Chance to Witness
AN: I realised there isn't much wholesome Potter family fics out there when I wrote this on a whim, kinda sad :(
Steam billowed from the scarlet Hogwarts Express and - as if the sound had opened a dam - the waves of students began scurrying on board. Some parents clung onto their children for last minute farewells, others already waving to their children from a distance.
"Take care of yourself," said James Potter. "Oh, what am I saying? Go have fun, last year before your OWL year, go wild- Ow! Lily, that was absolutely unnecessary!"
"Your father is half right," smiled Lily Potter. "Do take care of yourself, your sister as well."
"What are you saying?" Harry grinned. "I don't ever remember her needing to be taken care off- Hey! Mum, I was joking."
Harry laughed as he jumped away from Lily's tickles.
"I blame this one," Lily jabbed James' sides.
"And I have no regrets. See you, send us a letter once you reach your dorms."
Waving his final goodbye, Harry hopped aboard the train. A quick walk down the corridor and he entered one of the compartments. Two girls sat in the compartment, a brunette with wild bushy hair and a dark-haired girl who did her hair in a simple low ponytail.
"Harry, good to see you," said the brunette.
"You too, Hermione," Harry grinned.
"You took your time," the dark-haired girl greeted him with a gentle smile, she bore the same emerald-green eyes as his. In her hands was a Muggle novel, A Tale of Two Cities.
Harry smiled at the sight of his sister, Muggle novels had always been one of her go-to sources of entertainment. Some things never changed.
"You sure left fast," Harry replied.
"Saved us a good compartment, didn't I," the girl chuckled, her voice lighthearted and soft.
"Come on, Anne, scoot over," Harry shuffled in. "Leo and Neville are gonna come soon."
Anne obliged, leaning on Harry's shoulder once they had settled before continuing to read. Harry looked through the window as the train slowly left the platform.
"Harry, have you finished your summer homework?" Hermione asked.
Harry took his eyes from the window and paused for a moment before groaning. "Merlin, I still have that Potions essay, Snivellus is going to be such an arsehole about it."
"Harry, language," Hermione said reproachfully.
Anne snorted, shaking her head as she grinned in amusement. "Don't let mum hear you say that."
"See? Even Anne thinks so."
"Hermione, I'm not talking about 'arsehole' - mum lost any right to scold us for that word when she accidentally taught us that word when we were five - I'm talking about 'Snivellus', I don't think she will ever forgive dad for that."
"Lend me a hand for that essay, will you?" Harry nudged his sister.
"Left side of my truck, at the top, it's clearly labelled," Anne replied. "Don't get me implicated."
"Thanks," Harry grinned.
"Honestly, Anne, how is he ever going to learn?" Hermione shook her head in exasperation.
"The hard way. Which is when he fails Potions and mum tears him a new one. If it happened for History of Magic it can happen for Potions."
"Suddenly, I feel like you're not actually helping me," Harry frowned but grinning at her humour nonetheless as the compartment door opened, he brightened up as he saw the people entering. "Leo! Neville!"
Leo Black and Neville Longbottom entered with an air of confidence that could only come from the sons of high-ranking DMLE officials. Settling themselves down next to Hermione, opposite the Potter twins.
"Good to see you, Harry," said Neville.
"Harry, did you, by any chance… bothered to do your Potions essay?" Leo asked casually.
Both of them gave each other a funny look before bursting out in laughter, causing a groan from Hermione who decided to take out her copy of Hogwarts: A History, muttering 'boys'.
"Leo, at least I genuinely forgot to do it."
"Snivellus," Leo snorted. "He is going to shove a stick so far up his arse he's going to-
"Leo!" Hermione cried out, glaring at said person. "Honestly, you're worse than Harry. Sure, he can be a bit unfair, especially to you two, but he's an alright teacher."
"Hermione," Leo deadpanned. "Detention. Two weeks straight. Polishing every tile of Moaning Myrtle's toilet."
"My ears bled from that pain," Harry shuddered. "Or was it my hands?"
"Alright, save the stories for another day," Neville chuckled goodnaturedly. "How was the Quidditch World Cup? I couldn't go for it, my dad didn't get the tickets for it."
Harry and Leo flashed identical grins.
"Brilliant. Top Box seats with Minister Riddle."
"Old man, but the casual insults he threw to each foreign country was spectacular."
"The kind of Slytherin Snivellus wished he could be."
"But never will."
XXXXX
"The train is stopping, is everyone ready?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, mom," Leo deadpanned, pulling up the hood of his Hogwarts robes. "Better put the hood up, I do believe the gods are trying to flood Hogwarts."
"Yeesh," Harry sighed. "Times like this I wish we were already in the dorms all snuggled up, nevermind the feast."
Harry pulled his robes closer to him. Looking around, he could see the others doing the same. They were all in their Hogwarts robes, with Gryffindor red trimmings with the sole exception of Anne's Ravenclaw blue; a small snippet that had left Harry disgruntled ever since their Sorting, they had spent their lives beside one another after all; their mother was all for it on the other hand. They departed from the train into the deluge of rain, their shoes splashing on the innumerous puddles that lay scattered around Hogsmeade Station.
"Anne!"
