Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter or Oh My Goddess.

For Harry, August of 1991 passed by at a blinding speed. In addition to his regular lessons with Belldandy, Sun Wukong and Urd he now had routine sessions with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin that covered his upcoming year at Hogwarts.

For the most part this time was spent going through Harry's textbooks. Remus turned out to be a highly effective tutor, and Harry was able to get a good overview of the theory of the topics he would be studying at Hogwarts. Potions proved to be Harry's strongest area thanks to the lessons he had been receiving from Urd over the preceding months. Sirius noted this, but cautioned Harry to keep an open mind.

"Potions is easier to pick up outside of Hogwarts because you can practice potions at home, as there is no active magic required that might alert the Ministry," he explained, "but remember that topics like Charms and Transfiguration are a lot more fun when you get to the practical aspects."

Certainly Harry's understanding of those two topics that he had gained from his textbooks had sparked his interest. He was looking forward to trying some of the spells out himself. Other classes, such as Herbology and the History of Magic, looked to be interesting but less fun due to the lack of practical magic.

The rest of Harry's family had been equally busy. Belldandy was occupied almost full time by the joint demands of caring for all of her children, taking care of the house and Harry's ongoing magical lessons. For all that she was busier than she had been at any time since she first met Keiichi, her cheerful and pleasant demeanour never wavered.

Urd had buried herself in a brand new potions project that she refused to disclose to anybody. All that she would say when pressed was that it would "shake the magical world to its core". In private she assured Belldandy that it involved nothing that would attract any negative reactions from Asgard.

The busiest of them all had been Skuld. Her intense course of training to use her magic had paid off handsomely, with Belldandy judging her ready to take her final tests months earlier than anyone had expected. Skuld had organised to meet her Asgard examiners in northern Norway for her tests, and follow them up by taking her NEWTs in Oslo. Of course the Asgard Intensive Magical Examinations (commonly called the "AIMEs") were the most important part for Skuld, as passing them would give her the final set of credentials required to be a fully qualified goddess. The NEWTs, on the other hand, would be very useful for their ongoing mission in Britain. Skuld had already discussed this with her sisters, and they had generally agreed that Skuld would pursue a Masters qualification in the UK. This would help her develop a public image in the British magical community, which until now was largely unaware of the youngest Norn.

Unfortunately for Skuld, the net result of her efforts to get all of her testing out of the way as quickly as possible meant that she was stuck in Norway when the day came for Harry to leave for Hogwarts. She had actually managed to bond with Harry over video games, so her absence bothered her more than she was willing to let show.

For others, the start of the new term at Hogwarts was significant in other ways. At the Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Malfoy sat quietly in her boudoir as she contemplated the challenge that was her son.

She had taken the task Sirius Black had given her to heart, determined to see Draco grow to be a significant member of the Black Family. Distracting Lucius had proven to be easier than she had anticipated. As it turned out, the Head of the Malfoy Family had a pressing need to see to his business dealings, as years of bribery and backroom deals (not to mention the money poured into the late Dark Lord's campaign) had left Lucius' cash reserves depleted. When Narcissa offered to take over Draco's tutoring such that Lucius could concentrate on his business interests, her husband had leapt at the chance to rebuild his liquid assets.

Now the Malfoy Family was in the best financial position it had been in since the Dark Lord's fall, and Lucius was revelling in the success of his brilliant idea to have his wife attend to Draco in order to give himself more time to turn his finances around. Narcissa was careful to avoid disabusing him of this notion, as it meant that her husband paid almost no attention to what she had been teaching their son.

Narcissa's father and uncle had both been true Slytherins; combining in equal parts ambition and cunning into a package that allowed them to dominate the world of politics like few others had ever achieved. Fate had conspired to rob both men of the opportunity to rise to the highest offices in magical Britain - Narcissa knew that they had once dreamed of sharing the roles of Minister and Chief Warlock between them. The rise of Albus Dumbledore and the Dark Lord had both contributed to the destruction of those plans, the former blocking the advancement of any 'dark' families in the Wizengamot and the latter siphoning the strength of the Black Family into a doomed crusade.

Narcissa had been determined to teach her son to be the equal of his grand-father and grand-uncle. When she started, however, she found that while the boy had no shortage of ambition, he had a distinct lack of cunning to help temper it.

Raised by a man who had already established his place in the world, and brought up in an insular social setting, Draco's willingness to espouse his views at the drop of a hat was a far cry from how a true Slytherin should act. The boy was too used to airing his views to a sympathetic audience, 'preaching to the choir' as it were. Narcissa knew that such behaviour would be disastrous outside of the social circles that Draco was used to.

