BEYOND SECRETS AND LIES

CHAPTER 1

By: Chiki Yumeshisa

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I am up to no good...okay fine! I don't own Harry Potter. All original characters/ideas are mine to claim though.

AN: This is the first time I have written a Harry Potter fanfic. I love the books, the movies and the characters. My favorite is Professor Snape in all his darkness, his character just rocks my world. In this story, I want you all to pay close attention and I hope that you will enjoy it. This is also an attempt to answer Severitus' challenge. I've done a lot of research for this story, even talked to several qualified people for answers.

As always, I write for fun, and I live for your reviews. And now, onto the story.

-Chiki

Summary: Harry's got a medical problem and it's not normal. He doesn't want anyone to know - but what happens when someone finds out? It becomes even harder when his many faces begin to show and he can't control them. AU! R/R! (Ratings vary) Having MPD is not easy. Add the secrets and the lies...
- Secrets -

Cool, green-gray eyes were looking absently out the window, focusing only on the world outside it. Apparently, the strange looks that were being directed at the owner of those eyes were going unnoticed.

Hogwarts castle - big and old, yet sturdy and strong - was being surrounded by beautiful coloful leaves that fell slowly like confetti from the surrounding trees. It seemed that they fell in an order, as if each had a designated spot to fall to. A small wind picked up, sending those leaves in another direction. Obligingly, the leaves moved with it, seeking another destination, another place to rest.

In a state of bliss, he continued to watch, ignoring as the class filled quite quickly. Whispers had now started up about the forlorn figure sitting by the window, but even those were lost to him. He didn't even notice when a boy slid into the seat next to him. He had no clue as to whether anyone spoke to him. If so, they must have gone away, thinking he was antisocial - well, it wasn't far from the truth. He had the look for it, too.

The window reflected his image: dark hair that was tousled and wiry scarcely hid the dark blue bandana that he had wrapped around his forehead. Black-rimmed glasses adorned his somewhat round face, but of late, that face was paler and less plump. It couldn't be helped though.... He wore the black cloak that all the students at Hogwarts wore. His had a large red and gold crest bearing the symbol of a proud lion.

His attention was caught when he heard a distant noise. It was torture having to tear himself away from his solitude and be sucked back into reality once again. Sharply he turned his eyes to the front, where the professor stood, making that noise again: rapping her wand on the desk like some sort of mallot. It seemed to work, because the class settled down. Books and parchment were opened, and quills were taken out, at the ready.

Then, he heard a student pipe up. "Professor, this school is strict with its rules, right?" The green-gray eyes slid to a boy who had fine blond hair that was neatly gelled back. He had a shrewd look. His hand that had been waving in the air ceased as soon as the question had been called out.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy." McGonogall said, almost impatiently. She was an elderly woman who had a thin face, and a thin, straight nose which she was always looking down at the students with. She began to address the class, but Malfoy's hand shot up in the air again, waving like an annoying pendulum at high speed.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Isn't it school policy to be in uniform at all times during school hours?" Malfoy turned meaningfully to look at him, a sneer appearing on his face. "I don't see anything on the school uniform policy that says we can wear bandanas. I don't see why new students are allowed to violate the rules." His blue eyes were sparkling maliciously. Malfoy's seatmates were grinning and nudging each other with their elbows. Now, the whole class was interested and was looking in his direction.

Professor McGonogall looked like she was about to snap something back at him, but instead she sighed. "He's right - Mr. Potter, I'm sorry, but you'll have to take that off. Rules are rules."

Feeling his face heat, the new student couldn't help but glare in Malfoy's direction. McGonogall was waiting expectantly however, her wiry hands folded together in front of her robes.

At the mention of his name, the class broke into whispers once more.

The boy sitting to his right turned to stare incredulously. "Potter?" He repeated. "Harry Potter?"

Slowly, Harry pulled the bandana off, and the whole class fell silent. A scar, shaped like a lightning bolt, stood visible on his forehead, almost as though someone had taken a knife and carved it there. "Yeah...I'm Harry Potter." He said miserably.

Now the class began to get rowdy as furtive glances shot Harry's way. Some students even went so far as to stand on their seats to get a better look at him. He could only stare back at them evenly for a moment before hunching his shoulders and shying away. So much for his solitude.

The professor rapped sharply on her desk to get their attention once more. "All right, settle down!" Her shrill voice cut through the commotion, and the class took their seats non too happily.

"Mr. Potter has transferred to our school just today," Professor McGonogall announced. "Hopefully he will enjoy his stay. I trust that all students will show him courtesy." Her footsteps echoed off the hardwood floors as she came around to stand by him. "Mr. Weasley, as Harry is a Gryffindor as well, please show him to your common room. If he has any questions, help him as best as you can."

