NOT THIS TIME

J K Rowling owns all the rights to the books and the amazing characters she created. I write only to satisfy my imagination and use my creativity and make no money from my writings.

Chapter 1 – Doing His Job

The Sorting Hat was gearing up for his once a year job, sorting all the little wizards and witches into the houses they belonged in. As usual, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had spent the last week having his annual "chat" with the Hat or, as Lars (which was the Hat's name) called it "Dumbledore's annual attempt to influence the sorting for the Greater Good."

When Lars had been created it had been Helga Hufflepuff who had insisted that an infallible charm be placed on the Hat to prevent tampering. It was an accepted legend that Rowena Ravenclaw was a seer, but only because Rowena Ravenclaw was so very intelligent, so witty and, yes, I'll say it, so very beautiful, that all types of talents were attributed to her. Although she did have many talents, being a seer wasn't one of them.

No Helga was the closest any of the Founders came to being a seer. But Helga wasn't using any of her slight seer powers she was just using her common sense. Any fool could see that having a hat in charge of placing a young magical into a specific house could lead to all sorts of manipulations and Godric, the fool (smart and brave but still a fool), Salazar the cynic and Rowena the proud know-it-all finally agreed with her once the logic of the situation was presented to them.

Therefore, it had taken most of their time together to create the spell. Salazar was going on a quest which he could not delay any longer and Rowena's health was failing fast. For the Hat to be used and used correctly, all four of the Founders had to be in agreement and use their magic for the good of the school and, most importantly, the school's future students.

The spell was cast with the assistance of Lady Hogwarts, the entity who made up the school's magic and who would become the guardian of the school once the last of the Founders died.

Godric was the first to die. He and Salazar always went out together to find the "New Blessed" as Muggleborns were originally known. Despite how history would later paint him, Salazar didn't hate the New Blessed he just didn't trust their relatives and with good reasons. He had saved Godric's life on many occasions by disillusioning himself while Godric made arrangements with the Unblessed to allow their child to attend the school of magic. There were many Unblessed who would sooner kill their child then for him or her to "lose their soul" to the wickedness of magic and they would gleefully kill Godric if only because he was a wizard.

No, Salazar had saved Godric many a time as well as the life of a magical child. It was the second year after Salazar had left that Godric went out on his own. The first year Helga had forced him to take two of the 7th year students with him. The second year Godric was just being stubborn and went off alone. By the time the two 7th years Helga had sent after him found him, Godric had already been killed by some angry villagers urged on by the village priest. The two children he had gone to recruit were burnt at the stake to "save their wicked souls."

Rowena died the next year due to a prolonged illness. Then about six months after her death, Lady Hogwarts informed Helga that she "felt the passing of the maker Salazar" and so now Helga was alone. She lived another 17 years running the school and turning good students into excellent teachers to carry on the work the four friends had started so many years ago.

As she was dying she called together all the teachers and students and the remaining offspring of the four. She made them swear an oath on their magic with Lady Hogwarts presiding over the bonding to carry in with the ideals and goals upon which the school was founded upon. She personally chose the new Headmistress, a daughter of Salazar and that daughter was the first to swear the oath that every future Head must swear upon their taking up the mantle before the wards could be changed with the new Head in charge.

Things went well for the school for many years and it prospered and became famous throughout Europe and other parts of the world. But like everything made by humans eventually corruption crept in. The only things which saved the school from turning away from its lofty and noble heritage were the oath of the Head, Lady Hogwarts presiding over and protecting the school and the integrity of Lars the Sorting Hat.

Throughout the centuries some Heads tried to corrupt the Hat, change the format of the school or take total control over the institution, so did outside sources such as powerful families and even the Ministry of Magic once it was founded. But the school survived and prospered.

There were Heads, especially Headmasters, who tried to influence the Hat to sort certain children into a specific house for a personal agenda or for profit. So far the only Headmaster who had come close to a successful tampering was Albus Dumbledore. That wizard had always had his own agenda and would until the day he died.

