Quarantine had me cleaning out my laptop and found the drafts for this fic! :) Hope you enjoy

- Chapter 4: Hogwarts and hollers - -

The days (or nights, since that was when Harry snuck out to fly his Nimbus) literally flew by.

On a monumental September 1st Harry's green eyes snapped open and stared right into Kreacher's brown orbs.

"Young Master is going to Hogwarts today! Young Master needs to look good like Good Master…" Kreacher rambled excitedly.

Harry gently tried to push the House-Elf's face a little further away from his face than kissing-distance. He pushed Kreacher's head but it bobbed back instantly and the Elf kept rattling on excitedly.

"We has a many, many things to finish but not so many times to do it…" Kreachers face wrinkled with worry and concern. "Kreacher be finishing Young Masters pack-bag"

"Err thanks Kreacher." Harry said, whilst battling the Elf's insistent head "Do you mind getting off me… please?"

Kreacher nodded and jumped off Harry's bed as if he'd been burned. Harry was startled by Kreacher's reaction, but his confusion quickly turned to resignation when the Elf continued worriedly:"Of course Kreacher gets off Young Master. Young Master needs to dress in many clothes for the trains."

Then, as if possessed, the Elf started searching though every drawer of Harry's closet. Ensuring that "Young Master is dressed good." which apparently included even making sure Harry was wearing his best undergarments and socks.

After sliding out of the comforts the bed offered him he glanced at the royal bed longingly. He knew that if there was anything he'd be missing at Hogwarts, it'd be his bed. The tatty beds in Gryffindor tower could not even begin to compare to the sheer comfort his bed here offered.

With a long, suffering sigh Harry allowed Kreacher to take over his dressing and undressing. The House-Elf was flying all over his form manically. Harry barely took note of the frantic elf: he was too preoccupied thinking about his return to Hogwarts.

Harry glanced at the big, wooden clock and noticed that the Blacks would most likely not be leaving for another two hours.

Another two hours before he saw Sirius again - the thought made his heart heavy in his chest.

Another two hours before he saw Sirius again; and James Potter, and Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, Professor McGonaggal, Dumbledore and… Mr. Nott.

A smile worked it's way on Harry's lips at the realisation that there would be at least one person besides Sirius who wouldn't be entirely unfamiliar towards him.

After what felt like an hour of poking and prodding Kreacher took a step back to admire his work. The Elf stared at him wide-eyed and started muttering illegibly. Then, putting Harry in a situation he wouldn't have expected to find himself in in his wildest dreams; Tears started to form in Kreacher's eyes.

"Young Master be looking all grown-up… Young Master leaving Kreacher here and going to learn all the magics and Kreacher promises he will be cleaning your room and killing the muggles for Young Masters and-" the little elf choked on his excitement and looked at his little master wide-eyed.

Not sure what to do, Harry simply petted the Elf like you would an overly-loyal dog. "Thanks Kreacher, that means a lot." he voiced awkwardly. The House-Elf's eyes got - if possible - even bigger and another tear dramatically rolled down it's wrinkly cheek.

Then, he wiped his cheeks on the white rugs that hung loosely from his thin frame and gave his big head a little shake, then, having gone from an emotional mess to being perfectly composed in a matter of seconds the Elf regarded Harry's appearance one more time.

This time Kreacher's judgement clouded by the heavy emotional load of this being the last time the elf would get to dress him for a while. After making a few finishing touches Kreacher was satisfied with his appearance and proudly bowed down and offered:"Young Masters should take a looks in the mirrors to see if Young Master likes Young Masters dresses."

Harry couldn't get it over his heart to deny the request and hesitantly made his way to the mirror, feeling Kreacher's eyes burning holes in his side the entire time.

Staring back at him cas a familiar, sleek face. The face he had gotten used to by now, but his reflection was wearing Hogwarts Robes. The exact same clothes he'd worn regularly over the course of five years, a strange emotion welled up inside him at the thought of returning to hogwarts without Ron & Hermione by his side.

He was staring at his reflection in awe when there was a soft knocking on the door. "Come in." Harry croaked out, not taking his eyes away from his reflection.

He absentmindedly heard the door swing open and only tore his eyes away from the mirror when he heard Orion's voice fill the room:"I remember my first day at Hogwarts." the man said with a chuckle.

