There wasn't much to do with this chapter, since it's just the trip to Hogwarts. As a result, it's a lot shorter. Hopefully the next chapter will be a lot long.


HPaCT

The train ride to a magical school was quite similar to any other train ride, that is to say, that it was fairly boring. Harry, being among the first to arrive, quickly settled into a compartment. Loading his trunk into the upper storage area, he quickly retrieved Rex and set him down across from him. While Rex wasn't exactly human, it was better than staring into space.

"SO, HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?"

"I don't know. I've never gone to Hogwarts before."

"WELL I HOPE ITS SOON. THIS TRAIN GIVES ME A HEADACHE. IT'S WAY TO BRIGHT."

"It'll probably be worse at Hogwarts. It is a magic school after all."

"OH. THAT'S RIGHT... CAN I STAY WITH ANNIE?"

"Nope."

"AWWW..."

Harry laughed at Rex's reaction, just in time for a redhead to walk in.

"So, what's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, Rex was just complaining about going to Hogwarts."

"Rex? Is that your familiar?"

"Um... I guess so..." Harry replied uncertainly, grabbing Rex, "This is Rex."

"Oh..." the redhead replied, looking at Harry strangely... "Well, I'll just be going now..."

"See you later!" as their companion departed, Rex looked over at Harry.

"WEIRD KID. YOU'D THINK HE'D NEVER SEEN A MONSTER BEFORE."

"Well, maybe he hasn't. I've only met you and Homer."

"BUT HE'S A WIZARD. SHOULDN'T HE BE USED TO STRANGE THINGS?"

"I think you're a bit stranger than usual..."

Once again, their conversation was put on hold, as a woman knocked on the door. Harry stared in awe at the selection of snacks. Completely unlike snacks he was used to, Harry couldn't help but buy at least a few of each. While some of them seemed benign, such a licorice wands, others, such as the every flavor beans, proved to be less so. On the plus side, the Chocolate Frogs proved to be a big hit with Rex, who enjoyed stalking them. Harry was just glad he had something to do that didn't involve transforming.

It wouldn't look good if he caused the train to crash on his first day as a wizard. Even if it wasn't really his fault.

"Excuse me, have you seen a toad around here?" Harry turned to see rather pudgy boy standing by the door.

"No, I haven't. Sorry." Harry responded, "Do you want some help looking for it?"

"No. There's no need to go out of you way." the boy replied, "I'm sure Trevor will turn up somewhere..."

Their conversation concluded, the boy left, and Harry resumed watching Rex hunt down the chocolate treats.

"So, it is fun hunting down chocolate animals?" Harry asked,

"YEAH, IT'S PRETTY FUN. NOT AS FUN WHEN I'M SMALL LIKE THIS, BUT STILL PRETTY FUN."

"Well, you're going to have to stay small. If you change, you'll probably wreck the train."

"YOU SAY THAT LIKE IT'S A BAD THING."

"I'd rather not get kicked out of school before we get there. That's why." Harry replied.

"BUT SHOULDN'T I GET IT ALL OUT OF MY SYSTEM BEFORE WE GET THERE?" Rex wheedled.

"Well, if it'll keep you from burning down the school..." Harry though to himself, before shaking his head, "NO! No destroying the train, alright Rex?"

"FINE..."

Harry eyed his friend suspiciously, before an uppity young girl barged into the compartment.

"Have you seen a toad? Neville's lost his." Harry glanced up to see a rather brazen girl standing at the door, waiting for a reply.

"Neville... I think he came by here earlier, is he short and kind of pudgy?"

"That sounds about right."

"Sorry, I haven't seen his toad. Do you want a hand looking?"

She smiled, "That would be lovely. Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter." was his response as they exited the compartment.

"Are you really?"

"Um... yes?"

"I've read about you!"

"Read about me? I'm... in books?"

"Of course! After what you did, didn't you think people would write about it?"

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"How could you not know?"

