A/N: Day 3 of NaNoWriMo!

Rising Storms

A Harry Potter and Percy Jackson crossover

Chapter 6:

Harry

The scarlet steam engine gleamed in the morning light. Harry stared in awe, before looking around for his godfathers. He saw them standing a little ways away and he dragged his dad over to the two men. "Siri! Remi!"

"Hey, Harry," Sirius said, hugging his godson.

"Hi, Harry. Excited?" Remus asked.

"Yes, uncle Remus," Harry replied. He pulled away from Sirius, looking at him sharply. "I know what you did when you were in school," he said. "I'm not too happy with you right now."

Sirius looked at Remus and James. "James, what did you tell him about me?"

James laughed. "Not that, padfoot. I told him about Severus Snape." His expression sobered as he looked at his best friends.

Sirius's expression fell as he looked at Harry. "Do you hate me?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't hate you, but I'm not happy with what you did to a fellow student." When Sirius nodded, Harry looked around at the platform as kids started getting on the train. "I've got to go." He gave all three men a hug and waved as he walked over to where he saw Draco Malfoy with his parents. "Hello, Lord and Lady Malfoy." He said.

"Hello, Heir Potter," Lucius Malfoy replied. "Are you excited to be going to Hogwarts?"

"Ecstatic." Harry grinned. He turned to Draco. "Come on, we don't want to miss the train!"

Draco nodded. "Yes, we don't want to be later than the Weasleys. They'll make it to the platform five minutes before the train leaves, I just know it."

Harry snickered. "I never understood the majority of the Weasley family. The twins are good, and I don't know the oldest two, but the other kids?" Harry shook his head. Then he grabbed Draco's hand. "Let's get a good seat!"

The Hogwarts Express was bustling with excitement as new students prepared to embark on their magical journey. Harry and Draco found a compartment at the back of the train, where the Slytherins usually sat. Draco had Harry help him put his trunk in the rack above the seat, and they sat down. "This is it, Potter. Our first year at Hogwarts. Are you as thrilled as I am?"

Harry grinned. "Absolutely, Malfoy. And it's even more special with my dad here to see me off." They looked out of the window to wave at their families, watching James and Sirius being a little stiff beside Lucius. Harry and Draco grinned at each other at the uncomfortable adults. Just before the train took off, a family of redheads came through the muggle side to the platform. "You were right."

"Of course," Draco said, smugly. As the train chugged along, they started to get to know each other better. "How does your father feel about you heading off to Hogwarts?"

"He's really excited about me starting at Hogwarts." Harry smiled at the thought. Then he frowned. "Just imagine if I had grown up with my mother's sister in the muggle world. She hates magic and I wouldn't have grown up knowing about magic at all."

Draco wrinkled his nose. "That would have been awful."

"You wouldn't have given me the time of day," Harry said. "You probably would have been rude... thinking that I was a muggleborn."

"Yeah, probably." Draco shrugged. "What's your favorite color, Potter?"

"It's green," Harry said. "And call me Harry."

"Like, Slytherin green... Harry?" Draco asked. "And, you can call me Draco."

Harry moved his head side to side, thinking. "Yes, and no. Like the trees and growing plants... the color of grass and snakes." He smiled. "What's your favorite color, Draco?"

"I like the color green too." Draco couldn't help the smile he shared with Harry.

A little while later, the door to their compartment opened and Ron Weasley stepped inside. Immediately, his distrustful nature showed. "What's going on here, Harry? You're hanging out with Malfoy?!"

Harry bit his lip. "Ron, we're just having a conversation."

Draco smirked. "Indeed, Weasley, Harry and I were just discussing our expectations of Hogwarts."

Ron scoffed. "Expectations? You mean Slytherin expectations, don't you? And you called him Harry?! You can't trust a Malfoy, Harry."

Harry scowled at Ron. "Ron, not all Slytherins are bad. Besides, we haven't even been sorted yet! We're just trying to get to know each other. Why don't you give it a chance?"

Ron crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not sure about this, Harry. Malfoy's family and mine has history, you know."

Draco didn't rise to the bait. "I understand your concern, Weasley, but we are not our families. Things can change."

Ron's skepticism persisted, Harry could tell, but the conversation continued as Ron sat across from Harry and Draco. They were a little tense as the train continued to pass through the countryside. A little while later, a girl named Hermione and a boy named Neville came looking for a toad. "Did you ask a Prefect to help with a little spell?" Harry asked.

"You can't do magic outside of school," the girl said nastily. She scoffed at him.

Harry sighed. "You know, this is a magic train on the way to a magic school. We are no longer in the summer session, and since we are on the train, we are allowed to do magic. If you are unable to do a spell, because you haven't learned any spells, then the prefects would be happy to help."

"I'm not stupid, you know," she scoffed. "If you don't want to help, you don't have to lie."

Harry rolled his eyes, standing up and walking towards the door where they stood. Neville flinched slightly, but Harry only called out to the general area of the train. "Could I please have a prefect here with a summoning charm?"

"You're not listening!" Hermione said, exasperatedly.

Before she could continue, a Slytherin prefect stepped out of a nearby compartment and asked, "What do you need summoned?"

Harry turned to Neville. "What was your toad's name?"

"T-trevor," he said, shakily.

The prefect smiled at the nervous boy. "Accio Trevor the toad," she said. They only had to wait for a second or two until the toad came flying down the hall. The prefect caught the toad and handed him to Neville. "Here you go," she told him.

"T-thank you." Neville smiled at the prefect. He turned to Hermione. "Thanks anyway, Hermione."

Hermione was angry. "You can't do magic outside of school!"

Everyone looked at her in shock. The prefect shook her head. "You can use magic on the train since the magic of the train covers your magic use."

Harry thanked the prefect and invited Neville to share their compartment. The rest of the train ride was a little less tense, now that Neville was there to help Harry diffuse the Weasley-Malfoy tension.

...

The chamber just off the Great Hall was filled with anticipation as the first-year students gathered for the Sorting ceremony. Professor McGonagall stepped into the chamber. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "Before we go into the Great Hall, I'd like to remind you that the four houses at Hogwarts are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The Sorting Hat will choose the house that best suits your qualities and characteristics."

Soon, they were led to the Great Hall, where the older students were waiting. The first-year students stood nervously in front of the dais. One by one, after the hat's song, they were called up so the Sorting Hat could make his decision.

Draco Malfoy was the first of their small group of tentative friends to be sorted. He stepped up, and the Sorting Hat barely got near his head before shouting out. "Slytherin!" the hat announced, and the green and silver-clad table erupted in applause as Draco made his way to his new house.

Harry was happy for his new friend and he smiled over at Draco. When Draco smiled back, Harry saw one of the teachers frowning in confusion. The man was dressed all in black.

Hermione Granger was the next in the group to be called forward. The Sorting Hat took a little longer to decide for her. It seemed to be arguing with her. She wanted to show how smart she was, it seemed, as she muttered under her breath. She kept glancing at the red and gold table... before the hat yelled out "Ravenclaw" in an annoyed voice. The blue and bronze table clapped and cheered for her.

Neville Longbottom, with his anxious expression, was sorted after a while. The had had a tough time deciding for Neville, but it ultimately chose the house known for its loyalty and patience. "Hufflepuff!" the hat announced, and Neville, relieved but also worried, mad his way to the yellow and black table.

Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for- Harry Potter. The entire hall watched with bated breath as the Sorting Hat was placed on Harry's head. After what felt like an eternity, as the hat discussed Harry's traits and possibilities. "Slytherin!" The room fell silent for a moment before breaking into a mix of murmurs and hushed conversations. Harry was a little confused at the reactions, but he joined Draco at the Slytherin table.

Ron Weasley was the last of the group. He stepped forward, clearly hoping to be sorted into Gryffindor, the house of bravery and courage. The hat took a brief moment to consider his options. "Gryffindor!" the hat finally declared, and Ron, with a sigh of relief, rushed over to the red and gold-clad table to sit near his brothers.

Harry people-watched as the other students and the staff sang the Hogwarts song. He noticed that the teachers kept looking at him with various expressions. The teacher in black seemed to really hate him. Harry had a feeling who it could be, but he wanted to be sure. "Draco?"

"Yes, Harry?" Draco stopped filling his plate to look at his new friend. The other Slytherins tried to hide their shock.

"Who is the teacher dressed all in black?"

Draco turned to look, even though he didn't have to. "That's Professor Snape. He's called the worst teacher, but he's really not. He just has to be harsh because if you don't pay attention, then you could seriously hurt or kill yourself or others." He looked back at Harry. "He seems to really dislike you, for some reason."

Harry sighed. "My dad told me that he used to bully Professor Snape and regretted it when he grew up." Harry looked down at his empty plate. "Dad apologized to Professor Snape, but the professor didn't believe him, and Dad worried that Professor Snape will turn his hatred on me."

The surrounding Slytherins looked at Harry in surprise. Their head of house take his hatred out on Potter? Unbelievable!

A/N: 1,875 words today!