Bab 7: 7

Retreat.

Albus and Many-Names-And-Awards flew into his office so abruptly that the phoenix brushing its feathers in its cage nearly fell off its perch in fright.

Minerva McGonagall and Flitwick entered behind the Great White, the latter carefully closing the door behind him, still beaming with happiness at being the one to greet the hero.

- What was that!!! - The Headmaster exclaimed, finally putting up a soundproof barrier. - Why has he been assigned to... the wrong department?! Minerva, you're the one who said the hat would put him in Gryffindor?!

- Albus, I don't understand how this happened! It's likely that something in the artefact short-circuited, preventing it from placing Harry in my house. He's probably completely unsuitable for that department.

- But why there?! - The slightly recovered Headmaster spoke up as he collapsed into his chair with a massage spell and a bunch of other extras.

- Probably because...

- He's only suitable for this faculty? - The Great One agreed.

- Yes, - continued the ever serious McGonagall calmly.

- Good," the professor exhaled, dripping Muggle brandy into his cup under the table, then pulling out a mug and pouring tea into it, covering the contents with the sleeve of his robes. He sipped and relieved himself a little, rubbing the bridge of his nose. - What kind of joke is this? - More calmly, the Headmaster tossed the scroll to Flitwick. He caught it nonchalantly and unfolded it to read.

- The list of new students, Headmaster," Flitwick said nonchalantly.

- I know that! But what is this rune at the end of the scroll? Why is Potter's name not written in the usual language?

- I have no idea, sir. This scroll is filled with an artefact of his choice, and he wrote it himself.

- Well..." the professor sighed wearily. - Then tell me, Professor Flitwick, what is this language?

- I have no right to, Headmaster," the half goblin replied immediately.

- What?" gasped Dumbledore in shock.

- This language is the secret of the goblin race. It is incredibly ancient and linked to our beliefs and laws. I have no right to reveal more, for the oath would kill me instantly," and the dwarf manifested a blue glow of magic on his palm, confirming his words.

- But what does your ancient tongue have to do with Potter? - Rubbing the bridge of his nose again, the Hogwarts headmaster said wearily.

- "I have no idea, sir," the Professor of Magic shrugged. - Maybe the artefact needs a diagnostic, after all it's a thousand years old. Something might be broken.

- Hmm, yes..." the great schemer sighed, tickling the bells in his beard. - Well, we'll have to call the Artefact Master and have him check him out. Maybe there really is something wrong with him. But why this special ability? I still don't get it. The boy has no such ability!

- We don't know the mind of the hat, Headmaster," replied the Dean of Gryffindor.

- Very well, I'll have to think about it. You may go now.

- Good day, Headmaster," the Deans said in unison as they left Albus's office. As soon as the door closed behind them, he locked it with a magical lock, took a bottle of cognac from under the table and drank straight from his mouth.

- I don't like this. Oh, I don't like it," Dumbledore shook his head and took another drink from the bottle. Part of his plans were going down the drain. But he wouldn't be himself if he didn't have backup plans, up to and including changing the Chosen One. But for now, it was worth taking a closer look at Harry, too much effort and expense had been put into him.

End of retreat.

I sat on the bed the Headmaster had shown me, silently stunned by what had happened. Stirlitz had never been so close to failure. I really thought I was going to have a heart attack from the revelation! However, everything went more or less normally... Until the hat called my faculty. Then the level of my surprise really peaked and I crashed headlong into the ceiling.

The next thing I remember is a bit of a blur. I was at my faculty table, everyone was congratulating me, and Dumbledore was saying something, warning me about something, and then there was food on the tables. And there's another blow waiting for me. Even though I'm still reeling from the old one!

What kind of blow? It's simple, there was the usual set on the table. Forks and spoons and knives and everything. But I didn't have it like the others. Because I had the most expensive set. Thin-walled, professionally handmade porcelain. Thank the gods not many people know about it, so people at the table never understood what I was eating out of. Really, it was automatic and I couldn't taste it...

And Harry was just laughing inside me, the poor guy started stuttering. Serves him right! I'm old and I'm just a shard of soul! Why are you doing this to me?!

I vaguely remember the end of the banquet and the assembly, now of my faculty. Then we were escorted to our dormitory and put in our rooms. I, on the other hand, automatically approached the bed and sat down on it, and now I'm stuck there, but I haven't moved yet. Forgetting everything, I automatically checked my suitcase and bag and then collapsed into my bunk, falling asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

As I fell asleep, I didn't see the housekeeper appear behind the wardrobe in the room. He checked that everyone in the room was asleep, and it was a boy, his roommates were discussing something with the other students in the living room, and he gestured to my bed and lifted me over the covers, with a second gesture he removed my clothes and folded them neatly on the chair beside me, then he moved the covers and laid my sweetly sniffling body on the soft bed after touching and testing its softness with his finger. He then carefully tucked the blanket underneath me and muttered something to my clothes, which he cleaned of the tiny dust that had settled on them. As he cleaned the boots of the clinging earth and dirt. And then, having checked my sleep, he tiptoed back behind the wardrobe and turned invisible, whispering:

- What an honour! What an honour to serve the Great Him with wretched me! - And touched a firm bruise under his eye and a swollen ear. - Though I had to wrest this great right from others! But Mikst will not allow others to woo the Overlord! Only the most experienced and strongest Mikst has the right to look after the Overlord and his things! And let anyone who dares speak against it!

