Chapter 3: Going to Hogwarts
The rest of the month before the first term at Hogwarts started was uneventful. The Dursleys were doing their best to pretend Harry didn't exist, and he decided to give Officer Parker a break by focusing on reading his magical textbooks instead of going out causing trouble. As he'd suspected, Ryan was delighted to get a few gold gallons, and he paid handsomely for it. Harry would bet that any pawn shop he went to would also be good for it.
Carrie used the stone to turn many of her coins gold, and used this to pay off her brother's drinking debts. They had been too pleased with this to ask where she'd gotten the money from.
At last, September came. Harry collected all his school stuff and walked out the door. To his surprise, Officer Parker was waiting there.
"I hear you're going to a boarding school." Parker said. Harry nodded. "Well, I need you to take this to the Headmaster. I'm afraid it's protocol to inform the school of your criminal record."
Harry nodded again and accepted the letter from her. "Yes ma'am. Have a good year." He waved and dragged his suitcase along behind him as he headed for Carrie's house, Maria's cage hanging in her other hand.
Parker watched the boy go and muttered, "this will either be the thing that straightens that boy out, or makes him worse than ever. I hope it's the first option," before heading back to her cruiser.
Carrie, Pierce and Miranda were all waiting outside Carrie's empty house with her father's shiny new car. Carrie sized Harry up before giving him a hug. "I have to admit, it's going to be damn boring around here without you, Trouble." She remarked. Carrie liked to pretend she didn't have positive emotions, so this was her way of saying, "I'm going to miss you while you're at school."
Miranda bobbled her head in agreement and hugged Harry next. Pierce just smiled vaguely and ruffled Harry's hair. "Come on, guys, I won't be gone forever. I promise, over the summer I'll show you around Diagon Alley." Harry said.
"Alright, let's get you to that train," Carrie said. Pierce took Harry's trunk and heaved it into the back of the car, Harry got into the back seat with Miranda, Maria's cage sitting on his legs. Pierce and Carrie got onto shotgun and driver's seat, respectively, before Carrie started the engine and headed towards London.
King's Cross was a big station, and it took a lot of wandering around to finally find Platforms Nine and Ten. Luckily, it was still a while before the train left.
"I don't see any other platforms around here," Pierce reported. "The other ones just go backwards from Eight. It's gotta be around here somewhere..."
Carrie's eyes narrowed when she spied a young redhead girl crying pitifully, following a group of other redheads who were probably related to her, dragging along trunks that looked just like Harry's. "Hey, let's follow those guys. I think they might be wizards."
Harry saw who she was looking at and nodded. They walked up to the group of redheads.
"Excuse me," Carrie asked the little girl as gently as she could. The girl turned and looked up at her and Harry, deep brown eyes wide. "We're looking for Platform Nine and Three Quarters, do you know where it is?"
The little girl sniffed sadly and nodded, pointing towards the wall between the signs nine and ten. "Yes, we do. My big brothers are all going this year and leaving me at home alone." She looked pleadingly at the woman in the group, who was probably her mother. The woman just shook her head gently and said 'next year, Ginny'.
"You're all attending Hogwarts?" The oldest redhead asked importantly. Harry noted that he had a silver badge with a capital P on it pinned to his robes.
"Oh, not us. Just Harry, here." Miranda said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We're just bringing him here."
At this, Ginny's sadness seemed to magically vanish. "Harry? Harry Potter?"
Harry groaned. "Is everyone I try to talk to going to react like this?" At the girl's surprised expression, he sighed and said, "Yes, I'm Harry Potter."
Ginny seemed to brighten. "I know where the platform is! I can show you!" She then exuberantly led Harry through the crowd and to a wall between the numbers Nine and Ten. "It's behind this wall." She explained. "We go through here so we're not tripping over the muggle train lines." She then turned towards her older brothers. "You should show him how to go through!"
"Yes, of course. Fred-"
"I'm George! Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can't you tell the difference between us?" One of the redheads asked indigently.
"Oh, I'm sorry, George." His mother said, patting him on the shoulder.
The boy and his identical brother lined up in front of the wall. "Just kidding, I am Fred!" With that, he ran through the wall and disappeared, his brother right behind him.
Ginny smiled apologetically at Harry while her mother made an exasperated noise. "Percy? Ron? You'd best be off." She turned and smiled in a friendly way at Harry. "First time at Hogwarts? Don't worry, it's a very friendly school. It's Ron's first year, too." With that, Percy and Ron ran through the wall as well.
Carrie took a breath and said, "I guess this is as far as we go." She ran her fingers through Harry's hair just like she had when she had first met him. "Good luck, Trouble. Watch where you step."
"Have fun." Was Miranda's contribution.
"Make friends," Pierce said with a wink. Harry blushed, to Ginny's confusion. He nodded towards her and his friends before running through the barrier.
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Harry watched the platform in amazement. There was a whole new platform on the other side of the wall, a scarlet red steam engine waiting for him with the sign Hogwarts Express 11:00 hanging over it. Hundreds of other kids were milling around the platform, loading their trunks and saying goodbye to their parents. Harry was amazed; he hadn't thought there would be so many other wizards.
"Gran," he heard a boy say somewhere behind him, "I lost my toad again."
"Oh, Neville," an older voice sighed. Harry glanced over his shoulder to see a boy about his age looking around, an older woman beside him. Harry pulled down his baseball hat to hide his hair and his scar before moving on.
He found an entrance to the train and walked on board. He wandered down the hall until he found an empty compartment and settled in. His heart was pounding. Before this, no matter where he went he always had his three friends, who were more like older siblings to him now.
Now he was alone, on a train to a school that would teach him about a special gift he had. His mind went back to the Philosopher's Stone, safely locked up in Carrie's drawer.
It was both exhilarating and terrifying, to think of what could await him there.
He put his trunk on an upper compartment and set Maria's cage down. He opened the door slightly and petted her fur. "Sorry, girl," He said when she tried to push past his hand, "I can't let you out until I get to Hogwarts."
