"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Harriet asked.
"Come on in," Ron said, hoping to make some friends. His rat was burrowed in his jacket. "I'm Ron, Ron Weasley. This is my first year at Hogwarts and I really hope I can get into Gryffindor. Who are you?" Ron asked.
"I'm Harriet, Harriet Potter, ..." Harriet said, hoping that Ron wouldn't freak out and extended her hand for a handshake. Unfortunately, he really freaked out.
"No way. You're are famous! I can't believe it. You fought off You-Know-Who!?" Ron asked. "Do you have the..scar?" Ron said whispering when he said scar .
"Oh, Yeah!" Harriet chuckled and removed her hair from her forehead, revealing the lightning-shaped scar on the forehead.
"Bloody hell, wicked," Ron said. "Hey, want to see me do magic?" He asked hoping to impress 'The Girl Who Lived'.
"Sure!" Harriet said excitedly.
"Sunshine, Daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid fat, rat yellow!" Ron shouted but the rat only turned and curled into Ron's jacket and kept eating the popcorn he had brought with him. Then, a trolley lady came by their compartment.
"Is there anything you would like from the trolley, dears?" The trolley lady asked politely. Ron nodded his head no and held a bag of popcorn and a half-bitten Apple, embarrassed. Harriet felt pity for Ronald and she made a quick decision.
"We'll take the lot." She said holding out galleons. They spread the candy all throughout the compartment and they were eating so much. Then, a bushy-haired girl appeared, Hermione Granger, to whom Harriet had met at the Diagon Alley. They greet each other.
"Excuse me, have you seen Neville Longbottom's toad?" Hermione asked. They all shook their head "no".
"Who are you?" Hermione asked.
"Ron Weasley!" Ron said extending his hand, but she rejected.
"Pleasure. We will arrive soon at school. I'd suggest getting into your robes. Ta-Ta!" Hermione said leaving the compartment.
"Well..she's rude," Ron said making Harriet giggle. They changed into their robes and got off the Hogwarts Express. Hagrid was greeting the first years and leading them towards a dock where they will rowboats to the entrance of the castle.
"Hagrid!" Harriet said. Hagrid, was the one who told her about magic.
"Ello there," Hagrid said, grinning.
"Whoa.," Ron said examining the unusually tall man.
Harriet, Neville Ron, and Hermione got onto a boat and the scenery was amazing and all the children were gazing at it. They had finally reached the castle and were lead into it.
A tall woman with black hair stood there; she was wearing emerald-green robes which Harriet thought beautiful when she laid eyes on them. The woman's face was stern; she was obviously not someone that Harriet would want to cross.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said. Professor McGonagall's gaze swept over the students, her gaze lingering for just a moment on Harriet.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." With this, she pulled the door wide open. The entrance hall, Harriet thought, was huge; she practically felt like a mouse in it. The Dursley's entire house could have fit in it with room to spare. The many flaming torches on the walls provided the light in the room, and the ceiling was so high up that Harriet couldn't make out any detail of it. Facing them was a magnificent marble staircase which led to the upper floors.
The crowd of students all followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harriet could hear tons of voices through a doorway to the right, but that's not where the professor took them; instead, she led them into a small, empty chamber off the hall. Once in, they all stood closer to each other than they normally would have, obviously rather nervous.
"I teach Transfigurations. Speaking of houses, for this year and many to come, you will be sorted into houses that you will be apart of forever. You will sleep in these dormitories and you will have classes and you can spend free time in your house common room. There are 4 houses Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its noble wizards and has produced marvelous wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you points, while any rule-breaking will lose you house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup. I wish you all the best of luck. The ceremony will begin shortly." Professor McGonagall said, and she left after she was finished explaining everything.
Harriet turned to look at Hermione, who looked rather nervous."I wonder how they'll sort us," the bushy-haired girl said, biting her lip slightly. "Maybe they'll test us on spells. I've learned a few already, and if that's the case, then I do hope that I know the right ones."
Harriet smiled slightly, despite her own anxiety. "It's nothing like that. I read in Hogwarts, a History that there's this old hat called the Sorting Hat. At the ceremony, you wear it and it looks into your mind to decide which house you'd be best suited for."
Hermione brightened a bit. "Really?"
Harriet nodded. "Uh, huh. Still, I wonder if it's ever made a mistake and misplaced someone…"Her train of thought was interrupted at what happened next. Then a blonde-haired boy came up to where the Professor just stood.
