I don't own Harry Potter, only any OC that may appear in my stories.
Hello guys Badger here. So, you're probably wondering what this is. Haven't I already done a story called 'A Different Hogwarts Experience'? Yes, in fact, it was my first ever story. However, when rereading it, I came to the realisation that I hated it and wanted to redo it. Which I think shows how far I've come as a writer on this site. This remastered version will stick close to the original, but I want to try and include some plot points that I wanted to include in the original but couldn't. More on that later.
Before we begin, do let me know if you were a fan of the original. I feel like it would be fun to see which of you have been fans from the very beginning. For those of you who have seen the original back when I was fresh faced to the world of Fanfiction, I hope this will be fun for you. As for those who haven't read the original….you can read it, if you want, but I don't recommend it. It's quite shit. But that's all for now.
Read on, enjoy and I will see you, at the end.
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Chapter 1
A Chance Meeting At King's Cross Station
...
Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, pushed his trolley across the platform, of Kings Cross Station, looking around nervously. Everything that had happened up to this point had been rather overwhelming. Finding out he was, in fact, a wizard and that he was going to Hogwarts, a school of Magic, like his parents, had been one of the most surreal experiences of his short life, so far. Everything then continued to just get more surreal, from there. From the bright and bustling streets of Diagon Alley, to odd and creepy Goblins of Gringotts, to the eccentric wand maker Ollivander and acquiring his own wand, finally to finding out that he was famous in the, so-called, Wizarding World, commonly referred to as 'The Boy-Who-Lived', famous for surviving the impossible during an attack by some Dark Lord called Voldemort. A Dark Lord everyone seemed to be afraid of, and an attack that caused the deaths of Harry's parents. It had all been incredibly overwhelming to experience in such a short time. Thankfully Hagrid, the big softy that he was, was very kind and helpful through it all, even if he was a bit strange at times.
However, as good as a man the Half Giant was, he at the very least could've pointed out where the Platform to Hogwarts was, instead of merely handing Harry a ticket that read Platform 9 3/4, before disappearing completely in a blink of an eye, without another word, or even a proper goodbye. Because now, Harry was completely lost. He had gone up to a nearby train conductor for help, asking where such a Platform was, only for the conductor to give Harry a strange look, raising his eyebrow, as he asked him if Harry was some kind of joker before telling Harry to stop wasting his time, as he walked off. Now, not only did Harry feel lost, he felt stupid as well, as he pushed his trolley across the Platforms, looking the picture of a lost kid.
"Are you okay?" A voice asked
Harry turned around to see a boy, possibly the same age as himself, standing behind him, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and concern. The boy seemed quite interesting. He was taller than most boys their age, by a few inches. His face was thin, with a pale complexion and some kind of aristocratic look to it. His eyes were a bright hazel, with flecks of green mixed in, framed by dark and sharp eyebrows. His hair was wild, though not as wild as Harry's, with short back and sides, the top swept to one side, and his hair was coloured a deep purple, much to Harry's surprise, making Harry wonder if it was natural or some kind of dye. The boy was dressed in a short, black leather jacket, a faded Iron Maiden shirt, with black ripped jeans and a pair of black converses.
"Oh, y…yeah…I'm fine…" Harry said, nervously "I'm just…a little lost is all…"
The boy raised an eyebrow, putting his hands in his pockets as he looked at Harry's trolley, eyeing the luggage and cage, containing Harry's owl, Hedwig, before a small smile made its way onto his face, as he looked back at Harry.
