Harry awoke relatively easily, the magic he applied last night to wake only him up working as intended and then stopping. Sitting up and looking out the window, he saw it was bright and early, the sun's rays were beginning to crest the horizon. Looking around, he was briefly confused as to where he was before he remembered.
"Oh yeah, we're at Hogwarts, hehe." He joked, not at all used to being in the castle. In all honesty, he was not looking forward to it.
"Still pretty early, so I think I have time." He spoke to himself softly. Gently getting out of bed, he stretched before checking on his roommates. Confirming they were still asleep, Harry waved his hand, the messed up bed making itself in an instant. Checking himself, Harry was not surprised when he found a few different spells and charms on him, mostly compulsions and tracking charms.
"Nice try you old fuck." He thought before effortlessly removing them. Throwing on some clean clothes, Harry applied a few different spells on him. Silencing, invisibility, everything that would ensure he could reach his destination in peace.
"Why the fuck do we have to go to school in a fucking castle of all things? Just a waste. Not to mention making it a boarding school makes no sense, what with portkeys, the floo, apparation, etcetera. Just another way to keep first generation students in this shithole." Harry cursed to himself as he made his way down the halls. The stupidity and lack of common sense of European magicals was down right sad when he took it in up close. Then again, he expected nothing less of a society who never bothered to actually think hard about anything, and instead just enough brain power to wave a wand to solve the current problem.
Admittedly the castle was nice though.
Eventually, Harry made his way to his destination: the second floor girls bathroom. Heading to the sinks, he smirked when he saw the serpent engravings on one of them.
"Fucking dumbass."
"Open." He hissed, and sure enough, the bricks and plumbing peeled away to reveal an old slide, one covered with mold, slime and God knows what else.
"Ugh, gross. Not touching that." He muttered as he rolled his eyes in disgust. Applying some spells to repel the muck, along with some anti gravity spells, Harry slowly made his way down.
As he did this Myrtle could only watch confused as a hole appeared in the bathroom wall and nothing else.
Harry made his way to the bottom of the slide. It was nearly pitch black, with the only source of light coming from the slide and a few beams of light breaking through the cracks scattered around. Placing some spells on his eyes, Harry blinked rapidly, eyes adjusting to the now bright and crystal clear room. Looking around he saw a few shallow puddles of dirty water, a couple large basilisk skins, and dead ahead was the large pompous statue of Salazar himself. Making his way to the statue, Harry winced as he applied a spell to resist the basilisk petrification, feeling the strain of so much intense magic cast by him. He had to find a time for he and Hermione to train in private, as while they were incredibly powerful, they knew that they were barely scratching the surface.
After all, while magic had little to no limits, there bodies did.
"Hello?" Harry called out, hoping to get the basilisk's attention. Sure enough, the sound of stone scraping filled the chasm as the statue's mouth opened just a crack.
"Who is there?" A deep but feminine voice called from the statue. Forcing her way through the statues mouth, Harry couldn't help but swallow nervously at the sheer size of the basilisk. She was easily seventy feet long, possibly eighty, with a thick body at least three feet across. Her jaw was lined with numerous fangs, each one easily a few inches long, with some nearly a foot long he swore. She was semi dull lime green in color, with a ruby red 'crown' of quills atop her head, complete with piercing yellow eyes that stared directly into Harry's emerald ones.
All in all, she was a majestic basilisk, one befitting the moniker King of Serpents.
"Holy shit you're big." Harry cursed, watching the serpent as she made her way towards him.
"Why are you here speaker? Here to force me to wreak havoc among the school? Like the other student Riddle all those years ago?" The basilisk all but spat out, pure disdain and disgust clear in her voice, along with hints of sadness.
"In a sense. May I have your name?" Harry asked, bringing a hand to her head, with the basilisk melting under his touch.
"Salazar called me Blinky young speaker." Blinky got out, eyes rolling into her head as Harry scratched her affectionately. Poor thing, last time she was ever shown love was probably when she was born.
"Awww, that's a cute name. I am called Harry. Anyway, I'm here to make a deal with you Blinky." Harry cooed, going right to the point.
"And what is this deal speaker?" Blinky asked, practically shoving Harry to the ground in her quest for more scratches. Almost like a big scaly dog.
"In around a year or so, a student will be possessed by your previous master- Harry began.
"The one known as Riddle?" Blinky growled out, making her hatred of the other Parseltongue known.
"Yes, that moron. He delved into the darkest magics you, Salazar and himself could know or find, and found a way to stay alive after dying, although it won't matter in the long run. His method will possess a student and he will use them to control you and as you put it, wreak havoc among the school." Harry said, his voice softening as his scratching slowed a bit, Blinky's head now on his lap.
"In another universe, you were possessed and despite controlling one of the most dangerous beings in Europe, Riddle completely failed to kill anyone. The me of that universe came here to try and save the possessed student and while I succeeded as well as killed the shade of Riddle, it nearly cost me my life and I was forced to take yours." Harry said, feeling Blinky stiffen up at the mention of being killed in another universe.
"I would like to avoid that in this universe. The current headmaster known as Dumbledore, his actions would have eventually led to the death and suffering of hundreds, and ultimately, Magical Europe would have been wiped off the face of the globe. I have many plans to both avoid that future, as well as enact justice for his actions and expose him for the monster he is."
