A/N Many thanks to my beta hgg997!

Disclaimer: These characters and their histories are not my own I merely borrow and bruise and attempt to reuse. Credit goes to J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis.

Today was his eleventh birthday, but he didn't expect his aunt or uncle to give him any presents or even to acknowledge his existence except to yell at him or give him chores. He always had to do the chores while his cousin Dudley got to spend his days playing with his roomful of toys or watching television or playing games on his computer. But today was different; he wouldn't have to do chores since they weren't at home. Not that he considered his aunt and uncle's house much of a home, but it was all he knew. He had lived with them since he was one. His parents had died in a car crash that left him with a lightening shaped scar on his forehead. Sometimes when he was out, people would see the scar and look at him oddly as if they knew him, but couldn't believe it was him. But most of the time his scar was covered with his messy black hair that his aunt constantly tried to tame.

Lately though, it seemed that whenever his aunt and uncle saw his scar they appeared angry and perhaps even a bit fearful. That had started a week ago when he had received a letter by post. He was surprised since he had never received a letter before. He didn't even have a chance to read who it was from before Dudley's piggy eyes spotted it and he gleefully shouted, "Harry got a letter!" His uncle quickly grabbed it from him and upon reading it turned all manners of colors in quick succession before sending Harry to his cupboard. From his cot Harry could smell the letter burning as his uncle murmured huffily.

The next few days Harry was confined to the cupboard, only allowed out to relieve himself, as letter after letter arrived in the most unusual places. Finally, his uncle, on the verge of a psychotic episode, took time off work and with a manic grin stated that they would all be taking a vacation. They jumped in the car and drove to an old house in the country.

The house was so full of historical artifacts it was like a museum. Harry hoped that he would get a chance to explore it. Little did the Dursley's know they had chosen one of the few houses in all of England where the letters couldn't find them. A house that knew magic, deep magic that had once been employed many years ago by four children, brothers and sisters, who had been transported to another world and there defeated an evil witch. The witch had ruled this world with fear and despair. It was here that Harry would once again celebrate a birthday wishing for a place to belong and be loved.

As Harry was wishing this he heard his cousin searching for him. Knowing that having no access to television or toys in this ancient house had put Dudley in a sour mood, Harry wisely decided to hide. Dudley was too fat and lazy to search upstairs so Harry quietly slipped up the ancient maple steps and looked for a place to hide. He was surprised and horrified when he heard Dudley stamping his way up the steps. Panicked, he ran from door to door, but they were all locked until he reached the end of the hall and found an open door. The room was empty except for a large wardrobe. He jumped inside and partially closed the door; he knew better than to shut it completely and get locked in. The wardrobe was full of old furs that his aunt would have loved to claim as her own despite there outdated style. Harry continued to push his way past the furs, expecting to reach the back of the wardrobe at any point.

All of a sudden, Harry was assaulted by a bright light, and he blinked hard to clear his vision. After blinking several more times and rubbing his eyes thoroughly Harry decided that he must be dreaming. He was in a field on a hillside surrounded by wildflowers next to what he assumed must have once been a large stone table. He heard gentle breathing behind him and turned around and was shocked to find himself face to face with a giant lion. At first he was terrified, but then he reasoned that if the lion meant him any harm he would be dead already; besides it had the kindest eyes.

"Hello Harry Potter," He said.

"How… h-how do you know my name?" Harry stammered.

"I know everything about you Harry. I called you here."

"Sir, I didn't hear you call, I was just hiding from my cousin." Harry bowed his head nervous at contradicting such a great beast.

To his surprise the lion laughed softly and responded, "Dudley would never have followed you up the stairs; it was I who pushed and guided you."

"But sir-" Harry began.

"Aslan."

"But Aslan, why?"

"Harry you are destined to do great things." Here he paused and his eyes softened, "Your parents didn't die in a car crash; they died fighting a terrible evil. That evil tried to destroy you, but your parents' love protected you. Love is a deep magic that evil often underestimates. When it failed to destroy you it rebounded and destroyed itself for a time. This evil will return and it will be your job to destroy it completely." Aslan calmly explained.

A million questions sprung to Harry's mind, but what came out was "What can I do, and what if I fail?"

"I won't leave you alone Harry. I will send you to a place where you will learn lessons and values that will help you. You will make friends and find mentors who will guide, and on occasion, misguide you. Help will always come to you when you most need it."

