Disclaimer - All Harry Potter and the characters are property of JK Rowling. I make no money for this, and do it for fun so don't sue!
Harry Potter, or James Dunham as he had become known in the last few months, was finding the whole teaching thing much more enjoyable then he thought he would. He remembered the various teachers he had while he attended Hogwarts and with the exceptions of Lupin and the fake Moody, his teachings in Defence against the Dark Arts, had been severely lacking. It was a wonder he had survived the encounter with Voldemort and for as long as he did against the Beast. Dumbledore wasted no time in offering Harry the job, as he figured. It all pointed to the fact that Dumbledore knew more than he was letting on. Even back then and It was something James was aiming to change this time around.
A soft knock came from the other side of the door, Harry looked up just as the door was slowly pushed open and in walked Minerva McGonagall. She was wearing emerald green robes and a very large black witch cap. He knew why she was here but he let her explain herself anyways.
"James, the students will be arriving on the Hogwarts Express shortly so I wanted to go over a few things with you if that is okay?" Harry rose from his desk and with a swing of his wand, the file on his desk swung closed and it made its way into the desk that he had warded from any prying eyes. He didn't need anyone knowing what he was looking at, not yet anyways.
"Of course Minerva, shall we make our way down to the Great Hall?" The two of them walked out of the room and into the classroom. They passed rows of desks that Harry had set up in anticipation for the first years he would be seeing this year. He would never admit it to anyone from his time, as they had all come to look at him as the hardened leader (Which he was, no doubt.), but he felt hope for the first time. He had to bide his time and play his cards close to his chest if he would change the future but that's why he was here, why Hermione had sacrificed herself to get him here. He was going to make the future better, and maybe instead of the horrors, he would pursue a future where the students were free to live a life.
He hadn't even noticed the absent conversation he was having with Minerva as they moved through the castle. She was going over the schedule for the sorting ceremony and the feast. He had already prepared for his first week so for the most part he was ready for what was in store. I was also pretty sure I remembered my first year at Hogwarts and it wasn't very eventful. Harry thought to himself, maybe he could make life better for himself.
"Excuse me Minerva; there is something I must take care of." He said, while stopping. She nodded her head and continued walking; it was a busy day ahead of the staff and a very exciting day for the students, both the returning and the new students. Harry had a plan to disrupt the influence of the Old Man this early and it required a little bit of ingenuity now. That and some break-in-and-entering.
YOUNGHARRYPOV
Ron and Hermione where following behind Harry as they climbed off the Hogwarts Express and got onto the crowded platform. The rest of the students were heading in there various directions before a very large man carrying a lantern began walking down the platform towards them.
"First years! First years over 'ere!" He called out while walking down the platform. He stopped before Harry, Hermione, Ron and the rest of the first years that had gathered to see the giant of a man walking. Harry looked up at him and smiled, remembering the day Hagrid came and plucked him out of the Dursleys and told him that he was a wizard. It was a great day they spent in Diagon Alley just seeing everything and even getting Hedwig, It was probably the best day in his life, without much of a contest.
"Hiya Hagrid." Harry said while the giant smiled down at him. Harry looked back to see the gaping mouths of his friends as this was the first time they had ever seen Hagrid. After a moment of waiting, most of the other students had made their way out of the train now as it was beginning to roll away as Hagrid motioned for everyone to follow him as he held the lamp up high and began to lead the students through the darkness.
It didn't take them long before they arrived at the side of a lake. There were quite a few boats tied to the docks and Hagrid walked to the furthest boat and attached the lamp to the top of the boat before turning around and facing the group of students.
"Right then, everyone choose a boat, four per boat please." He said and watched as each student made their way to boats. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville climbed into a boat and after stopping Neville from falling into the water as he was climbing into the boat, they managed to get settled in with very few more issues. After Hagrid made sure everyone was inside the boats he walked to his boat and climbed inside before point forward with his wand and shouting back,
"Forward!"
The boats slowly began to detach from the dock as if they had a mind of their own and this worried some of the first years, Hermione knew well enough that it was enchanted to take the first years to the castle with no issues, it still unnerved her that it was moving all on its own. Harry and Ron looked excitedly forward, while Neville just tried to keep the sweets gran had given him from coming up right about now. As they rounded the corner they were floored, so to say, as to just how beautiful Hogwarts sat against the dark backdrop of the sky. The lights were burning away and you could see them in the windows of the school as just tiny pin pricks. It really was a wonderful sight, and not a single student said anything but Whoa, Wow and Look at that.
The boats moved silently across the water and as the school began to grow larger and larger before them until it disappeared behind the rock face all together and they found themselves sitting in a large cavern. The boats were docking now and each of the students was now climbing out of the boats and onto the wooden dock. Harry managed to get out and they made sure Neville also managed to climb up without falling in, Ron and Hermione and soon the rest of the students all got up with no problems then Hagrid pointed them to follow the stairs and watched as each student began to climb up the stairs, once the last student was out of sight he turned and began walking towards the front of the school to get to the great hall.
