Hello everyone, my name is Danielle. I have the very sad duty of informing you that the author of this story, ShadowGryffindor (A.K.A. Taylor), has passed away. She was killed in an automobile accident on April 26th, when a drunk driver crashed into a friend's car that she was riding in.
I was one of her best friends, and also her beta for this story. I've avoided informing anyone until now because it was too painful for me to. However, Taylor's sister, over the past few months, has made me realize that Taylor would never want her story to die with her, and has convinced me to continue the story, with her assistance. I have been given access to her accounts on Portkey, Fanfiction, and Ficwad - if anyone knows of anywhere else she posted, please let us know.
Taylor loved JRR Tolkien's work, and fortunately took a page from his book - writing out large portions of the story (manuscripts, almost) far in advance. The next three chapters are nearly fully hers, exceptions being in whatever corrections I had to make. After that, there are several partial chapters, with most of the dialogue written out, but a lot of the other details only in outline form. From then on, she has an outline of the main events of what she wanted with her story, with little scenes written out fully here and there, along with the very last chapter of the story. So, you might eventually notice a slightly different writing style, but I will try to keep it as close to Taylor's as I can (we had similar styles - one of the reasons she chose me as her beta).
I ask that everyone now take a moment of silence in memory of Taylor, whose life was cut short far too early.
Here is chapter 6 - written by Taylor, with just minor corrections on my part.
Disclaimer: It's JKR's, not mine. All of the characters, settings, and ideas from the books belong to JK Rowling. I have never, and will never profit from these writings. The only things that are mine are the parts of the plot differing from the books, any original characters, and the characterization of Hermione's parents.
Key: Sentences in italics surrounded by these: { } indicate sign language. {Sort of like this}.
Chapter 6: Sorting
Professor Granger's Quarters, Hogwarts Castle - Sunday, 2 January, 1994
Harry woke up the next morning to the warmth of both the still-lit fireplace, and Sirius' dog form lying nearly on top of his legs. He straightened his glasses, which he usually wore during the night, and slowly sat up.
He started to move his legs to get out of bed, causing Sirius to wake up, lift his head, and wag his tail when he saw that Harry was already awake. Harry patted him on the head, saying, "G'mornin' Blackie," before getting out of bed.
He rummaged through his new trunk and took out a pair of clothes they had bought the day before, and quickly changed into them. He then grabbed the first book he saw and sat back on the bed next to Sirius. Looking at the cover, he saw that it was Standard Book of Spells, Grade One. He eagerly opened it and began by reading through the introductory chapters and then began skimming through the different spells.
He flipped through until he got to the levitation spell that was similar to what he could already do. He snapped his wrist quickly, activating the wand holster to deposit his wand in his hand. He practiced the motions shown in the book, paying no attention to the incantation. Finally he took out a piece of paper, and focused just as he always did, but this time through his wand. Immediately he felt a difference in the amount of control he had. It was as if the wand … refined his magic, and gave him even better focus and control over it, it seemed to allow him to use less concentration than before. He began to try to use that extra focus to levitate several objects at the same time and in different locations around the room.
He was still practicing, now making several quills and other various objects float around the room at the same time, when he saw the door to the adjoining bedroom open. Hermione stumbled out, her eyes half-closed, and her hair a wild mess of tangles, carrying a set of clothes. She walked toward the loo, seemingly unaware in her half-asleep state that Harry was there in the room. She continued to walk along until her forehead hit a pen that Harry was levitating. She blinked sleepily, swatting at the pen with her hand. When it didn't move, she became more awake. She looked at the pen, confused, and then glanced around the room, finally seeing Harry sitting on the bed. She mumbled a "Good morning" to him, ducked under the pen, and continued to the loo.
Several minutes later, Emma came out of the bedroom, looking much less sleepy than her daughter. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the room filled with floating objects. Looking to the center of the room, she saw Harry sitting on the transfigured bed, wand in his hand, his eyes narrowed in concentration. She walked toward him, dodging several floating books, and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He smiled when he noticed her, but didn't stop his concentration. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw several of the objects begin to float back to their proper positions.
