Harry sighed a little bit, his primary idea out the window. If the room of requirement didn't have what he required. Harry would have to figure out something else, but he honestly didn't even know where to start.
The hat hesitated for several long seconds. "Before you are sorted, Hogwarts must make a request of you."
Harry's response was wary as he wondered what sort of request that the hat might make. "Why am I not surprised?"
The hat paused, as if Harry's response had indeed caught it off guard and it was debating with itself. "We do not wish to heap more on your shoulders."
Harry sighed and shook his head slightly. "No, but you're going to anyway, so you might as well go ahead and ask." He hadn't meant to but he sighed inwardly with his response, and his shoulders slumped slightly on the stool, as if preparing themselves for more responsibility.
The Hat hesitated, but then it seemed to accept Harry's statement at face value, "The things that happened in your world are an abomination. They must not be allowed to occur in this world! Hogwarts must not fall! We must ask you not to fight all of your nature. You have the ability to change this world, and this time you are unfettered and not restrained, physically, socially, and most important, magically." The hat's voice seemed to reverberate in Harry's mind. Though before Harry could ask what the Hat meant about being restrained the hat continued.
"Evil is stirring and Hogwarts has felt the tremors. You will be standing as a beacon against it. Young Mr. Malfoy was right on the train, you know. He was the first to swear to you as a Lord, but he won't be the last. Don't turn away from those who would join you to follow you. And beware those who might use you to their own ends."The hat made the request in a voice of solemnity.
"I've had enough of Dumbledore's 'greater good' to last me forever. This time I'm going to do things my way."Harry said resolutely.
There were several people watching this sorting curiously. It had been some time since Hogwarts had taken any real transfer students.
Headmaster Dumbledore was watching with curious eyes, as the hat sat quietly on Ares' head. He was still surprised that the Flamels had an heir, much less one that was only a young boy. He was aware that the Flamel's might still be unhappy with him regarding the destruction of their Stone. Perenelle in particular seemed unhappy with him when he had delivered the news. Dumbledore wondered if they'd passed the secret on how to create it onto their son. He also wondered exactly how much training the young boy had, neither of the Flamels were particularly powerful magically, nor were they gifted spell casters.
One other thing that surprised him was the feeling of anticipation in the air. As if the castle itself was excited for this particular sorting.
Professor Severus Snape had been surprised when he'd laid eyes on young Ares Flamel. When Dumbledore had informed them all about the arrival of the Flamel heir, Snape had been very curious. Flamel was the pre-imminent alchemist in the world, for obvious reasons. Snape wondered whether that had been passed on to his offspring. As a potioneer Snape wondered what secrets the boy might know. However, laying eyes on the boy had been quite a shock. When their eyes met, Snape was startled to find himself looking eyes that he had only seen twice before in his life. In his best friend Lily, and her eldest daughter. Snape glanced over to see Lily watching the stool with interest. He wondered if she had seen the same thing that he had seen, and then realized that she was exchanging looks with some of the other professors and realized that they were watching the timing of the sorting.
Iris watched the new boy on the stool with an odd look on her face. There was something about him, that she couldn't quite place, that tickled some sixth sense. She had been watching the unknown student more intently than she had realized. When Iris had heard his name, she and Hermione had exchanged looks, clearly flashing back to the path of obstacles. Iris knew they were both wondering the same thing, whether this new student was any relation to the Flamels with the Philosopher's stone. Still, it wasn't just that. There was something different about this sorting. She frowned as more than once she thought she heard her name murmured around her, but when she looked around she couldn't tell where it might have come from.
Daphne Greengrass watched from Slytherin table as the boy who'd refused to give his name, and then hadn't cared when she'd called him childish, sat to be sorted. Ares Flamel. That name had sent whispers throughout the upper years at every table and through all of the purebloods at Slytherin. The question on everyone's lips was whether or not he was any relation to Nicholas Flamel. Daphne wondered who would be the first to ask him. She also wondered where he might be sorted.
A pair of silver-grey eyes belonging to Luna Lovegood watched the sorting with an uncommon expression of confusion on her face, her brow furrowing as she stared with intensity at the boy sitting on the stool. She didn't know why and she certainly could never say how, but in that moment Luna knew with certainty that something had changed.
To all those watching the sorting, they were starting to get restless, the hat had been sitting on Harry's head for over five minutes without making a sound, and there were starting to be mutterings. Though it wasn't the longest sorting ever, it was starting to get up there. Suddenly they were all taken aback when the hat opened it's brim, but instead of shouting out an expected house. The hat started to laugh, a deep booming laugh that seemed to reverberate throughout the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you enjoy reading? Visit my site on Tiendup! There you will find the advanced chapter in PDF format, ready for your convenience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://fictiontopia.tiendup.com/