As the first headmaster of Slytherin, who has served for many years and is of pure Slavic descent, Philia Black, one of the most unpopular headmasters in Hogwarts history, put forward a question that not only piqued his own curiosity but also aroused great curiosity in every portrait of the previous headmasters.
Dumbledore was not surprised by this question, and he was also very clear about what Headmaster Black would say to him next.
"If you mean in a duel, defeating him--"
After some deliberation, Dumbledore still answered this question, "Perhaps it is still possible at present, but I'm afraid the situation will not last long."
"Just to suppress him?" Amadeus Dumbledore frowned, speaking in dissatisfaction, "We all know of your modest style, Albus, but you don't have to be so modest in our presence."
"It's not modesty, Amadeus Professor,"
Dumbledore said in a mild tone, his voice filled with praise,
"Compared to a few months ago, he has made great progress. To be honest, I didn't expect him to improve so quickly. The Furnace Charm he cast tonight is very excellent. The extremely stable structure of the magical charm makes the Furnace, which is difficult to control, show a surprising structural stability. Even I can't easily extinguish such a furnace... If his magical mastery can grow at such an astonishing speed, it may not be long before I can do nothing about it."
Dumbledore's answer made Philia Black in the frame satisfied, but the problem was, his satisfaction was a bit too much. He felt uneasy.
"So, Albus--" Philia Black said uneasily, "What about this young man's soul--"
"It remains whole," Dumbledore said with a mysterious smile, "That is the only thing that comforts me tonight."
There was another moment of silence. The previous headmasters of Hogwarts, all outstanding wizards who had lived, were thinking. They were pondering among themselves who among the exceptional young people they had encountered in their lifetime could be compared to Amoraste Brein.
"--So,"
"So," Philia Black was proud, showing a sense of wise superiority.
"We have few choices, Albus, we must win over this young man and make him join our great cause. Otherwise...
Oh, to be quite frank, Albus, if we anger that young man and he decides to ally with that Dark Lord whose name one dare not mention, then we're in deep trouble. One of them has garnered the allegiance of most of the pure-blood lineages in the magical community, while the other is a legendary figure in the underground world of ancient secret witchcraft. To be honest, if they were to team up, they could waltz into Hogwarts with no trouble at all, and there's nothing you could do to stop them, Albus.
This is a terrible future, and the likelihood of such a terrible future happening is not low, if they fail to respond properly.
"That child is kind,"
Surprisingly, Mrs. Daley defended Amoraste proactively.
"We all know of the boy's style. He is nearly unbeatable in the magical world, but these years have been holding back, trying not to hurt others. And, he is still funding and supporting the orphanage where he was raised by non-magical people."
"He only maintains his restraint because of Albus Dumbledore," said Amadeus Dumbledore sharply.
"Not so..."
At that moment, a grizzled, husky, and slow voice suddenly resonated from a shelf behind Dumbledore's back, drawing everyone's attention.
"Amoraste Brein, that child, I remember well--"
The tattered and wrinkled wizard's hat on the shelf twitched its peak slowly, speaking in a slow and deliberate manner.
"He was probably the most difficult child I've seen in a millennium. A small body, yet harbors thoughts that are beyond imagination. It's really difficult."
The Divination Hat's statement piqued Dumbledore's immense interest, and he turned to face it, speaking with great enthusiasm.
"Can you elaborate on that?"
"There's no problem with that, Headmaster Dumbledore," the Sorting Hat muttered in a delirious tone.
"As we all know, the Four Founders valued different qualities, gentlemen headmasters. Over the centuries, I have peered into the souls of countless young witches and wizards. The majority of children have thoughts that are easy to understand, and it takes very little effort on my part to place them where they belong... There are also some more challenging cases, such as Harry Potter, whose destiny is intertwined with both Slytherin and Gryffindor to secure an unlimited future... But even Potter cannot be compared to Amoraste Brein."
"What do you mean?"
Dumbledore's curiosity deepened, realizing his mistake. For a long time, he had tried to look through the layers of disguise that Amoraste Brein was using for himself to see what lay within his soul, but he had overlooked the chance to experience the real Amoraste Brein.
"Very interesting, extremely rare... Oh, unprecedented, Headmasters..."
The Sorting Hat chuckled.
"Bravery valued by Gryffindor, wisdom by Ravenclaw, kindness by Hufflepuff, ambition by Slytherin... he possesses all of them, gentlemen headmasters. Amoraste Brein owns all these qualities. It's truly remarkable. Headmaster Dumbledore, if Potter can draw the Gryffindor Sword from me to prove his lineage as a true Gryffindor heir, then Amoraste Brein should be known as the Hogwarts Heir. He possesses all the qualities cherished by the Four Founders!"
The room fell silent after the Sorting Hat's speech.
"Four Founders' all-important qualities..."
Dumbledore was also stunned, his eyes blank and muttering softly.
"Yes, that indeed is astonishing."
"But, didn't you put him in Slytherin?"
The most intolerant of sins, Amadeus Dumbledore, once again sharply expressed his opinion: "That means that ambition is always the prevailing factor in that guy's mind!"
"Not so, respected Headmaster DiPper,"
The Sorting Hat once again contradicted Amadeus' words, chuckling hoarsely and speaking slowly:
"At that time, I mean, when a Muggle-born child first enters the wonderful world of magic, he needs ambition, the ambition to protect himself from harm through power... But that does not mean that ambition is the dominant feature in that child's soul... He enters Slytherin, it is a particular choice for a certain age group, gentlemen headmasters. If the child were to take another sorting today... anywhere could be his destination, gentlemen headmasters--"
