After a slightly confused but happy Neville and a very curious but shy Hermione left, I was free to return to my friends.
"Why'd your invite the chubby kid? He doesn't look that bright. The other one though looked like she'd want every bit of knowledge in that noggin of yours." Said Christian with some curiosity as I sat down.
"I've got to agree with best boy on that. It's a weird choice. You usually don't stretch out your hand to people, it's more like you wait for them with open arms." Added Victoria.
"Now you two, there's no need to question everything Aedan does. He simply said that he would welcome him to the Exchange. It's not like he proposed to tutor him exclusively or train him in combat." Said James.
"But it's still weird. So what gives?" Asked my wild friend, not letting me go without answering.
"This has to do with his parents and I do not think it appropriate to tell others before he can chose to say anything on the subject or not." I answer with a sigh. "It's just a similar situation is all."
That in itself can let them know a few things, but the details will not be said. They understand that this is not something an outsider should be prying into, so they let it go.
"Anyway, we should get ready. I think we should be arriving soon." I announce to the group.
Half an hour later we were seated at the welcome feast. It seems like things were proceeding according to the storyline. I see that Quirinus Quirrell has returned to take the DADA position and wears his ridiculous turbin. I decided to give him a minimum of twice as much homework as I do Snape. Wonder how that's gonna make the pasty git in his head feel. I also focused my senses to the group of first years outside the door and heard the scene of Draco being rejected by Harry and Ron being afraid of fighting a troll due to his brothers joke. Which is funny when you think about the fact that, if everything happens as in the books, he will have to.
They entered the Great Hall and like every year, the eyes of all students and professors were on them. It was then that I spotted a head of messy black hair hiding the famous scar and round glasses in front of remarkably green eyes.
'I now get why everyone always mentions those eyes, really nice green. But. I can't imagine the mistreatment he's getting at those supposed relatives. I've helped Victoria to recover from longterm abuse, but he seems to be incredibly worse.' I thought to myself after really seeing the boy.
A set of diagnostic spells would be need to understand the full extent of the damage, but just from what I can see it's bad. From his hands, wrist, collarbone and clothing I can see clear signs of a very bad case malnutrition. Although is eyes are full of wonder, I can spot the twitch in them as they feel various gaze on his person, signs of an oversensitive child, most likely due to prolonged physical and verbal abuse. And if the Dursley's are anything like they were in the books, constant psychological abuse and conditioning have probably stunted his confidence, his ability to either display or utilize his intelligence, a fierce hunger for meaningful human connections, great need for freedom and probably a hidden desire for strength. A few of those are probably why the hat thought he'd do great in Slytherin. But just this makes me disgusted at Dumbledore's choices. So many other options could have been taken, but he chose this. If everything I've guessed and observed are true, then it's already of freaking miracle he didn't develop an Obscurus!
I had to activate my Occlumency to stay calm, mostly because I empathize with the boy. His life is so full of loss and pain until he comes of age. But I cannot interfere too much. I need the story to stay as it should. This is the only way for me to know exactly what will happen and how to take advantage of it. I can probably help his grades through my Exchange without any issues, it'll help him out without changing anything. I'll have test the limits of how much I can improve his situation. I might have to secretly mess with those peoples minds, but it sucks i can't do anything too direct yet because of Dumbledore. If he finds me messing with his plans it will not end well for me right now. I'm not strong enough yet.
I was broken out of my thoughts by the Sorting Hat singing his tune. It was like watching the movie as the scene happened, except with a worse view. First up was Susan's best friend Hannah Abbott, who ended up in Hufflepuff like the canon. Susan was second, but I'd wondered if my being here would change her too much, or if she'd still go in Hufflepuff but be better than the original. She looked over to me as she sat down and I gave her a reassuring smile, which relaxed her. My answer soon came as she stayed true to the original and joined her friend at the badger table.
'I'll have to get James to look out for her.' I then thought to myself.
Everything went well, Draco in Slytherin with his two imbeciles, the two of whom I've genuinely wondered how they passed each year. Hermione and Neville in Gryffindor, and when Harry was called forward the hall fell silent to let the whispers be the only thing heard, as everyone looked at the small boy stepping forward. As Gryffindor was announced the entire table went mental in celebration as the twins chanted about getting him, a visibly relieved Harry hurried over, McGonagall had a small smile on her face and Snape had an even deeper scowl than usual. The sorting ended with Ron following the rest of his family into the lions den. I honestly think the only reasons Draco and Ron are in their respective houses is because their families basically brainwashed them into believing they had to be in those houses. But what can you do? There exists many forms of discrimination, and it doesn't matter at who it's targeted towards, since it is almost always providing destructive results.
Dumbledore stood up and said things which made people wonder if he was completely senile. Although he tries very hard to give off that impression and I do really believe he's missing some things in there at this point in time, i know that isn't the case for his four words this year.
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Each word represents the less pleasant sides of the houses. Nitwit for Ravenclaws sense of intellectual superiority. Blubber was for Gryffindor as the house of the strong looks down on those lacking in the area. Oddment for Slytherin's rejection of anything that isn't wholly wizard. And Tweak for Hufflepuff as they look down on themselves and fail to see their own worth. These mostly represent my own issues with the system in Hogwarts as a whole, but without thinking about it this way, he gives off the air of a weird but friendly grandfather figure. I know he cares about people, but this man is so lost in the future and his own plans for it that he almost loses the present.
After that, the feast truly began. New housemates introduced themselves to each other and to some of their seniors. I seemed to be getting a lot of curious gazes from our new first years, but I simply give them a smile and a nod, making them look away in a panic from being caught staring. During the feast, I spotted Harry rubbing his scar in pain as he looked at Quirrell, confirming the presence of that egg looking dipshit in his turbin. On a side note, does Ron really have to eat like a complete animal? Even the twins know how to eat better, so how the hell was this allowed in the Weasley household? It's like Rowling hated the kid, until she married him to Hermione and the girl never divorced him after getting hitched.
As the feast ended, the food disappeared from our plates and satisfied students were rubbing their stomachs.
Dumbledore stood up and gave his usual speech, until he said his famous line.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
You know, cause making hundreds of magically gifted teenagers and children curious about some supposedly deadly part of an ancient castle, with defenses a talented first year could break through is a splendid idea. Yes indeed. You do know how much of a miracle it is that no one was killed by the damn Cerberus they put in that room right? Their only known weakness is their inability to stay awake in the face of music, but there are so few of these creatures that almost no one knows of this. Not even Voldemort knew about it until he got Hagrid drunk and gave him a dragon egg. Otherwise it'll take a team of Aurors to even try and subdue the thing.
But with that insane taunt over with, it was time to head to our house dorms. I got the best room again naturally. And I sent a message over to Susan through her own box.
'Congratulations on getting into Hufflepuff Suz, I know you'll do great there and make many friends in the years to come.
Be sure to not loose your confidence in yourself and keep working hard to improve in the ways you desire. Helga Hufflepuff wasn't only known for her kindness, but also her relentless determination to achieve her goals through hard work. It isn't just the house for those who've been leftover as people claim. It is the house of the loyal and hardworking.
I love you lots and hope you'll take good care of yourself.
Have lots of fun learning and exploring, but do actually avoid that room the Headmaster mentioned. It does actually contain deadly things and I hope you find yourself not testing this.
P.S i have a very close friend in Hufflepuff, and I've told you about him before. James Calaway is the great wizard, with kindness and perseverance. If you get into trouble, you can always look for him.'
With that sent. I was finally able to lay my head down and rest. It was a weird experience seeing the story come to life. And I've got at least seven more years of this. Gotta continue preparing, because things will be getting more dangerous.