And here comes the third chapter!

* Review Response:
C. Wade, davycrockett100, ALiveTodaytoWrite, Tommy14, lordamnesia, Rcjmat, macabre-wolf, Shalifi, thank you for your reviews, folks!
The Richmaster, Wyrtha, abishop47, truth to be said, I simply don't like the brother wand thing that the fourth book introduced. But since I don't want to axe that part of canon entirely and can't guarantee that Harry won't end in a fight against Voldemort at some point, I decided to simply give Harry a different wand.
Kingdark, The Dark Dragen, thank you. Fixed the typos.
magitech, no flashback, but Flitwick does explain how to get to platform 9 3/4 properly offscreen.
Leafy Green, thank you, though I'll have to politely disagree: there are writers way better than me out there.

* AN: Great thanks to my friend Lupine Horror for his help in polishing this chapter.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Harry Potter" franchise. No profit is being made. Same goes for any books, video games, anime or manga I may or may not use for ideas.

"speaking"
'thinking'
written text

A Year Too Soon
Chapter III: To Hogwarts!

While professor Flitwick did say that Harry was free to leave his relatives' house, the diminutive man recommended him to stay there for the time being. And the young Potter eventually agreed that right now he didn't know enough about the magical world and its ways to do well there on his own. Plus, he supposed that staying at #4, Privet drive might not be all that bad after all. Indeed, ever since they had revealed the existence of Magic to him, his aunt and uncle mostly left him alone as long as everything 'unnatural' was kept out of their sight. Of course, they still gave him some chores to do, but those weren't all that hard and Harry didn't mind them too much.

Thus, he ended up staying at the Dursleys' residence for the rest of the summer. Mostly in his new room, either reading one of the books he had bought during his trip to the Diagon Alley, or simply lazing... Before long, however, the summer came to an end.

"Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked cautiously as he approached the Dursley patriarch on the last Thursday of August. The man let out an unintelligible grunt indicating that he was at least willing to hear the 'freak' of his nephew out. "I know, this is a lot to ask for, but... Could you, perhaps, give me a lift to Kings Cross on September the first?" The green-eyed wizard asked hopefully.

"When do you need to be there, boy?" Vernon asked back, obviously not very happy with this request. Still, seeing as he had to drive to London on that day anyway – he was representing Grunnings at an industrial exhibition held during the first days of September – he decided that he wouldn't mind driving the brat to Kings Cross all that much. Provided it didn't screw his schedule for the day, of course.

"My train leaves at eleven o'clock." Harry replied honestly. While also omitting the fact that the said train, the Hogwarts Express, was supposed to depart from a hidden platform that only wizards and witches could access...

"I need to be at ExCeL at ten. If you want me to give you a lift to Kings Cross, then you better be ready to wait an extra hour for your freakish train." The Dursley patriarch said. And Harry couldn't help but wince upon hearing that: that didn't sound like fun at all. Yet, his only other option was the 'Knight Bus', and he wasn't riding that deathtrap if he had a choice.

"Alright." The young Potter said finally.

"Make you have everything packed, boy." Vernon admonished. "If you forget something, then you can say it goodbye till next summer."

"Of course." Harry replied. "And thank you, uncle Vernon." He then added a few moments later.

~/ *** \~

"Well, here we are, boy." The Dursley patriarch said as he parked his car in front of the Kings Cross. "Now stop wasting my time and get off; if I'm late to my presentation because of you, I'll..." He trailed off, unable to come up with a good enough threat. Of course, he had more than enough time to reach ExCeL, but Harry wisely decided against pointing that out. Instead, the green-eyed boy thanked his uncle for giving him a lift and disembarked from the car. "And don't come back till next summer, or I'll make you regret you were born!" Having given that last 'warning', Vernon drove off, leaving his nephew alone in the street.

Shaking his head, Harry turned his step towards the platforms. He didn't have enough money to while away at some cafe, and if he were to simply sit on some bench, he'd rather do that on a less crowded magical platform. He just hoped that the had memorized professor Flitwick's instructions on how to get there right. After all, he was sure that the guards haven't heard anything about the platform 9 ¾ and would think he was crazy or a hooligan or something if he started asking questions about it.

Thankfully, he remembered those instructions right, and the portal leading to the magical side of Kings Cross was indeed where the young Potter expected it to be. And stepping through it, he found himself standing under a wrought-iron archway with the inscription "Platform 9 ¾" on it. Further ahead, he could see a sign saying "Hogwarts Express, 11:00". There was no sign of the Express itself, however.

In fact, a wizard in crimson robes and a couple of station workers were the only other people on the platform right now. Shrugging, Harry settled on the nearest bench and pulled his Potions textbook from his bag and began reading. It wasn't an especially interesting read, but it was something that he needed familiarize himself with. Doubly so because the Hogwarts' Potions Master was said to be very strict and to hold his student to a very high standard. And Harry had no desire to be on that man's bad side...