Once the last of the objects settled, Harry's expression cleared up and he looked up at her. She smiled at him and asked, {Already practicing magic, Harry? That was very impressive}.
Harry shrugged, and she could see a hint of pink on his cheeks. {I decided to try out my wand. It makes everything easier to do and I don't need as much concentration.}
{So, I guess you've seen Hermione already this morning?} Emma asked.
{Yeah, she looked pretty sleepy,} He signed back to her.
Emma chuckled. {Yes, if Hermione hasn't had her morning shower, she can be rather sleepy and often quite grumpy.}
{How did you sleep last night, Harry?} Emma asked, continuing their small talk.
{I slept really great,} Harry said. {The last two nights I've gotten the best sleep I can remember.}
They continued their conversation for several more minutes until Hermione came out of the loo, looking much more awake, her damp hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She walked over to Harry and Emma with a curious expression on her face.
{Were things floating around the room earlier?} She signed in question.
Harry smiled at her. {Yeah, I was trying my floating magic using my new wand.}
{Okay, I wanted to make sure I wasn't just dreaming it or starting to see things.} She signed.
Emma excused herself to take her own shower, leaving Hermione and Harry alone. Hermione pulled out her wand and said another incantation while tapping the bed, transfiguring it back into a couch. She sat down next to Harry.
She turned to him after sitting on the couch and signed to him. {Take out your wand, Harry. Let's start your tutoring right now. Why don't we start off with a simple Transfiguration spell because you already seem good with Charms like your levitating magic?}
{Okay}, Harry signed, looking eager. {What spell should we do first?}
Hermione walked over to the fireplace where there was a book of matches on the mantle because Emma was unable to use magic to light the fire. Hermione pulled a match from it and walked back over to Harry. {We'll start at the first Transfiguration spell everyone learns as a First-year. The goal of the spell is to change this matchstick into a needle.}
She picked up a loose sheet of paper and wrote out the incantation of the spell, and beneath it wrote out a rough pronunciation guide for Harry. She gave the paper to him and let him read it out loud. He was off in one part of the pronunciation, so she rewrote it. After several more tries he got it correct and they then began to work on the wand movement, which was rather simple for Harry.
Hermione soon saw that as Harry continued his attempts at the spell, he slowly began to speak the incantation softer and softer until eventually he only moved his lips. She was about to note this to him, when she saw the match begin to turn a silvery color. She was surprised that he was already using nonverbal magic until she realised that it was what he had done for years as he honed his levitation ability.
Near the time that Emma was done with her shower, Harry had nearly perfected the spell. He had gotten to the point where he was making the match look exactly like a needle, but he still was unable to transform the inner part from the wood to the needle. He was becoming frustrated, mainly because he remembered how quickly he had learned the color-changing spell that Sirius had taught him. He finally tossed down the wooden "needle", looking discouraged. "It's no use. I'm no good at this." He said aloud.
Hermione quickly laid a hand on his arm, gaining his attention. {Nonsense, Harry. You are getting very good at this spell, better than I was by the end of our first class. All I could do is give it a silvery look and make it all pointy, and you nearly have it mastered. Don't be frustrated, all you need is more practice and you'll have it. Spells can be very hard to learn, so never give up on one if you are having trouble.}
Harry looked gratefully at her. {Thanks. I just… thought that these spells would be easier.}
She smiled reassuringly at him and signed, {Some spells will be easier than others. I'll bet it took you a while to be good at levitating things, so think of it like that. Now, why don't you try the spell once again. Maybe it will help you to imagine what the needle should feel like. That's how I was able to do the spell.}
Harry picked up another match, and this time focused on that image, imprinting it in his mind. Waving his wand and focusing on that image, he watched as the match began to become silvery and pointy. As he concentrated more, it slowly became more and more needle-like until finally it changed completely into a needle.
