Chapter 6: The Sorting Hat

Part 1 The Sorting (Horatio)

The doors swung open at once, and a tall black-haired witch in emerald green robes stood in the doorway. She had a stern face framed by square rimmed glasses just like Horatio's, and his first thought was that Severus had been right, she was not someone to cross.

"The first years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here." She stepped back, beckoning for the students to follow.

The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursley's house in it. The walls were lined with torches like those at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. Once they were inside Professor McGonagall turned with a swish of robes and they followed her across the flagstone floor. Horatio could hear the drone of hundreds of voices through a doorway to their right, the rest of the school must already be there, but Professor McGonagall led the first years into a small room off the hall. They crowded into the room, standing closer than they would normally because of the small space, Horatio felt Draco's shoulder brush his. An olive-skinned boy grunted as Horatio accidently tread on his foot. Glancing over his shoulder he shot the boy an apologetic look.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall, drawing their attention back to the doorway where she stood. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts your triumphs will earn house points, and any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes swept the room evaluating the students' appearance. Professor McGonagall drew her wand from her robes and jabbed it twice at a boy—the youngest Weasley—by the door. "I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly." She left the chamber.

Horatio glanced around at all the nervous faces. Some students were bending to whisper to their friends, but overall, the room was quiet. Hannah and Susan were talking with a pair of girls with Indian heritage, on second glance they were identical; though one had her long black hair braided to the right and the other had it braided to the left. A tall black boy was talking to Ernie Macmillan. The round-faced boy was muttering to the Weasley boy who McGonagall had pointed her wand at. The girl with bushy brown hair was whispering to—him no, to Harry, she was whispering to Harry—Horatio shook his head, turning back to Draco and Theo. The dark-haired boy's head was down, and his arms were crossed defensively across his chest. Draco had his hands thrust into his pockets, trying to affect a casual nonchalance about the whole thing, but Horatio knew him better than that.

"You're not fooling anyone," Horatio whispered.

Draco arched an eyebrow, and tried to suppress a nervous gulp before speaking, "No Prince, I'm just not fooling you, or Theo for that matter, if he were paying attention."

Theo lifted his head from contemplating his shoes and glared weakly at the blond. Several startled shrieks drew all three boys' attention. They turned toward the back of the room to see around twenty ghosts stream through the stone wall. They were all pearly white and transparent, and seemed to be engaged in a debate; hardly noticing the fifty or so students below them.

What looked like a plump monk was saying, "Forgive and forget I say, we ought to give him a second chance."

"My dear friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? To my knowledge, he has never been near a plate of food without throwing it. Peeves gives us all a bad name, and you know he's not really even a ghost." A ghost wearing a ruff and tights suddenly noticed the first years. "I say, what are you all doing here?" The other ghosts looked down, seeming just as surprised to see the children staring at them.

The friar smiled down at them, "New students I expect, waiting to be sorted?" He queried receiving several nods in return. "Good luck then, and I hope to see you in Hufflepuff, my old house you know."

The door opened and Professor McGonagall gave the new arrivals a stern glare, "Ghosts please take your places in the great hall, it is almost time for the sorting to begin." The ghosts moved off, disappearing one by one through the solid stone wall. She gestured to the assembled students, "Please form a line and follow me."

Horatio got in line behind a girl with curly red tinted dark hair and Draco went behind him. They filed out of the room and through another set of oak doors into the Great Hall. Horatio had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place, though he had lived with the Malfoys for a month, the Great Hall was beyond anything he had ever seen. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles, floating in midair above four long tables where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were covered by snow-white linen tablecloths and set with sparkling golden dishes. At the top of the hall, on a slightly raised dais stood a fifth table where all the staff was sitting facing the students.

Professor McGonagall lead the first years up the isle between the center tables; as they approached the staff table the line turned, to form a barrier between the staff and older students. McGonagall held up a hand to stop them, and walked back along the line until she was standing between the center two tables once more, the new students turned to face her so their backs were to the teachers. The faces of all the older students looked like lanterns in the flickering candlelight, and here and there the ghosts shone misty silver. Horatio glanced up at the lofty ceiling which was velvety black and dotted with stars. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall simply did not open unto the heavens.

Noticing his gaze, the girl beside him glanced up too, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside." She whispered, "I read about it, but seeing it with my own eyes…" She trailed off clearly enthralled by the sight.

Horatio quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged wooden stool in front of the first years. Atop the stool she placed a very shabby wizard's hat, it was patched and extremely dirty, Horatio thought that Aunt Cissy would not have let it in the house. He had absolutely no idea what they had to do considering he had not learned any magic yet. He thought of all the reading he had done, but in the moment the information seemed to be blank, as if he had idly been turning through empty pages for the past month. Everyone was staring at the hat, so he stared too. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So, try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart.

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil.

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind.

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So, put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished singing. It bowed to each of the four tables, and then became quite still again. Over the noise he heard one of the first years say, "So we've just got to try on the hat? I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Draco snorted and nudged Horatio, "Some people will believe anything." Horatio grinned weakly, but he was too nervous to reply.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward unrolling a long sheath of parchment, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She glanced at the first name, "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pang of sympathy hit Horatio as he watched Hannah wobble forward out of line. She was trembling like a leaf as she sat down on the stool, and the hat fell over her eyes as she put it on her head. After a moment, the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!" and the middle table on the right cheered and clapped. Hannah removed the hat, placing it gently on the stool, and scurried over to sit at the Hufflepuff table. She sat next to the plump ghost who smiled in welcome.

"Bones, Susan"

Susan strode over to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head; it took a few moments to decide, "Hufflepuff!" Susan went to sit next to Hannah, who had squealed when her friend was sorted into the same house.

Draco let out a relieved sigh and muttered, "Good for them."

"Boot, Terrence." "Ravenclaw!" The middle table on the left clapped this time, and several people stood up to shake the boy's hand, among them was the oldest Weasley boy Percy.

"Brocklehurst, Amanda," went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor. The table on the far right cheered as Lavender joined them; the Weasley twins he had seen being confused by their mother were cat calling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" became the first Slytherin, the table on the far left cheered, and glancing over his shoulder he noticed Severus clapping politely. Catching his eye, the Potions Master nodded with an upturning of the corners of his mouth.

"Cornfoot, Stephen" "Hufflepuff!"

"Corner, Michael" "Ravenclaw!"

"Crabbe, Vincent" A tall boy with a pudding-bowl haircut stalked to the stool. The hat had barely touched his head when it announced, "Slytherin!"

"Davis, Tracey" a slight girl with glasses became a Slytherin too.

"Entwistle, Kevin" "Hufflepuff"

"Finch-Fletchly, Justin" the boy who shared a boat with him, Draco, and Theo; became a Hufflepuff too.

