Disclaimer: Anything you recognize – be it character, location, idea or line – belongs to others, especially J.. I may be playing with them but I make no profit from this.
A/N: Just as a reminder… 'Sky' is Hermione in Harry's body; 'Leia' is Harry in Hermione's body. Single quotes generally indicate what people not privy to the Switch see.
A… Switched Chance
8. Getting Sorted
Harry smiled openly at the stern looking Professor that Hagrid delivered them to.
He was rather amused by the flash of surprise in her eyes when she caught sight of 'the first years': they were clearly an unusual bunch in her experience.
Harry vaguely remembered that the First Time they had been a nervous cluster of rather frightened children, torn between huddling together, grabbing the nearest age-mate in their anxiety, and being too shy to share the experience with virtual strangers.
This time, the children that had been in their compartment on the train made for an eager group of happy friends, secure in the knowledge that whatever they were about to face, at least they had their pals beside them; he was rather proud of this, because he knew it was mainly his doing.
Smaller groups and a few loners were all gravitating towards them and he spotted quite more than a couple of half-envious, half-longing gazes. There might be room for expanding Sky's 'Club', whatever that turned out to be in the end.
McGonagall's eyebrows rose sharply when she recognized 'her' at the heart of the confident group, then 'Harry' at 'her' side, then the Muggleborns she'd given a tour of the Alley, and finally the Purebloods they'd 'recruited' on the train.
Harry had a hard time stifling his laughter at the wonderment briefly visible all over her face. He guessed they made a rather striking show among all the other scared-looking children.
But McGonagall hadn't been a teacher for three and a half decades for nothing. Before anyone who didn't know her well could notice, she pulled herself together, quickly thanked and dismissed Hagrid and led the new students inside, with the same no-nonsense attitude and the very same speech as the first time.
Feeling – almost more than seeing – the much-loved stone walls lit with flaming torches all around him, Harry breathed deeply in, taking in the tingling scent of magic that permeated the air.
Home.
The flagged stone floor, the ceiling too high to make out, the magnificent marble staircase, the drone of hundreds of voices from the doorway to their right…
Everything was familiar, well-known, and much longed for.
As they followed Professor McGonagall across the huge Entrance Hall and into the small, empty chamber off the hall, Harry found himself beaming at everything.
He was oddly pleased recognizing that weird spot on the wall that Filch used to complain about endlessly and that had given rise to rumours about its origins even weirder than the ones concerning him. Or the suit of armour known to all upperclassmen as 'Sir Shy' because of his habit of peeping out of corners and clanking hurriedly away if spotted.
He'd missed this place more than he'd admitted to himself.
After Dumbledore's death, he'd seriously worried he wouldn't see it ever again…
And now, he was home once more.
He couldn't stop smiling – but then again, why should he?
He was back where he belonged and in less than an hour he would be safely Sorted into Gryffindor once again and ready to put his and Hermione's plans into motion at last.
They'd spent so much time going over everything in their letters that he felt more than ready to start doing something.
Well… they hadn't planned for everything, he amended with a sudden uneasiness. There were a couple things they had not even touched – one in particular – but he quickly dismissed that thought altogether. There was nothing he could do for it after all, not without jeopardizing the entire war and he was not ready to do that.
It left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth that he was reasoning 'for the Greater Good', after having lived through being a pawn in such a game himself, but it sure did wonders to help him understand Dumbledore better and better.
'She' shook 'her' head fiercely. No sense in dwelling on this right now. It was time to be 'Leia' and get properly Sorted.
Besides… with McGonagall gone for the moment and everybody peering about nervously, distracted, it was the perfect opportunity to share his scheme with Terry.
Earlier on the train he'd had an inspiration… a very wicked idea that involved a certain annoying poltergeist and a certain movie the group had rented over the summer… Dragging the other boy aside, 'she' hurriedly whispered 'her' proposal to a very receptive would-be partner-in-crime.
Confabulating with Terry made him miss how Sky handled the 'Malfoy confrontation' they had mercifully been spared on the train, but that was just as well.
He didn't really want to deal with the blond git. Plus, Sky seemed to have everything well in hand: there hadn't even been any wand-drawing or shouted insults or anything. Clearly, his best friend had more patience than the jerk warranted and much more control than Harry could have mustered.
In fact… he suspected that Sky had 'won' the round by a landslide, judging by the faces around them. He would have to get the whole story later: many were giving 'Harry Potter' confused, considering or even slightly wary looks.
Malfoy for his part looked pale and angry and… worried? Not that Harry spared him more than a glance.
It was Sky he was interested in observing: the green eyed boy looked positively smug and also… giddy!
The ghosts made their grand entrance and when they mentioned Peeves 'Leia' shared a conspiratorial wink with Terry. The other boy sported a wicked smile and Sky wasn't the only one shooting them suspicious looks. Oh yeah, Terry was in all the way. Harry tried very hard to look angelic – sadly 'she' only drew a snort from his best friend at the attempt.
Sky didn't say anything however and didn't seem about to pester him about his plotting with Terry. Whatever had gone on with Malfoy, it had given Hermione some deep satisfaction. Sky was smiling like 'he' was on high!
That his friend was feeling silly was proved true when Sky gave 'Leia' a flourished bow – in full view of everyone! – and offered 'his' arm to her best friend.
Harry caught McGonagall's amused eyes: she'd entered just in time to witness the little scene.
Barely containing his mirth, 'Leia' sank into a curtsey – good thing 'she'd' gotten Julia to teach 'her'! – and mock-pompously took the offered arm.
'She' heard Terry's yelp when Lavender poked him in the ribs, hissing "Well, what are you waiting for?" and 'she' glanced behind just in time to see the poor boy being dragged in the line by the determined blonde hanging from his arm, and further behind, an awfully embarrassed Neville shyly offering his arm to a blushing Hannah.
