Shinobi among Wizards
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Harry Potter, or any other anime, manga, game, book, or anything else that might make an appearance in this fic... I own nothing
Chapter 7 - Journey to Hogwarts, and The Sorting Hat
"Normal talking"
'Normal thinking'
"Demon talking/Jutsu/Spell"
'Demon thinking'
~Parseltongue~
Written Down
Harry's last month with the Dursleys was fun, Dudley was now so scared of him and Naruto, he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Petunia and Vernon didn't shut them in the cupboard, force them to do anything, or shout at him… in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while. Harry kept to his room, with Naruto and his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic.
He lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Naruto was out tonight working on something that made him very excited and Harry very nervous. Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.
On the last day of August Harry thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, of course he and Naruto could get there on their own but it would look suspicious, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.
"Drama Queen." Naruto says from the kitchen.
"Er… Vernon?"
Vernon grunted to show he was listening.
"Er… I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to… to go to Hogwarts."
Vernon grunted again.
"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"
Grunt.
Harry supposed that meant yes.
"Thank you."
He was about to go back upstairs when Vernon actually spoke. "Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"
"No, they're illegal." Naruto said but they acted as though he wasn't there, make him cry anime-tears.
"Where is this school, anyway?"
"Scotland," said Harry, before he could stop himself, then pulled out the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket. "I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.
His aunt and uncle stared. "Platform what?"
"Nine and three-quarters."
"Don't talk rubbish," said Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."
"It's on my ticket."
"Barking," said Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."
"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.
"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."
'He should keep it, it suites him perfectly' Naruto though smiling.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep, much to Naruto's dismay. Harry got up and pulled on his jeans, he checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Naruto and Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to him and Naruto, and they had set off. They reached King's Cross at half past ten, Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him.
"There being so kind." Naruto though darkly.
Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face. "Well, there you are, boys. Platform nine, platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"
He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all, but not everything is as it seems.
"Have a good term," said Vernon with an even nastier smile, he left without another word, Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away, all three of them were laughing.
He and Naruto was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. But at that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying. "…packed with Muggles, of course…" Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him and they had an owl. They were the Weasleys… good… everything was going as planed
Harry pushed his cart after them, they stopped and so did he and Naruto, just near enough to hear what they were saying.
"Now, what's the platform number?" the Weasley matriarch ask.
"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a Ginny, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go…"
"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."
What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, and vanished.
"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.
"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"
"Sorry, George, dear."
"Only joking, I am Fred," said George, and off he went, his twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he was gone.
Harry spoke as Ron was heading toward the barrier. "E-excuse me," he said, damning his voice for shaking. "I… was wondering how you get through…?"
Molly, peering worriedly after Ron's progress, hadn't heard him at first. However, a soft voice answered him. "I can show you," it said. Harry and Naruto turned to see Ginny Weasley stepping around her mother.
"Really, appreciate you helping my brother, Thank you" Naruto said from next to Harry, he flash her a foxy grin, getting her cheeks to because a little pink.
"Follow me," she said, taking Naruto's free hand and leading him and Harry through the crowd. When they drew near the metal barrier she turned back toward them. "My brothers all told me about this before. You just run toward the wall like it's not there. It helps if you close your eyes first."
Harry stayed silence while Naruto made a show of nodding thoughtfully. "Okay, you're the expert here," he acquiesced and her face grew a little pinker at the comment, but she turned and walked quickly toward the barrier. Harry didn't follow her advice, but instead he and Naruto watched her as she walked through the wall.
Harry pushed his trolley through the barrier to see a scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.
Naruto turned toward they guide, just in time to see her mother emerge from the wall behind them, a small smile on her face. "Well, you were right," he said, smiling. "I owe you one. By the way, I'm Naruto and this Harry. Are going to Hogwarts as well?"
That was evidently the wrong question. She looked down, "I'm Ginny. I'd like to come, but I'm too young yet. Mum says next year."
