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Chapter Text

Chapter 1: To Make a Decision…

   Minerva McGonagall was an incredibly talented witch. She started attending Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1947, and graduated in 1954 when she was nineteen years old. After she graduated, she mentored under her Transfiguration professor, until he was ready to retire in 1956, meaning she was twenty when she started teaching at Hogwarts.

   She fit in really well as a teacher. Minerva was respected amongst students for her strict, but kind nature. She wasn't a teacher that would take your shit, but she wasn't considered mean either. She worked really well with the students, and prided herself in her work ethic.

   When she was thirty-five, she had already been teaching at the school for fifteen years. That was when The Marauders started at Hogwarts. Minerva was watching as little James Potter and Sirius Black met at the young age of eleven. There was instant chemistry between the two boys, and they became best friends quickly. Eventually she watched as Sirius brought Remus Lupin into their group, and James introduced everyone to Peter Pettigrew. The four students were attached at the hip from then on.

   She was there when James Potter first confessed his love to Lily Evans. Lily was a very sweet, quiet girl, especially compared to the ever proud James, but she was strong-willed. She stood by her friend Severus Snape, even after being sorted into opposing houses. One day, Lily snapped at James and slapped him across the face after he had made a particularly harsh comment against Severus. Immediately after, he smiled at her and told her that he was in love with her. They were only twelve.

   She was there when Sirius enacted the prank on Severus. Minerva paid witness to the aftermath, seeing Sirius growing ever more distant. His friends were cold to him and James was stuck between Remus who was angry with Sirius, and Sirius who was begging for forgiveness. James himself was disappointed that Sirius would take it so far. When Sirius would come to his detentions, he would confide in her. That was how she found out about his horrible family life. She knew that she had heard enough, and pulled James and Remus into a room, to explain Sirius's side. After that she got to see the Marauders together again. Right after making up, Sirius and Remus made their relationship public, their feelings for each other having been completely aired out. They were only fourteen.

   Despite everything that happened earlier that year, James and Sirius couldn't seem to leave Severus alone. She got to see as Severus destroyed his friendship with Lily, by calling her one word. One awful word. All because he was too full of pride to accept her help after an argument. That word rang through the ears of everyone who heard it, and Lily sought for comfort in none other than James Potter. The destruction of one friendship and the budding beginning of another... They were only fifteen.

   Minerva watched as James Potter asked Lily Evans to go on a date with him at the beginning of their sixth year. And she watched as the red-headed girl said yes. Their relationship bloomed. Lily changed James, and Sirius for that matter. She caused them to grow up, and mature. They stopped most of their bullying that year, instead focusing on harmless pranks for a change.

   Instead of torturing Severus Snape, they started playing innocent pranks, like soapy hallways, and exploding balloons over the heads of teachers. Minerva had only realized how fond of the Marauders she was, when James and Sirius passed by her one day. She stopped them, and James looked at her innocently,"C'mon Minny, you know us! Always the best behaved! Nothing awful happening in these heads..." . He was so happy, and spoke with her so fondly. All the while, he was hiding a pack of muggle water balloons behind his back. She dismissed them, and watched as the two boys snickered and ran off to cause their mischief. They were only sixteen.

   She watched as the students she took care of and taught for seven years graduated. They passed all their final tests, and were heading for the real world. James had proposed to Lily in the great hall, just after the final feast. It was a grand affair, with fireworks they had somehow managed to rig. Sirius being the one to set them off of course.. When she said yes, no one was surprised, but everyone was cheering them on. James kissed her happily, swooping her up in his arms and spinning her around. They looked like a couple straight out of a fairytale... When James, Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Lily later all pulled her aside into a private room to give her a gift before they left, she cried for the first time in front of her students. They gave her a portrait. Inside, a wolf, stag, dog, and mouse all lay together, sleeping in a big pile. The field they slept in was covered in Lilies. Sometimes the animals would stretch, readjust, or even look up at the person viewing the portrait. Of course she knew of their animagus forms, but she was far too fond of the group to really report it. Now she had something that would remind her if her "Favorite Students" as Sirius put it. They were only eighteen.

   Minerva kept in surprisingly good contact with the Marauders and Lily after they left. They would send letters often, and she was usually invited to their family dinners, every couple weeks. That's why when she got invited to a house party, she wasn't suspicious at all. That was until James stood up in front of everyone, calling out for the attention to be on him. It was a reasonably small group, mostly just everyone in the Order of the Phoenix. They announced they were pregnant. They'd be having a baby sometime in July.. she cried as she hugged her past students. Then even more when they asked her to be the Godmother, with Sirius as the Godfather. Minerva accepted instantly. They were only nineteen.

