AN: Alright so, this is my first long-form story. WARNING: THIS IS HIGHLY EDITED FOR THE FIRST PART. For those of you who haven't followed from the beginning, if you want to skip the edited section, I direct you to skip immediately to Chapter 23 for an author's notes summary of the events that have happened.
Otherwise known as Harry Potter: M.o.D. Born
(replaces part of chapter 6 in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/ Sorcerer's Stone)
"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.
Not even a second after the twins had left, a blond bespectacled boy appeared outside the door. He knocked hesitantly on the door before he opened it. He asked nervously in a quiet voice, "Is anyone sitting with you? Everywhere else is full."
Harry looked at Ron to see if he minded. Ron was looking at Harry with a curious expression. Harry turned back to the newcomer. "You can sit in here."
The boy smiled at Harry. "Thank you."
"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out, making the newcomer visibly jump. Harry nodded.
"Oh - well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know… "
He pointed at Harry's forehead.
Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared as the other boy looked at it for a second, then looked away with an uncomfortable expression. "So that's where You-Know-Who -?"
"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."
"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.
"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."
"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.
The boy cleared his throat, drawing both Harry and Ron's attention to him. He looked at the pair, embarrassed. "I just realized I never introduced myself. I'm Benjamin Wi - sorry, Black."
Ron's eyes grew wide as he stared at Benjamin with fear. Benjamin noticed his gaze and sighed.
"Er - you," Benjamin said in an exasperated and uncertain tone, causing Ron to flinch, "I was raised by my mother and step father, who is non magical, so whatever preconceived notions you have about the Black family don't apply to me."
Harry looked between the two boys with confusion. "Er."
Benjamin looked at Harry's expression and clarified. "My father's family is one of the more dangerous families within the British wizarding world. My uncle is imprisoned for being a follower of Voldemort."
Harry's eyes widened as Ron flinched. Benjamin sighed, "Saying his name is not going to bring him here. He's … vanished, if not dead, we can't summon him by speaking his name."
The cabin was quiet for a moment as the boys digested what Benjamin said.
"So Ron, are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, breaking the silence, as curious about Ron as Ron was of Harry.
"Er - yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."
"So you must know loads of magic already."
The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.
"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"
"Horrible - well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."
"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."
Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.
"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."
Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.
Benjamin spoke up. "That's fine, Ron. I certainly didn't grow up with a lot of money and I don't think Harry's the type to care about that."
Harry wasn't the type. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up, although Benjamin looked concerned.
"… and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort -"
Ron gasped.
"What?" said Harry.
"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed, while Benjamin was rolling his eyes at Ron. "I'd have thought you, of all people -"
"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn … I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."
"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."
"Ron's right. I'm certain I'm not going to be better at magic, even if my mother used it less than subtly."
While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past. Benjamin had pulled out a book in that time and started reading.
Around half past twelve, there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Benjamin politely declined, claiming not to be hungry. Harry went out into the corridor.
He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry - but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.
Ron and Benjamin stared at Harry as he brought it all back into the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat, both looking amused and bemused.
"Hungry, are you?" asked Ron.
"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.
"I notice," Benjamin said with a wry smile.
Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."
"If you don't want it I could have it," Benjamin offered.
"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on -"
"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."
"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. "Same with you, Benjamin."
"Oh, no I couldn't -" Benjamin said before Harry interrupted him, saying it was fine. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron and Ben, as he insisted on being called, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).
"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs, as Ben looked on in the background. "They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.
"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."
"What?"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."
Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.
"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.
"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa - thanks."
"'Course we haven't, Ron," Ben said, pausing from eating his frog. "We're new to the European wizarding world."
Harry turned over his card and read:
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS
Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.
Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.
"He's gone!"
"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her … do you want it? You can start collecting."
Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.
"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."
"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"
Ben stared at Ron in a confused fashion as Harry stared at Dumbledore as he sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Ben and Harry couldn't keep their eyes off them. Soon Harry had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. Ben had a fine collection himself. Harry finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger- flavored one once."
Ben looked at Ron in confusion as he picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.
"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."
They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.
There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three quarters came in. He looked tearful.
"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"
When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," said Harry.
"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him … "
He left.
"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."
The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.
"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust, as Ben stared at Ron with an incredulous expression. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look … "
He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.
"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway -"
Ben transferred his stare to the wand, with a look of concern. Ron had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."
She sat down, next to Ben, causing the boy to switch his gaze to her, adopting an incredulous look again. Ron looked taken aback at the girl.
"Er - all right."
He cleared his throat.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl as Ben again stared at the wand in concern. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you."
She said all this very fast.
Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either. Ben looked back at Hermione with an amused smile.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"Benjamin Black," stated Ben, offering his hand.
"Harry Potter," said Harry.