Accordingly, she had done her best to teach Draco the value of discretion. She had gone on at length on the importance of keeping one's own views private, and to spend more effort on discovering the views and opinions of others. Knowledge was half the battle, and once you knew how your fellow wizards and witches thought, you could then use that to guide them into helping you achieve your own goals.

Narcissa's uncle had been particularly adept at this. In public the man was a cipher, his views and opinions kept firmly under wraps. His conversations were always aimed at divining the motivations and views of others, such that when he was ready to propose some action he could couch it in terms that everybody would find favourable.

On several occasions, Narcissa's uncle had managed to sweet-talk those on the 'Light' side of politics into supporting measures that were more to the 'Dark' way of thinking. All by working out just how to sell his ideas in the most attractive packaging.

Draco had at least appeared to have absorbed some of these lessons, but Narcissa knew that she was fighting an uphill battle. She really needed to have started this kind of tutoring years earlier to achieve the results she wanted. Unfortunately, she had been more than willing to allow her husband to have his own way, reluctant to give even the slightest hint of disunity in the Malfoy Family at a time when the sharks had been circling.

Once Draco was on the Hogwarts Express, there was no turning back. Narcissa knew for a fact that Harry Potter was bound to meet her son, and that the first impressions of the Boy-Who-Lived would have an enormous impact on how Draco was received by Sirius later on.

Narcissa sighed, and called a house elf for some tea. Her son would board the Hogwarts Express the next morning. Dwelling on the issue any further would achieve little but to increase her stress levels. She would find out soon if her efforts had been successful. And if her lessons had not taken root...

Well. Maybe it was time to create some backup plans.

"Is this it?" Harry asked as he looked at a blank section of wall.

"That's it. The grand entrance to platform nine and three quarters. It is quite a nifty bit of spellwork, actually." Sirius replied as he casually looked around. They'd already spotted at least one person tailing them since they arrived in London. Remus had identified the man as one of Dumbledore's errand boys, somebody by the name of "Dung."

"I must say that I don't quite understand why they have every student in the British Isles travel to London just go get on a train to Scotland." Urd commented. "It must be very inconvenient for students who live closer to Hogwarts than they do to London."

"It is, but like a lot of things this is a tradition with a lot of emotional baggage." Remus said in response. "Plus it has the advantage of giving students a bit of time to catch up after the holidays, or for the first years to have a bit more time to acclimatize."

"So I just walk through?" Harry queried, getting the conversation back on track.

"Right. Let me go ahead with your trunk, just follow along and you'll be fine." Sirius answered as he picked up Harry's trunk. It would also allow him to be in front of Harry in case any fans of the Boy-Who-Lived decided to get overly affectionate.

Harry dutifully followed his godfather and walked through the barrier. His first impression upon emerging onto the platform was one of barely organised chaos, as students rushed between saying goodbye to their families and saying hello to fellow students. A train that Harry thought looked to be old-fashioned stood waiting, with some students already boarding.

"Here we are, the Hogwarts Express." Remus commented as he emerged from the barrier behind Harry. "Direct from London to Hogsmeade. You'd better get on fairly soon, the passenger compartments fill up quickly."

"OK," Harry replied as he moved away from the barrier to avoid blocking the way. He looked over to where his family had come through, his aunty Bell pushing a baby stroller that held the twins.

"Goodbye Harry, stay safe." Belldandy said as she embraced her adopted son. "Please remember to write to us."

"Good luck, kid." Urd said as she gave Harry a quick hug. "Let me know if anybody gives you grief for unusual potions recipes. I'll sort them out."

"Have fun at Hogwarts, Harry." Sirius interjected as he gave Harry a one-armed hug. "And what Urd said goes for me too. If any of the teachers give you trouble, let me know."

Remus didn't say anything, but followed Sirius' example in giving Harry a one-armed hug. Keiichi was more open and hugged Harry warmly, whispering "good luck" in his ear before he pulled back.

Harry paused a moment and blinked a few times, before he smiled and waved to his family as he turned to board the train. A family of red-heads emerged from the barrier just as Harry disappeared from view.

"And that's it for now. He should be OK, we've all taught him well." Urd said in an undertone to Belldandy.

"Yes, sister. It is up to Harry now." Belldandy replied with a slightly worried tone.

