A Different Pair of Eyes by watercrystals
Summary: Perception can be everything. After the incident with the Philosopher's Stone and Voldemort, Harry falls into a magical slumber and wakes months later on August 31st as an entirely different boy who is about to begin his first year at Hogwarts. Sorted into Slytherin as someone else, Harry experiences Hogwarts in an entirely new way. He realises that there is more to Slytherin than it appears, and even more to their Head of House as well. Before long, acting as someone else isn't nearly as hard as fighting the need to reverse it, or at least find out what happened to “Harry Potter”.
Categories: Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape, Teacher Snape > Professor Snape, Parental Snape > Guardian Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Dumbledore, Fred George, Ginny, Hagrid, Hedwig, Hermione, Luna, Original Character, Pomfrey, Ron
Snape Flavour: None
Genres: Drama, Family, General, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Resorting, Slytherin!Harry
Takes Place: 3rd summer
Warnings: Neglect
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 4 Completed: No Word count: 26304 Read: 17063 Published: 22 Dec 2011 Updated: 18 Apr 2012
Story Notes:
Unfamiliar in Every Way by watercrystals

Dursleys - cupboard under the stairs - Hagrid - vault filled with gold from his parents - Ron - Hermione - Hogwarts - Sorting hat wanted to place him in Slytherin, but shouted “Gryffindor” - Professor Snape – a mirror that showed his family - Draco – Quidditch - invisibility cloak - Philosopher's Stone... 

'Bravery, your parents had it too.' Voldemort said from the back of Quirriel's head. 'Tell me, Harry, would you like to see your mother and father again? We can bring them back...just give me the stone!'

'You liar!' Harry yelled, telling him he would never give the stone to a monster like him, someone who was the reason for him having no parents.

'Kill him!'

-- 

Harry's eyes opened instantly, his mind foggy with images and sounds that were so fresh yet felt far away, just like a crowd nearby when he was up in the air on his broomstick. He swallowed and sighed, looking up at the pale ceiling above him. He realised that he could see clearly with no blurred edges or shapes and reached to touch the glasses on his face, except there were none.

Sitting up, Harry felt very strange as he tried to remember that had happened to bring him here. After that moment with Voldemort, everything had gone black mostly from the pain in Harry's head. He slowly focused on the room he was in, which at first he had assumed to be the Hospital Wing, yet he could not be more wrong.

More awake and now panicked, Harry stared around at the unfamiliar, mostly blue toned bedroom. The closed wooden door was to his left and across from it was a desk cluttered with belongings that were not his. It had shelves positioned above it, stocked with other items and several books of varied topics. Right along that wall was a set of dark blue curtains that reached the floor, only partially concealing a large, brightly lit window that showed a green landscape outside. In that corner was a large mirror. On the right to the mirror and Harry were a set of drawers, a wardrobe and then a bedside table that had a lamp sitting on top. At the base of the lamp was a folded letter that read: Harry.

Nervous and a bit scared of what was going on, he reached for the letter and unfolded the parchment to read the contents messily written within. His throat seemed dry and his hands were sweating as he felt as though he must still be dreaming.

 

Hello Harry,

 

We have never met. I'm sorry I didn't ask for your permission to do this, but I think one day you will understand.

You are not yourself. You are Jaden Royce and this is your first day of being adopted. I picked Darcy Royce for you because she is perfect. Darcy has never met Jaden before until he was dropped off here at her house by the social workers last night – they had moved him from a foster home because today is his/your first day of being in this new family. You went straight to bed, so today is the first time either of you will probably interact.

She knows nothing about you, therefore you can be entirely yourself. Yet you are not yourself, do not forget that...you can still like the same things and have your own back-story, but you're not Harry Potter any more.

It is August 31st and tomorrow you will attend Hogwarts for the first time as Jaden Royce. Your friends cannot know the truth, nor can you tell another person. Who would believe you, anyway? Enjoy your new life, Harry...I promise it'll be better than the last one. Jaden isn't famous and he's just been adopted by his new mother. You have a family here and a chance to start over at Hogwarts. Not even the sorting hat or Dumbledore will know that your mind is Harry Potter.

Good luck and remember...don't tell anyone! If you do...your entire second chance will vanish and you'll be back to being the Boy-Who-Lived, back to living with the uncaring Dursleys, and back to fighting a losing war with a monster. As long as you're Jaden...you're safe and happy. Why would you want to change that? As long as you keep it a secret, no one will ever know.

