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The Retelling | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe Characters:All, Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure, Humor, Romance Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Mild Sexual Situations, Spouse/Adult/Child Abuse, Violence Rating: R Reviews: 21 Summary: We all have read about the universe in which Harry befriends Ron and Hermione. But today we explore a universe a little bit different. In which a raven haired boy, deeply neglected meets a red haired girl, scorned by her own mother and a blonde, the freak of the society. Three kindred souls bond and set in motion something never seen before. Something that is only found in legends. Hitcount: Story Total: 16175; Chapter Total: 2523 Author's Notes: Annd, I am back again and I think I am once again without a beta. I just have seriously bad luck in that department. Hopefully I'll find another one soon before my faithful readers find me and murder me on the charge of being too late to put up the chapter (hint, hint). So yeah, to keep on your guys good side, I am gonna beat a hasty retreat and let you get on with the chapter. |
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Chapter 03 Harry Potter was going through the dilemma of his life. He didn’t know what had possessed him to make such a rash decision. His eyes glazed over as he looked at the huge bookshelves, at least to him right now. How was he supposed to train when he didn’t even know where to start. There were charms, hexes, jinxes, curses and each of them of several hundred different types at least. Now which would help him defeat a dark lord and a manipulative old man, he didn’t know. After staring at the bookshelves for what was like eternity, Harry couldn’t take it anymore and started piling books whichever came in his sight in the carriage. He had the money, he might as well use it. As Harry was busy blindly pulling books, a young girl no older than Harry’s age came to him. She had ginger hair and her front teeth were sticking out. Harry took no notice of the girl as she came and stood beside him, so engrossed was he in his task. “Hello,” the girl suddenly spoke making Harry jump in fright. He whirled around in panic and came face to face with the girl. His first thought on seeing the girl was ‘rabbit.’ “Hello,” Harry replied deciding to hide his less than savoury thought. He had a suspicion that the girl wouldn’t appreciate the direction of his thoughts. “What are you doing with so many books?” the girl asked. Curiosity was dripping from every word she spoke. “Err, buying them to read?” Harry said slowly. He thought it was fairly obvious that was the reason one comes to a bookshop. “These books?” the girl pointed towards his carriage. “Yes,” Harry answered. He was beginning to think that the girl was retarded. Of course he was buying books that he put in his carriage! “But they are on advanced topics!” the girl exclaimed, “You cannot possibly be good enough to read them. Even I would have trouble understanding them.” She sniffed as she gave him a once over. Obviously put off by his ragged appearance. “Huh?” Harry involuntarily let out. Just what was the problem with this girl, he couldn’t understand, “Look Miss, whether I am good enough to read them or not is none of your concern.” “Of course it is,” The girl replied haughtily, “I don’t think you are old enough to read Hogwarts first year syllabus.” The girl was starting to get on his nerves. Indeed he looked shorted for his age but so what? She shouldn’t say things like that just because he looked shorted and wear clothes a bit large for him, “Just get lost,” his voice was harsh as he replied. He was bullied enough in Dursleys home. He wasn’t going to take it here. The girl’s eyes widened in shock at Harry’s tone. For a moment Harry thought she was going to cry but it was gone so fast, he thought he imagined it, replaced by a look of anger, “That’s just what you get for trying to help people.” “No one asked for your help,” Harry retorted as he returned to piling books not bothering to see whether the girl left or not. He heard a huff from his side and then stomping feet. Finally, he could breathe easily. He thought he might have been a bit harsh on the girl. How many eleven years would someone see in this section? But Harry just shook his head. He hadn’t liked the girl’s tone. She was bossy and arrogant. He was no expert on making friends, far from it, he didn’t have any friends ever. Even then he knew that this was no way of going around making some. Harry just shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t like he could understand that girl’s thought process. Even then one thing he knew for sure. Harry thought as he put one more book in the carriage. He was going to learn everything in these books. Even if just to spite that girl. Harry gave a determined nod at that. Taking his book laden carriage he took it to the counter. The girl was there paying for her books. Hearing the creaks of a completely filled carriage, she turned back. On seeing Harry there, her face took a sour look as she huffed and paid for her books as quickly as possible before walking out of the store. Harry paid the girl no mind as he placed the books in front of the shocked clerk who looked like his eyes would bulge out due to their sheer number. Though, the shock didn’t last long, as his