"Finnigan, Seamus" a sandy haired boy sat on the stool for almost a minute before becoming a Gryffindor.

"Fowley, Beatrice" "Ravenclaw!"

Horatio noticed that sometimes the hat shouted out the house at once, but other times it took a while to decide. It took ages to place, "Granger, Hermione" before finally declaring, "Gryffindor!" but the next name, "Greengrass, Daphne" became a Slytherin after only thirty or so seconds of sitting on the stool. Daphne went to sit with Tracy at the Slytherin table.

"They're cousins," Draco whispered, "but Tracey's father was a muggle."

"Hush," whispered the girl on Horatio's other side, "McGonagall is glaring at you." Draco looked up and fell silent.

"Goldstein, Anthony" "Ravenclaw!"

"Goyle, Gregory" "Slytherin!"

"Hopkins, Wayne" "Hufflepuff!"

"Jones, Megan" "Hufflepuff!"

"Longbottom, Neville"

"Is it just me," Draco asked into the silence, while the round-faced boy who kept losing his toad sat on the stool, "Or are there not a lot of new Gryffindor's yet?"

"Gryffindor!" poor Neville ran off still wearing the hat and had to run back amid gales of laughter.

Horatio smirked at his friend, "I think it heard you."

"MacDougall, Isobel" the dark-haired girl next to Horatio gave them one more scolding glance for talking as she stepped forward. The hat deliberated for a long time before finally choosing, "Gryffindor!"

"Macmillan, Earnest" strode forward and took the hat the girl proffered. He had hardly taken his seat on the stool before the hat shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

Whatever comment Draco was about to make about Ernie died on his lips as McGonagall read, "Malfoy, Draco". He swallowed and strode forward with the false confidence he had perfected, or almost Horatio shot Theo a worried glance as he noticed the tremor in Draco's hands as he put the hat on his head. The two new friends moved closer but did not speak as they waited… and waited… before finally the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" and Draco yanked it off looking relieved. He shot his two friends a grin before handing the hat to the next student and swaggering over to the Slytherin table.

"Midgen, Eloise" "Hufflepuff"

"Nott, Theodore" Taking a cue from Draco, Horatio bumped Theo's shoulder. The black-haired boy looked pale, but he straightened and walked toward the stool. Horatio watched as Theo gripped the seat of the stool very hard. When the hat finally called, "Gryffindor!" he didn't move at once, and the students were slow to clap. Finally, he removed the old hat and stared at it in disbelief. Theo looked up at Professor McGonagall and stammered something. She shook her head and said gently, "Go join your house table Mr. Nott." Theo walked dazedly over to the table whose inhabitants began applauding politely.

McGonagall resumed her recitation, "Parkinson, Pansy"

A short girl with straight black hair flounced to the stool. She sat primly placing the hat on her head and became a Slytherin almost at once. She crossed to the far side of the hall and sat down beside Draco, leaning in to whisper something to him. Horatio obviously could not hear what was said, but he did see the flash of anger on Draco's face before his friend concealed it.

"Patil," the pair of girls he had seen talking to Hannah and Susan stepped forward, "Padma" went to Ravenclaw, and her sister "Parvati" went to Gryffindor. The Gryffindors had not quite gotten their fire back, but they gave Parvati a warmer welcome than they had Theo.

"Potter, Harry", Horatio started and glanced up to see himself walk up to the stool and place the hat on his head. A hissing seemed to fill the hall, and Horatio glanced around as he heard the whispers. "Potter did she say?" and "The Harry Potter?" He took a deep breath wishing he knew where he had ended up. The hat took a while with him, with Harry, and finally called, "Gryffindor!" This was apparently what the Gryffindors needed to get their enthusiasm back. The Weasley twins were even chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

McGonagall turned a stern glare on the Gryffindors who finally fell silent. She adjusted her square-framed glasses before continuing, "Powell, Abigail" The girl moved forward so quickly she almost knocked over the stool.

"Hufflepuff!" As she removed the hat amid the Hufflepuff cheers McGonagall read the next name.

"Prince, Horatio"

Heart thudding in his chest, Horatio walked forward and sat on the stool. He looked out at the hall one last time, as he placed the hat on his head. It fell over his glasses muffling him in darkness before a small voice sounded in his head, "I wondered when I'd see the first one, a funny thing time magic."

"The first one?" he asked in his head.

"The first sorted," the voice sounded bemused, "Remember, there's nothing hidden in your head the Sorting Hat can't see."

"Oh right," Horatio gulped, "you mean Harry."

"Yes, if you prefer to think of Horatio as you… You know I've never done this before… so where to put you…" The voice continued, "You have plenty of courage, you love learning when something interests you, and you have a nice thirst to prove yourself…" The hat actually chuckled inside his head, "I suppose I have already made this decision before, according to what is in Harry's head. Would you like to know what you, or he said to me?"

Horatio blinked in surprise though the darkness inside the hat made little difference, "Yes I would."

"For himself he said, Not Slytherin, because I had already placed you in that house. I suppose it would make sense considering you plan to conceal yourself, if you are going to pull this off Slytherin will help you, and that is evidently why I went in this direction. What say you now?"

He thought of Draco, and of poor Theo, but before he could ask the hat said, "My conversations are private, the only reason I shared what Harry and I discussed is that to me, you are still yourself."

"I see," Horatio frowned, "I don't want to leave Draco alone in Slytherin."

"He is far from alone," the voice countered, "That is the point of the sorting, you have home away from home, a group of likeminded students to help you along. As I said before, Slytherin will help you on this endeavor of yours, so it better be…"

"Slytherin!" the hat shouted the word to the rest of the hall.

"Thank you," Horatio thought gratefully as he stood.

"Thank Minerva McGonagall, her logic is impossible to contest, it is only surpassed by her courage in the face of difficult decisions." The hat fell silent as Horatio removed it, blinking as his eyes adjusted from the darkness of the hat's interior, to the brightly lit Great Hall. He glanced around meeting McGonagall's eyes and she smiled before turning back to her list.

He walked over with more confidence than he felt and kept walking until he was level with Draco, who scooted over to give him space, and he took the seat beside his friend. Horatio could see the high table properly now; Hagrid was at the far end near the Gryffindors. There was an empty seat near the center, which was clearly for the Deputy Headmistress. At the very center of the table, in a massive gold chair, was Albus Dumbledore. Horatio recognized him from the chocolate frog card Hannah had given him. A few places down was the same pale nervous man from his first trip to Diagon Alley, he had seen him at The Leaky Cauldron. Severus caught his eye and nodded approvingly; Horatio could guess that he was pleased with his house placements.

"At least you're here, Prince," Draco said coolly, but Horatio had expected that.

He smirked and quipped back, "Nice to see you too, Malfoy."