"In the other universe, he knew you were released and despite his power, did absolutely nothing and let you petrify innocent students. You even bit me and he didn't let me recieve any medical attention. He never faced any consequences for his lack of action. This was the tip of the iceberg of his list of crimes." Harry said, gently lifting Blinky's head up, enough that they were face to face.
"What I would like for you to do is allow me to place a set of spells on you. They will allow the shade of Riddle to believe he controls you when in reality, no other speaker can ever control you again. You will pretend to do his bidding and when he sets you loose, you will petrify a few students. Myself and my mate will then 'solve the problem' and start ruining Dumbledore's reputation." Harry offered, running his hand through Blinky's crown.
"In return, if you wish, I will arrange for you to move to a nicer, more hospitable place for your kind. More food, sunlight, everything that you would like. What do you think?" Harry asked, offering up Blinky's reward if she accepted.
"Hmmmm. Your terms are mostly acceptable, although if you can, I would still like to visit this chamber every so often. While I do wish to leave, I still call this place home." Blinky asked. While she did wish to leave this place for a time, she still lived and grew up here for hundreds of years.
"I can do that." Harry agreed, not wishing to completely cut her off from her home. After all, he would hate it if he was completely cut off from where he grew up.
"Now answer me this Harry. There is more to your story. While I do not wish for the death of hundreds either, it does not seem like the sole reason." Blinky said, more than aware that this was not the sole reason. Harry sighed.
"In the other universe, Dumbledore ruined my entire life. He set me up to be abused for over a decade, he and a few of his minions enslaved me and my soulmate to people we either hated or didn't even know. Even then, his ultimate plan was for me to die anyway, even after all those years of torture and suffering. I will not let him get away with that, along with all the suffering others will deal with due to him." Harry all but screamed, his pure hatred for the headmaster brought forth in an instant.
"Your deal is acceptable Harry. I will help you and your mate in your quest." Blinky said, now willing to help Harry in his quest. As the guardian of Hogwarts, if Dumbledore threatened it and her students, she was all too willing to help fight him. Harry immediately applied the spells and despite being completely unaware of what she was experiencing, she knew that Harry was upholding his end of the deal for now.
"Thank you Blinky." Harry said softly, placing his forehead against Blinky's. They sat like that for a few minutes in silence before Harry eventually got up.
"I must leave now, as everyone will be waking soon. If you're willing, my mate would like to meet you soon, as well as another serpent that I will bring over soon." Harry offered, slowly floating back up the slide, reapplying his secrecy spells. Once he made it out, he closed the entrance back up before heading back to the Gryffindor Common room.
"I am looking forward to your visits Harry." Blinky said before going back into the statues mouth, sleep taking her into its embrace for now.
"Where were you Harry?" Hermione asked, coming out of the Fat Lady's portrait, holding onto both her and Harry's wands. Dressed in her transfigured school robes, she subtly waved her wand and hid them, allowing Harry to transfigure his robes and gaming him his wand.
"Exploring the grounds, getting a feel for the castle." Harry said, waving his wand and undoing Hermione's secrecy spell. To everyone else, it was if Harry was always there.
"Good idea. What else did you do?" She whispered. It went unsaid that she knew that he was sneaking around.
"I talked to the basilisk in the Chamber. Her name is Blinky and she agreed to help us ruin Dumbledore's name next year if that diary shows up. In return I promised her freedom." Harry whispered back.
"Nice, I'd love to meet her." Hermione asked. While the fact Harry would have to translate everything would be a tad annoying, the prospect of talking to an ancient basilisk was something one didn't do every day.
"I told her that, and she'd like to meet you as well." Harry smiled, wrapping an arm around his soulmate's shoulder and bringing her in for a side hug.
"Awesome. Alright, let's head down for breakfast." Hermione ordered, practically dragging Harry along.
Down in the Great Hall, Harry and Hermione sat down amongst their fellow Gryffindors, the semi crowded table giving them a few places to sit in peace. Thankfully, according to Dean, Weasley was still sleeping like the dead, much to their relief.
"Ugh, must everything in this dang castle be so unhealthy." Hermione groaned, poking at an especially greasy looking, well, she had no idea what it was. It was a common sight across the whole table: almost every single piece of food looked unhealthy in some capacity.
"You're telling me. Doctor is gonna have a field day with this. Gonna have to have mum send me food over with Hedwig." Harry moaned in sadness before taking a few pieces of fruit. Thank God they couldn't fuck that up. Hopefully.
"Good idea. Hey, at least they can't screw up fruits and vegetables." Hermione agreed, following Harry's example and grabbing a bunch of different fruits and taking a bite out of an apple.
"Yeah, gonna text mum before classes start for the day. Lunch and dinner for the day and the rest of the week should show up soon." Harry said, pulling out his phone and sending the message.
If there was any one thing Harry loved about magic and technology being combined, it was the fact he could get internet/cell service practically anywhere. Well, except for Point Nemo and a few other rare locations, but it's not like he'd be going there.