The first years ascended the stairs in a large horde, and after quite a few flights they rounded one more to find a stern looking woman wearing some emerald green robes and a large pointy black hat. Each student arrived at the top of the stairs and stopped before the woman. She was watching and waiting as each of the students arrived. Once everyone stopped and stopped talking she cleared her throat.
"The sorting ceremony will commence shortly, each student will be sorted into their prospective houses. You will attend classes with your house, you will sleep in the same dorm and when there are no classes, you will spend time with your house in the dorms. Good behaviour will win your house points, breaking rules and disobeying your teachers will lose your house points. At the end of the year, each house points are tallied and the house with the most points will win the house cup. The four houses are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Please wait here." With that she turned on her heels and walked towards the great hall, leaving the students to their own devices for a few moments.
"So, what they are saying on the train is true, Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." The voice of the blonde hair kid rang through the stairwell. He stepped forward to the front of the pack and faced Harry, standing right behind him and slightly to the side were two more boys, both looking angry at nothing. "My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. You will come to learn that some wizarding families are better than others." As he said this he looked directly at Ron before holding his hand out for Harry to shake. Harry looked at it for a moment before looking at the face of Draco Malfoy.
"I think I can sort out the wrong sort for myself thank you." Harry said, snubbing Malfoy completely, before he could say anything however McGonagall returned and waited for Malfoy to step aside before she held her hands up.
"Everyone follow me please."
The group followed McGonagall through the open doors of the Great Hall and once again each and every student was surprised by the sheer scope of the Great Hall. There were 4 long tables running across the length of the hall, presumably one for each house. At the end of the Hall, a table ran the length and it was clearly the table for the staff. They could see most of the staff sitting up their already, including Hagrid. Sitting before the staff table was a lonely stool and on that stool sat an old hat. Each of the students walked behind McGonagall until they arrived at the old stool and old hat. She stepped up and after giving a nod to Dumbledore then turned and faced the students.
"Now when I call your name, please come forward and place the sorting hat on your head. Then when your house is called please go and join them." Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement before she continued. "Okay then, First, Hannah Abbott."
Hannah walked forward and placed the hat on her head and as she did that Harry looked around the room before his eyes stopped up at the ceiling. He could see the nights sky through the roof, but still he could see roof beyond that. Hermione followed his gaze before smiling.
"It's not really the night sky, just bewitched to look like it. I read about it, in 'Hogwarts; A History'" Harry nodded at her then turned to watch as students were being called and everything was running smoothly.
"Hermione Granger"
The bushy haired girl walked forward and sat down on the stool and as the hat was lowered on her head she jumped slightly as the voice in her ear whispered. It took longer than most of the previous students, but after a long deliberation the voice called out to the Great Hall..
"RAVENCLAW!" The cheers from the Ravenclaw table drew attention away from one man who was sitting at the teachers table, the twinkle behind his half-moon glasses was now completely gone as he watched the bushy haired Granger girl head to the Ravenclaw table. He ran his fingers through his beard trying to look uninterested, his attempts went unnoticed by all but one Professor sitting further down the table, the slight hint of a smile on his face. More students were going up now before a name was called that had every sit forward.
"Harry Potter"
A sort of hushed silence fell over every student in the Great Hall and more than one teacher sat forward waiting for the great Harry Potter to take his seat and be sorted. Harry gulped to himself and walked to the stool. As he felt the hat fall over his head, and down his eyes a voice in his ear caused him to jump.
"Harry Potter, back again are we? No... This isn't him, this is you. Interesting, now I see what he was saying."
"What do you mean?"
"You will learn in time Mr. Potter. On one side there is that thirst for knowledge and power. A true loyalty lies within your heart. It's all right here. You would do well in Slytherin, that much is certain."
"No Slytherin, not Slytherin…"
"Not Slytherin eh? You would do well in Slytherin. There a real pull towards Gryffindor every part of me says Gryffindor but now I know the truth. I know where your true power lies Mr. Potter, and if what I have seen is true. Then we are going to need you at your best. So you will be in…"
Dumbledore sat forward in his chair, waiting for the Sorting Hat to do his job. It took a lot of work but he managed to convince the hat that Harry would be best in Gryffindor where his potential would be realized. Where he could be watched and most importantly guided through the years. It would have been best to keep Miss Granger for Gryffindor as her help would have been invaluable, for this year especially.
"RAVENCLAW!" The sorting hat yelled out once again, the entire Ravenclaw table exploded loudly at the acquisition of Harry Potter. Dumbledore however stopped breathing all together. How could this be? The hat was going to say Gryffindor that much he was sure of. Dumbledore glanced down the table at the newest member of the staff who was smiling and clapping with the rest of the school. He stared for a moment but James never looked his way. Dumbledore would have to look into that.
The rest of the students got through the sorting at a blur, Ron Weasley joined the rest of his family in Gryffindor and a pair of twins was actually split up. One went to Gryffindor and the other joined Ravenclaw. As McGonagall retrieved the stool and hat then carried them away Dumbledore stepped forward to the podium and began the start of term notices including the one to warn kids about the third floor corridor specifically to draw the attention of the Harry. There might not be any Quirrell this year but Dumbledore did have a plan or two set.
"Let the feast begin."
As he spoke food appeared on the plates in front of the students. The first years were taken aback by the large selection for a moment or two before they started eating, while the older students dug in right away.
"I'm Penelope Clearwater, the prefect for Ravenclaw," said a blonde girl introducing herself to Harry and the other first years. "You can call me Penny. After the feast, I will lead you guys to the Ravenclaw Dormitories." She smiled at them and turned to go back to eating. Harry turned to the teachers table and looked down the group. Dumbledore looked upset about something and a teacher down at the end was in a conversation with another professor but the one with the crooked nose and the greasy black hair kept looking at him.
"Penny?" Harry asked looking over at Penelope, "Who is that professor? There at the end?" Penny looked up at the professor then smiled slightly before leaning to Harry.
"Oh that's Professor Snape, he is the Potions master but everyone knows he been trying to get the Defence against the Dark Arts job for years. This year though the other Professor, sitting next to him" She motioned to the Professor who was talking to Snape "His name is Professor Dunham, Apparently he knows a lot. Enough to get the job at least."
JAMESDUNHAMPOV
The feast was over now and the students were heading to their beds for the night, James stuck around to watch as everyone made their way out of the Great Hall. He smiled to himself at the events of the night, It wasn't so difficult to convince the Sorting Hat about where to put his younger self, even in the years after Harry always thought that he may have realized earlier what was happening if he wasn't always so distracted by Ron and the rest of Gryffindor and focused on learning. Something he would get a lot of in Ravenclaw. Hermione was definitely one of the brightest witches of this generation and despite everything, He felt in his gut that she would be better to keep his younger self safe.
He heard shuffling behind his chair so he stood up and turned around to see Albus Dumbledore walking forward, He looked troubled about the events of the evening, and James hoped as much that he would be. Dumbledore placed a hand on the chair and looked at James from behind his half-moon glasses.
"Good evening Headmaster" James said while feeling his wand in the holster on his forearm. It wasn't that he expected a fight, but it was more from experience. He had to be prepared for anything.
"Professor, I might have a word?" Dumbledore asked, motioning for James to sit back down. There was no way Dumbledore could have figured it out this quickly. So he sat down and looked into the eyes of Dumbledore. He was also aware of the accomplishments in Legilimens Dumbledore had so he made sure his shield was well in place. He felt no pressure on his shield as Dumbledore continued to stare.
"I know that you are new to this teaching position, so I hoped you were prepared for tomorrow. I could arrange for someone to be in attendance to help keep an eye on things if it would make you more comfortable.." James had a feeling this was more than just this thing going on. He put up a smile and shook his head.
"Don't worry Headmaster, I have enough confidence. Things will run smoothly." James said looking over his shoulder.
"That is good to hear. That will be all for now" Dumbledore continued to walk out of the Hall and James slowly got to his feet looking around the Hall. More memories flashed back in his head from his time and the day he defeated Voldemort. Right here in this very hall. All the fighting and the manipulation and it ended with the great battle Dumbledore was pulling for. It cemented Harry Potter as the leader of the light, the one wizard all dark arts users should fear and it worked, until he returned to Godrics Hollow. Ginny in tow, stopping at the graveyard… He shook the thoughts out of his head and walked out of the Great Hall and into a corridor that lead towards the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. He turned the corner before the sound of hushed talking caught his attention.
"Something isn't right Severus." The hushed voice of Dumbledore was speaking to Severus Snape. "The sorting hat was supposed to put Harry Potter into Gryffindor. It had to have been bewitched; I couldn't sense anything but I want you to do what you can."
"Shouldn't you be talking to your new Defence teacher?"
"Hush Severus… I believe he may be the one behind this." They were both quiet for a long time before they began walking in the opposite direction. It's surprising that anything stayed secret in this school, with the teachers talking like this in the open. After he was sure that they were walking away, James stepped out from the shadows of the corridor and towards his classroom. This year would be one full of surprises, thats for sure.
A/N - Thanks for tuning in once more! I hope you enjoy and don't forget to Favorite/Follow/Review and let me know how Im doing, I love constructive criticism, Im going to do my best to keep things just between the Harrys and try to make it as logical as possible in this world. I also have a few ideas for twists or new takes, and i think from this point forward at the beginning of each chapter i will answer one or two questions in Author notes. Just to give everyone some feedback, Although i wont spoil anything for you. If anyone wants to PM me questions, feel free to shoot it my way. Ill do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.
- Until Next Time.
