Chapter Seven
Hogwarts
1st September 1991Potter Manor, Glasgow
Harry was so excited that his leg kept bouncing up and down. This was it. He was finally going to Hogwarts. He had woken up this morning way before the rest of his family and was already dressed and ready by the time the others got up. His parents entertained him while his siblings cursed him for making them get up so early. Only in the privacy of their mind, though. If their mother heard them, well, there was nothing more terrifying than a Lily Potter glare.
After a healthy breakfast of bacon and eggs, Harry rushed upstairs to bring his trunk down. He was struggling with its heavy weight, when, halfway down the stairs, it disappeared with a pop. Harry turned around to see Mira grinning at him. He shot her a grateful smile and hurried down after his trunk.
"Why aren't we Flooing there?" asked Harry as he got in the back seat of his dad's car. William sat in the middle while Lizzie held court on the left side.
"Your father and I decided that you should get the full experience," smiled Lily. "Which means going to platform nine and three quarters the traditional way: through the barrier from the Muggle side of the platform."
"Cool!" replied Harry and settled in for the ride.
Due to the magically modified car, it took less than an hour to reach the station. James parked the car and retrieved a trolley for Harry's trunk. James wheeled the trolley into the station and the rest of the family followed him, Harry shaking with excitement, William feeling sadness, Lily feeling worried and Lizzie feeling impatient about her turn for Hogwarts.
"All you have to do is run straight at the barrier and you'll end up on the other side," James explained when they reached platform nine.
Harry took a deep breath and tried not to think of what would happen if the magic on the platform failed in some way and he crashed headfirst into the brick wall. He took his trolley from his father and positioned it in front of the wall.
"Best do it at a run," advised Lily with a smile. "And close your eyes if it helps. I know the first few times I did it, I was afraid I was going to crash and break my skull."
Harry took her advice and closed his eyes before breaking into a run. The crash didn't come and when he opened his eyes, he was standing on platform nine and three quarters. He gazed in awe at the red steam engine with the words 'The HOGWARTS EXPRESS' written in bold letters. The bright red Hogwarts Express was stationed with its doors open as wizards wearing bright red uniforms wheeled carts piled high with trunks towards the back of the train.
Harry held his breath as he looked around at the platform. This was his first time coming here, and while there was nothing special in it (just a normal looking platform overlooking train tracks), this was the start of his journey to Hogwarts. He would come here for the next seven years to go to Hogwarts and come back from there. It was exciting, nerve-wracking and breath-taking all at once.
His mother entered behind him with Lizzie followed by his dad with William. James heaved Harry's trunk and wondered what Harry had stuffed into it that made it so heavy, right before Lily tapped the trunk with her wand making it feather-light. James smiled sheepishly and climbed onto the train. Harry followed him to an empty compartment and James placed the trunk in the overhead rack. Then the two made their way back outside to wait for the others. Lily handed Harry his beautiful owl while Lizzie and William gazed around the platform, taking everything in.
Harry gently let his Moon owl who had named Hedwig (A name picked randomly from his History of Magic book) out from under his cloak and set her free. "Go on, girl," Harry smiled softly. "I'll see you at Hogwarts." Hedwig hooted once and nipped his ear before spreading her wings and taking flight.
It was only five minutes later when the Longbottoms entered the platform. Frank placed Neville's trunk in the same compartment as Harry's, then they came and exchanged pleasantries with the Potter family. Ten minutes later, Harry impatiently glanced at his watch before sharing an eye roll with Neville. He shouldn't have been surprised! The Weasleys were always late to everything! Sirius, Marlene and Uncle Remus had already arrived and were waiting for the last family. Speak of the devil and he shall appear, thought Harry when he spotted a cluster of redheads entering the platform.
"Hey!" said Ron, grinning at them. Neville and Harry grinned back. Harry raised an eyebrow and Ron sheepishly looked back. "It's Ginny's fault."
"No, it's not!" said Ginny who was listening. "You're the one who spent ages in the bathroom!"
Harry snickered but what Lizzie said next shut him up. "You don't have a leg to stand on, Harry. You spend ages in the bathroom too!"
"At least I take less time than you!" Harry retorted. It wasn't anything serious, just some banter between friends and siblings.
"Come on, kids, just five minutes left," said Lily, gathering Harry in a big hug. "I want you to write to me at least once a week, okay? Or I'll send a Howler." she threatened. Harry promised to write because he knew that if he didn't, his mother really would send him a Howler.
Molly and Arthur said goodbye to their children while Frank and Alice exchanged slightly tearful (Alice) farewells with Neville.
The whistle blew and Harry quickly hugged his family, then jumped onto the train. Neville and Ron followed him. Victoria, Ginny and Lizzie looked at them with slightly teary expressions but waved goodbye.
"We'll send you a toilet seat!" Harry heard Fred and George promise their sister and he grinned. Maybe he would do something similar for his sister. Her mischievous mind would appreciate it.
Harry ran to his compartment when the guard closed the doors and waved to his family from there. His sister ran after the train as it moved away, followed by Ginny and Victoria. The train turned a corner and his family disappeared from sight. Harry sat down and grinned at his friends. "We're going to Hogwarts!"
Ron grinned as well. "I know. I can't believe it. Everyone's been going before me and it's finally my turn. Ginny's been right upset that she's the last one left."
"She'll be here next year," said Neville. "Torie was upset too but they have each other and Luna and Lizzie."
"Ickle Ronniekins got dirt on his nose." teased Harry. He had heard Mrs Weasley fussing over him about it and couldn't pass up the urge to tease his friend.
