(Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.)

"I think that is the chapter. Next?" Flitwick asked the room. They all nodded, so he flicked his wand to restart the book.

"Chapter Seven; The Sorting Hat"

"Oh, boy." Harry muttered. Only Ron and Hermione knew he was supposed to be in Slytherin, well, he might have let it slip to Remus at some point over the years. He honestly couldn't remember. He glanced at Sirius, he'd always been worried about how Sirius would have taken it. So, he never mentioned it to him. It was the only thing he'd ever kept from his godfather on purpose.

He knew that Sirius loved him, and would have done, did actually do, anything and everything for him, but Harry also grew up in the Dursley's house. And, he knew how much Sirius tried to separate himself from anything even remotely related to his family. And his family were all Slytherins.

(The door swung open... not someone to cross.)

"That didn't seem to ever stop you, though, now did it?" Minerva asked, her lips twitching in amusement. Which also completely destroyed the stern air she was trying to project.

"We love you too, Minnie." The Twins, Harry, and the Marauder's all said at the same time, with the same huge cheeky grins on their faces. They purposefully avoided actually answering her question. Especially since they decided to take it as a rhetorical one.

Snape blinked at them all before he grimaced. He refused to show his emotions, the sheer horror and fear he felt at hearing them all talk at the same time like that. He would not give them that satisfaction, he refused. They could smell fear.

Minerva scowled at them, but knew by now it would be pointless to say anything about the nickname. If anything, it would only encourage them.

Everyone else leaned away from the five of them in fear, proving Severus's point that they smelled fear when they all grinned impishly.

("The firs' years,... Dursley's house in it.)

The Dursleys made a sound like a strangled cat. How dare he compare his freakish school to their beautiful, normal home!

(The stone walls were... to the upper floors.)

"Whoa." Harry, Hermione, and both Dudley's said. The place sounded amazing. And so far the only part of the castle described was the entrance hall.

The wizards (the ones who had been there before) all smiled at their reactions. Maybe later they could take a day and turn the Room into the Hogwarts interior, and let the younger kids explore. See it for themselves.

They were in a time-bubble after all, so they kind of had all the time in the world to take a day or even a week to themselves between books.

A fact that was perfect for the teachers plans to educate Dudley.

(They followed Professor... must already be here-)

"I really wish the boats would go faster." Ron grumbled.

"What's wrong, don't like waiting for the first years?" Hermione asked, amused.

"No! No I do not. They take forever, and I'm hungry by the time they finally do get Sorted." Ron said. Everyone laughed and/shook their heads in exasperation.

Ron and his stomach. Unbelievable.

(but Professor McGonagall... family within Hogwarts.)

Harry scowled at that part of the speech, and the Weasley's, Percy and younger, plus Hermione and Neville grimaced.

Unfortunately, while Hogwarts was home for Harry, Gryffindor was never a family. Especially with how they idolized him one day, and then vilified him the next.

Everyone else in the tower usually accused Harry of being antisocial and thinking he was better then them, and, well, they never really gave him a reason to WANT to hang out with anyone outside the Weasley's. Even the Quidditch team, his first and second year, was guilty of accusing Harry of stuff he didn't do.

McGonagall caught their expressions and frowned. Just what was she going to be hearing about in regards to her Lions?

(You will have classes... Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.)

The Gryffindor's cheered when their house was called, while Sprout smiled at Hufflepuff, Luna and Flitwick grinned at each other for Ravenclaw, and the Slytherin's reacted in their heads.

Cheering out loud like all the Gryffindor's in the room was undignified, after all. Severus sighed softly, the Lions always were the rowdiest of the bunch.

Always.

It had been rather... unsettling, for the Gryffindor's table to be so quiet this past year.

It actually made him especially curious as to what the Hat said to Harry, because to be honest, from what they'd read so far Harry Potter did not seem like the type to appreciate the constant noise. Not to mention the Slytherin-like tendencies he'd shown so far.

(Each house has its... witches and wizards.)

"Each has produced good wizards, and each has produced its own share of bad." Harry said softly, eyeing Ron and Sirius. Those two were the ones most outspoken in their hatred of Slytherin, while claiming the other houses to be good, with Gryffindor obviously being the best.

Ron and Sirius both blinked at him, before giving him sheepish looks.

Sirius guessed that some of his future self's behavior towards Slytherin might have made Harry uncomfortable or something. Especially with him being a parselmouth and all.

(While you are... house becomes yours.)

"And you all have been." She said, smiling at her students, old and current. "In your own ways." She smiled at Draco.

He blinked at her in surprise. Given his attitude and actions towards her Lions over the years... he didn't expect the compliment.

("The Sorting Ceremony... flatten his hair.)

Remus chuckled while Sirius let out a short bark of laughter. James had done the same thing. "Sorry to tell you, pup, but you got the Potter hair." Sirius said with a grin.

"The bane of all Potter women for centuries." Remus smiled fondly, remembering how Lily always tried to tame it, only for her efforts to fail.

"Your grandfather practically tripled the already substantial family fortune when he invented a hair potion that actually works on it." Sirius snorted, reaching to ruffle his boys hair.

"How substantial?" Harry asked, after he and little him batted Sirius's hand away from his already messy hair.

"Quite. We'll have to sit down and go over it with you two later. We'll probably have to make a day of it." Remus said.

The Harry's frowned, but nodded. Harry scowled at Dumbledore. He was going to have to have a long discussion with his Headmaster about withholding information about his family from him.

("I shall return... "Please wait quietly.")

A few snorted. "Yeah, until the ghosts show up." Neville muttered. He'd been terrified when they appeared out of nowhere like they did.

"Asking a group of nervous eleven year olds to wait quietly." Remus muttered, glaring at Sirius and rubbing an ear.

Harry noticed that Severus was glaring at Sirius too, and rubbing his left ear...

Harry decided he didn't want to know when he saw the smirk on Sirius face.

(She left the chamber... he was joking.")

"Whoa, I think that's the first thing your brothers told you so far that you didn't take seriously." Hermione said, giving Ron a congratulatory pat on the back. Ron scowled while the Twins smirked.

Ron glared at them all.

(Harry's heart gave... he have to do?)

"And here is where Ickle Harrykins starts to panic..."

"... and get dramatic on us." The Twins said with a grin, Harry just scowled at them.

(He hadn't expected... which one she'd need.)

"My dear, we would not test anyone's magical skill when we haven't even bothered to teach anybody anything yet. I know you want to know everything you can, but perhaps you should slow down." Sprout suggested to Hermione. She knew it would be somewhat useless to make the suggestion to Hermione, the girl was already in her seventh year, and, to be honest, she had already slowed down significantly since the troll incident in her first year, when she became practically attached at the hip with the boys.

