The Truth About Wizards ;; ʷᵃᵗᶜʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒᵛⁱᵉˢ

Sally

[Eventually the two second years found themselves in what they assumed was Dumbledore's office. Of all the teachers' offices Harry and Aurora had visited, Dumbledore's was by far the most interesting. Harry thought that if he hadn't been scared out of his wits that they were about to be thrown out of school, he would have been very pleased to have a chance to look around it.

It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames.

Across the room was a large shelf that was holding various objects of different shapes, sizes and materials. But right at the top of the shelf was a shabby, tattered wizard's hat — the Sorting Hat.]

SortingHat: Bee in your bonnet, Potter?

Harry&Aurora: Which one?

SortingHat: You know exactly which one.

Harry: I... I-I was- I was just wondering if you'd put me in the right house.

James rushed to his sons side, not to besmirch him nor derail him for his disregard of the Gryffindor house rather he was there at Harry's side comforting him, ensuring his feelings had either evolved or he'd been happy with the outcome of this conversation.

Harry's heart soared at the small moment that passed between them, grinning, Aurora watched from a far smiling, small and gentle. Lily Evans approached behind her, hand flush against her shoulder.

"It was hard huh, taking care of him?" Lily whispered, with a growing frown.

"He was careless but he was taking care of me just as much as I was him." Aurora mumbled with a smile, the mother-daughter duo sat together smiling in the general direction of their male counterparts exchanging facts and titbits about their family.

SortingHat: You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House. Yes... you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before — [Harry's heart leapt —] you would have done well in Slytherin —

[Harry's stomach plummeted.]

Harry: You're wrong [he was loud towards the still and silent hat. It didn't move. Harry backed away, watching it. Then a strange, gagging noise behind him made him wheel around.]

"You know," Sirius whispered, "I felt the same once, desperately trying to see if i made the right choice but saying that makes you strong, Harry you just told an age old magical artefact made by the fucking founders of Hogwarts, there's nothing more Gryffindor than that," Aurora squeezed her brothers shoulder with a grin, knowing she'd said the same but god did hearing it from Sirius feel different.

However, they couldn't hear the sinking of Regulus Blacks heart as he thought of himself as Sirius's afterthought, his mistake, the word tasted back in his mouth like bitter old milk from a hot evening. Horrid.

Aurora: Hazza?

[She walked over to the boy and they both turned to see standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey.

Harry stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. Harry thought it looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and, even as Harry watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.

That was just what they needed, for Dumbledore's pet bird to die while they were alone in the office with it, when the bird burst into flames. Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk. He looked feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere but couldn't see one; the bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the floor.