Ron slapped his arm. "Shut up, you prat."
"Is this compartment- Harry?!"
Harry looked up. A girl with bushy brown hair, cinnamon brown eyes and large front teeth was staring at him in shock. Harry jumped up and grinned at her. He had had an idea that she was magical when she managed to fix a book on which she had spilt water and it was nice to see his suspicions confirmed.
"Hey, Hermione!"
She stared at him. "What do you mean 'hey Hermione'? You're a wizard?!" She asked incredulously.
Harry nodded and smirked. "Yeah. I thought you were magical that day in the library but I wasn't sure, so I didn't say anything."
Hermione laughed shortly. "Well, this makes things so much easier." She elaborated at Harry's raised eyebrow. "I was kind of nervous to make new friends so you can imagine my relief at finding you here."
Harry understood. He had gleaned from unintentional hints that Hermione was bullied often for her bossy and know-it-all attitude, bushy hair and teeth and he was her first friend in ages. He could very well imagine her panic at having to make new friends in a whole new environment.
"Do you two know each other?" asked Neville politely, making Harry almost smack himself in the forehead. In his excitement, he had forgotten his manners.
"Hermione, this is Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom, my friends from the magical world. Neville is actually my godbrother and our parents are close as siblings so we're more like cousins." Hermione nodded and smiled at them hesitantly. She had heard about Harry's friends enough to know that the redhead was Ron and the blonde boy was Neville. "Guys, this is Hermione, my friend from Muggle primary school."
"Cool," said Ron and didn't say anything further. Neville smiled politely at her. "Merry meet. You can sit down if you like, no need to keep standing."
Hermione smiled her thanks and sat down next to Neville.
They settled down for the ride and exchanged stories with each other about their childhoods. While Neville still had a bit of Muggle in his upbringing due to Lily, Ron had grown up entirely wizarding and his lifestyle was vastly different than Hermione's who had grown up entirely Muggle. Neville and Harry both lived wizarding and Muggle. As Harry finished up a funny story about going shopping with his mother in a Muggle department store, their peace was briefly disturbed by Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.
"Heir Potter, Heir Longbottom," said Draco standing in the doorway of their compartment. He sneered slightly looking at Ron. "Weasley."
Harry nodded back. "Heir Malfoy." Neville echoed the greeting while Ron just glared at him.
"You are...?" asked Draco, looking at Hermione with an expression of distaste on his face.
"Hermione Granger," she replied hesitantly, unsure who this was.
Draco sneered but turned back to Harry. "You can join us in our compartment, Heir Potter. You don't have to sit with them,"
Harry didn't glare but his tone had a certain frosty quality to it. "No need, Heir Malfoy. I am fine where I am."
Heir Malfoy didn't blush but his cheeks got a pink tinge. He seemed to understand that what Harry said was an insult to him. "As you wish, Heir Potter. I will see you... later."
"Who was that?" asked Hermione when Draco and his followers had left.
"That was Draco Malfoy," said Ron disgustedly. "He's one of those people who think they are superior just because they have money and are born into a good family."
Harry hummed and thought about what his mother had once said to him. ' Children are a copy of their parent's beliefs. It takes an exceptionally strong-willed person to go against what they have been taught all their lives.'
"The Malfoys have always been superior and arrogant. They usually only interact with those they think are of equal standing and shun those they deem unworthy." explained Neville.
"That's what he's been taught," Harry pointed out. "Would you go against what you believed all your life?"
Hermione frowned thoughtfully but didn't say anything. The trolley witch came and went, with Harry buying loads of sweets because his mum wasn't around to reprimand him, and Neville bought only a little. Ron and Hermione refrained from buying anything since Hermione's parents were dentists and she was cautioned against sweets and Ron had brought sandwiches from his home.
There was a moment of awkwardness and slight tension when Hermione proudly announced that her wand was made of Vinewood and dragon heart string and proceeded to ask them about theirs. While Ron saw no problem in this and despondently told everyone that his wand was his brothers which had its unicorn hair almost poking out, Harry and Neville exchanged significant glances. Asking someone about their wand was considered a big social error. It was like asking you what your sword was made of, since a wand was technically a weapon, and was demanding you to display all your weaknesses; the fact that Ron's was a second-hand wand could easily be used against him since he wouldn't be able to use his full potential because of it.
Harry and Neville cautiously gave their own explanations though Harry made a mental note to inform Hermione about wizarding etiquette. She could very easily piss off the offspring of a noble lineage and be in big trouble.
Neville's wand was made of cherry and unicorn wood though Harry noticed how he didn't tell his length and flexibility. When Harry told Hermione about his wand being made of holly and phoenix and moon owl feather, he invited another round of questions about how a wand could have two cores. Telling her about Hedwig being his familiar proved to be another mistake since she was then interrogating about how to get her own familiar. Neville got sick of it and informed her firmly that animals bonded with humans, not the other way around.
"Merlin," thought Harry during a lull in the conversation. Hermione was going to cause a lot of waves, and not necessarily good ones. In his political sessions with Dad, Uncle Siri and Aunt Andy, Harry had learnt that it was precisely her type of Muggleborns that made Purebloods hate them so much. The kind of Muggleborns who forced Muggle culture down everyone's throats and ignored wizarding culture. While the wizarding world was still behind its Muggle counterpart, despite the changes his parents and uncles had made, trying to drag it kicking and screaming into the twenty first century was not going to work. People, especially purebloods, didn't like being told to do anything.
