Disclaimer: Think about it, could I be Rick Riordan & J.K. Rowling at the same time? See, no.

~The End of the Beginning at Hogwarts~

000 Alisa 000

I sat down on the wooden stool and closed my eyes, it didn't really change anything except the fact that I can feel the cloth in front of my eyelids instead of my eyeballs.

The headmistress put the Sorting Hat on my head.

Hm, it's heavier than I thought it would be.

"Hey! Who are you calling heavy?" an annoyed voice echoed in my mind.

I smirked, "Hello, Hat."

The hat was quiet, obviously it didn't really know how to deal with me.

"Well, let's start." it said in a formal tone.

"Mmm..." it hummed as it searched my mind. I grimaced trying not to send up a mind-shield.

"You've had an absurdly humane childhood," it said, "Except for your parents..."

I grimaced more, my fists were clenched on my lap.

He poked and prodded (metaphorically, of course) my early memories. Suddenly, my mind-shield came up unconsciously. I frowned, confused, until I saw (still metaphorically) that he had come up on my most recent memories, the Tartarian ones.

If I could see, I'd swear the hat was frowning right now. "Take down your mind-shield." it said.

"Hell, no." I answered bluntly in my head.

"Show me your memories, child!" it exclaimed, somehow making it's voice louder in my head.

"Shit." I thought, as it pushed against my mental shield. "I freaking told you, no!"

"You're just as stubborn as the di Angelo boy!" it said. "Just alike!"

I froze, "Don't. Ever. Say. We're. Alike." I said through gritted teeth, out loud. "Damned hat."

An idea came to me. The hat wanted my memories? Let it experience my memories.

"You want my memories?" I whispered, "Here." I grinned sadistically, bringing forward memories of pain and torture to the front of my mind, it was still painful and torturous for me, but the hat's shouts were incredibly gratifying.

The hat spluttered, "Wh-wha...?"

Suddenly, it shrieked, "Stop! Stop!" on and on until the shrieks were incoherent.

"C'mon, little hat," I thought-taunted, "Didn't you want these memories?"

"Gryffindor!" it shrieked, "Go, go! Get me off of her!"

"Oh, don't you want to at least go through all of them before you decide?" I asked, innocently.

"Gryffindor! Gryffindor!" It shrieked, "Get me off, get me off!"

I smiled pleasantly, taking the hat off my head and lifting it close to my face. "There, now, don't you regret trying to make me do something I didn't want to do?"

The headmistress gingerly took the battered hat that looked older and even more battered than it had before I put it on.

I skipped lightly to the table, not minding the silence, and sat down between Ron and Ginny, who had scooted over for me.

"Err... well, now." the headmistress had given the hat to a large owl which flew out of the hall, "We also have new Defense teachers."

A hand shot up, Hermione, "Er, yes, Ms. Granger?" the head asked.

"Professor, why do we need Defence Against Dark Arts lessons since Voldemort has gone?" she asked in an intellectual tone.

"Did you not hear me, Ms. Granger?" she replied lightly, "I said, Defense lessons. The ministry has realized that wizards are horribly unprepared to defend themselves if they are disarmed."

Hermione looked like she wanted to interrupt, but McGonagall wasn't done, "Do not try to say otherwise, for it is quite obvious that, without a wand, witches and wizards are absurdly helpless. We will also divide these lessons, one as Magical Defense and another as Physical Defense."

Hermione took her seat as the headmistress introduced the new teachers, "Our new teachers on Physical Defense are from America, Ms. Annabeth Chase and Mr. Perseus Jackson. Our Magical Defense teacher will be Ms. Marianne Baxter."

I put my elbow on the table and placed my head on my hand as Percy, Annabeth and a lady that was somewhere in her mid-twenties came out from somewhere on the left and sat down. "Also, Ms. Rachel Dare has come to be an assistant to our Divination Professors."

Rachel stood confidently beside the teacher's table, she walked to an empty seat beside Annabeth and sat there.

"Now, without further ado, let the feast begin!" McGonagall exclaimed as succulent turkeys, hot soup, steaming rice, pudding, roast beef and a million other delicacies bloomed on the table, seemingly coming out from nowhere.

I sniffed appreciatively as the scent of the food reached me, I haven't had food like this in years.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

After the feast, the Head Boy, I think it was Neville, led us up moving staircases (How can you map this place?) and in front of a portrait of a fat lady. I knew this because the paint bulged on the canvas so I can sort-of see it.

Neville spoke as we stood in front of her, "Well, first-years and Exchange Students, this is the Fat Lady," You'd think magic would make you more creative. "She guards the Gryffindor tower entrance, you can enter if you know the password but it changes from time to time so please don't forget to ask or else you might have to sleep in the hall."

He then turned to the portrait which suddenly moved or at least, the paint this. Some first-years gasped so I guess the portrait really did move, "Password?" a deep opera-like voice said.

"Phoenix feathers" Neville replied.

"Enter." the voice said as the whole portrait swung forward unblocking the hole to the common room. (Yes, I knew it was there.)

"Welcome," Neville said, raising his arms, "To the Gryffindor common room."

Everyone entered the common room excitedly, some of the older students immediately went up the two staircases, some lounged on the chairs scattered around the room.

The common room was a round room filled with lounge chairs, elegant tables, and large banners. From the looks of it, the chairs were plush and the floor was covered in different fluffy rugs.

Neville turned to us (first-years and Exchange Students) and told us that our stuff was already upstairs and pointed out the separate dorms.

I climbed up the stairs, I found my things on a bed beside the window.

I yawned. Huh, I didn't realize how tired I was...

I slowly unpacked a few robes into the large trunk at the foot of the bed.

After a few minutes, I decided to just finish it tomorrow or something, I was too tired.

I lay down on the bed and faded into a dreamless sleep, ignoring the stares of the girls around me.

A/N: Okay, so I edited part of the previous chapter, the last two/three sentences. Thanks to Crazydragon11 for pointing out that mistake. Review please~ Nyx