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Chapter 5 - Just the Beginning

Harry woke up tangled between soft limbs and warm skin. Lavender was curled against his chest, tits pressed to his side. Katie's leg was slung over his hip, her breath slow and even. The room smelled like sex. He stayed there for a second, just letting it sit. Then he eased out of their hold, careful not to wake them, and stood.

The hallway was dead quiet. Harry's body felt wrecked in the best way. Last night hadn't ended with a blowjob. Katie bent over, took his cock in her ass, and begged for more until he filled her up and left her shaking. His legs still felt it. His cock had that dull, used-up ache, like it had been worked until there was nothing left. He stepped into the shower, let the hot water hit his back, and just stood there for a while. All he could picture was her ass clenching around him, slick and tight, her voice breaking while he fucked her through it.

He got dressed slow, towel still hanging off his shoulders as he stepped back into his dorm. His bag was sitting on the edge of the bed, untouched. He unzipped it, dug through until he found a clean shirt, new trousers, something fresh. A folded note sat on top of the sheets, sealed with a weird little wax stamp shaped like a crescent moon. He broke it open and scanned the message. Orientation today. First meal in the Great Hall. Professor Sinistra would be giving the welcome briefing for new initiates. He exhaled through his nose, smirked a little. Magic school, huh. Guess it was time to see what this place was really about.

Harry stepped into the common room, rolling his shoulders. A tall girl with tight curls glanced up from her book and gave him a quick smile. Two boys argued over a levitating card game near the stairs, sparks flicking between their wands. One of them looked up, gave Harry a nod. He returned it, then headed for the exit. The Fat Lady was humming to herself when he pushed open the portrait. Her song cut off with a sigh as he stepped through into the dim corridor beyond.

Halfway down the stairs, a voice called out behind him.

"Hey, Harry, wait up."

Harry turned, already recognizing the round face and unsure gait.

"Neville. What's up?"

Neville caught up, a little out of breath. "Still don't know my way around. Mind if I walk with you?" Harry nodded, easy and relaxed. "Yeah, come on. We'll find it together." Neville smiled, clearly relieved, and fell into step beside him.

As they turned a corner, Neville glanced over, hesitating before he spoke. "So, uh… where were you last night? Didn't see you in the dorm." Harry smirked. "Two girls invited me up for some fun. I didn't make it back." Neville stumbled a step, eyes wide, his face going bright red. "Oh. Uh. Right." He couldn't even look at him. Harry laughed. "Relax, mate." He nodded toward a portrait they were passing. The woman in it gave them a curious glance, then walked off the edge of the frame. "That's pretty cool though, right?" Neville nodded quickly, grateful for the change of topic. "Yeah. Mental." A beat passed before he asked, "Where were you before Hogwarts?" Harry's hands stayed in his pockets. "Grew up in the Muggle world. London. Didn't know any of this was real until Sinistra found me." Neville blinked. "But you're… you're a Potter." Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I know. I guess nobody thought to tell me I was a wizard. So now I'm starting from scratch."

They reached the entrance to the Great Hall. Just as Harry stepped forward, someone moved in front of them. A blond boy in crisp robes stood there, hands in his pockets, smirking. He looked at Neville. "Long time no see, Longbottom. On the train we had to beat you up. Looks like we'll have to do it again." Then he turned to Harry. "Who's your friend?" Harry didn't know him, but he didn't like the way he talked. He glanced at Neville, saw the way his shoulders tightened, and stepped forward without thinking. "Move."

Malfoy didn't come alone. Two thick-necked boys flanked him, both built like meat lockers and clearly used to getting their way. Neville shrank back, but Harry didn't move. He wasn't scared. If anything, he looked ready. Malfoy opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, two voices came from behind. "Everything alright here?" Dean and Seamus were on the stairs nearby. Harry gave a lazy smirk. "These ladies in front of us seem desperate for a scrap." Dean cracked his knuckles. "Yeah?" Seamus stepped up beside him. "Funny. We were just getting bored."

Before anything could kick off, a voice called down from the stairs. "That's enough, boys." Professor Sinistra stood there, calm as ever, arms crossed. The Slytherins backed off quick, like they knew better than to push it. Malfoy muttered something under his breath and turned away. Crabbe and Goyle followed. Harry and the others headed into the Great Hall

Harry dropped onto the bench at the Gryffindor table, stretching his legs out under the wood. He reached for the roast chicken first, grabbed two thick pieces, then piled on eggs, ham, and a hunk of bread. Across from him, Dean leaned forward on his elbows, grinning. "So what were you doing before all this, Potter? You look like you've been through some shit." Harry laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Grew up in the Muggle world. Nothing magical. Just school, street football, and the gym. Had a membership. Went every day. Kept me sane more than anything else."

