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Chapter 150: The Sorting Hat's Logic
"Nirvana? That's incredible! A phoenix can be reborn! It rises from its own ashes exactly like the books say!"
Hermione nearly jumped with excitement.
She completely ignored Harry's description of the phoenix being ugly. This was a phoenix undergoing rebirth! How could that not be amazing?
Watching Hermione bounce around Harry excitedly, Ron said sourly,
"Phoenixes are definitely every girl's favorite magical creature."
The three continued chatting as they hurried through the castle.
Getting into another House's dormitory was usually difficult.
However, there were always exceptions.
George was not only Ravenclaw's most influential student, but the Mutual Aid Society he had founded was also the source of spending money for many students. As a generous "local tyrant," even Slytherins preferred not to provoke him.
Ravenclaw was his territory—his stronghold.
Although the Ravenclaw students were not particularly cooperative, they were friendly enough to guide Harry and the others to George's private room.
"Ravenclaw actually has individual dormitories. This is amazing."
Hermione sat down on a chair and looked around enviously.
"The Sorting Hat originally wanted to place me in Ravenclaw. Unfortunately, I turned it down."
"The Sorting Hat suggested Ravenclaw for you?"
Harry looked genuinely shocked.
"You've never mentioned that before."
Ron looked equally surprised.
"Wait, doesn't the Sorting Hat decide where you go?"
Hermione stuck out her tongue playfully.
"What was there to talk about? Wasn't the Sorting Ceremony obvious enough?"
Harry became even more confused.
"So the Sorting Hat just lets students choose?"
"Doesn't that mean anyone can end up anywhere? I always thought Slytherin was where dark wizards went."
George looked at Harry helplessly.
"How did you come up with that conclusion?"
He shook his head.
"You don't seriously think every Ravenclaw is a genius and every Hufflepuff is simple-minded, do you?"
George patiently explained.
"Hogwarts wasn't created to train dark wizards. I've told you before—the school was founded to separate the magical world from the ordinary one. The Sorting Hat doesn't control destiny, and it certainly can't judge the true nature of a person's heart."
"Then how does it sort students?" Harry asked.
He had always believed the Sorting Hat could see directly into a person's soul.
That was why he had been so worried about being placed in Slytherin. Deep down, he feared there might be something dark inside him because of the way he had grown up.
Now George and Hermione were telling him that the Hat couldn't actually see people's true nature.
"The Sorting Hat can read your thoughts," George explained.
"If you already know which House you want, it usually sends you there. If you're undecided, it looks at your scattered thoughts, talents, and inclinations, then determines which House suits you best."
He continued:
"It also respects tradition. A Malfoy is usually sorted into Slytherin, and a Weasley usually goes to Gryffindor—unless they strongly want something different."
"Some students even receive recommendations from multiple Houses."
George paused before adding:
"The Sorting Hat recommended all four Houses to me. Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor were all possibilities."
"Of course, I'd already decided on Ravenclaw."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at him in disbelief.
"All four?"
"How is that even possible?"
"What do Slytherin and Hufflepuff have in common?"
George smiled.
"Slytherin doesn't automatically mean cunning or evil."
"Take Crabbe, for example. By most standards, he doesn't fit Slytherin at all. He's there largely because of family tradition."
"Neville is brave enough for Gryffindor, but in many ways Hufflepuff suits him just as well."
"And Hermione would fit perfectly into Ravenclaw."
"In the same way, Hufflepuff doesn't automatically mean loyalty and honesty."
After all, George had once been an adult.
He understood that people were never one-dimensional.
Even the most virtuous person occasionally entertained dark thoughts.
The difference was that they reflected on those thoughts instead of acting on them.
Likewise, even the cruelest villains sometimes displayed moments of compassion.
Human beings were complicated.
The Sorting Hat was ultimately just a magical object that could read surface thoughts and emotions. It couldn't fully judge a person's future character.
Whether someone ended up in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin was far less important than people believed.
Every House contained both good people and bad people.
George continued:
"Slytherin represents ambition and the desire to achieve victory at any cost."
"Gryffindor represents courage—the willingness to challenge restraints and never give up."
"Ravenclaw is obvious. It represents wisdom, knowledge, and the pursuit of understanding. Knowledge itself is power—a force that can create, destroy, or protect."
"As for Hufflepuff..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It represents a quieter side of life. Contentment. Peace. The ability to enjoy simple things."
"If I'd had complete freedom to choose, I might have spent my life on Wall Street or in Hollywood, enjoying all the conveniences of modern civilization instead of standing over cauldrons grinding dead insects and studying ghosts."
"Though, admittedly, that isn't entirely bad either."
He had experimented before.
He had hired mercenaries.
He had purchased modern weapons.
With his current magical abilities combined with modern firepower, he wasn't afraid of Voldemort at all.
But some taboos carried consequences too terrible to ignore.
There were things far worse than death.
More than once, he had imagined simply flying dozens of miles away and launching a missile directly at Voldemort.
Killing Voldemort would have been easy.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem was what would happen afterward.
The destruction wouldn't stop with Voldemort.
It could shatter the entire magical world and awaken countless dark forces that had long remained dormant.
That possibility was truly terrifying.
The magical world existed as a boundary between two realms.
A guardian standing between them.
When it was first established, it protected wizards from being absorbed into the mundane world.
At the same time, it prevented wizards from enslaving or ruling over ordinary people.
Because of that separation, humanity no longer needed to kneel before living gods.
(To be continued...)