CHAPTER 4: Leaving One Home for Another

"GET UP LAZY!"

Harry grunted and rolled over with a small cough.

"Harry?"

Whoever had been bouncing on his bed had gotten off and was shaking him.

"Harry!" He whined.

Harry knew that whine.

"Not now, Draco. Tired." He groaned with another cough and a small sigh.

"Harry we're going to miss the train!"

"Too bad, so sad." Harry hummed taking a tighter hold of the blankets, knowing they'd be the next things to go. Sure enough, Draco yanked them off and pulled Harry out of the bed with them.

"Hey!" Harry cried rubbing his head.

"Come on. Get dressed and come down for breakfast." Draco threw him some clothes and left.

Yawning Harry got up and followed Draco downstairs after changing and taking care of the necessary grooming.

"Morning Harry." Remus called as the teen appeared.

"Morning Uncle Remus."

He took a set between Sirius and Draco so that he was facing Dante and Bella.

"Where's Uncle Regulus?" Harry asked looking around. The kitchen seemed to freeze and all three teens rounded their attention to Bella. Evangeline looked up at her mother as well, obviously just noticing in her sleepy haze that he father wasn't around.

"Uh, well your Uncle isn't feeling too good." She covered. "He said to tell you good bye and that he'd write you later."

Harry, Draco, and Dante nodded, too tired to notice the un-truth in this. They could spot a flat out lie but an un-truth was much harder to spot, especially by experienced tellers like their Aunt Bella.

The teens where going to Kings Cross on their own as the rest couldn't come, so after breakfast they said their heartfelt goodbyes and hopped on their motorcycles.

Bella smiled sadly. "We're lucky it's early." She muttered. Sirius and Remus nodded gravely beside her. Bella dropped Eva in her room to work on her math books and followed Sirius, Remus and Narcissa up the two flights of stairs to Regulus' room and found the man still out cold, his hand ridged and unmoving, still clutched around a small ring.

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Harry, Draco and Dante thundered along the streets, weaving in and out of cars. They stayed in the semblance of a line but let themselves wander out a bit. Their trunks were latched on safely behind them with their familiars where stored in the spacious three room trunks.

Harry pulled into Kings Cross first, parked and took off his helmet, brushing his bangs down over his bad eye. He turned to Dante who had pulled up next to him and Draco who was parking next to Dante. With a quick glance around all three shrank their bikes and pocketed them. They walked inconspicuously into the station, their trunks on carts, rucksacks on backs and helmets in hand.

The three teens passed through the gates to the main platforms in a uniformed line. They had long leather trench coats on, protecting them against the sudden chill that had set in. They tramped across the station, drawing eyes from all over the platforms. Dante had returned his purple spikes, saying he enjoyed the way they matched his fangs to give him a punk look and that he'd change it back after the feast.

Harry led the way to platforms 9 and 10. Just as they were walking in, a family of red heads cut them off. Dante only managed to grab Harry with his wolf reflexes, in time to stop them from crashing.

"Oh!" The plump women leading them cried. "I do apologize." She yanked one of her children back into line. "It's hard to watch everyone else when I'm focused on keeping these four in line." She apologized.

"Not a problem ma'am." Draco replied as Harry bowed low. They swerved around her waving good bye before disappearing uniformly through the barrier.

They picked out a compartment near the rear of the car so as to minimize the chances of being bothered. They opened their trunks and let their pets out. Vexation shook himself and began licking himself in a frenzy.

Never again! He hissed.

From now on, I ride on your shoulder. Harry laughed and nodded at his familiar, stroking the spazing kitten.

Harry yawned as he moved back into his seat, leaning on the cool window. He was surprisingly tired. "Harry?" Draco asked.

"I'm cool." Harry assured the blond. His brother looked at him and whispered something to Draco. Draco nodded back and moved to sit next to Harry. The teen was about to fall into sleep when the compartment door opened and the red haired boy from before stepped in.

"Sorry, but can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Harry nodded and motioned to the seat next to Dante.

"I'm Ron Weasley." He introduced himself.

"Dante Lupin-Black."

"Draco Black."

"Harry Potter."

Ron was gapping like a fish.

"For starters," Harry began his rant. "I'm not dead, Draco is not a Death Eater nor is he a Malfoy any longer, the papers came in this morning, and lastly, Dante is Draco's cousin not his brother."