   Minerva was one of the few who were given the Potters home address, when they went into hiding. Peter was their secret keeper, but she knew they could trust him. Their weekly dinners stopped, but she made sure to pop in once a month to check on them, making sure Lily was okay during her pregnancy. It was rough, but they were safe and that was all that mattered. Minerva knew that James and Lily were strong enough to handle it. Despite Albus' disapproval, she always made a point to floo in extra things for them. Blankets, games, snacks, sometimes even just food. She wanted to do anything she could to make sure her godchild and his parents were safe. And they were. For a bit.

   Minerva felt it, as soon as the curse hit Harry. As soon as he was in danger. She felt the full force of death as soon as Harry himself did. She knew something horrible had happened, and instantly apparated to the Potter Property. As she looked around, she saw Sirius, who had shown up at the same time as her. They both looked towards the door, seeing it broken down, and felt cold, dark dread run down their spines. As they stepped into the hallway, seeing James laying there.. dead.. they both broke down. Tears started running down their faces as they walked past their friend's body hesitantly, moving towards Harry's room. His door was also broken, and as soon as they saw Lily on the ground, they fell. Both of their bodies looked lifeless, and broken. Something that looked wrong on the two fast spirited souls. They both paused when they heard Harry start to cry. They looked up at the baby, and saw the bleeding lightning scar that covered his left eye, going up his forehead hiding behind his already long curly black hair. It looked like streaks of lightning coming from a single point on his forehead. They both instantly ran to his bed, pulling him out. They were only twenty-one, and Harry was only one.

   Minerva had to talk sense into Sirius when they realized that Peter sold out their friends. Oh she herself was beyond angry, and upset. He was supposed to be their friend. But he betrayed everyone. And now Lily and James are dead. Instead of letting Sirius run rampant, as he wanted to kill the rat, she convinced him that Harry was their concern. They immediately took Harry, and reported the attack to the Minister of Magic. It didn't take long to realize that Voldemort had been defeated, somehow, because of Harry. News spread fast, and Minerva saw a new side to Albus Dumbledore, as he got angry she didn't go to him first. Things changed quickly.

   Peter was arrested and thrown into Azkaban soon after, due to his crimes against the light side in the war. The next issue was to be where Harry Potter would go, now that he was orphaned. Sirius immediately wanted to take him, but since he and Remus were living together, and the many many prejudiced laws against werewolves, the Ministry decided it wasn't the best idea. The next option was Minerva McGonagall, the boy's godmother.

   When Dumbledore heard that she had been offered the position of Harry Potter's guardian, he immediately started trying to convince her that Harry needed to be with his aunt and uncle from Lily's family. After hearing that, she decided to investigate, and she found out that they were the worst kind of muggles alive. They were truly awful people to everyone but themselves. She couldn't leave Harry with them.. so instead she told Dumbledore to fuck off, in much nicer terms of course, and accepted the position as full-time guardian of Harry Potter. If there was truly blood magic protecting Harry Potter, by Merlin's name, it would definitely be stronger with her, than with those awful muggles.

   The portrait in her office no longer held a rat. Instead, a baby deer toddled around the field of Lilies, being watched carefully by the other animals. Sometimes, it would lay down beside his odd chosen family, and nap for hours at a time. Minerva smiled at it, as she held the one-year-old Harry Potter-McGonagall in her arms. It was barely three days after his parents' passing, but Miss Minerva McGonagall was determined to love, teach, and protect this child with everything in her. And that meant keeping him safe from everyone and everything. She was now forty-five years old, and Harry Potter would have his whole life ahead of him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Their Beginning…

   Raising the boy who lived was.. interesting for Minerva. Harry was a wonderful mix of his parents. It was obvious from a young age that he inherited Lily's brains. He was miraculously smart, and sometimes even Minerva would find herself stumped because of the boys curiosity and brilliance. However, he was also very much a child of James Potter. Made even more evident by the time he spent with Sirius and Remus. He'd definitely looked like any other Potter. He had the Potters complexion and hair, tanned skin and messy black hair that seems unnameable. He also inherited their sharp facial features, and sometimes when she looked at his face, all she could see was the boyish face of James Potter.

   But you could always find glimpses of Lily in him. His skin had so many freckles.. his face nearly covered in them, and the rest of him was no better. His eyes were just as green as hers, and oh.. his smile was so very reminiscent of Lily's.. the same smile she would give everyone near her when she walked into a room. Sometimes, when he would smile up at his guardians.. they would have to take a moment, trying not to cry at the memory of the lovely redheaded woman who birthed him.

