A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 22 The Savior's Brain Circuit

The big dog named Tooth rested its head on Harry's lap, its drool soaking a large patch of his robe. Its dark eyes were glancing sideways at Owen, looking timid yet eager to try.

Owen scribbled in his notebook with a quill pen, occasionally glancing up at the dog. He didn't need to learn Legilimency; he was sure the dog was planning to pounce. It seemed the guy's courage had grown considerably when its owner was around.

Remembering that Mrs. Lorris's unfinished food was still stuffed in his pocket, Owen took it out. He had wrapped the food carefully in plastic wrap, so that not a drop of oil would leak out.

He tore open the paper package and threw it on the ground. The big dog smelled it, pounced over and swallowed it in a few bites. Then it squatted on the ground, sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail wildly, making the air whoosh.

"Tsk, good boy, go play somewhere else." Owen raised his hand and patted its head, a lazy smile on his face, and pointed his finger towards Harry.

Then Harry, who was talking enthusiastically to Hagrid, was tackled to the ground.

"Alright, Tooth, stop fooling around." Harry got up, straightened his glasses which were askew, and continued chatting with Hagrid.

"...In short, all the professors in the department were very friendly to me, as was the dean, although he was quite stern...I also made many friends in the college..."

"Oh, I know, I know..." Hagrid's gaze towards Harry became teary again, as if he were looking at a pitiful child struggling in hardship but forcing a smile for family and friends. "You must have suffered so much. That house... how could you possibly stay there?"

"I think the Sorting Hat must be senile. Slytherin? How dare it think that way? Your father and mother were both excellent wizards in Gryffindor. The first time I saw you, I knew you looked exactly like your father, in appearance and personality. Of course, your eyes are like your mother's..."

"Such a good child like you will definitely suffer there, and Dumbledore doesn't even know how to manage it..." Hagrid said, then blew his nose loudly again.

Owen glanced up at him, too lazy to say anything. Anyway, Hagrid had developed a bit of a psychological aversion to Slytherin after Voldemort and his followers emerged from the school.

"Actually, I wasn't wronged at all. On the contrary, I'm quite... popular." Harry sighed helplessly. "Although there's a small group of people who don't want to be associated with me, I assure you it's just a small group, and they all stay far away from me."

"They're very popular," Owen added with a smile, glancing at Harry with amusement. "After all, Harry is a rising star; who wouldn't want to build a good relationship with him beforehand?"

"Owen, please don't say things like that!" The mere mention of it made Harry think of the newspapers that had gossiped about him, and he was so embarrassed his legs almost cramped. "Hagrid, don't believe what they say in the newspapers, if you mind me..."

"No, no, I don't care at all which college you're in... if it's your choice." Hagrid glanced quickly at the stack of newspapers under the teapot cover.

"To be honest, I had no idea you were being abused so much in that Muggle house. I should have gone to see you sooner. I should have turned those three into big fat pigs... No wonder you want revenge, but don't involve innocent people, don't get corrupted, Harry, if..."

"Hagrid, I wasn't mistreated! They certainly didn't like to talk to me, but they didn't starve me either." Harry pulled out the stack of newspapers, and sure enough, they were all about him. "I didn't choose to go to Slytherin. The Sorting Hat told me I was a good fit there, although I don't know what I'm a good fit for..." He did feel out of place in every way.

"Also, I have no intention of revenge, nor do I discriminate against Muggles! If you'd rather believe these damned newspapers... oh, and the thing about me actually being a dark wizard..."

"No, no, no, how could that be? You're the hero who defeated Mystic!" Hagrid exclaimed. "It must be the Sorting Hat's mistake. Although it always says it's never made a mistake in sorting houses in all these years, that doesn't mean it's incapable of making a mistake. Maybe it's been confused by something..."

"Wait, what could the Sorting Hat confuse?" Harry's eyes lit up, his mind clearer than ever before. "Like magic or something? I mean, if someone wanted me to get into a certain house..."

"I don't know. The Sorting Hat has never had any problems before..." Hagrid said hesitantly. "Besides, it's always been kept in the Headmaster's office. It's impossible for anyone to keep it from Dumbledore."

"But Dumbledore won't be in the Headmaster's office forever, right? It was taken out on the day of the Sorting Ceremony, and there was a period in between when it could be tampered with..." Harry felt a sudden inspiration. Yes, someone must be plotting something!

Irving, who had been listening with great interest, opened his mouth, somewhat dumbfounded for the first time. What kind of bizarre brain circuit was this? Was the savior's little head filled with question marks?

Sure enough, is the savior's mind destined to take unconventional paths? Owen quickly took a sip of tea to calm his nerves.

"I don't know." Hagrid rubbed his hands together, still somewhat doubtful. "The Sorting Hat can't be bribed. But if a wizard is skilled enough, perhaps they could influence it with a Confusion Charm... Although it's a relic of Gryffindor and a very powerful magical artifact, it's still just a wizard's creation."

"That makes sense! No wonder it felt so off!" Harry jumped up, almost throwing Toothpaste off his lap.

In the past few days, Harry had researched a lot, talked to many students from his own house, and learned some common knowledge about the wizarding world from others. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find any traits that matched Slytherin, which made him wonder if he really had some hidden talent.

But if the Sorting Hat has been tampered with, then everything becomes clear.

Seeing Hagrid's still skeptical expression, Harry turned his gaze to Owen, who stood to the side with a strange look on his face. Knowing Owen's consistently brilliant mind and his fresh and insightful perspectives on many things, he asked, "Owen, what do you think about this?"

Owen touched the corner of his lips with his finger, amusement playing on his lips. He glanced at Harry with his clear, slightly smiling black eyes, tapped the table lightly with his left index finger, and spoke in a calm, clear tone:

"Well, you know yourself best. If you really feel that you shouldn't belong to Slytherin, and that someone tampered with the Sorting Hat, you might as well think about what that person's purpose was and what their identity was."

Owen's smile deepened slightly as he analyzed the situation seriously: "They want to get close to you and guide you into becoming a dark wizard who hates Muggles? But generally speaking, as long as you don't change or waver, the academy's influence on you will be negligible, so that's unlikely. They want to protect you? That's possible, but there's no need to send you to an academy that's unsuitable for you."

"Then, it's more likely that person is targeting you. They assigned you to Slytherin because it would make it easier to observe and contact you? You should consider this person's relationship with the house."

At this point, Owen paused. According to this explanation, Professor Snape would probably have to take the blame.

He smiled and shook his head, continuing, "Of course, there's another possibility, such as..." He pointed to the newspaper in Harry's hand, "to sow discord between you and Dumbledore. After all, many people speculate that you and Dumbledore will become enemies, or at least become estranged. Without Dumbledore's protection, your enemies will be able to deal with you more easily."

"As for that person's identity, you'll have to guess for yourself. For example, is it your enemy? Or perhaps..."

"Voldemort!" Harry jumped up as if his feet were on springs.

Upon hearing the name, Hagrid's massive body shrank back: "Don't...don't say that name..."

"Hagrid, you said he couldn't be dead, right? Maybe Voldemort is nearby, plotting his revenge, plotting his comeback..." Harry was lost in his own thoughts and couldn't hear what Hagrid was saying anymore.

"No, maybe it's just one of his hidden followers trying to get revenge on you or something..." Hagrid said.

"Harry, listen! I'll go talk to Dumbledore. If someone really did this, you have to be careful!" Hagrid was starting to believe him too, and he solemnly warned Harry.

Harry nodded solemnly, realizing that he was in a dangerous situation.

Irving covered his lips with his right fist and coughed lightly, almost bursting out laughing.

(End of this chapter)