Chapter 5: The First Impression Counts

January 2nd, 1976

It was pitch black outside when the bright red Hogwarts Express finally rolled into Hogsmeade Station. As always, their luggage would be taken up to the castle automatically. Since Harry carried all his personal belongings on his body, the Marauders and Harry left their compartment and made their way through the crowd of students over to waiting carriages.

His eyes scanned the crowd for a familiar patch of blonde hair or alternatively auburn red hair. Unfortunately, Harry did not spot either yet. Well, they were definitely both students, so he would simply check in the Great Hall again. James headed for the closest carriage and a smile tucked on Harry's lips at seeing the calm large, skeleton-like horse waiting patiently in front of it.

"Are you doing okay?" Harry whispered to the Thestral as he approached it and slowly patted its snout. It had come as a surprise to him that the core in his wand is actually Thestral hair. From what he had heard, it's pretty much impossible to use that material as a wand core, since it is highly unstable. It has only been successfully integrated once... The results rested in Harry's wand holster underneath his sleeve.

"Mate, I think Peverell completely lost it." Sirius barked in laughter and was joined by the other Marauders. To them, Harry was petting something invisible. None of them could see the creatures. At least for now...

"Moony, since you are the expert concerning magical creatures, do you mind telling Sirius about a particular magical animal that can only be seen under certain conditions?" Harry grinned as he climbed up into the carriage and took a seat with the others.

Remus' frown changed into a bright grin as his brown eyes darted between Harry and the front of the carriage that just started moving. "Are you trying to say..."

"Yes... Thestrals." Harry nodded.

"What are Thestrals?" Peter asked curiously.

"A Thestral is a breed of winged horses with a skeletal body, face with reptilian features, and wide, leathery wings that resemble a bat's. They are, undeservedly, known as omens of misfortune and aggression by many wizards because they were visible only to those who had witnessed death." Lupin recited the textbook in a fashion that would have made Hermione swell with pride.

"Five points to Gryffindor." Harry joked. No one else laughed though, since four pairs of eyes focused on him. Finally, Sirius asked the question they were all pondering over: "Who did you see die, Harry?"

"More people than I would have liked." Harry answered in earnest: "The first time I saw a Thestral was after a friend of mine was murdered when I was fourteen."

Peter looked like he wanted to ask further questions, but James shut him up with a shake of his head. Harry turned back in the direction of travel, waiting for a sight he had not seen in many years. There it was! The castle looked as magnificent as ever. Its high, illuminated towers and rooftops stood opposingly into the pitch-black sky. Hundreds of windows allowed the light from inside its walls to shine through, giving the entire castle a faint glow. He was finally home.

Hundreds of chatting students ran around in the courtyard, looking for friends to enter the school with. Harry's sharp eyes scanned the crowd for Professor McGonagall He found her, waiting near the large oak doors that served as the entrance to the Great Hall:

"Well, she looks like the only professor in this sea of students..." Harry gestured for the stern Scottish woman: "... so I guess I will see you guys later." Harry told the Marauders.

"You better be in Gryffindor with us, mate." Sirius joked as he parted: "Otherwise you will be a target of the Marauders' Pranks just like any other students."

"Good luck, Harry." James gave him a short man hug: "We will see you inside."

McGonagall's eyes found him as he approached her confidently. She hid the small slip in her stern demeanor quite well. Nevertheless, Harry could tell that she was shocked at how similar he looked to the Potters she knew.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mr. Peverell." She greeted him as the rest of the students passed them and entered the Great Hall until the courtyard was empty.

"My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall. As Headmaster Dumbledore has explained in his letter, I am the deputy headmistress and Head of House Gryffindor. In addition, I teach Transfiguration."

"Thank you for the courteous welcome, Professor." Harry gave her a warm smile. He had grown very close to Minerva in his timeline, so he saw no reason not to do the same here: "I have been told a lot about you already. Dorea speaks very highly of you. As does Charlus."

"You have met the Potters?" McGonagall gaped shortly.

