After the Dawn: The Philosophers Stone
Chapter Three: Aboard the Hogwarts Express … Or Not
Harry woke with excitement on the morning of the first of September. He'd been hearing about Hogwarts all his life from Sirius, it seemed, and now it was time to finally go there.
Sirius joined Harry in his room – actually up early without prompting for once – to help Harry pack.
"So …" Sirius murmured, looking at the pile of things that had been growing on the floor… "Kiby!" he called.
A moment later the House Elf appeared. "Does Mr. Black want Kiby to pack the bags?" Kiby asked, sounding eager for the work.
"No, no Kiby," Sirius replied. "It's ok – we'll do that. But if you could fetch us the trunk with the internal secret compartment please? Do you remember that one?"
"The one that Mr. James used?" Kiby asked.
"That one," Sirius nodded.
"Kiby is going and getting it sir. Kiby is being back very soon!" she disappeared.
"Which trunk is this?" Harry asked.
"One that was very useful in helping get pranks to school and keeping them unnoticed," Sirius replied. "But I think it will serve a different purpose in this generation."
A second later Kiby returned with a very nice looking trunk beside her. Sirius took it, thanked the elf then dismissed her.
The trunk was made of polished ebony and had gold corners and an impressive looking golden lock holding it shut. Sirius took a small key from his pocket and slipped it easily into the lock, turning half to the left, then back up to the top and halfway to the right.
With a dull 'click', the lock opened and Sirius pushed up the lid of the trunk. It was more spacious inside than Harry could have guessed, looking at it from the out.
"It's magical," Sirius said, when he pointed this out. "It'll magically expand to fit all of your things in."
"Cool," Harry said.
"And that's not even the best bit," Sirius said with a grin. He ran his fingers over the centre of the trunks bottom, murmuring as he did, "marauder mischief."
Suddenly another golden lock appeared on the area that he'd just touched. He slipped the key into the lock, and opened it in the same way that he had the other.
Inside here was a completely hidden compartment that was just as big as the one above it. "Since I'll need some things with me," Sirius explained, "I'll put them in here, along with our prank supplies."
Harry smiled happily. "Cool!" he said.
Sirius nodded in cheerful agreement. "Very," he agreed. "Now we just have to put everything in – my stuff first."
"What time do we have to leave?" Harry asked.
"The feast doesn't start until about eight in the evening," Sirius replied. "Everyone else has to be at Platform Nine and Three Quarters at eleven o'clock sharp when the train leaves, but, of course, we aren't going by train, are we?"
"Nope," Harry said. "Wonderful, we don't have to rush."
Sirius packed little of his own things – just a few sets of robes and his broom, some shoes, a hat and fair few potions ingredients – Harry assumed this was because he would need to remake the draft that would change his Animagus form.
That and a load of prank material, which Harry was looking forward to using. Sirius also packed an invisibility cloak. "The Potter family has two of these, one of them is very old, that's this one, another was purchased in the time of your great grandfathers childhood – James gave that one to Dumbledore for safe keeping, in case anything should happen to him. Dumbledore was to give it to you when you arrived in Hogwarts."
Harry nodded, he remembered hearing something along these lines before.
"Now, I have a late birthday gift for you as well," Sirius added, and Harry perked up with an exaggerated look of delight on his face. Sirius reached into his robes and took out a black piece of parchment, handing it to Harry.
Harry raised an eyebrow, looking from paper to Sirius. "When the Marauders were in school, we made a map of the place, one that would follow the castles movements, and those of the professors. One that could tell who was coming, and when. And most importantly, one that would show all of the secret passageways we'd discovered, where they were, and how to open them. We called it the Marauders Map – there were only four copies ever made.
"I assume that Remus still has his. Peter lost his in fourth year – the same year we made them – mine I have with me, and this one was your fathers," Sirius finished, pointing at the map.
"Each has the 'normal' password – that is 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' – but each of them also had a personalised password, which could make the map give up more and different information," Sirius continued.
"I believe your fathers doubles as a map of this place, and shows at least one secret room that he never told us about. It was there, apparently, that he took your mother on occasion – we never saw it, and decided to leave him in privacy about it.
"Anyway, you'll have to find out what the password is from him – we never asked him. We decided that we would keep these second ones secret, just in case."
Harry nodded. "I'll find one of the pictures later today," he said. "Can I tell you the password once I've found it out from Dad?"
"If you want to," Sirius replied. "But only if it's needed, ok?"
Harry nodded his head once. "Now, we have to get your stuff packed, which will be a bit more than what I've got!" Sirius said, looking over Harry's things.
He packed all the books first, then robes, socks, underwear, jeans and t-shirts to wear under the robes and when he didn't have to wear uniform, potions ingredient and a shrunken cauldron. "It would fit in, but it's so bulky," Sirius explained to Harry.
"Oh, and one last gift actually," Sirius added with a grin. "I've got a wand holder for you … Well, two actually. One can go on a belt, and one can be attached to your arm."
He gave them both to Harry. "Now, put on your Hogwarts robes on and we'll adjust everything."
