Death's Gift - Chapter Six
Hogwarts Letters
Harry's "Prediction" about McGonagall showing up at Hermione's house on Jean's birthday to deliver her letter turned out to be true. The family had invited Harry, Sirius, and Remus over for a small celebration. Needless to say McGonagall was surprised to see Sirius, Remus, and Harry standing alongside the Grangers when she did arrive.
"Minnie?" Sirius asked, confused.
"Sirius? What are you doing here?" The witch asked back, just as confused.
"Jean invited us over to celebrate her birthday. Hermione and Harrison are close friends."
"And how would Harrison come to know Ms. Granger?"
"Because we live next door." Harry told her.
McGonagall's expression darkened, "You did not tell Dumbledore you moved. No wonder he hasn't been able to find Harrison."
"I don't see the need to inform Albus every time I make a decision in my life. As for why he is looking for my son I would very much like to know." Sirius shot at her.
McGonagall opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, seemingly rethinking her words, "This is not the time nor place for this discussion. I have come to see the Grangers."
"Are you here to give me my Hogwarts letter?" Hermione asked.
Needless to say, all of the adults were shocked.
"Miss Granger, how did you come to know of Hogwarts?" McGonagall breathed.
"Harry's told me all about it. He even lent me Hogwarts A. History to read."
McGonagall turned towards Harry who shrugged, "I knew she was a witch since the day I met her."
Jean and Dave turned to each other, "A witch?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I can assure you that your daughter is, in fact, a witch. She has been invited to go to the best school for witches and Wizards like herself, Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have come to deliver her letter as well as help introduce you to our world." McGonagall informed them.
"Now, I don't know what kind of prank you're trying to pull-" Dave began.
"Dad! It's not a prank!" Hermione told him, "Please."
"Your letter, Miss Granger." McGonagall handed her the thick envelope.
"Maybe we can go to Diagon Alley together to get our school supplies. My letter hasn't come yet but when it does we can." Harry offered.
Hermione beamed, "I'd love that."
"What are you all talking about?!" Jean exploded.
"Jean, Dave, I know this may be hard to hear but magic exists. Sirius and myself are both wizards, so is Harrison. You're daughter is what we call a muggle born, a magical child born into a magicless family." Remus told them.
"But that's impossi-"
Whatever Dave was going to say he stopped mid sentence when Sirius whipped out his wand and started making the salt and pepper shakers dance around the room.
"I believe that is quite enough of that Sirius." McGonagall warned.
Sirius shrugged and set the salt and pepper shakers back down on the counter, putting his wand back into his pocket.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, if you and Miss Hermione Granger will accompany me to Diagon Alley I can show you how to handle your daughters transition into the Wizarding world."
It took awhile and a few more shows of magic to convince the Grangers that this was real. Soon enough they were following McGonagall out and Harry, Sirius, and Remus were returning to their house.
"Hey Siri, how come Hermione's letter came earlier than the school sends them out by owls?" Harry asked.
"Muggle borns usually need more time to transition into the muggle world so McGonagall sees to it to accompany every single muggle born to Diagon Alley to help."
"So muggle borns get their letters on different days?"
Sirius nodded.
When July 24th came around Harry's Hogwarts letter arrived while the family was having breakfast. He was exited and was about to ask if they could go to Diagon Alley right away but then remembered that he and Hagrid had gone on his birthday last time. So, Harry decided to wait and go on his birthday. After all there was a certain owl he wanted to retrieve as well as a certain blond he wanted to re-meet. By the time Harry's birthday did come around he was practically bouncing on his toes.
"You act like you've never been to Diagon Alley before cub." Remus told him through a laugh.
"Well I'm exited to finally be getting my school supplies!" Harry defended himself, even if that wasn't the real reason for his excitement.
Sirius and Remus shared a look, "Ravenclaw."
The Grangers knocked on their door and Sirius welcomed them in. They were using the floo network to get to Diagon Alley since they couldn't apperate mid-day. Sirius was first, then Harry, Hermione, Jean, Dave, and finally Remus. They all went to Gringots first, needing to pick up money to buy everything. Harry looked over the transcripts to the Potter vaults since the last time he'd been there, as he always did, just to make sure Dumbledore hadn't figured out a way to start taking from them again. The first time he'd ever been to Diagon Alley, when he was three, he'd asked for the transcripts to his vault, something that made Sirius and Remus completely confused. He'd found that Dumbledore was accessing the vaults as he had last time and Harry immediately put a stop to it, having already earned all of the money back with interest by now. After Gringots they went from shop to shop, picking up the different things they'd need. Harry even made a bet with Remus that if he made it onto his house's quidditch team as a seeker that he'd get the Nimbus 2000. Since no first year had been picked to be on the team in over a century Remus agreed. Harry inwardly smirked. Hermione rolled her eyes at this exchange. The two teens then broke off from the adults to get their robes fitted while their parents would pick up some lunch. When they entered Madam Milkin's a lady's head poked up from the front desk.