Both Hermione's turned slightly red with embarrassment.

(Harry tried hard not to listen to her.)

"Hey!" Hermione said indignantly.

"You were just making me more nervous!" Harry defended himself. Ron and Neville nodded in agreement, while Draco snickered at their discomfort. Of course, he would never admit that her constant muttering had actually been making him nervous, too.

Despite the fact that his father told him ahead of time what to expect.

(He'd never been more... his teacher's wig blue.)

Everyone was laughing, although several of the adults were concerned about what his punishment for that one would have been.

Sirius and Remus ignored that thought and congratulated the boys on a well-done bit of accidental magic. Unlike in the Dursley home, accidental magic was celebrated and looked forward to everywhere else. Parents looked forward to their child performing accidental magic just as much as they looked forward to their child's first words or steps.

Of course, Harry was 'accidentally' summoning anything and everything to him since just after the first few months. Shiny objects were the most common... along with the stuffed dog Sirius gave him, of course.

"I don't remember hearing any stories like that from the other teachers." Remus said curiously.

Harry shook his head, "This was the teacher they brought in to replace you. He was making some... comments towards both me and Dudley, the next thing I knew, his wig was blue." He said with a shrug.

Dudley snickered. "It certainly got his mind off what he was saying."

(He kept his eyes... to his doom.)

"And here come the dramatics!" The Twins said cheerfully, Harry didn't even bother, he just rolled his eyes. Everyone could see the amusement there, though.

(Then something happened... behind him screamed.)

"What?" Molly and Sirius yelped, they didn't expect anyone to be screaming.

Minerva grinned into her hand, she knew what this was, but at the same time wanted to leave the two hanging for just a few more moments.

("What the-?"

He gasped... through the back wall.)

Molly and Sirius both breathed a sigh of relief. It was just the ghosts making an appearance. They remembered this now. If they remembered right, every year the ghosts, at least those less liable to scare the children, appeared under the pretense of discussing what to do with Peeves. Just so they could have an excuse for being in the room with the first-years.

They actually suspected Minerva asked them to do it so the children weren't left alone in the room without adult supervision. Especially since sometimes they got Heirs in there that were from rival families. Like the Weasley's and Malfoys. (Even though Ron wasn't the Heir.)

Of the Dursleys, both Petunia's looked ready to faint, while the Vernon's were turning purple and muttering something about getting the Freak out of their house as soon as possible, and both Dudley's looked fascinated.

(Pearly-white and... a second chance-")

"Peeves." Everyone said, while the younger kids who had yet to go to Hogwarts looked confused on what they were talking about.

Neville even scowled. Although he and Peeves had reached a sort-of truce this past year, with Peeves focusing his attention on the Carrows instead of the students, Peeves had made it a point to focus on him for the first six years of his education, with the sole exception of when Umbridge was there.

"I'm actually pretty sure he's had hundreds of chances..." Remus muttered. Peeves hadn't liked him as much as he liked James and Sirius, and made it a point of targeting him when those two weren't around.

("My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves?)

"Exactly." Remus and Minerva said.

(He gives us all a... you all doing here?")

Minerva snorted and shook her head. She didn't know why the ghosts insisted on putting on this show every year, but, if it helped keep an eye on the students while she was making sure they were ready in the Great Hall...

(A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.)

"Nearly Headless Nick!" Fred yelled.

"Oh, I love it when the firsties ask him how he can be nearly headless." George whispered to his brother.

"I know, the looks on their faces!"

"Although I wish they would stop asking while the rest of us are trying to eat."

"Good point, brother, no matter how many times we see it, we don't want to see it while we are trying to eat."

(Nobody answered... people nodded mutely.)

A few of the teachers snorted in amusement. The Muggleborns and raised, ok, but they would have thought that the wizard raised kids wouldn't find the presence of a ghost so shocking or terrifying. Honestly, they grew up knowing ghosts were real. Not to mention the parents would be remiss not to warn them about Peeves.

("Hope to see you... through the opposite wall.)

Sirius had a nostalgic look in his eye, he missed those days, they were so simple. And carefree. Back then, they didn't worry about anything except who they were going to prank next and what the prank would be. Not even his mother's Howlers put a damper on his spirits. Well, not for long, anyway.

("Now, form a line,"... and splendid place.)

Harry cocked his head to the side curiously (and cutely if you asked the girls opinion). He really wanted to see this place, so far it sounded amazing, but what was so strange about the Great Hall?

(It was lit by thousands... students were sitting.)

"How do you keep the wax from dripping all over everybody?" Dudley asked.

"Magic." Was what everybody answered with.

"Oh, right." Dudley said while he turned red with embarrassment. It was really obvious now that they said it.

(These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.)

"They used to be silver." Minerva said with a shrug. "Albus had them changed to gold when Remus here came to school."

"Why was it changed just for one student?" Ron asked, confused.

Everyone froze and glanced at Remus. They knew how sensitive the topic was for him. And the Trio knew Ron had not reacted well at the end of third year in the Shack.

"Er, we'll explain later." Remus finally told the boy. Ron and Hermione both frowned, but they said nothing. Harry looked at Remus, worried. He had been told last night, and he honestly didn't care, but he had also been told that some people would. And they would be terrified of him.

(At the top of the... flickering candle-light.)

"That's a lot of kids." Dudley said. He had never considered before how many wizards there were...

"Yup, and that's just our school. There are a couple smaller schools in Britain... mostly just a few families getting together for a home-school study group type thing, and then, of course, there is the rest of the world." Minerva said proudly.

"Not to mention all the magical species out there with there own cultures and governing councils and such; the Dwarves, Goblins, Veela, Vampires, even the Werewolves to an extent. And those are just a few of them out there." Remus added on with a shrug. Sirius and the Weasley Twins were enjoying the looks of horror on the Dursley's faces.

Honestly, they could care less that they were Muggles, it was their attitudes. The Dursley's honestly reminded everyone there of Death Eaters.

The Dudley's and Hermione looked awed at hearing the extent of the Magical World. And Remus only mentioned a few of the more sentient races, he didn't even mention the ones that weren't sentient. Like Dragons, Hippogriffs, and the rest. They were smart, but according to the Ministry, they couldn't speak any language humans could understand, so they weren't sentient.

Nobody mentioned the fact that even at this point, years later, the wizarding population in Britain was still rebuilding from the last war. And that it was only after Harry's year that the class sizes started to grow again. A lot of children were born out of the celebrations going on after that Halloween.

