423Okay, this is the second part of the previous chapter, I just separated it into two different parts...
Chapter 3: A Lone Gryffindor and a Newbie
Dumbledore looked calmly at the four tables in front of him, the students all young and full of energy. It sometimes made him feel so old.
'Now, now, welcome to another year at Hogwarts, the sorting of the first years is done and I shall repeat what some of our seniors should do well to remember: The forbidden forest is named so for a reason, and our caretaker Filch has put a set of rules in place, which can be accessed in his office. ' he looked pointedly at the Gryffindor table at that.
' I am proud to announce that we have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Eiran Wrought.' There was a smattering of applause for the new professor, a grey haired scarred thin man. Now before we start the sumptuous feast prepared, I have one more announcement.'
At that moment the great hall doors opened silently to reveal a lone figure in the entrance. Harry felt the eyes of everyone in the great hall swivel onto him as he walked between two of the house tables. His robes were still torn and bloodstained, his locks had grown long during the time travel, so his hair-now changed blonde at Dumbledore's instance- hid his eyes partly.
'Ah yes, Mr Harry Infinitus is joining us for his seventh year, Harry reached the front table, keeping a bored indifferent face as he recognized teachers who looked much younger than usual.
'I believe we will have to sort you Harry,' Harry looked into Dumbledore's understanding twinkle in his eyes and sighed, sitting on the stool reserved for the first years. Dumbledore placed the hat on his head amid general whispering at the unusual fact of accepting a student so late.
'Aaah, Mr Potter, well, well, this makes things interesting. So what house shall we put you in?'
'You already know hat,'
My, my, I don't think I have a choice, a few years ago I would have put you in Slytherin, but I see you have shown again and again you are a true GRYFFINDOR.'
Harry sighed with relief, he didn't know what he would have done if he had been put in Slytherin, gingerly taking off the hat amid the applause of Gryffindor table, he patted his slightly longer blond hair onto his forehead, hiding the scar.
'Well, off you go, now may the feast begin.'
Harry walked towards the familiar table which hadn't changed much.
Sitting down amid the laughing students, he looked at the food, not feeling hungry at all. Picking a goblet of punch, he sipped quietly.
'So which school did you go to before here, Harry right?'
Harry turned around slowly to face a beautiful red headed girl and spewed his drink down his robes. A beautiful red headed girl that would be his mother was looking at him.
'Wh-aat!'
Lily looked at him alarmed.
'I asked which school you went to.'
'Dumstrang- didn't like it'
Inside his mind he was reeling, his mother was here, he needed to protect his mother from Voldemort. When he had envisioned protecting people, he had imagined Weasleys and maybe a Longbottom. But Lily, his face turned white at the thought.
'Harry are you ok?'
'Ye-eah, I just, you look like someone I knew, it … surprised me.'
Lily laughed, 'Really? Gosh, I don't know a lot of redheads, I mean apart form the Weasleys, you won't feel so much out of place here then. I'm Lily Evans by the way, seventh year Head Girl.'
'Oh Lily, already bragging about that?'
Lily blushed as a vivacious blonde interrupted from the other side of the table.
'And I'm Alice Hart, The Head Girl's best friend.'
Harry turned to smile but it died on his lips as he saw a younger version of Neville's mother. He gave a watching Dumbledore a pained smile as Lily threw a potato chip at her. Alice dodged it and said:
'You know, you actually remind us-'
'Us?'
'Yes us Lily, of someone, doesn't he Lils, I mean, if you weren't blonde you could pass for his brother.'
Harry had a bad feeling about this.
'Oh my god you are so right. How could I have missed it? James Potter!'
'Did someone call my name?'
A lean young black haired man had just arrived and slid onto Lily's other side.
'I knew you couldn't survive too long without talking about me.'
Harry heard her reply angrily from a distance, his ears were buzzing, as Sirius, James, Peter and Lupin sat down around them.
'Harry, this is Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin and James Potter, the biggest group of ruel breakers in the school.' Alice introduced, Sirius actually grinned at the introduction.
Harry smiled at them, his heart hurting inside. He had never thought- he would have them to protect, he couldn't, he tried to separate the images he had of them as the teenage Sirius asked him:
'Hey new kid, which school did you go to?'
'Sirius, don't be rude, his name is Harry Infinitis, and he's from Dumstrang.'
Harry flashed Lily a tired smile of gratitude as she answered, she hesitatingly returned it, attracting James ever present attention to anything about Lily.
