The setting is a Harry Potter AU where there are humans and anthropomorphic animals. So, there are Muggle animals that walk and talk, and wizarding animals that walk and talk, just like how there are human Muggles and human wizards. So, Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are all wizards and go to Hogwarts, only to find that they are Sorted into different Houses, and that's the base of the story.
The black and red train trudged on through the country side smoothly, as if it was flying in the fluffy clouds above. The white steam mixed in and hid in the clouds. The ground below rumbled peacefully as the train made its yearly journey to its hidden destination. Muggles, human or not, didn't give the train a second thought, quite used to it by now, after nearly a hundred years of watching it go.
Children of various ages ran around the train, free of adults to scold them. One girl in golden pigtails ran after her brother as he held a school book out of her reach. A few boys (a tiger, a lion, and three humans) were cheering on a ferret, who was doing tricks. The old pig pushing the trolley dodged a flying Fanged Freebie as it snarled and growled, showing its pointed teeth.
One little turtle with baby-blue eyes stared out his window, watching the fields zoom by as the Hogwarts Express sped through. Little Mikey tore his eyes away from the window and looked at his brothers, all sitting in the compartment, their luggage above their heads. Donnie had his head buried in "Hogwarts: A History" while Leo and Raph played Exploding Snaps between them.
"This is awesome!" Mikey cheered, bouncing with excitement. "This is it! We're finally going!"
"I know!" Leo said, looking at his little brother with a smile. "I can't wait to get started!"
"Me neither!" Donnie said, lowering his book. "There's so much to learn! There's the troll war of 1417, and the…"
"And now I get to learn how to curse Donnie." Raph said with a roll of his eyes.
Donnie stayed silent and went back to reading.
"I can't wait to try out of the Quidditch teams." Raph said, matching a pair in time. "I'm goin' for Beater."
"Yeah, but we can't try out for our House Team until your second year." Leo reminded him.
"I know." Raph sighed. "It's stupid! Wh…"
BOOM!
The remaining cards exploded, singing the ends of Raph's red mask. As he blew on them and Leo laughed, the compartment door slid open.
The trolley lady poked her head in and asked, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"
"Yes, please." Mikey said as he jumped and took out him money bag from the luggage. "I've been saving all month for this."
"Just for the trolley?" Donnie asked as he too went up to the Candy Cart.
"No, I'm gonna buy some stuff from Wheasly's Wizard Wheezes."
Leo shook his head as the pig handed him a liquorish wand. "Sorry, Mikey. Only thirds years and up can go to Hogsmead."
"Don't worry, Mikey." Donnie said as he gave the pig his money. "Maybe you can order something."
Donnie sat down with two Cauldron Cakes and a Chocolate Frog and put his book away carefully, to protect it from food. Raph got some Chocolate Frogs and Mikey sat down with arms weighed down with a little of everything.
"So, what house do you think we'll get?" Mikey asked as he poured his sweets on a seat and plopped himself down.
Leo shrugged. "No one really knows…"
"Yeah, but if you could choose?" Mikey pressed on.
Leo smiled a little, trying not to get his hopes up, but failed. "I'd want Gryffindor. You know," Leo then stood up, placed one foot on his seat, and pretended to lift an invisible sword. "Where dwell the brave at heart."
"Yeah, Gryffindor sounds cool!" Raph said as Leo sat back down.
"Or… maybe we'll get Ravenclaw. That wouldn't be too bad, would it?" Leo speculated.
"I'd like Ravenclaw." Donnie said after swallowing some Cauldron Cake.
"Wha'?" Mikey asked through chewed Pumpkin Pastry. "Bu' they bo'in'."
"They're not boring. They're smart, clever. They do fairly well." Donnie replied.
"Well…" Mikey said, swallowing now. "I guess Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad."
"I don't mind as long as it's not Hufflepuff." Raph said smugly.
"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" Mikey asked, this being news to him.
"Everyone knows that's where the Nobody's go."
"That's not true, Raph!" Leo argued. "Many good witches and wizards are from Hufflepuff. There is no greater or weaker House."
"Leo's right." Donnie said with a nod. "They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Good and bad from each House."
Raph shrugged and crossed his arms as he laid back in his seat. Privately, he really wanted to be in Gryffindor. He thought how cool it would be if all four of them went to the same House Harry Potter or Albus Dumbledore was from; Gryffindors were always honored and praised, and Raph wanted to be a part of that.
"There's four, right?" Mikey asked, moving things along.
