"...Hufflepuff... Ravenclaw... Gryffindor... Slytherin... You seem like you could fit anywhere, and yet, nowhere quite feels right... You're a person full of surprises..." The Sorting Hat murmured, sounding genuinely puzzled.
"Sorry to make things difficult for you," Adam replied silently in his mind.
"In that case, you—no, sir, which House would you prefer?" The Sorting Hat actually addressed him with a hint of respect.
"Gryffindor, I think. That House seems rather interesting," Adam thought, glancing over at where Qin Yu was sitting.
"Yes, yes! Gryffindor does attract the most interesting sorts. If that's your choice, then—Gryffindor!" After a few more muttered words, the hat called out the House name loud and clear.
Adam rose, a faint smile on his lips, removed the hat, and strode over to the Gryffindor table.
The Gryffindors greeted their newest member with a rousing round of applause.
"Didn't expect you to be a Hatstall too?" Qin Yu said with a grin, lowering his hands, though a flicker of thought passed behind his eyes.
A "Hatstall" was a student who left The Sorting Hat stumped for five minutes or more—a rare phenomenon in Hogwarts history. Adam had only held things up for about a minute, barely a blip, but Qin Yu was just borrowing the term for fun.
"Huh?" Adam blinked, then smiled. "Maybe the Hat thought I lacked talent and just couldn't decide."
"Don't overthink it. The Sorting Hat doesn't determine your future. Anyway—welcome to Gryffindor!" Qin Yu encouraged, his voice warm.
"Thank you, Qin," Adam replied with a respectful nod.
Next came another student who gave the Hat pause: chubby Neville Longbottom—future Gryffindor swordmaster, of course—who, after a brief hesitation, was placed in Gryffindor as well. Whether the Hat hesitated because Neville was so slow to react, or because his future was hard to read, no one could say.
Draco Malfoy's turn came, and the Hat barely touched his head before bellowing "Slytherin!"
Young Master Malfoy beamed as he strutted over to the Slytherin table.
When surnames beginning with P were called, Harry Potter went up.
For Harry, the Hat wavered between Slytherin and Gryffindor.
Glancing anxiously toward Qin Yu, Ron, and Adam, then shooting a look of pure disgust at the smug Slytherin table, Harry whispered, barely audible, "Not—Slytherin!"
"Oh, not Slytherin? Another one who wants Gryffindor... Wait, why did I say 'another'?... Well, well, if you insist—Gryffindor!" The Hat, muttering all the while, finally made its decision.
Harry broke into a grin, whipped off the Hat, and hurried to the Gryffindor table, sitting down beside Adam—directly across from Qin Yu.
With the Weasley surname starting with W, Ron was one of the last to be called. By then, he was a bundle of nerves, face scrunched, hunched over as if his stomach hurt.
Thankfully, the Hat made up its mind instantly—"Gryffindor!"—as if it was the most natural thing in the world for a Weasley.
At last, after the final student with a Z surname was sorted, the annual Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony was complete.
Then, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood and delivered his opening speech: welcoming the new students, encouraging the old, wishing everyone magical progress in the year ahead, and finally inviting everyone to enjoy the feast—and the teachers to enjoy their wine.
As he finished, the four long House tables instantly filled with sumptuous food.
The first-years gasped in wonder, never having seen such magic before—even Malfoy looked delighted.
Even though Hermione had heard about this from Qin Yu, her eyes still went wide with astonishment.
Harry was awestruck once again—magic never failed to amaze him.
Second-years like Jimmy and Wilson tried to keep their cool, putting on the air of seasoned upperclassmen.
...
"Open up!"
The familiar command made Hermione open her mouth on instinct—and a juicy, tender lamb chop was popped in.
She chewed twice before suddenly freezing, realizing where she was.
Mouth full, cheeks puffed, she shot Qin Yu a look of shock and embarrassment that clearly said, "We're at school, not at home!"
"Go on and swallow, there's plenty more where that came from..."
At his words, Hermione resumed chewing—after all, Hogwarts' lamb chops were impossibly delicious, and she was still a kid. Who could resist?
When she finished, another piece was waiting. She gave in, opening wide and taking a big bite—if this was how things were going to be, she might as well enjoy it.
Seeing her eat so heartily, Qin Yu nodded in satisfaction and slipped her a carrot for some vitamins.
"Miss Granger, this is Hogwarts—your home for the next seven years. Do you really need to be so prim and proper?" he said, passing her a bowl of soup.
"Home?!"
Across the table, Harry Potter looked up, repeating the word "home" softly. As he spoke, a strange light flickered in his eyes.
—He hadn't meant to join the conversation, but he just couldn't help himself.
After all, "home" was something he'd always longed for.
Qin Yu caught Harry's gaze, then looked around at the other first-years, raising his voice a little: "That's right! Hogwarts is your home! So come on, first-years—you're eating way too politely!"
He turned to the second-years nearby. "Jimmy, Wilson, show them how it's done. Let the newbies see what true Gryffindor dining looks like!"
"No problem!" "If you insist..."
Both had long grown tired of pretending to be dignified upperclassmen. One grabbed a giant chicken leg, the other a hunk of buttered bread, and they tore in with gusto, grease running down their chins.
Qin Yu watched their over-the-top performance and couldn't help but wince. Still, it worked—the first-years, seeing their elders eat like this, all looked eager to try it themselves.
"Ahem, so what are you waiting for?" Qin Yu said, putting on a serious face before he could get too embarrassed by his friends.
"Yay!" "Let's eat!" "I want those roast potatoes!" "Pass the gravy, please!" "This roast chicken is amazing!"
They were just kids—once the restraint was gone, they let loose.
Most didn't eat like wild wolves the way Jimmy and Wilson did—Harry was much more restrained, though Ron's style was a perfect match for Jimmy.
Watching the first-years' excitement spread, Elvis glanced at Qin Yu and thought, With Qin here, this is exactly how things should be.
Percy, the newly minted prefect, nodded to himself, quietly taking notes on how to liven up the atmosphere.
None of them realized that Qin Yu had only started all this because he couldn't stand seeing Hermione so stiff and formal. That's why he'd fed her those bites of meat and carrot.
Whatever the reason, the start-of-term feast soon became lively and festive.
Even the usually reserved Adam was nibbling his way through a plate piled high with vegetables—especially broccoli and pea shoots, his clear favorites.
...
"Qin, I want to try this!"
"..."
"Qin, can I have that one?"
"..."
"Qin, I want some juice!"
"..."
"Qin..."
"What now?"
"I'm stuffed. I feel awful."
"...Then stop eating."
"But I haven't tried that little cake yet..."
"Then wait a bit before you do."
"Okay!"
The consequence of letting a certain little girl eat to her heart's content was, predictably, that she ended up completely stuffed.
But she was still growing—eating more would just make her taller, not heavier.
Qin Yu had a feeling that, at this rate, she'd shoot up a whole head taller in a year.
When summer came and she went home, the Grangers were in for a real shock.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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