In the Headmaster's office…
Albus Dumbledore was in a right royal snit though he'd never admit to it. 'How had things not gone according to my grand plan? The boy should've been raised in a cold and harsh environment with those damnable muggles to make him pliable for my guidance! What changed? Then for the brat to not get sorted into Gryffindor? His parents were there so it should've stood to reason that the boy would go there as well! I just can't believe that a Potter is in Hufflepuff; a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter in amongst the duffers and nobodies.' He took a deep breath and let out a shuddering sigh. 'At least he didn't end up in Slytherin. That would've been disastrous. What does it do for the prophecy with him being amongst the Badgers? I can't even get him to investigate the third floor corridor. I need to think on this…'
Harry received a letter from Riptooth the morning after Halloween, stating that the Goblin's side of the investigation into the misappropriation of the Potter funds was proceeding on track and they looked to have all monies and property fully back in the correct vaults by the end of the year. In addition, the case against Sirius Black had hit a bit of a snag since any correspondence that Gringott's had with the Ministry had to go through the Goblin Liaison Office of the Magical Beast and Creature Control Department, which was chronically understaffed.
Harry wrote back thanking Riptooth for getting the financial stuff done in a timely matter then requested a certified copy of the paperwork and other documentation they'd done. He mentioned that the niece of the Director of Magical Law Enforcement was a member of his Hogwarts House, he was on good speaking terms with her and that he'd try to get the DMLE's attention that way.
In the Great Hall, during morning tea…
Harry was sitting amongst his friends during their morning tea quietly observing everyone around him while he idly made some figurines out of polymer clay. His fingers were busily working while he watched the Weasley twins yet again pull a prank on their younger brother. They had apparently slipped some kind of potion into his cup of tea that gave the boy a pig's snout and bunny ears.
Harry snorted lightly at the sight and shook his head at the humor. 'It never ends with that family, does it?' Millicent Bulstrode of Slytherin House was sitting with them and chatting with Hermione about something school related when she turned to face him after she overheard his snort. With a questioning tilt of her head, he smirked and gestured with his chin at Ron Weasley's new look. She looked over at the spectacle going on at the Gryffindor table then rolled her eyes and grunted in mild derision before getting back into her conversation.
Vincent Crabbe sat down next to Harry and observed his work with the polymer clay. Pointing at it, he asked where in the world did he find that kind of clay.
"It's called 'polymer clay.' It's a type of hardenable modeling clay based on the muggle polymer polyvinyl chloride or PVC." The look of blank confusion made Harry chuckle. "All you have to remember is that it's muggle in origin." Crabbe slowly nodded in acknowledgment.
"So what brings you over here? You're usually grafted onto the side of Draco."
Crabbe grinned and shrugged offhandly, "Not all the time. I just got curious as to what you were doing. You always have something creative going on."
Harry smiled back, "What about you? I've heard that you're into metalworking?"
Vincent blushed a bit, "Some. I haven't really gotten involved with anything serious. I mostly make flowers out of easily bendable metals."
"You ever work with a forge?" Vincent nodded.
"At home. I doubt the teachers here would let me set up a forge and do some real crafting."
Harry looked thoughtful, "Have you approached Professor Sprout? She's the one whom I got permission to set up Potter's Place from. I'd imagine she'd let you if you could prove to her that what you make is safe and not going to be used as a weapon. You'd also need to prove to her that you know what you're talking about."
The look on Vincent's face was priceless. His head was tilted off to one side, his eyes glazed as though the power had been cut and his mouth slightly open. Harry laughed and tapped him on the forehead to wake him up.
"Seriously, let's go ask her. She's sitting up there at the Teacher's table." Harry said as he rose to his feet.
Vincent immediately got nervous, "Umm… A-are you sure? I'm not even in her House!"
Harry shrugged, "Only one way to find out. Come on." He dragged a mildly protesting Vincent up to the front and approached his Head of House.
