Chapter Title: Chapter 5: Home Again
Characters:
Genres:
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: HBP Spoiler
Summary: Dumbledore's influence at Hogwarts continues to show as the Sorting Hat's plot is revealed. Harry meets the staff and begins to plan for the year, and Ron and Hermione earn themselves a surprising gift when they help Harry and Ginny move into their beautiful new home. Before Harry knows it, September 1st arrives and all he can hope for is a normal first day. But when Harry Potter is involved, hardly anything is ever normal.
"Dumbledore knew about this?" Ginny stopped pacing and sat next to Harry.
"It would seem so," said Harry as McGonagall assumed Ginny's previous position, wandering in aimless circles.
"The number of secrets that man kept could have filled old Slytherin's secret chamber to the brim," McGonagall said, rubbing her chin and shaking her head. Ginny looked up curiously when she mentioned the Chamber of Secrets. Harry squeezed his wife's hand gently, thinking of the unpleasant memories she must have of that place.
"It's funny you should mention that Professor," said Harry.
"Why do you say that? And please, Harry, you may call me Minerva when it's just us."
"Of course. It's just interesting, because that's when Dumbledore and I had that conversation, right after we had all come up from the Chamber of Secrets."
"So Dumbledore seemed to think that the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor because you asked it to?" McGonagall asked distractedly.
"Well, not exactly." Harry thought for a moment to recall the memory exactly. "I had wanted to be in Gryffindor, but at the time I was more concerned with making sure I wasn't in Slytherin, so I decided not to put all my eggs in one basket, and I just repeated 'not Slytherin, not Slytherin,' over and over. I suppose the hat could tell I really wanted Gryffindor."
"Nevertheless, it seems Dumbledore was convinced you had made that choice," McGonagall speculated.
"Indeed," Harry replied, nodding.
There was a silence as the Headmistress's path turned around her desk and she stood, staring at the tattered, old Sorting Hat. "Of all the mad, wild, harebrained, and absolutely brilliant ideas Dumbledore must have given that silly old hat…"
"I miss him," Ginny said simply, looking up at the former Headmaster's portrait on the wall. Dumbledore, who had been sleeping along with the other portraits in the room, opened his eyes briefly and gazed proudly down at the three of them. The old man's image smiled in Harry's direction, gave him a gentle nod and a wink, and silently closed his eyes again.
"But that was ages ago." McGonagall broke the silence and returned to her seat behind the desk.
"Why do you suppose the hat waited until just two years ago to start all of this?"
"Well, I suppose he was just making absolutely sure he was right. It was probably a bit of a gamble when he gave me that choice," Harry speculated. "I guess I was the hat's little experiment. You noticed that the change came the first sorting after Voldemort died, right?"
"The thought had occurred to me."
"Oh, I get it," said Ginny. "The hat decided to try it out on you. I guess he figured you'd end up being a pretty high profile student and well, a pretty high profile anybody really. So when you defeated Voldemort the hat was convinced he had made the right decision. You were given the choice, and look how you turned out."
"It's not like I did everything alone. I always had loads of help from everyone; you, Ron, and Hermione especially."
"Yes Harry, but choosing Gryffindor like that was also like choosing your friends. You made that decision Harry," Ginny said looking deeply into his eyes.
"And I'm glad," Harry smiled and kissed her.
"And that, I believe, is the big point," said Professor McGonagall. "You made that decision and you learned from it, and we can see quite clearly the rewards of that decision. It really is a fabulous idea. It gives the students a little more ownership of the decisions they make. And these days, the houses are so much more similar; it isn't as though a poor choice will have dire consequences."
"That's right," said Harry. "They'll all see the consequences and the rewards of their decisions. It really is a great learning experience."
"It sounds like a teachers' lounge in here," said Ginny laughing.
"Oh, speaking of that… Dear me, I nearly lost track of the time," said Professor McGonagall, rising. "Would you come with me to the staff room? I've got the staff assembled for a few summer housekeeping things. I'd like to introduce you properly. If you've got time, we'll be discussing a few things you should probably know about."
"Absolutely. I'd love to see everyone," said Harry as they followed her from the room.
"Harry, I think I'll let you two go on ahead and meet everyone," said Ginny, "I'll just head down to Hogsmeade for a while."
"Okay, that's probably a good idea. I doubt this would be very interesting for you. I'll meet you in The Three Broomsticks when we're done," said Harry, kissing her as the stone Gargoyle settled back into place. "I'll see you in a bit."
