Chapter 1:
Harry Potter looked up at the train with some trepidation. This would be the first time he was away from Rita ever, as far as he could remember. Having been isolated from the world, he had no idea how to properly interact with other people, let alone children. He turned back to Rita who smiled encouragingly at him.
"Come on, Harry, you've been waiting for this for ages."
"I know," he murmured, a tear rolling down his cheek. "But…" He trailed off, looking at her sadly. "I'll miss you."
She bent over and took him in to her arms, patting him on the back consolingly. "I'll miss you too," she whispered. "But it's only a few months, and then I'll see you at Christmas." She separated from him hesitantly and gave him a tap on the shoulder. "Now, go on. Go make friends."
Harry looked at her. "You never taught me how."
"I can't teach you that, Harry," she said forlornly. "I'm not really a friend type of person, myself."
"I know. Just…" He stopped himself from talking, just throwing himself in to her arms again. "See you at Christmas, Rita." He pulled away from her and walked towards the scarlet train.
Ducking and weaving through the families saying their own goodbyes, he spied a girl standing to the side crying quietly. He stopped, almost crashing in to a plump red-headed woman.
"Sorry," he muttered, standing still for a moment. A split-second later, he was walking towards the girl.
"Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly. "Just, I noticed you weren't with your parents."
The girl cried harder at his observation and Harry, uncertain of what to do, gave her a small hug. Ignoring the fact that he was hugging a complete stranger, he continued talking.
"Come with me; let's get a compartment on the train." The girl nodded and followed after him, one hand in his, the other on her trunk. Harry lifted his trunk up on the train with some difficulty before attending to hers. With a final heave, he looked at the girl properly when she stooped to pick it back up. She was even shorter than himself, with brown hair falling over her eyes. Behind her fringe her could see specks of honey brown looking out at him with gratitude. He turned his head away to look for an empty compartment before they all starting filling up, and eventually found one near the front of the train.
When they sat down, she finally spoke.
"Thank you."
With those two words, Harry felt he truly knew this girl. There was so much life in her voice that Harry couldn't believe that she had been left on the platform on her own.
"You're welcome. Why were you on the platform on your own?" The girl started to sniffle a little, but no tears fully formed.
"Dad was busy. Had to get to work. M-mum is…" she couldn't finish her sentence, instead giving a small wail. In that, Harry immediately understood.
"I'm sorry. My parents died when I was one." The girl brushed her fringe aside to look at him comfortingly.
"I'm sorry."
"It's harder for you. You knew your mother, and-" His voice choked. They both sat there in silence until a sharp whistle echoed around the platform and made them jump.
"So, what's your name?" Harry prompted. The girl, taken aback, didn't answer for a second.
"Lisa Turpin," she finally said. "Yours?"
"Harry Potter," he said, cringing slightly, uncertain of what her reaction would be.
"Nice to meet you Harry Potter," she said, extending her hand. Harry grinned, glad that the first person he met wasn't a fan.
"Likewise," he replied. "Glad you're not a fan."
"A what?" she said, her head cocking curiously to one side. Harry finally understood. She was a muggle-born.
"Oh, you're a muggle-born. Well, best you hear it from me," he said, looking nervously outside the compartment. No-one was nearby. Good.
"Before we were born, there was a bad wizard named Voldemort. Like, really bad. Murdered-loads-of-people bad. Anyway, he went to kill my parents personally when I was one. He killed them and then tried to kill me. For some reason, it didn't work and his spell backfired. Dead Voldemort. Ever since, people think of me like a celebrity. This is the first time I've been in public ever." He said this all very fast. Lisa's mouth was hanging open in shock.
"This is your first time in public?" Harry smiled to himself. That was what she thought of first after all that.
"Yeah. It's kinda nerve-wracking," he said, pulling a face. She laughed before harry continued speaking. "So, you know my story. Don't let anyone tell you I'm special, I'm not. I'm just a kid who got lucky."