Sirius went outside to look for something while Harry quickly changed into his Hogwarts robes, fastened his cloak and put on the pointed hat. Sirius returned a moment later with a small box.
He looked Harry over and nodded. "Good," he said, picking up a black leather belt from Harry's bed and slipping the wand holder onto it before handing it to Harry.
Harry fastened it about his waist and slipped his wand into the holder – it fitted perfectly. Sirius showed him how to strap the other holder onto his arm – he put it on his left arm, and the holder was on his right.
Harry transferred the wand to this, and practiced taking it out and sliding it back in again until Sirius was satisfied that he could do it perfectly.
"Good," Sirius nodded. "Now, let's go and have some lunch – I'm hungry!"
"Aren't you always?" Harry asked, running alongside his godfather in the direction of the dinning room.
"Yes. But so are you," Sirius pointed out.
"No, I just eat a lot at meal times. I don't need to eat more than that," Harry replied grinning. "But I do admit that I eat a lot of food!"
Sirius shrugged. "Whatever," he replied, clearly not bothered with pushing the point.
After a delicious lunch – the house elves had excelled themselves, probably because this was the last time they'd be cooking for the pair in a while – Harry decided that he wanted to go and visit Kreacher.
Sirius and Kreacher were now just beginning to not hate each other quite so much. They weren't at all friendly, but the depth of their hatred seemed to be getting less and less with each visit that Harry and Sirius made.
They were also linked by one thing, which Sirius was still surprised about – a love of Harry, and strong desire to prevent anything bad from happening to him.
"Hello Kreacher!" Harry greeted from the fire place. The elf was dusting on the other side of the room, but immediately came bounding over to Harry.
"Master Harry, Master Harry!" it squeaked at him. "How is you being?" then muttered, "still with the Mistress's son … Don't trust it."
Harry sighed. Kreacher still sometimes muttered about Sirius, but it was become less frequent and less obvious now.
"I am well. I'm going to Hogwarts today," Harry replied with a proud smile.
Kreacher looked at him in surprise. "But Master Harry, the train has left already!" he said, pointing to a clock.
"I'm not going by train, because I can't go as myself," Harry replied. "They'd catch Sirius otherwise."
"Why does you care what happens to the Mistress's traitor son? He broke her heart, you know," the elf said.
"Because for one thing I like Sirius – he's my godfather, after all. The only reason I'm alive today. Also, if they found out about him, I wouldn't be able to visit you anymore," Harry replied.
Kreacher thought about this. "Kreacher understand," he said finally. "If Master Harry needs help, he only has to ask faithful Kreacher."
"I know," Harry replied, smiling happily.
The visit was too soon over, and Harry and Sirius – who'd kept for the most part of the way – stepped towards the fire to leave.
"Kreacher is hoping that Master Harry has a good time at Hogwarts," the elf squeaked in parting.
"I don't think I could have anything else," Harry replied, waving before he stepped into the fire to follow Sirius back to Potter mansion.
Harry passed the remainder of the afternoon flying. He and Sirius ate a small snack before they left, since it would still be a bit of time until the feast, then the Sirius stepped towards a fire place. "Harry, follow after me and say what I say," he ordered.
Stepping into the fire after the Floo powder, Sirius called out, "the Shrieking Shack!" and was gone. Harry waited for thirty seconds before following.
When he stepped out of the fire place, he was surprised at how dark the place he was standing in was. He could vaguely make out the form of Sirius and his trunk in the gloom.
His eyes adjusted quickly to the light, and it was not long before he was accustomed to the light. There was Sirius, grinning as he looked over the dusty, savaged room they'd come into.
There was a chair missing one leg in the corner, looking as though it had been hurled there in a savage fury. There the marks of sharp, canine fangs on every piece of furniture that was there. And the marks of a boundless rage.
"This is where Moony transformed?" Harry asked softly.
"Yes, and where your father and I first became Animagi – and then Peter followed in our footsteps," Sirius replied. "No one else has found the way in, it seems. The guardian of the entrance way must be to jealous to let any others approach."
Harry nodded – he'd heard about the Whomping Willow.
"Come on. It's dark outside, so no one will notice I. It's cloudy anyway, so there will be no lights to mark our passage," Sirius said softly.
He walked across the floor and lifted a trap door, coughing as the dust was disturbed, then brandishing his wand and getting rid of all of it. "This way," he called, voice muffled. "Pass the trunk down to me!"
Harry did so carefully, before slipping down to join his godfather. "Watch your head," he muttered to Harry, who nodded quickly. They reached the end of the tunnel – Harry's heart was beating hard and fast. He felt incredibly nervous now that it was time to actually arrive. More nervous than he'd ever felt in his life before.
"I'm going to push your trunk up, transform and go up myself to freeze the tree. Do not come until I bark," Sirius told him. "While you're waiting, change your appearance and go over your story again. Keep doing that until it is time to give it."
Harry nodded silently.
Sirius shoved Harry's trunk up through the roots of the tree that nearly covered the exit, then transformed.
Harry blinked. He'd seen his godfather transform hundred of time before this, but this was very different. Though Sirius had said that he would be an red setter, Harry hadn't actually thought that it would make a difference.
