Many thanks to those who reviewed (especially 917brat, who reviewed twice), it makes me happy =)

As for the story, there will be a three week time jump, right to the first day of school and I might start weaving my plot. Cindy is still the only kid Harry has met.

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or Spooksville

This chapter took a bit longer than I expected (FF was stupid and I ended up losing about 2k of work right before I was about to finish up the ending =( so that's the reason if the chapter seems kinda curt after a bit, 'cause I was ticked about needing to rewrite it and couldn't get it to flow the same way. It was a lot longer~) , but I've got the next couple chapters planned out, so I'm anticipating another update before finals drag me away from the computer to study. I've also been bombarded with some plot bunnies for a couple LOTR and HP crossovers~ I'll stick the summaries at the end of the chapter, and I'd love to get some feedback on them ;D

Yay, a question~ xD

I consider Ann and Harry to be at about the same level of power with a few differences. I think of Ann to have somewhat better magical precision and control, as well as having a wealth of knowledge that comes with her age. Harry would have more destructive power and more stamina than Ann, but his knowledge would be more based on fighting, and would not know as much as Ann, who has lived far longer than him.


Harry woke to a sharp rap between his eyes.

Magic flaring instinctively, his wand was in his hand even as a soft hoot let him know that he wasn't being attacked. Groaning, Harry rolled over onto his side "Merlin Hedwig...Why'd you wake me up?"

Intelligent amber eyes met his own, the owl perched far enough away from him so that when he shot up with a curse his familiar wasn't hit. "Damn it, school." he hissed, springing out of his bed in one fluid motion to haphazardly toss on the first clothes he could get his hands on before opening a window for Hedwig and loping down the stairs and out the door, locking it behind him.

It was only a few minute jog to the school, and he approached the quaint-looking building just as the students milling around in front began to filter in through the doors. Dodging a few curious stares he made his way up the front steps and paused just inside, glancing around for the office. Spying a sign labeling a room as such, he made his way forward, dodging the occasional student to enter.

A brief chat with the secretary later he had his schedule and a map in the school, though he only gave it a cursory glance before shoving it into his pocket. He had plenty of time to get to his first class and wasn't about to make a scene charging about like an enraged death eater.


Three hours later he could be found meandering along with the general flow of students towards the cafeteria for lunch, still mulling over just what had possessed him to enroll in a school (actually it was more like why he had decided to take some of the easier classes) when he already knew much of what was being taught- his almost obsessive studying after the war had not only served as a distraction but had also succeeded in drumming most of the information taught in muggle schools into his head.

It didn't help that he seemed to be the talk of the school; Merlin forbid that he would ever be able to get some peace from the inane questions directed at him. Honestly, who cared about how he preferred a nice cup of tea to coffee?

He was planning on grabbing an apple or something to eat before retreating to the farthest corner he could, but as he snagged one of the fresher-looking apples and a bottle of water a familiar blond caught his eye and waved energetically until he acknowledged her. Sighing, but finding himself hard pressed to summon up any irritation aimed at the sincere muggle, he carried his newly purchased lunch over to the table she was sitting at.

The table looked like it could hold about ten people, and currently five aside from himself and Cindy were sitting there, casting curious looks in his direction as the blond grabbed his hand and gently but insistently tugged him over to sit next to her. Regaining his bearings he spent a few seconds just studying his new companions, relatively confident that his scrutiny would be assumed to be the curiosity of a new kid in a new school.

A brunette boy with equally brown eyes was sitting next to Cindy, sizing him up with a friendly look, and on the other side of the table sat a somewhat stocky boy with black hair- Harry noted the rather odd fact that he was wearing several different watches- and a slender brown-haired girl with a no-nonsense air about her. To their side was a pair of girls, one a brunette and the other blond- both however, seemed rather false to Harry, there was just something he didn't like much about them.

"I assume these would be your friends?" He guessed, and was rewarded with a brilliant smile as Cindy beamed at him, before quickly pointing out the other occupants of the table in turn "Yep! This here's Adam, Sally, Watch, Alice, and Mary." she said, pointing to each as Harry nodded politely in greeting.

"Man, it's been a while since someone new moved in." Adam, the brunette, revealed with a smile "Cindy and I were the last ones, and that was years ago."

