Mastermind
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
COMPLETELY AU! Partly OOC.
It is my story, and I intend to write it the way I want it. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Reviews are very welcome, as they inspire my muse. Thanks a lot to the kind readers who commented on the previous chapter!
"You!" Petunia shrieked upon recognising Severus. "What do you want?"
"Believe me Petunia, I wouldn't be here if I had a choice in the matter," Severus drawled. "The headmaster instructed me to take the boy to get his school supplies."
"The freak's not here," Petunia replied sharply. "He's gone to see the Queen."
Severus scoffed. "Don't try my intelligence," he warned the sister of his best friend. "Where's the boy?"
"He's gone to see the Queen," Petunia insisted. "He goes there every morning."
"Harry Potter, best friend of the Queen of England," Severus sneered and unobtrusively cast the Legilimency spell, only to learn that Potter had indeed left the house together with what seemed to be one of the Queen's guards.
'Someone must have completely changed her memory,' Severus thought in concern and asked, "When is he going to be back?"
"Usually after lunch, but sometimes, he doesn't come back before the evening," Petunia informed him.
"Tell him to be here tomorrow morning, so that I can take him shopping," Severus instructed her in a no-nonsense voice.
"I'll tell him," Petunia promised.
Without any further word, Severus turned on his heels and strode away, apparating away as soon as he was out of sight.
HP
The following morning, Harry left even earlier than usual and hid behind a row of trees in the park to wait for Mastermind to come and pick him up, thinking, 'I'm not going to give up my training, just because someone from Hogwarts suddenly remembers that I'm here after almost ten years.'
HP
Minerva McGonagall was just discussing the timetables for the upcoming school year with the headmaster, when a seemingly unnerved Severus Snape stormed into the headmaster's office.
"Albus, I'm done looking after Potter," he shouted without further greeting. "Neither Potter nor his aunt were at home in spite of my clear instructions."
"Thank you Severus," Albus replied, surprisingly calmly. "We'll just leave it for the time being. Harry should show up on the first of September, and if not, we can still go and fetch him, and if he comes to Hogwarts without any school supplies, we can still see about it."
Severus mumbled something that sounded like "Don't count on me" to Minerva's ears, before he stormed out of the office, causing Fawkes to let out a series of trills, which sounded as annoyed as she felt.
HP
That very afternoon, Mastermind and Sphinx took Harry to Diagon Alley to shop for their school supplies together.
While Ron and Harry decided to buy owls, Sphinx informed them that she did not see the necessity. "From what I heard, there are hundreds of school owls which we can use to write home, so I'm not going to buy one. I'd rather have something else as familiar. I'll think about it. We still have four weeks' time."
"Look, these are very pretty," Harry suddenly exclaimed, causing Ron to look at a couple of snowy owls.
He immediately agreed, and ten minutes later, the children left the shop carrying two bird cages occupied by snowy owls.
"I'll name her Hedwig," Harry stated, looking at his owl. "Do you like the name?"
When Harry received a confirming sound from his owl, Ron addressed his. "How about Hildegard for you?"
Both owls seemed to be contented with their names, and soon the children were finished with their shopping and ready to return home.
"I can't wait for the first of September," Harry said, when Ron accompanied him to Buckingham Palace, where his guard was waiting for him.
"Yeah, me too," Ron agreed, unconditionally.
HP
Sphinx arrived in the entrance hall, to where her parents had instructed her to pop when she returned instead of just popping into her room, so that they knew if she was at home.
"Mum, I'm back," she shouted, before she began to laugh her head off. "Boys are so stupid," she blurted out, chuckling. "I think he still hasn't figured out who I am, although we met without the robes and hoods at Harry's birthday party the day before yesterday. Harry doesn't know either, at least I think so, but Ron… I mean, we've been training together for more than a year already."
"Some boys are just slow," her mother replied in a soothing voice, "although he doesn't seem to be exactly stupid, considering that the Unspeakables named him Mastermind."
"No, he isn't stupid. He's a great strategist," she replied, still chuckling, as she began to carry her shopping bags upstairs.
HP
Finally, the first of September approached. Feeling thoroughly annoyed by the usual morning chaos at the Burrow, where everyone was making last attempts of packing, before they all travelled to King's Cross together, Ron decided to head to the Unspeakable Office for the usual morning meeting.
"But Ronniekins…"
"… It's custom that we travel to King's Cross all together," his twin brothers informed him in their usual singsong, which used to drive him nuts.
"Well, you can do that, but I'm going to the Ministry, and then I'll pop right to the station from there," Ron insisted, causing his mother to throw his father a helpless look.
"All right Ron, but please see to it that you're on time," Arthur said to his youngest boy.
