Disclaimer: Goblins may look scary, act scary and... well they are scary. However, they can occasionally be helpful if it is amusing to them. Here's the next installment of Strength of Family. Sorry for the delay but the sign-in page for was down all day yesterday. I don't own Harry Potter! JK Rowling does.
Chapter 5: Welcome to the Wizarding World
"Well, I'm not sure if I'm the one who should be telling you," the hat began. "But it all started with a dark wizard who was known throughout the world as Lord Voldemort. He was corrupted by the power that is associated with the Dark Arts, and did many terrible things in his quest to gain more power. He held many radical beliefs, one of which was that pureblooded wizards and witches were far superior to their muggleborn counterparts. His followers were brutal and attacked and killed many muggles and muggleborn people simply because of their roots.
"Eventually the wizarding world was divided into two different sides, those who followed Voldemort and those who sided with Headmaster Dumbledore against Voldemort. Your parents were among the people who fought against Lord Voldemort under the guidance of the Headmaster."
"That doesn't explain why everyone knows me," Harry said after the hat was silent for what felt like several minutes.
"No," the hat replied. "I suppose not. I'm not sure how to tell you this Harry, but for whatever reason Voldemort targeted your family and attempted to kill you all. However, he didn't succeed. While your parents perished, you survived and broke all the laws of magic."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused as to what the hat was referring.
"The scar on your forehead is no ordinary scar," the hat continued, not missing a beat. "It is a curse scar that you received when you were hit with the killing curse." The hat paused as if gathering it's thoughts. "You see Harry; the killing curse is called the killing curse because it always instantly kills its victims. No one, other than you, has ever survived being hit by the killing curse. That is what makes you so special, so different from everyone else."
Harry just sat there in stunned silence. He was different from everyone else.
"What about Lexi?" Harry asked suddenly concerned with her well being. "What about my sister?"
"Sister?" the hat repeated in shock. "You have a sister?"
"Yes," Harry replied slowly, hope glimmering in him, that perhaps the hat had the wrong Harry. "My sister Lexi, what about her?"
"I, I," the hat began to stutter. "I was unaware you had a sister, but I can see her in your mind. I do know she was not there that night, the night your parents died." The hat clarified. "I highly doubt many people in the wizarding world know of her existence if I didn't even know about it."
"Why do you say that?" Harry asked.
"I reside in the Headmaster's office," the hat said the pride evident in his voice. "The Headmaster learns of everything, which I may or may not over hear in my position as a resident of his noble office."
"So everything you learn about the students, you relay back to him?" Harry asked, truly interested in how much the Headmaster learned about his students.
"Merlin, no!" The hat exclaimed, a chuckle in his voice. "Everything said by a student remains completely confidential. It wouldn't be fair otherwise considering I can see right into your mind. Now, now," the hat said, picking up on Harry's racing thoughts. "We are here to sort you into your proper school house, why don't we focus on that?"
Harry couldn't help but agree as the hat began muttering to itself.
"Now let's see, you've got a strong mind, and you're loyal to the core." The hat began, as he analyzed Harry's personality. "You are rather cunning, you'd have to be growing up the way you did, but then again you're brave to a fault. Any of the houses would suit you, but where would you do your best?"
"Where were my parents sorted?" Harry asked, genuinely interested in where his parents were.
"Considering that is public knowledge, I am free to divulge it," the hat stated. "Your parents, Lily and James were both sorted into Gryffindor."
"I would like to go there," Harry said, although the hat had never asked.
"But why?" The hat inquired. "Just because your parents were in that house, doesn't mean it is the one that is suited for you."
"I have nothing that connects me to my parents," Harry said shyly. "Being in the same house as them would connect me to them."
"But they are your parents." The hat said. "You're always connected to them; you came from them."
"That's all fine and good," Harry replied. "But I want something more."
"Fine," the hat said definitively. "I can tell there will be no changing your mind. Then you shall go to GRYFFINDOR!" The last word was called out loud, so that everyone in the Great Hall could hear it.
Yet, while all the other students received applause for their sorting, Harry's was only greeted to silence. Harry awkwardly stood up, and placed the hat back on the stool. Without glancing at anyone in particular, Harry walked quickly to the Gryffindor table while all the other students started whispering to one another.
"That had to be the longest sorting ever," said a curly haired girl sitting at the Ravenclaw table.
