"Yeah, being in the same house as Neville would have been nice, but then I'd have to be in the same house as that Weasley boy, and he didn't strike me as someone nice at all."
"Yeah, that's true." Hermione agrees.
"Did you spend much time getting to know Su Li, Padma or Mandy? They were all three in the compartment that I found Neville's toad in. Su was the one who had him."
"They mentioned that. Padma was pretty excited at getting to meet you, she asked loads of questions."
"My roommates did too. Honestly it's kind of annoying being famous for something you did as a baby. I just kind of feel like everyone's expecting some kind of grand savior or something, but I'm just excited to learn about magic."
"I'm sure it'll die down as people get to know you more. You have to admit that it is kind of fascinating." Hermione says, giving him a small smile.
"You're right. Oh well, at least you haven't been on me non-stop about it." Harry says.
"Probably won't be. I already pulled all of the knowledge of it straight from your skull." Hermione says smugly.
"Ah no! My braincase!" Harry says, and the two of them have a hearty laugh. "I needed that. Now, let's get our schedules."
Making it into the Great Hall, they find their Head of House, Professor Flitwick, standing at the end of the table, with 7 stacks of parchment behind him. "Ah yes! Harry Potter and Hermione Granger your sorting was quite the ordeal, a solid seven minutes for each of you! Two true hatstalls in a single year group is very rare. I look forward to seeing what you can do! Here is the first year schedule. You have Herbology in the greenhouses in about an hour, you shouldn't need your textbooks today, just your parchment, quills and ink. See you in Charms!" Flitwick says with a smile, handing them each a sheet of parchment.
Harry, Hermione, and all first-year Ravenclaws had the same schedule, this Monday, and every Monday thereafter, they had Herbology, followed by Defense Against the Dark Arts, then Transfiguration. There was a break for lunch, and then Charms, Astronomy, and History before the end of the day at 4:30 in the afternoon. Dinner was then expected to be served from 5 to 7.
Arriving at the greenhouses, Harry is happy to see that Hannah was quickly walking over to them, with someone he hadn't met but recognized as Susan Bones walking with her.
"Hey you two! This is my bestie Susan!" Hannah says, using her arms to present Susan as though she's some new work of art.
"Hello again Hannah, and it's nice to meet you Susan, Hannah spoke very highly of you on the train." Hermione says, a smile on her face.
"It's nice to meet you too." Susan says shyly. She's got some very red hair styled in a plait that runs down her back, and a slightly round face with a cute button nose.
"So! I had an idea. Susie and I are best friends already, and we're in the same house. So I thought that for this class she and Harry can be partners so they can get to know each other, and I'll partner with Hermione. Then for Transfiguration we'll swap and I'll be with Harry and Susie will be with Hermione. That way we can all be friends!" Hannah says, eyes sparkling.
"Sounds like a good idea. It'd be nice to have friends outside my house." Harry says, looking at Hermione. "Not that I don't like hanging out with you Hermione, but we can hang out in our common room whenever, or when we're in a class with people we don't like."
"It is a good idea. I'd like more friends." Hermione says, looking down to her shoes.
"It's settled then. Hannah, Hermione, you two head to that side of the green house, Harry and I will go to the other side. We'll swap come Transfiguration." Susan says, pointing with one hand while grabbing Harry's with the other. The pairs split up while they awaited the rest of the students to pour in.
"So, we're a lot alike Mr. Potter, whether or not you know it." Susan says as they make it to the spot she designated for them.
"Oh really? How so?" Harry asks, mildly confused. Susan knowing something of his background isn't unheard of, even outside his general celebrity he had spoken relatively openly with Hannah about the nicer aspects of his life, such as who he lived with and where they lived.
"Hannah mentioned you don't really like to talk about it, but I also lost my parents to You-Know-Who. Well, not HIM, but his lackeys. I also ended up living with my Aunt, although she didn't have a husband, so no uncle or cousins." Susan says, rocking from her heels to her toes and back again.
"That's awful Susan, I'm sorry to hear that." Harry says, and he genuinely does mean that. He hadn't truly expected to find anyone who could really understand that pain, and yet on his first day of classes he found someone else who did.
"I thankfully had some help when I was younger to work through it. I don't remember them of course, I was only a few months old when they passed, but when I was eight Aunty Amelia took me to a Mind Healer to work through it. I used to feel bad that I couldn't feel bad about them, because as far as I was concerned, Aunty Amelia just WAS my mom. Anyway, I'm just saying that I've at least felt some of your pain. So if you need to talk about it, you can talk to me!" Susan rambles. Her cheeks flush a bit towards the end as she looks at him with a big smile. Harry's heart flutters just a little in his chest.