Chapter 4 – Hogwarts Bound
The month of August had, without a doubt, been the best month that Harry or Jon could remember in their short lives. They had three meals a day, beds to sleep in, no chores, and the freedom to do as they please. Jon had taken the time to learn, looking through his first-year textbooks and a book on useful spells he had found on a trip to Flourish and Blotts. He had found a name for the spell he had used against Vernon all those years ago, a banishing charm, and its counterpart, the summoning charm, though neither were taught in first year.
It hadn't been all study though, Harry had insisted that they both take daily trips into Diagon Alley to see as much of their new world as they could, leading them on trips to all the shops up and down the alley. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour had become a favourite destination. Florean had developed a soft spot for the two polite young boys, often giving them larger than average scoops and taking a few minutes to talk to them each time they visited.
It was on one of these adventures that the boys entered the Magical Menagerie, a pet shop on the northern side of Diagon Alley, that Harry discovered a new friend. Wandering through the store, Harry approached a cage holding a beautiful snowy owl. "Careful there, son." The store clerk said, "That bird's a nasty one, she doesn't let anyone touch her." Harry hesitated a moment, but was so mesmerised by the creature that he couldn't resist taking another step forward and stretching a finger through the bars to stroke the owl's soft plumage.
"She doesn't seem so bad to me." Harry said, looking back at the clerk with confusion.
"Do you want her?" Jon asked, coming up behind his brother. The owl chirped as if to answer his question in the affirmative.
Harry laughed, "Yes please. I'll get some treats too, and a perch." Jon nodded, reaching into his pocket for their money and approaching the counter.
"That'll be eleven Galleons and two Sickles please, and I'll admit I'm glad to have that bird gone."
Harry left with his new owl on his shoulder and other purchases in hand. Later that night, when the topic of what to name the owl came up, Harry sat down with a history book to find a good name.
"Hedwig." He announced, closing the book with a thud.
The newly dubbed Hedwig chirped happily. "That sounds like agreement to me." Jon said with a smile, pleased to see his brother so happy.
When September 1st finally came around, the Potter boys were eager to see the school that had educated their parents, yet reluctant to leave their new life of freedom behind. Nevertheless, when Hagrid arrived to take the boys to Kings Cross Station he found them with their bags all packed at their feet and Hedwig perched on Harry's shoulder.
Kings Cross was busy as always, but with Hagrid to lead the way the group made good progress towards their platform. "Righ' you two, here's your tickets." Hagrid said, passing the first to Jon and the second to Harry. They looked more like something from the early 20th century than the modern day.
"Platform 9 and 3 quarters? Hagrid are you sure this is right?" Jon asked, reading the platform number from his ticket.
"O' course, just go down to platforms 9 and 10 and walk through the barrier in between them. You'll pass right through an' appear on the platform. I have to get goin' so I'll leave you to it, I'll see you both at Hogwarts." Jon and Harry said their goodbyes to Hagrid, and continued down to the platforms below, pausing at what Hagrid claimed was the gateway to platform 9 and 3 quarters.
"Well," Harry spoke, "Guess this it." He strode forward, his nerves making him speed up ever so slightly as he wheeled his trunk towards the wall. Harry screwed up his face, anticipating an impact that never came. He opened his eyes to see the most marvellous red steam train with the words Hogwarts Express emblazoned on the side. Jon appeared beside him, equally in awe of the train before them.
Shook from their stupor as someone almost crashed into them from behind, Harry and Jon made their way further down the train, eventually entering and finding an empty compartment near the centre of the train. With difficulty, they managed to hoist their luggage on to the racks above. Hedwig flew up to perch on the rungs that held their luggage, while Jon buried himself in one of the textbooks and Harry enjoyed some people-watching through the window.
At the chime of eleven, the train shifted, slowly pulling away from the station. Parents and younger siblings waved their last goodbyes, with shouts of 'be good' and 'have fun' echoed up and down the platform. A small redheaded girl ran alongside the train until the platform ended, waving ferociously with tears in her eyes.
