Chapter 11
A New Hope at Hogwarts
'So, have you thought about maybe visiting your Aunt at some point?' Jennifer asked.
'I actually hadn't thought about it at all. I guess that would be a good idea, but I definitely don't want to spend my last day before school hunting them down.' He replied.
'Of course, I was thinking I could track her down while I'm staying here. I don't exactly have a lot to do.' She explained.
'Sure, that sounds fine. Let's head out, I don't want to spend my last day inside, either.'
The uneventful day was just what the doctor ordered. The calm before the storm, the storm of the unknown. The storm started the next morning, his mom was in the shower while he was eating his breakfast. He was waiting for it. . .
From the bathroom came a shriek that reverberated throughout the building, and before he could put down his utensil, Jennifer was out in the living room, wrapped in only a towel, hair dripping wet.
'Mom, what's wrong?' Cody feigned concern.
'S-s-snake!' She stuttered.
'In the shower?' He asked incredulously. 'Surely, you were just seeing things.'
'I saw things alright, I saw it come right through the window, just hovered there, sticking his tongue out at me.' And she added her own snake tongue imitation.
'It's a her.' Cody corrected, adding a grin. And he started making his way toward the kitchen window.
'What's a her?' She asked, as she watched him reach his hand up to the window and the same black and white banded snake slithered onto his arm and up around his neck.
'This is Key, she's my pet.' He looked down at his slithering companion. §Good job, Key.§
§It was too easy.§
'She's your pet? And you can talk to her?' She asked with disbelief, he nodded. 'And you planned this! I could've had a heart attack, or fell in the shower. And you are just laughing at me. Oooh, mister, you're gonna get it.'
'Hey, I think we are pretty even with all the stuff you've pulled on me lately.' He defended, with his hands up. 'And yes, I can talk to her and she talks to me. It must be some kind of magical ability, I haven't quite figured that part out yet.'
'Well that's wonderful, now tell Key not to visit me in the shower anymore.' She demanded.
'Don't worry about that, she's coming with me. Now, you better start getting ready. You don't want to make me miss the train.'
He shrunk his trunk, after stuffing it full with way more stuff than it looked capable of holding. He wasn't going to be lugging this thing around.
They went via The Underground and arrived at King's Cross with plenty of time to spare. They found the platform and he caught the backside of somebody walking through the brick wall, just as Hermione had described.
'Well, I guess this is goodbye.' Cody said solemnly.
'It's ok to be nervous. Just be yourself, you'll make some new friends in no time. Don't forget to write, Dumbledore said the owls will be able to find me.' She soothed.
'Right. I'll be fine, it's an excited nervous, you know. I left some stuff for you at the flat. My old wrestling shoe is a portkey to the Manor, the activation phrase is "Key's the best." I don't know how many times it will work, I'm still working on getting them to be more permanent. Then, the old SC hat is a portkey back to the flat, activation phrase, "Cody's a better dancer than me." '
That earned him an exaggerated eye roll from his mom.
'Thanks, I'll make sure not to waste them.' She said as she pulled him into a big hug, both were stifling sniffles trying to remain strong for the other. Cody walked towards his exit, turned and gave his mom a final wave before officially entering the magical world on his own.
The platform on the other side was littered with groups of families chatting with one another. Children saying goodbye to their parents, then greeting their friends. He meandered slowly through the crowd towards the front of the train, which didn't look all that magical from outside. He noticed a couple double-takes sent his way, his clothes weren't particularly out of place, except maybe the baseball cap, but even then, he wasn't the only one wearing such an item.
As he walked through the train he started to notice he might be the only person not hauling his trunk behind him, so he hopped in the first vacant compartment he could find and enlarged his trunk. He debated just settling in here, but decided he would rather choose himself who his first interaction was going to be with, instead of leaving it up to chance. After delaying for a few moments, he made his way back out into the walkway and continued down the train until he found a compartment that only contained a single person, that looked to be approximately his age.
'Hey, you saving these seats for anyone?' Cody asked after opening the door.
'Not at all, feel free.' The boy responded.
'Cool, thanks. I'm Cody.' And he hoisted his trunk upon the above rack, and sat on the opposite bench.
'Michael. You seem too big for me not to recognize you.' He said, eyeing him.
'Yeah, I just moved here from America.'
'Really? What year are you?' His curiosity piqued.
'I guess I'm a fifth year, but in reality I'm a first year. I wasn't going to magical school before.' He admitted.
'No way. How does that happen?' Now even more surprised.
'When I was first approached I just didn't want to go away to a boarding school. This last summer, I kinda changed my mind. Ilvermorny wouldn't take me, Hogwarts would, here I am.' Cody summarized.
'Where are you from in the US?'
'Los Angeles.'
'Well, you're in for a culture shock.' He said with raised eyebrows. Just then the door opened.
