AN: Hey guys. Sorry for not updating for the past 2 weeks, I went to a local con and had to spend all week finishing up some cosplay, and then I spent the next week recovering.
Back now though! And I'm not going to make you guys wait that long ever again! Or at least I'll try.
Update schedule should start getting back in order now!
Still need some feedback though. This story can't progress in certain parts without feedback!
But anyway let's get to it then.
"Normal Speak"
"Parsletongue"
"Della"
'Thoughts'
Deduction 4:
August came and went and before Harry knew it, it was time to go.
"Are you sure you want to go sweetie? No one will blame you if you don't." Nila said, watching her son go through his mental list for the umpteenth time.
"I'm sure mum! I'll be back for the holidays, I promise!" He said, turning to smile toothily at his mother.
Nila sighed and gave a nod, moving forward to pull her son into a tight hug.
"If anything happens, anything at all, please tell us." She said, her words muffled by Harry's hair. "We'll miss you angel."
"I'll miss you too mum." He said, hugging her back with equal force.
"Don't I get a hug?" Came a deep voice from the doorway.
"Dad!" Harry squealed, running towards Ray and jumping on him.
"Hey angel what's up?" Ray questioned, ruffling his son's already unruly hair.
"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at work?" He asked, bouncing on his heels.
Ray mock gasped. "Why angel, I'm hurt! I guess if you don't want me here I'll just leave." He said, shuffling to the door with his head down.
"No! Dad! Mum make him stop!" Harry cried, trying to pull him back.
"Ray quit it!" Nila snapped, making the Hispanic straighten up and rub the back of his neck.
"Sorry sorry, just wanted to play a little trick you know?"
Nila gave him a hard glare and Ray winced.
"Sorry angel, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm here cause I wanted to see you off! Snape is going to come get you isn't he?"
"Oh… yeah he is!" Harry chirped, deciding to ignore and forgive his dad for what just happened. "Though I wonder why he asked us to make sure the fireplace was open."
The answer came in the form of a flaring green fire appearing in the fireplace, and then out stepped Professor Severus Snape, much to the family's surprise.
"Sev! Hi! How'd you do that?" Harry asked, bounding over to the man to give him a hug.
Severus made a noise of discomfort when he was hugged and awkwardly patted the boy's back. He still wasn't used to hugs.
"Didn't you read the book on magical artefacts we got you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy's sheepish look.
"I wanted to get my school books memorized first. So many books and so little time ya know?"
Severus could understand that.
"Well I suppose you'll be off then?" Nila questioned, stepping forward with her husband at her side.
"Yes, you'll see him again on Christmas holidays." Severus said, stepping back to watch the family say their goodbyes. It made him feel happy and sad at the same time, sad because it should have been Lily wishing Harry good luck, and happy because Harry deserved a good family.
"Be good angel, eat well and get plenty of sleep. Don't neglect your homework okay?" Nila fussed, hugging her son close.
"Yeah, be sure to write and listen to your professors." Ray said, "And make sure to tell us what House you get in!"
"I will mum, dad." Harry said, hugging his parents back before pulling away and pulling his trunk towards the fireplace.
"Professor Snape?" Nila addressed, waiting until the man was looking at her to continue. "Take care of my son and… and make sure he doesn't blackout all right?"
"I promise." Severus said.
"Thank you."
Severus quickly explained what a Floo was and how to use it, before motioning to Harry to take a handful of Floo powder and to step into the fireplace.
"What about my trunk?" Asked Harry.
"Ill shrink it." Severus replied.
"And what about Hedwig and Cain?"
"You aren't allowed to take Cain Harry."
"Whelp too late to put him back now."
This earned an exasperated sigh from Severus and three identical snickers from the Lopez's and Harry.
"They'll be fine brat."
Harry grinned and raised his hand, he made sure to speak loudly and clearly when he said:
"Platform 9 ¾!"
The next thing he knew he was being pulled through the fireplace and appeared in a cloud of green fire and soot on the platform. Harry stumbled out and was barely able to catch himself before he fell, coughing and waving his hand to clear the soot.
Severus walked out next and Harry puffed his cheeks out.
"How come you came out so gracefully?" He asked.
"Years of practice Harry." He replied, unshrinking Harry's trunk and pets before pushing the cart towards the boy.
"Mmph… Thanks!" He chirped, finally taking a look around the place.
The train station was grand, big and swarming with different kinds of witches and wizards. First years were hugging their mothers and saying fervent goodbyes, the older ones were eagerly getting on the beautiful red train.
Harry whistled.
"Nice." He said, pushing his cart towards the train.
"It is rather nice." Severus agreed, "Harry, I have to return to Hogwarts, but I'll see you there. I expect you to excel in my class."
Harry straightened up and saluted Severus.
"Sir yes sir!" He chirped, snickering at the odd looks he received.
