The boomerang had finally come back to hit its thrower.
Professor McGonagall never imagined that the ones who nearly caused the first-ever mass withdrawal of first-years in Hogwarts' history would be those two 'brilliant' troublemakers from her own house.
"What exactly happened?"
No longer in a hurry to begin the Sorting, she pushed through the crowd to stand before Wayne, demanding sternly.
She needed to get to the bottom of this before deciding whether to give the twins a week's worth of detentions—or a month's.
Wayne repeated his account without embellishment; he was nothing if not honest.
By the time he finished, it was Professor McGonagall's turn to be conflicted.
If one considered it objectively, the twins and Cedric had merely upheld tradition, albeit with slightly more... vivid details.
There wasn't anything wrong with that.
Yet letting the twins off scot-free left her deeply unsettled.
After all, they'd nearly scared off several first-years—that couldn't go unpunished.
"Alright, I can assure you all that the Sorting Ceremony is completely safe. There's nothing to worry about."
"Now form two lines, keep quiet, and follow me."
The matter with the twins could wait until after the Sorting. Despite her reassurance, most first-years remained visibly tense, trailing behind her like numb puppets.
Hermione hadn't quite recovered yet. To ensure she didn't stumble, Wayne had to hold the young witch's hand, leading her forward as though guiding a doll.
The group exited the room, crossed the entrance hall, passed through another set of doors, and finally entered Hogwarts' Great Hall.
The Hall was magnificent, with thousands of candles floating overhead—utterly unenvironmental, yet illuminating the space as brightly as daylight.
Four long tables stood side by side, while a slightly raised platform held the staff table, where only one seat remained empty.
"The ceiling here is enchanted to look exactly like the real night sky—"
The breathtaking grandeur of the sight helped Hermione regain some composure, and she automatically began explaining.
Only after speaking did she realise her hand was still in Wayne's grasp, her cheeks flushing pink. Seeing no sign of him letting go, she grew flustered but was too shy to say anything, resigning herself to the boy's whims.
Professor McGonagall placed a three-legged stool at the centre of the Hall's platform, atop which sat a patched and frayed old hat. The hat no longer showed its original colour, which certainly wasn't its current dull brown.
After completing these preparations, Professor McGonagall first glared fiercely at the twins from her own house, leaving them utterly bewildered, before descending the steps again to stand before the new students. Then, the hat suddenly gave a little jump, and a seam opened up like a mouth, beginning to sing.
The older students took this in stride, but the first-years found it novel. A singing hat—truly, only at Hogwarts could one find such peculiar things.
Wayne listened for a moment but quickly lost interest. It was said the Sorting Hat sang a different song each year, used only once annually, spending the rest of its time thinking up lyrics. Yet no matter how hard it tried, even after a year's contemplation, the words remained rather mediocre.
As the song ended, everyone politely applauded.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Professor McGonagall announced.
The students collectively sighed in relief. Just putting on a hat—anyone could do that. Though the hat was so grubby that many fastidious young witches wrinkled their noses in distaste, compared to the trials Wayne had described earlier... this was child's play.
"Hannah Abbott!"
A girl with pigtails hurried forward. Wayne's gaze also settled on this 'Iron Hat Sovereign'.
The young girl placed the hat on her head, and within moments, it declared: "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on the right erupted in applause, welcoming their new member. "Susan Bones!"
Susan, who'd shared the boat with Wayne and Hermione, took her turn. "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Two consecutive Hufflepuff placements visibly delighted the badgers, with Cedric clapping enthusiastically in their midst. Suddenly, he felt eyes upon him—turning, he saw Wayne watching him with an amused smirk. Remembering how he'd misled Wayne on the train, the honest Cedric gave an awkward wave.
Wayne simply shrugged inwardly. 'Laugh now. You won't be laughing soon. Professor McGonagall's temper has been thoroughly ignited.'
"Terry Boot!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
As the queue gradually shortened, Hermione found a moment to ask Wayne which house he wanted. Upon hearing "Hufflepuff", the young witch looked utterly incredulous. The books said Hufflepuff was Hogwarts' most 'mediocre' house—why would Wayne want to go there?
But time ran short. Alphabetical order soon brought Hermione's turn. She nearly ran to the stool, hastily donning the hat which, due to her small head, almost swallowed her whole.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted.
Wayne wasn't surprised. Without external influences, Hermione naturally belonged there. Several more young witches and wizards followed.
Wayne observed that Ravenclaw and Slytherin received the fewest students, particularly Slytherin, with only two so far, while Ravenclaw had four. Hufflepuff took the most; indeed, while other house tables still had many empty seats, Hufflepuff's looked decidedly cramped.
"Neville Longbottom!" Professor McGonagall called again.
When Neville put on the Sorting Hat, it took an unusually long time before it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Neville, overwhelmed with excitement, ran off, still wearing the hat, provoking a wave of laughter. Blushing furiously, he scurried back to return the hat.
Wayne was certain that at this moment, Neville desperately wished he could transform into a house-elf and hide somewhere no one could find him.
"Wayne Lawrence!" McGonagall finally called Wayne's name.
All the first-years turned to look at Wayne, still thoroughly spooked by his earlier performance. Malfoy, in particular, was grinding his teeth in frustration.
Several older female students also perked up with interest.
What an adorable little wizard! Come here to your big sister's arms, let me pamper you properly and... inspect your wand.
At the head table, Dumbledore lifted his head, his spectacles glinting as curiosity stirred within him.
Which house would this prodigy, who'd spontaneously cast the Patronus Charm upon first holding a wand, be sorted into?
Under the watchful eyes of the entire hall, Wayne unhurriedly picked up the hat and placed it on his head. Almost immediately, a voice spoke in his mind: 'Well now, what an interesting young wizard...'