Kailor: Thank you all so much for reading! As usual, please review. Your thoughts are more than welcome and can sometimes lead to inspiration. I know this chapter is quite long. The song the Sorting Hat sings is the actual song from the first book. I do not own that song, or Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. However, I do own this fanfic. And this cookie. My cookie.

Dumbledore sat at the breakfast table, sighing. In his hand was a yellowish envelope and on his arm was an exhausted looking tawny owl. Normally on days like this, where the Hall was brightly lit and the school year had yet to start, he enjoyed sitting here with his fellow teachers, chatting. Today, however, he barely noticed the chirping birds outside the windows or the beautiful array of food the house elves had prepared. In the seat beside him, McGonagall was eyeing him. "Well, Albus?"

The old headmaster sighed. He gazed around the Great Hall, thinking of all the headmasters who had sat in this seat before him. He wondered idly if they had ever had as much trouble as he was dealing with. "He would have been eleven years old on July 31st," Dumbledore said. "As you know, Minerva, I have searched for a decade, sent owls every week, contacted every person who could possibly know his whereabouts, and I have yet to find him. Without a single clue to his disappearance, it was impossible to use more drastic measures. I could hardly go door to door throughtout all of Europe."

"Still nothing, Headmaster?" Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, said, her face creased with disbelief. "But the students will be arriving tonight. Shouldn't he be amongst them?" The other teachers paused eating to look at the bearded man at their center.

"Not a whisper. There are certain spells that could have hidden him up to this point, but he is of age now. With his magical power at the level that he can attend school, I should have been able to find him." He motioned to the owl that he had sat on the table. "These Hogwarts letters are enchanted, as you all know. Rarely do they not find the person they are meant for. And owls are exceptional creatures that even more rarely do not succeed in delivering their letter. Yet every one I have sent has returned, the letter untouched. It is a very telling thing that neither owl nor letter could find him. It really leaves us with only two possibilities."

The Deputy Headmistress shifted in her seat next to him. "And what would those be?"

"Well, either Mr. Potter is, in fact, as we have long feared, dead. Or his identity is under a Fidelius Charm."

"A Fidelius Charm?" McGonagall said, her voice dropping to a whisper for some reason. "I thought the Fidelius was meant to hide locations, like the Potters' cottage."

"Not always," Dumbledore said. "Filius? Perhaps you could explain?"

The tiny Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, drew himself up as the entire table turned to look at him. "The Fidelius Charm is an immensely complex spell, used to hide a secret inside a single living soul. That secret could be anything. A location, a person, a thought, or even who one's first kiss was." He gave them a quick smile at that. "I doubt anyone has used it for that particular secret, but you get my meaning. If Mr. Potter were to walk in right now with James' hair and Lily's eyes, wearing a sign that says, 'I'm Harry Potter', would you recognise him? Would you think it might actually be him?"

"Well, I'm not sure about the sign, but I knew James and Lily well. If he looked like his parents, I think I could spot him," McGonagall said.

"And that is why the Fidelius would make our search so hopeless. Because you wouldn't." Flitwick continued. "The secret is sealed inside a soul and that person becomes the Secret Keeper. There is no way to learn the secret unless the Secret Keeper chose to tell it to you. You couldn't accidentally figure it out or stumble upon it. Your mind would refuse to even think it might be him, unless the Secret Keeper informed you."

"So," Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, said. "You're saying that it is possible that only one person in the world knows who or where Harry Potter is?"

"Not quite," Flitwick shook his head, his squeaky voice rising a bit. "Multiple people may know the secret, if the Secret Keeper told them of it or if they knew about the secret before the spell was cast. However, they would not be able to tell anyone else." He gazed around at their confused faces. Then he looked to Dumbledore.

"Let us use an example," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "Let us say that dear Filius here was actually king of some far off land, in hiding here at Hogwarts. And let us say that I and Professor McGonagall were aware of this fact. Then, to hide his secret from everyone else, Filius asked me to be his Secret Keeper. He could cast the charm on himself and make me the Secret Keeper, or I could cast it and name myself Secret Keeper. Either way works. Then, Minerva, Filius, and I would know that he was a secret king. However, only I could tell anyone else. Magic would stop either of them from telling." The old headmaster folded his hands before himself. "And if I were to tell you, Madam Pomfrey, you would then know. However, you also would be incapable of telling anyone else."

