SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS
LilDevyl: Thanks. I'm glad you like it.
Lalez: Thanks. Hopefully you'll continue to like the story. I had a soft for her too and I wanted to play with it.
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
I'm deliberately starting this from the scene on the train to Hogwarts. In my head, everything up to this part of the story has happened just the same so I'm not gonna bore you guys by making you reread it. This is where things will start to differ. Again, this story is inspired by a fic I read a couple of years ago where some Slytherins had fought against Umbridge and Voldemort's forces and the thing that I remember most is that when Umbridge came to power, Blaise (who I seem to recall being a girl in this particular story though I could be wrong) and some other Slytherins banded together with the other houses against her, even going as far as to stop each other from placing hexes, curses, and jinxes on Umbridge so that no one would get in trouble. The other thing that I remember is that Snape often told them that they could trust him but they found out that he was actually a Death Eater and had no redemptive arc. If this is your story or you know who wrote it, let me know and I'll fix my shout outs. Fair warning, this fic is 50% planned out and 50% by the seat of my pants. Some things may be the same as the series and others may be different and I hope you all enjoy the changes I've made. All familiar characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.
As Ron continued to eat, Harry remained silent. He wasn't quite sure what to think. A wizard. Him? He was almost certain that it was all just a very weird dream or an elaborate hoax that was being played on him, but so far, it didn't appear to be. Could it be true? Could this be an escape for me? he wondered. What if when he got to the school, he was told that it was all a big mistake? That he wasn't anybody special and that he didn't belong with them? Would he be able to bear it? And if it was the case, would he have to face the Dursley's again? No! He couldn't think like that! He had been invited to the school by name. Hell, the letter had even known that he was living in a cupboard, so surely they wanted him. At least…that was what he was hoping.
Before he could ponder this anymore, the compartment door opened and Harry and Ron turned at the sound, both boys staring at the trio standing in front of them. Who are they? Harry wondered, noting that the boy in the middle looked a bit familiar.
"I heard that Harry Potter is in this compartment. Is this this true?" the boy in the middle of them demanded and Harry quirked a brow, recognizing him as the white-haired boy that had addressed him in Diagon Alley. I wonder what he wants, he thought to himself. True, he had been perfectly polite in the shop, but at the same time, the conversation had been uncomfortable and he wasn't really looking forward to a repeat of it.
"Yes," he confirmed. I can't be that important, he thought to himself. There was no way. He was just Harry. People didn't seek him out. Usually because they were too afraid of Dudley, but Dudley wasn't here.
"Thought so," the speaker stated. "I'm Draco Malfoy, and these are my friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle," the boy stated as he walked further into the compartment, a pleased smile upon his face. At this, Ron let out a snort and Draco scowled as he turned to glare at him. "So you think my name's funny?" he demanded. "Better than having red hair and hand-me-down robes. You're obviously a Weasley," he stated with a sneer. Then, turning to Harry, he continued on. "You don't want to get mixed up with wrong sort of wizards. Stick with me and I can help you with that." Harry stared at the hand that had been offered. Is he serious? he wondered. What made him think that he would want to hang around him with an attitude like that? He didn't like bullies.
"I think I can figure that out for myself, thanks," he stated coolly. Don't need to be hanging around him when he's just another Dudley, he mused.
"Hey, listen Potter, I-" Draco began to say.
"Oh will you stop being such a dunderheaded prat and apologize?" a voice interrupted and Harry and Ron watched in amazement as a girl around their age marched up to them, reaching up to smack Draco on the head. Like Ron, she had red hair, but where the boy's own hair was more of a fire-red, hers was more brownish.
"Ow! Susan! What the bloody hell?!" he yelped, turning to her. I can't believe she bloody hit me, he thought to himself. What was Susan thinking?
"Just because you're in a bad mood, doesn't mean you need to take it out on them," she scolded.
"Sorry," he mumbled. When Goyle and Crabb started to object, she merely glared at them.
"Get out," she snarled and the two did so even as she pulled Draco to the seat across from Ron and Harry. "Really, Draco, what were you thinking cozying up to them?" she scolded again.
"They're not that bad," he muttered as he made himself comfortable on the seat. "And my father says they're from a very good wizarding family and that I need to make nice with them," he continued. Even if I do find them tiring and intellectually unstimulating, he mused.
"Yes, well, in this case, your father's an idiot," she told him. Ugh. Hate that Draco's so eager to please him, she fumed silently.
"Oi! Watch it!" he responded; his tone slightly offended. She'll never understand how important it is for him to be proud of me, he thought to himself. He wanted to be a good sorcerer and have his father's approval. Nothing was more important than that. Nothing.
"Sorry," she apologized. Didn't mean to hurt him, she thought. But her statement stood: Vincent Crabb and Gregory Goyle were not the sort of people Draco should be associating with. Why couldn't his father see that? Oh right. The man had been one of Voldemort's followers. Though to be honest, she had her suspicions about that. But it wasn't like she could say anything. The Malfoy's never liked talking about the first Wizarding War. Hell, no one did. Not that she could blame them. From what she knew of it, it had been a dark time for everyone. So it made sense that no one wanted to rehash it all.
At the sound of the compartment door opening again, the kids turned and were surprised to see two Caucasian girls around their age-one with bushy brown hair, brown eyes, and a buck tooth, the other with blonde hair and brown eyes-popping their heads in.
"Pardon the interruption, but has anyone seen a toad?" the girl with bushy brown hair queried and the boys and Susan shook their heads.
"A boy named Neville Longbottom's lost his toad named Trevor," the girl with blonde hair explained, seeing the looks of confusion.
"I'll help you search," Susan stated, standing up. "You, be nice," she told Draco and then left the compartment, not noticing when the white-haired boy rolled his eyes.
"Well, she seems lovely," Harry commented diplomatically.
"A right whirlwind, Susan is," Draco commented with a fond grin. "I am sorry, by the way, for earlier, both of you. I tend to speak before I think," he added and the other boys nodded their acceptance of the apology. Maybe he's not like Dudley after all, Harry mused. Dudley wouldn't have ever apologized, so for him, the fact that Draco had apologized said a lot. I've heard of the Malfoys. Dad talks about the father, Lucius, a lot, Ron thought to himself. And his mum had always taught him and his siblings to give people a fair shake.
At the front of the bus, the driver, Romilda Porthos, glanced at her charges and smiled. The older kids talked with their friends while the younger kids stared at their things in amazement. I remember those days, she thought to herself. First when she had been a first- and second-year student, still amazed at the things she had in her possession: wand, the books, her familiar…then as third through seven-year student, chatting with her friends and making plans. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days, she thought to herself. But then again, growing up hadn't been all that easy either. Sure, a lot of people thought that being a witch or wizard made life easier, which in some ways it did, but it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either. Like anything in life, it took a lot of practice and patience to get good.
While this was going on, Susan was helping the other two girls look for the toad.
"Trevor! Here, Trevor!" she called. I can't believe I'm calling after a toad as if it's a dog, she thought to herself. And why would anyone want a toad as a familiar? They could get away far too easily.
"I'm sure it couldn't have gotten far," the busy-haired girl commented frowning in concentration as she looked under a seat, ignoring the boy who tried to kick her. We need to find it, she thought to herself. But where could it have hopped to. There was a croak and the trio chased after it, each girl's eyes widening in surprise as the toad continued to jump throughout the bus. They chased after it and-then groaned as they hit someone and fell down.
"Are you three okay?" a voice asked and the girls looked up to see a boy who was a little bit older than them. They smiled as they were helped up.
"Yes," the girl in the middle replied. "Oh, sorry! I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Susan Bones and Violet Morninglight," she introduced herself, gesturing to Susan and then the blonde.
"I'm Cedric Diggory," the boy introduced himself with a smile.
"Nice to meet you," the girls chorused.
"So, what exactly were you three chasing?"
"Neville's toad Trevor. Have you seen it?" Violet queried.
"I haven't," Cedric replied. Almost instantly, there was a croak and the small group chased after it, with the older boy raising his wand.
"Accio, toad Trevor!" he called and the toad let out a croak that almost sounded like a yelp as it flew back, landing in the boy's hands. Cedric murmured a soft spell and then handed it to Hermione.
"There you go. The spell I used will keep him from wandering off," he explained.
"Thank you," the girls chorused.
"You're welcome," he replied with a smile, watching as the girls went to find their friend. Then, he went back into his compartment, smiling to himself before joining his friends.
"Hey, what was that all about?" one of his friends-a boy with the same hair color as Ron's-queried.
"Helping some first years find their friend's toad, Fred," Cedric explained. Fred Weasley nodded in understanding as George scribbled something down.
"You're a good example of what a third year is supposed to be," Fred stated.
"Yeah, such a Hufflepuff," George teased, looking up briefly, only to laugh as Cedric playfully raised his wand as if to hex him.
"And what are you working on?" he wondered.
"A chocolate frog stink bomb," came the response. I wanna get the idea down before implementing it," he continued.
"Oooh big word," Cedric teased and George Weasley threw him a look of mock anger. "Are you guys still talking about opening a joke shop?" he queried.
"Yes," the two chorused together and their friend just shook his head. These two, he thought. He wasn't sure the world needed a joke shop but at least they were channeling their energies into something somewhat constructive. He just hoped that it didn't come back to bite them all in the ass. The last thing they needed were howlers on their first day back.
At Hogwarts school, Sybil Trelawney was getting her classroom ready for the start of the term. Another year at hand. I can't wait, she thought to herself. It was going to be wonderful. She always loved the start of a new year as it was filled with so much potential. Granted, her class of Divination wasn't thought well of, but it was important to discover those who had the Gift. She just needed to figure things out. Maybe I'll find someone with the Gift this year, she mused. She just wanted people to be prepared, was that so bad? She didn't think so. She placed the materials the students would need on their desks and smiled. There. That'll take care of them for now, she thought to herself. She couldn't wait to get the new crop of first years. It was always so exciting! She perused her classroom and then she stopped as a familiar feeling coursed through her as the images invaded her mind. She was in Hogwarts and there was a man with a turban. Quirinus Quirrell? she wondered as he paced. Why was she seeing him? That didn't make sense. Then, to her surprise, the man turned around and to her horror, a familiar face was on the back of the man's turban. Sybil screamed. Footsteps were heard and the woman was surrounded by the other teachers as well as the school caretaker, Argus Filch.
