Chapter 10

Everything's different but still same

Dear Mum and Dad

I got sorted into Gryffindor!

Hogwarts is just as I always pictured it and the feast was amazing.

I'm missing home already and classes haven't even started.

There are so many more werewolves here than I expected so many just in my year too I can't believe that it's taken them so long to earn basic rights like schooling.

Speaking of werewolves if one more person hugs me and thanks me for making Hogwarts possible for them I'm quitting on life and becoming a hermit it's bad enough that people were staring at me all night

Got to go to breakfast now say high to all the family

Love Harry

Handing the letter to Hedwig Harry looked around the silent dorm, Kitten curled up on his abandoned pillow and his roommates still sound asleep, it was far too early for breakfast.

Showering quickly and changing Harry approached Neville's bed silently drawing back the curtains "Neville wake up"

Rolling over Neville looked up at eyes still full of sleep "Mmmm Harry? What time is it?"

"Donno 6:30 or so" groaning Neville pulled the covers over his head "I'm going out to explore a little maybe do a lap around the castle wanna come?" When he received no reply Harry assumed that it was negative "will you be okay heading to breakfast without me?" still with not decisive response Harry left Neville to grumble on about the ungodly hour and started his slow trek down the halls towards the entrance.

Few students were up at such an early hour, the ones that Harry spotted in the common room where all year five and up most likely the Hermione's of their respective years, studying furiously before school and even started.

Exiting the common room Harry made his way down to the great hall following the same path that Percy had taken him the night before. He could use the short cuts he had learned over the years but he was being careful in case someone was observing him.

Making it to the great Hall a question that had plagued Harry last night quickly revealed itself, right next to the doors that led to the great hall set into the stone was an arch composed large of silver bricks.

Leaning on the stones set inside the arch Harry hand went in almost a full inch before coming to a stop like Dumbledore said only werewolves could enter. Pulling back before a teacher could see him Harry took a closer inspection of the bricks each one had the picture of the moon in all its different stages engraved into it, the bricks Harry would discover moved each day clockwise and the full moon was six bricks from the top indicating that the full moon was six days away.

Leaving the mysterious entrance alone Harry headed out into the grounds, taking a look back at the castle he noted that it still had the same number of towers as always, so the entrance must lead to one that had already fallen into disuse.

Removing he school cloak Harry swapped his school shoes for runners and started to lightly jog around the grounds heading in the direction of the Quidditch pitch for no other reason than he could. Harry was in much better physical condition than he could ever remember him being in his previous life. As a fully grown man he realised that years of malnourishment and less than ideal living conditions had taken a toll on his body.

Not this time. Years of good food, plenty of space, a large range of physical activities and extended lung capacity due to hours put into learning the trumpet had left him in prime condition. If he wanted to Harry could run flat out around the entire grounds at least once. Not being in the particular mood to be willing to go back to his Dormitory for another shower before breakfast, he settled for a light jog around the pitch and back barely breaking a sweat.

Meeting up with Neville Harry was soon joined by Ron and Hermione though nothing of importance was said Harry truly enjoyed their company. Halfway through breakfast Suzan suddenly sat down across from Harry

"ARRH can we go home now!"

Startled Harry looked up from his schedule "What's wrong?"

"Your what's wrong Potter" her cheeks where turning pink "All last night and all this morning nobody has said a single sentence to me that hasn't also contained your bloody name" Suzan frustration evident her words ripping through the otherwise peaceful conversation surrounding them. Putting on a very girly voice she continued "You know Harry Potter! Harry Potter defeated You Know Who he's so brave! What is Harry Potter like? Is it true that his parents spoil him? Is Harry Potters family really that rich!? Is it true that he's betrothed to the black girl?" her voice returned to normal "Stop laughing at me!"

"I'm not laughing" Harry who had been smiling at first had soon found little mirth in the subject his face was rather cold and Neville beside him quickly quietened his own laughter as the subject became less innocent "I'm sure it's very annoying"

"It's unbearable" Suzan dropped her head and chewed on some buttered toast.

Harry stood patting her softly on the head. He tried to ignore the gripping rage that bubbled underneath him for the complete lack of respect for his and his family's privacy instead took several deep breaths resolved to handle the situation like an adult.

