Sirius in Shock

30th of August, 1997.

"Please come to order," Dumbledore called out. He looked around him at the gathered members of the Order of the Phoenix. Moody and his nephew were there. The nephew's attendance had been sporadic at best, but it seemed like he was working overseas, at least according to Moody. Sirius looked like a thundercloud. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about it. He hated his family's house, but there was nowhere else that was safe. "We have seen very little activity recently from Voldemort and his followers. This is worrying," Dumbledore said. "Severus, do we know what his plans are?"

Severus stood up slowly as Dumbledore sat down. "The Dark Lord isn't sharing much for now. He plays his cards close to his chest, but I believe he is comfortable being out of the public's eye for now. He has an increased interest in one Kato Peverell as they seemingly share ancestry. He seems to care less about Harry Potter these days. He barely mentions him and tells those who ask questions about Mister Potter not to concern themselves. This either means he had plans already in place for Mr Potter or that Mr Potter's connections to Kato Peverell give him a certain amount of immunity."

"How come Mr Peverell is still of interest to You-Know-Who?" Arthur asked. "We doubt he would join him, right?"

"He wouldn't," Remus said. "As I understand it he is working on not making enemies until he has to. He is also trying his best to keep Harry safe which is easier for him to do if Mr Riddle doesn't think of him as a threat."

"Mr Riddle?"

"That is his actual last name," Remus said. "Harry told me so. His name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. We might as well use it"

Raiden leaned back in his chair and watched the members of the Order. They were a ragtag crew who wouldn't live long if it came down to a fight. He knew Remus and Sirius could fight. He knew he could trust the Aurors to do their part, but this group was not enough to deal with the Dark Lord. He needed better people. He needed the trained Aurors that he would start working with in a few days as soon as he knew his schedule.

"How is the Auror angle going?" Albus asked Raiden sometime later to break up a futile discussion that wasn't leading anywhere.

"The recruits have been picked and we start within the coming week," Ray said. "That is all I can really tell you. There are several different oaths in play so no one can sell us out."

Albus nodded slowly. He had hoped to learn who was part of the initiative, but he could understand why that wasn't the case. By the end of that day's meeting, he felt like they had gotten no further to figuring anything out. He hated this slow pace. It made things so much harder to deal with since the Ministry wouldn't do anything.

Ray got up and headed out. He just wanted to relax. Moody had insisted that he show his face again, but he felt like it was kind of useless. He arrived back home and took his glamour off before changing out of his clothes. He grabbed a towel and headed downstairs. Alice and Frank were sitting outside looking out over the lake with Leoline running around them. He rushed over to Harry when he showed himself. "Ry, Ry go sim," he said excitedly.

"Want to come with me out, bud?" Harry asked with a smile on his face as he scoped Leoline up. "Where is Neville?" he asked Alice.

"He saw some weeds he didn't like," Alice said. "I think he was going to plant some new flowers. I can't wait to see the flowerbeds back home."

"The wards are coming along," Harry said. "I checked on them earlier. They are thinking it will take another month or so. You should be able to move home soon."

"Sounds good, lad," Frank said. "It will be nice to get out of your hair especially with the wedding coming up."

Alice nodded. "It has been lovely to stay here," she said. "But this is your home, not ours."

Harry chuckled. "I don't mind you wanting to go home," he said. "I'm going to go for a swim with Leoline. I'll see you guys in a bit. Oh, and Remus is bringing Sirius. They could arrive anytime."

Frank nodded. "How is he doing?" he asked.

"Clawing out of his own skin. He hates the house they have locked him up in," Harry said. He headed over to the shore and placed Leoline down on the ground before spelling his clothes off, sending them over to the laundry basket. Then he took Leoline's hands and they wandered into the water. Leoline splashed happily. He was taking to water really well and Harry tried to get him to swim.

About half an hour later Remus and Sirius showed up. "What is this place?" Sirius asked as he looked around the open and airy entrance hall. The light woods and bluish-grey carpet was such a stark contrast to his parents' home that he felt better just standing there.

Remus walked over to the front door and opened it up. "This is Ennerdale Estate," he said. "I have been living here since shortly after Leoline was born. Right now we have the Longbottoms staying with us."

Sirius' eyes went everywhere. From the fruit trees heavy with fruit to the climbing flowers going up the wall of the house. It was wild in a controlled or contained kind of way. It was beautiful.