Harry opened his mouth to ask yet another set of questions, but suddenly found himself back in the wardrobe surrounded by the furs. As he moved to leave his mind jumped back and forth between everything he had just heard and he wondered when he would be sent to this place and meet these people. He had completely forgotten about the letter by the time he opened the door of the wardrobe. For the second time that day Harry found himself somewhere different than he had expected. He stepped out of the wardrobe into a room full of oddities, being curious and rather reckless, Harry normally would have investigated them, but his curiosity was overshadowed by his desire to know where he was. Seeing a door at the other end of the room Harry carefully opened it and stepped out into a large hallway and his jaw dropped to see such a grand place, larger than anywhere he had ever seen.

"James?" came a voice full of shock and something akin hatred from behind him. He turned around and caught the eyes of a tall, severe looking man wearing long, black, billowing robes,

"Lily's eyes," the man said, his expression softening before abruptly turning severe again.

Although his aunt and uncle had told him very little but lies about his parents, Harry knew their names to be James and Lily. 'Could this man have known my parents?' Harry wondered.

"How did you get here?" the tall man snapped.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, I think." Harry answered meekly, still unsure if this was reality or a dream.

"I repeat, how did you get here?" the man said sternly, his impatience clear in his demeanor.

"Magic, I think," Harry answered honestly.

"Don't be smart with me! Did Hagrid fetch you?"

"Severus, the staff meeting is about to begin, would you care to accompany me there?" A sweet looking old man with half-moon spectacles and twinkling eyes, also wearing strange robes, came around the corner.

With a hint of respect almost hidden by the tone of annoyance, the severe man addressed the old one, "and will we be addressing the early arrival of students, Headmaster?"

"Early arrival of students?" said the headmaster with obvious confusion.

Severus indicated Harry's presence with a terse nod of his head.

The headmaster stared at Harry a minute with a look of delighted confusion on his face before saying, "Well now this is a surprise, the new term doesn't start for another month! I suppose Hagrid must have had some reason for bringing you early, though in the future he should send an owl." Although he spoke in a stern voice, his twinkling eyes made it hard to think he was actually upset; in fact he seemed to find the whole situation rather amusing.

"Excuse me sir, uh, Headmaster, I didn't mean to arrive early, I didn't even know I was coming here until I arrived. My name is Harry Potter." Harry realized by now that this was a school and thought it better not to mention the talking lion and start the school year with the staff thinking he was insane.

"Of course Harry, I'm not upset with you, just surprised that you aren't with the Dursleys back in Privet Drive." The headmaster explained to Harry's astonishment.

Before Harry could recover enough to respond the largest man Harry had ever seen came running and panting into the hallway.

"Dumbledore…" The large man wheezed.

"Hagrid, I wish you would explain yourself, is there a particular reason you brought…"

Before Dumbledore could finish his question Hagrid caught enough breath to interrupt, "Couldn't find him anywhere… looked… untraceable."

At this Dumbledore turned to Harry with a most bemused expression, "Now that is quite interesting, how then did you arrive here and why ever are you pinching yourself?"

"Sir, I believe this must be a dream. I must have hit my head in the wardrobe, or maybe this entire week since the arrival of that letter is a dream. I once dreamed I rode a flying motorcycle, this isn't so much stranger." Harry thought out loud more than slightly disappointed that Aslan didn't exist outside of his mind.

"He remembers the motorcycle trip with me," said Hagrid with a gleam of tears in his eyes.

"Perhaps if I go to sleep, I'll wake up for real," said Harry still thinking aloud.

"Oh my, he does seem confused, perhaps a nap would do him well, and then he can properly explain his presence here." Dumbledore stated more for concern about getting to the staff meeting than for Harry's state of mind which he was sure was at least as sane as his own. "Hagrid did you get the you-know-what from Gringott's? It is the subject of today's meeting."

"Yes sir, I've got it right here," stated Hagrid pulling out a lumpy, brown paper bag and handing it to the Headmaster.

"Alright then off we go. Come along Harry, until you are sorted we'll just let you nap in the hospital wing."

Harry followed along mutely, thoroughly confused and wishing someone would explain where he was and why. It seemed as if they all knew who he was, but he could not recall ever having met them and he would at least have remembered meeting such a giant of a man as Hagrid. So lost in thought, Harry missed many important clues on his way to the hospital wing. He failed to notice the pictures that seemed to smile and wave at them as they walked by. He didn't notice the candles that seemed to burn but never drip wax or diminish in size. Every once in a while he would get the feeling that something was out of place, but he couldn't put his finger on it. When they got to the hospital wing Harry immediately fell into the nearest bed and the last thing he remembered was the headmaster softly whispering to the nurse.

