Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day; people lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to look at him or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring, much to Harry's continued annoyance.
By the end of the day, Harry was so fed up with the staring and whispers that he used his metamorph abilities to change his appearance to avoid scrutiny; now, Harry was a head shorter than Ron, with dark brown eyes and shoulder-length auburn hair that Harry had tied tight behind his head.
However, even this did nothing to stop the continued stares and whispers; in fact, it seemed to make it worse as people now knew he was a Metamorphmagus and seemed to stare at him even more in both awe and curiosity to Harry's continued aggravation.
There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping one; narrow, rickety ones; some that led to a different floor on Friday; some with a vanishing step that you had to remember to jump. Then some doors wouldn't open unless you asked politely or tickled them in exactly the right spot, and doors that weren't really doors at all but solid walls pretending. It was also tough to remember where everything was because it all seemed to change without warning at any given moment.
On the very first day, Harry and Ron discovered the bane of Hogwarts in the form of a poltergeist named Peeves, who seemed to enjoy nothing more than making the lives of students (and even teachers) a living hell with his constant pranks. Harry and Ron had been running late to their charms class when Peeves had pulled a rug out from under their feet as the two stopped to catch their breath, Harry and Ron had both tumbled down the stairs and lay in a heap at the bottom while Peeves had hovered over them cackling madly; unfortunately, Professor McGonagall had shown up just as Ron had used some very colorful language at Peeves, resulting in the loss of ten house points.
Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost; he was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.
Harry, who had been waiting excitedly to study magic nearly his entire life, was left disappointed when he realized that there was more to it than just waving a wand and spouting words, as he had seen in muggle story books.
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. Then, three times a week, they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology with a dumpy 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. Professor Binns had been very old when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up the following day to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. Even Harry, who loved learning anything new, could not pay attention to the Professor's lessons for very long without falling asleep from sheer boredom, which Ron heckled Harry for to no end.
Charms was by far Harry's favorite class, with Transfiguration being a close second, even though Professor McGonagall had given a strict speech at the beginning of class that she would tolerate no horse-play and that anyone who did not pay attention would be asked to leave, Harry still found the class fascinating and had even gained a rare smile from McGonagall after managing to turn his beetle into a button after only three tries.
The class that Harry was most looking forward to, however, proved to be a colossal disappointment; after only one class of Defense against the Dark Arts, Harry was left wondering how Professor Quirrell managed to become a teacher in the first place, as the poor man seemed to be terrified of his own subject and was the laughingstock of the school, as far as Harry could see. His turban, so he said, was a gift from an African prince as thanks for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, something that Harry questioned the veracity of, as every time someone would ask to hear the story, Professor Quirrell would blush and talk about something else; all in all, the class left Harry feeling very disappointed.
Friday started out as a very good day for Harry and Ron; they didn't get lost once when they left Gryffindor tower and strode into the great hall like heroes who had just won a great battle,
"What do you have today?" Harry asked as he began shoveling food onto his plate,
"Double Potions with Slytherin," Hermione responded as she looked down at her schedule.
"I hear Professor Snape really favors Slytherin house," Ron said warily,
"Wish McGonagall favored us," Harry muttered, his mind flashing back to the astronomical amount of homework his head of house had given the previous day.
Harry had just started on his second plate of eggs when the day's mail arrived, and Hedwig landed on his shoulder carrying a letter,
"Thanks, Hedwig," Harry replied warmly, offering a piece of bacon to his owl, who took it with a happy hoot and flew off a moment later.
"Who's it from?" Ron asked,
"It's from Bill," Harry replied in surprise, "I wonder why he's writing."
Harry shrugged away the thought before opening the letter, curious as to why his elder brother was writing,
Dear Harry and Ron-
I just heard from mother about what happened at King's Cross and wanted to ensure you were both alright. I wish that your day had not been ruined by that piece of filth, but I am equally glad that no one was harmed as a result. It makes me happy to hear that you are both Lions, and I know that you'll do our house proud, as long as you don't follow after the twins, of course.
Another reason that I am writing is to warn the two of you; you are probably not aware yet, but Gringotts was broken into recently, and the thief remains at large; thankfully, the object that the thief was trying to steal was already removed earlier that same day, so the thief left empty-handed. But, unfortunately, I have heard that the object in question was moved to Hogwarts per its owner's request; I, therefore, advise you both to keep your noses out of things that do not concern you and stay safe until this thief is captured or the object in question is removed from Hogwarts altogether.