"Who owns this place?" he asked. "Is it that Kato Peverell character?"

"Sort of."

Sirius turned sharply to see a dripping-wet Harry standing with a happy-looking sandy-haired boy in his arms. Harry handed Leoline over to his father. "I own Ennerdale," he said calmly. He dried himself with a spell and started walking forcing Sirius to follow. "This is a long story. It is going to take some imagination on your part to believe it," he said. He sat down in the grass and looked out over the lake then he started telling his story. At first, he didn't look at Sirius. He just needed to get this off his chest. He felt bad about not telling Sirius earlier, but then again Sirius hadn't really been present for him to tell the story either.

When he finally felt comfortable with looking over at Sirius towards the end of the story he could tell that Sirius was keeping himself from interrupting. "…so, here I am. It has had its ups and downs," he said.

Sirius stared blankly at the water for a while. His firsts were balled up and his body tense. "Remus knows," he said between his teeth.

"Among others. No one here is unaware," Harry said. He could tell that Sirius was angry. He couldn't necessarily blame him.

"Why haven't you told me earlier?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "There was never a good time. Back when Remus got married I hadn't told him. We haven't seen much of each other over the years. I heard from Remus that the Order basically locked you up in your childhood home. I figured it was time to tell you. I have never forgotten about you, but I'm living my life. I wish I could do something to get your name cleared, but I'm not quite sure what to do."

"You have some kind of insane magic. Just do something," Sirius said without thinking. "I'm your bloody godfather. You're supposed to tell me things. You're Kato why the fuck are you getting comfy with Malfoy of all people. That man is bad news. He is a bloody Death Eater. You can't trust the man."

"I actually quite like Lucius," Harry said. "He reminds me of people I knew back in Skyrim."

"Yeah, but this isn't Skyrim and Lucius is…"

"A much better man than you are willing to admit," Harry said coldly. "Sure he has done bad stuff. I have murdered hundreds of people. Lucius lied to stay out of Azkaban. He did it so that he could be there for his wife and son. Why wouldn't you do the same for me?" his eyes narrowed. He knew he was being cold, but he had to make Sirius understand that he was his own person who would make his own decisions. "This isn't really about Lucius, though." He stood up. "This is about whether you can accept who I am now or not. "I'm Harry, the Dragon Prince of Skyrim. This will not change. The Harry I could have become had I not gone to Skyrim is gone. He will never be back. I was gone for six years. I had to grow up. I had to grow cold in some ways. I will do what needs to be done. You don't have to help me. Others will."

"Like Lucius," Sirius spat.

"Like Lucius." Harry sighed. He could tell that Sirius needed some time alone. "I'll speak to you later. I have other things I need to do," he said. Then he disapparated leaving Sirius standing out on the lawn alone.

Slowly, Neville came walking over. "You know telling people is rough for Harry," he said calmly. "He is always scared that the next person he tells will abandon him afterwards."

"Why didn't he tell me earlier?" Sirius asked.

"When have the two of you met so he could tell you?" Neville responded. "When have you reached out to check on him and how he is doing or are you just glad to know that he is alive?" He kept walking he was going over to the small forest that was part of the property. He had seen some nice flowers over there.

Sirius looked after him for a while. He needed a drink.

…

"Leaving already?" Remus asked as he watched Sirius. His son sat on his hip. He had been on his way to grab a snack in the kitchen.

"Apparently, I'm too unreliable," Sirius said.

Remus rolled his eyes. "That is you speaking not Harry. He loves you and wants to help. He told you the truth so that you could come to live here instead of Grimmauld," he said. "Are you going to wallow in self-pity or pick yourself up by your bootstraps and get your act together?"

"That is easy for you to say," Sirius said.

Remus snorted. "I missed my son's first Christmas because I tried to drown my troubles. It has taken time to get back on my feet. Harry has been very important in that recovery. He is touching a lot of lives. He loves us so he wants to help," he said. "I was seriously considering suicide after Lana died. I would have left Leoline an orphan to be cared for by Harry who is still attending school, and he would have put his life on hold for Leoline. I don't want that for him. He could probably find Peter for you, but he could die doing so. Is that what you want?"

Sirius stopped himself from responding. He didn't want to lose Remus and he knew he wouldn't have anything nice to say. He disapparated. Once back in Grimmauld he grabbed a half bottle of Firewhisky and locked himself in his bedroom.

