A/N: Bi-monthly updates? Maybe? I know I'm playing with fire. Also, this is mainly his assimilation into society, I can't just skip over those parts. Also Harry and Siri are sass gods, I will die on this hill.
Chapter 7: Attitude much?
He figured he'd never tire of this sight, the Great Hall always just looked beautiful. The high cathedral like ceiling, charmed to mimic the calm night sky. The vast hall was overflowing with students that crowded the four house tables. The teachers had retreated to their small table at the end of the hall, except McGonagall, who was roaming the Gryffindor table, talking to her students. Which was surprising to Harry, he had never known the woman to be especially outgoing or social.
The noise that filled the hall, reminded Harry of his first school days. People laughing, arguing and generally making lots of noise. Except something was weighing down the festive atmosphere, it must be the New Years raid, although Harry was yet to hear someone mention it. Almost like they were afraid of the topic itself. He wasn't particularly concerned with it though, Harry had spent the last few minutes scanning the hall for familiar faces. He'd spotted Ted first, because he knew where to look. The group of older kids at the Hufflepuff table. Sure enough, Ted was there with his nose buried in a book, surrounded by a couple of chatty boys. He'd smile and laugh at frequent intervals but would rarely look up from his book.
Speaking of house tables, oddly enough, Harry had found himself seated at the far end of the Ravenclaw table. He'd been sorted in Dumbledore's office the previous day; he'd been incredibly nervous about the sorting. However, the hat hadn't made a single comment on his past, whether the hat knew about his past or not, Harry couldn't figure it out. He was also too afraid to ask, the Hat had barely sat on his head before suggesting Slytherin. Well, he says 'suggested' but no matter how much Harry had begged and bargained with the damned object, it wouldn't budge. Finally, in a desperate attempt Harry had threatened the Hat. If he was placed in Slytherin, he'd leave the school but not before tossing the Hat to Peeves the Poltergeist.
After grumbling about how that was why he belonged in Slytherin, The Hat had opened it's big mouth and shouted Ravenclaw. He had hoped for Gryffindor again, but the verdict had been passed. He supposed it made sense, he'd been focused on researching and learning for the past few years but recently he'd gotten obsessive in his pursuits. Barely getting any sleep, developing back and neck pains again. He'd already tried to swindle Dumbledore out of a pass to access the restricted section of the library. Tried and failed that is. So here sat Harry Evans, a Ravenclaw still searching the hall for familiar faces.
He had spotted a few, not the ones he wanted to spot but these eyesores stood out too much. Dolores Umbitch sat at the nearby Slytherin table. Though Harry supposed he shouldn't be calling any twelve-year-old a bitch. Regardless, her pale pink clothes made Harry want to hurl so he looked away as soon as he had spotted her. And since, he'd been avoiding the Slytherin table that sat to his left, he didn't want to ruin his mood. The Gryffindor table was to his far right, past the Hufflepuffs. Though his new body didn't need glasses, Harry couldn't made out anyone through the crowds and he didn't want to move around too much and attract attention. It's not like he could just say "Oh, my parents might be there so I was hoping I could get a good look cause it's only been my dream since forever."
A chill ran up Harry's spine, he was being watched. Not like someone was just staring, no he knew the difference, this was the feeling he used to get before he was ambushed or when Skeeter was following him. Twirling his head around, he made contact with the pair of eyes that were glued to him. A pair of violet eyes, eyes that did not flinch or shy away at being caught, instead those eyes looked right into his green ones, as though searching his soul. Just as he had narrowed his own eyes, he felt a tap on his shoulder. There was someone right behind him, how had he missed that?
Looking up he saw a boy towering over him, with a cheerful smile on his face. The boy waved excitedly, his hand inches away from Harry's face. "You, sir, are new!" The cheery boy announced as he took the empty seat to Harry's right. "I'm Xeno, Xenophilius Lovegood, sixth year" He continued, offering his hand to Harry. Now Harry was stumped, he was trying to reconcile his memories of Mr. Lovegood to this boy in front of him. A cheerful little boy with a shock of white hair, ruffled clothing and a Cheshire grin on his face. Harry shook his hand, maybe he wasn't so different.
"Harry, Harrison Evans, sixth year as well." He copied Xeno's introduction and shook the boy's hand. Yeah there was something fundamentally different, Harry concluded. Maybe it was the constant shine in his blue eyes, like he was enchanted by everything he saw. Unlike Luna's dreamy expression, this boy's eyes were clear and focused. Although, it looked like they were focused on the space above Harry's shoulder, so he really didn't know what to think.
