A/N: 5 Chapters In, How Are We Feeling? I'm feeling pretty good.

Chapter 5: The Sorting

The Hogwarts Express rattled as if it had been struck by the gale winds of a hurricane. The train creaked and groaned, lurching on the tracks as the oppressive cold swept through the compartments, sending chills down Harry's spine. He tightened his grip on his wand, his pulse quickening as the temperature continued to plummet.

Beside him, Michael shifted uncomfortably, "What the hell is happening?"

Harry didn't answer. His mind was racing, and an overwhelming sense of dread gripped him, tightening like a vice around his chest. It was as if all the happiness in the world was being drained out of him.

"Harry," Michael said, shaking him. "Harry, are you okay?"

"Dementors," Harry managed to wheeze. "They're coming."

He heard a faint murmur from the next compartment, and the flapping of a cloak in the breeze as something approached their compartment. Harry tried to stand but couldn't find the strength.

The compartment door slid open, and the cloaked figure stood in the doorway, looming over he and Michael like a tangible specter of death. From beneath its cloak came a skeletal hand that reached toward Harry stretching out to grab him.

It grew even colder and then, it hit him. Voices. Echoes. A faint, distant cry.

"Not Harry, please not Harry! Take me instead!"

His mother's voice, filled with terror and desperation, cut through the freezing cold like a jagged knife. Harry's vision blurred, his legs buckling beneath him as the horrible sound filled his ears.

"No! Not Harry!"

The scream grew louder, echoing in his mind, suffocating him. He could see flashes—blinding green light, a cruel, high-pitched laugh. His heart raced, and the world around him seemed to spin, growing darker and darker.

He was falling—falling into that horrible, suffocating darkness.

But then, just as Harry's vision began to blur completely, something warm and sweet was shoved into his mouth.

"Eat the chocolate!" Michael's voice was urgent, his hand gripping Harry's shoulder tightly. "Don't pass out on me, Potter!"

Harry's senses returned in a rush as the chocolate melted on his tongue, its warmth spreading through his body like a lifeline. The screams in his mind dulled, fading into the background as the cold retreated just enough for him to take a breath. He blinked, his vision clearing, and saw Michael's sweat-drenched face.

"Come on, stay with me, Potter," Michael muttered, though his own voice was strained. He handed Harry another piece of the chocolate frog. "Eat it!"

While Harry's vision cleared, it only revealed the horrifying sight in front of him. Swallowing the chocolate, Harry found the strength to stand, stepping back from the Dementor still lodge in the doorway. Harry could hardly breathe, let alone think, his eyes shifting between the dementor and Michael who had his wand raised at the creature.

Before Harry could say how pointless it would be to shoot a stunner at a dementor, a brilliant bullet of pure silver rushed down the hall, forcing the dementor to scream. The silvery form plunged into the dementor, sending it flying, and shrieking from the hall. Footsteps followed after it, and Harry soon found himself face to face with a witch in emerald green robes and a face fiercer than any Harry had ever known.

"Professor McGonagall," Michael said. "Boy am I glad to see you."

"Is everyone alright?" she asked briskly. "Ah good, Corner, I see you're already distributing chocolate. That'll be ten points to Ravenclaw when we return. I believe I've shooed off the last of them. I must go and speak to the conductor now."

Harry opened his mouth to thank the witch, but before he could speak, she turned on her heel and marched out of the compartment, moving swiftly down the corridor.

Michael helped Harry to his seat, breaking off the final piece of chocolate frog and handing it to Harry he took it gratefully. It was only moments later that the compartment door opened again, this time not by a professor, but by a tall, red-headed boy with a shiny HB badge on his chest.

"Everyone alright in here?" he asked, in a kind of way that denoted the correct thing to say was yes, regardless of if that was the truth.

Harry exchanged a glance with Michael who spoke for them. "Yeah, Percy, we're fine."

The red-headed boy gave a brisk nod but was interrupted before he could say anything else.

"If you really want to help people," came a sharp voice from behind him, "start handing out chocolate. That'll actually make a difference."

The boy turned, clearly irritated by the interruption, and Harry saw Daphne Greengrass, carrying a stack of chocolate in her crossed arms, her eyes locked with the boy called Percy.

Percy bristled at Daphne's tone, "Excuse me, but I'm trying to ensure everyone's safety—"

"Oh, sod off," came two identical voices from behind him as two more red-headed boys appeared. Twins be the look of it. Both clapped Percy hard on the back, shoving him out of the way "She's right, Percy," said one of them, grinning.

"Listen to her," The other said. "We all know that she knows her stuff."

