Frank Longbottom waves a hand over a magical device when it beeps, finding a familiar figure in his room.

"Draco? What are you doing?"

"I need to borrow a pair of socks Dad, I've got something in these new shoes that are wearing holes in mine and the others want to get together a pickup game of Quidditch with the Weasleys." Draco Longbottom, Frank's adopted son says, looking up at the mirror that shows his parents at their meeting.

"Take them in to be looked at." His mother orders.

"I'm dropping them off before we head to the pitch and I'm picking up more socks after the game. Yes Mum, I'll pick up more underwear then too. As you've told me often enough if they're not fit for the rag bag, they're not fit to wear."

"Good." Draco holds up a pair of socks and Frank nods, closing the connection. Draco comes out of their parents bedroom to find his brothers James, Harry, and Neville waiting on him along with their sisters Anna, Maria, Andrea, and Eleanor. Lily's too young to play quidditch but she hugs her older brothers and sisters before they head off, walking out of the floo and into Hogsmeade.

"Master Longbottom, is there a problem with the shoes?" The cobbler asks, seeing them put on the counter when his house elf calls him down from the second floor apartment.

"I'm afraid so Master Cobbler, my socks are getting holes in the same place in both shoes." He shows him one pair of the socks and he makes a tsk, tsk sound. "I'll check them out right away."

"Thank you Master Cobbler. I'll pick them up in a few hours after our game." Draco heads off outside, nodding at Professor McGonagall who's talking with a man, a woman, and a girl who looks to be around the oldest boys age before they head off. The parents turn to watch the brood.

"Eight of the Longbottom children, from their gear they're off to play a pickup game. Probably with the Weasley children, they're all Quidditch mad. The older Longbottom boys and the youngest Weasley boy will be starting Hogwarts this fall along with you Hermione."

"Are some of the boys adopted?" Hermione blurts out, squirming under her parents glares. "Sorry."

"Ahhh, you noticed the blond and black hair among the brown hair? Yes, Harry the boy with the messy black hair and the blond Draco are adopted. Their parents were lost in the . . .problems." Professor McGonagall's lips grow firm. The problems was the polite term for the war between the magical people and non-magical, caused by bigots and stupidity on both sides until cooler heads took their so-called leaders out of office and sent them to prison along with guerilla fighters on both sides. "Harry's parents were killed in the last days of the war while Draco's were tortured into insanity by strike squads." Hermione blanches. "Lady Longbottom is Harry's godmother, she immediately took him in since Harry's godfather is a mischevious rascal who's busy helping with the rebuilding. The younger boy James is named after Harry's father and they have a younger sister at home named for Harry's mother."

"Oh my god, that's Harry Potter?" Hermione squeals.

"Harry Longbottom." Professor McGonagall says firmly.

"I read all the books about how he stopped the war."

"He was fifteen months old, how would he have stopped a war?" Professor McGonagall rolls her eyes. "Those books are absolute twaddle, not a word of truth in any of them. They were written to make money for the authors, not because they were the truth."

"But he's the boy who lived!"

"Balderdash."

"But his parents were killed saving him!" Hermione bleats, horrified that the Professor is telling her something different than her precious books.

"Stuff and Nonsense, he was with his godmother because his parents had been called to the government for a meeting along with other people to talk about the peace accord. The non-magical world was losing the war and sent in a strike squad to kill everybody, including Minister of Magic Bones brother and his wife, leaving behind their daughter who's also starting school this year."

"But the books say .. ." Hermione bleats in the building they've walked into.

"We've told you before Hermione, not everything you read in books is the truth." Alexander Granger says. "History is written by the victors."

"And sometimes books are complete fabrications written to make money for the authors and no other reason. Lord Longbottom took the authors before the wizengamot and they were forced to apologize and pay damages for libel."

"But freedom of speech. . ." Hermione bleats again.

"doesn't matter when they tried to claim everything they wrote was the truth and none of it was. If they'd said it was fiction there was nothing Lord Longbottom could have done, but they didn't because fiction wouldn't have made them as much money." Professor McGonagall sneers. "The only reason Harry was chosen as the boy who lived because his parents deaths happened so close to the war ending. It could have been Draco, it could have been Susan Bones, it could have been any of the other dozen children left orphaned by the attack. If you want to know the real story about the problems, there's better books to read. Including the history textbooks you'll be getting for your first year of classes."

