Chapter 8: A Dusty Old Hat Decides My Future

Author Note: Alright, I said the last one was long, this one is longer! Before we start, I'd like to tell you how many votes different kinds of Wizengamot seats have. Lets go! The following list is an excerpt from one of Harry's Books: The Guide to Wizengamot and Its Workings, by Miriam Hood.

[Start Excerpt]

Most Noble and Ancient Houses: 12 votes

Most Ancient Houses: 9 votes

Ancient Houses: 6 votes

Most Noble Houses: 3 votes

Noble Houses: 1 vote

Order of Merlin 1st Class: 10 votes

Order of Merlin 2nd Class: 5 votes

Order of Merlin 3rd Class: 2 votes

Blessing Of Merlin: 12 votes (This role has not been given since 1634 when Gunhilda of Gosmoor created the Dragon Pox Cure. For context, By the time the cure came, Dragon Pox had wiped out half the wizarding population.)

{End Excerpt}

I'd also like to add that when Harry says "Mom" he means Demeter and when he says "Mum" he means Lily.

(Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's POV)

Headmaster's Office

I re-read the letter from Molly for the 16th time today. It was absolutely shocking. Harry Potter, still alive and kicking. How bothersome. I of course knew that the boy was still alive, otherwise his name would've been stricken from the Hogwarts list. I did hope that after a couple more years that he would continue to stay at wherever he lived so that I can file for him being officially dead. He was never considered dead because of those damnable goblins. If he was considered dead, then I would be able to reap all the knowledge and money from the Potter vaults.

Though, I care more less the Potter vaults and more of the fact the boy has over 48 votes! That's the highest amount of votes held by a single person since Bjorn of Newcastle decided to duel people for their seats, giving him over 62 votes! Thank Merlin, he was killed before producing an heir. I should've killed Lily when I had the chance. I knew she was the most eligible for the Slytherin seat, but I had thought that I could convince her to use it my favour! But no, she had to be stubborn little muggle and decide to leave the Wizengamot seat closed because of "Not wanting to be hated by both Slytherins AND Gryffindors". Utter Garbage! These heirs don't even know how lucky they are, to be born with such power and influence.

And that Potter child... Perhaps I should influence him into making me his proxy. But that won't be possible if he's in Slytherin, especially with his Slytherin heirship.

"FLOPSY!" I shout, calling for the Sorting Hat.

"Albus, what have I told you about calling me that annoying name!" Rude. That was the name of my first goat! He should be honoured!

"Flopsy, when Harry Potter comes into, you will sort him into Gryffindor. Do I make myself clear?" I commanded. If he is sorted into any other house, then I won't be able to influence him as much as I want.

"You have no authority over the sorting Albus."

"I can still feed you to that pet spider Hagrid has! Maybe that Cerberus we ordered, would like a little chew toy!" I threatened. Normally, I'm far more discreet, but in this office, with forbidden silencing words, I can threaten as much as I want here.

"I should've sorted you to Slytherin when I had the chance!" Flopsy grumbled, "Fine, I'll do it. Though, I'll have to ask the boy's forgiveness sometime in the future"

I retired back to my chair, looking back on the wards in Longbottom Manor. I can't forget about my precious weapon just because of some well-off brat, now, can I?

I take a deep breath. This year will be important to mine, and my father's goals.

The Hogwarts Express

(Harry's POV)

As I waved goodbye to Chiron and Mom though the window, I smiled back on the events that had occurred the last month or so. For starters, I had to change my name to 'Harry James Slytherin Potter', since part of taking up the Slytherin heirship is that the heir has to have 'Slytherin' somewhere in their names. Dad was okay with it, since I still have 'Potter' as my surname. Another thing was that Mum wanted me to read all the Hogwarts rules available. In fact, Dad encouraged it! Something about "Pranking within the rules" he said. The reason Mum wanted me to cover the rules was because she didn't want Dumbledore to control me. I really don't get what's so bad about Dumbledore. He's the headmaster! He can't be all bad... can he? And due to Mum's paranoia, she wants me to enact an ancient rule that hasn't been used in centuries! Won't that make a splash.

Another thing that happened over the summer was that Mr Freed and Miss Lucy managed to get Sirius out of Azkaban and into a standard Ministry holding cell. Unfortunately, he still doesn't have visitation rights until January. In other news, Annabeth was made cabin leader! That's the only interesting thing that happened at camp.

I pull out Salazar Slytherin's Diar- Journal, and casted a light glamour on it so it appeared to be a Potions textbook. It's silly how people assume that Salazar was evil when he literally helped make the school they attend. Right now, I was reading the last few pages in the 'journal'. It, along with 'Hogwarts: A History –The True Version', book on Merlin and the Potter Heir Grimoire, were the only books I read over, the past month.

