Chapter 24: Sorting Hat's Unofficial History (2 in 1)
The matter between the Sorting Hat and Phineas was an old story from over a hundred years ago. It seemed the hat held quite a grudge.
But back to the matter at hand. Dumbledore's interest in Ezio was actually very high. He had conducted a small investigation into Ezio, but it had been impossible to dig deep. As an Assassin Master, Giovanni was an absolute expert in concealment. His and Ezio's identities were so ordinary in the outside world that they wouldn't warrant a second glance if dropped on the street. Dumbledore, who could move heaven and earth in the wizarding world, was stymied on this matter.
However, he wasn't so unperceptive as to not recognize the profession Ezio and his father were engaged in. It was for this very reason that he had been paying so much attention to Ezio.
"Now that you've arrived at Hogwarts, how do you find it? Are you satisfied with the place?" Dumbledore initiated the conversation, though his purpose was not yet clear.
"Most things here are very much to my satisfaction, especially the three daily meals. I'm truly sick of fish and chips and sandwiches. English cuisine is terrible. Fortunately, the food I ate before coming to school was mostly French. London has the most and best French Michelin-star restaurants in the world."
"Would you like me to lend you a few membership cards? I can recommend some excellent restaurants for you to try. The bill's on me." Young Master Ezio was not short on cash. The combined savings in the accounts Giovanni had left him had eight zeros at the end. It was more than he could spend in a lifetime.
"Thank you very much, but I'm afraid I'll only have time to try them during the holidays," Dumbledore said, a hint of regret on his face. "The last time I tasted it was back when I was in Paris. Although it wasn't a Michelin restaurant you mentioned, Nicolas was a man who knew how to enjoy life. His house-elf, like him, lived for over six centuries. I dare say there is not a second chef in the world more proficient in French cuisine than him."
"Nicolas Flamel?" Ezio was no stranger to the name. He also had a great passion for alchemy, but unfortunately, as a profound magical discipline, its very basics required a sufficiently deep magical foundation and an in-depth study of Ancient Runes. The entry barrier was very high. In that month and a half, Ezio had already reached his limit just by taking a large bite out of the school's Charms and Potions textbooks. There were many things he hadn't had time to practice.
"Alchemy is a fascinating discipline, but unfortunately, I do not yet meet the requirements to begin. Although the wizarding world has stagnated, the crystallized wisdom accumulated over thousands of years is still something that requires a lifetime of study." Ezio sighed with emotion. Magic was truly captivating.
"Indeed. Magic is something that one can spend a lifetime on and still find it difficult to say, 'I have completely mastered it.' Even Nicolas himself would only humbly say that he had a bit more time to accumulate knowledge than others. Even after creating the Philosopher's Stone, he never believed he had touched the ultimate truth of magic."
"If he had, that would be a truly terrifying thing," Ezio said, shaking his head. "The future and the unknown—that is the most beautiful scenery. If we were to suddenly see the end of the road ahead of us, I guess that would be the beginning of despair."
"That is why I will focus my limited energy on limited things. I will only choose to study and research things that I am interested in and that I believe are necessary to learn."
"Would you mind if I started skipping classes in my first year, Professor?" Ezio winked at Dumbledore. "Some classes don't interest me, like Astronomy, History, and so on."
"But those are a necessary process for understanding magic. I must refuse your request," Dumbledore said with a smile, shaking his head. "However, if you can guarantee that you will achieve a satisfactory grade or higher in your end-of-term exams, I think the professors can accept your self-study." As a former Gryffindor, Dumbledore naturally had a non-conformist side. "But how you convince your professors will be up to you."
"Perhaps I can apply to take the final exams early?" Ezio shrugged. It was a crude method, but also the most direct and effective.
"Professors are always more lenient with students who are both clever and polite," Dumbledore said, looking into Ezio's eyes. He then spoke softly, "To be honest, at your age, to be able to rationally control your choices and actions is a very rare thing. People always want more, whether it's knowledge, time, or something else."
"Because for me, greed and acting on emotion are absolutely forbidden," Ezio said slowly. "I guess you might be curious about my former profession, Professor."
"I was an assassin. A killer. A high-risk profession that requires rigorous training, where instincts are cultivated from the moment one learns to speak, and skills are honed over a long period of time. From the moment I stepped into Giovanni's home, one of my feet was on a tightrope. But I do not regret it. In fact, I enjoy it."
"Life cannot lack adventure, otherwise it would be meaningless, wouldn't it?"
"Indeed. The highlights of life are always focused on those moments that make our hearts beat faster," Dumbledore nodded. Ezio's self-introduction was as he had expected; he was not surprised.
"I have already entered this dangerous trade, and my future will continue to be a walk on a tightrope. Learning magic is like tying a safety line for myself, but magic is not omnipotent."
Ezio spoke slowly. He had probably guessed why Dumbledore had guided the conversation here. When he mentioned Nicolas Flamel earlier, he had already been intentionally steering the topic in this direction. Dumbledore was still not at ease with him; in fact, he had become even more wary. Noticing this subtle change, Ezio knew what he had to do.
He was currently highly dependent on Hogwarts. Firstly, for his own safety. Secondly, for the knowledge and resources here. Thirdly, it could serve as a channel for him to obtain information and investigate Giovanni's death. His purpose had always been clear.
"I am destined to die one day on my own path of adventure. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year, maybe someday in the future."
"For an assassin, death has never been something we fear. From the moment I resolved to take another's life, I was prepared to die anywhere. And besides, Professor, don't you think that living for too long is actually a form of torture?"
"People come into this world in a state of ignorance, and most die in a state of ignorance. But I am not content with such an ending. All I can do is to ensure that I die with clarity, die on the path I have pursued all my life. Just like Giovanni. He died on the path he pursued his whole life, the path to his dream. Perhaps before he died, he truly did touch the dream he so longed for."
