I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm doing this for fun, not profit. Please let that be a sufficient disclaimer!
...
Sirius, Remus, Harry and Cheveu were on Platform 9 and ¾. Harry was feeling nervous and excited – he was finally going to learn magic! Cheveu was feeling happy – finally, her little brother would be joining her at school!
But before they got on the train, Sirius and Remus wanted to reiterate one major point.
"Now, remember: there's a powerful magical artefact being hidden in the school. Anyone you meet would want it. Your task, if you can manage it, is to stop it falling into the wrong hands", began Sirius.
"Sirius isn't exaggerating, Harry. You must stop anyone with the wrong motives from getting their hands on it. Ideally, you would get to it first; you can't imagine the rewards for being the owner of such an item", Remus continued.
Harry nodded, a serious expression on his face. "It sounds dangerous, Uncle Remus"
Sirius shook his head. "On its own, the artefact is of no danger whatsoever. But in the wrong hands it could be really bad. And if one of the most powerful wizards of our time got their hands on it, it could be a disaster."
Remus nodded his agreement, his face grave.
Harry nodded. He would do this: he would protect the magical artefact and stop it falling into the wrong hands. He and Cheveu together. "Remind us, Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus. What is this artefact called again?"
"The marauder's map" said Sirius and Remus together.
"And the reason you don't want Dumbledore to get his hands on it?" asked Cheveu.
Sirius gave Cheveu a grave expression of his own. "He would spoil all the fun"
...
After waving goodbye to Sirius and Remus, Cheveu and Harry found an empty compartment. Given they were fairly early, this wasn't a problem.
"So little bro, excited?", asked Cheveu.
Harry nodded. "Definitely! But also sort of nervous. It's weird thinking that I might be famous at school, but I want to do well, and make everyone proud."
Cheveu frowned and shook her head. "No, no, no! That sounds too much like Uncle Remus! You should want to have fun, get into trouble, rescue our Uncles' special map!" A pause, and then: "Plus, hang out with your big sister way more than you could do last year!"
Harry smiled at that last suggestion. He really hadn't been able to see much of his magical family, and to be able to spend the term with at least Cheveu was something Harry was eagerly looking forward to. Plus, with his new and improved mirrors, he could see any of his magical family whenever he wanted to!
"Ok, ok, I can make everyone proud and have fun doing it. Deal, big sis?" Harry held out his hand.
Cheveu laughed, grabbed Harry's hand and used it to pull him into a side-hug. "Deal!"
...
Several of Cheveu's friends dipped in and out during the train ride, and most seemed shocked at how close Cheveu was to Harry: "But he's Harry Potter!" "How come you never introduced us?" "I thought you were joking when you said he was like your little brother!" "I... But... How?!".
There was also a brief interlude when two first years had entered the carriage, looking for a toad. "Sorry, we haven't seen one, have we little bro?" "That's right, sorry!". The girl had looked curiously at Harry for a moment, but shook her head and left on the Toad Hunt.
For the most part, though, Harry and Cheveu were able to spend the train ride just chatting, giggling, playing games and enjoying their time together.
Eventually, the train arrived and Harry and Cheveu got off. As Sirius had already explained earlier that day, Cheveu left to join her friends in a carriage, and Harry joined the first years on small boats across the lake. As chance would have it, he joined the boy and girl he had met earlier – Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger – in a boat, and after one gorgeous view of the lake later, the first years were ready to be sorted.
Harry smiled at the conversations around him – "...fight a troll!" "...studied as much as I can..." "...happens if I don't get sorted?" – clearly some of the students hadn't been told about the hat. Sirius and Remus had told him, if only to advise he actually have a proper conversation with a cool magical artefact (of which there appeared to be many at Hogwarts, Harry thought).
The first years were led into the Great hall, and one by one were called to put on the hat. When it was Harry's turn, he felt a bit weirded out - everyone was paying special attention to him, but he was just like the other first years!
Trying to ignore the stares, Harry walked up to the front of the great hall, sat down, and put the hat on his head.
'Hello! I'm Harry, and I've been looking forward to meeting you!', Harry thought/spoke.
'I... Well now, have you really? And why is that?', asked the hat.
'Well, my uncles – Sirius Black and Remus Lupin – told me how you've been around since the school was built! That's so cool; You must have some really great stories!', Harry thought eagerly.
