Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof.

Chapter 20

Eleven year old Harry Potter was currently sitting on his bed at number 4 Privet Drive reading his new school books by moonlight. His snowy white owl, Hedwig, was swooping in and out of his window bringing in her food to eat.

It was a week before he had to catch the Hogwarts Express. Glancing over at the clock, he saw that it read 1 a.m. He got up and put his book into his trunk, locked it, stretched, and climbed back into bed.

Normally, Harry would have already been asleep, but ever since the Dursley's realized that they had not beaten the magic out of him like they had intended , they resorted to locking him in his room all day, which meant no chores for the time being. They let him out twice a day to use the restroom and once a day to eat a cold can of soup or a sandwich, which hardly bothered him anymore as he was used to the lack of food.

Actually, ever since Hagrid had shown up and explained that he was a wizard (which in turn explained quite a few things from his past) Harry was looking forward at what was to come in his life. He couldn't wait to meet other witches and wizards.

It was with that thought, he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Aunt Petunia unlocked his bedroom door early and said that his Uncle Vernon wanted to see him. Harry nervously headed down the stairs.

"Boy, on the first of September, we will take you to King's Cross to catch your train." Vernon Dursley sneered at his nephew.

Harry could hardly believe his ears. He had been trying to figure out a way to ask his uncle for a ride. "Thanks Uncle Vernon," Harry said grinning.

"We're not doing it for you. That happens to be the only day that our Dudders can have that ruddy tail removed and the train station is on the way. Now, back to the bedroom with you!"

Harry scampered back up the stairs. As he heard the locks on his door click, he went back to his trunk to pick a couple of books to start reading again. Contrary to what everyone seemed to believe about him, he loved to read, even the History of Magic book was interesting.

Today he was reading through his Herbs and Fungi book along side of his potions book. He liked these as much as he liked his charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts books.

Before bed that night, he reached for his seven year journal set for the first time since Hagrid had let him buy it. Harry grinned as he remembered the internal argument that he had with himself when he first saw it in Flourish and Blotts.

Hagrid had told him that he could look around for a few minutes so he had wandered up and down the aisles looking at everything.

In one of the aisles he saw a box set of books. He stepped closer so that he could read the sign below them.

Seven Year Journal Set. Perfect for any student about to enter Hogwarts. One book for each year of education.

Features include: Voice and/or Wand Password Protection, Anti-Eavesdropping Wards, Anti-theft Protection, plus many more features!

'I wonder if Hagrid would let me buy this,' Harry thought.

'Only girls write in diaries,' another voice inside his head said.

'Yeah, but this says journal,' Harry pointed out.

'It's the same difference,' the voice responded.

'No it's not and besides, it's not like I'm going to write in it everyday and gush about crushes and whatever else girls write about,' Harry reasoned with himself. The other voice never responded so he took it that he had won his argument.

He then took the journal set up to Hagrid who said that he could, indeed, buy it.

Harry read the parchment telling him everything that the set could do. There were a lot more features than what had been listed on the sign. He was very happy with quite a few of them.

Setting his password, he opened the book with the number 1 on it and wrote for a while until he was so sleepy that he could hardly keep his eyes open.

After he put everything away, he went to bed.

The rest of the week passed by in a rush. Finally, with the help of the red headed family (to get onto the platform), he was seated on the train. During the ride to Hogwarts, he made his first friend. Ronald Weasley.

They talked and laughed. Harry was excited to hear about an all wizard family. For one of the first times in his life, he was having fun.

About halfway there, a girl came in asking if they had seen a toad because someone named Neville had lost one. When she saw who Harry was, she introduced herself as Hermione Granger. She was the first person to tell him that he was in a few books.

"Brilliant," Harry muttered, obviously not pleased.

He looked up to see Ron and Hermione staring at him. "Sorry. It seems that Hagrid forgot to tell me that." He couldn't help but laugh at their confused expressions.