Then there was a general scraping and muttering and giggling as all the other boys tried to determine whether the remaining girls would allow them to get away without escorting them or not.
'She' almost laughed out loud when 'she' caught sight of Daphne glaring someone he was almost sure was Theodore Nott into a hasty bow and Pansy Parkinson scowling at Draco Malfoy, who apparently was too busy complaining about Harry and Hermione being 'first' to notice her.
'She' smirked at the blond. Harry and Hermione would be 'first' in a lot of things, this time around!
McGonagall seemed torn between being proud and laughing at them outright as she surveyed the fumbling children arranging themselves into pairs.
Then she turned smartly around and flung the doors to the Great Hall open.
Harry took a deep breath. Here we go, he thought. And let his best friend lead 'her' into the bright cheering room.
It was a good thing he'd steeled himself for weeks against the inevitable reaction to seeing his old teachers, including… Snape.
As he'd recited to himself over and over since he and Hermione had finalized their strategy to deal with him, they had plans for the traitorous murderer, all they needed was a bit of patience.
Thus he was able to ignore the upsurge of loathing with relative ease; not so Hermione, who faltered at 'Leia's' side and barely got 'himself' under control by the time they reached the High Table.
Well, he had warned her, time and again, that it was going to be a shock, but did she listen?
All he could do now was exclaim loudly over the enchanted ceiling, so that everybody's attention would be on that rather than 'Harry'.
Before he even realized it, McGonagall's stentorian voice was already ringing in the nearly silent Hall.
"Abbot, Hannah!"
A moment of pause…
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Harry clapped loudly, whooping for her, and it took only a fraction of an instant for Sky to join, and less than a second for the rest of their group to follow their example, quickly imitated by Neville and Susan, and even Daphne.
Some other first years joined half-heartedly, a bit uncertain, and then there were so few left out that they felt embarrassed for not having participated and hurriedly added a few claps of their own.
The Hufflepuff table faltered for an instant in its cheers, the students looking rather stunned, but they quickly rallied, evidently coming to the conclusion that it was a good thing, for Harry spotted wide smiles on most faces.
Some of those faces he couldn't place, some were more familiar and one…
One face with chiselled features belonged to a fairly tall, handsome boy with a straight nose, dark hair, and bright grey eyes.
Harry stifled a cry and grabbed Sky's hand painfully hard.
For all his preparation, for all his planning and precautions and foresight, seeing Cedric again – alive! – was a bolt from the blue.
He looked so good (alive!) – so happy and relaxed and popular and- and alive!
For a second that contained an eternity, Harry felt as if the past, present and future were blending disagreeably into one another, so that he didn't know anymore what he was really seeing: the lively eyes full of merriment or the blank ones, as expressionless as the windows of a deserted house? The smiling lips mouthing a welcome to Hannah or the half-open mouth, which looked slightly surprised, of a body lying spread-eagled on the ground?
Which was more real? The impossible second chance they'd been granted or the greyscale memory tinged with green, that was etched in his mind forever?
Was Cedric really alive or was it all a senseless dream? Was Harry going to save him this time or was the future going to repeat itself, once more killing Cedric before he even truly lived?
And then, Harry felt a sharp pain on 'her' arm. Sky had pinched 'her' hard enough to leave a bruise.
Harry blinked, feeling as if he was wading towards the surface of a pool of murky water, the cold memories of death and terror from that cursed graveyard fighting to keep him trapped against his best efforts.
On Sky's hissed order, he cheered mechanically for Susan, but his mind was elsewhere entirely. Luckily everybody else was making enough noise that 'her' disheartened clapping wasn't noticed.
Then something happened that very effectively brought his mind back to the Sorting: Terry Boot became a Gryffindor.
Harry felt Sky stiffen beside him and knew he himself was staring in disbelief.
He was quite sure Terry had been a Ravenclaw in their past future: he remembered him from the DA and he had definitely worn blue and bronze then. Most certainly he hadn't been in Harry's own dorm!
Not that he minded, of course, but…
What did that mean for him? For Hermione?
He'd taken for granted that the Sorting would stay the same! How could they have changed something so monumental? What if they had changed so much they would not go to Gryffindor? Oh, Merlin, what if they were separated? He needed Hermione! He wasn't going to make it alone, not with his sanity intact! Besides he was a Gryffindor! They both were! They had been for years! It was where they belonged!
But a nasty little voice was murmuring doubts… oh, no, what if he ended up in Slytherin this time? Would 'she' even survive, as a Muggleborn among the snakes? Would he be able to stand sharing a dorm with Death Eaters wannabe? What would that do to their plans? What would he do without Hermione at his side?
By the time McGonagall reached "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" Harry was panicking badly, different scenarios running through his mind and making his stomach churn and twist.
Finnigan…
But he was being ridiculous, he was a Gryffindor, how could he be anything else?
Goldstein…
It was years ago that he'd been considered for Slytherin… and really, there was no better place for him than Gryffindor…
Goyle…
And if the stupid Hat didn't see this glaringly obvious truth for itself, well Harry would just have to show it!
"Granger, Hermione!"
'Leia' marched up to the stool, head held high and a confident smile plastered to 'her' face. 'She' hoped nobody noticed that 'she' was holding 'her' hands in fists so tight 'her' nails were almost drawing blood.
There was only one way to do this…
"Gryffindor", Harry started chanting in his mind, while the Hat wasn't even still on 'her', "I'm a Gryffindor; Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor…"
The Hat chuckled and murmured in his mind: "Gryffindor? Perhaps. Let's have a look…"
"No", Harry denied, "Gryffindor. Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor…"
He kept reciting the same word over and over without pause: "Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor…"
The Hat sounded a bit annoyed: "It's not a 'pick your favourite' contest, you know: saying the word over and over won't help you get your wish! You don't get to choose, child."
