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Alone in The Wizarding World Chapter 1 (A Strange Voice)
🕑 Added 2022-04-14 19:46:21 +0000 UTC"Excuse me?" Harry said nervously.
"Hullo, dear. First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too." The plump, red-haired woman smiled warmly at him.
A tall, equally red-haired boy gave Harry a feeble wave.
"Um...yeah. The thing is - the thing is, I d-don't...er...know how to..." Harry stammered.
"How to get onto the platform?" The woman asked kindly, and Harry nodded.
"Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten.Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."
"Er - okay..." Harry felt fear flood through him. He pushed his small trolley round and stared at the wall. It looked very solid.
He started to walk towards it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry sped up. He was going to smash right into that ticket box and then he'd be in trouble, he knew it. Leaning forwards on his trolley, he broke into a run - the barrier was getting nearer and nearer - he wasn't going to be able to stop - the trolley was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes, ready for the crash-
It didn't come. He kept on running, then opened his eyes. His jaw dropped in awe.
***********
"I heard you had to live with Muggles. What were they like?" Ron asked, patting his pocket.
"Horrible. You're so lucky; I wish I'd had three wizard brothers-"
"Five." Ron cut him off gloomily, "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. Then it's Ginny's turn next year. She's the youngest. I guess you could say I've got a lot to live up to. Also means most of my stuff's hand-me-down. Got robes from Bill - he's the oldest - then I've got Charlie's - he's second oldest - old wand. Then Percy's - he's next. You met him though. You know, Percy the Prefect - old rat. Here." Ron pulled a sleeping, fat, grey rat from a pocket in his jacket, "His name's Scabbers. Bloody useless though, he is. Hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made Prefect, but they couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears turned alarmingly pink.
Harry, who had not had any money at all until a month ago, though there was nothing wrong with not being able to afford an owl. To cheer him up, he told Ron all about how he'd had to wear Dudley's old clothes for years and that he never got proper birthday presents. Ron's mood had lightened considerably.
"...and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort-"
Ron gasped.
"What?"
"You said You-Know-Who's name!" Ron whispered, sounding shocked, "I'd have thought you of all people-"
"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name." Harry was quick to assure him, "I just never knew you shouldn't. Bet there's loads more I don't know. I think I'll be bottom of every class..."
"Nah, mate. You'll be fine. There's tons of other kids who come from Muggle families.They'll be dimmer than a Flobberworm, I can tell you."
Ron laughed and Harry, guessing that whatever Ron had said was meant to be funny, laughed with him. In all honesty, Harry didn't have a clue what a Flobberworm was, but he didn't think it sounded much like a compliment to be compared to one.
*************
After another five minutes, a short woman had arrived with a trolley of sweets. Harry had been rather confused at first, as the trolley was lacking greatly in the Mars Bar department, but he had decided to go with it and bought two of everything there was; one for him and one for Ron.
Ron, suddenly happy again, had explained to him what a Chocolate Frog card was animatedly whilst Harry had read his card in awe:
Albus Dumbledore, currently headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.
The picture had waved at him once more before departing. Ron then had to explain wizarding photos to Harry, before scoffing down his frog.
"Can...can I see your wand?" Harry asked Ron tentatively, eager to see what other wands looked like compared to his.
Ron rummaged about in his bag for a while, before producing a battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something silvery-white was glistening at one end.
"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-"
He had just raised his wand as the compartment door slid open again. There stood the most beautiful girl Harry had ever seen (which perhaps wasn't saying much, as Harry hadn't really spoken to anyone at his old school much at all).
"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy chestnut brown hair and rather large front teeth.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron irritably, "so you can, you know, leave now."
The girl, however, wasn't listening. Instead, she was staring straight into Harry's emerald eyes curiously as he stared straight back into her chocolatey brown ones. Slowly, they took in each other's faces.
Ron coughed, although neither Harry nor the girl seemed to have noticed. Ron coughed once more, unnecessarily loudly.
The girl's head whipped around, away from Harry's, as her face grew slightly pink, "Oh, um...right..." She became very flustered and, desperate for a distraction, hurriedly composed herself and asked Ron, "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then."
She glided past Ron and sat directly opposite Harry, who noticed that she was already wearing her uniform. Ron seemed to have momentarily forgotten that he was holding his wand. Looking taken aback, he cleared his throat.
"Uh...Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"
He pointed his wand aggressively at Scabbers, but nothing happened.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl asked bossily, raising her eyebrows, "Well, it's not very good, is it?I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course. I mean, it's the very best school of Witchcraft and Wizardry there is, at least, that's what I've heard - and I've learnt all of our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way." She peered at Ron, pursing her lips, "And you are?"
"I'm Ron. Ron Weasley." Ron muttered darkly.
"Harry Potter." Harry stuck his hand out forwards for Hermione to shake. As she did so, her mouth formed a little 'o' shape.
"Are you really? I know all about you. I've got a few extra books for background reading and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century." Hermione counted the books off on her fingers as she listed them.
"Am I?" Half listening, half not, Harry began to feel rather dazed.
"Goodness, didn't you know?" Hermione asked sympathetically, "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best, I heard Dumbledore himself was a Gryffindor!" As she spoke, Hermione's beautiful eyes lit up, "What have you done to your glasses?" She cocked her head at Harry expectantly.
"Um..." Harry fiddled with the tape that was keeping the two broken parts of his glasses together.
"Oculus Reparo!" Hermione pointed her wand at him. The tape flew off of his glasses, leaving them completely fixed; there was no longer a crack down the middle of the brim.
"Whoa! Thanks!"
"No problem." She looked at the compartment door, "Look, I'm really sorry, I've got to go and keep looking for Neville's toad. You two had better get changed soon, we're almost there."
With that, she stood up, gave Harry a small smile and left.
"Whatever house I'm put in, I hope she's not in it." Ron said sourly, stuffing his wand back into his pocket, "Stupid spell. Bet George knew it was a dud when he gave it to me."
Harry, however, was not listening for, just as Hermione had scurried from the compartment, a tall, pale boy with slicked-back white-blonde hair had swaggered in. Harry recognised him instantly as the rude boy he had met in Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he had done back in Diagon Alley.
On either side of him stood two cumbersome boys who looked about fourteen, but Harry could tell by their scruffy first year uniforms that they were no older than he was.
"So, it's true, what they're all saying. Harry Potter really is in this compartment. So it's you, isn't it?" He looked down his sharp nose at Harry, who was still observing the two boys on either side of him. The blonde boy clicked his fingers in front of Harry's face impatiently.
"Oh, um...yes." Harry answered uncertainly, his eyes still on the two thickset boys who stood on either side of the pale one like bodyguards.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle." Said the blonde boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking, "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron sniggered.
"Think my name's funny, do you Weasley? Don't look so surprised. My father told me all the Weasley's have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford." He turned back towards Harry, smirking, "Some wizarding families are much better than others, I'm sure you'll soon find that out. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He shot a sideways glare at Ron, "I can help you there."
Draco stuck his hand out sharply for Harry to shake, but he refused it.
"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." He said coolly, crossing his arms.
Malfoy's face grew a little pink, "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter." He spat, "Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents.They didn't know what was good for them either."
Harry and Ron stood up angrily and opened their mouths to retort, but a familiar bossy voice from the corridor beat them to it, "Say that again!" It snarled furiously.
"Oh, you'll fight us, will you?" Malfoy teased as the owner of the voice stormed in.
"Only if you don't leave Harry alone!" Hermione had to crane her neck upwards to look Malfoy in the eyes. Her face was as red as Ron's hair.
Show Him, Harry glanced around but couldn't tell who whispered like that.
"And what about you two? Too cowardly to fight? Even filth like this will fight us, but not you two?" He pointed at Hermione, who looked as though she was going to explode.
"We will fight you," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were each a lot bulkier than he, Ron and Hermione were put together, "unless you get out now."
"Pity, that, because we don't feel like leaving, do we boys? We've eaten all of our food, yet you still seem to have some."
But as Goyle hungrily approached a stray Cauldron Cake next to Ron, Hermione snarled venomously, "Didn't you hear him? He said leave."
"I did hear him, as a matter of fact, but-"
Malfoy could not finish his witty retort, as Goyle had let out a humongous yelp of pain. Scabbers was dangling off of his knuckle, teeth sinking into Goyle's flesh.
Malfoy and Crabbe backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers around, in a vain attempt of getting him off.
Eventually, Scabbers got bored and released Goyle's knuckle, before hitting the window and landing on the seat closest to it.
Harry felt a smirk on his face before his eyes went to Malfoy who suddenly fell on his knees as pain spread through his chest like wildfire.
Spill his Pure Blood, Let's see how PURE it Is
"Harry" Hermione suddenly called him, causing Harry to look at her, Malfoy felt the pain disappear before running away.
The two boys looked alarmed and hastily left.
Hermione breathed out, the red slowly leaking from her cheeks.
"You were...that was...brilliant, Hermione!" Harry grinned at her gratefully.
"Thanks. Oh, you were good too. Uh...well...I'm going to go and keep helping Neville." Her face suddenly became bossy-looking again as she began to leave, "Oh, and for heavens sake, put your uniforms on! I heard the trolley lady say that we're five minutes away."
"Well, d'you mind leaving so we can change?" Ron snapped.
Hermione sniffed, turned sharply on her heel and left, closing the door swiftly behind her.
"Can't stand her." Ron growled, heading over to where Scabbers had landed, "I think Scabbers is unconscious. Wait...no - I don't believe it - he's sleeping!"
As they got changed, Harry made a mental note to himself to tell Ron to lay off Hermione, as he did not want to make Ron even angrier than he was at that point in time.
"Ron, did you hear anything strange when Malfoy was here?" Harry asked while changing.
Ron just looked at him in confusion, "No, just Malfoy's big mouth" he replied.
Soon enough, however, they were across the lake and standing in front of the looming wooden door, where Neville's toad - Trevor - had somehow reappeared.
Once that matter had been settled, Hagrid - the half-giant Hogwarts gamekeeper - knocked three times on the castle door with his gigantic fist.
Later
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out across the sea of excited first years, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly but, before you take your seats, you will be sorted into your houses. This is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house becomes somewhat like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced exceptional wizards and witches. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points whereas any rule-breaking shall lose you them. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour.
"The ceremony shall begin in just a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you smarten up your uniforms." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle's scruffy states, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."
Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair down whilst hanging on to McGonagall's every word. As she left the chamber, he asked Ron, "Er...so, how exactly do they sort us into houses?"
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Ron, despite his words, looked as though he thought Fred had been being completely serious.
Harry anxiously looked around him and noticed that everyone else looked terrified too. No one was talking much, and those who were kept their voices at a whisper.
He then caught sight of Hermione Granger. She was all the way on the other side of the chamber, without anyone to talk to. Harry thought about pushing through the crowd to go and talk to her, but then decided that he probably wouldn't make it over there without creating some sort of havoc amongst the anxious first years.
Hermione looked over at Harry, who was still staring at her, and gave him a small, nervous smile. He grinned back. Then, Ron tapped him on the shoulder and started asking him whether or not Harry thought that Fred had been joking when he had said that the test would hurt a lot.
Harry had been about to open his mouth to tell Ron that he was sure that the test wouldn't hurt at all, when something happened which made him jump about a foot in the air and made several people behind him scream.
He watched in amazement as nearly twenty ghosts streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they floated across the room, hardly noticing the first years.
************
When Professor McGonagall had returned, she led them all into a humongous room which she had called the Great Hall. Four long tables ran the length of the room with empty gold platters sitting on top of them. At these tables sat many students - some old and some young - all wearing the same uniforms. On each table, however, the students were wearing different coloured ties which, Harry assumed, matched the colours of their house.
At the far end of the hall stood another long table at which the teachers sat. But Harry was no longer looking at these tables, for he and many other first years were gazing up at the ceiling. It was velvety black and dotted with stars; it was beautiful.
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read all about it in Hogwarts; a History." Hermione Granger whispered to him, making him jump.
"Oh, hi!" He said as cheerily as he could, "It's lovely, isn't it?"
"Yes it is. I could stare at it for ages." The stars on the ceiling were reflected beautifully in her eyes as she gazed up at them longingly.
"I'm going to have to borrow that book of yours, this is great!"
"Of course. Well, if we're in the same house. If not, it could be quite difficult." Hermione looked down from the ceiling and frowned at Harry, "I read that there's a lot of rivalry between houses - especially Gryffindor and Slytherin - and that people who are friends before coming to Hogwarts that get put in different houses often drift apart quite quickly. It's like Professor McGonagall said, 'your house becomes somewhat like your family within Hogwarts'. I suppose that's a good thing, as it gives us all a chance to make a close-knit group of friends. I just hope that's easier here than it is in the Muggle world..."
Hermione trailed off, looking at the floor. Harry could instantly tell that she, like him, had not had many, if any friends at her old school. He opened his mouth to comfort her but he was interrupted by Professor McGonagall.
She stood up and walked over to a stool that was placed just in front of them. On top of that was a dirty, patched and frayed wizard's hat.
Everyone in the hall was staring at the hat, as if expecting it to do something. Harry glanced sideways at Hermione, who was looking at the hat with a great interest. He looked back up at it. It twitched. A large rip near its brim opened suddenly and the hat began to sing:
"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 - Harry included - however his heart was not in it. He had heard what the hat had said about Ravenclaw. He was almost certain that Hermione would end up there. She'd memorised all of the textbooks - of course she'd be put into Ravenclaw!
The hat bowed many times before becoming quiet and still again.
"So, we've only got to try on the hat!" Ron sighed with relief. He stood on Harry's other side next to a tall, sandy-haired boy, "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll!"
Harry was hardly listening. He'd liked Hermione and he was sure she'd liked him too. He was adamant they could have become great friends, but there was no way Hermione wouldn't end up in Ravenclaw - she was way too smart - Harry, on the other hand, knew that he was nowhere near intelligent enough (in either the Muggle world, as Ron called it, or the Wizarding one) to be placed there.
***********
Professor McGonagall stepped forward and began to call people up to be sorted.
As students names were called, they were to go up to the front of the room and sit on the stool. Then, McGonagall would place the Sorting Hat onto their heads. The hat then took over; it would sit silently for a short while before coming to a decision for each student.
Hannah Abbot ended up in Hufflepuff along with Susan Bones. Then, a boy named Terry Boot was put in Ravenclaw. Lavender Brown became the first new Gryffindor, whilst Millicent Bulstrode went straight to Slytherin.
By this time, Harry felt very sick. It could have been his imagination, but after what he'd heard about Slytherin, they still didn't seem a particularly friendly-looking bunch.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" McGonagall called. He became a Hufflepuff. Then, the sandy-haired boy - Seamus Finnigan - next to Ron was called up. He sat on the stool for over a minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Harry's heart dropped about ten feet.
"Oh no, okay, relax!" She muttered to herself.
"Mental, that one, I'm telling you." Ron moaned to Harry as Hermione walked up to the stool anxiously. She placed the hat firmly on her head. It took merely a second for the hat to sort her:
"GRYFFINDOR!" It shouted. Ron groaned loudly.
Hermione's face lit up as she scurried over to the table on the far right of the room. Harry was shocked. His sunken heart lifted itself back up again. This is great! Harry thought to himself, I've got way more of a chance of getting into Gryffindor than Ravenclaw!
Next was Neville Longbottom's turn. He had tripped over on his way to the stool and, when he made it, the hat took a very long time to decide where to put him. It eventually settled on Gryffindor.
Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin. Then, there weren't many people left.
"Moon"..."Nott"..."Parkinson"...then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"...then "Perks"...and then, at last-
"Potter, Harry!"
As Harry stepped forward, whispers broke out across the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was Hermione at the Gryffindor table, giving him an encouraging smile. Next second he was in the black inside of the hat. He waited until he suddenly heard a voice in his head.
"Hmm..." Said a small voice in his ear, "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting...so where shall I put you?"
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness, no doubt about that - no? Well, if you're sure - better be Gryffindor!"
Harry's heart leapt. Gryffindor! Hermione was in Gryffindor! She said Gryffindor was by far the best house!
He jumped up and hurried over to the Gryffindor table. He sat himself down next to Hermione, who was beaming at him.
"Brilliant! I knew you'd-"
Hermione was cut off by the Weasley twins chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
***********
"Weasley, Ronald!"
Ron crossed the room uncertainly. Harry was sure that Ron was debating in his head what house he wanted to be in. He'd always wanted to be in Gryffindor, but he'd also said that he didn't want to be in the same house as Hermione.
Nevertheless, the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor. Ron strode up to the table to loud applause from his brothers and from the rest of the table. He sat opposite Harry, deliberately avoiding making any eye contact whatsoever with Hermione.
Harry glanced at her. She was looking up at the front of the hall, fidgeting anxiously with her fingers.
Blaise Zabini was placed in Slytherin, then Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat. The hall became eerily silent, awaiting wise words from their headmaster.
Whether or not the words, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" were particularly wise was beyond Harry, but then the plates in front of them became covered with food. More food than Harry had ever seen at one time. He tucked in straight away, as did all of the other Gryffindors.
Harry still could not believe that he was not living in a dream. Everything was so perfect, although he was more than certain that it wasn't going to stay that way for long.
