Broken Bonds

12 - Discussion

That Sunday, the conversation they had had about his upbringing was brought up over breakfast.

"Hey pup."

"Yeah Padfoot?"

"You told us about your life before Hogwarts and the summers between the years, but you didn't actually tell us about your first two years at Hogwarts." Remus tilted his head slightly.

"You're right Pads." He turned to Harry. "Hogwarts had to have been lots of fun. Can't have been as bad as last year, with the dementors and all." Harry took a deep breath. He had seen how they reacted to his life with the Dursleys. How would they react learning about his first two years at Hogwarts? The place he was meant to be safe.

"You want to know about my first and second year?" he asked.

"Yeah, I want to know exactly what you got up to. Detentions, best classes, pranks, everything," Sirius confirmed.

"If you're sure. Do you have anything planned for the day?"

"No, nothing planned."

"I was just going to go to the library, so not really."

"Ok, let's go to the lounge. You should probably grab some calming draughts." He stood and left before they could question his suggestion. He sat down in the same armchair he had used during their previous conversation. It didn't take long before they both entered the room, sitting on the couch again. Remus placed 10 calming draughts on the table between them.

"Your first two years couldn't have been so bad that you need a calming draught, right cub?"

"Actually, those are for you," he replied, running his hand through his hair. This would be a fun conversation.

"Ok, start with the sorting and then go from there. Just the most interesting parts," Sirius suggested. He nodded.

"Ok, so I met Ron on the train and we kind of just clicked as friends. Then we met Malfoy and he insulted Ron and reminded me of Dudley. So, when we got to the sorting ceremony, I didn't care where I went, as long as it wasn't in the same house as Malfoy. I sit down, and the first thing the hat tells me is that I would do well in Slytherin. I argued with the hat, determined not to be in the same house as Malfoy, and he had already been sorted into Slytherin. The hat finally relented and put me in Gryffindor, and Ron joined me not long after.

"Everything was fine in the first week. We got lost a lot, but with the size of the castle, moving stairs, and no map, that wasn't surprising. I was enjoying classes until we got to Potions, where I learnt that Snape hates my guts. He immediately singled me out, mocking me for the fame that I didn't even know I had until a month prior. He then proceeded to ask me questions that I didn't know the answers to, making fun of me when I told him I didn't know. Then, he insulted me again after Neville melted his cauldron, blaming me for Neville's mistake when he's the teacher. So, that set the benchmark for every potions lesson that I have ever had." He took a break here, trying to work out where to go next.

"What questions did he ask pup?"

"What does powdered root of asphodel mixed with an infusion of wormwood make; where to find a bezoar; the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane."

"That greasy git. He would know that those are third- and fourth-year topics. Honestly, how he would think that a first year would know that," Remus exclaimed.

"He also takes great pleasure in comparing to me dad. 'Just like your father', 'how arrogant, just like your father', etc. Anyway, next comes Halloween," he said, continuing his story and pretending he didn't notice the scowls that Sirius and Remus were both wearing.