Hogwarts (Night)
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted. The Slytherins all applauded at their new addition as the blonde walked over to their table.
"Good luck, Little Brother." Calore whispered to Harry, smirking. "Break a leg."
"Please don't jinx it." the boy responded, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Xiao-Long Potter, Harry." McGonagall said, silencing the room. The boy meekly walked up to the woman, and allowed her to place the Hat on his head.
"...Difficult. Very difficult." the Sorting Hat said. "I apologize, but you will not be joining your sister in Slytherin. While you are ambitious, you simply don't have the cunning for that House. Not a bad mind, but Ravenclaw just isn't right either. You're loyal, yes. Certainly brave. There's also a desire to prove yourself to your father. Ah, I think I have the right House for you. GRYFFINDOR!"
Everyone at the Gryffindor table, as well as many of the teachers, cheered as the boy made his way to the Lion's House. As he did, he saw Calore clapping for him. However, she did have a bit of a sad expression since her brother wasn't in her House.
"Your attention, please." McGonagall said, directing everyone's gaze to Dumbledore.
The man stood up, his large beard in full view of the Xiao-Long siblings, making the two remember one of their teachers back home with equally impressive facial hair. "Let the feast begin." he said.
Just like that, all the tables were covered with a smorgasbord of food. If she were biologically capable of it, Calore's mouth would've been watering. As soon as she picked up a fork, she took a turkey leg and devoured it. Even the bone. Understandably, many of the Slytherins who saw her do this moved slightly further away. Harry, however, had a much more sensitive palate, likely due to his unusual physiology. The boy searched around himself until he managed to pick out a slice of lightly undercooked chicken.
While he was eating, he felt... compelled to glance over at the teacher's table. "Hey, Percy. Who's that teacher talking to the man in the turban?" he asked the prefect.
"Oh, that's Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House." Percy explained.
"What does he teach?" Harry asked.
"Potions. But everyone knows it's the Dark Arts he fancies. He's been after Quirrell's, that's the one in the turban, job for years." the red-haired boy explained.
'Dark Arts, huh?' Harry thought to himself as he continued gazing at the black-haired man. Then, out of nowhere, his magic started to swell up. The reason for this was a mystery until a phantasmal head poked through some of Ron's food.
"Hello!" the ghost said as he rose out of the table. "How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor!" While he was floating, the specter seemed to stare at Harry for a few seconds before flying off without a word. After his departure, several other ghosts entered the hall, either by passing through walls or the floor. It was difficult for Harry to keep his magic under control around them, but he managed, mostly due to restraint training with Uncle Ren and Pit Boss.
Others who belonged to the Undead Element.
McGonagall's Office (Flashback)
The Head of Gryffindor sat at her desk, reviewing the paperwork for the incoming first-years. She'd been arranging for various teachers to speak to muggle families about their children's magic abilities. She'd even done a few herself, the most recent being the Granger family.
However, she was worried about one potential student. Harry Potter. Dumbledore's monitoring charms had apparently been altered before they even came back from Surrey. Which could only mean that the Boy Who Lived never came into contact with his aunt or uncle. And yet, the charms indicated that he was 'at home'. Due to this complication, Dumbledore decided it would be best if the public was kept unaware of this.
Because of the mystery surrounding his whereabouts, McGonagall was eager to send an owl to the Potter boy. Unfortunately, the owl never returned.
"Are you in charge of admissions for Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall?" a male voice asked, shocking the woman and making her raise her wand.
"Show yourself!" she warned.
"Answer the question." the voice said. Minerva could've sworn she heard hissing.
"Yes, I am. Why do you want to know?" the woman asked, shaking.
From the shadows, a humanoid shape took form in the center of the room. Minerva correctly assumed this was the owner of the voice she was hearing. The man, who appeared younger than she expected, had dark gray skin and wore a traditional Japanese kimono, as well as a pitch-black scarf that kept his mouth obscured. His hair was stark white, and his eyes, one of which was covered by his hair, had black sclera and red irises.
"My master has recently received a letter to this school, addressed to his son, Harry Xiao-Long Potter." the strange man said, giving McGonagall pause.
"Harry Potter? Harry James Potter?" the witch asked, hoping it was the the same boy.
"Yes, though his name was changed during the adoption process." the man explained.
"We left him with his mother's sister." McGonagall recalled.
"His Majesty knew Harry wouldn't be happy with her." the man said. "While my master can be finicky, he tries to choose what will lead to the best outcome whenever he makes a decision."
"Wait, was Harry taken in by royalty?" the woman asked, almost questioning if she was dreaming.
"Yes." the man said. "And he would like to attend classes at your school. However, there is a condition."
"What would that be?" McGonagall asked, hoping it wasn't anything too serious.
"Harry will only agree to come here if his stepsister, Calore Xiao-Long, is allowed admission." the man explained.
"I'd have to speak with the Headmaster, but I would be glad to accept her." Minerva said.
"Thank you." the man said before turning to the door. "One last thing. Lord Xiao-Long has quite a large influence, even beyond his own borders. Should any teachers or students inflict serious injuries on either of his wards, then he will personally see to it that the guilty party is punished accordingly." he warned, sending chills down the witch's spine. "Good night, Professor McGonagall." he said before vanishing into black particles.
"Dumbledore needs to know about this." she said before rushing to the Headmaster's Office.
