DISCLAIMER: These characters are not mine, they belong to JK Rowling.

READ THIS FIRST: There is no slash (a relationship between two males or two females) in this chapter, but eventually there will be slash but that chapter will be clearly marked, so if you don't like it, you can stop reading then.

This story begins on the first day of Harry's fifth year at Hogwart's.

~ Chapter One : A Change Is As Good As A Holiday ~

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat with the rest of the fifth years at the Gryffindor table impatiently waiting for the sorting to occur. Dumbledore wasn't even in the Great Hall yet so they didn't hold out much hope that it was going to begin anytime soon.

"I'm starving!" Ron moaned, resting his head on this hand. "What's taking so long?"

"I hope it's nothing serious," Hermione said, wrinkling her forehead in concern. "But what's really weird is that they haven't chosen the prefects yet."

"Who's the head boy?" Ron asked. They knew Angelina was Head Girl, because she was sitting near them, proudly displaying her badge, but they couldn't see who was head boy.

"Probably someone we don't know very well," Hermione replied.

Harry didn't say anything. Ron and Hermione had noticed the change in him as soon as they'd met up with him at Platform 9 ¾ (he hadn't gone to the Burrow that summer). He was quieter, but when he did speak it was with a cynical sarcastic edge that hadn't been there before. It was as if Cedric's death at the end of their fourth year had broken something beautiful in Harry. Even after all he'd suffered at the hands of the Dursley's, Harry had still retained his innocent belief in people and in life. Now he seemed to have lost that.

Harry was staring directly in front of him, not seeing anything. He'd started putting Cedric's death and his part in Voldemort's return behind him and he'd finally felt like he was moving on but now that he was back at Hogwart's, it was all rushing back to him. He could hardly bear to even look at the Hufflepuff table.

The door to the Great Hall opened and Dumbledore strode in with a determined glint in his eye, quite unlike the amused twinkle that usually resided there. He was followed by Professor McGonagall who led the line of first years into the hall. Dumbledore sat down in his usual seat and the sorting began as usual.

Harry took no notice of the sorting and did not clap as his housemates did when a new student was sorted into Gryffindor. He was still staring straight ahead but now he was aware that he was staring at Draco Malfoy. The blonde boy was staring back at him. The strange thing was neither of them was glaring or scowling at the other, both kept their expressions carefully neutral. It was almost as if they'd silently agreed to a staring contest across the Great Hall. Their gaze was broken as Dumbledore stood up to speak and Harry, for the first time that evening, took notice of what was happening.

"My dear students, welcome back to another year at Hogwart's," Dumbledore said warmly. "I fear that this year may be a very difficult one for us all. As those of you who were here last year will remember, Voldemort has risen again. Many innocent people have been attacked during the summer and many Muggleborn witches and wizards have had to go into hiding with their families to avoid such an attack. Therefore, I feel that I need to take action to avoid history repeating itself and to help people back onto the right path. So this evening, every student from second year to seventh year will be re-sorted into new houses."

All of the students gasped in horror. Well, all except the first years, who didn't understand what the big deal was.

Ron and Hermione stared up at Dumbledore in shock. He couldn't seriously mean it. Obviously he did because Dumbledore already had all the second year students up the front and McGonagall was re-sorting them. Some were crying as they made their way to their new house tables. When the fourth years were sorted, Ginny ended up in Ravenclaw, which pleased her and her brothers.

After a long wait it was the fifth year students turn to be resorted. Harry stood next to Ron and Hermione, not noticing that they were holding hands and praying that they would be in the same house. He didn't really care what house he went into this time. He remembered how differently he had felt the last time he was sorted. It all seemed so trivial now, so unimportant.

"Brown, Lavender," McGonagall called out. Lavender walked up and sat trembling as the hat was placed on her head.

"Ravenclaw" the hat cried. Lavender smiled and skipped over to her new table.

"How did a fruitcake like her end up in Ravenclaw?" Harry muttered as Ron and Hermione stared at him.

"Crabbe, Vincent," McGonagall continued. He trudged up to the seat, which groaned as he sat down.

"Gryffindor," the hat said merrily. For the second time that evening, the entire school stared in shock as Crabbe walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron scowled over at him.

"This is wrong on so many levels," he complained bitterly.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin," McGonagall called. Justin walked up and confidently sat down on the seat.

"Slytherin," the hat cried as Justin's face fell.

"Oh no," breathed Hermione. "He's too nice for them, he's going to get eaten alive."

"But the Slytherins are all being re-sorted too, so they probably won't be there," Harry pointed out.

"Finnigan, Seamus," McGonagall said, relentlessly continuing the sorting. Seamus did not seem as effervescent as he usually did as he sat down on the seat.

"Slytherin," the hat said loudly.

"Seamus? In Slytherin?" Ron sounded scandalised.

"At least Justin now has a friend in there," Hermione said soothingly.

"Goyle, Gregory," McGonagall said. Goyle sat down as heavily as Crabbe had and everyone held their breath, waiting for the stool to break.

"Ravenclaw," the hat cried.

If Crabbe getting sorted in Gryffindor had surprised everyone, then Goyle getting sorted into Ravenclaw shocked the pants off them. How on earth did such an idiot get sorted into the house renowned for it's intelligence?

"Granger, Hermione," McGonagall said firmly. Ron squeezed her hand and she walked up and sat down.

"Ravenclaw," the hat said brightly.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief. If she couldn't be in Gryffindor anymore, then Ravenclaw was the next best thing.

"Longbottom, Neville," McGonagall called out. Neville looked resigned as he sat down.

"Hufflepuff," the hat cried.

Neville smiled bravely and sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Malfoy, Draco," McGonagall said. Draco strutted up to the stool and sat down.

"This ought to be good," Harry said sarcastically.

"Slytherin," the hat cried. The hall erupted in a rage of fury that Draco could be sorted into his own house but everyone else was in a new house.

Dumbledore stood up and held up his hands for silence. "The possibility of being sorted into your first house was always there, but the hat takes into account all that has happened to you since you started here at Hogwart's. Many of you have changed and grown a great deal since you arrived here and the hat will sort through all that to determine the best place for you now. Mr Malfoy is obviously already in the house that meets his needs right now."

Draco had since gone to sit smugly at the Slytherin table as Justin and Seamus glared at him from across the table.

"Parkinson, Pansy," McGonagall called out after Dumbledore signalled for her to continue. Pansy waltzed up to the stool, confident that she would be sorted into Slytherin with Draco.

"Hufflepuff," the hat cried as Pansy screamed in rage. She walked over to the Hufflepuff table, sat down and buried her face in her arms, sobbing as if the world was ending.

"Patil, Parvati," McGonagall called. Parvati sat down nervously.

"Hufflepuff," the hat cried.

"With Pansy? I'd rather die," Parvati declared as she reluctantly sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Patil, Padma," McGonagall said loudly. Padma sat down and clenched her hands together.

"Hufflepuff," the hat cried as both Padma and Parvati squealed in delight to be in the same house.

"Potter, Harry," McGonagall called out. Harry walked up and sat down, his body language clearly conveying that he did not care what happened.

"Slytherin," the hat cried. Harry mechanically stood up and went to sit at the table. Justin and Seamus stared across the table at him in shock. He had sat down next to Draco Malfoy, his nemesis, his archenemy. Harry didn't notice this or the shocked whispers of everyone in the Great Hall. Even Professor McGonagall looked taken aback that The Boy Who Lived had been sorted into Slytherin, Voldemort's old house.

"Thomas, Dean," McGonagall called out when she had recovered her senses. Dean sat down, anxiously awaiting his fate.

"Hufflepuff," the hat said brightly. Dean sagged with relief and made his way over to the table to sit with Neville.

"Weasley, Ronald," McGonagall called out. Ron sat down on the stool and smiled at Hermione.

"Hufflepuff," the hat cried. Ron gasped in dismay. Not only had he been separated from both of his best friends but he'd also been sorted into the most ridiculed house in the school. At least he could sit with Dean and Neville.

It was another long wait until the seventh year students had been sorted. Finally it was the twin's turn.

"Weasley, Fred," McGonagall called out. Fred swaggered up the stool and sat down.

"Slytherin," the hat cried. Both Fred and George's identical faces dropped. Slytherin? They'd be disowned! Fred sat down next to Harry, muttering about the injustice of it all.

"Weasley, George," McGonagall said. George sat down, confident he'd be placed in Slytherin too.

"Ravenclaw," the hat cried.

"What?" Fred and George yelled simultaneously.

"The hat has made its decision, boys," Dumbledore said gently and George sat down next to Ginny, still fuming over being separated from his twin.

"Your belongings have been moved into your new houses. It is my hope that by mixing you all up, new friendships and new alliances will be made, drawing everyone closer together and helping people to choose the path of light rather than the path of darkness. Now I think we have waited long enough," Dumbledore clapped his hands and the feast appeared before them.

It was a few minutes before anyone started eating. The shock of what had happened was too much to take in all at once. Eventually a few people started eating, which encouraged others to pick up their forks and dig in.

"I can't believe I'm surrounded by Gryffindor's," Draco drawled morosely as he stabbed a bean with his fork.

"I can't believe you won't shut up about it," Harry said flatly. He hadn't touched the food.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Draco asked Harry curiously.

"Worried about my health, are you Malfoy?" Harry snapped.

"No. But I can't fight with someone who doesn't have the strength to fight back," Draco said angrily.

Harry started laughing. "Draco Malfoy, concerned with fair play, now I've heard everything!"

Draco glared at him and turned his attention to his meal.

"You know, now that you're in the same house, you're not enemies anymore," Justin pointed out.

Draco scowled. "Shut up, Hufflepuff boy."

Ron, meanwhile, was staring across the sea of faces at his girlfriend. He and Hermione had only been together for about two weeks. She had come over to stay for the last two weeks of the holidays. Harry had been invited too but he hadn't replied to any of their owls all summer. Ron and Hermione had been upset by this but were trying to be understanding. After all, Harry had witnessed the death of someone he had known and respected.

Hermione blew Ron a kiss and he smiled. Hermione was sitting with Ginny and George. Ron was glad she had friends she could trust in her new house. Ron hated the fact that Goyle was sitting across from her almost as much as he hated the fact that Pansy was sitting next to him. How that had happened was beyond him. She was still sniffling, but seemed resigned to the fact that she couldn't be near her Draco as she called him.

At the end of the meal, Draco strutted off towards the Slytherin dungeons with the new Slytherins following along behind him.

~ to be continued ~