Chapter 11: The Sorting Hat and Professor Xing

Harry had to leave very early in the morning to catch the Hogwarts Express since England was in a very different time zone than China. Shifu accompanied his son as he didn't quite trust him to go alone.

"I'll see you at Christmas Baba." Harry said as he hugged Shifu. The red panda watched as his son was helped out by two red headed human twins. As the scarlet red engine began to whistle and start moving, Shifu felt a tear slide down his face as his only son waved goodbye from the compartment as did lots of other children who attended the school.

He's growing up." He told himself. "This happens." He turned and left for the "Floo" that Severus had hooked up especially for Harry since they lived half a world away.

"Jade Palace, Shifu's Chambers, Valley of Peace, China." He said clearly before throwing down the Floo Powder and vanishing.

It was a very interesting train ride for Harry, seeing the vast open countrysides and towns as they sped along the route to the school. Po had fixed him up a lunch so when a woman pushing a trolley full of wizard sweets, he only got a few of each to try different things. He met a red head boy who was the younger brother of the twins who had helped him with his trunk and they became friends as they talked and tried the many varieties of sweets Harry had purchased.

Harry warily picked up a Chocolate Frog. "These aren't real frogs are they?"

"Its just chocolate mate, but see what the card is, I'm missing Agrippa and Ptolemy."

"What?"

"Oh, of course you wouldn't know, Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them. You know, to collect." He opened one and took out the card. "No, Morgana again, and I've got a hundred of her."

Harry took a frog and opened the card. "I've got Dumbledore." His first impression of the aged Headmaster was that he was similar to his father. Both aged, gifted in their crafts, and very wise.

He also met a very strange muggleborn girl named Hermione Granger. When she heard Harry introduce himself she named all of the books she found him in which made Harry raise an eyebrow.

"I read those too, and most of the information in those books makes me wonder whether who wrote them was on something illegal at the time." Harry said calmly which made the girl blush. "I grew up in China unlike the books that say I grew up here in England. And I never gave any interviews with this Rita Skeeter person. I don't even know who she is. So, if your the type of person who believes in mere rumors then I bid you good day." He said with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione Granger huffed and left the two boys to their candy. Meanwhile, the pale boy Harry had met in Diagon Alley had come in.

"Their saying Harry Potter's in this compartment, oh, its you." He said with more interest than he had shown before. "My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron snorted.

"Think my name's funny do you? There's no need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe? You MUST be a Weasley." He turned to Harry. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He glanced at Ron. "I can help you there." He offered Harry his hand.

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself thank you." Harry said with a glare at the boy tempted to Gentle Fist him unconscious.

"You might want to be careful Potter, one wrong move and you'll go the same way as your useless parents."

Harry had enough. He was up faster than anyone could blink. With a few well placed pokes Draco Malfoy crumpled to the floor unconscious. His two companions (Who strongly reminded Harry of the guards at home) picked the boy up and carried him down the train.

"Bloody hell." Ron said in shock. "Remind me never to get on your bad side. What was that?"

"Gentle Fist." Harry explained as he glared at the place where Draco fell. "When used the right way it can knock an enemy unconscious."

"Where did you learn to do that?" The red head asked in amazement.

"At home." Harry did not elaborate.

A short while later, Hermione Granger came back.

"People have been saying a boy was knocked unconscious near this cabin. Is it true?"

"Yes, and I really don't see how its any of your business." Ron said with a glare.

"Goodbye." Harry added.

The bookworm huffed angrily again and left again.

"Firs' Years!" A voice called out as they departed the train. "Firs' Years over here! Fir's Years with me!" The friendly large man who Severus mentioned waved all the first years over to himself and they all piled into boats on a glass clear lake with lanterns in them.

"Forward!" Hagrid commanded and tapped his own boat with a flowery pink umbrella. The boats began to move. They traveled seemingly by magic (which Harry told himself, they probably where.)

"Heads down!" Hagrid said and everyone ducked. When they brought their heads back up everyone (Harry included) Gasped in awe at the magnificent castle glistening like a beacon in the night. When the boats docked Hagrid guided them up a tall set of stone steps and knocked three times on the giant oak doors.

An elderly, stern looking woman answered. "Firs' Years Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said.

"Thank you Hagrid." Professor McGonagall said. "Follow me if you please." She said and everyone followed her into a magnificent entrance hall lined with four hourglasses filled with red rubies, blue sapphires, green emeralds, and yellow topaz. "Welcome to Hogwarts." She said as she stopped at another set of oak doors. "Soon you will walk through these doors and be Sorted into your houses. They are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are here, your House will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, while any rule breaking will lose points."

She seemed to linger her eyes on Harry as she said this. "At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded the House Cup."

"Trevor!" A boy they had met named Neville Longbottom said in joy as he dove for a toad at Professor McGonagall's feet.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly at her reproachful look. She went into the Great Hall for a few moments, in which time several ghosts introduced themselves to the children. Having an argument about someone, assumably another ghost, named Peeves.

"We're ready for you now." McGonagall said as she came back for them. The nervous eleven year olds walked into the Great Hall and saw four tables, one table for each House. Harry looked to the staff table and saw Professor Snape, and a tiger that seemed strangely familiar. The chinese robed tiger gasped as he saw him and seemingly went deep in thought. Harry raised an eyebrow but looked up to a stool in front of the staff table where a ragged old hat opened its brim and began to sing about the Founders of Hogwarts and the qualities of their houses. Exactly as Severus had described. Professor McGonagall then went down a list of names. Draco Malfoy went into Slytherin with his two bodyguards. Harry saw him glare at him from the Slytherin table. Hermione Granger went into Gryffindor much to Ron's dismay (his entire family where Gryffindors.) He listened out for his name as he heard "Parkinson, Patil, Patil, Perks, Potter, Harry." Harry stepped up.

"Potter did she say?"

"THE Harry Potter?"

Whispers followed Harry as he walked through the remaining students yet to be Sorted and sat upon the stool. The hat engulfed his entire head.

"Hmm, difficult, very difficult." He heard the hat's voice in his head. "Plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind either, there's talent, oh yes." the hat said as the memory of his fight with Tai Lung's old self came to mind. "And a thirst, to prove yourself. But where to put you?" The hat spent quite a while deciding which house to put Harry in. Finally it cried out "Gryffindor!"

The entire hall burst into applause (Slytherin for mere politeness) but none more loudly than the Gryffindor table. Fred and George Weasley held each other jumping up and down shouting "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

What am I? Some kind of trophy? Harry wondered in disgust as the other houses seemed disappointed not to get him. He looked to the staff table and saw...a hint of pride in the tiger teacher's eyes? Huh? What's up with him? Harry wondered as he shook hands with many students and the Gryffindor Ghost put a hand on his shoulder which instantly felt as if it where dipped in icy cold water.

Soon the Sorting was finished. Ron also joined Harry in Gryffindor "Well done Ron, excellent." said Percy Weasley, Ron's oldest sibling in Hogwarts and male Gryffindor Prefect. After a few well chosen words "Nitwit, oddment, blubber, tweak." Dumbledore clapped his hands and several varieties of food appeared.

"Wow." Harry said in amazement. Never in his life had he seen so much food. Most of it he had never seen before. So he tried a little of everything.

"That does look good." Nick said as Harry cut up his steak.

"Can't you?" Harry asked the ghost.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years." The ghost said. "I don't need to but one does miss it." He admitted.

"I know you!" Ron said. "My brothers told me about you. Your Nearly Headless Nick."

"I prefer Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-"

"Nearly Headless?" A black boy named Dean Thomas asked. "How can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this." Nick said hotly and pulled his head to the side. Barely an inch of skin was connecting it. It seems that someone had tried to behead him, but had not done a very good job.

Nick left them alone after that.

Dessert followed dinner and just like with dinner, Harry had never seen so many sweets in one place. Not even the candy shop in the Valley had this much. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of (Harry decided to try the banana pudding flavor) Jello, rice pudding and all sorts of goodies that Harry had never seen before in his life. He also decided to try something called Treacle Tart. It was by far Harry's favorite.

"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce." Professor Dumbledore said as dessert vanished along with the dishes to be cleaned. "The First Years should please note, that the Dark Forest on the grounds is forbidden to ALL students, and a few of our older students should remember this as well." His eyes twinkled toward the Weasley twins. "And please remember that a list of banned objects can be found on Mr. Filch's office door. And please remember that no magic should be used in between classes in the corridors. Also, please welcome Professor Xing." He motioned to the tiger who stood proudly with his paw hands behind his back. "Professor Xing is one of the world's most reknowned Martial Arts masters and shall be teaching an extra curricular self defense course this year." Professor Xing bowed to the students. As they politely applauded.

"I've heard of Master Xing." Harry said excitedly.

"Master?" Ron asked.

"He's one of the world's most proficient users of the Tiger Style of Kung Fu." Harry explained. "Baba 's talked about him from time to time."

Ron nodded. Harry had told him on the train about his life in the Valley of Peace and knew that Harry called his father "Baba" out of affection. Those who heard this nickname snorted at how childish it sounded.

Professor Xing sat back down and Dumbledore finished his speech with "Well, bed time. Off you trot."

"What are we? Horses?" Harry snorted as the students piled out of the Great Hall.

First Years followed Percy Weasley to a portrait of a rather fat woman in a dress. "Password?" She asked.

"Caput Draconis." Percy said confidently. The lady's portrait opened revealing a doorway. "Welcome to the Gryffindor common room. Boys dormitories are upstairs and down to your left, girls, the same on your right. You'll find all your belongings have already been brought up." He added.

Everyone was so excited that most of the First Years stayed up late talking. Finally they all went to bed. Harry however, couldn't sleep. He stayed up stroking his snowy owl, Hedwig's feathers on the window sill of their dormitory. Looking out into the sky wondering how his family was doing.

To Be Continued...

Now THIS is the longest chappy! 2343 words!

As you can see, I mixed a bit of the book and movie.

Professor Xing has a secret hidden relation to Harry. No, he's not his father. Nor his uncle. He's his grandfather. He is Lily's real father. Lily's mother was human and she had dormant tiger blood in her veins which was passed down to Harry. This will be important later.

If it sounds like Arashi Wolf Princess's idea for her KFPHP cross its cause I gave her the idea.

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Dean the Cuddly Fox.