Title: Different House

Rating: K

Summary: Snape left on a Sabbatical the year that Harry Potter came to Hogwarts. This story covers Harry's first year at Hogwarts while Snape is away. Partly based on the Different House in Absentia on Potions and Snitches.

Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter characters and I'm not making any money.

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To Everyone: Thanks for commenting on my first chapter. It was great to see your reviews.

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Chapter 2: October Troubles

October arrived and Harry was pleased. All his classes were going great, he only had to put up with the Gryffindorks during Charms, and he still had Theodore Nott as a friend. He got his new issue of Potions Monthly on the first day of October and was reading it as Theo tried to tell him about the Halloween Feast.

"That sounds interesting," Harry said, not looking at him.

"Are you even listening?" he asked, "Halloween, is great!"

"I like Samhain personally," Harry told him, still not looking at him.

"Whatever," Theo said and Harry was left alone.

Harry spent time, on the weekends, working on one project or the other. Here, at Hogwarts, he was able to sign up for a lab and then spend time trying to improve a potion that Slughorn had assigned to make it better or work faster. During his trip to Diagon Alley he had gotten a large book that was filled with blank pages. Inside these pages he wrote down potions, what he added or subtracted, and what happened. During the month of October there were seven explosions inside lab seven, which everyone knew that Harry used.

By the middle part of October he was already good enough in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, and Herbology to warrant most into believing that Harry had more of his mother in him then his father. Harry hated Quidditch and made plans to spend the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin working on a charm that he was trying to create. He was going to charm something so that if he needed to get away from the Dursley's he could. Harry had read the rules and they clearly stated that he could use a charm item as long as it was made inside the school.

There was no way that he was putting up with another summer with the Dursley's.

Naturally the Gryffindor's were jealous of Harry's brains because he was smarter then Hermione Granger. Ron Weasley started calling him a Geek and Harry kept a Repelling Charm on him at all times so when the Weasley twins pranked him it would go back on them. During one trip between History of Magic and his common room the Weasley twins tried to hex him. It hit them and made them grow antlers.

Flitwick added this to the report that would go on Professor Snape's desk.

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"I don't know why you're going to report this to Severus, he's going to hate the child," McGonagall pointed out.

"Severus knows what its like to be bullied and having to put charms on your body to protect yourself. I'm going to make it very clear that Harry is not only brilliant but also being bullied for being smart."

McGonagall shook her head and said, "Why can't they leave the child alone?"

"Because they don't know how to," Flitwick answered.

"Sometimes I wish Harry had been sorted into Gryffindor," McGonagall commented.

"Would he of been the same smart boy that your seeing?" Flitwick asked.

McGonagall shook her head, knowing that he had a point.

"I still don't understand why Dumbledore isn't taking an interest in him," Flitwick commented.

"Because he's not in Gryffindor, that's why," McGonagall answered.

"I just wish-."

There was a knock on the door and when McGonagall told the person to enter it turned out to be Neville Longbottom.

"What do you need, Mr. Longbottom?" McGonagall asked.

"Ron Weasley tried to hex Potter," he told them.

That got both of them out the door.

When they arrived they found Ron Weasley covered in boils. The Gryffindor's at once told McGonagall that Potter had hexed Weasley first. She didn't believe it for one moment and said, "SILENCE!"

Everyone fell silent.

"Now what happened here?" she asked.

"Ron Weasley was doing nothing, just walking down the hall, and Potter attacked him," Granger told her.

"And why don't I believe you," McGonagall told her.

"But it's true," she said.

"I don't think so," McGonagall said to her, "I've seen you all bully this child and I'm not putting up with it."

"Well he should have been in Gryffindor!" Granger stated.

"How about you, Miss Granger, and all of you serving detention and ten points a piece for lying to me," McGonagall told her, which made Granger go white. "Mr. Longbottom, take Weasley to the Hospital Wing."

"Yes, ma'am," Longbottom said and then both Professors left the Gryffindor's alone.

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Harry was glad that someone had believed him when it came out that Weasley had hexed him. True, the charm had worked but he knew that the Gryffindor's would try something else. It wasn't beyond believing that they would seek revenge for looking like a bunch of idiots. However, for him to fully get back at them, he would have to do something that looked stupid but wouldn't come back to him at all. He grinned at the thought that Granger and the others would look like total fools. Then maybe he would get some peace and quiet to work on his charms and other things. A couple of days later Harry was heading up the stairs when he saw Granger and Weasley following him.

Oh this was going to be too good.

He continued as though he hadn't noticed them and found himself on the third floor. He knew that he would get into trouble if he was discovered by a teacher but it was almost worth it. He remembered that the third floor corridor was off-limits and the idea of off-limits was just too much for Gryffindor's to take. They seem to have some desire to find out why something was forbidden. He pressed his ear to the door and heard barking. He opened the door and quickly making himself invisible he closed the door but he wasn't actually inside.

He moved aside and heard what Granger and Weasley were saying. It was almost too much to take and he almost laughed.

"Potter is inside," Weasley said. "I wonder what's behind the door?"

"Come on, lets find out," Granger said and she slowly opened the door.

That's when they got caught, red handed by Professor Sprout.

"WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU DOING OPENING THAT DOOR?" she screamed, "GET BACK TO YOUR COMMON ROOM AND FIFTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR."

"But Potter is in there," Granger said.

"I'll look for myself," Sprout told them and Harry watched them leave, looking upset.

Harry left a couple of moments later while Sprout was opening the door, her wand out.

Harry now knew that something was behind the door but he had no desire to see what was doing all the growling. The fact that they were caught was soon all over the school. The Slytherins thought it was funny that the supposed brightest witch of her age was caught breaking one of Dumbledore's rules and that Weasley was not far behind. On the bad side it meant that he was cornered by idiot one and idiot two.

"I know that you're after whatever Dumbledore is guarding," he said.

"Oh and what proof do you have?" Harry asked him.

"We saw you going inside," he said, "And mark my words I'm going to get daddy to expel you."

"Good luck with that," Harry told him and then pushed him aside to head to History of Magic.

The rest of the month passed without any problems. Though Harry could see Granger and Weasley, with some girl name Brown, trying to figure out what the dog was guarding. Personally Harry didn't have time for stupid people that broke the rules. True, he had broken the rule about not going up there but it was more to make Granger and Weasley look stupid. Whatever the thing was guarding it was up to the school to make sure that it didn't get taken.

He was a freaking Slytherin not a dumb Gryffindor.

Halloween came around and Harry told Theo that he would rather spend time alone then go down to the feast.

"Are you sure?" Theo asked.

"This was the day my parents died, I don't want to celebrate that," Harry said.

Theo understood and went down to the feast without him.

An hour later the students came back. Harry was reading a book and looked up when they came back. The food appeared at once and Harry asked him what had happened.

"A Troll was released," he said, "I don't know how that's even possible but I'm sure that some stupid Gryffindor is going to do something about it."

Harry figured that he was right.

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A/N: Another chapter written. Snape will be making an appearance in a couple more chapters.