Chapter 484

"As long as you tell me a few things, I won't do anything to you."

Sean held up the wrinkled Sorting Hat and said calmly.

"Of course, of course, I trust you more than anyone, little wizard."

The Sorting Hat twisted its body happily; although it was a bit surprised by this result, it seemed reasonable.

"I lied."

Sean stared at it with a look of surprise, as if to say, "You actually believed that?"

"Annoying—it's the grudge-holding Ravenclaw—"

The Sorting Hat hopped around crookedly, seemingly wanting to escape from Sean's hand, but this was obviously useless,

"You learned to lie! Oh no, you didn't lie!"

The Sorting Hat asked with a strange, modulated voice.

At this moment, Bai Yi had already flown in from the edge of the window.

Sean indeed hadn't lied; it wasn't him who wanted to use the Sorting Hat to build a nest, but Bai Yi.

"Let it go! I should be staying on a little wizard's head, not in a smelly bird's nest—"

The Sorting Hat's mouth stretched open exaggeratedly. On its head, Bai Yi flapped its wings, occasionally touching the Sorting Hat with its claws, like a cat playing with a mouse.

"I have a moral responsibility to issue you a proper warning; I never make mistakes, even with the most difficult-to-distinguish wizards.

Oh, I must tell you—some Ravenclaws fail all their exams, some Hufflepuffs are lazy but have extremely high talent for learning, some Gryffindors show cowardice and shrinking...

But that's not important, yes, not important. What shows our true selves is our choices; choices are far more important than our abilities.

Do not doubt, I am the smartest magical object in the wizarding world, the wisdom of the four great founders flickers on my brim—"

The Sorting Hat kept talking, wanting to prove itself,

"Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, those two took a lot of effort for me back then. To this day, they still happily imagine: perhaps if it weren't for those critical moments when they were young, their positions would have been swapped, with Minerva becoming the Head of Ravenclaw and Professor Flitwick becoming the Head of Gryffindor.

But guess what, that's impossible! How different their performances are today—"

The Sorting Hat shrieked; the sound was very small, yet it made Sean feel it was piercing and clear, as if it were coming from his heart.

Legilimency.

Sean knew the reason why it was like this.

"I can tell you the secrets of ten centuries, but if you want the old hat to admit it misjudged, you might as well turn it into a bird's nest."

The Sorting Hat prattled on.

"Mr. Sorting Hat, secrets of ten centuries?"

Sean asked as if he had some realization.

"Of course, of course, the crown of exceeding wisdom, the golden cup filled with sincerity, the sword called by courage—"

The folds of the Sorting Hat formed something like eyes, and at this moment, it was beaming,

"I can tell you what has existed, what has disappeared, what has survived... but guess what, when you need it, Hogwarts will help you. In this castle, those who need help will eventually receive it."

Those who need help will eventually receive it...

Sean's gaze was as calm as a deep lake, with endless thin mist floating on it.

"Alright, come on, hold me, I know what you want—"

The old hat's faint, hoarse voice sounded once again.

Sean walked over thoughtfully and took the Sorting Hat from Bai Yi's claws.

Moonlight spilled into the Headmaster's office, and both the silverware and Sean's eyes were shining.

The hat became tighter and tighter, as if an invisible hand were desperately gripping it; Sean felt he had grasped something, a long, hard object.

"Of course! Of course! You will succeed! You are the Ravenclaw most admired by Gryffindor—"

The old hat shrieked excitedly.

"But not now—"

Its shrieking disappeared immediately; Sean frowned, his hand pulled out from the hat, and his palm was empty.

"Remember what the old hat said? Hogwarts will always help those who are worth helping; the Gryffindor sword will appear when a true hero needs it. When you are ready to complete the mission recognized by Gryffindor, come back to find the old hat."

Sean ultimately didn't get the Sword of Gryffindor, but he didn't seem to be rejected by the sword; he clearly knew he had grasped it, but why couldn't he take it out...

Yes, was the timing wrong?

The night slipped away quickly, and a thin layer of mist appeared on the pinkish-gold horizon.

The sky in the Great Hall was overcast grey, and on the four house tables were bowls of porridge, platters of pickled herring, piles of bread slices, and dishes of eggs and bacon.

Jia Siting and Hermione hadn't shown a smile all morning; they glanced at Sean from time to time, then pretended not to care and started drinking their porridge.

"Sean, is your Animagus complete?"

Finally, Jia Siting couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

At this moment, Sean was still analyzing something like a Sneakoscope; he was preparing to make glasses that refracted light multiple times.

"Hmm."

Sean responded, and with a wave of his wand, the Sneakoscope-like object was dismantled by magic. Each of its parts floated in the air, waiting for Sean's observation.

"Oh, what a pity, I mean, that's truly amazing—"

Hermione closed "Voyages with Vampires" and couldn't help but express regret, then quickly changed her words after being reminded by Jia Siting.

Sean looked at them in confusion, then went back to observing the mirror surface.

"Can we see your Animagus..."

As Jia Siting started to speak, hundreds of owls poured in, circling in the Great Hall and dropping letters and packages into the chatting crowd.

A bulging package fell onto Neville's head, followed by a large grey creature that fell into Hermione's pitcher, splashing milk and feathers all over them.

"Errol!"

Ron, who was nearby, shouted, grabbing the wet owl's claws and pulling it out.

Errol lay limp on the table, its two legs stretched out in the air, with a soaked red envelope still in its beak.