He looked up at Hermione, as well as Emma who had just come into the room having finished her shower, his face nearly glowing with excitement. Hermione smiled broadly at him. {I told you that you could do it.} She signed to him.
Emma also smiled at him. {That was very good, Harry. I'm going to go fix my hair, and then we can all go get breakfast. Remus is probably already up and waiting for us.}
While Emma went to her bedroom, Harry continued practicing the spell, getting quicker each time until the transformation took only a second or two. Emma finally came out, her hair pulled back once again into a ponytail. Harry and Hermione rose from the couch and followed her out of the room and down the stairs toward the Great Hall.
When they entered the Great Hall, Remus was already sitting at the staff table, reading a paper and sipping tea. He looked up as they entered and greeted them warmly. "Good morning, you three. How did you sleep your first night here, Harry?"
"Great," Harry said, "the bed was very comfortable."
Harry sat down next to Hermione and across from Remus whom Emma sat down next to. Like the night before, cups of tea popped into existence in front of them, along with a huge breakfast that was made up of rashers of bacon, fried eggs, toast, sausages, and fried potatoes heaped on a large plate.
Harry quickly downed the bitter nutrition absorbing potion that Madam Pomfrey had given him, and then began eating. Remus set the paper aside, and Harry silently noted it was the Daily Prophet, the same paper that Sirius had shown him the articles about himself and the Pettigrew man from.
Hermione looked up from her breakfast, having eaten well over half of it so far, to see Harry slowly chewing; only a small portion of his breakfast eaten, and with a strange expression on his face. She knew that something was wrong, as every other time they had eaten together, he was usually the first one finished with his food.
She reached out to Harry and touched his hand to draw his attention. His head quickly turned to her. {What's bothering you, Harry? Aren't you hungry this morning?} She signed in question, speaking aloud at the same time and drawing Emma's and Remus' attention.
Emma looked worried when she saw that he had barely eaten. "Are you feeling well, Harry?" Emma asked, instinctively reaching across the table and placing her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
Harry felt himself involuntarily jerk his head back at her touch. As soon as he did so, he silently cursed his ingrained reflexes when he felt how soothing her hand had been in taking his mind off of everything he was thinking of. He leaned back forward and allowed her to press her hand on his forehead. Harry looked somewhat embarrassed, and shrugged. {I guess I'm a little bit nervous about meeting with this Dumbledore this morning.}
Remus spoke up at this. "Harry, everything will be fine, you don't need to worry about it, Harry. Remember, I'll be right there with you."
Hermione reached out and gave Harry's hand a quick squeeze. "Don't worry, Harry. Just be yourself and say what you feel is right. You'll be fine."
Harry smiled wanly, feeling better. He was still a bit nervous, but the overwhelming feeling he had been experiencing had died down. He ate more of his food and managed to finish off all of it, although everyone else had finished by that time.
Remus stood slowly. "Well Harry, we might as well get this over with." Harry nodded quickly and stood as well. "We shouldn't be more than thirty minutes." Remus said to Emma and Hermione. They both smiled at Harry encouragingly as he followed Remus out of the Great Hall.
Remus led them up several floors and through many of Hogwarts' twisting passages until they finally arrived in front of a statue of a gargoyle. Remus said some sort of password like the one needed to get into the Granger's quarters, and the gargoyle leapt aside, allowing Harry and Remus through the wall behind it which split open. Directly ahead of them was a spiral staircase. Remus and Harry stepped onto it, and Harry was amazed when it began to slowly move them upward.
It reached the top, and Remus knocked on a highly polished oak door. He waited a moment, apparently got an answer, and opened the door, holding it open to allow Harry through before him. Inside was a large, circular room, lit by outside lights, and with its walls covered in moving portraits. There was a large desk - one with a claw-footed bottom- on one side, and spindly tables scattered throughout the room, each holding a different silvery device on top of them.