Harry smiled tentatively and turned to face the large, black-haired man. "Are you nervous?" Orion asked softly.

Harry felt blood rush to his cheeks, and after biting his lips he muttered:"Yeah, I am…"

"Well of course you are! It's completely natural son." Orion said comfortingly. "It's natural to be nervous, but feeling it and showing it are two entirely different matters." Walburga's voice joined them, she went to stand next to Orion just inside his room and pride made it's way into her eyes. She looked him up and down approvingly and said:"Hogwarts robes suit you well, Regulus."

"Thank you, mother." Harry said genuinely as he took another glance at himself in the mirror.

"Kreacher has prepared breakfast, come." Walburga concluded.

After a pleasant breakfast, a speedy last-minute packing session numerous reminders from Walburga on proper behaviour the family was ready to depart to Platform 9 and 3/4.

Harry took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He had been looking forward to this moment ever since coming to this time period (however involuntary it had been).

Finally he would be getting the chance to spend more time with his Godfather. Finally he would be able to go through Hogwarts the way an 11 year old should: without having a Dark Lord chasing after him. (He chose to ignore the small voice inside him that reminded him of his responsibility to save House Black anxiously.)

He felt Orion put a comforting hand on his shoulder:"Are you ready son?" he asked.

Unfortunately for Harry, Orion took his nod as the go-to sign to apparate the both of them away. The sickeningly familiar sensation of being squeezed through a way-too-shallow tube overtook him and when they reappeared on the Platform it took Harry a while to propely get orientated.

He blinked to clear up his vision and was surprised to see how empty the platform was. The Blacks had wanted to avoid the crowds, so unlike the Weasley who tended to arrive at the last minute, Walburga & Oriol had decided to drop their son off way ahead off time.

The Express would not be leaving for another hour and a half, but apparently that did not stop people from piling onto the platform. Although not nearly as busy as it would get right before arrival, the Platform was already swirling sea of colours, wizard and witches were happily chatting and greeting old acquaintances.

Harry felt slightly nervous about knowing that Ron and Hermione would not be waiting for him on the train. The onslaught of unfamiliar faces was overwhelming and Harry felt himself starting to hyperventilate.

Harry was nervously fidgeting with the hem of his robes when a POP! signalled Kreacher's return with his trunk. The House-Elf obediently dropped the trunk in front of Regulus's feet. Walburga had already warned the Elf not to cause a scene on the platform. Not daring (nor wanting) to disobey Walburga the Elf had left the Platform after a sad look at "Young Master" and disappeared after only about 20 seconds with a Pop!

"it's time for you to board the Express Regulus." Walburga stated. Harry shot her a panicked look, suddenly the stream of students filing into the train was entirely intimidating and the thought of having to look for a compartment whilst knowing only a handful of students was enough to make him almost go full panic-attack again.

He had faced Dark Lords before, and currently he would have taken a showdown with Voldemort over the hoard of children. He remembered all too well how ruthless 11 year olds could be.

After seeing Harry's distraught expression Walburga's features softened:"You will do just fine Regulus, you will make us proud." she said. Harry got the distinct impression that she was trying to convince herself of that fact as much as she was trying to reassure Regulus.

Harry mentally flinched at knowing that his heart wanted to go back to the House of the Lions again. It wouldn't feel right walking through the halls of Hogwarts without his Gryffindor tie proudly around his neck.

"I agree with your mother, you will make us proud, I am sure of it."

An eerily familiar voice rang behind him and Harry froze on the spot:"Of course our little Reggiebaby will make us proud." none other than Bellatrix Black exclaimed n a sing-song voice.

Harry was stunned by how pretty she was. Her curly hair was luminous and tied in a half-up do, framing her aristocratic face; plump red lips adjorned her face and dark eyes were glittering with mirth and, even at this age, contained a tinge of madness.

A pair of arms were flung over his shoulders in an unceremonious manner and gripped him firmly; then they pulled so that Harry was spun around and he was staring into the face of the very woman he hated with a passion. She was grinning at him manically and pinched his cheeks. Then she grinned and sussed:"Look at our little Reggy all grown up, you look so pretty!"

Harry had never been the best at keeping his temper in check, especially not around the likes of Bellatrix Black:"I am not pretty!" he snapped angrily.

Bellatrix cackled delightedly and said:"Why Walburga you have done a wonderful job on this one, look at how feisty he is!"

