Harry was practically waiting on pins and needles for the evening to come around, where he would finally get out of the Hospital Wing. Although he found Madam Chang to be a refreshing change from Madam Pomfrey, she wasn't as overbearing but she was just as protective and gave them more leeway. Or it might just be the fact he'd been through something they would term 'traumatic' and that there was nobody in the wing injured. He had pretended to get through three of his first year school books, doing a charm of transfiguring something here and there just to test out his new wand. Not that he needed it, but that was a whole other matter that wasn't even going to be brought into consideration with Dumbledore watching him so closely.
He had thought long and hard on where he wanted to be placed, no doubt the hat would have trouble this time just as he had the last time. He had traits of all four houses, thirst for knowledge, well he hadn't had that the last time he was sorted admittedly it came later in life. He was loyal to those who were loyal to him in turn, and would die for that loyalty; he hadn't found such a person yet in existence, although he knew betrayal all too well. He was brave in the face of adversary, just not so reckless anymore, but he wasn't even contemplating going into Gryffindor - he did not want Dumbledore as a head of house, the thought made him shudder in revulsion. Oh no, never in a million years will that happen.
The last one…Slytherin, well that had always been his more inclined house, he was sneaky, wanted true friendship and a thirst to prove himself. All traits that had come across as Gryffindor-ish while he was in that house. Dumbledore's statement that 'our choices make us' was a lot of crap, how he had listened to him for so long was beyond him really. He wasn't sure he wanted to end up in the snake pit, from what he could gather the dynamics in Slytherin were different from all he knew. Tom Riddle probably ruled them all with an iron fist; at least he did in future, when they began to realize his true strength and his blood…his Slytherin blood. Did he even know by this point? He knew quite a bit about Tom Riddle, but not enough to know the when, how and where of some of the information. The only upside to ending up in Slytherin was he would be able to keep an eye on Riddle. Maybe change some of the views that the Slytherins have…work from the inside so to speak.
'He would do well in Slytherin' echoed in his head, from both the Sorting Hat and Death, he wasn't even sure he would get a choice this time around. Perhaps he would be best to just let it run its course, have the hat tell him where he was meant to be. The last time he fought it…well it hadn't turned out well.
"Are you ready to go?" Madam Chang asked Hadrian, he did look a bit jumpy, but she couldn't tell whether it was excitement or fear.
"Yes," Harry said calmly, "What do I do with my trunk? Take it with me?"
"Stand at the end of the bed," Chang said, an idea coming to her.
Harry stared at her in confusion but did as she asked; he already had a feeling what she was going to do.
"Now follow my wand movements, and say very clearly, Reducio it will shrink your trunk to a more manageable size." Chang informed him, making a V with her wand, repeatedly while Hadrian did the same thing, once she was sure it was perfect she nodded, observing him.
"Reducio!" Harry cast, and he had no idea how to stop his spells working so it did as it always did - worked. It shrank down to the size of a matchbox, would they get suspicious of his spells working the first time? Oh, who the hell cared? He couldn't stop it even if he wanted to, it's not as if they would learn the truth, even if they did somehow there was no way they'd believe him. Oh hello, I'm Harry Potter, from fifty years in the future, I've come back by accidentally using my Time Lord Powers that somehow come with being the Master of Death? Ha, that's a good one.
"Very well done," Chang said, "Now to return it to its original size this is what you do," she moved her wand around in an almost circular fashion, with flicks at both sides leaving it as an incomplete circle. She repeated it a few times, letting Hadrian get the hang of it before she pronounced the spell for him. "Engorgio, pronounced 'en-GOR-gee-oh' alright?"
"Engorgio!" Harry cast, watching it return to normal, placing a wide eyed look of wonder on his face, but he was getting tired of it. "Wow! Reducio!" grinning he picked it up and placed it in his pocket, as soon as he was in the dorm he would put protection spells on it, not that he had much to protect but he knew Tom Riddle had sticky fingers, so whenever he did have something it in he was going to make sure he couldn't get it. Although he did have a few extra Galleons, due to the fact he had opted against getting a familiar, which apparently was part of the package when getting help from the Hogwarts to buy school things. He had nobody to write to, so he had no use for an owl, he had no desire for a cat or a toad. No, getting the wand holster was definitely better than some animal he would just have to look after.
"There all set," she told him, he looked very handsome in his school uniform, less emaciated. The House-elves knew to put a nutrition potion into his goblet, so he would be perfectly healthy soon enough. That's if he actually had the time to eat, the amount of classes he was taking was an arm long, nothing to be concerned about for any student but Hadrian had just learned of magic. The way he was going though, he would get though the books in no time at all. She had seen him go through three or four books if she remembered correctly, Charms, Transfiguration and until twenty minutes ago his Herbology one. When he insisted he was a quick study he certainly hadn't been wrong. Despite the fact he hadn't used or known about magic, it had obviously continued to evolve and mature as he aged.
"Right then, I think we best start making our way there now, if we are lucky we can get you sorted before all the students sit down for dinner." Chang revealed, making her way out of her ward, making sure that Hadrian was following her, which he was. "Just remember if you get sore, just come and see me, there is no need for you to be in needless pain."
