Albania is a small Mediterranean country in southeastern Europe, a haven and a good hiding place for Voldemort. It was remote, rugged, and far from Dumbledore. Some time after graduating, he went to Albania in search of Ravenclaw's Diadem, which the Gray Lady claimed to have hidden.
Helena Ravenclaw was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the founders of Hogwarts. She was driven by envy; her mother was considered a witch with unmatched intelligence in her generation. Rowena enchanted a diadem that was said to grant wisdom to the wearer. Helena stole it and fled to a forest in Albania; her mother kept the theft a secret from her colleagues, but fell seriously ill, and she requested a wizard from the castle to go for her beloved daughter, whom she wanted to see before she died.
The wizard sent was a suitor of Helena, someone whose love was on the verge of obsession, a bad choice it was that he would try to take Helena back. The young witch rejected him, refused to go with him, doubting the veracity of his story, and in a fit of anger, the wizard murdered her, without really intending to. From her point of view, it was an act of desperation. Be that as it may, both ended up as ghosts in the castle, both representing the school House they attended, the Bloody Baron of Slytherin House and the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw House.
The Diadem was lost for centuries before a teenage Tom Riddle managed to obtain information from the Gray Lady, so some time later when he managed to get hold of the relic, Riddle turned it into a Horcrux, which he hid in Hogwarts believing that no one would ever find it ... Albania had a government with slightly more flexible laws than others regarding the Dark Arts, an ideal place to expand his knowledge, which is why Riddle resided here for months in his final training as Voldemort. Albania was the place he felt was his second home, Hogwarts Castle being his first. It was no coincidence that when he lost his body on Halloween 1981, his spirit bounced towards a place that would mean "refuge" for the most feared wizard of recent times, and what better place than his refuge to hide the main part of his soul.
Quirinus Quirrell was a gifted but delicate magical child, due to his shyness and nerves during his student years in Ravenclaw House. Feeling inadequate and wanting to prove himself, he began to develop an interest in the Dark Arts, initially only theoretical. He achieved high marks in his O.W.L.s and N.W.E.s in Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and was also very gifted in defensive magical theory.
Quirrell was very naive and arrogant. He became a Muggle Studies teacher; however, the feeling of insignificance he had made him need to make the world aware of his existence. A brilliant mind who studied books about vampires, but wanted to have direct experiences and stop always chasing books, so, after teaching Muggle Studies for some time, he decided to take a year off and thus perhaps be considered to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, since the headmaster was hesitant to grant him the position.
Before starting his journey, he went to get some things from his vault 998 at Gringotts, where he kept a small box with various belongings, another larger box, and a chest containing Circe's Chocolate Frogs trading card, which Professor Cuthbert Binns had given to James Potter before Quirrell had it. The wizard began his tour of the places he considered useful to his purpose, although he did not look for it; he hoped to find what remained of Lord Voldemort, partly out of curiosity, partly out of his childhood desire for importance. He hoped perhaps to discover his hiding place, read his diaries or books that belonged to Voldemort, and gain some great skills, so that no one would laugh at him again.
Unfortunately, in the deep forests of Albania, by chance, he found the incorporeal Voldemort, and despite being in a weakened state, he was no match for him. Quirrell was naive, a weak-willed wizard who was easily corrupted by the Dark Wizard, inheriting from his famous ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, the ability to "speak with a silver tongue."
When Voldemort realized that Quirrell was going to be a professor at Hogwarts, he did his best to conquer his will and convince him that: "there is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it." He took advantage of him and possessed him without much resistance, as he agreed to lend him his body and his help to achieve his purposes.
Quirrell did his best to serve Voldemort, though he admitted that his attempts were not always successful, as he was receiving orders from higher up.
The wizard was a young man with pale skin and calm blue eyes. When Quirrell returned from his sabbatical in Albania, one of his eyes had a nervous twitch, and he seemed paler, anxious, and stuttered frequently.
Voldemort heard that the Philosopher's Stone was kept in a bank vault, so he used Quirrell to steal the Stone from Gringotts, but the wizard failed. This greatly displeased Voldemort, and he decided that he had to keep a close eye on him.
