A/N: So... I lied. As you can tell, chapter 12 was not released in early October. I have no excuse other than my muse for the chapter decided to take the last half into a whole other direction than I had written out originally. For that, I apologize. But 12 is here, so I wish you all enjoy!
A big thanks to my awesome beta Goldzar for being the champ they are.
Chapter 12
September 1st, 1995
Harry stood adjusting his tie as he gazed at the crowd around him. Students clad in the four house colors were making their way towards a bunch of horseless carriages, while the youngest were meandering around looking lost.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when shouts of "First Years! First Years over here!" Harry, who'd been joined by Ron, Ginny, and Luna, looked over to see a witch holding a large lantern on a stick, almost like an Angler fish's lure.
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry heard Ginny ask her brother, he turned to see the red-head shrug in response.
Harry had to ask, "Who's Hagrid?"
Luna chose to respond, "Hagrid is the Care of Magical Creatures' Professor and Groundskeeper. He always guides the first years to the castle. It is strange to not see him." Harry shrugged, and followed them to the carriages, "Not going to take the boats Harrison?"
Harry shook his head, "Nope, Min- I mean Professor McGonagall informed me I'll be waiting in an antechamber until the sorting ends." They climbed up into a carriage, Harry politely providing Ginny and Luna an assisting hand, leaving Luna giggling, and Ginny bright red. He was settling into a seat himself, when they were joined by two boys, both in the same Red and Gold as Ron and Ginny. The shorter of the two, a slightly chubby boy with brown hair sat next to Ron, while the taller dark-haired boy stepped up and kissed Ginny in greeting.
"Gin, I've been looking for you! I couldn't find you on the train!" Ginny smiled, returning the kiss to her obvious boyfriend.
"Sorry Dean, I was sitting with Luna, Ron, and Harrison." The two boys noticed the stranger sitting with them.
Before they could speak, Harry stood and offered his hand, "Harrison Black, transferring 5th Year."
The now identified Dean smiled and shook his hand, "Dean Thomas, 5th year Gryffindor and Prefect." Harry could tell this was a first-gen, since his first reaction was to shake his hand instead of grasp wrists in the traditional greeting.
The other boy bowed and then grasped Harry's wrist, "Neville Longbottom, Heir to the House of Longbottom."
Harry released and bowed in return, "Well met Heir Longbottom, I am Harrison Black Heir to the House of Black."
Neville smiled while the others looked surprised, "Well met Heir Black, please call me Neville."
Harry returned the smile, "Then you must call me Harrison or Harry if you prefer." He looked over the rest of the carriage, "That goes for the rest of you, call me Harry if you'd like, but if you don't wish to be that informal with me, call me Harrison." The rest of the carriage ride was spent talking. Dean was grilling Harry about America. Apparently, his grandfather was from America, and he wanted to know what was different. The carriage stopped and they all departed, with Dean helping Ginny down, and Harry doing the same for Luna. That earned him a kiss on the cheek. The group made their way into the castle, following the flow of other students, Harry kept looking around, he was astounded at the magnificence of the castle. He particularly was intrigued by all the stone soldiers carved into the entrance; they went from the bottom all the way to the ceiling. There must've been hundreds of them. He was interrupted by a clearing of a throat behind him. He turned to the arched eyebrow of Minerva McGonagall, who'd clearly been waiting for him. He grinned sheepishly, and simply said, "The stories never do it justice Professor."
The expression she had softened, and she nodded. "Indeed Mr. Black. Now then if you'll follow me, I'll show you where you'll be waiting." He bade farewell to his companions, and Ron wished him luck. Harry followed McGonagall to another room, where she left him and departed. Harry leaned against one of the walls and closed his eyes. He began sorting through his Occlumency shields, preparing for the inevitable attempts by Snape and possibly Dumbledore to breach his mind. Sirius had warned him that Snape was a powerful Legilimens, and so even the briefest eye contact would lead to a mental battle. He opened his eyes to the sound of a large amount of feet. He watched as McGonagall led about a hundred eleven-year-olds into the room.
