A/N:

just in case you're curious about what Katsuki looks like, here's a descriptor because I can't draw B)

1.) He has green eyes - same as Harry Potter. Vibrant, startling, emerald, avada-kedavra - whatever type of green you wanna call 'em.

2.) He's blonde, but his roots are black to 'honor James.' His hair is messy, and while it's not short, it's not particularly long, either. Think falling slightly over his ears in the front, but not below them.

3.) His scar isn't shaped like a lightning bolt - it's more of a messy explosion shape. The reason? Because he's Bakugou. That is all.

4.) He doesn't have glasses. Even if he couldn't see fine, he could just figure out how to use magic metamorphamagus powers to fix his eyes.

5.) He's kinda tan. Not overly so, but not pale.

woo~

"What the FUCK ?" Katsuki let out, whipping around to face the source of the loud, cracking sound that came from the sidewalk.

A thin, pale man with a hooked nose and a rather disdainful expression on his face turned, only to pause when he met Katsuki's gaze with dark eyes. The man's - who, he couldn't help but notice, stuck out like a sore thumb with his goth getup in the bright, suburban neighborhood - lip curled, and he jerked his head away near-instantly - though not before he could see a mixture of grief and annoyance within his eyes.

"Who are you?" Katsuki questioned after a moment.

The man directed his gaze to settle right above his eyes. "Severus Snape… and am I to assume that you are Harry Potter…?"

Katsuki's shoulders loosened imperceptibly in vague recognition of the name. "And am I to assume that you're here because of my letter?"

"...Yes. I was asked by Dumbledore to take you to Diagon Alley to fetch your supplies…," he replied in a drawling tone, expression indicating that he didn't like being demanded for answers. Or that he just didn't like Katsuki. Or both.

The blonde kept his eyes on the man for another moment before turning slightly towards the door. "You'd have to ask my Aunt and Uncle."

Snape's gaze drilled into the back of his head for another few seconds before he finally began walking towards the door. His black robes swished behind him, but didn't make a sound or pick up so much as a speck of dust.

Without glancing back towards Katsuki, Snape knocked on the door and Aunt Cakeface's shout could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Are you done, brat?!"

Snape's eyes flicked to the left, seeming to notice that Katsuki was, in fact, not just fucking around in the dirt just for funsies, and was instead tending to the garden. He remained silent for another moment before replying. "Mrs. Dursley?"

There was a brief pause before the door was pushed open, and Katsuki watched with slight amusement as Aunt Cakeface's accommodating (and very fake) smile dropped, and her expression turned into one of horror. "What are you doing here?"

Katsuki paused, glancing at her with a slight frown. Her reaction indicated that she knew him, or, at the very least, was aware of him.

Snape raised a single brow. "I'm here to take Mister Potter to collect his Hogwarts supplies."

"Wh-what?" She sputtered. "He never… We never… I didn't agree to this!"

The man's lips pursed. "We received a letter from Mister Potter indicating that he'd be joining this year… And he mentioned needing an… escort, as his caretakers would be unavailable..."

Aunt Cakeface froze before suddenly spinning around on her heel and turning her glare full force onto Katsuki. "You what ?"

"I got a letter a few days ago," he said, clearing his previous thoughts. "And so I replied."

"You… You never got a letter!" she hissed out through her teeth.

"I did. Uncle Vernon-" god, he hated saying that, "-made me collect the mail a few weeks ago. I got it then. I just didn't say anything because it was addressed to me ."

Her expression morphed into one of shock, then horror, then anger. Before she could say a word, though, Snape cleared his throat. "Mrs. Dursley … Mister Potter and I must be leaving soon, if you wish for him to return by dark…"

The woman's nostrils flared. "I never… This is… he is not going to that… that school !"