'Michael!' A short brunette girl opened the door and cried his name. Michael stood to give her a hug. She was followed in by a girl a bit taller than her with auburn hair, Michael greeted her with a one armed side hug.
'Hi, Hannah. Susan. How was your summer?' He asked as he sat back down, Hannah sitting next to Michael, while Cody slid down to the window, allowing Susan to share his bench with room for at least one person in between them.
'It was good, but who is your friend?' She asked before looking at Cody, 'you don't look like a first year.'
Michael began introductions. Cody reiterated his story, he was going to be saying this stuff in his sleep with how many times he knew he was going to have to repeat himself. They peppered him with questions and he mainly kept his snark in check, again, he didn't feel the need to alienate his newest acquaintances. He could also tell they were genuine in their interest, he didn't detect any ulterior motives, on the surface.
'Wait, so you are the boy Hermione was at Diagon Alley with earlier this week? I heard Lavender talking about it.' Hannah said, scandalized.
'Yes, she was helping me get all the right school supplies, I am just a firstie after all.' He added sarcastically, before saying sincerely, 'she was very helpful.'
'If Lavender thinks Hermione was on a date then the whole school is going to know about it before we even get to Hogwarts.' Susan said.
'Uh oh, I might've done a bad thing. We ran into a girl named Katie, and I kind of implied we were on a date.' Cody said in a subdued manner.
'You better hope that they don't get together and compare notes. If they do, it's all over but the funeral.' Hannah added warningly.
'Speak of the devil.' Michael said jutting his jaw toward the door. Through the window they could see Hermione on the other side, apparently talking to someone down the hallway. Once she finished her conversation she entered the compartment.
'Cody, I've been looking for you.' Hermione said.
'Hi, Hermione. I haven't been hiding, if that's what you are implying. Just getting to know some new people.' Cody replied, indicating his train mates.
'Hermione, we heard you were on a hot date this week. Who is the lucky guy?' Hannah teased. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows at Cody.
'Don't cause trouble for the new kid.' Susan piped up. 'We already know, Hermione. And Cody clarified that it wasn't a date, Hannah just likes to take the Mickey.'
'Ok, good. I didn't want to have to give you detention before we even arrived at school.' Hermione said to Cody.
'You wouldn't.' Cody challenged.
'She would.' The other three intoned.
'So, who is your prefect partner?' Cody teasingly asked Hermione, who's eyes rolled almost immediately.
'Ron.' She answered, disgruntled.
'Well, it's not like you were going to be happy about whoever was chosen. You should have heard her going off on the attributes, or lack thereof, of the Gruffydore boys in our year.' Cody chuckled, the others laughed at his pronunciation.
'Gryffindor!' She corrected. 'And we shall see, he behaved himself well enough for the meeting. How long that lasts, only Merlin knows.'
'Where do you think Cody will be sorted?' Hannah asked.
'Gotta be Gryffindor.' Michael mimicked the Sorting Hat.
'Do you really think so?' Susan asked.
'It would balance out the houses in our year. All the other houses have exactly five boys and five girls, the Griffs only have the four boys, it would restore order to our year.' Michael explained.
'I don't think the Hat cares about house balance.' Hannah said.
'I don't think anybody knows what the Hat cares about.' Susan laughed.
'What do all the houses matter anyway?' Cody asked. The next while was spent regaling him the house system and all that it entailed.
'So, the first thing that happens when kids get to school is—they get grouped essentially into gangs. Then they are told their gang is the best and they need to beat the others. And the big prize at the end, is that the dining room is decorated in their house colors for the last dinner of the year?' He asked skeptically.
'Uh, basically.' Michael said, knowing it sounded weird put like that.
'And this motivates kids to behave and participate in class and stuff?' Cody asked, again incredulous.
'For the most part.' Susan replied. 'But for a lot of people the house they belong to follows a sort of family tradition, so it tends to go beyond just your years here at school. My Auntie still goes to Hufflepuff reunions regularly.'
'That makes a little more sense, but the idea still seems silly.' Cody said.
'I feel bad for whatever house you get put in.' Susan stated playfully, while the cabin all looked at Hermione. She turned to glare at Cody.
'You better not go losing cauldrons full of house points.' She demanded.
'I'm not going to intentionally lose points, but I'm also not going to bend over backwards to preserve them either.' He retorted.
'Here comes trouble.' Michael said quietly, as the compartment door opened to reveal a short blonde haired boy, with two large boys on either side of him.
'Well, what do we have here? Granger infecting another group with her verbal flatulence.' Malfoy drawled. Well, if this kid wasn't as see through as a windexed glass door. Cody was really regretting the choice to not have the Force choke in his arsenal at this very moment—he hated when Victor was right.
'Do you actually need anything, Malfoy?' Susan asked, trying to get this visit over with.
'I'm just doing my rounds. You better watch it, Bones, as prefect, I have a certain amount of authority. You're going to want to make sure you show proper respect.' He sneered in response, while evaluating the rest of those in the compartment.
