The minutes they spent in the annex room felt as though they lasted an eternity. Harry stayed quiet as he waited, listening to Hermione mutter all the spells she knew under her breath and sharing an exasperated look with Draco when a red-headed boy said something about fighting a troll. He was sure that whatever the sorting may be, it would be that bad.
After a few minutes, figures of pale, stringy white light were floating through the room. Several students gasped in shock and Neville jumped so hard, he dropped his toad. Harry was initially startled but relaxed quickly. Sirius had warned him about the ghosts of Hogwarts and their tendency to forget where and when they were.
"Figured out what House you're in yet?" Draco whispered. Harry shook his head.
"But we'll still be able to study together, right? Even if I'm in a different House than you?"
"Do you really want to study together?" Draco asked in return.
"Of course." Harry said. "Why wouldn't I?"
Draco didn't have a response so he simply shrugged. "I suppose we can work something out."
Before anything else could be said, Professor McGonagall swept back into the room and had them line up by twos to walk into the Great Hall.
Harry thought that the moniker was an apt description. He'd never seen a hall as big and finely decorated. Four long tables covered the bulk of the room, obviously arranged by House sorting based on the different color ties the students on either side of Harry wore. At the front of the room, beneath a large stained-glass window, another big wooden table was placed running perpendicular to the other four tables. A golden chair rested in the center and seated upon it was Headmaster Dumbledore. He watched the first year students file in with a gentle smile.
Above them, thousands of candles burned brightly, dancing around each other as though they were being pulled along by invisible strings. Beyond the candles, an image of the night sky, complete with stars and clouds, left the ceiling itself invisible.
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside." Harry heard Hermione whisper to a small boy who looked as though he hadn't at all asked. "I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."
Harry heard Draco scoff beside him and looked at him sideways. Draco kept his gaze towards the front, focused on one single point. Harry turned back and found what Draco was looking at.
In the center of the stage, a four-legged stool sat with an old, faded hat resting atop it. The hat looked as though it was several decades old, fraying at the edges and ripped in places. Just as Harry was beginning to wonder what they could possibly do with a hat, the procession of first years came to a halt and a rip along one of the seams of the hat split open. Incredibly, the hat began to sing.
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowler's black-
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave of heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your true friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
The hall burst into applause as the Hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then went still again.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will step forward, take a seat on the stool, and place the hat on your head." The professor instructed. "Abbott, Hannah!"
Harry watched as the somewhat shy girl he'd shared the train compartment with walked onto the stage and took a seat. McGonagall placed the Hat on her head and it fell so that the brim covered her eyes. A few moments later, the Hat called out,
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah took her seat at the table, her tie having become the brilliant yellow and black stripes of her new house. A minute later, she was joined by Susan Bones. Terry Boot joined the Ravenclaw students at the middle left table, followed by a girl named Mandy. Millicent Bustrode was the first to be sorted into Slytherin, seated on the other side of the Ravenclaw table. Harry noticed that cheers for the new Slytherin student was noticeably quieter than the other two had been and he frowned slightly. Lavender Brown became the first Gryffindor of the year and the cheer was nearly thrice as loud as it was for Millicent. Harry's frown deepened.
He listened to the cheers as each student was sorted, clapping politely along with the rest of the first years as they went, one-by-one, to the stage. Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor, as was Neville, though Neville spent a remarkably long time with the Hat perched on his head before he was sorted and then was so excited that he walked off the stage still wearing the Hat.
Draco was called and Harry watched his friend walk onto the stage with exaggerated confidence. McGonagall lifted the Hat to place on his head. Before the fabric had even touched Draco's hair, the rip began to open and then, just as quickly, the Hat stopped. The brim fell to cover Draco's eyes and the hall waited in silence. There was a ripple that passed through the room. Harry could feel it emanating from the Slytherin table and noticed that both Professor Dumbledor and a greasy-haired man dressed in thick, black robes had leaned forward in interest.
After a time, the Hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!"
