Chapter 4: God help the castle

I don't own 'Harry Potter'

The Sorting Ceremony and the Start-of-Term Feast to start the new school year. Both were such monumental occasions at Hogwarts that were wondrous introductions to the school and the world of magic in general, and every single year saw throngs of new students eagerly taking in their surroundings, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of every single part of their new environment as they entered the hallowed halls of the spectacular castle.

The school year of nineteen seventy-one was no different. Students gazed around with wide and unbelieving eyes, unable to comprehend the bewitching magic of the castle, the expansive lake and the squid, or even the revered teachers who were responsible for delivering their upcoming instruction on magic. Everything was so new and eye-catching that the first-years always became enamoured with the castle immediately and were mesmerised by the new experience.

That was not the case with two of the new students this year.

James Potter and Henry Peverell were both too concerned with the yearning quality to their magic to pay even the slightest attention to the Sorting Hat's song in the background. Now that they knew the truth about being soulmates they could recognise the anxious feel to their magic that had started when they met on the train. Both could remember their magic rebelling during their weddings as it had flowed around, seeking another specific force to bond to, before reluctantly establishing the barest bond possible with their wives.

Their magic as it was now was tied to their time-travelling souls, and could ascertain that the person stood next to them was in fact the other half that they were destined to bond with. Their magic was roiling within them, reaching out without their assent to stroke and entice the magic of the other person in an attempt to settle their magic and initiate a bond.

The bond between them had gone so long unestablished and their magic hadn't ever been stabilised that right now their magic was all but screaming to be soothed, and the two men-turned-boys were fidgeting in place with the slightly nauseous feelings inside them. It was clear that the fledgling bond would have to be established very soon, preferably by the end of the night as their magic was rebelling at the unbonded feel to their souls.

Both boys were excited by the prospect of forming the initial bond, though once more their personal thoughts revealed that Harry was much purer in thought than his soulmate. Harry was hesitantly thrilled by the prospect of creating a tangible bond that could be detected by them both, a bond that wouldn't recoil upon feeling the soul of the person on the other end. With Ginny the feeling of his magic could be compared to a wince whenever it had brushed against the violent waves of hers, and it had tended to withdraw whenever it possibly could. Now though, even without the bond Harry could tell that James' vibrant pool of magic would calm and sooth his perfectly; they would be perfectly complementary to one another.

The Potter Heir was – inappropriately for an eleven-year-old – entranced with the thought of having such intimate contact with Harry once more. Not to say that Harry wasn't excited by the prospect, but James' thoughts certainly had a suggestively mature edge to them. Harry was his, and this time around he would be the first person to claim those luscious lips. He couldn't wait to grab him and sequester his soulmate away some place secluded so that they could get more personally reacquainted.

He knew that their pre-puberty bodies couldn't do much of anything sexual at this point, but physical closeness wouldn't be an issue for them. Harry still had desperate cravings for physical affection stemming from his childhood – and if he could kill Petunia and her whale of a husband, he would – so James would make sure to bestow the beautiful boy with as much ardour as he could. If other people happened to figure out that Harry was his, all the better.

The two locked eyes and Harry smiled sweetly at James with a hint of red on his cheeks, who had to physically restrain himself from doing something no child should in the Great Hall. James settled on flicking his eyes down to noticeably stare at Harry's lips before looking into green eyes and smirking salaciously. Harry inhaled quickly and whipped his head back around to the front of the room with a red face as the Sorting Hat finished its song and the Sorting Ceremony began.

The word 'worried' didn't even begin to cover how Lily felt right now. She knew full well that she had always had a temper and could be stubborn, and she knew that taking that prat Potter's words to heart would be stupid to the extreme, but the Sorting Hat had also said something about Slytherin House being the place to make true friends.

Sev had told her all about Slytherin, and while she knew that she would have trouble there as a muggle-born she also knew that she was stubborn enough to weather any problems and prove them wrong. Sev would be going to Slytherin no doubt, but their new friends would probably go somewhere else and she despised the idea of leaving him in that House all alone.

She might not have been too concerned if it weren't for the fact that, when she had been trying to avoid Potter, she'd overheard some of the other students who were convinced they were going to Slytherin talking about the greatness of You-Know-Who. She didn't know a lot about this new Dark Lord but what she did know sounded dangerous, and she wouldn't have Sev by himself with a bunch of crazy idiots who would sign up to join an even crazier idiot at the first chance they got.