Snape's expression remained as flat as ever. "I see… and where are you planning on sending him instead, then…? As Mister Potter has already been placed on the roster, you'll need to send a transfer request to the headmaster…" Aunt Cakeface began to pale, and the man continued. "Due to… certain circumstances however, I cannot say your request will be accepted…"

There was an odd sort of choking noise before Aunt Cakeface let out a breath. "And what do you suppose I tell my husband about this?"

"That is your own choice, Mrs. Dursley," Snape replied, looking unimpressed. "It does not affect me what you say to him…" The woman's nostrils flared, but Snape had already turned away from her and towards Katsuki. "Get cleaned up, Mister Potter. I will wait here."

Katsuki looked between him and his Aunt before slowly getting up and moving past the latter - who spared him a halfhearted dirty look when he brushed against her - before heading to the bathroom. After scrubbing his hands and face, he grabbed whatever looked cleanest - though which still wasn't particularly neat because all of the clothes he owned were (unfortunately) second hand items from his cousin - and pulled them on before heading back outside, hiding his amusement at the fact that, while Aunt Cakeface was glaring at Snape, the man seemed to be entirely unconcerned with her gaze and wasn't even acknowledging her.

When he stepped back outside, Snape looked him over, eyes narrowing as he was seemingly unimpressed with his choice of clothes. "Right, then… Come here, Mister Potter. Grab onto my robe." Katsuki raised a brow at the odd order, but followed his instruction. "Prepare yourself," Snape said simply, and before he even had the chance to comprehend what the fuck that meant, he suddenly found that, along with the air leaving his lungs, his eyes were pressed into his skull, his ears flattened against his head, and his skin tightened over his muscles.

Katsuki stumbled forwards, letting out a choked breath and nearly falling to the ground.

( His eyes burned as he sank into swirling, purple mists.

"Deku," he rasped, feeling his body warp. "Stay back." )

"What the fuck ," he bit out, jerking his head upwards to stare wide-eyed at Snape. The man's eyes connected with his, and he could practically see the wheels turning in the man's mind.

"It seems you are not well-suited towards apparition," he said simply, though the twist of his lips made it clear that was not what he wanted to say.

Katsuki directed a glare - which lacked any of its usual intensity, because what the fuck just happened - towards the man, feeling his heartbeat slow. It's fine , he told himself. It wasn't the smoke bastard or Potato-Head or anyone else, I'm fucking fine.

He took in a shuddering breath and, after a few more seconds, he raised his head, ignoring the look that Snape was directing towards him in favor of glancing around at the bar they'd landed in. "Where are we?" he asked gruffly, and there was a pause before Snape answered.

"The Leaky Cauldron."

"That you, Snape?" a new voice - which belonged to the man he assumed was the bartender - asked. "I can't say I've seen you here in a while…"

"Hogwarts business," Snape replied, looking a bit like he was wishing the man wouldn't say anything else. He didn't seem the type to like meaningless chatter.

The man's eyes drifted downwards and landed upon Katsuki. "Oh? The name's Tom - what's yours, kid?"

Katsuki glanced up at Snape, who looked as if he'd much rather be somewhere else.

"Harry," he replied after a moment, hoping that the bartender wouldn't make the connection.

He was not lucky in the least.

"Harry… As in…" His eyes widened, and he leaned forwards. "Bless my soul… It's Harry Potter."

God fucking damn it .

The entire bar went silent, and suddenly, people were in his face trying to shake his hand for something he didn't even fucking do.

Before he could explode on any of them, though, Snape cleared his throat and moved to stand between him and everyone else. "Come along, Mister Potter. We're burning daylight," he said simply, and Katsuki glanced back before swiftly following after the man.

"Why the hell did they all seem to think I did anything?" Katsuki asked once they were outside. He knew that Harry Potter was famous already, but now that he knew what actually happened, he had no goddamn idea why. It wasn't like he - a literal toddler - did anything; his mother was the one who 'saved the wizarding world' or whatever the hell they were praising him for.

Snape's eyes flicked downwards and he pursed his lips. "You're known, Mister Potter, for defeating the Dark Lord… Many are thankful for what you've done..."

