Staff of Cybele

Chapter 13: A SORTING BLUNDER

In the Dursley car, Dudley sat up front with his uncle. Bony Aunt Petunia was stuffed, very uncomfortably, in the middle seat and the back seat consisted of Harry and a very upset Cho. Raides had to suffer through a Reduction Charm so she would fit at all and on top of that, not be seen by Muggles peering into a car packed with six people. Aunt Marge was back at Privet Drive, watching television. Harry didn't want her to come anyway.

When Harry and Cho found the wall leading to platform nine and three-quarters, Harry, giggling, showed the Dursleys how to enter it and fell casually through, pushing his trunk and Hedwig's cage on a cart through it. Dudley came next, his hand held by his visibly trembling father. Aunt Petunia came last, followed closely by Cho.

"Harry!"

A wave of flaming red hair was running towards Harry. It was Ron Weasley.

"So he really did get a letter, then!" said Ron, his mouth agape in a silent sort of laughter at Dudley with his sickly green frog.

Harry's aunt and uncle avoided looking at Ron and instead surveyed their odd surroundings, particularly of note the scarlet steam engine that was the Hogwarts Express and the sign that read Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

"Oh, hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley!" said Mrs. Weasley who was now striding over as well.

She beckoned Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley over, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and Cho alone. Harry nervously enlarged the Staff of Cybele to it's normal size and Raides transformed into the great golden and scarlet lion (to many stares of most everyone on the platform).

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley. Good-bye, Mrs. Dursley," said Hermione stiffly as she came up behind Ron. "Hello, Cho," she said much more brightly and completely ignoring Dudley altogether as he walked passed her.

Cho folded her arms and Hermione gave Harry a desperate look, seeing as how Cho was avoiding his eyes altogether.

"She's -- er -- not talking to me..." he told Hermione.

"I can see that!" said Hermione. "What happened?" she added, turning to Cho.

"Ask him," said Cho simply.

Then she walked behind Harry and stared into nothingness. He turned to look at the back of her head. Harry's insides gave a squirm. It was going to cost every ounce of his breakfast to say what he was going to say next.

"Cho --" he began but he paused and let the rest of his breath out before swallowing and then taking another one.

He didn't particularly want to say it in front of Ron or Hermione but it was now or never. Cho was angry at him and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all when she wasn't speaking to him and he certainly didn't like it now. Perhaps now that she hadn't said anything to him yet, he could say what he should have said to her back at Privet Drive?

Harry tried to hard to pretend that Ron and Hermione weren't there, closed his eyes and, fighting down the urge to run, said, "My heart feels like it's -- like it's glowing when you're around me," he added quickly. "I -- this is going to sound really soppy --" he said slowly, "-- I can't say it. My throat just blocks up and I go numb. It's like -- er -- something you want to say that you're not used to and... and you care too much and your throat tightens..."

Harry simply didn't know how to put into words what made him freeze every time she said it to him -- and he definitely wasn't going to try at all with Ron and Hermione around. He might not even be able to do it with Cho listening...

"Wow," Ron said in an airy voice of amazement. "Harry, that was so poetic!"

Both Harry and Cho ignored Ron but Hermione didn't -- she stepped on his foot and then smiled pleasantly at Harry when he turned around to see who tried to stifle a groan of pain.

Harry was standing there, feeling stupid, waiting for Cho to turn around. He looked at his feet and nervously scratched the back of his head. She didn't turn around.

"Come on, Cho!" said Harry pleadingly, his pulse rising in anxiety. "Look at me!"

She still didn't. He had half a mind to tell Ron and Hermione to get lost. The other half went off on it's own.

"It's just... you know, I... never... this stuff... not very good at it and -- and I'm sorry, but... well -- and I think that's pretty much everything I'm going to be able to say..."

Cho still hadn't turned around.

A second later, a desperate Harry grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. He was extremely surprised to see that the expression on her face wasn't one of anger but was sporting tears of joy and her face was screwed up against an audible display of emotion.

Her arms were still folded but her eyes were darting from him to the floor. She sniffed and wiped a tear out of her eye, making a mutated smile that was halfway between joy and wanting to slap Harry for not saying that earlier.

Harry really didn't know what to do and so he sucked up all the pride that would have lasted him a good month and clutched the Order of Merlin plaque, feeling a wave of calmness that caused his shoulders to drop a good two inches.

"We better go," he heard Hermione whisper to Ron and she dragged him away. Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards her.

The next second, he had Cho in a one-armed hug and felt he could finally say it.

"I - I love you," were a few words that slipped off his tongue.

Feeling himself freeze and go numb again, he dropped the Order of Merlin plaque and held Cho properly. He wouldn't let go unless she did -- and truth be told, he probably couldn't anyway. For a few brief and deeply warming moments, he felt like he had been holding her for all of time and when she buried her face in his shoulder and sniffed, a feeling of loving warmth crept through him like he had never known, a sort of bond like he had never been shown. Harry wanted to hold onto this moment forever, not caring if anyone was watching.