"As the headmaster knows, they are my closest living relatives here in Britain. You could imagine the shock I gave Dorea when appearing for dinner one night."

McGonagall actually giggled: "Dorea must have been furious with Charlus, I would have loved to see that. But I do know the man well. Ever since our fifth year, he only had eyes for her."

"Luckily, we figured it all out in the end." Harry shot her a smirk.

"Well, Mr. Peverell." The woman's lips tightened once more and she wrinkled her nose: "While I am glad you have met the Potters, I do hope that their son's behavior has not rubbed off upon you too much."

"I am afraid it is too late for that, professor." Harry laughed: "However, I can assure you that I will still be an asset to your House. After all, I beat James Potter in an obstacle race on a broom. Though, please don't let him know I shared this with you. He is still a sore loser about it."

McGonagall's eyes widened: "Well, I certainly can't wait to get to know you better, Mr. Peverell. Nevertheless, I shall remain unbiased when it comes to your sorting. All four Houses at Hogwarts have brought out famous witches and wizards over the years."

"I am sure they have." Harry smiled.

"Let us get inside and finish your sorting then." Minerva nodded: "I assume Mr. Potter has told you how it works."

"He tried to make me believe I'd have to wrestle a troll." Harry laughed: "Dorea and Charlus were a bit more helpful."

Soon, they arrived in front of the closed doors of the Great Hall. Harry could make out the voice of Dumbledore, who probably welcomed back the students from the winter break. Then, he heard something that was unmistakably his own name.

"That is your clue, Mr. Peverell." Minerva gestured for him to enter: "I wish you good luck."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry smiled and he took the first step into a candle-lit Great Hall...

Five Minutes earlier, Ravenclaw Table, Great Hall

"I have missed you so much! How have you been, Mar?" Florence Fawley threw her arms around her and engulfed her in a tight embrace when Marlene sat down next to her at their usual spot on the Ravenclaw table.

After her strange meeting with - Potter? - She had done her best to prolong her return to the Slytherins' compartment. However, ultimately, she had returned, since she knew Rabastan would be running to his daddy if she did not follow the arrangements between the two families.

Thankfully the boy had restrained from touching her again and Marlene had used the remaining time until their arrival to read ahead in her transfiguration book. It was perhaps her weakest subject and she was firmly set on still scoring an Outstanding in her OWLs.

Naturally, Rabastan had disliked the fact that she occupied her time with something else. Therefore, when the Express rolled into Hogsmeade station, he had invited her to ride with him and his friends up to the castle, to make up for their lost time.

Marlene had not missed the hidden threat and agreed to it. At least they had been among the first to arrive at the school. The blond girl lost no time and hurried over to the Ravenclaw table, ignoring the narrowed eyes of her soon betrothed. Relief flooded Marlene's face when she finally sat down next to her bubbly best friend.

Florence was a pureblood like herself, though her family was not as prestigious. She was a very dedicated student, just like Marlene, and the two shared many similar interests. Whereas Marlene had long, curly blond hair and blue eyes, Florence's was shorter, straight, and dark in colour. Her eyes were a warm caramel brown.

"Spill." Florence nudges her with a sharp elbow: "How were your holidays? You hardly wrote to me."

"Sorry, I have just been busy..." Marlene lied absently while her eyes were scanning the heads of the students on the table dressed in red and gold.

"Is it about..." Her best friend's voice changed into a whisper and she gestured behind them to the Slytherin table: "... you know...?"

"Yes..." Marlene sighed: "I guess it is... But there is nothing I can do about it now."

Her eyes were very searching for James Potter, to see if it had actually been him, she almost ran into on the train. She finally found him, recognizing the unruly mess of raven hair, sitting with the infamous Marauders, as they called themselves. Unfortunately, their backs were turned to her and they were too far away to make out whether it had been Potter or not. However, she noticed how they left out a free spot for someone right next to James Potter. What was going on there? The Marauders had been closed off ever since their formation in the first year. What was she missing?

