Title: A sky, far, far away
Author: remind me to breathe a.k.a. Claire
E-Mail: claire(at)streber24.de
Rating: PG-13 (to be safe)
Pairing: none
Time: 1991, Harrys first year
Disclaimer: I own not a thing. Due to the fact that this story covers one of the years already written, the majority of the events and some of the dialogue comes straight from the book.
Thanks to: Healer Molly for the brilliant beta
A/N: READ MY ONE-SHOTs 'Daddy' AND 'My name was Rose' WHILE WAITING. REVIEW. PLEASE.
The End of the Beginning
"I believe we closed our eyes because we didn't want him to see the war. So we overlooked that it was him who fought our battles, and that he wasn't fine, even when he said he was…"
Amelia Bones, at the first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, 10 years after Godric's Hollow.
Then, a blond, pale-faced boy approached them.
"My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Harry smirked. "My name is Bond, James Bond."
Hermione giggled, but Draco, of course, didn't understand the joke.
"Very funny, Potter," spat Draco. "You'll soon find out that in our world there are some families that are better than others. You shouldn't be mixed up with the wrong sort. I can help you to be a part of the right group."
Harry snorted. "Maybe we should continue this conversation later, Malfoy. I don't have any problem with people who have different opinions than me; I even like a little debate now and then. But I'm not going to waste my time on someone who can't even think for himself. When you decide to be your own person, come and talk to me then."
"Your arrogance will be the death of you, Potter," Malfoy hissed.
"Whatever you say, Malfoy," Harry said dismissively.
"I'm going to tell Father –"
"Hermione, did your hear that? How very sweet…he's going to tell his daddy that a big, evil first-year won't listen to his inane babbling. Do you know what, Malfoy? I know that my father would have been proud of me making my own decisions. Why don't you try it, instead of hiding behind your daddy's robes?"
"You haven't heard the end of this, Potter," said Draco.
"Are you trying to intimidate me? If you want to threaten me, Malfoy, do it so that I might actually be scared. Ask your daddy for advice on how to scare people, maybe he can help you."
Malfoy glared at Harry, then turned and stalked away.
Hermione laughed. "That 'snob-talk' sounds great coming from you, Harry."
Meanwhile, Severus Snape assessed the new students.
"There's Malfoy, just as haughty as his father, but still obviously lacking on maintaining any dignity...
Crabbe and Goyle, shuffling around behind Malfoy. Some things never changed…
Another Weasley, this one though doesn't appear to be nervous at all, how very interesting...
The youngest Zabini, he'll be in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Probably Slytherin, the look on his face is far too calculating…
Fat little Longbottom, he'll be a Hufflepuff...
Bulstrode, most certainly a Slytherin...
An Abbott –she'll be a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Not terribly intelligent, but friendly all the same...
A cluster of Muggleborns, every last one of them frightened and shaking. No – the girl beside the Weasley boy, she had a determined look on her face. She would be in Ravenclaw…
And that leaves Potter. Just like his father with the same arrogant attitude and he's already bullying Malfoy. Seven years I've waited for Potter – seven years, for revenge. He'll be in Gryffindor, no doubt...
Albus Dumbledore leaned toward Snape, shaking him from his thoughts.
"The one who has the most correct guesses gets a bottle of Firewhiskey, correct?" inquired Snape.
"Like every year," said Dumbledore as the sorting began.
"Abbott, Hannah," Professor McGonagall called out.
"Gryffindor," said Dumbledore.
"Hufflepuff," said Snape
"HUFFLEPUFF!" roared the Sorting Hat.
"That's one for me already," Snape said.
"Bulstrode, Millicent."
"Slytherin," Dumbledore and Snape said in unison.
"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat called out.
"That's two to one for me," Severus Snape said gloatingly.
Professor McGonagall gave Snape a severe look, and the grin slid from his face. He suppressed a laugh, turning his attention back to the sorting.
"Geoffrey, David"
"Slytherin," whispered Dumbledore.
"Ravenclaw," murmured Snape, watching Professor McGonagall warily.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"My, my, I seem to be losing my touch, that's five to seven to you, Severus," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.
"Granger, Hermione," called Professor McGonagall.
"Gryffindor, most certainly," Dumbledore said.
"No, it has to be Ravenclaw," said Snape.
Meanwhile, an argument raged between Hermione and the Sorting Hat.
"Ah, a cunning one. You've made friends already, but you're plotting something. You seem to be very courageous..."
