Suddenly, a silence fell over the hospital ward—
Ares and the Minister for Magic stared at each other; standing aside, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry twitched his long beard but remained silent.
Like an outsider, Hermione huddled under her covers, her bright eyes darting back and forth, carefully pondering the profound meaning behind their conversation.
"Presiding over the Sorting Ceremony... A brilliant idea!"
Out of nowhere, Fudge began to "cheer."
"So what are we waiting for, Dumbledore?"
The ward instantly became Fudge's stage. He jumped up from his seat, looking at Dumbledore with intense excitement.
"What is the general procedure, Dumbledore... Oh, I remember, it's the Sorting Hat—yes, exactly, that's it! Would you be so kind, Dumbledore, could you fetch the Sorting Hat for me? Who usually presides over the Sorting Ceremony? Right, it's Minerva—where is she? I need to ask her about the specific process!"
"My original plan was to let the children rest first..."
"Oh, don't be such a wet blanket, Dumbledore!"
Fudge said enthusiastically.
"Isn't holding the Sorting Ceremony on the last day of August a tradition that has lasted for a thousand years at Hogwarts? Do you want to break this tradition?"
"You can see for yourself, Cornelius, the condition of the children—"
Dumbledore suppressed his emotions.
"—it is not suitable to move them around."
Fudge hesitated for a moment—
"How about holding it right here in the ward?"
Ares offered a "kind reminder."
"It's more suitable for a newspaper headline."
"Exactly, that's it!"
A flush appeared on Fudge's chubby cheeks.
"Should we call a few reporters over!"
"As long as you can convince Poppy, I won't stop you, Cornelius," Dumbledore said coldly.
" Cough—there's a camera right here, Minister. You can borrow it," Ares said briskly.
He glanced at Dumbledore's "gloomy" face, his heart stirred, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew even more cheerful.
He suddenly had a brilliant idea—a brilliant idea... to get himself out of Dumbledore's sight as quickly as possible!
So, it seemed nothing could stop it.
Dumbledore complied with Fudge's insistence and went to call the four Heads of House and fetch the Sorting Hat. And Fudge's eyes seemed to suddenly start working, discovering that there was another young wizard in this ward.
"Your name is—Oh, Hermione Granger?"
Fudge ran smilingly to Hermione's bedside.
"Granger? Are you related to that person from the Extraordinary Potioneers Association—Oh, from the Muggle world... It doesn't matter, that's even better—So... are you terrified? Any plans for your future—I mean, which house do you plan to go to... Ah, you probably don't know much about this, do you, Miss Granger? Let me tell you, there are four houses at Hogwarts, namely—"
He rambled on for a long time, and it wasn't until Dumbledore returned with the Sorting Hat and the four Heads of House that Fudge was willing to let Hermione go.
"There are a few photos I'm very satisfied with, Ares!"
Fudge took the camera from Ares and examined it carefully, his demeanor towards Ares returning to amiability.
"I don't mean to be rude, Minister, but this decision is simply absurd!"
Professor McGonagall started shouting at Fudge as soon as she entered the Hospital Wing (Dumbledore obviously hadn't told her whose idea this was).
"No class of students has ever held their Sorting Ceremony in a hospital ward!"
"You have to be brave enough to break tradition, Minerva!"
Fudge swiped Ares's camera and walked out of the ward with a smile to "face off" with Professor McGonagall.
"Care for some sunflower seeds, Miss Granger?"
Ares suddenly perked up again. He produced a handful of snacks from somewhere and watched the commotion in the public ward with a beaming smile.
He also noticed Hermione Granger, who was sweating profusely from Fudge's sudden enthusiasm.
"Oh—um, thank you, Professor Delfino."
Hermione Granger, the future brains of the "Golden Trio," was at least still a sensitive little witch right now.
She was embarrassed to refuse Professor Delfino's kindness, so she had to accept the sunflower seeds—but she didn't dare crack them, so she just clutched them in her palm.
So, when the most powerful figure in the British wizarding world—the Minister for Magic—was determined to do something, even a wizard as highly respected as Albus Dumbledore found it inconvenient to stop him.
Things ultimately went according to Cornelius Fudge's wishes.
"I assume everyone is ready!"
The beds in the public ward were rearranged to create a "stage" for Fudge, and the doors to every private ward were left open.
"Filch, is your lens ready?"
"Ready, Minister!"
Hogwarts' most loathsome figure—Argus Filch, the caretaker—held up the camera and shouted in a pinched voice, looking proud to be involved.
"Then, let's begin!"
Fudge took a deep breath, his eyes shining with a sense of "mission."
"Hannah Abbott!
Hannah Abbott in Bed 8, please come forward to be Sorted—
What? Sprained ankle... You, and you, two young gentlemen, can you help her over... Oh, grit your teeth and bear it... it'll be over in three seconds—Hufflepuff? —Go on, go back to bed... Next is—
Susan Bones... Oh, Amelia's niece—honestly, your aunt isn't easy to deal with, of course, I'm not saying she's inflexible... Another Hufflepuff!
Terry Boot—Ravenclaw;
Mandy Brocklehurst—Ravenclaw;
...
Hermione Granger—Oh, Miss Granger is in the private ward, so... Oh, you came out yourself? What are you doing holding a handful of sunflower seeds? —Gryffindor!
Longbottom—Neville Longbottom... Come on, child, don't be nervous—Oh, dear, your toad looks a bit dyspeptic... Also Gryffindor?
...
Finally... Harry Potter!
Oh, which house do you think Mr. Potter will be in—exciting... Oh, Minerva, go check if the Sorting Hat has fallen asleep... Gryffindor... Well done, Mr. Potter, I'm not surprised at all!"
"If you ask me how I feel about this scene, Albus!"
Professor McGonagall, who had been forced to check on the Sorting Hat, returned to Dumbledore's side with a grim face.
"I will tell you, I've had enough of our ridiculous Minister for Magic, Albus!"
Professor McGonagall huffed angrily.
The farce continued. Dumbledore's blue eyes swept past Ares's ward, and his eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
He saw Ares sitting on a stool at the door of his ward, happily cracking sunflower seeds while watching the Sorting Ceremony with great interest!
Was my decision... too hasty?
Watching Ares like this, a bad premonition suddenly arose in Dumbledore's heart.
Rashly... bringing Ares Delfino back to Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?
...