She stopped and turned around. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said, "before you join your classmates in the halls for the welcoming feast, you must be sorted into your houses. When you are sorted, the House will be like your family in these hallowed halls, you will spend your classes, meals, and living quarters with your fellow year-mates in that house." She paused, her severe gaze sweeping over the gathered first years. Her eyes met Harry's for a second and he almost laughed at the barely contained laughter in her eyes. She had confided in him at one point when she was visiting Sirius, that she tried to emulate Snape during the speech to ensure complete attention. She and Dumbledore found it hilarious apparently. "The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced contributing members to our wizarding world, such as Dumbledore from Gryffindor, Well-known magizoologist Newt Scamander from Hufflepuff, Ignatia Wildsmith, who invented Floo-Powder from Ravenclaw, and Merlin himself was a Slytherin when he walked these halls. Now, we also use a House Point system. During your time here if you provide answers in class or perform a task well, you'll receive points. Any rule-breaking will lose you points, and you may serve detention with a member of the staff. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will win the House Cup."
She clapped her hands. "Now then, please wait here." She left the room, heading into the Great Hall. After she was gone, the hundreds of eleven-year-olds stood there and turned to look at him. Many looked surprised to see an older student standing there, and began whispering to each other.
Finally, a brown-haired girl approached him, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the other students?"
Harry smiled, "I'm a transfer student from Ilvermorny in America, I don't have a house either, so I need to be sorted." The whispers grew in intensity as the children devoured his words. He smiled and let them talk amongst themselves, choosing to close his eyes and resuming his Occlumency meditation. He was interrupted again by McGonagall when she returned, this time with a roll of parchment in her hand. She gestured for the group to follow her. They emerged into the main entrance of the school, right outside the Great Hall.
She turned to them and addressed Harry, who'd decided to take up the back, "Mr. Black, please wait out here until the doors open." Harry nodded and watched as she led the new first years into the hall. The doors closed behind the last one, and Harry was once again alone. He spent the next ten or so minutes listening to clapping and cheers as each student was sorted into their houses. After the last claps subsided, Harry heard the enhanced voice of the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
"Now that the new first years have been sorted, we have ourselves for the first time since I was a student, a transfer. This student began their education at Ilvermorny School of Magic in America and are completing their last three years of studies with us here at Hogwarts. May I introduce Mr. Harrison Black!" The doors began to open, and Harry, being the son of a Marauder as he was, decided to have some fun. He quickly stepped out of view before the doors finished opening. So when they were open, the entire hall was greeted by the view of… Nothing. There were a few murmurs and snickers from the gathered student body. Before anyone can say anything however, Harry quickly conjured a piece of parchment and poked his head around the corner, a slight smile on his face.
Trying to look sheepish Harry spoke to the silent hall, "I'm sorry, is this a bad time? I'm looking for the…" he looked at his blank parchment. "Great Hall? I'm supposed to be sorted into a house there." He came wandering in, looking around in faux confusion as the hall erupted into laughs, and a few exasperated sighs came from a few as well, most of them being the professors.
McGonagall rolled her eyes, but was laughing inwardly, "Mr. Black, please join me up here." Harry vanished the parchment and strode his way forward. He stopped in front of the stool with an old hat sitting on it. He stroked his chin thoughtfully and then lifted the hat, sat down, and placed it on his head.
'I never thought I'd see you here Mr. Potter, after all you're supposed to be dead!' Harry started panicking, Sirius hadn't told him the hat could read his mind! 'It's not exactly mind reading Mr. Potter, I read your soul, and gauge your possible new home based on what I see. No one, not even the headmaster knows what I see, and I refuse to share with anyone other than the head I'm sat on.' Harry relaxed and the Sorting Hat began to talk again, 'Now then, let us see here, you value knowledge, it is important to you, which would assist you well in Ravenclaw. However, that knowledge is to further your own ambitions, which would serve you well in Slytherin. The only house you are unsuited to is Hufflepuff, as the only loyalty you have is to your family.' The hat went silent for a few seconds, 'Ah here we are, you have an unstoppable drive for adventure, you crave it, and that is the ultimate goal for your knowledge and ambition, which means you're destined for…' "GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted to the assembled hall. The table where Ron and Ginny were sitting erupted into cheers! Harry made his way down, and felt a wave of magic pass over him. He glanced down to see his black tie had changed to the red and gold stripes of Gryffindor, and his robes were now trimmed in red. He strode over to where Ron was sitting, he had left a space open, so Harry strode over to join him. Ron smiled slightly at him, and Harry sat down.
