Chapter 5

Goodbyes

The remaining days before Miles and Harry were set to board the Hogwarts express went by very quickly. Miles didn't mind. He loved his mum and dad of course, but he'd dreamt of going to Hogwarts ever since he was old enough to understand what it was. The stories that James, Sirius, and Remus had told him about their time at Hogwarts had only made him more excited, and he couldn't wait until he was there as well. 

But while going to Hogwarts was an exciting prospect, it brought on a dilemma. Miles wasn't sure what house he'd like to be in. James had told him that the sorting hat did take your choice into account, that being one of the reasons why Sirius had got into Gryffindor instead of the rest of his family, including Miles' grandmother. 

He felt drawn to Gryffindor, where he could make memories similar to his father and his friends. He'd heard great things about the Gryffindor common room, and Remus had drawn him a sketch of what he remembered of it. He also knew he'd have friends there. He wasn't sure about Harry, but if his brother did get into Gryffindor that would definitely be a bonus. He'd have Fred and George, and Ron, though he wasn't looking forward to having to bunk with the latter.

And yet, he also wanted to get into Slytherin. Yes, it had a bad reputation, and certain wizards had certainly shown how this was the case. But at the same time, it had produced good wizards as well. Merlin, for one, and his Uncle Regulus, whom James had described as, "One of the bravest people I've ever known." He had friends in Slytherin too, and the ones there comprised of the closest friends Miles had ever had. 

So, he was left with the two options. Gryffindor, to please his parents and godfathers, make memories he knew he would cherish, and enjoy the wonderful common room. Or, Slytherin, something he knew his parents, even James, would grudgingly support. Sirius and Remus would be supportive as well, because of Regulus' experience. He'd have his close friends in Slytherin, and honestly, for him, it seemed to be the best option. 

There was another factor as well though. The headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He knew the old man would be pining for him to get into Gryffindor. Did he really care what Dumbledore thought though? It wasn't as though he could do anything, seeing as Miles was the Boy Who Lived, and whatever house he got into, he was still going to attend Hogwarts. 

He'd made his decision the night before he was set to leave for Hogwarts. Gryffindor may please his parents, and most certainly the headmaster. Yes, he could have several friends, though other than the twins, he doubted whether the rest in the house would want to be friends with him. He'd learned over the years that people seemed to think being friends with Miles Potter was much different than being friends with the Boy Who Lived.

But he knew that in Slytherin house, he'd get what he truly wanted from his Hogwarts experience. Professor McGonagall, or Minnie, had told him that his housemates would essentially be like his family. And he knew that if he wanted anyone to be like family, it was Draco, Theo, Daphne, Blaise, and Pansy.

He was going to spend his time at Hogwarts in Slytherin house, and no one was going to stop him.

☆

After much waiting, it was finally the day. Harry got out of bed with a grin on his face, ecstatic that he was finally going to go to Hogwarts. He'd spent the night before tossing and turning, though he didn't mind. He'd been so excited about going to Hogwarts.

There, he wouldn't be treated any differently than anyone else. The state of his room compared to his brother's wouldn't matter, since they would all be in the same dorms, and everyone would have the same living areas. He'd finally be able to make friends and even spend time with them outside of classes. He'd be able to train and learn spells just like Miles, and Dumbledore wouldn't be able to stop him because he had every right to go to Hogwarts.

In the meantime though, he had a problem. He wanted to make a good impression on the train, and James had already informed him that it wouldn't be wise to wear his robes beforehand. He didn't want to go in Miles' old clothes. He knew that Miles handpicked everything that he wanted to give to Harry, which was only the best of his already used clothes. Occasionally, he managed to sneak his brother a brand-new set.

But Harry had used all of them, and he knew that the clothes wouldn't give him a good look now, despite probably having done so a few months ago. And yet, he didn't want to go ask his brother for help. He knew that Miles would happily give him some clothes, probably new ones seeing as Lily and James had taken him shopping, but he just didn't want to go through with it. He didn't want to feel dependent on anyone, though he knew if he was to be, he was very lucky to have Miles.

At last, after brushing his teeth, he decided on an old pair of jeans, a red jumper, and sneakers. He stood in front of the mirror, squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to change his hair. It remained stubbornly messy and black. Though he'd been born a metamorphmagus, he was unable to change his appearance. He hadn't been allowed to when he was younger thanks to Dumbledore, and eventually, when Harry had kept on doing it, he'd placed a lock on that part of his magic.

