Great Hall
—-
'Harry Potter' looked across the table where Daphne Greengrass and Lucina Malfoy. Both were looking surprised when Harry sat in front of them, and had the decency to look a little abashed. They now knew that the boy which one had called a mudblood, and the other had cast a spell on him.
What they didn't know is that the boy in front of them wasn't Harry Potter, but the Voice in his head.
While his eyes weren't red, Harry felt like he was in control, but he could feel the Voice slightly manipulating him. He definitely wasn't possessed right now, but the Voice was doing a bit more than manipulation by word.
As a result, the Boy-Who-Lived, who was normally a quiet-type, was now the complete opposite.
The girls in front of him were clearly trying to say something, signaling to each other as they nervously moved their fingers.
"You didn't tell us you were Harry Potter. Sorry for casting spells on you, it was immature on my part." Lucina managed to say.
"You never gave me the chance, pureblood." Harry said, recalling the not so pleasant language she used during the train ride.
Lucina managed to shut up, but Daphne didn't seem to take the words lightly it seemed.
"What's wrong with you? We said sorry, and we really had no idea you were Potter. Just because your famous doesn't mean we hav—"
"Firstly, you never said sorry, only your best friend over there did," Harry kept up one finger as he continued his interruption. "Secondly, the only reason you guys are saying sorry is because I'm famous, and I won't be taking a 'Stupefy' that lightly Ms. Green—"
"Welcome everyone. This is the beginning of another year at Hogwarts. This is the school where you learn about all kinds of magic, prosper under the care of our teachers, and make yourselves the best wizards and witches you can be. This is the school where you make friendships, friendships which will last your entire life. And I'm proud to say as Headmaster of Hogwarts, you will enjoy your time here. I welcome all the first years who have come to Hogwarts for the first time, and to start the feast, I have a few words."
Harry raised an eyebrow, few words? Was it a powerful spell that would conjure all the food onto the plates? Harry made sure to focus on the coming spells.
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
A round of applause echoed through the Hall at the words of the eccentric headmaster. Was he insane?
"That old man is off his knockers I'm telling you." Said a quiet voice next to him.
Harry looked to his right. When did the boy come there? He was dark-skinned, aristocratic-looking, and looked completely comfortable next to Harry.
"I'm Blaise Zabini, a pleasure to meet you." He said with a slanted smile as he gave out his hand, which Harry firmly shook.
"Hello Blaise, good to see how someone has manners at the very least." Harry gave a pointed look at the two blondes in front of him. Blaise chuckled silently as he began to fill his plate with all the food which had magically appeared (literally) in front of them.
Half an hour later, the food disappeared and Professor McGonagall gave an announcement.
"All first years follow the prefects of your house. You will also meet the Head of House who will give you some ground rules as well as introductions."
Harry promptly stood up, where he saw two students clearly standing out with shiny badges attached to their uniforms.
A boy with clearly gelled hair stood next to a tall brunette with noticeably blue eyes,
"First years! We are the prefects of Slytherin house; my name is Adrian Pucey, and the one next to me is—
"I can introduce myself, Pucey. My name is Alice Crouch, and I will guide you to our Head of House." Said the girl with a confident tone.
A train of gasps went through all the first years. Everyone except Harry of course. Why were they so surprised?
"Did she just say Crouch?"
"She's the daughter of the Head of the DMLE?"
Harry was thoroughly surprised, Bartemius Crouch, had a daughter in Hogwarts? She was the sole heir to currently one of the most powerful men in Britain in terms of politics and seemed to exert an aura of confidence. Harry started to look at her with a slight taint of respect as well.
Except Harry wasn't surprised, he didn't even know who Crouch was, and instead, the Voice seemed to present its surprise at the fact.
"Please note that as Slytherins, we don't accept any misbehavior in our house." She looked pointedly at Harry while she said that.
Now the respect was gone.
Why did they all assume about him so quickly? First, was the house situation, while he really was supposed to go to Ravenclaw, and 'somehow' managed to get into Slytherin, everyone assumed the legendary 'Boy-Who-Lived' would go to Gryffindor. And now, this spoiled Minister's brat immediately assumed that he was going to be a problem child.
He would prove them all wrong.
As they continued walking, a silhouette of a man appeared in front of them, revealing to who—Harry assumed—was their head of house.
A long, raven-haired man with impressive, midnight robes stood in front of them. A particularly annoyed gaze was present on the man, and he started to say a few words.