Harry and Jon sat in peaceful silence, one still engrossed in his book while the other simply sat back and enjoyed the view from the window as the train worked its way out of London and into the surrounding countryside. This peace was disturbed when the door slid open to reveal a ginger haired boy, holding a battered case. "Do you mind?" The boy asked, "Everywhere else is full."
"Not at all." Harry answered, gesturing for the boy to enter and standing to help him with his case. Together they managed to get the case onto the racks above, slotting it in beside Harry's own. Job done, Harry plopped back down into his seat, the ginger boy electing to sit next to him.
"My name's Ron, Ron Weasley." The boy said, looking curiously over to the boy with the book in his lap who was yet to say a word.
"Jon Potter, that's my brother Harry." Jon answered, not particularly interested in socialising but reluctant to be rude.
Ron gasped, whipping around to look back at Harry. "H-Harry Potter, does that mean you've got the…" Ron trailed off, pointing vaguely at his own forehead with his eyes glued to Harry's.
"The scar from where an evil wizard tried to kill him, after killing our parents? Yes, he does." Jon said, scorn in his voice. Jon raised his book, deliberately going back to reading. Ron gulped, realising his mistake too late.
Harry sighed, "Don't mind him. Here, look." Harry lifted a hand to his hair, lifting it out the way to reveal the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.
"Wicked." Ron breathed. Jon snorted derisively, not looking up from his book, and Harry again engaged Ron's attention to distract from his brother. They chattered amongst themselves, Harry asking Ron all sorts of questions about his family and the magical world. Ron was from an abnormally large pureblood family, with five older brothers and a younger sister, three of which were currently attending Hogwarts. "Fred and George are pranksters, they get in trouble all the time from mum when they're home and the teachers are always sending letters home about some trouble they've made. They're the complete opposite of Percy, he's a prefect and he wants to be head boy, he wouldn't break a rule to save his life!" By the time Ron had pulled out a rat to show off to Harry, Jon had managed to tune out Ron's prattling and was fully engrossed in his book, reading about all sorts of useful charms that existed. Most of the ones Jon found most interesting wouldn't be taught in first year, but he still found the area of magic completely fascinating.
A knock came from the door, just before it was pulled open to reveal an older lady, pushing a cart laden with all sorts of strange food items. "Anything off the trolley dears?" Jon stood to look, prompting Harry to do the same.
Ron pulled a bundled-up sandwich from his pocket and unenthusiastically replied, "No thanks, I'm set." Jon, realising they would be on the train for some time yet, bought two pumpkin pasties and two cauldron cakes to share with Harry for lunch, and Harry himself bought a handful of chocolate frogs as a treat. While Jon set aside the food he had bought for later, Harry dumped his pile of chocolate between himself and Ron with a casual 'help yourself', bringing a happy smile to Ron's face.
It was a good few hours before they were disturbed again, this time by a young bushy-haired girl who was already dressed in her Hogwarts robes. "Excuse me, have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." She asked.
"No, sorry." Harry replied, shaking his head.
"I'd suggest finding a prefect and asking them to try the summoning spell, accio. It should bring the toad straight to you." Jon suggested. The girl smiled, happy to do just that rather than spend any more time going up and down the train looking in each compartment.
"Thank you, I'm Hermione by the way, Hermione Granger." The girl said, hesitating in the doorway.
"Jon Potter, and this is my brother Harry." Jon replied, already expecting her reaction.
"Holy cricket! Harry Potter, I've read about you in Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. And, you are?" Hermione asked, looking with disdain at Ron who was currently stuffing half a sandwich into his mouth.
"'Am, Ron Weasley." He managed around his mouthful.
Hermione's nose wrinkled in disgust, much to Jon's amusement. "Charmed." She replied. "Well, I'd better try to find a prefect, thank you for your help." Hermione turned, again hesitating in the doorway before looking back at Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose by the way, did you know? Just there." Hermione rubbed the right side of her nose in demonstration, then swept from the compartment with purpose.
