Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.

"Firs' years! Firs' Years, this way!" Came the booming voice of Hagrid. "Alrigh' there, Harry?" He added, nodding in Harry's direction.

"Good to see you, Hagrid!" Harry replied, dragging a still stunned Hermione over. He could not exactly blame her for her reaction. After all, he was quite positive he gaped at the giant man like a goldfish when he first met him. Just like every other soon-to-be first year around them

Hagrid eyed Harry's companion and could not help but give a slightly teasing smirk in their direction. Harry raised an eyebrow at this once he and Hermione got close.

"Yeh didn't tell me yeh had a girlfriend harry," Hagrid whispered mischievously into Harry's ear. To which, Harry nearly tripped. Noticing the questioning look on Hermione's face, Harry mumbled an apology to her, before giving Hagrid a small sidelong glare.

Hagrid smiled. As he noticed the other first years beginning to gather around him, he decided not to indulge the embarrassed and indignant boy in front of him with the chance to reply.

"'Right! Come along now!" Hagrid yelled over the still gaping and muttering crowd. He proceeded to lead Harry, Hermione and the others, slipping and stumbling along the steep narrow path, down through a dark wood.

"Come along now! Jus' a bit futher, and yeh''ll get yer first glance at Hogwarts!" He then yelled. Sure enough, after another 50 or so metres, they arrived at the edge of a great lake. There, across the lake and atop a slope, perched a grand castle, the lights of which made it stand out prominently like a beacon in the dreary, cold dark nights of the Scottish Highlands.

Hagrid led them to a small fleet of boats resting along the shoreline. "No more'n four ter a boat!" He called, "An' no funny business along the way, unless yeh want ter spend the night with the Giant Squid."

Harry and Hermione were followed to a boat by Neville Longbottom, the nervous boy on the train, and, god help them, Ronald Weasley, the arrogant, abhorrently rude redhead from earlier.

"So, Harry-" the rude redhead began, trying to push past Neville and Hermione in the boat to get Harry at the front. Suddenly, the boat lurched forward, throwing Ron off and into the muddy bank.

"Righ'! FORWARD!" Hagrid commanded, as one by one the, the flotilla began crossing the lake. Ron had to settle with one of the later boats. Harry was thankful for Hagrid's timing. He did not want a repeat of the redhead inviting himself and boring Harry out of his skull, while condescending Hermione almost to the point of tears. He was definitely not someone Harry wanted to be with.

Too soon, the wondrous boat ride came to an end, as they pulled into what looked like a sheltered harbour within the hill itself. From there, they were led up some stairs and into the entrance hall, where upon they were greeted by a stern-looking old woman. One that Hermione, Harry noted, appeared to recognise.

"Professor, the firs' years," Hagrid greeted.

"Thank you, Hagrid," She replied in a mild Scottish accent. She turned her attention to the young students in front of her. Her gaze lingered on Harry and Hermione for a little while and for a moment, Harry thought he could see a small smile tug at her lips, before she resumed.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she finally said, "In a few short moments, the Sorting Ceremony will begin. This ceremony is important, for it decides which house you would be a part of. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. While you are here, your house is your family. Your deeds and successes will award your house points, while any form of rule-breaking and debauchery will have points removed.

"At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily. I shall return when we're ready. Until then, smarten yourselves up," She walked away, slipping through a gap in the massive doorway, before shutting it.

Muttering broke out as soon as she left. Some were excited, others anxious and speculating about the ceremony. "We have to sit for some test. I think we have to fight something," Ron said somewhere behind them. And with that, a general panic broke out amongst the entire first year body.

Harry was a bit worried. Sure, he had read quite a considerable bit already, but if it was a test they had to do, there was no way he'd be able to score, let alone win a fight against a magical creature. He did not know enough. What's a month's worth of reading compared to years of exposure to the real thing? He gulped as he saw himself on the train back home, back to the Dursleys who would surely sneer and laugh at him. Back under their tyrannic thumb. Back to being the worthless, lonely, abused outcast.

He felt someone squeeze his hand. Hermione had seen the dismayed and slightly horrified expression on her best friend's face. She could make a guess as to what Harry was feeling. She gave Harry a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Harry" she muttered, "I'm sure we'll both get through. I know we will,"

"And If I don't?" Harry whispered back.

Hermione gave a thoughtful look. "Then I'll come back with you. Whatever secondary school you go to, I'll come with you," Harry's eyes widened. "I will always stick with my best friend to the very end, Harry. Nothing is going to change that,"

Harry was surprised, before giving her a grateful smile. Arguing with her like this would be impossible. Harry felt immense gratitude wash over him. This was followed by a wave of determination. No way is he going to allow Hermione Granger, his best friend, possibly the smartest girl in the world, to enroll in somewhere like Stonewall. One way or another, he will get them both into Hogwarts. He will be there for her to the end.

The "test" was just to try on a hat. An old enchanted hat. Harry cursed the Weasley boy under his breath as he watched Hannah Abbot, the first of their group to be called up, sorted into Hufflepuff. She was soon joined by Susan Bones. Terry Boot became the first new Ravenclaw, while Milicent Bulstrode became the first new Slytherin and Lavender Brown became the first new Gryffindor.

This went on for a while, with some being sorted instantly, while others taking a minute or two. Until-

"Granger, Hermione," Professor McGonagall called out.

Wishing her good luck, Harry watched as Hermione made her way over to the stool and yanked the hat on. There was a pause, before the hat chuckled and yelled "Gryffindor!". Hermione leapt off the stool, passed the hat back to the Professor with a nod of thanks, before making her way over to the Gryffindor table. From there, she would watch, anxiously waiting for her best friend's turn.

Harry waited patiently as the number of first years left to be sorted diminished. He braced for the inevitable stare-fest that would ensue the minute his name is called. Sure enough, just after " Perks, Sally-Anne" was sorted into Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall called out "Potter, Harry!"

As he nervously walked forward, he could already see and hear the muttering and staring of virtually everyone.

"Potter, she said?"

"THE Harry Potter?"

"Blimey, it's really him!"

"He's cute!"

Harry felt a slight blush creep onto his face at that statement. He gingerly stood on the stool, feeling extremely uncomfortable at all the attention. The last thing he saw though was Hermione giving him a reassuring smile, before the hat obscured his vision.

"Hmm," the hat muttered. "Difficult, this one is. You're quite the model student, aren't you? You have quite the intelligence. Plenty of cunning too…"

Harry gripped the stool more tightly. "Please don't be Slytherin," He muttered to himself.

"Not Slytherin, eh?" The hat quipped, "You know, Slytherin would aid you in your rise to greatness,"

"I don't want to be great," Harry replied.

"Alas, I concede. I can see the type of person you are, Mr. Potter. I must admit putting you there would not be the best choice, as it does not suit who you are. Now, what about Ravenclaw, then? Hmm," the hat paused for a moment. Harry felt rather uncomfortable. The hat finally chuckled "Ah, but then there's your courage. Endless, foolhardy courage resides in you. To say nothing about your loyalty. Ah, and the stubbornness and compassion. Your willingness to protect those you hold dear. Your strength lies with your dedication to your friends,"

Friends. Throughout Harry's life, there had been only three people, sans Hagrid as they just met recently, who he could consider as friends. Three individuals who he cared for more than anything else in the world. The Grangers.

"I want to be with her in Gryffindor," he thought.

The hat chuckled. "I would have it no other way. Your defining qualities are just like your family's before you. Courage, camaraderie and loyalty surge through your veins, but there is no shortage of subtleness and intelligence. However, I can see that all would be nought if not for one glaring factor: the bonds you cherish with all your heart, and your stubbornness and determination to protect that. It is therefore with great pleasure that I declare you, as I have with Miss Granger, a new member of GRYFFINDOR!"

Words could not describe Harry's happiness and relief as he took off the hat, giving it back to Professor McGonagall, before making a beeline towards the Gryffindor table, which was in a state of jubilation. He shook hands with Ron's much more friendly and hospitable brothers - Percy, Fred and George - before sitting down beside his best friend, who promptly enveloped him in a brief hug.

The two's joy would dampened later on when "Weasley, Ronald" was sorted into Gryffindor too. He took advantage of the gap opposite Harry, rudely nudging the Gryffindor taking up the seat to the side, effectively hijacking it. While Hermione had simply reserved a seat and explained to a few reluctant people that she was hoping her friend would join her, Ron had once more showcased his lack of civility. Harry and Hermione simply resolved to not acknowledge him for the duration of the meal.

When the sorting was over and the meal began, a wide range of mouthwatering dishes materialised on the plates in front of them. Harry and Hermione, only having eaten several sweets on the train, loaded their plates with as much food as possible (though Hermione's was significantly less and in a more dignified manner). Multiple times, he had to cut away portions of his meal due to the sheer amount of food Ron was projectile-spilling.

Nobody had dared touch the plate of fried chicken in front of Ron due to the flying food debris coming from him. Harry eventually had enough, casting a small shield spell he had read about. Hagrid had advised him against learning advanced spells so early, but he begged to differ. It would be temporary and was weak and limited. But at least there was considerably much less of his food that he had to isolate.

Hermione, having also learned the charm, followed suit. They constantly reapplied it, thankfully without anyone noticing, until the last platters of food disappeared and the headmaster rose to give them a few warnings and announcements, before sending them off to bed. By now, the fatigue from the journey, along with the small food coma and the mild exhaustion from the shield charms, had finally set in, as Harry and Hermione bid each other good night, before retiring to their dormitories. Their adventure had begun.

It took them a while, but after getting helpful directions from Nearly Headless Nick, the resident Gryffindor ghost, they arrived at the great hall for breakfast relatively early on the first day. The excitement of having their first lessons had made them a little restless. As they sat down for a leisurely breakfast, Harry could not help noticing a certain staff member already seated.

He had greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. It was not his appearance that caught Harry's attention though, but rather the look he was giving Harry. Not even an angry uncle Vernon could match that look. As soon as Harry noticed though, the Professor looked away. He found it strange, but decided to simply ignore it for now.

About a few hours later, as the rest of the student body filed in, Harry began to notice the gossiping and stares again. This time, however, some of the comments were directed at Hermione rather than him. And they were quite rude. Whether Hermione had heard them, Harry would not know, for she appeared to remain engrossed in her book about transfiguration. But Harry was gritting his teeth. He made a mental note about those he could identify who were badmouthing his best friend, vowing to give them as cold of a shoulder as possible

At that moment, he heard someone plop down onto the empty space next to him. He cursed his luck as he realised it was none other than Ronald ruddy Weasley. He exchanged a quick glance with Hermione, before the two of them wolfed down the remainder of their food, took the timetables from Professor McGonagall, and promptly made to leave.

At least until someone grabbed Harry by the arm and yanked him back.

"Oi, 'arry!" Ron said to him, bits of food spraying from his mouth full of, well, food. Harry grimaced in disgust. "'Ere choo goin', mae? I jus' go' 'ere. 'tick arou' will ya?"

Harry didn't know which was worse: Ron speaking with his mouth full or Ron being completely delusional. Noticing Ron loosen his grip, Harry pried Ron's hand from his arm and made his way to join Hermione, who was waiting by the doorway.

"Ugh, why in God's name does he have to be in the same dorm in the same house as I am?" Harry grumbled as they set off to find the Transfiguration classroom for their first lesson. He made a mental note to probably invest in a map next year.

"He doesn't appear to understand the concept of being civilised," Hermione voiced. "But for all we know, we could end up being friends after all," She added, though her facial expression clearly displayed her true thoughts on the issue.

Harry snorted. "The day I befriend him is the day Dudley passes a test," They shared a small laugh at that, knowing full well of Dudley's lack of intelligence. The banter continued, as they began comparing Harry's cousin to the Weasley prat. Their early departure meant that they got to class on time and both sat down side-by-side at a table near the front. They smirked when, after McGonagall made a demonstration by turning her desk to a pig and back and turning herself into a cat, Ron Weasley stumbled in. He sighed in relief and proudly boasted about how lucky he was that the "old woman" was later than he was. To which, the professor simply leapt off her desk and transformed back, causing Ron to nearly wet himself.

It was then they decided that McGonagall was probably their favourite teacher.