On the desk were various pieces of paperwork, as well as an ink pot that had a scarlet feather quill in it. Behind the desk was a large, high-backed chair, and occupying the chair was Albus Dumbledore. He looked a bit like what Harry had expected - long white beard and robes. He had a long, crooked nose, and was wearing a pair of half-moon spectacles that partially hid his blue eyes. Harry could see a brilliant glow around Dumbledore, more brilliant than any of the other wizards he had seen - it was an orange-ish red, with a hint of grey around the edges, but it was bright.
Dumbledore rose, and gestured Harry to the chair in front of the desk. He said something as Harry sat down, but Harry was having difficulty understanding him. He repeated himself, but Harry still could not understand. "Excuse me, but I ain't sure what you're sayin' - it's 'ard t'read your lips with your beard."
Dumbledore's eyes widened in realization. He reached into his robe to pull out his wand. Harry's hand twitched, his instincts readying him to pull his switchblade, until Remus rested a hand on his shoulder, which reminded him he was no longer on the street.
Dumbledore retrieved the wand, waved it twice at his own face, and his long, flowing beard suddenly disappeared. Harry could see Remus gape at the now-clean shaven Dumbledore.
"Hello, Harry. I am very glad to finally meet you." Dumbledore said. He turned to Remus - "You may leave now Remus, I'd like-". He was broken off when Harry forcefully said "NO!"
Albus looked to him in surprise. "I asked Professor Lupin t'stay with me while we talk 'ere. Is that alright with you?" Harry asked him.
Dumbledore looked for a moment as if he was going to continue to protest, but a stern look from Remus stopped him. "Of course, Harry. If that would make you feel more comfortable, Remus is very welcome to stay."
Dumbledore waved his hand, and a second chair appeared, which Remus sat down in. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and visibly steeled himself. "Now, Harry, I am sure you have already been told quite a bit, and I am sure you have many questions to ask me. I will do my best to answer any question you may have of me."
Harry nodded, was silent a moment, and then quite bluntly asked, "Why'd you put me with them?"
Dumbledore sat back in his chair - it almost looked like his face aged ten years in a few moments. He put a hand to his forehead, looking somewhat agitated. "I first must tell you how sorry I am, Harry, for what happened to you there. I had been worried that the followers of Voldemort would try to get revenge for his death by attacking you."
He sighed and continued, "Your mother had invoked a powerful, ancient magic that, with some extra spells from myself, would protect you from them, as long as you lived in the presence of a blood relative. I thought it best to place you with the Dursleys, as they were not only relatives of yours, they were also Muggles - that would provide a second level of security, as most would not think to look for the hero of the Wizarding world among the Muggles. I never knew…."
"Why didn't you check t'see how I was doin'?" Harry asked, feeling satisfied with his answer so far.
"I… I… I suppose I really do not know. I had planned on putting a Squib friend of mine in the neighborhood to keep an eye on you, but things happened so that I required her services elsewhere. After that, I suppose I became… complacent. I assumed that the spells I put in place would tell me of ANY harm coming to you - I did not realise they would not inform me about harm coming from another member of the family onto you."
He continued, "Because of that, and because of my decision to let you be raised away from the Wizarding world, I tried to minimize any contact you had with other Wizards, and thus did not even know you were missing until you would not return your Hogwarts letter response."
"I thought you were safe there. I think I … underestimated the Muggles - I never thought that anyone non-magical was so depraved and capable of such harm to a child. I knew that such a thing was not really all that uncommon among the followers of Voldemort, but I never thought that Muggles could be capable of doing that. And that is something I will always feel horrible for."
"I don't expect you to ever forgive me for what I did, but I want you to know how sorry I am for all of my mistakes in dealing with you and your future."
Harry sat silently, and nodded in acknowledgement to Dumbledore. He has been thinking he would not be able to control his anger toward the man, but now he saw that he was truly sorry for placing him with the Dursleys, he could only feel a small kindling of anger, nothing out of control. He realised that Dumbledore was right - he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to really forgive him completely for what had happened. He knew, however, that he didn't hate the man, and even felt willing to get to know him better.