"Is this a typical magical village?" Sandra Granger asks.

"Here in Europe yes, the americas and other countries don't sequester themselves like we do I'm afraid. One of the reasons the non-magical people thought they could take us out so easily, it's basically this village, two blocks in London and scattered homes. Take them out and you've taken out the backbone of the European wizarding community."

"Taking out two blocks in London might have hurt some people but it wouldn't have destroyed an entire community." Hermione snorts.

"WOULD YOU BE QUIET YOU STUPID GIRL!" Her mother turns on her. "I'm sorry Professor McGonagall, Hermione usually has better manners. She's being a spoiled little brat today for some reason. .. Probably because her oh so precious books have been proved to be utter rubbish." Her father also glares at her. Hermione settles down gracelessly. After a nice lunch they head up to the school, looking around the classrooms and the dorms.

"I don't know Professor McGonagall, I'm leaning towards putting Hermione in a day school where she can keep up with her non-magical classes." Alexander says.

"But Dad, I'd be taking classes with the boy who lived. . ." Hermione howls.

"And that is why you're going to another school young lady, we're tired of this boy who lived nonsense. You've been told it's utter nonsense time and time again but you're still blathering on about him." Sandra snorts. "I'm sorry Professor McGonagall but Hermione will not be attending Hogwarts this fall. Maybe another year when she's finally figured out the truth about the war."

Professor McGonagall nods. "While your daughter's grades are excellent I'm afraid she doesn't have the emotional maturity to be away from home this year. The other schools that have contacted you are excellent, we have no problems accepting students from them, and . .." Professor McGonagall quickly copies a list. "Here is a list of the first year books that the students would be picking up in Diagon Alley in a few weeks and .. ." She copies a second list. "What I'd recommend for your daughter to learn the truth about the problems. The British library has copies of the wizarding papers for the last fifty years on microfilm, she might also find the truth there."

"Thank you Professor McGonagall." Sandra says.

"But if I don't attend Hogwarts I can't meet and marry the boy who lived!" Hermione howls as she's drug away.

"What a silly young girl." Professor McGonagall shakes her head. "Her parents are brilliant and down to Earth, I don't know where she gets the boy who lived rot from." She puts Hermione's information in a file cabinet, if the girl doesn't straighten up there's always the younger children. The door opens and Alice Longbottom comes into the office, sitting behind the desk. "Is everything ready Minerva?"

"Yes, today was the last of the new magical students visits to the school and Hogsmeade. The parents of the Granger girl are putting her in one of the day schools, she's one of those little twits who have 'the boy who lived' stars in her eyes and refuses to see reality."

Alice sighs, rolling her eyes. "If you hadn't been at that meeting with Frank, I'd have liked to have had them meet you and maybe the kids, it would have either knocked that nonsense out of her head or made it worse."

Draco heads into the stores after the game, picking up socks and underwear before heading to the cobbler.

"Good afternoon Master Longbottom, I found the problem. There was a small piece of plastic in the shoes that was causing the problem. I pulled it and replaced the padding, if there's any more problems let me know." Draco smiles and joins his siblings heading to Madam Rosemarta's to floo back home.

"Were they fixed?" Frank asks when the floo turns colors and his kids start piling through.

"Yes, there was a piece of plastic poking through the padding. It wasn't big enough to feel but it was big enough to cause a hole in my socks. He removed them and replaced the padding." The house elves take the bags, tutting at the holes in the socks and taking them off to fix.

"Dad, have you ever thought that the House elves run the house, not us?" Draco asks.

"Frequently." Frank chuckles, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now go get washed up for dinner, your Mum's due home in a bit."

"Daaaaddddddd, How could you do that to me?" Hermione whines when they return home. Her brothers and sisters sent down the street to the playground at a quiet word from their mother.

"Easily, you've been acting like a spoiled, selfish little twit today and it's obvious that you're not ready to go away to school." Her mother snorts. "You can't wrap your head around the fact that the 'boy who lived' stories is pure bullshit. Instead of listening to a woman who actually lived through the troubles you couldn't believe that your precious books could possibly be wrong."

Hermione ducks her head, remembering how she'd acted.

"But Mum, he's Harry Potter. . .the boy who lived."

