Chapter 11

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, 1st September 2011

The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station in record time, the billowing of smoke announcing its arrival. Students poured out of the steam engine in throngs. Sam and Dean Winchester stood among them, waiting to get off. Dean was about eye level with most of the seventh-year students, but Sam stood out among the crowd, making him an easy target for onlookers to stare at.

"All firs' years over 'ere!" a booming voice called. Sam and Dean looked over and stopped in their tracks. Their eyes went wide as they saw a huge figure looming over the already tiny First Years. The man had to be at least 11 feet tall. He had a mane of black hair, and his face was almost obscured by a large black beard. He was wearing a giant moleskin overcoat.

"Wow…" Dean muttered. "Giants…?" The huge man looked over the crowd, spotting the two unfamiliar adult faces, and walked towards them. "Hey Sam, look, it's a distant cousin," he whispered before he could get close. Sam rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to punch his brother in the balls.

"Keep it up, Dean… I don't mind never being an Uncle." Sam muttered back.

"Yeh must be the Winchesters," He smiled. Under the bushy beard, his eyes were kind.

"Yes sir, I'm Sam, this is Dean." The youngest Winchester shook the giant's hand, for once his hand was engulfed by someone else's. "No need fer all that 'sir' nonsense," the giant smiled. "Call me Hagrid," he said. "Everyone, I'm the Care of Magical Creatures Professor."

"Oh cool, another teacher. Magical creatures sound interesting." Dean nodded, thinking a big guy like that probably comes in handy when creatures are involved.

"Sure are," Hagrid's eyes beamed with pride. "Some of the youngin's think 'cause it's an elective that s'not a real class…" he shrugged. "But I have my favourites," he smiled. "Good luck to ya both. I should be gettin' back teh the firs' years."

"See you then." Sam nodded. "He seemed nice."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Like a huge fluffy teddy bear."

"Ah, Mr and Mr Winchester. So glad to see you made it in one piece." A voice came up from behind the two men. They turned in shock to see Minerva's amused face greeting their surprised ones.

"Would you stop doing that?!" Dean growled at her, nerves still frayed from getting to the train and perturbed about the confrontation with the students on the train.

"Why would you deny me the chance of scaring the wits out of you?" She chuckled playfully. "I am to escort you to the carriages where you will be taken to the castle, and then you will be sorted into your houses."

"Sorted into houses?" Sam questioned. "I thought that was just for the students."

"Every person who enters these halls must be sorted into a house. It will be your responsibility to make sure your houses are accounted for in case of an emergency. It gives us heads of houses a few extra pairs of eyes."

Dean snorted. "Couldn't you just make an extra set of eyes? Sorry, Ma'am." He added, at her look of disapproval. "You're Head of the lion one, right?"

"Gryffindor, yes," She smirked. "Follow me."

They followed her down to where a group of students were waiting. There was a carriage that was pulling as they were coming closer.

"Man, it's like fourth grade all over again," Dean whispered to Sam. The students turned their attention to the two brothers as Dean made his comment.

"Hi." Dean addressed them. "I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother Sam."

"Hello, Professors Winchester." The students said in unison.

"Please call us Sam and Dean," Sam told them with a smile. "Professor Winchester would be too confusing."

"And nerdy," Dean added in a whisper, Sam rolled his eyes.

"Well, since the introductions are over, I suppose I'll be going then. I have to assist the first years," Minerva gave them a stern nod and turned swiftly on the spot and walked up to the castle.

"Goodbye Professor." The many children speaking with one voice bid her farewell.

"OK, the speaking in unison crap is really getting old," Dean told them, trying to look like the stern teacher type. They remind me of the twins from The Shining…. Dean thought to himself.

"I'm sorry Professor Winchester." A small girl smiled sheepishly. "We are so used to addressing the Professors as such that you kind of get used to it." She put her magazine up into her bag and approached them with an air of amusement.

"Well throw all that out the window with us," Dean smirked. "Luna, right?"

"Yes, Luna Lovegood." She smiled brightly. She was wearing freakishly psychedelic glasses that she pulled off and sat on top of her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you properly Dean Winchester."

"Dean," Sam muttered disapprovingly, spotting his brother staring at the strange glasses.

"It's alright Sam." Luna smiled dreamily. "These are called Spectrespecs. They allow me to see the wrackspurts. You can't see them without these."

"What are wrackspurts?" Sam asked her.

