A/N: We're starting to get into the changes at Hogwarts, and it will take a while for Harry to learn about the place completely. I also want to get a few things out in the open, so this is going to be a long note.

First, I decided to make Hermione a year younger than canon too. I'm sorry, I just can't see her being in Slytherin, and certainly not friends with the Harry I have planned, at least not till later. She will definitely be a part of the story, though. And she and Harry will have a friendship, though it won't happen till Harry's sixth year (5th in canon. OoTP)

Second, if you're confused about why students are attending Hogwarts at age 10, then go read the A/N in the first chapter.

Third, O.W.Ls are in the Sixth year, instead of the fifth. The Prefects too are only Sixth or Seventh years (Provided the seventh year isn't head boy/girl. In that case there will be a replacement)

Fourth, Students will graduate at 17, instead of 18. Meaning only students who turn 10 before June 30 will be in a year. If he/she is born in July or August, then they will be placed in the next year, unlike canon.

Fifth, This is not a book series. I'm going to pile all the years and the following adventures till Voldemort's demise in this one fic.

Sixth, I'm going to write a personal, custom year between The Prisoner of Azkaban arc and The Triwizard Tournament/Goblet of Fire arc. It will be shorter than the others, 5 or 6 chapters at most, but it will take time since I've never done anything like that.

Seventh, This is a Re-Telling, so things will be different (obviously), most of the changes come into play later on (After First year), but I still want to keep it close to canon. The canon story is absolutely fantastic in my opinion. Of course, I have many grievances with it. But overall I'd give it a solid 8. Therefore I won't change too much from the main plot. My version will go into the war as well.

Eighth, Luna will also join the story around Year 6 (Again, canon year 5. OoTP). That's mostly because I wanted to try something else with her character.

Ninth, Neither Harry nor Ginny are getting together with anyone else. Not even so much as a kiss.

If you've read this story so far, thank you very much!! I hope you'll stick with me, as I continue to flesh out the story.

I also wanted to thank R-M-W-B for the shout-out he gave me in his latest chapter. Just in case you haven't checked him out, go and do it. His fic: Regretfully Uncaring, is one of the best I have EVER read and is on my favorite list. He updates regularly too, so you don't have to wait weeks or months to read a chapter.

I think that's all for now, so... Without any further ado, Here's Chapter 6,

It was September 1st. The day he would leave for Hogwarts. His past self would've thought him mad for being so happy and excited about anything, but his past self didn't know about magic, he hadn't experienced the wonders of the Magical World, nor had he met Ginny Weasley.

Ginny had very quickly become his best friend, and it was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. She was smart, had a wicked sense of humor- one that he shared- and she didn't mind being around him.

They'd met up almost every day, and he was right about her shyness holding her back. Once she got rid of it they were doing the craziest things any 10-year-old could think of. He'd taught her the spells he knew after he told her how he avoided the Trace. They both also practiced a few more spells together. She'd been quite grateful. He took her around the Alleys, and they dared each other to do the most ridiculous things they could think of at the moment. His favorite being the one time he'd dared her to scream "Grim" near Knockturn Alley- near, not in. Grims were, apparently, huge black spectral dogs. They were also considered an omen of a painful death in the Magical World, therefore, the resulting commotion had been hilarious. They were both laughing their heads off under the Invisibility Cloak. Her parents trusted them to behave appropriately, and let them be most of the time. A very unwise choice, since Harry and Ginny were probably the two biggest daredevils of their time, and leaving them alone together only brought it out more.

He'd met her father, Arthur Weasley. He liked Arthur the most out of the Weasleys he'd met, except Ginny of course. The man was a bloody Saint. He didn't think he'd ever forget the way the two of them (Arthur and Ginny) looked at the Muggle World as though it was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen. Harry felt he had the same expression when he first visited Diagon Alley with Professor Dumbledore.