Quirrell then became a temporary Horcrux when Voldemort's soul completely possessed his body. The wizard began to wear a turban in his daily life, according to him, a reward from an African prince for having eliminated a zombie. There were also rumors that on his journey, he encountered vampires in the Black Forest of Albania, and that he had a nasty falling-out with a sorceress and was never the same since.
Dumbledore appointed him as a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, since he had no other candidate and had somehow promised him one. At the beginning of the semester, he wore a purple turban on his head; those who knew him were concerned about his tremors and how prone he was to fainting after returning from his sabbatical.
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While they were talking, the train had passed through fields with cows and sheep grazing. They stared at the landscape in silence for a while.
Harry remembered meeting Hermione on his first trip; she had helped Neville search for Trevor, and that was why she had introduced herself to him and Ron. But this time, Neville was traveling with him; Trevor couldn't escape due to the idea of the twins and his talent for transfiguration. He also pondered the sorting, wondering if this time the hat would consider sorting him into Slytherin, as it had tried to do before, but Harry had asked to go to Gryffindor. This time, Harry wouldn't object if he stayed in the House of Snakes, although he would like to be in Gryffindor again, possibly for fear of changes he might not want.
Just after midday, there was a commotion in the corridor. Harry knew at once who it was. A woman with a grinning face, so much so that it formed dimples, leaned through the sliding compartment door.
- "Do you want anything from the trolley?" - She asked the group.
Ron's ears went red again, and he muttered that he had brought sandwiches.
Harry and the others peeked into the aisle, and Chris went out to see what was there. In the trolley, there were Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, bubble gum, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, liquorice sticks, and a number of other things, all with the price marked.
- "Good morning, madam, please, I'd like 10 chocolate frogs, 10 cauldron cakes, a small pack of liquorice sticks and... a box of beans." - Chris asked.
The lady took a paper bag and placed the order in it. Chris extended his hand towards his twin, and Harry and Liam automatically gave him their prepared coins. Harry took a while to understand and opened his eyes in understanding.
- "I'd also like to buy some pumpkin pasties," - He murmured and went to the witch with the trolley. - "Madam, please add about 10, no better than a dozen pumpkin pasties."
- "Right away, dear."
Neville only ordered assorted chocolate frogs of the filled kind and a small pack of feathers of flavored sugar.
After getting their purchases, the boys sat down to share their loot.
Ron looked at them in amazement, while he placed the purchases on a seat.
- "Fine, that's 2 for each of you. Take what you want," - Said Chris. - "I'll set aside one of my frogs and one of my cauldron cakes for Marcus." - Said Liam, taking what was indicated and putting them in the cloth bag where he carried his robes, card game, and books to entertain himself during the trip.
Then, Chris did the same, keeping a pasty and 2 licorice sticks, since it was a souvenir of the trip, at home they had that and more at their disposal.
Harry, taking a bite of a pumpkin pasty, offered Ron a chance to join him. Ron had taken out a crumpled packet of four sandwiches. He separated one, as he had in the past.
- "My mother always forgets that I don't like corned beef... Thanks," - Said the redhead and took a pastry.
- "Maybe she mistook the sandwiches for one of your brothers'. Mum sometimes mixed up ours," - Commented Liam.
They made the chocolate frogs jump and talked about their trading cards. Ron said he had about 500 in his collection, but couldn't find the Agrippa or Ptolemy cards. They agreed to swap duplicates once they were at Hogwarts.
Another entertaining moment was when each of them tried to guess what flavor each bean in the bag was. The twins and Neville were lucky; they got chocolate, mint, and orange flavors, but Ron and Harry found spinach, liver, and tripe. Other flavors the quintet found included cabbage, toast, coconut, strawberry, curry, herbs, coffee, sardines, and pepper.
The landscape through the window became wilder, the cultivated fields would be left behind, changing to forests, winding rivers, and dark green hills.
There was a knock on the compartment door, and after checking who was inside, Draco entered, followed by two burly boys, who stood on either side of the pale boy; they seemed like his bodyguards.
- "Hello, I was looking for you," - Said Draco, satisfied to have found them before getting off - "I'm traveling in a compartment two cars ahead." - The boys greeted, and except for Harry, the others looked at the "bodyguards" with intrigue. - "Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle, we travel together. Our parents are acquaintances," - Introduced Draco.