'Well, you've done your check. Now, you can go.' Hannah declared. Crabbe and Goyle began to turn and leave but Malfoy stopped them.
'Wait. Who's that?' He asked his bodyguards, who only shrugged. 'Who are you? Why don't I recognize you?'
'Is that anyway to treat the new guy? I'm just trying to find my place, but I can't know if Granger is just spewing garbage if someone smarter doesn't set me straight.' Cody replied meekly. Hermione was taken aback, while the other three gave him pensive looks.
'See, there is some hope left in the world. If you want to know how to get ahead in this world I can help you far better than this lot of losers. I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.' Cody cracked a smile and a small chuckle at this, waiting for Malfoy to return the gesture. When it never happened, Cody realized he was serious, dead serious. Well, only one way to continue.
'What's your number?' Cody asked.
'Number?' Malfoy returned, confused.
'Yeah, like 007, or something…' Michael and Hermione ducked their heads to hide their smiles and suppress their laughter. When Malfoy didn't respond, Cody moved on, the bit was up. 'And how about your boys with you?'
'This here is Crabbe, and this here is Goyle.' He responded pointing to each of his friends.
'Soccer stars, huh?' Again, the only responses were just confused looks. 'You know, like Pele. Soccer stars that just go by one name.'
'Uh, we aren't soccer stars.' Goyle muttered.
'That's alright, I suck at soccer too.' Cody encouraged. 'Does that mean you have other names then?' He asked in a borderline cheery tone.
'Yeah, I'm Vincent, and he is Gregory.'
'Well, it's been a great pleasure meeting you, but if you'll excuse me —right now— I really need to go talk to a guy about a horse. Maybe later you can give me the real rundown on how to get ahead.' Cody said, as he nodded at the trio —who couldn't decide whether they were satisfied or confused— and made his way down the train.
As he left he thought he heard Goyle ask, 'There are horses on the train?'
On his way back to the compartment he ran into a traffic jam caused by the food trolley, leaving the walkway only wide enough for one person to pass comfortably. Just as he was to enter the single-lane, he noticed coming from the other direction a blonde haired blue eyed beauty, approaching with pace. He quickly took a step back and to the side, clearing the aisle, and with his arm he made a grandiose sweeping gesture in extra slow motion, while adding a slight bow. He looked up to make eye contact just before she passed and he flashed a playful grin. She subtly nodded in response, and he thought he saw the corners of her lips twitch upward. She was followed closely by a girl with dark curly hair who gave him a large smile and mouthed "thanks," as she passed.
Before they were out of earshot, he heard the curly haired friend say, 'Who was that?' He smiled inwardly as he made his way back to the compartment, where he had a pleasant remainder of the journey. He learned some more about his companions. Susan mentioned that her parents had died in the last war, and somehow that was the cause for the proverbial light to go on in his head. He had heard her last name before, Bones, there couldn't be that many of them around. He figured it would be a good idea to be friends with her, and it didn't seem like it would be too hard, she already had offered to help him if he needed it, as had Hermione and Michael. Hannah was a little more interested in Michael at the moment, there was definitely something brewing, if not already started, there.
He got teased about being an ickle firstie when they changed robes, and it actually gave him a feeling of home; being the butt of a silly joke. Hermione was adamant that he rode the boats across the lake. Hagrid was aware of a transfer student, so he wasn't caught off guard by the size of this first year. He wouldn't admit it, but that first look at the castle from the boats was impressive —Hermione was right that he wouldn't regret it— even if it came with two first years that wouldn't shut up.
Professor McGonagall directed them to the antechamber to wait for the sorting, she smiled at Cody when she first saw him and indicated for him to stay at the back, he would be last. He watched as each child was cheered by the house he or she was assigned to. He still couldn't help but see this as one big school sponsored gang initiation; different colors, tables, passwords and living quarters; fortunately they weren't all secretly concealing lethal weapons. His new friends had explained that interhouse friendships weren't exactly uncommon, but that they had a certain difficulty to them.
The last true first year was sorted, and Cody's name was called. He sat on the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.
'Harry Potter.' The Hat said, though Cody felt like the sound came from within his own head.
'Hey, keep that down, that's need to know only.' Cody said sternly.
'Keep your shirt on, nobody can hear us.' Was the cheeky reply.
'Alright, so how do we do this?'
'Usually, I just poke around in your head for a second and send you on your way, but it's been a while since I sorted someone older than eleven. You have had an interesting life so far.'
'No secrets from you, huh? Well, what draws your attention?' Cody asked curiously.
'Your control of magic without a wand is quite impressive —piece of advice— keep that to yourself for as long as possible. Wizards nowadays would lose their kneazles if they saw how you trained yourself to perform magic without a proper wand or education.'