"I see," Madam Pomfrey said.

The little Charms teacher sighed. "A part of me truly hopes it is the Fidelius and that the person who cast it has Harry's best interests at heart. I don't think I can accept that all of the Potters are gone."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes on the envelope sitting before him, simply addressed, "Mr. H. Potter".

XXXXXXX

Harry settled into his compartment with Ven. Albion had gone to find Cedric, Llyr at his heels. They had just gotten comfortable when the door opened. "Lookie who it is, Gred."

"Ah, yes, Forge. Our mini-mes." The Weasley twins entered, grinning. Behind them, looking a bit reluctant to follow them in, was the youngest Weasley son, Ron.

"Nice to meet you," one of the twins said. He pointed to himself. "Fred. That's George. And that's ickle Ronniekins."

"Ron," Ron said, glaring at his brothers.

Ven shook the twin's hand. "Ven Lachlan. And this is Harry Lachlan. Pleasure's yours, boys."

Fred's smile widened. "I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Ven Lachlan."

"We were just wondering," George said. "Our little Ronald here needs a compartment to sit in. We're heading up the train to see our friend, Lee Jordan. Pretty much everywhere else is full."

"No problem," Harry said. He motioned to the empty seats. "We're not exactly crowded here." He smiled at Ron and the redhead smiled back, still looking a bit nervous. The twin brothers stayed a few more minutes, helping Ron get his trunk into the racks above their heads, then left, promising to see them soon.

Ron sat beside Ven, very quiet now.

"Your brothers seem cool," Harry said, wanting to break the awkward silence. Ven said nothing, a slightly amused smile quirking her lips up.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, they're alright. Better than Percy."

"That was the oldest brother, right? The one who went through the barrier of Platform 9 and 3/4 first?" Harry tried to remember the older boy's face, only managing to recall the horn-rimmed glasses and haughty expression.

"He's not the oldest, but yeah, that was Percy." Ron rolled his eyes. "He's a prat. But I've actually got five older brothers and my little sister."

"Oh, yeah," Ven said, joining the conversation now. "Ginny."

Ron raised an eyebrow at the sudden grin on Ven's face. "Yeah, Ginny."

"I spoke to her on the platform. She's cool."

"I suppose," Ron said, shrugging. He scratched his nose looking out the window.

Harry said, "Do you like having so many siblings?"

Ron looked at him like he was insane. "Course not. Seven children is far too many. Then again, I'm the second to youngest. So if my parents hadn't kept going, I wouldn't be here. Mind you, they could have skipped Percy. It's the very least they could have done for the rest of us."

Ven laughed and Harry smiled. "We've got six brothers and sisters," he said when Ron raised an eyebrow at their mirth. "Eight kids altogether."

"Our youngest sister is seven," Ven said. "And Albion's the oldest. He's twelve."

Ron's eyes were wide now. "I thought I had it bad!"

They spent the next hour talking about Ron's older brothers that had already graduated from Hogwarts and moved to other countries for their careers. They also talked about Harry and Ven's younger siblings and Castle Stalker. Harry found that he liked Ron very much. Once the redhead had started talking he'd been very funny and reminded Harry of Ven, with his sarcasm and sometimes dry humor. He found himself amusedly watching the two of them chat back and forth. When the compartment door slid open, he almost jumped. He'd completely forgotten they were still surrounded by the hundreds of other people that had boarded the train back at King's Cross.

A plump witch pushing a cart leaned her head in. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Harry and Ven leapt to their feet. Their father had given them a little spending money for this very thing. Ron turned scarlet as his hair and mumbled something about already having lunch. Harry and Ven bought a bit of everything, returning with their arms full. Ron whistled at the pile of snacks. "Hungry, are you?"

Ven plopped back into the seat beside him. "Have a pumpkin pasty." She offered him the orange-wrapped sweet.

Ron shook his head, still red in the face. "No, I'm alright. Mum made us sandwiches."

"You'd rather a sandwich over a pumpkin pasty?" Harry said, opening his own. "Come on. It's rare Ven offers to share her food. You better not turn it down."

With a little more gentle prodding from Harry, and a few not so gentle words from Ven, Ron took the pasty, thanking them. It wasn't long before Ron was happily tearing into their stockade of food, his sandwiches forgotten. Harry had just opened a Chocolate Frog when Ron suddenly leaned towards him. "What card did you get? I'm still trying to get a few. If it's Agrippa, can I have it? I mean, if you don't collect them."

"Card?" Harry questioned. Where he was from they didn't have Chocolate Frogs. He told Ron so and the Weasley boy stared at him, in shock.

"Well there's a card with each Frog, see? And you can collect them. I've got a ton myself. But I'm still missing a few. You two should start collecting too." Ron's eyes strayed to the unopened Frogs beside Harry.

"Help yourself," Harry laughed. As Ron and Ven dug into the remaining Frogs, Harry pulled out his card, turning it over. "Ah, Albus Dumbledore." He stared at the card, getting his first look at the headmaster he would soon be learning under. The man's twinkling eyes made him feel like he knew a lot of things he shouldn't. He turned the card over, reading aloud, "Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling."

"Well I'm glad they got all the important stuff about him on there," Ven laughed. "Oh, look I got Agrippa! There you go, Ron."

"Thanks!"

The compartment door opened again. Ron and Ven both had food hanging from their mouths as they turned to the newcomer and Harry had to try very hard not to laugh. The round-faced boy in the doorway looked like he was battling tears and he gazed solemnly around the compartment. "None of you have seen a toad, have you?"

"No," Ron said and Ven and Harry shook their heads.

"I can't believe it. I've lost him!" The boy wailed, his tears now leaking out.

Harry stood. "Calm down. What's his name?"

"Trevor."

"Trevor. All right. We'll come help you look." Harry indicated himself and Ven. His twin immediately stood, choking down the last of her snack.

The boy's face lit up. "Oh, well, I mean, you don't have to. I've already got someone helping me, but thank you."

"Nonsense," Harry said, stepping past him into the hallway. "We'll help."

"Yeah," Ven said. "Besides, nobody is as good at finding stuff as I am." She winked at the teary-eyed boy before leaning close to him and taking a deep breath. His face flushed and Harry bit the inside of his cheek to control his smile. Ven turned and pointed down the corridor. "He's this way."

"How do you know that?" Ron asked from the doorway.

Ven shrugged. "I don't." With a brilliant smile, she headed off down the train. The toadless boy followed her, his face still red, and Harry and Ron trailed them.

A few minutes later they returned. The boy, who had introduced himself as Neville Longbottom, was babbling his grattitude and clutching a large toad. His face was still red and Ven seemed uncomfortable with his thanks. "No problem, laddie. Just keep a hold on him this time, yeah?"

The boy departed, nearly skipping with joy.

"Well, seems you got a new bestie, Ven," Ron said, grinning.

Ven snorted. "Sweet boy. Not exactly my type though."

As night began to fall outside the window, they took turns changing into their school robes. The door opened again and Ron's older brother, Percy, stuck his head in to tell them to leave their belongings on the train. Harry noticed that he stood abnormally tall, with his chest thrown out so no one could miss the shiny badge on his chest that simply read, "P". When he was gone, Ron explained that Percy was a prefect. "That badge has gone straight to his head. If he becomes Head Boy, I'll probably have to chain him to the ground to keep him from floating away with all the hot air he'll be full of." He paused. "Then again, I'll just wave as he goes."

When the train slowed to a halt, Harry followed Ven onto the platform. They were dodging the older students moving towards the exits when they heard, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" A lantern bobbed into sight at the far end of the platform.

Harry headed towards it, smiling as Llyr appeared from the crowd and joined them. A man stood at the end of the platform. He was twice the height of a normal man and three times the width, with a wild black beard and beady black eyes. He waved a hand the size of a trashcan lid and said, "This way! Ye'll get yer first look o' Hogwarts in just a few minutes. Righ' round this bend up here!"

They turned the corner and the dark trees opened up and Harry felt his jaw drop. Beside him, Ven's whistle was the only sound besides gasps from the gathered students. Before them was a large, black lake, the surface so still that it perfectly reflected the gorgeous scene above it. The castle rose from the edge of the small mountain cliff, it's windows sparkling against the starry sky.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The giant man yelled, pointing to the tiny vessels bobbing in the water before them.

