A/N: Yo! Sorry this took way, way too long, school and music and other stuff takes up all of my time -_- I'll definitely try to update this more often. Enjoy!
Chapter Three: Can We Kick It?
…
Harry finally arrived to his room, decidedly annoyed.
Not too soon after the Sorting Dinner, his new housemates bombarded him with questions; was he really the Harry Potter they'd known about since they were children? Did his scar hurt often? How did he defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby?
He understood that his House was known for their thirst for knowledge, but this was ridiculous!
"Still, I guess it's only natural," Harry reasoned. "This Voldemort guy must be a scary piece of work if people can't even work up the nerve to say his name…"
The tuckered out boy found his modest belongings next to a bed overseeing a window, displaying the lake they crossed to get to Hogwarts in all its moonlit gorgeousness; a few sparse clouds floated by the sparkling night sky effortlessly, filling Harry with a strange sense of peace.
Choosing this time to unpack his clothes and school supplies while his roommates mingled in the common room with a couple of his other housemates, Harry stared at the hefty present the Midtowns gave him before he left. With eagerness and speed unrivaled, the messy-haired boy none too gently removed the plain brown paper wrapping, only to halt immediately at the fully exposed sight of his gift.
It was a small milk crate filled to the brim with cassette tapes, and at a passing glance Harry could tell they were albums and singles he'd yet to hear before. A folded piece of paper hung loosely from one of the holes of the crate by an earthy green ribbon, which Harry took no time in reading.
"Dear Harry (that's you!)," the note read, earning gentle laughter from the boy, "Me and the wife were mighty sad when we heard you were leaving for that fancy new school of yours. I don't think anyone we've had walk into this old shop of ours has been quite as fun as you; I reckon there isn't another kid on this planet like you.
"Anyways, what with you coming into the shop almost every day for a year and talking to us old people about nerdy music things, Ally suggested we gather up as many tapes as we could and give 'em to you. There's a lotta unreleased stuff in there I think you'll like; P.S., it's not just hip hop, either!
Go forth 'n conquer, grasshopper. You always have someone at home rooting for ya.
- peace, love & soul, Harrison Midtown
(P.S., we miss you already, Four Eyes – Ally)"
Harry gave a watery smile as he held the note close to his heart.
"Figures that I have to leave the only family I've ever had the moment I meet them," He thought sadly, sniffling away the remaining tears threatening to fall. "I have to do good here though. They're rooting for me." He thought with determination. Fear eventually replaced it as the good feeling subsided. "I really hope Miss Alicia is right about this new school thing."
"Um, hello?"
The boy jumped in surprise, quickly turning around towards the door. In turn, the pudgy, brown-haired boy at the door retreated backwards, hiding part of his face. "O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," He apologized. "I-I was just wondering where you had gone. Everyone in the common room was looking for you after you managed t-to disappear earlier."
Harry sighed and relaxed. "No no, it's fine. I kinda didn't wanna deal with everyone asking me a whole lot of questions at once, y'know?"
The boy, now fully in the room, nodded in agreement. "I can understand. Must get p-pretty annoying to have someone ask about your parents all the time, huh?"
Harry just shook his head. "You have no idea."
The other boy smiled sadly. "M-more than you might think."
Harry quirked an interested eyebrow. "What's your name, by the way?" He asked.
The boy blinked in surprise and scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Um, Neville. N-Neville Longbottom. Nice to meet you, Harry." He stuck out his hand politely, which Harry returned with a hearty shake.
"Nice to meet you too, Neville. You wouldn't happen to be my roommate, would you?" Harry inquired hopefully. So far he'd met at least one person who wasn't super pushy and had bothered to treated him like a regular person.
"It s-seems so. That's not a problem, is it?" Neville asked, dropping his gaze down to his shoes.
Harry quickly shook his head, "Not even! Trust me, I'm happy to make a new friend and have him as a roommate too instead of the opposite, hehe." Neville finally grinned and relaxed his posture, moving to sit on his side of the room.
His gaze shifted to the crate of cassette laying on Harry's bed and his face shifted into a look of curiosity. "What's th-that, Harry?"
Harry looked back and his blood ran cold. He forgot his tapes were out in the open!
"Okay, don't panic," Harry thought, feeling increasingly nervous. "Neville seems like a nice enough guy – maybe he won't freak out or poke fun at my incredibly nerdy and niche interest!" The green-eyed boy laughed awkwardly, "Heh heh, this? Just a present from some, er… family members back home."
Neville gave him a strange look.
Harry sighed once more and hopped on his bed, his countenance morphing into melancholy. "Promise you won't make fun?"
Neville nodded and leaned forward, his interest now piqued.
"They're cassette tapes," He explained. "I love music. In particular, I have a very deep attachment to a genre of music called hip-hop. Some very friendly, loving people back home introduced me to it and ever since I just have not been able to stop wanting to learn more about it."
Neville simply blinked.
