AN*~ Ok, this is my first time as an author, and thanks (A BIG THANX) to the wonder girls, Ashe-Leigh, Cassie and Charlotte for helping me start. And I would like to thank my guinea pig, lily, Lily you have been a tower of strength during this time. And all I'd like in the world is TOUGHER PENALTIES FOR PAROLE VIOLATORS. Ahem… anyway, here you go!!!!! Oh and please be nice when reviewing, that's if you want to, but it would be really good if you could.

Chapter one

He opened his eyes and looked around. On a pedestal in front of him was the sorting hat. All around him was a swirling white mist. It was like an impenetrable hot fog. A voice kept saying in his head, "You would have been great you know." He wiped a bead of sweat away, revealing under his soot black hair, a lightening blot shaped scar on his forehead.

He reached out and touched the sorting hat. The sorting hat whirled around and latched onto his hand. As his world swirled and turned, darkness engulfed him. His last thoughts were, "Hey, this isn't right! I'm sure the sorting hat never BIT anyone. I wonder if it's infected…"

                Over the other side of the world, Tess Bently gasped and woke up. She ran a hand through her jet black hair, rubbed her eyes, and looked at the clock with a groan. It was 6:30! She slumped back into her pillows and fell asleep again. When she woke up, she forgot all about it.

***~~~***

Harry Potter sat up and looked around. On his bed was Hedwig, and she had a parcel, with urgent written all over it. He looked down at his hand. It was bleeding slightly where she had to bite him to wake him up. He'd been really hard to wake lately, with the stress of Sirius' trial, and once he was asleep, he was really hard to wake up. Wormtail had been discovered, so Sirius came out of hiding and was being given a fair trial.

It was September 1st, the day Harry was to return to Hogwarts. So why would anyone he knew be sending him mail?

He glanced over at the clock and groaned. It was 6:30!

'This had better be urgent, Hedwig,' he growled. She dropped the parcel in his lap, and he gave her an absent-minded pat. She hooted softly and flew over to get a drink from her bowl.

Harry looked at the parcel suspiciously. His hand hovered over the string, and finally, he touched it. Suddenly, he felt that oh-too-familiar hook behind his navel, and traveled by the port-key to another location…