AN: I'll incorporate snippets from James' and Lily's journals from time to time. I think it might be an interesting way for Harry to learn more about the magical world through his parents' eyes. Tell me if you think that's a good or bad idea. There's a reason why there are no portraits in Potter Hall. Harry and you will find out in time.
Last time: Harry and Liara arriving on Earth, Potter Hall, Diagon Alley and a chat with Dumbledore
This time: The Hogwarts Express, The Sorting
"Uhm... Sir, you almost make it sound as if magic is alive," Harry asked, half jokingly.
"And who's to say it isn't?" Dumbledore chuckled.
Harry only heard a groan and a series of thuds that sounded suspiciously like Liara's head hitting the table.
Chapter 9: Onwards to Hogwarts
Saturday, 31 August 1991
20:49
Potter Hall, Master Bedroom
With a heavy thud Harry closed the lid of his new trunk.
He had found the thing in one of the many cupboards of Potter Hall and promptly drafted it for his use. Harry had been introduced to the space expansion charm - as Remus called it - in the past and was only slightly fazed by it by now. When Liara and he had first discovered the space altering properties of the cave on Medes they thought it to be an artefact of advanced technology. Now Harry wasn't so sure anymore. Was magic just something insanely advanced or fundamentally different than technology? One thing was certain: He was going to do his best to find out.
The trunk was taking things further than merely messing with space. That the inside was bigger than the outside was at least halfway plausible, but seven completely separate pockets of inside-space that occupied the same outside-space was taking things too far. That couldn't be explained by curved space anymore - different dimensions had to be dragged into the fray.
Yet that was exactly what the trunk did: Providing seven independent compartments, each bigger inside than the trunk itself. They could be accessed individually through unlocking seven different keyholes at the trunk's front. Harry wondered what would happen if two or more keys were inserted and turned at the same time. He didn't dare to try it, though.
For now he only used four compartments. One to stow his clothes in, one for his school books, another for a more advanced selection of books and the last to keep his school supplies, including the hated quills and parchment as well as several 'normal' notebooks, biros and his fountain pen.
Having finished packing for the next day, Harry undressed for bed. He had no use for pajamas. Over the last four weeks he had gradually made himself at home in Potter Hall, although he still slept on the Alexandria most days. The four weeks after the talk with Dumbledore had been insanely busy yet there was nothing much to say about them.
The same evening he had his talk with Dumbledore, Benezia, Liara and Harry had a short family conference. They agreed to tentatively trust Dumbledore, even though he obviously held some things back.
The wizard had made mistakes but Benezia was quick to remind them that for a man in his position he simply might not have the time to personally check up on everything. Besides he wasn't the only one at fault. Harry's teachers and neighbours should have intervened, not some old man in a far away castle. The Matriarch knew well how demanding a public life could be. She herself had spent far less time with Liara than she had wanted.
Liara and Harry had decided that Potter Hall was as good a basis of operations as any other and gradually the Asari spent more and more time there. That also served to ascertain if the simple cloak she had used in the past which had fooled the muggles quite nicely worked also on unsuspecting wizards. After Remus had not noticed her for a whole afternoon where she sat on a nearby table in the library during one of his visits they had their answer.
Potter Hall was amazing but strange. Things like the stove in the kitchen were terribly out of date, even for Human standards, but there were also comforts to be found that were hard to fathom. Both Harry and Liara spent hours exploring the house and the sometimes strange appliances like the magical washboard that took care of the laundry or the beds that made themselves.
It also didn't seem to have pipes, at least no inbound ones. Water simply came out of the tap.
From there plans were made to upgrade the manor with Asari technology. They knew from Dumbledore that the wards extended fifty meters from the house in every direction. The wards prevented everyone access by magical means like apparition and portkey and the house itself was only accessible by direct invitation. The floo could be used to call but Harry had to admit anyone entering that way individually.
It was a solid foundation, but reading up on wards made it clear that they were a temporary deterrent at best. Wards could be broken with enough time and effort. Voldemort especially was famous for being able to utterly destroy wards that took normal wizards hours to break. It was one of the many things that had made him so dangerous.
The upgrades would have to remain well hidden. The most vital parts were a portable fusion reactor to provide energy and a ship strength kinetic shield. Together with an array of detectors it could keep anyone out if needed. At least they hoped it would.
Liara would start on the upgrades as soon as Harry was at Hogwarts along with everyone's focus. Meanwhile she oversaw the digitization of the Potter library and tried to reduce the number of questions they had. She wasn't all that successful, even with Harry's help.
Other than the continued visits of Remus and Hagrid, Harry spent his time studying. Some of it was his actual schoolwork, but there were other subjects that held his interest as well. Half the time was spent on his wandwork, like Ollivander had suggested.
Grinning Harry pulled his wand and performed a simple teeth brushing charm. The little tidbit of information he stumbled on in his father's journal had been a godsend.
Today something strange happened. I completely forgot that I wasn't supposed to do magic at home. Honest! I just forgot!
Personally I blame the nine months spent at Hogwarts where reaching for my wand to do even the most mundane task has become second nature. It's only natural that on my first day back I forgot that I had to use a toothbrush and not my wand. I was half asleep for Merlin's sake!
Anyway the anticipated owl from the Ministry never came. Usually they are much faster than that. Then I did something stupid and brilliant: I told Dad.
To my relief he wasn't disappointed but understanding. He was also puzzled and promised to look into it. Good old Dad! He never could leave a mystery alone.
Didn't take him long to solve this one either. He was here five minutes ago, looking rather sheepish. Apparently our home is on a do-not-watch list at the Ministry and got a few extra wards to keep them from being too nosy. Until some hundred years ago it was common to hire tutors for their kids during summer. Since they were supervised it was legal for them to do magic. It's the same with those kids that are home schooled, although even that's rare nowadays.
Apparently one of our ancestors applied for this exemption and it's still in place. Nobody bothered to cancel it, so as long as I do magic on the grounds nobody's going to care in London. Dad actually gave me permission. Said that with my OWLs done I had earned it and he never fully agreed with the Underage Law anyway. Wait till I tell Sirius!
- JCP, July 2 1976
Harry had decided to follow his parents' footsteps and write his own journal. Obviously he couldn't do so in a book. It was just not safe enough. What if someone found and read it? Besides why use such an inferior medium when he had his omni-tool?
