McGonagall shouted.

A young girl rushed out of the line and ran toward the stool and once on it, McGonagall placed the hat on her.

The hat remained in thought only for a second before it shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

McGonagall called out multiple other names in succession with each person getting sorted into either Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff, occasionally Ravenclaw and then also Slytherin but nothing big happened other than the house that got the new student shedding a few claps in celebration.

'So Mione's in Griffindor, good for her.' Loki thought as he watched her give him a short nod with a sweet smile before going to join the others at the Gryffindor table.

"Harry Potter!" At the mention of the name the hall fell into a deathly silence, whispers were strewn about and people began pointing fingers at the boy who was walking to the stool to try the hat on.

Loki spotted a scrawny boy and felt slight pity for him.

Everyone could see how he was nervous and looked terrified at the idea of even trying to hat on, but they said nothing.

'He's like me before I met Walburga, hasn't eaten anything to fill his frame. Although not as bad, he still looks like bones.'

'Isn't he the hero of the wizarding world? Why's he like this? Is there no 'Save Harry Potter And Keep Him Well-Fed Protection Agency'?'

McGonagall placed the hat on Harry and the hall turned silent again as a short conversation ensued in between the Hat and Harry remaining only in the privacy of their minds.

The short silence that was thrust upon the hall snapped when the Hat loudly announced, "GRIFFINDOR!!"

The table dressed in robes that had golden red accents shouted out loud, some even threw their empty goblets into the air which a few professors had to magic to slow down during the fall so that it wouldn't hurt anyone.

Loki could see the Slytherines scowling while the rest of the tables clapped in celebration yet the most shocking thing he found at the moment was that one of the professors wearing a purple turban sent Harry a deathly glare.

'What's going on with him?'

'He can't seriously hate a student for going into Griffindor can he?'

As the celebration passed over the hall it soon turned silent once again with only four children standing in the line nervously waiting to be sorted.

"Turpin, Lisa!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Weasly, Ron!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Zabini, Blaise!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

'Huh, I hadn't noticed earlier since it was so seamless, but the robes changed their colours after their houses were announced.' Loki noted as he saw Zabini's robe gain silver and green accents after he was sorted.

Everyone then turned to look at Loki the last remaining member of the group of first years who had to be sorted.

Yet Loki remained impassive under the stares of the collective group.

'Hmpf! If they want me to feel nervous it'll take more than kids who still smell of their mother's milk!'

'I bet they've never fought off a mad man trying to advance his sequence by killing a bunch of people for his ritual!'

'I'm definitely more mature!'

"Loki." McGonagall called.

Loki walked with steady steps as he reached onto the stool and then under everyone's surprised gaze he spoke to McGonagall.

"Could you clean it, please? It's very dirty. I'd' rather not put it on my head when it's like that."

McGonagall's eye twitched and Snape in the teacher's chair snorted so loudly a few people thought the exhaust of a car backfired.

McGonagall tried to come up with an excuse but seeing Loki's earnest eyes she couldn't help but feel compelled to do what he asked.

McGonagall under everyone's gaze pulled out her own wand and wordlessly cast a charm on the Hat.

The hat turned and spun around its tip causing all the dust that had gathered on it to be expelled outward and collected to a point from where it was banished to an unknown place.

The regal dark blue of the hat was revealed and everyone in the hall let out a collective *gasp* before some of them gagged, remembering the time they'd let the filthy thing touch their heads.

"Thank you." Loki nodded and picked up the hat and sat down with royal confidence by billowing his cloak so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable while sitting on the stool.

He then placed the hat on his head as its rim dipped low and covered his eyes, hiding them away from the group of people looking at him from afar.

'Why does the hat feel so, familiar?' Loki wondered as soon as he placed it on his head since he could feel something in the hat attracting his intuition.

'Master!' An old voice in his head spoke with familiarity, breaking Loki's concentration.

It felt like it was Loki's own voice, just a little more mature and older.

'Master?' Loki questioned back, startled yet he kept his outward composure.

'I know it might sound crazy right now, but I've known you for a length of time longer than yourself.'

'Is this some sort of scam?' Loki asked suspiciously as he tried to do his best not to use all of his strength to yeet away the hat into oblivion.

'I know you might hate me for this now, but it is important that I do this for you.'

'What do you mean?' Loki asked getting a bad feeling for whatever was about to happen.

And then without his permission or explaining anything to him, the Hat shouted!

"SLYTHERIN!"