"What would cause the hat to take so long?" asked a brown haired boy who was sitting near the end of the Gryffindor table.
Harry could tell that most of the conversations around the Great Hall centered on his sorting ceremony. The eyes staring at him, even after he sat down, and the whispers of his name were all that it took for him to know the truth. Harry sighed, as he stared at the empty plate in front of him. Even in the magical world, he was some sort of a freak.
~*~
"Mr. Potter," the brisk voice of Professor McGonagall startled Harry causing him to drop his fork onto his plate.
Truth be told, the Hogwarts' start-of-term feast was like nothing Harry had ever experienced before. While Harry frequently cooked meals and feasts for the Dursleys, he had never had the opportunity to partake in those meals. Harry had never experienced anything with such a wide range and amount of food before in his life. The fact that he was actually allowed to participate in eating it was simply incomprehensible.
The food alone had to have cost a fortune not to mention the fees for the people who had to prepare such a large meal. Harry was simply stunned at the large production that Hogwarts put on for its students.
And the students were an entirely different matter that Harry didn't understand. Not only did they stare at him as if he had a deficiency, but they were constantly whispering about him. He was right there, next to them in some cases; he had ears and was well aware at what they were saying. Yet, it didn't seem to matter for the students of Hogwarts; while no one directly talked to Harry, they just continued to talk about him as if he wasn't there.
"I had an opportunity to speak with the headmaster," the stern professor continued, not missing a beat. "He and I both agree that you need to go to Diagon Alley at the earliest possible moment. Therefore, you will be excused from your first two lessons tomorrow morning to go fetch the items you need for school, with a staff member who has the morning free."
At this point it seemed to Harry as if the whole Gryffindor table was staring at the two of them.
"Oh, and well done Mr. Potter on becoming a Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said, before she swept up the aisle to the staff table once again.
Harry didn't even realize till later that throughout his entire conversation with his Head of House, he did not even say a word.
A few minutes later the feast was called to a close, as all the plates and left over food disappeared from the table. The Headmaster of the school stood up and addressed the student population.
"Ahem – just a few words now that we are all fed and watered," the aged man said. "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 eyes twinkled in the direction of the Gryffindor table.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that magic should be used between classes in the corridors." The Headmaster continued as Harry could hear students audibly snickering at his last request.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in joining their house teams should contact Madam Hooch." Professor Dumbledore gestured towards a woman with hawk like eyes at the end of the staff table.
"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."
"He must be joking," Harry heard Ron's voice echo from down the table.
"No, he must be serious," an older boy said, frowning at Dumbledore.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. As he gave his wand a flick, a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted like a snake into words. The rest of the staff table had looks of pain on their faces, yet they still maintained their smiles.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"
Once the school finished the song, everyone was ordered to head to bed. The school term was about to start the next morning, regardless of when they went to bed. At that time, an older Gryffindor student, who looked a lot like Ron, approached the first-years.
"Welcome to Gryffindor," the boy said. "My name is Percy Weasley, and I am your fifth-year Gryffindor prefect. If you will please follow me and my female counter part, we shall lead you to the Gryffindor tower and your dormitories for the next year."
Percy quickly turned away and started to lead the first-years out of the Great Hall before the blond girl next to him even had the opportunity to get a word out. The witch looked a bit downcast as she turned towards the group of first-years, and gestured for them to follow the red-haired boy.
Harry, however, just stared at the mass of students moving around him. He could not believe how many magical students there were since the magical world was kept hidden from the muggle world. Harry couldn't wait to tell Lexi all about it.
The thought of his sister made a sharp pain begin in Harry's chest. He loved Lexi so much, and missed her already. Harry had never been away from her in his entire life. This was the first time they had ever been separated, and Harry was unsure how to handle it.
"We really need to be heading to the dormitory," a kind voice broke though Harry's thoughts. Harry turned to see the blond haired girl, who had stood next to Percy Weasley smiling at him.
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.
"Oh don't worry," the girl said with a laugh in her tone. "I still remember my first day at Hogwarts; it can be a bit overwhelming. Missing your family, being away from home, in a foreign place that is so different from what you know."
Harry just stared at the girl in disbelief; she had basically read his mind.
"I'm Audrey," the girl said holding out her hand, "the other fifth-year perfect."
"Harry," Harry replied while taking her hand to shake.