"Then have you thought about what it is you will pursue in the future?" Dumbledore asked gently, his voice calm and soft.
"Everything is permitted, nothing is true," Ezio said softly, reciting the Assassin's Creed. "I want to do everything in my power to see my own, true world through my own eyes. To exercise my will, to carry out my principles."
"I have rented this world until the day I die. And until that day comes, I am the sole protagonist. Life, of course, must be magnificent."
"You were once worried that I might become the next Voldemort, weren't you?" Ezio looked at the blue eyes behind Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles. "But I have no interest in that kind of boring, lingering existence. His pursuit of immortality is nothing but a joke in my eyes. I'm an assassin, am I not? I'm actually quite interested in the matter of killing him. If someone were willing to pay for it, I would be even happier."
"I know Voldemort may not be dead."
Ezio opened his waist pouch and, after putting on a dragon-hide glove, took out an ominous-looking book from a separate compartment.
"I bought this from Borgin and Burkes. Voldemort's pursuit of immortality is no secret. I learned his real name from a retired old Auror and investigated some things about him. Tom Riddle. He used to work at Borgin and Burkes, and this book records the method of immortality known as the Horcrux."
(Note: Many people knew Voldemort's real name; he had already started to form the Death Eaters during his time at Hogwarts. By the time Snape was a student, the name 'Death Eaters' was already established.)
"I guess he used it. Splitting one's soul by killing someone and creating a Horcrux. The method is very evil, but it suits his taste, doesn't it?"
Dumbledore stared intently at Ezio. After a moment, his gaze moved down to the book on the table.
"Your guess is correct," Dumbledore said in a heavy voice. "Perhaps I shouldn't have treated you as a child. Your observation of the world is very keen, and also very meticulous."
"It's an assassin's instinct. Only by maintaining a sufficiently keen perception can I avoid falling off the tightrope. From the very beginning, after I learned about Harry's situation, I never believed that a child still in swaddling clothes could defeat a dark lord who struck fear into the hearts of all. Magic is a power that leans toward willpower, but magic is not omnipotent. A dark lord at the peak of his power... even in a simple contest of magical strength, the infant Harry was no match for him. His downfall must have been due to some unknown secret, and at the same time, an accident that he did not anticipate."
"Harry is his Horcrux, isn't he? There's something very unusual about Harry."
"So you used a fake Killing Curse on the train," Dumbledore said. He was well aware of what had happened on the train.
"Hypothesize, deduce, then verify. And I found that it was true. After I confirmed Harry's unusual nature, I was certain that he is one of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
"So you approached Harry and had him choose Slytherin," Dumbledore said, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Yes, I don't deny it. Although meeting Harry on the train was an accident, this development is also quite good, isn't it?" Ezio spread his hands, admitting it frankly. Even if he didn't, Dumbledore would have come to the same conclusion. "But going to Slytherin was Harry's choice. I didn't force him to make the decision. I only told him one thing: the feud for one's parents is a debt that must be repaid."
"Harry can bring me a lot of help, because there are many people who are willing to help him, who are willing to show him goodwill. And I have nothing in the wizarding world. I will seize every opportunity that can help me achieve my goal. After all, Professor Dumbledore, you don't intend to help me, do you?"
"I believe Professor Snape has already explained the situation to you clearly, but you have been on guard against me from the very beginning. I understand, so I don't insist. I can only use my own methods to accomplish what I need to accomplish. From the start, you hoped that I would let go of my hatred and embrace something warmer, but I chose to say no. In my dictionary, there is only blood for blood."
"Someone took the life of my most cherished family member. Even if he had no regrets about it, even if he died a worthy death, I cannot accept his hasty departure without a farewell."
"So my decision to sort him into Slytherin was the correct one," the Sorting Hat piped up slowly from the side. "Compared to Slytherin, he is a very kind and good child, Dumbledore."
As an old hat that had existed since the founding of Hogwarts, this magical hat with a mind of its own knew far too much. Although it could be a bit dramatic at times, there was no denying its vast knowledge.
"If it had been Slytherin..." the Sorting Hat mused. "He probably would have killed every person, or anything else, that could have possibly done it. Just like that time he slaughtered dozens of goblin settlements just to find his lost staff. But he wasn't wrong to do so. The goblins believed that the staff belonged to them, not to the descendant of a wizard who had purchased it. Goblins are shameful thieves."
"Such a good child. He didn't even resort to genocide. How merciful. I feel he has the potential."
"I believe the thoughts Slytherin imbued in you are a bit too dangerous," Dumbledore said, glancing at the Sorting Hat with a grim expression.
"Dangerous?" the Sorting Hat asked in confusion. "Gryffindor went with him back then. Said they should see who could kill more. He was very keen on all sorts of competitions. Then Slytherin used a potion and triggered a massive goblin plague. Tens of thousands of goblins disappeared overnight. Gryffindor suffered another crushing defeat. How else do you think the first Goblin Rebellion started? It was their revenge on the wizards after the four founders had left."
Dumbledore was speechless. As a true Gryffindor, he had no idea that the original Godric Gryffindor had been so wild.
"Ravenclaw's diadem was one of the reparations from the goblins after that massacre. Gryffindor gave it to Ravenclaw, saying it could soothe her headaches. The effect was quite good."
Ezio and Dumbledore looked at each other. What the old hat was saying was indeed a bit unexpected, but not entirely unbelievable.
"It's almost time for classes to end," Ezio said, glancing at the clock in the office. "I should go and talk to Professor Snape now. Professor Dumbledore, would you like to come along?"
"No need. But if you have time, Ezio, you are welcome to come and chat with this old man."
"About Voldemort?"
"And perhaps other things."
*****
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