"When I open my eyes I'll be back in my cupboard and everything will be normal." Harry thought to himself hours later almost hoping it wasn't true.

He slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times. Sure enough, he was still in the hospital wing at the school.

"Ah, so you finally woke up," said a sweet, but stern looking nurse. "My name is Madame Pomfrey; I shall inform the headmaster as soon as he is finished with his meeting. You must be truly excited to start your studies to arrive a full month early to school."

"You are a nurse, right?" Harry queried.

"The term we use here is healer," Madame Pomfrey responded.

"But there is still patient confidentiality?" Harry asked hoping to be able to safely ask questions without being written off as a lunatic by the entire school.

"Of course, dear! Is something the matter?"

"I'm just not quite sure that I'm not dreaming. One minute I'm hiding from what I thought was my cousin, the next I'm here and people I've never met knew my parents and where I live and seem almost to have been expecting me at some point." Despite the patient-healer confidentiality he was still nervous to mention the talking lion.

"I can assure you this isn't a dream, though I'm as puzzled as you are as to how you got here since the train only comes twice a year."

"Then if this isn't a dream… am I … losing my mind?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"I doubt it dear, a mind is a dreadfully difficult thing to lose," Madame Pomfrey responded not quite reassuringly.

At that moment the headmaster waltzed in with a smile on his face, "Glad to see you're awake, Harry, I suppose it isn't too late to shop for your school supplies yet today. Hagrid will be glad to accompany you."

"I'm sorry, sir but I don't have any money to buy school supplies." Harry admitted uncomfortably.

"You'll use money from the inheritance your parents left you, of course. I'll have Hagrid stop at the bank on your way." Dumbledore stated, as if Harry should be aware that he had anything at all to inherit from his parents. What other surprises would he learn about his past?

Harry didn't have a chance to ask any more questions before Hagrid bustled in and bustled Harry out. Harry was beginning to get quite annoyed at constantly being shepherded to a new place before he had the chance to ask questions.

Next thing he knew he was helping Hagrid, who seemed to be a fairly simple-minded person, figure out the fare for the underground. When they arrived at their stop, they walked to a rather shady looking pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Harry was beginning to have serious doubts about this man named Hagrid, as sweet as he seemed to be.

"Back again already, Hagrid?" A man at the bar asked.

"More school business Tom. Sorry we're in a rush," Hagrid stated gesturing towards Harry, before quickly ushering him out the back door of the pub.

"Blimey, was that Harry Potter?" Harry overheard as the door shut behind them. He turned back and looked at the closed door; did everyone know who he was?

"Alright there Harry, we got off to a late start so I'll run to the bank for you while you go get fitted for your uniform." Harry didn't respond and had to remember to shut his mouth which had fallen open upon seeing the oddities that lay beyond the arch that Hagrid directed him through. Come to think of it, he didn't remember seeing that arch a moment ago. Perhaps he really was losing his mind, in which case he trusted Hagrid with his money almost more than he did himself. Harry followed Hagrid at a run until he came to a shop called Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. Apparently, he would be required to wear robes like the people he had met at the school.

"Hogwart's dear? I'm just finishing up another student if you would step up there next to him." Madame Malkin said.

"Hello, I'm Draco, this your first year also?" Draco asked Harry, who just nodded, happy that at least this one person didn't seem to know him yet. "I think it's a crime they won't let first years have a broom, don't you? I'm thinking of smuggling one in. Dad says if people only just saw me flying on a good broom, like a Nimbus 2000, I'd make the house Quidditch team for sure." Draco talked on self-importantly, not seeming to care that Harry hadn't introduced himself yet.

Harry interrupted here though, thoroughly confused, "Flying around on a broom? Like a witch or something?"

At first Draco looked horribly offended at being called a witch, but that look was quickly replaced by one of incredulousness. "How did you get here and why would a muggle buy robes?"

"As to how I got here, I'm not sure you would believe me, I don't really believe me. I don't know what a muggle is, but I'm buying robes because some people in robes I met today told me I'm attending their school and that I need to come here and buy my supplies."

