Disclaimer: I didn't create Harry Potter, nor do I own it, and I'm not making any money from this story.
Warning(s): Some language.
Shoutouts: Thanks to bookaddict19 (I would have given you a shoutout in Chapter 3 but I had a slow moment) and insomniac17 for reviewing!
Recap:
It was Harry and Neville's first birthday party, and they knew it would be the best they would ever have.
Chapter 4: Time for Hogwarts
Before Harry and Neville went off to Hogwarts, they both had very important business at Gringotts. Both of the boys scheduled a meeting with the lawyer that Mr. Malfoy had suggested, but before that, they both had to deal with their family accounts.
Harry met with his account manager, Gnarlfang, had managed the Potter accounts for the past two generations.
"So, Mr. Potter, have you looked over your family account book?"
Harry nodded and placed the book on the table. "I understood most of it," he said hesitantly.
Gnarlfang sighed and said, "I know that it can be overwhelming to come into such wealth, but it is necessary that you learn to manage your family's finances. Do you have any questions?"
Harry shook his head, so the goblin settled on simply reviewing the basic contents of the Potter family account book.
THE POTTER FAMILY:
Liquid Assets - 2,621,000 Galleons / 839 Sickles / 538 Knuts (approx. £ 13,100,000)
Property - Potter Manor (Scotland)
- 8 Magnolia Lane, Godric's Hollow, England
- 12 Kensington Street, London, England
Business Shares - The Daily Prophet (60 %)
- Flourish & Blotts (30 %)
- Honeydukes Sweetshop (25 %)
Harry wasted little time about asking what the business were, and from Gnarlfang's descriptions, he quickly decided that Honeydukes was his favorite.
But then Gnarlfang brought up something very important.
"You're a very wealthy boy, and you must understand that some people will not have any qualms about using you for their own gain."
"I already know that. Mr. Malfoy already told me that he has too much to gain if he has my trust. He won't use me."
"I trust Mr. Malfoy as well. He has redeemed himself in the eyes of goblins. But I worry more about your future classmates. Many of them will pretend to be your friends just for their fifteen seconds of fame."
"I won't let them."
"That's a commendable attitude, Mr. Potter."
Harry and Gnarlfang spent the rest of the morning going over the basics of managing the enormous Potter fortune. After a lunch break consisting of sandwiches and tea, Harry and Neville met up in another room of the bank in order to meet with their new lawyer, a Mr. Michael Townsend.
"Hello to both of you. Now I understand that you have a few legal issues you want me to sort out?"
Neville nodded. "There have been a lot of things written about us and our families, but neither of us has ever given an interview or anything."
"So this is a case of libel?"
"Not exactly," Harry said. "It's just that we never gave them permission to write what they wrote."
Mr. Townsend nodded in understanding. "I can take care of that easily. All we need is to request that they recall all of the books that cited you or Neville as sources, and ask for a public apology. Should they refuse, that's when we would take them to court, but hopefully that won't happen. I can probably have it all take care of in a couple of months."
Harry and Neville high-fived, and walked out of Gringotts Bank with smiles on their faces.
On September 1st, Harry and Neville went to King's Cross Station with the Malfoys. When they arrived at Platforms 9 and 10, Mr. Malfoy said, "Boys, do you see the barrier?" Draco, Harry, and Neville nodded. "Well all you need to do is run straight through that wall and you'll arrive at Platform 9 ¾. Draco, you go first. Try doing it at a run."
Draco took a deep breath, and then charged towards the brick barrier. Moments later, he disappeared.
"Wicked," Neville said.
Harry followed Draco, and then Neville went after him. Soon, all five of them were standing on the magical platform, and the boys were staring in wonder at the scarlet steam engine known as the Hogwarts Express.
"It's a good thing that we arrived when we did," Mrs. Malfoy said. "The Weasleys just arrived, and we would have been waiting forever if we had to go after them."
Mr. Malfoy said, "Boys, why don't you try and find a compartment?" He cast feather light charms on their trunks, so getting them on the train wouldn't be a problem.
Harry, Draco, and Neville walked halfway down the train until they found an empty compartment that had plenty of room. They placed their trunks on one of the racks, then leaned out the window to say goodbye to Draco's parents.
"Remember, it's not the house that matters, but the person," Mrs. Malfoy reminded them.
"And don't get into too much trouble," Mr. Malfoy said. "I would rather not deal with Dumbledore this year." In addition to losing his lordship, he had also lost his place on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Hopefully though, Harry and Neville's endorsement would help him regain both.
Soon the whistle sounded and the train began to move, picking up speed, and the platform slowly faded away.