Don't think so? Have a look in the mirror.

J

 

Dizziness overcame Harry as the letter dropped from his grasp and landed soundlessly onto the surface of the bed. He rushed over to the mirror and stared wide-eyed at the reflection that it showed. It wasn't him...it was a stranger! Not a single detail was exactly same as the appearance he'd had for the last eleven years of his life, though some were a tiny bit similar.

Harry saw his face that wasn't really his. The brown eyes and brown hair that formed this new face was so alien to him. He touched his nose, his eyelids, his ears, his chin, his cheeks...everything that he could touch and feel on his face yet that couldn't possibly be a part of him...could they?

Looking over his shoulder at the letter, Harry felt nauseous and didn't know what to do about the situation he had somehow landed in. Whoever did this to him, whoever wrote that letter...they were right. No one would ever believe him, not in a million years. How could they? He looked so different and apparently had never been to Hogwarts. Harry Potter was who he was, yet Jaden Royce stared back at him in that mirror, dressed in the softest light blue pyjamas he had ever worn. They fit him perfectly, though went over his ankles a little and concealed part of his pure white socks.

A knock on the closed door nearly startled Harry so badly he would have fallen onto the light-coloured carpet at his feet had he not caught himself just in time.

'Jaden, are you awake?' A woman's voice reached his ears.

Frantically searching his brain for an acceptable response, Harry jumped onto the bed and shoved his letter under the squishy pillow.

'Uh, yeah!' He called back in a voice he liked, even if it wasn't the one he was used to.

When a response wasn't immediately returned, Harry worried that already he had somehow mucked up whatever he was supposed to be doing.

'Are you hungry?

Harry paused again. Was he? His stomach growled in response and he nodded his head, before realising that whoever the woman was, she probably couldn't see his non-verbal answer through the closed door.

'Yes!' Harry called back, wincing as it sounded ruder than he had intended.

'Oh, okay...well breakfast is waiting for you.' She said. 'Get dressed and come downstairs whenever you're ready.'

Harry didn't think he was ready or would ever be. Silence remained outside the door so she had left him in peace, left him to lie back on the bed and try to stop his head from spinning with confusion and shock. Where was he? What happened to the real him? Did anyone, even Dumbledore, know about this? Was he entirely alone with nothing but an otherwise unsigned letter to help him?

As his stomach protested again, in a way Harry was not used to since he was adapted to receiving little food (but Jaden wasn't, right?), he walked to his drawers and pulled the first one open. He looked at his clothing options; they all seemed to go by the same style of collared shirts and an endless variety of sweaters. They all came in different colours and patterns, yet style-wise were very similar and reoccurring.

Harry stood in front of the mirror again, dressed in a new pair of jeans, a blue and white chequered shirt and a sweater he never thought he'd wear, which was horizontally striped green and silver. It had been so soft to touch when he's noticed it, so Harry had put it on, thinking that his clothing choices were the least of his worries.

Grabbing a comb, he brushed his hair and realised that something so simple further showed how different he was as Jaden, because his hair fell flat and only took a few seconds to groom to a way he was comfortable with. Reaching to brush some hair from his forehead, Harry stepped closer to the mirror and never imagined that he would miss seeing that lightning bolt scar that he'd been given when his parents had been murdered yet he had survived.

If this was Jaden's first day of being adopted, Harry wondered what had happened to his parents too. Had they been murdered like Harry's had?

Sighing against the unchangeable, Harry fussed with his hair once more and straightened his collar in effort to delay his nervous departure of this strange room that was now the only familiar thing he had, which showed just how out of place he truly felt. As Harry looked into the mirror one last time, he could only allow a quiet, unfamiliar whisper to fill the otherwise silent bedroom.

'Who am I?'

Walking to the door, Harry turned the knob and stepped into the narrow carpeted hallway. It was set up the same was as the one upstairs at the Dursley house, Harry noticed, as he turned left and slowly descended the stairs.

He paused halfway as he was greeted with a wide room that composed of the kitchen and dining area. From what he could see, around the left corner from where he was standing, appeared to be the edge of a living room. At the table was an array of foods that looked very tempting. He saw pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, toast and cereal. In the kitchen was a brown-haired woman dressed in a pair of jeans, a white shirt and with a light purple apron tied around her middle. The main thing he noticed about her was that she had the warmest olive eyes he had ever seen. The sort of eyes a mother should have, which is who she was, right? Jaden's adoptive mother.

She looked over at him and flushed with nervousness; an action that surprised Harry. She looked so anxious and unsure that he felt a little better to know he wasn't the only one.

'Jaden!' She tried to smile without looking stressed. 'I...I didn't know what you liked so, I think I went a little overboard.' The woman blushed as she watched him approach the table to look at his meal options.

'Oh, thanks. It all looks great.' Harry told her, hoping to make her feel better because she had gone to such an effort for him.

'Okay. Good.' She exhaled. 'Have whatever you like. I'll get you some orange juice...or would you prefer milk? Water?'

'Juice is fine.' Harry nodded.

He sat down at the table, keeping his eyes on the lady for a moment until his hunger won over and he stabbed his fork into the nearest pancake. After sipping his juice, Harry paused when there was a light tug at the bottom of his sweater. Looking down in alarm, he saw a three-year-old boy smiling up at him. The boy had sandy-coloured hair, several freckles and bright blue eyes of innocence yet mischief; a very odd combination.

'Jay!' He said and waved his small hand at Harry.

'Oh, this is your new brother Billy.' The lady said as she picked Billy up and placed him in a high-chair so the boy could reach his own bowl of cereal. 'I'm Darcy. You don't have to call me “mum” or anything if you're not comfortable with that yet.' She added quickly. 'I just want you to know that we're really happy to have you here, Jaden.'

'Thanks.' Harry said awkwardly, not having a clue about how he was supposed to react. He decided to continue eating his breakfast and was relieved to notice that his decision appeared to be an okay one when Darcy only smiled once and returned to the kitchen.

As he continued to eat, Harry looked around the strange house (of what he could see from his seat, anyway) and observed a wand sitting on the closest counter in the kitchen. He assumed, because of this, that Darcy was a witch. Yet the house had muggle appliances. His mind then shifted to thoughts of Hogwarts. He would have finished his first year now and be preparing to move on to his second, instead here he was in an unfamiliar house with strangers and as someone entirely different. He was going to repeat his first year all over again, without the friends he had and that was so confusing. Harry didn't know what to do, or if he should be demanding to see Dumbledore or something. Anything other than just sitting at the table and eating his breakfast like...

'Like a normal family member.' Harry whispered to himself in realisation.

'Pardon?' Darcy looked over at him.

'Oh, nothing.' Harry quickly sipped from his juice and almost choked on the cold liquid in the rush.

'Jay! Jay!' Billy hit his spoon against the edge of his bowl in attempt to get his attention. Harry looked over and smiled, though he had no experience at all with kids so much younger than himself.

'Because the adoption wasn't finalised until yesterday, I held off on getting your school supplies so that we could get them together, and to make sure the robes are the right measurements.' Darcy said from the kitchen.

She picked up her wand and waved it, smiling a little as Harry stared wide-eyed at the plates that hovered into the kitchen and either stored themselves in the fridge or self-washed in the sink. Billy made the sound effects nearby, which almost distracted Harry from what Darcy was saying.

'We'll go soon then.' She decided. 'The Leaky Cauldron is only a few minutes walk from here, so we'll go and get your things even if it is a bit last-minute.'

'But I haven't any money.' Harry rose from his seat, feeling guilt overcome him as he remembered his gold in the Potter vault, which he probably wouldn't have access to as Jaden Royce.

'That's alright; we have enough.' Darcy smiled. 'You're such a sweet boy, Jaden. Don't worry...as your mother it's my job to take care of you, so you just enjoy yourself today, okay? I only wish we had more time to get to know each other before you started school.' She sighed.

Harry did too. Not just because he didn't want to return to Hogwarts with all of his confusion, but because there was something about Darcy that convinced him of how wonderful she was. She was pretty, kind, and tried her best to be a good mother to a boy she never even met before today. He thought she was doing a good job but was too shy to tell her that, plus he didn't want to end up sounding stupid.

Darcy went about tidying the kitchen with a few more flicks of her wand and lifted Billy from his chair while Harry waited by the door. He felt so awkwardly lost and out of place. Harry desperately needed to tell someone what was going on, to find out what happened so he can go back to his own life, his own body and wherever he had been before his entire life and everything he knew had been flipped.