Sally gave him a reserved, but nevertheless friendly nod "Welcome to Spooksville." she said, earning a slightly arched eyebrow from the wizard.

"Spooksville?"

The stocky boy, Watch, was the one who answered "Our town is somewhat notorious for ghost stories- many think they're true." he explained, blinking at him through a thick pair of glasses as a slight smile tugged at the corner of Harry's mouth as he understood.

"That doesn't creep you out even a little bit?" Cindy asked "I was a little freaked at first."

"Nah, I'm not one to jump at imagined threats." Harry replied with a shrug, setting his apple down to open up the water bottle and take a swig, missing the thoughtful expression that flashed briefly over Watch's face at his phrasing.

Thankfully the conversation eventually turned away from him as one of the girls- Mary- began complaining about trivial things, generally being a bore in Harry's opinion. Something told him he really wasn't going to like this girl very much, at least Alice seemed less fickle. He ended up tuning her out until she moved on from teachers and homework to a new target.

"-so stupid. I mean, they like expect me to eat dinner with them every night, and they drag me out of my room to play some stupid games with them, like, every day. They, like, won't leave me alone, and are just so totally lame, it's like, duh, leave me alone, I have better things to do with my time. I wish they'd get off my back and go die or something." Mary finally paused for breath, oblivious to Harry's darkening expression.

She seemed ready to continue, but a prod and whispered 'shut up' from Alice drew her attention to the glowering wizard. With a 'meep' expression, she shrunk back in her seat even as the table grew quiet, all eyes on the furious boy.

"Of all the-" he had to pause to control himself, hand tightly gripping his apple. "Ungrateful, and spiteful things." He hissed "You should be glad your parents bothered to raise you and love you instead of dumping you on the street. You should be grateful to have parents at all!" he snarled, standing abrubtly and leveling the full force of his glare on the offending girl "You sicken me." he spat, before turning sharply and walking resolutely out of the cafeteria, ignoring the curious stares following him. His lunch still sat on the table, abandoned.

As he stalked through the empty halls he slowly began to calm as a combination of distance from the infuriating girl and the calming presence of his familiar in the back of his mind soothed him. He vaguely recalled being told that today being the first day of school classes would be let out after lunch. All the better, as he wouldn't be missed.

Pushing open the main doors of the school he moved away from the grounds at a steady, ground-eating lope. Feeling too agitated to deal with people just yet, he didn't return to his loft, instead walking past it, and out of town, aiming for the mountains he could see ahead of him. He needed some time to cool down.


Back inside the cafeteria, the lunch table remained quiet for at least ten seconds after Harry had stormed out, all in varying states of shock. Watch was the first to recover, reaching out to pick up the apple Harry had left to study it.

Almost perfectly imprinted in the red apple was a recognizable print from the furious wizard's grip. An eyebrow arched as theories and questions whirled around in his head.

Alice's sharp voice pulled him out of his thoughts "Way to go, Mary, he's gonna hate us now." Everyone glanced over at the two to see Alice's glare and Mary's defensive expression. "He's going to hate us now? He just embarassed me in front of everybody! Ugh..." Now it was Mary's turn to stand up and leave, mutting about how no one understood her. Rolling her eyes, Alice rose to follow.

Used to such outbursts from Mary, only a few seconds passed before Cindy spoke up "Will he be alright? I mean, this is Spooksville, what if a ghoul or something attacks?" She sounded worried, and Adam hastened to sooth her.

"After we're released for the day we can look for him, make sure he's alright." he reassured her, and even Sally nodded in agreement.

Watch merely nodded absently, pensive gaze returning to the handprinted apple.
"Curious..."


So?

I tried to portray Mary as kinda a stuck-up brat, I hope I did xD

And here's the LOTR and HP crossover summaries =) Please let me know what you think (And if you think you have a name for one/both of them please let me know; I have issues naming my fics ^^)

A) Ostracized and hated for his Animagus form, a betrayed and injured Harry is exiled after the defeat of Voldemort. Tossed from the wozarding world, he soon finds himself in another, and in the midst of yet another war.

B) When Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter and raised his wand against Harry, his killing curse rebounded and overloaded a nearby magical artifact, resulting in an explosion that sends a baby Harry into Middle Earth, and into the hands of Dark Elves to be raised as one of them.