A few minutes into the train ride, Pansy, Theo, and Daphne entered the boys' compartment.
Pansy said, "We've been looking for the three of you everywhere. How was the rest of your summer?" Shortly after Harry and Neville's birthday party, Pansy and her family went to France for a holiday.
"Good, but I'm ready for school to start," Harry said. Neville nodded in agreement.
"Draco, did you bring your chess set?" Theo asked. "I didn't have room for mine in my trunk."
Draco replied, "Yeah, I brought it. I'll doubt you'll find anyone good to play against. Did any of you practice magic?"
Theo nodded. "My father taught me a few things. Just some beginning transfiguration."
"My mother taught me some charms," Daphne said. "I'll show you." She pulled a wand out of her pocket and was about to perform a spell when the door of the compartment slid open.
"Are you doing magic?" Standing in the doorway was a girl with buckteeth bushy brown hair. "I've tried a few spells myself and they've all worked for me."
"Well of course they would work for you, you got a letter," Pansy said. "What's your name?"
"Hermione Granger," the girl said, not intimidated by the other girls.
"Granger isn't a pureblood surname," Theo said. "You're a Muggleborn, aren't you?" The girl nodded. "Then you shouldn't even be doing magic outside of school. After first year, they send a letter home saying that you're not allowed to practice magic over the summer holidays."
"But we're allowed to," Daphne said. "At least, unofficially, because we have parents who can supervise us, and help us in case we do something wrong. You don't."
Hermione sniffed but kept her head held high. Then she caught sight of Harry and Neville.
"You're Harry Potter! And you're Neville Longbottom! I've read all about both of you. You're in Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century and Modern Magical History. I even read the interviews you gave for the some of the smaller titles."
Harry and Neville rolled their eyes at each other. Although the two books were among the more reliable sources when it came to reporting what had happened to both of them, that didn't mean that they wanted to talk to her.
"We'd rather not talk to some random person we just met about our parents' murders," Neville said. "Besides, we were babies. We don't even remember what happened."
Harry added, "We never gave interviews about what happened, and we probably never will. In fact, the majority of those books are going to be pulled off the shelves. Never believe everything you read in a book."
Hermione recoiled as if Neville and Harry had slapped her, and rushed away from the compartment.
"What an annoying person," Draco said.
The group enjoyed the rest of the time on the Hogwarts Express, and Harry and Neville finally got to try Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. They really did mean every flavor.
When they got to Hogsmeade Station, there was a giant man waiting for them.
"Firs' years over here!" he called.
"That's one big man," Theo said.
The first years were herded into boats, and then they were off. Harry, Draco, and Neville were in one boat, and Pansy, Theo, and Daphne were in another.
The boats glided effortlessly across the glassy surface of the lake.
"Did you see that?" Harry asked Draco and Neville.
Neville asked, "See what?"
"I swore that I just saw a tentacle."
"Oh, that's the giant squid," Draco said. "My father told me about it, but he said it's rare for one to actually see it. It tends to keep to itself."
The fleet of boats rounded a corner, and the first years got their first views of their home for the next seven years. Almost all of them were shocked into speechlessness, but Harry heard Hermione's voice saying, "It's charmed to keep Muggles from seeing it."
Once the docked the boats and scrambled onto the shore, the huge man led them up a set of stairs and knocked on the door with one of his massive fists.
The door opened to reveal a stern looking woman wearing bottle green robes and a pointed hat. "Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here."
Hagrid proceeded inside, and the woman led the group of first years to a small alcove just off the entrance hall.
"I am Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress and the Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts. There are four houses here at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." It was clear by her tone of voice that Slytherin was not her favorite house. "I will be back in a few minutes, and then I will take you to be sorted. You should be sure to tidy yourselves up before I return."
McGonagall turned and left.
Harry overheard a boy say, "My brothers said we have to wrestle a troll."
Draco rolled his eyes. "A Weasley would believe that."
"Oh, he's definitely a Weasley," Pansy said. "Red hair, freckles, hand me down robes, and a disgrace to all things pureblood."
"Hey!" Weasley must have heard them.
Pansy simply flipped her long hair over her shoulder and ignored him.
They began to talk again, but then they were interrupted by shrieks from the classmates. They all looked around, and saw semi-transparent ghosts streaming into the room from the walls and ceiling.
"Oh, look, those must be the new first years," one of the ghosts said.
The students didn't respond, instead choosing to stare at the ghosts in amazement. The ghosts seemed to lose interest in the students, and they resumed their argument over a poltergeist named Peeves.
McGonagall returned a few moments later and had the first years line up in pairs. She then led them inside the Great Hall.
Harry looked up and saw the ceiling twinkling as if it was really the night sky. He heard Hermione Granger whisper, "It's been enchanted, I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
The group stopped in front of a dais adjacent to the teachers' table. On it was a fraying, pointed hat, sitting on top of a three-legged stool. The brim of the hat cracked open, and the hat began to sing.
Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
(From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone)
McGonagall pulled out a scroll and said, "When I call your name, you will step up and I will place the sorting hat on your head. Once you have been sorted, please go to your house's table."
Weasley said a rude word when he realized that his brothers had lied to him, and he really didn't need to wrestle a troll.
Hannah Abbott, a girl with bouncy, blonde pigtails, was first, and the hat sent her to Hufflepuff.
"Bones, Susan."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
After her, Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw and Lavender Brown was the first new Gryffindor. Millicent Bulstrode went to Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle also went to Slytherin, while a boy named Anthony Goldstein went to Ravenclaw.
"Granger, Hermione."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry automatically decided that Gryffindor wouldn't be the house for him. He couldn't stand know-it-alls.
"Greengrass, Daphne."
The hat took a few moments, but then it proclaimed, "SLYTHERIN!"
After a few more students were sorted, it was Draco's turn. The hat barely touched his hair before announcing that Draco was to go to Slytherin.
Then it was Neville's turn. The hat took longer with him then all of the other students so far, but it finally said, "SLYTHERIN!"
The hall was shocked into silence, but Neville stood up and joined Draco and Daphne at the Slytherin table. Soon, his new house began to applaud him.
Theo and Pansy also went to Slytherin. After them, a set of twins, Padma and Parvati Patil, went to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively.
"Potter, Harry."
Once again, the Great Hall was silent. Harry heard murmurs as he walked up to the stool, but tuned them out once the hat was over his head.
'Hello, Mr. Potter. You have quite a fascinating mind there.'
'Thank you, I think,' Harry replied in his mind.
'As interesting as your mind is, I have to sort you. Although you care about your friends, Hufflepuff certainly is not for you. You're quite willing to rush into danger, but Gryffindor is not the place for you. So it will be either Ravenclaw or Slytherin. You have a great mind, but you wish to change many things. I believe that I have come to a decision.'
To the whole hall, the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"
Harry got up from the stool, handed the hat to Professor McGonagall, and calmly made his way over to the Slytherin table. The moment he sat down, the usually reserved house exploded into cheers.
And of course, "Weasley, Ronald" went to Gryffindor.
Once the sorting ended, Dumbledore made a few beginning of term announcements, such as the fact that the Forbidden Forest was, in fact, forbidden.
Harry and Neville had another magical surprise when food appeared on the serving dished in front of them. There was everything from beef and potatoes to Yorkshire pudding and sprouts.
The first years politely helped themselves to the foods that they liked, and then some of the older students approached them.
"Terence Higgs," one boy said, "Fifth year prefect."
The other fifth year prefect was a boy named Miles Bletchley.
A boy who was burly and looked like a troll approached them. "Marcus Flint. Quidditch captain." He eyed Harry and Draco and asked them both, "Do you two play?"
Both boys nodded their heads.
"Good. We don't have a seeker yet, and we have to win the Quidditch Cup. Come to tryouts. I'll deal with Slughorn."
"Professor Slughorn's our head of house," Bletchley explained.
The group of first years tucked into their dinners, and then dug into dessert. By the time the opening feast was over, all of them were extremely full and extremely tired. Once Dumbledore dismissed them, all of the students left the hall.
As they were prefects, Bletchley and Higgs led the first years to the Slytherin common room, which was in the dungeons. A carefully concealed stone door marked the entrance.
"Survival," Higgs muttered at the door. It swung open and revealed a low-ceilinged room with black leather sofas and chairs. Green-tinged light gave the room a creepy air, but the crackling fire made it feel a bit cozier.
"We're underneath the lake," Bletchley explained. "Girls' dormitories are to the left, boys to the right. Go to bed. Meet Higgs and me here at 7:30 a.m. sharp. We will go over the house rules, give you your schedules, and bring you to breakfast. Good night."
While many of the older students remained in the common room, the first years went to the dormitories. The room for the first year boys consisted of six four-poster beds with green sheets and hangings that were arranged in a circle. Each boy had their own nightstand, and their trunks were waiting for them in the center of the room. Crabbe and Goyle took the beds closest to the doorway. Theo was next to Crabbe, Neville was next to Goyle, and Harry and Draco were in the middle.
After changing into their pajamas and bidding each other goodnight, they fell asleep. Their first night at Hogwarts had been amazing.
The next morning, Harry and his year mates woke up early to shower. The found that their gray ties were now striped silver and green, and their solid gray jumpers were also trimmed with their house colors. Sometime during the night, a house elf must have also delivered scarves and hats in Slytherin colors.
As they didn't have their schedules yet, Harry, Draco, Neville, and Theo simply got dressed and went to the common room. They left Crabbe and Goyle to their own devices. The boys were early, but soon, the other first years trickled in.
"Now, for the Slytherin house rules," Higgs said, once they were all assembled. "As all of you know, many dark wizards have come from our house. We must change our image and make it more positive. This means that we must have a united front, especially in front of the other houses. No bickering in the hallways. No fighting. Do nothing that could reflect badly on our house or lose us house points."
Harry could see where he was coming from. Changing the image of Slytherin should be a top priory.
Bletchley said, "Here are your schedules." He passed around small squares of parchment. "Be on time to your classes and try to get on the professors' good sides."
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the first years had Transfiguration and Charms in the morning, then Defense Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, they had Potions and Herbology in the morning and History of Magic in the afternoon. Astronomy took place at midnight on Wednesday nights.
Harry and his friends hastily returned to their dorm to pack their books for Transfiguration and Charms, and then, once all of the first years were ready, the prefects led them up to the up to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Neville managed to stomach some sausages, and Harry didn't do much better.
"Relax," Daphne said. "Our first classes are with McGonagall and Flitwick, and they're both really fair. It'll be fine."
"The only problem is that we share all of our classes with Gryffindor," Pansy grumbled.
The first years headed to their first class early, so when they got there, the bell was just ringing. The only other person in the classroom was Hermione Granger, who head was buried in a book.
Soon, the whole class was present, except for two Gryffindors.
Ron Weasley and an Irish boy came into the room several minutes late. The cat on McGonagall's desk stared at them for a few minutes before transforming into the intimidating professor herself.
"Bloody hell!"
"Language, Mr. Weasley. And don't be late to my class again. You too, Mr. Finnegan." McGonagall then addressed the rest of the class. "Transfiguration is an exacting art. I do not tolerated foolishness in my class. Understood?"
The students nodded.
"Very well. I'll begin with something basic. You will spend today learning to transform a match into a needle." She waved her wand and matches appeared in front of all the students, and then taught them the incantation. Then they had to practice on their own.
To Harry's chagrin, Hermione got it first, and McGonagall awarded ten points to Gryffindor. Harry got it soon after her, followed by Draco, then Theo.
After Transfiguration, they headed to Charms with Professor Flitwick. The small teacher fell off his stool twice when he reached Harry's and Neville's names.
"Today, I will be teaching you how to levitate objects." Large, white feathers appeared in front of every student. "The incantation is wingardium leviosa. Does anyone know the wand movement?"
Daphne's hand was in the air a split-second faster than Hermione's.
"Yes, Miss Greengrass?"
"Swish and flick."
"Correct! Ten points to Slytherin. Now, all of you, start practicing."
Daphne proved to be quite the Charms prodigy, and her father was the first to be floating above their heads.
"Oh, look, Miss Greengrass has done it! Fifteen points to Slytherin!"
Once the class was over, the first year Slytherins went the their dormitory to get their books for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and then went to lunch.
Although lunch was more casual then the opening feast, it was just as delicious. After eating, Harry and his year mates went to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, which was on the first floor.
"Hello, class," the teacher said in a calm voice. "My name is Remus Lupin, but that's Professor Lupin to all of you." Professor Lupin wore somewhat shabby robes and his amber eyes seemed tired, but his eyes lit up when he read Harry's name on the roll.
They spent the class focusing on theories behind defense, and Professor Lupin assured them that they wouldn't be practicing any magic until they had the theory down pat.
When class ended, Professor Lupin asked Harry to stay behind. Once they classroom was empty, the professor said, "I knew your parents, Harry. You're mother was my first friend here at Hogwarts. Your father was one of my best friends."
"Really?" While many people had known his parents, no one had been that close to them yet.
"Yep. I was Sirius's friend, too. And I think these two things belong to you." Professor Lupin went to his desk, pulled out two items, and handed them to Harry.
Harry asked, "What are they?"
"The Marauders' Book of Pranks, and the Marauders' Map."
"Who are the Marauders?"
"You're father was Prongs, you're godfather, Sirius, was Padfoot, I'm Moony, and Peter...Peter was Wormtail. We pulled pranks, got into trouble, and had some amazing adventures while we were in school. Now, I think it's your turn to have some fun."
"Thank you, Professor Lupin."
"You can call me Moony."
And that's Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed it! But seriously...review.