"Professor Sprout? Vincent here has a question he'd like to ask you." Vincent glared at him before gulping and facing Pomona.
"Ahem… Umm… Pro-Professor Sprout? I was wondering if…" He sighed then dug deep inside himself for courage, "Would you be willing to let me set up a small metalworking shop alongside Harry's pottery area?"
Pomona was surprised by the request. In all her years at the school, Harry was the first to instigate any serious sort of arts program. It was a refreshing change of pace, really. Now standing before her was another student asking for the same chance. At first she was rather hesitant; after all, the boy was a Slytherin and their manipulations of others was legendary. On the other hand, the boy was only a first year and as far as she'd observed, hadn't tried anything malicious.
"Mr. Crabbe, is it?" He nodded. "Mr. Crabbe, I think it would be better if I were to discuss with you about this at a later time so I can gauge just what your skill level is. I assume that you've had some prior experience working with metal?"
"Yes, ma'am. I've got a forge at home and have worked with my father and uncle in their shop. They usually have me making small pieces like decorative hooks or edge filigrees for picture frames."
Pomona nodded appreciatively, "Very good. As I suggested, why don't you and I along with your Head of House meet later after classes to see what else you know. I will also be contacting your father and uncle for their insights and opinions."
Vincent shyly smiled back, "Thank you, ma'am."
Harry grinned happily and lightly slugged him on the shoulder, "See? I told you so."
It was a chilly but still sunny early afternoon that Saturday when Harry approached Susan Bones. The redhead was busily chatting with her best friend, Hannah Abbott about random 'girly' things and gasped a bit when he appeared in front of them.
"Hey, Susan. You got a minute? I have a question to ask you."
Both girls giggled and Susan nodded, "Sure, Harry. What's up?"
Gesturing at the open space next to them and getting a nod of approval, Harry plopped down and began to lay out his problem, "The thing is, I need to get in contact with the DMLE about a problem my Goblin account manager and I found but every time we try, we get shunted off to the Goblin Liaison Office."
Susan looked bemused, "So let me guess. You want me to contact my auntie and have her talk with you?"
Harry nodded, "That's about the size of it."
"I know she'll ask so do you mind if I know what this is about?"
Taking a fortifying breath, "Sirius Black was wrongly imprisoned within Azkaban for something he didn't do. On top of that, he's my sworn godfather."
Both girls' eyes went wide open! Talk about a shocker! "B-but, he killed 12 muggles and Peter Pettigrew after betraying you and your parents. Everyone knows that!"
Harry shrugged and picked at his pants leg, "I'm only saying what was in the Potter Will. So? Will you get in contact with your aunt about meeting me?"
Susan gently grasped his hand and promised she would at the first chance she got.
Once Harry had felt that he'd settled in to the ebb and flow that was the Hogwarts students' life, he began to expand his friend base and seek out other people from the other Houses. He approached Draco and let the boy know that he was open to meeting his friends as long as they understood that Harry was not interested in any of the politics that went on amongst the Families. "I just want to make friends. I'm only eleven, the politics can come later."
Draco understood and introduced him to some of the kids from the better-known families in his House. He met Daphne Greengrass, Tracy Davis, and Theodore Nott and was greatly amused by the antics of Blaise Zabini. The Italian-born Zabini was always cracking subtle jokes or making somewhat not-so-subtle innuendos about everyone and everything.
Whispering to Draco during one such performance, Harry commented that if Blaise and the Weasley Twins ever got together, all Hell would break loose. Draco merely shuddered at the thought and glared at Harry. "Thanks, Potter. Now I'm going to have nightmares about that!"
Daphne's personality was at first kind of cold but every now and then Harry would get the impression that the face that she portrayed to the world was just a mask to protect her from potential and unwanted attention of the others.
Tracy was an open book in regards to emotions, surprisingly enough. Harry'd always thought that Slytherins were supposed to be cool, calm and collected but found out that image was merely the one they showed to the outside world. Within the green and silver walls of the 'snake pit,' things were more relaxed.
