After a very awkward exchange with Luna and Hermione about Hagrid's teaching, they arrived. Harry was the first out, and didn't hesitate to head to the Great Hall. He knew he wouldn't find Hagrid on the grounds for a while yet.

Harry took a long moment to appreciate the view. Things had been nice after the war, but there was still a somber air. The darkness hadn't touched Hogwarts yet, and the shadows were smaller, beaten back by the bright torches and cheery voices.

"He can't have left." Ron said.

"Of course he hasn't." Harry said.

"You don't think he's hurt, do you?" Hermione asked.

"No." Harry said, and then spoke quietly so the others wouldn't hear. "He's probably just been busy doing that thing for Dumbledore over the summer."

"Yeah... Yeah, that'll be it." Ron said, but Hermione wasn't convinced.

Hermione's gaze scanned the head table. "Who's that?" She asked.

Harry didn't even have to look up to know who she was asking about.

"Dolores Umbridge. She works for Fudge. Was at my hearing."

"Nice cardigan." Ron said, smirking.

"She works for Fudge?" Hermione frowned. "What's she doing here, then?"

"Our new Defense teacher." Harry said.

"You're kidding!" Ron's eyes went wide.

"We've had a new teacher every year..." Hermione trailed off.

Professor Grubbly-Plank and the first years arrived. The young faces glowed faintly in the candle light, and the hum of conversation died out as the Sorting Hat was brought out.

The rip near the brim opened, and it broke into song:

In times of old when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school,
Thought never to be parted,
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school,
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided,
And never did they dream,
That they might some day be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere,
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell,
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those whose
Ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife,
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted,
So, for instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
Let the Sorting now begin. 

Applause broke out, though whispers and mutterings were exchanged too.

"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" Ron said, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah." Harry said.

"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before." Hermione said, sounding a bit anxious.

"Yes, indeed." Nearly Headless Nick said, leaning through Neville. The boy winced, as it was very uncomfortable to share a space with a ghost. "The Hat feels itself honor-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels-"

Professor McGonagall was giving a scorching look at the still muttering hall, waiting to read out the students' names. Nearly Headless Nick placed a ghostly finger against his lips, and sat up primly.

The hall cheered for each sorting, and welcomed the first years. Something bothered Harry. The hat was sorting students far quicker on average. Maybe it was just because he already knew what would happen.

Then Dumbledore rose to his feet. Though he'd seen him before, at the hearing, it was still almost surreal to see him alive and well. "To our newcomers," Dumbledore said, his voice ringing, arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "Welcome! To our old hands- welcome back! There is a time for speechmaking, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

Food appeared over the table, and they began to eat. While Ron and Hermione talked to Nearly Headless Nick, Harry found his appetite to have vanished. He still put food on his plate, and took an occasional small bite, but for the most part he pretended to eat.

Dumbledore stood and gave his speech. And then Umbridge interrupted.

Harry's nerves flared, and he glared at the table in front of him. He tried to keep the locket from flaring up. It was getting harder. Harry was sure he had to find a hiding spot tonight. If it came to it, he'd shove it in the Room of Requirement, though he despised the idea of keeping two horcruxes so close together.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge said, "for those kind words of welcome. Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"

None of the faces looked happy. In fact, they all looked rather taken aback at being addressed like they were five year olds.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan." Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them fell into silent giggles.

Umbridge cleared her throat again. "Hem, hem. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

She paused, and gave a slight bow to the other teachers, none of which bowed back. "Hem, hem. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress' sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new,between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation..."

"...Because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time,to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

And that was where the familiar speech ended. 

"With that in mind, we believe that through each individual's life, they grow and change. As such, what applied to them in their youth may not apply in the following years. In the past, the dear, old, sorting hat has taken opinions into count, and therefore unbalanced the entire system. Now, this error has been addressed, and corrected. I am sure you will be excited to find that those of you in your second to seventh years will be homed to a house of which you belong to."

The students frowned, and looked to each other in confusion. 'what's she mean?' 'wait, is she suggesting-' 'no, it couldn't be'...

"I would like to wish you all a very pleasant year." Umbridge summoned a scroll, and held it to Professor McGonagall. "If you would?"

Harry's head of house took it with a disguised look of repulsion. Having known her for seven years, and studied closely under her for one, he knew her well. She'd come to be like a grandmother to him. In fact, he'd gotten tipsy drunk once, and told her such. She'd hugged him, then gave him something to sober up, and sent him off to the dormitory.

