It wasn't until 1 week later, on Harry's birthday, that a knock on the front door was heard. Luckily Harry's punishment had ended the day before. "Ugh, it better not be some cold callers again." Vernon mumbled on the way to the door.
Tom and Harry awaited with baited breath as the peered through the corner of the doorway. Opening the door revealed a tall woman dressed in a black dress and a pointed hat. She radiated an atmosphere that demanded respect and professionalism.'Who is she Tom?' 'I do not know. I don't recall anyone the likes of her teaching during my time at Hogwarts.'
Vernon suddenly stepped back. "Petunia! I-its one ofthem!" Petunia walked in, confused until she saw the woman. "I am Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmaster, here to take Mr Potter to get his equipment for Hogwarts." She said briskly.
"He will not go to your freak school that Lily loved!" McGonagall narrowed her eyes. "That is not up to you." Harry caught onto Petunia's words. All Aunt Petunia had told him about his parents was that they had died in a car crash. Tom had been reluctant to accept that and still remained suspicious of the truth. Vernon, face growing worrying shades of red, went to slam the door shut. A quick flick from McGonagall's wand and he suddenly froze. A loud thud echoed as he collapsed onto the ground in the same position. Petunia shrieked. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Dudley walked in with a piece of bacon in his hand. "Mum what's all that shouting?" He dropped his bacon as his eyes laid upon the figure of his father. "Dudley get over here!" Petunia ushered before enveloping him in a protective hug. "Now if you are quite done with this, me and Mr Potter must get going." Harry finally found his voice after watching the awe-inspiring display of magic. Tom placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I-I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you Professor." McGonagall gave him a thin smile. "Happy Birthday Mr Potter." Harry blushed. No one tended to remember his birthday except Tom and Ms Figg, the neighbour next door. Minerva was aware that Harry had knowledge about magic, from what Ms Figg (a squib sent by Albus Dumbledore to check upon Harry), had disclosed. Even if those horrid muggles had kept his heritage from Harry, the accidental magic must have been enough for him to piece it together. "Hurry along Mr Potter. We do not have all day." Muttering a quick apology, he followed her out of the house.
After a journey to London, they had arrived to a pub called the 'Leaky Cauldron'. Harry noticed McGonagall cast a spell though he wasn't sure what it was. 'That was the notice-me-not spell. Rudimentary but fitting. Something about you must mean she doesn't want people paying attention to either of you.'They entered the Leaky Cauldron which was crowded with people. A strange man with a purple turbin caught his attention. As they made eye contact, his scar flared in pain. His hand reflexively went to his scar and pressed against it. "Ouch" he whispered. It appeared McGonagall hadn't heard him. 'How odd. This does not bode well.'spoke Tom. Somehow Harry couldn't find it in him to disagree. They exited the Leaky Cauldron and were faced with a brick wall. "Now Mr Potter, we shall be entering Diagon Alley, a market place of the Wizarding world. Before we enter it may be necessary to explain to you some things." Curiosity now consumed his thoughts. "Yes Professor?" "You are the Boy-Who-Lived, a celebrity in the Wizarding world for your survival against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, a dark Lord who sought to eradicate muggles. Your parents, Lily and James Potter were killed by him. He attempted to kill you but somehow, you survived with only a scar. " Harry's hand drifted back to his scar, softly brushing against it. " He has not been seen since. Many believe him dead, others believe he has gone into hiding. None the less, none except you have survived an encounter with him." Though her tone was soft, her eyes warned him not to feel arrogant at the idea of being unique. "So my parents didn't die in a car crash?" McGonagalls eyes grew slightly watery as she shook her head. "No Mr Potter."
Tom had remained silent until they were waiting for Harry's measurements for his robes. McGonagall had left to purchase Harry an owl. 'Harry.. The Dark Lord.. His name is Voldemort.'He wasn't prepared to tell him the full truth. That he himself was the monster that had killed his parents. Guilt etched into his soul. He stood awkwardly at Harry's side. 'Voldemort.. Thank you, Tom. I'll have to see if there's anything else I can learn about him and what happened to my parents.. I can't believe they lied.'Tom then glared at the floor. 'I warned you that it was a ruse. I knew they were disgusting, unworthy muggles as soon as you were put in that cupboard.'
