Hello there! This is roughly the part where I greet everyone and thank them for choosing this story. Maybe it seems weird to not do this in the first chapter, or even the second, but to be honest with you I wanted to let the opening chapters speak for themselves without the distraction of an author's note. Plus not everyone who clicks the link for this fic will make it past the first couple of chapters. If you're reading this then it means you did. If you're reading this then it means you're open to the idea of world building. It means you're open to the idea of exploring what ifs and possibilities. It means you're open to the idea of reading a story where the concepts of dark and light magic aren't so black and white and the dangers that exist are entirely too plausible.
If you're reading this then it means you're my kind of person; so thanks for existing!
There's still a little bit of the immediate landscape to establish over the next chapter or two before this story really picks up pace. You won't get answers to all the questions that this story presents just yet though - that's deliberate.
This will most likely be the longest author's note I'll ever write - I'm not a huge fan of them beyond the basics of shilling for reviews (that I am absolutely fine with and moving forward you should absolutely expect to see a heartfelt plea for reviews lovingly copy pasted after the end of every chapter) so let's call this longer note an exception to the rule and write it off as one-and-done.
I do not own any of the characters in the Harry Potter universe, I am simply extremely grateful to be able to play in this particular sand box.
….better be HUFFLEPUFF!"
Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked on unsteady legs over to the Hufflepuff table. He was so consumed in his own thoughts over what the hat had said to him that he hardly noticed he was receiving the loudest cheer yet. Harry noticed a familiar face in the blonde boy with whom he had shared a trip across the lake just an hour previously. Slipping into the seat directly to the boy's left and across from a girl with red hair that fell in long plait down her back, Harry let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
No longer standing directly in front of them, he took a moment to observe the tables set up for the faculty. The two angled tables appeared to be primarily made up of younger adults and at a guess Harry would have placed their ages between twenty and twenty five. A small selection of older teachers were sprinkled in amongst them, and in comparison to their colleagues, they appeared to have no common age to connect them. Harry noted that their guide across the lake and up to the castle, Hagrid, was seated amongst their number.
The final of the three staff tables appeared to Harry to contain Hogwarts' most senior professors. Again, although there was not so much of a common age between them, they all appeared to hold themselves with a certain confidence and quietly observed the sorting with the practised ease and calm detachment of someone who had attended this ceremony many times before.
In the centre of the senior faculty table, in a large gold chair, sat a black haired witch dressed in emerald green robes. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross. Sat to her right was an old man with half moon spectacles perched atop a crooked nose. His long silver beard and matching hair shone with an ethereal brilliance matched only by the ghosts scattered around the hall. On her left side sat a large, bald man sporting a jovial smile and robes of such visible lavishness that Harry was able to notice the quality of the material and the intricacy of its embroidery even at a distance.
Preoccupied by his observations of the faculty, the remainder of the sorting ceremony had almost entirely passed without him realising it. Harry tuned back in just long enough to see Weasley, Ronald become a Gryffindor before Zabini, Blaise made his way towards the Slytherin table. And with that, the Sorting Ceremony was concluded.
Professor Sinistra tucked the parchment list away in her robes, vanished the stool with a flick of her wand, before picking up the sorting hat and stepping down from the raised platform and moving away, presumably to stow the hat now that its services were no longer required. As she walked away, the stern witch sitting in the middle of the senior faculty table stood up and Harry mentally added 'tall' to his list of her character traits.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! For our newcomers, I am Professor Mcgonagall, your Headmistress. I look forward to seeing each of you thrive as you begin your education here at Hogwarts and I sincerely hope that all of you will be a credit to your new houses. As for our returning students - welcome back! I have more to say to you - as those who are familiar with my speeches are no doubt already aware - however, for the time being, let us sit and enjoy the start of term feast."
As she sat down to polite applause, the previously empty dishes in front of Harry were suddenly piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
A soft yet deliberate cough brought Harry back to reality as he realised he'd been caught staring at the food. Glancing up, he noticed the eyes of the red haired girl were trained on him, a hint of amusement dancing around her features. Slightly mortified, Harry quickly busied himself by dishing himself out a bit of everything that was within easy reaching distance before quickly tucking in.
