I feel like it's been forever since I updated, but here's the next chapter. If you are wondering about the whole Snape thing, I'm planning to write a fan-fic from his POV explaining that part. Oh BTW no one knew what happened to Harmony after her parents died, so that explains why everyone is confused. I had to put the Peeves thing in so you would get that Harmony is a secret prankster because that might be important later. Enjoy reading, because I had fun writing!

Of Houses and Hats

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harmony thought that this was a teacher of stature and someone that she could possibly befriend.

Hagrid exchanged a few words with what Harmony found out to be Professor McGonagall. Then they were sent inside. It was more amazing than Harmony could have thought. The entrance hall was huge, the stone walls were lit with torches, the ceiling was so high that Harmony couldn't see the top, and a gorgeous marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They moved on across the flagged stone floor. Harmony heard voices from a doorway to the right and assumed the rest of the school must already be in the room, but Professor McGonagall showed them into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They all crammed in looking around nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hop each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours. "

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Harmony began straightening her clothes and hair. She looked over to see Harry trying to flatten his hair and she let out an inaudible giggle. She turned back to face Professor McGonagall, smiling sweetly.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber and Harmony all of a sudden became very nervous.

"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" Harmony heard her brother ask Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

A test, what could she do? She began frantically going through every book she had read over the summer in her head, or what she could remember. She was in the middle of going over potion ingredients when something happened that dragged her away from her frantic study.

She turned to see about twenty ghosts streaming through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance –"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Harmony was entranced at the ghost, but didn't answer the question that had been posed.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

Harmony along with a few people nodded, not saying a word.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. " My old House, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. " The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Harmony got into line in between Ron and Harry with Harry leading the way. They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Harmony was stunned into a deeper silence. The Great hall was lit with thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Harmony looked up and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. Harmony gathered at once that it must be bewitched, but it still was beautiful.

Harmony watched as Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of them. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

Harmony thought of what a hat would be used for. She went through countless possibilities and then became extremely nervous. Then the hat twitched. A tip near the brim open wide like a mouth – and the hat began to sing.

Harmony listened to it closely for some sign of a test, but all it sang about was the House traits and how it would be Sorting them. Harmony relaxed when she knew that she wouldn't be tested. From what the sorting hat had said Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sounded right for her, but if she got Slytherin, she thought she might just die right there on the Great Hall floor.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah."

And then they were off, with people getting sorted left and right. Harmony watched Hermione Granger go to Gryffindor, which she thought was odd because Hermione seemed extremely smart and seemed to fit more into Ravenclaw standards. Neville Longbottom was also Sorted in Gryffindor, which Harmony thought odd too as Neville didn't seem to have much courage. As planned Draco Malfoy was Sorted into Slytherin with the hat barely touching his white-blonde hair. Harmony watched him strut over to the Slytherin table, hating him all the way.

There weren't may left now. Harry and Harmony must be close and then it came.

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry walked forward to surprised muttering throughout the hall. Then the hat went over his eyes and Harmony crossed her fingers. After what seemed like ages the hat finally shouted Gryffindor and Harmony gave Harry a thumbs up and a huge smile. After he sat down with a lot of cheers what Harmony had dreaded finally came.

"Potter, Harmony!"

Harmony could feel her stomach go into her throat as she walked forward.

"But, she disappeared years ago."

"No one knows where she went."

"She did say Harmony, right?"

These were the things Harmony heard all the way up to the stool. She sat down and the hat fell over her eyes.

"Ah yes, another Potter. I can tell by your mind." A small voice whispered in her ear. "You're a little less hard to place than your brother. A lot of brains, but also a lot of cunning, stubborn, talented, and a lot of wit, but where can I put you? Slytherin? Ah yes, that sounds about right."

Harmony couldn't have that; she began pulling out every memory of hers that showed care, love, and loyalty.

"Not wanting to go there either? Your brother had the same issue, but you are much more Slytherin than he was. You could be great you know, much greater than anyone here." The small voice coaxed.

Harmony continued with her memories and began pleading mentally not to be put in Slytherin.