Sirius's once black fur was now a brownish red, his eyes were liquid brown and his ears flopped around an adorable doggy face. He made a soft snort-bark when he saw the look on Harry's face, then ducked up through the passage himself.
A moment later, Harry had changed his appearance and Nemo Protectium now stood in the passageway, going over his story. Sirius's bark sounded from above, and Harry quickly scrambled up the passage and emerged onto the grounds.
It was the first time he'd seen Hogwarts, and it took his breath away. Certainly he'd seen places like it, such as Potter Manor, but still … Hogwarts was different again.
He couldn't see all that much of it, since it was shrouded in the darkness of the cloudy, moonless night, but what he could see was just … Wow.
There was lake in front of the school, and Harry thought that he could see little boats floating across it. "Is that the first years?" he asked Sirius, pointing.
The dog nodded it's head once. Sirius had told Harry that the first years traditionally crossed the lake in boats to go to the Sorting Ceremony. He and Sirius crept across the grounds, Harry towing his trunk behind him. It had obligingly grown wheels, so this wasn't as hard as Harry had thought it might be.
Unconsciously Harry reached up to touch his throat – there was a very fine golden chain hanging around his neck, and on it was the key for his trunk. He wouldn't want to lose it.
He and Sirius reached Hogwarts ahead of the first years and hid themselves in some bushes near the doors, breathing gently and trying not to move and disturb anything.
Harry could half see a group of people, led by the big man, Hagrid, coming up the path. So, these were to be his year mates for the next seven years. They didn't look like much.
He could see the blonde Malfoy-kid that he'd met in Madam Malkin's, and the brown haired girl who had come in to buy her wand after him in Mr. Ollivanders shop.
He thought he half-recognised a round faced boy who was clutching a toad to his chest, but he wasn't sure. The rest he didn't know at all. But then, he didn't really expect to either.
Hagrid knocked resoundingly three times upon the huge front doors, and they were whipped open to reveal a tall, stern witch in green robes. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said, confirming Harry's suspicions that this was the stern Head of Gryffindor house.
"Thank you Hagrid," she said, her voice still containing a slight Irish lilt, but at the same time very stern and serene.
Hagrid nodded and waved the first year students in. Harry remained where he was as Hagrid walked inside too, and the doors were shut with a snap behind him.
***
A second note on the wand: as far as I can recall (and from carefully reading over the Philosophers/Sorcerers Stone) it NEVER once mentions that Harry's wand was made at the same time as Voldemorts. It never says that Fawkes donated the feathers at the same time either, just that Fawkes was the one that gave them.
Therefore, in THIS story, Mr. Ollivander made the wand at a later date, AFTER Voldemort had arisen and was using his wand for evil. Fawkes gave another feather in hope that one who would stand against Voldemort would gain this wand.
Mr. Ollivander only made the wand a year before Harry was due to come to school, hoping that it would HE who got the wand. He was inclined to make it with different materials than he did in the book – remember that he mentioned it as being an 'unusual' combination? Well, he decided to make it a little less unusual and use a different wood: Ebony. Are we all clear now?
My apologies to all regarding the lateness of this chapter. I was reinstalling my operating system and unable to use my computer, or access my stories/address book for a short period of time.
Thanks:
Nicoletta, Cataclysmic, Wynjara, MarsIsBrightTonight, Chiquita-3, Butler, Wolfia, Jack4, Black Llama, Virusgod, Dinatius, Jaded Angel8, Kateydidnt, Solar, RelfectionsOfReality, BeastialSunStormDragon, Katy-ster, AltonShadeFoot, ocpawnmaster1, OhioGrl-HPFan, Aaron, ananova, Lord of Darkness13, Mike Potter 2002, Maxx77, Jbfritz, Wytil, Believe, Musicstarlover, captuniv, Anna L. Black, athenakitty, Lord Archimonde, Tau, Jeanne2, MikiBaby, Jen, Tia, Harper, JJ, Stix-the-Rebel, Kat, Persephone, Huskerinexile, Silver Scale Serpent, lunatyme, pistaccio pudding, Empress Sarah-sama, Pottergirl48, Schnuff, azntgr01, LonelySpirit, Schnuffel, Songbreeze Swifteye, dweem-angel, Lady S, Cyblade Silver, howling wolf1, Phoenix Flight, Dakana Warrior, Penny, Sea-Turtles, Nasser Himura, Show1022, schmanski, PhoenixMan, AngeChao, King of the Nazgûl, Alexa, Alexa, Schnuffel, pen, halstead, munch, SerendipitousNightcrawler, TopQuark, Angelmorph, wizardmon92, fullsailnate, Alice Finch, walkingtalking, Hermione, Elessar, infad, infad, FlyingGoat.
Wow! You came SOO close to getting to one hundred – I was amazed! You were only 14 off *grins* that makes it 87 reviews for this chapter alone – WOW. That offer of two chapters if I get one hundred reviews will go on throughout the story, just so you know!
Next chapter: Unexpected Arrivals, due out in two days time!
~WolfMoon~