AN: This is written for the Dark Paths: Canon Divergence AU. It is not quite a crossover, but is fused with Assassin's Creed elements.

Enjoy!

~NicoDiAngeloLover7

More Than What Meets the Eye – Chapter 1 (Year 1)

Harry wasn't sure what to expect when he attended his first year at Hogwarts. Though at the beginning he was just glad to be away from the Dursleys and not have to worry about being forced to wear that uniform that his aunt had been dyeing. Though it occasionally did cross his mind where he was glad to be at Hogwarts, though it was a bit depressing to know that he would have to go back for the summer. He tried not to think about it if he could.

There was so much material that he had to know and study while at Hogwarts. Defense, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, and a few others. He didn't realize there was so much that he needed to learn. And that wasn't just about his classes, but about magic in general. And he wanted to learn as much as he could, never knowing when he may need it later. And the material was very interesting to learn. And for once, he didn't have to worry about underperforming just because Dudley had to do better than him in school. And he rather just avoid being punished because they idolized their son, while he was just the freak that was forced to live with them. It was one of the many reasons he hated living there.

At Hogwarts, he could actually perform the way he wanted to. And not have to worry about being called an idiot. And actually, get praised for doing a good job with his magic. It was bit of an unknown and unfamiliar feeling, one that he could get used to.

Then there was playing Quidditch.

One of the Slytherins, Draco Malfoy, apparently got offended when he refused his friendship. But he just reminded him too much of Dudley, he didn't want to be friends with someone like that. But he thought about thanking him, if he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall, he would have never gotten the spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team his first year. And he didn't even get in trouble for disobeying Madam Hooch's order to stay firmly on the ground. Though he honestly thought she seemed pleased to have another player for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Though that could be because he was going to be a Seeker on the team, and they didn't even have one yet. Something about their last one had graduated.

Madam Hooch was also the coach for the Quidditch Teams as well as the instructor for Flying Lessons. Even Professor McGonagall had seemed more pleased than angry with him. And he had expected to get detention for what he had done. Though he would gladly do it again. He wasn't going to allow Neville to get bullied, despite that he barely knew the boy. And he did share a dorm with him, though he noticed he was a bit shy and didn't really initiate conversation like some of the other boys did. Though he found that he did like to talk to Dean and Seamus. They were interesting to talk to and he sometimes envied the skill that Dean had when it come to art. That was usually just a passing thought. It was interesting to watch him draw while he was in the process though.

He didn't know exactly what to make of the redhead that shared his dorm. He seemed to care too much about his fame of who Harry Potter was, and not Harry. He didn't like that and tried to avoid him if he could. He didn't like his supposed fame for something he couldn't even remember. And for something he was sure he didn't do. He knew he wasn't the one that vanished this Voldemort. That it must have been something that his mum or father did when he was a baby. But nobody wanted to hear of that…

So, he still went about his first year, trying to do well in his classes while balancing it with Quidditch. And he learned that he loved to fly. He still thought that Professor McGonagall was the one behind on why he now had a Nimbus 2000. He loved the broom, don't get him wrong, but it was still curious.

And he started talking to the girl that the redhead had scorned at the feast. He didn't think she really was all that bad, just really loved books and learning. And he sort of felt a connection to her, they both didn't know about Hogwarts until they got the letter. Though in Harry's case, someone had to make a personal visit because of the Dursleys… That maybe he really wasn't alone with not knowing the whole magic part.

She didn't mention about the books she had read about Harry Potter, which he was thankful for. He knew that any book about him was probably wrong and he really hated his fame. Last thing he wanted was for someone he was viewing as a friend to bring that up. He did find out that her name was Hermione and that her parents were dentists.

So, his first year continued that way. With Harry pairing up with either Dean, Seamus, Neville, or Hermione for their lessons. Unless Snape decided to pair him with a Slytherin, he always managed to get someone by the name of Nott. He didn't really know his first name and the boy wasn't up for sharing. So, he kept silent for the most part and watched what Nott was doing. Or when he told him to add something. He didn't mock him like Malfoy seemed prone to, apparently, he wasn't good with being told no. But Nott didn't seem too bad for a Slytherin. Maybe Hagrid was wrong about the house. That had been the entire reason why he didn't want to be in Slytherin. Though some of it was due to Hagrid's words and Harry didn't want to be in an evil house. Though most of it was because he didn't want to be in a house with Malfoy. He didn't like the boy since his first impression of him, and he didn't want to live in a house at Hogwarts with him for the next seven years. That was like asking him to decline going to Hogwarts and going with what the Dursleys wanted him to do. Something he was very thankful to escape from.

Though he did meet other Gryffindors, even ones that were older than him. It was bound to happen since he was on the Quidditch team for Gryffindor. And typically, you couldn't try out till your second year. He apparently was the exception in this case… Though he had been afraid that the Weasley twins, Fred and George, would have been just like their younger brother. He couldn't be gladder to be proven wrong. Though he did have to admit their antics were a bit humorous. Especially when they tended to annoy the captain, a fifth year by the name of Oliver Wood. Who tended to be a bit of a fanatic when it came to Quidditch.

That was also how Harry learned that both Gryffindors and Slytherins tended to be a bit ruthless when it came to Quidditch. And for some reason that made it seem more exciting to him. Though he would rather have to deal without a bludger being aimed at his head and having to duck.

