A stern looking older woman met them in front of the doors to the great hall, which towered over all of them, extremely ornate and well polished, considering how old Hogwarts supposedly was. Izuku looked from the doors to the woman, and immediately got the sense that, like Aizawa, she wasn't one to cross.

"Who is she?" Lily murmured from next to him. Izuku shrugged helplessly at his new friend.

"Professor McGonagall, I think," Sirius whispered back from his other side. "She's head of Gryffindor house, and she's supposed to be really strict."

So this was the professor that taught transfiguration? Izuku swallowed nervously. He hoped she ended up being as fair as she was strict.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," She announced once everyone had quieted down. Her voice was clipped and professional, but Izuku could also sense warmth from it. "I am Professor McGonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a few moments, you will walk through these doors, and be sorted into your houses. Each one of you will be in either Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin." The gathered first years all starting muttering to each other again. Izuku exchanged nervous smiles with those around him.

After a sharp look from McGonagall, and everyone quieted down once again. She continued: "Whatever house you are sorted in is the house you will remain with all seven of your years at Hogwarts. They are like your family, and you will be sleeping, eating, and going to classes with them. I expect you to treat each other with respect, and you will earn it in turn.

"At Hogwarts, every student has the ability to earn house points. Good deeds and excellent work in classes will earn you house points, and breaking rules will lose you house points. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the house cup."

There was a small knock on the door. McGonagall nodded to herself along with it. "It's time then. Follow me."

Izuku took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to dispel all the nervous energy he had. The grand doors opened, and all the first years followed McGonagall inside the great hall.

"Do you know how we get sorted into the houses?" Lily fretted. "She didn't say."

"Think it hurts?" Severus mused, although out of sarcasm or not, Izuku couldn't tell.

Sirius snorted. "Not a bloody chance. There's no way my cousins would consent to going to this school if getting put into Slytherin was in any way inconvenient to them. I'd bet it's something really boring."

"Frank told me it doesn't hurt, that there's no reason to be worried," Izuku agreed. He wouldn't lie about something like this."

Their conversation stopped as they entered the great hall, and Izuku could feel his mouth dropped open. It was just as wonderful as Frank had described it, with the long grand tables, floating candles, and vaulted ceiling charmed to look like a cloudless night sky.

"Oh, I read about the ceiling!" Lily whispered to him. "That's so amazing, if I didn't know about it, it would look almost real!"

"I can't wait to learn that charm," Izuku whispered back. "There just seems to be so many uses for it! Even if it's just making your bedroom look like you're sleeping under the stars. It's probably a sixth or seventh year though." Or they might not teach it at all, to make sure no one messed with the great hall ceiling. Izuku would have to research independently then.

He looked around to see if he could find Frank. Hufflepuff's colors were yellow and black, right? His eyes scanned the table of people wearing said colors, bout couldn't find his oldest friend.

They stopped in front of the head table, where those who Izuku could only assume were the teachers were seated. McGonagall grabbed an old pointy hat and a worn down stool, bringing them in front of the head table and setting the former on top of the latter.

Izuku watched curiously, then excitedly, as the hat burst into song, singing in a jolly voice about all the wonderful qualities of the different houses. When the hat was finished, everyone at the four tables burst into applause, although whether it was for the song or for their own houses being praised, Izuku couldn't tell.

"I will now read out your names, and you will come up and try on the Sorting Hat," McGonagall announced. "It will then tell you what house you belong to. Now, Abertan, Hannah!" A little redhead walked nervously up front, and sat down on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her.

"So it's just a hat telling us where we'll be." Lily looked immensely relieved.

"A bit anticlimactic," Sirius huffed.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat called out. With a massive smile, Hannah jumped up and gave the hat back to their teacher, running over to join the cheering table in blue.

It seemed their were only three eleven year olds with last names beginning with an A, and only two with B-names that came before 'Bl'. No time had passed at all before "Black, Sirius!" Was called to the front. Giving them all a grin, Sirius strutted up to the seat, looking totally at ease as the hat was placed upon his head. A minute later, "GRYFFINDOR!" Was called out for everyone to hear.

Severus scoffed, but halfheartedly joined Izuku and Lily in cheering for their friend as he took his place at the red and gold table. Izuku couldn't help but notice the clapping for Sirius was unusually subdued compared to the five before him. For the others, every table had clapped, even if halfheartedly, but while Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and especially Gryffindor were cheering, it was muted with surprise. The Slytherins weren't clapping at all, save for a few. Many looked scandalized.

Sirius had mentioned that his whole family had been in Slytherin. Maybe that was why?

The sorting continued on. "Candleworth, Jack," became the first Hufflepuff, A girl with heterochromia like Shouto joined Gryffindor, a snotty looking boy named Edgeworth became a Slytherin, followed by another boy named Eines, who looked much nicer.

Then "Evans, Lily," was called. Izuku gave Lily a reassuring smile, which was shyly returned. Lily made her way to the front of the room, where McGonagall put the sorting hat on her head. After a bit over a minute, "GRYFFINDOR!" was called out, and Lily leaped off to go join Sirius at their table. He immediately made room for her, and she sat down right next to him.

