Daniel and Kevin were looking out the window of the Hogwarts Express, watching as the train left King's Cross and soon got out of London. They were just about to start Exploding Snap when a boy with dark hair and grey eyes entered their compartment.
"Hi, uh, don't you mind if I sit down here? Everywhere else is full."
Kevin and Dan shrugged.
"Thanks," the newcomer dropped his luggage on the seat next to Kevin and sat down. "I'm Norbert, by the way. Norbert Devilsmoor-Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" Daniel coughed. "Are you a son of Draco Malfoy?"
"No. His brother," Norbert smiled at them. "And, who are you?"
"Daniel Potter." Dan replied, suspiciously eyeing the other boy. His father had told him a lot about his childhood adversary… and that was enough for Daniel to not trust anyone who had Malfoy blood running in their veins.
"Kevin Weasley," Kevin said, munching a chocolate frog, not too happy himself about having to travel in the same compartment with a Malfoy. His fathers had told him more than enough of that family, after all. "So Norbert is your name, eh? I heard that your father was fond of dragons, but I didn't know he liked them this much."
"Excuse me?" young Malfoy raised an eyebrow.
"He doesn't know," Daniel waved.
"What?" Norbert asked.
"The former groundskeeper of Hogwarts used to have a dragon called Norbert… though only for a couple of weeks," Kevin replied. "You surely don't know the former groundskeeper, do you?"
"Hagrid? Not in person, but I heard about him," Norbert shrugged. "Father told me lots of things about Hogwarts."
"I bet he did," Kevin made a wry face. "First of all he taught you how to lick professor Snape's boots, right?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," young Malfoy said with a cold smile, looking around. "I see you both have owls."
"No, these aren't owls, they're blast ended skrewts going to the masquerade," Kevin said. "And the monkey isn't a monkey but a bewitched princess who turns back if you kiss her. Care to try?"
"Kevin," Daniel gave his cousin a reproachful look. "He's a Malfoy, but that doesn't mean…"
"…that I'm as evil as all the Malfoys?" Norbert finished the sentence. "Thanks, Daniel. I'm going to prove that I'm not that bad," he added with a wink. "Anyway, I don't have an owl. I have a raven," he pulled a black cover off a cage he had brought. "He's called Ivo, and he's just as good in carrying letters as owls. Or better."
"Typical Malfoy. Already bragging," Kevin sighed. Daniel kicked him in the ankle.
"So… are you expecting to be in Slytherin?" Dan asked Norbert.
"Probably. But I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw, either. And you? Surely Gryffindor, huh?"
"We are hoping for that, of course," Daniel nodded. "Potters and Weasleys have always been in Gryffindor. As Malfoys have always been in Slytherin."
"You don't need to call me Malfoy," Norbert commented. "I'm rather using Devilsmoor. My mother's maiden name. My brother Draco will inherit Malfoy Manor and I'll inherit Devilsmoor Manor, so I prefer this name."
"As you want, Devilsmoor," Kevin folded his arms. "Another frog, Dan?"
"Thanks," young Potter opened the small box, but as soon as it was opened, the frog jumped out of it.
"Catch it!" Kevin yelled.
Daniel started jumping, but he was way too small to reach the frog that was just about to leave the train through the window.
"Petrificus totalus!" came a voice and the frog froze on the windowpane.
Kevin and Daniel turned around to see Norbert holding a wand in his outstretched hand. "You can have it now, if you don't mind that it's not moving when you're chewing it."
"Er… not at all. Thanks," Daniel pulled the frog off the window. "Would you like the half of it?" he offered, breaking the frog into two parts.
"Why not?" Norbert grinned, taking the half of the chocolate. Daniel smiled back.
Kevin was just about to comment something when a girl appeared in the doorframe.
"Have you been doing magic?" she asked with clear interest.
"No, what makes you think that?" Kevin frowned.
"I saw a flash of light coming out of this compartment. You were doing magic!" she reasoned. She didn't seem to be a bossy type like aunt Hermione, she was rather sweet and exotic with jet-black hair and brown eyes that gave the boys the impression of her being Asian or partly Asian.
"And what if we were?" Norbert raised an eyebrow. "It's not illegal, is it?"
"No," she sat down before either of the boys could tell her that she wasn't welcome here. "I'm Liu-Ling Chang. But you may call me simply Liu."
"Great," Kevin grimaced. He didn't think much of girls – they annoyed him all the time. The only girls he liked were Viviane and Valentine, because they never behaved like girls.
"I'm Norbert Devilsmoor," young Malfoy introduced himself. "And they are…"
"I can speak for myself, Malfoy!" Kevin interrupted. "I'm Kevin Weasley."
"Pleasure," she turned to the third boy. "And you?"
"D…daniel." Dan stammered, feeling something warm in his stomach.
"Daniel what?" Liu asked with a smile.
Daniel felt that little warmth in his stomach start to spread in his whole body. He had not thought much of girls, either – for him girls had just been people he could tease and laugh at. Up till now. Now that this exotic angel was smiling at him, he suddenly forgot that he was supposed to give her a nasty reply or send her to hell as he used to when talking to his sister Lily. "P…potter," he stuttered.
"Ah, you must be Harry Potter's son, then!" she clasped her hands. "Wonderful! My mother told me so much of your father! They were good friends back at Hogwarts… I hope we will also be good friends, Daniel," with that she stood up and walked out.
"I also hope so!" Daniel shouted after her, but the door had already closed.
"Uh-oh… Dannie has a crush!" Kevin smirked.
Daniel scowled at him, then turned to Norbert, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. "So, how did you know that spell? It's quite an advanced one, isn't it? You need to study at least one whole year before you can perform that… so I heard."
"Ah, well… I've had a bit of pre-school education," Norbert shrugged, pocketing his wand.
"Your father taught you dark arts, eh?" Kevin said.