"Slytherin, Slytherin, I need to be sorted into Slytherin," Hermione thought.
"You are a Muggleborn," the Sorting Hat pointed out.
"And you are a narrow-minded rotten piece of fabric," Hermione thought.
"Sharp words are something that Gryffindors use."
"Don't you dare!"
"Ravenclaw, then?"
"No, I said Slytherin. Otherwise, I'll show you what a Muggleborn can do with an old piece of fabric. Ever heard of the concept of recycled toilet paper?"
"Tsk, tsk...Maybe it's time for a change. Good luck, little one."
" It has to be SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat yelled.
"What?" Snape whispered, astonished. Immediately, the Great Hall broke into conversation, many students knew that Hermione Granger was a Muggleborn, and it was unbelievable that she had been sorted into Slytherin. Snape watched as Hermione nodded to her friends. "If she's disappointed, she's doing a great job of hiding it," he thought to himself.
The whispering among the students died down as more first years came forward to be sorted. Finally...
"Potter, Harry," McGonagall called.
"The Harry Potter?" someone said.
"Does he have the scar?" another asked.
Snape noticed with amusement that these comments seemed to annoy Harry. That was something he could use…
Snape turned to Dumbledore and said, "Gryffindor, I'm sure."
"I agree," said Dumbledore.
Meanwhile, Harry and the Sorting Hat had started their debate.
"Harry Potter...I remember your parents."
"You and everyone else. You can read thoughts?"
The hat chuckled. "Yes, and memories, talents, wishes, and..."
"I feel sorry for you. If I'd have to hear Malfoy's deepest desires…"
"There is a reason why I sent him directly to Slytherin without hesitation, young man."
"Without even thinking about? Isn't that part of your job?"
"Hmm, harsh words from you also...you must be plotting along with the Muggleborn..."
"You got it. Sort me into Slytherin. You already know my reasons."
"Good luck to you, Harry Potter. You're going to need it. SL-"
"Wait a moment!" Harry interrupted.
"What is it now?"
"You know whatmy talents are?"
"Of course."
"What will I be good at?" Harry wondered.
"Despite what the Dursleys have told you, you are neither lazy nor dumb. You are cunning and-"
"No – not personality shit – magical talents!"
" Your strengths will lie with Potions, Runes, and Parseltounge."
"Parsel-what?"
"That was enough information. You are going to get me in trouble already..."
"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat shouted.
The Great Hall went silent. Professor Flitwick choked on his drink.
Severus Snape's face was a mixture of shock and fury. The color of Pomona Sprout's face matched her white robes. Harry stood up, walked over to the Slytherin table and sat next to Hermione. Nobody spoke. Harry smirked and whispered loudly so everyone would hear.
"They aren't very good at hiding their astonishment, are they, Hermione?"
Once again, the Great Hall erupted with talking and whispering. The Boy Who Lived, sorted into Slytherin! Minerva McGonagall was the first one to recover from the shock; she realized her mouth had been hanging open with surprise and she quickly closed it. Finally, a very thoughtful Albus Dumbledore asked her to continue the sorting ceremony. Once the Sorting ceremony resumed, Harry smiled at Ron's twin brothers as they looked at him, confused. Then Harry nodded toward Ron, and they suddenly realized that their little brother had been sitting in the same compartment as Harry. They paled, fear in their eyes.
Dumbledore watched Harry closely. He knew Harry had already had a run-in with Draco Malfoy. He wondered to himself if he had made a mistake sending Harry to the Dursleys. He hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself.
Meanwhile, Ron Weasley was having his turn with the Sorting Hat.
"Ronald Weasley, eh? A chess player, correct?"
"Are chess players sorted into Slytherin?"
"No, typically they are in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."
"Then I hate chess."
The hat laughed, amused by the young man's resolve.
"You want to be sorted into Slytherin also. Why?"
"I'm smart, shrewd, and I like snakes."
The hat laughed again.
Ron realized he had made a mistake. "Err…that's more like a Gryffindor if I tell you my strengths, right? In that case, I'm dumb, blunt; I love lions, hate snakes, all Slytherins are evil, Dumbledore is an idiot, and I'll set you on fire if you don't put me where I want to be-"
"Enough already! I don't want to hear anymore…"
"SLYTHERIN" the Sorting Hat shouted
In the end, neither Snape nor Dumbledore remembered who had won the bottle of Firewhiskey that night. Nonetheless, it had been a memorable night with a Muggleborn, a Weasley, and a Potter being sorted into Slytherin. When the feast was over, the teachers met in Dumbledore's office to have a few words with Alistair, the Sorting Hat.