He had already known he was useless. He didn't need it rubbed in his face. As the Firewhisky ran low, Sirius drowned further and further down in self-hatred. It was his fault that so many bad things had happened. James and Lily were dead. Harry had grown up with Petunia. Remus had lived in filth for years. It was all his fault.

1st of September, 1997.

Remus and Moody finally had enough and broke into Sirius' room. They took a step back at the stench that came rushing out. Wands out, they threw cleaning spells around the room before grabbing onto what they assumed was Sirius. They heaved him up and carried him down the stairs before apparating over to Ennerdale Estate. Remus called for Winky and asked her to prepare a room for him. He wasn't going to stand for Sirius doing this to himself. He would be meeting with a mind healer whether he wanted to or not. Healer Green had already agreed as long as Sirius' identity was hidden during their meetings. She needed some kind of deniability after all.

He ripped the rags Sirius was wearing off him before showing him into the shower.

Downstairs Harry and Neville were playing with Leoline.

"Mister Sirius is clean and sleeping now Master Harry," Winky said. "Winky will make sure he eats well."

"I'm locking him within the wards. We can't have him run around like crazy," Harry said. "I'll see what I can do about getting him off the hook, but for now he stays on the Estate. You will protect yourself. He does not have rights to give you orders and you will make sure that he attends the meetings with Healer Green." He waved to Moody as the man left.

Winky nodded slowly. She knew that Master Harry was counting on her. She would do well. For now, she wanted to clean the house up and make sure that there was no dirt left after Master Moony dragged his friend up the stairs.

Remus walked down to take his son so Harry and Neville could be off to catch the train. "Thank you," he said. "For letting me do this. I know he can be difficult, but he has a good heart."

Harry shrugged. "He can be really frustrating sometimes," he said. "I love the man, but he needs to get his act together. I won't say no to helping him. He certainly needs it." He grabbed his trunk. "I'll see you come the weekend," he said.

"See you then," Remus said.

"See you, Remus," Neville said. "I might be coming with Harry. We'll see."

Remus smiled as he watched the boys head out. It would be their last year. He hoped they would have a good time. The last year was always very stressful, but Harry seemed quite good at calming people down. He was hopeful that they would do alright. Leoline pulled at him and he focused on his son.

Meanwhile, Harry and Neville arrived at platform nine and three-quarters. They found an empty compartment and got settled in. Hannah arrived a few minutes later and sat down next to Neville. "So how are we doing this, Harry?" she asked. He had sent her a letter that summer asking if she would be alight with helping him with the new students.

"I was thinking that we'll expand this compartment out and take over the three around us," Harry said. "Then you and I head out there and welcome the young ones. We'll just have to get rid of Neville first." He poked Neville who tackled him down in the seat. Hannah giggled as they rolled out of the seat and down on the floor as she pulled her legs up. "You two are a sight you know," she said.

Harry broke away from Neville while laughing before helping his pseudo-brother up. A tired Golrii opened one eye to look at the humans before getting up and stretching so he could fly over to Harry's shoulders. Qozul was right, shoulders were surprisingly comfortable.

"I guess I'll be making myself scarce I think I can see Hermione out there. I'm going to go keep the Headgirl company if you don't want me," Neville said before sticking his tongue out at Harry.

Harry just laughed. "You do that," he said. He looked around the compartment until he found sets of runes. He activated some and deactivated others. Suddenly their little compartment had merged with three others leaving them with a rather large space to work with. Harry conjured a few pillows and low tables. He was hoping to make the children comfortable.

"I wish someone would have thought to do this when we were new," Hannah said. "I mean… I'm from a magical family. I knew I was going to Hogwarts. I knew what to expect, but this would have been amazing. If we could have been gathered up and got a chance to know each other before the house separation. I think that would have been so much better."

Harry smiled. That was his thought too. "Let's head out and find some new students," he said.

Hannah laughed. "That sounds so wrong," she said. She took his hand and they headed outside to see if they could find any nervous little eleven-year olds.

"I think that maybe I should head outside to King's Cross," Harry said. "I remember being very lost out there."

"Just don't look too out of place," Hannah said.

"I'll do my best." Harry walked out through the portal back to the muggle part of the station. He leaned against a nearby pillar and looked around like he was waiting for someone. He saw the little girl first. Her eyes were puffy and red as if she had been crying recently. He moved away from the wall. This was the same girl he had seen that morning in Ollivanders. He walked up to them. "Good morning," he said. "I'm Harry Potter."

The father stopped and looked him over while the little girl stared up at him with large eyes. "That's the one the nice man spoke of," she said. She turned to her father. "Isn't it, Dad?"

The father nodded slowly. "Professor McGonagall said you were this year's Headboy," he said.

"That would be correct, sir," Harry said. "Prefect Hannah Abbot and I are gathering all of the new students together so they can get to know each other. I can bring you with me," he told the girl.

The father seemed hesitant until a pair walked up to them. "Harry wasn't it?" Clara Drew said.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said. "Hello, Tetra how has the rest of your summer been?" He smiled as Tetra started telling him about the rides she had gone on when they went to Disney Land. She was happy and enthusiastic and easily pulled the other little girl into the conversation.

"We met Harry when Professor McGonagall took us to Diagon Alley. He is such a sweetheart. He helped Tetra get some excellent books," Clara said happily. "He got us connected to a network of parents. It is amazing. There are so many to talk to. I don't think I have seen you there. It is such a shame that the Professors don't recommend this. You should come next time."

"I would love to," the father said tiredly. "It would be good to have someone to talk to." He looked from his daughter to the other little girl. She looked to be in good hands now. "Marilyn," he said. "Can you go with Mr Potter?"

Marilyn looked up at her father. "Yeah, sure I can go with him," she said. She rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. "I'll see you at Christmas. I'll write… I think."

"You can always borrow Hedwig," Harry said. "I don't send nearly enough letters and she gets bored. She is very good at being discreet."

Marilyn smiled shyly at him. "Thank you," she said.

Harry said farewell to the parents before leading the girls over to the barrier. He told them how the barrier worked as they approached; then he walked through it confidently. Hannah had found several children from magical families and collected them together in their compartments. Harry settled Marilyn and Tetra in a corner where Marilyn could be away from people if she wanted to. "Can I go back out and look for other children with non-magical parents?" he asked.

Marilyn nodded. She wanted others to get the same help she was getting. It was only fair. She couldn't be the only scared one around. More and more children showed up. Some with Harry and some with the nice blonde girl named Hannah.

The horn whistled and Harry brought the last new students onto the train. He headed into the compartment and settled down. Hannah was sitting with a small group of new students.

"Attention everyone," Harry called out. "Now I know you are nervous. I was thinking we'll start this with some questions to put your minds at ease. I know one question that flew around my head was how do we get sorted into the four houses and what happens if I don't get sorted? Do they just send me back home?"

"The simple answer is they don't to the second question," Hannah said. "It is impossible that you don't fit into any house. The difficulty comes in the fact that we are all varied personalities and could fit in more than one house."

"I could have been a Slytherin," Harry said. "By my tie, those of you who know…" he gave them a look, "know I'm in Gryffindor and Hannah is in Hufflepuff."

"What are the houses?" a boy asked.

"Would you all like a quick rundown?" Harry asked. He saw several nods and went on to describe the four houses as best as he could. He went a little further in-depth than the simple explanation since that usually painted Slytherin and Hufflepuff in rather meek lights.

"So how are we sorted?" a girl asked. "Mom wouldn't tell me."

"And neither will we," Harry said. "I can however say that it isn't difficult or dangerous in any way. All of you will be able to do it no problem." He smiled as he got a few more questions about Hogwarts. Mostly he referred to the prefects, and the help they could and would provide any student that needed it. "And remember that you can turn to any prefect not just the ones from your house. We are all here to help. They will come in here in a moment and introduce themselves to you so you know who they are."

Hannah smiled as she listened to Harry as he went on. He spoke about the lake and the Forbidden Forest. He laid down some of the base rules so everyone would know them from the start. "I'm also thinking that everyone who is going home for Christmas can join here on the way back. Either way, we will join up at least for a bit at the end of the school year in case there is something you would like to talk about." He looked around. He could tell that people were starting to get hungry. Lunch was quickly approaching.

"Now how about we have a bit to eat? My dear house-elf and I have baked some for you. If you have a food allergy please let me know. We do have several covered. If you don't please gather around Hannah," Harry said.

Winky popped in and placed a big basket down on the table next to Hannah. "Please enjoy," she said before disappearing again.

Marilyn shuffled up to Harry. "I can't have milk," she said softly.

