Chapter 7:

The Sorting.

Sorry for the Long Radio Silence, I hit a massive writer's block and even though I had the chapter written on time the quality was poor.

September 2th, 20:02

Morgana clapped absentmindedly when the hat finished it's song. It deserved some merit. The song had never been repeated in one millennia. Who knew it could be so original? Helga had done well with asking it to sing. Morgana had been skeptical at first, but well, she was always skeptical and millennia old habits break hard.

Neither she nor Merlin enjoyed the sorting anymore, if it weren't for the different set of people the whole thing was getting terribly repeatedly and somewhat tedious. Nothing changed at Hogwarts anymore and nothing had since roughly the 13th century, nothing but the iron lamps, they used to be gold but Merlin had forgotten to make them immune to heat, so she, naturally, blamed him.

And Merlin? He wasn't nervous no matter what Morgana, his shaking feet or his dry lips would say. He breathed loudly, trying to relax. Morgana seemed to notice his discomfort wherever in the line she was, 'Alright, Mer?'

He turned to find her and smiled at her when he did, 'Get out of my head, 'Gana'. She rolled her eyes, and hoped that maybe, just, maybe he was doubting the wisdom in choosing Slytherin House. Maybe he would pay heed to her. Just before entering the hall, Morgana had suggested Merlin join her in Gryffindor House.

He had said it was a possibility, and then spoke no more.

He was saying little right now too, leaving Morgana to chuckle and roll her eyes as McGonagall grabbed the twins by the ears and took them away to sit on their tables. Had she been a teacher this year she might have done the exact same thing. As soon as they sat they waved at her and then rubbed the tip of their nose at Ron, who turned crimson and turned away.

They may have been sorted in Gryffindor, but those two would have been the type of students fought over by the Founders. Even her, even if they had the same awful sense of humor as Gryffindor himself had, the same that had driven her crazy at points. But as of now, they seemed nice and funny. She would enjoy talking to them in the common room. But more than teaching? She occasionally began taking glances of the table the teachers were using, she truly felt she belonged there more than with the children. She had always enjoyed teaching.

"So we only have to try on the hat?" Morgana heard Ron whisper. "I'll kill George, he was going on about wrestling a troll…" Morgana grinned, a troll? She would never endanger the children with such a task. Hell, she had refused on letting Godric use his sword to try for Gryffindors, that thing was sharp and heavy, plus children? Recipe for disaster.

Godric wasn't too happy with her refusal and suggested a boggart, to Morgana's horror. He had trouble picking students, obviously, the foolish but good man was too strict over who he had wanted on his house. Children were not as brave at first as he wanted them to be.

He doubted the hat's choice over many students and suggested the spells were redone, and when Salazar had refused Godric argued for making a new house to accommodate those who barely fitted, and in that occasion it was Helga who disagreed, children would feel awful rejected by all mayor houses to go to this last resort. The only reason Gryffindor had not tried to redo the spells on his liking was Rowena raising her eyebrows at him.

Eventually Gryffindor had wizened and understood that there were more ways to be brave, but at first he had been as pompous and trying as Arthur. Which Morgana had not been too pleased about.

The priestess turned to look at the hat and the professor as McGonagall spoke. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sat on the stool to be sorted. Abbot, Hannah." She said. Ah, another Abbott; was she related to that cloud headed Headmaster? Maybe she was, the family tree book on Morgana's library may say. Merlin's hobby more than hers, he liked to keep track of every family he met. He knew the wizard families very well, their origins and all.

The blond chubby little girl with identical pigtails was terribly nervous and it showed, her body shook and her walking was slow, as shaky as her body and her steps were unsure. Morgana could see Hannah grasping her wand through her chest. She wouldn't need it. Why was she clutching to it like that?

She sat on the stool and the hat covered her head up to the shoulders, and not to long later it shouted it's verdict. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Morgana grinned when she saw McGonagall's eyes widen. "Ambrose, Martin." She whispered. And then realizing people hadn't heard repeated it. "Ambrose, Martin!" The hall became silent immediately. Morgana could see children looking up, desperately trying to see the heir to one of the biggest fortunes in the Wizarding World.

