Great Hall, Hogwarts, 9/1/1991, 19:05
Harry Potter stood in the room that Professor McGonagall had led the first years into.
He had been a ball of nerves all day. Actually, he had been fretting over this all summer since no one would tell him or Draco how his first years were sorted.
"My brothers say new students have to wrestle a troll during the sorting," Harry heard a red-haired kid exclaim, causing Draco to snort derisively.
"Got something to say?" The kid demanded as he came to stand in front of him and Draco.
"Yes, you would have to be an utter moron to believe that," Draco drawled.
"I didn't say I believed it, I just said that's what my prat brothers told me," the kid huffed.
"I have a feeling they were having you on," Harry said, shooting Draco a warning look.
"Probably, I'm Ron Weasley by the way," Ron said as he offered Harry his hand.
"Harry Potter and this is Draco Malfoy," Harry said as he shook Ron's hand.
"Weasley, are you by chance related to... Bill Weasley?" Draco asked, saying the name as if it was a filthy swear word.
"Yeah that's my oldest brother," Ron said, giving Draco a curious look.
Draco's eyes narrowed and he went to say something before a girl not far away shrieked in surprise.
Harry turned to see a thin man with a Shakespearean-style ruff and tights floating teen feet off of the ground. The man's entire body (clothes and all) was a semi-transparent whiteish-grey colour and he seemed to be composed of an opaque mist. When Harry looked hard enough, he could actually see right through the man to the ceiling above him.
This was obviously a Hogwarts ghost, Harry knew that Hogwarts had quite a few ghosts as Sirius had told him quite a few stories about the school but this was his first time seeing a ghost in person.
Harry was pulled from his observations as a second ghost, this one plump and dressed like a friar, flew through the wall of the room and continued speaking to the first ghost as if they were carrying on a conversation while walking through the walls.
"I don't want to hear it, Friar. Peeves is a nuisance. He cannot comport himself amongst polite society, allowing him to attend the feast would be a disaster," the first ghost exclaimed as more ghosts entered the room through the far wall.
"I still say if we show him kindness he will behave..." The fat friar trailed off as he noticed many of the students below listening to their conversation.
"Ah, this must be the new batch of first years," another ghost who was also wearing a ruff beamed as he looked around the crowd of eleven-year-olds.
Harry started when a ghost flew down from the gathering and floated in front of him, her eyes seeming to roam over him.
The woman was tall and looked to be in her late teens with long flowing hair and was wearing a long-sleeved dress. She floated a few inches off of the floor but even if she hadn't been, she would have been much taller than him.
"You are very familiar to me," The woman said as she floated around him, making Draco gasp as she literally passed through him.
"I'm Harry Potter, my lady," Harry said a bit surprised but still remembering his etiquette lessons.
"And I am the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw. Welcome to Hogwarts, Harry," The woman said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Harry said.
"Likewise. We shall talk more later but I believe the sorting is about to begin. Good luck, Harry Potter," the Grey Lady said before giving him a curtsy.
"Thank you, my lady," Harry said nervously before giving her a bow in return.
Harry watched the Grey Lady pass through Draco again as she flew up to join the other ghosts, much to the Malfoy heir's displeasure.
"That was bloody cold," Draco shivered, shooting the Grey Lady a glare.
Before Harry could reply the door leading out into the hallway was opened. Harry turned with most of the other students to see ProfessorMcGonagallll standing in the doorway. Professor McGonagall glanced up at the gathered ghosts and rolled her eyes before looking expectantly at the students.
"Please follow me, the sorting is about to begin," the deputy headmistress said in a crisp tone before turning on her heel to lead the first years into the hallway.
Harry got in line behind Draco and in front of Ron as they walked single file out of the chamber and entered a massive hall where hundreds of other students were already seated. The room was massive and the ceiling was vaulted making the putting Harry in mind of an old cathedral Sirius had taken him to. The hall was lit by thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over five long tables.
Hanging from the arches that supported the ceiling were banners representing the four Hogwarts houses, a different banner over each of the four lower tables. At the other end of the Hall directly across from the door they entered through, was another long table where the professors were sitting. This table was situated on a raised platform and made it so the teachers could look over the students with ease.
Harry noticed his cousin, Harry Peverell was sitting next to a hook-nosed greasy haired man he knew to be Professor Severus Snape.
