Mentioned abuse, bullying.
Jasper woke up at 6:00 in the morning. The sun was slowly coming up, and peeking through the curtains. He looked over at all his dorm mates who were all still asleep. He always had a habit of waking up early because if he slept in his parents would be angry. He kept thinking that this was all a dream that he was going to wake up from. His dorm had yellow, and black armchairs, and copper lamps placed around the room. There were four beds, and four desks, the desks were made out of wood. There were plants around the room as well. It was very cosy. With every passing moment he had a thought at the back of his mind that he was going to wake up, and find himself back home with his father screaming about how much of a freak he was.
"YOU FREAK!" His father screamed one of the first times he had ever displayed a sign of magic. He had floated Edgar's crib by accident. As soon as his father screamed, the crib crashed down. Luckily Edgar wasn't in it.
His father approached him, and grabbed him, dragging him across the floor, and he got thrown out of the room. He landed roughly on the ground.
"DEMON, FLOATING THINGS AROUND!" His father yelled inches from Jasper's face. He could smell the alcohol. He grabbed him, pulling him closer. "If I see you doing these things you will be sorry." He hissed in his ear.
"Jasper." Said Harry from his bed, breaking Jasper from his thoughts. "You're up early." Harry stretched. "You alright?"
Jasper nodded quickly trying to forget his father's words. "Yeah." He looked at the others who were still sleeping. He hopped out of bed. "We should check our school schedules." Jasper said, going over to his desk. "It is important to know where we are going."
Harry nodded, and went over to look at the schedule. "Apparently the head of house is Professor Virindi, the herbology teacher." He looked at the classes they had that day. He, and Jasper both gasped at the same time.
"Flying!" Jasper said, at the same time Harry said "History!"
Jasper turned to Harry. "You're excited about something as boring as History, when YOU CAN LEARN TO FLY!?" He yelled.
Harry shrugged. "History is fun! Flying is rubbish."
One of their housemates snorted. A boy named Jonathan Abbott had been woken by Jasper freaking out that there was a class on flying. "I'm sorry. You would rather do History than flying?" He looked at Harry. "Your mother was a chaser when she was in school."
"I know." Harry said.
"Then you should love flying, just wait." Jonathan added. "History is boring."
Harry sighed, and went over to his trunk. He pulled out his rat, Lou, and a History book, and started to read it with Lou on his shoulder.
Jasper checked his watch. It was 7:00. He looked around at everyone. Jonathan was looking at Harry funnily, Harry was looking at his book very intently, and Gifford was still asleep.
This won't do. Jasper thought. "Alright everyone." Jasper started looking at everyone. "Why don't we get to know each other before classes start. We have an hour before breakfast."
Jonathan shrugged, and Harry looked up from his book. "Alright." He looked up at Gifford. "Someone's got to wake him."
"Not it!" Jasper said with a hint of fear in his voice. His mind went to the days he had to wake his parents, and how angry they would get, and it would usually end with him getting hit by his dad. He looked around at the odd looks he was getting from Harry, and Jonathan.
Jasper laughed awkwardly. "You guys, don't do that?" He looked at them. "Just a silly tradition me, and my brothers have." He gasped. "Look at that moving plant!" Jasper went over to a cactus that was waving.
Harry looked at Jonathan, and he shrugged. He went over to his brother, and shook him. "Get up!" Gifford groaned something about unicorns. Jonathan rolled his eyes, and hit him with a pillow.
Gifford woke up at this. "Hey!" He yelled. He threw a pillow at Jonathan. Jonathan dodged it.
"Missed me! Haha!" He grabbed another pillow, and threw it at Harry who caught it. "See!" Jonathan said. "Chaser material."
Harry rolled his eyes. "It is a pillow." He threw it at Gifford. "Take that!"
Gifford grabbed a pillow, and directed it at Jasper, Jasper shrunk back, backing away, covering his face. Gifford stopped realizing this was not a normal reaction. "You okay Odair?"
Jasper opened his eyes. "Of course! I just have never had a pillow fight before." He looked at them. "Er...let's get to know each other." He sat down on one of the pillows on the floor.
The other three gathered around him. "Well." Jonathan said. "I know about three people here."
"Huh?" Harry asked. "You know about all of us?"
"I know my brother, and you, and myself." Jonathan said. "That is three people."
Harry looked at him. "I'm sorry, how do you know me?"
"Uh, that is kinda obvious mate." Gifford said. "We know about you, and-"
"No." Harry said, trying to keep his temper. "You think you know."
"But the newspapers, and books-" Jonathan started.
"Some of the stuff isn't even true, and you don't know everything about me, or my mother." Harry said annoyed. "Stop thinking you do."
Jonathan looked at him apologetically. "Sorry." He said quietly.
Harry looked at him nervous that he had hurt his feelings. He didn't mean to. He just was tired that everyone thought they knew him, when they didn't. He wished people would get to know him, Harry, not Celestina's son. He patted Jonathan's shoulder. "It's alright, I didn't mean to snap at you."
Jasper looked at the two of them. This was good, well alright. They were talking. "How about we get to know the real us. Okay?" Jasper looked at them as they nodded. "I'll start." Jasper said. "So my name is Jasper, well you already knew that, and I am new to the wizarding world, I met Harry on the train." He signalled to Harry. "Ummm. I have four younger brothers, I am the oldest, and I can't wait until they come to Hogwarts as well!"
They all nodded, but Gifford said "What makes you think all your brothers would come to Hogwarts, are they all magical?" He stared at Jasper with interest. "A muggle family, and all their kids are wizards? Is that even heard of?"
"Well in history." Harry said. "Not usually, but you never know." He looked at Jasper. "Are all your brothers magical?
Jasper stared at them. "You - you mean they aren't?" He looked around at all of them, and nerves started to eat at his stomach. "I - I thought they would all be magic, if I was?"
Jonathan shook his head. "No, only pureblood families, and halfblood families have kids that are all magic."
"Unless you're a squib." Harry told them.
Jasper was so scared at the thought that his brothers may not be coming to Hogwarts, he didn't even ask what a squib was. If his brothers were non magical, that means they would not go to Hogwarts, meaning they would not get away from their parents, meaning they would never learn to protect themselves with magic, which was a good defence against getting slapped, or beat up. He realized that if he was the only one with magic in the family he needed to learn magic, for their sake, but a part of him felt selfish, he wished his brothers could have magic too. Maybe they would?
Harry tapped his shoulder making him yelp in surprise. Harry pulled his hand back quickly. "Sorry, it is just that we lost you for a second." Harry gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, there is a chance they could be wizards too, maybe they just have not shown their abilities yet."
Jasper nodded hoping this was true.
They looked at Jonathan. He looked at them a bit clueless. "Is it my turn?" They nodded. "Well, um. I have a brother too." He signalled to Gifford. "Um, I have two magical parents, and um...I like the idea of Transfiguration, and flying of course."
Gifford said "Well I like animals, but Care Of Magical Creatures isn't until third year. I also like potions."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Potions are boring."
"Just because you can't do it, doesn't mean it's boring." Gifford quipped.
Jonathan scoffed. "We haven't even had potions."
"We practiced potions at home, and you exploded the cauldron in my face."
Harry, and Jasper laughed at this.
"He smelled for days." Jonathan commented. Gifford hit him.
"Oh don't hit your brother." Said Jasper.
Gifford looked at him. "Don't you ever hit your brother?"
Jasper was shocked. "Of course not!"
Jonathan waved his hands for Jasper to sit down, as he was starting to get up. "Don't worry about it, just sibling love you know?"
Jasper stared at them. Hitting wasn't love, it was abuse.
Harry looked between the three of them sensing tension rising, and he said, "Well my name is Harry, my mum's a witch, my dad is a muggle, and I like History, I also like rats." He lifted Lou up from where she was nibbling the pillow. "Isn't she just the cutest?"
Jasper said "On the train you said he."
Harry shrugged. "I forgot." He looked at Lou, and petted her. "Still adorable."
Jasper looked at the time. It was 7:30. "Well." He clapped his hands. "We have 30 minutes until breakfast, let's see, do you want to go down to the common room?"
They all nodded. "Why not?" Jonathan said. They got up, and started to head for the door.
"Don't forget your things for classes!" Jasper said. "Do you have everything?" He looked at them. "Books, flying equipment?" He looked down. "We need our robes." He grabbed them, and put them on along with a yellow, and black tie that was in the dorm when they got there. He looked at them all, as they got their ties on. "Is everyone ready to go?"
Gifford laughed. "Yes mum." He walked out of the door along with his twin brother, Harry waited for Jasper who was standing there, a stunned expression on his face.
"You alright?" Harry asked.
Jasper nodded. "Yeah..." He said. "Of course..." Harry walked out, and Jasper followed. He wasn't like his mum was he?
