Thunderous applause erupted from the Slytherin table the moment Draco was sorted.
The Gryffindor table immediately exploded with dissatisfaction.
Led by the twins, countless little lions booed across the hall.
“Clink, clink—”
Seeing the situation getting increasingly chaotic, Headmaster Dumbledore—wearing half-moon glasses at the center of the staff table—lightly tapped his goblet with a small spoon.
Professor McGonagall immediately understood.
Before calling the next name, she shot a glance toward the twins, who obediently sat back down.
Their ability to stir up trouble truly improved every year.
The Great Hall had only remained quiet for around ten minutes before another wave of excited whispers spread.
The student whose name had just been called slowly walked forward.
Harry.
He stepped out of the line looking stunned.
Under the gaze of the entire hall, he nervously put on the hat.
He looked even more tense than Hermione and Neville had.
“GRYFFINDOR!”
Everyone applauded.
Even the professors.
“We’ve got Potter!
We’ve got Potter!”
Fred and George stood and shouted loudly despite McGonagall’s terrifying glare.
Vincent would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous.
Especially after noticing the Potions professor resting his chin on one hand.
That blazing stare in his eyes.
Blondie truly had connections everywhere.
In such a short time, he’d somehow already arranged for poor Mr.
Potter to still not shake hands.
“Ron Weasley!”
Ron, second from last, hurried up.
That meant Vincent was now the only first-year left standing.
“GRYFFINDOR!”
Ron staggered toward Harry and immediately collapsed into a chair.
“That’s my brother!”
“Wonderful, Ron!
Absolutely wonderful!”
Compared to the twins’ excitement, Percy’s reaction only sounded slightly exaggerated.
Before reading the final name, McGonagall looked toward Vincent and gave him a small smile.
“Vincent Wayne!”
Scattered murmurs spread through the hall.
Not huge attention.
But enough.
As the saying went:
Contentment brings happiness.
Vincent calmly sat down and pulled on the Sorting Hat.
He eagerly waited for what came next.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
…
Five whole minutes passed.
Vincent and the Sorting Hat sat completely motionless.
Like they had both turned into statues.
“How interesting.”
Dumbledore quietly slipped a candy into his mouth.
The last time the Sorting Hat had taken this long…
Had been more than forty years ago.
That little girl had eventually become Hogwarts’ Deputy Headmistress.
With every passing second, a new century record was being broken.
Another minute passed.
Vincent finally moved a finger.
Actually, he’d simply wanted to stretch.
“What is he doing?”
Hundreds of eyes stared at Vincent in complete confusion.
Why was he changing into a more comfortable sitting position?
“Maybe…
because he’s waiting too long…”
Even though Neville spoke quietly, the hall was silent enough for many people to hear.
And honestly—
That was exactly the situation.
Ever since Vincent put on the Sorting Hat…
Ten full minutes had passed.
McGonagall silently walked to the staff table and leaned toward Dumbledore.
“Mr.
Wayne wrote to me during the summer.”
“He asked questions regarding magical talent.”
“Minerva…”
Dumbledore adjusted his crooked half-moon glasses.
His bright blue eyes focused on the most watched figure in the hall.
“We may be witnessing a truly unprecedented young wizard.”
“Professor…
are we really going to keep waiting?”
“Of course.”
“The Sorting Ceremony is a Hogwarts tradition.”
McGonagall relaxed slightly.
“I only hope it won’t take much longer.”
At the Slytherin table, Draco watched with eyes full of expectation.
If the Sorting Hat suddenly announced Wayne had no magical talent and kicked him out…
How beautiful would that be?
Maybe then, as the son of a school governor, Draco could generously step in and save him.
Friendship?
Impossible.
The young master of the Malfoy family wanted Wayne humiliated at Hogwarts.
Humiliated endlessly.
Until even dropping out became impossible.
While Draco dreamed of his glorious future—
A faint voice suddenly echoed inside Vincent’s mind.
“Ha…
finally got in—”
Judging by the sound, the Sorting Hat had finally started talking.
Vincent lifted his mechanical watch.
“Twenty-five minutes…”
The Great Hall instantly exploded.
“Merlin’s beard!
That has to be the longest in five hundred years!”
Percy’s shocked expression terrified the twins.
Normally he only looked like that when they cost Gryffindor points.
“This is going into Hogwarts history…”
Hermione looked both delighted and troubled.
This brute…
His luck was absurd.
The Sorting Hat chattered endlessly inside Vincent’s head.
Apparently it was extremely fortunate that it still remembered Salazar Slytherin’s Legilimency techniques.
Combined with Rowena Ravenclaw’s wisdom…
It had finally broken through Vincent’s automatic Occlumency defenses.
“Child, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Vincent knew this would happen.
Even if it could speak in his head—
It still couldn’t read his thoughts.
“Fine, I’m talking now.”
Not only did the Sorting Hat hear that.
Everyone did.
The Great Hall fell silent once more.
Only Vincent’s voice remained. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Turn it off?
How would I know how to turn it off?”
“You’re asking me what to do?
I should be asking you!”
“That…
doesn’t seem appropriate.”
Hogwarts, the thousand-year-old school, had officially welcomed the greatest Sorting Hat problem student in history.
He had enough courage to hold conversations with himself in front of everyone.
He had outstanding grades.
Had already made several friends before school even began.
And was secretly plotting against the Malfoy heir.
Most importantly—
The Sorting Hat still couldn’t read a single thought.
Vincent looked toward Gryffindor.
The twins winked mischievously.
Hermione looked away stubbornly.
Neville gave him a thumbs-up.
He looked toward Ravenclaw.
Cho smiled warmly.
At Hufflepuff, the Fat Friar stood proudly patting his chest.
At Slytherin, Draco kept muttering under his breath.
“My choice is…”
Vincent turned toward the staff table.
Cuckoo tilted his head left and right like he had no neck.
The meaning was obvious:
Pick whatever.
Just don’t reduce my treatment.
Vincent shivered.
Then his eyes moved past the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor with the turban.
And landed on the greasy-haired old bat teaching Potions.
Something was wrong with that stare.
If he was already impatient after waiting thirty minutes…
Life there would definitely be miserable.
The Charms professor with traces of goblin blood smiled at him.
The round Herbology professor looked even kinder.
Both seemed worth considering.
But once Vincent looked at the cat-transforming Transfiguration professor—
He already knew.
No matter how imposing House Heads and school governors were…
Could they really overpower the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress?
Vincent cleared his throat.
Then looked upward beneath the Sorting Hat’s ragged brim.
“Mr.
Hat.”
“My choice…”
“Is Gryffindor.”
Even though the hat had spent half an hour talking endlessly about Godric Gryffindor’s legendary life…
Emotionally and logically—
This choice suited him best.
The Sorting Hat’s mouth curved upward into a massive grin.
“GRYFFINDOR!”
“YES!”
The twins reacted first.
They jumped to their feet and shouted:
“We’ve got Wayne!”
“The Wayne who made history!”
Under their leadership, the entire Gryffindor table erupted into cheers.
…
….
THNN
(End of this chapter)