Once on board, Harry settled into the first empty compartment he found. He placed his trunk into the overhead storage shelf, mentally thanking his family for having the foresight to purchase a trunk with permanent charms to reduce the weight. He then carefully placed Hedwig in her cage on the seat next to the window, propping it up to give his pet a view of the outside world.

He was just thinking about finding a book to read when the door to his compartment opened. He looked up and saw a familiar face.

"Hello Neville! It is good to see you again." Harry said with a little bit of enthusiasm.

"Hello Harry. Do you mind if I sit here?" Neville replied. Harry shook his head and gestured towards the vacant seats. Neville breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his trunk into the compartment, juggling an owl cage.

"Oh, you got an owl as well?" Harry asked as he noticed the cage. Neville nodded as he levered his trunk into the overhead shelf.

"Yes, mum and dad bought it for me as a birthday present. His name is Trevor." He explained as he held the cage up in front of Harry. Harry was confronted with a brown owl with black flecks on its chest, staring back intently with yellow eyes. The owl's face appeared to be slightly more angular than Hedwig's.

"Impressive. What species of owl is he?" Harry inquired.

"He's a Buffy Fish Owl, Bubo ketupu. The species comes from southern Asia, according to the shop owner." Neville said, obviously proud of his pet.

"That's cool. This is my owl, Hedwig. She's a Snowy Owl." Harry said as he pointed at his own owl cage. Neville looked impressed.

"She's gorgeous. I'll put Trevor's cage opposite hers." Neville said as he propped up Trevor's cage the same way Harry had placed Hedwig's. The two owls eyed each other for a minute before they turned their attention to the window.

A few minutes later, the door to the compartment opened again to reveal a red-haired boy about their own age. "Hi, do you mind if I sit in here? Everywhere else is full."

Harry blinked in surprise. "Has the train really filled up so quickly? I didn't think there would be so many people."

The red-head winced. "Well, the other compartments aren't full, but everywhere else I've been either had older students who didn't want me to sit with them or people I'd rather avoid."

Harry glanced at Neville, who shrugged in response. Harry turned back to the red-head and gestured for him to enter.

"Thanks," the boy said as he wrestled to get his battered trunk into the overhead shelf, "my name's Ron Weasley."

"Neville Longbottom." Neville said as he helped Ron wedge the trunk in place.

"Harry Potter." Harry added as he leaned back to keep out of the way. Ron's eyes widened for a moment.

"Are you really?" Ron asked with a touch of incredulity.

"Er, yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Harry asked, confused.

"It's just that - I never expected to meet you here." Ron went on.

Harry sighed. "Is this about those 'Boy-Who-Lived' books? I saw some of those at the book shop."

Ron settled back a bit. "My sister is a big fan of those books. She used to make dad read them to her every night for years."

Neville nodded. "They are really popular, but Gran was never all that keen on them."

"From what I've read they're completely wrong," Harry said, "I never did any of the things they put in them."

"That makes sense," Ron said thoughtfully, "I always thought that the book which had you fighting a dragon at the age of five was ridiculous."

Harry sat back in shock. He obviously needed to read more of those wretched books, just to know what rubbish other people might think.

The door to the compartment opened again, this time by a bushy haired girl who looked slightly upset. "Is it OK if I sit here with you?" she asked in a slightly depressed tone. Harry noticed that she had her school trunk behind her in the corridor.

"Sure." Harry said immediately. "I'll get your trunk."

"Thanks," the girl said as she sat down, "I was chased out of the compartment I was in before by some older students. They called me a 'mudblood' and said I shouldn't be allowed here at all."

Neville sighed. "That's really unfortunate. I really don't like people like that."

Ron nodded as Harry sat back down. "Yeah, probably Slytherins."

The girl looked up at that. "What makes you say that?"

Ron shrugged. "Old Salazar Slytherin hated the muggleborn. It's why he broke away from the other founders. Muggle-baiting has been a Slytherin tradition ever since."

"Well, that's not strictly accurate," Neville interjected, "but it is true that a lot of people who don't like muggleborn have been in Slytherin for the past few decades."

"Oh," the girl said, "I think I see. My name is Hermione Granger, by the way."

"Neville Longbottom." Neville said as he offered his hand, which Hermione took briefly.

"Ron Weasley." offered the red-head, presenting his hand hesitantly after Neville had set the standard.

"Harry Potter." Harry said last, also offering his hand.

Hermione looked fascinated. "I've heard of you! You're in 'Modern Magical History' and 'The Rise And Fall Of The Dark Arts'."

Harry hid a wince. "If they're anything like those 'Boy-Who-Lived' books, take what they say with a grain of salt."

