Chapter 5
September 1st, 1991
After a tearful good-bye to Catherine who was staying at home with her father Harry and Helen boarded the train from Leeds to London. Thankfully it would arrive at King's Cross, sparing them to travel through London as well. As for now their compartment was empty Helen took the chance for a heart to heart talk with Harry.
"Harry, I know I am not the most demonstrative of parents and neither are Minerva and Sev, but I want you to know that we, Edward too, are immensely proud of you and that I could not have wished for a better son. You know I am not religious but to this day I thank whoever is responsible for fate every evening that I met you. I want you to know that, if the expectations of the wizarding world are too much for you, we will leave Britain. Edward and I are in total agreement in this. I think you will be all right with Sev and Minnie at Hogwarts and I guess for the next few years no one will know that you are Henry Potter Charkov. Anything - "
"Mum, please stop. I have three different emergency plans with Sev, I have a plausible background with the Purebloods around Draco, I do not look like a Potter and I know how to keep the headmaster out of my head. If he even notices me in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Truly, you worry for nothing. And I love you too."
Helen dabbed at her eyes.
"Now you ruined my make-up."
"You've never worn any."
"Still."
"Mum, it will be all right. I think I am the best prepared student Hogwarts ever saw. Between the deputy headmistress and the Head of Slytherin there's not much that I do not know about the castle. The only open point is whether to ask the Sorting Hat for Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Sev suspects that the `Puffs do group-hugs! But then Dumbledore would never look for Harry Potter in Hufflepuff."
Harry's time with the Dursleys, Helen's own rather pragmatic personality and two of the most emotionally controlled persons of the UK as honorary aunt and uncle had formed the boy into a child who did not wear his heart on his sleeve at all. He was rather brain-driven and used sarcasm as a coping mechanism if he felt overwhelmed by anything. Since Catherine's birth Harry had opened up a lot and had learned to show his emotions more. Still Severus was probably right that Hufflepuff might be too much for him.
At King's Cross they were one of the first at platform 9 ¾ and Henry put his trunk into an empty compartment before saying good-bye to his mum. Helen would take the 10.03 train back to Leeds. He hugged her somewhat fiercely.
"I'll miss you, Mum, you and Cathy and Edward."
"We'll miss you, too. Christmas will come soon, you'll see."
"I guess Cathy will walk by then."
"She will, I think. I've got to go!"
Helen pressed a kiss on Henry's cheek and left. She managed to contain her tears until she sat in her train. Henry went to his compartment, cracking open one of his new books, an adventure story about an orphan who was a spy. When a timid boy knocked in search of his toad he put the book down, asked an older student for a locating spell and invited the toad's owner, Neville, to sit in his compartment after they'd found Trevor the toad in the girl's toilet. Somewhere between London and York Draco and Theo stopped bye, bemoaning the girls in their compartment. Introductions were made when a girl with a lot of hair knocked.
"Do you have a free seat for me?"
"Do you plan to talk about make-up charms?" Draco challenged.
"Make-up charms? My mother always said my natural beauty should be enough." Sensing a rather rude answer coming from his blond friend Henry interfered.
"My Mum also doesn't wear make-up. My friend here only asked because he fled from the girls in his compartment talking non-stop about nothing else. You are welcome here if you do not plan to talk about cosmetics."
The girl smiled, showing off charming dimples and rather big front teeth.
"No, I won't. But I might have a few questions. I did not know that I am a witch until that strange letter came. I've bought some books about the wizarding world but I feel I am missing crucial knowledge."