Harry face-palmed. "I forgot that it's a non-magical thing and you probably have no idea what a cassette tape player is."
The shy boy smiled sheepishly. "N-not a clue, nope."
Harry felt laughter bubble up from his throat and let it loose, causing both boys to laugh at themselves. "Seems like I have a lot to explain, huh?" Harry said, reclining on his back.
Neville grinned back, "Well, we are R-Ravenclaws. What's a little s-sleep in the face of new knowledge?"
…
Luna found herself very intrigued.
From the moment she met Harry Potter, she found he had the most severe case of Nargle infection she'd ever seen. But even more concerning than that, instead of floating around him in a mass like a colony of bees and biting him, they seemed to warp around the boy, moving slow and peaceful like rings around a planet. Like nothing she had ever seen before!
Even if he weren't kind and brave and smart, she felt she would be drawn to Harry on that detail alone.
"Daddy would absolutely love to hear about this," The blonde girl pondered. "Our research on Nargle behavior is going have to become even more intricate than it already is." She then giggled, "I wonder if Harry would be okay with being a subject of a personal Lovegood experiment?"
She turned over in her bed, pulling the sheets closer to her. Reflecting on the day, she felt her cheeks burn; somehow, she'd been able to make a friend without doing much at all on her part. He'd even defended her from a couple bullies!
Luna felt confused, but happy all the same. "Why me, though?" She wondered none too anxiously. "The only friend I've had is Daddy since I was a little girl. Why was he so nice to me…?"
And the music! She hadn't been able to get that song out of her head all day, it was so… wonderfully different!
"Just like Harry," She added with a small smile. "I do hope he shows me more eventually. I have a feeling this year will be quite interesting indeed…"
She snuggled closer to the bedsheets and closed her eyes, sleep claiming her not soon after.
…
Harry awoke to an empty room, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon. He looked over to Neville's bed, only to find it made neatly with a small piece of parchment and a hastily scribbled note.
"Dear Harry," the note read, "Headed down for breakfast a little early. I'll meet you there.
- Neville"
Harry shrugged and rubbed some more of the sleep out of his eyes, walking sluggishly to the bathroom to get his day started. Once he hopped out the shower and brushed his teeth (failing to lay his hair in any sort of orderly manner, as usual), the boy found himself in the middle of a dilemma.
Typically, Harry would have to wait until the dead of night to listen to his music since that's when his relatives would be fast asleep. But now, here he was with the freedom to listen to his tapes at will. Which gave him a problem.
What tape would he take with him today?
He turned his gaze to the small, densely-packed milk crate and smirked. "I guess now's a good time as any to check out what Mister Harrison decided to give me," Harry thought giddily. Intentionally selecting an album without looking, the boy grabbed his Walkman and strolled out of his room, anxiously excited for what the day would bring.
He slid in the tape and let the warm, familiar crunch and hiss of silence fill his ears.
(Music: KMD – Peachfuzz)
After a few moments of walking and silently dancing down the steps of Ravenclaw Tower by himself, Harry slowly began to realize that he had gotten lost.
"How in the world did I manage to get lost going down a tower of all places?" Harry thought, a little irritated and embarrassed. He peeked both ways down the hall at the entrance of the Tower and huffed in defeat; it was going to take him all morning to get to the Great Hall in this maze of a school.
"Well, isn't this a surprise!" A soft voice exclaimed directly next to Harry's headphone-covered ear.
"Yipe!" Harry yelped, giving the boy enough of a fright for him to fall on the cobblestone ground. He looked up and felt his face fall and his eyes widen and sink; what he saw nearly made him pass out.
A nearly translucent woman floated – actually floated! – close to him, her features etched into permanent melancholy and concern. She was classically gorgeous, dressed in old Victorian-era dresses and donned a fancy high hairdo, a couple stray brown locks falling effortlessly next to her cheeks. Had the situation not been terrifying, Harry might've had the decency to blush at the woman's beauty.
"I didn't think first-year students would be awake for breakfast this early," The ghostly woman said curiously, placing a hand on her chin. "Fourth-years and above, perhaps. But this is the second of you I've seen today."
Harry was still frightened but managed to gather up the bravery to respond to her. "Y-you aren't going to hurt me?"
The woman looked aghast, placing a shocked hand to her heart. "Heavens, no! What would give you such an awful idea?"
Harry gulped, but once again replied. "I'm sorry. I'm k-kind of scared of ghosts… I didn't expect to actually meet one so closely."
The woman's face softened in understanding and simply smiled. "Oh, I see. You must be a Muggleborn."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, nodding shyly. "I'm Harry. Do you think you could help me find my way to the Great Hall?"
The woman curtsied gracefully, "A pleasure to meet you, Harry. My name is Helena Ravenclaw; but most simply refer to me as The Grey Lady."
