AN: And finally the sorting chapter. One of the characters houses has been cemented since I first decided to resort them. Though I debated between two houses for Harry, both of them are listed here. As much as I wanted to sort him into a certain house it didn't work for this fic and honestly despite some character interaction I wanted between him and multiple characters in the end it didn't seem like a good fit. Hopefully, ya'll will enjoy. Going to start chemistry testing the younger characters with other characters as soon as now, now that they're back in school. Remember they are twelve and thirteen at this point so any ships that pop up may be changed since you usually don't marry your first boyfriend or girlfriend especially when you're like twelve with some very rare exceptions. That being said this will not be Hinny and mercifully Ron is dead as is Heron (I despise both of those ships so it wasn't like you were going to get them anyway). At some point I'll put an updated poll after chemistry testing is done, but I have it narrowed down in my head what some of the final pairings will eventually be.

Chapter 54: A Sorting

Lily couldn't help but stare at the boy.

Sirius's bastard.

She had no idea he had one, but she wasn't too surprised. Given how she had rewrote his personality to be…well, to be a man whore. Ater all that had been how he was at Hogwarts before he married that hag.

It always disgusted her how easily he was able to move on to his cousin of all people. Wasn't he a little disgusted by it? Yes, she knew they weren't exactly first cousins and that wasn't that uncommon by wizarding standards, but still. It was gross. And once he was married to her…well, he didn't act like the goofy Black she knew. He became devoted to the hag. She was pretty sure the hag had done something to her mind even before Lily made her corrections. Really, all she did was help Sirius be himself when she gave him that potion.

There was something about the boy though…maybe he reminded her too much of the one she lost.

She decided to try to look into the boy's mind like she knew Severus would have, but he quickly turned away from her.

He must've been warned.

She turned her attention towards Sirius. He was as pretty as ever. He really was probably the most attractive of the Marauders and the richest. She never stood a chance with him though and knew better than to try. The Black family was too tricky—pretentious dark lot. And besides, before he had married the hag he was even worse than James. Just outright insufferable.

Thinking of the Black family made it easier to scowl as Severus.

She was annoyed that Draco wanted nothing to do with her either. She'd have to talk to him tonight and let the boy know how much Lucius missed him. Even though Lucius had barely been conscious much since she began the rather painful potions regime she put him on.

The blood adoption really threw her off though. She hadn't expected that at all.

It did explain why he had stopped writing after dear Narcissa's demise this summer. Pity that. She was hoping she could've escalated her plans faster. She really didn't know if she could stand being in Severus skin for an entire year.

She had noticed that there had been no reports of Narcissa's death. She wasn't surprised it wasn't exactly something they'd want getting around, especially since Lucius could possibly use it to get custody of the boy. Though since the boy had been blood adopted that would be easier said than done. Now she had to figure out those complications….it was going to be annoying for sure.

She looked like the Severus of old. Not like…well, not like her old flame looked now. Good thing she had shaved his head completely before she decided to use him as a guinea pig, lord knows how she'd look otherwise right now.

Though looking of Severus of old was no picnic by any means. Sadly she was getting used to it which worried her. While the not bathing regularly thing was disgusting, admittedly it was a time saver and at least as Severus she didn't really have to bother with hair or makeup.

"So, why did you send the boys away?" Sirius said rolling his eyes. "Are we going to discuss how the sorting hat really works?"

"Very funny, Black." She said knowing Severus hated him in a way more than James.

He hated that hag of his too. Though she did see from her former paramour he had use of her after she became the Dark Lord's whore.

Good enough.

"Well, Sirius does have a point. I don't know why a staff meeting before the sorting was really necessary." Flitwick said.

Her old mentor really hated Severus. She knew it was because Filius wanted the deputy headmaster job. Honestly, he was probably better qualified and had more of the temperament for the position. He just wasn't a total lapdog for Albus like Severus was.

She had to give it Albus for using Severus's guilt against him. The old goat was rather manipulative when he wanted to be.

"I wanted to make sure the new procedures for house safety we have been read and confirmed so that there is not an incident like last year." Albus said, "Unfortunately, that little map I was given last year has went missing."

"What little map?" Sirius asked.

Lily knew what little map Albus was referring to, the Marauder's Map. She may have grabbed it when she was in here a few a weeks back when she realized just what Albus had. There was no way she was going to let herself be discovered by James's little prank paper.

The map was now in the bottom of the trunk with Severus she was debating about whether to use it or destroy it. She couldn't exactly remember how to unlock it. There was some stupid phrase they used...

"The Weasley twins had this ingenious little map that let me find Ms. Granger last year…" Albus started blabbing as Lily watched Sirius realize just what he was talking about.

She wondered if he would blab. The Sirius of old would not have, but the Sirius she made would. This Sirius though just rolled his eyes.