"Yup. Alright, let's get our stuff and get this over with. I'm not looking forward to getting an education decades or even centuries behind most of the world." Hermione said, having eaten their fill. The fact Weasley was now making his way towards Harry was also a good motivation to get out. They both knew that between Harry and the food, Weasley would choose the food, especially since he was one of the last ones to show up.
Speed walking past Weasley, they didn't even spare him a glance.
"Wanna just ignore the lectures and do the bare minimum?" Harry asked. Considering how they had no intention of staying once they were free to leave, he honestly didn't see too much of a point in actually trying here. Especially since most of what was taught here would most likely be out of date or straight up wrong.
"Yes to ignoring the lectures, hell no to the bare minimum. If I'm going to be forced to learn here for a few years, I'm showing these stupid inbreds how dumb they are and we're getting top of the class." Hermione ranted, giving Harry a mock glare. He could see where she was coming from and he liked it.
"That's my girl." He praised, giving her a few light pats on her shoulder.
Herbology with Hufflepuff was their first class, and it was relatively uneventful. Just more of the same information Harry and Hermione knew about, albeit somewhat outdated. The duo checked for charms on Sprout and to their expectations, there was no magic affecting her.
The duo gravitated towards Susan and who they inferred was her friend Hannah, forcing Weasley to buddy up with Dean and Seamus. All throughout class, Sprout lectured them on what was expected of them for this year, as well as a brief recap on what they knew. Harry and Hermione looked around and saw all the various first gen or non magical raised looked completely confused at a few various techniques. It was clear that these were techniques that were exclusive to magical plants and they had no idea what Sprout was talking about and obviously not in their textbooks.
Charms was alright and slightly more bearable. Professor Flitwick fell off his stack of books comedically when Harry came in the room for charms with the Ravenclaws like their counterparts, but this time, Hermione did not try to answer every question as she did not need the validation any more, considering how they knew both of them were leagues smarter than a majority of the adults there.
Flitwick was admittedly more bearable than Sprout, as like Sprout, he lectured them on what was expected of them for the year, along with recapping what was thankfully in their assigned textbooks. Thankfully, this was something that almost everyone had an idea of, with Weasley being one of the only few exceptions. No surprise considering he never read his books beforehand in the alternate universe.
Like Sprout, nothing was affecting the diminutive professor mentally.
Transfiguration was where things got a little interesting. Harry and Hermione, like the other first gen, were the first to arrive to class, which was paired up with Slytherin. As they were the last first gen to arrive, they sat somewhere in the middle of the class, as the front had been taken by the other first gen, just like the other classes so far. In the front of the room was a cat and the duo knew that it was McGonagall. Hermione shot Harry a shit eating grin.
"So, how is your mum doing?" Hermione asked, her voice slightly above a whisper. Loud enough that McGonnagall would definitely hear along with a few other first gen.
"She's doing great. Got a letter regarding my previous caretaker." Harry said, bringing out pen and paper, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cat's ear twitch.
"Oh really? What did he do this time? Apart from child abuse?" Hermione asked nonchalantly, following Harry's example and bringing out her writing supplies as well as the appropriate book.
"He's still convinced that he's done nothing wrong and that he doesn't belong there." Harry said mockingly, making a face as he scrambled for his textbook as well.
"Good God, how fricking stupid do you have to be when you think there's nothing wrong with abusing, starving and beating a child." Hermione said a little louder, fury etched on her face as she squeezed her desk in righteous anger. Harry bringing a hand to her shoulder brought her out of it.
"Very stupid. Fortunately the other prisoners don't take kindly to child abusers." Harry said calmly, letting the fact Vernon was beaten himself known. The two teens took great satisfaction in that.
"Good. What about his wife?" Hermione huffed, putting her phone on silent.
"From what I heard, she's constantly getting torn to shreds over what she let happen to me, as well as letting their kid turn into such a brat." Harry chuckled. Absolutely no love was lost between him and Petunia.
"To shreds you say?" Hermione quipped, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh you." Harry teased, giving her a light nudge in mock annoyance.
The duo made small talk amongst themselves and the few students around then. The first gen were asking about various non magical topics, while the purebloods were asking them various magic related questions. Harry and Hermione of course gave more attention to the non magical questions. It only took a few minutes, but almost everyone was in the classroom. The only students missing were Weasley, Neville and a few Slytherins.
"Don't you find it weird how first gen are much more eager to learn magic than the other universe?" Harry asked, pointing out the obvious fact. In the alternate universe, from what he remembered, first gen and non-magic raised half bloods didn't really give a crap about learning magic. Then again, his doppelganger was Ron's doormat: safe to say if his other dumb ass self wasn't obsessing over and enabling Weasley, he would've noticed the other students and such.
"I mean it makes sense when you think about it. They spent thirteen years thinking magic was fake and all of a sudden they're able to learn it. Even if I was less studious I'd be eager to learn all I could. Frick you're alternate self read all your books and wanted to do your summer homework beforehand before that jerk ruined you." Hermione rambled, bringing up a few good points. The other Harry devoured his school books when Ron wasn't in the picture, was eager to learn actually. He tried to do his summer homework. Before fourth or fifth year, he couldn't remember, the other Harry was actually a pretty studious student without Ron's influence.
"How much you want to bet it'll only be him who is late to class?" Harry whispered, noticing that like last time, Weasley was going to be the last, briefly looking at Neville as he shuffled in. The poor teen made it just before the bell went off, slightly out of breath and his materials a mess.