Harry's seatmate seemed to positively glow, and he nodded earnestly. Satisfied, the professor went back to the front of the class to begin her lecture.

Harry's eyes returned to stare out the window. He had hoped that he would not be noticed, and that everyone would just leave him alone. He hated the attention, he didn't need it. There was no chance of being accepted....

The events outside hadn't changed in the least, except that now, the yard below held a couple of students gathered on the worn granite steps, in a group. Just as he was beginning to settle down comfortably, lost in his thoughts, he was distracted by his seatmate.

"I'm Ron Weasley."

Harry blinked. Never a moment of solitude to himself, he mused silently. "Well....I'm..well, you already know." Ron gave him a half-grin in response. A blank look passed over Harry's face for a moment, and then, he brightened and said, "You've got the most brilliant hair. It makes you look sophisticated."

At this, Ron turned pink.

"Um.....thanks, but I don't think so." He fingered his red hair disdainfully. "I don't think anyone else thinks so, either."

"I do. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Taken aback by the questioning, Ron blinked. "Well....no....but...."

"Can I call you Ron?"

"Uh...sure..."

"Great! You can call me -" He broke off suddenly, and his face turned a pale, ruddy color. He brought his hand up to his forehead, covering his scar. "I-I don't feel so good...."

"Are you okay?" Ron asked, his brows drawing together in confusion. He didn't know whether to be impressed by the questions or to be insulted. How was one supposed to act? This guy switched moods so quickly it was hard to keep up with him.

Harry dropped his hand, taking a deep breath, blinking a couple of times. "I-I'm fine...." He lied, keeping his panic in check. To avoid further interrogation and embarassment, he bent over his books, and did not speak again for the rest of the class.

At the end, Professor McGonogall came over to him, dismissing the rest, and keeping Harry back.

Ron gathered his books. He looked at Harry, but once again, Harrry's attention was turned to the window. Whatever it was that fascinated him, Ron did not know. He took a last glance over his shoulder before exiting the room, running to catch up to his friends.

Neville Longbottom was engaged in a conversation with Hermione Granger. They were standing next to a statue of a woman carrying a child, waiting. Both looked up as Ron neared.

"Ron- I can't believe you're sitting next to Harry Potter!" Neville said, excitedly. "What's he like?"

Ron shrugged, switching his books from his right arm to his left. "He's kind of....strange...he can't keep a straight topic...." He definitely didn't want to relay the whole conversation again. Just thinking about it made him flush slightly.

"He's probably shy." Hermione told him.

Ron shook his head. "No, I mean - it was almost as if..." He dropped his voice, feeling his face grow red again, and leaned forward. The two leaned in too, eager to hear what he had to say. His voice a whisper, even if there were no other students in the hall, he continued, "...he was hitting on me, or something...."

Hermione pulled back, looking indignant. "Oh, come off it, Ron!" Her nose had wrinkled in disgust at his suggestion. Neville didn't look like he believed him either. "He's probably nervous, having to make new friends." Was her suggestion.

"Harry Potter - nervous?" Neville asked, wonderingly. It was clear he believed everything he had heard about the famous boy. "It doesn't seem likely."

"More so with him hitting on Ron." Hermione sniffed. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to Potions. I don't want Professor Snape on my case." And with that, she haughtily turned, pushing her bushy hair over her shoulder, her robes swirling as she left.

Ron and Neville ran to catch up.

- - - -

Potions was held in the dungeons in a dark, dank classroom.The sound of boiling and the lucrid smell of several ingredients filled the air. The walls were slick with a thin layer of slime - subsance gathered and collected over the period of brewing and condensing different ingredients.

At the front of the class was Professor Snape, who looked as surly as he always did, with his arms crossed over his chest, his black eyes staring at his students hawk-like, behind a curtain of greasy, clumpy black hair. His mouth seemed to be set in a permanant frown. Once in a while, as he spoke, he would tug at the cuffs to his suit, the black color complementing his dark nature.

His lecture stopped when the door to the room opened. His black eyes snapped up to see who had interrupted him. He was greatly displeased when he was interrupted. The door admitted someone whom he had thought he'd never again encounter the likes of.

Harry tried to enter as quietly as possible, but he froze upon seeing the Potions master sneering down at him. He had half a mind to leave, but then Snape's voice rang through the air, as silky and scathe scathing as it had always been. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Potter..." He could already feel the fine hairs on the back of his neck start to raise and it took him a moment to gather his bearing and control his breathing. It wouldn't do to get angry, but it was just like Professor Snape to bait and pick on him.

"Late on your first day?" Snape was saying, "Ten points from Gryffindor." Harry couldn't help but glare. He knew better than to argue though.