They looked over when Dumbledore stood up, "Now then! Let us feast!" He spread his arms and the table suddenly had food piled on. Harry was shocked! Ilvermorny had an American style cafeteria, with a variety of foods available. It seemed at Hogwarts it was a family style banquet. He and Ron began adding food to their plates, beginning to eat. Ron seemed content to pile his plate with a large amount of chicken, potatoes, and boiled foods. Harry was used to a less greasy diet, fresh fruit and vegetables, leaner meats that were baked or grilled instead of boiled, and good carbohydrates, not gravy covered potatoes. He had learned early as a kid that eating healthy improved his magic and body, plus giving him energy for sports. He grimaced at the boiled vegetables available, but then a plate of freshly steamed vegetables appeared before him. He added a shepherd's pie and roasted potatoes to his plate. The conversation around him flowed, and he and Ron ate in companionable silence, the chatter of the students nearby reaching them. They could hear the whispers of a few of the other students nearby, and Harry could only make out a few words, such as traitor, menace, fake, and a few other choice words that he didn't hear. He could tell it was bothering Ron, as the red-haired boy began to slow down his eating, and his eyes drooped down to his lap. Harry felt the eyes on them now, as more of the Gryffindors glared at his friend sitting next to him. Harry was angry, these kids were ostracizing a member of their so-called family because he made a childish decision with consequences he couldn't have anticipated. It made him feel worse knowing that this had been going on for four years, no wonder Ron acted like someone kicked his puppy every time Harry talked to him. Harry reached over and patted Ron on the shoulder, while glaring at the kids who were watching them. Ron looked up and smiled slightly, and the Gryffindors looked away. The two boys sat in silence, and the food disappeared. After that, a plethora of desserts appeared on the table. Harry had never seen some of these treats before, and he began grilling Ron on some of the options.
"Hey Ron, I've never seen some of these before, what's this?" Harry held up what looked like a very flat slice of pie.
"That there is Treacle Tart Harry, it's a sugary sweet dish, made with treacle."
Harry looked at him, "Treacle?"
Ron nodded, "Yeah, it's this sweet syrup, and many people use it as a sweetener in different pastries, Mum makes a mean cake made with Treacle." Harry looked at the dessert, shrugged, and served himself a slice. He grabbed a fork and cut a piece off. Lifting it up, Harry put it in his mouth. He almost moaned out loud, this was the best dessert Harry had eaten in a long time. It reminded him of molasses, a popular syrup used in America. He scooped some sweet cream from a nearby bowl and plopped some on top. He took another bite, and it was even better with the cream. Harry closed his eyes, savoring the flavor. Opening his eyes, he saw the grin on Ron's face, rolling his eyes Harry humored him and finished his tart in silence. They finished their meals, and Dumbledore then stood up.
"Now that we've been all fed and watered, a few announcements for you all. First off, I'd like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students. I'd also like to welcome back Professor Grubby-Plank, who has kindly accepted covering Care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid is away on personal business. I'd also like to welcome Professor Umbridge who will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this term." There was a scattering of applause. "Yes, good luck professor's may you do well. Now then, quidditch try-outs..."
"Hem, hem" Dumbledore stopped his announcements at the clearing of throat that came from Umbridge.
She stood and began addressing the Hall, "Thank you, Headmaster, for the lovely introduction. For those who do not know, my name is Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. I do expect we will all become wonderful friends." She simpered and smiled down at them, Harry could see the smile didn't reach her eyes, which were cold and calculating. "The Ministry believes that the education of young witches and wizards to be vitally important. Although each Headmaster has brough something new to this historic school," She nodded politely at Dumbledore, "progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. We must preserve traditional practices and prohibit foreign influences. Thank you." She sat down to a smattering of applause, and Dumbledore stood again. "Thank you, Professor Umbridge, for that illuminating speech." Harry agreed with Dumbledore, his eyes narrowed at the pink clad woman sitting at the staff table.