"Of course not!" Norbert snapped. "Why would he?"
"Because he's a death-eater, that's why!"
"He's still better than your father… fathers… really, which one is your real father? Does your mother know at all?"
"Shut up!" Kevin turned ruby red. He had already heard too many people insulting his family about their two-father-family-model. "My fathers are at least trustworthy, not like yours!"
"Trustworthy?" Norbert laughed. "Two clowns running a joke shop?"
"They're running a joke shop, earning their living in an honest way, but your father is everything but honest! I've heard enough of him to know him well! Your whole family!" Kevin spat. "All of you are rotten to your very cores!"
"Kevin!" Daniel shouted at his cousin.
"Take that back!" Norbert yelled, his grey eyes sparkling with fury.
"No way, you filthy Malfoy!"
That was too much for Norbert – he punched Kevin in the nose, who gave him a kick in the shin in return.
"Stop!" Daniel tried to jerk his cousin back from Malfoy, to no avail.
Suddenly the door burst open and a skinny, brown-haired boy ran in, pulling the fighters apart, giving them each a black eye in the process. Daniel decided to help him – only to get a punch in the jaw. He fell back onto the seat, seeing stars while massaging his sore jaw. When the stars finally vanished, he looked up to see the brown-haired boy standing between Kevin and Norbert, holding them back from continuing fighting. He was panting, so were young Weasley and Malfoy.
"Sorry," the unknown boy told Daniel. "I didn't want to hit you, it was an accident. I only wanted to stop them. Fighting on the train… really," he gave both boys a chastising look. "Now be good boys and shake hands."
"With him?" Kevin snorted. "Never."
"I won't, either," Norbert replied. "And who do you think you are to tell us what to do, eh?"
"I'm the one who can beat you up if you make me," the brown-haired boy replied. "Alright, don't shake hands, but don't dare fight or I'll be back!" with that he left the compartment.
The two enemies gaped at the closing door, then looked at each other again. Norbert's mouth tucked into a smirk and Kevin couldn't help grinning, either.
"Not a bad scrap, eh?" he asked.
"Not bad," Norbert nodded. "But we need a bit of training so that next time we beat him up, not the other way around. What do you think?"
"All right," Kevin nodded. "Want a bit of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Malfoy?"
"Devilsmoor. If you don't want to call me Norbert, then use Devilsmoor."
"Malfoy's shorter," young Weasley grinned, chewing a bean. "Urgghhh… cod-liver oil!"
* * * * *
When they had eaten all packages of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans and every single chocolate frog, Lancelot Weasley put in an appearance. He looked rather angry about something.
"Hey, what's up, Lance, why are you this sour?" Daniel asked, seeing his wry face.
"Lancelot," the newcomer corrected him, adjusting his glasses with that sort of dignity that only Percy had possessed in the family – until his son was born. Lancelot was a short, very thin boy with strawberry blonde hair and the firm belief that he knew everything better than others. Percy couldn't have denied being Lancelot's father, even if he wanted. "I heard that you were fighting."
"Wasn't me," Daniel said. "They did it," he pointed at Kevin and Norbert.
"Kevin, really!" Lancelot scowled at him. "Why do you always have to look for trouble? Honestly, you are turning out to be more and more like Uncle Fred and George!"
"I'd rather resemble them than Uncle Percy," Kevin grinned.
"Just to inform you, cousin, my father is head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, while yours are running a joke shop. My father might become Minister for Magic, while yours will keep turning themselves into canaries. You can easily tell which father is the better."
"Yeah, easily," Kevin nodded. "Mine."
"Have it your way, but don't forget what I said when I'll be the son of the Minister for Magic!" Lancelot straightened his back to look taller.
"It will be a sad day for Great Britain's wizarding community when your father becomes Minister," Norbert commented. "Just to inform you, my father has much more of a chance to get that post than yours."
"Why?" Lancelot furrowed his brow. "Who's your father?"
"Lucius Malfoy," Norbert smirked. "I'm Norbert Devilsmoor-Malfoy."
"A…are you?" Lancelot blinked in a worried way. "Uh, okay… You'd better change into robes. We're almost there."
As he left the compartment, Norbert gave Daniel a sour look. "How can you endure this guy in the family?"
"Not well," Kevin shrugged. "But we have to."
* * * * *
Professor Dumbledore was eyeing Lucius Malfoy with interest. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Lucius?"
"Well, Albus… it's about my son."
"Draco?"
"No, Norbert," Malfoy replied. "He's coming here as a first year."
"Indeed?" Albus raised an eyebrow, his blue eyes twinkling with eternal youth, even at the age of 170.
"Yes," Lucius nodded. "And the problem is that Narcissa and I have to travel abroad for several months… a secret Ministry business. We mustn't even keep in touch with our son, it's such a top-secret mission… but of course I trust you enough to tell you about it. Well, you know that Norbert came very late in our lives, thus we appreciate him more than anything… we couldn't bear if something happened to him while we're away."
Dumbledore looked surprised to hear a Malfoy talking like a loving father.
Lucius carried on: "Since we are going to be so far from him without any kind of contact, we cannot be sure that he's all right… thus I'd like to ask you to keep an eye on him, Albus. I don't ask you to favour him or anything… just take care of him for us, will you?"
"Of course I will do everything in my power, Lucius, but…" Dumbledore looked contemplative for a moment, "I thought that your other son, Draco, has just opened a family bank at Hogsmeade. Can't you trust him with his younger brother?"
"Well… it's hard for me to talk about this, but… my sons can't stand each other. I don't know why… Draco never recognised Norbert as his brother. I guess he's miffed that the family heritage will be divided into two parts. Norbert won't have anyone here to rely on," Malfoy looked downright desperate. "Keep an eye on him, Albus. Please."
"All right," the old headmaster smiled when suddenly professor McGonagall burst into the office.
