Soul of the Enemy

By Willow Spirit

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Everything else belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Things are going to be very interesting now that Alex is talking. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 7 - The Sorting Hat

Harry and Alex approached the solid wood door that led to Dumbledore's office. They were quite lucky that Harry hadn't forgotten Dumbledore's most recent password. Alex was pleasantly surprised by the nifty spiralling staircase that had appeared. ("Wicked cool!")

Harry looked to Alex to see if she was ready. "You still sure about this?"

"For the millionth time, YES!" Alex got so impatient that she herself knocked firmly on the door. The two of them could hear Dumbledore's muted reply of 'Come in'.

They entered the office and were surprised to see Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, as well as Professor Dumbledore. The three of them were all sitting in comfy chairs, looking like they had been in a serious discussion. Their heads all turned to greet the newcomers. To say that they were also surprised would be an understatement.

McGonagall let out a soft gasp. Her hand went to her mouth as she saw who was standing beside Harry. Snape's eyes narrowed as he saw who it was, with complete and utter suspicion written all over his face. Dumbledore, of course, was the least expressive of them all. But Harry could see that his white eyebrows rose slightly, indicating that even he was slightly taken aback.

"Er…sorry to interrupt," Harry glanced at Alex to see how she was holding up against all the scrutiny and attention. He was amazed to see her standing there with her head held high, and no sign of being shy or afraid. "I thought you might want to meet someone, Professor Dumbledore. Look who's up and about."

"Indeed," Dumbledore focused on Alex. "And how are doing these days, my dear?"

"Oh, quite fine, thanks," Alex said clearly. "Not too bad, considering I've spent the better part of three weeks in the hospital wing with nothing to do but read or stare out the window. Which, by the way, I'm really sorry that I broke. I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened when I woke up and saw everyone. I suppose I over reacted a little bit."

"You broke the window?" Snape looked like he couldn't believe it.

"Yes, that's what I just said," Alex forced herself not to roll her eyes.

"Then that was one remarkable piece of wandless magic, I must say," McGonagall didn't know whether she should be impressed or worried.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," Alex shrugged her shoulders. "I can't really do that much. Especially without my wand."

"Might I enquire about your wand?" Dumbledore asked. "Did you not have one before? Where is it now?"

"I gave it to Potter," Alex inclined her head towards Harry direction. "I told him it'd be better for him to hang on to it for now. No one here knows who I am. I didn't want anyone to think I'd try something again."

Nobody appeared to have an answer for that one. Snape closed his open mouth. He seemed to be shocked that Alex would think of something like that. Taking her wand away would have been the first suggestion out of his mouth. In fact, he didn't want her to keep it in the first place.

"I think it's time for a little talk," Dumbledore conjured up two more chairs for Alex and Harry. He waited patiently until they were settled. Then he focused again on Alex, looking at her with thoughtful, but curious eyes.

"Now, then, where shall we begin? Perhaps it would be best to start with the basics. Since you are now talking, my dear, I'm assuming you would be willing to tell us your name."

"Uh, yeah," Alex suddenly glanced down to her hands in her lap. "It's Alex. Alex Reid."

"Very well, Miss Reid," Dumbledore said. "Would you be willing to tell us what happened to you on the day that you arrived here at Hogwarts?"

"Actually…" Alex hesitated. "I told Potter that I wasn't ready to talk about it." And let the run around begin. Harry had already heard this speech, and Snape just rolled his eyes. Dumbledore and McGonagall, however, were more patient than that. They waited to see if Alex would say anything else.

"Is there anything that you can tell us?" Snape almost sneered.

"Well," Alex searched in her mind for a place to start. "Now that I think about it, I suppose you all deserve some sort of explanation. Or at least a partial explanation for now." That certainly gained the attention of everyone in the office.

"I was involved in some sort of conflict. You could probably tell from the nasty state I was in when I first arrived. I can't…I can't tell you what it was about. I can tell you that I arrived here on this broom. Although I can't say where exactly I flew from, I can also tell you that I need a place to stay for a while. There were…bad people involved in this thing. I can't let them know where I am. If they knew, then…"

Alex's thought died off, leaving the others to fill in the blanks.

"There are still many unanswered questions," Dumbledore said carefully.

"I agree," Snape instantly replied. "This girl has told us nothing that we could not already have deduced ourselves. Her presence here at Hogwarts could be potentially dangerous. Who knows what she had done to warrant such an escape, if her story has any truth to it at all."