'I'm not even going to ask about what kneazles are, but I can certainly see the draw to a wand. It makes accessing magic so much easier, feels like it's pulling it out of you.'
'And that is the folly. You have already noticed how it can become a crutch. Continue to train like you have been, and your wand will amplify your magic; rely on your wand as you train and your magic will stagnate at worst, or progress at a slower rate at best.' The Hat said with an air of authority that did not fit its appearance.
'Do you see anything else that I should keep to myself for now?' Cody asked, now eager for any more information from this relic.
'Yeah, that speaking to snakes bit, it's gone out of fashion recently, funny how a couple bad apples can ruin the perception of the whole batch. But if I placed you in Slytherin, you'd rise right to the top with that talent.'
'Is that the house Malfoy is in? I don't know how long I could stand him before flattening his nose.' Cody admitted.
'Oh yes, he likely has that coming in his future. So, no on Slytherin, pity, since you don't lack cunning, you could be great there.' The Hat suggested.
'Can I not be great in another house?' Cody responded cheekily.
'Don't get smart with me, I own you right now. But as smart as you are, you have no affinity for books, so Ravenclaw is also a no.'
'Whatever, just put me somewhere.' He responded, slightly irritated.
'While you do have some of the attributes to fit into Hufflepuff, you obviously don't have the patience, so I guess we'll go with the boring choice.' The Hat switched into its loud voice, 'Gotta be. . . Gryffindor!'
The Hat was taken off his head and he made his way towards the Gryffindor table, where Katie was waving him over, creating a spot next to her. Before he even sat down Dumbledore began his speech, it felt like the whole place groaned at the announcement of no Quidditch for the year. The groans were replaced by interested whispers about the coming Triwizard Tournament and soon arrival of contingents from two other magical schools. After the speech was over the food appeared and the feast began, finally they were able to converse freely.
'Glad to see you survived your "date." ' Katie smirked.
'So, you figured it out?' Cody responded.
'I don't know too many kids that would go on a date with Professor McGonagall as a chaperone, though she might be the one. But, what you pulled at the end, you sir, are braver than I, that's for sure.' She added, avoiding the use of Hermione's name, she had already heard some rumors and didn't want to make things worse for her new friend, or her old one.
'And I almost paid dearly for it.' Cody admitted.
'What did he do?' Said a skinny redhead from across the table.
'Nothing I am going to repeat.' Katie declared. 'Hey, we need introductions. You all heard his name, Cody. That's Fred and George Weasley, don't bother trying to get it straight, even if you guess right they will claim you are wrong. This is Alicia Spinnet, and this is Angelina Johnson. We are all on the Quidditch team, well the holdovers from last year.'
'Who aren't going to get to play this year.' Angelina said with disgust.
'So, that's why you all were so upset about that, I kinda know how you feel, I don't get to wrestle this year, that's my sport.' Cody said with a sense of longing.
'We can commiserate together, brother.' George said.
'What do you all think of this tournament?' Cody asked.
'We're in. Those thousand Galleons would jump start our joke shop.' Fred said.
'That it would, dear brother.' George added.
'You'll not need worry about any winnings, you'll be watching me compete.' Angelina declared in superiority.
The banter continued between the group for the remainder of the meal. Cody's eyes drifted around the hall, searching for a certain set of blue eyes. He did not locate them, but saw many heads of blonde hair that could have housed those eyes. They finished their meal and made their way to the tower. Once they entered, he finally met his new roommates.
'I have to take the firsties to their dorm, can you guys show the new kid to our dorm?' Ron asked the others with a hint of indignation.
'No problem, Ron.' Neville responded. 'Follow us, Cody.'
'Don't mind him, he's just getting used to his new responsibilities.' Dean said.
'That, and you kinda threw a bucket of ice water on him.' Seamus added.
'How did I do anything to him?' Cody asked.
'Ever since our first year he's been holding out hope that one day Harry Potter would show up and they would become best friends.' Seamus said.
'It's kinda been a running joke between us, Potter's the missing Gryffindor.' Neville added.
'You coming in just kinda makes it real, that he isn't actually out there.' Dean said.
'I'm not familiar with the story.' Cody said feigning complete ignorance.
'As far as cover stories go, it's a good one. . . so, then they said the Dark Lord's spell rebounded off the baby and killed himself. Harry Potter has never been heard from since, so it only makes sense that he was actually killed, along with his parents, and they just used that story as a cover for whatever really happened.' Seamus explained.
'I think Ron's the only one of us that still claims to believe the story.' Dean added.
'And that's just so he can keep teasing Ginny.' Neville said, Cody shot a questioning look.
'His little sister had a big crush on Potter when she was little, her older brothers still give her crap about it now, even though she's basically over it.' Dean said.
'How do you know she's over it?' Seamus accused.
'Let's just say, I have first hand knowledge. Don't tell Ron, yet.' Dean smirked.