Harry was tempted to point out that he had chosen the First Time, so obviously the option was there, but he refused to let himself be distracted from his mantra. The only thoughts he allowed for longer than an instant were of red and gold – not red and gold things, just the colours, the Gryffindor colours.
They provided a sort of background to his litany: "Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor…"
"Oh, fine, whatever! Have it your way then!" exploded the Hat irately.
Harry fought down the smirk and the impulse of crowing in delight and instead kept up his mantra without faltering – it wasn't official yet after all.
Eventually, the Hat sighed.
"GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted.
With a whoop of joy, 'Leia' wrenched it away and sauntered to the red and gold table, bestowing 'her' attractive smile to 'her' new Housemates.
Perhaps because of 'her' bright attitude, perhaps because of the genuine elation 'she' didn't bother to hide, the cheering 'she' received was as loud and boisterous as he'd received the First Time as 'Harry' – lacking only the Weasley Twins' victory dance: 'she' didn't register this at all however.
'She' merely plopped happily down next to an ecstatic Lavender and studied 'her' old-new Housemates, rememorizing their faces. 'She' determinedly avoided looking at the High Table: all the teachers were well known already and it wasn't worth risking a Legilimency probe.
Though immensely relieved at being where he belonged, he remained on edge until 'Harry Potter' was declared a Gryffindor too. Then, and only then, 'Leia' accepted to relax and enjoy the Feast… despite the pang at seeing Sky eagerly welcome Ron, who collapsed on the seat next to him looking immensely relieved.
Well. He'd known it would come to this of course. Sky was soon chatting friendly with the redhead and Harry felt torn between screaming at 'him' to stop and simply getting up and taking 'his' place. Both options were ridiculous of course, and Harry could only do his best to ignore his two best friends as they unwittingly excluded him.
At least he was distracted enough from his sadness by Neville chatting endlessly on one side of him and Lavender on the other.
He couldn't help 'her' eyes straying to Cedric every few minutes though. It was just so good to see him, not a pale accusing corpse in his nightmares, but alive and well, laughing with his friends.
Perhaps predictably, Lavender noticed 'her' odd behaviour and leaning close, whispered: "Why do you keep looking at the Hufflepuffs? Is there someone interesting there?" she winked and giggled.
Leia froze, like a deer caught in headlights. What could 'she' say to explain it away?
But Lavender did everything herself: "Oooh!" she squealed. "Herm, you have a crush! This is so fantastic! Who is it, who is it? Tell me!"
"What? No!... I… No!" 'she' spluttered and blushed, completely shocked. He was so traumatized by the idea that he didn't even notice the exuberant blonde had finally shortened 'her' name, just like he'd feared she would.
What kind of ridiculous, preposterous, completely absurd… excellent cover, supplied his drawling Inner Slytherin Voice – most unhelpfully in his opinion.
So what if it would be an excellent cover up? It was still ludicrous!
True, girls became positively weird when they pined on someone. He should know, their behaviour around him in sixth year had been nothing short of absurd. Not to mention Ginny's silliness early on!
He winced internally. He'd take even that now… well, no, he wouldn't, since Hermione was still him and his chest monster was stirring at the ludicrous idea of Ginny mooning over her and… damn, he was confusing himself. And the point wasn't Ginny. The point was Cedric.
He sighed as he felt the smugness of his Inner Slytherin. It was awkward, it was embarrassing as all hell but… pretending to have a crush on the handsome Hufflepuff would cover any oddity 'she' risked doing or blurting out around the older boy.
He could even say without lying that he felt his stomach flutter any time he caught sight of the Hufflepuff (alive!) – it just had nothing to do with 'love' and everything to do with guilt clashing with relief clashing with hope clashing with fear of failing him again.
With a mental groan he swallowed his pride and murmured, blushing furiously: "The dark haired one with gre- silver eyes… next to the brown haired girl with the yellow ribbon in her ponytail…"
Lavender squealed how 'absolutely fabulous' it was and rambled on about 'how cute' Cedric was and 'I wonder what his name is' and 'Do you think he's got a girlfriend? He's such a cutie after all…' and 'Herm, you've got such good taste!'
Leia blushed, completely mortified. He tried his best to block out the rest of Lavender's gushing.
He was already regretting going along with this farce, no matter how sensible an explanation it was, it wasn't worth the embarrassment!
Lavender was involving Parvati now and the Indian girl was already scanning the Hufflepuff table avidly and giggling madly.
I'm doomed, thought Harry.
He met Sky's interrogative look across the table but couldn't muster up the strength to explain. He felt like beating his head on the table. Repeatedly.
Lavender's voice filtered alarmingly to his consciousness. "Oooh, we must find out his schedule! That way Herm can go watch him between classes!"
Doomed. Doomed. Doomed.
'Leia' was uncharacteristically quiet during the rest of the Feast, but between Sky and Ron's bond growing literally under 'her' eyes and 'her' roommates still giggling over what he was already labelling 'the Cedric fiasco' in his mind, Harry couldn't be bothered to care.
'She' let Sky handle the wild speculations flaring through the group after Dumbledore's little speech. He couldn't care less about gossip, had decided as much after his fifth year. If Hermione still wanted to fight that losing battle, though, he wouldn't stop her.
Not that he expected it to work if he tried. S.P.E.W., anyone?
When Percy gathered them to lead the way to Gryffindor Tower however he perked up.
If Peeves stayed true to form, this was their chance! And with Terry here instead that with the Ravens, they wouldn't have to wait!
The perspective cheered him up immensely.
Most of the group was already yawning and dragging their feet up the long staircases, when Harry finally spotted the bundle of walking sticks floating in midair ahead of them, just like he remembered.
He bumped Terry and nodded to them to give him a heads up just as the sticks started throwing themselves at the slowly advancing Percy.
"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself."
A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.
'Leia' took that as 'her' cue.
"A Poltergeist!" 'she' cried, for all the world in delighted surprise.