Walking over to the first year Hufflepuffs Harry cleared his throat loudly forcing himself between Justin and Hanna

"So Hanna is it true that your parents are sending your family broke?" Harry kept his face blank, Hanna's face was frozen in shock "Ernie how does is feel being heir of your family? Lucky you all of your older brothers turned out to be Squibs!" before he could make his outraged reply Harry turned away from him and his eyes fell on Robert Franklin his naturally tanned face had drained into a unhealthy white and his eyes filled with horror.

Harry locked eyes with him for only a second before standing and addressing the entire group "My life is just as private and personal to me as yours is to you, Suzan is my cousin not your all access pass to our family, we are first years just like you, try to remember that"

Spinning on his heels Harrys cloak billowed behind him as he stalked off to his own house table.

Transfiguration was straight off the bat and though they had left early to avoid half of the halls stares Harrys group only just managed to reach the door with the rest of the first years. Harry kept telling Neville to go to the hospital wing and get a pain reliever but Neville was determined to go at it alone and be completely independent.

"If you're so worried about being late Harry next time go on without me!" Neville whispered angrily in clutching his cursed leg before they managed to sit down in the back of the class. Harry didn't even bother replying because he would never do that as Neville was well aware; still he refused to look and Harry as they seated themselves.

Attention was drawn to the front of class when McGonagall turned her desk into a live pig and back again many where impressed and almost all were disappointed when they were given that task of turning matchsticks into needles. Harry watched the others read the instructions a few times over before starting to attempt the basic transformation, Harry read the entire chapter once and grabbed the closest matchstick, repeating the wand movements and incarnation to perfection Harry watched in confusion as the matchstick turned grey but stayed the same otherwise.

"Well done Mister Potter an excellent first attempt" turning to his side Harry looked up to see the Professor positively beaming down at him

"It's not a needle yet Professor"

"It's still the great achievement for your first try! You mustn't b…" Harry grab another matchstick he tried again this time focusing on his magic, it seem slow and sluggish, a dragon awaking from a long slumber. Frustrated he focused harder pushing his magic along it suddenly came to life rushing through his arm and out his wand in a loud BANG!

The entire room turn to look as his wand flashed a bright orange. Blinded for a few seconds Harry had to blink for a few times to remove the spots from his eyes. Harry and Nevilles desk had turned sliver the morning sun gleaming off it and when Harry took a closer inspection he saw why, it was made up entirely of thousands of needles all tightly packed together somehow keeping its shape.

Looking up at his stunned professor Harry gave her a guilty smile "Sorry"

McGonagall didn't reply immediately, her often tight lips were parted ever so slightly and her eyes where wide with disbelief. "Ten points to Gryffindor for exceptional wand work" there was a slight wobble to her voice that Harry hadn't heard in years. Her voice became frim as she continued "Now stand aside Mr Potter and Mr Longbottom restoring an item is often more difficult."

Rumours flooded Hogwarts halls within hours. Harry Potter had mastered his first spell within minutes this was all the proof that was needed to convince every student from first to seventh year that he was the next Merlin.

In the classes that followed Harry tried to hold himself back but he wasn't very successful, his hands tended to the plants in Herbology almost entirely on autopilot, answers slipped from his lips without thought and his magic though slow to start was now back and after being ignored for the last eleven years was roaring to go. Harry often put too much power into simple spells without trying.

By the end of the day however this was the least of Harrys problems, Neville who had been up and down stairs all day, out to the green house and back was now limping into the great hall for tea clearly in pain but still determined not to seek medical aide.

"Neville your being ridiculous!" Hermione cried in frustration "Tell Professor McGonagall

She is our head of house she will help you!"

"I don't need help!" He shot back "I'm fine I just need some rest!"

People were staring at them but it was hard to decide if it was because of Neville or just because everybody had been staring all day.

Ounce seated the group was rather quite, everybody was tired from classes and Nevilles was casting a cloud over the entire groups mood, eating rather slowly Harry was shaken out of his reverie when a first year girl sat across from him.