"Hogwarts too, I see…" He said
"Y…you're a wizard too?" Harry asked, sighing in relief "Yeah…I'm looking for Platform 9 ¾ but I don't know where it is…Hagrid just gave me my ticket, before disappearing without even giving me any directions…"
"Who's Hagrid?" The boy asked, with a raised eyebrow
"Hagrid's the groundskeeper of Hogwarts…at least that's what he said…" Harry replied "He helped me getting the supplies I needed for the school year, at Diagon Alley…"
"Hmm…that's odd…Professor McGonagall is usually the one who takes Muggleborns to Diagon Alley for school supplies, and introducing them to the Wizarding World…" the boy said, more to himself then Harry, before shrugging "Oh well, doesn't matter…follow me, I'll show you how to get there…"
Harry followed after the boy, pushing his trolley, having to move quickly to catch up with the boys quick, yet elegant, stride. He followed the boy, until they stopped several feet away from a wall, with the signs for Platforms 9 and 10 on either side. Harry felt quite confused as he looked to the boy, with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, it's pretty simple…" the boy said "All you have to do, is walk through the wall, between the signs 9 and 10, and it will take you straight to Platform 9 ¾…if you're feeling a little nervous, I'd recommend taking a bit of a run-up…"
Harry quickly looked back at the boy, doing a double take, as he gave him an incredulous look, feeling like the boy was pulling his leg and that Harry was just going to crash, face first, into a brick wall. The boy didn't seem to have any look of mischief or deceit and was just giving Harry a neutral and stoic look. Deciding to just go for it, Harry took a deep and steady breath, as he began to walk forward, in a slow and steady pace. The stride then became a gentle jog, before quickly turning into a full-on sprint. As he got closer to the wall, he closed his eyes tightly, expecting to collide into the wall, and crash into the bricks. Instead, he felt this strange feeling engulf his body, like he was being sucked through a straw. It lasted for a few seconds, before it passed. Harry slowly opened his eyes, and was in awe at what he saw.
He was in a completely different place, standing on a brightly lit platform, with a beautiful crimson train sitting proudly on the tracks, with the words: THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS, written along the side of the train, in shiny, golden words, with the sign, Platform 9 ¾ hanging above it. It was like something out of one of those story books Harry had read, that his cousin Dudley had thrown out without even opening up the pages. He continued staring at the train, in awe, until he heard a voice behind him.
"You may want to move out of the way…"
Harry jumped at the sudden voice, before turning to see the boy standing behind him once more, with a small smirk. Listening to what he said, Harry moved out of the way of the wall, pulling his trolley along with him, and just in time too as a mere second later, someone else had come running through wall, not even giving the two boys a glance, as they made their way towards the Hogwarts Express. Harry took another deep breath, as he and the other boy started making their way towards the Hogwarts Express.
"Thank you for helping me…" Harry said, after a second "What is your name?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me, where are my manners…I'm James Badger, nice to meet you…" The boy smiled, stopping to extend his hand out to Harry, where Harry noticed an ornate ring with a black gemstone on his ring finger that he didn't notice earlier
"I'm…Harry Potter…" Harry said, as he shook James' hand
To Harry's surprise, James didn't look shocked, or start acting strange around him. So far, whenever Harry met someone from the Wizarding World, they would also stutter around him, fidget where they stood, and act erratically, trying to touch him or shake his hand, when they realised who he was. Like they have never seen someone who was apparently famous, before. James didn't do any of that. Instead, he merely raised an eyebrow, as he looked closer to see the Lightning Bolt scar on Harry's forehead.
"Well, I'll be…you really are…" he said, with a small smile "Should've guessed that you would also be starting your First Year at Hogwarts too…interesting…"
"What is interesting?" Harry asked, confused
"You aren't anything like the books have said about you…" James shrugged "I had a feeling that they were faked, or at the very least, greatly exaggerated…guess I was right…"
"Books?" Harry repeated "There are books written about me?"
"Oh yes…dozens of them in fact…" James replied, shaking his head, as if the very thought amused him "'Harry Potter and the Mountain Giant'…'Harry Potter and the Treasure of the Ancient Dragon'…they're all books for children, however, they were listed as 'Non-Fiction'…I always had a feeling they were fake, seeing as you've never been seen, or even heard from in the last ten years…"
"So…you don't care that I'm famous?" Harry asked
"Of course, I don't…" James scoffed slightly "Doesn't matter what someone is famous for, at the end of the day, they're just a normal person, like everyone else…"
"Do…do you want to be friends?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself, as so far James had been the only person who has treated him like a normal person and not like some kind of celebrity, for something Harry barely remembers
James was silent, as he looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow, making Harry nervous, feeling like he had done something wrong. After a moment, James shrugged lightly, a smile on his face.
