Chapter Seventeen
The Hat Trick
When Quintin came into his mother's office for a research lunch, he couldn't help but stare up at the painting of Minerva McGonagall sitting in her dress shop.
"What happened to Rogue?" Quintin wondered, and Jennifer glanced up at the painting and back at Quintin again.
"He took a leave of absence," Jennifer said, Quintin glancing at her questioningly. "Trust me, I'm as baffled as you are. Apparently he's helping with some sort of student emergency, and if he feels he needs to go to these lengths, he probably has a good reason. Come and sit down for lunch. I can't wait to hear about how your research is coming along."
"I've learned a lot and got some of the writing done, but I'm still having problems backing up any of the facts, because a lot of them came from that Sorting Hat interview. He even gave us some of the dates we needed," Quintin explained, sitting down and taking the drink she had offered him.
"Oh, yes? And were you able to confirm any of the dates?" Jennifer asked.
"Well, it depends on how you mean that," Quintin replied. "I wrote a summary of what I learned from the Hat and asked Janus about the dates when he was in the library last weekend, and he says they look accurate. And although I can't find anything in books to prove it, I also didn't find anything that conflicts with them except for the dates listed in Hogwarts, a History. Some of the dates in Hogwarts, a History are wrong," he explained. "Mr. Tinker said it wasn't all that surprising, because he found a lot of discrepancies himself. There is something I think you might be able to help me with, though," Quintin added. "Apparently Godric Gryffindor was the head of the Order of Merlin at one point. Do you suppose the Order of Merlin has a record of his members somewhere?"
"Well, yes, but I doubt they go back that far," Jennifer admitted.
"Even so, I have a feeling that'll be easier to find than the other thing he told us, which was Slytherin was the leader of the Order of Equinox," Quintin said, causing his mother to stare at him for confirmation. "In fact, according to the Sorting Hat, that's when Equinox started going bad and hiding items, because they didn't want to secure them at Hogwarts when they knew Gryffindor was going to allowed first generation wizards and wizards from mixed families into Hogwarts."
"You said you had a summary written up?" Jennifer asked, quite intrigued.
"Yes... and I used a Dictation Quill and wrote the whole thing down," Quintin said.
"I'll settle for the summary while we eat, and I'll go over the whole dictation later when I have time to concentrate on it," Jennifer said, and the two of them paused to get their plates.
"How are you doing with your own research? Have you learned anything interesting about the Hat?" Quintin asked.
"Actually, what I learned was that I was going about my investigation with the Sorting Hat in the wrong way," Jennifer admitted. "Research is like that sometimes. You record everything you learn, and then take a new path. I found out everything I could about how sorting items work, but the Sorting Hat can't be duplicated any more than the Rogue Painting can be, or any other sentient being for that matter. Instead, I really need to set aside time to interview him just like you did, so I can get a better idea of his personal history and who made him, and start looking for source material based on that."
"Good luck, it isn't easy," Quintin said, picking up a pumpkin butter sandwich. "The Hat knows stuff that even Janus didn't know."
"Well, yes, obviously, because the Sorting Hat has always been at Hogwarts, while Janus left and got stuck on that island," Jennifer said, then picked up the summary.
"I don't think it's just because the Hat's always been here. I think he just knows a lot of stuff in general! Especially about Gryffindor," Quintin said.
"That also isn't much of a surprise," Jennifer said with a chuckle, glancing over the summary. "I see that Gryffindor was a bit older than everyone thought he was," she commented.
"Not only that, but they started building the castle earlier than what's stated in Hogwarts, A History," Quintin said. "The Sorting Hat said that it took a long time to do the underground and the water systems, and that had to be done first. They also didn't take in any students other than chosen apprentices and their own families until after the main keep was completed."
"That much, at least, you shouldn't have any trouble corroborating, Quintin, because I happen to know that your father has many of the original plans for this place, including the cistern. He should easily be able to confirm that part of the interview for you," Jennifer replied.
"Great! That should also help me back up his claim that he was at twenty at the time of that famous battle. I might not be able to prove he was there, but it'll mean it's theoretically possible," Quintin said.
"Yes, that is true, but hopefully we can find a way to further back that up," Jennifer replied, setting the summary aside. "Considering how important that battle was, you would think there'd be a wizard record of it somewhere."