"Not according to Professor McGonagall, he's just Harry Longbottom."

A couple of days later Hermione gets on the bus to London, stopping at the library and starting to read the wizarding world papers. What she finds in the papers has her looking up non-magical papers to see how they're reporting the same situation.

"Mum and Dad said that books are written by the winner." She says quietly again and again when she finds something that goes against the boy who lived books. Finding history books from that time period she checks them out and starts to read.

"But that's not what the papers said."

"Not getting to the bottom of the troubles?" Alexander asks from the doorway.

"Dad, they're saying ten different things. One says the wizarding world were terrorists that attacked us and that's why the war started, the so-called attack was proved to be a gas explosion. . . Another book agrees with the wizarding world's papers in saying that the non-magicals attacked first. The non-magical world don't talk about the strike squads that attacked families over there, let alone the attack that killed so many people. But they sure talk about the asswhupping we received for attacking them. Nobody agrees on anything, and it should be cut and dried."

"I told you honey, history is written by the victors. And sometimes it's just written to make people feel good. I'm sure there are plenty of books written in Japan and Germany after World War II, even after all the atrocities came to life." He comes in and sits down. "The truth of the story is that the non-magical government declared war on the wizarding world because they didn't like the idea of a group of people who didn't bow down and kiss their arses. They attacked the wizarding world, the wizarding world fought back and factions on both sides had other reasons for their actions. There were attack squads on both sides, and don't forget we're the ones who were losing and sent out the suicide squad to take out their government because we couldn't believe we were losing to a bunch of people who were stuck in the middle ages. Our government is the one who was charged with war crimes and atrocities, our government is the one who killed old men, women, and children. The wizarding world lost over a quarter of their population thanks to us."

"Yes Dad, that's why the government cleaned house and so many politicians are in prison. On both sides."

"That's right. Now wash your face and change your clothes, we're going to a visit to your new school."

Hermione looks over the day school, bright cheerful open classrooms. Her parents officially enroll her at the schooland they head back home. Hermione will have to get up an hour early to catch the first bus to school but she can handle that. She settles back down to read the history books.

"Why is Hermione so bloody interested in that boy who lived garbage?" Her brother Adam asks their parents.

"Because she's a silly girl who imagines him as a knight in shining armor who's going to come in, fall instantly and madly in love with her, sweep her off her feet, and take her away from all this to a fantasy land castle." Her brother Jason snorts. "OI buckteeth, it's your turn to set the table. Put down the books and get your arse in gear. I'm . . . Sorry Mum, Dad." He says quietly at the twin glares turned on him. "Sorry Hermione," he says when she comes into the dining room. "I've been playing outside all day and I'm hungry."

"Today's Friday dumbass, it's your turn to set the table not mine. I'm on dishes."

"It can't be. You mean I walked the dogs for nothing?" he whines, looking at the chore sheet on the bulletin board.

"No, you walked the dogs because they're your pets." His father says firmly. Jason slumps and starts bringing out dishes to set the table.

After dinner Hermione starts scraping the dishes, putting them in the dishwasher along with the pots, pans, and serving dishes after the leftovers have been put away.

"Dad, will I need a bus pass for school?" She asks after dinner, putting the library books back in her bag to take back the next morning.

"Yes, the school's arranging one for you as part of your tuition. You'll get one a couple days before school starts, then a day or so before the new month starts. You'll have to go to the office to pick them up, but since you're taking the school meal program you'll be stopping there every Monday to get your card anyway."

"Why don't you have any books about the boy who lived?" Hermione asks at Flourish and Blott's bookstore a few weeks later when she's at Diagon Alley with her parents to pick up her first year's books for her new school.

"Because they're absolute trash." The woman behind the counter says firmly. "The boy who lived rubbish was made up of whole cloth by people trying to make a buck. The books claim it was his mother's love and sacrifice that saved Harry, but why's he the one who stopped the war, not her? Yes, all parents love their children. . .most of the time." Sandra chuckles and nods. "But she wasn't killed in front of him, he was asleep at his godmothers with young Neville and their sisters when the attack happened."

"Harry's got sisters?" That wasn't in the boy who lived books.

"Three older and six younger." A woman says coming up behind them. "Sorry to interrupt, I'm Alice Longbottom, Harry's mum. Professor McGonagall suggested we talk. Oh Sarah, are the boys graphic novels in? I already went into London to pick up their comics."