Harry nodded again "You're right sir. I don't know if I can ever forgive you. But I'd like to try t'start over now, an' I'd like t'give you a chance."
Dumbledore visibly sagged in relief. "Thank you Harry. That means so much to me."
They sat in silence for several minutes, before Dumbledore's posture straightened. "Harry, I don't believe I've welcomed you to Hogwarts yet. You are most welcome to this school, and we will do our best to make up for the last two and a half years that you have missed out on."
"Now, I have been told that you are deaf, but are also rather adept at reading lips. Is there anything we can do in our classes to make sure you understand everything?"
Harry nodded briefly. "Hermione got me some Easy-Notes quills t'make it easier to take notes. Maybe you could ask them t'make sure they face th'class when they're talkin' so it's easier to read their lips." He paused, "Let's see 'ow it goes, and if I think of anythin' else, I'll let you know."
Dumbledore nodded quickly. "Of course - I'll make sure I stress that to them at our staff meeting tonight."
Remus spoke up at that moment. "Harry, if you have any questions about class, I know Hermione will be more than happy to answer them. If you have any sort of trouble with the teachers - I'm not saying you will - come and speak with me and I'll take care of it." He said, while thinking that Harry might very well be given trouble - by one teacher in particular.
"Now," said Dumbledore, "why don't we discuss your class schedule? Students start out with the basic classes: Astronomy, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Potions. In their third year, which you will be entering, students choose two or more additional classes: Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Muggle Studies. I think it would be easiest for you if you focus on catching up on the main courses, and then next year focus on catching up in the additional classes."
Harry was nodding. "Hermione explained a lot of that to me. She said she'd 'elp me out this summer an' tutor me on some o'the secondary classes. From how she described them, I think I'll like 'rithmancy the most."
"Very good, Harry - once you get Sorted into a house, the Head of your house will give you your timetables. Speaking of that, I'd like to tell you about the Sorting." He gestured to a cabinet that held a battered, patched and frayed, extremely dirty, pointed hat. On the outside it looked like a hat that needed to be tossed in the rubbish bin, but Harry could see a brilliant glow around it, very similar to the glow of other Wizards, so he knew it contained some sort of powerful magic.
"This is the Sorting Hat. Tonight, when all of the students have returned for the feast, I'll introduce you to them, and have you sit on a stool. Professor McGonagall, who you have met, will place this hat on your head. The Sorting Hat has the ability to look into minds, and will decide what house best suits you. I'd like you to sit at the Head Table by Professor Lupin and Professor Granger this evening until you are Sorted."
"Okay," Harry said, feeling excitement build up - it was really finally hitting him: he was going to school - something he had never thought he would be able to do until the last few days.
"Remus, we need to talk about getting a tutoring schedule set up for Harry." Dumbledore said.
"Already taken care of, Albus. I have Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights open for tutoring, Harry, and anything we don't get to then, or anything you want to expand on, we can do for part of the day on Saturdays."
"Okay, Professor Lupin. I'm looking forward to it." Harry said happily.
Dumbledore shuffled through some of the papers on his desk. "One more thing I wanted to bring up is where you are going to stay this summer, and who will be your legal guardian. I know that several families have already expressed a desire to take you in, the Weasleys…"
Harry began to feel panicked as Dumbledore began talking about placing him with someone. "Sir," he interrupted, "I-I don't want you to place me with anyone - I 'aven't even gotten t'know you, an' after what 'appened last time you placed me somewhere…."
Dumbledore blinked in shock. He realised that he was already attempting to do exactly what he had done years ago, which had turned out so horribly. "I am very sorry, Harry, I didn't even think of that." He paused for a moment. "I think it would be best if I relinquish my status as the executor of you and your parent's estate, to limit my temptation to do this."
