Chapter 18: Chapter 17 First Week At Hogwarts
Notes:
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Chapter Text
The two groups met up at the predetermined location outside of the library after classes and quickly found an empty classroom nearby to commandeer for the afternoon.
"And then he fell off!" Hadrian laughed, retelling the story of how, during charms, Professor Flitwick had toppled off his stack of books in excitement when he read Hadrian's name for roll call. "He was okay," he assured Hermione when she looked guilty for laughing at a professor falling. "He was laughing too, I promise."
Looking slightly more at ease, she smiled back, her pearly white teeth proudly showing off her parents' work as dentists, which the group had learned as they were sharing stories.
"That reminds me," Hadrian said when Hermione brought up her parents. "Neville, I don't know if you know this, but our mums were best friends."
"Really?" Neville asked, looking up from the herbology textbook that he had been reviewing in preparation for tomorrow.
Hadrian nodded his head, grinning. "Yeah, they were dormmates in Gryffindor together, but what I wanted to tell you was that we are actually godbrothers. Our mums named each other as godmothers for each other's babies. Had things not gone how they did," he said softly, "we would have grown up together, like Daphne and I were supposed to."
"Seriously?" Neville questioned. "You want to be godbrothers with me? But I'm not brave or smart or-" Hadrian cut him off.
"You are you, and that is more than enough," he said, quoting Daphne and shooting her a wink when she looked his way with a fond smile, recognizing the words as the ones she had told him on the train. "Besides, you are plenty brave. You stood up for me at the feast; you stood up for Hermione with Malfoy. You have the heart of a lion, Neville."
Neville beamed at Hadrian with a smile so bright that Hadrian was sure that it could have been seen from London.
The second day of classes passed by in a flash, but the most memorable part is when Dora snuck up behind him – she was surprisingly stealthy when she wanted to be for someone so clumsy – and told his friends that she was kidnapping him and dragged him off.
First, she showed him where the Hufflepuff common rooms were and how to get in. "In case you ever need me, I want you to be able to come and get me," she said with a grin when he asked why.
Then she showed him one of the greatest locations in all of Hogwarts: the kitchens. The second she had ordered him to tickle the pair, Hadrian was convinced she had lost it.
"You want me to what?" he asked, positive he had misheard her.
"Tickle the pair."
Oh, he hadn't; she was just crazy.
"What? No. You are being ridiculous."
"Really?" Dora said, folding her arms and raising a brow, looking scarily like her mother, not that Hadrian would ever tell her that. "An entire world of magic exists, you can change your features with a thought, but tickling a painting of a pear is where you draw the line?"
Damn, she had him. She knew it, too, from the smirk on her face.
With a sigh of great reluctance, Hadrian reached out and tickled the pear, both horrified and fascinated when the pear turned into a doorknob. He pulled the door open, and all of the commotion in the kitchen stopped as the elves turned to look at Hadrian and Dora. But not just house-elves, Hadrian realized, recognizing two sets of matching bright red hair.
"Well, if it isn't Little Harrikins-" one of the twins started to say before the other takes over mid-sentence.
"Our favorite snake," the other finished.
"It isn't," Hadrian replied flatly. "My name is Hadrian." He looked between the two brothers sitting at one of the many tables scattered around the kitchens and raised his brow. "I figured that you two, of all people, would understand the importance of being called by the right name."
That seemed to shock the twins, and Dora just cackled, throwing her head back in laughter.
The twins share a look and smile. They turn back to Hadrian.
"Fair enough," the one on the left said. "I'm Fred."
"And I'm George," his brother said.
Hadrian let his magic out and reached out to each twin, getting a feel for their magic as he studied them intently, noticing that Fred's magic felt like a firecracker – flashy and bright – and he had a freckle under his left eye that was darker than the rest. George's magic felt more like gunpowder – less showy but still loud and powerful – and he had a mole on his left ear that looked like a piercing.
Got it, he nodded, smiling to himself. "Nice to meet you both. What are you doing down here?"
"You may not believe this," Fred began.
"But we are a bit of pranksters," George finished with a grin.
Hadrian believed it. It may have only been the second day of classes, but he had already heard several tales of what the twins had gotten up to in their previous two years at Hogwarts.
"You two are making quite the names for yourselves," Hadrian told them, agreeing. They shared a look and smirked before they turned back to Hadrian while Dora talked to one of the elves about getting her and Hadrian some snacks.
"We are down here 'cause we are planning our next prank on the school, but we are having trouble with some of the mechanics," George said, suddenly frowning.