(Dotted here and there... Hogwarts, A History.")

"Whoa. Sounds amazing." Hermione whispered, and Harry nodded in agreement.

Minerva looked up and smiled. Then she motioned for the kids to look up, which they did. The four eleven year olds were in awe, while the other kids all smiled softly. It was like a little bit of home.

(It was hard to believe... on to the heavens.)

"I like it best during the winter. When there's enchanted snow falling." Ginny said. Harry nodded in agreement. He didn't like being cold, but he loved the snow. So, being in the nice, warm Hall, while still enjoying the snowfall, was the best.

"I like it best during storms, it's fun watching the lightning flash across the ceiling. The lightning is pretty." Luna added in with her own opinion. Ginny cocked her head to the side, but nodded that Luna had a point.

(Harry quickly looked... let it in the house.)

"No, I most certainly would not." Both Petunia's said in disgust. They eyed Sprout, who still had some dirt on her despite being in this room overnight and not in her precious Greenhouses. Sprout just raised an eyebrow at her look and ignored her. Excuse her for working hard in her life.

(Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly,)

"A rabbit? Why would we do something like that?" Bill asked, confused.

"Its a Muggle thing. Muggle magicians entertain people with tricks and slight of hands, and call them magic tricks. Part of the fun is in not knowing how they did it, or for some people, in figuring it out. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is one of them, they show the crowd an empty hat, but then they reach in and pull a rabbit out of it." Hermione explained.

"How? They don't have magic." Fred asked, confused. His brother and him and never heard of this.

"Personally, I think the hat has a false bottom, hiding the rabbit from view until the magician is ready." Harry said with a shrug. "But I've never really looked into it or anything."

"Of course, some of those magicians are actual wizards, pretending to do slight of hands and tricks, when they are really doing actual magic." Hermione added with another shrug.

Remus coughed, "I was one of those, when things get desperate and I haven't found another job in a while... It's surprisingly good money to perform on street corners. Especially if you know where the hotspots are."

(that seemed the... the hat began to sing:)

"Wait, what? There is no way that thing can actually sing. Can it?" Dudley and Hermione both said at the same time. Ignoring the Petunia's small shriek of disgust and the Vernon's scowling.

"Magic." Everyone else said with a shrug. Nobody knew how the thing did it, it was a thousand years old, created by some of the greatest wizards and witches to ever live.

"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!"

"Does he spend all year trying to think of a new song?" Harry asked Dumbledore. He figured the old man would be the one to know, since the hat was in his office.

"Yes, actually. Although a lot of the time he uses is mostly spent listening to what is going on in the outside world, or trying to get Fawkes to leave him alone and stop pranking him." Albus said with a fond smile on his face.

"Fawkes plays pranks?" Sirius asked, surprised.

"Yeah, you never knew that?" Fred, George, and Harry all said, surprised. Sirius shook his head, confused.

"Well, you don't know what you were missing then. That bird is devious." Harry informed his godfather seriously.

(The whole hall burst... about wrestling a troll.")

The Trio all froze, and looked at each other. Finally, Harry asked, "Er, Ron, you wouldn't happen to have had a seer somewhere in your family tree, would you?" The Heads of House looked confused for a moment, before they remembered the Troll incident.

"I don't think so..." Ron turned to his parents, who both shook their heads and shrugged.

"I don't know, I've never seen our family tree... I know there used to be a tapestry in the old Weasley Farmhouse... but when it got seized by the bank and sold to the Malfoys... rumors have it that they gathered everything of ours that was still inside and didn't have any monetary value and had a giant bonfire with it." Arthur said slowly.

The Draco's eyes widened. They didn't know their family did that! No wonder the Weasley family hated them so much, and here they were raised thinking the Weasley's were just jealous that the Malfoy's had everything they wanted. Well, there was actually some truth to that... if his manor was actually the Weasley ancestral home... and if his family was really in possession of Weasley family heirlooms... and then burned the rest... oh man. No wonder the Weasley's hated everything Malfoy so much.

He had to get them their stuff back. Everyone jumped in surprise when a jumble of stuff appeared in the corner, a giant tapestry depicting a family tree among them. All of it had what used to be known as the Weasley Family Crest on them, although some of them looked as though somebody tried to remove it but was only partially successful. And some of the stuff, like the tapestry, looked a little singed around the edges, as though someone really had tried to burn it.

Arthur gasped, he had never seen any of this, he had been very young when they lost the Farmhouse, but his father made sure his son recognized his own family crest. Whether they used it anymore or not. He got up and went over to investigate, studying the family tapestry, and running a hand across some of the jewelry, some of which Draco recognized as some of his mother's favorite pieces. His father had gotten them out of the family vaults just for her.

The rest of the Weasley clan watched with grins while their father went through their heirlooms, with only Bill joining him when Arthur beckoned him over.

(Harry smiled weakly... been the one for him.)

"If that house existed, then everybody would be in it." Sirius said, while the professors nodded in agreement.

(Professor McGonagall now... said. "Abbott, Hannah!")

Sirius nodded and turned to his godsons. "The Abbott's are long time business partners in many of the Potter family businesses. They have also been good political allies in the past." He informed them. He wanted Harry to start learning this stuff, and he might as well bring a couple of names to his attention now, during the Sorting.

Both Harry's nodded in understanding, and Harry committed the name to memory while Harry thought the explanation actually explained a few things he noticed with Hannah over the years.

(A pink-faced girl... shouted the hat.)

Sirius nodded, no surprise there, the Abbott's were one of those families that generally stuck with one House at Hogwarts. Like the Malfoys and Blacks in Slytherin, and the Potters in Gryffindor. Of course, there were always exceptions... himself being a prime example.

(The table on the... waving merrily at her.)

"The Fat Friar is one of the more helpful ghosts, if you ever get lost or need to find a teacher, and he happens to be nearby, he'll help you out, no problem." Remus informed the Trio and Draco. They all nodded in thanks.

("Bones, Susan!")

"The bones and Abbott's generally do everything together. Getting either them or the Potters on your side politically is usually considered to be the biggest challenge to getting any Bill or Law passed. And, again, they were usually allied with the Potters." Sirius continued his commentary.

"Amelia Bones was also the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Remus informed Sirius.

"WAS?!" Moody demanded. Amelia often said she would never willingly step down, not while the Ministry was such a mess. And he didn't see her accepting a promotion...

"We suspect that Riddle dealt with her personally..." Remus looked at Severus questioningly.

