Chapter Text
Harry was greeted with a chill, a chill that had nothing to do with the fall weather, as he stepped onto platform nine and three quarters for the first time in over a decade.
It would always be a little bit creepy, he supposed. His subconscious had chosen this place to make one of the most important decisions of his life. Whether to continue his life at all, that is. The ambience was certainly different now. No cryptic Dumbledore. No bits of Riddle’s soul. Just parents and children. Full of yelling and laughter and crying. Full of life.
“Uncle Harry?”
Harry snapped out of his morbid thoughts and looked down at his cousin (once-removed) and his godson. He was technically uncle to neither of them, but he was ‘Uncle Harry’ to them both. Though Teddy had taken to dropping the ‘uncle’ and just calling him Harry now that he was a bit older.
Teddy, who he had helped raise with Andromeda, was probably as close to a son as Harry would ever get. He was going into his third year at Hogwarts. Growing like a weed, Harry thought, as the boy was already up to his shoulders. His hair was currently the same crimson colour as the Hogwarts Express, where it had been a deep indigo not five minutes before they had crossed the barrier.
Dominic Dursley, Dudley’s son, was staring at the other boy in clear confusion at the colour change. He had Harry’s sympathy. Harry was all too familiar with the overwhelming feeling of first being introduced to magic. Dominic’s own hair was a flat blond, like his father’s, but he had his mother’s warm hazel eyes. He was a surprisingly quiet and thoughtful boy, almost the complete opposite of his father. Although, Harry thought, that was a little unkind. Dudley had changed over the years. They were not best friends, by any means, but they were cordial.
Nevertheless, it had been a great surprise to Harry when Dudley had shown up at his door this summer looking pale and shaken; not unlike when the dementors had visited them in Little Whinging. Apparently the thought of magic was still terrifying to his cousin. It was a fair stance to take given his experiences with it, now that Harry thought about it: pig’s tails, inflating aunts, dementors.
“It’s happened, Harry,” was all Dudley had had to say.
The Hogwarts letter, of course. At least Dudley had enough sense not to avoid them like his father had. Instead he had come to Harry, seeking reassurance. It was an odd position to be in with his former tormenter. That Dominic had shown any magic at all was a shock to Harry. He’d thought the Dursley genetics would never have allowed for such an anomaly. It was less of a shock to learn that Dudley had simply been ignoring the signs these past eleven years. Nor was it a shock that Dudley was too afraid to prepare Dominic for school. Or see him off at the train. Too many magic folk for his tastes, Harry reckoned.
Instead, Harry had taken it upon himself to bring the boy with him and Teddy to Diagon Alley for his school supplies. To bring him to King’s Cross for his journey to Hogwarts. Maybe next year, Harry thought. Maybe when Dominic explained to his parents how wonderful Hogwarts was. When they could see the joy that magic could bring, instead of only reliving bad memories. Maybe it was wishful thinking. Still, Harry had hope.
“Alright you lot,” Harry said, pushing the boys forward with a hand on each of their shoulders. “Let’s get you settled then.”
Teddy rushed forward as he was already familiar with the process, saying hello to some fellow students and disappearing onto the train. Dominic was clinging to the sleeve of Harry’s jacket like a lifeline and Harry couldn’t help but give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He tried to keep his focus on the frightened boy, but people kept trying to get his attention; both because he was the ‘Saviour of the Wizarding World’ and because, until recently, he had been a championship-winning quidditch player for Puddlemere.
By now Harry had the whole thing down—polite smiles and waves and handshakes; how to artfully escape a conversation without seeming ungrateful or arrogant. He caught Bill and Fleur as they were saying goodbye to Victoire and gave them a bright smile and a friendly salute. It was a relief to see some familiar faces. When he really looked, there were a lot of familiar faces: Ernie Macmillan, Lee Jordan, even Pansy Parkinson. She rolled her eyes at him and Harry huffed a laugh. It was oddly comforting for some things not to have changed.
Before long Harry was stashing his bag of notes and their trunks in the overhead racks of an empty compartment. Teddy had yet to reappear, probably off with friends. Dominic was nervously looking at all the waving parents out the window, hands twisting in his lap. Harry sat down across from him with a small smile.
“I can find somewhere else to sit if you like, Dom,” Harry said quietly, so as not to startle the boy. “You might want to make friends on the trip without me hovering.”
“No!” Dominic said quickly, eyes wide. “I mean… can you stay? Please, Uncle Harry.”
“Sure, I can stay. This time.”
He wouldn’t be on the Hogwarts Express with them next time, and Dom would have to get used to it, but as it was he had opted not to floo on ahead to Hogsmeade so that he could be with his boys. Instead, he would take the train with his future students. Just like Teddy’s father had. Hopefully the need for chocolate would only be because they were hungry and not because the train was held up by soul-sucking beasts.
“Why was everyone shaking your hand?” Dominic asked curiously, turning his attention back onto Harry now that the train was pulling out of the station.
“Ah.” Harry grinned, running a hand through his hair. “I’m a bit… well-known. In the wizarding world.”
“Like famous?”
“Yeah mate, like famous.”
He was saved from having to answer more, when the door to the compartment slid open. A very small, scrawny boy stood there in black robes, with his dark hair in unruly curls along his forehead. He had dark smudges under his eyes that suggested he hadn’t slept well, and his cheeks lacked the roundness that most boys his age had. Harry had to work on not frowning at his appearance so as not to give him the wrong idea. Instead, he offered the boy a kind smile. The boy’s light-coloured eyes flickered between them uneasily.
“Is it alright to sit here? The others are quite full.”
“Of course,” Harry said immediately, and watched the boy warily slip in and fold himself into the corner opposite Dominic. He pulled his knees up to his chest on the seat, seeming to shrink into the corner as if to try and make himself as small as possible. “I’m Harry. This is Dominic. How about you?”
The boy looked surprised to be addressed, before responding in a quiet voice. “Sebastian.” He was staring at Harry with a small frown now. “I didn’t think parents could come on the train.”
“I’m not a parent,” Harry told him. “I'm a professor. Or I will be. It’s my first time teaching. You’ll have to call me Professor Potter when we get to school, but Harry is fine for the trip I should think.”
The boy’s eyes went very wide and he peeked out from behind his knees a little more curiously. “You’re Harry Potter? Truly?”
“Truly,” Harry said with another smile, eyes flicking over to see Dominic looking between them uncertainly. “See? Famous.”
“You’ve not heard of Harry Potter?” the small boy scoffed, turning narrowed eyes on Dominic.
“He’s just Uncle Harry to me,” Dominic replied with a shrug.
“Dominic is muggleborn,” Harry explained. “He’s my cousin’s boy. He doesn’t know me that way.”
Sebastian shifted away from Dominic like he had cooties, making Dominic frown at him and look over at Harry for help. Harry sighed, but chose not to elaborate just then on why the boy might be acting in such a way. He didn’t think a discussion on blood politics would be the best introduction to the magical world for Dominic. Nor would it do to try and argue the point with a small child who seemed to have grown up with that nonsense. And how were there still people who thought that way? After everything…
The compartment door slid open again and Teddy bounded in, followed by Calum Wood and Jazmine Jordan. The two Gryffindors slouched into the seat beside Harry and laughed as Teddy launched himself at Harry’s side, throwing his arms around his neck. Harry groaned with a laugh as he wrestled the boy into the seat beside him. Teddy was getting much too big for this kind of rough-housing. Or Harry was just getting old. He preferred to think it was the size-thing.
“Not been into the sweets already, have you?” Harry asked with a laugh.
“A bit,” Teddy admitted with a grin. His nose was dotted with freckles now, and his hair had turned a particularly eye-searing shade of green.
“Mam made fudge for the trip,” Jazmine said, offering a piece to each of the younger boys. When neither took it immediately, she rolled her eyes. “It’s not fever fudge or jinxed or anything. It’s good, take some.”
Dominic looked at Harry, who nodded at him, and then quietly took a piece. Sebastian looked surprised once more to be acknowledged or to be offered anything at all. He seemed to gather a bit of courage when he saw Dominic take a bite first. Or maybe he didn’t want to be shown up by a muggleborn, if that was what he valued. Harry subtly watched as the boy took a small bite, seemed to deem it edible, and then quickly inhaled the whole thing. All the while, he was still tucked into the corner of the seat. It was eerily familiar, and Harry vowed to keep an eye on the young boy, even if he did need his priorities rearranged.
As they disembarked onto the platform in Hogsmeade, Teddy gave Harry a fierce hug and then ruffled Dominic’s hair. He wished the boy luck before he was gone again to join the other older students at the carriages.
“Firs’ years this way!” a familiar voice boomed.
Harry looked down the platform to see the instantly recognizable and imposing figure that Hagrid cut in the darkness. The first years looked impossibly tiny next to him. Had they really been that small in their first year too?
Harry knelt down and smiled at Dominic, adjusting his plain and unadorned Hogwarts cloak around his shoulders. He wondered what colour it would be by the end of the night.