Ginny mentioned they'd been to the Muggle World, but not too much. So, Harry gave them a tour of the parts of London he knew. He took them to the supermarket once too, and it was like they were in heaven. They were both very knowledgeable about the Muggle World. Arthur had to be- it was his job. But Harry was surprised at how much Ginny knew. When he'd told her this, she mentioned that her dad frequently brought home Muggle equipment to toy around with. And that's how she knew. Apparently they didn't work around Magic.

'Electricity and Magic don't go well together" She'd told him. "Dad's trying to remedy that. I help sometimes when it's not too dangerous"

Ginny also knew about his life at the Dursleys.

At least a little.

It had been an innocent slip-up on his part. He'd mentioned a cupboard not being a good place to sleep in, and that was enough to cause her to go all inquisitive. He'd declined at first. And she'd accepted, seeing as it was his personal business. She let the subject drop, but he felt guilty about lying to her so he told her about it two days after she'd asked him. From that, he could see that she could easily figure out how his life had been.

Since then, it was like they'd gotten closer somehow. She didn't change the way she looked at him, he was still her best friend. She just knew a lot more about him than he'd ever told anyone. She did promise to hear him out- should he ever need someone to talk to- and never judge him for whatever he had to do. He hadn't taken her up on it yet though. He didn't want to think about the Dursleys anymore than he had to.

He checked his room, and then checked again. Just in case. When he knew he had everything, he left the room and went downstairs.

Aberforth had come back in August, unfortunately with no leads. No one knew who robbed Gringotts. Supposedly the culprit did it alone. The Goblins had, however, opened up Gringotts again.

"You're leaving then?" Aberforth asked him.

Harry nodded. He already paid for his room last night and for breakfast this morning.

"I gotta say, I'm gonna miss you. Merlin, I never thought I'd ever say that to anyone" Aberforth muttered.

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I'll probably be back next year"

"Lookin' forward to it," Aberforth told him with a smile. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:34 am. "Go on now. And have fun"

"I will. Thanks for… well, everything."

"Not a problem" Was Aberforth's reply. "You remember how to get there?"

"Through the barrier separating platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross"

Aberforth nodded in approval and they said their goodbyes again.

Harry reached Kings Cross station soon enough- without incident, Thank God- and made his way to Platforms 9 and 10. He soon saw someone walk through the barrier there, and knew he had the right place. It had a notice-me-not charm on it, so the Muggles wouldn't notice Wizards passing through it.

Harry made his way to the front of the barrier and steeled himself. He'd seen a blond-haired girl- probably a first year like him- and her family run into it, and that's how he was gonna do it too.

He ran to the barrier and closed his eyes when it got too close. He was expecting to hit his head, but he felt a weird sensation course through his body for a second and felt normal again. He opened his eyes and knew he was no longer on the Muggle side of Kings Cross.

He was in a medium-sized room. With an Auror on guard behind a desk. She had bubblegum pink hair, and three earrings on each ear. She looked about ten years older than him. Her eyes widened at seeing him. He hadn't applied his makeup today. People would learn who he was regardless of it eventually. No point in hiding now.

He was going to ignore her but she stopped him. "Hand over your wand please," she said, not in an unkind tone.

Harry furrowed his brow in confusion "Why?"

"I need to record who comes through this barrier, and why," She said. "I assume you're here for Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded and handed her the wand. She inspected it and tapped it to a device. She read something on a device and asked him "Rowan wood, Phoenix feather, 12 inches, and unbending. Been in use for four months?"

He nodded and she handed his wand back to him. "Go on. Have a good year"

He thanked her and made his way out of the room- there was no door there. What he saw made him gasp in amazement.

There was a huge steam train there, it was black and had stripes of red, blue, green, and yellow running at its sides. He realised this was a tribute to the houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor (red), Ravenclaw (blue), Slytherin (green), and Hufflepuff (yellow).

There was a wall behind him, and there were beautiful, elegant fireplaces attached to them. Probably for the people who wished to visit via the Floo. He was pretty much the only one here, but he still decided to go and find a compartment for him and Ginny on the Train.

He settled in and was watching the Floo, hoping to see Ginny or someone else from the Weasley family. It was 11:57 now, and the train would leave at noon. Harry was definitely freaking out.