Draco paused a minute looking confused and annoyed then he abruptly broke into a fit of laughter, "Brilliant joke, you really had me believing you were a muggle that wandered in here by mistake. Who are you again?" Harry was saved from answering when Madame Malkin turned to Draco and told him he was finished and free to go.

"Alright I'll see you on the train then." Draco chuckled as he left the store.

Hagrid showed up a few minutes after Harry finished getting fitted for his robes. He was quite confused when Madame Malkin told him how many nuts and sickles it cost. What kind of store bartered robes for nuts and outdated farming equipment? But Hagrid pulled out a handful of odd looking bronze, silver and gold coins and handed her a few of the bronze and silver ones. He handed the rest to Harry explaining that he didn't know how much extra spending money Harry would want, but that if he needed more he could always write to the bank, not that he would need much once he got to school. Harry had never had any extra spending money in his life; the Dursley's were not exactly generous when it came to their nephew.

"Oh, and I got you a birthday present Harry," Hagrid said pulling out a cage with a giant snowy white owl perched inside. Harry was so overwhelmed at receiving any acknowledgement of his birthday that he overlooked the oddity of receiving an owl as a present. Besides why not receive a weird present on such a weird day?

"Thank you Hagrid, how did you know it was my birthday?"

"Blimey Harry, I was invited to your first birthday party, your mum was always so sweet to me, even though I was expelled from school."

"You knew my parents? What were they like?" Harry asked, anxious to know more about the people his aunt and uncle pretended didn't exist.

"Great people, the best of their generation. It's just so sad to think that they are gone and not here to see you all grown up and looking so much like your dad. But your mother's eyes, you always had your mother's eyes." Hagrid pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose with all the noise of a foghorn. "Plenty to do still. Let's see I've got your list right here: textbooks, a potions set, and of course your wand, perhaps we should do that first."

Harry decided that this list couldn't be any stranger than anything else from today, so he just went right along with it. It would take quite a lot to surprise Harry right now.

They walked into the next store and Hagrid introduced Harry to Mr. Ollivander saying that he was the best maker of wands in all of England, if not the world.

"It seems like just the other day your parents were in here buying their first wands." He then went on to describe the qualities of each of their wands making Harry wonder if he was making it up, had studied it recently, or just had that perfect of a memory.

"Here Harry, try this one," Ollivander said handing Harry a long wooden stick he pulled out of one of the boxes sitting on the table. Harry's fingers warmed slightly, causing him to drop the wand in shock.

"Not that one, ok, try this." Harry tried wand after wand and managed not to drop any more though each wand responded slightly differently when he held it. He wondered if this was normal and decided that as odd as these people were he could ask them and it would be the pot calling the kettle black if they accused him of insanity.

"Is it normal for the wands to feel warm when I pick them up?"

"Well, of course Harry, but you'll know when it is the right wand, believe me. It is, after all, the wand that chooses the wizard." Harry dropped the wand along with his jaw. "Not that one either, alright then, hmm. I wonder…"

"Wizard?" Harry gasped; apparently he could still be surprised.

"Are you quite alright Harry?" Ollivander asked.

"I'm a wizard?" Harry wondered if it could possibly be true.

"Yeh mean to tell me the Dursley's never told you anything? You don't know who you are or who your parents were?" Hagrid shouted as his anger mounted.

"You mean it's true? Magic exists? My day suddenly makes so much more sense. I'm not going insane!" Harry smiled broadly realizing that even if he was insane at least he wasn't the only one in the room.

"How did you ever manage to visit Hogwarts and shop in Diagon Alley and not realize you were a wizard?" Ollivander asked disbelievingly.

"Hogwarts? Is that the name of the school? I honestly thought that either everything was a dream or that I was losing my mind. What if no wand chooses me?" Harry thought suddenly nervous.

"Astonishing! Don't worry, we shall find you a wand yet. I wonder…maybe…"

Ollivander turned to a shelf near the back and pulled out a new box. Harry picked up the wand, it felt familiar to him as it grew warm and as he raised it, sparks like fireworks flew out of its tip.

"Curious, very curious."

"More curious than the existence of magic sir?" Harry queried.

"There is nothing curious about that."

"Then what is curious sir?"

"Every wand contains a magical core: unicorn hair, dragon heartstring, or phoenix feather. The core for your wand came from a phoenix. This phoenix only gave one other feather; the wand containing that feather would be a brother to your own wand. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar."

"I've always been told I received this scar in a car crash that killed my parents, but I know that's not true. My parents died fighting a terrible evil, so how did I receive this scar?"