"Before Hagrid told me that I was a wizard, I had no idea. I definitely didn't know I was famous. My aunt and uncle thought that if they hid it from me, my magic would vanish." That wasn't the entire truth, but that was all he felt like sharing.

Before she left, he had her write down the names of the books that he was mentioned in. He would look them up later in the school's library.

They pulled on their robes as the train slowed down. Harry carefully put his wand up his sleeve where Mr. Ollivander had shown him that most adult wizards carry them.

Finally, they all piled off of the train at the Hogsmeade station. The first years followed Hagrid down to the boats. Harry was nervous about the water. He had never learned how to swim and he was afraid that he would fall in. He did, however, feel better when Ron climbed in beside of him. He turned and watched as Hermione and someone who would later be identified as Neville Longbottom climbed in the back part of the same boat.

When Harry first saw the castle, he wasn't sure what he felt. Elation. Nervousness. Excitement. Fear. Joy. Un-believability. He actually pinched himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

Once inside, they were led into a room by a person that he was sure he would not want to cross. Ever. As she explained that they were to wait there while she made sure everything else was ready, Harry felt his stomach clench in nervousness.

He looked at Hermione. He knew that she was intelligent, especially since she had said she had memorized all of their school books. "Hermione, how exactly are we sorted?"

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I'm not sure. I didn't see anything mentioned in any of the books I read."

Harry glanced at Ron, his nerves even more shot now. "Do you know? You said that you have five older brothers ..."

Ron shook his head. "Fred said something about wrestling a troll, but I don't think he was serious."

Harry thought he was going to pass out. Just then, a couple of girls screamed. Turning around, he saw why. There were about 10 to 15 ghosts floating through the room talking.

Professor McGonagall finally returned and led them into the Great hall.

Harry was transfixed by the ceiling as he walked behind the other students. It was one of the most amazing things he had ever seen.

When they stopped moving, Harry looked around. He was too excited at the moment to be nervous. He realized everyone was staring at the hat on the stool, so he stared at it too.

He stood perfectly still as he listened to the song while it described each house. Soon, people started to be called to put it on. He watched as Hermione was placed into Gryffindor. She had seemed like she would be someone nice to try to make friends with, even if she was a bit bossy. He chuckled lightly as Ron groaned when the hat had announced where she was going.

When Draco Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin before the hat was fully placed on his head, Harry cringed. He did not want to go into Slytherin. He had already heard of it's reputation of turning out Dark Wizards. Now he had another reason to dislike the house. (He had a run in with Draco on the train that didn't turn out so well.)

Harry was beginning to notice that the hat took longer to decide where some people should go than with others and he began to fidget nervously. What if the hat didn't put him anywhere and just sent him home? His insides felt like they were trying to escape onto the floor.

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry started slightly as he heard his name called.

He slowly walked up to the stool, sat on it, and when the hat was placed on his head, it fell over his eyes and ears, cutting out the noise of the room.

"Hmm. Difficult, very difficult." The hat said into Harry's mind. "You have a lot of courage. There's an incredible mind, and oh yes, plenty of talent and power."

Harry's heart was pounding so loud he figured that everyone in the Hall could hear it.

"You have a huge thirst to prove yourself ... hmm ... that's interesting. It's not very often that I get to choose between all four houses. Normally it's just two, when there's a choice at all. So, where shall I put you?"

Harry thought with all of his might, not even realizing that he was gripping the stool with his hands so tight that his knuckles were turning white. "Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin."

"Are you sure? You could be great you know. It's all right here in your mind."

"Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin."

"Why not?" The hat was curious because it obviously saw things that Harry did not, his parseltongue ability for instance (not that Harry was directly aware of that skill yet).

"Because I don't want to be put in a house that bad wizards tend to come from," he thought.

"Not everyone that is in Slytherin becomes a bad wizard. Quite a few good people came from there as well, they just happen to show their cunning and sly side to get what they want."

"Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin."

The hat was very amused. "Slytherin would help you on the path to greatness ..."

"Not Slytherin."

"Oh, if you're sure ..." the hat searched Harry's mind again. It saw that of all four houses that it originally said it could choose from, there were really only two that he would really fit in with, and since he was so adamant about the one ... "Better be - GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word so that everyone could hear it.

Harry felt such an immense amount of relief that he didn't even notice he was getting the loudest cheer of everyone.

They eventually got to "Weasley, Ronald." He only took about ten seconds to be placed into Gryffindor. He came and sat near Harry.

After everyone was seated, Dumbledore told them all to eat (in his own way, of course). Harry watched as the plates in front of him suddenly appeared with food.

He was unsure what to do and became nervous again. After making sure that everyone around him had a plate full of food, he put a little bit on his own plate. He'd never seen so much food at one time, let alone been allowed to eat what he wanted of it.

After dinner vanished, dessert appeared. Harry helped himself to some treacle tart. After he finished eating, he scanned the table where all of the Professor's were sitting.

He thought that Dumbledore was the coolest looking wizard he had ever seen. He saw Professor McGonagall sitting beside of the Headmaster. Percy Weasley (one of the prefects) had told him a few minutes prior that she was the head of Gryffindor house. Two seats down from Dumbledore sat Professor Quirrell in a turban that he had not been wearing in Diagon Alley. It looked odd on him. Quirrell looked like he was trying to get the Professor's attention that was seated in between himself and Dumbledore.

"Percy, who's that teacher that Professor Quirrell is trying to talk to?"

Percy looked up. "That's Professor Snape. He's the Potion Master here." Percy shuddered. "He's the head of Slytherin House and is stricter than McGonagall."

As Harry glanced back up toward Professor Snape, their eyes briefly met and his scar seared in pain for an instant. Out of habit, he closed his eyes when it burned. He saw a jet of green light race toward him (it was part of a dream that he had been having for years now), but then he saw something that he had never seen before. He saw someone hug him. He didn't know who it was though, but he assumed it was his mother or father. By the time that thought had left him, his scar had quit burning.

He chanced another glance at Professor Snape and yet again, their eyes met. This time, however, nothing happened. Snape was the first to look away. Harry watched him for another minute before turning to ask Ron and Hermione which classes they were looking forward to.

The hall soon quieted down as Dumbledore rose to make his speech. They were then ushered toward the 7th floor to where the Portrait of the Fat Lady guarded the Gryffindor common room and dorms.

Harry was tired but he still had quite a bit of energy left because of how excited he was. Before Percy let them go to their dorms, he and the other Gryffindor prefects explained the rules as well as a few other things that they needed to know.

When he finally got to the dorm room itself, he saw that he would be sharing it with the other first year boys that were sorted into Gryffindor: Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Ron Weasley.

Looking around the room, he saw that each bed was a 4 poster canopy bed and that there were red and gold curtains on each one that could be pulled completely shut for privacy. Beside of each bed was a desk and to the right of that was a small wardrobe for their clothes. Near the door was a pitcher of water and 5 cups, one with each of the boys names on it.

For their room to be round (they were in one of the towers) and so full of stuff, there was still quite a lot of space available, especially in the center of the room.

Harry's eyes rested on his trunk at the foot of, what he assumed, was to be his bed. On top of it was his school uniforms. They had the Gryffindor crest on them now, whereas before, they did not. He also saw that he had a couple of other things with the lion symbol on it. It was the same for the other boys as well.

He headed to where his trunk was and started to hang up his uniform in his wardrobe. He watched as each of his roommates did the same. (Percy had told them to unpack tonight.)

As he reached for the wardrobe, he saw a note materialize on the door.

Mister Harry Potter,

When you place your dirty clothes in the basket in the wardrobe, they will vanish instantly. The next day they will appear clean on your bed, ready for you to put away. Have a good school term.