The invisible housekeeper made a fist of it and teleported to the kitchen when he came to his senses. There was still a meal to prepare for the master!

And the castle, with a pain he was already used to, watched his hope with barely functioning webs, ready to protect this strange boy from everyone and everything. After all, he was the first to see and feel him in all the time since the Founders left. Which means he can help the castle recover.

And invisibly, the spell was activated, vaporising the door of the room where the boy sleeps and silencing all sound from outside. For the Keeper must not be disturbed in his sleep.

I was asleep at the time, and even attacking giants could hardly wake me. Well, or they would have run into my autopilot, a phone call, and then my carcass would have gone back to sleep.

And my flatmates were surprised to find the door with their room number on it missing and had to sleep on the sofas in the living room.

When I woke up, I was surprised by the comfort and softness of the bed. I felt the mattress and was surprised to find it was of excellent quality. So were the bed linen. I was also surprised by the fresh air in the room and the pleasant temperature. Magic? Most likely.

I got up, got dressed, went to the door and when I got out I suddenly realised I was alone in the room. I was in my room, and I was in the middle of the night, but I was still in the middle of the night.

I burst into the living room, and when I came out of the hall I found it empty and the sun shining brightly outside the window. I flew to the blackboard, tore off a sheet and looked at the timetable. Our first class was History of the Magical World with Beans as the professor. That's the one with the ghost.

I was in the middle of a fight with the police, and I was in the middle of a fight with the police. I was in the middle of a raven's nest, but my hair was still like a raven's nest.

- I was in the middle of a bath, but I didn't have time for one! - It was the middle of the night, so I did a few body and hair cleansing spells and rushed out the door, almost kicking it in.

I ran through the corridors, not knowing the way, but for some reason I was sure I was going the right way, and when I reached the hall with the flying stairs, I sighed. There was no way around this obstacle. But to my surprise, the stairs, frozen in their trajectory for a moment, suddenly folded back into normal stairs, and the castle benevolently indicated that I should run faster. And I took off, leaping over the stairs. Damn the small body and the high steps!

When I reached the door of the lecture room, I was surprised to find that I had somehow made it here, but I dismissed such thoughts and attributed it to luck. He opened the door a little, crept in and sat down on the nearest empty seat.

The ghost mumbled something at his desk, and the students around me picked their noses. I looked around and saw a few students in our department's robes and breathed a sigh of relief until my desk mate approached me and looked at me in surprise.

- Er, mate, you're Harry Potter, aren't you?

- Yes," I said, unfolding the scroll and pulling out a quill.

- Mm-hmm. I don't mean to interrupt," the puzzled student said again. - But there's actually a second year class in here right now.

- What?" I turned to him and suddenly his words came to me. - Shit! What time is it? - his neighbour grinned, whispered some kind of incantation and answered.

- Almost eleven. The first couple had already finished.

- Shit! - I made a face and immediately ran to the door, slipped out, pulled a crumpled timetable out of my pocket, looked at the second class and groaned. Transfiguration, Introduction.

Another run through the corridors, a strange flickering of windows, and suddenly I was standing in front of the right doors, diving inside. If I had turned around, I would have been quite shocked, for the corridor behind me had suddenly become distant and twisted. And Castle sighed in pain. He rolled up the room so that the hurrying boy could get to the right lecture hall quickly.

I dashed into the middle of the class, trying to make my way quickly and silently to any available seat, but failed. I was spotted, our faculty lost ten points, but I was still sitting at my desk, claiming to be lost. Eh, lucky me. McGonagall continued her lecture on Introduction to Transfiguration, and I began to take notes, using my quill quickly and skilfully, which made me look enviously at my roommate, who was doing so badly that he was constantly smudging.

The whole lesson could be summed up simply: safety procedures were hammered into our empty heads. When the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, everyone enthusiastically rushed for the exit, for lunch. And then there was no class.

I'll be so fucked if the dean finds out! I overslept my first lesson! Although, to be fair, everyone slept through it, because it's unrealistic not to fall asleep in Bince's class.

I grabbed my bag, threw in the safety scroll and ran for the exit. My stomach rumbled. And then, after lunch, you could start exploring this pile of wonderful stones called the castle!