"Your scar is the mark left by a dark curse, an unforgivable curse. You are the only known survivor of this curse and you were just a baby at the time."

"Perhaps we should finish your shopping Harry. To think you never knew you were a wizard when our entire world owes its current peace to your survival that horrid but wonderful day!" Hagrid interrupted.

They bought up the rest of Harry's necessary school supplies without further interruption. This was likely due to the fact that most people had already finished their shopping and gone home as the hour was getting quite late.

Hagrid accompanied Harry to Privet Drive with a letter for the Dursley's explaining Harry's absence and apologizing for causing them so much worry. Harry seriously doubted the Dursley's noticed his absence and wouldn't have worried if they had, but didn't explain this to Hagrid. Harry was grateful Hagrid sent a letter rather than talking to the Dursley's in person, he highly suspected that Hagrid would not allow Harry to stay at Privet Drive if he knew that the Dursley's were far away in the countryside. "Alright Harry, here's your ticket for the train, I'll be sure to take good care of your owl for you though I still don't understand why you can't bring her home with you."

Harry knew that his uncle had taken a week off of work and he was excited to have the week to relax and process everything without his aunt and uncle ordering him about and sending him to his cupboard. He also planned to use the week to come up with a story to tell his aunt and uncle. When the Dursley's returned a week later they were furious to see Harry at the house. His uncle had turned a nasty shade of violet, while his aunt tried to calm him down fearing that he would have a stroke. They demanded to know where Harry had been. Harry explained that he had decided to run away, but was sent home by a police officer along with a mandatory invitation to attend a reform school, St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. His aunt and uncle were torn between being furious with Harry or delighted that he had found a way to get out of their hair for an entire school year.

"Very well boy, where is this school?" his uncle asked.

"A special secure train picks us up at King's Cross Station in London on September 1st," Harry responded.

"How much does this school cost?"

"Nothing it is a service to the public." Harry responded thinking quickly.

"Is there any chance they will keep you for the summer?" his aunt asked.

"I'm not sure," Harry answered hoping it was an option.

"That's all; go to your cupboard boy!" Vernon said cheerfully.

The next month went too slowly for all members of the Dursley household. Harry tried to keep his mind focused on what was to come as Dudley teased him about getting sent to a school for criminals. Finally, the day arrived when Harry's uncle told him to get in the car and drove him to London. He got there far too early as his uncle was anxious to get rid of him. Harry didn't mind too much except he had noticed that the platform on his ticket didn't seem to exist. Could this all have been some kind of weird joke? There was platform 9 and 10, but where was platform 9 ¾? Harry asked a passing guard where the platform was. He got irritated and walked off. Later, Harry stopped another guard and asked what train left at 11; that guard told him he must have come the wrong day. Harry had plenty of time to ponder his situation and finally came to the conclusion that a magical school wouldn't send a train that just anyone could get on. He really wished he had kept his owl, who he decided to name Hedwig, so that he could send a note to Hagrid asking how to find the train. As he was thinking of Hedwig he thought he heard a hoot of an owl. He saw a large group of red-heads coming towards him with their luggage and an owl.

"Packed with muggles, of course, which platform is it again?" said a pleasantly plump lady.

"Nine and three-quarters, can't I go mum?" said a young girl.

"Not this year Ginny."

"Excuse me ma'am?" Harry approached the group.

"First year dear, Ron's too."

"I was just wondering…"

"How to get on the platform? Don't worry, it's easy just walk straight between platform nine and ten, best to do it at a run if you're nervous. Perhaps you should watch Percy and the twins go first," the woman answered.

The eldest three boys each took turns. It was quite odd to watch them, there one second and gone the next. Finally it was Harry's turn, he took it at a run and when he opened his eyes he found himself on a platform bustling with people. All around him he saw families wishing each other goodbye and once again he felt that familiar pang of longing to belong. Feeling out of place and alone Harry hurried to find a train compartment. As he was struggling to lift his trunk onto the train he suddenly sensed someone behind him.

"Need a hand?" a familiar red-headed boy asked.

"Yes please."

"Hey Fred, get over here." Together the twins easily hoisted Harry's trunk into one of the train's compartments.

"Thanks" Harry said running a hand through his hair trying unsuccessfully to make it lie flat.