She laughed again and Harry fell back in to his seat, not noticing that he had leant forwards when he was speaking. He couldn't believe how easy it had been for him to make a friend. Rita was right, she didn't need to teach him how to do it.
The compartment door opened and in stepped a tall lanky boy, who had a spot of dirt on his nose.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked. "All the other cabins are full."
Sure," Harry said, indicating the seat. The boy smiled gratefully and sat down.
"Thanks. My brothers won't let me sit with them," he said, cheeks turning red. "Say I'll make them look bad."
"That's not on," Harry said. "They shouldn't treat family like that."
"It's alright," the boy said. "I'm used to it. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way, who are you?"
"My name's Harry. Harry Potter. This here's Lisa Turpin," he said, introducing Lisa who just looked at Ron with wide eyes. Harry frowned, wondering what had happened to the open girl who had been there previously.
"You're Harry Potter? Really? Have you got the- er…?"
The scar?" Harry finished, his voice going colder. "Yeah, I've got it. Anything else I can do for you?"
"Can I see it?" Ron asked eagerly, not hearing the acidity of Harry's voice.
"No," Harry growled. "Get out, please. I don't want you here gawking at me for hours on end."
Ron's eyes were still scanning Harry's forehead trying to see the scar behind his fringe, but followed Harry's orders reluctantly.
"I don't know why you're being like that about it," he muttered. "The scar's cool."
"You're not leaving fast enough!" Harry spat, his voice rising with every word. After that, the boy had fled from the compartment, his trunk still there.
"See what I mean," Harry said angrily to Lisa, who shrank back in her seat. "Bloody fans." He took several deep breaths before turning to her again. Her eyes were still wide and she was watching him apprehensively.
"Sorry, Lisa. I let my temper get the better of me." It took him a few minutes to convince her, but eventually she was back in conversation with him.
"So, what can you tell me about Hogwarts?" she asked. Harry gave a sigh and launched off.
"Well, for a start there are four houses. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Gryffindor is where the brave and noble go, Slytherin is where the ambitious and cunning go, Hufflepuff is the hard-working and loyal, and Ravenclaw is where the intelligent and witty go."
"So, where are you most likely to go?" she asked.
"I don't know. Rita was a Slytherin, but she says I'm rather Hufflepuff," Harry admitted.
"I noticed," Lisa said with a laugh. "Thanks again, by the way."
"You're most welcome," Harry said, giving an exaggerated bow, which brought the two of them to raucous laughter.
At that exact moment, the door opened again to reveal a pale faced boy Harry knew from sight. He was one of the people Rita had told him to watch out for. Draco Malfoy.
"Ah, there you are Potter," he said haughtily, looking down his nose at the two.
"Hello, Malfoy," Harry said, not taking his eyes off the boy.
"You know me? I'm not surprised, my father is rather influential," he said, rubbing a piece of invisible lint off his shoulder. "As are you. You really shouldn't sully your reputation by associating with people like, well, this," he drawled, waving an indifferent hand at Lisa.
"I'll associate with whomever I please, Mr Malfoy. Now, if you don't mind, we were in the middle of a conversation." He turned away to face Lisa when Malfoy burst out in anger.
"Don't think you can treat me like that Potter. You'll be begging for my company come October. You'll see." He turned on his heel and marched out the compartment.
"Finally," Harry said, sighing heavily. "I thought he'd never leave." Lisa giggled behind her hand and once again the compartment opened.
"You haven't seen a toad have you? Neville here's lost one."
Harry turned to face the speaker. It was a large pile of bushy hair, beneath which a girl was mouthing along with the words. Oh, wait a minute, Harry thought. That's not right.
"No, I'm afraid we haven't. Have you tried asking a prefect? Surely this is what they are for?"
"I tried," said the girl with a huff, "But he said 'A missing toad does not necessitate a prefect search'."
