Disclaimer: All of this is based upon the lovely J.K. Rowling's work. I own nothing except Salazar's wife, son, and various other original characters. This story is an AU of sixth year, but it will contain a few spoilers from Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. However, it will still seriously diverge from canon.


"blah": dialogue

'blah': thoughts

"blah" : Parseltongue

"blah": Legilimency/Telepathy

Italics: excerpt from a book /newspaper or any other written form

Bold: a word or phrase that is emphasized

Italics, Underlined, and Bold: location/date of a scene in the story


Chapter Eighteen: Guardians of the Gate

Unknown, The Throne Room: August 31st, 1996

The night before the train ride back to Hogwarts, Harry was rather surprised when he was pulled into a vision of Voldemort. He was doubly so when he remembered that he had meditated before bed, strengthening his shields just in case the Dark Lord decided to throw him a back to school bash. Regardless of the increased shielding, the teenager still managed to end up in Riddle's head.

And that probably was why his dream-self was standing barefoot and in his pajamas next to Voldemort's throne, a hazy fog obscuring almost everything else. Harry took one look at his attire before grimacing. His nightclothes were instantly replaced by dark-green robes with golden trim. The reborn Slytherin smirked but quickly sobered as he noted the fog creeping away, and everything came into clear view.

Tom stood in the center of the room, his Death Eaters cowering on the floor around him. Harry briefly wondered if Snape was here, but a stretching out of his magical senses confirmed that the Potions master was not. But then, he reasoned after a moment, it seemed as though this wasn't a full Death Eater meeting as only around two dozen were present. Perhaps the professor was away brewing for the Dark Lord, or maybe he hadn't been summoned at all.

And as for Riddle himself, he was currently questioning a Death Eater, occasionally hexing the unfortunate man. What surprised Harry, however, was that Voldemort didn't react to his presence. It was almost as if the Dark Lord didn't even know he was there. A few subtle Legilimency tricks later, and it became readily apparent to the young wizard that Tom Riddle truly had no idea. As such, the man was paying him no mind, not that he could see Harry to do so. Instead, the Dark Lord's attention was focused on one follower in particular, the man shaking as he tried to answer his master's demands.

"…the Department of Mysteries," Rookwood replied nervously, obviously fighting the urge to twitch.

Voldemort actually looked intrigued. "Explain," he commanded, idly flicking a curse at Goyle, who wasn't bowing low enough.

"The Department of Mysteries might have information or possibly even the Gate itself, my Lord," the Death Eater hurriedly explained. "Further, the text that we liberated from the library in Edinburgh mentioned Guardians of the Gate, people or possibly magical protectors. Some of the Unspeakables could be the Guardians, but we still are not sure what form the Gate takes."

"Could be?" the Dark Lord repeated, finally lifting the hex from Goyle. "Could be… not sure… I wanted definite answers, not just guesswork and conjectures." The serpent-like man stiffened with rage. "That is all you have?" he demanded in a cool voice, his fingers lovingly stroking his yew wand.

"No, my Lord," Rookwood hastened to add, beads of sweat racing down his pock-marked face. "It could possibly be the Veil, the one the Unspeakables are attempting to study," he clarified and shook in fear. "My old department head thought that the whispers around it might by the voices of the Guardians. Rev–He," Rookwood hastily corrected, not daring to name the traitor, "actually assigned me to research it before his disappearance, but we have no way of actually knowing if it is even the Gate until we can look at it. We'd have to determine if the correct runes are there and test its magic."

"Hm… Revan… always coming back to haunt us," Tom Riddle mused to himself for a moment, gazing off into the distance. He inhaled sharply then, coming back to himself. "The Veil, you say?" he questioned as his eyes flickered back to his follower, interest peaked once more.

"Yes, sire. The Veil, the one that Black fell through."

Hearing this, Harry instantly stiffened, but he deflated as realization of the earlier statements sunk through. 'They think that the Veil is the Phoenix Gate?' he realized suddenly, rather dazed by the irony of it all. 'They actually think that the Veil is the Gate!' he repeated, shaking his head. He slowly walked closer, the better to hear the continuing exchange.

Voldemort appeared to have temporarily forgotten Rookwood because a thoughtful expression crossed his serpentine face. He stood there silently for several moments, contemplating the new information and idly twirling his wand through his fingers. The motion was an odd one, identical to what the diary version of Tom Riddle had done and very similar to a habit Harry himself had acquired when his memories had returned. Apparently, it was just as much a mark of the Slytherin family as the Parseltongue.

