McGonagall sat in severe shock as the Great Hall exploded into noise around her. She had just watched her favorite first year and his friends publicly defy years of Hogwarts tradition, prepared to leave in order to stand by their decision, and then Hogwarts herself undoing Dumbledore's conviction and naming them Hogwarts Champion and Allies, respectively. She could feel the waves of resentments exuding from Dumbledore as he seethed at being shown up. The last person who had done something like this was Gellert Grindelwald, and they had fought a duel to the death. Since Dumbledore couldn't attack Hogwarts without losing his job, she knew Harry would face Dumbledore's wrath, one way or another. At that moment, she knew she would support Harry in his efforts. The hat had struggled to decide whether to place her in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, and while she didn't regret the hat's decision, she loved her house, she knew it did have its drawbacks. This was similar to how she didn't learn any cooking spells because she focused on Transfiguration. She knew that she had focused only on her bravery. Perhaps it was time for her to embrace her cunning, loyal, and intelligent sides as well.
Dumbledore stood, and his anger was so apparent that all the small objects in the room began to vibrate slightly. He didn't even need to lift a finger to get the hall's attention.
"What we have witnessed here was a clear violation of Hogwarts tradition," Dumbledore bit off the words as if they were bitter in his mouth, "I expect no other student to attempt such brash acts. The same punishment for flouting the rules will follow. In addition, attempting to access the third floor corridor or the Forbidden Forest will result in similar disciplinary actions." The feast appeared upon the tables, but Dumbledore beckoned them all to follow him out of the hall. She rose with the rest of the staff and they proceeded into a quiet side room. Once the door was shut behind them, all hell broke loose.
"What the hell was that, Dumbledore?" Snape shouted, enraged, "Just what we need, another Potter acting like he owns the place."
"Hogwarts has its own opinion?" Flitwick mused, "That must have been some serious charmwork."
"Th-th-this has never happened b-b-before?" Quirrell stuttered, "It c-c-could be d-d-dark magic." He looked terrified at the very thought.
"Where will the boy stay?" Sprout asked, "I don't know if any of the dormitories will accept him as it is."
"For that matter, who is to be put in charge of him?" Madam Pomfrey wondered, "If he has no house."
"I'll take charge of him." With those few words, all voices died immediately and McGonagall felt every eye upon her, yet she was steadfast in her belief. "I have known Harry longer than any of you and I can say for a fact that he meant no harm by his actions. In fact, before today I would have told you that he believed he was destined to be a Gryffindor. I believe that having a background devoid of magical influence caused him to clearly see the flaws in the system. I know that every one of us here, regardless of their sorting, could have easily gone to a different house. I myself believe what Harry said to be true, and will take full responsibility for his future actions. We should not give him any other special treatment, in order to ensure that everyone's Hogwarts experience remains as normal as possible."
"And what if you are wrong?" Snape seemed to be looking for a reason to get Harry expelled, "What if we have just accepted a dangerous dark wizard into our midst?"
"Well, it wouldn't have been the first time, now would it?" McGongall answered, menace clearly evident in her voice.
"Headmaster, what is your opinion on the matter?" Flitwick asked. The fury was still evident in Dumbledore's tone when he answered, and his long hair was sticking out in every direction, as if he had been just hit by lightning.
"Make no mistake, if Harry continues to defy our rules, he will suffer the consequence. Until that point, do not treat him as if he was any different from another student. I will see to it that he will see the errors of his ways." Then he stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. When he had left, they realized that every object in the room had been charged with static electricity, simply from the force of his anger, and everyone was reminded that Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard of the age.
-oO0o0Oo-
It had been a long time since Harry had been unsure of what to do, but the events leading up to this had left him completely unprepared. It was his first time in Hogwarts, the only person he knew was McGonagall, and he had just dragged sacred Hogwarts tradition in the dirt. Not the best way to start your first day of magic school. Neville picked up on his hesitation.
"So, what do we do now? Where do we go?" Neville asked, more to himself than anyone else, but Hermione answered.
"Well, I bet the house common rooms would be closed to us, since we weren't sorted," she said, thoughtfully, "We could try the library, or perhaps McGonagall's office?"
"How about asking a painting?" Neville suggested. Seeing their confused faces, he explained, "For you muggle-raised, the paintings capture the essence of their subject, so they move and have the knowledge of their subject as well. We don't know how to get to any of those places, but they might."
"How about asking us instead?" An unfamiliar voice said, and Harry pivoted to find the source of the words.
Behind him stood a group of four silvery, transparent people, who Harry assumed to be ghosts.
"Pardon me," he said, "But I don't know who you are."
"I do," Hermione said, still awkwardly holding her sword, as she was without a sheathe. She had clearly never handled a weapon, and Harry resolved to remedy that as soon as possible. "These are the Bloody Baron, Slytherin House ghost," a stern looking figure splashed with ominous bloodstains, who tipped his hat to Harry, "the Grey Lady, ghost of Ravenclaw House," a somber lady who gave Harry a solemn stare, "the Fat Friar, Hufflepuff's house ghost," a monk who gave Harry a jovial wave, "and Nearly Headless Nick, ghost of Gryffindor house." The latter bowed deeply to Harry,
"Call me Sir Nicholas, if you wouldn't mind," he said "It is an honor to meet a fellow knight such as yourself."
"I'm sorry to disappoint," Harry said, honestly, "But I'm only a warrior, not a knight."
"Hogwarts says you are," the ghost replied, and in response to Harry's dubious look, said, "Just look at your robes." Harry was surprised to notice that sometime between when he had put on his standard black Hogwarts robes, they had changed to a dark purple, and where normally a house crest was displayed, his was emblazoned with the Hogwarts' crest capped with a knight's helmet and the words "Champion of Hogwarts". Hermione's and Neville's had changed as well, and read "Knights of Hogwarts". Harry turned to the ghosts and asked,
"Do you speak for Hogwarts?"
"We do as she wishes," the Fat Friar said, "But if you want to speak to her, we can relay your message."
"Give her my thanks," Harry said, bowing deeply, "And that I will continually strive to be worthy of this honor."
"She knows," the Friar said, smiling, "That is why she chose you," He addressed Hermione and Neville, "All of you."
"You said you could help us?" Neville asked, seeming a bit shocked that he was considered a knight.
"Yes," Sir Nicholas said, "Hogwarts has many secrets, and as her chosen ones, you have access to all of them. Not even the Headmasters know all there is at Hogwarts."
"Is one of those secrets a place where we could stay?" Hermione asked, looking eager to learn about Hogwarts long undiscovered knowledge.
"Indeed," he said, smiling, "If you would follow me."
It came as a bit of a surprise to Harry that one of Hogwart's secrets would be a blank wall on the seventh floor opposite a painting of trolls attempting ballet. He was pacing, waiting for the others to catch up, when he noticed the wall was no longer blank. He wondered how he could have missed what was obviously a wrought iron door embedded into the stone wall.
-oO0o0Oo-
The corridor was empty, except for a painting of trolls doing ballet and a suit of armor. Hermione had seen Harry ahead of them with Sir Nicholas, but now neither of them could be found, and when she turned to ask the rest of the ghosts where they were, only Neville remained.
"Where are they all?" she asked.
"I don't know," Neville replied, then shouted down the hallway "Harry?"
"Come on in," Harry said, and Hermione turned to see him grinning from a doorway she knew hadn't existed before.
"Harry, what is this?" Neville asked, confused.
"You'll see," Harry replied, eyes twinkling.
Hermione stood, jaws agape, in a place, by any normal means, should not be able to exist. For one, the sheer size was staggering, looking up, she had trouble discerning where it ended. The ceiling above had a large hole in the middle, through which she could see many rings of floors. They were clearly in some form of tower, but she hadn't noticed one of this size from the outside. They had entered into a grand, circular room, in the center was a round table set for three, while around the outside edges there were various collections of comfortable sofas and armchairs centered around windows, roaring fireplaces that illuminated the room in a comfortable glow, and coffee tables. An open archway led to a spiral staircase that lead both up and down, and she hurried up the steps with glee, the others following on her heels. The next floor, she knew, was where she was going to spend most of her time, as it was an extensive library. The others were openly grinning at her childlike wonder, but she couldn't help it. Rows upon rows of bookshelves were a maze of knowledge, leading to openings with comfy chairs, a window seat with a view of the grounds, or tables for studying. This was her idea of paradise. Clearly as eager to explore as she was, Neville charged up the next flight of steps. Upon entering the next floor, she discovered it to be a large open space, perfect for practicing spells. There were dummies in one corner, enchanted to act lifelike, targets upon one wall, plenty of objects for them to transfigure or charm, and a wardrobe that shook when they approached. Neville was clearly enjoying himself. This time, Harry was the one to lead them up the steps, and from his gasp of amazement she knew this was his favorite room so far. She wasn't a bit surprised when she entered. On one wall hung every sort of weapon imaginable, from nun chucks to throwing stars to battle axes to long bows. There was an archery range, a collection of straw dummies, a sort of fighting arena, and a rock climbing wall. Eyes shinning with delight, Harry looked the happiest she had ever seen him. She was about to lead them upwards once more when Sir Nicholas stopped her.
"You can explore your quarters after dinner," he said, "We have much to discuss while you eat."
They trooped back down the long flight of stairs, but this time Sir Nicholas led them past what she thought of as the "Living Room", into a smaller room in which there was only three doors marked with a brass plate. Upon closer inspection, the middle read "Harry", the left, "Neville" and "Hermione" on the right. Sir Nicholas gestured at the doors.
"These doors are tuned to their owner," he said, "If you wish to access something, say, the Gryffindor common room, simply think of the destination and pass through the door. Follow the passage until it ends, and you should find yourself exactly where you wished to be." Sir Nicholas sensed Hermione's skepticism and smiled. "If you don't believe me, try it yourself." Walking toward the door marked with her name, she said
"Library," and pushed open the oak wood door to find a short passageway through which she could see several bookshelves. Needless to say, she was very impressed, and from the whistle Neville gave, he was as well. Sir Nicholas chuckled with amusement and swept back up the stairs.
"Come," he called, "Dinner awaits."
-oO0o0Oo-
AN:
All rights belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan for the original stories.
Apologies for the late update and some more filler, but next chapter should be very interesting.
Thanks for reading.