Chapter Forty Nine - The Missorting Hat

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to the proverbial Duchess of Magic, JK Rowling, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros and some other high falutin' companies. No matter how much I whine about not owning anything related to the HP universe, other than a few fanfic plots, I do not profess to own - and would never dream of making any money off - JKR's wonderful world... Damn it!

Chapter Forty Nine - The Missorting Hat

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—==(oIo)==—

ˇ

The group were soon joined by their other friends. Draco came in next, took one look around, shook his head and muttered something about, "Show offs!" before he collapsed into one of the few armchairs the girls had configured to replace the bench seating.

Next was Luna. She simply walked in, said hello to everyone, and took a seat at the table, staring out at the platform.

Next came Neville, leading both Hannah and Susan. All three took a look around and lightly chuckled before finding their own seats.

"This is even better than last time, Harry," said Neville.

"I made it a bit bigger," replied Harry. "Then left the ladies to decorate it."

"As you should," said Susan. "Ladies have better taste."

"Oh, you do not want to go there..." smirked Draco.

"Why?" taunted Susan. "Think you could do better?"

"No," the boy replied. "I just happen to know there are plenty of male professional decorators, out there, who could do a fantastic job. We had one redecorate Malfoy Manor a few years ago. I think Mother is considering calling him back to redecorate again."

While the two had been trading mild taunts, they were joined by Blaise. He took a seat down near Luna, for a moment, before he came back and quietly asked Tracey to step outside for a moment.

"Silencing wards, Blaise," she huffed back, before dragging him down to partway between the bondmates and the window. A silencing ward went up and the two dropped into a silent but serious conversation.

Daphne kept a close eye on them.

Harry had just turned away from watching the conversation start when Horace Urquhart stood in the doorway. He took one quick look around in surprise before he swivelled his eyes to look worriedly at Harry. "Potter," he quietly said.

"Horace!" said Harry, with a big grin. "Come in and take a load off your feet."

With a visible wave of relief, Urquhart gave a slight nod and entered the compartment. He took one of the other armchairs and sat next to Draco. "Black," he quietly said.

"Urquhart," nodded Draco back. "I'm glad to see you managed to get through our little war relatively unscathed.

"As am I," the boy breathed back.

"I was sorry to hear you lost your father," said Draco.

Daphne stiffed a little and almost surreptitiously reach her hand to grasp the handle of her wand.

Urquhart gave a bit of a despondent sigh, before he firmed up and replied, "I shall miss the man I knew as my father. However, I shall not do so for the death eater he became."

Urquhart almost spat the last four words, so deep was his loathing.

A few moments later, Daphne relaxed again. "Many have lost parents because of the self-interest of that lying psychopath, Riddle. He had much to answer for. It's a pity his death was so quick. But, it had to be done."

"It had to be done," muttered Urquhart, echoing her words in agreement.

For the rest of the trip, the group were visited by quite a few others. However, this time there were a lot more who came to visit; some because they'd heard from friends who had seen their compartment on the trip at the end of the previous school year, and wanted to see it for themselves.

Others even asked to stay. Every one of them was told they could so as long as, if they believed in 'blood supremacy', they left that attitude outside.

By the time they reached Hogsmeade, their compartment was, again, full. They even had a couple of younger years sitting or lying on the floor and either playing games or lightly dozing.

"I think we're going to have to make the compartment even bigger for the trip home at Christmas," said Hermione.

"No," disagreed Daphne. "I think it would be better if we just configured the compartment next door to be the same."

"And then put a door between the two?" asked Hermione. But, before Daphne could respond, she said, "That actually makes much more sense. That way we can make 'our' compartment the private one. And send everyone else we don't want to join us into that one."

_‗_

—==(oIo)==—

ˇ

When they arrived at Hogsmeade, the three disembarked and, as usual, Harry called out a greeting to Hagrid, before he headed to the carriages.

"'Arry!" called Hagrid, carrying his lantern and gesturing for Harry to come over as the new first years began to gather around him. Most of them barely came up to where his belt would be, if he wasn't wearing that big moleskin coat. "Firs' years!" he bellowed almost absentmindedly, as he looked at Harry. "Firs' Years; to me!"