He grimaced, but nodded. "She put up a fight, took out five of us before we managed to subdue her... After that the Dark Lord decided he would finish her personally, before that he wanted to 'let' me test a new potion on her." He explained reluctantly.

Moody frowned, "Well, my times Amelia is still around, and its her that I'm going to to get you released." He informed his old student. Amelia was one of the few he trusted without question, he wasn't going to let anything happen to her if he could help it, and it just so happened that he could.

("HUFFLEPUFF!")

"Now, the Bones family usually jumps between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor." Remus said in amusement.

Moody smirked.

(shouted the hat... "Boot, Terry!")

Sirius stayed quiet, since he didn't recognize this name from Pureblood circles. Which meant the boy was either Muggleborn, or only second or third generation half-blood.

("RAVENCLAW!" The second... "Brocklehurst, Mandy.")

"That family jumps between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, they also tend to keep to themselves and stay in the background." Sirius said, recognizing the name as a minor Pureblood House, he couldn't even remember if they made noble status or not.

(went to Ravenclaw too,... brothers catcalling.)

"Boys." Molly warned.

"Don't worry..."

"...yeah, we don't mean..."

"... anything by it."

"We do it every year to..."

"...all the new Lionesses." The Twins said. Charlie, Percy, and Ron all nodded in agreement. They did. Minerva just hid her amused grin. Honestly, the firsties liked it when they did that, it actually made them feel more welcome and relaxed. She made sure to ask when the boys started doing it.

Molly fixed them with a stern glare, but said nothing.

("Bulstrode, Millicent")

"Be careful around the Bulstrodes. They were occasional allies with the Black Family. Also, suspected supporters of Voldemort." Sirius warned.

"Actually, her uncles were Marked, while her father was a silent supporter." Severus said. To be a silent supporter meant that they funded the Dark Lord's projects, and did some of the political legwork, but they didn't do any fighting. He shrugged when Moody turned to look at him.

"Why couldn't you have been this talkative during the past few years?" He demanded. He'd been randomly showing up at Hogwarts for the past few years trying to get Severus to give up some of his old Death Eater buddies, but no luck.

"Part of the magic in the Mark ensures that we cannot talk about certain things with those who are unmarked. The identities of fellow Death Eaters, for one. I have, of course, found ways around it over the years, but... if people were to suddenly start being arrested, not long after you had been seen at Hogwarts, where I was, I would have been the first one the Death Eaters came after." Severus explained with a sigh. He noticed Moody adding to his list and added to his own letter, warning his younger self to be careful.

"Then how did Karkaroff...?" Harry started to ask.

"He was only giving names that the Ministry official already knew about. When he finally gave one that they didn't know, he was just throwing out random names without thinking about it." Severus informed them.

(then became a Slytherin... an unpleasant lot.)

"Inbreeding." Hermione and Harry both said. When Draco looked at them confused, Hermione caused a Muggle science book to fall on his head, with the chapters on genetics bookmarked, along with the glossary at the back so he could look up the Muggle words he didn't understand. She didn't feel like explaining it.

"Why do I want to read this?" He asked with a sneer as he looked at the Muggle thing in his hand, rubbing his head.

"Because, you may not think much of Muggles, but they understand how the human body works in ways that Wizards just don't. Mostly because they take the time to study it, but also because Wizards tend to ignore Muggle discoveries, even though the discovery of the human genome's basic structure is forty to fifty years old. Granted, there is still much they don't know, but..." She finished with a shrug.

"Genetics is a concept that even Muggle children have a basic understanding of, yet Wizards have no idea." Harry added.

"We just started working on that in science class last week." Harry added on, just to prove his older self's point. "The very basics, anyway."

The Draco's looked to Severus, but he just nodded in agreement, even he knew about it, but he also went to Muggle primary school when he was a boy. Although he had a feeling that the school's probably went into a bit more detail with it now.

(He was starting to... think they liked him.)

Dudley winced at that, and apologized to his cousin. "He was actually the fastest kid in class, which was something that everyone wanted on their team, but... yeah..."

("Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"... hat eagerly on her head.)

A few teachers chuckled at her eagerness. If only that eagerness hadn't resulted in essays triple the amount they asked for...

"I know your eager, dear," Sprout looked at Hermione, who was practically bouncing in her seat. "But do remember to slow down and enjoy yourself. School is also a time to have fun and meet people, make friends."

("GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.)

"I did leave a bad impression, didn't I?" Hermione asked before Molly could start with a grimace. Harry shrugged, while Ron sunk down into his seat. Personally, he hadn't minded. But, she had come on a little strong.

(A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous.)

"Here we go." A few people muttered. They knew Harry could get dramatic, but they also knew that he sometimes didn't voice his dramatic concerns.

(What if he wasn't... back on the train?)

"Not going to happen." All the adults said, amused. Harry sunk back in his seat and shrugged while studying his shoes. They were very interesting right now.

(When Neville Longbottom,... decide with Neville.)

"It couldn't decide between Gryffindor or Hufflepuff." He said with a shrug.

Sirius nodded, "The Longbottom family is another that always jumps between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff." He said with a shrug.

"Really?" Neville asked, surprised. At Sirius own surprised look, he explained. "According to Gran, our family has always been Gryffindor."

"I don't know why she would say that, she herself was a Hufflepuff." Minerva said with a frown. She started another letter, this one to her old friend.

"REALLY?" Neville asked in shock. All the adults nodded in concern, but he just ignored them and stared at the floor for a while.

(When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it,)

"That was really funny." Harry informed his friend. Neville just sighed and shrugged, smiling at Harry.

(and had to jog... left now.

"Moon"..., "Nott")

"The Nott's are nearly as Dark as the Blacks, watch out for them."

(..., "Parkinson")

"They are usually with the Malfoys, watch out for them too."

(..., then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil")

"I think Patil was the name of the new ambassador from India?" Sirius questioned, and Remus confirmed. "Right, so if you want to know what's going on internationally, ask them."

(..., then "Perks, Sally-Anne"..., and then, at last-

"Potter, Harry!")

"Definitely watch out for that one, I hear that family is full of trouble-makers." Sirius said with a grin as he hugged said Harry Potter, both of them just laughed while everyone else watching just smiled.

(As Harry stepped... all over the hall.)

Harry stopped laughing and just sighed. He was quite familiar with those hisses over the years. And it was still so annoying. Was a little bit of privacy too much to ask sometimes?

Harry looked worried and a little scared as he heard what the Hogwarts population was going to be like.

("Potter, did she say?"... good look at him.)

"Oh, yes, lets all stare at the boy like he's a rare animal at a zoo exhibit." Sirius grumbled.