"That little-" Harry started, but caught himself. "How did he become prefect if he couldn't use the summoning charm? Come on, the prefect compartment is right next door. Let's ask someone."
Harry stood up and was closely followed by Lisa.
"Thank you," said the girl. Harry noted that the boy, Neville if he remembered correctly, hadn't yet said a word. "I'm Hermione Granger, who are you?"
"Harry Potter," he said angrily. "And seriously, could you ask that anymore rudely? That's twice today." The girl pinked and bowed her head.
"Sorry. I didn't think."
Harry took a deep breath before addressing the girl. "So am I. Just the last guy who asked like that really got on my nerves." They all just stood in the corridor not knowing what to do. "So, we were going to the prefects' compartment, weren't we," Harry said. "Come on."
He pushed the door open to find eyes on him.
"Can we help you?" said a smiling girl with a yellow badge on her chest.
"Yes please," said Neville, finally speaking. "I-I've lost my toad. Could you help me?"
"No problem," said the girl, drawing her wand. "What's your toad's name?"
"Trevor," Neville said quietly. The girl raised her wand and intoned "Accio Trevor the Toad." A few second later a rather squashed toad came flying through the open door. When it landed in her hand it croaked loudly before she passed it over to Neville.
"Wow, thanks!" he said excitedly, petting his toad who looked rather unhappy at the situation. "Come on Hermione, let's get back to our trunks."
The children parted ways as Harry and Lisa returned to their compartment. The rest of the journey went by quickly, and before they knew it they were arriving at Hogsmeade station. A message went out across the train informing students to leave their trunks on the train as they would be taken up to the school later.
Harry got off the train with Lisa right behind him to find a giant of a man calling for them.
"Firs' years. Firs' years over 'ere!"
They were soon joined by Hermione and Neville who smiled in greeting at them. When all first years had gathered they went off after the giant who took them down towards a large dark lake.
"Four to a boa'," he called around the group. The four children sailed silently across the still lake, the image of the castle rising above imprinting in to their minds as the most wondrous sight they had ever seen. Beneath a cliff-face and under a wall of ivy they sailed in to an underground port where they disembarked and were greeted at a wooden door by a stern-face witch.
"Thank you, Hagrid," she said curtly. "I'll take them from here." She escorted them up through a winding labyrinth of dungeons in to a gently lit entrance hall, stairs leading up to who-knows-where. She escorted them in to a side room and gave a short speech.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said shortly. "I am the Head of Gryffindor house, Deputy Headmistress and The transfigurations master here at Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall."
With those short words she became one of the most respected people in the school. Harry noticed many other students were hanging on to her every word in awe, Hermione especially. He gave a small smirk before returning his attention to her.
"The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common-room." Harry straightened up at her words as she continued,
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
She parted from them, leaving the children wondering what to do. Harry spied Ron scratching at the dirt on his nose and Neville was adjusting his shirt collar. Harry half-heartedly tried to flatten his hair but gave up when McGonagall returned to take them through to the great hall.
For all Harry had read about it, it was still a shock to be finally seeing it. The ceiling darkened with clouds, reflecting the sky outside as Harry and the rest of the first years followed the stern witch up the centre of four long tables, from which eyes followed their every move. They came to a stop before a wooden stool with an old tattered hat sitting upon it in front of the head table. As they watched it, a seam appeared on its side and it began to sing.
After its song, the school applauded as Professor McGonagall unrolled a sheet of parchment and read from it a list of names.
"Abbott, Hannah!" A pigtailed girl stumbled out of line towards the hat, where it fell over her eyes before it shouted out loud-
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on the right cheered as Hannah joined them. The process followed a number of times before Hermione was called forwards. She ran forwards and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. She was there for about a minute before the hat called out her house.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Before long, Neville was called forwards. It took a long time for the hat to answer, but when it did the boy was sorting in to Gryffindor and was sitting next to Hermione.
Malfoy swaggered forwards when his name was called out, with the hat being on his head only a moment before it shouted out "SLYTHERIN!" The names went on until, finally-
"Potter, Harry!"