"Sybil, what is it?" Minerva McGonagall, Gryffindor's head of house, queried.
"He's coming to Hogwarts!" Sybil exclaimed.
"Who?" the head of Ravenclaw House, Filius Flitwick, questioned.
"He who must not be named!" Sybil told them.
"What?" gasped Pomona Sprout, who was the head of the Hufflepuff House. Had she heard right? Could it be? "No, it can't be," she added. Goodness, what's Sybil thinking, trying to cause a panic? she wondered.
"Are you sure?" Minerva asked.
"Now Sybil, why would you-know-who do that?" Filius queried; his voice skeptical. Really? She thinks that something like that could happen? he wondered. He really wished that Albus Dumbledore would dismiss her as she had no place in the school. Seriously, Divination as a subject? What was Albus thinking humoring her? It was embarrassing. Wish he'd do away with the subject, he thought to himself. Kids didn't need to waste time on something so useless.
"To destroy us all of course," Sybil responded. "He's coming. He's sharing a body with Quirinus Quirrell! We need to prepare! We need to stop him" she insisted. Why won't they listen to me? she wondered. She was so sick of people ignoring her warnings!
"That's enough, Trelawney," Argus growled. Wish she'd shut up, he thought to himself. She was so annoying and not even a real professor. Everyone knew that her prophecies were complete rubbish. At the sharp tone, Sybil's face fell and she ran out.
"Really, Argus, was that necessary?" Pomona queried.
"Especially when you're not even a teacher," Filius added. Granted, he felt the same way, but honestly, the man didn't need to be sticking his nose in places it didn't belong.
"Everyone knows that Sybil is looney," Argus insisted.
"Severus, what's your take on things?" Minerva questioned of the Slytherin House.
"While I doubt that Voldemort would use such a crass way to make a reappearance, it wouldn't hurt to be sure," Severus Snape responded, his voice even.
"That's how I feel as well," Minerva stated. Then, to Argus "If you ever speak to a professor like that again, I promise you, it'll be the last thing you do." With that, she strode out of the room and began looking for the younger professor, finally finding her in one of the girl bathrooms, the younger teacher's body wracking with sobs. "Sybil?" she queried, going up to her. Sybil gasped and wiped her eyes.
"Professor McGonagall," she said. "I know what I saw! Quirinus Quirrell is working for you-know-who!" she insisted.
"I believe you," Minerva assured and Sybil gasped in relief.
"Oh thank you, thank you!" she said. Hardly anyone ever believes me! she thought to herself. So the fact that the older professor did meant a lot to her. "So what are you going to do about Quirinus?" she wondered.
"Don't you worry about that," Minerva soothed. "You did your part and warned us." Sybil nodded. Glad she believes me, she thought to herself. Not many people did even though her prophecies often came true and she didn't know why that was. As if sensing her thoughts, the older woman took the younger woman's hands in hers. "We will figure this out, Sybil. I promise you. It just may take some time," she stated. Hate that this is happening to her. We need to figure this out, she thought to herself. But how? What were they missing in regards to Sybil's gift? Why did practically everyone always think she was lying when she made a prediction?
"Thank you, Minerva." With that, she smiled at the woman and then the two of them returned back to the room.
"You okay?" Albus checked and Sybil nodded.
"Now if there's no further business-" Albus started to say.
"There is. Harry Potter's place of residence," Minerva interrupted and everyone turned to her.
"Minerva," Albus said in surprise.
"No, Albus. We all saw the heading for his address. A cupboard under the stairs. I warned you that they were the worst sort of muggles and you still chose to leave him there," Minerva reminded him. Albus' brows flickered as his face turned even whiter than normal.
"I knew Petunia and Lily stopped getting along as children after Lily got her Hogwarts letter and I told Petunia that she wouldn't be able to come here because she couldn't do magic, but I never thought…" the man's voice trailed off sadly. I really thought he'd be safe there, he mused. How had he missed it?
"Have you heard from Arabella Figg?" Severus queried.
"Yes, but none of her written reports made note of anything untoward," Albus responded and the potions master frowned.
"Very odd," he commented. That's not like her, he thought to himself and then began to say something but was cut off by a commotion in the Great Hall. Surprised, everyone hurried there and saw the Hogwarts House Ghosts, Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington also known as Nearly Headless Nick, who was the ghost of Gryffindor, the Fat Friar who haunted the Hufflepuff common area, Helena Ravenclaw also known as the Grey Lady, who frequented the Ravenclaw section of Hogwarts, Baron De Wentworth who was also known as the Bloody Baron, and Peeves, a poltergeist who liked to cause mischief, flying around and the teachers shared a glance with each other. The Hogwarts ghosts were all in a dither, which could only mean one thing: the children had arrived.