Hermione would do horrible in Slytherin, he thought absent-mindedly, other than Aunt Andy, he didn't know anyone who was from Slytherin House and he didn't know much about the inner workings of Slytherin, but he knew enough that it was a lot of politics and subtle manoeuvring. Hermione was not subtle; she was blunt. She also loved to voice her views about everything. Slytherin would eat her alive for that. There was nothing wrong with having opinions as long as you don't expect everyone to have the same. He had tried to get her to be subtle about it but it was not working.
The scenery outside had started to turn dark and the lamps had turned on inside the compartment. Hermione had fallen asleep and Neville was dozing with his head leaning on the window, and his mouth open. Harry was reading a Muggle novel and Ron was trying something with his second-hand wand when the lamps which had been slightly dim, brightened to an almost painful measure. An announcement echoed through the train telling them that they would be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes.
Neville started and almost fell off his seat. His hand smacked Hermione in the face waking her up just as Ron's wand let out a burst of sparks, almost burning Harry's book. Harry yelped, pulling his book away. The four of them stared at each other before bursting into laughter. When the laughter died down, Hermione left the compartment to go to her own where her trunk was and the boys quickly changed.
They joined the throng of students making their way out of the train and soon found Hermione. They decided to stick together to have friendly faces in the wake of the unknown.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Harry grinned up at the imposing figure before him. He had heard stories of Hagrid from his parents and knew that beneath the gruff exterior was a warm and loving half-giant.
"Mind yer step now! Follow me, everyone!" Harry led them through a narrow path with the surroundings so dark Harry was sure there were trees or maybe, a whole forest around them. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
Harry gasped in awe. It was a beautiful sight. The castle was set on a mountain with the starry sky as its background. Hogwarts was an age-old castle with many turrets and towers. The pinpricks of lights from the windows made for a nice, aesthetic illumination.
They were led to a row of boats stationed at the shore of a lake. "No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville climbed into the closest one and waited impatiently. Slowly, all the boats filled up; the last quartet to get into a boat were the Bones Heir, the Abbot Heir and two unknown boys, Harry noted. Hagrid had a boat of his own and once he had confirmed that everyone was on board, he gave the signal to move.
"Forward!"
The four kids in Harry's boat glanced at each other with anticipation and nervousness but no one said anything. The boats moved forward, gliding through the smooth surface of the lake without producing a ripple. Harry shivered when he saw a tentacle come out of the water and give a lazy wave. The castle loomed over them as they neared the cliff and Hagrid called to duck their heads when the fleet of boats reached it. They moved through a curtain of ivy into a dark tunnel and stopped at a kind of underground shore.
Hagrid made sure that no one or nothing was left in the boat before leading the students through a passageway onto smooth, damp grass which covered their path until they reached a set of oak front doors. Hagrid knocked on the door with his gigantic fist and waited. It was only a few seconds later that the door opened as if the person who opened the door had been waiting for them.
Harry grinned when he saw who had opened the door. It was Auntie Minnie or more commonly known as Professor Minerva McGonagall. Her emerald robes were pressed and wrinkle-free and her black hair was pulled back in a severe bun under her hat. Her face looked stern and her mouth was set into a firm line and Harry might have thought that she was not someone to mess with if he hadn't seen her bursting into laughter and being tipsy after drinking a few glasses of wine and even assisting his dad in a prank against his godfather.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid respectfully.
McGonagall didn't smile but the slightest uplift of her lips was visible to those who had known her long, like Harry. "Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it from here."
The Entrance Hall of Hogwarts was huge and it was lit with flaming torches that were common in the wizarding world. The students followed Professor McGonagall past the door through which Harry could hear the chatter of hundreds of students and smell the delicious aroma of food, to an empty chamber off the hall. Most of the students stood close to those they knew and glanced around nervously but with no small amount of excitement.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.
"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards." Though she tried to be impartial, Harry detected a note of pride when she said "Gryffindor". He grinned; he had heard from his parents that Auntie Minnie was the Head of Gryffindor House and it showed.
"While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours." Professor McGonagall's eyes rested on Harry's a little longer than everyone else and Harry smiled at her. In return, he saw her face soften slightly before once again, taking on the stern look.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes landed on Neville's unfastened cloak and Ron's nose which was still dirty before she nodded at them and left them alone.
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" asked Hermione nervously.
"Dunno," replied Ron. "Some sort of test, I think; my brother, Fred, said it hurts a lot but I don't know if I should believe him or not."
The next few minutes were spent with Hermione furiously whispering all the spells she knew and wondering which one she'll need. Finally, Harry laid a hand on her arm to shut her up.
"Hermione," he smiled at her. "I don't think they are going to make you demonstrate spells before you even start classes. My dad said it was something very harmless and you wouldn't even have to do anything, sort of like a personality test, I think. They definitely wouldn't make you fight a troll," He said, sending an amused look at Ron who shrugged back. He couldn't help that he usually fell into his brothers' traps.
Despite his calm tone, Harry was nervous too. He believed his dad, but he wasn't sure if he wanted his personality to be announced in front of the whole school. He was already famous enough, he wondered how people would take it when they found out every detail about his character.
Harry's head whipped around when he heard someone scream. Hermione gasped in shock and people around them did the same. Harry knew that ghosts were real but he had never actually seen one. Harry gasped too. Approximately, twenty ghosts had streamed from the wall behind them, casually talking to each other as if this was an everyday thing, and Harry supposed, that, for them, it was.