Hadrian leaned over the table to get a better look at what they were working on, and he felt a smile spread over his face.
"I think I can help with that."
Wednesday 4, 1991
Dear Ted and Andromeda,
I apologize for not writing sooner. Many things have happened since I arrived at Hogwarts; some good, some bad, some in between. As I am sure we were all expecting, I sorted into the greatest of all Hogwarts houses and proudly wear green and silver now.
I swear that you could have heard a pin drop in the silence of the Great Hall after Bard – the sorting hat – called out SLYTHERIN! And Neville Longbottom, my godbrother, although he didn't know it at the time, was the first person to start clapping. He stood from the Gryffindor table alone and led the charge, quickly followed by my friends and Dora. He truly is a Gryffindor through and through.
Andromeda, I am not sure how much Ted knows about the inner workings of Slytherin House, but I met the court. We still have some time to settle on a year leader, and my year seems to have split into two factions: Malfoy's and mine. I am confident that the title of year leader will be mine come November.
Unfortunately, the next morning after the feast, Dumbledore called me up to his office. Don't worry, Ted, I didn't go alone. I made sure to bring Professor Snape with me as my Head of House. Dumbledore wanted to re-sort me, so he ambushed me in his office with Professor McGonagall and Bard.
It did not go as planned. He kept calling me 'my boy,' or Harry, despite repeatedly telling him to address me as Mr. Potter. It came out that Hagrid was my guide to the wixen world and that he was the one who left me on the doorstep of my Aunt Petunia's house. McGonagall apologized for that, and I believe her sincerity, but that won't mean that I forget.
Apparently, Hagrid taking me instead of any of the teachers was Dumbledore's doing. Big Surprise! What was surprising was that I found out that Professor Snape and my mother grew up together and were best friends. He was most displeased with the headmaster when he found out I was living with Petunia.
And then, after telling me that the Dursleys loved me despite hating magic and hating me, he tried to use legilimency on me, in front of two other professors, might I add, to convince me to re-sort myself into Gryffindor like my parents. For being celebrated as a hero for being an orphan, everybody seems to forget that I wasn't raised by my parents and know virtually nothing about them, and are surprised when I don't act like a perfect copy of them.
I am not at all regretful to say that I had an outburst of accidental magic and utterly destroyed his office before leaving.
On a more positive note, Dora has been great. She kidnapped me from my friends to show me where her common room was, in case I ever needed to find her, and then she showed me the kitchens. It was there that I formally met the Weasley twins, Fred and George, more commonly referred to as the 'Twin Terrors' by the professors, and I can't say I disagree. I am proud of myself for helping them with their next prank, though. They were having trouble figuring out how to apply a certain effect on all of the students simultaneously, when I suggested they do it during breakfast by slipping it into the food. It was a harmless prank, I would never stand for bullying, and it merely changed the hair color to match that of a different house. They managed to sweet-talk the house-elves into agreeing, and I am not entirely sure how, although I am terribly curious, and after breakfast today, students were seen wandering the halls with green, gold, blue, and red hair. I, myself, looked very much like a Weasley, I thought, but Daphne said I looked like my mum.
I've made a few friends outside of Theo, Blaise, and Daphne, namely Neville and his housemate, Hermione Granger. She is a bit bossy, but I know that if we can work on that, she will truly start to shine. She is as smart as Neville is brave, and I think that they are good friends for each other in the Gryffindor house; they balance each other. She makes Neville braver, and he tempers her know-it-all attitude into something more endearing than grating. I have also spoken with a few other Hufflepuffs when I sat with Dora for a meal, Susan Bones, and Hannah Abbot, and they are kind, if not overly cheerful, girls. I know you would love them, Ted, and I am waiting to see if they have claws like honey badgers.
Andromeda, I do not know if this was practiced when you were in school, but with Professor Snape as Head of House, he has ordered all of us to get a health checkup by Madam Pomfrey in the hospital Wing. My meeting is at seven o'clock this Friday, right after dinner. I want you to be there if you are willing to come. Professor Snape may already have his suspicions about my childhood with the Dursleys, but he is about to have proof. I don't want them to do anything or report it just yet. We have too many plans in motion for them to disrupt them over an issue I am already handling. I will need them sworn to secrecy, and that will more easily be done with you there as a professional healer to vouch for my care.
It has been an exciting few days, and I find myself missing the quiet breakfasts in the Tonks household.
Take care,
Hadrian J. Potter
Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter
"There, look."
