Breakfast
Early on September 1st, the group of five met in the informal dining room for the last time this summer to share breakfast. They all felt some sadness. It was like an era was ending. Even if they had only come together as a group about ten days ago.
The papers arrived much earlier than yesterday morning and were full of apologies about Skeeter's 'unfortunate' article and she was to be blacklisted for a month by all news outlets in magical Britain for going against the agreement to only publish the hard facts about the hearing of Sirius Black.
Another article was even more impressive. It recounted all of Fudge's misdeeds regarding Sirius. How he had been the first (temporary) Hit-Wizard at the gruesome scene, how he hadn't performed a Priori Incantatum as was standard procedure that even temporary staff had learned about and how he had very obviously jumped to conclusions. How he had been the one who triggered Sirius' escape in the first place in '93, and how he had posted Dementors around a school full of children without the means to control the creatures as incidents on the train and the quidditch pitch clearly showed. And then, when he had been told by Harry Potter, of all people, who the real traitor of the Potters was, he disregarded the new witnesses but ordered a Kiss-on-sight for an innocent man. The article ended with a description of Fudge's unprofessional conduct at the hearing.
There were no questions asking if the reader wanted to have a Minister of Magic like that at the helm of their world or how such a powerful man could go against the law like that without anyone stepping in, but people would ask themselves those questions, anyway.
"Hey! Don't get decent now when we've nearly figured out our new spell!" Sirius yelled at the paper.
"Don't worry, Pads, They will slip up soon. That spell is not in vain, I'm sure. And if it only highlights stuff in old editions, it was well worth it," Remus said .
Sirius nodded, leaned back, and breathed out dramatically, "Alright. You are right."
The teens sniggered.
"Have you packed your stuff, boys?" Remus asked.
"Yes, I have. Yesterday evening, after leaving that boring party." Harry said nodding,
"We have, too. Last night. The trunks are in the storage room. In case Mum decides to check them at the last moment."
"Good thinking," Harry nodded.
"Very good. That way we can enjoy the time until half past nine. Alastor had planned to do a covert operation to get Harry to the station again, but I put my foot down. Remus will Apparate Harry, and I'll go, under the second disguise of my pendant, Apparating from inside of the house with Harry's trunk. And the twins just Apparate themselves."
"Great!" Harry nodded. "But better let the twins take my trunk or Moody will go nuts on the platform when a stranger hands me my trunk."
"Oh. You're right. Can you manage that, Gred and Forge?"
"Naturally. We practised all summer."
That was true. The twins had rarely gone one step in the house, except when they walked somewhere together with the others. And they had moved things all the time that way. It made so much more sense now to Harry.
"Good. I don't think it's a good idea to have my first public appearance in a place that is full of school children. So, I'm a friend of Remus. Half-blood and homeschooled called… Do we use my alias Paddy White again?"
"If you want some of the Order members to connect the dots," Harry cautioned.
"Yup. I want to see how many actually realise who I might be. It's a great prank, isn't it? Since I'm free now, the need for that disguise isn't as desperate as it has been, and I can always have the goblins change it. Might be a good idea to do so anyway…" he said thoughtfully, and the others nodded.
"You're right. I would have spoken up against revealing such an asset, but you're right. That disguise shouldn't be set in stone," Harry nodded.
"Nah, it's set in metal."
Sniggers all around.
"Oh, Minerva told me yesterday that Hermione's parents had wanted her to leave Hogwarts. They didn't seem to be happy with the girl's attitude. But she and Hermione managed to convince them on the grounds that this is Hermione's O.W.L. year and she is nearly sixteen. The way Minerva hedged a little, I'm afraid she did some kind of magical 'nudging'."
"Wow, this doesn't sound good. I'll ask Grobhook to check them discreetly," Harry scowled.
"Good idea, pup. Minerva probably thinks these are desperate times and those allow for desperate measures."
"Probably. And she doesn't want a second lacklustre prefect, either. And I'm sure Hermione got that second prefect badge. I mean, whom would she choose if Hermione wasn't there? Lavender? Can you imagine Ron and Lavender as the fifth-year prefects?"
They all laughed. Well, Sirius a little less so. He didn't know the girl, but she had come up in Harry's tales once or twice.
Harry added, "Though, there is the second girl dorm room with Eloise and the other three who always only hang out together, maybe one of them would do?"*
"Back to Minerva and Hermione, they are right about the fact that Hermione will turn sixteen this month," Remus said thoughtfully, and the others nodded.
"We will see what happens," Sirius said decisively.
"What happened yesterday with Dumbledore, after Molly had messed up his opening gambit?" Harry asked Sirius.
"He tried to tell me that letting her run the house was in my best interest and that I should open all the rooms for the Order. Especially the library. I agree that it's a great asset, but I don't trust anyone not to run roughshod over my property anymore. They can request Remus and I to research something if they need knowledge. He wasn't happy at all and tried to argue Molly's case, but I told him flat out that she would leave tomorrow and there was no reason to discuss it anymore. He wasn't happy. And then he tried to scold me about Harry's electives and deny their change. A comment made by me to take Harry out of Hogwarts nixed that one in the butt."
"I think that saying goes a little differently," Remus chuckled and added, "Albus has no hold on Sirius anymore. Now that he was declared innocent. Albus also tried to order me to go to the packs in the middle of the party and I told him I needed evidence that the Light did more for them than the Dark in the last decade and I needed concrete offers to bring forward. He backpedalled and tried reminding me that he had allowed me to come to Hogwarts, but he had nothing to say when I asked about all the other magical children with my affliction. He then was very disappointed in me," Remus scoffed.
