Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter either. It belongs to its creator J.K. Rowling and probably Warner Bros. too. I'm not too sure about that. This piece of literature is simply the work of a humble fan.
:Author Notes:
This will be leaning more toward alternate reality. It will have the same characters just a different spin on things. If you're not a fan or strong cursing or maybe even violence and bloodshed then there is a good chance that this story isn't for you.
"I will not fear, for fear is the mindkiller; fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me; and once it has gone only I shall remain." Emperor Paul Atredies, Dune
Potter
Chapter Five: That Which Is My Mind
By: Water Mage
Riley excused herself, taking her robes so that she could change in another cart. Harry paused in the unbuttoning of his shirt hearing the sound of a soft knock come from the other side of the door. Before he could even say come in the door slid open revealing Ron Weasley. The red head stood in the doorway unsure for a moment before entering. Ron's hands were shoved deep in his pockets and his gaze was trained to the floor. The sound of his feet scuffing the floor was the only noise in the cart aside from their breathing.
"Listen," Harry said deciding to break the awkward silence. He was normally all for holding a grudge but this was just damn annoying. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. Its just that my parents is not a topic I like brought up."
Ron nodded quickly thankful that situation was resolved. "I'm sorry too for asking such a rude question."
That was it. No more words were exchanged between them as they went about changing into their Hogwarts robes. Harry found his mind wandering as he mindlessly changed into his new uniform. His thoughts drifted past the walls of the cart and into the past. In his minds eye Harry viewed a long ago memory…
The sun beamed down its light upon the courtyard of T.A. Private Academy. It was midday so classes were paused for the hour-long recess the students were granted. The courtyard was filled with kids ranging from six to ten, running from here to there amidst the stone benches, tall trees, and the impressive fountain that stood in the middle of the grounds. A young Harry, eight years old and in second grade, sat underneath a tall oak tree book in hand and apple in the other. Munching on the apple, he turned a page in the mystery book he was reading.
"Look at him sitting over there. Who reads at recess, honestly!"
Harry heard the voice but didn't look up. He kept his eyes trained on the pages of the book. But the words became just a blur of black as he turned his focus to the voices near him. He didn't have to look up to know that whoever said such things were gazing at him. He could feel eyes watching him at this very moment.
Laughing could be heard then a different voice responded with: "I know!"
I know why he goes off by himself," said a female voice whereas the other two voices were male. "He thinks he's better then us, he does. Me mam told me all about his family. His father is the owner and CEO of McKnight and Steel."
"The law firm?"
"Yep. Even my parents are clients of McKnight and Steel. The man has his hands in everything! What I hear from my parents his father is richer than rich."
"From what I hear his father is not really his real dad. I hear he's adopted. Potter is his real last name. Can you imagine what kind of common people his parents are? Do you know what a potter is? To be named after one is so demeaning," said the female voice letting out a high pitch laugh at the end of her sentence.
"Hogwarts coming up," echoed a voice through the train. Harry was shaken from his memory at the sudden voice. From where it came, Harry had no idea because from what he could see no speakers were in the cart. "Hogsmeade Station coming up in five minutes. If you will leave all of your luggage and things on the train they will be transported to the school separately. That is all and thank you for riding the Hogwarts Express the easiest and safest way to travel."
Harry felt his stomach flip flop as if he was on a roller coaster. He glanced at Ron and the boy was paler than the moon in the sky. Harry almost wanted to laugh but knew he probably didn't look any better, so he busied himself with tying up his Doc Martens. Finally the train slowly came to a halt. At that moment Riley entered the room dressed in black Hogwarts robes and civilian clothes carried in her hands.
"What's wrong with you guys?" she asked going to her trunk and dumping her clothes inside. She placed her hand on her hip giving him a long look. "You look like someone shot your favorite monkey."
Harry managed a smile. "Just nervous. Getting placed in a house is a big thing."