mind began processing the hefty commission he would make on selling these many books as he began going through the books greedily lest Harry would change his mind. Paying for his books, Harry set out from the shop. He had a lot of things to do and life wasn’t long enough to dilly dally. In just a few short days, Harry settled in a routine. His day was spent mostly reading books that he had bought in the book store and his course books. Though, he would venture out on a daily basis when the heat of the August afternoon had waned a bit. It was on one of these little outings of his when he came across a curious sight. He was sitting in Florean Fortescue’s ice cream parlour enjoying a slice of Bandofee Tart when he saw several redheads walking together noisily. A redhead was rare almost everywhere and to see so many of them at the same place was fascinating. They looked like a close knit family to him, talking and teasing each other almost constantly. “I see Mr. Potter that you have finally come across the Weasleys,” Mr. Fortescue said as he placed another slice of triple chocolate in front of him. Harry had quite a sweet tooth and was a regular visitor of the ice cream parlour. He looked up curiously at Florean Fortescue, “Weasleys? Who are they?” Mr. Fortescue smiled at the young boy, “Only the most notable family in the whole Wizarding London and possibly Wizarding Britain. If you see many red heads with lots of freckles then there’s a high possibility that they are the Weasleys. Quite a close family, if I say so myself,” his look turned sour though as he looked towards the Weasleys, “But like every other one, they aren’t perfect either.” Harry was quite surprised to detect a hint of venom in otherwise sweet voice of Mr. Fortescue. He turned towards the Weasleys, intrigued at what Mr. Fortescue was implying. The scene that he saw set his nerves on fire. Among the Weasleys, there was a little girl whom Harry hadn’t noticed first. Her hair were a brighter shade of red than others. Almost like angry red flames were reaching down her back. She didn’t look much older than Harry. Her head was bowed as she trudged alongside the family. He had seen this scene before. He had experienced it. One could say that Dursleys were a happy family too. Harry felt an ache in his heart as he stared at the little girl. She reminded him of himself so much. The bowed head, the hunched shoulder and the frayed clothes. He could almost envision himself walking instead of the girl. A fire burned in his eyes as he saw the youngest boy stuck his leg out. The girl stumbled and almost fell into mud, spattering her clothes. The woman walking ahead turned around and started berating her. The girl tried to protest at first but, soon she fell silent, her shoulder drooped. Harry couldn’t take it anymore. Paying for his ice cream, he got up and started following the redheaded family. The girl was slowly falling behind. Seeing his chance, Harry hastened and caught up to her. They were standing outside Ollivanders by then. “Hey,” Harry called out to her softly. The girl stiffened for a moment before she turned around. At that moment, Harry was faced with the prettiest eyes he had seen in his short life. They were a light brown colour with unimaginable depth to them. And she wouldn’t be any older than eleven. “Are you talking to me?” the girl asked hesitatingly, unsure of herself. “Err, yeah,” Harry nodded. Now that he was talking to her, he found himself at a loss of words, “Aren’t you going to go in?” he spoke the first thing that came to his mind. The girl shook her head, “No,” her voice was melancholy, “I already have my wand.” It wasn’t hard to see through her. Her voice wouldn’t be full of sadness if she really did have her own wand. “I saw what happened you know,” Harry said softly. The girl’s eyes widened and her posture became stiff, “I know how it feels. Being treated like that.” The girl’s eyes flared with anger. Her face flushed, she opened her mouth but Harry cut her off. “I am not pitying you. I am not sympathizing with you either. I just wanted you to know that you aren’t alone.” The anger was gone. Replaced by reluctance and hesitance, “R-really?” Harry continued, “I know you don’t want pity or sympathy but maybe you could do with a friend who has gone through something similar?” He stuck out his hand. The girl looked at his hand in wonder and then up at him. Slowly, her hand raised to grasp his, “My name’s Ginny.” Harry smiled at her, “I am Harry. Harry Potter.” Ginny’s eyes widened in shock when she heard his name but soon they were back to normal and she returned his smile. “Tell you what?” Harry said as an idea began forming in his mind, “Why don’t you meet me here after ditching your family? Can you do that?” Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment, “It’ll be difficult. But I’ll do what I can.” “Alright then,” Harry nodded, “I’ll be waiting by the Ice cream parlour.” Saying goodbye, Harry returned to Florean Fortescue and sat there. In a few moments, the Weasleys came out with the boy who tripped Ginny waving around a new wand. Harry’s eyes narrowed as he saw the boy showing off his wand. He didn’t like bullies and that boy had all the signs of one. As Harry watched, the family went into Madame Malkins. He sat there waiting patiently though he didn’t have to wait long as a few minutes later, Ginny came out of the shop and started walking hastily towards their meeting point. Harry got up and met her there. Ginny was panting a bit as there was some distance between the two shops. “Come on,” Harry said grabbing her hand, “I have something for you.” “Wha…?” Ginny began to say but Harry was already pulling her into Ollivanders. Before Ginny could even open her mouth, Ollivander appeared out of nowhere, freaking her out completely. “Ah Miss Weasley,” the man began in his usual mysterious way, “I was expecting you. Show you wand arm to me please.” Her mind blank, Ginny raised her right hand. She was too confused to question what was going on. By the time she regained her bearing, there was a wand in her hand shooting out sparks. “Ah, lovely,” Ollivander clapped his hands, “12 inches Alder with the core of Unicorn heartstring. A very rare match. I am glad you got your own wand Miss Weasley. That would be seven galleons.” “What do you mean Sir?” Harry said putting down the appropriate number of galleons. “Mr. Potter. Come and Ask me that question in a few year time and I would be happy to answer you,” Ollivander smiled at them, “Now run along. I suspect you have some place to be.” “Wait,” Ginny said suddenly, “I can’t accept it. It’s too much.” She began to put the wand back but was stopped by Mr. Ollivander. “Now, Now, Miss Weasley. Take that as a token of friendship. Besides, once a wand chooses a wizard, or in this case, a witch. It’s very hard to find a different match for it. I am afraid, it’s useless to me now.” Ginny looked at the wand longingly. She really wanted it but her pride was in the way. She shook her head, “Still, I can’t take it.” Harry intervened at this moment, “Please Ginny. I know it is early in our friendship but please accept this gift. You are my only friend.” Ginny looked reluctant, but in the end her heart won out and she accepted the wand, “Only this time Harry,” her voice was firm as she pocketed her wand. Harry nodded vigorously and they exited the shop together. Outside the shop Ginny turned towards Harry and hugged him. “Thanks for the wand Harry,” Ginny whispered in his ear as she let him go, “I’ll see you on the Hogwarts Express right?” she inquired. Harry smiled goofily at her and nodded his head. Ginny giggled lightly and ran off to Madame Malkin where the Weasleys were still present thankfully. Harry watched Ginny go, the goofy smile still on his face. His thoughts centered on the red headed girl and how it was nice that he had made a friend his age finally. ……………………… Ginny was lying in her bed after getting back from the shopping for School Supplies in Diagon Alley. Thankfully no one had noticed her absence in Madame Malkin’s shop and she was able to sneak off to her room after returning since her mother was too busy fawning over Ron’s new supplies to pay her any attention. She had taken her meagre second hand supplies with her and put them in her faded trunk. Her new wand was safely hidden beneath a set of new robes her father had bought for her when her mother wasn’t looking, which in turn was safely mingled in with all of her clothes. She might not have the best childhood but, she still had a few supporters in her house. Her Dad and her oldest brothers, Bill and Charlie. Her dad had never done much to protect her from her mother. Their house was ruled by their mother. Her dad, in blunt words, was spineless who couldn’t do anything against the orders of their mother. Even then, he had tried to rectify Molly’s attitude as much as he could. She treasured those little things that her dad managed to buy her. Money was tight in their family. Even more so when Molly would spend so frivolously on their youngest son. Then there were her brothers, Bill and Charlie. Most of the time, they were her source of comfort and solace when her mother would scold her. She remembered seeing a shadowy figure on her doorway almost every night when every light in their house had gone out and her parents would be fast asleep. Sometimes it was lean and tall, others it was short and bulky. Her brothers were the ones to tuck her in. They were the ones who would come to check on her when they was a loud thunderstorm. Even after Bill was gone, Charlie did it dutifully, till last year when he too left for abroad. Ginny missed her two eldest brothers. But she didn’t think her latest friends shared even her bit of good luck. He had looked so sad and forlorn when he told her about his family. Her heart just went out for the poor boy. She had decided right then and there, that she would be his friend. The fact that he was Harry Potter, did little to her resolve. She couldn’t wait to tell Luna about her new friend. She was sure that Luna would like him. …………………………. The morning of the September First dawned bright and clear. The peeking sun from the horizon was surprised to find that an inhabitant of the Leaky Cauldron, where the business didn’t start till well into the morning, had beaten him to the punch. This inhabitant was none other Harry James Potter. It would be wrong to say that he was up early, rather a more accurate description would be that he didn’t sleep at all. The excitement and the joy at going to Hogwarts and getting rid of Dursleys had combined and worked better than caffeine to keep him up all night. He had tossed and turned in his bed and had finally gotten up to get ready at the ungodly hour of five in the morning. He hauled his trunk downwards, where