The Twins got smirks on their faces. "And, in this pen, ladies and gentlemen..."

"...although its more like a couch..."

"...we have the uniquely rare, one of a kind..."

"...Harry Potter!" Both Twins said in unison, gesturing towards Harry grandly.

"This newly discovered species is highly unique..."

"...and easily identified by the lightning bolt shaped..."

"...scar on his forehead. He walks, talks, and has the..."

"...occasional run-in with insane Dark Lords."

"If you would like a conversation, that would be..."

"Five Galleons." The Twins finished, holding their hands out for the requested five Galleons, only to be disappointed (not really, they were very pleased with themselves) when everyone was either laughing too hard or sitting there smirking.

Molly would have started in on them, but she saw how much both Harry's were laughing at the Twins performance, so she sighed and shook her head fondly before chuckling a bit herself.

(Next second he was... He waited.)

Everyone leaned forward in interest. Harry had been under the Hat for a long time, after all. And only two, maybe three people in the room knew the Hat almost put him in Slytherin.

("Hmm," said a small... shall I put you?")

A couple of people were surprised. They would have thought it would've been an automatic Gryffindor. But... they supposed Harry did display a lot of Slytherin or even Hufflepuff tendencies sometimes.

(Harry gripped the edges... not Slytherin.)

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" Draco demanded.

"At this point I only heard bad things about Slytherin, that and you were there." Harry explained with a shrug.

Draco blinked and sat back in his seat. That was very true.

("Not Slytherin, eh?"... -better be GRYFFINDOR!")

A few people looked shocked at how close Harry came to being Slytherin.

Harry looked at Sirius in concern, but Sirius just grinned at him and tightened his arms around both him and his younger self, causing Harry to sigh in relief.

Inwardly, Sirius was beating himself up, just how had his older self behaved for Harry to be worried like this? He wanted to find his older self and beat him up after hexing him to the moon and back. And then he was going to beat up the Dursleys for making Harry doubt himself so much.

(Harry heard the hat... ice-cold water.)

Everyone shuddered. They really wished the ghosts would stop doing that. On the other hand, though, Madam Pomfrey used them every once in a while on the rare occasion when a student had a particularly high fever and none of the potions had any effect on it.

(He could see the... large purple turban.)

Dumbledore sat up slowly. "He wasn't wearing that in the Leaky Cauldron, was he?" He asked curiously. Now, they were getting closer to where they could find out if his theories were correct.

"Nope." Harry said, he gave Dumbledore a warning look. He had not appreciated being tested like this. At the time, he may not have really cared, but he sure cared later when he'd had a chance to look back.

(And now there were... pale green by now.)

"Aw, don't worry Ronnie, we wouldn't have cared if you weren't in Gryffindor." the Twins said. Although, they were a little concerned that Ron had been nervous enough to be sick, especially after the conversation Ron and Harry had on the train in the previous chapter.

(Harry crossed his fingers... "Zabini, Blaise,")

"Watch out for his mother. I don't know how much of the rumors regarding what happened to her ex-husbands are true, but what is true is that that family specializes in poisons and... other stuff." He said, glancing at the boys and figuring that the rest of the sentence wasn't really appropriate for them to learn about.

"Didn't they come from Italy?" Remus asked, and Sirius nodded.

(was made a Slytherin... seemed ages ago.)

Sirius barked out a short laugh. "Once everything is over, and the nerves are gone, then the appetite comes back." He said in amusement.

(Albus Dumbledore had... see them all there.)

"Nothing makes me happier than to see students learning." Dumbledore said softly. The teachers smiled. They may have been a little angry with Dumbledore regarding Harry's living arrangements, but none of them could deny he cared for his students and loved teaching.

("Welcome!" he said... Oddment! Tweak!")

"Huh? What are you spouting off now?" Sirius asked in wonder and confusion. He didn't think he would ever understand the old man.

Dumbledore just winked and tapped the side of his nose, which added to the confusion.

("Thank you!"... "Is he- a bit mad?")

"Yes, yes he is." Several people said. Dumbledore didn't even bother trying to deny it. He just shrugged. He preferred the term, 'well-aged'. Which, of course, meant sometimes that he said or did things the younger generation didn't understand. He was over a hundred years old, after all.

(he asked Percy... Potatoes, Harry?")

"I thought the tables didn't have food on them? And the book didn't mention a buffet line or something." Dudley said, confused.

All the wizards smiled and motioned to the books.

(Harry's mouth fell open... piled with food.)

"What? How?" Dudley asked.

"Magic." Everyone said. Once more, both Dudley's felt like they should have known, since that did seem like the obvious answer. Although they noticed that Hermione didn't look particularly happy about it. Nobody really wanted to bring up the topic of House-Elves right now.

(He had never seen... reason, peppermint humbugs.)

"I'll give you a reason for the peppermint," Minerva said. And all four Heads of House pointed to Dumbledore, who just shrugged again.

"The Head Cook tells me that peppermint actually brings out certain flavors? Or something like that? I don't know, Tippy recommended it, so I approved it." He said with a shrug.

They all ignored the Ron's and the Dudley's drooling over the food.

"Mom? Can we...?" Ron asked.

"Yes, we can eat soon."

(The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry.)

"Pup, we obviously have very different definitions of the word, 'starve'." Sirius said, glaring at the Dursleys.

"The malnutrition I've been treating you for every year says otherwise, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey said.

"Malnutrition?" Harry asked, confused. He was being treated? When?

"Every year, I've noticed you look thinner than you should, so I put you on a nutrient potions regime at the beginning of every year, and then I adapt it as needed after you end up in the Hospital Wing and I have a chance to run scans. Since it doesn't usually take long for you to end up in my domain..." She shrugged. "Every year, I take my concerns to the Headmaster, but he refuses to hear of any kind of neglect." She finished when she noticed Sirius giving her an odd look. It had been a constant argument between her and the Headmaster.

Dumbledore frowned. Was he that desperate for Harry to be safe, that he risked his health?

(but he'd never... made him sick.)

Dudley went red. "That's actually the only reason why he would ever eat his vegetables. If I showed an interest in them." Harry said, amused. "That only happened a few times though." Dudley went even redder.

(Harry piled his plate... cut up his steak.)

"The first steak I ever had." Harry said, looking dazed as he remembered his first taste of steak. The Dursleys hadn't liked letting him have the more expensive food, they considered it wasteful.

Sirius looked angry again, but both Harry's leaned into him again. Harry leaned over him towards Harry and whispered that they should make steaks for dinner that night. Sirius perked up, it had been a while since he had steak. He knew that Harry only suggested that to distract him, and he gladly let them.