Terry promptly repeated, enthusiastically: "A poltergeist, an actual one! Wow, this is such a great opportunity!"
"Yeah, I can't believe we're so lucky!" 'she' whooped.
Percy rounded on them: "Lucky?" he asked in disbelief.
There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. He came across as both surprised and curious – a look Harry had never seen on him before.
"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! I wanted to play with you a teensy bit… but why would you think you're lucky to meet little ol' me?"
Terry shouted excitedly: "It is! Hermione! Look! It really is a poltergeist!"
"Perfect!" 'she' yelled gleefully. "Let's get him!"
Both 'she' and Terry lunged at the floating form, who shrieked in shock and jumped away from their reaching hands.
Prefect Jada, the short-haired brunette that shared responsibility with Percy, hollered "Watch out!"
Percy bellowed: "Stand back! The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control Peeves, he won't even listen to us Prefects. You must be careful!"
Terry threw them a disdainful look and stroke a pose: "I ain't afraid of no ghost!"
'Leia' chuckled. 'She' would bet Terry had been hoping for a chance to say that line for real ever since they'd seen Ghostbusters over the summer!
"Well you should!" shrieked the girl Prefect, who clearly had never heard the quote before. "Peeves is mostly a nuisance, but on occasion he can be dangerous!"
They paid her absolutely no mind, nor did they give any attention to the poltergeist himself, who seemed to have recovered from his shock and was now advancing on them.
"That's right, Itty Bitty Firsties", he was cackling gleefully again. "You want to watch out for Peeves!"
He lunged at them threateningly, but instead of being frightened, 'Leia' made a grab for him and by sheer dumb luck, actually managed to latch on to an ankle.
It felt weird, as if 'she' was holding a gauze-like substance wrapped over something that only barely had any consistence. It was decidedly unpleasant, but Harry was too surprised to let go.
Peeves screamed and it mixed with Terry's yell: "That's great! Actual physical contact! Can you move? Can you bring him here?"
He was hurriedly spreading all over the floor the items of his 'Mystery Investigation Kit', a set of tools containing everything from a magnifying box for holding and viewing finds to a butterfly net, a flashlight headband, zipper compartments for holding special items and even a small mechanical microscope.
He'd assembled it himself for the sole purpose of (in his own words) "investigating any interesting magical phenomena I'll happen to stumble upon with a proper scientific attitude", since, as he snottily told Sky, "just because I'm a wizard doesn't mean I can't be a scientist!"
When he'd seen it, Harry had had to remind himself that stomping his foot and throwing a tantrum because he wanted one as well was really too childish, even if there weren't any Dursleys to punish him for it any more, and that he wouldn't really know what to do with those things anyway. He was a bit jealous nevertheless.
"Come on, Hermione! I want to analyze him!"
Wow, Terry had really got into the part.
The poltergeist shrieked again and jerked free of the girl's grasp.
"Aww!" exclaimed Terry.
Peeves looked shocked beyond all hell at their behaviour. Harry couldn't really blame him: he doubted anyone else had reacted like this before.
"Are you out of your mind!" screamed Jada.
"Step back at once!" bellowed Percy with authority.
"No way in hell!" Terry actually appeared offended. "This is a wondrous opportunity to expand our research on Parapsychology! I refuse to miss it!"
'Leia' bit the inside of 'her' mouth to keep from laughing. "We can still get him, Terry. It's clear he's tangible, we only have to corner him…"
"You're right, we need to trap him!" Terry was focused entirely on the poltergeist, who now looked almost scared. "I think we should split up!"
"Yeah, we can do more damage that way." 'She' refrained from giggling, but counted as a point for 'her' that 'she'd' managed to sneak in a quote too. Hey, 'she'd' liked the movie just as much, so why should only Terry have fun with it!
They advanced, ignoring the horrified Prefects and their cheering classmates.
Terry was holding out what Harry knew was a simple pair of tweezers, but for some reason it looked lethal. It was probably the fanatical glint in his eyes that screamed 'mad scientist'. Harry wished he could imitate it.
"Stay back!" screeched Peeves. "Stay back or I'll… I'll bite you!"
'Leia' stopped, startled – he'd never heard of Peeves attacking a student directly. Had they pushed the noisy ghost too far?
But Terry was launched: "Don't worry, Hermione! I've got some Pinkerton's Paragon Detergent with me! It's guaranteed against any ghost, poltergeist and paranormal ectoplasm! It'll disinfect the bite no problem…"
"What?" asked 'Leia' trying desperately not to laugh.
"Yeah, it was tested at Canterville, it'll work for sure!"
'Leia' blinked. Canterville? Now why did that sound familiar?
But 'she' had no time to ask or figure it out. Peeves' eyes went huge, he shrieked again and vanished with a puff to the other side of the corridor, dumping the bunch of sticks he still had on Neville's head and zooming down the corridor in a mad dash, rattling coats of armour as he passed and yelling about 'Crazy Ickle Firsties'.
Harry cheered inside. Success!
Terry and 'Leia' looked at each other for a long moment, then broke into helpless, howling laughter.
Soon they were joined by the rest of their class, under the dumbfounded eyes of the two Prefects.
After a while, they managed to resume their way towards Gryffindor Tower, with only Terry still chuckling a bit, but all of them much more awake.
In an effort to distract the rather shocked Prefects, 'Leia' pelted them with questions all the way to the Fat Lady's portrait.
'She' mixed spur of the moments ideas and thoughts he'd turned over in his head on many occasions, and soon an interested Parvati was adding her own, with Seamus and Neville providing a lively commentary on most answers.
They discussed Hogwarts' layout, whether or not it was doable to create a map of the castle and the possibility of getting a tour of the main parts of the school. 'Leia' managed to arrange for the two fifth year Prefects to meet the first years in the Common Room the next morning and lead them to the Great Hall, which should avoid any curiosity-rising accidents of 'her' or Sky knowing their way too well.