As Harry reached for seconds and poured himself a drink of what turned out to be pumpkin juice, he took a moment to let the noise of nearby voices wash over him. Filtering between the many conversations, he got the impression that the other first years around him were as nervous as he was and that they were all waiting for someone else to break the ice. Sensing more than seeing others around him start to put down their utensils, Harry took one last bite of steak and kidney pie for courage, swallowed thickly, turned to the blonde boy on his right and offered his hand. "Harry Potter."
The face of the boy whom Harry had just introduced himself to lit up. "Ernest Macmillon - call me Ernie though, everyone else does. We shared the boat across the lake you know - though of course I didn't recognise you then. Perhaps I should have, but what, with such a spectacular view of the castle on offer I was hardly going to spend the trip staring at your head!"
Harry blinked a couple of times before chuckling to himself - Ernie's way of talking had him visualising a male version of Sophie; the girl he'd met earlier that day on the train. "It was rather impressive wasn't it?" Harry agreed. "Maybe a bit overwhelming, but so is pretty much everything so far."
Nodding along, Ernie offered his opinion. "We'll get used to it quickly enough I suspect. I've heard stories from my family about Hogwarts my entire life and they always made it sound like they settled in just fine. Two cousins of mine graduated just last term and they both claim they miss the castle dearly already. Of course, dad thinks that's mostly because they've got to actually do some real work for once or they'll never get accepted into an apprenticeship - well not one that's worthwhile anyway."
"Oh, so they are associates then? Well that's good at least! My Aunt says getting accepted by the right guild is half the battle." A voice across from the two boys interrupted them. Looking around Harry found the girl across from him with the red plait watching them with some interest.
"Oh yes!" Ernie responded proudly. "Of course, the Macmillon name opens a few doors you know - but that's it! Mum and Dad made it a point to tell me that everyone in the family gets a good word to one of a few guilds that we have a relationship with, but once they accept you as an associate it's up to you to put in the hard work and either get yourself noticed by the right people or earn the guild's recommendation for any of the apprenticeship programs outside the guild that you want to apply for."
As the girl - who now introduced herself as Susan Bones - and Ernie continued to discuss the career plans of newly graduated family members and the merits of various guilds, apprenticeship and professions, Harry decided to tune out of the conversation - there didn't seem to be much point in worrying about what he'd do after he finished school before he'd even started it. With the arrival of plates of desert to the table, Harry took the opportunity to disengage without appearing rude.
After serving himself a small sample of two of his all time favourite desserts, Harry, with nothing better to do, took a moment to relish a spoonful of ice cream and tart before he allowed his eyes to once again rove over the staff. The newly identified Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet, one enormous hand resting on the shoulder of a young man with messy brown hair who appeared noticeably uncomfortable with the invasion of his personal space. The bald man to the left of Professor McGonagall was deep in conversation to the professor next to him; an highly animated and extremely short man with a shock of white hair.
Further along the table, a pale professor wearing a turban and displaying a prominent twitch was speaking softly to a man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. As though sensing the unwanted attention, the hook-nosed professor turned his head and met Harry's stare from across the hall with a glare. Noticing he no longer held his companion's full attention, the turbaned man frowned slightly at the social faux pas before allowing his eyes to follow the other professor's gaze. Starting slightly when he noticed the object of his colleagues' attention, this time his expression of shock quickly was replaced by one of contemplation. Under the weight of the direct gaze of two professors, Harry looked away, embarrassed at having been caught and eagerly sought the distraction offered by the food in front of him.
Finishing the last mouthful of his treacle tart, Harry let out a contented sigh as he leaned back from the table and stretched. It had been a long day and he was peripherally aware that somewhere in this castle there would be a bed with his name on it. Clearly he was not the only one thinking along these lines, as the plates were cleared away shortly after this and Professor Mcgonagall once again rose from her seat to address the student body.