"Hey, that's so cool! A transfer student and in my year and house as well." The boy vigorously shook his hand. Well, at least someone was excited to see him. Smiling and nodding, he retrieved his hand from the boy's grip. With no clue how to continue the conversation, he was just waiting for the kid to lose interest in him.
"Wait, lemme introduce you to the rest!" Xeno followed up, unfazed. Jabbing his thumb over to the group seated next to them, he continued. "That's Turpin and Corner and Goldstein over there's a prefect." Xeno introduced the boys, who were pulled out of their hushed conversation by the sudden introduction. He then turned to the three boys and spoke "This is Harry, he'll be in sixth year with us.' As though that should have satisfied their curious gazes.
"Nice to meet you Harry, I'm Kircheis Corner. Hope you're not a bore like Turpin here." A friendly mousy haired boy winked at Harry. A brown-haired boy huffed and swatted Corner on the head. Harry assumed that was Turpin. The last one of the group, a short blond haired guy with a prefect badge turned to Harry with a smirk.
"Pardon us if this is too sudden but we're quite curious, which school did you go to before Hogwarts? See, Kircheis here has money on Durmstrang and I like easy money." Goldstein explained nonchalantly, although his eyes were burning holes into Harry.
"Uhh, Well I was home-schooled by my godfather before this." Harry awkwardly answered. Best to stick with the story and answer their questions, it'll be easier in the long run. Is what he told himself.
"Really? Home-schooling huh? What was that like? How did it work?" The barrage of questions came from Corner, who was practically bouncing in his seat.
"By your godfather not parents? So muggleborn then?" Turpin questioned him this time, barely even looking at Harry. The conversation stilled, Harry's lips thinned and Xeno was looking back and forth between the two boys like he was watching a tennis match.
"Halfblood." Harry answered sharply. Turpin gave a curt nod and was immediately disinterested in the conversation, turning away to talk to someone else. Harry could feel his eye twitching, he hoped he wouldn't be seeing much of Turpin, for the other boy's sake.
His irritation must have been obvious because Goldstein quickly intervened "So if you were being home-schooled, what brings you here now?"
"My guardian was no longer able to care for me, Hogwarts was the best option." He replied, not looking any of them in the eyes. He didn't really want to talk anymore. Corner looked like he was just getting more curious and opened his mouth to follow up on questioning Harry. Thankfully, Goldstein got the message, clapping his hand on Corner's shoulder and interrupting him. "Look, the sorting is about to start." He pointed to the door and sure enough, McGonagall was leading a bunch of first years into the Hall. Guess that's why she wasn't at the teacher's table.
Harry was distracted again, this time by something being shoved into his hand. He looked down to see it was a chocolate bar from HoneyDukes. Confused, he looked to the culprit for answers. Xeno only smiled brightly at him in response. "Chocolate always helps!" came the vague answer followed by a thumbs up. Then even Xeno turned his attention towards the sorting as McGonagall began calling out names.
Afterwards, Dumbledore made a short speech about unity and the feast finally made it's long-awaited appearance. Harry hadn't really been paying attention to those things, there was chaos in his mind. Thoughts such as "Hagrid isn't at the teacher's table, I wish Hagrid was here" and "McGonagall barely even has a wrinkle now and what's with the bejewelled purple robe? She's outshining Dumbledore, is that even allowed?"
With the arrival of the feast, the boys around him resumed talking. This time however, Harry wasn't the topic of interest. They talked about regular things like the weather and how they spent their holidays and how Corner wished it was still the holidays. Harry demurely joined in and contributed his two knuts from time to time. And before he knew it, the feast was over, the evening had passed and everyone was getting ready to head up to their dorms.
He got up as well and followed the group out of the Hall. Goldstein claimed that the fifth years were in charge of the first years and since Harry was new, he as doing his duty by showing Harry the way. Corner retorted with "Goldstein's just a lazy bum whenever he can get away with it." The two boys then took to bickering as they navigated the crowd. Just as Harry was tuning out their voices, a flash of red hair took him by surprise.
He had seen it from the corner of his eyes, a pretty redhead rushing through the crowd. He was certain she had been wearing Gryffindor robes. Could that be- could it possibly be the one he so desperately hoped it was? Pale skin, sharp features and freckles, he'd have to keep an eye out for her. Although he rationalised that he'd see her again, he had stopped and was desperately looking around for her. Unfortunately, the mysterious redhead had disappeared into the crowd she was rushing through.
