As the first headmaster of Slytherin, as well as the most unpopular headmaster in the history of Hogwarts, Phineas Black, who was born of Slytherin, put forward a question that not only himself was curious about, but every portrait of the previous headmasters also showed great curiosity.
Dumbledore was not surprised by this question, and he was also very clear about what Headmaster Black would say next.
"If you mean overpowering him in a duel--"
After a moment of contemplation, Dumbledore answered this question, "Perhaps it is still possible for a while, but it is unlikely that this situation can last long."
"Just be able to restrain him?" Armando Dippet frowned and said dissatisfied, "We all know your humble style, Albus, but you don't need to do this in front of us."
"Not out of humility, Professor Armando,"
Dumbledore spoke gently, his tone filled with admiration.
“Compared with several months ago, he has made a great progress. To be honest, I never imagined that he would improve so fast. The Ferocious Fire Charm casted by Amortha tonight is quite outstanding. The extremely stable magical structure makes the Ferocious Fire, which is hard to control, show a surprising structural stability that even I can't easily eliminate such Ferocious Fire... If his magical attainment can keep growing at such an astonishing speed, I'm afraid that it won't be long before I can do nothing about it."
Dumbledore's answer pleased Phineas in the frame, but the satisfaction was too excessive; instead, it made him feel uneasy.
"Then, Albus--" Phineas felt uneasy, saying, "That young man's soul--"
"Still intact," Dumbledore said, puzzled smile, "this is the only thing that I feel relieved tonight."
There was another brief silence. The former headmasters of Hogwarts, all knowledgeable and powerful wizards in their own time, were pondering over which of the exceptional young people they had seen during their lives could be compared to Amortha Brenn.
"--So,"
Phineas was proud and acted wise, showing off his smugness.
"We don't have many choices, do we, Albus? Recruiting that young man and getting him to join our great cause is the only option, otherwise..."
"Oh, excuse me, Albus, I must say that if we anger that young man and he decides to ally himself with the evil Lord Black, we are in trouble. Either one of them could attract most of the pure-blood families' direct descendants in the wizarding world, and the other is highly respected in the underground world of ancient secret magical practices. If they combine forces, they could walk into Hogwarts without any hindrance. Albus."
This is a terrifying future, and the possibility of this terrible future happening is quite high if they fail to handle it properly.
"That child is kind."
"Unexpectedly, Delilis lady actively defended Amortha,"
"We all know the young man's style. He has few equals in the wizarding world, but he has been self-restrained for years, trying not to hurt others. Moreover, he has been supporting the orphanage that raised him."
"He has maintained his restraint only because of Albus Dumbledore," Armando Dippet said sharply.
"Not so..."
At this time, a coarse and hoarse voice, slow, suddenly sounded in the office, drawing everyone's attention to Dumbledore's shelf behind.
"Amortha Brenn, that boy, I remember quite well--"
The tattered and crumpled wizard's hat on the shelf shook its pointed tip slowly, saying,
"He was probably the most difficult child I have seen in a thousand years. A small body, but with an unimaginable mature mind, it was really hard, really hard..."
The Divination Hat's words sparked Dumbledore's great interest, and he turned to face the Hat, speaking with great enthusiasm.
"Can you elaborate on that?"
"No problem, Headmaster Dumbledore," the Sorting Hat mumbled in a drowsy tone.
"As we all know, the four Founders valued different qualities. Gentlemen, over the centuries, I have peered into the souls of countless young witches and wizards. The vast majority of children are easy to understand; it doesn't take much effort to send them where they belong... There are some who are more difficult, such as Harry Potter, who would be a great asset to both Slytherin and Gryffindor and have an unlimited future... But even Harry Potter cannot compare to Amortha Brenn."
"What do you mean?"
Dumbledore's curiosity grew stronger. He realized he had made a mistake, always trying to see through Amortha Brenn's layers of deception to understand his soul, but he had overlooked the chance he already had to experience the real Amortha Brenn.
"Very interesting, quite rare... Oh, unprecedented, Headmasters..."
The Sorting Hat chuckled.
"The bravery that Gryffindor looks for, the wisdom that Ravenclaw values, the kindness that Hufflepuff cherishes, and the ambition that Slytherin relies on... He possesses all of them, Headmasters. Amortha Brenn has everything. It's amazing! Headmaster Dumbledore, if Potter could draw the Gryffindor Sword from me and prove himself to be a true descendant of Gryffindor, then Amortha Brenn should be called a true descendant of Hogwarts! He possesses all the qualities valued by the Founders!"
The room fell silent after the Sorting Hat's speech.
"...all the qualities valued by the four Founders..."
Dumbledore was also surprised, his eyes empty, muttering softly.
"Yes, this is indeed a shock."
"But, didn't you put him in Slytherin?"
Again, the one with the lowest tolerance for evil, Armando Dippet, spoke sharply, "This means that ambition always takes precedence in that guy's mind!"
"Not so, esteemed Professor Dippet--"
The Sorting Hat once again refuted Armando's words, chuckling hoarsely with a slow and deliberate voice.
"I was talking about that time, when a Muggle-born child first enters the wonderful world of magic. He needs ambition, a desire for power to protect himself from harm... But this does not mean that ambition dominates his soul. He chose Slytherin only because of the circumstances at that time. Gentlemen, if the child were to be sorted today, he could go anywhere."
Reading Room