"Well, it's good to meet you, Ginny," Harry replied, then made his way towards the train, seeing her eyes stayed downcast and her face getting pinker Naruto though for a way to keep this going, he saw Ron and the twins heading their way when it came to him. "Could I ask you for another favour?" he asked quietly.
She looked up at him, puzzled.
"Well," Naruto began with a sheepish expression on his face. "You see, me and my brother was raised by Muggles, and not really nice ones ether, anyway, I have a lot of questions about how they do things in a Wizarding house, things most of the other students have been around since they were born. You don't er… suppose I could write you and ask you a few questions, you know if something comes up? And you obviously know all about stuff that everyone takes for granted…" he looked away a little uncomfortable.
"If-if you think that would help, I don't mind," she said shyly.
"That would be great" Naruto said, smiling. "If you want, I'll tell you all about living with Muggles, I can even get my brother to write about what goes on in his classes so you'll know what to expect."
"I'd like that, Naruto," she said and he smiled at her again, this was going better than he expected. "Well, I hate to cut this short, but I'd better be off."
She nodded and started to turn toward her mother.
"Don't worry though," Naruto said smiling, "I've already got half a dozen questions for you."
Ginny pinked up again, but she was still smiling as she went back to Molly.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Harry worked his way down the train, knowing it was full almost all the way to the back, he smiled seeing Neville looking for Trevor. Eventually Harry made his way to the last compartment, and began trying to stow his possessions. Hedwig's cage wasn't a problem, but Harry's trunk was even heavier then most. And as if on cue, one of the twins appeared.
"Want a hand?"
"Yes, please."
"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"
With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment. When they were done, one of them peered at the scar on his forehead and let out a low whistle.
"Blimey," the other one said, "'e looks like-"
"I think he is," the other one said.
"What?" Harry asked stupidly.
"You're Harry Potter!"
Yeah, I guess I am. Wait a minute," Harry said, before feeling another Narutoish sensation, so narrowing his eyes. "There's two of you."
"Really?"
"I hadn't noticed, mate."
Harry took a step back and made a horrified face. "Y-you're not the infamous Weasley twins are you?"
Fred and George looked at each other in confusion.
"They warned me about you in my Hogwarts letter," Harry continued in an accusing tone. "Where is that slip of parchment? Never mind, I remember what it said. 'Notorious pranksters, approach with caution, do not touch, eat or drink anything they have been near!'" Harry resolutely clasped his hands behind his back and edged away from the confused red-heads.
"Oi, brother of mine, I think—"
"—our reputation has begun to get—"
"—a bit out of hand. Especially if the headmaster is—"
"—including warnings about us—"
"—in official school correspondence."
"Too right, brother of mine."
"Unless Mister Potter is having us on."
"There is that."
Both of them turned and stared at Harry.
"Would I kid a Weasley?" Harry asked innocently.
"Brother of mine," the one on the left began.
"We have been had." Finished the one on Harry's right.
"Good one, Harry!" They both said in unison. The one on the right stuck out his right hand, while the one on the left stuck out his left hand. Harry didn't miss a beat and shook both simultaneously. The twins smiled at each other and exited the compartment.
Harry settled down next to the window and listened to the Weasleys begin to make their goodbyes. He smiled when Fred and George immediately revealed who he was, even before Percy got there. The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a red and gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.
"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —"
"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once —"
"Or twice —"
"A minute —"
"All summer —"
"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.
"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.
"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term and send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left, then she turned to the twins.
"Now, you two… this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've… you've blown up a toilet or…"
"Never give pranksters ideas." Harry though, remembering all the time he accidentally did with Naruto… and all the trouble it caused.
"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."
"It's not funny. And look after Ron."
"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."
"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.
"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"
Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.
"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"
"Who?"
"Harry Potter!"
Ron evidently used the confusion to escape him mother's ministrations, and boarded the compartment while she lectured his brothers about not asking poor Harry what You-Know-Who looked like.
"Mind if I sit here?" his red hair friend asked.
"Not at all," Harry replied with a smile. He still had a smudge of black on the end of his nose. "I'm Harry."