"Hi I'm Dawn Fairweather" Her light distinctive amber eyes calling her out as a werewolf took Harry surprise mostly because she was wearing a Gryffindor uniform he hadn't noticed her at all the night before.

"Harry Potter" reaching over the table they shook hands smiling she just stood and walked away without saying another word.

Blinking Harry watched her walk off bemused by the interaction "Uh what just happened?" looking at Ron who just shrugged Harry stared at her retreating figure until she left the great hall.

The following days up to Friday morning held little improvement for anyone

Harrys magic was only finally calming down, Nevilles leg was becoming more painful with every passing day and worst of all tomorrow was a full Moon.

Dawn, Fay and Fill had become rather irritable and restless. The entire Werewolf population at Hogwarts was looking pale with dark circles under their eyes and many where asleep or absent at breakfast.

Also it was Gryffindor's first potions lesson.

The walk into the dungeons it was a silent affair it was an unspoken agreement that Fill, Fay and Dawn would be partnered with Harry, Hermione and Lavender, as none of seemed able to even make the walk down to the dungeons, nobody was confident that they could manage an entire double period with Snape.

The Slytherins where already seated when the Gryffindors started filtering in and Harry was disgusted to see Mitchel the lone werewolf amongst the Slytherin first years sitting alone, half asleep in the front row. Slytherin or not Snape would eat him alive.

Harry discretely paired up Fill with Ron and crossed over the sacred invisible line that divided the lions from the snakes.

Sitting down loudly Harry watched as Mitchel's head bolted up and he look at Harry confused at his sudden appearance he was about to open his mouth weather to protest his being there or to profusely thank him Harry didn't care "This is a partnered class often needing one person to stir and one person preparing ingredients you might have heightened reflexes and a better sense of smell than I do but you're still going to need a partner"

The entire class was listening to him and harry could feel the hole that the Slytherins where burning into the back of his head "So I'm stealing your enhanced reflexes and amazing sense of smell before Professor Snape comes in here and gives them to someone else"

At that moment Snape appeared through the side door leading to his office, his timing had never been so perfect. Glaring at the entire class his eye quickly found the lone red flame in the sea of green his eyes narrowing at Harry before noticing Mitchel. Harry could tell he was putting the pieces together as his eyes landed on the rest of his first years, he seem even more displeased with them than Harry thought possible.

"I will have silence in my class room, I will not tolerate any foolish wand waving in my class" Harry considered this speech completely pointless no one had their wands out and the room had become silent the moment Snape had entered "I can teach you to bottle fame and brew glory and even put a stopper in death… that is if you are not as big of a bunch of dunderheads that a usually teach"

The class all sat up a little straighter ready to not be dunderheads. Harry braced himself for the onslaught that was sure to head his way, his head was filled with every single bit of potions trivia he knew but when Snape finally spoke Harrys heart still dropped an inch.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-POV-_-_-_-_-SWAP-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Severus Snape had always considered himself a reasonable man but when it came to Harry Potter reason had always been absent. Late nights alone in his office had been lost to liquor trying to find reason in his unreasonable feelings towards the famed Harry Potter

Reason should dictate that the sour Potions Professor feel an unbreakable sense of gratitude toward the Potter spawn, if stories where to be believed the Potter brat had managed to keep Lilly safe when all others had failed when Lilly herself had refused stand down and live Potter had to Apparate his own Mother to save her life.

Reason however rarely coexists with emotion however and Severus felt no gratitude towards the devil spawn from the moment Potter Jr had be born Snape hated everything he represented, every outlandish and insanely exaggerated tale that seeped into Hogwarts walls about baby Potter had annoyed him no baby was that advanced and people talking such nonsense was dangerous with the Dark Lord hunting them down, Baby Potter saving his mother had gutted him, another Potter saving him from his own foolishness how wonderful.

Years spent listening to fairy tales of the Wonder child prancing about the world being practically perfect in every way, campaigning for werewolf rights, leading to an open acceptance of them attending Hogwarts, something Snape had protested loudly to) and for an entire four days now he had heard nothing but praise and admiration for the loathsome child from both his fellow professors and even his own Slytherins.

Now Snape was looking at the child all his anger had gotten stuck in his throat siting proudly as any Lion would oblivious the Snakes poised to strike.