He followed them down the steps into the common room, and the first year girls were chatting away by the fireplace. He went to sit with them, so now the whole of first year was sitting by the fireplace talking, and getting to know each other. The girls' names were Dorothy Carin, Marty Brown, Penelope Drewner, and of course Maryrose Jenkins. Jasper again was confused. Maryrose's hair was now yellow, the same shade of Hufflepuff house. He felt like he was going crazy.
"Maryrose?" He asked.
"Yeah?" She said.
"Um..." He wasn't sure how to word this. "It is just your hair, how does it keep changing so quickly, is it a wizard dye or something-"
Maryrose laughed excitedly. "Oh no, I am a metamorphosis."
The boys gasped, while Japer was clueless. "A what?"
"A metamorphosis is a person who can change their appearance at will." Maryorse replied. She shook her head, and her hair changed to bright blue.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Jasper screamed jumping up, making him get some annoyed looks from the group of fourth years in the room. "THAT IS THE COOLEST THING!!!" He looked at Maryrose jumping up, and down. "Can you teach me?!"
Maryrose laughed at the enthusiastic reaction. "Sorry, you have to be born with it."
"Aw." Jasper said sadly, sitting back down. "Maybe there is a spell?"
Maryrose nodded. "There is!" She pulled a magazine out of her bookbag. "I'll show you after class today."
Jasper nodded eagerly excited for the evening even though it was still morning.
Harry said "That is so cool Maryrose, I wish I could do that."
"Would you like me to show you how to change your hair into wacky colors?" Maryrose asked, holding up the magazine again.
Harry shook his head. "Er, no thanks, I like my hair."
Cara Finniagen came down the steps at this. "Oh good!" She exclaimed. "You're up!" She went over to all of them. "I realized that you need the password to get into the common room. It is a tune." Harry froze at this. "All you have to do is this." She showed them a pattern in a specific order of knocks, slams, and taps. She repeated it a few times. "You all got it?" They nodded. Harry nodded hesitantly. Cara looked at him. "I am sure you got it, you must be really good with music huh?"
Harry laughed nervously. "Sure."
She led them out of the common room, and showed them the History Of Magic classroom so they knew where to go from breakfast, and then led them into the Great Hall. Some students were already there chatting, and eating. They all walked to their house table. "I am so excited to fly!" Jasper said as he grabbed waffles.
Harry nodded, not excited at all. What was the point of flying, it was not fun at all. It was quite dangerous. Very dangerous. The only thing he liked about flying was the history of it, and that was very scary itself.
"How do you even fly?" Jasper asked. "Is it a spell?"
Marty Brown replied "You fly on a broomstick." She looked excited. "It is so fun, I can't wait."
"How do you not know how flying works?" Dorothy Carin asked Jasper.
"Well I think he is a muggleborn Dorothy." Replied Marty.
"Oh."
Jasper bit his lip. "Is that a problem?"
Dorothy looked up at him from where she was buttering her toast. "Oh no." She said, "Sorry. Just be careful of the Slytherins." She went back to buttering her toast.
"I have already met a few." Jasper said. He really didn't want to think badly of someone already. "I mean I think they didn't want a firstie in their compartment."
"They called you the m word." Said Harry.
The first years gasped. "That is so awful!" Exclaimed Penelope Drewner. "They can't say that, they are purebloods."
"Well maybe they were halfbloods-" Started Dorothy.
"Halfbloods can't say it either." Harry said. "And no one should say that word anyway, especially in the way the Slytherins use it."
Maryrose's hair had turned an angry shade of red. "We should go tell them off." She stood up. "Who was it Jasper?"
"Um." Jasper said, staring at all of his housemates. "Well one had long blonde hair."
"Malfoy." Said Gifford. "He is such a git."
"He thinks he is so much better than everyone else because he is part of the Sacred 28." Jonathan rolled his eyes.
"We are too dummy." Gifford said. "We just aren't awful people."
"Well, I am going to tell him to stop then." Maryrose said.
"I'll come with you." Said Marty.
Jasper looked around at all the first years that were standing up. "Hey, guys wait." He said. "It isn't that big of a deal."
"It still isn't fair that they can say that, and get away with it." Harry said. "You should tell someone."
Jasper shrugged. "Maybe."
"I still want to go." Dorothy said.
"You may get hurt." Said Jasper. "I don't want that."
"I'm pureblood, they would not hurt me." Said Dorothy. "Though they may hurt you Penelope, and you Harry, since you're half."
