Chapter Text
“Ahem, just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you”
Harry looked up from his now empty plate and watched as Professor Dumbledore beamed at everyone, his eyes twinkling as he spread his arms wide and smiled.
“First I would like to welcome back Professor Quirrell who will be taking over as our Defense against the Darks Arts teacher.” The scared-looking professor in the odd turban stood nervously and did a funny little bow before quickly taking his seat again, doing his best to avoid looking at the potions professor who sat next to him, Harry didn’t blame him. The dour looking man seemed bent on sneering his way through life. “Secondly it is with great sadness I must announce that dear Professor Cuthbert Binns has decided to move on and is no longer here to teach. He has been replaced by our new History of Magic teacher, Professor Evans, whose wife will also be joining our staff. Madam Evans will be joining Madam Pomphrey in the hospital wing as our new healer and has asked I make sure all students know if they have any problems to please go to the hospital wing straight away.”
Professor Dumbledore motioned to a very young-looking couple who were nestled between Professor McGonagall and Hagrid that Harry hadn’t noticed before. Professor Evans was an average height man with brown hair that fell in slightly messy waves to his shoulders, he wore square glasses and smiled brightly at all the students as he stood up. Madam Evans stood beside her husband, an identical smile on her face, her bright blue eyes beaming at the crowd of students before they both sat down.
Harry couldn’t explain it, but for some reason he felt the opposite looking at them than he had looking at Professor Snape. Something about them made him feel comfortable, even when they both seemed to notice his staring and instead of giving him a stern look for not paying attention to the rest of the speech, they had both given him a small smile, Professor Evans even went so far as to wink at him.
Harry was so caught off guard he hadn’t even noticed when the speech had ended until he heard everyone burst into song around him, each person seemed to be carrying their own tune. Harry followed along with Ron singing a rather upbeat version of what seemed to be the school song and tried to find a way to ask what he had missed. He needn’t have worried as Percy was the one to mention something first.
“I’m rather surprised to hear about the third floor, you would have thought Professor Dumbledore would have at least told us prefects about it.”
“Oh, buck up Perc, the man just probably forgot how important you are.” One of the twins teased. “Yeah, it’s not every day he gets to work with the amazing Percy Weasley, prefect extraordinaire.” The other twin added.
Hermione Granger, who didn’t seem capable of staying out of any conversation sniffed at the teasing “Have they ever blocked off an entire section of the school before? I haven’t read about anything like it in my copy of Hogwarts; A History.”
Harry yawned widely as he stood up with the rest of the first years. Well, now he knew what he had missed.
“Not that I know of, though Hogwarts is extremely old can be a bit temperamental. For all we know the castle itself sealed off part of the third floor just because” Percy stood up “Come on first years, stick together.”
Harry stuck close to Ron as they tiredly trudged up the stairs to their dormitory, only half listening as Percy explained everything as they went. Even in his exhausted state he couldn’t help but look around wide-eyed at the massive, inviting space.
The common room had a massive fireplace that seemed to take up a large portion of one of the walls, tall, narrow windows provided just enough natural light to create a warm welcoming environment, add in the overstuffed armchairs and cozy, dark wood desks and chairs and the whole room screamed home.
For the first time in his life Harry Potter felt as if he truly belonged and as he settled into his large, fourposter bed complete with maroon duvet and fluffy pillows and he couldn’t help the smile on his face as he fell asleep.
The following morning Harry rushed down to the great hall, Ron close on his heels, both afraid they would miss breakfast when they almost ran directly into Madam Evans who smiled down at them both.
“Good morning boys, I was hoping to run into you, and it seems lady luck is on my side. Mr. Weasley you may go on ahead” she quickly stepped closer to Harry who felt his stomach drop slightly “And no need to run, the food isn’t going anywhere. Mr. Potter and I will only be a moment.” Harry gave Ron a pleading look as the other boy was gently pushed down the hall by the woman who turned and briskly set off down the hall. “Come along Mr. Potter.”
Harry’s shoulders slumped as he followed the rather intimidating woman down the hall, dread filling his stomach with each step. When she finally stopped and ushered him into the hospital ward he looked around in confusion.
“Umm... Ma’am… I have I done something wrong?”
Madon Evans turned with a frown “Of course not, I only wish to check up on you. I noticed last night that you seemed to be rubbing your forehead and wished to make sure you didn’t still have a headache or anything.”
Harry looked up at her, his eyebrows scrunched up slightly. He honestly had no idea what to say, no adult had ever really noticed those kinds of things before and he didn’t know if he should just brush it off or say something. Before he had decided on a course of action she had bustled him over to bed and sat him down.