Then they moved on to another topic 'she' considered important, namely owl-post; 'she' made the Prefects promise they would take all firsties to the Owlery tomorrow and help them send off letters to their families.
By the time the lady in pink satin asked for the password from her portrait frame, Prefect Jada looked rather overwhelmed and nearly ill, while the bespectacled redhead's eyes were alight with enthusiasm and ambitious projects for 'bettering the reception of our newest students' and 'contributing to our responsibility as role-models and helpers'.
As they took turns scrambling through the portrait hole, 'Leia' kept a sleepy Sky behind and murmured: "When are you going to write to Julia and David?"
"Huh?" blinked 'he' looking rather confused.
Leia fidgeted a bit: "Well, you know. I thought… we're in Hogwarts, now, right? So they're not going to know if it's me or you who's writing. I think you can safely keep up correspondence with your parents… though you'll probably have to show me, so I don't get caught off guard if they ask… and I wanted to write too, as Harry I mean, if you don't mind... obviously I'll let you read before sending as well… it should work, I think."
Sky was speechless and Leia frowned. "Do you not want to? I thought this could be the perfect solution…"
Suddenly, 'she' had arms around 'her' and an almost-but-not-quite-sobbing boy squeezing 'her' tightly.
'She' smiled and hugged 'him' back.
Then Ron had to go and ruin the moment by snickering and mocking them. Harry had never sympathized more with Hermione's swatting the immature idiot over the head. Tactless prat indeed.
The boys soon disappeared up their own staircase and 'she' was left to find 'her' way to their room with Lavender and Parvati.
The girls' dorm turned out to be both similar and different from what had once been his. The beds were still four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains, but they came accompanied by a small vanity set that had most certainly never been considered for the boys' dorms.
'Leia' started digging through 'her' trunk for toiletries and pyjamas, letting his two squealing room-mates prattle on without more acknowledgement on 'her' part than vague nodding here and there.
Was understanding their speech patterns an essential part of being a girl, he wondered?
He sure hoped not, because it sounded harder than Advanced Potions.
'She' leaned in the window frame instead and let 'her' gaze wander over the grounds, a contented smile on 'her' face.
He was home.
Hermione frowned when Leia drew Terry aside as they were waiting for the Sorting to start. This was about whatever brainless and very possibly irresponsible idea Harry had had on the train, she just knew it!
She watched them suspiciously. She just hoped it wasn't some idiotic prank. As if they didn't have enough to keep them occupied! All the plans they'd made in their letters were about to be put into motion. This was not the time for immaturity!
'He' took a half step towards them, intent on demanding answer (and perhaps shaking some sense into her best-friend) but 'he' was suddenly distracted by a drawling voice addressing 'Harry Potter'.
'He' tensed.
She so did not need this! No matter that it was expected – the fact that they had somehow avoided the encounter on the train made it all the more likely that Malfoy would approach now.
The blond aristocrat was looking at 'Harry' with a lot of interest. It made her feel queasy.
"So you must be the famous Harry Potter, right?" he started off.
If Hermione's dislike of the spoilt bigot hadn't been deep rooted already, the condescending tone would have cemented it instantly.
"Yes," said 'he'.
She ignored with ease the mean-looking set of bodyguards. Crabbe and Goyle had been an extension of Malfoy for too long for her to pay them any mind.
On the other hand, she was acutely aware of the many spectators to this little episode: the group of her friends 'at her back', regarding Malfoy neutrally, but also the sharp and focused eyes of many other classmates – most notably the future Slytherins.
"My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy", the blond said. "I think I can help you, Potter."
He looked down disdainfully on Justin and Kevin, that were closest to 'Harry'. Hermione narrowed 'his' eyes, anger stirring inside her already.
"Oh?" 'he' managed.
"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort."
Hermione bit down hard on her automatic response, that would have been along the lines of 'arrogant inbred toerag with less brain than a slug'.
Malfoy held out his hand to shake 'Harry's' and at length, Sky took it, saying rather coolly: "Thank you for your concern, Malfoy was it? But I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself."
She found it rather amusing that she got to use the very line Harry had delivered the First Time, a line that had become extremely popular once Ron had spread the story through the Gryffindor Common Room.
Malfoy didn't seem to get the implications at all, however: Sky nearly gagged at the pleased look on the other's face, was he an idiot? No, don't answer that. He was Malfoy after all.
She decided it was best not to give him the time to sprout even more nonsense. Or give herself the chance to smash that despised face in.
With a voice that turned even colder, 'Harry' asked: "Tell me, Malfoy, what House are you hoping for?"
The blond blinked: "Oh, I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
There were a few hisses, which Hermione privately blamed Susan for, but everybody seemed to accept this confrontation was between 'Potter' and Malfoy. It was up to her to retort.
Sky raised a brow, unimpressed: "You'd rather not graduate than be in Hufflepuff?" 'he' asked sceptically, 'his' tone by now positively glacial.
Malfoy faltered, for the first time sensing that maybe things weren't going his way as much as he'd thought. Then he shrugged, affecting nonchalance: "Doesn't matter, I'll be in Slytherin."
"Indeed? I've got my doubts on that, but good luck", said Sky, his tone just this side of catty.
"What do you mean?" asked Malfoy outraged.
"Weeell", 'he' said, stretching the word to allow the half-whispers and fidgeting from the sharply interested spectators to die down. "You clearly came to me with the intent of impressing me and gaining my friendship. A worthy goal for sure, showing proper amount of ambition" that was positively arrogant and made her a bit uncomfortable. Then again, it was only Malfoy. And she made the declaration too pompous for her muggleborn friends to believe she was doing anything more than mocking the other boy. Which she was, in a way.
There were a few quiet giggles and Malfoy was suddenly looking wary, oh, this was almost as good as slapping him like in her third year.
