Chapter Summary: Professor McGonagall meets the first-years and conducts the Sorting. The welcoming feast follows, and Harry/Alex and Beth have a meeting with Dumbledore and the Heads of House before going to bed.
The door swung open and a witch wearing a pointed hat and emerald green robes with square glasses perched on her nose and her hair done in a severe bun met them. She looked very stern and Alex's first thought was that crossing her would be a Very Bad Idea. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid, I will take them from here," said Professor McGonagall.
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of Alex's house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Alex could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's still somewhat smudged nose. Alex nervously smoothed his hair.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. Alex swallowed and wondered what house he would be Sorted into. His adoptive parents had told him about the Sorting Hat, so he knew what to expect during the Sorting, but other than that, he had absolutely no idea what house he would end up in. All he really cared about was not ending up in Slytherin, for while he had no objection to being in the same house as Ivan or having Professor Snape for a Head of House, he did not want to be stuck in a dorm room with that awful Draco Malfoy and his two hulking bodyguards/cronies for the next seven years, since it was clear that they'd end up there. To calm his nerves, Alex began silently reciting potion ingredients in his head.
After a couple of minutes, something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed.
"What the —?"
He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.
What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Alex got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Beth behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Alex had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Alex looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
He didn't bother telling her that he had also read Hogwarts, A Historyand instead focused his gaze on Professor McGonagall, who silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years, with a patched, frayed, and extremely dirty wizard's house set on top. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing a song about the four houses and how he would Sort them into one of them.
The whole hall burst into applause when the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause — "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Alex saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws, including Vera, stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Alex could see the Weasley twins catcalling.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. She looked rather unpleasant, and was rather big, along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle.
The Sorting progressed, and Alex noticed that while the Hat took very little time for some people, for others it longer. Seamus Finnigan, the sandy-haired boy in front of Alex, sat on the stool for almost a minute before he was declared a Gryffindor. When Hermione Granger was called, she almost ran to the stool and jammed the Hat eagerly on her head. Several seconds later, it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Ron groaned as she dashed towards the Gryffindor table, pausing only long enough to whisper to Beth, "Hope to see you in Gryffindor too!"
Several names later, it was Neville's turn. He tripped and fell on his way to the stool. The Sorting Hat took a long time with him, longer than it had with Seamus. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!", Neville ran off still wearing the hat and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to Morag MacDougal.
Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.
There weren't many people left now. Isabel Moon went in Hufflepuff, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson in Slytherin, Padma Patil in Ravenclaw and her twin sister Parvati in Gryffindor, and Sally-Anne Perks in Hufflepuff. Then "Romanov, Elisabeth" was called.
Beth calmly and gracefully made her way to the stool and sat down, placing the hat on her head. A second later, it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Looking very pleased, she removed the hat and then took a seat next to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. After that was Alex's turn.
When he placed the hat on his head, a small voice said in his ear, "Well, this is very interesting. Apparently you weren't born Alexander Romanov. Oh, don't worry, I won't tell anyone else. There's student/Sorting Hat confidentiality. Now, let's see. You have plenty of courage. Not a bad mind, either, though you're clearly not interested in learning for the sake of learning like most Ravenclaws. You have deep loyalty for your adopted family and friends, hate injustice, and don't mind a bit of hard work. There's talent, of my goodness yes, and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting. So where shall I place you? You could fit perfectly in every house."
Put me with my sister and friend, Alex thought firmly. Or at least any house but Slytherin. I don't want to share a dorm room with Malfoy and his two friends for the next seven years.
"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!"
Alex heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. Relieved that he wouldn't be stuck in the same house as Malfoy and his friends and wasn't separated from Beth and Neville (thought their relationship wouldn't change any if they had been in different houses), he removed the hat and headed for the Gryffindor table. Fred and George grinned at him, and Beth clapped him on the back as he took a seat between her and Neville.
There were five people left to be sorted. A haughty looking boy named Zacharias Smith went to Hufflepuff and Dean Thomas, a black boy that was even taller than Ron, joined Alex at the Gryffindor table. Lisa Turpin became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.
Alex crossed his fingers and to his utter relief, the hat shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" a second later.
Ron's friends clapped loudly with the rest as he collapsed into the chair on the other side of Neville.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Alex as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
Alex looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The sweets on the train ride seemed ages ago.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Alex grinned, remembering that his relatives had described Professor Dumbledore as being a bit eccentric, even if he was one of the greatest wizards of all time. Then again, geniuses tended to have a reputation for some eccentricity. Look at the Muggle scientist Albert Einstein, for example. Or some of the stories about Merlin.
Then Alex registered that the dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. He immeditately piled his plate with some of everything except the the peppermints and began eating. It was all delicious.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Alex cut up his steak.