"Why?" everyone asked simultaneously.
"Why what?" the hat asked, amused.
"Potter? Weasley? The Muggleborn? Why would you sort them into a House they don't belong in?" Snape asked, beside himself with anger.
"Severus, Severus...listen to your words. They weren't prejudiced, but you are," the Sorting Hat said.
"But I thought…I mean, Lily and James..." Minerva McGonagall stammered.
"They aren't looking for power, if that's what you are worried about," said the Sorting Hat.
"But why - ?"
"This isn't the time for this conversation."
The teachers sighed, exasperated with the talking hat.
"Severus, I would like a word in private," said the Sorting Hat.
The other teachers left the room, shaking their heads, still puzzled by the Sorting Hat's decisions.
"Why Alistair? Why Potter?" asked Snape.
"I told you, this isn't the time for these questions. Would you be so kind as to just accept my decision?"
"A bit touchy today, aren't you?" Snape teased.
"It's not every day I have my life threatened. They wanted to burn me, have me hear the Malfoy boy's deepest desires and turn me into toilet paper."
Snape's crooked smile grew larger. "Who said those things?"
"Why do you want to know? So you can thank them, or do you want to know so you can get them into trouble?"
"How – "
"You forget, dearest Severus ('Don't call me dear' thought Snape) that I can read thoughts."
"Oh…right. You wanted to speak with me?" asked Snape.
"Some children in your house have some serious problems; you will need to be careful," the Sorting Hat said sternly.
"Some parents aren't very kind. I know that all too well," Snape said.
"This is a very precarious situation. I want you to keep a watchful eye on your students."
"Who exactly?" asked Snape, his interest peaked.
"It's not my place to say, just watch your charges closely."
"Alistair?"
But he received no response. The hat had gone silent for another year.
Meanwhile…
The Slytherin prefects led the students down to the dungeons. When they reached the common room, one prefect addressed them.
"Listen up, Slytherins. The rooms begin behind that door. Everybody can choose their own room, but if someone else wants the same room as you, you will have to fight for it. No permanent spell damage is allowed. At eight o'clock sharp, your choice will become permanent and cannot be changed. Professor Snape will come to your new room and welcome you. If you don't pick a room, behind this door there are more dormitories for the first years. You can choose to sleep there, but you don't have to. Good luck."
The prefects looked around at all the students then walked out of the common room without another word.
"This is a test," Hermione said quietly. "But what are they trying to find out?"
"It's obvious. The strongest will get the most beautiful room," Harry answered.
"But that's exactly what I don't understand. This isn't about strength. This is about calculating," Ron said. "We shouldn't look for a big, beautiful room, but one that is strategically placed. With a few charms we can expand any space, and we can transfigure nearly anything we want, well, Hermione probably can, at any rate."
"Strategically placed…that would be near the exit, by a few secret passages, and far away from the teachers," Hermione said.
"Exactly," Harry concluded. "The ideal room will look nondescript, absolutely unattractive. We won't be able to see the secret passages."
"Of course. But how exactly will we find them?"
"Infrared," Hermione said. "We'll have to measure the temperature of the walls."
"We don't have an infrared camera," Harry said. "Ron, is there a charm we can use to find out temperatures?"
"Yeah, why?" asked Ron, baffled.
Severus Snape sat in his office, amused as he was every year, looking at a map that showed the Slytherin rooms. On this map, he could see anything that had to do with magic, students, larger objects such as furniture, etc. As it happened every year, some students fought to get the best rooms. Idiots. And like every year, nobody saw through this little test.
The first years had gone for the safe dorms, all except for three students. It seemed that Potter, Weasley, and the Muggleborn had decided to try their luck and look at other rooms. Could it be that these three understood the purpose behind this test? Snape watched them walking through various rooms, stopping in the middle, performing a charm, and then walking directly into the secret passages. Snape thought to himself that he could have used this charm when he had been in school… which charm were they using?
Just then, he watched them settle into the most useful room. It was safest, had just one entry, and access to at least ten secret passages including one to get to the library, the Great Hall and the kitchens. Snape ran his hands through his hair, exasperated. Of all the students for him to get, why Potter? What had he done to deserve this? Draco, on the other hand, had chosen the Blue room. A beautiful room, no doubt, unfortunately it was also haunted. The former inhabitants had gladly left it without a fight. Stupid child! And this boy was supposed to be the pride of Slytherin!
