Author Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed and put my story into your favourites. I really appreciate it. Special shout-out to vcj, drax2471, Slytherin Winchester17, crazy dragon ninja and Camoss for their support.

Also, I'm starting this thing called "Ask the Author". If you guys have any questions about the story and where's it going, feel free to put it in your review. I will answer basic questions like "When's Judy going to come into the story?", but not questions that are big spoilers to the plot.

There'll also be a couple challenges at the bottom, with prizes for whoever gives the correct answer first.

Hope you enjoy.

"Remember that the most valuable antiquities are dear old friends."
-H. Jackson Brown Jr

Chapter 2
A Not-So-Familiar Face

August 15th, 2014
Nick's Apartment, Sahara Square

Blinding pain wreaked havoc through his body as he awoke from his slumber. His eyes creaked open ever-so-slightly and, expecting to see the inside of his cupboard, widened as he found himself in an unfamiliar room. This room was unlike any he had seen before (but then again, the only rooms he had seen had been in school or the Dursleys' house).

In one corner of the room was clearly a kitchen, though much smaller than any Harry had seen. In another was a small desk, with a strange device* plugged in at an outlet, with a picture of what looked to be a carrot printed on top. But right in front of Harry was the strangest thing he had spotted yet, strange because it was familiar in some ways, but out of his comprehension in others. For in front of him was what looked to be a large television, but for some reason, it was thin enough for him to hold between two fingers.

Pushing himself off the rather comfy couch he lay upon, Harry reached behind his back to assess the damage on his stinging back. He was astonished to feel the welcome touch of bandages under his shirt, wrapped around his torso. It appeared someone had treated him during the night, a gesture for which Harry was most grateful for.

As he pulled his arm back, he felt a slight tug at his bandages, which, as he found out, was caused by his fingernails getting caught in the mismatched weaving of the gauze. Or at least, what were his fingernails, as he quickly discovered. For within seconds of pulling his arm back, a ray of sunlight shone through the closed blinds covering the window, and rebounded off his hand. And that was when Harry realised that the back of his hand, his arms and even his feet were covered in a dark orange fur, and that his nails had changed into sleek black claws.

Panic began to spread over Harry. Twisting his head hastily, he lumbered toward what looked to be a bathroom, complete with porcelain tiles lining the floors and walls. Squinting through the beams of sunlight that impaired his vision, Harry stared at his reflection in the mirror above the sink in horror.

His once pale skin was now almost completely covered in orange fur that spread from the top of his head to his toes. His ears had disappeared from the sides of his head and positioned themselves atop his head. In addition to this, his once angular nose had transformed in a slender muzzle that stretched a couple inches from his face. But perhaps the most striking difference was the addition of a long bushy tail that now curled around his feet.

As a rather intelligent boy, Harry knew what he was staring at in the mirror. He had seen many of them peeking out of the bushes of Little Whinging from time to time. They usually didn't scare him, but now all hope of not being frightened was thrown out the window.

He had somehow transformed into a red fox.

And in the moment of realisation, Harry screamed.

Nick had seen his share of beatings, it was a given when you'd lived in the slums of Zootopia for so long. But nothing had compared to the apparent ferocity with which the kit currently sleeping on his couch had been through. It almost looked like the kit had gone through a meat grinder, from the deepness of the wounds and the amount of blood Nick had seen.

In fact, Nick was both surprised and impressed with the fact that the kit was still alive. Many older people had fallen victim to beatings as brutal as what the kid had obviously encountered.

But for Nick, many questions remained. Who had been the attacker? Had it been a parent, a relative or had the kit just been in the wrong place at the wrong time? If it wasn't a relative or parent, where were they? Were they looking for their child, or did they just not care?

With each question, Nick became more and more frustrated. However, for the time being, he decided to just let it go, and focus on nursing the kit back to help. He knew he wouldn't be welcome back at the City Centre Hospital, especially not after the last hustle he pulled there, so Nick would have to make do with what he had on hand.

He was abruptly ripped out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of the kit screaming. His instincts kicking in, Nick rushed out of his bedroom and was surprised to find that the kit wasn't where he'd left him on the couch, but in the bathroom, backing out with his eyes fixed on something that Nick could not see.

The young fox turned to Nick, and his eyes, if possible, grew wider.

"S-s-stay away." the kid stuttered. "J-just stay away."

"It's alright, kid." Nick said, taking note of the way the fox's mouth dropped slightly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The young fox's eyes darted towards the door. Within an instant, he had dashed across the room and pulled the door open so hard, it banged off the wall and nearly closed again.