"Come on," Audrey said. "We don't want to be shut in here for the night." And with that, Harry followed the girl out of the room.
As Harry followed Audrey around the twist and turns of the castle, he vaguely realized that he was felt extremely tired. All the excitement of the day had finally caught up with him. Harry realized that it may take several days for everything he learned in the last forty-eight hours to finally sink in. But at least now he knew the truth about himself.
"Caput Draconis," Audrey said as she stopped in front of a portrait of a fat lady wearing a pink dress.
With that the portrait swung open to reveal a large room filled with tables and chairs against the wall and large overstuffed chairs and couches scattered across the room. The entire room was decorated solely in red and gold.
"The portrait we just stopped in front of is the guardian for Gryffindor tower," Audrey began. "You need a password to enter our common room at all times. The password I gave will be valid for the next month. The new password will be posted on the notice board a week before it goes into effect." Audrey gestured to the poster board on the wall in question. "Only Gryffindors will know the password, and telling any student outside our house is a punishable offense.
"The stairways right there," Audrey continued, pointing to two spiraling staircases, "lead to the boys and girls dormitories. The boys are on the left and the girls are on the right. The first year boys' dorm should be on the top floor. Oh, and before I forget; only girls can go up the girl staircase or an alarm will sound."
"What about the boys' staircase?" Harry enquired.
"The founders of Hogwarts trusted girls more than boys." Audrey said with a shrug. "Girls are permitted to go up into the boys' dormitory, but you'd be hard pressed to actually get a girl to do so."
"Well Harry," Audrey sighed. "It's about time you headed to bed. You'll have an exciting day ahead of you tomorrow."
"Thanks Audrey," Harry said shyly.
"Don't mention it Harry," the girl said with a smile. "If you have any problems or questions don't hesitate to ask."
With that Audrey headed up the girl dormitory staircase, waving to Harry before he was out of sight. Harry stood firmly in his spot. That girl was very nice to him. Perhaps Hogwarts wasn't going to be as bad as he thought it was going to be.
~*~
The night was very long for Harry Potter. All of the other Gryffindor boys were in bed before Harry made it up to his dormitory. Meaning that Harry was unable to try and talk to any of the other boys before going to bed. Then once Harry got into bed he tossed and turned all night long. Harry was so used to having Lexi sleep next to him that her absence was nearly painful. Being alone in bed reminded Harry of how alone he really was at Hogwarts; at least on Privet Drive Harry had Lexi.
Harry awoke before all of the other boys in his dorm at morning. He was used to waking up before the Dursleys to cook them their breakfast. But here at Hogwarts it seemed a bit ridiculous that he awoke so early. Perhaps being at school would allow him to experience something he had always heard about but never experienced: a lie-in.
Once he found the loo and shower, Harry went though his morning routine, spending an extra long amount of time in the shower. It felt good to have no restrictions on his bathroom time. After he finished in the bathroom, he dressed in the spare change of clothing he brought to school with him; it was the only other semi-decent outfit he owned. Harry was extremely pleased to see his grey shirt and jeans, from the day before, had returned to their normal state, just as Professor McGonagall had promised.
Looking around at his dorm, Harry evaluated if there was anything else he needed. Deciding that there wasn't Harry left the dorm and headed down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, to see of any other students were awake at this early hour.
As he walked into the common room, he could see the bushy hair of Hermione Granger sitting on the couch next to Audrey, the prefect who had helped him to the common room the previous evening, both of them were dressed in their Hogwarts robes. Harry looked down at his Dudley castoffs a bit self-conscious at his current appearance. As he got closer to the two girls, he could not help but overhear their conversation.
"But why would a student need to miss their first two classes of term to purchase their school supplies?" Hermione asked in a curious tone.
"I'm not sure," Audrey patiently responded.
"But-"
"Perhaps," Audrey cut off Hermione's next question. "You should ask this student yourself? As I already said, I don't know what you are talking about. Ah Harry," Audrey said quickly changing the subject upon seeing Harry. "Hermione and I were waiting for another student to join us for breakfast, are you interested?"
"Um sure," Harry responded, grateful that Audrey did not mention his lack of a Hogwarts uniform.
"Let's go," Audrey said as she stood up and walked towards the entrance way.
Hermione quickly followed Audrey, yet she made no attempt to acknowledge Harry's presence. Harry simply sighed as he followed the two girls out of the common room. This did not bode well for him having a successful day.
~*~
When they had made their way to the Great Hall, the three of them were the first students to arrive for breakfast. On the way through the hall Audrey explained to Harry and Hermione the easiest way to travel from Gryffindor Tower to the Great Hall. The castle was simply huge; Harry knew he would need the way explained to him a few more times.
Once they sat down at the Gryffindor table Professor McGonagall approached them in her brisk no nonsense tone.
"Mr. Potter," the stern professor began. "Once you have finished eating please come up to the head table. Professor Burbage will escort you to Diagon Alley this morning, and the two of you should leave as soon as possible. This morning you will be missing two classes, Herbology and a History of Magic. This evening you will be spending time with the professors of each of these classes to make up the work you have missed. Do you have any questions?"
"No, ma'am," was Harry's meek reply.
"Good," Professor McGonagall said with a kind smile on her face. "I'll be seeing you shortly." And with that, the professor walked away to reclaim her seat at the Head Table.
After McGonagall left, Harry attempted to concentrate on his meal; however the curious looks Hermione kept shooting his way were nearly painful. Harry was eternally grateful of Audrey's running commentary of life at Hogwarts. The fifth year prefect never paused for a second, which was probably the only reason Hermione didn't pepper him with a million different questions about his situation.
Once his meal was completed Harry bid his companions a quick goodbye before following McGonagall's instructions and going to the head table.
"Mr. Potter," began Professor McGonagall, in a stiff voice. "This is Professor Burbage, our new Muggle Studies Professor." The person his head of house indicated was a rather short woman with thick curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. "She has a free morning today and will be accompanying you to Diagon Alley. Do you have any questions?"
"No ma'am," Harry said in a soft voice. Although Harry had a million different questions, he could not speak up. The Dursleys had always taught him to never ask questions.
"Good," Professor McGonagall said with a nod. "Then the two of you better get started. The day may be young, but there are a lot of things you two will need to accomplish in a very short amount of time."
"Quite right," a musical voice agreed. "We should be going now, Mr. Potter. Is there anything you need from your dormitory?"
"No, ma'am," Harry once again replied, unable to meet Professor Burbage's eyes.
"Well, let's be on our way." The woman said with a clap of her hands. Her enthusiasm was hard to hide.
Before Harry knew what had happened he was following the excited professor out of the Great Hall and through the main doors. To where, he wasn't quite sure.
~*~
Diagon Alley was like nothing Harry would ever imagine in his wildest dreams. Everywhere around Harry there were blatant displays of magic. If he hadn't seen the magic at Hogwarts castle the night before Harry would not have believed that anything like that was possible in his wildest dreams.
Harry and Professor Burbage had walked from the Hogwarts grounds down into the village of Hogsmead to floo from a restaurant and inn called the Three Broomsticks. While the Leaky Caldron, the establishment they had flooed to, was nothing much to look at, once they had crossed the barrier into Diagon Alley proper Harry was completely blown away.
Harry had believed that Hogsmead, the all wizarding village outside of Hogwarts was simply amazing, but it completely paled in comparison to Diagon Alley. There were shops everywhere completely devoted to the practice of magic. Harry knew that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon ever knew that such a place existed in the heart of London, according to Professor Burbage; they would have a complete breakdown. Harry was privately concocting a plan to get Lexi to Diagon Alley at the most earliest point in time possible.
Professor Burbage was turning into a wonderful guide. Everywhere they went she would point things out to Harry and explain want it was and what it was used for. Harry felt exceedingly comfortable in her presence simply because he did not have to speak up very often; the professor was offering a running commentary that was so full of information about the magic world at large. Attempting his best impression of being a sponge, Harry was trying to soak up as much information as possible to be able to relay back to Lexi.
The first stop they made on their trip was to the wizarding bank, Gringotts. It was a snowy white building that was taller than any of the other shops around the street. Standing on either side of the solid gold door were two creatures that Professor Burbage had quietly identified as goblins. They were shorter than Harry with long fingers, pointed ears and wrinkled faces of a brownish color, with pointed beards. One look at these goblins gave Harry the impression that he did not want to be on the wrong side of these creatures.