Percy scowled at the twins, but didn't argue further, with an exasperated sigh, he muttered something under his breath and marched off down the corridor.

Harry watched as Daphne stood there for a moment, her eyes scanning the compartment. With ease, Daphne popped her head in and gave both Harry and Micheal a once over before throwing them a chocolate bar. Without a word, Daphne turned on her heel, and walked back down the corridor.

He followed Daphne's form down the corridor, watching as she popped into each remaining compartment. "Hey Michael, why is everyone listening to her?"

Harry heard Michael lean back into his seat with a relieved, heavy breath, "She's cold as cold can be sometimes, but since she came to the school, Daphne's been studying with Madam Pomfrey, our school's mediwitch. Don't really know why, I've never heard of that happening before, but since she's the only student Pomfrey's ever taken on as an apprentice most people kind of see her as an authority on stuff like this."

Harry continued to follow Daphne down the corridor with his eyes, stopping a few compartments down with a kid who'd taken a fall when the train stopped. Harry watched as Daphne conjured a bandage and pulled a salve from her bag. With the kid's leg wrapped, Daphne stood again, and though it was hard to tell, Harry swore he heard Daphne call Fudge an idiot.

Without thinking, Harry blurted out, "I like her."

Michael raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Do you, now?"

"Yeah," Harry shrugged, allowing his eyes to linger on Daphne until she was completely out of sight. "What's not to like?"

It had taken some time for the chaos spurned out by the dementors to subside, and a little longer than that for Harry to feel like he'd regained full control over his body again. By the time Harry felt confident in his ability to move without stumbling, Michael had pointed out that they were pulling into Hogsmeade Village.

Hastily, the two went to change, and returned in their Hogwarts uniform. Harry tugged at the collar of his shirt beneath his robes, he wasn't exactly the biggest fan of the buttoned-up look, and undid the first button before allowing his tie to hang a little looser around his neck. He glanced over at Michael, who was adjusting his blue hair into its usual bun, and somehow managed to look even less professional than Harry did in it.

"Not bad, Potter," Michael said, giving him a quick nod. "You're really pulling off the Hogwarts look."

"Same to you," Harry said with a snort, before letting his smile die a bit. "Hey uh, thanks, by the way, for the chocolate. I don't think it would've been a good look for me to make my grand introduction back to Hogwarts by passing out."

Michael waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, no big deal. I'm just glad you were able to identify them. I'd read about them a bit over the summer, but I wouldn't have been able to think without the heads up." Micheal grimaced slightly, "It got you pretty bad though, didn't it? You looked about ready to drop dead."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I was surprised you could still think at all."

Michael gave him a quick look over. "Dementors bring out the worst memories. They feed off it. Guess yours must just be significantly worse than mine. That goes without saying though, doesn't it?"

Harry swallowed hard. "I guess so." Harry was silent for a moment, watching as the train pulled into the station. "Still," he said, finding his voice again, "Thanks."

"No problem," Michael said, shrugging as if it was nothing.

With the train stopped, the students began pouring out, and Harry and Michael followed the crowd, stepping onto the platform at Hogsmeade Station. The crisp night air hit Harry's face filling him with a new wave of energy. This cold was a far more pleasant one than the one he'd just experienced.

The station was small but bustling with energy. Old-fashioned lamps flickered in the crisp evening air, casting a warm glow over the cobbled ground. A thick mist curled around the base of the surrounding mountains, and in the distance, Harry could just make out the dark outline of castle, its towers stretching high into the sky, bathed in the soft glow of the moon.

Harry stood, taking in the sight before a booming voice broke through the air.

"Harry!"

Harry turned, his eyes widening as he saw a giant of a man— Hagrid waving enthusiastically from the edge of the platform. He recognized the man immediately from the stories Tonks had told him. Though any description of his size seemed to be an understatement.

"Blimey! Look at yeh, Harry!" Hagrid beamed, his eyes twinkling with delight. He strode over, clapping a hand on Harry's shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance. "Last time I saw yeh, yeh were small enough to fit in the palm of my hand! Look at yeh now—finally comin' to Hogwarts!"

Harry grinned. "Good to see you too, it's Hagrid, right?"

Hagrid nodded before wiping a tear from his eye. "Gonna be a good year, I reckon. Can't wait to see yeh sorted!"

Michael, who had been watching from behind, moved to nudge Harry. "Carriages are over there, mate. They'll take us up to the castle."

Before Harry could respond, Hagrid interrupted, his large hand landing on Harry's shoulder again. "Nah, nah, not for Harry. He's takin' the boats with the first years. Technically his first year at Hogwarts, innit?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The boats?"

"Yep!" Hagrid nodded proudly. "Don't worry, it's tradition. All the first years go by boat. You'll get sorted in with the others. Come on!"

Michael chuckled, shaking his head. "Looks like you're with the first years, then. See you inside, Potter."

Reluctantly, Harry followed Hagrid toward the lake, where several boats waited, bobbing gently on the water. A few first-year students were already clambering inside, their faces lit up with nervous excitement. Finding the boat nearest to him, he climbed inside and found him surrounded by two first year girls. One of whom was staring at him with her large, dark eyes, and quickly brushing down her long, curly black hair, and the other was the young girl from Daphne's compartment.

"Astoria, right?" Harry said, feeling Astoria's startled eyes, a shade of dark blue now, resting on him. "Daphne's sister."

Astoria nodded, clutching herself in a tight hug.

On his other side, the curly haired girl was bouncing with such excitement that Harry was concerned she was going to capsize them. "That large man called you Harry. Are you Harry Potter? Are the rumors true?" Unsure of what to do, Harry nodded, earning a squeal from the dark eyed girl, "Harry Potter! I can't believe it's really you!"

"I'm Romilda! Romlida Vane!" Romilda said. "I'm a huge fan! I've read all your books!"

"My books?" Harry asked. "I haven't written any… oh you mean those books." Harry rolled his eyes. "I hate to tell you this, but um, those aren't my books. They're books about me, but far as I can remember, I don't think I've ever even seen any of those authors before in my life."

Unwilling to face Romilda's dejected expression, Harry turned his attention back toward Astoria, who was shivering even harder now that the boats had left the docks.

"Cold?" he asked Astoria, pulling out his wand.

Astoria nodded, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"Here," Harry murmured, casting a quick Warming Charm. A gentle warmth spread through the boat, and Astoria's shivering subsided. "Better?"

"Much better. Thanks," Astoria said softly, offering him a small smile. "And... Thanks for earlier. With Draco. He can be... difficult."

"I always hate the way he talks to Daphne, and I know Daphne tells me just to ignore it, but it really gets under my skin." Astoria smirked. "Daphne called you annoying because you intervened and it wasn't any of your business, but between you and me, I appreciated it."

"She called me annoying, huh?" Harry chuckled, "Fair enough, I guess."

"You being the person that tripped her at Diagon Alley didn't help," Astoria chuckled. "Tracey was teasing Daphne about it when I told them about you stopping and staring into our compartment. Daphne said you're gonna start driving her crazy at this rate."

"Trust me, the feelings are mutual," Harry chuckled. "Your sister's driving me crazy too."

Astoria snorted. "Stop it, don't make me laugh, I'm not supposed to like you."

"I've been told I have that effect on people," Harry said pleasantly. After a short pause, Harry said, "You're sister was really something on that train though. I heard she studies with Madam Pomfrey, are you also going to do that?"

Astoria's smile faded a little, and she shook her head. "No, that's Daphne's thing. She's... special. Always has been. I'm not sure if I could follow in her footsteps even if I wanted to."

Before Harry could ask more, a unified sound of awe echoed across the lake. Hogwarts castle came into full view, every one of its windows illuminated in a brilliant orange. Perched high atop a cliff, its turrets and towers reaching toward the stars, Hogwarts stood proudly, its wall brimming with magic so powerful that even the stars above it seemed to bow their heads to it.

"Hogwarts," Harry muttered. "Incredible."

It wasn't much longer until the boats bumped against the shore that Harry found himself in a swell of first years clamoring for a better look at the castle. Around him he heard a flurry of excited whispers and felt himself bumped by a couple of students so anxious they could hardly sit still.

To their great relief, Hagrid had finally made it off his boat and moved himself to the front of the line. The whispers died at once as Hagrid brought himself to full height and drew everyone's attention

"Follow me, everyone!" boomed Hagrid, leading the group up toward the towering gates. "We're headin' up to the castle now. Mind yer step!"

Harry moved to the front of the pack, Astoria following quickly behind him as they passed through a set of heavy iron gates and entered a wide, luscious courtyard. The chatter of the first-year students grew louder, but he tuned them out, his attention focused on the massive wooden doors that led into the castle.

As the doors opened, Harry stepped into the entrance hall. The warmth from the torches lit the space, and the grandeur of the stone walls and tapestries welcomed the group as they took their first steps into the castle. Carefully, Hagrid ushered the students up a set of stairs that led to yet another large oak door, rounding out the rear before circling back to the front of the crowd.

"Right then, this is where I leave yeh," Hagrid said with a wink. "Professor McGonagall must've had enough time to get back by now."

As if on cue, the door opened, and the rather severe-looking witch clad in the familiar emerald green robes that Harry had seen on the train, stood centered in the doorway. Harry swore for a second that she'd seen a break in the woman's rather stern expression when she'd seen him, but by the time he'd gone to double check, the witch was as tight-lipped as ever.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said briskly. "You are about to be sorted into your Houses. Your House will be your family while you are here, and your successes and failures will reflect upon them. Keep that in mind." She cleared her throat. "At Hogwarts there are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. All of which will do right by you on your magical journey should you do right by your house."

McGonagall didn't linger on pleasantries, quickly turning her back to the crowd and ushering them forward into the Great Hall. Harry couldn't recall if he'd ever been anywhere more stunning in his life. Long tables lined the hall, each filled with students all clad in colors or red, blue, green or yellow and at the front was yet another table though not filled with students, but adults, who Harry assumed were the teachers.

Harry's eyes scanned the faces, trying to pick out familiar ones from descriptions Sirius and Remus had given him. At the center of the table stood Dumbledore, and a few seats over, was the man he knew to be Quriell. Harry quickly followed by identifying both the charms master Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, the herbology teacher. His mood soured instantly as he recognized yet another face at the table, one he'd heard stories about for as long as he could remember. From his greasy hair to his hooked nose, his identity was unmistakable. The man's lip curled the moment the two had locked eyes, and Harry stared back blankly into the eyes of the potion's master Severus Snape.

Above them, the enchanted ceiling twinkled with stars that danced in the soft pattering of rain that now filled the sky. From around him, Harry began to hear whispers from across the room.

"Who is the tall kid with the rest of the firsties?" One voice asked.

"Does Hogwarts take transfer students?" Came another voice.

"Wait," Came a third, "look at his forehead, I swear I can see a scar."

"A scar," the words echoed around the hall, bouncing from table to table. "It's Harry Potter."

"He's back"

"So the rumors were true?"

It was the thud of the stool that had suddenly appeared with the wave of Professor McGonagall's wand that brought the entire hall to silence again. A stool topped off by a rather old, well-worn, and heavily patched wizard's hat. "When I call your name," McGonagall began, "you will come forward, put on the hat, and you will be sorted into your House."

From behind McGonagall, Dumbledore stood, and if it were possible, the hall grew more silent still. "Welcome, students. As your keen eyes have no doubt been able to detect, you may have noticed we have another student mixed amongst our first-years who seem like he does not belong."

Harry wasn't exactly a fan of the wording, but saw no way of stopping Dumbledore from continuing. "So as to quell any further speculation, allow me to address the growing rumor. Yes, Harry Potter has returned to the wizarding world, and will be attending Hogwarts as a Third-Year student."
The whispering of the hall stirred again, as Dumbledore pressed on. "Harry Potter has been receiving a wonderfully complex education and is fully qualified to be joining us at his current year. And as he is not quite a first year exactly, I believe it would be best practice to have him sorted first. If you'd be so kind, Professor McGonagall?"

"Of course, Professor Dumbledore." McGonagall said warmly. "Harry Potter, please step forward."

A heavy anticipation built in the hall as Harry took his seat on the conjured stool. He wasn't sure how exactly everything in the sorting worked, but he knew one thing, he wanted to be a Gryffindor. A Gryffindor like Sirius and Remus. A Gryffindor like his parents.

Harry couldn't stop his heart from pounding heavily as he felt McGonagall place the weather hat on his head. The hat sunk just below his ears before, an exhausted groan erupted in his ears, followed by the raspy voice of a man who sounded as if he'd been around for centuries.

"Hmm... interesting," the voice from within the hat murmured in his ear. "Plenty of courage, I see... yes, you would do well in Gryffindor... but also a sharp mind. And something darker, some ambition… a drive, a powerful one, yes, very interesting..."

Please be Gryffindor, please be Gryffindor, Harry thought to himself over and over, his lungs refusing to breathe.

"So it's Gryffindor you want," the hat said. "I see, I see. Well then, better be, Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, and Harry felt a rush of relief as he removed the hat and made his way over to the table. Harry scanned the other tables finding Michael in the crowd of disappointed Ravenclaws. As they locked eyes, Harry could swear he saw Michael mouth, "You're going down." before breaking into laughter.

