A Thinking Cap Indeed

Isilarma

Written for The Sorting Hat Competition and the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Competition (Deflagration Deluxe) on HPFC. This is set about six months after the events of 'I Only See My Nightmares,' but it isn't necessary to have read that one first. I hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and am not affiliated with Bloomsbury or Scholastic Inc.

"Godric, are you even listening?"

Godric started and looked up. "I'm sorry?"

"I think we can take that as a no, then," said Salazar dryly. Rowena rolled her eyes at him before turning back to Godric.

"Whatever is the matter? You were the one who wanted to go over the Duelling schedules."

Godric sighed. "I know, and I do. Forgive me; I am a little distracted."

"We can see that," said Helga gently. "What's wrong?"

Godric set his hat on the table so he could run his hand through his hair. "Nothing really. I've just been thinking."

"Should we be worried?" asked Salazar.

Helga hid a smile as Godric shot him a half-hearted glare. "Very amusing."

"I thought so." He tilted his head to one side, grey eyes bright. "Was there anything in particular?"

Godric hesitated. They had quite a lot to get through, and he wasn't sure if this was the time to voice his concerns, but he couldn't ignore the opportunity that had arisen. "Our future students."

Salazar's eyes widened slightly. "I see."

Godric shifted slightly under the scrutiny. "I was wondering how things would change when we are gone."

"Probably not a great deal," said Helga. "We have enough experienced teachers now that Hogwarts can remain open, and I am sure they will not allow standards to slip."

"I know, and I am not too concerned about their education."

"Then what?"

Godric spread his hands helplessly. "Everything else. Who will defend them? Who will tend to Hogwarts? Who will look after the house-elves? Who will Sort the students? We are far more than teachers, after all."

"Godric, calm down," said Rowena. "It is true that there are a number of matters we will have to arrange, but none of them are so great that they will fail without our direct supervision."

"She is right," said Salazar. "The wards will not die with us, and the teachers are capable duellists in their own right. Master Syrio has also announced his intention to remain with us, now that he has his own apprentice, and he is very nearly as good as you are. The students will not be undefended."

"Helena knows about Hogwarts and what to do," Rowena reminded him. "And do you really think the house-elves will be forgotten? They are more than capable of speaking up for themselves."

"And the Sorting?" Godric asked. "How can we ensure the children are placed in the correct houses?"

"We could leave it to the more senior members of staff," Helga suggested. "They could discuss the merits of the various students and divide them even as we do."

Salazar frowned. "Possibly, but it may not be entirely practical." At their quizzical expressions, he elaborated. "We currently sort students by speaking to them beforehand and making decisions based on their responses, and so far, it has been successful. But Hogwarts is expanding at a greater rate than we anticipated; this year's intake is twice as big as last year's."

Rowena nodded slowly. "I must admit, I have been wondering where we were going to find the time to visit them all."

"Precisely. I do not think we will all be able to manage."

Helga sighed. "That is a shame. It was good to be able to meet them all beforehand, and I think many of them felt more comfortable about leaving their families after speaking with us."

"We can still visit them," Salazar assured her. "Just maybe not all together." His face twisted into a grimace. "Which will make it all the more difficult to Sort them properly."

Helga nodded ruefully. "One person's opinion really isn't enough."

Godric slumped back in his chair. "You see my point? If we are struggling to find a way to Sort them, how will future generations be able to?"

Helga massaged her temples. "I am very glad that our school is growing, but things were much simpler when we first started."

There were various noises of agreement at that. After a moment, Salazar turned to Godric.

"What brought all this on, anyway?" His tone was light, but there was a stubborn gleam in his eyes that Godric recognised all too easily. He met his friend's gaze steadily.

"In light of recent events, it occurred to me that we are not as well prepared as I thought," he said quietly. He heard Rowena draw in a sharp breath, and saw Helga pale, but he could not regret his words. Salazar's knuckles were white as he gripped his staff.

"What do you mean?"

Godric sighed. "As horrific as it was, it has forced me to accept the fact that we will not be around forever. Whether by steel, spell, or simply old age, one day we will be gone. And when that day comes, what will our children do?" He looked round, careful to meet everyone's gaze in turn. "We founded this school, and it has been a greater success than I ever imagined, but all that will be for nothing if we are not prepared for the future." He let a note of steel enter his voice. "I will not see all we have wrought go to ruin."

"Nor will I," said Helga. She was still pale, and Godric didn't miss the way she kept one hand pressed against her stomach, but there wasn't a trace of hesitation in her manner. "We will not live forever, and when we pass the children will need guidance. We must ensure that Hogwarts can continue to guard and nurture them without us."