And that was how his first year went. Attending lessons with his friends while trying to not get on the professors' bad sides. Especially Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. Though he did struggle a bit in Potions. It didn't help that the professor purposely tried to bait him at every turn. What did he do for the professor to hate him so? He doubted he would ever get an answer to that. So, he tried to do his best without exploding any cauldrons. And to prevent Neville from exploding any more… Thankfully Hermione did this as well, otherwise he may never get his potions done. And there was no point in making Snape hating him even more than usual. He already thought he was useless at Potions. He hadn't made a cauldron explode… so maybe he wasn't really all that bad at the subject. It was just that the professor hated him. And he was pretty sure that Snape would rather curse him first before admitting that he was alright at Potions.

Though he did find the rumors interesting, especially with what was said at the Welcoming Feast at the beginning of the year. Painful death? Who would tell that to students at Hogwarts? And what was the reason for it? It didn't make much sense to him. Was it said to lure students there, to make them curious and then pay for it? Providing that it was true, that the third corridor would lead to someone's death? One thing that Harry knew for sure, he would never go near that corridor. He preferred being alive very much…

Not even the temptation of what was behind that door made him curious enough to look. Though he had given the redhead a crazy look when he suggested to go look.

"You want to look at something that may kill you!?" Harry was flabbergasted.

The redhead didn't bother for a reply to that.

"You can go ahead and do that if you want to, but I'm not. I prefer living and breathing, thank you very much," Harry said before walking away.

"Harry!"

Harry turned abruptly, "lets get one thing straight. I am not Harry to you! You do not know me; you are not my friend. So, don't assume any familiarity with me! It's Potter to you!" Harry hissed before storming out. He didn't even look back to see the dumbfounded expression on the redhead.

That conversation managed to piss him off and he rather not curse the first year because he didn't have the brain to know that he was avoiding him on purpose. And he doubted that casting some of the spells that Fred and George taught him would go over well. Apparently, they weren't big fans of their younger brother either and Harry couldn't blame them.

So, besides that conversation, Harry kind of forgot all about the third-floor corridor. Though he could now understand why they set the rule for not joining Quidditch until you were in your second year. He was constantly swamped with assignments with Quidditch practice. And that wasn't including the games that Gryffindor played. He didn't even bother going to the matches when Gryffindor wasn't playing. Using that as catch up, since the Common Room would be empty in Gryffindor Tower. And apparently Hermione had the same idea before being joined by his other three friends. He honestly couldn't ask for a better group of friends. Though he didn't want to imagine where he would be without them. And it definitely helped that Hermione could sometimes explain things better to him than the professor could.

Then there were the exams for his first year. Even Harry thought Hermione was going a little overboard with the studying. But he was thankful that he did pass his classes just fine. They may not be Outstanding for everything. But he was passing, he even got an Acceptable for Potions. Though he did the best in Defense Against Dark Arts. Even though the professor did wind up disappearing a few months prior and the Ministry had to send a substitute for the remainder of the year. Most thought he wound up getting so terrified of himself that wound up killing himself.

Harry wasn't sure what to think about that theory, but it wasn't like he was afraid of death. Which was probably a weird thing to be when he was only eleven years old. But death didn't really scare him, and he had been pretty close to it a few times. And that wasn't just because of some dumb fame thing when he was only a year old. That's what happened when you lived with the Dursleys and they never cared what happened to you.

Which also meant that he had to head back there… he was not looking forward to that. That meant a few months there in misery. But at least it was better than year-round. September 1st could not get here any faster apparently. But at least he could use the time on the Hogwarts Express to spend with his new friends. That had been a weird concept this year. Friends… he had never had any because of Dudley. They were all afraid of him and didn't want to associate with him in case they incurred his cousin's wrath. But this time, Dudley couldn't chase away his friends.

But if it was anything like the time before he left, he was terrified of magic and what it could do. But Hagrid had given him a pig's tail… so maybe there was a good reason for that. And he had gotten an actual bedroom now, not the cupboard under the stairs. Sometimes Harry really hated it there… but even pleading to Dumbledore to stay somewhere else hadn't worked.

Harry hadn't known what to make of the Headmaster, but whatever respect he had for him was lost. Claiming that maybe him and his family had a misunderstanding and that nobody could truly hate their family. And that wound up pissing him off, whatever love the Dursleys had, it was all hate for him. Dumbledore wouldn't know what family was unless it bit him in the backside. Even then he doubted that the man would do anything. He would gladly take being dumped at an orphanage than having to stay at the Dursleys.

Though it was strange, the Dursleys would always complain on how much that they hated him. So, why had they never done it? It was a constant threat from his Uncle Vernon. That they would just get rid of him and never have to deal with him again. But he had never followed through with it, but he could never figure out why. Though his aunt Petunia would give Uncle Vernon this look. As if she was reminding him of something, of what… he didn't know. He doubted that he would ever know why, it wasn't like the Dursleys liked to tell him things just because he wanted to know. He would probably get smacked for daring to ask a question, or what they would think as a stupid question.

So, maybe there was a really good reason why he was dreading this so much. He was trying to keep in mind that it was only until September, then he could leave again. He wouldn't have to deal with his so-called family until the summer. Even though that already seemed too long of a time. Not to mention the amount of chores they would probably give him, most likely believing that his time at school should be enough of a vacation and needed to get back to work. And it was always an impossible amount that no person could manage while surviving on little food. But that had been his life at the Dursleys.