CHAPTER FOUR
Hogwarts was big, it was magical, and it was beautiful. He fell in love with the castle, for it really was a giant castle, at first sight. His new acquaintances gasped in awe as well when they too saw the mystical castle. This was where he was going to stay for seven years?
"Are these the first years?" A stern woman, tall and more intimidating than Hermione asked Hagrid, who lead the current first years.
"Yes ma'am," Hagrid said in his thick Scottish accent. Hagrid was surprisingly short and sweet, Harry guessed it was because the lady did not look much of a talker.
"Alright, students, my name is Mrs. McGonigal, I am the head of the house of Gryffindor, my job is to lead you all to the great hall, so please follow me." She said as she twirled and started walking. The group followed quietly and in awe as they gazed about them. The Great Hall was exactly what it looked like, a giant hall-like room. The roof was questionable for it was the sky but not, to harry, it was very hard to describe what it looked like, you could see the ceiling, but it was illuminated by a realistic sky. He looked forward and gulped silently as he viewed the many students. There were four rows of tables, all decorated in different colors, each one showed the different houses. At the front of the hall, there was a small stage like setting, one long table sat there, and it was obvious it was the teacher's table, for it seemed only adults sat there. In the middle was a great like throne seat, it was white and looked like a king's throne, in it sat a man in unusual looking colored robes, his eyes twinkled, and he stared at him. Harry felt a cold shiver up his spine, he was not expecting someone to look back at him. He quickly looked away, mind on the little stool and an old wizardry hat, to him it was like a fantasy novel.
His mind wandered, ignoring the conversation being held around him, the blond weasel like boy, who he'd met twice already smirked at his red-headed acquaintance, but quickly got fussed by the stern woman who led them to the Hall. Harry felt like he didn't exist, he was watching a fantasy movie, he felt like he'd wake up any minute in his little cupboard, with his uncle yelling at him to go make breakfast. He breathed in and out, he could do this.
The Hat sung songs. That HAT sang A FUCKING SONG! Harry breathed in and out and calmed himself. He knew there was a warning in that hat's song, the slight glare the king man gave the TALKING Hat, made him feel like something wasn't right. Well, he hasn't felt like everything was alright since the night he dreamt he ran away, but that was another problem to wander over on another day. Then the next part came, and Harry was right about to turn and high tail it. They were calling the first years to sit in front of everyone to get assigned a house. Harry's level of anxiety was next level and the only thing grounding him was Hermione's death grip on his arm, which he greatly held back.
"HARRY POTTER!" Mrs. McGonigal yelled. Oh boy, it went silent. Harry took a deep breath, he walked forward, if his head could fall off it probably would have, from the looks that pierced it.
"Hmph, well, I can't say I've seen worse, hmm, let's have a good look at your head." The voice almost made him jump out of his skin. He couldn't speak, that was how scared he was. Honestly, who expects a hat to speak in your mind.
"Hmmm…. I see great things from you…. Slytherin would do you best…ah, but Gryffindor is where you want to be…your friend? Hmmm…...Slytherin or Gryffindor?" The hat mumbled, he didn't really care which house he was in, but his acquaintances were in Gryffindor.
"In another world, in another life…Gryffindor would have been a good choice for yourself. You have the courage, to be a snake in a lion's den, but snake you are not, nor lion is your stubborn will. Skies are your affinity, but Ravenclaw is too low for one such as you and will not help you in your endeavors. Hufflepuff, for all that they are perceived kind, would make you a shell of who you are, you are not a shell, but more. Slytherin, is best for your fangs are there, but the truth lies in the shadows, and shadows are who will become you. I wish you luck, for this life is not forgiving, but those that you hold dear are there for your taking. You will do more than survive, Childe…. SLYTHERIN!" Harry had to breath, he had to move, and he had to sit. All of which he did while the entirety of the population of this castle stared at him. He was terrified. He slowly piled his plate, with very little if comparing it to most of the table. He nibbled on the toasted bread as he felt the rest of the school do the same. They ate in silence, not even the king man's speech held such a distraction from all the whispers, the glares, and the majority of the obvious separation between him and his suppose housemates. Just breathe, he told himself.
Once the feast was done, and his nerves reached a new level of height, he followed the first years to their dorms. No one talked to him, no one looked his way, in fact, he was pointedly ignored. He swallowed the lump in his chest and breathed through it. As they made it to their destination they were stopped.