The sharp sound of the Hogwarts Express' whistle was what made Cho let go. She slid her hand down Harry's arm as they parted and she grabbed onto his hand. For the first time in six years of attending Hogwarts, he almost didn't want to go.

"You better go. And don't worry about me, I'm feeling a lot better now," said Cho, now smiling pleasantly.

Harry tore himself from the beautiful face of Cho and, Raides at his side, she saw him onto the Hogwarts Express, getting an empty compartment with Ron, Hermione and Dudley. Ignoring Ron and Hermione ("Harry, we're over here, not out there"), Harry watched Cho get smaller and smaller until she wasn't any bigger than the amount of attention he had been paying to Dudley.

"So you really like her, huh?" said Ron, smiling broadly when Harry finally turned to look at him, Hermione and Dudley (who was staring quietly out the window, Prince's container in his lap).

"Hush up, Ron," said Hermione. "How would you like it if I followed you around --"

"Nah, it's okay," said Harry as he let Hedwig out of her cage.

She perched herself on his knee and scowled at Prince through the Tupperware Aunt Petunia had given him. It was going to smell permanently awful by the time she got it back...

"Well then what was she upset at you for?" Hermione asked.

Harry rolled his eyes at the thought.

"Er -- a few weeks ago she said that -- that she loved me," Harry went on and Ron's eyes widened so big that Harry thought his eyeballs were going to fall out.

"Oh, Harry!" she said excitedly. "But what she mad at you for about that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," said Harry. "I was crossing off a day on that calendar and I just sorta -- sorta went numb and froze up," he added softly. He avoided the eyes of Hermione. "She tried to get me to talk to her and I... just couldn't. Didn't talk to me for about a week and then she did it again just this morning..."

"So, what... have you two made up?"

"Or made out?" said Ron.

"HUSH!" Hermione said hotly, scowling at him.

"Yeah, all down to this thing... again," said Harry gloomily, holding up the Order of Merlin plaque.

"What's that?" said Dudley, speaking for the first time since he got out of the car.

Harry couldn't help it. He grinned and looked at Ron and Hermione.

"This explanation'll last us the entire trip there, Dudley," Harry informed him brightly. "Want to hear it?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione plunged into the story of everything that had ever happened that didn't involve schoolwork during all their years at Hogwarts. The philosopher's stone during their first year, the chamber of secrets and the basilisk in their second...

The plump witch pushing the cart with all the sweets on it came by midway through the explanation of Sirius in their third year. Dudley was keen on trying out Chocolate Frogs but was rather disturbed by Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. He enjoyed the Cauldron Cakes and Licorice Wands. Dudley having devoured more sweets in a one hour period than Ron usually does during the entire trip, Harry insisted it was a good idea that Dudley couldn't go to Hogsmeade, the only all-wizard village in Britain. Honeydukes, the fantastic sweets shop there, would never be the same after Dudley Dursley got to it.

Harry, Ron and Hermione continued about Voldemort in their fourth year, the mark of ancients and Voldemort again in their fifth and the Book of Memories and Raides in their sixth. Rolling hills turned into creepy darkness as the story rolled on. Harry was happy to see that it had started raining around four in the afternoon. That meant Dudley would become soaked while riding the boast up the to the castle with the other first year students.

By the time they finished, Dudley had the severed head of a Chocolate Frog sticking out his mouth and a wizard card from the Chocolate Frog box of Merlin clutched between two fingers, both items ready to fall out.

But he didn't look remotely phased; it appeared he just liked a good story. "So what the bloody hell were you so surprised about when you got that necklace?" he asked.

It was very unlike Dudley, to say the least. He was talking to Harry, friendly-like, even! Maybe, thought Harry, that was his way of trying to fit in. He would be talking to absolutely nobody right now, Harry reminded himself happily, if Dudley was cracking jokes about Harry.

"D'you -- really -- need me to explain?" said Harry exasperatedly. He had an extremely strong urge to curse Dudley. "Er -- ten years with you and your parents" -- Harry tried hard not to listen to himself as he said it, he had a strong feeling it was going to make him upset again -- "Voldemort after me for the past several years, risking my life year after year..."

Dudley blinked, staring with a blank expression on his face. He didn't get it.

"I don't WANT to be famous!" Harry said more loudly, staring coldly at Dudley like Professor Snape often stared at Neville Longbottom, trying to get his very forgetful and blundering, near-Squib self to understand something. "I thought I was dead before I got it, Dudley," he said simply.

Squibs were people born into wizarding families without an ounce of magical blood in them. Argus Filch, the caretaker, Harry had accidentally found out, was a Squib. This helped explain Mr. Filch's extreme hatred towards all students...