Turns out he shouldn't have been though. Just a second later, he caught sight of one of the Floos lighting up, and multiple people with Red hair made their way out.

Soon, he caught sight of Ginny, who stumbled out of the Floo, barely managing to stay on her feet.

They all made their way toward the Train when Harry heard Percy's voice "-you know I always write home mother"

"Yes, Percy dear" He heard Mrs. Weasley say, "But heaven knows Fred and George don't. And I also want to hear from you Ginny"

"Yes, Mum" he heard her voice

"I'm afraid I must go now" he heard Percy say "I have a meeting with the other Prefects. I shall-"

"Oh, you're a Prefect Percy?" Fred said. Harry knew it was Fred because he was slightly taller than George. Another trick Ginny told him.

"Haven't heard you mention it" George said.

"Except twice at home this morning"

"And thrice yesterday afternoon to that random bloke in that pub"

"That's enough boys" Mrs. Weasley chastised them sharply.

"Just saying," They grinned.

"I'll go meet Harry, he's probably here already," Ginny said.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and the Fred said "Tell your boyfriend we say 'Hi'"

"He's not my boyfriend," Ginny growled.

"Bet he's loaded though," A male voice said dreamily.

"Ron" Ginny sighed. "All of that doesn't matter"

"Yeah, I know, but still… it would be nice"

Ginny just shook her head, and Harry thought they'd had this conversation a lot of times.

The Weasleys weren't poor by any means. At least Harry didn't think so. But they weren't 'loaded' as Ron put it. They were your typical middle-class family. Ginny had never shown any signs of jealousy toward him though, she hadn't even asked for anything from him. Though he had given her some things like Extra Chocolate Frog Cards

"Be careful. All of you" He heard Mrs. Weasley say. "Ginny, I hope you have a great first year. Fred, George, I don't want to hear a single complaint about you two this year, and Percy dear, do well, as always"

He heard the children reply, and come onto the train just as the engine let off a burst of steam.

Sure enough, a few seconds after the train started moving, his compartment door opened "Harry Potter!?" He heard his best friend breathe in awe. As though this was the first time she ever met him.

He burst out laughing at her expression, and she followed suit. "I missed you," she said, pulling him into a quick hug and taking a seat on the bench facing him.

"You too, Gin" Harry was the only one allowed to call her that. Mostly because Harry used it as a term of endearment, while everyone else did it to tease her.

She hadn't been able to visit yesterday. Ron had come back from the Quidditch camp. Harry had been invited, but it was a family function for them, so he declined. He spent the day with Aberforth coming up with theories about the robbery. So far, they had a hot, steaming pile of nothing.

"How was your day?" He asked her.

She grinned at him. "Fun. Ron was quite proud of himself. He made keeper. They lost, but Ron only let 4 shots through"

"Wow" He was genuinely impressed. It took a lot of effort to keep from blocking a lot of shots.

"I know. We had a long discussion about Quidditch too. It reminded me of the old Ron"

The 'Old Ron' was the one that actually liked spending time with her. They were close before, but when Ginny started hanging out with Luna, which prompted Ron to choose new friends. His new friends, however, did not like Luna. Nor did Ron. So… they drifted apart.

"I hope he comes around"

"Same. The twins promised to send him a toilet seat. Oh, can you imagine Mum's face?" she giggled.

He chuckled a little too. He could easily imagine how that scene played out.

"I can't believe we're finally going. I've dreamed about it for so long" she said.

Harry just nodded in agreement. He too had been dreaming about it. Admittedly not nearly as long as Ginny had, but still. He also wanted to visit Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore sometime soon. He wanted to be one of the best students the school had seen in a while. He wanted to make his parents proud of the fact that he was their son. He knew they were gone, but he still wanted to do it.

"Me too" Harry responded.

They sat in comfortable silence, both enjoying the views outside.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Ginny suddenly asked him.

He'd thought about that question a lot by himself actually.

