Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Jean Gray

Chapter 1

Harry looked with awe at the massive red train in front of him. However, seeing as it would start in only five minutes, he shook his amazement away and got in, trying to find an empty compartment.

Most of them were full, but he did find one where there was only a girl sitting inside, looking outside. Harry coughed to gain her attention and asked if he could sit there.

"Sure." replied the girl smiling.

Harry sat opposite of her and studied her. She had short bright red hair, bright green eyes and was about an inch taller than him.

"Thanks. My name is Harry Potter." he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jean. Jean Gray." the girl introduced herself in turn.

Before any of them could say anything else, the door to the compartment opened and a tall for his age red haired boy with lot of freckles appeared. "Hi. Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." he asked

Harry looked at Jean, who shrugged.

"Sure, come on in." said Harry.

The boy thanked them and sat down next to Harry.

"I'm Ron Weasley, what are your names?" he asked.

"Jean Gray."

"Harry Potter."

Ron's reaction to Harry stating his name was immediate. His jaw almost touched the floor and his eyes almost fell out of their sockets in their attempt to look closer at Harry's forehead, making Harry more than a little nervous.

Thankfully for him, Jean intervened. "I don't know why you reacted like that to his name, but it's really rude to stare at people like they are a zoo attraction you know." she scolded him.

However, instead of offering an apology, Ron simply looked at her incredulously. "You mean you don't know who he is? What are you, a muggleborn? Not that I have any problem if you are." he hastily added. His mother being who she was, Ron knew all too well how terrible a pissed of redhead female could be.

Jean shrugged. "I guess so. Professor Dumbledore said I'm one too." she answered.

After another minute of Ron mimicking a fish, he managed to ask. "You've met Dumbledore? How? When?"

For the first time Jean looked nervous. "Well, he came to my house and explained to me and my parents the whole thing about magic and then accompanied me to Diagon Alley so that I could get my things."

Now, nobody would ever say that Ron was the sharpest tool in the box, but even he could tell that there was something wrong with this. "I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of modern times would get in so much trouble for a simple muggleborn. I mean", he turned to Harry, "he didn't come for you, did he? And you are Harry Potter."

Quickly taking the chance to change the subject, Jean asked "What's the matter about him that makes you react like this anyway?"

So, after Harry told her the story about him and Voldemort, Jean leaned back to think. "You know", she said after a couple of minutes, "don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think there is a reason to call you a hero. I mean, I know next to nothing about how magic works, but you have to admit that it seems strange that a mere baby survived where so many other wizards and witches have died. Odds are, you survived and Voldemort died thanks to something your parents did."

Harry thought about it and had to admit that it sounded logical. Before he could voice his thoughts however, Ron decided to put his foot in his mouth.

"Don't worry Harry, I'm sure she says this just because she jealous of you." he said.

This of course only served to make Jean angry. "Oh really? It wasn't me that thought that Harry was a lucky bastard for being born famous when I met him!"

"H…how did you know what I thought?" stammered Ron.

"You are just easy to read." replied Jean quickly… too quickly, not that either of the other two could tell, which was good for her.

Before Ron could respond, Harry intervened. "You mean you really did think that? Get out of here Weasley."

Ron tried to argue, but Harry wouldn't budge. After they got rid of the idiot, Harry turned to Jean.

"Wow, you must be really sharp to be able to tell what he was thinking." he told her admiringly.

Jean just waved him off.

After a few minutes of silence, Harry spoke again. "About what you said earlier, about me, my parents and Voldemort…I agree with you. I just hope that more people will think of it like you. That way they might leave me alone."

Jean smiled at him in response.

Unfortunately, their peace didn't last long. Not even half an hour later the door to their compartment opened again and in came a blonde kid with a very conceited look on his face. He was already wearing his Hogwarts robes and was accompanied by two other boys who looked to be some sort of human-chimpanzee hybrids.

The boy looked at Harry for a few seconds before speaking. "So is true what they are saying? Is Harry Potter indeed in the train?"

