What If...
A/N I don't own any of this sadly it belongs to J.K Rowling.
Chapter 4 - New Adventures.
Everywhere he went that day Harry was followed by murmmers of " Did you see his scar?" and " Look that's Harry Potter next to the tall red haired kid." It got a bit tiring after a while and Harry just wanted people to leave him alone, he wasn't anything special just a normal kid, at least that's what he wanted to be. He didn't want to worry about people gawking at him wherever he went, he had to try and find his classes, while trying not to get lost, the staircases didn't help Hogwarts had two hundred and forty two staircases, some that had a trick step which you had to remember to jump, old ones and ones that led somewhere different on a friday. The ghosts didn't really help especially Peeves who had a habit of sneeking behind you invisible grabbing your nose and screeching " GOT YOUR CONK!"
On the Friday of their first week of Hogwarts, they were sitting in the Great hall eating breakfast, when the post arrived, Harry was surprised to see among the mass of brown and grey, the was a birlliant white which belonged to Hedwig, she flew down infront of Harry landing neatly behind his plate as he undid the letters tied to her leg.
' Dear Harry,
How was your first week? Your father and I miss having you around, there's not as much noise with all of you gone. Ariel also seems a lot quieter now you've gone but I think it's just because she wants to be at Hogwarts too, I mean you heard her and Ginny on the platform, Ginny's been here most days too. I think to keep Ariel company more than anything I mean she is her best friend. Well I have to post this off now other wise it will not get there for the morning post.
Try to stay out of trouble.
We love you.
Mum and Dad. '
' Dear Harry,
It's really boring without you here, I mean I love Ginny to peices but I can't prank her can I?
WE WANT TO COME TO HOGWARTS! Ginny and me, I mean, I guess who else would it be? We're the only ones that arn't there yet. Don't tell anyone but we might be a tiny bit jealous. Actually no forget that. Anyway tell Ron, Ginny sends her love, she's looking over my shoulder as I write, she got really interested when I told her who I was writing to, but don't tell her I told you she'll kill me. Well best get this off to mum so she can sent it with Hedwig for me.
Love Ariel.
p.s. If you need any help with pranks write yeah?'
The last letter had a untidy scrawl that Harry didn't recognise.
' Harry,
I know you get Friday afternoons off so why don't you come to mine for a bit of tea, Bring Ron aswell, I want to hear about your first week. Send your reply back with Hedwig if you can.
Hagrid. '
Harry looked around in his bag for spare quill and quickly scribbled a ' Yes ' on the back of the parchment, tied it Hedwig's leg who took a drink from his pumpkin juice and gently nipped his finger before taking off again. Harry turned to Ron
" What have we got today then?"
" Double potions with Snape, he's head of Slytherin, they says he favours them, we'll be able to see if it's true or not."
" Wish Mcgonagall favoured us."
The bell rang and they quickly made their way down to the dungeons, which were so cold you could their breathe rising into the air. They made their way into the classroom and sat down at the back. The door flung shut with a bang and Snape walked forward his black robes trailing behind him, making him look like a overgrown bat, his hair stood in greasy curtains that hung down his face and his nose was just something else. He stood at the front taking the register like most teachers at Hogwarts paused when they reached his name.
" Ahh, Mr Potter, our new celebrity."
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle snickered while Snape smirked at him, he finished calling out names and began to speak again.
" We are here to learn the subtle science and exact art that is potions making, there is no foolish wand waving in my class, many of you will be sure that it is not actual magic, and I dont really expect you to understand the beauty of it. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death, if you arn't as stupid as the people I usually have to teach."
Silence followed, Hermione Granger was sitting straight backed, on the edge of her seat, as if to tell Snape that she wasn't stupid at all.
" POTTER!"
Harry jumped " Yes sir?"
" What do you get if you added powered root to a infusion of wormwood?"
James had warned Harry this might be coming and taight him everything he knew about potions.
" Well sir... you would get a powerful sleeping potion known as the Draght of Living Death."
Snapes lip curled. " Where you look if I asked you to find a bezoar?"
Harry again knew this one. " In the stomach of a goat." Ron grinned beside him.
" Right, what is the difference between monkswood and wolfbane?"
" They are the same plant that also can be called aconite, sir."
Snape looked furious as he glared at Harry.
" Think your clever Potter. Ten points from Gyrffindor."
The Gryffindors groaned while the Slytherins grinned. The rest of lesson went by, at the end they wern't sure how long they'd been there it had to be more than a hour and a half.
At three o clock Harry and Ron made their way down to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the forbidden forest, Knocking on the cabin door the could head barking
" Back Fang, back!"
Hagrid opened the door.
" Make yerselves at home."
They sat at the table and talked about the first week back, Harry and Ron grinned when they heard Hagrid call Filch the caretake ' that old git. '
" And as for that cat Mrs Norris, I would like to introduce Fang to her sometime, I swear everytime I go up to the castle she follows me round like flies on dung."