"Albus! The first years are drowning!"
"What?" Albus jumped up.
"The boats… they're sinking!" Minerva shouted.
"Come!" the headmaster said and hurried out of the office, with McGonagall in tow, leaving the appalled Lucius behind.
* * * * *
All the available teachers were already down by the lake, stopping the still floating boats from sinking and rescuing the students whose boats had already sunk. About the half of all the boats had started to submerge into the lake, for apparently no reason.
"Damn these boats!" Aberforth Dumbledore cursed, stumbling onto the shore, soaking wet. After Hagrid had left, it had become Aberforth's task to guide the first-years through the lake.
He wrung his beard and helped a trembling blonde girl out of the water. The little one looked scared to death.
Daniel, Kevin and Norbert had been sitting in the same boat along with the pretty Liu Chang. Dan hadn't been able to take his eyes off her until he felt something cold engulf him. He had been surprised, because on the train he felt warm in Liu's presence – why did he feel cold now?
Then he saw it – so did the other three occupants of the boat: water started flowing in and they started to sink.
However, it was obvious that their boat wasn't the only one sinking, because soon terrified screams filled the air and a mad splashing of water could be heard.
Now that they were out of the lake, Daniel felt rather sorry that it had happened this way: his father had told him about his own first journey across the lake – how he, Ron, Hermione and Neville had caught a glimpse of the majestic castle of Hogwarts, the sight filling them with eternal joy and still making them petrified with awe.
Daniel and the other first-years didn't even have a chance to marvel at the castle's beauty, because they had to fight for their very lives.
"Are you okay?" he asked Liu, tossing his dripping locks out of his eyes.
"Yeah, thanks," she nodded, giving him a heart-melting smile. And Daniel's heart did melt.
"Well, everyone escaped with nothing worse than a good fright," Albus smiled at Minerva, flicking his wand, pointing it at the soaked children.
In the next second, everyone's clothes were dry again.
"I only wonder how all these boats could go wrong… at the same time?" McGonagall said, frowning.
"Good question," Albus shrugged.
"The wood-worms have multiplied significantly over the summer," Aberforth interjected. "I've been trying to exterminate them for months… they might be the reason – they can chew millions of little holes into the wood – holes that are invisible at first sight… but the water could come through them."
"Oh, yeah… that sounds credible," Albus nodded. "But next time you take the first-years across the lake, Aberforth, check the boats," he told his brother with a hint of reproach and left for the castle.
* * * * *
Harry arrived at the castle shortly after Dumbledore and the other teachers had pulled the first years out of the lake. While the firsties were waiting outside the Entrance Hall, all teachers took place at the staff table – all but four. There were four empty seats, two of which would surely be occupied by the headmaster and Hermione, but Harry wondered who would occupy the remaining two – surely the mysterious new teachers Hermione had referred to.
Harry was glad to see Remus again – the ex-werewolf was still teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. He had got married ten years earlier and had an eight-year-old son, James – named after his late friend, which Harry found rather touching.
Harry was surprised to hear that the headmaster had allowed the Lupins (Remus and Stella Sinistra Lupin) to live in the castle with their child. On the other hand, even teachers had to have spouses and children, didn't they? It was just a bit weird for Harry, who had never known a teacher to have a family while he was a Hogwarts student.
For a moment he played with the thought of his wife and all six children living at Hogwarts, but then he pictured the triplets skinning Mrs. Norris and felt thankful that he could keep Rose, Richard and Robert away from the school for another year. After that… come what may.
While he was happy about having a chance to chat with Remus, who was his neighbour at the table, he was rather miffed by the fact that his other neighbour was none other than Sybill Trelawney. He wondered why that stupid old fraud hadn't retired or been sacked yet.
Lupin filled Harry in on the boat-incident. "Aberforth says it was the wood-worms, but you know, I'm not sure. There are certain dark arts that can bring about things like this…"
"Who would want to drown the firsties?" Harry shook his head in disbelief.
"No idea. Let's hope that it was just the wood-worms," replied Remus. While he told Harry about his exciting holiday in Peru last summer, Harry drank a cup of tea that had been served for the teachers before the evening feast. When Remus was just going into details about a mad Inca demon attacking his wife, Harry heard a yelp.
He turned right to see Sybill holding his cup with an ashen face.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
Trelawney didn't answer, just put down Harry's cup with a shaking hand.
"Professor Trelawney, are you all right?" he repeated.
"Oh my, dear… this is not a happy cup… I see shock after shock, grief after grief and at the end… danger… terrible, lethal danger…" she mumbled, her eyes fixed on the teacup.
"Really?" Harry picked up the cup, examining the remainder of tealeaves in there, annoyed that the house-elves hadn't filtered it properly. "Have you seen the Grim again? What do you see, Remus?" he showed the cup to the other teacher.
"Um… let's see… a rabbit?"
"Well…" Harry looked at the tealeaves again. "For me it seems to be a camel. Or a plane? I don't know," he put it down with a shrug. Stupid Divination.
Suddenly he felt a hand grip his arm.
"Keep… your eyes open… Harry Potter," Sybill said with a trembling voice, releasing his arm.
"I will," he grimaced, relieved to see that Albus Dumbledore had just entered the Great Hall.
* * * * *
"Wow, not bad, not bad!" Kevin said admiringly as professor McGonagall led them into the Entrance Hall, then left them to wait until the teachers were ready for them.
"Yeah, beautiful," Daniel nodded, his eyes hungrily taking in the sight of dozens of glinting armours, several huge, moving paintings and candles hovering all around near the walls. "Really cool. Don't you think, Liu?"
"Huh?" the girl asked.
"The castle. Nice, isn't it?"
"Yeah, very nice," she replied with a sweet smile. "What is it, Kevin?" she asked suddenly, seeing the boy hide behind Norbert's back.
"That guy," Kevin pointed at a boy with brown hair. The same boy who had beaten them up in the train compartment.