Suddenly, the compartment door opened and one of the Greengrass sisters appeared in the doorway. She did a double-take when she saw Harry and stumbled backwards a bit. "Uhh...hi?" She asked weakly.
"Hi." Harry said. He looked at her for a moment, her trunk was smaller than his and she seemed not to have a familiar. "Aren't you Astoria Greengrass?"
"Y-You remember us?" Daphne blurted out, before wincing like she couldn't believe she had said that. "Ah – no. Astoria's my sister, younger than me by a year. We look alike. I'm Daphne."
"Oh, right. Sorry." Harry said. "You can sit down. It's fine."
Daphne gave a relieved sort of smile before sitting down on the couch across from him. "I'm sorry if my dad freaked you out a little yesterday." She said. "He's not very subtle when there's something he has in mind. I hope that didn't bother you too much."
"I was just surprised." Harry responded. "No problems."
There was a pause as Harry cast around for a topic of conversation. He really wasn't very good at this. "So...any idea what Hogwarts is like?"
"My father went there for schooling." Daphne recalled. "His years were a little overshadowed by You-Know-Who's rise to power, but he said that it's a good school. Mom wanted to send me to a private school but Hogwarts is one of the best."
"There are others?" Harry asked. "I've just learned about magic, so I'm catching up."
"Oh, yeah." Daphne nodded. "Of all the high-profile schools, there's Beaubaxons in France and Drumstrang in Germany. There's also Nocturne, but that's a private school in America. Salem is also high profile, but it's girls only."
"I see." Harry thought about that. "Hagrid said my parents went to Hogwarts."
Daphne nodded. "Lily and James Potter were Head boy and girl in their time." She said.
"Your sister seemed really unhappy yesterday." Harry remarked. "She was scowling the whole time."
"Astoria's passions boil close to the surface." Daphne sighed. "I don't think it will bode well for her now that she'd engaged to Draco Malfoy. I'm not sure he appreciates her personality."
"Engaged?" Harry repeated. "But she's ten."
Daphne looked funny at Harry. "You're weren't raised wizard, were you?" She asked.
"No," Harry responded with a shake of his head. "I was raised by my aunt and uncle, in Little Whining. In that house, magic meant getting in trouble – lots of it." He snorted and leaned back in his seat. "Honestly, I prefer Juvenile Hall to the house I had to live in."
"Juvenile Hall?"
"Well, until you're eighteen you're too young for prison, so they send you to this place called Juvie where they're supposed to break you of your habits and turn you back into an upstanding citizen without breaking your learning." Harry responded. Did the wizarding world not have children's correctional facilities?
"You're an offender?" Daphne asked, shocked.
"Multiple accounts of theft and arson. Aunt Petunia tried to get me in for assault but that was ruled as self-defence." Harry responded breezily. With any luck, that would curb Mr. Greengrass's enthusiasm to have him as a son-in-law.
"Arson?"
"It means willful destruction of another's property." Harry explained. "In my defence, Piers liked to beat me up pretty bad, so I had a bit of a grudge by then."
Daphne stared at him for a long moment. "...Astoria was right about you."
"I'm sorry?" Harry echoed, surprised.
Daphne tossed her hair over her shoulder. "My mum has been trying to teach us to read people's personality from their eyes, their expressions and the way they talk." She explained. "Astoria said she thought you caused trouble. Devil may care, I think was how she described it."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "What do you think of that?"
Daphne looked back at him for a long moment. "As a daughter of two purebloods, I've never been allowed to do much." She whispered. "It's about grace and beauty and security. It's like living in a cage. I think you have the potential to be dangerous, Harry." She paused and then whispered, "I think I need a little dangerous."
Harry felt a slight smirk edge its way onto his face. "Alright."
Daphne smiled tentatively and glanced at Maria. "She's your familiar?" She asked.
"Yeah. Be careful with Maria, she's friendly enough but she has a nasty bite and claws things she isn't supposed to," Harry warned. "Do you have a familiar?"
Daphne nodded and opened her trunk. From there she removed a cage with a snowy white owl. "Technically, its a gift for my sister from Draco's parents," She said, "But Astoria wanted to be close to me, so she told me to take her with me."
Harry stared at her trunk. "How'd you do that?"
"Bottomless charm. My father put it on my trunk so I wouldn't have to carry much." Daphne said.
Harry glanced at his gigantic trunk and muttered, "Should probably learn that one." Daphne giggled. "What's her name?"
"Hedwig," Daphne replied fondly, reaching through the cage to stroke the owl's feathers.
At this moment, the door to the compartment opened to reveal the one of the redheads from earlier, Ron if Harry's memory served him. "Hi. Aren't you Harry Potter?" He asked.
"Yes." Harry responded slowly. He wasn't sure he liked this guy's expression; it looked kind of like Ginny's but there was something off-putting about it.
"Great! I'm Ron Weasley." He glanced at Daphne, stared at her for a second and then said, "Aren't you Greengrass? Your whole family was in Slytherin, wasn't it?"
Not giving Daphne a chance to respond, he turned back to Harry. "You should be careful who you hang out with. There isn't a single wizard in history who turned dark who didn't come out of Slytherin. Their lot-" He jerked his head towards Daphne "-have been in Slytherin for three generations. She's probably building up a foundation to get her claws in you."
Daphne's jaw dropped; she looked appalled, offended and hurt all at the same time.
Angry, Harry got to his feet and said, "Excuse me? I was having a perfectly ordinary conversation and you come barging in here telling me who I should and shouldn't associate with? And then you accuse a girl who's being friendly with me of being evil and a vamp within two sentences? What's wrong with you?"
Ron looked taken aback. "I'm just trying to help you! Their type-"
"I'll be the judge of that." Harry snapped, moving one foot back taking on the same stance for defending himself. "I've met my fair share of people, Weasley, and believe me I know the difference between someone who's trying to be helpful and a punk who needs a lesson in manners."
Now Ron's ears were starting to go red, "I'm serious! You're the boy-who-lived! Everyone is going to be after you for their own reasons."
