There are a few things in Hogwarts that are considered ancient, wise, and absolutely unshakable.
One of them is the Sorting Hat.
Crafted over a thousand years ago, this enchanted hat has sorted every student into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. It has seen ambition, loyalty, courage, and wit. It has even rapped once.
But it had never seen anyone like Aarav.
---
šŖ Morning Drama at the Sorting Ceremony
The next morning, Aarav walked into the Great Hall ten minutes late, sipping filter coffee from a floating clay kulhad. Students had already gathered, house tables buzzing with energy.
He wore his new enchanted robes, which shimmered between orange, maroon, and peacock green depending on his mood. Right now, they pulsed a calm chiku-brown of indifference.
"Glad you could join us, Mr. Aarav," McGonagall said tightly.
"Traffic in the time-space continuum," he replied, sipping again.
"Take a seat. Sorting first."
"I prefer to stand. More energy flow."
He floated up in a casual lotus pose, levitating in front of the Sorting Hat like he was about to drop a spiritual TED Talk.
---
š© The Hat Makes Contact
The Sorting Hat was placed on the stool by Professor Flitwick with reverence. It twitched slightly, as it always did before a new student.
"Come now, boy," it said. "Let's see what we've got in hereā¦"
The moment it touched Aarav's head, everything paused.
The enchanted ceiling flickered. The hat began trembling. Magical instruments in nearby classrooms exploded.
And thenā
> "WHAT. ARE. YOU?!"
the Sorting Hat shouted telepathically inside Aarav's head.
---
š§ Inside the Hat: Chaos
Usually, the Sorting Hat simply peeked into a student's mind, examined a few memories, and made its call.
But Aarav's mind wasn't a room.
It was an entire cosmic library, lined with scrolls, Vedas, floating akashic tablets, musical instruments, and glowing lotus fields.
One scroll unrolled itself, displaying an image of Aarav feeding jalebis to Lord Ganesha.
Another showed him casually hovering above the Himalayas, high-fiving Hanuman.
Another had Shiva laughing at one of his WhatsApp forwards.
The Hat panicked.
> "You're not a student. You're a walking fusion of the Puranas and chill energy. What even are your house traits?!"
> "All of them, I guess?" Aarav replied mentally. "Also, I make excellent parathas."
The Hat flipped through his memories frantically:
Bravery? āļø Carried a cobra out of his cousin's bathroom.
Wit? āļø Outsmarted a Rakshasa by convincing it to become a motivational speaker.
Loyalty? āļø Gave his last Maggi packet to a crying junior in school.
Ambition? āļø Wants to make a floating tea stall franchise.
> "This isā¦ too much," the Hat whispered. "You defy all labels."
> "You could make me my own house?" Aarav suggested. "Call itā¦ Chillendra House."
The Sorting Hat twitched. "I don'tā¦ create new houses. That's notā¦ protocol!"
And thenā¦
> BOOM!
The hat burst into flowers.
Marigolds. Jasmine. Lotus petals. Everywhere.
---
š² In the Great Hall: Pandemonium
Gasps filled the hall.
First years screamed.
Even ghosts jumped.
Professor McGonagall stood, eyes wide.
"WHAT just happened?!"
"Did he destroy the Sorting Hat?" a Ravenclaw whispered.
"He blessed it," said a dazed Hufflepuff.
Flitwick rushed to examine the stool.
"Itā¦ it's not gone. It justā¦ ascended."
Petals swirled gently into the air. A faint chant of "Om Namah Sortingaya" echoed around the room.
Aarav dusted off his shoulder and floated back to the ground.
"Soā¦ where should I sit?"
---
š” The New House (Sort of)
After a very long, very awkward staff meetingācomplete with a projection of Aarav's chakra map and a debate on "Can divine beings be enrolled in school?"āit was decided:
Aarav would be given a personal suite inside the Room of Requirement, enchanted to shift its appearance based on his mood and snack cravings.
"Technically," McGonagall sighed, "He is not in any house. He isā¦ Hogwarts-adjacent."
The students began calling it "House Aarav."
Some said it was cooler than Gryffindor.
Others said its entrance only opened if you told a joke and held a cup of tea.
---
š The Room That Vibes
His room (Room of Requirement 2.0) was decorated as follows:
A levitating hammock that played lo-fi bhajans.
Walls that changed color depending on his mood.
A mini havan area that doubled as a noodle bar.
A whiteboard that scribbled Sanskrit memes on its own.
Outside the door was a sign:
> "If I'm not inside, I'm probably in the lake. Or the sky. Or both."
---
š¬ Student Reactions
By dinner, Hogwarts was buzzing:
"He's like a crossover between Buddha and Iron Man."
"I saw him meditating on a floating banana leaf."
"He told Professor Sprout her plants need better karma."
Even Peeves, the ghost prankster, was impressed.
He left a banner in the hallway that read:
> "Hats off to the Hat-Destroyer!"
---
š Later That Night...
Aarav sat on the Astronomy Tower rooftop, legs swinging casually off the edge, eating mango pickle with a floating spoon.
The moon above blinked.
A shooting star zigzagged into a spiral.
The night sky adjusted to spell "Welcome, Aarav."
He nodded. "Thanks, sky. Appreciate it."
Inside the castle, a tiny hat fragment on McGonagall's desk shivered once, then quietly turned into a tulsi plant.
Somewhere, the Sorting Hat's voice whispered softly:
> "Finallyā¦ I can rest."