A/N: This chapter skips ahead to the start of the school year, suffice to say Harry, Tristan, and Caleb got into Hogwarts, got all their shopping done and now we are closer to the actually start of the story. I hope.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything officially related to it. I do own this fan fiction, this plot, and any original characters.

Warnings: This story will contain SLASH as in a relationship between two male characters, language, and violence in later chapters. This story is AU but it still might have spoilers for all five books.

Pairings/Couples: Harry x Tristan (OC) / Ron x Hermione / Caleb (OC) x ?

Please review, creative criticism welcome.

Chapter Four: The New Kids on the Block.

Ron Weasley sat with his girlfriend, Hermione Granger, at the Gryffindor house table, chatting with his friends while he waited for the Sorting to begin.

Parvati Patil sat on his other side, talking and giggling with her friend Lavender Brown, about what they did over the summer holidays, and Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas talked about sports, mainly Quidditch and football (soccer).

Excitement among the student body caused the entire Great Hall to practically hum with anticipation.

Nobody knew who it was, but there were several rumors going around that there were some new students arriving with the normal eleven-year-old first years.
Most thought it was some transfer students from another magic school, like Beauxbatons or Durmstrang (names he learned from Hermione), or C. G. A.'s school of Magic in New Zealand.

Other's said they were special cases, like they were geniuses or something, and they were sent to Hogwarts, the most prestigious of wizarding schools, for a better education. Everybody else just didn't care.

"Hey, Ron, who do you think will be brave enough to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts job?" Neville Longbottom leaned across the table and asked. Neville was a short, round faced boy with brown hair and eyes. He was known around the entire school for his forgetfulness and bad grades in Potions class.

"Or stupid enough." Seamus added.

For the past six years something bad has to the DADA professors or the professor themselves were bad.

One year, they had a teacher who practiced necromancy, the art of raising the dead and demon summoning, and he had lost control of the demon he had conjured up and had been eaten. When the students had turned up for class they had found his bloody remains splattered around the room.

That had been the first incident and every year after that something terrible had befallen the DADA professor, it wasn't always as bad as that first time had been, but it had been enough for most witches and wizards to avoid taking the position.

"Don't know," Ron said and leaned his elbow on the table. "But I hope who ever does take it, isn't like Snape."

A collective shudder went around the table. Professor Severus Snape, the Potions-master, had always wanted the DADA gig but had never gotten it, however one time the headmaster had been unable to find a brave enough soul and Snape finally got his wish.
For two months he had been the DADA teacher.

The reason why he had only had the job a few months wasn't because of the 'curse' or because he had been lacking in knowledge of the Dark Arts, but because he had scared one group of first year into hysterics.

After hearing about that nobody, not even the elder students, would go near the DADA classroom.
Snape had been replaced shortly after.

Hearing a commotion in the corridor outside the hall the friends paused in their conversation and watched as the doors at the back of the hall opened and a line of scared looking first years walked in followed by a stern- faced woman named professor McGonagall.

They stopped at the high table where a stool stood with a ragged bundle sitting on top, the school's sorting hat.
(I'm just going to skip the sorting, nobody important to the story is in it, and I couldn't write a sorting song if my life depended on it. I swear.)
After everybody was sorted into their house, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, the students waited for the headmaster's welcoming speech and the food to appear on their tables.

On cue, McGonagall tapped her golden goblet with her spoon for attention and gradually the hall quieted.

Dumbledore stood up and smiled at the student body. "Ah, yes, now I know all of you are probably waiting for me get this over with and to start the feast, but I have a few announcements to make. Tonight, I have a great honor of introducing five people that have been wronged severely in the past and finally are able to be welcomed back into the wizarding world as friends. So, without further ado, let me announce to you, your Defense Against the Darks professors, Misters Remus Lupin and Sirius Black."

The big double doors at the back of the hall opened to the shocked silence of the school and two people walked in.

Professor Black was tall with collar length black hair and dark eyes that sparkled with happiness. The other professor, Lupin, was also tall, had brown hair, streaked slightly with gray at the temples and deep brown eyes.
They reached the high table and shook Dumbledore's hand before taking their seats.

Despite the fact that the 'Daily Prophet' had said they were innocent and the real criminal had been caught and already sentenced to jail, the students couldn't help but stare in slight awe and fear at the newcomers.

It's not everyday you see people who your mother used to tell you stories about to scare you into doing your chores or to behave. Although some of the more bolder girls did giggle and blush at the handsome men.

The two professors didn't seem to mind, indeed they both looked rather amused at the mixed reaction their arrival caused.

Dumbledore cleared his throat; the action sounding very loud in the stillness of the hall, looking amused himself. "I believe I said I was going to introduce 'five' people, so I would like you to welcome you're new classmates, Tristan Black, Caleb Lupin, and Harry Potter."