Hermione looked confused. "What 'Boy-Who-Lived' books?"

Neville took pity on her. "They're a series of books for children about Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. From what Harry and Ron have said, they aren't very factual."

"They're total fiction," Harry said sullenly, "and apparently some people think that they're true."

"Oh." Hermione said in a thoughtful tone. "How about I lend you my books and you can check for yourself?"

"OK." Harry replied. "I can tell you if any of it is blatantly false."

Hermione nodded. "So, when did you learn about magic? I had no idea about any of this until Professor McGonagall came to give me my letter."

"Ron and I are from magical families," Neville offered, "so we've known for our whole lives."

"I learnt about magic just a couple of years ago," Harry said, "after my parents died I lived with my aunt. She hates magic, and never told me about any of it. I was adopted by my current family just before my ninth birthday, and they told me about magic."

"Oh." Hermione said again. "Well, I hope I'm able to keep up. I've learnt all our assigned books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough."

Ron looked stunned at hearing this. Neville had a bewildered look about him. Harry just nodded and carried on.

"I've been learning about magic from my family since they adopted me," he explained, "and I've at least read our assigned books. If you've memorised them you're probably far ahead of most of our year already."

At that point the conversation was interrupted as the door to the compartment opened. Harry looked over to see a pair of red-headed twin boys.

"Hey, Ron, we just wanted to check in to see that you weren't lost or anything." One of the twins said.

"Mum was insistent that we look out for you," the other twin commented, "as if having Percy running around like a mothering hen wasn't enough."

"Prefect Percy would do that anyway," the first twin continued, "dear brother's badge has gone to his head."

"I say, it looks like we've been lacking in our social graces!" the other twin suddenly exclaimed.

"Are you sure you aren't Percy in disguise?" the first twin asked with suspicion.

"No, I'm just talking like he does. But, dear twin of mine, we have yet to introduce ourselves to Ron's friends here."

"True. Well, without further ado, let me introduce myself. I am Fred Weasley-"

"-and I am George Weasley. Or is it the other way around?"

"Who knows? Not even mother can tell us apart, and I tend to lose track myself." The self-identified Fred Weasley finished.

Harry blinked. The twins had managed an almost continuous stream of conversation, effortlessly jumping from one to the other.

"Pleased to meet you," Neville said as he stood, offering his hand, "I am Neville Longbottom."

"Hermione Granger." Hermione offered, remaining seated as she waved shyly.

"Harry Potter." Harry added, also remaining seated. The twins looked amazed.

"Cor! Harry Potter?" The one that was apparently 'George' said.

"Are you really?" 'Fred' finished.

Harry sighed. He was getting that question a lot. "Yes, I am, and I'm not going to give out autographs."

Hermione giggled as the twins looked thunderstruck. "Well, there goes that business opportunity," was the eventual reply from 'Fred'.

"Just give us time, we'll think of something else." 'George' said. "At any rate, we need to get back to our compartment. Jordan said he has a tarantula!"

"See you later, Ron." 'Fred' said as the twins departed.

After the door closed, Neville sat back down and glanced at Ron. "Your brothers, I take it." He stated.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I'm the youngest brother in the family. The only one younger is my sister, Ginny. The twins drive mum mad, they're constantly pulling pranks and getting in trouble. Percy is a Prefect this year, and hasn't let his badge out of his sight ever since he got it."

At that point the train finally moved off, the moving scenery drawing Hermione's attention to the owls hogging the window seats. The four children spent some time discussing pets, before they were interrupted again.

"Want anything off the cart, dears?" The children all turned to see the snack cart just outside their compartment.

"What have you got?" Harry asked curiously. Ron took this as an excuse to explain the range of snacks that were available, starting with the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

After Ron's spiel had finished, Harry settled for some Chocolate Frogs, Hermione refused anything as it was all bad for your teeth, Neville joined Harry in getting more Frogs and Ron stuck with his pre-made lunch. After the cart had gone, Harry shared his Frogs with Ron.

"I don't know how you can eat something that moves like that." Hermione said, looking slightly green.

"You get used to it." Neville replied as he examined the card he had received.

"It's time for lunch anyway," Harry commented as he groped inside a pocket for the magically shrunken lunch Belldandy had prepared for him, "so your parents are dentists, Hermione?"

"What's a dentist?" Neville asked with some confusion as he stood on his seat to get at his trunk.

Hermione immediately launched into a detailed description of what dentists do, the history of the profession and why it was so important. The boys listened quietly as they ate.