"Brat" Intoned Severus, ruffling Harry's hair and pushing the boy towards the train. "Go."
Harry waved goodbye and joined the others in trying to get his stuff in the train.
After getting into the train (thank god for ramps) and finding an empty compartment, Harry spent several minutes attempting to get the trunk into the holding space above his head (with the blasted thing falling on his foot more than once). Harry was about to give up when two identical voices appeared behind him.
"Need a hand?" They intoned, startling Harry rather badly.
"Yes please." Harry panted, moving aside for the two red headed boys.
With the twins help, Harry had successfully put the trunk in the upper holding space.
Harry made a noise of triumph and pumped his fist in the air, using his other hand to pull his hair from his eyes.
"What's that?" One of the twins asked, pointing at his lighting scar.
"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you –?"
"He is!" Said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.
The entire affair made his head spin so all Harry managed was an intelligent "huh?"
"Harry Potter!" Chorused the twins.
"Oh him." Harry said, "err, yes, I am."
The twins started gawking at him and Harry honestly wished that he would just spontaneously combust or something before his savior came in the form of a woman's voice outside of the train.
"Fred? George? Are you there?"
"Coming mom!" The twins chirped, leaving the compartment with one last look at Harry.
Well.
If that wasn't the most bizarre experience he'd ever had he didn't know what was.
Soon after the twins had left, a familiar shock of platinum blonde hair opened his compartment door/
"Draco!" Harry chirped, motioning for the other boy to come in.
"Oh hey Harry." Draco said, a small smile lighting up his face.
They both worked together to get Draco's trunk on the overhead space and when it was done, Harry taught Draco what a high five was.
Then the boys high fived and it resulted in the most satisfying sound ever.
"So how was the rest of your summer?" Draco asked.
"Uneventful, hey! You wanna meet my snake?" Harry asked.
Draco perked immediately.
"You have a snake? Wait, you aren't allowed a snake though."
"Heck yeah! His name is Cain and he's probably sleeping, lemme grab him. Also I smuggled him in so you're sworn to secrecy Draco."
Draco crossed his heart, making both boys laugh.
Harry moved to rustle around his trunk but was distracted by outside voices saying his name.
"Did you just hear your name?" Asked Draco.
"Shh!" Harry hissed, pressing his ear to the glass, Draco hesitantly copying the action.
"…oh, Mom, oh please…"
"Ginny the boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo!" Came a woman's voice, "is he really, Fred? How do you know?"
Oy, if the way that woman asked if Fred knew it was him wasn't the creepiest thing…
"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there – like lightning." Said Fred.
"Poor dear…"
Harry's eyes narrowed, she didn't sound as if she was actually sorry for him.
"Do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"
"I forbid you fr-"
The voices trailed off as Harry pulled away from the window and began rummaging in his trunk.
"I do remember." Harry said.
"Hmm?" Draco asked.
"Volde – err, You-Know-Who. I remember how he looks like and what happened that night."
"Wow…"
"… I'll tell you about it some time."
"Nah, I'd rather not make you relive it."
"… Thanks."
Draco made a noise and the two fell into companionable silence, until Harry found Cain.
"Aha!" He chirped, gently pulling the snake out of his habitat. "Here he is!"
"Where am I?" Cain asked groggily, raising his handsome head to look at Draco. "Who's the scrub?"
"I don't know what scrub means Cain, and I'm not gonna ask. This is Draco." Harry replied, making Draco gawk.
"Y-You can talk to him?" He asked.
"Sure I can! Sev just told me to not ACTUALLY talk to him in public… you won't tell will you?"
"Not a soul! Can I hear?"
"… Sure."
"Oo, we get to scare a scrub, this is gonna be good." Said Cain with a hissy snicker.
"Be nice Cain! Draco's my friend, sides, we're going to be living with him for most of the year! Well, maybe." Harry replied, making Draco gasp in awe.
"That's so cool!"
"Dammit. The scrub isn't scared."
"Hey! You aren't supposed to swear!" Harry scolded the king snake, picking him up and putting him back inside the habitat with a huff. "Time out."
There was another hiss as Harry sat down that made the boy go bright red.
"What did he say?" Draco asked.
"Don't worry about it." Squeaked Harry.
There was another long pause of companionable silence.
"Want to play Wizards Chess?"
"Heck yeah."
Draco beamed at Harry and began to pull out his set.
"Err Draco?"
"Hmm?"
"How do I play?"
After Draco explained the rules and they began playing, Harry quickly learned that he really sucked at Wizards Chess.
Like they had been playing for a while now and Harry's lost every single time.
His eidetic memory and acute observation weren't helping at all.
"You're cheating. I don't know how you're cheating, but you're totally cheating." Harry griped as he lost for the 10th time.
"I'm not. You're just no good at this." Draco gloated, grinning toothily at him.