There was a small commotion on the teacher's table, the tiny professor Flitwick had slipped and pulled the tablecloth, and everything on it as he fell. He saw children laugh, and he smiled, hopes high about this year being great.

Merlin saw the turban professor expertly slip away. He frowned, he did not know Quirrel, but the attitude was starting to make him suspect. There was something about that man. He stood up and kept staring as the professor casually, silently opened the door and disappeared.

The Weasley twin's eyes were wide as the lanky blond child stood up and took the hat from a mildly surprised McGonagall. George broke the silence. "Is that…?" He whispered to his brother.

"Martin. It is." The awe was evident in their voice. Morgana grinned. If this was how they reacted to the heir of Myredero Ambrose, Ancient Billionaire. Both she and Merlin wondered how would the children respond to Harry James Potter. The famed Boy-Who-Lived. It was an impressive feat, Morgana had to admit.

Would they survive a killing curse? She truly could not tell, neither Merlin nor herself had never been hit by one, not for lack of opportunities. They had always blocked it someway or another. With magic old or new. Could New Magic kill them? She believed that the New Ways could not hope to do it, but she would not put that theory to the test.

As soon as the teens spoke everyone started to comment. "I've heard the Ambrose family is so rich that they could buy the Ministry." A girl mumbled. Merlin sat on the stool and let the hat fall over his head.

"Susan, that's impossible." The girl's friend responded. "That would be billions of galleons!"

Morgana grimaced, their shared fortune did reach several billions of galleons and it had been obtained through years.

It began with the selling of books they had published which Morgana had used to officially buy the land in which they lived, plus a little extra where farms had been placed, which had been wildly successful in the 9th century. As burghers they had done extremely well and then both her and Merlin had given advice to William of Normandy for several reasons who paid them really well.

However their fortunes then had been a fraction of what it was now. It had grown greatly when they had become investors. Morgana couldn't exactly remember which had been Merlin's first inversion but she could remember hers, Ollivanders. She had made her first million through it back in the 8th century.

So maybe they now had a trillion? She did not know, she had not checked the finances in years. She never needed to, even her castle was magically made, all of it was transfigured or, simply, conjured. They could, and would, be extremely frugal too, so very little expenses plus enormous incomes meant an easily maintained fortune, and if you multiplied that by a Millennia…

She still couldn't buy the Ministry though… Not that she wanted to, that system was broken.

The stool was a nice arrangement, Merlin thought. Only a couple of decades ago the sorting was done standing up. He sat on it and placed the hat as fast as he could over his head, he didn't want to be unnerved by the looks his classmates would give him.

"Welcome back my lord." The hat said.

"Well, Hello there." He replied. "It's nice to, ergh – see you again?"

He didn't want to start a conversation with it, the last time he had done it the hat and he had spent half-an-hour on it and they had decided to start with the feast and redo the sorting later that evening.

It wasn't Merlin's fault, he blamed the founders. Morgana and the rest had given the hat a personality fun to chat with. The hat was insightful, funny and open-minded, and it knew quite a lot. Making chatting with it a entertaining event.

"Thank you, lord. You are too kind." The hat said. "Would you chose a house then?" Would he just say it? Or not…

Screw it. "I am not sure." Merlin whispered, softly. He knew the hat refused to sort him, 'You are of a greater purpose than I, my lord. I would not dare to judge you.', he would say. It irremediably forced Merlin to make the choice, usually he would just say it… But now.

The hat gasped, if possible… "Ahhh. You are back with a purpose, now!" It said.

"Well…"

"Do not deny it!" The hat laughed. "I feel you are driven. " Merlin flinched, he did not like people entering his mind, it made him feel both invaded and vulnerable. "You already made a choice but you are doubting it." The hat added. "Why?"

Merlin opened his mouth, and then snapped it shut.

