Harry dutifully held Aldora's hand as they made their way into the
next shop. It was his first year at Hogwarts in September and they
were currently in Diagon Alley getting his things. Robes were next,
so to Madam Malkin's they went.
"I know it says two sets of regular work robes are enough, Harry
dear, but I shudder at the thought of sending you without at least one
set of dress robes." Said Aldora.
"But what for?" Harry complained. "I'll be home by the time the
Ministry's Christmas Ball comes around and it's not like there'll be a
ball at school." Aldora's lips thinned, though she couldn't disagree
with him; she had gone to Hogwarts herself after all.
"Well…all right." She relented finally, looking fondly down at the boy
she'd practically called her own for the last four years. Harry's
comment that he wished he could stay with them had the desired
effect and it wasn't long before the Fudges had officially become
Harry's new guardians. Afterwards it took even less time for them to
announce their new ward was the Harry Potter. Harry had been right
about the kind of people the Fudges were. They were the selfserving social climbers he'd pegged them as, though were far from
evil like his aunt and uncle had been. Harry believed that they'd truly
come to care for him and not just his fame in the four years he'd
been with them; however, he also believed that they wouldn't have
come to care for him if he wasn't famous. This served Harry just fine
though. He too cared for the Fudges in his own way, but ultimately
they were a means to an end for him, the end in his case being a better life. Harry swore that day four years ago that he would not
ever be under another's thumb again. While still a child he knew that
would prove to be difficult as he was required, no matter which world
he lived in, to have a guardian. Thankfully two easily manipulated
people, who would never think to abuse him, had fallen into his lap
and he'd latched on to them. Ever since he'd essentially done what
he'd wanted. Luckily Harry was not power hungry, nor a spoiled brat
or the power he held could easily go to his head, but Harry figured
that so long as he was following the law, which he had no desire to
get around, and didn't hurt anyone then he was all right. Or, at least
didn't permanently hurt anyone. He amended as they entered
Madam Malkin's and he saw who was inside.
"Narcissa!" Aldora greeted her old friend. "And Draco, getting your
Hogwarts robes, I see?"
"Hello Madam Fudge." Draco greeted pleasantly.
"Mrs. Malfoy." Harry greeted just as agreeably.
"Mr. Potter, always a pleasure." Her greeting was somewhat more
cool than his, but Aldora didn't notice.
"Now, Narcissa, are you sending a set of dress robes with Draco? I
know it's unlikely Harry will need them but…" Harry tuned out the
adults' conversation as he was ushered up onto a stool next to
Draco.
"Malfoy."
"Potter." The two children's greeting was decidedly cold, neither
liking the other very much. They'd been forced together at play dates
several times throughout the years, the Malfoys cultivating a
friendship with the Fudges as Cornelius climbed higher and higher at
the Ministry, until just last year being elected Minister for Magic.
Regardless that their parents and guardians thought they were at
least on friendly terms, the two boys had quickly taken a disliking to
each other and considered themselves rivals.
"Still going to try out for the quidditch team?" Harry asked. "Only I've
got some pointers for you if you are."
"The day I take pointers from you is the day the Hat sorts me into
Hufflepuff." Draco sneered. "Though it should be you taking pointers
from me if the last time we played is any indication."
"One victory does not a superior player make." Harry retorted. Draco
would have continued their usual back and forth but Madam Malkin
declared his fitting over.
"That's you done, dear." Draco sneered one last time at Harry before
getting off the stool and following his mother out of the shop. The
rest of Harry's shopping went by without running into Malfoy, for
which Harry was grateful, until all that was left was his wand.
"The best for last!" Aldora declared as they entered Ollivander's and
rang the bell on the desk. A clang was heard as a head popped
around the corner, it's owner standing on one of the many ladders
around the store.
"I wondered when I'd be seeing you, Mr. Potter."
"Hello, Mr. Ollivander." He greeted, all of a sudden nervous.
"It seems like just yesterday that your mother and father were in here
buying their first wands." He made conversation as he went to the
shelves and picked up a few different boxes.
