First chapter, pretty mild on the whole. I needed a chapter to introduce my characters. However, the next couple of chapters are action packed, so keep reading!
Chapter 1
Albus Severus Potter gave one last wave to his parents and Lily as the scarlet steam engine gained speed and chugged around the corner. He was still contemplating what his father had told him; The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account. His head, which had been throbbing ever since they had reached King's Cross, had eased. He was relaxed for the first time in weeks, but still angry, as he had been for a while now.
“Hey, Al!” said Rose, taking her nose out of A History of Magic for the first time since they had gotten on the train to snap her fingers in Albus’ face. “You awake?”
“Yeah,” Albus replied absentmindedly.
“You’re not going to be put in Slytherin,” said Rose exasperatedly. “Really Al, you can’t let James mess with you like that, he’s just…”
“That’s not what I’m mad about!” interrupted Albus, indignant. Why is it that Rose always assumed she knew what people were thinking? She could be pretty annoying at times, but she was Albus’ cousin and best friend, so he calmed himself down enough to say, “It’s about what our parents told us the other day.”
“Look, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I mean, Uncle Harry survived the Killing Curse, which was kind of a big deal, plus he defeated the most evil dark wizard of all time, which was kinda brave, but overall…” Albus raised his eyebrows. “Fine, he’s the greatest wizard of all time, ok? Why in the name of Merlin does that bother you so much?”
“Because the whole Wizarding world expects me to live up to his standard, and you know I can’t do that! Everyone else could do great things with their lives. James is the Quidditch star, Fred could bewitch a niffler to plant a garden, and Teddy is only two years out of Hogwarts and he’s already working for the Ministry! Even Lily has got a talent. And you…”
“I don’t have a talent, Al,” Rose interjected quickly. Albus rolled his eyes.
“You’re the worst of them all! You memorized all the course books, Rose! You know the answers to all the questions, and we haven’t even been to Hogwarts yet! In fact, you know the questions before they’ve been asked! I can just imagine your first exam results now. Transfiguration: O, Charms: O, History of Magic: O, Herbology:O, Potions:O, Defense against…”
“Oh, shut up!” Rose threw her book at him, but she was laughing. “Anyway, Al, you don’t know you won’t be good at anything. You’re pretty good with animals,” she said, stroking her owl, Deneb. “When Debby was hurt last year, you attached a splint and everything to her leg to keep her well until Mum could mend it.”
“Yeah, Rose. I can just see the headline now: ‘James Potter Leads Britain to Fourth Consecutive World Cup.’” He mimed turning the newspaper over to the back. “Brother Albus Saves Innocent Bowtruckle from Vicious Kneazle.”
They continued laughing until a loud bang and a flash of light from the corridor stopped their fun abruptly. A second later, a tall, lanky boy with short, black hair burst into the compartment, panting. His wand was out.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” he heaved. Albus nodded. “Thanks!” he plopped down onto the brown leather seat next to Rose.
“What happened out there?” asked Albus.
“This kid called me Mudhead, or something of that sort and sent a spell at me,” he explained as he took a swig from his tall Manchester United water canteen.
“You mean Mudblood,” clarified Rose grimly. He nodded.
“Yeah. That’s what I said.” He took another swig. “That guy is a total buffoon. He thinks that I’m Muggle-born because of my canteen. I’m actually Half-blood. My mum is a witch, but my dad doesn’t know, and probably never will. My name is Jason Asterope, by the way. I know who you two are of course, Rose Weasley and Albus Potter, I presume.”
“Yes. How do you know…” started Rose, but Jason interjected.
“I picked up a couple of extra books from Flourish and Blotts.” He gestured to a small trunk that he had brought in with him. He opened up the suitcase and Albus was surprised to see that the puny suitcase's interior was cavernous. Jason stretched his hand inside and picked up a book: Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5.
“We don’t need that book, do we, Rose?” Albus asked. He had been teasing Rose for bringing extra books to school. Rose didn’t respond. She was clutching her own copy of Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5, which she had just pulled out of a little beaded handbag that was an 11th birthday present from her parents. “Answer me this: how do you fit all those books in there?” asked Albus.
“Undetectable Extension Charm,” Rose and Jason replied together. Jason grinned. “Finally! Some people I like on this train.”
“Finally, someone who can beat Rose on a test,” said Albus playfully. Rose was blushing the same color as her hair.
“I don’t know: I’ve heard that a lot of half-bloods and Muggle-borns are discriminated against. I bet I’ll do horribly at Hogwarts,” said Jason, sounding truly concerned. Both Albus and Rose laughed.
“That’s probably the only incorrect assumption you’ll have this year,” Albus pointed out, still chuckling. “Rose’s mum was Muggle-born, and she was the top of her class when she was in school. Now she’s the Head of the Department of Magical Law at the Ministry. She’s the one who’s been stopping all the discrimination against house elves,” he said proudly.
“Is that so?” Jason said, his interest piqued. “My parents are both lawyers. All they could talk about when we got here was how Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was illegal.” They all shared a laugh. A plump witch with a squeaky trolley came up the corridor and slowly opened their compartment door.
“Anything off the cart, dears?” she asked happily.
“Sorry. No money,” replied Jason bitterly.
“No problem,” Albus slipped the Mokeskin purse kept around his neck off and pulled out a handful of galleons. “Have at it!” he said as he, Rose, and Jason ran towards the cart, grabbing all the candy they could hold. The rest of the afternoon passed quite peacefully, all worries washed away in the stream of sugar and laughter.