The hat declared, "Rivers, Oliver" and "Roper, Sophie" to be Ravenclaws.

Pansy Parkinson looked past Draco and asked, "Your surname is Prince?"

Horatio nodded to his new housemate and was about to speak when a name distracted her.

"Runcorn, Adamaris" The hat had barely touched the girl's head when it announced, "Slytherin!" Pansy cheered as the girl approached, and sat down across from Horatio,

"Hey Pans," the newcomer smiled politely.

Pansy tried to affect a cool air like Draco, "Hey Runcorn."

Adamaris raised an eyebrow, "Are you feeling alright Pansy?"

McGonagall announced, "Selwyn, Dominic." He too became a Slytherin and the group applauded politely.

Pansy shrugged, "I just called you by your family name. Is that a crime now?"

"No it's not," Runcorn furrowed her dark brows, "but you have never called me anything but Maris."

Pansy shrugged at a loss for what to say next. A pair of Smiths, brother, and sister by the look of them, both went to Hufflepuff. Then "Thomas, Dean" became a Gryffindor.

McGonagall read, "Travers, Harriet" which elicited more excitement from Pansy, who clapped loudly as the girl joined the Slytherin table too.

While she was distracted Horatio asked, "Are you alright?"

Draco shook his head surreptitiously, "I'm just fine…" What he did not say was, Oh I am fine, but Theo on the other hand…

There were only four students remaining now. "Turpin, Lisa" went to Ravenclaw, and "Vane, Esmerelda" went to Gryffindor.

"Weasley, Ronald"

"Wow, is that his own hat? It goes so well with the rest of his ancient uniform." Pansy made a gagging sound. "Oh, wait he is actually wearing the Sorting Hat."

"Don't be so disrespectful Parkinson," scolded a girl with the silver prefect's badge on her chest, "or at least don't be so loud about it."

Horatio decided he liked this prefect's sarcasm, he asked, "Miss, I know you're our prefect, but what is your name? I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced."

"Rockwood, Agnes Rockwood" she smiled, extending her hand, "and your surname is Prince, is it not?"

"It is, I'm Horatio Prince…" He trailed off as the hat shouted "Slytherin!" at last and Ronald Weasley sat there in stunned shock. His twin brothers said something loudly, and even Percy the prefect was staring with his mouth agape. Horatio glanced at Draco who arched a quizzical eyebrow. They nodded together and raised their hands to lead a smattering of polite applause. The Slytherins assessed Ron as he staggered over, and as he neared the table Horatio could see even his freckles were a few shades lighter. The youngest Weasley boy dropped into the nearest seat, which happened to be near Daphne and Tracy, the former patted his hand sympathetically.

"Well," Agnes tried to recover, "you see Parkinson, you never know when a weasel will become a snake, and you have to make nice."

Then the boy whose foot Horatio had trodden on was called, "Zabini, Blaise". He became a Ravenclaw, and the sorting concluded.

Part 2 The Sorting (Harry)

Harry could see the marble staircase over the heads of the students in front, as he walked up the wide stone steps leading toward the doors. A heavy weight fell on his shoulder and he looked up into the smiling face of the giant Hagrid.

"Could I have a quick word, Harry?"

"Um, sure, Hagrid was it?" he smiled politely.

Beside him Ron paused, "So you're Hagrid? My brother Charlie used to talk about you a lot."

"Another Weasley eh?" Hagrid chuckled, "I liked Charlie, he was really good with animals. Is it true he works with Dragons these days?" Ron nodded and the giant beamed, "I'd love a dragon…" he trailed off with a wistful expression. Hagrid glanced at the thinning group of students filing into the castle and continued speaking, "I don't want to keep you long, but I wondered, I live in a cabin near the forest. If you have some spare time, I'd love to have tea with you." He glanced at Ron, "and you can tell me about Charlie and his work with dragons."

"Sure," Ron smiled, happy to be noticed, even if it was to talk about one of his older brothers.

Harry noticed Neville and Hermione hesitating at the top of the steps and looked up into the kind face, "We'll see you around, ok Hagrid?"

"Right you are Harry," He waved a massive hand, "See you two later."

The two boys hurried up the stairs together and joined the other two, "Is everything alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yep," said Ron, "he just wanted to talk to Harry some more, and he asked me about my second brother Charlie."

Harry nodded, "He seems to really like animals, and he wants to get to know me."

The four friends crossed the entrance hall together. For Harry it was no less grand upon seeing it a second time. The voices of the older students rose and fell in an incoherent rumble as they passed the doors to the Great Hall. The foursome was the last to enter the small chamber before Professor McGonagall stepped inside herself and closed the door. Harry glanced around the empty room as the Deputy Headmistress spoke to the first years, explaining all about the houses. He could tell that Hermione was hanging on her every word. Ron finally succeeded in picking whatever had been on his nose off but unfortunately it started to bleed. As McGonagall finished her speech her gaze lingered on Ron who stopped rubbing at his nose. Spotting the red smear, she lifted her want and wordlessly healed the small wound, before making the blood disappear with two small jabs of her wand. Addressing the gathered students, she said, "I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly." Then she stepped out of the room and closed the door.

"I wish it didn't have to be in front of the rest of the school…" Neville mumbled. He checked his pockets and found his toad still safely inside.

Ron nodded, removing his hat he shook it to get it back into shape, "Yeah, if something embarrassing happens I'll never hear the end of it."

"Harry," Hermione asked, "Do you think we'll have to use magic? I mean I've memorized some of the basic spells, wand movements, theory but I don't know if it will be enough…"

"Don't panic," Harry soothed, reaching out he laid a comforting hand on her arm. "There are bound to be people from Muggle families like us, I doubt they would have us do magic our first day."

Several people screamed as twenty ghosts streamed through the back wall of the room. Harry spotted himself as Horatio chatting with Draco, and poor Theo. The door opened behind Harry and the others and Professor McGonagall came into the room. She dismissed the ghosts who drifted through the wall one by one to take their places as requested. This time Harry noticed that she was carrying the four-legged stool and the Sorting Hat in her arms. Because of their position he ended up near the head of the line with Ron ahead of him, and Hermione behind him.

Harry still felt the rush of excitement and nerves as he entered the Great Hall for the first time as himself. The hovering candles lent a warm light to the scene, reflected on the surfaces of the golden plates and goblets. The students were lead between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, as they drew near to the staff table Harry came face to face with Albus Dumbledore, his long silver hair and beard were the only things that shone as brightly as the ghosts, and behind his half-moon spectacles his blue eyes sparkled. He smiled at Harry when he saw him. Harry offered the headmaster a bemused smile of his own and did not quite meet his eyes. He turned following Ron to stand at the far end of the staff table across from the Slytherin table. He scanned the faces of the older students as the rest of his year gathered, but their curious stares only made him more nervous. So, he tilted his head up, drinking in the sight of the enchanted ceiling, beside him Hermione explained the same thing Isobel MacDougal had said to Horatio, but she sited her source.