He ruled out Ravenclaw immediately, he didn't have the smarts to be there. He wasn't dumb, mind you, but he wasn't too academically inclined, nor did he think himself a creative sort.

Hufflepuff could be a choice. He was hard-working enough. At least he felt so. He had no proof of loyalty, though. He only ever had to look after himself.

He could be a Gryffindor too. He was brave, and he didn't hesitate to fight back, at least not now.

Then again, he was also cunning and ambitious, so he could be a Slytherin too.

"Honesty, Gin, I have no idea"

Ginny nodded "I'm probably gonna end up in Gryffindor. My whole family's been there. Whatever house you end up in though, please remember that I'll be your friend" She looked as though she knew something he didn't. He decided not to ask her what.

"Same," he said instead with a smile. Of course, he knew Ginny wouldn't abandon him over a simple issue of houses.

She smiled at him and turned back to watch the scenery, he followed her lead. They both jerked in surprise when the door opened.

"Anything from the trolley?" A woman asked.

Harry decided to buy two packs of chocolate frogs. One for him and one for Ginny. She protested at first but gave in eventually.

She was the one who got him hooked on them. He never had a sweet tooth, nor did he think he ever would, but he could make an exception for chocolate frogs. Plus he liked collecting the cards.

He opened the box and the frog jumped out. He was ready for it this time, though. He leaned forward and caught it in his mouth. Something he wanted to do ever since he found out about them.

"Hey! You got it this time" Ginny cried excitedly. She was his biggest and only supporter in this little game he made for himself.

Harry just nodded. He'd just finished another item off of his checklist. He opened the box and saw Dumbledore's card again. He already got two. He'd given the extra to Ginny, who was missing one from her own collection.

"You want another Dumbledore by any chance?" He asked.

She laughed and shook her head. Dumbledore's card was supposed to be rare, yet he'd gotten three of them.

The door to their compartment opened again. A boy with the most blonde-colored hair he'd ever seen. Upon closer inspection, Harry noticed that there were two other boys behind him, one on each side.

"It's true then" he said "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts"

"That's where I'm going, yeah" Harry said slowly, not sure where this guy was going with his conversation.

"Good" The boy replied. "I'm Draco Malfoy. This is Crabbe" he nodded toward his left shoulder, "And this is Goyle" he nodded over his other shoulder. "You can come hang out with us. We'll show you around"

Harry blinked. Did he just… "I'm fine where I am, thanks"

Draco sighed. "Look, let me tell you something about the Weasleys. They're beggars of the first degree, they don't hang around in the same circles we do, and they live in some, weird building that looks as though it's gonna collapse anyday. I can help you much better than they can. So, what do you say?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Harry asked the blond pillock.

"No, I'm not" he seemed confused now, but Harry didn't care. No one insulted his friends. He also noticed Ginny turning red in anger, so he decided to take care of the problem before Ginny hexed him off the train. Not that Harry cared for the boy, it was more that Ginny would get in trouble.

"A little troubled in the head then, are you?" Harry said scathingly "Dropped on the head as a child, perhaps?" Ginny snorted.

Malfoy glared at her and opened his nouth to say something to her when Harry snapped his fingers in front of Malfoy's face to bring his attention back to Harry. "What are you on about, Potter?" Malfoy asked him

"Well, you seem to lack any semblance of common sense, I thought it had to be a mental disorder. You come in the compartment I share with my best friend, insult her and her family, and expect me to go sit with you? What are you smoking?" He finished his rant "And where can I get it?" He asked as an after thought.

Malfoy turned red and drew his wand, but he didn't get to so much as point it at Harry, because Ginny stood up-before Harry could even blink and thrust her wand under Malfoy's chin. "Get. Out" was all she said but it was said in a tone scary enough to do the trick. Malfoy just turned to him and said, "You'll regret this, Potter" and went away

Ginny slammed the door shut "The nerve of that bloody, blonde- bitch" Harry burst out laughing, his bad mood suppressed. Ginny had a way with her words that could make him laugh even in the worst situations.