"So, it's true. Harriet Potter came to join us at Hogwarts. I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Draco said extending his hand to shake Harriet's hand and she hesitated. Ron laughed a bit at him but tried to make it unnoticeable. It wasn't.
"You think my name's funny, do you? Red hair, freckles..you must be a Weasley." Draco said as a comeback to Ron's laugh. Harriet made a handshake with Draco who after that had a pink tinge on his cheek.
"Move along now," a sharp voice cut through the first years, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. "Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall instructed them, "and follow me."
Harriet couldn't help it… maybe it was all the excitement getting to her, but she suddenly felt a wave of anxiety; she couldn't breathe, it seemed, and her legs had turned to lead… she could barely force herself to get into line between Hermione and Ron
The grand doors leading into the Great Hall opened. The children all huddled and walked into the hall.
Severus Snape swept into the Great Hall and walked towards his seat upon the high table, purposely diverting his gaze away from the crowd of Hogwarts students that were milling about, laughing, eating.
"Oh, Severus, how good of you to join us.."
He cursed himself in his mind. He had almost made it to the seat, and then Dumbledore would've never said anything, not with the other teachers potentially listening.
"Yes, sir?" he forced himself to say.
He turned his eyes down to the tall old man sitting in the ornate headmaster's chair. His beard was tied neatly and folded nicely in his lap. His half-moon glasses were perched on the edge of his nose and he looked up with those kindly, warm eyes. "I hope you did not forget that present today in the Hall is-"
"I know," he said, cutting Dumbledore off before he could say the name. He couldn't deal with it, not quite yet. He needed a few more moments of peace and quiet before the torment began anew. He had heard things about the child, and all of them pointed to him living in misery for seven years until the child moved on from Hogwarts. He thought he was the reason she is orphaned.
Dumbledore smiled softly and nodded his head once. "I was going to say that I hope you did not forget that the first-year students who will be in your potions' class are in the Hall tonight and you should probably learn their names to become acquainted with them before classes start."
His teeth clenched. The old man was so very clever, and it infuriated him. He nodded curtly and growled out, "I will do that, sir," and moved on past the large chair, down the row to his own seat. When he was seated, he merely stared at the empty plate in front of him for a few moments before he internally groaned and his fists clenched and unclenched under the table. Seated next to him was Quirrell, who piped up, "Oh, Severus! Try the pumpkin pies, they're very good, and they haven't been tampered with.." He ignored the bumbling man and took a deep breath, then another, and then another. He raised his eyes.
Severus Snape looked up and finally took in the swarm's sight of students. He knew what house the hat will put the child into.
Once inside, Harriet had to catch her breath; this was just like a scene out of one of her fantasy-adventure books! It was beyond her wildest dreams… The hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles, floating in midair over four long tables, where all the older students were sitting. The tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the end of the hall was another enormous table, this one with the teachers seated at it. This was where Professor McGonagall led the first years, halting them in a line facing the other students, the teacher's table behind them. The hundred of faces staring at the new students looked eerily like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Here and there among the students, the ghosts shined like moonlight streaming through fog, adding to the eerie look of the place. Curious and anxious all at once, Harriet studied her surroundings, looking up and seeing a velvety black veiling dotted with glittering stars; staring up at it, she remembered reading about it in Hogwarts, a History, and dimly heard Hermione whispering to Ron about it, while Ron seemed to be less attentive.
Staring up, it amazed Harriet at the enchantment… it looked so real. It was hard to believe that there was even a ceiling there; she wondered what it looked like when it rained.
Tearing her gaze away from the beautiful ceiling, Harriet looked down again to see Professor McGonagall place a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat, obviously the one which Harriet had read about. The hat was all patched up, and was frayed and dirty.
Harriet giggled to think of what Petunia's reaction would be if she saw it… though with how old the hat looked, it'd probably fall apart if anyone even put it near a washing machine. For a few seconds, there was complete silence as everyone stared at the battered old hat. The hat twitched, then a rip near the brim opened like a mouth, and the hat sang. In the song, it told about itself, and about each of the houses, and, when it finished, everyone burst into applause.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment. She adjusted her reading glasses, surveying them all. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.
"Abbot, Hannah!" It was only a moment that the girl had had the hat on her head before the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The table of Hufflepuff cheered and clapped as the girl went over to was in this manner that several more names were called out, and the students were sorted into their respective houses.
Watching, Harriet noticed that while sometimes the hat placed people very quickly, sometimes it took a minute. Probably, she figured, because it had to figure out which traits in that person were strongest.