Snape sighed; it was already time to welcome his new charges. He swept out of his office and headed down to Potter's room. He stopped just outside of the door and listened to the three children talk.
"Why did he leave you with the Muggles?" Weasley asked.
"He told me it was because Petunia was my only living relative," Potter said. "But I think the real reason was that he wanted me to like Muggles. If I would judge Muggles from the behaviour of my dear relatives-"
Snape took a deep breath and opened the door to their room. Albus had warned him to be nice. Be nice to a Weasley, a Muggleborn, and a Potter? Merlin, he would need a large brandy after this, maybe three.
Snape looked around the dormitory room. It was a bit dark but beautiful just the same with bookshelves lining all the walls. He had not expected this. Potter and Granger were sorting through books and Weasley had opened his chessboard. They stopped what they were doing and looked up at Snape.
"Good evening, Professor," they chorused.
"At least they know how to behave," Snape thought to himself.
"Good evening. My name is Professor Snape and I am your Head of House. You will come to me if there are any problems or if you suspect someone is up to something. Do not lose points for this house. Do not get on my bad side, although I am your Head of House, you can still get into trouble with me. Do I make myself clear?" He gave Potter a stern look, but the boy didn't look away.
"Yes sir," they said in unison.
"We are going to be together for the next seven years," he said as he continued his standard speech. "I want to know a bit about you. Who are you? What is your family like? What are your interests?"
Hermione, Ron and Harry shared a look, and then Hermione spoke first.
"I'm Hermione Granger and my father and mother are both dentists. I'm interested in reading and logic puzzles."
"Both of your parents are Muggles?" Snape asked,
"Yes, sir."
"What do they think about you coming to school here?"
Hermione snorted disdainfully. "They don't care what I do, just as long as I get married someday and have children."
Severus Snape raised his eyebrow; her remark surprised him.
Ron spoke up next. "I'm Ronald Weasley. You probably already know my parents and all my older brothers. I'm interested in reading and playing chess."
"A Weasley that plays chess?"
"Yes, sir."
Once Ron was finished, Snape nodded to Harry.
"Harry Potter. My family consists of my aunt Petunia who is a housewife and my uncle Vernon who is a company boss. I'm interested in reading."
"What are you reading right now?" asked Snape.
"The Last Days of Mankind by Kraus, sir."
This shocked Snape, that book was well above what your average eleven year old would read. "Who gave you that book?" inquired Snape.
"No one. Uncle Vernon threw it away because the color of the book cover didn't match the color of the new living room," Harry said with disgust.
Snape surveyed all three students one last time, handed them their new schedules for classes and left their room. It had been an interesting conversation, though they didn't give him much more information he didn't already know, except for Hermione's comment about having children. That was probably for the best, he didn't want to know much about them, he didn't like them anyway. Unbelievable, he had just been civil to Potter! Dumbledore would be pleased. Snape could already hear him saying something to the effect, "That wasn't that hard now, was it?"
"Is there a way to stop spells like this Finite Incantatem you mentioned earlier on the train?" Ron asked.
"Write that down on our research list. Now, I remember reading something about Runes, but I can't remember exactly what it was. I think with Runes you have to draw and experiment," Hermione said.
"Sounds interesting. I repaired a lot of stuff at the Dursleys. I'd like to do that," Harry said.
"Good. That can be your special project," said Hermione.
"My special project?" asked Harry, bemused.
"Yes, I thought everyone could concentrate on one special project," Hermione said.
"Imagine what we'll be able to do in seven years," Ron said thoughtfully. "I want to do something with my mind. Reading thoughts, telepathy, something like that."
"I'd like to do something with alchemy or arithmancy. That sounds fun to me," Hermione said.
"You do like A's, don't you?" Ron asked, laughing.
Hermione stuck out her tongue at Ron, "Thhhppt!"
"Well, this is a highly intelligent conversation. Let's continue it on Sunday, shall we?" Harry said.
"When should we get up tomorrow?" Ron asked.
"Half past four. We'll have breakfast at five, read until eight; then lessons, homework, library, and lastly, bed," Harry said.
"Who made you the boss?" Ron asked.
"I did," Harry said grinning. "Good night."
"Ron?"
"Yes, Hermione?"
"Are you asleep?"
"Oh shut up, you two! I want to sleep!" Harry yelled.
"Yes, boss!" Ron and Hermione said together.
"My name is Harry."
"Why do you state the obvious?" Ron replied.
Harry snorted. "Slytherins..."