The others nodded, they had expected this, after all.
Remus had changed a lot in the last few days, too. He had grown closer to the wolf within and Moony didn't like the headmaster. At all. And it bled over into Remus' mindset now and he started to trust Moony's assessment of people.
Harry then voiced the idea he had during this night, "Remus, I was thinking about a job you could do that would not get you fired because of the full moon."
"Really cub? Do tell."
"I think you could work as a freelancer or do self-employed stuff."
"And what would that be?"
"Well, you could go to flea markets and buy old broken things and repair them at home and resell them for example."
"We aren't allowed to sell things that have been enchanted to Muggles. You know that."
"But would it be an enchantment if you just repair the things with a Reparo Maxima?"
Remus frowned. "You're right. And there are ways to syphon any magical residue out of inanimate things. That idea has merit! I also could restore books or paintings after I made a name for myself."
"You just need to act very secretive and mysterious saying those things were trade secrets and not tell anyone where your workshop actually is."
"I like it! Unfortunately, summer is nearly over, and the flea-markets will dry up soon. But there are a lot of second-hand shops around. Muggle and magical," Now that Remus' mind had gotten engaged, it was firing on all cylinders. He turned to Sirius, "Would you be my silent partner for this enterprise?"**
"Nah."
Remus' face fell.
"But I certainly will be your loud partner if you'll have me! But please first tell me what a flea market is. I gather you don't buy actual fleas there?"
Harry and Remus laughed and explained to Sirius and the twins what that kind of market sold.
That was the birth of Marauders' Enterprises, with its founders consisting of Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Sirius Black, and Fred and George Weasley, naturally.
"Great! I'll have all the documents written up by Gringotts and contact you again. But we need to go soon, and I wanted to give you the things you were promised!" Sirius said grandly and gave a familiar-looking package to Harry, who grinned and put it into his wallet, and a small book-shaped wrapped present to the twins, who took it excitedly and ripped the paper right off.
"Wow! Thank you, Padfoot! We didn't expect to get this today after all the research we did about personal property and stuff!" The twins crowed.
"Remus and I stayed up late into the night to finish it. We can sleep later after everyone has left."
"Thanks! This is great!" The twins started leafing through the pages and reading about the charms in the sturdy little book.
"Come in, boys. You can read that later," Remus said grinning. "We need to get ready now. Get your trunks and meet us in the entrance hall."
*When researching the number of students at Hogwarts I found many different opinions. So, I took one that fit this story.
** The idea that Remus just opens a repair shop for something comes from another story. I don't remember which. I think he specialises in furniture in that story . It's such a no-brainer thought, wouldn't you say?
Off to the Platform
And so, they did. They met up in front of the Gryffindor flag, which always made Sirius grin viciously every time he saw it.
Screeching could be heard on the 3rd floor and therefore they immediately piled out of the house where they were awaited by Tonks and Moody.
Sirius hugged Harry tightly and then proceeded to hug the twins, much to their surprise, and stepped back saying in a choked-up voice, "Have a good time at Hogwarts, boys! See you at Yule!" and he added, "I'll tell Molly you left already. Not that she'll start searching for you three now."
The others nodded and called out, "Bye, Sirius!"
The trunks were distributed, with Tonks taking Harry's – after some protest by the twins – and they Apparated from the spot they had set up for this purpose. (Moody changed that spot every other day.)
They found the platform still half-empty, and Harry, Fred, and George immediately entered the train, to find a compartment.
As they walked through the small hallway, Harry saw Luna sitting by herself in one compartment reading the Quibbler upside down and immediately opened the door, much to the twin's surprise.
"Mind if we sit with you?" Harry asked and Luna looked up with her big blue eyes and answered, "Oh! OH! Yes!"
Harry grinned and wondered what she was seeing when looking at him, "Great! Come in Fred and George. Lee will fit, too."
"Ok," the twins entered a little confused, and they secured their trunks on the storage space, overhead. "Hi, Luna!"
"Hello Gred and Forge," she answered after tearing her eyes off of Harry.
"We will go onto the Platform again, to say our goodbyes. See you in a few minutes," Harry said, and the twins and he left again.
"Huh? There were other empty compartments. Why this one, Harry?"
"I think she needs friends, and she always looks like she could be fun to be around. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. Luna is cool. Just, she was Ginny's friend, not ours, when they were little, but we always liked her and she us, we think."
"Cool!" Harry jumped out of the train and went to Remus, who had been joined by a familiar-looking man, with light-brown hair and dark-brown eyes who was about as tall as Sirius was.
"Mr White! You came!" Harry called out.
"I promised, right?"
They heard stomping come closer and saw Moody walking toward them, his real eye examining Sirius in his disguise thoroughly. Meanwhile, his fake eye rotated like crazy, taking in everything of his surroundings.
"Who are you?" Moody barked.
"Oh, hello there, good man, I'm a friend of Lupin here. Name is Paddy White." He stretched out his hand, offering a handshake.
Moody ignored it and barked, "How do you know Mr Potter?"
"We met before Harry's third school year in his Muggle neighbourhood."
Is that true, Potter?" The fake eye looked at Harry now.
"Huh? Yes! He surprised me back then. But I met him again later."
"Is that so, Mr White? And you just happen to be a friend of Lupin, too?" The fake eye turned to Sirius now and scrutinised the man intensely.
