Chapter 3 – Finally Student

When Harry finally turned eleven the Headmaster called him, Severus and Professor McGonagall (he had to call them by their proper names now) to a meeting. In the meeting they explained all about Voldemort, his parents and himself. Suddenly everything made sense to him: the change of his name to Porter, the Concealment Charm on his scar... Nevertheless he couldn't believe that he should have been the one to destroy Voldemort.

Well, as long as he wasn't expected to do it again he was comfortable with it.

Harry counted the days until school started. On the day after his birthday they went to Diagon Alley, to buy his school equipment. For the first time Harry was allowed a wand – owning one felt a lot different than just holding Severus' wand – and Severus could barely keep him from hexing radom people on the streets. After that they visited the Magical Menagerie, where Snape got Harry an owl for his birthday. It was a beautiful black eagle-owl. Harry named it Balthazar.

Finally Snape went to Knockturn Alley to get a few rare potion ingredients after dropping off Harry at Madam Malkins.

Madam Malkins was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here – another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long, black robes. Madam Malkins stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head and began to pin it to the right length.

"Hullo," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"

"Hi, yeah." Harry answered.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy.

"I already got my wand," Harry triumphed and produced his new wand from his pocket. "Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches."

The other boy seemed jealous. "Phoenix feathers are supposed to be really powerful, but I guess I'll get a veela hair wand. One of my grandmothers was a veela."

"Really?" Harry was astonished. "Did she eat men?"

"Yes," the boy replied haughtily, "but only those she didn't like.

"I'm going to drag off my parents to look at racing brooms later," the boy changed the topic. "I don't see why first-years can't have their own. I think I'll bully my father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Harry was reminded of his own efforts to smuggle things into and out of Hogwarts.

"Can't see you succeeding, but good luck nevertheless."

The boy looked surprised at Harry's lack of being impressed.

"Have you got your own broom?" he asked.

"No, though sometimes I can borrow my uncle's broom. Do you play Quidditch?" Harry had been allowed to take part in a Ravenclaw practice session once and Madam Hooch had said that he was really fast, surely a good seeker.

"Of course!" The boy looked almost offended. "Father says it's a crime if I am not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No, but I'd prefer Slytherin or Ravenclaw. I don't think I'd want to be anywhere else.." Harry said.

"Well, no one really knows for sure until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Harry agreed heartily, he had heard Snape talk about the Hufflepuffs too often to even dare think of the possibility of getting sorted into their house. "I heard they are really stupid and slow, no one in their right mind would want to go to Hufflepuff."

The other boy nodded approvingly. Madam Malkins was finished with him, so he hopped off the footstool and approached Harry. "My name is Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself and offered his hand to Harry, who shook it enthusiastically, glad about having made another friend.

Suddenly Harry realised that he knew the truth about his name now. For the first time in his life he could tell someone his real name, a name that he was proud of. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter." he said and hopped off his stool too.

"You are Harry Potter?" Draco looked at him, amazed. "Well, see you around. I hope we'll meet again in Slytherin!" And off he was out of the door, probably looking for his parents to drag them to Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Harry's last month at Hogwarts was not much different than the ten years before. He had been really excited about his school books, but when he realised they were nearly the same books as in the library, his spirits dampened a bit. He already knew half of that stuff, due to all the penalty essays he'd had to write. At least he was able to actually do magic now – as long as nobody caught him.

Also, he had found out why Severus had never told him where he had got that ugly tattoo. Now that he knew he was famous, Harry had looked for information about himself in the library. Reading about Voldemort and his followers he had come across the Dark Mark, the sign of the Death Eaters. So why did Severus have that tattoo? Surely he hadn't been a Death Eater?

When Harry confronted him with his discovery, Severus dashed into a lenghty explanation about why the decision whom to follow was so difficult.

"You know, I was lead on the wrong path very early and didn't realize what was happening until reality showed me that not all is as we want it to be..."

After five minutes Harry had figured out that Severus really had become Death Eater but come crawling to Dumbledore hardly a month later. Harry shut him up by putting his arms around his neck. He could see that Severus had a bad conscience because of the Death Eater thing.

Harry forgave him.

Later, Dumbledore came to visit them in Snape's rooms and announced that Harry was to live with the other boys in the dormitory, a suggestion that they had never thought about, but Harry decided he'd like to move in there as Snape's rooms were really not that big and he'd be able to see Severus any time anyways.

