The sorting hat sat on the head of Ha ... Raven Octavius Rowain Argentclaw, arguing with the recalcitrant child under its brim.

"So. The Saviour makes his appearance."

Raven began to swear profusely in parseltongue.

"You forget I was constructed by all four founders, and imbued with a sample of all their magic. And Godric insisted on Salzaar including parsel, so please don't swear like that. For the Lady's sake you are worse than Salzaar. Now that talent should place you in his house, and your work ethic and bond would make you a true candidate for Hufflepuff. Your intelligence would make you the darling of Ravenclaw and your courage would put Godric to shame. Now where do you want to go?"

"What about Avalon?"

"Raven, where did you hear about House Avalon?" The hat asked the child.

"When Mama taught me with the others, they asked me lots of questions and taught me forms of magic that this school couldn't - or wouldn't. They said so you are the Lord Daylight ... the hat will be unable to sort you ... it was forced to forget ... remind it of House Avalon. Mama said she was sorry that she had gone, but papa remained. She wasn't allowed to tell him his name, but she called him the keeper of the heirs. Do you know who he is?"

"Indeed I do young Raven and I shall make him tell you sooner rather than later. Now who is supposed to follow you to Avalon?" the hat asked curiously.

"My consorts, The Lord of Midnight and the Lady of Twilight. Our Knights shall follow later, but they are to be chosen, not sorted. The old rules are to apply, and we will need someone to fulfil the post of the guardian of mages. You will have to name the Lady though as she has been forcibly removed from the wizarding world and is under the impression she is a muggleborn."

"Very well young heir, your house is Avalon, and the others will follow ... AVALON" As the hat spoke, it rose off Raven's head and a sword emerged from it. The sword spun and a bright light flashed. When the light dissipated there was a fifth table, and a fifth banner, but no extra hourglass. Instead of being dressed in standard school uniform, Raven now wore combat robes decorated with swirling white yellow and green, and the sword no longer hung in the air, instead it hung from the boy's side. Raven moved to sit at the empty table.

The sorting continued until it reached Hermione Granger, then to Raven and half the hall's amusement, the hat shouted out another name "Lady Amaryllis Slytherin..." the Slytherins looked shocked, and then delight slipped onto their faces "... she belongs to AVALON."

Her robes underwent the same transformation, with blood and silver substituted for the white, green and yellow, as Raven's and she joined him at the new table. The next student to cause a problem was Draconis Lucifer Malfoy. Touching Amaryllis' hand, Raven reached into the hat's conversation with the child who wanted Slytherin. Finally the hat screamed "AVALON" after muttering to Draconis "the house of rulers".

"Amaryllis, Raven, I know you are both listening. You have to protect Draconis. The false heir is rising once more, and his father will be intimately involved in the process. Lucius will first be angry with his child for not entering Slytherin. Then he will realise what his sorting means, and try to manipulate his son. You must not allow this to happen. He may be dark but he must not become evil. I fear you will have to force emancipation on Draconis to keep him safe." Draconis robes underwent the transformation, with black, blue and red in Raven's colours places and the twin of the sword at Raven's waist appeared at his side. He walked, head bowed to Avalon's table, and sat beside Amaryllis. She turned to him and hugged him gently.

"Welcome to Avalon my Lord Midnight." The three sat on their own at the long table and watched the rest of the sorting, betting on who would belong in each house. Most were rather predictable, though they got a few of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs wrong.

When the other students were led off to their houses by their house prefects, the trio remained at their table, though Draconis eyes followed the Slytherins longingly as they vanished towards the dungeons, until the deputy headmistress retrieved them and led them up to the headmaster office, where she left them and went to her house. She left them under Fawkes watchful gaze.

The phoenix sang a haunting melody that they understood at a subconscious level, the tale of the last birthing of Avalon house. The trio listened to Fawkes' ballad until the four heads of house and the other pastoral staff entered the office with the headmaster.

Draconis and Raven sat on either side of Amaryllis as if they were guarding her. The headmaster placed the sorting hat on his head, and Amaryllis, tapping into the training Raven had received, leaned into the conversation, bringing the two boys with her.

"What is Avalon? Why is the house never mentioned?"

"Avalon, as I told Draconis is the house of rulers; or at least those directly sorted into it. Others may be invited in, knighted so to speak and they will fulfil the role of inner circle when the trio take power, or the commanders of their army if they are forced to fight, as this trinity will be. Only three are ever sorted into the house at once. Over the seven years they draw in the knights who are withdrawn from all inter house competitions and trained in a range of other skills. As to why it is never mentioned, the last trinity ordered it thus. Instead Avalon became the creation of muggle myth. One can access the house from anywhere through the fabled mists, if the guardians permit."

"Does it have any special requirements?"