"Where?"
"Next to the tall kid with the braids."
"The one with the black hair?"
"Did you see his face?"
"Did you see his scar?"
Hadrian and his friends stood outside the potions classroom, eagerly awaiting one of his most anticipated classes. He had gotten used to the stares, but the whispers were obnoxious and distracting. Almost as distracting as trying to make one's way around Hogwarts without getting lost.
There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts as Snape had told Hadrian: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then some doors wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Hadrian was positive the suits of armor were walking around when no one was looking.
The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new students in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"
He tried that on Hadrian approximately one time before Hadrian, having been startled, reflexively used his magic to throw Peeves into a wall. Peeves slid to the floor, shocked, before cackling a mad laugh and disappearing around a corner. He hadn't tried to mess with Hadrian since.
For the most part, Hadrian enjoyed his classes. They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week, they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a plump little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.
Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost.
Theo was right, Hadrian thought when he walked into the first class. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up the next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up, well, some did – Blaise – but Hadrian didn't.
Despite having a boring ghost for a teacher, Hadrian was still fascinated by magical history and chose to use the class period as a study hall, much to the horror and amusement of his friends who'd much rather use it to nap.
Professor McGonagall was again different. Hadrian had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class, though he noticed that she only looked at him when she thought he wasn't aware.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson with the Gryffindors, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; she said that Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.
During Slytherin's transfiguration class later that day, Hadrian had managed to turn his matchstick completely into a needle after a few tries in his lesson and was awarded five points to Slytherin. Feeling like he needed to make it harder for himself, as he had gotten quite good at basic transfiguration during the summer with Lippy's guidance, he subtly switched his wand to his left hand and practiced that way for the remainder of the class.
The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Albania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days.
His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Blaise asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.
Hadrian was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Malfoy didn't have much of a head start.
Quirrell's class made his scar hurt on Thursday, but he convinced Daphne to hold off going to the hospital Wing until after his appointment with Madam Pomfrey, scheduled for Friday evening after dinner.
Fortunately, he and his friends had safely arrived at the dungeons and were all in different states of mentally reviewing what they could possibly cover in their first potions class.
Hadrian had finished re-reading his potion textbook and supplemental texts the day before and spent their entire study session yesterday helping Neville review in preparation for today.
The poor boy looked particularly anxious this morning and said he couldn't even eat anything at breakfast. Hermione soothingly rubbed a hand up and down his shoulder.
"Remember, Neville, I am going to partner with you today, so just take a deep breath with me. In and out, you're doing great," she said gently.
Hadrian smiled at his godbrother. "Don't let Professor Snape scare you, he just wants to keep us safe, even if he looks kind of mean. Just remember what we went over yesterday," he suggested. "Herbology and potions are very closely linked, so if you think you can't handle potions, view it as another herbology session. Professor Sprout told my class that she hadn't seen anyone's bouncing bulb take to the soil like yours did."
Neville looked up at Hadrian and smiled weakly. "Really?" He asked.
"Really," Hadrian replied. And it was true.
Feeling someone staring at him, Hadrian subtly turned his head to see Ron Weasley glaring at him from across the dungeon hallway. He looked like he was about to start making his way over when the door to the classroom flew open, slamming into the wall.
Snape strode out and gestured for everyone to file in. "Enter," he bidded them, his voice low and already sounding done with the day despite it only being the first class.
Everyone made their way inside, and Hadrian was quick to take off his outer school robes and hang them on the hooks he saw by the door. The rest of his friends quickly did the same before taking seats in the front, with Daphne pairing up with Theo, Hadrian with Blaise, and Hermione with Neville.
The rest of the class walked in and looked at them funny for taking their robes off until Professor Snape called out sharply, "What are you doing?"
Theo went to answer when Hadrian held up his hand, and Snape continued to speak. "You should all have removed your outer robes and placed them on the hooks like so," he pointed to Hadrian's robe. "Potions can be dangerous, and I don't need any of you dunderheads carelessly dragging your sleeves through any ingredients and causing an accident.
All of the students who had laughed at Hadrian and his friends quickly stood up and rushed to hang their robes on the hooks, and returned to their seats, anxiously awaiting whatever was coming next.
Snape, like Flitwick, began class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, Snape paused on Hadrian's name.
"Ah, yes," he said softly. "Hadrian Potter. Our new... celebrity," he said, looking down at the boy sitting at his desk, patiently waiting for class to begin. Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, start to snigger behind their hands from their place near the back of the classroom, stopping the instant Snape glances in their direction.
