Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Harry gets out of the boat, thinking over what Hagrid and Ron had said. Slytherin was the bad house, the evil house. If he went there, no one would like him. He wouldn't have any friends. No, Harry couldn't be a Slytherin. Gryffindor sounded nice. He should be in Gryffindor. Then everyone would like him, right? He would have friends. And Dudley wouldn't be able to scare them away! These friends would be wizards and witches, they were stronger than Dudley. They wouldn't be afraid of him. No, Dudley should be scared of his future friends.

Harry listens as McGonagall describes Hogwarts. He listens as she tells them about the houses. He follows her inside and witnesses the ghosts with the other first-years. He stands and waits patiently as the boy he recalls as Draco Malfoy walks up to him.

"Potter, " Everyone turns and looks at them. Why are they looking at them? What's so special about Malfoy and him? 

Instead of asking these questions, he turns to him and says, "Malfoy. Pleasant seeing you again. How was your ride to Hogwarts?"

Before Malfoy can answer, McGonagall walks back in to lead them to the Great Hall. Once she does, he immediately finds the mangled old hat sitting on a stool in the front of the room. He watches it intently as its brim opens and it speaks, 

"Oh you may not think me pretty,

But don’t judge on what you see,

I’ll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There’s nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can’t see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you’ve a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You’ll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don’t be afraid!

And don’t get in a flap!

You’re in safe hands (though I have none)

For I’m a Thinking Cap!" (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone)

Harry waits for McGonagall to call up the first student, Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff. He sees nothing happen between her sitting down and the hat calling out her house. This leads him to tune out the other students' names being called.

He's surprised when McGonagall suddenly shouts his name.

Harry walks up to the hat, running through different ways this could turn out. He could be put in Ravenclaw, but he wasn't that smart. He could be put in Gryffindor, although Harry wasn't that brave. Maybe Hufflepuff, even though he wasn't loyal. At the very least, Harry didn't think so. What did he have to be faithful to? He didn't care, however, which house he was in, so long as it wasn't Slytherin.

Sitting down, he felt Professor McGonagall place the hat on his head. He waits for only a second before he hears a voice in his head. Or he thought it was his head, but the other students hadn't spoken aloud, so it must be in his head. Right?

'That would be correct, young Mister Potter.'

'Really? How does that work? Do you think for yourself or is someone telling you what to say?'

'I would tell you, Mister Potter. I’m unaware of how I work, however. I can assure you that I think for myself though. Now we must discuss your sorting. Do you have a preference in what house you would like to be in?'

'Just not Slytherin, please.'

'Are you sure? You would fit in well with the cunning snakes.' The hat pulls on one of his memories. It was one of the last times he had snuck out of his cupboard.

He watches as Memory Harry unlocks the cupboard door before heading to the kitchen, avoiding any creaky floorboards on his way there. Once in the kitchen, Memory Harry grabbed some small pieces of bread and cheese before leaving just as silently as he entered. Closing the door to his cupboard, Memory Harry locked it back before eating the food he had gathered.

The hat waits a minute before speaking to him, 'That seems like cunning to me, Mister Potter.'

'It isn't!' He cries out at the hat, 'I was just, um…'

He struggles to identify another way to describe it, 'Determined! Yes, I was determined not to get caught!'

'Is that so?' The hat pauses as if thinking, 'Well then if you are so sure of this determination, it very well should be…'

"Hufflepuff!"

Harry's heart skips a beat, before restarting. He wasn't in Slytherin! He barely felt Professor McGonagall remove the hat before he was up and walking toward the table of badgers, each one with a wide grin on their face. The Ravenclaws were politely clapping, as were the Slytherins. The Gryffindors, however, were upset. They were glaring at the Hufflepuff table as if they had somehow rigged his sorting. Sitting down, he watched as McGonagall called up the next person to be sorted.

"Rivers, Oliver!"

Chapter Text

Harry follows the other Hufflepuff first-years down to their common room, encompassing their prefects Gabriel and Alania Truman. The two prefects were twins and were always at each other's sides. Harry watches as they pass many portraits. He glances to his left to find a bowl of moving fruit, before stopping in front of several barrels, tucked into a corner on the right.

"Now, " Alania starts, "these barrels may not look like much, but they are the best house defence at Hogwarts. Hufflepuff is the house that has gone without unwanted intruders the longest. This is because not one of the other houses is determined enough to figure out our password. It has not changed since Helga Hufflepuff herself set it."

"That's right, Helga Hufflepuff is the founder of our house. She was underestimated by her fellow founders and as such none of them got in without her permission." Gabriel retorts, "Pay close attention to what I do and how I do it."

Harry watches as Gabriel taps the barrel's lid, middle of the second row, two up. He couldn't quite hear the pattern of the raps, so he hoped he would tell them afterward.

As Gabriel stepped back, the barrel’s lid swung open, "The tune is Helga Hufflepuff. Do not forget. It will end very badly for you, as I'm sure you will no doubt find out."

"Gabriel, " Alania warns.