"Alright. It was lovely to see you Minerva," said Ginny.
"I suppose we'll be seeing a bit more of each other now, won't we Ginny? Please, send my regards to Molly and Arthur and your brothers."
"I will," said Ginny as she turned toward the front of the castle.
"What sort of things will we be talking about?" asked Harry as he and McGonagall turned down the corridor.
"Well, we'll be discussing a number of things. Most importantly, the candidates for Head Boy and Girl and the Prefects and Quidditch Captains. You won't be able to weigh in much, as you don't know any of the students really, but it will be helpful for you to hear about them and I'll want your feedback on what you'd like for Gryffindor. I, of course, have the final say over Head Boy and Girl as well as the Prefects, although I tend to take the Heads' of Houses recommendations for Prefects. They usually have a pretty good idea of who's best for the job. This time around we'll be depending on the other teachers to make an assessment of the candidates from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The Quidditch Captains, however, are entirely up to each team's Head of House."
"Who was Gryffindor's captain last year?" asked Harry. He was a bit concerned about having to make a decision on a captain he had never met or seen play.
"A fine young beater by the name of Otis Crawford," McGonagall replied as they rounded a corner and Harry pulled aside a tapestry to reveal a hidden passage. "Oh yes, thank you Harry. I'd forgotten about this one," she said as Harry followed her through. "As I was saying, Otis was a 6th year so he'll be returning for one more season if that's okay with you."
"Hey, I'm not messing with a winning plan," Harry said excitedly.
"I thought you might say that. If you're curious about his playing, you might check with your friend Ron Weasley. I believe the Cannons have been looking into recruiting Mr. Crawford."
"I'll do that," said Harry as they stopped outside the staff-room door. He looked at it ominously as he heard faint voices inside. "Do they know I'm here?"
"No," McGonagall shook her head with a gentle smile. "I didn't want to say anything one way or the other until I heard from you. They don't even know who I offered the job to." Harry nodded and gulped as she turned the knob and bustled inside importantly. "Hello everyone, thank you for coming. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, but you'll be pleased to know that I have just hired our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, Professor Harry Potter."
There was an instant of deafening silence before the room was filled with the sound of scraping chairs. One by one, everyone in the room, most of them his former professors, greeted Harry. Snape nodded darkly as he gripped Harry's hand without saying a word. Hagrid was practically beside himself with joy as he shook Harry's arm vigorously.
There were new faces as well. Professor Blackwell, a tall witch with jet-black hair and vivid blue eyes, exhibited a great deal of warmth, but held a demeanor that suggested she was not someone to cross. "Doreen is our Transfiguration teacher," said McGonagall as Professor Blackwell bowed graciously, firmly shaking Harry's shell-shocked hand. "And finally, I believe you already know our new Herbology teacher."
"Neville! What are you doing here?"
"That's Professor Longbottom to you… Professor Potter." Harry and Neville both laughed, shaking hands.
"Wow, it's great to see you," said Harry as everyone moved around the large table to their seats. He and Neville took two adjacent ones nearby. "So, teaching Herbology? That's great. You'll do really well."
"Thanks Harry, this is all a bit intimidating for me. At least you've got the experience from teaching the D.A."
"We'll see. I'm still a bit overwhelmed by it myself. Hey, doesn't this make you head of Hufflepuff House? But, you were a Gryffindor."
"I know, but when Professor McGonagall asked me I figured, 'what's the harm?' I could easily have been a Hufflepuff too, and if they need a head of house, who am I to play favorites."
"Well put Professor Longbottom," said the Headmistress as she took her seat at the head of the table. "I decided that, in light of the Sorting Hat's new method for house placement, a little relaxation of the other related traditions was in order."
"I suppose I'll always have some loyalties to Gryffindor," said Neville, "but when it comes to Quidditch, all bets are off."
"Don't start something you can't finish," said Harry, laughing. He couldn't help but remember his own personal history with the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. One of Gryffindor's most heartbreaking losses during his time as a student was to the Hufflepuffs.
"It appears we've got a new house rivalry brewing eh Severus?" said Professor Flitwick with a chuckle. Snape nodded and cracked a rare smile.
"Well then," said McGonagall in a businesslike voice, "Let's get to it shall we? Who has suggestions for Head Boy and Girl?"