"Excuse me," Alex put on a fake sweet smile. "But 'this girl' is sitting right here. I realize that I'm imposing on you all just by being here. Believe me, if things could be different, I wouldn't be here right now in this mess. I could always leave if you wanted me to. I'd be alright by myself."

"Of course not," McGonagall looked positively appalled at the idea. Harry could have sworn that she also threw Snape a quickly icy glare before turning back to Alex. "Miss Reid, I don't think you should be going anywhere. At least not until we figure out what we shall do about the situation. There is no need to be hasty."

"I agree," Dumbledore said. "So now we need to decide where our guest will be staying."

"You mean Alex gets to stay!" Harry couldn't believe his ears. Alex would be staying at Hogwarts!

"I don't see why not. It's obvious that Miss Reid is in danger. Hogwarts will be the best place for her, if she agrees."

"But…" Alex couldn't seem to find the right words. "So I can stay? I don't have to leave yet?"

"It's entirely up to you, my dear."

For one fleeting moment, Alex looked like she was going to accept Dumbledore's offer. She opened her mouth to speak but then she suddenly paused. Snape took advantage of her hesitation. "Professor Dumbledore," Snape said slowly. "May we have a few words before anything is decided?"

Dumbledore glanced at Snape before looking over to McGonagall, who nodded her head very slightly. "Very well," Dumbledore turned his attention to the two teenagers. "Would you mind if the professors and I had a moment to chat by ourselves? I promise you that we won't take too long."

"No problem," Harry stood and followed Alex out of the office. Now that they were gone, Snape let his feelings loose.

"How in Merlin's name can we allow that girl to stay here in Hogwarts?" Snape fumed. "I am positively certain that she herself is dangerous. Assuming that her story is indeed true, then someone out there is looking for this girl. That person would have been responsible for putting her in our hospital wing nearly half dead. What if that person discovers that she is here? What will happen then?"

"Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "Keep in mind that Hogwarts is never far from danger, especially now that Voldemort has returned."

"But what if he is the one who is looking for her?" Snape exclaimed.

"Honestly, Severus," McGonagall reproached. "You really think that this poor girl is running from You-Know-Who? What could she have done to deserve his attention?"

"I don't know Minerva, but something about this doesn't seem right to me," Snape calmed himself down slightly. There was no point wasting his valuable energy over something so out of his hands.

"I know this has all come about quite quickly," Dumbledore said. "But now that the pieces are in motion I think we should try to make the best of this situation. Therefore, I suggest that Miss Reid be sorted into a house and encouraged to attend classes with the rest of the students. This is, of course, a bold move but I feel that it is a necessary one."

Neither Snape nor McGonagall could speak for a moment. "So…" McGonagall finally managed to talk. "She would be living amongst the students, interacting with them, and such. That is a very bold move, I must say."

"I agree," Snape said.

"Think of it this way," Dumbledore smiled. "There will be more people around her to monitor her situation. If she is sorted into Gryffindor, then we ask Harry and his friends to look out for her and make sure that she is safe."

"Recruit Potter and his friends as spies?" Snape eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"No, not necessarily spies," Dumbledore's smile slowly faded into a frown. "Miss Reid needs someone to look after her."

"Albus?" McGonagall asked in a worried tone. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine Minerva. I only worry about Miss Reid herself. Something terrible is going on in her head. I cannot tell what it is and I find that a bit unusual. Then, of course, I noticed the way she refused to look me in the eye…

"But let's not concentrate on such things right now. Miss Reid has found her way to Hogwarts and I feel she should stay here under our protection."

"If that is to be our plan," Snape reluctantly agreed.

"Then let us proceed."

McGonagall went to retrieve Harry and Alex, who were still waiting patiently outside Dumbledore's office. Once everyone was seated again, Dumbledore started explaining. "After much discussion, we have agreed that our new guest here will have the opportunity to stay at Hogwarts. If you agree, Miss Reid, you will also have the chance to be sorted and join one of our four houses. I know this is a big decision to make, but I do hope that you choose to stay with us."

"Alright then," Alex gave a small nod. "I'll stay. So how do I get sorted?"

"That will be a job for our sorting hat," McGonagall said. She promptly got up and took the ratty old hat down from a high shelf. "It's quite simple Miss Reid. You put the hat on your head and it will place you into Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Slytherin. Each is a reputable house with its own unique qualities. You will be sorted into the house that suits you best."

Alex carefully took the hat from McGonagall and gave it a quick once over. When she finally seemed ready, she glanced at Harry before finally donning the hat.

"Good luck," Harry whispered.