"You aren't going to be a Gryffindor this way, Kevin," Daniel perceived, though he didn't feel too brave either, after having sighted the aggressive boy again. The aggressive boy, however, didn't care about them at all.
"Even Gryffindors can be afraid… sometimes," Kevin replied, slowly coming out from behind Norbert's back. "Remember what we have been told about Neville Longbottom."
"True," Dan nodded. "I hope I'm going to be in Gryffindor. I can't imagine what I'd do if I turned out to be a Hufflepuff… utter shame. Or worse… a Slytherin."
"Even Syltherins aren't that bad," Norbert cut in.
"No, not all of them… just 99%," Dan grinned. "I guess I'd kill myself if I got sorted into that house."
Norbert gave him an amused look.
"I am going to be a Ravenclaw," Lancelot interjected.
"No one asked you," Kevin folded his arms.
"I'm still going to be a Ravenclaw, because I'm the wittiest boy in the family," Percy's son drew himself up.
"Get lost, Weasel," Norbert turned to him, making him cringe.
"All right, all right," Lancelot adjusted his glasses and took several steps backwards.
Suddenly a bunch of ghosts appeared with loud whooshing. The little blonde girl, who had been fished out of the lake by Aberforth, got so scared that she almost fainted.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" a pudgy ghost, looking like a friar, laughed. "You there!" he pointed at Daniel, who gulped.
"Yes?" he asked with a shaking voice. He had never talked to a ghost before.
"Don't you think that Hufflepuff is that bad, young fellow!" the Fat Friar said. "I also used to be a Hufflepuff, and look what I've become!"
"No way is Daniel going to be like him!" Kevin smirked. "Friars have to be celibate!"
Daniel turned red and Norbert laughed heartily, casting sideways glances at Liu Chang.
"That must be the Bloody Baron!" the 'aggressive' boy exclaimed with excitement, pointing at a sullen-looking ghost hovering at the other end of the Entrance Hall.
"Typical," Kevin snorted. "Guys like this only like ghosts that have the word 'bloody' in their names!"
"I just hope this guy doesn't get into the same house as you, Kevin," Dan commented. "Though… I don't want him be in the same house with me, as well."
"Woohoo! Hello, firsties!" Headless Nick swooped down on them, throwing his head up in the air, then catching it and twirling it on the tip of his index finger.
"Hello, Nick," Daniel and Kevin greeted him. They had been told about the Gryffindor ghost by their parents.
"You are Harry Potter's son, right?" Nick flashed him with a wide grin. "Harry couldn't even deny being your father, you look so alike him! Oh, the good old times when your father came to celebrate my 500th Deathday!" he sighed. "And then… when he fought with Ron Weasley who separated my head from my neck! Wonderful memories, my friends, wonderful memories!"
"Are you a happy ghost now, Nick?" asked Dan.
"The happiest, thanks to your father and uncle!" Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington nodded gleefully – as much as he could nod with his head and neck totally severed. "I'm the new leader of the Headless Hunt! Just got elected!" he drew himself up proudly, pointing at a shining badge on his silvery coat, just below his ruff. Although the ruff had served as a means of hiding his partly severed neck for centuries, he couldn't bring himself to part with it after Ron had properly decapitated him. Or maybe ghosts didn't even have other clothes than those that they had died in…
"Congrats," Kevin grinned.
"Ah, you're the son of the Weasley twins, aren't you?" Nick clasped his hands. "I truly liked your fathers, kid. It made me always happy to see how they drove Filchie crazy!"
"Really, how is Filch doing nowadays? And his terrible old cat?" Kevin asked, remembering having been told not to get on the wrong side of the caretaker.
"Oooooh… that's a surprise, kiddies!" Nick laughed and disappeared.
"Surprise?" Dan grimaced. "What kind of surprise?"
"Maybe Filch got a new cat," Norbert shrugged. "Or married the old one."
"No, he definitely didn't," came a familiar voice from behind their backs.
"Aunt Hermione!"
"Hello, dears," Hermione smiled at them. "I've just brought your cousins."
Viviane and Valentine scowled at their mother. "We didn't need to be brought here, mum. We knew the route from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. Really. We are no children anymore."
"No children?" their mother raised an eyebrow. "Then prove it to me and keep out of trouble. This concerns you, too," she looked at Daniel and Kevin.
"Mum, why do you always think that we could get into trouble?" Valentine crossed her arms.
"Because you are Weasleys," Hermione smiled at them. "Now be good children and promise me that you won't start a food fight during the feast!"
"You're no fun, mum," Viviane pouted. "But we promise."
* * * * *
Harry was relieved to see Hermione arrive – he hoped that she would take his mind off Sybill's stupid predictions.
"Hi, Harry," she said, sitting down next to Trelawney.
"Hi, Herm. Brought the twins?" Harry asked over Sybill's head, as if the Divination professor wasn't there at all.
"Aye," Hermione smiled. "And made them swear to keep out of trouble. I made your son and Kevin promise the same."
"It won't be easy for them, Herm," he replied. "They are our children, thus they not only carry our rebellious genes, but they also believe that they have to… live up to our reputation. And that's why they're going to be troublemakers," at these words Sybill made a rather sour expression and suggested that Hermione and she should change places. So they did.
"Would you mind if they were like that?" Hermione asked Harry. "If they turned out to be troublemakers?"
"Well… I remember the day when Dan was born and Fred and George swore to turn him into the greatest mischief-maker Hogwarts had ever seen… that day I didn't mind it at all… I felt downright proud. But today… the prospect of my son getting into such troubles as I did simply gives me the creeps."
"He won't get into such troubles, Harry. You-Know-Who is long gone and no one is endangering Daniel's life. The only way he could be harmed is if Snape poisoned him," seeing the horrified expression on Harry's face, Hermione started to giggle. "Just kidding, Harry. Snape's still terrible, but he wouldn't do that to a child… not even if it's yours."