Draco climbed from the stool, making eye contact with Harry before he turned his attention to the sedately cheering far table where he joined his Housemates. It could have been Harry's imagination, but he could have sworn that before he looked away, Draco had glanced in the opposite direction. To the Gryffindor table.
Harry continued to clap politely as his classmates were sorted, noting where the ones he had shared the train compartment with ended up. Tracey and Blaise both went to Slytherin, and Anthony went to Ravenclaw. And then, finally, it was Harry's turn.
"Potter, Harry."
A hush fell over the crowd as Harry stepped onto the stage. He could hear a few whispers of his name and exclamations of amazement. He'd made a point of not saying his last name on the train so his classmates had just now realized exactly who he is. He copied Draco's faked confidence as he sat down, facing the Great Hall, and watched as hundreds of nervous faces disappeared from view as the hat was placed on his head.
"Difficult. Very difficult." A voice spoke in his head, old and gravelly but full of wisdom. "I see that Ignis Academy has left its mark on you, young student."
Harry wasn't sure if he could reply, so he stayed silent.
"What a mind on you; inquisitive, strong - and a fair bit of power and ability." The Hat said. "Where to put you?"
Everyone expects Gryffindor, Harry thought.
"Indeed they do." The Hat responded. "What do you expect?"
Nothing. Harry thought. I think I could go anywhere.
"And you could. You will do well in any house, but in Slytherin, you could be great."
I don't want greatness. Harry thought fiercely. I want the things I never had. Family, friends. A place to belong.
The Hat was silent for a long time. Harry was suddenly worried that he had said the wrong thing, that he couldn't be in any house. It wasn't the worst case scenario if he couldn't attend Hogwarts, he could join the yearly classes at Ignis if he really needed to, but he wanted to be at Hogwarts. He wanted to walk through the halls that had bonded his parents and his godfather together. He wanted to see and explore all that the castle had to offer. He wanted to belong.
"Yes, yes, I know what to do with you." The Hat said. Harry held his breath. "GRYFFINDOR!"
The hall erupted with cheers, the loudest that Harry had heard all night. Two red-headed boys, twins probably, were cheering from the table, "WE GOT POTTER!" over and over again. Harry took a seat at his new house table with Hermione and Neville.
"I thought I took a long time." Neville whispered. Harry simply shrugged his shoulders.
The rest of the sorting passed uneventfully. Dean Thomas and Ron Weasley both joined the Gryffindor table and Lisa Turpin went to Ravenclaw and then Professor McGonagall was rolling up the parchment and Hat and carting them away. Once she returned, Dumbledore stood up and approached the golden podium that had been placed where the stool sat before.
"Welcome, welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" He said cheerily. "Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Everyone in the hall stared at him in silence.
"Thank you!" Dumbledore gave an odd sort of half-bow and then sat back down. The students clapped with varying levels of amusement and enthusiasm.
Harry blinked in surprise. That certainly hadn't been the grand Hogwarts welcome he'd been expecting. He realized that he rather missed Headmaster Scythe's calm demeanor.
The tables were suddenly filled with massive plates of food, a good selection of some foods that had been regulars in the Ignis Academy kitchens, and a few that Harry hadn't tried before. He filled his plate and ate, listening in on the conversations all around him.
Hermione leaned around Neville and called Harry's attention.
"What was that thing you had on the train?" She asked.
"A project I'm working on," Harry said.
"It looked like pretty advanced magic." Hermione said, petulant. "Is that safe?"
"It's perfectly safe." Harry said. "I've been studying magical crafting for over a year now. I know what I'm doing."
"Magical crafting?" Neville and Hermione asked at the same time, Neville sounding amazed while Hermione seemed skeptical.
"You can do that?" Neville continued. "How?"
"It's really not that hard once you understand the theory of it." Harry said. "Though I did pick up Crafting quicker than most. I've got an aptitude for it."
"Where did you learn to do that?" Hermione asked loudly. "I've never heard of it before."
"Ignis Academy." Harry replied. "Draco and I were there together. That's why he came by, I told him about the project when I had dinner at his family manor."