"Yes, I put them aside when the boxes came in." She gets behind the counter. "And are you sure you're not having twins?"

"I'm going to beat my husband if I am." She says fondly, a hand on her pregnant stomach. The woman chuckles as she brings out a box that's rung up and put in the weightless no bottom bag. After Hermione's purchased her books and they're shunk and put in a weightless bag they head off to eat.

"Okay, what's the wizarding bank?"

"Gringotts of course, Mum and Dad opened me an account when we found out I was magickal."

"And where is it?"

Hermione points down the street. "In Diagon Alley of course."

"And what happens if something happens and the bank is taken out. . ."

Hermione stops to think a moment. "There's other branches, right?"

Alice shakes her head. "And they don't keep records except there. So the bank collapses, what happens?"

"A depression because without money you can't buy or sell anything." Sandra asks. "You can't pay your employees, so there's mass unemployment."

"What's our government?"

"The Ministry, which is . . .

"the only government building we have. St. Mungos is our only hospital. Flourish and Blotts is the only store that sells schoolbooks. So what happens if the the Alley or those two buildings are taken out?"

"The government's gone, your banking system is gone, wizarding shops are gone, Hogwarts and the other schools might not have been touched but there's no schoolbooks, there's no other medical help. . . Your way of life is over."

"Which is what the non-magical government was trying to do, none of the other countries have the problems we have. That's because they don't seclude themselves like the Europeans do." Alice starts making a list. "Here's the names of some books I know are available on microfiche at the London Library, the boys used them for papers."

"Are all the magickal children home-schooled before they come to Hogwarts?"

"The more traditional families. The more progressive ones send the kids off to get them out from underfeet for a few hours. I don't know how Molly Weasley manages with her brood, she home-schooled them all while still taking care of her family. She's got six boys and a girl who's starting Hogwarts next year. There will be four at Hogwarts this year."

"Do you have a job Lady Longbottom?"

"Yes, I'm actually the Headmistress of Hogwarts and if it wasn't for. . ." She looks down at her stomach in disgust. Sandra chuckles, she's done the same thing during her pregnancies. "I'd be teaching the history classes in a few weeks. Frank's the head of the Magical Law Enforcement, he took over when Amelia Bones became Minister of Magic."

"Do you have a university degree?"

"Yes, I have a dual degree in political science and history from the magical track at Cambridge, I'm finishing my doctorate there this year, first the war then the children delayed my education a little."

"Can I ask how you became headmistress? You don't look old enough?"

"Oh I'm not, I was just the only one foolish enough to be out of the room when the job came up and the others shoved it on me because they didn't want it. It could have been somebody like our former divination teacher, my first duty as headmistress was to fire her because she was a lush and didn't have any real talents for the job. Since you either have the gift or you don't, the class was useless and I got rid of it. My second job was to get rid of our former potions teacher and bring in somebody who didn't make me feel like I needed a bath after I'd been in the same room with him. The former Minister didn't like the changes I was making and tried to get me removed from the position."

"Why?" Hermione asks.

"Because he wouldn't be able to keep the population under his thumb if they learned more than he wanted. Now the Manor is a mixture of magick and non-magick, we have televisions, radio, and gas heat and stoves. Most wizarding homes don't have electricity, they have the wizarding wireless but that's not electrical, and they have a hand-wringer washing machine." Sandra shudders. "Our kids grew up with television, movies at the theater. . .it's a big culture shock, that's one of the reasons we introduced new classes, one for kids from non-magickal families about the wizarding world and one for magickal kids about the non-magical world."

"That makes perfect sense, from what I've seen it's like two different cultures." Alexander says.

"Why don't most wizarding homes have electricity?"

"Because magic put out by the moving pictures interferes with it, the Americans figured out how to work around it years ago but the European community can't be bothered for the most part."

"Is that the reason for the no electronics rule at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, they don't work there. For the students who have cell phones to contact home, they'd have to walk past Hogwarts wards to get a signal. Something else the Americans fixed years ago."

"Mum, can we head into London to get my comics?" Harry asks, coming over and wrapping an arm around Alice's shoulders.

"I already got them for you." She ruffles his hair. "Where's the others?"

