The First Chaos of the Year
After the peculiar selection of the second-year students—particularly because of Astoria's behavior, who was now sitting calmly beside Luna, chatting as if nothing had happened while ignoring Professor McGonagall's weary gaze, fully aware that the girl was related to Daphne—the ceremony continued with the first years.
The professor flipped through the list, frowning slightly as she read the next name.
"Frank?" she murmured, surprised to notice that no surname appeared. That was strange. Even if a child were an orphan or had been abandoned, Hogwarts' magical quill was always able to trace their family name through its enchantments. But in this case… there was none.
Frank walked forward at an easy pace, a cheerful and almost excited smile lighting up his face. He ignored McGonagall's puzzled look, as well as the murmurs spreading among the students.
The professor studied him for a moment, trying to shake off her confusion, and finally placed the Sorting Hat on his head.
"Gryffindor!" the hat exclaimed immediately, so quickly that it almost seemed as if it wanted to avoid being interrupted.
A few students giggled softly at the speed of the decision.
Frank tilted his head toward the Gryffindor table, observing it for a moment as if studying his new housemates. Then he nodded calmly and walked over to join them, greeting everyone with a friendly smile.
McGonagall returned to the list.
"Jeff," she said next, once again without any surname.
A wave of confusion ran through the Great Hall. Two students without last names in one night was unheard of. Even Dumbledore looked up, his expression more serious than usual as he observed them closely.
Jeff, unlike his brother, walked forward with composed steps, sitting upright on the stool without saying a word.
McGonagall set the hat on his head, and this time, the object seemed to hesitate. Several seconds of silence passed before it gave its verdict.
"Ravenclaw," it finally announced.
Jeff lifted his gaze toward his new house table, his eyes briefly meeting Harry's before he stood up. He then walked calmly to the Ravenclaw table, showing no sign of annoyance at being separated from his brother.
After that, the remaining names were called, and one by one the houses filled up without any further peculiar cases. When the ceremony ended, Dumbledore rose slowly, smoothing his robes before addressing everyone in his usual cheerful tone.
"Ahem… allow me to welcome you all. To our new students, welcome to Hogwarts; and to those returning, it is wonderful to see you again."
His voice rose above the hum of the hall, capturing everyone's attention.
"As you know, Hogwarts was closed last year for a bit of reorganization. But as you can see, not much has changed. Yes, we've removed some of the more dangerous things… though not all, of course, so as not to take away the excitement of school life."
A few students chuckled softly.
"I must say, during the renovations, we discovered many secret rooms that even I didn't know existed."
A murmur of astonishment spread among the students.
"For that reason, I asked that they remain intact, with only the dangerous objects removed. This way, those who wish to explore the castle in search of a little adventure may do so while learning—so long as, of course, they stay within the rules."
Dumbledore smiled knowingly, and the air in the hall grew livelier, especially among the first and second years.
"Now, something far more important; not only for the new students, but for every single one of you." His tone dropped slightly, becoming more serious. "For reasons that I believe everyone is already aware of, Dementors will be patrolling the castle grounds and will be stationed in the Forbidden Forest."
The Great Hall fell utterly silent.
"Let me make this perfectly clear: these creatures are not friendly—to anyone or anything. They can see through everything, even invisibility cloaks. Do not approach them, do not attempt to speak with them, and do not do anything that could put you in danger. Dementors are fierce and make no distinction between those they hunt and those who stand in their way. So I warn you all: do not give them a reason to harm you."
Dumbledore paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the students.
"Remember: happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
His expression softened again.
"There's more than enough adventure within the castle to keep everyone entertained. Now, it is time to enjoy the Welcome Feast."
With a wave of his hand, the tables filled instantly with food. The atmosphere shifted at once—laughter, chatter, and the clatter of plates filled the Great Hall, wrapping everything in a warm and festive air.
When the feast finally ended, the prefects began gathering the first and second years to guide them to their dormitories.
The older students, meanwhile, wandered leisurely through the corridors, some clearly eager to discover one of those newly uncovered secret rooms. The castle felt just as it always had, though a few noticed the absence of certain familiar objects—and the appearance of a few new ones.
"So, guys, were your vacations fun?" asked Terry suddenly, appearing between Harry and the others as they made their way toward the Ravenclaw Tower.
"Interesting," the four replied in unison, offering no further explanation.
"Well, well, listen to this." Terry grinned, wearing that mischievous expression that always came before one of his schemes. "Apparently, one of the Ravenclaw students is offering a hundred Galleons to whoever finds a clue about the secret rooms. Rumor has it, he overheard Professor Flitwick mentioning that there are hidden books and fascinating objects scattered around. To join the competition, you just need to pay fifteen Sickles."
Harry, Daphne, Hermione, and Draco looked at him silently while Terry maintained his enthusiastic grin.
"Come on, doesn't it sound interesting? You four are technically the best students in our year."
"'Technically' no," Daphne corrected with a playful smile. "We are the best."
"Show-off," Terry muttered immediately. "So? What do you say?"
"Mm… nah, not interested," said Draco, shrugging.
"Same here," added Harry, completely unamused.
"Then neither are we," Hermione and Daphne said after exchanging glances. If they couldn't compete against the boys, it wasn't worth it.
"That's a shame," sighed Terry, though his good mood didn't falter. "I heard the Weasley twins are really excited about it. They even say they've prepared some sort of secret weapon."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "How much did they pay you to advertise this?"
"Two Galleons," Terry blurted before realizing his mistake. "Oops."
Harry rolled his eyes. "The twins organized this, didn't they?"
"Well… yes, but the competition is real! They just need more participants," he said quickly.
"You're letting yourself get paid to spread news. Pathetic," Daphne teased.
"And if they find the rooms first, they'll keep the prize money," Hermione added thoughtfully, analyzing the Weasleys' possible strategy.
"Sellout," Draco remarked with a smirk.
"Hey! It's not like that! Well… at least I'm not lying—the competition is real!" Terry protested, but no one seemed to be listening anymore.
…
Harry and the others finally arrived at the Ravenclaw common room.
Although it was elegant and cozy, they all felt it was much smaller than the hall they had stayed in at Beauxbatons. Still, after all, this was their true home at Hogwarts.
"Well, it looks like the school year is finally beginning," said Harry with a relaxed smile, stretching his arms as if expecting a calm year ahead.
"Yes. Though those things—the Dementors—are outside the school grounds, it's probably best if we stay within the castle," Draco replied calmly, crossing his arms.
Harry nodded, but when he turned around, he noticed Hermione and Daphne were no longer beside him. He spotted them further ahead, near the archway that led to the girls' section, both staring at the entrance with clear tension.
Daphne turned toward them and waved a hand.
"Hey, come here quickly. There's something interesting here."
Harry and Draco approached, curious yet suspicious. The moment they looked closer, both frowned; the faint magical glow emanating from the arch was unmistakable.
"It's the same enchantment from Beauxbatons…" Harry muttered, recognizing it instantly.
Yes. It was exactly the same spell that prevented boys from entering the girls' area without suffering… rather noticeable consequences.
And of course, the charm bore the distinct touch of Nicolas Flamel.
Harry's eyes widened, and he immediately stepped back, but Draco wasn't as quick. As he turned his head toward Harry, he felt a sudden shove.
"Hey, wait—!"
That was all he managed to say before crossing the threshold.
A surge of energy ran through his body, and in the next instant, his hair grew longer, falling past his shoulders in a gleaming, silvery blond. His figure became slimmer and more delicate, and his face took on features almost identical to his mother's, Narcissa—only younger and visibly furious.
And right at that moment, the rest of the Ravenclaw students entered the room, accompanied by the first and second years who had just arrived, led by the prefect showing them the way.
Everyone stopped, staring in shock and fascination as Draco Malfoy transformed into a girl.
The silence lasted only a second.
Draco looked down at his hands with reluctant disbelief before turning toward the culprit.
