Warning: AU for all the books, whilst it will follow them in key events.
AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE
By
SilverSkies
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Express… and Other Travels
11am, Platform 9 ¾ was what the ticket read. He knew where to go – despite the illogical platform number; Bella had explained that through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 was the entrance to the platform - where the Hogwarts Express would be waiting. So now, at Kings Cross – which was probably one of the busiest stations in England, he was making his way towards Platforms 9 and 10, valiantly ignoring the odd looks he garnered – wheeling a trunk and holding a caged owl in his other hand. At least, Harry thought, he had gotten a trunk with wheels and enchanted to be weight-reducing despite Hagrid's worries that it would be an unnecessary expense – something Harry didn't quite understand given the masses of gold that lay within his vault.
Honestly – Harry was thankful the Dursleys had agreed to drop him off, though not before adding "And don't be coming back for Christmas!" He'd said his only meaningful goodbyes yesterday – Bella had told him what she would be doing, whilst he was away – she would be trying to find the Dark Lord - something which had Harry's stomach twisting into knots as he thought about what could happen to her.
As it so happened, Harry walked past the platform entrance before realising his mistake and when (hopefully) no one was looking at him he pushed through the barrier.
Red. The train was red. And it was a steam train – of course, he thought, complex machinery tends to stop working in the presence of magic, which led to wondering just how long the journey would be. Bella had been cryptic about as much as she could about Hogwarts – not wanting to spoil the surprise, though she had told him about the Sorting and how the House politics used to work: Gryffindor against Slytherin, with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw generally backing the Gryffindors; something she was sure hadn't changed much in the past 20-odd years. Phrasing which had brought up Harry questioning her age – her response had been "Harry, even in the Muggle world, they warn about asking a lady's age… do you really think it's better to ask a witch?" He'd shut up swiftly on that topic. He was definitely going to miss her.
On the morning of September 1st, Isabella Black woke early – she had given her notice at the end of the last academic year and was currently unemployed. A state she had been in since July, although she had done some exam marking and some tutoring over the summer. Her former colleagues had been told she was returning to France – she had a sick uncle, and since she had few family members – naturally she was going to see the old man.
Her first stop that morning, however, was not anywhere that her colleagues would recognise. The white marble building gleamed in the early morning sun. Gringotts Bank was open for business and Bellatrix Lestrange née Black had things to do before setting off for France and the rest of Europe in an effort to locate the Dark Lord Voldemort.
Approaching the counter – and a free goblin, she made her request, "I'm here to view the contents of Vault 721."
The goblin checked his ledger, before eying her distastefully, "Nothing may be removed from the vault."
"I'm aware of that." And she was, Vaults 721 through 723 were the same, 721 was hers, 722 Andy's and 723 was Cissa's. One for each Black sister, only to contain her childhood funds, then later her dowry and a copy of the marriage contract. None of the sisters could make a withdrawal, only with their contracted husbands could they do so – but Bella wasn't here for the money, she had something else in mind.
"Grabstick, escort this woman to vault 721."
As she followed the goblin to the cart, she wondered how Harry was, what friends he'd make on the way to Hogwarts and whether she could succeed in her plans.
Finding an empty compartment was easy enough – the Dursleys had been happy to get rid of him as soon as possible – minimising their interaction with the freak, not that he could blame them for not wanting to go anywhere the magical world when last it left his Uncle Vernon squealing and snorting like a pig for a week. At any rate, there seemed to be few students around – and those that were, wore robes. Possibly Ravenclaws he mused, which made a certain amount of sense – Gryffindors seemed the type to rush in at the last minute, but Ravenclaws were… like their House mascot – the early bird catches the worm.
Harry settled in to the seat, fishing out his copy of 'Magical Draughts and Potions' – Bella had warned him about Severus Snape, the Potions Master at Hogwarts and Death Eater, who had had a rather vicious rivalry with his father and he was determined to not give the man an excuse to give him detention. The less time spent with him the better, for Bella had noted him as one of the two staff members who were sufficiently proficient at Legilimency that they did not require speaking the incantation.
He'd just finished reading the instructions for a potion to cure boils, why he'd ever need to know how to do so was beyond him; when he was interrupted - the door to the compartment opened and a somewhat chubby boy with a toad clutched anxiously against his chest stood in the entrance.
"Um. Hello, may I sit here?" The boy managed to get out, his voice breathy and nervous.
"Of course," Harry gestured the seat opposite, "I'm Harry Potter, are you another first year?"