They were silent for a moment, and then Remus spoke up. "Albus, Harry and I have already spoken on plans for this summer. We've agreed to get to know each other better, and if he still wants to live with me, he is more than welcome to."
"But what about…" Albus said quickly, trailing off, his eyes straying quickly to Harry, who was watching the conversation.
"Do you really think that the Ministry will deny me him now after what happened when I was fighting so hard for him before? I think they'll be trying their best to save face, and they won't want a media controversy exposing that. I don't think I'll have any problem adopting Harry if he wants me to." Remus said.
"That is a very good point. If that is what you two end up deciding, I assure you I will not stand in your way." Dumbledore said.
Remus began to stand, and Harry moved quickly to follow his lead. "If that is all, Albus?"
Dumbledore nodded to them. "I will see you both tonight at the feast. It was wonderful to finally meet you, Harry. I hope you enjoy your time here at Hogwarts." As they exited the room, Dumbledore waved his hand, and his white beard re-appeared on his face. He sat down, shaky from the entire conversation, and rested his head in his hands.
Remus and Harry rode down the spiral staircase, and began walking back toward the Emma's quarters. Harry looked shyly over to Remus several times, before finally speaking up to him. "P-professor Lupin, thank you for comin' with me - I don't think it would've gone as well as it did if you 'and't been with me."
Remus smiled warmly at him. "Please, Harry, when we aren't in the classroom you can call me Remus. And you don't have to thank me - if you ever need someone for support, or even just for help, you only have to ask me, or Emma, or Hermione, and we'll be glad to."
"Okay Pro… Remus," Harry said, catching himself.
They reached Emma's quarters, and Harry said: "Einstein" to the portrait, and the door slid open. He stopped short when he saw no one there, and all of the candles and torches begin to flare to life as he entered. He turned around. "They aren't 'ere, Remus," he said, looking confused.
A grin flitted across Remus' face, and he said, "I think I can guess exactly where they are right now."
Harry thought a moment, his eyes met Remus', and almost in unison they said, "The library." They made their way, laughing, toward the library.
When they entered the library, they saw the two sitting at one of the tables. As they approached them from behind, Remus gave another grin - at that moment, Harry realised, he looked nearly twenty years younger - and held his finger to his lips, and both of them crept up behind the girls who were engrossed in their books.
"Reading anything interesting?" Remus asked, standing directly behind Emma's chair. Emma's head snapped up, and she nearly jumped out of her chair, while Hermione gave a yelp, her book tumbling to the table.
"Remus Lupin," Emma said, standing up and shaking a finger at him. "Are you trying to kill us of fright?" She asked, trying to look sternly at him and Harry, but unable to keep a smile off her face.
Hermione turned as well, and nearly jumped on Harry, pulling him into a hug, one which he thought would jeopardise his ability to take in oxygen. She pulled back quickly, and signed to him. {How did it go, Harry?}.
He signed back. {It went alright. I had to make him understand a few things, but I didn't really get angry like I thought I would}.
{I told you that you would be fine, Harry.} Hermione signed. {Do you want to talk about the meeting?}
Harry shrugged. {Well, we talked about my classes for this term…}
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School Library, Hogwarts Castle - Sunday afternoon, 2 January, 1994
They had eaten lunch together, and now it was getting close to the time that the students would be returning to the castle. Hermione was becoming excited, and had spent the last five minutes telling Harry about Luna and Susan. {Oh, I can't wait to introduce you to them, I'm sure you're going to like them. Now remember, sometimes Luna is a bit odd, but don't make fun of her or anything - I think it is her way of dealing with her mum dying when she was little.} Hermione signed to him.
She looked up when she began to hear the telltale sounds of students entering the castle. {They're here.} She signed. She grabbed Harry's hand, something he managed to keep himself from flinching away from, and pulled him from his seat and began almost dragging him from the library, not aware of her mother watching them, stifling a laugh with one hand when she saw Harry get yanked around by Hermione.