A few seconds later Moody barked out a laugh. (He and Grobhook sound very much alike Harry thought quite randomly.)
"I see, Mr White. Well, carry on. We'll talk later."
Sirius whined, "What gave me away?"
"Except for the name? Your underwear, lad. You didn't change it."
Sirius, aka Paddy White, squeaked, "My underwear? You looked at my underwear?"
"Sure did. Best way to get the measure of a person."
"Person? You look at women's underwear, too?"
"Much more enjoyable, let me tell you."
Sirius stared at Moody as if he saw him for the first time, "Fuck me!"
"No thanks, lad. Ah, there is Molly and the rest of her brood now," Moody said and stomped off toward the motherly-looking woman.
Meanwhile, Sirius turned quickly toward the rest of them, meaning Harry, Remus, and the twins who all looked slightly uncomfortable and envious at the same time.
"Did you know about this?"
"That you are identifiable by your knickers?" Harry said grinning.
"Harry! I mean that he sees our undies!"
"I find it strange that you aren't more worried that he can see through cloth and therefore through underwear, too."
Now all four of them were gaping at Harry. Once again with rather mixed feelings.
"I mean, he can see through walls. And he must see his brain, anytime he looks to the back. So, he can probably see organs and skeletons, too. He should take up a medical profession now that I think of it."
The others looked slightly green now and Sirius said faintly, "I find it disturbing that you thought about this."
"And I that you didn't think about this."
They stared at one another for a few seconds, when a familiar voice sounded next to Harry, "Harry, here you are! We need to go. The train will leave in eight minutes."
"Huh? Why are you talking to me?"
"Harry, I'm your friend. Why shouldn't I talk to you?" Hermione sounded a bit shrill.
Harry looked at the badge in her robes and said, "Miss Granger. Please go and look after some firsties and leave me be. I want to say goodbye to my family, and you are interrupting. Go. Away."
"But Harry–"
"Shoo!"
Hermione looked understandably shocked and offended and turned around huffily to go to Ron to bully him into doing his job as a prefect.
"Huh? So, she thinks if she acts like nothing happened, all will be well?" Harry wondered and then turned to the two men, "Anyway, goodbye Remus! It was great getting to know you!"
"And you, cub. Have a good time at Hogwarts!" Remus pulled Harry into a hug and then the twins, who had found Lee too. "Now you better go and enter the train. Shoo." Remus said playfully.
On the Train
The teens chuckled and got on the train once more to go back to their compartment where they found Neville sitting with Luna, holding a strange, pimpled cactus in his lap.
Oh, forgot about that one, Harry thought.
"Hi, Neville. Did Luna tell you that we're sitting here too?"
"Hi, Harry. Not in so many words, but I saw your trunk and two others, so it seemed that there was still some space left. Hope you don't mind. I must say, though, your trunk looks much better now," Neville rambled shyly.
"We don't mind, right?" Harry looked at the twins.
No one minded.
"And yes, my trunk looks better now, right? My godfather and Remus – Professor Lupin – taught me a spell they developed that's quite a powerful repairing charm. I tried it on this trunk."
"Looks good. So, your godfather? You actually stayed with Sirius Black," Neville spat the surname.
"Yeah, he's awesome. And he really was innocent. And a Gryffindor to boot. You believe me, right?" Harry looked imploringly at Neville.
The twins nodded emphatically, "He really is one of us! And an amazing prankster. He always said he is the white sheep in his family," They grinned at Neville who visibly struggled with himself.
"But not all members of the Black family are innocent and fluffy!"
"Certainly not! You should have heard what that portrait of Sirius' mum was spewing. Vile! We learned a lot, though. But our grandmother was Cedrella Black, we learned. And she gave birth to a man like our dad. A Muggle-fanatic. And she didn't disown him."
"Huh, okay," Neville's worldview shifted a little.
Harry then added thoughtfully, "If I remember the Black family tapestry right, there was a Calidora Black, who married a Harfang Longbottom… Any relations?"
Neville gaped at Harry, "Great-grandmother Callie? But… er. Ok. Grandmother must have left Great-grandmother Callie's maiden name out when she taught me about our family!"
Harry nodded, "So, how was your summer, Neville? And yours, Miss…?"
Neville opened his mouth but then closed it again to look at Luna who answered, "Luna Lovegood. And you're Harry Potter. And we have and have not met already. It's confusing."
"Yeah. We have been friends but haven't met yet. Strange huh?"
Luna's face looked at him in wonder, "Friends?"
"Friends. We can get to know each other again and see if we want to try our hand at friendship once again."
"Sure. I'd like to have a friend. I had one once, but then…"
"We always liked you, Luna. So, you can hang out with us too. If you want to," the twins told her much to Lee's surprise (but the whole conversation made little sense, so he just kept quiet.)
"Alright," she nodded agreeably. To Harry's surprise, she didn't go back to reading the Quibbler, but looking at Neville now, "And your summer?"
"Huh? Right." Neville proceeded to tell Luna and Harry, while the twins and Lee talked about their summers to each other. Many conversations were going on at once. Sometimes they all talked together, sometimes in smaller groups until the door banged open and Ron stood in it, Hermione behind him, and barked at Neville and Luna, "You two, out!"
Neville and Luna looked quite taken aback and then looked to Harry to see if he agreed.
Harry didn't.
"What the hell? We don't want you in here. Go somewhere else."
"Language!"
"What are you on about, Harry? We're your friends. We always sit on the train together!"
