Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 2 – The Hogwarts Express
Harry dutifully held Aldora's hand as they made their way into the next shop. It was his first year at Hogwarts in September and they were currently in Diagon Alley getting his things. Robes were next, so to Madam Malkin's they went.
"I know it says two sets of regular work robes are enough, Harry dear, but I shudder at the thought of sending you without at least one set of dress robes." Said Aldora.
"But what for?" Harry complained. "I'll be home by the time the Ministry's Christmas Ball comes around and it's not like there'll be a ball at school." Aldora's lips thinned, though she couldn't disagree with him; she had gone to Hogwarts herself after all.
"Well…all right." She relented finally, looking fondly down at the boy she'd practically called her own for the last four years. Harry's comment that he wished he could stay with them had the desired effect and it wasn't long before the Fudges had officially become Harry's new guardians. Afterwards it took even less time for them to announce their new ward was the Harry Potter. Harry had been right about the kind of people the Fudges were. They were the self-serving social climbers he'd pegged them as, though were far from evil like his aunt and uncle had been. Harry believed that they'd truly come to care for him and not just his fame in the four years he'd been with them; however, he also believed that they wouldn't have come to care for him if he wasn't famous. This served Harry just fine though. He too cared for the Fudges in his own way, but ultimately they were a means to an end for him, the end in his case being a better life. Harry swore that day four years ago that he would not ever be under another's thumb again. While still a child he knew that would prove to be difficult as he was required, no matter which world he lived in, to have a guardian. Thankfully two easily manipulated people, who would never think to abuse him, had fallen into his lap and he'd latched on to them. Ever since he'd essentially done what he'd wanted. Luckily Harry was not power hungry, nor a spoiled brat or the power he held could easily go to his head, but Harry figured that so long as he was following the law, which he had no desire to get around, and didn't hurt anyone then he was all right. Or, at least didn't permanently hurt anyone. He amended as they entered Madam Malkin's and he saw who was inside.
"Narcissa!" Aldora greeted her old friend. "And Draco, getting your Hogwarts robes, I see?"
"Hello Madam Fudge." Draco greeted pleasantly.
"Mrs. Malfoy." Harry greeted just as agreeably.
"Mr. Potter, always a pleasure." Her greeting was somewhat more cool than his, but Aldora didn't notice.
"Now, Narcissa, are you sending a set of dress robes with Draco? I know it's unlikely Harry will need them but…" Harry tuned out the adults' conversation as he was ushered up onto a stool next to Draco.
"Malfoy."
"Potter." The two children's greeting was decidedly cold, neither liking the other very much. They'd been forced together at play dates several times throughout the years, the Malfoys cultivating a friendship with the Fudges as Cornelius climbed higher and higher at the Ministry, until just last year being elected Minister for Magic. Regardless that their parents and guardians thought they were at least on friendly terms, the two boys had quickly taken a disliking to each other and considered themselves rivals.
"Still going to try out for the quidditch team?" Harry asked. "Only I've got some pointers for you if you are."
"The day I take pointers from you is the day the Hat sorts me into Hufflepuff." Draco sneered. "Though it should be you taking pointers from me if the last time we played is any indication."
"One victory does not a superior player make." Harry retorted. Draco would have continued their usual back and forth but Madam Malkin declared his fitting over.
"That's you done, dear." Draco sneered one last time at Harry before getting off the stool and following his mother out of the shop. The rest of Harry's shopping went by without running into Malfoy, for which Harry was grateful, until all that was left was his wand.
"The best for last!" Aldora declared as they entered Ollivander's and rang the bell on the desk. A clang was heard as a head popped around the corner, it's owner standing on one of the many ladders around the store.
"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter."
"Hello, Mr. Ollivander." He greeted, all of a sudden nervous.
"It seems like just yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands." He made conversation as he went to the shelves and picked up a few different boxes.
"Willow, 10¼ inches with a dragon heartstring was your mother's wand. Perfect for charm work, which I hear she excelled at."
"And my dad?" There was no one around who could really tell him about his parents, not more than was publically known at any rate, so any information Harry could get was quite beloved.
"11 inches, mahogany also with a dragon heartstring. Very good for transfiguration." He replied as he handed Harry the first wand. Harry smiled, taking it and giving it a wave. Several boxes blasted off the shelves and Ollivander had the wand from his hand within moments.
"No. Try this one." Six wands were tried and Ollivander was getting excited at having a tricky customer. Four more wands were tried before the wandmaker disappeared into the stacks, returning with an odd look on his face. Ollivander eyed Harry as he took hold of the wand. A wind picked up and a golden glow surrounded Harry the moment his hand closed around the wand; Aldora clapped excitedly.
"Curious, very curious."
"S-sorry, what's curious?" Harry asked quietly. He'd never felt a sensation like that when he'd held his wand for the first time and it was a feeling he was still reeling from.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather resides in your wand gave another feather. Just one other. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar." Aldora gasped and rushed forward.
"No! He'll take a different wand." She insisted, grasping Harry tight about the shoulders.
"The wand chooses the wizard, Madam Fudge." Said Ollivander. "It is not always clear why."
"But…"
"It's all right, Dora." Said Harry, holding his wand tighter. "There has to be a reason that the brother of Voldemort's wand chose me." Aldora whimpered at the use of the name. Having not even known about the wizarding world until he was seven, Harry had not grown up with a fear of the name where so many others had. He had no qualms about using it, and in fact refused to do otherwise, no matter how uncomfortable it made some people, including his guardians.
"Cornelius isn't going to like this." She warned, unaware of how little Harry cared about what Cornelius would like in this case.