Harry decided he didn't like the newcomer. "And who wants to know?" he asked back.

The boy seemed taken aback for a second, but he replied nonetheless. "I'm Draco Malfoy, Scion of the most Noble House of Malfoy. These are Crabbe and Goyle."

"Well, Malfoy, I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen anyone called Harry Potter around here." replied Harry. Jean tried to hide her smile.

"Don't lie to me Potter. I heard the Weasley talking about you." shot back Malfoy, getting angry.

"I didn't lie to you. You asked me if I've seen Harry Potter. Since the train doesn't have anything resembling a mirror in it, I didn't have the chance to see myself yet." answered Harry smirking. Jean giggled hearing this.

Malfoy shot her a glare before turning back to Harry. "Don't play with me Potter. Anyway, I came here to offer you my friendship. You will find out that there are some wizarding families that are better than others-and certainly better than those filthy muggleborns." he added the last part glancing at Jean.

By this point Harry have had enough. "You know what Malfoy, I'm getting really bored of listening to your voice, so do me and Jean a favour and get the hell out of here."

Malfoy scowled. "Fine Potter, but you will regret it, mark my words."

He turned to leave, but somehow his robes got in the way, making him trip, fall on his pet gorillas and all three of them form a human heap outside the compartment door.

Harry stood up and closed the door laughing all the while, as did Jean.

"You know, I liked the bit about the mirror. You are smarter than you look…" she told him when he sat back down.

"Why thank you." replied Harry with a smug smile, which vanished when Jean finished her sentence. "…even if it would be very difficult for you to be as stupid as you look."

Harry mock scowled and turned his back to her, which resulted in Jean dissolving into a fit of giggles, Harry following suit soon after.

The spent the next couple of hours talking about what Hogwarts would be like. During that time, the trolley passed and Harry, since this was the first time in his life that he had money, decided to take the chance to treat his friend.

At some point Harry decided to ask Jean about what Weasley had said earlier, about her and Dumbledore.

"So, what is the real reason that Dumbledore came personally to you? If you want to tell me of course. If not, it's alright, I don't care." he added hastily.

Jean laughed at his anxious face and then sighed. "Oh well. You will find out anyway when the lessons start, so I might as well tell you. Or rather, show you. By doing magic."

Just then the door to their compartment opened once again and two girls came in. One had bushy brown hair, brown eyes, rather large front teeth, was about the same height as Harry and had a very bossy expression. The other was as tall as Jean, had long blond hair caught in a ponytail and blue eyes. She held herself in a rather aloof and detached way, as if to say that everyone in there was below her.

"Oh, what now? Who are you and what do you want?" asked Jean exasperated.

"I heard something about someone doing magic, and I wanted to see. I'm Hermione Granger." said the brunette.

"Same here. I'm Daphne Greengrass." said the blonde.

"Fine. You would see it anyway." Jean sighed but agreed.

Then she raised her hand… and Harry's wand flew to it, effectively making everyone's jaws hit the ground.

Jean laughed nervously at their expressions and explained. "You see, that's why Professor Dumbledore came personally to me. I have been able to do this since a very young age. The muggles call this telekinesis, and while my parents found it unusual and forbid me from doing it in front of others, we never suspected magic as the reason behind it. Until Professor Dumbledore visited us that is. He said that he can't explain it either. The best guess that he could come up with was that for some reason I could command magic through thought alone, without needing a focus. When he took me to Diagon Alley, we found out that using a wand hinders me rather than aiding me. In short, it means that I'll never need a wand, that I'll be able to do more difficult and complex spells easier, and use this telekinesis of mine, though the best I've managed to do with it till now was lift a bike about two meters from the ground."

The first to react after hearing this was Hermione. She huffed, glared at Jean, and left, banging the door behind her.

Daphne raised an eyebrow at this. "Wow, somebody got her knickers in a twist." she turned to Jean. "I guess she was jealous of you. I guess I am too, but not to the point of being angry with you. I doubt you asked for it anyway." she continued.