"Are there any records of the Giant Wars?" Quintin asked.
"Oh, yes. Ask Professor Scribe about that one," Jennifer suggested. "You're unlikely to find any individual names, but I'm sure she can help you corroborate a death date to see if it fits in the timeline."
"I didn't get the exact date for that yet. We went off to have a game after that," Quintin replied.
"Yes, I recall," Jennifer said, sipping her coffee.
"Might I borrow him again long enough to get those after classes today?" Quintin asked.
"Fine, but no long sessions, and no game... I want him back before dinner. In fact, you ought to eat with us so that I can be sure of it," Jennifer said sternly, looking up at Minerva. "Minerva, could you please ask Severus if Quintin can borrow the Hat this afternoon for a quick consultation about some dates? He'll return it when he has dinner with us."
"I will ask," Minerva said.
"Eat your carrots, Quintin, don't play with them," Jennifer suggested. "You're not timing your bites again, are you?"
"No, Mum," Quintin said, dutifully turning his attention to eating.
"Jennifer, Severus has appointments until 5:45 concerning the upcoming school events, so he will leave the Sorting Hat in Quintin's room," Minerva relayed. "He asks that Quintin not to take the Hat out of his room, the common room, or the corridor in between, and that he return it promptly by way of his bedroom door... or else face his wrath," she said with a particularly amused expression.
"While I'm sure your father is exaggerating a bit, I wouldn't forget that there are several football and Quidditch games coming up, including your house's first football game. I wouldn't push your luck if I were you," Jennifer said. "Not to mention that Halloween will be here before you know it, and this year it's going to be a ticketed event."
"Ticketed?" Quintin asked.
"Yes, guests outside of the school who want to attend will need to buy a ticket... it was Anna's idea as a way to help raise money for your house," Jennifer explained. "The guests who want to purchase tickets still have to be approved, though, so Hermione, Aurelius and I will be quite busy for a while going through them."
"But parents are allowed to come even if you don't approve of them, don't they?" Quintin asked.
"We don't normally restrict parents who want to attend, no," Jennifer confirmed, knowing perfectly well that he was thinking about the Maxens. "There has been a time or two when parents have been told to stay off the premises, but those were very rare and extreme cases. Typically, we let them attend and then escort them off the premises when they get out of hand."
"Has Mr. Maxen been escorted off the premises before?" Quintin asked with interest.
"Once," Jennifer said in a low voice. "And that was the last time he was foolish enough to try and tap into Fleur's mind, I can say that much." Quintin grinned at that. "Alright, time to clean up and get ready for your next class."
Quintin got straight to class, and as usual aced every quiz and eagerly wrote down all the lessons while savoring the time he had in the corridors to talk to his classmates. He watched with amusement as the other houses they were paired with took to turning to watch the clock during the last few minutes of class, while Quintin's friends had long figured out that the best time to get their things together to leave was when they saw Quintin doing so. His classmates soon got into the habit of watching him for queues on when to write down their assignments, rubber band their scrolls, and cap their inkwells. That gave them an advantage when it came time to exit the classroom, often making it to the door before some of the students in the closer seats managed to get their stuff together to leave.
"Quintin? Are you going to study with us tonight?" Libby Martin asked as they left the last classroom hopefully.
"Yes, I can study with everyone after dinner tonight," Quintin confirmed, glancing in her direction. "I'm going to spend some time before dinner finishing my interview with the Sorting Hat to get a few more dates down concerning O'Laren and Gryffindor, and then I'm going to have dinner with my family. As to what you're thinking, yes, I'll sit with you and Pippa at the football game, but before you get up the nerve to ask, I already have a date for the Spectral Ball." Libby's face fell.
"Really? Already?" Libby asked.
"I promised Bethia a long time ago that I'd take her to the Spectral Ball every year I was at Hogwarts," Quintin explained. "And I'm not going back on my word. I signed her up as my adopted ghost the day Professor Scribe put out the list."
"You're going with her all seven years?" Libby asked.
"All seven years," Quintin confirmed, turning to head to the dorm rooms.
"Did you get who her second choice was?" Jeremy murmured.
"Did you really want to be her second choice?" Quintin whispered back.
"How about Pippa?"
"Oscar's going to ask her," Quintin murmured.