"I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

Dragging his eyes away from the stars, Harry said, "I'll have to borrow that book from you sometime." He faced front again as the professor placed the stool in front of her, and the hat atop the stool. The rip near the brim opened wide once more and the hat began to sing… He clapped loudly with the rest as the hat finished, bowing to each of the tables.

Ron scowled, "So all we have to do is try on the hat? I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Once the hall was quiet again Professor McGonagall unfurled her long roll of parchment, "When I call your name," Professor McGonagall addressed the first years, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool, to be sorted."

"Abbott, Hannah" "Hufflepuff"

"Bones, Susan" "Hufflepuff

"Boot, Terrence" became the first new Ravenclaw. Several Ravenclaws stood up to shake the boy's hand as he joined them, one of which was Ron's oldest school-aged brother Percy.

"Brocklehurst, Amanda" became a Ravenclaw too, and Percy lept up to shake her hand as well.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Perfect Percy," he muttered.

"Brown Lavender" the table at the far end of the hall cheered, and Harry could hear Fred and George prominent among the voices.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" was sorted into Slytherin, and the table in front of Harry, Ron, and Hermione cheered and clapped. Harry noticed the Slytherin Prefect Agnes Rockwood clapping politely for their first new student.

"They look like an unpleasant lot," Ron whispered to Harry.

He shrugged, "Maybe they're just not as loud because your brothers aren't there?"

"Crabbe, Vincent" became a Slytherin almost at once.

"Figures," Ron snorted, "that one wasn't going to Ravenclaw."

Harry laughed quietly despite himself. His mind began to wander as McGonagall went through the Fs and then, "Granger, Hermione" was called.

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Good luck." She nodded before shuffling forward and sitting on the stool with the hat on her head.

"Blimey," Ron asked after a minute, "How long has it been?" Some of the older students were checking their watches. He thought he heard an Asian girl in Ravenclaw ask her friend, "Hat stall?"

"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted finally, and Hermione pulled off the hat before rushing to join the Gryffindor table.

"Greengrass, Daphne" joined her cousin at the Slytherin table. At this angle Harry noticed her put an arm around her cousin.

"Goldstein, Anthony" shook hands with Percy as he took his seat beside the prefect.

Neville, who was on Harry's other side now that Hermione had been sorted, stumbled out of line as his name was called. The hat took a long time to decide, and in the silence, Ron muttered, "Maybe Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad… I'd be able to make my own way then…"

"Gryffindor!" Poor Neville ran off still wearing the hat and had to come back to give it to Isobel MacDougal, after a while the hat also placed her in Gryffindor.

"Macmillan, Earnest" went to Hufflepuff.

Harry cringed at what he was about to relive and found himself breathing a sigh of relief when Draco at least went to Slytherin. He watched the terror on Theo's face as he took off the hat and decided then why he wanted to go into Gryffindor. It was similar to his conversation with his friend a few days ago, Draco had wanted to go into Slytherin to protect Horatio, as he had done. Harry vowed inwardly, I will keep an eye on Theo for you, Draco. He watched the Parkinson girl flounce past and frowned as he still could not hear her words from this distance. Next the Patil twins went to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively before his moment came.

"Potter, Harry" once again the hissing whispers filled the hall, and as the hat dropped over his eyes Harry saw many faces turned toward him, some jostling to get a better view.

The voice spoke in his head for the second time in his life, "Here he is, the original, and yet you carry the memory of your earlier sorting…"

"Yes," Harry answered, "and my request hasn't changed, not Slytherin, but now I know why." He thought of the look on Theo's face as he had finally removed the hat.

"Such loyalty, an admirable and very Hufflepuff trait…" The voice wheedled, "but I suppose it would be moot if you weren't in the house with the boy you wanted to protect… in that case I'll stick with- "

"Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table exploded with cheers and shouts. Harry removed the hat and left it on the stool for the next student, before walking shakily toward the table on the far right. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, were chanting "We got Potter! We got Potter!" together. Hermione beamed up at him and scooted over to make room. Across from him the ghost in the ruff and tights patted his arm giving him the impression, he had just doused it in a bucket of ice water or maybe a cloud…

The table finally fell silent under Minerva McGonagall's reproving stare, then she resumed her list, "Powell, Abigail."

Neville, who was sitting across the table from Hermione grinned, "I can't believe I made it into Gryffindor, Gran will be so happy. I only hope I do well…"

"Good for you Neville," Harry encouraged, turning he looked past Hermione to check on the still very shell-shocked Theodore Nott, "Hermione, mind if I switch with you?"

She nodded, glancing furtively at the boy herself.

Harry stood to allow her to scoot over. Sitting down in Hermione's vacant seat he asked Theo, "Hey you ok? You look like you…" Harry checked that the ghost was occupied with the sorting, "like you've seen a ghost."

The boy looked up, "I did…" he shrugged, "about twenty of them, same as everyone else."

"Sorry," Harry explained, "it's a muggle expression. It means you look startled, frightened, or upset."

Theo scoffed, "I thought you didn't get scared in Gryffindor."

"Not true," said the ghost, apparently he had been listening, "I assure you, I was quite afraid when muggles cornered me, disarmed me of my wand, and proceeded to try to chop of my head…" He tipped his translucent hat at the new students, "I'm Sir Nick—" He paused to adjust his ruff before continuing "As I was saying, my name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, resident ghost of Gryffindor tower." He looked at Theo and continued, "I've met many a student who did not feel like a Gryffindor on his or her first night. Sometimes, you have to grow into your bravery."

"I guess you're right…" Theo took a deep breath, "but my father…"

Nicolas shook his head so forcefully that his head wobbled, "You were sorted into Gryffindor, because of what the Sorting Hat saw within you, not because of what your father wanted."

Harry looked around as he realized he had missed Horatio's sorting. No matter, he already knew where he ended up. Turning to Theo he said, "The same could be said of Neville, if he hadn't ended up in Gryffindor his grandmother would have to just get over it…"

Neville smiled weakly, "As long as you're the one telling her that Harry and not me."

While they had been speaking, McGonagall worked her way through the Rs, sending "Rivers" and "Roper" to Ravenclaw, and then "Runcorn" went to Slytherin.

"Selwyn, Dominic," the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" He sat with his friends, Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione scoffed, "Apparently, birds of a feather can bully together."

"Were Ravenclaws giving you trouble on the train?" Asked a boy with the silver prefect's badge on his chest.

She shook her head, "Not at all, I suppose I should say…" she furrowed her brow, "Snakes with similar scales slither together?"

He laughed, "I'll have to remember that one."

