Chapter 7

Dumbledore sat at his desk waiting for the morning paper to arrive and was puzzled. Matt, who he was certain would be put in Slytherin was placed into Gryffindor. He remembered from the night before Matt argue with the Sorting Hat. Dumbledore overheard a full confession.

Its as I feared. Matt is Voldemort and is planning something... Dumbledore thought to himself.

The sorting of Matt wasn't the only thing on his mind. Harry's sorting was usual as well. Harry, like Matt, seemed to not have wanted to be in Slytherin. Dumbledore wasn't surprised the Sorting Hat considered Slytherin for Harry since Voldemort choose the boy that was more like himself given two choices as to who this prophecy threat to him was. But having Gryffindor as an alternative? From what he knew of boy, Gryffindor didn't seam to be a perfect place for Harry.

Maybe he was told to be in Gryffindor? Or maybe the hat saw some Gryffindor quality in him that has yet to really surface? After all, he was five years old and managed to call the police getting his aunt and uncle into trouble knowing that he himself could die before help arrived... But being sorted into Gryffindor by his own free will doesn't make sense since he seams to rely on his 'brother' to bail him out which is more of a Slytherin trait... Dumbledore wondered.

McGonagall was having some tea waiting for breakfast to be ready and was pleased. From the moment she mentioned Matt Thornton to Dumbledore, she noticed that Dumbledore seamed almost panicked and the previous afternoon after meeting with Madam Pomphrey, it seemed to hit an all time high. She confronted Madam Pomphrey and found that Dumbledore was convinced Matt was the person who murdered Harry's parents. McGonagall disagreed.

She just knew Matt wasn't dangerous but couldn't think of a way to prove she was right other then to sit back and wait for Dumbledore to come to his senses. She told Dumbledore all she knew about Matt, including the fact that both Matt and Harry had been living in the same house for years. If Matt wanted Harry dead, there would have been plenty of opportunities for him to kill Harry without anyone getting suspicious but Dumbledore just never thought about that. Dumbledore had already made one mistake that nearly cost Harry his life. McGonagall didn't want another mistake to happen. So she asked the Sorting Hat to put Harry and Matt in her house, Gryffindor.

When she got the Sorting Hat from Dumbledore's office and making sure she was alone, she asked the hat if it would put Harry and Matt into Gryffindor. To her surprise, the hat agreed saying that most head of houses didn't know they could request students to be sorted into their house before the sorting ceremony. The hat went on to lecture her about the reason why it was charmed to do so and that the headmaster or headmistress couldn't make requests. When the hat was finished she told it to not let Harry or Matt know she requested them in Gryffindor. The hat had no comment for that request. She was glad that hat fallowed her requests. Now she was in a position that she could talk with the two boys and their adoptive parents if Dumbledore continued with this nonsense without much suspicion.

"Albus is a bad influence on me..." McGonagall signed, feeling guilty all of a sudden after taking a sip of tea.

Matt having Tom Riddle's memories of the first two day of Hogwarts proved to be both useless and helpful to both him and Harry. It was helpful because Matt knew something about the school's layout but useless because Tom was in Slytherin and had a different class schedule so they had to figure out on their own how to get to the classes they needed to go to.

In all there were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing steps that you had to remember to jump over. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending.

'Don't bother asking the ghosts...' Matt privately told Harry. 'They tend to not be of much help... Except for The Bloody Barron though he only helps Slytherins out...'

There was one ghost, if you him that, that either wasn't at Hogwarts in Tom's time, or Tom didn't encounter during his first few days at Hogwarts. Peeves the Poltergeist. Peeves was someone you best avoid when possible because he was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you ever met him. He loved to make people miserable by dropping wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!" On the third day of school Peeves thought it would be fun to not let anyone into the charms corridor unless they set their pants on fire while chanting "Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire!" If it wasn't for the Bloody Barron, who was apparently the only one Peeves listened too, most of the first year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs would have been late for charms.

The castle caretaker Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris were worse. He seemed to always accuse students of breaking the rules or making a mess of the castle. If you broke a rule in front of Mrs. Norris, Mrs. Norris would run off and Filch would be there to attempt to give you a detention before you even had a chance to blink. From talking with older students, Harry learned that most students had a secret ambition to kick Mrs. Norris which made Matt keep a close eye on his cat Carl.

The classes they had ( by Thursday evening were alright with two exceptions. History of Magic was easily the most boring class ever. While Matt and Harry had nothing against history, the class was boring because the teacher, Proffer Binns, was a ghost who's monotone voice was guarantied to cure insomnia. 'I can't believe he's still teaching... He was teaching in the 1930's though he was alive back then.' Matt complained to Harry after waking up when class was over.

'I guess he doesn't realize he's dead. Remember what that third year said. Binns died in the staff room and got up in the morning and left his body behind. As long he wants to continue teaching, they'll let him continue to teach.' Harry replied.