A small noise of distress left both boys when the train lurched and began moving.
"… Did we depart late or am I just going crazy?" Harry asked.
"Crazy." Replied Draco.
"Oh that's rich!"
The two boys began playfully bickering, calling each other silly names and shoving one another. They bickered with such intensity that they didn't notice when the compartment door slid open once more.
"Hey can I si- what are you two doing?" Came a voice from the door.
Both boys froze and pulled away from each other. Draco had a light flush on his face that he expertly hid behind his cold and calculating mask. Harry on the other hand was grinning like a maniac and not even trying to pretend.
"Fisticuffs!" He declared, snickering at the glare Draco shot him.
"Oh err… okay?" The redheaded boy said.
"Anyway what were you saying?"
"Uh… Can I sit with you? Everywhere else is full." Said the boy.
"No." Draco said.
"Draco?" Harry questioned, simultaneously appalled and confused.
"Harry he's a WEASLEY." The word Weasley was spat out as if it was poison.
"So?"
"Yeah so?" The redhead boy challenged.
Draco spluttered.
"They're the wrong sort you should be hanging out with!"
"Oh and why is that?" Harry demanded with a sharp glare.
"They're poor and they're patriarch is obsessed with muggles, and on top of that they're BLOOD TRAITORS." Draco spat.
"You sound like a Malfoy." The boy hissed.
Draco stuck his nose in the air.
"That's because I am."
This sparked a whole new argument and eventually Harry just had enough.
"Enough." Harry said, crossing his arms across his chest.
Both boys froze.
"You two are acting like five year olds!" He said, getting up and forcing the other two to sit down. "I don't know what went down with your families, but I don't care! You both seem like great people to me and I don't want to end up having to choose between you when I'd rather be friends with both of you!"
Harry stomped towards the door.
"Harry? Where are you going?" Draco asked, hesitantly.
"I'm leaving, going to cool my head." He said, "you two don't even know each other so do me a favor and get to know each other, or else."
The raven haired boy then ripped the door open and left.
"I hate you Weasley." Draco hissed.
"Feeling's mutual Malfoy." The redhead replied.
The two sat in silence as the train bounced along the tracks.
Eventually Draco cracked.
"Listen. I don't care for you and I can tell you don't care for me." Draco began, glaring when the other boy snorted.
"That's the understatement of the century."
"Let me finish!" He sighed, running a hand through slicked blonde hair. "I don't like you, you don't like me, but I for one actually do want Harry as a friend."
"Oh really? So you can get revenge for your Dark Lord?"
"NO!" Draco exclaimed, growling in frustration. "I never liked that psychopath!"
That made the redhead blink.
"You… You didn't?"
"No! I mean, originally he had some good ideas, but then the power went to his head and he just…"
"Went crazy?"
"Yeah."
"How do you know all that?"
"My dad told me, said that he was worried about You-Know-Who coming back and how he didn't want me getting involved."
"Really…"
"Yeah. But this isn't about me! This is about Harry. I don't want to lose him as a friend, but I know that I can't get along with you."
"Can't just put centuries of hating each other behind us?"
"Come off it, you can't do it either."
"Yeah… So what do we do?"
Draco shrugged.
"I guess we could… Hate each other in silence?" He said.
"What do you mean?" The other boy asked.
"Well, I want to keep Harry as a friend, and you seem to want to be friends with him."
"Well yeah he seems pretty nice."
Draco nodded, a fond smile appearing on his face when he remembered the letters he and Harry sent to one another during the summer.
"He is. So I propose, that when he's around we at least try to be nice to each other."
"And when he's gone, we can go at each other's throats?"
"Exactly. Just not too much violence because then he'll figure it out and we could get in trouble."
The boy thought for a bit.
"Well… Sounds good to me!" He said, holding out his hand. "Ron Weasley."
Draco took it and gave it a firm shake.
"Draco Malfoy."
"I still hate you."
"Feeling is still mutual."
"Let's go find Harry."
Draco nodded and both boys headed out of the compartment.
Harry walked through the cramped halls of the train with his hands in his pockets, every once in a while the train would lurch and he would pitch forwards, he'd usually catch himself though.
The train lurched again and Harry stumbled, unable to catch himself in time, he braced for impact and was surprised when he never hit the ground.
"Careful there!" Came two very familiar identical voices.
Harry looked at his stomach where two sets of hands had steadied him and looked back to their owners.
It was the twins from earlier.
"You two!" Harry exclaimed.
"Yes." The twin on the right said.
"It's us." Said the twin on the left.
"We were just heading to a friend's compartment –"
"When we saw you fall forwards –"
"Naturally we came to help –"
"Just on time right Gred?"
"Right Forge!"
"So are you all right?" They finished at the same time.
By this time Harry was thoroughly confused and dizzy by the twin's way of speaking.