"I hope you weren't expecting any special treatment, Mr. Potter. You may be fawned over by the other teachers, but I can guarantee you that will not be happening with me."
Taking advantage of the opportunity that Snape had unknowingly given him to dispel some of the rumors about him, Hadrian spoke up seriously. "I did not even know that I was famous until this summer when I found out about the magical world. I would never expect any special treatment, sir." A few gasps rang out, followed by hushed whispers around the classroom, and Hadrian smirked.
"Good," Snape replied shortly and continued calling out the rest of the names on his parchment. Once he finished with the roll, he looked up at the class. Like Hagrid, Snape had black eyes, though they shared none of the warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels. Hadrian much preferred them to Hagrid's, which may have held warmth, but they were blinded by naivety.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word – like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses….I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
More silence followed this little speech. Hadrian and Blaise exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Neville was squirming at the sight of the pickled animals, and Hermione was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.
"Potter!" said Snape suddenly, turning around from where he had started pacing the front of the classroom. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood, Hadrian thought to himself, quickly mentally scanning the supplemental textbook that he knew covered this exact phrase in one of the more advanced potions towards the back of the book.
Hermione's hand shot in the air.
"You would get a powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of the Living Dead, sir," he said calmly after a moment of consideration. Hermione put her hand down. Snape raised a brow consideringly.
"It seems that your fame didn't manage to get between you and your summer reading, Potter. That is correct." He turned to the other side of the room and looked at Neville, who appeared as if he were wishing he were anywhere else.
"Longbottom!" Hadrian tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter, but instead looked at his godbrother, who was shaking.
"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape asked. And Hermione looked like she wanted to raise her hand, but instead took Neville's under the table, gripping his pale hand in her darker one.
Neville looked at Hadrian, who exaggeratedly breathed until he copied and then smiled softly. He looked back at Snape and said in a shaky voice, "They are the same p-plant, sir, a-also known as aco- aconite." He flushed at his stuttering before shaking it off to look back up at Snape, who was looking blankly down at him.
"It seems that you, too, opened your books before coming to class, Longbottom. You are also correct." Neville slumped in relief, and Hadrian flashed him a subtle thumbs-up.
"Weasley!" Ron jumped, not having expected to be called on. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Ron looks around wildly as if expecting to find the answer written on someone's forehead. Malfoy and his group started laughing the longer Ron went without answering. Hermione raised her free hand until Neville leaned over to her and quietly whispered something that caused her to lower it.
"I don't know," he said, quickly tacking on, "Sir!" when Snape's eyes grow even colder.
"For your information, Weasley, a bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat, and it will save you from most poisons. Why isn't anybody writing this down?" There was sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your lack of preparedness, Weasley."
Things didn't improve for Ron Weasley or the rest of the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mix up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like, and Hadrian, whom he seemed to just watch, neither offering comments nor criticism.
He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid-green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Ron had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.
"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand, turning to glare at Ron Weasley. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"
Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.
"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Hermione, who quickly looked to Hadrian to take care of their near-perfect potion.
He nodded, so she gently grabbed Neville's hand and their bags and began to lead him out of the room while Hadrian moved over to stand at Hermione and Neville's desk, trusting Blaise to finish theirs on his own.
"You – Finnegan – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor, Weasley."
Ron opened his mouth to argue, but Seamus kicked him behind their cauldron.
"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."
As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Hadrian's mind was racing. His first thought was to swing by the hospital wing to check on Neville, but he didn't want to go there before his appointment, worried that somehow his past would be revealed before Andromeda could swear Madam Pomfrey to secrecy.
He quickly flagged down Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot when he saw them walking in the opposite direction of his next class.
"Ms. Bones, Ms. Abbot," he greeted. "Would you ladies be willing to do me a favor? There was an accident in potions, and Neville got hurt. I want to check on him, but my class is the other way. I was hoping that you would be willing to check on him for me and tell him that I'm worried about him. I don't want him thinking that I don't care because I can't visit until after dinner."
Susan nodded her head while Hannah looked like she was about to cry.
"Neville got hurt! What happened?" She asked, covering her mouth with her hand in shock.
"Weasley and Finnegan messed up their potion, and Neville got caught in the explosion," Hadrian grimaced.
"Of course we will do it," Susan said, Hannah nodding beside her.
"Thank you, ladies. I've got to run," he told them before walking over to where his Slytherin trio was waiting.
"Let's go, we have charms."