Katsuki's expression soured. That meant that either no one knew what his mother did, or they chose not to believe it had anything to do with her. And, as much as he still wished to be someone strong, he'd rather get credit for his own work, thankyouverymuch. "That's stupid as hell," he muttered under his breath. "I was a literal baby."

The man looked as if he might say something, but swallowed his words. Then, upon reaching a wall, he pulled a wand from within his sleeve and tapped on a brick - three up, two across - three times. After a moment of almost wriggling , a hole was created and began swallowing the bricks around it. Within a few seconds, they stood before a large archway that must've been as tall as three, maybe four, of him standing on top of each other.

Despite himself, Katsuki felt himself a little stunned as they wandered through the alley. The cobblestone paths twisted and turned, and he was pretty sure he watched someone 'apparate' - or do something to make himself disappear - just a little ways away from a group of children who were enamored with what looked like a racing broom.

Katsuki paused at the thought, remembering the gift he'd received for his first birthday. He doubted Aunt Cakeface actually kept the thing, but maybe later on, he'd be able to get a new one that was more suited towards his age…

"Come," Snape said briskly, snapping Katsuki back to reality. He glanced up to see a white, physics-defying building before him, but despite the fact that it was literally leaning , nobody seemed particularly concerned.

Whatever , he thought, and followed Snape inside.

When they stepped through the door, Katsuki felt a buzzing sensation - which somehow seemed more orderly than normal magic - before the world exploded with sound, and he was treated to a cacophony of voices, the clicking of coins, and the clacking of shoes against marble.

Snape quickly moved towards the till, looking as if he'd rather get this over with as quickly as possible, and Katsuki couldn't blame him. There were a lot of people there, and way too much sound for his comfort. The excessive amount of magic, too, was almost overwhelming, and had his stomach flipping as he pushed through the crowds.

When they found themselves at a counter within moments - how they did so with all of the people there, Katsuki didn't know, nor did he care - Katsuki looked up at the… well, he didn't know what they were, but they were something vaguely human-like, if with exaggerated features.

"-Potter's safe."

"You have his key, sir?" the human-like creature asked.

Snape handed over a small, golden key that he presumably pulled from his robes, and the goblin glanced at it for several seconds before speaking.

"That seems to be in order." He raised his head. "I will have someone take you to Mister Potter's vault. Griphook!"

The two followed the creature towards a door that led off into the hall, and Katsuki moved closer to Snape.

"Where even are we?" he asked.

Snape blinked, as if he didn't even consider that Katsuki might not know. "Gringotts... It's a wizarding bank."

"And why do I have a vault?"

"Inheritance... From your parents."

"...Right," Katsuki replied, and then glanced at the creature who was leading them into the next room. "And what…" His expression twisted as he tried to find the best way to phrase his question, but luckily, Snape seemed to understand what he was asking.

"A goblin. They keep track of wizarding money," he said, and before either could say another word, said goblin gestured for them to get into a minecart.

Katsuki looked at the rickety device warily, but after Snape stepped inside, he followed. A moment later, the man muttered an incantation, earning a raised brow. "Sticking charm," the man replied shortly, and before Katsuki could get a word out, the cart lurched forwards and began jerking around the railway with the sort of reckless abandon one would expect from a toddler, except one that had super speed and seemed especially determined to throw off anything that might be hitching a ride.

Goddamn wizards.

"Fuck that," he muttered as he practically fell out of the cart. He wasn't one for motion sickness, but that device was just asking for a HSE violation. "Terrible. Zero out of fucking ten."

For a moment, Katsuki thought Snape looked reluctantly amused, but the expression disappeared as soon as it came. "Stand up, Mister Potter."

Katsuki let out an annoyed huff as he pushed himself to his feet and aimed a glare in Snape's direction. "Don't blame me if you find yourself wearing vomit within the next few minutes," he warned before turning around and facing the grinning goblin (who was clearly a sadist, the bastard), who let out a raspy sort of laugh before unlocking the door.