"Oh. Does that include you?" Harry asked sarcastically, and his eyes narrowed when Ron's ears went redder. "I'll take that as a yes. Get out."
Angry and bewildered, Ron started to back away when suddenly Draco Malfoy and two large boys who looked more like bodyguards appeared in the doorway.
"So it is true," Draco said in the same drawl he had used in the shop. "Harry Potter has returned to the wizarding world." He glanced at Ron. "Hoping for handouts, Weasley? You probably couldn't afford the shoes on his feet, so that's not surprising."
Ron glared at him. He looked like he'd happily attack Draco but was deterred by the two massive bodyguards.
"You'd be right to chase him off," Draco told Harry, "You'll find out quickly that some wizarding families are better than others. The Weasleys are poor as sin; they just want your money. I can help you find the right people."
Harry stared at Draco in disbelief. Ron hadn't made the greatest first impression but he'd never be cruel to someone who's family barely got by.
Draco turned his attention to Daphne, who was looking more and more nervous as the altercation continued. "Daphne. I want you to leave this compartment."
"What?" Daphne demanded, getting to her feet as well. "Why?"
"Because, your sister and my intended has yet to cease speaking of Harry Potter, and that will never do. You are not to interact with other young men when you're chosen for someone else, and I don't want her hearing any more about him from you."
"You're not my betrothed." Daphne said angrily. Maria's fur was fluffing up ominously as she picked up on the black mood filling the room.
"You and Astoria are close, you share everything. I won't have her meeting other men through you."
"I won't stop talking to her just because I have a guy friend!" Daphne was close to shouting at this point.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the promiscuous type, Daphne. I figured your mother would have raised you better."
"We're not messing around or doing anything improper, we're just having a conversation! It's perfectly normal!" Daphne shouted back, eyes burning with anger and unshed tears.
"I'll go to my father," Draco said warningly.
"You wouldn't disgrace my sister over something that trivial if you had half the honour you claim to have! My parents offered to join our houses because they thought you were a great and noble family, but if you dishonour Astoria over my actions you have no more honour than a Death Eater!" Daphne seethed.
"Yeah!" Ron said vehemently, his obvious animosity towards Draco overriding his suspicions of Daphne. "You're just a slimy snake."
Draco had gone rigid. He shot a look at one of the big boys, who suddenly lunged towards Daphne and slapped her across the face.
Harry moved so fast it was a blur; he kicked the boy at the side of the kneecap, sending him to the floor. In the next second he grabbed the boy's head and slammed it against his knee before flinging him backwards into Draco. The boy howled in pain, clutching a bloody nose.
Harry turned on his heels towards a stunned Draco, putting himself between the boys and Daphne, who was sitting on the edge of her seat holding her cheek. "Touch her again," He said through gritted teeth, "And I will break every bone in your hand."
Draco pulled out his wand, but Harry struck the inside of his wrist with enough force to knock the piece of wood loose. He snatched the falling wand and said, "I will snap this in half if you aren't out of this compartment in the next five seconds. One."
"You can't do this! Don't you know who I am?" Draco demanded shrilly, but he was staring at Harry with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen.
"Two." Harry intoned, the undercurrent of rage still burning in his voice.
"Potter!"
"Three." Harry started to bend the wand.
Looking furious, scared and humiliated all at once, Draco fled the compartment, his dumb bodyguards following a second after.
Harry tossed the wand out into the hall and shut the compartment doors in Ron's awed face. For a second, he glared at the doorway and exhaled angrily, trying to get his emotions back under control.
After a moment, he turned and sat in front of Daphne, putting a hand on her bruised, swelling cheek. "Are you alright?" He asked. Hedwig and Maria both made noises of distress.
"I'll be fine." Daphne's voice was barely more than a whisper. "You shouldn't have done that Harry...Draco's father Lucius is influential and he'll be furious when he hears about this."
Harry shook his head, "I'm not afraid of influential people. Prison is nothing new for me. And besides, I wasn't about to let the brat smack you around out of some sense of entitlement."
Suddenly, in the hall, there was a loud snap and an outraged scream. There was pounding and shuffling as a fight broke out in the hall. "Must be Ron Weasley," Harry muttered, Draco had obviously struck a nerve with his 'poor as sin' remark. He examined Daphne's cheek before muttering, "I should get you some ice."
He heard yelling in the hall, one of the voices belonging to Ron's older brother Percy Weasley. "Stay here." Harry murmured before stepping out into the hall.
Sure enough, Percy and another boy had dragged Ron and Draco off each other, two broken wands lying on the floor of the train. A girl and a boy were standing a few feet away, watching the scene in alarm.
Percy was still shouting, "Ronald Weasley! Getting in a fight before we even reach Hogwarts? Even Fred and George at least made it to the opening feast! And your wand is broken! What is the meaning of this?! Flint, we must separate these two."
The other boy, Flint, who had the same silver P badge that Percy did, nodded and began pulling Draco further down the hall, the two dumb boys trailing after him.
Harry let out an irritated snort and dug into his pockets. He was sure he was at least partially at fault for things getting out of hand, and Ron would be in trouble at school without a wand. He took Ron's hand and filled it with gallons. "Use that for a new wand. Don't pay me back." He said.
He turned from Ron's shocked expression to look at an equally surprised Percy. "I need to get something for swelling," Harry said. "When Draco was in my compartment one of his goons struck Daphne across the face."
Percy adopted a look of righteous outrage, "He hit a girl? Terrible! Of course I can get something..." He waved his wand a few times an a pack of ice appeared. "This will slow it for now, after the sorting she should see Madam Pomfery, the school nurse." He instructed.
Harry nodded and returned to his compartment. He handed the ice to Daphne. "Hold that." He said.
Daphne placed the ice on her cheek and smiled at Harry, rubbing tears away from the edges of her eyes. "Thank you Harry..."
The boy and the girl from the hallway stuck their heads in their compartment, looking awkward. "Um...excuse me," The girl said, looking embarrassed. "But have either of you seen a toad anywhere? Neville's lost his." She gestured to the boy.
