The Return of the Prodigal

4 A Belated Sorting

Just before the usual dinner hour, Dumbledore had come to the hospital wing to retrieve Harry. As they walked through the castle, heading for the Great Hall, the headmaster provided a little more explanation. "The professors have consulted and agreed to provide you with a scholarship for this year, including all necessary equipment and clothing which will be delivered to your dormitory once you are sorted."

Harry could see the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye and shook his head at the falsehoods being created to cover him. He was used to having no money in the Muggle world, for now it was just true in the wizarding one as well.

"I want you to come to me directly if you have need of anything, Harold." The older wizard stopped him outside the doors to the Great Hall and looked at him carefully. "This will not be easy for you. You may come to my office at any time."

Harry nodded and followed the headmaster silently into the Great Hall. The four student houses turned to look at him, having been given a brief version of the reasoning behind his presence by Professor McGonagall. Harry looked over the faces in the hall, guessing names. Looking at the staff table was odd, some of the teachers were there that he recognized, some were not. But, that was partially a relieving thing... After all, he wasn't supposed to know everyone and everything about Hogwarts.

Dumbledore stopped them both next to the stool where the Sorting Hat had been placed and turned to the Hall.

"Mr. James joins us after a great tragedy. Welcome him to Hogwarts and treat him well as he adjusts to our home."

Then, with a gesture to the stool, Harry approached. He lifted the Sorting Hat and placed it on his head after sitting down. The voice came to him shortly.

"So, Mr. Potter... Decided to have another go round, have you?"

Harry winced. "Did Dumbledore speak to you?"

"Oh, yes... He spoke with me... but what I find most curious is here in your head. You fought me on your last sorting, did you?"

Harry thought about his first sorting and blanched. It wouldn't.

"Please not Slytherin."

"This time you don't get your way, Mr. Potter."

And Harry felt the chill in his body as the voice moved from his head to yell to the hall. "SLYTHERIN!"

He sat for a moment, not moving, not taking the hat off. Finally, Dumbledore lifted the hat and looked at Harry, who was in shock. There was minimal reaction from the hall, polite clapping from Slytherin, booing from Gryffindor, but it wasn't the insanity of his first sorting.

Harry stood after a moment and stumbled to the Slytherin table. He sat, not noticing where, and focused on the food, trying to put something in his stomach. The others left him alone for most of the feast, until a tallish blonde approached him.

He had a slight sense of deja'vu looking up at someone who was obviously Lucius Malfoy from his seated position.

"Welcome to Slytherin, Harold. My name is Lucius."

Harry shook the hand, not really knowing what else he could do. "Hi," the response was short, but he hasn't about to say what a pleasure it was to meet this man.

Lucius looked down at Harry for a moment and then his face hardened. "If you're going to survive in Slytherin, Harold, you'll want to remember that some of us are to be treated with respect." With that vaguely threat sounding comment, the young man turned to leave the hall.

Harry stood a few moments later and moved out of the hall. He knew where the Slytherin common room was, thanks to an adventure with Polyjuice potion in his second year, and that knowledge served him well now.

As he stepped from the doors of the hall, he heard a comment. One obviously pitched to carry to his ears, even if it would then seem accidental.

"At least now we know how he survived when no one else did."

Harry turned to see who was criticizing him and couldn't help but stare. Sirius Black approached him, Remus Lupin trailing after trying to stop him. "Sirius, don't... James..."

"James is too damn busy with his Head Girl to care, Remus." Sirius stepped up to Harry and looked at him with a sneer. "Watch your place, you damned dirty Slytherin."

Harry was still in shock when Remus pulled Sirius away. It was probably that lack of reaction, that shock at the treatment of his godfather, which saved him from a fight.

Minutes later, he stood outside the Slytherin common room staring in confusion at a painting of a Medusa.

"Password?" Her tone had sibilance, but wasn't quite Parseltongue. Harry was spared the embarrassment of not knowing the password, because he could hear it being hissed out by her twining hair.

He stated the password to the female figure who scowled, but let him pass. As he stepped into the common room, he looked around and mentally compared it to the one he remembered. A different generation of Malfoy, but the room looked the same.

The Malfoy in question strode up to him angrily. "Who told you the password?"

The question stopped all noise and traffic in the room as the occupants turned to watch. Harry looked over the other students and strongly suspected that Lucius had told them to lock him out. He looked at the blonde young man and just smirked. He wasn't about to give away the secret of something that may turn out to be an asset.

The smirk did not make the expression on Lucius' face any more pleasant. "Just make sure you don't turn out to be a disgrace to the name of wizards. We already have one of those in this house." A pointed glance to the figure of Severus, reading quietly in a corner, and Lucius was gone again.

Harry sighed. This was definitely not what he'd been picturing. Ignoring the creeping thoughts on exactly why Malfoy the elder seemed to hate Snape, he went looking for his dorm room. He found it after a few moments searching, deciding not to ask for help from any of the students casting him paranoid looks.

Once inside, he flung himself into the poster bed and drew the curtains. Casting a variety of ward and defense spells, he slipped his wand under his pillow and dropped into a disturbed slumber.