Katsuki felt his stomach flip when green smoke billowed out of the entrance, but forced his expression to remain neutral.

...That was until he saw the literal mountains of gold within the vault.

"What the fuck ?" he let out incredulously, moving forwards. "Were my parents mafia bosses or something?"

He paused, glancing back at Snape. Would he even know what that was?

The man rolled his eyes, looking slightly sour. "Your father was a pureblood... He was born into money."

Katsuki opened and closed his mouth a few times. "What's a pureblood?"

Snape paused, giving him an odd look before narrowing his eyes. "How much did your Aunt and Uncle tell you about your parents?"

Instantly, the blonde felt his mood dampen. "Absolutely nothing," he spat out. "They even tried to tell me they were drunks and died in a car crash, the assholes."
(They learned to regret that little decision moments later, and Katsuki didn't regret it at all, even after having to be confined to the cupboard for over a month.)

Snape's expression froze on his face, before his eyes turned thunderous. " What ?" he hissed out, only to take in a breath. "Of course they would," he muttered before turning his attention back to Katsuki. "Your parents were not drunks, and they did not die in a car crash."

Well, he knew that, but it felt much better for that thought to be affirmed.

Fuck you, Dursleys .

Instead of saying anything, though, he simply nodded and turned back towards the overflowing vault, which seemed to hold more money than he'd ever seen in either life.

Snape joined him and glanced over the sea of money before pulling out a bag. "Galleons are gold, sickles are silver, and knuts are bronze," he explained briskly, piling each type of fund into the bag. "This should be enough…, as long as you don't spend your funds needlessly," he finally said, handing the bag over.

Katsuki stared at the item in his hand, peeking through and noting with interest that, not only did the bag not look full despite the fact that he'd seen Snape pile money into the small bag, but that it also weighed almost nothing. "Thanks," he replied absentmindedly, walking over and climbing back into the cart. Only when Snape reapplied the sticking charm did he remember where he was, and he felt himself freeze.

"Oh fu-" he began, but they were already hurtling down the tracks before he could even finish the word. Then, a few minutes-that-felt-like-hours later, they were back on the top floor, and the goblin led them to the main area before heading off.

"I'd rather fight a troll than ever get in that thing again," Katsuki said sourly as he and Snape walked out of the bank.

"Don't be dramatic," Snape replied, rolling his eyes.

Says the one who wears long-ass, billowing robes for no reason , Katsuki thought but did not say. Instead, he let out an annoyed huff and followed the man to their next stop, which was a place called 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions,' where they were going to buy his 'school robes.'

Wizards wore robes all the time, apparently, because every adult wizard he'd seen so far was wearing them. It wasn't even close to the weirdest thing wizards did, though, so Katsuki didn't spend too long thinking about it.

"Hogwarts, dear?" the woman asked, giving a passing glance to Snape before smiling at Katsuki. Before he could even attempt to reply, she continued. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

Katsuki glanced up to see that, in the back of the shop, a blonde boy with hair that had way too much product in it was standing on a footstool while a second woman pinned up his robes. The woman who was probably Madam Malkin had him stand on the stool right next to the other blonde, and she slipped a robe over his head before beginning to pin it to the right length.

He resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably - he did not like wearing outfits that hindered his movements in the least - and turned his gaze towards the front of the shop, only to pause when he realized that Snape was nowhere to be seen.

"Hogwarts too?" the boy next to him asked, and he glanced around one more time before looking at him.

"Yes," he replied simply, looking him over. He seemed rather well off - judging by just how polished he looked - and, from the slightly haughty look on his face, Katsuki deduced that he probably thought very well of himself.

...Not that Katsuki could really judge anyone on that front, though.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," the blonde said, sounding bored. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Oh, great, Katsuki thought, feeling a burgeoning headache. Snape left me with a spoiled brat.

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy asked.