'Really? How come you not in Slytherin?' James asked, slightly annoyed Lily was smiling at someone else than him.
'James, how da-'
Harry unthinkingly put a hand on Lily's shoulder, stopping her mid-reply and replied himself:
'How come Black's not?'
'You picking a fight?' James riposted, in angry defence of his friend, who was not paying attention to anything but his dessert, as he gave a pointed look at Harry's hand still on Lily's shoulder.
Harry smiled sadly, and suddenly he could not stand it anymore, James being loyal, removing his hand and getting up, he said:
'No, just making a point. I'll see you later Lily.'
And he walked off, ignoring Lily calling his name before she turned to shout at James. Ignoring the odd looks at leaving the hall so quickly, Harry lengthened his stride. He could feel his eyes over bright with unshed tears and he could not cry in front of anyone else. Harry quickly left the castle and headed towards Hagrid's hut unconsciously. He was halfway there before he remembered Hagrid did not know him and he gave a half-hearted laugh before flinging himself down onto the grass, forgetting how close he was to the forbidden forest. Harry gazed at the emerging stars, from here he looked so small, nothing in the universe. Lily's face was swimming before his eyes, the way she had laughed, the way she had been so happy, Sirius. Oh Sirius, I would do anything to save you but I cannot, I cannot change the past so much. And James, protecting, like always does, like he will with his last breath. Harry closed his eyes. Hermione would probably be freaking out about him by now, Ron trying to find something comforting to say but making it worse. What would they all think, that he had died taking Voldemort with him? What had happened there? Their world would be at peace if the past didn't change. At last resort he would have to try and kill Voldemort and himself in this time, so nothing changes in his time. A crackle behind, got him up with his wand raised so quickly, his half healed body gave a twitch of pain. But he could not see in the rising dark,
'Lumos!' The surrounding were illuminated and he saw a majestic hippogriff, probably curious, approaching from the forbidden forest.
'Hey…' Harry then remembered and gave a deep bow before the hippogriff that looked so much like buckbeak. He waited with baited breath as the hippogriff looked at him with contempt. Then bending its scaly legs he bowed back. Slowly, Harry approached, knowing ti wasn't the wisest thing, but the hippogriff did not do anything as Harry reached him, and patted him gently,
'Well, you're probably the first friend I've made here. You remind me of a hippogriff I knew, he was named Buckbeak. Do you think I could call you that?' Harry knew he was talking to a hippogriff, and was even more surprised when it gave a hrumph of protest at the name. 'Okay, no Buckbeak, what about Wither wings?' Harry made up a few names after that but apparently the hippogriff did not like them. Finally, Harry gave up, 'Okay, Okay, I won't name you. You're worse than Luna when we tell her nargles don't exi- Wait Luna, you like Luna?' The hippogriff eyes him beadily. 'You must be a female, Alright then, Luna Lovegood would be proud.'
Suddenly he realized the foolishness of the situation, and laughed out loud, then patting Luna a last time he drew back, looking at the castle and started trudging the Gryffindor common room.
James Potter was in a bad mood, first a new student annoys him by flirting with Lily and then the prank they were about to play on the Slytherins backfired sending Peter as well as the targeted Slytherin to the hospital wing. He was under his cloak with Sirius now, going back to the common room, Remus had refused to take part in this prank, being his usual sensible self. He knew Professor McGonagall was on the prowl for the perpetrators and he had to be careful. Suddenly he stopped short as he heard the headmaster's voice:
'The password is Unity, are you alright?' Shushing Sirius with a foot stamp, they approached silently. The Headmaster was there, looking concernedly at the new student, Harry Infinitus.
The latter answered: 'I'm sorry professor, I just, I thought I was ready, but seeing them, so happy, I- I. His voice broke and he stopped talking. James had no idea what they were talking about, but it seemed as if the headmaster knew the new kid really well.
'I imagine fate was not kind to them. But you know you don't have to do this to yours-'
'It won't happen again professor, I was never good at keeping my feelings hidden, but I will not fail everything we have worked for now. I will- I must be able to do this. Besides, the Dumbledore I knew let me try things by myself, allowed me to test myself, allowed me a chance. I am the only one who has all the facts, no one else can protect- well, it is late professor, goodnight.'
James watched as the headmaster raised a hand half heartedly: 'Harry,'
'Yes?' he answered, his bangs hiding his eyes in the already flickering light of the candles.
