I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. Glad to see you are enjoying the Fanfiction so far and thank you for those who gave me some advice and ideas for characters or pairings they would like to see. Anyway here is Chapter 2 of 'A different Hogwarts experience'. This took a couple of days to write, as I was visiting family and didn't have much time to write, but its here now, so enjoy!
Chapter 2
The Sorting
Harry nervously stood by James as they, and the rest of the first years followed Hagrid up to the castle. The huge half giant led them through the courtyard, to the castles front doors. In front of the doors was an older woman in green robes with a large hat that looked like the stereotypical muggle witch hat. The woman had steel grey hair done into an elegant bun. Her eyes were a deep blue, and her face was thin with wrinkles. If Harry was being honest, the woman intimidated him. There was a stern look about her. Stern and strict. It was unnerving.
"All present and accounted for Professor" Hagrid spoke
"Thank you Hagrid" The woman spoke in a smooth yet firm tone "I can take it from here"
"Of course Professor" Hagrid nodded and walked away, heading inside the castle
The woman looked at the students, her eyes slowly sweeping over, and gazing, at each and every one of them. The action made Harry shiver a little bit.
"Welcome to Hogwarts" She said, after a moment "I am Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Headmistress…I would like to mention that good behaviour and hard work will earn you points and any rule breaking will lose you points…please follow me"
The students shuffled as they quickly followed after her. The inside of the castle was just as elegant as the outside. Harry would have liked to take it all in, however he was unable to, as McGonagall continued towards some closed doors. She stopped and turned to them.
"Now, it is time for you to go in and join your classmates, but before you do, you must be sorted into your houses" She said "They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin…remember, your house will be like your family, so respect and treat them as such…wait here, I will see if they are ready"
McGonagall entered through the doors, leaving the group of first years alone, who began talking to one another. That was until a blonde haired boy spoke up.
"So it's true" He said "What they were saying on the train…Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts!"
All conversation stopped, as whispers of shock and disbelief were heard throughout the group, making Harry a little bit nervous.
"This is Crabbe and Goyle" He continued, gesturing to the boys with him, as he approached Harry, stopping in front of him "And I am Malfoy…Draco Malfoy!"
"S-so you are the one I was warned about" Harry replied
"Warned about, from who!" Malfoy demanded
"That would be me Malfoy" James said
Malfoy looked at James to respond, only for his eyes to widen in slight shock and fear. However, it quickly disappeared as a sneer spread across his face. He went to say something, but closed his mouth and walked away from them with a growl. Everyone watched on in interest, before they started whispering about what went on.
"What was that about?" Harry asked softly
"What do you mean?" James replied
"He looked scared of you for a moment" Harry explained
"Doesn't surprise me" James shrugged "I won't tell you why…not now, but I promise I will one day"
Harry wanted to say something, but decided to leave it be for now and settled for a nod. It was then, when McGonagall came back. She was holding some kind of scroll in her hand.
"Follow me" She said "They're waiting" She opened the doors and led the group into the Great Hall.
Harry, and even James had to admit, the Great Hall was beautiful. There were four long tables going all the way down to the Professors table, one for each house. Above them were arches with an enchantment to make the ceiling look like the night sky with floating candles. The Professors table was on a podium going from one end of the room to the other, with each Professor sat at their respected seats. Harry took notice of the person in the middles of the table. He was sat on what looked like a throne. He was dressed in bright purple robes and had a very long beard and hair that had long since gone white, with bright blue eyes. Harry guessed this was Dumbledore. It may have been his imagination, but he felt like the headmasters gaze was on him. McGonagall led them to the podium, where there was a stool, with a hat on top. As soon as the group made it too the podium, the hat came to life.
"Oh you may not think me pretty, But don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all. There's nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can't see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folks use any means To achieve their ends. So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands, though I have none. For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Harry wasn't sure what to expect, but a singing hat wasn't one of them. He looked at the other first year students, to see they were just as surprised. He took a look at James, to see a look of utter disbelief, as if he couldn't comprehend what he has just heard.
"Now, I will call you up one by one" McGonagall said, unrolling the scroll "You will sit on the stool…I'll place the sorting hat on your head and it will sort you into your house"
McGonagall looked at the scroll for a moment before she called out: "Hannah Abbott!"
Harry watched as one of the girls he shared a boat with, nervously make her way up to the podium. She sat down on the stool, where McGonagall placed the hat on her head, which caused her to jump slightly.
"Hmm" The sorting hat spoke "Interesting…a good mind and a strong sense of loyalty to your friends…better be, HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table cheered, as Hannah made her way over, smiling, as her lapels and tie changed to the signature yellow colour. McGonagall returned to the scroll, before calling out: "James Badger!"
Harry watched as James made his way up, not looking scared or nervous. Quite a few people actually seemed to be watching with interest, as James sat on the stool. Harry wasn't sure why, but he was certain he will find out sooner or later.
"Ah yes, I've been looking forward to your sorting Mr Badger" the sorting hat said "You parents were brilliant students and I hope you do just as well…I must say you have an interesting mind…a lot of courage, knowledge, loyalty and cunning…it's almost difficult to decide…though I must say, you tend to use your knowledge and cunning to get out of problems rather then stand and fight…hmm…yes… it seems obvious now…welcome Mr Badger to, SLYTHERIN!"
Slytherin House cheered, as James' lapels and tie changed, like Hannah's, except his were an emerald green. James gave Harry a subtle wink and mouthed 'good luck' as he made his way and sat at the Slytherin table, shaking hands with a few of the older students. Harry became more and more nervous as he waited for his turn to be called up. He did take note of a few students, like Susan Bones, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy, until after a while: "Harry Potter!"
The entire room fell quiet, as Harry slowly made his way up to the stool. He couldn't help but notice the headmaster lean forward in his seat. He heard whispers across the room, but chose to ignore them as he nervously sat down, where the hat went onto his head.
"Hmm, difficult…very difficult" The sorting hat spoke "A lot of courage I see, as well as a sense of loyalty…not a bad mind either, as well as a thirst, to prove yourself…but where to put you"
Harry nervously played with his robe, as he thought about what Hagrid told him:
'There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin'.
But then he thought about what James said on the train:
'Not all Dark Wizards and Dark Lords are all from Slytherin, there have been some from all other houses…people like to forget that'.
"He is right you know" The hat said, startling Harry "A house shouldn't be judged by their reputation…and a student shouldn't let their house define them…remember Mr Potter, your actions make you who you are…but now I see…I sense great potential in you Mr Potter, I hope you do well in: SLYTHERIN!"
There was silence for a moment, before the Slytherin table began cheering and clapping, ecstatic that they got The-Boy-Who-Lived. Harry made his way over to the table, as his lapels and tie also changed to the emerald green, and sat next to James.
"Welcome to Slytherin" James smiled, as he patted him on the back
Harry smiled back, hoping that this wouldn't cause any problems for him in the long run.
…
Dumbledore watched as Harry went over to the Slytherin table. He had spent the past ten years wondering about what would happen when Harry came to Hogwarts. He wanted Harry to go to Gryffindor like his parents, though he knew he could go to Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or even Slytherin. Now, Dumbledore had no problem with him being in Slytherin, but it did concern him a little bit. He hoped Harry wouldn't turn out like Voldemort, so head to make sure that the mistakes he has made in the past would not happen again. However, it seemed he made friends with James Badger, which was a good thing. Though the Badger's were a more darker family, they always fought for the light. Whilst he did wish Harry made friends with Ron Weasley, but James was just as good.
Another cause for concern was how thin Harry was. The messy black hair, green eyes and glasses he was expecting, but it looked like the boy had been starved. He had hoped that Petunia would get over her hatred of her sister and treat Harry like he was one of her own, but that wasn't the case it seemed. He was going to have to do something about that.
…
Snape was also watching as Harry went over to the Slytherin table. He had long since forgiven the James Potter for his behaviour and he and Lily, who had forgiven him for being called a Mudblood even if he believed he didn't deserve her forgiveness, in return. However, he never had the opportunity to properly apologise for his actions. Seeing the boy now, he saw an opportunity to feel like he has earned their forgiveness. The green of the boys eyes, like that of Lily's made him want to practically beg for it. The way he treated James and also Lily, wasn't going to be repeated, he was going to treat Harry right, even if they weren't here to give him that forgiveness.
…
Harry was glad that, so far, everything had been fine. Besides Malfoy, everyone treated him with respect. Not to mention the food was good. Being starved by the Dursleys and only being given barely anything made him grab practically everything. He did feel unnerved, though, that two people had been watching him throughout dinner. One of them was a pale skinned man, with shoulder length greasy black hair and hooked nose, dressed in black robes. The other was a timid looking man, who was wearing a large purple turban, who he was certain he had met before in Diagon Alley but couldn't remember his name.
"Hey James, who are those people?" Harry asked
"Going to need context Harry" James said "Who are you talking about?"
"That man in the black robes and the man in the turban" Harry replied
"Well the man in the black robes is Severus Snape" James replied "Potions professor and Head of Slytherin House…he has a bit of a bias problem when it comes to Slytherin house, though he is fair with other students"
"What about the man in the turban?" Harry asked "I believe I have met him briefly, but I can't remember his name"
"I don't know" James said, narrowing his eyes slightly, before he turned to one of the older Slytherin students "Hey, Flint, who is the man in the turban?"
"That is Professor Quirrell" Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and prefect answered "He was the muggle studies professor, but was recently named as the Defence Professor"
"What he said" James said, looking back to Harry "Why do you ask?"
"I am unnerved by how they keep looking at me" Harry replied
"Don't worry about it" James said "I doubt they're going to do anything to you"
Harry didn't get the chance to reply, before Dumbledore stood up and began to speak.
"Now that we are all fed, I would like to have a few words, before you all head up to bed" He spoke, everyone listening "First off, I would like to mention that the third floor corridor, on the right hand side, is out of bounds, for everyone who does not wish to die a painful death"
Harry's eyes widened in shock. He saw that James was looking at the headmaster as if he was going senile. He couldn't blame him either. Who tells young children something like that?
"I would also like to mention that the forbidden forest is out of bounds" he continued "Hence why we call such a place 'forbidden', finally Filch our caretaker, has given us a list of all the new forbidden items, you will find a list on the door to the confiscation cupboard…that is all, goodnight"
Immediatley, all the students stood up and began to make their way outside the Great Hall.
"Okay, first years follow me" Flint said "I'll take you to the Common Room"
James and Harry followed along with the rest of the students, as Flint led them downstairs, to the dungeons. If Harry was being honest, something got lost in translation when it came to building the place. Everything else was elegant and grand, but the dungeons looked dreary and dark. Flint led them deep into the dungeons, where they came across a wall between two pillars.
"This is the entrance to the common room" Flint spoke "It may just look like a wall, but speak this years password and the wall will reveal the entrance, this years password is 'Pureblood'"
Flint turned and spoke the password once more, where the wall moved to reveal a door. Despite the dreariness, the common room was quite grand. There was a massive fireplace, surrounded by couch's, tables, chairs and book cases, with archways leading to other areas of the common room. If the view outside the large glass windows were any proof, they seemed to be under water.
"This is the Slytherin Common room" Flint said "Through the archways on the right, you will find the entrances to the boys and girls dorms, all your stuff has already been brought down and you have been sorted into pairs…two per bedroom…our Head of House, Professor Snape will be here soon to give you the rules"
Flint then walked off, into the boys dorms, leaving the first years to talk amongst themselves. Malfoy chose this opportunity to approach Harry.
"So Potter" He sneered "A Half-Blood in Slytherin? How does it feel to be a disappointment?"
"Leave me alone Malfoy" Harry replied
"Make me Potter!"
"He told you to leave him alone, blondie" James spoke up
Malfoy looked at James, but didn't say anything. It was then, where the entrance to the Common Room began to open. James, seeing everyone was distracted, quickly took out his wand, flicking it and making Malfoy's trousers fall down, before putting his wand away again. The speed in which he did so, impressed Harry. Snape entered the Common Room, to see Malfoy standing with his trousers down, his face almost as red as his underwear.
"Malfoy…" He spoke in a silky voice "What…pray tell…are you doing, with your trousers down?"
"I…uh…" Malfoy stammered, as he put his trousers back up "They just…fell sir"
"They just…fell?" Snape replied, before he addressed the rest of the room "I would like to welcome you all to Slytherin House…I do hope you follow the rules, I do not wish for any of you to be punished and ruin Slytherin's name…Your schedules will be handed out tomorrow morning at breakfast…make sure you are on time to lessons, we do not accept you being late without good reason…Quidditch try outs will also be starting in the next few weeks, ask the Quidditch Captain for more details…we also have a strict curfew, so make sure you are in on time…that is all, goodnight"
"Well, that was informative" James said, after he left "Then again, he probably chose not to repeat what we already know"
"We should probably go to sleep" Harry replied "Everyone seems to be heading to the dorms"
James nodded, as they went through the door to the boys dorm. As luck would have it, they were both roommates, much to Harry's relief. Their stuff already in the room, just like Flint said. The two of them started to get changed, but due to how tired he was feeling, Harry forgot about his scars.
"Harry" James said "What are those?"
"What are what?" Harry asked
"Those scars" James replied, which caused Harry's eyes to widen in fear "Who did this to you?"
"It's nothing" Harry said, turning around and standing away from him "Just forget about them"
"Harry who did this too you?" James asked "If someone did this to you, I can see them locked up, for child abuse"
Harry looked up, when he heard the words 'locked up'. Could James get that to happen? He had tried to complain about their abuse before, but it always backfired.
"The…the Dursleys" Harry said "My muggle relatives…they hate anything to do with magic…even me…can you really get them locked up?"
"Yes I can" James replied "With the right people…you are my friend Harry, I'm not going to sit back and let this happen, give me some time and I will see them locked up"
Harry smiled widely. He's glad he chose to come to Hogwarts. Everything for him was going well and he hoped they get even better.
...
Hey guys, that was chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed. If I'm being honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Because I wasn't able to work on it for as much as I would've liked, I feel like it was a bit rushed, especially at the ending, so I apologise if you think it is rushed in some places.
I forgot to mention this in the summary, but this isn't a Bad/Manipulative Dumbledore Fanfic. He just does what he thinks is the only way to do something. I know it says Dumbledore bashing in the summary, but that is because James won't be that trusting to Dumbledore as he is a man who keeps too many cards close to his chest. Also, Snape is good as well because...it's my story. I quite like the fanfics where people do a Good Snape.
I would also like to thank adolebitque, for suggesting I put in line breaks and spaces between character dialogues, I hope this was better and also, I would like to thank one of my friends, who suggested I have James use magic to make Malfoys trousers fall down as Snape is about to come in.
As for the sorting, it was a bit of a struggle between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, but Slytherin won out in the end, so sorry to those like Ann who would've liked to see them in Ravenclaw. The sorting hat song I looked for on google and I couldn't find anything about Slytherin House passwords for their Common Room so I just went with what 'Purebloods', it seemed appropriate at the time. Also, yes, the Dursleys will be punished...we all hate them right...but it will be a while until then and I hoped you enjoyed the small moment between James and Harry at the end.
That is all for now, characters and pairings still up for consideration, so do leave suggestions and like I said, if you would like to see something happen in the Fanfic, leave a suggestion and I'll see what I can do. See you in Chapter 3, where there will be lessons, introductions and maybe a confrontation with...a certain red head.
Badger out
