Chapter 9 Offers and Counteroffers
That night was the first time that Harry Wiggins walked the corridors and passages of Hogwarts Castle, following Professor Mason from the lowest dungeons to the Headmistress's Office many floors above. It was quite a long walk, full of many wonderful sights that one might witness along the way. They passed the enchanted forest classroom where Firenze the centaur taught his students the ancient knowledge of his people. They passed a small, roped-off section of swamp that the legendary Weasley Twins had created over twenty years before during their final, incomplete year at Hogwarts. They passed vanishing staircases, walls pretending to be doors, doors pretending to be wall, and even a particularly confusing bit of wall on the second floor that couldn't decide which it was going to be until you walked into it. They even passed the entrance to the mysterious Room of Requirements, although perhaps we can forgive a first year for missing that particularly elusive Hogwarts secret that night. It is far harder to forgive Harry for staring at his feet the whole journey, missing the portraits, ghosts, suits of armour, and all the other fantastic things that one runs into while walking the corridors of Hogwarts at night.
But Harry was distracted and afraid, so the journey was something of a blur. What was going to happen to him, could he dare to hope that he would be allowed to change houses? Cassy had said that she would be able to sort this whole thing out, but had she really managed to come through for him so quickly? There was so much going on, how could he possibly make sense of it all?
Before Harry knew it, he and Professor Mason were standing in front of a large, unbelievably ugly gargoyle that seemed to be watching Harry with its huge stone eyes. Suddenly, the gargoyle blinked, and Harry jumped back with a shout that sounded like a mix between a whimper and a girly scream. Professor Mason smiled at him, but Harry wasn't especially reassured. The professor's eyes were far too calculating.
"Nothing to worry about, this is simply the entrance to the headmistress's study. Now, Mr. Wiggins, before we go up, I would like you to tell me exactly what happened in that classroom," Professor Mason said in a quiet voice.
Harry hesitated, not sure what to say. He felt that he had to tell the truth to a professor, but what if Patrick Harper was true to his word and took his revenge out on the others because Harry told on him? He could accept it if the boy came after him, but the others might suffer because of this...
"There is no need to be afraid if they threatened you, I wouldn't let the boys hurt you," Professor Mason said reassuringly.
"It's not that, Professor," mumbled Harry. Why was he hesitating so much, what did he care? He didn't owe the others anything. He could just get his revenge on those bullies and be done with it. But still…
"Well then what is it?" Asked the professor, his eyes reading Harry's every move.
"It's just... well... the others. I don't… I don't want anything to happen to them," Harry said slowly, as if fighting his own words. What did he really care that much about a bunch of unpleasant near-strangers?
"I see," Professor Mason said with a hint of surprise. "Do not be afraid, Mr. Wiggins, I will not let anything happen to my first years. Now please, tell me what happened."
Harry could think of no reason not to, so he told Professor Mason everything that had happened since he and Clytemnestra had joined the others outside the classroom. The professor showed no reaction to Harry's story, but his eyes continued scanning Harry's face with great interest.
"Indigo," he said at last. "It was pure indigo?"
"What... er, Professor?" Harry said, almost forgetting his manners in his confusion.
"The shield charm, was it composed of pure indigo light?" Professor Mason asked.
"Well, yes... I think so. What does that mean?" Harry asked, not sure what was going on.
"Why did you volunteer in the place of Ms. Lestrange?" The professor asked, ignoring Harry's question. Harry thought that was rather rude, but there was no use arguing with a teacher. He wasn't sure how much to tell the professor about the conversation between Mr. Potter and the others. Had the other teachers been informed of her?
"I just had the feeling that something bad might happen if they started attacking her. I just get this feeling, Professor, that there's something... strange about her. "
"Are you afraid of her?" Professor Mason asked after another moment of silence. The question caught Harry a bit off guard. What was he supposed to say? Was he afraid of her?
"Uhh... I-I'm not sure," Harry stuttered. He had been at least a little afraid of the girl not long ago, but he remembered her blue eyes and the look of sadness. "No," he said a little more decisively, "No, I'm not afraid of her. I'm just, er, confused."
Professor Mason watched him for another few seconds before nodding to himself and turning away. He said nothing more, and Harry had no idea what he was thinking. Had he done something wrong, or had he said the right things?