"Toad..." Daphne muttered. "Oh, wait – is this it?" She reached under her seat and seized a large toad with her free hand.
"Trevor!" The boy, Neville, exclaimed happily, carefully taking the toad from Daphne. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Daphne murmured.
The girl looked at her face critically, "Are you alright? That looks like an awful bruise."
"I'll be fine." Daphne insisted, eyes dropping to the floor.
"Mind if we stay here? We're halfway to school by now." The girl said. Harry sighed heavily but waved them in.
The girl launched into conversation as soon as she was sitting down. "I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and they've all worked for me. Nobody in my family's got magic at all, it was such a surprise to get my letter. I was so pleased, I mean it's the very best school of witchcraft there is or so I've been told – I've learned all the books by heart, of course, I hope that's enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, and you are?"
Harry wanted to brain himself. A teacher's pet, there's a god-damned teacher's pet in my compartment. Someone kill me now.
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Mercifully, the train ride wasn't much longer and Harry didn't have to gouge out his eardrums from listening to Hermione Granger's increasing ramblings about school rules and the textbooks and the expectations and such, Daphne having been too dazed to cut her off and Neville desperately hanging on her every word.
In the few moments he could talk Neville had told Harry that he was afraid he'd be turned back because he showed so little magic. Harry responded that he doubted that since Neville had already been accepted into the school, he must meet the criteria. Neville's personality seemed to be an inverse of Dudley's; his lack of confidence was palpable.
Stepping out of the train after being told Maria and his luggage were being transported to the castle and would be moved into wherever he was sorted, Harry began mentally going over the letter he was going to send Carrie and the others while looking in the direction of the school.
It was huge and majestic, like something out of a fairy tale. They went there by boat – Harry almost had to take the same boat as Granger, but thankfully two other boys got to his and Daphne's boat first. They introduced themselves as Dean Thomas and Blaise Zabini. Blaise mostly spoke Italian, but he was friendly enough, while Dean was a football enthusiast who'd just entered the magical world.
Harry, for his part, simply sat and listened. Learn your surroundings. Learn the people. Daphne had been happy to fill in for his silence. The swelling in her cheek had gone down. Learn the schedule. Learn the building. His eyes focused on the walls of the school as they got closer and closer.
Hagrid lead them through the gates and into the castle, looking worse for wear than the last time Harry had seen him. He brought the to a staircase where a stern-looking witch was waiting for them. Harry instinctively noted that she was less than likely to tolerate acting out in her class; he'd have to remember that.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid rumbled.
The stern witch nodded. "Thank you, Hagrid." She turned her attention to the students. "When you step through these doors, you will be sorted into one of four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and lineage. While you are here these houses will function as your home away from home. Now, this way please."
Daphne kept pace with Harry, the swelling of her cheek having gone down dramatically. She murmured, "I'm probably going to be in Slytherin. Do you have any idea which house you'll be in? Your father and mother were Gryffindors."
Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure. I was thinking Slytherin, but I haven't liked the personalities I've met there, bar you." He shot a dark look in Malfoy's direction, the blonde having been trying to glare a hole in his head every since stepping off the boats.
"I suppose we'll see," Daphne agreed.
Professor McGonagall marched the students into a huge hallway. There were four tables, one for each house, in the hall, with the older students already sitting at it. The staff table was at the front, behind a stool with a hat sitting on it. Harry could see Hagrid and an old white-haired man who could only be Headmaster Dumbledore sitting up there too.
McGonagall turned around next to the chair and pulled out a list of names. "Abbot, Hannah!"
Harry watched curiously as a redhaired girl walked up to the chair, sat down and had the hat placed on her head. After a second, the hat came to life, and shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Huh. Interesting. Harry put his hands in his pockets and looked around. He saw a black-haired man in dark clothes who resembled a vampire more than anything else staring at him with an expression of intense dislike. Why, Harry had no idea. He smirked in the man's direction before turning his eyes back to the Sorting.
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Severus Snape jerked his head back when Harry Potter met his gaze. The expression in the Golden Brat's eyes had been the last thing he'd expected – and he didn't think it was something he should welcome. The boy had smirked – not in that arrogant, condescending way so characteristic of James Potter. No, it was more of a 'if I am sufficiently angry, I will burn your house down for kicks.'
Perhaps he was imagining it, but he had a feeling this wasn't going to bode well for his years here.
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"Duchannes, Conner." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Granger, Hermione." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Greengrass, Daphne."
Harry nodded at his friend, who smiled softly and walked up to the hat. It sat on her head for a few moments before shouting, "SLYTHERIN!"
Daphne took off her hat and walked down to the Slytherin table, shooting a nervous smile at Harry as she walked on.
"Goyle, Gregory." "SLYTHERIN!"
"Longbottom, Neville." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Malfoy, Draco." SLYTHERIN!"
"Potter, Harry."
Harry watched as all eyes fell on him and the hall became quiet. He glanced at the staff table; Dumbledore was leaning forward in his seat. His interest was obvious, and Harry didn't like it at all.
Professor McGonagall blinked when Harry walked up to her and dug a letter out of his pocket. "It's for the Headmaster." He said. "It's confidential." McGonagall looked confused, but accepted the letter.
He took a breath and walked up to the seat. The hat was placed on his head.
"Hm." Harry resisted the urge to wince as a voice resonated inside his head. "Difficult, difficult...you're a tough case, Harry Potter. Let's see...cunning and brilliance are tools you've been using for a long time, Slytherin would suit you well..."
"I thought about that," Harry retorted inside his head, "But then you put Malfoy in that house and its appeal dropped drastically. There's little doubt in my mind that my life at school would be exceptionally hard if I was a Slytherin."
"I see...you're probably right. Well...you're a smart boy, how about Ravenclaw?"
"Not much of a bookworm, sorry. Besides, I doubt the studious Ravenclaws would tolerate my brand of humor."
"Hm...Gryffindor would suit you, too."
