Winter break had just ended and the Great Hall slowly began to fill with students, staff, and professors that filed down from their own respective chambers and dormitories. Rumor around the school had it that an important announcement was being made that evening. The rumors that were circulating went from the run of the mill to the downright bizarre and everything in between, but nobody really knew for sure what the topic of conversation would be during dinner tonight.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron made their way into the Great Hall and immediately caught the eye of the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy leaned into his circle of friends, whispering something that caused the whole group to explode in laughter. Ron's body tensed and he took a step in the direction of the platinum blond boy with every intention of beating his fist into Draco's face until his mouth was too swollen to form that cocky grin.

Hermione, who had seen Ron's body tense and anticipated the movement before Ron even lifted his foot off the ground, grabbed him firmly by the arm and tugged him back to her side. "Don't do it."

"But you know they're over there spreading God knows what kind of rumors about us Hermione." Ron protested, yanking his arm out of her grip. "Let me get a hold of Malfoy one of these days."

Harry put his hand on Ron's back and pushed gently in the direction of Gryffindor Table, locking eyes with Malfoy one last time before turning his attention back to Ron. "There are only six months left until Graduation." Harry reassured him. "After that you'll go to the Academy and become an Auror, and with any luck, you'll be the one to arrest Malfoy when they can prove exactly what his family is involved in."

"He's going to get what's coming to him though, if not tonight, definitely before we leave Hogwarts." Ron gritted his teeth as he stared across the Great Hall at Malfoy who was still staring at him as he continued joking with the other students at his table.

Hermione sighed and turned her head to the right to look at Harry. "It's like he hasn't even heard a thing we've said."

"He's always had a one track mind as far as Malfoy is concerned." Harry agreed with her. "So much has changed over the last six and a half years, but the animosity between Ron and Malfoy… that's about the only thing that we can count on."

"Come on, Ron." Hermione pleaded one last time. "There's absolutely no point in starting something right now. The only Professor at the High Table right now is Professor Snape." She gestured at the long, raised table in the front of the room with her eyes. "So unless you fancy cleaning out the used cauldrons from the first and second year potions classes for the next two weeks…"

"Just let it go…" Ron finished her sentence. "I know, I know." Ron shot one last glare at Malfoy before taking a deep breath and releasing the bulk of his anger.

Eventually the rest of the students and staff filled into the Great Hall along with the Professors until only two vacant seats remained at the High Table. One belonging to Headmaster Albus Dumbledoor, and the other to Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress, Professor Minerva McGonagall.

Professor Dumbledore entered first through a door behind the High Table and gained the attention of the students by lightly tapping on a glass. It often baffled Harry how he managed to quiet a room filled with the chatter created by several hundred students by just tapping a spoon on the edge of a glass. Whatever the trick behind the gesture, it always threw a silence over the Great Hall that you could slice with a knife.

"Good evening students." He began. "I hope you all enjoyed your holiday and are all prepared to once again return to your classes in the morning." Albus grinned at the simultaneous moans and groans that filled the hall.

"As I'm sure you're all aware by now, there is a very important announcement to be made tonight. And contrary to some of the rumors that have been circulating, I can assure you that Hogwarts is not closing, Professor Snape is not going on leave for the remainder of the year, and Quidditch will continue to played as scheduled for the remainder of the season."

The Great Hall filled with laughter and cheers from the students, who were quickly hushed when Professor Dumbledore, once again, tapped his glass. "However, as I said, there is a very important announcement to be made, and with that said I now request that you turn your attention to Professor McGonagall." Professor Dumbledore gestured toward the other end of the Great Hall where Minerva McGonagall stood waiting. The entire student body shifted their focus simultaneously to the opposite end of the room with great anticipation.

Entering through the two huge double doors at the opposite end of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall walked slowly to the front of the Great Hall carrying two objects that elicited whispers from various students at each house's table. In her right hand, she carried a wooden stool. In her left, she held the sorting hat. As she had done for years and years in the past, she placed the stool at in the center in front of all of the House Tables and lowered the sorting hat onto the stool.

As it did at the beginning of each ceremony, the Sorting Hat opened its eyes and began to sing its song.

"For some time now I've sang my song ,

At the start of every year.

I place you were you'll fit best

In a house you now hold dear.

But this year the rules have changed,

Once more I sing my song.

One more will place me on their head

To see where they belong.

Red, Blue, Orange, Green,

Which color will he be?

Place me right down on his head.

I'll search his mind and see.


There's a first time for everything.

Tonight Hogwarts breaks tradition.

And one of our four houses

Will welcome its new addition.

To date, I've never yet been wrong,

Of that you may have guessed.

So bring this student up to me,

I'll do what I do best."

Once again, the Great Hall quickly filled with chatter. "Once you're finished," Professor McGonagall began with a hint of impatience in her voice. "we can sort our new student into a house and begin with the feast for the evening. I can assure you all that the house elves have, in fact, prepared you an extremely large selection of food in celebration of tonight's event. However, if you'd rather talk amongst yourselves, I can wait until you're finished." Professor McGonagall glared around the hall at the students before letting out a short sigh. "Very well then. Let's begin."

Reaching into her robes, Professor McGonagall pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. She looked down at the only name listed on the paper before peering back out at the students over the top of her glasses. She cleared her throat and announced the name of the new student to be sorted.

"Bram Adair!"

A young man, appearing to be about Harry's age, entered in through the double doors and slowly made his way to the stool where the sorting hat waited. The Great Hall had filled with an extremely large variation of reactions from the students. When he reached the stool, the sorting hat was placed on his head and the ceremony began.

"I don't believe it." Ron mumbled under his breath. "Why in the world would someone from that family ever come here?"

"What?" Harry narrowed his eyes and looked over at Hermione who looked as equally baffled as Ron. "Who is he? Why is everyone so shocked?"

"Honestly," Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry. "I understand that you weren't raised in a wizarding family like Ron here, but it wouldn't kill you to pick up a history book every now and then. Especially since the Adair's have everything to do with the man who killed your parents."

"Enough with the lecture Hermione." Harry said, glancing back and forth from Ron and Hermione to Bram who was still being sorted up on the stool. "Can you please just fill in the blanks for me?"

"Fine." Hermione finally agreed. "The Adair's were a very powerful family during the dark times when you-know-who was in power. They supposedly had as much power and influence as the Malfoy family would have had because they were that high up on Voldemort's list of servants." Hermione explained to him. "I've also heard that they practice extremely old, extremely powerful forms of dark magic. Magic at the level that would make the Malfoy's blush."

"But after the night your parents died and Voldemort had the…" Hermione paused as she searched for the word. "the incident with you, the Adair's withdrew into their estate. Somehow the Ministry couldn't produce any solid evidence that would connect them to Voldemort and they got away with everything, just like the Malfoys."

"They're a dangerous family Harry." Ron added in. "Dad says he's had a couple disagreements with Victor Adair during raids and he was convinced he was going to kill him."

"Right before you're parents were killed, Victor's wife and their three daughters were murdered along with more than half of their staff." Hermione continued, shooting an annoyed look at Ron. She was obviously not done telling her story when she'd been interrupted. "Bram, who was an infant then at that point, wasn't even touched during the attack."

"Nobody was ever charged with the murder of the Adair family. There are a lot of rumor's as too what happened that night. Victor was away on business and his sons were away at school. The staff that survived were either knocked unconscious during the attack or weren't working that night. The only witness that survived was too young to remember." Hermione dropped her head and shook it slowly.

"Sounds like any other stories you've heard?" Harry asked with a sarcastic chuckle.

"I was just thinking that." Ron added. "But if he's anything like his older brothers…" Ron paused. "Well, let's put it this way - out of his three brothers, two of them are in Azkaban. "

"They are?" Hermione tilted her head to one side and narrowed her eyes at Ron inquisitively. "I hadn't heard that. What were they charged with?"

"They both killed numerous muggles." Ron answered. "There were small organized, underground groups running around after you-know-who lost his power. They mostly killed muggles and non pure-bloods. Mum thinks they were trying to finish his work. In the end, those who weren't arrested wound up killing each other. Power struggles within the groups mostly."

"Why would Dumbledore ever let someone like that into our school? Harry asked. "If he's all you say he is, wouldn't he be a serious threat to our safety?"

"I don't know Harry. Who knows what Dumbledore is thinking." Hermione sighed again. "We just have to trust Dumbledore and hope he'd never do anything to place this school and it's students into harms way."

"I suppose there is no need to guess where he's going to be sorted?" Harry asked.

"I've got it!" The sorting hat had made it's decision and pulled Hermione, Ron, and Harry back into the moment up at the front of the room. "There is no doubt about it. The only place for this boy is… Gryffindor!"

There were surprised gasps from the Slytherin table. Ron managed to steal a glance over at Malfoy whose eyes were wide with total disbelief to match the majority of students at his table. The Gryffindor table, however, was too shocked even to show any kind of a reaction. A handful of students managed to clap once or twice. Other than that, the Great Hall was dead silent.

Bram slowly and calmly removed the sorting hat from his head and handed it back to Professor McGonagall, who also appeared to be dumbfounded at the events that had just unfolded. He stood up and made his way over to Gryffindor Table and slid in at the end of the table about ten or fifteen feet from where Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat.

"Oh yes, before I forget." Professor McGonagall raised her voice over the students. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Potter, would you please see to it that your new housemate is settled in properly and comfortably at our dormitories tonight after the feast? A bed has already been prepared for him." The three of them looked at each other and then back at her before giving a simultaneous nod. "Very good." She nodded, looking over at Bram for a second and shaking her head in disbelief before disappearing out the double doors.

"I don't like this." Hermione whispered, looking down at the new boy sitting alone at the end of her table.

"I don't either." Harry agreed. "If he's everything you both just described then something is definitely going on here.