Harry, Ginny, and Lily cruised up to their house’s driveway just before dusk. Ginny had insisted that while they were in London, the family should visit Diagon Alley for a bit. The trip, however, had gone out of control when Ginny had insisted that they purchase a new sofa that she had seen in Witch Weekly earlier. It had taken three magical movers to lift the sofa and another to fit it inside the trunk of their Vauxhall.
“I wonder where they are now,” Lily said to no one in particular.
“If you haven’t asked that at least fifty times,” grunted Harry as he and Ginny hoisted the couch onto the doorstep, “I’ll eat this sofa.” Harry opened the door with a wave of his hand. Perched just inside was a screech owl with a letter tied to its leg. The owl had a strange sort of necklace with a small badge. Harry recognized it as a Hogwarts school owl. He dropped the couch and rushed over to the owl. He untied the letter and broke the seal. Harry had seen the sender’s handwriting more than once before. It was from Minerva McGonagall.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. The reason for this, however, is not merely sentimental. Recently, a situation has arisen at Hogwarts that requires your attention, not the Ministry. In other words, Hogwarts would appreciate if you would keep the following in confidence. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has been missing for months now. No one has seen or made contact with Professor Caelum since the end of the previous term. There is no reason to suspect “foul play”, but the situation remains the same: we do not have a Defense teacher for the term starting today. We, at Hogwarts would be truly honored if you would take the post. You are clearly the perfect candidate for the job, being head of the Auror Department, as well as your extensive field experience. Also, a recent discovery has been made at Hogwarts, something which we hope you can help us comprehend. I cannot discuss the details in this letter; they are too sensitive to be put into writing. Again, I would appreciate it if you could keep this matter between you and your family. Please send the owl back with your reply promptly.
Yours Truly,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts
Harry grinned. He turned around and saw Ginny’s concerned look. “I’m going back home, Ginny.”
Chapter 2
Darkness had fully set upon the train. The sweets that Albus, Jason, and Rose had bought seemed like a distant memory, and the talk had now settled on houses. “You seem like a Ravenclaw kind of bloke, you know, with your portable library,” commented Albus.
“No, I fancy myself in Gryffindor, I hear Ravenclaws are really dull,” he replied.
“That isn’t fair! You haven’t even met any Ravenclaws, how can you possibly judge them?” Rose said, scandalized.
“I can answer that,” said a large boy who was standing just outside threshold of the compartment. “It’s easy to just look at a Mudblood and tell that they really are scum.”
Jason drew his wand out of the pocket of his robes quickly, but his hand was quivering slightly. His face was drawn into a stare of rage. “This is the git who tried to curse me earlier,” he said with gritted teeth. Rose and Albus both stood up, wands raised, though neither of them really knew any defensive magic.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Potter and Weasley,” Goyle sneered, rolling his wand in his fingers. “I see that the Mudblood has got some famous company.”
“You better watch your step, Goyle,” Jason said scathingly.
“And what could dirt like you do to someone like me?” Goyle said coolly. Jason didn’t reply. Like Rose, he only knew magical theory, not how to cast spells. Goyle, however, knew perfectly well how to cast a variety of malicious spells. He had had much practice in his four years at Hogwarts. Albus’s teeth were clenched. “One wrong word or move, and we’ll all be in the hospital wing for a week,” he thought. “One wrong move…”
“You better lug that fat head of yours out of here, git, or we’ll have do it for you,” spat Jason. He had done it. They were certainly doomed.
“You’ll pay for that,” Goyle raised his wand, ready to strike. A small grin spread across his face.
“Levicorpus!” yelled a voice from the corridor. With those words, Goyle was hoisted into the air by his ankle, as if by a pulley, and James walked up to their compartment. The shouts of Goyle and James had prompted the students to protrude their heads out of their own compartments, trying to place a source to the noise. James held his wand steady, grinning at Albus and Rose as he did so.
“What was that, Goyle? Trying to curse these good ol’ first years? Come on, don’t Slytherins have bigger fish to fry, or is it because you can’t handle someone your own age? Don’t worry, I won’t judge you if that’s what it is…” he sneered. He lifted the curse. Goyle, his face flushed with anger, skulked away, pushing the spectators away with his arm. A group of younger boys, including Scorpius Malfoy, followed suit. He certainly looked the least angry of the group. A slight tattering of applause followed their departure. James raised his hand as if to say, “It was nothing!”
“Better be nicer to him in the future, little bro. Who knows, he might be your new classmate!” James commented. Albus threw an empty Every Flavor Beans carton at his head. James deftly dodged it and sauntered away, a group of giggling girls walking along in tow.
“Stupid prat!” Albus spat at him with as much scorn as he could muster.
“That ‘stupid prat ’ kept you in one piece for the sorting,” Rose commented. James could have doubled back to avoid the girls, and she shuddered to think what James would do to Albus if he knew Albus had called him a prat.
The excitement had prevented Jason, Rose, and Albus from noticing that the train had come to a complete halt. Students were disembarking from the long train, carrying a variety of animals. Everything from owls, to cats, to toads could be heard from the platform. Albus could also hear a couple of rats squealing. Apart from the sounds of pets, Albus could also hear the mutters and whispers that followed him as he proceeded across the crowded platform. A booming voice could be heard from the end of the platform, saying, “Firs’ years! Firs’ years, over here!” It was Hagrid. Beckoning Rose and Jason to follow him, Albus sprinted across the platform, dodging other students to get to the large man in his moleskin overcoat.
