Furry Little Problem, pt. 1

Harry froze, expecting the hat to proclaim “Slytherin!” But the words didn’t come. The hat remained silent to everyone except Severus. It seemed to be communicating with Snape—Harry could only tell by the hardly noticeable changes in its mouth, nothing it was saying was audible. Harry wished he could hear what the problem was, but he had to rely on Snape’s reactions to tell him.

In the first minute, Severus shut his eyes tight and clenched his fists in his lap. Then, over time, the nervousness Snape appeared to feel transformed into annoyance, as he rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. After three minutes had passed, murmuring broke out, then died back down as Dumbledore signed for them to be quiet. Professor McGonagall whispered, just loud enough so the first years could hear, “He may be a Hatstall; someone who takes five minutes or more to sort. They are very rare, and usually occur only once every fifty years. I was one myself.” 

Harry wondered if he was the one who’d caused this. He doubted that Snape had taken this long to sort in the original timeline. Was Severus fighting for a spot in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin, just as he had as a first year? It seemed so; Snape was now voicing his opinions in a frustrated whisper. Harry glanced at Lily, who gazed unblinkingly at Severus from her seat, features taut with anticipation. Harry could see that her fingers were crossed, resting on the edge of the table before her. Nearby, James and Sirius were sniggering at him, having apparently found something amusing about Severus’ appearance and possibly by the way he was acting. 

Harry remembered Dumbledore saying, “I sometimes think we Sort too soon…” If Dumbledore said it, then it had to have some significance. If it was true, then there was nothing wrong with what Harry had done and there was a good chance Severus would be sorted into Gryffindor. 

It all depended on Severus’ choice. Five minutes and twenty-one seconds after the hat had been placed on Severus’ head, the seam across its front opened wide. Harry held his breath. Ages later, the hat called Gryffindor, and warmth spread back into the Hall. 

Harry could breathe again, and he beamed at Severus as he passed by and sat next to Lily at the Gryffindor table. Severus still seemed slightly regretful as he nodded at Harry, then glanced at the Slytherin table. Only when Lily hugged him did he allow himself to move on. 

Harry wondered if this now meant there would be six male Gryffindors, as opposed to the five in his first year. Who was he pushing to a different house? Unless…there were only four people in Gryffindor house in the original reality. That might explain why the Marauders adopted Peter into their group, because there were so few of them to begin with. 

Harry didn’t pay attention to the next couple of names. He was happy for Lily, Severus, and Raven, but his mind was still not relaxed. His gaze absentmindedly found the Gryffindor table, where his dad sat, eying his mother. Harry looked away, but his thoughts remained on the sight. How his father looked at his mother now was much different from how Severus looked at her. Of course, Snape had the advantage of knowing her for much longer, so maybe Harry shouldn’t judge his dad too harshly. Still, the way James studied her made him uncomfortable. 

Before he could think about it much longer, “Walker, Jacob,” was called, and he went up to the hat. When Harry put it on, the hat made a soft sound of surprise. 

“Well, well, well…” It murmured, so only he could hear. “I heard them call up Jacob Walker, not a ‘Harry Potter.’” It paused, taking in all the information and memories in Harry’s mind, which was a significantly larger amount than the kids who were coming up before him. “You are…very strange. Tampering with the past, but not for your own selfish reasons. And somehow, time has not been torn. Most peculiar…” 

Don’t tell anyone, Harry thought urgently. 

“I was not planning to…You see, I am interested to know how this turns out. I believe you are the first to come to this school under your circumstances. But, to get to the point, you were sorted into Gryffindor last time, and I see no reason to place you elsewhere.”

Harry felt the relief even before the Sorting Hat exclaimed, “GRYFFINDOR!” He was glad to get away from the hat, whose ability to see into his mind unnerved him. He was grateful that the hat hadn’t kept him as long as Severus, as that would’ve drawn too much attention to himself. Harry hurried to take a seat next to Snape, whose smile was hard to place as genuine or forced. Raven smiled at Harry from her seat next to him, and he returned the gesture. Everyone was smiling and no one appeared to be unhappy with their placement. James and Sirius were nearby, laughing as if they’d been friends all of their life. 

“Woodcly, Elena,” The Professor called. She was the last girl to go up, and the hat quickly placed her in Gryffindor. As soon as she sat down next to a girl named Kiara, an expectant hush fell over the Great Hall. Dumbledore rose and opened his arms to the crowd, basking all of them in the warm glow of his smile. 

Harry felt a lump rise in his throat and he tried not to think about the fact that Dumbledore was now passed. So many great memories of this kind of moment, of this man, that it was hard to ignore the ones Harry mourned over, like the night when the man had died.

“Welcome, new and old, to another year at Hogwarts.” He began, continuing to look kindly over the students. “I think only two words are necessary before the feast—Dig in!” 

Everyone cheered, Harry significantly louder than the first years around him, who weren’t sure how to respond to such a brief speech. He felt nostalgic, and couldn’t help thinking that it was like Dumbledore was alive again.

