A/N: There is one small minor error that was spotted by RoseDragonWitch and PenguinX (thank you by the way) which I have corrected. Also, I just added to the letter at the end to clear one or two things up.

It was at this point that Harry heard a knock on the door. Harry stood and went to the door, rubbing his face to hide the fact he had been crying. Professor McGonagall was standing on the other side.

"Mister Potter, is everything okay?" asked McGonagall when she saw Harry's face.

"Yes, everything is alright." Harry stepped away from the door to let her in, but she shook her head.

"Not until you have finished your business in here. Mr. Potter, I just came to see if you would like some tea?"

"That would be wonderful, Professor. Thank you. To be honest, I think that this business might take a few days. I can't do it all in one day. It's rather draining. I don't want to put you out though," said Harry apologetically.

"It is not a problem. I understand that Albus meant a great deal to you, and whatever final task he has set you is an important one. You can use my office until Monday. I shall send an elf with the tea, and anything you may want to eat as well." She turned to leave, but paused. "Oh yes, one last thing. There is a room that has been set up for you at the end of the corridor."

"Thank you so much Professor." With that, the witch turned and walked away. Harry shut the door behind her again, and went back to the desk. Sitting on the desk was a steaming cup of tea. Harry was always surprised by the swiftness and stealth that the Hogwarts elves did things. He was grateful for the cup. Harry sat back in the comfortable couch and sipped his tea.

When the cup was empty, Harry stood and stretched. He decided he would see one more memory before going for dinner. He was feeling quite drained.

He picked up the next phial in the line, uncapped the lid and poured the memory into the basin. He took a deep breath, and jumped straight in.

The first thing Harry heard was a very loud, high-pitched whistle. It was a sound he recognized and loved: the Hogwarts Express. Once the smoke from the train had cleared, he found himself standing on the platform at Hogsmeade.

"Over here, first years. Follow me please." Harry looked around for Hagrid, the usual source of that call. He quickly remembered that this would most likely have been a memory from before Hagrid's time. The lamp came bobbing over the group of first years' heads. The man holding the lamp was a tall, lean, muscular man. He was someone Harry didn't recognize. The group of small boys and girls huddled around the man. Harry could see the fear and anxiety on their faces.

"Please, follow me." The man turned and started walking down a long narrow path that sloped gently downhill. Harry knew where they were going: the little boats. This was a journey he had done in his first year.

They reached the boats fairly quickly. Harry found a boat with a small group of boys and got on before it left. The small boats floated silently across the water without incident. He knew that soon, Hogwarts would loom up out of the darkness. It didn't take long until it did, and Harry was awed, yet again, by the sight of the castle. He had always marveled at the fact that no matter how many times he had seen the castle, the grandeur of it always left him in awe of its beauty.

Once the boat ride was finished, and the little group was huddled in the antechamber to the great hall, Harry looked around to see where Dumbledore was. He assumed that Dumbledore must be one of the first years. Many of the children looked the way he and his companions did when they stood in this room.

There was a small boy standing next to Harry, looking around calmly. This boy was taller than most of the other boys in the room, and quite skinny. He had auburn hair and bright blue eyes. The boy, Harry assumed, must be Dumbledore at eleven years old.

There was another boy standing slightly aside from everyone. He was a small thin boy, and his skin had a slight green tinge to it. The other students seemed to be avoiding this boy, but Dumbledore walked straight up to him and stuck out his hand.

"Hello. I'm Albus Dumbledore." His voice was rather squeaky, and Harry tried not to laugh. The other boy stared at Dumbledore's outstretched hand.

"You probably don't want to do that," said the boy. "I have had Dragon pox," he said, pointing to his greenish tinged skin.

Dumbledore didn't lower his hand. The boy smiled and shook it. "I'm Elphias Doge."

"Glad to meet you Elphias," said Dumbledore who now stood next to Elphias, glaring defiantly at the other students who were glancing over at the pair. "Do you know what house you want to be in?" asked Dumbledore.

"I don't really mind," said the small boy timidly, "as long as it's not Slytherin."

"I agree," said Dumbledore.

Just then, another teacher opened the door. "You will now be sorted into your houses. Each house has its particular qualities, and must all be respected. Now, I want you to line up facing the staff table. Follow me." The woman walked out of the room and the rest of the first years followed, as did Harry.

The Great Hall suddenly went quiet as the first years walked in. Dumbledore and Doge stood on the end of the line. In front of them was a short-legged stool, on top of which was the Sorting Hat. The terrified first years stared at the hat. Harry and the rest of the Hall waited for the Hat to burst into song as it usually did. Suddenly the rip in the Hat opened and it burst into song.

