I own nothing all words in bold are property of J.K Rowling

Harry and Arthur came back into the living room and sat back down.

"So what's happening?" asked Molly.

"I have asked that someone else is brought to read the books. Someone important." Harry said.

"Who is it?" James asked.

Harry looked around the room carefully.

"Severus Snape." He said.

"No!" Sirius yelled. "He is a Death Eater you can't bring him here."

"Harry he'll kill us or betray us to Voldemort at the very least." Remus said.

"Severus Snape is not a Death Eater." Harry shouted over the noise. "I know you don't like him and I know you don't trust him and I know why. But I also know that he is a good man and that he needs to be here because he too is one of the key people who will change what happens in the future. I know at the moment he is working with Voldemort however he does change and he does save my life. He needs to be here as much as you do."

"Harry has shown me proof that he is trusted by us in the future. And that he does indeed need to be here." Arthur said. "Trust me I wasn't happy either when he first said but I now believe him." Arthur said. "Trust me I wouldn't let him into my home otherwise."

"Are you sure about this Arthur?" Molly asked.

"Yes Molly dear I am." He said.

"Be civil with him." Harry begged looking at James and Sirius. "Or otherwise I won't be able to let you stay and keep reading."

"Well." Molly shifted uncomfortably. "Dinners just about read so how about we eat and we can talk about it after."

Dinner was finish and the last of the plates were cleaning themselves in the sink. Everyone was feeling rather full as they made their way back to their seats to continue reading.

"Should we wait for Dumbledore or keep reading?" Remus asked.

"I suggest we wait." Harry said. "I don't think he will be must longer."

At that moment there was a light knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Harry said.

Harry stepped into the kitchen and breathed a deep sigh. He knew it wouldn't be easy having Snape in the house but this needed to be done. Hermione had sat up all night convincing him this was the right thing to do but now it was actually happening he wasn't so sure it was the best idea.

"Any problems?" Harry asked Dumbledore as he walked into the kitchen.

"Not after I showed him what you gave me." Dumbledore said smiling over his half-moon spectacles.

Behind Dumbledore came Severus looking shifty and extremely ill at ease. He glanced nervously around the kitchen before his eyes settled on Harry.

"So," He drawled. "You're the one who summoned me here."

"Yes." Harry said. "I know how you feel and that you want her kept alive. So we need to go in there and be civil with each other. Remember you can change what's happened. Otherwise we all die."

With that he turned and walked into the living room. Dumbledore and a reluctant Severus followed him. Dumbledore took his seat and conjured up an armchair next to him for Severus to sit on. Severus said down and glanced at James and Lily. The briefest flash of pain showed in his eyes before it went dead.

"I've got him up to speed with everything that's happened. Shall we continue?" Harry asked James.

James nodded and looked around the room.

"Who's reading next?" He asked

"I will." Hermione said. "I always loved the sorting ceremony."

"THE SORTING HAT." She read.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black haired witch in emerald green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"Most people get that impression with McGonagall." Sirius grinned at James and Remus thinking of how many times they had been in trouble with McGonagall.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Who else would it be?" James laughed.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny smiled sadly. The entrance hall in their time was still having work done on it after the war. The school hadn't been able to open this year because of the damage so a temporary school was set up. Thankfully the school would be up and running by September.

"Ah Hogwarts." Lily sighed. "I remember when I first walked through the doors."

"I remember all the pranks we played in that hall." James smirked at Severus and casually wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulder.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right the rest of the school must already be here—but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"I remember how nervous I was my first year." Molly blushed. "Having to wait there not knowing what's about to happen."

"I think that's what makes the whole thing better." Ginny smiled.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"It sounds so boring like that." Sirius moaned.

"It's true though." Remus said.

"As wonderful as Potter's life is I would rather it go quicker without interruptions." Severus sneered. "Unlike you I have people who will know if I'm missing and they will not be happy about it."