Nick tore after the kit, cursing under his breath.

He's gonna injure himself again at this rate, Nick thought.

Down and down three flights of stairs they raced, Nick huffing and puffing as he did so. Nick finally reached the ground floor, stopping for a moment to catch his breath, and noticed the fox stopping in his tracks, looking left to right at the billboards featuring pictures of Gazelle and the Fur Fighters in shock.

Nick straightened up, breathing heavily, and pushed open the door to the outside world.

"God, you're one fast bugger, aren't ya?" Nick commented, chuckling.

The fox jumped, spinning around as he did so. He began to back away in an attempt to get away from Nick, not noticing that he had backed onto the street behind him.

"Hey, dude, stop where you are!" Nick warned, getting a glimpse of an oncoming giraffe-driven truck. Unfortunately, the fox didn't listen and kept backing up, getting ever closer to stepping out in the lane. "STOP! STOP!"

He didn't listen and stepped out onto the street. It was only then that he took notice of where he was standing, looking up to see the truck barreling toward him, the driver unable to see the young fox in front of him.

Adrenaline pumped through Nick's blood at this moment. He rushed towards the young kit about to be flattened, seized him by the shoulders and pulled him to the ground mere seconds before he became a fox pancake. The truck drove right past them, completely oblivious to the disaster that had nearly taken place.

Nick looked to the groaning fox that lay beside him.

"You okay?" he asked in concern, hoping he hadn't caused the kit's wounds to open up again.

"Yeah." the kit groaned, nursing his shoulder.

"Good." Nick responded, huffing. "Then what the hell were you thinking?"

"Sorry." the kit apologised. "It's just..."

"It's just what?" Nick retorted, standing up and offering his paw to the fox.

"Nothing." the fox replied, grabbing Nick's paw.

"Well, that nothing almost turned you into a new colour on the street." Nick remarked, without a glint of jesting in his eyes. "Might as well go back up to my apartment, and sort this mess out."

He glanced back at the nervous kit and finished, "If you're okay with that?"

The kit looked as if he was about to disagree, before he thought better of it, following the older fox to the apartment complex. There was a short silence as the trudged up the stairs to Nick's apartment. As Nick fumbled with the doorknob, he turned to check if the kit was still behind him.

"What's your name, by the way, kit?" Nick probed.

The young fox looked up at Nick timidly.

"H-Harry." he answered. "Harry Potter."

"Well then, Harry, Harry Potter," Nick said, opening the door and taking a seat on his couch. "Why don't you tell me what happened to you?"

August 15th, 1990
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts

Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension, an old man, with azure-blue eyes sparkling behind half-moon glasses, fumed with rage as he stared at one of the many devices he possessed. This particular one tracked the location of one Harry Potter, and unfortunately it wasn't working. It couldn't even give him a broad range of where the last Potter was, which ticked him off even more.

The only consolation left was that the boy's life stone had not cracked, meaning he was still alive in some shape or form. He just had to figure out where the boy was. He knew the boy couldn't have been with the Dursleys, at least not when the fire started, so that eliminated one possibility. He had to find that boy, and he had to find another family that'd to keep the boy as downtrodden as possible. It was either that, or he send the boy to a family that was loyal to him and the Light Side.

Perhaps he could bargain with the Weasleys. Their safekeeping of Harry in exchange for his hand to that fiery young lass of a girl, Ginny. Maybe he could throw in a little monthly payment from the Potter account to sweeten the deal. Of course, he'd pay the youngest son, Ron, to be his "friend". And Molly's overbearing nature would keep him from reaching his full potential. Yes, this was a good plan.

All he had to do was find the boy, which he would do before Harry's first year, or his name wasn't Albus Dumbledore.

Nick's Apartment, Zootopia

"So let me get this straight." Nick clarified with a disbelieving smirk. "You used to be this furless species called a human, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Which evolved from a species known as apes, which if I remember my history correctly, have been extinct for over a million years?"

"In this world, yes."

"Well, now I've heard everything." Nick laughed, reclining back on the couch. "But then again, I've heard stranger stories from my brother."

"Do you believe me?" Harry questioned, hoping he did.

"It's kind of a tall tale." Nick replied. "But I have heard conspiracy theorists talk about other "dimensions", so to speak."

"I'm telling the truth."

"I know." Nick grinned. "One of the advantages of doing what I do is that I have a great bullshit detector."