'He' went on sweetly: "However, you approached me in all the wrong ways. First, you were insulting towards my friends and indirectly my Mother. Bad manners, there, Malfoy."
The other boy flushed, but Sky didn't give him time to retort.
"Add to that, you completely disregarded my muggle upbringing – a well-known fact, that should have suggested you a different approach than sprouting Pureblood supremacy drivel, if you'd been able to think things through that is."
Ok, so this was pretty insulting, but so had been Malfoy's own comments.
"Then again, given the less than diplomatic way you carelessly insulted the noble House of Hufflepuff in a room where approximately a quarter of the presents will likely join it soon… well, you don't strike me as someone with good understanding of situations, I'm afraid. Certainly you have no political sense whatsoever, you've proved as much… Otherwise you would have at least remembered that the wealthy and influential Bones family, for example, has been in Hufflepuff for decades. I don't think Susan is very happy with you at the moment…"
Indeed, the girl looked livid.
Malfoy's cheeks pinked and he opened his mouth to reply angrily, but 'he' cut him off.
"Either you didn't do your research nor took the time for a little elementary observation… or you're unable to make use of the information you gather… Which is it, Malfoy? Lack of planning or lack of cunning? Either way, you're clearly missing some of the most important Slytherin qualities. Are you sure you belong with the snakes after all?"
The over-politeness of 'his' fake concern made 'his' voice as saccharinely viscous as treacle.
Daphne let out a soft admiring whistle and moved a little to her left. Nothing overt, yet now she was most noticeably on 'Harry's' side of the argument. A declaration of intent if Hermione ever saw one.
Points for me, she thought, carefully keeping her smirk inside.
The hardest blow to Malfoy however came from a weedy-looking boy, whose voice was as syrupy as 'Harry's' own.
"Oh, don't worry Draco. If by chance you do make Slytherin after all… just follow the lead of a better snake… I'm sure you'll learn soon enough", he said patronizingly. Treacle really was all the rage for voices, thought Hermione inanely.
Half the watchers nearly choked, in mirth or outrage, it was hard to tell.
Sky shot an uneasy look at the boy that had grabbed her words and twisted them to completely destroy Malfoy's automatic standing among his year mates. Now the blond would have to work hard to gain any influence in Slytherin and would probably need to prove himself time and time again. Leadership of any kind was likely out of his reach for the foreseeable future.
Couldn't have happened to a better git, but… she was still uneasy.
After all, she didn't know much about Theodore Nott.
His father had been a Death Eater, according to Harry, but the boy himself was… well, the best description she could come up with was 'the silent snake observer' (which was how Ginny had defined him once upon a time).
He was never outspoken and often went unnoticed. He had some sharp claws but whenever he wanted to strike, he did it from the dark.
Apparently though, if an opportunity arose he could grab it with swiftness.
She wouldn't admit it, but she was a tad rattled that the boy was already so much better than her at the game, despite her six years advantage!
It's always the quiet ones…
Still, even if she feared the change of Slytherin leader from Malfoy to Nott might not be all that good, her 'victory' over the bigoted blond was a great satisfaction. She felt… giddy.
She decided to frivolously ignore whatever Harry and Terry were getting up to – for now at least; then, in a bout of silliness, she bowed to Leia, offering to escort 'her' inside the Great Hall rather pompously. Leia stifled 'her' laughter and played along – and when had 'she' practiced curtseying anyway? Harry had bemoaned being unable to do it in his earlier letters…
But it didn't matter.
She had to chuckle at the way the group scrambled to imitate them, but she also felt it was right, on many level, that the two of them were leading their year mates like this. They were here to do the same metaphorically as well, after all. Lead them into a better future.
'He' held his head up proudly as 'he' led her best friend into the cheering Hall.
'He' very nearly faltered after few steps, at the sudden wave of loss and hatred that washed over her at the sight of Snape sitting on Dumbledore's right.
That… utter… bastard.
She shouldn't have underestimated Harry's concern, she really shouldn't have! He'd told her, over and over, that seeing them would be a shock…
She'd thought it was ridiculous.
Why would the sight of Headmaster Dumbledore affect her badly?
She'd expected to be glad to see him alive, nothing more. It's not like she'd ever been as close to the revered wizard as Harry.
Yet now that he was again sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the centre of the long staff table, wearing deep-purple robes scattered with silvery stars and a matching hat…
…she recognized how much she had always relied on their Headmaster rising to greet them all before the start-of-term feast…
…how much she'd relied on their Headmaster being there to save the day when necessary, to guide them on the right path, to make the hardest decisions, to help them out whenever needed…
The sudden insight that now, she and Harry were making those decisions on their own and taking their risks without the safety net Dumbledore had always provided was like a blow in the guts.
She realized she had known it for several months now, deep down, but had never looked this awareness in the face.
Now, all of a sudden she felt… an adult.
Older even than the almost-woman she'd been before coming back and far, far older than her best friend's eleven year old body she was inhabiting now...
And with the tiredness and sadness of this understanding came the hatred, stronger than she'd ever felt, because this was all Snape's fault.
She'd been the most level-headed concerning him. She'd been the only one to prospect the possibility of a misunderstanding, to try and be fair enough to give him the benefit of doubt (though it was hard to argue with a Killing Curse to the chest, and she knew Harry would never lie on something like this, not if there was even the slightest doubt).
But now, now she only wanted to attack him. Make him hurt.
Because…
Because he should have been on their side.
Because she'd come to trust him, despite Harry's and Ron's misgivings.
Because he'd been an horrid teacher, but she had admired his skills and intelligence immensely.
Because he had betrayed them.
And most of all, because he'd forced them to grow up too soon, too completely.
Because if they were alone, it was his fault.
She watched ruefully Professor Dumbledore's beaming smile. She'd never missed the days when that smile could make her feel secure and safe more than now.
She forced herself to calm her raging heart. She was being an idiot. How many times had she told Harry that she wouldn't freak out at seeing someone from their future past, because she was a rational creature and was perfectly able to cope logically with the situation?