Tom was already up and cleaning. He looked up on hearing noise and smiled a toothless smile. “Hello Mr. Potter, Looks like you couldn’t sleep,” Tom said. Harry grinned as he plopped down on a stool, “Too excited.” Tom nodded, “It happens to all, Usual?” “Yes,” Harry said. Tom was one of the few persons Harry had become acquainted over the short month that he spent here. He suspected that he would be staying in Leaky Cauldron a lot over the coming summers. In a few minutes, Tom had his breakfast ready and served. He devoured his food with gusto and picked up his trunks. “Alright I am off,” Harry said looking at Tom. He had cleared his tab the night before. “Have a good year, Mr. Potter,” Tom inclined his head. He watched the young boy haul the trunk out. He had been the barkeeper at Leaky Cauldron for the better part of his life. He had seen a lot of people in his life but, none of them had the eyes as haunted as of the young boy he had seen. But that wasn’t all that he saw. He saw hatred there. Hatred that shouldn’t be in the eyes of any man, let alone in the eyes of an eleven year old boy. He felt drawn to the boy somehow. He knew that the boy’s guardians were no saint. The clothes he wore on the first day were testament to that. That’s why he hadn’t questioned much when the boy had lied about his guardians. It was clear that the boy didn’t wanted to go back and Tom was not going to send a young innocent person back to what he thought was a hell hole. He was not going to be part of any abuse on a child. During the three weeks that he remained there, his affection for the boy just grew, how someone could not fall for such a pure, innocent person, Tom didn’t know and the more he knew the boy the more he hated his guardian. How could they mistreat such a pure soul? Now as he saw him walking out of the door, he made a vow to himself, that no matter what happens, he would stand by the boy. He knew that he couldn’t do much but what he could was provide a room for that innocent boy, a place away from that hell hole of his guardian, where at least he could breathe easily. …………………… Right now, Harry was standing in the middle of King’s Cross trying to find the right pillar to run into. The very thought seemed absurd to Harry. Who in their right mind would want to crash into a pillar? But that’s what Tom had told him. He was considering whether the wizards were truly idiots or they just liked to make a fool of themselves. As his search continued, his opinion became readily biased in the favour of former. After what was like hours of search, Harry finally found the right pillar. Bracing himself, he started walking steadily towards it. As the pillar got closer, his speed increased and he closed his eyes. It was like passing through a veil of water, just invisible. And then, he heard a whistle. The first thing he saw, as he opened his eyes, was a magnificent train bellowing steam. It’s engine, scarlet and gold in colour, was one of the most beautiful things Harry had seen in his life. Behind the engine, there were cars and cars following. It was the Hogwarts Express. In no time at all, Harry had his trunk loaded in the train. Now all he had to do was wait for the Weasleys to come. Which would turn out to be a long one since there was still more than an hour left in departure and the Weasleys didn’t come till the last minute. But when they did come, there was no way that Harry would have missed them. As soon as they entered the platform, his eyes were drawn to them with their bright flashing red hair. Though, he wasn’t looking for all of them. He was looking for just one particular Weasley. His friend, Ginny Weasley. The thought still made his stomach flutter. He had never thought, never hoped that he would be able to make a friend. But here he was, sitting in a compartment, waiting for his friend to show up. There was still a small part of his mind who doubted that Ginny would come find him. But, that part of him banished when his eyes finally landed on Ginny frantically, or as frantically as she could while being discreet, looking around. He stuck his head and waved his hand at her vigorously. From the moment they had reached the platform nine and Three Quarters, Ginny had been looking around, trying to find Harry or Luna. They should have been here, it was almost time for the train to depart. Finally, she saw a flash in the corner of her eye. Turning, she found Harry waving at her. She too waved back at him. Turning, she said her farewell as quickly as she could and boarded the train. She wanted to meet Harry as soon as she could but first she had to find Luna. It wasn’t a long search. He found her sitting in a compartment all by herself. “Come on,” she said grabbing her by her hand, “I have got a friend for you to meet.” “Alright,” Luna said dreamily, getting up and grabbing her trunk from above, “Is it Harry?” Ginny nodded, her face a mixture of excitement and nervousness, “Come on let’s hurry.” Soon they were standing outside of Harry’s compartment. Ginny knocked against it and waited. In no time at all the door was opened and Harry was standing there, grinning. “Hey Ginny,” Harry said, then he looked behind Ginny and saw Luna, a questioning look came over his face. “Hey Harry,” Ginny returned his smile and then he saw the questioning look on his face, “Oh this is Luna my friend. Luna this is Harry. I told you about him?” Luna smiled and stuck