“It was nothing ma’am. Honestly, I’m fine.”
She sat on the bed across from him and leveled him with a soft, but determined look “Your health is not nothing Mr. Potter. Do you suffer headaches often?”
Harry shrugged, uncomfortable with suddenly being the focus of someone’s attention, maybe if he just gave her what she wanted he could leave and still make it in time to eat something? “No ma’am, last night was the first time I ever felt that sort of pain.”
She nodded “In what way?”
He looked down, trying to make himself as small as possible “It was more like a sharp stab to my scar. Is that normal for scars to hurt years later?”
She clasped her hands in her lap and nodded “Depending on the type of scar, yes. Some are more like a phantom pain; others are actual echoes of the original curse that caused the scar.” She talked rather matter of fact voice and face seemed to lack the pity he had come to expect in his very limited time within the magical world.
Harry looked up, maybe he wasn’t such a freak after all if what she said was true, but that also meant he would feal that sharp pain again. He chewed his lip “So this could happen again?”
She looked him over, taking her time to answer him before nodding slowly “I believe it will, yes.” She got up and walked over to a tall cabinet and pulled out her wand, tapping front of it before opening it and pulling out a small, dark purple phial. “Pain like that, while normal, isn’t something you need to just endure.” She passed him the bottle “This is a pain potion, and one swallow will help lesson it. I am giving it to you only if you promise to let me know if it happens again and what you were doing when it does.”
Harry nodded and pocketed the potion “Thank you Madam Evans.”
She smiled and stood up as he double doors to the ward opened and her husband walked in “Ah there you are. I didn’t see you at the table and had wondered what happened.” He turned to Harry and smiled “I trust everything is alight Mr. Potter? Big day today.”
Harry gave the friendly man a tentative smile “Yes sir, thank you.”
The professor smiled “Off you go now.” He looked at his watch “If you hurry you should have plenty of time to eat something before classes start.”
Harry nodded and quickly turned to leave. The Evans’s seemed nice, but he wasn’t exactly keen with either of them taking too much of an interest in him. He hated the attention he was already receiving in the magical world and just wanted the chance to blend in for once.
In his muggle primary school, he had been to center of the bullying thanks to Dudley and his little gang. All the students had quickly turned against him in hopes of avoiding his cousin’s ire and all the teachers had ignored him for the most part, not wanting to have to listen to his aunt Petunia complaining. Coming into the magical world he had hoped for a fresh start, one in which he could make friends for once in his life and maybe actually do well in his classes without having to test low in order to not upstage his cousin.
If the whispers, stares and faculty members singling him out already was any indication he probably wouldn’t be getting what he wanted… again.
Sighing he quickly tried to find his way to the great hall just in time to shove a few sausages in his mouth and nod gratefully to Ron who passed him his new class schedule.
“Everything alright?” Ron asked as they tried to navigate the labyrinth of halls and stairs to their first class with the rest of the students in their year.
“Yeah, Madam Evans just wanted to check on me is all since I had a headache last night.”
Ron looked at him for a moment, “Did someone tell on you or something. Bet it was Percy.”
Harry shook his head “No, she just noticed it last night I think.”
Ron made a face as they turned down yet another hallway “Sounds like Mum. I could cough six floors up and I swear she would be on me with a potion within seconds.”
Harry grinned at the thought of the nice-looking woman he had seen with the Ron at the platform hunting her brood of children down with a menacing look and a small bottle in hand.
Ron rolled his eyes “Trust me, it gets annoying if you try to fake it to get out of doing something.”
Harry tried to imagine what that would be like. Having a mother who cared so much about his health that he couldn’t even fake an illness, instead of an aunt who just shoved him into his cupboard and locked him in until he wasn’t contagious anymore. Ron didn’t seem to notice his falling mood as they walked into their first ever class at Hogwarts and Harry left his dropped mood at the door ready to learn real magic.
Down in the hospital wing Mrs. Evans smiled at her husband and kissed his cheek. “I forgot how little we all were, especially you.”
Harry smiled at his wife and pulled on one of the curls that had escaped her bun “I forgot just how much hair you had.”
Hermione laughed and swatted his hand away “Get to class Harry.”
Harry grinned and dodged her hand “Oh merlin save me! She is already reverting to her former self.”
Hermione laughed and tossed a pillow from one of the beds at his head that he easily swatted away before quickly escaping out the door.
Shaking her head Hermione summoned the pillow back and sat down with a sigh, she really had forgotten just how small Harry had been when they had first come to Hogwarts. If everything went according to plan, they would not only successfully change their own lives but change the whole trajectory of the magical world. From experience Hermione knew life rarely ever went to plan, especially when Harry was involved.