Harry and his two wives detoured from heading to the coaches and approached Hagrid.

"Yeah, Hagrid?" asked Harry. "What's up?"

"Firs' Years!" Hagrid again bellowed before turning to Harry. "'Arry; I need ya to do meh a favour, if yeh would'n' mind?"

"Leave yeh trunks an' famil-yars! They'll be taken to thuh cas'le for yeh!" he bellowed.

"What do you need, Hagrid?" asked Harry.

"There's sum in-jed un-eh-corns Mah-gorian wants meh t' see to," he explained. "If'n yeh would'n' mind, now; could yeh see yerself to lead'n these 'ere lit'le ones across thuh lake?"

Harry gave a little snort and turned to his wives to ask their opinion.

"Don't look at me," snorted Daphne. "One trip on those little death traps was enough for me."

"I'll go with Daphne on the carriages," said Hermione. "You take the firsties and we'll see you at the castle."

With a grin, Harry turned back to Hagrid and said, "Hand over the lamp, big guy. I'll take 'em."

"Aww... yer a real champ, 'Arry," said Hagrid, handing the pole with his suspended lamp to Harry with a wide grin on his face.

Accepting the lamp, and still in a booming voice, Hagrid said, "To get thuh boats goin', jest tap yer wand t' thuh gunwhaal and command, 'Forward'. Ev'rythin' jest 'appens, afta tha'."

Harry gave a light laugh and said, "Understood. Go look after the unicorns."

Hagrid gave him a firm pat on the back in farewell, which nearly drove Harry to his knees, and hopped on the back of one of the carriages as it was about to depart.

Turning to the gaggle of firsties, he thought, 'I wonder what the collective noun for a collection of first years is, anyway?'

"First years!" he called. "First years, to me! Leave your trunks and your familiars. They'll be taken to the castle for you!"

Once the platform began to clear of students, and he was reasonably sure he had all the first years milling around in front of him, he called, "Right, then! Follow me, single file. The path is quite narrow, so don't try to pass the person ahead of you!"

Just as Hagrid did with him and his fellow First Years, Harry paused at the low open cliff where everyone could see the castle, all lit up from within and without. His own experience in later years confirmed for him that it was only for this initial view for the firsties that the castle was so lit. Normally there was only about a third of the lights as there was on this night.

After giving all the little munchkins a good look he said, "Right, then! Onwards to the boats!"

Arriving down on the pebbly beach with it's wharf-like dock, he said, "No more than four to a boat! No, lad; not the first one. That one's mine." Gesturing to the others he said, "There's plenty of room for everybody."

As the boats filled up, Harry collected all the poled lanterns that were already lit and set off to one side and handed one to a child in each boat.

Once he was sure all the kids were comfortably seated, he gave a firm nod and went to his own. However, before climbing into it, he transfigured the hard wooden seat within to a nice padded divan chair.

Once onboard, he gave a quick look back at all the boats to make sure no one had decided to hop back out again, drew his wand, and tapped it on the edge of the gunwhale with a magical command of, "Forward!"

With his boat leading the way, all fourteen boats pulled away from the dock and fell in behind like little ducklings behind their mother duck.

The first thing Harry noticed was that he couldn't watch the kids, facing the wrong way. He conjured two large 'wing' mirrors to either side, so he could see back behind. He knew the kids wouldn't get into trouble, as the giant squid would watch for anyone falling in. But, he liked to watch them, anyway.

As the boats approached the vine-draped entrance to the grotto he could see that someone - probably Hagrid - had been along and trimmed them right back. He didn't have to call to the kids to duck their heads, this time.

As soon as his boat brushed up against the stone pier that was their disembarkation point, Harry quickly hopped out and stood at the head of the pier with his lamp.

"Nice and easy, does it!" he called back. "No need to race to get out of your boats, now. They'll wait for you. Help each other out."

He carefully watched to make sure no child slipped and fell back into the water.

Once all the kids were out of the boats, he said, "Right, then. Follow me. It's a bit of hike up all these steps, so don't try and race it!"