Entering the bank Professor Burbage directed Harry to the nearest available teller. The goblin teller was currently counting gold coins that were stacked in piles on his desk. The teller did not look up from his work when they approached and Professor Burbage and Harry patiently waited for the goblin to give them his attention. After a few minutes the goblin finally stopped counting and wrote something down on a strange piece of paper.
"How can I help you?" The goblin asked while barring his sharp pointed teeth.
"Um, yes," said a flustered Professor Burbage. "We are here to visit Harry's vault to make a withdrawal."
"Key?" The goblin asked in a snarling tone.
"Actually we don't have one." Professor Burbage said in a hesitant voice.
"No, key, no access to the vault," the goblin said with a feral smile on his face.
"Isn't there a way to prove ownership of a vault without actually having the key?" Professor Burbage's voice had a desperate quality to it.
"Yes, actually there is." The goblin replied once again smiling in a way to make a show of his pointed teeth. "If Mr. Potter would step forward it is a simple test."
Professor Burbage gestured to Harry to step forward, and while the goblin pulled a piece of parchment out of his desk drawer. As soon as Harry was close to the desk, the goblin immediately grabbed his hand and pricked it with a pin. Harry hissed out in pain, and attempted to pull his hand back, but the goblin had a tight grip on it. The goblin squeezed Harry's hand to force the blood that was produced at the sight of the pin prick to fall on the parchment. Once it did lines and words began to flow on the parchment and the goblin released his hand.
"Yes, this seems to be in order." The goblin muttered while looking over the parchment. "New keys for Mr. Potter's vaults will be made up, and the old ones will be magically destroyed. Please do not lose them this time. The next time we have to perform this test to create new keys it will be accompanied by a fee."
"Vaults?" Professor Burbage squeaked out obviously a bit taken aback with that phrase.
"Yes," the goblin openly sneered. "The Potter family has several vaults with us. The only one Mr. Potter has access to would be his trust fund until his seventeenth birthday at which time he will be able to collect his family inheritance."
"Inheritance?" Now it was Harry's turn to be caught off guard. Harry had been under the impression he would be using a public fund to pay for his school supplies. The first time Harry had heard that he had an account with this bank was when Professor Burbage began speaking with the goblin. This was something he had not been anticipating.
"Yes," the goblin now focused his attention on Harry. "The Potter family was a very old pureblood family. Most of the old pureblood families had a lot of money and assets tied up at our establishment. Would you like us to owl you an outline of the Potter family's current holdings with Gringotts along with a copy of your parents' wills?"
"Yes, sir," was Harry's crisp response. Now that he was an open member of the magical community he wanted to know everything about himself and his family as possible. Harry was determined to never live in the dark again.
"Very good," the goblin nodded while handing Harry several keys. "This one," the goblin said while holding up a key, "is the key to open your trust account."
"Thank you," Harry replied.
"Think nothing of it." The goblin responded with a strange smile on his face. "Griphook! Come here at once!" A second goblin ran over to their booth. "Take Mr. Potter here to his trust vault."
"Right away, sir," the second goblin said with a salute.
"You can wait for Mr. Potter over here," the first goblin said to Professor Burbage while gesturing over to a stone bench. "This shouldn't take Mr. Potter and Griphook very long."
Professor Burbage looked as though she wanted to protest at allowing Harry to go to his trust vault alone. But instead of arguing she simply nodded her head stiffly and walked over to the place the goblin pointed to. With that Harry followed Griphook to have the ride of his life.
~*~
After leaving the bank Harry had to admit the carts to take people to their vaults was highly entertaining. The goblin that took him, Griphook was highly amused at Harry's wonder and shared with Harry the four different fast pace speeds the cart could go. Griphook had confided in Harry that they tended to let wizards think they only go 'one speed only' since not many are fond of the fast pace of the carts. If they were always to go at the slower speed that wizards preferred they would be unable to reach the different vaults in an adequate amount of time.
Inside his vault Harry had grabbed handfuls of gold coins and placed them in a money bag that Griphook provided. Professor Burbage had explained wizarding currency to Harry on their walk from the Hogwarts gates to the Three Broomsticks, so Harry knew that the gold coins called galleons were the ones he would need the most in attempting to buy his supplies.
Once Professor Burbage and Harry finished at the bank, they went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to purchase Harry his proper school uniform. While there Harry purchased a few different muggle articles of clothing as well since Professor Burbage had explained to Harry that most students tended to wear muggle clothing on the weekends.