It had taken him some time to get used to the unfamiliar interface. Instead of projecting a hologram his modified omni used an archaic form of input that consisted of his fingertips touching the tip of his thumbs. It was difficult working without visual or tactile cues like a haptic hologram or even an interface projected through his AR-lenses but he managed. Aside from his journal he didn't use the writing functionality that much anyway. His journal entries consisted of less text and more audiovisual content. He had already decided to record every class at Hogwarts and build something like an interactive studying helper.
If anyone saw him they would probably think he had a nervous tic. Most common functionalities were bound to inconspicuous gestures, like tapping his left middle finger to his thumb three times then swiping over all four fingers would open a call to Liara.
Just as Harry was about to finish with today's entry, there was a soft knock from the door. At his 'Enter' Liara opened it and gave him a grin that told him she had found something interesting.
"Hey Liara, what's up?" he asked, not in the least bothered by his state of undress. Body modesty wasn't something the Asari were famous for. The Asari 'exotic dancers' outside Asari space actually put on more clothes than some regular partygoers in the university districts of Armali or Serrice.
"I think I figured it out, Harry," she said, still beaming while she plopped herself down on the massive bed. "They forgot about the speed of light. Or they probably don't even know about it."
Harry immediately knew what she was talking about. Two weeks after the talk with Dumbledore, Liara and Harry had gone to Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, disguised obviously. Harry had dyed his hair and his contacts were set to make his eyes appear blue-gray instead of green - a nifty feature he thought. Liara had been in her usual garb with heavy make-up and this time even a wig.
Not wanting to alert anyone to their activities, they had sold a few of the diamonds to the goblins who hadn't asked any questions. The sale had netted them over two thousand galleons and thus made them independent from Harry's trust vault for now.
Their two objectives for that day were a sound success. Not only were they able to make certain that their disguises worked perfectly, they also bought the model of the galaxy Harry's mother mentioned in her diary, something Liara was very interested in.
They also managed to get Liara hooked on Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream, but that was a different story.
The miniature Milky Way was a puzzle. It was advertised to be almost identical to the real thing and while that was true for the local solar neighbourhood, the further out they compared the model to the real thing, the less it fit. Apparently Liara finally found out why.
"You see, Harry," she said, using her own omni-tool to project a representation of the galaxy as the model displayed it. "It isn't actually a model of the galaxy but how the galaxy would look like from Earth if light was infinitely fast. But since it isn't and not every star is the same distance from Earth you have to account for that."
With a few taps the projection of the galaxy began to morph. Around the Sun, helpfully pointed out by a marker, the change was minuscule but the stars further away were moving very fast. Soon the model looked like the one Harry had first seen on the Alexandria four years ago.
"It's almost perfect, Harry," Liara said with awe. "Not a single star missing and they even got all the bright nebulas. There are a few Radio and Gamma objects missing and obviously there aren't any planets visible, but other than that... It's amazing! It's almost impossible to get the distances right simply by observing the night sky on a single planet, yet apparently that's all they did to gather the data. Look here!"
Again she tapped something into her omni-tool. A second marker appeared, labeled 'Parnitha', followed by a third pointing out the Serpent Nebula
"There's Thessia. And there's the Citadel, well, not the station but where the station is. After the correction they are right where they should be this moment. This thing is actually better than our star maps!"
Harry's eyes had grown wide. He had read through his Astronomy book and found it severely lacking. Apparently all that class consisted of was staring through a simple and very weak brass telescope and drawing up incorrect star charts.
Not that Harry had anything against stargazing. He loved lying back and just looking up to the points of light that to him had always meant adventure and a bright future, but he could do that without 'learning' Astronomy.
Here was proof again that there was much to discover in this strange new place only a few miles from where he used to live.
Later after Liara had left, he added this new puzzle to his ever expanding list of questions. So far they had only made a tiny dent. At the top stood the most obvious question: 'How does magic work? How can you quantify it'? So far they were no nearer to an answer than they had been when they had departed from Thessia. Other questions had been answered only to spawn new ones, like 'Can one fly with magic?' which lead to 'How does a broom work?'. Now the last entry read: 'How did they create an almost exact model of the galaxy and the solar system with only antiquated brass telescopes?'
Harry feared it wouldn't stay the last question for very long.
Sunday, 1 September 1991
7:30
Potter Hall, Master Suit
Harry woke to the tolling of a bell, followed by the e-guitars of the Young brothers. When the drum-set joined in he started playing air-drums, still laying on his back with his eyes closed but shaking his head to the music. When Brian Johnson led the canon for the first time, Harry was fully awake and joined in singing 'Hells Bells'.
He had to hand it to Sirius Black: The man might have betrayed his parents and was a mass murderer but he had a great taste in music.
Remus had taken him to his family's cottage and his parents' graves in Godric's Hollow a week ago on Harry's request. It had been strange walking through the empty house that looked like a ruin on the outside but was in almost perfect condition on the inside. Almost as if his parents had just stepped out for a moment. He spent some time telling his parents' gravestones everything that happened during the last ten years - in general terms, in case anyone listened in. He hoped they approved.
What had surprised him was that the house had some electric appliances, most notably a sound system and a gramophone. At Potter Hall everything worked with magic.
At Harry's questioning Remus told him that magic and newer muggle technology didn't work well together. The occasional spell or magical device didn't bother the more complex appliances, but the more ambient magic there was around, the more things went haywire. It sparked a new fear in Harry and Liara - what if his omni-tool and his contacts didn't work at Hogwarts? What about his biotic amplifier?
When he started the record player on a whim it had the 'Back in Black' album ready to play. After a little digging he found the case with a note from Black how he had listened to Lily, Harry's mother, went Muggle for a while and found this jewel.
Since then Harry had been hooked on AC-DC.
After showering and dressing to 'Shoot to Thrill', Harry did a final check if he had forgotten anything. A few last minute additions to his trunk later he pulled his wand and levitated it down to the floo fireplace.
A short bed sheet tugging war with Liara later to wake her up and get moving he started to make breakfast. The Asari thought it was way too early in the morning, considering his train didn't leave until eleven, but Harry disagreed when he shoved her into the shower.
Liara was still grumpy when she joined Harry for breakfast.
Like always when anticipating something eagerly, time seemed to crawl but finally it was ten forty-five and time to go. With a quick kiss on his forehead and making him promise to call every day and immediately if something went wrong, Liara sent him off. She continued to look at the flames in the fireplace long after they had changed back to their normal orange colour.
Harry stepped out of the fireplace only stumbling slightly. He was slowly getting the hang of this flootravel business. And this time he even had his trunk and Hedwig's cage with him!
The trick was really closing ones eyes and standing perfectly still, so the mind couldn't become confused by what it was seeing as opposed to what the inner ear told it. He only needed to perfect his timing when to take the step forward at his destination.
