"The hat is smoking!"
Hearing Harry's exclamation, the teachers and students in the Great Hall all turned their gaze towards the Sorting Hat.
Sure enough, wisps of white smoke were drifting from the grayish-brown hat.
"Oh, Merlin's beard, has the Sorting Hat finally broken?!"
"This isn't fair! Why won't future first-years have to wear this old, dirty hat!"
"…"
The older students were all gloating, occasionally letting out cries of "unfair."
"Who is that first-year? He actually made the Sorting Hat crash!"
"Oh, he looks like a very handsome little boy. I wonder which House he'll be sorted into?"
Meanwhile, the first-years who hadn't been sorted yet were all dumbfounded. If the hat was really broken, which House should they be sorted into?
Suddenly, a short, chubby little Wizard with a flat top haircut turned pale and muttered tremblingly:
"Malfoy, if we can't be sorted into a House, we won't be expelled, will we?"
Standing beside him, a lean boy with light blonde hair glanced at him with his grey eyes, his tone mocking:
"Crabbe, how could you ask such a stupid question?"
"Have you forgotten who my father is?"
Draco Malfoy's father, Lucius, was the current head of the House of Malfoy and also a Hogwarts school governor.
A school governor's child couldn't attend this school?
Malfoy looked at Lucien, who was standing on the stage, his eyes full of interest.
He had originally thought that only Harry Potter, the legendary boy, would catch his eye this year and be worthy of being Draco Malfoy's friend, but he hadn't expected such a remarkable person to appear now.
Lucien Grafton, hmm, he should try to get to know him.
But, Grafton?
Is there such a pure-blood family…
Professor McGonagall had taught at Hogwarts for decades, and it was her first time seeing the Sorting Hat behave so unusually.
She looked back at Dumbledore, wanting to ask how to handle it.
But Dumbledore merely stroked his beard, smiling as he looked at Lucien.
He had lived for over a century, spent most of his life at this school, and had seen and taught countless students.
He had never encountered a little Wizard who could make the Sorting Hat take more than ten minutes without a result.
And judging by the Sorting Hat's performance, it was close to overheating. It was truly hard work for this old relic.
After Professor McGonagall's prior notification, Dumbledore already had some understanding of Lucien's magical talent and was very interested in meeting this "genius."
But before the two had even truly talked or officially met, Dumbledore had already witnessed Lucien's uniqueness.
The Sorting Hat was a hat used by Godric Gryffindor, imbued with the thoughts and wisdom of the four House founders. It was an ancient and intelligent magical item.
It could directly peer into a little Wizard's talents and qualities, pick out the most obvious and purest parts, identify the characteristics suitable for which House, and thus decide the little Wizard's placement.
However, the length of time Lucien took, and the difficulty involved, surprised and delighted Dumbledore.
Because it indicated the richness of Lucien's qualities and the outstanding nature of his talents; his characteristics were so numerous and powerful that the Sorting Hat was slow to make a decision.
Only Wizards with distinct characteristics and exceptional talent could go higher and further.
Dumbledore wondered if, after this was over, he should ask the Sorting Hat what talents and qualities in this boy named Lucien made it so conflicted.
Having just noticed Professor McGonagall's questioning look, Dumbledore simply shook his head at her, indicating there was no need to worry.
And the focus of all these gazes, Lucien.
He was currently in his mental world, comforting the Sorting Hat.
"Hat, don't agonize over it. It really isn't your lack of ability. Maybe you're just not in good form today?"
A somewhat ethereal Sorting Hat floated erratically in Lucien's mental world.
"No!"
"I will never sort a little Wizard into the wrong House!"
"Never!"
Lucien was a bit speechless, really wanting to complain, did the Sorting Hat really never make a mistake?
For example, Peter Pettigrew, a traitor, a coward, a dirty rat, was actually sorted into Gryffindor?
However, Lucien still held back and didn't provoke the Sorting Hat further, fearing he might completely fry its thinking.
"Although you are Muggle-born, your talent is truly unique in my hat-life, and you have ambition, an ambition to wield power."
"Slytherin!"
"No, that's not right. Your ambition is more accurately a thirst for knowledge, a pursuit of knowledge. In the magic world, knowledge is power."
"Ravenclaw!"
"No, no, no, you completely lack the courage to explore the unknown, this steadfast and fearless quality."
"Gryffindor!"
Lucien had stopped agreeing with and responding to the Sorting Hat's rambling, because…
"There's still a problem. Your tireless studying, your remarkable patience and effort."
"Hufflepuff!"
That's right, the Sorting Hat once again contradicted its previous second's statement.
Lucien suspected that if the Sorting Hat could create several clones, they would probably tear each other apart.
This won't do, it feels like a long time has passed. Today's books haven't been finished, and there are still a few spells left unpracticed.
He couldn't waste any more time with this hat.
"Ahem, Ravenclaw it is."
After listening to the Sorting Hat ramble for so long, and combining it with Lucien's memories of the original work, he basically understood all the characteristics of the four Houses.
Gryffindor was the brave lion, but also a gathering place for hotheads. Heaven knew how much trouble he would run into.
Slytherin was the cold viper. Although they were all shrewd egoists, there was no shortage of pure-blood brats who constantly talked about bloodline theory. Lucien could certainly use his wand to teach them that bloodline was just a fancy, useless decoration in the face of strength.
But similar to Gryffindor, Lucien wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible.
He needed time, time to study and delve into magic, especially Transfiguration. He had to master it all within a year.
So, there were only two suitable choices left.
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were both relatively low-key, leaving the stage to the lions and snakes.
Hufflepuff had the most students. They were gentle, unassuming badgers, and most of the students there were kind-hearted, so it would likely provide a stable daily environment.
But Lucien still leaned towards Ravenclaw.
These astute and wise eagles had already built a very competitive eagle's nest!
Lucien, well, he loved to compete, competing with others, and even more so with himself.
The pioneers ahead, the companions alongside him, and the pursuers behind him all formed a delightful competitive landscape for Lucien.
The Sorting Hat fell silent.
After more than ten seconds, it silently concluded.
"What you said makes sense!"
In reality, the Sorting Hat's mouth split open, making its loudest declaration yet.
"Ravenclaw!!!"