At about a quarter past ten, the Hogwarts Express finally arrived. It was an old-style train of maybe ten cars with a scarlet steam engine at its head. And while there still were only so many people on the platform, Harry wasted no time in boarding the train and occupying a compartment for himself. He chose one at the very end of the Express in hopes that the older students would not bother him too much there – every school had its share of bullies, and the green-eyed boy would rather not deal with Hogwarts' ones yet. Once he settled in 'his' compartment, Harry went straight back to reading his Potions textbook.

Apparently, his guess had been quite spot on and the majority of the Hogwarts students would rather sit somewhere in the front cars. And those who didn't mind settling here, at the tail end of the train, were content to let him have a compartment to himself. Thus, Harry got to enjoy relative peace for quite a while. In fact, it lasted until the train was about to depart. Then, a pair of identical twins, likely second or third year students, decided to invite themselves into 'his' compartment...

"Let's dump our things here and go look for Lee. He said he'll bring something really cool onto the train." One of the twins said as he casually threw his trunk onto the luggage rack.

"Well, there is some bookworm firstie here." The other twin said. "But I believe we can trust him not to steal the results our hard work, Fred." He then leaned towards Harry and addressed him directly: "Can we?" The young Potter tried lean away from the redhead who was currently invading his personal space. Before the situation could escalate into the direction he wouldn't like, however, Fred butted in.

"How won't, right?" Nodding eagerly, Harry hoped that the pair would leave to look for their friend soon, thus letting him have his peace once again. "See, George." Fred continued. "Our things are safe with this mighty guardian, firstie the bookworm!" There was a pause, before he asked: "What are you reading, by the way?" The younger wizard showed him the book's cover.

"I've heard that the Potions professor is quite strict and it might be unwise to come to his lessons unprepared." The twins nodded in perfect unison.

"That's quite true. The greasy git-..." George began.

"...We, of course, mean handsome and kind professor Snape-..." Fred inserted into his twin's speech.

"...Indeed likes his students to very well prepared for his lessons. And if you are not, well... Detentions and loss of house points will ensue."

"Unless, you are a slimy Slytherin, of course." Fred added. "Snape will never take a point from a student from his own house."

"Uh... Okay." Harry said after a few seconds of an awkward silence.

"Alright, firstie." George said then. "We're off to find our friend, Lee. Guard our things with your life and make sure no one takes what is ours. See ya." And with that the twins left the compartment, leaving Harry alone with his Potions textbook...

It wasn't until the lunch time when the green-eyed Potter's peace was disturbed again. But this time it wasn't some Hogwarts student, but a smiling, dimpled witch with a trolley full of various magical snacks and candies. And seeing that abundance made Harry realize that he was quite hungry... Plus, he barely ever got to taste sweets while living under the Dursleys' roof, so now that he was away from them, he wanted to make up for it.

Thus, he bought a little of everything. Well, almost: the chocolate frogs were charmed to move and act like real frogs, and the green-eyed boy had absolutely no desire to eat something like that. Even if he could understand that this wasn't an actual being, but just some chocolate put under a couple of spells. As for the snacks he did buy, most of them were pretty good, though he did have some pretty bad luck with Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans: sprouts and ear wax weren't the flavors he really wanted in his sweets, and neither was smoked and very salty fish.

Done with his 'lunch', Harry went back to reading. Though, he decided that he had had enough Potions for now and picked his Transfiguration textbook instead.

At four or five in the afternoon – it was hard to tell without a watch – the red-haired twins popped into 'his' compartment to take their things, before disappearing again, presumably to rejoin their friend, Lee. Aside from that, the rest of the train ride went peacefully for the young Potter. And he really liked that.

It was around the sunset when the train conductor informed everyone that the train will be reaching the Hogsmeade station in half an hour. Setting his book aside, Harry quickly changed into the black robes that were his school uniform: according to the rulebook, he had to be wearing it for all of his classes and all of the important events, like the welcoming feast. Then he returned to reading his Transfiguration textbook, hoping to finish the chapter before the train ride was over.

Alas, the Fates decided that he wouldn't get a chance to do that: he was still a page and a half away from the end of the chapter when the train began slowing down and the conductor announced that they will be arriving to the Hogsmeade station in a couple of minutes. The students were also instructed to leave their luggage on the train, since it will be taken to the school separately... Letting out a small sigh, the young Potter packed his book into his school bag and left the compartment, joining several older students in the corridor.