Whispers sprung up around the room as the young boy stepped forwards confidently. He sat on the stool and put the hat on his head, which down past his ears.
"Hmm," said a small voice inside his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of loyalty, but there is fire in there, oh yes. A wish to please, countered by a wish to be your own man. So, where to put you?"
Harry gripped the edges of the stool until his knuckles turned white, thinking over and over "Wherever's best."
"Wherever's best, eh?" said the small voice. "You fit perfectly in to three of the houses. Perhaps… yes, maybe you need the house this time. Better be RAVENCLAW!"
The hall was relatively silent after the hat's words. Harry took it off and walked off to join the rest of the Ravenclaws, catching Lisa's eye. He gave her a small thumbs up of encouragement as he sat next to Michael Corner.
Lisa eventually joined him, looking rather flushed as she sat down on his other side.
"Good on you," Harry said in a whisper as the sorting started to end. Ron Weasley went to Gryffindor and finally Blaise Zabini was sorted in Slytherin before the stool was removed from the hall. Albus Dumbledore rose to his feet.
"Welcome!" he said, and Harry looked at him in shock. Despite his age, he sounded extremely young as his smile stretched across his face. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat back down to applause and cheers. Harry gave a short laugh and Lisa giggled behind her hand.
"Is he mad?" she asked him timidly.
"I don't know," Harry said honestly. "But he is a funny sort. Could you pass the salad, please?" he said, snorting at how Lisa's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of them were now piled with food: meats upon meats were evenly distributed across the table as well as mountains of vegetables. Harry helped himself to a large portion of salad and a roll of bread, bypassing the meat entirely.
"No meat?" asked a forlorn voice from across them. Harry jumped at looked across at a spectral woman floating there.
"Y-you're a ghost," he said, eyes wide.
"I am," said the woman. "Most call me the Grey Lady," she added. Harry went to shake her hand but stopped himself to laughter from the ghost.
"You're the first person to try and shake my hand in 50 years," she said with a small smile. "I hope you are a good person, Mr Potter," she said dramatically before floating away down the table.
"Well, that was weird," harry said, piling more salad on top.
"So, why-" Lisa started before Harry cut across her.
"Why no meat? I'm vegetarian. I was just raised that way."
"Oh."
The feast was soon over and Professor Dumbledore stood again.
"Ahem - just a few more words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students could do well to remember that as well"
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of two red-headed twins sitting at the Gryffindor table.
"I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madame Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Harry noticed Lisa started to give a small laugh, but stopped herself when not many others did.
"He's not serious?" she muttered to Harry.
"He must be," Harry said, frowning at Dumbledore. "He may be a little odd, but he wouldn't say something like that for no reason." His attention returned to Dumbledore as he dismissed them to their dormitories.
"Come along," said an older girl. "I'm Penny. That one there is Nathan Doherty, but don't expect much from him," she said jokingly. "We'll take you to the common room."
They followed Penny up the marble staircases outside the great hall, up giant moving staircases and eventually a spiral staircase leading up to a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. The knocker's beak opened a spoke to them.
"I stretch from the beginning of existence to the very end, yet serve to make your meals a little bit nicer. What am I?"
Silence rang throughout the first years until Lisa spoke up.
"Thyme."
The knocker gave a smile and swung open a hidden door to reveal a room decorated in bronze and blue. A midnight-blue carpet welcomed them to comfortable looking armchairs and sofas, situated around the room leaving plenty of space in between. Bookshelves lined the edges and the children looked around in awe.
"The boys' dormitory is up that way," Penny said, pointing to the right. "The girls' is that way. I suggest you get an early night."
Harry bade Lisa goodnight and went on up the staircase to a room with a sign that read "First Years". He opened the door and found his trunk sitting at the end of the first bed on his left. He pulled his curtains closed and went to sleep almost immediately.
That night, he dreamed of nothing at all.