Their conversation was cut short when a boy, seemingly his age, spoke from beside him. "Going to Hogwarts too I see?" Harry turned to face him, hair fortunately covering up his scar. "Indeed. I'm rather looking forward to it." The boy took the pause as a sign to continue. "I'll be sorted into Slytherin, all of my family have been sorted into Slytherin. What house do you think you'll be sorted in?" Harry adapted a thoughtful look for a moment. He had learnt about the 4 houses of Hogwarts from Tom. 'You could go into any of them Harry.'"I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind being sorted into Slytherin." The boy looked at him with a pleased smirk. Madam Malkin then walked up to him with his robes ready, leaving the boy to pay and leave with his father.
After his own clothing was sorted, McGonagall appeared again with a snowy white owl in a cage. "What name do you plan to give her?" She asks with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm.." Harry pondered what name would suit the surreal owl. "Hedwig." He decided, having recalled Tom mention the name during one of their talks about the history of magic. McGonagall smiled approvingly of the name. "Befitting." They next went to Gringotts, where both Harry and Tom were left speechless by the money Infront of them.'I envy you Harry. If only I had this during my own time at Hogwarts.' Appearing crestfallen, Tom walked into the vault and looked at the mounds of money. "What is this currency?" He asked. It was the goblin which had opened the vault who answered. "The gold ones are Galleons. Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle." Harry found himself missing the simplicity of the muggle British currency exchange. Using a magically enchanted pouch given by McGonagall, Harry stored 100 Galleons, 80 Sickles and 20 Knuts. A bit excessive but he would rather be safe than sorry. Plus, he had never had much money unless he stole it from Dudley or his Aunt and Uncle when they weren't looking.
After checking one more vault, containing a wrapped package which McGonagall had stored away in her dress pocket, they had purchased a magical suitcase which expanded into 3 separate rooms. Inside Harry stored the recently purchased potions equipment, Hedwig and new clothing. Tom found himself wondering where his own suitcase now was, so many years after his time at Hogwarts.'I can't believe magical is capable of creating rooms in such a small space. How does it even work? Where in existence is this room if the suitcase itself doesn't actually take up any space when it becomes a room?'Though he knew the answer, Tom remained silent. He had learnt the inner workings of the charms used to create his first Horcrux, he had no wish to explain the complex runes used, especially to an eleven year old.
"Where are we going to next Professor?" His eyes wondered over all the shops they were passing. Even after practicing magic and knowing of its existence, simply experiencing it with no restrictions from his family was wonderful. McGonagall peered down at him from his right. "First to purchase this year's necessary books and then for your wand Mr Potter." The idea of a wand excited Harry. He remembered Tom promising that he would teach Harry more spells once he had a wand to focus his magic with. They arrived at Flourish and Blotts within 8 minutes. McGonagall helped him select the right books but Harry also bought Hogwarts a History, wondering more about the castle which was soon to be his school. Tom had meanwhile been looking at the more advanced spell section. He couldn't help but sneer in disgust. 'Has the Ministry truly become so restrictive? How disappointing.' Absently, Tom realised that Knockturn Alley would at some point need to be visited. Hopefully more supposed 'darker' spells still remained on sale there.
After leaving Flourish and Blotts, they made their way to Olivander's. "Professor, what class do you teach?" Harry asked. "Well Mr Potter, I teach transfiguration." After a moments silence she continued. "I used to teach your mother, Lily. She was my favourite student." A reminiscent smile graced her face. "Though your father James and his friends were always up to no good. I remember handing them many detentions for the elaborate pranks they played." Harry found himself enticed by the stories of his parents, having rarely heard their name be spoken in his own house. "You look a lot like your father but your eyes are as lively's as Lily's." Harry blushed at the comparison. He wished he had some idea of what they looked like. "Thank you Professor. Umm is there anything else you could tell me about them?" He bit the inside of his cheeks nervously. Tom, too, was intruiged at the insight into Harry's parents. "Perhaps at a later date Potter." Her tone was warm and inviting, leaving Harry satisfied, if not a bit downcast.