On the last day before the other students arrived and the Sorting started Harry couldn't sit still. At lunch he started asking Severus which questions the Sorting Hat would ask. After tea he dressed in his new school robes and brushed his hair about five times so that it would lie flat. It fought hard but with some help of Severus he finally succeeded in overpowering it and he pushed it down, effectively hiding his scar. He really was a bit afraid of people's reactions to him.

When the older students arrived, Snape sent Harry to the room where the first-years were waiting to be Sorted. Anxiously peering around the door, Harry made out Aunt Min- Professor McGonagall and the blond boy he had met at Madam Malkins.

A bit more confident he stepped in, closed the door behind him and waved his hand at Draco who recognized him at once.

"Hi Harry!" he called, mentioned him nearer and turned back to the two big, dark haired boys he had talked to before. When Harry approached them, he suddenly stumbled over a foot someone had stuck out.

"Watch it," Harry said, irritated. The red-headed boy the foot belonged to and another dark blond boy regarded him arrogantly, pointed at him and talked about him as if he weren't there.

"D'you think he'd make a decent friend?" the red-head asked.

"Nah," the other answered, "look at him.. bet he's just another Slytherin,"

Harry bared his teeth but before he could answer Draco had come over and put himself in front of the boys, back turned towards them.

"Nothing wrong with Slytherin," he smirked at Harry. "By the way, you'd better not not hang around with riff-raff like them," he pointed over his shoulder, "You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort of people, do you? I could help you there." And he held out his hand to shake Harry's.

Harry happily took it, glad that someone was on his side. He had the distinct feeling that the red-head was one of the violent, physically brutal sort and he didn't want to pick a fight on his first day. Quickly he pulled Draco back to his two friends. Draco introduced them as Crabbe and Goyle. Harry immediately disliked them. They seemed more like friends of the violent red-head. Hopefully they'd be Sorted into Hufflepuff.

Suddenly someone tapped at Harry's shoulder. When he turned around he found Hermione standing behind him. Spontaneously he hugged her and pulled her into their little circle.

"Draco, this is Hermione. She wasn't sure if she was crazy a few years ago, but it turned out that she's just a witch." Harry announced happily. Hermione seemed very nervous. Draco eyed her suspiciously.

"A muggle-born, then?"

Harry nodded.

Draco looked a bit irritated. "My father says that muggle-borns are not as noble as purebloods," he informed her. "Purebloods like us belong to a higher class."

Harry became angry. "Well, then, have fun in your higher class alone," he snapped and turned away. A hand on his shoulder held him back.

"My father also told me to make my own decisions." Draco told them. He turned to Hermione. "You don't look that bad." And he offered her his hand, too. Very self-conscious now, she shook it and spoke for the first time.

"Strange to meet you, Draco." And she smiled a bit. Draco grinned back.

"Awkwardness is all mine," he replied smoothly. Suddenly, when he spotted her brace, Draco jumped back a few feet.

"Is that some kind of weapon?" he asked anxiously. Obviously he hadn't been in the company of muggles very often, Harry thought, even he knew what a brace was!

Hermione seemed a bit confused, but then explained why she had to wear it and that no, it could not be used as a weapon. Draco still wasn't entirely convinced, he couldn't see why anyone would want to look like that when a mediwizard could fix her little problem in about five seconds.

Suddenly Professor McGonagall turned to them. "Move along," she called sharply, "the Sorting Ceremony is about to start. Form a line and follow me."

Feeling oddly as if his legs had turned into lead, Harry got into the line behind Draco, with Hermione behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall into the Great Hall. Many 'ooh's and 'aaah's were to be heard from the other first-years and Harry tried to picture how they felt, being here for the first time. He couldn't imagine living outside the castle and he was glad that he could stay here for at least the next seven years.

McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years and the Sorting Hat on top of it. Harry was eagerly waiting for the song, up to now he had always been allowed to watch the ceremony from next to Severus, beneath Severus' Invisibility cloak. Each and every year the Sorting Hat sang another song and each year at least one of the first-years screamed when the Hat opened its mouth. This year was no exception. Two girls – muggle-born, Harry excpected, glad that Hermione didn't show such a childish behaviour – screamed when a rip near the brim opened wide and the hat began to sing: