Chapter Text
“SLYTHERIN”
After the old worn hats announcement a tense silence hung over the hall. Not one student or staff member moved to clap their hands leaving the small dark haired boy to anxiously walk over to the table of students wearing green. Eyes followed his movements, his uncertain steps being the only sound echoing around the room, until finally the shock seemed to wear off and the slytherin students cheered for their new addition. Harry sat across from a pale, blond haired boy before thinking back on how he arrived here.
*****
It was the end of July in 1991 and Harry Potter was making breakfast for the Dursleys, he refused to call them his family after he learned very early on he would never fit into their perfect lifestyle. He kept quiet most of the time trying to avoid angering his rather large uncle Vernon but found that no matter what he did he would be found guilty of something and would be punished. This is why after being yelled at by his uncle to get the post he gratefully let his aunt Petunia take over the breakfast duties and fled the room.
Out in the hall he retrieved the 3 letters lying innocently in front of the letter box. One was the water bill that he knew he would somehow be blamed for even though he wasn’t even allowed to use any hot water, one was a postcard from Vernon's sister and the third was addressed to Harry. Confused on who would bother writing to him, he slowly started to peel the envelope open before he heard his uncle yelling at him to hurry up. Making the quick decision to put his letter into his cupboard before it could be taken from him Harry returned to the kitchen and handed over the post hoping he didn’t look guilty.
It was late into the night before he risked opening the letter, sitting in his cupboard with only the light from a cracked torch he had managed to steal from Dudley, his cousin, he peeled open the envelope and unfolded the strange yellowing paper that lay inside.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr Harry Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Harry dropped the letter to the floor, surely this was just a prank. He had never been allowed to go to school before because the Dursleys didn’t want him ruining their perfect reputation due to his freakishness.However, over the years he had been able to steal Dudley's school books and taught himself everything he possibly could in the darkness of his cupboard. He loved reading and learning but he always dreamed of going to school so he could ask questions to discover even more knowledge. However, he knew there was no such thing as magic, he was sure of that. His uncle had punished him many times when he had ever dared to utter the word magic when he was younger, before he learned to be quiet. But then how did they know he slept in the cupboard under the stairs. Coming to the conclusion that he was just being messed with, he let out a sigh of disappointment and lay down succumbing to a fitful sleep.
It was 11.55pm on the 30th and Harry was waiting to call in his birthday. It had been a week since the odd letter had arrived, he tried not to give it too much thought but it played on his mind now as he realised that not only was he going to be 11 tomorrow it was also the deadline stated for him to inform the magic school. He knew it wasn’t real but he could still dream of leaving his horrible life with the Dursley’s behind couldn’t he. 11.57pm. He started to wonder what it would be like for someone to come knocking at the door ready to whisk him away to a new world where there would be others like him, where he wouldn’t be a freak.11.59pm. He wondered if he would finally be allowed to speak without fear of punishment, if he would be allowed to make friends and act like a normal boy. 12.00am. Wishing himself a happy birthday under his breath Harry wished for that person, if there was really a magical school out there, to find him before he lost hope.
Harry’s prayers were not answered however, and he awoke the next morning to the usual screeching of Aunt Petunia telling him to start the breakfast. For the next month, he did his chores, avoided Uncle Vernon as best as possible and spent his nights dreaming of a magical school. This same routine dragged on and on and Harry started to forget about the letter that sparked some hope into his heart that someone would save him until finally it all changed on September 1st.
It was just after the Dursleys dinner time and Harry was outside doing the gardening when a strict woman, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, started to walk up the path to the house. She knocked on the door, not seeming to have noticed him and waited impatiently till finally the tall thin figure of Aunt Petunia appeared in the doorway. Unable to hear the conversation he went back to weeding the flower bed in front of him. A few minutes later he noticed the woman marching towards him, the look in her face was fierce and she seemed to be bubbling with concealed anger.
“ Good afternoon Mr Potter I’m Professor McGonagall deputy headmistress and transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you could please follow me inside” she said in a thick Scottish accent.
Not knowing what else to do he got up off the ground and followed her into the living room where she sat down with an air of confidence as though she lived there. Harry knowing he isn’t allowed to touch the furniture hovered timidly in front of her.
“ Now as I said before I am a teacher at Hogwarts, we noticed your absence from the Hogwarts Express which left the station an hour ago. Thinking you might have had some trouble finding the platform I was sent to collect you and your things and bring you to the school so you can be sorted along with your peers.” She told him all this in a strict tone that made him believe that maybe just maybe she wasn’t joking. “ Now if you could please collect your school things and any other possessions you may wish we will need to get going in order to get there in time.” She continued on.
“ I’m really sorry ma’am but I don’t have any school things” he nearly whispered for fear of angering the professor.
“ And why Mr Potter did you not follow the list given to you in your letter” She asked him calmly.
“I’m sorry, I thought it was a joke, magic isn’t real” he replied staring down at his feet
“ Surely you have been told about your parents” she seemed angry which only made Harry shrink into himself further.
“My parents died in a car crash because they were worthless no good criminals who didn’t want me” his answer was rehearsed from what the Dursleys had told him whenever he had found the courage to ask them about his parents.
“Where did you learn that Potter?” she nearly growled before she took a deep breath to calm herself and asked again in a soft tone “ Who told you that Harry?”
Harry just shook his head to frightened of being punished for making her angry that he refused to say anything else.
“ Alright Mr Potter we can talk about this later, collect anything you want to keep and let’s be off before we are late” she said softly realising she had scared the boy.
Harry, thankful that the conversation was over, ran to his cupboard where he shoved his two spare outfits, more rags than clothes, into a tattered rucksack then returned to the professor. Mcgonagall simply nodded before walking out the house. Harry followed her to a deserted alleyway where he was instructed to grab her arm. His hand shaking he grabbed onto her arm before his surroundings disappeared and the feeling of being squeezed through a tube overcame him. After the dizzying, compressive feeling faded he opened his eyes, not realising when he closed them, and gasped amazed at the magnificent castle lit up in front of him. It was breathtaking, he was so entranced that he didn’t even think of questioning how they had travelled from the ordinary streets of Privet Drive to the castle which seemed to be situated in the middle of nowhere. The only things around where a dark and creepy forest with a log cabin outside it and a giant lake, it’s surface shimmering under the moonlight.
“ Quickly now Mr Potter the other students will be arriving shortly” Mcgonagall said as she set off for the gates leading into the school grounds. With a short phrase muttered under her breath the gates opened and they were heading towards the large doors leading into the school.
The two entered the castle to see a dour looking man in all black waiting with a group of students who looked utterly terrified. Mcgonagall ordered Harry to join the other students then with a hushed conversation with the man took over his role of watching the students.
“Welcome to Hogwarts,' said Professor McGonagall. 'The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts.The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.” With this she stared at Harry who hadn’t had time to change out of his dirty gardening clothes, although he didn’t have any outfit that fit him anyway. He self-consciously tried to make himself somewhat presentable but to no success.
The large doors in front of him that he hadn’t even noticed in his haste to join the others suddenly opened letting out a cacophony of noise. There were hundreds of students sitting across four long tables, each group had a different colour of tie on - green, blue, yellow and red - with a long staff table at the head. Mcgonagall encouraged them all to walk forward until they were huddled together in front of the staff. A stool with an old worn hat sat on top of it stood in front of them all. Just as the first years started to settle down, the hat suddenly started singing a song about each of the four houses before going silent once more. Mcgonagall stood next to the stool and the hall went silent. A scroll appeared out of thin air, hovering in front of her. She started to call out names in alphabetical order, the student who was called would walk up and sit on the stool and the hat would be placed on their head. After a varying amount of time the hat would call out a house name and the student would join that table encouraged by thundering applause from their new house. But Harry wasn’t paying attention to who was sorted where, far too focused on worrying about what would happen if he wasn’t picked for any house. He was worthless, the Dursleys had made sure he knew that, he had never even been allowed to school before, how on earth would he be good enough for here. He was interrupted from worrying by his name being called.
He walked up to the stool on shaking legs and sat down. The hat was placed on his head and fell below his eyes, cutting off his sight of the hall allowing him to relax a little without hundreds of eyes watching him. He nearly fell off the chair when a voice started speaking.
“Hmm, difficult. VERY difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes. And a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you?” The hat muttered in his mind.
“ Anywhere, just please put me anywhere” Harry thought, hoping the hat could hear him.
“Anywhere you say, interesting. Very interesting. Better be SLYTHERIN” The last word was shouted out to the rest of the hall.
After the old worn hats announcement a tense silence hung over the hall. Not one student or staff member moved to clap their hands leaving the small dark haired boy to anxiously walk over to the table of students wearing green. Eyes followed his movements, his uncertain steps being the only sound echoing around the room, until finally the shock seemed to wear off and the slytherin students cheered for their new addition. Harry sat across from a pale, blond haired boy who seemed quite appalled at his unkempt appearance.
Even with the school's abnormal reaction to his sorting Harry was relieved he was even sorted anywhere and promised himself he would do his best to behave and not be freaky so he could remain. With that he noticed the sorting had finished and the headmaster was standing before them.
“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”
After the confusing speech made by the brightly dressed man who’s eyes seemed to twinkle, the tables were filled with a large variety of delicious food. Harry however, knowing his rules, only ate some bread and cheese before sitting quietly with his eyes down, ignoring everyone else chatting around him and waited for the feast to be over.
The food disappeared a while later and two students stood up. They introduced themselves as “Gemma Farley“ “Oliver Burke” told them they were prefects. Prefects they sayed are in charge of first years and that they were to follow them to the dungeons. Once down in the dungeons of the school they were led to a blank wall where they were shown a worn looking brick four rows from the bottom which they were to press then say the password “Serpent”. The wall opened into an archway and inside there was a huge common room decorated with brown comfy-looking couches, armchairs and tables scattered around. The walls were a deep green colour and on the opposite wall from the door there were two spiral staircases. They were informed one led to the boys dorms and one to the girls. The six first year boys were led up their staircase into their dorm by Oliver and told to be down into the common room by 8am to be shown back to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Harry, feeling overwhelmed by the day's events, got into his bed, drew the curtains around his fore poster bed ignoring the other boys introducing themselves and fell asleep both anxious and excited about this new adventure.