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights noticed the first years before anyone else. "What are you all doing here?" Nobody answered him.
"New students," said one of the ghosts whom Harry had heard the other ghosts call 'Fat Friar'. "About to be sorted? Hope for Hufflepuff, my old House, you know!"
Just then, Professor McGonagall came back and shooed the ghosts away. She led the students towards the doors they had passed earlier and pushed them open into the Great Hall. Harry gazed around in awe. He had thought that the ballroom at his home was one of the biggest rooms he had seen but the Great Hall was way bigger than that. There was a table sitting in the front of the room facing them, with all the teachers sitting at it. Harry noticed Hagrid sitting at one end of the table and a witch wearing olive-coloured robes and a hat spangled with astrological signs was sitting at the other end.
There were thousands of candles that were floating in mid-air over four long tables where the rest of the students were sitting. The tables had the colours of their Houses on the napkins and table clothes (Red tablecloth had gold napkins, blue tablecloth had bronze napkins, yellow tablecloth had black napkins, green tablecloth had silver napkins). Ghosts were seen in the room, due to their translucent form shining silver in the light. Harry followed a sandy-haired boy towards the front of the room where a stool was sitting.
Behind him, he heard Hermione say "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Harry looked up and caught his breath. He gazed at the ceiling in wonderment. Hermione was right; he could see the velvety black sky dotted with stars that was also visible through the high windows. It was as if the Hall simply opened to the heavens.
Professor McGonagall placed a ragged looking hat on the stool and stood back. Everyone stared at the Hat so Harry did too and was gifted with the sight of a rip near the brim opening before it burst into song:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
Harry wondered how that would work. The Hat had such a thin brim, would the rest of it really manage to fit in there? "We should ask our mums to make a Hat smarter than him," Harry whispered to his friends who had to stifle laughs.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
"Well, that's reassuring," muttered Harry. "I definitely don't have secrets."
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
Harry bounced and tried not to look too eager. Despite everything, he would be really proud if he got Sorted into Gryffindor.
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Harry couldn't understand why people considered Hufflepuff to be duffers. They were probably smarter than everyone but Ravenclaw.
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
The Hat was basically implying that Slytherin was the House that was the most loyal. People really are dumb if they believe that Slytherins stab people in the back day and night.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Harry didn't only hear but also felt Ron, Neville's and Hermione's sigh of relief beside him and was sure they felt his relief too. He didn't have to do anything; just sit on the stool and put on the Hat which would announce only his House, not an in-depth detail about his temperament.
Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll and cleared her throat before saying, "When I call your name, you put on the hat and sit on the stool."
"Abbot, Hannah!" Harry recognized her as the Abbot Heir. She had a pink face and cute blonde pigtails. She stumbled slightly when going to the stool before straightening her back and walking confidently. It was only a few seconds before the Hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table with the yellow tablecloth, on the right, burst into applause and welcomed Hannah with hugs and handshakes. The ghost that had told them to hope for Hufflepuff, the Fat Friar, waved at her.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The red-haired niece of Amelia Bones and Heiress to the House of Bones was greeted with the same reception as that of Hannah Abbot.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left, with the blue tablecloth, exploded into cheers as the brown-haired boy joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy," a brown-haired girl with glasses went to "RAVENCLAW!" too.
"Brown, Lavender!" was sorted into "GRYFFINDOR" and became the first person to join the table on the far left, with the red tablecloth. Harry grinned when he heard Fred and George catcalling.
"Bulstrode, Millicent," however, was the first person to join "SLYTHERIN!". Harry noticed that the clapping was polite and perfunctory at the Slytherin table, as was taught in most Pureblood circles.
"Corner, Michael!" was sorted into "RAVENCLAW!"
"Cornfoot, Stephen!" was sorted into "RAVENCLAW!"
"Crabbe, Vincent!" was sorted into "SLYTHERIN!"
"Davies, Roger!" was sorted into "RAVENCLAW!"
"Davis, Tracey!" was sorted into "SLYTHERIN!"
"Dunbar, Fay!" was sorted into "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Entwhistle, Kevin!" was sorted into "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Flinch-Fletchley, Justin!" was sorted into "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Finnigan, Seamus!" who was the sandy-haired boy in front of Harry walked up to the stool and McGonagall placed the Hat on his head. Almost a minute later, he was sorted into "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Greengrass, Daphne!" whom Harry recognized as the Heiress to the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass was sorted into "SLYTHERIN!"
"Goldstein, Anthony!" was sorted into "RAVENCLAW!"
"Goyle, Gregory!" was sorted into "SLYTHERIN!" before it was Hermione's turn.
"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran up to the stool and jammed the Hat eagerly on her head before McGonagall had a chance to help her. It wasn't long before the Hat cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry cheered, happy for his friend. She had expressed a desire to get in Gryffindor on the train and her dream came true. While her reasons for wanting Gryffindor were somewhat skewed (she wanted to get into Gryffindor because Dumbledore was in that house), Harry couldn't deny that he was glad for her.
"Hopkins, Wayne!" was sorted into "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Jones, Megan!" was also sorted into "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Longbottom, Neville!" Harry's heart clenched as he watched his cousin walk up to the stool with confident steps. His nervous tells were also visible to those who knew what they were. Harry noticed the way his hands shook as he sat on the stool and the slight bouncing of his leg up and down. The Hat was on Neville's head for almost five minutes before it cried out "GRYFFINDOR!". Harry cheered loudly and watched as Neville walked off to the table with the red tablecloth and was welcomed by Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Fay Dunbar and Hermione.
