Part 1
Act 1
Chapter 1
Oliver craned his neck, occasionally smiling and nodding at a friend, half listening to their conversation, his gaze rarely straying from the large double doors that led back out into the entrance hall. Normally, he didn't take that much interest in the first year students as they were sorted into their houses, but this year was different. This year, rumour had it, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, had come to Hogwarts. The train had been buzzing with the news. He would have gone to meet the lad himself, but everyone else had the same idea, and the train was simply too crowded.
"Hey, Oliver," the Weasley twins asked in harmony, drawing his attention. "How was your summer?"
"It was great, thanks," Oliver replied, turning his attention back to the doors.
"Did you hear?" Fred asked as Oliver continued to watch the doors.
"Harry Potter is here this year," George said with a grin.
"Yeah, Ron sat with him on the train," Fred finished.
"Really?" Oliver asked, distractedly craning his neck again and shifting in his seat to see over the other Gryffindors across from him as the doors finally opened and Professor McGonagall walked in followed by the seemingly tiny first year students.
"That's not the real ceiling, you know," the voice of a wee lass reached him and his gaze was drawn to a pair of girls as they passed to see it came from a small girl with bushy brown hair as she continued, "It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."
Oliver smiled. The lass was smart, he thought. She'll do fine. Then his gaze landed on the red-headed lad behind her, Ron, the youngest Weasley addition to Hogwarts, and saw the face he made, having heard her, and he changed his mind. Maybe he should look out for her if she was sorted into Gryffindor...
Really, it fell on Percy who was the Gryffindor Prefect, and... he thought, tilting his head, they might get along, since they both seemed to be bookworms, but Percy was rather uppity when it came to being around younger students, and really, this girl reminded him of himself at that age. He, too, had a difficult time associating with others.
Oliver shook himself when he heard Professor McGonagall instructing the first years to come forward when their name was called. He'd been so focused on his thoughts about the lass that he'd missed the chance to see Harry Potter for himself and now he was lost in the group of first years that surrounded the High Table where the faculty sat.
"Hannah Abbott," Professor McGonagall called out from her roll of parchment, and a blonde girl with pigtails walked nervously up and sat down on the stool.
"Hufflepuff!" The Sorting Hat called after a moment, and the table across from Oliver's cheered as the girl ran over to the table.
"Susan Bones," Professor McGonagall called, and a red-headed girl with long hair approached.
"Hufflepuff!" the hat said.
"Terry Boot" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out again.
This time the hat chose Ravenclaw, and the table between Hufflepuff and the far table erupted in cheers as he ran off to join them. He was soon followed by Mandy Brocklehurst.
Lavender Brown joined the Gryffindor table while Millicent Bulstrode went to Slytherin. Oliver was relieved to see the girl he'd noticed earlier was still in line.
Michael Corner was next, and he went to Ravenclaw.
Vincent Crabbe went to Slytherin and Justin Finch-Fletchley to Hufflepuff before the Gryffindor table cheered again as Seamus Finnigan joined the table.
Gregory Goyle was next to join Slytherin, and then Oliver tensed curiously when the girl he'd seen went up to the stool when Professor McGonagall called Hermione Granger. He exhaled a breath and smiled when the Sorting Hat called out Gryffindor.
"Daphne Greengrass," Professor McGonagall called next, and another blond girl walked up and sat down on the stool.
"Slytherin!" the Sorting Hat called and the far table from Oliver cheered as she joined them. Mentally shaking himself, he now focused on watching for where Harry Potter would end up.
Neville Longbottom joined Gryffindor, and Oliver chuckled and shook his head as the rest of the hall laughed when he headed to their table with the hat on his head. The boy turned bright red and stumbled over himself when he realised what he'd done and hurried back to give the hat to Morag McDougal who went to Ravenclaw.
Ernie McMillan was the next to join Hufflepuff, followed by Draco Malfoy who joined Slytherin. Lily Moon was a pale girl with blue eyes and blonde hair who joined Gryffindor further down the table from where Oliver sat. Slytherin gained two more with Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson. The twin girls Padma and Parvati Patil were split up between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively.