"You sure of that?" Harry asked mildly. "I suppose I can be brave, but 'chivalrous' and 'noble' are not the words I'd use to describe myself."
"You're a troublemaker, yes. But that is not the only part of you."
"I suppose...alright, I'll go with that."
Dumbledore was beginning to become concerned, this was one of the longest sortings he'd ever seen in all his years at Hogwarts. He was about to ask the hat what was wrong when suddenly it yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The red and gold house erupted into cheers as Harry got off his chair and walked over to their table. The Weasley twins had started a chant of "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry saw Daphne smile and wave from her table.
"Uh, hi." Ron mumbled when Harry sat down. "I just wanted to say thank you. For the money. And I'm sorry about the train."
"Don't mention it," Harry said absently, looking around his table. Neville had smiled a bit when he'd seen him before staring at his plate. Hermione was lecturing another first year on the fact that the sky-like ceiling was an enchantment. When the hubbub finally died down they turned to watch the rest of the sorting.
"Thomas, Dean." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Winchester, Carol."
Harry watched as a dark haired girl walked up to the sorting hat. She paused, turned and sat down, wincing slightly when she did. Just before the hat was put over her eyes she turned and looked at him. For a split second, her eyes shone gold, and Harry felt a shock go down his spine.
Those eyes saw so much. Too much.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Carol slowly got off her chair, never breaking eye contact with Harry, the expression on her face suggesting she had felt it too. Quickly, she directed her eyes at the floor and walked over to the table, sitting several chairs away from him.
Harry finally tore his gaze away from her and stared at his plate. "That was weird." He muttered.
"What?" Dean asked, confused.
"Zabini, Blaise!"
"It's nothing." Harry muttered.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Finally, everyone was sorted, and the meal began.
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Albus Dumbledore wearily sat back in his chair, relieved. For a moment there, he'd been worried Harry was going to be sorted somewhere other than Gryffindor. He had known, of course, that he'd be condemning Harry to ten difficult years when he left the boy on the steps of his aunt and uncle, but he had been confident that the boy's basic character wouldn't change – that the experience would turn him into the admirable young boy who would need to face Voldemort.
The Winchester girl had also been a spot of concern, since the hat had put her in Gryffindor, but Dumbledore was certain nothing would come of it; young people didn't make friends with the opposite genders at this age.
McGonagall had turned her attention to the strange letter Harry had given her. She opened it, and read it's contents. Her face whitened.
"Albus. This is dreadful."
"What?" Dumbledore asked, startled. Minerva turned her attention to him, shock slowly collapsing into an angry scowl.
"I told you not to leave him with those muggles, Albus. See what has become of it."
"My dear Minerva, what are you talking about?" Dumbledore requested, bewildered by his deputy Headmistress's hostility. Snape looked over in interest.
McGonagall placed the open letter on Dumbledore's plate, and simply said, "Harry Potter is a criminal."
She might as well have punched Albus in the gut; the world lurched dangerously for a moment. He immediately picked up the letter and retreated from the table, muttering for McGonagall to finish the evening.
Once safely within his office, Albus Dumbledore read over the letter, hardly daring to believe -
Dear Sir/Ma'am.
I understand that Harry James Potter is transferring to your boarding school to complete his education. I do not know if this information is already available to you, but since I cannot locate any correspondence from your school I feel it is best to send you this note.
As a police officer I am required to inform you that Harry Potter has a criminal record; he has been placed in our Juvenile Corrections facility multiple times ever since an incident when he was six years of age, when he pushed his cousin and a friend off the roof of his suburban house. On this record are multiple counts of theft and arson within the Little Whining area, several parents have requested I press assault charges but those have been ruled as self-defence. He also consistently associates with three other troubled children he met during a stretch at Corrections. I believe he may have committed many other thefts and acts of vandalism but was never caught.
Now, I believe this behaviour stems from his frustration with his home life, specifically the people he lives with and nearby. I originally suspected his guardians were abusive, and that suspicion still lingers, though I have yet to collect any solid evidence of it. Hopefully he'll be able to thrive away from them and the environment he associates with unhappiness, but I urge you to keep an eye on him, and make sure he's comfortable and happy. If not, he will undoubtedly continue with this criminal activity and end up in an adult system when he becomes of age.
Thank you for your time,
Officer Linda Parker, British Police Service, Little Whining division.
Dumbledore had to sit down and rest a hand on his head. Harry Potter, a criminal...this was terrible... dreadful. How would this affect his plans? He knew that Petunia and Vernon would have no love of their nephew, but to push him to criminal behaviour...he had never thought Harry would go that route.
How could he straighten the boy out? His whole plan depended on Harry being ready to do anything for good, not this.
The disappearance of the Philosopher's Stone had been a serious blow to his plans for this year. The only good thing he could think about this was that Voldemort was yet to discover that the stone was not at Hogwarts; he had gone through many pains to keep the news hushed up. But this, this would change everything.
Severus's approach to the boy may now prove to do more harm than good, with this new information. Or, Albus thought, it could be exactly what he needed.
If Harry was not familiar with friendly adults, than perhaps a kindly, reasonable Headmaster who was willing to let him get away with a thing or two compared to an absolutely unyielding Severus and Minerva would earn him the kind of trust he had meant for the boy to have in him. Yes...yes, that could work.
With any luck, after this year all his plans would continue without incident.
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The moment Harry was settled in his dorm with Maria curled up on his lap he started writing a long letter to Carrie.
Carrie, Pierce and Miranda
Today was very long and hectic, it's hard to know where to start. Carrie, you're going to be annoyed but I got into a fight before I even got to the school. In my defence, the guy I hit had done something to deserve the broken nose I gave him.