Sue Li was sorted into Ravenclaw, Morag MacDougal and Ernie MacMillan were sorted into Hufflepuff. Draco Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin almost as soon as the Hat touched his head. Harry would be lying if he said he was surprised. While Draco's family was the one suitable for the pureblood Slytherin House, that boy didn't have an ounce of cunning or subtlety in him which was something Harry notice during the Yule Ball that had been held at their Manor the past year.
Kella Malone was sorted into Gryffindor, and Lily Moon, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson were sorted into Slytherin. Twin Patils were sorted into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and a girl named Sally-Anne Perks was sorted into Ravenclaw.
Harry nervously fingered the dog tag that was hanging around his neck. This made him think back to when he had gotten it. He remembered, when he was young, seeing the golden chains hanging around his parent's necks and other people like his aunt and uncles; being included in this was a dream come true. Unfortunately, remembering his family would not help ease the butterflies in his stomach. I mean, can you blame him? He, a weird famous boy. was going to be sorted into one of the four Hogwarts houses and would have the whole world judge him when he landed where ever he did. He definitely didn't want that. I mean, what if he landed in Slytherin? While he had no problem with that (cunning and ambition, were after all very good qualities), he knew of the dark reputation it had and he didn't want to be judged by that. He was smart enough to realize that he would be implicated as the next Voldemort as that happened. The results of his actions were scrutinized by everyone. That was a lesson he learnt the hard way.
He blinked when a flash of warmth enveloped him. He looked down and realized that he had been absentmindedly fingering his Heir rings. Not his visible Potter ring, or the invisible but still able to be felt Black and Gryffindor rings, but the invisible (nobody would even realize it was there because the ring on his hand wouldn't be felt by anyone but him) Slytherin ring. Right, he had forgotten that he had accepted the Heirship of the House of Slytherin.
He had learnt from books present in the Gryffindor vault (he could open the vault but couldn't take anything out) that if he was the Heir of Gryffindor, then it was almost impossible for him to be sorted anywhere other than Gryffindor. Especially Slytherin. The rival magic Slytherin would be too much for the Gryffindor family magic to handle and it would become unstable, quite possibly causing him to die. Thus, it was decided unanimously in their family that Harry should accept the Slytherin Heirship so that the magics would be equal. While there was a very slim chance that he would get sorted into Slytherin (If his personality matched, obviously) despite the Gryffindor Heirship, they didn't want to take the risk. Especially Harry's mother.
"Potter, Harry!"
Harry would not have heard it had it not been for Ron's elbow digging into his ribs to stop him from getting lost in his thoughts. He squashed his nervousness and took a deep breath. He didn't stick around to listen to the whispers spreading like fire around the hall. Instead, he squashed his nervousness and confidently walked to the stool with his back straight and his face set into a neutral expression.
"It's Potter, right? What's he doing here?"
"He's eleven, you prat."
"Wonder where he'll be sorted?"
"Puh-lease! Obviously Gryffindor! Do you really think the Boy Who Lived will be sorted into Hufflepuff?"
The Hat slipped over Harry's eyes, obscuring his view of hundreds of students trying to get a glimpse of him. Only years of practice kept him from panicking.
"Hmmm," said a small voice in his ear. Harry barely stopped himself from jumping. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. The loyalty you have in spades as well as the ability to work hard. You have an intelligent mind, you would not have been able to protect your mind without it. There's talent in there. A thirst to prove yourself. You're cunning, there's no doubt about that. You could do great things in Slytherin.
"Where are you going to Sort me?" asked Harry. "If I fit the characteristics of every House?"
Harry felt the Sorting Hat smile. "Heir of Gryffindor and Slytherin, the Houses of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are too unstable. "She's coming next year, I can get her here now but it might be better to wait..."
"Who's coming?"
"Don't you worry about that," the Hat said in a voice that had a certain sing-song quality to it. "Slytherin might be the best possible choice for you; you're smart, driven, ambitious and cunning but, no, the prejudice might be a bit much."
"I can handle anything they throw at me," said Harry heatedly.
The Hat laughed softly. "I have no doubt that you can, Mr Potter, but I know enough about Slytherin House from sitting in Dumbledore's office that they are out for your blood. The older ones remember the war and most of them had families on the other side. You got most of their families landed in Azkaban, no, they are not going to be forgiving."
Harry grumbled unhappily. He knew the Hat had a point so he didn't try to fight it. According to Aunt Andy, Slytherin House had a hierarchy and a set of rules and they might be willing to break it if they got their revenge. He was a first-year, who despite the training he got, was no match for a seventh-year. Especially a seventh year who had no qualms about using Dark magic.
"I feel your unhappiness, Mr Potter. However, I advise you to think like a Slytherin," Harry couldn't see it but he knew the Hat was grinning slyly. "You're brave and chivalrous and quite willing to sacrifice your life for others. I am also known for Sorting based on your principles but you hold bravery and cunning on the same level. In that case, won't it be better to be a snake in the lion's den?"
Harry was suddenly very glad the Hat was not a student. He would have taken Hogwarts by storm.
The Hat laughed softly again. "Thank you for the compliment. Though, it might be wise of me to mention that I am a 'she'." Harry's eyes widened in shock and felt the Hat wink at him. "Better be..."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry grinned at Auntie Minnie as she took off the hat, which she returned with a face full of pride. He walked towards the Gryffindor table, noting that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Yet there were also whispers about why it had taken so long. Surely he was destined for Gryffindor from the start? Harry ignored it and settled down next to Neville, accepting pats on the back and handshakes from people who didn't even know him and kept a smile fixed on his face despite how much he hated it.