Neville poked at his potatoes, then cleared his throat. "I live with my gran. Been with her since I was a baby." He paused, then gave a small smile. "She's tough. Real old-school magic. Wakes me up with charms if I sleep in, makes me do chores with my wand even if I mess it up. Says it builds character." He gave a sheepish shrug. "She means well. Just has high expectations. Like, sky-high."

Dean stabbed a sausage and leaned across the table. "You lot ever play Muggle football? My mates and I used to run games in the park every weekend. Swear I could've gone pro." Seamus snorted. "Until you tripped over your own feet trying to show off." Dean tossed a crust at him. "I blew out my knee falling off a broom, not the pitch." Harry grinned, chewing through a mouthful of ham. "You lot are amateurs. I played proper. Real team, full kit, twice a week." Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Did you score or just run around looking busy?" Harry shrugged. "Only when it counted." Laughter rolled around the table.

"First-years, with me." Sinistra's voice cut through the noise. Everything quieted down. Harry stood up, grabbed one last bite of bread, and fell in line with the others heading out. Across the room, he spotted Susan in the Hufflepuff crowd. She looked over. He gave her a quick wink. She tried to hide the smile but didn't pull it off. A few steps ahead, Daphne moved with the Slytherins. Same confident walk. Same tight skirt. Harry's eyes dropped, just for a second. Still had that ass. He smirked to himself and kept walking.

They followed Sinistra through a side corridor. She led them into a wide circular room with no desks, just a few low benches arranged in a ring around the center. Harry dropped onto a bench near the back, elbows resting on his knees. Dean and Seamus sat beside him, still whispering.

Sinistra stood in the center of the room and looked around the circle. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Some of you were raised with magic. Some of you weren't. That doesn't matter. We start from the same place." She stepped forward. "Magic is part of the world. It's also part of you. Here, you'll learn what it is, how to use it, and what happens when you don't."

"Magic has always been here," she said. "Long before wands, before schools, before spells had names. People felt it in storms, in rivers, in the pull between life and death." She moved slowly as she spoke, her robes swaying just enough to show the shape of her legs beneath. Harry watched them for a second, then looked back up, trying to stay focused. "Wizards didn't create magic," she said. "They just learned how to speak its language."

"Some of you will take to it fast," Sinistra said, turning toward the far side of the circle. "Others will struggle. That's normal. Magic isn't about speed. It's about control." Her eyes swept across the room. Harry followed her movement, noticing how still everyone had gone. Even Seamus wasn't fidgeting. "You'll learn to feel magic before you try to use it. You'll learn to listen before you speak."

A hand shot up before Sinistra could continue. Hermione Granger. "Professor, if magic is everywhere, why do only some people have access to it?" Sinistra turned to her with a small smile. "Good question. No one knows for sure. Some say it's blood, some say it's spirit, some say it's chance. What matters is what you do with it once you have it." Hermione nodded, already thinking past the answer.

Malfoy didn't raise his hand. "If magic's in everyone," he said, loud and smooth, "why are mudbloods always the ones barely able to hold a wand?" His eyes went straight to Hermione. Smiling like it wasn't even meant to be a question.

Sinistra turned. Her heels echoed against the stone. "Mr. Malfoy," she said. "Say that word again and you'll spend the next month scrubbing cauldrons in the dungeon. No wand. No gloves. Just you, filth, and time to think."

Malfoy didn't look scared. Just smug. He opened his mouth like he had something clever to say.

"I went to school with your father," Sinistra said before he could speak. "Same house. Same face. I didn't expect much from his son. Yet somehow, I'm still disappointed." Her voice didn't rise, but it hit like stone.

Malfoy went silent.

She turned back to the room. "For the rest of you, let me be clear. Blood purity is an old story. Some people think magic runs stronger in old families, pure families. But magic doesn't care who your parents are. It doesn't care what your name is. It responds to power. To discipline. To instinct." She paused. "Some of the strongest witches and wizards I've ever met had no magical blood behind them at all."

Sinistra pulled a smooth stone from her pocket and placed it on the floor. She raised her wand. "Avifors." The stone cracked, then burst open. Four birds shot into the air, wings flapping hard as they circled above. Harry's eyes widened. "Bloody hell," he muttered. Dean nudged him with a grin. Harry didn't look away. The birds vanished with a flick. "Evanesco." Sinistra turned toward an old, broken table in the corner. "Reparo." The wood snapped together in a flash. "Wingardium Leviosa." The table rose off the ground and hovered like it weighed nothing. Harry let out a quiet laugh. "This is mad."

The table hovered steady in the air, her wand still raised. "This is the beginning," she said. "These are basics. Small things." Her eyes moved around the circle. "With time, with practice, with focus you'll do more. You'll build, bend, shape the world around you. Magic is power, but it's also creation. Beauty. Imagination matters here. The stronger your vision, the stronger your magic." She lowered the table gently back to the floor. "So start thinking big."