Soon enough, the Hogwarts Express stopped next to a small and not very well lit platform. Allowing the throng before him get off first, Harry stepped out of the train. And he was immediately greeted by cool Scottish twilight. The clear skies weren't completely dark yet, but myriads of shining stars could already be seen. He didn't get much of a chance to stargaze, though, as a booming voice called:

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" The voice belonged to giant of a man, whose face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard. Yet, despite his quite intimidating size, the man's glinting black eyes didn't have a trace of malice in them. "Any more firs' years?" The man, who turned out to be the Hogwarts' gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, called again as Harry and a few of his future classmates joined the crowd. "Alright! Firs' years! Follow me! And mind yer step!" Hagrid said as he began guiding the first year students off the platform and towards a steep, narrow path that led towards a big, dark lake.

Thanks to fair weather, the walk was quite pleasant. But there were little doubts in Harry's mind that it wouldn't be so on a rainy day. How come no one had thought about paving this path and installing some handrails?

Upon arriving to the edge of the lake, the young Potter caught his first sight of the Hogwarts castle. And just like the other first years, he was amazed by what he saw. Hogwarts was a vast castle with many turrets and towers situated atop a high mountain; and its many windows were sparkling in the starry sky with warm lights, as if inviting everyone in... Once again, though, he didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the scenery.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing towards a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. The young Potter ended up sharing a boat with a pretty raven-haired girl of oriental descent and a blondish boy with curly hair. Due to an odd number of students this year, their boat didn't get a fourth passenger. "Everyone in?" The Hogwarts' gamekeeper, who had a whole boat to himself, shouted. "Right then – forward!"

The fleet of little boats crossed the Black Lake and then entered a well-hidden tunnel that led into an underground harbor. Once there, the boats stopped and Hagrid told everyone to disembark. He then made sure that no one got lost or left behind, after which he approached the castle door and knocked on it three times with his gigantic fist. After a moment, the door swung open, revealing a tall witch with graying hair and stern face. "The firs' years, professor McGonagall." The gamekeeper said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Professor McGonagall replied as she pulled the door wide open, inviting the students into an entrance hall that lay beyond the door. From there, she guided them to a small, empty chamber off the castle's Great Hall. "Welcome to Hogwarts." The witch said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." And she gave everyone a quick overview of what the schools' four houses were and what were their purposes. When she was done with the explanation, she said: "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

The silence, however, lasted for maybe five seconds after she closed the chamber's door. Then many began whispering, offering their guesses about how they will be sorted. Harry remained quiet and listened to what the others said. Of course, most of the guesses were extremely unlikely, but... Suddenly, there was a girlish shriek, followed by a few more. Looking there, the young Potter saw a group of ghost – very real ghosts! – floating through walls and students alike as they discussed something among themselves. Apparently, they were trying to decide, whether someone named 'Peeves' deserved yet another 'second chance'.

A couple of ghosts then turned their attention towards the students and welcomed them to Hogwarts. Then they hurried after their less talkative ethereal companions and floated out of the chamber through another wall, presumably to the Great Hall. And just as the final ghost disappeared from sight, professor McGonagall returned.

"The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The stern witch said. "Now, please, form a line and follow me." Harry picked a spot near the end of the line. Once the line was formed, professor McGonagall lead everyone out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Which, indeed, was great and awe-inspiring. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

And while Harry and his classmates were greedily taking in the sight of the Great Hall, professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of them. On top of the stool she put a patched and frayed and extremely dirty pointed wizard's hat. A few moments later, the hat twitched and a rip resembling a mouth opened near its brim. Then, the hat started singing. It wasn't a very good song, but, then again, it apparently was composed by a hat itself! Once the Sorting Hat finished singing and the applause died down, the sorting ceremony began:

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." Professor McGonagall instructed as she stepped forwards, holding a parchment with the list of the students to be sorted. "Bell, Katie!" She called. A few moments later a scared brown-haired girl stumbled out of the line and walked up to the stool. After maybe half a minute of sitting under the Sorting Hat, she became the first new Gryffindor. The Hat's proclamation was followed by thundering clapping from the members of the said house. Once it died down, the next name was called... It was quite a while, perhaps a whole hour, before professor McGonagall finally reached Harry's name. And, apparently, seeing it in the list shocked her into silence.

"Everything alright, Minerva?" The Headmaster asked as stood up from his gilded throne-like chair. The said witch nodded weakly, before finally reading the next name from the list.

"Potter, Harry!" For several long seconds, the whole Great Hall was completely silent. Then, it exploded with whispers as everyone, including the professors, was wondering what the hell was going on: everyone had been under the impression that the young Potter wasn't coming to Hogwarts until the next year.

Meanwhile, Harry stepped out of the line and, doing his best to ignore those whispers as well as the people staring at him, walked up to the stool and placed the Sorting Hat on top of his head.

That's all, folks!
Read and review.