"Yup." Donnie said with a smile and turned to a page in his book. He showed it to his brothers and they saw that it was Hogwarts' crest, with the red lion, the blue eagle, the yellow badger, and the green snake. "There's Gryffindor…" Donnie said, pointing to the lion. "…Hufflepuff…" He pointed to the badger. "…Ravenclaw…" He pointed to the eagle. "…and Slytherin." He pointed to the snake.
"I don't want Slytherin." Mikey mumbled to his hands.
"Why not?" Leo asked, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Slytherin's okay. They're clever, determined, and strong."
"Yeah, but…"
"They're not bad, Mikey." Leo cut him off, knowing what he was thinking. "You shouldn't think that one House is evil. It's like saying all turtles are slow. Besides, Severus Snape was in Slytherin."
Mikey shrugged, not truly convinced. There was no more discussion about Houses, or even Hogwarts. Silence fell as the fields were slowly replaced with mountains. Donnie was almost halfway through "Hogwarts: A History" when night fell. Leo and Mikey had their blue eyes glued to the window, much like other first years in different compartments. Donnie craned his neck to look over them, but Raph merely glanced at the window, not moving from his spot as he read his favorite comic: The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle.
It would be another hour of window-watching until a voice echoed throughout the whole train.
"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Mikey became pale under his freckles as he and his brothers changed into their school robes. Donnie's hands were shaking with excitement as he tied on his robes and Raph could not suppress a grim. Leo was solemn.
The train finally came to a stop and people of all kind shoved their way from their compartments, down the halls and out of the crowed train.
"Move OVER!" A grey tabby cat female hollered.
"Ouch!" An alligator yelled as someone stepped on his tale.
"Wait, where's my hat?" A dark-skinned human boy asked.
"Excuse me, I'm a prefect!" A tall female turtle said stiffly.
"Do we really… ow… is this… OUCH… come on, now…" A short grey rabbit struggled to say as she was trampled over.
The four turtle brothers squeezed pasted the crowd as the older students went on horse-carriages, which seemed to be pulling themselves. Mikey tripped on his robes, but was caught by Donnie before hitting the damp concrete below. It looked like it had been raining there all day, but stopped as night fell.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Yelled a booming voice as a swinging light came closer to the
The group of first-years looked up at the huge grey-bearded man before them, who smiled with twinkling black-beetle eyes. His long main of grey hair and beard covered his face well, apart from his eyes. He wore a big, black overcoat with huge leather boots. His hands were the size of trashcan-lids and his feet looked no bigger than baby dolphins.
"Any more firs' years? Follow me, then. Yeh'll get your first glimpse of Hogwarts after we go 'round this bend here."
The children followed the giant down a small, steep path towards the school in the dark woods, away from the train station and the little village
As they walked and slipped on the muddy path, Donnie hissed to his brothers in excitement, "Do you know who that is?"
"Who?" Leo whispered back.
"Rubeus Hagrid!"
"What?" Raph gasped.
"I've read about him. He's part giant, but close to the Potters and Weasleys."
"Oh, that Hagrid!" Leo said in a low voice. "I've heard of him. Strong, but gentle and nice."
"Doesn't he teach a class?" Raph asked.
"Care of Magical Creatures." Donnie answered with a nod. "We can take it if we want in our third year."
"Really?" Mikey asked as they approached the lake. "Alright!"
The first years awed as they saw the stunning castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was so tall it looked like it touched the stars above and it stretched all over the opposite side of the lake. It had many tall towers and big chambers. Its windows' light sparkled as it reflected on the dark, flooded lake.
"No more'n four to a boat." Hagrid said to the group of first-years.
The four brothers climbed into a boat and looked around. It was hard to see far in the night, but they could see that they were in woods. Next to them, an alligator was asking Hagrid if he may swim. Hagrid said yes, if he didn't mind the giant squid. The alligator joined a boat without another word.
Once everyone had taken a seat on a boat, Hagrid looked over his shoulder on his lonely boat and hollered, "Everyone on board? Right then… FORWARD!"
The boats began to glide over the water on their own, giving the new students much to admire and observe. Mikey was brave enough to put a hand into the water as they slowly swam across the vast lake. The water the cool and calm. He pulled out his hand and wiped it dry on his robes. Leo's blue eyes were glued to the castle. He was excited. This was their brothers' new home. Here, they would grow and learn together, until they were seventeen and graduated, free to explore the world and use their magic.
