Disclaimer: Standard, J.K. Rowling owns the universe and the characters that appear in her books. I own my additions to it…yadda yadda yadda. For the full disclaimer (that applies to the whole story not just the first chapter, see chapter one).
Chapter 6: Wesley Tinderspoon
Time seemed to slow as Wesley asked this question. Harry could accept that he might not know quite what he looked like and how exact the scar was but he found in incredibly hard to believe that he would be asking how he got it. He would have thought that the destruction of such a dark wizard as Voldemort would be a bit more earth shattering then that. To think that a wizarding child would not know about it seemed quite odd. From the looks on George and Neville's faces they seemed equally shocked.
Wesley started shifting around obviously embarrassed at the response to his question. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't have asked me and my big mouth getting me in trouble again." Harry laughed at his total misreading of their response to his inquiry. Harry was so relieved to finally meet a wizard who didn't think of him as the boy who lived as soon as he met him that his shock was replaced with glee. Wesley apparently thought he was being rude asking for such a personal question when the fact that he didn't already know was what brought their responses. This total change in demeanor seemed to make Wesley even more lost then he already was.
"Well, let's get on the carts before they leave and we end up walking up to the castle." Harry said and then climbed into the still empty carriage attached to the thestral he had just stopped petting. He was certain that Ron and Hermione were in some important prefects meeting and that they could be ages and there was a complete carriage of four people right in front of him. He was also curious about Wesley as he had never met an American wizard before. George followed him in and then Neville followed. Wesley hesitated and looked up at them uncomfortably. Harry motioned for him to get in and then he smiled and climbed into the carriage.
"So you were asking me about my scar?" Harry said amused that he was actually explaining it to someone and not having it explained to him. Wesley's face returned to a slightly agitated but intrigued look before he slowly nodded. "Well when I was really young I was the target of a madman with a vendetta." He felt odd explaining this. He would have thought he would feel sad or uncomfortable with it but he realized that he really wasn't ever uncomfortable with the event having lived with it his entire life it was more so everyone else knowing more about it then he the one who had done it. "I was targeted by the Killing curse," at that Harry felt himself get slightly glum as a look of recognition came over Wesley's face, but he said nothing so Harry continued. "And I somehow lived." He wasn't about to tell this boy he barely knew the whole story but he was sure that he would get some version of it from somewhere and it might as well be from him.
"Wow that's harsh." Wesley said, "I remember my parents talking about something like that happening in Britain but it happened when I was too young to remember. To think that I would be told to find this very person…" At that Wesley looked at him with a kind of brotherly look, like he had seen Fred give George.
"Enough about Harry," George piped in obviously getting bored of hearing the same old story over and over again. "What about you why are you here?"
Wesley got slightly agitated again as he answered. "I really don't know. I was taken after my last term by a professor Dumbledore and I stayed with him for the summer. At one point I was told that I would be going to school here instead of N.Y.M.A. and at that point he brought me an odd old hat and it put me into Gryffindor whatever that is." The other boy's intrigued looks deepened at this nonchalant comment. "He looked slightly happy and he told me to look for a Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express as I would be your dorm mate this year and you would be the easiest to find. I looked for you until a strange old man with a glass eye, I think Alastor was his name I had met him a few times over the summer, stopped me. He said that it would be better to wait until we were safe off the train to look as I didn't want to call too much attention to myself. Which actually he was right I don't but the likely hood of that is slim to none so I never really thought about it. After that I sat in a car full of older people who took turns walking up and down the corridors before leaving and finding you by that thestral."
Wesley talked so fast that it was unlikely that they could have interrupted his story if they wanted too. But Harry was listening as he found it hard to believe that this was mere coincidence. There was no student exchange that he knew of and so that was out which meant that Wesley was here for some other reason likely related to the fight against Voldemort and the Order of the Phoenix.
"Wow." George said before asking. "What's N.Y.M.A.?"