"Sure, if you wish to be, I'd gladly be your friend…" James said, before looking up at a nearby clock "Come on, the train leaves in five minutes and I want to find an empty compartment, before they're all full…"
"Wait…don't you have any stuff?" Harry asked, only now noticing that James didn't seem to have any stuff with him, not even a trolley
"Shrunk them down…" James said, dismissively as he patted his jacket pocket "Now, come on, let's go, before all the good compartments are gone…"
…
After dropping off their luggage, in the luggage compartment of the Hogwarts Express, the two boys boarded the train and found an empty compartment near the end of the train, just as the Hogwarts Express began to pull out of the station. Closing the door behind them, James sat down on one side of the compartment, and Harry sat down on the opposite side. James let out a relaxed sigh, as he leaned back in his seat, before looking at Harry.
"So…any idea on what House you're going to be sorted in?" He asked
"Umm…no…" Harry said, a little surprised at the unexpected question "I've been told about them but…I am unsure…what about you?"
"Logically, I'm expecting either Ravenclaw or Slytherin…" James replied, not even having to think about it
"Slytherin?" Harry asked, timidly, remembering Hagrid's words.
'One thing you need to remember Harry, is that there's not a single witch or wizard who went bad, who wasn't in Slytherin…' The Half Giants words echoed in Harry's ears
"Is there a problem?" James asked, with a raised eyebrow, though not in annoyance, more like curiosity, picking up the nervousness in Harry's tone
"Well…it's just, I've heard some bad things about Slytherin…" Harry said, trying to find the right words, to not upset or offend his new friend
"Ahh, I see now…" James chuckled lightly, leaning forward in his seat "Yeah…I'll admit, Slytherin House doesn't have the best reputation in Hogwarts, with a history of Dark Lords, Pureblood Supremacists and accusations upon accusations of the House indulging in Dark Magic and the Dark Arts…however, I'll indulge on a little bit of history…not all Dark Lords and Dark Wizards and Witches came from Slytherin, there have been some from all the other Houses, people like to forget that…hell, Vold…sorry, You-Know-Who, whilst most of his followers had come from Slytherin, a few of them had come from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and even Gryffindor…"
"Really?" Harry asked, slightly fascinated with what he was being told "I didn't know this…"
"Hmm, not surprised…" James shrugged "People prefer to forget that anyone can be a Pureblood Supremacist, because of Slytherin's association with Dark Side of magic…when You-Know-Who went around recruiting people to his cause, he didn't care about what House they were in at Hogwarts…if they were Pureblood, he was going to try and recruit them…he even tried to recruit my family to his cause…"
"And…did they…you know…join him?" Harry asked
"No…" James scoffed, as if the very idea was ridiculous "granted, my family has a more darker background and history when it comes to magic, but we have always fought for the light…for the most part anyway…we just aren't afraid to use spells or curses that are labelled as dark, or even forbidden, when we have to…"
Harry was silent for a moment, as he thought about everything he had been told. When shopping for his school supplies, Hagrid had told him that Slytherin was an evil House, full of equally evil wizards and witches, yet James had told him that the House was actually misunderstood, due to an unfortunate history of being associated with Dark Lords. And not only that, but there had been Dark Lords and Dark Wizards or Witches from every House, including some who joined the man who killed his parents. Harry realised that there was still a lot he needed to learn about the Wizarding World, and he looked forward to learning everything he could. But, for now, he decided to change the subject to a lighter note.
"So, how do we get sorted into our Houses?" He asked
"It's simple really…first off, don't believe any rumours you might've heard, like having to take a test or fighting a troll in combat…" James said, rolling his eyes "As stated, in Hogwarts: A History, they use something called, The Sorting Hat…they sit us down, place the Sorting Hat upon our head, where it will poke around in our mind, to understand us better, before placing us in the House it believes to be the best fit for us…also, allegedly, it even takes our personal choice, into account…"
"It does?" Harry perked up "So…if I wanted to go into the same House as you, it will put that into consideration?"
"Indeed…" James nodded, looking at Harry curiously "You wish to be in the same House as me?"