"Now that we have all had ample opportunity to satisfy our hunger and to revel once again in the company of friends, kindly provide me with your full attention for just a few moments longer before you are dismissed for the night."
"First years should note that the forbidden forest on the edge of the grounds is precisely that - forbidden! The failure of any student to heed this warning will be met with swift action from myself - on top of whatever punishment the forest decides to dole out if you are truly unfortunate. This is a lesson many of our older students ought to remember." Her eyes flicked warningly in the direction of the Gryffindor table. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, our caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors"
"All clubs and teams will open their doors to new and returning members by the start of October with the exception of Quidditch which will commence selection trials during the second weekend of the term. Anyone in their fourth year or above who is interested in playing for their house team can expect to find details on the notice board in their common room from their team captain prior to the end of this week. Lastly, you will quickly notice that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is presently inaccessible."
"With almost one thousand years of wear and tear comes the need to continually assess all areas of our castle to ensure the level of degradation never exceeds acceptable levels. With that in mind, the ongoing refurbishment of this corridor is expected to last much of the school year, if not its entirety." At this, her expression broke slightly, an accusatory frown overtaking her features for only the briefest of seconds as she cast an almost imperceptible look at the bearded professor to her right.
"As I'm sure you can understand, this corridor shall be considered out of bounds to everyone for the foreseeable future. Naturally this will affect some students more than others, however, the secondary charms classroom can now be found on the left hand corridor in the previously unused room next to the Hospital Wing, and the classical languages classroom has been relocated to the fifth floor just past the clock tower. If you have any concerns about how this may impact one or more of your classes, please speak with your head of house."
"And with our notices taken care of, I believe that is time for bed. Prefects, I'll leave this in your hands." And with that she sat back down as the previously quiet hall once again burst with noise, the volume increasing exponentially with every student who took leave of their seat.
"First years, you're with us." A voice at the Hufflepuff table called over the din and Harry followed the sound to see an excited face framed by long blonde hair looking about his section of the table. The girl, noticing his look, waved happily before turning her attention back to calling over the remaining first years. Ernie and Harry quickly got up from their seats and joined the group of what looked to be at least 40 students gathered around the girl and a tall boy with pinched features.
"I'm Elizabeth Gamp, and this" - she gestured to the boy next to her - "is Henry Blishwick. We are your fifth year Hufflepuff prefects. If you ever feel lost, need advice about your homework or simply have a problem you can't solve yourself, you can always come and find us. Should the circumstances ever call for it, we'll be the ones to involve Professor Sprout - she's our head of house - to help resolve the situation."
"That's enough of that for now though" she continued. "There will be plenty of time for talking later, for now let's show you the way to the hufflepuff common room so we can all get settled in. Please follow us and stick close together"
At that, Henry led the group forward and out into the Entrance Hall, past the grand staircase and to a far corner of the room where a cleverly camouflage gap in the wall opened into a descending tunnel with multiple branching pathways that eventually spiralled into a stairwell, leading to the basement floor below.
As they exited the stairwell and continued walking up a torch lit corridor, Harry absently noticed many skillfully illustrated if somewhat generic paintings hanging on the walls. A flock of geese, a sun drenched vineyard, a large bowl of fruit. All of which Aunt Petunia would no doubt consider to be fine pieces of wall art, but which Harry couldn't help but think were nothing if not forgettable.
After walking for what felt like a further five minutes, the corridor turned into a sparse if well lit cellar. A far cry from the dim light of the torches in the corridor, several large braziers stood around the room, the brightly burning flames clearly illuminating half a dozen extremely large barrels set into stone recesses in the wall.
"And here we are!" announced Elizabeth. "This," - she gestured to one of the large barrels "is the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. In order to get in, you first have to knock on one of the barrels over there" she indicated to her left.
Harry, following the direction of her hand, was shocked to notice a group of smaller barrels stacked against the corner of the room. He could have sworn there was nothing there a moment ago when he looked. And he did look… didn't he?