As he lead the children up the winding stairs one of the closest to him, a young girl, almost tremulously asked, "Excuse me... but... are you Harry Potter?"

Not to frighten the child, he said, "Yes, little miss; I am."

That had a few gasp in surprise and look at him with no little amount of awe.

Keeping his pace steady but reduced so as not to tire the kids out before they even reached the ground floor, he lead them ever upwards.

"D-did you really... err... k-kill V-Vol..." one tried to ask.

"Tom Riddle," said Harry, interrupting him. "And, yes; I did." He thought about that for a moment before he asked back, "That doesn't frighten you, does it?"

"Ummm...n-no?" the little kid replied.

"Good," said Harry, firmly. "Because, it shouldn't. He was more a terrible beast than a man. And he had to be put down."

When they arrived at the doors to the castle a few minutes later, Harry firmly knocked on the door.

When Professor Flitwick opened it a moment later, Harry stood there and firmly mimicking Hagrid said, "Th' Firs' Yeahs, Perfess'r Flitwick!"

Flitwick took one look at Harry and burst out laughing. "Well, we'd better let them in, Mister Potter." And stood back, opening the door wider.

Harry also stood back and ushered all the kids in ahead of him.

Once the last one passed through, he followed them inside.

With Professor Flitwick leading them to the anteroom, Harry gave the man a jaunty salute, closed the castle door, and walked into the Great Hall. His wives, as expected, held a space between them for him to join them.

_‗_

—==(oIo)==—

ˇ

Taking a seat between his wives, Harry greeted the others. "Miss the carriages, Harry?" asked Anthony Goldstein.

"Hagrid asked me to take the new firsties across the lake in the boats," replied Harry. "He had to go and deal with something about injured unicorns in the forest."

Harry and the girls were explaining their second honeymoon on the Tahitian island with those sitting nearby when Professor Flitwick escorted the new firsties in.

Watching them come, some saw him sitting at the Ravenclaw table, smiled and waved. He smiled back.

As soon as Professor Flitwick arranged the newbies before the dais, he brought the stool with the Sorting Hat perched on it to the edge of the platform, and conjured himself a small set of stairs to lift himself about two feet into the air alongside the stool.

He waited only a moment for the Hat to begin to sing. As usual it sang of the school, the Houses and itself. Nothing unusual at all hidden within it's message, this year. And, for that, Harry was very glad.

Once it finished and bowed to each of the four tables it returned to it's normal shape as the applause died down.

Professor Flitwick brought forth a roll of parchment and mounted the stairs.

"As I call your name, you are to come forward and sit upon this stool," he began. "Once you are seated, I'll place the Sorting Hat upon your head. Once it has then called out the name of your House, I'll lift the Hat back off your head. You'll then make your way to that table, and take a seat. At which time I'll call the next student forth. And we'll repeat until all students are sorted.

"Euan Abercrombie!" he called.

A little tow-headed kid scurried forward and sat on the stool as the Professor lifted the Hat.

He went to Gryffindor.

When the last student was called, Hufflepuff Rose Zeller, to the approbation of her new housemates, Professor Flitwick stepped down from his steps rolling up his roll of parchment, banished the steps, and carried the Hat and stool off to the side.

Harry had been a bit worried that Ravenclaw House would end up with more than it's normal 'fair share' of students from this sorting. However, his fears were for naught. As usual, the students broke into Houses more-or-less evenly. This year Ravenclaw had twelve, Hufflepuff had eleven, Gryffindor had eleven, and Slytherin had ten. Harry wondered if one of the students who was sorted into Ravenclaw was supposed to have ended up in Slytherin, and begged the Hat to sort them into Ravenclaw.

After all, in Harry's year the sorting resulted in Gryffindor ten, Slytherin nine, Ravenclaw nine and Hufflepuff nine. However, he knew he was supposed to end up in Slytherin, and it was likely Hermione was supposed to end up in Ravenclaw; which would have made the numbers Slytherin ten, Ravenclaw ten, Hufflepuff nine and Gryffindor eight.

Headmistress MacGonagall then stood and addressed the students, welcoming them for their first or another year, before moving to announcements.

