Idea credit goes to TheGravityMiles. You can find the message thread on my profile.

Rough, unofficial summary: Harry was raised in an orphanage, he meets Ginny in Diagon Alley, they both become Slytherins. The Weasleys are mostly reluctant to accept this.

Eventual ship(s): Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Sirius/Remus

Additional notes: contrary to what the summary may imply, this is not a bashing fic; OCs are (probably) aplenty

Hagrid took Harry and Jayson to get their supplies.

Jayson, naturally, talked his ear off as soon as they left the orphanage and the wide-eyed children behind. "Will we learn how to become an animal? I've always wanted to be a tiger for a day. No, wait! A hawk! Or — oh! Oh! Are unicorns real?"

Harry took great amusement from Hagrid's distress. "No, er, I mean, yes, unicorns are real," Hagrid answered. "But the transfigurations you'll be doing in your first year won't be very fun. Matchsticks to needles and stuff like that."

Far from dampening Jayson's spirit, Hagrid's words just made him more excited. "Can't wait!" he said, bouncing on his toes.

"Jay, calm down," said Harry, finally taking pity on Hagrid. "You're overwhelming the poor guy."

Jayson looked up at Hagrid and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's all right." Hagrid clapped him on the back, sending Jayson facedown on the ground. He pulled him back to his feet with a muttered apology of his own.

Their first stop after the bank was Madam Malkin's for their robes. A boy with a pale, pointed face was there already, his blond hair sleek. Harry was suddenly aware of how his own hair and Jayson's looked, like they had just been plucked out of a pigpen.

The blond boy immediately annoyed Harry with his pompous nature. He was like some of the older boys at the orphanage, the ones that pushed the younger and newer kids around.

"Where are your parents?" he asked Harry.

"They're dead," said Harry.

For once, Jayson didn't answer; he kept his eyes resolutely forward, an uncharacteristic scowl on his face.

"Oh, sorry," said the blond. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"

"And if they weren't?" Harry said coldly.

The blond curled his lip. "Then you're no better than those Muggles."

"Hm." Harry turned away dismissively, which made the blond bristle.

When Madam Malkin was done, Harry and Jayson hopped off the footstool.

"By the way," said Harry, "my name's Harry. Harry Potter." He looked at a gaping Madam Malkin and nodded to her. "Thank you for the robes." Then he headed out.

Jayson followed him, sending the blond boy one last dirty look as he went. "I think we know who to avoid when we get to Hogwarts," he remarked, accepting the large ice cream from Hagrid.

It was the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, that Harry was especially looking forward to.

"Can we stay here for a bit longer?" he asked Hagrid.

"I suppose. But don't you want to get your wand?"

"Course I do." But the books...

"All right, how bout this? You get your wands, then come back here and I'll get the rest of your stuff," Hagrid suggested.

"Okay."

Jayson nudged him teasingly. "Bookworm. You'll definitely be in that Ravenclaw house."

"Better Ravenclaw than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."

"That can't be right," said Harry. "There must be some good Slytherins out there."

Hagrid shrugged, suddenly looking awkward. "Maybe a few. But a lot of 'em supported You-Know-Who. And he was one himself."

Harry exchanged a look with Jayson, who shrugged in a what-can-we-do-about-it sort of way.

Garrick Ollivander's wand shop was a tiny building with a single chair. Harry and Jayson looked around uncertainly, jumping when a voice greeted them.

"I'd thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

He didn't blink the entire time he spoke.

"Yes," said Harry because he really wanted to get into that bookstore. "So how do I know if the wand —?"

"— is the correct one?" Ollivander finished. "You'll know."

That was about as helpful as the time Jayson tried to explain why he thought eating a worm was a good idea.

So Ollivander began picking out wands for Harry and Jayson to try. Jayson got his on the fifth attempt — fourteen inches, larch with dragon heartstring. Harry took much longer, so long the chair was piled high with wands that didn't fit, until finally —

"Is it irony or a coincidence my wand core is the same as Voldemort's?" Harry muttered.

They were inside the bookstore at long last, taking their time looking through the books while Hagrid went to get them the rest of their supplies.

Jayson shrugged. "Sounds about right."

"But which one?"

"Yeah."

Harry rolled his eyes. And Jay liked to call him the bookworm.

"Pardon me," said a voice. A girl with flaming red hair was trying to get past them.

"Sorry," said Harry, moving aside.

The girl looked at the book he was holding. "Dragons? You want to be a dragon tamer when you grow up?"

Harry chuckled. "No. I'm just curious."

"One of my brothers works with dragons. It sounds really tough — oh!" The girl's eyes had flicked to his forehead and widened. "You're..."

"Please don't freak out," Harry whispered. The last thing he needed and wanted was to go through another round of shaking a bunch of strangers' hands while they all gushed about him.

The girl clamped her mouth shut. "Does it get really bad?"

"Well, I've never been one to touch people," Harry pointed out. He nodded to Jayson. "He's an exception."

Jayson beamed and threw an arm around his neck as if to prove his point. "We're inseparable. Anyway, I'm Jayson Sage. And you are?"

"Ginny. Ginny Weasley." She instinctively reached out with her hand but seemed to remember Harry's words and retracted it right away. "Are you liking it here?" she asked Harry. "I heard you went to live with your aunt and uncle."

"Um, well..." Harry hesitated. What would she think if she heard Harry had not seen the Dursleys in nearly six years?

"Oh, sorry!" Ginny blushed. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's all right. So are you starting this year?"

Ginny shook her head. "Next year. But I do have six brothers. Two of them graduated already, and Ron's starting this year. Maybe you can be friends."

"Maybe." If this Ron was as friendly as Ginny, Harry thought he'd get along okay.

"Ginny, dear, it's time to go!" A plump woman was standing by the doors with three other boys. All of them had the same flaming hair.

"Coming!" Ginny looked back at Harry. "I won't tell them who you are if you don't want me to," she whispered.

"Please."

Ginny smiled and ran to join her family.

"Who were those boys, Gin?" her mother asked.

"Just a couple of first years," Ginny told her. "They're starting this year."

"Oh, I hope they're not alone," her mother fretted.

George looked back. "I don't think they are. Hagrid's talking to them."

Ginny turned. Sure enough, a large man holding several books was standing with Harry and Jayson.

He was a bit smaller than she'd expected, that Harry Potter. Ginny had grown up hearing of him and had admittedly been intrigued to see him face to face, but now that she had, she couldn't help but wonder why he didn't match the image she had held for so long.

"All stories exaggerate," Percy had told her more than once. Perhaps that was the case with Harry as well.

What do you think? Was it good? If you liked it, keep an eye out for the official story.

Edit: It's up.