"They are invisible creatures that float through your ears causing the brain to go fuzzy." She leaned in and beckoned them to come closer. "There have been some nasty cases of them wreaking havoc on unsuspecting witches and wizards, a whole bunch of them broke out of the Ministry Elfin' Safety Enquiry."

"Where did you hear that from?"

"In the Quibbler."

Sam and Dean both came to the same conclusion that Luna was a sweet girl, maybe a little odd, but harmless, and needed to be protected from these snobby kids. Just then a carriage pulled up that was driven by two skeletal horses and no driver.

"What in the world are those things pulling the carriage?" Sam stared in horror as the other students paid no attention to them.

"Oh great, another bunch of freaks." The same kid rolled his eyes as he stepped on the carriage. "Nothing is pulling them!"

"Those are called Thestrals," Luna replied to Sam's question, paying no attention to the boy's remark. "If you can see them, that means that you have witnessed someone die."

Well, shit. Sam and Dean shared a look; they, more than anyone else could see the thestrals, better than anyone.

"Don't be afraid of them." Luna sensed their distress. "They have been given a bad reputation for being omens of death, but they are very kind and gentle once you get to know them."
The remaining students got in the carriages and Sam and Dean elected to wait with Luna for the next carriage, giving the thestrals a wide berth.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. They had seen more than their fair share of death since 1983.

First their mother, then Jess, Dad, Madison, Dean, and Sam themselves, Ellen, Jo, Gabriel Zachariah, Anna, Bobby, and Cas once. Some were enemies, some allies. There had been more deaths of course and the fact that they witnessed the deaths of the people they loved, watching them die, was too much to bear. Hell, a month before, Dean went to an unlicensed doctor to get his heart stopped, so he could talk to the Horseman, Death, about getting Sam's soul back from Lucifer's Cage. Both brothers died multiple times, excluding Dean's curse with the then thought to be Trickster. Their worst fears were leaving the other behind. They never said it, but they both knew it was true.

The Winchesters got into the carriages. After a while of travelling through the darkness they could spot the darkness dissipating, lanterns began to appear every half a mile. They lit the path before the carriage began to turn the corner then Sam spoke…

"Dean, look," Sam breathed.

Dean, who was curiously looking at the weird plant in Neville's hands, looked up and mumbled, "Woah."

"That never gets old…." Neville grinned as he looked at the new Professors.

The castle was huge, the biggest damn building that they ever saw. Turrets were pointing into the sky, some breaking through the low-hanging clouds. Enormous greenhouses with strange plants of every shape, size and colour. A clock tower looming over the front entrance where the students were filing in from the carriages. Overall, the castle had a mysterious aura to it, but the warm lights coming from every window seemed to welcome them like a warm embrace. They approached the castle with the babbling of the surrounding students. Both Sam and Dean left the carriage and stood, facing a huge door.

They were stopped by a man with hunched-shoulders and a hunchback. He had a horrible, pasty face and bulging, pale eyes, along with sunken, veined cheeks, and thin grey hair. Dean nearly had a heart attack and thought this was another one of the goblins from Gringotts. But then this guy was too tall for those guys.

"We need to check you," he said, raising an object that looked like an aerial. It did nothing and he waved them forward.

"Weird," Dean muttered to Sam. "Was that some sort of metal detector thing?"

"Maybe it detects harmful enchantments? They could hardly let a student bring in something dangerous, could they?" Sam countered.

They walked inside. The walls were made of cold stone with torches hung every so often. Marble sculptures adorned the room, but the main element in the room was the huge staircase. Sam looked over to see four giant hourglasses, one red, with rubies inside, the next green with emeralds, blue with sapphires and yellow with ambers.

"What are those for?" Dean asked, pointing to the hourglasses.

"The Houses can gain points by achievements and lose points for misbehaving. The House with the most points wins the House Cup at the end of the year," Luna told them. "It's quite an honour."

Neville sighed as he looked at the hourglasses. "I hope we can win this year."

"Cool," Dean noted.

"Where do we have to go?" Sam asked Luna.

"The Great Hall. We have our Sorting ceremony and a start of term feast," she explained. Dean grinned. Did she say feast? I hope they have cheeseburgers, probably not, but a guy can dream. They had come to another huge mahogany door. People filled in and Dean and Sam waited outside. They stood out of the way of the students as the last of them filed in.

"Pardon me." A few of the younger students said.