"Oh, yeah. You're right. Those two are made for one another," Jeremy realized with a sigh, following Quintin all the way to his room so he could pick up the Sorting Hat off his desk.
"Good afternoon, boys," the Sorting Hat said as Quintin placed him on his head and put away his homework. "I should warn you from the start that the Headmaster gave me strict orders only to help research today."
"Yes, I know," Quintin said. "I just need to finish getting the information from you about O'Laren and Bedivere, so I can start cross-referencing it all."
"I doubt you can cross-reference all of it," the Sorting Hat admitted.
"I know that, but I can at least prove it's plausible even if I can't prove it one hundred percent," Quintin explained, grabbing his research. "That's what both Mr. Tinker and my mum suggested."
"How is that better?" Jeremy asked, holding the door for Quintin and then closing it after him as they made their way towards the common room.
"Well, the general idea is that sometimes it's easier to prove something isn't true than it is to say it's true," Quintin explained. "For example, its like when the Sorting Hat told us about Gryffindor's birth year being wrong, explaining it would have been impossible because the underground portion of the castle started years before the regular construction. Well, my father has some of the castle's original plans which confirms that fact. Even if I can't find direct proof that Gryffindor was born in a certain year, I can prove that the year established in Hogwarts, A History is wrong. I might not be able to prove that Gryffindor was at Brunanburh, but I should be able to prove its plausible, especially if I can find any record of his commission."
"That makes perfect sense. I approve," the Sorting Hat said out loud. "At the very least, you will be able to disprove some of the myths and legends that are flat out lies, and that in and of itself will be an improvement."
"Agreed, and Mr. Ambrose says those sorts of arguments are perfectly acceptable in a formal paper," Quintin said. "We'll base the thesis statement on legends about the founders that we want to disprove, and then add in the facts we can prove to further back up the argument."
"I love a good plan!" the Sorting Hat said. "March on, Quintin!"
Jeremy couldn't help but roll his eyes when Quintin really did march all the way to the research corner, sitting down and spinning the Sorting Hat off his head, causing the Hat to look momentarily a bit dizzy.
A number of the other housemates were already at the table with their homework out, watching the three of them with interest.
"Alright, so in what year did O'Laren die?" Quintin asked after getting his quill ready and Jeremy got out his own notes.
"Around 1025, I should think," the Sorting Hat replied. "The painting of Caprica Dusthorn probably has a more accurate date."
"And Gryffindor?"
"1012, during the siege of Canterbury. Thorkell the Tall was a wizard himself, and having a touch of giant blood in him, had managed to call other giants to his aid," the Sorting Hat explained. "Gryffindor and his fellow volunteers were attempting to rescue some hostages when they were caught off their guard, and needless to say, it ended badly," the Sorting Hat said somberly.
"1012? If he was born in 916, he was a ruddy old codger, wasn't he?" Pete blurted out with a laugh. "Surely those dates aren't right. One of them has to be off. Nobody lived past forty in those days. I can't believe anyone pushing close to a hundred could be doing any sort of rescues. No wonder they had him born in 956 if that's they case. They probably saw the first date and didn't believe it and put something more reasonable."
"Just who do you think you are, questioning my dates?" the Sorting Hat snapped angrily.
"Calm down! I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude," Quintin said.
"Yeah, I did. You have him dying of a heroic act at ninety and something," Pete said unabashedly. "Just how long do wizards live, anyway?"
"It varies, really," Oscar explained from where he was sitting next to him. "Our potions tend to keep us healthier than non-magic humans, and even back then, we had ways of purifying water sources that regular people didn't have. On top of that, a lot of wizards from old families have different Fae bloods in their line that can extend their lives well over a hundred, and even longer if they're Half-Fae."
"Rowena was Half-Fae," Quintin explained. "There were accounts of her coming back to check on the school centuries later. And Dusthorn is Half-Pooka, but I don't know anything about Gryffindor's ancestry."
"His grandfather's name was Dorrell ap Gwen, and he was of mixed blood. Griffyn ap Dorrell ap Gwen, Gryffindor's father, retained it himself, as did Godric. All three of them died in war. That is the trouble with longevity; it increases your chances of meeting a bad end," the Sorting Hat said, and an unsettling feeling went through Quintin.
"Not a very long name, is it? Or was there more than that?" Fillmore asked curiously.