"Anytime, C'mon George, Lee has something to show us," said the twin who, Harry was fairly sure had called the other twin Fred earlier. Harry settled down into the compartment and lost himself in thought. He could scarcely believe he was on his way.

"Anyone sitting there? Everywhere else is full." The youngest red-headed boy from the platform plopped down without waiting for a reply. "I'm Ron."

"Harry."

Never having mastered the talent of tact Ron blurted out, "How come you didn't know how to use the platform?"

"No one ever told me how."

"Oh, so you must be muggleborn, right?"

"I'm not sure, what's a muggle?" Harry responded.

"Non-magical folk." said Ron, now sure of his new friends heritage.

"Actually, I think my parents were magical, but I don't know for sure, they died when I was too young to remember."

"Oh, sorry," Ron replied, and then unsure what to say quickly changed the subject. "This is my pet rat, Scabbers." Ron removed a sleeping Scabbers from his pocket and presented him to Harry.

"Cool! I have an owl, Hedwig, but she's at school already, my aunt and uncle wouldn't approve if they knew."

"Wicked," said Ron, albeit a little bit jealously, since Scabbers was a hand-me-down from Percy.

The rest of the train ride was fairly uneventful with Ron proudly answering all of Harry's questions about the wizarding world and occasionally asking him a few about muggles. Harry bought a ton of wizarding candy to share with his new friend and was surprised to see the headmaster's picture on a card that came with a chocolate frog. At one point a rather uptight, nervous girl popped in and asked if they had seen a toad around and told them they should probably change into their robes soon. True to the girls prediction they arrived at the station sooner than they had anticipated. They quickly threw on their school robes and joined the excited students gathering outside the train.

"First years this way," yelled a familiar voice.

"Alright there, Harry!" Hagrid beamed at him. "Your owl is doing fine and will be right happy to see you."

The two boys soon found themselves in a boat sailing across a lake which seemed to hold many secrets in its ominous depths. The first-years all were amazed at the breathtaking beauty of the formidable castle against the starry sky. The boats came to a dock and Hagrid led the group of nervous students up into the castle, stopping only once to reunite one boy with his lost toad. In the castle he left them under the care of a stern looking lady.

"The sorting will take place shortly followed by the welcoming feast, so best smarten yourselves as much as you can before then," the matron warned, her pointed gaze piercing each nervous student.

"The sorting?" Harry raised an eyebrow at his friend Ron.

"Yeah, we get sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin," Ron named the last house with a shudder.

"Is it random?" Harry inquired.

"No it's some sort of test. Fred mentioned wrestling a troll, but I think that was a joke," Ron gulped nervously.

Before Harry worked up a full blown panic attack at having a test before learning anything about the wizarding world he just became aware of, he was ushered into a grand hall with two long tables on either side and an elevated long table at the far end filled with the members of the staff. His panic was forgotten as he eagerly took in the sights. He was most amazed by the ceiling that was supposedly charmed to look like the outside sky.

A three-legged stool was placed ahead of the staff table and everyone fixed their eyes on a worn looking hat that opened at the brim and in a carrying voice sang out a song discussing the virtues and vices of each of the four houses. As the sorting commenced Harry noticed the banner behind the staff table stir as if in a breeze, it bore the Hogwarts crest and each house's animal mascot was represented. As the banner stirred the lion-like creature seemed alive. Harry swelled with a courage that wasn't his own as he remembered Aslan's words to him. Suddenly Harry's train of thoughts was broken, and he realized the hall was full of whispers rather than the almost reverent silence broken by applause that had characterized the sorting thus far. As he processed this he realized that what had first broken his reveries was his own name being called. In the second or two it took to process these thoughts, Ron had turned to him and whispered quite loudly, "Can you believe he's actually here?" Ron's whisper was interrupted however by his new found friend began to walk toward the stool. "Blimey, Harry is that Harry!"

Aware that all eyes were on him Harry quickly sat upon the stool and pulled the hat down over his eyes.

"Hmm" said the hat. "You would do well in any house, it's all there, but let's see, you have a goal and ambitions, Slytherin could help you achieve greatness."

"Which house is represented by the Lion?" Harry asked the hat.

"Well technically it's a griffin, but I believe you are talking about Gryffindor," the intelligent hat responded.

"Please place me there," Harry pleaded.

"I'm not accustomed to placing people in houses based on animal preferences but you would do well in that house, so why not, after all if the hat fits… GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last aloud for the hall to hear and his new house broke out in the loudest applause yet.