"I will. I promised Harry to be on the muggle platform at ten," Ron replied and cast a shrinking charm at his luggage, glad that he had instructed Hildegard to fly ahead. Donning his Unspeakable robes, he popped right into the Office, where the morning meeting was just about to begin.
"Keep in mind that the Philosophers' Stone is said to be somewhere hidden at Hogwarts," Croaker reminded him of what he had told him a month ago. "Try to protect it if you get to know where it is, and tell us if there's anything that we should know."
"I will," Ron promised. "Thanks for everything, and I'll see you on Monday evening." With that, he popped right to King's Cross, banishing his Unspeakable robes as he went.
HP
"Ron!" Harry noticed him as soon as he arrived on the platform. "Where's your luggage?"
"Shrunken in my pocket," Ron replied, smiling. "Shall I shrink yours?" he offered. "Just tell Hedwig to fly to Hogwarts. Hildegard is already on her way."
As soon as Harry had allowed his owl to fly to the school, Ron quickly shrank Harry's luggage, before he guided him through the wall onto platform nine and three quarters.
Ron and Harry found themselves an empty compartment, which was easy, as the platform only slowly began to fill with students and their parents and the train was still empty. They made themselves comfortable and relaxed as they chatted away.
Thirty minutes later, a boy hesitantly opened the door to their compartment, shyly looking inside.
"Neville," Ron immediately greeted the boy, whom he remembered from Harry's birthday party.
"Ni Neville," Harry echoed, "come in."
"Hi Ron and Harry," Neville replied, gratefully, as he joined them.
Shortly later, a girl with busy brown hair stuck her head inside. "May I sit here?"
"Of course, come in," Ron was the first to reply.
"Are you a first-year too?" Neville enquired.
"Yes, I'm Hermione," the girl introduced herself, "Hermione Granger."
"We're Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom," Neville informed the girl, just when the train finally set to move.
The four soon-to-be first-years spent the train ride talking about everything that came into their minds, interrupted by the occasional visit from others, and before they knew it, it was time to pull over their school robes and get off the train at Hogsmeade.
HP
Together with Harry and Neville, Ron followed Hagrid's instruction to head to the boats that were waiting to take the first-years to Hogwarts via the lake.
"According to the twins, this is the best view onto Hogwarts," Ron informed his friends - at least he had the impression as if Neville had already become a friend.
Soon, they were able to confirm that the twins had been right. The view from the lake onto the beautifully illuminated castle was just gorgeous, and the nearer they came to Hogwarts, the more excited Ron felt - just like his friends.
Arriving at the castle, they were greeted by Professor McGonagall, who was the head of house of all of his older brothers. 'I'm surely going to be sorted into Gryffindor, too,' Ron thought. 'I just hope that Harry and Neville will be there, too. Oh and Sphinx as well. Maybe being together with them is even more important than being in Gryffindor.'
Finally, McGonagall led them into the Great Hall, where they came to stand right in front of the high table.
Ron eagerly watched how the girls, who had attended Harry's birthday party a month ago, were sorted, knowing that one of them had to be Sphinx. However, only one of them, Lavender, was sorted into Gryffindor, two into Hufflepuff and three into Slytherin. Neville became a Gryffindor, but to Ron's shock, Harry was sent to Slytherin. 'Oh Merlin, I need to keep an eye on Harry. How am I going to do that if I'm in Gryffindor and he in Slytherin?' he wondered, horrified. 'Croaker will be so disappointed,' he thought, just when Professor McGonagall called him to meet Sopho, the Sorting Hat.
Ron sat on the stool, trying to prevent himself from panicking. 'I want to be together with Sphinx, but I must keep an eye on Harry,' he thought, terrified. 'That's close to impossible.'
'And why would that be?' a small voice suddenly spoke right into his mind.
'I'm supposed to keep an eye on Harry Potter,' Ron thought to the Hat. 'But I'm also good friends with Sphinx, even if I don't know what her real name is. Could you perhaps re-sort Harry and put him and me into the same house as Sphinx?'
'I believe that I'm the one who makes the decisions here. In fact, I should put you into Hufflepuff, but since I'm in a good mood, I'll at least partly fulfil your request,' the Hat replied before shouting into the Great Hall, "Slytherin".
'At least together with Harry,' Ron thought in relief. Smiling, he handed the Hat back to Professor McGonagall. Just when he set to walk towards the Slytherin table, he heard Percy mumble something like "A disgrace for the family".
'Stupid git,' Ron thought and slipped into the empty space between Draco Malfoy, who was sitting next to Harry, and Blaise Zabini.
'I've been sorted into Slytherin together with Harry,' he telepathically informed Croaker like he had promised the older wizard in the morning. 'I don't know where Sphinx is though, because I don't know who she is,' he added.