"Hogwarts Dears?" She asked sweetly.
Harry nodded and she motioned for them to stand next to a blond boy who was currently being fitted on their own little raised circular platforms that stood in the middle of the shop. With a flick of her wand measuring tapes flew over to them and started taking their measurements.
"I'm going to Hogwarts too." The boy said.
Harry looked over at him. The measuring tapes that were fitting Draco stopped and the same women as before walked over, jotted down some notes, then disappeared to the back with a robe.
"Which house do you think you'll get? Personally, I'm hoping for Slytherin, it's the best of the four."
"Everyone thinks I'll be a Ravenclaw, and I wouldn't necessarily mind it, but Slytherin sounds pretty good as well." Harry said.
"I'm hoping to be a Ravenclaw. If not perhaps a Hufflepuff." Hermione said.
Draco nodded, "Ravenclaw would be my second choice."
The tape measures around Harry and Hermione stopped. The lady came out with a tailored robe and told Draco to try it on while she jotted down a few notes for Harry and Hermione. When she was done she turned to Draco.
"How does that one feel?" She asked.
"Brilliant."
The women nodded and Draco removed the robe and handed it back to the women.
"You're done then. I'll have your robes sent to you within a week."
Draco nodded and the women disappeared again this time with two new robes.
Draco turned to Harry and stuck out his hand, "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Harry shook his hand, "Harrison, Harrison Potter-Black."
Harry tried not to smirk when he watched Draco's pure-blood mask fall and his jaw dropped. Hermione watched the two with an eyebrow raised.
The women reappeared and handed Harry and Hermione robes to try on.
"See you at Hogwarts Draco." Harry waved goodbye as the blond left.
Harry and Hermione tried on their robes and when they both said that they fit great she disappeared again after telling them that their robes would be sent to them within a week. Once they were out of the shop Hermione turned towards him.
"Befriending Malfoy?! Are you crazy? I know that he grows up to be a tolerable man but he's still a self-centered arrogant pig right now!"
Harry shrugged, "Maybe we can help him mature faster."
Hermione huffed but couldn't reply as they were rejoined by their parents. Harry then asked if they could go to the owlry so he could get an owl for school. Sirius and Remus had agreed and they made their way over, planing to stop for wands next. Harry walked into the shop, looking for Hedwig.
"Harrison, what about this one?" Sirius asked, looking at a tawny owl.
Harry shook his head, "I'd prefer a snowy owl."
Sirius shrugged and continued looking. When Harry couldn't find Hedwig he'd started to worry but then he heard a familiar hoot amongst the many others. Following the source of the sound Harry smiled as he came across Hedwig.
"Hey girl..." Harry said, reaching through the cadge to stroke her feathers.
Hedwig hooted again and gave Harry an affectionate nip on the finger.
"Wow, she really seems to like you." Remus said from behind him.
"You want her then?" Sirius asked.
Harry nodded and grabbed Hedwig's cadge, taking her over to the counter to buy. When they left the shop Harry was happy as ever to have his companion back.
"What are you gonna call her?" Sirius asked.
"Hedwig." Harry replied without a doubt.
Death watched his Master's interaction with the owl from a shadowed corner along the street. Tracking down the owl's soul in the after life and been tedious work,but when he did she was more than willing to go back to Harry's side. A smile formed on Death's face, that is, if skeletons could even smile.
When they walked into Ollivander's people had started crowding around, realizing who he was and why he was there. Of course, people had started taking pictures but Harry ignored them, continuing with his goals in mind. The didn't have to wait long as Ollivander came out from the back, sliding down the ladder he was on and walking up to the front desk.
"I was wondering when I'd be seeing you Mr. Potter-Black. I remember when your parents where here, buying their first wands."
Harry realized that the same thing was going to happen as last time he was here.
Ollivander pulled out a box and opened it, handing the wand to Harry. He grabbed it and gave it a flick, a glass vase exploding.
"Nope, not that one." Ollivander quickly said, Harry setting the wand back down on the counter.
After a few more wands with the same outcome Harry felt the need to say something, "Holly, Eleven inches long, Phoenix feather."
Ollivander's eyes widened and started muttering, "Curious... very curious.." under his breath over and over again, moving towards the back of the shop. When he reappeared he held a box, opening it he held the wan out to Harry, "Holly, eleven inches, Phoenix feather."
Harry grabbed it and red sparks flew out of the end. Sirius and Remus shared a look, Ollivander muttering about how curious this was again.
"Sorry, but what's curious?" Sirius asked.
