Authors Note: This is my first story, so I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: JK Rowling's lawyer is currently in talk with my lawyer, discussing who owns Harry Potter. I am losing!
Platform 9 ¾
A boy of 11 years ran through the barrier, out of breath followed by a handsome man, whom everyone knew to be the boy's father, pushing a trolley full of suitcases, all distinctly recognised by the Hogwarts logo, which stood proudly, on the front. On top of all the suitcases rested a white snowy owl, with brown eyes, which were full of mirth from living in a house of pranksters for only 1 month! . They were followed by a tall man, with brown hair, speckled with grey and brown eyes, a smirk on his face.
"This is all your fault!" shouted the boy.
"How?! How on earth, Harry is it my fault?!" replied the father.
"Who wanted to see what would happen to pancakes, if they were cooked in the living room fire and then nearly burnt the entire house down!
"Ahhh...You see..."
But he was interrupted by Remus, the calm man who had followed them.
"Sirius, don't try to deny it! Now hurry up, because the train is about to leave" said Remus in a frustrated tone.
"But Remmy..."
"No Sirius! Just give Harry his hug and let him go, otherwise he will miss the train."
Sirius suddenly sobered up, as Remus walked away with the suitcase trolley, and pulled Harry into a hug, ruffling his hair. He had tears in his eyes, which he was valiantly trying to hold back, but failing.
"I'm going to miss you Kiddo." Sirius murmured into Harry's hair.
"I'm going to miss you too Dad." Harry replied back.
"Now remember you've got the map and I want you to use it for pranks. Understand me? Oh and make sure me or your Uncle Moony, don't catch you with it, otherwise we will have no choice but to take it off you. Ok. Now go run havoc!"
"Ok, dad." Harry said laughing
Remus then returned after lugging all of Harry's possessions onto the train. Harry jumped into his arm and held him tightly for all it was worth, even though he knew they would be seeing each other, in a couple of hours.
"I'm going to miss you Uncle Moony."
"I'm going to miss you too Prongslet." Said Remus, as he addressed Harry by the honorary nickname given to him.
"Now off you go."
Harry jumped onto the train, just as it started moving and waved goodbye before starting to move away, to look for his friends.
"I expect you to already have a detention before you even get to Hogwarts!" Sirius shouted after Harry.
"SIRIUS!" Harry could hear Remus' echo long after the train had departed, from the platform. He moved along the train, passing the carriages looking for his best friends Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley. He finally found them in the middle of the train, pulled open the door and slumped down into the seat.
"So how was it?" Ron asked with a smirk.
"A nightmare." Harry replied "I nearly missed the train and Remus was starting to get really annoyed."
"Ahhh! The joy of embarrassing parents." Neville joined in. "Dad was trying to look all stoic and Mum was crying about how her little baby is all growing up. Such a nightmare."
The three boys chatted all the way to Hogsmeade and bought a whole load of sweets, as the sweet lady passed their carriage. They talked about anything and everything ranging from Quidditch, to Snape (the ugly git), the potions master. Finally they neared Hogsmeade Station and changed into their robes. The train stopped and the boys got off the train, and looked into the starry sky. It was beautiful night, clear sky, with no rain.
"First years o'er here." Harry, Ron and Neville walked all the way to Hagrid, a half giant, with long, bushy, hair. "Hello you three"
"Hello Hagrid." They replied simultaneously.
"Is that all then. A'right, no more than 4 to a boat!"
The three boys climbed into one boat and were joined by a girl, with bushy hair.
"Hello, I'm Hermione"
"Hi, I'm Ron, that's Harry and that's Neville." pointing to each of the boys respectively.
The boats lurched forward, across the lake and they began their journey to Hogwarts.
"You'll get your firs' glimpse of Hogwarts, in a minute!" Hagrid shouted backwards. They rounded a corner and there it was, the most magnificent castle, anyone had ever laid their eyes on. It had turrets sticking out from every corner and it was old fashioned, but beautiful in its own way. The night sky only added to its magnificence, as the first years got their glimpse of where they would be staying for the next 7 years. They were all awed, as it surely could not be real. The boats landed on the edge of the castle and Hagrid lead them all the way up to the massive oak doors and knocked on it 3 times. It was opened by a stern looking witch, with her hair in a bun. She was the head of Gryffindor House, Professor McGonagall, or to Harry 'Aunt Minnie'.
"Thank you Hagrid" She lead the rest of the first years inside and up the staircase stopping just outside the doors that lead to the Great Hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. Before we start there will be a ceremony, in which you will be sorted into one of 4 houses. They are: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor. While you are here your house will be like your family. Any achievements will earn you points and any rule breaking and you will lose points. I hope you are all a credit, to whichever house you belong. Now stand in a line and be ready to go."
Professor McGonagall led the first years into the Great Hall and in front of a stool, on which lay a battered old hat, known to the older students as the sorting hat. After the sorting hat sang its song the sorting started.
"Now when I call your name you will sit on this stool and be sorted." Stated McGonagall.
"Hannah Abbot" "Hufflepuff!"
"Lavender Brown" "Gryffindor!"
"Millicent Bulstrode" "Slytherin!"