In all his time at Hogwarts, not once had they told the hat their true identities. It knew they hid them, but all it did was doubting.

"You are right, I made a choice." Merlin sighed. Maybe he'd regret it but, "I stand by it."

The hat made a mental move that could only be a telepathic nod. "Is the lady here?" It asked, "Will I speak to her again?" There was no doubt of whom it spoke.

"She is." This time it was Merlin who felt the hat's emotions, it seemed excited to see Morgana again. It had been Morgana, she had made it. It was quite obvious that no man knew who had enchanted the hat... It had not been necessary to tell as they had all made the children take aptitude tests to assign them. But of Hogwarts' fifth year there were too many children to do it, a new option had to be taken into account. Which led to the hat...

Some say that it was the combined effort of all the founders, but that was false, Godric was a resourceful man, but he did not think the solution.

It was Rowena, or rather Morgana herself that after making a list of options to use had returned to her room. Seen that her own hat had been finally delivered, as soon as she saw it on her bed she had the idea. Her reaction had been somewhat amusing, she had called the founders and Mortimer and said that she had found a solution.

Merlin had not been too happy about the hour, he wanted to sleep. After all, he had an old man, not Dragoon as Morgana would have seen right through that; guise on, and he wanted the sleep. Everything ached.

So when they all met in the headmaster's office and she went to Godric and asked him for his hat, she wasn't going to use one of hers. She enchanted it right there, making it able to read minds, think and basing it's basic personality on Merlin, Guinevere, the rest of the founders and herself. They had been ecstatic Salazar, Godric and Helga had told the hat their requirements for their houses and tried it on for the hat to use as a basic profile of Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students.

The priestess had not though, he had told Ambrose she did not want children to be like her. She had taken the hat and had Ravenclaw based on her daughter, Helena. As Morgana wanted children she could get along with. And she was smart and bookish herself, more of a Ravenclaw that Morgana truly was.

Later they had used some spells that had made it quite better. Helga had added some creative thinking to the hat, something Morgana had never thought of; Gryffindor had given it the possibility of allowing choice to be taken into account, which was a nice idea as it made the hat less strict, Salazar had ingrained respect into it, which seemed unnecessary, and Merlin had enchanted it with the basic aptitude tests they had previously used.

At first the very object had needed some guidance, which had been provided by Rowena using legimency, but a couple of months later it could sort by itself. Helga had convinced the hat that it should use the creativity she provided to make a Song for every year start… Because according to her it seemed quite bored, the hat had loved the idea and had begun singing at all times. After Helga had suggested he take it to his office. Merlin had enchanted it with a good singing voice, that of a tenor, he had to, he supposed he would need his ears in the future.

And on the tenth year of the school's opening, the Hogwarts sorting hat was ready to be used, officially anyway… And it became, and still is, part of Hogwarts legacy forever, as it should be.

Everything they had worked on in Hogwarts deserved nothing less. There was very little in Hogwarts that did not hold their combined power. Hogwarts' secrets were many, there was more of the castle that one could see. A connection to their very own castle in the crystal cave. Where much powerful spells and objects were kept.

Nowadays that was their manor only purpose, a vault for objects too dangerous to be kept.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat screamed, Merlin sighed taking it out still deep in thought. He went to the teachers table and gave it to McGonagall. He turned around and walked to his table, there was no applause this time there were only… Whispers.

Martin wondered immediately how Lucius Malfoy would react. Maybe he would be to use the ward to get to the master, probably trying to get Draco become Martin's friend. But that was unusually obvious, even for the Malfoy Sr. But some Malfoys were just like that, loud, almost belligerent even.

Morgana sighed over Martin's choice. Oh well, Merlin, was stubborn as ever. Maybe he would succeed in improving Salazar's house. But more likely probably not. He had tried before, not as an Ambrose… But that was before Voldemort. Many years before he had even been born

She stared at him as he turned around, gave the hat to McGonagall and went to sit at his House table. "Welcome to Slytherin, young snake!" The bloody baron laughed. Merlin stared at him and the ghost froze.

