Chapter 4: It's Time for Hogwarts
After Frank and Alice Longbottom upgraded their home's protective wards to a safety level approved by Severus Snape, their son Neville became Harry Potter's playdate. Through the years, Harry and Neville became close friends and almost brothers. A few months before the two boys received their Hogwarts letters, Severus and the adult Longbottoms decided to tell them about how Harry became an orphan. "Do you mean that I am the so-called Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry asked in shock.
"Correct, Harry." Snape said while frowning at the title. Harry was given it for being lucky enough to survive when his parents didn't.
"But why would Voldemort target my family?" Harry asked in curiosity.
"Call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named while in public, Harry, and a prophecy made him think either you or Neville here would vanquish him." Frank explained.
"Is that why Neville and I are growing up together, Uncle Frank?" Harry asked with a hint of sadness.
"No, Harry." Frank answered.
"Frank and I used to be friends with your parents back when we attended Hogwarts." Alice explained.
"There was another reason we didn't let you out of either our home or the Longbottoms except to go between them, Harry." Severus Snape sternly said. "While hiding you from Death Eaters who cheated justice is enough of a good reason, there's also the fact Headmaster Dumbledore insisted on having you living with your muggle relatives and knowing nothing of the Wizarding World until it's time for you to attend Hogwarts."
"Do I really have to go to a school headed by Headmaster Dumbledore?" Harry asked in confusion that his Godfather would want him to in spite of the bad things he says about the Headmaster.
"While he shouldn't have any say over your living arrangements, you'll need a magical education and Hogwarts is the safest place to receive it, Harry." Severus explained.
"What about Durmstrang and Beauxbatons?" Neville suggested. He remembered reading about them in Hogwarts: a History while browsing the Triwizard Tournament section.
"Beuxbatons isn't as safe and Durmstrang is headed by a Death Eater who got a smaller sentence than he should in exchange for revealing the identities of other Death Eaters, Neville." Frank Longbottom explained. "They should have just shoved Veritaserum down the caught Death Eaters' throats as Mad-Eye Moody suggested."
"Just talk to Madam Bones about giving Sirius Black some drops." Severus suggested with a sneer.
"Why Black?" Alice asked while slightly mad at the traitor's name being mentioned.
"He was You-Know-Who's right-hand-man." The potioneer answered. "He probably knows the names of all Death Eaters who have yet to be identified as such."
"Honestly, Severus, I don't think Voldemort would have this kind of trust on someone who's playing both sides." Frank dismissed the idea. "Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy would be more likely assuming Voldemort did trust someone to the point of making them his right-hand man."
"It's a moot point anyway thanks to people like Malfoy using their influence to protect caught Death Eaters from being forced to answer questions under Veritaserum." Alice added.
Months later, when Harry and Neville received their Hogwarts letters, both boys sent replies stating they agreed to become Hogwarts students. Professor McGonagall felt a lot of relief upon reading Harry's reply and eagerly went to Headmaster Dumbledore's office to share the good news. "Wonderful, Minerva!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
"If you don't mind, Albus, I'd like to be the one in charge of guiding him through Diagon Alley." She volunteered. "When do I go?"
"There's no need to bother yourself with this, Minerva." Dumbledore calmly reassured her. "I'll send Hagrid for the task."
"Hagrid?" McGonagall was shocked. "Albus, I know his heart is in the right place but don't you think he's too conspicuous for the muggle world?"
"I'm certain he'll handle it just fine, Minerva." Dumbledore reassured her with a sickly sweet smile. "You, on the other hand, already have too many muggleborns to worry about."
Reluctantly accepting that explanation, Professor McGonagall let the matter go. Two days later, Harry, Severus and the Longbottoms went to Diagon Alley. "The usual, Potioneer Snape?" Tom the bartender asked after noticing Severus' presence."
"Just let us enter Diagon Alley, if you please, Tom." Snape gruffly replied, drawing the attention of the patrons. They're so used to see him as a loner the idea of someone being with him was enough to make them all curious. It was easy for them to notice the Longbottoms and then… "Oh, Merlin! It's Harry Potter!"