Something had happened to him.

Azkaban most likely. She had heard it broke his mind and he was living in Switzerland since with mind healers. She hoped they hadn't been able to heal him that much.

Her work though was good. It would take a lot to unravel what she had done to him and the now dead whore.

"So, we're supposed to do our jobs. Is there anything else we should know about, Albus?" Pomona of all people said.

She was actually shocked that the Herbology professor was being borderline sassy. Who knew?

"There are a few things," he said. "As everyone knows we have a few new students. You've already met Sirius's son Henry. He'll be commuting back and forth due to health issues."

Pomona looked at Sirius. "Is he okay?"

"He shouldn't be in this school," Sirius said. "But because Albus was so insisted on getting his little laws passed to help enrollment…"

"Sirius that's…"

"It's true," Flitwick said with a laugh. "You had Malfoy push those laws through because enrollment was down. You don't have to deny it, Albus."

"Albus had his reasons," Lily said acting as Severus like as possible. She knew everyone in the room hated her. And she was right as she saw everyone but Albus rolled their eyes as she said this.

"Aw, he has a little lapdog." Sirius said. "Who knew snakes could be so loyal?"

"Well, they're more loyal than lions." She had heard all about the Hermione Granger situation. It was appalling on so many levels. That girl should be in prison right now. Her son had died because of her. Honestly, being turned into a rat wasn't even the worst thing that could've happened to her.

She did know she was returning this year under Lupin's name of all things. She would make sure her transition wasn't exactly easy. She needed to pay.

"I never said anything about lions being loyal," Sirius said. "They eat their own. I'm very well aware of that. I was even eaten by some of my former housemates in a roundabout way."

"Of course, Pettigrew." Pomona said. "That nasty man. His date with the kiss won't come soon enough."

"He'll keep appealing as long as he's able to," Sirius said.

"Awful man," Filius said. "I'm assuming that you put safety measures in the dorms, Albus, so something like that won't happen again. I've already made sure that added protections were added to the Ravenclaws rooms"

"I did look into putting anti-animagi wards up but the budget…"

"Seriously, there are no anti-animagi wards up after that?" Sirius said. "And they're not that difficult or expensive to enact."

"Don't bark about things you don't understand, Black." Lily said playing the role of Albus's biggest defender, even though she'd imagine Sirius would know a thing or two about animagi wards.

"Well, this is about as shitty as I expected it to be." Sirius said. Lily couldn't help but notice that both Pomona and Filius were smirking. It had seemed that her fellow head of houses were not Team Albus.

The school felt strange yet oddly familiar, he hated the sense of de ja vu it made his head hurt. Even Draco seemed to notice something wasn't right, which was strange since he was usually the most self-absorbed person Harry knew.

"You okay?" He asked after he led him to the antechamber to where he was to wait until he was sorted.

"Headache," Harry said not wanting to go into too much detail. His new brother might be tolerable now, but it didn't mean he trusted him. He added, "This place gives me the creeps."

"Honestly, it sort of does." Draco said. "You'll hate the dungeons if your sorted in Slytherin."

"You and I both know I won't be sorted there."

He was ambitious but being around a house full of Dracos all year long… No thanks.

"You might be," Draco said. "Merlin knows you were ambitious when it came to dueling this summer and learning your curriculum. Aren't you on mostly second year stuff?"

He nodded not correcting him that he was actually learning some third year Transfiguration and third year spells for dueling. He really wanted to learn, to make his parents proud, and succeed. He just didn't know if he belonged in the dungeons. He probably would've fit in there better than Gryffindor at least, but there was just something…

"Harry?"

He turned to see a girl looking at him. The first thing he thought she was extremely pretty. She was tall, though shorter than him with a heart shaped face and long honey colored hair. She looked familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint who she was.

It then dawned on him just who it was. He had kept in contact with her since she left Switzerland. She wasn't lying when she said she'd look different. It wasn't a bad different either, though he thought she was just as cute before. Though admittedly, most people would prefer the new look. "Jane." He finally said calling him by her new name.

She nodded hugging him and he noticed that she still smelt a bit like lilacs. It was a nice scent. He was surprised he didn't notice it before.

He saw Draco roll his eyes. "A girlfriend, Black. Really?"

Hermione towered over him now. Then again, most people towered over Draco. He was shorter than a lot of the first years.

He didn't think he'd ever get used to seeing him like this. As his, well, half-brother for all intents and purposes. They didn't look like twins like he had feared. That was something he supposed.

"Jane is a friend," he said feeling himself blush. He knew Draco was jealous. He knew he had been jealous of his friendship with Hermione before. He guessed he didn't know that Hermione was Jane and it wasn't something he was going to tell him. Not unless Hermione said it was okay.