Harry returned the sentiment, the two grinning at each other from across the room. Though Michael was not the only one staring at him through the crowd, as he found the sharp, gray eyes Draco Malfoy glaring at him, as if hoping to stab Harry telepathically. Rather than continue to stare at Malfoy, he moved to stare at a more visually pleasing sight at the Slytherin table, but felt a pang of disappointment when finding that Daphne hadn't even spared a glance in his direction.

It was only when Astoria Greengrass' name had been called that Harry returned his attention to the sorting ceremony. Astoria wobbled, as if off balance to the stool, taking a seat with a trembling breath. Just as McGongall had done to him, she'd placed the hat over Astoria's head, but unlike with Harry, no voice came from the hat.

Murmurs built across the tables as minutes went by. Harry's eyes helplessly drifted toward Daphne, expecting the same unbothered expression, only to find her head bowed, and her hands gripping the long table so tightly she looked to be quaking.

"What's going on, Seamus?" he heard the red-headed boy across from him whisper to a sandy haired boy.

"Looks like a hat stall," Seamus said. "Last time we saw that was with Granger, was it, Ron?"

Harry was just about to ask how long hat stalls typically last before the hat bellowed into the hall, "Tricky, but, I think it has to be, Gryffindor!"

Unlike his sorting, the cheers from the Gryffindor table were half-hearted at best. Harry traced Astoria's glance to her sister, the two Greengrass girls eyeing each other in complete disbelief. It was only when McGonagall had ushered Astoria off the stool that the girl stood and began making her way to the table beneath the lion banner.

"What was the hat thinking," Seamus said with a grumble. "A Greengrass in Gryffindor."

"That hat is wrong, that's what happened," Ron growled. "She's a snake, just like her sister. The lot of them are rotten."

There were murmurs of agreement up and down the table, some choosing to abstain from any comment, but Harry had yet to hear any whisper of support. Harry felt his jaw clench, watching as Astoria tried to shuffle past her housemates, with what looked like mist forming in her eyes.

Harry stood just as Astoria passed him. He could feel the weight of his entire table's eyes on him. Harry stretched out his hand, catching Astoria by the shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"To the back," Astoria said, fighting against her cracking voice. "It's not hard to tell I'm not wanted here."

"Alright then," Harry smiled. "Lead the way."

"What?" Astoria asked quickly.

"I said lead the way," Harry chuckled, "I mean, unless you plan for us to eat standing up. Which would be difficult, but I guess we can manage."

"Harry, I don't think you get it." Astoria said. "My whole family is in Slytherin. And after what happened last year, well… being seen with me won't be good for your-"

"Reputation?" Harry guessed with a mocking tone. "Oh no, whatever will I do if my school mates don't like me." His face softened. "Come off it, Astoria. As far as I can tell, I can choose to be friends with whoever I want. So again, let's go and find a seat."

Harry could hear whispers of protest behind him, but paid them no mind as he took Astoria's wrist, leading her away from the now glaring Ron and sneering Seamus.

"This spot looks good enough as any," Harry said, sitting at the end of the table, gesturing for Astoria to sit beside him. Harry reached for a napkin, and handed it to Astoria. "Dry your eyes, will you. The hat put you in Gryffindor because you're brave. Don't let yourself be intimidated by some mean stares, I know you're tougher than that."

Astoria dabbed at her eyes, nodding fiercely. "You're right. I am." She took a calming breath. "Sorry, all of this, it was just so unexpected."

"Don't even mention it." Harry turned, seeing that the sorting was down to only a few more students, Romilda Vane amongst them. "Knowing my luck she's going to be sorted in Gryffindor, isn't she?"

As if to mock him the hat spent little time on the girl's head before sending her in Harry's direction causing him to sigh heavily. "Oh well, at least there's a feast at the end of this. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Yeah," Astoria nodded. "I feel like I could eat a cow."

"And where would you even fit that cow, Short Stack?" Harry chuckled.

"Wow," Astoria chuckled, her voice still evening out. "My sister gets princess and I get Short Stack."

"Yeah, what can I say," Harry shrugged. "Guess all of Gryffindor just has it out for you, huh?"

This time, Astoria laughed. A true honest laugh, punctuated by a heavy snort that forced a chuckle from Harry himself. With the final student sorted, Dumbledore rose from his chair, and to the great delight of everyone said nothing but, "Tuck in."

Platters of food materialized before them and with a shared look between the two, Harry and Astoria got to work.

A/N: When rewriting this series, I remembered how much I love the way I shaped Harry and Astoria's friendship and remember it being one of my favorite parts of the series, so I was glad to get to write some of their first interaction here.

Anyway, be sure to Follow, Favorite, and Review! And until Tomorrow, Peace!