Ven was the first into their boat, happily perching on the front end and striking a pose. Harry followed her in, shaking his head. Llyr stepped in rougher than was necessary, making his sister claw for a hold in the boat as it rocked. She glared at him as Ron finished off their group.

"Right then-FORWARD!" The giant called. The boats lurched into the still water and Ven nearly fell out, much to the boys' amusement. They glided silently across the water, the castle growing larger and larger. Harry couldn't take his eyes off of it, not noticing how close to the cliffs they had gotten. So when the large man leading them yelled, "Heads down!" he missed the cue and was hit square in the face with a large curtain of ivy. Ron cracked up laughing as Harry fought to get all of the ivy out of his mouth. Their boat followed the dark tunnel, then bumped gently against the shore of the small underground harbor. The students clambered from their boats. When they had assembled on the shore, the large man's lamp began to bob away and they followed, gazing around in awe. The rocky path became soft grass and they emerged from the tunnel, finding themselves in the very shadow of the castle. The giant stopped at the large oak front doors and raised his fist. He knocked three times, the thuds of his knuckles against the wood echoing back over the silent students.

The doors opened almost immediately. The stern looking witch in the doorway struck Harry as very familiar. Where had he seen here before?

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the giant man said. Something clicked in Harry's mind. His parents had mentioned Professor McGonagall. They said she had visited a few times when the children were much younger. That must be where he knew her face.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here." She motioned for the students to follow her. Harry hurried to join the moving crowd. He had the feeling this was a witch not to be messed with. The entrance hall was enormous. Torches lit the stone walls, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a marble staircase climbed away from them to the upper levels. Harry nearly tripped over Ven's robes as he gaped up at the staircases above.

Professor McGonagall led them into a small room off the hall and Harry crowded in between Ven and a sandy-haired boy. The professor turned and addressed them all. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly. Before that, though, you will be sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin." He noticed her eyes flicker towards a boy with slicked back blonde hair at this last word. The boy smirked.

"While you are here," she continued. "Your house will be like your family. Your achievements and successes will earn your house points. Any rule-breaking will lose your house points. I expect each of you to be a credit to whatever house you are sorted into." Her eyes lingered on Ven's wild hair and Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear. "I suggest you smarten yourselves up. I shall return for you when we are ready." She swept from the room.

Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair as everyone around him began to whisper to each other.

"Give it up, brother," Ven said, absently smoothing her own wild mane of hair. "We're naturally scruffy looking."

"How do we get sorted?" Harry asked, turning to Ron.

"I was hoping you would know, seeing as your older brother is already here. My brothers wouldn't tell me. Fred and George kept going on about fighting a troll or something."

Albion wouldn't tell me either, Llyr signed.

"What'd he say?" Ron asked.

"He said our older brother didn't tell him either," Ven said. "And if Albion didn't tell Llyr, he wouldn't have told us."

"If it is a troll," Ron said, smiling. "I'm glad I'm a Weasley. 'W' is right near the end, so that'll give the lot of you a chance to knock it around a bit before I have to face it."

"Unless they have a different troll for each of us," Ven said, Ron's smile fading and her own growing.

A few minutes later Professor McGonagall was back. She put them into a line and led them from the room. Harry found himself between Llyr and a familiar head of bushy brown hair. She smiled when she saw him, but Professor McGonagall's sharp voice commanded silence and Hermione turned back to the front. Harry tried not to look completely shocked as they entered the Great Hall.

His eyes darted around, taking in the four long house tables leading up to the table at the end that was full of adults-the professors he assumed. Thousands of candles hovered over gold plates and goblets and students of every shape and size. And he had been impressed by Diagon Alley!

"Whoa, somebody already knocked the roof off this place, yeah?" Ven whispered from behind Llyr and Harry looked up to see the night sky twinkling above him.

"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside," he heard Hermione tell the sandy-haired boy in front of her. "I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

Harry smiled, remembering her begging her mother to buy that very book for her.

Professor McGonagall led the line to the very front of the hall and stopped them before a wooden stool with a worn old wizard's hat sitting on it. Harry noticed the hall had quieted and everyone seemed to be staring at the hat. Harry joined them, bemused.

A rip near the brim suddenly opened wide and the hat began to sing.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The hall applauded and Harry joined them, actually quite impressed.

"So all we've got to do is try on a hat?" Ron hissed, glaring at his brothers who were seated at the table on the far left.