"I grew up with my relatives. They... didn't really like magic..." Harry mumbled, thinking about what had happened when Rex first came into his life. Granted, magic was probably not as bad as Rex, but considering that Uncle Vernon's brain was melted, he could understand why magic was avoided.

"Well, you ought to make an effort to learn, you're in dozens of books, including Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and even Great Wizarding Events if the Twntieth Century!"

"Really?" Harry asked, "What did I do to get into them?"

Hermione looked scandalized, "Y-you defeated the Dark Lord!"

"I did?"

Hermione gaped, unable to wrap her mind around the idea of an oblivious hero.

"Do... you think you could fill me in?" Harry asked, wincing as he saw her eyes lit up. Maybe asking her was a bad idea...

HPaCT

Harry allowed himself to be dragged all over the train in search of the missing toad. Far from a silent search, his companion jabbered on and on, initially concerning his exploits, and the rumors surrounding his ten year absence, but once that topic was exhausted, she branched out to other topics, such as the properties of dragon's blood discussed in their first year Potions textbook, and the charms she had experimented with over the summer.

When they returned to his compartment, Harry felt a little relieved. Hermione was a nice girl, but she just loved to talk, and it was exhausting. It didn't help that he was her current subject of interest. It seemed that she knew more about his life than he did!

"Harry, your compartment!" Hermione shrieked, rousing Harry from his stupor. Glancing into the compartment, it was easy to see why she reacted that way. The entire compartment was trashed, the seats torn up, and Harry's luggage opened and strewn all over the place. For Harry, being well versed in such situations, it wasn't difficult to locate the culprit, especially since he was still there. Rex was a rambunctious fellow, and without Harry there to reprimand him and keep him in check, he had gotten a bit over enthusiastic with the room.

"I think you've been robbed!"

"Right...robbed..." Harry responded, glaring at the innocuous seeming toy sitting in the center of the havoc.

"I'm going to report this to the prefects right now! People shouldn't be allowed to get away with this sort of behavior!" Harry felt a vague sense of panic well up inside him. While they probably wouldn't suspect Rex, drawing attention to it would just make things more difficult, and from what Hermione had told him, he was already going to have more attention than he liked.

"Hermione wait! It was probably..." Harry desperately searched for a culprit that wouldn't cause problems"...a fan! Someone probably wanted something that belonged to me as a souvenir. You said I was famous, right?" On one level, Harry was relieved that she had seemingly memorized his life story. If one person did it, certainly others did the same, right?

"I suppose, but that doesn't mean they should get away with it!" Hermione protested.

"I promise, if this happens again, I'll report it right away." Harry attempted to sooth his companion.

"Well, alright..." Hermione huffed, though she didn't seem happy about it. "Do you want a hand cleaning everyhting up?"

"I've got it. Besides, I still have to change into my robes."

"Well, alright. I need to get back to my compartment anyways." Hermione assented, leaving Harry alone for what felt like the first time in ages. He enjoyed the silence for a breif moment, before turning his attention to his wayward companion.

"So, what was it this time?"

"I GOT BORED ONCE I ATE ALL OF THE FROGS."

Harry sighed, "Well, at least you're honest about it..."

"WE'RE ALMOST THERE. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY CHANGE..."

"I just hope I can find my robes in this mess you made..."

HPaCT

Fortunately, the remainder of the trip was uneventful, and Harry managed to change without any problems, and spent the rest of the time cleaning up after Rex. He was lucky enough to clear most of the mess, and repack his trunk before the train slowly came to a halt. Sighing in relief, Harry grabbed his things, making sure Rex was where he could see him, and departed.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Harry gawked at the truly massive man calling out to the students, before following the rest into a group down towards the lake.

"Alrigh' now everyone get in a boat and we'll be off!"

Harry, along with the rest of the students, followed the large man down to the edge of the lake, and cautiously boarded the boats.

Harry purposefully avoided Hermione's boat, wanting a bit more time to recover from their last chat. As a result he wound up in a boat with a pair of twins and a dark hair girl. Being the only boy, Harry found himself sitting in awkward silence as the remaining passengers chatted idly.

