"?"
Why does a hat need such a good memory?
"Ahem, I think you might have remembered wrong?"
William had to admit that this was the most panicked moment in the two months since he crossed over again—it was mainly because he was completely unprepared for this situation to occur, much like a hundred years ago when he was hit off a carriage by a flying dragon on his way to school—totally unexpected.
"No, I am the hat of Gryffindor, filled with wisdom by the four founders of Hogwarts themselves—I can't be wrong!" That voice seemed offended, shouting sharply, "Let me think about who you are—I definitely, I am sure you've worn me!"
This time William didn't get to answer before the Sorting Hat shouted excitedly, "—I've remembered, William Richard, the fifth-year transfer student, although your appearance has changed a bit, your soul—" The Sorting Hat seemed to take a deep breath, "That scent, I remember you! You've come back!"
"...No, Mr. Sorting Hat, I think you must be mistaken."
Having calmed down, William simply shook his head and denied calmly.
From the moment he received the acceptance letter, he had slightly altered his appearance using ancient magic—the Hogwarts Castle is full of "living" old things, any ghost might recognize him.
But now that his identity had been revealed, well... the fingertips hidden under William's wizard robe glowed deep blue.
Don't panic, it's not a big problem.
"Hmph, is that so, sly little Ravenclaw brat—" The Sorting Hat snorted and continued, "Then I won't change my decision, so still, Ra—"
Okay, this is a big problem.
The Ravenclaw common room is at the very top of the Ravenclaw Tower—he's naturally terrible with directions, and in a mere three years, he's gotten lost in the castle more than a hundred and fifty times, and now they want him to continue climbing the moving staircases for three more years?
Definitely impossible!
William's right hand, hidden under his wizard robe, shook gently, and the deep blue light flashed at his fingertips—normally a Confundus Charm wouldn't affect a high-level magical creation like the Sorting Hat, but William's magical cheat, ancient magic, could work wonders in situations like this.
Gryffindor and Ravenclaw alike are in towers, while Slytherin's common room is too humid...
Then... it's decided to be you!
"Hufflepuff!"
After a brief pause, the long table on the far left of the hall (from the direction of the professor's seats) erupted in cheers, the Hufflepuff students rhythmically beat the table, while two red-haired boys at the Gryffindor long table let out a big sigh—
Last year Gryffindor got the Savior, and if there was another transfer student this year it would be perfect.
"Alright, Professor—"
William rose and returned the Sorting Hat to Professor McGonagall, who smiled at him before carrying the slightly limp hat toward the professor's seat.
She didn't notice—William nodded in satisfaction, and then he saw the Headmaster wink at him again—
...Does he have eye problems?
Muttering silently in his heart, William turned, smiled, and walked steadily toward the Hufflepuff long table.
The enthusiastic little badgers had already made room for him, with an empty seat to the left beside a boy who smiled very friendly—this matched William's stereotypical impression of Hufflepuffs.
"Hello, I'm Cedric Diggory—fourth year this year." The boy extended his hand to William, "Welcome to Hufflepuff!"
"William Richard." William couldn't quite remember how many times he had introduced himself today, "Fifth year."
"I heard you saved Harry Potter on the Black Lake?" The boy's eyes were excited, and others at the long table also looked over simultaneously—it seemed first-year Hufflepuff students couldn't keep quiet.
"That's... Ahem, just luck, pure luck."
William embraced Hufflepuff's kind virtue—humility.
Professor McGonagall promptly left the hall after the sorting ceremony, and Dumbledore took the stage at the owl podium before the professor's seats after she left. Under the watchful eyes of the students (a pack of hungry wolves), he didn't say much, simply introducing the new Professor Lockhart and reminding students that entering the Forbidden Forest was prohibited, before raising his arm abruptly—
"Now, let us eat!"
There was steamed lamb, steamed bear paws, steamed deer tails, roasted duck, roast chick... Ahem, countless foods nearly filled the entire dining table, and William took a deep breath—thankfully the headmaster wasn't like Black, who always gave long and tedious speeches before meal time.
Although his eyes were still on Dumbledore's departing figure, William's mouth already had a piece of sliced pork chop.
Food is truly the most wonderful thing in the world.
Having been hungry halfway through, with nothing more than train lunch to eat, William felt genuine gratitude.
Dumbledore soon returned to the hall, accompanied by McGonagall and Snape. However, Snape's expression was much darker compared to when William saw him at the underground port before—
It even reached the level of when William had asked Snape to wash his hair.
"...Looks like Harry Potter wasn't expelled."
"How do you know?"
The one speaking was a second-year girl sitting to the right of William, Hannah Abbott.
"Because of Snape's expression—everyone knows he dislikes Harry Potter."
Across from William Ernie Macmillan interjected, using his freckled nose to point to Snape who had a sour face and was staring at the table, "If Harry Potter had been expelled, the old Bat Spirit would be as thrilled as if today were Christmas."
William nodded, indicating that was exactly what he meant.
...
The feast eventually ended, and Hufflepuff's boy prefect Truman stood up to lead the new students out of the hall, but just as William stood up to follow, his arm was suddenly grabbed from behind.
William turned around, and the students standing around him had unknowingly parted. Seeing William turn, Snape released his right hand.
"...Come with me!"
Snape didn't explain, his mood clearly hadn't improved despite the passage of time. He still had a sour expression, his black cloak lightly fluttering behind him as he moved, as if entering an uninhabited realm through a crowd of students—
After all, including some Slytherin students, nearly everyone avoided walking too close to him.
Taking advantage of the path Snape cleared, William proceeded unimpeded up the stairs, turning corners that left him hopelessly lost, until the two stopped before an ugly gargoyle statue—
The Headmaster's Office... William recognized this statue.
"Pineapple Jam—"
Snape cleared his throat, and with his words, the grotesque creature suddenly sprang to life and jumped aside, its wall splitting into two halves. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase, which Snape and William ascended together—
With a rumbling sound, they soon paused in front of a gleaming oak door, adorned with a brass knocker shaped like a Griffin.
Snape opened the wooden door, and together they entered a spacious, beautiful circular room. Portraits of former headmasters, male and female, hung on the walls, each lightly snoring within their frames—not surprisingly, William recognized an old acquaintance, Headmaster Black, resting peacefully in a portrait.
However, he did not see Professor Fitzgerald—the only one of the four ancient magic guardians who had served as a headmaster, her frame was empty.
The room also contained a great table, its legs shaped like claws. On a shelf behind the table sat a bedraggled, crumpled Wizard Hat—the Sorting Hat.
"Don't touch anything—"
Seeing William head towards the back of the table, Snape impatiently warned.
But William acted as if he hadn't heard, grabbing the Sorting Hat once more and placing it upon his head—
"...Kid, why are you here again?"
A weak whisper echoed in William's ear.