The Gryffindor Tower was a touch dramatic in its red and gold lion motif, but it was worn and comfortable looking. The prefects showed them up to the first year boys' dorm: a circular room with five beds, each one paired with a trunk and any other belongings the boys had brought with them. JP found his stuff and looked around with a critical eye. He was across from the door, with two boys on either side. He immediately liked it.
They spent the next half hour settling in and unpacking. A few of the boys had thought to bring decorations to personalize the walls, and JP's eye was quickly caught by Dean's colorful sports posters.
"You're a soccer fan?" he asked, leaning against Dean's bedpost and regarding the posters with curiosity.
Dean gave him a puzzled look before his expression cleared in understanding. "You're American?" he asked, sounding surprised. JP had long since fallen into his "Aunt Sophie" accent, and thus far no one had said much about where they were from.
Before he could agree, Ron scoffed.
"He's Harry Potter," Ron said. "He's definitely British!"
JP turned and raised an eyebrow at the redhead, who had apparently forgotten everything they'd shared during the train ride in favor of his preconceived notion of this Boy-Who-Lived character.
"I've been raised in America," JP explained, turning back to Dean.
Dean nodded as he continued adjusting his posters. "It's football," he said, "and yeah, I'm a huge fan!"
"Cool," said JP. He'd never really gotten passionate about sports, but the basics of most games had been included as part of his education in the family business.
"What's football?" asked Neville, sounding genuinely interested. Dean, Seamus, and JP proceeded to explain Muggle sports to their skeptical wizarding roommates – the skepticism was not aided by JP's insistence that football actually involved grown men tackling each other, while Dean complained that JP's football was just rugby for wimps.
The good natured banter was interrupted by a muffled ringing from JP's trunk.
"Is that a phone?" Dean asked, interrupting Ron's enthused introductory explanation of Quidditch.
"A what?" asked Neville.
JP didn't stay to listen to Dean's explanation. He lunged toward his trunk, nearly tripping on the rug in his eagerness to talk to his family. He flung open the trunk and rooted around until he found the ringing monstrosity.
"Hello?"
"I told you it'd work," said Uncle Hardison.
"You've got mad skills, Uncle Hardison," JP agreed, unable to keep the ear-splitting grin off his face. "I never doubted you even for a minute."
"That's one of us," said Auntie Parker, somewhere in the background.
"Oh shut up," said Uncle Hardison, voice getting muffled as he pulled away from the phone. They bickered for a moment before Uncle Hardison's voice got clearer again.
"How is everything going? Settling into magic school alright?"
"Everything is awesome," JP enthused, his accent melting away as he talked with his family. He hardly noticed the fascinated audience he'd gained. "Hogwarts is a friggin' castle! I can't wait to explore. There're ghosts and everything!"
JP described everything he'd seen and experienced. Uncle Hardison loved the story about the disappearing stairs, which reminded JP: "Is Auntie Parker there?"
"Oh I get it," his uncle grumbled, "Now you've got magic you're too cool for your techno-god uncle."
"Aah, you know that's not true," JP said with a laugh.
"He wants something," he heard as the phone was passed on.
"Yes, I will come to magic school with you," said Auntie Parker as she took possession of the phone.
JP laughed again. "I wish you could! Actually, I was wondering if you could send me my rappelling gear." Those disappearing staircases were an opportunity waiting to be made.
"You didn't pack your kit?" Auntie Parker sounded scandalized. "JP! You know better!"
"Sorry Auntie," he said, crossing his fingers that she'd overlook the blunder and send the gear.
"What did he forget?" Uncle Nate's voice said in the background. "Didn't Sophie check his suitcase, trunk, whatever?"
"I'll send it," Auntie Parker said, sounding put upon. "Did you at least pack the rest of the list I gave you?"
"If he's asking Parker, it probably wasn't on the school list," Uncle Hardison's muffled voice replied.
"Ummm," said JP, trying to remember why not packing Auntie Parker's 'special list' had seemed so reasonable back in Portland. Auntie Parker huffed.
"Sorry," he apologized again, adding a sweet: "I love you Auntie Parker!" to derail her disappointed annoyance.
"At least you packed your lock picks," she said, though she sounded unsure of her faith in this statement.
"Of course!" He felt suitably chastised.
"My turn," said Uncle Nate from the background.
"Get in lots of trouble!" Auntie Parker said as she passed along the phone. JP grinned.
"Do not get in trouble," Uncle Nate said sternly.
"Yes sir," said JP earnestly. "I promise not to get caught."
They continued to chat for a few minutes before saying their goodbyes. As JP set the phone down, the reaction from the other boys was immediate.
"I thought Muggle technology wouldn't work in Hogwarts," Dean said, looking at the phone with a jealous frown. "I was told not to bring a cell phone or laptop because the magic would interfere."
"What is that thing?" asked Ron, staring at the phone. "How does it work?"
"It's a modified sat phone," JP told Ron. "My uncle has been experimenting with a way around the magic interference," he added, turning toward Dean. "He combined all the 'magic repellents' from old myths and legends, anything that sounded even remotely legit."
"Oh," said Dean, turning back toward his bed.
