Thank you once again for the reaction to the last chapter! I've really enjoyed this story coming to a public life after being locked away on my system for years now and to see others enjoying it too is great to see.

We'll meet Leo's friends in a bit more detail in this chapter! Fay Dunbar is a character introduced to us through the official games but has become a bit of a regular within the fandom from what I've seen, whilst Anna Bailey is another OC I've created. All of the Houses in Harry's year have 11 people in so I really wanted to add in and develop some of the girls in Hermione's dorm. Fay is a Half-Blood, and Anna is a Pure-Blood, with a more well known maternal side…

I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well! Some of the dialogue is borrowed from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Chapter 11 – The Sorting Hat's New Song.


The ceiling in the Great Hall of Hogwarts was, as always, charmed to look exactly like the sky outside of the high windows with tonight being a starless black night. Leo looked up at it for a moment as he entered the Great Hall, hoping that his Mother was doing the same thing before he quickly walked over to the Gryffindor table and spotted the dark brown hair of Fay Dunbar, who was eagerly chatting away with Anna Bailey about something. Fay smiled brightly as she saw Leo however and got out of her seat to hug him tightly.

"Leo!" She exclaimed, squeezing him forcefully before pulling away and looking up at him, smoothing her skirt in the process. "Why didn't you come back over to us and say hello on the train?"

Leo shrugged nonchalantly, feeling like the answer was relatively obvious. "You were surrounded by Stinksap, and even if I wanted to join you and suffer the Gobstones club after we set off, I couldn't really leave my compartment."

Anna snorted quickly. The red-head's relationship with Leo was like that, whereas he had genuine affection for Fay, with Anna it was more banter filled and full of japes at one another's expense. "What happened, cornered by Slytherins?" She teased.

"The 'Golden Trio' actually." Leo rolled his eyes, ignoring the mockery as he sat down next to Fay facing the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables.

Anna's jaw dropped from opposite the two. "You were in the same compartment as them?" She asked disbelievingly.

"Not by choice." Leo grumbled, still a little bit sour about the Mimbulus Mimbletonia incident. "There I was, sat basically on my own and hoping to get some reading in about the Andalucian Giants in the 19th Century before the term started, and in stepped Harry, Neville and Ginny Weasley."

Fay's mouth widened in a large grin. "I bet you loved that." She teased, knowing full well how Leo usually acted around Harry Potter.

Leo shrugged again. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Especially when Hermione and Ron joined them." He explained to the two girls.

Fay was confused. "Why were they not with him at the start?" She asked, before looking towards where that group had sat down further at the table and everybody saw the badges pinned onto their robes. "Oh… prefects." Fay muttered.

"Ron Weasley's a prefect?" Anna snorted in amusement yet again. "Even you would have been a better choice Leo, and you're..."

"Thanks Anna." Leo muttered dryly before she could finish her sentence, taking enjoyment of her put out face as he stuck his tongue out at her childishly. Turning to Fay, he changed the subject. "Anyway, how was your journey?" He asked quickly, not wanting to dwell on the fact that he agreed with Anna's assessment. Of all the Gryffindor 5th year boys he felt that he was the most responsible and the least likely to get into trouble so should have been a shoe in for Prefect. Though when his badge didn't arrive with his letter, the sinking feeling of Harry getting another reward did fill him with dread for a few days, so at least that didn't happen.

Unaware of Leo's old jealousy issues over the Boy-Who-Lived spiking up yet again, Fay groaned as she answered the question. "I love Gobstones don't get me wrong, but 9 hours of it? Even I needed a break, the compartment reeked before we got to Nottingham." Fay Dunbar was a member of the Gobstones club at Hogwarts, and while she loved the game, it was very obvious after spending a matter of minutes with her that Quidditch was her true passion. At that moment she gave Anna a sly grin. "Although Anna seemed to enjoy herself." Fay teased the red-head.

"Shut up." Anna hissed, a blush appearing on her face.

"His hands were everywhere!" Fay exclaimed at her as quietly as she could, though she was still grinning.

Anna just smiled back at her smugly. "Mine were too."

Leo snorted a laugh. Anna had been the only one of the three of them to enter into the dating scene with any sort of success so the news that she had been with a boy wasn't at all surprising. "Who are we on about?"

"Wayne Hopkins." Anna shrugged. "Hufflepuff in our year in the Gobstones club. We got together towards the end of last year and he must have missed me more than the Gobstones crew." She added with a grin, before she saw the look that the other two were giving her. "What? It was better than listening to you talk about Gobstones all the way here." She directed to Fay.

"You dragged me in there!" Fay whispered back. "I was more than happy to wait for Leo yet you just wanted to snog Wayne!"

Anna stuck her tongue out with a grin. "Worth it." She smirked, though before Fay could retort the doors to the Entrance Hall swung open, and in stepped Professor McGonagall leading the First Years up to be sorted. They stopped in front of the head table, and having been through four of these at this point Leo sat upright along with everyone else in the hall as they waited for the Sorting Hat to sing its song.

"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 self-same 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 someday 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 and so can tell the whole sad, sorry tale.Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those whose ancestry is purest.'Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose intelligence is surest.'Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all thosewith 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 mindwere 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 retained 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 old 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 housesbecause 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 dangerfrom external, deadly foes. And we must unite inside her or we'll crumble from within. I have told you, I have warned you… Let the Sorting now begin."

Leo's applause was relatively muted as he turned to Fay beside him with a concerned look on his face. "That was…" He began, but he trailed off when he knew that he couldn't find the right words to properly express himself.

"A warning." Anna added helpfully, her face pale, and Leo was reminded that she wasn't actually as unintelligent as she portrayed half of the time. "Telling us all that the infighting between houses will doom us."

Fay shook her head briskly. "Nope, I am not sharing my bread with Pansy bloody Parkinson…" She muttered, shuddering as Professor McGonagall gave the entire room a glare to shut them up and begin the Sorting Ceremony.

Once the muttering had died down, Professor McGonagall took a look at the parchment in her hands. "Abercrombie, Euan." The Deputy Headmistress called out, and a small boy stumbled towards the stool and placed the hat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat roared out, and Leo clapped loudly along with the rest of his table, as the Sorting got underway. All the tiny first years were quickly called up to the stool and sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts, with Leo clapping loudly every time Gryffindor was shouted out by the thousand-year-old hat. Eventually Professor McGonagall took the hat and the stool away, and Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"To our newcomers, welcome!" The headmaster's voice rang out as he stretched his arms wide in greeting. "To our old hands… welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

Leo laughed along with most of the hall at the Headmaster's oddity but was extremely grateful for the food that had very quickly appeared in front of them all. He grabbed a couple of pork chops and a large spoonful of each of the veg that had appeared and quickly tucked in, sighing in sheer contentment as he filled his stomach.

"What do you reckon the hat was warning us about then?" Fay asked in between mouthfuls of her steak and kidney pie.

"It's obvious isn't it?" Anna mumbled happily as she also tucked into the exquisite banquet. "It's Dumbledore's way of getting us to ignore what the Daily Prophet has been saying about him."

Fay looked nervously over towards Harry Potter, who was seemingly ignoring his two best friends as they were bickering. "Can we not do that here." She whispered a bit too harshly.

Leo agreed with Fay, the debate over who to believe, Harry and Dumbledore or the Daily Prophet wasn't one he wanted to get into when the feast was still raging. Thankfully Anna dropped it, and they continued their meal in silence until their plates were empty. Once the majority of the Great Hall had also finished their plates, the excess food disappeared and Professor Dumbledore was up giving his speech.

The usual topics were being covered, and given that Leo was starting to feel drowsy after all of the food he had consumed he barely registered the comments on the Forbidden Forest being out of bounds, the list of rules pinned to the door of Mr Filch's office and the new staffing changes, which Leo began applauding a few seconds after everyone else once Fay nudged him and whispered that he was falling asleep. Unfortunately for him, that meant that Leo was paying attention as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor interrupted Professor Dumbledore and made her way to the front of the teachers table to stand beside the Headmaster.

"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome." The woman in a harsh pink outfit spoke in a voice that belonged to one of the first-year girls, not a grown woman. It was off putting enough that Leo decided he already didn't like her. She cleared her throat again before smiling patronisingly out at all of the students. "Well, it is lovely to be at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking up at me." Leo didn't know about everybody else, but nobody around him was even close to smiling up at the pink, frilly woman. "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends."

"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan." Parvati Patil whispered to Lavender Brown within earshot of Leo, and he tried to contain his laughter.

Parvati wasn't the only one to make a comment at that, and when Umbridge continued speaking it was a lot more professional, and less childlike. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching…"

"She's so boring." Anna groaned. More and more people were zoning out and having their own conversations with their friends, but Leo was getting more concerned with every word Umbridge spoke and quickly shushed his friend.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…"

"What is she going on about?" Fay whispered to Leo.

Leo clenched his teeth together, frustration seeping in. "She's saying that the Ministry is poking their noses in at Hogwarts. She's saying that we must abide by their 'tried and tested' rules. Basically saying that Hogwarts has been too lax in how we've been taught and it needs to be rectified."

"They can't do that, can they?" Anna asked, as Umbridge carried on her speech. "Interfere at Hogwarts?"

Fay shrugged, as Leo was still trying to listen to the Professor's speech. "They're the Ministry, they can do what they want."

That comment didn't sit right with Leo and he frowned. "But should they?" He asked. "This is a school, it's a place we come to learn magic and learn who we want to become, the Ministry being scared of our own free will and effectively prohibiting that…" He looked back up at Umbridge who was just finishing her speech. "Hogwarts is going to be very different this year."

Professor Dumbledore soon dismissed them, probably as eager to get the students away from Umbridge as Leo was to get away, the 5th year thought, and so he quickly got up and made his way out of the Great Hall, before remembering what he was missing and stopping by Hermione. "What is the password?" He asked her quietly.

