#8 - An Inquiry

‘Good morning Headmaster Rickard and…’ Phillip entered the office, stopping when he only noticed the Headmaster inside. He could’ve sworn he heard two voices inside the office. ‘Am I losing my mind? Is that what’s happening?’ Phillip thought to himself. It would certainly explain everything happening today.

‘Thank you for seeing me,’ the Slytherin continue, sweeping his eyes around the office at different furniture, books and whatever other objects lied within.

‘I heard that we could come and help you arrange your academic library?’ Phillip finished his answer on a high note, which made it more questioning.

‘If that’s something that’s still available,’ he finished, wondering if any other students came before him, thus making his offer null and void.

‘Thank you, sir,’ Phillip nodded. He looked at the empty bookshelves, and the crates lying around the space. There were so many, no wonder this task seemed to be always available. He decided that being a Headmaster was not for him, if he had to deal with paperwork and minutiae assignments like this. But on the other hand, Phillip could do what Rickard did and order others to do it for him.

Figuring he might as well get on with the task, Phillip started getting books out of the crates, putting them alphabetically on the shelves. He was rather fascinated by the uniqueness of some of the titles, and from time to time, opened a book that looked interesting.

Some time passed like this when Phillip spied The Sorting Hat, well, spying on him if the way it slightly moved had anything to do with it.

‘Am I bothering you?’ Phillip asked, a little testily. He had done nothing suspicious, yet at least, and he was still treated like a criminal. Why, because he was wearing green and silver?

‘Heard the start of term’s sorting song,’ Phillip continued, not sure if he would be speaking to himself or not. ‘What was that one about, anyway?’ he asked. It was Hogwarts, Phillip was used to weird events, but some really took the cake.

Phillip took a deep breath, closing his eyes. ‘Calm down, you’ll get more this way,’ he thought to himself and looked back up to the Hat.

‘I’m sorry, that was rude of me,’ he apologized. ‘I’ve had quite a weird morning,’ Phillip gave for explanation. He took another book, and put it in the shelf. Doing motions always seemed to help him. Phillip thought back to the start of the year and the Sorting Hat’s song.

‘I mean, it started pretty normal,’ Phillip continued. ‘Something about yourself and the sorting, then a line or two about each of the houses…’ he trailed off when Phillip recalled something that was indeed strange, slotting a book into its place.

‘You spoke a lot about history, more than usual. Origins that were forgotten,’ the Slytherin mentioned, giving the Hat a suspicious look. ‘We all know the story behind you, or the myth at least,’ he recalled something like that from History of Magic.

‘Legacy…’ Phillip finally recalled the word. ‘What’s legacy to someone like me, a Muggleborn?’ he asked embittered. Some people, purebloods, in this castle never let him forget just how second-class he was just because Phillip was the first one born with magic in his family. Not that that he had any legacy in the Muggle world as well, his family seemed to have all but forgotten about him each nine months then barely tolerating him during the summer.

‘Are you saying there’s something the Founders left behind?’ Phillip asked the Hat, dispelling the thoughts of his family. ‘Something more than the official stories say?’

Phillip perked up at the mention of hidden rooms and secret tunnels. If he found some of those during this year, it would greatly help with his experiments. Seriously, he wondered how he wasn’t caught yet. Maybe the professors and prefects just didn’t care, like his parents.

‘Some might disagree with you on the legacy part,’ Phillip argued. ‘Sure, I’m a Slytherin, but that doesn’t make me worth it.’ He repeated one of the arguments he heard while he was still in his first year. The Slytherin did agree with the Hat on the magic part, though.

Phillip was slowly becoming uncomfortable with the long silence, so he automatically emptied another box of books, slowly and carefully arranging them on the shelves according to the system he already made.

‘There’s a saying among Muggles,’ Phillip mused. ‘History’s written by the victors.’ He wondered that it didn’t sound so implausible there would be truth buried in stories not yet heard thousand years into the future. Phillip wondered if there really are such secrets at Hogwarts, or somewhere in the wizarding world. He’d love to get his hands on them. Perhaps that way, people would think twice before calling him a Mudblood or pretend Phillip didn’t exist.

Phillip leaned closer to the Hat as it spoke of how he wasn’t the first to come and seek them. He expected that, after all, Phillip heard the rumors from other students. But the thing about the Headmasters in particular caught his attention.

‘So Headmaster Rickard doesn’t know?’ Phillip asked, mentally changing his plans. He, at first wanted to ask Rickard about what the Hat was talking about, but if what it said was true, then perhaps Phillip would be better off with someone else who knew the history. Maybe he should go to Professor Archerose or The Bloody Baron?

‘So these artifacts,’ Phillip continued, wanting to get further clarification. ‘They’d bring glory to whomever found them?