   Now, his knack for causing problems was something he gained from his godfather. Sirius doted on Harry every moment he was given, and when Harry got to be old enough, he started initiating a prank war of all things. Poor six year old Harry stood no chance, at least not until his Uncle Moony decided he needed a little help. No, the trouble they all caused when they were together gave poor Minerva grey hairs long before she should've been getting them. Still, she watched on the sidelines as they had their fun, amused by their antics. Harry was the only one brave enough to turn the pranks on Minerva...

~~~

   Minerva had been having a normal day. It was a Saturday, and she'd popped in to her residence to grab something, knowing that Sirius and Harry were both home. It was the dark haired man's turn to watch the little devil, as he'd gotten a new broom for his 8th birthday, and couldn't be trusted alone for even a moment.

   When she paused in her office, not hearing any sound from the outside, she got suspicious. Usually, when Sirius Black was in her home, there wasn't a moment of peace. Not even a second. So not hearing the loud giggles of Harry, or the joyous shouts of Sirius was.. concerning. Minerva opened her door, and stepped out to investigate, and as soon as she did, she was bombarded with water balloons. She blinked furiously, and was only met with the giggles of one Harry Potter. Sirius sat in the corner, holding his hands up in surrender, and pointed to the child. "It was him Minnie..." He spoke gravely, a serious tone in his voice as he put all the blame on the little one.

   Harry just burst out into another fit of giggles. "Auntie Minnie, he bought them for me" Harry giggled, pointing back at Sirius. Sirius jumped up in indignation.

   "You little snitch!" He shouted, feigned betrayal in his tone. He dashed forward, scooping up the small boy in his arms and swinging him around, hanging by his legs. "Oh, I'll teach you not to snitch!"

   Minerva simply chuckled, casting a quick drying spell on herself. "You'd better watch yourself, Sirius Black..." She said in warning, as she stepped back into her office. She couldn't hide her fond chuckles as she left.

~~~

   There were some days that Minerva couldn't find someone to watch Harry, which in turn led to her bringing the child to school with her on occasion. Usually he would sit in during the lessons, coloring in his little books, or reading whatever child's book his Uncle Moony had told him to read. But sometimes, he would get bored and wander off. He just loved the Hogwarts grounds, and always somehow managed to find his way around perfectly. All the students knew who he was, and the older students would dote on him constantly, giving him treats and piggyback rides whenever he wanted.

   That's why, as soon as the Weasley twins started at Hogwarts... well Minerva knew she was in for a journey. Harry was nine at the time, and he was brought into school with her about two weeks into the school year. Somehow, likely because Peeves loves to cause problems for her, he managed to meet the twins almost immediately. And, goodness did they hit it off. The twins decided they'd found a new honorary little brother, because in their own words, 'Why must we be stuck with the boring siblings when we could have you!'.

   Harry would help them with their pranks, giving advice that Sirius had given him when he could. That's how they found the Marauders Map, one that Minerva wasn't supposed to know about but she did naturally, and how they'd managed to make enemies of nearly all the staff at Hogwarts. But Harry just loved the chaos, reveling in the shared mischief they caused together. Oh, they were inseparable when Harry was able to join Minerva at school. He would run off instantly to find the twins.

~~~

   Harry was told bedtime stories about his parents. All while he was growing up, Sirius would tell stories about his and James' adventures in school, and Remus would fill him in on whatever Lily would get up to, or what great things they did. Harry loved these story times, staring up at the men with stars in his eyes. He was always chasing after his parents in his own achievements and interests. One day, he stared up at Remus as he talked about Lily, and had to ask, "What was mum's favorite subject at Hogwarts?"

   Remus paused at the question, clearly not expecting the nine-year-old to ask that. "Well... she loved all her classes.. but I think her favorite was Potions. She was an incredibly skilled witch when it came to anything, but especially Potions..." He said, remembering her being the top of her class, every year.

   Harry thought for a moment, before the dedicated expression that him and James shared came across his face. "I'm gonna be the best at potions then!" He said strongly. "Next time Auntie Minnie takes me to school with her, I'll sneak to the potions classroom...!" And he sounded so sure of himself. The kind of confidence only a child of James Fleamont Potter could have...

~~~

   Now, no one really expected Harry to actually sneak into the potions classroom. Severus Snape wasn't even informed of the 'threat' made by the nine-year-old boy. Snape had a somewhat strained relationship still with Sirius Black, but was on friendlier terms with both Minerva, since he started working as a professor, and Remus, which was a surprising feat on it's own. So one would think that Remus would inform his so-called friend of Harry Potter's interest in potions.

