Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, only Leo and Fawn
"Chapter Seven the Sorting Hat," Fawn began.
"5 Galleons that Harry gets sorted into Gryffindor!" James announced.
"You're really betting on what house our son is going to be sorted into?" Lily asked stunned.
"Yep," James grinned.
"I bet he'll be a Slytherin," said Sirius.
"I got Hufflepuff," said Remus.
"Ravenclaw," said Peter.
The four boys ignored Lily's disapproving glare.
Harry gave his friends a bewildered look, shocked that his father and his friends were betting on me. His friends gave him sympathetic looks but Leo grinned at him.
"What about Leo?" Sirius asked. Leo's grin slipped from his face at his dad's words.
"Don't bet on me," said Leo but he was ignored.
"I'm going to bet Hufflepuff," said James.
"I say Gryffindor," said Remus.
"He's going to be in Slytherin," said Peter.
"No way, he's a Ravenclaw," said Sirius looking at his son for any hints but getting an offended look instead.
"Shall we see who wins?" Fawn asked finding the whole situation amusing.
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry first thought was that this was not someone to cross.
"Minne!" The Marauders and Leo yelled like they had done the previous night.
Professor McGonagall had to fight the smile that was trying to make itself knowing on her face, she happy that her students were fond of her.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursley'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. Harry 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 crowed in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering around nervously.
"It's always so cute to see how nervous and scared the first years are," Lily gushed.
"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 with something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your houses, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house had its own noble history and each had produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. 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."
"That is almost the exact same speech you gave us," Remus chuckled.
Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.
"It's pointless, there is nothing that will tame our hair," said James proudly.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
"I don't think anyone actually stays quiet, I know we didn't," said Sirius grinning at his friends.
She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron and Leo.
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."
Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet- what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.
"If we needed to perform some kind of magic, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have very many students," said Ron.
Harry tried hard not to listen to Hermione. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.
"I would have loved to see that," said James.
He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.
"You are so dramatic," said Regulus with a grin.
"Be careful, you two," said Leo quietly to Harry and Ron. "When my cousin was sorted, she had to go to the hospital wing straight after."
Leo snorted. "I forgot about that!" he laughed.
"What happened?" Andromeda asked concerned for her future daughter.
"Don't worry, she's fine. It'll be explained in a moment," Leo assured his aunt.
Harry didn't know whether to believe Leo or not because mischief seemed to be swimming in his eyes and he was grinning like the Cheshire cat. Ron certainly seemed to believe him since his face paled quite a bit.
"Wait, did you actually believe me?" Leo asked excitedly.
"Of course, I did, I didn't know you very well yet," said Ron making Leo laugh loudly.
Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air- several people behind him screamed.
"It's the ghosts, isn't it?" Peter asked.
"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.
"I screamed when they did that," Fawn admitted.
"That was you?" James asked. "We never knew who screamed."
Fawn blushed embarrassed. "I was used to creatures; I never met a ghost before coming to Hogwarts."
"It's alright, love, nothing to be embarrassed about," Sirius assured her.
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 chanced he deserves?
"I love Peeves, he's one of the best things about Hogwarts," said Remus.
"That's because you four are best friends with him," Lily rolled her eyes.
-He gives us all a bad name and you know, he'd not really even a ghost- I say, what are you all doing here?"
"Why are they even asking? Surely, they know by now," said Narcissa.
A ghost wearing ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
"We're waiting to be sorted, sir," said Leo. The only one brave enough to speak to the ghosts.
"He is going to be a Gryffindor, no doubt," said Remus smugly but his friends waved him off.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! 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, Harry got into line behind Leo, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
"You're first time seeing the Great Hall, this is so exciting," Lily beamed.
Harry had never imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in mid-air 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, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. Her heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.
"Yeah, just ask James," Sirius laughed.
"Sirius!" James whined.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked his Godfather.
"James flew his broom in the Great Hall during on of our pranks and he flew into the ceiling," said Remus because Sirius couldn't stop laughing long enough to tell the story.