"Huh. I've never heard of anybody who specialised in healing teeth like that. Have you, Neville?" Ron said as Hermione finally wound down.

"No, and I think I know why," Neville explained, "we use a spell to clean our teeth in the magical world. I'm guessing that it is good enough to prevent a lot of the stuff Hermione was talking about. Anything else can be fixed with potions."

"Oh yeah," Ron said musingly, "I remember one time Charlie knocked his front teeth out playing Quidditch. Dad took him to St Mungo's and he was back to normal by the next day."

Hermione looked intrigued. "Really? That's amazing! A pity we can't share that."

"Statute of Secrecy, Hermione." Neville put in. "It may not look all that good in this context, but there are good reasons for it."

The conversation was interrupted as the door to their compartment opened.

"I've heard that Harry Potter is on the train." A blond haired boy announced from the doorway. Harry noticed two much larger boys lurking in the background.

"Er, yes. That's me." Harry said as he stood.

The boy looked at him for a moment, before he offered his hand. "Hello. I am Draco Malfoy."

Ron giggled softly, but Draco heard him anyway and glared. Harry decided to intervene and took the offered hand in the formal style that Sirius had taught him.

"Greetings, Draco Malfoy. Allow me to introduce my companions to you. This is Hermione Granger," the girl waved, "Neville Longbottom," the boy nodded, "and Ron Weasley."

"Good day to you all," the young Malfoy said as he continued to glare at Ron, "was there something amusing about what I said earlier, Weasley?"

Neville stood up before Ron could say anything. "Please, let us all be civilized here and not drag in any family disputes. Greetings, Draco Malfoy." Neville offered his hand as he spoke.

Draco Malfoy shook the offered hand as he finally tore his eyes away from Ron. Hermione looked slightly apprehensive, wondering what was going on.

Draco turned back to Harry. "I was hoping to talk to you regarding some important issues. The wizarding world is a complicated place and I want to help you find your place."

Neville answered before Harry had a chance to do so. "That is most gracious of you, Malfoy, but this is hardly the time or place to conduct such important business. Perhaps we can all meet again after we have settled in at Hogwarts?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "All of us?" he said pointedly.

Harry nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. You are the heir to an important family, aren't you Neville?"

"I am." Neville said simply. "I am the Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom. A family which has a long history of friendship with the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. I am sure that any offer that the Noble House of Malfoy has to make will interest my family as much as yours, Harry."

Draco looked pained, but simply bowed slightly. "Well, if you are certain, who am I to argue? I will take my leave of you now. See you at Hogwarts."

Harry and Neville remained standing until Malfoy and his entourage were out of sight. At that point Neville collapsed into his seat and started to hyperventilate.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked with concern.

"I'm not used to doing that at all," Neville managed to gasp out, "I was on the verge of panicking the whole time I was talking to Malfoy."

"Why?" Hermione asked, confused.

Ron spoke up. "The Malfoys are a dark family. They're opposed to muggleborns getting into Hogwarts and were some of You-Know-Who's biggest supporters."

"Draco's aunt was involved in attacking my family in 1981," Neville managed to get out, "I couldn't help but think of it when he entered."

Harry sat down and took a deep breath with his eyes closed. He finally looked over at Hermione. "I've been getting some lessons in this from my godfather. What you just saw is a small part of the politics here in the magical world. A lot of it revolves around the old rich families and the history that goes with it. I'm not sure where the Malfoys fit in all that."

Neville had finally calmed down enough to be able to lean back in his seat. "The Malfoys are a relatively young family, but they're very rich and have a lot of influence in the Ministry. I know that the Malfoys and the Weasleys have something of a feud going on, which is why I butted in when I did. I didn't want to see Ron and Malfoy fighting."

Ron just crossed his arms and glared. Hermione looked puzzled.

"What's the feud about?" She queried. Ron turned his attention out the window.

"Never mind that," he muttered, "there's a bunch of reasons. They're all just evil."

Hermione looked like she wanted to pursue the topic, but Harry caught her eye and shook his head slightly. She paused and finally relented.

"So, what other books do you read?" Harry asked, looking for a change of topic.

Hermione's eyes gleamed, as she launched into her favourite topic.

Harry stared up at the ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall with awe. He had no idea that magic could create something like that.

He was already impressed with what he had seen. The boat ride to the castle had given all of the First Year students an amazing view of the school, though the effect was marred by Neville panicking about falling overboard. Even waiting for the Sorting Ceremony to start had been an event, with the ghosts of the school paying a visit.