   During classes one day Harry snuck into the first years class, hiding in a back corner while Snape taught. Of course the man noticed, because how could he not? When his excitable first year Slytherins were side-eyeing the small boy hiding on their side of the classroom. And he wasn't daft enough to miss the boy walking in. Severus decided to let Harry be for some time, as long as he wasn't getting into anything dangerous. But he would be stopping the boy from leaving before the next class, so he could return him to his guardian.

   What did surprise him was Harry's small notebook as he actually listened to the lessons, taking notes on what he deemed important. A child, taking notes on potions, willingly wasn't exactly common. Especially the child of his enemy. But then Severus remembered that Harry was only half James Potter. The other half.. the eyes and smile and freckles and... well his eagerness to learn apparently. That was all Lily.

   And if Snape smiled at the small boy when he pulled him aside later, no he didn't. Severus Snape was not soft. And he didn't smile. Especially at nine-year-old boys who gave him lip, with sassy remarks and bright eyes.

~~~

   "C'mon Remus, you knoooww it would be fun!!" Sirius stood in front of his boyfriend, smiling as he pestered the man. Remus never even glanced up from his book, too used to Sirius's antics.

   "Padfoot, I am not going to play Quidditch with you and a ten year-old-boy. I wouldn't do it in high school when you and James begged, I certainly won't now." Remus still didn't look away from whatever he was reading. Minerva sat in the corner, watching the whole situation, with an air of amusement. Sirius had been begging for almost an hour now, and Remus hadn't budged.

   "C'mon Moony!!" Sirius asked, with pleading eyes. Now, that in itself didn't make Remus consider. He'd seen his boyfriends puppy eyes many times in the years he'd known him. No, Remus paused because Harry followed up Sirius's plea with one of his own.

   "Yea! C'mon Moony!" He laughed, throwing himself so he was hanging off Sirius's shoulders. The adults in the room froze, because in the moment.. all they could hear was James. James, pleading with Remus to help him and Sirius with whatever trouble they planned to get up too. They always said it like that. Sirius would start begging, would call him Moony, and James would chime in after, hanging off his best friend's shoulders as they begged him. It was so similar. Like deja-vu...

   In the end, Remus gave in. Only for Harry though. No one could deny him when he truly wanted something, that much was true.

~~~

   When Harry turned 10, his guardians decided they needed to start teaching him about the different branches of magic. About light and dark magic, and the different sectors. They explained to him what blood magic was, and that his mother was quite proficient in it. They explained that Uncle Padfoot was a dark wizard, but only in terms of magic, and that Uncle Moony and Aunt Minnie were light wixen. They explained that there are some forms of magic that wixen excelled in, and some they never could get the hang of. They explained all of it as best as they could. Then when Harry said he wanted to learn a little of all of it, they weren't opposed to teaching him.

   The issue was that they weren't able to teach him everything as in detail as one would want. They brought Severus into it, and he willingly agreed. But he recommended someone else's help. Now, everyone was sceptical when Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were brought up. They used to be supporters of the very man who killed Harry's parents, and who permanently damaged Harry's vision, (Trying to kill Harry himself.). But Severus was sure it would be a good idea. Especially because of the young Malfoy heir who was around Harry's age. It opened up many chances for them, and Harry could be taught more about his position in the political world by the Malfoy's, since his guardians, save for Black, couldn’t do it themselves.

   The initial meeting went surprisingly well, Draco and Harry became fast friends despite their very different personalities. Draco was well-mannered and elegant, while Harry could be a bit brash and clumsy most of the time. That didn't stop them though, as they started talking immediately about similar interests like Quidditch, and Potions. Narcissa was immediately babying the small boy, and knew she would have so much fun helping him alongside her husband. Lucius was more.. hesitant, to help. He knew that he didn't have the best reputation with them, but eventually, he warmed up in his own cold way.

   They worked on starting lessons with Harry, not only to teach him about every section of magic they could, but to help him prepare for Hogwarts, where he would be socializing with wixen from many different families, many of which would grow to be important people to have connections with. Draco swore to Harry that he wouldn't let him 'embarrass the Potter name' if he had anything to do with it. Harry just laughed at his new friend's odd enthusiasm.

~~~

   Before getting their Hogwarts letters, Draco made sure to introduce Harry to his circle of friends. Neville Longbottom, who Harry already knew of course, accompanied them as they traveled to meet the Parkinsons, Pansy Parkinson being the new friend Harry would meet. Pansy was excited to meet her best friend's new buddy, and wanted to make an amazing impression on Harry.

   By the end of that meeting, Harry looked Remus in the eyes and said, "She's quite scary. I like her.", with a content smile on his face.

   Remus just sighed as he remembered James attracting dangerous women to their group, Marlene, Dorcas, Lily, hell even Pandora could be scary. He didn't know if he wanted to know what kind of danger magnet Harry would be.

   Harry was also forced to befriend both Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Even more people he was so oddly different from, but he got along wonderfully with. Blaise instantly decided he liked Harry, and would be a friend to the chaotic boy, and Theo.. well lets just say he had always wanted to be friends with Harry Potter, just to spite his Father of course.

~~~

   The day finally came for Harry to get his Hogwarts letter, and he was jumping with excitement when an owl with the day's mail arrived. Sirius took his time going through it, putting on a surprised act when he saw one addressed to Harry.

   "Oh my.. it seems someone has written to you Harry!" He said, eyebrows raised in mock surprise.

   "Oh shove off Pads!" Harry scolded his godfather, before snatching the letter and running to the living room where his Aunt Minnie and Uncle Moony were waiting. He opened the letter, jumping for joy when he read his letter, already asking if he and Draco could do their shopping together. Of course they agreed to it, writing to the Malfoy's, to find out Draco had a similar demand.

   As a surprise for starting at Hogwarts, and an extra birthday gift, Sirius and Remus decided to buy Harry an owl. A beautiful snowy owl as they remembered the boy ranting about how gorgeous the breed was. Harry named her Hedwig affectionately, and smiled as she pecked at his fingers, apparently quickly attached to her new owner.

   After a long day of shopping, Harry was ready for his first day of Hogwarts. He was counting down the days until he could board the train with his friends.

~~~

   Neville Longbottom's parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, were tortured to insanity shortly after Voldemort's disappearance from the world. Death eaters Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange, along with Barty Crouch Jr used the cruciatus curse on the couple until they were driven mentally insane. The only reason the death eaters even found the Longbottoms, is because they were under the guise of a false safety. That just because He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone, meant they were finally safe again. And with Lily and James' deaths, how could they not come out of hiding to help their remaining friends cope?

   Everyone was distraught at the news that the sweet Alice and ever brave Frank had been hurt so badly, especially Frank's mother, Augusta Longbottom. She took in Neville to make sure he was cared for and raised properly, and insisted on arranging regular playdates between her grandson and Harry Potter. Basically, Harry and Neville were raised to love each other like brothers. Because it's what their parents would have wanted in the end. Harry knew Augusta as Gran, even though they were not related at all by blood.

   Harry went with Neville nearly every time they visited his parents. Harry comforted his pseudo brother every time his parents mindlessly handed him those gum wrappers, and even started to learn origami to create pretty shapes with them. Eventually, Neville had a jar full of gum wrappers, and when he and Harry would hang out, they would come up with different projects, sometimes just making tiny paper stars with them. The boys knew that the doctors all said that it wasn't possible for Neville's parents wouldn't ever recognize their own son, let alone their old friend's son, but... there was something about the way Alice Longbottom seemed to light up at their company. Something in the way Frank Longbottom's head always seemed to face the boys. And sometimes.. sometimes Harry swore they would stare at him. Like they were seeing something that wasn't there.

   After Harry and Neville got their letters, their Gran took them to visit the Longbottoms in St. Mungos. The boys walked up to the bedsides of Alice and Frank, voices soft and expressions gentle. They told the mindless adults that they got their Hogwarts letters. That they were about to start the next chapter of their lives. Even Augusta herself couldn't deny that her son and daughter-in-law were glowing. They were still as mindless as before, muttering unintelligible words and handing the boys those gum wrappers, but they seemed happy. As happy as they could. Neville swears that his mum squeezed his hand just a little tighter than usual when they stood to leave.

~~~

   Finally, Harry stood in front of the train, Neville bedside him as they hugged their families goodbye. Gran was there for both boys, as well as Sirius and Remus. Minerva was already at the school preparing for the coming year, but she knew Harry was taken care of in his Godfather's hands. It was all happy hugs, and promises to come home for the winter break to celebrate Yule with their families. Harry could see a family of redheads doing the same with their young ones, amongst the crowd of families excited for their kids' school years.

   Harry and Neville finally boarded, finding an empty compartment fairly quick. Eventually, Draco found his friends, Theo, Pansy, and Blaise behind him. They entered the compartment, Theo sitting on one side of Harry while Pansy took her seat on the other. Draco sat bedside Neville. They caught up, until a somewhat lanky red-headed boy knocked on the door.

   "Would it be alright if I join you?" He asked the group. Harry immediately agreed, knowing they had space. The boy sat down, introducing himself. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley." He said, looking up at the rest. Everyone else introduced themselves first, Draco trying to seem more elegant than he usually was in conversation. Then it was Harry's turn.