Draco, Theo and Neville looked quite unsure what to do, never having met a Muggle-born before. Henry took over and they spent the next hours exchanging knowledge about their worlds before teaching Hermione Exploding Snap and helping her overcome her squeamishness about biting off the head of chocolate frogs (and chocolate in general). The mood in the compartment took a sombre turn when another first year with red hair and freckles drew open the door in search of Harry Potter and, after an altercation with Draco slammed it shut again while shouting `Death Eater spawn´. A short explanation about the meaning of the boy's words led to Hermione fretting about her being the outcast again, this time because of being Muggleborn instead of being a bookworm. It was Theo who managed to calm her down when he challenged her to try some spells. The girl's Lumos was as bright as any adult witches' spell and the others' exclamations over this made her smile again. Until Neville started to tear up because he would only produce some sparks. Draco, who had grown up with the old wands of generations of Malfoys around him, noticed that Neville's wand was not new and asked about it. Hermione produced the fitting chapter of "You are a Witch!" whose author was adamant that, while sometimes couples and family members could use each other's wands, a wizard should have his own wand, one that had chosen him. The children swapped wands around and with Draco's Neville produced a very passable Lumos as well as managed to summon the last chocolate frog. Henry made a mental note to inform Sev and Aunt Minnie about his new friend's wand problem.
At Hogwarts Station Henry was even more glad that he attended the school under his new name. The groundskeeper, a half-giant named Hagrid, scarcely paid attention to the frightened first years because of his search for Harry Potter and lots of elder students were quite rude in their curiosity, blinding the little ones with shoving their lit wands into their faces looking for a lightning bolt scar.
Henry was the first of their group to be sorted. The Sorting Hat deliberated between Slytherin and Ravenclaw before sending the boy to the latter. He waved to his friends and joined the Ravenclaw table where he was welcomed by prefect Penelope Clearwater. Hermione took longer to sort but ended up in Henry's house as well. Neville sorted into Gryffindor and Draco, as he had predicted, into Slytherin where he later was joined by Theo. Harry Potter's name was called but no one came forward which started the murmurs and speculations amongst the students anew.
On the staff table a handful of gallons changed hands between the Potions master and the Transfiguration mistress.
November 6th, 1991
Just when Severus Snape was about to relax a little bit – his Slytherin firsties had settled in nicely, Henry was flying beautifully under Dumbledore's radar and enjoying Hogwarts – a new crisis hit. The quintet from the journey to Hogwarts had become fast friends and studied together. They complemented each other in their various strengths and this in combination with Miss Granger's unparalleled ability to organise they were quite easily at the top of their classes. Minerva McGonagall had taken Neville Longbottom to Ollivander's during the first weekend after the start of term and the boy was now the proud owner of a ten-inch cedar wand with a unicorn tail hair as a core. Knowing Augusta Longbottom Minerva had not asked for the old witch's opinion but rather sat Neville down with tea and biscuits, teaching him a glamour spell for use on his new wand during the holidays and gifting him an unbreakable box to store his father's wand. The Gryffindor head of house vowed to herself to try to undo the damage Dowager Longbottom had wrought on her grandson. So far the boy was gaining confidence in leaps and bounds. Ron Weasley might be kind of a problem as he was constantly harassing Neville about his friendship with Slytherins. Thankfully the other boys in the first-year dorm valued their quiet colleague who was always helpful when it came to homework.
As Theo and Henry vetoed Hermione's plan to start studying for their end-of-year exams in the middle of October the quintet turned their attention to other research goals like trying to find a written rule about first-years not being allowed their own broom (Draco), looking into Hermione's family tree for possible Squib ancestors (Theo) or establishing football at Hogwarts (Henry). When Neville noticed a fluctuation in Henry's health - the boy sometimes had no appetite and headaches without having experienced migraines before - finding a reason and a cure became their primary goal. Madam Pomfrey had not found anything wrong with the boy and had admonished him not to try to get out of lessons with fake symptoms.
After a week of taking meticulous notes Draco, the best chess player in their little study group, spotted a pattern. Henry's headaches were worst during and after their DADA lessons and sometimes they occurred during mealtimes in the great hall. They devised several scientific trials and experiments: reading to Henry in a stutter for an hour, expose him to the smell of garlic for the same length of time, letting him sit in the DADA classroom or the great hall alone. None of it brought on any new headaches. A chance meeting in the library with Professor Quirrell did, he or something on his person was causing Henry's ailments.