"Good to hear," he grinned, while Trelawney made an even more sour face. "So, will you finally tell me who the new staff-members are?"
"Albus is going to tell in person… in a couple of minutes."
Harry was just about to reply something when the door of the Great Hall opened to admit the first years.
As they lined up before the staff table, Albus Dumbledore rose to speak.
"Let me greet everyone on this wonderful evening! A new school year is going to start tomorrow, and I hope that all of you will enjoy it… the teachers will do everything in their power to make you grow to like Hogwarts and consider it as your second home."
"Like Snape would do anything to make us like it..." Daniel whispered into Kevin's ear, who nodded, grinning.
The headmaster carried on: "Before I share some pleasant news with you, let me remind you all that the Forbidden Forest next to the castle is forbidden, as always. And now, to the first part of the pleasant news: from this year on everyone is allowed to have an own broomstick – even the first years, who, of course, may also get into the Quidditch teams of their houses!"
Happy yells and fervent clapping followed his words – especially from the first years.
"The next thing you have to know: four new people have joined the staff this year. I am pleased to inform you that you will have Harry Potter as your new Charms professor."
Excited squeals could be heard from everywhere.
"My father!" Lily Potter told her Gryffindor mates proudly, flushing a bit.
"The second new teacher is…" Albus looked around. "Well… he hasn't arrived yet, maybe his broomstick is malfunctioning… well, anyway, he is going to be your new Flying professor and Quidditch referee… Neville Longbottom!"
"Neville?" Harry almost fell off his chair. "Hah! So that's why you didn't tell me, Hermione!"
"I didn't want to spoil the surprise," she grinned.
"Awww… just look at Snape," Harry chuckled, fearing that some of his ribs had broken from the suppressed laughter. "Neville is going to be his colleague! He'll have to be… polite to him!"
Hermione giggled into her cup of tea, imagining Snape being 'polite' to Neville.
"Our third addition to the stuff isn't totally new, he has already spent a year teaching here, however this year he is going to teach a new subject: P. E." Dumbledore looked around, seeing the surprise on the children's faces. "Well, it might surprise you that we have decided to include Physical Education into the curriculum, but trust me that it was a wise decision. Up till now there has been no other opportunity for sports than Quidditch, and people who were left out of the teams - about nine hundred students – haven't had any type of physical education. The staff has come to the conclusion that everyone needs a bit of movement, at least once a week. So… you are going to have P. E. lessons with…"
At that moment the door of the Great Hall burst open to admit none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, who was wearing one of his very lilac robes and a sexy little lopsided wizard hat of a slightly lighter shade of violet.
"Hello, everyone, I hope I'm not late!" he waved, approaching the staff table.
"…Professor Lockhart," Dumbledore finished his sentence.
"No!" Harry slapped his forehead. "Albus must be joking!"
"He isn't," Hermione replied, eyeing the still very good-looking Lockhart with in a dreamy sort of way.
Before elegantly taking place on Aberforth's left, Gilderoy greeted Harry with one of his flashy smiles.
As the murmur of the children died away, the headmaster continued his speech:
"And the fourth new person to our ranks is Bert Bradley, the new caretaker!" he pointed at a small guy with a young, boyish face, sitting at the very end of the table. Harry hadn't even noticed him before.
"What? Filch's no longer here?" Harry was appalled.
"No," Hermione shook her head, while students began throwing their pointed wizard hats into the air to express their utter joy of not seeing Argus Filch anymore. "Mrs. Norris died this summer and he broke down. Some say he also went crazy. You know, he was practically in love with that cat. And not just for an hour," she winked at him.
"Don't even remind me of that, Hermione!" Harry groaned, still vividly remembering his infatuation with Mrs. Norris – due to an Attraction Potion he was forced to drink. "I thought I'd never live it down…" he sighed, watching as McGonagall carried the Sorting Hat into the hall.
"And now to the most important part of my little speech tonight:" the headmaster carried on, "believe it or not, this summer, while tidying the library, our Madame Pince happened to find the foundation document of our school – a document that was supposed to be lost or destroyed long ago. Up till now we have lived in the firm belief that Hogwarts was around one thousand years old. Now, thanks to Madame Pince and the document she found, we know that Hogwarts is exactly one thousand years old – this year."
A loud murmur ran down the hall.
"Yes, the foundation document dates Halloween of 1011. According to Salazar Slytherin's diary – also found by our librarian - the foundation stone of Hogwarts was laid by the Hogwarts Four at Halloween… and the castle was ready by the 1st May of the next year. Thus…" Albus' mouth tucked into a grin, "We have a good reason to celebrate. In order to celebrate our school's thousandth birthday, we are going to have a series of festivities here at Hogwarts throughout the school year."
Cheering and excited yelping followed his words.
"Please, let me continue," the headmaster waved with his hand to silence the crowd. "Thank you. As I have already said, the foundation of our school is connected to two dates: Halloween and 1st May. Thus, we are going to have a special Halloween festivity and another – even more special one - at the beginning of May. Tonight I'm not going to go into details, because I presume all of you are already dying of hunger. I only ask you to wait for another twenty or so minutes for the sorting ceremony to end. Minerva, the Hat, please."
Sybill Trelawney clutched at her heart with a small yelp.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked, pretending to be worried.
"The hat… the hat…" Sybill mumbled.
"A vision, Sybill?" Hermione asked, pouring a glass of water and thrusting it into Trelawney's hand.
The Divination teacher nodded. Harry shrugged and gave his sister-in-law a 'don't-take-her-seriously'-stare, which Hermione answered with a 'don't-worry-I-never-took-her-seriously'-stare.
Minerva turned to the first years. "I'm going to call your names and put this hat on your heads. It will tell you which house you will be in… But of course only after the annual Sorting Hat song."
