THIRD POV LIMITED

Harry woke up to a jolting sensation as the train stopped in Hogsmeade station. A small black pillow lay under his head, and he couldn't stop his senses from picking up the distinct scents of his three mates. A small smile and prayer of gratitude to Death slipped on Harry's lips as he quickly got dressed, gently put the pillow in his trunk, and said goodbye to Selene and Calli. A delicate giggle escaped from the submissive as Calli nuzzled him gently and the excited energy of Hogwarts crashed into him. He was home, not the perfect place, the safest, the neatest, or the cleanest, but that made it all the more endearing to the Nature Lord.
Somehow, slipping through the colorful crowds unnoticed to get to the thestral-drawn carriages was easier than Harry had thought it would have been. He caught sight of a sparkling Luna Lovegood and a magenta-aura Neville Longbottom just as he hopped up into a carriage, but Harry decided to hum quietly to himself instead of attempting to talk to his old friends. That brought up the question though, were Luna and Neville paid as well? Their names weren't listed anywhere in his bank's transactions, but that didn't mean it was impossible that they were never bribed.
After mulling it over for some time, Harry hadn't really gotten anywhere but circles of the same questions. The submissive decided to give it some thought later as he felt the thestrals slowing down, signaling their arrival at the awaiting doors of Hogwarts. Harry could practically feel the sentience of the castle from where he still sat in the carriage as a wave of anxiousness rolled through him. He was finally home, but it was also time to face all the things that had changed.
Taking a deep breath, Harry quietly slipped from his carriage and walked with the rest of his fellow students to the Great Hall. The submissive got a few glances, but no one saw anything wrong with the boy-who-lived coming back to school. Maybe Dumbledore didn't tell everyone that he had been kidnapped? Pushing that question away as well, Harry sat down in the middle of a group of students, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to get past Hermione for long. "Harry!" There she is. Looking up, the submissive almost did a double-take at the pure anger roiling in the girl's aura, even though there was a concerned look on her face. Ron followed her with an equally concerned look, though the Nature Lord could easily tell the difference between real and fake now. "Harry! Mate, are you okay?" Harry's magic reared back in outrage at being called a mate by a traitor. Harry shook his head to get rid of the sensation, as his magic knew better, but Ron took it as a negative. "What happened?" Harry flinched slightly when Ron plopped down on the right side of him, Hermione closing him in on the left. Hermione adopted a curious look just as the first years started walking in. Harry felt relieved at the change in attention, pretending to want to know more about the new students was easier than talking to these two liars. Harry internally sighed at his situation, but watched as Professor McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on it's stool.

"Welcome to this place,
I say for all to hear,
Hogwarts is her name,
And we hold her very dear.

So treat her as you might,
She always knows where you dawdle,
But please don't duel and fight,
For she wants you all to coddle.

But 'tis sad I must divide you,
As was the founders' will,
Between four Houses strong and true,
Then divide you I must and will.

Shall you go to Gryffindor?
Where only the brave will grow,
Almost all are friends there,
But only few for show.

Or do you belong in Slytherin?
Where the misunderstood are wrought,
For purebloods can go anywhere,
But here your ambition shan't rot.

What about poor Hufflepuff?
Which most believe to be wimp,
Though these be best by loyalty,
Even mourning over one gone limp.

And last but not least, Ravenclaw,
Where all intellect is pure gold.
They have the sharpest minds,
So read and theorize all that is told.

These be the choices,
Rivaled as they most always be,
But do quiet all your voices,
For there is one thing left to see.

The options we have taken past,
They lead us down a wretched path,
Filled with lies, the path shan't last.
And all be set right by the broken one's wrath.

A time will come for this to pass,
But that time shan't be now,
So let me again sort the class,
And I'll tell the place for thou."

The murmuring of the entire hall had slowly grown throughout the song, and now that it was over, many people were talking loudly. Harry gave a quite whimper as he saw all the anger, confusion, and fear in almost everyone's auras. Taking a glance at the head table, Harry couldn't stop the second whimper at seeing Dumbledore's huge aura almost sparking in anger. Averting his eyes, just in case the old man met his, Harry saw Severus and relaxed at the concerned glint in his eyes. Looking a little closer to see the color of his aura which was a murky green similar to moss, Harry put two and two together. Jotting that down in the back of his mind, Harry relaxed even further when he managed to catch sight of Draco with a moss-colored aura through the throngs of people still standing and yelling.
After a few minutes of the chaos, Dumbledore finally gave in to the glares or stares given to him by several of the teachers and ghosts and stood up to address the problem. "Students!" Harry's eyes widened as he saw little threads of darkly-colored magic leave Dumbledore and weave through the air to touch everyone's aura, immediately changing all of them to a mass of bright yellow, almost to the color of happiness. All of the students stopped speaking as soon as the magic touched them. No, not magic, it was clear to Harry that this must be some form of compulsion, severely 'dark' in nature. Oddly enough, the tendrils couldn't touch him, until Harry saw exactly what was preventing them. The protective magic imbued in his bracelet from Draco was at work, gently warming his wrist to let him know it was protecting him. Harry internally smiled, but made sure to keep the look off his face as he turned to watch Dumbledore, who seemed to be checking to make sure everyone was under the spell. Throwing a quick glance at Severus showed that his subdominant was also under the effects, though there was a tiny bit of red originating from the Occlumens' head. A pang of sadness filled Harry's chest, but he turned his attention back to Dumbledore as he cleared his throat. "Students. The Sorting Hat was only playing a joke, we old men like to do that every once in a while." Here Dumbledore winked at the many people staring at him, sending out another wave of magic, though this kind went straight to everyone's head. Panicked, some of Harry's submissive magic leaked out and formed an extra barrier around Severus' and Draco's heads, working on breaking the compulsion as well. Not knowing of the three people no longer under his spells, Dumbledore continued. "There is truly nothing to fear. Our futures will be bright as the reign of Voldemort comes to a close. Now, let the Sorting commence if you please Minerva." Dumbledore sat down, breaking the trance he had put on everyone, but the influences still remained as all the students were seated except for the new-years and Professor McGonagall. It was dead quiet for a few seconds until Mrs. McGonagall called out the first name. "Artiskine, Lilian!"