"Oh. The New York Magician's Academy or the New York Maturation Academy to the muggle world."
"Ah, so how are your Yankee magic schools anyway." George continued obviously fascinated by the boy now that he trusted he wasn't here to kill Harry.
"I can't say I guess they are…well I haven't really got anything to compare it to to explain it." Wesley seemed like he was a bit affronted at being the center of attention. His speech seemed forced and fast like he had too much to say but wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
Neville had a different question for the boy. "You can see thestrals?" He asked meekly.
"Yeah, I saw my great uncle pass away last year." Harry was about to say he was sorry when Wesley cut him off. "I can see you already starting to pity me don't it wasn't like that. He was really old and ready to die anyway. He wanted us to be with him when he died even if he wasn't aware of it so we were. He drank a dreamless sleeping potion and then quietly and peacefully passed away. When he stopped breathing we all had a small cry and then decided to remember the good times." Harry could imagine that, he wished the death's he had experienced has been like that. The only thing he had ever seen was murder. He quickly bat down the anger that welled up again. He was going to have to stop thinking about that all together.
"Oh." Neville said, "I saw my grandfather die, he was old too and quite ready I suppose but it was still really hard on me and my grandmother."
"Cheer up. It's not all that hard all you have to do in remember the good times along with the bad." Wesley reached across and put a hand on Neville's shoulder reassuringly as he said this. Neville seemed to relax at this.
Wesley then looked at the rest of them oddly and asked, "So what's it like here at Hogwarts anyway? And who are my other dorm mates? I know their names but I know nothing else about them"
"Well actually you're looking at three of them." George said then lowered his voice conspiratively. "And I think you'll agree that we are the best looking of the bunch as well."
Wesley's eyes widened at that before he laughed and said, "Shut up!"
"Well I don't suppose you think you look better than your very identical twin right George?" Harry asked smirking.
George smirked at this and responded with, "Of course I do! My smile's cuter." He then flashed his childlike smile and Harry had to agree, it was.
Harry saw Hermione and Ron look in their direction he pointed to the others in the carriage with him and shrugged guiltily not wanting them to be left out. They just smiled back waved and Hermione mouthed 'see you in the great hall' before joining Ernie Macmillan and Padma Patil in a different carriage.
"Wow, I have never ridden in a carriage before." Wesley said clearly intrigued.
Neville looked at him oddly, "How did you get to school then?" He asked.
"Well, I grew up in California so I flew in to New York on a muggle plane. Yeah I know I know not very safe but we have really strict laws about secrecy where I come from so muggle transportation is a must. After that a bus came and picked me up and dropped me off directly in front of the school."
It was then that Wesley looked out the window and his eyes widened at the immense Castle before him. Harry remembered his first year here and how he had felt. Now the castle was normal to him, like a home, so it didn't bring out the same feeling of awe. He remembered it well though so he stopped talking and let the boy gaze out the window. George and Neville followed his lead and so the rest of the ride was in silence except for Wesley's "oo"ing and "ah"ing of the castle.
Wesley's awe just seemed to increase as the carriages stopped and the castle was right before him instead of in the distance. He looked amazed at even the hallway leading to the great hall and when he entered the great hall all Wesley did was stare at the floating candles and the sky on the ceiling. Hermione apparently couldn't resist showing off all she knew about Hogwarts a history. "It's bewitched you know." She said to him as he stared at it.
"I can tell, but it's still marvelous." He still stared up as Hermione kept talking.
"It's the night sky." She continued glad someone was actually listening to her for once.
"It's quite accurate too. I can see quite a few constellations and a few things that shouldn't be visible to the naked eye." Harry wasn't sure whether Wesley was even aware of who was talking to him after all he hadn't introduced them yet.
