Chapter Text
Harry stalked down the corridors. The school had turned against him. Again. He had no idea how his name came out of the goblet. No one wanted to listen though. Everyone thought he was a cheater. Ron thought he had managed to put his name in and just wouldn't tell him. The entire house of Gryffindor was glaring at him, blaming him for something he didn't do.
Only Hermione believed him. As glad as he was for that, he was pretty sure she only did because she hadn't figured out how to cross the age-line. If she couldn't figure it out, how was he supposed to be able to?"
He couldn't sleep. For the first time coming to Hogwarts, he didn't feel welcome.
Harry found himself pacing back and forth in a dead-end corridor on the seventh floor. He just wanted somewhere safe. Somewhere people weren't trying to kill him. Somewhere that he wasn't The Boy Who Lived. Was that too much to ask?
He stopped in his tracks. There was a door that hadn't been there before. Harry slowly approached it. His hand hovered over the knob. He drew his wand, flung open the door, and rushed inside at the ready.
It was an empty classroom. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't place it at the moment. Lifting his wand, he summoned some light. Harry tilted his head to the side in confusion. Before him stood the Mirror of Erised. Now that he looked around, this was the room he had first seen. Except, it hadn't been on the seventh floor.
Harry shrugged. Looking at a life that never was could be interesting enough to distract him for a while. The room brightened as he walked in front of the mirror. He stopped and stared into the glass. There was nothing there. Not even his reflection. It just showed the door behind him.
He took a step closer just in case he was too far away to trigger the magic. His nose was almost touching the glass when he realized that there wasn't actually any glass to touch. Harry looked over his shoulder. The doors didn't match.
Harry held his wand out, trying to tap the mirror. It moved through open air. There truly was no glass. He paused. Even for Hogwarts, this was strange. He sighed. With a shrug he stepped into the mirror.
He had expected a shimmer, or something, when he passed through the frame. It didn't feel like anything. Just taking a step in a room. He looked back over his shoulder to see that the mirror was gone. Now, he was in an empty old room.
Harry shook his head. He left the room and closed the door behind him. It didn't surprise him that it vanished as well.
"That was pointless." He grumbled.
"Meow." Mrs. Norris agreed.
"Shit." Harry grumbled.
He was at the end of an empty hallway. The door was gone. It was just him and Mrs. Norris. He could hear Filch stomping closer.
"That tracks." Harry sat down, holding his hand out to the cat.
She came over, sniffed his fingers, and then accepted his pets. Harry was cooing and telling her how pretty she was when Filch finally appeared.
"What are you doing?" The caretaker growled.
"Petting Mrs. Norris." Harry replied. "She is pretty lady."
"Yes, she is." Filch nodded once. "Doesn't mean you can just wander the halls. You're supposed to be at the feast. What house are you in?"
Harry paused. "Gryffindor."
"I'll have to let McGonagall know." Filch dropped back to his usual tone. "Follow me back. You try to run, and you'll get even more detention."
Harry stood up and dusted himself off. Mrs. Norris fell into step with Filch. She spared a single look back at him. Almost like she was saying 'come along'.
He jogged to catch up. The feast had been over for almost two hours now. Filch should be taking him to McGonagall's office. He didn't try to speak to the old caretaker. At best, Filch would complain about not being able to use chains anymore. Conversation beyond that was pushing it.
Harry could hear the gathered students as they got closer. The details were lost, but he could tell there were a lot of people nearby. Filch pushed open the side door and motioned for him to step through.
He came to a complete stop once he entered the room. This wasn't the Halloween Feast. This was the Welcome Feast. The Sorting Hat was resting on the stool, just waiting for first years to step up.
The room turned to look at his unexpected entry. Harry blushed and hurried over to the Gryffindor table. There were hushed whispers and strange looks as he passed. He could feel their eyes. Still, no one called out to him. Harry found a spot at the Gryffindor table and took a seat. He was with a group of second years that he didn't know. Everyone else had already taken a seat. There was still room for the firsties to sit.
There was something weird going on. Somehow, he was back at the Welcome Feast. He recognized his classmates, so it wasn't like he had somehow traveled in time. In fact, it looked exactly like the feast they had earlier this year. Maybe he had been given a second chance at this year? He could get ahead of the tournament fiasco.
Still, there was something else that was bothering him. He hadn't spent much time with Filch, but he was pretty sure the old man knew who he was. As much as he'd hate to admit it, pretty much everyone knew who he was.
It was strange that no one had called to him when he entered the hall. Ron didn't yell for him to come over. Malfoy didn't mock him. Even Snape refrained from making some comment about his behavior. There was something else he was missing.
Harry was lost in thought; it wasn't until the first new student joined the house that he realized how out of it he had been.
"Welcome to Gryffindor." Harry smiled at the first year.
The kid looked at him excitedly. Harry was relieved that the kid didn't gawk at him. He didn't pay much attention to the sorting, though it did seem to go on for longer than he expected.
"I have a few announcements before we begin the feast." The Headmaster stood at his spot at the table.
Harry stared at the man. He sounded like Dumbledore, but he didn't look like him. The man had a neatly trimmed beard and was dressed in a muggle three-piece suit. Even his eyes were different. Still blue but lacking that constant sparkle.
The students around him started to eat. Harry studied the other professors at the table. McGonagall looked the same, further supporting whatever had happened wasn't time travel. Hagrid was there as well, looking rather well groomed for once. Most of the staff was the same, except for two he didn't recognize. One was an older, dignified man and the other was an attractive woman with black hair.
Harry looked over the table again. Snape was missing. He took his time looking around the room. It wasn't the most overt difference, but now that he was paying attention, he could see there were a lot more students. He could pick out people that he knew, but for each one he recognized there was another two that he didn't.
"Excuse me." McGonagall spoke in a quiet, yet firm tone. "Mr. Filch informed me you were found wondering the Seventh Floor."
Harry looked up at her. He nodded. She silently studied him for a moment. Her forehead scrunched up for a flash.
"Follow me." She ordered.
Harry slid out of his spot and followed close behind. McGonagall took him out to the hallway. She stopped sharply and turned to face him.
"Who are you?" She stared intensely at him.
He gulped. "Professor, I didn't take you for a prankster."
"I know each and every one of my house." McGonagall maintained her stoic visage. "I do not know you."
"I was afraid you were going to say that." Harry was starting to feel dizzy. "I think… I think I need to sit do-"
The world went sideways.