He felt Ron lean closer to him. "You heard what I heard right?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah, the Ministry is interfering here, but I'm not sure why, any clue?" Ron shrugged, and shook his head negative. Before he could say anything Dumbledore finally continued speaking.
"As I was saying, Quidditch Try-Outs will be posted by the Captains before Friday. Now then, Prefects, please escort the first years to their dormitories, and I wish you all a good night." With that the tables cleared, and the students began filtering out of the Great Hall. Harry followed Ron into the massive staircase. They passed Dean and a brunette who were currently shepherding the first year Gryffindors together. They exited the hall and moved with the crowd of Red and Blue lined robes into the stairwell. They made their way up to the seventh floor and headed down a long hallway. Towards the end was the portrait of a large woman, dressed in a Victorian dress. They found Neville standing there and greeted the boy.
"Hi guys, need getting into the common room?" Ron nodded, and Harry looked at the portrait, "Is this the entrance?"
Neville nodded, "Yeah, you have to speak the password to the portrait. She'll then open up and let you through, luckily, I know this one rather well." He turned to the portrait, and stated, "Mimbulus Mimbletonia" The portrait swung open and the two boys followed him inside. "Luckily for me, my great-uncle Algie brought one home for me from Assyria over the summer, Gran wouldn't let me bring it with me though." The two Gryffindors began showing Harry around the common room, Harry took it all in. The stories Sirius told him about the Gryffindor common room was very similar to what he saw, the red and gold of Gryffindor decorated the room around them. It would be quite the eyesore, if the wood wasn't tastefully accenting the colors around them. The fireplace covered almost an entire wall, and had a roaring fire already going. The chairs and couches surrounding the room looked plush and comfortable. They showed him the small study area in one corner that had a few desks and a small blackboard, they were going to take him up to the dorms, but were interrupted by the arrival of the first years. Telling Harry they'll see him in a bit, Ron and Neville headed up the stairs on the left. Harry moved over when the last of them entered the common room and turned to Dean who'd gathered them in the center of the room. He began his introduction to the common room which Harry had just gotten from the two other boys in his year. He was half listening when he noticed the brunette prefect from earlier standing next to him.
"I don't think I've met you yet, Harrison Black," he extended his hand, the girl took it and shook it once.
"Pleased to meet you Harrison, I'm Fay Dunbar."
"Please call me Harry," he said, "all my friends do."
The girl raised her eyebrow, a teasing smile on her face, "so we're friends now hm Harry? Well as your friend, I must insist. How are you enjoying Hogwarts so far?"
Harry grinned, "The food for the stomach has left a lot to be desired," he eyed her up and down subtly, "but the food for the eyes has been exquisite." Fay blushed and punched him on the arm.
"You flirt, now pay attention, Dean is getting to some important info." Harry turned back to the crowd, and caught the end of Dean's last sentence.
"-tonia. The password changes every month. Our head of House, Professor McGonagall, posts it on the bulletin board by the entrance. The board also holds information regarding clubs, study halls led by older years, and other important announcements, including the Quidditch games during the year." He gestured to the sets of stairs across the room from the fire. "Those stairs lead up to the dorms for each year. The Seventh Years are at the bottom, and each corresponding year is the next flight up. As you move up in the years you will move down, meaning next year you'll all be one flight down in the Second Years dorm." He grinned, "each floor as a small gathering area for each individual year in between the Girls and Boys dorms. This is a privilege that can easily be taken away. Boys do not have access to the Girls dorms, regardless of year. If you try to climb the stairs, they will turn into a slide and alert the whole tower, including Professor McGonagall. If you try and access from the gathering area, it will do the same thing, there are charms preventing any boys entrance to their dorms. Again, McGonagall will know, and she will NOT be happy." The first years shivered, apparently her impression this evening solidified their fear in the woman, but Harry was laughing internally.
