Harry headed towards the Gryffindor table amidst a wave of cheers.
Harry, who had no doubt that he was the disciple of the greatest wizard in the world, was able to enjoy the countless expectations pouring down on him without feeling burdened.
Because Harry believed that he was a person worthy of such cheers.
I watched him with a fond expression.
When I first met him, he was a timid child with almost no self-esteem to speak of, but now he was confidently facing the world on his own.
Albus, too, must have noticed Harry's change, as he was watching Harry fondly from the center of the staff table.
Only after the murmuring, which had grown loud with Harry's appearance, had subsided did Professor McGonagall call the next person.
"...Potter, Aisen!"
An expression of momentary doubt, as if she had misread the name, flashed across McGonagall's face.
She was sure that the Potter family, with the exception of Harry, had been all but wiped out.
Where did another Potter come from?
That question was not McGonagall's alone.
The professors, the students, anyone with a keen interest in wizarding families, all began to murmur in surprise.
I walked forward, using the murmurs as background music.
Seeing the Sorting Hat placed on the chair, I felt a renewed sense of nostalgia.
The hat, which had become even more tattered over the hundred years. And yet, its voice was the same.
Feeling as if I had returned to being a child—of course, I had actually returned to being a child—I once again placed the Sorting Hat on my head.
'Hello? Been a while, hasn't it?'
"Oh, dear. So you really came, Aisen Knightly. The Headmaster has clearly gone senile! Hmm, no. Should I call you Aisen Potter now?"
'Call me whatever you're comfortable with. You know everything anyway, right?'
"If you're going to say that, wouldn't you at least release your Occlumency so I can see into your mind?"
Ah. The way this magic hat sorts students is, after all, through the power of Legilimency.
Naturally, a situation where a mere first-year could use the mental defense magic of Occlumency was unheard of. But unfortunately for it, this was my second time at Hogwarts.
In other words, unlike the other students, I was in a situation where I had the upper hand, advantage-wise, against this magic Sorting Hat.
In that moment, a magical curiosity began to sprout in my mind. If a non-living tool has memories, would Legilimency work on it?
Hiding that desire from the hat using Occlumency, I spoke to it, feigning nonchalance.
'I've already been sorted once, haven't I? How about you just send me to Gryffindor without looking into my mind again?'
"Well. The one I sent to Gryffindor was 'Aisen Knightly,' but the you of now is 'Aisen Potter,' is it not? Perhaps the current Aisen Potter would be better suited to a different house than Gryffindor."
This hat. I should just tear it to pieces.
Suppressing a surge of anger, I gently coaxed the hat.
'Alright, then I'll release my Occlumency for a moment, so you can judge again.'
And, the moment I released my Occlumency, I could feel the hat's Legilimency spell scanning my memories.
Paradoxically, the moment a Legilimens is most vulnerable is the very moment they are using Legilimency.
'Legilimens.'
My eyes flashing, I used Legilimency in reverse on the hat and delved inside.
Towards the very moment the hat was created.
Towards the memories of the four great founders.
The hat's memories were vast. The hat, which had looked into the minds of students for nearly a thousand years, was overflowing with memories.
An ordinary Legilimens would probably have been crushed by the sheer volume of memories and lost themselves, but I was different.
Pushing aside the memories that rushed in, one by one, I went back towards the deepest memory.
And, at a certain moment, I was able to reach the memory I wanted.
A wizard with a sword, a wizard with a locket around his neck. A witch wearing a diadem, a witch drinking wine from a cup.
For a moment, I was able to see them casting a spell on an old hat.
The moment I engraved the high-level application of magic, which even I couldn't help but admire, into my mind without missing a single detail.
I felt my consciousness being flung back outside.
"Ugh."
With a low groan, I returned to reality and almost stumbled, even though I was sitting on the chair.
The hat roared in my mind.
"How dare you search my memories in reverse! Aisen, you are—"
I quickly placed my hand on the Elder Wand hidden in my robes. If the sorting gets messed up, the next four years will be a pain.
'Obliviate!'
And, from the hat's memory, the fact that I had looked into its memories was completely erased.
Using a memory-erasing charm on a non-living magical object. It would have been difficult a moment ago, but now that I had seen the process of the founders creating the hat, it was possible.
The structure of an artificially created mind was quite different from that of a human, but now that I had seen its structure, modifying the direction of a spell was an easy task for me.
"...Hmm, what was I doing? Anyway, Aisen, you haven't changed much! The courage to kill your enemies without mercy, the confidence that rules and regulations cannot bind you! As expected, you are..."
"GRYFFINDOR!!"
After nearly five minutes of deliberation, the hat's shout made the Gryffindor table cheer once again.
Two red-haired male students who looked like twins shouted in turn.
"We got Potter! Potter is a Gryffindor!"
"Both Harry and Aisen, the Potters are ours!"
I almost didn't get into Gryffindor because my curiosity got the better of me and I got greedy.
I let out a sigh of relief and headed towards the Gryffindor table.
No, wait. Since I have the courage to take such a risk, wouldn't it have sent me to Gryffindor even if I hadn't tampered with its memory?
I smiled and sat down next to Harry.
"You look happy, Master."
"I had a lot of good harvests."
Not only did I make various high-level magics my own, but there was a very interesting fact among the memories I saw with Legilimency.
I looked at the magic Sorting Hat, which was now on another person's head, with sparkling eyes.
So, another founder's relic is inside that hat.
A little while later, after the speech by the completely beardless Dumbledore—it was mostly about where not to go, so I didn't pay much attention—we headed to our dormitory.
On the way, familiar faces who knew me, mostly portraits and ghosts, looked at me with a startled expression, so I put a finger to my lips.