"I will, I promise," Harry said, giving her a shy smile, his green eyes twinkling excitedly. He was finally out of the Hospital Wing! Tonight he would be sleeping in a dorm, not watched too closely, with the probable exception of Dumbledore. He was honestly surprised Dumbledore hadn't tried Legilimency on him, although it did require eye contact and he had made sure never to meet the old fool's eyes. Not that it mattered he would know the second he tried anything. He wasn't sure what he would do if he did, it wasn't as if he could tell anyone not right now maybe in a few years, he would just have to wait and see how things went. Harry made sure to stay one step behind Madam Chang, occasionally looking around to make it seem as if he was overwhelmed by everything he was seeing.
It seemed he didn't have to worry about making it look as if he hadn't been here before, since Madam Chang seemed to be taking him a way he hadn't seen before, probably a way to get to the teachers entrance by way of the antechamber he had been propelled into after his name came out of the cup in his forth year. He was proven correct of course, as if there had been any doubt, but the room itself was different, emptier for sure, just like most corridors, dull and unused with various hidden entrances he hadn't even thought to look for the last time he'd been in there. He's been practically assaulted by Dumbledore, while he tried to find out 'whether he put his name in the cup or if he had asked someone else to do it' when he was perfectly able to get him out of it in the first place. Oh how different things would have been if he had landed in the time he was supposed to go to Hogwarts. He did wonder if he would have had his original body or if it would have been changed slightly like this by Death and had attended the same way he was now. Yet another curious question to ask, its something he would need to know, especially if this was his life now.
"Ah, Irene, you've made it, good, the sorting hat is waiting," Dippet told her, smiling in welcome to both of them when he noticed the door to the antechamber opening.
"Can't I get sorted here?" Harry asked, looking around apprehensive, the entire school was there, and they were already looking at him - this reminded him of his first sorting, and it made Goosebumps appear all over his arms.
"Its tradition, Hadrian, go on," Dippet said, amused.
"Okay…" Harry said doubtfully, before he edged around the teachers tables, peering at them curiously, wondering who was whom and whom taught what. A few faces looked sort of familiar, but he couldn't work out if it was a relative or someone that had worked at Hogwarts when he was there…just older and barely recognizable. Many were actually quite young - younger than he was used to seeing at any rate, other than Snape he was by far the youngest teacher - and that was because he was a spy, and Dumbledore wanted to keep him close at hand.
The eyes on him, they were talking quietly amongst themselves, it sounded to him like a million bees buzzing around the room. Eventually he got to the stool, the same three legged stool, honestly didn't Hogwarts ever change? Sitting down, feeling distinctively odd, he was taller than he had been the last time he took such a seat to be sorted.
'Well, well, well, what do we have here? This is quite the unique situation is not Harry Potter? Or should I call you Hadrian Peverell?' the hat said chuckling in Harry's ear. 'I see you've decided not to fight my ruling this time…what I was thinking back then is anyone's guess, I don't usually take the students wants into consideration, its not good for their social life' the hat sounded baffled by that.
'Well you did, and it wasn't just me, you sorted Granger into Gryffindor when she was meant to be in Ravenclaw, you sorted her into Gryffindor because she asked, because she wanted to be in the same house as Dumbledore' Harry confirmed.
'Very strange, indeed,' the hat said, but there was nothing to be done about it. 'Well your sorting will be easy this time,' "BETTER BE SLYTHERIN!"
'Thanks' Harry muttered sardonically before he lifted the hat from his head and placed it back on the stool. Watching bemused as the Slytherin house crest appeared on his cloak, shaking his head he moved of the dais and down the steps, making his way over to the Slytherin section, feeling a surreal sense of déjà vu, he knew it wasn't the Slytherin's from his time, but they all looked like them, at least he wouldn't get their names mixed up, he thought to himself wryly, as a space parted for him in the third year section of the table.
It was mostly just the teachers applauding politely, a few students joined in but overall they weren't sure what to make of a student coming out of nowhere and joining them. He would bet his wand that most of them disliked him on principle of him being in Slytherin anyway. And the pureblood's? Well they didn't know if he was useful or not - after all none of them would dare to associate with a Muggle-born or half-blood, and until they knew otherwise they would probably ignore him.
He slid into his seat, ignoring the students, as he opened the book he'd brought with him, which fitted comfortably in his cloak pocket. Well he was in Slytherin then, let's just hope the hat knew what it was doing - that he knew what he was doing. It was better than Gryffindor though, that was one thing at least. He couldn't help but wonder if this was Friday night or if he had been given Friday off as well as the weekend to get used to Hogwarts. As soon as he was down in the dorm he would find out.
Feeling himself being watched, he looked up from his book, staring around at the sea of faces, until he met dark brown - almost black fathomless - eyes staring back at him. Bingo, it hadn't taken long at all, he thought, he would recognize that face anywhere, yes even a thirteen year old…or was he fourteen? No, his birthday was in December so he was still thirteen for a month at most.
Predictably he did not look away when he was caught, merely arched an eyebrow and continued to stare. Harry didn't want to be the one to look away, he almost felt as if this was a challenge, then just like that with a dismissive look Tom Riddle turned away.
The game was afoot.