The empty plates before them filled, and everyone helped themselves as they animatedly discussed their excitement. Severus looked like he had never seen so much food at once in his life. His eyes widened comically and he slowly picked up a generous piece of chicken. Lily’s eyes glittered as she scanned the countless dishes. Raven looked less enthusiastic than the other three, most likely because she was used to an abundance of food, coming from a wealthy wizarding family. 

James reached across the table to the dish in front of Lily, which was filled with steaming pork chops. Harry helped himself to the foods nearest him: steak, roast potatoes, carrots, and roast chicken. Lupin, who was sitting right of across from Harry, piled three steaks on his plate. Sirius, who sat on the other side of him, raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn’t say anything, just scooted a bit away. Peter sat across from Raven, oblivious to Harry’s steady glare. 

Peter already had ratlike features, and even nibbled on his food like a rat. His quick eyes darted to Harry, who looked away. Pretending to be busy with his food, Harry returned his attention toward James. His dad was joking about one of the teachers, causing Sirius to laugh hysterically and a few kids around them to smirk.

James chewed a piece of pork, thinking. He swallowed and said, “I think they should let first years try out for the Quidditch Team.” 

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “Why, you think you’d make it?” 

James shrugged. “I’ve had a ton of practice. Who knows. With muscles like these…” He flexed his arm and grinned at Sirius. He half-glanced at Lily, but she was still engrossed in a conversation with Severus. Harry could see James’ brow furrow in childish frustration. 

“So what’s your name?” Harry looked up. James hadn’t asked him, he had asked Lily.

“Er…” Lily was caught off-guard, Severus and her had been in the middle of a conversation. She composed herself. “Lily Evans.” 

Harry could see through James’ politeness; there weren’t too many new students, and he should’ve at least remembered her first name. Lily wouldn’t guess that he just wanted an excuse to talk to her, but she might think it was strange that she didn’t remember, especially if she knew his name. 

“And you’re James Potter, right?” 

“Yeah.” His face showed an increased amount of smugness at the fact that she had remembered his name. Sirius nudged him with his elbow. 

“And this is Sirius Black.” 

Sirius gave her his crooked smile, which he seemed to have perfected. Maybe Sirius was a little interested in her, maybe he developed a crush on her, but never told any of them, especially James. It was possible, since Harry didn’t know much about his father’s year in school.

“Hey,” Sirius said casually, and flipped his hair out of his eyes. Severus, who had been watching them, snorted. Sirius threw him a look that read, “Got a problem?”

“Who are you?” James asked, for the sake of acting like he didn’t care to remember it before, with a slight air of a challenge. 

“Severus Snape.” He returned the tone, eyes narrowing.

James was about to say something else, but thought better of it and smiled a little sarcastically. Being a fellow Gryffindor might give Snape some time before James would lose the act and start to bully him. 

James didn’t ask for Harry or Raven’s name, probably because he already knew their names and had no reason to ask. 

Everyone returned to eating as if nothing had happened. Though the conversations between James and Sirius were quieter than before. 

Harry noticed Raven was frowning as she picked at her food. “Hey,” he said, trying to sound friendly.

“Hm? Oh, hi.” She turned toward him and searched his face for an explanation to why he was talking to her. “Yeah?”

“So…” he searched for a topic. “What do you think?” He looked around the room.

Raven raised an eyebrow, taking a couple seconds to process he was asking.

“Er…it’s really…cool, yeah. I mean, it’s amazing.” She paused. “Our headmaster, er, Dumbledore, he’s brilliant. And the building is…magical, so far.” She smiled a little, and gazed at the glowing candles floating above them. She was usually very articulate, what had changed? 

“I think so too. It feels like home, right?” 

Raven gave Harry a strange look. “I guess.” She set her fork down next to her plate, which was still half full, and took a sip of water. 

Harry bit into another roasted potato and listened to the conversation between Lily and Snape.  

“…maybe even better than that time when Petunia ran into—” Lily was saying, but didn’t finish because they both started laughing. Severus had an awkward sort of laugh, the kind Harry could tell wasn’t used often. A few Gryffindors turned their heads, taken aback.

“Yeah, but what about when we got free candy from Terri’s? That was fun.”

Lily’s face lit up at the memory. “I totally forgot about that! And that was the morning after all the flowers bloomed!” She paused. “I think this is just like that.” Severus smiled and continued eating.  

Harry noticed Lupin had been listening to them. Sirius and James were too absorbed in themselves to include Lupin, and Lupin seemed to shy to officially introduce himself. Harry decided he’d take the first chance he had to talk to him. 

Nearly Headless Nick floated to where the first years were sitting. “Greetings, new Gryffindors!” He beamed down upon each of them, trying to act dignified.

“Hey,” everyone replied, less enthusiastically than the ghost.

“I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. Pleasure to meet you all.” He frowned slightly at the lack of reaction, but recovered. “You must all be proud to be Gryffindors. I remember my first day at Hogwarts—” 

“Aren’t you Nearly Headless Nick?” James asked suddenly.

Sir Nicholas faltered. “Yes,” he answered, annoyed as he always was when he was asked that question. 

“My dad told me about you. You can take off your head, right?” 

