Kronk boarded the train with his trunk (which was wider than the corridor). As he passed through, he accidentally knocked out a seventh-year student's hat—with a frying pan strapped to his back.
The student was left unconscious, but when Kronk turned around, he saw no one due to the height difference and simply shrugged, looking for somewhere to sit.
After a couple of minutes of searching, he opened a compartment door and found Ernie
Macmillan, a pompous first-year with noble airs, and Mandy Brocklehurst, reserved and serious.
"Can I sit here?" —he asked, though he was already closing the door and settling in comfortably.
Ernie stared in confusion at the guy who could probably punch his way through a wall if he wanted to.
"...Are you a student?"
Maybe he was a half-giant?
"That's what the letter says." Kronk pulled the letter from his clothes and checked it. "Yep, I'm a student."
Mandy ran a hand down her face.
"This is going to be a long year..." she muttered.
To their surprise, Kronk turned out to be an observant and mellow person. He spent most of the trip reading first-year books with almost childlike curiosity, and only got excited when he discovered the existence of Chocolate Frogs and their collectible cards.
When it was time to change into school robes, Kronk became a pillar of obsidian whose gaze promised the cracking of bones and tormented souls... or it would have, had it not been for that cheerful smile of his and the hat with an antenna perched on top.
"Hey, Hagrid," a kid with a scar on his forehead pointed at Kronk, "is that your relative?"
Hagrid scratched his beard, confused—did he have a cousin like that?
Later, while crossing the lake in the boats, Kronk pulled out a pamphlet on the castle rules.
"Do we need a fishing permit, or can we just catch a trout if we see one in the lake?" he asked the student next to him. "And do giant squids count as a protected species?"
"...What?" The boy was so entranced by the view, he barely processed Kronk's question.
"I mean, if they're edible, I could try smoking them with eucalyptus... or maybe rosemary."
Kronk's boat tilted slightly due to his size, making everyone grab on in panic. He pulled out oars and began rowing hard—though it wasn't necessary.
"WE DON'T NEED TO ROW, IT'S MAGIC!!" Mandy yelled, panicked by the sudden increase in speed and utterly mortified.
They were leaving everyone else behind and getting stared at wide-eyed.
"Oh, but exercise is important," Kronk replied cheerfully.
"Where did he get the oars?" Hagrid whispered. "There aren't any oars on the boats!"
"Uh..." Ron slowly raised his hand. "I think I saw him carving them while he waited for everyone to board. Something about outdated safety protocols."
"Hagrid," Hermione turned to the Keeper of Keys, "what would happen if the boats' magic failed?"
"Oh," Hagrid hadn't thought of that. "I suppose the squid would lend a hand—well, tentacles."
By the time they reached the shore, they saw Kronk patting Mandy on the back as she vomited her breakfast behind a bush.
His pats were so strong, she nearly faceplanted into her own puddle.
Unaware he had just made a mortal enemy, Kronk stood before the school and watched several ghosts emerge.
This time, he wasn't scared. Tom had told him about the ghosts, and his first thought was whether the chill they gave off could be used to make ice cream.
In the Great Hall, everyone waited for the Sorting Ceremony, excited and now slightly less nervous after confirming they wouldn't have to fist-fight a troll.
"Kronk Pepikrankenitz?" McGonagall bit her tongue trying to pronounce the student's last name—but no one noticed.
Kronk approached the stool with excitement, and just as the Sorting Hat was about to be placed on his head, he frowned at it.
"Ugh! It's full of dust and grime." He stuck out his tongue in disgust. "This isn't hygienic. When was the last time it was cleaned?"
This—this was personal.
That hat was about to touch his head, but not in that condition.
He pulled out a handkerchief, a small bottle of cleaning fluid, and began to polish the ancient artifact with great care, as students and professors watched in stunned silence.
The Hat felt like it was getting the spa treatment of a lifetime… and surprise: beneath the black layer, it was a regal old white—elegant, pristine, never seen before.
The Hat took a fresh breath, as if waking from a long slumber.
"Wait—what? I've been like this for centuries… I didn't even remember I had a white lining!"
That's right—the Sorting Hat had originally been pure snow-white, immaculate and beautiful!
"Much better," Kronk smiled at his own reflection in the white leather, which smiled back.
That day, McGonagall and everyone present learned that when leather is well cared for and clean, it makes a great mirror.
Once on Kronk's head, the Hat spoke:
"You have heart, generosity, magical hands for breakfast... Hufflepuff!"
"Yes!" Kronk raised a fist in the air. "That includes access to the kitchens, right?" he asked McGonagall.
She nodded absentmindedly, still staring dazedly at the pristine white Sorting Hat in her hands.
She prayed The Daily Prophet wouldn't use this incident to attack Hogwarts' sacred traditions...