A/N: Hello people! I hope you're enjoying it so far, here's a long chapter for you!

Chapter 3:

Today's the day! Harrison thought as soon as he opened his eyes. The moment he'd been waiting for for as long as he could remember, Hogwarts, finally. His roomed looked quite empty now, most of his belongings in the black trunk that lay open in the middle of his floor. He opened his matching leather satchel and put his uniform to change into on the train, along with a book to read on the journey and his money pouch.

He then walked into his bathroom for the last time, and changed into his travel clothes of choice – black trousers, a grey button-down and his boots, ensuring his wand was in place on his arm he took one last look around his room. Once satisfied he had everything he would need, he shrunk the trunk, placed it inside his satchel along with the shrunken, empty bird cage. Both he and Nick had received owls for their birthday to encourage them to write home, Nick had a barn owl that he'd named Faron, and Harrison had received a beautiful snowy owl, now called Hedwig. He'd already sent her ahead to Hogwarts the night before.

He walked into the kitchen to find his parents, Sirius and Remus already sat at the table, drinking coffee, they looked up as he entered.

'Morning Harry! Are you all ready to go?' Lily asked, setting a plate of food down in front of him

'Yes, I've been packed for weeks now' He replied

'That's good dear, I wish your brother had followed your example, he's up packing now and can't find half his things!' She seemed exasperated

Speaking of, Nick half ran through the door, looking very stressed

'Mum, I can't find my wand!'

She sighed and got up to follow and help him look, shooting a look at Harrison who was trying and failing not to laugh.

Once they were all finally ready, they made their way to Kings Cross Station, reaching the barrier 15 minutes before the train was due to leave. Harrison watched as his parents, followed by Nick ran through the wall, disappearing to the other side.

'You next then cub' Remus said, gesturing for him to go

Harrison took a deep breath and ran at the wall, feeling the magic flow around him as he passed through the barrier. He looked up once he was through to see the bustling station, full of parents, grandparents and children rushing about, saying their goodbyes. He spotted his family and walked over to them, Remus and Sirius behind him.

'Okay you two, you better get on the train I suppose, oh I don't know if I'm ready for this' their Mum looked as if she were about to burst into tears

'Look after each other, Nick don't play any pranks for the first couple of weeks okay? We love you both so much!' She pulled them both into a hug

'Don't worry Mum, we'll be fine' Nick smiled at her

People were starting to point now as they noticed Nick, whispers following them

'Is that Nick Potter? I didn't know he was going to Hogwarts this year!'

Harrison rolled his eyes

'Maybe we should go and find a seat now' he suggested, his mum nodding, pulling herself together

'Yes, go on then, have fun, don't forget to write!' She pulled them in for one last hug, and they bode their goodbyes to the rest of their family before climbing on the train.

They'd made it just in time, as soon as they pulled the door shut, the train started to move, they waved to their family until they were out of sight and upon sharing a look, went their separate ways to find a compartment.

Harrison wandered down the corridor, glancing in each compartment as he went, searching for an empty one, it didn't take him long, he entered and settled himself down, opening the first-year potions book he'd packed, he'd already read it once but upon hearing stories of Snape from his family, he didn't want to be on the wrong side of the man.

He'd barely made it through the first chapter when he was interrupted by a knock on the door, he glanced up, sighing at the disturbance and gestured for whoever it was to enter.

A group of what appeared to be first years walked in.

'Do you mind if we join you? This is the first compartment we've come across to fit us all inside' Came the classic pureblooded drawl of what appeared to be the leader of the small group.

Harrison looked him up and down, taking in his appearance, blond, slicked back hair, high cheekbones and porcelain skin giving him an elegant look of nobility.

'Of course, go ahead' The door was closed behind them and they all took a seat, the blond across from him, stuck his hand out in greeting.

'Draco Malfoy, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient house of Malfoy' Harrison took the offered hand and mimicked the greeting

'Harrison Potter heir to the Noble and Most Ancient houses of Potter and Black' eyebrows were raised but once he glanced around, everyone muttered a greeting of their own

'Blaise Zabini' a tall, dark skinned boy with high cheekbones

'Pansy Parkinson' she wasn't the prettiest of girls, with a rather hard face and upturned nose

'Daphne Greengrass, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient house of Greengrass' She was pretty, blond hair and blue eyes

'These two are Crabbe and Goyle' Malfoy said, gesturing to the two brutish looking boys to his right, they grunted at the sound of their names.

Harrison shook each of the boy's hands and leant down to kiss the girls on the back of their hands, he was the heir to two pureblood lines and had made sure he knew all of the correct greetings from a young age.

