Chapter Twenty-Two...
The Serpent's Lair - Part 6!
(Return to Hogwarts.)
It was hours later when the Hogwarts Express finally reached Hogsmeade Station. Throughout the trip, Harry's friends stopped by the compartment to check in, greet them, and chat for a bit; none of them ended up staying for very long. Harry went for a walk half-way through the train ride, and was shocked to find Tonks making out with a girl he didn't recognise. He made a mental note to find a use for this information, but subconsciously he had already made plans for her.
They arrived at Hogsmeade Village to a dark, brisk night, and the warmth of the train was surely missed by all. Harry and his friends swiftly huddled together and followed the rest of the students along the platform and out onto a rough mud track. At least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the arriving students, each pulled by - what he assumed to be - reptilian, winged horses. Their form was free of sinew and flesh, their black coats clinging to their easily-discernible skeletons, and draconic heads, which featured soul-searching, piercing eyes of solid white. Wings sprouted from each side, black and leathery, strikingly similar to that of bats. Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister, and yet Harry could not help but find them somewhat beautiful.
As he looked around, most of the students seemed apathetic to the presence of mysterious creature. Despite the cold, Harry pulled his friends along as he walked up to the beings and began to stroke them.
"I thought the older students said these stagecoaches were horseless. When did they get these beasts? And what are they, for that matter?"
Hermione nodded in agreement, wondering much the same, herself. Su and Susan seemed to know what they were, but were not fully sure about it.
Su look at Susan and asked, "Thestrals?"
"I think so," Susan confirmed, nodding slowly, "but I didn't know they had any at Hogwarts. Some say they're really, really bad luck."
"What are Thestrals?" Harry asked as he looked away from the creature.
"Oh no, that's just superstition," came a familiar voice from behind them. They turned to see Fred and George. "They aren't bad luck or a bad omen. In fact, they're dead clever and useful!" Fred complemented.
"Sadly, they're only used to pull the school carriages, though," George noted, glumly, "It's tradition, probably. Though I can't imagine what else they would do. Thestrals are amazingly powerful war mounts, but we're not exactly at war right now."
"They only get a bad reputation because people can only see them after they've seen death." Fred revealed, changing topics after a thoughtful silence. "After seeing Quirrell die last year, we're not surprised you lot can see 'em."
"How do you know about them?" Harry asked in shock. As far as he knew, the twins were only interested in pranks.
"It might surprise you -" Fred smiled mysteriously.
"- but we do have interests other than pranks…" George said, mimicking his brother's smile before the identical boys hopped into a stagecoach with their friend, Lee.
Harry and the girls blinked in shock, apparently they did not know the twins as well as they thought they did, but decided to put the issue to the back of their minds - they were cold and wanted to reach the warm, familiar atmosphere of the great hall as quickly as possible. After seeing Melody off into a boat with Anastasia, Harry and the girls climbed inside the carriage and shut the door. The Thestrals set off, the coach bumping and swaying up the long trail.
The carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought-iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars. Hermione had forced as much of her upper body through the carriage's tiny window as she could, watching the many towers and turrets draw nearer, all the while tossing out random facts she'd read about in Hogwarts: A History and other Hogwarts-centric books every so often. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt and they got out.
Once they had all disembarked, the five of them joined the rest of the returning students on the remaining trek to the castle, through the giant oak front doors, and into the cavernous, torch-lit, entrance hall and its magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors. The echoes of footsteps from the students crossing the flagstone floor filled the air as they made their way to the start-of-term feast.
The four long house tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the clear, starry night being shown through the ceiling and the high windows. Candles floated in mid-air all along the tables, adding an extra layer of illumination to the silvery ghosts dotted about the hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, and eyeing one another's new haircuts and robes. For some of the students entering third and fourth year, it was also time to check out their fellow students' bodies; Susan was certainly getting a fair amount of attention as her robe did little to hide the fact that the breast fairy had paid her a prosperous visit.
After splitting up, Harry, Ember, and Hermione took their seats along the Gryffindor table. The three found seats together about halfway down the table, near the Weasley twins, with the Crimson Vixens sitting not far away. As Harry looked around, he was shocked to see that Ron wasn't at the table.
"So where is Ron? Didn't think I'd see the day he missed a feast." He asked the twins, not particularly caring.
"Not sure…" Fred said as he glanced around for his youngest brother.
"… Couldn't find him on the train," George added.
The group decided to pass the time by theorizing all the possible reasons for Ron's absence, each one as ridiculous as the last: Ron had tripped and fallen and could not get up; his metabolism had suddenly caught up with him and he bloated to the size of a small car from all the food he had eaten; the cart lady from the Express had kidnapped him and was experimenting with new candies on him. It was a great way to pass the time, and even some of the students nearby piped in occasionally.
It was not long before Harry's attention had been caught by Hagrid, who had just appeared behind the staff table. The half-giant worked his way along to the very end and took his seat. A few seconds later, the doors to the entrance hall opened, and a long line of frightened first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall. The Deputy Headmistress was carrying a stool supporting an ancient wizard's hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.
Harry was surprised to note that the sorting hat sang a different song. The message was the same: it's better to be united than driven apart by your differences; then it proceeded to list the houses' differences. It wasn't long before the Hat stopped its song, and Harry knew he would have to wait. He sat and watched the first years get sorted; the first few were of no interest to him, although there was a young boy who ended in Gryffindor that gave him the cheeps, Colin Creevey. He was a short boy, with mousy brown hair and brown eyes, when he set eyes on Harry, he was starry eyed, and sent a shiver down Harry's spine. It looked like he was a big time fan boy, something Harry didn't want. Harry was just glad that Creevey sat so far down the table, far away from him. After Creevey, it wasn't until Melody's name was called that he began taking note of things. He hoped that the hat would sort her into Gryffindor.
o0OoO0o
"Hmm, what do we have here?" Melody heard in her head as she donned the hat.
"Who's there? Who's in my head?" Melody demanded.
"It is I, the Sorting Hat," the voice of the Sorting Hat said with a chuckle, "Oh, you're quite like the one you call 'master;' at least you don't desire to model yourself after beings of pure evil, though knowing this, you wouldn't care and would still follow him. Loyalty that should be admired - or maybe feared? Not often I see a girl with a fetish for evil. Last was that Metamorph girl, though she had no idea she possessed it…"
The Hat sighed before continuing, "But I'm getting off topic. Where should I place you? To learn new Mystic powers and skills shows you have the ambition for Slytherin," the hat chuckled when he thought of Harry and how he would react to such a thing, "Potter would probably set me aflame if I put you in the 'snake pit'. Try to, anyway. You're loyal to your family and your Master, and you're a hard worker, too; you would do well in Hufflepuff. It helps that you know two people in the house already, and consider them friends. Though you're not as brave as your sister, you would do well in Gryffindor, but I think Ravenclaw will serve you the best. It would help you and your Master, as you could learn how to make these powers you want to work," the hat bargained.
The Sorting Hat could not place a student unwillingly, as long as that student was consciously aware that they had a choice. If they were dead-set on a particular house, there was little it could do. This was a failsafe in place for safety reasons so - to use a modern situation - a Muggleborn would be protected from being placed in the modern day Slytherin house, even if they were ambitious enough for it.
This was unknowingly exploited by a number of people, Slytherins being the most common. It had come to be known as the 'legacy system,' sometimes called the 'choice system.' Its exploitation completely perverted the intentions of the house system; barely any of the current Slytherins belonged there. In the Sorting Hat's opinion, there was no Slytherin house anymore - not a solid group, at least. Almost every one of the real Slytherins were spread out among the other houses by this point.
"No!" Melody snapped, "I want to be with my sister and Master. Place me in Gryffindor."
"I think you underestimate how useful Ravenclaw could be for you. The Gryffindor Head of House is too swamped with work delegated to her by the Headmaster to be a true Head of House, but Professor Flitwick is a very attentive man. He would be delighted to help you create a new branch of magic," the enchanted cloth insisted. Melody shook her head.
"You're under the impression we want help. We want to do this ourselves. If we depend on others, then they'll know what we're doing. That really defeats the purpose of a trump card, doesn't it?"
The Sorting Hat sighed, knowing this girl would exploit the failsafe and the power to choose her own house. No argument he made, no matter how effective, would sway her on this. "Stubborn children. You think you'll be able to do all of this on your own? That you will require no aid from those more experienced? You will willfully choose what is of little use, all to prove and validate your existence. May you uncover what you seek."
"It better be… GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat proclaimed, bellowing the last word for all to hear. Harry and Hermione clapped the loudest, but all of Harry's friends who knew who Melody were clapping and cheering as the happy first-year walked over to them and squeezed in between her sister and master.
As Harry watched the next few people getting Sorted, the name that caught his interest was Holly Halliwell, the Holy Mystic from Mystic Island. Upon seeing the green-eyed, redhead girl, Harry's immediate thought was, 'What on Earth is she doing here?' as he suspected that if she was here, it didn't bode well for him or his plans.
o0OoO0o
"Hmm, another Mystic. But no normal Mystic - a Holy Knight," the Hat commented with interest.
