"I'll let the darkness swallow me whole
I need to find you, need you to know
I'll be your friend in the daylight again
There we will be, like an old enemy
Like the salt and the sea...
From the destruction, out of the flame
You need a villain, give me a name
I'll be your friend in the daylight again
There we will be, like an old enemy"

---

Song: Salt and the Sea, The Lumineers

---

V - Stitch and Tear

Evening

---

Harry looked up to the ceiling, never having been so glad to see Hogwarts. It was just as he remembered, with the candles and the ceiling that looked like the stars.

He was a little off-put by the Umbridge woman sitting in the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher's chair, and Hagrids absence, but he decided to ignore that for now, because he was back home now, and nothing could spoil his mood.

The doors to the hall opened as Professor Grubbly-Plank sat down, and in came the first years, led by a tight-lipped Professor McGonagall.

He caught a glimpse of the exchanges, standing behind the first years, towering over all of them as they exchanged glances and whispered to one another. He caught a glimpse of the girl from the train, and her companion, a tall boy with black hair and green eyes, strikingly similar to Harry himself.

McGonagall put the sorting hat on the stool, and the room fell silent as they waited. The brim of the sorting hat ripped open as it started to sing, and Harry felt his good mood fall in moments, as he took in the 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 someday 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 duelling 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 fulfil 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."

The sound of The Great Hall rose with a polite clapping, punctured with an unusual amount of chatter, as it seemed no one had expected the strange and ominous song.

The exchanges were watching the sorting hat with narrowed eyes, and Harry did not miss the looks they traded.

The first years were sorted, and Dumbledore spoke, "As you all likely know by this point, we are welcoming twelve American transfer students this year." He turned to McGonagall, "They will be sorted now."

McGonagall nodded and pulled out another scroll before reading out;

"Chase, Annabeth."

The girl from the train, Annabeth, stepped forward, her head high and a smirk on her lips as she sat down and the hat was placed on her head.

The sorting hat, after a moment, yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

The house burst into applause instantly and Annabeth, head still held high, walked over to the table, where she sat and watched her companions.

Next was "di Angelo, Nico." a boy with pale skin and dark eyes and hair that would look right at home among the Slytherins. To the hall's surprise, he was put into Hufflepuff. His friends snickered as he scowled, his tie becoming a bright yellow that Harry assumed he didn't like. He sat a ways away from the rest of his house, crossing his arms as the polite clapping ceased and the next person was called.

"Grace, Jason." The group clapped him on the back as he stepped forward and the hat was put on his head. A minute passed before, it yelled, "GRYFFINDOR"

Harry burst into applause and the boy jogged over, sitting not too far from Harry, Ron and Hermione, next to the Weasley twins. They clapped him on the back and Harry noticed him blush a bit, likely embarrassed by the attention.

Next up, "Grace, Thalia". Jason winced when the surname was said, giving the girl a look as her eyes narrowed. Yet she still stepped forward and was sorted into, to Harry's joy, Gryffindor.

Ron elbowed him, "No Slytherins so far!"

Hermione shushed him as the next person was called up.

Jackson, Perseus, was the tall guy he'd seen on the train. His hair had been pulled back into a small ponytail at some point and he grinned as he stepped forward, his friends smirking at him as he sat down. The Sorting Hat was put on his head, and the Great Hall waited with bated breath as it thought.

Then its brim ripped open and it yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherins roared with cheers and applause and the boy's grin dropped for just a moment but came back seconds later. He spared a glance at the Ravenclaw table, before walking over. Harry watched him go and noticed he sat somewhat near Malfoy.

Was what Malfoy said, actually true?

The next girl, Levesque, Hazel, was sorted into Hufflepuff, and she sat next to the other boy Nico, elbowing him as he continued to scowl.

Next up was one of the most beautiful people in the group, McLean, Piper. Harry found himself hoping she would be in his house, and judging from Jason's face he hoped that too.

The brim opened. Jason leaned forward. "SLYTHERIN!" It yelled.

Jason's face fell, and Harry noticed Thalia give him a glance of pity as he watched the girl walk over to the Slytherin table, sitting next to Jackson. Harry wondered why he seemed so crushed.

The next person, Olympia, Calypso was put into Hufflepuff, followed by Ramírez-Arellano, Reyna who was put into Ravenclaw, finally giving each house two transfers. The next guy, Solace, Will, was sorted into Hufflepuff as well, which seemed to brighten Nico's mood in an instant, as he sat next to his friends.

Next up was Valdez, Leo, who was almost instantly sorted into Ravenclaw. Harry glanced at the Ravenclaw table, where the two transfers who had been sorted into that house were both putting their heads in their hands, likely groaning as he sat down with them.

The final person, Zhang, Frank sat on the stool, nervously wringing my hands. He was built like Crabbe and Goyle but had a far kinder face. Finally, the Sorting Hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" causing the house to roar.

He sat with his friends and Dumbledor called for the feast to begin as Jason clapped Frank on the back. The food appeared, and the hall tucked in.

Over dinner, Harry heard the Weasley twins chat up the newcomers. The girl, Thalia, was obviously and pointedly not listening, but both Jason and Frank were amiable and turned out to be pretty cool.

Meanwhile, Harry and his friends were talking to Nearly Headless Nick about the strange song the Sorting Hat had sung.

"Of course," The ghost was saying, "It lives in Dumbledore's office. It must pick up on some things."

"And it wants the houses to get along?" Harry scoffed, glancing at the Slytherin table where Malfoy was chatting up the newcomers, "Fat chance."

"Why do you say that?" A new voice cut in.

Harry turned to see Jason Grace watching him, seemingly having listened in on their conversation. "Well," Harry explained, "The Slytherins are horrible to us. They always say they're better than us, and Malfoys the worst of them."

"Oh yes," Thalia said, "The blonde weasel." She stabbed her meat rather hard, startling Neville, who hadn't been paying attention.

"You know him?" Hermione asked.

"We ran into the dude on the train," Frank explained.

"Ah."

"But," Jason pressed, "Would it be that hard to get along?"

"Yes," Ron said, finality in his voice.

"Did you have houses at your old school?" Hermione asked. The transfers exchanged a glance.

"Sorta..." Jason said, "It's more complicated but in a way, yes."

"Well were there any groups that didn't get along?"

Frank and Jason exchanged a glance, "Not really—" Jason began.

Thalia cut in, looking curiously at Jason, "You say that like Clarisse and Percy don't try to kill each other every time they see one another."

"They pretend to be rivals for the drama, dear. They can work together when they need to."

"When they need too," Thalia pressed.

"And you and Percy are any different?" Frank asked, not looking at her.

Thalia paused, the words sinking in, "Fair point." She said, ending the argument.

"So, no?" Hermione asked, having listened, but not quite understood.

"Yeah." Jason said, grinning at her, "I mean there are rivalries, but they're all friendly and very rarely end in bad things. Except for the time Cabin-Five practically blew up Cabin- Eleven..." He commented.

The group didn't notice the horrified stares of the other Gryffindors, but all exchanged smirks, "The Stolls were asking for it," Thalia said, her voice slightly sing-songy.

"They always are," Jason said, smiling.

Harry glanced at the teacher's table, and his eyes caught on the Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney. Her bug-like eyes seemed to go between only three people, Thalia Grace, Nico di Angelo, and Percy Jackson.

Thalia, having noticed his stare, looked at the teacher, and once noticing who she was looking at seemed to pale, before turning back to her food, ducking her head. Twelawnys head tilted a bit, and Harry filed it away for later.

Additionally, Frank was glancing at the Umbridge woman every few moments. The two girls at the Ravenclaw table, Harry noticed, seemed to be having a similar reaction, and Harry could see them talking to each other in hushed whispers.

---

VI - Blood

10 Minutes Later

---

Over at the Slytherin table, Percy Jackson and Piper McLean were trying to enjoy their dinner, but the Malfoy boy was making it very very hard.

He kept on preaching how he was sure that Percy would be in his house the second he stepped up on the train, and how only the best people were in the house of the snake.

He gave at least a hundred subtle digs at their friends, most towards the Graces and Frank, the ones who had been sorted into Gryffindor. He also complimented Piper multiple times, turning up the charm as he attempted to flirt with her.

The daughter of Aphrodite was not amused, and she could almost picture her half-sister Drew Tanaka twitching as he failed harder and harder.

There was also Pansy Parkinson, who was batting her eyes at Percy every five and a half seconds. Percy just chooses to ignore her, glad that whenever he looked up, he could catch a glimpse of Annabeth, despite the table between them.

Percy looked around the hall finding his friends. Will had his arm around Nico, who was still sulking at the Hufflepuff table. Hazel was talking, the rest of them listening politely. Over at the Gryffindor table, Jason, Thalia, and Frank were talking with their housemates and what looked like a ghost.

And at the Ravenclaw table, Annabeth was sat, talking to Reyna, stealing glances at the teacher table, specifically the woman in pink. Leo was sat with them, tinkering with something as he ate.

"What's your blood status anyway?" Malfoys voice cut through his thoughts.

Piper eyed him, eyes swirling, "Half-Blood."

Malfoys face fell and Percy fought a snicker, which the blonde noticed. "What?" he said sharply.

Percy's reply was a look that had the boy sinking back into his seat. He fought down the burning desire to see his fist connect with the punk's jaw, not wanting to cause a scene.

The meals disappeared and the headmaster stood again, ready to make speeches. Percy made sure to just stare at him, hoping the headmaster could feel his annoyance if he did. The man was halfway through talking about tryouts for the wizard sport, Quidditch, when a sound cut him off.

Dumbledore looked inquiringly at the woman in pink, who Percy learned was called Professor Umbridge, he was staring at him expectantly. The hall fell into a dead silence. The headmaster had a moment of shock before he sat down, folding his hands in front of him as he looked at Umbridge politely.

The rest of the teaching staff seemed much more surprised, exchanging glances and pressing their lips into thin lines, as the woman began her speech.

"Thank you, headmaster," Percy winced, her voice far too high pitched for his liking, "For those kind words of welcome." Percy exchanged a glance with Piper, as he leaned back and listened.

---

VII - Stars

---

"Nico, look at me," Will said next to him.

Not looking at him, just continued to pick at his food, appetite gone. Pushing the food around, eyes focused on nothing. He felt their eyes on him, crushing and weighty. Little sharp knives.

"Nico please eat." Someone said, light and feathery voice, golden and bright.

"I'm not hungry." He mumbled.

"Okay," Will said, voice giving his defeat away. "Okay." Sighing.

A grating, shrill voice was speaking. Nico could hear the scratches of talons against stone again. A shiver racked his body.

The lights overhead were bright, glimmering stars. Nico did not like stars.

Who could?

---

VIII- Murmurs

---

Annabeth was talking to Reyna.

They were both concerned about one of the Professors, both trusting their instincts telling them that this woman was no good.

And then she interrupted the headmaster.

Now, Dumbledore wasn't exactly revered by the demigods. He had called them on this quest and uprooted them from the lives they were living. But this just seemed rude. And Annabeth had the sneaking suspicion that what this woman, Umbridge, was trying to do wasn't normally done.

And her speech, it made Annabeth's stomach curl in all the wrong ways. Reyna was watching the woman like a huntress watching her prey. Her dark brows were furrowed and her eyes narrowed.

"Well, it's lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" Annabeth winced at the voice, "And how lovely to see all your bright happy faces smiling up at me!" Annabeth looked around to see no one smiling, "I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends."

Leo snorted, "In your wildest dreams."

She continued, "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards of vital importance. The rare gifts which you were born with may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction."

"You're telling me," Annabeth muttered.

"The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. 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 gave a sort of bow to the other teachers, to which the teachers replied with stares.

"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's 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 . . ."

The hall was growing restless, yet Umbridge did not notice. Annabeth and Reyna, though, their eyes like hawks, hung on to every word, taking it in.

Annabeth let her attention dwindle for a moment as she glanced at Percy, trusting that Reyna was listening. He met her eyes and they both gave each other a long look, in which a thousand words passed in an instant.

Percy had noticed it too.

Annabeth turned her attention back, ". . . 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."

Reyna and Annabeth exchanged a horrified glance as soft applause broke out. Annabeth's stomach was shifting.

Reyna glared at the table, her voice venomous as she spoke, "She's like Octavian all over again. Powerful, manipulative, and very, very good with words."

"This isn't good," Leo said, his brow furrowed as he stared at the headmaster, who continued his speech.

"No, it's not," Annabeth said darkly as the school was dismissed and students stood up around them.

Couple notes:
-There are direct quotations from R*wlings work in this chapter and one other. Now I do not like her in the slightest, but I must give credit.
-Houses are as follows:
Slytherin: Piper and Percy
Gryffindor: Jason, Thalia, and Frank
Ravenclaw: Annabeth, Reyna, and Leo
Hufflepuff: Nico, Hazel, Calypso, and Will