McGonagall watched quietly as the first years slowly began to notice she was standing there. After a few moments she cleared her throat loudly, causing the rest of the cohort to turn and face her, the chatter dying down immediately.

"Welcome to Hogwarts" said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common-room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are witing.

Her eyes lingered on the soaking-wet Draco. "I shall return when we are ready for you" said Professor McGonagall "Please wait quietly" and with that, she left the first years alone in the chamber. Immediately some panic broke out amongst the first year students. Sure, Harry new that it was tradition for older students to taunt their younger siblings with how hard the sorting was, but on the other hand, Harry found it quite pathetic that almost nobody in the room new much about the sorting process.

Harry quickly remembered how frightened Ron and Neville had been the first time around. "Don't worry about it" he them the quietly "Just between you guys and me, I already know what the process is, and don't worry, it's nothing to bad, that is unless you run away with it." Confusion found it's way onto both Ron and Neville's faces "Run away with it?" asked Neville panicked "Yes. It's a hat. All you do is sit there with a hat on your head, you have a little conversation with it that nobody else can hear, then you're sorted into a house before you can say Quidditch!" This seemed to greatly relieve the two boys and Ron's fear suddenly turned to annoyance. "I'm going to kill Fred and George" he muttered, trailing off, saying something about fighting.

Just then, Professor McGonagall came back and ushered them into the Great Hall. One by one the students were sorted until Harry's turn came. Just like last time, there was great murmur at the mention of his name. The last thing he saw was the hall, full of eager and exited faces, before the Sorting Hat was dropped onto his head.

"Look" Harry said to the hat "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. I'm not a Slytherin, I'm a Gryffindor, and proud to be one. My father was one, my mother was one. I'm not saying that it would be a bad thing to be in Slytherin, but the fact that I'm not a Slytherin would make it kind of strange being one, you know what I'm saying?" The hat just sat there for a few moments before the voice in his ear said "You are a strange young man Harry Potter. I did indeed consider you for Slytherin, no doubt about it, but if you're sure about where you want to go, better be, GRYFFINDOR!" he finished, shouting out the last word so that the whole hall could hear him.

Harry made his way over to the Gryffindor table and sat down near the cheering Weasley twins. Eventually the hall died down again and the sorting process continued. Harry watched nostalgically as his friends were sorted into their houses. He was still so out of it that he didn't realise that the sorting was over and that Dumbledore had just finished his speech, food appearing on the table before them.

Harry decided to strike up a conversation with Percy. He may have been the least liked Weasely by Harry, but he thought that if he could impress some ideals upon him, then maybe Percy could change, even if it was very slightly.

"So, you're a Prefect right?" asked Harry "Yes, indeed I am." Replied Percy smugly. "So that means you're a fifth year yeah? Studying for your OWLs?" Harry continued. Percy almost chocked on the but of food that he was eating. Spluttering and coughing, he finally managed to reply "Yes, are you interested in such things?" To be honest, Harry didn't really care for OWLs, Umbridge had seen to it that his fifth year was one he would very happily like to forget. "Yeah, I am" Harry said "I was wondering what kinds of things you study in fifth year. I know it's really advanced compared to the stuff I'll be learning, but I think it'd be kinda cool to get an older students perspective on our education system, you know, for future comparison of course, to see if it really prepares us for real life." Percy looked astounded that a first year could be interested in such topics, least of all Harry Potter himself. "Yes, well, we study a variety of subjects in fifth year. However, what you study specifically depends on your third year electives" he continued to bore Harry with fifth year facts and how that your marks in your selected subjects could go on to effect your career choices after you finished school, that was of course as long as you could pass your NEWTs.

After the feast was over and they'd made their way into their dormitory, Harry finally spoke to Ron and Neville about him being from the future. He'd decided that if there was anybody that he was going to tell, it would be those two. He'd been thinking of the repercussions that it may cause, so he made sure to remind himself that he wouldn't stand out any more than he did last time if he could help it, even with his future knowledge, he'd just have to be quiet and discreet about what he knew and what he was capable of being a fully grown man in actuality.

"I've got something to tell you guys, but you've got to swear to me to not tell anybody else, ever, got it?" he demanded of them "Sure?" replied Ron. Harry looked to Neville who just nodded. "I'm not exactly...From this time" Harry told them. When they continued to look confused, he went into further detail about his ordeal.

