[Fest-entry:] Fic: thinking about it
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hp_shoreofangstTitle: thinking about it
Author/Artist:ayebydan
Rating:PG-13
Prompt: Prompt# 4 An abused Harry is sorted into another House than Gryffindor and revels in all the new knowledge he finds at Hogwarts. His living conditions have made him patient, cruel and unwilling to trust anyone, but it has also made him a great actor and an even better liar as he pretends to be a good and respectful student.
Pairing: slow beginnings of harry/hermione
Era: 1991, trio years
Word Count: 1494
Content/Warning(s): none
Summary: Harry has been using magic for years to get his way. The hat does not know where to put him but for Harry there is only one place he can stay; the place he can learn most.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
The hall is full of whispers and Harry does not like that one bit. No one here knows him apart from maybe Ron but that was only over a few hours. He makes his way to the stool and lets the older lady put the hat on his head. He tries to return her smile but it feels awkward. When a voice appears in his head he nearly gasps but just about holds it in. He settles for holding on to the edges of the stool.
"Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting....So where shall I put you?"
"The place I can learn most, please."
"Hogwarts teaches all."
"Sure, but I want the house that cares most about learning."
"There are many reasons to learn though, young one. Add to that the way this school is meant to raise you to an adult ready to face the world. You need more than learning. Your stubborn nature says you could do well in Gryffindor but that determination to work is all Hufflepuff. But why, why do you seek that knowledge? Slytherin can help you on your way to greatness!"
"Where learning is most valued. That is where I want to go."
"You might learn to trust, young one. Hogwarts can be your family now. But to follow your thirst unquestioned then you truly belong in RAVENCLAW!"
Harry smiles and gets himself free of the stool before handing the hat back to his professor and making his way towards the stunned table whose prefects have their hands in the air in welcome. Harry makes his way towards a girl with a smile.
"I'm Penny. Here, sit down."
So he does and the rest of the sorting follows. It feels like the other tables keep looking at him but the more that feeling grows the more the people on the table around him seem to scowl and glare back. Harry is not sure what to make of that. He does like it though.
Once the food appears and Dumbledore's odd warning is given Harry pays more attention.
"So yeah, I am your fifth year Prefect, Penny. Penny Clearwater. Roger is further up the table and then there are the sixth years and seventh year Male. Wildsmith is Head Girl so you will meet her later. I mean, she is down at the end of the table but..to proper-"
"I understand."
"Ok", she beams and Harry smiles back. Smiles get him places. He knows that.
Her smile falters first.
"You did not think I would be a Ravenclaw did you?"
Falter.
Then a glance down the table.
Then Penny seems to steel herself, and Harry can respect that,
"No. We have been raised on books. Clearly those books were wrong," she declares loudly and Harry notes enough Ravenclaws take note for the information to disappear down the table in whispers.
Penny falters so Harry shoves a piece of garlic bread in his mouth before his statement lights her up again, "The Gryffindrors seemed to think I belonged there without doubt!"
"They think they deserve everything!" a new voice snaps, as a boy scowls at other children until he can sit next to Harry. " Roger Davis. I see how others are looking at you. Thought I would come back Penny up. And you."
"Appreciated. I think I will like it here."
HPHG
At first Harry Potter is content to wander the halls of Hogwarts alone. Friends are things to be exposed as weaknesses. His housemates accept his loner spirit but are there if needed. He does not make an enemy of Draco Malfoy or join any Quidditch teams because he knows better than to rise to taunts and has no desire to stand out. Standing out means attention and attention means people trying to stop him from doing things he has ever right to. Like learn beyond his group. Like seeing his wand as a tool he can use at times while still honing his magic to respond to his thoughts and commands without it. Magic was at his command before Hogwarts and Harry Potter has long since sworn that no man will ever control him again.
Halloween changes that.
Noting that Granger was missing he had told Penny only to be informed that was Gryffindor's responsibility. Harry does not trust them to help her so do it himself and after that, well, she basically just will not leave him alone. Still, he comes to appreciate the company. She is not loutish like the other lions. He can also appreciate being alone and having no one to call on in your time of need to share a funny thought with. Just because he has adapted does not mean he is totally unsympathetic. Plus, having a study partner is helpful if nothing else.
HPHG
The first time that Hermione does not get a spell in class Harry sees his chance.
"Don't you think the wand holds you back?"
"The wand channels magic, Harry."
"Sure. If that is what they told you. Funny we managed without them before school."
"What are you talking about?" She demands. It is early December, snow on the ground, and whispers of what lies on the third floor fill the corridors around them as she huffs in irritation and little white clouds form at her mouth. It makes Harry smile. Her curiosity makes it so simple.
"You're smart. You figure it out"
HPHG
Harry reads a lot over the break. There is nothing else to get on with and he certainly has no desire to hang out with Weasley of all people as a year mate. Harry works out there is a magical creature hidden in the middle of the school and spends three days debating if he should send his owl to the paper about it.