He cocks an eyebrow at her before rolling his eyes, "Do not listen to what the other houses say. We Hufflepuffs do not boast so the other houses like to take credit for our work. The Ravenclaws are not always the smartest. The Gryffindors are not always the bravest. The Slytherins are not always the most cunning. Our house is the most accepting, meaning it is the most widespread in its trait diversity. Something you would not see in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw and especially not Slytherin. Do not let this blind you, however. The other houses will think you are weak. You all will have to prove yourselves. Prove you aren't weak dim headed Hufflepuffs."

Alania blinks once, twice, "That isn't what I meant Gabe. I was meant to deter you from threatening the first-years."

"Oh."

Harry listened intently to everything the two had said. Once they had finished he and the other first-years climbed into the barrel before crawling through a tunnel. Harry thinks about what Gabrial and Alania have said. He wants to know everything he can about the wizarding world. If this is how Harry can get his information, then it's fine by him. He'd rather not talk to anyone he didn't have to anyway. Too much attention was drawn already. He just wanted to have a quiet life, without the Dursleys. Was that too much to ask?

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

'It was too much to ask,' he thought as soon as he got out of the barrel. As soon as Harry and every other first-year had gotten into their house, they had been paired up. Each first-year had been given a third-year as a partner so that they didn't get lost. In this gigantic castle. With moving stairs. And ghosts. And had he mentioned moving portraits? There were a bunch of moving paintings.

That wasn't his point. His point was that his partner was a very, pretty boy. Pretty boy, Cedric Diggory. Also, as far as he could tell, Cedric was smart. And his partner was on the Quidditch team! Whatever Quidditch was…

He had heard it was a sport of some kind. That meant it probably had a ball, right? Harry couldn't throw, but he could catch and kick just fine. Maybe he could get Cedric to practice with him! Or would he feel obligated to, since he was his partner?

Harry jumped slightly at the tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Cedric already standing in front of him.

The boy smiled at him, looking as if he were putting the sun to shame, "Hello! I'm Cedric Diggory. You can call me Cedric. You must be Harry Potter?"

"I am, " He stuttered, "Hello, Cedric."

Chapter Text

Cedric was a bit overwhelming. Over the next two months, he was always trying to help him. Be it in classes or his new place on the Quidditch team (He could have been a seeker for the team, but did not want to take that from Cedric.) (He was on reserves.). He knew Cedric was not doing it on purpose. Of course, Cedric wouldn’t. How would Cedric learn that he had never had a helping hand before Hagrid had arrived? He didn’t like always having someone around him. It made him anxious. How did he go about asking Cedric to back off? He couldn’t do it without being rude. Then Cedric would never help him again.

He was currently on his way to Transfiguration and he was dreading it. He did not want to see the Slytherins again. They had been on his case since the feast, especially Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. He kept going up the stairs, his friends on either side of him. Susan, Hannah, and Ernie were talking, leaving Justin and himself to each other. They hadn’t been very good at that, talking that is. He didn’t know why, but Justin had been keen on avoiding him. He had been set on changing that and said as much to Hannah, but he had not thought they would set him up like this. He was not a Gryffindor! He was not supposed to be brave and confront him. He was not supposed to make a plan first either like a Slytherin. he did not think making a plan was all on him. It was mostly the others who had done it.

Nevertheless, he turned to Justin, about to start talking before noticing with a wince that they hadn’t actually made it all that far from the common room and instead were going to be late. He decided to talk to Justin later after they had made it to Transfiguration.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Opening the door, he and the others quickly found their seats. Unfortunately for him, he was sitting between two Slytherins. With Malfoy to his left and another boy, Goyle, on his right, he knew he was stuck. It also did not help that Zabini, Nott, and Parkinson were in the row behind him. How had he ended up separated from his house? Both Hagrid and Ron said Slytherins were the worst of the four houses. He had managed to talk the hat out of placing him in the dreaded snake pit, but he had not taken classes with them into consideration. He needed to see if they would switch seats with him. He turned to the front of the class as he watched Professor McGonagall switch from a cat into a person. He had no clue how she had done it but had no time to think about it as she began speaking.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone) .

He watched as she tapped her wand on her desk, effectively changing it into a pig. She then turned it back before beginning her lesson.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

He began packing up his belongings. He had managed to make the matchstick pointy! That was more than could be said about some of the Slytherins. Only Zabini and Nott had managed to give them a slight shimmer. He had only just gotten to the door when he was grabbed. He spun around to find that Malfoy had rid himself of his goons and was instead flanked by Nott and Zabini. He stared, wide-eyed, at the three Slytherins, waiting anxiously for the first spell to be thrown. Then Zabini rolled his eyes, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him towards an abandoned classroom. Harry decided that a much-needed prank was in order. With that in mind, he began his superbly small prank.

“What are you doing, Zucchini?” Zabini paused a second to give him an odd look before continuing to the classroom.

Still, without an answer, he turned to Nott, “Nutmeg, what are you doing?”

“Mayonnaise,” he continued without pause, “where are we going?” Both Nott and Malfoy gave him odd looks from the corners of their eyes.