"He's got a point," Curt said, holding up his current History essay for good measure. "Usually those ap's and ab's in those old Welsh names go on forever."
"Yes well, not everyone has a heritage they want to brag about, either," the Sorting Hat said. "His grandfather was the bastard of a bastard and a former queen in disgrace. You wouldn't necessarily want to broadcast that."
"Hang on," Quintin said, finally putting it together. "Are you saying that Dorrell ap Gwen was the original Sentinel of Light?"
"Gwen was a bit of a fudge, really. Everyone assumed it was referring to the father, as was custom," the Hat admitted.
"Wow! That's neat! I can't wait to tell... you know what, I'd better just write it down," Quintin said, catching himself when he saw everyone looking at him curiously.
"You got off topic again," Jeremy pointed out to the Sorting Hat.
"My boy, I know it's a part of your nature to tell a straight story. It'll help you if you go into any investigative field, whether you go for documentary writing, investigative reporting, or police work. But in your quest to get at the real answer to a question, even when a politician is doing everything but give you the answer, you should still pay attention to what they are saying. They say the devil's in the details, you know, especially when you're dealing with a crafty devil who knows how to use words to his advantage," the Sorting Hat informed him. "If the person you are interviewing wants to talk, let them talk. Let the story flow where it will. There will always be opportunities to divert the river back, and in the meantime, they may just trip up and say something that tells you just a little too much about themselves. Then, as you edit your notes to put them in a comprehensive state, you will discover that they had accidentally answered your original question after all."
Quintin was still a bit excited when he got to dinner, dutifully putting the Sorting Hat back on the shelf. His mother and little sister were already sitting at the table in front of his father's desk, while Severus was busy telling her he needed to write down 'one more reminder' for the third time.
"Did you get the rest of the dates you needed, Quintin?" Jennifer asked him.
"I sure did... all except for O'Laren's death date, although I did get the year. The Sorting Hat says that Dusthorn would probably know the exact date, since he came back as her advisor," Quintin said. "Did you find the old building plans, Father?"
"Yes, I am lending them to your mother, however," Severus replied. "They are quite delicate, and require someone trained in basic archival risk reductions. I don't want to risk you manhandling them, so you'll have to go through her for your notations."
"I understand," Quintin said, sitting down.
"I also set up your appointment with Professor Scribe for lunch on Friday next; if that doesn't work for either of you, you'll have to take it up with her directly," Severus added.
"Thanks, Father," Quintin said. "I also can't wait to have my next appointment with Ambrose, because I found out who one of his brothers was," he said excitedly, getting both parents' attention. "His name was Dorrell ap Gwen, the first Sentinel of Light, and it turns out that Gryffindor is a direct descendant. That was his grandfather!"
"Interesting... really, it isn't that much of a surprise as all of that, is it?" Severus decided, Quintin gazing at him curiously. "Gryffindor's sword is the Sword of Nuada and a part of the seal, so it had to have been passed down from somewhere. That it stayed in the family makes logical sense, just as Arondight stayed in the Dalance family. It also didn't surprise me when your mother told me that you had learned that Slytherin was the Sentinel of Dark Magic, for that is a logical conclusion to make after the trouble he went to get the Cauldron and his attempt to keep anyone from taking it from him. If nothing else, you are adding more support to the hypothesis that they were directly involved."
"Hypothesis? Surely it's more than that!" Quintin protested.
"To us personally, perhaps. I believe it just as you do. But as part of a formal argument, you have a long way to go," Severus warned him. Quintin make a face that reminded Severus of his mother when her hopes were dashed.
"I should be able to confirm Dorrell was Merlin's son, since all we have to do is ask," Quintin said, glancing pointedly at the covered painting.
"Later, I'll handle it," Severus protested, cleaning his desk and getting up.
"At least I'll get to tell Ambrose he had a good brother," Quintin said enthusiastically.
"Considering he knows as well as anyone how Merlin began the Sentinels in the first place, I don't think that will come as any surprise," Severus replied. But as he sat down near the table, he noticed that Jennifer was looking away from him, and Quintin, suddenly somber, was glancing at his mother. "Did I miss something?"
"It's nothing, Severus. It's a private matter," Jennifer replied, then turned her attention to making sure Serendipity was holding her fork correctly. But Severus looked between them, unwilling to let it go.