The train started leaving the station, so I gave one last wave to my Mom and Mentor.

"H-hello" I look to my right where the door was opened. The person who opened it was first year like me. He had oak brown hair and seemed a tad chubby. Beneath his hair was the faint outline of a lightning bolt. "Hello... Could I sit with you please? All the other seats with first years are taken. I understand if you don-"

I interrupted him before he could finish. "Don't worry, you can sit here. It'll be nice to have another friend before entering Hogwarts." Just like Hermione, his face lit up when I said 'friend'. Am I some sort of magnet for social outcasts and lonely people? Not that that's a problem. He seems to be nice enough.

"T-thanks" He says, sitting down, "M-my name is... Neville Longbottom" He looks at my face, as if gauging my reaction.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Harry Potter. It's great to finally meet you, Heir Longbottom." At this he started looking far more nervous, "Is... something the matter? I wanted to meet you for quite a long time since our parents were friends."

At this, his face reverted to happiness. What the Hades was with him? "Sorry, Heir Potter-"

"Call me Harry"

"Harry. It's just that I though you would start gushing over me like all those fan boys and girls. It gets really tiring and horrible." His body language was resigned, as though he had no hope of getting out his 'fame'.

"Wait? Why would have fans? It's not like you're..." I cut myself off, as my brain felt it got a kickstart, "You're that boy-who-lived guy!" Then my face turned from happy that I realised, to remorseful, "I'm sorry for your loss..."

Immediately, Neville bursts out in laughter, leaving me with a confused state. "Ha, Sorry, Harry!" He wheezed between laughs, "Sorry, I haven't seen that kind of reaction before. Honestly, I was thinking the first thing that would happen on this train was for a girl to ask me to sign her hand!" Wow, he's a completely different person right now. I guess he's one of those people who are quite shy and cautious at first.

"Well, it's nice to see you laugh at someone who's been in the country for less than a week!" I accuse mockingly.

"So, where've you been staying?" He asked inquisitively.

"Oh, America." I casually replied.

"America!" It was as if he had stars in his eyes, "What kind of magical plants do they have there!?"

"A crap ton!" I reply with the same vigour. As a child of Demeter, how can I not be enthusiastic about magical plants! "There's one that's exclusive to the Mississippi River called..." And soon, we kept talking and talking about plants until over two hours passed by.

The door to our compartment opened, revealing a lady holding a trolley with tons of sweets.

"Hello there, dearies, would any of ya' like some snacks?" She asks.

"Yes please, can we get a bit of everything? Make the payment to the Potter Trust Vaults please!" I ask politely.

As she laid out the sweets on our table, Neville told me, "You didn't have to do that for me, Harry"

"Don't mention it. I get a ton from my trust vault anyway."

As we much down on our treasures, I open one of the chocolate frogs to see what card I get.

The card, unlike the other ones, was a painting rather than a photo. It was of an old man hold some sort of snake staff. Underneath was the text:

Herpo The Foul

Herpo the Foul was an Ancient Greek wizard and the first known creator of the Basilisk.

"Oh Wow!" Neville exclaims, "You got Herpo! He's a gold card so he's super rare!"

"Wow, what other gold cards are there?" I ask, curious.

"Well, off the top of my head, there's: Armando Dippet, Albus Dumbledore, Barberus Bragge, Bertie Bott, Carlotta Pinkstone, Dzou Yen, Godric Gryffindor, Herpo the Foul, Helga Hufflepuff, Merlin Wyltt, Montague Knightley, Phillipus von Hohenheim, Roderick Plumpton, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin!" He lists off.

"And this is off the top of your head, how?!" I ask incredulously.

"It got boring in the manor." He shrugged, "Honestly, you're quite lucky to get a gold card on your first try! All I ever get is Agrippa and Ptolemy."

"Do you want it?" I offer.

"I'd love too!" He says, opening his next chocolate frog, "By Merlin! I've got Dumbledore! It's my first gold card!"

"Ha! Congrats Nev!" I congratulated, "I guess my luck is contagious." We both burst out laughing at that.

"Let's swap! We'll both have each others first gold card!"

"Deal." I agreed, handing over the card

I read the card that Neville gave me. Let's see what's so good about this Dumbledore guy. Albus Dumbledore was a tall and thin, with silver hair and beard, so long that they can be tucked into his belt. He has a very long and crooked nose that looks as if it has been broken at least twice. I read the text beneath his picture.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore is also the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling.

Huh, what an odd guy.

Suddenly, our compartment door opens, and in comes a red-haired boy that seemed strangely familiar. Oh yeah, it was that...uh... Weaseky? Weaseltown? Weaselby? Yeah, Weaselby.

