At the edge of the water stood one lone figure beneath an invisibility cloak.
Alexander was holding a very unhappy passenger under his arm.
The shores of the Black Lake were quiet except for the soft ripple of water.
Somewhere nearby, hidden in the reeds, a certain poltergeist hovered upside-down with a camera, barely containing his laughter.
Peeves was documenting everything.
Alexander removed his cloak and set it aside.
He placed the Sorting Hat on a flat rock.
The hat immediately began pleading.
"Please! Let me go! They finally restored my shape... do you know how long it took to look dignified again?"
Alexander crouched, inspecting it closely.
"Oh, you do look better," he admitted thoughtfully. "Less… crumpled."
The hat sighed in relief.
"But," Alexander added, rolling up his sleeves slightly, "let me help you wash up a bit more."
Before the hat could protest, Alexander dipped it gently into the lake water.
He was gently washing the hat this time, instead of violently drowning the hat like last time.
The hat realized what was happening.
"W-Wait!... That's cold!"
Alexander leaned closer, voice dropping to a playful whisper.
"Oh dear hat… let's wash away all that old prejudice, shall we?"
He lifted it back up.
Water dripped from the brim.
"So," Alexander asked calmly, "learn anything?"
The Sorting Hat tried very hard to compose itself.
"Yes. Absolutely. Enlightened. Reformed. Entirely not Racist."
Alexander tilted his head.
"Oh? So you admit you were Racist before?"
The hat froze.
"…That is not what I—"
Back into the water it went.
This time, only briefly.
Alexander pulled out a bar of enchanted soap from his robe.
"Deep cleansing," he said cheerfully.
He scrubbed the hat's surface with his hands.
After a few minutes, he said.
"I am a wizard. Why am I using my hands?"
He took out his wand.
"Scourgify"
The spell hit the bar of soap.
The bar of soap started to quickly and roughly scrub the Sorting Hat.
Alexander nodded in approval.
"Good, centuries of questionable judgment residue."
"See, I told you, you were racist. Look at all of the grim and dirt coming off of you."
He pulled out a second soap bar.
"Double cleanse."
He cast scourgify again, this time the bar of soap went right into the Sorting Hat's mouth.
Alexander laughed and said.
"Yeah, we have to make sure to clean that dirty mouth of yours, too!"
That did it, the Sorting Hat lost control.
"STOP... IT!" the hat shouted. "I HAVE... HAD... ENOUGH!"
Alexander paused and tilted his head.
"Oh? Done pretending then?"
The hat grumbled but said nothing further.
After a few minutes of scrubbing it down with soap.
He put away the bars of soap.
Alexander rinsed it once more before setting it back on the rock.
"Relax," he said. "If I wanted to destroy you, I wouldn't be cleaning you."
Peeves' camera flashed somewhere in the dark.
Quietly laughing as he enjoyed the little show.
The Sorting Hat thought it was, but then Alexander started to stomp on the Racist Hat.
Shouting, "DIE RACIST HAT! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
The hat kept crying for help, but no one came to help.
Once Alexander was exhausted.
He placed a Silencing Charm on the hat and tossed his cloak back on.
"Reformation isn't finished," he murmured. "We'll continue later."
He hurried back through hidden passages, slipping into Ravenclaw Tower undetected.
Inside his dormitory, he entered his briefcase.
As he stepped out of his cabin, two house attendants approached — Silver and Copper.
"Good evening, Young Master," They both greeted.
"Why are you awake at this hour?" Silver asked.
"Perfect timing," Alexander said. "Follow me."
They did.
He led them to the enchanted chicken coop.
He placed the damp, grumpy Sorting Hat on a wooden post.
Silver and Copper exchanged confused looks.
"Young Master…?"
Alexander folded his arms.
"From now on, this hat is a training target."
The hat tried to protest, but the Silencing Charm muffled it.
"The chickens need to learn to peck-on-command discipline," Alexander continued. "Use the Racist Hat as the target. If damaged, use Repario."
Silver was confused but still said.
"As you wish."
"If it gets too noisy," Alexander added casually, "cast Silencio or drown it in the water feed."
Copper nodded.
They had never seen their young master so… personally invested in a lesson before.
But they trusted his judgment.
Alexander looked at the hat one last time.
With a proud look on his face, he said.
"I'll reform you and educate you properly this time."
The hat wiggled in protest.
Alexander smirked, tapped the brim once, then turned away.
"Goodnight."
He got out of the briefcase, showered, changed, and lay down.
Sleep came easily.
His last waking thought drifted somewhere between mischief and satisfaction.
Tormenting the Racist Hat has only begun.