"I'm Ron." The boy peered at him for a second, and Harry waited for Ron to ask to see his scar. "Who was that boy with you talking to my sister?"
Harry stumbled over his prepared answer, he wondered about the open window behind him, the conversation outside seemed to have dropped off. "Well, er, that was my brother, he ask her how to get through the barrier and she was really nice and helped us."
Ron frowned slightly. "Everybody knows how to get onto the platform," he scoffed and Harry didn't comment on how Molly seemed to feel he still needed watching to make sure he got through okay. "Well, we didn't," he said, fighting the urge to snap at the boy, Naruto did said Ron had was bit thick at times. "And she was kind enough to offer to show us how."
Percy showed up at this point and Harry and Ron smiled at each other as the twins proceeded to heckle their older brother mercilessly, Ron kept surreptitiously peering at him until Harry simply lifted up his fringe so Ron could see his scar. The boy flushed a little but still leaned forward to look, Harry was tempted try to use some Legilimency to see if he could see what the red-head was thinking, but he drew the line at using it on his friends and allies. He and Naruto agreed to only used it on enemies, potential hostiles, and to communicate with allies who also possessed the skill. Still Harry was tempted, but knew that they needed to set some limits and stick to them.
As the train set off the twins leaned out the windows to wave goodbye Harry leaned out the next window, ostensibly to look around.
"Don't cry, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."
"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."
"George!"
"We'll get Harry to autograph it."
"Fred!"
"We're only joking, Mum."
Ginny was laughing and running along the platform as the train picked up speed, Harry raised his hand and waved to her, and he saw her wave back before the train rounded the corner. Harry smiled as he settled down in his seat again. He wouldn't be able to see her or Naruto for almost a year now, he wondered how many letters Naruto will end up writing this year.
Ron was still looking at him funny. "I though you were a only child, I didn't know you had a brother"
"Technically we're cousins, but to me he's my brother, plus are mothers were twins so you could say were brother with different fathers"
"I'm really glad to be getting out of town," Harry said after a long moment.
"I heard you were sent to live with some Muggle relatives. What are they like?"
Harry sighed. "Not too bad, except for the fact that they hated my parents and wish me and my brother died with them."
Ron made a choking sound.
Harry shrugged. "They can't stand the whole idea of magic, and thought if they beat me and Naruto often enough, we would decide to be normal," he said bitterly.
"That's awful," Ron said in barely more than a whisper, he had look of pity in his eyes, Harry hoped that giving Ron as unvarnished a look into the life of the Boy-Who-Lived would kill any jealousy issues that Naruto said he had before they even got started.
Ron tried to cheer Harry up by describing the downsides to being the youngest son in a family full of brilliant wizards. As he listened to the boy's litany, Harry wondered if he could do something about Ron's sense of inferiority compared to his brothers, so told Ron stories about the awful hand-me-downs he'd gotten from Dudley over the years.
When Ron pulled Scabbers out of his jacket, this was the first time Harry got to see Ron's pat rat, it had a unusual large quantity of chakra.
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?" Harry was hit by an inspiration as he purchased a wide variety of sweets. Ron's ears went pink and he muttered about having brought sandwiches. Harry looked at him out of the corner of his eye and asked what kind. Ron unwrapped the package and made a face. "Corned beef," he sighed.
"Really?" Harry asked happily. "That's my favourite!" He looked down at the sweets on the seat next to him and frowned. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to take some of this junk for one your sandwiches, would you?" Ron looked at Harry like he'd gone mental. "Damn, I suppose not," Harry sighed, grinning ruefully. "Can't blame a bloke for trying, can you?"
Wide-eyed, Ron handed him a sandwich, Harry gleefully shoved a handful of pastries and cakes toward his friend, and then dug into the sandwich with obvious relish. He was glad he'd bought a bottle of pumpkin juice, because it was a bit dry. On the other hand, he'd gotten out of the habit of eating a lot of sweets after everything after that one Halloween when he and Naruto use Shadow Clones to Trick-or-Treat and Molly Weasley's cooking good, even if it was just a leftover sandwich. Harry ended up trading the majority of his goodies for three of Ron's sandwiches, and acted like he'd still gotten the far better deal. Ron held onto the last sandwich and chewed it slowly, staring at Harry all the while.
