"You Harry are on bed rest I don't want you to even get up to walk where you was stabbed it left you bruised and a few fracture so for now one no walking you will be in a wheelchair and you will be assigned to someone to help you with anything you need" Tender explained Harry groaned he hated being bed rest
"I will help you mummy Harry" Sally said hugging him
"I know you will sweetheart, but right now the only way I can feel better is if you do me a drawing since I'm stuck doing nothing I want something to lighten my room" Harry said with a smile Sally jumped up and ran out Harry chuckled what he was unaware was that the others were making him get well cards
"Harry a quick question if I may" Tender asked looking at his cousins lover
"What's your question?" asked Harry
"What's with the raptor, look when we found you and why did you look like the same height as the mortal movies called Jurassic World" asked Tender
Harry chuckled a little "Some Wizards are able to turn into animals that reflect them, for me I think the Raptor is my way of saying Im protective of though's I care about and I can do damage if you hurt the one I care about and just because I may seem small I can do more damage than you think" Explained Harry Tender nodded
"Hey Tender since I'm on bed rest may we watch more of the memory's, since its pretty much the only thing I can do" Harry asked Tender chuckled
"Yes we can I will just have to see if everyone is ready to watch more" Tender replied as he left the room and then 4 minutes later Slender came in
"Hello Love" Harry said as Slender sat beside him and kissed his forehead
"We will be watching more of the memories, but I don't want you to overdo it" Slender said Harry chuckled placed his hands over Slenders
"It's not a problem to watch a memory, I am more than capable of watching it but thank you for being concerned," Harry said placing a kiss amongst Slenders Cheek Slender slowly reached under Harry's legs and picked him up bridal style and teleported out without realising someone was watching from the window
...The Only Reason why Slender didn't know was because he was concerned for Harry...
Let me remind you this is as if they were watching the Movies and Books as if they were memories
They all sat down in their chairs of course Harry was sitting in Slenders lap to watch the memories
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.
"Yeah you shouldn't cross with her" Fred said with a smirk
"But...But it's so much fun" Harry pouted "And you do it two, even more than me" he said
"He's not wrong you know" Luna and Neville said with a chuckle
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it.
"I never noticed, but, yeah I'm right about that thought" Harry said
"Talking to yourself now are we" asked Neville
"Totally at least I can get an intelligent conversation out of myself Shalongbottom" Harry shot back at him Neville did the mature thing and stuck his tongue out at him
"Okay Harry now is not the time to bring your Slythrin side out" Luna chuckled out Harry stuck his tongue out
Lily and James were confused the Dursleys why would they be mentioned in Harry's thoughts
The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right-the rest of the school must already be here-
"I'm amazed that you could hear that thoughs doors are so thick that make it impossible to hear whats on the other side" Remus said Harry chuckled from his spot
but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together, than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Aww, scared little first years are so adorable!" said Fred sweetly and clasping his hands and bringing them under his chin.
"Oh and what were you like" Ben asked that's when Fred shut up
Everyone snickered at Fred as he was keeping quite
"Well this is a first normally its only Harry who can shut them up" Luna said with a chuckled Fred stuck his tongue out
"Wow very mature, you can never tell that these two are actually adults" Harry said with a chuckle
"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.
"Not always the case" Harry sighed sadly people looked confused on what he had meant Fred and George snarled in anger Neville and Luna looked like they wanted to yell Slender kissed Harry's forehead
"What do you mean" Asked Liu
"Just some perverts at the school" Explained Fred
"And in Harry's case it's more of let's see who can touch him the most" George growled as Slender held him tightly towards him
You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.
"I heard about this so-called free time, never got to experience myself." said Harry with a smirk.
"Why is that" Asked Ben
"Oh we just spent our time trying to find out and kill Voldemort who has a habit of not staying dead" Harry explained
"The four Houses are called Gryffindor,
Gryffindors stood up apart from Harry and cheered
Hufflepuff,
Ravenclaw,
Luna clapped for her house
and Slytherin.
Harry clapped for that house "What not everyone in that house doesn't want to be a murdering lunatic you know" he said when he got shocked looks
Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards.
"Nothing wrong with Green as it is my favourite colour" Harry said with a small smile
"Really I didn't know that" Neville said Harry gave a little chuckle at that
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 honour. I hope 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."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear,
"Wow, Harry, you do notice everything!" said Neville laughing with everyone else. Harry mouthed an apology.