Harry listened as the hat sang about each of the four houses, how Ravenclaw was wise and strong, and Hufflepuff so loyal and hard-working; how Gryffindor were brave and kind and Slytherin cunning and clever.*

When the song was over, the whole school, including Harry, cheered the Hat, who took an odd bow. Then the woman who had brought them into the Great Hall pulled out a roll of parchment.

"When I call you name, you are to sit on the stool so the hat can sort you. Alabaster, James." A small boy ran forward and sat on the stool. The woman placed the hat over his head. After a few seconds, the hat shouted its choice.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The table second from the right cheered and patted the boy on his back as he made his way over to the table.

After a few young boys and girls had been sorted, it was time for "Doge, Elphias." The greenish boy walked over to the stool and sat down. Almost immediately the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors as the stunned Doge made his way to join his house. Some of the Gryffindors avoided him as he approached, and ended up taking a seat near the end.

Next up was "Dumbledore, Albus." The tall boy made his way confidently to the stool. Harry heard some whispers among some of the other students. He only heard snippets of what was whispered.

"…must be related to that Muggle-killer," he heard someone say.

Just as the hat was placed over Dumbledore's head, he heard the voice of the Hat as though it was speaking in his own ears.

"Ah, a pure blood, I see. Plenty of wit in you, and clever, yes, very clever. Perhaps Ravenclaw would suit you. I see cunningness and a thirst for power in you too. Maybe Slytherin would be a good idea. Gryffindor, you say? Well, I do see a fierce loyalty in you too. Well, if you are set on it, then it shall have to be… GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry heard the last part ring out, and the Gryffindor table cheered. Dumbledore pulled off the hat and went to sit next to Doge. Both boys were grinning.

Harry sat at the table next to Dumbledore and Doge, and listened to them chatting away quietly to each other as the rest of the first years were sorted.

"I got dragon pox when my parents took me to see the dragons in Romania. It's gone now, but my skin is still green. That's why nobody wants to be near me," said Doge, sadly.

"Don't worry, Elphias. Nobody wants to talk to me either. You probably heard the whispers about my dad going to Azkaban." Doge nodded. " Well, you see, my baby sister Ariana, started showing signs of magic, and a group of Muggle boys attacked her because they wanted to see it again. They hurt her and now she can't control any magic. My dad was so angry he went after those boys. He didn't kill them, but he hurt them pretty bad." Dumbledore looked resigned. Doge nodded again, and patted Dumbledore on the back.

After the sorting, the headmaster stood up. Harry thought that this man looked very familiar.

"Welcome first years, to Hogwarts. After dinner, the prefects will take you to your dormitories. No magic in the corridors. Enjoy your meal." He sat down again, as food appeared on the table out of nowhere.

"That was rather abrupt," commented one of the other first years.

"Yeah, that's Professor Black. Nobody really likes him much," said another older student.

Black? Could this be Phineas Black, Sirius' relative?

Harry didn't have to endure watching everyone eating the delicious food for too long, because he felt himself being pulled out of the memory.

Harry was smiling when he got out of the memory this time. It had been nice to see Dumbledore's sorting.

He picked up the letter and opened it quickly.

Harry

I know that you have had doubts about your sorting, and I wanted to show you mine. As you may have noticed, I too asked to be put in Gryffindor. The Hat had other ideas, but I was adamant. My father had been in Gryffindor, and I was proud to be his son, and I think the hat saw that.

This was also the day that I met my closest friend, Elphias Doge. We were good friends for many, many years, but we drifted for a while when I was dedicated to finding the Hallows with Grindlewald.

You may have noticed that I was far more open with Elpias on first meeting than I have been with most people. You must remember that I had been shunned because of what my father did. It was common knowledge that he had hurt Muggles and went to Azkaban for it. As an eleven year old, all I wanted was a friend in this new and foreign place. Elphias didn't seem to care about my past, but I told him about it anyway, probably to earn his trust as a friend. He was the only person during the first few years at school who never judged me for something I never did.

I thought this would be a more pleasant memory to see after the one you have just seen.

A.D.

A/N: I apologize for the lack of a Sorting Hat Song. I am no poet/lyricist and I wasn't even going to try. It would have turned out badly.

The memory is an arbitrary one, but I wanted Harry to see that Dumbledore was not always as popular as he was in later years.

I hope this didn't disappoint. Please read and review.