Godric smiled at her. "Thank you." He glanced at his oldest friend. "Rowena?"

Rowena nodded, her expression grim. "I fear we have been lax in our preparations. Had the...incident gone differently, I do not know whether Hogwarts would have recovered." She shook her head and looked up. "These are things we should have seen to a long time ago."

"We have become arrogant," Godric murmured. "And almost paid the price for it."

Rowena's eyes softened and she laid a hand on his arm. "'Almost' being the operative word," she said gently. "We will not make those mistakes again."

Godric gave her hand a grateful squeeze before turning to the remaining member of the group. "What say you, Salazar?"

It was a long moment before Salazar spoke. "I agree."

Godric blinked. "Oh." He had not been expecting it to be that easy.

Salazar gave a slight shrug. "What else is there to say?" He paused, and Godric shivered at the expression on his face. "We were lucky to survive, and we cannot rely on luck. It nearly failed us this time."

Godric felt his stomach twist in sympathy. They had all suffered during the latest attack, but Salazar had borne the brunt of it. Even now, months afterwards, he had yet to fully recover. Helga's eyes were suspiciously bright as she leaned over and took his hand. Salazar gave her a small smile before turning back to Godric.

"We should have been prepared. I suggest we do not waste this opportunity."

Godric nodded and looked round the room again. "We are agreed then. We will draw up plans for the continued running of Hogwarts after our deaths." His smile faded slightly. "Which brings us back to the problem of the Sorting."

"Could Hogwarts do it?" asked Rowena. "She sees everything that occurs within the boundaries."

"But she cannot look inside their minds to read their true natures," said Salazar. "And even if she could, she could not make such a decision in the brief time between their arrival and their Sorting."

Rowena's eyes narrowed. "I will not sanction the use of Legilimency on our students. They are entitled to their privacy."

"I am not saying we should," Salazar shot back. "Not unless the person in question would be willing to take a Wizard's Oath of secrecy, and there are few who would agree to that."

Godric frowned. "It also does not help that everybody seems to have different ideas on which traits determine the houses. We are able to identify the students that will respond best to our individual styles but others, especially in the future, will find that difficult."

Helga nodded. "How will people who have never met us be able to judge who we would prefer?"

Salazar shook his head. "So we're looking for someone, or something, that can look inside their heads but not betray their secrets, make rapid and accurate character analyses, and that will remember and hold fast to our particular ideals." He slumped back in his chair. "Any suggestions?"

There was a long silence. Godric searched his memories for anything he had ever seen or read that might be useful, but try as he might, he could not think of anything that fulfilled Salazar's criteria. From the frowns and scowls around him, the others were having just as little luck. He let gaze wander round the room as he continued to wrack his brain.

Remember them and their ideals... Well, that ruled out a person. Godric had lost count of the number of times a member of staff had expressed their surprise at where a particular student had been sorted. Not even their older colleagues seemed to understand what they were looking for. Godric didn't blame them, for it wasn't something that could be explained. It had taken the four of them years to learn how to identify the qualities they were looking for in a student, and even longer to learn to compromise when it came to a student who would fit in more than one house. Godric found he did not like the thought of that experience being lost, but he was at a loss as to how they could preserve it.

Rapid and accurate character analysis... Godric suppressed a snort. Sorting students was never a quick process, hence the meetings beforehand. It worked, but as Salazar had pointed out, it was becoming increasingly less practical as the student population continued to grow. Using Legilimency, after swearing the relevant Oaths of course, had helped matters, but it still took the four of them a considerable amount of time to determine the right place for each child.

Look inside their heads and keep their secrets... It would be difficult to enchant something to see into the mind, but Godric was confident that between the four of them they could come up with something. From there, spells to ensure confidentiality should not prove too much of a problem, but that did not mean it would be easy. As far as he knew, it had never been attempted before. He sighed, gaze coming to rest on the table in front of him as he continued to wrestle with the problem.

Look inside their heads... Godric sat bolt upright as inspiration flashed through his mind.

"Of course!"

"What is it?" Rowena demanded.

Godric didn't answer immediately. His attention was fixed on the hat in front him. He picked it up, heedless of the wide smile spreading across his face.

"A Sorting Hat."

There was a long pause.

"What?"

Godric grinned. "We enchant my hat to use Legilimency. In the process, we imbue it with our experiences and knowledge. When a student puts it on, it will be able to make a decision as to an appropriate house based on their memories and personalities."