'I will leave tomorrow, looking for that spell, if I find it anywhere, it would be in my former best friends books. If you need anything in that time, talk to Minerva, she will understand, other than that, you new things will be here tomorrow morning, goodnight.' Both of them separated. Sirius and James looked at each other in consternation, who was the new transfer student? They both hurried in, eager to tell Lupin what they had found out.
The next morning Harry rose at dawn, his biological clock seemed to be completely altered with the time travel. He got up groaning, his hand going to his glasses. He knew he would not be able to sleep again. Looking around he saw four figures in their respective beds. Smiling slightly he saw his father with his mouth open snoring loudly. Getting up, he noticed a new trunk in front of his bed. Probably house elves, Hermione would be furious, he thought smiling slightly. Opening it he saw, fresh new robes, apparently they were the exact right size. Books, a bag, dragon gloves and a few other supplies.
Smiling, he changed and wandered what he would do until class started. Sighing, he took a piece of parchment and a new quill to the hall where breakfast was already available. He didn't know how he would send a letter to Ron and Hermione, but he would write something down at least, you never knew. Anything which would comfort him into knowing he wasn't as alone as he felt. Nibbling a piece of toast he tried to write. But nothing seemed to explain how he was feeling now or what had happened to him. Giving up when two hours later he had still only written down a few lines, he put down his quill and rumpled his hair. By now the hall was starting to fill with bleary eyed students.
Harry stuffed the unfinished letter into his robes, and exited the hall, wanting to get his books. But a sudden motion behind him made him reach for his wand in his pocket. A group of Slytherins were right behind him. He didn't know how he could have missed them approaching, his skills were blunt. There were already a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs in the hall but no Gryffindors. Besides, they were not in the hall anymore.
'Well well, a lone Gryffindor, and the newbie to boot, what were you writing?'
Harry stood his ground, his wand on the ready inside his robe, his eyes narrowed as he recognized the group, or most of them, a boy with a bad case of acne, probably Crabbe's father, a pale blond Lucius Malfoy, A female version of Zabini Blaise, Snape and a small slim boy, Regulus Black, he recognized with a jolt.
'Slytherins I assume,' he said in a bored indifferent voice, not letting his turbulent feelings show. 'I am not planning to start the eternal Gryffindor SLytherin feud with you.'
Snape hissed: 'But we all choose a side, and you have chosen Gryffindors.'
Harry looked at the boy who would grow up to pay for the rest of his life to repair the guilt he felt and said sadly:
'And what if you chose the wrong side Severus?'
Snape gave a start at the fact that Harry knew his name, but didn't have time to reply as Lucius bit out: 'Well right now, you seem to be on the losing side, and we have to pay back Gryffindor for the last prank.' whipping out his wand, Harry mirroring his movement.
Harry suddenly didn't care if he got in trouble, he would make them pay, at least a little, for all the pain they would cause later on.
'Do it Malfoy,' he goaded he wand on the ready, 'I would love to cause you pain right now,'
Lucius seemed a bit surprised at his lack of fear, the smirking he raised his wand. Harry felt the curse on his lips when a certain red head and her best friend appeared, going to the great hall for breakfast.
The scene froze, then Lily advanced oblivious to the danger with a raised voice: 'Harry? Harry! What are you doing?'
Harry stood shocked, he hadn't planned on fighting with Slytherins in front of his mother who could get hurt. Snape had lowered his wand but the rest of the Slytherins were still glaring malevolently at Harry.'
'Don't get into this mudblood, Harry was just going to understand what happens to foolish Gryffindors.'
'Don't call her that!' Alice called out, her wand out.
But already Lucius had threw a spell, wand aimed at Lily. Harry went into instincts as he pushed a frozen Lily out of the way, the curse hitting him straight into the chest, blasting him 5 feet into the air. Harry twisted around as he hit the wall and shouted:
' Expelliarmus!'
The Slytherins were taken by surprise and all the wands were blasted out of the way while an irate Professor McGonagall appeared, shouting at three Marauders. All four stopped as they watched Harry, tumbling down onto the floor, roll back up, wand out and shouting incensed:
'Is that all you can do cowards? Attack an unarmed girl?'
James stared in wonder at the new student who looked positively dangerous, his robes billowing around him. The Slytherins didn't answer, probably because they were unarmed, and perhaps because a professor had appeared. Harry turned, saw McGonagall and sighed: 'Damn'.
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