Finally, Dumbledore stood up, stretching out his arms as if he intended to hug the Great Hall in its entirety: "Welcome! Welcome back to Hogwarts and to a new term full of studying and merriment!"

Marlene rolled her eyes while a few students giggled. Her family was not too fond of the great Muggle lover. Her parents weren't exactly blood purists, but from a small age onwards, she had only interacted with other Purebloods. The first time she met a half-blood was when she arrived at Platform Nine and 3/4 at the tender age of eleven.

"I sincerely hope you had a lovely Christmas and were able to spend some time with the people you love, be it friends or family. Now, I know how famished you must all be from the long journey on the train. However, before I can let you enjoy the various mouth-watering creations of Hogwarts finest house elves, allow me to make a short announcement..."

This has never happened in the five years she had gone to school here. What was going on? Marlene frowned as she looked over to the Marauders. And why did they all look so excited?

"A new student will be joining our fifth-years for this term. This student is 15 years of age and only recently moved to our shores from the continent. We would like to have a small sorting for him before he joins one of our four reputable Houses. Therefore, please, welcome with me…"

"HARRY PEVERELL!"

Marlene's blonde head whipped around, as did every other student with the Great Hall. The excited whispers that had followed the announcement of his name instantly died, when the giant oak doors opened as if on command. She stretched her head higher, using her height advantage to follow the tall athletic-looking boy- No! - young man who had entered the Great Hall...

Her heart fluttered... It was him. His raven dark hair was not as untamed as Potter's, but neither was it as elegant as Sirius Black's, pretty much in a perfect mixture right in between. Once again, she noticed how tall he was, as he strode into the Great Hall with firm steps, radiating nothing but pure power and confidence.

His dark school uniform was colourless and fit his broad upper body, shoulder, and arms like a second skin. A pitch-black cloak was attached to his back and floated elegantly behind him. She watched as his calculating, emerald green eyes scanned the students of the Great Hall, seemingly taken in each of them as he drew closer to the front with large, firm steps.

His glance swapped over the Hufflepuff's Table and to her's. As if in slow motion, his eyes finally found hers. At that moment, Marlene could swear that there was a faint green flame burning within the depths of his eyes. She was so perplexed by his sudden appearance that she barely noticed the small wink he gave her, before he strode past her, heading for the single chair that Mr. Filch now placed in front of the Great Hall.

It was so silent, that one could have made out the drop of a needle in the Great Hall. He swiftly turned around as soon as he reached the old chair and took a seat as if the wood was gold and the almost broken chair was a throne. His eyes flickered from student to student, lingering unusually long on the Slytherin Table, before they turned to McGonagall, who approached him with the old Sorting Hat. The emerald green vanished as he closed his eyelids and stood still when the hat was placed on his raven hair.

Harry's Perspective

Dumbledore could not have made his entrance any more dramatic, but Harry found that he actually quite enjoyed putting on a good show. He was here to stir things up and the first impression people got of him would be very important. His eyes roamed over the silent Great Hall, looking for a redhead with green eyes and blond head and piercing blue eyes...

Harry instantly found Lily Evans, her flaming red hair giving her away. His mother did not gape like most of the other girls, but her observing green eyes followed him as if he was a very interesting charms project. Having located her, it was time to search for the other girl, whose image had been swirling around in his thoughts for the last few hours.

He already had a hinge that she would not be a Dork or a 'Puff. Nevertheless, his eyes fully scanned the two left tables first, before he switched to his right side and let his gaze wander over the Ravenclaw Table. Yes! There she was, sitting next to a girl, who had her mouth wide open, gaping at him. Harry shot her a small wink and passed her, heading straight for the single chair and sitting down.

A few seconds later, while his eyes roamed over the Slytherin table, looking for familiar faces, Minerva approached him with the Sorting Hat. The Great Hall vanished from his view as he closed his eyes and darkness surrounded him.

"Well, my boy... As impressive as those shields are, I am afraid you will have to drop them if you would like me to sort you." The unmistakable voice of the Sorting Hat echoed through his mind.