"How did that even happen" Harry asked Neville who blushed and shut up
"Just like Alice, when she was so clumsy she did things we didn't think was possible" Lily said with a small smile for her friend
and on Ron's smudged nose.
Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.
"Yes I was nervous" Harry responded when he noticed some people where going to comment
"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" he asked Ron.
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."
"I was joking but I didn't think you would take it literally though" Fred said Harry glared when he got worried looks his way by nearly everyone in the room
Harry heart gave a horrible jolt. A test! In front of the whole school?
But he didn't know any magic yet-
what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger,
Harry growled at his ex-best friend for her betrayal and what she did and what she was planning to do with him
who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Harry tried not to listen to her.
He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.
"What? Harry, how could she blame you for turning her wig blue?" said Lily looking intently towards her son. but Harry could only pale and refuse to answer
He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.
Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air-
"It didn't look like you jumped a foot in the air, Harry. Then again, you might have, cause if I remember correctly, I jumped three feet in the air." said Neville with a chuckle towards him
several people behind him screamed.
"What the-?" said Remus quickly
"What the-?"
He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall.
"I forgot, 'The Annual Ghostly Introduction.' They do it every year." said Remus chuckling to himself.
"I know and every time I'm in here before sorting, I hear the screams." said Harry with a smile.
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?"
"They say the same thing every year, never changing. They actually really like Peeves, adds some spice to their after-life." said Harry said
"Harry how would you know this" Remus asked him
"I actually like talking to the ghosts and they tell me a lot even the Bloody Baron talks to me "harry said with a smirk
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
"That's Nick!" said almost Harry said when Ben, Jeff and LJ looked at him
Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them.
"About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely.
"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.
"Also part of the standard "Ghostly Introduction." said Harry
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair,
with Ron behind him,
Harry growled as Slender bent down a kissed forehead sensing the anger from the love of his life that was in his arms
and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by 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.
Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
"It was Dumbledore's plan from the start?" snarled Harry Fred and George hated there younger brother for what he did to Harry all Harry ever wanted was a Friends and Family for himself and there brother did that to him they are thankful Slender is willing to fall for him even they couldn't deny the love they have for each other as they and everyone else in the room can see it and feel it
It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall simply didn't open to the heavens
Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.
Fred and George smirked Harry rolled his eyes when he saw what was on his face
Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly,
"It's a muggle magic trick." Harry explained to his dad, Remus and Sirius who chuckled
"That would be so funny to see" Toby snickered in his spot
that seemed the sort of thing-noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth-and the hat began to sing.
"Sing Harry Sing" Shouted Fred and George
"You wouldn't think they were adults would you" Muttered Neville Luna snickered
Harry chuckled as he opened up his mouth
"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart:
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Their mouths dropped they didn't know Harry could sing like that then they all stood up and cheered as Harry blushed and leaned back into Slenders arms
"I didn't know you could sing" EJ said as he was a fellow music lover along with Ben and Jeff who nodded in place
Harry shrugged "I don't sing that often, I just never get time" Harry said
"You should sing more, you have one beautiful voice" Splendore said towards his brother's lover
Harry blushed at the complement "Thank you" Harry responded
"He takes after you Lily you blush if someone complements you" snickered James at his wife as his wife blushed and slapped him around the head receiving a chuckle from everyone in the room
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song.
It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. 'I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."
Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching.
"It was nerve racking." said Harry quietly.
The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a House for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call you name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted ," she said. "Abbot, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause-
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
People clapped even though it has all ready happened
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.
Fred and George did a repeat performance of the catcalling. as Harry rolled his eyes at them
"Only you two" Neville chuckled good heartedly
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.
"You look it and you sometimes act it, but they only do that so they don't feel as if they are getting betrayed so it's easier to drive people away that way" said Harry
He was starting to feel definitely sick now.
He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good,
but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.
Growls etched their ways crossed the room again.
"You think that bad he's more vicious than that I made friends with someone who is disabled and he beat her up" Harry said
"THAT FUCKING BASTERED TO DO THAT TO SOMEONE WITH DISABILITIES WHEN I FINALY SEE HIM I'M GOING TO RAISE FUCKING HELL FOR HIM" Yelled Toby in Anger people edged away but Harry clicked his fingers and the bean bag Toby was sitting on lifted up and Harry placed it in front of him since Harry was on strict orders not to move so much and he started to play with his hair and it actually seemed to calm him down who know Toby likes his hair being played with
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Again, cheers ran rampant across the hall, erasing the growls.
Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the House at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.
Harry and Neville growled at the mention of Ron and Hermione
A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous.
What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?
"Oh Harry, you should of had spoken up, McGonagall had several students both boys and girls tug at her robes for reassurance" Remus said
"Really" Asked Harry
"Yeah, in mine, Sirius and James first year Lily and Neville's mum did the same" Remus chuckled out as Lily blushed in her spot when people looked at her
"Mum I can understand" Harry said a whisper and then looked at Neville "See I told you we are defiantly twins just born from separate parents and a day apart" Harry said with the biggest grin
"Oh god someone save me from him please" Neville said Harry pouted but that didn't last long when they both snickered at each other
When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."
"I kept appologizing for that" Neville said
"You don't have to you know, you clumsy and people know it" Luna said Neville shrugged
Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.
There weren't many people left now.
"Moon"..."Nott"..."Parkinson"...then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"..., then "Perks, Sally-Anne"...and then, at last-
"Potter, Harry!"
As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"That was so annoying" Harry said from his place as he melted into Slenders arms that were around him
The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes-and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting...So where shall I put you?"
"Wow, that means you could have went in any house, Harry!" said Lucius thinking out loud.
Harry looked very nervous at his parents and Sirius and Remus wondering how will they react to him being nearly slythrin
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
"Not Slytherin, eh?" said a small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherine will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that-no?
"Wait what" Said nearly everyone in the room
"I can see it" Neville said
"As can i" Fred and George
"You really don't care" Harry asked
"Of course the house doesn't make you sure you have traits to be in that house but that doesn't change you just look at Neville here is a Gryffindor but he is loyal as a hufflepuff" Luna said people blinked at her
"I don't care if you were a Slythrin if that's what's worried you, your mother wouldn't care as well, you dad he will most probably bitch about it but your mother would of made him see sense but in the end he would proud" Remus replied with a smile
"True" James said with a chuckled
"Thank you" Harry said which shocked them was he really so worried about that
Well, if you're sure-better be GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table.
"You didn't look like you were walking shakily." said Neville
He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasely twins yelled. "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
They repeated their performance people snickered around the hall they loved the twins but they also vowed for them to never spend so much time with LJ because them with him they wouldn't know what could happen and didn't want to think about it
Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice cold water.
He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up.
Harry grinned back.
And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts..
Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.
Harry, snarled. Neville looked confused as well as the twins they didn't know what happened to Quirrell but Harry seemed to know I guess it was a wait and see game
And now there were only four people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron,
joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table
"Stupid that's what I was" Harry growled to himself
and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasely pompously
across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
"Fucking basterd" Said Neville with a growl he was angry at what Dumbledore was doing to gain Harry's fame and Money
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet. I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
own. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.
"Is he-a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.
"Yes" said everyone in the room
"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"
Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and , for some strange reasons, peppermint humbugs.
The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry,
"Bullshit" Fred and George said looking over at him Harry looked at them and everyone looked shocked and horrified at Harry
"We will not talk about this now" Harry said when he saw Tender looking at him, he know what he wanted at Harry wasn't happy with it
"We may not talking about this now but we will be talking" Tender said and Harry groaned he wasn't looking forward to this chat they were going to have
but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick.
"Stupid, fat, selfish, greedy, git!" snarled everyone
"One piece of food I'm glad he takes from me is strawberries," Harry said Neville paled
"I don't want to see that again" Neville said
"Why?" asked Ben
"I'm allergic to strawberries" Harry explained as he trusted everyone in this room with that information
Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.
"I love steak." said Remus fondly, licking his lips.
"That's the wolf in him; he's a big meat and chocolate kinda guy. Screw the potatoes." said Harry and Neville sniggering Remus looked at the two and rolled his eyes he allowed it because Harry was having fun and that's what he wanted to see
"Can't you-?"
"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you-you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-" the ghost began stiffly,
"He came up with that nickname, though." said Sirius looking thoughtful.
but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted,
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.