"Fanged Geranium," The professor said and without warning the Gargoyle leapt aside and the wall behind it opened in the blink of an eye, revealing a spiral staircase leading, most likely, to the headmistress's office.
"Come along, Mr. Wiggins." Professor Mason said kindly, "You'll want to see this."
Harry obeyed, following the professor onto the staircase that immediately began ascending on its own. Harry glanced at Professor Mason as they waited for the moving steps to take them to the top of the staircase, wondering what sort of man he really was. He seemed nice enough most of the time, but the look that he had in his eye made Harry feel uneasy. Plus, he was the head of Slytherin, so Harry had a hard time believing he could actually trust him.
The staircase ended in front of a large wooden door with a brass knocker in the shape of what seemed to be a winged badger. Professor Mason knocked without hesitation and a moment later the door swung open on its own and he walked inside. Harry was a bit surprised by the suddenness of it all, but thought it best not to leave everybody waiting and hurried in after the professor. He stumbled slightly on the lip of the door, and when he righted himself he got his first view of Headmistress Sprout's office.
It was a very large, circular room that was dominated by a very old wooden desk that was almost invisible under a dozen or so potted plants that Harry had never seen... or even imagined might possibly exist somewhere. There was one plant that looked like blue bamboo, rising almost to the ceiling. Another plant was covered with what looked like golden flowers, and smelled so sweet that, even from a distance, Harry started to feel a bit light-headed. There were plants everywhere, not just on the Headmistress's desk, but also scattered around the room on table and sitting high atop shelves. It was almost as if Harry had walked into a jungle, and the air was warm and full of dozens of sweet smells. Before he could examine the other fascinating plants in any great detail, Headmistress Sprout emerged from behind her desk, wearing beautiful green robes that were covered here and there with dirt. She looked much happier and more relaxed than she had at the feast, and she gave Harry a big smile.
"You must be Harry Wiggins. Welcome to Hogwarts, young man," the headmistress said as she took off her dirty gloves.
"H-hello, Headmistress," Harry said nervously, totally overwhelmed by everything around him.
"Just give me a moment, if you all don't mind," the headmistress said, absently brushing dirt off of her hat, "Sorry about the mess, chaps, I haven't had time to get Neville to take all these down to the greenhouses yet." She began rearranging the plants on the desk, making as much space as she could. "Oh, and Miss Wiggins," added Professor Sprout, looking over her shoulder, "you might want to take a few steps away from that Incisored Elm sapling. It looks hungry."
Cassy moved so fast that she might have been shot out of a cannon, coming out of the shadows of an innocent-looking little tree to stand beside Harry, who was rather startled by her sudden appearance. Then he saw that there were a number of other people standing around in the office that he simply hadn't noticed with all the amazing plants around. Professor Evergreen stood nearby, talking to two other Professors who Harry didn't recognize.
"That's Professor Clearwater," Cassy whispered quietly to her brother, "He's the head of Ravenclaw, and he agreed to petition that your Sorting was an irregularity." As she spoke, a tall, bald professor with glasses nodded to him. At first Harry thought he had a kind looking face, but as the man stepped into the light he saw a pair of scars that ran the length of the man's head. One scar ran from his left ear to his chin, while the other ran from the top of his head down between his nose and his right eye, ending at his upper lip. His appearance was rather frightening; despite the cheerful smile he was giving Harry.
"And that," continued Cassy in a whisper, indicating a young witch with shoulder length brown hair, "is Professor Dimock. She's the head of Hufflepuff and teaches Charms. All the heads of the houses are here, although I'm not sure what is going to hap-" She stopped suddenly as Professor Mason cleared his throat and said, "Let us begin, shall we?"
"By all means," Headmistress Sprout said, sitting behind her desk. She had finally cleared enough space so that she could see all of them.
"Earlier this evening," began Professor Clearwater, "Cassandra Wiggins brought to my attention her concerns regarding the Sorting of her brother, Harry Wiggins. He seemed to have been placed into a house that he was not suited for. Almost the entire Boot family has been in Ravenclaw for several generations, and young Harry does not seem to have the temperament that would warrant a break in that tradition. Therefore I have decided to call for a formal review of Mr. Wiggins' Sorting."
None of the other Professors showed any reaction to his words, and Harry figured they must already have known what was going to happen. No one spoke for a moment, and Harry found it difficult to remember to breathe normally. Was he really going to be allowed to switch houses just like that? Please, Harry thought, please...
