Darkness is Born in the Light
A Harry Potter fanfiction created by Nozdurmo.
This chapter is dedicated to my good friend Porshya, first fans always rock!
(A/N: What you guys know of canon will be destroyed in this fic.)
Chapter 1: Prelude to the Storm
'This can't get any worse…'
Indeed it could, but that was not the main thought in one Harry Potter's head as he dejectedly listened to the endless stream of noise that poured out through the mouth of a red-haired boy that Harry had the displeasure of having seated across him as they rode on the scarlet train called the Hogwarts Express to their destination, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This was not a typical description one would expect from a boy of eleven, who was talking about bad companions. Well, the companion itself was a fairly typical type of 'bad', but the destination? Whoa, completely wacky.
For you see ladies and gentlemen, this wasn't your typical boy to give a typical description of a typical train ride. Rather, he, Harry Potter, was a very different kind of lad.
Harry was what one would call a wizard, although he himself never knew of that fact until recently, a fact credited to a rather large man called Hagrid, but we'll get to that later.
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
It all started in the weeks preceding his birthday, on calm Saturday morning, when Harry was sent to collect the post by his obese, and fairly abusive, uncle.
Harry was a fairly average boy in appearance, scrawny and short in height for his age. He wore taped together spectacles (which had undergone much stress at his cousin's hands) and the only features that stood him out from a crowd was his untamable hair and a peculiar lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead.
He had ducked out of the way from his cousin's (horrid brat that he was) 'whacking stick' as he called it, and went to the front door for the post.
'Bills, bills, postcard, letter from Aunt Marge, letter for me, bil- what?'
For indeed in his hand, in luminous green ink on a thick yellowish paper was a letter addressed for Mr. Potter, No.4 Privet Drive, the cupboard under the stairs. From a place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry simply stood there staring dumbfounded at the letter in his hand. Wizards simply did not exist, right? It's just a joke, he rationalized. Besides, no one had ever written a letter to him, let alone know where exactly he slept! He raised one trembling hand towards the envelope, and was about to break the wax seal on it, when-
"BOY! What in the Devil's name are you taking so long for? Checking for letter bombs?" roared his Uncle Vernon, chuckling a little at his own joke.
'Think it like this dear uncle, it's a bombshell, something that might make you regret having me as a servant!'
Harry grinned sardonically at his thoughts. Nonsense, that's what. Granted, Harry would do anything to get away from the Dursleys, preferably with a few parting gifts and words, so to speak, but he wasn't one to place trust in a letter obviously sent by some derelict crackpot. With that encouraging thought, Harry promptly threw the letter outside, and went back to his uncle, the necessary letters in hand.
Wizards and witches, honestly…
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
Far away, in a castle in Scotland, an old, practically ancient, man squealed in joy as he went careering around said castle hanging on to a burning chicken's left talon.
"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" boomed the voice of a woman on the grounds, about a few hundred meters below Albus.
"Oh shit!" ejaculated said man as he and his chicken suddenly burst into flames and reappeared unharmed in his office, looking for the world as if he didn't just risk breaking his neck a while back.
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
Yes, where were we...
So, after a slight tongue lashing by his uncle for his tardiness, Harry was sent off to his cupboard, with a few pieces of toast as his breakfast. He couldn't help but think of the letter he had disregarded only a few minutes ago, and wonder what type of person could send such a foolish and immature prank, something which no one would be willing to believe either…
Apparently though, said joker had no plans letting him alone.
For the next few weeks, letters appeared in every manner by the dozen, all addressed to Harry. Even the most innocent looking place to hide a letter, or for that matter, the least possible method of hiding a letter, had been used to hide said letters until they got to their intended recipient. Eggs, Vernon's shoes, and even Aunt Petunia's pantry cupboards weren't safe from whatever was hiding the letters.
Through all this, apparently Vernon had torn open the first letter he had received via the post concerning 'Hogwarts' and had promptly gone pale. A hushed conversation with Petunia followed, with Dudley and Harry both trying to listen in.
The next day, there were fresh cinders in the fire, with the edge of yellowish paper in the corner of the hearth.
'I want that letter!' fumed Harry, chastising himself for throwing it away earlier.
It all culminated one Sunday, two days before Harry's birthday.
"No post on Sundays." happily sighed Vernon as he sat down at the table and started devouring his breakfast.
"Of course, dear." simpered Aunt Petunia from the sink. "do you want more bacon, Duddykins?"
"Yes," grunted Dudley from his place at the table. "Mum." he added as an afterthought.
Harry sardonically wondered whether decisive words were meant to be used as a sort of prophetic foretelling for an instance that will happen the next moment. After reviewing what happened next, he decided, yes they were.
