The mastermind behind Hogwarts

The news of Ron Weasley's curse spread quickly, and it became common knowledge among the students as soon as they entered Hogwarts.

At the Slytherin table, Jericho asked Moriarty, "They're all saying Ron is cursed, is that true, sir?"

Jericho sat to Moriarty's left, a very forward position at the Slytherin table—he had been accepted back into the fold after Lockhart explained his behavior during the Five Schools Tournament and received the Order of Merlin, Third Class.

Moriarty smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Weren't you there? Didn't you see Ron Weasley's ashen face and trembling lips?"

"Tsk tsk, that's a fatal blow to a man." Jericho searched the hall with some sympathy for the Weasley boys.

Lilith coughed lightly: "Watch your words. He's just a boy, not a man."

Then she rested her chin on her hand, pondering, "It's really strange—why was Ron Weasley cursed? The Weasley family went on vacation to Egypt, so why was it Ron who was cursed?"

"Oh?" Jericho said, "Sir, you didn't say that only Ron was cursed, did you?"

"So far, it seems only Ron is cursed," Moriarty said definitively.

The system did not detect the curse on the other three Weasleys, and Moriarty found nothing unusual about them either.

"Where is that child now? I heard that he was picked up by Mrs. Pomfrey as soon as he got off the train," Soldaya asked curiously.

"She's been taken to the school infirmary. Professor Dumbledore is personally treating her; perhaps he can lift the curse?" Gemma said kindly.

Moriarty shook his head. "I have no hope for this. Modern magic has no knowledge to draw upon regarding Egyptian curses. Besides, Ron must have done something he shouldn't have, otherwise the Egyptian princess would have no reason to curse only Ron."

This answered Lilith's previous question, and Lilith thought it made sense. "I see," she said confidently, "No matter where I travel next time, I will definitely keep my hands and eyes under control."

"Don't look at what you shouldn't look at, and don't take what you shouldn't take."

These words resonated with the little snakes.

"Look, the new students are coming in." Gemma pointed to the entrance, where Professor McGonagall walked in holding the Sorting Hat, followed by a group of new students.

"This year's freshman class is huge," Jericho remarked with a grin. "I saw a few familiar faces."

“Indeed,” Moriarty nodded, looking at the freshmen: “Neville Longbottom, Theodore Nott, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bornes, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, this year’s class has the most purebloods.”

Lilith leaned close to Moriarty's ear and said with a wicked grin, "Why don't you mention your stepson, Draco Malfoy?"

Moriarty rolled his eyes at her; she always seemed to thrive on chaos.

"Look at those ghosts!" Soldaya said with lingering fear, "They're scaring the new students again. I was terrified the first time I saw the Blood Man Barrow."

"Huh?" Jericho found an opportunity to mock Soldaya: "You're actually afraid of ghosts? Merlin's Bitter Tea Seed, has the sun risen in the west?"

"Quiet down, the sorting process has begun."

Moriarty's gaze was fixed intently on the Sorting Hat. Which house would that old hat sort the freshmen into?

Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the new students, its Sorting Hat twirling as it called out to Moriarty, "Hey? Another year—we meet again! It's awful to see each other only once a year..."

Moriarty smiled at the hat; the older students were already used to this interaction of one person and one hat.

But the new students were clearly both surprised and curious.

A few people understood, such as Neville: "As expected of the teacher, the first thing the Sorting Hat did after arriving was to greet him."

For example, Moriarty's new little fangirl, Hannah: "Wow, Mr. Moriarty is so handsome! ヾ^_^"

And then there's Harry. He doesn't know why all this is happening, but he thinks it's really cool. A voice inside him tells him that he wants to be like that too.

In comparison, Hermione was much calmer; she had learned a lot about Moriarty's deeds from the book.

But Hermione was stunned by what the Sorting Hat did next.

A wide slit appeared in the hat, like a mouth—and the hat began to speak: "I'm about to sing the Sorting Song. It took me three years to come up with, and you have to hear it."

It stared intently at Moriarty until Moriarty nodded, then it turned itself upright.

Moriarty remembered clearly that four years ago when he came to Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat sang him a Sorting Song that was completely different from the ones he had heard before.

Some of its contents resemble a prophecy.

The prophecy about Moriarty.

"The boy on Monday, with a heart full of glory."

Tuesday, young man, please do not disturb me.

The boy on Wednesday was the main character at the banquet.

A teenager on Thursday teaches a baby who survived a near-death experience.

On Friday, a giant snake coils around the boy.

Saturday's Teenager: Breaking out of prison, mind-bending, fairy-like, and mocking!

On Sundays, the boy doesn't need to come to school; he can sail across the ocean and stir up waves.

If time could make the years endless, I would wish for more eighth and ninth weeks...

That way I can continue watching the boy's adventures.

Moriarty vividly remembers this short passage.