'Ready?' Darcy asked and cast a spell on Billy so the younger boy couldn't wander off. Harry nodded, though it was a lie, and followed after them. The only comforting sight to him at that moment was the existence of magic. He watched as the three-year-old dressed in dark pants, a red shirt and a tan robe-like jacket seemed attached to an invisible string whenever he wandered more than two feet away from Darcy.

-- 

Harry exhaled with minimal relief at the sight of the Leaky Cauldron. It looked and smelled the same, so for those several seconds that he stood inside it, he could not be happier. Harry followed Darcy outside and soon into Diagon Alley itself, remembering when he had last been there with Hagrid. It looked just as incredible as it had then, a whole year ago.

He was handed his school letter and Harry paused in the street to read over it while Darcy looked through the window of a nearby store. He saw the name “Mr J Royce” written at the top of the parchment and lowered his gaze to the letter and list themselves, which were identical to the one he had received (after much struggle) as “Mr H Potter”.

It felt strange, like everything else since he had woken, to be walking through Diagon Alley with a stranger and buying all of his belongings again. He got a new trunk, his set of first year books, his school uniform and robes, another cauldron...and yet these were new to Jaden who had presumably never owed such items before. His head throbbed again with the disorientation.

'Would you like a pet?' Darcy offered. 'An owl, perhaps?'

Harry looked towards the creature store and thought of Hedwig, who had been his first birthday present and friend. Shaking his head “no”, he managed to convince Darcy that he didn't want a pet and only succeeded when he added “maybe next year”. He would be Harry Potter again by then....he hoped. The thought of being Jaden for a whole year caused a shudder to spread through his spine and fingertips.

'I still need...a wand.' Harry paused outside Ollivander's store.

A non-existent chill made him numb as he remembered the wand he already had, one in which he was very attached to and felt horrible about replacing it. Yet he needed a wand, more than anything, and since he had no idea where Harry Potter's wand was...Jaden Royce had to get one.

As they walked into the store, Darcy lifted Billy into her arms (who was happily eating a large lollipop as a distraction from his boredom), and moved to stand beside Harry. He looked at her and wondered if he would feel guilty about taking her new son away from her when he became Harry Potter again. He had little time to ponder when Ollivander appeared suddenly and stared right at him. For a brief second, Harry thought that finally someone had noticed who he really was and saw through the falseness. If the older wizard did notice anything amiss, Ollivander did not show it at all.

'Well then, Mr Royce...' Ollivander's hands trailed over numerous boxes before his fingertips came to a pause halfway down the shelf.

'It's this exciting?' Darcy smiled. 'Your first wand!'

'Yeah.' Harry tried to return the enthusiasm, since she had no way of knowing that he was Harry Potter. And he liked Darcy, so Harry didn't want to be rude or take away the joy of the moment for her, though he didn't understand it since he was the one getting a wand and she already had one.

'Holly...thirteen inches...phoenix tail feather. Very flexible.' Ollivander held out the wand and Harry accepted it, already giving it a wave which he remembered to do from the previous year. Painless sparks shot from the end and caused Harry to drop the wand in surprise. Billy stared at him and Darcy took an instinctive step back in alarm.

'Not your wand at all, it seems.' Ollivander retrieved the item and returned to the shelves upon shelves of thin boxes. He came back in matter of seconds with another. 'Alder...twelve and a half inches...unicorn tail hair. Unyielding.'

Harry reached for it but it was snatched away before he had the chance to cause what probably would have been something chaotic. Eight wands later and Ollivander was looking to be quite stressed. Darcy had moved to stand a few feet away to keep Billy occupied while Harry was also nervous, hoping that because he wasn't himself that the wands were becoming conflicted. How ironic it would be that no one could notice the truth except the one thing that may help him – a wand.

'Olive...fourteen and three quarter inches...dragon heartstring. Durable.' Ollivander offered another wand.

Harry held it in his hand and when nothing happened, he gave it a wave...which proved to be a mistake when Ollivander's hair set on fire. Oddly enough, this did seem not bother the wizard, who simply waved his own wand and the flames were vanished, leaving only a few darkened smudges on the his forehead.

Harry fidgeted as he watched Ollivander vanish amongst the shelves yet another time. He looked over his shoulder at Darcy and expected her to appear annoyed but she looked no less enthusiastic than she had twenty minutes ago. It boosted his hope a little as he looked back around in time to see another wand being trust under his nose.

'Aspen...thirteen inches...phoenix tail feather. Surprisingly swishy.' Ollivander said as he handed over the wand and watched carefully when Harry accepted it warily. He didn't get to wave it as a warmth spread through him and to his fingertips, like last time, and Harry knew that this aspen wand with the same core as his other wand, was his. At least, for now...as long as he was Jaden Royce.

Darcy went to pay Ollivander the galleons while Billy stood next to Harry and clapped for him with gleeful applause. Harry looked down at the younger boy and smiled. He almost expected something to follow, such as another creepy description about his wand or something “curious” ...yet the only thing that occurred was their departure from the store.

 


 

The rest of the day passed with a metaphorical blur. Before long, for what felt like a mere half an hour since he had left Ollivander's with his new wand, Harry was showering and preparing for bed. He would pack his new belongings into his truck in the morning.

'Good night, Jaden.' Darcy smiled from the doorway as she prepared to turn off the bedroom light.

'Night.' Harry nodded as he sank underneath the wonderfully soft covers of the bed. He was plunged into darkness, though his door was left ajar, and Darcy's footsteps faded down the hallway.He lay there and was still coming into terms with everything. It was too long to be a dream and too weird to be some sort of trick, which meant it could only be real. And that was a major problem.

Tomorrow he would be going to Hogwarts as someone else, be sorted into a house he might not want and attend classes he'd already taken. What happened if he wasn't sorted into Gryffindor again? He'd only just escaped Slytherin last time. And what about his friends? Would they miss him, or was this Jaden person at the Dursleys in his place? How was he going to find out what happened and how to reverse it if he had no clue whatsoever who was responsible or where it even occurred?

At times like these, Harry really wished Hermione was here to help him find the answers and Ron to cheer him up. He missed them both so much, wondering if they felt the same.

Harry rolled over and slipped his hand underneath his pillow, feeling that the letter was still there. Tears filled his eyes as he was emotionally a wreck from all of the confusion and fear of what was going to happen and if he would be able to keep up such an act when he had no one to turn to for help. Was it a spell? Dumbledore might know, but Harry couldn't approach him with it. Was it a potion? Yeah, like he'd EVER go to Snape for help! Not that the git would give it, anyway. Unless...what if Snape had been the one to do this?

Growling, as he thought it was just the thing Snape would do to make him as miserable as possible, Harry rolled onto his other side restlessly and glared into the darkness of his room. His room. When had he began to call it that? His room...his home...his family. No! Harry shook his head, fighting those wishes away because they could not come true, not like this.

Still, it was a hundred times better than Privet Drive.

--

Without being aware of it, Harry fell into a slumber where he dreamed of Snape throwing him into a huge cauldron and filling it with gross, slimy ingredients from jars while barking insults that Harry couldn't quite understand.

As bright sunlight came through his window the next morning, Harry was awoken by something tickling his nose. Opening his eyes, he was confused for a moment until he remembered the past day, realising with a pang of annoyance, that it was certainly not a dream. Looking to his left, he saw Billy standing there with a large feather, which had evidentially woken him.

'Jay!' Billy smiled, showing a few gaps where teeth should be. 'Are you awake?'

'I am now.' Harry groaned and sat upright. He looked around for the time but couldn't see a clock anywhere in the bedroom. 'What time is it?' He asked, forgetting that he was talking to a three-year-old.

'How shud I know?' Billy shrugged.

The boy turned and walked away, still waving his long white feather in his hand. Harry wondered why Billy had even intruded on his sleep at all. It was no use now though, as he was already awake. The reality of the day sank in again as he spotted a calender pinned to a space of his wall above his desk. Leaving his bed, Harry flipped over the page showing a moonlit sky to reveal one of an endless green field. September. The 1st was circled with a red marker, just as it would have been had Harry spent the summer with the Dursleys.

Dressing in a pale blue shirt and another pair of jeans, Harry tugged a dark sweater over his head and left his room. He didn't bother with the mirror this time as Harry doubted he was going to see anything different. He didn't need to stare into the reflection of another and be once again reminded of who he wasn't.

'Good morning.' Darcy smiled at him with the warm expression she always seemed to have whenever she looked at her new son. 'Did Billy wake you up?' She sympathised.