Daphne was grinning mischievously, her eyes sparkling with triumph, and without a second's hesitation… she bolted.
"You bloody idiot!" Draco shouted, his voice now high-pitched and feminine, which immediately drew bursts of laughter from those around him. Without thinking, he ran after her.
Luciel, who had entered with the second-years alongside his girlfriend and cousin, watched the scene with evident amusement. It wasn't the first time he had seen something like that; at Beauxbatons, they used to play similar pranks before the student president started enforcing stricter rules. Apparently, Hogwarts had its own brand of "fun."
Harry, meanwhile, noticed Hermione trying to push him discreetly toward the barrier. She let out a nervous laugh and quickly ran to hide behind Luna and Astoria.
Harry sighed and began walking toward her, ready to give her a lesson she wouldn't forget. But just then, Daphne dashed in front of him, still laughing, with Draco—now a furious blonde—chasing her.
The blond stumbled over the carpet and fell forward.
Harry instinctively reached out and caught her by the arm before she hit the floor.
For a brief moment, they just stared at each other.
"Well, aren't you two cute," Fleur teased from a corner, covering her mouth with a smirk. For the first time, she finally had something to mock them about—after spending the previous year being the one they teased instead.
Harry immediately let go of Draco, who landed on the floor with a solid thud.
"Ouch! What's your problem, you idiot, Potter?!" Draco snapped, still in a feminine voice.
"Shut up. Why do you always fall for the same trick? Do you like being a girl or something?" Harry retorted, rolling his eyes.
"You think I want this? Those stupid girls do it on purpose every time!" Draco yelled, pointing accusingly at Daphne, who was still laughing uncontrollably at the back of the room.
Luciel, Fleur, Katerina, and several first- and second-year students watched the whole thing with great interest, clearly entertained.
Luna approached and gave Draco a few light pats on the head, as if to calm him down, but that only irritated him more.
"Stop it!" Draco said, gently tugging on Luna's cheeks in frustration.
Astoria, seeing the scene, jumped on him—or rather, on her—to defend her friend.
Hermione, alarmed that the scuffle was turning into a real fight, rushed to separate them, but it was already too late: chaos had erupted.
Harry, instead of helping, simply sighed and pulled out a camera.
"Well, this deserves to be immortalized."
The flash went off just as Daphne burst into another fit of laughter and the other students began cheering them on, caught up in the commotion. Terry and several classmates joined the chorus of excitement; everyone seemed perfectly used to this kind of madness, even after a year apart.
"Wow, we're definitely in a different school," Luciel muttered, laughing softly.
"Where on earth did we end up?" asked Fleur, though her grin made it clear she was enjoying herself.
"It seems like a much livelier place," added Katerina with a smile. "We did well asking Mr. and Mrs. Flamel for help to be chosen as exchange students."
Meanwhile, the young first-year Jeff watched the whole thing with mild curiosity.
The chaos lasted several more minutes before Prefect Penelope Clearwater burst into the room, furious, and separated everyone with a sharp flick of her wand.
"That's enough!" she shouted, her voice on the verge of breaking. "Malfoy will be sent to a separate room until the spell wears off! Professor Flitwick said it could take anywhere from a day… to a week."
The entire group—which now included Harry, Draco, Daphne, Hermione, Luna, and Astoria—froze as Penelope massaged her temples, clearly on the verge of a headache.
"You're not first-years anymore. You should be setting an example! Even back then, you behaved better!" she scolded sharply, glaring at the four main troublemakers.
"Sorry," they all mumbled in unison, lowering their heads. None of them had ever seen her this angry before.
Then again, back in the day, they were probably too busy keeping an eye on Red to realize how chaotic they really were.
"Now, off to bed. All of you," she ordered firmly. "And I want absolute silence."
The group nodded immediately, and within seconds, everyone bolted toward their dormitories, still laughing quietly under their breath.
Only a faint echo of giggles and footsteps remained in the air as Penelope sighed deeply, wondering how on earth she was supposed to survive the rest of the year with this group.