"No, it IS going the way he wants. He loves scaring all the first year Gryffindor like that. Peter's reaction is his favorite, fainted dead away." said Remus with a chuckle at the memory of school and grow sad at the betrayal of the person he once called a good friend
"Like this." he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces,
Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So-new Gryffindor! I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable-he's the Slytherin ghost."
"He's not that bad he has a sweet side" Harry said
"Only you would do the impossible" Neville said
Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.
"Oh he wasn't he found a way to blame me for that" Harry said very amused by it
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts,
"I love treacle tarts. Love treacle anything really." said Harry fondly closing his eyes and smiling.
chocolate ĂŠclairs
and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding...
As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
The others laughed.
"Me and Neville that could of gone terribly wrong" Harry replied while shaking his head
"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me-
"Accidental magic doesn't work that way, Neville." said Harry
he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned-
People started growling at this point
"Hey now, my great uncle was always an odd duck. He never tried to hurt me intentionally. He would always use his wand to stop me from getting hurt. And when my gran found out about all this she kicked him out for over a year.
but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by my ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go.
"She didn't know I was there!" Neville said loudly to the growling people who had come to see Neville as a friend
But I bounced-all the way down the garden and into the road.
"That would be the spiritual core releasing a short burst of magic. Because of the times your Great Uncle tried to get magic out of you, your core shut it self away to protect itself. Your core is still trying to start up from the forced shut down." said Harry calmly.
"How long will it take to get going?" said Neville quickly.
"We will keep practicing with your magic and your magical core should go back to how it should be" explained Harry
"Oh that reminds me Harry we wanted to know if you could teach us wandless magic" Luna asked harry was shocked
"I can do its a little more easier than using your wand" Harry Explained
They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.
"Wasn't after she learned what Uncle Algie did to cause me to bounce from the second floor and into the road." said Neville.
And you should have seen their faces when I got in here-they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."
On Harry's other side, Percy Weasely and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interest in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing-").
Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.
Harry was growling he hated him why couldn't he treat him kindly he never did anything to him what his father did it wasn't him but he could never understand that
It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell turban straight into Harry's eyes -and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.
"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.
"What is it?" asked Percy.
"N-nothing."
"Lies you only really say your fine when you're not fine that's how we know you're not fine" Neville said
The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look-a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.
"Oh no he doesn't he despises me beyond belief, he even tried to strangle me" Muttered Harry
"WHERE IS THAT FUCKER I WILL MAKE SURE HE CANT BREATH ANYMORE" Growled Toby but Harry started to play with his hair again and it calmed him right down which amused pretty much everyone
"Who's the teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.
"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."
Harry was snarling and people took the hint he was angry and edged away
Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.
"Ahem-just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years, should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasely twins.
Harry snarled along with the Weasley twins
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"Or scaring your Head of House nearly senseless." said Harry
"Yeah or your friends and people that consider you family" Neville said with a raised eyebrow Harry stuck his tongue out
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.
"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.
"Dead serious." said Luna.
"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere-the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."
"And now, before we got to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teacher's smiles had become rather fixed.
Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"
And the school bellowed:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees.
Our beads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very funeral march.
"Why did you pick a funeral march?" asked Jeff laughing.
"Cause we did Opera the year before." said Fred.
"And Yodelling the year before that." said George.
Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.
A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.
"Three guesses who that is!" cried the Weasely twins excitedly.
"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?"
"You can't use that card right away he won't listen at all" Explained Harry
"Except if you're Harry Potter" Neville said Harry stuck his tongue out at him
"Yeah well the ghost have come to see me as a younger sibling when I say they have come to see me I mean they practically adopted me as their younger sibling and Peeves is taking of the role of the older annoying brother" Harry chuckled out
"Except the Bloody Baron" Neville said
"Yeah he's like an Uncle and Helena is like an Auntie" Harry said with a smirk
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 never introduces himself to the first years with the rest of the ghosts. He always waits and meets them when there is no teacher present." said Remus
"It's so they know who to watch out for when there around so they know they have to be careful on what they do when he is around with no teachers around" Harry explained
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 off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects.
Here we are."
At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"How did you know it was silk, Harry?' asked Luna
"Aunt Petunia's Cocktail dresses were made of silk." Harry explained
"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- Neville needed a leg up-
"Thanks again Harry." said Neville
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. At the top of a spiral staircase-they were obviously in one of the towers-
they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.
"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."
Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.