"Oh, it's the Yank" He says rudely. "Oi, have you lot seen Neville Longbottom?

"Who?" It's time to do my first prank. Dad will be proud.

"The-Boy-Who-Lived!" He shouts, annoyed.
"Ooohhh, that guy! Yeah, he just passed by! I think he's up at the front of the train! Why'd ya want to find him?"

"Because I'm going to be his best friend!" He proclaimed loudly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Neville trying to not laugh. "Dumbledore even said I will!" Neville stopped. So, did I.

"What... do you mean by that?"
"Dumbledore said he's going to put me and him in Gryffindor! So that means he's going to need a proud lion to guide him!" He boasted, "Anyway, who on earth are you!" He looks towards Neville.

"His name is Kimothy Walters. He's mute you see, but quite gifted in silent casting" I say before Neville could talk. Something about him tells me that he can't lie at all.

"How'd he get the scar..." He says suspiciously.

"Unfortunate wand-polishing accident. I'm sure he'd rather not talk about it."

"Ha, sucks to be you!" The red head jeers before leaving.

"Dear Merlin, I hope I don't end up in the same house as him!" I laugh, breaking the silence.

Almost immediately after that, there was another knock at the door.

"Oh no, please don't be back!" Neville whimpered.

"Don't worry, this isn't him. The weasel doesn't knock!"

After Neville calmed down, I opened the compartment door only for it reveal a young girl with bushy hair.

"Hermione!" I greet.

"Harry! It's nice to see you again!" She speaks.

"Nev, I'd like to meet a friend of mine." I say, introducing them to each other.

"I'm Hermione Granger!" She says, reaching her hand out, as if replicating what I did when I first met her.

"I-I'm Neville Longbottom"

"Are you really?" She says making Neville's face go pale. "I've read a couple books about you! But... I don't think many of them are true. I mean you obviously didn't defeat a dark overlord when you were a baby, now could you?"

"Uhhh..." Neville paused, as didn't know how to respond to that.

"Hermione" I said, gaining her attention, "That really did happen."

Hermione started blushing immediately, saying "Oh my gosh I'm so sor-"

Neville stopped her from continuing, responding with, "Don't worry, I wouldn't have believed it if I were you either." It looks like a certain someone is more comfortable with girls than boys. We invite her to sit down with us, though she kept trying to catch a chocolate frog that was on top of Neville.

"So, do any of you guys have a pet?" I ask, trying to create a conversation.

"I have a pet eagle." Neville said. "It would be with us now, except that I had to have him deliver a letter to my gran"

"Really? An eagle?" Hermione asks.

"Well, what else would I have?" Neville looks, questioningly, "A toad?" We all burst into laughter at the thought of anyone having a toad. "What about you, Hermione?"

"I'm afraid I haven't got any." She admitted, "But my dad says he'll get me one if do well in second year! What about you Harry?"

"Well, promise you won't freak out?" I ask, to which they both nod, "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you..."

"§ Come out Kina §" I hiss, to the shock of Neville and confusion of Hermione. After I called for Kina, I feel a slither around my forearm, before a regal purple serpent appears. "Hey there guys, I'd like you to meet my familiar, Kina."

"Kina? Why did you choose that name?" Hermione asked, not noticing how shellshocked Neville was.

"Oh, she told me that was her name. Her parents were quite odd."

"You can speak to snakes!?" Hermione said, whilst at the same time Neville shakingly whispered, "You're a parselmouth..."

"A parcel? Why is there a parcel in his mouth?" Hermione asks quizzically.

"No, a parselmouth is a person who can speak parseltounge, the language of snakes." He explained, "Salazar Slytherin was well known for it and the last person to speak it was... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named"

"Well, Nev, I don't know if you've noticed but..." I raise up my hand, showing the finger that bore the Slytherin heir ring.

"Oh." Was all Neville said.

"Also, Salazar wasn't as bad as you think. And the thing about He-Who-Has-Too-Many-Hyphens, is that on the Slytherin family tree, which extends to the Gaunt, Black and squib line, there has not been a legal heir since my mother, and before her, it was a woman named Merope Gaunt, who died around the late 1920's. So, I'm pretty sure that neither are Lord Moldyshorts."

"Well, we don't know about your mother..." Hermione teased.

"Wait, what do you mean Salazar Slytherin isn't all that bad?" Neville asks incredulously.

"You'll find out at the sorting... hopefully. Well, it kinda depends if a friend of mine is able to do my plan correctly" I admitted, "Speaking of the sorting, what houses are planning to go to?"

"Well, originally, it was going to be Gryffindor, but now I'm not sure..." Neville says, unsure.

"I want to be in Gryffindor, after all Dumbledore was in it!" The-Girl-Who-Reads proclaims.