All my love to you both-
Bill.
Harry and Ron looked at each other for a moment in shock, before Ron finally spoke,
"Bloody hell…."
"I wonder what it was that was moved here?" Harry asked,
"I don't know," Ron responded, "But if Bill thinks it's dangerous, it must be. He works around cursed stuff all the time, after all."
"At least we finally know what is hidden on the third floor," Harry said thoughtfully,
"You think it's there?" Ron asked,
Harry nodded solemnly before returning to his breakfast; whatever it was, it was no business of Harry's; therefore, he would do exactly as his older brother told him to.
XXXX
When Harry and Ron made their way down to the dungeons where their potions class was to be held, Harry saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all standing silently near the door apart from the rest of their classmates; hoping to capitalize on the goodwill that he had extended on the train, Harry approached and gave the trio a warm smile.
"Good morning, Draco. Good morning Vincent, Gregory," Harry said warmly, noticing the surprise that the trio showed at the greeting,
"Good morning, Harry," Draco said in a timid voice, as though not sure what to do,
"Morning, Harry," Crabbe and Goyle mumbled back.
"How are you enjoying your Hogwarts classes?" Harry asked; behind him, Ron was watching with barely hid contempt for the three Slytherins,
"I find them quite enjoyable," Draco replied, slowly warming up, much to Harry's delight.
"I'm having trouble understanding some of the course material in charms, but otherwise, they're alright," Crabbed said in a shy voice, as though hoping not to be heard,"
"I could help you if you'd like," Harry replied quickly, making Crabbe's eyebrows rise in surprise at the offer,
"I….um….thank you," Crabbe said softly, his eyes lowering to the floor,
"Think nothing of it," Harry replied cheerfully, "Everyone needs a helping hand, now and then."
Before anyone could say anything more, the door to the potions classroom suddenly opened, and Professor Snape strode out; he cast a quick eye over the students who fidgeted nervously under his gaze before stepping aside and saying one word in a cold voice,
"In."
A few minutes later, once everyone had taken their seats, Snape began a speech that Harry was sure the Professor had given many times before;. However, Snape spoke barely above a whisper; the students hung on every word as Professor Snape told them how he could "Teach them to bottle fame and brew glory." Harry was entranced with the words and sat up straighter, determined to make a good impression with Snape. Beside him, Hermione did the same, whereas Ron, who was sitting on the other side of Harry, seemed to slouch in his chair as though he couldn't care less. Professor Snape then began to take roll call, and Harry noticed that Professor Snape seemed to sneer at some of the names, as though Snape had already made up his mind about some of the students in his class.
When Professor Snape came to Harry's name, Snape paused before a cold look came across his face,
"Ah, Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity," the way that Snape sneered the word, made Harry instantly wary, but before Harry could respond, Snape continued, "Tell me, Mr. Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Instantly Hermione's hand shot into the air, but Snape had eyes only for Harry, it seemed, and raised an eyebrow questioningly,
"A sleeping potion, sir," Harry responded respectfully, having remembered reading about the potion from his course books, "Actually, one of the most powerful sleeping potions, called 'The Draught of Living Death.'"
Snape's eyebrows rose in surprise at the answer before he mastered himself.
"Very good; perhaps you will not be a waste of my time after all. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to get me a bezoar?"
Again, Hermione's hand shot into the air, narrowly missing Harry's face, and again Snape ignored her and looked straight at Harry.
"From the stomach of a goat, sir," Harry replied, "It's primarily used to save one from most poisons."
Hermione and Ron both looked at Harry in surprise, which was copied by Snape before the ghost of a smile flitted across the Professor's face,
"Very good, Mr. Potter. Final question: what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"
"There is no difference, sir," Harry replied quickly, "They are the same plant, and they also go by the name, Aconite."
Professor Snape actually smiled, something that made the rest of the class gape in shock,
"I'm happy to see you inherited your mother's intelligence, rather than your father's arrogance, Mr. Potter, ten points to Gryffindor."
"Thank you, sir," Harry replied happily, "But if you don't mind, I would prefer if you would call me Mr. Weasley. You see, I have no recollection of the Potters, and the Weasley family raised me, after all."