"Thanks Baron." Merlin said, softly. He knew that the Baron and Helena had a somewhat friendlier relationship in the death than they did in living. But that did not make it any easier, smiling at the man who murdered his daughter.

Morgana had more than once attempted to exorcise the ghost out of the castle, but Merlin had prevented it. It would give them away, precious few magics were capable of affecting a ghost.

He turned to stare at Morgana just as Bones, Susan joined the Hufflepuff. The Priestess was glaring, which wasn't all that rare, but was surprised Merlin was that she wasn't glaring at the Baron. But when he followed her look it all made sense she was glaring at Severus Snape and no wonders there… Maybe this time she wouldn't transfigure him into an otter? Or throw him into a vase, either.

Last time she met him he was a Death Eater and Morgana a pissed off passerby. The whole matter had been swiftly covered up by the then Minister of Magic. No one needed to know an 'old witch' had dealt with Death Eater Severus Snape when their own Aurors were unable to. As amusing as it had been, Merlin wasn't too happy that she could not keep the façade as they had agreed.

She had however been unable to catch him, her jeering and violence sometimes weakened her effectiveness. Rita had made up an interview that made Morgana seemed like a scolding Grandma, Rita had gotten her mouth disappear in retaliation.

But it would be far worse now, he could almost see the headlines. 'Ambrose Heiress turns Professor into a Squirrel.' All in Rita Skeeter's awful font choice. And probably in a sick pinkish color. Oh, Rita, that woman was trouble.

She had tried sneaking into his manor once, a huge extension of Morgana's once crystal cave castle, Merlin did not know what to do with that much space. Morgana would not stop building, she had space for hundreds of thousands people and she still wasn't satisfied.

Skeeter never did manage it, of course, he caught her in the act, and then she always insisted he was hiding something… It was annoying really. Because he was. He was hiding an awful lot.

And he wondered how much it would take before 'Martin' was approached by her. But there was one speck of hope in this, that she would never set one foot in the castle, he could not see Dumbledore liking having her around, not since she called his beard 'a-portable-wand-hiding-cupboard' and suggested that he used a wand branded to it in order to be able to make wandless magic by just waving his beard around.

The article had been awful, but Morgana had found it so amusing that she giggled the entire day. And every time she manage to stop, she said something about beardless magic and ended up laughing again.

Merlin had not been so amused the next article when his own beard was compared to Dumbledore's and a number of theories posted regarding his old age, which included but was not summarized with 'a-the-longest-beard-of-them-all-curse'.

Morgana had found it so amusing that she had tricked him and measured his beard. Making the very annoyed him respond by throwing her into their pool, she had been so amused that any spell involving pain from her had not happened, instead she had made his beard puffy in retaliation, and taken a picture.

Said picture had actually and somehow ended in Rita's repertoire when she wrote the next bit about him and his possibly-going-to-an-Australian-beach-next-summer? Article. The saddest thing was that some had actually believed Rita, and had gone to Australia looking for him.

But Pray that was not the end, one of her last article of him, broke new limits when Skeeter presented 'undeniable' evidence that he was going bald even in the facial hair department, and having to keep using hair extensions in his beard.

There was another article of him, that had called him a 'tall goblin with human ears and pointy nose.' And one that had said 'Greying Old Ambrose and his famous white hair.' And one last other that called him 'The Ancient Barmy.' The last had actually been a front page.

No one would take him seriously when the article said 'in the opinion of the Medieval Long-Beard'. Reason why, only lately, he had refused her entrance into his events, though that did not stop her making things up. Rita Skeeter had a very wild imagination. In truth, he had never met a person who could be so rude in such a polite matter.

Morgana would know too. She wasn't safe from Rita, either, but it was much more difficult to keep Rita save from Morgana's sadistic, vindictive, streak. Protecting people from Morgana was still an important duty of his, today.

Merlin sighed and peeked his hearing, an older boy was speaking of him. "Is strange that an Ambrose would end Slytherin, they usually don't go to Slytherin."

