20. Year One

Draco reclined in his chair and let out a low whistle. "Well, to the surprise of no one, it seems Hermione was always capable of producing a shield strong enough to stop the advances of three adult Death Eaters, even at the age of two."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips. Ginny interrupted her before she could respond. "Can we just take a moment to appreciate those footie pajamas? Both Hermione and Neville should bring them back."

The room erupted in laughter, and Hermione shot them all a stern look but couldn't help a smirk. "Who says I don't still have a pair? I am a proud Gryffindor, after all."

Neville joined in, "I still have plenty of plant-themed pajamas, but sadly none of them have footies."

The group continued to laugh, and Hermione felt grateful for the brief respite from the weight of their discoveries. "You all are ridiculous," she said, shaking her head.

"Hey, we take our fashion seriously," Neville said, grinning. "But on a more serious note, I had hoped that maybe my parents, well, our parents, would've been spared in the original timeline. But realistically, I figured it wasn't likely."

Hermione nodded, her expression somber. "I had hoped for the same Neville. In general though, that last memory did seem less traumatic than a few others we've seen so far. Let's hope this next set isn't so terrible or shocking."

Harry, eager to move forward, asked, "What's next on the timeline?"

Hermione looked at the timelines on the screen and replied, "There are small to medium variations within most of our timelines. Based on what we've seen so far that is to be expected. For example Harry, we expect variations simply due to the difference between growing up with Sirius instead of the Dursleys. I think we should focus on the larger jumps and the next large jump is September 1st, 1991. After that, it seems like most of the significant increases in variation during our first year at Hogwarts are Draco's and Neville's."

Draco muttered, "Of course. That's not ominous at all."

Ignoring his comment, Hermione asked, "Are we good to finish through our first year today before taking a break for dinner?"

Ginny spoke up first. "I'm good to keep going. We've made good progress."

Fleur and Narcissa nodded in agreement, and Harry, Neville and Draco all confirmed they were ready to continue, the latter two with hesitation.

"Alright," Hermione said, her fingers poised over the controls. "Here we go."

###

September 1st 1991

Harry Potter stepped onto the Hogwarts Express, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. He had no idea what lay ahead of him at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he searched for an empty compartment, he stumbled upon one where two students, a boy and a girl, were already seated.

"Excuse me, is it alright if I sit here?" Harry asked, gesturing to the empty seat across from them.

"Of course!" the girl, who had bushy brown hair, exclaimed. "I'm Hermione, and this is my brother Neville."

Neville waved, and Harry introduced himself. As they settled into conversation, Harry couldn't help but notice the toad and orange cat on the floor. The toad seemed to be attempting to escape, but the cat kept blocking its path.

"That's Trevor," said Neville, pointing to the toad. "He's my pet. And that's Hermione's cat, Crookshanks."

As they chatted, the door to the cabin suddenly slid open, and a boy with blonde slicked-back hair stepped in. "Hey there," he said, grinning. "Mind if I join you guys?"

Hermione and Neville welcomed him warmly, and the boy introduced himself as Draco Black. Harry couldn't help but feel curious, given his last name.

After a few moments Draco's eyes widened in recognition. "Wait a minute," he said, staring at Harry. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

Harry nodded reluctantly, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

Draco's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wait until my mother hears about this," he said, practically bouncing in his seat. "She's going thrilled. Where have you been for the last ten years?"

Harry hesitated before answering. "I've been traveling the world with my godfather, Sirius Black," he said, his voice quiet. "We were trying to avoid my fame in the British wizarding world. I'm not exactly comfortable being famous for something I don't remember and took my parents from me."

Hermione and Neville looked at him sympathetically and in understanding. "That must be hard," Hermione said gently.

Draco's expression softened, and he leaned forward in his seat. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just that my mother is Sirius's cousin, so it's like we're all sort of related. I get a little carried away sometimes."