"Yeah, same here." nodded Harry his agreement.

Daphne coughed to gain their attention. "I think I should properly introduce myself, as well as tell you the second reason I came here. I'm Daphne Greengrass, Scion of the most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass. I'm here because I don't trust the words of idiots like Weasley or pompous asses like Malfoy, so I wanted to form my own opinion about you, Lord Potter."

Harry blinked hearing this. "Errr… While I'm happy to hear your opinion about Weasley and Malfoy, why did you call me Lord Potter?" he asked.

Daphne looked at him strangely, then understood. "Oh, of course. I forgot you were raised by muggles. Might I sit?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "Sure. Anyone who doesn't like Weasley and Malfoy is OK in my book." he said, looking at Jean for her opinion, who nodded in agreement.

Daphne thanked them, sat down and started explaining. "You see, according to how old a pureblood house is, it can attain Noble and Ancient status. There are many-relatively speaking-Noble Houses, but there are very few that are both Noble and Ancient, and many of them are close to dying out. There is your own house, House Potter, of which only you remain, my own house, House Greengrass, House Dumbledore, of which only Professor Dumbledore remains, who is WAY too old to have children, House Black, whose last member is in Azkaban, and House Bones, of which only two members remain, Amelia Bones, who is Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Susan Bones, who starts Hogwarts with us this year. Since you are the last living Potter, once you come of age, you will be named Head of your House, as well as receive your full inheritance and a seat in Wizengamot, the ruling body of magical society in England. I think you should also know that the Ancient houses are the richest and strongest politically amongst the other houses and that amongst the five Ancient Houses, House Potter was the greatest, both in wealth and political pull."

Jean recovered quite quickly from hearing this news about her friend, but Harry right now was doing the same thing that Weasley was doing earlier, mimicking a fish.

The two girls observed him for a couple of minutes before Jean spoke to Daphne. "I think you broke him." which made both girls dissolve in a fit of giggles, Daphne for the first time losing her aloof expression and relaxing.

Their giggles also served to shake Harry out of his stupor. He glared at them and told them to stop. Jean mockingly bowed to him and said "Of course, please forgive us my Lord." making everyone laugh.

The ice being broken, the three started to talk, Jean and Harry asking Daphne about the magical world and Daphne asking them about the muggle world.

At some point the discussion came to what house they thought they would be and Daphne told them that she would probably be Slytherin. Harry was surprised at this, because Hagrid had told him that all evil wizards had come from Slytherin. Daphne however seemed alright to him, so he told her about it.

"That's the usual prejudice against Slytherins that started ever since Grindelwald and became worse after You-Know-Who." scoffed Daphne. "Slytherin is the house of those who use cunning to further their goals. That doesn't make them evil. Though I'll admit that, according to my parents, the standards have fallen lately and Slytherin indeed looks like a house for evil people. People like Malfoy and his ilk."

Harry and Jean exchanged a look and then turned to Daphne. "Don't worry Daphne, we promise that no matter what house we will be sorted to, we will still be friends with one another. Don't you agree?" said Jean.

Daphne looked relieved and nodded in agreement. Then Jean decided to ask something else she had observed. "Hey, Daphne, tell me something. When you first got in you seemed rather distant, contrary to now. Was there any reason for this?"

Daphne nodded. "Yes there is. I've been taught to be like that when I'm with people that I don't know or don't like. It shows strength."

By that time, night had fallen and they were getting near Hogwarts, so they decided to put their robes on.

Jean suddenly looked very nervous and looked at the other two as if she wanted to tell them something but was afraid of their reaction.

"Jean what's wrong? Are you OK?" asked Daphne, observing her friend's uneasiness.

Jean took a deep breath to calm herself and then spoke to the other two. "If we are going to be friends, there is something else that you should know about me. You see, I have another ability that I didn't tell you about. I'm telepathic."

Daphne didn't know what that means, it being a muggle term, but Harry understood it just fine. "You mean you can…?" he asked.

