Harry nodded. Hearing the words from her seemed to lift a weight of anxiety from his shoulders. He noticed her defense of Slytherin House, which, as she had intimated, had quite a bad reputation among wizards. Then again, she had fallen in love with a Slytherin, so she would have a bit of soft spot for them.
"Thanks, Aunt Daph. How are we Sorted, anyway? There isn't any information in the book about it."
Daphne smiled. "Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't. A charm is placed upon every Sorted student that prevents them from discussing it with anyone who hasn't been Sorted. It's rather silly, really, but it's tradition, and who are we to argue? I assure you that you will have no problems. Remember, Hogwarts accepts everyone. Do you think they could make you do anything that the least powerful wizard couldn't do? Or the most inexperienced Muggleborn?"
"Of course not," Harry said. "Is it really that easy?"
Daphne just smiled that maddeningly knowing smile. "You'll find out, dear."
Of course, he understood why Daphne had said what she said about the Houses, and sought to remove any expectations that he or others might have placed on him. She knew him well, better than anyone, and knew all too well that he tended to push himself under any kind of pressure. In this case, he didn't want to let her down, not when she had given him so much: a childhood, a parent, a warm and loving home, and if she were to be believed, rescue from the hands of Lily's terrible relatives. Her words had put his mind at ease. Whatever House he called home, she would accept him.
He loved her more than anyone else in the world. He simply couldn't imagine a life without her. He knew that it was going to be difficult, separated by an ocean, but hoped that he'd be happy and be able to exchange letters. Yet knew he was too dependent on her, and that he would have to grow up eventually. He needed to learn to be independent, and this was a way to start. Daphne had often fretted that Harry spent so much time by himself or with her, and so little with others his own age, when he wasn't at school.
The magical stars twinkled, and the enchanted moon shone. With a sigh, Harry set down his book, pulled the covers up to his chin, closed his eyes, and relaxed. A whole new world awaited him the next day.
Dawn had not yet crawled above the horizon when Harry found himself shaken awake. Harry let out a cry and almost fell out of bed, absently noting that his scar burned dully. It was still dark outside, at which point Harry realized that, due to time zone differences, he was lucky to only have been awoken at quarter to five in the morning. "I knew we should have spent the night in England," Daphne muttered. Harry fumbled for his glasses, the world becoming much clearer as they slid onto his nose. Daphne looked at him expectantly, but his slumbering brain refused to cooperate. "Well? Up! Get Up!" she practically shouted. "We've got a little less than an hour and a half, and we have an ocean to cross! Come on Harry!"
Spurred into motion, Harry tumbled out of bed, still entwined with his sheets. Daphne, looking as though she had not bothered to sleep, was checking his room, looking for forgotten items. "You are all packed, I see? What about this?" she asked, holding up Hogwarts: A History.
"Trunk," Harry groaned, rushing to the toilet. When he returned, what little packing was left to be done had been finished, and his guardian was levitating his heavily laden trunk and a cage containing an indignant Hedwig out of his room and down the main staircase. Harry ducked back into his room, changing into jeans and a jumper, throwing his school robes over that. He'd put on the rest on the train.
Aware of the time constraints, Harry hustled downstairs and consumed a breakfast of bacon and eggs, as well as a goblet of pumpkin juice, some of which he actually inhaled when Daphne made a wry comment about his eating habits. Once Harry had finished coughing, both were in better spirits, and they moved the parlor, where Daphne's old Cleansweep sat waiting, a faint blue glow surrounding it.
Chapter 4: Sorted Affairs
Start from the beginning