"As I understand it," Professor Mason said mildly, although Harry could detect a hardness in the man's voice, as if he did not approve of what was happening. "The argument seems to be that he doesn't have, in your words, the usual Slytherin temperament and therefore his sorting must have been a mistake. I must say that I cannot help feeling victimized here. If young Harry had been sorted into Gryffindor, I doubt that there would be such an uproar."
"Oh stop it, Orpheus," Professor Evergreen said impatiently. "Don't pretend that Slytherin doesn't have a different history from the other Houses; that it doesn't have certain criteria on which it chooses its students. There is nothing sinister going on here, but rather it is simply that Harry Wiggins doesn't match the qualities Slytherin House prizes in its students."
"Oh, is that right?" Professor Mason said, as if surprised. "Is Harry not curious, not clever, not ambitious? That's not a very nice thing to say about a young man, Elmander, especially when he is standing right there."
"Enough of your word games, Orpheus," Professor Evergreen said, the annoyance clear in his voice. "The issue has been raised. The first order of business is to consult the Sorting Hat and understand its reasoning. If the hat agrees it erred and is willing to change Mr. Wiggin's assigned house, then that will be that. All in favour?"
Professors Evergreen, Dimock and Clearwater raised their hands, and, after a long pause, Professor Mason followed suit with an exaggerated sigh.
"If the hat truly has made a mistake, then so be it. I would, however, like to make a formal complaint on how Slytherin House is being treated in this matter."
"Noted," The headmistress said as she got to her feet and approached the Sorting Hat, which was resting shabbily on a shelf behind her desk. "Very well, I'll speak to the hat and see what it has to say on the matter."
Harry watched in astonishment as the headmistress took the hat off of the shelf and, without hesitation, put it on her head. Everyone was completely silent, with the only sound in the office coming from a brown little plant in the back that was chirping like a bird. At last Headmistress Sprout took the Sorting Hat off slowly and replaced it on the shelf. She did not speak as she sat back down behind her desk, and Harry was sorely tempted to shout, "Well!?" But even Cassy knew better than to shout a thing like that to a group of professors, although the desire to do just that was, as usual, much stronger in her than in her brother.
"Has the hat offered an alternate sorting?" Professor Clearwater asked quietly when the Headmistress didn't speak, still wrapped up in her own thoughts.
"No, the hat stands by its decision, although its explanation was... unusual," the headmistress said. "I'm afraid I won't be sharing it with any of you; not tonight anyways."
Harry felt as though he was being deflated, as if someone had poked him with a pin and all the air was rushing out. So he would have to remain in Slytherin after all, after all that had...
"That brings us to the next step," Professor Evergreen said, cutting through Harry's thinking. Harry shook his head to help him focus. "If the heads of all four Houses agree that Harry should be placed into a house that he is more suited for, namely Ravenclaw, then he will be transferred. That is, if that's all right with you, Headmistress.
"Do what you will… I can make no recommendation for or against," Headmistress Sprout said. Halo thought that was a little odd, since she was headmistress, but she seemed preoccupied by whatever the hat had told her.
"Then we will vote to place Harry into my house," Professor Clearwater said. "That is what you want, isn't it Harry?"
"Er," was all Harry could say at first. It was a little strange that no one had asked him what he wanted up to now. He would, all things considered, probably want to be in Gryffindor, but he thought it best not to push his luck. There seemed to be only a small chance that he could get out of Slytherin, and he needed to seize it. "Yes, Professor, that is what I want."
"All in favour?" Asked Professor Evergreen, and again Professor Dimock, Evergreen and Clearwater raised their hands almost immediately. Professor Mason's hand remained down, and Harry heard Cassy groan quietly beside her.
"Really, Orpheus?" Professor Dimock said with a shake of her head. "Do you have a reason to go against the will of your fellow professors?"
"I simply do not think that an artefact that has served this school for a thousand years; that has been entrusted with sorting young wizards for generations, should be so casually disregarded."
"The hat has made questionable decisions before, which is why this process was instituted in 1695," Professor Clearwater said, although he seemed to be seriously considering Professor Mason's words.
"I simply cannot agree to give up one of my students based on such a flimsy pretext. I'll say again that if Mr. Wiggins had been sorted into any other House, we wouldn't be having this meeting."
"But Harry himself said that he would like to be placed in Ravenclaw," Professor Dimock said with a frown.