Jean nodded. "Yes, I can read minds. What's worse, I can't fully control it yet. There are times I see other peoples thoughts without meaning to, like before with Weasley. But don't worry, I promise I won't try read your minds." she hastily added the last part, hoping that they wouldn't mind.

Harry and Daphne exchanged a look and the smiled. "We really don't mind Jean, calm down." said Harry reassuringly.

"Besides, it's not like it's a bad thing. I mean, think the possibilities. Can you talk to us in our minds?"

"Yes I can." both Harry and Daphne heard Jean's voice speaking in their minds.

An evil smile formed on Daphne's face. "That's just perfect. We will be able to ace all tests easily. We will be able to take the answers from other people. Or, if Jean doesn't feel right doing this, each of us will only study for different subjects and then we will help one another."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this. "I see why you believe that you will be in Slytherin." then an equally evil smile formed on his face. "But you're right. What's more imagine all the pranks we could pull with the aid of her telekinesis. All that provided you want to of course. And if you don't we won't hold it against you in any way." said Harry, adding the last part looking reassuringly at Jean, Daphne nodding in agreement.

Jean smiled at them. "Don't worry, I don't have any problem with it. Especially the pulling pranks part." said Jean.

Suddenly, every person on the train and all the professors in Hogwarts felt a chill go down their spines, with the exception of two certain redheads that felt like cheering.

When the train stopped and they got outside, they met Hagrid shouting for all first years to follow him. The three friends followed the others and pretty soon reached a lake with lots of boats at its shores. Following Hagrid's orders of four people in each boat, the three got in one, accompanied by a girl that looked Chinese.

Pretty soon they saw Hogwarts, and even Daphne, whose parents have told her about it, couldn't help feeling awe at the sight.

When they got off the boats they followed Hagrid again, who lead them to the castle. When they reached it, the door was opened by a strict-looking woman who Hagrid introduced as Professor McGonagall.

McGonagall led them to the Great Hall and told them to wait outside. After a few minutes of wild speculation about how they would be sorted and a meeting with Hogwarts' ghosts, McGonagall returned and told them to follow them inside.

When they got inside the Great Hall, Harry, Jean and Daphne felt awe once again at the sight of the ceiling, with resembled the sky outside. Then their attention turned to the old non-descript hat that sat on a stool in front of them. Then the hat sang.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Once the hat finished its song, it bowed to the students of the four houses, who were clapping, and then remained silent.

Professor McGonagall then moved forward, carrying a list of names and started calling the first years one by one to be sorted.

As the three friends waited, they saw, amongst the other people shorted, Susan Bones Daphne told them about get sorted in Hufflepuff, one of Malfoy's friends, Crabbe get sorted in Slytherin, the bossy Granger girl get sorted in Gryffindor and then… "Gray, Jean".

Jean nervously moved forward, Harry and Daphne encouraging her. On her way, she glanced towards Professor Dumbledore, who smiled encouragingly at her.

Eventually, she reached the stool, put on the hat and sat down. Immediately she heard a voice speaking in her head.

"Interesting, most interesting. You know, during the ten centuries I've been doing this, not once have I seen one like you. I'm eager to see what will happen to you. Still , that's of little importance right now. Now I have to sort you. Hmmm. Where to put you? You are definitely not a Slytherin, and while you have some Hufflepuff traits, your main characteristics are your sharp mind and your brave soul. You are either a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor. But which of the two?"

"I would prefer to be a Gryffindor, if you don't mind." thought Jean back.

"A Gryffindor? And why that is?" asked the hat.

"Because Harry looks more like the Gryffindor type, and since Daphne is sure she will go to Slytherin, I want at least one of my friends to at the same House with me."

"A Gryffindor friend with a Slytherin? I have to see that." said the hat amused.

Then it shouted "GRYFFINDOR". Jean removed the hat and sat to the Gryffindor table, where everyone was congratulating her, except Hermione who was glaring at her.

Then came Daphne's turn.