'Hmmm... well, since you've asked so nicely, let me tell you a short one. It was during the early days, and Godric Gryffindor had taken me on an adventure to some mountains...'
...
Minerva McGonagall was getting worried. She had never heard of the sorting hat taking over five minutes for a sorting, and here they were at nearly ten. Though her worry turned to disbelief when young Mr. Potter actually laughed! Was the hat having a chat with the boy?! Minerva cleared her throat loudly, and a few seconds later a guilty-sounding "Er... Gryffindor!" sounded from the hat. And Harry had the audacity to actually wave at the hat, and mutter a "speak soon!" that she heard, even if the rest of the hall didn't. Honestly.
As for Harry, he thought that he would have to speak to the hat again soon; who would have thought Godric Gryffindor hated bees that much?! What other stories might the hat have?
As Harry joined his house table – smiling at the loud chant of "we got Potter" despite himself – he caught Cheveu's eye. She had a look of outrage on her face that even Harry could see was fake, so he merely smiled innocently, shrugged, and watched the rest of the sorting.
After the sorting, and after Harry had eaten and was talking to some of his fellow Gryffindors, two hands covered his eyes, and a voice asked, "Guess who?!" Before Harry could even answer the obvious question, a voice called across the hall: "Ms. Tonks, what are you doing?! Leave that student alone!"
Harry, however, paid no attention to the second voice. He speedily got up from his seat, turned to his attacker, and threw his arms around her in a tight hug. "Cheveu! Couldn't even wait half an hour to see your little brother again?", Harry asked cheekily.
Clearly, this wasn't what most of the occupants of the great hall had been expecting; Professor Sprout most of all, who's planned admonishment died in her throat. Harry and Cheveu, either ignoring the attention or oblivious to it, carried on the conversation.
"Oi, cheeky! Actually, just wondering what stories the hat shared; your face told me they were good!"
Harry nodded, but before he could say anything Dumbledore had stood up, grandfatherly smile at his lips and a twinkle in his eye. "It's wonderful to see friendships across houses, though I must interrupt to ask perfects to show first years to their rooms; you will all have an exciting week of learning ahead, and would do well to be well-rested!"
...
Once he was at Gryffindor tower, Harry took out his mirror. But no sooner had he done so he found himself surrounded by his fellow Gryffindors who were obviously keen to get to know him. Sirius and Remus had encouraged him to make as many friends as he could, so Harry smiled and tried to do so. He already considered Hermione and Neville sort-of-friends, and Ron seemed like an easy person to get on with too. But when his mirror vibrated and a very special voice called "'arry?", his resolve broke and he politely turned to the group and stated, "Erm, can you give me a few minutes? My best friend is calling."
The others look confused at Harry's request; doubly so when Harry pulled out his mirror, triply so when he started speaking French! "Fleur! It's so good to speak to you! How is Beauxbatons?"
"School is good, for the most part. But 'arry, am I interrupting? I can see other people around." Fleur asked, concerned.
Harry's slightly guilty face had given Fleur her answer, though if it hadn't then Hermione's incoming question barrage, which Fleur could just about hear, would have: "How can you make a phone call in Hogwarts? Who are you speaking to? Is that French? Why are you holding that mirror?"
Harry smiled, turned the mirror around, and introduced Fleur to his new friends. "This is Fleur, my best friend. I can speak to her, and a few other people, through this magic mirror.
"Fleur, this is Hermione, Neville and Ron, my newest friends."
Fleur waved in greeting, then tried not to giggle at their reactions. Hermione looked amazed, which was reasonable – the mirrors were impressive magical creations. But poor Neville was blushing, and Ron just blurted out, "you've got a best friend already?", in a very impressed tone.
Harry chuckled. School would be interesting, it seemed.
...
The next morning, Harry was up early. He had someone he wanted to speak to, and he needed to catch them quickly before they were occupied for the day. Making his way down to the common room, and to a comfy sofa, Harry took his mirror out of his cloak and called, "Gabrielle? Are you there?"
A few seconds of waiting, and then, "'arry! Hello 'arry! You called me!" came the excited voice, and Gabrielle's big, beaming, five year old face appeared in the mirror.
Harry smiled at his little sister's excitement. "Of course I did! Your big brother promised he would call you often. Now, do you want to hear about Hogwarts, or do you want to tell me about your week?"
Gabrielle smiled hopefully. "Both?"
Harry chuckled. "As long as I don't make you late for nursery. So, Hogwarts..."
...
Hermione had never felt so many different emotions at once. She was overwhelmed, excited, restless, curious, eager, and also confused. And when she had woken up early and couldn't sleep any more, she got dressed, came down to the common room, and found the source of her confusion.
"...already? Can I meet some of your friends too?" came a French voice from Harry's mirror. This one, however, sounded different to the older girl from last night – this was younger.
Harry, noticing Hermione's excellent timing, smiled and waved at her. Then, he answered Gabrielle's question. "Apparently so. Hermione, one of my new friends, has just woken up it seems. Would you like to say hello?"
Gabrielle nodded eagerly, so Harry beckoned Hermione over. Hermione, a little unsure, came and sat next to Harry so they could both see the mirror. Once she did, she saw an adorable little girl in bunny rabbit pyjamas, looking at her excitedly. "Hello! I'm Gabrielle, Harry's little sister! What's your name?"
Harry started to respond to Gabrielle – "Gabrielle, I'm not sure if Hermione can speak..." – but Hermione surprised him by interrupting.
"Hello Gabrielle. My name is Hermione. It's nice to meet you", she replied, slowly and carefully.
"It's nice to meet you too! Have you learned any magic yet? Can I see?", asked an eager Gabrielle.
Seeing that Hermione looked a little lost, Harry answered for her. "It's only our first day, my little fly, and Hermione didn't know she was a witch until recently. I'm sure once she learns some spells she'll show you.". Then after getting a quick translation of the words she didn't understand – "magic", "witch" and "spells" – Hermione nodded and carefully replied. "Of course, Gabrielle. I would be happy to."
Gabrielle looked pleased, then thought of another question she wanted to ask. "Did you meet my sister yesterday? She's the best big sister in the world."
Hermione was unsure. Did Gabrielle mean the older Hufflepuff who called Harry "little bro"? Or did she mean Harry's best friend from the mirror? Hermione decided just to ask. "I'm not sure. Who is your sister?"
Gabrielle nodded wisely at the question. "She's called Fleur and she's wonderful! I miss her when she's away at school." Ah. The girl from the mirror it is. But then, Hermione thought, why had Harry not referred to Fleur as a sister? This was very confusing! "I met her last night, in the..." Hermione tried to remember the right word. "...mirror? Just like this."
Gabrielle smiled at that. "Uncle Woof and Uncle Remus made them for us! Now we can all talk to each other when we want to. I spoke to Fleur before she had breakfast."
Hermione was struggling a little with how quickly Gabrielle was speaking, but also with the mention of so many relatives – none of whom were mentioned in the books about Harry! Had he been adopted, and no-one knew?
Harry, noticing the time (and also feeling hungry at the mention of breakfast), decided he would need to say goodbye. "Speaking of breakfast, my little fly, I should say goodbye for now – we need to eat, and you need to finish getting ready."
Gabrielle frowned, but knew Harry was right. "Can you tell me more about your school later?"
Harry wanted to agree, but with the timezone difference and Gabrielle's bedtime, he wasn't sure. "It depends when my lessons finish. If I get time I will, otherwise I'll call you tomorrow morning?"
Gabrielle considered for a moment, then decided it was the best she would get. "Ok. Love you, 'arry!"
Harry smiled broadly, and he replied honestly: "I love you too, my little fly."
...
Harry and Hermione were hungry, so as soon as one of the upper year students were available to show the way – a second year called Katie - they went down to breakfast together. On the way, Hermione couldn't help but ask the questions she had been considering last night and this morning.
"Harry, I don't understand. All of the books I've read about you say that you're an only child, like me, and that you grew up away from the magical world, in a castle", began Hermione, confused.
Harry groaned and shook his head. Gabrielle loved some of those books, so Harry had dutifully read them over and over. And over. "Urgh, those books are the worst!"
Hermione looked affronted. "What do you mean? They're books! Published books!"
Harry gave a pained expression. "And I've never spoken to any of the authors, nor has anyone I know. It's all made up rubbish, except the part about my parents being dead", Harry finished sadly.
Hermione looked shocked. How could that be? Books had been her constant companion since... well... since as long as she could remember!