"You had dinner with the Malfoys?" A new voice asked, sounding surprised and perhaps a bit angry. Harry turned to the young, freckle-faced red haired boy that was apparently the youngest Weasley sibling currently at Hogwarts. "How'd you get out of that alive?"
"I'm not sure what you mean." Harry said flatly. He didn't appreciate Ron's tone.
"They're Malfoys, Harry! As Slytherin as it gets!" Ron said.
"And why is being Slytherin a bad thing?" Hermione asked, her voice just as pointed as Ron's had been.
"Because it's Slytherin!" Ron said, explaining nothing. "There isn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."
"You're wrong." Harry said, a darkness coming into his voice that surprised even himself.
"What?"
"You're wrong. There's at least one Gryffindor who went bad. He's the reason my parents are dead."
Ron didn't have anything to say in response to that. Harry finished his meal in silence.
Once everyone had had their fill of food, Dumbledore stood again and made a short speech to formally welcome them to Hogwarts. He reminded all students that the Forbidden Forest was not just an example of alliteration and that there was to be no magic use in the a disjointed rendition of the Hogwarts school song, he wished them all a good school year and then sent them off to bed.
Harry followed Gryffindor Prefect Percy Weasley to Gryffindor tower, noting the moving staircases and twisting paths. Percy said that taking the stairs was the most direct path to the common room but it didn't seem like it would be the easiest. Neville walked beside Harry, quiet and calm. He still had his toad, Trevor, with him and the sight made Harry suddenly long for Agni.
"Are you alright?" Neville asked quietly as they filed into the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry nodded.
"I'm fine. Sorry I was a bit harsh at dinner." Harry said.
"Don't be." Neville replied. "Believe me when I say: I understand."
Harry did believe him. There was something in his eyes, a sadness that Harry felt almost as deeply as he felt his own. Then, Neville looked sheepishly at the ground.
"You didn't happen to catch the password, did you?" He asked. "I don't remember it."
"Caput draconus, I think." Harry said. Neville grinned and nodded his thanks, saying the words under his breath a few times to commit them to memory.
Percy directed them up to the dormitories. To Harry's internal dismay, the room was a shared bedroom space with a separate bathroom. Each boy had a small four poster bed, a desk, and a standing closet that they could use. Their trunks had already been placed at the ends of their beds, though Percy said they were free to switch around as they wanted. The beds were arranged in a semicircle, a cast iron fire pit in the middle for warmth. There were two beds on one side of the room, three on the other. Harry's trunk was pressed against the foot of the bed to the left of the bathroom door. Neville took the one other bed on that side of the room.
Ron, Dean, and Seamus filled in the other side with Ron closest to the bathroom and Seamus closest to the door. Once everyone had their beds picked out and had started to settle in, Harry spoke up.
"Does anyone mind if I have my familiar with me?" Harry asked. "He's a…dog."
Harry hoped none of them noticed his slight pause.
"Where is he?" Ron asked, looking around. Harry gestured to his trunk. "You have a dog in your trunk?"
"Well, he's in the library, but yes."
"He's in the what?" Dean asked.
"Sorry," Harry said. "My trunk is expanded. I built it with a library compartment and a storage compartment. Agni is in the library part, probably asleep."
"Oh."
Despite the answer, Harry could see that his dormmates didn't quite understand what he meant. In any case, Harry had confirmation that none of them would mind having Agni out, so he opened the trunk and whistled a sharp, high note. A few moments later, Agni leapt out of his trunk and landed on the floor beside Harry's bed.
"I'd offer to show you all the library, but it's kind of late and I'm sure we're all tired."
"Can we see it later?" Seamus asked. "I didn't know you could make your own trunk!"
"Alright." Harry agreed.
Agni settled on his bed and Harry spent a few minutes running his hands through Agni's fur and digging out a treat to give him from his trunk before he went to get ready for bed. Thankfully, the bathroom had private changing and shower stalls so Harry was able to shower and dress without worrying about anyone else seeing. Even after the growth potions and weight gain, he didn't feel completely comfortable with other people seeing his body.