"So?" I ask.

"So, what?"

"So, what if Dumbledore was in Gryffindor? The Sorting is designed to sort you into the house you'll succeed in. What if the sorting puts you into Ravenclaw, a place I know you'll do well in. Will you continue to try and stay in Gryffindor? Merlin was in Slytherin, and he was by far greater than Dumbledore, will you go into Slytherin, where there's a huge pureblood supremacy bias?"

"..." Hermione sits there, pondering, for a while before raising her head, "I- You've given me a lot to think about Harry. So, what house do you want to get sorted in?"

I gather each of them closer, conspiratorially. "Alright, I'm pretty sure Dumbledore is going to try sort me and Nev into Gryffindor, so here's my plan..."

The Great Lake

As Hermione, Neville and I sat in the boat together, one last person sat with us. She had dark red hair and freckles over her face. She also had an odd mix of emotions on it. Excitement, wonder and a pinch of fear, just to name a few.

Our boat started moving, so we decided to introduce ourselves. "Hello there, nice to meet you! I'm Susan Amanda Bones, Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Bones." She greeted.

"Likewise," I responded, "Since we're doing formal titles, I am Harry James Slytherin Potter, Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient Houses of Potter, Black, Slytherin and Peverell" Susan's jaw dropped to the floor, before quickly putting it back up and looking to Hermione.

"I'm Hermione Jean Granger. It's nice to meet you." Susan looked at Hermione analytically, before turning to Neville.

"I'm N-Neville Francis Longbottom, Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of L-Longbottom. It's good to m-meet you as well!"

"Come on Neville, you don't have to act like that!" Susan sighed, "We've known each other years, yet you've only started talking like that for the past month and a half!"

"Oh, you too already know each other?" I ask, though confused as to how Neville was still nervous to a person, who he knew closely.

"Y-yeah, my g-gran and her a-aunt are c-close fr-friends" He says, with his stuttering getting worse. But that was when I noticed a slight blush on his cheeks. Though it was beyond faint, I had learned quite a bit from the Aphrodite cabin at the camp.

Suddenly, there was a loud splash that occurred from our right. In our sights, was a boat tipped over and four people desperately trying to swim. One of them, was a boy that unfortunately knew, Weaselby. The other students were those that I was unfamiliar with. A boy with platinum blond hair, another with dark brown hair, though chubbier than the rest, and a boy that was quite tall and lanky. The blondie and red head seemed to be fighting each other in the water, whilst avidly kicking their legs.

Using this distraction, I quickly went closer to Neville and whispered, "Hey Nev, girls like confidence in boys". He looked at me confused before realization hit his face.

I stared back at the four students in the lake, still struggling. It appeared that none of the teachers had noticed the accident. Sighing, and not wanting my day to be ruined on my first day, I point my wand to their tipped boat and casted, "Wingardium Leviosa!". The boat started floating a few inches above the water, before a swinging my wand, causing the boat to turn the right side up. As the four boys climbed on the boat, drenched in the water, the Weaselby boy looked at me with contempt and fear, whilst the blonde stared at me warily and cautiously. The other two looked at me dumbly as they muttered a very quiet "Thank you".

"Wow, I didn't know you could cast magic!" Neville said in wonder.

"And he shouldn't be able to..." Susan glared, "It's illegal to cast and practice spells outside of school under the age of 18."

"Wow, you know your laws" I complimented, "Whilst that is true in the UK, it is quite different in America. As long as you don't use in front of, or against no-maj's then it's perfectly okay to use magic."

"No-maj's?" Neville asked.

"Non-Magicals. It's how Americans call Muggles. Personally, I find it more tasteful than the British term." The rest nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, Heir Potter" Susan apologized, "My aunt is the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I guess a bit of her rubs off on me"

"No problem," I say, "And call me Harry. It looks like we've reached our destination." I point to the castle entrance.

We walk up stairs that lay in front of us. At the end of it was a tall, stern-looking witch with black hair usually drawn into a tight bun.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall. Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup." She says in imperious tone.

"And you," She says, looking at me, "5 points to whichever house you join for excellent spellwork and use of the levitation charm" Oh, so they had seen it, but chose to do nothing. She then turns her head to the blondie and red head, "And 10 points each away from whatever house you join for fighting. How disappointing." She shook her head in disappointment, "Now I hope you'll behave for the next couple of minutes." She leaves and walks through the doors.

Then the blondie before approaches us, "It's true then, what they're saying on the train. Neville Longbottom has come to Hogwarts" I hear some of the other students whispering amongst themselves, "This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy...Draco Malfoy." I raise my eyebrows at this, a little jealous, imagine being named Dragon. Sounds badass. "Well, Longbottom, I think you'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others. Don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there" Feeling a tad insulted at that last remark, I interjected.

