AN: Last of the train scenes. Some worldbuilding for fun and profit. And even more Pics. Hope you all enjoy.
So apparently, I fucked up. Not surprising all things considered. I knew that this was an Alternate Universe, that not all my knowledge of the plot and the knowledge I gained from Tom would perfectly fit. But how the fuck was I supposed to know that Fucking HEALING MAGIC of all things was considered Advanced magic that only those who spend years of dedicated research and study could even attempt. Neville had been more than happy to share when I questioned him about why it was such a big deal.
The short answer? The Church and increased violence from muggles in the early days of Hogwarts.
The much lengthier answer was the crusades absolutely decimated the wizarding world only a hundred years after the founding of Hogwarts. As this was before the Statute of Secrecy was established it meant that there was nothing stopping the Church from learning that a Castle had been built meant to teach the next generation of Wizards and Witches, something they saw as Devil Worship and wasted no time laying siege. Luckily, the Founders managed to repel multiple invasions in their time, but disagreements and split opinions caused a separation like what was thought of in Canon.
Salazar left the school after an argument about allowing muggleborns the right to study due to the security concerns they represented and was said to head to India, but records of his actual travels were lost. Rowena was the next to go as she died not long after from a mixture of Illness, multiple past injuries, and possibly a broken heart at the news of her daughter's death. Godric followed as he gave his life during one of the most violent battles of the early days of Hogwarts, fighting to the last to protect the students under his care. Last was Helga who, upon the loss of the other Founders, was said to have worked herself to death trying to keep the school all four of them had given their lives for safe.
The reason that this was so important was that the Founders died much earlier in this Timeline than in Canon, pushing back progress in the Magical World by a few Generations. When the First Crusade was concluded there was suddenly a large gathering of trained religious fanatics looking for something to stab. It was almost a complete massacre of all the wizards attending the school, but the invasion failed due to what records say was 'a giant beast immune to mundane arms that slayed the intruders with but a look'.
Not long after that disaster the wards around Hogwarts were updated with Muggle Repelling Charms in order to prevent such a catastrophic event from happening again, but the damage had been done. Generations of Wizards killed, Centuries of magical Knowledge destroyed, and perhaps worst of all, one of the Wizards who would, from what Tom's knowledge told me, lead the Wizarding Medical Revolution was killed before he could release more than the basics. Magical Knowledge was hit Hard in those early days and innovation was pushed back centuries.
Of course, Neville didn't say all of that, but using the little he did say mixed with what Tom knew and what was in A History of Magic allowed me to put the pieces together. Healing in this world was currently limited to basic spells and potions, making what I knew suddenly that much more valuable. It also made me a major target. Thanks to ignorance and a desire to show off I accidentally let loose something that was best kept confidential to multiple people that would share it with people of interest. No doubt Malfoy was already penning a letter to her father and Percy planning to inform Dumbledore of what I could do.
I had a very simple plan for this year. Go to the school, study magic, and play around with reality breaking fuckery, set the groundwork to capture any waifus who caught my eye, and be minimally involved with the plot until after Christmas where i would then use the cloak, an ignorant sister, and metaknowledge to steal the Stone. Now, I doubted I would manage to fly under the radar like I hoped.
Rose didn't take too long to get changed while Neville went to change in his compartment. Not long after me and Ron finished, he came back, and the questions started. I managed to bullshit some excuse about learning to heal myself when I was younger through sheer dumb luck and thanks to a mix of [Communication Talent], [Covert Talent], and Tom's natural skill at manipulating people. I wasn't sure how much of it they believed but it was enough to get the questions to stop.
We soon arrived at the station and disembarked. I swear that nearly every eye was glued to me and my sister as we exited, whispering and gossiping amongst themselves. Then in the distance, a massive figure could be seen holding a lamp
"Firs' Years! Firs' Years over here! C'mon, Follow me!" Hagrid boomed, starting to lead us all down a steep and narrow path.
"Now, Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, just round this bend." he said, gesturing a little way in front of us.
I had seen pictures and videos of the castle in my past life, and knowledge of Tom's time here, so while I had expected to be mystified by the millennium old construct, I still found myself at a loss for words as I caught sight of the legendary castle.
There was something about seeing it in person that can only be described as 'magical'. Tom's knowledge did it no justice.
"No more'n six to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing at a fleet of boats that were larger than I expected. I led the way to one followed by Rose, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. After a few moments of allowing the rest of the students to settle we were off, the short journey filled by Hermione mentioning little bits of trivia and we were soon standing in from of a giant oak door.
Hagrid, after making sure that we were all gathered, knocked three times and immediately the doors were opened, showing us the image of a much younger looking witch than what was what one would expect.
A short exchange between the two staff members and we were led inside the large hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, the start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will need to be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend a majority of your free time within your House's common room." she takes a pause to make sure we are all paying attention before continuing. "The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and ..." by that point i was already starting to lose interest as she kept going, explaining the house cup and how we could gain and lose points in an effort to win a useless trophy.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up while you are waiting." I could see her glance at a few of the students, making sure they knew she was talking about them. Then her eyes turned to me, and she stared for a moment longer before continuing.
"I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly."
She left the chamber and all of us alone for the moment. Immediately hushed conversations started all over as people discussed the sorting and what possible House they would be in. This continued for a few minutes with Hermione nervously muttering to herself, Ron going on about trolls to Neville, and Rose moving closer to me.
Suddenly though, a large number of screams broke out from behind us. Floating through the walls, and giving many of the muggleborns possible heart attacks, around twenty ghosts floated into the room, locked in conversation with each other.
The Fat Friar was the first to notice us, but instead of the usual greeting I was expecting I could see him suddenly freeze, grow if possible even more pale, and flee the room. The rest of the ghosts stopped what they were doing and upon looking at our group immediately followed suit. The awkward silence that followed was dispelled by McGonagall returning and telling us that the sorting was about to start. As she had us form a line and opened the doors I could only stare into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, my mind unsure of where I wished to go.