Incredibly sorry for the delay in uploading...nywayzzz this was a special chapter about Harry in Muggle school, as per request of HPOD... Have fun!

Chapter 14

Tom wanted to dash off to the address in the card the next day, but Harry stopped him (at great risk to his own life, of course).

Harry managed to convince Tom that going off during a school day was not the best of plans as they would find them missing easily. They had to go at a time where their absence would not be noticed. Harry was aiming for the weekend. According to Tom, the entire day of Saturday was left for the children to catch up on their schoolwork and play about. Harry was certain that the deficiency of two kids amongst 5 dozen would not be discerned easily.

So, today, they would be going to school. Muggle school for the first time, for Harry. He was decidedly nervous but was determined to stick by Tom, to mainly fend off any potential bullies and encourage Tom to go through with his decision to change. Harry wouldn't have any measly teacher ruin all that he had convinced Tom.

The school was the building nearby, right next to the Church. As they entered, a small balding man wearing huge glasses was writing something on the board. Mr. Clarke was his name, according to Tom, who had already filled Harry in on about the school, much to his relief. He had also helped Harry with what they were doing in school as Harry looked like he was on the edge of a panic attack. Harry had realized with gratitude that Tom was a proficient teacher when he put his mind to it. By the morning, Harry had learned about something called pi (felt hungry every time he thought about it), Pythagor-as..am Theorem,(couldn't even pronounce it properly) and Types of Geometrical Shapes (circles and squares were what he knew before, now there were something called trapezoids? And parallelogram? Mental these Muggles were, without magic!) and and talking about mental, Mental Math, which covered what they were doing so he felt prepared for all that could happen.

As everyone filed in, talking and chatting, the short man turned around and rapped the foot long ruler on the table.

"Silence!"

Everyone fell silent immediately. His keen eyes surveyed the class. "I see that we have a new face amongst us," he said, looking at Harry. "Introduce yourself, boy."

He shared a glance with Tom who was sitting next to him and Harry stood up, his knees feeling a little wobbly. The man's staring was unnerving. He reminded Harry of Dumbledore, as if he was staring at your very soul. There was no twinkle though (Thank Merlin! he did not think he could take any more twinkly old coots) "I'm Harry, sir," he addressed the man.

"Don't you have a surname, Harry? Or do you expect me to call you Harry?" he delivered, a sarcastic tone to his voice.

Harry had thankfully thought of a surname before. "It's Wood, sir. My name if Harry Wood."

Harry did not want any names that would be recognized as solely wizardish. Wood was a common name that could belong to both wizards and Muggles. Considering his possible future, he had leverage to claim both. He could claim to be distantly related to Oliver Wood's family or a family of Muggles, if needed. It was an inconspicuous name for an inconspicuous time-traveler.

The teacher nodded, gesturing at him to sit down. "Good. Now, I assume that you have been told of what happens in this class by your classmates? Yes? Well, then-" he continued without waiting for Harry's reply, "Today we are going to be practicing mental math that..." Harry began to tune out the chatter of Mr. Clarke. He tried to listen, he really did. From what Tom had told him about Clarke, he assumed he would be less monotone, but the same pitch of voice reminded him of Binns. In Binns' class all he did was sleep. Thinking about it made him feel very tired and sleepy. He began to doze off, his eyelids beginning to droop.

"Mr. Wood!" a voice startled him out of his reverie. Mr. Clarke, as well as the rest of the class, was staring at him.
"Can't you hear me, boy?" asked Clark. "I have been calling your name for the past ten minutes. What is the sum of three minus five plus eight multiplied by two?" he rattled out in one breath.

Harry was flabbergasted. His head was still feeling a little woozy from his nap. He resolved to be more attentive. It wouldn't do to ignore his last name, considering that no one had ever called him Wood before. He stammered out the answer. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't an utter dunce at everything other than Defense. Largely thanks to Tom's coaching, he was feeling quite proficient at mental math.

Thankfully, it was the correct one. The teacher nodded in appreciation and he sat down, thankfully. Tom gave him a reprimanding look as if chiding him for nearly falling asleep in class.

The rest of the lesson went smoothly as Harry willed his eyes to keep themselves open and alert. He wouldn't be caught off guard this time. Soon, while everyone was given questions to complete in class, the bell rang for lunch.

Then, all hell broke loose. The children began to run down to the grounds for recess. Harry was pushed along with Tom into the grounds as the other kids stampeded outside in relief of being away from class, even if it was for a half-an hour. Jostled and shoved, Harry felt his annoyance increasing with each step as he saw Tom and the arm-length of a distance that everyone kept from him. Tom walked coolly outside as if enjoying the fact the other children were afraid to come near him.

After wandering around for some time with Tom, having nothing to do, Harry decided that he could use with a drink of water.

He left Tom underneath the elm tree where they were sitting, saying that he would be right back.

He rounded the corner of the school building when a shout pervaded his senses.

"Hey freak!"

A fat boy of nearly 14 years came waddling up to him, his bunch of goons behind him. Harry began to wonder at why bullies always needed a couple goons around them. Dudley, Malfoy and even Fudge, were bullies that he had personal acquaintance with, who never walked two steps without back-up.

"I called you," the big boy said mockingly. "Don't you recognize your own name?" The other boys around them laughed as if this boy had said the funniest joke in the world. Harry stood there saying nothing. After all, what could he say?

"You are the Riddle freak's new friend, right," the boy asked disdainfully, pointing at Harry. "Would you look at that? The freak has found friends! Someone probably just as freaky as him!" He poked Harry on the shoulder. Harry was hard-pressed on not jumping up and clouting him on his pudgy face. However, his iron control held. He was not going to lose his temper. This had nothing to do with the fact that the fat boy was thrice his size and flanked by very mean looking goons.

"Did you know there was an introduction ceremony for freaks like you? Especially if you walk around with the likes of Riddle," said the boy derisively at Harry. "Look he doesn't," he declared to his friends in mock astonishment. "Let us show you, then. We wouldn't want you to get into trouble now, would we?" Before Harry could say anything, he caught Harry by the scruff of his neck and pulled him off balance. Next thing he knew, fists and feet began connecting with his torso, pummeling every inch of his skin. He tried to cover his head with his hand but his hands were ripped out of their protective gesture as blows continued to rain down upon him. He tried to roll with the punches, but he was held too tightly for it to be effective. Finally, a blow to his temple effectively made his eyes roll back into his head and while he was teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, he felt the hands release him and he fell down in a crumpled heap, unable to break his fall.

Harry is a bit weak, physically. He hadn't the greatest childhood, so to be expected.