Professor Snape stared silently at Harry for a moment while the class watched with bated breath before nodding his head in agreement and continuing with the roll call.
"That was brilliant!" Then, after Snape moved on, Ron said, "You actually got all the answers right, AND you stood up to Snape without losing any points!"
"I simply studied the course work beforehand," Harry replied, "Like you should have done,"
"And waste my summer with my nose in a book?" Ron scoffed, "No, thank you!"
Hermione looked offended at Ron's words and quickly turned her attention back to Professor Snape, who had just put instructions on the blackboard and told the class to begin working on a potion for curing boils.
As Snape swept through the classroom, seemingly finding fault with everyone except for the Slytherin's and (to Ron's surprise) Hermione, and Harry, who both seemed to work well together, each helping the other to ensure that no step was missed.
Just as Harry was finishing up his potion, his attention suddenly snapped to Neville, who was sitting at the table next to Harry's,
"Stop!" Harry cried suddenly, making Neville freeze instantly, "You need to take your cauldron off the fire before adding the porcupine quills; otherwise, you're likely to cause a catastrophe."
Neville nodded his thanks and began to follow Harry's instructions when Snape appeared next to Harry's table and looked down at the boy for a moment with a strange gleam in his eye,
"Well done, Mr. Weasley. You most likely saved Mr. Longbottom from melting his cauldron as well as provoking my displeasure, five more points to Gryffindor."
Ron's mouth dropped open in shock, something that was copied by nearly every Gryffindor in the classroom as Harry beamed with pleasure at having not only saved Neville's potion but also gained his house fifteen points; next to Harry, Hermione looked torn between annoyance at having won Gryffindor no points, and happy that Harry had.
"See me after class has concluded, Mr. Weasley. There is something I wish to discuss with you," Snape said softly before striding away, leaving a worried Ron and Harry to stare at his back.
"Want me to wait for you?" Ron asked once class was over, "Just in case he tries to poison you, I mean."
Harry chuckled at his brother's words before shaking his head,
"I'll be fine. You go on ahead. I'll be along directly."
Ron nodded his head as though still not convinced before leaving Harry alone, who warily approached Professor Snape's desk,
"You wished to see me, Professor?"
"Yes, Mr. Weasley," Snape replied softly, "I feel as though I owe you an apology."
"You….do?" Harry responded in bemusement, "May I ask for what?"
"I misjudged you, Mr. Weasley. You see, I went to school with your parents; your mother was a very dear friend of mine. Your father, on the other hand…."
Snape's face took on a cruel sneer for a moment that made Harry suddenly nervous before the Professor managed to regain control of his emotions,
"Your father and I were not close; in fact, he and I despised one another, so when I heard that you would be starting school, I automatically assumed that you would be a carbon copy of him. Cruel, arrogant, spoiled, and ignorant to anything that didn't involve Quidditch; however, I can see that I was mistaken, and for that, I offer my apologies."
Harry stared at Snape for a moment, unsure as to what to say and not wanting to offend the Professor by saying the wrong thing,
"Thank you for not judging me by the same brush as my father, sir." Harry replied in a small voice, "I know that it must not have been easy for you to do so,"
Snape said nothing, only nodded stiffly at the boy before replying in a silky voice,
"You are quite sagacious, Mr. Weasley; I look forward to seeing just how intelligent you truly are."
"I'll try not to let you down, sir," Harry replied with a small grin,
"Be sure that you do not, Mr. Weasley. That is all. You may go now,"
Harry nodded quickly before hurrying out, eager to tell Ron what had transpired.
XXXX
A few days later, Harry sat in the library with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle; Harry was helping Crabbe with his studies, as promised, and the boy seemed genuinely grateful for the help, whereas Harry was simply enjoying making some new friends.
"Harry….?" Draco said in a small voice, making Harry look up from his textbook,
"Yes, Draco?" Harry asked,
"Did you mean it? When you said that you would be my friend?"
"Of course, Draco," Harry said happily, "As long as you behave appropriately and not act like a git."
Draco smiled at that, while Crabe and Goyle shared a grin,
"I suppose I can attempt to do that, but no promises," Draco said with a laugh that was quickly shared by the rest of the boys until Madam Pince suddenly appeared and told them to be quiet, which made the boys softly giggle even more.
XXXX