Remember I told you about Astoria and Daphne Greengrass yesterday? Well, I saw Daphne again on the train today – she's friendly enough, though she seemed really embarrassed when she talked to me. But then I met Ron Weasley, one of the redheads from the platform, and he didn't make a good impression on me. He told me to stay away from Daphne because her whole family was in Slytherin, and apparently they're not to be trusted. I told him exactly what I thought of that and ordered him out of the compartment. That alone would have been bad enough, but then Draco from the robe store appeared as well with these two giant kids for bodyguards. He then proceeded to insult Ron for being poor and told me to get rid of him. Then he ordered Daphne out of my compartment because he didn't want Astoria learning about me through her. She told him to get stuffed, one of his guards hit her and I kind of lost my temper. At least I haven't gotten in trouble for it. Yet, anyway.
About the school itself – it looks incredible. Kind of like a real-life Disney movie. There are moving staircases, ghosts, talking portraits and floating candles everywhere. We got sorted into the houses today – I told you about them, remember? - and I got sorted into Gryffindor. I know, weird, huh? The hat said something about my stealing not being the only part of me for his reasons for sending me there. Daphne's in Slytherin. There's a really obnoxious teacher's pet who's also in Gryffindor who's been assaulting me and anyone who will listen with random facts about the castle and magic and it's starting to drive me crazy.
On another note – this girl, Carol Winchester I think her name was, got sorted here to. I can't explain it, I've got a very weird feeling about her. (no, not that kind of weird Pierce! You know what I mean!) I'm keeping an eye on her because I can't shake this feeling. She's very quiet, hasn't said much but she looks at me strangely.
The castle itself seems fairly kid friendly, except for a third-floor corridor that will apparently kill us horribly if we go there. (No really, Headmaster Dumbledore said so himself) He also said the Forbidden Forest was out of bounds, which means I'll be checking it out this weekend. My dormmates are Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnagin, and Neville Longbottom.
There's a wizard town nearby the school called Hogsmeade. Only third years and up are allowed to go, but I'll be consulting the Weasley Twins (resident pranksters here at Hogwarts, apparently) to see if there's a secret way in. Having been cut off from wizarding society for so long makes me want acquaint myself with it as soon as possible.
Carrie, take care of the Philosopher's Stone.
Harry.
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Dear Mum, Dad and Ginny
Today could have gone better, as I'm sure Percy as already told you. I met Harry Potter inside the train. He was sitting with this girl, Greengrass I think? You've probably heard of 'em, dad. Anyway, I warned him that Slytherins are the bad sort and he got very angry with me. Said he'd consort with who he wanted and not to tell him who's the bad sort. Then he told me to leave.
Then this Draco Malfoy comes into the compartment, insults me for being poor and basically told Harry that we were too low to associate with. And then he ordered Greengrass to leave because apparently he's betrothed to her younger sister and he doesn't want either of them talking to other boys. She told the prat to sod off and one of his goons hit her. Harry – you should have seen him – knocked the guy down in one hit (he was smaller than this guy!) and broke his noes. Then he got Malfoy's wand off him and threatened to snap it if he didn't leave him and Greengrass alone. Malfoy left the compartment and shoved me against the wall, breaking my wand and called me a blood traitor – and I got really mad and broke his wand. Percy and the Slytherin Prefect separated us.
Then Harry showed up again, asked Percy for some ice for the Greengrass girl. Then – then he pulled out a fistful of gallons, gave them to me and told me to buy a new wand. He also said not to pay him back!
He's been sorted into Gryffindor with me. I don't know what to think of him, Ginny, but he's nothing like those books you have on him – he's too hard. Please don't send me a Howler mum, I already apologized!
Ron
Ginny read over Ron's letter for the third time while her mother and father discussed whether or not to send Ron a Howler. The description was jarring compared to the image of the boy-who-lived that she'd had for many years. She hadn't expected Harry Potter to be so aggressive and sharp. On the other hand, he gave Ron money for a new wand when Malfoy broke his, and said they didn't have to pay him back!
Ginny couldn't wait for next year, when she could go to Hogwarts and meet Harry Potter for herself. Then she'd be able to settle this confusion.
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Astoria paced in her room long past her bedtime, waiting for a message from Daphne. Her sister had promised to owl her as soon as she could after she was sorted – and she had never broken a promise to her before. But it was getting late; how long would it take Hedwig to get here?
Finally, her waiting paid off when a snowy white owl landed and tapped on her windowsill. Eagerly Astoria let Hedwig in, took the letter from her and ripped it open.
Dear Astoria
You were right about Harry Potter. And I'm also starting to understand why you feel so strongly about Draco Malfoy.
Alright, let me back it up – I ran into Harry Potter on the train to Hogwarts. I was embarrassed to see him, especially since dad essentially threw me at him a month ago. But he didn't seemed that bothered by it and let me sit with him. I talked with him for a while, and remember when you told me that you thought he would bring trouble? You were right – he confined in me that he had broken the law before. Nothing too drastic, but apparently he's been in trouble for multiple counts of theft and destruction of other's property. Apparently he did that because this Peris person is cruel to him.
That's not all – when this redhaired boy accused me of seducing him, Harry came to my defence. He told him off for judging me and told him to leave.
Draco Malfoy cornered us a second later. I think he meant to get Harry as an ally, but he torpedoed it with the way he behaved. First, he insulted the Weasley boy for being poor, and then he ordered me to stay away from Harry. He said that I exchanged too much information with you and that he didn't want you learning about him from me.
I rightly pointed out that he was not my betrothed and couldn't give me orders – and one of these two brutes that were flanking him struck me across the face. And Harry – Harry moved so fast I missed it; he took down this much bigger brute with two moves, breaking his nose in the process, without ever touching his wand. Then, he disarmed Malfoy with his hand and promised to break his hand – and his wand – if he or his goons ever hit me again.
Of all the boys Father has had me meet, none of them, I think, would have done that for me. He barely knew me, but he stood up for me, to Malfoy, who will undoubtedly complain to his father. When I told him so, he responded that Lucius Malfoy didn't scare him, because he'd been in trouble before. He wasn't going to let Malfoy hit me on that account.
It's strange and wonderful. You know, he initially mistook me for you when we met again. You were more vocal than me the first time we met, so I suppose I'm not too surprised.
