The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 17 Dumbledore Tells Stories

Lilith walked gracefully to the stool, picked up her hat, and sat down, her every movement and expression impeccable.

"Why don't you put it on me?" The hat was being examined by Lilith, who was turning it over and over in her hands, which confused it.

"I just feel like you're acting a little strange," Lilith said with a slight upturn of her lips. "But don't worry, I won't watch for long. If it weren't for Mr. Moriarty cleaning you, I would have recited 'Clear Spring Like Water' for you first, and then 'Clean and Fresh' for you."

"Oh, Merlin's hat! Every little wizard has wanted to do that for centuries, but you're the first to dare say it!"

The hat cried out in shock, and then with a clang, a sword fell out of the hat and landed in Lilith's hand.

Lilith swiftly raised the sword, and everyone could see clearly that it was a gleaming silver sword with a dazzling egg-sized ruby ​​set in the hilt.

"The Sword of Gryffindor!"

The students' eyes widened, and even the professors on the podium stood up.

Moriarty noticed a flash of surprise in Dumbledore's eyes; this was clearly unexpected.

But Moriarty felt it was only natural for Lilith to pull out the Gryffindor sword.

She is confident, brave, and challenges the rules. She is bold, passionate, and disregards the law.

Lilith and Godric Gryffindor share too many similar qualities.

The Sorting Hat clearly thought so too, and before Lilith could even put on the hat, it exclaimed, "Gryffindor! You must be a Gryffindor!"

"No—" Lilith retorted, "I haven't put on my hat yet, you can't be sorted into a house early!"

Lilith pulled the hat down over her head and announced the house she wanted to attend: "Slytherin! You better not get it wrong, every Piriwick is a Slytherin!"

"Slytherin? No, no, no, you've drawn your sword, Gryffindor will help you succeed," the hat persuaded.

"Who says that pulling out the Gryffindor sword means you'll necessarily be sorted into Gryffindor House?" Lily retorted without backing down.

"Hmm... no one has said that, but..." The Hat gathered his thoughts, "Remember the story I told you about the Gryffindor sword and the Slytherin staff? The Slytherin staff has returned, and its old friend should be wielded by a young wizard to continue their duel."

"What? You mean, I'm going to take this sword and duel with Mr. Moriarty?" Lilith's eyes darted back and forth between the sword and Moriarty.

"Although I would love to exchange magic with Mr. Moriarty and wouldn't mind trying to challenge the Slytherin family magic, dueling with a sword is definitely not a good idea."

The hat perked up: "You'll have to get used to it. It can cut through most things. You know, there aren't many things that can rival the Slytherin staff."

"But I am a wizard!" Lilith looked very determined, then she rolled her eyes with a malicious glint in her eyes.

"If you don't sort me into Slytherin, I'll slice you open with the sword of Gryffindor and see if a monster is hiding inside!"

"Hey! You're threatening me? That's not like a Gryffindor!" The hat twisted on Lilith's head.

"Ha," Lilith laughed exaggeratedly, "There's no law against using the Gryffindor sword to cut the Sorting Hat."

"You..." the hat said resentfully, "Fine, then..."

"Speak! Tell me!" Lilith brandished her sword. "You've wasted too much time. I don't want to become a laughingstock because of this!"

"Hmm, let me see what you're thinking. Someone who can pull out the Gryffindor sword wants to go to Slytherin?" The Hatter said slowly, as if deliberately stalling for time. "Is it because of that boy from before?"

Lilith blushed: "I've changed my mind, I'm going to sew your mouth shut!"

"Sigh, Gryffindor will help you succeed quickly, but your ideas are very Slytherin..." The hat pondered seriously.

A full ten minutes passed before the hat reluctantly called out, "Slytherin..."

The voice sounded weak and listless, and Lilith felt a sudden sense of relief. She took off her hat and glared at it fiercely: "You've made me a hat-laughing fool! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I hope you'll remember me."

Lilith walked toward the Slytherin table, where cheers erupted again, this time also at the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

The Gryffindors thought being the Hatter was cool, and the Hufflepuffs thought Lilith was a genius.

"Miss Piliwick," Professor McGonagall suddenly said, "leave the Gryffindor sword behind."

Lilith tilted her head: "Doesn't it belong to me?"

"For centuries, students have drawn the Gryffindor sword, but it does not belong to any student."

"Strictly speaking, it wasn't me who pulled it out; rather, it fell into my hand on its own..."

Lilith wanted to give some more examples, but seeing that Professor McGonagall's expression was becoming more and more like Professor Snape's, she wisely chose to keep quiet, handed the sword to Professor McGonagall, and went to the long table to sit next to Moriarty.

Professor McGonagall stared at her for a long time before calling out the next name. The Sorting Hat lost interest, and the moment it touched the freshman's head, she was sorted into Hufflepuff.

The last new student was Percy Weasley, and the hat proclaimed exaggeratedly, "Another Weasley! No doubt, Gryffindor!"

Professor McGonagall picked up the Sorting Hat and left, and Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome everyone to Hogwarts to begin a new school year! Before the banquet begins, I'd like to say a few words."