Fay clapped her hands next to him, "Now then!" she said, all the first years turned and looked at her, "it's time to show you your dorms!" She led them over to the stairs, turning to the group of eleven-year old's' and Harry. "The stairs on the left lead to the boys, girls on the right. Curfew for you is nine o'clock every night for first and second years, ten for third and fourth years, and midnight for all fifth years and up that aren't prefects. You only must be in the common room by your curfew, bedtime is by your own choice, but being late to classes will have consequences. Breakfast is at seven in the morning and ends at eight. Classes begin at eight fifteen. You'll receive your class schedules tomorrow, so off to bed, your belongings are already in your dorms." The first years made their way up the stairs, a majority of them trying to stifle yawns.
Fay and Dean then looked at Harry, "Any questions?"
Harry shook his head, "you both were clear on everything and anything I missed. I know I have people I can ask."
Dean nodded, "come on then, I'll show you our dorm, and then we're meeting the girls in our gathering area." Harry nodded, and Fay bid them farewell for now, and headed up her stairs. Harry's eyes were immediately on her shapely rear as she swayed up the stairs. Dean nudged him, and Harry began following him up the stairs, they passed the landings for the seventh and sixth years, before reaching their door. Dean opened up the door to find Seamus and Neville staring each other down with Ron standing behind Neville and his head down. "Woah, guys, what the hell are you doing?" Dean shouted, moving to stand between them.
Seamus kept glaring at Neville, "Me Mam didn't want me to return to Hogwarts this year, she says Dumbledore has gone around the bend."
Neville stepped forward, forcing Dean to push back against his chest, "and I told you that your bimbo mother shouldn't heed the words of the Prophet like they are one! They're printing nothing but lies and slander!"
Seamus drew his wand, prompting Neville go grab his, "Don't talk about me mother like that Longbottom!" Harry had moved over to where Ron was standing. "She may be right, considering he still allows murderers into the school, hell I even share a room with him!" That got everyone incensed, Harry included. He drew his wand, and began pointing it at the Irish boy, while Dean was still trying to keep the peace.
"Seamus! Twenty points from Gryffindor, and a detention! Ron isn't a murderer. We all know what happened, it wasn't his fault! It was a circumstantial freak accident!" Harry turned his attention to Ron, who looked like he was on the verge of tears.
Harry chose to speak up, "I may be new to England, but I know that nobody with any human decency would bully someone traumatized by the event. I've known Ron for a few months, and he is no murderer. I don't care what you think of him." He placed a hand on the red-head's shoulder, which prompted Ron to look up. He gave him a watery smile, and looked back down. Seamus shook Dean off him.
"Whatever, I'll be in the rec room if ya need me." He turned and left, moving through the door opposite of the bathrooms. Dean sighed and looked back at the three others.
"I know I haven't been the best of dormmates our time here, hell I've let Seamus get away with a lot of shite against you Ron." He took a breath, "I won't allow it to happen anymore, not just because I'm a prefect, but because I realized that I was a fault for not keeping Seamus in check."
Neville nodded, "Me too. I've kept silent, not wanting to upset anyone, and I've just gone and not done anything to help keep the bullies away. I too won't stand for it; I have your back Ron."
Harry smiled and clapped Ron on the back, "you got me three Ronniekins, your back is safe with us!" The four boys laughed and they changed out of their uniforms into more comfortable clothes, before making their way into the rec room. When they entered, they were greeted by the sight of the three Gryffindor girls staring down an angry Seamus.
"Honestly Finnegan, do you seriously think that we'd tolerating that attitude? You sound like a Slytherin with all that hatred towards Ron!" That was the voluptuous blonde talking. Fay and another girl, who looked to be of Indian descent were standing behind her, angry expressions on their faces.