"Want to try it?" JP asked, sensing the root of Dean's sudden indifference. The other boy turned quickly and nodded enthusiastically.
He tossed it over with a smile. Dean immediately dialed a well-known number and settled into a conversation with his mom.
The rest of the evening passed quickly. Neville and Ron asked more questions about Muggle technology and life outside the magical community. JP, Dean, and Seamus shared several moments, exasperated at their dormmates' lack of understanding. JP found it especially hard due to the additional cultural translation from his American upbringing. Sometimes Seamus would say something, and JP honestly couldn't tell if the reference was British or Wizarding. Meanwhile, Ron's insistence on seeing JP as "Harry Potter" rather than the boy he'd met on the train grated on JP's nerves. He hoped the hero-worship or whatever it was disappeared quickly because he found the redhead funny and wouldn't mind building a friendship.
The evening stretched on later than curfew technically allowed, and probably would've stretched even later if a prefect hadn't poked his head in and informed them that they had thirty seconds before he enforced lights out. As JP settled into his bed, he felt certain that he'd never fall asleep.
x
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x
Breakfast was almost as exciting as dinner had been. Students drifted into the great hall in clumps, settling down to heartier breakfast fare than JP was used to seeing. He grinned as he loaded his plate with eggs and sausage. The food wasn't as good as Uncle Eliot's, but it was still delicious.
JP was enjoying his companions and his breakfast so much that it took him nearly ten minutes to notice that everyone in the hall kept staring at him. Some tried to do it unobtrusively, but most didn't seem to care if he noticed. He wanted to tell them to stop and ask why they could focus on something more interesting – like the schedules that were being passed out by their Heads of House.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" Dean asked a few minutes after JP had started glancing around compulsively.
"They aren't staring at us," said Neville with a little shrug.
"Yeah," said Ron with a little smirk. "They're staring at Harry."
"My name is JP," said JP for the hundredth time since the Sorting. "Or Harlin, if you must."
"Why are they staring at JP?" Dean repeated his question, rolling his eyes.
JP finished off his orange juice. "Some terrorist asshole killed my bio parents when I was one," he said nonchalantly. "Supposedly, I promptly defeated him from my crib, earning myself this fashionable forehead scar."
Ron and Neville both looked a little taken aback at this offhand explanation, while Seamus snorted into his oatmeal.
"Harry defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" Ron corrected, his voice full of awe.
"Apparently I 'must-not-be-named'," grumbled JP.
The conversation paused as Professor McGonagall moved toward them with her stack of timetables.
"Good morning boys," she said with a tight lipped smile. "I hope you got a good night's sleep. You have a busy day today."
"Yes, ma'am," said JP with his I-am-polite-and-always-respect-adults smile. "I'm excited to start learning real magic!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," the Professor cautioned, though her smile became a tad warmer. "Magic is very difficult, and most first years don't really start to show progress until several weeks into the year."
"But the hardest things are the most worth learning," JP said firmly, earning another degree of warmth from the professor.
"Quite right, Mr. Potter." She handed them their timetables and moved down the table.
"Wow," Seamus said with a grin, "You're really good at that!"
"Good at what?" JP asked, contriving to look innocent. The other boys just laughed.
"I'd like to see you try it on my mum," said Ron. "Or, even better, teach me how!"
"Only if you start calling me by my name," JP replied, sort of teasing, but really entirely serious.
Ron looked torn.
"So what's first?" Dean asked, changing the subject.
"Herbology," said Neville quietly, staring intently at his schedule. "Followed by Charms this afternoon."
"Only two classes?" JP was surprised. He was used to six classes every day. The thought of only having two classes in the whole day was hard to wrap his head around.
They quickly fell into a conversation about the relative benefits of various school schedules, unintentionally drawing the attention and participation of Hermione Granger as they walked toward the greenhouses.
x
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x
Magical plants were not his thing. It took JP all of ten minutes to decide that he disliked Herbology. He'd never been much for gardening, either, but at least non-magical plants didn't try to bite you if your attention wandered.
Neville, on the other hand, took to Herbology like a fish finding water for the very first time. JP immediately made a note to become his permanent partner in class.
Charms class was much more agreeable. The tiny professor - who won a few points from JP by referring to him as 'Harlin Potter-Leverage' during roll call, though he still fell back on the 'Mr. Potter' address afterward - was good natured and excitable. He talked them through a few fundamentals of charms before providing a brief demonstration of some creatively useless spells.
Well, maybe not entirely useless, though even JP had trouble thinking of what good a tap-dancing pineapple could do. Honestly, who even created a spell to make pineapples tap-dance? Wizards.
They didn't get to try any magic of their own that day, though they did get assigned a hefty chunk of reading to prepare for the possibility later in the week. Hermione assured them all that she had already memorized the textbook, and the information was 'ever so interesting.' Ron immediately lashed out with a biting comment about know-it-alls, and Hermione stormed away before JP could try and fix the situation.
"You should be nicer to her," he told the redhead later as they ambled aimlessly through the halls.
"Why?" Ron sounded genuinely puzzled by the idea. "She's a bossy know-it-all goody-two-shoes."