"So this is how you sort us? You read the child's mind to see where they fit the most," Holy mused.
"It is, child," the Hat confirmed to the young Mystic, "and I have to say, you are one of the few who figured this out on their own. Now let's see... hmm... so that's why you are here - you're meant to keep an eye on him. I can't tell you much because of the magic that governs me, but I can tell you this, young one: you have your work cut out for you."
"I'm aware," Holly told the Sorting Hat, "but I have to make sure he isn't a threat to our world."
The Hat wanted nothing more than to say something, but his enchantments prevented him from divulging the secrets of others, unless the person who he was sorting already knew. Instead he settled for saying, "An admirable goal. Do watch yourself, I wish you all the best, young Holy Knight, but back to your sorting. I know just where to put someone so honourable, loyal, and hardworking,' the hat paused before continuing out loud, "Better be Hufflepuff!"
Harry wasn't sure what was going on, but he would have to warn his friends in Hufflepuff not to say too much about him. He knew he would have to make up a reason, but he would think of something. For now, he continued watching the rest of the sorting. It was the similar to when he was sorted; some took no time to sort, while others took a moment or two.
After the surnames eventually entered the L's, the first name that got his interest was Anastasia Lestrange.
o0OoO0o
"Hmm, a Lestrange... Haven't had one of you in years," the Sorting Hat told the young girl before carrying on with a sigh, "Why is it that there's another heading down the path of darkness? There seem to be a few lately."
Anastasia was shocked to hear this, but immediately began wondering who the others were and how she could recruit them. The Sorting Hat started laughing in her head.
"You poor, foolish girl. You might think you have power to rule the world, but next to him you are nothing."
"You mean my father?" asked Anastasia.
"Please… The Dark Lord is but a peon grasping at power alien to him," the Hat lectured the young girl. "The one you need fear, is unseen. The facade you will become familiar with, will disarm you. Leaving you vulnerable. Weak. Unsuspecting. I only have one adage to offer: 'Know your role.'"
Anastasia had to wonder who the 'he' in questionwas, as he sounded like someone she needed to gain control over somehow. Hecould be very useful to her plans, but at the same time, he could be a danger. She knew from what her mother told her that the Sorting Hat wouldn't say much due to the founders' safeguards. All she knew at the moment is that whoever he was, he was still at Hogwarts.
As she was thinking things over, she heard the hat say, "Just so you know, dear child, watch your step. Your plans won't be easy to achieve. Anyway… better be Slytherin!" the last part was said aloud so Anastasia never had a chance to reply.
o0OoO0o
There were mixed reactions when Anastasia was sorted into the snake pit. Some cheers erupted from the Slytherin table, but dark looks were cast her way from others. The main person who was giving her a dark, baleful look was Neville Longbottom, for some reason unknown to Harry. He decided he would look into it later on; it was something he might be able to use. Harry himself remained neutral, not even offering a friendly clap, as he knew it would give him problems he didn't need for being civil towards a Slytherin.
The next interesting new student was right after Anastasia, another female named Luna Lovegood. When her name was called, the young girl wandered up to the stool with her naturally wide eyes on the ceiling the whole time. McGonagall tried to place the hat on her head, but Luna snatched it out of the woman's hands and turned it around to face her.
"Hello Mr. Hat," Luna greeted.
The hat chuckled, a large grin splitting the seams that made up its mouth. "So much like your mother, Ms. Lovegood. How is she?"
"She is fine, Mr. Hat," Luna said happily, "She sends her greetings."
"Thank you, Ms. Lovegood," it replied, "Ravenclaw, I take it?"
Luna nodded, smiling widely with pride. "Oh, yes please; that would be lovely!"
"Then so be it. Please send my regards to your mother," the hat requested. Luna nodded eagerly before hopping off the stool and handing the hat back to Professor McGonagall.
An amused McGonagall took the hat from the Lovegood heiress and allowed the girl to skip over to her table.
Harry zoned out for the next few names until the familiar 'Weasley' name was called. Ginny was the fourth-to-last name to be called, meaning she was already incredibly nervous after having watched nearly every other first year go through the process. What really pushed her over the edge, though, was when she glanced over at the Gryffindor table to look to her brothers for support and ended up meeting Harry's intense, green-eyed gaze. Her legs turned to jelly, her ankles seemed to twist together, and Ginny Weasley tripped and fell right in front of the entire school.
Harry promptly lost interest as her fangirl-ness made itself readily apparent, although he did consider how he could use that to his advantage. Ember and the Weasley sons were all still heavily invested in her sorting.
o0OoO0o
"Hmm, another Weasley," Ginny heard the Sorting Hat say in her head. By now, she worked out what was going on and wasn't particularly startled, 'You're like your twin brothers: very difficult to sort.'