"Oh," Severus muttered softly. The boy was looking extremely downcast.

"It's okay!" Izuku told him. "Just because you might be in different houses, doesn't mean you can't"

"You really don't know much about how houses work, do you?" Severus sneered, more out of anger and hurt than anything. He turned away before Izuku could respond. "Lupin, Remus" became a Gryffindor, the quiet boy joining Lily and Sirius.

McDonald, Mary became a Gryffindor and McNear, Charles became a Ravenclaw. They were getting closer and closer. Izuku's nerves were starting to tingle. Pettegrew, Peter joined Gryffindor after a lengthy debate with the hat, and then it was Izuku's turn.

"Potter, James." At the sound of his name, Izuku made his way to the stool, and felt the sorting hat be put on his head, slipping down over his eyes.

"Oh! Another one!" A voice, the hat's voice, was inside Izuku's head. "So many at the same time. How unusual."

"You know that I've lived a past life before?" Izuku thought, surprised. "Wait, I guess it does make sense. You would need to really understand a person's mind and memories in order to figure out what house to sort them in."

"Correct!" The hat sounded pleased. "You have an extremely fine mind, young man. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this, just as I have not told on any of the others that I've sorted." The hat's merriment seemed to fade. "Although I must say, what is it with you otherworlders and dying young!? Please do be more careful this time around."

Izuku winced. He thought about asking who else besides those he knew had been sorted, but considering what the hat had just said, he figured he wouldn't get an answer. "So, are you going to sort me into a house?"

"Ah yes, of course!" The hat hummed to itself, and Izuku wondered if it was sorting through his memories. "Hm. Like I said, you have an extremely fine mind. Ravenclaw would be happy to have you among its ranks, and you'd do well there. You have a great deal of ambition and cunning, the desire to be a great hero, even without a quirk, as well as the tactics you've created on the fly would make Salazar Slytherin proud." Izuku couldn't help but think about Severus just then. The hat didn't seem to comment on that, but Izuku wondered if it knew of the other boy's desire to be in Slytherin, and would take that into consideration.

"And then there is your compassion, and drive to work as hard as you can! You would certainly be welcome in good ol' Hufflepuff." The sorting hat chuckled. "My, what a tricky customer you are!"

Izuku shifted nervously. "So where should I go then, if I fit into so many houses?"

"That's the real question, isn't it?" The hat mused. "With all that under consideration….as well as - yes, that should be taken into account as well….hmm." The hat continued to murmur softly to itself, and Izuku was beginning to wonder if he'd ever be sorted.

"I think," the hat told him suddenly, "That I've reached a conclusion."

"What is it?" Izuku asked eagerly.

"You may fit into every house, and do well in any house. But it seems at the end of the day, there is one of the four that defines you, and nearly all the actions you've taken thus far in either of your lives. In the end, the right house for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat shouted that last part for everyone to hear. Relieved, Izuku took of the hat and handed it back to McGonagall, who looked surprised and considering. The loud applause - for him this time - rang happily in his ears as he took his place at the table next to his friends.

Sirius slapped him on the back. "Wasn't sure you were going to make it there for a minute, you took so long!"

"You were almost a hatstall," another first year, Alice, if Izuku remembered correctly, told him. She had blond hair hair and warm brown eyes, and had seemed completely at ease before and during her sorting. "You know how rare that is? It's pretty rare, let me tell you"

"Really?" Izuku asked.

"Is it?" Lily said at the same time. The two looked at each other and laughed.

Sirius rolled his eyes and leaned over to Remus, who was sitting next to him. "Yes, they're always like this." Remus chuckled good naturedly, although there was a touch of nervousness in his voice.

Alice laughed as well. "Yeah, it is. I've heard that only a couple people have ever been hatstalls, two of which are widely considered to be some of the best teachers in this school." Alice nodded her head at the teachers table, and Izuku wondered which two she was referring to. "Anyways, I'm Alice."

"James," Izuku said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Alice is like you and Sirius. She's grown up with two magical parents," Lily explained.

Alice smiled. "They both work for the Ministry of Magic. Dad's Chief Secretary for the Minister, Mom works in the Wizengamot."

"That's so neat!" someone named Robert joined their table, sitting down next to Peter.

"Snape, Severus." Izuku, Lily, and Sirius turned to look at the sorting hat, Alice and Remus following their gaze. Severus seemed to be doing all he could to hide how frightened he was as he sat down on the stool and had the hat put on his head. Izuku saw Lily cross her fingers underneath the table.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat called out not a minute later. Looking pleased, Severus sent them a somewhat apologetic look, before heading to the green and silver table, where an older boy with pale blond hair greeted him warmly.

"Figures," Sirius muttered under his breath. Lily turned to him sharply.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Can we not do this?" Izuku pleaded. He had just made some new friends, after years of only being close to one person. The last thing he wanted was for them to fight, even if he privately agreed with Lily. "I'm glad Severus got the house he wanted, and we can still hang out with him during and after classes!"

Lily's expression softened. "You're right." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "No need to worry."

Not too long after, the sorting ceremony finished, and more food than Izuku had ever seen before appeared on the table. Wonder in his gaze, he immediately picked out some of his favorites.

He quickly found Remus and Alice to be extremely enjoyable company. Alice seemed knowledgeable in all sorts of wizarding laws and procedures, due to her parents work. Politics in the magical world hadn't been a topic Izuku had focused much on - he was far more interested in the magic itself and how it worked - but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate a fellow knowledge seeker when he saw one.

Remus was shy, and hesitant to speak up at first, but proved to be very well learned. Like Severus, he had one magical parent and one muggle parent, but seemed to know much more about muggle society than Severus did, even admitting at one point that his family spent more time interacting with the non-magical parts of the world than the magical parts. Izuku wondered why, but figured that wasn't really a good topic for their first conversation, as Remus seemed extremely touchy about the whole thing.

At some point during the meal, a red haired Gryffindor boy approached them, prefect's badge on his chest and a smile on his face. "James!" He said boistfully, and Izuku looked up, surprised. "Now that's a face! Haven't seen you like that since you thought you saw my head in the wall!"

Oh… oh! Frank had told him about the other reincarnated student, but had failed to mention what he looked like. Hey there Mirio! Izuku tried to keep the emotions threatening to drown him off his face. The last thing he wanted was for everyone to question why he was crying seeing Mirio again.

"That was a mean trick you played," Izuku said instead, although he kept a smile on his face. "I'm surprised you made prefect, considering how much of a slacker you used to be."

Mirio laughed. "You got me there. But I haven't introduced myself!" He smiled at the first years. "Fabian Prewett, fifth year Gryffindor prefect. If any of you has any problems, come find me!"

"Thanks," Lily said gratefully.

"No problem at all." Fabian smiled at all of them. He leaned down next to Izuku. "By the way, James. There's someone I'd like you to meet. I think you'll be interested in hearing what they have to say."

"Another one of-?" Izuku asked, surprised.

"No, he isn't. But I really think you two should meet. I'll introduce you when I get the chance." Fabian stood up and gave everyone another smile. "Alright, I'm heading back to my part of the table. Again, if you need anything, just ask!"

The rest of the feast, including the desert, was just as delicious as the beginning. When most everyone had finished, they were dismissed, and Izuku and his friends stood, wondering where to go next.

Fabian waved them all over. "All right first years, follow me." He led them up many flights of stairs, some of which ever even moving.

"How does this work?" Izuku wondered, as the steps they were on slid over to another landing. "What charm was used on them? Is there a pattern?"

"I think so," Remus mused. "I feel like I read about it in 'Hogwarts: a History'".

Sirius groaned. "Please not now. It's just magic, who cares? I'm too tired to listen to you guys go on about that."

"Then don't listen," Remus suggested. Izuku couldn't help but let out a chuckle, and even Sirius wasn't able to hide a surprised snort.

They reached a painting of a middle aged stocky lady. Fabian paused in front of it. "This is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Tell the Fat Lady the password, and she'll let you in. This year's password is Grompers. Please don't forget it." At the sound of the password, the Fat Lady smiled and swung open. They all clambered inside.

The common room was warm and cozy, with deep red walls, comfortable plush chairs, red and gold rugs, and a roaring fireplace. Plenty of students had already made it back, and were lounging around, reading by the fire, or working at polished desks.

Fabian passed out little pieces of parchment to each of them. "There's a lot of kids in your year, so this has the dorm you'll be in! Just head straight there, you'll know it when you see it. Breakfast begins at seven, and classes start at nine, so make sure you're there." With that, everyone started to disperse.

Lily, Mary, and Alice were looking at each other's parchment, seeming pleased. Lily turned to smile at Izuku. "See you tomorrow then?"

Izuku smiled back. "Definitely!" They parted ways, Izuku heading up the boy's staircase. He found his room rather quickly. Inside were four four-poster beds with deep red and gold curtains and bedsheets. His trunk was already at the foot of his bed, waiting to be put away.

Remus was already inside. He looked pleased to see Izuku. "Looks like we're going to be sharing dorms." He looked away awkwardly. "I'm glad. I mean, you seem really nice, and I was worried that…." He trailed off.

Izuku picked up the conversation before it could get awkward. "I'm glad too. You also seem nice." Remus gave a small smile, and Izuku counted that as a win.

Sirius barged into the room, followed closely by Peter. "You guys are here? Great!" He flopped down on his bed. "I'm hitting the sack, I'm beat." Peter pattered silently to his own bed.

"Alright then. Good night." Izuku tried out his own bed. It was the softest thing he had ever been in.

So far, he had made at least three or four friends, been sorted into the same house as almost all of those friends, met Mirio again, and was about to start his true education in magic. If every day was going to be like this, Hogwarts was going to be the best time of Izuku's lives.

Sorry this one took so long! Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review!