He'd heard this from Miles, who had overheard Dumbledore explaining this to James and Lily. He claimed it was for Harry's safety, though both boys knew better. Miles had told him that Dumbledore had mentioned that Harry would only be allowed to use his abilities when the person Dumbledore had entrusted with unlocking them was told to do so. Unfortunately, they had no idea who that was. 

So, Harry settled for running a comb through his hair, though it didn't make much of a difference. With a sigh, he jammed it in his pocket and made his way downstairs. He was greeted with an unfamiliar sight. Normally on a special occasion, such as the boys leaving for Hogwarts, Lily would make pancakes for the whole family. 

But instead, Lily and Miles were sitting at the table, talking, while James was preparing... "Omelettes?" he asked. 

"I thought the same thing," Miles said. 

"Your father's omelettes are much better than the rest of his cooking, trust me," Lily said.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment Lils, but I'll have you know that all my cooking is amazing." James' was facing the stove, so he didn't notice the rest of the family roll their eyes simultaneously at his back. 

James set two plates in front of Miles and Lily. "Dig in!" he announced. 

As Harry took his seat, James set a plate down in front of him and ruffled his hair. Recently, James had been acting really kind to him. Of course, his father was almost always good to him, but today, he was especially so. For a while, it seemed that Dumbledore's attempts at making him treat Harry differently were working, but now, he knew he didn't have to worry about that.

He began eating his omelette, which was actually quite good. Lily and Miles seemed to think so too, though Lily seemed to have tried them before since she was nowhere near as surprised as the twins.

Once they were done eating breakfast, Lily and James levitated their trunks outside the house. They piled them into the muggle car that James had really only bought for show and got in themselves. Then it was off to Kings Cross Station.

When they got there and proceeded to levitate the trunks once more, Harry was awestruck. There were so many people, a good portion of them muggles, though he could spot a few that were very obviously wizards too. This was mostly due to their attempts to dress like muggles, which seemed to have failed quite spectacularly.

Lily and James ushered them over to a barrier. "Okay boys, we're all going to go through that."

Miles nodded, but Harry was aghast. "What?"

Lily sighed. "James, you don't honestly expect him to know about the barrier, do you? Here, Harry, this is what he meant." And just like that, she walked towards the barrier. Harry thought she would stop, but she kept on going. However, instead of crashing into it, she passed through, taking Harry's trunk with her.

Understanding what his mother and father were talking about, Harry got ready to go through the barrier as well. As he was doing so, a familiar family pulled up beside them.

"James!" Molly and Arthur greeted his dad.

James jumped in surprise, though as he whirled around his features softened. "Molly, Arthur, good to see you again." He nodded to the boys standing beside the two. "As with you, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and-" He looked around. "Where's Ginny?"

Molly and Arthur looked around, having been distracted in issuing a similar greeting to Harry and MIles. "She was just here a minute ago," Arthur said.

The Weasley twins looked around. Harry saw Fred crouch down behind a trolley, and after seemingly engaging in conversation with him and possibly someone else, George joined him. After a minute or two, they emerged once more, and with them, was a blushing Ginny Weasley.

She hesitantly went up to them and apologized to her parents, then greeted James. "Hello Harry," she said to him, having seen him at the manor. He saw her flush as she turned to Miles. "Hello to you too."

They all went through the barrier in turns, and as he and Miles got to the other side, Harry said out of the corner of his mouth, "What was that about?"

Miles shrugged. "No clue. The twins say they reckon she fancies me, but that's..." He trailed off.

Harry was about to ask him what he was going to say until he realized what caused his brother to stop. They were standing next to an identical barrier, not like the one that they had just gone through, but this one read, 9¾. Around them, utter pandemonium ensued. Unlike before, the whole platform was crowded with wizards. Parents embracing their children, kids lugging trunks around everywhere, some catching up, and the occasional one or two trying to catch a runaway pet.

"Woah." They both said in unison. They stared at one another in surprise. Harry had seen the twins do this multiple times before, but he and Miles hadn't gotten all too many opportunities to get too close. It just made him more excited for Hogwarts though, thrilled that he could have a chance to spend time with Miles as he should have been entitled to at home.

The group's parents helped them get their luggage onto the train, and as they boarded, their parents stood together on the platform. James put his arm around Lily as they waved to their boys, and the Weasleys waved as well, though Harry had a feeling that they'd done this multiple times before. At last, the steam engine began to move, pulling them out of the station. They were off to Hogwarts.