“Hi, Hagrid!” said Albus excitedly. Ever since he was a toddler, seeing Hagrid always reminded him of Hogwarts. Hagrid was easily one of his favorite people in the world. In fact, he and Rose were already scheduled to have tea with him on Thursday.
“Alright there, Albus, and Rose o’ course,” Hagrid said, but rather more grumpily than he usual.
“Fine,” they said in unison.
“Well, that’s always good. Excited, eh?” Albus and Rose nodded. Hagrid continued, “Yeh should be. There’s a big surprise waitin’ for yeh at Hogwarts.” Albus’ eyes widened.
“What is it Hagrid?” berated Albus.
“I can’t say just now,” replied Hagrid, now beaming, “But you’ll know by tomorrow, I promise yeh that. Right then, I think we got all our first years now. Best be off.” He raised his voice, “Oi, first years, over ere’, follow me!”
Rose and Albus looked behind them, looking for Jason. He was nowhere to be seen. They fell back behind the crowd, looking for a head sticking out from the group; Jason was easily taller than all the other students.
“Darn it,” muttered Rose, “Where could he be?”
Albus shrugged as he said, “He’s probably somewhere around here. I just hope he didn’t go after Goyle. He seems a bit rash, doesn’t he?”
Rose looked concerned and scared. “Should we go looking for him? We could probably find our way back if we needed to,” he pointed to a cobblestone path where the carriages carrying James and the older students had recently left, “We just follow that path over there, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to get back.”
“What about the Sorting, what if we miss it? You know the Sorting Hat doesn’t sort after the first of September!” Rose said, wringing her hands.
Albus remembered when James had been sent a very angry letter from his mother when he had almost missed his own Sorting. He had been skipping rocks across the lake with Fred for the Giant Squid to swallow when he realized the time and bolted into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall had yelled herself hoarse at him for almost missing the most important day in his school life. She had promptly sent an angry note home saying that if James had missed the Sorting, he would not be let into Hogwarts that year. Albus certainly didn’t want a lecture and a walloping with a broomstick from Grandma Weasley, like James and Fred had received.
“Well, Jason will miss the Sorting too, if we don’t help. He might be petrified somewhere and disillusioned! They might not find him for days!” Rose exclaimed. Albus thought hard. Was it worth it to risk his Hogwarts career? Albus remembered something written on a decorative plaque that was kept in his Dad’s office. Gryffindor: Where dwell the brave at heart, their daring nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart. Would Albus really be Gryffindor material if he didn’t help his friend? Probably not. He had made up his mind.
He put on a determined face, “Let’s do it,” he said. They just turned around and were about to slip away from the crowd when a voice yelled at them.
“Oi! Where do you think you guys are going?” It was Frank Longbottom. His round face and dark hair made him look like a shorter version of his father. His twin sister Alice was following not far behind, but the only thing they shared was a birthday. Alice had blond hair which was braided into pigtails, her large blue eyes burning holes in Rose and Albus.
“Uhm…” Albus said. He was horrible at lying. Albus was horrible at everything that James was good at.
“We were looking for our friend. He seems to have disappeared, and we think he may be in trouble. He tried to pick a fight with a Slytherin and…” Rose sighed.
“Well then, we better get going. The way I see it, we haven’t got much time,” Frank said. Alice nodded. Alice was not a very outgoing person, and had barely said three or four words since Albus had met her so many years ago. Frank did enough talking for both of them.
“We can’t let you guys do that! You might miss the sorting!” Rose said reasonably.
“Not if we hurry, and we still have quite a bit of time,” Frank had won her over. The four ran back down the platform, looking for any sign of their friend. They had ran the full length of the platform and not seen anything suspicious, until they spotted a small procession of lights in the distance, heading towards the south, towards Hogwarts.
“That has to be them. They probably stunned Jason and left him somewhere,” Albus said with gritted teeth.
“What should we do?” asked Rose. “We can’t just go over there and look for him. What if they get us too?”
Frank rubbed his chin, thinking. “Look, they’re leaving. If we’re quiet, we should be able to go get the bloke,” he said. They all nodded and set off into the darkness.
Going by boat to Hogwarts was a rather roundabout way to the castle. What with the lake being on the east side of the castle and Hogsmeade Station being on the north, walking to the castle was probably faster than boat. The four were hoping that this would play to their advantage. If they could just be quick in rescuing Jason from Goyle, they could slip back into the crowd of first years and pretend they had been there the whole time. Frank was at the head of the pack, speed-walking down the hill, Albus not far behind.
“He can’t be too far from here,” reasoned Albus as he rested his hands on his knees.
“Homenum Revelio!” Rose said. Her wand vibrated one time. “He’s around here somewhere,” she said determinedly.
“It could be someone else, though. What if it’s a trap?” Albus said worriedly.
“Jason already fell for that trap then, we still have to check, Al,” Rose replied. They scoured the hill, looking for a wand, a shred of clothing, a water canteen, anything.
“Whoa!” yelled Frank. The others raced around the hill to his side. Frank was staring into a stone passageway carved into the hill. It was lit with flaming torches.
“I’ve never read about this hill before,” Rose said angrily as she pulled her copy of Hogwarts: a History out of her purse. “Blast it! No mention of this hill whatsoever,” she raged as she slammed her book shut. Not finding information in a book was the biggest of the many pet peeves she possessed.
“He’s probably in there somewhere, petrified,” muttered Albus.
