FicWad

A dog licking his face woke Harry up. He swatted idly in front of him, but didn't account for any resistance.
"Go way..." The licking persisted and Harry opened his eyes sleepily to see the Dalmatian clock he had admired the day before sitting on his chest.
"Time to get up!" the clock barked cheerfully. "You'll be late!"
He somersaulted, then, satisfied his work was done, climbed back onto the bedside table and froze into the pose he had been in yesterday.

Harry got up slowly, figuring the dog probably knew more about what time he should get up than he did, after all, that was what it was made for.
"Good morning honey!" Echo cried out. "Ooh, I love the first day of school. What are you going to wear?" Harry pulled out a plain black robe and Echo shook her head.
"No?" Harry said uncertainly. "Why not?"
Echo sighed. "It's just so boring. What about that one in the corner?" Harry pulled out a robe that to him looked exactly the same as the one he'd had before.
"Yes, I think that's it! And that silver top... no the other one." With Echo guiding his every move he selected his clothes then looked at her oddly.
"Can you, uh, close your eyes?" Echo stared at him with a puzzled expression for a moment before a look of dawn comprehension crossed her face.
"Oh sure." She closed her eyes shut and Harry quickly got dressed.
"Ok, you can open them." Echo opened her eyes and squealed at the sight of Harry.

"Aren't you the little heart breaker!" Harry blushed but when he looked down at himself did like the clothes. Runes flashed in and out in silver as he moved in the sun and it gave him an awe-inducing presence.
"Everyone will arrive in the next hour or so, so you should get down there at about half past nine..."
"The booklet said to get there at nine though." Echo waved her hand contemptuously.
"You should always be fashionably late. Not so late that it's rude and you miss everything, but not so early you are the first person and have to stand around on your own. Trust me! Nine thirty is the time!" Harry nodded and looked at the clock.
"It's quarter past now..."
"Well, I suppose you could go to Chad's rooms and enter together. Make sure your clothes don't clash mind! Black and silver should go with everything but you never know." Harry wasn't quite sure how you could tell if colours clashed, but figured it couldn't be that important so he nodded and left, clutching his map close.

He arrived at Chad's rooms fairly fast and knocked on the door nervously. Professor Tugwood opened it. Behind him, Harry could see Chad, and a woman who was attempting to comb his hair, and failing.
"Mum, get off!" Chad fought his way out. "Goodbye! See you at the banquet!" Chad's mother looked slightly peeved that Chad had managed to escape, but waved anyway.

"Thank god you're here! I wasn't sure if you would come so I was busy thinking of ways to get away." Chad said, and Harry smiled. They walked towards the entrance foyer slowly.
"So, does everyone really come at half past?"
"Of course!" Chad said loudly. "Well, everyone who's /anyone/. It's just not done to turn up on time to the welcome ceremony."

They got there and Harry stood in the doorway and gaped. Where yesterday there had been a small room, cosy and welcoming, today there was a huge hall, filled with people. Chad looked at him condescendingly.
"It changes for the occasion. You were coming to place, which would be your new home, so it was homey. All this," he indicated to the lobby "is just for show."

Harry nodded in understanding. He imitated Chad's easy stance and put his nose high in the air. Remember Harry, he told himself, you are their equals. He and Chad sauntered through the crowd for a while, until Chad saw some people he recognised.
"Giselle! Annette!" Twin girls turned to look at them. Harry noticed one had a small freckle beside her eye, but it was incredibly pale, and if he hadn't been searching for a difference he wouldn't have seen it at all.
"Oh."
"It's you." The girls sounded about as thrilled as Dudley was when he got told he was going on a diet.
"But wait,"
"I see you have a friend."
"How... interesting."
They circled around, and Harry felt as though he was about to be devoured. He shivered slightly, and the girls grinned, pleased by the reaction.

"Annette and"
"Giselle Seignor. And you are?"
"Harry Potter." The girls looked speculative.
"Son of James Potter?"
"Who was born of Harold Potter?"
"If so I do believe we are fourth cousins!" Annette finished. Harry glanced at her freckle before nodding.
"Well, my father's name was James." The girls giggled.
"Is that all you know?"
"Haven't you seen your family tree?" Harry shook his head, and they laughed some more before dancing off.

Chad grinned widely. "You hit it off with them! Brilliant, you'll be gathering allies like nobodies business. And you must be powerful or they wouldn't have claimed relation."
"Well how would they know?" Harry asked reasonably, and Chad smirked slightly.
"It isn't talked about, but their great great-grandfather somehow tamed a banshee, and now all the Seignors can sense magic. Luckily they didn't inherit the cry, or they would have been a lot worse than they are."
"And what's so big about claiming relation?"
"Everyone is related to everyone here, except the muggleborns, so being related is no big thing. It's only if your either closely related, or planning on allying yourself with someone that you claim relation." Harry was going to ask more, but trumpet music filled the air.

A huge woman walked into the room, long deep purple robes swept behind her and she clapped her hands. Instantly everyone was silent.
"It is time for the banquet!"
Everyone who came with family kissed them goodbye, and two lines formed, girls on one side, boys on the other. Harry found himself opposite Giselle and he offered her his arm. She smiled at him and took it. Together they proceeded into the next room, where many people were seated at small round tables. They all looked friendly enough, but the first years started to slide on the ground. Giselle looked furious as she whispered to Harry,
"They're trying to make us seem weak. We must keep our feet."
"Hold each other up?" Harry suggested, and she nodded. The casual arm holding came in handy as Giselle gripped harder and he tensed his arm. The marble beneath their feet felt cold, but they kept walking.
"Wait! They've turned this to ice!" Giselle looked at him as though he was thick.
"Of course."
"We have to slide with it." He demonstrated, and Giselle caught on quickly. They slid to the empty tables over the far side, and were the first to get there. They watched as the ice disappeared. Some people seemed relieved while others wary that more would come.