'So' Zabini started 'you're a Potter, can't say I've heard much about you to be honest, I hear much more about your brother' Harrison sighed

'Okay let's get one thing straight, you all seem to have some form of intelligence about you, well' glancing at Crabbe and Goyle 'most of you anyway. So, I'll make this clear, I'm not Nick, I never will be, I'm better than him in every way and soon enough, the whole world will see that. He's an idiot who thinks he's the next merlin just because someone decided he defeated the dark lord. I don't intend to associate with him if I can help it so I'd appreciate it if any conversation involving him stops right now'

They all seemed stunned before Draco started to grin

'Well okay then, glad we got that sorted out'

And with that the conversation turned to classes, houses and pretty much anything else they could think of, Harrison's potion book lay forgotten next to him, he relished in finally having people of similar opinions to his own to talk to.

They were interrupted from their discussion about the obscure uses of dragon's liver by the compartment door slamming open.

A first-year girl stood, already in her Hogwarts uniform, she had very large front teeth and bushy hair, Harrison took an immediate disliking to her. Cowering behind her and looking as if he'd rather be anywhere but there, stood a chubby boy, Neville Longbottom, Harrison recognized him from several parties his parents had thrown in the past.

'Have any of you seen a toad, Neville here has lost one?' Her voice was very bossy, and it only added to the annoyance of the entire compartment.

'And who exactly are you?' Harrison stood up, and approached the pair

'I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?'

'Harrison Potter, heir to the most Noble and ancient houses of Potter and Black' Harrison replied, not taking the offered hand of greeting

'Any relation to the Dagworth-Granger's?' Blaise questioned

'No, both my parents are muggles' she seemed very proud of this information much to the disgust of everyone else.

Draco joined Harrison in front of the girl 'so you're a mudblood then, how dare you enter our compartment!'

'Mudblood?' She seemed confused at the term, clearly not understanding its meaning.

'It's a horrible word Hermione, we should leave, they don't think you should have magic, dirty blood' Neville explained in almost a whisper, tugging on her arm to leave, she didn't take the hint.

'Well that's not very nice! I have the right to be here just like you do' Draco snorted

'Hardly, we're all purebloods or half-bloods in this compartment, generations of witches and wizards throughout our families. We deserve to be here much more than you' He spat at her

'You're very rude you know' Harrison stated simply, aiming towards Granger

'What?' she seemed astounded that he'd come to that conclusion

'You barge in here, without even knocking might I add, prattling on about a toad that isn't even yours' he turned to Neville 'and frankly Longbottom, toads went out of fashion centuries ago, I'd hope it stays lost if I were you' turning back to Granger he continued 'you then stand here and go on about having the right to be here when you know nothing about this world we've grown up in, and let's face facts, you'll never belong here if you keep this up. Now if I were you, I'd run along and find someone else to lecture before I do something to earn myself a detention before I'm even sorted!'

And with that, she gave a rather affronted look and left the compartment.

'That was brilliant'

'Thanks Malfoy' he grinned

'Please, call me Draco'

'Then I insist you call me Harrison' he nodded and the group continued their conversations, only pausing to buy sweets from the trolley as it came past and to change into their school robes, the boys and girls taking it in turns to change and wait outside the compartment.

They all began to grown nervous as the train came to a stop, none of them aware of how they were going to be sorted.

'Firs' years ov'r 'ere' a booming voice sounded, carrying easily of the commotion of students clambering off the train. Harrison walked towards the voice, and finding its source easily, a half-giant stood above them, it was Hagrid, his parents always insisted on inviting him to parties, despite his clumsy nature almost always ending in disaster.

Hagrid led the first-years away from the rest of the students, towards a lake.

'My parents told me the first-years go by boat, and then after that you take the school carriages to the castle' Draco informed them from behind

'Four to a boat' Hagrid gestured for them all to climb in.

Harrison got in a boat with Draco, Blaise, and Crabbe. The group of first-years sailed along the dark lake, and upon turning a corner, got their first glimpse of the castle. Harrison had to admit, it was worth the 11 year wait. The moon shone behind the castle, and reflected in the lake below, the closer they got, the more he already felt at home.

The students reached the boathouse and were guided along to an open door, where stood Minerva McGonagall, another of his parents' friends and the head of Gryffindor house. She then took over from Hagrid to lead the first-years through the castle.

'Okay' she began in her strong Scottish accent 'You will wait here until we're ready for you, then I will take you into the great hall where you will be sorted into your houses. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family during your stay here, you will compete each year for the house cup, points can be earned in classes and the like, any rule breaking, and you will lose points.' And with that she disappeared into the Great Hall, leaving them behind.

Draco glanced at Harrison for a second before walking over to where Nick stood with the Weasley boy

'So, I hear Nick Potter has come to Hogwarts, I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.' He stuck his hand out in greeting to which Nick sneered at him, big mistake Nick, big mistake, Harrison zoned out of the rest of their conversation, it boring him immediately, instead he took the time to take in the entrance hall, noting all of the stairs and doors and wondering where they led.

'They're ready for you now' McGonagall opened the door wider, allowing them to walk through.

The Great Hall was rather large, with four long tables filled with students, one for each house, and the top table containing the staff members

'The ceiling is enchanted you know, to look like the night's sky' Granger's voice echoed from behind him, he rolled his eyes and as they reached the end of the hall noted a stool and a very old looking witches hat, everyone appeared to be watching it, waiting for it to do something, and so Harrison watched it to, and refrained from jumping when it suddenly opened its mouth to sing.

*'Oh you may not think I'm 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!'

Applause followed, and McGonagall, now holding a long scroll of parchment stood next to the hat.

'As I read out your name, come and sit on the stool, I will place the hat on your head and you will be sorted into your house'

Well that's a lot easier than expected, Harrison thought to himself, all we have to do is try the hat on, he marveled at the magic that must have gone into creating such an item.

'Abbott, Hannah'

The girl walked slowly up to the stand, where she sat and the hat was placed on her head, covering her eyes. She appeared nervous, tapping her fingers on the seat.

'HUFFLEPUFF' the hat shouted suddenly, causing Hannah to sigh in relief before going to join her new house.

The process continued for a while, some students taking much longer to sort than others, the Granger girl ended up in Gryffindor, thank goodness, there was little chance of Harrison ending up in that house and he didn't particularly wish to spend the next seven years with her.

The Longbottom boy had taken the longest so far, he was finally sorted into Gryffindor which shocked Harrison as the boy had seemed more Hufflepuff material, maybe the hat wasn't very accurate after all, did that mean he could end up in Gryffindor himself? He squashed the panic that began to form as snickered as the boy ran off with the hat still on his head.

As Pansy Parkinson, the girl from the train, was called up, Harrison knew he would be soon, if not next and watched on nervously as she was sorted into Slytherin.

'Potter, Harrison' McGonagall called

The hall burst into whispers

'I didn't know there was another Potter, is he a cousin or something?'

'Wait, Nick has a twin?'

He ignored everyone, and swallowing his nerves, strode confidently forward to the stool and sitting down, suddenly all he could see was darkness as the hat was placed on his head.

'Well well, what do we have here then?' A voice inside his head, interested, incredible bit of magic really, he wanted to know how it worked.

'A Ravenclaw perhaps?'

What? No, he didn't think he was a Ravenclaw, he'd read descriptions of the houses before, and he didn't really enjoy learning just for the sake of it

'Why do you learn so much then?'

His mind flicked back to a book he'd read once, the words 'knowledge is power' had always had a nice ring to them, something to focus his efforts on, because if he didn't have a goal then what was the point in doing anything?

'Definitely not a Hufflepuff then, well at least we're narrowing it down slightly. Your mind truly is incredible you know, I've not seen one quite like it in many years'

Good, he wanted to be different, as long as he was nothing like his brother, he was happy

'I'm not a Gryffindor' he thought firmly

'Are you sure? Yes yes, I don't think you would quite fit in there, I see you keep a lot of secrets from the world, don't you? No, don't worry, I can't reveal anything I see in a student's mind. I look forward to seeing your journey through Hogwarts young Potter, you remind me of another young boy, one who I placed in Slytherin many years ago; he was brilliant too, a mind matched by only the very best, well, let's see if history is to repeat itself, or will you take a different path?'

Harrison had no idea what the hat was talking about by this point but didn't have time to ask as it shouted

'SLYTHERIN'

Silence.

Silence for a whole ten seconds, it seemed like an eternity, the first Potter ever in Slytherin, and Nick's twin brother at that. The Slytherin table started a polite clap, followed by the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's, Gryffindor's remained silent.

He took this as his queue to remove the hat and walk over to his new house table, sitting next to Pansy and the other first-year's. He glanced over at Nick who wore a murderous expression, then to Draco's encouraging nod. Who cares what Nick thinks, as long as Harrison is as far away from him, he's happy.

'Potter, Nicholas' the sorting continued

Nick had been under the hat for several minutes now, knuckles growing white as he gripped the stool in frustration.

'Was mine this long?' he asked Pansy, who shook her head

'No, you were only under there for about 30 seconds or so, quite fast really'

He could see Nick whispering something furiously

'Not Hufflepuff' he whispered, Pansy looked at him curiously

'What?'

'That's what he's saying' he explained 'not Hufflepuff'

She snorted, the-boy-who-lived, a Hufflepuff, it would be hilarious. Nick seemed to win the fight though unfortunately, as in the next second the hat had made a decision

'GRYFFINDOR'

The hall burst into applause and Nick took the hat off, a huge grin on his face and made his way, like a celebrity (which I suppose he was) over to the table, stopping to shake hands with people along the way.