'But you'd still get dropped like a sack of rocks if Potter ever really did come back.' Seamus jabbed.
'Guess we'll never know.' Dean replied, lacing his fingers behind his head.
'I like you guys already.' Cody said. They all made their way back down to the common room, where he learned many of the magical games kids used to pass time. It being a Friday night, no one hurried to bed.
That night, as Cody lay in bed he considered all he had learned and how he was going to proceed. He determined to continue his morning workouts, starting tomorrow, even though it was the weekend he knew getting into good habits from the start was the way to go. He would use his homemade wand to train and practice magic, and only use his real wand when absolutely necessary. He also wanted to start reading the journals from the vault that had just been collecting dust so far.
That next morning he was up well before the rest of his roommates. He took Key with him, today was going to be an exploratory run around the lake and the grounds, and he would let Key choose where she would like to explore. He jogged around the edge of the Forbidden Forest and thought to himself, great way to get a bunch of kids to avoid a place, call it forbidden. After his run and his meditation exercises he went to shower knowing he still had plenty of time to get to breakfast, in fact his roommates had yet to get out of bed. He ran into Michael on his way to breakfast and decided to sit with him at the Ravenclaw table, where he met some other kids his age.
'You're a Griff, just like I said.' Michael smirked.
'Yep, you were right, though the Hat didn't say anything about balancing the houses, just that it was the boring choice.' Cody replied.
'The Hat is all talk, everyone says he claims to want to put them in a different house but almost always ends up with the legacy selection. So, got any plans for today?' Michael asked.
'I'm meeting up with Hermione after breakfast to get a tour of the place. You wanna come with?'
'No thanks. A day like today, with no homework, needs to be spent outside. Maybe some Quidditch, you should definitely come watch.'
'I'll have to, I certainly don't want to spend all day in the castle. Hey, look! There's Hannah and Susan, let's go sit by them.' Cody encouraged.
'No, that's too obvious.' Michael protested.
'Oh, come one, she found you on the train.' He reasoned.
'The train is different, there is no designation for a specific house.'
'I thought you said all that house stuff was just contrived crap? Prove it.' Cody challenged.
'Why are you trying to embarrass me?'
'I don't know what you're talking about, she's into you, and you clearly like her, someone just has to make the first move. I'm going over there, don't leave me hanging.' Cody stated as he started walking away.
Hannah beamed when they sat down across the table from them. They discussed how they were going to spend their last couple days of freedom and Cody listened to them postulate about what they were going to witness during the Triwizard Tournament. Here, Hermione found him, ready to begin the tour. The castle was impressive, but there was no way he was going to memorize all the corridors based on this one tour, especially since he wasn't focusing on where he was going, but more on all the different things he saw as they wandered the halls. By the time she had shown him as much of the castle as was needed, it was time for lunch. Where he sat with his own house, reuniting with his roommates and meeting the girls from his year as well.
'Mate, you say you've never seen Quidditch before?' Ron said incredulously, his mood had now improved that he didn't have to babysit the firsties for a few days.
'Nope, can't say that I have.' Cody said.
'Well, you need to come watch. We've got a pickup game going on this afternoon. Not the same as the real thing but you can at least get an idea of what goes on.' Ron encouraged.
'Alright, I need to get outside today anyways.' Cody agreed.
'We'll come too.' Said Lavender and Parvati excitedly, and in unison. Cody caught the end of Hermione rolling her eyes, and that left him with a slight chuckle.
What he had hoped to be an enjoyable afternoon enjoying the sun, learning about a new sport and flirting with some cute girls, ended up being worse than his trip to the dentist for tooth extractions. He couldn't decide what was worse; the forced giggling, the over exaggerated blushing or the constant reminders of how exotic he was. The only saving grace was that he found Quidditch —at least this version of it— interesting. Parvati and Lavender knew the rules well enough to be able to explain how this was different from official play. With about four teams worth of kids wanting to play, they played 20 minute games, with the winning team staying in the air to await the next opponent; and the snitch being worth only 50 points, but set in catch-release-catch mode.
The other saving grace was his recognition of a few of the participants in these open matches. In green robes, he recognized the girl with long golden blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that frequently trailed her as she zipped around the pitch in search or pursuit of the snitch; he tried without success to catch her eye, though she flew past him plenty of times. The eye he did catch was that of her curly haired friend he also recognized from the train. She frequently would flash him overly exaggerated smiles, which he eventually figured out were in response to her catching him staring at her blonde haired friend, he hadn't been particularly subtle. After a couple hours, he had had enough and politely dismissed himself.
'So mate, whatcha think of Quidditch?' Ron asked at dinner that evening.
'It seemed cool, definitely different than anything I'm used to. The girls said real games are a bit different.'
'Yeah, catching the snitch ends the match, so that means sometimes the match goes on forever with the outcome already decided.' Neville mentioned.
'Or it can end before it even starts.' Seamus added.
'But in a lot of cases, whoever catches the snitch wins.' Dean said.
'So, your pickup game rules make for a more exciting game than the real ones?' Cody asked.
'Yeah, probably, but you know how people are with tradition.' Ron said.
They spent some more time in the common room that evening, though Cody retired to his bed earlier than the rest. He wanted to get started on his parents' journals to see how they adjusted to their first days at Hogwarts. His father's journal was what you would call "lacking in details," so he ditched that for his mother's, which was much more precise and certainly articulated well some of the same feelings he had experienced recently.
The next morning at breakfast Professor McGonagall approached and set up a meeting with him later in the day. His roommates couldn't help but raz him that he couldn't make it more than a day before getting into trouble, they couldn't think of another reason she would want to see him already, or didn't bother to.
'Tea?' Professor McGonagall asked Cody as he entered her office later that day.
'Uh, sure.' He said tentatively as he sat down. He took a quick sip and immediately spat out the dark liquid, in a coughing fit.
'Hot?' She asked, slightly concerned.
'More like, disgusting. I'm sorry, no offense, but that was just gross.' He said, wiping his tongue on his sleeve.
'Well, it is an acquired taste. You may try adding some cream and sugar to make it more palatable to your taste.' She suggested.
'I'll definitely have to add some sugar, lots of sugar.' He added, she chuckled, then they both settled in.
'First, I just want to say how happy I am that you've made it here. There was a time when I didn't know if I'd ever see you again. You know, I knew both your parents very well. I know you want to go by Cody, but a little part of you will always be Harry to me.' She said solemnly, there was even a little moisture forming in her eyes.
'Uh, thanks. It's been good so far, most people are really nice.' He said.
'Well, I brought you here to discuss your schedule. Normally, I would give it to you Monday morning but I feel there is more to it than just where you will be attending class at what time. I also have a list of students that the faculty feels would be able and possibly willing to help tutor you outside of class. I know you wanted to personally ask for their assistance, so I have noted their house, year and specific subjects that they excel at, as indicated by each professor.'
'Thanks, I think this will be really helpful.'
'There are some classes that build on each other from year to year, those you will begin with first and second years; Transfiguration, Charms, Potions and History of Magic. Each professor can advance you once he or she feels you are ready, you may not always be with Gryffindors for some of these, especially as you start moving on during the second half of the year. The others; Astronomy, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology, you will take with your year, and between your tutor and professor you are expected to fill in as much as possible from years past. All the professors are aware of your situation, though some will be more cooperative than others. I'd like to meet with you every couple of weeks to evaluate your progress. I believe it would be good to set up similar regular meetings with other professors as well.'
'Any professor in particular that you think might give me trouble?' He asked cautiously.
'I— as much as it pains me to say it, I believe it would behoove you to ask one of the Slytherins to help you in your study of potions. There are many capable, I only hope one of them might be willing.' She added a bit hesitantly, it wasn't a direct answer but the message was clear; the potions professor was not going to be pleasant to work with.
'I'm sure I can find one of them that will help me out.' Cody said confidently.
'You share the same self assuredness of your father, though you've done well to not come across as arrogant, yet. I might make one more suggestion. Ask Neville Longbottom to help you in herbology, he is something of a prodigy in the subject, so he would be able to help tremendously in filling in the gaps. And maybe some of your self confidence will rub off on him, Morgana knows he could use it.'
'Alright, that doesn't sound like a problem, Neville seems like a good guy.'
'One more thing we need to discuss, your weekend visits home. Professor Dumbledore gave me a summary and I think we came up with a fairly good plan.'
'Oh?' Cody asked, hiding his anxious desire to know how this was going to play out.
'Well, he said you probably shouldn't be going to him too frequently, so as to not draw suspicion.'
'That's a good point.'
'So, you will be able to come here, to my office, and use the Floo to Potter Manor. Apparently, you have a portkey that can get you to your other properties from there. Then obviously you can floo back here when you are ready, though, let's not make those too late on Sunday.' Her face told him that the last comment was not a request.
'I understand, and I certainly don't want to abuse the privilege, I don't need any extra attention.'
'Very well, just let me know those weekends you would like to leave and we shall make arrangements. I look forward to this year, Cody.' She smiled at him.
'Thanks, me too.' He replied, before leaving the office.
He was able to spend some good time outside before it was time for dinner.
'So, what do you think of the birds here in Britain?' Fred asked Cody.
'Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of feathers in my food. I wish they'd deliver the mail after our meals were over.' Cody replied portraying his slight annoyance with the large delivery birds.
'Not those birds, you git. He means the chicks, the babes, you know, the fairer sex.' George replied.
'Oh, girls.' He said as the guys around him erupted in laughter. Once the disturbance died down he glanced at the faces around him, 'You want the truth? I don't think you can handle the truth.' Cody smirked.