"Not anymore."

" Anymore ?" the other blonde asked. "Did you break yours?"

"No."

"Then what happened to it?"

Katsuki withheld a sigh. Please fuck off. "I don't know. It's gone."

"Did you lose it?" the boy asked, expression twisting. "Why don't you just get another one?"

"I might."

"Hmm… Well, you should. Maybe we'll play together in Quidditch," the boy said. "Unless we're in different houses, then I suppose we'd play against each other." He glanced at Katsuki. "I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been. Do you know what house you'll be in?"

Considering that Katsuki's only knowledge of the Hogwarts houses was that they had animal mascots, that would be a "No."

Before the blonde could ask him any more questions that he didn't feel like answering, he glanced towards Madam Malkin. "Hey," he said, a thought occurring to him. "Is it possible to make it so that my robes… change with me?" he asked.

The woman paused, looking curious. "I suppose… It would cost you, though. Is there a reason why?"

Katsuki, instead of explaining, shifted his hair from blonde to red and back again.

Madam Malkin blinked. "A metamorphmagus…," she muttered, noting something down to the side. "Yes, I've worked with others before. As long as you can afford it, I'll make it work."

"I'm fine with that," Katsuki assured her, remembering the piles of gold in his bank.

"If you're sure," she replied, and after receiving a nod, she went back to pinning up his robes.

"You're a metamorphmagus?" the boy asked from beside him, eyes slightly wide and looking more like an actual child than a doll. "I've never seen one before…" He blinked, and as his expression fell back into place, Katsuki couldn't help but frown. "That must mean you're from a wizarding family, yes? Not a muggleborn?"

Katsuki blinked at the change of topic. "...Yes," he said slowly, trying to figure out what the boy was getting at.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you?" he asked, and suddenly, Katsuki felt like he knew where this was going. "They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families," he said, almost all in one breath.

Katsuki was pretty sure that he'd also been asked a question, but he was more focused on the dread curling in his gut.

( "You wanna be a hero so bad? I've got a time-saving idea for you." He turned his head, a smirk on his face. "If you think you'll have a quirk in your next life, take a swan dive off the roof!")

"Shut up," he breathed out, feeling the pulsing of his heart in his chest. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

The boy stared at Katsuki with a stunned expression on his face. "Excuse me?"

"You…" His jaw untensed as the boy flickered between emotions, and he took in a shaky breath.

He's just a dumb kid. Get a hold of yourself.

"Nevermind," he bit out, grateful when Madam Malkin said he could leave. "See you."

He shoved the shop's door open and walked outside, taking in a deep breath of air.

Fuck , he thought, shakily running his fingers through his hair.

Realistically, he knew that this world and his last weren't quite so different. There would always be people who hated others for no reason. It wasn't anything new.

But fuck , did he have to remind him so much of himself?

He knew that the kid was just spitting out what others told him - his bored expression as he talked told him that much. And that was the problem, wasn't it? He was just a kid . A kid who didn't know what the hell he was talking about, who grew up on hatred and needless bigotry because everyone else told them that was right . Just like-

"Mister Potter...," a drawling voice said, nearly causing Katsuki to jump. In front of him, Snape raised an unimpressed brow. "I assume, since you're out here, that you've finished getting your robes fitted…?"

Katsuki took a breath. "...Yeah. She's enchanting them to change shape when I do."

The man's eyes flickered with what might've been surprise before reverting to normal. "Very well... Come on, then."

The blonde obliged, storing away his previous thoughts for later. And, for the next three hours or so, they went from shop to shop purchasing supplies, in which a good chunk of that time was spent in the potion-based areas, because apparently Snape was Hogwarts' Potions Professor and Katsuki had to play a guessing game based on how annoyed he looked every time he went to choose something.