It all started with a whooshing sound. Then a loud hoot as an owl (all four inhabitants of the house went bug-eyed at this) made its way down the chimney, a letter tied to its talon. Striding in front of Vernon's gob smacked face; it put out the talon holding the letter. And excreted on his plate.
Owls were cool, decided Harry.
Then like a flood came a flock of them.
Hundreds of owls shot through the chimney, all heading for a rapidly paling Uncle Vernon as the rest of the family and Harry ducked for their lives. The owls surrounded Vernon and were fighting each other for the right to give its letter first. Feathers flew in a haze of brown and white around the living room. Harry would have laughed had he still had not been in shock. Petunia screeched in fear, as she ran for a broom and started whacking owls out of the air.
Dudley saw it fit to run for his room and lock the door.
"Coward!" jeered Harry, but luckily no one noticed through the all the chaos.
In about an hour, the owls had all routed, beaten and their pride battered. The living room looking like a warzone was their only consolation.
In the middle of said destroyed living room stood Vernon, clothes torn and white stains all over his body.
"That's it!" he yelled. "Petunia! Pack the bags and all that's needed! We're heading off!"
"Where?" Petunia whimpered.
"ANYWHERE AWAY FROM THESE BLASTED OWLS AND LETTERS!"
And that was that.
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
To cut a long story short, Vernon had decided on a miniscule log cabin on a small rocky island, braving the wind and waves of the North Sea, completely cut off from the mainland, with the only passage to and from there being by boat.
"No ruddy owl could get through this weather." muttered Vernon as he stepped inside, shaking his overcoat of any water.
The cabin may have looked small from the outside, but inside, it was practically cramped. There were only two small rooms, one a bedroom for two, and the living room, with a sofa and a fire. The bed had four thin blankets which the Dursleys saw fit to spread among themselves and Harry.
He got the thinnest and the most ragged one of them all.
The things that the Dursleys did to him were always annoying, but this time, it struck a rather thin nerve of his.
The hours slowly passed, everyone had succumbed to the pull of slumber, everyone except Harry that is. He sat up and watched his rotund cousin lay out on the sofa, snoring for the world to hear. He could hear his uncle make some grunting noises in his sleep before he went silent once more.
It was normal for Harry to simply wake himself in the middle of the night, and just think. To wonder why he was an outcast among his own blasted relatives, and why they belittled him so strongly. A few slaps from his aunt and 'Harry Hunting' by his cousin et al he could manage. Yet the emotional abuse? That's something he wouldn't stand to tolerate once he was in a more independent situation.
Harry growled softly, he remembered exactly what response he got from his aunt when he asked about his parents a few years back…
"You blasted freak! Be glad we at least keep you under our roof, with all the malignancies your parents have sown on this Earth! Your father was a drunken wretch, capering off with every other woman on the streets! Probably why he got him and his 'dearly beloved' killed in a pathetic car crash! And your mother was an adulterous bit-"
That's all she managed to say before she heard Dudley come down the stairs, then she stopped, obviously not wanting to corrupt poor Diddykins's mind. Never mind the fact that he probably used more language than half the seniors at school combined, when his mum wasn't there at least. The bitch.
'Oh yes, Petunia. You've never been an aunt to me, not once. I promise I'll spit on your grave at least once before I kick the bucket, assuming I don't kick the bucket under you."
Sighing and satisfied with the end to his day's thoughts, Harry decided to lie on the floor and wait till he drifted off to sleep. His eye caught a little glint of gold at the edge of his vision, and looked towards it. It was just Dudley's gold watch in the firelight. Yawning, he lazily read the time and he grew alert once more. It was just a minute to his birthday!
Vaguely excited, he decided to stay a little longer, just to witness himself turn eleven.
30 seconds left.
I wonder what they'll give me this year, an old sock?
15 seconds left.
Hmm, the storm seems to have ceased a bit.
5 seconds left.
What's that thumping noise?
1 second left.
Happy Birthday to m- BOOM!
Stunned Harry whirled around, getting to his feet in the process. Dudley fell off the sofa and so did his jaw, as he stared at the entrance to the cabin.
He had to admit, the sight was scary.
At the doorway stood a giant, there was no other word to describe him. Larger than two of Uncle Vernon sideways and about a good 2 feet taller than his decent 5'10" frame. His thick, bushy, brown beard that reached to his chest had more than a few tangles in it, and he wore a massive overcoat that seemed to comprise of nothing but pockets and some of said pockets wriggled.
'Something alive inside?' thought Harry, feeling slightly ill at having live creatures of unknown disposition in his pockets.
The giant grunted a bit, and said, "Don' think ye can boil up a cuppa, could ye? Been a rough nigh'" With that he yawned a bit, and took a kettle out of a pocket.
Harry's eyes bulged, and croaked out, "Wha- , sorry, who are you?"
The giant looked towards him and broke out in a smile, which was hard to see through his beard, it did make his beady black eyes twinkle though.
"Ye must be lil' Harry! My, ye wer' nothin' but a mite in my hand last I saw ye! My name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys an' Grounds at Hogwarts, but just call me Hagrid, everyone does."
Harry almost completely zoned out after the first sentence. He saw me while I was a baby?
For once, he felt hope, that there was someone who could tell him about what his parents were really like.
"Wait," he started, "You knew my parents?"
Hagrid was just about to answer, when the rest of his relatives decided to pop in like bad karma. And boy was Vernon not taking chances.
In his hand was an ancient looking AK-47, or at least what he thought was one, all guns looked the same to him, he wondered in horrid fascination and bemusement.
"Hold right there, sir!" barked Vernon. "You're breaking and entering, and, God forbid, I'm armed so you better get the hell out before I-"
He faltered as Hagrid made his way towards him, and took the gun from his hands.
"Shu' up Dursley, ye old prude." And with that, Hagrid effortlessly bent the gun into two and threw it out into the night.
Vernon seemingly deflated, and scurried with his family to a corner, trying to find away to get away without being noticed by Hagrid.
"So wher' wer' we?" said Hagrid as he turned towards the fire and made his way towards it.
"You knew my parents?" repeated Harry.
Hagrid's eyes dimmed. "Yea', I was pretty close to Lily an' James. I was ther' at St. Mungos when ye wer' born too. Why, I was the 'un to bring ye here to keep with th' Dursleys, 'though I never liked it." he added, shooting a glare at Vernon, who shrunk a bit more.
He turned his back to Harry, covering the fire with his body, and suddenly the fire awoke with a passion, bringing comforting warmth to all in the room.
Harry stared, not seeing anything in particular. '..Lily? James? So those were their names...'
Hagrid seated himself comfortably on the sofa, causing it to creak a bit. "So, Harry, I hea' that ye didn' get ye letter ye'. I came her' te deliver it to ye personally, as we though' ye wern' getting it otherwise." Here he shot another glare at the Dursleys. "Here ye go."
As he reached towards the letter, a sudden sense of belonging and trepidation overcome him. As if something was calling him to take what was missing from his life completely for the past decade. He broke the wax seal on the envelope, and took out his letter.
The first thing he saw was a coat of arms decorating the top of the letter. A badge, separated into four parts, surrounded by the words 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus'
"Let Sleeping Dragons Lie", whispered Harry.
It was as if a dam broke in Harry's mind. He felt a huge rush of energy permeate every fiber of his being as his mind was filled with ecstasy. He heard the Dursleys shriek and Hagrid gasp in surprise through the haze in his mind, funnily, he didn't need to open his eyes (which were shut tight) to see the wavy silhouettes of Hagrid and the Dursleys.
What was even more surprising was that Hagrid looked to be glowing a pale blue, whereas the Dursleys were of a common dull grey.
Harry snapped open his eyes and slowly, the world became much clearer, the worried face of Hagrid and the terrified faces of the Dursleys swam into view, however the glowing auras ,or whatever they were, too disappeared.
"What was that? Why were you all glowing?" breathed out Harry, feeling a little disoriented. He fell to his knees.
"What was that? What happened to the freak?" whimpered Dudley from his corner behind his parents.
"Freak?" muttered Hagrid, a frown developing on his face.
"Never mind that," said Harry absentmindedly, "What happened to me?"
"What happened? What happened? You bloody started glowing abnormally is all, white all over, and your eyes! Oh God! They may have been shut, but that...that red energy or whatever! It just seeped out your eyelids! Grief, you really are a freak, just like Lily, and father before her!" wailed Petunia.
"Wh-what?"
"Magic, brat! You're a freak just like my father and my sister! The one thing that they always had over me!"
Harry was dumbstruck. He basically had everything he called truth, no matter how he wished it wasn't, turned on its head and a whole new set of formerly improbable truths laid out on him. But it couldn't be true!
'Magic is a fairytale! This is all just a cruel joke!'
He felt an enormous weight holding his shoulder, not too hard; more like a reassuring hand trying to help him keep calm.
"It's true," solemnly agreed Hagrid. "Magic's a part of ye, like it was for ye Mum an' Dad. They'd be rollin' in their graves 'ough, had they had any idea as to wha' ye've been going throu' with these damned Muggles!" he spat out the last part.
"I promise ye Harry, yer not comin' back to this lot unless it's ove' my dead body! Malfoys are bette' than Dursleys I reckon!" he roared.