Once again the hall doors opened and there stood three slightly nervous teenagers. Two of them had obsidian colored hair and the other had chocolate colored locks.

One black-haired boy had piercing emerald eyes behind wire-framed glasses, his hair was cut short in the back and on the sides but the front was kept slightly long and it hung over his eyes.

His skin was pale, a sharp contrast to his dark hair and bright eyes, it was also unblemished and smooth. His nose was straight except for a light up-turn at the end, his lips were full and he had cheekbones any girl would kill for.

The other blacked-haired boy had silvery-grey eyes and was tanner than either of his friends. His features were more masculine than the green-eyed boy, his jaw was more square and his lips were thinner and more firm looking.

The brown headed boy had intelligent blue eyes and was more slim than the other two, his face was well defined, but not sharp or fierce looking, his skin was a pale golden with a light scattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and on his cheeks.

All three of them were wearing pristine Hogwarts uniforms and were glancing around at all the surprised, curious faces turned towards them.

"Um, Hello." The green-eyed boy said quietly. "I'm Harry, this is Tristan, " He pointed to his black-haired friend. "And this is Caleb." The other teenager was gestured to. The hall continued to stare. Harry fidgeted and tried again. "Hola."

No response.

"Bonjour."

Nothing,

"Hei."

Silence.

"Hallo"

Crickets chirping.

Tristan sighed. "Give it up, Harry, it doesn't look like they're going to say 'Hi' anytime soon." He walked into the hall confidently and headed to the high table where the sorting hat was. "Good evening, Headmaster." He grinned and bowed his head.

Over the last several weeks, before school started, they had gotten to know the headmaster fairly well and he had updated them on everything currently going on. Even though they had managed to receive the Daily Prophet for a couple of years, they still had been out of touch with most happenings.

Cornelius Fudge had been elected Minister of Magic, a fact that had shocked Sirius and Remus, as they had both known him while at school and remembered him to something of a complete and total idiot, who barely graduated.

Lucius Malfoy had become one of the governors of Hogwarts after he had pleaded innocence at his trial. He had been accused of being a Death-Eater, a follower of Voldemort. He had said he was under a spell and had been controlled by the Dark Lord to do 'such dreadful acts of violence'.

Sirius and Remus had been outraged that that cruel, cold-hearted bastard had been cleared of all charges and set free to do whatever he pleased.

One of the first things he had tried was, a couple of years after Voldermort disappeared, to get Dumbledore removed as headmaster. Well, we can all see how well that turned out for him.

"Good evening to you as well, Mr. Black." Dumbledore smiled. "I take it you'll be getting sorted first?"

"Yes, sir, if my friends don't mind." He glanced back at Harry and Tristan, who had silently followed him. They both shook their heads.

Tristan sat on the three-legged stool and put on the hat. He frowned slightly, then he smiled and the hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He pulled off the hat and ran his finger through his hair, making sure it wasn't sticking up anywhere. He handed the hat to Caleb and walked over to the table with a huge red banner with a lion featured on it.

Caleb repeated Shadow's actions and not long after the hat screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Caleb grinned at his father, who smiled proudly back, and gave the hat to Harry with a whispered good luck before sitting down next to Tristan.

Harry took a deep breath and sat down and put the hat on his head. Sirius and Remus had told them about the sorting and how it was done (although Sirius had tried scaring them at first, but Remus found out and made him tell the truth.) but Harry was still slightly surprised when he heard a soft, yet gruff voice whisper in his ear.

"Hmm," The voice said. "You're even more difficult than the last two, yes, very difficult. You seem to fit into every house. Plenty of courage, I see. You're very bright and love to learn, but you are also very loyal to those you love, and yet I see a thirst to prove yourself to people you're more than just a famous name. Now, this is interesting . . . Where shall I put you?"

/Not Slytherin, not Slytherin. / Harry begged in his mind.

"Not Slytherin, eh?" The voice said. "Are you sure? You could be great you know, it's all here in you head, and Slytherin will help you on you way to greatness, no doubt about that . . . "

/No, please, I want to be with my friends. I wouldn't be able to spend much time with them if you put me in other house, especially Slytherin. /

"I don't know, " The hat whisper back. "Slytherin looks like a good choice. You're smart, cunning, crafty, and mean when you have to be, all markings of a Slytherin if you ask me."

/No, please. /

"Hmm," The hat mused again. "Slytherin still seems like an ideal place."

/I want to be with my friends. / Harry pleaded and gripped the edge of the stool tightly. /Please, not Slytherin. /
A/N: OK, I lied. We haven't gotten that much farther in the story, but I hope you still liked this chapter, even though it was sort of a cliffhanger.

What house will Harry be sorted into? Stay tuned to find out.

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