"I bet it's another transfer student!" The Old Hat struggled and twisted in Professor McGonagall's hands, "Oh my, can't you all arrive at once? Making the Old Hat run back and forth..."
Professor McGonagall ignored the Old Hat's grumbles and complaints. She walked to the front of the main guest seats and placed the Old Hat on the chair.
Lucius and Narcissa sat at the main guest seats, expectantly looking at the Slytherin table.
"Welcome—"
Professor Dumbledore stood up. As the majority shareholder of Duke Honey, Dumbledore naturally changed into a new set of clothes.
Perhaps it was the shadow of that robe that led him to change everything from inside out.
So as not to be overshadowed by Sister Grindelwald in the next duel.
"I am honored to announce that in the new year, another student is joining us."
Dumbledore spread his arms wide, smilingly announcing to everyone: "But before she enrolls, I think we should do our traditional sorting ceremony—Professor McGonagall, please sort the transfer student!"
I have to say, the sorting ceremony does have a sense of ritual, at least Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both think so.
"Cassandra Malfoy!"
Upon hearing Professor McGonagall's words, the hall fell into a brief silence, then murmuring broke out.
Malfoy?
Another Malfoy?
Especially the young wizards from pure-blood families, they were the most shocked.
As pure-blood wizards, everyone knew each other's family situations—everyone knew what the Malfoy Clan was about; we never heard that Lucius Malfoy had another child besides that slick-backed little boy Draco!
How did another child named Cassandra pop up out of nowhere?
Could it be... Lucius Malfoy's illegitimate child?
Some even viciously thought so.
From the Slytherin table—next to Draco, Cassandra stood up amidst the whispers among her peers, walked to Professor McGonagall, and sat in the chair, looking arrogantly across the hall.
Case solved, the students all thought—so arrogant, so cocky... definitely a Malfoy!
Professor McGonagall picked up the Old Hat and placed it on Cassandra's head.
Unlike what was expected, "before the hat even touched her, it would sort her" didn't happen.
Everyone held their breath and focused, waiting for the sorting result.
Everyone originally thought Cassandra would go to Slytherin—just as the hat was about to touch her hair, the Old Hat would loudly announce the sorting results; however, things turned out differently than they thought, the Old Hat didn't rush like it did with other members of the Malfoy family, instead, it sat atop Cassandra's head.
This got some students curious, could it be...
She wouldn't be going to Slytherin?
But at the front, Cassandra had already started chatting with the Old Hat.
"Couldn't you have returned during the sorting ceremony?" The Old Hat grumbled indignantly, "Good grief, making me run again, I really suspect you Slytherins are doing it on purpose."
"I didn't want to have you clamped on my head either, Mr. Hat," Cassandra thought to herself, "It looks like you haven't been washed properly in hundreds of years. I'm really afraid your dirty hat will affect the shine of my hair."
"You're nasty! Little brat from the Malfoy family!" The Old Hat shouted indignantly, "Don't blame the Old Hat if I didn't warn you—"
"How did you get so dirty?" Cassandra launched a counterattack.
The Old Hat's nerve was struck.
The Old Hat broke down.
"You're asking me why I'm dirty?!" The Old Hat shrieked, his voice echoing throughout the hall, "Then let me ask you—let me ask you... if you were a hat, then let me ask you, if nobody washed you for hundreds of years, then let me ask you, is this the Old Hat's fault?"
"Oh, I seem to have hit your sore spot," Cassandra calmly said, "Perhaps I can help you clean a bit, Mr. Sorting Hat—so at least you won't have to endure such filth anymore, just like the new students arriving at Hogwarts this year."
"Slytherin! Slytherin! Slytherin!"
With indignation, the Sorting Hat shouted three times, as if eager.
Cassandra stood up and aimed her magic wand at the Sorting Hat.
"Miss Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall seemed a bit anxious, really fearing Cassandra might ruin the hat.
"Scourgify!"
A gentle breeze passed, and it was as if the Old Hat turned over a new leaf, becoming... still very old, but surely looking much cleaner.
"You want the Old Hat to thank you, but wanting the Old Hat to thank you is not possible." The Sorting Hat exclaimed on its own.
Cassandra didn't pay it any mind either, made a slight bow to Professor McGonagall, and turned back to the Slytherin table.
Professor McGonagall gave Cassandra's back a complicated look, grabbed the tip of the hat, and left the hall.
"Now, I announce—" Dumbledore stood up to announce: "The banquet begins!"
In an instant, a sumptuous dinner appeared on the hall's tables.
"Wow."
Once Cassandra returned to the Slytherin table, Draco couldn't wait to say: "Oh my god, Cassandra, you actually used Scourgify on the hat—I wanted to cast that spell on it ages ago! If it hadn't announced the sorting result before touching my hair, I definitely would have!"