   "I'm Harry then. Harry Potter." Harry said with a large smile, reminiscent of his fathers, and held a hand out for Ron to shake. Instead of shaking his hand however, the boy just stared in shock.

   "Harry Potter? As in, THE Harry Potter!?" Harry grimaced slightly.

   "Well.. yes, but I am still just Harry. Please don't do all that, it is far too old by now." Harry's hand was still reached out, and Ron had the grace to at least look embarrassed. He apologized, taking Harry's hand and shaking it. "I hope we can be friends then!" Harry said excitedly.

   The rest of the train ride was peaceful, quiet conversation between the group, Harry, Pansy and Theo formed a somewhat cuddle pile as they got some rest before arriving, Draco and Blaise were having a conversation on their bets on where everyone would be sorted, and Neville chatted to Ron about whatever came to mind. When they got there, changed into their school robes, they stared excitedly at their surroundings.

   The sorting started as one would expect. Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Theo all got into Slytherin, because of course, Ron and Neville were sorted into Gryffindor which had Harry cheering for the two, as they'd both said they wanted the house. When Harry's name got called, the whole room broke into whispers, but Harry just looked up at Minerva and smiled. He glanced at Snape up at the teachers table, and sat down on the stool, the hat being placed on his head.

   It didn't take much deliberation for the hat to call out, "SLYTHERIN!", but instead of the loud cheers and claps everyone else got, the great hall was silent in surprise. A Potter in Slytherin? Surely not? Eventually Harry's friends in Slytherin and Gryffindor started clapping for him, Minerva joining in alongside any friends and teachers he'd made during his years exploring the school. The Weasley twins actually stood up and started whooping and hollering for them, which earned a glare from Minerva but they didn't care. The whole Slytherin table clapped as Harry sat down beside Draco comfortably, his once black robes now decorated with emerald green and silver.

   Harry couldn't wait for this year, even as his scar began to sting in a weird way it never had before.. Maybe he should talk to Aunt Minnie when he gets the chance?

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Year One - Begin

   The first day of classes went.. alright. Harry was excited, even though it wouldn't even be using much magic yet. The first two weeks would be spent making sure everyone seemed to settle alright in school, and got adjusted to the class schedules. And the start of reading textbooks of course. Reading was probably Harry's least favorite part about learning.

   Either way, yes, it was his first day. He settled into the dungeons easily with his friends the night before, and found out he'd be sharing a dorm with Theo, Blaise, and Draco. He woke up early on his first day of classes, getting his grumpy friends out of bed ready for classes. Everything was going great, so why did he feel like something was wrong. His scar was actually hurting, and it had never hurt before.

   When he was younger, Harry asked Minerva about his scar, and eyesight. She had to explain to him what a curse scar was, and how it was almost impossible to remove one from more commonly used spells, let alone an unforgivable. He understood that he'd never be able to see properly out of the eye his scar crossed. But his scar had never hurt before. It was always like.. a thing that was there. He didn't feel it at all really. But whenever he was in the great hall, or in his defense class oddly enough, his scar started to sting.

   He'd asked Minerva about it, but the older woman didn't seem to have any idea what it could be, and focused on him. "You tell me if things get worse, Harry Potter. Do you understand? I can't help you unless you keep me informed."