The young wizard was snapped out of his reverie by the sudden sound of the Dark Lord's voice. "We will need to get into the Department again. However, with the increased security and Dumbledore's continuing protection of the area, we will need a… distraction." The snake-faced man smiled then, his lip-less mouth curving into a smirk. "And I know just when to do it," he finished, absentmindedly patting Rookwood on the head much as a person would pet a dog. "Dolohov!" Voldemort commanded with ill-hidden giddiness.

"Yes, my Lord," the burly man stated, kneeling even further to the ground.

The Dark Lord's red eyes flicked to him. "Step up the acquisition of specimens," he ordered, deftly not mentioning what the man was acquiring. Apparently, he did not want his other followers to know. "We will need more, several hundred at the least, and much sooner than we had planned."

The man nodded fiercely. "Y-yes, my Lord. We will obtain more immediately," he stuttered, shaking slightly. "When should we have them by, Sire?"

Voldemort grinned maliciously. "Before Samhain. We will be using them on Halloween."

His Death Eaters actually gasped, most stifling it to keep from being heard. "Halloween, Sire?" one incredibly brave, or stupid, follower ventured.

Voldemort quickly shot off a Cruciatus curse at the foolish man before continuing. "Yes, we will be using them as a bit of a distraction so that we can go through the department unnoticed." He chuckled briefly. "I think that Dumbledore and Potter will assuredly appreciate the gift I am sending them." He laughed then, the high and cold sound actually sending chills down Harry's spine.

Belatedly, his Death Eaters also laughed, but they were much too slow. The Dark Lord, apparently taking offense, began to fire curses at those closest to him. Voldemort continued disciplining his followers for some time, causing Harry to turn away. The teenager did not want to see or hear such things, but as he was stuck in the vision, he could not leave. His eyes immediately landed on a cloaked follower with their hood up on the far side of the room. He saw the person move somewhat, easing weight off of their knees, and a lock of long, midnight hair cascaded loose from inside their hood.

'A woman… Bellatrix,' Harry thought suddenly, all but running to her. He stood over the women, staring down at her. 'Sirius' cousin. His mur… his killer,' the young man corrected, remembering a realization he had had earlier in the summer.

During their duel, Bellatrix had repeatedly fired red spells, Stunners, but never once had she sent the Killing curse. She had only wanted to incapacitate Sirius; she hadn't meant to actually kill him, and Harry couldn't help but shake his head at the irony of it all. Sirius had escaped the Dark Lord several times, and he had avoided his hate-filled parents. He had gone on countless missions for the Order. For the sake of the Maker, he had survived Azkaban for almost thirteen years, only to die in an accident during a duel with his cousin.

Shaking his head once more, Harry moved closer to her, his magical senses tingling softly. He knelt next to Bellatrix, knowing that there was something odd about her. Harry could sense magic on her, very faint but powerful magic that was centering around her abdomen. It almost felt like multiple Protection and Shield spells intricately woven together to be incredibly powerful and all but undetectable, which was probably the work of additional concealing and masking charms.

Undoubtedly, the only reason Harry could see through their dissociating qualities was because he wasn't physically in room. With him as little more than an astral projection and with the charms on a different wavelength than normal, they didn't mask as effectively as they would have had he been physically present. But despite this, Harry was still very impressed by the craftsmanship and skill that had gone into the spellwork. It was clearly the work of a master because not even Voldemort was aware of it. Had he been, the Dark Lord would have most definitely dispelled it already, and Bellatrix would be the one currently writhing on the floor in agony.

Nonetheless, the true mystery was not the skill of the caster, but the reason the spells were even there. They were obviously meant to protect something, but what?

Carefully watching the magic's ebb and flow, Harry unexpectedly discovered that it wasn't meant to protect Bellatrix but someone else entirely. And shrugging his shoulders, the reborn Slytherin stretched out his magical senses and cast a silent spell with his astral wand, which had luckily come with him. A suspicion was forming in his mind, but he still needed to check. He reached out, only to instantly come back into himself as his suspicion was confirmed. The Protection spell was most definitely not meant for Bellatrix. It was meant for her child.

After inhaling sharply, the teenager simply stared at her for a minute. Finally coming out of his daze, he discreetly glanced back at Voldemort just to be on the safe side.

Yes, he was still disciplining, read torturing, his followers.