"Jane Lupin," she said holding out her hand to him.

Draco looked at her and said, "Merlin, Granger, is that you?"

She looked at him oddly as if she was trying to place him. He hadn't exactly told her how much Draco had changed since he was blood adopted by his father. Sometimes he couldn't believe how much he changed.

She never got to answer him though since Gilderoy Lockhart of all people appeared with the first years telling them about how he had fought a yeti the time he was to be sorted.

Harry wanted to throw Year of the Yeti at his head right then.

Draco had gone to his table shortly after that at least realizing that Jane couldn't exactly talk about her identity at least he was perceptive enough about that. Hermione looked at him after casting a privacy spell. "You look pale."

"You don't."

"They did something at the spa that makes me have a summer glow all year around," She said rolling her eyes. They were unnaturally teal now. They were pretty, but he missed the cinnamon brown they were before.

"Was it painful?" He asked. "You look so…"

"Different," she said. "I know. That's the point. But for the most part, no it didn't hurt."

"I hate that you had to go through that."

She sighed. "I do too. You look even worse than I am feeling right now."

"Gee, thanks." He said, "But I have a killer headache. Being here gives me a weird sense of de ja vu. It didn't help that I had a memory regarding one of the professors when we flooed in here."

"Which professor?"

"Snape."

She shuddered. "I'm sorry."

"I take it I didn't have a great relationship with him."

Of course, they were cut off then and told to go to the great hall.

Being here made his head throb even more. He looked to see his father and saw that he was unfortunately seated between Snape and Gilderoy Lockhart. He was sure that was going over well great if the look on his face was any indication though when he saw Harry staring at him he winked before going back to scowling at Snape.

Snape kept trying to get eye contact with him meanwhile. It was just creepy. He was going to for sure mention it to his parents later tonight. There was no way in hell he was going to go to class with that man looking at him. Especially since he was pretty sure he had tried to read his mind in the past.

"Black, Henry." He heard Professor Sprout call his name after the last first year, a tiny ginger haired girl, Ginerva Weasley, was sorted into Gryffindor.

He briefly wondered if Ginerva was Ronald's sister. He had heard that his brother's trial was wrapping up soon. Hermione had wrote about it in one of her letters to him. It amazed him that he still hadn't taken responsibility for what he did.

He shuddered as the hat was placed on his head.

"Interesting, I've seen this head before but you're now untainted." A voice in his head said.

"Untainted."

"A new name, a new look. An untainted soul." The hat said, "You're different than you were. Godric's house is no longer a good fit."

"I'm hardly brave."

"Your cautious." The hat said. "It's not a bad thing. And still quite the thirst to prove yourself, I see. As I said before, not a bad brain either. But I think I'll insist this time around Slytherin…"

"Not Snape." He said. "Not Slytherin."

"Severus bothering you, eh? Last time it was your brother that bothered you. Things can be remedied, Mr. Black. You can be a bearer of change."
"I don't want to be the bearer of change," he said. "I don't want to be a Slytherin."

The hat argued back and forth with him what seemed forever.

Harry finally asked, "Don't I have a choice in the matter?"

"You do, but that went swimmingly the last time didn't it?"

"I don't want to be in Slytherin." Harry snapped before he added, "I'll burn you if you put me in there."

The hat sighed heavily, "Fine. I do have some sense of self preservation since part of me was created by Salazar after all. Better be Ravenclaw!

He sighed in relief.

Harry in Ravenclaw? No. Yet it oddly made sense. At least the Harry she knew now. A part of her at first thought he was going to go into Slytherin. He had been very ambitious this summer. His dueling skills were a testament to that. Yet, he also had a love for learning things apparently.

"Lupin, Jane."

It was her turn. She better not be in Gryffindor again.

The hat laughed when it heard that thought. "Heaven forbid we do that again, Ms. Granger and I'd rather not be threatened to be burned a second time tonight."

"It's Lupin now."

"So, it is." The hat said. "As if should've been. You've changed."

"You don't say," she responded already annoyed about the whole affair.

"I'm not just talking physically," The hat said. "Though I think you know that. Gryffindor is out. Ravenclaw would fit, but your love of knowledge isn't as strong as of last year. Salazar's house…"

"Absolutely not." She said. "Just put me in the same house as Harry."

"I was going to say, you view yourself as muggleborn. Which leads us with Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Your love for books is only outmatched for your for friendship and loyalty better be…Hufflepuff."

Wait….she was a Hufflepuff?

Well, it wasn't the worst thing ever. Though he'd be miss being in the same house as Harry.

Chapter 55 Preview: Aftermath of the sorting. Hermione and Sprout have a chat, Harry says something that gets Bella into Mama Bear mode, and its the beginning of Professor Padfoot vs the Weasley twins.