Theo frowned, "Not all Slytherins are bad, my best friend, and a new good friend I met on the train, both went to Slytherin."

"Of course not," the older boy said, "Things can just get out of hand between Slytherin and Gryffindor, especially when Quidditch is involved." Glancing around at the new faces he added, "I'm Craig Bennet by the way, and I'm the fifth-year prefect, so if any of you first-years need anything I'm here to help."

Harry nodded, "Thanks Craig," to himself he thought, At least he isn't making a big deal about me being Harry Potter.

McGonagall read the surname, "Smith"

"Oh," Hermione said, "another set of twins."

Neville nodded, "a boy and girl this time."

The girl Georgina went to Hufflepuff almost at once, and the table behind Neville cheered and clapped in welcome; the plump robed ghost waved merrily at her.

"You know," Neville glanced down the table where the Indian girl was sitting, "I would have expected the—what was their surname—the twins, to be in the same house."

"It's Patel, or Patil, I think." Hermione pondered the question for a moment, "but just because someone looks the same doesn't mean they are the same person."

It took the boy Zacharia a while, but he finally joined his sister in Hufflepuff.

Neville grinned, "I guess sometimes siblings do go in the same house, and sometimes they don't."

"Thomas, Dean" a black boy even taller than Ron sat down on the stool. When the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!" even Theo clapped politely with everyone else. Dean walked between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables and sat down across from the sandy haired boy, who had been sorted much earlier.

Harry glanced over, "Hey, Hermione wasn't that the kid who almost flattened you on the train?"

Hermione followed Harry's gaze, "Yes, that's Seamus Finnigan, he was sorted a couple people before me."

"Did he apologize at least?" Neville asked with a frown.

"Yes," Hermione and Harry started speaking together, and then she continued, "he did."

"Travers, Harriet" became a Slytherin

"Turpin, Lisa" went to Ravenclaw.

There were very few people now and glancing up at the dwindling line Harry noticed that Ron was starting to look rather green.

They all clapped as "Vane, Esmerelda" joined the table, sitting farther along at the end.

"Weasley, Ronald" was called, and Harry, Hermione, and Neville turned to watch as he sank onto the stool with the hat on his head.

Harry noticed his twin brothers grinning at one another and snickering as they turned back to watch. The hat deliberated for another moment before saying, "Slytherin!"

"What?" one of the twins asked

"ickle Ronny?" said the other

"A Slytherin!?" they asked together.

Ron was pale now as he removed the hat and trudged toward the far end of the hall, before dropping into a seat at his assigned table.

Finally, "Zabini, Blaise" became a Ravenclaw and the sorting was over.

Part 3 Words of Welcome, The Feast, and Words of Warning

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet, he was beaming at the students, his arms open wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there, "Welcome, welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and here they are nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak, thank you." He sat back down, and everyone clapped and cheered.

At the Slytherin table, Horatio glanced at Agnes the prefect and asked, "Is the Headmaster a bit mad?"

She quirked her lips into a smirk and said, "Albus Dumbledore, intellectually brilliant, magically powerful, I'd dare say there's cunning there too, but yes he is a bit mad."

"Potatoes, Prince?" Draco asked, Horatio turned to see his friend serving himself roast potatoes.

As his eyes traveled down the table, he fully appreciated why Hogwarts had around a hundred house elves. He could tell from enjoying Woody's cooking for a month that each of these dishes had been prepared with skill and care; there was roast beef and roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and as a pallet cleanser peppermint humbugs. He took a bit of his favorites, and even took a serving of carrots

and peas, in the interest of a balanced meal, which was something Aunt Cissy had stressed to her children.

As Horatio began to cut up his pork chop, he listened to the conversations around him. The two girls across from Horatio and Draco were chatting amongst themselves.

Harriet Travers had a dreamy smile on her face as she asked, "Did you see the latest in Witch Weekly? Lockhart is publishing another book in November."

"Oh, what's this one called? Voyages with Vela?" Adamaris rolled her eyes, "Honestly Harrie, you can do so much better with your celebrity crush…"

A boy with black hair and rather crooked teeth was talking to Agnes about the Quidditch team. "Now that I'm Captain I'd love to find us a better Keeper," He was gesturing with a chicken leg as he spoke, "I mean Bletchley is alright, but the Gryffindor front three are bound to be good this year. Wood would be an idiot not to move that one Chaser up from her reserve spot"

Agnes nodded, "True, but at least we have a Seeker from last year. They haven't had a good one since the older Weasley boy left."

"What Seeker, you mean Higgs?" The boy snorted, taking another bite of chicken.

"Marcus," Agnes chided, "he's not terrible."

The boy Marcus chewed his bite thoughtfully, studying Ron for a while, "I wonder if this Weasley is any good, pity the first years can't join the team…"

At the Gryffindor table conversations had sprung up like the weeds he used to have to pull from Aunt Petunia's garden. Harry was drinking deeply from his goblet of pumpkin juice as he listened, waiting to find an opening to join one of them, but he was also getting tired. It had been almost two full days since he had slept properly, and he realized that he was going to have to figure out a better pattern for this time management thing. I need to sleep between days if I can, or just repeat class hours individually instead of doing a whole day at once. That means I am going to need to keep clothes and things for Harry and Horatio, and go back for the other bag when I can… He yawned; I will worry about that in the morning.

Hermione was talking to a black girl with long braids, who had introduced herself as Angelina Johnson, "I'm very interested in Transfiguration. You know, changing something into something else, but I've read it's exceedingly difficult."

Angelina smiled, sweeping back her long braids as she explained, "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles, that sort of thing."

Neville was explaining all the ways his great-uncle had tried to force magic out of him when he was a child., "He pushed me off the end of Blackpool Peer once and I nearly drowned." He paused to spear a bit of sausage on his fork and eat it thoughtfully before continuing, "But nothing happened until I was eight. Uncle Algy was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles, when Great-Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidently let go. I could have fallen and broken my neck, but I bounced all the way down the garden, and into the road. Gran was so happy she was crying." He smiled at the memory, "You should have seen their faces when I got my letter…"

Theo was pushing food around on his plate. Harry nudged Theo with his shoulder, "You should probably eat a bit more. I don't know what you had on the train, but all the snacks I tried seem like ages ago."

The dark-haired boy shrugged, "I've eaten about all I can stomach at the moment."

Harry blinked tiredly, "Are you sure you had enough?" Theo nodded, and stopped moving his fork as the food on his plate vanished. Harry looked up at the rest of the table as the deserts appeared. Turning back to his friend he asked, "How about tempting you with some of this?"

There were blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could imagine, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding. As everyone began to serve themselves Harry surveyed the table, remembering that Horatio had taken an individual glass of trifle, he helped himself to a slice of treacle tart. He could hear the sandy haired boy Seamus talking about his family, "Me dad's a muggle, mam's a witch—she didn't tell him she was one until after they were married—pretty nasty shock for him when he found out."

Angelina looked past Hermione, "Is it true you went to live with Muggles, Harry?"

He nodded swallowing his bite of food before answering, "Yep, for the past ten years, with my aunt, she is my mother's sister. I lived with her, her husband, and their son Dudley who is about our age."

Craig the Prefect, who was eating a jam doughnut asked, "So, what is life with Muggles like?" He glanced between Hermione and Harry curiously.

"Well, it depends," Hermione hedged, glancing over at Harry, "My parents work a lot, so I spent a lot of time during the week at school or the local library. We take holidays over the summer and at Christmas, visiting other places and whatnot. I never knew all the odd things I could do were magic, they often bemused my parents, and made any children who would have been my friends wary of me."

Harry ate his slice of tart listening to Hermione talk about her childhood. He knew the question had been meant for him as well, but he was not anxious to answer. What would this lot think if they knew the famous Harry Potter had been made to cook and clean as a house elf, avoiding the mental and sometimes physical blows of Vernon, more often physical from Dudley and his gang. Looking up he noticed Theo watching him and gave the other boy a quizzical raising of the eyebrows. Theo shrugged and turned back to his éclair.

At the Slytherin table, Horatio was enjoying his chilled desert of cream and berries. Draco took a bit of his apple pie and some vanilla ice cream onto his spoon. He was studiously ignoring Pansy's overtures of conversation. Harriet, or Harrie as she preferred to be called, was still in full flow about Gilderoy Lockhart. He had apparently won The Most Charming Smile award for several weeks and was considering writing an autobiography. Adamaris Runcorn rolled her eyes and listened good naturedly to her friend's chatter. He caught a few words of what Pansy was saying.

"But Gryffindor of all places?"

Horatio's spoon slipped, clanging a bit against the rim of his glass. Draco finally turned to the girl, "Just because you and Parvati were sorted into different houses doesn't mean you can't still be friends." Unspoken were the words, I am still going to be friends with Theo even though he is in Gryffindor.

Pansy pouted as she considered Draco's words, "I guess I could still be her friend…"

"There's no rule that says you can't," Agnes sliced a strawberry as she spoke, "but after a while Gryffindors tend to forget their Slytherin friends…"

Finally done with the Lockhart talk, Adamaris asked, "So where has Professor Snape been hiding you all these years, Prince?"

Horatio wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin, he had almost missed his mouth in his annoyance earlier. "Well he hasn't exactly, he didn't know about me until June. I was living with other family."

"Were they at least our kind?" Harrie asked, "I heard that Professor Snape takes Muggle lovers."

"Um…" Horatio stammered.

Agnes speared a slice of strawberry on her fork. Eating the fruit with relish she turned to the first-years, "We do not perpetuate rumors about our Potions Master. He is our Head of House, and we are lucky to have his family at our table, and Runcorn, Travers, if you want to know about the boy's life ask, but don't insult his family while you do so." She returned to her desert and the first years sat in silence for a moment.

"Sorry Prince," Harrie shrugged, "I didn't mean to insult your family. I was simply curious."

"It's alright," Horatio gave her a smile, "It's not something I feel like talking about, but um no Professor Snape is not my father. I call him uncle, but he's really more of a cousin."

At last the deserts too disappeared, and the hall fell silent as Dumbledore got to his feet. He cleared his throat, "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you. First-years should note that the forest on the grounds is strictly off limits to the students, and a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." His eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins, "I have also been asked by Mister Filch, the caretaker to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Those interested in playing for their house teams should contact their team captains. Captains, when planning your tryouts and later practices, please confer with Madame Hooch to prevent scheduling conflicts at the Quidditch pitch. Finally, I must tell you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds, to everyone, who does not wish to die a painful death." A few people laughed but most of the students looked perplexed.

Neville gulped nervously, "he's not serious, is he?"

"He must be," Craig Bennet frowned, "it's odd because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere. The forest is full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he would have told us prefects at least." He glanced down the table and called, "Fatima?"

A girl with brown skin wearing a hijab turned, Harry noticed the silver P badge pinned above her Gryffindor badge, "What is it Craig?"

"Did the Head Boy and Girl say anything about that corridor Dumbledore mentioned?"

Her dark brows furrowed, "Not that I can remember…"

Dumbledore waited for the hall to quiet once more, "And now before we go to bed, let us sing the school song."

At the Slytherin table Horatio's eyes swept the staff table, and he noticed that the teachers smiles had become rather fixed. He glanced down at Draco's watch; his arm was resting casually on the table. It was a quarter until ten. He looked up and caught his friend's eye. Draco gnawed his lip for a moment and shook his head, "This shouldn't take too long."

Horatio yawned, stretching, "I'm just so tired." Really, he was too nervous about missing his window to be tired.

A long golden ribbon flew from the tip of Dumbledore's wand, twisting itself into words, "Everyone pick your favorite tune!" The whole hall began to sing in overlapping and discordant voices:

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling,

With some interesting stuff,

For now, they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So, teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

Everyone finished singing at different times. At last Fred and George Weasley were the only ones still singing to some slow funeral dirge. Dumbledore conducted the last few lines with his wand, and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. "Ah music," he wiped his eyes, "a magic beyond all we do here." He let out a wistful sigh, "Now bedtime, off you trot!"

There was a scraping of benches, and babble of voices around the hall as the students prepared to leave. The prefects of each house began calling first-years to their side. Horatio and Draco joined Agnes Rockwood's group while Ron Weasley and those Slytherin first-years from the other end of the table joined a reedy blond boy with blue eyes. Horatio could see Percy and the blond Ravenclaw girl Penny, gathering their first years but the number seemed to be fewer than the Slytherins.

Horatio adjusted his glasses, "Agnes, is it usual for some houses to gain more students than others each year?"

Agnes followed his gaze and nodded, "Sometimes there are more students in certain houses, Hufflepuff for instance tends to attract more on the whole, probably because the other three founders were more selective on which students they wanted to teach."

Hearing the end of the conversation as he arrived the blond nodded, "Yes, but some of us think that the Sorting Hat tries to keep the houses equal, which begs the question, did the hat put each student into his or her house because they should be there, or because a certain house needs more beds filled." He counted the students waiting with them, "That's all twelve, we have a good haul this year." He turned to Agnes, "Shall we Nessie?"

She rolled her eyes, "How many times have I told you not to call me Nessie, Sterling?"

He smirked beckoning for the first years to follow. The Slytherins exited the Great Hall as he responded, "About as many times as you've told me not to call you Aggie. I still say you should pick one and be done with it."