"Look, the thing is, I'm not actually from this time. I'm actually from an entirely different timeline altogether, a timeline where I'm twenty-five, well, twenty-four seeing as I never really made it to twenty-five" he said, more to himself than the others. "Anyway" he continued "That's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is that I'm from the future. I've done all this once before! I was an auror at the ministry when a group of people attacked it. I fell through this magical archway and ended up back at my eleventh birthday again."

Ron and Neville just stared at Harry. "Are you okay? Sure you didn't hit your head or anything?" said Ron skeptically "Yeah" chimed in Neville "Either that or all those sweets you ate went to your head" he laughed. Harry was frustrated, they didn't believe him in the slightest.

"What do I need to do to prove myself?" Harry demanded. Ron and Neville seemed to ponder this for a while before Neville came to the solution. "You could always just tell us something that is going to happen in the near future, and if what you say comes true, then we can believe you." "Sounds good to me" said Ron. Harry felt annoyed at the pair of them, then began racking his brain for a memory of something that had happened in his first year.

His first encounter with Snape had resulted in him asking Harry a lot of questions that he didn't know the answer to, however, he couldn't at all remember what the questions were. He then thought of their first flying lesson, but then remembered that he was supposed to be trying to become friends with Draco rather than his enemy. Then it hit him.

"Halloween!" Harry exclaimed. "What about it?" asked Ron "A troll, it'll get into the school on Halloween. Quirrell will come running into the Great Hall during the feast shouting about a troll in the dungeons."

Ron snorted loudly and fell backwards onto his bed. "Whatever you say mate. If that really happens, then I'll personally do Malfoy's homework for a week!" Neville smiled at Ron "You better hope you don't eat those words Ron, because I'm sure Harry is going to keep you to that promise." "You guys can't tell anyone about this, ever, understand? Not even that we had this conversation!" Harry repeated. "Yeah, yeah, we got it." Said Ron. "Good" smiled Harry "I guess I'll see you guys in the morning then." "G'night" muttered Neville "Night guys" yawned Ron.

Harry lay back on his bed, feeling slightly uneasy. He'd just confided in two of his friends that he was from the future, but they hadn't remotely believed him. What was worse was he was beginning to regret saying anything that per chance the topic came up again before he could prove anything, Ron or Neville might make some sort of reference to it, making it more obvious when it came time to be less subtle to prevent Voldemort from killing those he cared for. He drifted off into an uneasy sleep and dreamt of his life in the other timeline. Had it all been a dream? Had he dreamt his entire life up twenty-fifth birthday? No, that wasn't possible. Last time Hagrid had arrived on his birthday, he was sure he had been awake at the time.

When Harry woke up the next morning, he was extremely confused. His memories of his previous timeline had been constant throughout his sleep, and now that he was altering the timeline he was in, things would only get more confusing until they were resolved. He thought of Ginny, would he get back with her, or would he get together with someone else? He shook his head and got out of bed. He made his way down to the Great Hall to find a dreary-eyed Hermione.

"Why are you so tired?" he asked her. "If you must know, I was up a little longer than everyone else talking to Percy about our schoolwork actually. Seeing as I didn't really have the time to talk to him at dinner as you seemed to be taking all of his attention for yourself." She said. Harry smiled "You say that like it's a bad thing." However, before she could reply, Neville took the seat next to Harry and Ron the one opposite.

Throughout the course of the next week and a half, all of his classes went relatively similar to the way they had gone last time, however, he did flaunt his skills a little, showing that he was capable, well, at least a little more than Hermione was. This very much impressed all of his teachers greatly, especially Professor McGonagall. Harry thought he knew why though, as his father had been well known for his talent in the Transfiguration topic.

It wasn't until he was attending his first potions class did he run into a problem. "Potter, Weasel-Bee, Longbottom." Came Draco's sneer. The three Gryffindor boys turned around, Ron looking annoyed at the name he'd just been called. "So Malfoy, I heard you went swimming last night, how was it?" interjected Hermione.

Neville jumped at the sound of her voice. Draco's sneer turned into a frown "Let's just say that it was involuntary, and that Longbottom is going to get what's coming for him." "You know, that doesn't sound to friendly to me Draco. I think that if you're going to be our friend, you should say stuff like that sarcastically." Harry said matter-o-factly.

"Yes father." Replied Draco. Harry smiled "There we go, I think you've got the hand of it." He said, slapping Draco on the back, just as the door opened and Snape allowed them into the classroom.