Chad and Annette were closest to them, having seen what Harry and Giselle had done and copied. A pleasant looking brown-haired boy, and a girl with deep black hair, who had taken the unorthodox step of sliding across on their bellies, closely followed them. Nearly everyone else was still huddled at the back where they had first fallen.

The huge woman from earlier stood at the front.
"To your seats please." She said in a pleasant tone. Everyone scurried to obey, and Harry found himself sitting with the boy and girl he had noticed earlier, as well as Chad and Annette.
"Bonjour children. For those who don't know, I am Madame Maxime, and I am your headmistress. I do hope you will enjoy your time here at Beauxbatons, it is a place of challenges as much as learning. While here you will meet allies, and maybe make enemies, but there are a few ground rules. First years are out of bounds. Nothing can affect them adversely, do I make myself understood? Everyone is here on his or her own merit. Here at Beauxbatons it matters not whether you are human or creature, pureblood or muggleborn, dark or light. You are all the best, the most powerful, the most knowledgeable. And finally, anything that happens to a fellow schoolmate that we can prove came from you... we will do to you." She gave a wolfish grin. "Beauxbatons is the neutral school, just as Hogwarts is the light and Durmstrang the dark. That means here, anything goes. Do I make myself understood?" She sat down, and chatter commenced.

Harry gulped.
"Is she serious?" Everyone at his table nodded.
"Well, let's introduce ourselves." The brown haired boy suggested.
"I'm Bernard Noir, lycanthrope, ally of the Blacks." He started.
"Annette Seignor, small part banshee, pureblood, ally of the Snapes."
"Giselle Seignor, same."
"Chad Tugwood, pureblood, ally of Mr. Potter here."
"Harry Potter, pureblood father, muggleborn mother, ally of Chad."
"Serena Smirnova, halfblood seer, no allies."

The girl had a light accent that Harry took to mean French wasn't her first language, but she spoke fluently none the less. Everyone was looking at her pityingly after she said she had no allies, but she didn't appear to notice.

"Should we order?" Serena asked, and everyone nodded and picked up menus off the table. Harry looked inside. Bouillabaisse, flamiche, he didn't like the sound of any of that! Duck confit sounded okay, and he tapped his wand against the box next to the word. Instantly a small plate appeared in front of him, and Harry began to eat. It was much better than anything he could cook. The rest of lunch passed in silence as everyone focused on their food. After a tasty pastry called 'mille-feuille' for dessert, Harry was stuffed.

Madame Maxime stood up again, and everyone's dishes disappeared. "To your rooms children. Second year and above, you know where to go. First years, this is your first challenge." Everyone who was older than eleven disappeared, and the six people around the table looked at each other.
"First of all, conditional allies?" Serena asked.
"What would that consist of?" Harry asked.
"This year, we help each other where we can, but are under no obligations." Annette put in. Harry considered, but nodded. Everyone else agreed.
"Good." Bernard whispered. "Who knows this castle, and where the other years are staying?' Chad put up his hand.
"Well, we won't be too near them will we?" Chad shook his head, and Harry pulled out his map.
"Show us where the other years are." Chad pointed to six locations, each time with a year group.
"Well, that leaves only these two areas." Giselle indicated to the places.
"Wait, that's where the professors are." Chad showed on area. "Which means our rooms must be here."

They were in the middle of the leavers, but most had just run of to explore and hopefully fall across the rooms by chance.
"Come on, I know a shortcut." Chad said quickly, and the group went down a short hallway and climbed behind a tapestry, through to a whole different area of the castle.
"Here we are. Home sweet home." It seemed like a normal area, but when a door was tried, it opened to a plain room with a small bed, a wardrobe, and an ensuite.
"Dibs!" Chad called and jumped onto the bed. Harry got the one next door, and Bernard was on the other side while the girls went across the hall.

"Now the only thing left is to decorate." Chad said eagerly.
The rest of the afternoon was spent fast, the six wandering from room to room, using the basic charms they had already learnt from families to good use. Harry's plain grey room was turned a deep blue, and his bed was made bigger. He opted not to try to transfigure his curtains after Chad tried to turn his into some elegant drapes and they turned into a weird combination of lace and curtain.

"We'll keep working throughout the year. These will turn out great." Bernard said optimistically, looking at his forest green walls.
"Maybe." Annette was slightly more doubtful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The line of children stretched to the door, standing behind Minerva. Dumbledore chuckled to himself at the sight of a drenched first year at the back. It was one of lifes constants that someone would fall in, or in the case of the Weasley twins attempt to swim across. He sighed with pleasure at the knowledge that all was right with the world.

Harry Potter had opened his letter, and replied. It may have been negative but he was sure Snape had it all straightened out before he went away. The dour man was due back tonight from his trip to Burma to collect some rare potions ingredients, and Dumbledore had been so sure of the good news he'd sent him off without even asking. A frown creased his venerable forehead, and he thought that perhaps it wasn't entirely wise to have done that.

This thought would be dogging him for a long time, after Minerva called Harry's name three times, after Snape got back and told him all, even after he went to No. 4 Privet Drive personally and checked the wards. Perhaps his actions concerning Harry hadn't been especially prudent after all.

Well, I'm afraid that reading over this made me realise just how bad it is. I'll leave it up while I rewrite it, but it won't be updated for a while.