Many other students were excited. The alligator's jaw hung open in disbelief at what beheld in front of him. A lizard with army-green skin and dark brown hair in a short pony tail sighed in awe and placed a hand to her cheek as she rested her elbow on the boat's edge. A human girl with red hair looked at the school with big, round eyes.
The group of little boats followed Hagrid into a dock below the castle. As they slowly came to a stop, the children carefully climb out. A human boy with long dark hair leaned against a beam on shaking knees, feeling a little sick. They all surrounded the big oak doors, on which Hagrid knocked three times. They opened about halfway to reveal a round face, cheery eyed, dirty skinned man. He wore navy blue robes that matched the night. They might have been lighter, if it wasn't for the bit of dirt that covered him. He also appeared to be a little sweaty, his breathing being quick and heart racing.
"Thanks, Hagrid." The man breathed as he straightened slightly. "Got here all right? I see it's stopped raining."
"Firs' years all made it, Neville. No missing toads." He added with a wink.
The man smiled and opened the doors wider. "I'll take it from here."
He led the way inside to an enormous entrance hall. No one said a word as he led them to another pair of huge double doors. From behind it, hundreds of voices could be heard, where the rest of the school was. The first years crowed around and watched the dirty man. He turned to them with a welcoming smile. Mikey couldn't help but feel safe and warm in his sight.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor Longbottom and I will be your Herbology teacher." Professor Longbottom said warmly. "Now, in a few minutes you'll join us for the feast, but before you do, you must be sorted into your Houses. There are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now your Houses will be kind of like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, and your misbehavior will lose you points. At the end of term, the House with the most points will win the House Cup, which is always fun.
"Now, the Sorting Ceremony will begin soon in front of the whole school to watch. That being said, I suggest you clean up a bit." He laughed a bit and added. "I can't say much, giving how dirty I am, can I?"
Professor Longbottom pulled out a wand from his robes and made the dirt disappear with a flick of his wand. He gave a kind little nod of good luck before walking inside and leaving the first years alone.
"Longbottom?" Mikey giggled quietly to his brothers.
"It's not funny, Mikey!" Donnie hissed. "He's the one that killed Voldemort's snake, remember? He's second-in-command of Dumbledore's Army."
A girl behind him gasped, making him turn. Donnie found himself facing a very pretty freckled red-haired girl with beautiful blue eyes. Donnie goggled at her for a moment before she spoke.
"You said You-Know-Who's name?" She said in awe.
"W-What? Voldemort?" He asked nervously, but not because of the name. "There's no reason to be afraid. He's gone. Besides, fear of a name…"
"…only increases fear of the thing itself, I know." April finished for him. "I've read all about it." She shook her head a bit and held out a hand to shake. "I'm April."
"D-D-Donnie." He stuttered as he shook hands with her.
"Nervous?" April asked, noticing his stuttering. "So am I. I don't know where I'll go."
"Wh… oh, yeah." Donnie said as he blushed.
In all the excitement of meeting April, the young genius completely forgot about the Sorting Ceremony. He took comfort of thinking that Leo would go first, then Raph, then him, and then Mikey. It made him feel better to watch his leader go first, encouraging him.
Next to him, after snickering at his shell, his brothers got ready. Leo smoothed out his robes as Raph fixed up his red mask and Mikey felt around his teeth for food. Others were whispering theories and fixing themselves up. A white rabbit was picking at his fur at his wrists nervously. The boy with long black hair was scaring others, saying they had to battle a troll. Others were saying something about a hat. The turtles had no idea what it would be, and did not speculate in order to resist getting sick from nerves. They were defiantly greener than usual.
Professor Longbottom opened the doors again and smiled at them. "We're ready. Line up by twos, and lets be off."
The four turtles found themselves in the middle of the lines two-by-two, with Leo on the top left, Raph at top right, Donnie, at bottom right, and Mikey at bottom left. Donnie was happy to see that April chose to be right behind him for comfort in familiarity. The alligator stood at the very back, his big tail swinging on the ground rapidly.
They all followed the Herbology teacher into the Great Hall and saw a magnificent sight before them. Four long, polished-wood tables ran down the hall, creating a path way to the front, where a three sided table full of teachers faced the front. At the middle, on a golden chair, sat the headmistress, Professor McGonagall, peering down at her students through rectangular glasses. On her right sat an empty chair, but on her left sat someone very special.
Mikey, unaware of that special someone, moved his eyes to the celling as they walked. He saw a cloudy night sky above the floating candles.
"Donnie, look!" Mikey whispered to his brother next to him. "They don't have a ceiling!"
