The rest of the trip was, surprisingly, uneventful. No Ronald Weasley poking his nose in for a seat, Draco was already here and doing his own thing, and even the more likely instance of Hermione and Neville looking for a toad failed to make an appearance. I wondered if perhaps they had already found him before reaching us, or if the two simply never met at all. Butterflies were a bitch to predict at the best of times, and I'd had three years to flap my wings, much as I tried to limit the damage. WIthout even knowing how the two were meant to meet in the first place, I couldn't hope to tell whether it still passed. There were no other interruptions either, which thankfully allowed me to complete my work in peace, before switching over to a potions textbook to leaf through, another of the few meaningful skills I had been able to practice without a wand.

Eventually, Draco and I got changed, though there was no shuffling turns or any of those ridiculous cliches. I simply took off my hoodie and threw the school robes on over my regular clothes, as a drafty castle in Scotland during September was likely to be cold regardless. Draco, being the asshole that he was, just activated his glamour and shot me a cheeky grin. Sometimes I regretted giving him that thing, or at least not bothering to make one of my own. On the other hand, I wasn't much for appearances regardless, and had other things to occupy my time and attention. Soon enough, the two of us were stepping off the train in the cool night air, glancing around and taking in the shaby station.

"Yo, Hagrid!" I called out into the crowds, drawing the attention of a massive shadow as he worked to rally around the other first years.

"Harry! And Draco too! How are ye?" The large man asked, smiling through his shaggy beard and prompting a warm smile from me. I had met the man a few times over the years, usually when visiting Hogwarts for one reason or another, and he was just as friendly as portrayed in the books. I didn't interact with him often-my preferences tended to lean towards a quiet sort of atmosphere-but he seemed determined to treat me like a close friend regardless.

"We're alive," I answered easily, sliding up to his side with Draco close on my heels, still bobbing his head in time to his music, "Can't ask for much more than that."

"Jus' as usual, then." He nodded, smiling back. Then he glanced back to the crowd still filtering out of the train. "Well, yeh know the way, Imagine. Come on." I shrugged, having no argument there. To be honest, this was a moment I'd been waiting for pretty much my whole life as Harry Potter, almost as soon as I figured out what had happened to me. It was, after all, tradition.

Following along, I soon found myself in a boat with Draco and two admittedly forgettable girls. Eventual Hufflepuffs or ravenclaws I imagined, or perhaps just some of the more backgroundish Gryffindors and SLytherins. Most of those two houses had pretty striking attributes, but it had been a long time since I read the books. I was more surprised I hadn't run into one of the main characters, really, or perhaps one of those two girls we met on the train. My plot senses were left pretty disappointed, but I was eventually distracted as suddenly the boat rounded an overhang, and I was provided with perhaps the most iconic sight ever.

I had seen Hogwarts before of course, both from the outside and inside, so there was nothing new there, nothing surprising. And yet, the moment that grand castle came into sight, shimmering and glittering in the starlight, I felt as if something had punched me in the chest. Up until this moment, the world around me had felt almost surreal, like a washed out painting of abstract art. I knew, theoretically, that I was going to have to deal with the plot of the books at some point, that I would be protecting the Sorcerer's Stone, infiltrating the Chamber of Secrets, and participating in the Triwizard Tournament. I knew, logically, that I would have to fight for my life, learn spells and deal with all the other bullshit that popped up. But time has a way of washing worries like that away, and ten years is a lot of time to wait for your if I had spent so much of it planning, plotting, and preparing, there was just a point where you grew bored of the tension. But now? Now I was here. Now I would be sorted, dropped into my classes, and the adventure would begin. Things were finally starting to roll along, and I could do nothing to stop it, even if I wanted to.

The feeling passed after a moment, leaving me a bit hollow inside as clouds passed overhead and cast a shadow upon the castle, but still a faint sense of that humongous duty lingered. I found myself shivering in the cool night air, and by the time our boat ground to a stop on the grassy shore, I was clenching my jaw so tightly it hurt. Nervous energy filled me, setting my heart to pounding and making my steps bouncy as I joined the crowd of first years swarming up to the castle behind Hagrid. Even as the usual greetings between McGonagall and Hagrid passed by, I found myself distracted, going over every one of the contingency plans and goals I had developed while preparing for this day, and the days to come. Even Mcgonagall's speech on houses I ignored, though I did spare the matronly woman a small smile when her eyes settled on me momentaily, which she returned. She never did forget the day I asked her to help me with Pettigrew, even if we interacted even less than me and Hagrid. The one thing that finally drew me out of my fugue state was the sound of Draco's voice, cutting into my thoughts like a knife through butter.

"Harry." He called softly, his voice almost lost among the murmurs that had erupted around us the moment McGonagall walked into the Great Hall. I turned to look at him, taking note of his dark, worried expression. "Harry, are you alright?" He asked, making me blink in surprise.

"Yeah." I answered afer a moment, shaking my head to clear it. "Sorry, I'm just distracted. I've known this day would come forever, but now that it's here it feels so…" I trailed off, unsure how to put it.

"Unreal?" Draco suggested, lips twitching slightly with humor now, but I shook my head, this time in negative.

"That's the problem actually. It feels too real. Before, everything was a dream, an idea, this surreal concept that could change and shift on a whim. But now, I'm staring reality in the face, and I can't quite believe the shape of it." Draco cocked an eyebrow at my description, before chuckling.