"Can't you —?"
"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost."
Alex looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Alex was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements. Ivan spotted him looking over and smiled and waved, which Alex returned.
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding…
As Alex helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed.
"What about you, Elisabeth?" asked Parvati.
"It's Beth. Nobody calls me Elisabeth except when I'm in trouble. Anyway, Alex and I are wizarding Romanies. Also more commonly known as Gypsies. Though we don't travel like we used to in the past. Our grandparents decided to settle down after they got married and had children. It wasn't really convenient for them to travel around in vardos any more."
"What're vardos?" asked Dean curiously.
"A vardo is a type of wagon that we Romas used to travel around in," responded Alex. "My family still has a few that we keep in our yards. Mum turned our vardo into a Potions lab, so nothing happens to our house if one of the potions she brews turns out disastrously wrong. The ones our grandparents and aunts and uncles have get used on the camping trip the whole extended family have each summer, so that us grandkids get to experience first-hand what the whole traveling thing was like back then."
The rest of the Gryffindor first-years looked interested, but a couple of older students that had overheard the conversation sneered or looked contemptous. It was clear that they probably still clung to the prejudices against the Romany people, or at least had been raised that way by their parents or guardians.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Alex laughed, but he was one of the few who did. "He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.
"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Alex noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.
Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
Beth and Alex separated from the other first-years Gryffindors, as their parents had arranged a meeting for them with Professor Dumbledore and the four Heads of house after the welcoming feast. After much consideration and advice, Alex had decided to let them in on the secret. Based on what the adult Romanovs and Petrovs knew of them, they were judged trustworthy, and could help keep up the masquerade while at the same time not have to worry about Harry Potter's disappearance. Well, Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin, they weren't completely sure about, but Uncle Nikolas had been housemates with him and knew that he liked Lily Potter, and so for her sake would likely keep the secret. At least it wasn't still Professor Slughorn that was the Head, because he had a habit of 'collecting' those that were famous, well-connected, or extremely talented, and wouldn't be able to resist doing the same to Alex if he knew the truth, which would complicate things and perhaps result in the truth being revealed to the rest of the wizarding world.
Once all the students had left, Professor Dumbledore and the Heads of house escorted Beth and Alex to the staff room. A few minutes later, Ana and Stephan Romanov Flooed in.
"What is this meeting about, Mr. and Mrs. Romanov?" asked Professor Flitwick, the diminutive Head of Ravenclaw and Charms instructor.
"It concerns the truth about Alex, which must be kept secret," replied Mrs. Romanov. "Alex, would you like to explain?"
Alex nodded. "I'm not really a Gypsy. I was adopted by the Romanovs when I was one years old. The day of my eleventh birthday, I was told the truth, and that I'm really Harry Potter."
There was shocked silence, broken a minute later with Dumbledore exclaiming, "So you're the one that found Mr. Dursley abandoning Harry Potter, Mrs. Romanov!"
"But you look different and don't have the scar," protested Professor Sprout, looking closely at Alex.
"That's because I was given an Adoption Potion and apply a cream once a month that hides my scar," he responded. "Mum, do you have the cream that counters it?"
Mrs. Romanov produced a small jar from her pocket and handed it to him. He applied some cream on his forehead, revealing the famous scar. The teachers all gasped when they saw it.
"So you really are Harry Potter," said Professor Snape slowly, a strange look appearing on his face. It was somewhere between great dislike and shock.
"Yes, but I don't want the entire wizarding to find out. I've been Alexander Romanov for all but one year of my life and like being normal. I don't want people fussing over me because of some event I don't remember and resulted in the deaths of my biological parents. Nobody has ever given special treatment except on my birthday and Christmas, and then it's the usual kind that all kids that aren't abused get at those times. Besides, it's safer for me, since I know Voldemort's not completely gone, and will likely return to power one day. If he went after me when I was a baby, then he'd want to go after me again, and if where I am is a mystery to most people, he'll have a hard time getting to me."
"How do you know that?" asked Professor Dumbledore, looking surprised.
"Some Romany people have the ability to predict the future, as you very well know," said Mrs. Romanov. "I'm one of those, and I made a prediction that the Dark Lord will be defeated once, but will return to power eventually and after a reign of terror be vanquished for good by the one that defeated him the first time around. I explained it to Alex a couple of weeks ago so that he will be prepared. I'm not saying that all my predictions come true, but with all the things that the Dark Lord has done previously, his future actions will most likely make sure that this one will come true. In other words, it will become a self-predicting prophecy. And while Alex could decide to not face the Dark Lord at all, he really is not the sort to sit back and let some evil dictator have free reign over things, due to his hatred of injustice."
Professor McGonagall frowned. "But he's only eleven! He can't go around facing one of the most evil wizards of all time!"
"Alex isn't about to go face Voldemort now," said Mr. Romanov. "The Dark Lord isn't going to return to power for a few years yet, according to Ana's prediction. By the time that Alex is actually ready to confront him and vanquish him for good, Alex will be of age."
"That's better," said Professor McGonagall. "And it's a good thing that you adopted him. He had the chance of a normal and happy childhood before Hogwarts and wasn't with his awful relatives. I knew they were the worst sort of Muggles after secretly watching them for a day."
"But there was a reason that he was left with the Dursleys," protested Dumbledore. "Harry, or should I say Alex, survived in part due to his mother's sacrifice. Since Mrs. Dursley is Lily's sister, her taking her nephew in would have sealed blood wards that would have kept him protected and safe until he was of age."
"That would protect him from Voldemort, Death Eaters that escaped arrest, and other evil wizards in his own home, but would it protect him from his relatives?" snapped Mrs. Romanov. "It's clear that they never wanted him in the first place, if his uncle just abandoned him on the steps of a church. If they had decided to keep him after all, his life would have miserable. They obviously hate magic, and so would hate Alex, and if he wasn't outright abused, he would at least be neglected, which can be worse since with abuse it at least means the abuser is acknowledging you. What kind of life would that have been? With us he got a normal and happy childhood, for a wizard at any rate, and it's not like he wasn't protected anyway."
Beth nodded. "For one thing, he's been Alexander Romanov and my twin ever since we adopted him, so nobody outside of the family and a few select trusted people know who he really is. For another, Dad, Grandpa Vladek, and Aunt Sarah are very skilled in Defensive magic and set up very strong wards on all our houses."
Professor Dumbledore looked very old at that moment, while the Heads of House had varying degrees of horror and disgust. Finally Dumbledore said, "I see that I made an even graver mistake than I thought in placing Alex with the Dursleys. Mr. and Mrs. Romanov, thank you for adopting him and giving him a normal childhood. He will remain with you, and I will ensure that his secret remains secret until you or Alex say otherwise."
The Heads of House all promised to do the same, though a strange look appeared on Professor Snape's face again. This time he looked unsure, perhaps because Alex wasn't anything like his biological father at all except for his real looks, Quidditch talent, and loyalty to his friends, and Snape hadn't expected that.
The meeting ended with Beth and Alex telling their parents that they and Ron and Neville, plus new friend Hermione Granger, were in Gryffindor, mainly because they hadn't wanted to be separated from their friends or stuck in the same house as some rather unpleasant people they had met on the Hogwarts Express. Alex had then turned to Professor Snape and said, "Not that we have anything against Slytherin. Our cousin Ivan is there, and Uncle Nikolas was a Slytherin too. It's just that some Slytherins are unpleasant, and I knew if I had to share a dorm room with Malfoy and his friends for the next seven years, I'd eventually snap and end up hexing them. I don't think you'd want that happening, Professor Snape."
"No, I wouldn't, Mr. Romanov," replied Snape, the strange look returning to his face.
Mrs. and Mr. Romanov bid good-bye to their children after that and Flooed home. Professor McGonagall escorted Beth and Alex, who applied the cream that hid his scar before leaving the staff room, to the Gryffindor common room, where they went up to their respective dorm rooms. In the first-year boys' dorm, Alex hastily explained to Seamus and Dean that he had to meet with Professor McGonagall about something when they asked where he'd been, and Beth did the same to Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender. After that, the two got ready for bed.
Next chapter: The first week of classes and tea with Hagrid.
Author's Note: I decided that I didn't want Dumbledore to be so freaked out about Harry Potter's disappearance, so I decided to let him in on the secret, especially as he's not manipulative like in some fics. I also wanted Snape to find out, because his reaction would be very interesting, and he found out the truth in my other fic series where Harry grew up in an orphanage under the name James Lydell and also decided not to reveal himself to the wizarding world at large. Since it would look odd if the meeting only had Dumbledore and Snape, I decided to include the other Heads of house, since I can't have Snape find out the same way he did in my other fic series. However, rest assured that nobody else will find out or be told that Alex is really Harry Potter, except for Hermione, Sirius, and possibly the rest of the Weasleys and Neville's grandmother. At the very least the Weasley twins will find out, since the Marauder's Map would show Alex's birth name on it. Oh, and Voldemort and maybe the rest of the Death Eaters will find out, though not until he either returns to power or just before the final showdown between him and Alex. I may or may not decide to have the rest of the wizarding world find out after Voldy's defeated for good. If I don't, I may decide to have the Order, or only a select few, like Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks, be let in on the secret.