Harry followed the other the first-years as they moved down the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables noting that the gap between these two tables was quite wide. As they moved towards the staff table. Harry was very aware of the older students on either side of them and tried to ignore their staring as many of them recognised who he was and began whispering to those closest to them.
Harry caught movement to his left and turned in time to see the ghosts they had seen in the chamber, they floated through the stone walls with ease before taking their seats at the student tables. The ghosts seemed to shine a shimmery misty silver in the brightly lit hall.
"The ceiling's enchanted to mimic the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History," the bushy-haired girl Harry had met at his birthday party muttered excitedly.
Curious as to what she meant, Harry looked upwards and was amazed when he saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars making it seem like there wasn't a ceiling over his head at all.
"I wonder what it looks like when it rains," Harry wondered aloud as the procession came to a halt in front of a simple three-legged stool with the filthiest hat Harry had ever seen sitting on top of it.
"When I call your name, you will come forward and sit on the stool and I shall place the sorting hat upon your head," Professor McGonagall explained in a crisp voice.
"Honestly, having to wrestle a troll," Malfoy snorted so only Harry could hear him.
Harry looked towards McGonagall wondering what she was waiting on when he saw the hat seemed to shift around a bit, almost as if it were stretching and then a tear in the hat near the brim opened and it began to sing. As far as hats went, Harry supposed this one had a nice singing voice and he couldn't help but grin as he listened.
*' Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true.
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on!
Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none),
For I'm a Thinking Cap!'*
The whole Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and Harry felt a sigh of relief realizing that he had been dreading this for nothing. He actually grinned at the thought of seeing Draco's face when McGonagall tried to place that filthy hat onto his head.
"Abbott, Hannah," McGonagall called out and a short chubby girl with blonde pigtails made her way up to the stool.
Harry watched her take a seat on the stool before McGonagall placed the hat onto her head, her pigtails were the only thing that prevented the hat from sliding over her eyes. It took perhaps ten seconds before the hat called out in a booming voice.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Hannah jumped in surprise before McGonagall removed the hat from her head as the students at the Hufflepuff table cheered and clapped for their new housemate.
Professor McGonagall gave Hannah Abbott a kind smile and gestured for her to take a seat at her new house table. Hannah blushed crimson before she scurried over to the Hufflepuff table and sat beside a tall boy she seemed to know.
"Bones, Susan"
Harry watched Susan stumble up to the front of the hall, her cheeks flushing pink from all of the eyes focusing on her. Susan quickly took a seat and the hat was placed on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry was a bit surprised as Harry thought for sure Susan was going to be a Hufflepuff, The Students at the Gryffindor table cheered much louder than the Hufflepuffs making the windows rattle.
Susan beamed at her new housemates as she hurried over to take a seat at the end of the table.
After this, Harry listened with half an ear as Professor McGonagall called out students' names and shortly after the hat would bellow out the house they were sorted into.
"Boot Terry."
"Ravenclaw!"
Brocklehurst, Amanda."
"Ravenclaw!"
Brown, Lavender."
"Gryffindor!"
"Bulstrode, Millicent."
"Slytherin!"
"Corner, Michael."
"Ravenclaw!"
"Crabbe Vincent."
"Slytherin!"
"Davis, Tracy "
"Hufflepuff!"
"Dunbar, Fay."
"Gryffindor!"
"Finch-Fletchley Justin."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Finnigan, Seamus."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Goldstein, Anthony."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Goyle, Gregory."
"SLYTHERIN!
"Granger, Hermione."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Greengrass, Daphne."
Harry turned when he heard his friend's name called and watched Daphne as the hat was placed on her head. The hat sat on her head for almost a full minute before it bellowed.
"RAVENCLAW!"
This was unexpected, Harry had assumed that Daphne would be joining Draco in Slytherin house. Though he supposed it made sense, Lady Greengrass was in Ravenclaw and Daphne was a lot like her mother.
"Hopkins, Wayne."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Jones, Megan."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Longbottom, Neville."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Harry grinned when he watched his best mate walk up to the hat though it was pretty easy to guess which house Draco would be sorted into.
"Malfoy, Draco "
Draco gave the hat a look of disapproval before Professor McGonagall lowered it towards his head. The hat hadn't even touched his head before it confirmed Harry's suspicion as it bellowed.
SLYTHERIN!"