Arriving at Ollivanders led to a disturbing interaction. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter. It seems only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their first wands." Harry couldn't help be put-off by Ollivanders eccentric behaviour. A tape measure started flying around Harry. "If you would be so kind as to hurry up Mr Ollivander." McGonagall requested. "Ah yes. Here we are." The measuring tape stopped floating and rested on the desk. Ollivander handed the wand to Harry. 'Give it a wave Harry.'prompted Tom. Hastily, Harry waved it causing boxes to fly out of their shelves. He jumped back, startled by the crashing noises. "Sorry." He set it back down on the desk. "Apparently not. Try this one." He picked up a wand from the mess on the ground. Harry took it from his hand and gave it a hesitant wave resulting in the shattering of a nearby vase. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand. 'My magic has never been that destructive.. Even when I failed at wand less spells.' 'Its normal Harry. Each wand is different, similar to a frequency. The wizard must have a matching frequency with the wand.'After a few different wands, all resulting in failure, Ollivander suddenly peered down at his desk. "I wonder.." Hurridly, he opened a drawer and pulled out a spruce wood case. Delicately opening it, he pulled out a wand and handed it to Harry. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at Ollivanders chatter and looked at Harry expectantly. Tom felt the wand give out a familiar pulse, not one too unlike his own wand's. As soon as Harry grasped the wand he felt a sort calmness envelop him. To the rest, a golden glow seemed to emanate from him, causing the fringe of his hair to raise itself slightly into the air. Harry turned to face Ollivander who retained a surprised yet curious look. "Curious. Very curious.."
"Sorry but what's curious?" asked Harry, still breathless. Ollivander held a scrutinising gaze at the wand he had handed to Harry. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. It just so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand gave one other feather, just one. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar." McGonagall gasped, her eyes now focused upon the wand. 'No wonder I felt a strong magic emanating from it.'Tom muttered, lost to his thoughts. "Did.. Did You-Know-Who hold the brother wand?" Harry asked hesitantly. "Oh, we do not speak his name. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It's not always clear why, but I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things...terrible, yes, but great." McGonagall recovered from her surprise. "We must be off now Potter." He quickly handed Ollivander 7 Galleons and grabbed his wand. "Thank you sir." Ollivander waved them goodbye before facing the mess that had been left. "I wonder what will become of you Harry Potter."
Before heading off to Kings Cross Station, they had stopped for a quick lunch at a small cafeteria. Harry enjoyed his hot chocolate, topped with marshmellows, as McGonagall recounted a few stories about his parents. Harry was quickly finding himself enjoying the company of the professor. Finally they arrived at King's Cross. After having packed all of his stuff into a special sort of trolley they parted off at the bridge. "Here you go Potter." She handed him a shiny ticket. "Go to station 9 and 3/4. The train departs in 10 minutes." Harry looked up from the ticket to see the professor gone. 'An animagus.' Tom said. 'What's that?' Harry asked as he made his way down towards the stations. 'It is a person who can transform into an animal whilst still retaining their human mind and instincts. It's extremely advanced and illegal in many countries. The process is rather tedious, hence why I was deterred from attempting it.'Finally Harry found himself infront of station 10. 'Where is Station 9 and 3/4?'He wondered. 'Follow me Harry. I too had issues finding it. Almost missed the train.' He gave a short laugh at the memory. Harry couldn't help but chuckle too at the image. For someone who seemed so organised, Tom had proven himself to occasionally be quite the opposite. 'Now Harry pay attention. Just walk through this wall and you will enter the station. It serves as an illusion to a sort of enchantment that transports you to the station, shrouded by a notice-me-not charm during opening times so that no muggles accidentally enter somehow.'Harry looked at Tom suspiciously but only received Tom' s sarcastic yet charming smile in response. "If this is just an elaborate trick like the time you made me make my teachers hair blue.." he muttered under his breath, much to Tom's amusement. Harry walked towards the brick wall only to find it flickered beside him as he appeared in a crowded station, a stylish red train infront of him. Without looking he could sense Tom's smug smile. He made his way to the area where Tom said to leave his trolley with his stuff in it whilst rolling his eyes.'It will be designated to your room by the Hogwarts elves.'Tom informed him. Harry made sure to tie his name tag onto the trolley with his luggage and entered the Hogwarts Express. He found an empty compartment near the front of the train and made himself comfortable by one of the window seats.