"Sorry, I was wondering if that last part was targeted towards me?" I asked.

"So, what if it was?" The boy said arrogantly.

"You're implying that your family is better than mine, yet you're a Malfoy, a mere Noble House." He looks a little bit paler, but still stands tall, "Wait, I'm being rude, let me introduce myself. I am Harry James Slytherin Potter, Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient Houses of Potter, Black, Slytherin and Peverell. Now please, explain why you believe that the Noble House of Malfoy is superior to 4 Most Noble and Ancient Houses."

The boy turns paler than his hair, before running away, from us. By the time he was away from our sights, Neville bursted out into laughter.

After, Professor McGonagall comes back, inviting us into the room.

The Great Hall

Well, it was understatement calling this place a room. It was larger than the arena back at camp! In front of us were 4 large tables, with candles lighting them up. Each table had hundreds of students on them, and each student on one table had a different colour of tie than the others.

The ceiling above showed the sky outside. Stars and constellations, the Astronomy teachers must've loved it.

The professor guides us in front of a chair with a musty old hat.

"It's time for the Sorting song." Professor McGonagall announces.

As soon as she says that the entire student body, barring the first years turn to the hat in front of the teachers.

Confused, I too follow their line of sight. D-does that hat have a face on it?

"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 folks 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!"

As the rest of the hall was clapping, I was thinking who wasted their time enchanting a hat when they could be doing greater things with their life.

"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Abbot, Hannah" McGonagall called. A girl came up to the seat, where she put the hat on and sat down. After a few seconds, the hat roared "HUFFLEPUFF!" She then took the hat of and joined the Hufflepuff table. The Professor continued listing names, though I really didn't pay attention.

"Granger, Hermione" McGonagall called. As Hermione put the hat on, I patiently waited for the result. Then the Hat suddenly bellowed "RAVENCLAW!" Good. It's where she belongs. Eventually, the names reached to Neville. To which Neville said, "I'm going to Hufflepuff."

Silence filled the room. All shocked that someone would dare circumvent the Sorting Ceremony. I looked at the Headmaster, he looked slightly angry.

Professor McGonagall, shellshocked, said "Mr. Longbottom, I am afraid you cannot use your fame to go to any house of your choosing."

"He's not" I interrupted.

"Ah you're the boy from earlier. What is your name" She asks.

"I am Harry James Slytherin Potter, Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter, Black, Peverell AND Slytherin" I say putting extra emphasis on the AND part, the teacher looked shocked, though I could see warmth in her eyes, as though reminiscing of older times. "And as heir to one of the founders, I am exercising Rule 267 Subsection 4, which states the heir to founders and one other of the heirs choosing may choose their own Hogwarts House during the Sorting Ceremony."
"The 'one other' that I choose will Neville Longbottom, who consented to this earlier on the Hogwarts Express. So, if you'll excuse us, we will be heading to the Hufflepuff table"

We both head over to the table, but before we take a seat, the next part of my plan takes place.

"Why would you choose the Duffers!" A boy from the Slytherin table shouts, "You're an heir of Slytherin! You should be with us."

"Interesting question, Mr..."
"Ferris. Julius Ferris"

"Thank you Mr Ferris," I said, "The answer to that is that the standard of the House of Slytherin, has fallen."

The entire Slytherin table exploded into anger, but I continued, "The Pureblood Supremacy within Slytherin is an utter disappointment to the Salazar's Legacy"

"What! Everyone knows that Slytherin hated Muggles!" This time it was that Weaselby kid.

"Incorrect!" I shouted smiling, as I pulled a book from my pocket, "Now be quiet children! This book, that I'm holding is Salazar Slytherin's Journal!"

"So... Slytherin had a diary?" Someone said.

"That's what I thought too! But it turns out there's a difference between Journal and Diary. Anyway," I continue, "On the June 16th 1016, Salazar Slytherin, along with Godric Gryffindor, fought and killed an entire Muggle Village after they had kidnapped Godric's daughter, Ariana. You see, during those times, witch hunts were quite common. Anyway, Godric and Sal, both fought together often to save witches and wizards from these witch hunts. So, this village kidnapped Godric's daughter, but whilst they were fighting these Muggles, another village had kidnapped Salazar's wife. They beat her, raped her, torched her, and did all sorts of horrible things. Soon after that, the family of one of his apprentices, Lazarus Longbottom, a muggleborn wizard."

Everyone gasped at this, "They kidnapped Lazarus, and almost killed him. Whilst Salazar had saved his apprentice, Lazarus had constant nightmares and PTSD from this. So, he along with the other founders created a new rule, any and all wizards found in Muggle families, should be taken away and raised in a subsection of Hogwarts, which is now known as the Divinations Corridor. Not only did this stop the Witch Hunts, as there were no more Wizards and Witches among Muggles, it also gave the Muggleborn Wizards a chance to come to Hogwarts with the same amount of knowledge as a pureblood child. 500 years later, this rule was repealed, and the Children's section was repurposed. The rule itself was all blamed-on Salazar and they name him a pure-blood supremacist, even though on Salazar's tombstone, it says 'Magic is Might, Might to Protect All' but no one cared, hell even the Ministry stole his quote, though cutting it. They just hated the one who spoke to snakes, even though Godric could speak to eagles and Rowena could talk to owls. That is why, my ancestor would be disappointed at the House of Slytherin, for how far it has fallen, and how it has destroyed his legacy.

"Let it be know, that Salazar Salvatore Slytherin, never hated muggleborns!" I shouted at the top of my voice, "Yes he hated muggles, but even now, muggles live in disgust of what their ancestors did. Voldemort, never was, and never will be, Slytherin's heir and the bearer of his will. Thank you, for I hope this has reached your ears."

I sat down, trying not to feel all the eyes staring at me, nor the loathing glares or the crying of young girls. I looked at the headmaster and could see him fuming mad. But why?

"50 points to Hufflepuff for revealing the truth of a founder!" Shouts a high-pitched voice. It came from a short professor with glasses and a bowtie. I think his name was Professor Flitwick, if my parents told me correctly.

"Holy Merlin, Harry, do you know what you've just done?" Neville whispered, "You've literally undone centuries worth of hate and opinions!"

"I already told you this, y'know"

"Didn't think you'd actually do it!" He retorted.
"Whatever."

"I can't believe my ancestor was Slytherin's apprentice!"

"A lot of people's ancestors were close to Slytherin, he was bit of odd guy but a lot of people like him"

Professor McGonagall regained her composure quickly, "If there are no more distractions, let us continue. Li, Su!"

Eventually she reached Draco Malfoy, who was promptly sorted into Slytherin.

"Weasley, Ronald!" Oh, Weasley, not Weaselby. Thank gods I never said it out loud

The red-haired boy put on the hat. "Hmm...", "Where shall I put you..." it mumbled.

Eventually it had made its choice. "SLYTHERIN!". Yeah, he going obviously going to Gryffind- Wait what?

It seems that the rest of the hall were shocked as well, for probably different reasons.

Over by the hat, Ronald was stamping his foot, shouting "This is a mistake! Weasleys don't got to the snakes! Wait till my Mother hears this! She'll set the hat on fire!" He was as red as his hair. It was... difficult to keep a straight face.

"Mr Weasley, go to your seat. Now. And that'll be 5 points from Slytherin." Professor McGonagall commanded. Ouch, that'll ruin his chances of friends, he already lost 5... no 10 points! As he sits down by the Slytherin table, I notice that a lot of other Slytherins were distancing themselves from him, as though he had the plague. Hell, no one even notice that a person called Blaise Zabini was also made Slytherin.

Albus Dumbledore, who looked exactly like his chocolate card, rose to his feet, his anger gone, now replaced with a grandfather like smile and a twinkle in his eye. Is it some sort of glamour?

"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!" His voice echoed through the hall, and in an instant, dishes of food appeared. Many seemed to be traditional British food, the standard stuff.

For some reason, everyone was clapping and cheering when he said those words. Odd. I looked to Neville, who was equally weirded out, "Is he a tad bit... crazy"

The boy Neville was talking to responded with, "Of course! You've got to be at least a bit crazy to fight against two dark lords! My name is Cedric Diggory, nice to meet you." He reached his hand out.

"I'm N-neville Longbottom." He grabbed Cedric's hand and shaked it.

"Of course, you are!" Cedric said. "So, I've been meaning to ask... Did you really steal a time turner and travelled back in time to save the Hogwarts founders from a 600-foot Dragon, by the age of 4?" He asked, though jokingly.

"Of course I did!" Neville joked back, "Lets dig in!"

I decided to pick up some of lamb chops. Normally, I would burn it before eating, but Demeter said there was no point as the Britain was too far away for the sacrifice to count.

The food was spectacular, so I decided to share some with Kina, "§ Hey Kina, come out for some food §" I hissed.

As she came out, the rest of the Hufflepuffs looked at me with fear, "Y-you're a Parselmouth?" One said.

"Yes. And?" I say in response.

"That's Dark Magic!" Another says.

"Why? It's just a language. Is French dark magic?" I pause, "Well... Alright, is Spanish a dark language?"

"No but Salazar Slyth-" And boom, they just realise their stupidity.

"Well, You-Know-Who was a parselmouth!"

"And Gellert Grindelwald, also spoke English! Does that mean Ron Weasley is the next dark lord?" I retort.