Shaking his head, he turned back to the woman, thinking over his insight. As Harry mused, he belatedly noticed the female Death Eater stir beside him. He turned to look at her more fully, noting her eyes flickering around rather oddly. The young man bent down closer to her and saw her shiver again, as though chilled. However, he didn't have a chance to investigate her bizarre behavior because he felt a slight pull behind his navel. The tugging quickly became more insistent.

'No, not now,' the sixth-year thought furiously, trying to hang on.

Yet, even as he fought, he knew it was useless; he was waking up. He fought even harder, straining. A faint growl of frustration escaped his lips.

And suddenly, Bellatrix gazed up in his direction as if she had heard the earlier sound, looking not through him but at him. Her eyes widened, and she had to stifle a gasp. She quickly cast her eyes about to see if anyone had notice her reaction or their unexpected guest.

"Potter?" she murmured with shock, careful even then not to be overheard by the other Death Eaters.

But Harry barely had time to even register her words or the emotions swirling through her before he was dragged from the room.

Just as he was pulled away he could have sworn her heard her whisper desperately, "Please, help me!"


Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Kitchen: September 1st, 1996

The following morning was complete chaos in pure Weasley fashion. Neither Ron nor Ginny were finished packing, so they had to all but throw their possessions in their trunks. Fred and George, who were living above their shop, had stayed over the night before and were causing a great deal of mayhem for the returning students. Hermione had disappeared for half an hour as had Bill, only to return looking completely disheveled with suspiciously swollen lips. Neville, on the other hand, seemed to have no problems and was quietly sitting in the kitchen with a faintly bemused Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, Remus, and Charlie, sipping tea.

Harry and Luna also managed to avoid most of the chaos as they had used their wands to pack their things the night before. The only problem for him that morning was trying to find the opportunity to drag the blonde away and relate his strange vision. Eventually he managed to do so, but the pair barely had time to even discuss the possible ramifications before Remus was calling them downstairs.

The pair entered the kitchen hand in hand, Tonks snickering a little when she noticed, their trunks shrunken and in their pockets. They approached the gathered group, who moved over for them, and made sure that at least one finger was on the Portkey that was to take them to the station. It was the same phoenix feather Harry had used to come to Grimmauld Place. Molly Weasley made certain that everyone, students and guards alike, was touching the Portkey before she said the activation word.

Harry felt a pull behind his navel before he was unceremoniously slammed feet first onto the compartment floor. Rather miraculously, he managed to stay standing. He, Bill, and Luna were the only three under thirty-five who had done so. He quickly cast his eyes about as the other picked themselves up off the floor, seeing that they were indeed where they were supposed to be, inside of the Hogwarts train.

The adults glanced around quickly, making sure that they were the only ones there. Afterwards, there were several lingering goodbyes, multiple hugs from Molly Weasley as well as one from Remus with a promise to write to the werewolf, a few pats on the back from Gred and Forge, a kiss on the cheek from Tonks, a handshake from Bill, and the guards were off to check the security of the station. Minutes ticked by, the view outside their windows slowly filling with parents and students. Soon enough, they were joined by Dean, who gave Ginny a lingering kiss hello as Ron watched their interaction, his face reddening. Hermione simply laughed. Harry merely shook his head, exchanged an exasperated glance with Luna, and watched as the train pulled a way from the station.

Conversation soon started, and the group only talked about light subjects, not covering any of their plans because Ron was in the compartment with them, and they were still not entirely sure what was going on with him. According to what Harry had been able to pry from Minerva on one of her many briefs visits to the Headquarters, the brains from the Department of Mysteries had had a lasting effect on his redheaded friend. Still, no one was really sure what that effect encompassed. For all they knew. Ron could simply be feeling depressed and out of sorts. But on the other hand, he could also be possessed by the soul of a fifteenth century Hufflepuff serial killer bent on world domination through means of mind control pansies as Fred and George had been quick to point out. Basically and all told, they just had no idea. It wasn't that Ron was untrustworthy. Surprisingly, at least to Ginny, he normally was, but he was compromised. And until they knew by what, they couldn't tell him anything.

It wasn't until the Prefect meeting, which Ron and Hermione both attended, that they were able to speak freely. Ginny quickly and discreetly rounded up her summer correspondents and recruits, bringing them to the now bewitched compartment, where they wouldn't be overheard. Luna had done a rather nice job of expanding it so they would thankfully all fit. All in all, the redhead's quick trip was a success because she managed to bring all but Athena Avis, the new fifth-year Gryffindor Prefect, who had to attend the meeting.