"She's rough around the edges," JP conceded, "but she's really smart."
"So?"
JP sighed again. "Never mind," he said. "But I'm going to be her friend, so at least try to be civil. Otherwise I'm going to side with her."
"Whatever," Ron grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and kicking at the ground.
Maybe he was wasting his time with the redhead, speaking of 'rough around the edges.' The other boys had headed to the Library to get a headstart on the reading, and walking with Ron had sounded far more appealing. Now he wished he'd gone with the homework option.
They continued their aimless exploration for awhile before ending up in the Great Hall a few minutes before dinner. The castle was positively labyrinthine in its construction. JP had expected them to hit the dungeons, not the Great Hall, and usually his spatial awareness and sense of direction was spot on. Apparently he'd have to readjust for the presence of magic.
"I guess Hogwarts thinks we should eat," Ron joked as he led the way to the Gryffindor table.
JP was startled. Was the castle sentient? Did it respond to the needs of its inhabitants? He already knew that staircases moved; did halls and doors also rearrange themselves? It was official: he had to read Hogwarts, a History.
x
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x
Tuesday morning was Herbology again, much to JP's annoyance. Neville proved to be a good partner, though, which almost made up for being elbows deep in potting soil.
They were dismissed early to wash for class, then ran to Defence Against the Dark Arts. JP was bubbling with excitement. The books he'd read made this class sound very useful. This is where he'd learn to stun and disarm opponents, as well as learn to duel.
Well, he probably wouldn't be learning to duel any time soon, but he was still excited for it.
The room they entered was dark and stuffy, with a garlic smell covering something far more odious. JP's nose wrinkled in dismay, but he obediently took a seat next to Hermione. The professor sat hunched over his desk at the front of the room, giant purple turban looking as though it was too heavy for his neck. JP decided then and there that he would never understand wizarding fashion.
Professor Quirrell called roll - referring to JP as 'Harry Potter,' and losing major points in JP's book - then sat at his desk for another minute as though trying to catch his breath.
Finally class proceeded with a lecture that made JP's head hurt. Or maybe the headache was caused by the nameless, horrible smell that wafted from the professor as he skittered around the room. They were dismissed with instructions to read the first two chapters of their textbook, and JP bolted for the door so fast that he nearly knocked Seamus over. He didn't stop to apologize until they were both free of the classroom.
"What on earth was his deal?" JP complained as they all headed down for lunch.
"I heard he encountered vampires in Bulgaria," said Seamus, "and now he's terrified they'll come for him."
"No," Ron shook his head, "it was Romanian vampires."
"But garlic is not a terribly effective vampire repellent," said Hermione, who had once again attached herself to the fringes of their group. JP made sure to smile warmly at her and was rewarded with a shy return smile. "L. J. Humperdink wrote that garlic is only as effective as any other stinky substance," she continued with more confidence, "and that vampires aren't scared of it so much as they just dislike poor hygiene."
"He's definitely got the poor hygiene covered," muttered JP, earning a frown from the girl and laughter from the boys.
"He's a professor," she scolded.
"JP's right," said Dean, shaking his head. "Professor or not, he did not smell good."
Lunch was a friendly affair. As they finished, they drifted off to explore or do homework as the mood suited them. Ron asked JP - well, 'Harlin,' a concession that seemed to pain the redhead - to go poke around again. JP declined, opting to head to the library with Hermione instead. He wanted to at least crack open Hogwarts, a History before doing any more exploring.
Hermione was surprised to find him tagging along, and she didn't appear to know quite how to react to his presence. JP got the impression that she wasn't used to having a lot of friends. They ended up silently sharing a table as Hermione finished her homework in record time and began reading a thick tome that was definitely not first year material.
JP pulled out Hogwarts, a History and the Slytherin guide. After reading the first two paragraphs of the history, he set it aside in favor of the much less stuffy guide.
The guide turned out to be an incredibly useful glossing of the text, including numeric references to passages that JP could skim through without having to slog through the entire text on his own. The author also included opinions and anecdotes that were clearly his own. He referenced more modern happenings in the castle, including a brief discussion of the out of control rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Apparently the two houses had once been far more friendly rivals.
Which reminded JP that he had a blonde he needed to find.
"Aren't you going to do your homework?" Hermione asked as he began packing up. She looked faintly disapproving.
"Nah," he shrugged. "I already skimmed the reading, and it's not like anyone assigned a worksheet or something."
Hermione's disapproving look became much more pronounced. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't do the work correctly, Potter."
JP winced. "Look, I get why the professors are all calling me Potter, but that's really not my name."
Hermione allowed herself to be distracted. "Oh? What do you like to be called?"
"JP," he said immediately. "I'm not used to all this last name stuff, but if you insist on it, mine is Leverage."
"Very well, JP," she said, quirking a little smile.
"See you later, Hermione," he replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He left her to her advanced reading and wandered out into the halls.
"So how does one go about finding a particular student in a castle this size?" he inquired to the air. He half expected the castle to answer by pulling him along in a certain direction, but no such luck. Shrugging, he set off in a random direction. Either he'd run across Draco Malfoy and his Slytherin acquaintances or he wouldn't.