Looking back at the first few sentences now, they seem to summarize Moriarty's life over the three grades.

Monday, Glory.

Tuesday, please do not disturb Sleeping Dragon.

Wednesday, the main event of the banquet.

If we consider Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as first grade, second grade, and third grade, then a prophecy that looks very much like a prophecy will appear!

Honor has given Slytherin the password, symbolizing pure blood and the Slytherin family.

"Sleeping dragon, do not disturb!" It was upon hearing this legend from Hogwarts that Moriarty found Merlin and defeated Dracula.

The main character at the banquet.

A banquet did indeed take place in the third grade; it was quite a dramatic event.

This was the second time Moriarty had come so close to death.

Blood Feast, the Blood Feast of the Immortal Organization.

If making a scene at the banquet counts as the main character, then the prophecy from the third year has come true.

By fourth grade...

A teenager on Thursday teaches a baby who survived a near-death experience.

In the Harry Potter world, only Harry has ever been described as having "survived a great calamity".

Moriarty remembered perfectly clearly that the title of the first chapter of the first Harry Potter book was "The Boy Who Lived".

As for why the Sorting Hat called Harry "baby," it's probably because it felt that Harry was as childish as a baby in front of Moriarty.

After some thought, the Sorting Hat predicted three grades correctly, and this year...?

Moriarty looked at the hat. It was going to sing again this year. Was it going to make another prophecy?

"That ray of light, you gradually disappeared."

The Sorting Hat started singing, in a very low, somber tone:

"We are afraid of losing our goal and sinking to the bottom of the sea."

Where do dreams lie? Look to history.

Honestly, I'd like to buy a watch for everyone.

To teach everyone in the world to listen to the whispers of time.

The wizard of January eavesdrops on the wails of snakes across the years.

In February, nobles enter the pure forest, their blood burning.

The dwarf of March, gently caressing the night sky, blows the horn of rebellion.

The hungry ghosts of April devoured the Easter Thunderbird.

The madman of May mocks the narrowness and waves of the sea.

The ice and snow in June broke free from the sunlight and drifted wildly in the air.

The monks of July laid down their butcher knives.

The Beast Tamer of August, laughing with the dragon.

In September, October, and November, all you can see are uneven mountain valleys.

Children born in December are proud to admit their mistakes and correct them!

It's like a grotesque show.

I know we'll swing wildly.

I know we'll exude sexiness.

But I don't know if we're ready!

After the Sorting Hat song ended, the auditorium was instantly filled with discussion.

The senior students felt that the college division song was a bit heavy, and many of the words were not suitable for the freshmen.

Some of the new students were clearly frightened; one little girl had tears welling up in her eyes, and Hermione kindly went over to comfort her.

Dumbledore frowned slightly and whispered to Professor Sybil Trelawney sitting next to him.

Moriarty remained expressionless, but was deep in thought.

The last Sorting Song covered Monday through Sunday; this one covers January through December.

Both are related to time, and in the two unique Sorting Songs, time, years, and history are words that are repeated very frequently.

It's suffocating to think about.

"Alright, let's begin the department selection now!"

The Sorting Hat yelled, "Each of you put me on your head and tell me a joke! The song was too heavy, try your best to make me laugh!"

Everyone stared wide-eyed; no one had expected the Sorting Hat to make freshmen tell jokes!

"Merlin, I think Moriarty was the one who first came up with this suggestion!"

Lilith nudged Moriarty's elbow.

The Weasley twins at the Gryffindor table cheered loudly, "It should have been done a long time ago!"

"Hat, I support you! You did what we've always wanted to do but never dared to!"

Professor McGonagall's expression was not very pleasant at the Sorting Hat's unauthorized decision, but she still began to read out the names of the new students.

"Hannah Abbott!"

Hannah had a rosy complexion and wore two golden braids today.

She happily trotted over, sat down on the stool, put on her hat, and told a joke.

It was clear that she was completely unaffected by the Sorting Song; she couldn't wait any longer.

"Oh, that's a really bad joke—it's no different from the ones you hear on the street," the hat-wearing man said disappointedly. "Hmm... alright, let me see where you're assigned? Wait, you want to be in the same college as the heroes? Please, you're not suited for that. Okay, that's it."

"Hufflepuff!"

Hannah took off her hat and walked disappointedly toward the Hufflepuff table, then threw herself into Tonks' arms and began to sob.

Few people paid attention to her because Professor McGonagall announced the next freshman.

"Susan Bornes!"

Her jokes failed to win over the Sorting Hat.

"Hufflepuff!" the hat called again. Susan ran quickly to the badger.

Then Terry Boots became the first Ravenclaw student, and Lavender Brown became the first Gryffindor student.

When Milison Burstd became a new Slytherin student, Neville and Harry both looked enviously at the Slytherin table.

A polite round of applause rang out, and the new girl sat down at the end of the long table.