Thankfully, everyone quieted down when the next student was called which turned out to be "Rivers, Oliver!" who was sorted into "HUFFLEPUFF". After that, only a few students (Sally Smith-Hufflepuff; Dean Thomas-Gryffindor; Lisa Turpin-Ravenclaw) were left before it was Ron's turn.
Harry mentally wished his friend luck and hoped that he would not throw up over the Hat. His pallor certainly suggested that he would. Ron nervously walked to the stool and it was half a minute later that he was sorted into Gryffindor. Harry clapped him on the back and Neville shook his hand while the Weasley Brothers cheered. The Sorting was concluded by "Zabini, Blaise!" being Sorted into "SLYTHERIN" which clapped politely though Harry noticed several wary looks directed at the dark-skinned boy. He resolved to ask his parents about it later.
Harry looked at the House table and saw Albus Dumbledore for the first time in real. Or at least that he remembered. On his left was an empty seat which he realized was for Aunt Minnie. On his right was a black-robed greasy-haired teacher whom Harry didn't recognize next to whom was a man wearing a purple turban. There was also the famous Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick that he had heard so many stories from his parents. A witch was wearing a pointed hat with astronomical signs and another witch had a quill in her hand and was furiously jotting down on a piece of parchment. The fabled Cuthbert Binns was not present, which did not surprise Harry since his mum said that they rarely saw him outside of classes.
The Hogwarts Matron, recognizable by her nurse robes was sitting with a grumpy-looking man in robes that shouldn't see the light of day that Harry thought could be no one but Argus Filch.
Albus Dumbledore stood up, spreading his arms wide as if welcoming everyone. He was beaming as if there was nothing better he had to do than welcome students into a school. Personally, Harry wondered what the Defeater of Grindelwald was doing at a school when he should be off doing politics or fighting bad guys. "Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!" He sat back down.
Harry wondered if Albus Dumbledore was a bit mad. Nevertheless, such mindless thoughts left his mind as he looked at the golden dishes and registered that they were not empty anymore and were, in fact, filled with delicious and steamy foods that made Harry's stomach grumble. Harry took a bit of everything except suspicious-looking peppermints (the memory of Uncle Rem telling him of the time they had requested the house-elves in Hogwarts to place peppermints at the table for lunch which caused every affected person to speak in a high pitched voice) which included: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and the suspicious peppermint humbugs.
"Welcome, new Gryffindors!" said a ghost wearing ruff and tights after several minutes of relative silence as everyone dug in. "I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know you!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!" Harry winced at the blunt approach though he could not deny that the same thing had been going on in his mind, except for substituting the brothers for Uncle Siri.
Sir Nicholas sniffed as if he was greatly offended. "I would prefer you call me Sir Nicholas-" He was interrupted by the sandy-haired by called Finnegan asking him how it was possible to be nearly headless. Let's just say, a few minutes later, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower had moved several rows down and had Hermione Granger glaring at Finnegan for sending him away.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the desserts replaced the plates that had been wiped sparkling clean. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jelly, rice pudding and Harry's favourite, treacle tart which he immediately snagged two slices of.
The topics of conversations varied from their classes to their blood though, thankfully, none of them seemed to be disparaging towards Hermione or Dean Thomas or any other Muggleborn present.
Seamus Finnegan was apparently a half-blood whose father hadn't even known that his wife was a witch till after they had already been married. Dean Thomas was an apparent Muggleborn whose father had gone missing before he was born. His mother hadn't known about magic until Dean had received his Hogwarts letter. Ron and Neville were both pure-blood, though with very different backgrounds and social standings. Harry, while a half-blood (one set of grandparents was Muggle), was raised like a Pure-blood.
Lavender Brown was from the Ancient House of Brown and was a half-blood. Parvati Pail was of Pure-blood Indian descent and the only reason she was coming to Hogwarts, instead of going to the Delhi School of Magic, was because one of the Professors there had been accused of rape and their father did not want to risk them there. Fay Dunbar was born to a half-blood and Muggle and was recognized as a half-blood. Or at least a half-blood whose whole life was defined by a single word: Quidditch. Kella Malone was also a Muggle-born though she hadn't revealed any information beyond that.
Hermione explained to those who didn't know her already (which included everyone but Harry) that she was a Muggle-born born in England but had moved to Scotland when she was eight. Thus, there was a very slight, practically unnoticeable Scottish accent when she spoke. Harry had spent his entire life in Scotland, yet he did not have an accent because they usually went to England if they needed anything and were only staying in Scotland. After all, the Potter Ancestral Seat resided there.
Harry glanced at the High Table when he felt a slight ache in his head. His eyes widened (he immediately concealed that reaction) when he recognized it as a subtle Legilimency attack. He looked at the High Table discretely as that was the only place an attack or, merely observation (it seemed that way, at least) could come from. His eyes passed over the turban man who was looking behind his chair for something and landed on the hook-nosed Professor. His eyes locked on the man as another headache permeated through his brain and caused him to look away immediately and focus on Percy.
"Who's that, Percy?" he asked quietly.
Percy looked up to where he was pointing. "That's Professor Snape. He's the Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin House and is notorious for favouring Slytherins."
Harry nodded and didn't offer anything else. So this was Professor Severus Snape or 'Snivellus' as his dad used to call him in his youth. The man who had also once been his mother's best friend. He wondered what his parents would say to him teaching at Hogwarts. Mum had said that whoever the Potions Master was, had listed an advanced book of Potions for the first years.