Jon broke into laughter, unable to contain it as Ron attempted to wipe the smudge of dirt from his nose. Thoroughly entertained, Jon returned to his book and was able to focus for a whole half hour before being interrupted this time.
The door to the compartment slid back and Jon sighed, marking his place in the textbook. A blonde boy stood in the doorway, flanked on either side by two boys who, though larger than average, looked rather dim. The blonde's hair was slicked back with far too much product, and his face was pale and pointed. "I've heard the Potters are in this compartment. It's you two, right?" The blonde drawled, looking back and forth from Harry to Jon.
Jon sighed, "Yes, I'm Jon Potter, this is my brother Harry." Already the social requirements of Harry's fame were starting to grate on Jon, he hoped it wouldn't last.
The blonde smiled at this confirmation, stepping slightly further into the compartment. "My name's Malfoy," The blonde said, as if it meant something, "Draco Malfoy." Ron let out a quiet snigger at the name, catching Draco's attention. He sneered, his face colouring ever so slightly in anger. "No need to ask your name. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley!" Draco spat Ron's family name as if it was some terrible insult, causing Ron to colour in much the same way Draco had before.
Draco purposefully turned back to Jon, "You'll soon find some wizard families are better than others. I can help you there." Draco extended his hand to Jon, making Ron turn an even deeper shade of red.
"Frankly," Jon began, as he stood and took Draco's hand, "I've only just met both of you today. I can see there's some kind of rivalry here and I'm not inclined to make any commitments either way. I hope that's understandable." Jon let Draco's hand drop, and sat back in his seat. Though outwardly calm, Jon's heart began to beat faster as he waited to see if he had managed to dodge this fight.
Draco considered this for a moment, before replying "Fair enough Potter, we'll speak again sometime soon." Satisfied, Draco turned and left the compartment with the two unnamed dullards following behind. Despite not being happy at Jon's lack of defence on his behalf, Draco's swift exit from the compartment was enough to settle Ron, allowing Harry to pull him back into conversation.
Jon sat back with a sigh, and once again opened his book. Hopefully they could make it to Hogwarts without another incident.
"Firs' years! Firs' years to me!" A familiar voice called, as Jon stepped down from the train. Hagrid was visible by the light of a lantern he held well above the heads of the gathering first years. "'Ello you two! How was the train ride?" Hagrid asked as Harry and Jon came into his sight.
"It went fine thanks." Harry replied with a grin, "This is Ron, I met him on the train." As the last of the older students left the platform and it became clear there were no more first years to come, Hagrid led the group down a narrow dirt path to a dock, where a collection of boats rested.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, stepping into one all to himself.
Jon picked out one on the far right and stepped in, helping Harry, Ron, and a black boy he didn't know into the boat after him. Quiet introductions were held, and Jon learned the boy's name was Dean Thomas. From his lack of reaction to Harry's name Jon thought he may be a muggleborn.
The whispered conversations of the first years all came to a sudden stop as they rounded a corner in the lake, and Hogwarts castle came into view in front of them. It was magnificent. Large white towers and flickering lights in its many windows, Hogwarts looked like something pulled straight out of a fairy tale. Jon couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Mind your heads!" Hagrid called, as the small fleet of boats floated under an archway and finally came to a stop. Jon climbed out of the boat somewhat unsteadily, reaching back to help Harry from solid ground. When all the first years were assembled, Hagrid led them up a long stone staircase to a large wooden door. Thump. Thump. Thump. Hagrid knocked.