"Willow, 10¼ inches with a dragon heartstring was your mother's
wand. Perfect for charm work, which I hear she excelled at."
"And my dad?" There was no one around who could really tell him
about his parents, not more than was publically known at any rate,
so any information Harry could get was quite beloved.
"11 inches, mahogany also with a dragon heartstring. Very good for
transfiguration." He replied as he handed Harry the first wand. Harry smiled, taking it and giving it a wave. Several boxes blasted off the
shelves and Ollivander had the wand from his hand within moments.
"No. Try this one." Six wands were tried and Ollivander was getting
excited at having a tricky customer. Four more wands were tried
before the wandmaker disappeared into the stacks, returning with an
odd look on his face. Ollivander eyed Harry as he took hold of the
wand. A wind picked up and a golden glow surrounded Harry the
moment his hand closed around the wand; Aldora clapped excitedly.
"Curious, very curious."
"S-sorry, what's curious?" Harry asked quietly. He'd never felt a
sensation like that when he'd held his wand for the first time and it
was a feeling he was still reeling from.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. It so happens that
the phoenix whose tail feather resides in your wand gave another
feather. Just one other. It is curious that you should be destined for
this wand when its brother gave you that scar." Aldora gasped and
rushed forward.
"No! He'll take a different wand." She insisted, grasping Harry tight
about the shoulders.
"The wand chooses the wizard, Madam Fudge." Said Ollivander. "It
is not always clear why."
"But…"
"It's all right, Dora." Said Harry, holding his wand tighter. "There has
to be a reason that the brother of Voldemort's wand chose me."
Aldora whimpered at the use of the name. Having not even known
about the wizarding world until he was seven, Harry had not grown
up with a fear of the name where so many others had. He had no
qualms about using it, and in fact refused to do otherwise, no matter
how uncomfortable it made some people, including his guardians."Cornelius isn't going to like this." She warned, unaware of how little
Harry cared about what Cornelius would like in this case.
"The wand chooses the wizard, Dora." He said. "It's not up to me."
-H/GJust under a month later Harry stood on Platform 9¾ looking up at
the scarlet Hogwarts Express that would take him to school.
"Are you sure you have everything, dear?" Aldora asked for the fifth
time.
"Yes, Dora." Harry dutifully replied and accepted another hug.
"Oh we are going to miss you, aren't we Cornelius?"
"Yes, the house shall be quite empty without you, Harry." He agreed,
hugging Harry himself as a flashbulb went off nearby. Cornelius
loved being in public with Harry for inevitably the Daily Prophet
would get wind of the new Minister for Magic and the Harry Potter
being out together. Harry's first day of school was no different and
though they could have requested the Prophet stay away, as other
Ministers had with their children, that would never happen in the
Fudge household. "Do try and remember to write." He then
murmured quietly and Harry knew that that wasn't for the reporters;
Fudge would genuinely miss him.
"I will." He replied. "And I've got Hedwig to carry the letters." The
snowy white owl had been an eleventh birthday present from the
Fudges and was probably the second best gift Harry had ever gotten
from them, behind the first ever gift he'd gotten from them solely
because it was the first gift he had ever received from anyone. That
particular gift, a book titled A History of Magic, having been given in
the hopes of catching Harry up to speed a bit on wizarding history
and culture, was currently sitting in his trunk with his other books."All right, off you go." Said Aldora. With a nod and a final goodbye,
Harry took his trunk and boarded the Hogwarts Express. He found a
compartment easy enough and managed to get it to himself as the
train started to leave the station, anyone who would have joined him
deciding not to when they realized whom he was. Finally though the
almost empty compartment on the crowded train forced someone to
join him.
"Sorry, Mr. Potter, but do you mind? Everywhere else is full?"
"Not at all!" Harry was genuinely glad someone had joined him. Until
now the Fudges had dictated whom he was friends with, and given
their friend of choice for Harry was Draco sodding Malfoy he was
quite looking forward to meeting new people. The red-headed boy
seemed to be surprised that he was not only allowed to sit here but
was actually welcomed.