"Vincent Crabbe" "Slytherin!"
"Seamus Finnegan" "Gryffindor!"
"Justin Finch-Fletcheley" "Hufflepuff!"
"Anthony Goldstein" "Ravenclaw!"
"Gregory Goyle" "Slytherin!"
"Hermione Granger" "Ravenclaw!"
"Neville Longbottom" "Gryffindor!"
"Ernie Macmillan" "Hufflepuff!"
"Draco Malfoy"
"I hope he is alright" thought Harry. You see Draco was not the prince that everyone thought he was. He did not want to follow in his father's footstep and was close friends with Harry. Unfortunately this could not be advertised as Draco did have to keep up a profile, to save himself from his father's beatings.
"Gryffindor!" There was silence all around the hall. SURELY!, the hat has made a mistake. A MALFOY, in GRYFFINDOR. It was never heard of. There was scattered applause as Draco walked to the Gryffindor table, his face pale, white and fear in his ocean blue eyes. Harry gave him an encouraging look, as Draco walked past and he smiled, giving Draco strength, as he sat at his house' table. McGonagall cleared her throat from shock and carried on.
"Pansy Parkinson" "Slytherin!"
"Padma Patel" "Ravenclaw!"
"Parvati Patil" "Gryffindor!"
"Harry Potter" The entire hall was silent again. The famous Boy-Who-Lived had graced their presence. As Harry sat on the stool and put on the sorting hat, a voice entered his mind.
"Ah! Another Potter. Now where should I put you. Oh! That is easy, there is no doubt about it which house you belong to. You are a *."
"Before you tell everyone" Harry started "Can you do something for me?"
"Sure what is it?" asked the hat.
"Well..." Harry told the sorting hat his plan. It was time to play his first prank before he was even sorted! 'Oh! How Sirius would be happy, or maybe he won't', Harry thought 'It will give him a heart attack.'
As Harry sat on the stool, Sirius was becoming agitated. How long can it take!
"Sirius, stop fidgeting!" Remus scolded.
"How long is it taking?" complained Sirius. Just as Sirius was about to have an aneurism the Hat shouted out "Slytherin!"Sirius' face went pale and then he FAINTED! Right in front of everyone, face planting the table. Remus revived him, looking shocked himself "Ennervate". Sirius woke up, with a wild face, looking extremely mad.
"No! NO! NO WAY! This is not happening!" Sirius screamed.
"Sirius! Calm down." Remus said.
At the look on Sirius' face Harry could not hold it in any longer and neither could the sorting hat, as the both burst out laughing. Harry had tears streaming down his face as he revelled in pulling his first prank as a Hogwarts student.
"Oh the look on your face is priceless dad!" Harry panted out.
"He is actually a Gryffindor!" shouted out the hat, having calmed down. Both Sirius' and Remus' face relaxed at having heard that it was just a prank. But then Sirius' face went red with anger.
"How dare you! How dare you prank your father! You could have given me a heart attack!"
"Stupefy!" shouted Remus, a red light hitting the back of Sirius, causing him to face plant the table again. "Now, Harry, I hope you don't do that again, or your dad will not survive to see half term."
"Okay, Uncle Moony." Harry walked down to the Gryffindor table, which was in uproar after finally hearing that Harry Potter was in their house. Oliver Wood was extremely jubilant as he knew he had the best seeker in the school having trained Harry for the position, for the last 2 years. McGonagall once again started the sorting, once the hall had calmed down. "Dean Thomas" "Gryffindor!"
"Ron Weasley" "Gryffindor!"
"Blaise Zabini" "Slytherin!"
Once the sorting had finished Professor Dumbledore (or Grandpa in Harry's eyes) stood up. "Now I only have a few words to say. Nitwit, Blubber and Tweak!"
Suddenly food appeared on the table, roast dinners, mashed potato, lasagne and the pudding itself weighed down the table loads: pumpkin pies, chocolate Swiss rolls, jelly and many more. Fred and George came down to sit next to Harry and congratulated him on his first prank. The twins were the most mischievous students in the whole school and were well known for playing pranks, with Harry, when he was younger and came to Hogwarts, while Sirius taught his classes. Harry, Ron and Neville filled themselves with food, until they could not move. Harry looked at the staff table and saw Remus drawing on Sirius, who was still unconscious. He pointed this out to the rest of the table and they could not hold in their laughter, at the innocent look on Remus' face. Dumbledore then stood up again and did his usual speech and sent the students off to their dorms. The three boys followed Percy, the prefect to the Gryffindor dorms (the password being Sirius is the best, who somehow managed to override McGonagall's password) and went up to their separate dorms. Draco sat on his bed and looked really scared. Ron, Harry and Neville joined him.
"There is no need to worry Draco. We'll be here for you" Ron said.
"But what if dad disowns me?" Draco asked
"Then dad will adopt you" Harry replied "He has been wanting to do it for ages, after he saw how your dad treated you, but he couldn't. Don't worry alright. Everything will be aright Draco."
"Okay."
The boys all got dressed and went to bed, excited to start their Hogwarts schooling tomorrow and they would stand together, no matter what tomorrow brings.