Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters they all belong to Rowling.
The wand makers' apprentice chapter 2
The Dursley's had just left Harry at King's Cross, Harry watch the Dursley's drive away, all three of them were laughing, this made Harry's mouth became dry, and he kept swallowing nervously.
Harry began to panic, he couldn't find the platform he fell desperately onto the gold ticket Hagrid had given him, but the information that it had was that he needed to get platform 9 3/4 before 11 o'clock, it gave no instructions as to where platform 9 3/4 was.
Harry began getting desperate, he stopped one of the passing guard's, and asked him which train would be able to take him to Hogwarts, it was apparent that the guard didn't understand what Harry was asking him, regardless of Harry trying to explaining. He realised that he didn't even know which part of the country Hogwarts stood. The guard began to get irritated, and strode away muttering about kids that wasting his time with silly pranks.
Harry could now feel his heart beating his chest, he looked at the large marble clock atop the arrival board, it was only 10 minutes before the train began its journey without him, suddenly he jumped, his belt started vibrating, he quickly realised that it wasn't his belt that was vibrating, it was the wand attached to it, he held the wand in his hand, and it began to pull him lightly.
Harry's heart leapt with joy, 'this must be how I find platform' he thought, letting the wand navigate him with one hand, while pulling the trolley with the other, it suddenly stopped pulling him between the barrier of platform of 9 and 10. Harry's heart sunk again the wand must be faulty, he began to panic once again, he felt a tear beginning to fall from his left eye, he had all but given up, then he saw a group of people heading towards him.
"Now what's the platform number" a plump woman asked leading for boy all with flaming red hair, and each pushing his own, slightly tattered trunks, similar to Harry's one even had an owl.
"9 ¾" a young girl, also was flaming red, beside the woman piped in "I wish I could go, mum... can I?" she asked her mother pleadingly
"Not until you're old enough Ginny," family arrived in front of Harry "oh hello there, first time at Hogwarts is it?" a plump woman asked him.
Harry sighed in relief, and nodded. "Yes but I…I don't know how to, to get to"
"How to get on the platform?" the woman smiled kindly " not to worry" she said " it's Ron's first time too" she pointed out the youngest of the boys. " all you have to do is walk right up to the barrier between platforms, and don't stop its best to do it at a bit of a run if you're scared. You should go now before this lot" she points to the rest of the family watching behind her.
"Er…ok" Harry turned his trolley around, to face the barrier, squeezed his eyes shut and began to run.
The next time Harry openly eyes, he was standing, and staring at a crimson steam train, and written in gold on the sign above it Hogwarts Express. 11 o'clock.
As Harry got on the train, he noticed a lot of the carriages were already full with Students putting their heads out the windows, and talking to their families and fighting over the seats.
Luckily, he found an carriage at the end of train, one boy was inside it, reading some sort of book with runes on the cover, the looked from his book and smile at Harry, the boy looked familiar, but Harry could place from where.
"You can sit here if you like" the boy said, then helped Harry with his bags, both the reds headed twins he seen with the woman at the platform helped him as well.
"What's that?" Said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar, behind his black bangs.
"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you –?"
"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't' you?"
"What?" ask Harry, confused.
"Harry Potter," chorused the twins.
"Oh, him," said Harry, "I mean, yes, I am" both the twins gawped, the boy gave the twins a weird look, Harry thought the boy probably didn't know he was famous, which Harry was grateful for.
The twins were called away by their mother, leaving Harry and the boy alone, before Harry had time to ask his name, the train started moving, seconds after it did the compartment door slide open and another red headed boy popped his head into the compartment.
"Can I sit here?" he point to the seat next to the boy opposite Harry "everywhere else is full" Harry and the boy shook their heads , and the red head sat down next to the boy, who move so that red head could out the window.
"Hey Ron" the twins were back, Harry felt his face turn red "were going to look at a giant tarantula Lee Jordan's got" the twins then turn to look at Harry "did we introduce are self Harry, I'm Fred, and this is George, and that's are brother Ron, see you latter" and they were gone, before Harry could say bye.
"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out. Harry nodded shyly. "Oh… I though it might be one of Fred and George's jokes" rambled Ron "do you really have the" Ron pointed to Harry forehead. Harry showed him the scar. "Wow"
Suddenly the boy began giggling, and pulled out his book, try to hide behind it. Ron didn't notice or didn't care, Harry thought the first was more likely.
"so is that were you-know-who?"
"yep, but I can't remember any of it, only a lot of green light"
"Wow" Ron said again, and this time he did notice the boy giggling "what are you laughing at?"
The boy sat up, and moved the book away from his face "sorry, I just read something funny is all, I wasn't laughing at you" the flashed Harry a smile, giving Harry another bout of déjà vu.
Ron turned back to Harry and asked him about his family, as he did, the boy, who name was still unknown, also join into the conversion.
"My family died about 8 years ago we all lived in a large manor, there was a fire, I'm an only child now and live with uncle, it was him who thought I better go to Hogwarts, before going into the family business, what about you Ron, you've got a big family, I saw you all coming through the platform"
"Yeah it is kinda big" Ron and Harry were surprised at how open the boy was "I'm the sixth out of the seven in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers, all I've got is this rat" Ron put his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a grayish rat.
"His name is Scabbers, he's boarding all he does is sleep, and he's useless Percy got an owl, for being a prefect but they couldn't affor-I mean I got Scabbers" Ron's turn bright red, the boy looked at Ron's robes and at the rat.
"Your family don't have a lot of money do they Ron" Ron looked as if someone had struck him.
"It's not that we don't have a lot of money, there's just so many of us that-" luckily the carriage door slid opened and a woman with a trolley asked the boy's if they wanted anything.
"Yes, three of each please, in goody bags" the boy handed the women 2 gallons and told her to keep the change, he then handed one of the bags to Ron and one to Harry "on me, I won't take no for an answer"
"So this is Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed, looking at a picture of an old man on the what Ron called a wizarding card with a long moustache and silver beard that was so long that he could tuck it into his belt.
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
Currently Head master of Hogwarts.
Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel.Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling
"Where'd he go?" the boy asked, Harry flipped the card around in his hand, to the picture, the boy was right Dumbledore had gone.
"Well you can't expect him to stand there all day can you, don't Muggles have pictures?" Ron asked Harry.
"They do, but they don't move"
"Do they? Weird" Harry and the boy shared a look, and smiled, and then amazingly, Harry could have sworn the boys eyes changed colour.
Suddenly there was a knock on boys apartment, a girls head popped into the compartment "I'm sorry but have anyone of you seen a toad"
"Yes it was on the opposite side of the train when I got on" the boy answered, and pulled out a box from under his chair "here you go"
"Thank you" the girl smiled, showing her slight large teeth "I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger, this Neville Longbottom" she turn to the boy that Harry only now noticed, she pull the Neville into Harry the compartment, and sat next Harry, she then held out her hand, the boy shook it happily.
"Russell Morris" as he spoke his name, the boy began to change in front of their eyes.
He shrank about an inch, and his cheek bones moved higher on his face, his noise became smaller, as did his ears, then his jaw move out a little, his hair line move forward, and grew about an a centimetre longer from when Harry lasted saw him in the wand shop, and then when his face finally stop moving his hair started changing colours, just like in the shop.
Hermione, Harry, Ron and Neville all stared at him in amazement, Ron finally spoke shaking "you're Russell Morris the world's youngest winner of the Order of Merlin, seventh sorcerer, Warlock of the year, International Confed. of Wizards and master of Spellcraft, why didn't you tell us?!"
Hermione let out an excited squeak "The books said you were a eleven but I wouldn't of thought you'd need to come to Hogwarts, not with all the things you've won,I can't believe I'm actually talking to you"Hermione exclaimed just as, if not more excited than Ron "I mean you even more famous than Harry Potter himself"
"That's not true" Morris turned to look at Harry "is it Harry"
There was another excited squeak from Hermione, then she started speaking rapidly, then Neville's toad, 'somehow' slipped from the box Morris was holding, she got up with Neville, and left, chasing after the thing.