"I suppose it makes sense, with as many boys to feed as your Mum has, she'd have to be a fantastic cook," Harry said thoughtfully. "I don't know what she does differently, but her corned beef tastes a lot better than mine."
"You know how to cook?" Ron asked, a little incredulously and Harry shrugged. "My aunt and uncle make me do most of the cooking and the cleaning. It's not like I had much choice. I think that's a big part of the reason why they didn't want me to know about Hogwarts. My cousin Dudley won't do any chores, so they're going to be stuck with Naruto while I'm away and good lucky trying to make him do any chores." Harry smiled a little vindictively while Ron shook his head.
Soon they were both full and just nibbling. Ron explained about the Chocolate Frog cards and Harry stuck the Dumbledore card he'd been given into a pocket. They were sampling the Bertie Botts Every Flavour beans when Neville stuck his head into the compartment, asking if they'd seen his toad. The boy looked depressed when they said they hadn't, so Harry spoke up. "I think there is charm you can learn to summon things, that might help out next time he goes on walkabout."
Neville brightened a bit at that, and then left to resume his search and Harry wonder if Naruto would let Neville sign the toad summoning contract.
"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.
"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…"
Ron was just getting ready to try and turn Scabbers yellow, a colour which Harry felt to be highly appropriate for the rat, when the door opened again and a very familiar bushy-haired girl asked if they'd seen Neville's toad.
We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She said and Harry knew that he better control his reactions around her as she tended to pick up on things other people missed.
After Ron's spell failed to turn Scabbers yellow, Harry decided to try and smooth out some first impressions.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" Hermione asked. "Well, it's not very good is it? I've-"
"Ron," Harry interjected, "did you get that spell from Fred or George?"
"George," Ron answered with dawning comprehension.
"Your brother was just winding you up, mate," Harry confirmed.
"Well, that wasn't very nice of him, was it? Trying to make his brother look foolish is just mean," the bossy girl fumed.
Harry watched Ron's eyes get wide as Hermione went off on a rant about how hard she was working to learn magic, and George's joke was just like all the myths that surround magic in Muggle society and make it harder for someone new to the art to understand what was really going on. She concluded with "-and that's really a sore point for me as nobody in my family is magic at all. My name's Hermione Granger, by the way. And you are?"
"Ron Weasley."
"Harry Potter."
Are you really?" she asked in a delighted tone. "I read about you in Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, andGreat Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
"Don't believe everything you read," Harry practically growled. He did end up reading all those books, and each one of them was laughable wrong on the major points.
Hermione blinked. "Why ever not?" she asked, sounding almost appalled.
"Books still have to be written by people, Hermione," Harry said gently. "They say that history books are written by the victors. The only person that was there that night and is still alive is sitting right here, and I sure haven't given any interviews, mainly because I'm not even sure what happened. So how could they honestly claim to know?"
Hermione looked a little stunned as she drank this all in, one of the less endearing traits she was starting to develop is the habit of depending on her books first and foremost for everything. Hopefully the seed Harry planted today would help her to recognize that blind spot before it came back to bite her too many times.
"Well, that is something to think about, are you hoping to get sorted into Ravenclaw, Harry? I'm hoping for Gryffindor, that's where they say Professor Dumbledore was sorted, but Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad I suppose."
Harry shook his head. "My Mum and Dad were both Gryffindors, so that's where I'll go, Ron too."
"How do you know that Harry?"
'Damn, I got to watch myself' Harry stopped himself from wincing just in time. "Ron, everyone's heard of the Weasleys: Red hair, lots of boys, and too damn brave to end up anywhere but Gryffindor." Ron ducked his head to cough, but Harry noted his ears had turned a delicate shade of fuchsia.
"Well, I don't have any family traditions to guide me here," Hermione fretted.
"I heard someone say that if you really want to go into a particular house, and make your desire clear during the sorting process, it will almost always send you to that house."
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, then thanked them and left to continue searching for Neville's toad.
"I'm not sure I'm too crazy about her being in the same house with us, Harry," Ron said slowly, staring at the closed door and Harry look thoughtful "I am, I think she'll be right handy when we're revising."
"You're already talking about homework? Harry, we're not even to Hogsmeade yet!"
"Ron, I have to take it pretty seriously, If you flunk out, you go back home to your mother's cooking, I'm not so lucky; if I flunk out I go back to hell with the Dursleys."
Ron made a face at Harry's remark about how lucky he was. "She still seems kind of mental to me," he said stubbornly and Harry shook his head "You mean when she was getting mad about George tricking you with that fake spell? Ron, she was getting mad on your behalf you know." Harry stopped and cracked an evil smirk. "Maybe she fancies you?" he asked.
Ron choked and coughed. "Harry, that's not funny," he gasped.
Harry relaxed a bit as he and Ron talked about safer topics: Charlie and Bill's careers
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron.
"Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles… someone tried to rob a high security vault."
Harry stared. "Really? What happened to them?"
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught.
My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. "Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."
Harry turned this news over in his mind, he was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned, he supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.
"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.
"Er… I don't know any." Harry confessed.
"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world… " And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.
Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley. Mentally kicking himself for dropping his guard, he was a damn Ninja, Harry had difficulty controlling his anger.
"Is it true?" the boy asked, eyeing Harry. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter is in this compartment."
"That would be me," Harry replied in a low voice.
"This is Crabbe and Goyle," Draco said, gesturing at the two hulking boys. "My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
As Ron coughed, Harry growled "I know who you are." Draco glared at Ron. "I can see you've been hanging out with the wrong sort, some Wizarding families are better that others, and you don't want to make friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there," he said coolly, extending his hand, but Harry just glared. "The wrong sort? You mean like former Death Eaters who bribed their way out of Azkaban? You didn't want to help me when we were in Madam Malkin's, but now that you know my name everything's changed. I'll make my own friends, thanks."
Draco's eyes widened like he'd been slapped and an angry flush rose from the collar of his robes. "You'd better watch what you say, Potter, or you'll end up like your parents. I can see how hanging around with a Weasley would degrade your manners though. They're a poor excuse for family, and I do mean poor."
Ron sprang to his feet as Harry's fist crashed into Draco's jaw, with Crabbe and Goyle just stared in shock as Draco fell backwards into the corridor. The two hulking boys reached for Harry but Goyle let out an explosive breath as Ron charged into him, driving his fist into the larger boy's stomach and knocking the breath out of him.
Crabbe's meaty hand engulfed Harry's shoulder, spinning him around. Harry went with the motion and locked his hands around the boy's wrist before he could even begin to throw a punch. Still turning, Harry crouched down as the boy's arm was stretched across his shoulders. A moment later, Harry jerked forward and the larger boy was pulled off his feet and landed in the middle of the compartment with a loud thud. He spun toward Goyle just as the enormous boy was trying to pin Ron underneath his bulk. He stiffened in agony when Harry kicked him hard in the lower back, right over the kidney. "Let him up before I break your skull," Harry hissed. Goyle flinched again and unwrapped his hands from around Ron's neck.
"Should have known you'd fight like a filthy Muggle, Potter," Draco snarled from the doorway. He was standing again, but clutched at his jaw with one hand. The other hand held a wand.
"If you want to escalate things to that level, go ahead," Harry said in a soft voice. His wand was still in his trunk, but he didn't really care. "I'll even give you the first shot." He stared directly into the pale boy's eyes. "Just remember that you have a choice to make of what to do with your life, and also remember that I was a baby when I destroyed your father's master. Choose wisely, Draco."
Draco's eyes were wide as Crabbe and Goyle dragged themselves out of the compartment. He stood there, unmoving, as the door slid shut again. Harry turned and helped Ron to his feet. The red-headed boy was rubbing at his bruised neck as he sat down again. "Blimey, Harry, where'd you learn to do that?"
