Whatever the Weather
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
I am only writing for fun. If you don't like my stories, don't read them.
As soon as the first-years climbed out of the boats and stepped inside the castle, Osiris vanished from Harry's shoulder, where he had been sitting comfortably during the boat ride.
'Oh no, where has he gone?' Harry wondered, however, became distracted by the overall excitement that spread among the first-years, when they came to face Professor McGonagall.
It was only when the first-years stood in front of the high table in the Great Hall and waited for the Sorting that Harry saw his familiar again. To his surprise, Osiris was together with another phoenix, which held a completely different colour. 'It's only red and gold, maybe a fire phoenix,' Harry thought, staring at the two birds that were sitting on two torches at the far away wall in amazement.
He was brought back to reality when Hermione was called to the Sorting Hat. It seemed to take fairly long, before the Hat shouted into the hall, "Gryffindor."
'She must have talked him into it,' Harry thought, 'that's why it took so long.' He absentmindedly observed how his friend sat at the Gryffindor table, where she was soon joined by Neville Longbottom, the boy who had shared the compartment with them on the Hogwarts Express. 'I wonder if he's got his toad now,' Harry thought, inwardly chuckling as he remembered the train ride, during which they had spent a lot of time searching for the toad that seemed to want nothing more than to get away from his owner.
Finally, McGonagall called out, "Harry Potter."
Harry stumbled forward and excitedly sat on the stool, waiting for the professor to place the Hat onto his head. Suddenly, a small voice penetrated his mind.
'Oh this is difficult. What am I going to do with you?'
"Gryffindor please. I want to be together with Hermione," Harry whispered, causing the Hat to sigh.
'That sounds very much like Hufflepuff.'
"No, we just want to study together," Harry whispered, insistently.
'Oh then maybe Ravenclaw,' the Hat thought to him, pensively.
'No, I don't think I'd fit into any other house,' Harry thought, horrified.
'Slytherin would suit you well, too.'
"No, the one who killed my parents was in Slytherin," Harry whispered, feeling more and more annoyed by the Hat, when the Hat suddenly shouted into the Hall.
"Gryffindor."
'Thank Merlin,' Harry thought, as he happily walked over to his new house table, sitting next to Hermione.
HP
'Finally at Hogwarts,' Harry thought, as he absentmindedly listened how the other first-years introduced themselves. 'No one can call me a freak here, and I'm in the same house as Hermione. Neville seems to be very nice, too.'
As much as he enjoyed the delicious food, Harry was glad when the welcoming feast was over and the prefects guided the first-years to the Gryffindor common room. 'I wonder if I can take Osiris into the dormitory with me,' Harry thought, sending a questioning look in the direction of the two phoenixes that were talking animatedly.
'I'll catch up with you in a bit,' Osiris thought to him, before he let out a few comforting trills, and Harry quickly followed his housemates out of the Great Hall.
When he entered the dormitory, he realised to his great surprise that there was a perch, equipped with a small bowl of water and one with phoenix treats right next to the bed in front of the window. 'That must be my bed then,' he thought, feeling thrilled to have his bed right next to the window.
"Oh the house-elves of course know that you have a phoenix familiar," Neville informed him, smiling, as he took the bed next to Harry's. "They're amazing creatures, and Granny told me that they know everything."
Harry spent the next hour talking with Neville and his other three dorm mates, Ronald, Dean and Seamus, who seemed all very nice, before Osiris suddenly flashed into the dormitory, accompanied by a small whirlwind. Harry introduced the bird as his familiar, and Ron introduced his rat, when suddenly Ron's older brother Percy, a fifth year prefect, stuck his head into the dormitory and instructed the first-years to go to bed.
Harry immediately obeyed and lay down so that he could look out of the window. For a while, he observed the giant squid play in the moonlight, before he finally drifted off to sleep with a smile playing on his lips.
HP
In the morning, Hermione was waiting for Harry in the common room. "I can't wait for the classes to begin," she said in clear excitement. "Harry, what do you think which books we need today?"
"I don't have a clue," Harry replied, shrugging. "We didn't receive any timetable or such yet."
"Leave your bags here..."
"... We're going to get our timetables at breakfast..."
"... and afterwards, you can go and pack your bag before heading to class," the red-haired twins, whom Harry had already found very funny at dinner, informed them.
HP
The Gryffindor and Slytherin first-years' first morning class was Transfiguration. The teacher was very strict, however, she was fair and equally awarded house points to Harry, Hermione and Draco Malfoy, when they managed to transfigure their match into a needle.
The following class should be more eventful and not as peaceful. Professor Snape held a long and apparently well studied monolog about the brewing of potions, and Harry, who tried to take notes, had to write quickly in order to keep up.
Finally, Hermione whispered, "Don't take notes of this. Just listen. It's not so important."
"Okay," Harry whispered back and laid down his quill.
"Ms. Granger, ten points from Gryffindor from disturbing my class," the professor bellowed, before he turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter, our new 'celebrity'," he sneered, staring at the boy with obvious disgust. "Clearly fame isn't everything if you need a muggleborn student to tell you what to do in my class."
"Sorry sir," Harry mumbled, however, he did not expect the professor to react in the way he did.
"Mr. Potter," the professor continued, "what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"A sleeping potion, also called the Draught of Living Death sir," Harry replied, remembering that he and Hermione had read about this potion just a few days ago.