"What?" She asked distractedly, before her eyes snapped open in shock. "Oh! Ron! We're supposed to show the first years where to go!" She turned to Leo quickly. "The password is Mimbulus Mimbletonia."

Leo groaned, once again remembering the damage to his book caused by the Stinksap from Neville's plant. "Of course it is. Thanks, Hermione."

He walked away with Fay and Anna just as Ron exclaimed. "Hey! You lot! Midgets!"

Leo snorted in amusement, but Fay looked back at Ron with a look of disgust. "Anna was right you know; you should have been prefect." She told him as they moved out of the Great Hall. "Weasley will just take the piss."

The dark-haired boy shrugged, once again internally agreeing but really not wanting to dwell on it too much now that it couldn't be changed. They began their walk towards the Grand Staircase to go up to Gryffindor Tower and thankfully Fay then changed the subject to the start of the Quidditch League as they took the route up to the 7th floor and the portrait of the Fat Lady.

After speaking the password and entering into the homely common room, neither Leo or the girls wanted to stay up after such a long day travelling, and so he bid them a quick goodnight before walking up to his dormitory. Having arrived quite quickly Leo thought he would be the first one up there, but it seemed that most of his classmates had had the same idea as he ended up being beaten there by everybody but Ron. He knew he had walked in at a bad time, as the room was eerily silent as Harry was pulling on his pyjamas angrily. He walked over to his own bed and began pulling his own pyjamas out, when Seamus Finnegan spoke.

"Look… what did happen that night when… you know, when… with Cedric Diggory and all?" The Irishman asked nervously.

Leo sucked in a breath, guessing clearly as to what had been said to cause such a tense atmosphere before he had entered the room. He looked towards Neville, who just shook his head back at Leo solemnly. Harry clearly wasn't amused when he spat back. "What are you asking me for? Just read the Daily Prophet like your mother, why don't you? That'll tell you everything you need to know."

Leo could sense where this was going, and he really didn't want a part of it. He tried to zone out and start unpacking his trunk as Harry and Seamus began a bit of a shouting match, only to turn back around to look when Ron's voice echoed over everyone's. "What's going on?" The Weasley shouted. Leo turned to see that Harry was kneeling on his bed with his wand pointed at Seamus, while the latter was more ready for a fist fight.

"He's having a go at my mother!" Seamus yelled; his accent thick with rage.

Leo clenched his teeth, knowing that Seamus was trying to dictate the narrative a bit there. Ron to his credit didn't believe it either. "Harry wouldn't do that… we met your mother, we liked her."

"That was before she started believing every word the stinking Daily Prophet writes about me!" Harry yelled back.

"Oh…" Ron said quietly. "Oh… right."

Leo turned around to do some more unpacking as now Ron started joining in the angry debate, although he froze as soon as Seamus shouted. "You believe all the rubbish he's come out with about You-Know-Who, do you? You reckon he's telling the truth."

If there was one thing that Leo knew about Ron, it's that for the most part when he believed and trusted in somebody, he was loyal to a fault, and that was proven when he immediately retorted. "Yeah, I do!"

"Then you're mad too!" Seamus spat.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, his eyebrows raising as he stepped closer to Seamus. "Well unfortunately for you, pal, I'm also a prefect." Ron told him. "So unless you want a detention, watch your mouth!" Leo got into bed at that point, just about to close the hangings on his own bed when Ron added. "Anyone else's parents got a problem with Harry?"

He looked over at Leo with an odd expression of almost hope. Leo shrugged. "My Mother has only said that something doesn't feel right at the Ministry, and after the Hat's message today…" He looked over at Harry who was still scowling. "I believe you. Something is different and the Ministry are clearly scared of what's being said. If they're trying to shut you up and lie to stop a panic from spreading, then this sort of propaganda is the obvious play to try and convert the masses."

"Who asked you?" Seamus muttered darkly. Leo had never been best friends with the Irishman, but the scathing remark had stung a bit.

"I did, actually, so shut it." Ron was almost growling at this point, but he calmed down when he turned back to Leo. "Thank you."

Harry also nodded his appreciation. Leo nodded curtly back, eager for everyone to fall asleep and to stop arguing. The dark-haired boy quickly shut his hangings and drowned out the conversations, which had turned towards Dumbledore. Thankfully Ron soon extinguished the candles in the dormitory and it all fell silent, allowing Leo to let out a deep breath in relief before shutting his eyes, hoping for a drama free year at Hogwarts for once.


Reviews:

abyssjumper: I'm not going into any details about Leo's dad just yet, you'll have to wait for the story to get there! Not quite edited, but written certainly and it doesn't take too long for me to go through each chapter to refine it. This has been my 'writers block' project for a few years now so I've managed to get up to Christmas in Year 6.

Dante687: That's an excellent question! He's taking 9 subjects in his O.W.L.s so out of those going from his favourite to least favourite, he would probably go: History, Arithmancy, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence, Muggle Studies, Astronomy, Herbology, Potions. Though he's better at Potions than Herbology.