Dumbledore turned his gaze to the Slytherin table, exchanged a glance with Moriarty, and said, "This year, Hogwarts welcomes a descendant of Headmaster Salazar Slytherin, Mr. Moriarty."

Although I have never advocated for privileges for the children of headmasters or board members, given that Hogwarts has provided the international wizarding world with a continuous stream of outstanding wizards for over a thousand years, I think we should raise our glasses this time to remember the four great wizards.

Salute to Slytherin!

Dumbledore raised his glass, and Moriarty suspected that the liquid inside might be honey.

Young wizards couldn't drink alcohol, so their glasses were filled with all sorts of liquids. Moriarty, holding the gravy ice cream Lilith had prepared for him, stood up with the professors and students: "A toast to Slytherin!"

The snakes' cries were especially enthusiastic, and the entire school toasted Slytherin, making them even happier than if Slytherin had won the House Cup for three consecutive years.

"I am delighted that a young wizard has pulled out the Gryffindor sword this year." Dumbledore smiled and glanced at Lilith. Everyone was looking at her, but Lilith showed no shyness, sitting upright with her eyes fixed straight ahead.

"As a senior Gryffindor student, I regret that you did not choose Gryffindor," Dumbledore's words resonated with the young lions, but he quickly changed the subject, "However, as the headmaster, I am proud that you possess the excellent qualities of both Slytherin and Gryffindor."

Almost every wizard who graduates from Hogwarts says that Slytherin and Gryffindor are irreconcilable enemies, but this is detrimental to unity.

Dumbledore's gaze behind his glasses turned serious. Professor McGonagall looked at Dumbledore with concern, then at the students at the long table. "Albus, it's too early to say such things now."

"It's not early at all, Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly. "Isn't it obvious that the Slytherin staff and the Gryffindor sword appeared together at Hogwarts?"

As the Sorting Hat said, what other pair of best friends in the world can compare to Gryffindor and Slytherin!

"Then let us pay tribute to the great friendship, and to Gryffindor!"

People stood up, following Dumbledore: "Homage to Gryffindor!"

"Ah, I was just talking about friendship," Dumbledore said, turning his gaze to the long table between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. "What friends in this world could be better than Slytherin and Gryffindor? Unless you include another pair of close friends—Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

Oh, speaking of this, it reminds me of an old legend, which says that each of the four masters of Hogwarts has their own weapon.

The students' interest was immediately piqued, and William asked loudly, "Excuse me, sir? Are you referring to the Slytherin locket, the Hufflepuff cup, and the Ravenclaw tiara?"

"No, no," Dumbledore slowly shook his head: "You are talking about the relics of the four great leaders, but I am talking about their weapons."

According to some lost records, Salazar Slytherin's weapon was a staff, not a locket. How could a locket be a weapon? You can't expect Slytherin to be holding a locket and chanting spells to Gryffindor.

Dumbledore joked, then winked at Moriarty: "On that point, I think young Moriarty can attest to it."

Many people secretly glanced at Moriarty's Slytherin staff, but Moriarty made no comment, quietly listening to Dumbledore tell his story.

"And the Gryffindor sword—undoubtedly both a relic of Gryffindor and his weapon."

Dumbledore was suddenly interrupted by a girl who said, "Professor, stop talking about Slytherin and Gryffindor. What are Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's weapons?"

I think we're more interested in their weapons. What girl wouldn't want to be a beautiful and powerful witch like Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?

"right!"

"yes!"

"Professor, please tell me quickly!"

The girls from the four colleges were extremely excited, chattering excitedly to their companions about their dreams.

The atmosphere suddenly changed from solemn to lively. In order to make a good impression on the girls, some boys couldn't sit still either. A few little lions even banged on the plate, begging Dumbledore to speak faster.

Looking at the hall, which was bustling yet full of energy, Dumbledore smiled; nothing could make him happier than this.

"Alright, alright, maybe you'll be disappointed if I tell you, but I don't want to hide it—to the best of my knowledge, there is no one, no record, no information what Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's weapons are, not even a clue."

After all, they also have wands, so it's hard to imagine what their other weapon is.

At this point, the girls' voices of disappointment nearly lifted the roof off—if Hogwarts even existed.

Dumbledore had to say loudly, "However, I do have a somewhat immature idea; would you like to hear it?"

"Just tell me! Professor, you always like to keep us in suspense!" It was that Hufflepuff girl again.

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Alright, alright, Tonks, you're always so impatient. Hmm, let me think... Ravenclaw's other weapon might be knowledge, while Hufflepuff's other weapon might be a big cauldron!"

???

Everyone was baffled, but they quickly realized that this was yet another joke by Dumbledore. Tonks angrily gulped down a large cup of ice cream, Lilith was speechless, while Penelope blushed with laughter.

Dumbledore stood up again: "The last two weapons are for you to find and discover. Let us toast the most precious treasure—knowledge—and give thanks for the delicious food on the table!"

Everyone knew what the implied meaning was, and they raised their glasses once more: "To Ravenclaw! To Hufflepuff!"

"Eat up," Dumbledore said, opening his arms wide. "Ladies and gentlemen, eat your fill."

(End of this chapter)