"No bet." Hermione retorted, shaking her bushy mane.
And lo and behold, Ron was the only student who was late. As all the seats were taken, specifically around Harry, Ron was forced to the back of the class, next to Neville. However, in his vast wisdom, he ran his mouth at the lack of a teacher.
"Man, I'm so glad old McGonnagall isn't here. I can only imagine the look on her face." Ron said towards Neville, ignorant of the fact the chubby teen wasn't paying any attention to him. As the redhead rambled, the cat made its way towards him and in a move that surprised almost everyone, it transformed into McGonagall. Jumping in his seat a little, Ron could only sit there in fear as he looked up at McGonagall as she looked down on him with annoyance and a tiny bit of fury.
"You're late Mr. Weasley. Perhaps I should transfigure you a map so you don't get lost anymore." She huffed before stalking away and began addressing the classroom. McGonagall, like Flitwick and Sprout, gave a recap of what they should have read in their books so far, along with what they'd be doing over the year.
Like Sprout and Flitwick, nothing was affecting McGonagall. Despite expecting nothing less, the duo couldn't help but literally growl in agitation. Here was a woman who was ultimately more responsible for the students than Dumbledore, yet she let so much suffering of the students occur, Harry in particular.
DADA was more worthless to Harry and Hermione than the other classes. The fact that Quirrell was getting on their nerves with his obviously fake stutter, along with the fact Voldemort was on the back of his head didn't help things either.
Seriously, how the fuck did Dumbledore let this happen 'on accident'? To pass the time, they opted to flip Quirrell and Voldemort the bird when Quirrell wasn't looking. That'll rile the dumbass dark lord up.
Potions was where the real fun began. Harry and Hermione sat together in the front of the class, the first step of their plan. Looking to behind them, they gave Daphne a small wave and small, which she subtly returned. Mouthing a 'we'll talk later' to her, the duo turned back to the front of the class, awaiting the professor they least looked forward to.
This was a man who despite everything, chose to be an absolutely horrible human being. He knew the abuse the other Harry suffered and still chose to abuse him. He could've been the better man and helped Sirius be free, but he chose to let an innocent man continue to suffer when he paid his dues. Ripping Harry's mind asunder and letting Sirius be killed amongst many other terrible things.
Soon enough, Professor Snape entered the room, practically slamming open the door. Everyone immediately shut up. He was a tall, dour man, with greasy black hair, beady eyes and large, almost hook like nose. All in all, a horrible appearance that suited his heart.
"Sit down everyone," he said, in a clear, crisp voice, "Now!"
He had obviously ignored the fact that the students were already sitting down.
Snape's cloak swished back and forth as he walked toward the front of the classroom. When he arrived at his desk, he picked up a roll of parchment, then turned to the students. He began the roll call, merely moving onto each name and barely listening when someone said 'here' or something similar.
Then when he reached Harry's name – he paused.
"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity." He practically spat out, a sneer on his face.
If Snape was expecting a reaction from Harry or the other students, he didn't get it, although a few Slytherins snickered. Snape looked around at the students. Obviously he had expected them to react differently. He then gave the barest of shrugs and merely continued with the roll call. When he continued, he set the parchment on his desk then looked at all the students.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
"Potter!" Snape said suddenly, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"I don't know sir, it wasn't in the assigned textbooks for this year." Harry answered in monotone. He was correct too, having read the assigned textbook completely twice. Snape grimaced at the obvious fact Harry pointed out.
"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" He sneered.
"Bezoars are formed in the stomach of a normal goat, and are used to cure most poisons. There are also theories that bezoars formed in magical variants of goats can perform both better, as well as curing poisons the standard bezoar cannot." Harry said, his voice a bit more lively. It was true. In Japan, there was a study that depending on the diet, as well as the magical goat or part goat creature, said bezoar would be much more effective at curing certain poisons than others. As of now, it was nothing concrete but it was yielding promise.
"What is the difference between Monkswood and Wolfsbane?"
"I don't know sir. Like I said, it wasn't in the assigned material."
"Hmph, barely acceptable. Well? Why aren't you writing any of this down?" Snape barked at the rest of the class, turning around before briefly stopping.
"Potter! Granger! What is this?" He all but screamed, rushing towards their desk and pointing out their white paper and pens.
"A paper and pen we're using to write down the notes, sir." Hermione answered, raising an eyebrow in mock confusion. While she knew exactly why he was furious, playing dumb and watching him get mad was better.
"Not in this classroom. You use parchment and quills like everyone else." He sneered, staring the duo down in a vain attempt at getting his way.
"No." Harry said simply.
"Excuse me?" Snape asked, thrown off guard at the refusal. For the twelve years he's been bullying students, not one refused him.
"I said no. We refuse to settle for inferior, less efficient options when this is working fine and better. I wonder what the Profit would say when they find out the potions professor is discriminating against The-Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry talked back, crossing his arms as he stared down the petty man.
"Are you threatening me Potter?" Snape said slowly, grabbing the desk and lowering himself to Harry's level, fingers digging into the wood.