She stepped back to give the students a good view of the hat that suddenly came to life and began to sing:
The day has come, you're standing here,
nervous, giddy, even trembling,
but I tell there's nothing to fear
as long as you hear me rambling.
You think I'm a silly old hat,
chatting without taking action?
Hah! I'm the best cap you could get
to do the Hogwarts selection!
Gryffindor's the place for the brave,
so if you never hesitate
when there is a life you can save,
Gryffindor's where you'll fit in, mate!
If you like generosity,
find justice the greatest value,
for sufferers you feel pity,
you're a Hufflepuff, I tell you!
If you are a lil know-it-all,
if you have a quick working mind,
if you have more brains than a troll,
then the Ravenclaws are your kind!
If your ways are slyness and stealth,
if you're witty, cunning indeed,
if you want fame, power and wealth,
you're the one the Slytherins need!
You're curious where you belong?
Which house to greet with hello?
Telling your place won't take me long,
just put me on your head, fellow!
As the song ended, everyone clapped politely.
"So, the Ravenclaws have to have more brains than a troll?" Kevin smirked. "Then you have a chance to get in there, Lance!"
"Lancelot," Percy's son replied defiantly.
McGonagall cleared her throat. "So, I'll be calling your names, you come here, sit on this three-legged stool and I'll put the hat on your head," she looked down at her list. "Atkinson, Rowan."
A tall boy with dreadlocks stepped forward, sat down and McGonagall placed the hat on his head.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Bailey, Nigel."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Chang, Liu-Ling."
"RAVENCLAW!"
Daniel applauded enthusiastically. "I've got to get into Ravenclaw! I've got to!"
"One minute ago you wanted to be in Gryffindor," Kevin reminded him.
"Oh, shut up!" Dan shot him a rather nasty look, following Liu with his stare. He simply couldn't keep his eyes off the girl who approached the Ravenclaw table and took place as gracefully as a ballet dancer.
"Dumbledore, Julia," Minerva read out.
As McGonagall uttered this name, the whole Great Hall went silent. 'Dumbledore?' Even Minerva herself looked surprised, adjusted her glasses, as if to make sure that she had read it properly.
There was no mistake – the name of Julia Dumbledore was written quite clearly on her list.
A little blond girl with an expression of a scared chipmunk scuttled forward and flopped down on the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat shouted. The little girl took it off with a relieved smile and joined the table of her new house.
Aberforth gave his brother a bemused stare. "I never knew you had a great-grandchild, Albus," he said, taking a swig of his butterbeer.
"I don't," Albus replied. "You do."
Aberforth spit out his drink and started to cough so madly that he almost suffocated. Albus patted his back with a benign smile, while Minerva – who hadn't heard their discussion – carried on with the list.
"Flint, Lavinia."
A rather stuck-up looking girl came forward, sleeking her long hair with an elegant motion, sitting down on the stool as if it was a golden throne.
The Hat didn't contemplate her place too long, she was sent into Slytherin, and she looked rather pleased about it.
"That girl looks exactly like Blaise Zabini," Kevin remarked.
"Of course she does, she's her daughter… and that of Marcus Flint," Daniel made a disgusted face. "No wonder she got into that house."
"You still think that Slytherin is so terrible, don't you?" Norbert tutted. "Silly prejudice."
"Look who's talking. A future Slytherin," Kevin grimaced.
Meanwhile, McGonagall kept reading names and the Sorting Hat kept sorting people into houses.
"Lockhart, Gilda."
The 'aggressive' boy moved forward.
"Gilda??????" Kevin and Norbert gasped.
"He's a she?" Daniel gaped, too. "With such a straight left?"
The boy, however, turned out to be a girl, and – if they examined her better – they had to admit that there was something girlish in her features… but not too much. She had short hair and a body that didn't even slightly resemble that of a female.
Gilda Lockhart sat smugly on the stool, waiting for the hat's decision. Harry looked over at Gilderoy who was intently watching the girl – his daughter. Harry hadn't seen a daughter resemble her father so little before. She had brown hair – a mixture of Gilderoy's blonde and Anck-sun-Amun's black hair. Her eye-colour was the only thing that bore some resemblance to her father's.
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted finally.
"Oh, no!" Norbert sighed, while Harry looked at Gilderoy again – the new P. E. teacher didn't seem to be shocked by the hat's choice at all.
"Now, now, Devilsmoor, you wanna be a lil Gryffindor now that she's in Slytherin?" Kevin mocked.
"No way," young Malfoy straightened himself and walked forward, as Minerva called out his name.
The Sorting Hat barely touched his forehead when it shouted 'SLYTHERIN!'
"Told ya I'll be in there," Norbert told Daniel as he passed by them, to sit down at the table of his house.
"Nash, John!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Oleson, Nelly!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Parris, Tom!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Potter, Daniel!"
Daniel felt his heart clench.
"Hey, it's gonna be all right!" Kevin patted him on the back, seeing how pale his cousin was.
Daniel slowly walked up to the stool, sat down and the deputy headmistress placed the hat on his head.
Moments of silence followed… Harry, at the staff table, crossed his fingers…
"SLYTHERIN!"
A/N: well, this was something you COULD expect from me, wasn't it? I thought it'd be damn boring to put Dan into Gryffindor – this way it will be much more interesting, trust me :)
You might have realised that I was having a bit of fun with the names of the first-year students. Rowan Atkinson is a British comedian, Nigel Bailey is a character in Relic Hunter, John Nash was the schizophrenic genius in A Beautiful Mind, Nelly Oleson is from Little House on the Prairie, and Tom Parris comes from Star Trek Voyager. But certainly none of them will be of any importance in the story.