"You know we never properly introduced ourselves." Said twin on the left.
"That's right! Well I'm Fred." Said the right twin.
"And I'm George."
"And I think you're lying." Harry said as he sunk to the ground.
The twins were surprised.
"Why we would never!"
"But tell us why you think that!"
Harry pointed at the twin calling himself George.
"You called him," here he pointed at 'Fred', "Forge. Since I suspect the nicknames are just play ons of your real names, which means that you're Fred. And the other is George."
The two twins stared at him for a while and then grinned.
"Wow you're smarter than you look!" Said George, sitting to the right of Harry.
"Most people usually don't notice that about us!" Said Fred, sitting to the left.
"Leave it to Harry Potter to figure it out!"
Harry laughed.
"Well it helps that I have an eidetic memory."
"Photographic huh? That's pretty cool." Fred said.
"Pretty sucky you mean."
"And why is that?" George asked.
"I can't forget anything, even if I really want to."
The twins lit up.
"So does that mean you remember –"
"The night my parents died? Yeah… I don't want to talk about it."
The twins pouted.
"Well all right –" Fred began.
"But that means –" George continued
"You need to answer a question for us!" They finished in unison.
"Sure, but you two need to quit the twin speak, its making my head spin." Harry replied.
"Fair enough!" Chirped Fred.
"So why are you out here by your lonesome?" Asked George.
Harry sighed, annoyance coming back to him.
"Cause my friend Draco and a guy who looks a bit like you two, were fighting for no good reason."
"Wait, looks like us?" Said George, looking at his brother. "Is he about this tall, with a weird splotch of dirt on his nose?"
"Err… yeah."
"Hey that's our brother Ron!"
Harry grinned.
"Figured as much." He snarked, getting a swat on the head as a result.
"It's the hair isn't it?" Fred asked.
"Yup… Hey why does your family hate the Malfoys?"
Fred and George shrugged.
"To be honest we're not really sure." Fred answered.
"You see, our dad works in the Ministry with Mr. Malfoy, and it seems that Mr. Malfoy isn't the nicest person to our dad." George said.
"We don't blame him, our dad is really obsessed with muggle things and that's kind of a big no-no here." Fred said, shaking his head at Harry's questioning look. "Long story."
"Anyway, our dad would come home from work and begin bad mouthing Mr. Malfoy, calling him a Death Eater and other nasty things. I guess the hate just kind of rubbed off on us." George continued.
"'Course Mr. Malfoy is kind of mean to our family and in turn says things to his family about us. And it just creates a swirling vortex of hate with no real meaning other than two alpha males unable to back down from one another." Fred finished.
"Oh… That's really, really dumb." Harry said.
"Man tell us about it!" George said, leaning his head on the wall.
"We're so sick and tired of being drawn into this feud!" Fred said, putting his cheek on Harry's head, much to the raven's distress.
"If we're being honest we think the Malfoy's are pretty decent people." They chorused. "They just have a different view of things and that's okay."
Harry snorted.
"I wish everyone was like you two. Accepting." He said, making Fred get off of him.
The twins stared at each other and then swept Harry up in a very awkward double hug.
"Thanks Ry! You're pretty okay too." They chirped.
"Ry?" Harry asked, struggling to get out of the twins surprisingly strong grip.
"Your new nickname!"
"Seriously? My name is already short enough as it is!"
"Shh, just accept it Ry." Fred said.
Harry huffed and went slack in the twins' arms.
"All right fine… Gred, Forge." He returned.
The twins gave a whoop and began walking down in the direction Harry had just come from.
"Err, where are we going?" He asked.
"To return you to ickle Ronnikins and your Malfoy friend." Said George.
"Could you put me down at least?"
"No can do!" Fred replied.
Harry sighed and just resigned to his fate. At least he wasn't in danger of falling anymore.
"Hi Draco."
"Err… Hi Harry."
"Did you and Ron fix your differences?"
"Yeah we did… Why are you in my brothers' arms?"
"Cause they refuse to put me down."
Ron and Draco had come across Harry, Fred and George in the oddest of ways.
Mostly because Fred and George really did refuse to put the tiny raven down.
And somewhat because Harry was completely okay with this.
"Hey wait, how do you know my name?" Ron asked.
"How do you know mine?" Harry shot back.
Draco snickered and winced when Ron scuffed him upside the head.
"Draco told me, and well you're kinda famous."
"Gred and Forge told me."
Said twins waved, and Ron glowered.
"Please put me down now." Harry asked.
The twins just laughed.
After that fiasco, the three first years returned to their compartment. And with their combined efforts they were able to lift Ron's trunk into the holding space where Harry was sitting.
This resulted in a three way high five that gave such a crisp smacking sound, that it could be heard down the hall.
As it was the three boys were currently bored out of their minds, at least until Harry got it into his head that they should have a Wizards Chess tournament.