"Yes…I've…I've never had friends before…" Harry said, nervously "I don't want to be alone…"
A small look of concern spread across James' face as he looked at Harry, his eyes narrowing a little, as if he was examining Harry, seemingly looking for something. After a moment, he nods slightly, as he leaned back in his seat, settling against the cushions.
"Well, I'm sure the Sorting Hat will definitely take that into account…" James smiled, reassuringly
Harry smiled back and went to say something, but before he could, he was cut off by the door to their compartment opening once more. The two boys looked to see a lanky boy, standing in the doorway. His complexion was pale, almost sickly, making the freckles dotted across his face stand out for miles. His hair was a mess, unkempt and a bright, carrot orange, in colour, which contrasted horribly with his pale complexion. His nose was long and thin, and his eyes were a bright blue. Harry then took note of the boy's clothes. To say they were worn and dated, would've been a massive understatement. Harry's clothes may have been horrible hand-me-downs from his cousin Dudley, that were several sizes too large, however this boy's clothes, looked like they had been handed down again and again, across several generations. They were ancient in terms of aesthetic and style.
The boy hadn't noticed Harry yet, as he seemed to glare at James, with narrowed eyes, as if the very sight of purple haired boy annoyed him.
"Badger…" The boy spat, with a small sneer
"Weasley…" James replied, with a forced politeness, though his eyes betrayed him
"I was just looking for the Boy-Who-Lived, he's starting his First Year as well…" The boy said "You haven't seen him, have you?"
"Of course I haven't seen him…" James lied, much to Harry's shock, as he rolled his eyes "If he is here, he's probably somewhere else…"
The boy sniffed dismissively, as he glared at James, before turning away and looking at Harry. The boy's eyes narrowed, as he looked at Harry, making Harry feel a little uncomfortable. After a few seconds of silence, the boy opened his mouth to speak.
"You, do you…"
"I said Harry Potter wasn't here Weasley!" James spoke up, cutting him off "So please, leave us alone…"
"Fine!" The boy spat, before storming off, slamming the compartment door behind him
"Who was that?" Harry asked, once the boy was gone
"That, was Ron Weasley…" James sighed
"Do you know him, because he didn't seem to like you that much…" Harry commented
"That would be an understatement…" James said with a small chuckle "Let's just say, Ron has a bit of an inferiority complex, especially when it comes to people in high society…he wants to make friends with people who come from rich families, or are famous, or both, so he can climb up higher on the social ladder…he tried to make friends with me a couple years back…I turned him down, because I knew he only wanted to be my friend because my family are incredibly wealthy…needless to say, he didn't take that very well, and things have been rocky between us, ever since…"
"Is that why you lied, when you told him you didn't know where I was?" Harry asked
"Yes…" James nodded "Don't get me wrong, Ron isn't a bad person…however, he'll only want to be your friend, because you're famous…being your friend means he'll get a share of the fame and the spotlight, by being associated with the famous Boy-Who-Lived…that's his problem, you see, he comes from a large and poor family…he focuses on what he doesn't have, and doesn't take a moment to just look at and appreciate the things he does have…like food, shelter and a loving family…the rest of his family aren't like that…and the Twins are fun to be around…"
"The Twins?" Harry raised an eyebrow
"Fred and George Weasley, identical in every way both physically and mentally, and the biggest pranksters in the world…" James replied "If we run into them at all, I'll introduce you to them…just don't accept any sweets they offer you"
"Why is that?" Harry asked
"Trust me, you don't want to know…" James said, seriously
"Okay, thanks for the warning…" Harry chuckled a little
Then, outside of their compartment, they heard a strange squeaking sound down the hall of the carriage they were in. It got closer and closer, before their compartment door opened, revealing a short and plump elderly woman, pushing a massive trolley containing a massive variety of sweets and chocolates. It was like she was pushing around a mountain of sugar, with a bright variety of colours, it gave Harry a slight headache from the sheer number of colours blending together. As she opened the door to their compartment, she gave the two boys a gentle smile.