'Fine, just don't tell the old puppet master about anything you see' Harry reluctantly dropped his shields and allowed the Hat to take a peek...

"No worries, Mr. Peverell, or is it Potter? My lips are sealed... How very interesting, my first ever time traveler. Well, my boy, it would be the easiest to simply sort you again into the same House you have once been... However, a lot has changed since then, has it not?" The Hat inquired.

'I know Slytherin or Ravenclaw would fit better to my current personality...' Harry began, but the Hat interrupted him.

"And yet, you decided to enroll at this school to spend some time with your family and they are in Gryffindor. But are you sure you would like to go there...? I noticed that someone in Ravenclaw has also caught your attention. And what about keeping an eye on a few students in green? That would certainly be easier whilst in Slytherin?" He could almost feel the head grinning.

'I can still get to know her and I can still keep an eye on them. My parents are more important...' Harry repeated firmly.

"I see that your mind is already made up, young Peverell." The Hat chuckled: "Therefore, I will send you to:"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table in red and gold broke out in incredibly loud cheers. The Marauders were clapping the loudest, supported by Sirius whistling loudly. Harry grinned from ear to ear, as he handed the Hat back and earned a rare smile from McGonagall. He stood up and watched as his robes changed to gold and red, with the Gryffindor crest woven into the fabric above his chest. Harry confidently walked over to the Marauders. He received slaps on his back as he slipped into the empty slot next to James.

"I knew you had it in you, mate!" His father seemed ecstatic at having him in his House: "This term is going to be the best fucking term ever!"

Harry could only grin in reply and helped himself to some of the amazing dishes that just appeared in front of him. Dorea's cooking had been awesome, but even his grandmother admitted that nothing compared to the Hogwarts house-elves. His gaze swept along the table and he found a pair of eyes that looked so much like his, watching him curiously.

They had time, Harry told himself. They would be living in the same tower for the next two years. They had all the time in the world.

At the Ravenclaw table, Marlene had swallowed the small sharp pain when the mysterious handsome stranger was sorted into the House of the Lions. She pushed the disappointment away. Why did she even care? He was just a boy, after all...

Apparently, she was the only girl in the entire Great Hall, who thought so. Next to her, Florence was still staring at him with her mouth wide open, almost drooling.

"Flo!" Marlene hissed: "Pull yourself together, already!"

"He is so fucking hot." The brunette sighed and missed a piece of potato with her fork.

"Seriously?" Marlene huffed: "He is just a boy, for Morgana's sake!"

"Just a boy?" Her best friend repeated bewildered: "Do your eyes work, Mar? He is undoubtedly the hottest bloke in all of Hogwarts! He is even better looking than Sirius Black!"

While the statement might be true, Marlene still did not see the big deal about it: "So what if he is handsome. It's not like that matters to me anymore. By the end of summer, I will probably be betrothed to Lestrange. Perhaps if I am lucky, I will be allowed to return to Hogwarts for my NEWTs. Who knows anyway..."

"I am so sorry, Mar." Her best friend squeezed her hand affectionately: "Is there nothing we can do to stop it from happening?"

"My dad insists on it being a good match for the family..." Marlene replied sadly: "And the Lestranges..." She trailed off.

"Well, the Lestranges are not going to break the agreement..." Florence sighed: "Let's face it. You are, without doubt, the best-looking witch at Hogwarts right now. A bloke like Rabastan Lestrange would not miss out on that..."

"And the only other options are unlikely and not really what I want either." Marlene frowned, as her gaze swapped back to the Gryffindor table.

"Do tell." Flo edged her on.

"Well, my dad would probably be willing to nullify the agreement at the prospect of a better match for me. But the only family with a similar standing are the Blacks. Sirius and Regulus Black are almost as worse as Lestrange. There is pretty much no one else..."

"You have no idea, have you?" Florence giggled, seeing how her best friend's eyes clung to the broad back of Harry Peverell: "Have you missed when Dumbledore announced his name?"