Riley laughed a little then shook her head an amused expression playing on her face. "There is nothing to it. All you have to do is try on the Sorting Hat and it'll do the rest. That's it."
"Oh!" laughed Ron, slumping his shoulders relieved. "And here I was getting nervous over nothing. Fred and George were going on about having to wrestle a troll."
They exited the door and made their way off the train. It was crowded so they had to push their way toward the door. The platform of Hogsmeade Station was tiny and dark. Very dark because the only light in the sky came from the moon and the starts in the sky. Harry shivered in the cold night air wishing now that he was back on the heated train. Ron said something about seeing someone he knew and left the side of Harry, which Harry had the problems with. Its not like they were friends merely only acquaintances.
Riley faced Harry and placed her hand on his shoulder, looking down on him she gave him a small smile. "Take care of yourself, Harry. I'll see you back at the school. No matter what house you get into I'm still your friend."
"Thanks, Riley," he smiled back. She nodded then turned following the older students who walked along the platform toward a rough looking mud track. If Harry looked hard enough through the darkness he could barely make out what looked like carriages at the end of the path. Then suddenly a lamp came on above the remaining students' heads. The bright light shined enough light to fully illuminate the entire tiny platform.
Harry along with the other gathered first years looked up, higher, higher, and higher into the broad face of a gigantic man. The man had to be seven or more feet tall the way he easily towered over them, making them seem like dwarves in comparison. The giant man was dressed in a large brown coat with many pockets along the front; his face was covered in a thick, black beard that matched his long, knotted, black hair. With his big hairy face the man beamed over their small forms.
"Firs' years! C'mon anymore firs' years out there! Come alon' all o' you," boomed the giant man.
Harry walked with careful steps, following the giant men with everyone else. He grinned seeing Draco Malfoy slip and stumble down the steep, narrow path they walked down. Trees bordered both sides of the path and only the light of the giant man's lamp allowed them to see the path. Nobody spoke much as they walked down the slippery path. Harry got his foot stepped on more than once, surprisingly he didn't retaliate for the annoying, repeated action. The giant man announced that Hogwarts would be in full view just over the bend. Anticipation swirled through the air radiating from their eager young bodies. The path they walked on suddenly opened and before them was a great black lake. In the distance nestled on the top of a huge, high mountain was a fantastical castle. Lights appeared from its many windows and its towers and turrets rose up high into the starlit sky. Harry took his eyes off the castle to look back at the lake. By the shore of the lake was a fleet of small, typical looking boats sitting in the water.
"No more'n four to a boat ever'one," shouted the giant man, pointing to the ships.
Harry treaded through the water getting on the boat nearest him. Following him was a girl with bushy brown hair and two large front teeth. Then behind her appeared Draco Malfoy. He wasn't with his two croonies so they must have been separated in the shuffle to get on a boot. Or maybe they needed a boat all to themselves since they were so big, Harry figured. Malfoy didn't look happy to share a boat with Harry or the bushy hair girl. Scowling he sat farthest away from them, arms crossed and death look trained on them. The giant man called for the boats to move forward and then they were off, gliding across the smooth lake. They weren't actually gliding it just seemed so since the lake was so smooth and quiet. Everyone stared up ahead at the castle before them as it loomed closer and closer.
"Its even more beautiful than the pictures," the girl next to Harry whispered.
Harry glanced to Malfoy and could barely hear him whisper "Must be a mudblood"
A sigh slipped from Harry's lips. He had an overwhelming urge to slap the peroxide out of Malfoy's head. Harry almost opened his mouth to snap at the blond but closed it. A sudden thought ran through his head. Starting off with an enemy so soon into the year was the wrong thing to do. Well, not the wrong thing to do but he was going on about it the wrong way. Yes, Harry thought smiling. He was doing this the wrong way. Malfoy was definitely not his friend, so it was time to institute an old proverb his father always said to him: 'Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer.' Malfoy saw the smile on Harry's face directed at him and the permanent scowl disappeared. A hesitant smile appeared on his pale face.