"Yeah, they do." He said as he tore his chocolate-brown eyes away from the front. "It's just bewitched. If you look closely, you can see it's a ceiling."
"Oh." Mikey said, seeing what Donnie meant.
Raph, even if he didn't show it, was now extremely nervous. He looked at where Professor Longbottom stood at the front, next to a stool with an old hat on it, and swallowed a little lump in his throat. What he wouldn't give to sit with the other students and just eat dinner. And in front of…
"When I call your name, first years." Professor Longbottom said to the little group. "Come sit on the stool. I will place the Sorting Hat on your noggin, and you'll be sorted." He them unrolled a scroll of parchment, and began to read names. "Harold Buggles."
The alligator swallowed and stumbled up to the front, watching his long scaly tail carefully to make sure it didn't trip him or hit anybody. He walked up the three steps and sat on the stool, and Professor Longbottom placed the hat on his head. A few short moments passed and the Sorting Hat yelled for the whole Hall to hear.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The whole room cheered, but the table on the far right of the room, by the fireplace, cheered the loudest. Professor Longbottom took the hat back and gestured for Harold to join that table. Smiling with white, pointed teeth, he walked down and joined them.
"That's it?" Mikey whispered as Professor Longbottom read another name. "It just yells out our House?"
"Guess so." Leo said with a shrug, watching a little grey rabbit become the first Ravenclaw.
The table on the nearer left cheered and she joined them, smiling proudly. Leo noticed that she sat next to a taller grey rabbit, who hugged her. Leo guessed that he was her brother. The blue-masked turtle turned back to the front and watched the rest of the Sorting, finding himself enjoying watching them all go.
Donnie's heart pounded as it came closer to the Hs. Soon, he would be Sorted. He still had no clue where he would go. What if he wasn't chosen for anything? No, that wouldn't happen. He tried not to lose his head as he watched the next first year being Sorted.
"Elizabeth Gordon." Professor Longbottom called out.
The lizard with the short, dark-brown ponytail blushed furiously as she walked up, her tail swinging slightly with excitement. She sat there for almost a whole minute, but she didn't look nervous, as the hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Elizabeth smiled widely and joined the Gryffindor table. Donnie's heart skipped a beat. She was a G. Next was H.
"Donatello Hamato." Professor Longbottom called out.
Donnie was speechless. He thought Leo would be called first. Why would he, though? As the purple-masked turtle climbed up to the stool, he realized that of his brothers, his first name was the first to come in the alphabet. He sat down and Professor Longbottom placed the hat on him.
As soon as the hat touched him, it immediately called out, "RAVENCLAW!"
Donnie took a deep breath out and climbed down. His brothers cheered loudly, along with the whole Ravenclaw table. Leo felt excited now. He and his other brothers would go to Ravenclaw, too. He just knew it! He was ready when his name was called out. He walked calmly up there and sat up straight, holding himself up with pride.
His smiled faded a little when the hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Much like Donnie, it yelled the second it touched his head. Leo was happy to go to such a great House, but he wanted to be with Donnie. As he walked toward the roaring table, he gave Donnie an apologetic look. Donnie gave him a thumbs-up with a smile. Donnie was also thrown off. He felt stupid for thinking they would all go to the same house. Was his brain not working properly? Still, he was happy for Leo.
Leo sat down and looked at the hands on his lap. Elizabeth, who was on his left, noticed that he seemed down and wondered why.
Mikey and Raph exchanged looks. Where would they go? What would happen now that two of them were in different Houses?
"Michelangelo Hamato." Professor Longbottom called out.
Shaking like a leaf, little Mikey walked up to the stool and sat down. The hat covered his eyes and a voice whispered in his ear.
"Hm. I see, I see. Quite an imagination, very kind, surprisingly bright. And brave. Oh yes, very brave and strong. Hm... tricky one, you are."
Mikey blushed under the hat.
"Oh ho, I know just where to put you." And then the hat yelled out loud, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuffs cheered loudly and Leo and Donnie clapped for their brother. Smiling slightly, he walked over. He wasn't sure where to sit until he saw a female lion motion for him to seat with her. He remembered watching her be Sorted mere minutes ago. His smile grew and he sat down, but his smile faded as he saw how none of his brothers were sitting with him. He felt alone.
Raph felt confident. He knew he would go to Gryffindor and be with Leo. He was bold and daring and strong and brave, everything to be a Gryffindor. Professor Longbottom called his name and he walked up proudly and sat down.
