A/n: Hey, guys! Okay so I finally finished Chapter 4. I really love this chapter and I hope you do too.

By the way, I was having second thoughts about Scott. I was thinking about surprising you guys and making Scott a girl, out of nowhere. But then I realized that it would be better if Scott were a guy. So to all three of my readers, Scott is a dude.

I'm cracking up right now because I was just talking to my sister about this murderer in her story, and I was so tired so I was like, "Can the murderers be the bad guys and, like, evil?" My sister looks at me like I'm crazy, then starts cracking up. Then I started cracking up. And then she's like, "Well duh!"

So now you know why I'm laughing. So on with Chapter 4!

Enjoy!

Booksarecoolandnerdsrule

Chapter 4

As the train stops at the Hogsmede Station, I can hear shouts of excitement from the other cars. All of the owls are squawking. I look out the window. It was dark. I suddenly wonder how the day passed so quickly.

"Are you just gonna stay there and look out the window?" James asks.

"I'm coming," I tell him. "What's the deal with my luggage? I should bring it all with me to dinner?"

"Why would you want to carry a heavy trunk to dinner? Leave it on the train, you know-it-all."

"For other people to steal?!" I ask. "No way I'm doing that!"

"Not to steal. Oy. . . To put away! I thought you knew everything!"

"I wish, but there's so much left for me to learn. Right now I just had my lesson— luggage lessons! Now I know that I leave my luggage on the train for strangers to put away."

"They aren't stranger— oh what the heck, just leave your stuff here and get out."

"Whatever you say, boss."

He rolls his eyes and we leave the train.

"Prescott Wayward!" I can hear someone shout. "Prescott Wayward!"

James looks at me and grins. "Prescott?"

I roll my eyes. "Shut up."

He bursts out laughing. "Prescott?! That is just priceless!"

People around us start to stare. I turn a little red. "James, people are looking!" I hiss.

He's still laughing. Maybe he didn't hear me? I read his thoughts to make sure he had heard me.

Oh, he heard me, alright. He just didn't care! He continues to laugh.

"Scott?" another person shouts.

"Seems like everyone really wants to talk to you," James observes.

I am ready to strangle him. But I recognize the second voice. Was that. . . "Avalon?" I call.

I suddenly find my sister in the crowd. Her name is Avalon. She's lucky to have a pretty name. Mine is just weird.

She runs over to me. "Scott, didn't you hear? McGonagall's looking all over for you!"

"Who the heck is McGonagall?"

"The deputy headmistress!"

"What did you do already, Scott?" James asks me. "We didn't even go into the school yet!"

"Is that— Scott, you can't hang out with Gryffindors! Get out of my sight, Potter!"

"I'm not taking any orders from some bratty second-year."

She gives him an evil glare.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" He glares back at her and runs off to find Sirius or someone.

"Okay, we need to find McGonagall. Come on!"

She grabs my arm to run to her beautiful brown hair flows in the wind. My sister got really lucky. She had better looks than me and she was a Slytheryn, which my parents really liked.

I point to a large man talking to a a bunch of first-years. "Is that him?"

"Is that who?"

"McGonagall!"

"What— oh my God. . . You thought that McGonagall was a dude?"

"He isn't?"

"I'd prefer if you'd say 'She isn't,'" an elderly woman standing behind me says. "Thank you Miss Wayward. You should go find a carriage. I need to speak to Prescott in private."

Avalon nodded and walked away to find a carriage. That was strange. . . there weren't any horses.

"Greetings, Mr. Wayward," McGonagall says. "My name is Professor McGonagall. I am the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts and the Transfiguration teacher here. I know about you and your background, so no need for any introductions—"

"Oh, I believe we do Ms. McG."

"That would be Professor McGonagall, Prescott."

"That would be Scott, Professor McG."

"Ah, let us compromise. I'll call you Mr. Wayward if you can call me Professor McGonagall."

"I like to know people on a first name basis. You'll call me Scott and I'll call you. . ." I read her mind. Minerva. "Minerva, is it?"

"How did you. . . ? Oh. A Legilimens."

"So what do you say, Minerva?"

"I say, 'Absolutely not.'"

"Fine. I'll call you Professor McGonagall if you call me Scott."

"I can do that. Okay, Scott, you need to be sorted into your house. Since you're a transfer student, you have a decision to either be sorted with the first years, or in private."

"Private," I reply quickly.

"I thought you would say that. That's why I came prepared." She took out an ugly, old, patched hat.

"No offense, Miner— Professor McGonagall, but I like the hat that you're wearing now."

"This hat is not for me, Scott. It's for you."

A present? "Um, thanks but it's not really my style. . ."

"Oh, please, Scott. This is the Sorting Hat."

"And?"

"It sorts you into your Hogwarts House."

"Ohhh, my sister told me about that!"

"So now that you know what it is, put it on."

"Ew, what if there's lice in it?!"

"It's a magical hat. I can assure you there's no lice in it."

By now, the whole crowd is gone and only me and McGonagall are left standing there.

She hands me the hat and I put it on, expecting something awesome to happen.

Silence.

Nothing is happening.

I look at McGonagall in confusion. "Is it broken or something?"

"What?!"

"Nothing's happening."

"Nothing? Nothing at all?"

I nod.

"I need to know what's going on." She takes the hat and puts it on her head. After three seconds, she looks shocked. "He what?!"

"What?" I ask.

She takes off the hat. "Scott, I believe you have a new gift. You are an Occlumens."

"Doesn't that mean that I can block my mind?"

"It does. You have it blocked so strongly that the Sorting Hat can't read your thoughts. But you're not a trained Occlumens. No one's thoughts can be blocked that well without training."

"Well, I didn't know that I was an Occlumens until now."

"I believe you. But do you know what this means, Scott?"

"Um. . ."

"This means that you can't get sorted!"

Oh. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If the Sorting Hat can't enter your mind, then it can't read your thoughts about what house you should be in. Which means that you can't be sorted."

"This never happened before? I'm the first one with this situation?"

"We did have one Occlumens before, but he was a first-year. His mind wasn't well trained, so that Hat was able to squeeze in. Oh, Scott. I don't know what to do with you!"

A/n: Did you see what I did to McGonagall? Scott thought that she was a guy instead of a girl. It's not as good as Scott being a girl though. . .