"Well that was fun" Morris sighed, his face changing "wish you could do this Harry" laughed as he changed back into the boy Harry and Ron first saw in the compartment. "Though it can drop like that" he said clicking his fingers his hair turned purple then back again. "sorry I hadn't meant to charge…I couldn't keep it up any longer its the only problem with being a Metamorphmagi you can only hold a full body change for so long" he smiled at Ron. "are you alright?"
Ron was staring at him, he quickly realized what he was doing and looked out the window "sorry" Ron muttered embarrass.
"You're famous too?" Harry asked "you could have told me."
"I wanted to, its just that…I prefer to make friends first before I tell them who I am, and don't point the finger you could of told me you were famous" Morris shot back.
Harry looked at Morris "you really didn't know who I was?" Morris nodded solemnly.
"I've never had the time to find out whose whose, nor am I that interested, unless you created a potion or a wand, then I would be interested, but other than that I've been live with my uncle in the country side, teaching myself to be the best wand make there is, just like my dad."
There was an uncomfortable, but slowly a smile started to spread on Harry's face "how do you…change like that?"
"He's a Metamorphmagus" Ron said, engaging into the conversation, he looked to Morris to see if he wanted him to explain, Morris nodded for him to continue "there people who have the ability to change their appearance at will, it's really rare, but I think my dad said you could learn to do it, but it takes like fifty years or something"
"As the saying goes 'some people are just born luckily', I got the ability from my granddad, but he died before I was born, I was the only one in the family who got the ability after that, I guess it's like getting blue eyes in a family that's all brown" Morris said to Ron.
"How'd you know that I'm the only one with blue?" Ron asked in surprise as he realised Morris was talking about him.
"I told you I saw your family walk through the barrier"
"But that was ages ago, how'd you remember? And you'd must have really good eyes to be able to see from that far away?" Harry said also in amazement.
Morris smiled to himself "being a Metamorphmagi allows me to make my body do all sorts or things, like expanding my memory well only by a little, but as you said, I kinda do have magic eyes for short periods of time I can enhance my strength, my eye sight, my hearing or even heal small wounds, if there not cause by magic."
"That amazing" Harry and Ron said at the same time, making Morris blush turning hair and eyes pink, they all had a bit of a laugh, Harry found himself really interested in the whole idea of being a Metamorphmagi.
"Doesn't it hurt?" Ron asked after awhile.
"Not really, sometimes it does, like when I first started messing around with my senses, at first I thought the headaches were gonna kill me, but I then realised how to control it, I can only do it for a small time depending on what it is I'm controlling, it's really hard and dangerous, and most people think it's away of cheating, but if its my apart of me, why shouldn't I use it to give me an advantage" Ron and Harry thought this though, they agreed, but they also saw why it could be seen as cheating in some circles.
"So what house do you guys wanna be in? I've been thinking, Ravenclaw, but if I want to make more money after school I'd have to be in Slytherin, you know because their more vain, and would more likely buy one of my wands, but then if my wands attract enough attention it wouldn't really matter what house I'm sorted into" Morris said, rubbing his chin in contemplation.
"My whole families been Gryffindor" Ron said, a gloominess entering his voice as he spoke "I don't know what they'll do if I'm not, though I don't think Ravenclaw, would be too bad, but could you imagine what they do if I was in Slytherin, knowing mum she'd probably cook me" he joked.
"Wasn't Slytherin the house Vold-I mean you-Know-who was in?" Harry asked unsure if that was what Hagrid had said, on their way to Diagon Ally.
"yeah…that what my dad told me" Ron said, sliding lower in his seat.
"Who's 'you-Know-who'?" Morris asked curiously, unable to pick up on who the boys' were talking about. Both Harry and Ron looked at him in amazement.