He laid down, Agni curled up at his feet, and listened to his roommates talk late into the night. Harry didn't contribute much to the conversation, but he couldn't sleep with all the excitement in the room. Eventually, the other boys began to go quiet down enough that Harry was able to sleep, even through Ron's incredibly loud snoring.
Harry was the first of the Gryffindor first year boys to wake the next morning, a fact that didn't surprise him after years of waking early or being woken early by his Aunt to fix his family breakfast. It was a habit that he had kept up with at Ignis so he could do his morning meditation sessions while he was taking Animagus and Occlumency classes. Harry, unable to simply lie in bed and wait for the others to wake up and too anxious to meditate properly, went ahead with his usual morning routine instead. He slipped from his bed and gathered a fresh set of robes from his wardrobe before slipping into the bathroom.
He changed clothes in the shower stall that he had used before, assuming that the boys each got their own since there were five shower stalls in the room, and then moved towards the sink to brush his teeth. He stalled for a moment looking at his reflection and arranged his hair to cover the scar that he was sure would garner him unwanted attention throughout the day. Harry had made an effort to blend in rather than stand out each time he had been in the wizarding world outside of Ignis Academy. While he'd been there, his apparent celebrity status had been hardly acknowledged at all and he was just another student. He was uncomfortable with the realization that he wouldn't be able to blend in at Hogwarts, not with the apparent legend that surrounds his name. He sighed as he left the bathroom.
Neville was the next to wake up and he followed Harry's lead in getting ready for the day.
"Are you going to take all of your books?" Neville asked after he had dressed and had pulled his school books out of his trunk.
"Yes. My bag is charmed to hold everything," Harry explained. "Dead useful for carrying things around."
"I didn't even think of doing that," Neville said with an expression that clearly said he should have thought of that. Harry shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
"I'm sure you can order a bag like this one, maybe ask your Gran when you write her about your wand. I made this one while I was waiting for a few things for my trunk."
"Right," Neville looked away. Harry was doubly certain that he wouldn't be sending his Gran any letters at all. "Should we head to breakfast?"
Harry checked the time. "Sure, maybe we can get our timetables early. And I need to let Agni out before classes begin."
"Is that your familiar's name? Agni?"
The pup perked up at the sound of his name, his tail wagging. Harry could see the smoke that wafted off of the tail in a small spiral design but Neville saw only an excited black labrador puppy. Harry showed Neville the name stitched into Agni's collar.
Harry and Neville made their way down to the Common Room where a few of the upper years were already making their way out the door.
"Potter!" One of the Weasley twins cheers as Harry and Neville make their way towards the portrait hole.
"You haven't seen -" One twin began.
"Ickle Ronnikins, have you?" The other finished. Fred and George, Harry had learned their names after hearing Percy scold them for making a ruckus with the school song the night before, wearing twin grins as they spoke.
"He was still asleep," Harry answered. "Neville and I thought we would get to breakfast early."
"Remember the way to the Great Hall?" The first twin, Harry thought it might have been George but he wasn't certain, asked. Harry and Neville shook their heads to indicate a negative response.
"We'll walk you," the other twin, Fred maybe, offered. "Percy can get the others down there when they get up."
"If they wake up on time," George commented. "Ron's never enjoyed the mornings."
"Right, you are dear Fred." Perhaps Harry had gotten them turned around.
The twins filled the walk to the Great Hall with lively commentary about the castle itself and all the great things they could get up to within its walls. They explained how the stairs worked better than Percy had the night before and advised them to avoid the disappearing step on the staircase that led directly to the Great Hall. Harry and Neville were grateful for the advice, especially Neville who quietly admitted that he could be rather clumsy when he was nervous. Harry wondered if Neville was ever not nervous but was polite enough not to ask.
Harry asked if there was another way to get outside than going through the large main doors and the twins were eager to oblige, showing the boys a much simpler entrance and exit. They even stayed to make sure they could get back inside after Agni had finished his business.
Fred and George joined several other third years once they reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Harry and Neville made their way to the end of the table nearest the head table and took their seats. Agni curled up beneath Harry and began to happily chew on a large bone that had appeared on the table only moments before. Neville reached for the platter of bacon while Harry fixed his plate with two waffles, a light amount of syrup, and a handful of strawberries.