"Millicent Bulstrode!" McGonagall shouted
"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat shouted. It placed more kids until Harriet noticed a familiar name being called.
"Hermione Granger!" McGonagall shouted. Hermione seemed whispering to herself.
Dumbledore places the hat on her head. "She's mental. I'm telling you." Ron said to Harriet.
"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted. Hermione ran to the Gryffindor table and sat by some of Ron's siblings.
Others were called until Draco Malfoy was called."Draco Malfoy!" McGonagall called.
"Slytherin!" The hat declared.
"That's just craptastic!" Harriet said and Ron stifled a laugh. Harriet's eyes fell on the dark-haired Professor and she felt a pain in her scar, but she just ignored it. However, she was suspicious.
"Potter, Harriet!"
When Harriet stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. She felt herself blush in embarrassment and felt a twinge of annoyance as she could hear the whispers.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harriet Potter?"
The Hat dropped over Harriet's eyes, too big for her head. She sat in darkness, the din of the Great Hall strangely soft now, like she was listening to the seashell that the science teacher in Little Whinging kept in her classroom.
"Well, well, what have we here?" said a little voice in her ear. "Harriet Potter, is it?"
Not you, too, Harriet thought in despair.
The little voice chuckled. It had a dry, almost sarcastic rustle to it. "I can read your mind, young one; it's what you expect them to say. Now, where shall we put you?"
She waited, expectant."Hmm," a small voice said in her ear. "A difficult one to place, you are, Harriet Potter. I see plenty of courage, but it's not the usual blind kind… no, your eyes see very much. You're very observant, with an excellent mind. Oh, my goodness, there's much power here… talent and power, yes – and you've got a nice thirst to prove yourself, I see… very interesting… So where shall I put you?"
Harriet shrugged slightly, thinking. I dunno. Isn't it your job to figure it out? With my friends?
"You're very, very brave, but you're very intelligent as well. Not to mention your loyalty. Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff wouldn't be a terrible choice. But, your also very ambitious, so Slytherin isn't totally out of the running."The hat said as Harriet was whispering "please be Gryffindor".
"Gryffindor, eh? Well, if you're sure..Gryffindor!" The hat declared and the whole Gryffindor table erupted into cheers. The Weasely Twins chanting, "We got Potter, We got Potter"
Percy shake hands with her and she sat beside Hermione before Ron joined them. Now that she was sitting, Harriet could see the High Table properly. At one end sat Hagrid, who caught Harriet's eye and gave her the thumbs up sign. In the center of the High Table sat the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Harriet recognized him from the card she'd gotten on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the room which shone as brightly as the ghosts.
At his left, in stark contrast, sat the dark and gloomy-looking Professor, looking for all the world as though he wished he were anywhere else but here. Soon everyone was freshly sorted and the nervous tension in the air was gone.
"Welcome!" Albus Dumbledore says as he stands from his chair. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And they are Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
Everyone claps and cheers, but Harriet was not sure if she should laugh. But then, the table is magically filled with many different food. Dumbledore's strange speech seems to float to the back of her mind.
While eating Harriet listens in on the conversations happening around them.
A tiny boy, named Seamus Finnegan, speaks. "I'm half and half. Me dad's a Muggle. Mom's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."
Neville, the boy with a toad, laughs.
Ron, having just finished a chicken wing, reaches into the bowl for more, and a ghostly head pops out. "Ahh"
"Hello! How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor."
Numerous ghosts come pouring from the walls, sailing over the tables.
"Hello, Sir Nicholas. Have a pleasant summer?" Perch asks.
"Dismal. Once again, my request to join the headless hunt has been denied." He leaves.
"Hey, I know you! You're Nearly Headless, Nick!" Ron tells him.
"I prefer Sir Nicholas if you don't mind."
"Nearly headless?" Harriet asks.
"How can you be nearly headless?" Hermione adds.
"Like this." He grabs his head and pulls it to the side. His head is hanging on just by a thread.
"Oh my." Harriet sigh out, in awe of what she just witnessed. "I WON'T BE EATING NOW."
Naturally Gryffindor …. He thought..
Severus watched Lily's daughter be absorbed into Gryffindor with more fanfare than any other student he could remember in the last twenty years. Of course it would be Gryffindor. Any other option would have been ludicrous.
The feeling that he'd just had a narrow escape could only be paranoia.
In between one of the Weasley boys and a tiny girl with bushy brown hair.
There. For a long moment, Severus was numb.