Fortunately, the awkward situation quickly passed, as they all got their first glimpse of Hogwarts. Gasps of awe filled the air, as the majestic castle came into view. That sense of awe remained with them as the disembarked from the boats.

Their escort lead them up the steps, to the front gates, and banged heavily on the door. With a deep creaking sound, the doors swung open, revealing a stern looking witch.

"Here ya go Professor McGonagall, all firs' years present an' accounted for."

"Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here." with a glace, McGonagall directed the collection of children to follow her, which thy did without protest.

"YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT THIS PLACE. IT DOES GIVE ME A HEADACHE."

"Shut up Rex!" Harry hissed quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention.

"BUT IT REALLY, REALLY HURTS!"

"If it hurts so much, then why not close your eyes?"

"BECAUSE THEN I WON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING."

"There's just no pleasing you, is there." Harry said, grateful that something seemed to be drawing everyone else's attention.

"I JUST WANT THERE TO BE AN OFF SWITCH. HECK, I'D SETTLE FOR A DIMMER."

"I don't think magic has anything like that."

"WHY NOT?"

"I don't know! Why isn't the sun blue?"

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?"

"Exactly!" Harry exclaimed, a bit louder than he intended.

"Will you shut up!" one of the twins stomped on his foot. It was only then that Harry realized that they had arrived at their destination, and that there was a singing hat. Somehow, he found this more unusual than anything he had seen yet.

Harry watched in interest as the Sorting Hat was placed on every students' head, and cried out the name of one of the houses after a short period. Some of them, like the arrogant looking one name Draco, were sorted in an instant. Others, like Neville, took much longer. Harry found himself wondering if there was a time limit, or if they just waited until it was finished. Hearing Rex growl in boredom, Harry couldn't help but think about what would happen if he put the Hat on. At the very least, it would be an interesting and unique experience.

"Potter, Harry!"

Startled out of his thoughts, Harry glanced around, making sure they had really called his name. As McGonagall looked at him meaningfully, he started forward, trying to ignore the whispers and murmurs from the students.

Harry approached the hat cautiously. Hermione's chattering had given him a basic understanding of the houses, and little he had heard of the song helped, but the idea of something looking inside his head was a little disturbing. Granted, his best friend was an unspeakable horror from who knows where, but there were some things that were just plain creepy.

A glare from McGonagall forced Harry to set aside his concerns and take his seat. As the hat settled on his head, Harry was surprised to feel another entity inside his head.

"Interesting... very interesting... there seems to be something protecting your mind, but it's not Occumency or any type of magical protection I've seen before. Still, if you think that'll keep my from doing my job, you've got another thing coming." Harry flinched, as he felt pressure on his brain, but it quickly faded, though he still felt somewhat strange.

"Don't worry my boy, your secrets are safe with me. Now let's have a look..." the Hat muttered, "Plenty of courage, it seems, not many people would attack their teacher like that. Seems that gave you some distrust towards authority. You're a fairly smart kid, not exceptional, but smart. I could put you just about anywhere, and I doubt there would be much complaining..."

Harry didn't respond, still adjusting to the fact that there was something in his head. Absently, he wished Annabel was here with him.

"Ah, it seems to miss your friend... it looks like that friend was the reason you attacked your teacher, and is the reason for some of your adventures. You've got a strong sense of loyalty in you, and given that, I think the best place for you is HUFFLEPUFF!"

There was a moment of awkward silence following the announcement of Harry's house, but it was quickly eclipsed as Hufflepuff table burst into cheers. The remaining houses quickly joined them in the applause.


Here are a couple of Omake, to make up for the shortness of the chapter. Hope they amuse you.

HPaCT

Alternate Sorting Hat

Unfortunately, as the Hat was placed on Harry's head, he was talking with Rex. While the Sorting Hat was used to unusual thoughts, and had seen more than its share of disturbing things, there was very little that was capable of surviving in the mind of a monster.

The hat let out a piercing scream, before bursting into flames. The hall was dead silent, as both students and teachers stared at Harry in a mixture of fear and awe.