He turned and stared at Harry for a moment slightly preoccupied, what if he didn't? What if Harry was the first Potter in five generations to go to Hufflepuff? By the Old Religion that their loyalty to good made them qualify to Helga's once or twice. As far as he could recall, no Potters had ever gone to Slytherin. And only one ever went to Ravenclaw. But that family tended to go to Gryffindor first and foremost, but exemptions did happen.

For Instance Terry Boot was just being sorted. "RAVENCLAW!" The hat screamed.

Merlin laughed. The Boots, like the Potters and like most houses in the world, tended to go to the same house. And Terry as most of his family went into Ravenclaw. Scholars and Sages they were. Or just very smart. Webster Boot was one of them, he had known him as a young man, he had founded a school too, in Ireland. He had gone there too, not as an Ambrose. He had actually enjoyed the change of ambiance, but like any other school, it was just not the same, Hogwarts was his home.

Morgana had liked it fine and had stayed to teach for a while. Merlin often thought that it had nothing with the school, Morgana just liked Ireland. It was amusing for Merlin, really, as she had come back a few decades later with heavy Irish accent. Which tended to relapse when she got excited.

He turned to see her and found that they had just sorted a young girl, and she was pulling off Godric's hat and giving it back to McGonagall, as she called for "Bullstrode, Millicent." Who soon joined Martin at the Slytherin table and for a moment he considered talking to her, but her arrogant and smug profile made him regret it.

Maybe he should have gone to Gryffindor, after all. Brown, Lavender; the girl sorted just before Bullstrode, seem to be quite a nicer chat than Millicent was. He remitted himself to just watch the sorting and barely glanced at Finch-Fletchly, Justin as he became a Hufflepuff. He looked on stoically as Finnegan, Seamus became a Gryffindor.

It was when Minerva smiled and called out. "Granger, Hermione." That Merlin became really interested, he knew she wouldn't join him in Slytherin, there was no chance of that; but a small part of him still wished it. And he had already decided he would influence the hat with his magic if need be, but only to put Potter, Harry in Gryffindor.

Hermione turned to stare at him and he gave her a thumbs up. She really needed to relax. She was soon sorted in Gryffindor and Merlin sighed softly. He just might regret his choice.

"Longbottom, Neville" Came next, as Merlin regarded the spell he would use to confound the hat a little. He barely saw Neville walk down after being named a Gryffindor, all red faced and taking the hat with him. And he shook his head, however slightly, in response.

He heard Millicent say something along the lines of "Fat Stupid Oaf." And he sighed loudly, maybe Morgana was right. He should have gone Gryffindor too. He ignored the next sorting, considering the consequences of asking to try the hat on again… until.

"Malfoy, Draco." He looked up, it was well too obvious that… Given his attitude and family history… His ideology, too… That when it touched his head it would most certainly say…

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Of Course…" Merlin muttered. And just looked up as the blond boy sat down, avoiding Millicent and seating next to him instead. Was it to jest, or he disliked the girl? She seemed right up his alley. But then again, the Malfoys liked jesting.

"Well, well Ambrose." Draco jeered, grinning. "You. A Slytherin. " Merlin lifted his eyebrows at the boy, apparently it was an attempt to jest at him, the immortal would pat his own back, if he could, these Malfoys… They were all the same, ever. "Not my first choice, truly." Draco said, loudly. Merlin shook his head. Other Slytherin students were staring.

"I don't believe you are going to resist this Draco, you do have the Malfoy ego." He said. Malfoy scowled. And Merlin had to resist a grin, just as Morgana, Draco had perfected scowls and pouts to an art. But Morgana was far better, perhaps it was the black magics she knew so perfectly which backed up her deadly smiles.

"Will Myredero be glad of your house placement, I wonder." Draco laughed, staring at McGonagall, who cleared her voice once more. If that was the way with which Draco planned to unhinge him, it was the wrong way to do it.