"Slytherin is the house of cunning, and ambition. Our house, since the time of Salazar Slytherin, has been ostracized for our talent, and whether it be potions or quidditch, we as Slytherins all have our abilities. Other houses can envy how we won the House Cup several years in a row, and I will not let a group of first years ruin that streak." He said that last sentence with an ugly sneer.
Once again, Harry could tell by his targeted gaze that it was directed towards him especially. Harry looked into the man's eyes defiantly.
Then a flash of pain went through his head as the Voice in his head screamed in outrage.
Legilimency on a first year? Don't look into his eyes, Harry!
Harry looked away as his head echoed with pain.
"My name is Severus Snape, your Potions professor and Head of Slytherin House, and I will not accept mediocrity from my students or House members. Thank you."
Harry was then quickly guided to his dorms, which he was glad to see that each student had their own room(albeit kind of small). However, as a boy who grew up in an orphanage, and sharing a room with a dozen other children, this was a major upgrade.
Harry unpacked, sorted out his room, and slept instantly.
He was pleased to note that his first night at Hogwarts was dreamless.
—Hp&Mf—
When Harry got his schedule, he was surprised to note that he had both Defense, Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms with the Gryffindors, which Harry didn't have too much of an opinion on yet.
The Great Hall was very busy that morning, as many students were new and merely exchanging and checking each other's schedules, seeing if they had any classes together. Whereas the older students were simply catching up with each other.
Harry was enjoying breakfast, when surprisingly Blaise Zabini sat next to him.
"Good morning, Potter." Blaise said with a smirk.
"Uhh—Zabini, what are you doing here?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"What? Am I not allowed to meet my friend?" Blaise still had that annoying smirk on his face.
"Friend?"
"That wounds me, Potter." Blaise mock pouted.
More light talk occurred, until it was time for the first class. Harry just followed Blaise.
—Hp&Mf
"...therefore Potions is the purest form of magic, and you should never underestimate the power of a potion, as it can decide whether you die or see another day." Snape ended his incredibly long speech with a bad note, and Harry found himself bored already.
Potions are incredibly underestimated to be fair.
'Still boring though.' Harry thought back.
Harry felt the professors eyes on himself as a torrent of words were unleashed onto him.
"Ahh Mr. Potter, think Potions is a little bit too beneath your level? Let's see if a celebrity studied his books beforehand shall we" Snape sneered at him.
Draco Malfoy and his goons laughed quietly at the corner to the right of Harry, and the Gryffindors were surprised that Snape of all people was targeting one of his Slytherins.
Harry was sweating. He was sure he could answer the questions Snape sent him, but he didn't really read much into the Potions book as he did the Charms and Transfiguration.
"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape rapidly said the question, almost as if was purposefully saying it quickly so Harry wouldn't understand.
Harry wouldn't put it past him.
The messy-haired brunette from before, Hermione or something, frantically shook her hand in clear show that she knew the answer. Blaise, who sat next to him, was trying not to smile as he saw her attempts to answer get completely ignored by the strict professor.
Luckily, Harry did know the answer, and the textbook had the text relating to the Draught of Living Death in the first few chapters.
"Umm— A Draught of Living Death, sir."
Snape looked surprised for a second before he started his torment again.
"What's the difference between Aconite and Wolfsbane? Where would I find a bezoar?"
"Aconite and Wolfsbane are the same thing, and a bezoar would be found in a...goat?" Harry finished with uncertainty.
"The stomach of a goat, Potter." Snape said with a mildly impressed tone. Snape seemed ready to let him go, but then a glint entered his eye.
Harry almost groaned out loud.
"In which potion, Mr. Potter, is both Boomslang skin and powdered Bicorn horn used, and why?"
Harry was completely flabbergasted; he never saw those potions in the textbook and even Hermione had her hand down with a confused expression. He was about to tell Snape that when—
Both those ingredients are used in Polyjuice potion, and those Bicorn horn is specifically used to neutralize the acidity of the Boomslang skin.
"Uhh- those ingredients are used in the Polyjuice potion, and the Boomslang skin is neutralized by the powdered Bicorn horn." Harry managed out, even though he didn't know what most of those words meant.
Snape looked completely taken back, and instead of looking at Harry, he just said to the class, "Well, is everyone taking notes?"
Hermione gave a curious glance towards him, and went back to taking notes. Blaise gave him congratulations for surviving Snape's torment. Lucina just made an unimpressed snort at his showing.