"I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you, Ron." The two began to chat
and found that, so far at least, they got along quite well; least of all
because they both loved sweets.
"This is Scabbers, by the way." Ron introduced the rat that currently
had his head stuck in a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.
"Pathetic isn't he?"
"Just a little bit." Harry agreed and was happy to see that Ron didn't
hold that against him.
"Fred gave me a spell to turn him yellow. Want to see?"
"Yeah!" Pulling out his wand, Ron chewed the sweets in his mouth
as quickly as possible and cleared his throat.
"Sunshine-" "Has anyone seen a toad?" A voice interrupted them as a girl their
age appeared in the compartment doorway. "A boy named Neville's
lost one."
"No." Ron said rather rudely, but the girl's attention was no longer on
the toad she was apparently looking for.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Lets see then." Without invitation she
took a seat across from Ron.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow."
Something happened at least, though it wasn't what Ron had
intended. Instead Scabbers gave a scared little squeak and scurried
away to hide in Ron's pocket.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl asked. "Well it's not very
good, is it? Of course I've only tried a few simple ones myself, but
they've all worked for me." She took out her wand and moved to sit
in front of Harry with her wand pointed at his glasses. "For example:
Scourgify!" Harry could see as the lenses of his glasses cleaned
themselves better than he had ever cleaned them himself. "Holly
cricket, you're Harry Potter!" Harry inwardly groaned at another
person fawning over him. "I'm Hermione Granger. And you are?" She
turned a disdainful look on Ron.
"Ron Weasley."
"Pleasure. You two better change into your robes, I expect we'll be
arriving soon." Standing back up the girl moved towards the door,
but stopped and turned back to Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose,
by the way, did you know? Just there." Ron rubbed his nose and with
a satisfied little smile Hermione left.
"Bloody hell." Ron muttered. Harry had to agree.
"She's right though, we probably will be arriving soon." Ron nodded
and the two brought down their trunks and changed into their robes.
It was another hour and a half before they finally did arrive, the sun having set along the way. Disembarking from the train they were
instructed by older students to leave their trunks on the train and
they would be brought up to them later. For now they were told to
follow the loud call for first years to head down to the boats. All first
years crossed the black lake in boats getting their first look at
Hogwarts castle as it glowed in the distance. Harry had to admit the
sight was indeed quite impressive. Hogwarts was not a place one
visited as a child so wizarding and muggleborn children alike were
tonight getting their first glimpse of the school. Exiting the boats the
first years were led inside and were met by a rather stern looking
woman.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall and I am
the Deputy Headmistress here at Hogwarts, I also teach
transfiguration and am head of Gryffindor house. Now in a few
moments you will pass through these doors and join your
classmates, but before you can take your seats you must be sorted
into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and
Slytherin. Now while you are here, your house will be like your
family. Your triumphs will earn you points; any rule breaking and you
will lose points. At the end of the year the house with the most points
is awarded the House Cup."
"Trevor!" A somewhat chubby boy with black hair dashed forwards
and grasped a fat toad that was sitting at McGonagall's feet. The boy
looked up scared at the un-amused teacher and muttered an
apology before going back into place.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place momentarily." Said
McGonagall before turning and leaving.
"That's what you were looking all over the train for?" Harry closed his
eyes at the familiar mocking voice. "Pathetic, Longbottom."
"Shut up, Malfoy." Harry turned to face him. Draco merely smiled.
"We're not at home with the Minister anymore, Potter. Better watch
your back." "Is that a threat?" He growled, Draco smirked, though it faded quickly
and he backed down. Harry knew what that meant. "Are you
threatening me?" He asked louder and Draco shot him furious eyes.
"There had better be no threatening at all." Same McGonagall's
voice and Harry stepped down, not making it clear whom he was
talking to.
"Sorry, Professor." He murmured. McGonagall stared at him a
moment but when no one voiced any further complaints she let it go.
"We're ready for you now."