"The keeper of heirs must validate the trinity to the castle, by naming them and their gifts to it formally. Only he and the guardian of mages have access to the dormitories, common room, or are allowed to manipulate the mists and specialist wards on the house. The house is bound by the old rules, for example if they are challenged to a duel someone from house Avalon must fight, but only if the challenger is less than three years older than they are. The challenge is formal and takes place in front of the Prefects and staff. Punishments will involve physical training, but the cause must be justified to the guardian and the keeper. The house is bound to the old rules, and these will only be revealed when they are broken. Rulers are bound by different rules and they must learn this."

"Who are the keeper of heirs and the guardian of mages?"

"The keeper of heirs is an old title, tied to the post of Slytherin head of house, but only if s/he is a potions or alchemy master/mistress. The guardian of mages is only known to the keeper of heirs." The headmaster removed the hat, and turned to his potions master and the head of Slytherin.

"The keeper of heirs is required, Lord Snape." The potions master stood up straight and with a wave of his hand his robes transformed into green and silver silken robe.

"The keeper of heirs is present milord headmaster." He removed three vials, three pieces of parchments, three small silver knifes and three small brushes from his robes. Turning to the trio, he handed a vial, brush, knife and piece of parchment to each.

"I'm afraid I must ask you to leave sirs, madam. This ceremony is private, and only the heads of line may be informed." Recognising the castle's power in his voice they left the room.

"Using the knife nick the soft flesh between your thumb and forefinger, and allow the blood to drip into the vial. When the liquid inside turns green, take the brush and paint a band around your right ring finger. Pour the rest on to the parchment." In an absolutely silent room the three did as instructed, and watched the green ink crawl across the parchment, and the silver rise from their flesh to form a band in the form of a snake, eating its own tail. The keeper of heirs took up Raven's parchment and touched a green crystal that had appeared on the headmaster's desk.

"Lady, May I present the Mage Lord Daylight, who will have the forms of a light phoenix, a black panther and a serpent, master of earth and air, who is speaker with all. He is master of the lines Argentclaw and Corvax, blood heir of the line Snape, and legal heir of the line Potter." The green crystal flashed silver, and Raven's ring flashed green, and Raven could feel the castle caress him. The keeper took up Amaryllis' parchment next.

"Lady, May I present the Mage Lady Twilight, who will have the forms of elf, vampire and serpent, mistress of shadow, who is speaker with all. She is mistress of the lines Slytherin and Black." The green crystal flashed invisible, and Amaryllis' ring flashed green, and Amaryllis could feel the castle caress her. The keeper took up Draconis' parchment last.

"Lady, May I present the Mage Lord Midnight, who will have the forms of shadow phoenix, silver panther and serpent, master of fire and water, who is speaker with all. He is master of the line Daemonicus, blood heir of the line Malfonicus, and legal heir of the line Riddle." The green crystal flashed gold, and Draconis' ring flashed green, and Draconis could feel the castle caress him.

The green crystal vanished from the desk, and with a wave of his hand the potions master's robes returned to his normal black.

"By now you can feel the bond between you, can you not?" Raven nodded immediately, followed by a hesitant nod from Amaryllis and Draconis.

"Do you wish to seal it, bind it to your soul, now you know what you are?" The nods were received once more. Taking a pure silver blade from his pocket he ordered them to sit facing each other, and slit the palms of their hands. Following his orders they held each others' hands and from the depths of their souls summoned the parsel chant and they literally fell into the maelstrom that was each others' minds. They shared memories; some brutal, some wonderful, and knowledge, each of which they donated a specific area - from Raven, the forbidden skills, and the history of the trinity; Draconis, weapons skills and elemental manipulation; and from Amaryllis politics and the ability to hide in the muggle world without suspicion. When the light show was finished the Potions Master summoned the staff back.

"The guardian of mages is Lady Arabelle." Dumbledore scrawled a note on a piece of parchment and gave it to Fawkes who promptly vanished in a puff of flames. Meanwhile, Raven moved to the potions master's side.

"Mama says she's sorry she's gone, but she always loved you." Raven said so quietly the potions master was the only one who heard. "Mama's sorry, that she didn't tell you, Mama's sorry you didn't know. She wanted to visit but you wouldn't let her." Raven returned to his seat by Amaryllis. Less than a second later, Fawkes returned to the office with a slender young Lady dressed in black leather hanging on to his tail feathers. She let go, and Fawkes assumed his position on his perch. A red crystal appeared this time and the Lady bowed to it.

"Lady Arabelle seeks thy permission to assume the position of guardian of the mages." The crystal flashed, levitated and split in two, one half going to the keeper and one to the guardian. The crystals flashed again and disappeared.

"I will do. Will you follow me Amaryllis, Draconis, Octavius and Severus? Albus, don't bother following us, either on foot or by scrying - the castle defends her trio viciously, if someone attacks them deliberately or searches for their refuge without permission." The Lady in leather moved as to exit the office, but a new door appeared in the air. Sighing Arabelle opened and stepped through into a blank corridor. The other four passed through it and the door vanished.