Disclaimer: I no own Harry Potter. Ok. Good. On with the story then.

Authors note: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I wasn't feeling well. But fear not! For I have exacted vengeance upon my brother for passing his cold onto me. Now that that's over with I hope you like the story.

Chapter 8: Hogwarts at last

Or

Sorting surprises

Remus Lupin, former professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, watched boats as they floated their way towards the castle. He knew Harry wouldn't be among them, but it was something for the werewolf to watch while he waited. The impromptu interlude with the Giant Squid was interesting.

Remus was nervous. He and his good friend, Sirius Black, had been asked to come to the castle by the Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, and had not been told why. Since he had been asked to bring Sirius with him, he could only assume that it had something to do with Harry, Sirius's godson, and Son of two very dearly departed friends. And while Remus had the utmost respect for Dumbledore, the old man's insistence on being vague could be extremely irritating!

But he wouldn't tell Dumbledore that, no way!

"With all due respect," Remus said to the Professor, turning away from the window. "I wish you would just tell me why we're here."

Dumbledore's aged gaze twinkled at Remus from behind his half-moon spectacles. "I assure you," he said. "All will become clear in time."

"Is there something wrong with Harry?" Remus asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. Dumbledore caught him at it anyway.

"We could go and see, if you like." He said, "The other students should probably have arrived by now. Shall we?" He gestured for Remus to accompany him from his office.

Remus followed, being careful to be quiet about it, so as not to disturb to enormous black dog asleep on a chair by the desk. Sirius had to be smuggled into the castle in his Animagus form for a very good reason. Sirius was widely thought to be an escaped murderer, the only person ever to escape from Azkaban, the wizard's prison. It had been discovered by Harry and his friends that Sirius had been framed for the murder, that of Harry's parents, but as yet only Harry and his friends, Remus and Dumbledore knew that, and Sirius's name had yet to be cleared.

At least the poor mutt was finally getting more than a few minutes sleep. He'd fallen asleep almost as soon as they had arrived at the castle, almost four hours earlier.

On the way to the Entrance Hall, Remus tried, fruitlessly, to wheedle more information from Dumbledore. He was cunning and witty, and if you held a gun to his head now he would not have been able to remember a single thing he said. It did no good, in any case. Dumbledore effortlessly managed to deke around every question in such an artful way that Remus could not even get annoyed with him. He had the distinct impression that the old wizard was enjoying bating him. Only the knowledge that Dumbledore would do no such thing if Harry were in any real immediate danger kept Remus from getting frustrated.

At last they reached the Entrance Hall. Remus strained to pick out Harry among the sea of students milling around in front of the door to the Great Hall.

"Professor Lupin?" came a familiar voice from the edge of the crowd to his left. Remus turned and saw Harry's face light up as he recognized his former teacher. Remus felt himself smiling as well as Harry came over to him as Dumbledore melted into the background. Ron and Hermione were with him, both smiling.

"Hello again, Harry." Remus said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. " Harry said. "How are you? What are you doing here?"

"Are you teaching again?" asked Hermione.

"No," Remus said. "Just here to clear up some business. You're all looking well. How were your summers?" Ron and Hermione both said theirs were fine, Harry made a noncommittal noise and grimaced. Remus couldn't suppress a laugh at the expression. "That good was it?"

"It could've been worse." Harry shrugged. "Um, Professor?"

"You can just call me Remus," he told Harry. "Since I'm not a professor anymore, you know."

"Oh, yeah," Harry said. "Well, I was wondering," He lowered his voice so the other students wouldn't hear. "Have you heard from Sirius at all? I haven't heard from him lately I was wondering if maybe he had contacted you yet?" Remus could catch the tremor of worry in Harry's voice.

Remus lowered his voice as well. "You can come see him after the Sorting, if you like." He said.

Ron's eyes widened. "Has he come back?" he asked. "Is he okay?"

All three of them looked alarmed.

Remus couldn't help grinning at their concern. "He's posing as my pet." He told them, "he's quite alright. In fact, he's probably catching up on some much needed sleep." He grinned again. "In fact I should probably go inform him that you're alright before he wakes up and starts pacing a hole in Dumbledore's floor again." He turned to leave. "See you at the feast." He said waving over his shoulder.

****

Harry couldn't stop smiling even if he'd wanted to. He was back at Hogwarts. And two of his favorite people in the world (Besides Ron and Hermione) were there too and at the same time! Life was good.

He was talking to Ron about how great it was that they would see Sirius again when Ron's face darkened.

"It's that kid again." He said through gritted teeth. Harry turned and saw the first years coming into the great hall. In the back of the group a girl that looked to be about their age stood.