Harry, taking the leadership role, quickly filled them in on the pertinent summer discoveries and their new goals, which no longer included direct plots against the headmaster. He readily mentioned that he planned to start the DA again, regardless of how good the new Defense professor was, for the simple reason that they were at war and needed all the experience they could get. However, while it would remain a mostly closed group, the DA would be expanded, adding only those they could trust to be on their side and getting rid of those they couldn't. Harry also mentioned that the curriculum for the DA was now slightly changed, growing to include subjects outside of just Defense and now encompassing battle magics. The dark-haired wizard further described their other goals, such as finding and researching new spells for the DA. He also stated that they would be looking into the last war with Voldemort and trying to determine the most effective strategies against him.

Afterwards, he yielded the floor to Luna, who discussed their growing distrust of the corrupt Ministry. She additionally mentioned that they would be digging further into the government and that they would most likely expose a good deal of the corruption. She dreamily added that the Quibbler would be perfect for this, especially since its subscription numbers were up, and many people now viewed the magazine as mostly honest, if a bit eccentric.

Briefly, Ginny, who was now adding to the discussion as well, stated that they would continue their efforts to convince students and others outside of the school that neither the Ministry nor the Death Eaters were the way to go. She also mentioned that she had already convinced Tonks to help them and that the Auror was going to work on Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody.

It was shortly thereafter that the Prefect meeting was scheduled to let out, so Dean, taking his cue and following his instructions, went to head Ron off. The dark-skinned wizard was to distract the other boy and keep the redhead from returning so that they could continue their discussion.

Within minutes of Dean's departure, Hermione and Athena were just sitting down in the compartment. Harry was just about to launch into an explanation of their plan when he let out a great yawn.

"Excuse me," he apologized sheepishly. "I'm a bit tired."

Luna had to fight a smile. "I am as well, come to think of it," she added softly.

Hermione looked at the two of them suspiciously for a second, her eyes darting back and forth between them. "Why don't the two of you have a nap then? I'm sure that we can fill Athena in."

"Are you sure?" the young man asked, yawning once more.

Harry had discreetly cast a Yawning spell on himself several moments earlier. He had a meeting later tonight with Dom and would be exceptionally tired in the morning if he didn't sleep. Of course, the only time for him to rest was on the train. Nonetheless, he hadn't mentioned the meeting to anyone but Luna. Hence the necessity for the spell.

"Oh, go ahead and sleep, Harry," Hermione admonished him with a shake of her head. "I can tell Athena and fill in the details for everyone else."

Harry fought a grin. "If you insist," he said, leaning back against the seat.

He turned his head and cast a sly wink at his girlfriend, who smiled back dreamily. Settling in for a nap, he soon began to drift off. The blonde gazed at him for a minute longer before leaning against the wall of the compartment, pillowing her head on her hands.

Just as Harry drifted off, he heard the soft talking of the others. Hermione carefully going over the details once more.

He was poked awake sometime later by a smiling Prefect. "We're almost there, Harry. It'll only be a few minutes. Good thing you already put on your robes," Hermione finished, lips twitching.

He tried to shift his left around, but it wouldn't budge. Deciding it was asleep, he gave up the attempt and merely glanced back at his fried. She was looking at him strangely, and he returned the expression, clearly puzzled. His bright, green eyes traveled around to the other people in the compartment, noting Ginny and Athena grinning like loons in his direction, Neville laughing at him, and Hermione now smirking. Finally, Harry's attention turned to Luna, and the teenager was surprised to note that she was fast asleep, her head on his left shoulder. Apparently, she had shifted to lean on him sometime during the trip.

'No wonder I couldn't move it,' Harry thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

He leaned forward and gently shook his girlfriend awake. With a slight inhalation she opened her eyes and gazed up at him. Her expression seemed to say, "Good afternoon, Mr. Potter." However, she simply smiled and said nothing. She instead sat up and adjusted her robes.

Just as Harry was about to speak to her, the train began to slow, coming to a stop. The group exchanged glances before rising and stepping out of the compartment into the crowd. The reborn Salazar hung by Luna as they exited the train, keeping by her elbow as they came into the station.

"Remember the plan," he whispered to her.

"Yes," she murmured back, stepping around a Hufflepuff third-year. "We have to get a carriage to ourselves, but how are we to get the others from following us?"