("Can't you-?"... ghost of Gryffindor Tower.")

"He's another helpful ghost, he'll help anyone, but he prefers to hang around the Lion's Maze, so it can be pretty difficult to find him sometimes, especially for non-Gryffindors." Remus informed.

"'Lion's Maze'? What's that? I've never heard of it, I thought all of the castle was open to everyone." Draco said, confused. The other non-Gryffindors, even the teachers and Severus, nodded. Lily never told him anything about a Lion's Maze.

Unfortunately, the Gryffindor's weren't talking. There was an unused wing of the castle near the Tower, in fact it was an actual maze, full of unused rooms. Well, unused to the rest of the school. Some were regular classrooms, others were training and exercise rooms. It was perfect for the Lions. And, although the Quidditch team tried many times to get Oliver to let them meet in one of those training rooms, he very rarely did. He always asked how they were supposed to play in all weather, if they didn't practice in it.

And, since it was the Lions territory, much like the Dungeons were for the Snakes, they could be in the Maze as long as they wanted without worrying about curfew, well, as long as they were IN the actual common room by one o'clock.

Unlike the Dungeons, though, nobody outside the Tower knew about it. It had the added affect, not that anyone actually knew this, of nobody being able to even see it let alone enter, unless they were a Gryffindor.

("I know who you... Nearly Headless Nick!")

"Nearly Headless?" Dudley repeated nervously.

"Oh, I heard about him, my mother told me about it when we figured out I was a Squib." Mrs. Figg said.

"How is he nearly headless?" Dudley asked, nervously. They were both thinking about Halloween stories of the Headless Horsemen.

"I think... Seamus asked that very question."

("I would prefer if... be nearly headless?")

Fred sighed. "I much prefer it when they ask after we get to the common room." He said.

"And not when we're trying to eat." George agreed.

"No matter how many times you see it, there's just some things you don't want to watch during dinner." Harry added with a grimace.

"Eh, you learn to ignore the firsties end of the table when Nick is around there." Hermione said with a shrug. Everyone paused, then nodded their heads in agreement. That was very true. Even those in the other houses learned to avoid it, they didn't want to watch something like that while they were eating either.

(Sir Nicholas looked extremely... the way he wanted.)

"Nah, I asked. He actually loves it when he's asked that. Said seeing the firsties faces when they see him for the first time is one of his few remaining pleasures." Harry said. All the Gryffindors nodded in agreement. That was long suspected to be the case, it's just nobody felt like actually asking him.

("Like this," he said... on a hinge.)

The younger kids all made sounds or faces of disgust, while the Petunia's looked like they might have a panic attack. Those who's seen Nick's act before watched in amusement.

They didn't know why, but watching other peoples reactions was always amusing.

(Someone had obviously... on their faces.)

"See?" Most of the Gryffindors said when their point was proven.

(Nearly Headless Nick... six years in a row!)

Severus shot Minerva a smug look, which Minerva just scowled at.

(The Bloody Baron's... with silver blood.)

"Er, I don't suppose any of you know what that's about?" Dudley asked.

Everyone, even Luna, shook their heads no. "Both the Baron and the Grey Lady refuse to share their stories. All I know about the Grey Lady is that her real name is Helena Ravenclaw. The daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw." Luna said. "Oh, don't call her that though, I think she had a big fight with her mother and they never made up. Because it's a really sensitive topic." She warned.

"I do know, though, that the Grey Lady and the Baron are the two oldest ghosts in Hogwarts, they were the first, have been there almost as long as the school herself. They also avoid each other as much as possible." Dumbledore added in.

(He was right next... the seating arrangements.)

"I wasn't." Draco muttered with a grimace.

"He is, though, another ghost that will be more than happy to help. If you can find him outside the Dungeons, that is. And you aren't planning anything against the Slytherins... oh, and as long as your polite." Remus said.

"Speaking from experience, Lupin?" Severus asked, softly and with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Not personal, no." Remus said, and gestured towards Sirius, who shrugged.

"If it makes you feel any better, I was targeting my brother and cousins."

("How did he get... treacle tarts,)

Harry moaned, and before anybody knew it, he had Harry pulled down on the floor with him where the two boys could each lean up against one of Sirius's legs, and planning something in whispers. From what Sirius and Remus managed to over hear, they were planning a full steak dinner with treacle tart and couple of other things for dessert.

"Hey, cub," Remus said, Harry looked up and nodded before going back to his conversation.

"We're gonna have to make a couple of them extra rare for Bill and Remus." He said quietly. And with that, both boys went back to planning.

(chocolate eclairs and... "Me dad's a Muggle.)

Severus said up, that could either turn out very well, or very poorly.

(Mom didn't tell... shock for him.")

"He treats him and his mother well? Mr. Finnegan's father." Severus asked Seamus's dorm-mates.

They all nodded. "Yeah, he talks about his dad all the time. I guess Seamus' mom got special permission to take him to Quidditch games, you know, because he's Muggle and their magic, and he loves it." Neville said.

Severus sank back into his seat. "Good." And left it at that.

(The others laughed... I nearly drowned-)

"WHAT?!" All the adults yelled, which made Neville cringe slightly.

"Where was Augusta during this?" Minerva demanded.

"She was at the Wizengamot. She leaves me with Uncle Algie when she has to go places and she can't bring me." He said, eyes wide. Dumbledore's eyes darkened, but he kept his magic in check this time. Forcing magic out of a child was almost as dangerous as trying to stamp it out. The problem with forcing it out, is that there is less damage done to the surrounding area, and more to the child; physically, mentally, emotionally, and magically.

Minerva snarled and grabbed her letter to Augusta, she would make sure her friend knew of this. She saw Moody out of the corner of her eye- adding to his own parchment.

Severus was quiet. All this time, and Neville himself was abused by his relatives? No wonder the boy was so terrified over the years. Especially of him. If he remembered quietly, he looked a bit like what a younger Algie would.

(but nothing happened until I was eight.)

Minerva's quill snapped and she stared at the parchment in her horror. His uncle almost drowned a boy who wasn't even eight years old? A boy she had helped baby-sit regularly until the same boys parents were attacked and his grandmother pulled him away from the world?

At the moment, she couldn't believe that she had almost married Algie at one point.

Neville eyed his professor in worry.

(Great Uncle Algie... accidentally let go.)

Minerva grabbed a new quill, charmed it so it wouldn't just break again, and went back to furiously writing.

(But I bounced-... She was so happy.)

"Those had better have been tears of joy that you were alright, before she lit into Algie about it when you weren't around to see." Minerva growled as she continued writing.