Anyways, I correctly predicted that I would be sorted into Slytherin. Also unsurprisingly, Harry was sorted into Gryffindor, but it was strange how long it took the hat to decide his placement – almost five minutes. As far as I know, that's extremely unusual.
I've sent a letter to father regarding Malfoy's behaviour towards me. Please report to me what he says in your next letter.
I miss you, dear sister, and I cannot wait for you to join me here next year.
All my love, Daphne.
Astoria was both furious at Malfoy's treatment of her sister and more pleased with Harry Potter's reaction to it than she would have imagined. Those green eyes had been stuck in her head ever since their trip to the Madam Malkins. She wasn't sure why. Offering Hedwig a treat, she lit a candle and began to write back immediately, hoping to hear more in later letters.
End Chapter
Yeah, as you probably guessed Ginny's initial expectations and image of Harry is going to be completely dashed by his actual personality. But in the end, that'll be a good thing, because then she'll get to know Harry the person sooner than in canon. As for Carol Winchester, her position in this story will become more obvious later.
Hello, I'm back. Now, I've received reviews from several readers who are concerned that the newest character Carol Winchester is going to be a scene-stealing Mary Sue. I wish to put these fears to rest - I promise, I monitored her presence in this story very carefully and she won't go into that dreaded category. She will make sense in the context of the story once we find out more about her. Now, I do not own Harry Potter and here's your next chapter.
Chapter 4: First Classes
Harry was woken by Maria attempting to stick her paw in his mouth. An old nightmare from his childhood had come back to haunt him during his first night at Hogwarts – the high, cold laughter, the scream of a woman and the flash of green light seemed to burn behind his eyelids. That was an old dream...one he often had when the Dursleys had thrown him in the cupboard for accidental magic. He still didn't understand it, years later, but the strange feeling of pain and loss would always linger after he had it. Today was no different.
He gently pushed his kitten off his face and groaned, sitting upright in bed. Then he remembered – first day of magical classes. Damn! Am I late? That woke him up for got to his feet and dug his robes out of his trunk. This was the first time he could remember that he was eager to get to class on time. Maria mewed and watched him curiously as he collected his books. "Stay here, girl." He said before taking off.
Getting around Hogwarts proved easier said than done. There weren't any maps, and as Hermione Granger had said earlier the staircases liked to shift occasionally. Some steps vanished, some doors weren't actually doors at all, and a trick staircase was worth the trouble if it meant you could avoid Peeves the Poltergist, who loved causing as much trouble as possible. Thankfully, Nearly Headless Nick, the head Gryffindor ghost, was willing to point him in the right direction whenever he found him.
When Harry had been headed for Transfiguration one of the staircases shifted and put him in front of the forbidden third corridor, where he was immediately confronted with Argus Filtch, the school caretaker.
"What are you doing here, Potter? Didn't the Headmaster make it clear that this floor was out of bounds?" He snapped.
"I'm lost," Harry said in irritation. "There isn't exactly a map up. Besides, even if I wanted to kill myself, there are easier ways to do it then this." He waved, vaguely indicating the hallway.
"I otta toss you into the dungeon for your tongue, Potter! You weren't allowed to talk to staff that way in my day." Flitch said angrily.
"Then I'll complain to the Headmaster," Harry said in a bored tone, "And I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that you're doing everything in your power to run off the boy-who-lived."
If possible, Harry, who enjoyed the company of his kitten very much, hated Mrs. Norris even more than Flitch and made a note to do something to ruin his day later. Even the Juvie Warden wasn't as nasty as that guy.
Needless to say, Harry did a lot of running around to get to his classes, and then there were the classes themselves.
Easily the most boring was History of Magic. Professor Bins had droned on for a good thirty minutes about goblins rebellions before Harry fell asleep. The only possible upside to this class was that he could probably do just about anything right under Bins's nose, and the ghost would never notice. Only a ghost could make a story about armed rebellion boring.
Hermione, of course, was sitting right next to him and spent a good portion of her time trying to get him to take notes and stop nodding off. "Yes, mother." Harry muttered under his breath when she snapped her fingers next to his ear for the third time. She scowled at him and turned her nose up when she was sure he was awake again.
Astorlogy was the only class that resembled his muggle learning, and it took place at midnight. His classmates would stumble up to their dorms, their heads spinning with star names as they tried to get some sleep. Harry was lucky; once you got the hang of it, it was fairly easy to keep up with the students who'd been surrounded my magic from the get-go.
Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a diminutive fellow, but at least he believed in hands-on training. His enjoyment of the lesson he thought seemed to be infectious. Of course, it was getting a little annoying to have everyone literally fall of their chairs when they realized he was in their classroom.
Harry's ominous prediction about Professor McGonagall proved correct. When he and Seamus Finnigin scrambled into her class ten minutes late, she transformed from a cat to a human and suggested that she transfigure one of them into a pocket watch so the other could get to class on time. Seamus wasn't sure if she was serious or not, so they both sat down fast.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said after they sat down, "Anyone messing around in my class will not be coming back. You have been warned." She then turned her desk into a pig, and then back.
Defence Against the Dark Arts proved to be as big a disappointment as it's teacher. The whole room stunk of garlic and you could hardly understand half of what Quirrel was saying, since he stuttered so much. whenever you asked him about actual monsters, he would stammer and start talking about the weather. But worse was the headaches; for some reason whenever Quirrel's back was to Harry he felt a stabbing pain in his head, right where his scar was. After it finally ended, he considered just having a bottle of asprin ready for his next DADA class.
Friday rolled around and Harry was finally memorizing the way down to the Great Hall. "What do we have today?" He asked Dean Thomas.
"Double potions with Slytherin." Dean responded. "Best be careful with the teacher, Professor Snape. He's Head of Slytherin, favours his own house a lot."
Harry resisted the urge to groan at this. So this school did have a Mrs. Cope. Well, nothing's perfect, he thought.
"Harry?"
