.
Hogwarts University
By Jamnaz79
Notice: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other wonderful characters in the books by J.K. I do not claim to own anything and do not make any money off of this. This is just an idea of what could have been if the books were starting in the college years.
~~~ HU ~~~
It was a clear beautiful day at the Duke of York's Military Academy. It was so peaceful due it being only a few weeks before the end of the year exams and the students were busy at work studying. While most of his professors may be rushing to finish up their yearly work, the Headmaster relaxed in his office with three cups of tea set out before him. He was expecting company, unusual company today. It happened every few years this individual would visit their grand school to change the world of one young man or woman. He, Lieutenant General Jacob Smith, the Headmaster of the Duke of York's Academy was one of the few people in the Britain that knew the secret of where these remarkable young men and women would go.
If he was to admit it to himself he was rather frightened of the fact that an entire world existed beyond the confines of his own. Just underneath the world around him a different set of nobility and families still rules a world shrouded in secrecy and magic. The fact that his family was descended from one of those noble magical families was a fact. While it was not the reason he had risen through the ranks of the establishment of the British Military, it was a contributing factor to ending up with his current duties. It was said the number of individuals in the government that knew the truth of this world of wizards was limited to a handful of key personal. Jacob Smith was one of those select people and today he was to meet a witch.
Almost like clockwork the grandfather clock in the corner started to strike signaling it was the noon hour. Just as the clock rung for the twelfth time the sound of a pop was heard and standing before the Headmasters desk appeared a stern faced old woman. The woman appeared to be in her late fifties to early sixties. She had once black hair turned to grey held up in a bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick glasses but still showed a deep forest green. She was tall and thin and held herself in a demeanor of someone used to a position of responsibility. She was someone that Smith could relate to, someone who also dealt with handling young men and women at a school. She was Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall of Hogwarts University. Hogwarts was a secret and prestigious school that took young men and women in for five years of student. Unfortunately too many of those young men and women never returned to regular world.
Headmaster Smith rose form his chair and smiled politely to the woman. His own grey mustache twitched over his upper lip at the sight of the woman, but there was happiness in his eyes. He seldom saw the woman but she impressed him, she was different and unique and in a way he may be a bit sweet on her. "Ms. McGonagall, it is a pleasure to have you visiting these halls again."
"General Smith, I am happy to be here. I trust I am not interrupting your busy day too much." The stern woman calmly stated.
"No, not at all, please sit and join me for some tea. Must I remind you Ms. McGonagall to please call me Jacob." The man walked over and held out a chair for the Deputy Headmistress.
"Thank you Headmaster, and I fear you must remind me at least one more time." The witch replied with a smile as she sat down. It was an old joke between them, each year when they would meet he would try to become more familiar with her and each time she would reject that. It was not a rejection out of spite, just the fact that the man in his late fifties even if squib wouldn't fit right in her world. Still she couldn't dismiss the intrigue that felt from the squib.
The Headmaster started to pour a cup of tea for each of them before sitting down to enjoy his cup in silence allowing the woman to settle in. "I have done as your letters have asked and watched over the boy carefully. I do have to admit you are stealing one of my best and brightest. I have grown rather fond of him over the past six years."
"Has he been happy?" The witch asked careful not to show too much curiosity or attachment for the young man.
"He has. He arrived no more than a scrap of a child. I didn't expect him to last a year here to tell the truth. But, he grew and his determination grew. If I didn't know where he was going to go in the future I would be sending him to Sandhurst with my personal recommendation." The General commented before taking a small bite of a lemon scone.
"I thank you again for taking him into your school and away from his relatives. I do owe you a favor for that." The witch smiled before sipping her tea.
"It was my pleasure and you know what I will ask for that favor. One night you allow me to treat you to a date." The firm bluntness of the request found from only a military man.
The eyes of the witch widened in surprise as she covered herself by a sip of the tea. She considered the handsome man before her before nodding her head once, "Very well. This one time only you may take me out so not to mess up our business relationship."