Harry looked disbelievingly at the two newly minted prefects and answered, "Our friendships fell apart during the summer. Don't pretend that never happened just because we're going back to Hogwarts. You were on your last chance, Ron, and you blew it. So, please go."
"And what about me?" Hermione asked.
Harry looked at her incredulously, "You weren't on your last chance before this summer, Hermione." Hermione relaxed and a victorious smile started to appear on her face. "But you sure blew all of your chances for our friendship surviving out of the water this summer." Hermione's face fell again. "So, I'll ask you again, please leave."
"But we need to present a united front!" Hermione exclaimed.
"That would be ideal, but also a lie at this moment. Which isn't what we are about, right? We don't want to present a false image. Now, I'll ask you one last time, please leave."
"Stop talking like a ponce!" Ron had enough. "You will return to being my best mate. Dumbledore said so!"
"Did he now?"
"Ron, you shouldn't talk–" Hermione tried to stop Ron but to no avail.
"Yes! He said we would be friends for all years in Hogwarts!"
"Oh? When did he say that?" Harry asked mildly.
"Before our first year even started! So, you see? It was all…" Ron trailed off, at last noticing what he was saying and more importantly whom he was saying it to.
"… planned?" Harry completed Ron's sentence. "Thank you for clearing that up. Now, I asked you thrice to leave I believe, and it wouldn't help to call for a prefect now, would it? So, bye!" Harry waved his wand and the two were pushed out of the door and it slammed shut and locked itself.
The ones inside the compartment watched as Ron and Hermione cast spells at their door and were heckled by Malfoy of all people, making them realise the big crowd that had witnessed the whole thing in the rather small train hallway. This made Hermione yell at them that the show was over and to go away. But her efforts were futile, and in the end, she and Ron stomped away.
"Good impression the new prefects are making there," the twins said. "Really awe-inspiring and imitation-worthy."
The rest chuckled, still a bit astonished by what Ron's loss of brain-to-mouth filter had brought to light.
Outside, it looked like Malfoy was trying to decide if confronting Harry was a good idea right then as he normally would. But suprisingly, he walked away.
"Wow, you changed Harry! The golden trio broke up?" Neville asked, astonished.
"Yeah. They listened to Dumbledore first before being my friends and now I'm questioning the whole friendship with Ron from the beginning…"
"I'm sorry, Harry," Neville seemed to really mean it.
"Thanks, Nev. You know, Ron was the first friend I ever had who was the same age as me. To learn it was all a lie is…"
"We're sorry, Harry. We didn't know! But now that we think back on it, it was like Mum primed Ron and Ginny to want to be your friends. And even more so in Ginny's case. Ugh! That makes us wonder what she manipulated us about?" they asked themselves in their usual twin-speak and stared at one another, frowning.
"Do you actually understand them when they talk like that?" Neville asked in wonderment and the sombre mood broke because they all had to laugh.
"Yup."
"Yeah."
"Yes," were his answers from Lee, Luna, and Harry.
"Amazing. How do you manage that?"
Harry said thoughtfully, "The best way, in the beginning, is not to look at them and pretend one person is talking to you a little haltingly. It is in a way, you know? That's what I think, anyway."
"Oh, they are one soul in two bodies," Luna told the astonished rest. "It's a family trait."
"That would explain so much," the twins said thoughtfully.
Harry tilted his head. What did that mean? Were they each other's Horcruxes? Ugh. But then George in his LF would have been right when he said that it felt like Fred was always with him. It might have been so, quite literally. Harry swore to himself he would do his best to protect both of his friends this time around.
Someone knocked at the door, and it looked like Cho Chang wanted to visit.
Harry waved his wand and as soon as the girl entered, his ring started warning him. So, he quickly cast an air-freshening and then a bubble-head charm at his head.
He then said in a slightly distorted voice, "There is some kind of mood-altering potion vapour in the hallway. You better all use a bubble-head charm! Are you okay, Cho? Did that vapour infect you somehow? Oh dear, how would you even know! Here, let me cast a charm that dispels all potions that might have attached themselves to you!" Harry waved his wand once more, and his ring stopped warning him. "Oh, your clothes must have been contaminated, Cho! It's gone now." Harry told the others who were trying to cast the bubble-head charm with varying successes.
Cho looked rather taken aback and seemed to have lost all of her courage to go on talking to Harry, so she sobbed and fled.
"Huh?"
"She must have used one of those expensive perfumes, which make a targeted person find the wearer attractive. And you dispelled it," Neville explained, frowning. If that had been the case, it had been a very brazen attempt of line-theft.
"Oh! So, you were in no danger at all! That's good. But I find that highly offensive. It's not as bad as a love potion, right? But still!"
"Huh? What's bad about love potions?" the twins asked.
Harry looked at them in bafflement, "It's like the Imperius curse? It makes an unwilling person sleep with you. That's rape, isn't it?"
The others looked horrified, except for Luna, who nodded and said, "Cho's parents want her to snag a wealthy and famous husband. They might have invested in such a perfume."
"Wow. Now I feel sorry for her."
"Feeling sorry for her losing Cedric Diggory is alright. But her parents let her choose and if she had snagged you, she would have stopped using the perfume after bearing an heir and your life would have been miserable."
"Huh. Ok, good to know. Fortunately, there's a rule that I need to get checked for potions before I marry."
Harry looked to the twins who were whispering with Lee about something quite vigorously. He thought that they might be discussing if they should chuck that particular product line. Good.
