With the castle asleep, the entirety of the names on the map were very sedentary, and it wasn't until Harry had moved his wand closer to the map, about to mutter mischief managed, that he noticed movement.
The movement was curious for a number of re...
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"YOU DON'T BELONG HERE."
Silence was truly a terrible thing to hear when you're being sorted, because silence meant something was very, very wrong. Everyone had thought that all that time had been the Sorting Hat deciding which house Aulani Kalawai'a belonged to, but that had not been the problem. The problem was much worse: the Sorting Hat wasn't working, and the only time it wouldn't work is if the head it sat upon had no magical capabilities. For what had felt like an eternity, Hogwarts students, their newest exchange student, and the ancient Sorting Hat had all sat in complete silence.
And then, as if it were a transmission finally being picked up on a radio, the Sorting Hat had spoken to the girl. "You don't belong here," it had said, which had sent ice through Aulani's veins. "Never, in my thousand years of existence, have I come across a student such as yourself, if you'd like to call yourself that."
It knows, Aulani had thought in a panic. It knows and it's about to tell everyone.
But she had been surprised. "However, I know why you're here, and I understand the importance of the situation. Very unusual, indeed," the Hat had continued. "Your situation, yes, but yourself as well. You are the first I have sorted to have an equal balance of the prized qualities of the founders. The determination of Salazar; the utter bravery of Godric; even the wit of Rowena. They'd all be proud to have you, you know. But none as much as Helga. Your loyalty to your family is unmatched by anything I've come across, as is your loyalty to yourself. That is a very unique quality, time traveler."
Her eyes had been tightly shut, afraid that if she had opened them, she would have looked out to a sea of bewildered faces who had heard the Hat's utterance. She had known, of course, that the Hat spoke to people telepathically, only speaking aloud during its song or when it had made its decisions, but the fear had still been present. For all she knew, it could have been completely different for a Muggle - or, sort-of-Muggle.
"Yes," it said with confidence. "You will fit in well in Helga's House until it is time for your departure. Hufflepuff!"
"Miss, uh - " spoke Professor Sprout the morning following the odd sorting. "Miss Kala - " she stuttered, unsure of how to properly pronounce the girl's name. She smiled, and went with what was a bit easier. "Aulani. Is it alright if I call you that?"
Aulani nodded encouragingly. "We're usually addressed by our first names in America," at least in Muggle schools in the future, "so it's okay with me."
Sprout smiled once again at the newest addition to her house, believing that Aulani was well placed in Hufflepuff. She handed the exchange student a folded slip of paper. "Your timetable, my dear. Usually I would go over your options with you and get you settled in classes to help you with your future career, but because you're coming from a different school, Dumbledore has divided up your classes for you," she told her sweetly, and Aulani smiled up at her Head of House. "Glad to see he's put you in Herbology. It'll be a pleasure to have you."