At that moment, Harry felt something deep in the recesses of his mind snap. Whatever inkling of feeling he had ever felt towards the Dursleys as relatives suddenly died a very painful death. A deep hatred had settled in its stead, and Harry vowed, may he be thrice damned if he did not get revenge on these impudent…muggles was it? He had to ask the meaning of that term from Hagrid later. But for now,
"If my parents were such great people, tell me exactly how they died, Aun- no, Petunia! And tell the truth, not that car crash bullshit you try to feed me all the time!"
Hagrid leapt up at this. "CAR CRASH?" he roared. "LILY EVANS AND JAMES POTTER, DIE IN A CAR CRASH? DEFILIN' THEI' MEMORIES IS WHA' THA' IS! THE BEST DAMNED AURORS IN ENGLAN' AT THEI' TIME WOULD NEVER HAVE DIED IN A BLASTED CAR CRASH, NAY, THEY WEN' DOWN FIGHTIN', FO' SCUM LIKE YE!"
He suddenly brandished out a small umbrella from his pocket, aimed in front of the Dursleys, and yelled, "Incendio!"
The Dursleys screamed as a fire suddenly sparked in front of their very eyes, a small one, no bigger than the hearth fire, but it terrified them to their cores. They sprinted for the bedroom and shut the door behind them.
Hagrid looked a little worn out then. He sighed and stomped towards the fire; took off his overcoat and smothered it with it.
Harry vaguely heard uncomfortable squeaks from the overcoat.
"Shouldn' have done tha'." he heard Hagrid mumble. The giant looked towards him and said, "Ye mus' be havin' a mighty number of questions fo' me then." He made it sound more like a fact than a question though. Simultaneously, he started to fish out a packet of sausages from (!) yet another pocket, and move towards the fire to cook them.
Harry stayed silently for a while, he indeed had a great number of questions just waiting to be answered, but he started out with the most pressing ones,
"Where exactly are we going and what for? And what happened to me when I read out…"
Here Harry broke off as he realized something very important. I bloody don't know Latin!
Hagrid blinked and realized, Harry was never really able to read his letter after all, and he had that weird seizure like instance where he glowed unnaturally, even for wizarding standards. 'Must ask Dumbledore' he mentally voiced.
He just handed over the letter.
Harry slowly took the letter with his slightly trembling hand. He unfolded the parchment –he guessed that's what it was called, for nothing else could fit the bill- and read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin: First Class, Grand Sorcerer: Platinum, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamot, British Representative of the International Confederation of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1st September. We await your reply by owl no later than 31st July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall (Mistress of Transfiguration: Gold)
Deputy Headmistress
Harry, excited, dug further into the envelope and pulled out another piece of folded parchment. He unfolded it and read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Uniform:
First year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
Set books:
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) – Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic – Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory – Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration – Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi – Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions – Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces:A Guide to Self-Protection – Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment:
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad. With the exception of an owl, which may stay in the Owlery, all pets must be kept within the confines of their House dormitories or rooms. The staff is not responsible, under any circumstance, for any inconvenience that may befall a student's animal.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
Harry was grinning from ear to ear by the time he finished reading it all. It was a lot to take in, but Harry didn't mind at all, the prospect of magic being real, and him being taught to use it, made him feel very giddy inside.
'Revenge will be mine, Dursleys!' he thought darkly, remembering the flame spell Hagrid used earlier.
He then remembered what he underwent only a few minutes back. Turning to Hagrid, who was poking the sausages the around with a poker (probably procured from another pocket, Harry sniggered) he asked,
"So what was that anyway?"
A little startled, Hagrid flinched back, as if he was under deep thought. He blinked a bit and replied, "Honestly, I'm no' very sure. Neve' happened to anyone recorded in history as far as I kno'. I'll hav' te' ask Professor Dumbledore 'bout it when I ge' back to Hogwarts."
Harry blinked. Then shrugged, wouldn't be the only odd thing that had happened to him.
"Hagrid." He started slightly hesitantly.
"Yea', Harry?"
"You said my parents went down fighting or something…was there a war or something?"
Hagrid's eyes darkened. "Yer an observant 'un, Harry. T'was a dark time in our world…only a few decades prio' was whe' we fough' in an anothe' war against Grindelwald on th' continen'. T'was Professor Dumbledore who dueled and stripped him off his magic then."
Here his mood lifted slightly, only to drop significantly and say in a chillingly scary voice:
"Then came Voldemort. He was wildly repute' te be th' most powerful dark wizard in history, just shor' of Morgana le Fay in th' Middle Ages. He terrorized th' entir' wizarding community of Britain, trying te wipe out all of th' muggleborn an' muggle population in Englan' an' maybe th' entir' world afte' tha'."
