They have a lot to catch up on; it's been a whole summer. And pretty soon the train is pulling into Hogwarts and he is comparing notes with Karen on their summer reading and the first years are being bustled off to boats.

Gosh, this year they get invisible-something-drawn carriages!

"...so then we had to talk our way past the place's curators only they turned out to be really interested in the problem too - I think Timothy would've really liked that bit, and it would've been useful to have him along. I told him he'd better not vanish on us again next year..."

"He didn't come along? What was he doing?"

"'Something came up.' Very mysterious of him. Maybe he took over a small country for practice."

"He must have done it pretty quietly."

"He probably didn't take over a small country for practice, most ways of doing it quietly are kind of unethical."

"Or maybe he did it loudly and it was an obscure country. An Indian tribe in the Americas or something."

"Maybe if you go around speculating damaging things enough he'll tell you the truth to get you to stop."

"Ooh."

And they arrive at Hogwarts and part ways for the Sorting.

The song is different! That's fun. Miranda claps for new Slytherins, and a bit for everyone else too.

There's a feast! He loves the feast! He isn't sitting especially close to Miranda but manages to ask after her summer and her classes this year.

"I had a lovely summer. Karen was over a lot and Mum took us to the Muggle theater a few times, she knows someone. What did you do all summer?"

"An acquaintance in Holland acquired a copy of this rare book I've been searching for forever and said I could come by if I was very discreet about it, for which reason I am not going to tell you the book or the acquaintance though I might teach you some of the spells when it's time to give you a continent."

"That's less exciting than Minor's idea. Well, I guess it depends on the book."

"What was Minor's idea? I didn't tell him because there's absolutely no way he'd tolerate not knowing the book and I wouldn't put it past him to follow me."

"He thought maybe you took over a small country."

"Ooooh. If I did I am not telling about it."

"Why, do you think I would follow you when you visited your small country?"

"Maybe it just seems advisable to exercise discretion about my country-conquering exercises!"

"But I could be so helpful!"

"I promise that if my hypothetical small country needs your attention I will inform you of its existence!"

Giggle.

And they shoo the new Slytherins down to the common room for orientation. Sixth-year prefects get their own room; he gives Michael and, after a bit of hesitation Miranda, permission to bother him in his. "Do have a really good reason, though," he says. "I store all my plans for world domination there and don't want people going in and out."