out her hand, “I can see why you became such good friends so fast.” Harry tilted his head quizzically and shook her hand, “Really?” Luna leaned in like she was going to whisper a large secret and spoke, “You have a nargle infestation too.” Harry quirked his eyebrow, “Nargles?” Before Luna could answer, Ginny interrupted, “Well never mind Luna,” she said pushing her into the compartment, “She can get a bit loony at times. But that’s why she is so much fun.” The girls settled in opposite to Harry. As soon as they sat down, the train gave a shrill whistle and started moving. “Looks like we are off to Hogwarts,” Harry said excitement bubbling over into his voice. He was trying to start a conversation. He didn’t think he would be able to stand Luna’s stare any longer. But before anyone could answer the door was slammed open rather rudely by a tall lanky ginger boy. He looked around, his eyes going bright when they landed on Harry and a look of distaste came on his face when he saw Ginny there. Harry’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the guy. He was the one bullying Ginny in Diagon Alley. “Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full,” The boy said already moving into the compartment, “Bugger off Ginny, find someplace else to sit.” But, Harry having been a victim of bullying himself for so long stood up and glared at the boy, “No, there’s no room here. We are saving a seat for a friend,” his tone was polite yet firm. But it was like the boy didn’t get the message at all, “Sure there is room. Ginny,” his voice had become threatening, “Didn’t you hear what I said?” “She was here before you,” Harry replied scathingly, “So why don’t you go and find yourself someplace else to sit.” With that, he shoved the boy out and slammed the door shut on his face. He heard a muffled ‘ow’ but didn’t really care. “Your brother’s rather rude Ginny,” Luna stated matter of factly. “Don’t I know it,” she gave a small smile, “Thanks Harry!” “Don’t mention it,” he shook his head, “So what were we talking about?” “Nothing you just stated the obvious fact that we were going to Hogwarts,” Luna twirled a lock of her white blonde hair in her hand, her bright blue eyes staring somewhere far off. “Err, yeah,” Harry stammered. He had no idea what to say to that. In an act of desperation, he said something he would later come to regret, “Um, Luna,” she looked up a questioning look in her eyes, “What are Nargles?” Ginny gave a huge sigh and slumped backwards, a hand coming to cover her forehead as she shook her head, her long red hair dancing around her face. Luna’s eyes brightened as she leaned forward. There was excitement in her eyes. “I am so glad you asked that,” With that she launched into a lengthy explanation of what Nargles were. Where they were often found, how to track them. That was all Harry could decipher before his eyes glazed over. During this monologue, which lasted well over an hour, he counted Nargles thirty seven times, something named Quibbler twenty times and her father a total of fifty five times. Her explanation might have gone on even more but there was another knock on the door and a haughty looking blonde walked into the compartment with two hue boys at his side, who resembled Gorillas more than human. Harry instantly recognized the boy from the Diagon Alley. His expression turned sour. It was like they were destined to be interrupted today by bullies. “They are saying down the train that Harry Potter is sitting here,” his eyes landed on Harry and he leaned forward, “You must be him,” he stuck out his hand, “My name’s Draco, Draco Malfoy. If you want to make great in Wizarding World, then I can help you with that,” he looked towards Ginny and Luna and a sneer came on his face, “And certainly with whom to make friends with.” Harry just stared at the boy. He reminded him of those salesmen that were trying to sell something and that last line about making friends certainly struck a chord in his heart. Not to mention, his perfectly settled, sleek and glossy platinum blonde hair were rather off putting to him. “Just get lost, I don’t need your help with making friends,” Harry stated simply and turned towards the girls, completely dismissing the boy. Draco’s face turned red. Never before in his short life was he insulted this much before, “How dare you Potter,” he seethed, “Watch out or you might end up like your parents.” “And who’s going to do that?” Ginny intervened, “You? Please. I don’t think you even know which end of the wand is the right to hold.” “Shut up,” Draco raged, “At least I can afford a new wand unlike you, you weaslette. I know all about your poor little Family. My father says that the Weasley spend half his time down the table and still cannot earn enough. Whatever that means.” All Harry did was blink and then some bat like things were coming out of Draco Malfoy’s nose. He shrieked in a high pitched voice and rapidly backed off, slamming into the wall of the train. That was the last thing they heard before the door which was blocked by the two gorillas closed and then a thump was heard, as if someone crashed into the door followed by loud shrieks and thumping feet. He looked towards Ginny who had her wand out and was breathing hard. Her eyes were ablaze with anger. She took a few deep breath and sat down, “Sorry about that,” she said sheepishly. Harry just shook his head, too afraid to speak. He had no idea she was this powerful. “My eldest brother taught me that,” Ginny spoke suddenly, “He works for Gringotts as a Curse Breaker. He is in Egypt. Before he left, he helped me master it. He said it was for my protection.” “Oh,” Harry nodded, “I have practiced a few but none of them were,” he searched for the right word, “so awesome.” A faint tinge appeared on Ginny’s cheek as she smiled, “I don’t think they teach hexes like these in the first year.” “What’s its name?” Harry asked curiously. “It’s called the Bat Bogey hex.” “Luna do you know any,” Harry said turning towards Luna before trailing off. She was holding some magazine with some weird pictures on it, “What’s that?” Luna looked up, “Oh this,” she turned the magazine, “This is Quibbler. My dad publishes it.” “Can I have a look?” Harry said interested in the strange magazine. “Sure,” Luna said and began rummaging through her hand bag, “I always carry an extra one. In case, Humblimbers steal one. Here.” She thrust out another copy of the magazine. “Err, yeah,” Harry said taking care in not asking about humblimbers. His head was still abuzz about Nargles. He read the headlines, “Minister Fudge, a Goblin Eater?” He looked curiously at Luna who was busy reading her own copy. It was Ginny who answered. “Believe me Harry, that’s one of the sane ones. I have read a few in the last couple of years and I can tell you that.” She said holding back a smile. “I don’t know,” Harry smirked, “That certainly explains why the Goblins are always so gruff. “Want anything young ones?” a kind voice echoed from the door. They turned around to see that it was the food trolley, laden with all kind of sweet. “Wow,” Harry said completely fascinated with different kind of brightly coloured sweets, “I think I’ll take some of all,” he said taking out his pouch filled with galleons. “Alright kid, just make sure you don’t get cavities,” the food lady said putting a handful from each box into a bag and giving it to Harry, “Here you go.” Harry took the bag and paid the lady. He turned towards the girl with a wide grin on his face, “SO who want candies?” Rest of the trip was spent eating sweets and chatting amicably with each other. Soon, it was being announced that they were about to reach Hogsmeade, they looked out to see that the sun had almost set. “Wow, Time sure flies when you are having fun,” Ginny said in wonder. “Timplers don’t like fun. They run away when people are happy. Otherwise they make the clock stop,” Luna said sagely. Harry and Ginny both nodded vigorously not wanting Luna to go off any other insane tangent. They changed into their robes and sat chatting. Soon they pulled up in the Hogsmeade Station. They were asked to leave their belonging behind. Harry not wanting his personal beloved Owl, Hedwig to be left behind, opened her cage and let her out so that she could fly and hunt. They disembarked the train to find a huge man shouting. “First Years, Over here,” It was Hagrid, holding a huge lamp and waving his hand. Harry, Ginny and Luna made their way through the hordes of students towards where Hagrid stood. He looked towards them and grinned. “Hey Harry,” He almost shouted over the chattering of hundreds of students, “You got back okay?” “Yes,” Harry said, lying smoothly. “Good,” Hagrid nodded. He turned towards the other first years who had gathered around him, “To the boats. Four to each one. No more or it might tip over.” They made their way over to a lake where dozen of boats were tied to posts. Harry and the girls got into a boat and soon were joined by a bushy haired girl. She huffed when she saw Harry and turned her head away. “What’s her problem?” Ginny whispered in his ear. Harry just shrugged his shoulder in response. “Alright you lot ready?” Hagrid shouted. He had a boat to himself, “Forward.” With that the boats were moving on their own through the calm crystal water. Soon Hagrid asked them to duck and when they come back up they saw a view that took their breath away. “Wow,” Harry said simply and was echoed by Ginny. Even Luna had faint traces of wonder in her eyes. In front of them was a magnificent castle. It was bathed completely with white light and it was like it was pulsing with a faint glow of magic. After they reached the bank, Hagrid pushed open the door that was present there. They were greeted by the sight of a witch in a green robe and a long pointed hat. Her eyes held no traces of mirth and her lips were traced in a thin line. She didn’t look like a witch that Harry and the girls wanted to cross. “Follow me,” her voice was as stern as her visage. She turned and started walking briskly. Not wanting to be left behind, the children hurriedly followed her. They were led to a small enclosed room which had no windows. It was just big enough to comfortably hold all the first years. “Welcome to Hogwarts,” The Witch said, her sharp gaze sweeping over the young children, “My name’s Professor McGonagall and I’ll be teaching you Transfiguration,” that’s when Harry realized what Tom had meant when he gave him those needle sticks and he was glad that he had mastered most of the spells present in the book, “Shortly, you shall be sorted into Four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While in Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. You will stay with, dine with them and take classes with them. Based on your conduct, each one of you will be awarded house