A tug on his sleeve pulled him back to reality. Xeno was looking at him concerned. "Are you ok? The wrackspurts almost had you for a moment." The short white-haired boy asked, hand still firmly holding Harry's sleeve.
"Yea, I'm fine. Just got distracted for a second." Harry replied quickly surprised at the boy's concern, since he'd known Harry for a few hours at most. Maybe it was because he'd spent so much time with Luna that he was able to give a straight answer to the boy. The boy who'd just casually mentioned wrackspurts and implied that they were the cause of his concern. That was the name of one of the mystery creatures Luna always spoke about, was Xeno the person who thought her all of it? Was it a hereditary thing?
In the moment he had paused, Xeno seemed to realise what he'd just said. The boy looked horrified as he let go of Harry's sleeve. "We- we should really get going." And with that the boy scurried after the other two, leaving Harry to follow them. And Harry did follow them, without getting distracted this time. They made it all the way to the Ravenclaw common room. Just as Harry remembered, the knocker was a bronze raven head that opened the door only once it's riddle was answered.
That's definitely going to get annoying quick. I should try to find different ways into the common room. Harry thought, taking a break from trying to figure out what Xeno had meant by 'wrackspurts' and why he'd said it. Goldstein gave him a quick rundown of things, pointing out the stairs to the boys and girls dorms. "Unlike Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, we don't share a dorm with the year group. We just bunk with one other guy from the same year. I share a room with Kircheis, your name should be on the door of the room you got placed in so just look for that."
With that piece of wisdom, Goldstein and Corner waved goodnight to the two boys and headed to bed. Seeing how Xeno still wouldn't look him in the eye, he made his way towards the boys dorm as well. Walking past couches and the people strewn on them, the walls of the common room were just shelves of rows upon rows of books. All these things, Harry promptly ignored, looking instead for his room. he passed a few doors before he found the one he was looking for.
Xenophilius Ludwick Lovegood
Harrison James Evans
Huh, that's oddly convenient. Was the first thought that came to Harry's mind as he loitered around the door. Did Dumbledore room him with Xeno on purpose? Did he know they'd be able to get along? Maybe he shouldn't waste too much time, he could feel the stares and hear their whispers. Xeno had caught up to him as well. "So that's the new guy? And he has to room with loose-in-the-head Lovegood? That's just sad."
Ok, that was really irritating. Clenching his fist, Harry turned around to confront the new source of his annoyance. A short blond kid standing at the end of the hall with another blond. The hell? It was just a bunch of kids. Clearing his throat Harry spoke calmly "Wanna come up here and say that to my face?" A short squeak followed by the sound of a door shutting told Harry the answer was 'no'. Clicking his tongue in disgust, he quickly dragged Xeno into the room with him. He was not in the mood for any more of that.
Xeno immediately took to rushing around the room, clearing up. And Harry had to admit, the place was a mess. Two beds lined opposite sides of the room and there was a door in the back that presumable led to a bathroom. They both had a wardrobe each and his trunk was placed at the foot of a plain and empty bed, with blue sheets. All of that was not out of the ordinary, no the mess was the piles of books and parchments and inkpots littered around the relatively big room.
It's not even like there were clothes thrown about. Had the house elves had taken care of that? Torn pages, posters and a map with markings were stuck to the walls, not even Harry's side of the room had been spared. "Huh, I guess I'm the first person you're rooming with then." Harry asked with a small chuckle, watching the white-haired boy scramble to clean up the place.
"I'm really really sorry about the mess, umm I'll clean up your side of the room first. Sorry that you have to room with me, everyone else already has a roommate but there should be empty rooms if you really want to.." The boy apologised profusely, breathless at the end as he shoved what looked like canvases under his bed. Harry could only offer him a questioning gaze in response. Why did he say that? Did he think Harry hated him or something?
Then it hit him, Harry wanted to facepalm, it was so obvious and he was so stupid. He recalled the way that blond kid had called him "loose-in-the-head Lovegood" and how Xeno had gone silent right after he'd mentioned wrackspurts. He thought about all the things Luna had endured in school. He was sure Xeno had been bullied too, for the same reasons. These kids were really starting to piss him off.
"Xeno listen, I'm actually glad I got roomed with you. If it was that prat Turpin, I'm sure I'd have socked him in the face at some point. Also I don't mind you talking about wrackspurts, actually I'd like to learn more about them." It was because he'd spent so much time with Luna that he just tossed all subtlety out the window. Luna had always known when someone was lying or just paying lip service, so the truth was always best. Especially since he actually had good intentions, he did want to know more about those strange creatures. What was it that made both father and daughter believe so firmly in their existence? Was it not something unique to Luna as he had previously believed? Was it something unique to the bloodline instead?