"Sorting is not a popularity contest, because if it were I think we all know who would win... and who would lose," Professor Mason said, and Professor Dimock blushed slightly. Harry knew, as everyone else undoubtedly did, that there weren't many who would choose to be sorted into Hufflepuff over Gryffindor.
"Are you really going to set yourself against the three of us, Mason?" Professor Evergreen said in a quiet, dangerous voice. It seemed that the kind, helpful Professor Evergreen was not the only side the man had.
"Very well," Professor Mason said with a sigh, "but at least give Harry some time to judge Slytherin for himself before making a decision. If, at the start of winter holidays, he still wants to change houses, then I will not oppose it."
"But a student changing houses halfway through the year is unheard of!" Protested Professor Dimock.
"Not unheard of, Alana, merely unusual," said the headmistress, speaking for the first time in several minutes. "I think that Professor Mason's proposal is most reasonable. At the end of term, we shall reconvene and Mr. Wiggins, if he so chooses, will be allowed to change houses. That is enough for tonight, these students ought to get to bed."
Suddenly that was that, the professors all seemed to move at once. Professor Dimock gave Harry a little smile as she left, while Professor Evergreen went forward to speak to the headmistress alone. Harry wasn't sure how he should feel, for he now had more than four months of Slytherin life to get through. Still, after that, he would be free to leave, and perhaps he would even be allowed to choose to move to Gryffindor. That was more than he had dared to hope for since the moment the Sorting Hat had put him in Slytherin. Feeling slightly better, Harry followed Professor Mason out of the Headmistress's office and back down the spiral staircase.
Before they had taken more than two steps down the corridor, Cassy came rushing up behind them.
"The headmistress says that she would like to speak with you, Professor Mason," Cassy said, glaring up at him not-so-subtly.
"Is that so? Very well, do you think you could see your brother safely back to the Slytherin common room, Ms. Wiggins?" Professor Mason said, smiling thinly in response to her glares. Cassy seemed rather surprised by the suggestion, but agreed to it immediately. Professor Mason nodded to both of them, gave Harry one last appraising look, and made his way back up to the headmistress's office.
"He's a slippery one, isn't he?" Muttered Cassy as she led her brother back through the silent school. "Where does he get off, blocking the other teachers like that? They could all see that you shouldn't have been put into Slytherin, why didn't he just let you go?"
"Dunno," replied Harry, although that wasn't exactly true. Something that night must have convinced Professor Mason that he needed to keep him in Slytherin at all cost. What did he know about Harry that Harry himself didn't know? Or was he maybe just imagining things?
"Still, it's only for a few months, Halo, and then you'll be able to leave," Cassy said bracingly. "You'll be alright won't you? Just don't go making any enemies and you'll be just fine." Harry was a little surprised at how concerned his sister was, so he simply smiled at her and nodded. There was no point telling her that it was too late for that, or that there were already upperclassmen waiting for their chance to get revenge on him. That was something he would have to deal with for himself.
Cassy talked nearly the whole way back to the common room, but Harry didn't really listen to that much of it. He simply drew comfort from her presence, and from her desire to make him feel like everything was alright. Whether or not everything was going to turn out alright remained to be seen, but the fear that had been twisting in his stomach all evening seemed to be dissipating slightly.
Before he knew it, Harry was once again facing the portrait of the sleeping Professor Slughorn, and he turned to Cassy with a lump in his throat. This was his home, for now at least, and she wouldn't be able to come in with him. Cassy must have been thinking something similar, for she wrapped him up in a warm hug and said, "It's been a strange few months, hasn't it, Halo? I know this isn't what you had in mind this summer when you dreamed of coming to Hogwarts, but I know that it will all work out for you. You'll see, as soon as classes start you'll be just like everyone else."
Harry nodded bravely and after one last hug Cassy disappeared back around the corner leading to the rest of the castle above. Harry was now completely alone, and after taking a minute or so to summon his courage he woke up the strange portrait in front of him and entered the common room, hoping that everyone will have gone to bed.
Harry very nearly got his wish… only one person remained in the common room, sitting cross-legged on the carpet and staring at the dying green fire burning in the fireplace. Atalanta's shining blonde hair rippled as she turned to face him, her beautiful face regarding him curiously.
