Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or Baka and Test Summon the Beasts.
To 'the reviewer': I hope this meets your expectations. I was seriously disappointed that there was no crossover for these fandoms I could read, so I figured I might as well write one myself.
The next morning, Harry was awake and had showered long before the others started to stir. Neville was the first to actually sit up, groaning as he did so. Harry grinned a bit when Neville wrinkled his nose as he realized that Harry had apparently woken up way too early, in his opinion.
"Rise and shine!" Harry called out softly to the others, though only Seamus and Dean woke up, glaring at him like Neville had. Of course, they all knew that his nightmares didn't allow for him to get much sleep, so they couldn't blame him too much.
Harry tugged on his uniform, combing his hair quickly in a less than successful attempt to tame his wild locks. With a sigh, he gave up, wondering when he would learn that it was a fruitless effort and not even try.
By the time the others came out of the showers, Harry was ready to leave, bag packed and all. From the last five years, he knew that Defense and Potions were always before lunch on the first day, and packed his bag accordingly.
He glanced at Ron, contemplating whether his 'friend' was worth the effort it would take to wake him up, before shaking his head decisively. Maybe he would miss breakfast, but considering his eating habits it would probably do him some good. And if he was late to class…well, their dorm-mates could attest to the fact that he had woken them all up. It wasn't his fault Ronald was a deep sleeper.
The other guys waved him on, noticing that he was ready while they were only just now putting their clothes on. Harry laughed, waving at them before leaving the room, gracefully descending the stairs to the common room, only to see the new first years already there.
Used to being the first one awake in Gryffindor, Harry was surprised for a moment, before remembering how nervous he had been for his first day at Hogwarts.
"Good morning." He greeted the eleven year olds with a gentle, welcoming smile. "Are you all ready for classes?" They nodded, most of them smiling back. The couple that didn't looked like their nervousness was about to make them sick.
"I think we're all a bit nervous." One of the kids admitted, glancing at him shyly.
"I was too." Harry told them, grinning at the girl who had spoken. "I was raised by my muggle aunt and uncle, and had no idea magic existed until about a month before school started."
"Really?" A boy asked, one of the ones who had looked sick. His curiosity helped settle his stomach a bit. "But…you're Harry Potter, aren't you?" A few of the kids hadn't noticed Harry's scar, but when they heard that their eyes widened. Of all older students to talk to them, it was one of the most famous people in their world?
"Well, yeah, but don't pay attention to that Boy-Who-Lived nonsense." Harry said with a grimace, hoping to quell any hero-worship. The last thing he needed was another Collin Creevey (who had been much better last year) or Ginny Weasley. "Whatever happened only happened because my mother was incredibly smart and set something up to protect me. I didn't actually do anything myself. After all, I was a baby. I don't know if I was even able to form words, at that point."
The kids laughed a bit, seeing his logic. Harry grinned at them, feeling accomplished. "Are you hungry?" he asked. In answer, he heard someone's stomach growl, so he smiled again and opened the portrait, beckoning them through.
For the next fifteen minutes, he led them to the Great Hall, explaining a bit about Hogwarts and what they could expect as they walked, telling them about the teachers, warning them about Snape, Filch, Peeves the poltergeist, the trick staircases and walls, and introducing them to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, who greeted them all warmly. Once the ghost had passed, Harry explained that most of the ghosts in the castle would help them find their classes if asked politely, even the Bloody Baron, Slytherin's house ghost. Of course, this didn't include Peeves.
"Here we are." He said, opening the door to the Great Hall, closing it after they all entered. "Breakfast will turn up in a few minutes. We're a bit early, I think, and the House Elves can't just conjure up food to give us."
"What are House Elves?" One of the first years, who had introduced herself as Madison, asked with wide eyes. Harry was pretty sure she was muggle-born, as were a few of the other new first years.
"A House Elf…" Harry trailed off, wondering how to explain. "They're small creatures that work here, and sometimes families have them at their homes. The elves work in the kitchen, do the laundry, and clean whatever the caretaker, Filch, can't."
"Are they slaves?" another muggle-born asked, eyes wide. He had heard a few people on the Hogwarts Express talking about how their families punished their House Elves.
"Yes. A group of regular elves was cursed by goblin a few thousand years ago," he explained, recalling what Dobby and Winky had told him when he expressed his curiosity. "The elves transformed, and were bound to wizarding families. A House Elf feeds on their master's magic in order to survive, because the curse made them unable to generate their own magic. That wouldn't be as much of an issue if they were human, like us, but for a magical creature made entirely of magic…" he trailed off.
"But…what happens if they're set free?" Another boy, Jason, asked worriedly. He himself was raised in a pureblood home, and though he knew some of what Harry had just explained, he hadn't known how his family servants got their magic.
"They're cut off from the magic." Harry said simply. "To free a House Elf, the master of the home needs to present them with an article of clothing. Once that's done, the elf leaves the house, and tries to find another family to serve."
"That's horrible!" Mariah, Madison's twin sister, said. "Do the House Elves get treated well?" Harry grimaced at the question.
"It really depends on the family." He hedged carefully. "Some treat them really well, some indifferently, and others…mistreat them. A House Elf is obligated by magic to punish themselves if they disobey or displease their magic in any way.
"However," Harry warned, "A lot of the Elves are quite happy with their lot in life. They don't remember a time when their natures were different, because the original group of House Elves died off a long time ago. They love working, and take pride in being able to meet their master's needs."
The first years nodded in acknowledgement, some of them looking shocked at the description (likely raised by muggles, who had, for the most part, demolished slavery long ago). Jason was still reeling at the new information, deciding to never dismiss an elf when he grew up and became the head of his family.
As if on cue, the food appeared, and the muggle-raised kids gasped at the sight like they had the night before. Not that Harry blamed them; it had taken him some time to get used to it, himself. By this point, more students had arrived, and Harry sat a few feet from the new students, close enough to answer any questions but not too close that they couldn't speak privately. Not that they seemed to care, as they were fairly comfortable with him now.
Unbeknownst to the students, they were being watched from the head table. Yuuji Sakamoto glanced at the boy with messy black hair, mentally acknowledging who he was but dismissing it. Famous or not, the boy seemed interesting. Within a night, he had gotten a group of first years to become comfortable for the first day of classes, and explained to them something that caused a lot of controversy if the debate really got going without being biased about it, letting the kids form their own opinions.
As Yuuji observed the Potter boy talking and laughing with three other boys his age, he smirked.
This was going to be interesting.
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