We all know that in the fourth book the Sorting Hat sings 'a thousand years or more ago', but let's assume that not even the hat knows when Hogwarts was founded – a thousand year ago, or more or less... Anyway, I don't think that the Hat knows exactly how old the school is, so let's just let Hogwarts celebrate its 1000th birthday in 2011, okay?
Colibi: you STILL have a good feeling about the story? *wicked grin*
AmandaPanda and jasper: about the Potters having more kids. Weeeeeeeell… who knows?
AClodhoppingElf: Lea in Hungarian (and I think in Latin, too) is pronounced a bit like Leia in Star Wars, just without the 'i'. So it's not really 'Lee-ah', the 'e' in there is pronounced as the 'e' in the word 'let'.
rebkos: I wanted Harry to teach Charms, because he usually teaches DaDA or Flying in other fics. I wanted to do something new for a change.
Anja: I hope you won't stop reading this time.
Bucky: I don't like Cho either. You know that I don't.
Nefertiri: well, now you know who Norbert is, right? Anyway, he was mentioned in the final chapter of the second fic – Aberforth and Minerva saw the Hogwarts parchment book and Norbert's name in it on their wedding night. Sorry about the Hat's choice for Daniel… but I truly thought that placing him into Gryffindor would be way too cliché-like and boring. Most authors who write 'next generation' fics are not brave enough to put Harry's children into other house but Gryffindor. I screwed up my courage, though :)
Black Ice: well, obviously I did a sorting ceremony. Hope you liked it.
lyny: yes, the ending will be more or less happy. Not the usual 'exuberantly happy' ending, but kind of happy. Harry will go trough stuff that won't allow him to really celebrate at the end – I guess that he has never been through such terrible things as he will in this fic, so he won't feel like rejoicing. But I promise that the end will not be sad :) Yvette won't really have a role in the fic, but whenever I'll be referring to her, she will be a bit stuck-up. Sorry about that, I didn't meant to insult your grandma, since I had chosen to name her Yvette back at the beginning of TGSaWCS. In fact I knew an Yvette in the primary school, who was very stuck-up and I kind of described her as Yvette Weasley.
spangle*star: I hope you'll manage to keep track of the kids after a few chapters.
rodhrrypttr: I know I don't have to answer your review, but I still do. Sorry, but Dudley and Millicent won't have a role in this fic.
SiriDragon: I'm glad you like Lily.
maureen: the kid who was late for the train was Norbert. The triplets aren't named after people I know. About Honeydukes – wait and you'll see :)
Lady Python: yeah, Lancelot's name is terrible, isn't it? I gave him this ridiculous name on purpose, of course :) Gilda's name comes from Verdi's Rigoletto – it's an Italian name as far as I know.
Amaranta: you make me blush :)
FairyBubbles: well, now you know what the document was.
Princess Ginny: no, I haven't heard of So you want to be a Wizard. Who wrote it? Yes, I got your mail, thanks.
2Coolio: I didn't mean it as a pat on the back, I was just happy that you reviewed :)
The-Girl-Who-Lived: I also have a good memory for names. It can prove pretty useful :)
Kristen Michelle: yeah, hopefully I'll be uploading quite often. I'm glad you liked it.
Bamboo Anime: the kid who stared at him was Norbert. What? A tornado hit your school??? Do tell me about it! Btw, I like your new name better :)
Toby Haine: yes, the last chapter was really my longest so far. However, it isn't the longest in this fic. 31 chapters all in all.
Saphron: no, I haven't heard Ode to Harry Potter, but it sounds fun. Could you write me the text in an email? I'd highly appreciate it :)
romina: even your teacher was reading it? LOL :)
Laurel Hoffman: no idea what happened to Charlie, and sorry, but he won't even be mentioned in this fic. I am not a fan of his. Never been. Dunno why. Perhaps if Rowling lets us get to know him better, I'll grow to like him.
Ice Kitten: yes, we do get Eminem, but I don't like it. My little brother, however, does a lot.
zzxm: was it depressing? Hm… I never meant it to be depressing.
Ronniekin's Sweetheart: hi, Leah, you have a beautiful name! LOL, I adore my mother's name, because in Hungary it is so very rare and sounds interesting. Everyone says that she has a very peculiar name :) Read my answer to AClodhoffpingElf.
Jen: I'm glad that you are glad.
Incubo Artistico: I'm happy that you liked the last one better than the first one.
K. C. Hunter: I had a teacher in the primary school who told me that her kids had always called her Kate instead of mum. I thought it was cute. Oh, you also like The Devil's Deal? It's such a wonderful story!
sabby: I also like the idea of the Malfoy bank :)
Katie Bell: no Katie in this fic. I have shamelessly neglected her, I know, sorry. Yeah, make-up is difficult. I remember myself at Lily's age – I was bungling up my make-up just like her and ended up crying that I'd never learn how to do it :))) So, the Lily in the last chapter was a bit like me :)
RedHot911: Harry's first day as a teacher will be described in chapter 5, but rather from Daniel's point of view.
Lily: what? You read only a few chapter of the first fic? Then how did you understand the second? Weird! I strongly advise you to read the whole first story, or at least chapters 30-33, or you won't understand certain parts of this fic.
jennaration: read my answer to AClodhoppingElf.
Mione2: Mary Sue won't even have a single line in this fic, so don't worry about me writing a 'Mary Sue'. It was just a pun to name Neville's wife that.
aurora riddle: yes, Oliver Wood's son is just as sexy as Ollie himself :)
Derkaun Zarion: I don't know why ffnet shows the diary half in italics and half regular. I put the whole thing in italics, it must have been my computer's fault again. Yes, you are right about plague, the great disease was in the 1400's, but I thought that smaller cases might have cropped up earlier. You lost your 20 Galleons, there won't be anything about that 13-year-old girl. Sorry about making Dumbledore have a US niece, but I promise that she won't be as terrible as the usual "the girl who comes to Hogwarts from the USA". In fact you won't get to know her much, she was only needed to show changes in McGonagall's behaviour. You'll see. Yes, Titania was in Midsummer night's dream. Thanks for the Latin correction.
nicole: I'll update at least once a week, I promise.
apple-pie: don't worry about Honeydukes :)
LilGinny: I hope you are feeling better and your little sister, too. Yes, the scrawny boy with the huge packages is important – he's Norbert. There's not much about Sirius and Rosie, they are kind of together, but living separately. I upload my chapters in HTML format, but sometimes it still turns italics back into regular letters, dunno why. But try html, maybe it will work for you.