Who's she?' He wondered. Something about her was tickling at his memory. Next to her stood a boy, obviously a first year, with a blue bird on his shoulder. Why in the world did those two look so familiar? Then a flash of silver caught his attention. He looked down at their feet and saw a small silver fox. This jogged his memory. 'Those people in Diagon Alley'

"It's them" he whispered in shock. Ron stopped glaring at the boy long enough to look at Harry and question. "What?"

"The other day, in Diagon Alley. Remember the attack? Those are the people that saved us." He said pointing at them.

"Black, Toren!" McGonagall called. Harry, Ron and Hermione snapped their attention to her. They watched as the boy with the falcon walked to the front. They looked at each other then shrugged. What where the odds that he was related to Sirius, Black was a pretty common name after all. Maybe they were just being jumpy.

They watched as the hat was placed on the boy's head. A puzzled look came over his face. Then he began looking around. Finally he looked up at the hat on his head. He reached up and pulled the hat off, looking inside. Then turned it over and began shaking it.

There was a puzzled rooba rooba sound from the rest of the students. Harry looked at Ron. Ron looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Harry. They all looked back at the kid.

Finally McGonagall gave up. "What are you doing?" she asked.

The kid had an immense frown of confusion on his face. "Trying to see where that voice is coming from." He said, as though it ought to be obvious. He stopped shaking the Hat and stuck one hand up inside the thing, feeling for the mysterious voice.

Rooba roooba rooba. Another look was passed between Harry and friends like a Quaffle.

The tear along the brim of the Hat opened. "Pardon me, young man." It said. "We are running late, may we settle this later?"

Toren removed his hand from the Hat and held it by the brim, peering at the tear with curiosity. "Erm," he said. "Okay."

He continued to hold the Hat for several moments in silence. Titters were starting to be heard throughout the Hall.

The Hat sighed. "You need to place me on your head."

"What for?" Black asked, suspiciously.

"I need to measure your character to decide which House to put you in." The Hat replied.

"Okay." Said Black agreeably. "Go for it."

He continued holding the Hat for a few more moments of silence. Harry had to admit to himself that this was worth watching. Even Ron had stopped scowling and was biting his lip to keep from laughing.

"I cannot do this if you don't put me on you head." The Hat explained carefully. Harry got the impression that the Hat was at least as amused as the students were. How often did students actually have the pluck to question it? Must be a nice change for it.

Black looked at the Hat as though the thing were mental. "But I don't want you on my head."

"Then how am I to sort you?" the hat asked in amusement. Toren shrugged.

"I don't know. Just pick one I guess." He said.

"I need to go through your characteristics to decide what house would be best for you." The hat replied.

"But I don't want you going through my head. That's private stuff. Can't you just decide from here? How about you put me with Ginny, she's my friend, I wouldn't mind being in her house." Toren nodded to the Hat, obviously determined not to put it on his head.

Harry head Ron growl next to him. He obviously didn't like that the new kid was friends with his sister.

The Sorting Hat and The boy bantered back and forth for a few more minutes, then the older girl sighed and walked up to the stool. She took the hat out of the boy's hands and jammed it on his head.

"Hey!" Toren yelled. The hat flapped its brim while the girl held it on the boy's head.

"Just sit still. I won't let it hurt you, and if it tries I'll shred it. Promise" she said winking at the boy. He slumped, giving up arguing with the hat.

"Gryffindor!" the hat bellowed not a moment later. Toren took the hat off and set it on the stool, patted it on the top, then turned to look out over the students for the Gryffindor table.

"Over here Toren!" Ginny yelled waving her hand. Toren smiled then walked over and plopped down beside her.

"Hi there! I'm Colin Creevy," the boy across from Toren said sticking his hand out. Toren blinked at him then smiled and stuck his hand out to give Colin's a shake.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Toren!" He said. He didn't get to shake Colin's hand though since Ginny had intercepted it and pulled it back. She gave Colin a pointed look.

"You really don't want to do that Colin." She said very seriously. Colin looked confused but nodded anyway. Toren looked at Ginny but she just patted him on the head, he turned his attention to examining the silverware.

Harry saw movement in the corner of his vision, he looked at the head table. Remus was waving at him and next to him was a great shaggy black dog. Harry waved back enthusiastically, the dog wagged its tail furiously.

"Look it's Remus and Snuffles!" Harry told Ron and Hermione excitedly. They watched as Remus sat down and raised his drink in their direction and smiled at them. He took a drink.

"Lupin, Selene" McGonagall called.

Remus spit his drink out over the table. He couldn't have sat up any faster if someone had placed a blast-ended skrewt on his chair.

"SELENE!" he yelled.

The girl on the stool looked panicked.

"It wasn't me! Toren did it!" she yelled in reflex, pointing at the Gryffindor table. Toren stood up, crumbling the plate he had been examining into a ball.