The hall fell silent as Dumbledore got to his feet again and, while Harry didn't like Dumbledore, he was impressed by the man's power. "Now that we are all fed and watered (Harry snorted. "Are we mules?"), there a few announcements to make. Firstly, let's welcome back Professor Quirrell though this time for the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts." Applause followed this announcement as the turban-man stood up to acknowledge it. Percy whispered that he used to be the Muggle Studies Professor before he left for travelling.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins and Harry grinned as he remembered Ginny telling him of when Mrs Weasley had sent them a Howler for being caught near the Forest. "I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. 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 frowned. That was like asking the troublemakers, like the Weasley twins, or the overly erudite Ravenclaws to investigate. Despite himself, he wondered what was there.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. "Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Harry stifled a sudden laugh. Hoggy Warty Hogwarts? Who exactly wrote the lyrics around here?
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff
"That was an insult to the student's families," Harry thought absent-mindedly. The song was implying that students were practically dumb before coming to Hogwarts.
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
"My brains are not going to rot, thank you very much!" whispered Harry indignantly to Neville making him grin. "I am much more clever than that!"
Everybody finished the song at different times. Dumbledore conducted the Weasley twins (who were singing to a slow funeral march) last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
"I really think he thinks of us as mules or horses," muttered Harry to Neville as they got up to follow the Gryffindor Prefects. Neville snorted. They were led through a maze of corridors lit with flaming torches and decorated with moving portraits and suits of armour. Harry thought that Hogwarts looked more like a medieval fortress than a school, which, perhaps, was a given since it was a castle. Harry could honestly say that he loved it.
They were led through hidden passageways and secret corridors and Harry was eternally glad that he had the Marauders Map and he wouldn't have to memorise them all. They had a brief encounter with Peeves who dropped walking sticks on poor Kella Malone's head as she had been too slow to duck.
At the end of that corridor was a big portrait of a fat lady wearing a pink gown. Harry smiled; they had reached the Gryffindor common room.
"Password?"
"Caput Draconis," said Emily Rossum, the sixth year prefect, and the portrait opened up to a round hole in the wall. They walked through it (or hobbled in Malone's case as Hermione helped her) leading to a large round room decorated in soft colours of red and gold and littered with comfortable couches and armchairs with a roaring fire in the hearth. There was a bookcase on one wall surrounded by desks. A few older students were sitting here and there and one particular girl was leaning against the bookshelf and reading a book. The first years were led towards two doors set against the opposite wall.
The four prefects stopped here and turned to face the eleven-year-olds. "The door to my left is the boy's dormitory and the door to my right is the girls. There are a few basic things you should know," said Emily.
"Firstly," began Percy. "If you have any problem, then approach the prefects. Professor McGonagall is our Head of House but she is also the Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration professor. As such, she doesn't have time for petty childish fights. If it's something serious, then you are welcome to go to her."
"Secondly," said Brian Stevens, the other sixth-year prefect. "The boys are not allowed into the girl's dorms and vice versa. There are enchantments in place to prevent that."
"Thirdly," said the fifth-year prefect, Kathy Thompson. "The books on the shelf should not be taken out of the common room. If you do, then the enchantments cast over them will inform Professor McGonagall."
"The Head Girl is Hufflepuff seventh year, Savannah Summers. The Head Boy is Ravenclaw seventh year, Albert Williams. If for some reason, the Gryffindor prefects are unavailable, then you should approach them if you need anything, not related to In-House matters."
They were then led to their respective dorms. Harry's dorm had a plaque affixed to it with a label "First-Years". Neville stepped inside followed by Harry, Ron and then Thomas and Finnegan. Five four-poster beds hung with deep red, velvet curtains were present inside the room. Their trunks had already been brought up and were placed in the middle of each room so that each boy could decide upon their own bed. Harry chose the one in the middle because he didn't want to be too close to the window, because of how cold it would be in the winters, and he didn't want to be too close to the door as it was too exposed.
Hermione lay in bed, wondering if this was even real. Here she was, plain, boring Hermione in a magical castle with ghosts and a talking Hat. It was like a dream come true. She wondered what her classes would be like. Transfiguration and Charms sounded really interesting and Potions sounded a bit like Chemistry.
She sighed when she thought about what she'd been so excited about. Friends. She had always been lonely. In school, she was usually the first person to raise her hand and spent almost all her time in the library. The girls of her school just didn't have the same interests that she did and, even more, she was bullied by them often for being a know-it-all and having bushy hair and large teeth. This didn't make Hermione consider that her bossy behaviour was off-putting but made her more determined to be the best and prove them wrong.
"It will probably be the same here," thought Hermione. All her life, weird things went around her isolating her even more than she already was. When she found out that she was not unnatural and there were other people like her, that she wouldn't be shunned for something that she couldn't understand but then a girl with short black hair came along and shattered all her dreams. She didn't understand half of what she said but she got the basic gist of it. Basically, the girl implied that because she was not born in the wizarding world, she didn't belong here. Hermione hated to admit that instead of retorting with a witty comeback, tears had sprung into her eyes and she had backed away. She had so thought that everything would be different here. Seems it was not the case.
Her mind went to her dormmates. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were some of the biggest girly girls and the last persons that Hermione thought she could be friends with. She had heard them giggling and squealing over dinner and she couldn't imagine that anything would make her let out such a strange noise.