The rest of the train ride passed uneventfully- well not exactly uneventfully, they played exploding snap and but they weren't interrupted again. Ginny fell asleep two hours before they reached there, and Harry spent the time reading some of his texts.

Soon the train jerked to a stop. Ginny woke up with a start. "Wha' the…" before her face cleared. "We reached?" She asked excitedly.

Harry grinned and nodded. He stored his Transfiguration book in his trunk, which he shrunk and put into his pocket. They were both already in their uniforms, so they both stood up and made their way out of the train.

"First Years over here!" Harry heard a familiar voice and smiled.

Hagrid was standing there, waving and gathering the first years. His eyes found Harry's and he beamed at him. Harry waved back and called "You alright, Hagrid!?"

"I'm great. Thanks! First Years over here!" He started calling again. The other students were surprised Harry already knew Hagrid but Ginny already knew the story.

Once all the First Years were gathered, Hagrid said "Follow me" and led them down a narrow path, they traveled in silence, and soon the path widened.

Harry gasped when Hogwarts was visible. And he wasn't the only one. Hagrid seemed pleased by the reaction, Harry absently noted.

Hogwarts was… beautiful. There was no other word for it. It stood on the top of a mountain, looking majestic with it's tall towers and turrets.

"No more than four in a boat!" Hagrid said. It was only then that Harry noticed that there were boats. He heard mant students calling to him to sit with them but Harry ignored them all in favor of choosing one with Ginny.

They weren't joined by anyone else since they were the last in the boat, so they sat next to each other. Harry was about to ask Hagrid for some oars, but Hagrid simply touched a pink umbrella to his boat. All the boats started moving, one by one, toward the castle.

Neither of the two (Harry and Ginny) said anything. They just watched as Hogwarts suddenly seemed closer and closer in a comfortable silence. Hagrid suddenly yelled "DUCK!!"

Harry and Ginny compiled but he heard someone ask "Where?" Harry burst out laughing, and Ginny wasn't able to stop her own giggles.

"Who does he think he is? Ordering about a Malfoy as though-" THWACK. Malfoy was hit in the face by a branch. He heard the sound of him screaming in pain but paid no attention to it.

Soon, they were led into the basement of the castle, where they all got off their boats. Harry saw Malfoy holding his nose, it wasn't broken or anything, but it did look lile it probably hurt.

Hagrid led them over to an archway at the end of the room they were in. "Alright. Everyone in. Come on now. That's it"

The room past the archway was… blank. There was nothing there. Just the castle walls and a floor. The top half was open for some reason though. It was like they were in a pit.

Hagrid tapped his Umbrella to the floor, and the floor started moving upwards. He realized that this was an elevator just like at Gringotts.

They reached the top, where the elevator stopped moving. A stern looking woman stood in front of them. She was wearing dark green robes, and she had her hair pulled up into a bun. As she looked down on them over her glasses, the first thought that went through Harry's mind was that he did not want to piss her off.

"Welcome to Hogwarts" she said with a smile. "My name is Minerva McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress at this school. This castle will be your home away from home for the next seven years. You will be sorted into a House in a few minutes. That House will be like your family. There are four Houses, named after the Four Founders of Hogwarts. Those are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. I am also the Head of House for Gryffindor. Professor Flitwick is the Head of House for Ravenclaw. Professor Sinastra is the Slytherin Head of House. And last but certainly not the least, Professor Sprout is the Head of House for Hufflepuff"

"I will warn you now, that any rule-breaking will mean loss of House Points for your house. Similarly your achievements in class shall also equally be praised. The house with the most House Points at the end of the year, will win the The House Cup. Now," she clapped her hands "I shall lead you to the Great Hall where the Sorting Ceremony shall be held. Come along" She turned and started walking, probably toward the Great Hall.

The students followed her, and they soon reached a set of Giant wooden doors. Professor McGonagall flicked her wand and the doors opened.