"What's a muggleborn?" interrupted Harry.
"A person with the powe' to do magic, who was born to non-magical parents."
"Oh. So a muggle is a non magical person?"
Hagrid lifted an eyebrow at this, and grinned a little. "My, yer intelligen' as well. Can' be surprised though, yer parents wer some of th' brightes' people I've eve' met."
He then started to continue his tale, "Voldemort was an insane man, but was powerful an' had a huge followin' of many kinds of dark creatures an' men. He killed off many importan' an' magically strong people to make way for his rise te powe'. The Bones'es, the McKinnons an' th' Prewetts for example...then he wen' afte' the Potters."
He paused a while and looked nervously at Harry. Said boy deliberately avoided his gaze.
Hagrid cleared his throat and continued, "Voldemort wen' alone to the Potters who lived at Godric's Hollow. A friend of them had betraye' them an' had given away thei' location to him. He murdered ye Dad an' then wen' for ye Mum."
'Stand aside, foolish girl!'
'No please! Take me! Take me, Gods, take me but don't take my Harry!"
'Stand aside!'
Harry gasped and his hands flew towards his head, more specifically, towards his scar. "I…I remember…" he whispered brokenly.
Hagrid stared solemnly at him, "Aye." he whispered. "Lily was a mighty witch in her own right, but she didn' stand a chance agains' Voldemort."
"He then raised his wand towards ye, and shot th' Killing Curse right at ye. An' ye know what, Harry? It failed."
Widened eyes shot up to meet Hagrid's proud look towards Harry.
"Th' curse couldn' be blocke', no sign of harm, no chance of survival. An' he used it as his staple spell, an' ye, a tiny baby, reflected it off towar's him, an' his powe' broke. Th' war ended tha' day. Yer a hero Harry, a hero in our world."
Harry was dumbstruck. 'Me?'
"But a few of us, Professor Dumbledore an' I included, think he didn' fully die tha' day. I'm guessin' he's still out there, bidin' his time, waitin' for 'un of his followers to find him. But tha' day is still far off, Harry, an' it's all thanks te ye!"
"Remember thou' Harry, most of our world still feels the effects of his dark war. Very few call him Voldemort, fearin' his name. They refe' to him as You-Know-Who!" here he let out a hearty laugh, "Neve' be scared of a name, Harry, it's just a name."
Seeing Harry's nod, he himself nodded a bit before leaping to his feet.
"Oh!" he said. "Almos' forgot."
With that he took out a live, grumpy looking owl out of one of his numerous pockets.
Harry couldn't take it anymore, he started rolling on the floor laughing.
Grinning, Hagrid sent off an owl to Hogwarts, with the message that Harry Potter was indeed arriving for the school term.
He then adopted a mock stern look on his face and said, "All righ', it's late, get te bed, we got a long day ahead of ourselves tomorrow!"
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
(Author's Note: I'm skipping the entire Diagon Alley scene because, it's just extra information, and I gotta keep this story rolling. Just imagine exactly what happened in the book, except Harry never met Draco at Madam Malkins' and instead of being dropped off at the Dursleys for the weeks before school, Hagrid kept him at the Leaky Cauldron, asking Tom to take him to Platform 9 ¾ on the 1st of September. Also Harry bought some extra books, like Hogwarts: A History and a few books on Jinxes and Hexes).
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
And so, that was the whole tale, Harry mused. It was really unfortunate that he was now seated across a gangly red-haired menace who had apparently been dithering on, never realizing that Harry was in his own world for the past one hour or so. In fact, Harry wasn't even sure whether anyone visited the compartment while he was zoned out.
Looking at the boy (Roonil Wazlib or something of the sort), Harry could determine that intelligence wasn't a strong point in him.
'Grief I need to get away from this idiot!'
As if the Gods had answered his prayers, the compartment door opened, letting in a pale thin boy with platinum blond hair, and two nearly identical boys (acting like the first boy's bodyguards) who looked more gorillas like than human.
Harry, seeing them, determined that they too were in the lower end of the intelligence ladder. As basic etiquette demanded, Harry stood up to greet the new arrivals.
"Hello. How can I help you?" said he, with a smile. After all, first impressions do it all.
The blond grinned approvingly and said, "They say Harry Potter is on the train, and this is the last compartment I haven't checked. May I assume that it is you?"
Harry bowed his head slightly and replied, "Indeed I am."
The blonde's smile grew, if possible, larger and said, "The name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
At this, the red-haired boy, who had remained seated, gave out a loud cough, which poorly disguised his snigger.
Both Harry and Draco looked at him in a fashion akin to displeasure.
"No need to ask who you are. Father said all Weasleys had red hair, freckles and more children that they could afford!" countered Draco.
'Ah…it's Weasley, not Wazlib.' amended Harry.
Ignoring Weasley's sputters of outrage, Draco turned to Harry and put out a hand.
"You will find that some Wizarding families are better than others, Harry. I could help you there."
'Score! No more Weasley for me!' gleefully thought Harry. He accepted Draco's hand and shook it.
"I do believe I agree, Draco. Lead on."
And with that, the quartet quickly left the compartment, leaving one gob smacked and fuming Weasley.
By the time they arrived at Draco's compartment, Harry got to know a lot about Wizarding culture, and the various families that defined politics in Ministry of Magic, the hub of administration and militaristic governance in the Wizarding World.
There were apparently 12 Pureblood families that governed Britain's wizarding community, out of which some were without a person to actively take a post as Head of Family.
They were the Malfoys, Potters, Blacks, Parkinsons, Notts, Lestranges, Zabinis, Bones'es, Longbottoms, Dumbledores, Abotts and Greengrass'es.
The head of each family was considered a Lord, and held a place at the Wizengamot, the Wizarding Parliament. For example, Draco's father Lucius is Lord Malfoy, as he is the eldest male of the Malfoy main branch.
Families like the Bones are considered to be held by a Duke or Duchess, as the main branch of the family has been reduced to one girl, who is still not 17 (wizarding age of maturity) to hold the title Head of Family, and Lady. Instead, the House of Bones is being governed by her Aunt (on her father's side), Duchess Amelia Bones.
On the other hand, families like the Blacks and Lestranges are considered dormant as the heads of their families are incapacitated, missing or in prison.
It made Harry wonder who was taking care of his family.
Draco also mentioned various minor pureblood households, who did not hold much sway in the government, such as the Weasleys, Crabbes, Goyles and the Fudges, with an exception in the last as the current Minister of Magic was a Fudge.
That did not mean they were wealthy though.
A little further into the conversation did Malfoy blush, excused himself, and introduced his two Johnnies as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.
'Lapdogs who're looking for some power via the Malfoys.' Harry thought sardonically.
They discussed further on the topic of blood in the Wizarding World. Apparently it defined whether you were considered of high class or of a sub class of human.
Honestly, Harry found it fascinating.
A pureblood can be considered a pureblood only if his family boasts wizards for the past 4 generations. A half-blood is a person born to a pureblood and a muggleborn, or muggle. A muggleborn is the first wizard or witch in a family.
Draco was apparently pure as they get, and he assured Harry he was too, as the Potters were very pure, and Harry's mother Lily was a half-blood. Her father, Marcus Evans was a member of a prominent German pureblood family, whose family was murdered by Grindelwald when they opposed him. He was the only survivor and he fled to England and started a family.
It made sense to Harry, as to why Petunia was so jealous, it was purely chance that made her a squib (as he found from Draco, is a person born to a magical family without magic).
After that seriously long discussion, Harry and Draco travelled to more relaxed waters.
"So what house do you think you're going to be in?" asked Draco, lounging in his seat a bit.
"Hmm, everything seems fine by me. I'll just go with whatever they put me in." Harry shrugged.
"Oh? I suggest Slytherin, I'm definitely heading there anyway, and it's better than Gryffindor or even worse, Hufflepuff!" he said the two other houses with disgust evident in his voice.
Harry raised an eye brow at this. He knew of the animosity between most of the houses via Hogwarts: A History, but he never really thought it went this far. In truth, he did find Slytherin more suitable for him, and Gryffindor sounded intolerable as there were bound to idiots like Weasley in it, but Ravenclaw was fair game too.
Ah yes, the houses…Slytherin for the ambitious and cunning, Ravenclaw for the intelligent, Gryffindor for the brave and chivalrous, and Hufflepuff for the loyal and hard workers.
He disregarded Hufflepuff, not for any reason, other than because he was loyal to only himself and his ambitions.
To be the best damned wizard in the world.
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
Soon afterwards, the conductor of the train sent out a message saying they would reach Hogwarts in about 10 minutes, which prompted Harry and Draco and the two Johnnies to change into their school robes.
As told, the train slowed down and all the students made their way towards the doors. Soon everyone was on the platform on the grounds of Hogwarts and they were instantly greeted by the booming voice of Hagrid.
"Firs'-years, Firs'-years ove' here! Firs'-years!"
With a grin, Harry ran over towards Hagrid, missing the curious glare sent in his way by Draco. He passed the throngs of senior students who were making their way towards a convoy of horseless carriages, and reached Hagrid's side, giving him a bright smile.
"Hey Hagrid!"
"Blimey, it's Harry! How are ye doing? Made it te th' Platform without any problem righ'?"
"Yeah, yeah, thanks for sending Tom with me there. Honestly, I would've been lost."
"Not a problem, Harry. Now hold up, th' others are comin'. Any more firs'-years? No? Then all of ye follow me, stick tigh' now!"
The first-years, all of whom were nervously chatting with one another, were led by Hagrid to the shore of a beautiful black lake, its waters not making a ripple even with the slightly high winds attacking the shore. Bound to a pier in a corner of the lake, were dozens of old looking boats.
"No more than fou' te a boat, mind ye! All set? Then let's go!"
With that, he took out his small umbrella and tapped the boat he was in, which amazingly did not sink.
"Enchantments, possibly renewed by the Headmaster each year." sagely answered Draco to Harry's unasked question. Harry simply nodded in agreement.
Half way across the lake, they came upon a ridge with low hanging vines and branches. Just as they were about to come upon it, a host of peculiar fish-men rose out of the water and made a small troupe on either side of the boat convoy.
"What in Merlin's name…merpeople?" was all that Hagrid could say as he clutched his umbrella tight and looked warily at the merpeople, even while some of the children started screaming in fright.
The apparent leader of the merpeople simply held out a limb in a sign of peace, and simply signaled the other merpeople to follow the convoy on either side.
"Don' worry kids! Yer all witnessing somethin' never befor' seen in Hogwart's history! Don' be afraid!" said Hagrid, obviously encouraged by the merpeoples' show of co-operation.
"Mind yer heads now!" warned Hagrid as they came upon the low branches and vines.
Before anyone could obey that command, however, dozens of long slithery tentacles reached out of the water and pulled the branches and vines away from the students.
"Remarkable!" yelled Hagrid. "This has neve' happened, lads! Enjoy it while ye can!"
The first years stared in awe and talked in hushed voices on the splendor of it all, and then one boy in front yelled, "There's the castle!"
The voices ceased as everyone strained their eyes to catch a glimpse of what the front boats could see. And when they did, they were positively speechless.
For in front of them was an enormous castle, with its battlements and turrets glowing with ethereal lights which Harry recognized as Wisps, small glowing nature spirits. The castle was made of enchanted stone, which glimmered with power in the moonlight, and the parapets were lined with statues of gargoyles and gryphons.
As Harry viewed every detail of the castle, he felt a deep sense of belonging, as if he was coming home after a very long absence. As he sat in the moving boat, absorbing the feeling in, he could have sworn he heard a voice in his head.
Welcome back, my heir.
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
Finally, the boats docked on the other side of the shore, and the students disembarked, as Hagrid strode towards the huge front oak doors, and knocked thrice hard.
A few seconds later, the doors opened to a massive Entrance Hall, decorated by suits of armour and tapestries, with a magnificent marble staircase at the very end. At the center of the Entrance stood a straight backed lady with a stern look on her visage, she had an aura of discipline around her, and her face booked no room for argument if she encountered any.
As she saw the children troop in, however, she let herself adopt a warm smile on her face as she accepted the children into the hall.
"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall." said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. No complications on the journey I assume?" she spoke in a clear voice.
"None, ma'am, but I might have te speak with Professor Dumbledore after th' feast."
McGonagall looked faintly puzzled, but said, "Very well. Carry on, Hagrid."
As Hagrid moved towards a side door, McGonagall turned towards the first years and said,
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she started. "The star-of-term banquet will commence shortly, but you must first be seated at your appropriate House tables. Your house will act as a home away from home, and your fellow house members will be like your surrogate family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitories, and spend your leisure time in the house common room."
"The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house is noble in its own right and your accomplishments…or transgressions at Hogwarts will award or deduct house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points, wins the House Cup, a great honour. I hope all of you bring credit to the house you are sorted into."
"The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly; I suggest you smarten yourselves up as much as you can before it. I shall return once we are ready for you, please wait quietly."
And with those words she, made her way to the main chamber where one could already hear the noise of the senior students.
"How exactly do you sort students into their houses?" Harry asked Draco, who looked very relaxed, a fact that made Harry rather envious.
"Meh, you just put on an old ratty hat, and it'll decide on which house you belong to after it reads your personality." he calmly replied.
"Ah." was all Harry could say, as he felt a huge weight come off from his shoulders.
Before anyone could say anymore, Professor McGonagall came back.
"We are ready for you, please form a line," she began. "And follow me."
The double doors to the Great Hall opened up as they strode towards them, and Harry gasped in wonder of the splendor that was the Great Hall. Thousands upon thousands of candles floated in the air, casting a bright glare of light into every corner of the room. There were four long tables kept vertically in the hall, where the students sat, and these tables were lined with golden goblets and plates.