While Harry was being fitted for his robes, Professor Burbage had collected Harry's potions materials, such as his caldron and the standard set of school ingredients, as well as picking up the stationary supplies Harry would need for term. It seemed very odd to Harry that he would need to use a quill and parchment in order to take notes and hand in assignments, but since Professor Burbage didn't seem bothered by it, Harry figured it must be considered the norm in the wizarding world.
After that, they went to Ogden's Trunks, a trunk shop to acquire a school trunk for Harry to keep all his possessions in during term. Not to mention that a trunk was easy to carry all his supplies in to and from school each term. At this point in time Professor Burbage put all of Harry's school supplies in Harry's new truck and pulled out her wand. After muttering something and tapping the trunk with her wand, it slowly shrank to the size of a match box, and was promptly stored in Harry's pocket for the duration of their trip.
When their business was completed at Ogden's Trunks, Harry next went to the book shop to purchase all of school books for his first year. While there Harry purchased several additional books about the wizarding world and magic in general. Professor Burbage prevented Harry from getting to crazy in his purchasing of books by reminding him that he now had access to the Hogwarts library and informing Harry about how to owl order books from the bookstore while he was at school.
The item Harry was most excited to shop for that morning was his wand. According to Mr. Ollivander, the proprietor of the wand shop Ollivander Wands, the wand chose the wizard. If that was the case Harry was not suited to use dozens of different wands. It took well over an hour for Harry to find the wand best suited for him and when he did he learned that it was the brother wand to Lord Voldemort. Harry didn't know what to make of that information, but it did put a bit of a damper on Harry's mood to be reminded of the man who killed his parents.
Before Harry realized it was time for him and Professor Burbage to return to Hogwarts. However, Harry had one last think he was hoping to be able to purchase.
"Professor," Harry began in a very hesitant tone. "I noticed on the parchment that students are allowed to bring a pet with them to Hogwarts."
"That is true, Mr. Potter." Professor Burbage replied in an equally hesitant tone. "Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if I could purchase an owl of my own." Harry recognized by the look on Professor Burbage's face that she was prepared to deny his request. "It would make writing to my relatives a lot easier during term if I had a reliable means to contact them." The only thing Harry neglected to mention was the only person he intended to write to was his sister.
To Harry's surprise the look on Professor Burbage's face became thoughtful before a smile spread across her kind face. "Alright Harry. We'll head to the Eeylops Owl Emporium before returning to Hogwarts."
~*~
Harry couldn't keep himself from smiling as he looked around at the different owls on display. They were all so beautiful; it was hard for Harry to simply choose one particular owl over another. Harry knew he had to find the most intelligent owl he could, if his plan to keep in contact with Lexi were to work.
There was a brown barn owl that showed promise due to his friendly disposition. While there was an eagle owl, it seemed a bit too stiff to perform the functions Harry would need. The great horned owl Harry saw didn't seem to like him very much.
Then Harry saw her. She was a snowy owl, with amazing brown eyes that clearly reflected intelligence. Staring at her beautiful white feathers, Harry believed he found the owl he was destined to share with Lexi. As soon as Harry approached this particular owl, and reached his hand out to stroke her, the owl nipped him on the finger.
"That means she likes you Harry," Professor Burbage said as Harry jerked his hand back.
"Really?" Harry asked, unsure of proper owl behavior.
"Oh yes, Harry," Professor Burbage replied. "We'll have to obtain a book on owl care for you, so you can learn more about how owls behave."
"Excellent," was Harry's only response as he picked up the owl's cage to bring her to the front of the store.
Harry wasn't sure why but simply looking at this owl Harry knew that his life was going to improve in ways he never expected.
~*~
Professor Burbage had Harry's owl fly to Hogwarts and meet Harry there, since it would be difficult to travel with the owl in the floo. As they walked up the main street of Hogsmead towards Hogwarts, Harry knew it had to be around lunch time due to how hungry he was. The closer they moved towards Hogwarts the easier it was to see there were a cluster of people surrounding the gate to the school.
Harry turned quickly towards Professor Burbage when he heard a hiss escape her lips. "What is going on Professor?" Harry asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"I'm not completely sure, but I recognize one of those people standing near the gate, she was in my year at Hogwarts." Professor Burbage replied as she came to a complete stop. "I'd recognize her platinum blonde hair and those ridiculous glasses even from this distance. At least one of those people in that crowd is a reporter with the Daily Prophet."
"The Daily Prophet?" Harry asked in spite of the fact he knew they need to hurry if he wanted to return early enough for lunch before his afternoon classes.
"You don't even…" Professor Burbage began before a blush covered her face. "Forget I said that, the Daily Prophet is the major newspaper published in magical England." Professor Burbage replied slipping into lecture mode. "In fact it is the only daily magical newspaper originating in England, which makes the Daily Prophet the major source of news within the magical community. There is the Wizarding Wireless Network but that is very similar to a muggle radio compared to a written newspaper."
A sickly look crossed Harry's face as he contemplated the arrival of members of the press at Hogwarts. "Why would they be here?" Harry was nearly dreading Professor Burbage's response.
"Well, the most likely assumption is that they learned of your return to the wizarding world, and they want to cover it. To most of the wizarding world you are a hero, so it would make sense for the news sources to cover your return." That was the exact response Harry was dreading.
"Is there a way for us to avoid them?" Harry asked his desperation was evident in his tone.
"Unfortunately there isn't at this time Harry." A sad look crossed Professor Burbage's face as she said this. "If anyone tries to ask you something you can just ignore them. You are under no obligations to answer any questions."
At those words Harry seemed to stand a little straighter. "Come on," Professor Burbage started with her head held high. "There is no reason to delay our return any longer."
With those final words, Harry and Professor Burbage walked up the rest of the path to Hogwarts.
"There he is," a shrill woman with bright blonde hair cried. "Get his picture Bozo! Mr. Potter, why did you did you leave Hogwarts to miss your first few classes?"
A man on the other side of the cluster of people was asking things at the same time as the first lady. "Mr. Potter, John Jacobs from the WWN, How did you defeat You-Know-Who?"
After that question Harry could barely tell one question from another. There were so many people talking over one another. It was very overwhelming for Harry to deal with. The only thing that specifically caught Harry's eye was a lone girl who seemed just younger than himself with straw yellow hair looking at a flower near the gate. She was the only person there that was not paying any attention to Harry. Harry had no idea why she was standing over there all alone, but before he could contemplate the girl any longer he had been swept across the threshold of the Hogwarts gate by Professor Burbage.
"Vultures," Harry heard Professor Burbage hiss under her breath. "Well Harry, we have made it back. We need to hurry to the Great Hall if we want to get there before lunch is finished being served."
As they began to make their way up the path to the main part of the castle Professor Burbage seemed to hesitate a second before stopping Harry by placing an arm on his shoulder. "Harry, if there is anything you need or want to discuss with someone, feel free to come to me at anytime. I know you don't know a lot about the magical world, and perhaps I can help you by explaining things that may confuse you."
A mischievous smile crossed her face before she continued. "And perhaps you could explain some things about the muggle world to me. I may be the Muggle Studies professor, but I'll be the first to admit, that a person who has lived for a muggle for most of their life will beat a pureblood who has rigorously studied the muggle culture any day."
Professor Burbage's last statement caused Harry to smile. While he might not know a lot about the magical world, at least he knew something that not all of the students of Hogwarts knew a lot about. He could deal with the stares, he was used to it from the Dursleys, and muggleborn students were no better off than he was in terms of their knowledge of the wizarding world prior to their arrival at Hogwarts. Perhaps becoming a part of the magical world would not be nearly as difficult as Harry initial thought it would be.
~*~
A/N: I owe a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far. You guys are an excellent source of inspiration for me to continue to push out a couple of chapters a week for my beta. Zephy, hugs and thanks for being an amazing friend and beta, and for putting up with my thousands of questions relating to each chapter and what the reader takes away with them. Another person I need to thank is my best friend Yadlam, she was the one who convinced me to write. Without her encouragement there would be no story.
I hope this chapter answered some of the lingering questions about Dumbledore and whether or not he knew of Lexi. The sorting hat, who shares an office with Dumbledore did not know of her, draw your own conclusions from that for the time being.
I'm not sure if I'll be posting another chapter this week. I had surgery this morning to remove my gallbladder and I'm doing good but I'm in a lot of pain. I'm not sure how often I'll be on my laptop this week due to the pain. At the latest chapter six will be uploaded on Monday.
Foria
Next Chapter: The Freedom of the Air