"Look! There he is" one kid whispered to their friend.
"Where?"
"Next to the tall guy with red hair."
"The one with glasses?"
"Did you see his face?"
"Have you seen his scar?"
The well-known whispering about him has started once again. Throughout the years of attending Hogwarts he's used to people whispering about him, throughout the years people have whispered about him about a lot of stuff, how he and his friends made Gryffindor lose 150 points during one night; second year people thought he was the heir of Slytherin; third year they were whispering about how Sirius wants to kill him (it was revealed that that is completely untrue); fourth year they've whispered about him being in the Triwizard Tournament and how they think that he's lied about not putting his name in the cup; in fifth year because most people believed the ministry that Voldemort hasn't returned and that Harry and Dumbledore are lying; sixth year because he was actually telling the truth, the rumors were mostly random and irrelevant; he hasn't actually attended his seventh year.
This time students were constantly whispering about him, this time because the famous Harry Potter is now attending Hogwarts with them. Harry wasn't paying much attention to them, as he's used to this much of unwanted attention.
Hogwarts was the same as in the original: one-handed and forty two staircases, some with fake stairs; real and fake doors; ghosts everywhere; and the ever-known, Argus Filch with his cat, Ms. Norris, he's a squib, but people hate him (most don't know that he's a squib) nonetheless.
Their schooltable was the same.
Every Wednesday at midnight they've gone to Astronomy Tower and watched the night sky and had to learn names of various stars and movements of planets.
Three times a week they've had Herbology.
As always, the most boring class was History of magic, taught by a ghost, Binns.
At Charms class, when Flitwick was calling out people, to see who's who, he gasped and tripped and fell.
Now it's time for Transfiguration class with McGonagal.
"Transfiguration is one of the most complex and most dangerous methods of magic, which are taught at Hogwarts," she explained, "ones who will disturb during my classes I'll send away and they won't have to return here. Take it as a warning."
And then she changed the desk into a pig and back. Everyone was amazed, and everyone (except for Harry) got excided and started wondering when they could turn furniture into animals.
But they quickly found out that until that will happen it'll be very very long. First they've started with notes. Only then they've started the Transfiguration: turn a match into a pin.
Until the end of class only Hermione and Harry were successful. Hermione was able to do it because how big her fear of failing is; Harry was able to do it because he's literally attending Hogwarts for six years before he got sent back in time.
The subject that everyone was most excited for was Defense Against The Dark Arts, even Harry was excited, even though the proffesor who was teaching them is Quirrell, a man with literal Voldemort on the back of his head. His classroom stank of onions and everyone said that he wants to get rid of a vampire which he met in Romania who wants to kidnap him these days (Harry knows that's not true but he would be glad if that would actually happen). Quirrell told everyone that he's wearing the turban because he got it as a gift from a African prince as a thanks to freeing his country from a Zombie, but no one believed his story, because Seamus had asked him how he's done it, and he blushed at that and started talking about weather. The stink was the same as Harry remembers, around Quirrell's turban - the twins were convinced that he has onions in it, so he would be protected everywhere he goes.
Harry soon realized that he's unintentionally on a similar level with Hermione, even though he was trying his best not to do as good as he's doing, sometimes it still slips.
Friday was a long day.
"What do we have today?" Harry asked Ron, who was holding the schooltable. Who was eating oatmeal.
"Two periods of Potions with Slytherin" Ron said, "Snape is the head of Slytherin. Everyone says that he supports his - atleast we'll see if that's true."
Snape indeed does do that. And to make things worse he has a complicated feeling about Harry; on one hand, his father, James, and the other Marauders, used to bully him constantly, and Harry looks just like his father; on the other hand he has green eyes, the same eyes his mother, Lily, had, and Snape is deeply in love with her; so Snape both deeply hates him but also cares about him.
After a few minutes, about a hundred of owls flew into the Great Hall. Harry hadn't looked up, as a lot of students haven't too.
Harry only started paying attention when Hedwig sat on the table and dropped a letter next to his bowl of oatmeal.
By the terrible handwriting he immediately recognized who it was from:
Hey Harry,
Reckon yeh don’t have anythin’ on Friday afternoon, do yeh? If not, come down ter my hut at about three fer a cup o’ tea, yeah? Thought we could have a bit o’ a chat, see how yer week’s been goin’ an’ all that.
Send me yer answer with Hedwig.
Hagrid
Harry borrowed Ron's quill and on the other side of the letter he wrote that he'll come.
*********
Soon the Potions class in one of the dungeons has started, it was just as cold as he remembers, he's always hated the Potions.
When it comes to start of class, Snape had also read out all of the names of students in his class.
"Oh, yes," he said quietly, "Harry Potter. Our new - star"
Malfoy and his friends had covered their mouths with their hands and started giggling.
After the read-through of the names, he began adressing the whole class at once.
"You're here to get a hold of this mysterious science and art of preparation of elixirs." He began, as always he's talking in whispers, but everyone understands every word he's saying. "Because we won't need a funny swishing of a wand, a lot of you will think that this isn't magic. I didn't expect you to be able to understand the enjoy the beauty of a softly bubbling cauldron from which gas shakily floats upwards, awesome power of liquids seeping into human veins, numbing the mind and senses.... I can teach you how to bottle fame, how to brew strength, or even how to make your life longer - at an assumption that you won't be the same class of dumb heads that I always teach."
Afterwards an absolute silence has started. Hermione looked like she was ready to answer anything.
"Potter!" Snape suddenly called out, "what do I get if I add into a wormwood decoction crushed root of asfodel."
Hmm... For some reason Harry can't remember, sure he's read the school book but he couldn't care less about actually remembering anything from it when he was still at the Dursleys.
"I don't know, sir" Harry said.
Snape maliciously grinned at that, Harry sighed, knowing very well that Snape's about to humiliate him, again.
"Well, well, well - fame clearly isn't everything."
Snape completely ignored Hermione's raised hand.
"Well, we'll try again, Potter. Where would you go to search if I tell you to go and get me bezoar?"
"Hm..." Harry thought for a second and then remembered, "In a goat...?" He said, only about 70% sure.
Snape's face soured at that, "and where in a goat would you search it?"
"In their stomach...?" Harry guessed.
Snape's face soured even more, "that's correct." He mumbled and, at that, he gave up on trying to humiliate Harry.
Snape turned around.
Snape began teaching, and made them work in pairs, and made them brew a simple elixir to heal pimples.
Harry always hated Potions, and he was never good at them, he was only successful in his sixth year when he had it with Slughorn and he had a schoolbook that belonged to 'Half-Blood Prince who turned out to be Snape. The school book was filled with notes, and that's why he's been able to succeed.
This time he and Ron were doing decent, luckily for them, Snape had nothing to criticize at their elixir.
Just when Snape was actively complimenting Malfoy's work, everyone heard sizzling. It was coming from Neville. The whole chamber began to fill with clouds of toxic green gas and loud sizzling. Seamus's couldron even began melting and as it did that it began shooting the elixir everywhere. In a few seconds everyone was standing on chairs. Neville ended up getting hit with a huge hit from the potion.
"Idiot!" Snape growled and removed all of the left over liquid in the couldron, and the liquid on the floor and on the desk, with a swish of his wand, "I bet you added porcupine quills before you put your couldron away from the fire."
Neville was sobbing and blisters appeared also on his whole nose.
"Take him to the Hospital Wing." Snape ordered Seamus.
Then he turned to face Harry and Ron, "Potter, why didn't you tell him to not put the quills in? Did you think that if he fails you'll succeed? I'm taking a point from Gryffindor."
Snape was just as unfair as he always was, Harry just hadn't reacted to what Snape had told him.
After Snape moved away Ron told him, "don't think much of it, I've heard that Snape can be terrible."
Oh, how right Ron is.
After the double-period of Potions has ended everyone walked out of the chamber.
"Can I come to Hagrid's with you?" Ron asked.
"Oh, yea sure" Harry immediately answered, kind of glad that Ron suggested that.
Five minutes before three o'clock they've gotten out of the castle and went to Hagrid's hut. His hut is next to the Forbidden forest. Harry began to remember the night when he's gone to the Forbidden Forest, to let Voldemort kill him, he also remembered seeing how Bellatrix Lestrange started a fire and made Hagrid's hut to almost burn down.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Ron asked, sounding surprised.
"Huh?" Harry was shot out of his thoughts, realizing that they're infront of Hagrid's hut, "nothing..." Harry lied, not wanting to worry his best friend.
"Are you sure?"
"Yea"
"..." Ron doesn't seem to fully believe him, but chooses to ignore it for now.
Suddenly, Hagrid opened the door.
"Welcome!" Hagrid greeted them and let go of Fang, who immediately threw himself onto Ron out of excitement.
After a while Fang got off him and the two of them entered.
"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid.
Hagrid was currently pouring water into a big teapot and put some of the huge pieces of, usually hard to chew, cake.
"Another one from the Weasley lot, eh?" Hagrid noted, "Blimey, I reckon I spent half me life pullin' yer brothers outta the Forbidden Forest, I did."
The cake was as uneasy as always, but both Ron and Harry ate it out of politeness.
And thus they began talking about how's school been going for the two of them so far:
They talked about Filch and Mrs. Norris and how both of them dislike the two them. They talked about how they've been doing at their school subjects.
"Yea, only Harry and Hermione Granger were able to turn a match into a pin," Ron said. Harry wasn't expecting the conversation to turn into this, so he just stared at the floor, "it's not surprising Hermione was able to do it, she's acting like such a know-it-all, but it's a surprise Harry did it."
"Blimey, Harry, that's somethin', really somethin'! Yer dad, he were brilliant at Transfiguration, so I reckon you got that from him. Yer mum now, she were a right marvel at Potions, bless her." Hagrid said, genuinely surprised and impressed by Harry.
Harry isn't exactly talented at Transfiguration, but he guessed he's decent.
"Thanks..." Harry said.
Then the conversation went onto their Potions class, and Harry and Ron explained how it went.
"Honestly I hate Potions," Harry said, and Ron agreed.
"Now don' be like tha', Potions ain' that bad, yeh know," Hagrid said.
"Yea, they wouldn't be if Snape wouldn't hate me" Harry unintentionally said, but didn't take it back, because he knew that it's both too late and wouldn't do anything if he would take it back.
"Not true, I tell yeh! Why'd he go an' do a thing like tha'?" As Hagrid was saying that he rather then looking at Harry.
Harry knows why Snape hates him.
"How's Charlie doin'? Great bloke, he was - knew his way 'round magical creatures, he did." Hagrid changed the subject immediately due to how much depth and weight and darkness it has.
While Ron and Hagrid were talking, Harry noticed a scrap out of the Daily Prophet:
UNLAWFUL BREAK-IN INTO GRINGOTTBANK
From until-today's investigation of an unlawful break-in into Gringottbank, which happened on 31. July, shows, that with the most certainty it's work of multiple dark wizards or witches.
Goblins from the Gringottbank confirmed, that nothing has disappeared. The vault, that the thieves had tried to access, has been cleared out the same day as the break-in had happened.
"We won't tell you what was inside it so, please, mind your own business," told us today this afternoon speaker of Gringottbank.
After about two hours Harry and Ron left Hagrid's and went back into the castle.