The door swung open, and there stood an older woman with a very stern expression on her face; immediately Jon knew she was not one to cross. She swept her gaze over the first years, her face impassive, though Jon thought he saw her expression twitch and her eyes linger on both him and his brother for a second longer than his year mates. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid, I'll take them from here." McGonagall replied. She led them into the castle's Entrance Hall, which was lit with the same kind of flaming torches that seemed everywhere in the magical world. A magnificent marble staircase led further into the castle, and another set of large double doors lay shut to the right. McGonagall stopped, and turned to face them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," She began, "Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. The sorting is a very important ceremony as, while you are here, your house will be like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. Your triumphs shall earn you points. Any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year the house with the most points is awarded the house cup. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily, I suggest you take this to smarten yourselves up." McGonagall ended her speech with a pointed look to one boy, who had his robe clasped under his ear, and to Ron, who's nose was still smudged with dirt. She left the chamber through the doors on the right, briefly allowing the sounds of a vast number of students chattering to be heard.
The first-years broke out into nervous whispers, all debating the manner in which they would be sorted. "Fred and George told me we have to fight a troll!" Ron was telling Harry, who's eyes widened at the thought. The girl Jon had met on the train, Hermione, was frowning and muttering a variety of spells under her breath.
Jon took a deep breath to calm himself, and tried to think it through. There was no way they could expect first years to know anything too difficult, especially those that came from a muggle background. More than likely, whatever the test was would be harmless, maybe a test of will or natural ability.
"They're ready for you." McGonagall's voice broke through the whispers. "Now form a line and follow me."
The view from the lake had made Hogwarts look beautiful, and the Great Hall only added to that impression. The dark night sky dotted with stars stretched above their heads, and the thousands upon thousands of candles that lit the hall floated in midair. The hall was filled with four long tables, each filled with students wearing robes lined with a different colour, and at the far end of the room the head table was perched ever so slightly higher than the others, affording the teachers a view over the entire hall. Distantly, Jon heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.
McGonagall brought their procession to a halt, moving ahead to silently place a four-legged stool in front of the gathered first-years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat which looked like it had seen better days. The hat was patched, and frayed, and quite dirty. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. What Jon had thought was just a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began 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 folk 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!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
"We've just got to try on the hat?" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he had me going on about troll wrestling!" Jon resisted the urge to laugh, both at Ron's expense and in relief. Simply putting a hat on his head was far easier than anything else he had considered.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line; she put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause, "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Jon did a double take as he saw a ghost floating above the table merrily wave the young girl over.
"Bones, Susan!" The sorting continued on in this manner, and Jon made an effort to remember the names and faces as they were called. When Hermione was called, she sat for a full minute before the hat declared her a Gryffindor. The boy who had fastened his cloak incorrectly, Neville Longbottom, was so excited to be put in Gryffindor that he ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter. After "MacDougal, Morag", Draco was next. He swaggered forward when his name was called, and the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends two large friends, looking very pleased with himself.
When Harry's name was finally called a hush swept across the hall. It wasn't until Jon poked him in the back that he stepped forward, as whispers broke out across the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
Jon caught Harry's eye, and gave him an encouraging nod just before the Sorting Hat's brim slipped down over his eyes. Even from amongst the other first-years Jon could see Harry's hands gripping the edge of the stool, and the tension in his posture. A minute passed, and another, before finally the Hat called "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry finally relaxed, he took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. Such was his relief, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. A boy who must've been Ron's brother, Percy the Prefect, got up and shook Harry's hand vigorously, while the twin Weasleys yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
As the clapping finally died down, McGonagall called, "Potter, Jonathon" Now it was his turn.
Jon kept his focus on the hat in front of him as another round of whispers broke out in the hall. Taking deep breaths, Jon picked up the hat and lowered it over his eyes, waiting to see what would happen. "Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Not a good childhood for either of you I see." Jon stayed still, not knowing how or if to respond. "You have quite the resourceful mind, you gained that from your upbringing if nothing else. Slytherin, or Ravenclaw perhaps? Though your loyalty to your brother is something to behold. Difficult. Very difficult."
My brother, Jon thought, I want to be with Harry.