So much for that, she thought ruefully. Rational and logical… hah! Arrogant, more like. She was immensely grateful for 'Leia's' steady presence at her side.
She sighed and concentrated. They had a plan. They would take care of the traitorous bastard before he could do any serious damage. Then they would deal with the traitorous bastard's master and all his minions. They would make sure their Headmaster would remain a reassuring and guiding presence for the future Hogwarts students for many, many years to come!
She got herself under control and by the time the Sorting Hat started singing, she was perfectly fine again.
Just in time, too, for the moment she recovered, Harry had his own breakdown; her puzzlement at 'Leia's' suddenly pale and clammy complexion soon gave way to compassion and understanding when she realized Harry was watching Cedric Diggory.
She should have foreseen that the grey eyed boy would be the one to break Harry's control. Cedric's death had been the one to hit Harry the hardest…
Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to deal with this now, so 'he' pinched the slightly swaying girl and hissed "Keep clapping! And smile!"
She barely felt the relief at Leia's recovery because unexpectedly, Terry Boot was being sent to Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw.
Damn!
It was as she'd feared. She hadn't wanted to face the idea… but however small, the changes they had wrought were already having noticeable effects.
'He' closed 'his' eyes, pained. What would that mean for them?
She belonged in Gryffindor… she was a Gryffindor, and so was Harry… but there was more than a slight chance that it wouldn't matter to the Hat. There was a more than concrete chance that they would end up being Sorted in… in Slytherin. She could barely contemplate the thought but, it couldn't be ignored.
After all, they'd come back determined to destroy the greatest Dark Lord of their time, save the wizarding world at large and change the very future. Ambition, that's us, she thought, feeling faint.
She started breathing a little better when no other changes seemed to happen: maybe they'd only affected Terry? Maybe he'd been borderline the First Time… but so had she, she thought with dread, and so had Harry…
Then it was Leia's turn and for the longest moment 'he' stopped breathing altogether, her mind unable to do anything but turn the same thought over and over: 'Please let us be together… I'll take Slytherin if we have to but please, please do not separate us…'
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Relief washed over her. Harry had made it. 'Please, please, please let me be with him…'
Her nervousness increased with every name. Longbottom… didn't take as long as the First Time, or was it just her?... Malfoy… huh, it wasn't instantaneous this time, and he still looked pale… Moon… Nott… Merlin, when was 'his' turn coming? An icy weight was churning in her stomach.
At long last, Sally-Anne slunk to the Ravenclaw table and McGonagall called: "Potter, Harry!"
All her nervousness vanished as if by miracle, suddenly replaced with utter annoyance at the inane whispers that broke out all over.
"Potter, did she say?", "The Harry Potter?" – what was she, something you goggle at in a zoo?
"He's so short!", "Does he really have the scar?" – gossipmongers!
'He' scowled at the people craning to get a good look at 'him' and when the hat dropped over 'his' eyes, she was ready for a good fight.
"You'd better put me in Gryffindor straightaway, Mr Hat!"
She didn't 'voice' the 'Or else!', not even in her mind, but it hung there nonetheless.
The Hat chuckled in her mind. "Interesting. Hmm… courage and determination in abundance… you have other qualities but yes, I don't really see how you could belong elsewhere… GRYFFINDOR!"
Hermione froze in shock. That easy?
The booming cheer from the red and gold table jerked her out of her disbelief, but she was still rather dazed when she sank down in 'his' seat. She almost felt cheated out of the argument she'd expected!
She barely even registered that Dean Thomas was made a Hufflepuff this time, despite how odd she found the idea.
She perked up however when a very pale Ron collapsed in the chair next to 'him'. This was her chance!
She cast around for something to say, that would not only break the ice, but set them on the right path to the friendship she so missed and longed for. She'd never been very good at this kind of things… Quidditch would have probably been the best bet, she thought huffily, but she'd never bothered to learn more than the basics…
Seamus' voice asking Parvati about her sister drifted to her. Family! she thought with relief. Family was an excellent starting point… and she could talk about the Weasleys quite a lot!
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" resounded Dumbledore's voice.
Everybody clapped and cheered and Sky chuckled fondly. "He's a bit mad, isn't he?"
Ron started badly and blinked at 'him'.
'He' smiled friendly: "I'm Harry, by the way."
Ron gawked at 'him', eyes darting up to 'his' scar; she stifled her irritation.
"Ron… Ron Weasley."
"Happy to be in Gryffindor, Ron?" 'he' asked.
"Hum. Ah, err, yeah. Of course I am… all my brothers are Gryffindors. Mum and Dad too… I don't know what they would have said if I wasn't. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would have been too bad, but imagine if the Hat had put me in Slytherin!"
Sky shuddered sympathetically: "Yeah, it would have been horrible!"
Ron grinned, relaxing.
"So who are your brothers?" Sky asked, pretending curiosity.
Ron happily launched in a description of his family, all the while reaching for any dish in his range - and just like that, they felt like good friends once more, chatting away without a care in the world like they used to do in another life...
Sky beamed.
Later on, Sky sighed at the babble of opinions and suppositions Dumbledore's speech generated.
She didn't remember so much speculation from her First Time. Then again, she'd been distracted by Percy giving advice on lessons… plus, they hadn't known each other like they did this time. It was really amazing how much of a difference that made.
'He' frowned when Seamus started putting forth more and more outlandish ideas. 'He'd' better put a stop to this before they went too far.
'He' cleared 'his' throat loudly. "I'm more concerned at the implications of such a statement in the current frame of context", 'he' said.
As she had expected, perplexed faces turned to 'him', derailed from their speculations by the effort of puzzling out what 'he'd' said.
"Huh… what?" asked Seamus blankly.
Terry rolled his eyes. "He means that he doesn't understand why the Headmaster told us something like this at this time and in this place", he translated, by now used to Sky's odd turn of phrases on occasions.
