As the Thestrals drew the coaches lazily up the road to the school, Eric continued in his efforts to forget his encounter with the dementors. He couldn't figure out why he was so badly affected. Fine: Naomi is the meditative sort, and so emotional attacks really didn't affect her; but why weren't Luna or Dorian in as much hurt as he was?
Eric snapped his head about. Thinking about it only brought back the memories of the dementors. Looking across the coach, he noticed Naomi's hood aiming towards him. Whether Naomi was looking at him or not was anyone's guess, as her face was completely enshrouded in darkness. While this was unnerving, Eric was reminded of something he wanted to ask. "Naomi? I was wondering about your father. What has he been doing at the Leaky Cauldron that had Malfoy so upset?"
As the coach passed a lantern, the lower half of Naomi's face came into view, only adding to her mysterious ( and by now downright chilling ) demeanor. Her answers, however, came directly and simply. "My father is an investor, and his resources are considerable. The plain fact is that he doesn't have to work for a living, which leaves him a considerable amount of free time. Since I've joined the magical society, he's decided to work with wizards and witches who are open to exchanging ideas, and who are willing to accept muggle help when they need it."
Eric rubbed his head for a second. "I don't understand."
"What happens to a wizard lost in the middle of London? Haven't you ever wondered? Well, if he's lucky, he'll just get ignored or harassed. If he's unlucky, he'll run foul of some law or ordinance he doesn't understand. Well, my father has discretely put himself in a position to help a wizard in need. He also is making himself available as a resource to wizards who wish to learn more about muggles."
Dorian was suddenly interested. "What does he get out of it?"
Naomi settled back into the coach's plush seat. "Nothing. It's a hobby for him."
The coaches pulled to a stop before the massive doors of Hogwarts' main entrance. Carriages were unloading students in sets of ten, and instructors were waving and encouraging everyone into the building as quickly as possible. The wagons containing their luggage moved onward to the stairwell where the house-elves of Hogwarts would begin to unload them.
Eric noted that students entering Hogwarts were being particularly scrutinized by Madame Pomfrey. Rumors abounded regarding who put up with the dementors and who didn't. The Slytherins were all full of stories of how Harry Potter fainted. Eric couldn't help but feel sorry for Harry; when a person is famous, it's important that they never show weakness. Since Slytherins tended towards a huge superiority complex above the rest, they never forgave Harry for ending up in Gryffindor. Not that they were particularly fond of him, either. His first months actually being a student at Hogwarts were noteworthy for him being the most hated student in Slytherin house, until a caring gesture at the first Quidditch match of the year put an end to his time there. A decisive transfer to Ravenclaw had proven most beneficial.
As all the upper-class students settled in, Eric looked about for familiar faces. The Hufflepuffs were two tables down, so he couldn't see much from where he was sitting. The Gryffindors had their usual lot, including Percy Weasley, Penelope Clearwater's beau. Fred and George waved a subtle hello; he knew he'd have to catch up with those two this year. He had managed to mostly keep out of trouble for his first two years, but admittedly, that was getting boring. Ron had made it to the table, as did his sister Ginny, but Eric couldn't see Harry or Hermoine, that strange girl who they were always with.
At the Slytherin table sat his former housemates. The less Eric thought about those times, the better. Yet, there is always the curiosity of looking back, one which was quickly dispelled by evil looks from Malfoy and his cronies. They were worse than the dementors, always looking for reasons to hate people. Eric couldn't understand them, or anyone like them. Even if you were one to think that you were better than others in one way or another, that's no reason to dislike someone else.
Eric settled in to watch the sorting with everyone else. Naomi was also intently staring at each new student. He noticed that she had a tendency to nod whenever a Ravenclaw was selected, as if her approval was necessary. He also noticed that the hat seemed to try to divide the classes evenly. While this made sense, it also told him something that never occurred to him before. If students had to be balanced among the four houses, then it's likely that people ended up in houses that they weren't necessarily meant for.
If people truly were left to their own, you might well have a year that was primarily Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, or even Slytherin. Since each class was split roughly evenly, Eric thought that it defied the rules of chaos, which would suggest that a grossly uneven split would have to happen periodically. This answered a question he held for some time – why people felt the need to send congratulatory letters to their children for entering this house or that. If the hat sorted solely by talent, people would end up where they belonged – period. Because of the need for an even sorting, just because they were best suited to one house or another didn't assure them that they would end up in the right place.
Eric noticed something else, too. There was a Slytherin girl staring at him. Eric was used to people staring at him – a boy with a braid down to his waist tends to get that. Usually, however, people become disinterested after a minute or two. This girl, however, seemed to keep looking until Eric turned to her, at which point she turned away. As this cycle repeated itself, Eric began to feel her watching him, like a buzzing in the back of his mind.
It took him several minutes to remember her. Her name was Lenora Surrey. She entered Slytherin house the same time he did, but they never talked. This was hardly unusual at the time, as Eric had a dreadful time associating with any of the Slytherins, a situation which came to a head at his first Quidditch match when he assisted a Gryffindor chaser, only to be beaten and berated by the Slytherin team. It was shortly after that when he entered Ravenclaw and a much more welcoming community.
Eric had to end his musings, for Dumbledore was standing to make his start of year announcements. There was one about the dementors, who were taking residence around the Hogwarts grounds. The second welcomed Professor Lupin as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Eric had heard the name before, for Remus Lupin was fairly well published in the field. His work regarding basic defenses against lesser dark creatures was some of the best on the subject. True, he lacked the poetic prose and dramatic style of their previous instructor, but that was a fair tradeoff for someone who could present the subject in an understandable and practical manner.
The last announcement was that Rubeus Hagrid was going to begin as the Care of Magical Creatures instructor. This brought a wave of confusion through the room, as several of the students were aware that Hagrid didn't have complete formal instruction. Further, his penchant for dangerous pets was legendary. Eric chose to take it all in stride. Whatever he decided to present, Hagrid would certainly be able to keep matters under control. That, realistically, was the most important thing.