"He'll like it fine." Merlin shrugged, speaking softly, as McGonagall called for Lily Moon. "Why would he not? It doesn't really matter outside of Hogwarts, does it?" He answered. Draco snorted, but Merlin did not stop talking. "I know Lucius will be glad of yours." He said. "Tell me, what is your opinion of other houses but Slytherin?" Malfoy flinched.

"Attacking your new classmates isn't very wise, Martin." Draco retorted. Normally, he'd be right, and normally Merlin wouldn't do it. But he had to guide Draco Malfoy through a process of evolution in kindness similar to Arthur's, and he had to intervene. Alas, being sarcastic and nigh unbearable worked with the Prince, so why not?

"I am not." Merlin sighed, shaking his head. "I am defending myself from your jeers and rudeness, Malfoy."

Draco snorted in response and opened his mouth. Whatever he was going to say dies on his lips when McGonagall raised her voice twice then, for a boy and then for. "Morgan, Ellaine." Merlin looked at Morgana, and nodded 'We agreed.' He sent to her. And he hoped she would answer.

'We did, indeed.' Morgana sighed into his mind. 'Don't worry Merlin, I'll convince the hat to send Harry to Gryffindor as well.' Merlin smiled. Well, he didn't thought of that. That was why he worked better with the priestess than without her. Not that he even did work without her, not in years.

So the girl walked forward, slowly, taking her time, but she had already drawn quite a bit of attention. Boys all over were staring at her, she was taller than the rest of the girls and there was something they liked in the brunette… Girls instead glared furiously, hating how pretty Ellaine was, and to make matters worse, Merlin knew she was quite more beautiful as Morgana than she was as Ellaine, or would be.

Draco glared daggers at her, "I don't know how you expect to survive in Slytherin with that attitude." He said to him, with an icy tone. Merlin wasn't worried, he had survived far worse.

"You've been in Slytherin like for twenty minutes. What makes you an expert?" Merlin argued back. Merlin thought he heard Theodore giggle a bit, and due to Draco turning to glare at him he might be right. Martin grinned when Malfoy's brow furrowed as he turned to answer, but the Immortal was quicker. "Also, technically, I've been in Slytherin longer than you."

Malfoy scowled.

"I've been in Slytherin since I was born!" He growled.

"Yeah, well by that logic I am turning twelve in a couple of months, while you'll be 11 all the year." Merlin said. "I am still Slytherin longer than you." Draco rolled his eyes and breathed hard. This boy was infuriating.

He hissed. "Really lose the sarcastic attitude, if you cannot treat your bette-" Then he stopped. Merlin glared.

"Were you going to say betters? You forget yourself, Draco." The immortal growled, hissing to himself, Now Merlin, don't turn him into an urchin. "In the materialistic world you live in, I am your better." He didn't know how deep Lucius Malfoy's pockets were but he could fit him entirely into his own pockets.

"You should start respecting me, Ambrose." Malfoy drawled almost threateningly. Which Martin found rather dull. "We Slytherin families value somethings more than money."

"What?" Merlin asked. "Am I supposed to kneel down, and let you trample me?" Merlin growled. Draco stared at him, "Or is it her you want, Malfoy?" He asked gesturing to Ellaine.

He glared at Draco, almost daring him to say something. But the boy stood up and went to sit next to Crabbe and Goyle. Merlin sighed, this year will be interesting.

Morgana took the hat and placed it over her head. Chuckling when it fitted right through. Maybe in a couple of years it would be a perfect fit. After all, she had said hat enchanted to fit the adult head perfectly. Funnily enough, it was Mortimer Ambrose who had suggested to the founders they use something wearable.

She had not known it was Merlin at the time, he had hid himself well. She had found him when looking for an architect to help her with Hogwarts, and had offered him a place to stay and work in. When parents demanded a headmaster to appeal to, she had offered him.

So the architect of Hogwarts had been the same as the Headmaster. Now they were regarded as different people, and they were both Merlin.

After only a couple of seconds had passed, "My lady, welcome back." The voice said.

Point out any mistakes please.