"Ever'one heads down!" yelled the giant man, as they approached the towering, rocky cliff.
They ducked their heads and the boats carried them forward through a curtain of hanging ivory that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. Not the safest entrance but Harry guessed that maybe they were trying to keep the mystery ambiance going while they could. The boats carried them onwards through a dark tunnel lighted only from the glow of fireflies hovering in the air. Finally, they reached a kind of underground harbor that was filled with pebbles and small stones. Stepping from the boat onto the stone covered ground, Harry looked up and in the muted light he could make out some kind of painting or mural done on the stone ceiling. The painting was done in bright colors and it seemed to be depicting an epic battle. On one side were men women and light creatures battling against a darker appearing army, which were a group of men women and dark creatures. Each side was wielding weapons of light and in the air between them was a large crack. Not painted but a real crack in the rock face that split up both groups.
They followed the giant man up a passageway. There was no way they could keep up with him and his long strides so they followed the light of his lamp. Harry wished that the giant man would give them some directions or some kind of information on where they were going or what they could expect but he was tight lipped about the whole thing.
'I swear if they try to do some kind of hazing ritual I'm gonna snap,' Harry thought climbing up the passageway.
They came out of the passage onto the damp water covered grass of Hogwarts. Breathing like a pack of tired dogs they stood there in the huge shadow of the castle. They followed a path that led to a flight of stone steps. At the top of the stairs was the front door of the castle, huge, thick and made entirely out of oak. The kids crowded around the door like a group of bums crowding around a flaming barrel in the middle of December. The giant man made sure that everyone was accounted for then in three loud bangs he knocked with his gigantic fist upon the door.
The door swung open without a low creak. A tall witch with midnight black hair and emerald robes stood there. Harry thought she looked familiar to him, but he quickly shook the feeling off. He had never seen the stern faced woman before in his life.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the giant man.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She led them inside of the castle. The entrance hall was as Harry expected. It was big, no huge. Worthy of a castle this size. The ceiling was very high, flaming torches lighted the walls, and a marble staircase going to the upper floors faced them. Harry could hear voices come from a door to the right of them. The rest of the school was already here and seated by the drone of conversation that drifted from the doorway. Instead of taking them in McGonagall led them into a separate chamber that was apart from the entrance hall. The group of forty some odd kids crowded into the smaller hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," began the Professor in a tone that said the phrase had passed from her lips hundreds of times before. "Our annual start-of-the term banquet or feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a…"
Harry tuned the Professor out already knowing what the sorting was and what houses were what. He took his time to gaze about at the other students. There were kids all from different backgrounds and ethnicity's. All of them looked nervous yet eager. Harry eyed a rather tall boy who was staring fixedly at the scar on his forehead. Harry frowned at the unwanted attention. He touched a hand to his left arm feeling the knife he kept sheathed secured there. He might not have his guns or his sword, but he would be damned if he were going into an unknown place without being armed. Some might call him paranoid, but after more than fifteen attempts on his life, others would call him prepared for the inevitable. Feeling the eyes still on him, Harry met the gaze of the tall, staring boy head on. He raised his eyebrow and the tall boy blushed, cheeks turning a slight shade of red the same color as his auburn hair.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her brown eyes trailed over the nervous faces. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."
"Are you really nervous," said a voice.
Harry looked beside him and there was the girl he had ridden in the boat with. "Yeah, a little, I guess."
"I am too. I learned a lot of spells and read all the course books during the summer, but I'm still nervous," she said babbling. "I bet they're a lot of spells we'll have to learn this year. I read in Hogwarts, A History that Hogwarts is the most famous school in the world, so it really is something to go here. I bet that--"
Harry held up his hand stopping her from continuing on. "You're babbling. I have no idea what you're talking about."
The girl shook her head, bushy brown hair flying about her. "I'm sorry. I do that sometimes," she frowned as if ashamed of herself. Brushing back her hair she smiled sheepishly. "My name is Hermione Granger."