Nicholas grunted in agreement, and it was clear that he wished he had not talked to the first years. Before they had to ask, he tugged his head to the side and it came almost all the way off, as if it was on a hinge. James and Sirius clapped, laughing, and the other first years gaped in awe. 

Sir Nicholas glided away, annoyed, leaving them back to chat with each other again. Harry finished eating without talking, but kept an open ear for what others were saying. After another ten or fifteen minutes, everyone in the Great Hall was finished with their food and the plates were magically cleared.

Dumbledore rose again and there was an immediate silence.

“Welcome to another year at Hogwarts.” His features crinkled into a pleasant expression. “There are just a few rules I want to go over before you go off to your dorms. Number one, keep in mind that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, and for a good reason. Number two, there is now magic allowed between classes in the corridors, as long as it does not harm or bother others. On a brighter note, Quidditch trials are on the second week of term. If you wish to try out, please contact Professor Hooch.” 

There were excited murmurs at this; Harry saw James nod and smile at Sirius. He must be certain that they’d make an exception for him.

“Before I send you off to your dorms, let us sing the school song! Everyone choose their favorite tune!” 

With a flick of his wand, a golden ribbon shot into the air and twisted into the lyrics.

Everyone in the hall sang with an fervor that rivaled Dumbledore’s, except for a great deal of the Slytherins. Harry could only make out the few voices around him; James and Sirius were extremely loud, belting out the song in what sounded like a sea chanty. Severus was quiet, though he was certainly singing, and extremely off-pitch. Lily wasn’t bellowing the song, but he could hear her voice rise clearly, pure and sweet, above those around her. Raven had a pleasing voice, as far as he could tell, but she wasn’t singing loud enough for him to hear properly. 

Once everyone had finished, around the same time, (there were no Weasley twins to lag behind everyone else this time) Dumbledore congratulated the students on their “wonderfully passionate cacophony of sound,” then sent them off to bed. 

The prefects led the students out of the Great Hall and down the hallway. All the first years were yawning and their eyes drooped sleepily. Harry didn’t feel tired, probably because his mind was used to less sleep than those younger than him. He had been doing a lot more in the past year than these kids had, so just riding on a train and eating dinner was not going to make him drowsy. 

Harry tried his best to act surprised at the moving staircases and the twists and turns they made. There were a few times, though, when he, out of habit, skipped a step he knew was fake when the older students forgot to warn them. He had to help some of the more unlucky kids get their feet out. After stopping only a few times, the Gryffindors reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was in a rare good mood, beaming at all of them. Once one of the prefects said the password, the portrait swung open, and everyone clambered in. 

The common room was a welcoming sight. There was an overwhelming feeling of warmth and comfort, brought largely by the soft look of the furniture and the fire that burned in the fireplace. Of course, to Harry ad the older students, it was familiar, safe.

“Boys dorms to the left, girls to the right. Your things should be waiting for you,” a prefect with glasses instructed. The students headed off in either direction, some chatting, others trudging off in a sleepy daze.

“Well, good night, Severus.” Lily hugged him and followed Raven to the stairs, waving goodnight. 

Luckily, James didn’t seem to have noticed the exchange between Severus and Lily. He was now ahead of them, yawning luxuriously in the middle of a conversation with Sirius. Lupin and Peter were behind Severus and Harry, not yet a part of either of the two groups. 

The first years’ dorm was arranged in a cramped circle of six beds, each with suitcases stacked on the side. The setup worked out; going counterclockwise from the door, the order was James, Sirius, Lupin, Peter, Severus, then Harry. They each started unpacking at their own pace. James pulled his things out of his suitcase carelessly, while Lupin unpacked slowly and deliberately.

“So…in case you didn’t know, my name’s Jacob Walker,” Harry said in an attempt to break the silence. The Marauders nodded and said “Nice to meet you,” at different times. 

“I’m James Potter,” said Harry’s dad with a note of pride.

“I’m Sirius Black.” Although Sirius had equal confidence, he lacked respect for his family’s name, and his voice tapered off at the end. 

“Remus Lupin,” the third boy said quietly when Harry looked at him. He hadn’t thought about it before, but Lupin was actually good-looking, just in a different way than James and Sirius. They had more rugged, boyish handsomeness, whereas Lupin had a pleasant, traditional appearance. His face was more expressive and kind than the slack, egotistical look of the other two. 

“My name’s Peter Pettigrew,” the fourth, chubby boy said quickly, then went back to unpacking. Harry merely nodded, it was all he could manage, knowing what Peter would become. 

“My name is Severus Snape.”

James and Sirius snickered, and Severus flushed. Remus was polite, however; he said quietly, “Nice to meet you.” 

Harry couldn’t help looking at each of the Marauders again, hoping that the hazy disconnect he had from reality would clear up soon. Lupin gave Harry a small smile when he glanced in his direction, and Harry returned it quickly. 

When they were finished unpacking, everyone climbed into bed and blew out the candles. The room was bathed in moonlight, illuminating the sheets where each person lay. Harry rolled over toward Severus, whose head was just visible, facing the window where the moon glowed in the sky. He wondered if Severus was thinking about Lily and the flower he gave her. He rolled back over and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander…