They couldn't cram any more people into their compartment if they tried.

It was the start of a new year at Hogwarts and due to the drama of Harry being removed from his relatives over the summer and his abuse being splashed over the front page of the Daily Prophet thanks to Rita Skeeter, half of the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs had folded themselves into Harry's carriage to check on the small boy.

Beatrice had sent everyone who helped remove him that summer an update with everything those muggles had done to the little boy. Everyone was pissed and flooded Harry with presents to replace everything he had lost. Harry now had double the clothes, jewelry, and shoes than he did the year before. Beatrice and Cassius also treated the little boy to get his hair fixed and nails painted.

Harry's radiant smile after he had returned to his colorful self had been worth everything.

At the hairdresser, they grew his hair back out and gave him a new longer hair style for the year. His hair now tamed into pretty waves that framed his face and long enough he could pull it up into a small messy bun that made Beatrice coo at him for hours. Harry even chose different colors for his hair. Instead of going back to orange and purple, Harry wanted to include some Hufflepuff yellow into his everyday look. He was quite pleased when he left the hairdresser with yellow, pink, and orange hair. It reminded Harry of sunsets he got to watch with Cassius as they sat up in the astronomy tower last year. He even got his nails painted to match his hair.

Everyone was happy to see their little badger healed, gaining weight, and smiling happily.

The greatest thing though was Harry's new wand. Cassius had treated Harry to a little outing in the French magic district to get a custom-made wand better suited to him than his Holly and Phoenix Feather that had been destroyed by Vernon.

They struggled to find a perfect fit for Harry but after the very kind wandmaker ordered in some more rare cores, they were able to craft the perfect wand for Harry.

Harry's new wand was vastly different from his old one. His new wand was two kinds of wood wrapped around each other in a spiral, vine and dogwood, and held two cores, one for each wood. The vinewood held the core of a great horned serpent and the dogwood held the very rare core of a white river monster spine.

The wand maker had said she had never made a wand like it and probably never would again. Harry had a powerful if odd and quirky wand. Cassius thought powerful but odd and quirky was a great description of Harry.

It would be the start of Harry's second year, Cassius' fourth year, and Beatrice's sixth year.

Cassius had this feeling that by the end of the school year, Harry will have taken more years off of his life. Cassius loved Harry, but just getting on the train proved to be an event when a rogue house elf tried to keep them from reaching the platform. Harry proceeded to befriend said rogue house elf and scold the small being for bad manners.

"Cassy, can I ride the thestrals up to the castle?" Harry inquired with beseeching eyes. The other Slytherins hid their smiles, they knew Cassius wouldn't be able to tell the little badger no.

"We will be riding in the carriages that the thestrals pull Harry." Cassius tried to divert with.

"But I want to ride on of them. I have missed them." Harry pouted just a little, causing the Hufflepuffs to coo at Harry.

"You can still greet them, but it isn't safe to ride them while they are working little one. Maybe this weekend we can get one of the smaller mares to let you ride around their clearing." Cassius compromised with. Harry's eyebrows scrunched together in thought before nodding.

"Promise?"

"I promise Little Ray." Cassius smiled, running his fingers through Harry's soft colorful waves. Harry's hair being longer was dangerous because it was just so soft Cassius couldn't help himself but to constantly play with Harry's hair when it was down.

Once the train stopped the students piled out of the train quickly. It was starting to rain and no one wanted to be caught out in the already cold Scottish weather.

Harry got to say hello briefly to their thestral before being herded into the carriage, Cassius fretting over Harry getting wet and cold afraid the little boy might get sick. His immune system was still recovering from the abuse Harry lived through and still needed time to heal.

Soon they were all seated in the warmth of the great hall, Harry pouting since he couldn't sit with his Slytherins during official feasts. Beatrice couldn't help but tease the small boy a little bit since he was so attached to the snakes, specifically Cassius.

Who knew Beatrice asking for help from the Slytherin last year would lead to him acquiring his own personal colorful shadow to follow him around.

The sorting flew by quite quickly and everyone was tucking into their food, chatting with the classmates they didn't manage to see on the train, catching up on everyone's summers. Harry was happy to sit there, eating his favorites from the spread on the long table, just basking in the happiness of being back at Hogwarts with all of his friends.

Even if he could feel Dumbledore's stare at the back of his head.

During last year's sorting, Minerva could easily admit to being sad that Harry Potter did not end up in her house as she was expecting him to be. His parents were admittedly some of her favorite students and she looked forward to seeing who Harry would become.

Fast forward one year and Minerva was a little relieved that Mr. Potter was Pomona's problem the majority of the time.

Harry was nothing like either of his parents.

Not that this was a bad thing, but he was very different.

For one he was kinder. Kinder than even Lily Evans. Harry was friends with everyone no matter the house, blood status, or year. Excluding the youngest male Weasley from the count, everyone adored Harry. Even Severus had a secret soft spot for the boy that he would never admit to having.

Harry was not a fan of pranks. So very much unlike the marauders, Harry could not tolerate anything prank-related.

Harry was smart, but not in the way his parents had been smart. Lily had been book-smart, easily soaking in knowledge like a sponge and challenging all those who had lived in the wizarding world their whole lives. James was also quite smart, usually more so on practicals than anything theoretical since James was an instinctive caster.

Harry almost never read any books at least where anyone could see him, his scores weren't bad and he knew the knowledge but he lacked a strong ability to communicate what he knew in a literate and understandable way.

Harry had none of Lily's ambition or drive to do more, be more than what he already was.

Unless it had to do with Mr. Warrington, manta rays, or thestrals.

Then Harry was quite adamant and ambitious as any Slytherin.

Minerva was currently observing Mr. Warrington bribing Harry to learn. It was definitely not what she had been expecting when she decided to go outside for a walk this afternoon.

Mr. Warrington sat crosslegged in front of Harry who was lying on his stomach, kicking his feet lazily in the air. The 4th year Slytherin seemed to be quizzing the small Hufflepuff on transfiguration, the second-year transfiguration textbook lay forgotten to the side.

"What is the incantation for the spell that transfigures an animal into a water goblet?" Mr. Warrington asked, not at all put off by the fact Harry wasn't even looking at him but at the clouds.

"Hmm…" Harry hummed softly, Minerva almost missed the noise altogether. "I change the beast."

Mr. Warrington laughed, poking Harry's head. "I don't want the translation. Tell me what it is in Latin Little Ray."

"Vera Verto." Harry promptly replied but never looked away from the clouds as Mr. Warrington gave a pleased hum. "Does it hurt the animal?" Harry asked.

"No, startles them perhaps, but none of them are hurt when they are put back to rights." Mr. Warrington reassured the boy.

Minerva was quite shocked. They weren't going to be going over that spell until much later in the year. Harry also understood much more than she expected from what she had seen of the boy in her class.

"Mr. Warrington, may I have a word?" Minerva called out startling the young slytherin slightly. Harry didn't even so much as twitch from his spot as Mr. Warrington stood up and walked over to where Minerva stood.

"Yes, Professor?" Mr. Warrington asked with a wary expression.

"You are tutoring young Mr. Potter?" It was meant to be a statement but came out more like a question.

"I'm not sure I would consider it tutoring per say." Mr. Warrington frowned a little. "Harry knows everything in his textbooks, read them over the summer, but I think due to the damage from his relatives there is a disconnect between what he knows in his brain and his ability to articulate it. I also have to get him to actually speak his spells because otherwise, he does everything silently."

Minerva could hear the hatred Mr. Warrington had for Mr. Potter's relatives loud and clear. Not that Minerva blames the boy, she had gotten into quite a loud row with Albus over the muggles several times.

"Is that why he won't perform his spells in class?" Minerva wondered aloud.

"Ah maybe? I have also had to convince Harry several times that he is allowed to do well in school. His relatives used to punish him for getting better grades than his muggle cousin, so now Harry is just used to pretending to not know what is being taught." Mr. Warrington admitted with a harsh growl. Harry had found a fierce protector in the blonde Slytherin.

"Do you think he would perform better one-on-one instead of in front of everyone?" Minerva asked. Mr. Warrington paused and thought about it, looking over at Harry before looking back at Minerva.

"He might yes. It takes a little work to understand how he talks sometimes but he does know all of his subjects quite well."

"I will speak with Professor Sprout to see if we can at least for Harry's tests and quizzes have him do it maybe after class is over. The boy's grades shouldn't suffer for something he cannot control. If he knows the subject I want him to get the O's he deserves instead of almost failing my class." Minerva declared causing Mr. Warrington to look at her with shock and surprise.

"Uh yeah, I'll talk with Harry and pass the idea along to Beatrice as well. I am sure she will be pulled into the meeting with Professor Sprout anyway."

"You do that Mr. Warrington. Oh and maybe work on Mr. Potter's handwriting in between teaching him to paint? His handwriting is quite atrocious." Minerva mentioned before making her way back into the castle to hunt down Pomona to see if they could do anything for young Harry.

Maybe the boy had more of his parents in him than she realized.

By the start of the next week all of Harry's professors, even Severus, had agreed to test the boy outside of class. Albus had tried to protest but with the backing of Amelia Bones and the board of governors, Albus had no choice but to allow them to go forth with their plan.

Harry proved to be quite smart indeed and knew everything they had been teaching so far and was even a little ahead of where the rest of the class was.

Harry was now a straight O student and Filius was obsessed with the fact Mr. Potter predominantly did silent casting as he was better doing his spells silently than he was speaking the incantations that just seemed to trip him up.

It was a curious problem, but not one anyone was terribly concerned with.

Minerva got to hear about Mr. Potter's prize given to him by Miss Haywood and Mr. Warrington for achieving straight O's in all of his classes. A sage green and golden yellow stuffed Manta Ray that was even bigger than the one Mr. Warrington had gotten him for Christmas the year prior.

Minerva was happy for the boy, unfortunately, one of her own Lions had decided to act out against the small Hufflepuff out of jealousy and landed the small boy in the infirmary. She was worried to see what the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs would do to Mr. Weasley in retaliation.

Hopefully, the jealous boy would still be alive by the end of it.

A/N:

Here are the meanings of Harry's new wand directly from Pottermore:

Vine:
The druids considered anything with a woody stem as a tree, and vine makes wands of such a special nature that I have been happy to continue their ancient tradition. Vine wands are among the less common types, and I have been intrigued to notice that their owners are nearly always those witches or wizards who seek a greater purpose, who have a vision beyond the ordinary and who frequently astound those who think they know them best. Vine wands seem strongly attracted by personalities with hidden depths, and I have found them more sensitive than any other when it comes to instantly detecting a prospective match. Reliable sources claim that these wands can emit magical effects upon the mere entrance into their room of a suitable owner, and I have twice observed the phenomenon in my own shop.

Dogwood:
Dogwood is one of my own personal favourites, and I have found that matching a dogwood wand with its ideal owner is always entertaining. Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood wands are not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they have been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch or wizard, can produce dazzling enchantments. An interesting foible of many dogwood wands is that they refuse to perform non-verbal spells and they are often rather noisy.

White River Monster spine wands produced spells of force and elegance

Horned Serpent horn wands were exceptionally powerful. They were sensitive to Parseltongue and vibrated when it was being spoken. They could also warn their owners of danger by emitting a low musical tone.

What do y'all think? Think that fits Hufflepuff Harry okay?