"Harry we only have three people." Draco commented.
"So?" Said raven demanded, crossing his arms.
"So it's going to be unfair!" Ron replied.
Harry pouted.
"So we go find one of the twins or something, cause I really want to do this."
"Harry, my brothers don't like to play Wizard's Chess, they really suck at it."
The three had begun to bicker, Harry trying to convince the other two to come with him to find a fourth player, and Draco and Ron trying to explain that they couldn't just go and steal away a kid at random.
At that moment the compartment door flew open once more, a bushy haired girl standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.
"Have any of you seen a toad? My friend Neville's lost one." She said.
The three boys looked at one another, two pleading and one full of mischievous intent.
Harry got up and pulled the girl into the compartment, sitting her down next to him.
"What on earth are you doing?!" She demanded.
"Hi! My name's Harry Potter! This is Ron Weasley," a grunt, "Draco Malfoy," a polite hello, "and do you want to play in a Wizards Chess tournament with us?" He finished, taking a big gulp of air afterwards.
The girl was dumbstruck before she gave a hesitant nod.
"H-Hermione Granger." She mumbled, coughing and then straightening up. "Ill only play one round however, because I need to get back to my friend."
"Sounds good to me!" Chirped Harry.
"All right so, who goes against who?" Ron asked.
"Well, I know how Harry plays so that wouldn't be fair, I'll play Hermione, if that's okay with you?" Draco said, turning to Hermione, who nodded.
"All right, so I'll play Ron!" Harry announced.
"Err… We only have one chess board though." Ron commented.
"Oh its fine, I'll make it quick." Draco said.
Hermione scoffed.
"We'll see about that!" She announced.
Ron and Harry had to admit, Hermione sure played a fierce game of chess. Even if she did complain that it was a tad too gruesome for her.
She and Draco were fairly matched, and there had been a few close calls on both sides, but inevitably, Draco won.
When the match was over, Hermione stood and offered her hand to the blonde.
"You play well. Good game!" She chirped.
Draco took her hand and gave it a firm shake.
"You too, good game." He replied.
Hermione then left, saying that she had been gone too long and her friend was probably worried about her.
"She was a nice girl." Harry said, "I liked her."
"Yeah." The other two chorused, shooting each other a glare behind Harry's back.
"Well anyway Harry! It's my turn to beat you." Ron said, sitting down on the black side of the board as the pieces reassembled themselves.
"Hey! Who says you're going to beat me? What if I beat you huh?" Harry challenged, sitting on the white side of the board.
"Well whoever wins is definitely going to lose against me, so it doesn't matter." Draco announced.
"Oh that's rich!" Harry snarked.
Ron snorted.
"Well now I have to win, so I can knock you off your pedestal!" He said, motioning to Harry. "Your move."
Harry moved his pawn and the game began.
In retrospect, Harry probably should have realized that it was very likely that Ron would beat him in chess, he really sucked at it after all.
Of course, he didn't expect to be utterly destroyed.
"Good game Harry!" Ron said as both Draco and Harry stared at the board in disbelief.
Ron had checked Harry in the first 10 moves of the game, and then ended it in 3 more.
"That was the quickest game of chess I've ever seen." Draco commented, excitement sparking in his grey eyes.
"Err. Good game Ron!" Harry said, shaking Ron's hand as he got up and watched the pieces reassemble.
"Well Malfoy? Sit down." The redhead said, motioning to the white side of the board.
"I don't need a handicap Weasley."
"Well neither do I but I'm not moving."
The two males glowered at each other.
There was a knock at the door.
"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty. Start the game." Harry taunted, answering the door when he was finished. "Oh and make it quick, Hermione said that we'll be stopping soon and we need to change into our robes."
"Oh don't worry Harry, I'll be wiping the floor with him soon enough." Draco said, finally giving up and sitting across from Ron.
"In your dreams Malfoy." Ron said, as he motioned for Draco to get on with it.
Draco examined the board and made his move.
If Hermione and Draco were almost equals in chess, then Draco and Ron were carved from the same marble.
Neither boy would give an inch, both were perfectly matched, each mind coming up with a different way to stop the other's move.
Draco was checked first, but he had quickly retaliated and checked Ron soon after.
The game seemed to be going on, and eventually Harry had to remind them that they were only 15 minutes away from the station and that they needed to change.
Neither Ron nor Draco acknowledged him.
The game changer happened when Draco examined the board for his next move and blinked in surprise. The blonde boy examined it some more, then huffed and slouched in his seat.
"Zugzwang." He griped, making Ron grin.
"Glad you realized it too Malfoy." He commented.
Harry just blinked in confusion.
"What does zugzwang mean?" He asked.
"It's a chess term. It's a point in the game where the player realizes that he will inevitably be checkmated." Draco said, continuing as he was, still strong.