"Aww is Snivellus worried his Death Eater buddies will miss him?" Sirius taunted him.

Severus' face twisted as if in pain, but before he could retort Harry stood up.

"Sirius, stop it." Harry warned him. "I know you two don't like each other and to be honest I don't care. You both should be here for this and you will damn well act civil while you're here. Sirius there is no need to start taunting people. Severus people are going to comment on things. I know that you are going to comment on a few things that come up. However if you two keep bickering and trying to cause arguments we will be here much longer. Now please if you can't say anything nice don't talk."

Harry sat down again and looked at Hermione. James and Lily both stared at their son. In that moment he had don't what neither of them could and told off their best friend. They were both shocked and impressed at how grown up he had sounded. It was strange to think that their baby boy would grow up to be this commanding and determine man.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

"She makes it sound like you are going on trial." Remus joked trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

"With McGonagall you probably are." Ron laughed causing everyone to relax a bit.

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose.

"You still had dirt on your nose?" Molly asked exasperated.

Ron just shrugged.

Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all laughed.

"The Potter hair can never be flattened." James smiled. "Just like mine, son."

"I feel sorry for you." Lily said to Ginny. "If his hair is like his father's nothing will ever help."

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.

"That is always the big question for first years." Remus said.

"I have heard many amusing ideas about the topic in my years as a teacher." Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling. "Everything from truth potions to fighting the giant squid. I believe there was a Muggleborn one year who was convinced they would have to pull a rabbit out of a hat." He chuckled. "They were quite distressed when they saw the sorting hat of course and they accidentally set the stool on fire."

Everyone laughed, even Severus managed a small mocking smile.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Molly frowned. She had a bad feeling the twins were going to cause her all sorts of trouble and worry over the years.

Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet—what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived.

"That's ridiculous." Severus stated. "Nobody would ever make and untrained witch or wizards perform magic. It would be too dangerous."

Everyone went rather quiet and just looked at Severus. Dumbledore gave a small smile. He wondered if it might be possible to get Severus to work at Hogwarts. It would be difficult he would have to make it seem like Voldemort Had the idea in the first place. It would be useful to have someone Voldemort thinks he can trust in Hogwarts just in case anything happened.

He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is when you do that?" Harry asked her.

Hermione just grinned sheepishly at him.

Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.

Everyone laughed.

"That's brilliant." James laughed.

"We didn't learn colour changing spells till second year though." Hermione said shocked. "How was you not top of the year?"

Harry shrugged.

"You did really powerful underage magic Harry." Remus commented impressed.

He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.

"Bit over dramatic don't you think?" Ginny asked.

Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air—several people behind him screamed.

"Screamed?" asked Lily and Molly in panic.

"Why are people screaming?" Molly asked worried.

"I wouldn't worry Molly." Dumbledore said. "Hogwarts is the safest place in Britain."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stifled giggles. Hogwarts in their school days was anything except safe.

"At the worst it's Peeves." Sirius shrugged unconcerned.

"No it's just the ghosts." Remus said. "Every year they have a talk about Peeves in the room next door then float through the wall to scare the first year."

"What the—?"

He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall.

"Told you." Said Remus smugly.

Pearly white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—"

"Peeves." Almost everyone said.

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost—I say, what are you all doing here?"

"Every year he does it." James smiled.

"And how would you know that Potter?" Severus sneered.

"I asked." James shrugged glaring at Severus.

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered.

"It's not polite to ignore a ghost." Molly said.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

"Why else would they be there?" Sirius asked rhetorically.

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Bunch of dunderheads." Sirius smirked.

"Sirius that's not nice." Lily said.

"He has a point though." James said.

"One of the first people to die in the second war was a Hufflepuff." Harry said quietly. "He was one of the nicest, bravest people I know."

Ginny held Harry's hand tightly. She knew how strongly Harry felt about Cedric's death.

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

"I'm so excited!" Lily cried.