"It'll be fine, Harry. I've seen the things you're preparing. Whatever happens, you'll be ready." I smiled at his reassurances, but that still wasn't enough to dismiss the nagging worry in my stomach. I never lied, and Draco was my closest friend in this world, but he only knew a few of my secrets. He was aware that I had seen the future, a future at least, and that a war was coming soon. But at the same time, he was an eleven-year-old boy, and for all his intelligence he didn't quite grasp what that meant. He didn't understand that if I fucked things up, or if the butterflies my presence had set flapping changed enough, then people would die. And that was what worried me most, that I had changed things more than I could compensate for. That maybe Quirrel wasn't Voldemort's host this time around, or maybe the evil bastard would come back fully in first year some other way than the stone. I wasn't ready for that, not yet.

Eventually, we were interrupted by the giant doors that led to the Great Hall opening, and McGonagall appearing to lead us all the way in. I was one of the few not looking around and gasping in awe as we followed, having seen it all before and without the impact of seeing Hogwarts from the lake, it hardly fazed me. I did catch a few interested glances here and there directed at me, and whispers of either my name or moniker making the rounds, but it wasn't much. Three years after I returned to the Wizarding World, most of my fame had gained a well-worn manner, so unlike canon the entire crowd wasn't straining to catch of the legendary Harry Potter. There was still plenty of interest of course, I was a celebrity regardless, but not enough to bother me any.

As the Sorting Hat started singing, I allowed myself to slowly descend back into my thoughts, keeping only half an ear open for the proceedings. This time, however, I focused on my surroundings, taking in every detail I could and for the first time inspecting the crowd of faces around me. A few I could pick out by sight, Purebloods I had run into or those with the most notable traits from the books, like Ronald Weasley's bright red hair or the bushy mop and eager face that had to belong to Hermione Granger. I was, however, surprised by the number of people who didn't seem familiar, despite clearly standing out. The first, and most surprising, was the red-head who had taken refuge in our compartment on the train. To be honest, I actually assumed she was a year or two older than us, but here she was, standing among the first years and wearing unmarked robes. The other redhead, however, had seemingly disappeared, and I couldn't find her anywhere in the hall. Only a boy who looked like he might be related-especially with the same combat-ready stance they shared-and whose dark hair had apparently been soaked recently by water.

Then we got to the ones I didn't know, for all that my mind told me I should. The first was a tall girl with incredibly long black hair and perhaps an even more developed form than the beautiful redhead, who also happened to be standing side-by-side with her. The second was another boy with black, windswept hair who couldn't seem to sit still, his sea-green eyes scanning the room almost as often as me as his fingers twitched. He looked like trouble on two legs, and I found myself liking him instantly. The third though, the third took me aback, a little girl with snow-white hair, blood-red eyes, and an angelic smile on her face as she stared in awe at the Hat. Just looking at her sent a shiver of primordial fear down my spine that didn't seem to have any reason behind it. That set my plot senses tingling, but before I could even consider it, the Hat finished its song, and McGonagall started calling out names. With a shake of my head I pushed the thought away and focused. Who went where could actually be important, after all.

At first, things progressed pretty much as expected, half a dozen names I didn't particularly recognize getting sorted to random houses. There were a few, like boot or Bones that triggered a memory or too, but were dismissed quickly as unimportant. Then… well, then McGonagall got to the E's, and I suddenly found my whole entire world turning upside down.

"Einzbern, Illyasviel Von!" The emerald-robed Professor called, prompting the white-haired girl I had noticed earlier to move forward. I blinked, the name registering somewhere deep in my memory and sending about a dozen warning flags up. I knew that name. It wasn't from Harry Potter, that much I was certain, but I knew that name. How did I-

It clicked, right as the girl took her seat under the Hat and faced the crowd, her ruby eyes disappearing beneath its tattered brim. Illyasviel Von Einzbern, the name of Emiyas Kiritsugu's daughter from the Nasuverse. Also Emiya Shirou's murderous sister, and master of Servant Berserker in the Fifth Grail War, not to mention the Lesser Grail for the same. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckitty fucking me sideways with a rusty fucking apricot fuck.

Draco." I said quietly, the sound of my voice startling the boy from where he too was watching the sorting intently. "Please tell me I did not hear the name Illyasviel Von Einzbern." Draco blinked, before frowning.

"I think that was right, yeah. Why, what's wrong?" I didn't frown. No, I was panicking far too much at the moment for my features to even twitch from the stone-dead expression they had set in. Fuck. That meant everything I thought I knew, every plan I had made, just went up in smoke, because if Illyasviel Von Einzbern existed, if she was here, at Hogwarts, that meant one thing. I was in a Crossover, and if it went even one step further than a single little girl, nothing would be the same. How had I missed this, I wondered briefly, before snorting and shaking my head. No, that was easily answered. I had never been particularly good at keeping up with news of any sort even when I still had ready access to social media and the internet, but these last few years I barely even stepped outside the house except for a few meaningless social functions. If Magus Society existed alongside the Wizarding World, I wouldn't have noticed unless they came kicking down the front door, and even then I probably would have just told them to go away. This was entirely my fault.

"What's wrong, Draco," I answered just as quietly and evenly as before, staring dead-eyed at the white-haired girl, "Is that you were wrong. We are utterly fucked."

XXX

OOC: Alright, here we go, The first part of the Sorting done. Don't worry, there's more to come, I just felt that this was a good stopping point, and it kept the full weight of this all-important realization from being diminished. By the end of this, Harry will probably be revising his statement to completely and utterly fucked. The Nasuverse is just the beginning of this mess.

Anyways, don't forget to Rest, Relax, and Enjoy! See ya!