'Why is that?" asked the young girl, "Just sort me into Gryffindor with the rest of my family."
"Fred and George were both smart, brave, and cunning, just like you," the Sorting Hat explained to the first female Weasley in generations, "And like them, you fit in three of the four houses here. Are you sure you want to go into Gryffindor? You can stand out from the rest of your family, make a name for yourself," the hat was trying to keep another girl from Potter, but it knew that there was nothing it could do should the young girl be serious about becoming a Gryffindor.
"I don't want to be away from my family, and I have a friend in the house already, so I want to be with them," Ginny confirmed the hat's fears.
The Sorting Hat sighed silently, knowing that there was no way to prevent the young girl from going to Gryffindor. To be stolen, was her destiny.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
o0OoO0o
The twins' cheers were deafening, and Ember wasn't far behind them. Ginny, blushing heavily at friends and family cheering her on, took a seat about two dozen people away from Harry and proceeded to spend most of the feast staring at him before turning away and blushing yet again. Harry was glad that she wasn't seated next to him, as he didn't think he could deal with the way she was acting right now.
With the last first-year sorted, was a Ravenclaw by the name of Harrison Yeaw, the feast began. The feast itself was surprisingly uneventful. Dumbledore made a speech, welcoming everyone back and introducing the newest addition to the staff at Hogwarts. Lockhart made a big show of accepting the cheers from the majority of the females inhabiting Hogwarts.
After the feast, they were escorted back to their common rooms for the evening by Percy Weasley. Once they got to the tower, Melody wanted a full tour of both the girls and boys dorms. Percy refused to allow her into the male dorms, saying that it was inappropriate. Harry just scoffed at this; Hermione, more often than not last year, had come up to his dorms to wake him up. The other boys in his year knew about this and were even grateful for it, since it woke them up on time, too.
Musings aside, Harry smiled at what Melody was trying to do. He had no trouble figuring out why she wanted to see the boys dorms: she wanted to know exactly which bed he slept in. He would show her later, unless Hermione came up to his room some time tomorrow like she normally did.
The only other eventful thing that happened was the rumour of Ron Weasley flying a car to school being proven true. The portal had closed on him, so he decided to take his dad's flying car. Everyone seemed to be impressed at this, though the trio had shook their heads. They hoped these fifteen minutes of fame would mellow Ron out. It was unlikely, but they could hope. They each promised to never do anything stupid, since they heard that about a dozen Mundanes had seen him. One by one, though, they slowly slipped away and went to bed, allowing Ron his time.
To be Continued!
Author's Note: Here ends the sixth part of The Serpent's Lair Saga, I would like to thank you once again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and take a few moments to review. I also hope you read all of this note, as I would like your feedback on some things to help me out in the story.
Starting off, I would like to admit that this wasn't how I wanted this chapter to go. I felt that there should be more, but couldn't think of what to add after the sorting.
A few question I would like your thoughts on:
Should I have the basilisk killed at the end of the saga or not? I say it is more useful to kill it for the money, but I would like to hear your thoughts about it. I'll go with the most outspoken thoughts. (Poll is up so you can vote on my profile and in reviews. I'll leave the poll up for about two/three chapters before I post the results.)
What pranks should Harry and the twins pull this year? I'm looking for ideas for both magical and non-magical ones. Right now, I'm looking for a prank that the Weasley Twins could pull on Harry to start a prank war between the three of them. Any ideas would be appreciated.
It might be early, but I would like to ask for a title for the third year saga, it needs to be eighteen characters or less, including spaces. I hope that you can help me. It'll be the year that not only does Sirius escape Azkaban, but Lucy is 'born' and Harry goes to the Overlord's Tower.
Just as a reminder, flame reviews from guests will be removed. If they point out a problem that needs to be fixed, or ideas that I could use to make the story better, I'll keep them, but keep it constructive. Please consider this when reviewing, as I don't want you to waste your time (or mine) on unhelpful flame reviews.
I would like to announce (for those that don't have alerts for my new stories) that I have posted a new story. This one is a Fairy Tail/Overlord story where Natsu is the Overlord. I won't say much, as I want you to read it for yourself, but it is an Evil/Harem/Powerful/Natsu. I'll be working on it's latest chapter next as I wait for ideas.
That said, I would like to thank you once again for reading, and I hope you spare a few minutes to leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter. Feel free to offer up any ideas you might have for future chapters, and any powers you would like to see used in the story.
Next on Rise of Overlord Vulcan: The students get settled into their first full day back at Hogwarts, and Harry meets with the Headmaster.