Hermione comes back to the school with a bag of clothes for Harry and a blush on her cheeks.
"I did so much. No one ever came!"
His smile is harder to pin down this time. Make nice. "I told you."
"Don't be so smug! Try the clothes on and then I want to go and practice!"
The gleam in her eyes tells Harry that he has her. The clothes however make him feel something like guilt about it though. She is trying to be a good friend. Harry is not sure what he is doing yet.
HPHG
"It says we should not look at anything more. That the magic can corrupt us."
"Yes, that book says. I bought another one. It says different. Would you like to borrow it?"
She only hesitates for a moment.
No cloak had ever appeared for this Harry Potter on Christmas morning but he does not need it. Ravenclaw cares not for where its students roam as long as they do not lose points or damage the reputation of the house. The Gryffindors hardly notice that Hermione exists anyway. At Harry's insistence she has long since stopped answering questions in class. If the only reward were house points for housemates that despise her then there is no point. Better to go unnoticed.
The groundskeeper is fired when his house nearly burns down and rumours speak of a dragon or chimera but Harry does not care to look further and Hermione is too involved in her books by then. Harry starts to wonder where the limits are of his magic and finds out when he merely thinks of Terry Boot choking and suddenly the other boy cannot breathe in his bed. Hermione scolds him the next day but not for what he had done, merely for his target and the possible witnesses.
"Don't you think I think about it too? That damn Weasley? You have to be smarter than that, Harry."
"You're not the girl I met months ago."
"No. I do not want to be either," she responds fiercely as she kicks at a bunch of weeds on the way to herbology.
HPHG
It is not that the children are evil. Selfish maybe. They look beyond societies limits. They want more.
Harry ends the Easter term by saving the Philosopher's stone from Voldemort but he does so without needing to summon aid. Hermione is more than a match for the chess set and the other tasks are pitiful in comparison with all they have learned. Their wands are hardly used. The key appears in Harry's hand before he demands it so. Harry wishes for the stone to protect it. The Mirror cannot work out that he means to protect it from Dumbledore and that while he won't use it Hermione will milk it for all the gold it is worth. Albus finishes the term flailing for answers and Harry keeps his head down. No one thinks anything of it. He is in Ravenclaw. He is certainly no hero.
Author/Artist:
ayebydanRating:PG-13
Prompt: Prompt# 4 An abused Harry is sorted into another House than Gryffindor and revels in all the new knowledge he finds at Hogwarts. His living conditions have made him patient, cruel and unwilling to trust anyone, but it has also made him a great actor and an even better liar as he pretends to be a good and respectful student.
Pairing: slow beginnings of harry/hermione
Era: 1991, trio years
Word Count: 1494
Content/Warning(s): none
Summary: Harry has been using magic for years to get his way. The hat does not know where to put him but for Harry there is only one place he can stay; the place he can learn most.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
The hall is full of whispers and Harry does not like that one bit. No one here knows him apart from maybe Ron but that was only over a few hours. He makes his way to the stool and lets the older lady put the hat on his head. He tries to return her smile but it feels awkward. When a voice appears in his head he nearly gasps but just about holds it in. He settles for holding on to the edges of the stool.
"Hmm. Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting....So where shall I put you?"
"The place I can learn most, please."
"Hogwarts teaches all."
"Sure, but I want the house that cares most about learning."
"There are many reasons to learn though, young one. Add to that the way this school is meant to raise you to an adult ready to face the world. You need more than learning. Your stubborn nature says you could do well in Gryffindor but that determination to work is all Hufflepuff. But why, why do you seek that knowledge? Slytherin can help you on your way to greatness!"
"Where learning is most valued. That is where I want to go."
"You might learn to trust, young one. Hogwarts can be your family now. But to follow your thirst unquestioned then you truly belong in RAVENCLAW!"
Harry smiles and gets himself free of the stool before handing the hat back to his professor and making his way towards the stunned table whose prefects have their hands in the air in welcome. Harry makes his way towards a girl with a smile.
"I'm Penny. Here, sit down."
So he does and the rest of the sorting follows. It feels like the other tables keep looking at him but the more that feeling grows the more the people on the table around him seem to scowl and glare back. Harry is not sure what to make of that. He does like it though.
Once the food appears and Dumbledore's odd warning is given Harry pays more attention.
"So yeah, I am your fifth year Prefect, Penny. Penny Clearwater. Roger is further up the table and then there are the sixth years and seventh year Male. Wildsmith is Head Girl so you will meet her later. I mean, she is down at the end of the table but..to proper-"
"I understand."
"Ok", she beams and Harry smiles back. Smiles get him places. He knows that.
Her smile falters first.
"You did not think I would be a Ravenclaw did you?"
Falter.
Then a glance down the table.