The other class was astronomy which was on Wednesday night at midnight, much to most student's displeasure. Everyone that had that class wanted to sleep in the next morning but couldn't because they would miss breakfast.

It was Friday morning and the Gryffindor first years would have double potions with Slytherin after breakfast according to their schedule.

"I'm not looking forward at all to Potions..." Ron commented as he started to pile at least one of each of everything on the table that was within his reach like he how he had been doing for every meal for the past week.

"Why's that?" Harry asked.

"Because Professor Snape is a greasy haired git," Ron's brother Fred replied from a few spaces down the table.

"And is terribly unfair to us Gryffindors," Fred's twin brother George added.

"And always favors his dirty snakes!" Fred and George finished together to which Percy, who was sitting in between Ron and George, rolled his eyes. Within moments, the morning mail arrived. A news paper with a note landed in front of Seamus Finnegan who sitting across from Percy and next to Matt. Matt quickly noticed that paper had the previous day's date on it.

"Why are you getting yesterday paper?" Matt asked confused.

"I have no idea..." Seamus replied as he read the note and then, looking confused, went go look at the newspaper's front page.

"Mum wanted to know if the front page article is true... She says she doesn't believe it even though it is true..." Seamus explained.

"What is the front page article?" Matt asked.

"Go ahead and keep the paper. The only thing worthwhile in the Prophet is the comic section though they are only in the Sunday paper..." Seamus replied handing the day old newspaper to Matt. Matt started to read the paper to what the front page article was. Matt wanted to laugh when he saw it.

Harry Potter Not At Hogwarts

by Rita Skeeter

September 1st, 1991 was supposed to be Harry Potter's, better known as The Boy-Who-Lived, first day at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. However at the sorting ceremony, the Harry Potter's name was not called according to an anonymous source at Hogwarts. This reporter has asked numerous sources to find out where Harry Potter is going to school and nobody has a clue.

"His name is not on any of the lists of under aged wizards residing in the British Ministry's jurisdiction," Mafalda Hopkirk, head of the Improper Use of Magic Office, commented. "That is rather unusual considering the Office of Magical Inheritance said that rumors of his death at the hands of Muggles were exaggerated several weeks ago after they announced he was dead. From what they said if I recall was that he was living somewhere in Surrey. The only Harry that lives in Surrey on the list is a Harry Thornton."

Could this mean that the person we have been idolizing be a squib?

"I remember seeing the boy shortly before the Potters went into hiding. He conjured a wad of some sticky and slimy substance and shot it up my nose much to his and his parents amusement during one of those pointless parties Minister Bagnold put on in the Ministry Atrium in a lame attempt to boost moral. The boy is defiantly not a squib," Lucius Malfoy, advisor to Magic Cornelius Fudge, commented. "The boy is no doubt dead and the Inheritance Office reversed its statement under pressure from Albus Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley's fears that having the boy be dead would result in an all out war with those Muggle savages. This is a classic example of the corruption our new Minister promised to put to an end to."

Mr. Malfoy's statement leads to the conclusion the Boy-Who-Lived is dead. If he was murdered by his Muggle relatives, how many other Muggle raised witches and wizards had been murdered by their Muggle families? Perhaps we should put a ban on muggles raising witches and wizards without Ministry appointed supervision to prevent any more tragedies.

"Harry, the Daily Prophet says you are dead," Matt tried to say as quite as possible while chuckling and handing the paper over to Harry.

"What? Let me see..." Harry asked confused and looking at the article. After reading the article, Harry set the paper next to his plate.

"Those people must be really thick or something Matt. Didn't Professor McGonagall say that the Prophet mentioned my name change?" Harry asked.

"It did. I remember my mum mentioning it." Ron answered as he put more bacon on his plate. "Hard to believe they didn't think that you would still want to go by Harry Thornton rather than Harry Potter. I mean you've gone by it for like 5 years..."

Just about everyone on Gryffindor table that was within earshot turned to look in the direction of Harry.

"You're Harry Potter?" a nearby second year boy that Matt and Harry didn't know asked in disbelief.

"Yes bu..." Harry tried to explain but was interrupted.

"Then why didn't say anything? Everybody! Harry Thornton is Harry Potter! " the student yelled loud enough for all to hear.

"Do you have the scar?"

"How did you kill Voldemort?"

"Did the killing curse hurt?"

Harry was being bombarded with questions and Matt didn't need his 'mind link' to Harry to know he didn't like it.

'Matt, I think I hate the Daily Prophet...'

Chapter End Notes

There's chapter 7. Sorry for taking awhile. See my notes in chapter 12 of "Snape's Second Chance" to find out why it took so long.

Anyways, the cats out of the bag. Things will settle down for Harry. Eventually.

Anyways, reviews please!

PS, I'm still looking for betas. Send me a message if you are interested and please give me a way to reach you other then the private message system here on .