And then, staring at the still-blank expression on Dudley's face, "There's no use," Harry said to Ron and Hermione who both nodded in agreement.

Harry didn't want to say anything else and Dudley was looking just as confused as before. Harry gripped the plaque for a few seconds to get his frustrations with Dudley out, suggesting they take the break to change into their school robes.

"And you'll get a matching scarf when you're sorted," Harry told Dudley as he straightened his cloak.

Dudley didn't look terribly happy to be dressing in this attire.

"Sorted?" Dudley asked.

Harry immediately started laughing with Ron.

"When we get up to the castle," said Hermione, showing Dudley at least a little bit of respect, "the first place we go is the Great Hall which is where you eat and is the general meeting place. We told you this, you know. All the first years, soon as we get up there, go up to the front and get the Sorting Hat placed on their head. The hat's alive. It talks in your ear, deciding what house to put you in and then finally shouts it out. It's no big deal, really," she added, watching Dudley move uncomfortably in his seat.

Farther and farther north they went and the conversation drifted onto school life at Hogwarts, rain lashing against the windows and the wind howling like the werewolves in the forbidden forest on the school grounds.

"But you don't have to worry about Professor Snape this year," Ron told Dudley, Harry feeling himself shudder at the very thought. "You don't have anything to worry about, Harry. With him gone, it's an instant improvement. And besides, he was practically avoiding you ever since he tried to apologize to you!"

"He didn't want to though, Ron," Hermione reminded him. "Dumbledore put him up to it."

"And he better well have!" said Ron crossly. "Another year of his increasing bitterness and I would have broken all the bones in his body myself!"

Harry remembered he had threatened Snape with such an act last year. The circumstances surely would have permitted it, Snape had dearly insulted Harry's father... but even so, Hermione gave Ron a piercing stare.

"He would have deserved it, Hermione," Ron told her, thinking exactly what Harry was.

Hermione looked like she was going to burst into a tirade about how one shouldn't threaten their teachers but then she remembered they were talking about Professor Snape and not, say, the likeable Professor Sprout they had for Herbology. She was struggling to find something to tell him off about, sputtering over words like "but," "shouldn't" and "detention" until she finally came out with simply, "Ron, no."

Ron rolled his eyes, turned to Dudley and let him know that Snape is "a very, very nasty teacher. He's like the boogey-man times a million."

Dudley didn't look like he had the nerve to ask why Professor Snape wasn't at Hogwarts this year and Harry, Ron and Hermione deliberately avoided telling Dudley about the houses, hoping he would feel as scared as possible while the Sorting Hat talked to him, if it had to.

When topics for conversation had completely run out, Ron still had one left and he was very eager to talk about it.

"Dad said Hogwarts was doing something big this year that they haven't ever done before," he said.

Harry shoved the Wizard Card he was holding (of himself) into Dudley's hand to distract him and turned quickly to Ron.

"Nothing? Didn't say anything at all?" Harry asked, not surprised.

Neither of Ron's parents would tell that the Triwizard Tournament was to take place at Hogwarts either in their fourth year, they just said something big was happening.

"At least no one's bugging us about it," said Hermione, referring to Malfoy teasing them that they didn't know. "We'll find out in a few hours."

Harry and Ron nodded.

"Did he say it was bigger than the Triwizard Tournament?" asked Hermione.

"Loads bigger!" said Ron proudly. "He said it was costing Hogwarts a whole wad of money. They almost couldn't afford it but they really wanted to do it. Whatever it is, he said it would get everyone's mind off Voldemort."

"Bigger than the Triwizard Tournament," Hermione muttered to herself. "What can POSSIBLY be bigger than the Triwizard Tournament?" she said aloud.

They all started blankly at each other for a few minutes and then Dudley asked, "What's Parseltongue?"

"Someone who can talk to snakes," said Harry without thinking.

"You can -- can talk to snakes?" asked Dudley, eyeing Harry like he had just grown fangs and shed skin.

"Yes, you idiot. Don't you remember two summers ago?"

"What happened two summers ago?"

"I saved you and your parents' necks from getting bitten by two small snakes you had gotten. You don't remember that?"

"Now I remember!" said Dudley. "And then you killed them..."

"Hagrid had brought snakes exactly like that to class one day. You forgot that you could have died," said Harry exasperatedly, shaking his head, "but you remembered that I killed them..."

When the Hogwarts Express came to a stop, Harry heard a familiar voice calling out.

"Firs' years!"

Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures, was calling all the first years over for their trip to the castle by boat across the lake.

"Off you go, Dudley!" said Harry, pointing his cousin who was trembling again to the door of the train as they opened.

Dudley took one look at the torrential rain and upon stepping out, it didn't take long for his blond hair to get blown in every direction, looking almost as untidy as Harry's black hair did normally. He then let out a scream at the size of Hagrid (they had only met once before and, at least for Dudley, the experience hadn't been pleasant).

Hermione bundled up her cat, Crookshanks, in a towel. Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl, wouldn't shut up and so Ron forcefully smacked the side of his cage with his hand -- and Pig, Ron's pet name for he thought Ginny Weasley chose a horrible name, still didn't keep quiet.

Raides wasn't keen on traveling in wet weather. Harry asked her if she could put a Rain-Repellent Charm on them and she agreed to it, saying that it was a real pain to clean wet fur. And so Harry, Ron and Hermione joined the returning Hogwarts students to the hundred horseless carriages that brought them up to the castle now accompanied by Ginny who had found them by asking people where the really fat kid had been sitting.

"What house do you think Dudley's going to be in?" Hermione asked, watching the Hogwarts Express become smaller and smaller as Hogwarts Castle came clearer into view among the rain splashing heavily onto them and falling off as if they were plastic.

"Slytherin," said Harry and Ron together.

"Just send him to Slytherin straight away," Ron added. "Don't even bother sorting him."

"D'you really think so?"

"Hermione, the kid's a menace," said Ron matter-of-factly. "If there was a house even meaner than Slytherin, he'd be in that one."

"He was looking at a test paper one of his teacher gave back to him and changed the grade from one to one-hundred without even knowing how he did it," Harry told them. Ginny, Ron and Hermione burst out laughing. "They shouldn't even bother placing the hat on his head, just stick him in Slytherin."

"Ha ha," said Ron, "yeah."

Harry had a sudden thought.

"Hey, Raides," he thought aloud, grinning, "can you tell us what the Sorting Hat is saying while it's on his head?"

Raides screwed her face up in thought, turning her head towards the lake.

"Can I tell you what the Sorting Hat is saying while it's on his head," she mumbled quietly to herself. She thought for a moment, turned to Harry, and said simply, "Yeah, it's just Foresight."

"Foresight?" said Ginny blankly.

Foresight was an ability from the ancients. One could peer into another's mind and share their consciousness, even talk to them in their head. Ron explained this to his sister.

"Should we?" asked Hermione, sounding slightly unwilling. "I mean, what if it messes up the hat..."

"Messes up the hat?" Ron squealed, looking at Hermione funny-like. "How can it mess up the hat? Oh come on, I want to know what it's thinking when" -- and he turned to Harry, still grinning --"dealing with someone so stupid!"

Harry snorted along with Ginny.

"Oh fine," said Hermione at last. "I can't see what it can do."

"Either that or you just want to know, too," said Ron, yet still grinning.

A crack of thunder made Ginny jump as the hundred horseless carriages made their way up the muddy trail to the castle. When they arrived, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were the only ones that were dry. A few second years scowled at Harry but backed away when Raides growled jokingly at them. Most people, except very few seventh years, were deathly afraid of her in staff form or lion form and so Harry didn't bother and let her stay as the great lion.

Professor McGonagall greeted everyone as they stepped into the entrance hall and stopped speaking very abruptly, looking uncertainly after the massive seven foot lion prowling the castle.

"That's the Staff of Cybele, Professor," Hermione explained. "It can transform into a lion."

"I see," said Professor McGonagall weakly.

"Ah, Professor McGonagall," said Raides warmly. "Harry has told me so much about you!"

Raides held up her front right paw for Professor McGonagall to shake. Ignoring Ginny's, Harry's and Ron's sniggers, Professor McGonagall shook Raides' paw firmly once and let go, mumbling, "Nice to meet you."

More and more students passed by them, entering the Great Hall.

Just before Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Raides entered the Great Hall, the school poltergeist, Peeves, came bobbing merrily towards them, wearing a cheerful bow tie and looking very mischievous. Right away however, everyone who knew how devious Peeves was was happy to see he stopped dead and goggled at Raides as soon as he caught sight of her.

"I don't like poltergeists," she said loudly.

She didn't need to do anymore than give Peeves a menacing look to make him shoot straight through the nearest wall and out of sight. It would appear the Bloody Baron, Slytherin House's ghost (seen to float around, colored in silver blood stains) and Dumbledore, weren't the only ones who could control Peeves anymore.

Ron gave Raides a look of utter amazement while many other people who saw what just happened clapped.

"That was great!" he said joyously.

After that, a few people weren't so scared of Raides anymore though Harry didn't think they would try and pet her any time soon.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Raides stepped into the Great Hall, found the other Gryffindor seventh years and took a seat next to them. Raides jumped up on the bench and sat between Harry and Ginny and Ginny proceeded to pet Raides' soft golden fur.

"I don't bite," said Raides, noting Ginny's hesitation, "usually..." she added after a moment, making Ginny pull her hand away.