Katsuki also ended up spending a good amount of time in Flourish and Blotts, finding that there were a lot of things he was clueless about. After picking up his school books, he spent an extra hour flitting between aisles looking for anything that might come in handy - which he called a 'future Ravenclaw' for, and he decided not to respond to because he had no idea what that meant - and ended up picking two extras: 'Hogwarts: A History' and a book that held several detailed entries about the abilities of magical creatures, mainly because it held an entry about metamorphamagi.

While skimming through the books, he'd also seen mention of something called 'legilimency' that allowed wizards to read each other's mind and, after reading that more powerful practitioners only had to look into a person's eyes to delve into their thoughts, he decided that he wouldn't be making much eye-contact with his professors until he could find more information about 'occlumency,' which could apparently counteract the previously mentioned area of magic. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any specific books for either topic, which he assumed was because they were both mentioned to be dangerous and difficult to attempt. He'd figure it out later, he eventually decided, because he wasn't about to ask about legilimency or occlumency while a professor was literally standing a few feet away from him.

After leaving the bookstore, they went off to find a shop called 'Ollivanders,' which was apparently the place that sold wands.

Immediately after stepping inside, the smell of wood reached his nose and his skin buzzed enough to give him goosebumps. He shook off the feeling, though, and moved towards the empty counter while Snape stood in the back.

After several minutes of waiting in which Katsuki was wondering if the shop was just empty, the sound of near-silent footsteps caught his attention, and he spun around to face a pale-eyed man with a shock of white hair.

"Good afternoon," the man intoned softly, his tone indicating that he was both amused and somewhat surprised. "I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Harry Potter." He hummed, glancing at his hair for a moment before settling his gaze upon Katsuki's eyes. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

The man moved closer to him, not having blinked since he'd greeted Katsuki. The encounter might've been creepier if Katsuki hadn't known weirder people, but as it was, he was only slightly tense because of his closeness rather than his demeanor.

"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

Seeing the man's hand twitch, Katsuki stepped backwards and raised an unimpressed brow, to which the man responded with an eerie smile as he lowered his arm, instead glancing towards where the scar on his forehead was. He hated the thing (which, weirdly enough, was in a messy sunburst shape instead of a lightning bolt) not because of how it came to be, but because it had a grimeyness to it that made it feel as if he'd never be entirely clean with the scar marring his skin.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," Ollivander said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…"

Katsuki's mood soured, but he attempted to keep his expression neutral as he spoke. "It's not like you did it yourself," he said, because the man obviously felt slightly guilty - something that the blonde thought was stupid because it's not like he could've known when selling the wand.

Ollivander blinked for the first time, and his lips curled into a considering smile as he stared at Katsuki. "No, I suppose not…" He then turned suddenly, greeting the man standing near the door. "Severus! Severus Snape! Walnut, twelve and a half inches, rather rigid, wasn't it?"

Snape looked unamused, but inclined his head. The other man didn't seem to find his response surprising in the least, and to be frank, neither did Katsuki.

"Good wand, that one," Ollivander said. "And still in use after all this time… I imagine it must be especially loyal, considering..." He looked distant for a moment before his gaze snapped back onto Katsuki. "Well now, Mr. Potter," he said, pulling out a tape measure with silver markings. "Which is your wand arm?"

Katsuki stared at him for a moment. "...I'm right-handed."

"Well then, hold out your arm," he said, and after a second, Katsuki obliged. "That's it." He measured him from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, and when his measurements started getting more odd, he raised an unimpressed brow. The man simply shrugged and began speaking. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter," he said, turning around to take boxes from the shelves and allowing the tape measure to continue on its own. "We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Before a now-annoyed Katsuki could snatch the measure away from trying to measure his nose, Ollivander suddenly spoke up. "That will do," he said, and continued to flit about as the tape measure crumpled to the ground. "Of course, more powerful wizards can technically use any type of wand, but they'll never work as well for them as they do for the wand's master. People often don't seem to realize this, though, and when they pass wands down from family member to family member, they become upset that it doesn't work for them… It's very silly of them, I must say. Everyone should know that the wand chooses the master, not the other way around."