From then the objective of the quintet's experiments changed. They arranged situations where their friend met the professor with at least one of them collecting data. Pinpointing the back of the man's turban as the most likely source Hermione divided their research areas between them. Early in November they had to concede that they had to ask an adult for help because everything they had found pointed to Dark Magic.
Even though passable in Potions Neville was too much in awe of Professor Snape to accompany Henry to the Potions Master. Theo then suggested to ask Professor Flitwick along, with the one's expertise in Charms and the other's in Defense against the Dark Arts that course of action would provide the quickest results. Therefore, after dinner on the 6th of November, the part-goblin and Henry made their way down to Severus Snape's dungeon office. During the last weeks the boy had seen his honorary uncle and aunt only in passing as both were busy with their Head of House duties.
The Potions master's office provided a lot of entertainment for Henry while the professors read Hermione's research notes. He of course knew that most of the weird looking things in glasses around the office were just for show and he busied himself to identify the more mundane origins to the eerie sights like a transfigured lava lamp, partly melted action figures in vinegar, chicken livers and used chewing gum which the Purebloods would no doubt see as fairy brains.
The two professors finished their reading at roughly the same time but Snape seemed to be frozen in shock. Flitwick took over.
"Severus, it might be useful to use Legilimancy on Henry, then cast an aura spell and Hominum Revelio and take a look at his magical core. We will have to ask his guardian before, though. I will pop over to my office to look them up."
That woke Snape from his stupor.
"No need, Filius. I will call Minerva and then I would like a vow from you not to reveal what you are going to learn tonight."
One could see the wheels turning in Flitwick's head but he just nodded. They had tea in Severus' living room until McGonagall knocked.
"Sorry, Severus, I had to dodge the old coot- oh, Filius!"
"Never mind, Minerva, will you act as bonder?"
Flitwick made the vow and then learned to his astonishment that he had the much sought-after Harry Potter in his house, that his colleagues had hidden the child from Albus Dumbledore for years and why they'd done this. McGonagall read Miss Granger's notes while Severus used Legilimancy on Henry's mind. He found it quite ordered – as befitting a Ravenclaw – and tinged with anxiety due his professors' serious miens but not even in the remotest corners were there any signs of possession. Looking at Henry with a small smile Severus told the good news.
Then he led the boy through some breathing exercises and a meditation to get a feeling for his magical core. Thankfully the child proved to be adept at this and was able to follow his uncle's instruction while in trance. The memory of Henry's look at his core was then withdrawn and deposited in a Pensieve where the professors watched together. On one hand they were in awe about the strength of his magic but there was a dark strand clinging to the very core that was worrying. Snape told them that his own magic was similarly tainted due to his Dark Mark. Flitwick took it upon him to summon everything up for Henry.
"Dear Mr Charkov, first let me tell you that we did not find anything that points to you being possessed. What we found is a residue of Dark Magic that likely stems from the time Voldemort tried to kill you. Imagine it like an imprint of a terrible trauma that now resonates with something about Professor Quirrell. It could be him wearing a locket enchanted by Voldemort, even without knowing about it, or it could be something more sinister. What you must bear in mind is that you are in no imminent danger from this residue – you have grown up to be a wonderful young man very far from being dark, it stands to reason that it has no influence on your being. We will investigate and research and only ask of you to trust us to get at the bottom of this. Just as a precaution try not to be alone with your DADA-professor."
Henry was not quite calmed by these stark words. McGonagall made a movement as if to hug him but stopped herself. Severus knelt in front of the child, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"Harry, you know I would not mollycoddle you. There is nothing wrong with you and there could be something seriously wrong with Quirrell. Stay smart and cautious, we will do the rest."
Henry let himself fall forward into the Potions master's arms, demanding a hug and mumbling, "Thanks, Uncle Sev."
After sending the boy back to his dorm the three professors devised a course of action. Filius would take over most of the research, aided by a few questionable books Severus owned. The latter and Minerva would, under the guise of helping Dumbledore to find Harry Potter, try to sound out the old mage. And all of them would pay close attention to Quirrell.