"It's not that," Ron protested flushing at the ears. "It's just, I've just never imagined you guys would actually talk to me." Harry smiled. "Why wouldn't we? We don't know anyone here and you took the initiative to make friends, you think we'd turn you away?"

Draco shook his head.

"He thinks that because I'm a Death Eater's son and obviously close to you, we wouldn't talk to a Blood Traitor. Well listen good Weasely. We don't judge anyone on blood. You're talking to a run away, an orphan deserter and a, for lack of a better term, a Fake." Dante looked at Draco with loathing. "Sorry Dante." Draco apologized. "The point is we're all Blood Traitors, so forget the idea that we are too good for you."

Ron nodded shocked, obviously not expecting the subject to be so touchy. "So you're a… a Fake?" He asked Dante, obviously not scared of Dante's background as he was of offending the boy. "Let's just call it Mother-deprived." Dante growled. Ron nodded quickly "M.D." He quickly invented. Harry snorted and Dante and Draco laughed along. "Good one Ron." Dante choked out.

Ron smiled brightly, ignoring the fact he had no idea what they where talking about, and they engaged in talk for the rest of the train ride, as the neat towns turned into rugged country when the door opened again and bushy haired girl came in. "Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one."

"I told him at the station that I hadn't seen it." Ron snapped, a little annoyed at having his joke cut off.

"We can find him for you." Dante offered. "Or at lest, Harry can."

They looked at Harry and the young wizard smiled and blinked his left eye, pulling up readouts of the train. The heat waves of all the students making it light up like a stop sign. He eliminated the human waves as well as cats and owls and found that three splotches lit up.

One was in the compartment next to them, the other was in the hands of a girl and the third was in the trunk compartment. Harry relayed the information to the girl who introduced herself as Hermione Granger.

When she'd left the four boys had delved back into the mass of snacks Harry had bought from off the cart in the hopes of waking himself up with some sugary goodness. While in the midst of discussing the point of a pepper flavored bean, their door opened once again and Harry froze.

Turning slowly he spotted a tall dark haired Slytharin boy. The boy had the same feel his uncle had had around him whenever he was drunk. It was the air of implied power, the boy obviously thought himself on a different plain than the rest of them.

"So Draco. Decided to show your cute little face?"

"Zabini!" Draco hissed.

"Oh good, they haven't erased your memories, you must obviously be under the Imperious Curse. Come away right now Draco. We'll leave this filth at once."

"What shit are you flinging Zabini? I left on my own accord, they had nothing to do with it." Draco defended Harry who was too out of it to really realize what was going on.

"Oh don't even try to defend him." Zabini spat in Harry's direction. "He'd do anything to steal you away from me."

"Get off your high horse before I knock you off." Harry threatened from his corner.

"Get up and make me Potter."

Harry clambered to his feet but just as he aimed a swing at Zabini, the boy darted back and closed the door making Harry's hand shatter the glass. Harry didn't cry out, simply aimed and landed a fist full of glass, square into the Slytharin's pompous face. The glass transferred and for a fleeting moment, Harry could see himself ripping the glass over the boy's eye, only it wasn't a student any more but his uncle.

Giving himself a shake he sat back down.

"What a waist of a door." Harry muttered picking out he few remaining pieces of glass from his fit.

Dante hummed his agreement, eyes still glued to the passing scenery as though Harry always bet the crap out of Slytharin scum.

"So Ron, you really think you can make meals out of Bertty Botts?" Draco asked returning to their topic of conversation as if nothing had happened.

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The train pulled to a stop just as the four boys had finished changing. Vexation yawned and stretched out his back legs and climbed into Harry's pocket. Harry latched his trunk and followed Draco and Dante out of the compartment, flattening his hair against his eye.

"Why do you do that?" Ron asked as they climbed out of the train and made their way to the lantern bobbing in the distance.

"Because, no one should have to look at it. It's bad enough that I look at them through it." Harry answered monotone. "It's a wicked scare mate." Ron assured his new friend. "I have plenty to go around." Harry offered up. Ron paled then laughed as Harry's lips twitched into a smile.

As they left the train a booming voice called out "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Harry dragged Draco off getting a look from Zabini that was filled with such malevolence that Harry was thankful looks couldn't kill. Though he stalked them as they followed the voice to where a monstrous man stood with a lantern in hand, Harry was able to shake off the boy by heading straight for the man.

"'Ello there 'Arry."

"Um, hi." Harry replied surprised.

"You might not 'member me. Rubius Hagrid. I saved yer from yer house when you was only a baby. Took you to the Dursleys I did." Harry flinched at the thought of his uncle but shook it off and said "thank you" politely.

They climbed into the boats and made their way to the castle. Ron was talking about his brothers now. Harry was torn between listening to him, watching the castle loomed closer, and drowning out Hermione's twittering from the boat beside them.

Draco and Dante looked like they could fall asleep at any moment in their journey. Harry laughed at them as they jumped in surprise when the boats bumped the shore. Hagrid led them up the stairs to Professor McGonagell.

Harry made a point of waving bye to the man. He smiled and waved himself. Dante smiled at his brother and turned his attention to the stern women who had dogged Sirius' steps throughout his Hogwarts carrier. So this was the Plaid Princess, the one he'd have to out smart. It didn't look to be too difficult. She seemed ancient.

They followed her into the castle ignoring her lecture. When she left, the students around them began to whisper hysterically. The muggle-borns over the sorting, the others over Draco and Harry and the pair themselves, oblivious to their burning ears, about what happened on the train. Zabini was consulting his goons while angrily glaring at them.

Harry turned to Draco and whispered "What's up the that Zabini character?"

"I was his promised." Harry looked confused at Draco. "I was promised to the Zabini character before I was born. Up until I came out I was supposed to be a girl, much to my father's detest. I was promised to Blaise so that our families would be untied. Closure on the deal of darkness passing through our lines forever. But then I was a boy. My mother was so happy, an heir to the family, and an excuse to run away from the Death Eaters for failing them, but my father was too overjoyed at having a boy to care that the deal between the Zabinis and the Malfoys would go unfulfilled.

"He praised his wife and my mother was forced to smile like all her dreams hadn't just died. Zabini and I played together, hoping we'd form a close friendship that they could mold into love, because the Zabinis wanted in on the Malfoy name and fortune. Blaise found an early bond to me. When I left with my mother at the age of five, he vowed he'd return me to his side, or so my mother warns."

Harry sighed and hugged his friend. "It's okay Draco. I won't let your father or anyone else get their claws in you." Draco smiled and hugged back. Dante cooed over them muttering things about lovebirds and soul mates.

Draco and Harry arched eyebrows at each other and punched Dante square in the jaw at the same time, sending him flying backwards.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" He cried jumping up to retaliate.

"For the goo-goo eyes." Harry answered.

"I was talking about the red head and the book worm!" Dante fumed pointing to Ron and Hermione who were bickering. "But" he started in a singsong voice. "If you too are so defensive, maybe I should be picking on you." Draco growled and Harry flashed a warning look. Dante only laughed.

McGonagell entered stopping any thoughts of retaliation then and their. Draco, Dante and Harry lined up in their uniform manner and followed her instep with each other.

The Great Hall was exactly as their Guardians had described it. The candles over head where bobbing in a rhythmic motion that sent waves of light washing over the four great tables which stretched the length of the Hall. At the front stood the long line of the staff table with the empty chair next to Dumbeldore who sat smack-dad in the middle of it all.

The students around them watched the precession of first years as they stumbled up to the stairs to the staff table. Harry was having a hard time controlling his shield as muggle born female pressed close to him, trying to get away from the eyes.

Draco pushed forward so as to bump her up a few steps, releasing Harry of his struggle. He nodded to Draco thankfully, to which the blond answered with a smile that sent Blaise Zabini into a rant of string of violent curse words, making many of the first years around him take two giant steps away from him.

The sorting began with a song Harry had little to no interest in. Instead he took in the surrounding auras. A fourth of the school was purebloods, a half was half bloods like himself, a little less than a fourth was muggleborns and the other small percentage where M.Ds. Harry looked at Dante.

It was pretty easy to tell he was a Potion Baby or a Fake, a term akin to Mudblood for Muggleborns implying the person was not human but a fake human. He had paler skin than, for lack of a better term, real human. His eyes were bright and his hair was too soft to be considered real. He was of an above average build before his werewolf genes had kicked in, making him appear older than his 11 years.

Looking around Harry noticed that the other Potion Babies were in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, the quieter of the four houses, blending into shadows of muggleborns and geniuses. Harry was brought out of his probing when Draco gave his hand a squeeze and left to the call of "Black, Draco". Harry smiled at him as he looked down at the first years from the three-legged stool on which he sat.

Harry doubted that there had been a longer sorting in many years. He half expected Professor McGonagell to take off the sorting hat and tell him there had been a mistake and that Draco had to get the next train home. But in the end the hat left it's rumpled expression of thought for one of enlightenment. Opening its wide mouth it held the school on the edge of its seat before it cried out "GRYFFANDOR!"

Silence.

Then a loan pair of hands started clapping, quickly followed by another. Harry and Dante clapped loud and hard and Draco took the hat off and made his way to his respective table. The next pair of hands was an unexpected one.

Severus Snape was clapping as Draco took his seat, which only seemed to stun the crowd more until McGonagell could shake herself enough to read the next name.

Harry looked from Draco to Dante to Zabini who was biting off the leg of his fellow Slytharin goon in anger. Harry smirked and turned his attention to the maps and blueprints of the school that flashed before his eye. The school was fascinating on it's own, but the inhabitance doubled it's weird factor. He watched ghosts and suits of armor as they meandered through the halls, he could see the stair cases moving and the portraits that visited each other, helping one another with the preschool year cleaning.

"Lupin, Dante" floated into his ears and he rocketed back into reality to give his friend a pat on the back. He approached the hat with a cool confidence that made the school respect him instantly. He sat down and in seconds the hat had shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Dante left the stool to clapping and even had the nerve to bow, which sent the school into a fit of laughter.

Harry zoned out again as they made their way through the rest of the letters up to 'P'. He walked forward, ignoring whispers behind him as he took his seat.

Mr. Potter.

Mr. Sorting Hat.

Cute. On to your sorting. I see that you have talent well beyond you years and a knowledge that surpasses most. There's bravery and a thirst to prove yourself and oodles of cunning.

Did you really just say oodles?

I'm a thousand year old hat I can say what I please. Now, under all this talent I still see…is this fear Mr. Potter?

Harry felt himself stiffen and could tell the Hall had seen it too as there was a small gasp.

Yes, fear drilled into your mind by years of torture you don't even remember. Years of pain you block from your thoughts, some you remember while other so violent your mind has shut down, and some you still don't remember to this day.

Harry was gripping the stool tight now. He really didn't like this.

You're afraid they'll find out. Afraid he'll come back. Afraid you'll remember, afraid of being weak. But mostly, I see the fear of being taken again. Taken like so many times before by such a man. Such a horrible man that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named pales in comparison.

Harry wanted to scream to rip the hat off and light it on fire. He could tell the Hall knew something was wrong. Especially when he shook his head violently in the negative.

You Mr. Potter, have problems above the comprehension of any group other than-

"SLYTHARIN!" Harry heard the hat call out to the hall. If silence had followed Draco's sorting, death had followed Harry's. Even the couple ghosts that where chuckling in the next room and watching from behind the doors had stopped all sound.

Harry removed the hat, hardly daring to believe it. After all the years of being told he was going to be put in Gryffindor like his mum and dad, he was in Slytharin. Or at lest he was till Dumbeldore took the hat from him, placing it on his own head and began muttering words to check its accuracy.

After a few stunned moments he replaced it on Harry's head and without a word to the teen beneath it called out Gryffindor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, these things do happen. The hat is old, and I find myself checking and resorting students often. If there are any other problems with the sorting choices made by our old relic, don't hesitate to inform me and we will give you a new sorting." He assured the crowd but he was lying and Harry, Draco and Dante picked up on it instantly.

"Harry, if you could kindly join your new house?" Dumbeldore motioned for him to leave the stool surrounded by belated but ecstatic cheers and clapping. The red haired twins from the train station even started singing, "We've got Potter! We've got Potter!"

Harry settled himself next to Draco and across form Dante, giving them a meaning full look before presently shaking mean hands and smiling at Hermione who was seated on the other side of Dante.

When the list was finally coming to a close, Ron sorted into Gryffindor and took the set next to Dante. They smiled and clapped loudly making his ears flush red.

Dumbeldore clambered to his feet again.

"Welcome!" He cried opening his arms wide as if to huge the whole Hall. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our feast, I have but a few words to say. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you." He bowed and sat again. Several muggleborns laughed then gasped at the array of food on the tables before them.

Harry quickly helped himself to roast beef, boiled potatoes, carrots, peas and fries. He was stuffing his face in competition with Dante when a voice from his pocket made him loose. As Dante did a victory dance in his seat and challenged Ron, Harry pulled Vexation from his pocket.

How bout you pass some of that my way? The immortal hinted.

Harry pretended to be in thought then when Vex nipped his finger. He cut up some chicken for the young cat.

That's better. The immortal muttered wolfing down the scraps.