"Ah, lactose or milk protein?" he asked.

"Lactose," Marilyn answered.

Harry lifted out a different basket where he kept some well-packed specially prepared foods. He lifted out a pie for Marilyn. "Here you go," he said.

"There are no nuts in these right?" a boy called out.

"None," Harry answered. "You're all good."

For a little while there was a bit of a hustle as everyone got their own pie from the basket. Some had food with them and unpacked that as well. A few even opted to share a bit with everyone else as they were quite happy with the pie and couldn't possibly eat everything they had now.

Winky showed up again once everyone had eaten and the children thanked her for the food. Harry could tell that Winky enjoyed the praise but was a little embarrassed by the attention. She cleaned up and popped away just before they heard a knock on the door.

"You ready for us?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah sure," Harry said. "Everyone come closer to this wall. After this, I have some games for us." He stood up with Hannah as older students flowed into the compartment. Harry stood between Hermione and Neville.

"So from left to right we have the Ravenclaw prefects," Harry said. He waited for them to introduce themselves before continuing down the line through Hufflepuff and Gryffindor to Slytherin. "We are the prefects. You can always come to one of us and ask for help. You recognise us while running around school by our badges." Harry walked back to the new students and looked back at his fellow prefects. Do I have a volunteer from Slytherin and Ravenclaw that are willing to stay here with us while the rest of you head out?" he asked.

Astoria Greengrass the fifth-year Slytherin prefect stepped forward. "I could stay I guess," she said. She was joined by a Ravenclaw prefect and the rest headed out. Harry had seen Astoria at their crafts meetings the year before. He found that she looked frailer than he remembered. The healer in him wanted to check up on her. Her sister looked much better than she did. If something was wrong he was better off dealing with it now.

Instead of digging himself down in Astoria's health, he went on to hold the first game for the new students. He wanted team building that hopefully would survive the sorting.

…

"That was a lot of fun," Astoria said. "I wish someone would have done that for us." She stumbled as they stepped out of the carriage.

Harry caught her. He could feel how thin she was. "You okay?" he asked. Hannah had been leading the group out to Hagrid and Harry was bringing up the rear with Astoria.

Astoria nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Thanks." They walked towards the carriages slowly. The crowds were thinning out as people headed up towards the castle. Harry looked behind him. It felt like someone was watching him. He helped Astoria into a carriage before getting in himself. It was just the two of them.

"Thank you for holding those craft days last year. It was a lot of fun," Astoria said. "I know a lot of Slytherins appreciated it."

"That is nice to hear," Harry said. "I saw you around a lot with some friends, right?"

"Yes, Esmeralda wasn't sure she would like it, but Jena and I convinced her and we had a lot of fun," Astoria said.

The carriage stopped and Harry jumped down before holding his hand out to Astoria. Hopefully, he would have more chances to speak to her. Astoria seemed to be a very nice girl. He walked her up to the castle, but he still had that strange feeling at the back of his neck so he stayed behind as she walked inside. The doors closed behind him and the grounds turned dark.

A strange blue light slowly formed in front of Harry. It was a small orb at first before Harry reached out and touched it. He could tell that the magic wasn't malevolent. It felt familiar. He threw up a ward to hide himself and the strange blue light just before it shone ever so brightly. As it faded and Harry lowered his arm he was standing face to face with someone he had thought he would never see again. "Rhavaniel," he breathed softly.

"Hello Kato," Rhavaniel said. "I've been trying to reach out to you for a while now. I'm glad it finally worked, but I'm not sure how long I can hold this. If you ask the geezers around here they would say this is impossible, so they aren't of much help."

"You left the College?" Harry asked.

Rhavaniel smiled. "Yeah, I needed some time away," she said. "I'm going back though. These people are driving me nuts. They have hidden the Eye somewhere. They won't let me anywhere near it. I guess they are worried I might do something they can't control since I can control the Staff."

"You found the Psijic Order," Harry stated. "I'm guessing that is how you are contacting me now."

"I'm just pushing the limits," Rhavaniel said. "You know what it is like, Kato." She looked around. "I can't see much," she said.

"It is pitch black," Harry said. "It is fairly late here." He sighed. "I've missed you."

Rhavaniel smiled crookedly. "You'll have to continue doing that," she said. "I might be able to project my essence near you, but I doubt I could teleport that far. Just promise me that you'll keep going. Don't start hoping for us when that isn't going to happen. I love you. Please find someone who deserves you and be happy."