"I did not!" he yelled in defense. Remus's head swung around to look at him.

"TOREN BLACK!" he yelled in shock.

"I didn't do it!" Toren yelled once more. " I swear!" he said, now twisting a spoon into a knot before Colin's horrified gaze. Colin turned his stunned expression on Ginny.

"Thanks for the warning." He said weakly. Ginny just nodded and reached up to pluck the spoon from Toren's grasp.

"Sit down Toren, you're mangling the silverware." She said calmly.

"Can we do this after the sorting." McGonagall said impatiently. Placing the hat on Selene's head.

Remus slumped back into his chair while snuffles looked at him in a mix of confusion and shock. Professor Dumbledore looked on in amusement and smiled.

Harry, Ron and Hermione almost go whiplash from jerking their heads back and forth so many times. This was definitely a surprise.

"I didn't know Remus had a daughter?" Hermione commented. Harry was still to shocked to give an answer.

"Gryffindor!" Bellowed the sorting Hat. Selene hopped off and placed the hat on the stool. Patting it like Toren had and saying. "Nice to meet you." Then walking over and plopping down by Toren and Ginny.

Most of the feast was spent with looks being passed. Snuffles would look at Remus, Remus was looking at Selene then Toren then back to Selene, Selene would look at Remus then duck her head, Harry, Ron and Hermione would alternate between Remus and Snuffles to the two new kids, Toren just looked at his plate, staring at the bowls were the food had appeared from wondering if he could get away with lifting it up to see how it worked.

Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands. All attention was turned to him.

"Now then before we go to bed let us all sing the school song." He said enthusiastically.

Selene and Toren watched in confusion as everyone began singing, then laughed and joined in. As students began leaving the hall, Remus got up and approached them, Harry and his two friends followed behind him. He placed a hand on Selene's shoulder and she turned to look at him.

"Would you please follow me, Toren you to." He said, although it seemed very hard for him to speak at all. Selene nodded and she and Toren walked behind him and the large dog.

After they got into Dumbledores office Remus turned and started at them. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood by the door and watched.

"Selene?" Remus said in an emotional whisper. The girl tilted her head and looked at him in curiosity, then her eyes lit up in recognition.

"Papa." She whispered. Then started running at him. "Papa!" she yelled throwing herself into Remus's open arms. Nemo rolled off her shoulder and into Harry's feet, he absentmindedly picked him up, never taking his eyes off the emotional scene.

"Selene, It is you! Oh thank god. I thought you were dead." Remus said through his tears as he fell to his knees with Selene in his arms.

Everyone watched the two reunite. Harry was close to tears himself, Hermione was crying, happy for them. Ron had put his arm around her to comfort her, although he looked close to tears too.

Remus pulled away and wiped her tears off of her face while looking at her then he laughed and hugged her to him again. He looked over her shoulder at Toren who was standing and looking on in confusion.

"Oh, Toren come here." He watched the boy come over then placed his hand on his shoulder smiling at him. Then he turned to look at the large dog.

"Sirius I'd like you to meet your son, Toren." He said. Toren look at the dog and smiled.

"Hi'ya pop!" he said cheerfully.

THUMP

Toren looked down at the comatose dog, then up at Remus.

"Was it something I said?"

****

Harry, Ron and Hermione left to go to bed before house points could be deducted for them being out of bed at night.

Selene explained what happened that night so long ago, and where they had been. Remus just kept hugging her and saying how glad he was that they were alive. Sirius was still out.

"Well I'm very glad that Gryffin was there that night, I would like to thank her someday." He said. Suddenly Sirius awoke and grabbed Remus by the hair pulling him around to look him in the eye.

"How." He said through gritted teeth. Remus looked at him with a bland expression.

"I should think you would know how." He said calmly. Sirius shook his head.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" he yelled in Remus's face. He felt a small hand on his shoulder and turned coming face to face with his son. He stared into blue eyes so much like his own, the kid couldn't have looked more like him if he'd been a clone.

"Are you mad." Toren asked in a small voice. Sirius shook his head and reached out to drag the boy into a hug.

"No never mad, just surprised." He said gently. "I'm so sorry I was never there for you, if I had know" He trailed off. Toren looked up from Sirius's chest.

"That's ok pop, I didn't know about you either." He said putting a hand on Sirius's cheek. Sirius looked like he would bust into tears, so instead he laughed a watery laugh and hugged his son.

****

Authors Note: Well I hope you liked it. Again sorry about the lateness. I made it longer than usual to make up for it. Please review and let me know. Also I need ideas. Got anything you wanna see happen? Let me know. Thanks.

Next Time: Snape's dance Lesson or Door slammin' fun.