Title: Not What You Seem

Rating: T?! Who knows? Who really knows? I don't.

Warning: Once again, badly written. And a crossover, so idk, anyone allergic to crossover?

Disclaimer: If i was JK Rowling i wouldn't be sitting at my computer at 5am writing fanfiction

Summary: Just another year at Hogwarts for Harry. Yup. Except his new professor is definitely odd.

Trees rushed past in a blur of green, flashes of the countryside as the train wove further through the landscape. The Hogwarts Express was perhaps not given the recognition it deserved; it always dutifully performed its task, delivering the students to the school without fail every September. This year was no exception. Harry had already made the journey to Hogwarts, his home, in this way three times so far. Well, actually it should have been four, but hey, interfering house elves and flying cars did the trick too, he supposed. Even if that particular mode of transportation had nearly got him expelled. Unlike his previous years however, this year Harry couldn't help but feel a deep sense of foreboding. It could be argued that he had every right to feel a bit wary boarding the train; Merlin knows that with each return to the school something had tried to kill him. That would probably be enough to prevent any boy with half a brain going back indefinitely.

Then again, Harry reasoned, it wouldn't be surprising if he had lost the plot a bit considering the number of traumatic experiences he'd encountered in his 14 years of life. If it had all happened in the muggle world, he would likely still be in therapy, or committed to an asylum.
Luckily for him, the wizarding world had no such qualms about his sanity, simply brushing him off and sending him back on his way. Yes, Harry had every right to feel nervous about his upcoming year, all things considered, but it was more than that. It was a deep-seated feeling in his core that there was just something wrong.

The jerking of the train lulled Harry further into his own mind.
He almost confused the rocking of his body as someone violently shook him awake with the rocking of the compartment. Almost. But Hermione was very persistent.

"Harry! We're here. You're half asleep! Look, your glasses are askew, Ronald hold Crookshanks for a moment while –"

"I don't bloody think so, get that flea-bitten hairball away from me"

"Oh for God's sake." Rolling her eyes, Hermione unceremoniously dumped her large ginger cat in Ron's arms as he backed away. Ron froze. Both cat and human eyed each other.

"Ow! Merlin's beard Hermione! It's scratching my bloody arms off!"

She paid no attention, turning to Harry, who was straightening out his glasses in a daze. Helping him to his feet, she fussed over his hair, which had somehow managed to become even more disheveled than usual. Noticing his frown, she stopped and considered him with concern. Her brown eyes softened. "Are you okay?"

Harry hesitated. "Never better."

She seemed unconvinced, but to Harry's relief, dropped it and turned to gently pry a hissing Crookshanks from the top of Ron's head, where it seemed to have used its claws to anchor itself. Ron turned to Harry as soon they stepped down onto the station.

"I'm going to kill that sodding cat" he whispered savagely. Harry glanced at the rivets of blood dripping from his friend's forehead and winced in sympathy.

"I'll distract Hermione." He returned. Ron grinned at him, but managed to compose himself as Hermione joined them in the walk to the carriages. She looked at them in suspicion, tucking Crookshanks' basket more securely under her arm.

"What was that?"

"Huh?" Harry coughed. "We were.. er, you know… just wondering who the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher would be."

Hermione bit her lip thoughtfully, skirting a large rock on the path. "Well whoever it is, I wish them luck. The job is jinxed after all."

Harry was on the verge of a reply when he felt himself collide with something hard, the world tilted and suddenly he was sitting in the dirt. He blinked, rubbing his head where he could already feel a bruise forming. Oh well, at least his glasses hadn't fallen off.

A hand suddenly interfered with his line of sight as whatever he'd collided with, apparently a person, helped him to his feet. Still stunned, Harry allowed himself to be pulled up before addressing the stranger.

The first thing Harry noticed were a pair of brilliant blue eyes; eyes that sparkled with a mix of amusement and a deep intelligence. He was instantly reminded of Dumbledore - those eyes were the same vivid blue that gave Harry the feeling of being x-rayed. But Dumbledore had been an old man, over a hundred years old; this man was young and his eyes seemed out of place, the knowledge within them too vast for his age. His hair was jet black, much like Harry's own, and appeared to have the same inability to lie flat. He wore a blue shirt over black trousers, a brown coat and a red woolly scarf that was wrapped several times around his neck, enveloping him against the cold.

The man smiled and his expression was so open and friendly that Harry couldn't help but return it.

"Ah, I'm so sorry about that! I wasn't watching where I was going." His voice had a strange but interesting lilt to it, although it was rough like it hadn't been used in a while. His eyebrows were still raised in apology as Harry mentally shook himself and swept the mud from his knees.

"No, it's fine, I wasn't paying attention either" Harry insisted. But despite his objections, he could have sworn that there was nobody in front of them on the path a few moments ago.

"It's true sir, he was asleep on the train." Hermione intervened, elbowing Ron who was openly staring at the stranger.

Sheepishly, the man rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Honestly, I'm so clumsy. I'm always banging into people." He contemplated them for a second before his eyes widened. "Oh! I just remembered I'm late, please excuse me, it was nice meeting you all!"

Hermione, Harry and Ron stood in shock as the man briskly strode away.

"Bloody hell." Ron breathed.

Harry couldn't have put it better himself.

A/N: Been bouncing in my head a while. I don't know what i'm doing. I really appreciate reviews, so yeah tell me if anything is weird. Sorry that i'm rubbish at responding.