Snape continued, not taking his eyes off the boy. "Take your seat, Potter." He all but spat the last part out as he snapped to the desk in front of his, his eyes watching as Harry slowly made his way to the front. He slid beside a girl who was bristling in her seat. "What a surprise...." Snape murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Indeed...." Harry said, beneath his breath. His day wasn't getting any better.

The girl sitting next to him cast the professor a dark look, putting a cupful of mantis legs in her cauldron. Fortunately, for her, Snape had already turned away, his black robes swirling about him as he glided over to the opposite side of the room. Wordlessly, Harry set about to putting his ingredients together as well, quickly taking out a piece of parchment and scribbling the instructions from the board. His writing was neat, despite the speed he was writing at.

Hermione watched him closely out of the corner of her eye. As far as she could tell, he seemed normal. He was even handsome, far from some of the descriptions that she had read about in the Daily Prophet. She watched as his fingers picked up a small, tightly stopped bottle and pulled the stopper out of it before tipping its contents into his potion.

Her eyes travelled upward, toward his scar, passing the thick-rimmed glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose. The mark was clearly visible. A curse - that's what people said. She couldn't help but stare. She nearly jumped out of her skin when his green-gray eyes met hers. "Yes?"

"N-nothing!" She stammered, feeling herself blush. Yes, much much more handsome.

He smiled slightly, continuing to put his things together.

Feeling awkward, she gathered her courage. What Ron had said couldn't be true. "If you have any questions, I can help you." She whispered. He was registering her words with his eyes. She realized how stuck up she must have sounded, so she quickly added, "Since you walked in late - Professor Snape likes to take every opportunity he can to take house points off of Gryffindor." His eyes snatched a quick peek to see what the Professor was up to, before returning to settle on her once more.

"Thank you."

She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I'm Hermione Granger." She whispered. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Harry."

He couldn't help but grin. Finally, someone who treated him like he was normal. Maybe he could get through this after all. Before he could say anything back, Snape was shouting, cutting him off. Apparently, Parvati Patil had spilled her potion and the professor was not very happy. Harry glowered at him from behind his work and quickly looked away when Snape turned and strode to the front of the class.

It was a long and difficult process, but then again, Snape liked it that way. By the end of the lesson, Hermione's potion was perfect, but Snape didn't bother to congratulate her. She didn't seem to care, but sniffed disdainfully when he praised Malfoy's to no end before stopping in front of Harry's.

"Pathetic as always, aren't you, Potter?" The last word fell from his lips full of contempt. For a long moment, the two of them glared at each other.

Harry finally managed to unclench his teeth. "I managed to finish, sir." The polite, civil words were spoken in a clipped manner, the hostile edge almost razor sharp, making even Hermione flinch as he said them.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "A potion that is ineffective is worthless." He leaned close, so that Harry could smell the various fumes from different potions emanating from the professor's robes. "Evidently, your potion is not finished." A gleam of triumph was in his eyes. The class waited breathlessly to see what retort Harry would come up with. There was none.

The elder man's voice dropped slightly, the menacing tone not completely gone. "Tell me, is your lack of....attentiveness caused by your sickness?"

Now Harry's eyes flashed angrily. "Why you...!!"

The desired effect taken place, Snape smiled slightly, tugging at his robes. "You would dare to slander me, on your first day here?" He dropped his voice some more, to a whisper so that the class wouldn't hear. "Things are different in Hogwarts, Potter. A reminder: you're no longer in Durmstrang." He raised his voice again. "Class dismissed!"

He left, Harry staring after him hotly.

- - - - -

The dinner hall was a sea of black, as students filed in and took their seats at their respective house tables. Some students were huddled in groups, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Ron and Hermione spotted Harry sitting by himself toward the end of their table. Hermione was surprised - she would have thought that students would flock to him by the dozen. Instead, it seemed as though they did not realize he existed.

She nudged Ron, and he slunk behind her sulkily as she led the way up to him. Ron was not looking forward to having another encounter that might prove to be very similar to the one he had had earlier. Nevertheless, he followed and stopped himself from colliding with her when she stopped abruptly. "Excuse us," He heard her saying, "is it okay to sit here?"

Harry looked up, a small smile lighting his otherwise forlorn face. "Go ahead." He motioned to the seats, in a careless gesture.

Ron caught the sleeve of Hermione's robe as she made a move to sit. "I don't think this is a good idea." He sounded nervous.

"Honestly! He isn't going to bite!" Hermione hissed, smiling at Harry as she did so. He was giving them a confused look. She shook her head, exasperatedly. "As fellow Gryffindors, we should try to be nice to him. He looks so lonely." Casting another smile in Harry's direction, they took places in front of him. She was surprised at herself at her insistance. Some people were glancing their way now, the girls giving her dirty looks. They must have thought that she was interested in Harry.

Well, she was, but not in the way they thought. She had no taste for fame, she simply wanted to get to know him. He was a big celebrity, yet, at the same time, he wasn't acting like it. Her curiousity had been perked: there was something about this guy....