Once the cheers stopped, everyone looked expectantly at Professor McGonagall as she hesitated before calling out "Harry Potter."
Oliver shifted, standing at the table to be able to see as a thin waif of a lad moved up toward the stool and McGonagall dropped the hat on his head. Silence was met with the action and the tension in the air was thick as the minutes ticked by with nothing. All of a sudden the hat roared "Gryffindor!" causing everyone to jump before he and the rest of the Gryffindor table erupted with cheers and the Weasley twins shouted "We got Potter, We got Potter!"
The boy looked relieved as he joined the table further down from him, sitting with Percy. Oliver didn't really pay much attention after that, though he did hear a few names as he watched the interaction between the new students.
Lisa Turpin went to Ravenclaw and soon Harry was joined by Dean Thomas and Ron Weasley at the Gryffindor table next to Percy. Blaise Zabini was the last and from the cheer across the room, he'd joined Slytherin.
After the Sorting was complete, everyone sat back as Professor Dumbledore welcomed everyone to the new year at Hogwarts. Oliver smiled in amusement at the looks on the faces of the first years as the food suddenly appeared on the table. He tucked into his meal, filling his plate and eating before looking up when he heard Hermione give a shout of surprise, only to grin and shake his head when he saw the head of Nearly Headless Nick hovering in a platter of chicken. Sir Nicholas really enjoyed surprising the new students.
He was surprised when Hermione asked Nick how he could be 'nearly' headless and had to fight his own reaction to the ghost as he showed her while everyone was eating, but Oliver chuckled, shaking his head at her expression once he got his own response under control.
He was glad that Hermione and Percy seemed to be getting along, talking about classes, but he wondered how long it would last before their prefect started talking down to her. He sighed and shook his head slightly, seeing himself in her excitement as she talked to Percy about hoping classes started right away.
I stopped here
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils, and a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well," Professor Dumbledore said, beginning the start of term announcements shortly after the desserts were cleared away.
Oliver shook his head slightly as the Weasley twins gave each other a hidden high five as they laughed.
"I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch, and she will get you in touch with the team captains. And finally," he continued gravely. "I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."
A murmur coursed through the hall at this announcement but Professor Dumbledore ignored it and cleared his throat. "And now for the school song."
Oliver grimaced along with several others but followed along as they sang, each one to a different tempo and tune as instructed. It was rather painful to be honest. Once everyone ended the song, Professor Dumbledore dismissed them.
The first years followed Percy up to the Gryffindor common room on the seventh floor, but Oliver and many other older students went on ahead and were waiting at the top of the stairs in front of a portrait with a fat lady in a pink dress when they arrived.
"Password?" she asked of Percy, who stood at the front of the line of first years.
"Caput Draconis," Percy replied clearly and the Fat Lady nodded before her portrait swung open to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
Oliver entered and headed up to his dorm after the first years had filed in, while Percy was explaining things to the new students.
Opening his trunk, he unpacked his clothing, putting it in the small wardrobe near his bed. He then grabbed a quill, some parchment and ink and began writing a note, using his bedside table.
Hello wee lass,
My name is Oliver Wood. I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts and to Gryffindor. I am writing to you to let you know that if you ever need anything, while you could always talk to Percy, the house Prefect you were talking to about lessons over dinner, he's not always the greatest at conversation, so I wanted to let you know that you can talk to me as well.
I am not sure what your life was like before Hogwarts, such as your ability to make new friends in new situations, and I must say that I saw the newest Weasley make a face when you were talking to that other lass before the Sorting, so you kind of remind me of myself when I was your age. I am here for you to talk to if you need to. If you'd like to know anything about me, you just need to ask.
Sincerely,
Oliver Wood
5th year
Quidditch captain
Oliver finished his letter and read it over with a nod then tapped it with his wand, waving it over the parchment, and the letter folded itself into a butterfly. "Hermione Granger," he spoke to it as it flapped its wings. "Off you go." He grinned, biting his lip as he watched it fly out of his dorm and off to the new first year.