Croaker's response came instantly. 'Thanks for the information, Mastermind. Enjoy your time at Hogwarts, and I'm sure that you'll find out about Sphinx eventually. I'll see to it that you're going to be in a room together with Harry,' the Head Unspeakable then promised and asked, 'Is Professor Snape attending the feast in the Great Hall?'
'Yes,' Ron replied in confusion.
HP
Only after the house meeting in Slytherin, during which Professor Snape held a monologue about house unity and what it meant to be a Slytherin, did Ron realise what Croaker had meant earlier. In contrary to Gryffindor, Slytherin students were not living in dormitories but in small rooms with only two students. Ron could barely believe his luck upon realising that he was going to share a room with Harry.
Since curfew for the first-years began immediately following the house meeting, Ron and Harry retired to their room and unpacked their luggage. They were just about to climb into bed, when their head of house entered the room.
"How strange, I was sure that I had paired Harry Potter with Draco Malfoy," Snape muttered to himself, before he asked if the boys had any questions.
"No sir," Ron and Harry replied, simultaneously, before they exchanged a glance and chuckled.
"Very well, good night then," Snape said in a much friendlier voice than Ron had anticipated from all the stories that he had heard from his older brothers.
"Maybe Snape is friendlier to the students in his own house," Harry guessed when Ron voiced his thought.
"That could be. I hope so," Ron replied, thoughtfully.
HP
When Ron and Harry readied themselves for breakfast in the morning, Ron could not help asking Harry, "Do you have any idea who Sphinx might be?"
Harry cast him a surprised look. "I don't know. I can imagine that she's a second or third year though."
"No," Ron replied in exasperation, "she is in our year, I just don't know who she is."
"Oh all right." Harry nodded in understanding. "Sorry Ron, but I've no idea."
HP
Breakfast at the Slytherin table was a funny affair. While the older students told the first-years everything about the professors who were sitting at the high table, Ron and Harry studied their timetables, before they proceeded to look at the headmaster in disdain, knowing that he was the one who had sent Harry to his abusive relatives.
Ron realised in surprise that everyone at the Slytherin table including their own classmates were very friendly and seemed to be nice enough to get along with. 'Strange, I don't know why Percy and the twins always mocked the Slytherins,' he thought. 'I somehow like being in Slytherin.'
His peace and quiet was greatly disturbed, however, when the owls flew into the Great Hall to deliver the mail. Ron realised in shock that Errol, his parents' owl, was among them and above all was carrying a red envelope.
"A howler," he muttered, horrified.
"You better open it quickly. Otherwise, it'll only become louder," the girl, who was sitting opposite of Ron and Harry, advised him, causing Ron to take the parchment from the owl with shaking fingers.
'Ronald Bilius Weasley,' his mother's voice began to sound all over the Great Hall.
'Since centuries, our family has been on the light side and sorted into Gryffindor. How dare you let yourself be sorted into Slytherin of all houses. I tell you now, if you ever become a Death Eater, you're going to be kicked out of the family. It's a disgrace! Before you make any decisions or let your housemates talk you into anything, listen to Percy's advice.'
With that, Mrs. Weasley's voice stopped, and the letter shredded itself, leaving a stunned Ron sitting at the Slytherin table.
'I just hope not everyone heard that,' Ron thought, inwardly groaning in realisation, when Neville cast him a pitiful look from the Gryffindor table.
"Come on boys, you're running late for the first morning class," a girl suddenly addressed them, causing Ron and Harry to hurriedly rise from their seats and follow their classmates to the Transfiguration classroom.
HP
"Look there, Neville and Hermione," Harry whispered to him, when they entered the Transfiguration classroom, causing the two Slytherins to make a beeline to the empty seats next to their Gryffindor friends.
"Harry, Ron, you're supposed to sit here," Draco called them to the other side of the room. "You're sitting on the Gryffindor side."
"Does it matter?" Ron asked in surprise.
"No, it doesn't," Professor McGonagall informed him, choosing that instant to transform back from her Animagus form. "Five points to Slytherin each, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, for attempting to overcome the house rivalry."
"Thank you Professor," Ron blurted out, smiling.
"Thank you Professor," Harry echoed.
During the rest of the class, both Ron and Harry even managed to gain five more points each for their house, as they, Hermione and Draco were the only ones who were able to change their match into a needle.
'Good beginning,' Ron thought, feeling very contented with himself, when he followed his classmates to the dungeons.
In the Potions classroom, the four first-years once again decided to sit in their mixed manner. While Harry paired up with Hermione, Ron sat next to Neville. To his surprise, the class passed quite well, too, in contrary to Ron's expectations after hearing all his older brothers complain about Snape. The professor was at least friendly to the Slytherins, and when Ron was able to save his neighbour, Neville, from blowing up his cauldron, Snape even commended him and awarded five points to Slytherin.