A few minutes later after the train had started moving, a ginger boy knocked on the compartment door before opening it. "Hello, can I stay here? All the other compartments are full." "Of course." Harry nodded, casting a glance at Tom who was enjoying the scenery. "Thanks. I'm Ron Weasley. And you are?" He said as he sat down opposite Harry. "Harry. Harry Potter." Ron's jaw dropped to the ground. "Harry Potter? Do you.. You know.. Have the.." He reluctantly pointed to his forehead. Harry gave a slight smile and lifted his hair up, revealing the crudely healed lightning scar. It was unusual to suddenly know that he was famous. He worried about the attention that he would recieve at school but found comfort in the fact that he wouldn't be neglected like he was by the Durselys. "Woah! That's a wicked scar. " Unsure what to say next, Ron switched the topic to Quidditch instead. Tom had told Harry all about Quidditch and his own time as a seeker, resulting in an indepth conversation with Ron. "I want to be a seeker but I'm satisfied if I get the chaser position. Its bloody unfair that we can't use our own brooms until second year I tell you." Harry nodded sympathetically. "I haven't ridden a broom before so I'm not sure. Though the idea of flying does sound appealing." Ron began to tell him about how nice it felt to fly with the wind blowing against your face. "Oh meet my pet rat, Scabbers." Ron pulled out a gray rat out of his pockets which scuttled across his hand. "I thought rats weren't allowed?" Harry received a shrug in response. "Special circumstances I guess. My parents can't afford an owl. Scabbers used to be my older brother's pet."
They talked about different topics until they were interrupted by the trolley lady. Seeing Ron's disappointment at not being able to indulge in sweets, Harry spent a few galleons and bought a handful of sweets. Ron's eyes lit up as he gratefully took the sweets offered. "Thanks mate." Harry himself opened a chocolate frog, surprised when it bounced onto the window. "Magically enchanted chocolate frogs. Though most people just buy them for the card inside." 'Almost got it!' Harry thought as he went to snatch the frog. It quickly jumped out of his grasp again. Tom, forgetting that he was not actually alive, went to snatch the frog for Harry before it jumped out the open hatch on the window. Unfortunately his hand just went right through the window, catching him off guard. Harry refrained from laughing as Tom blushed in embarrassment and coughed. "Bloody unfortunate that is." Ron muttered. Harry inspected the card which showed Dumbledore. Seeing him again raised a slight bitterness in Tom, remembering all the unjust times he had to return to the orphanage.
A girl interrupted them, in search of a toad. She then sat down after lecturing Ron on his spell casting. Recognising Harry, she introduced herself. "I'm Hermione Granger. And you are?" she looked at Ron. "Ron Weasley." he spoke through a mouthful. "A pleasure." She replied with thinly veiled disgust, retracting her hand. Ron sent Harry a disbelieving look. Hermione, remembering why she was there in the first place, left in search of Neville's toad. The rest of the ride went uninterrupted.