Harry laughed and rejoined conversation with Draco and Dean, a boy that had been sorted after Harry.

When they had cleaned their plates and sufficiently stuffed themselves, the plates of food cleared, making way for the desserts. As the wolfed these down, their appetites suddenly returning, the conversation turned to families.

"I'm half and half." A boy names Shamus announced. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out." Shamus laughed and slurped up some Jell-O.

"What about you Dante?"

Harry dropped his spoon.

"Something wrong Harry?" Dean asked. Draco gave him a look and he nodded. "Yeah, just cold. Haven't had ice cream before." He muttered trying to sound embraced.

"Never?!" The boys asked agape.

"No, the… people I lived with for 7 years never let me have sweets. Then it was too hard to find somewhere that would sell it." Harry explained. It wasn't a complete lie. At the safe house, it had been a rare occasion to get ice cream as Narcissa and Bella usually gobbled it down with Evangeline.

Draco and Dante where smiling knowingly.

"Who did you live with for seven years that never let you have ice cream?" Asked Ron scandalized.

Harry gulped. In taking the attention of Dante he'd put it on himself.

"My…my Muggle relatives." A hint of venom slipped out as he said muggle. He hadn't meant for it too and he was almost sure no one had picked up on it but he had to watch himself. "They didn't like me very much, because they hated my parents." He nervously flattened his hair over his eye, an act that was noticed by all, but not commented upon.

The feast was coming to a close and Harry's mind was wandering when suddenly white-hot pain flashed across his dormant scar. He jumped a little but it was the only show of pain he allowed himself, and only because it had been so sudden.

Dante and Draco turned away from Ron and Dean with whom they were joking and turned to Harry who waved them off with a look that told them he'd explain it all later. The desserts disappeared and Dumbeldore rose again.

"Just a few announcements. Fist years should note that the Forbidden Forest, is just that, Forbidden, and some of our older students would due well to remember that as well."

Pointed glance at a pair of red heads.

" Next, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic should be used in between classes.

"Quidditch tryouts will be held at a date specified by your Head of House. Anyone interested should inform said Head.

"Last but not lest, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to anyone who doesn't wish to die a most painful death."

Harry looked to Dante and Draco with an evil smirk playing on his lips that was mirrored by both boys.

"Now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song."

Harry, Dante, Draco and the Weasley twins jumped to their feet.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune and off we go!"

The words appeared in the form of a red ribbon that twisted itself into the words.

The previously mentioned boys sang loud and clear in a chorus line version of a funeral march, each boy on a different note, Draco ridding high at soprano, with George under him, Fred under him, Harry under him and Dante thudding along as base. The whole school was laughing so hard they couldn't sing. Dumbeldore conducted their progress with his wand before the five bowed to whoops and hollers from the crowd.

"Ah, music. A finer magic can not be found even in these walls." Dumbeldore wiped a fake tear from his eyes then stared into the distance for a time before seemingly snapping out of it and rejoining the rest of the Hall on planet earth.

"Now, off to bed." He made a sweeping motion with his hands and Harry felt compelled to move towards the door. He resisted, as he would to all other outside forces, as though it were the imperious curse, knocking on his metal doors.

Harry, Dante and Draco made a dash for the center of the crowds so as to avoid the searching eyes of their Head of House as well as their Headmaster. Once out of their line of sight the three shifted back into their own appearances and followed Percy to the Common Room.

"Password?" The fat lady in pink, absolutely dripping in lace cooed as she looked about her at the small first years, her eyes landing on Draco with some surprise but also with understanding that didn't go unnoticed by Harry, though it seemed to escape everyone else. "Caput Draconis" Percy answered making the portrait swing forward hiding the Fat Lady's smile.

Inside Percy directed their attention to the different dormitories. Harry, Draco and Dante said their good nights to Hermione and followed Ron up the stairs. Dean and Shamus had clamed the beds farthest from the windows, while Neville had taken residence in the one nearest the stairs leaving the two beds on one side of the window as well as the lone bed on the far wall for the three remaining boys.

Harry took the lone bed, too tired to care much about his choice. He managed to pull out his flannel sleep pants and a large t-shirt and slipped them on before he collapsed into bed, Vexation asleep at his feet. Dante hadn't made it past the pants portion of the routine and Draco…well he was out cold in his robes beside the bed.

To tired to look after the invalid, Harry yawned, snuffed out the candle on his side table and fell into a dreamless sleep.