As the flames died down, leaving Harry coated in a layer of ashes, he blushed, thinking that there was no possible way for things to get worse.

Sadly, the young Potter had never heard of Murphy.

"HA! TAKE THAT YOU STUPID HAT!" Rex crowed as he resumed his true form. So caught up in his gloating, he paid no heed to the now terrified people before him, blasting flames and rending furniture to celebrate his victory.

While wizards and witches, like the Sorting Hat, were used to strange and disturbing things, they had never encounter something like a Monster. The entire students body, as well as the staff, was quickly driven into madness as Rex rampaged through the Great Hall.

Well, at least it wouldn't be boring...

HPaCT

Hermione the Creepy Fangirl

When they returned to his compartment, Harry felt a little relieved. Hermione was a nice girl, but she just loved to talk, and it was exhausting. It didn't help that he was her current subject of interest. It seemed that she knew more about his life than he did!

"Harry, your compartment!" Hermione shrieked, rousing Harry from his stupor. Glancing into the compartment, it was easy to see why she reacted that way. The entire compartment was trashed, the seats torn up, and Harry's luggage opened and strewn all over the place. For Harry, being well versed in such situations, it wasn't difficult to locate the culprit, especially since he was still there. Rex was a rambunctious fellow, and without Harry there to reprimand him and keep him in check, he had gotten a bit over enthusiastic with the room.

"I think you've been robbed!"

"Right...robbed..." Harry responded, glaring at the innocuous seeming toy sitting in the center of the havoc.

"I'm going to report this to the prefects right now! People shouldn't be allowed to get away with this sort of behavior!" Harry felt a vague sense of panic well up inside him. While they probably wouldn't suspect Rex, drawing attention to it would just make things more difficult, and from what Hermione had told him, he was already going to have more attention than he liked.

"Hermione wait! It was probably..." Harry desperately searched for a culprit that wouldn't cause problems"...a fan! Someone probably wanted something that belonged to me as a souvenir. You said I was famous, right?" On one level, Harry was relieved that she had seemingly memorized his life story. If one person did it, certainly others did the same, right?

"A fan... I suppose that makes sense..."

As Harry began to clean up the mess, Hermione helped, and discreetly pocketed one of his socks. The room was quickly cleaned, and Hermione bid Harry goodbye. As soon as she exited the compartment, she glanced around warily, before retrieving her prize.

*SNIIIIIIFF*

A disturbing grin crossed the young girl's face as she inhaled the scent of the hero of the wizarding world. Today was a good day.


What do you guys think? Good? I'm okay with this chapter, not happy, but okay. Of all the chapters, it's the one I'm most likely to fiddle around with in my spare time. I might expand a scene or two, or change some minor details. Not anything that will have a major impact on the upcoming parts, but might improve the overall story. I guess we'll see...

Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors. I think I caught most of them, but without a beta reader, there's probably one or two things I missed. I should really start looking for one...

As always, reviews are desired and much appreciated. Speaking of which...

Review Responses:

I reserve the right to not respond to reviews or specific questions, especially if it might be considered spoiler material.

peruser: Monsters have the ability to disguise themselves, so they appear to be normal objects, animals, or even people. There are some exceptions to this, which I may have funw ith later, but generally, only other Monsters can recognize them.

Going back to your first review... Rex isn't smart enough not to kill people. He just hasn't been provoked to the point where he will attack and kill people. Dudley got scared off, and Vernon' fate is what many might consider to be worse than death. Had Vernon actually gottn to hit Harry, the house would have been leveled, and Petunia and Dudley would likely have been maimed in the collateral damage. Rex is a monster, he just hasn't been provoked into true violence against people.

Baughn: I answered your question in the previous chapter, but Annabel is not a witch, as you can plainly see.

Tourette: Yes, there will be more monsters.

insanemystique317: Rex wasn't brought to life by Harry. Homer should be evidence of that. Monsters are... something else. Not created by magic or muggles. I'd recommend buying, or at least reading Monsters and Other Childish things to get a better idea on just what a monster is.