"Do you think they would listen to you?" Gifford asked. "We are 11, he is 17."
Dorothy angrily sat down.
Just then Malfoy, and two of his friends came passing by their table. "HEY!" Dorothy stood up.
Malfoy stopped, and turned to look at the Hufflepuff first years. "What?" He asked disgustedly.
"Don't call our friend the m word again."
Malfoy looked at his friends, Avery, and Mulciber, and they all chuckled. Malfoy turned to Dorothy. "What are you even talking about?"
"You called Jasper the m word, we know you did" Maryrose said, stabbing her egg so the yolk broke.
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "And where did you hear that?"
Harry scoffed. "He told me, you idiot."
Mulciber scowled. "How dare you speak to us like that, you filthy halfblood."
Harry laughed. "This is more evidence you called him what you did."
Avery turned to Jasper. "Well he had no right being in our compartment, and-"
"I was just leaving-" Jasper started.
"How dare you interrupt a pureblood wizard!" Exclaimed Mulciber.
Jasper shrunk back. "Sorry." He said quietly.
Harry noticed this reaction. He looked at the three Slytherins with disgust. "You are supposed to welcome new students, not scare them!" He looked at Malfoy. "How did you even get headboy?"
The Slytherins noticed Jasper's reaction too. "See this is how a mudblood is supposed to react, when they are getting spoken to." Hissed Avery. "In fear, as it should be."
All the Hufflepuff first years started to yell at them.
"You just said it again, you can't do that!" Said Jonathan.
"Stop scaring him. You bullies!" Exclaimed Maryrose.
"Why are you headboy?" Asked Penelope.
Dorothy stood up on the bench, so she was closer to the older Slytherin's height's. "Call him that again. I dare you."
"Mudbl-" Started Mulciber.
Dorothy threw a plate of eggs at them.
Harry was comforting Jasper who was just staring at the table. "Don't listen to them Jasper, they are gits."
Cara came to where the first years were sitting, seeing all the commotion. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Malfoy called Jasper the m word!" Exclaimed Marty.
"I did not." Hissed Malfoy waving his wand to get the egg out of his robes.
"YES YOU DID!" The first years yelled.
"They all did." Said Gifford signalling to the three Slytherins.
Cara turned to Malfoy, Mulciber, and Avery. "You called Jasper what?" She said sharply.
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Nothing to be of concern about Ms. Finnigen." He started to walk off, but Cara stopped him.
"No! You have to apologize right now."
Malfoy suppressed an eye roll, and went over to Jasper. "I'm sorry." He hissed in his ear. Jasper closed his eyes, getting flashbacks from his dad. It was like Malfoy was doing this on purpose, that he knew this bothered him.
Malfoy went back over to Cara. "Can I leave now?"
Cara glared at them. "Absolutely."
Malfoy, Mulciber, and Avery walked off toward the Gryffindor table, Harry glared after them. He turned back to Jasper. "I'm sorry Jasper, don't listen to them."
"All Slytherins are gits." Cara exclaimed, shaking her head.
Jasper looked up. "All?"
Cara nodded. "Well Andromeda is alright." She said smiling. "But the rest are awful." She looked at Jasper. "Steer clear of them." Jasper nodded. She looked at Harry, and Penelope. "Even you two, they hate half bloods that aren't Slytherin."
The three of them nodded, and that is when the owls flew in to deliver the morning mail. Jasper looked up. "Wow." He said with wonder in his eyes, almost forgetting what had happened moments before. "That is amazing. I've never seen so many owls in one place."
Cara smiled, and said "They come in every morning to deliver the mail. I assume you don't have an owl?" Jasper shook his head. "Well don't worry, I can show you where the owlery is after classes, so you can write to your family."
Jasper smiled, he liked the idea of writing to his brothers about Hogwarts. He missed them.
Marty snorted. "I can't believe you threw eggs at them." She looked at Dorothy.
Dorothy continued to eat. "I don't know any spells yet, so I had to improvise."
Cara smiled. "I am glad you are all getting along." She looked around at all of them. "It is important that we do, we are a family now."
Maryrose nodded. "Yes, I like that, this is our second family, our second home."
The others agreed, and Jasper did too, but to him he felt more at home here, at Hogwarts than he did at the house he had been at his whole life. Despite the Slytherins, and their comments, Jasper felt like he had found a place at Hogwarts with the other Huffepuffs. He had friends who understood, and liked him. He felt like he belonged there. He was thankful for it. He was thankful for his new family.