"What, Peverell?" Marlene raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes, of course, don't tell me you have not heard about them before?" Her best friend whispered.

"Only that they were supposed to have died out centuries ago." Marlene stated, glancing up briefly and seeing said boy conversing with the Marauders.

"Well, I thought so too." Florence admitted: "But the family is practically legendary. Marlene, if the Blacks are British wizarding royalty, then the Peverells are the fucking emperors of the entire wizarding world. They are pretty much the oldest magical family that has ever been recorded!"

"Really?" Marlene asked, surprised. She did not know that. But then again, Florence's mother was a genealogist and Florence had always shown an interest in the history of wizarding families.

"Mark my words, Girl!" Florence bobbed her head: "By tomorrow morning, Peverell will be the most sought-after bachelor in the entire country. He could not have a single Galleon to him and still, his name would open him any doors."

"I met him on the train," Marlene admitted in a whisper, not wanting her other housemates to hear it.

"You what?" Florence almost yelled and a few heads turned towards them.

"Shut up, Flo!" Marlene hissed: "I said I met him on the train or should I say, I almost bumped into him."

"Did he help you back up?" Florence awed and then her voice turned sultry: "Did he try to feel you up? No, wait! Did you let him feel you up?"

"What?" Marlene gasped: "No! Of course not, Flo! I swear you need to stop reading those muggle romance novels."

"I know you read them too, Mar." Florence giggled: "I saw the one on your bedside table last term... and I even saw the view pages you marked..."

"Alright stop!" Marlene groaned in embarrassment as she fought down her blush: "Let's just eat and get out of here."

"Well, I guess that he did not wink at me, but at you then..." Florence stated, her voice dripping with disappointment."

"Did he really wink?" Marlene whispered: "I did not know if I really caught it."

"Yes, he did wink at you, you dummy." She rolled her eyes: "Now go over there and snog him already!"

"I will certainly not snog him!" Marlene hissed; however, her mind suddenly provided her with high quality pictures of his lips. She pushed them away: "I will stay here, eat my food and head back to the Tower."

"You eat!" Florence shook her head dismissively: "I will continue checking out our latest arrival..."

At The Slytherin Table

"This changes nothing!" Rabastan Lestrange declares dismissively: "Right now, he is hiding behind his big name, nothing more."

"My dad has told me stories about them, mate." Thomas Avery shares in a whisper: "The Peverells are legendary. Not much is known about them, but they were supposed to be specialists in fighting Dark Lords during their time. They are believed to have been gifted their magic by Death himself."

"I am going to have a word with your nanny and tell her to read less frightening bedtime stories to you, Avery." Mulciber sniggered and a few others joined in.

"You are laughing now, but you have seen the way he walked in here. That confidence does not just come from nowhere. There must be something to back it up." Avery argues: "We are Slytherins, we are opportunistic. Let's wait and figure out more about him before we act rashly."

"No!" Rabastan growled: "We will pull through with it."

"You need to relax, Rab." Higgs chimes in: "So what, he checked out your girlfriend? She is a pretty bird. But now she is your pretty bird. Besides, you know who else might be interested in someone like him..."

The other Slytherins frowned at the implied reference. The Dark Lord would surely like to know about his arrival. However, Rabastan continued staring at the back of Peverell with a murderous look in his eye: "It will happen as I say. We wait until after the Feast."

At The Staff Table

Albus Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes glanced over at the Gryffindor table and its latest addition. Harry Ignotus Peverell was sitting with the Marauders, Hogwarts' most destructive pranksters since the Prewett twins left three years ago. They seemed to be getting along very well. Albus watched as Harry spoke words he could not hear and the other four boys, and even a few people surrounding them, broke out in laughter, echoing through the Great Hall.

Albus had been rather glad that no one noticed the shocked expression on his face when the boy walked in. His resemblance to the Potter's was undeniable. The way he walked... the way he observed pretty much every single student. He could count on one hand the few occasions where he had surveyed a man so young who radiated that amount of confidence and spirit...

Gellert Grindelwald had been the first, when he arrived in Godric's Hollow after being expelled from Durmstrang. Charlus Potter and Arcturus Black had a similar level of confidence, however perhaps not quite in their fifth year yet. Tom Riddle had been confident too, yet the boy had hidden it rather well behind a mask of innocence that many of his colleagues fell for. Too many.

However, none of them could compare to Harry Ignotus Peverell. Facilitating the boy's sorting in such a public way had been Dumbledore's first test for the boy to see what he was made off. He would have expected him to anxiously step towards the middle of the hall, wishing to vanish on the spot, just like so many of the first years.

Yet, it had gone completely different. The boy had entered the Great Hall as if he owned the place and the entire castle around it as well. Dumbledore had met many powerful wizards in his life and Harry Peverell was certainly one of them, and that was only at the age of 15.. The boy knew exactly what he was doing and the impression he left on his peers was undoubted.

He could almost hear the ambitious Slytherins talking about how the addition might shift the political balance with the school. The studious Ravenclaws were discussing how a line as old as the Peverells could have simply vanished and reappeared centuries later. The good-natured Hufflepuff were simply careful, waiting to actually encounter the boy on a personal level before forming an opinion. Naturally, the Gryffindors were ecstatic and welcomed him with open arms.

Albus wished he could have listened in on the conversation between the boy and the Sorting Hat. Undoubtedly, it had been one of the longer sortings he ever experienced. Secretly, Albus was rather glad that the boy had been sent to Gryffindor. A powerful, impressive young man from a family older than the school itself, who is sorted into the House of the cunning, would have been someone to watch out for. Still, something felt off about the Sorting. There had not been a hint of surprise on Peverell's face. Almost as if the boy had known he would be sorted to the Table in red and gold and simply held a pleasant conversation with the Hat in the meantime.

Of course, Albus' astute eyes had not missed how the boy's eyes had lingered on a certain person longer than anyone else. The headmaster watched Marlene McKinnon converse with her friend just in time to catch the small blush on her cheek after looking over to the Gryffindor table. Did the two know each other already?

Also, how did Harry Peverell and James Potter become friends during the duration of the train ride? They conversed and joked with one another as if they had known each other for years. He noticed Minerva looking towards her Lions with a slight frown, yet a rather proud expression:

"You must certainly be happy to have a student in your house that delivered such an impressive entrance, Minerva?" Dumbledore chuckled.

"I am less concerned about the impressiveness of his entrance and more about how impressive the pranks of the Marauders are going to be now that he has joined them..." The woman sighed tiredly.

"The group of friends is rather closed off, Minerva. Surely they won't accept him within their ranks after a single day?" Dumbledore suggested carefully.

"Mr. Peverell has spent the entire Christmas break with the Potters already. He and James got to know each other well over that time..." McGonagall replied.

Dumbledore's demeanor slipped: "May I ask how you happen to stumble upon that information?"

"He told me so," Minerva simply shared: "He gave Dorea quite the shock when simply showing up for dinner one night."

"I can imagine." Dumbledore nodded, hoping his deputy would share even more with him.

"But then again, he also said that they are his last remaining relatives in magical Britain." Minerva watched him with a sad expression: "He actually mentioned that you should know that already."

"Did he, now..." Albus frowned. This was a very interesting development, indeed. If the boy knew so much about his family's ancestry, then surely, he must have heard about the rumours that are connected to them as well. "Just out of curiosity, has he said anything else to you?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Apparently he beat James in a broom obstacle race. Quite an impressive feat. My godson is perhaps the best chaser Hogwarts has seen in the last few decades." Minerva remarked proudly.

That was certainly interesting, but Albus had hoped for more information about where he came from and why he had decided to come here. But it would all be fine. He could always invite the boy to his office after a few days of school had passed, simply to see how he was holding up of course. Yes... that would do. Harry Ignotus Peverell was a mystery but sooner or later, Albus would unravel it.