Harry sat quietly and enjoyed the banter of his fellow teachers. He noticed they had an unnerving ability to carry on a conversation with two or three people talking all at once without a single person missing anything, except perhaps for Harry and Neville. Clearly some of the greatest minds in the country were at work right here in this school, and now he could hardly believe he was one of them. As Harry gazed around the room, his eyes lighted upon the courtyard outside. The spires of the castle rose majestically around him as he looked from window to window. He smiled broadly as he thought of so many happy memories that this wonderful place held for him. Once again, Hogwarts was going to be his home.
"I'm home!" Ginny yelled as she dumped her bag inside the front door. "Harry?"
"Hey, how was class?" Harry entered from the kitchen carrying a tray of food.
"Grueling. We had our practical exam today and I got paired up with the most hopeless case I've ever seen. I honestly don't even know how she got into the class; I swear she's a squib." Ginny shook her head in frustration and finally looked up at a grinning Harry. "Did you make me dinner?"
"Yes, just something simple. Come and sit on the couch. You can tell me all about it."
"Oh thank you Harry," Ginny sighed gratefully as she grabbed one of Harry's sandwiches, "but if I don't think about something else for a while I might explode. What did you do today? Did you get up to Hogwarts?"
"Not today. I had an idea yesterday so I sent Hedwig off to Minerva last night. She responded first thing this morning so I've been working on a few new things for the first-years' letters." Harry spoke softly as he massaged his wife's shoulders.
"Mm, that feels great. There's something new for the letters? You'll have to be careful, they're already quite thick aren't they?" Ginny laughed between mouthfuls.
"They'll be fine. It's not much really," Harry responded offhandedly. "We thought that since the kids will get to have some choice in which houses they go into, they should know a little bit about them coming in. So they'll be getting a little pre-Hogwarts homework. I spent most of the afternoon working out a good description for Gryffindor. It's hard to say everything I want to without making it too long, you know."
"I'll bet."
"Plus I want to be sure they're getting the right idea. I don't want people clambering to get into Gryffindor if that's not where they belong, so I have to be careful not to sugar-coat anything."
"Well, maybe I can take a look at it later. I'd enjoy the distraction."
"I'd like that. It's hard not to make it sound like the Sorting Hat's songs."
"Yeah?" Ginny laughed.
Harry laughed with her and they each chewed in silence for a moment. "So when do you want to start moving stuff up to Hogwarts?" he asked after a minute.
"Well, I was thinking: this class is going to be over in three weeks. I could take a break for the next term and we could really focus on getting settled up there. Have you seen the apartment yet?"
"No, but it should be great. Minerva told me she quite enjoyed it while she was Deputy. It has three bedrooms so we'll have plenty of space, and I won't need a study since I'll have two offices as it is."
"That's true. By the way, how are you planning to work out your time between two offices?"
"Well," said Harry pulling his legs up underneath him and shifting his weight as he grabbed another sandwich. "I think I'll probably favor the Deputy Headmaster's office. It's a little bit bigger and closer to Gryffindor Tower and it's where the apartment is. I can just do my classroom stuff in the Defense office and have everything else in the Deputy's office."
"Sounds like you've got this all worked out," Ginny said, turning around and sprawling across two cushions of the couch. "Did you get any work done on that forward for Hermione?"
"I finished it actually, the first draft at least." Harry pulled her feet up off the floor and set them lightly in his lap.
"Wow, you finished it! Well Hermione will be happy about that. But, I thought you said you were working on that description for Gryffindor all day," Ginny looked at him quizzically, resting her arm across her forehead.
"Well, I decided to do a little multi-tasking. I got stuck on the thing for Hogwarts so I decided I might get a little inspiration if I worked on the forward for a while. It was perfect, really, because the whole sub-theme of Hermione's book is a fresh, modern perspective on Hogwarts and that was kind of what I wanted for my Gryffindor profile. After a while I got a lot more ideas of what to say. Both projects kind of helped each other out. Am I boring you?"
"Mn Mh," Ginny shook her head with her eyes closed.
"Is my little lioness tired?" Harry said as he pulled himself up beside her on the couch. "Do you need me to carry you in to bed?" he said softly into her ear as he slipped his arm under her shoulders.
"Nmh," she whined, shifting so she was laying on her side facing him and wrapping her arms around his back. "Just lay with me here for a while."
"Harry, where should I put this box? It's labeled 'Defense Office'."
"There's a pile just over there in the corner, Hermione. We'll take all that stuff over later. Oy! Ron, watch it!" Harry ducked to avoid the long wooden post of a coat rack as it entered the room.
"Sorry Harry," Ron said as he gripped the errant pole more carefully.
"Just set that there by the door."
"Hey Harry, I'm going to need your help levitating the desk around that last corner," said Ron, brushing his hands off on one another in satisfaction as he set down the coat rack. "I couldn't see a thing coming up the stairs with that table."
"Sure thing. I'll be right there," Harry called after Ron as the redhead turned back into the hallway. "Hermione, we're just about done here. Why don't you go up and join Ginny. She's up in the apartment getting stuff situated."
"And where is that exactly?" Hermione asked patiently, her hands on her hips.
"Oh, right. The door's just over here." He led her to the far corner of the room where there was a small bit of blank wall between a window and the nearest bookshelf. "One of us always has to open the door for guests." Harry reached for his wand and was just about to drag it along the edge of a piece of molding when he seemed to change his mind, and returned his wand to his pocket. "I put in a little muggle style intercom, with a few improvements of course. Let's try it out shall we?" He pressed into a knot in the wood near where he had held his wand previously. Nothing moved but the knot glowed briefly.
"AAAH!" they heard Ginny scream. "What the bloody hell was that?" Her voice sounded like it was right next to them, but seemed to be coming from every direction at the same time.
"It's just me sweet-heart. I'm showing Hermione how to get in. Can you open the door for us?"
"Yeah, let me just get my wand. I'm going to have to get used to that bell." After a moment the blank wall creaked and slid quietly out of the way behind the bookcase, revealing a set of stairs that curved up to the right.
"Go on ahead. Ron and I will be up after we get the desk in here."
A few minutes later a sweaty Harry and Ron trudged up the circular staircase and in through a heavy wooden door. The area that lay beyond couldn't have looked more different from the ancient hardness of the entryway. Here was a wonderfully appointed, modern looking flat with all of the latest amenities, decorated in elegant hues and textures. The window hangings on the opposite wall flowed gracefully from one arched portal to the next. Ron's eyes were instantly drawn to what appeared to be an antique chess table in one corner. Above the soft cushions of the sofa was a massive mural: a vast aerial view Hogsmeade in the winter, complete with softly twinkling lights and tiny people bustling from shop to shop.
"Wow, you made it," said Ginny, emerging from the kitchen carrying several glasses over to the large oaken coffee table. "We thought maybe Peeves decided to help out with all the noise you were making down there, or was that an angry Hippogriff you were dragging around?"
"We had to shrink the desk to get it through the door and then we accidentally over enlarged it," said Harry rubbing a sore spot on his arm.
"Bloody thing would have been big enough for Hagrid, and it landed on my foot," Ron grumbled, looking about in strained wonder. "How did all of this get set up so fast? We only brought everything over here yesterday."
"It was like this when we came up here this morning," said Ginny, passing glasses around. "I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling Dobby showed up last night with some of his friends." Hermione looked around, trying hard to hide her concern for the existence of House-elf labor. "Don't worry about it Hermione. Dobby's still getting paid and it's not like we asked them to do it. It was probably his idea anyway."
"I suppose. You'll be sure to thank them though. I don't like the idea of the House-elves always assuming they have to do something."
"Of course I will Hermione," said Harry pleasantly. "Who do I look like, Lucius Malfoy? Oh shut up Ron. For the last time, it's not funny anymore."
Ron, who had just shuddered sarcastically at the name, laughed heartily. "Come on, he deserves it."
"The man's in Azkaban for the rest of his life. He's already getting what he deserves. It is kind of funny though, I have to admit," said Hermione, chuckling playfully and smiling at Ron.
"This place is really amazing," said Ron, looking around, peeking into each room. "I never would have known this was here back when we were in school."
"That's kind of the idea," said Harry. "Students would be bugging the teachers at home all the time if they knew where we slept. This didn't even show up on the Marauder's Map, so not even my dad or Sirius or Lupin knew about where the teachers lived."
"So, uh…" Ginny glanced silently over at Harry, who nodded. "Ron, would you mind joining us over here for a moment."
"Oh, yeah sure. What's up?" Ron, who had been admiring the chess table from mere inches away turned and sat with Hermione on the sofa.
"Ginny and I want to thank you both so much for helping us move everything up here. It would have taken ages to get everything here from Hogsmeade by ourselves."
"You're very welcome. We're so happy for both of you," said Hermione graciously.
"There's a little something we want to give you."
"Oh, that's not necessary," chirped Hermione
"No, really, we insist," said Ginny firmly.
"Well, okay, but nothing big." Hermione looked curiously over at Harry who smiled simply.
"You've both been really wonderful to us, and we know you can really use it, so we'd like you to have this." Harry pulled a small keychain from his pocket and dangled it in front of Ron and Hermione. "Here. I know you'll take good care of it."
"Harry…" Hermione appeared flummoxed.
Ron swallowed hard, not sure if he could believe what was happening. "Harry… Aren't those your keys to…?"
"Yes. We want you to have our house out in Godric's Hollow. It's all cleaned out and ready for you to move in," Harry said, beaming.
Hermione finally found her voice, "Harry, Ginny, you couldn't possibly… We couldn't possibly… take your house. Really, that's too much."
"Nonsense. We don't need it anymore and we know how badly you've wanted to get out of London," said Ginny brightly.
"But, what if you want to get away from Hogwarts, you know, for holiday or something?" Ron stammered.
"Here, we'll make you a deal. Keep a nice guest room set up and we'll call it even." Harry reached over and grabbed Ron's hand, putting the keys in his palm. "That way we can come and visit."
Hermione suddenly leapt to her feet and surrounded Harry and Ginny in a huge hug. "This is amazing. I can't believe you guys! How can we ever thank you?"
"Just use it well. I would have hated to just sell it. It would take forever to get it ready for Muggle use again. I'll be happy to see it lived in and loved," said Harry.
"Wow Ron, can you believe this?" Hermione pulled her husband up into an equally large embrace. "It's like Christmas came early! Harry, Ginny, you'll have to come over next week for Harry's birthday, and then again for yours Ginny. We'll have a big celebration with everybody."
"That would be wonderful," said Harry, standing with his arm around Ginny. "We'll be there."
"Ginny?" Harry whispered. "You awake?"
"Mm, yeah" Ginny grumbled turning over. "I can't sleep."
"Me either." They both shifted around in bed so they were facing each other.
"My stomach's all full of butterflies."
"Yours! I'm the one starting school tomorrow," said Harry. "I've got three million little thoughts running through my head."
"Isn't that normal?"
"Maybe for you it is," Harry said, smothering her with a pillow.
"Hey… Harry, that's not fair," Ginny squealed, struggling under his playful assault. "Harry please, you're mussing up my hair." Harry stopped suddenly and removed the pillow.
"You're bed hair?" he chuckled, taking a few strands and twirling it between his fingers.
"It's not funny," she said in mock protest, turning away from him.
"Aw…" Harry cooed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him and resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I won't mess up your beautiful hair anymore."
"Well, okay," she conceded and snuggled back against him and sighing deeply, contented in his arms. "You smell nice. Is that aftershave?" she reached up and brushed his cheek with the back of her hand.
"Yeah. Just a nervous thing I guess. I needed to do something with my hands."
"I see…" she said, turning to face him again. Kissing him gently she leaned close to his ear. "I'll give you something to do with your hands."
"Are you getting fresh with me?"
"Yeah," she grinned playfully, tickling his bare chest. "Besides, it doesn't appear that either of us is going to be getting to sleep anytime soon. It would be such a waste to just lay here all night."
"Too right you are," said Harry, stroking her soft, red hair. "Ginny, I love you so much."
"I love you too," said Ginny, rolling up on top of Harry and kissing him deeply.
"Time to get up Professor!" Ginny said brightly, setting down a tray of food and pulling open the curtains. The sunlight beat down on Harry's head as he sat up, looking around as though he didn't quite know where he was.
"What time is it?" said Harry, looking around for his glasses.
"About half past noon," Ginny replied, handing Harry his familiar wire rimmed spectacles and his dressing gown. "Come up on the bed and have some breakfast."
"Huh?" Harry said, gathering his bearings as he pulled the dressing gown tightly around him. "What am I doing on the floor?"
"Well, as I recall, that part was your idea," Ginny grinned, taking a bite of bacon with a satisfying crunch. "Not that I'm complaining. It was kind of fun."
"Looks like a tornado came through here," Harry said, surveying the rumpled sheets as he climbed up on the mattress next to his wife.
"I'll say," she grinned at him as she leaned over and kissed him softly. "Come on, eat up. You've got a lot to do between now and when the kids arrive."
"Really, like what?" said Harry, taking a ravenous mouthful of toast and bacon. He was suddenly very hungry.