The remainder of the first week went on unremarkably, with the exception of potions on Friday. The greasy haired, sallow skinned professor Snape had started off class by asking Harry O.W.L and N.E.W.T questions. To which Harry, having already read quite a fair amount about the subject of potions, answered as best he could. The professor stared at him for a few moments with an unreadable expression, before proceeding to berate everyone for not copying down anything.

The rest of the lesson went on unremarkably until the end, and he and Hermione brewed and submitted several vials of the potion which the professor ordered them to brew. Harry felt confident as he handed up his samples. They were pretty similar in both colour and viscosity to what the professor described. Hermione, naturally, submitted even better samples. If Snape's look of intrigue and lack of a sneer were any indication, Harry thought he may well have passed.

It was at this moment he received a faceful of burning hot, acidic potion. He stumbled backwards into a table, before losing his balance and collapsing on the floor. He then felt the same searing pain reach his legs, as he realised what had happened. Someone did not brew their potion properly, which promptly melted the cauldron, causing it to blow up.

He could hear Hermione screaming his name. He could hear other people screaming, yelping and groaning in pain from the potion as he scuttered away from where he thought the potion was. He felt someone haul him to the side. Within a few seconds, the pain was gone from his body. He forced open his eyes. To his surprise, he saw Snape looking back at him, concern, dread and worry plastered on his face for a second before being neutralised.

The potions master pulled him up to his feet, before proceeding to vanish the remaining potion and heal the others. It was then Harry noticed a certain bushy haired missile impacting him at full speed, enveloping him in a brief hug and a sob. The remaining few minutes of potions lessons, in which Snape was supposed to get them to take down a few notes and assign homework, was instead spent berating Ronald Weasley and Seamus Finnigun for their carelessness and idiocy.

The weekend finally came, as the two went down to visit Hagrid, having received an invitation a few days prior. They nearly broke their teeth on the rock cakes but it was a good experience overall, chatting with Hagrid. They discussed a lot of things, from lessons to spells to teachers and finally their year mates. Hagrid looked shocked to hear that Snape had bothered to heal them, explaining he usually sends students to the hospital wing with a few points deducted, or else left them to their own devices.

The light hearted banter went on, with hagrid showing them a few magical creatures on the outskirts of the forest. Harry and Hermione found the Nifflers cute until they began searching their pockets for money. Which promptly forced Hagrid to pull them off and fling them back into a large caged basket full of mock gold. They were then approached by a unicorn fowl, which was golden in colour.

Harry chuckled as he saw Hermione's face light up like New Year's Eve. She promptly proceeded to pet, nuzzle and feed the rare animal. Hermione looked rather pleased. Hagrid then showed them his pumpkin patch. Now, Harry was still pretty new to magic, but he was certain that it was the only way the pumpkins were THAT big!

"Eh, well I've bin givin' 'em a bit of help," Hagrid said nervously, clutching his umbrella. If Harry was not sure if the umbrella contained Hagrid's old wand, he was now.

They eventually went back inside the hut for a spot of tea, though they politely refused the rock cakes. It was then that Harry read the newspaper that Hagrid had left aside. The headline shocked him.

"'Gringotts break-in latest! Work of dark witches or wizards unknown?'. The 31st of July?" Harry read aloud.

Hagrid chuckled. "Yeah. Crazy, innit? 'Imagine if Dumbledore hadn't gotten me to retrieve the stone earlier-" he said, freezing as he realised what he just revealed. Harry and Hermione raised their eyebrows at this, but decided not to push it. They headed back to the castle later, thinking heavily on what they had heard earlier. What was this 'stone'? Why was it in Gringotts? Why were people after it? Just who was after it?

They didn't really have much time to delve into this mystery, as the minute they reentered the common room, they were immediately drawn to the crowd gathering in front of the noticeboard of the common room. Noticeably, a lot of people were excited, while others were downcast. Ronald Weasley was part of the former, as he began rambling and boasting on and on.

"What's going on?" Hermione voiced.

"Flying lessons with the Slytherins," groaned Dean Thomas, a fellow 'muggleborn'.

Hermione freezes and paled. Harry, originally excited at the idea of flying a broom, noticed this. He knew what was going on in his best friend's mind. For all her brilliance, Hermione had one noticeable weakness apart from her self-esteem. Her fear of heights. He squeezed her hand, bringing Hermione out of her horror musings. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Everything's going to be alright, Hermione. You aren't going to fall off. Not if I have anything to say about it," Harry said

Hermione still looked mortified. "I-I don't-"

"Are you Hermione Granger?" Harry asked, resulting in a bewildered and insulted look from her. "The Hermione Granger I know is many things. Smart, brilliant, kind, bossy-" he received a glare at this "a little shy and awkward at moments. But she carries on nonetheless. The Hermione Granger I know won't EVER back away this easily! She wouldn't give up without attempting to get it right a million times! She will find a way to solve the issue, for she is a brilliant, strong and brave person who would never let anything so trivial as fear get in her way! So are you Hermione Granger?"

Hermione looked a little shocked at this. She would have blushed a fair bit due to the unintended praise in that statement, but she knew she was not like what harry had described.

"Harry," she said, "I appreciate the praise, but you're-"

"I have been wrong on several occasions. This is not one of them,"

"I'm only like that because of you!" She blurted out, "I've only been able to do those things because you were there-"

"So? Hermione, regardless of whether I'm there or not, I am confident you can do it. I know you better than most. I know you've had bad experiences fuelling your pessimistic views, but trust me when I say that deep down, you could not be more different than what those jerks said about you. Besides, like you said, I was there for you. And I always will,"

Hermione bit her lip before smiling gratefully. "Promise?" She asked

"The very minute we became friends. I will do anything to help you, anything you ask me to,"

Her smile grew wider and Harry felt his grew too. "And vice versa, Harry. I guess I'll attend," She and Harry shared another hug.

Meanwhile, two redhead twins were currently watching the exchange with interest, deciding to place a small wager.

"UP!" The first year lions and snakes chorused. Some of the brooms on the ground immediately soared to their hands while others simply laid on the ground figuratively flipping off the students. Harry's was part of the former category, while Hermione's was somewhere in between. Her broom look torn between accepting her and staying on the ground, much to her chagrin.

"Just say it normally," Harry advised. "Try not to sound bossy or have second thoughts, it's sort of like animals. Just keep calm and confident. Try picturing it in your mind, if it works,"

Hermione threw him a look that was torn between doubtful and annoyed. She conceded, taking a moment to close her eyes and calm herself, mustering her confidence. As Harry gave her other hand a gentle squeeze, her eyes flung open with determination.

"UP!" She commanded, noticeably less bossy but more confident and calm. The broom rolled a little, before soaring into her hand. She looked delighted and shared a smile with Harry. An annoyed growl caught their attention, as they turned in time to watch Ronald Weasley, who had earlier boasted about his skills, fail quite spectacularly.

"UP!" He said annoyed, drawing it out. This time, his broom proceeded to rise by the handle and give him a good hard whack on the nose. Something everyone else took the piss out of (1).

"Alright," Madam Hooch, the flying instructor said, "Everyone, I want you to mount your brooms like this. Yes, that's good. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Weasley, what the devil are you two doing? Both of you are gripping it wrongly. Do you want to lose control and crash, breaking your spines in the process?"

"That's assuming they have spines," Harry muttered, causing Hermione to smirk and nudge him. The two boys looked embarrassed and furious, proceeding to glare at each other as if it were the other's fault.

The lesson went on rather well. They managed to kick off and fly around a decent bit, hovering in the air and tossing a ball Madam Hooch had handed them. Hermione looked nervous at first, but after a while had quashed her fear, the sudden thrill of flying finally taking hold.

"I like flying!" She called out to harry as she passed him. "But at the same time, I hate it!". Harry could only ponder how both were simultaneously possible.

It was when Madam Hooch had asked them to return that things got a little crazy. While everyone was making successful landing attempts, Neville seemed to be struggling. It was not long before everyone began to notice this. Every time Neville tried to get lower, the broom would rise up even more. It suddenly rose by the handle and shot up. 15 feet. 20 feet. 30 feet. Harry could see Neville's hand slip, and the next thing everyone knew, he was lying on the ground unconscious.

Madam Hooch dashed over to the unconscious boy, muttering about lousy brooms and budget cuts. "Broken wrist," she muttered, inspecting Neville. She hauled him up and proceeded to carry him to the hospital wing. "If I catch anybody on their brooms in the air when I get back, they would be out of Hogwarts faster than you could say 'quidditch',"

As soon as they left, Draco Malfoy, the Blonde haired ponce of an aristocratic bigot from the train, laughed. "Did you see that fat lump's face?" Some of the Slytherins laughed. Others, especially the Gryffindors weren't amused.

"Oh shove it, Malfoy," Parvati Patil, a Gryffindor first year shot back.

"Oooh! Standing up for fat crybaby squibs, Patil?" Pansy Parkinson, a pug-faced Slytherin girl, mocked back.

"Hey!" Malfoy yelled, garnering everybody's attention. "It's that fatty Longbottom's remembrall!" The sphere glittered in the sun as he held it up.

Harry had had enough by now. "How about you give it here, Malfoy?"

The whole class was now staring at the two of them. Harry was not deterred, though. Malfoy gave an evil smile, before mounting his broom and kicking off, soaring high above the class, more than 80 feet up. Harry made to follow him, kicking off on his broom, much to Hermione's protest. He had barely taken off, though, when Malfoy's shooting star decided to kick the bucket for him, breaking into two. Malfoy spun out of control.

Panicking, he tossed the remembrall high up into the air, before letting go of the bit of broom left. Harry sighed as he reached around 40 feet. He hated the Malfoy ponce, but for now he'll help him out only because he did not want anybody to die due to pettiness. As Malfoy got closer and faster, Harry aimed a levitation charm at the ponce. The charm worked, and Malfoy slowed down to a stop 5 feet off the ground, before Harry released him.

It was then he realised he forgot about another thing. The Remembrall! Harry spun around and squinted. There was the remembrall, a fair distance away and falling fast, around 30 feet and closing. Harry took off on the shooting star, diving dangerously fast towards where he predicted the ball was going to be, the whistling of the wind blocking out the screams of his year mates. He stretched out his hand, catching the ball a foot from the ground. He tilted the handle up just in time to slow to a gentle stop, collapsing gently onto the grass.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry felt the blood drain from his face as he turned and saw the towering figure of Professor McGonagall dashing towards him. He got up trembling.

"Never-in all my time at Hogwarts-" Her glasses flashed furiously, causing Harry to involuntarily shudder. "You might've broken your neck!"

Several Gryffindors and Slytherins had rushed over to Harry's defense upon seeing the deputy headmistress. "But Professor, it wasn't his-"

"That's enough, Mr. Thomas,"

"But Malfoy-"

"Miss Greengrass, do you wish to have points docked for your impertinence? If not, be quiet. Mr. Potter, follow me," The professor said with an air of finality. Only to be blocked by one Hermione Granger.

"If you're going to expel Harry, professor," she said in a low voice, "you're going to have to expel me too,"

Professor McGonagall blinked, before giving the girl the tiniest of half smiles. "Miss Granger, I never said I would be punishing Mr. Potter, let alone expelling him," She muttered before dragging Harry along and back up to school.

Harry was beyond confused. He had managed to catch that interaction. If he wasn't being punished, then what the devil was she dragging him up to the castle for? She came to a stop outside Professor Flitwick's, the charms teacher's, classroom before knocking on the door.

"I am so sorry to disturb your lessons, Filius. May I borrow Wood for the moment?" She asked upon opening the door.

"What the devil is a 'Wood'?" Harry muttered to himself. He got his answer as a tall fifth year boy exited the classroom, looking at him curiously.

"Come with me!" The professor commanded. She led them to an unused classroom, scaring the living crap out of Peeves, the school's resident poltergeist and troublemaker, before shutting the door.

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor house Quidditch team. Wood, I think I've found you a seeker,"

A/N: Second chapter up. Please understand that I may not be able to update regularly due to school. Trust me, it's getting crazy over here. Please favourite, share and follow this story! Leave a review to tell me what you think.

(1): Taking the piss. From what I understand, it is British slang. It means to joke or make fun of something.