Everyone introduced themselves, and when Draco Malfoy said his name to introduce himself to Ron, he let out a weak cough, which could have been hiding a giggle.
Draco (dragon) looked at him in annoyance. - "You think my name is funny, don't you? It's obvious what your last name is. My father told me that all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can support."
- "Draco!" Harry reprimanded, unable to avoid coming to Ron's defense.
Draco turned to Harry. - "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are much better than others. I advise you to be careful not to make friends with the wrong kind. The advice goes for you, too."
The other three remained silent, as did Harry for a few seconds. Meanwhile, Ron seethed with rage and was about to argue with the blond.
- "That sounded..."
- "Bad," - His brother Chris finished his sentence. - "Keep your temper. We know how proud you are of your name, but calm down," - Chris said, offering an apple. - "Look how red it is, it looks delicious, why don't you take a bite and try it?"
Draco frowned. - "You think I'm Snow White? I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Chris."
Most people in the compartment laughed, except for purebloods like Ron, Goyle, and Crabbe, who didn't understand the reference to the classic children's story.
- "Peace, godbrother," Liam said, smiling.
Draco snorted and took the apple. - "We're going to be there soon. You'd better get ready," - He said, taking two apples out of the seat for his two friends.
- "Rude!" Harry exclaimed, laughing, before Draco closed the door. - "Forgive Draco, he's not as "dumb" as he seems. You just have to be patient with him."
- "He's a Malfoy. His family was on the side of you-know-who. They said they'd been hexed. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Lucius Malfoy doesn't need an excuse to turn to the Dark Side," - Ron growled, biting back his teeth to keep quiet. He didn't want to offend his new friends.
- "Changing the subject, what House are your brothers in?" Neville asked.
- "Gryffindor. Mum and Dad were there too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not there."
- "I don't think Ravenclaw is that bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin?" - Neville replied, leaning back in his seat, looking overwhelmed. - "What are your older brothers doing now?" - Neville wanted to know curiously.
- "Charlie's in Romania, studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa, handling things for Gringotts," - Ron explained. - "Did you hear about what happened at Gringotts? It was in the Daily Prophet. They tried to break into a high-security vault."
Neville was shocked. - "Really? And what happened?"
- "Nothing, which is why it's such big news. They didn't get caught. My dad says it takes a powerful Dark Wizard to get into Gringotts, but the weird thing is, they don't seem to have taken anything. Of course, everyone freaks out when something like this happens, at the possibility that You-Know-Who is behind it."
Harry went over the meaning of that event in his head: the Philosopher's Stone was at Hogwarts, and Voldemort would surely be back in the castle.
- "What's your Quidditch team?" Asked Ron, now more animated.
- "The Magpies of Montrose," - Replied the twins.
Harry and Neville said they liked Quidditch but didn't follow a specific team. Ron said he was a fan of the Chudley Cannons, also describing famous plays he had seen with his brothers and the broomstick he would like to buy if he had the money.
- "We will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to school separately," - A voice was heard saying in the corridors.
It was getting dark, and mountains and forests could be seen through the windows, under a deep purple sky. The boys put on their long black robes, Chris folded the enchanted bag where he kept his things, and put it in his pocket. Ron's robes looked worn and were a little short for him; his gym pants could be seen.
The train seemed to slow down, and the students got ready to leave. Harry assured his cousins that the birds would be fine in their cages.
The train slowed until it finally stopped, and everyone was pushing and shoving to get out onto the small, dark platform.
Many shivered in the cold night air, but Eleanor made sure that the boys' robes had charms on them to keep them at a comfortable temperature. Neville had this type of robe too.
Then a lamp appeared, moving above the students' heads. - "First-years! First-years, this way! Follow me... Are there any more first-years? Watch your step. First-years, follow me!" - Already slipping and groping, the students followed Hagrid along what looked like a narrow path.
Upon disembarking at Hogsmeade Station, first-year students were required to cross the Lake in magically powered boats toward Hogwarts Castle, guided by Hagrid. Other-year students were taken in carriages pulled by creatures invisible to most people, called "thestrals."
The journey was just as Harry remembered it, the view of the castle as impressive as before.
They disembarked and followed Hagrid up to a large, solid wooden door. There, they said goodbye to the half-giant, and were greeted at the entrance by Professor McGonagall, who gave the same speech Harry had heard during his first year at Hogwarts.
