Chapter 4 – – Hello Hogwarts et all
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I received my school letter and was planning a trip to Diagon Alley to get my remaining school supplies when I received an owl from Madam Bones. Madam Bones requested that I stop by her office so I decided to also make that my school shopping day.
My first stop was the wand maker in Knocturn alley to pick up the wand I was going to wave around at school. The Wizard books that I had read stated odd facts that if you weren't paying attention you assumed some idea or fact that wasn't correct. Like Hogwarts was the premier school in England. Of course it was, it was the only school in England. Wandless magic was something I didn't want to advertise since the Wizard books considered it impossible to perform. Then there was the wand maker and the shock he provided when I led into his back room. There leaning against the table was a staff that was as tall as I am. While it was totally different it reminded me of the Lady with the staff.
"That's one fine piece of work if I do say so myself."
"How to hell am I going to carry this around no less wave it around while I'm at school?"
"Don't worry kid the staff will shrink down to wand size but before you touch it I'm warning you, don't put any magic through that staff yet."
The staff was a nice brown polished wood. The carving from the floor up to the figure on top was quite intricate. The staff was topped with a figure that looked like a house elf with bulging eyes but the small ears sagged as if in disappointment. Each of the elf's eyes were large green gem. On the top of the elf's head was a carved bone guard that looked like a quarter moon, also coming out of the top of the elves head and in the middle of the guard was a horn hilt which connected the points of the head and the quarter moon guard.
The wand maker was still explaining..." Your going to cause quite a stir with this little piece of work. The green eyes are the focus so you'll be pointing them at what you want to deal with not the pointy end of the wand. So without forcing magic just grab the horn hilt and think the staff is a wand. Just remember when you shrink it down to the size you are also shrinking down how much power you can put through it as your wand. That's why you best be finding a very isolated areas to test out these jewels in its wand size and when its a staff."
/Scene break/
Madame Bone's office later that afternoon:
"Harry it's nice that you could stop by as I have some news you might not like to hear. Our illustrious Albus Dumbledore swears he was nowhere around Privet Drive and has witnesses swearing to that fact. As for his henchmen, Dumbledore intervened and while they got heavily fined they also got off without going to Azkaban."
"Auntie are you busy?"
"Not all Susan, Harry and I are just finishing up. Susan is my niece and..." Madam Bones never got to finish.
"Auntie has been talking quite a bit about you Harry. Have you done your shopping for Hogwarts yet?"
"No I was hoping to finish my remaining school shopping today."
"Well then you'll just have to come with us. Auntie has provided a guard for me so we can do all our shopping together. That way you can tell me about all of your adventures and we can have lunch together. Doesn't that sound really neat?"
Amelia Bones was mentally shaking her head and asking herself, where did my shy little niece suddenly disappeared to and how much longer is it before she'll need a guard permanently assigned to keep her boyfriends out of trouble.
While I enjoyed the company I could have skipped the treadmill that morning. Susan was rarely let out to visit places like Diagon alley and only then accompanied by an adult guard. Susan found each shop interesting and a new experience to share with her new friend. Of course we had a mandatory stop in the morning at the ice cream parlor, the Leakey cauldron for lunch and another stop at the ice cream parlor in the afternoon. After all we were only eleven years old and our pockets were full of galleons.
/Scene break/
Last night brought more yelling and screaming from Vernon who is now out on bail but in the end I think I made it clear enough to him that no one was to enter my room while I was away. I think the final selling point to my demand was when I threatened to rent out all of the spare rooms to unwed mother's with newborn children.
After calling up a cab and grabbing a bite to eat here at the Kings Cross train station I was on my hunt for platform 9 ¾. I was very glad that I had asked while having lunch the other day at the Leakey cauldron. I had been asking if there was anything unusually magical about platform 9 ¾ as with everything else in the magical world. The bar's patrons were happy to tell me all about it unlike the letter that just told me nothing but to be there at 11 o'clock.
I boarded the train and stowed my trunk in a compartment in the last car of the train. I then headed up to one of the middle cars and enter a compartment so I could watch out the window with a view of the entire platform. I was now in Dumbledore's area of influence and I thought it was wise to see if anything unusual was headed in my direction.