"You really don't know do you?" Harry said, looking at Morris as if he'd grow a second head, which for all Harry he probably could if he wanted to.
"I've never met anyone who hadn't heard of you-Know-who before" Ron said as he moved back up his chair "no wonder you didn't know who Harry was, if you didn't know you-Know-who was"
Harry knew Morris was starting to becoming embarrassed, because his hair began to turn pink at its roots "he's the one who gave me this scar" Harry lifted his fringe "he tried to kill me, but somehow it rebounded killing him in stead…he was evil" Harry didn't try to hid the distasted that had entered his voice as he spoke.
"So that's why-" but Morris didn't get to finish he question, as the compartment door was opened yet again. Three boys entered the compartment, Harry recognised one of the boy as the same pale one he'd seen in Madam Malkin's. The other two boys were as thick in body, as Harry reckoned they were in mind, and reminded Harry of his cosine Dudley on a bad day.
"Is it true?" the pale asked "is Harry potter in this compartment, people are all down the train, is it you?" the boys eyes locked on to Harry's, but before Harry could answer.
"No, I'm over here" the boy swung round to face Morris, who now looked like an exact copy of Harry, Morris looked to Harry, and winked "can I have my glasses back please" Harry was unsure of what to do, but found himself giving his glasses to Morris anyway, and turning to look out the window, so the boy wouldn't recognise him.
It looked like he wouldn't of need to though, as the pale boys focus was now fully on, the fake Harry. "This is Goyle and Crabbe" the pale boy looked to the boys besides him "and I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy" Harry heard Ron snicker, as he pretended to be looking at the passing scenery, in truth he could really see anything without his glasses.
"Think my names funny do you, no need to ask who you are my father told me that all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford" Draco snared nastily. He then turn back to Morris "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there" and held out his hand.
Harry was biting on his teeth, so not to say anything, as listen nervously to what Morris was going to do next.
Morris stare at the boy hand, then slowly shook it "I hope to see you later, at Hogwarts, I'm sure you can teach me all manner of things when we get there" Morris stared deep in Draco's eye, letting his hand drop "but I'm about to get changed into my robes"
Draco side glanced in Ron direction smirking victoriously, he then looked back to Morris "very well, after you've gotten changed you can met me in my compartment, it's just down there" he pointed down along the train.
"There really won't be any point in doing that" Morris spoke carefully "by the time I've got changed, we'll already be there, can't you feel the train slowing already, my guess is that we'll be there in about half an hour"
Draco slowly nodded in agreement "yes your right the train does feel like it's slowing, oh well I see you at Hogwarts" the fake Harry shook his hand again, and watched as the pale boy walked away.
Morris turned back to his real self, or what Harry thought was his real self, and flopped into his seat "you are blind Harry I swear" he said taking off Harry glasses and handing them back to him.
"Why'd you do that, I would never of done that, you didn't even try to defend Ron!" Harry roared angrily, getting to his feet.
Morris smiled to himself and looked at the disregarded wizard card that and fallen from Harry lap as he leapt up, Morris picked up the card, looked at it, than passed it to Ron, he then caste his eyes up to meet Harry's.
Harry started to feel stupid as he stared into Morris's now bright blue eyes, they were so light, bright, and sparkling that Harry found himself distracted by their calmness "I did it because if you get sorted into Slytherin, your gonna need an ally Harry, and I thought the way those boys were guarding him, that he'd be a good one"
"Well what if I'm not in Slytherin, what then? What if I choose not to be" Harry grumbled as he slumped back into his seat.
Morris sighed "Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them but it is our choices in life, Harry, that show what we truly are" both Harry and Ron looked up at Morris "remember that"
Suddenly Hermione's head popped into the carriage again "you need to get change you three, I asked the driver were almost there, how exciting I can't what" she said at what seemed like light speed, then disappeared somewhere down the train.
The three boys stared in shocked silence at where Hermione's head was only seconds ago, looked at each other then burst into laugher.