"However, since you obviously don't have a place to sleep," he continued, not knowing he was making a decision that would change his life. "I guess you can crash here, at least until we can find someone else to look after you."

"What about you?" Harry asked in confusion.

At that instant, the cold walls Nick had built around his heart began to melt ever so slightly. He was taken aback by the abrupt question from the little fox that sat in front of him. And for in a while, Nick had a genuine smile on his face, unlike the fake smile he made so often. However, his heart sank as he realised he was not the role model this kit needed in his life.

"Trust me, I'm not the type of person who should raise you." Nick stated sadly. "You'd need someone responsible who'd do anything to keep you safe, and won't risk everything for money like I do."

Harry's face fell.

"I think you'd do anything to keep me safe." Harry muttered to himself.

Nick's superb sense of hearing caught this sentence, and with that, his resistance crumbled. He hadn't felt this protective of someone since before he left his brother.

"Tell you what, how 'bout we try this thing for a month?" he suggested, his voice choking up. "And after that, if you still want to, you could stay with me, okay?"

Harry's face lit up like Christmas had come early for him.

"Really?"

"Really."

Harry, in a fit of absolute joy and happiness, launched himself at Nick and wrapped him in a hug. This move surprised Nick, and he, awkwardly, patted Harry's back.

"You kits, so emotional." he jested, chuckling.

2 Months Later

As it turned out, this experience turned out great for both Nick and Harry. Harry finally got the chance to have a compassionate adult in his life, and someone who cared about his well-being, and Nick had his rather icy exterior almost melted away by the small kit he had essentially adopted.

And although Nick's friend, Finnick, had firmly objected to Nick adopting the kit, he couldn't help but come to like this new addition to their life. Especially since the presence of Harry had let to much more sympathy than Finnick got during their hustles.

In fact, it was after one of these successful hustles that something happened that would once again change their lives.

They had just cleaned up from a hustle that involved selling fake rugs (in which Harry acted as if he was starving because of the low amount of business his father had been getting over the last month), when they heard a frantic honking of a car horn. Turning to the source of the noise, Harry spotted a red truck with a ram at the wheel speeding towards an intersection that a fox** Harry's age was crossing.

The driver appeared to be attempting to apply the brakes, but they just weren't working. And yet with every second, the driver got closer and closer to the unaware fox. In a split-second, Harry made a decision that he knew his dad wouldn't agree with. He ran in front of the fox, and stood his ground against the oncoming truck, raising his arms for impact.

"HARRY! NO!" yelled Nick, but he was too late. The truck was too close for him to get out the way. And Nick mentally prepared himself for his adopted son to get smeared across the pavement.

But to his surprise, the instant the truck touched Harry's paws, it slowed down dramatically. The truck pushed Harry back a bit and into the fox behind him, but other than that, nothing major happened.

This was when the fox finally noticed the truck that had nearly collided with him. Harry noticed that he appeared to have been listening to his iPod, and shook his head at the fox's stupidity. Weren't foxes supposed to be smart?

"Whoa, thanks, man." said the fox, not even questioning how Harry had stopped the truck, before he walked off, still listening to his music.

Harry watched the fox as he went, and glanced an unfortunate sight as he did. Nick was standing at the end of the intersection, his mouth agape, and his eyes full of fury.

Uh oh, Harry thought.

*The first person to correctly guess what this "strange device" is, AND the reason for why it's so strange to Harry, will get to ask a maximum of 2 questions about the plot which I will answer honestly, to the best of my ability. This is better than "Asking the Author" as I will answer any questions you have, not just ones that have almost no impact on the story at large.

**The first person who can manage to correctly guess both of the mammals involved in this near accident (the ram and the fox) will get an O.C. of themselves written into the story. This is important, as both of these people are important characters in the story. Hint: One has already been mentioned in this story, and the other is a part of canon (not telling if it's Zootopia or Harry Potter canon)

Author Note: For those who have noticed the big glaring difference in the years that happen in each world (e.g. 1990 in Harry's world, 2014 in Nick's world), just know that I've done that on purpose. Not only does it mean that the plot in Zootopia can move along quicker, but also in this alternate dimension, with apes having gone extinct, the animals evolved quicker than humans would've evolved, by a marginal factor of almost a quarter century difference.

Please review with your answers/guesses and I'll post the winner's names in the next chapter, however in order to do that correctly, you need to review with your account, and not just as a Guest. I will still give credit to the Guest, if they get it right first, but unfortunately, the prizes can only go to a person with an account (as I can actually PM them).