It didn't take long for Snape to begin his barrage of questions towards Harry. "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry made sure to look directly into Snape's eyes before answering, knowing full well that it reminded him of Lily. "Well sir, if I'm not mistaken, that'd give you a sleeping potion that is extremely powerful known as the Draught of Living Death." Snape looked furious that Harry had answered so quickly and correctly. "Where would you look if I told you to find be a bezoar?" he sneered. "Easy" replied Harry, not breaking eye contact with the potion's master "That'd be in the stomach of a goat. Sir." He finished. Snape was growing more and more furious with each and every passing second, but did not break eye contact with Harry, but rather drew his face closer to Harry's so that they were almost nose-to-nose.

The rest of the class watched as Snape bore down on Harry, and smiled as Harry returned every answer to every question Snape shot at him. There were more questions than what there had been last time, well, as far as Harry could remember anyway.

By the time the class was over, most of the students broke out in whispered discussions about Harry's confrontation with Snape. "That was incredible mate!" cheered Ron "Yeah. That is one scary professor. You sure showed him Harry!" added Neville. "I don't think you should be praising him for what he did, I mean, he did lose us ten house points!" said Hermione "You know, I think I agree with the muggleborn you know Potter?" came Draco's voice. "I mean, standing up to a teacher like that, one would think you're not even trying to help Gryffindor win the house cup, but then again, what do I care? The less points Gryffindor has the better by all means, well done Potter." He said, and with that, he walked off.

Later that day Harry went down to Hagrid's with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. They had a great afternoon, Ron and Neville enthusiastically retelling Harry's encounter with Snape, Harry nearly breaking his teeth on Hagrid's cooking, having forgotten to actually never eat much of it every again.

By the time they made their way back up to the castle, Neville was laden down with Hagrid's cooking having been unable to decline. "You know, I think you might need to see Hermione's parents after you're through with those." Laughed Ron. Neville pulled out one of the rock cakes and threw it at Ron, narrowly missing. "Oh shut up Weasel-Bee" he smiled.

The next day came their first ever flying lesson. Once again Neville took off into their air, however, this time Harry caught with the levitation charm just before he hit the ground as to save him from any pain and less humiliation. Madam Hooch took him to the hospital wing just for safe measure and left with the stern warning that if anybody flew a broom, they would be out of Hogwarts before they could say Quidditch.

Malfoy went over and picked up Neville's Remembrall. "Looks like Longbottom got what was coming to him. I think I'll keep thing for safe measure." He smiled, pocketing the ball.

"Now, now Draco, that isn't very nice is it? After all, I'm sure Neville only meant to clean out your mouth when he pushed you into the lake." Said Harry. Draco looked up at Harry, contemplating. "Tell you what, you can have it back if you come and get it!" he laughed, riding his broom a few feet into the air.

"You're on!" smiled Harry, joining him in the air. "Go long!" shouted Draco, throwing the Remebrall as far as he could away into the distance. Harry shot past him as fast as the old school broom could take him. He flew thorough the air and went into a dive. He was inches away from the ground when he pulled up and caught the Remebrall, milliseconds from impact. That had been a lot closer than the last time he'd caught it, however, he wasn't exactly used to the old school brooms, but rather his newer, most recent model in the Firebolt series.

"Harry Potter!" came professor McGonagall's voice. Harry new he wasn't in trouble, but proceeded to act as if he was. He went with McGonagall to see Wood, and by the end of the night was telling Ron and Neville how he'd been made a part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and how he was the youngest seeker in a century. At least he'd gotten that part right again, so far everything was going well.

Classes wore on as per usual, however, Harry couldn't help but stand out more and more with each passing class, unable to contain his ability to very easily surpass even a seventh year student at the school, Harry finally cracked, and in one of his charms classes, instead of physically handing out the feather's that they would be practicing with, he waved his wand and made each feather fly through the air and place themselves in front of each student into the classroom.

Everyone was stunned, even the professor became so exited he toppled out of site and didn't return for another few minutes. It was almost Halloween, almost time for the others to discover that he was in fact telling the truth about being from the future. Until then however, he couldn't let himself have another outbreak of magic publically as it would attract far too much attention.

That night Harry found himself once again having dreams about his life in the other timeline. He dreamed that Hermione had died from not being attended to from her head wound. That Ginny was crying about his death having found out that he had fallen through the veil. He dreamt that Ron was distraught having lost the love of his life as well as his best friend, and having his sister lose her husband. The world he knew was once again full of despair and unhappiness once again as it had been in it's time of Voldemort. But it was just a dream, wasn't it?