At this point, Katie – who had been curiously listening in but had stayed out if the conversation, broke her silence. "Think about it – anyone can write a book, so all you need is to convince someone to publish it. I bet there's loads of books out there that get stuff wrong."
Rather than making Hermione feel better, Katie had made her feel horribly betrayed. "Well, I think that it's just terrible, making things up in a book. Well, except fiction books of course.
"But anyway, that still doesn't explain how you have two sisters – after all, both your parents died when you were an only child, right?"
Katie was shocked. "Hermione! Don't you think that's a bit harsh?"
Hermione then realised how she might have sounded. "Oh, but I didn't mean... I'm sorry, that came out really horrid, didn't it?"
Katie shook her head in disbelief, but Harry decided to answer; he had thought a lot about this over the years. "Family can be... biological?" Harry was sure that was the term Uncle Remus had used. "But it can also be chosen, like adoption."
"So you mean you were..." began Hermione, but was interrupted by Katie shushing her.
Harry continued. "But family can be other things too. All my Godparents are like my family – Sirius, Sebastian and Appoline – and Uncle Remus too, even if he's not a... biological uncle.
"And when I met Cheveu, she said she'd be my big sister, and we share an uncle anyway, and she's always treated me like a little brother.
Hermione looked desperate to interrupt, but kept herself in check whilst Harry continued. "And when Gabrielle was born – she's Sebastian and Appoline's youngest girl – Appoline said I would be her big brother and she would be my little sister. So I have lots of family, including two sisters."
Hermione was a bit sceptical about just declaring your family like that; she would have to do some reading, from a reliable book.
...
By the end of the week, Harry was bursting to tell Fleur everything that had happened. So on Friday evening, just after dinner, Harry was in his room, mirror in hand, calling out for Fleur.
"Hello 'arry. Miss me already?" Fleur asked, perhaps flirting a little.
"Of course!" Harry declared, as if it were obvious. "I always miss you! Anyway, I've got lots to tell you about my first week!"
Fleur blushed at Harry's earnest declaration, then cursed her hormones – would he always affect her so?
The next hour was spent with Harry describing his friends ("...Ron's friendly..." "...Hermione's nice but scary clever..." "...Neville is really shy..." "...Katie's funny..."), his lessons ("...and we've got an ex-auror teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts!" "...In potions we've got a Professor and an Assistant Professor..."), and any other interesting thoughts ("...Katie says the team need a seeker..." "... Cheveu is looking after me..." "... I've spoken to Gabrielle quite a lot...").
Fleur was glad to hear Harry was happily settling in, and even more glad that (according to Cheveu) Harry didn't seem interested in any girls that way. She wished she could hold him, but their regular conversations were good – and they would just have to do for now.
...
Several hundred miles away, Tom Marvolo Riddle was half enraged, half terrified. He had, after much effort, managed to possess an unsuspecting Muggle and it had nearly killed him. But he had been able to gather some information about the wizarding world, and he was horrified!
All his Death Eaters either dead or captured – and they had been for about a decade! British wizarding laws changed in the most sickening way, stripping away most of the Pureblood rights and granting rights to lesser magical creatures! Even his curses on Hogwarts seemingly broken!
Tom had just begun considering what he could do when agony tore through his new body and then his wraith was ripped from the host. He was sure he almost died again right there, but rage gave him the ounce of strength he needed to withstand the assault and cling on.
But Tom knew: his situation was desperate. If he didn't find something to strengthen him, or someone to help him, he didn't know how he would survive the next few years. He didn't really know how he had survived this long.
...
Author notes:
Not much time passed in this chapter, as there was a lot I wanted to cover. But things will speed up either next chapter or the one after that.
Yes, I've hinted at some professors but not confirmed who. Feel free to guess!
I'm always so very grateful to those who follow or favourite this story – thank you. And, as always, a special thanks to those who spur me on with reviews: to Skaken Bloodbane, Guest, yochan123, Guest, alix33 and Jok3r425. And a extra special thanks to the fantastic Spider of Dreams, SKFF, Z-Arc34, Urgazhi, HughJasz, Arnie1701, alix33 (x9) and spicyanimechick for additional reviews since last time.
alix33 – thanks for the corrections; I'll update the chapters over the next week or so.
I try to answer all questions posed in reviews; if I've missed any, feel free to PM me.