"Do they only offer pumpkin juice?" Harry wondered aloud, looking at the full goblet. He didn't mind pumpkin, but he rather thought a glass of warm milk or tea would go better with breakfast.
"You can ask for something else, if you'd like," a stern voice said from over his shoulder. Harry looked up to see the slightly intimidating form of Professor McGonagall standing behind him. "Direct your words to the goblet and a house elf will fulfill the request."
Harry did as directed. His pumpkin juice was replaced with warm milk a moment later. "Thank you, Professor."
"You're welcome, Mr. Potter," McGonagall offered a small smile. "I have the timetables for you and Mr. Longbottom here. Classes begin at 8:00 this morning."
Harry took the parchment that was held out to him and looked it over as he cut up his waffle with the other hand.
Classes for Harry J. Potter
Monday:
8:00 - 9:30 - Herbology
9:40 - 11:10 - Charms
11:20 - 12:50 - Free
1:00 - 1:50 - Lunch
2:00 5:00 - Double Transfiguration
Tuesday:
8:00 - 9:30 - History of Magic
9:40 - 12:50 - Double Defense Against the Dark Arts
1:00 - 1:50 Lunch
2:00 - 3:30 Herbology
Wednesday:
8:00 - 9:30 - Transfiguration
9:40 - 11:10 - Defense Against the Dark Arts
11:20 - 12:50 - History of Magic
1:00 - 1:50 - Lunch
12:00 a.m - 1: 30 Astronomy
Thursday:
8:00 - 9:30 - Free
9:40 - 12:50 - Double Charms
1:00 - 1: 50 - Lunch
2:00 - 3:30 - Herbology
Friday:
8:00 - 11:10 - Double Potions
11: 20 - 12:50 - History of Magic
1:00 - 2:00 Lunch
"We've got Herbology first up," Neville said cheerfully.
"Do you have all the books you need?" Harry asked. Neville nodded.
"At least for the morning classes. I didn't bring the Transfiguration book."
"We can get that before lunch," Harry turned to see if McGonagall was still near and found her handing a timetable to Hermione a few seats down. "Professor? Can you tell us how to get to the Greenhouse?"
"The 5th year Prefects will walk you there before class begins," Professor McGonagall answered. Harry nodded his understanding and went back to his breakfast as McGonagall continued passing out timetables along the Gryffindor table.
By the time Ron, Dean, and Seamus came running in at twenty till 8, Hermione had moved down closer to Neville and Harry and the three of them were discussing the first chapter of the Herbology textbook. Hermione, like many other students, seemed unable to forget that Harry is the Harry Potter, probably the most famous wizard in the United Kingdom at least, but she was at least able to carry a conversation without pointedly looking at Harry's scar or stumbling over her words. It was preferable to some others, even if Hermione had a tendency to assert that she was the holder of all the correct answers at all times.
Ron still had half a piece of toast in his mouth when Percy came to collect them for Herbology.
All in all, Harry rather enjoyed his first day of class. Herbology was simple enough given all the time that Harry had spent studying plants while he was at Ignis, but looking at them through a different lens was interesting. The plants that Harry already knew about were only the ones with applications in Crafting and a few that were used in Potions - by no means an extensive list. Professor Sprout was a kind and fair teacher from what Harry had seen so far. He didn't anticipate having any problems keeping up with Herbology, especially since very little of the class focused on actually using magic.
Charms and Transfiguration, however, were two subjects that Harry was a bit worried about. Not that he couldn't perform the magic, of course. He'd been using both types of spells for some of his work in Crafting, but that the use of a wand would now hold him back. He didn't want to lose points for performing the spells incorrectly, but he also didn't want to lose any progress when it came to wandless magic. He would need to practice extra hard in order to keep up with his wand work and wandless work.