(And you should have... to come, you see.)

Severus and Pomfrey both frowned. That sounded a lot like a case of Core Suppression, to them. Which could happen sometimes if the child in question grew up thinking he wasn't good enough and never could be. They would subconsciously lock some of their own magic away, which would make it harder to use, which would then only fuel that way of thinking even more. It was a vicious cycle.

It was also dangerous for the child. Especially since Core Suppression was most common in children that were verbally abused and/or constantly being expected to do more than was realistic. Sometimes, with the right friends and support system behind them, the child would come out of it and begin using their magic more freely, or if they had a goal in mind and would not stop until it was reached.

(Great Uncle Algie was... talking about lessons)

"Of course they were." Draco muttered. It was a wonder the two of them weren't in Ravenclaw.

(("I do hope they... that sort of thing-").)

"Just remember, you are also there to make friends and enjoy yourself." Sprout reminded Hermione. The girl smiled sheepishly and nodded.

(Harry, who was... and sallow skin.)

"Grease from potion fumes, and sallow skin from spending most of my time in the lab." Severus said with a shrug. "Normally I would have washed my hair out, but I didn't have time before the feast for a shower."

"But, its greasy all the time." Ron pointed out.

"I'm brewing all the time."

(It happened very suddenly... on Harry's forehead.)

Dumbledore looked concerned. That meant... that Voldemort was there. In the school. Near his students. He would have to keep a close eye on things.

It also meant he was right.

He sat back, satisfied that things appeared to be going perfectly as planned.

Sirius looked at Bill and Severus, worried. This was further proof that they were right about the Horcrux in Harry's scar. Bill nodded, while Severus started running through spells he knew that would detect something like that.

"As much as I love having something that warns me when he gets close, I really wish it didn't hurt so much." Harry muttered.

("Ouch!" Harry clapped a... asked Percy.

"N-nothing.")

Hermione huffed. "Honestly, you would claim it was nothing if you were lying there bleeding out." She grumbled.

(The pain had gone... like Harry at all.)

"Yeah, well, I had an image in my head of what you would be like. It didn't help that you looked so much like him." Severus muttered. What he didn't say was how much he had hated looking up and seeing those eyes with that face.

("Who's that teacher... Dark Arts, Snape.")

"That's not a bad thing, lad." Moody said.

Severus nodded in reluctant agreement. "You have to know something, to be able to defend yourself against it. Of course, that's not why I learned it, but... anyway. Why shouldn't I want the Defense position? Especially after watching all those Dunderheaded idiots coming through that classroom, hardly any of them had any clue what they were doing, and as a former Death Eater, I was well aware that the Dark Lord was not gone permanently, and the students would hardly be able to fight back and defend themselves with Dunderheaded teachers." He ranted a bit, with a sour look on his face.

(Harry watched Snape... of the Weasley twins.)

"There's a lot of good Potions ingredients in there." Fred said.

"How else were we supposed to experiment if we didn't have ingredients?"

"We couldn't take them from the students stores..."

"... not without people asking questions."

"And we couldn't afford them, either."

"Although, it was fun collecting unicorn tail hairs."

"Useful stuff, that is. Sells good, too." The Twins informed the room. Severus looked at them, his expression hardly changed, but those who knew him best could see his wide eyes and shocked expression. He either hadn't thought of collecting ingredients from the forest, or he wasn't expecting that to be the reason why the Weasley Twins went in the forest.

"What were you thinking, traipsing around the Forest for ingredients? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" Molly demanded, she couldn't believe they could be so reckless.

"Actually, it's quite safe, if you know the areas to avoid and don't go too deep." Harry said with a shrug.

"And stay out of it on certain nights." Fred added.

"Yeah, turns out Werewolves aren't the only things..."

"... that can be affected negatively by certain phases of the moon."

"Although, Werewolves are the only things that can be affected by the full moon. And, they are right, Molly. The only reason the forest is so dangerous is because of the creatures, but if you stay in the least populated areas, there's no problem." Sirius said.

"And, I myself go in there often for ingredients. There are many plants in the forest that can be used by the students, and some that I need for my experiments. And, as a teacher, I can go deeper in than the students with less worry." Severus added once he got over his shock of the Weasley's gathering their own ingredients for their prank potions over the years. Now, he knew, along with all the other teachers, that the two were smarter than their grades showed, but... he should add this in his letter. His younger self might do good letting them assist once in a while. It would also be a good idea so that he could make an attempt at keeping an eye on the boys.

("I have also been... contact Madam Hooch.)

"Or pull off a really dumb move in front of McGonagall when it was only your first time seeing a broom, let alone flying it." Neville said with a small smirk. He had heard the story, and it sounded awesome.

Draco grimaced. He wished he never stole Longbottom's Remembrall. Potter on a broom was deadly to the other teams. They would have easily won the the cup first and second year if it weren't for outside circumstances.

Sirius was looking at Harry, with an odd combination of suspicion in his eyes and pride. He was almost afraid to ask what Harry's dumb move was.

("And finally, I must... very painful death.")

"You know, I know you had a trap set, but... announcing it to the student body like that, telling a bunch of teenagers, that there was something dangerous there... and then telling them they weren't allowed to go there... that was the stupidest thing you could ever do. Especially since all it took to open the door was a simple Alohomora. Your really lucky Professor Snape was the only one injured by Fluffy and nobody got killed trying to see what was so dangerous." Harry said, not looking at Dumbledore. He was kind of mad that the professor had set him up like this.

"No doubt, telling a bunch of teenagers not to go somewhere because its dangerous is just the same as telling them to go ahead and check it out." Sirius said in disbelief.

Fred and George nodded. "We went to go check it out the first night we were there." They said, and ignored their mother's stern glare.

"And I guarantee that they weren't the only ones, either. Especially if it was so easy to get in. You could have at least put up an age-line and made the door harder to unlock in the first place. Or, even better, lock the door, and don't tell the students about it!" Remus murmured. He had been told about Fluffy, but never got any details on what happened that they met the dog.

Dumbledore frowned. He would have thought that the students would listen when he told them it was deadly. Sure, not all of them listened when told to stay out of the forest, but like the boys said: if you know where to avoid and what you were doing, the forest was perfectly safe.

Sirius was just concerned and wanted to know what was up with the corridor.

(Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.)

"I thought he was joking." Harry muttered.

("He's not serious?")

Remus reached out and covered Sirius mouth before he could say it. That joke did get very old after a while. (More like about a week after he started saying it.)

(he muttered to Percy... to go somewhere-)

"Which only further guaranteed that students would want to check it out." Sirius muttered.