Harry and Ron laughed, they started to tell him about Snape's lesson and how Snape dislikes Harry.
" He really does hate me."
" Why would he hate you? You havn't done nothin' wrong"
Hagrid changed the subject to Ron's brother Charlie who was now working in Romania with the dragon's.
*
Harry never thought he could hate someone as much as he hated Draco Malfoy, but all was fine as they only had potions with the Slytherins which was fine, but Harry was not quite so relieved when a notice went up in the common room saying that the first year Gryffindors had flying lessons with the Slytherins on Thursdays. Walking down to breakfast on the Thursday, Harry and Ron were talking about the flying lessons and how Malfoy was just all talk about how good he was at Quidditch, but then everyone was always bragging about how good they were. Hermione Granger was nervous about flying she had gotten ' Quidditch Through the Ages' out of the library to try and help her, and she gladly reading it aloud to Neville who was hanging onto her every word. The post came Harry looked up no white speck amonst the mass of brown and grey, Neville's owl dropped a package in front of him.
" Finally my rememberall, the smoke will turn red when i've forgotten something, the trouble is I can't remember what i've forgotten."
" I'm sure you'll remember Neville, but we have to get going we have flying lessons now. "
It was a bright, sunny day walking out onto the Quidditch Pitch, Madam Hooch was standing next to two rows of brooms.
" Come on now, hurry up, stand next to a broom, put your right hand over it and say up."
" UP!"
Harry's flew straight into his hand, he looked around everyone elses was still on the ground, Neville's was rolling around, mabey they can tell when the person is afraid, but it didn't take a enious to figure out that Neville wanted to keep his feet on the ground by the way his voice was shaking. When everyone had successfully made their brooms come up to their hands, Madam Hooch then told them how to mount a broom without sliding off the end, Harry and Ron were thrilled when they heard Madam Hooch tell Malfoy that he had been doing it wrong for years.
" Right now, on my whistle you will all kick off from the ground, hover for a moment and then come back down."
Before she had even had a chance to blow the whistle Neville in a panic had kicked off and was now rising into the air at a alarming pace first five feet then fifteen. He flew up into the air and then crashed into the wall when he hit thirty feet, he fell off the broom with a sickening crunch. Madam Hooch ran over examined Neville's wrist.
" Now all of you stay here, while I take Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing. If I see anyone on a broom you'll be out of here faster than you can say Quidditch." She said sternly.
She walked away with Neville.
" Did you see his face? The great buffoon." said Malfoy throwing Neville's rememberall into the air and catching it again.
" Shut up, Malfoy." Harry growled
" Want it Potter?" He said while mounting a broom. " Come and catch it."
Harry mounted the broom and kicked off, Malfoy hadn't been lying he was a good flyer.
" Give it back Malfoy! Before I knock you off your broom."
" Is that so? Go fetch." Draco said as he threw the rememberall in to the air.
Harry saw the rememberall fly through the air and he dived about fifty feet, he caught it in hand and the rest of the students on the ground started to cheer. The Slytherins looked livid.
" HARRY POTTER!" Proffessor Mcgonagall shouted. " Never in all my years, could have broken your neck. "
" Professor but."
" Silence Mr Weasley, Potter follow me."
Harry was surely going to get expelled, he followed the professor through the corridors finally coming to a stop outside a classroom.
" You wait here." She said while knocking on the door. " Professor Flitwick could I lend Wood for a minute?"
' Wood ' he thought is that some sort of cane? But he was surprised when a tall fifth year boy walked out of the classroom.
"Harry this is Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team. Wood, I have found you a seeker!" Said the professor.
" You can't be serious!"
" Sure I am, caught this out of a fifty foot dive, Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it. Was that your first time on a broom Harry?"
" Er, no. I play with my dad and everyone when i'm at home, but I usually just play chaser."
Oliver looked as if Christmas had come early.
" He'll need a decent broom professor, either a Nimbus Two Thousand or Cleansweep Seven I think. "
" Well Potter, I think it's best if I write to your parents and explain the situation."
She walked away without another word.
*
" Are you kidding me?"
" Nope. Youngest player in a century."
Harry had just finished telling Ron about what had happened with Mcgonagall.
" I start training next week, but don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep me secret."
Ron just sat, with his mouth hanging open. His steak and kidney pie half way to his mouth when Fred and George walked up to them.
" Congrats."
" Wood's just told us."
" We're on the team too."
" Beaters."
" The Quidditch cup has our name on it this year." said George " We havn't won the cup since Charlie left."
" But you must be good be Wood was skipping when he told us." grinned Fred
" Well we have to go Lee Jordan rekons he's found another secret passageway out of the school." The twins left with a parting wave.
A.N. Reviews would be welcome (: Critism only helps me become a better writer.