"Ladies, ladies, please." Dean said, moving over to them, "Let the boy be an idiot, Merlin knows he's not going to learn with words." He smirked at Seamus who'd started glaring, he huffed and then excused himself, heading back into the dorm. Fay rolled her eyes, and the two others giggled. Clapping his hands Dean then summoned a wireless from the side of the room, placing it on one of the desks, and turned it on. Music softly moved around the room, and Harry was introduced to the other girls. The blonde's name was Lavender Brown, she seemed to be the classic gossip girl, but there was something in his eyes that spoke of some cunning and intelligence. The next girl was Parvati Patil, best friend to Lavender, and the main gossip monger of the school. Harry could tell she had an information highway built around her, and knew that being friends with someone well connected would pay dividends. Parvati also had a sister named Padma in Ravenclaw, who was considered one of the best in the year. Fay, he already knew, and apparently there were supposed to be two other girls in their year.
"We'd have two others, but Sally-Anne left during second year, apparently she transferred to Beauxbatons, and you know what happened to Hermione." Lavender said, she sniffed and Parvati patted her shoulder.
Fay rolled her eyes, and began asking Harry questions about America and Ilvermorny, "you portkey across all of America to attend school? That is wild!"
Harry nodded, "The MACUSA has to ensure the Statue of Secrecy remains in place, but they have students across the entirety of their country, so they had to find out ways to transport everyone safely." He took a breath and looked around. Dean, Lavender, and Ron were all listening intently. Parvati was currently over talking to Neville about something, since Neville was blushing up a storm. "They figured out that the best way to have everyone travel safely is to get involved in building all the major airports that the No-Maj population were constructing, and secretly placed our portkey hubs within the buildings. So, anyone traveling within or outside of MACUSA can enter and leave safely without disturbing the statute."
There were several faces of confusion, and Dean asked, "What are No-Maj's?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "No-Maj or Non-Magicals are what we call Muggles. It was considered less discriminatory, as their name is based on fact. They aren't magical, so therefore, No-Maj."
They all had contemplative looks on their faces, "then what do you call Muggleborn?"
That came from Dean, and Harry smiled at him, "Muggleborns are called First Generation Mages, or First-Gens. They're considered the first of their families to be magical, and by MACUSA's standards now, are forming new magical families."
Dean nodded, "That sounds a lot nicer than muggleborn. It's including them into the world of magic."
Harry clapped him on the back, "exactly, even in America, old families are important, and adding new magical families keep us from stagnating." They began to ask him questions about Ilvermorny. Harry waxed lyrical about the classes, teachers, and the library. "Although, Hogwarts has us beat when it comes to the library, it's considered one of the best in the Old World and is only beaten by the legendary Library of Alexandria, and the Baghdad House of Wisdom."
Neville spoke up at that, "That explains the number of adults I see coming and going from the library. They spend a large majority of their time researching, and going near or into the Restricted Section."
Harry nodded, "My Grandfather spent several years after he graduated here for his Warding Mastery, he had nothing but good things to say about it."
Fay chose that opportunity to get everyone's attention, "Alright, it's getting close to midnight, and we do have classes tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed, good night, all." She departed into the girl's dorm, with Lavender and Parvati following. The boys chose to head off as well. They entered the dorm, and Harry saw Seamus's curtains around his bed already shut. The remaining boys gathered their belongings, finished their nightly rituals, and bid each other good night. When Harry was settled on the incredibly comfortable bed, he gazed up at the ceiling. His first night at Hogwarts, and he'd already made some friends. He'd met some of his year-mates, classes in this legendary castle began the next day, and Harry couldn't wait to see what tomorrow held.
A/N: So, I have some bad news. This story is going on another hiatus. I am not enjoying writing right now, and I've decided that what I have written out is going into chapter 14 instead of 13. I want to do a "what are all the other major players doing" now that Harry is at Hogwarts. So we will see perspectives from Sirius, Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Thomas. This will take time, as I haven't written anything for this idea yet, and I write out each chapter multiple times before sending to Goldzar. I anticipate a finished chapter 13 by the end of December.
I just need more time, does that mean I'll go to every other month uploading? Maybe. Or I'll hit an inspiration moment and power out multiple chapters worth of content during that time. Who knows. I am NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY, I've become too emotionally invested in this story to give up now.
So until we meet again,
Rei