"My ward and his friend Neville must buy their Hogwarts supplies." Snape said with a stern tone that made them too afraid to interrupt him. After they entered Diagon Alley, the kids were amazed at the things on display. Harry's attention was particularly attracted to a broomstick store. "Uncle Severus, my birthday is coming. What about a Nimbus 2000 as a gift?"
"First, you have a lot to learn about subtlety." Severus firmly replied. "Second, you're about to start your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and you know what the rules say about that and flying broomsticks."
"First years aren't allowed to bring their own broomsticks to Hogwarts." Harry said in monotone.
"Correct." Snape said.
"Frank, you can buy yourself one and allow Neville to borrow it." Augusta Longbottom suggested. "That way, he won't be taking his own broomstick to Hogwarts."
"Mother, it'd be too imprudent on my part to risk Neville's life like that!" Frank exclaimed in horror and his wife Alice nodded in agreement.
"Frank, Neville needs to show he's brave enough to follow your footsteps." Augusta argued. "Of course, Potions is a part of the Auror requirements and what allowed you and Alice to recover but there are other parts."
They then entered Gringotts Bank to get gold to pay for the supplies. Fortunately, Severus Snape had used his position as Harry's guardian to order a new key to replace the one he believed to have been lost when Voldemort destroyed the Potters' Godric's Hollow home. Since Albus Dumbledore never tried to access Harry's account, he never found out the key he rescued was no longer good.
Their next stop was at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Hogwarts uniforms for both boys?" Madam Malkin asked. Severus and the Longbottoms nodded.
She directed each boy to stand on a stool next to the one another Hogwarts first-year student is standing on to be measured for his uniform. "Hello." The other student said. "I'm Dean Thomas."
"I'm Neville Longbottom." Neville replied.
"And I'm Harry Potter."
Professor McGonagall, who was guiding Dean through Diagon Alley, was shocked upon hearing it. "What?" She then looked around and couldn't deny the resemblance between Harry and the late James Potter.
"Something wrong, Professor McGonagall?" Severus asked with a neutral face but he was internally smirking.
"What is Harry Potter doing here?" She asked in horror.
"The same as every other first year does here, Professor McGonagall." Harry sincerely answered. "I'm buying school robes."
"You should be waiting for a Professor to pick you like every muggle-raised student, Mr. Potter." She sternly said.
"I'm not a muggle-raised." Harry explained. "You should've known that since you're the one who signs the acceptance letters or at least signed mine."
"It's an automatic system, Mr. Potter." She explained. "And you were supposed to be living with your muggle relatives. I was there when Headmaster Dumbledore left you with them."
"Well, my Godfather Severus had other plans and the Dursleys agreed." Harry argued.
Professor McGonagall was shocked at hearing someone other than Sirius Black being described as Harry's Godfather but, given how Black ended up, she decided not to force the issue. "Mr. Snape, what does Headmaster Dumbledore have to say about this?"
"Neither of us has approached the other, Professor McGonagall." Snape firmly said. There might have been a time he'd have flinched at how she approached him while asking the question but those times were over. "The Headmaster might have placed Harry Potter with muggle relatives but they've agreed to make me his new Godfather and Bartemius Crouch himself processed the parchmentwork back when he headed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"You may join us for the rest of our shopping trip if you want, Professor McGonagall." Alice offered out of politeness.
Their next stop was at a shop where they bought potions, ingredients and other materials needed for the potions classes. There, the salespeople were eager to help not only for the fact they were selling stuff to the Boy-Who-Lived but also because renowned Potions Master Severus Snape was evaluating their work. Afterwards, they went to Flourish and Blotts, where they bought the needed books. At last, the boys bought their wands. At Ollivander's, everything went as expected (Ollivander recalling the wands he sold to Minerva, Frank, Alice, James and Lily) until he mentioned the 'curious' fact that Harry's wand core is made from a feather of the same phoenix bird that gave a feather to be Voldemort's wand core. "Does it have any significance other than the talk about Harry being expected to do great things?" Snape asked with a frown.
"Should both Mr. Potter's and You-Know-Who's wands clash, they'll regurgitate past spells instead of casting new ones, thus giving each wizard an extra defense against the other." Ollivander explained.
Ollivander's audience actually felt relieved and eagerly bought the new wands and some wand holsters.
After the boys went back home, an irate McGonagall decided to confront the Headmaster.
End chapter.