They went through and Harry gaped at the scene in front of him. He heard many gasps and sighs. There was an open rectangular area in front of them, four tables standing ahead of it. There were banners of the Houses floating in the air above the respective tables. The one on the extreme left was Slytherin. The one next to it was Ravenclaw. To Ravenclaw's right was Hufflepuff. And finally in the extreme right was Gryffindor.There were also several candles high in the air, above the banners. But what really drew Harry's attention was the fact that the ceiling of the Great Hall was… well, the sky.

He didn't think the Great Hall had no ceiling at all. No, it was probably only bewitched to mimic the sky.

Ahead of the house tables, he noticed that the staff were seated behind a table that was in the shape of an outline of a semicircle on a raised platform in a semicircular shape. There were windows with various designs behind the staff. There was also a stool with a hat on it in the centre of the semicircular platform.

He looked at Ginny and she beamed at him. He grinned back. Apparently Hogwarts- like Gringotts- could leave an impression on you too.

They made their way through the path between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, waiting to see what would happen.

Much to his surprise the hat opened its… mouth? And started to sing.

*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.

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,

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;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

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 folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

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!*

The hat closed its mouth and the students clapped. Honestly Harry thought the hat was a horrid singer, but the lyrics were decent.

"Now" Professor McGonagall said. "I shall call your name and place the Sorting Hat on your head. It will choose an appropriate house for you"

She started calling out the names in random order, probably saving his for last. Finally she called "Weasley, Ginerva"

"Good luck" Harry whispered to her.

She smiled at him and made her way forward. She sat on the stool and McGonagall placed the Hat on her head. A minute later the cried "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped enthusiastically as she gave the hat back to Professor McGonagall and went to the Gryffindor Table to be welcomed by cheers and hand shakes.

There were only two more students left, and once they were done, McGonagall called "Potter, Harry"

Harry sighed in the silence, and went to sit on the stool. Before the Sorting Hat covered his eyes, he saw Ginny smiling at him.

"Hm… what have we here?" The hat said into his mind.

"Er… hi?" Harry mentally responded.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. I have been expecting you. Let's have a look shall we… yes. Wait, what do you mean 'horrid singer'? Children nowadays, they have no taste. Right, let's see what house you'd be best for. Smart, but not a Ravenclaw. Hardworking, but not a Hufflepuff either. You're brave though. And powerful. And there's a thirst to prove yourself. Yes, you'd do very well in Slytherin."

"Put me in Gryffindor" he told the Hat

"Hm… Loyalty to your friend. Maybe Hufflepuff it is then"

"NO!!"

He argued back and forth with the hat for ten minutes. He heard voices of confusion around him but he paid no mind to it.

"I still maintain that you would be a good Slytherin. You might also help clean up it's bad reputation" The Hat told him

"I don't give a Flying Fuck about Slytherin's reputation-" Harry started responding, only to be cut off.

Excellent!!

The hat opened it's mouth and shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

A/N 2: So yes, Harry's in Slytherin. Can I get a 'Yay'? No? Okay. Yeah, it's probably gonna suck for him. I don't know if I can do angst well, so don't expect too much of it in the next chapter.

This is a shorter chapter. I know. That's on purpose. It could've been much longer. I could've had him kick Draco's ass, or punch some other bully. But that would've been a repetition of Sorcerer's Muse's Slytherin Harry series, something I didn't want to do (The repetition, I mean. The series itself is quite good, if a little too dark)

I just want to remind everyone that this is my first ever piece of writing. The Slytherin Harry story you're expecting might not be the one I've planned.

Also, Sinastra is the Head of House because Dumbledore thinks Voldemort is dead. Not just vanished. DEAD. I will explain why later. But for now… just go with it.

If you want to know why it's specifically Sinastra and not someone else then… well, I just flipped a coin to make a choice between her and Vector. Obviously Sinastra won. Slytherin still gets a bad rep, though. But the rest of the people aren't gonna start hexing Harry or anything.

I don't know whether or not I will include Snape. Probably not though. Potions is gonna have a role in my fic, though that will be after the War starts up again. Can't have Snape mucking it up for our boy.

The Sorting Hat song has been taken from Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling. I do not own it.