Neville was the one to speak up much to Harry's surprise, "Heirs all need to wear a potions detection amulet on their body for this very reason and the ones of better quality can detect airborne potions. You need to get one of those out of your vault if you haven't already, Harry."
"Thanks, Neville!" Harry nodded. "Please tell me stuff like that. My Muggle relatives obviously couldn't have taught me this."
Neville sat a little straighter, "I will, Harry. I wondered, sometimes, why you did things the way you did. But as Ron never spoke up, I thought there was a reason for it."
"Yeah. Looks like the reason was to keep me in the dark?" Harry scowled.
"But why?"
"My money? My fame? I don't know."
"Do you have someone watching out for you now?"
"Yeah, my godfather, who has no need for either; as well as my account manager at Gringotts."
"That's a relief!"
"But please keep quiet that I have contact with Gringotts for the moment, okay? We're still working behind the scenes. But soon he'll make his move if he hasn't already," Harry grinned viciously.
Neville and Luna nodded earnestly, and the others hadn't listened in, they had even cast a silencing bubble.
Seeing this, Harry went on, "Luna, I have an important message for you. Would you meet me in private tomorrow somewhere in the school?"
She tilted her head and said, "Neville may listen in. He'll keep this a secret, whatever it is."
"Er, okay. Well, the goblins don't steal people with mage-sight."
"They don't?"
"No. But in the past, they taught witches and wizards how to use it and these people became independent and often worked for Gringotts then. Other people got upset about that and spread dark rumours."
"Oh! That makes so much sense! It was probably mostly women with mage-sight."
Harry shrugged, "I don't know. But the wife of my account manager can teach you. They have a great interest that this ability isn't lost to us. I don't really know why. So she'll come alone to the edge of the Forbidden Forest if you agree."
"I do go there often to visit the Thestrals. Hm."
"He said, the Nargles would tell you it was ok even if they are chatterboxes."
She giggled, took off her butterbeer cork necklace, and spaced out for a moment.
Meanwhile, Neville looked at Luna in awe, "That ability was thought to be lost."
Harry nodded, "But keep it quiet for now, okay? Who knows what people would do to get access to her? And with Voldemort back…"
"He's really back?" Neville swallowed. "I hoped the papers… but it seems like they didn't always tell the truth after all."
Harry nodded. He wasn't upset with Neville for still being disbelieving. "He is."
"Okay. Dumbledore is working on it, right?"
"In a way? He's revived the Order of the Phoenix our parents were part of back in the day."
Neville pulled out his wand and looked at it with sadness on his face.
"Nev?"
"This is my dad's wand. He…"
"Moody told me what happened to your parents."
"He did? Was he part of that group too?"
"Yes. He still is. He gave me a photograph of the Order with our parents on it. And many other people who are not alive anymore. It's quite sad. If you want to, I'll show it to you sometime."
"I'll think about it?"
"Sure."
Luna was eying the wand Neville held in the meantime and said, "It yearns for its owner. It has no bond with you."
"Huh? But my grandmother said…" Neville trailed off.
Harry wasn't sure how to address it, but Luna helped, "Your grandmother can't choose the wand for you. The wand chooses the wizard. And this one has chosen another one already."
"Mr Ollivander said the same. I mean that the wand chooses the wizard. I was in his shop for hours until I found mine!"
The twins and Lee had taken down their bubble and heard the last few sentences and the twins said, "Sometimes the wands of dead family members work for you. Or if a family member got a new wand, like Charlie. But he had a family wand before, too. Now that I think about it."
Neville looked at the wand in his hands again and whispered, "It still belongs to Dad. That's why it doesn't work right for me. I always thought I was weak."
The older boys clearly wanted to ask why Neville's dad didn't use his wand himself if it was still bound to him, but Harry shook his head at them and fortunately, they complied. Harry was sure they would find him and ask about it later, but that was okay.
"But how do we get a new one for you now?" Harry mused.
"Grandmother will never allow me to buy one," Neville said mournfully.
The twins scoffed, "Then don't tell her. We can side-along you to Diagon Alley on the first Hogsmeade weekend and you buy one. Do you have 7 Galleons?"
Neville nodded, "I do. But is that allowed?"
"We never asked."
"Uh, I don't know…"
"Come on, Neville! Live a little!"
Neville looked dubious and Harry said, "Maybe sleep on it?"
The shy boy nodded thankfully.
The rest of the train ride went without any more excitement and soon they arrived at the station, and Harry saw the Thestrals again. They made him remember the flight to the Ministry of Magic in his first fifth year and the heartache that followed. It made him determined to bring Riddle and his lot down without unnecessary losses this time.
He was pulled out of those thoughts when he heard Hermione berate Ron, "I hope you paraphrased my essays at least. I can't believe you didn't do any of your homework! You said you had before Harry came to… headquarters!"
"Come on, 'Mione! It was the summer holidays!" the fading voice of Ron whined.
Harry chuckled. Normally he had been the one nudging Ron to think of different ways to rephrase Hermione's homework – making a game out of it. He wondered if Ron had done so without him and if he knew what "paraphrasing" even meant, as he climbed into one of the carriages with Luna and Neville.
He also wondered how things had played out with all the plans Grobhook and he had made that were going to be executed today.
Welcoming Feast
On their way to their House tables, Harry and Neville said their goodbyes to Luna and went to sit with the twins and Lee to watch the sorting.