“Well,” he began, digging his heels into the stones to stop Zabini from dragging him along, “are any of you going to answer me?”

When they didn’t answer he gently removed Zabini’s grip on his arm and turned to join his friends. If you could call them that, they were walking away from him and the snakes, leaving him to deal with them alone!

Before he got far though, Nott had seized his arm and shoved him into the classroom.

He sighed, “What? What do you want?”

Nott opened his mouth for a second before shutting it, looking at both Zabini and Malfoy before speaking, “How are you a Hufflepuff?”

“What he means is,” Zabini shoved Nott aside, ”you’re supposed to be a Gryffindor. Like your parents.”

Glancing between them, Harry decided against telling them he was almost a Slytherin, “No clue. I wish I could have been a Gryffindor with all of their brash stupidity though.”

Satisfied with their lack of responses, he turned and began looking for his group of badgers.

Chapter Text

Harry was sitting on one of the pale yellow couches in the Hufflepuff common room. He and Justin had managed to reconcile. Justin had been afraid of him for his status as the Boy-Who-Lived, scared that he would be powerful and look down on him because of his parentage. He confessed to Justin that he had lived with his muggle relatives before coming to Hogwarts and had been in much the same boat as him. They had quickly bonded over a life that none of the other Hufflepuffs in their year could claim, all being purebloods or half-bloods raised in the wizarding world. That wasn't the point though. He had been working on an essay for Charms when Cedric had come to check on him.

"What are you doing?" He said, leaning over the back of the seat to look at Harry's parchment.

Harry looked up at him, "Just a Charms essay for Professor Flitwick. We have to explain the importance of wand movements and proper enunciation in Charms."

"Those are vital to succeeding in Charms," Cedric replied, "Don't underestimate them."

"I won't, Cedric. I don't want to end up like Finnigan."

"Wouldn't that be a disaster."

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Harry had almost forgotten about the Slytherins' push for him to be a lion. Almost being the keyword. So when they tried to corner him, day after day, he would grab one of his friends and keep walking. They had been getting more suspicious as of late as to why, almost two months into school, he was suddenly more touchy-feely. He couldn’t tell them it was so he wouldn’t have to confront the Slytherins. He couldn’t.

That also didn’t matter when they had all found ways to leave without him realizing it until it was too late. Hannah and Susan had just left claiming it was the beginning of girl time while Ernie and Justin had gone to play Wizard’s Chess. There was now nothing stopping the Slytherins from getting to him. No one left to protect him.

Nothing except for the good-looking third-year who was walking towards him. Despite everything Cedric had done for him in the past month, he was more grateful for him now than he had been any of those times. He was wearing a Hufflepuff sweater fitting for the last Sunday of October. It was getting cold, wasn’t it?

Harry catches a glance at green and silver in the corner of his eye so as soon as Cedric is within grabbing distance, he pulls him into a hug. He feels Cedric freeze up for a second before he is squeezed almost to death.

Cedric mutters to him in the next second, “What brought that on?”

“I can’t hug a fellow Puff whenever I want to?” Harry responds as he steps away from Cedric.

“You can,” Cedric concedes, “but you don’t.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Harry huffs.

Cedric shrugs, “Just that you aren’t the hugging type.”

“How do you figure that?” Harry questions.

“Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders,” Cedric smiles, “I specialize in finding the information you don’t want me to know.”

Harry doesn’t do anything but glare at Cedric. He is also a Hufflepuff and his entire year had called him an oblivious idiot more than he could count. He wasn’t good at finding anything. A hand on his shoulder causes him to jump into Cedric, almost knocking him over if it hadn’t been for Cedric almost expecting him to jump.

He doesn’t know who he wants to glare at more.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

When he turned around, the last person he expected to see was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood. He also doesn’t expect Wood to be honest to Merlin, pouting .

He clears his throat, looking up at the fourth-year keeper, “Yes, Wood? How are you today?”

“The Slytherins are saying you’re going to be on the Hufflepuff team as seeker and that you’re good ,” Wood replies, “Slytherins are hard-pressed to compliment anyone but you are a ‘missorted Hufflepuff’ that was ‘supposed to be in Gryffindor.’ They hate anyone in Gryffindor or who sides with Gryffindors. You’d have to be exceptionally good to earn that kind of praise. And you’re a first-year. My question is are you playing on the team?”

Harry’s eyes wander and he catches two near-identical redheads standing behind Wood rapidly shaking their heads at him. He almost tells Wood yes to spite them but doesn’t want to get caught in a lie so he looks back at Wood and shakes his head ever so slightly. Wood looks him over before nodding and walking out of the Great Hall. The same Great Hall that Harry had forgotten he was still standing in. As he turns to walk with Cedric, he’s grabbed on both sides, and when he turns to see his captors all he can see is bright red hair.

He does hear a pair of feet behind him though, so he isn’t that scared of what these twins are capable of.

Chapter Text

The first twin was quick to begin to question Harry, “We’re shocked that you-”

“-didn’t tell Wood that-” the other twin picked up.

“-you were on the Hufflepuff-”

“-Quidditch team, especially because-”

“- we would’ve!”

