"Talking"
"Parseltongue"
Chapter 15: The Beginning
The next morning Alex woke up slightly disorientated by the light brown curtains blocking his view. Quickly recalling the sorting of the night before, he slipped into his Harry mask and headed towards the shower. He soon discovered that he was the only one awake and therefore had the showers to himself.
When he was dressed, he finally checked the time and realized that his dorm mates would sleep for several more hours; it was only 7 on a Saturday morning after all, so he headed downstairs, to discover a rather empty common room. Hungry, but not wanting to get lost, he went back to his room, found a book and sat down in front of the fire to wait.
Eventually some of the older students woke up and he was able to walk to breakfast with a boy named Cedric Diggory. Harry quickly learned that Cedric was the unofficial leader of Hufflepuff and had planned to give the firsties a tour of the school later in the morning.
Breakfast was a quite affair as most of the students who actually showed up were still more asleep than awake and there were only a dozen people total in the Great Hall. Once back in the dorms, Harry was dispatched to make sure his dorm mates woke up and dressed, Cedric wanted to take them on a tour and sleeping in too late was not admired by the majority of Hufflepuffs who were the most numerous and most awake students at breakfast.
Harry headed into the dorm and slowly shook his classmates awake. Once Harry had shaken them into semi-conscience, "C'mon guys, wake up. Cedric's gonna take all us firsties on a tour so we don't get lost."
The boys slowly climbed out of bed and started dressing and washing faces. Then they slowly meandered downstairs. Downstairs they were met by the first year girls, Cedric and Bridjet MacDougal a third year girl who had agreed to help Cedric show the girls around.
As soon as everyone was downstairs Bridjet and Cedric decided to help everyone get to know each other, starting with themselves.
"Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory and I will be the one you boys come to first with any problems. The prefects are fifth year and above and they are also available, but in Hufflepuff we like to have someone a little bit closer in age. So if you're homesick or if you guys get into a fight come see me first and I'll try and help out, if I'm not available or if I can't help I'll take you to a prefect who can. Oh, about me. My dad works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures1 and I'm a pureblood. And my lovely assistant is Bridjet MacDougal."
"Yes, as Cedric said, I'm Bridjet and what he said for the boys goes for you girls and the boys too if they really want. I'm a muggleborn from the Inner Hebrides and I'm thinking about maybe becoming a healer. My dad's a doctor and my mom's a nurse. So how 'bout you… Harry?"
"Well, umm…I guess most of you all know I'm Harry Potter. I was raised by my muggle aunt and uncle and didn't know about magic until I got my letter…" here most of the kids gasped at the idea of the boy-who-lived being so ignorant "and well I guess that's it, I've never really had friends before so I'm not exactly sure what to say."
The others, especially the pure-bloods all gasped again. "Um…Ok, I'm Susan Bones and my Aunt is the Director of the Department of Military Law Enforcement. I don't really like chocolate frogs; I prefer Chocolate pixies (made of white chocolate) and I'm not too good on a broom."
"Justin Finch-Fletchey, I'm a muggle born and so all this is new to me. The moving pictures are bloody cool though."
"Zachariah Smith, pureblood, my dad is the owner of the Nimbus Company. I can't wait until we're allowed to fly."
"Hannah Abbot, my dad's a pureblood, but my mom's a muggle-born. My dad works at the ministry and my mom is a herbologist. I can't wait until we start to work in the greenhouses."
"Sarah Adams. My dad's a muggle and my mom's a squib. She was so excited when I go my letter; I think she almost had a heart attack. I'm thinking about claiming my status as a squib descendent, but I'm not sure yet."
"Which family is your mom from?" asked Zachariah.
"She's a Black, but she says that because there is no current head, it would be a lot of work so I'll probably wait until I graduate, and then decide whether I want the notoriety of being Sarah Black."
"Hi, I'm Torin Naphtali; my family is from India, though we've been living in Britain since before I was born. My mother is a Herbology mistress, my father is one of the foremost potions masters, though I think Professor Snape is considered of higher rank, and my older sister is a genius when it comes to animals. I'm something of a miracle and they've spoiled and sheltered me to the extreme, so I've never had any friends either, Harry." At Torin's last name, Harry had looked at him very closely and could see the resemblance to his father's elite. He would have to talk to Vash and Shasha; he did not appreciate being surprised.
There were few Hufflepuff's that year because so many people believed Hufflepuff to be the house of misfits that most children tried to be sorted anywhere else. Also, the birth rate had been rather low anyway due to the first war with Voldemort which had peaked just before the time when they would have all been conceived. Once everyone had introduced themselves they were given a tour by Cedric who showed them the best ways to get to the different classrooms, the library, the Great Hall, and Professor Sprout's office. The new first years then spent the rest of the weekend getting to know each other and forming bonds that would hopefully last them the rest of their lives.
After that first weekend time flew by filled with classes and Quidditch and before Harry realized it, it was almost Christmas. Alex had also made friends outside of his house and was happy with how his networking had turned out. His best friend outside his house was Hermione Granger who had also introduced him to Neville Longbottom. They were both outcasts in their house and Alex had taken a special interest in them both, for different reasons.
Flashback
Alex had been waiting outside the Charms room to ask Professor Flitwick a question, when the Gryffindor class walked out. He heard a red headed boy, Weasel, or something say "Its no wonder she hasn't got any friends, no body likes a pushy know-it-all. And besides, I bet she'd rat out anyone in a heart beat to her precious professors. She's no Gryffindor!" Just than a bushy-haired girl ran past sobbing, but the boys just stared before exclaiming, "Stupid teacher's pet!" at being almost knocked down.
Alex had decided to chase the girl, his question could wait. He finally tracked her down in one of the girl's bathrooms, where she had been crying. He talked to her through the door and finally managed to coax her down to the feast where she had sat with him at the Hufflepuff table.
"Whose she Harry, a girlfriend?" crooned Zachariah.
"Is not, the stupid Gryffindors don't know how to treat a lady, so she's sitting with us."
"What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Susan.
"They were teasing Hermione after Charms class, so I decided she should sit with us. Hermione, meet Susan, Zachariah, Hannah, Justin, Sarah, and Torin, because there are so few of us we are a pretty close group, but there's always room for more."
End Flashback
Since that night Hermione had mostly hung out with the Hufflepuffs who were quick to accept her without judgment. They also managed to get her to lighten up a little. It had actually been Neville who had managed to convince the strict girl that books were not the final authority and that teachers did not have all the answers.
Flashback
Hermione was sitting in a corner of the Gryffindor Common room staring blankly into the fire. Her eyes were still a little red from crying just a little while earlier. She was thinking about the argument she had just had with Ronald Weasley, for the third time.
Neville had watched the past arguments and had finally decided to say something after this last one, the arguments had been increasingly vicious and soon would probably come to spells being exchanged if someone didn't say something. He walked over to Hermione's corner and pulled up a spare chair before softly attempting to get her attention.
"Hermione? Can I talk to you, please?"
"Oh, Neville. I'm sorry, but I don't want to study right now. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my work."
"That's ok. I actually wanted to talk about your fight with Ron. There is some truth to what he says you know. You do need to lighten up some."
"Not you too! I don't…"
"No, you're not listening. I didn't say he was right, just that there was some truth to it. Books aren't always right, and neither are adults. They are fallible." Hermione looked at Neville blankly, before her face set in an angry line, but before she could say anything he hurried on. "Look, I mean a lot of the books are written for purebloods, by purebloods. Even Hogwarts a History holds some of the anti-muggleborn prejudice. Or look a textbook for muggle studies. Just listening to you and the other muggleborns I've already figured out that most of what we're taught as fact is either out of date or just plain wrong.
Haven't you ever wondered why you're the only muggleborn at the top of your classes? It's because you study so hard. Right now, most of the curriculum has already been taught to the wealthier purebloods and even a few halfbloods. Most of the material being covered is simple stuff for them and they don't even start at the very basic level. Look at Potions class. It probably take until at least the middle of this year before most muggleborn students catch on to the techniques and whys behind what they're doing, if ever."
"But those are just isolated instances right? I mean, that's not everywhere." As she watched Neville shake her head she realized that he was right. If she really thought about it books in the Muggle world were that way, she didn't know why she thought the Magical world would actually be different, especially when she heard about the blood discrimination. "Thanks Neville, I have to think on this."
"Wait, one more thought. Think seriously about the actions of some of the adults. Look at the way Snape treats the different houses. And it was Dumbledore who left Harry with his relatives. What does that say about him?" With that Neville walked off to play a game of Exploding Snap with some of the other first and second years.
End Flashback
Though Neville was friends with Harry, he mostly spent time in the shadows of the other Gryffindor boys. Ron, Seamus, and Dean were mostly interested in playing and goofing off and Neville joined their games to even out the teams. He also spent some time with the girls in his year. They enjoyed his blushing and stammering, but mostly they enjoyed that he would just sit there and listen as they gossiped on and on. Soon, he knew more about the rumors of Hogwarts and the activities of the Gryffindors especially than anyone. After all, no one watches what they say in front of a squib.
Vash,
Is there any particular reason you failed to mention that you had a son entering Hogwarts the same year as I? I do not appreciate the surprise. I would suggest that if there any more children of the Elite they tell me now, before I find them on my own! School stinks by the way; I think I learned this material when I was 6.
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