Harry wasn't thinking of anything related to Potions, and more about how he got that answer. The Voice, ever since that one day in the orphanage, has been influencing him more and more than normal. It even possessed him during the Malfoy incident, and during the teleportation he did. Harry was grateful for it, as if helped him several times, and while he didn't agree with its choice of Slytherin, he was grateful for the fact that he was able to get to Hogwarts because of it.
But what worried Harry is the fact that he had no idea what, or who it was. Why was it in his head? How was the Voice able to possess him?
You'll learn later.
'Or I could just tell Dumbledore.' Harry though back scadingly.
Dumbledore would immediately mark you as a dark wizard, and all the trust he has in you would immediately be demolished. And why are you mad that I'm here? I'm the reason you're able to catch up to the other students; without me, you will end up weak like you were in the orphanage.
Harry stopped talking after that.
The rest of Potions was merely theoretical, and they were tasked to make a very simple potion, one which everyone in the class easily made.
—-HP&MF
Charms ended up also being theoretically focused that day, and Professor Flitwick seemed like a good teacher.
Transfiguration ended up being also theoretical, although the spell where McGonagall changed the desk into a pig was very impressive to say the least. The endless uses of Transfiguration filled Harry's heads, and Harry could see the creative applications of it in dueling as well. Charms also would be incredibly useful in dueling for quick thinking and counter-attacks to the normally used curses and etc.
You would be surprised at how many wizards do use transfiguration and charms in their dueling, not particularly because of its effectiveness, but to catch the opponent off guard.
Harry supposed dueling would be a very strategic sport indeed, and looked forward to his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, and hoped for a good class.
He was glad to say that it most certainly was.
Professor Quirrell didn't look the most impressive, with a purple turban sitting proudly on his head. But what he lacked in looks, he most certainly made up for it with teaching effectiveness.
"In this class, we are learning about Defense Against the Dark Arts. Theory helps in particular situations, but I believe that the learning of spells is the most important part of my class. If you end up meeting a dark wizard, the theory of werewolves wouldn't help you in the slightest. In a few seconds, you would find yourself dead after a couple of spells. As a result, discipline is the number one priority in my class, and without discipline—no matter who your family is or how much talent you have—you will fail. So let's begin!"
The spell was Protego Parvus, a weaker variant of the Protego Charm, which made a translucent, blue layer of magic surround the user, and protect them from any weaker curses. For a first year, the spell was perfect for its wide range of usage.
Immediately, Harry first practiced the wand movements: a circular motion with the wand. It was easy, so Harry then went to add the words along with them.
"Protego Parvus!" Harry said, while quickly moving his wand.
Nothing happened.
"Protego Parvus!" Harry repeated, this time with more vigour.
A light-blue sheen covered his wand, but then disappeared immediately after.
"Looks like fame clearly won't help you with magic, Potter." Draco said while sniggering heavily.
Harry looked feveriousily towards Draco, and out of genuine curiosity, he asked Draco whether he could do it.
Draco confidently moved his wand, and said the words, "Protego Parvus!"
A blue shield sprang in front of him right after he said the words, and Draco merely smirked at his success.
"Five points to Slytherin for the successful shield charm, Malfoy!" Quirrell quietly said to the proud Slytherin.
After a few more attempts, Harry found that the spell still didn't work.
Harry was confused, what was different from him and Malfoy? Malfoy clearly had practiced before, as his sister and Daphne also produced the shield charm right after, gaining another ten points for Slytherin. Neville Longbottom seemed to be very proficient as well, producing the spell in his 'first' try. Even Hermione, a muggleborn, managed to get the spell before him. Was he really that weak?
You are making a crucial mistake.
'Well, I don't see you helping me.' Harry furiously responded.
Intent, Harry, Intent. Magic is all about having the intent to do something. As wizards we control magic; magic listens to our every word, and without intent the magic wouldn't know what to do. When you say the charm, you must have the intent of summoning the shield; imagine your magic flowing through the wand and into reality, and imagine a strong shield in its place. Try again!
Harry did. He imagined the steady flow of magic from his body to his wand, and eventually into his surroundings. He imagined the shield and its powerful, blue haze enveloping his and protecting him. But, to start it all, he had to say two words:
"Protego Parvus!"
A brilliant, blue light entered into the world as a shield surrounded Harry with clear intent to protect. Harry could feel the magic pulsing as it swirled around in its dome shape, waiting to pulverize any magic which dared to attack its user.
"Petrificus Totalus."
A sea-blue light zoomed into Harry's shield, and the shield managed to hold off the spell entirely, but the spot which the spell hit was clearly a bit thinner than other areas of the shield. An exhilarating feeling entered Harry's chest as he was stuck with a realization—he was actually doing magic!
