Disclaimer: see chapter 1
"C'mon! by the time we get there all the boats will be gone and we'll have to swim across!" said Portia as she tugged Harry along.
"I'm going as fast as I can! I'm not used to these clothes." Said Harry as he followed
"Neither am I but at least nobody can see your pantalets." Said Portia
"I'm a boy, I don't wear pantalets." Said Harry as they got to a boat.
"Hey Harold, Portia." Said Ron as he climbed into a boat with them
"Ronald, Hermione." Said Harry and Portia in union
"My brothers said there's a giant squid in the lake." Said Ron as he stuck his hand in the water. Hermione quickly yanked it out.
"There is a giant squid in the lake, I read it in 'Hogwarts a History'. So you'd better take your hand out of the water unless you want to loose it." Said Hermione. Portia mouthed 'know it all' to Harry and Harry nodded in agreement.
"I hope we get sorted into the same house." Said Portia addressing Harry
"I guess I'll be in Gryffindor. All my brothers were there." Said Ron not knowing that he wasn't being addressed.
"You'll be a Ravenclaw Hermione, you're smart." Said Harry
"I suppose so. Where do you think you'll be?" asked Hermione
"Me and Portia were thinking Gryffindor because our parents were in Gryffindor. I'm not sure if we're particularly brave or anything like that but maybe we'll be in Ravenclaw like our cousin." Said Harry Portia nodded
"I hope we don't get separated like they separated us from Galatea." Said Portia pushing her skirt down to cover her pantalets
"Galatea? Galatea Pettigrew" asked Ron incredulously
"Yes, you know her?" asked Portia
"Fred and George said she's mental."
"Who?" asked Harry
"My brothers. They said she's always reading these old dark books and she sometimes hexes people. Not normal hexes, dangerous ones." Said Ron
"Galatea doesn't like it when people make fun of her." Said Harry
"Or disrupt her reading." Said Portia
"Or if she just plain doesn't like them." They both said at once
"So she just hexes people? Is that normal in the wizarding world?" asked Hermione
"For us yes but we're not from around here." Said Portia
"You're both from that island?" asked Ron
"Remordere, yes." Said Portia
"I've read about that, were you born there?" asked Hermione eyeing them. She had read about the island in books and was curious about them.
"Me yes, him no." said Portia as they docked
"It was nice meeting you two." Said Hermione as they raced off to join the other first years. They skidded to a halt when they saw Hagrid but then went back to following everyone else. They kept their eyes peeled for Galatea but they didn't see anyone older. They were stopped outside the great hall by Professor McGonacle.
"Welcome to your first year at Hogwarts. I'm professor McGonacle and soon you'll step through these doors and be sorted. There are four houses; Ravenclaw, Hufflepup, Gryffindor, and Slytherin." Said Professor McGonacle as the door opened. Harry and Portia followed quickly and looked up at the ceiling.
"Mother says it's bewitched to look like the sky." Said Portia
"I wonder if they can make it rain? I guess it'd be terribly inconvenient." Said Harry as the came to a stop in front of the Great Hall.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I'd like to remind you all that the Forbidden forest is forbidden to all students, students are well advised to stay away from the third floor corridor if they do not wish to die a terrible death. Also, Harry Potter is still missing from his aunt and uncle's home so the search will continue. Now, Let's being sorting." Said Dumbledore
"Harry Potter?" muttered Harry. That name seemed familiar to him, almost like it was his. He knew his father saved him when he was very young and he got memories of being locked somewhere small and dusty. He looked up at the teachers and fell the space where his scar was covered up with glamor spells burned.
"You alright, brother?" asked Portia as names were being called
"Fine, just a very strange headache." Said Harry
"Probably just stress. Hey look, they're calling Hermione." Said Portia pointing to the sorting hat. They were surprised as it announced Gryffindor
"I thought all of the smart people went to Ravenclaw." Said Portia scratching her head in confusion.
"Maybe the hat's getting old and senile." Said Harry
"Can hats become senile?" asked Portia
"Maybe magical ones." Said Harry not noticing that it was getting closer to his name.
"Harold Pettigrew?" said Professor McGonacle in confusion. She knew Peter Pettigrew had a daughter but not a son. She found it a bit suspicious that Harry Potter was missing and that Dumbledore had turned up a Harold Pettigrew through tax records. She looked at his forehead as he came up and saw no scar.
"Hmm…" said the hat inside of Harry's head
"What?" asked Harry inside of his head. He felt a bit violated as his innermost thoughts were read. The hat picked up on this and laughed.
"You're not who you say you are." Said the hat
"What do you mean?" asked Harry
"I mean what I said and I said what I meant." Said the hat
"You're not making sense, just sort me." Thought Harry in what he hoped was something close to the voice his father used when he was ordering people around
"Well aren't we the impatient one. Your years with Peter Pettigrew have changed you." Said the hat
"My father saved me." Said Harry stomping his foot impatiently. Everyone could only guess by his body langue that he was having an argument with the hat and everyone found this amusing or slightly worrying.
"Your father tried to save you child but that's a story for another day." Said the hat
"Sort me now!" yelled Harry this time out loud. Everyone was startled and the hat look like it was rolling it's eyes. There was a quiet murmuring amongst the great hall until the hat finally sorted him.
"Gryffindor!" said the Hat finally. Harry took the hat off of his head and looked at it in distain before heading down to the Gryffindor table. He sat next to Ron and watched as Portia sat down to be sorted.
"Hmm…another Pettigrew." Said the hat
"You will sort me now or else!" said Portia in her head. She always got her way in the end
"Now I suppose you'll be telling me that you'll pick your own house and your own classes." Said the hat
"Yes I will! I will be in Gryffindor with my brother and I will take all of the classes he takes and you will sort me into Gryffindor now!" said Portia smugly
"Your mother was willful too; if only your father had that same quality."
"What do you mean?"
"That's a story for another time. As for now…Gryffindor!" said the hat. Portia tossed the hat to McGonacle and stomped over to Harry.
"Stupid hat." Muttered Portia as she sat down. Harry patted her on the back
"You were right, the hat's going senile in its old age." Said Harry
"It said things about father and mother." Said Portia
"You too?" asked Harry. They didn't notice the attention that they were getting or the strange looks from Dumbledore. He knew that there was something about those two children but he didn't know what. For now he was content to watch them carefully.
"Well, let's eat and think about that later. Huh?" asked Harry as some food magically appeared in front of them. Portia nodded and dug in without even caring that there was only one type of fork, knife, and spoon. They ate and then were led to Gryffindor tower. They settled into their separate dormitories but neither of them slept well. Homesickness set in.