(the forest's full... prefects at least.")

"Why weren't the prefects notified? We could have helped with patrols and made double sure the other students weren't going where they shouldn't have been." Percy asked McGonagall.

She shrugged. "Albus said he would take care of it. I assumed that meant he told the prefects." She said.

("And now, before... became rather fixed.)

"For good reason." All the Heads of House muttered. They hated it when Dumbledore had the students sing it. It was such a mess of sound, especially since he let them pick their own tune and tempo to sing it to.

(Dumbledore gave his wand... "and off we go!")

Before the book could go any further, Severus flicked his wand and Silenced everyone not a current or former teacher who also did not attend or know the song. He did NOT want to listen to anybody here singing along. It was bad enough the charm on the book was probably going to replay it as it was sung in the Hall that night.

(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 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."

The teachers, except for Dumbledore all groaned when the book did indeed sing the song exactly as it was sung then.

Dudley was slightly confused. "I could barely understand any of that."

"I'll write it down for you later. Right now, you should just know that it's not a good idea to sing it around the professor's." Harry said, making Severus look at him in shock. He could have sworn he Silenced them all.

(Everybody finished the... slow funeral march.)

Said twins looked oddly pleased with themselves right then. Especially when Harry spoke up, "They were actually pretty good, too."

Now that the song was over, Severus felt it was safe to remove the Silencing charms. Although he noticed that Harry, Sirius, and Remus had all removed it themselves, and just stayed quiet. Surprisingly.

(Dumbledore conducted their... bedtime. Off you trot!")

"We aren't horses." The Trio and a few others grumbled. Dumbledore just looked at them with his eyes twinkling away.

(The Gryffindor first... the marble staircase.)

The only non-Gryffindor's in the room that didn't sit up in interest were the teachers and Luna. Everyone was interested in where the Gryffindor common room was. The other three houses, it was known generally where they were, and they knew Gryffindor was in a tower, but they had no idea where. Whenever anybody looked, they never found anything. They entrance was well hidden.

(Harry's legs were like... and hanging tapestries.)

Draco was confused. The way to the Gryffindor's territory seemed very... twisted. They were kind of going everywhere here.

(They climbed more... throwing themselves at him.)

"Peeves." Nearly everybody said.

("Peeves," Percy whispered... the Bloody Baron?")

"Aw, come on, Perce, don't be like that." Ron said with a smirk.

(There was a pop,... They all ducked.)

"Smart choice." Several people said.

"Where are all the other kids in Gryffindor? Its just you guys and Percy. For that matter, where is the other prefect?" Draco said.

"The other kids took the shortcuts to get to the common room, while Percy took us on the actual route. And I don't know about the other prefect...?" Harry said, looking at Percy.

"She was sick on the train, so she went straight to the Hospital Wing after getting to the castle." Percy said. "Good thing too, she was in there for almost a week."

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

"Oh, don't do that." Fred winced.

"Yeah, he'll never let it go, and only make you miserable." Sirius agreed.

"Besides, its just rude to pull the Baron card so early like that." Harry said.

People blinked, did they just break up the Twin speak before it began? Fred and George were looking at Sirius and Harry, shocked. Nobody had ever interrupted them like that before. Sirius and Harry smirked.

(Peeves stuck out... on Neville's head.)

Neville sighed. "It's always me." He grumbled.

"Don't worry, Neville, it was always me, too." Remus said with a grimace.

"Really? I would have thought you would safe, being a Marauder and all." Harry said in surprise.

"Nah, he liked James and Sirius, didn't consider Pettigrew worth his time, and made me a frequent target."

"Pettigrew was pretty pathetic, wasn't he? He had his uses, and he was our friend, but he was kind of pathetic." Sirius said.

(They heard him... as he passed.)

"Wow, you must have really annoyed him." Sirius said in surprise. A few of the others nodded in agreement.

("You want to watch... Here we are.")

"And I've never been able to figure out why he only listens to the Baron." Severus said, he was annoyed by that fact. Whenever he asked the Baron about it, all he got was this smirk that drove him insane, and then the Baron would leave.

(At the very end... pink silk dress.)

"I don't remember ever seeing a portrait like that." Draco said in surprise.

"You'd be surprised the things we have in our territory that you didn't know was there." Harry said with a faint smirk.

"The only way you can find our portrait is if a Gryffindor leads you there. We don't know if its part of the castle's magic, something Godric Gryffindor set up, or what. And his portraits not telling, so..." Remus said with a shrug.

"Wait, you've seen his portrait?!" Severus asked in shock.

All the Lions just smirked. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find Slytherin's if you look in the right places." Minerva said cryptically.

("Password?" she said... squashy armchairs.)

"Sounds like a good place to hang out in." Dudley muttered.

(Percy directed the girls... and fell into bed.)

"What if there were more than five students? Is the room big enough for that?" Dudley asked curiously.

"We have other rooms they could use, and the rooms themselves can also expand as needed." Harry shrugged.

"Huh."

("Great food, isn't it?"... chewing my sheets.")

"Ok, that's just wrong." Sirius muttered.

"What is it with him and sheets?" Remus wondered.

(Harry was going... a bit too much,)

"It's a good thing we lace the food at feasts with stomach soothers... it would be bad for some of the students to lose their dinner so late at night, after such a long day traveling." Pomfrey muttered.

(because he had a very strange dream.)

"I don't remember dreaming that night." Harry said, confused.

(He was wearing Professor... sweating and shaking.)

Sirius grabbed his boys, pulled them back up off the floor (they never got up after planning dinner), and put them in a really tight hug. He still couldn't believe his godson remembered that night. But then, he supposed that his boy had always been very smart for his age.

"Harry, you have the strangest dreams." Ron said, with a weird look on his face. Harry just shrugged as well as he could while still being trapped by Sirius.

(He rolled over... the dream at all.)

"Oh, that explains it. Yeah, that's probably going to happen a lot." Harry muttered.

"Next chapter? We can eat after this one?" Molly suggested to the room, when everyone nodded, the book kept going. Chapter eight: the Potions Master.

"Oh, this can't be good." Sirius and Remus both muttered. Sirius was looking at Severus suspiciously, and at the same time wondered just how much he was going to regret all those pranks.


I always found it odd that you have a guy like Gryffindor, who obviously would have been fit if he had any chance of using his sword properly, not to mention the time period they were in where everyone and their grandmothers knew how to fight with a sword, would have nowhere for his students to work out and such. Besides, Slytherin has the dungeons, and the Chamber of Secrets, why can't Gryffindor have their own place too?