Seamus frowned: "Well why didn't he say so in the first place?"
Sky poked 'his' tongue at the Irish boy: "I did!"
Terry and Lavender rolled their eyes in unison.
Parvati interjected, a bit confused: "What do you mean, you don't understand, Harry? It makes sense to tell the whole school when we're all together!"
There were a couple groans. Most of the group had learned fast that you should never give 'Harry' rope for a lengthy argument: they all accepted 'his' sometimes surprising opinions and always let 'Leia' stand up to 'him' if needed. Parvati however was new to the group and didn't know any better, so Sky could challengingly shoot back: "But why tell us such a thing at all?"
The Indian girl's eyes were filled with confusion: "Well, he, he doesn't want us to get into trouble, does he? He doesn't want us to get into trouble, so he's told us not to go there. That's all there is to it…"
She looked like she was trying to convince herself as well as Sky and didn't even know why.
Sky shook 'his' head: "Nuh-huh. If you want a bunch of kids to stay away from someplace, you either make the place boring, or you explain clearly why they shouldn't go there, like, 'Don't go to the Forest because it's full of giant spiders that will eat you'."
'He' ignored Ron's moaned squeak at the idea of giant spiders and the subsequent, inevitable teasing; instead 'he' kept an eye on Terry, who was frowning in thought.
Soon Ron's face was redder than his hair and the group was roaring with laughter, but they all calmed down a bit when Terry asked slowly: "He wants us to investigate. Is that what you mean?"
There were a lot of confused questions from the others, but Sky fought hard not to grin. 'He' nodded, seriously.
"But why?" whispered Terry.
Sky looked up at the Head Table and most of the others followed suit. "I'm not sure", 'he' lied pensively.
Ron shrugged. "Whatever. Pass the treacle tarts!"
And with that, everybody turned to desserts.
After Percy started leading the first years to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione relaxed considerably.
As far as she was concerned, the day had been a success.
They were in Hogwarts at last, they had neither slipped too badly nor snapped and done something stupid, nothing dramatic had happened, the timeline they were familiar with still seemed more or less valid and there was no sign of unduly suspicions from the teachers or even Dumbledore so far.
All was well.
Now all she wanted was her bed.
Letting go of the nervous energy that had sustained her all day long had resulted in a sudden crash. Sleep sounded wonderful. It was like all the accumulated fatigue had crashed on her shoulders like a brick wall, shrouding her with its weight. She desperately wanted to collapse somewhere and let go of her tight control for a few hours.
But of course, Leia had other programs…
Hermione was as much appalled as amused at the unexpected mess with Peeves. How was she supposed to react to such madness?
Should she be angry that Harry wasted time thinking up such a ridiculous prank when they had so much more serious plans to worry about? Or relieved that this was it after all and she wouldn't have to worry about secret plots coming back to bite them in the arse?
In the end, she didn't react at all.
Maybe it was Harry's way to unwind, she reflected. Especially now that he didn't have Quidditch to fall back on…
Everybody needed something like that: she herself had discreetly 'borrowed' a few trashy novels from her mum and stashed them out of view among 'his' socks. Was pranking Peeves any better or worse than that? Did it even matter?
She shot a glare at Terry, though. What was he doing, going along with Leia's absurd schemes? He looked as if was having even more fun than 'her'!
Pinkerton's Paragon Detergent indeed! She'd thought that boy had more sense.
She still made a mental note to check if there was any truth in the story of the Canterville Ghost, as soon as she found time for a bit of personal research. Intellectual curiosity had always been one of her strongest feats and it was't going to change just because of a botched ritual.
As if scarring Peeves for good wasn't enough, Leia then proceeded to fire question upon question at the poor Prefects – and sure they were all smart questions and definitely useful things to ask but bloody hell, did Harry never get tired?
Sky was stumbling with sleepiness every other step, how could 'Leia' be so… vibrant, after the day they'd had?
When Leia hurriedly whispered 'her' idea about letters however she felt as if the brick wall weighing her down had abruptly lifted.
She'd been so sad that she wouldn't get to keep in contact with her parents from Hogwarts, but she'd taken for granted that it couldn't be helped.
Trust Harry to work out the perfect solution!
'He' impulsively hugged her best friend tightly.
There was no way to express how grateful she was for his friendship. All she could manage was a rather random 'Thank Merlin for smelly Mountain Trolls!'
As they made their way through the familiar squashy armchairs of the cosy Gryffindor Common Room, she felt on the verge of both tears and laughter and knew it was due to exhaustion.
Thankfully for Harry's reputation, she managed to avoid both extremes and merely relieved her feelings by cuffing Ron on the back of his head. Honestly! Tactless prat!
Percy left them in the circular dorm she remembered well, so similar and so different from her own, and 'he' quietly changed into night wear and let the jokes Terry and Seamus still had energy to trade wash over 'him'.
She was exhausted, but a small smile was insistently tugging at 'his' lips. And after all, why should she stop it?
They were in Hogwarts at last, they were together in Gryffindor and they had their friends with them. They were excellent reasons to smile!
Neville murmured a shy 'goodnight' that 'he' returned gently. 'He' let 'himself' fall back on the soft mattress, blissfully ignoring the stray pillow Seamus had narrowly missed Terry with.
Eventually the lights went off and only a lot of rustling and last-minute whispers filled the silence.
As 'he' started drifting off to sleep, Ron's muttering voice sounded through the hangings: "Great food, isn't it?" 'He' had to smile at that. Her red-headed friend never changed… "Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."
Hermione's green eyes shot open in the dark as 'he' involuntarily gasped, frozen.
She'd forgotten Sirius!
A/N 2: Wheew… done at last. It's been rather hard making my mind up about a few decisions in this chapter; though most of them will only reach their full importance later on, any comment – good or bad – will be most appreciated!