That had stopped Xeno in his tracks, the boy turned around and shyly looked at Harry. A hopeful glint in his eyes. "Really?" the boy questioned "Wanna be friends?" he blurted out right afterword, almost like he'd lose the opportunity if he waited too long. Harry had to admit, Xeno was different from his Luna. This shy, short, slightly hyperactive kid was far from his old friend, a calm, eccentric, sassy girl lost in her own world. But he felt that somehow, at their core, they were both the same type of person.
"What are you talking about Xeno? I thought we already were friends." Harry replied, quirking his eyebow at the other boy.
The next morning wasn't as fun. By the time Harry had gotten up, it was around 20 minutes to the start of class. He hadn't had school for so long he'd forgotten to even set an alarm. He couldn't even bring himself to be cross with Xeno for not waking him up in time for breakfast. From the looks of things, it seemed Xeno had just managed to wake up a few minutes before Harry.
The white-haired boy was hopping around the room trying to get his foot into its shoe, a Ravenclaw cloak thrown over his head. Harry stumbled into the toilet, groaning vague complaints about life. By the time he made it back into the room, he felt fresh and calm. Xeno was standing at the door, fidgeting and avoiding looking directly at Harry.
"If you rush, you can still make it to breakfast." He told the boy, catching up on Xeno's intentions. "Hurry up, I'll catch up to you." He encouraged the boy to get going, it was kind of sweet that he wanted to wait for Harry but then they'd both wind up being late. Fortunately, the boy left quickly after telling Harry to "please hurry."
Stripping in front of the mirror Harry was thankful the boy had left. Not that he was shy about his body, no Samael had given him a damn good one. Lean muscles, ab definition and height, he was nothing to sneer at. But, for some reason, he still had the scars of his previous body. Which meant his body was a canvas of all his battles. There were even a few new ones, presumable from the time travel. He didn't really know how to explain his scars to Xeno, not that he could hid them from the boy forever, since they were now living together but for now, he'd rather not deal with it.
During his contemplations, the man had thrown on his outfit for the day. Loose light brown dress pants, a blue and white stripped shirt tucked into the pants, brown loafers and a belt to match. If he had to save the world again, he'd be doing it in style. Tying his long hair into a ponytail, he took a minute to admire himself. Throwing on his own Ravenclaw cloak, he thanked Merlin that the full body mirror was not the magical kind. Else he would have been heavily chastised.
Reminding himself that he'd definitely be late if he kept this up, Harry ran out the dorm and towards his class. He ran like the hounds of hell were on his tail, he would definitely be setting alarms from now.
Skidding to a halt once he entered the classroom, he doubled over a breathed deep. "Safe" he muttered; he'd made it in time. Barely but still, looking around he saw Xeno, who was already seated beside Corner. The only remaining seat in the Ravenclaw occupied half of the class was beside Goldstein. And Goldstein was waving at Harry, beckoning him towards the empty seat.
As Harry took the offered seat, he wondered why Goldstein had saved him a spot. Him and Corner had seemed really close and they even roomed together so wouldn't it make sense to sit together? Were Corner and Xeno even close? Did he misread the dynamic or did Goldstein have something in mind? Harry didn't have much time to contemplate this. Due to the tall, bony man that strut into the room, robe swishing behind him.
That would be the professor, and this was the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. Odd subject to have first thing on a Monday morning, Harry thought. And of all people, he had to share the class with Slytherins. Why did it have to be the bloody Slytherins? As much has he hated it, it made sense. Putting the children of the extreme light side (Gryffindor) in the same DADA class as future death eaters would definitely result in a few dead bodies.
So, it only made sense to put the two extreme houses together with their milder counterparts. Only thing, Harry was nothing close to mild and if he had to listen to Lestrange snicker for the rest of the year, Dumbledore would be finding a lot of dead bodies in the corridors. Actually, why hadn't they taken these steps during his first time in Hogwarts? Never mind that, why was there only one Lestrange here? Oh wait, the Lestrange brothers weren't twins, they were just really close in age. So was this one the younger or the older brother? As far as Harry remembered, the younger one was the brains while the older one was married to that sadistic bitch.
Harry figured he could spare the older one some pity. Meanwhile, the class had started, the teacher was doing his bit and Goldstein was taking diligently taking notes beside him. Harry didn't bother, he'd already done this school thing and much more, he was confident in his abilities. However, this was the DADA class so maybe it'll be interesting. Turning his attention to the teacher's words for a second, Harry was disappointed. The man who resembled a telephone pole, was talking about Dementors and oh how very scary they were. Nice, he thought before tuning the professor's words out.
Harry was long past his fear of Dementors, fighting a hundred or so of them tends to do that. Now, he just hated them, plain and simple. And no, he did not feel any guilt about hating the entire race. Dementors were not exactly sentient enough to invoke any guilt from him. They were worse than wild animals. There were only two things a Dementor could perceive, pain and hunger. their insatiable desire to eat the souls of living creatures and their only deterrent, pain.
During his years of self-study, he had learnt that Dementors didn't just feed on positive emotions. Their true meal was the soul, emotions are just an extension of the soul. While they only fed on the positive ones, their very presence enhances the darker emotions in a person. Their guilt, envy, hate, etc. Apparently, the more a soul has suffered, the more appetizing it becomes. That's why anyone thrown into Azkaban, breaks. He had seen what it did to Sirius, the number of potions that man had to take just to stay sane. All of that just because the Dementors were preparing his soul to be eaten. The fucking abominations.
Xeno was staring at the door excitedly, Harry could relate, he too wanted to leave this boring class. Corner and the rest of the Ravenclaw students weren't getting up to much. Harry gave up on trying to identify them. Goldstein had stopped writing things down and looked irritated. Now that was interesting. What had gotten under his skin? His eyes were still glued to the professor so maybe he'd gotten tired of the bullshit the man was spewing?
His eyes drifted to the left. To the Slytherin side of the class, these morons seemed like they were having fun. What with all the smug looks on their faces. Out of all the looks he was getting, he was interested only in one. Purple eyes, the same as he'd seen in the Hall last night. Unsettling purple eyes, except this time, Harry checked out the person. And damn was she worth checking out. Pristine, flawless skin, haughty expression, plump red lips, luscious black hair, her skirt was short enough to reveal two thighs stacked atop each other.
Control yourself Harry. Wait, that holier than thou expression, the predatory smirk, the slightly frazzled hair. A lot of this was eerily familiar. Taking another good look at the person, Harry quicky looked away. He felt like throwing up, he'd just been eyeing Bellatrix. She really was something before Azkaban and all that, I suppose. God, the first thing he'd do after this class is turn himself in to the Aurors. Wait, technically she hadn't yet committed any crimes or tortured anybody. But damn, maybe I'd let her torture me, sure beats getting tortured by a noseless pedophile. God damn this hormonal teenage body!
"Now, there is only one way known to man that is capable of repelling the fearsome creature." That got Harry's attention, maybe this class wouldn't be such a bore after all. Sure, Harry could cast a Patronus with no difficulty, but some action is better than none. "However, it is a high-level spell that can only be mastered by experienced wizards. So, it's beyond the abilities of you brats. If you ever see one, hide and hope it doesn't find you."
"Haa?" Harry deadpanned. Now, he could feel the stares of the entire class. Quickly, he tried to pass it off as a yawn. He hadn't even meant to interrupt; it had just slipped out at the load of dung that lanky moron was trying to feed the class. The Patronus was a difficult spell but it was something most fifth years could manage with decent instructions. Actually, why the hell did these sixth years not already know how to cast the Patronus? They was a Dark Lord out there with a small army of Dementors.
"10 points from Ravenclaw for interrupting class. Did you have an objection or did you just want attention, brat?" This guy was definitely baiting Harry, his lecherous smile made it obvious. God, he could feel his eye twitching. Fine.
"Well, if the Dementors are that big of a threat. Isn't it your job to teach us the Patronus?" What exactly was this guy trying? Harry was a nobody in this life. Whatever let's just hope this makes things more interesting.
"Even I can't teach you something that is out of your capabilities. You're the new kid, right? The Half-blood? Of course, it makes sense that you don't understand the intricacies of magic. But that's why you should listen to your superiors and respect them, especially when they're taking the time to teach you." Oh, so that was it. How utterly disappointing. The Slytherin half of the class burst into snorts, giggles and other generally annoying noises.
He understood now, this guy was a Death Eater sympathiser. Actually, Harry wouldn't be surprised if he was an unmarked Death Eater. It all linked up, how he kept going on about the terror of Dementors and how the Dark Lord had somehow managed to subjugate a large number of them. He wouldn't be surprised if this dude worshipped the ground Voldie walked on. He probably only taught DADA cause he had a fetish for the dark arts, like Snape. Except he was obviously a pureblood supremist so maybe he was worse? No, this guy couldn't compare to that crooked, greasy bat.
Breathing out loudly in disappointment, Harry leaned back in his chair. "How am I supposed to learn if my superiors are incapable of teaching me? But I guess I'm really amazing then, since I've been able to conjure a corporeal Patronus since I was 13." He cocked his eyebrow with as much attitude as he could muster. Ooh, he could see the nerves on the professor's forehead, it might even burst if Harry didn't let up. Now, that would be interesting.
"Ah yes, the Headmaster warned me. You were trained by that kook Aaron Jaeger. Let me warn you brat, whatever light show he taught you was not the Patronus charm. But since you want to brag and boast, I'm sure you won't mind showing us this Patronus then?" The professor spat out, the tension in the room palpable. Harry had a feeling this guy was trying to be intimidating, but it was kind of hard to be intimidated. Especially by a lanky stick man who looked like a Slenderman reject, Harry had faced down Dark Lords. As in plural and multiple times.
"I don't mind." He answered shortly, a cheerful expression on his face.
"Yes, sir." The man corrected, gritting his teeth together harshly.
"There's no need to call me sir, professor." Harry answered cheekily. Sorry Slenderman, you got nothing on the Greasy Bat.
Taking a deep breath, Harry closed his eyes. No matter how good he was, he had to focus on the memory if he wanted to pull it off. Making the fluid wand motions almost subconsciously, he immersed himself in the memory he had chosen. A small room with a red rug, a fireplace crackling in the back. A tiny person was running towards Harry. Giggles echo throughout the room as the toddler threw himself at Harry. The green-eyed wizard, seated on the floor, caught the toddler and pulled him close, laughing along with the child. "'Arwy" The child announced, smushing the man's cheeks. The child's facial features morphing into a younger copy of the man, hair turning black. Teddy looked at his Godfather with bright green eyes and giggled, tugging at a lock of the man's hair.
He heard the gasps first, then he opened his eyes, he smiled. There, towering over his professor was a stag, its head tilted to the side, antlers hovering above the professor's head. The glowing creature turned towards Harry and trotted back to its summoner, proudly presenting itself to the class. Now he was just showing off his super cool cloud deer.
"How?" Came the whisper of disbelief from his side. Goldstein was the one who'd spoken. Harry wanted to tell him that it really wasn't that hard. It's just that nobody had thought them. Of course, that wasn't his answer though.
"Just 10% luck, 20% skill, 20% concentrated power of will, 50% pleasure and a 100% reason to piss someone off." Referencing a song 'Mione had shown him once. Not that any of them would get it.
"What in Merlin's name? That totals to 200%." This incredulous voice belonged to the person sitting next to Bellatrix. Ah yes, Rabastian Lestrange, the poor younger brother.
"Ooh look how that worked out, guess I'm just twice the man you'll ever be." Harry replied, shrugging his shoulders. Ok, maybe he should tone down the attitude a bit, it was just the first day. Speaking of people sitting next to Bellatrix, the woman herself seemed to be enchanted by the stag, her mouth slightly open. No Harry bad. He looked away from the girl, cursing himself. However, fate was not kind to Harry, his eyes fell upon something that even more hauntingly familiar. A crooked nose.
Harry almost choked on his own tongue. He had been sitting in class not only with young Bellatrix and Rabastian but also with a young Snape? Severus Bleeding Snape was looking down his ever-crooked nose at Harry. Harry was avoiding the gaze of the future potions master. God, how embarrassing.
"That's… it's really… a corporal Patronus and non-verbally too." The professor finally spoke, swallowing loudly. As smug as Harry was, he should have let it go. He should have let the professor recover and say something stupid and move on with class. Instead, Harry had to open his big mouth and speak.
"Wow professor, as sharp as a marble, aren't you?"
"And that, is how we lost 150 points in Harry's first class. He has detention with the caretaker for the next couple of months so take it easy on him." Harry wanted to bury himself in the ground and never rise. Corner was talking to the fifth-year prefects, explaining why Ravenclaw had just lost 150 points on the first day back from the break. If their murderous glares were anything to go by, this lunch might be his last meal. Not that he was enjoying the lunch either, he was busy absorbing knowledge from his book on the combative use of runes. His prized book from the restricted section of the library.