"The wand chooses the wizard, Dora." He said. "It's not up to me."
-H/G-
Just under a month later Harry stood on Platform 9¾ looking up at the scarlet Hogwarts Express that would take him to school.
"Are you sure you have everything, dear?" Aldora asked for the fifth time.
"Yes, Dora." Harry dutifully replied and accepted another hug.
"Oh we are going to miss you, aren't we Cornelius?"
"Yes, the house shall be quite empty without you, Harry." He agreed, hugging Harry himself as a flashbulb went off nearby. Cornelius loved being in public with Harry for inevitably the Daily Prophet would get wind of the new Minister for Magic and the Harry Potter being out together. Harry's first day of school was no different and though they could have requested the Prophet stay away, as other Ministers had with their children, that would never happen in the Fudge household. "Do try and remember to write." He then murmured quietly and Harry knew that that wasn't for the reporters; Fudge would genuinely miss him.
"I will." He replied. "And I've got Hedwig to carry the letters." The snowy white owl had been an eleventh birthday present from the Fudges and was probably the second best gift Harry had ever gotten from them, behind the first ever gift he'd gotten from them solely because it was the first gift he had ever received from anyone. That particular gift, a book titled A History of Magic, having been given in the hopes of catching Harry up to speed a bit on wizarding history and culture, was currently sitting in his trunk with his other books.
"All right, off you go." Said Aldora. With a nod and a final goodbye, Harry took his trunk and boarded the Hogwarts Express. He found a compartment easy enough and managed to get it to himself as the train started to leave the station, anyone who would have joined him deciding not to when they realized whom he was. Finally though the almost empty compartment on the crowded train forced someone to join him.
"Sorry, Mr. Potter, but do you mind? Everywhere else is full?"
"Not at all!" Harry was genuinely glad someone had joined him. Until now the Fudges had dictated whom he was friends with, and given their friend of choice for Harry was Draco sodding Malfoy he was quite looking forward to meeting new people. The red-headed boy seemed to be surprised that he was not only allowed to sit here but was actually welcomed.
"I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you, Ron." The two began to chat and found that, so far at least, they got along quite well; least of all because they both loved sweets.
"This is Scabbers, by the way." Ron introduced the rat that currently had his head stuck in a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. "Pathetic isn't he?"
"Just a little bit." Harry agreed and was happy to see that Ron didn't hold that against him.
"Fred gave me a spell to turn him yellow. Want to see?"
"Yeah!" Pulling out his wand, Ron chewed the sweets in his mouth as quickly as possible and cleared his throat.
"Sunshine-"
"Has anyone seen a toad?" A voice interrupted them as a girl their age appeared in the compartment doorway. "A boy named Neville's lost one."
"No." Ron said rather rudely, but the girl's attention was no longer on the toad she was apparently looking for.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Lets see then." Without invitation she took a seat across from Ron.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow." Something happened at least, though it wasn't what Ron had intended. Instead Scabbers gave a scared little squeak and scurried away to hide in Ron's pocket.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl asked. "Well it's not very good, is it? Of course I've only tried a few simple ones myself, but they've all worked for me." She took out her wand and moved to sit in front of Harry with her wand pointed at his glasses. "For example: Scourgify!" Harry could see as the lenses of his glasses cleaned themselves better than he had ever cleaned them himself. "Holly cricket, you're Harry Potter!" Harry inwardly groaned at another person fawning over him. "I'm Hermione Granger. And you are?" She turned a disdainful look on Ron.
"Ron Weasley."
"Pleasure. You two better change into your robes, I expect we'll be arriving soon." Standing back up the girl moved towards the door, but stopped and turned back to Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know? Just there." Ron rubbed his nose and with a satisfied little smile Hermione left.
"Bloody hell." Ron muttered. Harry had to agree.
"She's right though, we probably will be arriving soon." Ron nodded and the two brought down their trunks and changed into their robes. It was another hour and a half before they finally did arrive, the sun having set along the way. Disembarking from the train they were instructed by older students to leave their trunks on the train and they would be brought up to them later. For now they were told to follow the loud call for first years to head down to the boats. All first years crossed the black lake in boats getting their first look at Hogwarts castle as it glowed in the distance. Harry had to admit the sight was indeed quite impressive. Hogwarts was not a place one visited as a child so wizarding and muggleborn children alike were tonight getting their first glimpse of the school. Exiting the boats the first years were led inside and were met by a rather stern looking woman.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall and I am the Deputy Headmistress here at Hogwarts, I also teach transfiguration and am head of Gryffindor house. Now in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points; any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup."
"Trevor!" A somewhat chubby boy with black hair dashed forwards and grasped a fat toad that was sitting at McGonagall's feet. The boy looked up scared at the un-amused teacher and muttered an apology before going back into place.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place momentarily." Said McGonagall before turning and leaving.
"That's what you were looking all over the train for?" Harry closed his eyes at the familiar mocking voice. "Pathetic, Longbottom."
"Shut up, Malfoy." Harry turned to face him. Draco merely smiled.
"We're not at home with the Minister anymore, Potter. Better watch your back."
"Is that a threat?" He growled, Draco smirked, though it faded quickly and he backed down. Harry knew what that meant. "Are you threatening me?" He asked louder and Draco shot him furious eyes.
"There had better be no threatening at all." Same McGonagall's voice and Harry stepped down, not making it clear whom he was talking to.
"Sorry, Professor." He murmured. McGonagall stared at him a moment but when no one voiced any further complaints she let it go.
"We're ready for you now."
A/N - Review please!