points. Good behavior and outstanding class work will earn you house points while misconduct will result in deduction of points. At the end of the year, the house with most points will be awarded the house cup. Do you understand me?” The children nodded vigorously not wanting to be scolded by the witch this early, “Very Well. All of you will wait here. I will return shortly for your sorting,” Professor McGonagall said and left the room through a small door that they hadn’t previously seen. As soon as the professor left the room, whispers started all across. Harry too turned towards Ginny and Luna who were standing to his side. “How do you think they sort us?” Harry said wondering aloud. “My father told me that they place an old hat on your hat which sorts you into a house,” Luna said but like all of her other eccentric stories which too mostly relate to her father was ignored. While they were talking, they heard some shrieks coming from the back of the room. They looked there to see some ghost passing through the back wall of room discussing about someone names Peeves. When they saw the children, they stopped and greeted them, before floating through another wall. Soon after Professor McGonagall returned and took them to another hall. This hall much larger and much more magnificent. Harry looked up to see the clear starry sky above. He was nudged in his side. He looked down and saw Ginny motioning to look ahead. He looked forward, curious to see what Ginny wanted him to see. That was when his eyes landed on a strange, battered looking hat sitting on stool. It seemed like Luna’s eccentric theory about how they were sorted wasn’t wrong. A line formed on the hat’s front before it opened. It was the hat’s mouth. If that wasn’t shocking enough, the hat began to sing. Though its voice was surprisingly good. It sang about the Hogwarts and all the four houses. After the song ended, the tables broke out in applause. As the noise died down, Professor McGonagall stepped up with a roll of parchment in her hand and started calling. “Abbot, Hannah,” A blonde girl with pigtails ran towards the stool and wore the hat. The hat took a minute and shouted, “HUFFLEPUFF,” The second last table erupted in cheers. The girl took off the hat and ran towards the table. “Bones, Susan,” and with that the sorting continued. Soon it was the turn of one of three friends. “Lovegood, Luna,” mentioned Professor McGonagall. Luna walked out dreamily and wore the hat. The hat was so big that it came to Luna’s shoulders. The hat seemed to take its time before it shouted, “GRYFFINDOR,” Luna took off the hat and walked towards the table which was cheering. After that it was time was Harry’s sorting. “Potter, Harry,” whispers broke out in the hall at the mention of Harry’s name and even the teachers turned towards the sorting line to catch a glimpse of the Boy-Who-Lived. He took a deep breath and started walking towards the stool blocking out all the whispers and put on the hat, the hat came to Harry’s eyes. Like Luna, the Hat seemed to be taking its time with Harry but just like her it finally shouted, “GRYFFINDOR,” The Gryffindor table erupted in huge cheers at getting the Boy-Who-Lived. Many people offered Harry to sit with them but Harry ignored them all and sat with Luna who had already made sure to save two seats for her friends. They both smiled at each other and turn towards Ginny who was still standing in the line, Harry had made sure to leave the middle seat vacant for Ginny. They both patted the seat and smiled at her, she too smiled back albeit a bit nervously. It didn’t take long for Ginny’s turn to come and she sitting on the stool waiting to be sorted. Just like the two of them the hat took its time with the sorting, Harry wondered what it was that the hat took so long with just the three of them. But just like the two friend she was sorted in the same house. “GRYFFINDOR,” shouted the Hat. Ginny immediately took off the hat and ran towards her two friends sitting there. All of them grinned at each other for getting in the same house. “Well, all of us got into same house,” Ginny commented still smiling. “I knew that all of us were going to be in the same house, after all we are friends,” Luna answered dreamily and both of her friends too nodded their head and waited for the sorting to end so that they could fill their starving stomachs, as sweets can only keep you sated for so long. After the sorting was done, a tall bearded man got up from the middle. Harry guessed that this was Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and the man mainly responsible for ruining his life along with that Dark Lord whose name he didn’t even know. His hair were whiter than milk and his beard almost reached his navel. His eyes covered by half-moon glasses were twinkling in the strangest way he had seen, almost as if by magic. “Hello and Welcome back to Hogwarts,” he had a gentle smile on his face as he peered over his glasses at the students, “I am sure all of you will be ravenous, so I won’t keep you away from food for long. I just have a few words to say and those are nitwit, oddment, blubber and twit,” he clapped and food appeared on the table. Harry didn’t have any time to ponder over the strange speech as his mind was occupied with the thought of all the food that had appeared in front. Not even the Dursleys could have eaten these many different dishes. With hunger that grew a thousand fold on seeing such delicious food, he starting piling his plate. While eating, Harry looked around and his eyes landed on the staff table. There were a few teaches that stuck out. There was Professor McGonagall talking heatedly with Albus Dumbledore who was smiling serenely while nursing a glass of juice. The guy with Turban, Professor Quirrel, was talking to a hooked nose greasy haired professor. His eyes met his for a moment, and he felt a sharp pain in his scar. Involuntarily, he let out a sharp hiss. “Are you alright?” Ginny asked obviously concerned about her friend, “Yeah I am fine, just a headache,” Harry said rubbing his forehead, “Who’s that Professor anyway?” Harry said jerking a hand towards the hooked nosed Professor who was still glaring at him. Harry could only groan internally. For some reason, the Professor hated him. He could only hope that he had no classes with that Professor. “Don’t know for sure,” Ginny shrugged, “But I think that’s Severus Snape, the Potion Master. Bill didn’t like him at all. Said that he was a greasy git.” “Great and he seems to have something against me,” Harry moaned in desperation. By then, the Feast had ended and Dumbledore had once again stood up. He knocked the glass gently with a spoon to get everyone’s attention. Soon there was silence in the hall, everyone listening intently to what the wizened headmaster had to say. Dumbledore cleared his throat, “I have a few start of term notices for you. First of all, our esteemed caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that magic is forbidden in the hallways. Also, the list of Forbidden items have been updated. Please take a look at it in the Entrance hall before you retire to your Dormitories,” Dumbledore paused for a breath and looked around, “The First Year Students should note that the Forbidden Forest is just that, Forbidden. Some older students would do well to remember that as well,” at that the twinkle in his eyes increased, “I have one other thing to add. That is, the left hand corridor on the third floor is banned for students. You must steer clear of it if you don’t want to die a painful and gruesome death.” There were some laughter at that but most of the students looked serious, “Now then, it’s time for the Hogwarts song.” He spread his arm out in an exaggerated manner as Harry and the girls noticed that the smile on the teacher grew forced. In the next few moments they understood why. What Dumbledore called a song was more like a rumbling of bees. All these different tunes mixed in made it sound more like a busy day at the London roads. Everyone was singing to their own music. It was a long five minutes during which the Song was sung. Even then, Dumbledore had to wave his hand to banish the lyrics that were appearing in midair to make a pair of red headed twins stop. Harry thought that he had seen them with Ginny at the platform. “Ah Music,” Dumbledore gave a warm smile, “The magic of our soul. Now it’s for bed, so off to your houses,” he clapped his hand once again and the students stood up from their tables. “Alright First Year Gryffindors over here,” Harry heard a red headed boy call. Another one of Ginny’s brother. The Prefect one. They gathered around him and were led through different corridors to in front of a huge magical portrait. “Hello dearies,” the portrait of the fat lady spoke, “What’s the password?” “Caput Draconis,” Percy, as he told his name was, said firmly. The lady nodded and the portrait opened to reveal a room decked in red and gold. It was the common room. After entering the room, Percy gave them a few instruction on proper etiquette and then told them to head up to bed. “Alright see you tomorrow,” Harry said waving to the two girls and climbed the stairs to his dormitory. The two girls said their goodbyes to Harry and climbed to their dormitory. They were sharing it with a bushy haired girl named Hermione and two other girls, Parvati and Lavender. Parvati and Lavender looked the gossipy type of girl, the type the girls weren’t particularly comfortable with. Hermione seemed alright but her attitude towards Harry had left the girls unsettled. They hadn’t known Harry for long but, the conversation that had lasted with him for several hours had at least revealed this much that Harry was a nice person and anyone who doesn’t like him had to be an idiot or a bad person. “Hey Ginny,” Luna said after they had settled in their bed and had made sure that the other girls were fast asleep, “Did you notice the way Harry was looking at Dumbledore?” “Yeah,” Ginny nodded, “It was almost like he doesn’t like the man.” “I am sure he has a reason,” Luna said turning over, “And he will tell us when he thinks it’s alright. Good night.” “Yeah, I know,” Ginny said though the frown didn’t leave her face as she settled down to sleep. Unbeknownst to the girls, at that time Harry was having a strange dream. The dream included a strange turban wrapping around his head and asking him to transfer to Slytherin. But Harry knew that he would never transfer to Slytherin. Finally he had made friends and both of them were in Gryffindor. He was not going to leave them behind. The turban wrapped tightly around his neck and began choking him. When he was sure that he was going to die, the dream ended, never to be remembered again. …………………………………….. |
| Reviews 21 |
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