Leon's first task for the new employee was to fetch the Sorting Hat from Dumbledore's office.
He wasn't sure how Lockhart pulled it off, but before Leon had even flipped through ten pages of his memory charm notes, Lockhart was back with the Sorting Hat in tow.
"…"
Was it really that easy?
Leon had spent ages concocting multiple elaborate plans, only for the first attempt to work like a charm.
Oh well, sometimes the simplest approach was the most effective.
With the Sorting Hat secured, Lockhart's usefulness was spent. Leon sent him off to brainstorm promotional ideas for his new shampoo brand, GG, handing him a stack of Muggle fashion magazines to craft a fresh image.
Leon found an empty classroom nearby and sat down with the Sorting Hat to discuss record production.
He made an offer: help Lockhart produce a record, and in return, Leon would fund a record for the Sorting Hat itself.
Only a hat would agree to such a deal—essentially working for free with a bonus thrown in. After all, a hat couldn't eat or drink; its only passion was music. With just one performance a year, its creative energy had nowhere to go, and it was bursting at the seams.
Now, with a whole album's worth of songs to create, the Sorting Hat was over the moon.
Taking advantage of its good mood, Leon dove into conversation—about Godric Gryffindor, the founding and growth of Hogwarts, and the eventual falling-out between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Then, with a mischievous glint, Leon asked, "With all the headmasters Hogwarts has had, who's your favorite?"
The Sorting Hat, ever diplomatic, didn't miss a beat. "Dumbledore, of course!"
Leon chuckled. "Even a hat plays the social game, huh?"
The Sorting Hat sighed dramatically. "Humans don't understand the struggles of a hat."
Seizing the moment, Leon steered the conversation to Dumbledore's student days.
The Sorting Hat turned into a full-on fan, gushing about Dumbledore being a once-in-a-century genius. A campus legend as a student, the most popular professor, and the best headmaster Hogwarts ever had. Brilliant, powerful, kind, charming, good-looking—the only flaw was his obsession with sweets.
Leon, playing the part of an awestruck Gryffindor, leaned in eagerly. "The Chocolate Frog card says Dumbledore defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, but I've scoured every book and record, and there's nothing about how it happened. I asked older wizards, and all they know is that Dumbledore went to duel Grindelwald, his dark forces collapsed, and Europe was saved. No one knows the details. Sorting Hat, you were around back then—can you tell me what happened? I'm dying to know how epic that duel was!"
The Sorting Hat, oblivious to any ulterior motives, eagerly obliged. "You're asking the right hat! I was there!
"Back then, Grindelwald's power was so immense he practically ruled Europe. Dumbledore went into that duel ready to die, fully armed with everything he could bring—including me! I may not have offensive magic, but in a pinch, I can summon the Sword of Gryffindor. So, off we went to face the fight.
"Everyone was hopeless, me and Dumbledore included. We were prepared to die. The duel was supposed to happen at Grindelwald's stronghold, but on the day of, Grindelwald showed up in London first.
"Since outsiders can't enter Hogwarts, he sent word to Dumbledore, proposing they meet at the Leaky Cauldron to 'talk.'
"Dumbledore knew it was probably a trap but had no choice. So, he geared up, brought me along, and headed to the Leaky Cauldron.
"AndGAR, guess what happened?"
Leon played along, wide-eyed. "What?"
The Sorting Hat was practically bouncing with excitement. "Grindelwald surrendered!
"Before the fight even started, he was overwhelmed by Dumbledore's sheer presence! Shaking in his boots, terrified, he threw up his hands and begged for mercy!
"He disbanded his entire movement, the Wizarding Purity Party, right then and there. Everyone scattered, off to tend sheep or whatever. Grindelwald handed over his wand to Dumbledore—a gesture of total submission for a wizard.
"But it gets crazier. He and Dumbledore made a new blood pact, where Grindelwald swore to abandon his cause, never meddle in wizarding affairs, never use a wand again, and live in obscurity.
"In exchange, he walked free, unpunished, but his days as a wizard were over. No longer a threat.
"And just like that, Europe was saved! Dumbledore saved the wizarding world!"
The Sorting Hat's passionate tale ended, leaving the classroom silent.
So that's how it went down, Leon thought, his suspicions about Grindelwald confirmed.
"Ahem, hello? I'm done here! No applause?" The Sorting Hat sounded a bit miffed, assuming Leon was just too engrossed to react.
"Oh, wow, that was incredible!" Leon clapped enthusiastically. "You're a master storyteller, Sorting Hat! If you wrote a book, it'd outsell Lockhart's entire collection! I could listen to you forever—tell me more!"
The Sorting Hat practically blushed. "Oh, come on, it's not that big a deal. The negotiations dragged on forever, and I got bored and started working on next year's song lyrics."
Leon pressed for details. "Who initiated the duel? And who picked the location?"
The Sorting Hat, in high spirits, answered readily. "A few years earlier, Dumbledore challenged Grindelwald to a formal duel to settle their feud the wizarding way.
"Dumbledore's plan was to overpower Grindelwald and lock him up for good, ending his reign of terror. But Grindelwald ignored the challenge until 1945, when he suddenly agreed.
"He chose the location—his fortress, Nurmengard. A nasty move! Even if Dumbledore won there, escaping would've been nearly impossible."
"So Dumbledore originally planned to lock Grindelwald up for life?" Leon asked softly.
"Exactly! Who could've predicted a dark wizard at the height of his power would just give it all up? That's how incredible Dumbledore was—convincing him to surrender without a fight!"
The Sorting Hat was practically a Dumbledore fanboy—er, fan-hat—blindly praising his every move.
"If Dumbledore was so wary of Grindelwald, why let him go free? Did he really believe a blood pact could restrain someone that powerful and dangerous? Wasn't he worried Grindelwald would cause trouble again?"
The Sorting Hat, wise from a millennium of existence, had an answer. "Grindelwald was a top-tier wizard, sure, but even he had limits. One wizard, no matter how strong, could be taken down. Ten powerful wizards could do it. If not, a hundred or a thousand would.
"Grindelwald's real strength was his charisma—his ability to rally thousands to his cause and spark a war with a single call. But when he dissolved his movement, that power vanished."
Leon had his answers, but a new question arose: Was Gellert Grindelwald a reborn soul?