Fay Dunbar was nice; if a bit too loud and chatty. However, she had an almost obsessive fascination with something called Quidditch that Hermione had learnt from the Muggleborn introductory brochures was a very famous sport in the wizarding world. Hermione didn't understand that. Who would want to spend hours upon a broom which was fifty feet in the air? Hermione preferred to keep her feet on the ground, thank you very much.
Kella Malone hadn't really said anything more than a few words so Hermione couldn't judge her. Though she had noticed her listening to Fay's ranting about Quidditch with interest. She thought that they should have interacted more, considering they both were Muggleborns but Kella didn't seem to be interested, even though Hermione had tried to talk to her.
She supposed Harry, Ron and Neville were nice (she had a lovely time with them on the train) but she very quickly realized that they already knew each other from a young age. Harry and Neville were supposedly and had grown up together and Hermione's wasn't sure how she could fit into the trio's dynamic.
She snuggled into the maroon covers and sighed softly. She would think about this later. She needed to sleep so she could wake up early.
Ron left his curtains open and snuggled under the covers. The four-poster bed was a lot better and a whole lot more comfortable than his bed back home. He couldn't say that he didn't miss his mum and dad and Ginny but it was nice to finally be at Hogwarts. All his brothers had been here and told him so many stories and it was finally his turn.
He, Harry and Neville had spent days fantasising about what they would do once they reached Hogwarts and Ron had to admit the idea of causing trouble like Harry's father and uncles had done appealed to him greatly. Harry had some sort of device that enabled him to get around easily though Ron didn't know what it was; Harry had been awfully tight-lipped about it. Regardless, he was sure that it would help in pulling pranks a lot.
Ron was glad all of them were sorted into the same house. While he wouldn't have minded if the others got Sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff (Slytherins were slimy snakes), Gryffindor was the best House and he was happy they all were here. He didn't know much about his dormmates, Dean and Seamus; all he knew was that Dean was a Muggle-born and loved football and Seamus was half-blood and Irish. They sounded kind of cool, though Ron decided that he would just stick with Harry and Neville. No need to overcomplicate matters.
He turned onto his side, closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of chocolate pudding and chicken legs.
Neville drew his curtains but left them a little open since he didn't want to be entirely isolated. He had to admit that being in such a big castle was kind of intimidating. He was, however, really excited to start learning. This might be a chance to get out of his parents' shadow. This was probably the main thing that had bonded Harry, Neville and Ron together. All of them had been in the shadows of their families for all their lives and had expectations thrust upon them, and if they failed to live up to them, they were chucked aside and given disappointed looks. Not from their families, thankfully, but from people who thought they had a right to butt into their lives.
"Never mind," he thought as he turned on his side and pulled the covers up. "I will prove them all wrong." The Hat might have sorted him into Slytherin for his ambition if not for the fact that he would not have survived with all the politics and word games in there. He didn't care. Hufflepuff had also been a viable option but in the end, he had been sorted into Gryffindor because he valued bravery and courage above loyalty and hard work.
Neville closed his eyes and was fast asleep in minutes.
Harry closed his curtains, activating the built-in Silencing Charms. No one could hear him now and he couldn't hear anyone. He quickly changed into his pyjamas and got into bed, just in time for his mirror to start vibrating. It was a simple gold rectangle mirror, small enough that it could fit into his pocket and big enough that he could see at least three people in it.
On the back of the mirror was an engraved stag with the word 'Prongslet' written underneath in fancy script. He held the mirror up to his eyes and said, "Prongslet, activate." The voice recognition feature identified him and his face was replaced with his parents with Lizzie and William peeking from between. Harry heard Marauder bark and grinned.
Harry talked with his family for a bit, telling them about his Sorting and the rules that his parents informed him had not been present during their time. Predictably, his mum and dad were overjoyed with his Sorting into Gryffindor, though they assured him they wouldn't have minded if he got sorted into any other House, they were just biased with their old House. Both of them were outraged at finding that Professor Snape taught at Hogwarts, albeit for different reasons. He made a quick decision to keep the bit about Slytherin and the hint about next year to himself.
Harry said "Prongslet, deactivate," after he assured his mother that he was fine and said his goodbyes, and set the mirror aside. He pulled his pillow down from its upright position and snuggled into the covers. He closed his eyes and spent ten minutes cataloguing his memories before relaxing but when he was still awake half an hour later, he sat up and turned on his lamp. Ron had fallen asleep immediately and he opened his curtains slightly and heard Neville snoring.
Harry sat back, perplexed. He felt sleepy, his eyes were drooping but his mind seemed stuck on something. A second later, it came to him. The Sorting Hat's hint about next year.
"She's coming next year, I can get her here now but it might be better to wait..."
What did that mean? Who was coming next year? Harry couldn't make head or tails of it and until he could, he wasn't going to share it with anyone.
He huffed and laid back down. Thankfully, sleep arrived quickly this time and he drifted off immediately. His dreams were full of green light, maniacal laughter and red-haired girls in green meadows.
When he woke up the next morning, the dream was already forgotten.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay. AGAIN. I am actually moving houses recently which is why I didn't have the time to write. My school has also been super busy with four monthly tests in a day so I was more focused on studying than writing.
I might not be able to post after this for long. I know this isn't saying much since it took me a month to post this one (feels like yesterday, though ;D) but I am in my first year of O Levels and I have to start studying for it, instead of just treating it like Grade 8. And my mother is saying that I write fanfiction 24/7. I should do something else, according to her. Which equals to studying, so yeah.
Thank you for reading and sticking with me!