"Oh!" Harry gasped. "I'm sorry Miss Ravenclaw, I-I had no idea you were-"
The Grey Lady laughed politely and waved off the boy's apology. "It's perfectly alright, Harry. Come, let me help you on your way." She leaned forward and drifted off at a leisurely pace, with Harry following her close by.
Harry occasionally glanced between the Lady and the stone flooring, unable to think of any conversation between the two of them. Though the silence was awkward, the Grey Lady's amusement could almost be felt in the air.
"I imagine this all comes as quite a shock, yes?" The Lady asked, looking down at Harry. The boy nodded meekly, running a nervous hand through his hair. She laughed once more, "I've met many a first-year that comes from where you do, Harry. Although, I don't think I've seen one with such interesting headwear…?"
Harry cocked his head in confusion before following the Grey Lady's gaze to his bright yellow headphones, the faint melodies and rums still able to be heard. "Oh, these!" Harry replied. "These are just my headphones, Miss Ravenclaw. They're for my Walkman."
The Grey Lady gave him the same look Nevillle gave him last night.
Harry sighed.
…
(music continues...)
Harry bid farewell to the Grey Lady and watched, enraptured as she floated upwards and phased past the ceiling.
"Harry!"
The green-eyed boy turned towards the sound of his name, seeing Neville sitting by himself with a plate full of breakfast. Harry smiled and joined him, sitting across from the shy boy.
"What are you doing up so early, Neville?" Harry asked.
Neville grinned and pulled out his wand from beneath the table. "My gran took me to Ollivander's to get me a proper wand. She and the headmaster had a conversation of sorts the night before, apparently."
Harry nodded in understanding. "Cool! What was wrong with your old one, though?"
Neville's face drooped automatically, his pleased expression morphing into one of deep melancholy. "I-it was my dad's."
"Oh," Harry replied lamely. "Are they…?" He asked, afraid to finish the question as it stood.
Neville gave a short shake of the head. "They were t-tortured by one of the Dark Lord's worse followers. They, um… they never recovered. Went into extreme shock."
Harry felt intensely terrible. "I'm sorry, Neville."
The pudgy boy gave a half-hearted smile, "It's o-okay, Harry. If anyone understands, i-it's you."
Harry simply smiled gratefully and filled up his plate sparsely. "So, uh, what classes d'you have?"
Neville sighed, "Nothing too bad. Flying, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology. What about you?"
The green-eyed boy brightened, "We've got the same Flying and Potions class! I've just got History of Magic after first class and Charms my last." Neville smiled; it would be much less nerve-wracking having a friend in class the first day.
More students began to fill up the Great Hall as time passed. Since the boys had gotten there so early, they could actually take time to enjoy breakfast and relax a little before class.
"So this yellow box is how you listen to music?" Neville asked, twisting and turning the Walkman to get a good look at it from every angle.
Harry grinned at his new friend's curiosity. "Yeah! It really comes in handy because I can just take whatever tapes I can fit in my pockets and go." Then, with an embarrassed smile, "The batteries don't exactly last too long though."
"Batteries?" Neville questioned.
"A Muggle way for powering smaller stuff," Harry answered.
"So it's not powered by magic!" A voice next to Harry breathed.
Both Neville and Harry jumped at the sudden arrival of Luna Lovegood, sitting casually next to Harry with her legs crossed and tea in hand. She closed her eyes serenely after taking a sip and gave a content smile. "I do enjoy jasmine tea so. Good morning, Harry Potter."
Harry grinned. "Hullo, Luna. Have you met Neville?"
She turned her wide eyes towards the bashful boy and rested her cheek on her fist. "Why, hello Neville. Are you Harry Potter's friend as well?"
Neville blushed and waved, "Y-yeah, we're roommates. Neville Longbottom, n-nice to meet you, Luna…?"
For a split second, she lost her absent-minded countenance and sat up straighter with pride. "Lovegood. Nice to meet you as well." She turned back towards Harry, taking a bite from a lemon scone that appeared on her plate. "Have you been on the lookout for Arrow-headed Lilyflies, Harry Potter? They're known to cause your bedsheets to make you cold instead of warm, you know."
Both boys looked at each other fearfully. Harry shook his head, "I didn't even know those were creatures I had to be aware of. Are they dangerous?"
"Oh, certainly not," the mellow girl replied. "Very mischievous, but harmless all the same."
Neville blew out a relieved breath. "Nothing a warming charm shouldn't take care of, then."
"You already know how to cast a warming charm?" Luna asked, focusing her large eyes squarely on Harry's new friend. Neville had the grace to smile sheepishly. "Er, n-not exactly."
"We should be going, Neville. Class is about to start soon!" Harry exclaimed, hopping out of the table. Neville's eyes widened and he quickly followed suit. The green-eyed boy turned back to Luna as they ran towards the door, "See ya later, Luna! We'll catch you back here at dinner!"
"I-it was nice to meet you!" Neville added.
Once they were out of sight Luna sighed happily to herself. A new friends and tea & scones for breakfast? Her day could only get better from here.