Chapter 3: Chapter 3
DISCLAIMER: THE BOOK BELONGS TO J. I HAVE ONLY BORROWED BOTH CHARACTERS AND PLOTLINE.
CHAPTER 3
"Darren Potter! If you don't stop jangling your trunk I'm going to make you carry it on your own, without the help of the cart" James threatened, which made Darren turn around and stick his tongue out.
Shaking his head laughing, James gave him a gentle whack on the head but let it go. Lily was with Harry helping him with his stuff looking a bit worriedly at him. Harry was not out going like Darren, he was still shy and wary around strangers. Now watching him leave home was making her tear up. The previous night she had spoken privately to Darren asking him to keep an eye out for him in Hogwarts.
Walking through the pillar of platform nine and three quarters pushing their laden carts along, they boarded the train and deposited their stuff in the same carriage as Ron's.
Kissing their parents goodbye, the boys sat back down happily fingering the extra galleon that James had slipped into their hands for the trolley lady and two minutes later felt the train pull out of the station. Sticking their heads out of the window they waved madly at their parents until they were completely out of sight.
Finally settling down in their berths, Ron and Darren immediately started talking about the latest Quidditch Weekly. Soon Fred and George joined them and Harry climbed into his upper berth sometimes listening to them but mostly lost in a muggle novel about a great detective.
The trolley lady came and went, and after almost emptying her cart they spent a few fitful moments trying to catch escaped chocolate frogs laughing their heads off when the door opened to reveal the figure of a silver blond boy with a face that looked like it was made from white porcelain.
"Vampire!" Whispered Fred, and the others desperately strove to keep straight faces.
"The professors in the carriages up ahead have asked me to inform you that we will be arriving shortly at Hogwarts so to pack up…" suddenly he stopped talking and stared at Darren "Your Darren Potter! Nice to meet you, I'm Draco Malfoy." He said extending his hand.
Ron and Fred started to snigger but Darren managed to keep a straight face and smiled, taking his offered hand.
Harry had watched silently from above, flinching when Weasley started to laugh, thinking that he could be real mean when he wanted to and watched as Draco's face was suddenly suffused with a pink color.
"Weasley" He said snidely, almost making it sound like an insult and walked off slamming the door shut.
Darren looked inquiringly at Ron who shrugged and said that the Malfoy's were an old family but they were bad news. Politically powerful yes, but some said that they had been followers of you know who. Nobody had been able to prove it because of their influence and deceit.
Darren smiled and let it go. Malfoy had not been anything but polite but he would keep his distance.
Harry who had been listening thought that Ron was a bit prejudiced, quick to judge people. Sometimes he thought it was better to get to know the person before formulating any fixed opinion about the person, so maybe, he would wait to see what Draco was really like.
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They were all sitting in the great hall huddled together waiting for the sorting to take place. Having come from the boats on the lake the first years were still a little awestruck. Everything was so beautiful!
They were whispering in low voices to one another about their misgivings about the sorting. Ron was busy telling Darren how they were a shoo-in for Gryffindor, how any other house would make him the butt of all jokes at home.
Darren looked a bit apprehensive as well but was not overly concerned. He had too much of James in him to be placed anywhere but Gryffindor.
McGonagall approached the children and started the sorting, calling out the names of the children alphabetically.
"Abbot Hannah…Hufflepuff!" the sorting hat called out and the cheering in the hall began, interspersed with occasional booing from Slytherin,
"Granger Hermione…Gryffindor!"
A tiny bushy haired girl got up from the stool and happily strode over to the raucous Gryffindor table smiling broadly.
"Malfoy Draco…Slytherin!"
The boy confidently went over to his table looking very pleased with himself as if he had expected it all along while Ron shot a meaningful glance at Darren.
"Potter Darren…" called out the Hat when a sudden hush fell on the great hall as Darren walked over to the stool.
The sorting hat had not been properly place over his head when it shouted "Gryffindor!" And deafening cheer rose from the table. Darren walked triumphantly towards his new housemates thinking his dad would be so happy.
"Potter Harry…"
Walking over to the hat, Harry quickly jammed it on his head trying not to look at the people in front of him because at the word 'Potter' people had started to crane their necks to see the twin of the chosen one putting Harry in a very uncomfortable position.
"Hmmm…" the hat said "You are a real puzzle. On the one hand you have some of the characteristics of a Slytherin, you possess great power indeed and the determination to achieve your goal even at a price. But you also have plenty of loyalty and courage which is typical of a Gryffindor…Ah! I also recognize a thirst for knowledge, for the sake of knowledge itself so where should I put you now?"
"…in Slytherin, I fear you may not be welcomed for your name and more importantly you lack cunning to survive there. In Gryffindor your true desire for learning might be smothered by bravado, but in Ravenclaw you will thrive. Yes, I think so…well then you shall be in Ravenclaw!" The hat shouted aloud.
Removing the hat with trembling fingers Harry looked over at where Darren was sitting and found him cheering and clapping happily for him. He had had a feeling that he and Darren would not be in the same house together, it was a little sad but he knew that Darren would always look out for him no matter where he was.
"Weasley Ron…"
Ron walked over to the stool and put the hat on" Hmm…you would do well in Slytherin!" it said softly.
"What! No! No!" Ron said aghast, frantically shaking his head "Never Slytherin!"
"But your desire to be better than others, to be great, is a large part of who you are. I also see loyalty and a bit of courage…ah sadly you have no cunning at all, you are very vocal about your emotions. No, that would not sit well with the Slytherins. Right…Gryffindor it is!" the hat shouted, and Ron breathed a sigh of relief walking over to the table where his brothers immediately grabbed him and mussed up his hair up.
After settling down at their tables, Harry was politely welcomed by his housemates. They were proud to have him, sure, they had not gotten the 'Boy Who Lived', but they had his twin, fame was a big part of Ravenclaw and they were pleased.
Harry smiled and answered their questions politely, 'yes, they were twins', 'yes, his brother was amazing', 'yes, he would introduce them to Darren.' After a while though, he lapsed into silence as was his nature looking down at his golden plate when the pretty girl sitting beside him extended her hand.
"Cho Chang" she said grinning, and Harry took it shyly "Harry Potter" he said.
"What's your favorite food here Harry?"
"Um the treacle tart?"
"Right" She said and extending her hand, she picked up the plate of treacle tarts and gave one to Harry.
"Thanks" he said, surprised. He had hardly eaten anything at all from being so tired, so he gratefully accepted the tart smiling happily at Cho making her giggle.
Professor Dumbledore stood up after the tables had been cleared away and gave them the welcome speech, a warning about the forbidden forest and said that the third floor of Hogwarts had been banned to students.
After singing the school song, the children tiredly made their way over to their house towers. Darren came over to Harry and hugged him, wishing him a goodnight and Harry held on tightly for a minute and then left with his new housemates.
In front of them was a portrait of a lady who called herself Lady Violet, she stood primly in a horrendous bright purple gown and looked sharply at the house prefects waiting for the password, after mumbling the word 'Conscientia' the portrait swung open and admitted them inside.
Harry was thrilled at what he saw, it was a very tasteful room done up in the colors of blue and bronze. There were sturdy tables in ebony colored wood, high backed chairs with soft white cushions and huge comfy looking sofas and armchairs, all done in a creamy white leather set around coffee tables.
Occupying a prominent position in the room was the fireplace, done in white marble. The flames inside it flickered happily and the bronze eagle's head above glinted from it's the glow.
And the best part of the room was that every single wall had been lined with books from the ceiling to the floor! Yes, Harry would get along nicely in this room.
Walking up to the dorm he quickly found the bed at which his trunk already been unpacked and made ready to use. Quickly throwing on pajamas he crawled under the soft blue covers of the bed and drawing the drapes shut, he fell into a deep sleep.