Since he'd failed to get Dumbledore to give him a pass, he'd been searching for another way. He couldn't ask Slughorn, Harry was a nobody in this world so Slughorn wouldn't do him any favours. Hagrid wasn't a teacher either. In the midst of his desperation, he had asked the Room of Requirements to give him the books from the restricted section. It had worked, he really needed to find out the limits of that room at some point. Of-course he'd spelled the cover of the book to make it look like a storybook.
Actually, the more interesting thing was that his new friends hadn't been angry in the slightest. He'd lost a whole 150 points and all he'd gotten was a pat on the back from Goldstein, a congratulations from Xeno and a happy, bouncy Corner who'd asked Harry if he'd teach him. He'd thought for sure that Ravenclaw was the house of the honor students, with the whole, death before failing a class thing. But they were surprisingly chill.
"Honestly! A hundred and fifty points! What kind of lunatic insults a professor CONTINUOUSLY! We're doomed with this guy in our house" Turpin shouted from down the table; his head buried in his hands. Ok so maybe everyone wasn't cool with it. But honestly, he'd expected much worse. Especially from Goldstein, he'd expected Goldstein to resort to murder for the crime of losing house points.
But from what he understood now, he'd been completely mistaken. Goldstein was the only one in his group who had really good grades and while he had good grades, he tended to complain about his work as much as he could but would still complete it as soon as possible. The boy was a puzzle. Xeno on the other hand, couldn't care less about his grades, he was always either talking about magical creatures or reading about them. Corner had average grades but was the kind who'd put off work for as long as he possibly could. Not that he wasted the time thought, no Corner was quite passionate when it came to things that interested him.
Which it turned out were completely random things because he was currently regaling Goldstein with the tales of Imperial Chinese dynasties. And while it seemed Goldstein knew nothing about Ancient China, he was quite interested in the politics. Giving Corner his views on the policies enacted by certain rulers. Lunch ended soon after that, too soon for Harry's tastes.
However interesting runic tattoos that could strengthen the body were, they'd have to wait. He'd also have to look into a way of concealing them. He had something else to focus on now, because now he had Charms, with the sixth year Gryffindors. And if Snape was in his sixth year, then that meant so were his parents.
He was nervously standing in the corridor of the Charms classroom, with Xeno by his side. He'd said he wanted to get some air before class but in reality, he just wanted to see his parents as soon as he could. But could he even consider them his parents? They were just 16 and were they even together at this point? How the hell was he even supposed to interact with them? Would he have the chance to befriend them? They were in a different house and these were dark times, would they trust him or be open to him?
While Harry paced nervously, he heard the echoing sounds of laughter. The Gryffindors had arrived in a group and at their forefront were four boys walking side by side. James Potter, looked exactly like a 16-year-old Harry. Well not exactly, James wasn't nearly as short or scrawny and he definitely had more style than Harry, wearing expensive tailored robes.
Speaking of style, was that Sirius? The boy had his arm looped around James' neck, whispering into the other boy's ear. Tight black leather pants and tucked into them was a half unbuttoned red shirt, his tie completely undone, hung off his shoulders along with his Gryffindor robe. And Sirius even had shoulder length black hair. A few of the younger girls giggled as they passed him, maybe Sirius actually was a ladies' man in his younger years. He certainly had the looks, but did he really have to be baring his chest?
He didn't really have time to observe more as they entered the classroom, Harry had only just noticed her. The redhead from his dreams, the one whose whispered words still comforted him. His mother, even though she was a 16-year-old girl, even though Harry knew that this girl technically wasn't his mother. That any future child of her's wouldn't really be Harry. Harry knew that he would never let her come to harm, even if he had to personally kill everyone that threatened her. He would burn this world to the ground before he let her die again.
Steadying himself, he followed them into the classroom. Should I introduce myself to her after class? Should I try sitting with her? No, she'd be sitting with her friends, right? Harry was pulled out of his musing by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to Xeno with a questioning gaze, they were in the doorway of the classroom, they'd be blocking traffic if they didn't move soon.
In response, the boy simply pointed at the ground in front of Harry's feet. "Keltbears" was the explanation. Harry looked at the unassuming ground, simply pointing his wand at it, he summoned a stone there. The stone turned pink, so there had been a trap spell, a prank? How had Xeno picked up on it, why did he call it a Keltbear? He could think later, first he should at least get to his seat. "Thanks Xeno, let's go get seated."
"Hey, not bad new kid. But you better be prepared." Sirius shouted at him across the room, seated next to James Potter.