"Harry Potter-McKnight."
Hermione flicked her eyes upward to the scar on his brow. "You really are aren't you? Wow! You're in a lot of books I've read over the summer. Did you read anything interesting over the summer?"
Harry did know that he was in a lot of books. He had came across his own name dozens of times while doing summer reading. He was about to ask what kinds of books did she normally read, but something happened that made him almost jump out of his skin. Screams filled the small hall as kids huddled up to one another. A gasp left his lips and his hand instinctively went to sheathed knife hidden under the sleeve of his robe. Twenty ghosts poured straight through the back wall. They were slightly transparent, whiter than white, and their feet didn't so much as touch the ground as they glided across the stone floor. They seemed to be caught up in an argument so they didn't even glance at the first years. Harry slipped his knife from its sheath and held it unnoticeably in his right hand. He might not be the best at knife fighting but if it came down to it, Harry could throw one with surprising accuracy.
"He deserves a second chance and as shade spirits we should give him that. Forgiveness is the way--" said a little short, balding monk.
"My good sir, Friar, Peeves has had enough chances I say. We should petition Headmaster Dumbledore for a Priest. One exorcism and we are Peeves free," said a ghost wearing tights and old, formal clothes adorned with ruffles.
At that moment Professor McGonagall returned. "Time to go. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
The ghosts gave little waves then floated away through the opposite wall. They formed a line and followed McGonagall. Harry stood with Hermione behind him and the tall boy with auburn hair was in front of him. Harry took the opportunity to slip his knife back in its sheath on his arm. They walked out of the chamber and across the hall, through the double doors that opened into the Great Hall. It was easy to see why it was called the Great Hall. It was fucking great. Harry had been to quite a few parties and gala's hosted in impressive and extravagant places but this place, at this moment, at this time was… magical. There was four tables spaced evenly in the hall. On their surface were laid glittering, golden plates and goblets. Floating above the tables were thousands of candles bathing the room in light. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers sat in a long line. Hundreds of faces stared at them amidst the flickering candlelight.
'I had forgotten about that,' Harry thought gazing up at the ceiling in wonder. The outside sky could be seen through the ceiling. He had read in Hogwarts, A History that the ceiling was enchanted to reflect the sky outside. A jet-black sky dotted with brightly glowing stars could be seen up above their heads.
They marched to the Head Table and were faced so that their backs were to the teachers. Professor McGonagall went to the side of the room and came back with a four-legged stool that she placed in front of the first years. On top of the stool she placed a pointed wizards hat. Harry stared at the hat in distaste. The books had said that the Sorting Hat was old, but they never said it was so ugly. That thing looked like something even Goodwill wouldn't want. It was dirty, frayed, and patched in multiple places. Like the rest of the hall Harry found his attention drawn to the hat. Everyone stared at it waiting. All was silent till suddenly the hat twitched and the brim opened up like a mouth and the hat began to sing:
"Oh you may not think me 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 unfraid 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!"
(Rowling, Sorcerers Stone pp.117-118)
Harry didn't know whether to clap with the rest of the school or start laughing. He settled for a brief chuckle while applauding at the same time. Seeing a hat sing like it was on the BBC was utterly ridiculous or at least he thought so. What next, would they have a tap dancing, stuffed koala bear come out to serve food? Harry chalked this ludicrous event up as just another weird thing of the magical world. It was right up there with the whole 'who would name a school Hogwarts'.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a long roll of parchment held in her hands. Adjusting her thin, glasses she unrolled the long scroll. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted… Abbott, Hannah!"
A little girl whom could have passed for a blond Pippy Long Stocking shakily stepped from the line. She sat on the stool and the hat was dropped over her eyes. There was a moment's pause then silence descended in the hall. Suddenly the hat opened its brim and shouted:
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on Harry's right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. The ghostly monk from before was sitting at the table and waving at her.