"Well, first you'll have to go down and check over everything in your offices four more times. Then you'll come up here and dig through the closet for a while. At that point you'll probably be too anxious to actually do anything so I'll invite you for a walk around the grounds to calm your nerves. Then we'll come back up here and you'll change your mind about ten more times about which robes you want to wear."
"Are you saying I'm paranoid?" Harry shot back between mouthfuls.
"No, not at all. I'm sure I'd be the same way if I were the one starting school today. Just the same, let's try to skip most of that and just take the afternoon to relax a bit instead." Ginny looked lovingly into Harry's eyes. "You don't need to be getting yourself all worked up like that."
"I know," said Harry through a mouthful of food. She glared at him as he opened his mouth to continue. He held up a finger as he swallowed. "Sorry, I'm just nervous, I guess. Hey, at least I'll have some common ground with the first-years." They both laughed.
"Yeah, I suppose you will. Boy, do you remember what it was like? I was scared to death. I thought for sure something awful was going to happen and I'd have Fred and George giving me a hard time about it all year."
"It all turned out alright didn't it?" said Harry, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Thanks for breakfast sweetie."
"My pleasure," said Ginny, sliding out of the bed and picking up the empty food tray. "Go get dressed. We can walk down and see how Hagrid's doing. I think he's down making sure the boats are all set up for the first-years."
Several hours later Harry stood in the deserted entrance hall, nervously tapping his fingers on the banister of the grand staircase. He glanced into the Great Hall as a few house-elves scurried about, getting a few last minute items in place. The Great Hall seemed a lot smaller than it used to. He remembered back to the first time he saw it. Now it seemed so much different from then, warm and inviting as always, but not at all intimidating. What was intimidating was trundling up the pathway this very moment.
He could see the other teachers taking their seats up at the staff table, talking quietly amongst themselves. Professor McGonagall looked up and smiled at Harry, nodding as if to say "You'll do fine." Harry gulped and nodded back appreciatively. He could hear the thud of hooves and the creaking sound of the carriages rattling their way up to the castle now. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes for a moment. He heard the first few carriages grind to a stop and voices began to emerge. With a last calming sigh, he walked over and pulled open the doors.
A swarm of chattering students instantly flooded the entrance hall and their voices echoed high into the cavernous space above. Everything seemed to be going rather well for the first few minutes. Every now and then students would do a double take as they passed by, scrutinizing Harry briefly before making their way into the Great Hall. Harry was just thinking they were all going to overlook his presence when a group of older students walked in, passing very near to him. One of them, a tall boy with light brown, wavy hair, who was wearing Gryffindor robes, looked twice and suddenly blurted "What is Harry Potter doing here?"
The crowed suddenly got much quieter as those who could hear the boy stopped and stared. Harry felt the heat of dozens of curious faces looking up at him. For a split second he panicked before he regained his composure and furled his shoulders in an authoritative posture. "That's Professor Potter to you, Mr. Simmons." The boy blanched. "Oh, yes. I know who you are. I worked with your mother in the ministry. Now, move it along. Go on now everyone, inside. The first years will be here any minute."
At that moment, a loud squelching sound erupted directly over Harry's Head. A few of the younger students giggled.
"Peeves, now is not the time!" Harry bellowed without looking up.
"But Peevesie has a new song for the new Professor. I must sing it for all these lovely students."
"You'll do no such thing." Harry turned to look up at the poltergeist, hovering over his head. "Don't mess with me Peeves," Harry said darkly. Peeves ignored him and closed his eyes as he postured himself to sing.
"Ready? Here we go! Little proffy Potter, he came twelve years ago. And when—AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Peeves screamed and zoomed up the stairs, around a corner and out of sight, chased closely by a silvery shape that streaked up behind him.
"Now then…" Harry gave a satisfied nod toward where Peeves had been, and turned back to the students, still holding his wand firmly. "Everyone, inside. Now!"
With a very subdued murmuring, the mass of students continued to shuffle toward the great hall. Professor Snape could be seen, poking his head through the door. He glanced up the stairs after Peeves and then at Harry. Harry raised his eyebrows and cocked his head slightly to one side. Snape seemed satisfied, and turned, following the last student into the hall. Harry stood there with a confident smirk on his face as he watched the last few students take their seats along the house tables. After a moment, there were three resounding thuds on the front doors. Harry pulled the doors open in grand fashion. Looking prouder than he ever had, Hagrid smiled as he looked at Harry.
"The firs'-years, Professor Potter."