"Quintin? What did you mean by that?" he asked.
"I just thought he'd want to know about him, that's all," Quintin said solemnly.
"Severus, don't press," Jennifer advised.
"Very well," Severus replied. "Anything else you do want to tell us about what you learned before we move on to something else?"
"I learned that Gryffindor died during the Viking siege of Canterbury," Quintin offered. "They were trying to rescue someone and it failed, and he said that Vikings had a wizard and giants and everything."
"Oh, yes, the Giant Wars. That's why you needed the appointment with Scribe. Well, I have little doubt she will have information as to what happened to Thorkell, although whether she has any detailed information on a that particular incident is debatable," Severus replied.
"We're concentrating on disproving bad facts and myths, and backing up what we're researching by seeing whether or not it's plausible, instead of trying to prove facts outright," Quintin said, Jennifer nodding with a smile.
"Yes, that is something you should be able to handle," Severus agreed.
"And my research is on schedule too. Even allowing for delays, I should be ready to start on Dusthorn and Hufflepuff right before Halloween," Quintin declared. Severus stared at him.
"I realize this is going to sound incredibly illogical and superstitious, but I don't suppose you could wait to start that research until after Halloween?" Severus inquired. Jennifer had a hard time containing her amusement.
"Alright. If I finish early, I'll volunteer to help the Order of the Owls in the time I have left," Quintin decided, but then looked uncomfortable.
"Go ahead, Quintin. It's alright to ask," Jennifer said gently, and Severus gazed at Quintin's troubled expression intently.
"It's just that something the Sorting Hat said rather bothered me," Quintin explained to his father, realizing now that his mother had picked it up. "The Sorting Hat said that when Gryffindor died, there wasn't much left of him when the Vikings were done with him, and that his father and grandfather died in wars as well."
"Yes, that is not altogether unusual, considering how fractured the country was at that point," Severus acknowledged.
"Gryffindor had longevity because of Merlin blood," Quintin said. "The Sorting Hat said one of the problems with having a long life is that it's more likely you die from something bad. Not that dying is ever good, but I don't want anyone in my family dying from getting murdered or anything."
Jennifer glanced at the Sorting Hat, and she could tell from its scrunched up leather that the Hat hadn't realized how that comment had impacted the boy, still pretending to be asleep.
"I see," Severus said, and Jennifer turned to him. He met her gaze, then looked at Quintin. "And as you're aware, members of your family have different levels of longevity, and for very different reasons," Severus reflected. "Some of them them inherited it, like Ambrose and Anna, while others were because of the Elixir. And while I can't speak for those who have it naturally, I can say that those who have been given the Elixir by Dumbledore, myself, or those I have entrusted with it, was because either they or their Cosmic Match were already in danger of dying from a violent death," he explained. "If we hadn't given them an Elixir, they would already have already died at the hands of someone else."
"But isn't that just delaying what's going to happen anyway? Did that just make all of you have to go through all of that twice? Or even many times, like you and Mum?" Quintin asked, quite upset. "Why can't you just stay here and teach? Why do you have to go off and get into trouble anyway?"
"Yes, just why do you have to go off and get into trouble all of the time?" Severus asked Jennifer accusingly, turning on her with feigned exasperation.
"To protect my family, my schools, and those I care about," Jennifer replied with a gentle, knowing smile.
"I care about everyone," Quintin declared firmly.
"Then you're unlikely to escape the fight," Severus warned.
"And I refuse to fight anyone," Quintin said resolutely.
"I remember when Corey said that," Jennifer said with a sigh.
"Yes, and he didn't even last the year," Severus agreed.
"I will," Quintin said evenly.
"Perhaps you will avoid it for a year or two. Things are much more stable now than they were back then," Severus replied. "But that promise is much easier to keep when those you love aren't threatened or in danger, and like it or not, just being related to our family is a danger all by itself. Which is why that, although I respect your resolution and hope that you can keep it, I expect you to keep up your Defense forms with your brother as usual."
"I wasn't going to try to give them up. I know that learning to protect myself protects everyone else, because then they won't jump in when something goes wrong because they know I can protect myself," Quintin said.