"A few of you seem to be questioning where they appeared from" Elizabeth said with a wide grin. "Don't fear, you're all quite sane. Notice-me-not charm. I'm told the theory is Newt level so I wouldn't worry if you don't understand it - I certainly don't. All you need to know is that unless you already know about the trick or have them pointed out to you, your eyes will slide right past those barrels"
"Now that you know they're there, simply tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of 'Hel-ga Huff-le-puff' and that's it! Henry, if you wouldn't mind?"
Apparently not minding, Henry strode over to the correct barrel turning such that the first years behind him could see what he was doing and rapped his knuckles on it in a quick staccato. With that, the lid of the enormous barrel that Elizabeth had pointed out to them slid aside revealing the Hufflepuff common room.
Stepping foot through the entrance alongside the rest of the crowd, Harry's attention was immediately drawn to the sheer size of the space. Easily large enough to fit several hundred students, the Hufflepuff common room was an expansive setting of burnished copper, lush greenery and polished oak.
The entrance to the common room placed them atop a wide wooden balcony which ran in one continuous section around the entire perimeter of the room. Littered with book shelves, desks and comfortable chairs the balcony overlooked a veritable botanical garden of plant life that stretched down from the centre of the ceiling towards its terrestrial counterpart below. At ground level, ornate gravel pathways divided sections of garden from one another, winding their way alongside wide grassy spaces and even a few gazebos that were interspersed throughout the area.
At the centre of it all was a large fish pond surrounded by grassy banks and wide, flat stones, many of which were occupied by older students as they sat by the water, catching up with friends and enjoying their last night of freedom before classes would resume. The night sky was reflected in the stillness of the water - a section of the ceiling above was cut away in a circle to expose a view of the sky in a manner that was not dissimilar to that of the Great Hall.
All in all, the comfortable furniture and well lit reading areas combined perfectly with views of the gardens below to provide Harry with a sense of stepping out of a library and into a nature reserve.
Standing against the rail, unnoticed by the awestruck first years was a squat little witch with short grey hair and a kind face. After allowing the new students several minutes to acclimatise themselves to their new surroundings, she brought her hands together in a resounding 'clap.'
Right-o chaps, right-o. Welcome, all of you, to Hufflepuff!" And with that she drew her wand from her robes, and twisted it in an intricate sequence before jabbing it in the direction of the students. Immediately, Harry felt a slight warmth on the lapel of his robes. Looking down at himself, he immediately noticed the addition of a small embroidered crest - a badger on a black and gold background.
"I'm Professor Sprout. As well as being the senior Herbology professor, I will also be your head of house here at Hogwarts. Should you ever find yourself in need of me, do not hesitate to speak with one of your prefects. They'll know where to find me and I'll have you sorted out in a jiffy" she informed them with a warm smile.
"Now, you'll soon learn that we value tenacity and dedication here in Hufflepuff. We are not quitters! That's not to say that we don't all have our struggles, however, should you find yourself needing a helping hand you'll soon discover that your fellow students come equipped with two of them each! If you treat those around you with kindness and respect, you just might find that they'll lend you one."
"Now, you'll come to realise in time that each of the other three houses has their own set of values that they hold to. Ravenclaw, for example, idolises practicality and logic above most else. The ability to succinctly articulate your opinion without bias and with reason is considered by them to be the height of wisdom."
"In Slytherin, success is measured in your ability to network and leverage your skills. It is their unwavering belief that enterprising individuals will always find a way forward and that the cream will rise to the top."
"Gryffindor breeds an indomitable resolutness in its members. Dauntless in the face of adversity, many amongst their number hold to a deep code of honour that extends beyond the scope of written rules."
"Now, the principles that each house represents today have changed many times over the thousand years since the founders walked these halls, but one thing they do still have in common is that each set of house values wonderfully compliments those held by each of the other three. I personally would like to encourage you to find that out for yourselves and make friendships beyond just our common room."
"Unfortunately not everyone shares this opinion - indeed, it is not uncommon for members of the other three houses to look down on Hufflepuff, believing our values to be less worthy of pursuit than their own. Simply because 'loyalty' and 'hard work' aren't considered to be as alluring as 'bravery' or 'wisdom' or 'ambition', you will come across people who think us to be lesser than they are."
