The doors to the Great Hall opened and Pao shuffled in with the rest of the first years. They were walking between two long, heavy tables. Trusting the throng to keep him moving in the right direction, he let his gaze wander around the room. Woah, look at that ceiling! Or, more appropriately, lack of ceiling.

Returning his attention to the group, he came to a halt. People began to be called forward for their Sorting. We put on... a hat? After a few moments he was astonished when the rip at the brim opened up and and shouted 'Gryffindor!' for all the hall to hear. So they just had to put on a hat. What, did it randomly select? Was this all probability and chance? He sort of expected better from a school of magic.

The minutes crept by until he finally heard it.

"Mancini, Logan!"

Pao, call me Pao, he wished, slightly rolling his eyes. GULP. He made his way up to the platform, slipped on the hat, and sat down on the stool. Now what? he wondered.

Now I decide where you should go, of course, replied the hat -- to Pao's great surprise. The first year gave a start and slipped right off the stool in surprise. Sighing inwardly and trying to ignore the laughter, he positioned himself firmly back on the seat.

You're familiar to me.. You're in that Hadley crew! Well, that does present a problem...

Of course it did. Pao's family were all Ravenclaws. Except for his aunt, Josephina Hadley. She was a Hufflepuff, but intelligent enough to be Head of House and an expert Arithmancer. Pao had traits of both Houses, which made it far harder for the hat.

I notice family pride, a healthy desire to gain knowledge and prove you are worthy of the Mancini line.. but you also have a conflicting desire to be an individual, to make your own mark on things. Interesting, very interesting.

Pao started to wiggle a bit on the stool. It was hard and uncomfortable, and he had been up there a long time.

But where to put you? Certainly your intelligence and love of learning is without question. But you put yourself fully into your work, and you're humble to boot! Hmm...

Pao wriggled once more. It had been several minutes, and the hat had fallen into a moody silence. People were staring at him. Soo... what will it be, then? he prodded the hat. The more the hat praised his intelligence, the less he found himself wanting to be known for that like his father was.

No? You sure? Then it had better be... HUFFLEPUFF!

The last word was announced to the hall loudly. Pao clapped his hands over his ears to muffle the sound. With relief he hopped off the stool, found his aunt at the Staff Table, and gave her a big smile and two thumbs up. Then he started to make his way to the table where other new Hufflepuffs had gone. After a few steps he heard some muffled laughter. His cheeks began to grow warm as he realized the hat was still on his head. Sheepishly, he tugged it off and set it back on the stool for the next person. Off to a great start, he quickly found his new House and took a seat.