"Anything off of the trolley dears?" She asked, with a soft and gentle voice
"I don't know…you want anything Harry?" James asked, looking to him, for confirmation
"Yes please" Harry nodded
"In that case, we'll take one of everything…" James said, pulling out a small pouch of gold coins from his pocket.
The look on Harry's face was priceless.
…
Over the course of the journey, Harry spent the whole time talking with James, and eating the various sweets he had bought. Some of the sweets were actually quite enjoyable, but others made Harry question the sanity of those who made them. Like 'Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans'. And they meant every flavour too. Honestly, whoever decided to make a vomit or rotten egg flavoured jellybean, couldn't have been sane. Whilst enjoying, and hating, the various sweets, the two boys spent a lot of time talking about whatever came to mind, with James also telling Harry some more about the Wizarding World, where Harry was beginning to realise just how big the Wizarding World was. Harry also enjoyed James' company. He was witty, kind and truthful, and sometimes blunt with his honesty. Harry had also asked James more about his family and his life, to find out more about him.
However, James didn't talk about his family much, when asked. He was very brief and short, and Harry couldn't help but notice a guarded look in his eyes. It was subtle, but it was there. Harry chose not to press on the situation, as Harry didn't share much about his home life either, out of fear of what would happen, if he tried to tell James about the abuse, he suffered at the hands of his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Every attempt, in the past, to tell people, including the authorities, always backfired on Harry, with his aunt and uncle convincing people that he was just an attention seeking and lying delinquent. No one ever believed him and he would always receive a more severe beating from his uncle because of it. His back was littered with scars from his uncles belt.
When they got closer to Hogwarts, the two of them got dressed into their Hogwarts robes. Harry was nervous about changing, in case James saw the scars on his back, but thankfully, the boys back was turned so he didn't notice them. It was late at night, when the train finally arrived and Harry and James got off the train, following the rest of the First Years, as they were greeted by Hagrid, a lot of First Years, especially the Muggleborns, were initially afraid of the Half-Giant, before Hagrid informed them all to follow him to the boats, whilst the older students walked in a different direction, towards some carriages. As they were walking, Harry overheard one student ask why they couldn't take the carriages, up to the castle, along with the rest of the students and, when Harry saw the boats, he couldn't help but agree with them.
The boats looked so old and rickety, almost as if they were going to fall apart at any moment. It didn't fill Harry with much confidence about the whole thing. When Hagrid had called out, stating for each boat to contain no more than four students, filled Harry up with even less confidence, as he and James looked at each other, sharing an uncertain look, before they both got onto a boat, quickly joined by two girls. One with strawberry blonde hair, called Hannah Abbot and a girl with messy and frizzy hair, who introduced herself as Hermione Granger. Harry wasn't entirely sure what to think about Hermione, as she spent the whole boat ride prattling on and on about everything she had read about Hogwarts and magic, in the various books she had bought for her First Year. Harry found her to be a bit too irritable. And judging by the look on James' face, so did he. Harry could only hope he didn't have to be in the same House as her.
However, as the boats passed through the mountains, and Hogwarts Castle appeared in front of them, Hermione shut up. Everyone shut up, as they gazed upon the castle, in awe, as it stood proudly, on top of the mountain. Harry looked on in awe, the very sight in front of him, looking like something from a picture book, as the castle seemed to shine, under the light of the moon and night sky.
"Welcome to Hogwarts…" James said, beside him, smiling.
…
And that was chapter 1 of this remaster. Already, I think fans of the original can tell, it's a lot better. At least I hope you think it's better.
Anyway. I don't know how often I'll be writing this remastered version. I plan to write each chapter, in between writing chapters for my other stories. I've wanted to remake my first story for a long while now, and I'm glad I'm finally able to do so.
Now, question for all of you. In the original, I planned for Blaise Zabini, to join the friend group at some point, making it a group of four instead of a group of three, but could never find the right place to include him, so that idea was scrapped. I want to do that in this remaster but I'm facing a similar issue. So, when do you think I should introduce Blaise to join Harry, James and, the third character who I don't want to spoil just yet, for those who haven't read the original. Please let me know in the reviews.
But that is all for now. I hope you enjoyed, and I will see you all next time, in whatever story I see you in.
Badger Out.
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