She was looking away from Severus for some time, and he saw the dark black hair that tumbled down her back. He saw the way she waved her arms about when she spoke, as if emphasizing every single point of what she said.
James Potter's daughter he thought.
Then she turned to face the high table, and Severus' breath stopped.
Her eyes! Her eyes!
Lily. God, it was Lily. The eyes were the same, exactly the same. A beautiful, bright, clear green. A smiling green, full of joy and happiness. They turned upwards when she smiled and widened with awe when she saw something else about Hogwarts that amazed her. They laughed when she laughed.
What kind of a cruel joke of fate was this?
Were the heavens laughing at him now, pointing with amusement at his incredible misfortune and misery? The little girl chuckled, and Severus realized that not all of her was Lily. There it was. That accursed demeanor. The broad movements, the loud, uncaring laugh. Her looks may have been half of Lily and James, but her actions were all James. He could see it, a hint in those emerald eyes. The mischievous glint, the constantly laughing part. Or was it all James?
"Percy, whose that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" Harriet asked.
"Oh that's Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin. He teaches Potions, but he is after Quirrell's job for years and is quite fascinated by Dark Arts,"
The girl surveyed the high table, as one of the Weasley twins and the Prefect pointed out who the teachers were. When he pointed to Severus and recited his name, the girl's eyes lingered on him. There was curiosity in those eyes.
Could she possibly recognize Severus?
No, that was impossible. She has only been barely a year old when.. when the incident occurred. He had only held her once, after he had finally torn himself away from Lily's lifeless body. He had carried the little girl with the bright green eyes and the short, soft black hair out of the destroyed house, the house touched by death and lost love and lost dreams.
She could not recognize him, yet there she was, staring at him with the same curiosity in her eyes that Lily had the first time she had seen Severus under the willow tree.
Then the little girl's eyes moved on and she followed the Weasley boy's words once more, nodding in understanding as she learned the names of the professors. Severus let out all of his breath at once, and with it, all of his remaining sanity. His fists clenched and unclenched frantically now, under the table. He couldn't take it, he needed to get out. His eyes wandered around the entire room, trying to find something else to focus on, but no matter what, they always returned to that little girl, the tiny Lily.
All old, happy and bad memories flooded inside his mind. He was to make sure she is safe.
The food all disappears after a short while and Dumbledore speaks to them again.
"Ahem - just a few start of term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of the older students would do well to remember that as well." He says, his eyes flashing in the direction of the Weasley twins.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors," Dumbledore continues.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
A few others laugh, but Harriet shares a disbelieving glance with Hermione.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore cries. Dumbledore flicks his wand and a long golden ribbon flies out of it, which twists into snake-like words.
"Everybody pick their favourite tune, and off we go!"
With that, everyone bellows:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now, they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest
And learn until our brains rot
Everyone finishes the song as different times. And at last, only Fred and George are left singing to a very slow funeral march. Harriet looks at them.
"Ah, music," Dumbledore says as he wipes his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot! CHOP CHOP"
The Gryffindors all stand and follow Percy through the loud crowds out from the Great Hall and up the marble staircase.
Hermione is still beside Harriet and she is excitedly pointing at the moving portraits.'A lady in portrait winks at Ron.
"Ron she likes you!" Harriet whispered to Ron who became red.
"Peeves," Percy whispers them as floating candles zoom towards him. "A Poltergeist. Peeves - show yourself!"
A loud sound, like air being let out of a balloon answers.
"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"
With a loud pop a little man with wicked dark eyes appears, floating cross-legged in the air.
"Ooooooooooh!" He says, with an evil laugh, "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"
He swoops down at them and they all duck instantly.
"Go away, Peeves or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" Percy barks
Peeves sticks his tongue out at Percy and vanishes.
"You want to watch out for Peeves," Percy says, "the Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."
At the very end or the corridor hangs a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" She asks.
"Caput Draconis." Percy answers, making the portrait swing forward. They all scramble through the hole in the wall into the Gryffindor common room.
It is a cosy, round room full of squashy armchair, decorated in the colours scarlet and yellow.
Harriet says bye to Ron before Percy directs them up to the girl's dormitories. At the top of a spiral staircase, the other girls and Harriet reach a room filled with poster beds with deep red curtains.
Their trunks are here as well.
Hermione's bed is right beside Harriet's, and the other girls' beds are close by. Harriet shared her room with Hermione Lavender and Parvati.
Harriet couldn't believe her eyes. Away from Durselys, she was going to start her new journey.