Walburga looked startled by the fact that Regulus was feisty at all, a trait she had never associated with her younger son before:"Thank you Bella." Walburga said:"Here to see off your sister and fiancé?"

As if summoned another voice sounded behind Harry:"She is." said Narcissa Black softly. Harry had not been familiar with the woman in his own time; yet any woman who managed to raise someone like Draco Malfoy could not be very pleasant in his book.

Yet Narcissa Black was smiling at him and it appeared to be sincere:"Hello Regulus, are you excited to start Hogwarts?"

Slightly put-off by Bellatrix's arm still flung over his shoulder and Draco Malfoy's mother friendly greeting he blushed and said:"No,not really."

She shot him an understanding look and said:"Of course you're not." Bellatrix decided to add her own two cents and exclaimed:"Well why would he be nervous! He's a proper pure-blood after all, and a pretty one at that."

Harry repressed the urge to comment on her calling him pretty again and instead turned to his parents, conveniently shrugging off Bellatrix's arm in the process.

"I will write you often." he said, not knowing what else to say. Then he cursed himself internally for having promised something he really was not keen to do at all.

Orion nodded at him, a fond smile on his face. Walburga had zoned out and was scanning the crowd in a discreet manner. Looking for Sirius, no doubt.

Harry felt his heart speed up considerably at the thought of the Marauders. He had thought of a plan of course; he would search the train, find their apartment, barge in say…

well he had not really figured out what exactly he would say yet. But, in the end he would replace Wormtail as a Marauder.

It was a fool-proof plan really, so Harry did not know why he was so nervous about it.

"And we you." Orion responded. Narcissa took Harry by the hand gently and said softly:"Come, we do not have much time left."

With a wave of her wand she levitated Harry's trunk and after some quick goodbyes they started towards the train. He heard Bellatrix's sing-song voice behind him:"Good luck Reggy-peggy-baby!"

He balled his hands into fists to keep from cursing the witch on the spot. Instead he focused on the surprisingly nice and motherly Narcissa Black.

She levitated his trunk onto the floor of the Express and let it drop softly. Then she turned to Regulus, affection hidden in her eyes and said with a smile:"I fear you will be on your own from here on out, don't worry. You will be fine, I promise."

Harry shot her a genuine smile and said nervously:"Yeah, all right. Thank you."

She let out a chuckle and tucked her pretty blonde hair behind her ears:"Not a problem Reg."

Momentarily startled by the use of the nickname he blushed and mumbled a quick goodbye. Then he grabbed the heavy, black handle of his trunk and took a deep breath. Narcissa's footsteps could be heard shortly but were quickly overpowered by the noise of running and shouting students.

Owls were fluttering; cats were sprinting and the sounds of toads could be heard in the backgrounds. Students clad in everything ranging from muggle clothes to the finest of wizarding robes were rushing past and searching for compartments.

Harry stood frozen on the spot. It was unfamiliar and terrifying to enter the Express without seeing familiar faces all around.

No he told himself. He did know some people on the Express. He had a brother on this very train. With newfound determination Harry looked at his surroundings. Narcissa and himself had boarded the Express somewhere in the middle of the train.

Harry flipped a mental coin and decided to search the righthand side of the express first; then he would search the lefthand side and hopefully encounter the Marauders.

Dragging his heavy trunk (courtesy of Kreacher and Walburga) behind him he was chronically apologising to students he bumped in to. He glanced into the compartment to his right; five Raven claw boys and a single Hufflepuff. He moved on to the next one; sixth or seventh year Gryffindor's were in a heated discussion on the upcoming Word Duelling League.

About seventeen compartments later he heard rather than saw Sirius's barking laugh. "Come on Peter, you bloody well know they have the better Seeker."

Harry's heart sped up considerably and his sweaty palms made the grip on his trunk looser. He moved forward one step. Once more copying the real Regulus and doing a quick; one two three four five six seven eight nine ten.

He estimated the Marauders to be about two compartments away. He was still marvelling at the pure impossibility of seeing the four Marauders alive and kicking.

He shuffled past the first compartment; dragging his heavy trunk behind him with sweaty palms and with his heart beating loudly in his chest. He barely registered the loud sounds coming from the compartment he walked past; it's inhabitants were discussing the Daily Prophet. And rather loudly at that. Harry barely registered it.