Ollivander looked at them, "It is curious, how Harrison here is destined for this wand, when it's brother, gave him that scar."
Their eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" Remus asked.
"The Phoenix who gave this feather that resides in Harrison's wand, gave another, just one. A feather, which resides in the wand of the Dark Lord himself."
Remus slightly paled and Sirius's face went expressionless. There were gasps from those who heard in the crowd and more photo's started being snapped. Sirius paid for the wand and the family left the shop, telling the Granger's that they'd meet up with them later.
A few weeks later Harry and Hermione stepped onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters along with their parents. Harry immediately spotted out a mob of red-heads, making their way through the border. He waved at Fred and George before turned back to Sirius and Remus, giving them a long goodbye before boarding the train along with Hermione. They walked to the very back, not wanting to be disturbed by anyone. Finding an empty compartment, of which there were many, they stuffed away their trunks above them on the provided racks and sat down. Harry looked out the window and waved to Sirius and Remus as the train took off.
"What am I going to do about Quirllmort this time?" Harry asked after awhile.
Hermione was quite for a moment, "He'll never be able to get the stone from the mirror, so you don't really have to do anything do you? Besides, what harm can he do with Dumbledore there?"
Harry grimaced, he still didn't know what to do with Dumbledore. Whenever the man had visited Harry had made it his top priority to avoid him but now he'd be going to school under him which meant that Dumbledore would probably try to get close to him again.
"Dumbledore didn't do anything last time, what makes you think he will now?"
Hermione frowned. They road the rest of the train ride in relative silence, no one bothered them thanks to the notice-me-not charm Harry had put on their compartment door. When the train pulled into Hogsmeade station Harry and Hermione stashed their books away and followed their fellow first years out. They then met up with Hagrid and climbed into a boat with Neville and Susan Bones. Harry had always liked Susan, he'd even become fairly good friends with her once they started working at the Ministry, so he decided to strike up a conversation with her. Maybe they could become friends sooner. When they arrived at Hogwarts the group followed Hagrid up the steps to where they met McGonagall. She gave her always the same speech then disappeared into the Great Hall.
"Harry!"
Harry inwardly groaned at Ron's voice. He turned around to see the red head making his way over to him. He knew that everyone recognized him now and were probably watching the two of them.
"For the last time Ronald, my name is Harrison. Only my friends can call me Harry." He drawled.
Ron playfully punched his shoulder, "C'mon, we've known each other since we were babies."
Harry glared at him, "Yes, and I believe I have spent the last ten years making it abundantly clear that I don't like you. I couldn't really care less, you're annoying, selfish, arrogant, and jealous. Those aren't the kind of quality's that make you a desirable person."
Ron's smile faded and people started to whisper.
"What do you know? You're always hanging out that muggle-"
Ron was cut off by Hermione loudly clearing her throat from behind him, Ron turned around, his face flushing with color.
"Her-Hermione?!"
"So I'm a muggle huh?" She asked.
"What are you doing here?! You're not supposed to even be friends with Harry in the first place!"
Harry's magic went cold, sending out a deadly aura causing the people near him to back away.
"Let me make this clear Ron, you will never talk ill about Hermione or anyone else I care about. Unlike you they are considerate people who deserve better. Stop pretending that we're friends just so you can use me to become famous."
Ron's mouth opened and closed a few times before he gave a struggled nod. Harry sighed and calmed his magic down, acting as if nothing had ever happened. Draco eyed the two of the curiously from where he stood with Crabb and Goyle.
Just then McGonagall walked in, "They're ready for you."
Harry got in line behind Hermione and walked with the rest of the first years into the Great Hall. Harry smiled around at the room that had become rubble after the war, it really was great to be back at the place that had been his home for so many years, but he had a new home now, once with Sirius and Remus, his family. McGonagall walked up to the stool and grabbed the sorting hat off of it. She started calling off names.
"Hannah Abbot!"
Hannah went up and took her seat on the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted out.
More students were called.
"Hermione Granger!"
Hermione went up and started on the stool, the hat was silent for a moment before shouting out her placement.
"RAVENCLAW!"
Hermione smiled and made her way over to the Ravenclaw table.
More students...
"Draco Malfoy!"
Harry watched as Draco walked up and took his seat, the hat calling out Slytherin before it even touched his head, just like last time.
"Harrison Potter-Black!"
Whispers started throughout the hall as Harry made his way up and sat in the stool. The chuckling voice of the sorting hat reached his ears.
"Definitely not a Gryffindor again. Your loyalty would do well in Hufflepuff but you're inability to wait would do you no good. Then where to put you, Ravenclaw or Slytherin?"
Harry remained silent, not wanting to affect the hat's decision at all this time.
"Better be..."
"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted out.