A blond blur pounced on Anne's back. Anne let out a surprised gasp, losing her balance and stumbling towards the ground. Harry acted immediately, turning around to catch her. The attacker revealed herself to be Luna Lovegood, the dreamy smile, radish earrings and multicoloured scarf bringing out her odd personality. Harry sighed, Anne always had a thing for picking up strays, it started with cats back in Godric's Hollow and somehow led up to that Ravenclaw first-year everyone avoided in their second-year, eventually leading to this.
"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Anne gently pried her junior off her back. "How have you been, Luna?"
The younger Ravenclaw wandered off into a topic about some weird creature that Harry could not bring himself to care about. He looked at his fellow Gryffindors who all shrugged, he then turned back to Anne who was listening to Luna with rapt attention. Harry had to admitted, Anne was the more patient of the two, a fact their mother always brought up.
XXXXX
When the students of Hogwarts entered the Great Hall, shock rippled throughout the place. At the High Table to the left of Dumbledore sat a senior man, whose charismatic aura of confidence and dominance clashed equally with Dumbledore's. Smooth grey hair sat atop his chiseled pale face and his sharp black eyes surveyed the entering student. He was old - not as much as Dumbledore - but he still retained the handsomeness that had made him popular in his early career.
"Sweet Merlin, is that the Minister?" Hermione gasped. "What's he doing here in Hogwarts?"
"Triwizard Tournament," Leo answered her. "They're reinstating it."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," said Neville as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. "Dad said he was gonna be here for security."
"They are reinstating the Triwizard Tournament?" Hermione exclaimed, attracting several looks from nearby Gryffindors.
"Hm… I think it was supposed to be a secret, a surprise for the students," Leo rubbed his chin in mock thought and Hermione instantly shrank on the spot, looking anxiously at the people around her.
"Relax, Hermione," said Harry. "By the time your words twist its way to the other end of the table, they will be convinced that the Halloween Feast is going to be cancelled."
"Wait, why didn't you guys write to me about this?"
"It's supposed to be a secret."
"Leo, what kind of- uh, nevermind. How do you even know about this?"
"House of Black. Dad may be cast off from the family, but Uncle Regulus writes to him frequently and dad's head of the Hit Wizards so the news would pass by him sooner or later."
It was a short wait before the rows of timid first-years entered the Great Hall, all of them soaking wet from the storm. Sorting went through with only a few hatstalls and soon everyone watched as food appeared before their eyes. Ron Weasley started first, helping himself to some roast beef several seats down the table and everyone soon followed suit. Harry grabbed some shepherd's pie and tucked in and not a minute in before Neville called for his attention.
"Harry," muttered Neville. "Is that Lovegood… feeding your sister?"
"Huh," Harry replied distractedly, looking up from his plate to the Ravenclaw table. "Oh yeah, that's been a thing since third-year. I've stopped questioning, because somehow Anne just went along with it."
"You have to admire your sister," stated Hermione. "Not many would entertain that."
Two tables away, Harry watched as Anne ate her dinner, chatting with one of her fellow Ravenclaws, Sue Li. Occasionally, a piece of ham or a slice of fruit would float in front of her, edging closer to her until she bit it off the air. Across her sat Luna, who ate with a fork in one hand and her wand in the other, swishing it in a carefree manner as she levitated the bits of food that would end up in Anne's mouth.
"Why are you watching Lovegood anyway?" Leo asked curiously.
Neville promptly clamped his mouth shut and went back to his chicken. A look of understanding washed over Leo and he began grinning.
"Ah… I believe I will now have the high ground in all our following conversations," Leo drawled.
"Shut up."
XXXXX
"With the last of the start-of-year announcements finished, I would like to leave the floor to our esteemed guest here. Minister of Magic, Tom Riddle."
Riddle stood up and once again swept his gaze through the throngs of students. Harry felt an involuntary shudder, the man simply oozed of power, both magical and political.
"Hey, Leo," said Neville. "Isn't he - a man in his late sixties - married to your dad's cousin?"
"Don't remind me," Leo muttered. "As far as I'm concerned, the woman by the name of Bellatrix Riddle does not exist."
"Yes, it must have been a ghost that tried to hex Sirius at the Top Box," Harry snorted.
"Not a ghost, a hag."
"Hush," Hermione threw them an annoyed looked. "He's going to start speaking."
"Students of Hogwarts," Riddle's voice echoed clearly across the Great Hall. "The Triwizard Tournament, as explained by Dumbledore, is a prestigious event. The honour of Britain and the honour of Hogwarts is at stake. But I'm not worried at all, because I know the champion who will represent Hogwarts will bring nothing short of a victory. So my message as the Minister to all you is…"
Riddle raised the glass of wine in his hand into the air and gave a confident grin.
"Enjoy yourselves."
The Great Hall exploded in applause as Riddle shook hands with Dumbledore before walking between the tables to the great doors and exiting the place. Conversations broke out immediately among the students, rapid chatter drowning out the sounds of cutlery. Harry grinned as he began discussing the Triwizard Tournament with his friends.
The event felt so exhilarating, a fresh break to the monotony of school. His time in Hogwarts had been fun, but it had not of the zest that came from the stories James and Sirius had frequently told him and Leo - with Lupin and Pettigrew occasionally chipping in. Then again, he didn't have the chance to enjoy the thrill of roaming the Forbidden Forest as an animagus with his friends. At least, he now had the Triwizard Tournament, a chance to witness an adventure of a lifetime.
AN: To the readers that follow my other story. Yes, Anne here would be Anya from A Crow From Afar under this AU circumstances, had a writer's block and my mind wandered off, ending up with this.