"That's the theory, at any rate," Severus said dryly. "Let's just say it'd make things easier even if your family does jump in. In any case, your concern at the beginning of this conversation had little to do with our roles in society. Rather, it is the fact that you're afraid that our longevity increases our chances of coming to a bad ending," he reminded him, Quintin nodding somberly at that. "It is only natural to be afraid of death, and ponder what will happen to our souls beyond it. But one must be very careful of this fear, Quintin. It is easy for some wizards to get so obsessed by that fear that it takes over their whole lives to the point that it puts a damper on every moment of their life. Does that sound like a good use of time to you?"
"No. Actually, that sounds pretty stupid," Quintin admitted, and his Severus smiled thinly.
"We must accept the reality that no one lives forever, regardless of lifespan, and preparing one's estate for that inevitability is something every responsible person should do. But once that matter is taken care of, it is time to set the matter aside and get back to the business of living, preferably by spending as much time as you can on the present; without too much planning ahead or looking back," Severus advised.
"Yes, I understand," Quintin said solemnly, then pondered it. "Just how many minutes, exactly, should I allot on planning ahead before it's considered too much?"
But just as Severus was letting out a sigh of pure exasperation, Jennifer was letting out a cry of surprise.
"Seren, what have you done?" Jennifer exclaimed with dismay.
They all looked down to see the state of the table, which had been completely smeared with mushy peas. Serendipity looked up, her hands completely covered in green as she used them to make hand prints all over the table.
"I don't like mushy peas!" Seren declared defiantly.
The rest of the peas on her plate suddenly slid off and was sprayed in all directions, hitting Jennifer, Severus, and Quintin. Even the Sorting Hat had to duck out of the way, and still managed to get it on his brim.
"Yes, well, spending time in the present should also include watching to see what the baby is up to, regardless of the topic of conversation," Severus added with chagrin. Jennifer scrambled to get a hold of Seren while Severus reluctantly turned his attention to the disaster that used to be his Study.
Jennifer was very glad when she was able to get Serendipity cleaned up and put into bed, glowering when the Sorting Hat decided that reciting "Peas Porridge Hot" would be incredibly funny. Shaking her head, she got cleaned up herself then went into Severus' sitting room to mark homework to find it still empty. A few minutes later, Severus finally stepped in from the Study, and despite the effort of an emergency cleaning spell, still had spots on his robes and even a bit on his cheek.
"That is the last time," Severus declared fervently. Jennifer smiled at him painfully out of sympathy. "Maisy? Please let Francie know that mushy peas are banned from ever entering the Headmaster's Study again!"
"Yes, Professor," said Maisy's voice.
"I had to take down several Headmaster portraits to be cleaned, since I didn't want to risk damaging them by using magic. Everard specifically gave me quite an earful about what sorts of punishments he thought were appropriate for starting a 'food fight' in the Headmaster's Study. And I completely missed the fact that some of it got on the blades of the Whether Weather, so when it started spinning, I had a second mess to contend with," Severus complained.
"I am so sorry, Severus," Jennifer said sheepishly. "I was so busy focusing on what Quintin was thinking during that conversation that I was distracted... I really should have been paying closer attention."
"Yes, I probably should have looked down a time or two as well, we've but ourselves to blame," Severus said with a sigh then went to the back to clean up. He came out a few minutes later, looking much less green and a great deal calmer. "So, was Quintin any better at the end?"
"I believe he understood what you were saying, Severus, both in words and thoughts," Jennifer assured him.
"Good," Severus replied, moving the tea service next to the sofa. "You know, even if the Hat hadn't said anything, it was only a matter of time before the subject was breached. He was always an inquisitive child, and now that he's at Hogwarts, those questions we often dammed up because of his age are going to flow out the sluice gate."
"Yes," Jennifer agreed. "Although to be fair, his questions have become increasingly harder anyway. He's at a stage in his Truth Seeking where he understands more and more what adults are thinking, but without the maturity or context to know how to deal with them. It's always a challenging stage," she admitted. "I had Aurelius helping me when Rus began asking strange questions, and there are still times he goes to Aurelius when he doesn't feel comfortable going to me about it. Sex questions and the like." Severus frowned.
"Sex questions? We had that conversation with Quintin ages ago when you were pregnant with Serendipity, did we not?" Severus said.
"He understands the concept, yes, but not necessarily all of the variations that people think about, not to mention all of the fantasies that people think up that have no basis at all in reality," Jennifer said with amusement.