"Until you push me far enough, it will remain a threat. Piss me off, it WILL become a promise." Harry fired back, unphased by Snapes presence right in his face. Harry raised an eyebrow when he felt Legilimency try, and fail, to breach his mind. Thank God for the necklace protecting his mind. Feeling cheeky, Harry let the briefest of images to come forth.
As Snape attempted to peer into Harry's mind, he was raging internally. Not in one minute and the spawn of James and his little girlfriend were already pissing him off. His mere presence, the muggle tools and back talking him were driving him into a rage. Before he realized it, he was getting something.
"Well I'm proud to be an American, where at least I have AC."
"And I won't forget, the Brits who died, in the heatwave of '03."
"And I'll gladly sit down in my room, and enjoy that sweet cold air."
"That hot hot seethe and Euro cope."
"God bless my Frigidaire!"
Before he could entertain the insanity that was in the Potter brats mind, Snape pulled out, pure fury on his face. To add insult to injury, Potter merely tilted his head innocent. Growling, Snape merely left, robes billowing
"Absolutely fuckwad." Harry thought as Snape stalked off, opting to instead terrorize the rest of the class. Harry and Hermione flipped him the bird once his back was turned.
The duo went about their business in class. To their surprise, Snape threw them into the deep end, a complete departure from the other classes. No safety precautions, no recap of what they read or expectations. Hell, he didn't even bother to know if any of them could brew in the first place, left alone prepare their ingredients.
Looking around, they were unsurprised, (and proud) at the fact all the first gen or non magical raised were doing absolutely nothing. They weren't cutting their ingredients, looking at their books. Absolutely nothing, and the scared and nervous looks on their faces said everything they needed to know.
On the opposite side of things, all the purebloods and magic raised were acting as if they were at least halfway familiar, with Neville and Weasley the only exception. Weasley looked like he was in the same boat as the first gen, while Neville was visibly nervous.
This was unfortunately his undoing as with shaky hands, he put in just a bit too much of an ingredient and before anyone knew it, his cauldron practically exploded in hot potion.
"Agh!" He screamed, falling to the ground in agony at the hot liquid covering his face, arms and soaking his robes.
"Idiot child! Someone take him to the infirmary!" Snape yelled, not making even the slightest attempt to try and help the suffering teen and instead focus on cleaning up the potion. Immediately and wordlessly Harry and Hermione went for the pudgy teen. Channeling magic into their bodies, they brought him up to his feet and virtually effortlessly. Bringing him out the classroom, the duo listened to the whispers of the students.
"What a bloody jerk! Kid is in pain and suffering and the first thing he does is scream at him."
"Oh my God what an absolute piece of shite."
"I did not pay for my teacher to scream at me, single me out, and refuse to even teach in the first place."
"I know right? All he did was say follow the instructions on the board. I never made a potion in my life. The whole time I was expecting what happened to Longbottom to happen to me if I even attempted the potion."
"Honestly, why is he even a teacher if he refuses to actually teach and scream at kids?"
"I don't know, but all I know is someone doesn't care about our potion education."
The duo both knew that nothing was affecting Snape and although they hated it, his punishment would have to wait, as they needed proof of his wrongdoings.
Breakfast the Next Day
It was breakfast the next day. Neville made his way back to the dorms shortly after dinner the previous night, Pomfrey taking a few hours to heal up the poor teen. Being the mostly nice teens they were, they saved the grateful teen some food. After making some small talk with Neville and almost every other Gryffindor (they barely interacted with Weasley and only when necessary) they eventually went to bed, having a bit more insight as to what they were dealing with. As expected, it was nothing good.
They went to breakfast a little later than usual the next morning, having been caught up in one of their video games. The Great Hall was moderately crowded and thankfully, there were a few spaces with just enough room for them, and Weasley, who was still sleeping, would be forced elsewhere. Looking at each other, the decided to sit with Dean and Seamus this morning.
"So, how's everything going with you two? Having fun yet?" Hermione asked her classmates, a sly grin on her face at the rhetorical question.
"Oh it's brilliant! Wasn't one for reading growing up but I already read all my books about magic. Just, I can't describe it." Dean said, a wide smile on his face.
"Me too. First chance I get I'm going straight to the library. What about you two?" Seamus agreed wholeheartedly. The duo talked to Harry and Hermione mindlessly, wager to share their enthusiastic thoughts about their schooling. Time was apparently flying as soon enough, the Great Hall and unfortunately, Weasley was a few seats away from Harry.
Dean and Seamus were soon interrupted by a sea of owls rushing in, every single one carrying a letter or package.
"Ah, mail is here." Harry muttered, stating the obvious. He and Hermione chuckled lightly when, with almost comedic timing, every single owl practically hugged the walls, making way for Hedwig, who was carrying a decent sized bag. Landing in front of Harry, she nuzzled into his and Hermione's chests and practically melted at their scratches.
"Still no letters Harry?" Hermione inquired
"Not at all. At this point I'm convinced someone is stealing it." Harry said, throwing a rumor out into the world willingly.
"What makes you say that?" Neville asked.
"I'm one of the most popular people in Magical Europe and the only letter I ever received from a magical person and or place was my Hogwarts acceptance letter. Fuck, I didn't even know I was a wizard until I got my letter." Harry deadpanned, pointing out something his other self was too dumb to realize.
"That is weird." Neville agreed, a look of understanding on his face as the surrounding students murmured and gossiped amongst themselves.
Good, another point in his favor.
"Yeah, when I find out who's stealing my mail, I don't care who it is, heads are going to roll. Hey Hedwig, how ya doing girl?" Harry asked, rubbing a finger under her beak.
"I am well. I have brought your meals for the week, Manda and his tank and your mother is doing well." Hedwig said in Parseltongue. Most of the other students didn't pick it up, save one. Out of the corner of his and her eyes, Harry and Hermione saw Weasley flinch, ever so slightly. Shrugging it off for now, the duo turned back to the beautiful owl.
"That's good to hear. Here's some bacon girl." Harry cooed, giving the wyvern in disguise a few strips before she flew off, vanishing into the distance in seconds. The other owls immediately finished their deliveries and got out as fast as possible, not keen to stay in the scent of the apex predator.
"What's in the sack Harry?" Neville asked, pointing at the sack that was now squirming around, indicating there was something alive in there.
"My pet snake." Harry said nonchalantly, ignoring the gasps of the Gryffindor purebloods as he untied the bag.
"What?" Neville stammered, thrown off guard at the fact Harry had such a 'dark' animal as a pet. Sure enough, a very long Burmese Python slithered his way out of the bag, the expansion charms allowing him to be held. At around 11 feet in length, the brown serpent coiled around itself in front of Harry, staring right at him.
"Here we go buddy. How was the flight?" Harry asked in Parseltongue, he and Hermione ignoring the violent flinches and gasps of the purebloods around him. The only one wasn't that bad was Weasley, but that was expected considering how it was obvious he was a Parseltongue too. Meanwhile the first gen were relatively unaffected, opting to instead look at the large python in wonder.
"Damn wyvern. Never heard of restraint. I'm fucking cold, even with the warming spells." He cursed in a deep New York accent, pissed off at Hedwig. Even though he knew it wasn't her fault he needed to vent.
"I'll talk to her next time. C'mon, you can wrap up with me." Harry offered, extending an arm to his reptilian companion. With practiced ease, he made his way up Harry's arm and onto his shoulders and torso, wrapping around Harry just enough to stay on.
"Awwww, body heat." He murmured, nuzzling his head into the crook of Harry's neck. Apart from the initial shock, Manda was fairly welcome at the table by all. Except one.
"Get that bloody thing out of here!" Ron cried, pointing at the uncaring snake like it was going to eat him
"I'll get Manda out of here when your rat is out of here too. Damn thing is worse at a table than this handsome guy." Harry said, eating some eggs that were sent to him. Realizing he was right, Ron simply opted to sulk and eat his food angrily.
"That's what I thought." Hermione said, gently running a hand down Manda's body, more than comfortable with the serpent. This was apparently enough for the first gen as they started crowding around him.
"Can I pet him?" Dean asked.
"Sure thing. He likes it when the top of his head is scratched lightly." He informed them before turning to Manda.
"People would like to pet you. No biting." He said before offering him up. Gently, Dean ran a finger gently along Manda's head.
"Hmmmm, that feels good." He hissed lazily. It was at this moment Weasley finally spoke, the shock of another Parseltongue wearing off.
"What the hell mate! You speak Parseltongue too?" He accused Harry.
"Yeah, is that a problem?" Harry asked coldly, remaining eerily calm as he tilted his head.
"Hell yes it is. Only dark wizards speak Parseltongue." Ron said as if it was obvious.
"Hmmm, good to know." Harry said casually, not caring of Weasley or the other purebloods' stigma against Parseltongue. As he ate breakfast and answered any questions about his snake, McGonagall made her way over to him.
"Mr. Potter, do you have a moment?" She asked, eyeing the snake with some distrust.
"I don't exactly have a choice in the matter Professor, so what is the issue?" Harry sighed.
"The headmaster would like to see you in his office." She ordered/requested.
"Ugh, fine. Come on Manda, we're going. Hermione, you mind setting up his tank for me?" Harry requested, the bushy brunette nodding in affirmation.
As McGonagall escorted Harry to the headmaster, she kept throwing glances at her student, subtly shivering when she heard him talk to his pet. Thankfully for her, they event made it.
"I hope your companion and your abilities don't cause any trouble Mr. Potter." She said coolly, more than aware that the rules regarding pets weren't exactly enforced. What with a tarantula and a rat in her tower.
"I won't start any problems, but if someone else starts them, I'll damn well finish them." Harry said, narrowing his eyes in promise before making his way up the stairs, telling Manda to hide. Looking into the massive office, he internally gagged at how ornate and overblown in design it was. Various artifacts and items that made it seem like a personal lair as opposed to a headmaster of the school's office. Looking to one side, he saw various knick knacks on a table, all of them no longer functional. Harry growled quietly, aware of what their purpose was. To the other side was the phoenix Fawkes, who was simply sitting there and looking at him curiously. Winking at him, the phoenix seemingly understood what he meant and went back to minding his own business.
"Hello?" He called out curiously, trying to get Dumbledore's attention. The large chair behind the massive desk immediately swiveled around, revealing the old manipulator.
"Ah, Harry my boy, come in." Dumbledore said jovially, beckoning his weapon/martyr/student into his office.
"Good morning headmaster. May I know why I've been called up here." Harry asked, cutting right to the chase. Sitting down in a comparatively smaller chair, he internally praised the tactic. Make the 'victim' feel smaller and less significant than they were while subconsciously making Dumbledore seem more powerful.
"I am merely checking on your well being. As you may be aware, you are something of a special case and I want to make sure there are no problems." Dumbledore explained, trying to tell Harry he wasn't in trouble, along with some less than savory reasons.
"Ah, you're referring to how everyone worships the ground I piss on because I defeated Voldemort as a baby." Harry said crudely, crossing his legs and leaning back a bit.
Dumbledore winced a little, caught off guard by Harry's attitude. This wasn't how he expected Harry to be. He was supposed to be meek and malleable from the Dursleys, yet he had the attitude and confidence of someone who was actually cared for.
"I wouldn't put it that crudely but that is correct. How are you finding your classes? Also, lemon drop?" He probed, offering the teen a hard candy.
"Boring and outdated, and no thank you, not a fan of lemon." Harry listed, politely declining the candy. Even if they were potioned, he truly wasn't a fan of lemon flavor.
"I beg your pardon?" Perplexed by Harry's accusation. Hogwarts was the premier magical education in Europe, if not the world, and he was honestly stumped on how it was outdated. After all, Hogwarts taught numerous students over the centuries, all of them improving Britain in some way over that time frame.
"Oh sorry. Mum, Hermione, her parents and I, we were living and studying magic for the past two years in America. They do things very differently over there and I'm sorry to say that the way things work here is very 'primitive'." Harry explained casually.
Dumbledore's jaw dropped under his beard, gobsmacked at this revelation. Harry Potter lived in America in that past few years and he had no idea. Not to mention the magical education he received there in two years was enough for Harry to say it was primitive here. Then there was his mother.
"Your mum? I'm sorry Harry, but Lily died over a decade ago." Dumbledore said sadly, stating the obvious.
"Oh I'm aware my birth mother has been dead for awhile, I was talking about my adopted mum." Harry said cheerfully,
"Adopted?" He said slowly, seemingly incapable of entertaining the very notion.
"Yeah. I was about 7 years old and my previous caretaker, he was whipping me bloody with a belt for doing better than his son in school. I ran out into the neighborhood, shirtless and blood on my back where I literally ran into her. Rest is history. Oh, here's her contact information in the event something happens to me or something comes up." Harry explained darkly, fingers digging into the chair at the mention of his caretakers. Pulling a few pieces of muggle paper from somewhere, he placed them on Dumbledore's desk. Looking them over, he raised a bushy eyebrow.
"Ms. Black? I could've sworn in your letter you sent that Ms. Black was your neighbor?" Dumbledore asked.
"It was a small lie. Mum did her research and apparently a worrying amount of Death Eaters are currently free, let alone never went to trial. You never know who could intercept those letters." Harry admitted, throwing a jab at the fact that most of the Death Eaters got off scot free for attempted genocide and treason. The fact that all these methods of finding out the truth and none were used said more about their justice system than anything as far as Harry was concerned.
Dumbledore winced. It was true. Most of the Death Eaters did go free once Voldemort was defeated for the time being that night. The only ones who didn't were the truly insane, the fanatics or the poor ones.
"I see. And what has happened to the Dursleys?" Dumbledore asked, not liking the sound of things so far, plans already out the window.
"They're both serving a few decades in prison, my male caretaker's sister as well. Their son is in foster care last I heard. Why are you worried about the Dursleys?" Harry said coldly.
"Last I heard, there were blood wards on the property that would've protected you from any who wished you harm as long as you lived there and called it home. As for the Dursleys themselves, are you not upset at what has happened to them?" Dumbledore said with a half truth. It wouldn't do well for Harry to know he placed him at the Dursleys, fully aware of what would've happened to him.
"Not at all. They have free will and they decided to abuse a defenseless child. They deserved what they got. As for the blood wards, mum said the only magical thing on the property was me. That means the blood wards never existed, or if they did, they disappeared a LONG time ago." Harry fired back. It was true. The so-called 'Blood Wards' either faded long ago or never existed in the first place, and Harry leaned heavily towards the latter.
After all, they would've been useless after fourth year yet he was sent back there.
"That's a terrible mindset to have Harry. Sometimes it is better to forgive people who have done you wrong." Dumbledore pleaded, ignoring everything Harry said.
"Not a chance. Sometimes you can't forgive some people. After all, nobody was forcing them to abuse me. Nobody held a wand to their head." Harry practically growled, making his stance on the matter VERY clear.
"Alright, moving on, I noticed that you no longer have your scar." Dumbledore said, pointing out the obvious.
"Yeah, that thing was an annoying pain in my butt. Mum took me to a non magical surgeon and they got rid of it. Whole thing took a few minutes." Harry said, wanting to make Dumbledore feel inadequate. The fact that non magical people were able to do what the great Dumbledore didn't even bother to try would surely hurt his pride.
"Fascinating. Have you made any friends while you were here?" He asked. Mentally, he was in denial. There was simply no way stupid muggles could remove a Horcrux.
"Well, my best friend and neighbor Hermione is a witch too, so that's good enough for me. We also met Susan Bones and Daphne Greengrass while we were shopping and they seemed nice." Harry said softly, smiling when he mentioned his best friend.
"Although there's this one kid. Weasley I think his name is. Yeah Weasley, keeps trying to be my friend for some reason. I really don't like him. He looks like a bully to me and I HATE bullies." Harry added on, making his thoughts on the youngest Weasley son clear, even if it was the tip of the iceberg.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair slightly.
"Well, I'm glad to hear you're doing well. You may go back to breakfast Harry." Dumbledore waved Harry off, not even looking at him as he left.
"Thank you headmaster." He called out as he left.
"How fucking dumb do you think I am Dumbledore?" Harry cursed, perfectly aware of what Dumbledore was doing. He'd be in for a surprise when he realized any attempts to use this knowledge against him would be blocked.
They planned for almost anything that could happen for years. They knew Dumbledores tricks and minions. He wasn't going to get his way AT ALL.
Dumbledore merely sat there in a seemingly death like state. He place his head in his hands and groaned. Over a decades worth of plans and contingencies thrown out the window in minutes.
"This is troublesome. As of now, Harry wants nothing to do with young Ronald. Considering his 'personality', not being friends with Harry can have disastrous consequences for the other students."
"Not to mention Granger, Bones and Greengrass. It hasn't even been a week and it's clear that she could bring great changes if she rises in influence. Considering she and Harry are best friends, the likelihood of them dating is near certain. They may not be able to bring any changes to our way of life but their connections to the other muggleborns and the muggle world will be disastrous."
"Bones and Greengrass are problematic. Considering Amelia is the head of the DMLE, it will be a decent sized setback if she ever catches wind of anything, but nothing of lasting consequence. Greengrass has less influence but she has connections. Hopefully some compulsions thrown at Harry and Hermione will stop things before they get out of hand. Can't apply them to any purebloods. Too big of a risk that any of then will be found out."
"As for Ms. Black, hopefully I can convince her to release Harry into my custody. Perhaps pass him off to Molly. She'll definitely stomp out his rebellious personality and with a few compulsions on him, Ronald and Harry would become friends and he'll drag him down even more. Can't have Harry too smart for his own good, considering his destiny and the fate of the Wizarding World."
"Speaking of fate and destiny, there was simply no possibility the scar was removed, let alone by those stupid muggles. Unless. Perhaps whatever was left of Voldemort took over young Harry. The Dursleys would've definitely beaten and broken him by the time Harry was adopted. Just enough of a window for Voldemort to take over a new vessel. A few of my plans are going to have to be rearranged, but everything should work out. For the Greater Good."
AN: Alright, that's done, glad that's out.
This chapter was mainly to expand on worldbuilding a little, both in Magical Britain and the way magic is done in America. I will tell you this, once Christmas and or summer comes, THAT'S when I'll dive deep into the American Magic and how it works along with more world building in this AU.
Notice how Hermione wasn't really caring about language? Considering the butterfly effect and Harry's influence on her, she doesn't particularly care of the use hell and other similar words. Even says it herself.
Seriously, considering how magical plants are, there are definitely going to be techniques unique to them that muggleborns would have absolutely no idea about. Considering the lack of common sense, I don't think they include that in the book.
Transfiguration, Ron was the only one late because if I remember correctly, he and Harry were the last ones in, and since he's all by himself, logically only Ron would be late amd not drag Dean or Seamus down with him
Seriously, thats always annoyed me: Dean and or Seamus immediately being screwed over by Ron.
I brought up things regarding Snape and potions. It was stated that Harry read all his school books before going to Hogwarts, and while we can be a bit realistic/genrous and assume Harry didn't remember every single detail, you think Snape would ask him basic questions that at least a halfway decent student would have an idea of.
Also threw in the bit about Harry, Hermione and other muggleborns not touching their potions/cauldrons/ingredients at all. By this point, they've never done anything like a potion in their life (Harry and Hermione obviously pretending) and considering how a Pureblood like Neville ended up, someone who has an idea of what to do, they would be smart not to do anything without being taught. It isn't like cooking where a small screw up leads to nothing happening.
Expect that to be a common theme for first year: most purebloods being at a halfway decent advantage over muggleborns regarding magical stuff.
Yeah, Ron's a Parseltongue in this. Combine all the inbreeding purebloods have done, in canon Ron 'learning' how to 'mimic' Parseltongue and 'miraculously' saying open with it, I don't buy it. Fuck, I'm pretty sure the books said you can't learn/mimic if you don't have it yet Ron did. Hermione would be all over 'learning/mimicking' Parseltongue if you could.
Also, Voldemort is so fucking incompetent it's not even funny. One of the most dangerous magical creatures under his control and he can't do a damn thing with it. Any Dark Lord worth his salt would have that thing actually 'purging' the school. Use venom and whatnot, actually get the fucking kill.
Yeah, Harry all but says to Dumbledore that his plans are done. He, Hermione and Narcissa have absolutely nothing to worry about, so don't go and say Harry's an idiot. You don't go and reveal information like that to your enemy unless you know it's not going to matter.
I think that covers most of it. See you next time, and Happy Holidays