"Students are reminded that the Forbidden Forest is just that - forbidden. Anyone caught within the boundaries of the forest without a Professor will automatically see their house lose fifty points, for a first offence. Each time after that will be a further one hundred points.

"Students are also reminded that spells are not to be cast in the castle's corridors. And, further, they will find that they cannot cast due to rune based magics at work, anyway. However, those who find a way to cast magics, especially offensive magics of any form, will quickly find themselves facing harsh disciplinary action. That may include being handed over to aurors of the DMLE for criminal prosecution.

"And, finally, it is my great pleasure to inform one and all that there is no new Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts; as Professor Black has decided to remain for another year."

That received a long round of applause from the students, including the Slytherins. Sirius might have been a Gryffindor when he attended Hogwarts as a student, but he was still a pureblood Black - even The Black - so they were apparently ready to forgive him that one 'indiscretion'. And the Gryffindors loved him because he was... well... a Gryffindor. But none applauded more or more loudly than the three bond-mates.

Besides, it was readily accepted by all the students he was a very, very good teacher; and well-versed in his subject. And the bond-mates were happy that it proved the curse on the position had now been broken. They didn't know how but suspected it had to do with the death of whom they suspected was the caster, Riddle

Harry's mind wandered back to the sorting of his own year, and relatively even numbers of students, and thought how he'd have sorted them. He was snapped out of his daydream by a nudge from Hermione. The food had appeared.

_‗_

—==(oIo)==—

ˇ

Though they now saw no reason to check for listening or monitoring charms when they entered their suite, the three still did them.

Once they were finished, and finding none but the ones Dumbledore had put up, Hermione said, "Actually, we should remove those, too."

Daphne looked back in surprise and said, "She's right. Once Dumbledore died there was no reason to leave them in place."

Both girls then went through the suite removing all of them.

"There; done," declared Hermione, once they were finished. "Actually, I'm rather glad we did that. They were always a bit of a risk to just leave them there."

"Agreed," said Daphne.

While the girls had been doing that, Harry had been moving about the suite renewing some of the charms they'd put in themselves. He renewed the charms on the owl window, the ward blocking insects and other pests (including Rita-bloody-Skeeter), his charm to ensure Hedwig's area was kept clean of droppings and other waste, and the auto-fill charms on her personal feeder and water dish.

Since Harry had permanently installed a roost for her in their suite, and had charmed it for her, Hedwig rarely returned to the castle owlery.

Once he was done, and the girls had finished stripping the old listening charms away, Harry pulled out a sheet of parchment and his auto-inking quill and began to write.

First, he went through all the students in their year, and where he remembered them being sorted to. Then he began to move the names about; having a pretty fair idea as to the personalities of each.

When he was finished, he had a pretty evenly distributed list.

Gryffindor: Susan Bones (ex-Hufflepuff), Fay Dunbar, Megan Jones (ex Ravenclaw), Sally-Anne Perks, Wilma Summerby (ex Hufflepuff), Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy (ex Slytherin), Zach Smith (ex Hufflepuff) and Dean Thomas.

Ten (10) members.

Slytherin: Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davies, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, Michael Corner (ex Ravenclaw), Theo Nott, Harry Potter (ex Gryffindor), Ron Weasley (ex Gryffindor) and Blaise Zabini.

Nine (9) members.

Ravenclaw: Mandy Brocklehurst, Hermione Granger (ex Gryffindor), Su Li, Morag McDougal, Padma Patil, Terry Boot, Stephen Cornfoot, Kevin Entwhistle and Anthony Goldstein.

Nine (9) members.

Hufflepuff: Hannah Abbott, Lavender Brown (ex Gryffindor), Parvati Patil (ex Gryffindor), Sheila Whitlock, Vincent Crabbe (ex Slytherin), Justin Finch-Fletchley, Greg Goyle (ex Slytherin), Wayne Hopkins and Ernie MacMillan.

Nine (9) members.

After Harry laughed at his own list, Daphne looked at him quizzically while Hermione flat out asked, "And just what has you so amused?"

"I decided to go through the list of students for our own sorting, to see if I'd have done anything differently," he replied, "Now that we know everyone better, that is."

"Mind sharing?" she asked, coming over.

Harry simply handed her the list. And, while she was reading and her grin got wider and wider, Daphne joined her.

When she'd finished she, too, laughed.

Daphne looked at it and said, "So you think that, even though you begged the Hat to sort you into Gryffindor, if you had ended up in Slytherin you'd have still had Weasley as a dorm mate?"

"Yep!" he replied.

"What made you create the list, anyway?" asked Hermione.

Harry thought about it for a few moments before he said, "We know Fumbledork was both a Master Legilimens and Master Occlumens. We also know he wasn't adverse to flinging out the odd Compulsion charm or two, to get what he wanted. And, third, we know the Sorting Hat sits on that shelf in his office, day in and day out, for practically every day of the year except the evening of the sorting.

"How much do you want to bet the old bastard couldn't help himself, and figured out a way to compulse the Hat into sorting the students the way he wanted them sorted?"

Both wives let out little gasps.

"I mean... think about it," he said. "Take a look at our year-mates. For a start, there's no way in Hades Crabbe or Goyle could be considered Slytherins. They're both nought but followers of whoever takes up the unofficial but well-known mantle of the Prince of Slytherin. As soon as Draco turned from that path, both immediately switched their allegiances to Nott.

"Now that Nott's gone, they're following Parkinson about the place. That's loyalty, not cunning or guile." Shaking his head he said, "Those two are the epitome of Hufflepuff, through and through. And we already know Draco is more a Gryffindor that a Slytherin.

"Another; we all know Sue Bones went into Hufflepuff, and that her family are usually from that House. However, she's chock full of bravery, and would have fit perfectly in the House of the Lions. Plus, she really wanted to be with her friend, Hannah. So, I think that's how she ended up a 'Puff."

"I get it," said Hermione. "And you think Dumbledore used his magic to subtly steer the sorting the way he wanted it."

"Exactly," he replied. "He didn't want the niece of the Head of the DMLE in the same House as me."

"Is there anything we can do about it?" asked Daphne.

"About the only thing we can do is tell Headmistress MacGonagall," said Hermione. "Hopefully, she'll then have the Sorting Hat inspected for such compulsions and the like."

"I think she'd have to call in the Unspeakables to check it out," said Daphne. "They're about the only ones with the skills that would rival Dumbledore's at his height. And it would take a powerful wizard or witch to cancel such charms."

"So, we do that, then?" asked Harry.

Daphne frowned for a bit and nibbled at her bottom lip in thought. Suddenly she said, "Better to tell her our... your... suspicion and be wrong; than not tell her and be right."

"She's right," said Hermione. "Game theory - the Prisoner's Dilemma - proves the point."

"Whatever that is..." muttered Daphne.

Harry immediately said, "Then, let's go see her now?"

_‗_

—==(oIo)==—

ˇ

Headmistress MacGonagall was working in her office, going over the school finances, when the alert informed her three students sought her audience. She mentally ordered the gargoyle to step aside and, a few seconds later, there was knock at her door.

"Enter!" she called.

Harry opened the door and allowed his wives to precede him into the office and, as they came, the Headmistress reconfigured the chairs before her desk into a three-seater high seat lounge.

The Potters sat on the lounge in their usual order and she asked, "What can I do for you three."

She'd noticed all three had almost surreptitiously glanced at the Sorting Hat as they sat down.

"Harry ran through a little exercise related to the sorting of the students in our year," said Hermione. "And, from that, we reached a quite worrying conclusion."

"Oh?" asked MacGonagall. "And, what would that be?"

"I think there was a lot of missorting going on," Harry suddenly blurted. "I mean, if you look at the students from that sorting now, you can easily see how they would have been better sorted in other Houses..."

Daphne interrupted and said, "We think Headmaster Dumbledore has done something to the Sorting Hat that makes the Hat sort the students where Dumbledore wanted some of them."

"That's a serious allegation," frowned the Headmistress. "But, I don't believe it's possible for the Hat to be manipulated, that way."

"I... that is, we... think he did, Ma'am," said Hermione. "I was giving it more thought as we walked here, and I think he used a potion, like he used on Harry's invisibility cloak, to allow him to use Legilimency and or Compulsion charms on the Hat."

McGonagall's frowned deepened and she seemed to think harder about that. Then she suddenly turned to stare at the Hat. "Sorting Hat? Is this possible?"

The Sorting Hat seemed to wiggle a little before the rip in it's brim opened and the Hat said, "I won't say it's impossible. When I was created, the Founders were only looking to make sure charms of the day would not work upon me. However, I do not recall them considering potions as a viable mode of manipulation of what is considered no more than a magical artefact.

"Furthermore, I can assure you our late unlamented Headmaster often attempted Legilimency on me while I was sorting students. I say 'attempted' because I always believed I was made with that art unable to penetrate what you would consider my Occlumency shields. However, the use of potions may have been used on me to break through those shields."

"Often attempted?" asked Daphne. "He should only have tried it once or twice if it didn't work. That he tried it more often than that means he must have been successful."

"Is there any way we can check?" asked the Headmistress.

Hermione immediately replied, "The Unspeakables. They're the only ones who can do it, we think."

"That's a very good idea," said McGonagall. She turned back to the Hat and asked, "Do you have a problem with the Unspeakables checking you out?"

"Not at all," replied the Hat. "There have been times in the past when I have been temporarily loaned to them for examination. I have suffered no undue effects from such; so I cannot anticipate it happening this time around."

"Well, I have no idea if what you believe is true, Mister Potter," said McGonagall. "However, it's worth checking out, if only for my own peace of mind."

"Thank you, Professor," said Harry, rising to leave.

As he helped his wives to their feet and headed for the door he had a sudden thought. Turning back, he asked, "Professor, what do you intend to do if I'm right?"

The Headmistress appeared to think on that for a moment before she sighed and said, "I'll have to give it quite some thought, Mister Potter. But, if this gets out..."

"Understood, Professor," he replied. "And, thank you again."

_‗_

—==(oIo)==—

ˇ

The three bond mates were sitting for breakfast a couple of weeks later when a barn owl flew down and offered it's leg to Hermione.

Not recognising the owl, she immediately cast detection charms on it and it's package before relieving the bird of it's load. It was a large letter.

Carefully opening it, Hermione allowed the contents to slide out of the envelope onto the table, cast another series of detection charms upon it, and then picked it up to read through it.

In only a few moments her eyes widened in shock before her face broke out in a wide grin. She was so excited by what she was reading she was almost bouncing on the bench seat. "They're going to print it!" she softly gasped to her spouses.

Handing the letter to Harry, he quickly read through it, grinned, and handed it off to Daphne.

Dearest Mrs Granger-Potter,

We here at Whizz Hard Books will be honoured to publish your manuscript 'The Nature of Souls and Soul Bonds' and see to it's distribution within the Wizarding world to retail outlets.

As you have informed us of the identity of your literary agent, Mister Stewart Ackerman, we shall be in contact with him direct to organise the contract between ourselves and you to publish your works.

We look forward to a profitable partnership between yourself and us, and wish you a lovely day.

Rupert Hornswoggle, Publisher

Diagon Alley, England Branch

Whizz Hard Books

"Merlin!" said Daphne. "They're actually going to print it."

"Is there something you two want to tell me?" asked Harry, a little bemused.

"Yeah... ummm... we finished the book," said Hermione.

Harry gave a little snort and said, "No kidding."

"We needed to get it out of the way, Harry," said Daphne by way of both apology and explanation.

"Oh?" he asked. "Why?... Wait... You wanted it out of the way so you could start on a second book, didn't you?" His question wasn't so much accusatory, but was more along the lines of passive acceptance.

"Yes," she immediately replied.

"And, let me guess," he sighed, "It's going to be on the nature of magical souls and muggleborns, isn't it?"

"Yes," she simply replied again.

He took a moment to allow that to percolate before he asked, "You've already started it, haven't you?"

Both girls grinned and replied, "Yes."

"Croaker's going to kill us!" he groaned. "And, if not him, then the Minister."

_‗_

—==(oIo)==—

ˇ

Three days later they were called up to the Headmistress's office.

As they entered, they noticed that the Sorting Hat was sitting on the edge of her desk, rather than it's more normal shelf, and it looked a great deal cleaner than it ever had before.

"Take a seat," she invited them.

Once the three were sitting, she gestured to the Hat and said, "The Sorting Hat would like a word."

The three turned their attention to the Hat but, before it could speak, Hermione said, "You're looking quite spiffy, Hat. A good cleaning appears to have done you well."

"Thank you, Missus Granger-Potter," replied the Hat with it's almost formal bow. "However, I asked the Headmistress to grant me the opportunity to speak with you."

"And, what can we do for you?" asked Hermione.

"I wanted to thank you three, personally, for seeing a possible problem regarding me, and asking the Headmistress to investigate it," it replied. "Because of your forethought, the Unspeakables were able to discover I'd been sprayed, over time, with a potion which allowed the late, unlamented Headmaster to wield certain control over me.

"The Headmaster had been telling me he was using a preservation and cleaning potion on me when, in fact, he'd been using a modified form of a compulsion potion he was able to use his skills as a Master of Alchemy to develop. That potion also allowed him to bypass my Occlumency variant and use compulsion and memory charms to have me sort a few of the students the way he believed they should be sorted.

"There were not that many, but the ones I believe he was able to sway were ones that could have been sorted elsewhere. Those I was very definite about, however, he wasn't able to influence; but, as you would know, there were a great many students that could have been sorted into more than one House."

"Are you going to demand a resort for those students?" asked Daphne.

"No," replied the Headmistress. "The Hat believes, and I would have to agree, that having this all become public... as it would if we were to order a major resort of the student population... would shake magical Britain to it's very core.

"The Sorting Hat is one of those relics that everyone believes is impeccable in it's behaviour and choices. If we were to allow it to be made public that the Sorting Hat was... and, therefore, could be again... tampered with, then no one would trust it's decision ever again.

"Therefore, we have no choice but to leave the current student body where they are. But, from this point on, the Sorting Hat will be doing it's rightful duty by sorting each new batch of First Years as they should be sorted."

While she'd been talking, Hermione had been thinking.

"What about if it's offered to the student populace as an opportunity," she explained. "Don't tell the student body what has happened. Just tell them that you, as a new Headmistress, have wisely decided to implement the new policy of allowing students to be resorted. But, only offer it at a specific time of the school year, and only for specific years."

"I get it," said Harry. "For instance, alert the students in advance that, immediately after the Sorting on the First of September, anyone who would be starting their third or fifth year that year, are welcome to ask the Hat to be resorted."

"However," cut in Hermione. "The Hat could also simply resort the student back into their existing House, if the Hat still feels that is the best place for them.

"I've always believed that should be an option, anyway. After all, Hermione Granger the new firstie, is a far different person to Hermione Granger the sixth year; my being married, aside."

"Hmmm..." muttered the Hat. "That's actually a clever idea. Headmistress; your thoughts?"

McGonagall sat thinking about it for a while before she said, "It is, indeed, workable. However, it won't necessarily catch those who were missorted."

"That doesn't matter," said Daphne, speaking up. "If the student ends up being happy in their House, even if it was a Dumbledore-influenced missort, why not let them stay? What harm could it do? And, if they're unhappy, then they'll ask for the resort, anyway."

"I like it," said the Hat after a moment. "I won't be able to rectify all the missorts, but I'll be able to catch most of them, I'm sure. And, as Missus Greengrass-Potter said, if they're happy in their House there's really no reason to resort them."

"First of September, eh?" mused McGonagall. "That gives me plenty of time to flesh the plan out ahead of time."

A few moments later she reached a decision. "Alright; we'll do that. Twenty points to Ravenclaw for a well-reasoned argument and concept. I trust you three will remain silent on what you've learned in here, today?"

"Of course, Professor," replied Harry for the three of them.

"Good," she firmly said. "Thank you, again, for coming."

_‗_

—==(oIo)==—

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