"Mum are you alright?" Harry asked noticing Lily was almost in tears.

"Yes I'm fine." Lily sniffled. "It's just every parent wishes they could be there for their child at school and hear all about it and finally we get to."

Harry looked a little blank. He hadn't thought about it like that. Severus sat in the corner looking disgusted and slightly jealous.

Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.

Remus glanced at Dumbledore out of the corner of his eye and smiled. The plates and goblets in Hogwarts use to be silver but Dumbledore had them changed to gold when he started school because of his condition.

Dumbledore smiled back. Thankfully when Remus started school Nicolas had allowed Dumbledore to use the Philosophers stone to turn some normal metal plates into gold so Remus wouldn't react to old silver plates and give away his condition.

At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.

"It was always so magical that sky." Molly sighed leaning against Arthur and smiling.

He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

"A bit less magical now." Molly grumbled.

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

"That's how I like to see it." Molly smiled at Harry.

Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.

"Not the first thing I would of thought of." Lily said.

Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly,

Everyone laughed thinking of what Dumbledore had said earlier.

that seemed the sort of thing—noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth—and the hat began to sing:

"Please tell me you're not going to sing?" Ron asked.

"What's wrong with my singing?" Hermione replied raising her eyebrow. She knew she was a terrible singer but she found Ron's reaction funny.

"Oh Nothing it's just… You know we want to read and… Harry?" Ron looked at Harry practically begging him for help.

Hermione laughed. "No Ron I'm not going 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 than me.

"I know we won't find a smarter hat but I would love to see the sorting hat eat itself." Sirius said excited.

"How could a hat eat itself?" Remus asked.

"I don't know but it would be cool to see." Sirius pouted.

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.

"Does he just use anything that rhymes?" Arthur asked.

"I believe so Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore chuckled.

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 Gryffindor's apart;

"Woo!" All the Gryffindor's cheered, which was everyone except Severus who just sat there sullen and Dumbledore who just clapped.

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

The time-travellers, Remus and Dumbledore clapped politely.

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Everyone except Severus clapped.

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

Severus, Dumbledore and Harry clapped.

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!"

"It's been better." James said.

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

"Hopefully you will never meet a troll." Molly said. "That would be awful."

"And you would never wrestle a troll." Lily said.

"Well I can assure you we don't have trolls in Hogwarts." Dumbledore said.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked at each other. How will everyone react when they find out that not only was there a troll in Hogwarts but that they wrestled it.

Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.

"Everyone feels like that at the sorting." Molly said kindly.

"Even the kids who know what house they will most likely be in are nervous." Severus mused without really thinking. "What if they disappoint their family?"

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" Severus asked annoyed.

"We just didn't think you would talk to us much." Lily said quietly.

"I can stop if you prefer." Severus snapped.

"No it's good." Harry said. "It means your changing sooner rather than later. We just didn't expect it to be this soon."

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

"Maybe we can see if we know the parents of the kids in your year." Lily said hopefully. Maybe we can see who survived, she thought. A thought that was shared by many members of the group.

"Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause—

"Hufflepuff." James, Sirius and Remus said in union.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

At least one of the Bones survived, Molly thought.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.

"Woo Gryffindor." Sirius cheered.

"I can't believe them twins." Molly sighed.

"Boy's will be boys." Arthur sighed.

"There just like Gideon and Fabian when they were that age." Molly said. "I use to find them so funny but now I feel sorry for my mother."

Ron looked down hiding his face. He would give anything to see George like that again. Ever since Fred passed away George didn't joke anymore. He only really started talking to people now that his has Angelina to talk to.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.

"Yeah they are an unpleasant lot." Sirius said looking at Severus.

"I would count myself as being close with a Slytherin in my time." Harry said. "He's one of the bravest people I knew."

Sirius went quiet. James frowned wondering what Slytherin his son could possibly be friends with.

He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.

"That's just awful." Molly whispered shocked.

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand gently. "It's in the past." She said and laid her head on Harry's shoulder. "Let's not think about it."

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Some people have more than one house trait." Dumbledore said. "The sorting hat has to decide which trait is stronger."

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.

Everyone clapped and cheered for Hermione who blushed.

"I half expected you to be a Ravenclaw." Arthur said.

"The sorting hat did debate putting me in Ravenclaw but in the end it decided Gryffindor would be the best for me." Hermione said blushing.

Ron groaned.

Molly glared at him disapprovingly.

A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?

"That would never happen." James said confidently.

"We have never made a mistake yet." Dumbledore added. "And you've been on the list since you were born."

"I didn't think magical children showed signs of magic till they were about three?" Remus said.

"Normally they don't but Harry has been marked since birth." Lily said.

Only Lily, James, Dumbledore, Severus and the time-travellers knew why Harry was marked. The time-travellers wouldn't say yet. Dumbledore wouldn't tell anyone without the Potter's permission and Lily wasn't ready to tell people yet. Severus knew but he wasn't going to say anything. After all it was his fault that the Potters were marked.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

"Well done Neville." Lily said.

"I did doubt if he would be in Gryffindor or not." Remus admitted.

"Neville has a lot of bravery in him." Ron said defending his friend. "He just needs more confidence that's all."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Git." Ron muttered. Remus smirked but decided not to comment.

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now.

"How many people were in your year at school?" Arthur asked.

"There was about forty or so." Hermione shrugged. "Why?"

"It just doesn't seem like a lot of people." Arthur shrugged wondering how many were lost in the war.

"Moon"…, "Nott"…, "Parkinson"…, then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"…, then "Perks, Sally Anne"…, and then, at last—

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"I'm starting to feel sorry for you." James said.

"The infamous James Potter thinking attention is bad?" Lily giggled. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.

"Waited?" Sirius asked. "Why waited? Surely you should be in Gryffindor straight away?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He had never told anyone what had happened when the Sorting Hat spoke to him and this wasn't the way he would have liked it to come out."

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, ah my goodness, yes—and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?"

"Interesting." Dumbledore said. "You seem to have traits from all the houses."

"But you have to be in Gryffindor!" Sirius whined.

Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.

"That's it Harry!" Sirius cried. "Anything except Slytherin.

"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that

"That's kinda creepy." Ron said. "I never knew the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin."

"Yes it was a bit strange." Harry admitted.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Ginny asked. She thought Harry told her everything.

"I forgot about it." Harry shrugged. "It's one of them things I just wanted to forget and not talk about."

—no? Well, if you're sure—better be GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone cheered at Harry being put in Gryffindor.

"Well done Harry dear." Molly said kindly.

"How were you able to choose?" Severus asked.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "The sorting hat does take your choice in to consideration too."

"I guess we learn something new all the time." Dumbledore said chuckling.

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

Everyone laughed. Molly sighed; she was going to have her hands full with the twins growing up.

Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice cold water.

"I hate it when they do that." Remus shuddered.

He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train.

"I think you would be able to tell which one was Dumbledore without the picture." Sirius said. "I mean you won't ever find another wizard that looks like Dumbledore."

"Why thank you Mr. Black." Dumbledore smiled kindly. "I take that as a compliment."

Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts.

Dumbledore chuckled at the description.

Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.

"A purple turban?" Lily asked confused. "He didn't have that before did he?"

"No he didn't." Harry said hiding a shudder.

"Weird." Sirius said frowning. "Why would he be wearing that?"

"I think the more important question is why is he wearing it now when he wasn't before?" Arthur argued.

Everyone frowned wondering why they hadn't thought of that.

"Maybe we should discuss it later." Molly said. "He might have just decided to buy a turban." She suggested half-heartedly not really believing what she was saying.

And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone cheered for Ron.

"Well done Ron." Molly said proudly.

Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously

"Told you he was pompous." Ron interrupted earning him a glare from Molly.

across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin.

"That doesn't make sense." Severus said frowning.

"What doesn't?" Harry asked confused.

"After it mentioned Quirrell the book said there were three more to be sorted." Severus explained. "Thomas, Turpin and him." He gestured at Ron. "But then there is this Zabini as well. Your book is wrong."

Hermione frowned and reread the paragraph. "You're right." She said. "I'll have to talk to my friend about it when we get home."

Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.

"They always do." Sirius moaned.

"Every year I told you to make the last and you never did." Remus said.

"But I'm always so hungry." Sirius whined.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Nothing does please me more." Dumbledore said simply.

"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!

Everyone laughed.

"I see no point in making long speeches when the students are too hungry to concentrate." Dumbledore said.

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"Is he—a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.

Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes.

Everyone laughed.

"That may be the best thing Percy ever said." Ginny laughed.

Potatoes, Harry?"

Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.

"Hogwarts throw the best feast ever." Ron said.

"Why the peppermint humbugs though?" James asked.

"I rather enjoy them." Dumbledore said.

The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick.

James, Sirius, Lily, Remus, Molly and Arthur looked angry. Severus frowned at them.

"Why would your sister not let him have what he wants?" Severus asked.

"She got worse after I left school." Lily sighed. "And when we died he got left with Tuney she treated Harry really badly."

"Maybe it would be best if you read the first few chapters yourself tonight." Dumbledore suggested gently.

Severus nodded.

Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.

"I never ate the sweets." Lily, James and Harry said simultaneously.

Everyone except Severus looked at them and started laughing. Severus just sat in the corner sulking. He hated how alike James and Lily were with some things.

"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak,

"Can't you—?"

"Obviously he can't." Hermione said looking at Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I was hungry. I wasn't thinking." He defended himself.

"I've read thought that ghosts can taste food if they glide through it." Remus said. "But they can only really taste it if it has gone bad."

"Eww." Sirius shuddered. "I didn't want to know that."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look remembering Nick's 500th Death Day.

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"Who do you recon will ask about his head this year?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know." James replied. "I feel sorry for them though. Remember in our first year it was peter."

"Yeah." Sirius laughed. "He fainted at the table and had to spend the night in the hospital wing."

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you—you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"Well I wouldn't have expected it to be you." Sirius said impressed.

"Ronald!" Molly scolded. "You shouldn't be mean to ghosts."

"Your mother's right." Arthur added.

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy—" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

"And that's the other question that annoys him." Remus said.

"I think he secretly likes being asked." Lily said. "Otherwise he wouldn't go on about it all the time."

Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.

"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck,

"See." Lily said. "Secretly he likes being asked each year."

coughed, and said, "So—new Gryffindor's! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindor's have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable—he's the Slytherin ghost."

"Six years?" James asked horrified. "Ouch."

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.

"Nobody's brave enough to ask." Remus said.

"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.

"See." He added grinning.

Ron grinned and opened his mouth to tell Remus that they knew but Hermione nudged him making him be quiet. Saying that would only lead to more questions.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jelly, rice pudding—"

As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.

"Always a fun topic." Sirius said bored.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

"That's not very nice." Arthur said shocked.

The others laughed.

"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch,"

"Where are Frank and Alice?" Lily asked concerned.

"We can't say yet." Harry said shifting uncomfortable. "There not dead. They just can't look after Neville."

"But why?" Lily asked. "Alice was one of my best friends in school. I want to know she's alright."

"She is as okay as she can be." Hermione said. "But we can't say more yet."

Lily frowned. She wasn't going to give up on this yet.

said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me—he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned—but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced—all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here—they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

"Alice didn't show magic till she was about nine." Lily said. "Which the family would know if she was around. On the topic where are Alice and Frank?"

"Mum we really can't tell you yet." Harry said.

On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons

"Lessons?" Sirius exclaimed. "You had been at school about an hour and you were already talking about class?"

"I was excited to start learning magic. After all I spent my whole life up until I got my letter not knowing magic was real." Hermione defended. "Besides what else would I talk about on the first day of school?"

"Quidditch?" James suggested.

"Pranks to pull that year?" Sirius added.

"The holidays?" Ginny shrugged.

"What to do at the weekend?" Remus said.

"The point is anything's better then talking about class." Sirius finished.

("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing—").

"I do hope you good at Transfiguration like me." James said. "And Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I hope you good at Charms and Potions." Lily added. "Like I was."

Harry smiled. The only class he considered himself to be really good in Defense Against the Dark Arts. However he did alright in Charms, Transfiguration and Potions too.

Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.

"I wonder why they mentioned his turban again." Arthur said.

Sirius, James and Remus looked blanked.

"No!" Sirius yelled after a moment. He turned to glare at Severus. "How can you be there?" He wailed.

"Obviously Black I'm a teacher like the book said." Severus sneered half-shocked himself.

"How did you become a teacher though?" Lily asked.

"I don't know." Severus said glancing at her.

"I was thinking earlier about offering you a job." Dumbledore said. "I guess that I did offer it to you and you accepted."

"Really?" Severus asked surprised.

"Why would you want a Death Eater working with people's children?" James snarled.

"I think it's time you told them." Harry said quietly.

"Told who what?" Molly asked confused.

Dumbledore smiled. "Severus has been working as a spy on my orders and at great personal risk. Thanks to him many lives have been saved from Voldemort's rampage."

Everyone gasped.

"Is this what Harry told you?" Molly asked Arthur.

"One of many things." Arthur said smiling.

"He's a spy?" Sirius snorted in disbelief.

"Yes." Dumbledore said simply.

"I think it may be best that we discuss this later." Harry said. "It will take too long to talk about it now."

It happened very suddenly. The hook nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes—and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Sirius, James and Remus yelled.

"Nothing." Severus said shocked.

"You did something." James said in a threatening tone. "Why did his scar hurt when you looked at him?"

"How should I know Potter?" Severus snarled. "For one it's in the future and hasn't happened for me yet and for another thing why would I want to hurt your son?"

"We all know you hate James." Sirius said. "I wouldn't put it past you to hate his son because they look alike."

"STOP!" Lily yelled looking between James and Severus. "Severus if you hurt my son I swear it will be the last thing you ever do. James until there is evidence that Severus has tried to hurt Harry do not accuse him of such things. Now please can we finish reading like civilised adults?"

James and Severus looked down ashamed. Hermione smiled and carried on reading.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What is it?" asked Percy.

"N-nothing."

"Why do you always down-play things?" Ginny sighed causing Harry to grin.

The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look—a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.

Sirius, James and Remus glared at Severus but a quick look from Lily ensured they didn't say anything yet.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to—everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Severus looked uncomfortable. Dumbledore frowned.

Why would I want to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? Potions have always been what I wanted to do, Severus thought.

Did I stop him teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts because I thought he would be tempted? Or was it because the job is jinxed and I need him to stay at school?, Dumbledore thought.

Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. 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 to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

"Three bets who that's directed at." Sirius grinned.

Molly scowled and Arthur frowned both thinking of all the trouble their sons got into at school.

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"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. (Sirius and James cheered.) Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. 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."

Everyone gasped.

"Another one of your jokes professor?" Remus asked meekly.

"I'm not sure Mr. Lupin." Dumbledore frowned. "But I don't believe it is a joke."

Molly whimpered.

"Don't worry Molly." Arthur said reassuringly. "I'm sure that the door will be kept locked and guarded at all times."

"You could say that." Ron snorted.

"Do we want to know how you know that?" Lily asked.

"Not yet." Harry said. "Sorry."

Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.

"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere—the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

"God he is so stuck up." Sirius moaned.

"That is my son you're talking about." Molly snapped.

"Sorry but it's true." Sirius said.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.