"Boot, Terry!"
A boy with black hair gelled into high spikes and an earring in his left ear stepped forward. The hat was placed on his head then a moment's pause.
"RAVENCLAW!"
So it went the group of forty new first years begin to thin out going to their respective house tables. It was no surprise to Harry that Malfoy became a Slytherin. The hat barely touched his head before it shouted its decision. Hermione became a Gryffindor much to her happiness. Down the alphabet the list went, going from "Moon"… "Nott"… "Parkinson" and so on and on. Personally, Harry was bored as hell. It was fucking torture waiting in line wondering how some knockoff Wizard of Oz hat was going to decide his future. Finally, McGonagall got to the P's. "Perks, Sally-Anne" sat the hat down on the stool then tottered off to the Hufflepuff table where the clapping crowd awaited her. At last McGonagall called--
"Potter, hyphen McKnight, Harry!"
Harry stepped forward, immediately whispers suddenly broke out all over the hall. The students weren't being quiet about it either.
"Potter! The Harry Potter?
"I don't believe it!"
"You think she's on the pipe?"
"Where the hell has he been?"
Harry saw people about to break their necks as they craned to get a good look at him. He felt like some kind of animal in the zoo the way they stared. He held his head up high and walked with purpose to the stool. He wasn't about to let them make him nervous. Well, he wasn't about to let them make him more nervous than he already was. He plopped down on the stool and took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to give the ogling students the finger. Harry could barely make out Riley smiling at him before next second he was looking at blackness or the inside of the Sorting Hat. He waited placing his hands in his lap.
"Well now, I thought I would be seeing you soon," said a small voice right in his ear. With a start Harry realized that the hat was talking to him. He kept his thoughts blank feeling surprisingly violated as the dirty, old hat plucked through his memories and deepest, darkest thoughts. "Now you aredifficult to place, now aren't you? Let's see… You have plenty loyalty. You would stick by your father and closest friends through anything… but there's more. Slytherin would be an excellent place…"
Harry almost snatched the hat off his head. Instead he gripped the edges of his stool and vehemently thought, Not Slytherin you dirty motherfucker. No way am I going to live in a house that worships the man who killed my parents! He's practically the Poster Boy of Slytherin. Those little bastards would probably cut my throat in my sleep then make it look like an accident. So you can cut that line of thinking right now or I swear I'll donate you to charity.
The hat chuckled. "Not Slytherin, I see. Quite the mouth you have on you, too! You swear more than Godric himself and that's saying something! Let's see… Gryffindor is not an option… You and Riley… Same house… Those kids would die within a week."
Harry frowned thinking, We wouldn't kill anyone. So they're a little preppy and materialistic…
"Like I said, one week. I know just the place where you will be the most likely to succeed. Wait… Oh well this is interesting… Hmm… Curiouser and Curiouser… for the Little Lord let it be RAVENCLAW!"
Harry took off the hat and walked toward the table that was cheering the loudest. In fact they were on their seats clapping and cheering. The whole hall was clapping but this table was damn near in hyperactive mode. Harry shook hands with those at the table, barely registering the flashing of a few cameras going off in the hall nor the fainting girl who fell on the floor after Harry shook her hand. He sat down at the table taking the time to properly look around. From this view he could clearly see the Head Table now. In the center sat a man in a high, gold chair. He was very old, with long, white hair and beard. On his head was a purple hat that matched his robes. This was Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster. Ron Weasley became a Gryffindor and "Zabini, Blaise" was made a Slytherin. Then that was it. McGonagall rolled the scroll up and took the stool away.
Dumbledore rose to his feet, arms open wide and smile on his face bright as the sun. "Hello and welcome all, new and old! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I know you are all hungry so Avalon! Fincayra! Tir-Na-Nog!"