Leo let out a loud laugh, imagining the scene but imagining Harry instead of James.
"It's not that funny," James pouted.
Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.
"Good to know the Sorting Hat stays the same," said Peter.
Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing-
"Why do you pull a rabbit out of a hat?" Narcissa asked confused.
"It's a trick that muggles do when they put on magic shows," Hermione explained.
"But muggles can't do magic," said Regulus, just as confused as his cousin.
"They can't, they just do tricks that fool your eyes," said Hermione. "There are some very good ones too."
Noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. 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:
"I love when the hat sings," said Fawn.
'Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can fine
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,
The Marauders let out a loud cheer at the mention of their house.
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindor apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs 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 fine 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 hand (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!'
"At least it's singing something cheerful for once," said Sirius sarcastically.
"The Sorting Hat let's out a warning when the world needs it," said Leo. "You're in the middle of a war so it sings about needing to stay united, it did the same thing when our war started."
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
"So, we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll! And, Leo, what were you going on about your cousin having to go to the hospital wing after being sorted?"
The Marauders laughed at the joke that Fred played on their younger brother. They loved the twins so far.
Leo sniggered to himself, "Well, you see, Tonks is quite clumsy, she fell down the steps and got a bloody nose that wouldn't stop bleeding. That's why she had to go to the hospital wing."
"Is she okay?" Andromeda asked concerned as everyone else laughed.
"She was fine," Leo chuckled.
Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seeming to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for the people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.
"If there was a house like that, I think most people would be sorted into it," said Remus amused.
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 say down. A moment pause-
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Black, Leo!"
Everyone sat forward, eager to find out what house Leo was going to be sorted into. The Marauders and Fawn were the most interested because Leo was Fawn and Sirius's son and all the Marauders wanted to win their bet.
A sudden hush fell over the Great Hall when Leo's name was called out. People started to whisper to each other when Leo sat on the stool and put the hat on, but Harry couldn't hear them.
"They were all talking about how I'm Sirius Black's son," Leo rolled his eyes.
The hat was barely on Leo's head for a few seconds before-
"GRYFFINDOR!" shout the hat.
Everyone cheered loudly for Leo who beamed proudly at everyone.
"I WIN!" Remus cheered.
The rest of the Marauders grumbled but promised to give him the Galleons later.
The table on the far left roared in applause, Harry could see Leo grinning as he sat down at the table, Fred and George Weasley were quick to move, so they were now sitting next to Leo.
"Please tell me you become friends with them," pleaded Sirius, forgetting that Leo had already mentioned that they were friends.
"Of course, they're my brothers in arms," Leo grinned widely.
"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 stood up to shake hands with Terry as the joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but 'Brown, Lavender' became to second new Gryffindor; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.
"Can we skip to when you guys get sorted, I don't care about anyone else," James complained.
"James," Lily scolded.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.
"That won't happen here," Lily reassured Harry.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Sometimes, Harry noticed the hat shouted out the house at once, like with Leo, but at others it took a little while to decide.
"I'm just awesome," Leo bragged.
"I was instantly sorted as well," said James.
"It took the Hat a while to decided if I was better in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," said Remus.
"I was the same," said Lily.
"Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.
Everyone in the room, barring Snape, cheered for Hermione like they did for Leo making the girl blush brightly but smile.
A horrible thought stuck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?
"That can't happen, can it, Professor?" asked Fawn, a little worried.
"Of course not, Miss Scamander, we will wait for as long as it takes for a student to be sorted," Professor McGonagall assured her.
When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to it to "MacDougal, Morag."
"Poor Neville," said Ginny.
"What kind of name is Morag?" Sirius cackled.
Malfoy swagged forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
"I was still sorted quicker!" said Leo making everyone chuckled at his pettiness.
Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.
There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anna" and then at last- "Potter, Harry!"
"Finally!" James muttered sitting up straight and paying extra attention. "Everyone shut up!"
As Harry stepped forward, whispered suddenly broke out like hissing fires all over the hall. But this time Harry could hear what people were saying.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. The next second, he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So, where shall I put you?"