"Read it in a book about Muggle martial arts. I can loan it to you if you like." Harry use his prepared answer and neglected to mention his Shinobi training, Naruto had been his sparring partner for years. Ron nodded eagerly as Hermione pushed the compartment door open again. "What's been going on in here? You weren't fighting with those boys, were you?" she asked. "You'll be in trouble before you even get to the school!
"Hermione," Harry said in a long-suffering tone that made him feel nostalgic for some reason, "We didn't start it, Draco Malfoy came into our compartment and insulted both our families. He started it, and we finished it, all right?"
"Seriously," Ron added. "My dad's told me about the Malfoys, they supported You-Know-Who during the war, and then turned around and said they'd been bewitched. Dad said that Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." Ron frowned for a moment. "Hermione, be careful around Draco. You said your parents were Muggles, and the Malfoys think people like you shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts."
"That's perfectly ridiculous," Hermione said crossly, glaring at Ron, who looked down. "That's what my dad says too." He coughed. "I mean, he thinks the Malfoys are ridiculous for saying that." His face was getting redder by the minute.
"My Mum was Muggle-born," Harry said, trying to help Ron out of the hole he'd dug, "and she was Head Girl when she finished school."
"Really?" Hermione gasped as her eyes widened, she looked so surprised that Harry frowned. her drive to excel in her studies was such a part of her nature that he never questioned it ,but now he wonder…
"Well, I was raised by Muggles, so I'm practically Muggle-born too." Harry smiled. "We ought to all study together and pick Ron's brain."
Ron looked alarmed when Harry mentioned brain-picking, but reddened when he noticed Hermione eying him speculatively. "I don't know that much, really," he said. "Mum won't let me practice at home, not even cleaning charms or anything."
"Ron, it's not the spells, it the little details, like how do you heat water for tea? Is it a spell, or do you have magical appliances to cook with?" Hermione reassured him. "Think of it more like… one of those Muggle Studies classes I've read the second year students can take, only in reverse."
"That what Naruto ask Ginny about, So maybe she help too," Harry said quietly. "We can compare notes as well." He knew he wouldn't be able to hide all of his letter writing from his dorm-mates, so best to get it out in the open now. Ron looked at Harry, frowning, but he didn't say anything.
"Goodness," Hermione said. "I forgot. The conductor said we'd be getting there soon. You'd better get into your robes!"
"Yes Ma'am," Harry said, chuckling.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Harry couldn't resist breaking into a huge grin when Hagrid asked him how he was doing. "He rescued me from the Dursleys and told me I was a wizard!" he explained to Ron. He wasn't going to keep any secrets he didn't have to, he was deep in his thoughts as they made their way down to the lake.
Harry's thoughts cut off as they rounded the last bend and saw Hogwarts, a vast castle perched on the mountain above the lake, lights glimmering from every window of it's many turrets and towers. Harry heard the sound of water drops pattering on broken stones, he was silent as he boarded the boat with Ron, Hermione, and Neville.
Neville looked up from his frightened contemplation of the black waters of the lake.
"You parents are Aurors, aren't they?"
"Er, yes, well, they were…" Neville muttered, his voice trailing off. "I live with my gran now."
Harry hated to remind Neville of his parents in St. Mungos, but he needed to forge a connection here. "Sorry, Neville, someone… I think someone mentioned that your parents were friends of my parents."
Neville looked up, startled. "Gran says they were pretty popular."
"Well, I'm glad I got to meet you, Neville. Any idea where you'll get sorted?"
"Not-not really," Neville stammered. "I'm amazed I even got a letter."
"Well, the three of us are hoping for Gryffindor, I hope you get sorted there too."
"I'm not that brave," the round-faced boy whispered.
"But you're still here," Harry reminded him. "Being brave isn't not being afraid, Being brave is being afraid and going ahead and doing what you have to do."