Since Alex was much bigger than the average first year student, her head was not completely engulfed by the old hat. Only the floppy brim of hat prevented her from seeing her surroundings. As soon as the hat touched her head, she could feel the presence of another voice in her mind.

"Oh my!" the voice exclaimed. "Oh my indeed! I absolutely cannot believe this. I cannot believe what I'm seeing in here. This is amazing really; I've never seen anything like this before. Incredible! Never in all my years have I come across something like you. This is a real surprise, I must say. I am completely dumbfounded, to say the least. This is something I did not expect and…"

"Alright! Enough!" Alex thought back to the voice. "Look, I'm not here for a nice, long conversation. This is where I'm supposed to get sorted so let's get on with it. We don't have all day."

"But surely you have some time to stay and chat."

"Ah, but why do we need to chat when you can already see everything you want to know!"

"Oh, very good! Very good! I knew you were a smart one. Yes, it's true that I can see into your mind but sometimes I still like to ask questions. It's so much more interesting that way. I only get to do my job once a year, you know. Composing next year's song only takes me so long anyway."

"I suppose so." Alex mentally shrugged. "But seriously, how does this whole thing work? I really need to get moving here."

"My, my, aren't we in a hurry! What's wrong my dear? Afraid that I'll expose your secret? I see that you haven't told them everything."

"Listen, hat!" Alex grabbed the edges of her chair in a death grip. "I'll eat you myself if you dare say a word about me! You can see for yourself that I'm dead serious about this. I swear I would do it!"

"Ah! I see I've hit a nerve!" the voice mused. "But there's no need to worry. I would never tell a soul."

"So that means you could tell a vampire?" Alex quipped. "Or maybe even this Professor Snape? You know they don't have souls. I'm not safe with them."

"Oh, another good one! Though seriously, you don't have to be concerned. I've been doing this job for longer than you can imagine. I also have a confidentiality charm as well. Those four old founders really knew what they were doing when they made me."

"So you really can't tell anyone…"

"You have to understand," the voice explained. "I see into dozens of minds every year and you would not believe some of the things I have seen. Think about what would happen if I didn't keep those things to myself. I could change the course of the future, and that's not what I was made to do."

"So…you've seen everything?"

"Everything."

"From everyone?"

"Every single witch … and wizard … who has passed through this school."

Alex knew what the voice was implying. "So what happens when you see the worst?" she asked.

"I see many possibilities for their future. It's funny, though. I get to see into their minds when they are still very young. Some of them don't suspect a thing, while others are already completely aware of the darkness that lives within them. Now those are the interesting people to sort."

"I'm sure they are," Alex smirked. "So I want to ask you one more time just to be sure. Are you certain that you won't be telling anyone about what you've seen in my mind?"

"You have my word, Miss Reid. Your secret is safe with me."

"Good. Now that we have that taken care of, let's get down to business."

"Not one to be easily distracted, eh? Well then, if you truly insist I suppose we'll have to carry on. So let's see, where do you belong…ah, I can see right now that Hufflepuff is not for you. You do have some of the Hufflepuff qualities but you have a spirit that belongs elsewhere."

"What is this, a joke?" Alex wasn't impressed. "Of course I don't belong in Hufflepuff! You're just stalling now."

"Quite possibly," the voice replied gleefully. "I'm only having a little bit of fun. Of course, it's quite obvious where you should really go."

"Well, you'll have to tell me your thoughts because I'm not the mind reader here, remember?"

"I think you'd do well in Slytherin."

"Oh, of course!"

"Oh, but I'm serious. In all honesty, Slytherin is where you should be."

Alex nearly laughed out loud. "Just like daddy dearest," she smirked. "Sorry old guy, but I have my own agenda right now, as you can see."

"But that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun!"

"Not right now."

"But couldn't you just allow me to…"

"Would you leave it be!" Alex exclaimed. "This is getting really pathetic. You're this far away from begging, and that's just sad."

"Well can you blame me?"

"You are so stubborn! Do I have to threaten to eat you again?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm sure we can come to an agreement of some sorts."

"Ah, but I'm not really feeling like negotiating right now. So here's how we're doing things. Instead of putting me where I could or should be, I want you to put me where I need to be."

"So now you're making the decisions?"

"Well someone has to, since obviously you aren't making any. So let's do this. Put me where I need to be."

"Well, if you're sure – better be…"

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A/N: I'm not telling you yet! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out.

Next Chapter: What happens when Ron, Hermione and Ginny meet a walking, talking Alex?