He felt all eyes of his classmates stare at him in apparent amazement, when the Potions Master continued to ask him questions. Harry was able to answer the first three, before he had to admit that he did not know the answer.
"You don't know?" the professor sneered, clearly pleased that he had found something to which the boy had not been able to reply. "Clearly fame isn't everything."
Harry could not help blushing profusely, and when he glared at the professor, he heard the first thunder come down on the grounds.
"Keep calm Harry. Don't let him get to you," Hermione whispered in a soothing voice that made Harry relax and the professor see red.
"Five points from Gryffindor for your insolence," he barked at Hermione, before he decided to begin with his class.
Harry had much fun brewing his potion, and the weather on the Hogwarts grounds slowly improved. The first-years had to brew a simple healing potion, of which Harry already knew the recipe by heart, because he had read several potions books during the last month. 'It's really fun to actually brew,' he thought, as he carefully stirred his potion to completion. He had the impression as if the professor was observing his every move, however, to his relief, the Potions Master had nothing to criticize, and the rest of the class passed uneventfully.
HP
"He seems to clearly despise me, but I wonder why," he said to Hermione and Neville on their way to the last morning class. "He doesn't even know me."
"I've no idea," Hermione replied, thoughtfully. "But I hope that he's going to change his opinion upon realising how much you're interested in Potions."
"I really like it," Harry said, smiling. "It's a bit similar to cooking, which I learned when I was three, but it's even more interesting."
"I totally messed up my potion," Neville admitted. "It ended up as a slimy, brown liquid."
Harry quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Mine was a light orange liquid," he said, thoughtfully, "but I don't know what could go wrong to change it slimy and brown."
"I hope Professor Snape will explain it to us instead of just taking points off Gryffindor," Hermione threw in, sighing. "Perhaps we could ask the professor if we may use the Potions classroom after dinner and teach you to brew the potion," she said, thoughtfully. "Let's ask Professor McGonagall to speak with him at lunch."
HP
To Harry's surprise and relief, because he really wanted to help his friend, Professor McGonagall informed them right before lunch was over that they were allowed to use the Potions classroom between the last afternoon class and dinner. Apparently, the Potions professor did not trust three first-years on their first day of classes to properly use the Potions classroom by themselves and busied himself in the classroom brewing two potions at once. Every now and then he cast a glance at the table, where Hermione and Harry were guiding Neville through the brewing process.
When Neville finished the potion, the professor gave it a sharp look and sniffed at it, before he commented, "Correct. I expect that you leave the classroom like you found it when you arrived."
"Thank you for allowing us to brew sir," Harry replied, gratefully.
"Excuse me sir," Hermione threw in, "would you mind teaching us how to clean up our workspace with magic?"
Snape quirked an eyebrow, however, apparently realising that it probably was not the last time that Hermione and Harry would have to help Neville with his nonexistent brewing abilities, taught them the necessary spells.
"Thank you sir," Harry said, happily.
The Potions Master stared at him with an expression of clear annoyance and merely inclined his head, before he pointed to the door.
HP
'He behaved much more civically than this morning,' Harry thought, when he climbed up the stairs towards the Great Hall for dinner. 'I really want to know why he seems to dislike me so much.' He absentmindedly nodded, when Hermione invited Neville to do his homework together with Harry and her after dinner.
However, just when dinner was almost finished, Professor McGonagall came by the Gryffindor table and said, "Mr. Potter, please follow me to the headmaster's office. Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you."
'Oh no, I just hope that he didn't found out that I left the Dursleys and stayed at Diagon Alley during the last six weeks,' Harry thought, when he quietly followed his head of house out of the Great Hall.
"How was your first day at Hogwarts, Harry?" McGonagall enquired, when they walked through the deserted corridors.
"It was amazing," Harry replied, smiling, before he remembered to ask, "Professor, do you know why Professor Snape hates me so much?"
McGonagall cast him an astonished look, causing Harry to tell the professor about the first half of his Potions class.
"Well done for studying so much during the holidays," McGonagall commended him with a small smile playing on her lips, before she explained, "Professor Snape was your parents' classmate, and while your mother was his best friend, your father used to play pranks on him every now and then, and they were not on good terms. Although you're the child of both your parents, from the outside you resemble your father a lot. Maybe it'll take some time for Professor Snape to realise that you're not your father. Don't worry Harry," she said, gently patting his arm, "eventually he'll find out, especially when you're interested in Potions."
"I love brewing potions," Harry replied, smiling. However, by now they had reached the gargoyle that was guarding the headmaster's office, and their conversation was finished.
HP
Harry hesitantly entered the headmaster's office behind his head of house, letting his eyes wander around the beautiful, round office in amazement. 'What a beautiful office,' he thought. 'Too bad that Fawkes isn't there. I'd have loved to get to know Osiris' friend.'
To Harry's surprise, he realised that none other than Professor Snape was waiting for him together with the Headmaster. 'Oh no, what did I do now?' he worried, giving the professors an anxious look.
"Harry," the headmaster spoke up in a friendly but stern voice and motioned him to take a seat.
Harry hesitantly sat on the edge of the empty seat between Professors McGonagall and Snape, wondering why the headmaster was wearing such a grave expression, completely unlike the previous evening in the Great Hall, when he had been wearing a cheerful expression the whole time.
tbc...
A huge thanks to the kind readers who fed my muse - the quick update is my thank you to you!