They saw my 'shh' gesture and nodded as if they understood the situation and went on their way.
I wonder if there have been other cases of someone entering Hogwarts twice besides me.
Well, there were occasional students who transferred in as fifth-years, so maybe there were cases of someone enrolling twice.
Anyway. We entered the dormitory and were assigned beds according to the guidance of the prefect, a Weasley.
Whether by chance or by fate. The bed I was assigned was, amazingly, the very same bed I had used in the past.
Perhaps as a consideration for us both being Potters, the bed right next to mine was taken by Harry.
"Alright, everyone, let's get to bed! Classes start tomorrow, so it would be good to get to sleep early!"
Percy Weasley turned off the lights and left with the words to go to sleep.
Squeak-squeak!
After watching Scabbers cry and burrow into Ron's bed for a moment, I nudged the lying Harry and said.
"Harry, let's go for a night stroll. I need to explore Hogwarts."
"Uh, are we allowed to leave the dormitory at night?"
At Harry's question, I thought for a moment. Are we not... allowed? At least, I seem to remember always wandering around Hogwarts at night.
I shrugged and said.
"It should be fine as long as we don't go into places like the Prefects' bathroom or the staff wing. And even if it's not allowed, do we really need to follow that rule?"
Hmm. Indeed. Harry nodded his head in agreement as if to say, "that's a good point."
Harry asked me.
"But, where are you going?"
I grinned and said.
"My old hideouts."
I need to go and get them ready.
"Ah, just in case, bring the Invisibility Cloak. Let's wear it."
"Okay."
Harry took out the Invisibility Cloak, which had been neatly folded and kept in his robes, and put it on.
Harry, who had become invisible in an instant. I couldn't hide my admiration for its perfection.
No matter how much one uses an Invisibility Charm, imperfections such as a strange shimmer of light are bound to remain.
This was not due to the lack of skill of the wizard casting the spell, but due to the limitation of the Invisibility Charm itself.
Because if it were to completely transmit light, the caster of the spell would also be unable to see ahead.
But that Invisibility Cloak was on a different level. If it weren't for the sound of his footsteps, it would be absolutely impossible to notice him unless one was already on guard.
Indeed, a Deathly Hallow. As I was admiring it, Harry asked me.
"Uh, Master? Do you want to use it together? It seems to be big enough to cover both of us."
"No, it's fine. I can just use an Invisibility Charm, so don't worry. And besides, that's a Potter family heirloom, right? Use it sparingly."
"But, right now, you're a 'Potter' too, Master."
Harry grinned as if he had landed a good one. When did his wit get so sharp?
"Alright, well. If you insist, let's use it together."
It wouldn't be polite to refuse when he's offering so insistently. There was the inconvenience of having to match our steps, but my desire to use a Deathly Hallow for once was greater.
We put on the Invisibility Cloak together and left the dormitory door. The Fat Lady's portrait was momentarily surprised, but it wasn't a big problem.
Harry, who was following closely behind me as I took the lead, said.
"Wow, the castle is really tall."
"How many students live here? Of course it has to be big. This way. We're going to the Astronomy Wing now."
We were able to reach the eighth-floor corridor of the Astronomy Wing without encountering anyone.
After arriving in front of the huge tapestry on the corridor, 'The Tapestry of the Foolish Barnabas Teaching Trolls Ballet,' I said to Harry.
"Harry, this is the Room of Requirement."
"This is it? But there's nothing here."
I didn't answer, closed my eyes, and thought.
Give me my hideout. Give me my hideout. Give me my hideout.
After pacing the corridor for a moment while thinking it three times, I opened my eyes, and there was a door.
Harry said in surprise.
"Wow, how did you do that?"
"If you walk past the wall three times while thinking of what you need, a door will appear. My old Deputy Headmistress taught me."
"Your old Deputy Headmistress? Then, the Deputy Headmistress from a hundred years ago?"
"That's right. For the record, she was also a Weasley."
"Aha, a Weasley! So that's why you made that face when you heard Ron's last name on the train!"
"Weasleys have always been one of two things. Either a troublemaker, or a model student."
Come to think of it, the Headmaster is always an eccentric person, and the Deputy Head is the strict one.
Looking at the current Headmaster and Deputy, Albus and Professor McGonagall, it was the same.
In any case, Harry and I entered the Room of Requirement.
Entering the room, I let out a low gasp of admiration.
"Hah. It hasn't changed at all."
The Room of Requirement that spread out before me hadn't changed a bit from the room I had used during my school days.
Perhaps because it was a Room of Requirement that had been customized solely to 'my needs.'
I snapped my fingers and called for Deek.
"Deek, come here!"
The anti-Apparition charm of Hogwarts did not apply to house-elves. Deek, who had appeared with a pop, looked around and said.
"Oh, Master! This is a very familiar place."
"Right? I think you guys can stay here for a while. What do you think?"
"That's a very good idea! I'll bring Ardeura and Hedwig here later!"
As I slowly looked around, I saw that the potion pot I had made and the flower pots where I had grown magical plants were all still there.
Though the plants in the pots had all withered and died, I could just grow new ones.
Good. If this much equipment is already in place, it will reduce my work by a lot.
"Master, what are you going to do here?"
I smiled refreshingly and said to Harry.
"I'm going to have to do something that will give Albus a headache."
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore, who was stroking his smooth chin in the mirror, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
For a great archmage like Dumbledore, such a 'sign' was no small matter. Muggles would just dismiss it as a feeling, but this was the wizarding world, where things like 'jinxes' actually existed.
And, recently, there was only one person who could bring such worries upon Dumbledore.
Though thanks to that one person, all his worries in other areas had disappeared.
In any case, Dumbledore sighed and put a hand to his head.
"Sir. What are you plotting now."