The group fell into easy conversation after that, talking about their hopes for Hogwarts, about their lives and their families. As the train neared Hogwarts, Draco's eyes flicked to the book in Hermione's hands. "What are you reading?" he asked curiously.

Hermione beamed at him. "Transformation Through the Ages," she said, holding up the book so he could see the cover. "It's about the history of magical transformations. It's fascinating."

Draco chuckled. "Aunt Min must have given it to you," he said. "I swear, Hermione, you're somehow both my Aunt Min's and Aunt Bella's favorite."

Neville nodded in agreement. "It's almost like they're battling to influence you," he said, grinning.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, the door to the cabin slid open once again.

A red-headed boy entered, looking at Harry with interest.

"Is it true?" he asked. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter is in this compartment. So it's you, is it? My name Weasley, Ron Weasley."

Draco gave a slight cough and Ron looked at him. "Draco Black, eh? I've heard about you and your mother. No proper family structure, no father, descendant from the vilest of dark magic users, related to witches with abnormal ideas of what proper relationships are."

Ron turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Ron held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Harry said coolly.

###

Narcissa looked around the room, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What is so amusing?" she asked, noticing that everyone was laughing except for her and Draco.

Harry let out a laugh before answering, "It's just something Draco used to say all the time. 'My father will hear about this'." He mimicked the drawl of Draco's voice, causing the others to laugh again.

Fleur joined in, nodding her head. "Oui, even I knew of his habit of saying this," she said, smiling.

Hermione smiled as well, remembering the moment in the memory. "It was just amusing to hear him use the line, albeit with a different tone, substituting you for his father," she explained to Narcissa.

Ginny, who had been quiet until now, looked thoughtful. "It's interesting to see Ron show his true colors early on, instead of just showing it around me and sometimes Fred and George," she commented.

Neville looked confused, and asked, "What did Ron mean when he said Draco was 'related to witches with abnormal ideas of what proper relationships are'?"

Narcissa's expression turned to one of disgust. "It appears to be a dig at Bella and Minerva's relationship," she said.

Ginny added, "Ron has always been homophobic and has had disdain for anything that was outside of traditional family units."

The levity of the room quickly dissipated at the mention of Ron's bigotry, and Hermione decided it was time to move on. "Let's continue with the memories," she said, feeling the need to shift the focus away from Ron's hateful words.

###

September 1st 1991

As the sorting ceremony at Hogwarts began, Harry felt a wave of excitement and anticipation wash over him. He watched eagerly as student after student was called up to be sorted into their respective houses, wondering where fate would place them.

"Black, Draco," Professor McGonagall announced, and Harry couldn't help but feel curious about where his new friend would end up. The sorting hat wasted no time in declaring Draco a Gryffindor, much to the shock of the Slytherin table, who had expected a Black to be one of their own. The Gryffindors, on the other hand, erupted in cheers and applause.

As more names were called, Harry's nerves began to fray. He knew that his own name would be called soon, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of reaction it would provoke. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard another of his new friends being called up to be sorted.

"Longbottom, Hermione" Minerva's voice rang out. As Hermione walked up to the sorting hat, Harry could see the determination in her eyes. After a few moments, the hat called out, "Gryffindor!" Hermione beamed with pride.

As Hermione joined the cheering Gryffindors at their table, McGonagall turned her attention to the head table, where Professor Bellatrix Black was hitting her head against the table, clearly unhappy about something.

"Ah, Professor Black," McGonagall said, smiling. "I believe you have lost our bet." With a flick of her wand, she cast a charm that transformed Bellatrix's black robes into a bright red with golden lions emblazoned on them. The students erupted into laughter, and even Dumbledore was struggling to suppress a grin.

"You can fulfill the rest of the terms later," McGonagall said, winking at Bellatrix who was looking down horrified at her outfit.

The sorting continued, and finally, it was Harry's turn. He nervously approached the Sorting Hat and waited for it to announce his fate.

"Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat shouted, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he took his seat with his three new friends.

One of the last names to be called was Ron Weasley's. He nervously approached the sorting hat, but it seemed to take longer than usual to make its decision. Finally, the sorting hat shouted out, "Slytherin!"

The room fell silent as everyone looked on in shock. Murmuring could be heard from further down the Gryffindor table, between Ron's three brothers. Ron Weasley had the dubious honor as the first Weasley in history to be sorted into Slytherin.

###

Draco sat there in stunned silence, his eyes wide as he stared at the memory of himself wearing the bright red and gold tie of Gryffindor. "No. No way," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "This can't be right."

But as Hermione rewound the memory and played it again, there was no denying it: Draco had indeed been sorted into Gryffindor in the original timeline. The group around him were all staring at him with various expressions of amusement and surprise.

Draco's objection was immediate and vehement. "This is insane! I'm a Slytherin! Cunning and ambitious, not some brash, rush-into-danger Gryffindor."

Narcissa couldn't resist a teasing remark, her smirk betraying her amusement. "Oh dear, just think what your father will say when he hears about this."

Draco glared at her, trying to suppress a smile. "Very funny, Mother."

Meanwhile, Harry was pondering the implications of the other big revelation. With Ron sorted into Slytherin, he couldn't help but wonder how the next seven years would pan out. "Who would have gone on all these adventures with me and Hermione?" he mused.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Well, given the rest of the spikes in variation this first year are Draco's and Neville's, I would guess that one of them is the third member of our trio. And as for Ron…" she trailed off, looking thoughtful.

Harry spoke up before she could continue. "You know, maybe we should just keep playing the memories without a break."

The group agreed and Hermione pressed play on the next memory, eager to see what changes would unfold. But Draco couldn't shake the feeling of horror that came with the realization that in another timeline, he had been sorted into the very house he had spent his life mocking and deriding.

###

September 6th 1991

Snape strode around the classroom as students began their brewing, his black robes billowing behind him. Harry, Hermione, and Neville quickly bent over their cauldrons, hoping to avoid any more unwanted attention from their unpleasant potions professor.

Meanwhile, Draco and Seamus were working together, but their potion seemed to be going disastrously wrong. Seamus tried to add the powdered root, but ended up spilling it all over the floor. As his cauldron started to smoke, he frantically waved his wand, but instead of clearing the smoke, he melted the cauldron completely.

Snape stormed over to their table. "Idiot boy! Clean this mess up immediately!"

Seamus hung his head in shame as Snape continued to berate him. Harry felt a pang of sympathy for his classmate but was quickly distracted by the sound of laughter coming from the Slytherin table.

Slytherins Ron and Theodore Nott were snickering at Draco and Seamus's misfortune, their eyes sparkling with malice. Harry felt his blood boil with anger, and he knew he had to say something.

"Hey, leave them alone." Harry spat, his eyes blazing with fury.

Hermione's own hackles raised at the Slytherins' laughter. "Let's see how well your potion turns out. I'm fairly certain it should never have turned that shade of green."

Ron and Theo glared at them both, their eyes flashing with anger. But before they could say anything, Snape's voice cut through the tension.

"Silence!" he thundered, his eyes flicking from the Gryffindor table to the Slytherin table. "This is a classroom, not a tavern. Five points from Gryffindor for interrupting this lesson."

As the lesson went on, Neville, Hermione, and Harry worked diligently on their potion, carefully following the instructions. Despite Snape's harsh demeanor, their potion turned out perfect.

###

September 10th 1991

As Harry and his classmates were waiting for Madam Hooch to return, Theodore Nott noticed the Remembrall on the ground and picked it up. He smirked to himself before pocketing it and flying off on his broomstick.

Hermione noticed what had happened and demanded that Nott give back Neville's property. "That's not yours, give it back!" she exclaimed. Draco standing behind her in support and glaring at the other boy.

Theo just laughed and taunted them, "What are you going to do about it, Blood Traitors? I bet like your brother, you can't even fly properly." Turning his focus to Draco he added "And despite your Mother's reputation as a 'broomstick', I doubt she taught you how to fly either."

Harry wasn't going to stand by and let Nott get away with this. He mounted his broomstick and chased after him, determined to retrieve Neville's Remembrall and defend his friend's honors.

"Hand it over." Harry shouted, as he flew after Nott.

Theo looked back and sneered, "Make me, Potter!"

###

March 21st 1992

Hermione, Neville, and Harry were making their way up to the astronomy tower, carefully carrying Norbert in a crate. As they reached the top of the staircase, they heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, they pulled the Invisibility Cloak over themselves and the crate, hoping it would be enough to conceal them from view.

But as they huddled in the shadows, they heard a familiar voice. It was Theodore Nott sneaking back to his dormitory after hours. They watched as he slunk past, his footsteps echoing through the silent castle.

Just as they thought they were in the clear, they heard a loud voice that made them jump. "What are you doing out of bed, Mr. Nott?" It was Professor McGonagall, and she did not sound pleased. "You better come with me. We will be talking to Professor Snape about this."

Once the coast was clear, they continued their journey to the astronomy tower. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they arrived, grateful that they hadn't been caught. "I'm glad we were able to get in touch with Charlie," he said, breaking the tense silence. "Remind me to thank the twins later for putting us in touch."

After they carefully handed off the crate to Charlie's friends, they started to make their way back down, they heard footsteps approaching. It was Filch, the caretaker, and he had spotted them. "What are you three doing out of bed?" he screeched.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville tried to think of an excuse, but Filch wasn't interested in hearing it. He dragged them all the way to McGonagall's office.

###

June 4th 1992

Draco's gaze locked onto Harry's determined expression as they stood face to face in the common room. "You can't go out," Draco warned. "You'll get caught and Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

But Harry's eyes blazed with an intensity that Draco had never seen before. "You don't understand," Harry insisted. "This is important."

Draco took a step forward, blocking the portrait hole. "I won't let you do it," he declared, his voice steely. "I'll fight you."

Desperation flickered in Harry's eyes as he turned to Hermione. "Do something," he pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper.

With a determined expression, Hermione stepped forward, her wand at the ready. "Draco," she said, her voice heavy with regret. 'I am really, really sorry about this.' And with a flick of her wrist, she uttered the incantation. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Draco's body stiffened as he fell to the ground, completely immobilized.

###

June 4th 1992

"Freeze!" Neville's command echoed through the eerie, dim-lit chamber. "I recognize this, it's Devil's Snare! It thrives in the shadows and moisture, so we need a spark or some illumination."

Hermione's voice rang out with sudden clarity, "I've got it! Lumos!" And with that, both Harry and Neville followed suit, mirroring her actions. Gradually, the Devil's Snare began to shrink back, defeated.

###

June 8th 1992

"Based on recent events I have a few last minute points to hand out. Firstly, to Neville Longbottom, for his keen mind and green thumb, I award 50 points to Gryffindor!" Dumbledore declared, as Neville's face lit up with pride.

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, and Harry and Hermione beamed at Neville.

"Harry Potter and Hermione Longbottom, for their cool use of logic and outstanding courage in the face of danger, I award 50 points each to Gryffindor!" Dumbledore continued, as the entire hall burst into applause.

Harry and Hermione exchanged delighted glances, feeling overjoyed at being recognized for their efforts.

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but a different kind of courage to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Draco Black!" Dumbledore announced, as Draco looked both surprised and pleased. "Which means, I believe we need a change of decoration."

###

"This is ridiculous," Draco said, shaking his head. "First, I find out I was sorted into Gryffindor. Then, I get petrified by Hermione. And now, I'm the reason Gryffindor wins the House Cup? This is the worst timeline ever."