Half the students seemed to be heading up the marble staircase, and the Hufflepuffs—distinguished by a black badger on a yellow field—headed down a passage to the right of the grand staircase. Agnes and Sterling led the Slytherins down a staircase to the left. They went down two flights of steps and found themselves in a long corridor, lit by torches in brackets affixed to the wall. It was colder down here than in the main castle, and Horatio pulled his cloak tighter around himself. Draco walked along beside him, keeping one eye on his watch.

Back in the Great Hall, the Gryffindor first-years followed Craig and the girl named Fatima through the chattering crowds, but they were slowed from crossing the entrance hall by a large group of Hufflepuffs, including Hannah and Susan. Harry was too exhausted to be surprised that paintings pointed and whispered as his group passed, or that the prefects led them through tapestries rather than doorways. They climbed more staircases, but Harry was not worried so much about time now. His day was finally almost done…

They came to a sudden halt as Fatima held out her arm to stop them. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in the middle of the corridor. Craig took a tentative step forward, and they started throwing themselves at him. He covered his head with his arms and shouted, "Peeves, show yourself!" A loud rude sound, like the air being let out of a wet balloon was the only reply. The walking sticks continued their assault.

Fatima explained in a whisper, "Peeves is a poltergeist. He exists to cause trouble or mischief." Raising her voice, she added, "Do you want us to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a faint pop, and a little man with wicked dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared. He was floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks, "Ah-ho," he said with a gleeful cackle, "ickle firsties, what fun?" He swooped suddenly at them, and they all ducked, a couple of the girls shrieked.

"Go away, Peeves," Craig barked, "or the Baron will hear about this. I mean it."

Peeves stuck out his tongue, and with a pop became invisible again, dropping the walking sticks. He zoomed away rattling suits of armor as he passed. The walking sticks would have fallen on Neville's head if not for Fatima's quick wand work. She waved her wand and said, "Impedimenta!" causing the objects to be knocked back against the far wall.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked, glancing around at the younger students in concern.

"I notice you're not worried about me," Craig teased.

"You know how to defend yourself against that trouble-maker," she smiled taking the lead down the corridor, "Besides, you have a hard head, you're stubborn as an ox."

"Fine, I'll take the rear in case he comes back, shall I?" Craig chuckled, drawing his own wand as he explained, "You want to watch out for Peeves. The Bloody Baron is the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects."

At the very end of the corridor on the seventh floor, hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" it said.

"Capput Draconis," Craig replied. The portrait swung forward revealing a large opening in the wall

Fatima stepped back against the wall, "You all go ahead, I'll come through last."

They all clambered through the hole into the common room, Neville needed a leg up. They found themselves in a cozy circular room—they were obviously in one of the towers—with an elaborately carved mantle above a large fireplace. A collection of squat sofas and squashy armchairs were grouped around the merrily crackling fire; interspersed throughout the room were several weathered oak tables, and tall windows lined the stone walls, through which the stars were visible. Craig climbed through the portrait hole after them followed by Fatima. He directed the girls to a door on the left and the boys to one on their right.

Fatima added, "Boys do not try to enter the girls' dormitory for any reason, you will find yourself shot back out again."

"So can the girls come into our dormitory?" Seamus asked with a wink, making two of the girls giggle.

"They could," Fatima pursed her lips, "but I still would not advise it."

"But why can't we come into their dormitory if they can come into ours?" Dean asked, "I'm not saying I'd try, just that it doesn't seem quite fair."

Craig chuckled, "I hear you there, Thomas was it?" Dean nodded, "It seems the founders thought girls were more trustworthy than boys." He rubbed at a lump that was forming on his head from Peeves' attack with the walking sticks. "Now I think it's about time we all head to bed. Breakfast starts at 6a.m. in the Great Hall. If you don't remember the way ask an older student for help." He waved and headed through the door to the boys' dormitory.

"Oh," Fatima held up a hand to stall the first years, "and leave your robes outside your trunks tonight, so the Gryffindor coat of arms can be stitched onto them."

"How does that work?" Dean asked intrigued.

The prefect stifled a yawn before saying, "I will explain it to you, and anyone else who is interested tomorrow, for now I am exhausted." She waved as she disappeared into the girls' dormitory.

They dispersed into the two separate doors, and at the top of a spiral staircase the first years found their beds at last. Five four-posters were hung with red velvet curtains held back by braided gold cord, and each of their trunks had been positioned at the foot of the beds. Too tired to talk much they pulled on their pajamas, laid out their robes as requested, and fell into bed. Harry slid his wand beneath his pillow and removed his glasses. He could hardly keep his eyes open as he waited for the others to fall asleep…

Harry was startled awake sometime later by the crack of apparition. He gasped in surprise and saw the hazy form of Woody standing over him on the bed. The elf held a finger to his lips as he listened, his bat-like ears quivering. Harry listened too, and realized the other four boys were still asleep, including Neville who snored in the closest bed to his right.

"What time is it, Woody?" he whispered.

"After midnight, when you asked Woody to take you back to the Slytherin common room." The elf deposited Horatio's pajamas and slippers into his lap; then crept to the end of the bed and turned away to give him privacy.

Harry sat up and dressed in the darkness of his bed, before retrieving the hawthorn wand. He picked up his glasses and tapped them once, watching as they reshaped from round to square frames. When Harry was done, he drew his wand downward as best he could in the confined space.

"How do I look?" he asked in a whisper.

"You look like Horatio Prince, and you look very tired, sir."

"That is because I am," Harry held out his hand, "I'm ready to go to the Slytherin common room when you are."

Woody took his hand and the two of them disappeared with another crack, which was muffled by the closed hangings. Harry's pajamas lay in a pile beneath his pillow along with the holly wand.

The Slytherins weaved through a labyrinth of passageways deeper under the school. Horatio glanced over his shoulder to make sure everyone was still there. A tall girl with straight brown hair was walking beside Daphne and her cousin Tracy. Harrie and Adamaris were huddled together against the cold, and three boys brought up the rear of the group. Two taller ones flanked a slim boy, Horatio remembered his surname started with an S, was it Spinks? Ron Weasley was trudging along close behind Draco and Horacio, and Pansy was walking beside her two friends. They had been walking for about ten minutes when, quite suddenly Sterling halted in front of a blank stretch of wall.

"What's the password again, Aggie?" Sterling asked.

Agnes scowled at him before enunciating clearly, "Aconite." The wall slid to the side and she gestured for the younger students to enter ahead of the two prefects.

The Slytherin common room was a large underground room with rough stone walls, and a low ceiling from which greenish lamps hung. A fire was crackling merrily beneath an elaborately carved mantle directly ahead of them. Several black leather sofas were grouped around the fire, along with emerald green velvet high backed armchairs. Two doorways flanked the fireplace to the left and right. The most striking feature of the room was a large window which looked out onto a body of water that could only be the lake. Beyond the window tangles of weeds danced enhancing the room's earie greenish quality. The overall effect was dark and cool apart from the fire which afforded a warm glow.