His hopes that Defense would be as impressive as he'd heard from the older students were dashed rather quickly. Professor Quirrell seemed competent enough, but he stuttered so much it was impossible to take notes and the room smelled so strongly of garlic that it gave Harry a headache. History of Magic turned out to be the most boring class of all, taught by the ghost Professor Binns. The class consisted of hours of the most mind numbing lectures Harry had ever heard. He took to studying during History of Magic in an effort just to keep himself awake - ignoring Hermione's pointed glances in his direction.
Still, Harry's worst class was, without a doubt, Potions.
Professor Snape, the greasy haired professor and Head of Slytherin House, seemed to have it out for Harry from the get go. He asked questions that were much more than should be expected of a first year and, despite Harry getting two of the three questions correct, Snape didn't award any points to Gryffindor. The man was so intimidating that he made Neville almost cry when he scolded him for brewing his cure for boils potion wrong. Harry was certain that he would have faced the same ridicule if not for Draco.
Draco paired up with Harry for Potions, ignoring the somewhat baffled expressions of the rest of the Slytherin first years and the downright angry face of Ron Weasley. Harry hadn't been expecting Draco to be his Potions partner, but he wasn't going to complain. Draco's presence reduced Snape's insults by half and Harry would take the small victory that afforded him. Besides, Harry and Draco worked well together. Much better than Hermione and Neville.
On Friday afternoon, after Harry had cleaned up from flying class and was waiting for Draco to join him in the Hogwarts Library to finish up their homework for the week, Harry wrote to Sirius. It wasn't a long letter, just enough to let his godfather know how his first week of classes went, if he was making any friends, how he liked Hogwarts so far. He also asked how Sirius was doing back at Ignis and told him how much he missed Vulcan's Isle and the evenings he spent with Sirius there. He had just signed off on the letter when Draco appeared, joined by Blaise Zabini and a Slytherin girl that Harry didn't recognize, and Hermione and Neville.
"Heir Potter." The Slytherin girl with Draco said. Her icy blue eyes bored into Harry's. She was obviously expecting some sort of formal response. Harry wracked his brain, trying to remember an appropriate response.
Sirius had fully intended on getting Harry started with his role as the future Lord Potter, but it had required delving into some parts of Sirius' past that he wasn't ready to face yet. Sirius had very briefly explained to Harry what his childhood was like and admitted that those were the clearest memories he had now. The dementors had left those memories alone, since none of them were happy. The first time Sirius sat Harry down to discuss his future as a wizarding Lord, Sirius had had a full blown panic attack and spent the rest of the day hiding in his room, embarrassed and ashamed of himself.
Harry hadn't brought the subject up again, half because he didn't want Sirius to have to confront his traumas before he was ready and half because Harry still had the fear that if he did something wrong or pushed too far, Sirius would send him away. He didn't want to lose the closest thing he had to family. Everything that Harry had learned so far, he'd learned from a few books on wizarding etiquette that had been very boring to read.
Neville coughed awkwardly but spoke up, seemingly determined to rescue Harry. "Well met, Heir Greengrass, Heir Zabini."
"Well met, Heir Longbottom." The girl, Greengrass, replied.
"Sorry," Harry said. "I'm a bit behind on my studies as Heir Potter. I meant no offense."
"How can the son of an Ancient and Noble House be behind on his studies?" Blaise asked, taking a seat across from Harry.
"I was raised in a Muggle household until I was ten, and then I went to Ignis Academy." Harry said. "They aren't big on formalities there, so it never came up."
"I thought Cousin Sirius was going to start your lessons over the summer." Draco said from his seat to Harry's right. He'd already dug out the last few scrolls of homework that he needed to complete.
"He was, but, well - neither of us were in the right state of mind for it." Harry said, giving Draco a significant look. Draco nodded his understanding. He'd never seen Sirius have an episode like that, but he knew that they happened from the way Sirius had spoken about his sessions with Healer Michael. "Besides that, this is the first time anyone has used any of this formality with me anyway."
"Really?" Blaise seemed surprised as he looked at Draco. Draco shrugged in response.
"Like Harry said, Ignis wasn't very big on formality. There are students from all around the world there. Status doesn't mean as much there as it does here. And you sat with us on the train, Blaise. I didn't hear you introducing yourself as Heir Zabini then."
