Frost here with chapter 6 of Swarm Lord Harry, and, I seriously wish I was as good at writing a single story as I am coming up with ideas for new ones. Anyway, I finished this over the summer, and sat on it and chapter 5 of Naruto of the Disaster because I was hoping to have more chapters written before I uploaded things. And I was lazy and forgot to post things, that is another important factor. Another important reason for delaying was because I was distracted by reading fanfiction...seriously I spend like 90% of my free time reading fanfiction. And also playing LoL.

I'd like to remind everyone again that I own nothing. This time I even have bits taken directly from Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, both the sorting hat's song and part of Dumbledore's speech.

Chapter 6

The new first years followed Professor McGonagall across the entrance hall to a pair of large double doors, which swung open smoothly as she approached. They filed in between the two middle tables, which judging by the banners at the front were Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. To their far left was Slytherin, and to their far right was Gryffindor.

At the end of the dining hall was another table, this one raised up so that the teachers could see everything that happened in the hall. However despite the hundreds of eyes now fixed on the new students, and the whispers all around, the thing that caught the most attention was the ceiling. Ahead of Harry he could hear someone saying that the ceiling had been bewitched to look like the sky above, which created an amazing view.

As the first years finally made it to the end of the hall, they bunched up in front of the high table. In front of the Professor McGonagall placed a wooden stool and an old, tattered brown hat on it. The hall fell silent and the older students looked at the hat expectantly. After just a moment, the hat twitched, and then a rip near the brim opened and the thing 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 then 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 rest of the hall burst into applause as the hat fell silent, bowing once to each of the four house tables before growing still. Professor McGonagall unrolled a sheet of parchment and spoke up. "When I call your name, you are to come here and try on the hat. You will then be sorted into your house. Abbot, Hannah."

A couple of people later "Davis, Tracy," was called up. After just a few moments the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!" She smiled and quickly moved over to the far left table.

Soon it was time for Dudley to be sorted. "Dursley, Dudley." He approached the hat and it was placed on his head. After a few moments, the hat bellowed out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

After a few more students were sorted Professor McGonagall called out, "Greengrass, Daphne." Harry whispered a quick good luck to her as she went up, getting a small, quick smile in return. The hat sat on her head for a good thirty seconds or so, before bellowing, "SLYTHERIN!"

Finally after Padma and Parvati Patil, in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively, it was Harry's turn. "Potter, Harry," As his name was called the hall exploded with whispers. Glancing around as he sat on the stool, he saw people whispering and pointing, craning their necks to see him better. Then the sorting hat settled across his eyes and all he could see was black.

"Well, this is interesting. I don't believe I have ever sat on the head of someone so in tune with the world before." A voice whispered into Harry's mind. "You have traits that each of the founders would prize. The courage and chivalry of a lion. The determination and loyalty of a badger. The intelligence and wisdom of a raven. The cunning and ambition of a snake. You posses all these traits, something I have rarely seen."

"So where do I belong?" Harry thought back, unsure of what he wanted.

"Well, despite the traits you posses, there seems to be a clear winner to me. Creating a branch of magic never seen before on Earth? Even back before I was created, when elementals were more common and were sometimes found in the wild, no one ever tried to communicate with them." The hat mused. "Normally that sort of thing would land you solidly in Ravenclaw, but I do not believe you would fit in there. They are too focused on books and the established rules of magic. Your loyalty and determination qualify you for Hufflepuff, but you are too much of a loner, and would not enjoy your time there. While you posses more than enough bravery and daring to make it as a Gryffindor, I believe it would be too volatile there."

"So Slytherin then?" Harry mused, it certainly wasn't a bad choice, especially as he already had a friend and a tentative friend there.

"Yes, your plans for the Zerg are ambitious, and will require all the cunning you can muster to pull off. I believe that Slytherin will likely be your best bet, and between you and Miss Greengrass, I believe you might be the best chance at redemption Slytherin is likely to ever get. Therefore, you shall be in," Here the hat bellowed out loud, "SLYTHERIN!"

The hall was practically silent, almost everyone was stunned into disbelief. Harry Potter, vanquisher of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the Boy-Who-Lived, a Slytherin? How could this be possible? As Harry moved to join his new house, he saw Daphne, Tracy, and Dudley begin clapping, grudgingly joined by the rest of Slytherin after a few moments.

Harry plopped into a seat between Daphne and Tracy, who had parted to give him room. Daphne had a tiny smile on her face, which was quickly wiped off, although the look in her eyes told him that she was happy. Tracy grinned at him and said, "Did you go for Slytherin just to keep us company?"

Harry deadpaned, "But of course, I know that you two would be totally bored of being here without me to make witty comments and jokes." Tracy snickered and Daphne's lips twitched into almost a smile. "In all seriousness, you two being here did influence me a bit, after all, I like too stick around my friends, few that they are."

Daphne nodded thoughtfully then asked, "The hat gave you a choice?"

Harry hummed thoughtfully, "Not exactly, but I think my desires influenced it's decision. It said that I could fit in any house, but ultimately decided that Slytherin would best help me complete my goals."

Soon the sorting was over with Weasley, Ronald going into Gryffindor, and Zabini, Blaise joining them in Slytherin. Once Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the sorting hat away Dumbledore stood up. He beamed at the students, eyes twinkling and arms opened wide. "Welcome!" he said. "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 to applause, several people quietly laughing at the nonsense the headmaster had just said. As the applause ended food appeared on the tables, and soon the sound of silverware, voices, and laughter could be heard across the entire hall as the students dug into the food.