"There is no password, to get into the Slytherin dorms. You must answer the three questions, each is said in riddles, and all will be left for you personally. Do not fret, each person will know the answers, now remember, we stick together, got it." The prefect head girl of the Slytherin dorm spoke, all handing out information of the rules and the ways the dorm works. After answering the three riddles, and allowing all of them in, Harry got to see the common rooms. He breathed again.
He was starting to feel his chest tighten, this was all too much for him, but he breathed through it again. He followed the others as they gathered around the prefects, there names forgotten on him. He watched in slight awe as a man dress in billowing black robes, glided into the common room. The older students making way for him to walk. He looked intimidating, the sneering glare he showed, gave him the cold shivers. His eyes though, held a different look as he surveyed the children, though when his eyes landed on him, Harry saw them hardened, and felt them burn as cold as ice. Oh great, he really was not welcomed. He breathed. He listened as the man turned back to the rest of the students and lectured, his voice held a no-nonsense tone, and Harry knew this man was a force to be reckoned with.
"You are all Slytherins, snakes, and as such you will give your house the proper respect. If you have problems you will find who you need to talk to, do not go anywhere alone, unfortunately, the other houses do not like us, and you will find they are not very forgiving." The Head of House, Professor Severus Snape, as he called himself lectured. His eyes piercing every student yet he out right glared at Harry. Harry just breathed, and tried to ignore it, it was better that way.
"Now you all may leave, however Mr. Potter, stay behind." Harry withheld a flinch, oh boy. He waited behind as he watched everybody leave down a long hallway, all picking doors to the right or left. He guessed those were the dorms. Once the students were gone, he looked toward his head of the house, and almost took a step back. The man was looming over him, glaring at him, and if harry didn't know any better the man seriously hated him.
"Mr. Potter, I heard you are a little celebrity? Hmm, I don't know how you tricked the hat into making you one of my snakes, but I will tell you this, you are not a snake, and nor will you ever be one of my snakes. I will be watching you. One wrong step, and I will take great pleasure in expelling you and snapping your wand."
"um...Professor… I didn't trick the hat, sir…The hat put me in on his own accord." Way to go Harry, dig your own grave. If the man's glare could get even more intimidating the man could have just gutted him with it. He just had to breathe.
"SILENCE. Do not talk back to me boy. Just like your father, hmm, you will find that your mischief ways have no room in this house." The man turned and billowed away. Harry stood there his chest tightening, and he felt like he couldn't breathe, he needed to breathe. He turned and walked down the hall that he saw the others walk down. What he thought was just a hall with doors turned into a corridor. It led into another corridor, that held two entrances to another hall one was labeled boys, and another girls. He followed the boys, and it led to a set of corridors, all labeled with the years, he followed the first year, and noticed the each door along the corridor was labeled with names, and as he came to the end on the right, there was his name. He slowly opened the door and was a surprise to see a bedroom. It was his own bedroom. He looked around, and noticed a door connected, he felt his chest constrict, was this connected to the other rooms. No, as he opened it, he noticed it was a bathroom, a perfectly sized bathroom for one person. He felt overwhelmed, the highly decorated and huge space was too much for him, everything was too much form him. He walked back to his bed, he took another look around, there was a wardrobe, a desk, a huge bed, bedside tables, a bathroom, a huge tube, a sink, and a toilet; this was all too much for him, a boy who lived in a cupboard.
As he laid on his bed, he felt a wetness to his cheeks, and as he felt to touch them, he noticed it was his own tears. To a dark more intimate mind of his, he pictured a mangled bird in a bigger, fancier, chained cage, the chains lined with thorns.
hmm...I'm not very proud that I didn't get Hagrid some more dialogue
however, I have to research how to write his accent
I want to be as authentic as I can, considering I butchered
so horribly at that with Ron, Harry, and everybody's British accent
I'm ashamed lol, but it's for the story! I do my best
Hagrid will have his parts.
But Severus...
Y'all I don't know what I really should do with him.
Originally, I wanted to make him an adult figure in Harry's life, like a true one
But
What I have planned for some of their pre-Adult Figure scenes was too
Much
To let a spark of more than just be there
I mean how do you trust a man that literally snobs him worse than Veron.
Speaking of the Walrus...hehe...I am not yet finished with Chapter Five.
as of now, nor have gotten to the summer scenes.
But...I got a lot to plan.
Oh, and before I forget... Hary's whole...Breathing thing
Yeah
That's gonna be a constant temporarily
To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be a thing
I was more or less gonna add it here or there
But
I use the same, breathing in and out techniques, in my personal life to help my nerves
It helps, and since I emotionally invested into harry a little more
I subconsciously added that.
Good thing though, it will be temporary
Hopefully.