All he heard were the voices of the Marauders; Sirius's voice he recognised easily. As did he Wormtail's quiet one and Remus's hoarse voice. The fourth voice he also recognised. A shudder ran down his spine as he recalled what he knew the voice from.

"Lily! TAKE HARRY AND GO! IT IS HIM." James's Potter's voice had haunted his nightmares.

The same voice was now not screaming out in desperation; it's owner not about to lay down his life to protect his wife and son. Instead it was passionately defending the importance of Quidditch from Remus's scepticism.

Harry snapped out it quickly and started forward again slowly. It felt like an hour before he reached the compartment at last. With beating heart his hand reached for the handle. He was about to slide it open and announce his presence when he heard a familiar voice behind him:

"Oi! Reg, I have been looking for you mate." Harry was snapped out of his daze and spun around. He was looking straight into Nott's grinning face.

Harry let out a sigh of relief; he did not know what he was expecting. But the thought that Regulus may have been mates with the likes of Lucius Malfoy had crossed his mind repeatedly.

"Oh." was all Harry had to say to that.

Part of him felt honored and happy that the other boy had been looking for him when he himself had frankly mostly forgotten about the Nott heir.

With a mischievous glint in his eyes he smirked toothily at Harry and said in a hushed voice:"So, how does your broom fly?"

Harry could not help the chuckle that escaped him:"Just as I expected, yours?"

The other boy opened his mouth and took a deep breath, then he frowned and said:"Well it would take more than ONE sentence to describe the perfection of just how well it flies. Let's find a compartment so we can sit down and discuss this in the serious manner it should be."

His heart warmed slightly at the way the boy spoke of Quidditch in the same highly manner Ron had always done. He glanced to his right; into the compartment of the Marauders. They were all bowing their heads and looking at a magazine and had not spotted him hovering outside the compartment yet, which Harry was grateful for.

He looked down and said:"I kind of wanted to say hi to my brother first."

Nott's expression morphed into one of confusion:"Why would you want to see him? Mother told me that he will be disowned soon and that your family barely has contact with him anymore."

Harry stared at Nott with an expression of disbelief; he had forgotten about the way Wizards and Witches had turned gossiping into an art.

He wondered what other rumours the purebloods had managed to conjure up. In response to Nott's question he simply said:"Yes, we have barely spoken to him all summer. Mother asked me to try and talk some sense into him."

He mentally padded himself on the back for coming up with the believable lie. Nott appeared to buy it for a look of comprehension dawned over the black-haired youth's face. "I see, well I mean I understand that, but why would you want to try that with Potter there, they would hex you on the spot you know. I heard my cousin talk about how they hex every Slytherin they see."

Harry had already known this of course, but it still hurt to have it confirmed. Not put off though, he said confidently:"Well I am not a Slytherin yet, am I?"

Nott rolled his eyes:"No not yet, but you are a shoe-in for Slytherin, and I bet your brother & Potter know it too."

Harry bit his lower lip; not wanting to argue the matter with Nott. However, the decision was made for him when the compartment door slid open and a grinning James Potter was staring at him. The boy was wearing his signature glasses and his hair was as messy as Harry's own had been.

"Who is a shoe-in for Slytherin?" James Potter tutted and shook his head in a condescending manner; in the manner a parent would belittle a naive child.

Harry could only stare, the words did not register in his brain. He gaped as he took in his would-be/had-been father. He was almost identical to his old self. He was taller, and clad in finer robes than Harry had ever owned but other than that the boy in front of him was a carbon copy of his old self.

"Regulus is, as opposed to his disgrace of a brother." Nott said proudly, although Harry noticed the slight tremble in Nott's voice as he stood up to the older Gryffindor. Harry did not know whether he wanted to laugh or cry.

James Potter simply laughed and fixed his hazel eyes on Harry. Harry shrunk under James Potter's glare and instinctively took a step back; to James Potters amusement.

"Just because you are too much of a coward to get into Gryffindor does not mean you have to be jealous." James Potter said in a sickly sweet voice.

Harry fought to keep the tears from surfacing. Seeing the man who had sacrificed his life for him and to have him look at him with disgust was like having a knife thrown to his heart.

Where he would have been able to come up with a comeback in a matter of seconds if it were Draco Malfoy standing across from him he was now coming up empty; his voice hitched in his throat and he did not know what to say.