As soon as she put on the hat, she too heard it speak. "Ahhh. So you are the Slytherin friend Miss Gray was talking about. She was right, you are indeed a Slytherin, and please allow me to say what a pleasure it is to see a true Slytherin. You are becoming pretty rare lately. Anyway, though you would make a fine Ravenclaw with your mind, as well as a fine Gryffindor, for it takes lot of courage to be a Slytherin with Gryffindor friends, you are, without a doubt a…" "SLYTHERIN" shouted the hat at the end.

Daphne removed it and went to her table, given cheers from the Slytherins and sour looks from the other tables. Still, Jean and Harry were smiling at her, and that was all that mattered.

The sorting continued, Malfoy and Goyle also getting sorted to Slytherin, when at last Harry's turn came. When his name was announced, whispers filled the place, which didn't really help Harry's nervousness.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here. Quite an interesting individual you are. And you would fit quite well in all houses, though the ones most suited to you are Gryffindor and Slytherin. A rare thing indeed. So, what do you think? Though I have to say that Slytherin would most definitely put you on the road for greatness." whispered the hat in Harry's mind.

Still Harry, never really cared about greatness, so he didn't think about it. He had one friend in each house, so he couldn't decide according to which house his friends were in, as he would usually do. He didn't really care about being either a Gryffindor or Slytherin, so it all came down to one thing. He would have to decide if he would have to spend the next seven years putting up with Malfoy in Slytherin or Weasley in Gryffindor, since Gryffindor seemed to collect them. Harry saw at least three others in the Gryffindor table. It was a pompous, probably malevolent , ass vs an extremely annoying idiot. Hmm. Difficult choice. Finally, after five minutes of thinking, he decided to go to Gryffindor. If nothing else, the people there seemed to be more fun than those of Slytherin.

After the house sorted him in Gryffindor, which result in deafening cheers from the older Gryffindors, especially the two twin Weasleys, who surprisingly looked a lot smarter and more fun than their younger brother, only three people remained, the last being Ron, who also came in Gryffindor.

So, in the end, after a very ice feat, a welcoming speech from Dumbledore, a warning not go near a certain corridor at the third floor, and a song, everybody started for their common rooms.

Jean and Harry would have waved to Daphne, but they saw that she wore her aloof expression again and guessed it wouldn't be a good idea. So, before she got too far, Jean used her telepathy to tell her that they would meet tomorrow.

When the Gryffindors reached the common rooms, everybody was tired and went to bed, as did the people from the other houses. Still, as Harry, Jean and Daphne were about to sleep, they couldn't help but think about what life in Hogwarts would be like and what adventures would come. Little did they know that they would have more adventures that they would ever want.

Meanwhile, at the headmaster's office, Professor Dumbledore was thinking about what he saw today, and had to admit that the signs were more than encouraging. Not only Harry befriended a Slytherin, which Dumbledore saw as a sign that at long last the gap between Gryffindors and Slytherins might start to close, he also befriended Jean Gray.

Dumbledore stopped and though about her for a while. She was indeed a marvelous person. She was gentle, but with an underlying toughness that implied it would be unwise to anger her. And she was powerful. Stronger than anything or anyone Dumbledore has ever seen, himself and Voldemort included. Dumbledore was really glad that she was friends with Harry, but he couldn't help but think what would happen if she ever turned dark or became crazy. It wouldn't be pretty.

Dumbledore shook these thoughts from his head. Still, as he went to sleep, he couldn't help but remember another very powerful child he had met. And while that child wasn't anywhere near Jean's raw power, he could, potentially, be a lot more dangerous. Dumbledore couldn't help but wonder what role he would play in the war that was to come.

For war was coming, of that Dumbledore was sure. "Four." he muttered. "Who are the other two? And even if they are found, will they be able to work together? Especially with him? He is too proud for his own good."

At the same time, in France, a twelve-year old boy, who had just returned to school after the summer vacation, was looking outside his room's window, towards England. 'Sooner or later I'll find you. And then I'll find out the truth.' With this thought, he closed his window and went to sleep.