Salazar's eyes narrowed. "Have you been at Hengist's ale again?"

"Actually, it's not a bad idea," said Helga thoughtfully.

Rowena stared at her. "You're agreeing with him?"

"Think about it. Unlike a person, it would be completely impartial, and it would have the benefit of our experiences to guide it properly. It wouldn't die, and so would only gain more experience as the years pass." She frowned. "Though it will be difficult to create the relevant enchantments."

"But not impossible," said Salazar. "I have heard of objects that can store memories, and we should be able to adapt the spells to give it some of ours."

Godric nodded. "Precisely. I think it is the Legilimency aspects that will be the difficult part."

"Not to mention the ability to make a conscious decision," said Helga. "It will take a great deal of work."

"Excuse me," said Rowena icily. "But are you really planning to leave the future of our students' Sorting to an animated hat?"

Godric spread his hands. "Why not? We haven't any better ideas."

"But it's completely ridiculous."

Salazar raised an eyebrow. "We have staircases that move, doors that don't open, rooms that don't always exist, not to mention a poltergeist, and you're worried about a talking hat?"

Rowena drew herself up at that, but before she could answer Godric reached over and took her hand.

"Would it really be so terrible?" he asked. "All it would do is Sort the students. It would come out once a year, do its duty and then be stored away. At most, it would be taken as another sign of our eccentricity." He gave a rueful smile. "And it is the only thing I can come up with."

Rowena held his gaze for a long moment, then sighed. "Very well. We shall have a talking hat Sort the students." She shook her head as Godric's grin threatened to split his face. "But I warn you now; if it starts singing, I will burn it."

The next few weeks passed in a blur. Rowena dove into her family's library and returned with an armful of ancient scrolls, which she and Salazar proceeded to spend hours poring over. They were attempting to find a way to allow the hat to use Legilimency, undeterred by the inordinate number of problems with the theory. While Rowena disapproved of the Mind Arts, her curiosity was piqued by the challenge, and when combined by Salazar's mastery of Legilimency, the two of them made a formidable combination.

In the meantime, Godric and Helga set to work on animating the hat and providing it with their experiences. That too proved more challenging than they expected; all of them could animate objects, but giving them the ability to make independent judgements was something else entirely. The hat would need to assess each child's personality and determine where they would prosper, and that would entail a level of complexity that none of them had ever encountered. Needless to say, they all enjoyed the challenge immensely.

That was not to say that there weren't problems. Salazar and Rowena got into a fierce debate over the properties of the secrecy oaths.

"I am not saying that it should be free to speak of what it sees," Salazar snapped. "Only that it should be able to notify the Headmaster if it detects a possible threat to the school."

"They're children! What sort of threat are they going to be?"

Salazar's eyes darkened. "Do you really want me to answer that?" He shook his head. "In any case, some children may need more help than others. The teachers can't provide it if they do not know about it."

"Then it is up to the child to ask," Rowena pointed out. "But their entire lives will be open before this creation of ours. They have the right to know that their secrets will not be betrayed." Her voice softened. "Besides, it is a hat, not a person. Even with the best enchantments, it will make mistakes. Do you really want it warning the teachers of possible threats because it may misunderstand what it sees in a mind? The child in question would be deemed a threat, even if they have no such intentions." At his continued silence, she sighed. "Salazar, the teachers will be working closely with these children. They will notice if any start to show signs of going Dark."

Salazar looked away. "Let's just hope you're right."

Other arguments were less serious.

"Do we really have to use this particular hat?" asked Rowena one morning.

Godric frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

"It is a little old," Helga pointed out gently.

"Putting it mildly," Salazar murmured.

Godric glared at them. "We were planning to put Strengthening and Preserving Charms on it anyway." His eyes gleamed suddenly. "Besides, it was my idea."

Salazar snorted. "Oh, we know."

"Can we at least tidy it up a little bit?" Helga asked. Rowena's face brightened at the thought. Godric rolled his eyes.

"Fine. But we're still using it, no matter what it looks like."

"Can we add stars too?"

"Shut up, Sal."

Soon after, they started work on the hat itself. Godric added the charms that would keep it intact for future generations, while Salazar wrote the runes that would form the groundwork for the more complex spells. Rowena and Helga used the time to finalise the series of incantations that would give it the ability to judge all students who came before it.

Eventually, they gathered in Godric's office.

"Are we ready?" asked Godric. His normally cheerful demeanour was slightly subdued by the enormity of the task before them, but his green eyes were bright with anticipation.

Helga nodded. "I believe so."

"It should work," said Rowena. "We've all checked everything a dozen times over."

Salazar took a deep breath. "Well then, shall we begin?"

Godric drew his wand. "Let's go."

As they had arranged, it was Rowena who began. In a clear voice, she began to speak the words that would transfer copies of their memories into the hat before them. Salazar's runes blazed silver in response, but she didn't falter, her voice rising and falling in measured cadences as she recited the spell. As she spoke, thin tendrils of light began to trail from each Founder to the hat, each one containing the experiences and thoughts that influenced every choice they made. Only towards the end did her gaze flicker to Helga.

As Rowena fell silent, Helga took up the chant. Her voice was softer, but no less strong. Her words spoke of understanding, of humanity, of children. She wove the words that would give the hat the ability to use its new knowledge for the benefit of the students, but also to listen to what the children themselves had to say. Carefully, she guided it to the balance between where they would prosper, and where they would want to be.

Salazar took up the spell then. His words spoke of seeking and searching, of piercing shields to reach the heart of the matter. He gave it the ability to look below the surface, to hear what would not be spoken, and understand the consequences of each decision. Nothing would be hidden from this hat, but at the same time, he wove in words of binding and secrecy, so that those secrets would never be betrayed.

Eventually his words ceased, and Godric began to speak. His was the strongest voice, and he poured that strength into the hat. He gave it the strength to weigh all aspects of each mind, to bring together each thought and memory to make the judgement that would decide where each child would go. He gave it the strength to not be swayed by outside factors or influences, but to judge each student based on their own personality alone, to send them to where they should be.

As he reached the final lines, the others took up the chant again. The spell rose to a crescendo as they spoke the final words, and Godric felt a rush of power he had felt only once before. For a moment, there was silence. Then Salazar's runes blazed bright as the sun. Godric gasped and covered his eyes, and heard startled cries as Helga and Rowena did the same.

"Salazar, what's happening?" he yelled. He cautiously opened his eyes to find the runes had returned to their previous invisible state, but his relief was tempered by the utter shock on Salazar's face.

"I have no idea," he whispered.

"You mean you didn't do that?" Rowena demanded.

"Of course not. I don't even know what 'that' was."

"The spell went just as we expected," Godric said. "That shouldn't have happened."

"There was something at the end," said Helga slowly. "It was different..."

Godric looked at her in surprise. "You felt that too?"

"I think we all did," said Salazar. His eyes gleamed. "It felt familiar."

"Like when we finished Hogwarts," Rowena whispered. "Are you saying...?"

"It can't be," said Godric. "It's just supposed to Sort them."

Rowena shook her head. "If we're right, it's going to be capable of a lot more than that."

"Quite, and may I point out that he would very much like to not be referred to as an it."

Godric froze as the unfamiliar voice rang through the room. This was impossible. Slowly he turned to the hat.

Physically, it hadn't changed. Only be extending his senses could he detect the magic that almost blazed from every surface of it, magic that almost felt familiar, but at the same time, was so very, very unique. Even as he watched, a tear near the base opened.

"Stop staring, you should know what I look like by now."

Godric blinked. "You can talk."

"Obviously. How else was I going to announce the right house?"

"But you shouldn't be able to talk," Rowena objected. "Or at least, not hold a conversation."

"Well, it's a good thing I can. Can you imagine how boring life would be if all I could do was shout out a house name?"

Salazar glanced at Godric. "It does have a point."

"He. I don't call you an it, do I?"

Salazar stared at it for a moment, then nodded. "Forgive me. This is somewhat unexpected."

Helga nodded. "Indeed, but not unpleasant. It is an honour to meet you."

To their astonishment, the Hat dipped into an unmistakeable bow. "The pleasure is all mine. I am here to serve, for as long as I am needed."

"And you have our everlasting gratitude," Helga assured him.

Godric nodded, finally recovering from his shock. "Do you understand everything?"

The Hat actually laughed. "Not in the slightest. But won't that make life interesting?"

Rowena raised an eyebrow at Salazar. "I think he got an extra helping of your personality."

Salazar smirked at her. "What a shame."

Rowena rolled her eyes and turned back to the Hat. "It is indeed a pleasure to meet you." She glanced at Godric. "I meant what I said though. If he sings, I will burn him."

Godric held her gaze for a moment, then burst out laughing. He wasn't at all surprised when the Hat followed suit.

Yeah, I made everything up, but I hope it made sense. Please let me know what you thought.