He was not sure what angered him more; the fact that his father was treating a first-year who had not even been sorted yet so badly or that operation become-a-marauder-in-a-day would have to be extended into become-a-marauder-in-a-week-at-best.

Nott instantly jumped to his defence again:"Why would he want to be a Gryffindor like you?"

James Potter sneered at Nott and snarled:"Another shoe-in for Slytherin? We do not usually hex ickle unsorted firsties, but I suppose I could make an exception for you." the handsome boy reached in his robes and drew his wand. Before he could say a spell Harry wished he were invisible because Sirius's head poked out of the compartment.

"Everything all right Prongs? What's going-" then Sirius spotted Harry standing hunched over in a corner. Sirius's eyes went from Harry to Nott and James's wand pointed at him. A look of understanding dawned over Sirius's face.

"Your brother here" James spat the words "was just talking about how he wanted to be in Slytherin because he is not like his disgraced brother."

Sirius looked at Harry with disbelief and hurt etched over his face. Harry wanted to scream and yell at Sirius that he had not said that, that he would be joining him in Gryffindor and that it had been Not that had called him a disgrace. But the words hitched in his throat, and all he could do is bite his lower lip and try to keep the tears from welling up.

Sirius asked quietly:"Is it true?"

Harry simply shook his head, Sirius nodded stiffly; he did not look wholly convinced that Harry was the innocent party here. Instead Sirius turned to James and said:"Let it go James, we will see which house he get sorted in."

James shot Sirius a questioning look but at Sirius's pleading eyes he relented, shot Harry and Nott a warning glance and retreated into the compartment. Sirius did not follow. He stood uncomfortably with his hands in his pockets.

Nott, noticing Harry's predicament said softly to SIirius:"Just so you know Black, Regulus did not say those things. I did."

Sirius nodded and said:"All right." Then, he turned to Harry and gave his little brother a hesitant smile which warmed Harry's heart and inspired the idea that perhaps everything would be all right:"Hope I'll see you in the Lion's den then Reggie."

With that said Sirius spun around and retreated into his compartment. Nott let out a long whistle:"That was intense."

Harry shook his head a little; trying to snap out of it and said:"Yeah, it was."

Then Nott glanced at him and said:"You are not really planning to go into Gryffindor are you? Although I reckon it would be amusing to see how our parents would react. The Daily Prophet would have a field day I'm sure."

Harry chuckled slightly at that and smiled at Nott:"Let's go find a compartment."

No, he would not be able to become the honorary Marauder he had planned to become today, but that did not mean he could not be grateful that he had managed to befriend at least one other boy.

Nott shrugged and started walking. The two walked in silence for a few seconds before Not recovered from the little... incident and resumed talking excitedly:"Anyway, I was going to tell you about how I like my new broom. It flies magnificently of course. But there is room for improvement. For example; it is ideal for a seeker because it is so fast but a Keeper for example could use a broom with a bit more... sturdyness?"

No matter how much Harry had pretended to hide it in front of Hermione, there was a hidden Quidditch fanatic inside him and he enthusiastically discussed with Nott on the perks and drawbacks of their identical broomsticks.

Then, out of the blue Nott came to a halt and stated:"We won't be finding an empty compartment..." then he glanced at the compartment to their right and said hesitantly:"I suppose we should join the girls. I do not fancy scourging the train looking for some of our other mates. We will see them when we arrive at the school."

Harry shrugged; he would have preferred to share a compartment with Nott alone but even he realised that they had arrived too late to claim an empty compartment. The train had already departed the Platform sometime during his run-in with Potter.

"All right." Nott stated, before hesitantly sliding open the door to the compartment and walking in. Harry followed on his heels and stood in the doorway awkwardly.

There were four girls in the compartment; some of whom looked strangely familiar to Harry. There was a girl that bore an uncanny resemblance to Lavender Brown, one who looked a lot like Daphne Greengrass and two girls that looked familiar but whom he could not quite place.

Four heads snapped up simultaneously when they heard Nott and Harry enter. Instead of asking them who or why on earth they had barged into their compartments they simply smiled and said.

"Hey Reg, Alex" said one of the girls Harry had not been able to place. She had dark, auburn hair and her face was pale and freckled.

Nott simply shot a greeting back and plopped down on the empty space next to the girl who Harry had mentally dubbed Lavender Sr. and Harry himself hesitantly sat down next to a dark-haired girl with intelligent grey eyes. He would have liked a window seat but, alas, the odds were not in his favour today so instead he would have to make do with sitting near the compartment door.

"So Regulus..." Lavender Sr. begun excitedly, sharing a look with the other girls who all looked at him with eager eyes:"My mother told me what happened to you."

Harry wanted to shrink back in his seat; he was not sure what Lavender Sr was talking about. But whatever it was, he knew that having Lavender Brown Jr. gossip about you was never good news, he was pretty sure the same rule would apply to Lavender Sr.

The girl next to Harry spoke up with a smirk:"As did mine. I did not truly believe it of course, no one did. But now that you are here in front of me, I am tempted to believe the rumours."

Nott shot Harry a confused look; which Harry mirrored, and said :"What the bloody hell are you girls yapping about."

Greengrass Sr. let out a delighted laugh:"Of course YOU would not notice, do you not think Regulus looks a little different than he did before?"

Nott - or Alex as the girls had called him, turned back to Harry and after a careful inspection shrugged and stated:"I suppose yeah, but me and Regulus have only truly met again this summer so I would not know."

Lavender Sr. gushed and said:"Well then Regulus, is it true? Did you come into a magical inheritance?"

Realisation dawned over Harry and he swallowed heavily. Then he said; avoiding anyone's eyes:"Ermm yeah, your guess is as good as mine. Mother says it is what happened, as do the Doctors at St. Mungos. I do not feel any different though."

He would be darned if he allowed himself to be turned into some interesting Hogwarts celebrity again and was determined to let any and all rumours surrounding his person blow over quickly.

Lavender Sr. giggled and said:"You may not feel any different, but you certainly look a little different."

Not knowing what to say to that Harry shot a look at an equally confused and horrified looking Nott; the two latched into a discussion on Quidditch, the girl next to Harry (who he found out was called Kiara Zabini) joined in, whilst the other girls moved on to more pressing matters concering the latest happenings in the Wizarding World.

After what had felt like mere minutes but had, in reality, been hours the Express was nearing Hogwarts. After the members of the compartment respectively changed into their robes it was not long untill Harry recognised his surroundings, and recognised that Hogwarts was only mere minutes away.

"We are almost there." He blurted out nervously. His companions did not question how he knew this; they were too nervous. The students whom had all been confidently calm and collected before were now starting to fidget nervously.

Nott asked a question that had been on the minds of undoubtedly many other students:"Did-Did your parents tell you how we are to be sorted?" the boy pouted and said:"Mine refused to tell me no matter how much I begged them."

He turned to Olivia Lavender whose mother was apparently infamous for not being able to keep a secret if her life depended on it. The girl shook her head dissapointedly, then Nott turned to the other two girls who also shook their heads. He sighed and turned to Harry as a last resort; no one suspected Walburga Black of all people of spoiling the best-kept secret concerning Hogwarts to her son.

Harry gave keeping it to himself about 2 seconds worth of thought. Then he grinned at his companions mischievously and said:"Yeah my brother told me."

He smirked as he saw the eager looks on the eleven year-olds faces and; remembering the lie Fred and George had told Ron he stated with a nod of his head:"He said we have to battle a-" he glanced around the room as if making sure no one overheard them, then, with a dramatic air that even Professor Lockhart would be proud of he whispered:"he said we have to battle a TROLL."

The companions all gasped; all except Nott who simple grinned and whispered:"wicked." This earned him a condescending look from Lavender.

She turned to Harry pleadingly and almost screamed:"Please tell me you are kidding." The other girls also looked to be on the verge of tears; Harry was about to tell them the truth and help them out of their misery when the door to their compartment slid open and a girl with a shining prefect badge appeared.

"Oh you are already wearing your uniform, good." was all the brown-haired prefect said with as an afterthought:"We will be arriving at Hogwarts shortly."

Then, without another glance, she slid the compartment door shut. The teens hurriedly looked out of the window; it was dark outside and all that was visible were the vague outlines of trees and a number of lights in the far distance.

The remainder of the ride was spent in silence. Everyone preparing for their battle against the mountain troll in their own respective ways. Before long the familiar station came into view and; no matter how utterly terrified he felt the warmth starting to bubble inside him.

Finally he was going home.

He did not waste any time and stood up promptly. The others shot him questioning looks but when they saw him reaching for his trunk they quickly followed suit.

As if on cue the train came to a stuttering halt. He shared an excited look with Nott and the two boys left the compartment with the girls following them closely. The hallway of the train was busy; people were pooring out of compartments and heading for the nearest exit.

Fortunately for Harry (and his companions) he knew where to go and beckoned the others to follow him. Slowly moving with the crowd and towards the exit it was not long before the six youngsters were standing on the dark platform.

The upper years were all pooring away to the carriages and the girls and Nott all stood, looking around and resembling lost puppies.

Harry hoped the procedure for first years had not changed all that much and was happy to hear Hagrid's voice over the nervous chattering of the students:"FIRST YEARS, FIRST YEARS OVER HERE! FIRST YEARS!"

He could hear Olivia Lavender let out a sigh of relief:"Thank Merlin, I was afraid we would have to WALK to the school or something. These shoes are not made for walking..." she said. Harry glanced down at the girls's feet but her shoes were covered by the length of her robes so he would never know just how inconvenient the girls shoes were.

The crowd was starting to thin out and they soon reached Hagrid. Harry glanced around and did not see any more familiar faces.

More first years were starting fill in; some of them looking utterly terrified, others trying to look tough but still looking terrified - but still none familiar.

Harry himself was surprisingly calm. He had been nervous initially but had mentally come to terms with his predicament. He knew that after his sorting everything would be all right, and he knew which house he would be sorted into; he had been a Gryffindor in his old time after all.

All thoughts of feeling guilty about how Walburga would feel or even how appalled the original Regulus would be if he knew Harry was planning on becoming a Lion were washed away by his determination to get to know the family he never had.

One of the girls who had been in their compartment but whose name he had not yet managed to catch leaned over to him and exclaimed:"Regulus how can you look so relaxed! We are about to battle a mountain troll?!"

Harry shrugged; he was nervous of course, but in comparison to the other first years he probably looked the very beacon of calm and collectedness. He knew the sorting hat would place him where he asked.

Nott grinned and said with a grin:"You do look surprisingly calm mate, but you have had time to prepare for our grand battle. Mind giving us some pointers on how to battle the troll?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair nervously:"Err yeah about that, we will not have to-"

"Is everyone here?" Hagrid bellowed, drowning out the last part of Harry's sentence. The first years did not reply; they would not notice if anyone was missing.

Hagrid apparently quickly realised this as well for he did a quick head count. 49 students later the giant let out a sigh of relief and declared that:"All right, let's go!"

The giant started walking; his lantern swinging in his hand as he did so and the first years eagerly followed. No one wanted to be left behind of course.

They walked through a small patch of forest. Normally this would not have been scary in the least. But it was dark and the shadows of the trees were looming over the students intimidatingly. The first-years stayed closely together like a pack of frightened birds.

Before long they reached what Harry knew was the Black Lake. The boats were lined up neatly and the lights hanging at the front of each boat brightly illuminated the harbour.

Harry could not help himself and said to Nott:"I wonder if the Giant Squid is hungry!"

Nott grinned back at him and opened his mouth to reply; he was cut off.

"There's a Squid? A GIANT ONE?" Shrieked Dora Greengrass

Hagrid meanwhile, had reached the boats and stepped to the side to let the students through. When none of the students moved he frowned and said:"Well come along!"

Nott dragged Harry to the front of the crowd and whispered excitedly:"If there is a Giant Squid, I refuse to let anyone but us have the glory of battling it. What if it is a component of the Sorting?"

"If it truly were a component of the Sorting; would battling the Giant Squid not be your Golden Ticket to Gryffindor?" Harry deadpanned. Nott halted at that and shrugged:"No of course not, not if we do it in a cunning way. Besides, battling a Giant Squid is ambitious is it not?" the boy half-asked half-stated.

Harry simply nodded and said:"Sure."

Thoughts of child-eating Giant Squids slowly faded away and the air of fear was replaced by one of awe.

Even Harry gaped. The castle was as beautiful as ever; the lights coming from the windows were sparklingly bright against the dark sky. It's towers stood triumphantly and the lights from the boats shone brightly; illuminating the castle.

And, with a smile on his new face, Harry realised he was home.