Draco made his way to the Slytherin table, receiving. polite applause before he took a seat next to Megan Jones and shot Harry a victorious smile. Harry began looking around the hall as the next student's name was called.
"McMillan, Ernest."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Moon, Lily."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Nott, Theodore."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Parkinson, Pansy."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Patil, Padma."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Patil, Parvati"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Perks, Sally-Anne."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Potter, Harry."
Harry jumped when Ron Weasley bumped him and realized his name had been called. Feeling his cheeks getting warm from all of the attention he was getting, Harry walked forward remembering to walk straight back and to hold his head high as Missy Cissa had taught them was expected in situations like this. Harry tuned out the muttering going on at the tables on either side of him.
As he walked down the corridor between the two house tables, he did catch an older girl at the Hufflepuff table exclaim, "those books lied to us, he doesn't have a scar or glasses!"
Harry grinned to himself, Sirius had taken him to an eye healer after his eighth birthday and had his eyesight fixed with this nasty potion he had to drink every morning for two months. After he had finished with the potion Harry could see better than he ever could even with his glasses.
Harry made his way to the stool and tentatively took a seat so that he was now facing the other students. His view was soon obscured by the brim of a smelly hat that only let in pinpricks of light through the tiny holes in the hat's fabric.
'Ah, Mister Potter, I have been waiting to sort you for years,' a deep male voice seemed to sound from inside his head.
'How are you doing that?' Harry thought, feeling a bit troubled by hearing another voice inside his head.
'I am a magic hat, I look into your mind to see where to place you, didn't you hear my song?' The hat chuckled, its laugh seeming to echo inside his mind.
'I think Gryffindor would be nice,' Harry suggested.
'I'm inclined to agree though you would do well in Slytherin,' the hat pointed out.
'My godfather would disown me,' Harry thought, feeling a tinge of nervousness.
"I doubt that but it does not matter, you would do well in Slytherin but you will flourish in... GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry gave a start as the hat shifted from speaking in his mind to bellowing the house he was sorted into so the whole hall could hear... very close to his ear.
A second later, the hat was pulled off of his head and the table of scarlet and gold broke out in the loudest applause yet. Harry couldn't help but grin as he saw Susan cheering with the others.
Harry had never cared much for attention and felt his face heating up as his housemates applauded him. Harry quickly made his way to the Gryffindor table getting welcomes or pats on the back from many of the Gryffindors that he passed on his way to where Susan was sitting. Harry took a seat beside her just as Professor McGonagall called out the next student's name.
"Roper, Sophie"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Smith, Zacharias."
"SLYTHERIN!"
Thomas, Dean."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Turpin, Lisa "
"SLYTHERIN!
"Weasley, Ronald."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Zabini, Blaise."
"SLYTHERIN!"
Harry Peverell watched the sorting feeling a bit surprised at how many of his peers were sorted into different houses this time around.
Hermione had told him once that the hat had considered her for Ravenclaw and he wondered what had changed this time to make the hat place her in the house of the raven. Neville, he could kind of understand, the boy had a much different upbringing than he did in the original timeline.
He didn't suppose it mattered much in the long run, all of these students would do well in the houses they were sorted into this time. As Dumbledore stood up and said his words of wisdom and then called for the castle elves to serve dinner, Harry saw his younger self and Susan in conversation with the Weasley twins and wondered if he was seeing the forming of an alliance.
Harry knew from Sirius, that his younger self was very calm and was well-mannered and quiet when he was by himself but when he and Susan got together, chaos would usually ensue. Sirius had taught little Harry all about the noble art of pranking and had regaled him with stories of what he and James got up to at school. Susan just loved to cause trouble and was very sneaky. The two of them had practically grown up together and were as thick as thieves. The two of them had been driving Amelia up the wall for almost a decade if Sirius was to be believed.
Seeing them chatting animatedly with the Weasley twins made Harry very uneasy, Harry had a sinking feeling that the school was in for seven very chaotic years.
'Well at least I don't have to teach them for a couple of years,' Harry thought optimistically as he helped himself to steak and roasted potatoes and listened to his colleagues discuss the new first years.
Cinema, London, 9/2/199122:39
Harry and Bella stepped out of the cinema and onto the crowded street, both looking very perplexed.
"She looked just like me," Bellatrix exclaimed looking a bit disconcerted.
"She even sounded like you a bit," Harry agreed.
