Chronicles of Camelot

First day dilemmas

Needless to say that, possibly for the first time in history, the Sorting and feast were not the highlight of a wizard's first day at Hogwarts; instead, almost every head appeared to be focused on the Gryffindor Table where, among the other fourth years, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood – which surprised most of the lions, but given her protector, they said nothing – were all having a well-prepared feast with none other than Lily Potter.

The only ones who weren't staring were students like Susan Bones, who was surprised to say the least, but after her Aunt had been made Minister, she learned that Harry Potter and the word normal just didn't go together.

There was also the Slytherin part in this, such as one Draco Malfoy, who was more interested in keeping himself off the radar after getting quite the ear-bashing from his Mother and Father for daring to cross a Holy Knight; not to mention that Potter – Harry – appeared to be more powerful now and, though he was dining with his Mother, he didn't seem affected by it.

The Gryffindors, namely Fred, George, Ginny and, to Harry's surprise, Dean and Seamus were also unaffected by the turn of events, none of them wanting to question either Potter about this; instead, Ginny just gave Harry a friendly smile and continued with her feast.

Up on the High Table, Sirius, Remus and Severus were pretty stone-faced, as were the Order of Pendragon, but the rest of the faculty, namely Filius, Minerva and especially Albus were looking to the Gryffindor Table with eyes of worry and shock; shock in the case of the Lion and Raven Heads and worry in the case of the Headmaster.

Lily was alive?

How?

Had Harry's power advanced to the level where he could transcend the realms of life and death?

Had the combined strength of the Knights been reborn already?

Why wasn't Harry worried about the events of the Quidditch World Cup?

Then, an even worse thought entered Dumbledore's mind: had he even gone to the World Cup and seen the first part of Dumbledore's plan being put into play?

After all, the Weasley Family had been there, as had the Malfoys and most of the school when the Dark Lord's followers, the Death Eaters, had raided the place and sent the Dark Mark into the sky. But why was Harry sitting there like it was just another Sorting and just another day, especially when his own Mother was sitting there?

Deciding to answer the questions that were rising, Dumbledore went for his proverbial Plan A: Legilimency.

No sooner had he extended his probe, before a loud clap of thunder resounded through the school and Albus gasped as he felt the magical equivalent of 20,000 volts coursing through his probe, throwing him out of the path of Harry's mind, but not throwing him off the Arch-Knight's radar. Seeing their headmaster fall out of his golden chair, most of the school began talking amongst themselves, but Severus, who had seen and witnessed the cause of that knockback himself, leaned over to Albus and, with a shrug, remarked, "I would advise against reading any of their minds in future Albus: it would be very bad for you."

"M-M-Minerva," gasped Dumbledore, "C-C-C-Can you ask the Potters to c-c-c-come to my office after the feast?"

"I'd love to Albus," Minerva replied, her voice calm as she observed her two favourite students, past and present, seemingly ignoring the feast's dramatic turn of events. "But I'm afraid I hold no real sway over Sir Potter any longer and, as you know, any meeting he attends, his loyal warriors will follow."

"You should remember that Headmaster," Sebastian commented dryly, "My Lord Potter is not someone you can call like some dog: if you seek to meet with him, I will of course pass on the message, but, as a recognised adult and Lord and Knight of the Elemental Order, his authority and life are both beyond your reach. Professor McGonagall, if you'll excuse me, the Order and I wish to call it a night."