"Are you really?" said Hermione, having just finished shaking Ben's hand. "I know all about you, of course -"
Ben snorted.
Hermione turned her attention to Ben. "Is something funny."
Ben flushed before saying, "Well, it's just that, you know all about him? You know where he lives? What he eats? How he sleeps? His favorite colour?"
Harry had started to become uncomfortable at this line of questioning. Ron and Neville looked at Ben in confusion. Hermione looked at Ben in annoyance.
"You're being rude, you know," she said in a bossy tone.
Ben snorted again. "Says the girl who came in here without some much as an 'excuse me' and sat down in a seat without an invitation."
"I was just saying that he was in some of the other books I read," Hermione explained, still using a bossy tone.
Ben glared at Hermione. "Then you should have said that instead of saying you know all about him. Not everything that's printed is the truth." Hermione's glare intensified. Ben, spotting this started giving her a look of pity. "If everything printed was true then what the Germans did in World War II was fine, after all, I've heard it said that there's a book out there written by Adolf -"
"Stop!" Hermione shouted.
Ben's face was apologetic. "I'm sorry, but you need to know that not everything written can be trusted. Most textbooks have correct information but sometimes small errors occur and other times new things are discovered that were previously thought impossible. What you need to learn is that all sources are biased to a degree and that knowledge can come from anywhere."
Silence reigned in the cabin. Harry thought that Ben made good points. He certainly was never told by books what to do to keep the Dursleys happy. Ron and Neville also had thoughtful looks on their faces. Ben was looking down, seemingly embarrassed at having to deliver such information to anyone else. Hermione was on the verge of tears.
"Well," Hermione said, startling Harry as she broke the silence, her voice tight with emotion, "you've certainly made your point clear. I assume you want to be in Slytherin, based how you tried to change my mind."
Ben snorted. "I'm not ambitious enough to get into Slytherin. I was merely trying to get you to have an open mind. I'm probably going to end up in Ravenclaw, as I seem to have all the qualifications for Ravenclaw."
"The what?" Harry asked.
"By 'qualifications', I mean qualities. I'm not very reckless, I'm not good at working on things that don't interest me, and I don't have many or high ambitions. These are key traits that are in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, respectively. I have all the key traits of Ravenclaw, however, so that's probably where I'll end up," Ben stated.
Harry was a bit overwhelmed by the information, as did Neville and Ron. Hermione nodded in understanding, however.
"What are the key Ravenclaw traits?" She asked.
"Ravenclaws are known for their intelligence, wisdom, wit, creativity, and acceptance. These are not always the most studious of traits, but they often have profound effects on the world around them in respect to knowledge and its application," Ben replied.
Harry was confused by this. He looked at Ron to see if he understood any of the last part. From his expression, Harry assumed he didn't. Neville also seemed to be unable to determine what Ben meant. Hermione seemed to be in deep thought, as though confused by something.
"Why did you speak about books being untrue, then?" Hermione asked.
Ben smirked slightly. "Because I was trying to determine if you were a potential housemate. If you accepted my viewpoint, or at least considered it, then I'd say that you would probably be in Ravenclaw. However, since you didn't have an open mind, I doubt you'll be sorted into Ravenclaw." He paused for a moment before frowning. "Didn't you mention having a toad to find, by the way?"
This seemed to galvanize Hermione and Neville. "Right," Hermione said, "we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You three had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."
And she left, taking Neville with her.
"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."
"Possibly," Ben replied, eyeing Ron's wand warily.
"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry, attempting to direct the conversation into a reasonable direction.
"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."
"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"
"Yeah," said Ron as Ben nodded. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.
"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"
Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."
Harry stared.
"Really? What happened to them?"
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."
Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.
"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.
"Er - I don't know any," Harry confessed.
"Neither do I," Ben stated. Harry shot him a grateful look.
"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry and Ben through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.
Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.
"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
Ben seemed to grow increasing put out the longer Draco Malfoy stayed and spoke.
He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.
Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."
Both Harry and Ron stood up as Ben sighed in despair.
"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.
Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.
"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.
"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep -"
And so he had.
"You've met Malfoy before?"
Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.
"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione, not noticing Ben's disappointed frown. "Can we help you with something?"
"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"
"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"
Ron glared at her as she left as Ben rolled his eyes. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.
He, Ben, and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.
A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Harry's stomach lurched with nerves, Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles, and Ben wasn't looking much better. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. Ben was in a boat with a trio of girls with different coloured hair. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
AN: Hi, this will be my normal author notes location but I thought I should forewarn you about what will happen in this story. Technically, this is my first story, but I intend to tell a long story with this. This story will be on a biweekly update schedule barring any irregularities.
Uploaded Nov. 1st, 2019
Edited Apr. 16th, 2020, July 26th, 2020