Recommended Songs: I Dare You by Kelly Clarkson
Night Drive by Eachae en Route
AN: What a world, guys. What a world. Are any of you as deathly bored as I am? I am not an owner of anything other than my doll collection so there you go. Also, there is no way I'll butcher accents from here on out. I just think Irish is pretty cool and the Irish accent is too unique for my limited control of American English. I'm not even gonna try with Seamus. Or Hagrid. Or anyone else.
Harry's first night in the castle was annoying. The boys in his dorm, other than Neville, were annoying and loud. They lacked any sense of refinement. Ronald Weasley had thrown a wobbly, claiming the Headmaster had told his mother to be on the lookout for Harry Potter at the train station only for the ingrate to not show and the Weasleys to wander the muggle side of the station for roughly an hour. The other boys, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, were a little more likeable. Dean was a quiet boy who'd mentioned wanting to sketch the castle. While he was better behaved, he had turned out to be rather messy. By their first morning, Harry had kicked Dean's shoes, a sketchbook, dirty pants, and trousers out of his path on the way to the bathroom. Seamus was a very entertaining individual. From Tipperary, he was a loud, slightly lewd boy who lived with his witch mother, muggle father, and an older muggle sister. He seemed to compete with Weasley over how much food they could fit in their mouths at one time. He competed valiantly (and disgustingly) but Weasley was a monster.
Harry woke early, thankful for the sound dampening charms on the bed curtains. The sun had yet to rise through the slightly rounded window. The twinge he felt in his chest made him shake his head. He already missed his family. The overnight chill was stronger than in London so he pulled on his thick dressing gown. The view from the tower window near his bed was amazing. The forest was still a mass of darkness under the still dark sky. Off to one side, Harry could see a few lights in the cluster of the Hogsmeade buildings and dark shapes moving around town in the dark blue dawn.
The boys shared a bathroom attached to the dorm, with five sinks on one side, five shower stalls on the opposite side, and there were three toilet stalls across from the door. Harry took his time, making sure his hair was carefully treated. He and his mother both shared in the pain of curly hair and only rarely did they straighten it. His entire family believed that to your body was your best tool and the care you showed it was the level of respect you had for yourself and the gratitude you had for life. It was one reason so many of the other boys in his primary had called him slurs. By six thirty, Harry was dressed and ready to go. The other boys still slept and the sun was slowly beginning to turn the world gray around the castle. Harry made his way down to the common room and jumped when the fireplace lit up suddenly. Hermione and Neville had both said they normally got up at seven and so Harry settled into one of the wingback chairs to read while waiting.
His current read was Walden, with annotations by one of his mother's favorite critics. The foreword had made Harry giggle. The privileges Thoreau had enjoyed while 'living' his philosophy were pointed out in a very stark way and made sure everything he'd written was taken with a pinch of salt. Even with the critic's words in the back of his mind, Harry was enjoying the book.
"Can I borrow that when you're through?" Harry was pulled from the author's cabin to see Hermione's dark eyes. "It's on my to read list but I kept putting it off because I thought I'd read it somewhere in Sixth Form but I guess that's a moot point now."
"Well yes and no. Aren't you going to continue with "muggle" subjects?"
"I didn't know I could. It's not like I can do online courses or anything, you know."
"Mother and Gran worked it out for me. They've hired tutors that test during summer and I get lesson plans and assignments by owl. Mother sends them on for me and I complete them and send them back. It's a lot of work but since my family has interests on both sides, I have to have at least my A-levels."
"I don't know why we didn't think of that. We've been worrying over what to tell people about school and where I am. I'll have to owl them about trying your way."
"If they talk to Mother, she'll help pass on my tutors' numbers. They're very good." Hermione thanked him and fell silent, other Gryffindors had started to filter down from the dorms. Only the First Years had stayed in the common room, waiting for Percy Weasley to lead them back down to the Great Hall. Out of the boys who were awake, only Neville had bothered making himself neat. He'd obviously showered, his hair was still wet and he seemed to be struggling with his tie.
"Do you need help with your tie, Neville?" asked Hermione kindly.
"Yes, pl-lease." Harry smiled at his two new friends.
"I have a Perfect Comb. It'll dry and style your hair for you. Want to try?" Neville assented and Harry took a small comb from his pocket and waved it over Neville's hair and immediately it was dry.
"Thanks. I thought I'd be late if I tried drying it."
"You're fine. Weasley is still missing and Seamus looks like he slept in his uniform. Are any of the girls missing?"
"Fay Dunbar said Annalise was just finishing her hair when I came down."
"Annalise who?"
"Didn't you watch everyone get sorted? Annalise Ashman? She got sorted at the beginning but they only called her Ashman. Something about her family, she said last night."
"The Ashman family tends to stick to themselves. Every Head of House and Heir uses only their family name until they complete a Mastery and then get to choose a new name. They're good people, have a strong history."
