3 Chapter 3

A couple of weeks after their visit to diagon ally, Harry and his tutors moved into the Potter Manor. Morgana and Hela realised that it was better for the boy to be in magical England at the moment, as their intuition told them it was the right thing to do.

His family's ancestral estate was to Harry's liking. For the first time in his life, he had his own home and his room. After barely settling into the mansion, Harry, under the guidance of Morgana and Hela, immediately set out to <wake up the house>. The boy went down to the dungeon where the birthstone was located in one of the rooms. Approaching the altar with the stone, Harry made a small cut on his palm with a ritual knife and sprinkled the stone with his blood. The boy then healed his hand with a simple medical spell. This spell was one of the few that Harry had managed to learn.

As soon as the boy's blood soaked into the birthstone, a magical pulse spread from the altar throughout the house, which "awakened the house". Back in his room, Harry was very tired, for <awakening the mansion> had required a tremendous amount of magical energy from the boy. Barely touching his pillow, Harry immediately fell asleep. While the young Potter heir was resting, the girls, having changed their appearance with the help of charms, decided to go to Hogsmeade to buy a small house to use as a secret hideout. Having made the purchase, Morgana and Hela parted ways. The Goddess of Death returned to the Potter Manor and Morgana decided to visit a small pub nearby. Once inside, she sat down at the furthest table and ordered a mug of creamy beer, while the brunette watched the other pub-goers. After a while, two male mages entered the pub, one was elderly, with a long white beard and wearing half glasses, and the other, younger, was dressed all in black. Ignoring the other customers, the men sat down at a table by the window and placed their orders. When the waiter brought the food, the old man took out his wand and made a few passes around the table, after a moment a transparent barrier formed, separating the men from the other customers.

However, Albus Dumbledore, having cast a spell of seclusion, had not taken into account that there was a legendary sorceress in the pub who could easily overcome the eavesdropping spell.

Morgana quietly whispered a spell that modern wizards knew nothing about and was able to hear what Dumbledore and his companion were talking about.

As the conversation progressed, the brunette learnt that the man in the black robe's name was Severus Snape, he was a professor of Potions and Dean of Slytherin. In talking to him, the Headmaster of Hogwarts had convinced Snape to be very harsh, if not cruel, towards Harry Potter. The Headmaster had skilfully nurtured his hatred for the child, telling him that Harry was very much like his father. Dumbledore had said with conviction that Harry Potter couldn't get in anywhere but Gryffindor.

Knowing that Snape pathologically hated Gryffindors, Albus hoped that he would be just as negative towards Harry.

Morgana couldn't understand how anyone could hate a boy just because Harry looked so much like James Potter. One day, travelling to Russia

on important business, the black-haired sorceress heard one phrase: "A son is not responsible for his father." Harry's situation was exactly in line with that quote. Further conversation between the wizards convinced Morgana that Albus Dumbledore was a real bastard. It was a good thing the Horcrux had been removed from Harry, otherwise the decrepit old fool would have sent the boy to his death. Now the Headmaster wants Harry to sacrifice himself again, as he did on Halloween 1981.

After waiting for Dumbledore and Snape to leave, the girl paid for her order and left the pub. When Morgana returned to Potter Manor, she found Harry reading a textbook on charms. Seeing that the girl had returned, the boy smiled happily. That smile made the brunette's heart warm. Smiling back, the black-haired beauty sat down next to the boy.

- 'Harry, there's something I need to tell you,' the girl said and then recounted the conversation she had overheard in the pub between Dumbledore and Snape. After hearing what the Headmaster of Hogwarts was up to, Harry was furious that some old man was trying to manipulate him. However, Harry didn't stay angry for long, promising that he would ruin all of Dumbledore's plans. Determined to distract Harry from his heavy thoughts, Morgana took the boy to a Muggle amusement park. Hela wasn't there - the goddess of death had to return to her castle on important business, so her friend was left alone with Harry.

After spending the rest of the day on the rides and eating cotton candy, Morgana had the same sweet tooth as her student. After the day was over, the boy and his mentor returned to Potter Manor.

A few days after Harry had 'woken the house', the boy decided to talk to the portraits of his ancestors. Upon entering the room with the portraits, Harry was stuck there for half a day. The boy talked not only to his parents James and Lily Potter, but also to his grandparents Charles and Dorey Potter. Harry also met the founder of the family, Sebastian Potter. Of course, what Harry interacted with the most was the portraits of his parents. After learning from their son that Dumbledore had sent Harry to the Dursleys, tried to embezzle the family's money for himself and that the Headmaster had hidden their will, Lily and James began cursing the senile old man. When Harry asked why his godmother was the most famous Death Eater and the Dark Lord's right-hand woman, Bellatrix Lestrange, Lily Potter remained silent, saying only that she would tell him when Harry turned thirteen. James, unlike his wife, was eager to talk about Sirius Black, and when Harry told him that his godfather was in Azkaban for a crime he hadn't committed, he cursed Dumbledore.