Harry shrugged and glanced around. He suddenly smiled as his eyes lit as they landed on Hermione. He quickly stepped to her and rapidly whispered, "Hermione, Luna and I are taking a carriage to ourselves." The bushy-haired witch gazed at him skeptically, but he was prepared for that. "We want some time alone before we get back to Hogwarts. We won't really have much of a chance during school," he put in smoothly.

"Alright," she finally acquiesced after a second of soul-searching. "But you and I need to talk later, Harry," she continued, and he knew that there was a discussion about his relationship with Luna in his future.

The wizard nodded and moved back to his girlfriend, who in the meantime had inconspicuously approached a carriage and spelled it with a Repelling charm. Now, no one else would want to ride with them either.

The two moved inside, but not before petting the Thestrals, and shut the door behind them. The couple sat next to each other, and as the carriages moved toward the castle, they prepared for what they surely knew would come, they were preparing for a hell of a welcome back from the castle.

For Hogwarts was a very special castle indeed. She was not just sentient. Oh, she was far more than that. Hogwarts Castle, the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was ensouled.

They hadn't intended to do so, to create a castle with a soul. It had just happened, rather unexpectedly. It was much like the ensoulment of the Sorting Hat, which is to say that it was a complete and total accident. But then, Quinn had reasoned that that was exactly what living creatures did when they reproduced. They formed the shell, the body, and then a soul filled it.

Regardless of this rather dry explanation, however, Harry couldn't help but feel that there was more to it. That the entire process was far more special than that. Hogwarts was a wonder, a marvel, a living thing with feeling and emotions.

And two of her creators, two of her parents, were coming home. She was bound to be excited.

Hogwarts would, undoubtedly, be very ecstatic to see them once again, especially since they now remembered the past. Yet, Harry had this sneaking suspicion that the castle would be a bit overenthusiastic with her greeting, which was both a rather good and a rather bad thing.

It was good in the sense that they had missed her and were very eager to see her again. They dearly loved the castle, much like one would love a child. Still, it was bad in the sense that she was filled with magical energy, and when she was deeply feeling an emotion, say happiness… well, the magic tended to be a bit too much.

For all Harry and Luna knew, she would most likely knock them out. Or at least, daze them. This, of course, would be exceptionally hard to explain if there were any witnesses, so the happy couple had conspired to ensure that there were none.

The reborn Salazar gazed out of the window as he felt them draw near the boundaries of the wards. As the carriage approached, he reached out and took his girlfriend's hand. He also swiftly shored up his Occlumency walls, the ones designed to hold his latent Empathy in check. It wouldn't do to be totally overwhelmed by Hogwarts, now would it?

"Are you ready?" he asked, squeezing her fingers.

The wards were just meters away.

Luna answered just as they crossed the boundary, "As I'll ever be."

And it felt as though there was an explosion of joy in his head. He felt a strong mental presence wrap around him, and it was like being held by a mother, like having a father look at him in pride, like have a sibling whisper jokes to him all at the same time. He felt safe, happy. And most importantly, he felt complete.

He was whole again. The part of him that he hadn't even realized was missing was now there. He had his family back, though most of them didn't even realize it yet. But they would soon. And that was all that mattered. Almost all of his family was here, at Hogwarts. Only Helga, Edmund, and a few of the other Hufflepuff family members weren't. But Harry knew where they all were, all save Solaris. Yet, even the loss of his brother wasn't enough to completely dispel his mood.

Another wave of bliss descended upon him, and the reborn Salazar knew that Hogwarts had sensed his momentary sadness. The sensation was almost overwhelming in its intensity, but he sensed that the castle was purposely trying to keep from hurting them. But she was just so happy that they were back and that they remembered and that they wouldn't leave her again.

Slowly, the almost overpowering sensations diminished, but Hogwarts' presence didn't. She merely settled herself in a secure corner of Harry's mind, occasionally sending bursts of joy his way. Exhaling slowly, he recovered himself, sitting up and wondering how he had managed to sprawl over the seat. In the excitement, the teenager had still managed to hold his Occlumency walls, but it was near thing. Hogwarts thankfully hadn't overloaded his Empathy either, something for which he would be forever grateful.

Shaking his head, he focused his glazed eyes and looked at Luna, who was bonelessly leaning on the seat and smiling dreamily. The blonde noticed his gaze and managed to steady herself. The young man didn't even want to know what they had looked liked moments ago, probably as though they had been on an all night drinking binge, but the two were both wearing identical dazed expressions. He would have hated to have his friends see them like this because it would have led to many awkward questions.

Several more moments passed, with the pair slowly sobering up, for lack of a better word. Just as they approached the castle, they finally managed some semblance of normalcy and cast a few quick charms to freshen their appearances. With their mussed hair and wrinkly robes, they would have undoubtedly given people the wrong idea about what they had been doing all alone in the carriage.

A few minutes later, Harry and Luna were inside the castle, which was still buzzing at the back of their minds, and heading for the Great Hall. Just inside the door, he gave her hand one final squeeze goodbye before they moved for their respective tables. He sat quickly on the end closest to the Head Table, just between Hermione and Ginny and directly across from Neville. The reborn Slytherin cast an inconspicuous glance at the High Table, catching Dominic's eye. The newest teacher was sitting quietly beside Madam Pomfrey and the ever-excitable Charms professor, nodding every now and then to something Flitwick was saying. He winked briefly to Harry before quickly moving on, not wanting anyone to notice their exchange.

The teenager in turn fought the smile that threatened to blossom on his face, having received Dom's brief message via Legilimency. That one look had conveyed all Harry needed to know.

"It is good to see you. Tonight is still a go; meet me in the Sorting Hat's room. Hogwarts will show you the way."

Harry could practically feel the man's excitement about the meeting, which would be their first true face-to-face exchange.

The sudden sound of the Great Hall doors opening and the sight of Minerva followed by the first-years, brought Harry back to the here and now. He watched as the witch led them up to the three-legged stool and the calmly waiting Hat atop it.

The Sorting Hat peered at the gathering intently, as if it were trying to look into their very souls, though it didn't even have eyes. Its nonexistent gaze seemed to travel around the Hall briefly before settling on Professor McGonagall. It gave her a little bow, and finally, an opening appeared on the brim.

I am the Sorting Hat.
And I'll sort you without fail.
But before I do my work tonight,
Let me tell you a little tale.

It is a sad, sad story,
Oh, this is very true,
Of witty and clever Slytherin
And mighty Gryffindor, too.

Two great friends they once were
Brothers in everything but name.
Yet, something came between them,
And nothing was ever the same.

It tore them both apart,
And I am ashamed to say,
Twas jealousy, the foul beast,
That led one of them astray.

Twas Gryffindor who utterly faltered
For all the world to see,
Becoming a cowardly traitor,
Forsaking his vaunted chivalry.

You see, sly and fair Slytherin
Found love and took a wife.
Yet, Godric craved her, too,
So he took dear Salazar's life.

And filled with envious rage,
He carefully crafted his attack.
He crept upon his friend one day
And stabbed him in the back.

And so the Hogwarts four
Became the Hogwarts three
With Salazar now forever lost
And Godric crowing with unholy glee.

But in the end, all was for naught,
And he set us on a path quite grim.
For what he desired never came to pass,
And the future became so very dim.

And so the unity of the Houses
Crumbled into naught but dust,
Never again to come together.
But fix this we surely must.

Evil times once more approach.
Dark and Light again must be one.
We have to come together now,
Or we're finished before we've begun.

So heed my parting words
We must unite if we are to win.
Now, sit back, enjoy…
And let the Sorting begin!

The Great Hall was deathly silent as the Sorting Hat finished its song, staring at them once more. All of the students, as well as the teachers, were completely frozen, shocked by what they had heard.

In turn, Harry fought to keep his mouth from dropping open; never in a million years had he expected the Sorting Hat to sing about that! He shivered at the thought, his own murder still clearly troubling him. He flickered his widened eyes to Luna, noting her equally astonished expression. Next, they drifted to the Head Table, bemusedly taking in the appearance of the teachers.

The only three with some semblance of calm were Boyd, Snape… and Trelawney! Harry assumed that the vampire had been forewarned about the song, while Snape's time as a spy allowed him to school his features. The young wizard had no idea why Trelawney didn't seem surprised, and a quick check with Empathy confirmed that she wasn't. Nor did he understand why she was faintly smirking, while her shoulders shook with silent laughter. In fact, he didn't even know why she was there in the first place; she rarely came to the Great Hall for meals, and this was the first time he could remember seeing her during one of the feasts. Harry was a bit wary and more than a bit skeptical, but the nearest he could figure was that Trelawney had "seen" that this would happen and had come to enjoy the show as it were.