"I enjoy a challenge to convince you to make it more." The General may have wanted to say more but the knock at the door turned his blue eyes away from the witch towards it. "That must be Potter. You may enter!"
The door opened up to a young man that stood close to six foot tall. He cut a sharp figure with lean muscles filling out his academy uniform. The black haired teen had a crown on his shoulders, the insignia of Major, or the highest rank for a student at the school. He immediately stepped into the room and stopped standing with his booted feet shoulder width apart, arms crossed behind his back, chest out and head held high. It was a standard parade rest stance and drilled from age eleven when a new recruit came to the academy till now for graduation at seventeen. The young man was the perfect figure of determination and an officer with only one exception. He always had his windswept black hair. They had learned long ago that no matter how much his hair was cut the next day it would be back to the wild mess that was a family trait. The piercing neon green eyes looked forward to the Headmaster and his company before the teen spoke up in a firm voice, "Academy Major Harry J Potter reporting as ordered General Sir!"
"At ease Major Potter, you are here to meet his nice Lady about your future. Please come here and join us." Smith called out to one of his favorite students.
After the boy was signaled to walk forward to stand before the pair the Headmaster started to speak again, "Mr. Potter this is Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, she is from a prestigious school that would like your attendance."
Minerva was speechless at the young man before her. If she was truthful she was excited for this day. She had been waiting for it for almost sixteen years now. The day that Harry Potter would be coming to Hogwarts to follow his family tradition. She had expected many things but she had not quite expected the young man before her now. It had been her idea to change the future of the young Potter Heir since she had kept an eye on him despite Albus assurance that he was fine. While she couldn't directly remove him from the environment that he had been placed, the wards had stopped any possible interference from a magical. She was able to speak with Mr. Smith about getting Harry a free ride to the school. It was a perfect chance to get the young boy away from those terrible muggles that Albus had left him with and to get him into a proper environment. To say it had worked would be an understatement. While the Harry at the Dursley would have had a tough life growing up this one seemed to have surpassed his tough grade school upbringing to turn into a fine young man. He looked so much like her dead godson James it stopped her heart. But, the boy's demeanor, the military bearing forced the image of the playful teenager away and instead screamed Charlus who had once been an officer in ICW military during the Grindelwald conflict.
Luckily the witch snapped out of her reflection and cleared her throat to speak up, "Harry James Potter, I came in person to present to you an invitation to attend Hogwarts University for Witch and Wizardry."
"Hogwarts it the top school in the country for witchcraft and wizardry and one of the top in the world. We were founded in 990 AD. Your family, the Potters, was one of the first members of attendance attended ever at the founding and have continued to attend. We offer a five year program for full completion through NEWT level."
The emerald eye blinked repeatedly before he spoke up, "I am a witch?"
"No you are a wizard young man just like your father. You hail from an ancient line of wizards unbroken for over two thousand years." The stern witch replied with a frown, she had expected him to know at least a bit of his heritage from the Dursley family. Even if the boy had not been back to them for over half a decade surely they had told him something? "Mr. Potter what do you know of your parents?"
"My mother and father were killed in a car crash." The young man replied with a frown.
"No Mr. Potter, your mother was a wonderful and smart witch who had graduated Hogwarts before having you and was to start working on her Charms Mastery. Charms are a field in our school. Your father graduated and became an Auror which is the same as a detective. Your grandfather Charlus Potter was once a high ranking military officer in the International Conference of Wizards, our world government. He fought in what muggles, or non-magical people, call the Second World War against a dark wizard named Grindelwald who was allied to the muggle Adolf Hitler. Your family has always been powerful wizards Mr. Potter." The woman finished with a smile for the young man.
"But, I don't understand. Magic is not real." Harry frowned as he shook his head at the very idea of magic being real and he having magic.
The witch pulled out a stick about a foot long and flicked it towards the chair. The chair immediately started to morph before Harry's emerald gaze into a male lion, mane and all. The lion stood up and let out a roar that caused the trained Potter boy to reach for his a side arm that he had been qualified to carry. The Browning standard issue 9 mm L9A1 was drawn and pointed at the beast before the witch even could blink. The only thing that restrained the boy from firing was the voice of the Headmaster yelling at the young man, "Stop Major."
