The Sorting Ceremony ended, but Harry and Ron still hadn't come back.
Sean was starting to worry a little—surely they didn't get themselves smashed by the Whomping Willow…
That tree was known for having a terrible temper.
But aside from that, what Sean cared about most was Ginny.
She was carrying a notebook written fifty years ago—the very beginning of the Chamber of Secrets incident.
Sean had absolutely zero intention of touching Tom Riddle's diary.
Horcruxes were always described as objects that ensured Voldemort's immortality, but the diary's abilities went far beyond that.
It could erode a wizard's soul and resurrect itself. Now that Sean possessed a Soul Relic, he was even more cautious.
This Horcrux, torn from Voldemort many years ago, was anything but simple. Sean could always sense a faint trace of malice—and the troublesome part was that the other side might sense him as well.
Sean already knew Riddle's diary carried a certain seductive influence. It could "feed on the wizard's most hidden fears and deepest secrets, growing hungrier and stronger."
He didn't dare underestimate it.
Even Dumbledore himself admitted, "Voldemort possesses powers I will never have."
So caution, striking quickly, killing the basilisk, and then using its fang to destroy the diary—that was Sean's plan.
That day would arrive soon, so there was no need to rush.
At the Gryffindor table, the students were buzzing with excitement.
"Behold," Fred said dramatically, "the great Mr. Green, watching over his devoted followers—"
"Our lord's radiance shines upon us," George added with mock reverence.
"It's strange," Hermione muttered, frowning. "Almost nothing pulls Sean's attention away from a book. What could he possibly be staring at three times in a row?"
"Harry and Ron!" she suddenly gasped.
She had completely forgotten after Sean told her, "They'll be fine."
…
Near the end of the Sorting Ceremony, Dumbledore and the professors abruptly rushed out of the hall, as if they'd received urgent news.
The young wizards exploded with speculation. Some said Hogwarts had been invaded—by a flying car. Others whispered that thieves had broken in and were trying to steal the Whomping Willow—though no one believed that. Even Neville, the clumsiest student, wouldn't dare take a swing at that tree.
"Hey!" Hermione snapped.
Everyone immediately apologized to Neville.
Members of the Hope Hut gathered nervously.
"Sean, are you absolutely sure?" Hermione stabbed at her bread so hard it was turning into cheese.
"They'll be fine," Sean reassured her. After Dumbledore left the hall, he felt no worry at all.
Now he was watching the Sorting Hat with a look he'd never given it before.
The hat twitched its frayed brim nervously.
Someone was staring at it… with very unsettling intent.
Who?
It turned left, then right, until its gaze met a pair of calm green eyes. After only a moment, the hat jerked away stiffly.
"Old Hat should've known… just like Ravenclaw… holding grudges… Old Hat needs to hide…"
The ceremony ended with a flustered Dumbledore rushing back inside.
Excited chatter filled the hall as students headed to their dorms. First-years followed their prefects, gasping every few seconds at whatever wild stories the older students fed them.
When the hall had mostly emptied, Sean and the others finally saw Professor McGonagall, who was doing her absolute best to contain her fury. Behind her, Harry and Ron trembled.
"You will eat here. And then go straight to your dormitories!"
With that, she raised her wand. In a flash, a large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared on the table.
She was livid.
"I thought we were going to be expelled!" Ron groaned, grabbing a sandwich.
"Me too," Harry admitted.
"You two!" Hermione stormed over. "Where were you? Everyone's been gossiping—ridiculous things! They said you took a flying car and got expelled!"
"We weren't expelled," Harry reassured her.
"Wait—you mean you really flew here?" Hermione's voice was rising dangerously.
But before she could explode, the gathered Gryffindors erupted into applause.
"Amazing!" Lee Jordan shouted.
"What an entrance! Crashed a flying car into the Whomping Willow—people will talk about that for years!"
"Well done," said a fifth-year who had never spoken to Harry before.
Others slapped Harry on the back like he'd just won a marathon.
Fred and George shoved forward.
"Why didn't you bring us along?!"
Seeing the boys were fine, Sean quietly left—he needed to visit the headmaster's office.
Justin walked beside him, glancing at Harry's uneasy expression.
"Harry must be in trouble again."
"Mm." Sean nodded.
"The Boy Who Lived, the one who defeated You-Know-Who, the famous one…" Justin sighed.
"My mother says all gifts from fate come with a price tag hidden somewhere."
His voice drifted away with the cold night wind. The sky was pitch black, like something heavy pressed upon the mountains themselves, hiding the faintly swaying branches.
…
The headmaster's office was empty.
Sean knocked, waited—and then the door opened by itself.
He stepped inside naturally and approached the desk.
On the shelf behind it sat a ragged, wrinkled wizard hat—the Sorting Hat.
Sean walked around the desk and picked it up, as if lost in thought.
"Beautiful Ravenclaw, from the quiet riverbank…"
The Sorting Hat suddenly trembled and began singing.
Unbelievable. Dumbledore just walked away at a time like this. The stone gargoyles didn't stop the boy. Even the door didn't stop him—it opened by itself!
Was Hogwarts really handing over such important property… to a student?
"Relax, Mr. Sorting Hat," Sean said, smiling. It seemed Dumbledore didn't mind him doing whatever he was about to do.
"For the first time in centuries, Old Hat owes Ravenclaw a favor… What do you want? Or what are you trying to find, little wizard?"
The Sorting Hat sighed helplessly.