Disclaimer: not mine

There is a time skip between last chapter and this.

Question: would you prefer I just stick with the HP world while Harry is there, or would you also like to see what is happening in the KH worlds too to get a better idea on how events are happening in both?

Chapter 2

Everyone on Privet Drive agreed, Harry Potter was a strange child. He wasn't a trouble maker like his cousin, no, Harry was quiet and polite. He spent most of his time in the local library when not at school, or running from Dudley and his friends.

What the people didn't know, was that he ran from them on purpose, for training. Easiest way to build stamina was running from them, finding new routes and ways to avoid them. No one saw the truth but that was how Harry Potter wanted it.

When the boy vanished off to some private school, that however did shock the neighbourhood, despite the Dursley's trying to say he was off to a school for criminal boys.

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The staff meeting paused at a knock on the door.

"Enter," Albus called, and Hagrid stepped inside.

"Sorry fer interrupting Professor."

"Ah, Hagrid, do come in. How was Mr Potter?" he asked, ensuring they had the full attention of the staff. He had been surprised by the fact the boy had responded to the very first letter sent. He had half expected the Dursley's to try and keep him from attending.

"Nothing like I expected, ta be honest Professor. Quiet kid, very polite. Looks nothing like the stories say either. Uncle tried to give some trouble over me taking him to Diagon but it was fine. Did you know they told him James and Lily died in a car crash!" he was obviously angry at that, and several of the others looked the same. "Poor boy didn't know a thing about magic, his parents, or Hogwarts."

"How did he handle the crowds of well-wishers then?" Minerva asked.

"There were none, no one recognised him. Like I said, he doesn't look like the stories. Got all his school supplies and gave him his ticket."

Hagrid got to leave, he was faced by confused and worried staff members.

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Severus watched the gaggle of First Years enter the Great Hall, looking around in wonder for the most part. He scanned the group, looking for two in particular, spotting his Godson quickly enough, giving him a slight nod when the child saw him looking. The other he did not see. Had precious Potter missed the train? Hagrid had said he looked different but how different could he really be? He ignored the Hat's song as he continued to observe, spotting the newest Weasley easily, wonderful, the boy was sulking already over some imagined upset.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Minerva was explaining when the song ended. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. There was only a moments pause before the Hat spoke. Very rarely did it take more than a moment for the decision to be made, most children were rather obvious.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Madam Bones' niece scuttled off to sit next to the other girl.

"Boot, Terry!" He did not envy Minerva having to read out the list, although this years was still relatively short. Beginning next year he was expecting an explosion in numbers as it would cover the first year of peace.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, wonderful. "Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin and Severus nodded to her as she passed, he had expected that due to her parents. "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor. "Granger, Hermione!"

A bush haired girl almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. It took a minute before the hat gave its verdict. "GRYFFINDOR!"

When Neville Longbottom, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool, and Severus bit back a sigh, another Hufflepuff it seemed. The hat took a long time to decide with the boy which was a surprise. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag." He was rather surprised, yes, the boy's parents had been in that House but from everything he had heard of the boy he had not thought he had any bravery.

Draco swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" his Godson was becoming the image of his Father, just without the subtly that Lucius wielded so well. He would have to try and correct that or the boy would not last long when the Dark Lord returned. Draco looked very pleased with himself as he sat with his friends, shooting him a smug grin, and Severus gave him a stern look in return, causing him to settle down.

"Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!"

As Harry Potter stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

"He doesn't look like Harry Potter!"

Severus was actually surprised by the boy who walked towards the stool. His hair was black, darker than his Father's, and longer then James had ever worn it, brushing the collar of his robes, it lacked the craziness of the 'Potter' hair. He was slender, like Lily, a little shorter than the majority of his classmates. Perhaps the biggest shock was the lack of glasses, every image of the so-called Boy-Who-Lived had him with glasses. And the eyes that should have been behind those glasses were a massive shock, he hadn't paid much attention to the wailing toddler but one thing had stuck in his mind, that the baby had Lily's eyes. This boy…did not. Oh, they were green but not the brilliant green of hers, no, these were more of a green/blue shade. His eyes searched for the infamous scar but the boy had turned and sat, the Hat lowering over his head.

The Hall waited in silence…and waited. A few people shuffled nervously in their seats and a glance showed Dumbledore was frowning.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat finally called, shocking everyone.

Potter stood and removed the hat, placing it back on the stool before turning to the Hufflepuff table, his robes gaining yellow trim as he walked. Sudden applause broke out from the Hufflepuff table, a delayed reaction from their shock at Potter joining their House. Muttering broke out at the other tables, especially the Gryffindor one.

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Harry took a seat with the other First Years, happy to just have the Sorting over and done with. He honestly thought letting a hat of all things decide where you'd spend the next seven years was a bit silly. Not to mention that unless someone was really, really, shallow the hat was just labelling them all on one or two traits that would change as they grew up. Unless the Houses tried to make you stay the same? That was a scary idea.

"Hi, I'm Susan," a redhead smiled shyly at him. "Susan Bones."

"Nice to meet you," he offered. He wasn't sure what to do, he'd never really tried to make friends before, not with Dudley getting in the way. It was part of why he'd fought for Hufflepuff – loyalty. Hard work and patience were two things he already knew a lot about.

What he knew about friends, he knew only from dreams. Images of strange people that he didn't know, but he did. For years he'd thought that was all it was, dreams to make him happy in any way. He knew better now but the idea of trying to make some himself felt strange and scary.

He was a little shocked as the others introduced themselves as the Sorting finished. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away the noise level settling again, everyone looking to the Head table.