'Yeah.' Harry sighed as he sat in the same chair he had the previous day with his back towards the stairs. He looked over to the kitchen and saw a round, silver clock that showed the time to be just after seven.

'What would you like for breakfast?' Darcy asked.

'Oh, um...toast is fine.' Harry shrugged, not used to having someone else make breakfast in the kitchen. At Hogwarts it was different as the food simply appeared and he had no choice in the matter.

'Jam? Butter?' Darcy gave him options.

'Both.' Harry replied.

He watched her with curiosity and noticed that she seemed calmer than yesterday yet still a little on edge. It was so weird to see an adult going out of their way to make him comfortable or happy. She was trying so hard to make him feel welcome even when she knew nothing about him, as Harry or Jaden. He felt bad again, knowing that his primary goal was ultimately to take that away from her so he could be Harry Potter again.

'Here you go.' She placed a plate containing two slices of buttered toast with jam, which came with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in front of him. Because it was made by a mother-figure just for him, Harry thought it looked like the most delicious meal ever.

'Thank you.' He told her.

'You're welcome.' Darcy nodded. 'And once you're finished, you might want to get to work on packing. We'll be leaving at ten.'

He almost asked “why?” until that sinking feeling returned. Hurriedly eating his food before he could lose his appetite, Harry gulped down his orange juice whole and paused only to watch the glass join the plate in hovering to the sink to wash themselves. He turned and rushed up the stairs again, heading into the now-familiar bedroom. His trunk and school belongings were in one corner and provided him with an excellent distraction from his troubling thoughts and personal worries.

Wondering how all of his books and clothes were going to fit, Harry realised that packing was going to be much harder than he's origionally thought. He didn't have this trouble at the Dursleys because he had so few clothes, but here he had an entire wardrobe and multiple drawers to pick which ones he wanted. That ultra-soft Slytherin-like sweater from the day before was the first thing he threw into his trunk, which was soon joined by pairs of jeans, socks, underwear, robes, gloves for the winter, more socks, and then a dozen or so shirts and additional sweaters.

Because he only had Dudley's dreadful leftovers of clothes to wear all the time, Harry had never developed a style of clothes he preferred to wear. But the “collared shirt with a sweater” was really working for him and he decided to stick with it. It was all perfectly his size, new and Harry liked the way they looked on him. Even if it wasn't the real him.

After packing and re-packing at least five times, Harry finally slammed the trunk lid shut and sat on it to make sure it would close properly. It was quartered to ten by the time he had finished. Harry was certain he had time-travelled because there was no way it had felt like anything over two hours ago that he'd woken and had breakfast. Yet it was, and now he was in a hurry as he put on his socks and shoes. He double-checked that he hadn't left anything behind and then gripped his trunk to pull towards the door of the room while a few other items were tucked under his arm.

He stopped at the doorway and gave the room once last glance. Reaching for the knob, Harry rushed back and pulled his letter from underneath the pillow. He shoved it into his jeans pocket before he dragged his trunk loudly down all of the stairs leading to the kitchen/dining room.

'There you are.' Darcy exhaled with relief and checked her watch. 'Alright, have you got everything?' She asked and he nodded, hoping he had. 'Good. Let's go then.' She picked up Billy and led the two boys outside, casting a spell to lock and ward the house before she directed Harry towards a plain, dark blue SUV.

With his trunk packed away, Harry got into the car's back seat where Billy was sitting in his seat and playing with a dragon figurine, which flapped its wings every few seconds. Once everyone was ready, Darcy started the engine the muggle way and the journey to the station of King's Cross began.

Harry looked out the window the entire trip, feeling overwhelmingly anxious to the point that he thought he was going to be sick. The drive hadn't been long, yet there was no time to waste as Darcy parked the car and Harry got out. Retrieving his trunk while Darcy collected Billy, it was hard for Harry to focus on anything else other than getting inside the station. Harry realised then that he was missing a very crucial item.

'My ticket! It should have been with my letter, but I...' He stopped when Darcy held it out to him with a knowing smile. 'Oh. Thanks.' He blushed and hurried after her as they crossed the road and entered King's Cross Station.

It looked the same and Harry wasn't really paying attention to much more than his memories of being lost and then meeting the Weasleys a year ago. He suddenly remembered that he had been wanting to visit Ron over the summer but had clearly missed out.