Harry started and turned around, coming face to face with Carol Winchester. If he was honest with himself, he'd admit that he'd been avoiding Carol ever since the sorting. Not out of malice, but because he didn't like the way her eyes seemed to see through him; it left him feeling vulnerable and exposed. She was holding out a book in one pale hand. His Charms textbook. "You forgot this." She said.
"Oh. Thank you." Harry took the book back from her, his hand brushing against hers. He was surprised by how cool her skin felt. Carol looked down at her feet and moved back to her seat.
A moment later, the post arrived. A school owl dropped off a letter for Harry, from Carrie's address. She was probably the only one if his friends who knew how to send letters to Hogwarts; Pierce and Miranda had just stared blankly at him when he had explained it to them.
Daphne fell in step with Harry as Gryffindor and Slytherin students made for the dungeons, which were cold and forbidding. They went into the Potions room and got their seats. Harry watched as Carol sat down alone in a table near the corner. For a second, he wondered why she was isolating herself.
"I heard Dean Thomas warn you about Snape," Daphne murmured in Harry's ear as the vampire-like man who'd been glaring at him during the sorting blew into the room robes billowing. "It's worth mentioning it again; he can be vindictive and nasty."
"I have a feeling." Harry responded, watching the Potion's master come in. He'd seen Snape staring at him with intense dislike at dinner, something he quite frankly found ridiculous. It was fine to glare at him after he'd done something he wasn't supposed to, but the man's expression bordered on petulance.
Snape started taking roll call, until he reached Harry's name. "Oh yes, Harry Potter...our new celeberty." Draco, Crabbe and Goyle snickered.
Harry merely arched an eyebrow, not seeing how that was funny.
Snape calmly delivered a quiet lecture on Potion's class before stating that he would be able to teach them to bottle death – provided they weren't the usual batch of dunderheads he usually got saddled with. Hermione Granger, of course, was immediately at the edge of her seat, eager to prove she wasn't a dunderhead.
"Potter!" Snape said suddenly. "What would I get if I added powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Hermione's hand immediately went up. Harry simply stared flatly at the teacher. "Sir, I assure you, if I knew how to make a high-grade potion flawlessly, I wouldn't have to take this class. As it is, I have no way of answering that question."
A couple people – certainly Ron and Seamus – snickered. Snape simply scowled darkly at Harry. "Five points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter." He snapped. "All of you, get in pairs."
Hermione glared at Harry, who rolled his eyes and offered to work with Daphne. The blonde smiled and nodded.
Sure enough, it didn't get much better for the Gryffindors for the rest of the class. The only student Snape actually seemed to be pleased with was Malfoy, irritatingly enough. Daphne had just moved their cauldron off the fire and put in the porcupine quills when Harry caught sight of Neville about to make a serious mistake. He reached over and grabbed the boy's wrist. "Put those in now and the cauldron will melt." He told Neville. "Take it off the fire first."
Looking terrified of the mistake he almost made, Neville nodded rapidly, and he and Seamus moved the cauldron off the fire.
Snape directed his ire at Harry once again. "that will be two points from Gryffindor, Potter. You shouldn't have helped him."
"As opposed to saying nothing, and letting the potion explode and possibly put several students in the hospital?" Harry challenged. He was starting to like Snape as little as the teacher liked him. "I fail to see the logic in that, Professor, after all, the point of school is to have your mistakes corrected, isn't it?"
Snape's jaw locked in anger. He turned his back on Harry for one second. Harry, now thoroughly irritated, tossed two porcupine quills across Neville's table...straight into Malfoy's potion.
A cloud of acid green smoke and loud hissing filled the dungeon. "Told you," Harry muttered. Snape shouted for Crabbe and Goyle to move Malfoy to the hospital wing, because now there were boils on his face.
When walking out of class an hour later, Hermione stepped out in front of Harry with an angry expression.
"You shouldn't be talking back to a teacher!" She snapped. "They're our seniors. You've lost eight points for Gryffindor in your first week, Harry. You should think of how your behaviour affects the rest of us."
"Oh, give over, teacher's pet." Harry retorted. "With your obsession with answering every question poised in class you'll win all those points back in a day. Mind your own business."
"It's not good for you to act out the way you do," Hermione went on as if she hadn't heard him. "Unless you're hoping to get bragging points over how many schools you got kicked out of, and I assure you that won't be fun."
"He shouldn't have taken points away for Harry helping Neville," Was Daphne's opinion. She'd walked up behind them.
"You're not the one who lost points," Hermione responded, before marching off.
"I hate her." Harry growled, glaring at her back.
Daphne sighed. "You'll get used to her, Harry. Besides, she might have point about Snape – antagonizing him might make him worse."
"He doesn't have a right to be worse." Harry said angrily. "If he's teaching us, we shouldn't have to be afraid of him."
Daphne gave a slight nod and they parted ways to go to their next class.
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On the way up to the boy's room, Harry almost walked into Carol, who had stopped on the stairwell to stare out the window in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
"Ow! Sorry." Harry followed her gaze. "Is something wrong?"
Carol turned her unnerving blue eyes back to him, and Harry could have sworn they flashed gold again for a split second. "Something is wrong." She whispered. "But I'm not sure what..." Before Harry could say anything, she raised a finger and placed it on his scar.
Harry nearly jumped when he felt a spark in his forehead, and Carol drew her hand back like it had been burned. "I...Carol?" Harry asked, at loss for what to do. He had no idea what was going on or how to react to it.
"It feels like your scar." Carol murmured, more to herself as to him.
"Come again?" Harry asked, bur Carol suddenly turned and ran up the stairs into the girl's dormitory. Harry stared blankly after her. Ooookay, that girl definitely has something missing in her head...creepy...but that could that possibly mean? It feels like your scar? What's she talking about?
End Chapter
...UGH. Okay, forgive me for it being shorter than the others, but this was MURDER to write, literal murder. Please don't leave, I promise it gets better than this, I just couldn't...Agh! There's really no words to describe how frustrating this was. Snape is hard, it's so easy to take his character to far in either direction. hitting the mark is just...ugh.