"Bet there's a troll in it," Ven whispered as McGonagall unrolled a large scroll.

"Abbot, Hannah!"

Harry watched the small girl with pigtails rush to the stool and place the hat on her head. She sat and a moment later the hat yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table to Harry's right began to cheer and Harry saw Albion and Cedric not far from where Hannah sat. Albion caught Harry's eye and signed, Bet you the next one is Hufflepuff too. A Galleon.

Harry rolled his eyes. You're on, he replied.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat yelled and Harry groaned as Albion cheered for the girl who joined his table.

The names continued and the line began to dwindle. Then, "Granger, Hermione!"

The girl in front of Harry nearly sprinted to the hat and threw it on her head. A few moments later it yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

The table to their immediate left applauded as Hermione joined them, beaming.

More and more names passed until finally Professor McGonagall called, "Lachlan, Harry!"

He felt like his stomach had dropped at his feet. Ven reached forward and gave him a shove. He stumbled a bit, embarrassed to hear a few sniggers around him. He made his way to the front of the line, trying to ignore how hot his face felt. Professor McGonagall handed him the hat and he sat on the stool, taking a deep breath.

"Ah ha," a voice whispered in his ear and he tried not to jump. "Difficult choice. Plenty of courage, a great mind, loyal to a fault-like your brother, Albion. And a thirst to prove yourself. You would really do well anywhere. Let me see..."

Harry sat quietly, wondering if everyone else in the hall had realized the hat was taking the longest time on him.

Then- "RAVENCLAW!"

He rose shakily, handing the hat off to Professor McGonagall. He hurried to the applauding table and sat beside Hermione. "So, Harry Lachlan, huh?" she said.

He smiled. "And now we've met, Hermione Granger."

"Lachlan, Llyr!"

Harry turned back to the Sorting, watching his brother don the hat and hop up on the stool. It barely took a moment for the hat to yell, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Harry clapped with the Hufflepuff table, watching Albion move over on the bench to make room for Llyr.

"Lachlan, Ven!"

Ven strolled forward, popping Harry in the back of the head as she passed. She never even got to sit on the stool. The second the hat touched her head it screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Ven moved to join the table beside his. The Weasley twins happily made a space for her.

Harry was a little disappointed that none of his siblings were in his house, but his parents had talked to them about this. They had said that even if none of them were in the same house, they were still family. This was just an opportunity to meet new people and expand their borders. So he put on a smile when Ven caught his eye and her lopsided grin told him she knew what he was thinking.

The line wore down, with Neville Longbottom becoming a Gryffindor, until Professor McGonagall called, "Potter, Harry!"

The whole hall was silent, as if holding their breath, and Harry knew this was the name they had all been waiting to hear. He looked at the first years left. There weren't many. None of them moved. After a few intense moments of complete silence, McGonagall glanced at the High Table, then continued with the names. The tension in the hall faded, but there was an overwhelming down on the mood now.

Finally Ron was called forward and he was put into Gryffindor. With Blaise Zabini becoming a Slytherin, the Sorting ended and Professor McGonagall took the hat and stool from the hall.

Now that the first years were all gone and Harry wasn't fixated on the hat, he saw the man that rose to speak. His silver beard and hair were long enough to tuck into his belt and his half-moon shaped glasses were dull compared to the twinkle in his eye. He welcomed them with a few nonsense words then sat back down. Harry turned back to the table and felt his jaw drop for what must have been the hundredth time that day. The plates in the center of the table were now filled with every food he could think of and the jugs were now brimming with pumpkin juice.

He debated what to grab first, his stomach telling him to just go for everything.

"Take it easy, newbie," an older boy with brown hair said, noticing Harry's hands twitching towards two different plates of food. "This is here every night. I'm Roger Davies, by the way. Welcome to Ravenclaw." Harry shook the boy's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Harry said.

"You a triplet?" Roger asked. When Harry frowned, Roger said, "Harry, Llyr, and Ven Lachlan all sorted in one year?"

"Oh, no. Twins. Ven is my twin. Llyr is our adopted brother," Harry said.

A first year Indian girl with dark hair and light brown eyes smiled at him. "My twin was sorted into Gryffindor too," she said. "I'm Padma Patil. Guess that means you and I are the smarter twins."