'Oh, come on. How do they compare?' Ron playfully pleaded.
Cody looked around to make sure they had good clearance from any girls' eavesdropping ears. 'Honestly, on the whole, they don't.' Jaws dropped and brows furrowed all around him, and he held up his hands in defense. 'I told you, you couldn't handle the truth, but maybe that's just my personal preference. That's not to say there aren't some who haven't caught my eye. I mean, if redheads were my thing, that Gryffindor girl a year younger than us, really good on a broom—'
'That's my sister you're talking about!' Ron growled a bit too loud, drawing some looks from down the table.
'Don't worry Ron, redheads aren't my thing. But, she's hot, and you're gonna have to get over your overprotectiveness, because wouldn't you rather she date someone at this table, who you know is a decent guy?' Cody reasoned.
'I guess you're right, just don't talk about her like that.' Ron defended.
'All I said was she was good looking and could fly. If you'd like me to point out more of the details I've noticed—'
'No! Move on.' Ron cut across quickly. 'Who else would pass your California hotness test?' He teased.
'Who was that chick in the green flying with you all yesterday? Long blonde hair, bright blue eyes. Always beat you to the snitch, Seamus?' He asked, indicating the same girl across the hall seated facing away from them.
'Greengrass. She's a bitch.' Seamus spat.
'No she's not. You just don't know how to take "no" for an answer. Seamus, tried to ask her out all of last year, I think she said every version of "no" possible.' Dean said.
'Does the green mean she is in Slytherin?' Cody asked and received a bunch of affirmative nods. 'What about crossing house lines?'
'The one time Seamus doesn't care about house affiliation is if he is trying to get a girl in a broom closet.' Neville laughed, the others joined in, Seamus couldn't disagree so he just shrugged.
'Is her name Astoria?' Cody asked. That name was on his list given him by McGonagall, and she was the only one that had every subject by her name. Was she good looking, athletic and brilliant?
'Nope, Astoria is the younger sister, a right genius she is. Don't tell Hermione, but I've heard some teachers say they can't recall a more exceptional student.' Ron said just above a whisper.
'So, what's the older girl's name?' Cody asked.
'Daphne, and she's still a bitch.' Seamus wouldn't let it go.
'Not even close, mate. She doesn't talk a lot, but she's always polite, and never goes along with Malfoy's crap.' Neville stated resolutely, he didn't seem to lack as much confidence when just with the boys discussing nonsense.
'So, she doesn't make fun of you, Neville. That doesn't mean she is nice.' Seamus argued.
'I think it does, and they say she has a boyfriend on the continent somewhere, that's why she always said no to you.' Neville added.
'She has a boyfriend?' Cody's smile betrayed his slight disappointment, as he started to rise from the table.
'Yeah, where are you going?' Neville questioned.
'I'm gonna go talk to her.' Cody declared.
'Now? Are you crazy?' Dean asked, incredulous that he would undertake such a fruitless endeavor in the Great Hall, and at the Slytherin table of all places.
'Yeah, no —I mean— I'm going, now that I know I'm going to crash and burn, I can at least have some fun on my way down. It's when you think you have a chance that you start choking, now I don't have to be nervous.' He smiled and began to walk, taking some deep breaths to calm the nerves he lied about not having. He walked all the way around to the far side of the Slytherin table where there was an unoccupied spot right next to a behemoth of a girl, who was seated directly across from Daphne. He got his fair share of glares and stares as he made the not far, but seemingly endless journey.
'Do you mind if I sit here?' Cody asked.
'Yes.' Said a black haired, pug-nosed girl on the far side of Daphne.
'No.' Said the curly haired friend who was sitting on Daphne's other side, directly in front of Cody. She also had an almost too knowing smile on her face, he was reminded of the smile his mom sometimes had for him, that made him feel a bit uneasy.
'Cool, thanks. I'm Cody.' He said as he sat.
'We know, it's kinda hard to miss the oversized firstie getting sorted. I'm Tracey Davis, this is Daphne Greengrass, that's Pansy Parkinson, that's Melissa Runcorn, and that's Millicent Bullstrode. Are you a fifth year?' Tracey rattled off with a speed that would rival Hermione.
'Nice to meet you all, yes, technically I'm a fifth year. So, you're Daphne—'
'Hey, what are you doing at our table?' Drawled a familiar annoying voice. Cody rolled his eyes before turning to face his interrupter.
'Just getting to know some of my classmates. I was actually coming to ask you for some advice but you're so popular there were no empty seats around you.' Cody explained.
'Oh, well, I suppose that is acceptable. What do you need help with?' Malfoy asked.
'Well, I heard something I think you should know about. You see, Weasley, well, he called you a muggle lover.'
'Weasley said that?!' He sneered, color rising to his face.
'If that's Weasley, big mop of red hair.' He gestured toward the Gryffindor table where his roommates were looking over at him laughing.
