Yes, I'm still alive! Sorry about the delay in the fic, but I haven't been in much of a mood to write lately. I haven't been slacking off, though. I've been thinking about the direction I'm going to take this fic in. Hopefully, it'll be as successful as Toki no Senshi, the fanfic that put me on the map, so to speak. And for those of you who are still wondering, the Ping-Pong Saga isn't dead… it's just sleeping until I work out what I'm doing with it.
Also, I've been getting a lot of questions, in reviews and e-mails. I can't remember them all, but here are Three Quick Answers to Three Quick Questions:
Which book is this set in?This is based around the events of the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. I thought that was a good enough place to start How does Gohan know Dean Thomas?
I thought I'd explained this one, but in case you missed it, he knew Dean from the elementary school they had both attended in the Muggle world. Is this a Gohan torture fic?
No. I don't like torture fics, and will never write one. That doesn't mean that there won't be Gohan torture in here, though, because 11-year-old boys do a good job of torturing themselves without outside help.
DISCLAIMER: If I really owned DBZ and Harry Potter, do you think I'd waste my time and money going to Uni?
Chapter the ThirdThe door swung open to reveal a tall witch wearing emerald green robes. The entire crowd took one look at the stern look on her face and were immediately silenced. Gohan was the only person unfazed by the woman – eleven years of living with his mother had desensitised him to even the sternest faces.
"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid stated simply. The witch cast a disdainful glance in Hagrid's direction.
"I will take them from here, Hagrid."
The first years followed the Professor through the corridors of Hogwarts. Gohan stuck close to Ron, Seamus and Harry as the four students took in their surroundings. Occasionally, they would here the sound of loud voices, which they assumed were the other students. The Professor took the students into a small empty chamber.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall began, "We will soon commence the start of term banquet. However, before you may sit down, you must be sorted into your houses. The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has in the past produced outstanding witches and wizards. Whilst at Hogwarts, you will have classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend your free time in the house common room. During the year, your triumphs will earn your house points, but misbehaviour will lose points for your house. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup.
"The Sorting Ceremony will begin in a few minutes. I suggest you use this time to smarten yourselves up," McGonagall cast a withering glance at Gohan, who's hair was, in true Saiya-jin style, all over the place. Gohan knew that he couldn't do anything with his hair – his genetics ensured that it would go all over the place whether he wanted it to or not – but he decided to frantically try to flatten it down at least until McGonagall left the room.
"How do you think they sort us?" Harry whispered to Ron.
"Some sort of test," Ron's reply came, "Fred told me it hurts, but I think he was joking."
Harry and Gohan shared worried glances. They had both begun reading their textbooks before school had started, but neither knew how to perform any spells yet. Hermione, on the other hand, seemed to be excited at the opportunity, and was in the middle of telling Neville, Seamus and Dean about how many spells she already knew.
"I don't care what house I'm put in, as long as she's not there," Ron whispered to Gohan, causing both boys to collapse into a fit of giggles. Hermione shot them a dirty look.
"I don't know what you two are laughing at," Hermione said to Ron, "After seeing that pitiful attempt at magic you did on the train, I'd be…"
"Knock it off," Ron muttered and walked away, leaving Hermione fuming.
Professor McGonagall returned to the room. "Form a line and follow me," she instructed. Ron, Gohan and Harry joined the line and followed the professor out the door and into the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was the largest room that Gohan had ever seen, not counting the Room of Spirit and Time, which was actually more of a self-contained dimension than a room. The Hall was lit by thousands of candles and contained five long tables – four of which housed students and one for the teachers. McGonagall led the children to the front of the Hall, and the line came to a halt in front of the other students. Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-year students. On top the stool was a tattered wizard's hat. Gohan stood there, feeling stupid and wondering what the hat was for, when suddenly the hat began singing.
[A/N: For reasons regarding both Copyright and laziness, the Sorting Hat Song will not be included in this fic. If you want to know how it goes, read the book.]
After the song, Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. If the song was anything to go by, all he had to do was try on the hat, and that would sort him into one of the houses. Professor McGonagall stepped forward.
"When I call your name, come forward and put on the hat," she commanded, "Abbot, Hannah!"
A girl with blonde pigtails came forward and placed the hat on.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted. One of the four student tables started cheering as the girl made her way to the table.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Gohan, Harry and Ron stared blankly at the sea of faces in front of them. It would be a while until Harry and Gohan would be called to the hat, and longer still for Ron. The threesome looked around for something to occupy them, but there was really nothing to do but watch as people nervously approached the hat.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione ran eagerly towards the hat and placed it on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Ron gave Harry and Gohan a pained expression. Every other Weasley had been in Gryffindor, and Ron was sure he would be no different. And now he was stuck with Hermione.
"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall's voice interrupted Gohan and Harry as they were trying to comfort Ron. Harry nervously approached the hat and placed it on his head. Gohan and Ron waited, as did the rest of the school. The hat was taking forever to make its decision…
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat finally announced, as the Gryffindor table immediately started cheering. Gohan now saw that Hagrid wasn't exaggerating – Harry was a huge celebrity, although Harry seemed a little uncomfortable with the attention.
"Son, Gohan!" McGonagall called as soon as the Hall had settled down. Gohan walked forward and put the hat on, trying his hardest not to throw up with nerves. As soon as the hat went over his eyes, he could hear the voice of the Sorting Hat.
"Ah, another hero then?" the Sorting Hat said as it began the process of sorting, "Someone else who's saved the world. And a smart one too. So where to put you? Your intelligence would make you more than welcome in Ravenclaw… or of course I could put you in Slytherin. Your dark background would make you right at home there…"
"I don't have a dark background," Gohan whispered into the hat. He honestly had no idea what the hat was talking about, and if it qualified him as a Slytherin, then he didn't really want to know.
"Of course you do – it's in your blood, your very being. You'd make an excellent Slytherin, but then there's that whole saving the world thing. Well, I guess I should be on the safe side and put you in…"
Gohan squirmed as the hat paused. He hated this.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table started cheering as Gohan made his way over and sat next to Harry.
"What took you so long?" a boy who just had to be one of the Weasleys asked as Gohan sat down, "Are you and Harry trying to break the record for sitting there with the Sorting Hat on?"
"Quiet," said an older boy who from the look of him was also a Weasley. Gohan could tell from Ron's earlier description that this was Percy, "The hat's about to sort Ron."
Sure enough, Ron had just placed the Sorting Hat on his head. Unlike Gohan and Harry, the hat didn't hesitate when it came to Ron, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, got to his feet and addressed the students. "Welcome!" he said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we being, I'd like to say a few words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" He sat back down as everyone cheered.
"What was that about?" Gohan asked Percy, hoping that his English had cut out and that Dumbledore wasn't mad and had made perfect sense.
"Don't worry about it," Percy replied, "Dumbledore's a genius, but he's a bit mad. He does something like that every year."
Food suddenly appeared on the plates in front of the students. Every kind of food imaginable was right there in front of the boys. Gohan, being a Saiya-jin, took exactly thirty seconds to gape in awe at the food before he started to fill his plate. Harry wasn't too far behind, having been on the verge of starvation in his life with the Dursleys. Ron just stared at the two as they piled as much food as possible into their mouths, occasionally stopping to swallow or answer a question.
"How on earth…?" Ron began to ask Gohan as he piled his plate for a fifth time.
"You answered you own question with that," Gohan replied. Ron was about to ask Gohan what he meant, but was soon caught up in Neville's explanation of how he first came to the world of magic. After Neville's story, everyone sated at Gohan.
"What about you, Gohan?" one of the Weasley twins asked, "I'm guessing you're a Muggle. It's obvious from the overwhelmed expression on your face."
Not really having a story about how magic saved his life, Gohan decided to tell his fellow Gryffindors about how he came to England. "Well, my father got killed a while ago, and Mum was having problems living in Japan, because everything reminded her of Dad. So we moved to England about six months ago, then I got the letter, and here I am."
The hall went silent again as Dumbledore stood up yet again. "I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First-years should be aware that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Certain older students should also take note of that." Dumbledore cast a glance at the Weasley twins before continuing, "Mr Filch, the caretaker, would like me to remind you that no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors.
Quidditch trials will be held next week. Anyone interested in representing their House should contact Madam hooch.
"Finally, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side of the castle is out of bounds to everyone who doesn't want to die a painful death."
Percy frowned at the last statement, "That's odd. Usually he gives a reason why we're not allowed somewhere. You'd think we would have told the Prefects at least."
"And now," Dumbledore said, once the Hall had been silenced again, "Let's sing the school song! Everyone pick your favourite tune!"
The school began singing the song, which was absolutely ridiculous, to a different tune. Everyone finished at a different time, and when it was done, Dumbledore dismissed the students from the Hall.
The Gryffindor first-years followed Percy though out of the Great Hall and up the staircase, past portraits that stared and whispered as they walked by. Harry was about to ask how much farther it was when the group came to a halt.
Somewhere near the ceiling of the corridor, a heap of chairs were floating. Percy took a step forward, and a chair crashed at his feet.
"Peeves," Percy told the first-years, "A poltergeist." Percy faced the chairs again and yelled, "Peeves, go away or I'll tell the Bloody Baron," referring to the Slytherin ghost, whom Gohan assumed could control the poltergeist. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, but not before throwing a chair right at Gohan's head. Gohan reacted the only way his instinct allowed – blasting the chair to bits. As the last fragments of chair hit the ground, Gohan became aware of the entire school watching him. He was about to ask what was going on when he noticed that Percy had his wand drawn, and was pointing it right at Gohan.
* * *
Well, that's all
for now. Don't worry, though, because I have a month of from Uni, so I've got
plenty of time to update now. Hopefully I will be able to get into the meat of
this fic before Uni starts up again. If you have any suggestions, comments,
questions, etc, feel free to review or e-mail me. I'll start answering
questions before every chapter, if I have any to answer.
=^-^=