Sinistra looked around the room one last time. "Tonight, when you return to your dorms, you'll find your schedules waiting on your bed. Tomorrow, your school life at Hogwarts begins." Her voice softened a little, but still carried weight. "You'll study magic in many forms. Some familiar. Some strange." She paused. "Until then, I suggest you explore. Walk by the lake. Visit the library. Let the castle show you what it is. There are places here worth finding."

She let the silence settle just enough before smiling. "The people you live with, will be with you for the next seven years. You'll study with them. Fight with them. Get into trouble with them. And if you're lucky, bond with them in ways you'll carry for life." Her smile deepened. "There are projects ahead. Adventures. Challenges. And if you're paying attention… some magic that no textbook will ever explain." She lowered her wand. "I hope you enjoy it."

They walked out of the classroom into the corridor, still half-buzzing from what they'd seen. Harry was between Dean and Seamus, all three of them talking.

Footsteps slowed beside them. Daphne slid in close, walking just ahead, then looked back over her shoulder at Harry. "How'd you like your first lesson, Potter?"

Harry gave her a lazy grin. "Would've liked it better if you sat on my lap."

She giggled, biting her bottom lip as she looked him over. "I bet you would love it."

Then she turned and walked off, hips swaying.

Dean stared. "Daaaaamn."

Seamus exhaled. "That is a hot babe."

The path to the lake curved gently down from the castle, lined with scattered trees and stone walls that caught the last of the sunlight. The air smelled fresh, damp with earth and distant water. The boys walked without rushing. It was wonderful scenery.

Harry glanced back and saw Neville trailing a few steps behind, head down, hands in his pockets.

"You coming to the lake?" he called out.

Neville looked up, surprised, then nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

He jogged a little to catch up, falling in beside them as they crossed the last slope of grass and stepped onto the rocky edge of the shore. The lake spread out wide in front of them, still and smooth, dark like polished glass. A few leaves floated near the edge. Everything past that was deep.

Dean bent down, picked up a flat stone, and turned to the others. "Right. Watch this."

He throwed it across the water. One, two, three solid skips before it sank.

Seamus clapped slowly. "Not bad, Thomas. Not bad."

"My dad taught me. Technique," Dean said, grinning.

Seamus found his own rock and gave it a go. "Three and a half," he said. "Call it a tie."

Harry grabbed the nearest stone he could find. It looked flat enough. He wound up, let it fly.

It slapped the water once and sank straight down with a dull splash.

Dean burst out laughing. "You serious?"

Seamus doubled over. "Mate. That was tragic."

Even Neville cracked a smile. Harry held up both hands. "Alright, alright."

Neville crouched down and picked a smooth, rounded stone. He stood, aimed low, and sent it spinning across the water. One, two, three, four, five, six skips.

The boys stared.

"Okay," Seamus said. "We've been shown up."

Dean nodded. "Didn't know we brought a pro."

Neville just shrugged. "Nothing else to do at my gran's place. Big pond. No telly."

They kept tossing, broken by bursts of laughter or groans when a stone dropped early. The wind picked up off the lake, cool on their faces. The castle behind them seemed forgotten and far away now.

Dean paused mid-throw and looked over at Neville. "So, Malfoy. What's that about?"

Neville's looked down.

"We've known each other since we were kids," he said. "Old pureblood stuff. Same parties, same names. Our families don't get on."

He thrusted another stone. Five skips.

"He used to call me soft. Said I wasn't fit to carry the Longbottom name. Just little things. Then on the train, he and his goons cornered me. Wanted to make a point."

"Three on one?" Dean said. "What a little bitch."

Seamus shook his head. "Should've let us know. We'd have handled it."

Neville gave a small smile. "Didn't want to start Hogwarts already looking like I needed help."

Harry picked up another rock, turned it in his hand, but didn't throw it.

"You don't," he said.

The others nodded without saying much.

They kept throwing stones for a while longer. Just boys on a shoreline, getting to know each other.

By the time they got back to the dorm, the castle had gone quiet. Upstairs, the boys moved around in that slow, sleepy way. Pulling off robes, brushing teeth, settling in.

Harry changed into a clean shirt, tossed his clothes in a pile, and dropped onto his bed. "Night," he muttered.

"Night," came Dean's voice.

"G'night, lads," Seamus added.

Neville just gave a soft hum from behind his curtain.

Harry sat up and reached for the folded parchment on his pillow. His name was written across the top, the ink sharp and clean. He unfolded it.

Monday: Charms. Defense Against the Dark Arts. Magical Theory.

Tuesday: Potions. Flying. Astronomy.

Wednesday: Herbology. History of Magic. Charms again.

He skimmed the rest, then let the paper drop beside him.

He slid under the covers, pulling the blanket up over his chest. The sheets were warm.

Harry smiled to himself, just a little. He missed Dudley. More than he expected. But Hogwarts… it might not be that bad.

He already had a few good mates. That was something.

Harry closed his eyes. Tomorrow, it really began.

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