Harry looked down at his empty gold plate, only just realising how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties on the train seemed ages ago. He was glad the redhead from the train was in a different House, he was rather rude and very focused on Harry's 'fame'.

Albus Dumbledore got to his feet, beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down as everybody clapped and cheered.

Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not, wondering if maybe he had done the wrong thing in deciding to come to the school. "Is h… a bit mad?" he asked the older boy beside him uncertainly.

"Mad?" he asked, seeming a bit amused. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

Harry's mouth fell open, the dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. The Dursleys had gotten better about his eating over the last few years, after he forced their hand, still there was never much variety, Uncle Vernon didn't like anything even remotely 'foreign' or 'exotic' after all. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat, it was all delicious. He was careful to watch what he ate, nothing too fatty or anything. He didn't want to end up like Dudley or something.

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Pomona entered the common room, looking over her Badgers new and old. The first Years were sleepy after the long day and hot meal, but still wide eyed with curiosity. She had to admit, one of the new members was a big surprise, and her gaze went to him. She had observed the students during the Feast, he was the quietest, seeming almost unsure over how to interact…and that worried her, especially after Hagrid's comments that day about his family.

"Good evening and welcome to the Hufflepuff Basement. I am Professor Pomona Sprout, your Head of House. Hufflepuff will be your home for the next seven years and I hope everyone will help you feel welcome."

"Professor?" Cedric called out, and she smiled at the teen. "Was the Headmaster serious about the third floor?"

"Yes, you are all to stay away from there, and if the staircases move you there, simply wait for them to move again," she warned, the students whispering to each other in concern. "Now, the boys dorms are through the tunnel on the left, the girls are on the far right, with First years in the first room and then moving back by year. Try and get a good night's sleep, class begins tomorrow as it is Monday. If you need anything, please let the Prefects know and they will contact me if necessary. I shall see you tomorrow in the Great Hall for breakfast and will pass out your schedules then." She left them to it, knowing there was a staff meeting to get through before she could retire.

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"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the tall kid with the blond hair."

"Where are the glasses?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar? I thought it was meant to be really obvious but there's hardly anything."

Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory, people lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring. Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.

The castle was a maze, not helped by the fact that parts of it moved or where only accessible under particular circumstance. At least the Common Room was easy to find. The classes he'd had so far were odd, very different to what he was used to…or what he remembered, then again none of that teaching had been in a school. He'd thought coming to Hogwarts would help but so far nothing was even similar.

His dormmates were an interesting mix. Ernie, Justin, Wayne, and Roger seemed mostly okay so far. Justin was a bit…stuck up, he was muggleborn but from old money, he was meant to have been going to Eton…honestly Harry would have chosen Eton so far.

He hated the way people kept questioning his identity. He hadn't seen anyone from the Magical World in his life, so how could they claim to know what he looked like? Had someone been spying on him? No…if they had then they would have known what he looked like now and not when he was five…then again his eyes had been the colour they were for as long as he remembered. He had hated being ignored when he was little but it seemed fame was worse. At least with the Dursley's he knew what to expect and he had a way of ensuring his own comfort there; he'd checked once back from Diagon Alley, the wand and 'Trace' hadn't stopped him, there'd been no alert that he'd used magic.

"Wait up Harry!" a voice called and Harry bit his lip but turned to see the redhead running towards him.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Come on Harry, don't be all stuck up. Wanna play chess?"

"No thank you, I'm on the way to the library."

"What? It's the first day."

"And unlike you I wasn't raised around magic, I've got a lot to learn," Harry told him. "Have a nice afternoon." He walked away, relieved to reach the sanctuary of the library, something familiar! He found a table and settled in to read and get his homework done first.

"Hi Harry, can we join you?" he looked up to see Ernie, Susan, and Hannah.

"Sure." He pushed some of his books away to give them space. They settled in at the table as well, occasionally talking quietly as they worked. It was nice, having help when he needed it and helping people who asked, didn't demand he do it for them.

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Hermione sat alone at a table, glancing up at the table across the way full of Hufflepuff first years. The library mostly had older students in it, they were the only first years…no, a Ravenclaw just walked in. She'd thought Hogwarts would be different, that she would fit in, except so far there was no change. She glanced up again and then ducked her head when she met green/blue eyes. He offered a hesitant smile before leaning down, whispering to the others. She felt her face get hot in embarrassment, staring at her book.

"Hi," a male voice spoke from behind her, and she looked up to find Harry Potter himself standing there.

"Hi," she answered.

"Did you want to sit with us? It's Hermione, right? From the train," he said, and she nodded surprised he recognised her. "So, do you want to? We don't bite." He offered a small grin.

Hermione hesitated but then began gathering her books, surprised when he moved to help. "Thank you."

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Severus mentally prepared himself, first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw thankfully would not be the explosive mix of the Slytherin and Gryffindor's. No, it would be painful all because of one student. Time to see if he was more James or Lily's son. He slammed the door open and strode in, robes flaring behind him, sure to make an impression.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began as usual. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word, he had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed his little speech. Students exchanged looks, appropriately nervous, and his gaze found Potter.

"Potter!" he snapped suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"I don't know, sir," he answered after a few seconds and Severus felt his lips curl into a sneer.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"The stomach of a goat sir," that answer was correct, surprisingly.

"Better. What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"There is no difference sir, they're the same plant, and it's also called aconite."

"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. You were correct on the other two; a bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons." He glanced at the other children. "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

Perhaps there was more of Lily in the boy than he had thought.

TBC…

I don't think I got Hagrid's speaking anywhere near right, sorry.