"Yeah I know, very beautiful isn't it?" She blushed as she talked to him. Harry heard a large intake of breath from Ron at this. Harry wasn't sure but it looked like Ron was jealous. What amused Harry the most was that it probably had nothing to do with Wesley's looks, or even his gender for that matter. What Harry thought had Hermione swooning was that he was actually listening to her Hogwarts a History rant, something he knew Ron would never do.
While Wesley was admiring the sky and Hermione was admiring Wesley, Harry decided to take a look over at the teachers table. Dumbledore had his normal place at the center of the table. Professor Sprout and professor Flitwick were talking about something as they sat in their general positions. Ms. McGonagall wasn't at the table but Harry knew that she brought in the first years to be sorted so that made sense and Hagrid wasn't back yet either, his return would announce to the rest of the students that the sorting was about to begin. Quite suddenly the door off to the side of the great hall by Severus Snape (it was the same hall that he and the other champions of the triwizard tournament had exited from his fourth year) opened and a young man wearing a blindfold walked in. He didn't look that much older then many of the seventh year students and Harry had thought he was a student until he walked up to the teachers table and took a seat next to Snape. Harry thought it odd that the man was wearing a blindfold and yet seemed to know exactly where he was going. After he sat down the man started a conversation with Snape. Harry couldn't tell what his response to it was. It could have been annoyance or just Snape's normal scowl, Harry couldn't tell.
Hermione's wave knocked Harry out of his reverie she had reserved a seat for him. Seamus, Dean, and Neville were sitting on the other side of the table. Parvati and Lavender were sitting on one side of Hermione and Wesley was sitting on the other side still admiring the ceiling. The empty spot was next to Wesley opposite Hermione. Harry quickly took the spot next to Wesley and Ron sat next to him. Harry didn't notice George again until he sat down and then he saw him in between Seamus and Dean, the taller boys obscuring his view.
"Hey who's the new guy?" Dean inquired pointing at Wesley.
Wesley seemed to notice people were talking about him and stopped looking at the ceiling to respond to Dean. "I'm Wesley." He said extending his hand again.
Dean took his hand but eyed him suspiciously, Harry didn't exactly care how they got along he would have plenty of time to see that in the dorm. Right now he was trying to see the person talking to Snape who Harry was sure must be the new defense against the dark arts teacher. At this point something else caught his eye and it totally stunned him. Blaise Zabini, quiet loner Blaise who Harry had barely noticed and only knew his name because he happened to be the last person sorted his first yeah walked into the great hall. And he seemed completely different. Where shyness and distance had been, energy and pride seemed to be. He almost skipped over to the Slytherin table and sat right at the edge of it next to the Bloody Baron who he immediately struck up a conversation with.
Harry wasn't the only one to notice this. Students never talked to the Bloody Baron unless it was of some grave importance not even the Slytherins and he was the Slytherin ghost. And there was Blaise, who had last Harry ever seen been to shy to even raise a hand in class, chatting with him like they were old buddies. Quite a few eyes were on them before they went back to what they were doing.
"I don't like it." Harry heard Ron's voice from his left. "He's too cheery, and he's actually talking to the Bloody Baron! Must have joined the Death Eaters or something to get that much confidence." Ron was fuming.
"Maybe you're right." Hermione piped in "I don't know him so who knows what happened to him but he is certainly different then he was before." She said. Seamus and Dean nodded. Wesley, who of course knew nothing about this, just continued ogling the grand room.
"I agree with Ron though. All the Slytherins should be watched, I sometimes wonder why they are let back in school." Seamus voice was filled with anger at this moment.
It was then that Hagrid walked into the great hall and took his place near Dumbledore. Everyone quieted down as the door to the great hall opened and Ms. McGonagall walked through with the first years. Curiously one of them was holding her hand as if being led by her rather than being with the other first years. McGonagall seemed to be in quite better health then she was after the stunning incident with Delores Umbridge, she wasn't really even using her cane anymore simply using it like any healthy person might use a walking stick. When Ms. McGonagall pulled out the stool and the Sorting Hat the room grew silent. Harry listened intently for what the sorting hat was going to sing.