Immediately the young man lowered the side arm with a sheepish grin as the witch before them flicked her wand and the lion was back to the chair. The Headmaster turned towards the witch, "Thank you for changing it back Ms. McGonagall. I would prefer my furniture not to have bullet holes. Mr. Potter, what Ms. McGonagall is telling you is correct. There is magic in the world and this school is where you must go to learn it."
The young man frowned for a long time as he holstered his weapon. He didn't speak and instead simply seemed to think deeply about what his Headmaster had been speaking about. His eyes had just seen something impossible and what this woman respected by his Headmaster was telling him was important. If it was true then his parents were drunks? They were someone he could be proud of. His family wasn't just wasteful on society instead they had been important. The Potters had contributed! He had something to be proud of. Finally he broke the silence and spoke, "Tell me about my parents. What happened to them?"
The happiness seemed to drain away from the stern woman. A kindness filled her eyes echoed by the sadness on her face. She reached forward and gently touched to the arm of the young man. "In the 1970s there was a terrible civil war that erupted in our world. There was made man that murdered, raped and pillaged with his associates around our world. He was so deadly and feared that even today we do not speak his name Mr. Potter."
The woman paused a moment to let her words sink in, "He-who-must-not-be-named came after many innocent people and ended many families. Your own unfortunately was the last of such families that was destroyed. On October 31st of 1981 Mr. Potter he came after your family. Though they were hidden they were betrayed by a dear family friend and their hidden home was found out. Somehow that night the You-know-who was destroyed. He was destroyed but at the cost of your family and your scar. Somehow that night you lived Mr. Potter. You lived where everyone before you that seemed to encounter him died. I must warn you that you are famous in our world because of that fact."
Harry blinked in surprise again as that was a lot to take in. His parents were murdered by a madman in a civil war. He somehow survived the night and he was famous? If he was famous why was he shipped off like unwanted trash to the Dursley family? Surely someone would have actually wanted him? Before he could speak again the stern witch reached out and placed down a pamphlet and a letter into his hands, "This small pamphlet gives you some basics to read over. There are other books available at a number of book stores and I will take you to one. I am sure you will have a lot of questions but I would ask you to please sign this acceptance letter first."
Harry turned his gaze towards the Headmaster in question only to receive a nod from the man, "Mr. Potter it is the will of Her Majesties government that good men and women with the potential magic are to learn to properly control it. If you wish to join her forces afterwards I can promise you a position in Sandhurst and a future officer commission. You have my word on that Major Potter."
"Yes Sir." Harry stated firmly but a smile crept onto his lips and turned into the famous rakish Potter grin. The boy reached opened up the letter reading it over.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Harry quickly flipped over to the second page reading it over carefully.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS
ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
"Now Mr. Potter, read over the pamphlet I gave you and tomorrow I will meet you here at nine sharp. We shall go to Diagon Alley to acquire all of your needed supplies." The witch took back the signed acceptance letter from the young man and folded it up before putting into her pocket. She turned to look at the Headmaster and nodded once to the man, "We will speak about the arrangements tomorrow after I drop off Mr. Potter."
"Have a good night Mr. Potter." The Witch turned spun slightly then disappeared with a pop. She left a surprised young man staring at where she was just standing moments before.
The Headmaster of the Duke of York Academy summed it up quite nicely, "It is a new world Mr. Potter. Arm your mind for what you will face and I am sure you will be successful."
Author Note: I always have been interested in doing a Hogwarts story where the school starts during college instead of secondary school. In this case school starts after the 2nd magical core maturation (or 17) and it would be for a reason that would be brought up later on. As you can see I shifted Harry away from the Dursley Hell thanks to McGonagall going back to look out for him. What Albus doesn't know will hurt him. Any thoughts? Like it or dislike it?