Chapter 19: Hufflepuf
Kyle didn't waste a second. With three quick strides, he was up on the stage, escaping the tension he'd felt under Kanna's watchful glare. Once on the stage, he let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest. He turned to Professor McGonagall and said sincerely, "Thank you, Professor."
His sudden show of politeness seemed to catch her off guard. It took her a moment to react, but then she gave a small shake of her head, saying, "It's my duty." Still, her stern expression softened noticeably. Before placing the Sorting Hat on Kyle's head, she even took the extra step of brushing off some of the dust from the hat.
Such a polite child, she thought, I hope he can be sorted into Gryffindor. Gryffindor was in desperate need of more model students like him. Last year, she had secretly wished to bring Cedric Diggory into her house, but both Professor Sprout and Dumbledore had objected. This year, she was hopeful again.
As she placed the Sorting Hat on Kyle's head, McGonagall looked at him intently, silently hoping the Sorting Hat would finally make the right call.
...
"Strange, very strange," a soft voice whispered in Kyle's ear as soon as the hat was on. "You sincerely thanked her? That's unusual. Are you really one of those good kids?"
"Of course I am!" Kyle responded seriously. "You can ask around. The Weasley family and even Mr. Scamander have said I'm the most polite and well-behaved child they've ever met. So please, don't slander me. Otherwise, I'll complain about you, even if you are just a hat."
The Sorting Hat fell into a rare silence. Its brim wobbled back and forth, as if unsure how to respond or perhaps struggling with a decision.
After a long pause, the hat finally spoke again. "Your shamelessness reminds me of the old days, a thousand years ago, back when I was just an ordinary hat on Godric's head. Well then, how about Gryffindor? I feel like that's where you should be... But no, it's not quite right for you."