Duty bound to split you up
Your friendships get decided
And yet again I warn you all
To not be too divided
For even then when I was made
The four had always seen
Differences are bane or boon
Depending where you lean
You split apart and Hogwarts
Will meet its bitter end
Or be as one together
And then next to her you'll stand
And so I shall as I was told
Put you where talents rise
The place where you will feel at home
So listen without sighs
There's Gryffindor the brave and true
Whose heir cannot be found
Or Ravenclaw the clever ones
Whose heir is twin and bound
Then Slytherin the tricky sort
Whose heir is hidden best
Last Hufflepuff the working type
Whose heir is like the rest
Now come up here and you will see
That this is not so scary
Just put me on and I will know
Where you will be most merry
That ends my song but I must warn
Remember what I've said
So now first years come up and sit
With me upon your head
This song got even less of a standing ovation than the previous one did. In fact everyone in the room seemed to respond to it the same way Harry did with curiosity and deep thought. Harry wasn't sure what to think of the parts mentioning the heirs and he could tell Hermione was shifting through her own mind looking for what it could mean. She would undoubtedly go to the library as soon as possible to research this. Harry felt a tug on his robes. Wesley raised an eye brow at him as if to ask 'what was that about?' He was about to answer when he heard Ms. McGonagall start the sorting.
"Angel, Leonard." Harry loosely listened to the first name.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yelled out very quickly. The hufflepuff table clapped for him, but the exuberance of the previous sortings he had seen was gone. Apparently people were really getting that these were dark times.
"What was that about?" He heard Wesley whisper in his ear. "That was an odd song if I've ever heard one, and everyone's response was even weirder. Why all the long faces? Why would the hat tell you to stand together under the school's name? Shouldn't you all do that anyway?"
Harry wasn't sure how to explain it to him. After all how could one explain that the house rivalries weren't just silly childrens' games but that they actually meant something in the grander scheme of things?
"Well, the houses here at Hogwarts have a history of bickering amongst each other specifically Slytherin and the rest of them. Slytherin is filled with quite a few gits and they are known to be rough around the edges and tricky cheaters." Wesley looked over at the Slytherin table as 'Cecil, Elizabeth' was sorted into Gryffindor and his table stood up in applause.
"They don't look any worse than anyone else here does." Wesley whispered back.
"Trust me, they are." Harry responded. "But there is house rivalry in the other houses as well. It's just not as pronounced as the, what I would call all out war between Gryffindor and Slytherin. It seems almost second nature to be wary of them right now. I'd suggest you start being wary of them as well if you know what's good for you."
"I don't know, it seems likely that they feel the same way about you as you do about them if this rivalry is really that bad. Besides I find it hard to believe they are all bad. All the hat said about Slytherin when it talked was that they were tricky. And when I wore it I was considered for Slytherin because of 'thirst for acceptance' I believe it was." Harry looked strangely at Wesley and then looked at the Slytherin table and he realized something. He had only had contact with a small number of the Slytherins and he hadn't exactly gotten out on the right foot with the ones who he did interact with. Draco Malfoy was an extreme git. But weren't Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle okay once you got them away from him? Harry realized that he hadn't really given any of the Slytherins a chance he had just grouped them all in the same category as Malfoy.
"I really don't know what I think. I've just been on edge around all Slytherins since I was here although I have to admit that that is because most people are on edge around them. I suppose when I think about it that in of itself would stick a wedge where there otherwise wouldn't need to be one." Harry felt awful now. He looked over at Blaise again who was talking to the Bloody Baron and ignoring everything else. He also realized that not only was he still laughing animatedly but the Baron was as well. Harry had never seen the Baron laugh. Try as his mind might it couldn't twist those laughs into anything sinister or beyond what they were. Just laughs of general merriment. He would definitely have to work on his interhouse relationships, even if the whole rest of the bloody school thought all the Slytherin's were death eaters Harry was going to give them a chance. Harry had seen what the Death Eaters were capable of himself and it didn't seem to him that the majority of them were even remotely capable of those atrocities. But if they were forced to only hang out wit those who did? Harry wondered how many Death Eaters really joined because they wanted to or because they felt they had no other choice. Snape caught his eye and he remembered the memory he saw in Snape's Penseive. A sudden association happened in his mind. He remembered his father floating the fifteen year old Snape in the air and it placed itself in his mind right next too the memory of the death eaters from his fourth year levitating those muggles in the air and using them like puppets. No it was not just Slytherins that were like that, they were all capable of such things. Even he himself had tried to cast an unforgivable curse admittedly he still thought she deserved it because of what she had done. But that didn't change the fact that he had acted out of anger and almost landed himself in Azkaban because of it.
Harry felt a wave of angst as he remembered just as many examples of Gryffindors being sadistic gits towards Slytherins as they were to them even in his times at school. Wesley was looking at him curiously. He knew something was up, Harry was sure of that.
The sorting of the boy who McGonagall had led into the hall distracted Harry from his inner rant. The boy was walking up to the stool with what Harry knew was a muggle blind mans walking stick. Hermione caught Harry's eye and looked intrigued to say the least.
Harry tried to recall the name…Devon Witter that's what McGonagall had said. The boy looked rather normal, dark short hair average build. He poked his way up to the stool rather quickly considering, taking the hat that McGonagall handed to him. He then turned around at put it on his head. It was quite antidramatic as the Hat basically immediately yelled, "RAVENCLAW!" The only other person he had ever seen sorted that fast was Draco Malfoy.
The Ravenclaws yelling stopped, in fact the entire room got quiet as the boy headed off the stool towards the Gryffindor table. He was obviously blind now that Harry could see his face his eyes were a misty blue color that barely stood out over the white. Ms. McGonagall started towards the boy obviously thinking him lost. But he didn't seem lost to Harry he looked like he knew exactly where he was going.
The boy stopped in front of him then said, "Harry Potter, I know you can talk to snakes." Harry blushed and looked at Wesley who just raised an eyebrow at him curiously.
"You need to start trusting that and start trusting them. Snakes have a bad reputation but they are not evil." The boy then walked off to the Ravenclaw table and sat next to the other first years there. The entire hall was silent then staring at him even the Slytherins lost their snide faces and looked just as shocked at this remark as everyone else. Only Wesley seemed nonplussed by that remark, his curiosity just got even deeper.
After another minute or so of staring McGonagall sorted the last student 'Yeller, Eliza' who ended up in Slytherin before Dumbledore stood up. Unlike every other year everyone seemed shocked and so instead of saying quiet like he normally did, all it took was his standing to alert the people everyone to his presence.
"As usual I have some announcements to make. I would like to inform you that the Curfew for students who are out of their dorms will be strictly enforced, even if those students happen to be prefects." His eyes stopped on Harry, Ron and Hermione before continuing. "There will be a number of adults on Campus that you may not recognize. They are here at my request to protect you during these troubled times." He paused again at this statement.
"Also, there will be a temporary rule that all students are to be with at least two other students at all times when they are not in their dormitories or common rooms. Also Mr. Filch would like me to inform you that a large number of objects have been added to the list of things banned in the halls including everything from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. For the full list of banned items go to Filches office." George surprised Harry by smiling at this. "He also wants me to remind you that there is to me no wand usage in the halls between classes. As always the dark forest is off limits to all students. It would do the first years good to remember this and of course a few of our older students as well." His eyes again went to the Gryffindor table where it stopped at George. Hmm…it does seem that Gryffindors do the most rule breaking… Harry didn't know why he had just noticed that. It had been plainly obvious for his entire time here.
"And finally I would like to sow a bit of my own advice. Listen to the sorting hat. Do not let your rivalries deter you from your beliefs, and of course blither splotch bloof. Now that that has been said, tuck in." And with those words the tables filled with food and the room filled with anxious talking.