The boy squeaked slightly – eyes widening at the mention of his name. "Y-yes, I'm Neville Longbottom."
Harry tried not to show his shock at the name – Bella had told him about the Longbottoms – she and a few other Death Eaters had tortured them for information on the Dark Lord's whereabouts after his fall. They had left them broken, minds shattered by the Cruciatus, leaving behind an infant son – Neville. Studying the other boy, he didn't fit what Harry had imagined the other boy to be like – chubby and timid was not it.
"A pleasure to meet you…Neville." Calling the other boy Neville made Harry feel awkward – after all his… Bella was responsible for the effective orphaning of the other boy, and yet Bella was… she was his confidant, his friend, and his mentor.
"L-Likewise." Then noticing Harry's glances towards his toad, Neville added, "And this is Trevor."
Harry's lips twitched, "Trevor the Toad…" before gesturing towards Hedwig, who was currently perched on the luggage rail, "Well this lovely lady is Hedwig." Both boys grinned as Hedwig preened at the mention of her name and the compliment.
"So… what House do you want to be in?" At Neville's choice of question, Harry decided he liked the boy – he was shy, but gentle and astute enough not to bring up awkward questions on Voldemort or the Wizarding World – which Harry, being Muggle raised couldn't be expected to answer.
"Well – Hagrid said my parents were both in Gryffindor, but he didn't tell me much about the other Houses." Which was true, and avoided mention that he'd had fairly in-depth descriptions of each House from Bella – along with reassurances that which House he was in didn't matter to her, but that he should aim to avoid Slytherin.
"Oh! Well your parents were both Gryffindors, as were mine. The other Houses are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Gryffindors are known for being Light wizards and brave, Hufflepuff – which is probably where I'll be, is officially known for loyalty and hard work, but everyone says it's where those that don't fit any other House end up. Um… Ravenclaw is where the more intelligent students go, those that are interested in academics, and lastly Slytherin is officially known for cunning and ambition, but lots of Dark wizards come from that House." Neville looked up from where he'd been ticking off each House on his finger once he finished, "Does that help?"
Harry was impressed; Neville had offered both biased opinions and actual fact and he hadn't expected the boy to say so much! "Yes. So what is a Dark wizard exactly? Or Light wizard? And isn't that a little unfair – for people to decide an eleven year old is going to end up a Dark wizard? Which doesn't sound all that great. It sounds more like everyone's biased in favour of the Gryffindors."
Neville blinked, opened his mouth and promptly snapped it shut. Before beginning, "You're right that people favour the Gryffindors more – it dates back to the founding of Hogwarts. You've heard of the founders, right?" At Harry's nod, he continued, "Well Slytherin had a dispute with the others over allowing Muggleborns entry to the school, it ended up in a fight between Gryffindor and Slytherin and Slytherin ended up leaving the school. So Slytherin is associated with a lot of the anti-Muggle and anti-Muggleborn feelings. I don't think there's ever been a Muggleborn in Slytherin. But Dark wizard really means someone who uses Dark magic though it's associated with all the blood-purity stuff these days." At Harry's blank look, Neville hurried to explain, "With You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters and their attacks on Muggles, Muggleborns and Muggle-sympathisers…" He trailed off, no doubt thinking of the fates of his parents and Harry's.
"I see." Harry said quietly, "So what do you think Hogwarts will be like? And the classes? I haven't managed to read all the textbooks yet…"
Neville gave a short laugh at that, "I think you'll be in Ravenclaw, if not Gryffindor. I'm… nervous about Hogwarts – there's lots to learn and I'm not very good at magic."
"I'll help you." Harry surprised himself at his offer – what was he doing?
Neville offered Harry a grin, "Thanks. I do like Herbology though, I spend a lot of time in the gardens at home. Really… the… I don't have any friends among the people I know going to Hogwarts." The last came out in a rush and Harry had trouble untangling the words, as Neville looked anxiously at him.
"Oh." What was Harry supposed to say? "Allow me to offer you my hand of friendship." It was said dramatically, Harry rising to his feet and thrusting his right hand towards Neville.
Neville shook it awkwardly. "I accept, and know that you have mine also."
It was theatrically inspired if one were a Muggle, but Harry was sure Neville was aware of the magical implications. An alliance of trust and friendship was sealed between House Longbottom and House Potter, since they were both the respective Heads of their families, despite their youth. A wise choice, Harry hoped, because if Bella were discovered hopefully it would weigh more than past deeds…
'Marriage Contract between House Black and House Lestrange:
The terms of this contract are as follows:'
She skimmed the list finding the one she wanted, 'That if Rodolphus Lestrange is convicted of criminal activities to be held in prison for a duration greater than five years, the contract is dissolved and the dowry be paid back in full to the Black family, also Bellatrix Lestrange will be once more known as Bellatrix Black and free to be married to any other wizard.' She was Bellatrix Black, unmarried, though if things had gone differently, she mused, she would be unable to marry anyone suitable according to her family. Someone wanting to marry a formerly married witch? Preposterous! At any rate she was no longer beholden to any of the terms on the contract, which was good – if the rest of her plans could work.
Money and then to France – Muggle style, she may not be being looked for, but if she went through magical means, they would pick up Bellatrix Black as crossing the international boundary.
She left the bank, and swiftly exited through the Leaky Cauldron – on her way to her bank, making a withdrawal of two hundred pounds garnered some looks, which were swiftly appeased as she made her way to the foreign exchange section and requested Francs.
The journey to Dover on the train was long, and Muggle trains just didn't compare to the Hogwarts Express, no matter that it was fast (for Muggles that is), it seemed they sacrificed comfort and luxury as they increased their technology. Unlike her former years, and most of the Wizarding World she no longer looked down upon the Muggle world – their weaponry was capable of massive destruction, and their medical treatments were impressive considering that everything was done without magic. What the top minds could do with magic, added to their repertoire of skills was possibly limitless! Even some Muggle techniques could be used – hollow needles as a way of getting substances into the bloodstream – it was fascinating stuff indeed. Indeed Bella was glad she'd bought the current magazine she was reading 'New Scientist'
Bella couldn't help but muse that her own journey was in all likelihood echoing Harry's, first a train, then a boat, although her boat was considerably larger – as she stared up at the ferry that would take her across the Channel. Unlike Harry though, she thought with a grin, she would be arriving at her destination before time for dinner. She'd long ago decided that the trip to Hogwarts took longer than the reverse, because of the need to form those first precious alliances on the journey.
Harry and Neville had continued talking about more inconsequential things – like teaching Harry to play Exploding Snap, of which they enjoyed a few games – Neville coming out of his shell a little bit more every time the stack of cards blew up.
Eventually talk went back round to Hogwarts and classes, and it was at this point that the door slid open, and the two boys were asked if they'd like anything off of the trolley. Neville got in first and asked for something of everything – his treat. And so began Harry's introduction to magical sweets – Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs complete with Famous Wizard cards, Cauldron Cakes, and so many more.
He'd just finished a Chocolate Frog and was examining the card when the door opened again; a blond boy stood in the entrance backed by two brutish looking boys.
"My names Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
Harry fought the urge to reply with 'Bond, James Bond', even as Neville, eying the blond, stood and introduced himself.
"Neville Longbottom."
"Harry Potter." Harry stood and offered his own name. He wondered how he should handle this, Bella had warned him about the family, but said she was hoping her nephew took after her sister more than the man (with how Bella's face had twisted as she said the word, Harry was sure she wanted to use something stronger) who was her brother-in-law.
Malfoy nodded at Harry, "I had heard you were on the train. Everyone was saying Harry Potter was in this compartment."
That alarmed Harry, no one had entered the compartment but Neville and the trolley witch, yet it was apparently obvious where he was. In future, he decided, he would have to make sure his privacy was better insured.
Malfoy continued, "Though I didn't expect to see you here with Longbottom, but at least you seem to have the right kind of idea."
Harry latched onto that, "Right idea?" He was fairly certain Malfoy was about to spout some rubbish about blood purity, and he didn't have to wait long to be proven correct.
"Both Longbottom and myself are of well-respected pureblood families. Some families aren't worth associating with at all."
Harry raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that so? Well, I'll be sure to take your recommendations under advisement."
Neville was staring at Harry, Harry who apparently had enough knowledge of the wizarding world to not make an offer of friendship with a Malfoy, Harry who knew enough to watch his words.
The pale blond boy was frowning slightly, "May we…"
His question was interrupted by a cough from somewhere behind the two large boys, who parted to show a bushy haired girl with a toad in hand.
"Does…" was as far as she got before, she in turn was interrupted, by Neville's cry of "Trevor!"
She smiled at him, exposing a pair of bucked front teeth, "I take it this toad is yours then. I'm Hermione Granger, first year."
"I haven't heard of the Grangers before…" Malfoy added, trailing off as he backed away from her slightly.
"Oh, I'm a muggleborn. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough…" She blushed slightly as the boys stared in awe at her babble.
"You're muggleborn!" - Malfoy's rather predictable exclamation.
"Yes." Hermione said it slowly, as if he were slightly slow himself.
Malfoy flushed, which Harry mused was the first time he'd seen any colour on the other boy; before proclaiming, "Potter, I'll talk to you more at Hogwarts." With that, Draco Malfoy and his oversized bodyguards left.
"I take it, he's one of the blood purists?" Hermione questioned the remaining boys.
"Ah, yes – he is. His family's pretty much synonymous with pureblood supremacy and Slytherin." Neville offered a response, "And thanks for finding Trevor – I hadn't even realised he'd gone." Then belatedly realising he hadn't yet introduced himself, "I'm Neville Longbottom."
"Harry Potter."
To which the response was "Are you really? I've read all about you!"
Harry interrupted her before she could get properly started – "Do you suppose I could get proceeds from those books? No, I suppose not, it being 'History' after all."
Hermione looked a little embarrassed, but continued on a different subject, "What House are you hoping to be in? I want to be a Gryffindor. I heard the Headmaster was in that House as well…and so were your parents! Do you think it's hereditary or nature vs. nurture all over again?"
Looking over at Neville, who looked as nonplussed as Harry felt, he took a deep breath in preparation to reply, "I don't know what House I want to be in – Neville thinks I could end up in Ravenclaw" which gathered a speculative look from her, "or Gryffindor like my parents. I think families tend to stay in one House, but that's probably part from pressure to be in the same House – I hardly think they're going to force an eleven year old into a House he or she doesn't want to be in."
Neville nodded at the last, "I don't know how everyone's sorted, but it makes sense."
Hermione seemed to mull this over before voicing her agreement, and adding, whilst looking at her watch in consternation, "I was really glad to find out who the toad belonged to, since I was told by a Ravenclaw Prefect I think – that we'd be approaching Hogwarts soon – and I still need to change into the uniform! So… I'll see you at Hogwarts then!" With that she left the compartment.
A voice echoed through the train: 'We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.' And the boys just finished changing as the train came to a halt.
Packing away the uneaten sweets, and neatening their robes, the two entered the crowded corridor, slowly making their way out – where Hagrid stood booming out: "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here" with a large lantern in hand.
Following the rest of the first years, they were led down a dark and narrow path.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
Harry stood stock-still in awe, gazing up at the splendour of the castle before him. "It's amazing." Neville whispered beside him.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Neville occupied one quickly, joined by Hermione and a girl she introduced as "Mandy Brocklehurst."
The boats sped across the lake, approaching the cliff upon which Hogwarts stood. Harry was beginning to feel nervous about the imminent approach of the rocky cliff, but his fears were appeased, as it appeared there was a curtain of ivy through which they passed. From there, the boats continued down a long dark tunnel. Harry was wondering why all of this was necessary for the first years at any rate – and he made a note to find out. Eventually they arrived at an underground harbour, where they all clambered out onto a rocky beach. A further passageway cut through rock and then they were all out on the damp grass – Hogwarts before them.
(AN: A nice long chapter for you! (Withhold the Internet from me and I write… :S) And to think I couldn't figure out how to add bits I wanted to it… oh, well they'll come later. I'm thinking the chapters will either get longer or stay the same as the longest –more or less… Hope you enjoyed it!
I'm not sure how Neville suddenly became a big part of this - my notes read: meet Neville, a Muggleborn, and Draco. Leave others arguing to find an empty compartment... which... didn't happen. (shrugs)
The Channel Tunnel wasn't built until 1994, and not in regular use until December of that year… (Harry attends Hogwarts 1991 – 1998) which is a shame since it's only 3 hours from London to Paris on the Eurostar…poor Bella.
And some of Hagrid and Hermione's speech is from the book…I think that's all I stole…
Is the switching between Bella and Harry okay? Because if it isn't tough luck – I want you to know what is happening to each of them… because… interesting times lie ahead.
THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed – TheSmallestGhost, Tsurai no Shi, amin1-2-3, SailorHecate, ShyOrangette, bmatsea, AnnF, Gabwr, Zephyrl, Plushie Kitsune, Zevrillion, ranmahibiki, Wonderbee31, froboy, gypsyboho, Pykon, Morgan Daratrazanoff, Dnic5, cutecess, yorkvillebird1, Anders1 and Reviewer of the West)