Harry Potter had missed out on a lot of things lately.

'Here we are!' Darcy stopped before the barrier between platforms nine and ten. 'Are you ready, Jaden?' She asked the same question he always felt he was lying about whenever he nodded “yes” to it. He inhaled sharply and looked at the solid wall, which magically wasn't solid at all. Giving his trolley a push, Harry quickened his speed and still winced as he reached the wall, even as he ended up on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He moved closer to the sight of the scarlet train before his gaze shifted around the crowd in search of a familiar face.

Darcy and Billy joined him a moment later and Harry was directed towards the luggage compartment. Putting his trunk on-board, he sadly missed the cage containing his snowy owl and felt miserable again, even when he was supposed to be excited to be going to Hogwarts.

'It's almost eleven.' Darcy nearly made Harry jump as she spoke to him. 'You better get going.'The sadness in her tone distracted him and Harry turned to face her.

The guilt returned and he felt bad for her because she'd just gained a new son the day before and was now saying goodbye so he could go to Hogwarts. Acting on impulse, Harry wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as warmly as he possibly could. Parting, he saw tears in her eyes but a brilliant smile on her face. He pondered on a strange word and decided that she needed it, Darcy deserved it, really.

'Goodbye, mum.' Harry said.

It had been for her, but what a wonderful feeling it was to say that to someone. There Harry was, as Jaden Royce, standing on the magical Platform bidding his new mother and little brother good bye as he prepared to go to Hogwarts. It was sad and wonderous all at once. It was everything he had dreamed of, and for that moment Harry did not care if he looked like someone else and simply tried to pretend, for that heartfelt moment, that this was real. This was his family.

'Bye bye, Jay!' Billy waved from where he stood beside Harry. Darcy was trying to be discreet about composing herself, so Harry pretended not to notice her sniffling and focused on the younger boy instead.

'Bye, Billy.' Harry said.

'You won't forget me?' Billy asked with a trembling lower lip and big, sad eyes.

'Never.' Harry promised.

'And don't forget to write; let us know how you're going.' Darcy added, sounding much less emotional now. Her smile only continued to grow and Harry felt proud to have been the one to put it there. 'We still need to get to know each other, so will you mind coming home for the breaks too?'

Harry had spent every break he could at Hogwarts last time because he never wanted to go back to the Dursleys. But to Darcy and Billy?

'Sure.' Harry nodded.

Deep down he felt terrible because he secretly hoped he would be Harry Potter again by Christmas. Still, his desire to pretend this was his real family and everything was good won over and the guilt faded.

A whistle from the train broke their moment as steam issued and doors began to close. Darcy urged him forward and Harry quickly got on-board. He stuck his head out a window like many others were doing and waved to his pretend family. Billy was waving from Darcy's arms, using both of his hands to bid farewell. Darcy was crying again, but smiling with that warmness Harry was addicted to already. He waved and waved, until the platform and his new family had vanished.

Turning around, Harry realised that he was on the Hogwarts Express, heading back to the magical school of Hogwarts. But as someone else. A first year yet to be sorted, who had no current friends, and also...no train compartment to sit in.

Groaning, Harry stepped into the corridor closest to him and began to walk along it, trying to keep his footing steady as he walked. He spotted several compartments with older students he didn't know, then several filled with giggling girls he certainly didn't want to join, and yet the further he walked the more hopeless it seemed. Until he came to one last compartment in that general section of the train.

Inside was a boy his age with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He was sitting alone in the compartment, staring towards the window in the same way that Harry had one year ago. Stepping into the doorway, Harry knocked awkwardly on the glass and watched as the boy quickly turned to notice him.

'Excuse me?' Harry asked, remembering how Ron had questioned the same thing to him. 'Do you mind? Everywhere else is full.' Which wasn't entirely true, but this was his best chance at sitting in a compartment and Harry didn't want to lose it.

'Sure!' The boy nodded with a shy but wide smile.

Exhaling with relief, Harry stepped inside and sat across from the unknown boy who was likely going to be his classmate. Maybe they would even share a dorm, just like he had Ron had...except Harry already had a best friend and didn't need another one. Still, his friends didn't know he was Harry and it couldn't hurt to have a friendly classmate around, could it?

'I'm Kevin Antron.' The boy told him. 'Are you starting this year too?'