   "I know Auntie. Don't worry, I'll tell you if anything odd happens.." Harry brushed off her affectionate ruffle as she dismissed him to go enjoy his off period. Harry told his friends about it next, of course. They all seemed bent on figuring it out, on finding the source of their friends' pains. Harry loved his friends.

~~~

   A month into his studies, Harry began to think something was off with this school. Sometimes, he’d catch the headmaster staring at him, like he was thinking really hard about something. His scar didn’t seem to let up much either, and it happened to get worse anytime he was around Professor Quirrell. He couldn’t definitively say what it meant, nor could any of his friends and family.

   Besides that, he was getting on fine. He excelled at potions and defence, despite his tense classes. He’d made a couple new friends from different houses, including a very nice muggleborn named Hermione that Neville introduced him to. Her and Ron didn’t seem to get on that well from what he’d heard, and he didn’t quite understand why. She was a very pleasant girl in his opinion.

   Harry had fallen into a routine with his classes and friends, and he hoped all would stay normal. At least, he did. Sometime at the beginning of October, Harry was walking with Theo and Hermione after a study session. The boys insisted on walking the girl back up to her dorm, despite their own being so far away. While walking through the staircases, one of the stairs they were on started moving. Harry immediately thought it was wrong.

   He’d walked these halls many times, and he had an active mind. Most people assumed the stairs were random, moving whenever they felt like it, but he knew differently. They worked on a schedule of sorts, moving periodically. And the stairs they were on shouldn’t be moving for another five minutes or so. He’d said as much to his friends, and Theo suggested they just keep going. 

   “Where are we now?” Hermione asked for a moment, looking around. Harry took one look at the floor they were on, and knew something was really wrong.

   “We’re in the third floor corridor… didn’t the Headmaster say something about this being off limits?” Harry responded, accepting his friend’s nods as confirmation. He had to admit he was a little curious. The trio walked further, entering a random room.

   At first, nothing seemed off. Harry took note of another door at the end of the hall, right before they heard a shrill meow behind them. Harry paled at the sight of Filch’s cat walking up to them. “Filch’s cat.. if he catches us up here he’ll have a fit.”

   In response to his words, Theo looked around for a spot to hide. Rushing to the door, he cast the unlocking charm, muttering Alohomora under his breath. They ran into the room, closing the door just as Filch entered the room, grumbling to his cat. The other two breathed a sigh of relief while Harry looked into the room in horror. “Um.. guys?” His voice was high and sharp, as he frantically smacked at his friends for their attention.

   They turned to be met with a three-headed dog, a cerberus if Harry remembered correctly. And it looked.. Angry. With a scream, they rushed out as the dog started barking and lunging at them. Luckily, Filch was gone by then, so they continued rushing down the hall. When they finally got to the entrance of the Gryffindor dorms, Harry grabbed Hermione’s arm.

   “Let’s not tell anyone else about this.. Not even our friends. At least wait until I talk to Professor McGonagall first..” She hesitated, but nodded in agreement.

   “All right Harry. Tell me when you find out more.” Then she climbed into the portrait after giving the password. 

   Harry and Theo rushed back to the dungeons to get to their dorms, not finding any other issues along the way. They didn’t talk at all until they were safe in their own common room, which was mostly empty by now thanks to the time of night.

   “Do you have any idea why they would have a Cerberus in a school filled with children?” Theo asked, his voice showing how crazy he felt the situation was.

   “No, I have never seen anything like that happening before. Hogwarts is usually considered the safest place in the world..” Harry kept his response short and quick as they climbed back up to their dorm room. “But, I’ll ask Aunt Minnie about it when I get the chance.”

   With a nod from his friend, Harry and Theo finished their conversation as they joined their dorm-mates in the bedroom. He would definitely bring it up to her. Surely if she knew, she’d have told him, right?

~~~

   A week later, Harry finds out that she did not in fact know about the dog. At first, she was furious that he’d gone up there, as they were told explicitly not too. “It was an accident Minnie, I know for a fact those stairs should not have moved when they did.” Harry defended himself strongly, pleading with her to accept his side of the story.

   After a moment that she took to calm herself, Minerva finally spoke, “Listen to me Harry, I don’t want you going back up there. Even if the stairs change when they're not meant to, I want you to just wait where you are, do you understand me?” She scolded him in the way that always made him wish he hadn’t done whatever it was he did, and he sighed, nodding. After another moment, she seemed to accept his answer, and started again. “As for the dog, I didn’t know it was there. I’ll speak with the headmaster about the dangers of keeping such an animal around students, but I cannot tell you why it’s there. It is none of your concern, just focus on your studies.”

   With that, she brushed him off to class with more questions than answers. None of his concern? What on earth was that dog hiding..

~~~

   As more time passed, the issue was pushed from his mind easily. He’d told his friends of course, but him and Theo had different things to think about as Samhain approached. One evening while they were talking about it, Hermione looked perplexed. “What is this Samhain that you keep talking about?” She asked curiously.

   “You haven’t read up on Samhain? I guess that would make sense, I wouldn’t put it past our headmaster to remove any books talking about wizarding holidays..” Theo muttered bitterly.

   Harry tried to mediate the conversation, distracting from their friends' obvious dislike for the light wizard who currently ran the school. “Samhain, Hermione, is the original ‘Halloween’. Well, more like a wixen version of halloween. It’s mainly a time to remember our past loved ones, and celebrate new beginnings. Most pureblood wixen tend to celebrate Samhain instead of the Halloween that muggles celebrate.”

   Hermione looked absolutely ecstatic at the opportunity to learn more about Wizarding culture. “Really? Oh, please tell me all about it.. How do you celebrate?”

   “Well, most people perform rituals that connect you with your passed ancestors, but here at Hogwarts it’s forbidden to do anything of the sort since it’s usually related to blood magic, which is inherently dark most of the time.” Harry explained, Theo nodding along beside him.

   They spoke on it for a while longer, Harry explaining that he was actually setting up a secret meeting with some others if she wanted to come along. “You don’t even have to participate if you don’t want to. Plenty of people tend to just attend and watch so they can feel the magic, and sometimes just for the party.

   She agreed readily, though she seemed sceptical to participate in dark magic. Harry had been working on secretly gathering those who would want to take part. A few older kids agreed easily, All of Harry’s Slytherin friends, and Neville, were already on board without him having to ask. Fred and George were intrigued, and jumped at the chance, while Ron was unsure on whether or not he wanted to go along with it. When he found out Hermione was going though, he agreed, not wanting to be shown up by the ‘know-it-all’ as he put it.