"So Gryffindor, eh?" said the Hat, "You do have courage, plenty of it. Well if you're sure, better be GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat yelled out the last word, causing another raucous round of applause as Jon left the Sorting Hat behind and went to sit between Harry and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. Harry smiled as Jon slid in beside him, pleased he wouldn't be separated from his brother, and Hermione greeted him with a timid smile and congratulations.
As the sorting was coming to an end, it was finally Ron's turn. He had grown so nervous over the long wait his face had taken on an unhealthy green hue. Jon could see the anticipation on all the Weasley's faces as Ron sat down with the Sorting Hat on his head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Jon clapped politely with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair across from Harry.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
When McGonagall had taken her seat at the Headmaster's right-hand side, Albus Dumbledore rose to his feet. He smiled benevolently down at them, his arms opened wide. "Welcome," he said, his voice reverberating around the hall. "Welcome all to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our feast, I would like to introduce Professor Quirrell, he will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts this year." Quirrell stood, wearing a rather absurd turban, and received a polite round of applause. Dumbledore continued, "Finally, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down, with the whole hall clapping and cheering. Jon stared with a bemused expression, unsure if he should laugh or not. It seemed everything in this world was odd.
The smell of food made Jon's mouth water, and he only then noticed the dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so much food in one place, and certainly not available to him. Jon's stomach rumbled, reminding him just how long it had been since lunch, motivating him to fill his plate high with roast veg and beef, Yorkshire puddings and gravy, peas, carrots, sausages and chips.
"Umm, Jon?" Hermione said, bringing Jon's attention to her. "I'd just like to thank you for your help on the train, Neville and I were able to find his toad. Oh, this is Neville Longbottom" She said, gesturing to a somewhat podgy boy who was sat on the other side of her.
Jon smiled, "Hi, Jon Potter. I'm glad I was able to help. So, I think I recognise your name from a history book I was reading, are you a pureblood?" With the conversation begun, it was easy to fall into conversation about Neville's family history which was rich, as the Longbottom family was one of the seven Founding Families that created the British Ministry of Magic, as were the Potters.
"Our families are historically quite close I think. Longbottoms and Potters often fought together in dark times, and Longbottom greenhouses supply the Potter potions business with ingredients. I'm surprised no one ever told you about all this." Neville said, looking curiously at Jon.
"I was raised in the muggle world. I only just found out about magic on my birthday, I had no idea about any of this before then. How about you Hermione? When did you find out about magic?" Jon asked, eager to deflect the subject away from his life at the Dursley's.
Hermione's face lit up with a smile, happy to be included in the conversation. "Well, I'm the first magical person in the family as far as we know. Both my parents are dentists and I don't have any siblings." Hermione paused a moment when she spotted Neville's confused expression. "Dentists fix people's teeth if they haven't cleaned them properly or if they break a tooth. When Professor McGonagall came to the front door we were all very shocked, hardly believed it in fact, then she turned our coffee table into a pig! It was incredible! It's why I'm so excited for transfiguration, of course, it is supposed to be very difficult and I didn't see anything in the first-year books about transfiguring anything nearly that large."
They spoke more of subjects they were looking forward to as various desserts appeared on the table, including jam donuts, treacle tart, and a particularly good trifle. Neville spoke about his love of herbology and Jon his interest in charms, until a sudden gasp of pain stole Jon's attention.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Jon asked. Harry had his eyes on the head table and a hand clapped to his forehead, directly over his lightning bolt scar.
"N-Nothing." Harry stammered, "Hey Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?"
"Oh, no wonder he's looking so nervous. That's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to; everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."
Harry's eyes returned briefly to the head table, then met Jon's. "It's nothing." Harry promised, the look in his eye begging Jon to drop the subject. Jon nodded and allowed himself to be drawn back into the conversation with Hermione and Neville, though he kept some attention on Harry for the rest of the feast.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed 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. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the 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."
Jon looked around, taken aback not only by the warning of mortal danger but also the acceptance on the majority of people's faces. Surely anything that dangerous shouldn't be in a school?
"Now, as I do believe you all have classes tomorrow, you'd best all go to bed."