A still very harried-looking McGonagall led a huge group of first-years into the Great Hall. They were followed by just as many older students, who looked around in as much wonder as the firsties had. Huh? That many poor ones getting in now, via Gringotts and the Foundation?
"Oh, the after-war baby boom. By 1984 people started to relax by then, it looks like," the twins said, and they and their audience sniggered.
Oh. So, it's probably both, the baby boom, and the foundation at work regarding the 1st-years, Harry thought. It meant there were about eighty first-year students there and then the many older-looking ones lurking in the background.
While the very long sorting took place, Harry looked to the High Table and saw a new Dumbledore, who had never made an appearance before at mealtimes in Harry's memory. There was nothing whimsical and benign about that man at the moment. He looked thunderous. Harry cackled inside his mind.
He looked to the place the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor usually sat and saw, oh damn! Fucking Dawlish "won" the post, it looked like. So the Ministry was trying to interfere after all.
Well, hopefully, he wasn't as bad as Umbridge would have been.
Time will tell, he decided.
After the very long sorting had taken place and Gryffindor had gained at least twenty first-years, Dumbledore got up and tried to pull up his grandfatherly front, "Dear students, I'd like to announce that this year quite a few formerly home-schooled students decided to join us in these hallowed halls. Their knowledge was tested by the Ministry, and they will join the years where their current knowledge in the subjects placed them. Please welcome them into your House. Let the sorting proceed!" He clapped his hands like he was excited.
He really wasn't.
Harry clapped too. There were at least a hundred more students to sort there.
There was some fussing at the table because the children and teenagers were getting really hungry by now, but they had to wait until about 20 additional people had joined their House, with McGonagall calling out each name and year.
Other houses had gotten more new students, especially Hufflepuff House followed by Slytherin. Ravenclaw got the same amount as Gryffindor did. Probably. It wasn't like Harry had kept count. He only knew for sure that their year had gotten 3 new students, 1 girl, and 2 boys, who sat at the other end of the table for now, so Harry didn't get a close look at them. Therefore, to the 12 Gryffindors 3 more meant, they were now 15! Harry knew there had been another girl at the beginning, but her parents had moved to Canada, and she left after her first year. Now there would be 7 boys and 8 Girls. So, did that mean the boys would get a second dorm room now too? Like the girls had from the beginning? With Hermione sharing with Lavender and Parvati, and the other four having their own dorm. It was the rule that there was to be no dorm with more than 5 students per dorm. And that when more than one dorm was needed, the students would get divided into as equal numbers as possible. Like, there wouldn't be two dorms for six persons, one with 4 and one with 2 people in it, but 3 and 3.
Harry just wondered how Hogwarts would cope with so many more students. Well, it wasn't his problem to solve and so he put it out of his mind.
He knew the number of students had been at an all-time low which had been attributed to the first war with Voldemort and numbers had started to rise a little in recent years. There had been about 320 last year and with the new additions made possible by the Foundation, it was now approximately 460 which was an enormous increase in just one year!
Harry once again wondered why Dumbledore had stopped the Peverell Foundation. Hadn't Hogwarts needed the funds more students brought in? Or had that been done by Griphook without Dumbledore's knowledge? Or maybe more students just meant more teachers, and those cost money as well. But that was rather stupid thinking, wasn't it? After all, no students meant one wouldn't have to pay any teachers at all. That would be a little counterproductive, right?
The older ones of the new students were asked what made them change their or their parent's minds to switch from home-schooling to Hogwarts and some said plainly that they hadn't been able to afford the costs of Hogwarts before but that now an old Foundation had been reinstated that paid for them, as it had done so more than a decade ago.
People wondered if Voldemort had anything to do with the Foundation because it had stopped when Harry had defeated him as a toddler (as if) and now that he was said to have returned, it started paying again... Coincidence?
That idea was nixed immediately because it was made clear by the newcomers that most of the new students that the Foundation paid for were Half-bloods with a few Muggle-born and Pure-bloods sprinkled in.
Colin grew quite excited and asked around who was to contact as his dad had taken a huge loan for him and his brother to be able to attend Hogwarts, but it was very hard on the family.
All this was going on after Dumbledore had opened the feast, much to their stomachs' immense relief.
After the feast, the Headmaster welcomed them to a new school year, and told them about the new Defence Professor the Ministry had so graciously sent. Dawlish just scowled at the long tables full of students, obviously not happy with his appointment. The other new teacher was introduced as a substitute for Hagrid – Professor Grubbly-Plank . Dumbledore then made some insinuations that dark times were ahead but didn't elaborate and then sent them off to bed.
As they all left the Great Hall, McGonagall walked next to Harry and said, "The headmaster wishes to see you in his office, Mr. Potter. Please follow me."
"Now?" Harry asked incredulously, not changing direction. "What could he possibly need to see me for this evening? There's a weekend coming. We can meet tomorrow, right? And I want my magical guardian present for it, Professor."
"Mr Potter!"
"No, Professor McGonagall." Harry stopped and went to the side a little to let the other students pass while casting a privacy ward. "I haven't done anything to warrant an invitation to his office. I'm tired and stuffed with amazing food. If you insist, I'll call my guardian to take me out of Hogwarts if this continues."
"This is blackmail!"
"Yes." Harry walked on, breaking his ward, and left Professor McGonagall standing there, gaping after Harry.
Ok, I was an arrogant toerag just now, Harry huffed to himself while he walked quickly to catch up with his year mates. It just felt so wrong to get singled out right away. It also would have presented a united front to the rest of the school if Harry went to see Dumbledore the first evening. Harry didn't want that, at all. Dumbledore probably wanted to scan Harry's mind to find out if it had been him who was responsible for evicting Order members from their homes.
