A/N: Like the chapter title says, this is a very brief history of the changes in the events occuring during years Two thorugh Five. There will be a much longer chapter to follow, next Sunday, October 30, 2006. This is kind of a prologue in its own way, but not really. So therefore, I'm getting it out of the way now rather than try and convey the same things through flashbacks. So here it is. Enjoy. Drop a review. Whatever.

Although few know of it, Severus Snape was Lily Evans' best friend in Hogwarts. While he openly despised James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, he did tolerate Remus Lupin for Lily's sake. So as might be expected, Severus was next in line to care for Harry before Dumbledore interfered.

Severus took Harry to America and enrolled him in Salem Academy, which is a day school rather than a boarding school. Enrolled under the name, Harry Evans, it didn't take long for Harry to pick up the nickname of Ree. Under the Fidelous Charm, Harry was given a perfectly normal life up through his fifth year, visiting his Uncle Remus during the summers. Sirius only ever saw pictures of Harry up until Fifth Year, but his enthusiasm during an accidental meeting startled Ree into disapparating on the spot.

Meanwhile in Britain, Dumbledore pulled Slughorn out of retirement to fill Snape's post and urged Hermione and Ron on in their hunt for their best friend. Without the pressure of her crush's presence, Ginny Weasley showed the diary to Percy when she began to suspect it, and Percy turned it in to Dumbledore who destroyed it. Hermione figured out what the monster was, and experts entered the Chamber of Secrets through Hogwarts' plumbing to get rid of the basilisk. Sirius Black did escape Azkaban and terrorized the school for months in his attempt to locate Pettigrew, but Ron and Hermione discovered the truth on the night of Buckbeak's execution. Hermione used her time turner to rescue Buckbeak and Sirius. Cedric Diggory was the sole Hogwarts Champion and his blood was used in the resurrection spell when he was port-keyed to the graveyard at the end of the Third Task. Sirius died defending the Ministry of Magic when Voldemort appeared in order to take the prophecy for himself.

Now it is Sixth Year and events are speeding up, just in time for Ree's return to Hogwarts under his mother's maiden name and with a determination not to be manipulated by the Headmaster again. And this time around, Ree's decidedly more . . . Slytherin.