My memories do not provide a day by day replay of the future, so mostly all of this was all new to me. My latest memory was of Voldemort peaking out of a turbine wrappings who I knew wanted some kind of a stone or maybe to get stoned. Who he was or where he could be found was all a fuzzy mess. I had no specific information, just like the stone, what stone? The Lady with the staff was indeed correct when she talked about all the different side streets to the future, I just wish I knew where I could get a route planner to see what lay on the different streets. Just then a blond headed kid strutted onto the platform. Who he was I had no idea but I did know I didn't like him and that I shouldn't turn my back on him. Suddenly it clicked into place in my memory as it told me that this was Draco Malfoy who ever that was.
I was about ready to return to my compartment when the compartment door slid open and a redheaded kid stuck his head in asking, "Mind if I sit here everywhere else is full."
"Help yourself." I said as I pointed to the bench across from me. As he was putting his truck on the upper rack I stepped out of the compartment and headed to my own compartment. I did notice numerous empty compartments as I headed down the corridor and to the last car.
"Harry wait up for us!" Susan came rushing up dragging a smaller blonde headed girl who had her hair up in pigtails.
Once we had taken our seats in the compartment, "Harry this is Hannah Abbott my very best friend in the whole world."
I got as far as saying, "Nice to meet you Hannah I'm..." The compartment door slid open revealing a girl with wild hair who said," I'm looking for a polite compartment so if I'm intruding I'll leave."
"No please come in as your most welcome." I said wondering what she was going on about.
"I'm Hermione Granger and it's nice to find out that not all the magical's are not rude and crude." Hermione sat next to Hannah as I slid her truck underneath my bench.
"Sounds like you have a tale to tell." Susan hinted for more information.
"I was with this one girl who recognize a friend so we joined him in his compartment. The next thing I know he's yelling and screaming at me for being a dirty Mudblood and get out as my filth was already contaminating the air in his compartment. At that point all I wanted to do was find some place to sit. I found a compartment with only a red headed boy in it so I asked if I could sit. The arrogant little idiot tells me to get out as this was Harry Potter's compartment."
Susan and Hannah started explaining to Hermione that some in the Wizard world thought themselves better than others. Hermione was shocked to find that she was considered on the bottom of the compost heap. I had a good idea who Hermione was talking about and found it interesting that Harry Potter had a compartment further up the train.
The compartment door again slid open showing two more girls. "You mind if we join you for a few minutes were trying to evade an arrogant little shit." Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis joined our compartment and remained for the rest of the trip.
It's hard to get a word in edge wise with five females in an enclosed space. Susan never completed a proper introduction and my introduction of myself was cut off. In the end the compartment knew me as Harry and not Harry Potter. It was interesting just how much these girls knew and wanted to chat about. I learned quite a bit about Draco Malfoy and his family along with Ron Weasley and his family. They even discussed the pecking order between their own houses. The conversations slid from their personal homes to which Hogwarts house each person wished to be selected into. When they looked at me I stated, "There is no doubt that I'll be in Gryffindor house."
"Nobody knows what house they'll be in until they're sorted." Tracy stated as if it was an absolute fact.
"While I'd like to enjoy the peace, quiet and camaraderie of Huffelpuff house I will nonetheless be sorted into Gryffindor house."
"Yes tell us how you can be so sure which house you'll be sorted into." Daphne gave me a stern look like a better answer right now.
I really didn't want to say who I was or am or whatever, when I was again saved by the compartment door sliding open." Hi mate, what you doing down here, I've been saving our compartment for us and the chessboard is all ready set for a game."
"No thank you I'm quite happy right here."
"But there is no room for me to sit down. Maybe one or two of the girls should leave."
"No I have a better idea. Why don't you make sure our compartment is not filling up with some other students and I'll head down that direction in a little bit."
"Oh! Right mate. We wouldn't want to lose our compartment to some slimy Slytherin snake, see you in a bit."
After the compartment door slid shut, Hermione had a word, "He really can't be that stupid can he?" I just shrugged my shoulders.
The conversation started about how stupid people could be and jumped around and in the end the trip didn't seem long at all.
We left the train we saw bobbing lamp over the heads of the students and heard, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Firs years follow me!"
As we stumbled along in the dark Hagrid as I remember him seem to know who I was and had a few words to say on the way to the boats. "Like I said to Dumbledore that I be happy an' be deliverin' your letter ter ya' but he be saying don' be worryin' it be all taken care of an' all be needing of me to do is pick up a package in vault seven hundred and thirteen. Great man Dumbledore trusted me with that important package."
Hermione looked like she wanted to ask the who, what, where and when about the package but Hagrid moved on toward the front of the line. Susan however leaned over and said, "That was weird it was almost like someone wanted you to have that information." Susan started to giggle.
It was dark when we loaded onto little bitty boats for our first view of Hogwarts. After Hagrid left us in a better lighted area I noticed bruises on Draco's face. I turned to tell Hermione that her favorite person appeared to have had a problem of some sort when Weasley and Malfoy exchanged a few words and started throwing punches at each other.
By the time Professor McGonagall opened the big doors to the great Hall Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley were wrestling on the floor and were still attempting to punch each other's lights out. Professor McGonagall continued the entertainment as she put a 'Petrificus Totalus' spell on them both before giving them both detention before they even entered the school. She then Levitated both into the hall and propped them against the wall only unfreezing them when there names were called.
All the new students were called to the sorting hat, Greengrass and Davis went to Slyterin while Susan and Hannah went to Hufflepuff. Hermione went to Ravenclaw and I of course got the Hall's total attention which I wasn't thrilled about. When the hat covered most of my head all whispering in the hall disappeared.
"So where shall we put you Mister... Circes dripping shorts!
À tout à l'heure, je continue ma tournée..."
"WHAT!" I yelled as I was a bit tense.
" What? Who? Whoops, sorry about that. Do you know that you have a very unusual section in your head Lord Potter?"
" Is that you hat?"
"Yes, sorry about that, I ah, kind of, ah, jumped into the other section of your memories and then fell into your current memories."
"Can you fill me in to what you saw there, the Lady with the staff arranged it so that I only get see a little bit at a time."
"Lord Gryffindor believe me when I say you do not want all of that information all at once. In fact I'm not sure you even want to know that information."
"You will not however reveal to anyone else what you saw?"
"Mister Potter you have my word I will not be telling any human anything I saw today, besides no one would believe me."
"So just yell Gryffindor as we both know that's where I'm going."
"Actually you would end up in Slytherin if I did not see that special section in your brain."
"Gryffindor" the hat yelled.
Weasley's was sorted into Gryffindor and made a beeline in an attempt to sit next to me. It was obvious that he was disappointed when he saw that Neville Longbottom was on my left Dean Thomas was on my right. He scooted around the table so he could sit across from us at the table.
Dumbledore rose and appeared happy to see everyone in the Great Hall. Dumbledore's welcomed was short and again nitwit! Blubber! Augment! Tweak! At that point the tables filled with food. Everybody was talking with someone about who they were, where they came from, while they shoveled food onto their plates. I wish my memories provided a warning as Ron Weasley started to stuff his face with both hands and then attempted to talk. All he accomplished was to spray partially chewed food across the table and in my direction. Enough was enough I got up and headed down the table and found a seat between Angelina Johnson and Lee Jordan.
"Hey what's the firsty doing down here?" Either Fred or George asked.
"I'm sorry to say but your little brother has the table manners of an un-train swine. So while the others may like additional seasoning sprayed on their food I find it slightly repulsive. Past me the treacle tart. So are we going to take the Quidditch cup this year?"
"You do know you're sitting with most of the Quidditch team right now don't you? Lee Jordan asked.
"Well, being I'm your new seeker for this year I thought I would join the rest of the team here at the table."
"You know you're quite a smart ass for being a firsty. Besides first years are not allowed to play Quidditch." Johnson laughed.
"You know the rules say the first year is not allowed to have their own broom but there's nothing in the rules that say a first year cannot be on the team. I'll just borrow one of the school brooms."
I notice Snape looking in my direction as Dumbledore started his start-of-term notices which dragged on until the ending," 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."
The school song was finally finished so we were herded up to our dormitories. It had been a long day so I prepared for bed. I put a shocking charm on my trunk and stripped down to my skivvies before falling into bed. I also put up silencing charm around my bed as I had a memory leak and remembered Weasley's tendency to snore like a buzz saw.
/Scene break/
Bright and early I was out running by the Lake in an attempt to get this body into shape. I was finding that getting into shape was all too easy. I followed up my run with nice shower and dressed for the day. Replacing the shocking charm on my trunk I headed down to the common room where I found Neville. We headed off to find the Great Hall and breakfast.
" You seem to know your way around Hogwarts Harry."
"Neville, Hogwarts is kind of like home to me and it all just feels right."
"I wonder what our schedule is going to look like?"
"We all have the basic classes we have to take." For a moment I just wished I could take runes as a first year and drop potions immediately. I really wasn't winning the war with myself as my memories dropped information about our first portion class with good old Severus Snape. That was followed with a biography of Voldemort and I had an idea of why the hat said I didn't want to know.
/Scene break/
" Ah, yes, our new – celebrity." It looked like Snape wasn't taking any new roads into the future.
I figured I might as well get my destiny started off with a detention and some fun..."That's right Professor I am the kid that took out Voldemort but if your really nice you can call me Harry."
After the squeaks and gasps ended...
"Do not use his name it's you-know-who you insolent brat."
"Okay Professor if you don't want me to call Voldemort, Voldemort, then I'll use his real name which is Tom Marvolo Riddle. You know that half-blood from Little Hangleton. The letter of his name makes up the word Voldemort you know?"
"Detention Potter!"
"Thanks Professor I'm sure to put in a good word for you to Dumbledore when he calls me up to his office this evening."
"That will be ten points more for cheek Potter."
I gave Snape a big smile as he snarled at the class to do the boils potion which was written on the chalkboard. Snape stomped over to his chair behind his desk looking like he could kill. I was thinking about the Lady with the staff and what she had told me about having fun so I wiggle my finger and I weakened the chair legs so Snape came crashing to the floor.
"That little trick cost you thirty points from Gryffindor Potter!"
"Hey Prof, first year here, with no wand out, how is it my fault your over weight?"
"It'll be another ten points for speaking out of turn Potter." I just shrugged my shoulders and stirred the potion.
I don't know if it was my subconscious manipulating magic but I do know it wasn't intentional, well at least part of it wasn't intentional. I figured if Snape was going to cost me points that I was going to cost him some embarrassment. As Snape was walking along in front of the workstations, sneering into cauldrons, I flicked my finger and hit him with a tripping spell. To my glee he tripped face first to the floor but then karma struck. Neville's boil potion exploded sending it to cover one Professor 'I'm on the floor' Snape. Snape screaming curses and covered in boils ran out of the classroom. We assumed he was headed for the hospital wing.
Not too long after that the end of class gong rang. I stepped out of the classroom to head to the Great Hall for lunch. The next thing I knew I had Lavender Brown on one arm and Parvati Patil on the other arm. They escorted me in that manner all the way to my seat in the Great Hall. This of course did not go unnoticed by Fred and George who commenced dual ribbing about being too young to have a harem.
"You have got to hear what happened in Potions today." Parvati whispered to the twins.
"Man did he prank Snape good!" Ron said loud enough so the entire hall could hear, which of course included Dumbledore.
"Honest guys I didn't do anything like that."
"Yeah, right. At least you stood up to the Git." Seamus proclaimed as he patted me on the back.
"And you see the look on his face when you kept using you-know-whose name?" Dean asked between laughter that was starting at the table.
"Harry you think he will be mad at me? It was my boil potion you spilled on him." Neville asked a shaky voice.
"Neville I tripped him, but I didn't pour that potion on him... Oh Shit! Did I just say that out loud?"
"Mr. Potter please report to my office after lunch." Headmaster ordered.
"Dam Harry are you psychic? You told Snape that you would be in the Headmasters office today." Parvati asked in astounded voice.
That's when the twins really started the ribbing over the famous seer Harry Potter pranking Snape the Greasy.