Stepping away to make room for the next arriving by floo, Harry took in the scene. Dominating it was the train that looked almost like a scarlet twin of the famous Orient Express. White steam billowed from the locomotive's chimney while people were loading trunks and children into the carriages. A stone wall shaped like a portal with a metal sign reading 'Platform 9 ¾' occasionally disgorged people pushing trolleys coming from the regular railway station. For a short moment, until they stepped away, Harry could see the bustling chaos on the muggle side, strangely similar yet also very different, to the chaos on this side.
Children and adults of any age greeted each other after the summer holidays with slaps on each other's back, hugs and formal handshakes. Scanning the crowd near the fireplaces Harry made out Remus who waved eagerly at him. Raising his hand to acknowledge him he made his way towards the older man and greeting him with an one-armed hug, after being cleaned with a quick wave of Remus' wand.
"So, Harry. Nervous?" Remus asked.
"No. Maybe... A bit." Harry said with a laugh. He was nervous but also excited. Excited about learning magic and finding answers to the questions that seemed never-ending. Excited about making new friends. Excited about finally seeing Hogwarts after reading so much about it in his parents' books.
"Bet you are," Remus said wistfully. "I was too, my first time. Now let's find you a compartment."
Casting a quick featherlight charm on the trunk, not knowing it was already charmed that way, Remus followed Harry onto the train. They passed a couple of compartments, some empty, some filled with older students. Harry didn't want to travel alone, yet he also didn't want to intrude in what appeared to be well-established cliques either. Finally he found a compartment with only a girl approximately his age in it.
"Hi! Room for one more?" he asked, opening the door.
"Sure," the girl who had been engrossed in a book said, beaming at him. Somehow the bushy haired brunette already in her school robes seemed familiar to Harry, but he shrugged it away. He had probably seen her in Diagon Alley or the Cauldron he thought.
Remus helped Harry get his trunk stowed away and they left again. Outside they gave each other another hug.
"Now remember, make lots of friends and stay out of trouble..."
"Or at least don't get myself caught," Harry finished. "I remember, Remus. Don't worry!"
"And..."
"And no dangerous magic without supervision. I get it," Harry finished, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Harry had read all about his father and friends becoming Animagi and all the things they had done in their time. It had taken all of both Liara's and Remus' persuasion skills to stop him from trying to become an Animagus himself.
"And don't you forget it," Remus said sternly. For never having met her the werewolf sounded suspiciously like Liara had not ten minutes before when she had sent him on his way from Potter Hall.
"You'll do great, Harry," he finally said with a chuckle and a slight glistening in his eyes.
"Yeah... I'll see you over Christmas, Remus," Harry said, a bit uncomfortable. He really liked the older man and would miss their chats.
"Don't forget to write. Give that owl of yours a workout or she might get bored," Remus said, clapping Harry on the shoulder.
"I will. Bye Remus!"
And with a wave Harry was back on the train and in his compartment. The girl was back at reading her book but looked up eagerly as he entered. Harry was feeling anxious but excited about maybe making the first friend his age. That it was a girl didn't bother him. Bob and Primus were guys but growing up among the Asari he never had a 'girls are icky'-phase. He understood the differences between the genders well enough but didn't give them a second thought.
"Hi again," he said, holding out his hand. "Sorry about vanishing without an introduction earlier. I'm Harry. Harry Potter."
The girl's face lit up in recognition at his name. He had anticipated it and cringed a little bit, barely noticeable. She put away her book and shook his hand. "Hermione Granger, nice to meet you. I've read all about you!"
"Well, better forget everything then. It's complete rubbish," he said with what he thought was a winning smile. He hoped he could make people forget about his fame so he could blend in better.
"What do you mean? The books are all very clear on how you killed Vol- err... You-Know-Who," Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Call him Voldemort. He killed my parents and I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of cowering before his name," Harry said with a grimace, then smiled at her hesitant nod. "And I have it on good authority that I was just an innocent bystander that night. My mother was the one who placed a ward on me and killed Voldemort when it made his spell backfire. I was just lying there, probably dirtying my nappies."
He was rewarded with a small giggle. At that moment the train made a lurch. Harry went to the window and opened it. Spotting Remus in the crowd he waved at him until the train had pulled out of the station.
"Your parents didn't see you off?" he asked the girl who had remained seated. Seeing the hurt on her face he quickly said, "Sorry, none of my business."
"It's nothing. They had to be at work at ten," Hermione said.
Before they could say anything else, the door to their compartment opened, revealing a red-haired boy with a black mark on his nose who looked to be a first-year like them.
"Sorry," he said in greeting. "Everywhere else is full. Can I sit with you?"
"Yeah sure," Harry said and helped the boy wrestle his trunk into the compartment. When everything was in place he extended his hand to the redhead. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter and this is Hermione Granger. Pleasure to meet you."
"Ron Weasley," the boy said, eagerly shaking the offered hand. "Are you really? Harry Potter I mean? Do you have the scar?"
"Yes I am, but I've gotten rid of the scar ages ago," Harry said with a frown, pushing back his bangs to show his unblemished forehead. He didn't like how Ron was in awe of him without knowing him and completely ignoring Hermione, but Benezia had told him what to expect from his fame and he wasn't going to hold it against the boy that he was a bit starstruck.
Again the door opened, revealing two identical twins with red hair. They were a bit stockier than Ron but obviously his brothers.
"Hey Ron," the left said. "Listen, we're going down the middle of the train."
"Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there," the other added.
"Right," Ron mumbled as the two closed the door again.
"Your brothers?" asked Harry.
"Yes, Fred and George," Ron said, a bit shy.
"Are all your family wizards?"
"Err yes - I think so," Ron said in thought. "I think mum's got a second cousin who's a squib, you know, no magic at all, but we never talk about him."
"What about you, Hermione?" Harry asked, trying to get a proper talk going.
"My parents are dentists," she said. "Normal people. I didn't know about magic until this summer."
"Me too," Harry said. "Well, not the parents thing. You know about them, probably, but I didn't know about magic until the end of June."
"Why wouldn't you?" Hermione asked with a frown. "Your parents were wizard and witch, so why didn't you grow up in the magical world?"
"My mum was a muggleborn like you," Harry explained. "I used to live with her sister who's a muggle. Never got told about magic but I think they knew about it and hated it. When I was seven, I got away from them - they never wanted me anyway - and only learned about magic when Dumbledore sent me that letter with Fawkes two months ago."