"I could override you. I could put you there even though you don't want to go. It would be the best for you." The small voice said somewhat darkly.

"No, I won't. I won't go down without a fight. I'll—I'll do awful then prove that I was meant to be in a different house. I'll find my way there. I won't let you control my life." Harmony whispered softly and harshly. While she whispered this quickly the hat was announcing its decision, but stopped mid-word.

"Sly—Gryffindor!" It announced.

Harmony took off the hat and ran down to the Gryffindor table smiling all the way. Her hand was shaken many times and she sat down right next to Harry. She believed secretly that she had gotten more cheers than him.

Ron ended up in Gryffindor and Ron sat on the other side of Harry.

Then Dumbledore got to his feet, but all he had to say was "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Then the feast began and Harmony enjoyed all the food she could get her hands on. Harmony met Nearly Headless Nick and found out that not only could Nick almost detach his head from his neck, but that Slytherin had won the House Cup six years in a row. That was going to change Harmony was absolutely sure of it.

Harmony finished eating early and just sat listing to other conversations. Hermione and Percy were discussing lessons; Neville, Ron, and a boy named Seamus were discussing wizard blood; and all seemed right in the world.

Harmony looked up at the High Table and scanned it. She marked the faces she knew: Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Quirrell. There was a teacher that she didn't know with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. He was talking to Professor Quirrell.

All of a sudden the teacher was looking past Quirrell and straight into Harmony's eyes. A sharp pain erupted from her left arm, she almost screamed out, but bit her lip instead. Then it stopped and Harmony was all right.

The look he had given her was one that Harmony couldn't calculate. It was in an odd way hostile, but also a look of what might be seen as hope. She turned to the prefect Weasley boy, Percy, who was sitting next to her.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to – everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Harmony began watching Snape, but he only looked back her way once and that time it was at Harry.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What?" Harmony asked him.

"My scar was burning." Harry said in a low voice.

"Mine was earlier." Harmony answered putting her hand on his arm.

"Who is that teacher?" Harry said looking up at Snape.

"That, my dear brother, is Professor Snape. He teaches potions, but apparently fancies the Dark Arts." Harmony said in a know-it-all voice.

"I don't think I'm going to like him much." Harry said.

"Now Harry, let's not judge. Although to tell you the truth I don't think I'll like him either." Harmony said with a small smile.

They continued to watch their Potions professor, but he did not look back at the twins.

After desert Dumbledore gave his real speech telling them that there was no magic in the corridors between classes, when the Quidditch trails would be, and that the third-floor corridor right-hand side was out of bounds to anyone who doesn't wish to die a most painful death. Harmony thought the "a most painful death" part was a little weird, but she could live with it.

Then they began to sing the school song, everyone sang it to their favorite tune. That was the most different thing Harmony had ever encountered, usually school songs had a certain rhyme and rhythm, but that wasn't the case at Hogwarts.

After the school song they were suppose to go to bed. Percy lead them to the Gryffindor dormitories and it was on their way that Harmony met Peeves.

They came across a bundle of walking sticks floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist," He raised his voice, "Peeves – show yourself."

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set of again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

Harmony decided she kind of liked Peeves. He really didn't obey anyone and that was the sort of freedom Harmony would like, but she knew she needed some rules. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could make friends with Peeves and maybe come up with some killer pranks.

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis." said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. Harmony said goodnight to Harry and followed her fellow girls up to their dormitory.

When she got their Harmony saw beds for each girl and all their things. The beds were four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Harmony's backpack sat at the foot of her bed. She changed into her pajamas and fell into a deep sleep.

Harmony didn't know why, but she had the oddest dream. She was lying in the arms of someone and she was very small. She heard a lullaby being sung to her; it was a song she had heard before. The scene changed and she was running toward a tall pair of jeaned legs, she heard soft low laughter then felt herself get picked up. Then suddenly she was in a crib and she heard high cold laughter and saw a flash of green light. She woke up and sat bolt upright, she began to cry because she knew she had just seen a bit of her dreadful past.