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
"There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin," said Lily.
"Lily, shush, Harry's getting sorted," James said, ignoring Lily's offended look.
"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!"
James leapt into the air cheering.
"You're a Gryffindor!" he shouted happily. Turning to his friends, James smirked, "I win."
The rest of the Marauders groaned but agreed to pay him later.
Harry watched his father, amused at his reaction. He couldn't wait until he found out that he got onto the Quidditch team in his first year, that reaction is going to be amazing.
"I'm proud of you, Harry," Lily smiled.
Harry heard the hat shout the last work to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
"I love these twins," said Sirius.
Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier, and next to Leo, who had saved him a seat.
"That's so sweet," said Fawn, smiling at Leo's embarrassed look.
The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.
"I hate when the ghosts touch you, it's a horrible feeling," said Narcissa, shuddering at the phantom coldness that swept through her body.
He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him a thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the centre of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only think in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.
"I still feel that's the Quirrell we go to school with," said Remus.
"It probably is," said Peter.
And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.
Everyone once again leaned forward, eager to find out what his house was, but everyone guessed that he was going to be in Gryffindor, every other Weasley has been in Gryffindor before.
Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"
A loud cheer echoed through the room. Everyone was happy that the four would be together in Gryffindor and not in separate houses.
Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across from Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.
"It always feels like that when you're at the back to term feast, you're always hungry," said Andromeda.
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 out banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
The Marauders cackled to themselves, they loved how insane Dumbledore was. Harry and Leo shared a disgusted look at the mention of Dumbledore.
He sat back down. Everyone clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh with Leo and the Weasley twins or not.
"Is he- a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.
"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"
Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boil potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he like. Dudley had always taken anything Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick.
"The fact that you had to say 'exactly' means that they starved you," said Regulus. He knew all about growing up in an abusive home but unlike Sirius he wasn't brave enough to break away from his family.
Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.
"That does looks good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.
"I don't really like Nearly Headless Nick," Leo admitted.
"I agree," said Sirius. "He's a bit of a downer."
"Can't you-?"
"I haven't eaten for nearly four 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!"
"He hates being called Nearly Headless Nick," Peter winced.
"Why?" asked Narcissa.
"You'll see," said Sirius.
Speaking of Ron's brothers, the twins and Leo seemed to sniggering to each other as they talked.
"We were talking about pranks," said Leo proudly.
"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?"
"There is always at least one first year asking him that at the start of the year feast," James chuckled.
Sir Nicolas 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.
"Why is he showing them that?" Narcissa asked, disgusted at the imagine on the screen showing Nearly Headless Nick pulling his head off neck.
"He could have just not shown them," Andromeda agreed.
"It's quite disgusting," Lily agreed.
Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their face, Nealy Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So- new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us with the house championship this year? Gryffindor have gone so long without winning. Slytherin have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable- he's the Slytherin ghost."
Harry 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, Harry was pleases to see, didn't look too pleases with the seating arrangements.
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.
"Do you know, Professor?" Peter asked.
"I don't, Mr Pettigrew, but I ask that you don't ask him, it could be a sensitive topic for him," said Professor McGonagall.
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 flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding-
"The cookies and cream ice cream at Hogwarts is the best," said Leo.
As Harry 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, Neville?" said Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off guard and force some magic out of me- he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned- but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came around for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidently let go. But I bounced- all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really please, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here- they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."
"Okay, if anything happens to Alice and Frank, we're taking Neville!" said Lily, not giving James a choice.
"Defiantly, poor boy could have been killed so many times!" James agreed.
"What about you, Leo?" said Ron.
"Pureblood. My father is obviously a Black but my mum was a Scamander. You know like Newt Scamander. He's my grandpa." Leo said proudly.
The people surrounding him looked surprised at his family tree but Harry didn't really know who Newt Scamander is, apart from the school book he was required to buy.
"I defiantly know now," said Harry, remembering when Leo had introduced him to his awkward grandfather. Harry was quite fond of the man, he was very nice, just every awkward around people.
On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult- "; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing- ").
"What are your favourite subjects?" James asked his son and his friends.
"Mine is Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Harry.
"Care of Magical Creatures," said Leo.
"Arithmancy," said Hermione.
"Defence Against the Dark Arts, as well," said Ron.
"Transfiguration," said Ginny.
Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.
"No way!" breathed James.
"You're a Hogwarts Professor?" said Remus shocked, staring at Snape who was just as shocked.
"How am I in Azkaban but you're a professor?" said Sirius.
It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes- and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.
"What have you done to my son, Snivellus!" James growled.
"I didn't do anything, Potter!" Snape snapped.
"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand on his head.
"What is it?" asked Percy.
"N-nothing."
The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look- a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.
"Why? Because he's, my son?" asked James, feeling very protective of his son.
"Well, if he's anything like you then yes," said Snape with a roll of his eyes.
"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.
"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to- everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."
"Well, what do you know?" said Sirius with a sneer.
"That is enough!" said Professor McGonagall. "I will not put up with this childish behaviour in here!"
Sirius and Snape looked away from each other, neither wanted to get on the bad side of Professor McGonagall.
Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.
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 in 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 love the forest," said Leo.
"No, you're not allowed in the forest," said Sirius, wanting to protect his son from what he knows is in the forest.
"Don't worry, I've been in there tons of times, nothing bad has happened to me," said Leo reassuringly.
"Don't care, no more forest," said Sirius.
"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 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."
"What?" said Remus.
"Telling them that is only going to make people want to go there more," said James. "I want to and explore it now."
Harry 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- forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects at least."
"Ugh," Sirius whined. "I don't like him."
Ron and Ginny frowned at Sirius, they understood that Percy wasn't the funniest person to be around and they had their problems with him but he was still their brother.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.
"It is the stupid song I have ever heard," Professor McGonagall admitted making everyone laugh.
Dumbledore gave his want 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 about the tables and twisted itself, snakelike into words.
"Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now, they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So, teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
Everyone 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.
"These twins are great!" James laughed.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much further they had to go when they came to a sudden holt.
"Getting to Gryffindor Tower always takes forever after dinner," Peter whined.
A bundle of walking sticks was floating in mid-air ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them, they started throwing themselves at him.
"Peeves, our best friend!" Sirius cheered.
"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 a balloon, answered.
"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"
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.
"Oooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"
He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about his, I mean it!" barked Percy.
"That's not how you handle Peeves," James frowned.
"How do you handle Peeves?" Regulus asked.
"You give him the idea to both someone else," said Remus simply.
Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head.
"Poor Neville," Hermione winced.
They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armour as he passed.
"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."
At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat lady in a pink silk dress.
"Password," she said.
"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hold in the wall. They all scrambled through it- Neville needed a leg up- and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cosy. Round room full of squashy armchairs.
The screen displayed the Gryffindor common room. Fawn and the Slytherin's looked at the screen in awe. The Gryffindor common room was different from how any of them imagined.
"It looks so warm and cosy," said Andromeda.
"It is," Lily smiled.
"We can sneak you in," said Sirius, winking at Fawn who blushed brightly.
Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of the spiral staircase- they were obviously in one of the towers- they found their beds at last: six four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pyjamas and fell into bed.
"I always fall straight to sleep after the feast," said Lily.
"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings, Leo already fallen asleep in the bed on the other side of Harry. "Get off Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."
Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.
Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully- and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it- then Malfoy turned to the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold- there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.
"You had a nightmare," said Lily softly, gazing at her son sadly.
"It's fine, I completely forgot I had it," Harry assured her.
He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke the next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.
"That's the chapter," said Fawn. "Who's reading next?"
"I would like to read next," said Andromeda, taking the book from Fawn.
"I'm so glad that your finally at Hogwarts!" said Lily, grinning at her son.
"You are going to have the time of your life at Hogwarts," said James.
Harry ginned at his parents, most of his best memories are when he was at Hogwarts and he can't wait for his parents to experience it with him.