"I could say the same, but I know that isn't really your style," Harry said. "I have someone. Maybe one day you can meet like this. I think you'd like him."

Rhavaniel laughed. "You have pretty good taste in partners so I wouldn't be surprised," she said. "Katla was doing well when I last saw her. She is keeping Skyrim together. She had a bit of a tousle with the first Dragonborn a while back, but she beat his ass."

"Of course she did," Harry said. "She went alone though?" He wondered since Rhavaniel hadn't mentioned either Naya or Rashall. What would keep the two of them from helping Katla?

"I can see that your brain is working," Rhavaniel said. "I'll answer the unasked question then I think I have to break this off before I faint. There are kittens at Lakeview. At least two but who knows by now." She smiled. "Love you," she said before fading away. She sank back in her chair and breathed heavily. That had been much harder than she had first hoped. She had done it though. She could do it again, and she could find ways to make it easier. Maybe Kato could make a focus for her on the other end. She would have to figure that out.

Harry took a couple of steps back and sank down against the castle wall. He took a deep breath. He needed to pull himself together. The Headboy could be a little late but not absent during the sorting. He put on a brave face and walked up to the door as he dropped the ward.

Minerva was ushering the new students inside the Great Hall as Harry walked in. She looked over at him concerned for a moment before continuing what she was doing. Harry slipped in after the students and headed over to the Gryffindor table. "Later," he told Hermione. He knew that she could tell that he wasn't doing great. He smiled at Tetra as she waved at him.

The sorting hat was set down at the head of the hall.

In times of old, when I was new,

And Hogwarts barely started,

The founders of our noble school

Thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning.

"Together we will build and teach!"

The four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they

Might some day be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there, so I can tell

The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry's purest."

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest."

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those

With brave deeds to their name."

Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot

And treat them just the same."

These differences caused little strife

When first they came to light,

For each of the four founders had

A house in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin

Took only pure-blood wizards

Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaw

While the bravest and the boldest

Went to daring Gryffindor.

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,

And taught them all she knew,

Thus the houses and their founders

Maintained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But then discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with duelling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downhearted.

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the Houses been united

As they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into Houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfil my duty

And must quarter every year

Still I wonder whether Sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From internal, wrecking foes

So we must unite inside her

Stand together hand in hand

Drive out the poison

From the Founders land

Come now and see reason

Or we'll crumble from within

I have told you, I have warned you ...

Let the Sorting now begin.

Harry looked over at Hermione who rolled her eyes. They seemed to have laid the groundwork the year before. Harry clapped every time a student was sorted. He was glad no matter where they ended up. Then it was Tetra's turn. She rushed up and sat down on the stool. The hat was placed on her head and the hall fell quiet. Time passed. It felt like it was taking forever and the students started talking to each other. Tetra didn't seem bothered though. As a matter of fact, it looked like she was talking to the hat. Harry started smiling as he watched her dangling feet. He got the feeling she was enjoying herself.

Finally, the hat's mouth opened and they called out, "Hufflepuff!"

Harry clapped as Tetra headed over to her table and joined her house. A few more students headed up before it was Marilyn's turn.

Marilyn was another one that took a lot of time. She seemed nervous as she sat down. She grasped onto the chair and swayed softly back and forth. It didn't take as long as Tetra's sorting. The hat called out, "Gryffindor!"

Marilyn started walking towards the Gryffindor table. The other first-year students waved at her and seemed happy to have her, but Marilyn looked uncomfortable. Harry stood up and held his hands out to her. She rushed up to him and space was made for her next to him.

"It is normal to be a little scared and homesick," Harry said as he sat down. "Just remember that we're here to help." He rubbed her back.

The rest of the students were sorted in and the feast was called. At the staff table, they could see a new face. It was an older man who seemed to enjoy the finer parts of life a lot. He didn't look like he could be taking over the Defence Class. Maybe he was more of a Potion Professor. Rumours had been going around for years that Severus wanted the Defence post so maybe he had finally gotten it. This was later revealed as Dumbledore let the student body know that Professor Horace Slughorn was going to teach Potions that year and Severus Snape would be teaching Defence.