They had decided to have a date night and had gone to see a movie and were quite... surprised. In the film, one of the actresses strongly resembled his wife and could have easily passed for her twin.
"So what do you want to do now?" Harry asked curiously.
"Find this actress and ask her if she is polyjuicing herself to look like me," Bellatrix grumbled.
"I'd sure like to meet her," Harry muttered with a far-off look in his eye.
"Don't even think about it Harry," Bellatrix warned as she cut her eyes at him.
"Fine, let's go get some food while we're here," Harry suggested.
"Okay, but can we do something different than Italian," Bella asked.
"Alright, how about Chinese?" Harry proposed as he led her down the pavement.
"Okay, Bella loves eggrolls" Bellatrix agreed at once.
"So do I" Harry agreed as he guided her to a Chinese restaurant not far from the cinema.
*So other than your doppelganger, how did you like the film?" Harry asked after a minute of silence.
"It was nice, it made Bella want to go to Italy," Bellatrix said, giving him a hopeful look.
"We are overdue for a family vacation," Harry said thoughtfully.
"And the twins are big enough that we won't have to travel on those horrid muggle things," Bellatrix added.
"As long as we don't go to the zoo" Harry muttered.
"Or the beach," Bella added.
"Agreed, we can make arrangements to go next July," Harry suggested.
"Yes, we can go wine tasting and see Rome," Bella exclaimed.
"You'll fit right in, you love to wear togas," Harry grinned.
"Togas look good on me," Bella shrugged as they approached the restaurant.
"They do," Harry agreed as he held the door open for her.
As they ate dinner and discussed the idea of going to Italy and Harry knew he would have to make the trip a priority.
"So how has my nephew been behaving at school?" Bella asked after they had stepped out of the restaurant.
"From what Minerva says, he's well-behaved," Harry shrugged.
"He's a Slytherin, any Slytherin worth their salt will portray themselves that way to their professors," Bella pointed out.
"Fair enough, but it's really too early to tell. I'm more worried about little Harry and Susan Bones, they are already conspiring with the Weasley twins," Harry pointed out.
"Speaking of twins, we had better go rescue Cissa from ours," Bellatrix said after consulting her watch.
"If we must," Harry chuckled as he offered her his hand.
Bellatrix took his hand and allowed him to lead her into a side alley before Harry turned on the spot, both of them disappearing with a barely audible 'pop.'
Hogwarts Grounds, 9/5/1991, 09:38
Harry was teaching his Gryffindor third years and was in a towering temper, so was Athena come to think of it.
Someone (and Harry was pretty sure he knew who) had turned his familiar's scales a vibrant pink colour. Granted she did look good in that colour, her dark chocolate chevron-shaped markings hadn't changed colour and were quite striking set over her bright pink scales. Still, Athena was furious about the prank and Harry hated for his familiar to be upset.
According to Athena, she had eaten a tasty rabbit about twenty minutes ago and Harry believed it was tainted with a potion of some sort.
Harry was currently watching his primary suspects as they tended to their flobberworns, though every once in a while one of them would glance at Athena and snigger before quickly looking away.
The bell was seconds away from ringing and Harry was debating how to handle this situation. It was against his teaching contract to use magic on students or otherwise he would turn them into rabbits and let Athena chase them back to the castle.
'Messrs Weasley and Weasley, Detention tomorrow morning at five," Harry said as he made a decision.
"For what, sir?" Fred asked.
"For pulling a malicious prank on my poor familiar," Harry answered.
"How do you know it was us, professor?" George asked while the other students watched on with interest.
§Athena do they smell like the rabbit?§ Harry asked his familiar.
Athena slithered down his body and darted over the twins in less than s second much to both of their horrors.
"Be very still, Mr Weasley, she's already in a bad mood," Harry warned as Athena slithered up Fred's leg.
"Isn't s-she poisonous, Professor Peverell?" Angelina Johnson asked, her cheeks darkening slightly when Harry made eye contact with her.
"Indeed, Miss Johnson. The last person that provoked her ire passed away a week after she bit him," Harry said cheerfully as Athena coiled loosely around Fred's shoulder and flicked her tongue near his ear.
"P-Professor," Fred whimpered.
"She's just smelling you, Mister Weasley," Harry assured him.
"It's t-tongue is in my ear," Fred said his face paling.
"I think she may be upset you turned her pink," Harry pointed out.