"Let them."
And with that statement her smile became much more predatory.
"We have won the house cup four times in the last decade. We are home to more minister's for magic than any other house. We are the current defending quidditch champions."
"And we are not opposed to being underestimated."
Following on from Professor Sprout's welcome speech, Elizabeth and Henry led the first years around the balcony to the far side of the common room to a corridor set in the wall which led to the dormitories. Separating into boys and girls when the passageway eventually forked, Harry followed along with the other boys as Henry led them up a set of stairs to a landing that he explained housed the first year boy's dormitories. With nineteen first year boys in Hufflepuff, they had been allocated three rooms - two of which would be home to six students each, with the remaining seven being allocated to the third room.
As Henry read off names from a piece of parchment he pulled out of his robes, Harry found himself following Ernie and four other students through a circular door (a recurring theme of Hufflepuff's architecture Harry was beginning to realise) into the first of the three rooms.
Their dormitory was a circular room containing six inviting looking four poster beds, each dressed in black and gold patchwork quilts and spaced evenly apart as though positioned around the sides of a hexagon. A small bedside table stood next to each four poster on one side and a free standing candelabra on the other. Several large oak wardrobes were spaced around the edges of the room, as well a doorway leading to the bathroom. Small circular wooden framed windows dotted the wall, all of them providing the same view of the common room despite the obvious impossibility of such a thing. Piled up against the foot of each bed was a trunk.
Looking around, Harry quickly spotted his trunk and walked over to the bed it rested against. Laying down on the bed, Harry revelled in the comfort of such a simple action as he stared up at the deep golden canopy above him. Today had been a rollercoaster of emotions and new experiences, so the idea that the day was now officially done and that there were no further major events to take part in brought a relieved smile to his face.
"Not bad at all, is it?" Ernie's visage interrupted Harry's view of the canopy above him. Sitting up, Harry couldn't help but agree - after the incredible vastness of the common room, the dormitory with its low ceiling, wooden furnishings, homely bedding and warm candlelight glow made for a distinctly cosy setting.
"You're not wrong. I could get used to this." He grinned back at Ernie.
"Well, given that we'll be spending the better part of the next seven years here, that's probably for the best." A new voice interjected.
Looking around, Harry noticed a boy of medium height and build with short, neatly cropped brown hair staring at him.
"Stephen Cornfoot", the boy introduced himself as he crossed the room with an outstretched hand. "Thought we might as well get to know one another - we'll be seeing a lot of each other's faces."
Taking the proffered hand, Harry, shook it. "Agreed. I'm Harry by the way."
A snort to his right grabbed the attention of the room. A reedy boy who held the bed next to Harry's had a wry grin on his face. "Somehow, I don't think you're going to have to worry about having to introduce yourself to a whole lot of people Potter - the scar is a bit of a giveaway. Wayne Hopkins, by the way."
The remaining two boys took the opportunity to chime in, revealing themselves to be the Irish born Roger Malone and Justin Finch Fletchley - a quiet wizard with curly hair and entirely non-magical parentage.
After the introductions were concluded, most of the boys gravitated towards Justin's bed, peppering him with questions about his upbringing. Although Harry hadn't been raised in a magical household, he had at least known about his heritage for a couple of years thanks to Aunt Petunia.
Ms Burbage had explained the difference to his Aunt and Uncle: true muggle born witches and wizards - those with no magical lineage on either side of their family - were extremely rare and represented a little over three percent of the magical population in Britain. The number of new muggle born had unfortunately dwindled further in recent years despite a raft of policy changes under Minister Umbridge's administration that were aimed at better managing the phenomenon.
Harry and Ernie spoke for a while longer before deciding it was past time to unpack a few essentials from their trunks and prepare themselves to end what had been an extremely long day. This was how Harry came to find himself an hour later lying in the comfort of his four poster bed. With the candles all extinguished, he lay in the darkness listening to the breathing of his dorm mates as he once again stared up at the canopy above him - once again, with a smile on his face.
The stage is set, classes are about to begin. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews!