40 Ambitions and Speculations

"Probably Ravenclaw for me, but Slytherin is also possible. I'm pretty ambitious," Harry said.

"Really? I'd never have thought you to go to any house other than Gryffindor, but then again, if all the stories were just made up. But I can't really see you as an evil Slytherin," Hannah remarked.

"I think those superstitions are stupid. I mean, come on. If all Slytherins were evil, they'd have closed up the house decades ago. And nobody can tell me eleven-year-old kids are evil monsters just because they get sorted into a certain house," Harry expressed.

"I mean, from what I read about the traits the house favors, it's nothing inherently bad. Cunning and ambition are needed to get to the top. It's what you do with those traits that makes you who you are. If not, most fanatics that supported Voldemort had come from Slytherin; this wouldn't even be a point," Harry said, getting gasps from the other three when he used Voldemort's name.

"You said his name," Hannah squeaked.

"And? It's just a name. By calling him those ridiculous pseudonyms, you only give him more power. I can accept that people feared him, but with the way they don't even dare to say his name, they only make him more fearsome than he was. He was human, no god, no supernatural being, just a very powerful wizard. And the name, I think, is made up, by the way. I mean, seriously, Lord 'Flight from Death'?" Harry asked, snickering.

"Flight from death?" Susan asked, astonished, leaning forward in her seat.

"Yes, Voldemort is French and translates to flight from death. You can't tell me anybody would name their child like that, and there were no records of any child born with that name. I heard he claimed to be the heir of Slytherin, and Hagrid told me he was at Hogwarts years ago. Well, you'd have to look for a family tree of the Slytherin line to be sure, but I don't think there are many descendants left. Otherwise, there'd be more Parseltongues," Harry explained.

"So if you assume his age to be around fifty to sixty when he was at the height of his power, you'd have to look back to the Hogwarts graduates in the late thirties to the late forties to find him. But from the history books, he appeared practically from nowhere, meaning, he can't have used his true name, or people would have recognized him," Harry continued.

"That makes sense. So he made up a name for himself to make himself look more mysterious and frightening?" Hannah asked, tipping her chin with her finger.

"That's my theory. Humans tend to fear things they don't understand, and they can only understand things if they analyze them. So, as they couldn't find any information on the roots and past of Voldemort, added by his ruthlessness and that of his followers, irrational fear spread. People made Voldemort worse than he was. No doubt he was one of the worst dark lords in history, but there were others that were stronger than him, but still fell. "

"The thing Voldemort did in perfection was to use the fear of people. Why else would groups of ten to twenty Death Eaters have been able to overwhelm groups of hundreds? If only all of those that were in the raids had stood up and faced them, things wouldn't have gone down the drain like they did," Harry said.

"Greater numbers do work against strong opponents. And not all the Death Eaters were at Voldemort's level. Some were close, but not nearly all of them," Harry explained. The others nodded, absorbed in thought. It made sense when presented this way.

"I think we talked enough about serious issues. Anybody want to play a game of cards?" Harry suggested.

"Sure. Exploding Snap?" Susan proposed.

"Er – I don't know that game, but I'd like to learn it," Harry admitted.

"What games do you know?" Terry asked.

"Well, my old football team liked to play rummy after theory sessions. But I also have learned to play poker, and I found an interesting-looking game in a Muggle toy shop called Wizard," Harry shared.

"Okay, we have enough time until we get to Hogwarts to play different games. I think we'll start with explaining Exploding Snap to you," Susan said, beginning to explain the game while Terry got out his deck of cards.

...

The four had fun playing card games. When the lady with the trolley came by, Harry bought himself some chocolate frogs and two licorice wands. He had enough food in his lunchbox. A few hours into the journey, a blond, round-faced boy entered their compartment, looking tearful.

"Sorry, have any of you perhaps seen a toad?" he asked.

"Hi, Neville, no, we didn't. I didn't know you had a toad," Terry said.

"Oh, hi Terry, hi Susan, hi Hannah it was, right?" Hannah nodded.

Neville turned to Harry. "I'm Neville Longbottom." Harry remembered his name and what had happened to his parents.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter, nice to meet you, Neville," Harry said.

"R-Really? Nice to meet you too," Neville stammered.

"Don't worry, I normally don't bite," Harry joked. "So your toad escaped?"

"Yes, he keeps getting away from me," Neville wailed.

"Have you tried asking an older student to summon him for you?" Harry suggested.

The others looked dumbfounded at him.

"What? I read about that in a Muggleborn guide as an example of what magic can do," Harry said defensively.

"I didn't know there were those examples in there, but you're right, my mum often uses that charm to find things she lost," Terry said.

"Why would you have a guide for muggleborns? Your parents were a witch and a wizard," Neville wondered.

"I'm Muggle-raised. Don't want to talk about it," Harry deflected.

"Oh, okay, thanks for the advice," Neville said and left, looking for an older student.

"Typical Neville. He's a nice guy, a bit forgetful and clumsy, and his family is a bit harsh at times. Thought he was a squib for a long time; didn't tell nice things about him," Susan said.

"Yes, and his grandmother is so intimidating. Can't be easy to please her," Terry added.

A little later, a bushy-haired girl appeared at the door.

"Did anybody see a toad? A boy named Neville lost his?" she asked in a bossy sort of voice.

"No, we already told Neville and advised him to ask an older student to summon it," Harry answered, placing his card on the stack.

"Is that a wizarding game?" she asked, interested.

"No, a Muggle game that is named 'Wizard,' funnily," Hannah said, placing her own card.

"So, you're Muggle-born too?" Hermione asked Harry.

"No, my parents were a witch and a wizard, but I was raised by my Muggle aunt," Harry replied.

Hermione Granger, brimming with excitement and a touch of nervousness, introduced herself rapidly, revealing that her parents were dentists and the letter from Hogwarts had initially been a surprise for them. She expressed her eagerness to attend Hogwarts and mentioned that she had read extensively about Harry, citing specific books in which his story was documented.

However, Hannah, ever the voice of reason, advised Hermione to take occasional breaths while speaking. Hermione, accustomed to such comments, blushed and apologized, admitting to feeling a bit nervous.

"No problem. Just try to slow down while speaking, and you'll be fine. I think it's our turn for introductions now. That's Terry Boot, Susan Bones, Harry Potter, and I'm Hannah Abbott," Hannah said, providing a platform for everyone to share.

When Hermione turned her attention to Harry, she couldn't contain her excitement. "Are you really Harry Potter? I've read all about you. You're in Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

Harry acknowledged his fame but cautioned Hermione against believing everything written about him, especially in Lockhart's books. He clarified that much of the information about him was speculative, with only a few known facts surrounding the events of Halloween in 1981.

"Listen, Granger, nobody but Voldemort, my parents, and I were there that could probably tell what happened. I don't believe it was a power I had; I rather think my mother did something to protect me," Harry explained. He recounted Dumbledore's explanation of his mother's sacrifice activating ancient magic, emphasizing the uncertainty surrounding historical accounts.

"Books are only a source of probable information as long as things haven't been proven. You can take the spells in The Standard Book of Spells as fact. They have been tested and proven to work like they should if you perform the spell right. But things like history are trickier," Harry advised, providing a nuanced perspective on the reliability of magical literature.

....

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