"Alright it was us, please get her off of me, Fred begged.
§Alright Athena, he confessed§, Harry chuckled as Athena slithered off of Fred much to the boy's relief.
"She looks really good in pink," Angelina said and was surprised when Athena slithered towards her.
"I told her that as well, I think she is more upset that someone would taint her food," Harry said as Angelina knelt down and gently stroked Athena's head.
"So what will we be doing in detention," George asked as he eyed Athena warily.
"I don't want to spoil the surprise," Harry smiled as the sound of the bell echoed over the grounds.
"I want your essay on the life cycle and properties of the flobberworm by our next lesson, class dismissed," Harry called out.
§I like her§, Athena said as soon as she slithered back over to Harry.
§Well she was right, you do look very striking in pink§, Harry smiled as he began putting away the flbberworms and began setting up for his fourth-year Ravenclaw/Slytherin class.
§I still want my natural colour back§, Athena sighed.
§I am sure the potion will wear off or the Weasley twins will suffer our displeasure§, Harry soothed.
"Whoa, she looks cool!" Harry heard Draco exclaim.
Harry turned to see Draco and his younger self approaching both of them were looking at Athena in shock.
"What happened to her, Uncle Harry?" Draco asked in amazement.
"The Weasley twins happened", Harry scowled.
"That colour looks good on her," little Harry said as he gently stroked Athena's head.
"I think so too, are you two here to see the griffin hatchlings?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I've been waiting all summer to see them," Draco exclaimed.
"Well the first rule is, don't try and touch them. The mother is very protective and not a creature you want to cross," Harry explained as he led them towards the griffin paddock.
"That sounds like Draco's mum," little Harry guffawed and got a nod from Draco.
"There certainly are similarities," Harry conceded as he remembered the bouncy ward incident.
"Tell me about it," Draco agreed as they came up to the edge of the fence.
Both boys looked inside and easily spotted the griffin hatchlings frolicking around the paddock. They were about the size of Labradors and looked like a cross between a lion and an eagle head, wings, and talons on their front half and a lion body, back legs, and tufted tail for their rear. All three chicks had beautiful gold feathers on that were a similar colour to the fur on their lion half and wings that looked much too small for their bodies
"They're bigger than I thought they would be," little Harry commented as the hatchlings came up to the edge of the paddock and began chirping excitedly.
"They were about the size of a chicken when they were born but they grow at an accelerated rate until they reach the size of a foal and then they grow at a slower rate, similar to other equines," Harry explained as he saw Hera trotting over towards them.
"They get that big?" Draco asked in surprise as he got a good look at Hera.
"Artemis will be roughly the same size as her mother but Zeus and Hades will be much larger," Harry lectures as he summoned a ferret and three white mice from the cabin.
The two boys watched in awe as Harry floated the mice into the paddock and the griffin hatchling set upon them with blinding speed.
"Whoa," Little Harry muttered.
"Don't let their size fool you, boys, those three are deadly," Harry smirked as he reached his hand in the paddock and offered Hera the ferret.
Hera ate her own treat in a more dignified manner, her eyes never leaving her hatchlings as they began running through the paddock again.
"I have to deal with that nonsense every time I go home," Harry grinned as two of the hatchlings began to bicker loudly, their angry screeches filling the air.
Hera actually rolled her eyes before trotting over to break up the argument.
"Did she understand what you were saying, professor?" Little Harry asked as he watched Hera herding her babies back towards a large nest on the other side of the paddock.
"Yes, griffins are very intelligent creatures," Harry agreed as he led them back to where he usually held his classes and noted his next class was making their way down from the school.
"Thanks for showing us the griffins, Professor," Little Harry said.
"Yeah, thanks Uncle Harry," Draco agreed as they arrived back where Harry held his lessons.
"Not a problem, ou two had better get back to the castle," Harry instructed.
As Harry watched the two first year boys take off running across the lawn toward the castle, he couldn't help but realize how much his presence in the past had changed things. Draco Malfoy were the most unlikely of friends in his timeline and if someone had told him tvat in anotber lfe he was friends with Malfoy, he would have thought they were nutters.
Harry went about prepping for his next class as Athena stretched out in the morning sunlight, looking to be taking a nap.
"I need to get a picture of this to send to Tonks before the potion wears off,' Harry thought o himself as his fourth-year Ravenclaw/Slytherin class began to arrive.