"The famous Harry Wiggins," Atalanta said in a voice stronger and deeper than one would expect from such a small girl. "The stories about you have been spiralling out of control this evening. Some seemed to think that you were going to change houses tonight, follow in your sister's footsteps, as it were. Obviously that rumour, at least, seems to have been untrue. You are a Slytherin after all."
"T-that's right," Harry said, intimidated by the girl in spite of himself. "Wait, do you, er, know my sister?"
"We've met," Atalanta said indifferently, and Harry felt a chill go through him as he saw that she was twirling her wand in her long fingers. "But that is not what interests me right now. Harper told me something this evening, something I would like to see for myself. Draw your wand, Harry Wiggins."
Harry didn't move, suddenly feeling very tired. Why did he have to go through all this, couldn't he just go to bed? How much magic was he expected to use before his first lesson?
"You might want to draw your wand, because I'm going to use mine regardless of what you do," Atalanta Selwyn said as she gracefully rose to her feet. There was nothing overly threatening about her, she was barely taller than he was himself, but Harry felt terrified of her. She drew her wand high above her head, and Harry, even though he was scared, drew his wand, knowing he had no choice. He'd had a long day and really wasn't up for this, but he wasn't going to just sit back and let her curse him like this. If Atalanta wanted to see what he could do, he knew he'd have to show her.
"Good," Atalanta said with a smile, "Now, let's see what you can do."
Before Harry could think Atalanta's wand arm moved subtly, emitting a jet of red light without her uttering a single word. "Protego!" Yelled Harry, but he was too slow, and his wand flew out of his hands. As it soared through the air, Atalanta caught it deftly behind her back without even turning around. Harry had never seen someone with that degree of body control. She must really be an exceptional seeker.
Atalanta raised his twisted wand in front of her, examining it curiously. "I've never seen anything like this, what is it made of?" She asked curiously, waving it around experimentally.
"Sycomore wood and Sphinx Teeth... can I have it back now?" Harry said, wishing after he'd spoken that it hadn't come out sounding like such a whine.
"I'm not going to break it," Atalanta said with a little laugh, "I just wanted to see if Liam was right. That one doesn't have too many brain cells, but in this case I think he might be on to something. Auguamenti," Atalanta commanded, pointing his wand at the fire place. Nothing happened, and Atalanta frowned down at the wand in her hand.
"Auguamenti," Atalanta repeated, and this time used her own wand and there was a small flash of blue light followed by a stream of clear water that completely doused the dying fire. She frowned again and tossed Harry's wand back to him with a little growl of frustration, as if Harry had done something to annoy her. He didn't like the look in her eye, and honestly Atalanta had no need to make herself look any more dangerous.
"So it's not the wand," Atalanta said, raising her wand over her head again. "Let's see if you can block me this time." She slashed with her wand again without uttering a single word, but this time Harry was ready for it. He moved his wand the way he had back in the classroom, saying, "Protego," as she shot another jet of red light at him. This time his indigo shield formed in time, and as Atalanta's jet of red light hit his shield the light rippled, but his shield held.
Atalanta stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. Then she sent another jet of red flying at him, followed by another. The shield wavered as the second jet hit it, and collapsed entirely as the third spell hit, sending his wand once again flying through the air. Naturally, Atalanta caught it effortlessly, but she walked over to him and handed it back to him a second later.
"I've never seen anyone so young with so much raw power! I think you might be even stronger than me someday," Atalanta said. She seemed unable to decide whether she should be impressed or angry at him. Harry stood there nervously, but to his utter shock she put her arm around him and smiled broadly.
"Don't worry about a thing, little Wiggins, I'll keep the other Slytherins off your back. You stick with me, and I'll teach you everything you need to know. It would be a waste not to learn how to use all that power of yours. I could use an ally like you."
"Ally? Ally for what?" Harry asked in confusion. What on earth did this girl want from him?
"You can never have too many powerful friends, can you, Wiggins?" Atalanta said with a glint in her eye. "Now get off to bed, you've had a long day."
That was certainly true, so Harry nervously bid Atalanta goodnight and climbed the stairs up to his dormitory. He entered as quietly as he could, but the other first year Slytherin boys seemed to be fast asleep. Harry changed quietly and got into bed. He did his best to fall asleep, but too many things had happened that evening for him to shut off his brain. Cassy had said that when classes started he would be just like everyone else. Harry didn't really understand much about what had happened that night, but there was one thing he did know. In this case, his sister was very, very wrong.