Her friend didn't have the nicest home life and he could be a bit of a loner if she left him alone. Sev would be a prime target for recruitment if they were separated; he tended to go along with others' decisions to try and erase his sense of loneliness.

Lily would do everything in her power to stay with Sev and stop him from doing anything he might regret. If that meant going to Slytherin, well, she did look good in green.

Speaking of green … She surreptitiously glanced over at the mysterious Henry Peverell, entranced with his vibrant emerald eyes, similar to her own except his were much brighter and almost glowed in their intensity. She was a little jealous of how cute he was to be honest, and she could tell that he'd probably end up even more beautiful when he got older. If he had been like Potter she'd more than likely hate him, but he was so genuine and sweet that she couldn't help but want to mother him a little.

His interactions with Potter didn't help at all.

Lily was a mature girl, and as someone who'd started puberty nearly a year ago her mother had made sure to educate her on the facts of life as best she could. She also made sure that Lily was aware of predators and ways to spot them.

James Potter was a predator.

It was obvious that despite being eleven, he had thoughts about Henry that no eleven-year-old should possess. Potter was a letch, and the way he looked at Henry made her feel dirty just from seeing his expression.

She was quite rightly worried for Henry; he seemed so cute and innocent that he was a perfect target for someone like the git Potter. What made it worse was that he didn't seem able to say 'no'. Whenever Potter did something too intimate Henry would just blush and stammer, like he didn't know how to politely tell him to go away. He was clearly uncomfortable with the behaviour but was way too polite to get out of the situation diplomatically.

It just made Lily mad with the desire to punch Potter in the nose. Or the balls. She just knew that she had to protect Henry's innocence. It was a little strange for her to be so protective over someone she'd only just met, but she also knew that she was the sort of person to get very determined about things.

Sev was her best friend and needed to be protected from himself. That was a promise that she had made first and she would keep it. But Henry Peverell was an innocent angel who desperately needed saving from perverts like James Potter.

And save him she would. James Potter was not going to get his hands on Henry Peverell.

Being the Deputy Headmistress, Transfiguration Professor, and the Head of Gryffindor House all at the same time was rather time-consuming and tiring, but Minerva McGonagall prided herself on her ability to handle everything, as well as the observation skills that she had cultivated during her time in the castle, both as a student and as a member of staff.

She could easily spot which of her colleagues despaired silently over their job, she knew when Albus had eaten too many of those infernal sugar-filled muggle sweets that he persisted on buying, and could easily spot which of her students were the troublemakers, or which ones were having problems in their lives.

She liked that she could interact with students from all walks of life. Minerva had worked with a variety of people in different places, and whenever the Sorting came along, she enjoyed connecting the wide-eyed new students with the people that she had come across in her life.

She'd gone to school with Cygnus Black and Eileen Prince and knew that their nephew and son respectively would be joining the school this year, as would Charlus Potter's son. She'd worked with Charlus when she was still at the Ministry, and the man was an exceedingly fair person who had shocked his family when he'd decided to marry a Black.

Dorea was a lovely woman though, and Minerva had somewhat considered her to be a role-model as a young woman; she was poised and graceful but with an inner strength that charmed everyone.

The Deputy Head hadn't ever met any of these children but she had assumed that they would all be similar to their relatives – a meek Prince, a cold Black, and a kind Potter.

She knew she shouldn't have made assumptions.

As she stood at the front of the Great Hall with the list of names, she gazed at the group in front of her and located the small drama going on between the children, wondering just how this had happened, and if she could resign now, please.

It seemed as if the problem had stemmed from a boy who was clearly James Potter and a smaller boy with beautiful features and glowing green eyes. James was eyeing up the other boy with an expression not expected – or wanted – on a child his age, and the recipient of the indecent look was blushing up a storm with his eyes lowered to the floor. If they were older Minerva wouldn't have been too concerned, but eleven was a bit young for what was obviously happening.

In the background she saw a boy who was obviously Eileen Snape nee Prince's son, looking at their interaction with a calculating gaze that Eileen had never quite perfected, as if the two boys were an enticing puzzle to be solved. He looked a little worried for the smaller boy and was clearly worried about the young Potter.

There was girl stood behind them with bright, fiery red hair who kept switching from smiling at Eileen's son – perhaps they were friends? – to glaring daggers at the young Potter with her icy green eyes, even if he was unaware of anything else but the boy he was eyeing up. She didn't seem jealous, so Minerva concluded that she was either disturbed by the scene or protective over the smaller boy. Or both.

Lastly to the side was the young Black Heir, with a despairing look on his aristocratic features when he caught side of the lewd look on his cousin's face – a far cry from the cold countenance of other Blacks. He appeared to be desperately trying to find a resolution to the situation, and the emotions playing across his face went against everything she knew about the House of Black. The boy was clearly worried about the pair, as was the thin boy with sandy hair next to him, looking at the pair with red cheeks and wide eyes.

Minerva just knew that something was going to happen with the two boys in question, and the shiver she felt crawl down her spine at the grin on James Potter's face did nothing to reassure her. She would keep an eye on this little situation but perhaps she would prepare some letters home in advance in case anything happened.

She shook off the sense of foreboding and started the Sorting Ceremony. At the very least she hoped that they would end up in different Houses.

Sirius was definitely going to write to Aunt Dorea the first chance he got. James looked like a pervert, plain and simple, and the poor boy who'd caught his eye looked way too innocent to fend off those advances. He was small and shy, and it seemed as if he couldn't quite figure out how to respond to the looks he was getting.

No-on else could either, and the Black Heir could see the students around them start to take notice of what was going on, and every one of them looked somewhere between mildly confused to downright freaked out at the obscene leer that James was aiming at Henry.

He could see Severus trying to figure out what was happening, Remus looked embarrassed, and for some reason Lily was furious. Even the woman at the front of the hall, Professor McGonagall, was eyeing James with wary agitation.

The boy who had caused all this mess hadn't looked away from Henry once, and Sirius reluctantly looked away from the pair as he refocused on the Sorting Hat, which had finished its song while Sirius was panicking about James' behaviour.

He watched the first two students be sorted into Hufflepuff, before a few others went to Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

"Black, Sirius!"

He took a deep breath and walked up to the hat, ignoring the whispers floating around the Great Hall. He knew that his family had a rather dubious reputation – and that was putting it lightly – so everyone was probably expecting him to be cold and calculating and end up in Slytherin.

Sitting down on the stool, he saw a sea of expectant faces before his sight was covered by the frayed hat.

"Well, you're certainly a tricky one, aren't you? Cunning certainly, very loyal to your family, bravery in spades, and a very quick mind. Hmm … You are difficult, but where should I put you?" The bored tone was a little unsettling.

"Er… not Slytherin, if you don't mind. Not Hufflepuff, either." A Black in Hufflepuff, my family'll go mad.

"And why ever not?"

"I thought you could see everything in my mind? Surely you know why?" The hat was getting kind of irritating now.

"Oh, I can, I just thought I'd ask anyway. Well then, this should be interesting. Better be –"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Sirius blinked as the hat was lifted from his head and light flooded his eyes. Ravenclaw? He turned to the clapping table of blue and bronze and dazedly made his way down to the table and sat down next to another new student.

He was actually very grateful now he thought about it. He never would have fit in in Slytherin as he just wasn't suited for such a political environment, but Hufflepuff probably would have been the opposite problem – he needed some form of challenge and they seemed a little too nice. Gryffindor would have most likely turned him into a loud-mouthed idiot, and now he was getting along with his family he didn't want to disappoint them. Ravenclaw was a serious House that would challenge his thinking, but it was lax enough to not be too constricting. He just hoped he'd have a friend in his new House.

The boy lifted his head to see Lily stride determinedly up to the stool and sit down without a hint of nerves. He knew that James' words had struck a chord with her and he hoped that she would be okay.

"SLYTHERIN!"

He wasn't the least bit surprised at the decision, and he watched the girl walk over to the Slytherin table in a very controlled manner with her nose in the air, before sitting down gracefully and glaring the person next to her into submission. Her expression was a little scary to be honest and he considered that maybe she would be okay after all.

The Sorting Ceremony continued in a similar manner, with students going to all four Houses in a fairly even number, yet there was still nobody in Ravenclaw that he thought could be his friend. He knew that you could still have friends in the other Houses, but he would have liked to have a friend with him in Ravenclaw.

"Lupin, Remus!"

Sirius jolted in his seat and turned to watch his new friend walk slowly up to the stool and sit down. Just before the hat covered his eyes, Remus looked at him and flashed a small smile at him. Sirius wasn't sure what that meant, but he watched as the hat soon opened the tear in the side and proclaimed –

"RAVENCLAW!"

He wasn't even aware of himself clapping loudly and grinning, and he stood up and waved his friend over to him, returning the beaming smile sent his way. The two quite happily sat down together and started chatting quietly, not paying that much attention until a name they recognised caused a very noticeable reaction in the Great Hall.

"Peverell, Henry!"

Harry thought it was utter bullshit that he still had to go through being something of a celebrity even when he had a new name, and huffed under his breath as he dutifully walked forward and sat on the stool amid fervent whispers and stares in the hall.

(Though he'd admit to being viciously satisfied at seeing Pettigrew wearing yellow and black.)

He could feel the Headmaster's eyes boring into the back of his head, and he knew that he would have to be very careful in what he did at school. Dumbledore already had the Elder Wand (which wouldn't be in his possession forever) and Harry thought that he'd already had the idea that the cloak was with the Potter family. He knew that the old man had no idea about the stone, but Harry was just grateful that his Heir Ring prevented Legilimency attacks and poisoning attempts.

The Potter-turned-Peverell adopted a blank face as he surveyed the fervent wizarding-raised children discussing his name, as the edge of the Sorting Hat slipped down over his eyes.

"You never do anything by halves, do you?" Harry thought it was weird that a piece of fabric could sound so sarcastic.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."

A snort sounded in his ear. "Perhaps I should clarify: time travelling, being reborn in another body, you and your father fu-"

"Do not finish that sentence." He just knew his cheek were burning. Merlin only knew what people were thinking.

The bloody thing just roared with laughter and he sincerely hoped that it wasn't laughing out loud.

"Don't worry, no-one can hear us. I'm not condemning you, by the way, I just thought it was entertaining that your life was more than a little mad.

"Never mind, let's get to the sorting. I'm afraid that while you do have a cunning mind, you don't quite have enough patience to employ it all the time, and you're more than likely to blow up at someone who annoys you. In the same vein, Hufflepuff would be a little too smothering for you and it would drive you insane.

"Ravenclaw would probably fit you as Sirius and Remus are there, however I understand that you would like to be with your soulmate. He is most likely not going in those Houses either, so neither will you.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table of red and gold proved just why they were the most raucous as they stood up and cheered wildly like a pack of animals, and Harry couldn't help but grin and remember Fred and George's "We got Potter" chant from his first Sorting.

He stood up and walked over to the mad table and ended up shaking a bunch of hands as they wouldn't calm down.

By the time he turned back to the front James was already sat under the hat and seemed to be enjoying whatever it was saying judging from the wide grin on his face. At one point he actually laughed out loud and Harry couldn't help but appreciate the sound of his voice. Bloody hell, I'm such a sap.

He sat there for another minute before the Sorting Hat opened its mouth and –

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James stood up with a grin and practically sauntered over to the table, smirking at the cheering before sitting down next to Harry and sliding up so there was no room between them. He leant over and whispered in Harry's ear, "Hiya, Harry."

The whispered words that tickled his ear combined with the hand surreptitiously squeezing his thigh under the table left him with butterflies in his stomach and the return of the deep blush that he thought he'd gotten rid of.

He looked up at James from under his eyelashes and smiled gently, belatedly realising that Snape had just joined Lily in Slytherin.

Harry leaned into James side as they finished watching the Sorting, and when the last student was Sorted the Headmaster gave a quick speech which he ignored and the tables were soon filled with food.

The new Peverell eagerly filled his plate, all the while aware of the warm body heat of his soulmate plastered to his side.

A/N: Hello again!

Don't you just love misunderstandings? XD I love having the other characters have their own opinions and totally misinterpret the situation. Apparently Harry is an innocent angel lol. (Spoiler: he's not. He'll just take a while XD)

There's actually a double update today because of the way the chapters flow, so make sure to read the next one.

Until next time!