Suddenly, the man spun around and dumped a heap of boxes onto the counter. He then pulled one from the middle and slipped the wand out of the case before handing it over. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Katsuki glanced down at the object before flicking it in the air.

"Entirely wrong!" Ollivander exclaimed far-too-gleefully, snatching the wand and replacing it with another within a single movement. "Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try-"

He could barely even raise his arm before the wand was once again snatched from his hand. Each time, he twitched, barely restraining himself from flinching at the quick movements. Ollivander glanced at one wand, but at the last moment, switched it out for another.

"Here, red oak and dragon heartstring. Rather rigid."

A small spark erupted from the tip, but fizzled out within the moment. Ollivander glanced at it curiously before swapping out the wand.

"Well, it looks like this might take a while," he said with a wide grin.

It did, in fact, take a while. A long while in which he barely got to try three of them, as each wand was ripped from his grasp before he could even lift them. He did break a vase, though.

Ollivander hummed, eyes almost seeming sharper as he glanced towards another box. "I wonder, now… yes, why not? Unusual combination," he finally said, opening a box and running his hand over a wand. "Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." He then paused, grabbing a twisted object from under the counter and affixing it onto the end of the wand. "Along with a red oak handle, for a quick-witted owner with equally-as-swift reactions. Extended to thirteen inches, with that…"

The wand - which was pale in color and smooth looking - was rather simple looking, aside from the newly-added, red base that hid the gnarled one it had previously. He didn't expect much as he reached out for it, which is why he startled at the shock of warmth that shot up his arm and travelled throughout his bloodstream before exploding within his chest.

He raised the wand and gave it a firm swishing motion, and much to his surprise, a sunset-colored stream shot from the tip before exploding with a sharp bang that was reminiscent of one of his medium-sized explosions. The sound faded into fizzling pops before finally ceasing, and he looked to see that, while Snape had a raised brow, Ollivander looked positively ecstatic.

"Brilliant. Positively fantastic ," he murmured. "And so very curious…"

Katsuki knew he'd regret asking, but… "What is?"

Ollivander paused, fixing the blonde with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, its brother gave you that scar."

...You know, he wasn't even surprised.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."

"Well, if I do, I hope I'll at least get to keep my nose," Katsuki replied drily, and whereas Ollivander's eyes shined with surprised amusement, he was pretty sure Snape choked on air.

"Hopefully," Ollivander agreed, cheerful once more as he handed over the boxed wand. "That'll be seven galleons, Mr. Potter."

Katsuki reached into his pocket before pausing. "Do you have… wand holsters or something?" he asked, knowing that there was no way his pocket would fit the object.

As it turned out, Ollivander did sell holsters, and after asking after the qualities of each type, he ended up with a sturdy black holster that couldn't be damaged by most spells, torn by use, or burned for an extra two galleons.

Afterwards, he and Snape had gone back to Madam Malkin's to pay for the finished robes, and then back to the Leaky Cauldron so Katsuki could return back to the Dursleys'.

…

He really did not want to do that.

"Can I just stay here?" Katsuki asked suddenly, just as they arrived at the bar.

Snape paused, turning towards the blonde. "What do you mean…?"

"Do I have to go back to the Dursleys'? I mean, I have enough money to just book a place, don't I?"

The man frowned, eyes hardening. "If you're just wishing to cause trouble, Mister Potter-"

"I- what? No," he interrupted, lips twitching downwards. Why was that his first assumption? "The Dursleys are assholes. I live in a cupboard. The only things I was told about my parents were lies. I'm punished for doing everything. I'm punished for doing nothing ." His gaze fell, and despite himself, he couldn't help but think of his life with his parents and uncles. "Nobody would want to live in that shitty situation."

There were several moments of silence before Snape spoke. "...I'm afraid that I cannot do anything about your living situation, Mister Potter…" He paused. "I'll speak with the Headmaster... I can't promise anything comes of it, though."