Hermione led him down to the Entrance to Hogwarts, where the huge doors now stood open, allowing students to make their way in. She saw Luna and Susan making their way toward their separate dormitories, leaving the entrance hall, and quickly brought Harry over to them.
Harry looked ahead to where Hermione was pulling him, and saw two girls that he began to assume were Luna and Susan. One was a tall, thin girl, her long red hair worn in a plait down the center of her back - her bright blue eyes contrasted with her red hair. The other girl had straggly, waist-length dirty-blond hair, thin eyebrows, and silvery-blue colored eyes. She wore earrings that looked like radishes or turnips, and had a wand tucked behind her ear.
"Hermione!" They greeted warmly when they saw her. The red-head's eyes drifted over to Harry. "Who's the cute boy?" She asked Hermione teasingly. Harry understood her question and felt himself blush.
Hermione pulled Harry forward to stand next to her. "Harry, this is Susan Bones," she paused and let Susan shake his hand. "And this is Luna Lovegood. Susan and Luna, this is my new friend Harry - he's going to begin attending here at Hogwarts as a Third Year."
Luna extended her hand, and looked directly at Harry - her face without the daydreaming expression he had seen on it moments ago - as she shook his hand. "Hello, Harry. I am very sorry that you have lost your ability to hear. You should count yourself lucky, though, that you haven't been infested by the Blackfooted Marblers - they can make you blind." She said, her dreamy expression returning as she made her last comment.
Harry and Hermione stared at her in shock. "'ow…'ow'd you know?" Harry asked her.
"Oh, I know a lot of things that others don't know. Did you know my Daddy publishes a newspaper?" She said, changing the subject rather nonchalantly.
Susan broke in. "Is he really deaf, Hermione?" She asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, Harry is deaf, but he can usually understand you by reading your lips. He also knows sign language, which is something I learned years ago."
Susan looked to Harry. "It's very nice to meet you. I hope we can become good friends."
"It's nice t'meet you too, Susan. Hermione's been telling me all 'bout you an' Luna."
Susan looked to both Harry and Hermione. "Well, I need to get something from my dormitory before the feast, so I'll see you at the feast."
Harry saw Hermione's eyes light up like she had just remembered something. She quickly walked after Susan. "Oh, Susan, I just remembered something that I wanted to ask you…"
She and Susan stopped a dozen feet away, discussing something. Harry looked back to Luna, who was staring at him again, without her dreamy expression. She stepped closer to him, and placed a hand gently on his arm. "I was beginning to wonder when you would be found, Harry Potter." She said. "I've heard of some of the things that you went through - I'm very sorry."
"Thank you Luna. But… how did you know my…"
"Your name? Oh, that was rather simple - Hermione told me you were Harry, and then I caught a glimpse of your scar through your hair."
Her dreamy look began to return. "I think we're going to be good friends, Harry, all four of us." A comment she made before the dreaminess returned completely chilled him, but Hermione had begun walking back, and he didn't want to start questioning Luna. She had said: "Make sure Professor Lupin doesn't see the dog until the right time."
By then Hermione returned, and the three of them began talking, and eventually Luna, too, went back to her dorm. Hermione and Harry were alone in the corridor, and she looked over at Harry while nervously gnawing at her bottom lip. {So, how did you like them?} She signed, looking apprehensive.
He immediately smiled at her. {I like them both. They're both really nice, and I'd like to become friends with them too. Luna figured out I was Harry Potter, and didn't even act like you warned me some people might act}.
Hermione chuckled, and shook her head in amazement. {Yeah, that's Luna. It always seems like she's daydreaming, but she really is one of the most observant people I've ever seen.} She looked seriously to Harry. {I'm glad you want to become friends with them too. You're so nice to me, and you deserve a lot of friends.}
Harry blushed, and stood there awkwardly. Hermione saved him from having to reply by signing to him, before grabbing his hand, {Come on, Harry, we should get to the Great Hall so we can sit down}.