At the top of the Hall was the teacher's table, which housed apparently all the greatest minds of their particular field of study, all ready to teach the next batch of students. At the very center of the table sat the headmaster, eyes twinkling as he surveyed the students with a critical eye from his throne like chair.
Looking up, Harry gasped to see only an open sky, no ceiling to house the students in.
To his side he heard a girl quickly say, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it all in Hogwarts: A History."
It was indeed difficult to believe that the Great Hall didn't simply open up to the Heavens.
Dumbledore then stood up and very clearly, in an authoritative voice, spoke, "Students, please remain silent."
Silence arrived in seconds. Harry was impressed, he took back the long ago thought of thinking Dumbledore as a derelict crackpot.
McGonagall laid a stool out at the center of the steps that led to the staff table, and placed a worn out hat on it.
As Harry stared at the hat, he noticed a thin line like a tear on its front. He then became acutely aware of the entire student population staring at the hat as well. At once, the hat's tear opened wide and started to sing.
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
(A/N: Skipping the Sorting Song as well, because I think you guys wouldn't appreciate overtly long chapters.)
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
"When I call your name, please sit on the stool, and place the Sorting Hat on your head. When its decision is made, immediately move to your respective house tables." she commanded.
"Abott, Hannah!"
A small made girl with blonde hair stumbled her way to the stool, and wore the hat on her head. A moment's pause, then –
"HUFFLEPUFF!" yelled the hat.
The table second from the right started cheering as she made her way towards it, smiling.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" it shouted again, and Susan went to sit right next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!", then the table second from left cheered and clapped for their newest addition.
And so on, 'Brocklehurst, Mandy' also went to Ravenclaw, but 'Brown, Lavender' became the first Gryffindor of the night. At this the table to the far left started cheering loudly.
'Bulstrode, Millicent' became a Slytherin, and the table to the far right started cheering, but quite a few boo's erupted from the Gryffindor table. McGonagall silenced them swiftly with a strong glare.
Names were called, and they were sorted, and Harry was beginning to feel slightly nervous, but he collected himself. He felt confident that he would like whatever house he was sorted to.
The girl who had told about the enchanted ceiling was sorted to Ravenclaw and then a pudgy and definitely nervous boy went to Gryffindor, he made the highlight of the night when he accidently wore the hat to his table, erupting jeers from all around.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
Draco swaggered to the hat, and it barely touched his head, when it yelled "SLYTHERIN!" As he walked towards his table, the Slytherins put up a mighty cheer. He sat down next to Crabbe and Goyle, both who were sorted to Slytherin.
Names were called, 'Moon'- 'Nott'- twin girls called 'Patil'- 'Perks, Sally-Anne' and then –
"Potter, Harry!"
As Harry confidently walked towards the hat, whispers broke out around him.
"Potter, she said?"
"The Harry Potter?"
All Harry saw next was the people of the hall straining their necks to get a good look at him.
He waited for a while, then he heard a voice say in his ear, 'My, a difficult choice. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, yes. A good mind as well. Plenty of talent, and hmm? A thirst to prove yourself…now that's very interesting. So where shall I put you, heir?'
'What do you mean by heir?' Harry thought puzzled.
'I am not at liberty to say, you will discover yourself soon enough. But where shall I put you? Slytherin seems the best choice by far…'
'A Slytherin I shall be then, but only the place where I CAN become great!'
'You remind me of a child long before you, heir. He too became great in SLYTHERIN!'
It announced to the Hall full of gob-smacked children and teachers, with only one table roaring out their triumph at having a jewel among students among them. Only one table stood up and chanted to high heaven "We got Potter!"
For, ladies and gentlemen, Harry Potter was in Slytherin.
-DBLDBLDBLDBLDBLDBL-
Woot! First chapter of my first story complete! Ok, most of you guys must be wondering about the huge differences in my fic from canon, first of all, as you guys read, Hagrid isn't a blind Dumbledorian. He will of course hold his word above others, but here, he will show his giant blood a bit more
And he's much more intelligent in this than canon, and consequently, much more knowledgeable on spells, despite him still having been expelled in his 3rd year.
There will be a certain dash of Ron bashing, nothing too far though. Dumbledore will NOT be bashed, he will have his shortcomings though. Harry will be dark, not evil, and Muggles will be kinda oppressed, not crusaded against.
The Evans family will be explained in more detail later. Politics will play a key role in my story as well.
I hope you guys like the story, review and let me know what I've messed up here and if there are any discrepancies in my storyline.
Expect the next chapter before the end of the year, mates!
Nozdurmo.