The other professors had already left. Only Snape, Dumbledore, and Magall remained in the Great Hall. The S Hat's heart-wreng cries eventually softened Dumbledore's heart.

  "Professor Snape, as the S Hat said, it is one of Hogwarts' treasured possessions. None of us have the right to damage it age in any other... as."

  Dumbledore never addressed anyone by their first name when others were present.

  He had inally po take So visit the poor student who had fainted earlier. Uedly, while he was adjusting his beard, Snape had already id hands on the S Hat.

  To be ho, Snape's current behavior, in Dumbledore's view, wasirely bad. At least it proved that Ian held some signifi Snape's heart.

  This was a bond that could pull Snape back from the brink of the abyss.

  "I just want to take the S Hat for a bath." Snape tio hold the S Hat and spoke with almost a bnk expression on his face.

  "A dung pit is no bath! Let me go! You vile old bat!" The S Hat screamed.

  "I think you should talk less." Professonagall, seeing Snape's expression darken, quickly made a sileng gesture toward the S Hat.

  "Hmph, old bat, is it? Not even Merlin could save you today." Snape said as he prepared to take the S Hat toward the bathroom.

  Dumbledore raised his hand, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  "Dumbledore! Save me! Magall!"

  "I watched you grow up! Save me!"

  The S Hat wale but had no ability to do so.

  "It's Ian! It's Ian! I want to tattle! It was that young wizard who called you that! I was just copying him!" The S Hat, seeing the detting closer, finally couldn't hold back.

  ‘It had bee a traitor.’

  However, a thousand years of existence seemed not to have taught it the cost of betrayal— Snape's face grew even darker, and his steps quied.

  "The's take you to Ravencw's dung pit for a bath."

  Sone grew icy.

  "No!!!!"

  The S Hat let out a despairing scream.

  "Alright, Professor Snape, o scare it anymore," Dumbledore spoke with a tone of helplessness. Fag Snape, he also felt a bit guilty.

  After all, he was the one who initially promised that Ian would be pced in Slytherin.

  ‘Who would have thought? No matter how he observed, Ian seemed like a standard Slytherin.’

  How did he end up in Ravencw? He had evely instructed the S Hat st night to give Ian special sideratiohe child was still sorted into another house— Dumbledore, of course, trusted the S Hat's judgment, but Snape clearly wasn't happy with this oute.

  "I'm not joking with it."

  Though Snape said this, he still stopped in his tracks.

  Dumbledore quickly spoke up, "Give the S Hat some time. I believe it provide a ving reason. After all, it has never made a wrong judgment in a thousand years."

  The old headmaster's words made Professonagall nod in agreement.

  "Interfering with the S Hat's work is already aep." Professonagall was a dedicated professor. Since being a professor, she had restrained her Gryffindor nature for many years.

  "Exactly! I never make mistakes!" The S Hat loudly defeself.

  "I only believe what I see. Slytherin would bring him glory. He was born to be a Slytherin." Snape recalled several meetings with Ian.

  Whether it was at the orphanage or the dug-up floor in Hogsmeade, Ian's many words and as tinuously proved to Shat Ian should be a student of his house and he would have thrived.

  ‘Ambition, ing, strong will, and an uanding of glory.’

  In these precise traits, Snape felt that even without any bias, he would sider Ian more outstanding than most Slytherin students he had taught.

  Such obvious traits!

  Where else could he go but Slytherin? Look at the students sorted into Slytherin this year!

  Eae is more mediocre tha!

  ‘The Grindelwald kid aside, the others were simply the worst batch of Slytherins he had ever seen! Among them was even a coward who fainted from excitement! Fainted from excitement! Shouldn't such a person be sent to Gryffindor?’ The more Shought about it, the angrier he became.

  He felt the S Hat was deliberately trying to annoy him. Even the Grindelwald kid had been fooled. How could such a ing Ian not be a Slytherin?

  "Silence won't save you."

  Snape lifted the S Hat by its tip, his tone icy as he raised it high.

  "I'm just thinking! Thinking about how to expin to you how special that little boy you fancy really is!" The S Hat's tone carried a hint of stubbornness, though it was g in fidence.

  "I'm listening, but if yoing to say he's smart, clever, wise, fair, learned, and visionary, I'm sure I find a way to make the smell of the dung pit linger on you forever." Snape sneered.

  He was well aware of the traits of students in each house.

  "No! You 't do that! Dumbledore, say something, you are the Headmaster f out loud!" The S Hat's expression grew even more terrified. It possessed intelligeno less than a human's. Some even said Gryffindor had left a fragment of his soul within it.

  These were, of course, rumors without evidence. But ohing was certain: the S Hat truly uood the weight of a Potions Master’s words.

  "Dumbledore 't save you. It seems you really io fool me." Snape's face was dark when he heard the S Hat.

  pared to the young wizards of various houses, as a professor, he naturally uood some of the S rules. In fact, the young wizards themselves had a bit of a say in their future house.

  As long as they possessed some corresponding qualities, the S Hat would sider the young wizard's request. In Snape's view, every drop of Ian's blood should have been marked with the Slytherin emblem.

  Even if Ian truly possessed Ravencw qualities, s him into Slytherin would still be entirely reasonable.

  "Of course not! Definitely not! If it were just that ordinary, why wouldn't I accept your request? I would have thrown that young wizard into the Slytherin house!"

  Even simple fttery was within the S Hat's capabilities, a testament to its wisdom. Of course, this might also be a quick wit born from Snape's relentless pressure.

  "But he went to Ravencw." Snape's cold smile carried a cruel edge.

  "Because Ravencw is the most suitable house for him!" The S Hat quickly screamed, "No one is more suited to Ravencw than him. I've waited a thousand years to find Ravencw's heir, a missiorusted to me by Gryffindor!"

  His words did not satisfy Snape.

  (To Be tinued)

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