When all the students had filed into the room Agnes and Sterling walked over to stand in front of the mantlepiece. Some of the older students glanced up from their sleepy conversations, but most had begun to rise and head to bed; the girls went through the doorway on the left, and the boys through the doorway on the right.

Agnes began to speak, "Good evening wee snakes. For those of you who have not met me, my name is Agnes Rockwood, my male counterpart here is Sterling Mulciber. Welcome to Slytherin house, the Sorting Hat has placed you here, but now you need to prove to the rest of us that you truly belong." Horatio shot Draco a worried look as she continued, "For now we expect you to do your best to do well in lessons, and to learn how to navigate the castle. It is a tradition that first year Slytherins are escorted to breakfast, and to classes if possible for the first week, but then you will be on your own, or hopefully your year-mates will be able to guide you." She checked her watch, "We will be meeting in the common room to go to breakfast at 7a.m. tomorrow. Professor Snape will be handing out class schedules then, and the older students will divide the task of escorting you all to your lessons. However, this is not a time to be lazy; if you make your escort late to their own lesson you will not be permitted to travel with the group."

Sterling stepped forward and added, "You may have misgivings about being in Slytherin. That is because outside these walls is a school that isolates us, and many current and former students of the other three houses defame our house's character and members. They envy our recent success with the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup, or they think we are all vile scum who are only out for our own interests. Now I have a question; if we were only out for ourselves how could we win such honors each year? The answer is two-fold; because there are two rules in Slytherin. First, with the rest of the school be above reproach, if you must break the rules, learn to bend them, but above all do not get caught. Second, if you have disagreements with housemates, handle them in private. Try to settle things yourselves, but if you cannot come to one of the prefects. Do not snarl and snap at one another in the halls, in classes, or at meals; that kind of behavior is unacceptable. We must present a unified front to the rest of the school."

Agnes cut in, "Now we have kept you all long enough already. If you have further questions you can ask in the morning. Girls your dormitory is to the left, you will find a room with a sign reading, "First-Years", and your things will already have been put at the foot of your beds. Boys, you will find the same beyond the doorway to the right of the fireplace. There are certain safeguards if a boy were to try to enter the girls' dormitory, and having seen the results of that myself, I would not recommend attempting it. Lastly, when you go to bed make sure to leave all your robes out, they will be embroidered with the Slytherin coat of arms during the night." She turned to Sterling, "Is there anything we've missed?" He shook his head, and she waved to the first years saying, "Goodnight." Then the prefects headed to their respective dormitories.

Wordlessly the tired students filtered through the two doorways and walked down a set of shallow steps, which curved out of sight like the coils of a snake. The low ceiling was dotted with more of the round lamps but these alternated green and silver. Each polished wooden door they passed bore a silver sign which read the year of the occupants; they heard the door click closed as Mulciber entered his own dormitory. Finally, they found their beds beyond the last door of the winding corridor. Entering the room, they found six, four-poster beds hung with emerald velvet curtains, and their trunks were placed at the foot of each bed. Small circular windows gave a view of the lake which was dark and murky by night. More circular lamps clung to the ceiling bathing the room in soft silver light.

Horatio found his trunk after a brief search of the room. Opening it, he retrieved his other two sets of robes as requested, and changed into his pajamas, leaving all three sets out on the trunk's surface. Fortunately Draco's bed was beside his own, and a moment later the blond flopped on his own bed, now clad in his favorite gray sweatpants, and a blue t-shirt that was the only thing Draco owned that showed signs of ware, it was faded and there was a smattering of small holes in the fabric. Horatio removed his square-framed glasses and yawned, collapsing onto his own bed. He placed the wand he was still holding in his left hand under his pillow. Without his glasses he could make out the blurry figure of Ron readying for bed on his other side.

It took his year-mates about ten minutes to prepare for bed, and another ten before he was sure they were asleep. Horatio retrieved his wand from beneath his pillow, and slid his feet into slippers, which Narcissa had ordered with a silencing charm woven into the fabric. He put on his glasses and left the room as quietly as he could, easing the doorknob—which resembled a serpent's head—closed with a faint click. He crept noiselessly up the coiling staircase and out of the boys' dormitories. The fire was still crackling merrily, but the room appeared to be deserted. He crossed the common room and the stone wall slid back as he approached. Severus was standing in the corridor to meet him.

A couple hours later, another version of Horatio appeared, holding tightly to the hand of the Malfoys' house elf. The fire had burned down to embers, leaving the common room in semi-darkness. Horatio yawned heartily and rubbed at his tired eyes.

"Thank you for all your help today, Woody."

"No trouble at all Mister Prince, Woody is always happy to help." The elf bowed low, "If Mister Prince ever needs more help just call Woody's name and he will come, sir."

"Thanks," Horatio gave the small creature what he hoped was a grateful smile, but a yawn punctuated the gesture.

The house elf seemed to understand his distress, "Woody is happy to help, but go sleep Mister Prince."

Horatio blinked, "Oh, one more thing, could you wake me up at 6a.m. and bring a set of my robes from Gryffindor tower? I would get them myself, but I don't know the way yet."

The elf nodded, "Woody will be here in the morning, and will do as Mister Prince asks." Then he disappeared with a crack.

When the elf was gone, Horatio pulled out his Time Turner, and turned it over twice. The world around him blurred for a moment, and when it settled he heard the door to the boy's dormitories creak open. He backed into the shadows and watched himself cross the common room. When the stone wall closed with a muted thump, he sighed in relief. Horatio shuffled back to bed, to sleep at last.

A/N: If this chapter is confusing at the end I apologize. The Horatio that just left to meet Severus is the one who was going to become Harry for the trip to King's Cross station. Then the one who appeared with Woody is the one who is going to go to sleep, and then go about his first day of classes, as Horatio and Harry. I will also post, if requested, a list of the entire sorting from Harry/Horatio's year. I am going to build more OCs as I need them, but I plan to focus on the original class list, with some alterations. I tried a couple things in this chapter, doing separate parts for Harry and Horatio's POV, and I tried to flow back and forth between the two perspectives. I hope the latter is not too confusing for my readers. Kindly let me know in a review which format you prefer, or if you like both so I can continue to plan how I want this story to go.

A note on updates: I do not want to disappoint you all, but I have decided to update every two weeks. It is just too grueling with everything else going on in my life to crank out chapters of this length once a week. So, Tuesday or Wednesday in two weeks will be the next chapter, though I do not have a chapter title for it yet. It will contain the event of the original chapter entitled "The Potions Master", but as I have already used that chapter title, I will have to find something else to call it. If I highlight the conversation and tea with Hagrid I might call it "Keeper of the Keys" or something like that.