X-Tow-Naga: see, the new professor wasn't Aaron or his wife. But you'll see him in a short scene later and he'll be revealing something... scary. About having to call Harry 'Professor Potter' – Hogwarts might have introduced a rule since Harry graduated, and now all teachers have to be addressed with due respect. Yes, I knew about McCauley Culkin's sad story (I'm not sure I wrote his name right). I haven't read Traitor from the NJO series. I'm done with reading SW, probably forever. I might read the book version of the third movie, but no more series books. I've had enough of them.
Kit Clouckicker: both your wishes will be granted.
Lady Schezar: I hope it was a quick enough update :)
Jeanine23Dr: sorry, no card for Ron, and no lawsuits from Harry. Well, let me make you a bit miserable, just like your cousin: I also have tickets for the first day, so probably I'll see it earlier than you will *wicked grin*.
Lizzie: did I really write Little Whining? LOL! That's so funny! WHINING :))) Don't worry about being picky, I'm also picky towards other authors and driving them crazy pointing out all their little mistakes. So, feel free to be picky with me!
Padme Skywalker: hm… poor Harry? Why? In chapter two he wasn't that miserable, was he? Well, now he will be, given the Hat's choice, and later on he'll be even more miserable, but in chapter two he wasn't, really…
Myr Halcyon: you wrote: "with so many kids, how do you tell who knocked up whom?" LOL :)) I hope you'll be able to keep the kids' names in mind.
Altec: you have a kid? A boy or a girl?
Wood's secret lover: no, Oliver's wife isn't mentioned anywhere. You can have him if you want, as long as I can have Harry :))
jopatura: Ginny has Dinky the house elf to help her with taking care of the kids. Yes, I do have plans with Honeydukes.
Puck: I do hope it's gonna be awesome :))
star queen: you won't really get to know Evelyn, she will just be mentioned. But you'll see a bit of Christopher Wood (though he also won't be a major character). What? You were HAPPY about seeing Cho? Everyone else hates her…
WolfEyes: Hogwarts must be in Scotland, because the trains that leave from King Cross always go to Scotland (Rowling said so in some interview), and Rowling also lives in Scotland, so we can be 100% sure that Hogwarts is in Scotland.
NuttyBuddy: yeah, I thought that it'd take people a while to read it through… get used to the thought that the average chapter length in this fic will be as long as this one.
Alexander Phoenix and Megan: during eleven years a lot of things can change. I remember for example how certain parts of my own city (Budapest) looked like 11 years ago, and now it looks totally different. I supposed that Hogsmeade had to change, too.
Aimee: you wrote: "I wanna see just how bad the kids get." Lol, they'll get really bad :) "Do we get to find out why Snape's grown so bitter?" Well, I guess he's just getting older and more and more lonely. "…or why he doesn't treat Lily as bad as some people?" Well, you might find that out, though I won't state it so clearly, but there will be a hint – if you're clever enough, you'll realise :)
Kestrel: I might right a novel, but not nowadays. Perhaps when I'm done with studying. Who knows?
starheart: are you the same as 'starheart20' on GTnet? If you are, then thanks for reviewing my fic there, too. I badly needed that review, I don't seem to be that popular on GTnet yet, and probably will never be. But as Dumbledore said wisely, one cannot hold out for universal popularity :)
Apocalipsis once known as King Jasbon: you wrote: "Is Harry ever mentioned in one of your stories as Heir of one of the Four Founders?" My answer: not yet.
Lana Riddle: I will :)
Waldomier: thanks for the grammar corrections. Keep telling me my mistakes, okay? :)
Cyclo: why does Harry almost not know Lily? Well, when their kids turn adolescent, many parents think that they don't know them, because they start to behave so strangely and keep secrets from their parents.
tarantula: you posted your review around the same time I uploaded chapter two, so I couldn't thank you for reviewing chapter one. I'm doing it now – thanks. And no, you are NOT wrong, but sshhhh! It's a secret :))))
Houou and Rab: Flitwick ran Ravenclaw. I decided to make Professor Sinistra the new head of Ravenclaw. Harry has just started to teach at Hogwarts, it wouldn't be right to make him a head of house.
Neus: thanks for writing.
White Raven: you are the second reviewer who has my mum's name :)
dipstick: there's no official name for the trilogy as a whole. But you may call it 'The Greatest Trilogy' if you want to :)
goldenstar555: I envy you, too. Another 16 days for me to see the movie :(
CandyGurl83: Harry is going to go home in chapter 6 and he'll be visiting his family regularly.
Dauphin: do you live in China? You might have mentioned it before, but I forgot. Is it really that cold in China now? In Hungary last week it was pleasantly warm, as though it had been September, not November. Allegedly in some gardens the violets started to bloom again, as though it had been April :)
Missy: thank you very much :)
Sky: perhaps the Gildy kid won't be that terrible at all… she's not at all the way you'd imagine her.
Blondie in Disguise: I'm glad you liked it :)
The Millennium One: what? You really thought that TGSaWCS wasn't finished? LOL :)
Cherie: thanks a lot.
jen: it won't be easy for prof Potter to deal with all the crazy youngsters :)
seashell: yes, the story is written, but I'm still correcting it. I'm glad you liked the quote.
Any last requests: yes, I made up that Hogwarts name derivation. Good luck with your exams!