His nerves were evident. Draco stayed close to them, and although Ron had doubts about Draco, he stayed with them as well. They were led to a room adjacent to the dining hall where they would have to wait. Murmurs echoed off the walls. Harry didn't want to break the mystery of how the sorting would go.
Liam and Chris preened themselves facing each other as if they were looking in a mirror, so alike except for the direction of the swirls in their fur that went in opposite directions, Harry compared them to cats, he thought of Tabby, the cat that was his father's pet, Sirius adopted him as his own, when it was time to leave the cat came over to say goodbye and watched him from the window.
Harry felt sorry for Ron and handed him a handkerchief to clean the soot stain on his nose, which helped him know when he was clean. The ghosts crossed where they were waiting, fright, nervousness, and curiosity. The students watched as the line of ghosts crossed the wall, and in exactly one minute, the teacher came back for them.
The dining hall was packed with people trying to get a good look at them. The next moment, they stood in a line watching the sorting hat sing its annual song. Then there was applause, and the teacher informed them that they had to put on the hat to be sorted. Therefore, they should go to her when she named them, and so the sorting ceremony began.
Harry looked at the tables: familiar faces, others he couldn't forget, and some he couldn't recall. For a moment, he felt a tightness in his chest. He hoped that this time war wouldn't break out; maybe, just maybe, with his knowledge, he would be able to change the course of that possible destiny.
He looked at the enchanted ceiling reflecting the night sky, the floating candles, and the wonder that was the whole atmosphere. It might have been déjà vu, but that didn't take away from the wonder of the whole moment. The sorting was the same; everyone was sorted into the same Houses as before. After each sorting, applause and smiles from the older siblings, who cheered on their younger siblings, could be heard.
- "Potter, Harry!" - Called Professor McGonagall.
Harry stepped forward and sat on the stool, then she placed the battered hat on his head, the dark interior of the hat isolating it from the rest, and waited.
- "Hmm," - Said a small voice in his ear. - "Difficult. Very difficult. Full of courage, I can see. The mind is not bad either. There is talent, oh dear, yes, and a willingness to prove oneself; this is very interesting... So, this is what I told you before, was it? You surprise me, and it is not something that happens often. I would like to know more. I promise not to reveal what I see; however, I would like to know about your past or possible future. Perhaps I can advise at certain times; being a hat does not allow me to be of much use. Please lower your barriers a little and let me see, I will be quick and it will not hurt." - Harry hesitated for a moment after quickly recovering from his surprise. The wizard nodded and lowered his Occlumency barriers slightly.
- "Oh, how sad! I never expected to see such things happen at Hogwarts! The nerve to attack the school that sheltered them for so many years! Wizards against wizards, brave witches whom I praised for their intellect and bravery, were corrupted. Salazar would be disappointed in his descendant..." - The hat wailed - "Where shall I put you? I still think Slytherin would help you on the path to greatness. Yet I see in your heart that the blood of Godric burns brightest in your temper. Oh yes, I knew it, I always knew it, in the Potter family runs the blood of two antagonists who at first knew themselves to be friends, the true founders of Hogwarts. Descendant of Salazar through the Peverell line and descendant of Godric through the Linfred line. Oh" - The little voice laughed - "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. Well, it was nice to see you again, now raise your barriers." - He concluded before shouting: "GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the entire hall. He took off his hat and walked a little unsteadily the first few steps toward the Gryffindor table, which welcomed them like every new student.
Neville moved to make room next to him, happy to have one of his friends in the same House as him. Some looked at him curiously. Harry was one of the few who took a long time to be sorted.
When the twins' turn came to be evaluated by the hat, both were sorted into Slytherin in a minute.
- "The lion would be smart to take advice from the fox." - The hat commented to Chris when he said that he could also belong in Gryffindor, along with Harry, who had a tendency (in his opinion) to let his temper get the better of him. He said something similar to the twin Liam, also calling him a fox like his brother, when mentioning that he could have ended up in Hufflepuff. - "The fox knows a lot, but the snake is as dangerous as the badger." - Referring to the fact that Slytherin House was as suitable for him as Hufflepuff House. Well, both "foxes" would have preferred in their hearts to be in the same school House as their cousin.