When the train arrived, they were met by a large man who was apparently half giant if the whispers uttered where true. The scenery struck Harry like Dudley's fist. Lights reflected of the serene lake, its beauty further emphasised by the clear night sky. It was a truly unbelievable sight. "Follow me folks!" Tom froze as he stared at the man. Making sure not to share his thoughts with Harry, 'Hagrid? Wasn't he expelled?'He quickly recomposed himself before Harry realised something was wrong. Tom was still reluctant to tell Harry what had occurred during his final year at Hogwarts. Perhaps in the near future he would tell Harry. 'Of course he would get special treatment.' He clenched his fists before closing his eyes. This was his second chance, he wouldn't ruin it now. His time with Harry and Death had allowed time for reflection. He knew better than this. Making their way across the river, Ron commented on the sorting that awaited. "I heard we had to fight a troll to get sorted." Tom chuckled at the preposterous conclusion. 'It's surprisingly simple. The sorting hat is who decides your house.'Harry mentioned this in hopes of calming Ron's nerves. "I've heard it's a sorting hat. It can read your mind and decide which house suits you best." "I hope so." Ron responded anxiously. Once having rowed to the other side, they were herded up the steps and Infront of the large doors that led into the Great Hall. Harry spotted Professor McGonagall standing by the final step.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, the start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts." A pause as she looked over all the students." Your triumphs will 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-" She was interrupted by Neville's surprised yell. "Trevor!" He ran up to the frog standing by McGonagall's feet and picked it up carefully, shyly looking up at the professor and apologising. Snickers echoed threw the crowd of students. "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." She walked off, leaving the students waiting. "It's true then." All attention became directed at the blonde Harry had met before. "What they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." Whispers spread rapidly. "This is Crabbe.. And Goyle. And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." He walked up Infront of Harry, a pleased smile on his face. It faltered at Ron's snigger. Realising the upcoming confrontation, Harry intervened. 'Don't close any doors with potential allies Harry. Malfoy is a well known wizarding name, even in my time it was held at a high standard.'"I'm Harry Potter. I believe we've met before?" He held his hand out in common courtesy. Ron looked at him, confused at what he was doing. Draco turned away from Ron and grew a smile on his face again. Taking his hand and shaking it briefly, Draco looked at him. "At Madam Malkin's?" Harry nodded. "It's good to see you are doing well Malfoy." Draco looked between Ron and Harry. "You too Potter." Their conversation was cut short as Professor McGonagall tapped his shoulder lightly with a wound up scroll of paper. Draco went back to his place. "We're ready for you know, follow me." The large doors opened allowing them into the Great Hall.
Hermione began to describe the specific charms used in the ceiling to create the illusion of the sky. Tom complimented Harry's diversion, managing to avoid a conflict between Ron and Draco. Meanwhile, Ron whispered frantically into Harry's ear. "What was that about?" Harry simply raised an eyebrow, waiting for Ron to explain himself. "Talking with Malfoy? His family are blood puritans you know? His father was a death eater but he got off rattling on about being Imperiused into following the Dark Lord." Harry offered a shrug in response. "I'll give him a chance and Judge for myself."
He zoned out as names were called. 'What house will I be sorted into?' 'I cannot be certain. However much I'd enjoy you joining Slytherin, you have the qualities for all four houses.' 'What was Slytherin like?' 'During my stay it was rather split. Some had real potential and were honest when necessary yet retained their cunning and ambition. Others were weak-willed and easily manipulated. A few were the children of high ranking authorities within the ministry. It was a hierarchical house, with the strong at the top and the weak at the bottom but some exceptions remained.'
Harry clapped as he saw Ron get placed into Gryffindor and Draco in Slytherin.
'Where were you on the hierarchy?'Harry didn't know a lot about how the four houses actually were, only what Tom had so far told him. A sharp, dangerous smirk crossed Tom's face.'I was at the pinnacle.'He seemed to radiate with pride, eyes seemingly sharper than before. This is what inspired Harry so much. Tom seemed to be able to attract an aura of awe and power whenever he wanted. Something Harry aspired to one day be able to do too. Finally he heard his name being called out. "Harry Potter!" He shuffled his way through the crowd, aware of the whispers that were now circulating around not only the first years but the 4 tables as well. Tom suddenly realised that the hat would sense its presence but it was too late. Luckily he was aware that the hat was enchanted to not reveal what the specifics of what it saw in a students mind. This was an enchantment placed by both Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin in hopes of maximising student protection.
He took his seat upon the chair and felt the hat be placed on his head. 'Hmm interesting.. Oh my.. I had not expected to see you here too.' 'I am.. Different.' 'I can tell. Harry Potter, you are cunning and ambitious, trying to reach an idol I see. Your loyal to Riddle, accepting of all bloods.. Even Malfoy. Yet you seek knowledge that you lack. Your courage is evident in your struggles..you show attributes for any house. Any preferences?' Harry thought for a moment before deciding. 'Wherever you think is wisest.'The hat smirked before calling out into the Great Hall. "RAVENCLAW!"