"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.
"No," said Harry.
"Play Quidditch at all?" the boy went on.
"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.
"NOOOOOOO!" Both James and Sirius exclaimed, dramatically clenching at their hair or chest as they fell to the floor.
"Would the two of you stop being so dramatic?" Lily said in exasperation.
"But Lily, Harry doesn't even know what Quidditch is! It's horrible!" James said tearfully to his wife.
Lily rolls her eyes skyward, and sends up a silent prayer. "Harry obviously knows what Quidditch is now, so you can both stop being children."
"Lily, I'm afraid they can't. Sadly this is their natural state." Remus sadly said to Lily.
James and Sirius both look at Remus with an affronted look on their faces. They were about to respond when Fury loudly said, "That is enough!" All the while McGonagall was giving the both of them her fiersist glare. James and Sirius both leapt into their seats, with their hands folded in front of them. The look of perfect innocence. As if they had never done anything wrong. Ever. In their entire lives.
"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree."
"I'd be a crime not to shut you up." Harry muttered under his breath.
"Know what House you'll be in yet?"
"No," said, Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"Hey!"
"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?!"
"Yeah!"
The Hufflepuffs and everyone who is friends or just likes the Hufflepuffs in general stand up, all yelling at Malfoy, as Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins stood up to yell right back at them.
BANG!
Another blast is sounded. Everyone looks to who did it. Only to be shocked to find it was Professor Sprout standing with her wand extended, with an angry and irritated look on her face.
"Sit. Down."
Everyone sits back down as one, refusing to look at Sprout. Staring down at the table in front of them.
"Mmm," said Harry, giving a noncommittal answer. Wishing that he could give a more interesting answer.
...
"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."
Harry beamed up at Hagrid. And Hagrid smiled right back at Harry.
...
"So what is Quidditch?"
James and Sirius sobbed dramatically into each other's shoulders. Lily and Remus just sighed tiredly and shook their heads.
"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."
Everyone at the Avenger's table listens intently.
"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"
"School Houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"
"Hey!"
"Are not!"
"Say that to my face, ya limp noodle!"
The entire hall went silent. Everyone was shocked to hear that to come out of a little Hufflepuff firstie. But all of the muggle raised students and a fair few of the people over at the Avengers table began to laugh.
"Harry. Do you know what's going on?" Ron asked across the table.
Harry just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Not having a clue either.
...
Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.
"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."
James and his friends all laughed along with most of the hall.
"Aw, come on Hagrid. Let Harry get the book." Sirius said, while wiping away tears.
James stood up all together, and walked over to Harry. Scooping Harry up into a hug, James exclaimed, "I am so proud of you! Don't worry, we'll figure out a suitable prank to pull on them together."
Harry and James grinned evilly at each other.
Up at the head table, Snape gave a small shudder. Dreading to even think about the kind of chaos that James Potter and his spawn could cause together.
"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea,"
"Yes! Hagrid is with us!" Harry shouted, a smile on his face.
"But yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn't work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."
"Awwww, Hagrid." James said sadly.
Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list")
Everyone looked at Harry, with a few chuckles heard around the room.
"What?" said Harry shrugging, "It was shiny."
There was a beat of silence when, "Oh," said Ron quietly so only Harry and Hermione could hear him, "so that's why you're so good at Quidditch. You're on the hunt for gold."
"You're like a cat." Hermione giggled.
Harry blushed, and sank further into his seat.
...
Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.
"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys."
Growls were heard throughout the hall, at the mention of the Dursleys.
"Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."
A magic wand ... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.
...
Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.
It took everything in Harry not to bolt or even show just how uncomfortable he was with how close Ollivander was to him.
...
"Well now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"
"Er - well, I'm right handed," said Harry.
"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand had a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons."
The Avengers, especially the scientists among them, all looked rather excited about the prospect of those kinds of creatures.
"No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
...
Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light onto the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well ... how curious ... how very curious ..."
He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious ... curious ..."
"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, its brother gave you that scar."
James and Lily paled. Fearful for Harry, at the implications of that.
Harry swallowed.
"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . . I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. . . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."
...
"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander ... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."
Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.
"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwart, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."
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