Common Room
Like the Great Hall, the Common room seemed to have stretched and sprouted more furniture, so all students fit in easily.
As soon as they had all entered, the 7th-year prefects called, "Please be quiet for a minute! As we have so many new students in all years, we decided on the rule that if additional dorm rooms were necessary, and there are many, the new students will be housed with the prefect of that year to help them get acclimated. You know them by the red and silver shields they are wearing on their robes. But please don't hesitate to ask anyone in the beginning. This castle can be a little confusing in the beginning. Years 2-4 have no prefects so please, all of you, take the new ones under your wings. Those years gained most of the new students, after all, next to our twenty new 1st-years," the female prefect beamed at the cluster of the tiny new students who smiled back shyly for the most part.
Her male counterpart added, "The staircases to the girl's rooms are to the left and the ones to the boy's dorms to the right. Your names are written next to the dorm room, under the year you're in. Now, I'll introduce the prefects of this year to all of you, so you know whom to ask and who is your dorm mate for the older ones. The 5th-year prefects are Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Please step forward and wave."
The two did so proudly and there were some astonished murmurs running through the crowd. Many seemed to be quite disbelieving that Ron had been chosen and expressed that quite audibly.
Ron scowled and stomped off while the 7th-year Prefect continued introducing his fellow 6th-year prefects.
Harry heard someone murmur, "Great, we got the arse of that group. And we have to bunk with that moron, too."
When Harry looked at the speaker he saw the two new 5th-year boys standing close by. So, he said quietly, "Hi, we're the other four guys in our year. You can ask us, too. This is Dean, Seamus, Neville, and I'm Harry."
Dean waved, Seamus frowned at Harry and then nodded to the two new classmates, and Neville shyly said, "Welcome to Hogwarts. And Harry is right. We'll help you too."
"Thanks! I'm John, and this is Rajiv." The blond-haired, pale, and blue-eyed boy pointed to the brown-skinned, dark-haired one with big brown doe-eyes, who waved shyly. "Hi!"
"I'm sixteen and not very studious. And more into football than quidditch. And Rajiv here just got fifteen and probably could have joined the 6th-years if he had sat for the O.W.L. exams."
Dean, who was immediately very interested in John, asked about his favourite club and soon the two were in deep discussion.
Harry grinned at Rajiv, "We've lost them now. Football is Dean's thing, and he loves talking about it but no one else does. Until now. So, what are your favourite subjects? Mine's Defence Against the Dark Arts. And Neville's is Herbology and Seamus' is Transfiguration. Especially liquids."
Seamus had to laugh at that, "Especially water into rum. But I'm not the most studious of us."
"Those would be your prefects, right?" Rajiv nodded to himself, "My favourite subject is Potions and Herbology."
Neville who had slumped a little when hearing the first perked up with the second, "My uncle gave me a Mimbulus Mimbletonia this summer."
"Wow! Really? Did you bring it? Can I see?" Rajiv transformed from shy to excited and was mirrored by Neville and the two of them also started to talk shop.
Seamus looked a little annoyed and turned to Harry, "Well, that leaves us. Do you have any idea whom we'll share rooms with now?"
Harry shrugged, "No idea. It would be great to sleep without someone's snoring, but I learned a new spell to only silence snoring and wanking. It was made for boys' dorms.
Seamus snorted, "Perfect. Whoever shares it with Ron will need it."
Dean who had caught the last sentence asked, "Need what?"
"The spell Harry knows that silences only snoring and wanking."
Dean sniggered, "Please teach us!" he pulled Neville and his new friend into the group.
Harry laughed and brandished his wand, "That spell is protected at the moment, but I'm allowed to share it with my year mates. Wands out, the incantation is..." and he taught the other five the sleep-saving spell.
Afterwards, they went upstairs to see who they were sharing the room with and found their old dorm still held Neville, Dean, Seamus, and Harry, while Ron had been moved to the new dorm room with John and Rajiv.
The Dorm(s)
They parted ways with the two and entered their room to find that it held only four beds now and a frustrated Ron, who was trying to open Harry's trunk!
"Hey!" Harry yelled. "What are you doing?"
Ron quickly turned around and nearly fell over in surprise and shock, "You scared me! Why can't I open your trunk? I need the map!"
"There's so much wrong with that statement," Harry gaped at Ron.
"I'm a prefect, and we have to make rounds tonight. So, give it to me!"
"How about no?"
"What? Why? Damnit, Harry, your temper tantrum has gone on long enough. Why don't you apologise already, and we can be mates again?"
"Did your mother drop you on your head when you were little? Repeatedly?" Harry was so done with this. "Leave this dorm. That map is mine and you will not get it. Now leave!"
Ron, who planted his feet on the ground, answered stubbornly, "No! I need that map. Without it, I'd have to walk all those corridors!"
"Tough. Now shoo!"
"Make me!"
"What's going on here?" The annoyed voice of the 7th-year prefect could be heard coming from the hallway and soon, the young man stood in their door.
"That moron tried to break into my trunk to get an item that would help him find wayward students when he does his patrols."
"He did? Weasley?"
"Yeah, I always could take Harry's things. And now he locked his trunk somehow. Make him open it!"
"Weasley! Get out of this room and if I ever hear you pulling a stunt like that again, you won't be prefect any longer. Now go and do your job and introduce yourself to your dormmates and show them the ropes."
