When Harry woke it was dark outside, and the train was slowing. He blinked and stretched, surprised that he had slept so long and so deep.

'I must have been more tired than I thought' he muttered to himself, as he rooted through his trunk for robes. He had seen the prefects in their robes earlier and so figured he would need to change before the train stopped, which it would any moment.

Once robed and properly awake, Harry had a look outside. There were some lights of what seemed to be a small village, but it was hard to tell any detail in the darkness. Harry was annoyed with himself for falling asleep. He needed to keep his guard up and stay aware of his surroundings.

Soon the train rolled to a stop and he could hear movement in the corridor. He presumed he had to leave his stuff on the train and so, with a quick glance at Hedwig, green eyes meeting green eyes, he slipped into the bustling corridor.

There were a lot of students piling out of doors onto a lit platform. Almost all of them were taller than him, Harry noticed, and once again cursed the stupid people that had failed to feed him properly.

He got onto the platform fairly quickly and began to wonder what to do when he heard a booming voice go,

"Firs' years! All firs' years o'er 'ere! Firs' years!"

Harry's eyes followed the sound and he stared at the huge man. Stepping into the group of huddled eleven years old, he watched a bit more discretely. This man was enormous! And his magic…it was strange. Diluted almost, like watered down juice. What a strange world he was entering. Was the man some sort of half-breed? A cross between a person and a troll, or an ogre, or a giant? He had the beard of a dwarf as well, which confused Harry no end, not that he showed that at all on his passive face.

He observed his fellow "firs' years" surreptitiously. He saw Draco Malfoy, standing out with his white-blond hair, as well as the red haired boy from King's Cross Station. There were many others, none particularly standing out as powerful in any sense, but all had potential. A rather bushy-haired girl, who wouldn't stop talking, seemed to be one of the more obvious candidates for power, but Harry had learnt that magic had many layers, and he could only fully evaluate magic with time. Still, a first listen did provide some insight.

The giant of a man drew himself up and said, "Right. Seems we got everyone. I'm Hagrid, by the way. Keeper o' th' keys and Groundskeeper at 'ogwarts. Follow me. Keep up"

He began talking gigantic strides up a path that was only dimly lit by the lantern in his hand. The small first years almost had to jog to keep up.

Harry remained on the edge of the group, carefully monitoring the situation. He couldn't help but notice a rather round faced boy almost crying, and stumbling next to him. Harry first tried to ignore him, but the boy's face screwed up more, and he couldn't stand it any further. Weakness was something he detested.

"Are you alright?" he ventured, hoping the boy would refuse any help.

The boy looked at him nervously, his eyes watering slightly. "I can't find my toad. My gran's going to kill me!" By the end of the outburst the boy was panicking.

Harry quickly tried to calm him down. He hated people losing their heads and distressing everything. He got his wand out and quickly used a spell he had read about in one of his spell books. "Accio toad!"

The toad quickly whizzed towards him from some shadowy corner. He quickly thrust it into the boys flailing arms and walked off fast. He didn't even think about the fact that he had performed a fourth year charm effortlessly on the first go. God, what a mess! Harry thought. That kid would die in real life. He isn't very magical either.

Harry didn't get involved. That was his rule. If someone was having a hard time then fine, he should help. But that didn't make him friends with that person. He had no friends.

They walked around a hill and came to the shores of a vast loch, reflecting the moons silvery beams. The most impressive thing about the sight, however, was the great castle rested a top a hill on the other side of the loch. It was outlined in moonlight, and from every window gleamed warm, orange light. It was spectacular.

Harry revelled in his first view of Hogwarts. It was magnificent! It looked immense, with lots of towers and turrets and gantries and halls. With held breath, and concealed awe, he stepped into the boats the giant man had told them to pile into. The toad boy, the bushy haired girl and a dark boy, who Harry thought was called Zabini, followed him, completing their quad.

Soon the boats set off into the still water, powered by a simple trigger spell, Harry could tell. He could hear voices, but was glad that no one in his boat was talking. Even the bushy haired girl had shut up.

Harry continued to stare at Hogwarts, but he was also beginning to hear it. It was like the opening to a concierto. One by one melodies and rhythms were introduced, and Harry could feel, and hear, and see, the splendour of Hogwarts. The music surpassed any he had heard before. It was old. Incredibly so, and it was simply wonderful. Harry was at a loss to summarise his feelings. He was just glad this was his new home, and he would live in this magical place, alive with its song.

The boats passed under a veil of vines and everyone got out of the boats. In a dream Harry followed the group through a door, up some stairs and into a room to wait.

It took Harry a second to snap out of his magic induced daze, but he swiftly realised they were waiting for the sorting. Harry had no preference for a house, but the other students around him were having an avid discussion about the sorting and the houses.

It didn't strike Harry that it was strange he hadn't talked to anyone at all, except the toad boy. For you see, Harry Potter, or Bolt as he was called, stood alone. He trusted only one person, and that was himself. He could rely on himself, and he didn't need anyone else. He was looking out for only one person.

A severe looking woman came into the room. She had a very meticulous controlled magic, and Harry immediately knew that you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of this woman. There was something else about her, which he couldn't quite place. She had another, differing melody woven into her magic. It was strange…

She quickly explained the process of sorting. Harry listened, storing the information away, but couldn't help but be amused at the whole "your house will be your family" thing. Harry Potter had no family.

She led them down a hallway and into a magnificent hall, adorned with candles and with no visible ceiling. Harry knew of this ceiling charm, since it was mentioned in Hogwarts, A History. That didn't stop bushy haired girl pointing it out though. God, she was irritating.

Along four tables in the hall sat the students. There were more than he had expected really. It seemed his year was quite small, as his mathematics based on his year size hadn't worked out.

At the end of the hall, perpendicular to the other tables, sat the teachers at their own table. Hagrid was there, but so was the person Harry had most wished to see. The man who had defeated the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. The man who had headed the light side for over 50 years. Albus Dumbledore.

And he was worth it. Resplendent in deep blue robes dotted with comets, complete with a matching hat, a long white beard and an aura of great power about him, he was everything Harry had expected of the "greatest wizard of the age".

Harry, his attention returning to the ceremony, watched as a battered hat was placed on a stool. It had magic in it, and was ancient, but Harry couldn't determine what it did. He didn't need to though, as it soon opened at a rip, like a mouth, and sang:

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends;
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!

Everyone burst into applause at the end of this and Harry was watching in puzzlement as the first of the first years put on the hat and was placed in HUFFLEPUFF!

The hat must be using some form of legilimency, determined Harry, as he watched the line of first years grow less and less.

The bushy haired girl, who was apparently called Hermione Granger, ended up in GRYFFINDOR! As did the toad boy, or Neville Longbottom if you went by his birth name (although Harry wasn't entirely sure which was worse). Draco Malfoy was placed in SLYTHERIN! Which to Harry seemed to be quite fitting for a 'pureblood', or at least it did based on what he had read.

Soon it was his turn and when his name was called out by the severe woman (Professor McGonagall), whispers spread through the hall. As the hat was dropped over his eyes, Harry could see straining necks, and even McGonagall herself trying to get a decent look at him.

"What have we here then?" came an inquiringly little voice. "A Potter! Haven't had one of you in a long time, but your different!"

"My upbringing may have been a bit different" Harry replied sarcastically. The hat didn't seem all that bothered.

"You have HUGE potential, boy! Intelligence, power, resourcefulness… the list goes on. You've had a hard life, I know. It has made you more prepared though. Less naïve than the usual bunch of brats, at any rate. You could go anywhere and you would do well. I wouldn't consider Hufflepuff though. That's pretty safe to rule out, since you have major trust issues. But oh! Such a mind I haven't seen in decades."

"Are you going to pick a house any time soon?" grumbled Harry, all to aware that this was taking a long time and that, judging by the whispers, people were growing restless.

"Anxious, aren't you? Well this is important. Let's see…a magic listener! You can hear magic! You're just making my century, you are. Gosh, what choices. You would do well in Ravenclaw, for you seek knowledge in the extreme, but I feel you would be over-directed there. All houses have their down points you know, and Ravenclaw can be a bit forceful at time. I feel you need more of a free reign. So that leaves Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hmm…"

By that point Harry had given up trying to stop the hat's chatter, and was just trying to ignore the increasingly loud muttering from the rest of the school.

"You have ambition. Oh yes, such a lot of that. But it is not necessarily for your own means. You help people, though you don't particularly want to. Slytherin would move you up in the world no doubt, but I can't help but think a part of your capabilities would be…how do I say it… squashed, I guess. Looking at your position, I feel, with your Slytherin qualities ironically, you would make best use of Gryffindor. You have values, and morals, and you stand up for the little man. You're not stupid though… in Gryffindor you would fill the "perfect image" of "the boy who lived", but, and I'm just saying here, you would be able to use that situation for a greater means…a Slytherin in Gryffindor. Hmm, it would risky, but better for you I feel. Ok, lets make it (and I hope this works out for you, since it has been a really difficult choice)…. GRYFFINDOR!"

#Finally updated. Took a while. Little longer than usual. Even though Harry is in Gryffindor, it doesn't mean he'll follow the same path, or even a similar one. Don't worry, I have lots of plans…