The Hat was nonplussed by Robb's fear; it had seen far worse from the twitching, nervous first-years fresh off their boat ride across the lake. "Well, you might have growled and barked, or mimed out an answer. I can't think of anyone who doesn't enjoy a good round of Charades!" the Hat suggested. "But no matter, I wasn't criticising your approach, but rather remarking that I found it quite unusual."

Ah, right, so the applicant was still confused about the purpose of the Hat. In the old days, the first-years all knew, but things had changed considerably since then. "I'm here to Sort you into a House, of course!"