The sorting ended quickly after that, Draco, and finally Zabini joining them at the Slytherin table, as expected.

Dumbledore stood, effectively silencing the hall

'Welcome all, to new students and old, now before we stuff ourselves with delicious treats, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you' and with that he sat down and the feast began.

Foods of all kinds appeared on the table in front of him, meats, vegetables, potatoes, and for some strange reason, a bowl of mint humbugs – a muggle sweet his mother had bought on occasion.

Harrison tucked in, grabbing a selection of lamb, veg and mashed potato.

'That's Quirrell, Potter, the new DADA professor' An older boy told him, noticing his gaze towards the head table. Quirrell was talking to Professor Snape about something, Harrison had a strange feeling about him, that only increased when they locked eyes. A sharp pain shot across his chest, causing him to gasp in pain.

'Harrison? Are you alright?' Draco looked at him concerned

'Yes, I'm fine, just indigestion I suppose' he looked towards the older boy

'Sorry, I didn't catch your name' the boy grinned slightly 'Flint, Marcus Flint, fifth-year prefect' he held out his hand and Harrison reached over to shake it.

'Do you think he'll be any good?' he questioned, noticing other students taking interest in their conversation

'I'm not sure' Flint frowned 'he used to be the muggle studies professor and rumor has it that he hasn't been the same since this summer, he encountered a vampire during his travels, that's why his turban smells so bad, it's full of garlic'

He scoffed 'He can't be that good then, a defense professor that can't even handle vampires. Besides, everyone knows that it's a myth that garlic wards them off'

Flint grinned at him 'They're just stupid rumors Potter, you of all people should know not to listen to the grapevine' he scowled at that, and turned back to his plate. The dinner had vanished by now and was replaced by an array of desserts: ice creams, chocolate, sweets, pies and tarts lined the table. Harrison helped himself to a small serving of apple pie and ice cream, not wanting to over-do it.

Dumbledore rose from his seat, once again gaining instant silence.

'Now that we are all stuffed with good food and just before we waddle back to our beds, I have a few start-of-term notices. The first, from our caretaker Argus Filch, he reminds students that magic is banned in the corridors, and the full list of banned items can be viewed outside his office. For first-years, and several of our older students' looking towards the Gryffindor table 'I remind you all that the forbidden forest is just that, forbidden to students at all times. Also, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side, is out of bounds for all students who do not wish to die a most painful death. That will be all, go and sleep the night away, for tomorrow, lessons will begin. Goodnight'

And with that, he turned and left the hall

'First-years follow me' Flint yelled above the sudden commotion

He led them down to the dungeons, through a maze of corridors that Harrison committed to memory as they went, upon reaching a large stone wall, Flint stopped and turned to face them.

'This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room' he explained 'the password, which is posted on the notice board inside, changes weekly, I suggest you commit it to memory, no one will take pity on a first-year who can't even remember a simple word'

With that, he turned back to the wall 'Pureblood' and the stone shifted, allowing them to enter the room.

It was amazing, Harrison thought as they stepped inside. It was a dark room, but dark in a comforting sort of way, filled with armchairs, sofas and tables. There were several bookshelves to one side of the room and a large fireplace at another. The stone walls were covered in green drapes and snake statues dotted everywhere. What he liked most was that the entire wall near the entrance wasn't a wall at all, but a large window giving a perfect view of the murky waters of the black lake they had sailed across earlier that evening. It was home, he thought with a smile.

The small group gathered in the centre of the room, with Flint and the female prefect in front of them. He turned once they were all in and the wall behind them closed once again.

'Right then, first-year boys' dorm is the first on the left through the door behind me, and the girls, the same but through the door over there' gesturing to the other side of the room.

'Classes start at 9am tomorrow morning and I expect you all to be here and ready to head down to breakfast together at 7. For the first couple of days a prefect with escort you to and from classes, just until you get used to the castle a bit better. Our head of house, Professor Snape, will be here in the morning at 7 to give his usual start of year talk. Don't be late.' he warned before clapping his hands together 'right then. Bed.'

The boys then walked over to the room that Flint had told them to go to. It was a fairly large room with enough beds for all of them. Each bed was a double, four-poster, covered again in green trimmings and sheets. The wood was dark and matched the desks opposite, one desk per bed, with a small bookshelf over the top. It looked quite nice upon first inspection and they quickly settled who had which bed. Harrison took the one closest to the window, and tired, full from the feast, and with the promise of classes starting the next day, they all fell asleep.

*Sorting hat song, credit to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone

A/N: As usual, hope you enjoyed, review, favourite etc... next chapter coming soon