Somewhere Safe Chapter 9

"It's ok to be nervous." James walked beside Harry.

"You're going to do fine." Lily said from his other side.

"Thanks." Harry gave them a shaky smile.

Today was the day. He would be meeting with the staff for assessment. It was going to be an all-day event as well. They were going to test him on all of the available subjects. He was excited but overwhelmed. More than a few classes he either hadn't taken, or wasn't confident in.

"There will be a break for lunch and dinner." James added gently. "Would you like us to be here? We can bring Rose and Iris to introduce you too."

"That…" Harry thought for a moment. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Lily and James exchanged smiles. Harry was relieved that the tests weren't going to be in the Great Hall. He wasn't sure why, but he had thought they were at first. They led him down a side hallway that Harry didn't recognize. There had been a dedicated Floo for parents, which was a nice surprise. The two of them seemed to know where they were headed.

"Good morning." Dumbledore called from a short distance away.

Harry still had a hard time connecting this Dumbledore to one he knew. The man was impeccably dressed in a dark green pin-stripe suit and vest combo. His sleeves were rolled up just a bit giving him a relaxed air about him.

"Have you had breakfast?" The Headmaster asked.

"Yes." Lily answered.

"Good." Dumbledore smiled. "We can get started."

Harry turned to Lily and James. He shuffled awkwardly for a moment before offering them a handshake. James gave him a small smile and shook it. Lily did as well, adding a gentle squeeze on his upper arm. He wasn't ready for hugging just yet.

Dumbledore led him into a cleared-out classroom. It was well maintained and had a few different workstations set around the room.

"This is a study hall." Dumbledore said as he shut the door. "It's open to students who need it. There is usually a member of staff on duty to provide assistance. It will serve nicely for today, as it has more of the workstations we will need."

Harry nodded, not sure what he was supposed to say to that.

"First." Dumbledore shifted his voice to a more official tone. "We need to discuss your house placement."

"I am, or was, in Gryffindor." Harry answered.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded. "I recall you mentioning that. Do you wish to be sorted once more or remain in Gryffindor?"

"That's an option?" Harry asked.

"Usually, no." The headmaster shook his head. "This is not a usual situation."

"Welcome to my life." Harry muttered.

Dumbledore gave him a warm smile but didn't say anything.

"I want to stay in Gryffindor." Harry spoke after a moment. "It just feels right."

"That's settled." Dumbledore patted Harry on the shoulder. "The first professor will be here shortly. Make yourself comfortable."

Harry watched the Headmaster leave. He turned his attention to the room. There was a potion station, what looked to be a carving table, and a sloped desk that looked similar to an easel but had a raised chair in front of it. A line of standard desks ran parallel to the wall where the door was located. There was also a hexagonal table set off to the far side of the room, he had no idea what its purpose was.

Someone knocked twice before entering the room. A dignified woman with black hair came in. Her expression was schooled to be regal yet somehow welcoming. She had a picnic basket held in the crook of her arm. There was something about her that looked familiar. He couldn't place it and it was maddening.

"Good morning." The woman stopped before him. "I am Andromeda Tonks, Potions Mistress and Professor."

"Good morning, professor." Harry replied.

That earned him a warm smile. She headed over to the potion stations. A steady wave of her wand summoned a fresh set of tools from hidden compartments inset on the table. She set the basket on the open stretch of the station.

"I'm going to have you show me what you know about potions." Professor Tonks waved him over as she pulled a list from the basket.

Harry haltingly joined her.

"I didn’t have the best experience with my previous potions professor." Harry sighed. "He wrote the instructions on the board and then yelled at anyone who made a mistake."

Professor Tonks patted him on the shoulder.

"Give it your best." She offered. "Today is about finding where you stand. There are student groups as well as tutors if you need them."

"Oh good." Harry sighed. "I was worried I would have to go to class with firsties."

Professor Tonks smiled kindly at him.

"Let's get started." She stepped away from the station. "Remember, this isn't about you getting everything perfect. You're showing me your skills. I am here for any questions you have. First, I want you to go down the list and tell me which potions you have learned. We'll talk through the process for each verbally before we move on."

Harry took a deep breath. He stepped up to the station and scanned the list. There were a few that he remembered brewing and a couple that he knew of but had no real experience with. It was clear that the potions became more complex the lower they were on the list.

The next hour or so flew by. Harry would tell Professor Tonks which potion he recognized, then he would explain how it was brewed. Every now and then she would ask him the alternate names for components, the difference between preparation techniques, and correct him as needed.

He didn't physically brew any potions. The basket contained components that she had him prepare. Professor Tonks had him dice, chop, slice, and mince a number of things. She had him crush, grind, and shave others. All the while she questioned him on why the same ingredients were prepared differently across separate potions.

Much to his surprise, he actually knew quite a bit. He put that more to Hermione than Snape. That and he found that his experience in the kitchen carried over.

"Well done." Professor Tonks smiled brightly at him. "You are on track to start Fourth Year potions."

"Thank you." Harry returned her smile.

"You can take a small break before your next assessment." A flick of her wand reset the station.

Harry watched her leave. He still couldn't figure out why she looked so familiar. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a professor he did recognized, somewhat.

"Hello." Professor Trelawny gave him a small wave. "Harry, right?"

She crossed the room until she came to the hexangular table. A wave of her wand summoned a couple of chairs from nearby. She took a seat. Harry had to force himself to stop staring at her. It was Professor Trelawny, that he knew, but like Dumbledore, she looked so different. Her glasses didn't magnify her eyes, her hair was braided rather than wild, and her clothes were in better condition. They were the same style but looked like they were the right size.

"I'm Professor Trelawny." She motioned to the open chair. "I teach fortune telling, divination, and the study of oracles and prophecy."

"You're not an oracle?" Harry asked as he took the offered seat.

"I've had two documented visions." Professor Trelawny replied. "Not nearly enough to be considered a seer. My course does cover the implications of prophecy as well as the history of oracles."

"What's the difference between fortune telling and prophecy?" Harry asked.

"Fortune telling and divination is similar to similar to arithmancy as art is to design." Trelawny explained. "One uses calculations while the other uses intuition."

Harry watched as she set out a deck of tarot cards as well as a tea pot and cup. She added a small clothe pouch along with a crystal pendulum.

"While the two are often lumped together, fortune telling, and divination are separate fields as well." Trelawny continued. "Fortune telling is a process of reading the past and present to help prepare for the future. Divination is a method of predicting the future. True divination requires the practitioner be somewhat or an oracle."

Harry blinked a few times. Listening to her explain it was actually interesting.

"Let's get to it." She smiled brightly at him.

Professor Trelawny had him deal a tarot reading, use runes which were in the clothe bag, and read tea leaves. She explained the process of each as step of the way. This assessment didn't take nearly as long as potions.

"I would be happy to have you in my class." Professor Trelawny began to pack up her items. "It is an elective, so the choice is yours. If you do show any signs of being an oracle, even weak ones, I would ask you to come to me."

"Thank you, professor." Harry stood as she did.

Runes, Arithmancy, and Astronomy were the next few tests. He found the first two subjects interesting but had no experience with them. If he wanted to take them as electives, he would need to sign up for beginners' lessons which were offered in the evenings. Once he was caught up, he would be able to join, as long as he had a free period. Astronomy, he tested at current level.

Once those were done, it was time for lunch. He didn't realize how tired he was until he had to drag himself to the Great Hall for the meal. His brain felt like mush. There was still a few more classes, but they weren't as mentally taxing as the first run.

Rose saw him first. She waved him over to the group of Potters. Lily and James sat across from one another, Rose was positioned beside her mother, facing the door. Another girl sat next to James. The group turned to look at him.

Harry froze. A memory of his first year flashed in his eyes. It wasn't exactly like the vision the Mirror of Erised had shown him, but it was incredibly close. Considering he had walked through it, Harry wondered if there was more to the enchanted object than first thought.

Shaking off the thought, he joined the group, sitting beside Rose. Fresh dishes of food appeared on the table once he had picked a spot.

"Hello again." Rose smiled at him.

"Hi." Harry spoke slower than usual.

"You look tired." She studied his posture as she spoke.

"My brain feels like mush." Harry grumbled. "I still have Care of Magical Creatures, History, and Defense to get through." He looked at the girl he hadn't been introduced to yet. "Hello, I'm Harry."

The girl stared back at him with wide eyes. Like the rest of the Potter kids, she had black hair. Her eyes were a rich brown rather than green. Harry realized that was the color of James' eyes. He couldn't recall what color the twins had, but he didn't think they were green.

Her gaze shifted from him to Rose then James. She yelped and glared at Rose.

"Iris." She finally said. "Third year, Hufflepuff."

"Nice to meet you." Harry gave her a small nod. "I kind of expected you to have red hair."

"Red hair is a recessive trait." Lily shook her head.

"I can't convince mom to let me change it." Iris grumped. "It would only take a little spell work to match hers."

"We're not talking about this now." James cut in.

"What house are you in?" Iris turned her attention back to Harry.

"Gryffindor." Harry answered.

"Of course." Iris rolled her eyes. "I'm betting the twins sort there too."

"I was almost in Slytherin." Harry offered.

"Oh?" Rose perked up at that. "What made you refuse?"

"Malfoy was the first Slytherin I met." Harry replied. "Seven years sharing a dorm with him sounded horrid."

The girls each nodded in agreement.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Iris tried to sound casual, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her.

She yelped again, glaring once more at Rose. He had seen the Weasley's tossing stinging jinxes under the table enough times to recognize what was going on.

"No." Harry chuckled.

Harry took a drink, finding it was cold apple juice rather than pumpkin. That was a nice surprise. He never understood the fascination with pumpkin juice. There were a lot of differences in this world that he was beginning to pick up on. For one, there were a lot more students. It was Sunday, toward the later part of lunch, and there were still plenty of students around. He guessed not having a war in recent history helped keep the population steady.

"Mister Potter?" A gruff, familiar voice called from the doorway.

Harry turned to see Hagrid.

"I'll be waiting outside for your testing." The half-giant said cordially.

"Thank you." Harry called back. "It looks like my break is over."

"I can walk you out." Iris offered.

"I thought you were meeting some friends out by the lake?" Rose's voice had an edge of tease to it.

Iris glared at her sister.

"Sure." Harry spoke up. "I'm not sure where we're supposed to meet. Care of Magical Creatures is taught near his hut on the edge of the forest where I'm from."

Iris shot Rose a smug look. She stood, motioning him to follow, and began to lead him outside. The girl had opted for casual muggle clothes, wearing a pair of jeans and a blouse. She was just a bit shorter than him. Harry found himself admiring her sleek form. Iris had an athletic build. Her chest was on the small side, but she had a shapely butt.

Harry chided himself for his wondering gaze. It was going to take some time to adjust to this world.