"Oh stop," said Hermione, glaring at Raides. "She doesn't bite," she told Ginny.

"Forget you two, where are the first years!" Ron said.

"Drowning," said Harry. "You remember three years ago when it rained just as bad as this?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "That was the year Colin brought his brother Dennis to aid in his torture of following you around like an annoying shadow."

Harry remembered a year after that he was involved in the accidental death of Colin Creevey. The thought still made his insides turn; Voldemort had been trying to control him.

"Don't remind me," said Harry, looking at the doors of the Great Hall and waiting impatiently for the first years to arrive.

"Look," said Ron, poking Harry, Hermione and Ginny, "up at the staff table. The new Potions professor, is that her?"

"Mrs. Figg!" exclaimed Harry as he turned to look, saw her, and jumped.

"You know her?" Ginny asked.

"You two met her once," Harry said to Ron and Hermione. "Two years ago in the Three Broomsticks? She lives a few blocks from my house. Never knew she was a witch until then."

"How could you forget already?" Hermione said, looking at the side of Ron's head. "The end of last term? Remember?"

At the end of the last term, Dumbledore said Mrs. Figg would be taking up the job of Potions. Ron's face contorted into a silent expression of realization, a silent "oh!" escaping his mouth.

Before Hermione had time to form another word, the doors to the Great Hall burst open, the massive form of Hagrid in the lead, holding up a fat bundle of robes -- soaked so badly it looked like thin paper -- in his hands that looked slightly familiar to Harry.

"Dudley!" he shouted. "What d'you think happened to him?"

"Probably fell in the lake," Ron suggested. "And the giant squid got to him."

Hermione pointed out a slop of purple stuff in Dudley's hair where the giant squid probably slapped him.

"Dennis fell in the lake and the giant squid just put him back in the boat," said Ginny uncertainly, watching Hagrid heave Dudley onto his feet. "Why'd it attack Harry's cousin?"

"Who knows," said Ron, shrugging, "who cares... C'mon hurry up, get up the front already. I'm starving!"

"That's all you ever think about, Ron," said Hermione sternly.

"No, Hermione," said Harry, starting to grin, "that's all DUDLEY thinks about."

Their conversation was interrupted as a series of hushes broke out across the Great Hall. The group of scared-looking first years followed Hagrid up to the front of the Great Hall, up towards the staff table. Professor McGonagall came striding into the Great Hall, holding the Sorting Hat's stool and the hat itself. Up towards the staff table she walked, greeting students as she made her way.

She reached the back of the Great Hall and then placed the stool down just before the first years, who were lined up along the staff table. She nodded to Professor Dumbledore, who was sitting in the center of the staff table in the grandest chair, wearing robes of sky blue, looking proudly at all the new students. Professor McGonagall then placed the Sorting Hat onto it's stool. It was a patched and frayed and extremely dirty hat, looking like it had been through the mill, barely washed and then sent back there for some more.

There was complete silence for a few moments. Dudley, who had been uncovered when Hagrid left the first years so they could go up to staff table, was now watching the Sorting Hat, not knowing what to expect. Looking generally scared, he jumped as he watched the brim of the Sorting Hat start to open up and break into song.

Several centuries since their day past,

The great founders of Hogwarts,

Their goals succeeded, they do rest.

They knew that their efforts,

Through the test of time would last,

And decided amongst themselves,

In me their knowledge shall be blessed.

Courageous Gryffindor,

The House of the brave,

For he chose his pupils to be pure of heart,

And these were the ones with which he would not like to part.

Loyal Hufflepuff,

The House of the just,

For she chose pupils who put heart into their work,

And these were the ones she thought would know not to lurk.

Clever Ravenclaw,

The House of the learned,

For she chose pupils who knew to use their mind,

And these were the ones with whom she wished to bind.

Cunning Slytherin,

the House of friends,

For he chose pupils who were full of ambition.

And these were the ones he thought had best admission.

Lots have put me on to see what I say,

Ever since the Hogwarts Fours' day.

Many have put me on to just take a look,

I can read your head like a book.

So put me on and come along,

I'll look to see in just which House you belong.

The entire Great Hall burst into applause as the hat finished it's song. It bowed to each of the four tables then sat very still on it's stool.

Professor McGonagall pulled out the roll of parchment carrying all of the first years' names that Harry knew oh-so-well.

"When I call your names," she said, "you'll come up, put the hat on your head and then sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbey, Thomas!"

A sandy blonde boy with a squashed nose and looking more scared than Harry could remember himself during his sorting stepped out of the crowd, crammed the hat on his head and sat down. A few moments later, the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

"Poor kid," said Hermione. "Putting him in Slytherin? He looked awfully scared."

"Who cares!" exclaimed Ron. "Those cauldron cakes won't sustain me. Harry, your cousin ate most of them!"

"That's Dudley for you," said Harry, looking up at Dudley and staring at the back of his fat head.

He couldn't help but remember back at his own sorting when the Sorting Hat whispered in his ear... and when it suggested that Harry go in Slytherin, he asked it not to put him there.

Dudley was giving the hat strange looks as it sorted people, the rest of the As, Bs and as it reached the end of the Cs, Dudley's face turned a purple remarkably reminiscent of the color his dad's face takes up when he gets really upset.

Professor McGonagall called "Cadence, Rebecca!" sending a plump, happy little girl, full of smiles up to the front. The hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" before she even had the hat fully on her head and the same went for "Corrine, Corey!"

Ron continued to complain down the end of the C names and didn't care that, out of all the new names, "Cuthbert, Cyan!" was the first "GRYFFINDOR!" However, the hat seemed to be having a bad night and took a good minute and a half to send "Cyrilla, Sarah!" to "SLYTHERIN!" Perhaps Sarah was fighting with the hat just like Harry had? he thought to himself.

"Deirdre, Danielle!" waddled to the front, looking too much like a female version of Dudley for Harry to look any more. When the hat happily sent her to "GRYFFINDOR!" the sparkle in his eyes about seeing people get sorted that had been there since the start of the sorting turned so dull he might as well have replaced his eyes with cardboard.

Finally, "Dursley," said Professor McGonagall but she stopped to read over the name once or twice to herself to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. "Dursley, Dudley!"

"This is it!" hissed Harry. "Raides!"

She quickly turned into a staff and Harry grabbed her. Then he focused his thoughts on Dudley as this was how Foresight worked, by simply just trying to focus on another mind. His eyes closed and he felt like he was leaving his body, rushing over to Dudley's.

"Calm yourself," Harry heard a voice in his head say. "All right. You're not staying with these weirdos too long and you're going to get to eat more soon."

Dudley stepped out from between two brunettes and waddled his way toward Professor McGonagall where she handed him the Sorting Hat. He jammed it on his head, visibly shaking, and sat down.

"Hmm," said a tiny voice slowly in Dudley's head -- and Harry heard it too -- "had quite a decision just a few short years ago."

Harry began to whisper what he was hearing to Ron, Hermione and Raides.

"There seems to be something untapped, like a bit of you here now that wasn't there before... Ah, yes, I can see many qualities..." the hat went on, "but inbetween the apparent lack of talent and, well... I see a different mind... a Muggle mind..."

"It thinks he's a Muggle?" said Hermione under her breath.

"Shh!" said Ron, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Harry, thankfully not feeling himself jolted back to his own body but there was a tingly feeling in the hand holding Raides. He dropped her and hoped Dudley wasn't freaked out.

"Many qualities that will do for Slytherin, no doubt," Harry heard the hat go on, "and you just may well belong there. Cunning, wit, self-preservation, self-centeredness and, I daresay, you are the meanest cousin I have ever had the displeasure of sorting..."

Several yawns and stretching of stiff legs and arms fanned out across the Great Hall.

"All these findings," said the hat slowly and excitedly, "but where to put you? Slytherin, for where you would be the most comfortable? Hufflepuff, where you may learn the value of actually working? Ravenclaw, where you might learn to use your head (because you've certainly never used it before)? Or, perhaps Gryffindor, to patch up that mess with your cousin?"

"No," Harry thought to himself immediately, "not Gryffindor..."

"Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Gryffindor..." the hat said slowly. "This is quite the tough one, topped only by your cousin's! Well... I might as well honor his decision as he asked to not be placed in Slytherin..."

"Oh, no," said Ron just as Harry thought the same thing, coupled with Hermione's let-down face... That only meant that the hat would shout --

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"You don't think it was talking about Harry when it said that bit about 'a bit of you being there that wasn't there before,' do you?" asked Ron, thinking, unfortunately, rather along the same lines as Harry and Hermione.

"Perhaps it would have just been better to ask him what the hat said to him?" Hermione suggested.

"Are you kidding?" snapped Harry. "He forgets what he did an hour ago if you give him food!"

Raides transformed into the great lion and settled herself between Harry and Ginny.

The four of them watched sourly as Dudley waddled his way towards the Gryffindor table and, like a magnet, sat down across from Danielle Deirdre. She screwed her face up in disgust, muttered something that sounded like "fat" to him and, shoulders hunched, he made his way towards Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Rather self-contradicting of her to call Dudley fat, isn't it?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"My aunt and uncle tried to pass Dudley off as a big-boned, sensitive boy that just needs to watch what he eats. Then one day the school he went to, Smeltings, sent home a letter saying they no longer stock uniforms big enough for him," Harry explained, grinning. "That's why he went on a diet that summer."

"And it didn't work, did it?"

"Nope."

Dudley said something that had the effect of sounding a lot like "hello" as he came closer to Harry and took a seat on the bench next to him. Harry particularly didn't want to now have Dudley as an annoying shadow. He only half listened as the remaining students got sorted, including a pair of siblings named Justin and Christabell Florence.

"Food!" exclaimed Ron when the golden plates and shining goblets in front of them suddenly filled with everything from chicken to waffles. Dudley nearly fell backwards when this happened.

"Get used to it," said Harry at once, "because every time you eat in here that's gonna happen. And the plates refill themselves when they're empty."

"Right underneath here," Hermione informed Dudley, "is one hundred something house elves that prepare the food and four tables exactly like this. It gets sent up through the floor."

She probably shouldn't have said that because Dudley almost choked on his food.

"Honestly, if you don't want to be here," said Harry, shaking his head, "they can send you home tomorrow."

Dudley shook his head, not saying a word. It would appear he would need some time to find use of his voice again.

Harry looked straight at Ron and said, "Just wait until he sees the rest of the ghosts. He'll freak."

"And the moving pictures," Ron said, "and all the hidden doors... and passageways and the Fat Lady!" Ron added, turning to Dudley with a great big smile. "This is going to be such fun!"

"Show him some respect, Ron," said Hermione, sounding terrifyingly reminiscent of Professor McGonagall. Every time she gave someone those eyes, she just got better and better at it.

"Why?" whined Ron. "He doesn't give any to Harry."

Harry silently agreed.

And again, Hermione looked for something to tell Ron off about but this time struggled over words such as "chance," "second," and a comparison to rabid werewolves and kitty cats that, while sounding intelligent, didn't make any sense even to Hermione.

After everyone had eaten as much as they could and all the plates had become clean as ever, Dumbledore once again rose from his chair and beamed out at everyone.

"Before I begin," he said, wearing his warmest smile, "I'd just like to introduce a guest among our number. You have probably seen her already, accompanied a Gryffindor seventh year."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all immediately looked at Raides and Harry felt distinctly hot in the face. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that by Dumbledore simply saying a "Gryffindor seventh year," everyone knew who he was referring to.

"That large lion," Dumbledore continued, "is known as the Staff of Cybele. For a little reminder, this was a staff lost for thousands of years only to be found just last year as I'm sure all but our first years remember." Harry felt himself go red. "The name given to her before her disappearance thousands of years ago is Raides and I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you call her by that name. I couldn't help but notice many of you exchanging nervous glances with her. As intimidating as she looks, dear Raides is not going to hurt anyone unless that someone happens to be Lord Voldemort."

Whispers rippled across the Great Hall, as did many winces from students not keen on hearing the name. Raides jumped up on the Gryffindor table and stood at her full height, grinning wildly at all the faces staring at her.

"This is the sole reason she is here," Dumbledore continued. "Being an immensely powerful staff, and, of course, only useable by an ancient, goodness knows that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would not attempt entrance into the castle. Let me calm your nerves by saying that you have nothing to fear with Raides on the grounds. I'm sure we will be seeing many examples of her grandness of power in the coming months," said Dumbledore, beaming at Harry. "As many of you probably know already, the Triwizard Tournament is to take place at Hogwarts once again this year."

The effect of this simple sentence was astounding. Every single person forgot about Lord Voldemort and every face, every single one, except Dudley, was staring at Dumbledore with rapt attention.

"Forgive me while I inform those of us who do not know and allow your minds to wander freely for a few moments.

"The Triwizard Tournament was established hundreds of years ago among the best wizarding schools of Britain. to attempt to establish ties among students of foreign schools. It was a success, of course. One champion from each school competed against the two other schools to bring the glory of the Triwizard Cup to their own school in three magical tasks. Every five years the tournament was held at each of the schools -- until unfortunate death after unfortunate death put the tournament to shame and it was canceled indefinitely."

As last time, there was a scowling from Hermione but her sentiments were not shared by most of the students.

"There has been many an attempt at resurrecting this tournament in the past years, the most successful one taking place three years ago at Hogwarts where, ignoring some very unfortunate circumstances in the end that were out of our control, it was a success."

The ending was unfortunate all right, Harry thought. Someone had died and Voldemort had returned to power for the first time in thirteen years.

"But, our goal had been successful," Dumbledore went on, "and no one found themselves in a life-threatening situation if it could be helped. For further information on this subject, please refer to your fellow students as I do not wish to discuss this part of the last tournament's events any further.

"As far as selecting students most worthy to become champions, to hold the glory for their school and having a chance at winning a thousand galleons of prize money, that will be determined by an impartial judge to be introduced when the date comes closer. The other schools, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute, will be sending their headmasters along with their list of selected students who wish to become champions in October and will be staying with us for the majority of the year. Please note that no student under the age of seventeen will be allowed to enter their name and I beg you not to ask until -- again -- the date comes closer."

Many students, particularly those of fifth and sixth year, could be seen scowling at Dumbledore.

"And now, it is getting late and it is of the utmost importance that you get to your first lessons tomorrow morning well rested. Bedtime!"

At this, Dumbledore, sat back down in his chair and immediately entered conversation with Professor McGonagall, occasionally peering over at Harry.

"Wonder who's going to enter this year," said Hermione, "given the last tournament's rotten outcome and everything..."

"Sure, just remind everyone of why they almost didn't bother this year," said Ron.

"Almost didn't bother?" asked Harry.

"Yeah. Dad said Fudge almost didn't approve of it. Someone needs to hurt him, honestly. Cornelius Fudge, dumb Minister of Magic. Dad's coming up with more and more bad things to say about him every day."

"I'm certainly not competing," said Harry.

"C'mon, Harry," said Ron pleadingly, turning to him, his eyes wide, "you have to enter! You just know if you do your name's going to pop out. Look, even Dumbledore knows it!" he added, nodding his head in Dumbledore's direction who was still glancing over at Harry every once in a while.

Harry stared crossly at him and rose from the bench.

"He doesn't have to compete if he doesn't want to and if you ask me, he doesn't want to," said Hermione sharply, rising from her seat too. "GRYFFINDOR FIRST YEARS!" she then bellowed, "FOLLOW ME!" Being a prefect and Head Girl, it was Hermione's job to see the first years to Gryffindor Tower. Among them, Dudley.

A group of about five boys and four girls came over, all of them staring at Raides, then at Harry, then Raides, then Harry... This pattern continued out into the entrance hall, all the way up the marble staircase, up to Gryffindor Tower, when Hermione gave the Fat Lady, a living portrait of a fat lady in a pink, silk dress, the password ("Flamel") and into the common room (where Dudley oohed and ahhed the most at the squashy armchairs and blazing, warming fire).

Hermione parted with Harry, Ron and Dudley at the spiral staircase to the girls' dormitory and then Ron left Harry to show Dudley to the first years' dormitory. Coming back down with Raides, Harry sat heavily upon his four-poster, staring dreamy-eyed around the circular room atop Gryffindor Tower.

"I hope we have a quiet year this time around," said Ron, fixing his messed up bed sheets and muttering "Dobby," darkly under his breath.

Dobby was one of the house-elves that worked at Hogwarts, a rather different egg when compared to all the others. While most elves satisfied themselves with serving one family forever, Dobby had served the very evil Malfoy family and had taken strangely to freedom when Harry tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing Dobby. House-elves are freed from their enslavement of a family when they are presented with proper clothing (which means they are usually not properly clothed).

"D'you really think so?" said Seamus Finnigan darkly, a sandy-haired fellow Gryffindor seventh-year. "You two and Hermione haven't had a quiet year since you arrived --"

"Hey, it's either this or the Dursleys," said Harry firmly, "and I choose this."

"If I were you," said Neville Longbottom, "I'd go straight home," before getting into bed himself and dozing off.

Neville, Harry reminded himself after almost considering the thought, found the simplest things scary.

"Yeah," said Dean Thomas, the last Gryffindor seventh year in their dormitory. "I would just go home, too."

And then a minute later, Harry heard his snores echo along with Ron, Neville and Seamus'.

Watching Raides curl up on a rug on the floor, the reason Harry stayed to came him. Harry puffed up his pillows, laid down on them and stared at the canopy of his four-poster without even taking off his glasses. He wouldn't trade this for the Dursleys if his life depended on it -- and it usually did.

"You don't know what it's like here," Harry found himself saying to Dobby in the summer before his second year at Hogwarts. Dobby insisted that Harry stay home, saying that Hogwarts was going to be the host of terrible things. "I don't belong here," Harry went on, "I belong in your world -- at Hogwarts."

The Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, a secret area built by Salazar Slytherin himself, home to a basilisk, had been opened in the school year that followed. It was the basilisk's job to be commanded by the heir of Slytherin to clear Hogwarts of all Muggle-borns... Voldemort had kept his sixteen-year-old self alive, preserved in a diary for fifty years. Lucius Malfoy had slipped this diary among Ginny's things during an argument at a bookstore. Ginny had been possessed, almost completely taken over, by the spirit of Voldemort. Harry had been forced to kill the basilisk to save his own life and destroy the diary, saving Ginny's life as well.

Having sat up and grasped the Order of Merlin plaque once again, staring down at his name on it, the truth was so obvious it hurt. There was no home to Harry except Hogwarts.

He placed the necklace down on his bedside table, removed his glasses, took off his Phoenix Bracelet and golden wristwatch and found himself fast asleep before he had a chance to change into pajamas.