"Oh, it seems you're thinking about things children shouldn't be thinking about?"
More concerned with the hat itself than the sorting, Harry asked, "You can read my mind?"
"This isn't Legilimency; Gryffindor didn't grant me the ability to pry into people's privacy. If we're talking about mind-reading, Dumbledore is far superior to me. But when it comes to judging people, he's not as good as I am," the Sorting Hat explained.
"This is merely an ability to analyze a person's character and engage in basic thought communication. I can read your most superficial, outermost consciousness, but I won't pry into your secrets."
"I see," Harry said, trying to pour divine power into his brain.
"Which means, when you don't want to communicate with me, you don't need Occlumency… just like now. Yes, you really are a genius. I believe you truly could go to Ravenclaw. I never imagined you had such talent in these areas."
Harry nodded, satisfied. "Albert Andrew, you really do have a discerning eye!"
"As expected of a magical hat with a mind of its own."
"Magic hat, magic hat, tell me, who is the smartest person in the world?"
Of course, the Sorting Hat didn't hear the playful thought above; that would be too embarrassing, and Harry cared about his reputation.
He only asked, "You just said you were granted abilities by Gryffindor. Does Gryffindor also practice alchemy?"
"Of course, all four founders were masters of magic, which is why every one of your students receives a full magical education. I was created by Gryffindor and endowed with the discerning insight of all four founders… Ah, that was a thousand years ago."
"By the way, we've been at this for a while. Have you thought about which house you want to go to? I can't see your character now, but luckily I saw it before, and I still remember. You can choose any house except Hufflepuff."
"I'm fine with anything. Are you trying to slack off? Why don't you choose yourself? And why can't I go to Hufflepuff?"
"Please, when a student meets multiple requirements, of course they should choose for themselves. Neville Longbottom, just now, could actually have gone to Hufflepuff. He's so honest and kind; Helga Hufflepuff would surely have liked him. It was his own wish to go to Gryffindor… I only pick a house for them when they have absolutely no preference."
"Also, while Hogwarts accepts all sufficiently talented young wizards, and Hufflepuff will always generously welcome them if there's no other house they can go to, when there are choices, Hufflepuff requires loyalty, patience, honesty, and a fearlessness of hard work…"
"Alright, alright," Harry said, having nothing more to say. He wasn't here to work hard as a king; he was here to wield power and enjoy himself.
It seemed Hufflepuff wasn't suitable. So then… "Wait a minute, you are a hat, right?"
Harry suddenly felt the divine power gathering on his head, and the part belonging to the Bringer of Light was eager to act.
If it weren't for the incredibly close proximity, he wouldn't have sensed it, but there was a vessel—the strongest he had encountered so far—right here.
It wasn't a product of a specific blood sacrifice ritual… it was just inherently strong and had the characteristic of accommodating various powers, making it quite suitable… This item was destined for him!
"Of course, I'm a hat! What are you talking about?"
The hat had just said it was Gryffindor's… So that was it. Harry understood everything!
Before entering school, Hagrid had mentioned it—the legendary Sword of Gryffindor was here!
"Bold Sorting Hat, how dare you lie to me! You're clearly a sword! Show your true form!"
Harry didn't wait for the Sorting Hat to retort; he immediately took it off.
"What are you doing? The sorting isn't over yet, wait—" The Sorting Hat spoke aloud this time, and the professors looked surprised.
However, at such close range, Dumbledore couldn't stop what Harry wanted to do! Harry had decided.
He grabbed the hat and poured divine power into it, instantly molding it into his own form.
The Sorting Hat was speechless.
Harry also realized that it wasn't Transfiguration that turned the sword into a hat; there was a hidden passage inside the hat. Spatial magic, perhaps?
Would the other students feel like they were in hell if they knew a sword had been hanging over their heads during their sorting? As expected of Hogwarts—a den of dragons and a tiger's lair.
This passage was like a membrane, seemingly with activation conditions.
It didn't matter; Harry didn't follow the usual path. He simultaneously used his charm to forcefully open the hat, twisting the rules and reopening the gate.
He reached inside and pulled out a silver sword, nearly a meter long, with rubies embedded in its hilt, emanating extremely powerful magic.
He ran his hand over the blade, which bore inscriptions of Gryffindor and goblins.
Harry twirled the sword. At his current height, he could only use it as a greatsword for now, but it didn't matter; Harry was skilled in all eighteen martial arts.
The Bringer of Light was almost impatient to merge with it.
What a great sword!
With Harry's kingly power, he could also allow the Bringer of Light's divine power to flow in and out of the sword.
The Sorting Hat only recovered after Harry withdrew his immense divine power and charm:
"Wait, you can't have this sword. It's public property. Only a true Gryffindor can draw the sword when in danger. Your power was so immense I couldn't resist, but the process is wrong. Please, put it back."
His voice grew softer towards the end; apparently, the hat was very proud and didn't want others to hear about its embarrassing experience.
Then its voice grew louder again:
"Also, you have no choice now. It's well known that only a true Gryffindor can draw this sword… Harry Potter—Gryffindor!"
…The sword was eventually entrusted to Dumbledore for temporary safekeeping. Harry and he agreed that he wouldn't take it to the dormitory or classroom, but he could borrow it for practice after reporting it.
If future traversals could be predicted, he could carry this sword with him.
During each traversal, only personal belongings could be taken. Could a spatial containment device be taken? Like the storage rings in Chinese novels, the wizarding world should have similar technology, right?
Also, Dumbledore seemed quite agreeable. Before meeting him, Harry had wondered what to do if he turned out to be the true enemy.
After meeting him, he didn't feel that way. It seemed Dumbledore was already old.
It wasn't some twist where he was a mastermind; his only enemy should be Voldemort…
At the Gryffindor table, discussions buzzed incessantly.
Harry had certainly made a grand entrance, causing a stir even before joining Gryffindor. First, he petrified a ghost, which they thought was shocking enough, but then he pulled out the Sword of Gryffindor.
As Harry walked towards them, they first felt awe, then a sigh of relief.