"Ehrm." A woman in a fluffy pink cardigan stood up from the staff table. Her hair was perfectly curled and she looked like a cream puff… an unappetizing cream puff. "It is also important for you to know that the Ministry will be looking over Hogwarts this year to evaluate your education and safety. I am Dolores Umbridge and I will be conducting this inspection."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, almost strained. "Please make sure that Inquisitor Umbridge feels welcome."

Harry leaned forward and studied this new person. Her hair was perfect. Her little pink hat matched the cardigan she wore and was tilted just so in an attempt to make her look sophisticated. Her voice was grating and highly annoying. He got the feeling he should check if Lucius knew who she was. He needed to know how to handle her.

As Harry started helping Neville and Hermione up to the Gryffindor tower with the new students, Sirius woke up. He looked around confused. The walls of the room he had been taken to were a nice cream, not the crimson red he had collapsed too. This wasn't his room. He was wearing a soft cotton T-shirt and some training pants. These weren't his clothes. His mouth tasted like a sewer. He got out of the bed and stood up. For a moment his vision swam and grabbed onto the nearby dresser. He walked over to a door that stood ajar and opened it up. The person looking back at him in the mirror looked like shit. The headache had set in and Sirius sat down on the toilet.

An unknown amount of time later Sirius got back up and found a toothbrush still in its packaging and some toothpaste. He cleaned up before heading back to the bedroom. He pushed the other door open. Toys lay scattered on the floor. A house-elf was slowly taking them away as she spoke to a man in another room. It took Sirius a moment to realise that it was Remus. His voice was so soft and kind when he spoke to his son. He doubted he had ever heard Remus sing before. It actually sounded pretty nice.

Remus stepped out of his son's room and met Sirius' eyes. "Finally awake are you," he said. He folded his arms over his chest. "You could have died," he said. "Be glad that you didn't. I would suggest you get some sleep because tomorrow you are talking to Healer Green whether you like it or not."

Sirius' eyes narrowed. He was an adult. He wasn't going to let anyone tell him what he could and couldn't do. He headed downstairs and tried to apparate. He couldn't leave. His eyes narrowed and he pushed the door open. Then he transformed into Padfoot and started running. He ran for quite a while before he suddenly impacted with a soft pillow-like barrier. No matter how much he tried he couldn't get past it. He whined as he tried to push past the wards. Why would Harry do this to him?

He lay down and sighed in resignation.

Back at Hogwarts Harry sat down heavily in one of the armchairs by the fire. Hermione sat down on his armrest once she had helped the first-year girls to their dorm. "Sirius is trying to get out," Harry mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"Is that what bothered you earlier?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, it wasn't," he said. He took a deep breath. "I met Rhavaniel. She projected herself to me…" He sighed deeply and covered his face with his hands.

Hermione closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what to say to that. If Rhavaniel could talk to Harry, how would that affect him? "How do you feel?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "It felt good to talk to her," he said. "I know everyone is alive and well. Naya and Rashall have cubs. Two of them. I hope I can see them someday. She wants me to move on. It feels good to hear her say that even though I already knew that was what she would want."

Hermione smiled. At least Rhavaniel seemed to care about Harry's happiness. Maybe it was better for Harry to get a chance to talk to her even if it upset him. "Maybe you should mention this to Healer Green," she pointed out.

Harry nodded. "I probably should just in case," he said. "I should also mention it to Charlie when I write to him, I think. Just so I'm not hiding any of this from him. I know he is a little worried about things like that."

"Considering how fondly you speak of anyone from Skyrim that you care about, I can understand him," Hermione said. "So you two are an item now?" She smirked as she poked at him teasingly.

Harry actually blushed as he wrestled her down in his lap. "Yeah," he answered as she got comfortable. "We're together now, but we're not telling his family yet."

"Understandable," Hermione said. "Considering you are barely seeing each other for a year, that kind of makes sense. Viktor and I held off on actually announcing that we were a couple for a long time. His parents obviously knew after our visit, but I didn't officially tell my parents until this summer. Not that mother hadn't guessed, but you know…"

"So here we are so far away from love," Harry said before sighing dramatically. "Oh, woe us. However, shall we survive this year of schooling?"

Hermione slapped him gently as she laughed at his antics. "You are just impossible," she said. She leaned against him and stared into the fire. "This is our last year," she said. "Doesn't that feel strange to you?"

"It does," Harry said. "But I like the idea of finally going out in the world too."

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, me too," she said.