Albus made it his business to look over the potential of all incoming students, especially the Muggleborns. He then decided who should go where and tried to influence the Hat by discussing the incoming children during his week before school started. Only Minerva McGonagall, Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick went to meet, greet and introduce the Muggleborns to their new world.

Since Horace Slughorn had always refused to do such a plebian duty Severus Snape felt that he shouldn't be forced to do it either. But it was agreed by the others that a Muggle family seeing Severus Snape at their door was enough make the Muggle family seriously think of immigrating rather than send their child to a school where this wizard was teaching.

The incoming Muggleborns were discussed in depth with Dumbledore asking questions concerning ones he felt would be worth cultivating. Naturally he wanted the best (for his plans) to go to Gryffindor as the members of his old house were his greatest supporters. After the meeting and during the week leading up to September 1st Albus would do a lot of thinking out loud.

Lars knew he was attempting to persuade him to place certain children into the house he wanted them placed. But Lars always put the children into the house they either truly deserved or, in some cases, desperately begged to be placed in. If some children were to be sorted into any house other than Slytherin….well it could be hazardous to the child's health.

But one year Albus Dumbledore succeeded in getting his way. It was a crucial year in Albus' opinion so he must have his way. Since he couldn't spell the Hat into doing his bidding he did the only thing he could think of. He made a fake hat.

It had been one of his most brilliant plans ever. On September 1, 1971 Lars was waiting to be taken down to the Great Hall for the sorting. He waited and waited and waited.

It wasn't until Lady Hogwarts appeared in the Headmaster's office that Lars found out about the fake being substituted for him. Albus had come up to his office smiling gleefully, his eyes twinkling merrily and he was even whistling – badly, but happily.

It was then that he was met by a very angry Hat, Lady Hogwarts herself and a furious Phoenix familiar. An explanation was demanded and Albus brazening gave one. Certain children HAD TO BE SORTED INTO CERTAIN HOUSES FOR THE GREATER GOOD. Since the Hat couldn't be trusted to understand the Greater Good, well Dumbledore just had to take the necessary steps.

There are some little known laws concerning the sorting, most of which have been lost in time, but there are certain loopholes which merit a resorting, but only on an individual basis and then only in dire circumstances. However, no safeguards had been put into place to merit the resorting of an entire class, so it looked as if Albus was going to get away with it.

Then Lady Hogwarts, Lars, all the portraits of the previous Heads and even Fawkes "tore him a new one" as the saying goes. The portraits yelled, the Phoenix squawked, Lars screamed and Albus just smiled. You see there was another little known law concerning Hogwarts attendance. The trace on a child's wand was placed on the wand in three stages.

The first was when it was purchased at Ollivander's. The second was when the child walked through the barrier at King's Cross Station and got on the Hogwarts Express. The third, and most important as it sealed the trace onto the wand, was when the child was sorted into his or her house and the spell "bestowing the colors" on the child's robes and tie were activated. Then the trace was on and the child was officially made a student at Hogwarts and had to stay at Hogwarts to complete his or her education.

At the moment, and perhaps permanently, there was nothing to be done and Albus had done the impossible. As the Muggles say "he had beaten the system" and there was nothing to prevent him from hiding or even…..getting rid of the original Sorting Hat and using his own.

"Oh yes there is," said Lady Hogwarts. She then dropped the wards around the castle. "You have broken too may laws and traditions Albus Dumbledore," the ghostly Lady informed him. "Therefore you have broken the covenant between the school and the Headmaster."

Albus Dumbledore was now a very scared wizard. He could be thrown out of the castle and forbidden entry for the rest of his life. The castle was also defenseless and at the moment could be taken over by anyone who had the blood of the Founders. Although many families had claimed a relationship with one, or even more, of the Founders, those claims were all false, all rumors…. except for one. There was one known heir left, the Heir of Slytherin, one Tom Marvolo Riddle a/k/a Lord Voldemort.

Albus pleaded, he begged, he almost got down on his hands and knees to implore Lady Hogwarts to reinstate the wards otherwise doom and disaster would happen if Voldemort claimed the castle. She refused saying "Better the Heir of Slytherin than a conniving, unethical wizard with his own agenda."