At that point, everyone bursted out laughing. "Well, his table manners are certainly unforgivable" Cedric said, to which I looked to the Slytherin table. Let's just say I'd rather be killed by Medusa than witness that war crime again.

I took one of the chicken legs and gave it to Kina, who enjoyed it quite a bit. "§ My compliments to the chef! §" She said, devouring the meat.

"It really is quite beautiful..." Susan whispered, entranced by Kina's scales.

"Indeed!" Bellowed a voice... above me?

I looked up to see an opaque spectre floating up. "Are you by chance, The Fat Friar? Or should I call you Horatio Hufflepuff." I asked. After I said this, the rest of the table gasped.

"My lord, I was kind of hoping to keep it a secret! Oh well."

"Ah sorry about that!" I apologised, "I read about in Slytherin's journals. I presume that I shouldn't talk about the origins of the other ghosts?"

"Yes, that would be nice." Horatio nodded, "And I always knew Sal was innocent. A bit odd though. Since I left from Hogsmeade a couple years before he died and turned into a ghost about 700 years later where I found out he was secretly evil, I'm afraid I simply couldn't dispute the claims."

"It's understandable" I shrugged.

Eventually, everyone started talking a bit about themselves, "Well, my aunt is the DMLE head, so she's busy a lot of the time. So, because of that, I'm usually home alone. But, that also means I can do whatever I want! Why there was one time I fed a toad in my backyard some Exploding Fart Cookies to see how high it could jump. Needless to say, my Aunt had to give me the death talk." Everyone laughed at that. Sure, it was a tad sociopathic, but it seemed funny enough.

"Has your Aunt ever threatened to arrest you?" Someone joked.

"Only when I didn't clean my room." The rich purebloods of the group looked at her confused, "She doesn't have the house elves clean my room since it builds character as she says." Oh, I forgot house elves were a thing. It may seem like slavery, but it's more like a symbiotic relationship.

"Well for me, my great uncle was pretty crazy before I got my magic. My Great Uncle, Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me. He once pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned, 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 the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced, all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased!" He said happily for some reason. The rest of the Hufflepuffs and I stared at him, some with a bit of pity, shock or anger.

"Dude, I don't know how to say this but..." I trailed off.

"That sounds like fucking child abuse, Neville." Cedric continued. The use of strong language made everyone apart from me have a scandalous look on their face, though I was used to it because of Miss Caper.

"Oh, come on, he was just doing what was best for me"

"What if you had died Nev. You were 8 and he pushed you off into the bloody ocean."

"Harry you're over-exaggerating!"

"Neville," Susan started, "Algie constantly put you down when we were kids. He said stuff like "Frank shouldn't have died", "A failure of a Boy-Who-Lived" and "You-Know-Who should've killed you instead", do you really think that's fine! I told my Aunt but she said that she couldn't do anything"

"I-It's n-not that bad!" He shouted, though unsure of himself.

"Neville, can you at least talk to Professor Sprout. If not for you, but your friends" Cedric pleaded, waving to all of us.
Neville sighed, before nodding in agreement, though since he wanted to divert the topic, he said "So Harry, tell us more about you"

"Fine" I sighed, "Do you want the short version or long one?"

"Considering Dumbledore is about to make an announcement soon, I'll take the short one" Cedric said looking at the Headmaster.

"Alright, so it started when I was 6, my birthday was ruined by a monster or beast of sorts crashing into Potter manor, it killed both my parents, but then my godfather, Sirius Black, saved me, I took his magical flying bike, crashed it into Gringotts, took a portkey to America, and lived the rest of my days at a camp that my Magical Guardian assigned me to. Then I come back to Britain after 5 years only to find out that my godfather was sent to Azkaban without a trial, I'm the heir to 4 Most Noble and Ancient Houses and the weather still sucks here!" I probably said more than I had to, but it was worth it when I saw their faces.

"That is... way crazier than being Merlin's secret son!" Neville said, making everyone break into laughter.

"So, who's your Magical Guardian?" Susan asks, curious.

"Marlene McKinnon" I answer nonchalantly.

This drew gasps from everyone sitting on the table, "You mean Marlene McKinnon, a Queen of Hufflepuff!"

"Huh? Queen of Hufflepuff? Is that like the Prince/Princess of Slytherin, thing?" I ask.

"Every House has their own title for the most important or skilled person in their House, in Slytherin it's the Prince or Princess of Slytherin, whose current holder is unknown to the rest of the houses, though known to the leaders of the houses." Cedric informed, "In Gryffindor, it's the Champion of Gryffindor, whose current holder is Ryan Emrys, a seventh year, who is believed to have some relationship to Merlin. In Hufflepuff, we have the King or Queen of Hufflepuff. Currently, I am the King of Hufflepuff."

"Youngest one yet!" Someone interjected.

"Yeah, Yeah," Cedric laughed, "And in Ravenclaw, they have the Scholar of Ravenclaw, whose current holder of the title is Penny Clearwater, who is also the first Muggle born in any house to gain a title"

"Wow! So, what do you with these titles?" I ask.

"You're mostly in charge of all disputes in the house and the House members must listen to you. There is some other stuff, but that's mostly confidential."

"How does someone become a King of Hufflepuff?" This time, it was Neville who asked the question.

"You have to be at least a third year and have to beat the current King or Queen of Hufflepuff in a duel, or get voted on to the title by House members, during votes, if the former King or Queen endorses you, you've got a really good chance of being the new one"

Interesting I thought to myself.
Suddenly, the Headmaster stood up from his seat, "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 looked over to the Gryffindor table. Did they seriously do that? "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." Well duh.

Next Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall whispered something into his ear, "Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch and due to a severe number of empty spaces, first years will also be allowed to join as long as Madam Hooch approves them"

"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." His previous grandfather like persona, replaced with a feeling of a man that had truly gone against Grindelwald.

"Why does it feel like my mind is tickling?" Neville whispered to Cedric.

Cedric's face turned pale, "Someone is trying to use Legilimency on you. Close your eyes quick!"

Neville did as asked, and quickly closes his eyes. After a second he says, "It's gone now!"

"Good. We'll talk about this later. Now get ready to sing."

So many things were racing through my mind. Legilimency? What is that? Why exactly was going on with Neville's head? What was on the third floor? Sing?

Suddenly the entire Hall bursted into a song?

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads 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."

No, it was not a song. It was a cacophony of all that is wrong with the world. So out of time, disorganized, chaotic, this unholy drivel was bad enough to give Apollo a Heart attack.

Finally, we were allowed to leave. The first year Hufflepuffs started following a prefect. As we walked, I marveled at the moving portraits, following us as we walked along.

"Alright kids, this is the kitchens. It's where you can find food and any house elves. The house elves will be useful to you as they will happily give you food and can tell you information you need about the school."

The prefect walks behind a stack of barrels, revealing a nook. The prefect starts tapping the barrels in an almost specific manner, before a door opens, and the gesture us to come on through. We walk through the door, and we look at all the portraits on the walls. There was heroes in the Muggle world that I had never thought were magical, Ghandi, Churchill, and even Washington. Though whilst they probably didn't go to Hogwarts, to think that they were Magical was extraordinary.

"Welcome to the Hufflepuff Common Room!" In came a large woman that I saw on the Head Table. She wore the standard witch's hat and wore gardening gloves. Her hair was grey and frizzy. "Hello there, I'm Professor Sprout! Your Head of House and the Professor for Herbology!"

"Now, congratulations on making it to Hufflepuff! Your House is your family, and in this house, family sticks together." She says, looking us all in the eye, "Now, as your Head of House, I will not tolerate any bullying or verbal abuse against one another, and there will be no attacks on other Houses on my watch. But, if you're having any problems, you can always speak to me. I am here for all of you. Now, there'll be a mandatory homework help session at the start of the next month. From then on, it'll be weekly, but after the first one, you're not obliged to go. Now, I believe that'll be all. It's been a long day, so it's off to bed!" She leaves the common room, leaving us with the prefects.

The prefects guide us to our dorms, where we found our trunks. I, immediately took the top bunk, where on the same bed, Neville took the bottom bunk. "I'm not a fan of heights..." He said, reminding me of his abuse from his Uncle. I looked to my other dorm mates. There was, if I got their names correct, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Wayne Hopkins. They didn't really talk, as they were probably tired.

I place Kina in her enclosure, and then placing a notice-me-not charm on it. I didn't know these people well yet. I retired into my bed, and fell into Morpheus's Domain.

I see myself in a stormy land, flooding slowly and slowly. Trees were drowning and dying, whirlwinds were swirling everywhere, and off in the distance, was the dark figure of a man sitting on the throne of disembodied heads. Many look familiar to me, but one stood out. The throne had Demeter's head.

"YOUR DESTINY STARTS HERE..." The giant figure boomed, with an evil smirk.

It felt... familiar.

I woke up, covered in sweat. "Tempus" I cast with my wand, which I had place next to me earlier. It was midnight. I notice Neville, also awake, though he quickly laid back down again. What on earth was happening?

I go back to sleep, hoping that nothing happened.

I didn't have any more dreams that night.

Author's Notes: Waddya think? I quite like this chapter! Next up we got Harry's first couple of classes!

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UPDATE: DELETED THE PART ABOUT Sprout's name. That's for next chapter sorry