Much like Donnie and Leo, as soon as it touched him, the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"
Jaw hanging open slightly, Raph walked over to the far right table, which was cheering loudly. Mikey forgot to clap in all the shock. Leo and Donnie clapped, but without even paying attention to what they were doing. They were all shocked. All four of them, in completely different Houses! What would happen now?
Raph didn't pay much attention to the others and only clapped when Casey Jones, a human boy with long black hair, joined the Slytherins. Leo tried to stay composed and pay attention, but when he wasn't clapping or cheering, he was down and could not keep his saddened feelings away. Normally, Mikey would have been bursting with joy, much like the lion next to him was, but he didn't feel like celebrating. Donnie tried to be respectful and watch the other first years being Sorted, but his mind wandered with doubt often.
Professor Longbottom continued to call out names, and when Usagi Miyamoto became a Gryffindor, Donnie sat up straighter when April O'Neil was called. April looked like she would faint as she walked up there, and Donnie felt a strong urgency to walk her to the stool to ensure that wouldn't happen, but he remained seated and watched as the red head's eyes were covered by the hat.
She sat for a few second, and then the hat yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"
Donnie cheered and clapped, his heart fluttering. He moved over a little and April joined him, smiling widely at him. Donnie felt his face get hot as he smiled back. More names were called but they were all deaf to Donnie as if his ears refused to work properly. Finally, when the last first year went to Slytherin and sat next to a blue salamander first year, Professor Longbottom rolled up the list and took the stool with them as he walked off. Professor McGonagall stood up and all fell silent, all eyes to her.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," She said in a surprisingly strong voice for someone so old. "Both to the old and the new. I hope we have a good term. Now, I do have a few announcements that I need to make, but I shall do them after dinner. Enjoy the feast." And she sat down.
As soon as she was seated, the plates and bowl on the tables magically filled and they all dug in. Mikey smiled with shining eyes. Being the bottomless pit that he was, he began to take a little of everything, not wanting to miss out. The lion next to him waited until Mikey was done filling his plate to introduce herself.
"My name is Ember." She said with a smile.
"Ember… that's an awesome name." Mikey complimented.
"Thank you. What's yours?"
"I'm Mikey, the awesome one." Mikey said before biting into a chicken leg.
Ember did the same and sighed in comfort. The meat was really good and reminded her of her godfather's barbeque.
As Mikey and Ember chatted away, becoming fast friends, over at the Gryffindor table, Leo kept looking up from his potatoes and steak to see his brothers. Leo was anxious and weary. Elizabeth, who was sitting next to him, noticed this and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, you okay?"
Leo looked at her and tried to smile. "I'm fine. Just…" He didn't finished and took a bite of steak, before looking over at his brother Donnie.
Elizabeth followed his eyes and saw who he was looking at. She remembered the four turtles having the same last name, and put two and two together.
"That guy your brother?" The lizard asked.
"Hu? Oh, yeah. His name's Donnie."
"He looks cool." Elizabeth commented. "You going to tell me yours?"
"I'm Leonardo. Just call me Leo." Leo looked at her and asked, "You're… Elizabeth, right?"
She cringed. "Yeah, but just call me Liz, okay?"
"Sure." Leo shrugged.
Over at the Ravenclaw table, April chatted away with Donnie about her expectations and excitement for what she'll learn. Donnie listened, despite not feeling to well, but was happy to hear her talk.
"And Transfiguration is the hardest class! I bet will learn loads! There's so much to do!"
"Oh, looking forward to it?"
The two first years looked in front of them and saw a female turtle smiling at them. She wore a prefect's badge on her robes and turquoise cloth around her wrists, matching her skin and eyes very well.
April nodded and the prefect stretched a hand across the table for her and Donnie to shake.
"I'm Venus. I'll be showing you to your common room later."
"Nice to meet you, Venus." April said as she shook her hand.
"I'm Donatello." The second turtle said as he shook hands with Venus.
"April." The human said to Venus.
"I know; I watched you being Sorted." Venus said kindly with a nod. "Welcome to Ravenclaw! Do you have any family from Ravenclaw?"
"Both of my parents were in Ravenclaw." April said as she got herself some more peas.
"I don't really know." Donnie confided. "I was adopted."
"I'm sorry." April said.
"No, don't be." He said quickly. "I mean, my adopted father was in Gryffindor and my mom went to Hufflepuff. My dad's dad went to Ravenclaw, though, but my dad's mom went to Slytherin."
"Little bit of everything, hu?" Venus said, noticing how he had three brothers, all somewhere different.