A sort of uneasy silence fell among them. Harry fiddled with his glasses, trying to avoid eye contact with either of them, and was relieved when their attention was taken by the food that magically appeared in front of them.

She had just taken a bite of her mashed potatoes when Harry addressed her. "Hermione Granger...right?" He fiddled with his glasses again.

She nodded, too busy chewing to give him another toothy grin. Harry looked pleased. He glanced at her seatmate. "And you are...?"

Ron glanced at Hermione quickly and put down his fork. "Ron Weasely. I met you in Transfigurations, remember?"

Harry blinked and leaned back a bit, before paling slightly. "Y-yes, I remember....." He nodded. "I think.....I think...I just forgot your name, that's all. Sorry about that." Once again, he fiddled with his glasses, and then reached for his cup of water.

Ron relaxed visibly. "S'all right, mate." When Harry made no move to take another bite of his food, he asked, "Are you finished?"

"No, I just started." His hands went out again to put down his water, nervously. He hadn't even taken a sip of it. His fingers were trembling. He placed them in his lap, to hide them from view. He could feel his anxiety start to rise and he wished that these two would leave him alone despite the fact that they were trying to be friendly. "It's just that I'm not that hungry." Harry said, shrugging. He was lying, of course, but they couldn't tell.

"Well, I'm always starving after potions." Ron informed him. "That Snape is the worst, I tell you." Harry did not say his thoughts aloud lest he say something and blunder once more. He stared down at his plate, suddenly feeling very tired.

Hermione broke a piece of her bread off, nodding in agreement. "He's always like that. I can't believe he was laying it on thick with Malfoy." She sniffed disdainfully again just at the memory. "But don't worry Harry: like I told you before, he does anything he can to take off points from Gryffindor. He looks for faults - which reminds me - he was really ragging on you today." She took a bite, before continuing. "Snape usually rags on people he really dislikes. Have you two met before?"

Harry's look darkened and answered before thinking. "Yeah, we've met before." Glumly, he picked up his fork, and pushed his portion of carrots around. His food consisted of carrots, bread and a single slice of ham. He had lost his appetite a long time ago - in fact, he had lost it the moment he had entered the dining hall and all heads had turned his direction. He hated attention, and even more to his embarrassment, it had been Professor Dumbledore who had rescued him by telling everyone that he was tired and should not be bothered. It sure made him look great. Now, he had to explain the strange argument he had had with the Potions Master.

His two companions were looking at him expectantly and he sighed, reluctantly saying, "He used to be my teacher. He left before..." he stopped himself short, realizing he what he was saying and that he was giving away too much information. He was really messing up today. He felt his anxiety rise, and he fiddled with his glasses again.

Now they were curious, and both of them leaned forward eagerly. Mentally, Harry kicked himself for slipping. Sighing again, he finished his original sentence, "He left before I got expelled...." He looked up at them, as if daring them to ask why. When they returned shocked looks and did not say anything, he got up, his cloak falling over his shoulders as he did. "Excuse me..."

Hermione watched him, her eyes wide. "W-where are you going, Harry?"

"Madam Pomfrey is expecting me." Was his monotone reply. That said, he did not wait for an answer, but left the Great Hall quickly and quietly.

Ron stared after him, licking his lips nervously and reaching for his napkin. "Pleasant lad, isnt he?"

Hermione suppressed a glare. "Ron!"

Hunching his shoulders, he shied away. Hermione had aqcuired the a habit of swatting, and lately, they had begun to get more brutal. "He's got loads of secrets, doesn't he?" He asked, trying his best to change the topic.

She glanced down at her food, tearing another chunk off her bread with her teeth. It had lost its warmth, but she hardly noticed as she reflected on Harry's words. "I'm just surprised that he knows Professor Snape." She murmured. "But..." She shook her head. "Something doesn't make sense....."

"What, that even though he's outright popular, he's a loner?" Ron snickered.

"No." Hermione stuffed the last bit of bread in her mouth. She was unhappy with Ron's snide tone of voice and waited until she swallowed before she said, "Why would he be expelled? And....why did he come here?"
Downstairs, in the dungeons, Snape was thinking the same thing. Eyeing a bottle of dried fish bones, he mulled over the morning's events. There was more to it than it seemed - and he was not looking forward to finding out what. That Potter boy was trouble. As the fish bones went into the concoction, he couldn't help but remember. "Harry Potter," He growled between his teeth. "Why is it that you are everywhere I go?"

To Be Continued....

AN: Many thanks to my Beta reader, Jae, for putting up with all my stupid little mistakes. I really hope no one has taken this idea before. I know that this first chapter might have left you in the dark, but soon, the secrets will be revealed. Before you exit this window, I just ask that you would review!!