"Neville's at Flourish and Blotts's looking at the new herbology book and Dad took Draco to St. Mungo's. The girls are cooing at all the 'Isn't that cute' clothes in the store windows and James is looking at the new quidditch brooms with Uncle Remus. Can I have a couple galleons for ice cream?"

"No, you'll spoil your appetite for lunch." Alice says automatically.

"Muuuuuuummmmmmmm, that will be ages." Sandra chuckles and Hermione's golden view of the boy who lived is tarnished just a little.

"We're heading home in an hour for lunch, you can last that long. Did you stop to the emporium and menagerie for supplies?"

"Yep, I picked up cat food, owl treats, litter, and stuff for Neville's toad. Some of it's going to be at home until we leave and over Christmas break and the rest is going in our trunks for Hogwarts. I checked with the store to see how much we'd need until Christmas break, then got half again as much in case we run out before then."

"You can call home for more, you know. Even if I won't be there this year. Yes, I know. You're heartbroken that your mother's not going to be at school this year." Alice snorts and Harry gives her an innocent look.

"Mrow?"

"What's that noise?" Alice asks in the tone of a mother who's had her children bring home all sorts of wildlife.

"Pfft."

"Harry James Potter Longbottom." Alice says slowly. Harry holds up a pet carrier with a orange furball inside. "He came right to me Mum."

"You already have Hedwig." The snowy owl had also come right to him.

"Yes, but some of the others have more than one pet." He takes the kitten out and holds him out to his mother. "He's part kneazle and part . . ."

"Something that looks like he ran into a parked car?" A male voice says as a tall figure comes over with a boy. "No Alice, we didn't buy anything, we just looked."

"Thank you Remus." Alice looks at Harry. "Do you have enough food and supplies for him?"

"Yes Mum, I made sure after he came to me."

"You've got to take care of him, that means cleaning his litter box."

"Dad's picking up one that cleans itself."

Alice looks up at the sky. "Of course he is."

Everybody quiets down when they see Draco curled up with Dad in the big chair. He's asleep and Mum drops a kiss on his forehead.

"Bad trip?"

"Yeah, I don't know which is worse. When they're 'aware' or when they're not. And we had a fool young healer who was telling Draco he shouldn't be allowed to come visit his parents, it bothered them."

"They're wandering the wards and their son visiting is bothering them?" Alice snorts.

"Yeah, one of the older healers heard the little prick and really let him have it. He'll get his attitude knocked out of him soon enough."

In his room Harry lets Crookshanks out of his carrier, the kitten walking across the bed as he brings out the supplies and sets up the litter box in the corner of the room. He turns around to see Crooky and Hedwig eyeing each other. He looks towards the door and sees him Mum nodding in approval.

"Good, after lunch you can start getting your trunk ready for Hogwarts. Don't forget, you can't . . ."

"Call them aunt and uncle anymore, it's Professor or Madam." Harry grins. He'd grown up calling the professors aunt and uncle, they'd all swarmed over Hogwarts during the summer when Mum had gone for meetings to go over the next year's classes. Neville had fallen instantly in love with the greenhouses at the school and Aunt Pomona had instantly taken him under her wing, he's already got plans for the commercial business when he graduates. Aunts Minny and Rolanda were arguing over Harry, one wanting him to get a transfiguration Masters and the other wanting him to play quidditch professionally. Mum had just laughed and said he could do both if he was anything like Lily. Even James had finally figured out that he had to knuckle down and concentrate on his schoolwork.

After lunch Harry, Draco, and Neville start working on their trunks, putting their schoolbooks, uniforms, casual clothes for when they're not in class, and supplies away. Draco and Harry smirk as they put their quidditch and quadpot supplies in their trunk along with their brooms. They might not be able to play on their house teams until they're second years but there's still pick up games as long as the weather is good.

A few days later Dad takes all three boys to Gringott's, but this time things are different. Draco and Harry put their heir rings on and attend a meeting about how the Potter and Malfoy estates are being handled for them. After the meeting they eat lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry being hugged by his godfather Sirius Black.

"I thought you were busy at the ICW meeting?"

"It's a free weekend, I gotta head back in a couple days for the rest of the whining. But I wasn't about to miss seeing my Godson off to Hogwarts for the first time. Be sure to cause as much hell as we did in school kids, somebody's got to keep them on their toes."

Frank shakes his head but laughs. "The Weasley twins have that well in hand from the stories I've heard."