Donnie sighed. "Yeah."
"Don't worry." Venus said sweetly. "You can still… um… 'hang out', even if you are in different Houses."
"Really?" Donnie asked, seeming hopeful.
"Of course!" Venus said with a smile. "You might have classes with them, and there's meals! You can talk to them at breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can be in a club with them, if you want! Or join them for Quidditch matches!"
"Isn't that against the rules?"
"No, no! Professor McGonagall highly encourages that houses mingle peacefully amongst ourselves. See that Hufflepuff boy there?"
Donnie and April turned to where Venus was pointing at and saw a Hufflepuff human prefect with curly copper hair waving to them. They waved back and turned to face Venus.
"He's my best friend. We study together some nights in the library and help each other. I'm really good at Potions, which he struggles dearly with, but I'm not very good at Care for Magical Creatures, which he is very good at."
"What year are you in?" April asked in between mouths of peas.
"Fifth, and so is Dustin."
As Venus gave the two first years advice about Hogwarts, Raph merely poked at his dinner and did not complain when it vanished. It was now time for dessert. Raph was in no rush to scoop up some chocolate ice cream, but even that he didn't fully enjoy. He was disappointed at being Sorted into Slytherin and was annoyed at Casey for talking too much. He reminded Raph of Mikey, who was never quiet.
"And then, just when I thought it was safe, a plane flew right by me! Almost lost my head from the sharp wing! But I ducked in time and made it back down with my Nimbus 2000 okay." He finished his story with flexing his arms in pride.
"Hmph." Raph grunted, not at all interested.
"What, like you got better stories to tell?" Casey teased.
Raph didn't say a word.
Casey elbowed him and said, "Come on, dude! Lighten up! This is a party!"
It took every restraint Raph had not to choke Casey, but soon the desserts vanished too and Professor McGonagall stood up once more. All was silent.
"Now before we go to bed, I would like to say a few words." She said and everyone held onto each word. "First years should know that the Forbidden Forest is, after all, forbidden. All students are reminded, and a few staff members as well, to never go in there." Professor McGonagall's eyes flashed to her left, and when they did, a few people gasped at who they realized had joined them.
"Also, for those interested in trying out for their house's Quidditch team need to speak with their Quidditch Captain. I must also remind you all to never use magic in the corridors, for those who do not want to lose your House points.
"And now, I must inform you of a change of staff this year."
There was a mutter of excitement amongst the students now as they all knew who was sitting calmly next to Professor McGonagall. It only lasted a short time, so she could go on.
"Our latest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Addlestone, has finally retired. I am very proud to announce that her place will be taken by none other than Mr. Harry Potter."
There was a loud applause of excitement and Harry stood up. There was no mistaken that messy hair, round glasses, lightning bolt scar and green eyes. It was truly the famous Harry Potter. A few whistled and soon every student was standing up.
"THE Harry Potter?" Donnie called over the loud cheering.
"I cannot believe it!" Venus cried out. "Oh, we'll learn so much! And in our O.W.L.s year, too!"
After a full minute, students began to sit down and the applause died down.
"And now, it is time to get a full night's rest for your first day tomorrow." Professor McGonagall announced to the Great Hall. "Prefects, please lead the first years to your house dormitories." And the school was dismissed.
Venus stood up, smoothed out her robes, and called out to her fellow Ravenclaws, "First years! First year Ravenclaws follow me and Thomas, please!"
A grey rabbit waved a paw and hollered over the crowd as well. Donnie and April stayed close to Venus, terrified of getting lost. Donnie spotted his brother Mikey nervously following the trail of Hufflepuff first years. He felt a strong urge to follow him, but he stayed where he was, and watched him go through the giant doors. He looked around for Leo or Raph, but he didn't see them through the crowd. As Donnie followed Venus out of the Hall, he felt a mixture of great sadness and loneliness.
He was afraid of what would happen to them, now that they were in different walks of life. But wait, Venus said they could still hang out. They might have classes together, and they could meet up for lunch or something. Maybe he could help Mikey study for class or they could do homework together. Donnie walked a little straighter and tried to enjoy seeing his school for the first time. He was determined to keep his brothers together. He would show them how it was still possible to be a family, and how they could enjoy Hogwarts together.
I will continue to write this little AU in the future, but another part may not come up for a while. I also have this little headcanon that after a few years of being an Auror, Harry Potter would retire to teach DADA, but because Hogwarts has always been his home. I was a little surprise when I read that he already wasn't a teacher, but thought he might in his later years.