As for the rest of the faculty, they were in various stages of shock. Hagrid's mouth was hanging open, his eyes bulging. Professor Flitwick had toppled out of his chair and was sitting in a heap on the floor. Minerva's hat had fallen off her head, and her hands clutched the first year roll so tightly that her knuckles were white, horribly wrinkling the list. Even Dumbledore seemed surprised. The headmaster's hands were frozen mid-air, as though he was about to clap but had forgotten to complete the action. His normally twinkling eyes were stilled and very wide.

Finally, the Great Hall began to show signs of life, Professor Dumbledore recovering first. He set his hands down and stood, peering down at everyone. Instantly, Minerva snapped out of her daze, glancing at the headmaster. A wordless exchange passed between the two before the Transfiguration professor finally nodded firmly and quickly bent down to retrieve her hat.

Harry watched the exchange with interest, the song still ringing in his ears. Yet, the sudden warmth of the Phoenix Gate under his robes kept him firmly rooted in reality.

The sound of the deputy headmistress' voice immediately jarred the other older students into awareness and a myriad of whispers could be heard at every table. From beside him, Harry heard Hermione, Neville, Ron, and Ginny launch into a rapid discussion about the meaning and the validity of the song. However, he did not join in because he knew that it was nothing but the truth. He instead chose to watch Minerva, who actually had to raise her voice to be heard over the noise.

"Abbott, Costello," she repeated.

And a brunet first-year started. The boy hesitantly approached the Sorting Hat, as though he were actually afraid of it, before sitting on the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF."

And he rapidly removed the Hat, but he didn't move for a table. Unfortunately for him, there was no cheering from his new House to guide him to a seat. The students at the aforementioned table hadn't even notice his dilemma, much less the fact that they had a new member, since they were too busy discussing the Hat's song.

Finally, Minerva, rolling her eyes slightly, pointed the boy in the right direction. The witch called the next student "Acheron, Lysistrata" and little girl with the deepest brown eyes Harry had ever seen nervously stepped forward.

A minute later…

"GRYFFINDOR."

Fortunately, this first-year had somewhat better luck than the last because Harry belatedly noticed that she was in his House. He immediately stood and waved her over, smiling with encouragement.

The Transfiguration teacher did not look pleased with her House. Narrowing her eyes with exasperation over her Lion's behavior and the fact that only one of her students was cheering, Minerva shot a look at the headmaster. The man gazed at her in return before standing. Instead of attempting to call attention over the ever-increasing din of noise, Dumbledore simply waved his wand, and the sound of a cannon firing echoed through the Hall.

Everyone instantly quieted, turning to the Head Table.

"Now," Dumbledore stated firmly, his eyes lit with a fierce spark, "I know that you all wish to discuss our delightful Hat's song. However, we have a Sorting in progress, so I suggest you stick to the topic at hand. There will be plenty of time later tonight to converse about other matters." The headmaster gazed at each House in turn before nodding to Professor McGonagall once more and returning to his seat.

Minerva smiled faintly and continued, "Andalusia, Seville"

Harry watched the Sorting with interest, all the while the Hat's song still repeating in his head. He occasionally cast a discreet glance at Luna, seeing that she also seemed troubled for much the same reasons as him. He couldn't believe that the Hat had actually sung about Salazar's… his murder! It was hardly a topic for children!

But then, the reborn Slytherin reasoned, perhaps it was time for the truth of his… departure from the school to come to light. For centuries, students and professors alike had thought that he had left the school under his own volition, ostensibly because of an argument over Muggleborn students with Godric.

Well, the argument had been about Muggleborns, one in particular. His wife. But his leaving was far from voluntary.

The young wizard suddenly shivered, not wanting to go down that road once again. Instead, he preferred lighter topics. Like the Sorting, which was actually near completion

"SLYTHERIN."

And "Zabini, Isabella" was on her way to her new House, her dark hair swishing behind her.

With a smile of triumph, Professor McGonagall rolled up her list and removed the Sorting Hat and stool. Dumbledore stood, making the normal start of term announcements, as well as mentioning once more that Voldemort had returned and that they were at war. He also made one final declaration before the feast began.

"As I am sure you have all noticed," Albus Dumbledore began, a twinkle returning to his eyes, "we are fortunate enough to have both Professors Firenze and Trelawney returning this year." The headmaster gestured to the two he had mentioned. "They have worked out a schedule so that they will be able to share classes." The man beamed jovially at the pronouncement. "Also," he added with uncontrollable enthusiasm, "Professor Umbridge sadly will be unable to return this year--"

A brief cheer resounded through out the Hall, blocking out the rest of his sentence. Regardless, he simply inclined his head and allowed it to continue for several moments.

