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Chapter [0]5

The Hogwarts Express and a Sorting

Harry watched the Weasleys in amusement.  They were to go to Hogwarts today, and there were really only two words one could use to describe the Burrow and its inhabitants at that moment.

Total chaos.

Of course, Ron hadn't quite finished packing, the twins were grabbing some last minute prank items, Percy was searching frantically for his prefect badge (Harry was keeping it under his paw, as he found Percy's behaviour incredibly entertaining), Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were trying in vain to salvage the situation, and Ginny was generally getting underfoot.  The last came into play just as Ron was coming down the stairs with his trunk.  He tripped two steps from the bottom and found himself sprawled on top of his sister with his trunk and its contents strewn about in hopeless disarray.

"Oh, no," Ron moaned.  He just lay there for a few moments as if wondering whether there was really any point in even trying to pack up his things again, then he was forced to move when Ginny yelled that he was squishing her.

About this time the twins decided to come down the stairs with their trunks stacked atop one another, with Fred descending backwards while holding onto the bottom trunk by its handle.  The fact that neither Fred nor George could really see where they were going resulted in Fred tripping over Ron just as Ron was trying to get to his feet, sending them all into a large heap comprised of people, open trunks, and scattered belongings.

Harry snorted.  They really should put this stuff on the telly, he thought in amusement, it's certainly very entertaining.  He watched them quickly grab their things and stuff them into their respective trunks.  Harry saw several items go into the wrong trunk, but they were siblings after all.  They'd sort out their things when they'd arrived at Hogwarts most likely.

They finished packing just before Mrs. Weasley came in from outside, looking for them.

"Come on, now," she said, "the Knight Bus won't wait forever."

Ron looked surprised, "Why isn't dad driving us?"

"He had to work," said Mrs. Weasley curtly before calling for Sirius and Harry to follow her and levitating the children's trunks out to the bus.  They boarded and endured a rather jolting ride to the station, where no one seemed to notice the violently purple bus.

They walked into Kings' Cross station and were immediately jostled by a crowd of tourists going in the opposite direction.  Mrs. Weasley sighed and said, "The place is packed with Muggles, of course.  If only there were a way to make the place a bit less crowded on the days we have to use it.  Now, what's the platform number?"

"Nine and three-quarters!" said Ginny. "Mum, can't I go…"

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet.  All right, Percy, you go first, and take one of the dogs with you."

Percy called 'Blackie' to him and strode calmly towards the barrier before vanishing.

"Fred, you next."

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy who Harry knew to indeed be Fred.  Then again, Mrs. Weasley didn't have the gift of a dog's sense of smell.  "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother?  Can't you tell I'm George?

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," he grinned, and then he called 'Scruffy' to him and they went through the barrier.  Harry had no trouble with it, having been told what to do by Sirius.  The rest of the Weasley family came through quickly after that.

The boys loaded their trunks and came back to where their mother and sister were waiting.  Mrs. Weasley hugged the twins and Percy before turning to Ron.  She frowned and took out her handkerchief, "Ron, you've got something on your nose."

Ron tried to jerk out of her way but his mum managed to grab him and began to rub the end of his nose.

"Mum- geroff." He wiggled free.

"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nose?" said George.

"Shut up," muttered Ron, glaring at his brother.

A whistle sounded.

"Hurry up!" said Mrs. Weasley, and the boys clambered onto the train, Percy heading quickly towards the front end where the prefect compartments were.  Ron and the twins leaned out the windows so that their mum could kiss them goodbye, and then the train started to move.  Ginny ran after the train, waving, and they waved back until they were out of sight.

The twins turned to Ron, who was moving towards an empty compartment, "Listen, we're going down to the middle of the train— Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there.

"Right," Ron muttered.  He called the dogs over to him and closed the compartment door before sitting down and looking out the window.  Sirius and Harry settled on the other seat and they just sat there for a few minutes.

::Sirius?::

::Yes?::

::I'm bored.::

Sirius looked over at Harry questioningly, ::And?::

::I don't know.  I thought talking might make me less bored.::

There was silence between the two of them for a moment.

::You know what would be really fun right now?::  asked Harry.

::What?::

::Turning into a human and scaring Ron half to death.::

Sirius looked over at Harry, startled.  ::Harry!  You-::

Harry grinned widely.  ::I know.  I won't do it.  I just said that it would be fun.  Especially seeing his reaction.::

Sirius stared at him for a moment longer before sighing and putting his head between his paws.  ::You said that just to get a rise out of me, didn't you?:: he asked in a long-suffering sort of tone.

::Yup,:: said Harry cheerfully.

The compartment door slid open and a young witch, already dressed in her Hogwarts robes, walked in, unnoticed by Ron, who was still looking out the window in a bored fashion.

"Are dogs allowed at Hogwarts?" the girl asked curiously.  "They weren't listed as being acceptable pets on the supply list.  And I didn't know you could have more than one pet."

Ron jumped, startled, and turned to face the newcomer.

"My parents got me special permission to bring them," he said.  "Ron Weasley, by the way."

"Hermione Granger," she replied.  "Have you by any chance seen a toad?  That's what I came here for in the first place.  Another boy, Neville Longbottom, is looking for one."

"No, haven't seen it.  Sorry."

"Oh.  Well, you had better change, I expect that we'll be there soon," and with that she left the compartment, sliding the door shut on her way out.

Ron apparently decided to take Hermione's advice and get his robes on.  He had just finished when a voice echoed throughout the train.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time.  Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

"Hear that?" said Ron, looking at the two dogs.  "You're going to have to stay here."

Harry whined, but lay down.  The train slowed, then stopped, and Ron left the compartment.  Harry got up and pawed at his godfather's sleeping form.

::Wha—?  Harry, what is it?::

::Let's go.  I don't want to wait to be taken to Hogwarts with the luggage.::

Sirius grumbled but got up, stretched, and trotted out the door.  Harry followed. 

The platform was mostly deserted aside from a few stragglers, but Harry could still see the first years heading off towards the lake.  Instead of following them, the duo turned towards the path to the carriages.  They sped up as the last student boarded, and broke into an all-out run when the carriages began to move.  Harry shifted into his cat form mid-stride and leapt onto the platform on the carriage that was designed to hold a footman, then scrambled up to the driver's seat.  Sirius joined him a moment later.

Sirius flopped onto his side, panting and muttering about insane godsons.  Harry just grinned, transformed back into a dog with a pop, and settled down for the rest of their journey to Hogwarts.

When they arrived, Sirius and Harry jumped down from their seat and went inside the castle before any of the students had even opened the doors to their carriages.  They strode through the doors and into the Entrance Hall—

—and ran right into someone wearing navy blue robe.

::This is becoming a rather disconcerting habit,:: mumbled Sirius.  He and Harry stood up and shook themselves, before looking to see who it was that they had run into this time.

It was Albus Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled and knelt down to scratch behind Harry's ears.  Harry squirmed, that felt good.  Then it stopped.  He whined softly and Dumbledore chuckled.

"So you two are the dogs that young Mr. Weasley is so attached to.   No need to ask which is which."  His eyes surveyed the two dogs, finally coming to rest on the lightning-shaped patch of fur on Harry's forehead.  The all-knowing look in Dumbledore's eyes seemed to increase as they twinkled even more than usual.

Dumbledore stood and bade the duo to follow him.  He walked into the Great Hall and told 'Scruffy' and 'Blackie' to sit at his feet.  Most of the teachers were already in their seats and were somewhat curious as to what two dogs were doing at Hogwarts.  They withheld their questions, however, and the returning students came into the hall, talking and laughing and generally getting reacquainted with each other.  Finally they settled down, and a short professor who looked a bit like a dwarf brought out a four-legged stool with a hat perched atop, and placed it near the Head Table.  Just as the professor moved to sit down, another professor walked into the hall, leading a group of first years.

::Who's that?:: asked Harry.

::Who?  Oh, you mean Professor McGonagall,:: replied Sirius.

::Is she the one leading the first years?::

::Yeah.::

The first years stopped just in front of the Head Table, and Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat and the stool in front of them.

The entire hall was staring at the hat, and it twitched.  It twitched again, then it began to sing:

"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!"

The hall burst into applause when the hat finished its song.  The hat bowed to each of the four house tables before once again becoming still.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.  "Abbott, Hannah!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

It went on like this for some time.  Mandy Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw, Lavender Brown to Gryffindor, Millicent Bulstrode to Slytherin, and so on.

"Potter, Harry!"