“We better get a move on then,” replied Frank. He peered down at his wristwatch. “The Sorting starts at eight exactly and it’s seven now. We have about forty-five minutes to find him, I reckon.”
Rose was the first to walk into the cave, her wand raised. The passage continued on for a while, becoming steadily eerier and dirtier as they progressed onward. The passage took a sharp right turn and continued onwards.
“I can see the end of the passageway,” yelled Rose to Albus, Alice, and Frank. A faint but visible light could be seen at the end of the stone corridor. They were all sprinting now. At the end of the hallway, what they saw shocked them. They had expected to see a small stone chamber, lit by torches like the rest of the passageway. Instead, they came upon a cavernous room with stained glass windows on the walls.
“Oh my god,” breathed Rose, “This is the Great Hall.” The others looked at her.
“Are you feeling okay, Rose?” asked Albus. He was genuinely concerned. Rose did know that the Great Hall was in the castle up the next hill, right?
“I’m fine,” she said. She went on in that strange dreamy voice that Albus had never heard her use before, “This is the old Great Hall. Before the castle was fully built, this is where the students ate. No one has ever been able to prove its existence. They say that this room should be the only place where they have any sort of effigy or picture of…” She raised a quivering hand to the front of the room. There stood four large, cracked stone statues that were sitting in great stone chairs engraved with various shapes and symbols, but no intelligible meaning. “…the founders,” Rose finished.
“HEY, ROSE! AL!” It was Jason. He was apparently hiding behind one of the taller statues, waiting to see who the intruders were. He rushed up to meet the rest of them in the center of the room, beaming broadly. “Nice, isn’t it?” he said as he looked around the room proudly. He spoke as if he owned the hall. For a few seconds, Rose, Albus, Frank, and Alice had no reaction. Then, Rose pulled a book out her bag and hurled it at Jason’s head. Jason ducked to avoid the massive volume. As he straightened up, Rose tossed another book at him.
“WHAT THE HELL, IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” she yelled as she kept tossing her precious books at Jason. Rose’s face, which had recently been filled with awe, was now flushed with fury. Albus could tell how much it was paining her to hurl her favorite things in the world at the scared looking boy, but her rage was such that she ignored the pain and continued to rage at him. Albus, and Frank were laughing, but Alice was merely smiling. “We risked our Hogwarts careers to save you from Goyle, but here you are, playing hide-and-seek in the middle of a hill!!” she screamed.
“I didn’t come here to play hide and seek,” Jason explained calmly to Rose, who was still fuming, “I saw a group of people go into the hill from the station. I wondered what they were up to, so I climbed over the hill. By the time I got there, these people walked out of the hill and towards the castle. I went into that passageway back there and found this place. I was just looking around when I found an engraving behind one of those statues.” He pointed to the one on the far right. It showed a tall man with a monkeyish face and long beard. Jason screwed up his face, trying to remember.
Rose interjected, “Who cares what the statue said! We could have been expelled for missing the Sorting, but we risked that to come save you, and…”
“WHAT?!” yelled Jason. He face turned pale. “I-I-I didn’t know that you could get expelled for missing the s-s-sorting.”
“WELL, NOW YOU KNOW, DON’T YOU, YOU SLIMY FLOBBERWORM!” Rose continued to yell. Albus glanced down at his own watch. It was fifteen minutes to eight.
“SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!” roared Albus. Jason and Rose turned around. Albus pointed to his wristwatch and said, “We have fifteen minutes to get back to the castle, so we better find a way to get out of here, and soon.”
Jason turned even paler. “Now how are we supposed to do that? The castle is still pretty far away,” he said as he looked back towards the passageway Rose had come through.
Suddenly beaming, Frank said, “I think we’ve found a way out. Or rather, Alice has.” He pointed to the far end of the room. The other four ran up to the front of the room. Behind a chubby stone woman who was holding a cup with a badger engraved on it, whom they all knew to be Helga Hufflepuff, hung an extremely large painting. The painting depicted a small, bare room. The only feature it possessed was a wooden door.
“I’ve read about those,” said Rose excitedly, all of her anger gone. “The paintings transport you to the places they show. If this painting shows a place in Hogwarts, we can probably make it to the Sorting in time. You just have to get into the painting somehow…”Alice precariously lifted her leg and shoved it into the painting. Her leg seemed to dematerialize, but she showed no sign of pain. They all followed suit. It was a bit unsettling to see your body blend in with the canvas, but Jason, Albus, Frank, and Rose stepped in obediently. Behind the painting was another stone passageway, but this one was completely dark. “Lumos!” said Rose. The passage illuminated.
“I hope you’re sure where this painting leads to,” Jason asked nervously. “It could lead to Africa or something.”
“It doesn’t,” answered Albus. He had pulled out of his robes a tattered old piece of parchment. He tapped it with his wand and said, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” A map of Hogwarts materialized. Frank, Alice, and Jason leaned in towards it, amazed at its power to show the contents and people in Hogwarts. Rose was bouncing up and down on her foot anxiously. She had seen Albus use the map so many times last year when he was trying to find out where James was that she had gotten bored of it. “Look,” he said pointing, “This passage leads somewhere on the seventh floor. We can make it, but only if we hurry! There’s only ten minutes to eight!” They sprinted down the corridor. This passage way was much shorter than the previous one they had encountered. After several minutes, they reached a wooden door. Rose, who was in front, swung the door forward and burst into another corridor, opened the next door and entered one of Hogwarts’ well lit hallways. A tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy teaching Trolls to do ballet was visible at the end of the hallway.
“Where now?” whined Rose over Jason’s sounds of amazement. There were two minutes to eight. Albus took the lead and led them to the right, speeding down seven flights of staircases, and into the entrance hall. They saw the rest of the first entering the Great Hall, led by a tall woman in turquoise blue robes and with long black hair. Albus stowed the map back into his robes and followed the other first years into the Great Hall. He, Rose, Frank, and Jason all grinned ear to ear. They had managed to make it in time for the sorting. They were not going to be expelled. After the adventure in the Hill, Albus had almost forgotten about the Sorting. The butterflies returned to his stomach. He knew what he had to do to get into Gryffindor, but that didn’t stop him from worrying.
As they entered the real Great Hall, Albus knew which one he liked better. The ceiling of the Great Hall reflected the night sky in all of its beauty, perfectly depicting the stars twinkling overhead. Albus heard the Jason and Rose’s sounds of amazement at the fantastic sight. Both had no doubt read about the enchanted sky, but the wonder was such that it still filled them with awe. Frank and Alice, who had been to Hogwarts quite a few times with their father, Neville, showed no reaction to the sky, rather to the high table. Frank tugged Albus’ robes and pointed to the there. There, sitting next to Headmistress McGonagall, was Harry Potter, looking angrier than Albus had ever seen him.
Chapter 3
Albus’ head felt fit to explode. He had never seen his father look as he did now. Even more befuddling was why his father was at Hogwarts. Had Hagrid or Professor McGonagall called him after Albus had gone missing on the boats? That didn’t make much sense. Harry had always been the caring and understanding parent; his mother was usually the one who did the telling off. He hung his head in shame as he walked up the pathway created by the gap between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. Albus lifted his head and looked at Hagrid; if possible, the look on his face made him feel even sicker. The kindly man now had a stare placed upon Albus that would make brave men cower in fright. Professor McGonagall, who Albus had known from a very young age, had her lips pursed tighter than Albus had ever seen them. Even James and his Weasley cousins glared at him from the Gryffindor table. The first-years had reached the front of the hall where a three-legged stool sat with a parched and frayed hat on top. A rip near the brim of the Sorting Hat opened, and it began to sing.
It’s been a thousand years since I was newly sewn
And sat upon the head of a sorcerer well known.
He and his fellows started this very school,
Soon they left, but they were not fools.
They left me here to put you in your place,
I judge you by your head, and not merely your face!
You might be put in Gryffindor, where glory is your friend
Gryffindors are brave and true; they need not make amends.
In Hufflepuff, you will find those just and loyal,
They are kings in their own respect, despite not being royal.
In Ravenclaw, a brain is what you’ll need,
If you’ve an ample mind, there you can take the lead.
Finally, there’s Slytherin, where cunning finds its way,
On the brink of greatness, they’ll assure you won’t stray.
Of these houses four, one shall be yours,
I decide, you do not, but don’t get in a rage,
For I haven’t made a mistake in so many an age.
Don’t be scared, don’t even worry,
The Sorting Hat will guide you; I’m not in a hurry!
The whole hall applauded, excluding Albus and Rose. The expressions of their friends and relatives had not changed. Professor Parvati Patil pulled a long roll of parchment out of her robes and said, in her tinkling voice, “Now, when I call your name, you will come up and sit on this stool. The Sorting Hat will be placed on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses.” She peered down at the list and called, “Aaron, Robert!” A stocky boy with a mop of black hair walked up to the stool and sat down. Professor Patil placed the hat on his head. It remained still for a few minutes. Robert Aaron was sweating now.
The Sorting Hat finally screeched, “RAVENCLAW!” The table to Albus’ right burst into applause as a grinning Robert Aaron walked up to the Ravenclaw and sat next to Tiffany Chang, who shook his hand vigorously.
Professor Patil continued, “Anthony, Lucian!”
“Hmm… I see. Well then, better be…HUFFLEPUFF!” Lucian practically skipped to the Hufflepuff table to Albus’ left. He looked quite happy to be in the most ordinary house of them all. Albus was holding his breath. He knew Jason would be called next. He’d better be in Gryffindor, he thought. I hope I didn’t risk my seat at Hogwarts for a Slytherin. He hated himself for thinking it, but it was true.
“Asterope, Jason!” Jason gently pushed Albus aside as he shuffled up to the three-legged stool and sat down. The hat had barely touched his head when it yelled:
“GRYFFINDOR!” Albus cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors as Jason assumed his seat next to the rest of the Weasleys and James, all of them clapping along with Professor McGonagall, Albus’ father, and Hagrid, who still looked livid. However, Albus cared less now. One down, three to go, he thought.
After Amy Creevey, Stephanie Drummonds, Jonathon Elmont, and Harvey Fornax were sorted into Gryffindor, Professor Patil called, “Longbottom, Alice!” Albus could see Professor Longbottom lean forward in his seat, giving the stool his rapt attention. The quiet girl walked gracefully to the stool and sat on it, crossing her legs. The hat was placed on her head. It took a very long time to sort Alice. It was hard for Albus to judge what houses the Sorting Hat was deciding between, not knowing too much about Alice’s personality, but he knew Gryffindor was definitely one of the options. The hat finally reopened its “mouth.”
“Well, if you’re sure. Better be…SLYTHERIN!” Albus gagged. Whatever feeling of illness he had had before, it was nothing to what he felt now. He could hear Rose sobbing behind him. He turned around, looking to see Frank’s reaction. He just stared ahead, no expression on his face. Albus looked up at the high table. Professor Longbottom had the exact same expression as Frank. Nobody was clapping. Alice didn’t look sad at all. She didn’t by any means look happy, but she looked indifferent, almost oblivious to her surroundings. The Slytherins were also indifferent. They didn’t even acknowledge her presence at the table. The Longbottoms were perennial Gryffindors, similar to the Weasleys. No one could remember a Longbottom who hadn’t been in Gryffindor. Even Professor Patil, who was a very good friend with the Longbottoms, was startled by the Sorting; she was co-head of Gryffindor house along with Alice’s father. What chilled Albus even more than Alice being sorted into Slytherin was when the Sorting Hat had said, “If you’re sure…” That made it sound like Alice had asked to be put in Slytherin. Albus shook the idea out of his mind. That was a completely ridiculous idea.
“Longbottom, Frank!”
“GRYFFINDOR!” yelled the hat, and Frank walked over to the Gryffindor table still with that same blank look on his face.
Professor Patil regained her composure and continued calling names. After several minutes of quickly calling names, she stopped for the briefest of moments. Then she called, “Malfoy, Scorpius!” The pale faced boy with blonde hair walked up to the stool.
“SLYTHERIN!” Like Jason, the Sorting Hat showed no hesitation. Malfoy, unlike Alice, received a standing ovation from the Slytherins. Even more worrisome to Albus was the fact that Alice was clapping as well. Rose was still sobbing earnestly. What was wrong with Alice today? She hadn’t seemed herself ever since the adventure in the Old Hall.
Albus was pondering what could possibly wrong with Alice when Professor Patil announced to the hall: “Potter, Albus!” The hall burst into whispering and muttering, just as it had exactly 25 years ago when the man at the high table to the right of the Headmistress walked up to the middle of the Great Hall, ready to be sorted. Not Slytherin, not Slytherin, he had wished. And so his son wished: Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
A little voice whispered in is ear, “Hmm, not Slytherin, eh? Very like your father you are, but not in spirit. Oh yes, you are brave, but not like he was. You are very clever, quite adept at wand work, I can see. Ravenclaw seems the place for you”Hufflepuff would also be a nice place for you, judging by your undeniable moral fiber”Slytherin would not be such a bad place, either. I can see cunning in here, as well as the wish to stand out from the rest. Yes, Slytherin might not be a bad place…yes, Slytherin seems to be the place… ”
“NO!” yelled Albus out loud. If he had everyone’s attention before, it was nothing to the attention he was getting now. He looked into the crowd of remaining first years and saw Rose still sniffling. He couldn’t bear the thought of being sorted into Slytherin. Please, not Slytherin. Albus kept repeating this mantra in his head.
“Oh well, if you’re sure. Your father wished the same, and looked how he turned out! Yes, that seems like a good place for you… GRYFFINDOR!” Albus let a grin spread across his face in spite of himself. As he walked to the table on the far left, he turned his head and looked behind him. His father was clapping with James, Frank, and all of the Weasleys. He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Frank, who was smiling at Albus, but only briefly. Jason moved from his previous spot at the table to a seat next to Albus and clapped him on the back.
“Well done there, mate,” he said jovially. Albus nodded. The rest of the students were sorted unceremoniously into Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, but none in Gryffindor. Soon, Rose was the only student left. Before Professor Patil even called her, she was on her way up to the Sorting Hat. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head. She jumped when she heard the squeaky voice whisper in her ear. The Sorting Hat sat still for fifteen minutes. Rose’s face was screwed up in concentration.
“What’s taking so long?” asked Jason worriedly.
“I dunno, why won’t the stupid Hat put her in Gryffindor?” Albus had heard from Teddy’s letters that all of his Weasley cousins and James had been placed into Gryffindor as soon as the brown hat had touched their heads. Rose was easily as brave and cheeky as the others; what was taking so long? Another ten minutes passed. The Sorting Hat sighed. Albus gripped the bench in anticipation.
“I can’t give you what you what you want, as that is not the place for you. However, I know where you belong… GRYFFINDOR!”
Albus clapped along with the others, but he was definitely spooked. Had Rose asked to be in Slytherin, despite the fact that her entire family was in Gryffindor? Albus wondered whether his friends were going crazy, or he was. Rose asking to be in Slytherin, honestly, he thought, as Rose sat down next to him.
Jason began, “Why did the hat…”
“Shut up and I’ll tell you everything later,” Rose whispered as Professor McGonagall stood up.
“I shall save the formalities for later. For now, let the feast begin!” she finished. Every kind of food imaginable appeared at the four house tables. Albus, forcing himself to forget his interest in Rose’s lengthy sorting , helped himself to kind of food he fancied. Everything from roast beef to shepherds’ pie to Cornish pasties ended up on Albus’ plate. Jason, however, ate everything he could lay his hands on. Rose ate barely anything, merely playing with her food. Not until pudding appeared did Albus and Jason remember what they had been so eager to find out from Rose.
“So,” Jason began, his mouth full of chocolate cake, “Dod dis dollihy os fafer? Du fonna fell dus fhy he fording dat foof do fond?”
“I would, if only I could understand what the hell you’re on about!” she snapped. Jason swallowed.
“Are you going to tell us why the Sorting Hat took so long to sort you?” Jason asked angrily.
“Well…” Rose shifted in her seat.
“Tell us, Rose,” Albus said with finality.
“Fine. I asked to be in a different house.” A whole plate of Yorkshire puddings fell on Jason’s lap.