"Awesome." Sirius said. "We have to sing it."

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

Dumbledore flicked his wand and a golden ribbon flew out of it and formed the school song against the wall where everyone could see it.

"Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

Everyone in the Weasleys living room started singing:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

Everyone finished at different times.

"Music." Dumbledore smiled. "A magic beyond any we teach at school."

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. (Molly sighed again.)Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"I wish people wouldn't encourage them so much." Molly sighed. She had a horrible feeling that the twin's antics were going to make her age ten years in the space of reading these books.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries.

"You're so unobservant Harry." Lily said.

They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in mid-air ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves." Everyone said in union.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves—show yourself!"

"Yeah like he would listen." Remus said.

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

"That's just being a tattletale." James said shaking his head in mock horror.

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armour as he passed.

"Peeves just likes to have fun and get to know people." Sirius defended the poltergeist. During there years at Hogwarts Sirius had become friends with the poltergeist and often played pranks with him.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it—Neville needed a leg up—and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cosy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

All the Gryffindor's smiled remembering the good times they had had in the common room.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase—they were obviously in one of the towers—they found their beds at last: five four posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pyjamas and fell into bed.

"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."

Ron looked at the book in disgust remembering all the times he let 'Scabbers' sleep in his bed.

Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.

Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully—and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it—then Malfoy turned into the hook nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold—there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.

Severus shuddered at the thought. James noticed him looking repulsed.

Maybe he doesn't want to be like Voldemort or maybe he is just scared of his master, James thought.

"You have some rather disturbing dreams." Lily said.

"I know." Harry said frowning.

He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.

"Well at least you didn't remember it." Molly said. "Now I think it's time we arranged where we are all sleeping."

"I shall return to Hogwarts Molly." Dumbledore said standing up. "If we could leave the discussions we wish to have about the book till morning I would be most grateful."

"Of course Professor." Remus said. "I think we are all too tired to discuss it now anyway. We had a late dinner and a very exhausting day."

"I agree. Besides its very late." Lily said. "Goodnight Professor."

"Goodnight all." Dumbledore said as he left.

"Shall we transfigure the beds in the kid's rooms so you can all spend the night?" Arthur asked.

"That would be great Arthur thank you." James said.

So after going around and transfiguring the beds Arthur and Molly settled down in their room to sleep.

In Bill's room Lily and James settled down in their newly transfigured double bed. Unable to fall asleep they spend an hour or so talking about what they had read. It was hard to believe that in less than a year they would be dead. And having to read about their son growing up without them and knowing he was likely to face terrible thing without them there to help him was heart breaking. They fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms and quietly crying.

In Charlie's room Sirius and Remus lay in their twin single beds talking about what had happened and wondering desperately why they was there to help. Remus told Sirius all he had overheard of the time-travellers remarks. After a while they too fell into an uneasy sleep.

In Percy's room Severus laid quietly in his single bed realising only now how badly his mistake affected the person he loved. Exhausted from all that had happened he cried himself to sleep dreaming of his dead love and accusing green eyes.

In the twins room Ginny and Hermione were sitting facing each other on Hermione's single bed discussing the day and how they thought tomorrow would go. After making plans about what questions they felt could be safely answered without giving too much about the future books away, Ginny slipped into her bed and they fell asleep.

In Ron's room Harry and Ron were laying in their twin beds talking about their parents. After a short discussion Ron quickly fell asleep. Harry, however, stayed up late into the night remembering all that his parents had said that day and memorizing their voices. All his life he had wanted to meet his parents and now he was trying to change the future so that he would be able to grow up in this time line with them. If these books worked the way they hoped then he would be able to grow up normally with his parents. But there was that choice they had to make at the end of the book. A choice whether they wanted to keep reading the rest of the books or forget it ever happened and then there was a bigger choice if they decided to keep reading. And as Harry drifted off to sleep he knew which choice he wanted them to make.