Harry noticed that Dumbledore had not introduced the new defense against the dark arts professor. He also had not introduced Wesley Tinderspoon or the strange young man in the blindfold if he wasn't the new defense professor. Harry wasn't sure what was up but his experience last year had taught him to be wary of everybody, even Dumbledore. The only people he truly trusted were Fred, George, Ron, Hermione and Neville. He trusted Ginny more then many of the other students but she was still a bit wary of her after all she did have a similar connection to Voldemort as he did considering that she had been possessed by him. That and Hermione, Ron and even Neville had been there since the beginning. They had always been a part of this.
Harry took another good look at Wesley now that his normal more wary state of mind had taken over. He seemed nice enough for an American and he certainly didn't seem the most untrustworthy of sorts but then again he barely knew the guy. He'd have to rectify that later after all they were going to be dorm mates.
The great hall was unusually silent during the feast after the sorting ceremony. People were talking but it wasn't loud boisterous chatter, not even at the Gryffindor table. It was mostly small groups of three or four people discussing whatever they were discussing. Harry couldn't make much out everyone seemed to not want to be overheard. The one notable exception to this was Blaise who had immediately continued his conversation with the Bloody Baron after Dumbledore was finished.
"Har…ry wha do you may ov da strange blind kid?" Ron barely managed to get his comment out through a mouth full of food. However what astonished Harry most was the fact that Hermione didn't scold him for it. It wasn't that she approved, it was more like she was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice that he had done it.
"I don't know. I have to admit that he does have a point. Other than the basilisk I have yet to meet a snake that ended up horrible in the end. The first one I ever talked to was actually quite nice." Harry absentmindedly responded to Ron's question. Wesley raised an eyebrow at the mention of a basilisk but didn't respond beyond that.
"Yeah but they are still snakes!" Seamus responded. It was incredibly old news that Harry was a parcel mouth everyone had found out about that, including Harry, his second year.
"What's wrong with snakes?" Wesley asked the group.
"What do you mean what's wrong with snakes?" Seamus responded again surprised like it should be obvious that all snakes are evil incarnate.
"Well, I have a pet snake and it isn't particularly dangerous or deadly. In fact it's quite useless really, other then being cute." Wesley then produced a quite small Gartner snake from his robes. Harry thought the reaction was a bit overly dramatic. Ron immediately stiffened as if the tiny snake was going to hurt him and Seamus almost jumped out of his seat. Neville looked a lot like Ron. Hermione and Dean on the other hand, being muggleborns and thus knowing that Gartner snakes are about the least dangerous of snakes you could ever wish to find started snickering. Wesley looked at the three with very bemused expressions. Harry on then other hand was much more interested in the snake which seemed to be talking to him.
"Interesting place you've got here?" It said to him very softly. Harry wasn't sure whether to respond. He knew everyone knew he could talk to the snake but he wasn't sure how they would respond to him actually talking to one.
"Hey Harry you mentioned talking to snakes?" Harry was slightly taken aback at Wesley's comment. The last thing he needed was to get on the new dorms mate's bad side over something stupid like him being a parcel mouth. But he couldn't really deny it so he simply nodded.
"Cool, I wish I could do that…" He said longingly. All five of the other students as well as a few others around who had happened to overhear the conversation gaped at him.
"Why would you ever want to be able to talk to snakes?" Seamus asked.
"Because it would be yet another thing to talk to," Wesley said longingly. "I was always the odd man out in school and so I didn't really ever fit in. Being able to talk to anything would be preferable to nothing at all. And I have never met a snake I didn't like."
Harry was about to respond to this but professor Dumbledore stood up and told the prefects to take the students to their dorms. Hermione stood up immediately and waved bye before rounding up the Gryffindors and leading them off towards the dorms.