Harry wanted to take back what he had said before. It didn’t matter if Cedric thought he was in danger or not because that only applied to his physical well-being. Apparently.

His captors were a set of twins that had a knack for confusing those around them just by speaking, not even starting on how the two twins were the ones who had been urging him to tell Wood that he wasn’t on the team. Not that he would inform them that. It was disrespectful to think, and it must have been evident that he had considered it at some point. Cedric wasn’t going to like how mean he was being-

“Fred! George! What are you two doing?”

Harry turned to look at Cedric, still feeling a sense of panic and unable to fully calm down if the look he was getting from Cedric was any indication. He was going to be in so much trouble!

The twin who had begun questioning Harry the first time turned to respond to the elder Hufflepuff, “Oh, relax, Cedric. We-”

“-were only just asking-”

Harry wouldn’t mention it, but he was starting to become tired of the constant switching, “-the little firstie-”

“-a couple of questions!”

Harry was regretting every second of this interaction. These twins were hurting his head with the speed at which they flipped back and forth. Not only that, but he didn’t know what they wanted from him. If he knew what they wanted, he could get them to leave him alone. Wait, Cedric was talking with them. What were they saying? Maybe he could overhear what they wanted.

“-this firstie is my Hufflebuddy. He is my responsibility, and I would appreciate it if you refrained from confusing him.” At what point had Cedric begun to take responsibility for him?

He hadn’t gotten the chance to completely wrap his head around his newest question before he was guided away from the redheads. He wasn’t entirely sure about Cedric. Most things in his life turned sour sooner or later. At the start of the year, he hadn’t expected the third year to try and help him so much. With everything that had happened since this new world appeared, Harry was content to allow Cedric to lead him to wherever they were going.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿‌ ‌✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯‌

It turns out the place Cedric directed him to was an abandoned classroom. As Cedric began to cast spells, Harry looked around the room. The desks were pushed to the edges of the room, leaving an empty area in the middle. Glancing around the room another time, he saw that Cedric was still doing whatever he had been doing when they had first entered the room. Waiting for Cedric to finish up, he pulled one of the chairs over to him.

Watching the third year’s face, Harry was surprised when he caught a bit of annoyance. Not wanting to chance that it was because of him, he kept quiet and waited for Cedric to question him.

“Harry, I need you to answer me honestly, okay? I have a couple of questions for you.” Cedric requested, crouching in front of him.

All Harry did was nod before the third year continued, “Why...Why did you hug me earlier? Did the twins or Oliver do anything to upset you? Where was the rest of your year group?”

“I, uh, t-the twins didn’t do anything? Wood didn’t either,” Harry stammered, “The others are all paired off doing stuff. Why?”

His eyes narrowed, “You’re okay then? Everything alright? You still haven’t told me why you hugged me.”

“I’m fine, Cedric. The Slytherins in my year have been trying to corner me for months. When the others left, it gave them an opening. I didn’t want to bother you, but I didn’t want them getting to me again,” Harry quickly attempted to ease Cedric.

“You aren’t a bother,” Cedric sternly countered, “If the Slytherins are messing with you, then you are always welcome to talk to me. You’re welcome to whenever you’d like. If you need help, I’m here for whatever reason.” Harry could tell that he had lit up from the expression on Cedric’s face.

He hesitated before mentioning, “If I asked you with help for nicknames for them, would you?”

“Depends. What are their current nicknames?” the third year asked, “There is only so much I can help.”

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿‌ ‌✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯‌

The next day Harry couldn’t stop giggling. Every time he caught sight of the three Slytherin boys, he remembered the names he and Cedric had made up. When Harry overheard the upper years who had Care of Magical Creatures discussing their current lesson on Nifflers, the first year struggled not to give away anything. It was more difficult than he would have thought.

The Ravenclaws talking about Mokes in the library a couple of days afterward were confused about his laughter. He was reading one of the various reference books for his History of Magic essay when they mentioned them. Madam Pince had to kick him out for the rest of the day to get him to stop.

Privately, when Cedric talked about the Zouwu, which most believed to be fiction, Harry would have to take a few minutes to compose himself before continuing with his work.

Chapter Text

That Thursday, Harry and Cedric were walking to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. While walking, Cedric suggested some alternative nicknames for Harry’s Slytherin “stalkers.” He had suggested Altheda, Asha, and Amata when Harry asked him where the names came from and why he offered them.

“Those three names are the names of the witches in The Fountain Of Fair Fortune by Beedle the Bard. You’ve never heard the story?”

“No. Cedric can I tell you something of importance?” Nodding his affirmative, Cedric led Harry over to a nearby empty classroom.

As he waited for the taller male to place silencing wards, Harry explained, “If I’m as honest as our house is meant to be, I’ve never heard any magical stories, Cedric.”

“You’ve never-” Cedric paused for a second in his wandwork before quickly finishing it, “You’ve never heard a single story that came from our world? But how? Everyone knows you were raised to embrace magic. How can you have not heard one of our stories?”

At that point, Harry was never more glad for the unspoken house rule of keeping others' secrets. Justin could’ve easily told the whole school but kept the information to himself. Harry would have to come up with some way to thank the boy.

“I was raised muggle. By my aunt and uncle and cousin Dudley. I didn't even know I was a wizard until I got my Hogwarts letter. To quote Seamus Finnigan, ‘It was a bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out.’ Although you’d replace the he with me but-”

Cedric interrupted him, “You were raised muggle? You didn't know you were a wizard? Harry, is there anything else you want to add to alter what I've been told about your pre-Hogwarts life?"

"Nothing of extreme importance Cedric. Ca-Can you tell me that story you were talking about earlier though? The one with the three witches? It sounded interesting."

"Absolutely, Harry. Do you want to hear it now?" Cedric paused long enough for Harry to nod before he pulled a worn book from his pack. Seeing the look on Harry's face, he explained, "Some of the first years get homesick and like hearing the stories. I've taken to carrying a copy with me so I can read it exactly as it is. Now, the story starts, 'High on a hill in an enchanted garden…' "

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

At some point, the two had sat across from each other on a surprisingly comfortable rug that had been left behind. Harry had gone back to the conversation they had started and was quizzing Cedric on the modern-day counterparts of the characters, “So there’s Sir Luckless, Altheda, Asha, and Amata. Altheda is Malfoy with the wizard who stole greatness from him being You-Know-Who, Amata is Zabini because of his mother’s many lost loves, and Asha is Nott because it's the last one left?”

Cedric gave an amused huff, “Nott is Asha because of the illness his mother is suffering from. One that has no known cure at the current moment.”

Not wanting to be rude but knowing that this was Cedric , the boy-who-wanted-answers, he only hesitated for a few minutes, “What disease is it? Does anyone else have it? How many healers have looked at her?”

“No one knows what she has or how many people have seen her except for her close family. Most purebloods value their privacy behind closed doors and don't want any threatening information getting out and make healers swear vows. Of course,anything to do with Lady Nott would be covered by healer-patient confidentiality vows and wouldn’t require Lord Nott to have them swear anything abnormal.”

“Who would be Sir Luckless then? The person who eventually marries Zabini?”

“I can imagine Harry, but who knows. Stories can have alterations depending on the wants of the writer, you might want to change Sir Luckless’ fate.”

“That might be ni-” Cedric suddenly cut him off when he moved himself to stand in front of Harry. Harry wasn’t entirely sure what was happening but knew enough from his time at the Dursley’s to understand when a threat was being made. He carefully slid himself back under the nearest knocked-over desk and waited until Cedric had dealt with the issue. Harry trusted Cedric in a way he had never trusted anyone before. He trusted Cedric to protect him.

Cedric very quickly checked him over before releasing his grip on the wards. Harry heard a pair of footsteps alongside the scent of freshly moved dirt that signified the entering person was most likely his Head of House. Harry still didn’t move from his spot. What reason was there for his Head of House to do whatever she had done to alert Cedric that something was amiss?

“Mr. Diggory, exemplary wardwork for a third-year student. Take 25 points for Hufflepuff. And now lose 5 points from Hufflepuff for not alerting someone as to your location during a school event. Ther has been an incident and you are one of only a few of my house who were unaccounted for. While I am thankful that most students were contained in the Great Hall the few of you who weren’t had me worried.”

“I’m sorry professor. I was just taking a small break before heading to the Great Hall. I hadn’t realized the amount of time that had passed. Who else was missing?”

“Hannah Abbott, Aki Sugiyama, Susan Bones, Gayle Pocklington, you, and Harry Potter. I’ve managed to track down everyone but Mr. Potter.”

“Excuse me professor, but what happened at the feast that requires our presence?”

“Oh Mr. Diggory, Professor Quirrell reported seeing a troll of all things in the dungeons! How it managed to get in or the damage it will do is currently unknown but I’d like all those in my house to report to the Great Hall in the meantime. Now I must be going to look for Mr. Potter. He couldn’t have gotten far.” At that point, Harry crawled out from under the desk.

Before Professor Sprout could leave, Harry stepped just behind Cedric, catching her attention, “Mr. Potter, well I never. Have you been there the entire time? I never even noticed! I’m assuming that was also because of you Mr. Diggory?”

Cedric gave a quick nod before they were ushered out of the room and to the Great Hall. They could both only wonder about the chaos happening at the current moment.

Chapter Text

Walking into the Great Hall, they were quickly absorbed into the swarm of badgers. He knows several of his friends are assuring themselves he is alright, but he’s mostly worried about where Cedric has gone. He was enjoying their storytime and wasn’t all that happy that it was over. Of course, he won’t tell Cedric that. He doesn’t want to be a strain on his time. He was a little surprised that Cedric had agreed so easily, but given the last couple of months, he guessed he shouldn’t be.

“A troll! In Hogwarts! How do you think it got in? I thought the wards prevented this kind of thing,” Justin spouted as they all calmed a little, now that the group was in one place.

“They’re supposed to,” Susan spoke, “Aunt Amelia mentioned it over the summer, I’ve no idea how it got in.” Everyone seemed more unsettled, trying not to think of what could’ve happened if someone other than Professor Quirrel ran into the troll.

Ernie shrugged, “Least it was found before the feast ended. Imagine what could have happened if a student found it.”

Harry was about to reply when Alania walked to them, “Come along, firsties. The professors have found the troll and we’re to return to our common rooms.” They glanced at each other before standing up and following her.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

It's a couple of days after the troll and people continue to talk about it. Harry isn’t surprised by this, but he keeps getting cornered by people who heard he was outside of the Great Hall when Quirrell announced it. He tries to stick with his friends, but they have other obligations than to stick with him. They do try, but sometimes they can’t help it.

It’s why he’s grateful when he spots the blobs of red moving towards them. Normally he wouldn’t be excited to see a Gryffindor, they’d been the main ones bothering him, but the twins hadn’t asked even once. If they didn’t care about the troll, they’d be good to keep others away from him. He’d noticed the large berth everyone tended to give them, even the upper years.

He debated if he should interrupt them, but Cedric had mentioned they were his friends. It was why he was unconcerned that they had spirited him away. He’d also mentioned that he could ask them for help if he needed something and he’d been wanting to ask Cedric if they could read another story…

He slipped around the second-year Ravenclaw who had been questioning him to call for them, “Fred! George!” The second they registered their names, the two whipped around to see him. He watched as identical grins appeared before they started their back-and-forth reply.

“Well, Freddie-”

“Yes, Georgie?”

“I do believe-”

“-That an itty bitty Huffy Puffy-”

“-is calling for us!”

“Whatever-”

“-should we-”

“-do?” He was regretting his decision. Not much, as it had gotten him away from the girl, Chow? He felt bad that he couldn’t remember her name, but so many people coming up to him the past couple of days, he supposed it would be okay. Just this once.

He took a breath before he looked up at them, “You wouldn’t happen to know where Cedric is, would you?”

They swapped glances, “And why-”

“-would you-”

“-think we-”

“-would know?”

He slumped forward, “Its just, he said you’d help if I asked. I had a question for him and I can’t find him and I keep getting cornered by all these people and-”

“You think the fabulous Fred and George can help you find your missing seeker!” One of them interrupted. There was only one. How had he missed the other twin leaving?

“Uh, maybe? If it isn’t too much of a bother. Where’d your-”

“Sources tell me that he’s in the kitchens!” Harry jumped as the once-missing twin cried from behind him. He watched as they moved to either side of him before they began walking towards the kitchens. He hadn’t expected an escort, but it was nice to have someone there. However, he could do without discussing how they could get away with stealing a toilet seat.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

He was surprised the twins had dropped him off at the door, not entering the room with him. They’d effectively kept away anyone questioning him, which he was grateful for. They had extracted a promise that he would go to the Gryffindor-Slytherin game and cheer for them. Still, he didn’t want to hesitate too long in case someone found him, so he made his way inside.

He found Cedric sitting at a small table with Transfiguration books laid about, working on an essay. He was hit with a wave of uncertainty. He wanted to hear another story, but he looked busy. He didn’t want to interrupt him. What if he decided that was too much and refused to be friends with Harry anymore? What if-

“Harry?” He blinked and saw Cedric standing before him, slightly concerned, “Do you need something? What happened?”

“N-nothing happened. I can go if you’re busy,” He rushed to say. It was a dumb idea anyway. Why would Cedric want to read to him? He had better things to do than baby a first-year he’d been assigned.

With his reassurances, Cedric calmed some, “Would you like to join me then? I was just reviewing some of my notes. I’d be happy to teach some of it to you if you’d like?”

He shook his head, “That’s okay, I’ll just head to the common room. Leave you to study. It wasn’t important anyway-”

“Harry?” Cedric paused, “What did you want? I can’t help if you dont ask.”

He thought before deciding that Cedric wouldn’t hold it against him to ask, “Maybe, maybe you could read another story?”

Cedric nodded, “Just let me pack up my stuff first. I was thinking we could do Babbitty Rabbitty next.” Harry watched as Cedric began to pack everything away, amazed that he agreed. As soon as Cedric finished, he asked the house elves for hot chocolate, bringing out the same book as last time as he did.

Harry quickly sat across from him and waited for him to start, “ A long time ago, in a far off land …”

Chapter Text

Harry wasn’t ecstatic that he had to come out to the game. It was nice out, sure, but he would much rather be inside with Cedric. Unfortunately, he had not only promised the twins to come, but Cedric was out here too. At least he could see a game, he supposed. It was one thing for resident Hufflepuff captain Benjamin McEwen to detail how a game worked, and another to see it in person. Harry was happy he could see a game before Hufflepuff played, just in case something happened to Cedric.

“Game’s for sure going to Slytherin,” He suddenly heard Cedric say, “Justin’s not had enough training or skill to catch the snitch and the Slytherin chasers are objectively better then Gryffindors. Of course, I want the twins to win, if only so they won’t be down until the Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw match later this month.”

Harry nodded, trusting that Cedric would have a more secure understanding of the game’s odds. He’d been around these people for years now, surely he’d understand their skills? Although, he could agree with the point about the twins. He didn’t want to find out how they reacted to losing. Not that he wanted to find out how the Slytherins reacted either, but of the Slytherins he talked to only Malfoy seemed to pay attention to Quidditch. He’d rather deal with an upset Malfoy than upset twins.

He tuned back into the game to see that Slytherin was up 10 points. Despite Cedric’s earlier comment, Harry couldn’t help but feel the teams were evenly matched. Until Cedric shoved him, that is. He watched as Timothy Justin, Gryffindor’s seeker, narrowly missed hitting the seats they had just been on.

As Madam Hooch blew her whistle, Cedric helped him back up, “What was he thinking? The snitch was no where near us! He had no reason to fly so close! He could’ve hurt someone!” He felt a wash of magic as Cedric scanned him before they moved back to their seats. Harry dedicated his attention to the game, he didn’t want to get caught off guard again.

As Cedric muttered about waylaid seekers, Madam Hooch announced that Slytherin would get a penalty goal. Slytherin’s captain, Marcus Flint, easily scored the goals and the game continued. Until Justin, Gryffindor Justin, came back to the Hufflepuff stands. Harry dodged himself this time, but he still thought it was a bit odd. Gryffindor Justin had come to the same place and did the same thing. He was starting to consider that Gryffindor Justin didn’t like Hufflepuffs.

It wasn’t until it happened the third time that Harry knew it was on purpose. Gryffindor Justin never went to another part of the stands and even after Harry and Cedric had moved further up, he continued charging at them. Cedric agreed that if it happened again, they’d head back in. There was no point staying at a game they’d only be attacked for watching.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Cedric had been entirely serious about skipping the rest of the game. Not only that, but he had shoved Gryffindor Justin off his broom when he did it too. Harry was upset that he’d forced his friend to miss the rest of the game, but it wasn’t like they could watch it either. After all, they constantly had to watch for the Gryffindor seeker.

They had just left the stands and were heading back to the castle when Harry was knocked over. He tumbled before finding himself laid a couple of feet from the path. Once he stood up, he located Cedric laying into the other seeker.

“What is your problem! There is absolutely no reason for you to leave the pitch, especially not so close to the ground! The snitch can’t leave!”

He watched as Gryffindor Justin shrunk back, “I, I didn’t mean to- I just- I was flying and-”

Cedric scoffed, “And what? Your broom took over? Is that the same excuse you told Madam Hooch the other four times?” Harry watched as Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch appeared, followed by Professor Sprout and the headmaster.

As Madam Hooch and Professor McGonagall led Gryffindor Justin back to the pitch, Professor Sprout rushed to Harry, “Oh sweet boy. Are you quite alright? I saw the whole thing from the staff box, and you best believe that I will be having a chat with Mr. Justin about proper Quidditch moves. The gall of that boy-”

“Now, now, Pomona,” Headmaster Dumbledore interrupted, “I’m quite sure that it was simply an accident. Mr. Justin didn’t mean any harm, I’m sure.”

His head of house narrowed her eyes before turning to Cedric, “Why don’t you take Mr. Potter to the hospital wing, Mr. Diggory? I’m sure we’d all feel better if she gave him a once over, just to be sure. I need to have a little talk with the headmaster, but I’ll meet you there, alright?”

“Alright, Professor,” Cedric responded, herding Harry back down the path as he did.

As they walked away, they could hear their professor, “An accident? He left the bound of the pitch! In what world-” The yelling faded as they got further away, but Harry felt like the headmaster wasn’t getting away from her anytime soon. One thing he had noticed about his house was they were very protective of their own. It was nice to see there was an adult that cared, for once.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Cedric was much calmer after Madam Pomfrey cleared him, minus a few bruises she had given him salve for. However, he had discarded their previous plan to watch the rest of the game from the safety of the castle. He claimed they weren’t leaving the common room until after the game ended, a fact that Harry didn’t mind. All that meant was that Cedric would read more than they had planned before, but that was fine by Harry. He was just happy that Cedric still hung around and was willing to read and help him. It made adjusting to Hogwarts much simpler. Harry was pleased he had someone who helped him adjust without judging him.

Chapter Text

Harry woke up slowly. He could feel someone gently shaking him, so he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He could vaguely see someone holding out his glasses as he blinked. As his vision adjusted, he saw Cedric sitting beside him with Professor Sprout crouched in front of him.

“Are you alright deary?” Professor Sprout questioned him, “I meant to catch you before you left the hospital wing, but my discussion with the headmaster took a little longer than I thought it would.”

He resisted the urge to yawn as he looked around, “I’m alright, Professor. Where’s the rest of the house? Is the game still not done?”

She smiled a bit, “Not yet dear. Last I saw, Mr. Bole had taken Mr. Justin out with a bludger. Everyone’s waiting for Mr. Wood to pick his replacement seeker. Merlin knows why he doesn’t already have one. Every captain is meant to have a handful of replacements, just in case. He doesn’t have the first one!”

“He doesn’t?” Cedric jumped in, “Shouldn’t the game be forfeit then?” He sat back at Professor Sprout’s admonishing look, but still attentive.

“It should,” She paused, “The headmaster has stepped in, however. He insists that Mr. Wood be given the chance to replace his seeker.” Cedric looked upset at this but kept quiet.

Professor Sprout turned back to him, “Are you sure you’re alright? You looked like you took a hit. It’s alright if you’re a little shaken.” He shook his head, he was fine. He was a little upset that he couldn’t watch the game, but that was all. He’d taken worse hits from Uncle Vernon, after all.

“If you’re sure, then I’ll leave you to it. Mr. Diggory?” She waited until she had his attention, “15 points to Hufflepuff for an admirable show of loyalty in the face of adversity.”

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Not long after Professor Sprout left, Harry questioned Cedric as he worked on his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. He had been absorbing information in the class quicker than expected, but he didn’t understand how Lumos could be dangerous if cast too strongly. Other than maybe blinding someone? He didn’t think that was right, somehow.

“It’s not mentioned often, but I’m pretty sure it can light your wand on fire if it’s strong enough,” Cedric responded, working on his essay.

Harry jolted, “It can? Doesn’t that seem, I don’t know, dangerous? They just give kids that power? Is that why Finnigan keeps exploding?”

Pausing his writing, Cedric turned to him, “You know, it might be. I’ve never really thought about it. He might just be overpowering all of his spells. His upbringing could also contribute to a certain ignorance. He might have creature blood he isn’t aware of.”

“Do you think anyone else has thought of it?” Harry questioned.

Cedric shook his head, “It isn’t likely. Hogwarts doesn’t teach power regulation. It’s something that’s picked up at home… We should probably bring it up. I know Professor Sprout is getting tired of having to constantly replenish plants Finnigan has managed to explode. He might be feeding them his magic without realizing it.”

They both go back to their essays intending to tell someone tomorrow. It is after curfew and neither wishes to get in trouble.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

They both forget to mention it for several days. Cedric had been revising his essay and had gone to bed hours after Harry had. Harry had been distracted by his friends recounting the quidditch match. It isn’t until Harry’s brewing a hair-raising potion with Justin that it reoccurs to him. Of course, by that point, Finnigan has already managed to explode his and Thomas’ cauldron. Harry makes a note to bring it up to Snape so that he doesn’t forget again and returns to brewing.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

He packs slower than normal, motioning for Justin and the others to head to the common room. He waits until the room is empty except for Professor Snape. There’s no reason to spread his thoughts on Finnigan throughout Hogwarts, which is exactly what would’ve happened if Parkinson had stayed.

“Did you need something, Potter?” Professor Snape queries before Harry can say anything.

He hesitated, “I had a thought about Finnigan, sir.”

“Go on,” his professor gestures.

“Do you, think, maybe, he overpowers whatever he’s working on?” Harry questions, “Cedric thought he might be feeding his magic without realizing it. Whatever that means.”

Snape paused, “It’s very possible, Mr. Potter. I’ll keep it in mind.” Harry nodded before he left, intending to meet up with his friends.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Over the next few weeks, Harry notices Finnigan is blowing up in his lessons less. He watches as the professors become less apprehensive around the Gryffindor. He isn’t pleased they had been wary of him in the first place. If Hogwarts had taught power modulation, or whatever Cedric called it, it wouldn’t have been an issue in the first place.

He’s also displeased to note that the other Gryffindors in their year are giving him a wide berth. He thought they would be more willing to brave the flames as it were. How can they pride themselves on being brave when they aren’t even bold enough to face potential explosions to be near Finnigan? It's almost like they haven't noticed that the outbursts have decreased.

That isn’t all that unlikely. The Gryffindors have separated themselves from Finnigan since he exploded his would-be needle. Other than Thomas, Harry can’t recall seeing Finnigan regularly around anyone else in his house.

Well then, Harry would just have to fix that. It wasn’t right for the boy to feel left out because his supposedly brave housemates were cowards.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

His plan begins in Defense Against the Dark Arts. His friends are confused when he waves them in but go in nonetheless. He waits outside the door for Finnigan, pulling him aside before he can enter the room.

The Gryffindor is visibly confused as he’s grabbed, “Did’ya need something, mate? We’re gonna be late for class.” Harry's resolve strengthens as the other Gryffindors continue into the classroom, not even stopping. If Thomas hadn’t been in the hospital wing from ill effects at lunch, Harry would be cross with the entire year of Gryffindors. Did they not know the meaning of loyalty?

“Do you wanna practice with me? I heard we were practicing Vermillious today! It’s supposed to produce sparks. I wonder what else it does?”

Finnigan shifted on his feet, “I suppose I could. Are ya sure you don’t mind the whole exploding thing? Everyone else tends to stick back.”

“Great!” Harry exclaims, tugging him into the classroom. The only spots left are next to each other, just as he thought they’d be. He guides them over as Professor Quirrell walks in. Harry figures it’ll be worth the inevitable headache if he can convince Finnigan to be his friend by the end of the lesson.