Harry politely introduced himself. Hermione offered him a plate of roast beef and he turned his attention to his meal, feeling a little better.

When he was well and truly stuffed, and he could see Ven rubbing her belly, he began to feel sleepy. The tables slowly cleared of food and Dumbledore stood again, commanding everyone's attention with his quiet movements. "Welcome to Hogwarts! A few announcements before I release you all. As usual, there is an extensive list of things not allowed in the castle. If you are unsure if something you have is allowed or not, feel free to ask Mr. Filch, the caretaker. Or the Weasley twins."

"Yeah, we can recite the list!" Fred yelled.

"We're the reason most of the stuff is on it!" George agreed and the hall laughed.

When the last of the chuckling faded, Dumbledore spread his arms wide. "First years, please know that the Forbidden Forest is, surprisingly enough, forbidden! Also, to everyone, this year the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is off limits to all who do not wish to die a most painful death."

Hermione turned wide eyes to Harry. "Is he serious?"

Harry shrugged and Roger said, "He is. No idea why though. Man's insane. Brilliant. But insane, as well. Best believe he's telling the truth."

Dumbledore dismissed them and Harry rose, turning to the female voice that called, "First years, please. This way." A tall girl with dark brown hair and hazel eyes waited for the newcomers to reach her, then said, "I'm Penelope Clearwater. I am Ravenclaw's prefect. If any of you have questions in the future or need help with anything, do not be afraid to ask. Most people call me Penny." She smiled down at them. "Come along, I'll show you to our dormitories."

"Oy, prat. Looks like we're heading in the same direction." Ven appeared at his side, tossing her arm around his neck. "Gryffindor's up on the seventh floor. Not sure I was supposed to tell you that, but oh well."

"Ravenclaw's on the fifth," Roger said behind them. "Not sure I was supposed to tell you that, but." He grinned.

Ven appraised him with pursed lips and squinted eyes. "I like you." She looked back at Harry. "I like him. We'll keep him, yeah?"

Together, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw climbed the marble staircases. Harry noticed Percy trying to walk as close as possible to Penny, but was too tired to remark on it.

On the fifth floor, they split. Ven gave him a hug and a quick pat on the cheek and was gone. Harry followed Hermione and Padma down the hall to a spiral staircase. They climbed it, falling into a line. At the top of the stairs, Penny stopped, facing a door without a doorknob or keyhole. In the center of the door was a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. Harry leaned around Padma, staring at the eagle. To his surprise, it began to speak. "Which came first: the phoenix or the flame?"

Penny spoke loud enough that everyone could hear her. "A circle has no beginning."

The door swung open and Penny led them inside. "Don't forget, the riddle changes each time someone enters. If you can't get the riddle right, you'll have to wait outside until someone who can arrives."

Harry groaned. Roger patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. If I can get in each night, you'll be fine."

The Ravenclaw common room was an extremely airy room. It was a wide, circular room with a midnight blue carpet, arched windows hung with blue and bronze silks, and a domed ceiling painted with stars. Bookshelves lined the walls and there were tables and chairs all around. A fire crackled merrily in the fireplace. On the other side of the room was a tall white statue of a woman beside a doorway. Penny pointed to it. "This door leads up to the dormitories. It splits inside. The left leads to the girls' dorms. The right, to the boys'. Your dorm will have your year number on the door."

Roger guided Harry, Hermione, and Padma to the doorway. Inside he and Harry waved goodnight to the girls and climbed the staircase on the right. Near the top, Roger stopped in front of the door with the bronze number 3 on it. "This is me. You've still got some climbing to do. Night, Lachlan."

"Night," Harry said, continuing on. At the very top of the stairs he found the door with a bronze number 1 on it. He opened it and found a small room with six four-poster beds covered in blue silk. Harry found his trunk at the foot of the bed farthest from the door, right beside a small window with a cushioned window seat. The other Ravenclaw boys entered, introducing themselves as they all got ready for bed. When Harry finally climbed into his four-poster and pulled the curtains closed around him, he thought of all that had happened that day. When he realized that he would no longer be waking up to the sound of Ven's snores, he felt that disappointment again. He wondered if she felt the same. But he snuggled down into the bed and was almost immediately asleep, dreaming of scarlet train engines and singing hats.

Kailor: Whoo! Hope you enjoyed! Please review! See you next chapter!