However, his prediction turned out to be true, and Ron checkmated him in 4 moves.
"You're not all bad Malfoy." Ron said, holding out his hand.
"The feeling is mutual Weasley. You'd make a decent Slytherin." Draco said, shaking Ron's hand.
"You'd sooner be a Gryffindor, than I a Slytherin."
"Err… Do you guys already know your houses?" Harry asked.
"No, but it's pretty obvious Draco's going to end up in Slytherin." Ron said, jabbing a thumb at Draco as he grabbed his robes.
"And every Weasley that's ever existed has gone into Gryffindor, sides, it's also really obvious." Draco said, coping Ron's actions and retrieving his robes.
Harry frowned.
"Will you guys stop being friends with me if I end up in a different house?" He asked, remembering what he read about the houses and the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor.
The two other boys scoffed.
"Harry you could end up in Hufflepuff and we would still be your friends." Draco said.
"Yeah! No matter where you go, we'll stick to you like glue!"
"You guys are awesome. Now hurry up and change." Harry said, leaving the compartment so the two boys could change in peace, smiling at the laughter that followed him out.
Yeah, he was really glad they had gotten over most of their differences.
Now if he could just figure out why he felt so uneasy, then he'd be golden.
Between making Ron and Draco hurry up, making sure Cain and Hedwig would be okay and rushing out of the train to get into a boat, Harry had no real time to say hi to Hagrid.
Which turned out to be okay, because they ended up in the same boat as him.
"Hey Hagrid!" Harry chirped.
"Ah! There ye are 'Arry! I was worried about ye for a second there!" Said Hagrid.
Ron and Draco simply gaped at the large man.
"Oh! Right! Hagrid, these are my friends, Draco, Ron, and Hagrid. Hagrid, Draco, Ron." He introduced.
"Nice to meet ye." Hagrid said as he continued to steer.
"Err, hi." Ron said.
"Nice to meet you." Draco replied.
"Ah thas right, Professor Snape wants to talk to ye "Arry. Something about a dog." He said, giving Harry a not so subtle glance.
Harry whooped.
"Oh that's good!" He said, sighing in relief and waving off his friends' concerned looks. "Don't worry about it."
The boats went into a dark tunnel and when they came out again, they were faced with the sight of a glorious castle.
Harry whistled.
"It's beautiful!" He said, murmurs of agreement following his statement.
They reached the shore in record time and then Hagrid led them to the doors of the castle.
"Everyone here?" Hagrid asked, raising his gigantic fist and knocking three times on the big wooden doors.
The doors slowly swung open and out came a tall black haired witch. She had a very stern face that made the three friends feel as if they had done something wrong.
"Here are the firs' years Professor McGonagall." Said Hagrid.
"Thank you Hagrid, I'll take them from here." The lady, McGonagall, said.
She pulled the door wide, motioning for them all to follow her. She led them across the flagged stone floor, there was the drone of hundreds of voices from the doors to the right, and Harry figured that, that was where the rest of the school was.
However, McGonagall led them to a small empty chamber off of the hall. The rest of the first years huddled nervously together.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," She began. "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 rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the ear, 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 your.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten ourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She finished, eyes lingering on everyone for a couple seconds.
"I will return when we are ready for you." She said, "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber and Harry gulped.
"Sooo…" He said, turning to his two friends. "Do either of you know how they sort us?"
"No idea. My father refused to tell me." Draco replied.
"Fred told me that there was going to be some sort of test, that it was going to hurt a lot but I think he was joking." Ron said with a shrug.
Harry frowned.
"Well whatever it is, I hope it doesn't kill us." He joked.
The three friends fell silent as they thought about what would await them behind those doors. Harry drowning himself in thoughts that he would be found unworthy of Hogwarts and turned away. Seemed like he still had some psychological scars.
Then several people screamed, making him jump a foot in the air.
He turned and gasped, as did several others.
About twenty or so ghosts began streaming through the back wall. They were white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room, talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. A few of them seemed to be arguing, not that Harry noticed. He was more preoccupied on the fact that a couple seemed to be staring at him with clear distrust and fear. Their staring caused a small headache to form, pounding behind his eyes.
As if something inside him was angry.
"Hey Harry, do you know why their staring at you?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head turning to his friends.
"No… They seem to be afraid of me… Or at least some part of me." He said, "Maybe they see something I don't."
"Maybe they see what a massive dork you are." Draco commented.
"Oh that's rich!" Harry snarked, "either way, its giving me a massive headache."
By this point, some of the ghosts had noticed them and introduced themselves, wishing them good luck and leaving through the wall.
"Move along now," a sharp voice said. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."
McGonagall had returned.
"Now, form a line." She told the first years. "And follow me."