He sat back down and everybody clapped and cheered like it was their birthday. Harry was about to blurt out what the fuck but he stopped at the sudden appearance of food on the table. From thin air appeared many different varieties of foods that he had seen at many banquets. Harry filled up his plate with as much food as it could hold. For some particularly reason he felt really hungry. It was only after he bit into his steak that he realized that the last time he had ate was this morning at breakfast. Near Harry sat a ghost who as far as ghost went was very pretty. She was young and her hair cascaded down her back in waves. Her dress was fancy and jewelry adorned her arms and neck.
"Your eyes are very eye catching," she said to Harry. "I'm sorry. My name is Lady Morgana."
"Harry Potter-McKnight. And thank you," he said politely. He wanted to ask how she became a ghost but he figured that would be too personal of a question to out-right ask. Instead he settled for light conversation on the classes and everyday things to do around Hogwarts.
"How did that ghost over there get covered in blood?" asked Stephen Cornfoot, another first year. He had light brown hair that could have passed for blond. He pointed across the hall to a tall, gaunt faced, ghost that sat at the Slytherin table. He was indeed covered in blood and sitting next to Draco Malfoy who didn't look please about the seating.
Lady Morgana frowned, "It was quite a tragedy, I say. Trust me on my word that you are better off not knowing of the matter."
When everyone finished eating and were patting their stomachs, the remains vanished from their plates leaving them clean as new. A second later dessert appeared from thin air, just like the food from earlier. They dug in helping them selves to ice cream and Jell-O, cake, doughnuts…
Harry dug into his vanilla ice cream while tuning his hearing into the conversation going on around him.
"I'm full-blood," said Kevin Entwhistle, a golden haired boy with a Scottish accent. "Grandma says that she can trace our line back before the Great Move, when the Fairy Folk immigrated to America."
"What about you, Anthony," asked Terry, talking to a brown haired boy by the name of Anthony Goldstein.
Anthony shrugged his shoulders. "I'm muggleborn. I didn't even suspect I could do magic till one day some kids chased me around the school and the next thing I know, I'm in the library."
Stephen Cornfoot and Michael Corner both were muggleborns and had similar stories. The new first year girls of Ravenclaw were off in their own conversation. From what Harry could see there were five girls. Lisa Turpin, Padma Patil, Morag McDougal, Su Li, and Mandy Brocklehurst. One less number the boys.
The Ravenclaws had some sense about them for they had enough tact not to bring up Harry being the Boy Who Lived not one time during dinner. They kept the conversation light. Talking about books, childhood magical accidents, or classes and what they expected. Harry found himself liking these kids. Here he didn't get blank looks when talking about a certain book that others would find boring, instead he was met with interest and similar views. However he might like them he didn't bring up the topic on their views of how a 9 mm Browning Hi-Power would handle. That would be just a little TMI. Harry's gaze wandered to the High Table and he met the dark stare of a greasy, haired man. Harry felt a slight throb come from his scar but he checked the pain continuing the staring contest. Finally, the man looked away.
"Who is that teacher?" asked Harry to Wesley Price a prefect whom sat near him.
"Oh, that is Professor Snape. Best advice I can give you is, don't ever get on his bad side."
Harry nodded continuing his staring at the High Table. His eyes landed on a Professor with pale skin and pointed features. What was odd was the turban wrapped around his head. Harry bit the inside of his cheek as a scream threatened to rip from his throat. Pain like he had never felt before overwhelmed him all over his body. His vision blurred as he stared at the Professor. Suddenly, his form shifted and Harry could see another overlaying image appear over the teacher. It was a floating specter of darkness with piercing red eyes.
Harry heard a low, deep voice inside his mind. 'I. See. You,'
"Harry, you okay?" asked Kevin Cornfoot shaking his shoulder.
Harry broke his gaze and instantly the pain faded till it was just a memory. Nodding absently, he pressed a hand to his forehead where his scar felt like it was about to peel off his brow. Whoever or whatever that guy was… It sure in the hell wasn't pure human. He was some kind of demon possessed man, evil practically rolled off of him like waves. Harry looked around lost and confused. No one else seemed to sense or feel what he felt, or see what he saw.