Harry turned his attention to the main stage, where a girl by the name of Susan Bones was currently sitting under the Sorting Hat. Harry thought that the Hat was one of the strangest magical artefacts he had seen so far, even after seeing many of Skuld's inventions.

Soon, Susan was on her way to the Hufflepuff table. Other students followed quickly, the Sorting Hat usually announcing the House after a few seconds. Ron had groaned quietly when Hermione Granger had been sorted into Gryffindor, but a quick glance from Harry had quieted him.

The Sorting Hat took no time at all to put Draco Malfoy into Slytherin, which made Harry wonder just what kind of magic the Hat had that it could make a character judgement that quickly. Finally, it came to his own turn.

"Potter, Harry!" The Deputy Headmistress called, bringing a hush to the room. Harry walked up to the Hat with as much confidence as he could muster, even as he heard whispers about the "Boy-Who-Lived" from the House tables.

As the Hat was placed on his head, Harry heard a voice that seemed to be speaking inside his mind.

"Well, this is a surprise. You're a lot more ordered than most of the children I get to meet."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good for you, I'd say. I'm hardly an expert. Now, where to put you? You're loyal, hard-working, studious, brave and quite cunning. You could probably go into any of the Houses."

"Not Slytherin, please."

"Oh? A preference? Ah, I see. Yes, the current attitudes of that House would be a poor fit for you, for all that you've more cunning in your little finger than most of them could ever dream of having. So sad to see what has happened to Salazar's House."

"How about Gryffindor? That's where Neville went."

"That's a distinctly Hufflepuffish trait there. But I see that you are correct, the best place for you to grow will be in-" "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry rose as McGonagall took the Hat of his head. He could hear the Gryffindors chanting "we got Potter! We got Potter!" as he walked over to join them. Sitting down, he watched as the last of the students were Sorted. Finally the food came out and he started to fill his plate.

He made a mental note of who the Gryffindor Prefects were, something that Remus had suggested would be handy later on. Eventually, the Headmaster stood up and made a small speech. Harry paid it half a mind, until something caught his attention.

"...please stay away from the Third Floor corridor, unless you wish to meet with injury or death. Thank you."

Harry blinked with surprise, and turned to his fellow students. "Is he serious?"

Hermione looked gobsmacked. Neville was plainly puzzled, while everyone else just shrugged.

"This is Hogwarts," one of the Weasley Twins said, "you can expect weird things."

"Weird, maybe," Harry replied, "but life-threatening? In a school?"

After the Feast had concluded, the Prefects had escorted everybody up the Gryffindor Common Room. There they were met by a black woman, who Harry vaguely remembered seeing at the teacher's table in the Great Hall . After everybody was seated, she addressed them all.

"Welcome, everybody, to House Gryffindor. I am your Head of House, Aurora Sinistra. I am also the Professor of Astronomy here at Hogwarts, so I will be seeing most of you in class later on.

"As your Head of House, I am here to help you adjust to the school environment and prosper as students. To this end I will aid you with any problems that the Prefects are unable to deal with. I know that all Gryffindor Prefects know their responsibilities and will do their best to live up the expectations the school has for students in their position."

All of the Prefects had carefully guarded expressions. They remembered only too well what had happened to under-performing Prefects when Sinistra had first started as their Head of House.

" I am in effect acting as your guardian here in the school and am responsible for your well being. To that end, any and all issues regarding Hogsmeade weekends will be sorted by myself. Any matters regarding detentions and point losses are also within my purview. If you feel that any detention or loss of points is unfair or unjust you may raise the matter with me, but be certain of your position because I am entitled to increase any penalties if I find that you are being frivolous.

"I have posted a timetable on the noticeboard that has my office hours listed in detail. My office can be found in the ground level of the Astronomy Tower. Please do not approach me outside of the posted hours as I will be busy.

"Finally, I hope that this year is a good one for everybody here and in the school at large. Please do your best to keep the learning environment productive and friendly. That said, I also want to see the House and Quidditch Cups in my office by the end of the year, so keep that competitive edge."

Harry noticed that Percy was glaring at Fred and George, who were trying to look innocent. They were not doing a good job of it.

"And now, I believe it is time to finish for the day. Prefects, please show the First Years to their dormitories. Good night, everybody."

Author's notes: Trevor the Toad is no more, all hail Trevor the Buffy Fish Owl. And yes, the species really does exist.

Next time: lessons start. Harry Potter, (adopted) Son of Belldandy, meet Severus Snape...