Then Penny seems to steel herself, and Harry can respect that,
"No. We have been raised on books. Clearly those books were wrong," she declares loudly and Harry notes enough Ravenclaws take note for the information to disappear down the table in whispers.
Penny falters so Harry shoves a piece of garlic bread in his mouth before his statement lights her up again, "The Gryffindrors seemed to think I belonged there without doubt!"
"They think they deserve everything!" a new voice snaps, as a boy scowls at other children until he can sit next to Harry. " Roger Davis. I see how others are looking at you. Thought I would come back Penny up. And you."
"Appreciated. I think I will like it here."
HPHG
At first Harry Potter is content to wander the halls of Hogwarts alone. Friends are things to be exposed as weaknesses. His housemates accept his loner spirit but are there if needed. He does not make an enemy of Draco Malfoy or join any Quidditch teams because he knows better than to rise to taunts and has no desire to stand out. Standing out means attention and attention means people trying to stop him from doing things he has ever right to. Like learn beyond his group. Like seeing his wand as a tool he can use at times while still honing his magic to respond to his thoughts and commands without it. Magic was at his command before Hogwarts and Harry Potter has long since sworn that no man will ever control him again.
Halloween changes that.
Noting that Granger was missing he had told Penny only to be informed that was Gryffindor's responsibility. Harry does not trust them to help her so do it himself and after that, well, she basically just will not leave him alone. Still, he comes to appreciate the company. She is not loutish like the other lions. He can also appreciate being alone and having no one to call on in your time of need to share a funny thought with. Just because he has adapted does not mean he is totally unsympathetic. Plus, having a study partner is helpful if nothing else.
HPHG
The first time that Hermione does not get a spell in class Harry sees his chance.
"Don't you think the wand holds you back?"
"The wand channels magic, Harry."
"Sure. If that is what they told you. Funny we managed without them before school."
"What are you talking about?" She demands. It is early December, snow on the ground, and whispers of what lies on the third floor fill the corridors around them as she huffs in irritation and little white clouds form at her mouth. It makes Harry smile. Her curiosity makes it so simple.
"You're smart. You figure it out"
HPHG
Harry reads a lot over the break. There is nothing else to get on with and he certainly has no desire to hang out with Weasley of all people as a year mate. Harry works out there is a magical creature hidden in the middle of the school and spends three days debating if he should send his owl to the paper about it.
Hermione comes back to the school with a bag of clothes for Harry and a blush on her cheeks.
"I did so much. No one ever came!"
His smile is harder to pin down this time. Make nice. "I told you."
"Don't be so smug! Try the clothes on and then I want to go and practice!"
The gleam in her eyes tells Harry that he has her. The clothes however make him feel something like guilt about it though. She is trying to be a good friend. Harry is not sure what he is doing yet.
HPHG
"It says we should not look at anything more. That the magic can corrupt us."
"Yes, that book says. I bought another one. It says different. Would you like to borrow it?"
She only hesitates for a moment.
No cloak had ever appeared for this Harry Potter on Christmas morning but he does not need it. Ravenclaw cares not for where its students roam as long as they do not lose points or damage the reputation of the house. The Gryffindors hardly notice that Hermione exists anyway. At Harry's insistence she has long since stopped answering questions in class. If the only reward were house points for housemates that despise her then there is no point. Better to go unnoticed.
The groundskeeper is fired when his house nearly burns down and rumours speak of a dragon or chimera but Harry does not care to look further and Hermione is too involved in her books by then. Harry starts to wonder where the limits are of his magic and finds out when he merely thinks of Terry Boot choking and suddenly the other boy cannot breathe in his bed. Hermione scolds him the next day but not for what he had done, merely for his target and the possible witnesses.
"Don't you think I think about it too? That damn Weasley? You have to be smarter than that, Harry."
"You're not the girl I met months ago."
"No. I do not want to be either," she responds fiercely as she kicks at a bunch of weeds on the way to herbology.
HPHG
It is not that the children are evil. Selfish maybe. They look beyond societies limits. They want more.
Harry ends the Easter term by saving the Philosopher's stone from Voldemort but he does so without needing to summon aid. Hermione is more than a match for the chess set and the other tasks are pitiful in comparison with all they have learned. Their wands are hardly used. The key appears in Harry's hand before he demands it so. Harry wishes for the stone to protect it. The Mirror cannot work out that he means to protect it from Dumbledore and that while he won't use it Hermione will milk it for all the gold it is worth. Albus finishes the term flailing for answers and Harry keeps his head down. No one thinks anything of it. He is in Ravenclaw. He is certainly no hero.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-06-20 09:42 pm (UTC)i like how you worked the house dynamics
and the reason for wands and how to ditch them - the shift in personality is also amazing!
this was such an interesting read!
so many possibilities, so many ways to go! what a fascinating concept!
i like it A LOT
thanks for creating something so amazing for this little fest and this very tiny corner of hp-fandom <3
ps: you have another comment on lj; just in case you didn't see