"Uhh, Yea, yes." Harry cringed hard. What the hell was he getting tongue tied for, quickly he took his seat. It was only his dead godfather and dead parents and Uncle Moony and the damn traitor who got them killed. Oh god, Harry could feel the stress aging him. For now, let's just focus on the fact that they're young and happy and I can see them.
And that is what Harry did, for the rest of the class. He kept stealing glances at James and Sirius and Remus, firmly avoiding Pettigrew. Moreover, he kept coming back to Lily. Her mannerisms, her voice, her gentle laughter as she spoke to the girl next to her, Harry might have come off as creepy if she knew he was watching her. But he just couldn't help the smile that was on his face. It felt good to know that his angel of a mother had been so carefree once upon a time.
In fact, he'd been so occupied that he'd completely ignored Professor Flitwick, who turns out had only gotten the job a year ago. Once class had ended, he had followed Lily out of the room, trying to catch up to her. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work out for him.
"James Potter! You have a lot to answer for!" What the hell was this commotion about? Pushing his way through the crowd he noticed that it was Bellatrix that had yelled "Didn't I tell, you? One more foot out of line and I'll make you suffer." Why was she threatening- Oh.
It was a sight that brought Harry joy. Bellatrix and Rabastian sure looked good with bright green hair. The problem was that along with them were a few more shady characters. Lucius Malfoy was an obvious one with his platinum blond hair, Harry couldn't identify the others expect for Rudolphus and Snape but there were seven of them in total, other than Bellatrix.
"Bella, darling cousin. There is absolutely no proof and I don't want you bothering my Jamsey-Wamsey for no reason." Sirius shot back, hanging off of James arm, as though to make a point.
"You stay out of this, you disgrace!" Huh, guess she always hated him then.
"Ouch, you'll hurt my feelings cousin. Anyway, I love what you've done with the hair, got any tips for me?" Sirius threw back, twirling his hair. He really was asking to be hospitalised.
"Let me help you then." The witch growled out as she pulled his wand on Sirius.
"Oh, would you look at that! If it isn't Snow-White and the seven hobgoblins!" Harry interrupted. They might not know him but he'd put all eight of them in the permanent ward at St. Mungo's if they tried to hurt his family. Sirius was doubled over laughing however, and James was barely hiding his giggles, guess they liked the name.
"Stay out of this Half-Blood" Bellatrix warned. Not like he was going to listen to her.
"Well, eight on two is just pitiful so I thought I'd join them and maybe you can call the rest of Slytherin over to help you. You know, make it a fair fight" He knew he was getting on her nerves, that was the aim. He slowly made his way towards the two boys; he didn't mind taking them on but he didn't want James or Sirius to get hurt. Tightening his grip on his wand, he was glad that Lily hadn't stayed behind after class and had already left the area.
"Actually, I count at least five prefects here. So, I can guarantee that there will be nothing that interesting happening." Goldstein had stepped in between the two groups. There was a girl with him, must be the other Ravenclaw prefect then.
"Watch your back Potter!" Bellatrix spat before she tuned and stormed away, her group following closely behind her. The fact that she'd brought so many budding death eaters, she had actually planned on making this a fight. A loud smack resounded from Harry's right, Remus had just smacked the two boys on their heads.
"If you two are done trying to get yourselves killed. Let's go." Remus also had a prefect's badge pinned to his chest. Huh, you learn something new every day. He watched the young were-wolf drag his friends away from the scene. Their loud complaints and excuses falling on deaf ears. The crowd that had gathered was also starting to disperse.
"And finally, you. Harry is there a reason you're going around picking fights with dangerous people?" Goldstein was standing in front of him now, the girl who was with him was no longer around. Instead, Xeno and Corner were at his back. Corner slapped his back and said "Definitely not as boring as Turpin. A little suicidal but not boring!"
"Anyway, let's get going. We can talk about this later." Goldstein led the way to their next class. Herbology with Hufflepuffs. But Harry was left wondering, He'd jumped headfirst in so much trouble today, yet these 3 boys had stuck by his side anyway. He wasn't famous, he hadn't even known them long, they'd just grown on him. Xeno had protected him from the prank spell, Goldstein had even put himself in front of an enraged Bellatrix. Sure, Goldstein had manipulated the situation in a way that Bellatrix couldn't do anything but if weren't for him, she'd surely have attacked.
Maybe, just maybe he'd found himself some reliable friends. People who could help him usher in the era of the Republic. Corner's intelligence, Goldstein's political prowess and Xeno's ability to pick up on magic. He was sure that they'd become invaluable assets to him in the coming war.