“You’ll be alright, Dom. Don’t be frightened. I’m always around if you have questions, but the other students will fill you in too, so don't be afraid to ask. I’m sure you’ll make lots of new friends. Just be yourself. You’re a brave boy, right?”
Dominic nodded, even if it looked like he didn’t feel very brave just then. The other boy, Sebastian, was hovering nearby and Harry gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile. The boy rolled his eyes and stomped off, leaving Harry with an odd sense of déjà vu. The attitude reminded him a bit of a young Slytherin he once knew, and he grinned at the boy’s retreating back.
“Harry! S’good to see yeh!” Hagrid’s voice boomed, “Now who’s this young lad then?”
“This is my friend, Hagrid,” Harry explained to Dominic, patting Hagrid on one massive arm. The light from the lantern picked up the silver streaked in his beard and wild hair. “Hagrid, this is Dominic. You remember Dudley? Dom’s his son.”
“The Dursley boy?” Hagrid chuckled. “Well, I’ll be. Yer pa still got the tail?”
Hagrid’s booming laugh made Dominic jump, even as he turned to look at Harry with wide eyes and mouthed ‘tail?’ at him. Harry grinned and shook his head.
“Go on now. Hagrid will see you to the castle. I’ll see you at the feast.”
Harry stood at the platform a moment longer, watching the first years trail after Hagrid and down to the dock to take the boats across. He waited until all the students seemed to have boarded the carriages and then finally levitated his own trunk through the gates towards a waiting carriage.
“Potter! It’s good to see you!” Flitwick squeaked with a beaming smile. The small, wizened wizard thumped him on the arm with more strength than it looked like he could possess. “Heard you’d be joining us this year. Welcome back!”
“Thanks Professor,” Harry said automatically. At Flitwick’s laugh, he realized that he probably didn’t need to call him that anymore.
“Filius, please. You’re not a boy anymore, Harry. We’re colleagues now.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Harry agreed, distractedly running his fingers through his hair. He hadn’t been a boy in a very long time, even when he’d been the age of one. “Are you coming?... Filius?”
“Oh yes, just a moment,” Flitwick told him, turning back to the gates and swishing his wand in a complicated gesture. Harry caught the shimmer of magic that sealed over the wrought iron gate and tilted his head at it.
“I didn’t realize you were keeping up with the extra wards still.” Since the war, was left unsaid.
“Precautions,” Flitwick told him, climbing into the carriage beside Harry. When he was seated the thestrals started to pull them off down the cobbled road, as hauntingly beautiful and graceful as the last time Harry had seen them. “Minerva errs on the side of caution. It can’t hurt, after all. Anything to protect the students.”
“Of course,” Harry agreed, letting out a deep breath that he didn’t know he’d been holding. He always felt a little easier with a good ward between him and trouble. The castle lights flickered in the near distance and Harry couldn’t help but smile. “Never thought I’d be here again.”
“We’re lucky to have you, Harry,” Flitwick told him sincerely. “Welcome home.”
“Home,” Harry agreed quietly.
The Great Hall was just as he remembered it. Warm and cozy. Same long tables, same floating candles. The sky tonight was cloudless and the stars above them twinkled brightly. The students were loud and boisterous as always, reconnecting over whatever they had gotten up to that summer. Although, the whispering began when they spotted him. Harry felt the number of eyes on him and did his best to offer his new students smiles and nods. He knew that he was somewhat of a legend to them, but he didn’t want to be seen that way. He was just Professor Potter now.
Harry walked down the length of the room behind Flitwick towards the staff table at the front. There were only three empty seats. He didn’t spot Neville, so he assumed that his friend was with the first years. McGonagall gave him a nod and a small smile over the top of her water goblet, which Harry returned with a smile of his own. Flitwick sat down in between Sinistra and a blond man that Harry thought he recognized from when he was in school. The seat to the right of McGonagall was reserved for her deputy headmaster, which Harry knew to be Neville, which left only one seat. Harry made his way over and pulled the chair out, about to sit when he noticed who he would be sitting beside.
Though his head was turned to the side, currently chatting with Luna Lovegood, he would recognize those sharp features and platinum blond hair anywhere. What the fuck was Malfoy doing at the staff table? At Hogwarts?
“Ah, the infamous Harry Potter!” the man on the other side of his chair said in a flowing French accent.
Harry’s eyes flicked over to the man on his left. A dark haired wizard with sharp blue eyes and a charming smile. He looked to be a few years older than Harry, but not by much. The man motioned to the empty seat and Harry sat quickly, suddenly feeling awkward just standing there. He couldn’t help but notice the way that Malfoy’s whole body seemed to have tensed beside him at his name being announced.
“Gaspard Martel,” the man announced, shaking his hand. “Arithmancy. You will be teaching Potions, yes?”
“Ah… yes,” Harry replied awkwardly, skin prickling from the sheer proximity to his former rival. The whole thing had him terribly off-balance. Couldn’t McGonagall have warned him? Or Neville for that matter? Traitors.
“Don’t be nervous, mon cher,” the man told him with a teasing grin. “I am sure you will be brilliant. How could you not be? Draco, you wicked man, don’t be rude to our new colleague. Introduce yourself!”
Harry stiffened as he turned his head almost mechanically to look at the man on his right.
“Potter and I are already acquainted, Gaspard,” Malfoy grumbled, turning to glare at the other man. That recognizable posh accent sounded strange around his name without the emphasis on the ‘p’ that it usually had.
“Malfoy,” Harry greeted back uncertainly with an acknowledging nod.
This was not how he expected his first day to go. Those all too familiar grey eyes finally flicked over from Martel to look at him properly and Harry’s breath hitched in his chest. They were just as intense as he remembered, narrowed as they were at him. Harry felt the responding downturn of his mouth as his eyes automatically narrowed in response. They glowered at each other for entirely too long before another person cut in.
“Harry, when did you get here?” Luna’s dreamy voice drifted over from the other side of Malfoy.
“I came up from Hogsmeade with Flitwick, er… Filius,” Harry corrected, leaning forward to look around Malfoy at his friend. “Wanted to make sure Dominic got here in one piece.”
“Your cousin’s boy?” Luna asked with a small smile. “That’s kind of you, Harry.”
“He was nervous, not that I blame him. I remember being terrified of that bloody hat myself,” Harry told her with a laugh, ignoring the snort of disdainful laughter that Malfoy made with a roll of his eyes. Harry’s fingers on the arm of his chair tightened, but he didn’t acknowledge Malfoy’s obvious contempt. “How was your summer, Luna? Is that Rolf over there?”
“Oh yes, I—”
“Your attention please!” McGonagall’s voice boomed out over the hall and the students slowly fell silent.
Harry gave Luna a smile to let her know they would talk later and settled into his seat. Looking out over the hall of eager faces, it felt strange to have this new perspective. He had been so used to it being the other way around, looking up at the staff table. Still, it was nice to see the faces in here happy and excited for the start of term. The last time he’d been in here—
His eyes drifted unbidden over to where he had seen the bodies of his friends laid out on this same stone floor, and he suddenly found it a little hard to breathe. A wave of memories washed over him and he was distantly aware of McGonagall speaking but it sounded like he was underwater.
He should have expected a reaction like this—he had been expecting a reaction like this— but he thought he’d been prepared to handle it. He attempted to take a breath, only to be met with a sharp pain in his chest as his lungs desperately worked for air. His heartbeat pounded in a rush of blood ringing through his ears. His hands started to shake slightly as his vision started to swim. Oh Merlin, not now. The students were going to think he was crazy if he passed out in the middle of dinner.
A pale hand with long fingers closed over his on top of the arm of his chair, and the shock of it brought him sharply back to reality.
“Breathe, Potter.”
Harry sucked in a breath of oxygen, the tremors in his hands stilling. His rapid breathing started to even out, and as it did the hand pulled away like it had never been there in the first place. Harry looked over at Malfoy with his eyebrows drawn down in confusion, but Malfoy was looking calmly out over the students. Had Malfoy just… helped him? Or had his oxygen-deprived brain just imagined the whole thing? Bit of an odd thing to hallucinate, he thought.
The sorting hat was singing its welcome song to the enjoyment of all, but Harry was still in a state of shock. Whether it was more from having his first panic attack in almost a year or whether it was because Malfoy had willingly touched him, he had no idea. It was a confusing state of affairs all around.
Neville was calling out the names of first years, and Harry’s attention snapped back to the proceedings when he heard him call, “Dursley, Dominic.”
Dominic’s eyes were fixed on the hat like it was going to jump up and bite him, but then a talking hat would seem awfully strange to someone new to magic. It had definitely seemed so to him the first time. Dominic’s eyes flicked up to his and Harry smiled at him, nodding encouragingly.
The boy sat and the hat fell over his eyes. It took its sweet time, but eventually the weathered old hat yelled “Gryffindor!”
Harry beamed, standing up and applauding loudly as the kid took a seat at the long table, his robes lining with that familiar red and his tie changing to stripes of crimson and gold. Harry wasn’t sure what he had been expecting from Dominic, but it seemed all descendants of the Evans family were destined for Gryffindor. Dominic smiled shyly as he was thumped on the back by Jazmine Jordan, enveloped in the warmth and welcome of his housemates.
Harry took his seat again and settled in, listening to the rest of the sorting. The small, tired looking boy from the train was called with a “Nott, Sebastian.”
Harry frowned at the name. Nott. There’d been a Nott in his year. A Slytherin. Malfoy knew him. Was the boy related to him? Must have been, he reasoned. Unsurprisingly, the boy was placed in Slytherin as well. He seemed neither scared nor overjoyed by the decision, simply slumping off to sit quietly at the end of the table. A couple Slytherins welcomed him, but the boy simply stared back at them with the same impartial face.
The sorting ended with the last student a ‘Williams’ being sorted into Hufflepuff, and then Neville was taking the hat away. McGonagall stood and started speaking again, finishing her announcements. Once more Harry felt his attention drift. He should probably be paying attention and setting a good example for the students, but it was hard to focus with all that had just gone on in the last hour. It had Harry’s head reeling.
“We wish Professor Slughorn a happy retirement,” McGonagall continued, unaware of Harry’s panic attack. And, oh no, she was going to announce him and he didn't feel like being the centre of attention just then. “But we are pleased to welcome Professor Harry Potter to our school this year, who will be taking over as Potions Master!”
There were cheers from the students, enthusiastic clapping from the staff, and more excited whispers. Harry gave what he hoped was a confident smile as he inclined his head towards the students, though he was sure it came off a lot more strained than he had been intending. Teddy was standing on the bench at the Hufflepuff table and whooping loudly. His throat felt exceptionally dry so he reached for his water goblet and took a sip.
“He will also be taking over Professor Slughorn’s duties as Head of Slytherin house.”
Harry choked on his water, almost spitting it out over the table. He—what?! McGonagall’s eyes twinkled a bit mischievously as she looked over at him with a smile, taking in his shocked expression.
“Careful, mon ami,” Martel chuckled, thumping him on the back. “My but you are a nervous one. Who would have imagined?”
Harry glared at the man, shrugging off his well-meaning touch. He wasn’t normally a nervous person. He was just horribly betrayed by a woman he trusted. It was a perfectly normal reaction to absolutely ridiculous news.
McGonagall finished her start of term speech and then the plates were filled with food. Harry’s stomach rumbled in appreciation but he abruptly stood from his chair, stalking over to the middle of the staff table.
“A word, Headmistress?”
McGonagall turned in her chair to observe him from over the rim of her spectacles, “Ah, Potter. Now don’t look at me like that, if I had asked you would have said no.”
Harry’s eyes narrowed at her. “I— Well…” he spluttered, looking for the words. It didn’t make any sense. “I can’t even be Head of Slytherin. I thought you had to come from that house to be the Head.”
“Traditionally, you do,” McGonagall agreed. “However, this is the first time in nearly two centuries that we have no professors that were former Slytherins. As such, I decided to change the rules.”
“What about Malfoy?” Harry asked immediately, confused, and clearly grasping at straws. Especially if he, Harry Potter, was here promoting Draco Malfoy as a viable option for a position of power. “He’s a professor, is he not? He was a Slytherin.”
“I did consider it, Potter,” McGonagall began, quirking an eyebrow at him curiously. “However, Healer Malfoy is not technically a professor, and therefore does not qualify to be Head of House. Now, we can discuss it later. Frankly, I am disappointed that you are reacting in this manner.”
Harry felt eleven years old again, being scolded by the head of his own house, and on his way to getting a detention. McGonagall always did have a way of making him feel like he was a small, foolish child.
“It’s not that, Headmistress,” Harry grumbled. “It's just… you could have warned me. Just a bit of a shock.”
You could have warned me about a lot of things, Harry thought bitterly. He hated being kept in the dark.
“You’ll do just fine, Harry,” McGonagall told him a little more softly. “Slughorn was thrilled to hear that you would be taking over for him. He always had a soft spot for you.”
Harry resisted rolling his eyes. He hadn’t liked Dumbledore using him to manipulate Slughorn, and he hadn’t appreciated Slughorn trying to ‘collect’ him either. But that was all in the past, he reminded himself. He was here for a fresh start. He'd promised himself that he was going to leave it all behind and just try and live his life for him.
“Yeah, alright,” Harry agreed finally. “We’ll speak later.”
Returning to his chair, Harry plopped down with a sigh, reaching forward to spoon potatoes onto his plate before he speared a slab of roast beef. His mind raced, but he put it aside in favour of filling his impatient stomach. There was a lot to think about, and yet the weirdest part of the evening remained that, in between the snark and eyerolls, Malfoy had been kind.