"We're going to be resorted?" Ron exclaimed.

"What rubbish is she on about?" Seamus voiced from across the table.

Harry could hear similar complaints from the other tables. Slytherin table was the quietest of all, faces forcefully blank, or showing morbid curiosity.

"We'll all just get sorted back into the same houses." Hermione said firmly. "We've been Gryffindors for four years, why do you think it'd change now?"

The ones who heard her didn't have an answer.

This was different. This... Resorting hadn't happened before. Harry had been right when he thought that Draco Malfoy wouldn't be his biggest problem.

This time the Sorting Hat wouldn't take in opinions. Harry would like to believe Hermione, and think that they had grown into their gryffindor colors. But in first year, the hat had thought slytherin, and since Harry's time mishap, he'd basically been plotting.

"Harry," Ron said, his concerned voice breaking through Harry's thoughts. "Why do you look like you've swallowed a toad?"

"I'm going to be resorted." Harry said, and went back to staring at the table.

His housemates looked at him like he'd grown a second head, or a third eye. 

"Blimey, Harry," Dean said. "But you might be the most gryffindor person I've ever met!"

"I wouldn't count on it." Harry said, glancing at the hat, where the first second year was walking up.

For the most part, the second years stuck to the same houses. A few more third years were relocated. Then there was a jump, and more fourth years found themselves at different tables. Harry turned his focus from who was being sorted to keeping himself as neutral as possible.

Ginny stayed in gryffindor. Luna stayed in ravenclaw.

Then the fifth years began. He only bothered to pay attention to his friends' names. 

Hermione went up. gryffindor. She was welcomed back to their table. "I told you." She said.

Neville was still gryffindor. Malfoy was still slytherin, though Harry wasn't sure why he'd listened for that name anyway.

Maybe Harry's thoughts were unfounded. Maybe it was like Hermione had said, and he was making himself sick over nothing. But no, he was going to be resorted. He just knew it.

"Potter, Harry." 

"See you in a minute, mate." Ron said as Harry stood.

Harry forced his face to stay as blank as possible, though he was fairly certain that for a moment panic flashed in his eyes. He gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Ron frowned, and Harry walked to the Sorting Hat.

The other tables were quietly talking amongst themselves, reassuring those who'd been relocated. A few people were keeping track of Harry, as he was just the next unfortunate pupil, but his name hadn't drawn more attention than the others'.

And then the hat was on his head.

I can't help you much, The hat said after a silent moment, But you'll find what you're looking for in the restricted section.

"Slytherin!" The hat cried out for all to hear.

That was the moment the entire hall went silent. Harry took the hat off his head, set it down, and began to walk towards the slytherin table. Harry didn't look anywhere except the table, looking for a gap, for a place to sit. He couldn't look at the gryffindor table, couldn't- didn't want to imagine or see their faces.

Then the dam broke. Apparently Harry Potter getting sorted into slytherin was the last straw. Outrage rose from the three tables while slytherin spoke amongst themselves. It was so loud you couldn't tell one voice from another.

"Quiet!" Dumbledore's voice broke through the din, and the hall fell silent. The students sunk into their seats.

And the next name was called.

Surprisingly, it was Blaise Zabini who waved Harry over, having scooted to the side so that there was space. If Harry took that spot, he'd have Blaise Zabini on his right, and Draco Malfoy to his left. Across the table was Crabbe and Goyle.

Well, Harry couldn't back down now. Besides, he was in the Great Hall, they couldn't attack him here. So Harry took the seat.

"I never thought I'd ever see Harry Potter at the slytherin table." Zabini said.

Malfoy's gaze was intense as he stared at Harry.

"You seem awfully calm considering where you've just landed." Zabini commented.

Harry didn't answer, and looked to the head table, where Umbridge was smiling at him. Harry almost fired off the rope spell she'd used in the Forbidden Forest. His hand itched to draw his wand... Harry kept his hands at his sides, and made his face go neutral.

"You knew." Malfoy said. "You knew you'd be rehoused. You knew you'd be sorted into slytherin."

Crabbe and Goyle's jaws dropped, Parkinson and Nott stared at Harry with a burning intensity.

"Yeah. I knew."

"A snake among lions this whole time." Parkinson said, "And no-one noticed."

"I think that makes him the best snake there is." Zabini said, smirking.

"I'm not a snake." Harry said.

"Then I guess we have a lion in slytherin." Malfoy smirked.