Neville looked thoughtful, but didn't disagree. Harry eased back in his seat, he try to help Neville to be more brave but to was slow going. Harry looked around, he saw Ron was gazing out across the lake at the cave they were approaching, but Hermione was looking at Harry and frowning slightly. Harry began examining the cliff face they were approaching.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, the rest of the school must already be here, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "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.
You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points."
'And lead to new rules being introduced' Harry though of some of new rules that Naruto told him that were made just for the Weasley twins
"At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry felt a nervous urge tried to flatten his hair.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
He stood nervously with the other first year students, not wanting to join in the speculation about exactly how they'd be sorted into their houses. He didn't trust himself not to reassure his new friends, and Hermione was standing right next to him, mumbling spells under her breath. If she was getting suspicious of him, the last thing Harry needed to do was draw her attention again, he heard several gasped from people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.
What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place.
It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
"I thought it did when I first saw it." Alice says, remembering when she walked through those doors.
Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years, on top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty, Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.
Harry notice that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth… and the hat began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. "So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."
Harry gave him a smile as Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!" A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause — "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!" "RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide.
"Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.
Next was "Hyuuga, Neji" who calmly walk to the hat and put on the hat, it moment's pause when it shouted "RAVENCLAW!"
When Neville Longbottom, was called the hat took a some time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.
"Maito, Lee" he ran to the stool and jammed the hat on as eagerly as Hermione had dune. "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat
"Momochi, Haku" who calmly walk to the hat and put on the hat, a moment's pause then "GRYFFINDOR!" this got some shock looks as her older brother was in Slytherin.
There weren't many people left now "Moon"…, "Nott"… , "Parkinson"… , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"… , then "Perks, Sally-Anne"… , and then, at last. When his name was called, Harry ignored the cries from the older students. That's getting bloody old fast, he mused disgustedly. He sat on the stool and pulled the Sorting Hat over his head with some trepidation.
'Well, well, well, what do we have here… now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?' a small voice asked in his ear.
Harry strengthened his mental barriers as much as he could, but whatever the Sorting Hat was doing wasn't interacting with his Occlumency at all.
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, you batter not put me in Slytherin.
"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, snake summoner'
'if you put me in Slytherin do you know what my brother will do to you' Harry though with a mental image of the Sorting Hat in kill-me-orange with pink polka dot and he swore it shuddered.
'Well, if you're sure… better be' "GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry slumped as the Sorting Hat shouted the last word, and the table under the red and gold banner erupted in applause. He swept the hat off his head and placed it gently on the stool. He gave it a gentle pat on the brim as if to say thanks and ran over to the table, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.
He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts.
Harry wrenched his gaze away just in time to hear Ron sorted into Gryffindor. He abruptly stood up and started clapping, making his palms sting as he gave vent to his emotions. The twins joined him in standing a moment later, and surprisingly, so did Percy. Another moment later Hermione and Neville, who was only now recovering from the shock of being sorted into Gryffindor, stood as well, clapping and cheering. Soon the rest of the table joined in as well.
Ron's face was almost purple by the time Percy shook his hand in an overly formal manner, but he was beaming when his brother showed him to his seat.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
He sat back down as everybody clapped and cheered, Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.
"Is he a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.
"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"
Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.
When he glanced up at the High Table and saw Professor Snape glaring at him past Professor Quirrell's turban, Harry felt a subtle probing at his Occlumency shields. It faded after a few seconds and he continued eating his dessert without being interrupted by a burst of pain from his scar.
Things were looking up for Harry Potter
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding… As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
The others laughed. "What about you, Neville?" said Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville,
"but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me… he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned… but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced… all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here… they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."
On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons "I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, .you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult" "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing"
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.
"Ahem… just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
"And now, to bed" Dumbledore said Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.
A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.
"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves, show yourself." A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.
"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"
There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.
"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy and Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.
"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects… Here we are."
At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" she said.
"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it, Neville needed a leg up, and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.
Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase, they were obviously in one of the towers, they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.
"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets." but he fell asleep almost at once.