"Why were you looking at Professor Quirrell like that, mate?" asked Kevin curiously.
Harry shrugged carelessly but on the inside he was shaking. He schooled his emotions fixing his face into a smile. The first rule to staying alive in the world Harry lived in was, 'Always keep your emotions in check. To kill someone disable your emotions for only a warrior must remain to do the deed.'
"I don't know," he lied smoothly. "I just thought he looked familiar."
Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet once again after the dessert faded away from their plates. His bright blue eyes twinkled in the light. "The feasts seem to get better and better each year," smiled Dumbledore. "Now its time for the usual start of the term notices. The Forbidden forest is off limits to all students—hence the name. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that tracking mud in the corridors will not be tolerated. A list of appropriate punishments are tacked outside his office door if one is interested in come seeing it."
Harry felt like Dumbledore was going on and on with his speech. Only thing he really caught was that the third-floor corridor was off limits or death would be involved. Unintentionally he began to tune Dumbledore and the world around him out. His green eyes blinked as he recognized the sounds of singing going on around him. The whole school was singing the school song apparently. The words were written in the air in shimmering blue light. There was a small percentage of chance that on a good day Harry would have joined in with the school singing, but now… now was just not the time. He was not in a singing mood. Right now his feelings about safety were very low. His very being was telling him that danger was near. Planning and plotting, waiting for the perfect time to strike. His father was definitely not going to like this…
The school was dismissed and Harry followed the rest of his housemates along out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase in the entrance hall. Harry was tired but he kept himself on alert. Danger could come from around any corner. They walked following Wesley Price, the prefect, through narrow hallways and hidden passages. Eventually they came to a large, long mirror that was framed in silver. Wesley stepped in front of the mirror looking dignified and important. Harry kept his hand on his sheathed knife feeling safer with it in quick reach.
"This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room," said Wesley loudly enough for them to hear but not for people to overhear. "To enter you must speak the password and enter." He turned to the mirror and said, "Knowledge is power."
The mirror's surface rippled like disturbed water. It was a beautiful effect, Harry thought. "Follow me," said Wesley stepping through the moving wavelike surface of the mirror. Shrugging Harry and the others followed him. They found themselves in the Ravenclaw common room, a large room, rounded in shape. Many armchairs and wooden tables dotted the room. All furniture was a vibrant blue and only the edgings of things were bronze. The Ravenclaw house colors. A sofa sat in front of a roaring fireplace and along one wall was a huge bookshelf filled with rows upon rows of books. On a table in front of the bookcase sat a row of thick books that appeared important the way they stood away on there own table.
"These books here," said Wesley pointing to the important looking books. "These are the Chronicles. Any book that is in the Hogwarts library can be accessed through these books." He picked up a book from the row and held it to his mouth. "The Necromian Codex Vol. XCII."
He opened the book and on its blank pages appeared words that filled the entire book instantly. Harry would have found this interesting but he was ready to sleep. Now was really not the time to play show and tell. Wesley showed them to their dormitory that was up a set of spiraling stairs. The First Year boys had a room to themselves. Six four poster beds went around the circular room. Deep blue, velvet curtains hung around their beds and their trunks and other things had already been brought up. Harry found Thor asleep on his bed. As the others drifted to bed Harry went to his trunk and took out his sword. The shortsword shined in the moonlight drifting in through the window. Using a spell he had learned from a book, Harry stuck his sword above his bedpost magically gluing it to the wall. It wouldn't move unless he took it down, and if someone sneaked up on him in his sleep he would be ready for them.
Harry fell onto his bed feeling a little bit better at having his sword near him. Thor curled up into his side, getting close as he could to Harry's warmth. Harry fell asleep with too many thoughts on his mind. The main was:
'What in the hell is Professor Quirrell?'