"I love magic," Harry said, grinning. He heard Neville and Ron both laugh at him. (Neville's bed was on Harry's left and Ron's was on his right.)

Harry opened the wardrobe. There was hanging space on the right hand side. On the left there were three drawers (closer inspection showed that they were magically enlarged on the inside) and a rack for his shoes. In the bottom of the wardrobe under the hanging space was indeed a basket for his dirty clothes. On the inside of both wardrobe doors were mirrors.

Harry put his clothes away neatly. He then put his books in an orderly fashion on top of his desk. In one of the desk drawers he placed his ink, quill, and parchments. In another, he placed all of his other school supplies, except his potions kit. He left the third drawer empty for now. His potion kit he put beside of his books on top of his desk. He kept his journal set, as well as a few other minor things, locked inside of his trunk. He placed his book bag on the back of his desk chair. He then put Hedwig's empty cage on one of the shelves above his desk.

After deciding that he was finished unpacking, he changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed to watch the other boys. His little area was by far the neatest (and not in the cool sense either).

Ron noticed this and raised his eyebrow.

"My aunt was a perfectionist. I got into major trouble if anything was out of place, so it sorta got ground into me to be neat, too. Heaven forbid I go back home next summer a slob," Harry grimaced at the thought of his aunt's reactions.

Ron seemed to relax a bit before he hung up a Chudley Cannons poster ... very crooked, which made Harry grin at him (and the inhabitants of the poster to fall over).

"She sounds like my Gran," Neville admitted as he placed Trevor in a box that everyone in the room, except Neville, knew that he would not stay in.

Harry doubted that Neville's grandmother would take a frying pan to his head if he missed a speck of dirt while cleaning.

He resumed watching everyone decorate their living space. About ten minutes later, he burst into a fit of giggles as he watched Ron calmly walk over to Dean's muggle poster of a soccer team and poke it to try to get the occupants of the picture to move.

"Why won't they move?" Ron demanded to know.

"Muggle pictures don't move, Ron. I told you that on the train," Harry said, still laughing.

"I remember, it's just ... mental that they don't."

Dean snorted as Seamus and Neville joined in with laughter of their own.

Harry watched as everyone else finished unpacking. He saw that they all had a lot more than he did. They each had at least 5 sets of uniforms, even Ron, though his were all second hand. He only had 3, one of which he had just removed. They also had a lot more extra stuff as well, like a chess set and gobstones. He felt sadness creep up into his heart as he watched a couple of them put a picture or two of their families out. (After all, more than 2 pictures of their family on the wall in a boys dorm per boy would make them look like a sissy.)

Harry didn't even know what his mom and dad looked like. Granted, Hagrid had said that he looked like his dad, except that he had his mother's eyes, but that still wasn't the same as an actual picture.

He started to pull his curtains shut when Hedwig flew in through the open window.

"Hi girl. I bet your enjoying yourself here. No Uncle Vernon yelling at you," Harry whispered to his owl.

She nipped his finger affectionately.

Harry retrieved an owl treat out of his trunk for her. She took it then flew back out of the window.

"She's a pretty owl," Neville commented.

"Thanks. She was my birthday present." Harry didn't want to admit that she was the only present he had ever gotten.

He took his wand out and set the bed alarm (only he would hear it) the way that one of the prefects had explained. He then let himself sink into unconsciousness - with a smile on his face.

A/N: These next few chapters will stick mostly to canon of the Sorcerer's Stone book, and some quotes are from the book directly. However, every once in a while, a scene or two from the movie may sneak in. (All that, of course, is aside from the fact that a lot of scenes from my own mind are sneaking in as well - evil cackle!)

A/N: The journal idea has an impact in future chapters (wink) and I'm assured by my 20 year old brother that as long as it's not called a diary, it's fine. Lol!

A/N: 7/29/11 - Edited words and such ...