"Ten points to Mr. Potter for summoning a perfect shield and managing to protect himself from my spell." Quirrell announced with excitement in his eyes.
It was his first taste of magic, and Harry could say he was addicted.
—-Hp&Mf
For the remainder of the day, after doing homework of course, Harry was just practicing the shield charm over and over, enjoying the feel of the magic manifesting into a shield.
Harry then went straight to the common room, where—to his surprise— found a fight occurring. An audience had also made a circle around the commotion, where two students (one, more exactly) seemed to be yelling.
Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin quidditch team, was arguing with Alice Crouch.
"Look, Marcus, you're creating an unnecessary scene. Give me the room, and it will be over." Alice said while gripping her wand tightly.
"Look, Crouch, I don't understand why you can't get this—your dueling team doesn't need more space." Marcus stubbornly responded, he also was getting white knuckles from holding his wand so tightly.
"Why would Quidditch require that room? You have an entire pitch for yourself and the other useless members! I know it might not be enough space to fit your egos, but sometimes you have to adjust, Flint." Alice said, slightly getting a warning tone in her voice.
Marcus was starting to get slightly red in the face, and made a decision he would regret.
"Stupefy!" Marcus shouted.
A bolt of red sped towards Alice as she immediately put up a solid Protego to stop the spell. Immediately after, Crouch went onto an aggressive streak as she sent a torment of spells towards Marcus.
"Stupefy! Depulso! Flariicium Pulso!" Alice cast a quick chain of spells which Marcus had to shield by using a Protego and transfiguring nearby furniture into miniature walls which shattered on contact with the Depulso spell. Fragments of concrete walls flew rapidly around the common room, and many students hastily brought up their own shields.
"Avis Accerci!" Marcus shouted behind his shield, clearly disgruntled by the number of spells coming his way.
A distracting flock of birds emerged from his wand and targeted Alice; unfortunately for Marcus, Alice easily responded with a flaming net which trapped all of the birds instantly and started another creative effort to defeat Marcus.
"Pluso Wingardium Leviosa!" Alice shouted.
Suddenly, all the fragments and pebbles which were made as a result from the transfiguration Marcus made, rose up in dramatic fashion, and the entire common room looked like the solar system with pieces of walls representing its stars. Startled, Marcus pulled up a radiant shield.
Rookie mistake.
Alice smiled a smile of triumph as her next spell won her the entire match,
"Ventus Tria!"
A spiraling torrent of wind erupted from Alice's wand as suddenly all the floating pieces were hurled straight towards Marcus. It was outright terrifying.
"Arresto Momentum!" Marcus shouted urgently behind his shield.
The fragments slowed down a tiny bit, but Alice continued to power the Ventus spell from behind, and the rocks powered into the shield.
A small crack appeared on the shield, and then started to rapidly spread to all the parts of the shield until it was no more. One stupefy later, Alice had won.
Alice Crouch looked to the rest of the audience.
"The room will be used by the Slytherin Dueling Team from now. Tryouts will be next month, and first years are allowed. So start practicing."
Every student in the common room went into applause, and Harry couldn't blame them.
Eh. It was average at the very least.
'Could you do better?' Harry asked, still in the adrenaline of the situation.
You have no idea, Harry. You and me, we will be the perfect team. With me helping you, your potential is greater than anyone in the entire school.
'Even Dumbledore?' Harry questioned.
Even Dumbledore.
Harry was still skeptical.
—Hp&Mf
By the end of the first day, Harry could say Blaise was a sort-of friend. He still hated Draco, and he mostly ignored Lucina and Daphne. It wasn't all too bad.
But due to the events of the day, Harry had a new passion. Looking at the amount of power Crouch had wielded, Harry wished to be that strong. He wanted to completely destroy his opponents in duels like that. And the only way to get to that level would be to join the Slytherin Dueling Team.
And to do that, Harry needed to practice.
With the first day of Hogwarts over, Harry slept with dreams about dueling, magic, and a certain voice in his head.
—
Authors Note: Another chapter, the longest till date. I really hope you liked the duel scene becuase thats i imagined duelling to be. Harry now has a new passion, and now you will see how Tom Riddle will fit into the dueling scene. And Dueling, in my Fic, is also a major sport next to Quidditch. So there will be an audience and more will be explained in the next chapter. Crouch situation will also be explained. Next chapter will be Dueling tryouts.
As always, review! It's free and you can always take it back. It helps me improve my writing and gives me motivation to write. Thanks!
~Atlanus