"Me?"
"Yes, you idiot, you!"
Ron left in a huff and the older prefect sighed, "What did they think, making him a prefect? Any one of the four of you would have been a better choice..."
"I just feel sorry for Rajiv and John," Neville said quietly.
"Right. I'll ask them in a couple of days how it's working out for them," the prefect said and left to listen in at the other 5th-year dorm door.
Harry inspected his trunk and sighed, "He didn't get in," and turned around to the other three, "Want me to teach you how to ward your trunks too?"
"Yes please!" Neville said and the others nodded.
"Is there a spell, which doesn't let him inside except for an emergency?" Dean asked. "It seems silly since we shared a dorm for four years, but somehow..."
"Yeah," Seamus nodded. "I always thought he was your best mate, Harry. But after last year, on the train today, and just now – that doesn't seem to be the case anymore."
"Yeah. He's jealous and entitled. I've had enough."
"About time," Dean huffed.
Harry went to his trunk, took out a book about wards, and flicked through it, "Here it is," he waved his wand and added, "Now he only can enter in emergencies."
Outside they heard loud voices and then a door banging and someone stomping off.
"What did Ron do now?" Neville sighed.
Seamus opened the door to the hallway and looked outside and found the 7th-year prefect, Seth, coming to their door followed by John and Rajiv. He stepped aside and let the three enter.
"Well," Seth said, looking tired, "Ron Weasley isn't an adequate roommate for your new classmates. I've decided to change this immediately after listening to him blowing off any question John asked him. He even said something about Rajiv's supposed place of birth."
"That would be London proper," Rajiv looked annoyed.
"So, two of you need to switch with John and Rajiv. They said they'd happily share with any one of you. Please try to decide for yourself or I'd need to decide for you."
They all looked at one another. Not one of them wanted to room with Ron, right now. But when Dean and John drifted to one another, looking at the football posters Dean had started pinning to the wall, Seamus said, "Dean? I think it would be better if the two of us grasped that nettle. Ron always puts Nev down and he just tried to break into Harry's trunk…"
Dean looked thoughtful and said, "You're right. And we know that spell that allows us to sleep now. Ok, but Harry, please show me the spells to ward my trunk first."
"Sure. No problem. But are you sure? I could share with him, too. I'd just ignore him."
Seth nearly facepalmed, the decision to pick the youngest Weasley boy to become the newest prefect was such a bad one.
Dean and Seamus looked at one another and nodded, "Yeah, someone must, and we've lived four years in one dorm with him. It's not that bad," Dean said.
"Thanks, boys. I'll organise the elves to move your stuff while Harry teaches you that spell."
Soon after, everything was done but the six stayed in the first dorm together for a while anyway.
"You can always come and seek refuge, if necessary, right?" Harry looked at his now former dorm mates who nodded.
"Thanks, Potter," Seamus said.
Johns and Rajiv's faces turned to Harry very quickly.
"Potter? As in Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived? But you're so normal!" John gasped and Rajiv nodded along, open-mouthed.
Harry whined, "Thanks, Finnigan! I had hoped they would get to know me first before realising I share a name with that fictional character!"
"So, you aren't him?" Rajiv asked, confused. "That makes sense. You don't have the scar, after all."
"What?" Dean, Neville, and Seamus called out in surprise.
Harry chuckled sheepishly and then turned serious, "Ok, yes, I'm the Harry Potter whose parents were murdered on Halloween '81. Yes, I survived that attack. But if it was the killing curse is debatable. Who was there to tell? Not me. I was 1 ¼ years old at that time. I just said my first word a couple of weeks before that event, nothing else. The media turned it into this idiotic tale of The Boy Who Lived. Then some enterprising fiction writer took that tale and turned it into children's adventure books. Meanwhile, I grew up with my Muggle relatives away from all that hubbub. I learned about the wizarding world on my 11th birthday. Nothing written in those books ever happened. – As for my scar, I had it healed this summer. You're the first one to notice, Rajiv."
"Oh!"
"You really didn't know about our world?" Seamus asked. "But then, what was that? I mean, last year? You honestly didn't want the attention?"
"Hell no! It just fit the tales much better at that moment that people were telling everyone. I really was entered against my will into that fucking Tournament!"
"Shit, sorry, Harry! I started to believe Ron and Skeeter. But even my Mum is doubting her and the Prophet by now."
"And Ron wants the attention, so he decided Harry did too," Dean nodded wisely.
Harry nodded and looked to the thoughtfully frowning John and still wide-eyed Rajiv, "Just think of me as Harry. Not Harry Potter, alright? Harry, your class- and dormmate."
John nodded and Rajiv said, "Okay. It's good I first got to know you as just 'Harry'."
Harry grinned, thinking of Kreacher.
"But" Rajiv added, "You do know more spells than your classmates, so the stories…"
"Oh no! That is due to my godfather. He's the notorious one! You all heard about Sirius Black, right?"
"Whoa! That's your godfather? Is he really innocent?" John exclaimed.
"Yup. He was the decoy. The real traitor was someone else. But I'll tell you all about it another day, all right? I need to contact him now that I think of it."
Harry readied himself for bed and after pulling the curtains close and casting a silencing spell (the normal kind) he called Sirius to tell him about his day and Dumbledore wanting to see him and they agreed to visit Dumbledore's office tomorrow at ten. He also sent a short note to Grobhook that Luna had agreed to meet with the teacher for her mage-sight.