"Thanks, Lansing." Harry looked around the chair at a short red-head with gray eyes. She was quite normal, if you discounted that all of her teeth looked like they had been shaved to a natural point, like canines but smaller and flatter. "Merry meet, Lansing, the Ashman's are glad to see you in health."
"Merry meet, Ashman, the Lansings will be overjoyed to hear you yet perpetuate the Legacy." Hermione and Neville stood watching the two eleven year olds as they stared at each other. Finally Harry and Annalise smiled at each other and laughed. "Now that that's out of the way; hello, I'm Hawthorne Lansing. Nice to meet you."
"Annalise Ashman, subject to change sometime in the future. Nice to meet you Hawthorne. Mouthful isn't it?"
"Annalise Ashman isn't much shorter. Funny how we both ended up in the same house."
"And there'll be no more of your Pureblood nonsense in it." They looked up at the gangly, pale smear of ginger that was the Prefect Weasley. "This is the wrong house for that. I don't want to see it again or I'll take points. Come along. It's time for breakfast." He turned and started to lead the other First Years towards the portrait hole. Hermione's eyes widened comically and Neville shuffled in his spot. Harry, however, smirked.
"Prefect Weasley. You can't threaten me with points." Weasley turned back so quickly you could almost hear his legs creak with the movement. His face was rapidly turning red and his ears looked like an oddly shaped thermometer, the red started at the bottom and moved up. "There's no rule about having manners. To tell Ashman and I that we can't greet each other properly can be construed as bigotry and bullying. If you have a problem with our comportment, you'll have to bring it up with our Head of House. She'll tell you the same thing I just did. Ashman and I have a different way of doing things. One that isn't hurting or shunning anyone and as such you have no grounds for punishment."
"I am a prefect and you'll do as I say! Now get moving. Five points for disrespect and your cheek, Lansing." Hawthorne and Ashman shared a look and Neville held up his hands in a 'what can you do' gesture.
"Oh, Hawthorne! Why did you do that? Now you've lost points." Hermione gave him a disappointed look.
"He's the one in the wrong, Hermione. His family has a bad rep-putation because they kept dis-regarding etiquette rules. They s-started hundreds of years ago and just got worse until they did something really bad in someone els-se's manor and got labeled blood traitor-rs for it. After a while, they s-started playing it off as them not wanting to be involved in the big-gotry of the Noble Houses let alone the Ancient and Noble. They tend to s-still call things big-gotry if it has anything to do with tradition, regardless of the p-person and their actual beliefs. The Lans-sings and the Ashmans are pos-ssibly the oldest continuous families in the world so they tend-d to be very polite and traditional to each other. For Weas-sley to call manners big-gotry and threaten to dock points is just him getting off on his sup-posed power." Harry smirked. Neville was already talking like he was more comfortable with him.
"But he's a prefect!" claimed Hermione, scandalised.
"And he's not a good choice if he's going to use his position unfairly but such is life. I'll talk to the Head of House about it." Seamus and Dean had been walking just ahead of them and Fay had been walking with them. Dean, a muggleborn, turned to his classmates.
"Is it really that important? It's just the first day, ya know."
"My mum would say it kind of is. We're not into the pureblood scene but she always says manners are important. 'Sides, that git started it just because Lansing and Ashman were saying hi politely. It's not like they were trying to sacrifice Granger or refusing to talk to any of us for being 'impure' or some such rot. Git." Seamus backed them up with a finite nod.
"Thanks Finnegan. My family thinks manners are important but we tend to use whatever is more appropriate. Like with Hermione. I just said hi like normal since she doesn't know the old ways. I'd probably only use it on the purebloods and adults."
"So long as you don't expect me to know what to say and do."
The seven first years settled into their House table, hungry and excited for their first day of classes. The amount and variety of food served was pretty exciting on its own. Everything was so delicious! The way people eat is reflective of what type of person they are. Hermione, for example, chose gruel, topped it with fruit, and lightly drizzled it all in honey. Neville chose scrambled eggs and bacon, a side of fruit, and chose to drink hot chocolate. In Hermione's case, she ate very healthy and avoided any of the very sugary foods available. Neville ate well but wasn't as disciplined as Hermione, he didn't avoid sugar but still ate a good breakfast. The youngest Weasley loaded his plate with eggs, sausages, toast dripping in viscous honey, and a single slice of fried tomato. He chose to drink hot chocolate. Never let anyone tell you Ronald Weasley, age eleven, knew control.
When breakfast was ending, they saw the severe Head of House coming down the table handing out class schedules. She stopped to speak to a set of twins that mildly looked like Ronald. She gestured at the large hourglass behind the professors' table and they shook their heads in a negative. By the time she had reached the small group of first years, she looked quite annoyed.
"Here are your schedules. Directions to each classroom may be found on the back." she handed each student a copy and crossed her arms threateningly. "Mr. Lansing, Ms. Ashman. What is this I hear about you spouting blood intolerance in the common room? How pure your blood is had no bearing in anything you do here. If I hear another either of you attempting to lord your families' age or blood purity, you'll find yourself in detention with me."
"But professor, they weren't! The prefect is lying!" Hermione literally jumped to their defense. "Hawthorne and Annalise were just saying hi really politely!"
"Is this true?" the aged professor looked at them in a very intense way.
"It is, Professor. Annalise and Harry greeted each other traditionally and were talking with us when Prefect Weasley told them they better not do it ever again or he'd take points. Hawthorne told him he couldn't take points just because he doesn't like manners since they weren't being prejudiced or hurting anyone. He told him if he did, that would be abusing his authority in a prejudiced way and that he'd talk to you so Weasley took five points for disrespecting him." The others backed up Dean's words with nods.
"But you both sounded like those snotty purebloods! Percy's just trying to teach you better!" cried Ronald, giving everyone a very good view of the half chewed food in his mouth.
"Goodness, Ronald! Close your mouth!" Hermione had covered her mouth with her napkin and looked as green as the two girls sitting next to her. Seamus must have taken it as a reminder of the manners his mother had taught him so he swallowed and wiped his mouth before glaring at the boy next to him.
"And what about purebloods? My mum is a pureblood and my grandparents and they're really nice! Does that mean you're eating like a pig because you're trying to forget your entire family are purebloods?" Ronald looked scandalised and his face pinked so quickly it was like he's been cursed without notice.
"We're not snobs!"
"Just slobs then?"
"Don't talk about our family!"
"Gentlemen! Silence! There's no need to insult each other Mr. Finnegan. As for you Mr. Weasley; try to remember your entire family has been pureblood for generations as has mine and many others. Watch your words. They affect more than the person you are talking to. Mr. Lansing, your points shall be returned and I'll make sure to speak to the other Mr. Weasley. I apologize for believing his story before getting your sides. Mr. Lansing, Ms. Ashman." The greying professor stalked back up the table and descended on the glaring prefect who'd started the entire issue.
"My family isn't really pureblood anyway. I'm technically a 'halfblood' anyway." Harry said before focusing on his schedule.
"I am but it doesn't really matter, anyway." Analise told them.
"What do you mean, Ashman?" The Gryffindors turned around to the slight blond who'd asked.
"We don't talk to slimy snakes! Go away!" Hermione and Dean both looked confused at the increasingly disliked Weasley.
"Speaking to snakes would be rather odd since it's a bloodline gift that hasn't ever showed up in the Weasleys but since I don't see any snakes around, we should be fine." said Hawthorne.
"Merry meet, Malfoy. Was there something you needed?"
"Merry meet Ashman. I was asking what you meant about blood not mattering?"
"Just that blood isn't important unless you're doing ritual magic. Most bloodline control was only important when a bloodline had developed a bloodline gift and other families wanted it to occur in their families. In the last five hundred years, bloodline gifts have almost completely disappeared. It's very telling that the first person to have the metamorphagus gift in the Blacks in over four hundred is a halfblood who graduated really well and is getting a Defense Mastery in the Auror Academy and already a favorite. If you look at the other Fourteen, the only family members with bloodline gifts are possibly the Potters since no one knows how or with what special powers Harry Potter defeated the last Dark Lord, and my own. I inherited the ability to control water. I won't speak for the Lansings since they're all so bloody secretive that one hasn't been seen in the Isles the last hundred or so years." Hawthorne grinned at her.
"Because the Ashmans are such open books. We have a couple of active bloodline gifts. One of my distant cousins is a skin walker and she's a halfblood so you might have a point. Besides, even ritual magic can ignore bloodlines since only one type of ritual magic really relies on blood and even then there's more to blood rituals than just blood."
"Right. Lansing, this is Draco Lucius Malfoy, Heir to the House of Malfoy. Malfoy, this is Hawthorne Lansing, of the Noble and Ancient House of Lansing."
"Merry meet, Malfoy. Actually my full name is Hawthorne Domini Lansing. A pleasure to meet you."
"Merry meet, Lansing. I'd like to stay and talk more but I think breakfast is over. I'd hate to be late to class and I'm sure you agree." The Gryffindors made agreement noises and the blond walked away. The Great Hall had already begun to empty as they looked at the backs of their schedules. For some odd reason, Ronald Weasley stayed with them although he hadn't stopped grumbling under his breath since he'd been shushed by Hawthorne.
AN: Jeeze I'm having a hard time with allergies which sucks because the minute I step outside (even with a mask) my eyes start watering and I start sniffling like crazy. Out of my entire family, I'm the only one staying inside so much because if anyone sees me they'll think I have Covid. About Tonks, I really like the common idea that Charlie and Tonks are bffs. They're 6 years older than Harry and his year and graduated the previous year.
Recommended reading: A Cup of Tea by Lizzy0305 (There's a m/m sex scene at the end but the entire thing is written really well and I recommend this author themself)
Baby, It's Cold Outside by Potato19 (cute story)