Harry glanced over the food available and soon piled his plate high with delicious food. Pork chops, bacon, boiled potatoes, pudding, some vegetables, and there was so much more he could see as well. As they dug into the food Harry asked Daphne, "So, how are you're own studies going? I didn't get a chance to ask earlier."

She nodded, swallowing a mouthful a meat and delicately wiping her mouth before answering. "I managed to get [Dancing Lights] to work, although I need to practice controlling more than two orbs at once. It also is drawing more mana than I expected it too, so I'm going to have to go over my calculations again to see what I missed."

Harry nodded, it made sense, the spells they used had to be crafted from the ground up. Harry was lucky in that regard, he only had to do that for the spells he took from D&D, and when he worked on Zerg spells, of which he only had one. As a shaman his other spells could be taught to him by the elements. Daphne and Dudley on the other hand, had to craft all of their spells through trial and error. "Well, if it'll help you you can compare you're spell formula to mine." He offered her.

Daphne nodded, "I may take you up on that offer. In any case, I've started work on [Eldritch Blast], which is already promising to be easier than [Dancing Lights], if only because I don't have to include a way to control how it moves."

Tracy spoke up, "Can you two not talk about things I don't know about when I'm here? It's kind of irritating when I have no idea what you're talking about."

Daphne blushed lightly, "Sorry Tracy. I'll explain things later if you want?" Tracy nodded in satisfaction before pulling Daphne into a bit of gossip she had heard recently. At that point Harry stopped paying attention, allowing his gaze to wonder about the hall. Catching Dudley's eye he saw that his cousin was having a friendly conversation with a girl their age, Susan Bones he thought, although he couldn't hear what they were saying.

He looked up at the high table, seeing Dumbledore in the center on a fancy looking chair that almost looked like a throne. To one side of him was Professor McGonagall, and beside her was a tiny man, he guessed that was Professor Flitwick from what Daphne had told him. On Dumbledore's other side was a plump, matronly lady, beside which was a sallow skinned, greasy haired man with a hooked nose. He guessed that these must be Professors Sprout and Snape. Beside Professor Snape was a nervous-looking man wearing a turban, past whom was an empty chair and then another woman. There were a few more women between Professor Flitwick and Hagrid, who was siting at the end of the table.

Finally as the last of the food and desserts disappeared, Dumbledore stood once more and the hall fell silent. "Ahem—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 forbidden all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's eyes flashed in the direction of a pair of redheads, twins, and one or two other students around the hall.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch."

He looked seriously out at the hall, "And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry snorted and glanced around, before leaning over to Daphne. "Bet you someone goes there before the first month is over."

Daphne humphed, "No bet, some idiot, probably a Gryffindor, will almost certainly go."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore cried. Harry noticed the other teacher's smiles had become rather fixed. Dumbledore gave his wand a flick, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted into words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

While the school sung the song Harry noticed that a fair number of the Slytherin's refrained with looks of disgust. Eventually only the redhead twins from Gryffindor were still singing, to a very slow funeral march. Once they finished the whole school applauded. "Ah, music," Dumbledore said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The new first year Slytherins followed their prefects down into the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room and dorms were. "This is the fastest path to our common room from the great hall and entrance hall, however the common room actually has three other exits which you will likely make use of in your time here." The prefect explained. "Each of the entrances is hidden behind a blank wall, essentially indistinguishable from the rest of the dungeon. Be warned, the dungeons underneath Hogwarts are extensive, prone to change, not entirely explored, and easy to get lost in. It is recommended that students, especially first years, stick to the top two floors of the dungeon, where our common room and Professor Snape's office and classroom are."

Harry nodded along with the other first years, it made sense, although at some point he'd need to explore the lower dungeons. There were sure to be some interesting things down below. The prefect continued, "Each entrance to the common room is password protected, and the password is changed every two-weeks, with the new password being posted on the notice board." He stopped in front of an otherwise unremarkable bit of wall, and spoke, "Salazar Slytherin."

The stones slid smoothly backwards, then swung inwards, revealing the entrance into the common room. Once all of the first years had passed into the room and the door had swung shut again the prefect raised his voice and continued. "Welcome to the Slytherin common room. This will be your home the next seven years here at Hogwarts. Each year has a separate corridor for their rooms, first year girls are on the far left, first year boys the far right. Unlike Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, who have communal dorms for each year, you will each have your own room. What you do in that room is your own business, but be aware that the prefects and Professor Snape can unlock the door if needed."

Harry, though tired, was looking about the room curiously. It was quite green, with green banners and green and black furniture. It also had a large amount of silver, including a silver snake on the mantle. There were a number of armchairs and couches around the fireplace off to one side, as well as a couple tables with chairs around them.

The prefect glanced about, noticing that most of them were practically dead on their feet and smiled. "As you are about to fall asleep now, I'll keep the rest of this brief. There will be a house meeting before breakfast tomorrow at seven-thirty. If you aren't up, someone will come and get you, but don't expect that to keep happening. You have already been assigned rooms, so off you go. Goodnight." With that the prefect disappeared down one of the other corridors, while the tired first years shuffled down their corridors to discover their rooms.

Harry entered his room to discover it was about what he had expected. Like the rest of the Slytherin dorms, the prominent color was green, with silver highlights and gray stone walls and floor. He had a four poster bed, with his trunk at the base of it already. On the other side of the room was a desk, beside which was a mahogany wardrobe. Harry smiled, it has surprisingly nice for being in the dungeons. After a moment he yawned loudly. "I'll unpack tomorrow," he muttered, quite tired.

As he fell asleep, he could vaguely hear the grumbling of the earth element surrounding him, and the happy bubbling of nearby water. His last thought before he passed out was to wonder if the dungeons extended out into or under the lake.