"Harry, Dean, Seamus, Neville, George…Wesley." Ron said the last name with disdain. "We are supposed to wait here. Dumbledore wants to talk with us about something." Ron scowled at Wesley suspiciously as he said this. Wesley shrunk under the much taller and bigger boys' gaze noticing Ron's obvious distaste for the first time. He moved slightly more towards Hermione which just seemed to make Ron more jealous.
"Well now, I see you all have met your new dorm mate this will make things much easier." Dumbledore stepped in before Harry had to do anything, something he was quite happy about. "I would still like to speak with you though, please follow me." Professor McGonagall walked up behind them and then the two professors led them to the headmaster's office.
"Skittles," the door opened as Dumbledore said the password. Although Harry was sure that he didn't need a password to open his own office. The seven of them followed the headmaster into his office where he motioned for them to sit down on two soft couches that seemed to be a new addition to the office since Harry had last been there. Harry also noticed that the office was a lot more barren than it had been in the past. He flushed as he remembered the likely reasons for the change. Harry had broken many if the things in his office the previous year. The picture frames were in the places they had always been and the desk seemed unchanged but most of the little knickknacks had been removed and Harry saw, replaced with different ones. Although these ones didn't look nearly as interesting as the ones he had broken the previous year.
Dumbledore got everyone's attention with a clap of his hands as Fred appeared into the room from the floo. "It is quite convenient that the majority of you have already met your new dorm mate." Dumbledore motioned towards Wesley who stood up. "This is Wesley Tinderspoon. He lived in New York in the United States until recently and do to unforeseen circumstances he has had to relocate his schooling here. To help with the transitioning as he would be joining a group of sixth year dorm mates who already knew each other and the fact that he would already stand out because of his accent and demeanor the other professors and I decided it would be most prudent to sort him during the summer so he could possibly get to know the people he would be sleeping with ahead of time and to avoid any effect having a much older person during the sorting ceremony might have on the first years. Not to mention the effect it would have on Wesley himself." Dumbledore smiled after that. "As you are all probably aware he was sorted into Gryffindor and so will be your dorm mates this year." He then motioned to Wesley who smiled sheepishly and sat down between Harry and Hermione again.
After Wesley's introduction Dumbledore turned his attentions to the Weasley twins. "Fred and George Weasley whom you all are quite aware of I am sure." Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle a bit more as he said this, a mischievous gleam there that Harry had seen a few times before. "They weren't doing that well in their classes last year and so I agreed to let them return to the school," he then turned to the others in the room, "as sixth years. I would also like to note that they have a special reason for being particularly in your dorms. Because in these trying times we all need to be with people we can trust with our lives." At that Dumbledore looked over his glasses at everyone before saying. "That is all, professor McGonagall could you be so kind as to escort the sixth year Gryffindors back to their dormitories?"
"Of course, come along now. You know the way." McGonagall led the group back towards Gryffindor tower. Harry had noticed that no one had spoken during the introduction and Harry was sure that was because all the other sixth year Gryffindors were wondering the same thing he was. Why was Wesley sent here really, he found it hard to believe that anything that Dumbledore would describe as unforeseen circumstances would be anything as calm as he had put it. Harry was sure that it had something to do with the Order of the Phoenix as there was no student exchange and there was nothing else that would point to an American student being at Hogwarts at all especially not this secretively.
"Guardian Force," The portrait of the fat lady at the door of the Gryffindor dorms opened as McGonagall said that password. "You boys get some sleep now." She said in the very stern yet calm voice that only she seemed to be able to produce.
The common room was very bleak and for the most part empty it being rather late. A few seventh years were loafing around in the common room but for the most part it was rather empty. Harry was tired and wanted to be ready for his classes the next day. He was glad to see Wesley start talking with Ron, Seamus and Dean as he drifted off to sleep. I hope he fits in. It will be nice to have someone else be the center of attention instead of me for once. At that he smiled and drifted off to sleep.