"I've heard the same stories, that's why they're going to be working for me and Remus at the business next year during the summer with their Mum's permission. She's glad they're turning their 'inventedness' to something beyond causing trouble at the school. They've already got plans for the money, part of it's being put aside for their future business after they finish their schooling, part of it going for their schooling, and a small percentage being used for fun stuff. I'd have liked them to put more money away for that but they're being responsible." He says the last word with a shudder.

"So speaks the man who started his own business with his friends in school that's become international over the last fifteen years." Frank chuckles. "Not to mention buying out Zonko's."

"And I suppose you didn't take over a failing supplier and turn it around. Even with being one of the top Aurors in the country. . .let alone becoming the head Auror." Sirius chuckles.

The next morning the Longbottoms, Sirius, and Remus see the kids off at station 9 3/4, the boys grabbing a large compartment as they wait for Ron and his brothers to arrive.

"And it's another close call for the Weasley clan." Neville says like he's announcing a football score. "Do you do it deliberately?" The Weasleys getting on the train at the last second is almost a legend.

"Mum got busy making lunch and sobbing on all of us, we're 'getting sooooo big'." Ron rolls his eyes as the boys help him put his trunk up. "Dad says to let her fuss, it makes her feel better about us going away. Ginny gave me this look like I was a traitor because I got to escape and she's still at home another year. But then she's the baby and only girl so it's going to be even worse next year. So you ready for Hogwart? The twins have been giving me horror stories about what we need to do to be sorted into houses."

"Can't be any worse than the stories the girls have been telling us." Neville snorts. The pet containers are opened and they start meowing, ribbiting, or hooting at each other. There's a tap on the door and two boys and a few girls their age peer around the door. "Can we join you, we heard that you're first years too?"

"Yeah, come on in. I'm Neville Longbottom, these are my brothers Harry and Draco and our friend Ron. He's got three older brothers on the train and we've got three older sisters."

"Damn, that's large families." one of the boys says. "I'm Dean Thomas and this is Seamus Finnegan."

"Not for us." One of the Indian girls says. "We have five sisters and three brothers. I'm Padma Patil and this is my sister Pavarti. This is Lavender Brown."

"There's seven in Ron's family, the two oldest are through school and working, with a sister at home starting school next year. We have six younger sisters at home and a younger brother with Mum pregnant again."

"Longbottom? Related to the headmistress?"

"Our Mum, our Da's the head of the Magical Law Enforcement." Harry says. "She's not at the school this year since the baby's due in a few weeks." A tap at the door brings some old friends.

"Everybody, this is Susan Bones, the niece of the Minister of Magic and Hannah Abbott."

"Hello everybody. Harry, are the class sessions still happening with your Mum not here?"

"Sessions?"

"A bunch of us who went to non-magical schools have gotten together to go over our classes. Yes, Professor McGonagall says she, Professor Flitwick, and Madam Sprout will take turns as monitors if we need any help. This way we keep current with our mundane classes as well as the magical ones."

"Can I beg a spot? My parents would be over the moon to find out I can keep up with school. That's one of the concerns about Hogwarts." Dean asks. "Mum went to Hogwarts but we live in the non-magical world."

Draco nods. "Some of the older families home-school their children, the Weasleys among them. This allows those students to keep up. Professor McGonagall's the Deputy Headmistress. Talk to her and she'll contact your school to get the class assigments."

"Do they transfer?"

"If your school accepts them, yes."

The others head off to eat their own lunches as the train trip passes and everybody scrambles to put on their uniforms before the train arrives at the station.

"First Y'ars over here."

"Hello Hagrid." Harry says, throwing his arms around one of the man's legs, Neville and Draco following suit. He pets their hair and gets everybody settled in the boats for the trip to Hogwarts.

"You've been here before?" Padma asks when Harry and his brothers don't ooh and ahhh over their first sight of their school.

"Yeah, Mom brought us up during the summers when she had to attend meetings. We ran all over the school getting into things we probably shouldn't have. The teachers have been waiting for a couple of years so they officially teach us."

Dean and Seamus talk to Professor McGonagall a few minutes before she leaves to check on the returning students then bring in the new first years when everybody's settled. They're soon sorted into their new houses and take their seats at tables before Professor McGonagall starts to talk.