Harry wasn't sure if he was lying or not, but he nodded his head anyway. 'I'm Har...I'm Jaden Royce.' He really hoped he got that name right and couldn't believe he'd almost slipped, though in all fairness...Harry Potter was his REAL name.

'Nice to meet you.' Kevin nodded. 'I'm really excited, though I don't know what to expect.' He said nervously.

Anything Harry had been about to reply with was cut off by another knock at the door. This time it was someone Harry had completely forgotten about until now.

'Oh, do you mind if I join you?' Ginny Weasley asked. 'I can't find another compartment anywhere. I was going to sit with one of my brothers but I couldn't find any of them.' She frowned.

'Yeah, sure.' Kevin nodded again while Harry remained quiet.

Ginny moved to sit beside him so he did his best to try and ignore her. Such a thing proved impossible as another round of introductions followed. Luckily, the sweets trolley arrived moments later and everyone was too busy eating sweets to bother much with conversation.

Harry had been expecting the journey to take forever and that he would be feeling sickly nervous the entire way. Yet it passed by rather smoothly with the three of them talking about useless things like how many rooms Hogwarts castle might have and the different preferences of pets. He tuned out when Ginny talked about Ron's rat Scabbers and pretended to be more interested in the darkening sky outside.

'Do you have a pet, Jaden?' Ginny asked.

'I think we should change into our robes now.' Harry diverted. 'It looks like we're nearly there.'

And he was right. Not even twenty minutes later, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station and Harry felt another pang of sadness to hear Hagrid's booming voice over the crowd, calling the first years. Remembering that such an instruction applied to him, Harry hurried after the disappearing forms of Kevin and Ginny.

Along the way, he bumped into an older student and went to apologise, but froze at the sight of either Fred or George Weasley. Worried about missing the boat, he quickly looked away and chased after the others. Harry climbed into the last boat with Kevin (Ginny had joined a different one, it seemed), and two other boys. One had shoulder-length black hair, dark eyes and tanned skin while the other had golden blonde hair and dull blue eyes. Neither paid Harry or Kevin much notice, though the second boy nodded with brief greeting.

The boats moved forward and Harry stared up at the towering castle of Hogwarts, smiling at it because even if he had been in the same place last year...it wasn't any less amazing now as it had been then. The gasps and stares around him confirmed that he was not the only one thinking of the scenery in an admirable manner.

He felt...home. But how could he? Harry wasn't Harry Potter, he was Jaden Royce...he was someone entirely different and none of this should be real. He should be with Ron and Hermione already seated inside the Great Hall, watching others being sorted instead of himself again. He was scared, still confused, and dreading what was ahead. Suddenly the boat ride seemed a lot less magical than it had the first time when he had no clue what to expect and no previous connection to the castle or its occupants.

As he followed the others out of the boats and inside the castle, he saw that McGonagall was waiting for them as she had last time. It all seemed the same, like history repeating itself, yet Harry was so different that it was even less of a normal situation.

'Welcome to Hogwarts.' McGonagall began and talked about the houses, the sorting, and how their house would be like their family while they were at Hogwarts. Gryffindor was his school family...what happened if he got sorted somewhere else? Harry was anxious and just wanted to run into the Great Hall, sit down with his friends, and pretend that the last awful day or two had never happened.

Instead, he followed the group of first years just as nervous as he was (though for almost different reasons), until they stopped at the front. The moment continued until, finally...

'Jaden Royce!'

Then something happened that had certainly not occurred last time.

There was no voice, no pondering and no choice...only a singular decision declared to the entire room barely two seconds after the worn old hat had touched his head.

'SLYTHERIN!'

Harry knew it then, as his whole body felt cold and weak...he wasn't home. He was in a living nightmare. 

To be continued...
End Notes:
I had to end it there, however next chapter I will add more details of the sorting ceremony before we proceed I will then be adding another banner showing the main characters from Harry/Jaden's class. I had an extra paragraph or two but I could not add this fic unless I took it out. Long, annoying story. It will be in the next chapter. I also had to be really minimal with the breaks in this chapter as well, sorry!

Please let me know what you thought of the story so far, any questions/requests you have an so on. This story is something new I am trying as I usually write Harry/Snape fatherly fics, but this one is not. At least, not yet...I am uncertain of its overall future yet as I have only planned as far as the first few weeks at Hogwarts.


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