“What? You can’t be serious,” he blubbered.
“I am serious,” She lowered her voice, “I asked to be put in Slytherin.” Pumpkin juice spilled all over the table. Albus had flinched in shock, tipping over his goblet and spilling the orange liquid all over the table and into all the other food. James had just been reaching for the last oatmeal cookie to go along with his ice cream when it was soaked with juice. He glared at Albus and continued to talk to Fred in whispers.
“I am going to pay for that eventually.” Albus sighed. “Anyway, Rose, why would you want to be in Slytherin?”
“Maybe she has a “thing” for Scorpius Malfoy,” said Jason conversationally. Rose’s eyes flared in anger. Albus shook his head gravely. That had definitely been the wrong thing to say. Rose was clutching her spoon like a machete.
“No,” Rose said, her teeth gritted and her voice quivering. She obviously did not want to tear Jason to pieces with her spoon in front of the Great Hall at her first night at Hogwarts, but Albus knew that in any other situation, Jason would be in the same state as the chocolate pudding in his bowl. “Don’t you think that Alice will be very lonely in Slytherin, to say the least? I tried to give her some company for a bit before I got her re-Sorted.”
“How in the name of Merlin do you intend to get a re-Sort?” asked Albus.
Jason answered, “If the student in question is mentally unstable, as proven by a recognized medical institution, a re-Sort can be administered.”
“Textbook answer,” muttered Rose. Jason looked extremely smug.
“But Alice isn’t mentally unstable, is she?” Albus inquired.
“Well, not usually,” Rose started, “but you could tell by her eyes that she wasn’t thinking normally,”
“Actually, I did. She stumbled all the way down the stairs, didn’t she?” Albus replied. “So what do we do if Alice is loopy?”
“She’s not loopy, Al. And I don’t know what we should do, but I have a book that will surely help in my trunk.”
“Well,” Albus started, “That’s all well and good, but after you got Alice out of Slytherin, how did you intend to get out of Slytherin? You’re not mentally unstable.”
“As far as we know,” added Jason, his mouth full once again.
Rose glared at him again. “Confundus Charm, of course. I’d confound myself and get someone to get me a re-sort” she said casually. Jason snorted.
“Ha! Like that would work, that has to be the most stupid, utterly dim-witted idea I’ve ever heard. And you said you thought you might be sorted in Ravenclaw,” he laughed. Albus elbowed him in the ribs. What was he playing at? After all the trouble they had gone through, it was not a good idea to taunt Rose. Utter doom would be the fate of any person who attempted this, as Albus well knew. More to the fact, Rose believed firmly that Jason was the cause of all the troubles.
Jason stomped on his foot in retaliation so hard that tears of pain dripped from Albus’ eyes. He wiped them quickly and changed the subject.
“Hey, Rose, did my Dad mention to you that he was coming?” Albus asked quickly.
“No,” she grunted. “I thought he would have told you. I hardly think he’d just show up here for no reason.”
“No, he didn’t mention coming here whatsoever. D’you think Hagrid or McGonagall called him because we were missing?” Albus asked nervously.
“Nope,” said Jason, “Trust me, Al, teachers won’t call your parents just because you’re missing for a couple of minutes. It’s a boarding school, remember? They have plenty of ways to deal with rule breakers like you, me, and Rose - besides calling Mummy and Daddy.”
“Excuse me?” said Rose indignantly. “Al, Frank, Alice, and I were breaking no rules. The only rule-breaker is you, wandering off into the night like that. The only reason we left the platform was because of you. We thought Goyle had Stunned you and left you somewhere.”
“Ha! That’s rich! Goyle Petrify me? No, ma’am, he’d probably hold the wand backwards and Stun himself. You can’t seriously think he’d hurt me?”
“He had a pretty good go on the train this afternoon,” said Albus reasonably.
“No, he certainly didn’t! I had the situation perfectly under control, thank you very much,” said Jason angrily.
Rose laughed. “Yeah ,right! You were trembling from head to toe! If James hadn’t been there to back you up…”
“ARE YOU SAYING I COULDN’T HAVE TAKEN GOYLE MYSELF?” roared Jason. Rose backed away a bit at this new burst of fury from the boy sitting across her.
“Well, Jason, he did almost hex you into oblivi…” Albus couldn’t finish his sentence because Jason had punched him full in the face. Albus’ nose was bleeding profusely. “Dhat dhe delf dif de datter dif du?” whispered Albus. He still liked Jason slightly, but Jason had seemed quite odd ever since the trip in the Old Hall. He did not want to attract any more attention to himself today. Rose no longer looked angry, but extremely frightened. She was more talk than action when it came to arguments, and she was predictably hopeless in a fist fight. She moved Albus away from a still fuming Jason, and gave Albus a napkin which Albus held to his face. What was going on with all their friends? First Alice was sorted into Slytherin, an then Jason suddenly attacked his supposed friends. Something sour was going on, but what exactly was unclear. Was it something that had affected them all? Would he and Rose be the next victims of whatever had influenced Jason and Alice? What if the whole school was in danger?
These morbid thoughts were flushed out of Albus’ head as the plates of food suddenly vanished, and Professor McGonagall stood up. “Well, here we are, on the threshold of a new year: a year, I hope, that will exceed all of your expectations. I have a few things I would like to bring to your attention. There have been a few changes of staffing this year.” She cleared her throat and began again. “Professor Caelum will no longer be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Instead, Professor Harry Potter will be taking the post,” Whispers spread across the room. Albus saw James chug his arm in a sign of victory. Despite his nose being broken by his friend and his other friend being sorted into Slytherin, Albus could stop himself from grinning along with Rose. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat again to stifle the whispers.