"Great, we stick out like a sore thumb," Dean muttered as they tried to edge past the students and make it to the wall. "Where is the wicked witch when you need her?" Sam gestured to their left, seeing said 'wicked witch'.

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

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

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smart yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on the Winchester boys in the back trying to be inconspicuous

"I will return when we are ready for you," Minerva said. "Please wait quietly." She made her way to the back where Sam and Dean were trying to hide. "The two of you can stay with this group to be Sorted."

A few moments passed with the nervous first years speaking rapidly to each other. Minerva came back out and smiled a little.

"We're ready for you now," she said. The first years began walking inside and Sam and Dean were aware of the knives they kept in their boots. They always had to have some kind of weapon on them. It made them feel naked otherwise.

Sam tried to absorb as much about the place as possible, I mean how many chances are you going to get to be in an enchanted castle? He then started noticing the paintings move, not only moving but talking.

"Good luck!" One said to a passing student. "I hope you make it into my house!"

"This is beyond weird," Dean muttered.

"Compared with what we've faced before, this should be a cakewalk," Sam muttered with a grin.

They walked inside to see four long tables, decorated with the four House colours, and at the top was a small stool with a hat on it. Behind that was a long table that reached the width of the Hall, containing what could only be the teachers. Candles were floating above them around the Hall, and it looked as if it were open to the sky outside.

"It says in Hogwarts: A History that it's enchanted to look like the sky outside," Sam told Dean.

"Nerd," Dean muttered, and Sam scowled at him.

They walked down the centre, noticing the students looking at them with interest. They were two six-foot-tall men in their late twenties and early thirties, among four-foot-tall eleven-year-olds.

And if things couldn't get any weirder, the ratty hat started singing.

"A millennium ago, I think,
Before I was ripped and torn,
Four founders came together,
And dear Hogwarts School was born.

Each founder picked the qualities
That he or she liked best,
They put their thoughts inside me,
And now I'll put you to the test.

Do you have the courage,
That dear Gryffindor admired?
Or perhaps you have the knowledge
That fair Ravenclaw required.
Would Hufflepuff suit you better,
With your honest dedication?
Or Slytherin, with your ambition,
Or your purest of relations?

Don't fret, my friends, I will decide
Which house is best for all.
But listen well, I warn you now,
That such divisions do appal.

I've said it once, I'll say again
As I have said before,
That only by uniting,
Can there be an end to war?

For no side can be strongest
Whether they are good or not,
Than when we use the qualities
That I reveal you've got.

For bravery and teamwork,
And a longing to succeed,
Along with knowledge, sure and strong,
Are qualities we all need.

So, step right up, slap me on,
I'll tell you what to do.
The Sorting Hat will place you
With others just like you.
But heed my warning, listen clear,
Divided though you be:
Together we're united,
Through bonds of wizardry."

Everyone applauded and Minerva approached the hat and reading from a scroll she called off names one by one.

The students went up and put the hat on their heads and after a moment, the hat roared the House out to the students and their new House cheered. Sam and Dean waited with bated breath. They walked up to the head table and saw Professor Dumbledore sitting there.

"Welcome to Hogwarts Messrs Winchester," He said warmly, shaking their hands.

"Thanks," Sam said.

"My pleasure. We have kept seats for you here and if it is alright, I will introduce you to the students during my speech."

"That's fine with me," Sam replied. Albus rose out of his chair then and walked over to a podium that had an owl on the front and candles on top of its wings.

"When do we eat…?" Dean whispered to Sam, noticing the empty plates in front of them. "Ow!" He complained as Sam elbowed him in the ribs.

"Very best of evenings to you all." He addressed the students. "First off, let me introduce the newest members of our staff. Horace Slughorn," He gestured to his left and a short man stood up. The students started clapping. "Professor Slughorn, I'm happy to say, has agreed to resume his old post as Potions Master. Meanwhile, the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts will be taken by Professor Snape." No one from the teachers' table stood up, so the brothers had no idea who he was. There was scattered clapping throughout the hall, mostly from the table to the far right of the room. One student even called out "Snape?" in outrage.

"Also, we will be adding a new subject to our class roster as we welcome our new friends from the States, Professors Sam and Dean Winchester." He gestured to where the brothers were sitting. They both stood up and smiled at the students. "They will be teaching Demonology to third-year students and up to …"

No one spoke or clapped for them. "We got a better reception with the Campbells," Dean whispered.