"That must be dreadful," Severus said with a pained expression.
"Yes, well, Rus should have blocking it out down within the year. But Quintin is just waking up to them, thanks to the general student body of Hogwarts," Jennifer warned. "So don't be surprised if you get an awkward out of the blue question now and again. Since he's a boy, he's more likely to ask you or Aurelius than me."
"Thank you for the warning. Now I'm going to be terrified in his presence," Severus replied, and Jennifer laughed at that. "It makes it all the more plain how you got to be such an expert at filtering it out. That and the bullying, of course..."
"Thank you, that'll do, Severus. If you start picking on me, I'll not only make you sleep in here, but I'll send Seren in with a bowl of mushy peas," she said, wagging her finger at him. "Let's see you get that out of your Holmes collection."
"Then I would have to get even with you by giving you things to filter out of my thoughts," Severus suggested with a sinister smile.
"I'd never filter you," Jennifer assured him.
"Even better," Severus said wickedly, but Jennifer managed to grab his pile of homework and put it in front of his nose.
"This first," Jennifer insisted. "So we're all freed up for the weekend."
"Fine," Severus replied. "I'll do my work, but I'll think what I like while I'm doing it." Jennifer rolled her eyes at him with a smile, getting them both some tea as they settled in to get their work done.
It wasn't until the middle of the night when Jennifer woke up with a very clear question in her head. She remembered her mind being a bit busy that night, which was strange in and of itself; typically, she normally slept deeply after spending time with Severus. But that night had been different, and she had finally figured out why.
Jennifer slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the wardrobe and got dressed, barely even noting how early it was before slipping into the Headmaster's Study. She then stared at the Sorting Hat suspiciously for a very, very long time.
"Are you going to acknowledge me, or do I need to use force?" Jennifer demanded.
"Go back to bed, it's the middle of the night and I'm sleeping," the Sorting Hat mumbled.
"You most certainly aren't, and if I'm right, we have a half an hour at most before Aurelius comes up those stairs. Who else knows about this?" Jennifer asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"About what?" the Sorting Hat inquired.
"About what the golden thread in that Hat really does?" Jennifer replied. The Sorting Hat sighed.
"Put me on your head and take me to the Potion Room. I'd rather we didn't discuss it in here," the Sorting Hat murmured. Jennifer put the Hat on her head, making a point to use the Doorlift to save time. She let herself into her office and pulled over a stool, placing the Hat in front of her so she could look it straight in the folds.
"Does Quintin know about this?" Jennifer interrogated him.
"Don't you think you would have already picked it up if he did?" the Hat inquired.
"And do you really think he won't work it out? How long do you think it's going to take him to figure out that something was wrong with that story you told him about that botched rescue?" Jennifer asked him.
"Is something wrong with the story?" the Hat asked innocently. "I simply told him the truth."
"The Sorting Hat shouldn't have known how Gryffindor died, since it had already been given to the school. I think you were hoping he'd figure out the truth!" Jennifer accused him.
"Yes, well... perhaps I was," the Sorting Hat admitted. "And more to the point, I was hoping he'd figure it out before you did, really. We've been friends for so long, I wanted him to hear it from me."
"You had plenty of opportunities to tell him. You've had opportunities to speak up for over a thousand years! Who else knows about this but me?" Jennifer asked angrily. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"That would be Aurelius," the Sorting Hat guessed.
"You think?" Jennifer said curtly, going over to the door and opening it with annoyance.
Aurelius had a device in his hand that looked like a metal wand with T shape at the top, which Jennifer immediately recognized as a ghost meter. She let him in and shut the door, watching as he conducted his reading to confirm that there was only one ghost present in the room.
"Francie, you may go back to your baking. I'll pour the tea myself," Aurelius said, then turned to the Minerva painting.
"For the safety of this school, I ask that you be sworn to secrecy concerning anything you're about to hear," Aurelius told the painting. "And please let us know if any ghosts or Trade Elves enter the room."
"Yes, of course," the painting of Minerva said.
"Thank you," Aurelius replied, then glanced over to see that his mother had locked the doors and was already walking over to his side.
That was when Aurelius finally turned his attention to the Sorting Hat.
"Hello, Godric," Aurelius said.