Theodore, or Theo as he requested he'd be called, was about as close to being a Ravenclaw than even Hermione was. The difference being that Theo wished to gather knowledge in order to gain wealth and power while Hermione wanted knowledge for knowledge's sake and also to make friends.
Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode made up the last two of the Slytherin first years that associated with Draco. Pansy was a gossipy sort of girl, who at this point in her life didn't really have that many ambitions that she wanted to accomplish other than finding the right husband. Harry was a bit disconcerted about that since they were only eleven but Draco quietly explained that amongst the aristocracy of the magical world, this sort of thing was expected.
Millicent, or Millie as she wanted to be known as, was a quiet girl with a sweet voice that belied her size. When dressed in the school robes, she appeared to be on the heavy side but it was revealed that the robes were cut at the shoulders and had no real shape to them. It turned out that Millie had a natural bodybuilder's form and was rather embarrassed by it.
"I don't know why you would be," Harry had remarked when he found out about it, "In the muggle world, you'd be looked upon with a bit of envy from the other girls. I see nothing wrong with the way you look." The teary eyed look of appreciation and the strong hug he'd received was enough to make even the hardest heart melt a bit.
One thing Harry found out that amongst the businesses they owned, the Bulstrodes had a small side company that supplied artist crafting tools like brushes, oil paints, different types of exotic clays and other fascinating materials.
"Millie, have you stopped by to see what I've been working on in my art studio behind Greenhouse One?" She shook her head.
"I've only heard a little bit about it. I was too shy to join everyone in its creation. What do you work on there?"
"Pottery and other ceramic arts. I figured early on that I ought to live up to my last name." He finished with a lop-sided grin.
"Wow, I'd love to see some of what you've done. Wait, didn't you give Granger some ceramic jewelry for her birthday?" Harry nodded.
"Yup. I also populated the Puff's Common Room with all sorts of decorative wall hangings and planters. Most of the senior staff also has a couple of mugs or some kind of stoneware made by me."
"Stoneware? I thought you made stuff out of clay?"
"Stoneware and earthenware are both made from clays, it's just that stoneware is fired at a higher temperature and is less porous and stronger than earthenware." Millie just slowly nodded as she accepted that, even though she clearly didn't understand what he'd said.
"Can you give examples of what stoneware looks like?" Draco asked.
Harry paused and glanced up to the ceiling as he thought about it, "Let's see, I think the best example of stoneware would be the dishes and crockery used in cooking, as long as it's not placed under direct heat. It has to have certain properties to be labeled 'oven-safe'"
Daphne interjected, "So, something like a baking dish for a turkey or something?" Harry cocked a finger at her and nodded.
Plans were made to visit and see what a Potter could come up with when given the opportunity. Harry pulled Draco to the side before he left and asked him why Millie had addressed Hermione by her last name and flinched a bit when he used her first name.
Draco scratched his head and shifted his stance, "Well, it's because Granger never gave us leave to use her first name and Millie never gave you permission to use hers. It's a social convention amongst the older families. I'm surprised that your guardians never taught you."
Harry grimaced slightly, "I was raised by my muggle aunt and uncle. They don't see the need for learning stuff like that unless I were to be in a situation where I was meeting someone from the royal family or something."
Draco was shocked, "Muggles? You were raised by muggles?"
Harry looked puzzled, "Yeah, so what? They're family."
Blinking in surprise, Draco merely shrugged at the question, "I guess if that's the only family you've ever known then who am I to sneer at it. It's just that all the known stories have you living in some big castle going on adventures and learning exotic magics."
Harry burst out laughing, "You mean those stupid children's stories like 'The True Life Adventures of Harry Potter'? I saw those things and they're utter garbage! I spent the past ten years in a little suburb of Surrey with my maternal aunt, uncle and cousin. The most exotic place I've ever been to was the beach near Brighton." He continued chuckling at the thought of being a globetrotting traveler.