"Now Messrs Winchester, if you wouldn't mind stepping forward, we will be sorting you into a house."

Sam and Dean approached the podium, and the sorting hat was brought back out. Dean was the first to sit on the small three-legged stool, his knees were almost level with his shoulders, and had the sorting hat put on. Two seconds later the hat roared "GRYFFINDOR!" The table that held the Gryffindor students erupted in applause. Sam approached the stool with wary apprehension. He hoped that he and his brother would stick together, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be classified as brave, and there was no house for cowards. He held his breath as the hat was put over his head. It was dark inside the hat, but it didn't stay that way for long. Memories from his past whizzed before his eyes. Azazel, the special children, demon blood, Ruby, Lucifer.

"Are you sure you belong with your brother in Gryffindor?" the hat's voice drifted lazily through his head.

I want to stay with my brother, Sam thought in his mind.

"But all the things that you have seen, the things you have done, you look more suited to be with Slytherin. Or maybe Hufflepuff, you are a very loyal person regardless of where your loyalties lie. Or perhaps Ravenclaw, you are the bright one of the two of you. But if you are sure, then I'd say…"

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat roared again, and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers again.

Dumbledore and the others clapped their hands and the brothers returned to their seats at the head table, he then cleared his throat and continued.

"Now as you know each and every one of you was searched upon your arrival here tonight. And you have the right to know why. Once there was a young man who, like you, sat in this very hall, walked this castle's corridors, and slept under its roof. He seemed to all the world a student like any other. His name? Tom Riddle."

He took a brief pause to look at the students with sad eyes. A small murmur ran through the crowd, Sam and Dean didn't understand their reaction to a simple name.

"Today, of course, he's known all over the world by another name. Lord Voldemort. Which is why, as I stand looking out upon you all tonight, I'm reminded of a sobering fact. Every day, every hour this very minute, perhaps dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle's walls. But in the end, their greatest weapon is you."

Sam noticed a boy with platinum blonde hair sitting at the rightmost table shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He remembered his face from the train, he was bullying Harry.

"Just something to think about." Dumbledore smiled grimly. "Let the feast begin." The tables were magically filled with food, and everyone dug in, though it wasn't with much enthusiasm.

"Woah," Dean grinned as he immediately began piling his plate with food. Sam rolled his eyes as he ate. The chatter was growing from the students.

"Dean, Sam?" Dumbledore asked. The Winchesters looked up. "I would like to introduce you to our staff if you like."

"Yeah sure," Sam smiled a little.

"Beside you is Severus Snape. He now teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts and is Head of Slytherin House," he said looking at a man in black robes, greasy black hair and black eyes with a hooked nose. He did not look up. "You know Minerva of course, and this is Pomona Sprout, Herbology Professor and is Head of Hufflepuff House," he explained. "And this is Filius Flitwick, the Head of Ravenclaw House." He introduced all the other staff, and they smiled at them.

They finished quickly and dessert was served. Dean grabbed the first piece of pie he could while Sam chose chocolate fudge cake. He savoured the taste of the sweet chocolate. The food seemed to taste even better than it did at home and Sam wondered if there was some magical extra ingredient in it. When it was over, Dumbledore stood again and the food disappeared, leaving the plates pristine.

"Now that we are all fed and watered, I hope everyone will rest well for tomorrow's lessons. I shall finish with a few words. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Sam and Dean looked at each other in bewilderment as there was no other explanation to go along with his words. Was it a spell, some ancient farewell, or just the crazy rantings of a senile old man? The students rose to leave. The brothers stood, wondering if they would find their rooms before morning.

"Will I show you to your rooms?" a woman they recognized as Professor Trelawney asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks," Sam said.

"This way," she said. They left the Great Hall and walked through a maze of corridors and eventually ended up in front of a statue.

"Toffee Éclairs," she said. Sam raised an eyebrow as the statue moved. She brought them up the stairs that had been revealed, and they stopped outside a door.

"This door contains your rooms. You will have your own rooms, but a door will connect them for convenience," she said.

"Thank you," Sam said. Dean nodded. They both went inside the doors and separated into their rooms. It was a little hard for them to get to sleep that night, even though they were so exhausted. They were used to sleeping in the same room, and it was a little strange at first. Neither one was used to having their own room before. Both brothers fell into a peaceful sleep, though Sam did get up once to open the adjoining door to Dean's room. It didn't make much sense, but it made him feel better.