"I like Hogwarts," Ron whispered to Harry, when they separated from Hermione and Neville upon entering the Great Hall.
"Yeah, me too," Harry replied, grinning.
HP
They were almost finished eating lunch, when their head of house strode behind the corner of the Slytherin table where the first-years were gathered.
"During the hour between the last afternoon class and dinner, you may do as you wish, for example, study in the library, however, during the evenings, I expect you to study in the common room together with your work group. Your work groups are now up on the board in the common room. When you return from your last class today, go to the common room and check your work group. There are four students in each work group. If you encounter any problems, we might or might not be able to remedy the matter. I shall be in my office."
'Oh Merlin, I just hope I'll be together with Harry,' Ron thought, wearily eyeing the professor. 'Some people, like Goyle and Crabbe, seem to be really stupid.'
However, when he entered the Slytherin common room together with Harry and Draco in the afternoon, he was going to face a completely different problem.
"Is Severus nuts?" Pansy Parkinson blurted out, who was first in the line to get a glimpse at the board. "I'm not going to work together with a half-blood and a blood traitor. I'm supposed to be together with Draco and not with Potter and Weasley," she shouted, sounding very angry.
"It's all right, Pansy. We'll just change the group," Draco offered, having quickly made his way through the crowd of first-years. "Milli and you can come to Blaise's and my study group, and Greengrass and Davis can work with Potter and Weasley. Greengrass, Davis, is that all right with you?"
Ron glanced around, wondering who the girls were, when his eyes fell on two girls, who seemed to be friends.
"It's all right, Draco, we don't mind working together with Ron and Harry," one of the girls spoke up, and the other nodded. Together, they came over to him and Harry, and the same girl said, "Hi, I'm Daphne, and this is my friend Tracy. We'll study together if that's all right with you."
Ron nodded, unaware that Harry did the same.
"That's fine," they replied, simultaneously, before they exchanged a look and grinned.
"I just hope Severus will be all right with it," Draco commented and headed for the door. "I'll speak with him."
To Ron's relief, the professor did not mind, however, did what he was said to very rarely do, take five points from Pansy Parkinson and had a very stern word with his little snake about all students in Slytherin being equal.
HP
It was on Saturday morning, and the Slytherin first-years were having breakfast in the Great Hall, when their head of house strode behind the Slytherin table. "Weasley, the headmaster wishes to speak with you right after breakfast."
Ron stared at the professor in disbelief. "Excuse me, sir, what does he want, and where's the headmaster's office?"
Snape smirked. "Mr. Weasley, I'm not privy to Professor Dumbledore's wishes." Turning to a sixth year prefect, he said, "Jenny, please be so kind and show Ronald where the headmaster's office is."
"Of course Professor," the girl replied, before Snape strode back to the high table. "Shall we go?" the girl addressed him, and Ron nodded and quickly rose from his chair.
"I'll wait in the common room," Harry promised.
"Yeah, thanks," Ron replied and followed the sixth-year prefect out of the Great Hall.
She led him through a flight of stairs and corridors, until they reached the gargoyle that was guarding the headmaster's office. "Green jellybeans," she gave the password, causing Ron's eyes to widen at Dumbledore's choice of a password.
An instant later, he found himself on a moving staircase, which led him up towards the most interesting office that he had ever seen.
HP
"Mr. Weasley," the headmaster greeted him in a gentle, grandfatherly voice and offered him a lemon drop, which Ron accepted in surprise.
'Strange that such an old wizard seems to like sweets enough to use them for his password and offer them to students,' he thought, curiously letting his eyes wander around the office.
"I've called you here, because I need to ask you for a big favour," Dumbledore continued, causing Ron to wonder what he as a mere first-year could do to help one of the most powerful wizards in the world.
"Ronald, this conversation and its contents must remain between you and me," the old wizard told him in a stern voice.
"All right sir," Ronald agreed, feeling confused.
"I've noticed that you and Harry Potter have been sitting together at meal times," the headmaster began to explain. "I wish to keep an eye on the boy, however, since this is difficult for me as the headmaster, I'd like to enlist your help. I wish you to become friends with Harry Potter. Since he's new to the magical world, he needs a good friend, and I'd also like you to come to my office from time to time and inform me about how he's doing."
Ron stared at the old wizard in disbelief, thinking, 'I'm not going to spy on my friend, old man.'
"Excuse me sir," Ron replied in confusion, "don't the teachers inform you about the students' progress?"
"Sure," Dumbledore admitted, smiling. "However, I'm less concerned about his academic advancement than about his personal problems. You don't have to do this for free," the headmaster continued. "I'll pay you for your efforts. I trust that you have your own account at Gringotts yet."