Harry sought out Hermione later that afternoon and told her what he'd found out about why the Slytherins tended to use last names when addressing someone. Her look of surprise and horror at the thought she'd been rude to Millie and everyone else made him feel a bit of sympathy.
"It's just so you know, Hermione. I didn't know either but now that I do, I'll make it a point to give them permission after the start of a conversation."
"Why didn't I know that? With all the books I've read, there's nothing in them that even hinted about this sort of thing," she exclaimed as she tugged on her hair in frustration.
Harry shrugged, "Maybe it was the wrong books, I dunno. Have you tried to look up the etiquette books in the library? If anything, go talk with Millie and have her help you with that part of your education."
Hermione subconsciously nodded, her mind veering off onto looking back through all the interactions with the magical community since her introduction and not liking what she remembered.
"I-I need to go apologize to Millicent and the others!"
Harry held his hands up, "Whoa, easy there Hermione. I'm sure that you can apologize at dinner. Maybe it would be a good idea to have a gathering of everyone so we can both explain our behaviors from both sides of the magical divide."
That slowed her down. She paused and narrowed her eyes at him as she contemplated it, "That's…a good idea, Harry."
In Draco's dorm room that evening…
Draco paused in thought as he composed his weekly letter home to his parents. Life at Hogwarts was pretty much going as he'd expected. He was the undisputed Prince of the first years and making in-roads with the second years. He'd made a few contacts for possible alliances and found that he really enjoyed winding up the Gryffindors.
It was Harry Potter though that confused him. The raven-haired boy just wasn't anything like the stories suggested he was supposed to be like. He was bright, talented and had an easy-going personality that made everyone want to trust him…
He'd written these observations about Potter to his parents and had received instructions to maintain this tenuous relationship in the hopes that perhaps the Potter heir could be swayed to the pureblood ideals.
'Not bloody likely since it was members of his own family as well as members of the other dark families that caused Harry's family's demise. Still, it's nice to hang out around him. He brings a refreshing outlook on the world around him that speaks of a hidden leadership talent. People tend to just do what he suggests and he's even been seen joining in on whatever group project there might be. He's open and inquisitive without being rude. He does have his moments where he might say or do something strange but he'll recognize it a moment later and explain himself.'
"Like that bit about using someone's first name even if you're not given leave to do so," he mused out loud.
After making friends with the first year Slytherins and also by extension some of the older ones when they observed the so-called 'Boy-Who-Lived' acting like an ordinary kid, Harry moved onto seeing whom he could make friends with in Ravenclaw House. Terry Boot invited him up into the Eagle's Nest and the two began sharing what it was like to live and learn in their respective Houses. A couple of the other interested first years floated over when they spotted the newcomer to their domain. Terry had described the tower as being very elegant and it really was. There were plenty of windows to let in lots of natural light, wall to wall bookshelves filled with tomes of just about every description and topic. Harry commented that he was surprised that any Ravenclaw ever felt the need to go to the main Library when they had all this.
"Well, most of the time we don't descend into that one but every now and then the required text just can't be found up here." Terry explained. "So what's it like down in the Badger's Den?"
Harry sat up as he thought about his answer, "It's like…coming home. The Common Room is laid out like a bowl with couches and chairs at various levels, each conforming to the shape and curves of the walls. The walls are painted to look like you're underground so there are a variety of browns, greens, some gold accents and black. There are a lot of windows there as well but they're tinted to a slight honey-amber color to give the impression of a sunny, lazy afternoon. The atmosphere is cool but not cold like you'd think you'd find in something underground. There's always some sort of scent from whatever's being cooked in the kitchens since they're just across the hallway from us. The hallways within and dorms are laid out in a sort of warren like you'd find if you could shrink yourself down to that of a badger. I share a room with two other boys. We each have our own space to have a desk, a small shelving unit for our books and supplies though with my traveler's trunk, I have a LOT more space to set things up as I see fit."