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Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle - Sunday evening, 2 January, 1994
Harry was sitting at the staff table, next to Emma and Remus, and was aware of the stares and whispers of a large portion of the school population who sat at the tables in front of him, waiting for the feast to begin. He had set up the Easy-Notes quill to help him understand what others were saying.
In the Hall tables in front of them, the hundreds of students shifted anxiously, hungrily, in their seats, eager to begin the feast. Finally Dumbledore rose from his seat.
"Students, I ask for your attention. I'm sure you have all been wondering who our young guest up here at the Head table is. Well, I have the very joyous job of telling you all some wonderful news. I'd like to introduce you all to Mister Harry Potter." Immediately the entire crowd of students began whispering amongst themselves.
"We have only recently found Mister Potter alive, contrary to what we had feared. He will be just beginning courses here this term, and as it is his first time here, I ask that you extend every hospitality to him."
When Dumbledore finished speaking, he gestured for Harry to stand up. Somewhere in the huge crowd, someone began clapping, and it seemed to be contagious, as within a few moments, nearly everyone in the room was clapping and cheering. Harry thought idly that he was rather glad he couldn't hear it, as he figured it would be extremely loud.
Dumbledore raised his hands, and slowly the applause and cheering died down. "Now, before we begin our feast, we will have a special Sorting for Mister Potter. Harry, if you will." Dumbledore said, gesturing toward a three-legged stool.
Harry walked over to it, and sat down. Professor McGonagall made her way over to him, carrying the ancient Sorting hat. She placed it on his head, and he immediately felt an overwhelming feeling of piece.
"Hello, Harry Potter." Harry jerked at the sudden voice - how could he hear it?
"Do not be afraid, Harry, I am the Sorting Hat, and I can speak to others through their minds, which I know you are wondering, due to your deafness."
'Okay, this is weird,' Harry thought to himself.
"Well, I must express my sympathies to you - I am very sorry for the horrendous things you have survived and had to go through."
'Thanks,' Harry thought, 'I think everyone is waiting, though.'
"Ah, thank you for reminding me. I must compliment you on your personal mental shields - they are really quite strong. Now, what house should I put you in."
"You could go into Hufflepuff because of your strong sense of honor, and your loyalty to your friends."
"I could put you in Ravenclaw because of your very high intelligence and problem-solving abilities."
"I could put you in Slytherin because of how cunning you are, what with bringing Sirius Black himself into Hogwarts,- don't worry, your secret is safe with me, and because of your ambitions to become a great and well-respected person."
"I could also put you in Gryffindor because of your stunning bravery, not only in the face of people like that gang that attacked you, but also in the face of what you have experienced in the past. The fact that you are still alive, rather than having given in to the urge to commit suicide, testifies to your bravery."
"I think one aspect outshines all of your others, and that is what I will decide on for you. Do you have anything to say before I make my decision?"
Harry thought for a moment, and then said, "Please, please put me in Hermione's house. She's my best friend, and the only student who knows sign-language, and I don't want to be put into a different house."
The hat was silent a moment, and then said: "Very well, Mister Potter, I will take that into account."
The hat was silent for another long moment, before it began to speak both aloud and in Harry's mind.
"You will be suited best for…………… GRYFFINDOR!!!"
AN: I hope all of you enjoyed the chapter (see how easily it could have been left a cliffhanger? <insert diabolical laughter here>) - it was all Taylor's except for some corrections on spelling errors. I apologize again for not posting it sooner, but I hope you understand why I couldn't bring myself to do it so soon. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, as I'm going to visit family in Wisconsin for the next week or so, and I will also have my head buried in the new Harry Potter Book (I'll be in line for the midnight release).
Have fun with Deathly Hallows - I'm sure it'll be good (just hope she doesn't kill off Harry or Hermione).
Next time: Reactions to Harry's placement; staff meeting; we meet Ron, Neville, and many other students; Draco makes an appearance; and the first day of classes.