His legs seemed to have turned to jelly as he got in line behind Draco, Ron behind him. They walked out of the chamber and back across the hall, going through the big double doors into the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was something out of a dream, with candles floating in the air. There four tables in neat rows, where the rest of the students sat, at the far end of the hall, sat one long table, where the rest of the professors resided, staring at them. Harry felt his unease grow as he realized that everyone was staring at them, and turned his head upwards to avoid the feeling.
The feeling didn't change, but he noticed the ceiling wasn't a ceiling at all, it looked like the night sky, twinkling stars forming various constellations. He remembers what he read in Hogwarts, A History. And from farther up ahead, Hermione says what he was thinking.
"Its bewitched to look like the sky outside." She whispered to her friend.
Harry tuned out and continued to look at the sky, it was hard to believe that there was a ceiling there at all. He turned his attention back to the front, where McGonagall set down a four legged stool and a very old and worn hat on it.
Then the old thing split across the brim and began to sing:
"Oh you may not think me 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 Gryffindor's 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 folks 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 entire hall burst into applause, startling the three friends, it wasn't that good a song after all, although, he guessed it would grow on them in the coming years.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forwards 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 up and onto the stool, where the professor set the cap on her head, which fell over her eyes.
There was a beat.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Shouted the hat.
The table on the right clapped and cheered as Hannah moved to join them.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Shouted the hat once more, and she scuttled off to sit with Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left clapped.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" became another Ravenclaw.
"Brown, Lavender" became the newest Gryffindor and the table on the far left cheered.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" became the first Slytherin.
Harry blanked out and came back just in time to hear the end of the F's
"Finnigan, Seamus" Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione" Harry perked up at that, watching Hermione practically run up and set the hat on her head.
"RAVENCLAW!" Shouted the hat. Harry clapped along with the table.
Once more, Harry blanked out, barely catching the end of the Ls (Neville Longbottom went to Gryffindor and almost took the hat with him)
He definitely snapped out of it when "Malfoy, Draco" was called.
Draco squeezed his arm and gave him a reassuring smile.
Harry was sure his returning smile looked queasy if Ron's snort and Draco's grin was anything to go by.
Draco swaggered forwards and sat on the stool, the hat barely touched his head before it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
Draco went and joined with two very big boys, scooting one of them over in case Harry joined him.
There weren't many people left, and when Harry's unease grew, he missed every name, and almost missed his own.
"Potter, Harry!"
"Good luck mate, remember, we'll still be your friends no matter what." Ron said, gently pushing him forwards.
Harry walked forwards, his breathing beginning to quicken as people began pointing and whispering. This was freaking him out and he was starting to panic.
Severus, who had been watching, began to get up as he noticed the dilemma.
And then:
A pulse of white noise ran through Harry's head and he was suddenly okay, he would be safe, she'd protect him.
He vaguely recognized he should be asking who "she" was.
But that didn't matter, because now he was sitting on the stool and he couldn't see anything but old, leathery material.
"Hmm." Said a voice in his head. "Difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage I see, not a bad mind either. So where to put you?"
"Anywhere is fine."
"Anywhere hmm?"
"My friends promised they'd still be my friends even if I went to Hufflepuff."
The hat chuckled.
"Well, well, loyal to your friends hmm? Better b –"
"Put him in Slytherin."
White noise once more filled his head, drowning out the conversation between the hat and whatever else was in his head.
Harry groaned.
"In Slytherin? Well he would do well there, but he's more suited to Gryffindor my dear." The hat replied, fazed not so much by the white noise, but rather by the frightening girl talking to him.
"I'm not surprised, but you need to put him in Slytherin."
Black filled Harry's eyes and he slumped forwards slightly, keeping upright through Della's influence.
"And why is that?"
"The last thing Harry needs right now is enemies. If he goes to Gryffindor, that's all he'll have, enemies galore, mostly in Slytherin, but there will still be others from different houses. If he goes to Slytherin however, he'll still have plenty of friends and many people to protect him, from the morons who would think he went dark."
"You say that as if he needs protecting."
"This boy is a magnet for trouble, I won't ask again. PUT. HIM. IN. SLYTHERIN."
The floor rumbled slightly and Professors McGonagall and Snape were officially concerned. McGonagall because no student had ever taken this long, and Snape because he felt the rumble and knew the source of such malicious intent.
"Well all right. Better be…"
At this moment Harry awoke again, the white noise disappeared and Della's influence went away, leaving him dizzy and sick with confusion.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Harry blinked, he felt gross and disoriented, but nonetheless let his feet guide him to the Slytherin table, where he was greeted by loud cheering and a pair of arms helping him into his seat.
"Are you okay?" Asked a familiar voice.
'Draco. Dracodracodracodracodraco.' His mind provided.
He shook his head and leaned heavily on the other boy.
"'M really dizzy." He said.
"Sev is looking at you."
Harry put a weak thumbs up in the air, confusing the other Slytherins, but reassuring Severus.
"Here, drink this." Draco said, offering Harry a goblet of water that had appeared.
Harry took the goblet
"Oh than –"
"DON'T DRINK THAT."
And promptly dropped it, shaking his head.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, officially very concerned.
"It's laced." Harry said, violently startling the blonde.
"H-Harry? Something's wrong with your voice."
"Huh? Is there?" He asked, slowly straightening up as Della slowly worked her magic and vanished his vertigo.
Draco continued to stare at him but eventually smiled.
"No. Everything is fine." He said.
Harry shrugged, and turned his attention back to the Sorting, just in time to watch Ron walk nervously up to the stool.
He caught the boy's attention and gave him a big thumbs up, getting a shaky smile in return.
Ron sat on the stool and the hat fell over his eyes.
There were a couple beats, and even though it was selfish, Harry really hoped he would come to Slytherin.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Shouted the hat.
Harry frowned for a second but then grinned, shooting Ron another thumbs up, Draco following his lead, when the boy sat down and made eye contact with them.
This made the redhead chuckle and turn back to the front.
At the front, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet and beamed at his students.
"Welcome!" He said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, here they are! Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat down and everyone cheered.
Harry blinked and turned to Draco.
"Is he mad?" He asked.
Draco shrugged.
"My father says he is and I'm beginning to believe him." Draco said, smiling as food appeared on the table.
Harry's jaw dropped open as different dishes filled the table. There were things he had seen before, pot roast, mashed potatoes, chicken etc. and various things he hadn't seen before.
"Dig in!" Dumbledore called.
'Don't mind if I do!' Harry thought, taking a little bit of everything and piling it on his plate.
Dinner passed with no distractions and eventually dessert appeared.
Everything seemed to be steering clear of headaches and horrible vertigo.
At least until Harry looked at the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher.
He had felt someone staring holes into his head and looked towards the head table. He looked at everyone and found only Severus and the DADA teacher were staring. He waved at Severus and then made eye contact with the DADA Teacher ("His name is Quirell." "Thanks Draco!")
Worst. Idea. EVER.
Pain shot through his head and a white noise that made his head pound and ears ring filled his brain. There were two more presences in his head besides his own. One of them was screaming at the other to GET OUT.
GET OUT, GETOUT, GETOUTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUT
GET. OUT.
Harry vaguely heard Draco scream his name and felt blood trickle down his nose. He felt a falling sensation and realized he fell out of his seat.
And then everything went black.
"He's waking up!"
Harry groaned as he opened his eyes, blinking when he saw nothing but white. He slowly processed that he was in the infirmary.
"W-where?" He croaked.
"You're in the Hospital Wing." Came a stern voice.
Harry turned his head and gave Severus a weak smile.
"Hey Sev."
"Don't you 'Hey Sev' me. What happened in there?" He demanded, though he was sure he knew the answer.
"I don't know, I looked at Professor Quirell and then there was a lot of white noise and someone screaming to get out… Sev? Why do you look so concerned?"
"Because whatever it was caused a blackout." He said.
"Wait, wait wait!" Draco said, making Harry wave. "You mean to tell me, that this happens on a regular basis?"
"Bloody hell Harry that's not good." Ron said, making Harry wave even harder.
"Hey you two!" He said, smiling weakly, "am I glad to see you! As for the blackouts, they actually don't happen all that often, just when I get headaches caused by and or headaches that cause white noise. Then everything kind of goes black and I can't remember anything 30 or so minutes prior to the event."
It hurt Severus to hear the boy say it in such medical terms, no child should have to deal with that.
The other two boys seemed to think the same and frowned.
"So, can I go to my dormitory or whatever Sev?" He asked.
"Sorry, but no, Poppy, the school's Mediwitch said that you are to stay overnight and then you can join your housemates in the morning for breakfast." Severus explained.
Harry huffed, relaxing against the bed.
"Well I guess I'll just go back to sleep then."* He said, the other occupants chuckling at him.
"We'll see you tomorrow Harry." Draco said.
"Let's compare classes when we get the time!" Ron said.
"Who you will be sharing classes with will be stated on your schedules." Severus said, getting up and ushering the other two out. "Good night Harry."
"Night Harry!" Ron called as he was pushed out the door.
"Sleep well!" Draco shouted.
Harry chuckled and settled into bed.
After a while he fell asleep with a smile on his face.
AN: Dear god it's finally finished.
I'm so so so SO sorry for skipping two weeks in a row.
I swear that it won't happen again.
I also apologize for how slowly the story is progressing, Ill try my best to fix that.
Please favorite and review if you liked my story. I wont beg you for it, but it would be nice to have some feedback.
Have a good one guys.
*An alternate ending if this story took place when they were older and in the year of 2014 (AKA now): "Well I guess I'll just sit here and fist myself then." He said, the other occupants looking at him in surprise and no small amount of disgust.