Part of Snape recognised that his serpents shared a good amount of the blame for Harry bloody Potter being seated with the Slytherins a quick scanned had confirmed his own house had purposely left the wolf without a partner, three Slytherin girls had squished themselves together to avoid sitting next to the boy, Snape noted that all three Gryffindor wolves were seated next to a bright eyed focused child ready to force their partner to say awake, why Dumbledore insisted in sending grumpy hormonal werewolves to class so close to a full moon Snape didn't know.

Taking a deep breath Snape dint bother to hide his irritation at the blasted child

"Harry Potter" the words where colder than the dungeon air and flowed over the student raising hairs on several neck "Our new celebrity drawing attention at every available occasion?" Potter was either too stupid or not stupid enough to reply "Tell me Potter do you think you're doing?"

Looking up Potter lock his eyes with Snape and spoke "attending my Potion lesson Sir"

Wanting to take points but not having a viable reason Snape snapped back at him "Thought that by sitting next to a… Mr Grey I would go easy on you?" Snape want sure if he was supposed to be implying that Potter was using the Grey boy's house or his lycanthropy to gain Snapes sympathy but it didn't matter.

"No Sir we both needed a partner thats all Professor" Severus felt the muscles in his temple twitch and his eyes flicked over to the Gryffindor side of the room where he quickly noted all remaining Gryffindors where paired evenly in sets of two.

On that moment Snape Hated the entire class from the foolish Slytherins that broke house rank to the odd number of Gryffindors and most of all Potter who failed to take the bait and so saved an uncountable amount of points for Gryffindor.

"Potter what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Much to Snapes distain he reply rather calmly "The draught of the living dead, a powerful sleeping potion that mimics death Sir"

"Where would you look if I told you to fetch me a bezoar?"

"In a goats stomach Sir"

Taken aback Snape decided to probe further into Potters potions knowledge less is upstart father come barging into his office crying foul play nothing would make him give the boy points however.

Smoothing out his features Snape instructed the class to make a pathetically simple cure for boils and glided around the classroom emitting his usual air of danger and for the first time in Hogwarts History he reframed form praising his Slytherins. House unity was the only thing keeping the Slytherins from being consumed by the other houses and breaking that and leaving one of their own vulnerable was sacrilegious, werewolf or not.

For a pathetically simple cure many where have difficulty brewing it, Malfoy was just managing under Crabbles lack of discipline most of the rest were lost causes and probably would never get a grade higher than A in his class. Only the Granger girl and Potter where actually achieving a high level of quality potion and both Potter and Garnger where working with half sleeping partners

Halfway through what should have been a simple lesson loud hissing erupted from the back of the room and Snape watch horrified as Nott and Goyles melted into a puddle on the floor and the ruined potion spilled over their desk and flooded classroom forcing students to jump up on their stools.

Rubbing his temple Severus conceded that today just wasn't his day and with a flick of his wand he vanished the toxic concoction before removing ten points from Slytherin ignoring the protest of the two boys, he angrily sent them off to the hospital wing before returning to his desk.

The class continued without further interruption and vials of potion slowly lined his desk, normally class was over at this point but technically there was ten minutes left so he barked at them to read chapter three as he quickly marked the poor excuses of potions in front of him, Only Potter/Grey and Granger/Lockwood managed to earn O's.

"Class is over a and your potions marked" the entire class stood as one but froze with his next few words "Seeing as this class is determined to cause chaos I will be imposing strict seating arrangements in order to maintain order" his voice floating across the room like morning frost. "Where ever you chose to sit today will be your designated seat… for the rest of the school year whatever desk and partner you chose this morning are now yours for the next ten months…" Draco Malfoy was horrified the Gryffindors looked to their golden boy now stuck behind enemy lines Potter himself was unsuccessfully hiding a small smile, it appeared that potter was determined to make Snape hate him even more.

Students collected their marks and slowly filed out the room Potter grinned like an idiot at seeing EE next to his name making Snape instantly regret not failing the fool.

AN

Some people questioned Dracos change in attitude from chapter eight to chapter nine but in honesty I don't see it as strange children always act differently when adult are around