The hall went dead silent, a sharp contrast to the cheering that had been going on only moments before.  Professor McGonagall blinked once or twice before shaking herself and quickly moving on to the next name.

She called it out, and the child came up to sit on the stool, but the Hat refused to budge from where it was sitting.  Professor McGonagall tried to lift the Hat off the stool, then outright tugged and pulled on it, but it remained immovable.  She turned to the Weasley twins, frowning.

"Now what have you done this time?  Interfering with the Sorting—"

"But professor—"

"We didn't—" the twins interrupted.  They were as much in the dark about this as the rest of the hall.

Harry noticed none of this; his vision had suddenly darkened as if he were under a hood far too large for him— or a hat.  Then a voice spoke in his ear.

"Hmm," said the voice, "what have we here?"  Harry decided that there was a distinct difference between this and his normal telepathic conversations.  Telepathic conversation sounded as though someone was actually inside your mind, which they were, when you thought about it.  The hat, however, sounded like a normal voice would if someone spoke quietly right next to your ear.

"Difficult," the hat continued.  "Very difficult.  Plenty of courage, I see.  Not a bad mind either.  There's talent, oh my goodness, yes— and…  hmm."

What? thought Harry, not even bothering to turn his words into proper mind-speech and counting on the hat to pick up his thoughts.

"Quite ambitious, aren't you?"

Not really, thought Harry, confused.  He'd never really aspired to be anything, and certainly not anything big enough that he would think of himself as ambitious.

"Oh, but what about your godfather's freedom?  You're quite sure that he deserves what everyone else in this room has.  Even more, actually.  You think that the Ministry owes him a good deal of compensation for what they've put him through."

Of course they do! thought Harry furiously.  They put him in Azkaban without a trial.  They didn't even bother with a questioning!  They just grabbed him and threw him in with the dementors.  All they needed to do was to take ten minutes out of their oh-so-busy lives and give him a truth potion and neither of us would have to deal with any of this nonsense.  I would be standing out there right now, probably headed over to my house table, and Sirius would have a job and a house and would be my legal guardian, instead of us sitting under the table and taking up our noteworthy position as lap-dogs.

The hat chuckled, "I think that I've made my decision."

Wait, thought Harry, to himself this time rather than to the hat.  Ambition… which house- No! not-

"SLYTHERIN!"

The entire hall started, and stared at the hat.

"The stool's in Slytherin?" said one first year, puzzled.

Several people snorted, trying to hold back their laughter.  Dumbledore chuckled and stood.

"I'm fairly certain that the stool is not in Slytherin,"  he said.  "Now, if our esteemed Professor would continue with the Sorting?"

Professor McGonagall nodded, and read out the name.  The rest of the Sorting was filled with whispers from the students about what had just happened, with very few people actually paying attention to the first years being Sorted.

Meanwhile, Sirius was giving Harry a very pointed look, under which Harry shifted uncomfortably.

::I think,:: he said, his voice completely devoid of emotion, ::that we need to have a talk.::

Harry nodded, then turned back to the Sorting, shooting his godfather apprehensive looks every minute or so.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry got up from where he was sitting to go lie down at Ron's feet, Sirius following close behind.  Ron looked down at them in surprise.

"You two are supposed to still be on the train," he said quietly, patting them on the head in turn.  Then Ron turned back to the boys he had been having a conversation with, a Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.  Harry put up with listening to their conversation about Quidditch for approximately a millisecond before he became bored.  He was also quite hungry, not having eaten since breakfast that morning.  A breakfast that had been small and hurried because of the Weasley family's lack of organization earlier in the day.  Not that he was complaining, it had been quite entertaining.

The Hall stopped talking when Albus Dumbledore stood up to make his annual speech.

"Welcome!" he said.  "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!  Before we begin our banquet I'd like to say a few words.  And here they are; Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

Everyone applauded and began eating when food appeared on the table.  Harry began thinking of how he could get some, preferably in the most conspicuous way possible.

Hmm, he thought after he got out from under the table and looked around for a bit, I wonder if anyone will notice if I eat some of that chicken….

He walked over to the end of the Gryffindor table nearest the Head table.  There was an empty space right at the end of the table and he jumped into it, teetering precariously on the bench before he caught his balance.  Then he put his paws on the table, barked once to draw attention to himself, and stuck his muzzle into a large bowl of chicken and started munching appreciatively.  Naturally, not everyone was as happy with this situation as he was.

A hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him rather forcefully out of the dish (Harry took a piece of chicken with him, of course).

"Who does this dog belong to?" demanded Professor McGonagall from above Harry's head.  Harry looked up at her, chewing on his chicken and then dropping the bone on her foot impudently.  The Weasley twins snorted.

Ron raised his hand tentatively, "He's mine, Professor."

"Take him out of the Hall, please.  Make sure that he does not enter it again in the future," she said stiffly, glaring at Harry.  "Any other pets should be removed from the Hall as well."

Ron called Harry and Sirius to him and took them out of the Hall, but not before they witnessed the spectacle of McGonagall tripping on the bone at her feet and falling right smack on her bum.  She stood up, fuming, and shot a potentially deadly glare at Harry before regaining her composure and returning to the staff table, ignoring the snickers from her students.

"Sit," said Ron; the duo sat.  "Stay," and with that, Ron left the two of them sitting just outside the doors to the Great Hall.

::Cat person,:: muttered Harry, sending a picture of McGonagall at Sirius along with his words.

Sirius snorted, ::You have no idea.::

::What does that mean?:: asked Harry curiously.

::You'll find out later, I'm sure.  That is, if she'll allow you in her classroom.::

Harry winced, he hadn't considered that when he had been planning his prank, ::What does she teach?::

::Transfiguration.::

:I can't miss transfiguration!:: cried Harry, slightly panicked.  Charms he could skip, and Defence since his godfather had taught him well beyond a fourth-year level in each.  However, he knew very little transfiguration besides the basics and the Animagus transformation.

::Perhaps you should have thought of that before you pulled the prank,:: said Sirius.  ::Everyone thinks that you're a dog, in case you've forgotten, and the teachers are not required to allow you into their classrooms.::

::Hypocrite,:: Harry muttered.

::I heard that.::

::You were meant to.::

::Harry, your father and I weren't on the run from the Ministry.  We could afford to draw attention to ourselves.::

Harry sighed and lay down.  ::I know.  It's not fair though.  You never did anything, and the Ministry never even made an attempt to figure out whether or not they were making a mistake.::

::I'm sorry, Harry.::

::For what?::

::I shouldn't have come and gotten you.  You could have at least had a semi-normal life with the Dursleys—"

Harry growled and lunged at him, pinning his godfather's larger form beneath him and grabbing his throat between his teeth, his canine body language only made clearer by the words that came with it.

::Don't ever say that.  Did you forget what condition you found me in, Sirius?  You are the best thing that ever happened to my life.  Ever.  I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at the Ministry.  It's not your fault, and dammit, my parents weren't your fault either,:: he said, correctly guessing Sirius' thoughts.

::I make a horrible godfather anyway,:: murmured Sirius as he stood up, easily dislodging Harry from his neck, ::and don't curse::.

::You do not!  You're a great godfather,:: replied Harry, pointedly ignoring the cursing remark.

There was a silence in the Hall before the duo heard Dumbledore begin speaking again.

"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.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term.  Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"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.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"

At this, Sirius started walking away, idly searching his mind for a room where they could transform.  Harry followed him.

::You're in Slytherin,:: said Sirius after a long silence. 

Harry stiffened beside him and said, ::It wasn't my first choice.::

::Really,:: said Sirius, his voice emotionless in a way that Harry found very uncomfortable, ::then why were you put there?::

::The hat said I was ambitious because of how I felt about what the Ministry has put us— you— through.::

Sirius spotted a familiar corridor, which he knew branched into a secret passageway. He trotted through, opened the door to a small room, and ushered Harry inside, where they both transformed.

Sirius frowned at Harry's earlier statement, "I don't think that that would be enough to put you in Slytherin, Harry."

Harry stretched, his back popping loudly much to Sirius' distaste, and replied, "Probably not, but that's all the reason it gave me.  If it makes you feel any better, it also said I was courageous and had a good mind, so Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were apparently in the running as well."

Sirius made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, "We had better go.  I imagine that Ron is looking for us."

Harry sighed.  Oh well, he couldn't really expect his godfather to accept his being sorted into the "bastard house" Slytherin right away.  He transformed and followed his godfather out the door.