Tom rolled his eyes at Dumbledore's long list of requests and zipped straight toward Ariana. Before she could react, he whipped out that familiar canvas bag and—like he'd done it a thousand times—pulled it over her!
Dumbledore: (ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ)
McGonagall: (☉д⊙)
Ariana: Σ(°△°|||)︴
"Tom! What are you doing?! Let me out!"
Ariana's muffled voice echoed from inside the bag.
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, a dangerous aura flickering around him.
(Wait! You said you wouldn't rush this!)
Seeing Dumbledore's hand inch toward his wand, Tom blurted out:
(Plus, I'm doing this for Ariana! She can touch objects now—which means the Sorting Hat can actually sit on her head!)
Sure, Tom was pretty sure Dumbledore wouldn't actually hex him… but still. Better safe than sorry. Immortality didn't mean the spell wouldn't hurt like hell.
So before any curses flew, Tom quickly grabbed the Sorting Hat and tossed it onto the top of the bag—right where Ariana's head should be.
"…"
Silence fell again. Dumbledore and McGonagall both looked like they were getting used to Tom's chaotic, rules-don't-exist style of problem-solving.
He somehow managed to interact with a ghost in ways even magic struggled with. How?
Staring at the bright pink bag, Dumbledore pondered:
"Maybe this bag has… other applications?"
But before that thought went anywhere, the Hat snapped:
"Absolutely not!"
It shouted from atop the bag:
"I can't sense anything through this! No thoughts, no emotions—nothing! I can't sort her like this!"
McGonagall tried, hopeful:
"What if we hold you directly on her head?"
If Ariana was going to enroll, she was going to do everything she could to help.
…Also, she was a Dumbledore. And Dumbledores tended to land in Gryffindor.
Maybe this year they could even win the House Cup!
Surely Snape wouldn't pick on the Headmaster's little sister, right?
"No!"
The Hat shut that down instantly.
"I'm just a hat. I need direct contact with whoever I'm sorting. Only then can I read their surface thoughts."
As a Sorting artifact—not a dark object—it could only read present thoughts, not deep memories.
"So… what now?" McGonagall asked, watching Tom free Ariana from the bag. "You seem to always have… ideas. Can you try something else?"
(Of course! I planned to anyway—Ariana's my friend!)
Tom nodded and eyed the Sorting Hat thoughtfully.
[By the way… as a hat, how do you even have a mind of your own?]
"Heh! Magic, kid!" the Hat boasted.
"The Founders poured their collective thoughts into me. Gave me the power to think!"
[So… you think you have a soul?]
"(´･_･`) ???"
The Hat froze.
A soul? Did it have one?
It thought, sure… but soul? Hat soul?
While it spiraled into an existential crisis, Tom continued calmly:
[No worries. We'll find out.]
He pulled out a hammer marked "1000t" in bright white letters.
Before anyone could react—
BAM!
"AAAAAOOOHHH—!"
The Hat screamed as a glowing white blob floated shakily out of its mouth-like tear.
(Success, meow!)
Tom tapped the glowing blob with a paw.
(Wake up! Time to work!)
The blob twisted and reshaped itself until it looked like a ghostly copy of the Sorting Hat.
"I… think I just died a little…"
"Maybe not just 'a little.'"
Dumbledore and McGonagall stared in stunned silence—for the who-knows-what-number time tonight.
The Hat's spirit, however, was thrilled.
"(★ω★) Oh! This feels great! I can move! Perfect for sorting!"
It floated over to Ariana and plopped neatly onto her head.
"Alright! Let's see…"
It activated its ability.
"Hm… interesting. You don't crave knowledge—you crave companionship. You might fit nicely in Hufflepuff."
McGonagall's face fell just a little.
But before she could fully accept it—
"Wait! I sense something deeper!"
The Hat's voice turned solemn.
"Kindness that survived harm. A calm acceptance of death. And trust that fear cannot break. Plus… a bit of Dumbledore."
"Then—"
Even in the Headmaster's office, it shouted:
"Gryffindor!"
Ariana gasped.
"Me?! In Gryffindor? But… I'm scared of everything…"
"Why Gryffindor?" she asked softly.
Since there were only two students present, McGonagall allowed the Hat's spirit to explain:
"Because true courage isn't being fearless.
It's moving forward despite your fear.
And you, child, have already done that."
Ariana gently lifted the Hat's soul and placed it on a chair, then floated to Tom's side.
McGonagall turned toward the big blue cat.
"Next up—Tom Lovegood."
She gave him a pointed look.
"But before that, you should probably put the Sorting Hat back together."
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