"Hermione Granger!"

Hermione practically ran to the stool and hurriedly put the hat on her head.

"Hmm, I've thought of six jokes and seven funny riddles. Which one would you like to hear?"

"Whatever." The hat said listlessly, having given up hope.

"Then I'll choose the funniest one, which says that once upon a time there was a short woman who had a tall man, and they had a fat boy and a thin girl..."

Hermione began to speak eloquently...

"Oh no! You sound like you're giving me a history lesson!" The hat interrupted Hermione. "Stop your magic! There are 39 characters, 17 animal names, and 42 place names in the story..."

But you're quick-witted and have a good memory, so—Ravenclaw!

Hermione was sorted into Ravenclaw, and Moriarty saw Penelope greet her.

"Neville Longbottom!"

Neville walked over with his chest puffed out, as if he were going to war.

"Yes, it's difficult, really difficult," he said as soon as the hat was put on. "Very difficult, Gryffindor? Or Hufflepuff? And... Slytherin?"

When Neville heard the first two words, he quickly muttered "Slytherin" in his mind. When he heard the hat say "Slytherin," he breathed a sigh of relief.

The hat, sensing Neville's mood, thought for a moment and said, "Very well, Slytherin! I hope you get what you want!"

Neville breathed a sigh of relief, looked happily at Moriarty, and ran towards Slytherin.

"Child, you haven't taken your hat off yet!"

Jericho laughed and said loudly.

Neville hurriedly returned the hat.

A little while later, they called Draco Malfoy.

Many senior students looked over; they were quite familiar with this freshman.

The moment the hat touched Draco's scalp, he shouted, "Sly... wait! What's on your mind? Oh, incredible, you're the most complicated-minded freshman this year!"

"But even though you are not a bad person, you are easily led astray."

You're very courageous, yes! This is something you keep hidden deep inside—you have many ideas, and there are so many things you want to do! You couldn't do them without courage.

"What are you waiting for? Our Malfoy family has been Slytherins for generations," Draco said anxiously.

"Yes, that's right, but things might change now!" the hat said confidently. "Going to Gryffindor will allow you to achieve your goals much faster! You'll accomplish great things! Gryffindor!"

"What?"

Some students exclaimed in surprise.

Draco Malfoy was sorted into Gryffindor!

The lions booed wildly; the Malfoy family was known for its purebloods.

Draco stared blankly at the air in front of him, his eyes seemingly devoid of color, reduced to only gray.

He didn't know how he got down there and sat down at the Gryffindor table.

By this time, there weren't many people left.

Mohn… Nott… Parkinson… then the Pettier twins… then Sallyn Box… finally, it’s time for—

"Harry Potter!"

As Harry walked forward, a sudden humming or hissing sound, like tiny flames, filled the Great Hall.

"Potter, is she calling me Potter?"

"Is it Harry Potter?"

Harry has learned these days that he has some fame, but in Hogwarts, his fame is nothing, as can be seen from Marcus's complete indifference.

Harry, remembering how Marcus turned Dudley into a pig, said, "Let me tell you a joke: I have a pig cousin..."

"Pig? Cousin?" Hat laughed at the first sentence. "Haha, you have a pig cousin? Hahaha, interesting, interesting!"

"Okay, you've made me laugh. Let me see you."

Harry was puzzled; he hadn't even started speaking yet, and you were already grinning.

"Hmm," he heard the hat whisper in his ear, "difficult. Very difficult. You're just like that Malfoy boy from before you got old."

You seem very courageous. And not a bad person either. You're talented, oh my goodness, that's right—you have a strong desire to prove yourself, so you should go to Slytherin.

But you can achieve great things in Gryffindor, and you can do great things in Slytherin—that's undeniable. It's very interesting. Where should I sort you?

Harry gripped the edge of the stool tightly, thinking, "I'm going to Slytherin, I'm going to Slytherin."

"Going to Slytherin, right?"

The hat asked, "Have you made up your mind? You'll achieve great things, you know, it's all up to you."

Slytherin will help you achieve glory, without a doubt—would you like to? Well then, since you've made up your mind—go for it, Slytherin!

Harry heard the hat call out the last name to the entire Great Hall.

He took off his hat and walked towards the Slytherin table, his legs trembling slightly.

He was selected, and he was assigned to Slytherin!

This greatly relieved him, and he looked happily at Marcus and Moriarty.

This also meant that Harry didn't hear the Sorting Hat's final whisper: "To hand the baby who survived over to Mr. Slytherin. Excellent!"

(If anyone is surprised by the Sorting, then I've achieved my goal. Of course, I didn't write this to attract attention; I just often wondered what would happen if those kids went to different houses. You can tell from the first chapter that this book is different from other fanfiction. Also: Guess what the new Sorting Song is about? Guess correctly and get an extra chapter!)