Finally, Dumbledore quieted everyone with a flick of his wand. "However, we are fortunate enough to have a replacement available, so we didn't have to burden the Ministry for another replacement."

Some of the students smiled, but many did not. On the contrary, they were eyeing the only unknown face at the High Table. The man simply smiled down at them, tapping his fingers on the tabletop.

Dumbledore eyed the students for a moment before adding, "I am pleased to present Professor Dominic Boyd, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." He gestured to the teacher, and the man stood, bowing at the waist.

Another round of whispering broke out in the Great Hall, Harry hearing snippets of conversation.

From one side, Lavender commented, "Well, at least this one's good-looking." She and Parvati both gave him an appraising and rather long look.

"Yeah, and he has good dress sense," Parvati added, eyeing his midnight-blue robes with silver trimming. "Much better than that Umbridge woman."

From the other, Seamus asked, "What do you reckon?" He nudged Dean. "Another Death Eater, another werewolf, or another dandy?"

Dean eyed the Defense professor for a moment. "Nah. Probably not a Death Eater; I'd say that Dumbledore can finally ferret out one of those. Probably not a werewolf either with all those new Ministry decrees. He might be a dandy, though," the dark-skinned boy added, turning back to his friend. "What d'you think?"

"Hmm… I'd say a vampire. We haven't had one of those yet," the Irishman responded evenly, betrayed by his wicked smile.

"Could be," Dean allowed and gazed at the Defense teacher. "Or he could be one of those dark-haired Veela; he's certainly good-looking enough to be," he commented, noticing all the girls gaping at the man with enthusiasm. But suddenly, he looked stumped. "What are they called again?"

As the whispering continued to ripple through the Great Hall, steadily rising in volume, Dumbledore finally added, "Oh, do not worry. Our fine new Defense Professor comes Sorting Hat approved, and we all know how thorough it is in detecting a person's… character and leanings."

This seemed to appease most of the students as they quickly recalled their own experience with the Hat.

With a smile, the headmaster inclined his head again. "Well, then. I just have a few words to say." He paused, taking on a very serious expression. "Remember that in these times of uncertainty and unrest, Hogwarts' doors will be open to all those who seek sanctuary," he finished solemnly. He waved his hands, and the food magically appeared.

The feast passed quickly, many of the students distrustfully eyeing the newest professor, not that Harry could blame them with their previous teachers in the Defense position. However, he did notice that most of the female population, and a fair number of the boys, were admiring the vampire. Hermione was thankfully not one of this time. In fact, the bushy-haired Prefect was too deeply involved in her conversation with Ginny and Athena to really notice Dominic at all.

Soon enough though, the feast was over, and Athena was leading the new Gryffindors up to the Tower, the older students following in their wake. The reborn Slytherin went along with them and entered the sixth-year boys' dormitory with the rest of his year-mates. He made some motions of preparing for bed, but most of them were just for show. His real attention was focused on his upcoming meeting with Dom, but to get there, he needed to be unnoticed. A few prudent and silent castings of various Sleep spells later, and his already tired roommates were all in a deep slumber. One which would end in approximately eight hours, barring some kind of catastrophe.

With a slight smirk, Harry donned his Invisibility Cloak, spelled his shoes to be silent and his breathing to be all but unnoticeable, and stealthily left the tower. Once in the corridor outside of the Fat Lady's portrait, he gently and politely called upon Hogwarts, allowing her to lead him swiftly to his meeting place.


AN: This chapter is a bit longer than what I normally write, but I didn't want to gloss over certain parts to make it shorter. I felt that it needed a bit more depth, but at the same time, I wanted to go ahead and get the Sorting over with.

Further, it is slowly becoming tradition for me to mention the things I would like you to keep in mind, so here it is: Bella's pregnancy ties in with why she could see Harry. Like the castle and the Hat, the Phoenix Gate is ensouled, and its origins remain unknown. Additionally, the Gate has been "lost" since the mid to late 1700s, and its last recorded sighting was not in Great Britain but in America. The Blacks have only been hereditary Slytherins for around six to seven generations. Before that, they all attended Beauxbatons.

To everyone who reviewed: Thanks!

Special thanks to Hobbit-Tabby for the beta.

Chapter Nineteen: The Other Chamber of Secrets


Ever Hopeful,

Azar

Updated and Edited:

06/09/08