Dumbledore tried to "reason" with the Castle, the Hat, the Portraits and even his familiar who, since the wards were down all that was needed was for him to have a burning day and he would be free of his allegiance to Dumbledore.

"The only way I will raise the wards is if you swear on your life and magic to destroy that fake hat, never replace Lars and never order him to sort any student into a house," the Castle stated.

"But it is for the Greater Good," wailed Dumbledore.

"How is it for the Greater Good and the Greater Good of what?" asked Lars.

"I can't tell you, you will all just have to trust me."

"No we don't" said the portrait of Dilys Derwent.

"But you must" pleaded Dumbledore.

"No we don't" said the portrait of Armando Dippet. "You have to give us a reason why."

"I can't because….I am under oath," Dumbledore said hoping they would believe him.

"I repeat and will only do this one more time," said the Castle, "The only way I will raise the wards is if you swear on your life and magic to destroy that fake hat, never replace Lars and never order him to sort any student into a house."

Dumbledore had no choice but to swear. The wards were reinstated, but the sorting had remained so it hadn't been a total loss.

Dumbledore had "behaved himself" for many years because he had no choice in the matter, but Lars, Lady Hogwarts and most of the portraits still didn't trust him. If there was another way for him to influence the sorting he would do it especially this year as it was the year when Harry Potter came to Hogwarts.

Since Lady Hogwarts was sentient she knew what went on at Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore had done, or in many instances not done, things which he was honor bound as a Headmaster to do. It was a constant battle and since she was a Castle there were certain things which she could not.

She had been further handicapped since the sorting of 1971 because Dumbledore had found a way to strengthen the wards and keep them under his control. He had done this once before when he had taken over as Headmaster and using some of the same method as well as some new and rather dark spells, he would have to do something really, really, really illegal for her to drop the wards again and permanently expel him.

Dumbledore had spent the entire week preceding September 1st giving (his version) of all the logical reasons why certain students should be placed in certain houses if only to help Harry Potter adapt to school. It was a forgone conclusion that Harry Potter WOULD BE SORTED INTO GRYFFINDOR as where else could the defeater of Voldemort go? After all, Potters were always in Gryffindor and the boy's Muggleborn mother was also in that brave and noble house, so naturally Harry Potter would be a Gryffindor.

"The Potters have only been exclusively in Gryffindor for the past three generations," Dilys Derwent pointed out. "Before that Herodeus Potter was a Slytherin, Amadus Potter was a Ravenclaw and before that…."

"Well Harry Potter HAS TO BE IN GRYFFINDOR," snapped Dumbledore. "He is the Boy-Who-Lived and you know that Voldemort will be coming back and Harry must have the support of friends and my guidance to help him defeat Voldemort. The only place he can get that help and support is to be sorted into Gryffindor."

"You can't possibly be trying to order me to sort Potter into Gryffindor can you Albus?" asked Lars. "Remember your oath."

"I am remembering my oath and I am not ordering you just pointing out the obvious need of what should and must be done if we don't want the world to burn once more if Voldemort ever…."

Dumbledore rattled on and on stressing this and that. Since Lars and the portraits all resided in the Headmaster's office, they were aware of all the manipulations Albus had been doing from arranging for "the safekeeping" of the Philosopher's Stone, to the "safeguards" he was having the teachers set up, to sending Hagrid to introduce the boy to their world, arranging for the Weasleys to "help the boy" set him on the correct path as per the careful instructions of Albus Dumbledore as well as the many other plans he had been and would continue to be making regarding the "education" of the Boy-Who-Lived.

Yes they and Lady Hogwarts knew almost everything regarding Dumbledore's plans and manipulations. Unfortunately, the portraits were under the control of the Headmaster in regard to not being able to leave their portraits to visit outside of Hogwarts unless given express permission by Dumbledore, nor could they reveal any secrets they heard in this office. Lars and Lady Hogwarts never left the castle grounds and had little to no contact with others, or at least contact with anyone who could help them regarding Albus and the running of the school.

So it was a given that Albus was planning something to get his way in this very important sorting and they wouldn't find out until the sorting started. Then they would have to put any quickly made plans into action.