"Wow, sounds very homey." Harry just nodded as he leaned back in his chair.
One of the girls in their group asked if the rumors were true that Harry managed to prank the Weasley twins. Harry nodded and mentioned that he'd gotten help from the castle elves in order to pull it off.
"I don't mind being the occasional butt of a joke, since it's just all part of the fun but when they ventured into disturbing my learning and endangering my creative works, I had to put my foot down and make sure they understood that just because they consider themselves to be great pranksters doesn't mean that no one else is capable of such feats." That statement impressed the others, as learning was paramount to a Ravenclaw.
Glancing back at the guardian to the entrance door, Harry got a slightly mischievous on his face.
"Say, Terry? Who is it that's allowed to change the password to the guardian?"
"We don't use a password here; we have to answer a riddle to gain entrance."
Harry's mischievous look grew bigger, "So…who gets to change it?"
Terry shrugged, "One of the prefects, I'd imagine. Why?"
"I just had a wild idea on how to mess with everyone. See who's the smartest once and for all?"
The two boys got up and went to find out the answer to Harry's riddle resetting question and learned that it was indeed only the prefects or their Head of House who were allowed to change the riddle. When the prefect inquired as to what sort of riddle Harry had gotten an idea for, the evil smirk was back in full force.
"Okay, first possibility. 'What color is an orange?'" The Claw prefect's eyes bugged out on that as he immediately saw the logic trap.
"Second possibility is the one question any guy would absolutely dread to hear. 'Does this outfit make me look fat?'"
Terry looked confused on that one, "The guardian wouldn't be wearing an outfit, and it's only the bust."
"The bust part goes how far down?"
The prefect hemmed a bit, "Maybe about halfway down the chest?"
"Well there you go. You can still pose the question as anyone can see that it's wearing some kind of outfit."
The prefect shuddered, "Okay, I can see the logic trap for the first question but what's the answer for the second?"
Harry shrugged, "The answer that many girls want to hear, 'it looks really slimming on you.'"
Terry held up a finger, "I want to know the answer to the first one. It's got to have an answer right?"
The prefect responded instead, "The correct answer is 'They're one and the same.'"
Harry just smiled evilly.
Teacher's staff room…
The senior staff had gathered for one of their monthly meetings to discuss the goings-on within their hallowed halls. Severus was one of the first in and after getting himself a cup of tea and settling down in one of the chairs, began ruminating on the events of the past couple of months. He had surprised himself by thinking of how much it was a joy to be teaching the Potter boy. The child was nothing like he'd been imagining the spawn of James Potter to be. Harry was studious, attentive and showed no signs of trying to be an attention-seeking prat unlike his father. The boy was fairly good at working with the assigned recipes and had even come up with a few novel alternatives with the ingredients and the procedures in the brewing process. He glanced up as the others began filtering into the room.
When Albus finally got the meeting started, Severus noticed that any questions regarding the boy were answered succinctly and in some cases, with joy at how much of a pleasure it was to have him in their classes. The look on the headmaster's face however, showed that such answers weren't being received so happily. 'I wonder what that's about?'
When the staff was dismissed at the end of the meeting, Severus hung back. "Sir? Is there something troubling you?"
Albus merely waved off this inquiry as unimportant, "Nothing is wrong, my dear Severus. I just have a lot on my mind as usual." Severus nodded and left.
When Albus returned to his office, he sank into his chair and began to think about the conversations that had happened. 'The boy isn't behaving like I thought he would. It doesn't help that he wasn't sorted into Gryffindor like his parents were. Then there's his demeanor. It's almost as if he grew up in a loving household as opposed to the one I observed all those years ago. Lily's sister was known to be a magic-hating muggle after she was denied access to our world. He doesn't act like he's been downtrodden and had his will broken like I would've hoped. He's instituting changes and making friends with the children of the darker families. I don't understand what could've changed!'