Luck of Nines

19

After he had left, he returned to the city, a part of him had rebelled at the thought of being chased out from anywhere. Which was likely what had led to him returning to where he had wandered before, just outside of the Leaky Caldron.

That area became his territory, something that he had never had before, and he quickly became known for defending it tooth and nail.

It wasn't easy, nor was it just brute force. Some were crafty about it, using sneak attacks in the dead of night, others attacked in groups, or pulled in help from human back up. It didn't matter what they pulled though, he could adapt, change, he was ready to face everything head on.

It was here though, by sheer coincidence that he smelled a familiar scent. The sixth kitten who he had rescued long ago. It hadn't taken long to find where the smell was coming from, a bunch of cat's in cages being unloaded near the Leaky Caldron.

"Sure this it the place?" One of the people unloading asked in a heavy accent.

"Yep, the owner takes em to the store hisself," the other replied, "likes to eat 'round here I guess, we just have to wait for him to sign off on it."

"Isn't that a bit shady?"

"Does it matter? No one wants these ones anyway. That's the deal, he takes the troubled ones, doesn't matter really, the shelters and stores would just end up killing them, they'll have a chance at this man's store. And if he really is jus' killing em hisself, what's it matter?"

He circled closer, but saw as one of the clerks who worked in the magical shopping center exited the Leaky Caldron. The two workers distracted by them, Chipper snuck in and swiftly unlatched the cage that held the sixth kitten. They were grown now, but still recognized him, they looked worse for wear now though then before.

Despite recognizing him, they were wary, showing signs of only tentative excitement. He didn't have time, so shifting back to the wolf form he snatched them by the scruff of their neck and ran. He didn't know if the man actually killed the animals or not, but he wasn't going to risk it. Should the no longer a kitten wished to go back, or to leave, it would be their call.

       Harry watched curiously as people were sorted, it seemed to go on and on, a whole year was being sorted for everyone in all of the United Kingdom, some even from outside of it after all, but oddly enough, there was less people than there should be. It was getting fairly close to the 'P's in alphabetical order, and yet somehow far less than a hundred kids had been sorted. It didn't seem possible.

      Less than twenty-five kids in every house. There hadn't even been ten kids placed in Gryffindor yet, Hufflepuff had gotten the most new students, which he supposed might be why the compartment he'd eavesdropped on had see them as the default house, but even then they had under fifteen students.  It seemed almost surreal to have such a large school for no more than seven hundred people. Probably less than five hundred even.

      It sounded like a lot, but there were more than seven hundred rooms in the castle, at this point they could all have their own room to sleep in. Mournfully he acknowledged that probably wouldn't happen.

      "Potter, Harry."

      With a sigh, now that Mcgonagall had announced his name, he supposed he'd at least get a better idea about what his situation was going to be, he moved towards the stool. His strides were long and quick, but not rushed. Sitting on the stool, he waited a moment before the hat was placed on his head.

       Well what do we have here? The voice echoed in his head.

        Get out.  He quickly flung up his mental shields.

        You can't block me like that I'm afraid, although your shields are decent for one your age. The voice added almost smugly and unable to do anything- he quickly forced his mind to realize, he fell sullenly silent. I'm not living you see, you don't need to worry, I'm not able to reveal anything that you have been doing. And oh.  The hat seemed taken aback, briefly, the things you have been doing. You don't believe me, that I won't be able to tell anyone, quite suspicious of others are you not? Not without good reason though, I can see. You have been betrayed before and you don't want it to happen again, still to the few who have gained your loyalty, you are loyal. And yet, you are quick to throw them to the side should they become a threat, or if they turn on you, or even... hmmm, no, that won't do at all.  You are just as fast to act when people anger you, but you are careful about that anger. You are cunning, you adapt to whatever you need, and you're ambitious too... I can see that clearly. Perhaps foolishly so, since you seek to take on the whole of the wizarding world and then some. I can see there is only... one house you can possibly go to...

      "Slytherin!" 

      He quickly hopped off the stool, and walked down to the Slytherin table where the other first years sat. Unlike before there was total silence as he descended for several brief moments before shocked, polite applause rose briefly and petered out.   Pansy Parkinson looked put out as Draco Malfoy, who sat beside her, or rather she had sat down beside him, just about shoved her to the side to open up the only distinctly clear space at the Slytherin table.

     With an internal sigh he moved to the spot and sat down, thankfully it left him facing the right direction.  He could do something now.

     "Hello," Malfoy didn't wast a second sticking his hand into 'Harry's' face, "I'm Draco Malfoy, I didn't see you on the Hogwarts express; did you get permission to take another route? My-" 

     His introduction was cut off as with an ear piercing screech the hat burst into brillant red flames just before being set upon the next student's head. With a startled hiss, that sounded shockingly cat-like, the Deputy Professor tossed the burning hat down the steps. His shields might not have been able to do much against the hat, but it seemed fire worked rather well.

He watched as the shapes shifted about inside the flames, hidden from those not knowing where to look by the sparks that shot and the loud pops that sent the fire flickering madly anew. The hat hadn't said anything aloud, now it would not be able to say anything to the next student to pass on, nor to say anything once taken away from the dining hall and Harry's senses.

Nobody would know.