"I was following your lead." Blaise said.
"I've known Draco for over a year," Harry said. "There was no need for a formal introduction between us on the train."
"Still, as the future Lord Potter, there are certain things you should know." Greengrass stated. "The proper greeting among Heirs, for one."
"Could you teach me?" Harry asked. Greengrass looked at him in surprise. "I mean, just the basic stuff? I do know that there are certain things you wouldn't be able to teach me, but the correct greetings, appropriate ways to address Lords and Ladies, table decorum and such. Could you teach me that?"
"I suppose." Greengrass said after a moment of deliberation. "Though those lessons should be given in private." She said this with a pointed look to where Hermione was scribbling notes for a Potions essay.
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why can't you give me those lessons here?" Harry asked. "Better yet, why can't you all teach me and Hermione together? She has a right to know how she should be expected to behave in a formal wizarding setting."
"She's not one of us, Potter." Greengrass said coldly.
"She's here, isn't she?" Harry said defensively. Hermione wasn't exactly his best friend, but he didn't have any issues with her. He certainly didn't think she should be denied the opportunity to learn more about the world she was now a part of.
"Come off it, Daphne." Draco said, irritated. "You said you wanted to join the study group we have. You have to get along with Hermione if you want to stay."
Daphne huffed, clearly not happy with Draco's words.
"If she won't teach you both, I can." Draco continued. "Our families are closer in status to each other anyway."
"Really?" Harry hadn't known that.
"Yes. The Malfoys, the Potters, and the Longbottoms were all established at roughly the same time. The Potters aren't on the list of the Sacred 28 houses, but only because when the list was created, the Potters had already welcomed a few half-blood and muggle borns into the family through marriage. The other families on the list were still entirely pure blooded. Still, your family holds a seat on the Wizengamot and is recognized as an Ancient and Noble House."
"The Potters and the Longbottoms have been allies for generations." Neville said, blushing slightly when they all turned to look at him. "Each new Lord Potter and Lord Longbottom has formally renewed the alliance for the next generation. We'll be expected to do the same once we take over our Houses."
"That's part of why Crabbe and Goyle are with me so much," Draco said. "They both belong to families that are vassals to House Malfoy, which is a bit like an alliance, just with more requirements of the lesser House."
"That…seems like a lot." Harry said slowly. He caught Hermione's eye across the table and noticed with relief that she seemed almost as overwhelmed as he felt.
"It can be, but we'll help you keep it all sorted." Blaise promised. "Did you finish the essay for Flitwick?" Blaise asked, turning their collective attention to the homework that they had come here to finish. Harry pulled out his completed essay and handed it over to Blaise, letting him scan through it.
Daphne remained a mostly silent participant in their study session, the six of them were able to finish their homework for the week with plenty of time left over to enjoy their weekend. Draco and Harry were the first two to finish their homework so they turned their attention to Harry's hoverboard project. Harry let Draco double check the runes that he had finished applying. Both of them ignored Hermione's eyes on them as they worked. By the time the study session was over, Draco and Harry were certain that the hoverboard was as good as it was going to get for the first try and agreed to meet up in the morning after breakfast to test it out.
The group separated for dinner, each of them going to their own House table to eat. Agni, who had been off exploring the grounds while Harry was doing his homework, met Harry at the Gryffindor table and curled up beneath his feet. Harry gave the pup a bone to chew on and checked that the collar wasn't too tight on him. Agni had grown a bit since Harry had finished the collar, and though he trusted that he had applied the growth runes correctly, he still wanted to make sure that his familiar wasn't uncomfortable in the collar.
Harry ate quickly so he could stop by the owlery before going to bed. He sent his letter off to Sirius with Hedwig before he climbed the steps to Gryffindor tower. Rather than going to bed straight away, Harry joined a few games of exploding snap with Neville, Hermione, and the Weasley twins. They played games and ate candy that twins had smuggled in until late in the night.
As Harry finally climbed into bed, the first year dormitory silent except for Ron's snores, he mentally reminded himself to look into a ward or rune or spell that could soundproof the area around his bed.