"So, Hermione, you came through the portal at the station? Don't people notice when you just vanish?" Harry asked after a moment.
"Nah, muggles don't notice a thing," surprisingly it was Ron who answered. "Dad says there's a notice-me-not charm on the platform outside to keep the muggles from catching on. Good thing too. Mum was in a right state what with having to take those lame busses to the station."
"Why didn't you take the floo?" Harry asked in confusion. "I thought you are from a wizarding family?"
"Dad insists to do it 'the muggle way'. 'Adds to the experience' he says. He's a bit crazy about muggle-stuff, but today he didn't have time to drive us so he made Mum take us. Almost didn't make it too!"
Harry was quite pleased having gotten the ball rolling. Hermione practically demanded to know everything about the floo, Dumbledore and Fawkes. She also wanted to know where he had grown up but he deflected those questions with half-truths and evasions. They soon realized that they both lived relatively close to each other now, while Ron lived somewhere in the middle of Devon.
Ron in turn was only too happy to tell them all about his family. Both non-magically raised were quite interested to know about how magicals actually lived and what they did for a living.
About an hour later a plumb but smiling witch looked in on them, asking if they wanted anything from the trolley. Ron mumbled something about having sandwiches, his ears growing pink, while Hermione just politely declined. Harry quickly decided to buy enough for the three of them. He had never had any wizard's sweets, even though he had inherited his father's frog card collection, and was quite eager to try them all. Besides it would be good sharing them with his new friends.
Hermione tried to beg off at first, claiming her dentist parents wouldn't want her eating sugary stuff. When Harry offered to do a simple teeth cleaning spell afterwards that would make cavities a non-issue she almost begged him on her knees to teach him the spell right that instant.
Hermione had been a bit guarded at first, but when Harry later engaged her about books they had both read and movies they'd watched he got himself into quite a heated discussion. For not having said much at all at first, Hermione soon amazed him with how fast she could talk. When she tried to defend the obvious flaws in some of her favourite science fiction books and movies Harry had pointed out, he feared she would suffocate from not stopping to take a breath.
Later in the afternoon, Hermione was currently defending the ridiculous space battle in Star Trek 'The Wrath of Khan', a chubby boy opened the compartment door.
"Sorry," he said. He seemed tearful. "but have you seen a toad at all?"
When all three shook their heads he seemed to deflate even more. "I always lose him! He just keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," Harry said trying to cheer the boy up.
"What's your name?" Hermione asked.
"Neville Longbottom," he said shyly. After a round of introduction after which Neville stared at Harry in awe, making him uncomfortable again, Hermione suggested that they could look for Trevor, the Disappearing Toad, together.
"Why?" Ron asked. He was quite comfortable in the compartment. There were still some chocolate frogs left. "It's not as if four will find the toad any faster than one. But you go ahead, Harry and I won't mind."
"Ron's right," Harry said to the disappointment to both Neville and Hermione. "There's got to be a better way to do this. Isn't there a spell to find missing toads?"
Neville looked hopeful at that while Hermione scrunched up her face, trying to remember if she had read about any spell that could help them. Harry would have searched his omni-tool library for something but he still didn't feel comfortable enough with the interface to do it stealthily in front of people.
"Mum would just summon it. She's done it with Scrabbers here this morning when I couldn't find him. But I think it's an advanced spell. Doubt we can do it," Ron said gesturing at his sleeping rat.
"Brilliant Ron!" Harry congratulated him. "We can just ask someone older to do it for us. Say, haven't you told us about your brother Percy being a prefect? Maybe we can get him to help."
Ron still seemed reluctant to leave but since this time Harry had suggested it, he left with a minimum of complaining. As luck would have it they met Percy the Prefect in the next carriage. The fifth year was quite pleased to be of help, going on and on how it was his duty as a prefect to help the younger students. Five minutes later, in the second carriage in which Percy tried to summon the toad with a simple 'Accio Trevor', a beaming Neville thanked them all and went back to his compartment to change into his school robes and at Harry's advice, lock Trevor away.
"Don't know why he was so bothered," Ron said as soon as the three were back in their own compartment. "If I'd brought a toad I would've lost it as quick as I could. Mind Scrabbers here isn't much better. He could've died while we were gone and you wouldn't know the difference."
"I tried to turn him yellow yesterday, to make him more interesting you see," he said looking with disgust at his pet. "But the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."
After a bit of rummaging in his truck and complaining about his wand he waved his wand around and recited: "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow; Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" Hermione asked, while Harry was rolling on the floor laughing. He had read quite a bit about the colour-changing spell as it was an all-time favourite pranking-spell. Obviously somebody had found a unique way to prank someone with it.
Ron's ears had turned red in embarrassment.
Straightening himself, Harry tried to change the subject before Ron's whole head turned red. He still sported a grin, though.
"So, what house do you guess you'll end up? I think, I'll be in Gryffindor but Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad I guess."
"Gryffindor definitely sounds the best," Hermione was quick to agree. "I've heard Dumbledore was there as well and Professor McGonagall would be our Head of House. Ravenclaw sounds good too, but I don't know..."
Ron had turned away to throw his wand back into his trunk. "Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," Harry heard him grumbling. He cast a quick glance at Hermione who didn't appear to have heard Ron.
Soon later Harry once again diverted the conversation back to what a wizard did after school and Ron was telling them about his older brothers Charlie and Bill but he wasn't too clear on the specifics, only mentioning that Bill did 'something' for Gringotts in Africa. Hermione was getting increasingly frustrated by his inability to elaborate but before she could go off on a tirade, the compartment door opened once again.
Three boys entered. Harry immediately recognized Draco Malfoy, the boy from Diagon Alley, and barely suppressed a groan. His two thickset companions didn't look much friendlier either.
"Is it true?" he asked. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
Deciding that there was no sense denying it, he answered with a curt 'yes'.
"This is Crabb and this is Goyle," Malfoy continued, waving at the other two. "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
At that point all three previous occupants of the compartment began to snigger for different reasons. Ron tried to hide his behind a rather unconvincing cough.
"Think my name is funny, do you?" Malfoy said agitatedly.
"No," Harry said trying to get his snickering under control. "It's just the way you said it, Bond... I mean Malfoy." This set Hermione off again.
Malfoy was clenching his fists as he looked at the three other kids in front of him. He was losing his temper but he had come here, trying to make a probably valuable connection with Potter.
"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter," he ground out, looking contemptuously at Ron and Hermione. "You don't want to make friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
"What do you mean, wrong sort? What's the right sort then? Purebloods?" Harry asked, all levity gone as he stood up. He had expected this. Malfoy Senior had been four years older than his parents but James had been quite clear on which side he had stood in the war.
"Exactly," Draco said, pleased with the development. "Pureblood families like the Malfoys and Potters are destined to rule over the lower riff-raff."
"Oh I'm sorry," Harry said with mock shock. "I didn't know you were a pureblood. It must be so hard, living with that stigma. But I won't hold it against you. Some of my best friends are purebloods and they are perfectly normal people, nothing like the crazy lunatics one would expect."
Apparently sarcasm wasn't something that wizards understood that well. Ron, Malfoy and his cronies had a look of confusion on their faces as they tried to figure out what Harry had meant. Hermione meanwhile tried hard not to grin.
"Listen, Malfoy," Harry said, finally putting him out of his misery. "Where I come from it isn't a mark of distinction to be a pureblood, quite the contrary in fact. No offense, Ron. So why don't you just leave and let me figure out whom to befriend and whom not to."
Malfoy's face changed from one of confusion to a sneering grimace. "But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? Seems to me you still have some food left, so I think we'll just help ourselves to some of it."
Goyle made to reach for a Chocolate Frog but Harry had enough. He shoved the much bigger boy out the door, making all three of the newcomers tumble out of the compartment. His biotics might have helped a little bit.
Kicking a few stray legs out of the way, Harry made to close the door but stopped at half-way.
"Not a smart move, Malfoy," Harry said at the bundle of legs and arms. "My parents stood against people like yours ten years ago. What made you think I would be any different?"
Closing the door and resisting the urge to wipe his hands clean in satisfaction, Harry sat back down and watched how the three intruders tried to sort themselves out.
"Blimey, Harry!" Ron said in awe. "You showed them!"
"Fighting is wrong, Harry," Hermione said in disapproval, a frown on her face. "If a Prefect had caught you, they might have expelled you!"
"Hermione, that guy's father was a Death Eater," Harry tried to explain. "They wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire. And that git seemed to buy into their beliefs. I'll not stand for bigotry. My parents gave their lives to end this but apparently they still haven't learned."
Hermione seemed unconvinced and decided to go back to her book that had been disregarded during the whole ride. Ron engaged Harry into a discussion about quidditch but a few moments later a voice echoed through the train, telling them they would be there in five minutes. Harry and Ron scrambled to put on their robes above their clothes while Hermione who had hers on already put away her book.
Soon they were on the platform where Hagrid called out for the first years to follow him. They met up with Neville again and stumbled down a steep, narrow path after the half-giant.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,' Hagrid called. "Jus' round this bend here."
Suddenly the path widened and the troop of first years were standing at the shore of a giant lake, framed by low mountains. At the far end of the lake a vast castle fit to house a family of giants stood atop a cliff protruding above the smooth black surface of the water. Dusk was in its final stages before turning into true dark night, so Harry couldn't make out too much of the valley except the hills were covered by a dense forest.
There was a lot of 'Ooooh's and 'Aaaaah's from the new students as they first lay eyes on Hogwarts with its many turrets and towers from afar, its many windows shining with yellow light as if hollow and filled with candles.
Harry called Liara on his omni.
'Harry, is something wrong?' she answered after only a second.
"Will you look at that," he breathed out, seemingly to himself.
'Oh! It's magnificent! I wish I could be there,' Liara whispered in awe.
Harry looked around if anyone paid attention to him. Thankfully the others were still distracted by the sight.
'Well, trace my location and come have a look sometime,' he said under his breath.
A long moment later Hagrid ushered them into boats, four apiece, and they set out to begin their journey across the lake, to learn magic.
Sunday, 1 September 1991
20:34
Hogwarts, Chamber adjoining the Great Hall
Hermione Granger was furiously going over all the spells and tidbits of knowledge she had managed to learn over the past two months. McGonagall had just left them to prepare for their sorting and there was a low murmur in the air. Nobody knew what it would be, but Hermione guessed it to be some sort of test, so being prepared was certainly not a bad idea. If she did well she would be able to choose her house, and she wanted to be a Gryffindor.
She had done some research about the four houses and what they stood for. It was a strange system, but things worked differently in the magical world, that much was obvious. After her research she had made a list, several actually, and decided that while she had characteristics from every house - she was intelligent, ambitious, hardworking and she considered herself brave enough - Gryffindor was her best choice. Slytherin was right out, obviously, considering the house never took muggleborns. Hufflepuff... Well she wasn't exactly patient and never had a reason to be loyal to anyone except her family, so she wouldn't know about that. Ravenclaw might have been an option, but from everything she'd heard so far the house was more about learning what's been written and not finding out anything new. Gryffindors did that. They were the ones daring enough to defy the acknowledged masters and take their theories to the test. She wanted to be like that
Besides Dumbledore had been in Gryffindor and he was a certified genius from everything she'd read.
While Hermione recited the correct way to turn a quill into a duster, she took a look around through half-closed eyes. Most of her peers were in various states of panic. Some like that poor boy Neville were quivering from fear, while that prat Ron only looked white. Malfoy did a good job masking his fear by strutting among his friends and declaring boldly that he would obviously be sorted into Slytherin. That was a relief for Hermione as she didn't want to be anywhere near that ponce. Despite everything she had said to Harry, she had enjoyed seeing him land on his arse. Still, fighting was wrong. It had to be a last resort.
Now Harry was different. He alone seemed completely at ease, leaning against the wall near Ron. Hermione thought he might know what would happen next, but not even Hogwarts: A History mentioned how the sorting was done. She had to admit to be intrigued by Harry Potter. The train ride was a strange experience, almost as if she had friends, well one friend at least, since Ron apparently didn't like her. She had heard him mumble not wanting to be in the same house as her after all. And even Harry wasn't like she imagined a friend to be. He was nice enough, but he kept needling her about her favourite books and movies, ridiculed them outright and generally questioned her knowledge. It was not something she was used to. Hermione always knew the correct answer, yet Harry looked as if he knew something more that she didn't know. It was frustrating!
And besides he was a Star Wars fan so she couldn't take him seriously. The Force... Really?
Then a couple of ghosts drifted through the chamber and over the children's heads. Most were shocked at the sight, too shocked to answer the simple questions in fact. Hermione paid them no mind. She had read about the ghosts and was certain questions could wait till later. The Sorting was more important right now.
Finally McGonagall returned and ushered the first years into the great hall. As they made their way to the front, Hermione looked around wide-eyed like the rest, the impending test temporarily forgotten. As she looked past the floating candles she remembered something from the books she'd read and elbowed Harry who was walking nearby. "Look, the ceiling! It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."
Harry looked up obediently and grinned at her. Maybe Hogwarts would turn out better than her last school.
They had to line up in front of the school, facing a three-legged stool with an old floppy wizard's hat on top of it. Just as Hermione was beginning to question the sanity of the teachers, the hat started to sing.
Like the rest of the first years she could only stare gobsmacked. She had read about Godric's hat in A History, but only after it was finished and the students sitting on the tables in front of her started to cheer, did it dawn to her that the hat would do the sorting.
Hermione barely took notice of whose turn it was before her. They all put on the hat and after a few moments it would call out their house. It seemed simple enough, but how did it work? The hat sometimes appeared to be mumbling to itself, so maybe it was like some sort of oral exam?
Soon it was her turn and she strode determinately forward to take her place on the stool.
"My, haven't you figured it all out," Hermione wasn't certain if the voice was in her head or if the hat spoke to her. "Let's have a look. Ambitious, I see. You want to change the world and... oh what's that? Not only the world? Haven't had someone aiming for the stars in some years. But Slytherin isn't for you. No. Hufflepuff now would do you good. You're loyal, yes, tremendously loyal, but I fear you wouldn't fit in there. You want to stand out. I think you were right to wish for GRYFFINDOR!"
Hermione eagerly grabbed the hat and put it back on the stool. As she made for the Gryffindor table at the far left she couldn't help but smile smugly. She had gotten her wish, but why didn't the hat even consider Ravenclaw? Wasn't she smart enough? She had been top of her year since first grade and several prestigious secondary schools had shown an interest in her.
It was only a small dampener. Her own sorting over, she could now watch the rest getting sorted.
One by one her peers got assigned to the four houses. She was a bit surprised that Neville made it into Gryffindor, but she clapped for him nevertheless. Then McGonagall arrived at 'P', calling out Padma and Parvati Patil to be sorted into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively, followed by 'Perks, Sally-Anne' who also joined Hermione in Gryffindor.
Finally it was time for 'Potter, Harry' to be sorted.
A strange silence fell over the Great Hall, conspicuous in its loudness. People were trying to be silent, not daring to miss anything, but whispering to their neighbours excitedly. It was both louder and quieter than the relaxed hubbub from a moment before as Harry Potter strode confidently towards the Sorting Hat.
Harry Potter was a bundle of nerves but refused to show it. Liara kept a steady stream of reassuring words flowing into his ears. It helped a bit, but not much.
To their shared immense relief they had found out that Asari technology worked inside Hogwarts. Apparently investing into military grade tech now paid dividends. The remote diagnostics Liara had performed while Harry waited in the chamber with the other first years came back green, with only a twenty percent increase in the error-rate of both the omni-tool and the transmission, which was easily swallowed by the correction protocols. It was a bit harder to locate Harry inside the castle than anticipated, but as soon as she would get some dedicated low-orbit satellites in place over the area, Liara was confident that the deviation would go down to one meter from the current five.
Harry's mind flashed to his father's entry about the sorting.
A bloody hat! A bloody, dirty, old hat!
Oh, dad's in for some pranking! Making me believe I had to dive into a pit of snakes if I wanted to be in Gryffindor. That calls for revenge!
And the bloody thing almost chucked me into Slytherin too! Said I had ambition and cunning! Well, I sure told it! Ruddy thing.
I'm glad Sirius is with me in Gryffindor, he seems like a good sort, and that wanker Snivellus got what he deserved and ended up in Slytherin. His girlfriend is in Gryffindor though. Don't know what's that all about.
Anyway, gotta sleep now. Have to talk Sirius into pranking the Slytherins tomorrow before breakfast.
- JCP, September 1, 1971
The hat was too big for Harry's head - no surprise - and he was soon engulfed in darkness.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear that most definitely wasn't Liara's. "Difficult. Very difficult."
'What's happening, Harry?' this time it was Liara in his ear. 'Your brainwaves just spiked.'
"Oh, you have a guest with you," the hat's voice continued. "How very curious. Ah, don't fear, I shan't tell anyone what I hear and read tonight. Now let's see."
'It's alright Liara,' he whispered. 'I know what I'm doing. I hope.'
This was what Harry had indeed feared. He couldn't have been certain from his father's journal but he had suspected that the hat could read his mind. What if it told anyone?
Harry and Liara had read up on mind magic, legilimency and occlumency, and to their relief it was next to impossible for a wizard to invade someone's conscious mind without them noticing. There were some artifacts, like apparently the Sorting Hat, that could accomplish this but they were generally bound by their form and purpose.
There was not much Harry could do to protect himself anyway. Occlumency, the art to protect ones mind, was more like an inoculation, requiring that someone repeatedly invaded Harry's mind. It reminded Liara about her own training against such an invasion but she was not ready to teach Harry in this. The very thought to force herself into someone elses mind was repulsive to her.
Thankfully Harry's thoughts were safe for the moment unless someone made a concentrated effort. Should that happen Liara was ready to make the sky rain fire. Literally.
"Hmm, how wonderful! You should stir things up nicely. The stars hold life? Who would've guessed... I wonder if she'll find out..." the hat mumbled, more to itself. Harry was close to ripping the thing off but it was too late anyway. It knew. "Now now, I still have to sort you. To be frank, I agree with your 'Aunt'. It isn't the time yet. Now to you, there's plenty of courage, oh yes. Not a bad mind either and with that watch of yours I shall say you'll breeze through your classes. Wonder why Rowena never thought of something like that... And your ambition... My goodness, that's quite a goal!"
Harry didn't like the sound of that. Ambition was traditionally associated with Slytherin and he sure as hell didn't want to end up there. His father had managed to talk the head out of it in his time, so Harry began to chant 'Not Slytherin' in a low voice, thinking about how he hated everything that house stood for.
"Not Slytherin, eh?" the hat finally said. "If you're sure... It's all there but maybe you're right. Besides, the body-count alone... Well - better be GRYFFINDOR!"
The last was shouted out loud for everyone to hear. Letting out his breath in relief, Harry took off the hat and placed it on the stool. Desperately trying not to shiver like a leaf, he made his way to the Gryffindor table and sat down near Hermione. Percy made a point of standing up and shake his hand while Fred and George, Ron's twin brothers, yelled "We got Potter!" over and over, pumping their fists in the air.
Ron himself was also sorted into Gryffindor, for which Harry was glad. He would need someone's help who had grown up in the magical world to navigate the various minefields.
After Blaise Zabini, a well tanned boy with dark brown hair, was sorted into Slytherin, Dumbledore stood and waved for silence.
"Welcome!" he bellowed, looking very pleased and happy with his eyes twinkling and his arms open. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Now I believe you are as hungry as I, so I have only a few short words for you now. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you"
Everyone cheered and laughed. Only the first years seemed a bit puzzled, but Harry laughed with the Weasley twins. During his meeting with Dumbledore he had been introduced to his odd sort of humour.
The plates in front of them filled with all sorts of foods. The word feast was no exaggeration. Pork and lamb chops, dripping with glistening fat, sausages, roast beef and many other things would have made the tables sag, if they hadn't been spelled, and cardiologists weep. Harry was happily piling stuff on his plate, not having had any real food since breakfast which was more than twelve hours ago.
Some of the other Gryffindor first years had ended up sitting near him and were happily chatting away. Neville was so relieved to have ended up in Gryffindor, he told them all about how his family had thought him a weak wizard, while Seamus Finnigan told them of the prank his mother pulled on his father by not telling him about magic. The poor man must have gotten quite a shock.
Harry was introduced to Sir Nicholas, or Nearly-Headless Nick as he was called much to his chagrin. The reality of ghosts made the list of questions once again expand. What were they? How was it possible? What could they do?
Harry would have asked but it didn't seem to polite under the circumstances. He had time. Food first.
To his right Hermione was badgering Percy about the upcoming lessons. She seemed very eager to start immediately, not that Harry could fault her. He too wanted them to start so he could ask his Professors the questions that plagued him. Learning from books only was very tiresome. Hopefully Liara would get the knowledge VI up and running soon. Until then the best he could hope for was a brute force search through all the books that had been scanned so far.
It was a far cry from the interactive, smart knowledge base he enjoyed to use in the 'normal' subjects.
About an hour later Harry was getting sleepy. He looked up at the High Table where most of the staff had finished eating and was engaged in conversation. He was curious who his teachers were.
Dumbledore didn't teach anything but occasionally took gifted students under his wing, like Harry's grandfather, and taught them advanced Transfiguration and rarer magics. His father had also been offered that honour but temporarily declined because of the war.
Minerva McGonagall he knew to teach Transfiguration, thanks to his parents' journals. The tiny Professor Flitwick who was suspected to have goblin-blood was easily recognizable and had been Lily's favourite teacher. Hagrid also stood out and the wizard that seemed to miss a few limbs sitting next to the half-giant was probably Professor Kettleburn, the teacher for Care for Magical Creatures.
The rest were a mystery for the moment. Harry couldn't be sure if some of the teachers were still the same as during his parents' time or had since changed. Letting his eyes drift over them, he amused himself by trying to assign subjects to the unknown people. He was watching one of them in a turban, facing away from Harry to speak with one of his colleagues, a man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin. He decided the Turban was teaching Divination and he of the greasy hair was a shoo in for Defence Against the Dark Arts, or maybe just the Dark Arts.
Suddenly that unknown teacher shifted his gaze a fraction and looked past the turban, straight into Harry's eyes. The second they made eye contact a sharp, hot pain welled up just behind Harry's forehead. He yelped in pain, clasping his head.
'Harry, what's wrong?' Liara asked worriedly. Harry's lenses projected a floating image of her sitting in the shuttle that she had landed somewhere nearby. Over the feast she had kept an eye on things but her main focus was working on the plans for Potter Hall. Now he had her undivided attention.
"What is it?" Percy asked at the same time.
"Nothing," Harry mumbled to both of them. The pain was gone again but he didn't like how the unknown teacher had looked at him. He decided to ask Percy about him.
"Who's that teacher talking to the one with the turban?"
"The one with the turban?" Percy asked confused, then he took a look at the High Table. "Oh you mean Professor Quirrell? He's the one with the turban. The other is Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to. Strange to see them talking, after Quirrell got Snape's dream job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape. Wonder why Dumbledore didn't give him the job."
Harry had blanched at the name Snape. This was the school-nemesis of his father? And he was his Potions Professor? That didn't sound too good to Harry. And what was Dumbledore thinking, employing someone like Snape?
Harry decided to talk with Liara later. He needed some battle-plan. He would also write Remus a letter. He got the impression that his father's friend wasn't too happy about the decisions Dumbledore had made, so maybe he could help.
At last, the deserts disappeared and Dumbledore made his real speech, warning the new students and reminding some old ones to not enter the forest on the grounds which was, like its name suggested, forbidden. Finally after some more mundane notices like Quidditch trials and school rules he dropped a bomb on them.
"And finally, 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."
Harry laughed with a few others. He didn't take the Headmaster's words too seriously, but quickly quieted down when he saw Percy's serious face as he frowned at Dumbledore.
"Does he mean that? He can't be serious, can he?" he asked.
"He must be," he received as answer. "Strange that he didn't give a reason, he usually does - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows - but he didn't even tell us Prefects."
Dumbledore led the students through the school song. Instead of trying to get everyone to sing to the same tune, he advised them to just pick their own. It was strange but funny. Most people were in stitches when the Weasley twins finished to a slow, mournful funeral march.
Soon later, only slightly delayed by Peeves the poltergeist, found the first year Gryffindor boys in their dormitory. Harry shocked his fellow first years by unceremoniously stripping down completely for bed. He had forgotten that nudity was taboo, the page 3 girl notwithstanding, and didn't seem to notice his peers' red faces as he flopped down on his four-poster and closed the curtains.
Thankfully his roommates were as tired as he was. Only through a supreme effort of will did Harry stay awake long enough to feel safe enough to have a short discussion with Liara.
Unlike Harry she hadn't completely read James' and Lily's journals yet. She had looked over a few snippets Harry had shown her though and had only a vague idea who Severus Snape was. Harry brought her up to speed as fast as he could. He wanted to have a plan before tomorrow since he didn't know what classes he would have.
'Whatever you do, Harry,' she advised. 'don't let him intimidate you. Don't go in there to pick a fight. Be polite and don't antagonize him unless he does it first. If he does, don't fight him directly. He's your teacher and will always have the upper hand. Go to McGonagall or Dumbledore. It's their job to help.'
Harry didn't like it. He had always been independent and didn't want to be a snitch but he also knew Liara wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't follow her advice.
"Alright," he agreed reluctantly. He wasn't too worried. He considered himself pretty decent at Potions already. "So, what do you guess Dumbledore's hiding on the third floor?"
'Harry?' Liara suddenly sounded very serious. 'The Headmaster was very specific in his warning. I don't want you going there. Please reign in your curiosity this one time!'
"Alright, alright, geez!" Harry promised, startled by Liara's sudden intensity. "I promise I won't go looking for trouble."
'Don't make promises you can't keep, Harry,' Liara said with more levity. 'But as long as you keep out of that corridor and the forest...'
"So, how are the plans coming along?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject. "Any progress on the magic teacher VI?"
'You know I'm not an expert in this,' Liara sighed. 'I know my way around my omni-tool but programing a dedicated VI is a bit too much. And how am I supposed to set up a fusion reactor and cruiser-class shield emitters? You could probably do a better job than me. I need help.'
"So, who are you thinking of?" Harry said with a yawn. "How about that Quarian friend of yours? Cha-something?"
'Tika?' Liara asked surprised then fell silent, deep in thought. 'Actually that's not a bad idea! Now how do I sell it to mother...'
Harry could tell his surrogate big sister was now in deep thinking mode and he wouldn't get anything coherent out of her for the next few hours. He wished her a good night, receiving a distracted replay in turn and was asleep almost as soon as he hit the disconnect button.
1 hour later, aboard the Alexandria
Liara was pacing in the small conference room, going over all her arguments in her head. Benezia had agreed to talk with her in five minutes and she just had to convince to allow her to recruit Chatika'Zorah vas Paus. She needed someone to help her and she trusted the Quarian.
The communicator chimed. Liara took a deep breath and opened the connection. Immediately a hologram of her mother appeared in front of her.
"Hello Mother."
"Hello Little Wing," the Matriarch greeted her. "I trust Harry settled in nicely?"
"Well, yes," Liara replied, secretly glad for the slight delay. She knew she still had some issues with her mother. She was working on them but how could she not be intimidated by the formidable Matriarch Benezia? "There are a few unforeseen complications at Hogwarts, but nothing we can't handle. It's not Harry I'm calling you about, though. I need help."
"Help, Liara? What kind of help?"
"Where to start? Setting up the fusion reactor, the defence system at Potter Hall, figuring out how to adapt the teacher VI for magic... I'm an archaeologist, not an engineer, Mother," she finished exasperatedly.
"I see," Benezia responded with a slight smirk. "I guess you already have a solution to your problems?"
"Yes," Liara said, glad her mother grasped the problem. "I would like to enlist the help of the Quarian I've told you about. Chatika'Zorah vas Paus."
"Why do you think that would be safe?" Benezia asked. Liara was stumped. She had expected an immediate refusal followed by an intense discussion where she would try to make the Matriarch see things her way.
"She's a Quarian. Even if she told anybody, without evidence her word wouldn't count for anything. We can easily keep the important truths from her like where Earth is located, confiscate any recordings she could take, and if worse comes to worst totally discredit her.
"We can easily buy her too. The Quarians always need good ships. Send one or two freighters their way each year and she will be more than happy to help.
"But most importantly she's my friend. I trust her. She's always complaining how boring life on the flotilla is and how she would like to do a second pilgrimage. And she could really help me here."
Benezia regarded her daughter for several long minutes. She didn't dispute any of her arguments, just stared at the young Asari as if to gauge something elusive.
"Very well," she finally said. "I'll have Shiala do a thorough background check. If she's clean, you may approach her. You may negotiate her price up to two slightly used freighters in good condition, less than three hundred meters long. The payment will appear to be a semi-anonymous donation by the ORE corporation."
Liara was ecstatic. Having Harry around had made her realize how important companionship was. With him now at school it would be hard, but with Tika here she probably wouldn't feel so alone.
3 hours later, Gryffindor Tower, 1st year boy's bathroom
Harry was currently hugging the toilet and puking his guts out.
'I told you, not to eat too much, Harry,' Liara chided him, but there was genuine worry in her voice. She had disabled the video feed from his lenses - she so did not want to see what Harry saw. 'Your stomach isn't used to all the fat food anymore. You have to take things slowly.'
Stupid stomach, Harry thought while he heaved again. I'll never eat that stuff again!
Codex:
Hogwarts Syllabus:
History of Magic: HoM appears to be thoroughly boring and like I said before, written by the winners. Liara especially will want answers. I'll try for an unique take on Binns.
First year - Dark Ages
Second year - Goblin Wars of the Renaissance
Third year - Modern Magical Landscape (geography, more wars)
Fourth year - Statute of Secrecy and its implications, Wizengamot (political education part 1)
Fifth year - Ministry of Magic, ICW, Dominance of British Wizards (political education part 2)
Sixth year - Ancient Cultures (Atlantis, Egypt, Sumeria)
Seventh year - Rome, Precursor of Britain
Charms: There's a practical part and a theoretical part which partially overlaps with Arithmancy. The first four years are dedicated to simple spells. Useful, but the scope is more to get comfortable with using magic, learning the wand movements and practicing them until they come naturally. In 'my' magical theory there is a finite set of basic wand movements, although it's for Liara to discover the system behind it. The later years are dedicated to more complex charms that go beyond a simple flick and a one or two word incantation. Interwoven charms and enchanting (spelling objects so they have a new, magical function) are NEWT level.
AN: A couple of thoughts about the train ride. It's a common misconception that Hermione and Neville shared a compartment. It's possible, I guess, but unlikely. Neville came to Harry's and Ron's compartment first, searching for Trevor. He had obviously been looking for quite some time already. He left for a moment, probably moving to the next one and almost immediately returning with Hermione so she was probably only one or two compartments away. She probably offered to join Neville in his hunt since that's who Hermione is. They were in the last carriage so there would be no choice but go forward, bringing them again to Harry and Ron's compartment.
As for the Weasleys: Molly and her 'shouting about Muggles' was a deus ex machina. Perfectly suitable for a children's book. That's all it was. Obviously it's perfect to start conspiracy theories, so I poked a little fun at it.
Same goes for Ron seeking Harry out. Of course he did! Ron grew up without friends, with only his older brothers and Ginny for company (as far as we know at least and it certainly looks that way). It's debatable if he told Harry a white lie about all other compartments being full. Debatable since in third year the trio + Ginny only found one compartment that had four free seats.
He might simply have tried to make a friend and Harry being without anyone would have been a good start.
He's still a berk, though.
The first three Harry Potter books are children's books, where it's perfectly acceptable to leave a baby on a doorstep, where the old, wise wizard is unfailing and the greasy git untouchable.
This isn't a children's tale, although I will pick up a couple of oddities from the book to try to make sense of them - or mercilessly poke fun at them.