- Harry, son, realised that Sirius couldn't physically betray us. When you were born, myself, Lily and my friend Sirius performed the baptismal ritual, and if Black had dared to harm you, he would have died instantly. Sirius has the animagic form of a Grimm, which is a large dog, and as you know, dogs never betray their master or in our case, friends. Sirius wasn't a keeper of secrets and couldn't give away our position to Voldemort.

- So why does everyone think otherwise and why did you choose this rat as your keeper?

- You see, Harry, most wizards blindly believe everything Dumbledore says. The bastard's been so used to getting away with everything for the last 60 years just because he defeated Grindelwald, when in fact he didn't. Gellert simply surrendered to Albus to escape a Russian wizard named Koshchey. In 1941, Dumbledore sent his friend Grindelwald and his Black Order against Magical Russia, hoping that the Germans would succeed in subduing the Russian wizards, but failed. By 1945 Grindelwald's main forces were defeated and he fled Russia, realising that if Gellert fell into the hands of the Russians, the whole magical world would learn of their machinations, Albus arranged this 'duel' which allowed him to whitewash his name," Charles Potter revealed.

Upon hearing this news about Albus Dumbledore, Harry thought for a moment, then ran out of the room and returned a couple of minutes later, bringing Morgana with him. As soon as he introduced the legendary witch to his parents and ancestors, the Potter portraits were shocked at this turn. Harry let the girl talk about how she had saved Harry from the Dursleys. Lily and James thanked her for sparing their son from Petunia's family. Admittedly, the boy hadn't yet talked about the fact that in addition to Morgana, the goddess of death was with him.

After talking to the portraits of the boy's ancestors for another half hour, Morgana and Harry said their goodbyes and left the room.

*****

And so the 1st of September came. All of their belongings were packed and it was time to head to the train station. Activating a portkey that Harry had made himself, the boy and his mentors were transported to platform 9¾. Giving one last hug and promising Morgana and Hela that he wouldn't look for trouble, Harry entered the carriage. Luckily, there weren't many passengers. Getting into the first compartment he could find, the first thing Harry did was block the door with a spell and lower the curtain on the glass door. The boy knew that some kids would try to befriend him just because of his fame in defeating the Dark Lord, and Harry didn't want that kind of friendship.

Placing his bag on the shelf, Harry watched through the window as other wizards arrived at the station. There was the red-haired family again, who were upset about something. Seeing what the youngest daughter of the family was wearing made Harry want to bang his head on the table. That's how much you have to hate your child to dress a girl in overshoes and an old dress. Harry didn't want to look at this disgusting family anymore.

Pulling his Potions textbook out of his bag, Harry got so deep into his reading that he didn't notice the train pulling away. A couple of hours after leaving London, Harry put the book down and decided to get something to eat. Taking a couple of sandwiches out of his bag, Harry ate them in a couple of minutes. When the driver announced over the radio that the train would be arriving at Hogsmith station in five minutes, Harry had already changed into his school uniform. After waiting for the train to stop and most of the children to exit the carriage, Harry left the compartment and headed for the exit.

As soon as the boy stepped out of the carriage, he saw that they were being greeted by a half-giant named Hagrid, as he later introduced himself. After waiting for all the first years to gather together, Hagrid gave them a quick look around and after making sure no one was late, he led the children to the boats.

There were four seats in each boat. Sitting in the first boat, Harry looked out over the lake and Hogwarts. Harry's travelling companions were a slightly overweight boy with dark hair and two beautiful girls, a blonde and a brunette, who appeared to be purebloods. Ignoring his travelling companions, Harry continued to look around.

Five minutes later, when all the freshmen were seated, the boats sailed towards Hogwarts. The lake was uneventful, except for the fact that an argument broke out in a neighbouring boat. A red-haired brown-haired man disagreed with his travelling companions and shouted at them. A girl with a mop of brown hair tried to calm the rude man down, but he brushed her off and hit the freshman girl, either accidentally or on purpose. Luckily for the girl, the blow wasn't hard enough to give her a black eye. Seeing that, Harry was once again convinced that he hated those redheads. When the boats docked, Hagrid waited until all the children were out of the boats on the shore and led the first-years to the massive castle gates. There, the giant handed the children to Professor McGonagall and left.

After leading the children into the castle hall and briefly telling them about the faculties, rules and regulations of behaviour in the school, she left, telling the children to stay in their seats and wait for her return. While most of the first-years were discussing Hogwarts itself and the ceremony of assignment to the faculties, Harry was scrutinising his future classmates when suddenly he heard one of them talking nonsense about fighting a troll. Turning round to look at the idiot who had said such nonsense, Harry expectantly saw the red-haired boy who had recently punched the girl.

A few minutes later the doors opened and the professor led the children into the Great Hall, in the centre of which stood the faculty tables. Next to the faculty table was a three-legged stool on which the Distributing Hat rested. Suddenly she straightened up and sang:

I may not be pretty to look at,

But don't judge me too harshly

For I'm the smartest hat in the world,

♪ No matter what you say ♪

♪ Hats, hats, hats, hats, hats, hats, hats, hats ♪

I'm prettier than I am

But if they were smarter than me.

I'd eat myself for lunch.

I can see right through your mind,

♪ You can't hide anything from me ♪

Put me on and I'll tell you,

# Whom you're destined to study with

Perhaps Gryffindor awaits you,

where brave men study.

Their hearts are full of courage and strength,

and they're noble.

Or maybe your destiny is Hufflepuff,

where no one fears labour,

Where loyalty and devotion are everything,

And patience is perseverance and persistence.

And if your brains are in order,

You've long been hungry for knowledge.

If you've got the humour and strength to chew on the granite of science,

then Ravenclaw is the place for you.

Perhaps in Slytherin, you'll find your best friends.

Find your best friends.

Where tricksters go about their business,

unashamed of their actions.

Don't be afraid of me, put this on,

And I will tell you your fate more accurately

than anyone else.

You're in good hands.

I may be armless, alas,

But I'm proud of myself.

After waiting for the hat to finish singing, Professor McGonagall unfolded the freshman list and began calling the children.

- Abbot Hannah - said the professor and the red-haired girl walked over to the stool with the hat.

- Hufflepuff - the hat gave its verdict and the happy girl went to the far table on the right.

Susan Bones went to Hufflepuff and Lavender Brown went to Gryffindor first. Harry skipped further distribution, concentrating on which faculty to choose.

Just then the entire hall exploded with the words, "Harry Potter." Instantly all conversations in the hall stopped and everyone stared at the boy. Sitting down on a stool and putting on his hat, Harry prepared himself for the conversation.

- It's a very difficult choice. You have a lot of courage and bravery in you, a desire to prove yourself and prove to everyone that you are not just a boy who survived, but an independent person. There is also a desire to learn and discover new things. You are hardworking and stick up for your friends, but friendship is hard for you to achieve. Ugh, I don't even know what to say about you. You're a good fit for all faculties. It's up to you, um, well, I'll tell you what Harry Potter, even though I was created by Godric Gryffindor, I don't recommend you join his faculty. It was a good faculty 200 years ago, but in recent years Gryffindors have fallen apart. All because of the Headmaster, that decrepit old man who pits these jackals against the others, for they are unworthy of the title of lions.

Listen to what they say about the other faculties: Slytherin, slimy, nasty dark mages; Hufflepuff, weak and stupid; Ravenclaw, bloody nerds and nerds. -the Hat angrily interjected.

- Is it true that only dark mages graduate from Slytherin?" - Harry asked, deciding to clarify the matter. After all, he had heard some first-year students say such things about the snake faculty.

- Rubbish. That's the sort of thing the Headmaster and his mutts like Weasley like to say. If you must know, it wasn't just Slytherins who were into dark magic in the Founder's time, it was Gryffindors and Claws too. You know, Harry, there's something about you that could help Slytherin regain its reputation.

- Why are you so negative about the Headmaster, dear Hat?

- Why should I love him? The level of magical education has plummeted, and bullying and inter-faculty feuds are rampant. Besides, I have no one to talk to. I'm only mentioned once a year. Hmm, I think I know where to put you, Mr Potter. Although Dumbledore told me to send you to Gryffindor, I will do otherwise," the hat said, then went silent for a moment and shouted across the room.

- SLIZERIN-" the hat shouted, silencing the entire room. Standing up from his stool, Harry strode with dignity to his faculty table. The faces of not only the students but also Dumbledore and Snape reflected deep shock. After only a couple of minutes, the distribution continued. And when the ceremony was over, the Headmaster rose from his throne and said the following:

- Welcome! Welcome to the beginning of the new school year at Hogwarts Before we begin the banquet, I would like to say a few words. And my words will be: Oaf Bubble, thank you all!"

After these words, food appeared on the faculty tables. Harry, who had learnt etiquette well, was able to eat properly, unlike Ron Weasley, who barely sat at the table and only slurped and slurped all over the room. "Animal" was the only way Harry could call the red-haired Gryffindor.

And when the banquet was over, the Headmaster took the floor again.

- And now, before we go to bed, let's sing our school anthem! Everyone sings their favourite tune. That's it!

The music swept through the hall and most of the students, except for the Slytherins, sang along:

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, our favourite Hogwarts.

Teach us something.

Young and old, bald and shaggy,

Age doesn't matter, it's the essence that counts.

Our heads are in the wind now.

They're empty and boring and full of dead flies,

♪ But there's always room for knowledge ♪

So teach us something.

♪ If we forget something, you remind us ♪

*♪ And if we don't know, you explain ♪

Do your best, our beloved Hogwarts,

And we'll try not to let you down.

When the song was over, the Heads of Housemasters led the freshers into the faculty lounges. Harry, like the rest of the Slytherin freshers, followed a sixth-year girl named Gemma Farley. The girl led the freshers into the dungeons.

Stopping at a stone wall, the Head Girl spoke the required password:

- "Purity," whereupon part of the wall moved away.

After leading the freshmen into the faculty lounge, the girl gave the traditional welcome speech:

- Congratulations! I am Head Girl Gemma Farley, and I am pleased to welcome you to the Slytherin Faculty. Our crest is a snake, the wisest of creatures. Our colours are emerald green and silver. The entrance to our drawing room is hidden in the dungeons of Hogwarts. As you will see, its windows overlook the castle's underground lakes. We often see a giant squid whistling past us, and sometimes more interesting creatures. We like to think that our sanctuary is shrouded in an atmosphere of mystery and underwater shipwrecks. Here are a few things you should know about Slytherin and a few more to forget.

Firstly, let's dispel a few myths. You've probably heard rumours about the Slytherin faculty - for example, that we're all dark mages and will communicate with you if your great-grandfather was a great wizard, and the like. Okay, you shouldn't believe everything you hear from our rival faculties. I don't deny that we've produced our fair share of dark mages, but the other three faculties have produced them too - they just don't want to admit it. And yes, we have a tradition of accepting students who come from several generations of mages and wizards, but nowadays you can find a large number of students in Slytherin who have at least one parent who is a mage.

Here's a little-known fact that the other three faculties don't take into account: Merlin studied at Slytherin. Yes, Merlin himself, the most famous wizard in the world! He learnt everything he knew in our faculty! Would you like to follow in Merlin's footsteps? Or would you rather sit at the old desk of famed Hufflepuff alumna Eglantine Puffett, inventor of the self-washing dish rag? I don't think so. But enough about things that have nothing to do with us.

Let's talk about who we are. Our faculty is the coolest and best in the school. We play to win because we care about the honour and tradition of Slytherin. And we also have the respect of our fellow students. Yes, this respect may have some tinge of fear because of our dark reputation, but you know, it can be fun to have a reputation for following the dark side. Hint you have access to a whole library of curses and see if anyone wants to steal your pencil case. But we're not bad people.

We're like our crest: sleek, strong, and often misunderstood. For example, we Slytherins look out for each other, which is something you can't say about Ravenclaw. Not to mention that the Claws are the biggest herd of buffalo you've ever seen, they go over each other's heads to get good grades, while we Slytherins are brothers. The corridors of Hogwarts can hold surprises for the unprepared, and you'll be glad to have the snakes on your side as you progress through the school. We believe that when you become a snake, you become one of us - one of the elite.

Do you know what Salazar Slytherin looked for in his students? The seeds of greatness. You were chosen for this faculty because you have the potential to become great in the truest sense of the word. Well, you might see a couple of people hanging around in the common lounge that you don't think are destined for anything special. Okay, keep your opinion to yourself. If the Allocating Hat sent them here, then there's something special about them, and don't forget it. Speaking of people who aren't destined to be great, I didn't mention Gryffindors. Many people say that Slytherin and Gryffindor are two sides of the same coin. I believe that Gryffindors are nothing more than Slytherin wannabes. Note, that some people say that Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor valued the same qualities in their students, so perhaps we are more alike than we'd like to think. But that doesn't mean we're friends with Gryffindors. They like to beat us a little less than we like to beat them. A few more things you might want to know: the ghost of our faculty is the Bloody Baron. If you get along with him, he will sometimes agree to bully people for you. Just don't ask him how he got his bloodstains, he doesn't like that. The password to the Slytherin Drawing Room changes every fortnight. Keep an eye on the notice board. Never bring anyone from another faculty into our living room or give them our password. Outsiders haven't visited us in over seven centuries. Well, I think that's all for today. I'm sure you'll enjoy our bedrooms. We sleep on antique four-poster beds with green silk draperies and silver embroidered bedspreads. Medieval tapestries depicting the adventures of famous Slytherins hang on the walls, and silver lamps hang from the ceiling. You'll sleep soundly. The splash of the lake water coming from the window is soothing.

Now, the boys' bedrooms are on the left and the girls' on the right. Each of you will have your own room. Now, good night, and don't forget that at 8 o'clock sharp, you must be in the lobby, where the dean will hand out your schedules and talk to each of you. Once again, congratulations on your admission to the best faculty at Hogwarts..." Having said that, the Head Girl left.

Harry's room was at the very end of the corridor, and as soon as the boy touched his pillow, he fell asleep - today had been a very hard day for him.

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