“The rest of the staff, thankfully, has remained intact. With Professor Potter here, we have decided to start an informal Dueling League, for which sign-up sheets will be distributed later.” Mutters spread across the room again. “Quiet! All right, as I was saying, this Dueling Club will be open to third years and above. Only third years and above, no exceptions.” She stared at Fred and James as she said this. “Tryouts shall be held in October. If you wish to try out for the Quidditch team, contact your Head of House. And our caretaker, Mr. Nocens, reminds me to tell you that all Weasley products will be banned, along with the regular items such as Fanged Frisbees and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs.
“Well, despite the fact that you do not have classes until Monday, I would suggest you get off to bed. Hopefully, this weekend will give our new students, as well as the old, time to reacquaint themselves with the castle. You heard me, off to bed!” She made a shooing motion and all of the students slid out of the benches. The older students crowded the exit, while the first years remained seated for their Prefects to guide them. Victoire and Murray Finnigan stood up and gestured for the first years to follow them to the dormitories. Albus, Rose, and Frank made to follow, but were stopped by Harry, who strode across the room to catch up to the first years.
“You three, and you,” he pointed to Jason, “Follow me to the headmaster’s office. Professor McGonagall would like to speak to you. Mr. Potter, what happened to your nose?”
Albus felt very uneasy, as if something was churning inside his stomach. His father had never called him “Mr. Potter” before.
“I fell,” Albus lied. Harry shook his head grimly and promptly fixed it with a wave of his wand. He led them past the rest of the first years and up the packed marble staircase. Harry did not smile or give Albus any of the friendly gestures he usually did. Albus now felt truly ashamed for what he, Rose, Frank, and Alice had done. Jason should have been the only one who got reprimanded; he certainly deserved it more than he the others. Albus silently wondered why Alice wasn’t with them. She was probably with Neville now, and rightly so. Albus would have needed parental support too if it had been him.
Harry took them up five flights of stairs and down a corridor until they reached a winding staircase guarded by gargoyles. “Voses Frigus!” he said to the gargoyle. The gargoyles moved aside allowing Harry to lead the others up the staircase and into the headmistress’s office. “Sit down,” he said and pointed to four hard backed chairs facing the large maple desk. “The Headmistress will be here in a moment.” Many of the instruments that once belonged to Albus Dumbledore were still kept in the room, including an empty perch where Fawkes the phoenix once lived. Many of the old Headmasters depicted in the portraits surrounding the circular study were sleeping, except for the portrait of Albus Dumbledore himself, who winked and smiled at Albus and the others; apparently he sensed that the visit to the office was not one of joy, however, and remained silent.
Ten minutes of pure agony passed. Albus had never seen his father so angry before. Before long, Professor McGonagall arrived and sat down in the high backed chair behind the maple desk. “Please explain to me,” she began calmly, “why you were not on the boats with Hagrid when you left Hogsmeade station.”
Jason made a movement as though he was going to explain the situation, but Rose started before he could. The consternation in her face as she explained how they had flouted one a rule showed in her face. “We, I mean to say, Albus, Frank, Alice and I were following Professor Hagrid off the platform and onto the boats when we realized that Jason wasn’t there. He had gotten into a row with Alexander Goyle, Professor, and we thought Goyle had attacked him and left him somewhere,” She looked at Jason as though she wouldn’t have cared if that did happen, “So we went looking for him. We were at the end of the platform when we saw a bunch of wizards with lit wands walking away from a hill. We thought that might have been Goyle, so we went over there and found this passageway into the hill. Professor, was that room the old Great Hall?”
Professor McGonagall and Harry went pale. “Rose,” Harry began bleakly, “You didn’t touch anything in that room, did you? Or you, Al? Frank?” They all shook their heads. “Mr. Asterope?” Jason nodded, but didn’t look worried at all.
“Professor Potter, please escort Mr. Asterope to the Hospital Wing,” Professor McGonagall said sternly. Harry nodded and took Jason by the wrist down the spiral staircase once again.
“Uh, Professor, what’s going on?” asked Albus.
“Have a biscuit,” she sighed, withdrawing a gold tin from a drawer behind her desk and holding it out. Albus, Rose, and Frank each took one, but didn’t eat them. Professor McGonagall said as she turned around to face the largest portrait behind the chair, “Albus, I think it’s best if you explain it to them.” She sighed again and took a biscuit.
Dumbledore beamed as he began, “That room was, as you, Ms. Weasley, have already guessed, the old Great Hall, which Hagrid recently discovered as he was chasing an escaped Thestral. It was hidden by the first Headmaster of Hogwarts, who wished that all the major relics of the past history of Hogwarts be, quite literally, buried.”
Rose’s eyes were wide with wonder. She loved all magical studies, but history was quite possibly her favorite. “That room, however, was not merely a dining chamber. It was also where the new students were placed into houses. They were not, as is commonly believed, handpicked by the Heads themselves, but rather sorted by, for lack of a better term, attraction.
“The statues in the front of the hall, which I am sure you all saw, were the most primitive way of Sorting students. The students would take it in turn to walk up to the front of the room and touch the statue which they thought best portrayed what they would like become in the future. The statues were imbued with the attributes of the founders themselves. When they came in contact with human skin, the students were cursed irrevocably.”