He didn't even bother sighing. Fucking figures.

"Fine," he simply replied, and after a moment, Snape turned to enter the Leaky Cauldron.

"Come, Mister Potter," he said, and when Katsuki looked over, he saw that the man was beckoning him towards a fireplace. He stared at him with a blank look, but the man still seemed to expect him to follow.

With a huff, the blonde entered, shooting him a look. "If you're just making me stand here to fuck with me, there will be consequences."

Snape rolled his eyes and held out a handful of silvery powder. "As if I'd care enough to do anything, Mister Potter," he replied. "Now, we're going to be using the floo. It's less disorienting than apparition, but it's still teleportation. Be ready."

Katsuki wondered, briefly, why he was explaining so much even though he hadn't before, only to remember his initial reaction to apparition. He felt the tips of his ears heat up, and he nodded. After a glance his way, Snape rattled off Mrs. Figg's address, and, as the powder fell from his hand, emerald fire bursted to life around them.

Katsuki felt as if he was being pulled every which way, but knowing that it was coming made the experience into far less of an ordeal.

He stumbled out of the fireplace, letting out smokey coughs that stopped as soon as Snape cleared the soot with a wand movement. Oddly enough, instead of leaving right then and there, Snape directed him to continue following, and they arrived at the front door of 4 Privet Drive together.

Katsuki raised his hand to knock, only to turn and frown when he realized that Snape was still standing behind him. "Aren't you going to leave?"

"I have something to say to your… caretakers," he said in his drawling voice. "I'll be coming inside."

The blonde eyed him for a moment longer, but the man seemed intent on his decision, so he knocked and, moments later, the door opened to reveal the face of Aunt Cakeface.

"Mrs. Dursley," Snape intoned before she could get a word in, "I wish to speak to you and your… family." He then stepped in past her, leaving both Katsuki and Aunt Cakeface staring at his back, surprised at his actions. "Well?" he asked, raising a brow at the woman when she continued to stand in the doorway.

She stared at him for a moment more before scowling. " Fine . Harry, go to your room."

His eye twitched, but Katsuki nodded and returned to the cupboard, deciding that he'd rather spend time looking over his items - which were all packed neatly in a suitcase with mild extension charms - than arguing with the woman.

Thirty or so minutes later, Katsuki heard the sharp crack that he now recognized as apparition, and moments later, Aunt Cakeface threw open the door to the cupboard.

"Grab your stuff," she said annoyedly, "You're moving to the spare room." Katsuki stared at her blankly, and she scowled. "Your teacher requested that you're given more space. Take it or leave it, brat. And," she said, shoving an envelope into his hands, "This is your ticket to that school . Keep track of it; I'm not getting you a new one." With that, she spun around and walked away, leaving the door open.

He stared at her retreating back for all of a second before beginning to grab his meager belongings from the cupboard. He wasn't sure what the hell Snape said to make this happen, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

After two quick trips with one back and forth, everything Katsuki owned - which consisted of his trunk, his cot, a thin pillow and blanket, his photo album, and a few things he'd swiped from Pigsty that he wouldn't miss - was placed inside the room, along with, much to his surprise, a stack of clothes that actually fit and were neither ripped nor dyed.

Clearly, Snape was a goddamn miracle worker.

A/N:

so!

a few things to note:

1.) The reason Snape took Katsuki was because he sent the letter himself - he wasn't late, and there was nothing last-minute happening.

2.) I know the Draco interaction is terrible. I hate it, actually, but I rewrote it like five times, and it was even worse then. I might edit it later, but this is what I have for now. Sorry :/

3.) I also know that the ending is super awkward. Didn't know what else to do. Apologies.

4.) This fic's Snape will be based more on the movie version than the book version, but I tried to make it clear that he's still not nice. Snape doesn't like Katsuki (i.e. Harry), but he's not about to start swearing at him because he looked at him or something, lol

aNYWAYS

Thanks for reading!