~~~

   On the day of Halloween, everything seemed normal for the most part. Everyone knew to meet in the Room of Requirement by eleven-thirty that night, so they could perform the ritual at midnight. Of course, something had to happen didn’t it?

   At dinner, the first thing he noticed was the absence of two of his friends. Hermione and Pansy were noticeably gone. When he asked Theo, his friend looked at him with a sad look. “Me and Pansy heard Weasley making fun of Hermione earlier today, and unfortunately she did too. Pansy has been in the first floor bathrooms with her because she was crying..”

   Harry was immediately worried for his friend. Ron seemed to have a mean streak of sorts when no one was there to keep him in check, kind of like Draco in a way. But, he brushed it off since Pansy was with her. The pureblood witch seemed to have a way with people when they were upset.

   That was, until Professor Quirrell barged into the room yelling off about a troll in the dungeons. The uproar that followed was deafening, students panicking before Dumbledore calmed everyone down, ordering students to wait for their heads of houses to gather them. He glanced up at the teachers table, where Minnie seemed distracted with her Lions. Snape however, started stalking over immediately.

   “Theo, the girls don’t know…” Harry whispered worriedly. Finding a moment their head teacher was distracted, Theo grabbed Harry, running out of the Great Hall unnoticed. As they did, Ron followed, clearly having the same worries. He looked guilty, clearly knowing that neither of them would be there if he hadn’t poked fun at her.

   They three boys ran to the bathroom, and hid around the corner when they saw the shadow of the troll going in. “I thought Quirrell said it was in the Dungeon..?” Ron muttered to them in horror. They stood for a moment wondering what to do, before they heard two screams sounding from the bathroom already. Harry didn’t hesitate to run in, seeing as the troll destroyed stalls and sinks while Pansy and Hermione hid in a corner together.

   “Hey ugly, over here!” Harry shouted without thinking, as he saw the club rise over his friend's hiding spot. The troll reacted instantly, turning in the direction of the three boys who had rushed in. Then was when Harry panicked. He didn’t know how to handle a troll for Merlin’s sake, this was for the Aurors. Theo and Ron helped with distracting the Troll as the girls got out from behind it.

   They were cornered by the troll now, and Harry racked his mind for spells he knew. He’d studied a bit of magic theory before school, but couldn’t explicitly practice it until now. In an instant, he pulled out his wand and cast a shielding charm over his friends. Then, he ran over the wand movements of the stunning spell. The first time he called out Petrificus Totalus, it didn’t work. He hadn’t practiced it yet, despite his intention to do so. He tried again though. By the third time, it worked, and the troll fell, hitting it’s head against the hard floor. Trolls had thick skin though, so he cast a quick binding spell that he knew he was good at to keep the beast from getting back up.

   As soon as he turned back, some of the teachers ran in hurriedly. Minerva sputtered helplessly at the sight in front of her. “What in Merlin's name are you children doing here!?”

   With the other teachers there, Harry tried not to let her fuss over him as she loved to do. “I’m sorry ma’am, but we had to come for Hermione and Pansy. They were in here during the feast, and didn’t know-”

   Harry was cut off by Snape’s stern tone, as he looked over the other students. “Stupid boy, you should have just come to one of us.”

   Despite the harsh words, Harry wasn’t upset. Instead, he was embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of that first. “Right.. Sorry professors.” He mumbled shyly, Theo and Ron looking just as embarrassed as he felt. In the end, they were rewarded five points each for bravery, and lost three each for stupidity. Well, save for Hermione and Pansy who were really just victims in it all.

   Each student was looked over, and rushed back to their dorms. By now, it was already ten-thirty, meaning they would only have an hour to sneak off to the seventh floor and set up before other students began arriving for the ritual. Harry was determined though. He hadn’t missed a Samhain yet, so why should he now just because some old light wizard thought he knew what was best?