'That git. Let's go.' Malfoy snapped his fingers and his two bodyguards followed him as he left.
'Ok, now where were we?' Cody asked as he turned back to Daphne, who was giving him a very suspicious look. Tracey had her elbow on the table palm under her chin supporting her head, bearing a sly grin, she answered teasingly.
'You were about to ask Daphne something.'
'Oh yeah, you're Greengrass, right?' She nodded. 'Are you related to Astoria? Or do you at least know where I can find her?' He asked casually.
'What do you want with Astoria?' She returned protectively.
'I just need to ask her a question.' He responded trying to sound unthreatening.
'Anything you need to ask her you can ask me.' She proclaimed.
'I don't think —no— I know, that she would not be ok with you answering this for her.' He said. Her furrowed brows indicated she did not like the implication he was giving. That was her fault for assuming, he thought, and she looked kind of cute, a little angry. That thought wouldn't leave his head right now. 'I think you are misinterpreting, but it is a personal question. Are you going to tell me where to find Astoria, or not?' And he raised his voice toward the end so his voice carried down the table a fair distance. A hazel eyed brunette tilted her head to look up the table at him.
'I'm Astoria.' She said cheerfully. Daphne glared at her and then at him. Cody began to stand up to approach Astoria, but before he walked away he pulled out a pack of Trident gum and offered them all a piece.
'Consider it a peace offering from across house lines. You've had gum before, haven't you?' He teased, directing the question to Daphne, as she was looking at the wrapped piece curiously.
'Yes, of course I have. Just not this kind.' She defended.
'Spearmint, it's good for your teeth and your breath, especially after a meal.' He explained coolly.
'Are you saying I have bad breath?' She accused, taken aback by his insinuation.
'Your words, not mine.' He smirked, leaving Daphne with her mouth agape, and Tracey in a fit of giggles. Then he twisted and walked away to where Astoria was already standing, waiting for him.
'Oh, he's fun!' Tracey declared.
'No, he is not.' Daphne retorted.
'Well, fun for me, trouble for you.' Tracey replied with a grin, Daphne gave a low grunt in disapproval.
'Hi, Astoria. I'm Cody. I—' He began.
'I know, you're from America, fifth year firstie. Anyone that can get under my sister's skin that quickly is worth hearing out in my book. What do you need?' Astoria asked pleasantly, as they moved away from the table, preventing the conversation from being overheard.
'So, that's what they call me, the fifth year firstie? Well, I can't say that they are wrong, and given my situation, I'm gonna have a lot of catching up to do. I asked the teachers to put together a list of students that might be willing and able to help me catch up in some subjects, basically a tutor. Your name was suggested by every single one. I thought that must mean you are an impressive student and I should start at the top.'
'Flattery, not a bad approach.' She smirked.
'Is it flattery if it's true? Anyway, I really would like your help with at least potions, any other subject would be great too, but I don't want to be too much of a burden.'
'I see what you are doing, and some would say it is very Slytherin of you. And you expect me to do this of my own free will and choice, with no compensation?'
'Of your free will, absolutely, I don't want you to feel forced into anything, but as far as compensation goes. . . I don't know that I have much.' His confidence was wavering as he realized he hadn't considered that possibility.
'I'm not talking about money. What sort of skills do you have?'
'Ooh. Psh, too many to list right now, we'd be here all night.' He dismissed the question playfully.
'Ok, I'll help you with potions, and at least one other class of your choice to begin. If I find you have worthy talents, we can expand. But this will happen on my terms, you will not be disrupting my revising schedule and I will not be creating your schedule. You will do the work, I will only advise and instruct. And absolutely no funny business, I'm not getting distracted from my studies right now. Understood?' She was serious, but had a hint of enjoying the situation.
'Yes, Professor.' He stood at attention and gave her a salute.
'Very well. Our first study session will be Monday evening in the library at 7 PM, don't be late. Now, give me a big hug.' His eyebrows raised, while her facial expression remained unchanged.
'Huh? But I thought you said no fun—'
'Yes, but my sister gets under my skin so easily, I can't pass up this opportunity to get under hers. This might count as one of your talents. You can hug a girl without getting feelings for her, right?' She asked playfully.
'Of course.' He replied assuredly.
'Ok, then.' And she wrapped her hands around his neck and squeezed him tight, flashing a smile at Daphne, who had not taken her glaring eyes off them the whole time. He then took it to the next level, lifting her feet off the ground and squeezing —spurring on a series of cracks— as the vertebrae down her spine shifted and adjusted to the pressure. This maneuver elicited a little squeal of delight, he worried for a moment that it was too much; that was until he set her down to witness her giant smile.
'Oooo.' She said while twisting her torso and rolling her shoulders. 'I might have to put down chiropractor as your next talent. Keep it up, Cody, you're off to a good start.' And she left with another smile. This might work out better than he had ever thought.