DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Just inspired by the many NCIS/HP crossovers I have been reading lately.

Full Summary: Everyone had always said Harry was special. True, the qualities that set Harry apart from the others changed drastically depending on who you asked. But everyone always agreed that Harry was special. He didn't want to be, but it will take a team of Muggles to show Harry that it is okay to be special as long as you are true to yourself. NCIS/HP Crossover.

A Child by Any Other Name

[ Part I: Prologue ]

Everyone has always said Harry was special.

Sure, there were varying opinions on the qualities that made him stand out amongst his peers, depending on who you asked, but Harry knew it was true.

He had heard it all his life, starting with his relatives.

Mind, the Dursley's thought that he was more "special in the head" than actually special.

He had spent most of his life thinking that his parents were no good bums who leeched off of the hardworking and honest do-gooders of society. That was the path that he was on the fast-track to becoming, according to the Dursley's.

For years Harry had had to listen to his relatives bemoan to anyone who would lend a sympathetic ear, that regardless of how hard they might have tried to "help" him get his life on track their efforts had always been in vain as he was just "dead set" on becoming a criminal like his lousy good-for-nothing father.

And it was only natural, that the Dursley's reminded him as frequently as possible that it was only out of the kindness of their hearts that they took him in and that any "normal" child would be grateful that they at least cared enough about him to do that.

Harry was not a normal child. Sometimes, when he was younger, Harry wished the Dursley's hadn't cared enough about him to take him in, because surely a life at the orphanage was better than any life he could have at the Dursley's. At least there was a chance that he could be adopted one day, on the condition that someone wanted a freak like him.

But of course, he wasn't that lucky.

Instead, he was resigned to the fact that the Dursley's would always regret taking him in.

The Dursley's would always hate him, no matter what he did or didn't do. If he achieved greatness in his life, it would be because he used "voodoo magic" on some poor unexpected bloke.

And if he didn't do anything, then it was destined. At least according to the Dursley's- and only the Dursley's- his parents hadn't done anything with their lives either.

Then there was the world that his parents had belonged to- the one he belonged to.

They, too, viewed him as being special. Like Olivander once said: "I think we must expect great things from you…" But in truth, maybe the greater part of magical Britain didn't just expect him to be great, but they demanded it. The older he got, the more he saw it.

They viewed him as unique, even- a far cry from what the Dursley's viewed him. He was considered to be special because he was a survivor. He had managed to survive an attempt at his life by one of the greatest megalomaniacs of the twentieth century. And because of that, they expected him to save them from this "reign of terror."

But regardless of what people say, or for what reason, Harry knew that he didn't want to be special. If being "special" meant being an orphan, living with loveless relatives who loved nothing more than to degrade him or having one's destiny foretold by the very people he was supposed to save. He didn't want to be any of it. He just wanted to be Harry. Only Harry and nothing more. Not the Boy-Who-Lived. Not a freak.

However, it was clear that everyone Harry associated with would never accept him for just him. Well, almost everyone.

Ron and Hermione were probably the only exceptions to the rule. They seemed to be content with Harry being just himself. Of course, Hermione wished that he took his schooling a bit more serious, and Ron probably wished he had a bit of Harry's popularity, but neither of them treated Harry any different than the rest of their peers. It was nice to be just Harry around them, not a freak and not a savior. It was the one time he was able to relax and let his guard down.

Even his professors expect something, well more. It was hard to put the finger on what it was they wanted from him, but they all seemed to expect him to have his mother's passion for knowledge or to carry on his father's legacy.

Except for Snape. Snape was like the Dursley's- just another person he would always be at odds with.

[ Part II: Default Chapter ]

Three weeks ago, he had defeated Voldemort for the second time.

Two weeks ago, he had been shipped back to the Dursley's with little more than a pat on the back from Dumbledore. The Dursley's had begrudgingly welcomed him back with the dark promise that he would more than make up for messing up their day, their week, and probably their whole lives.

Harry had spent the following week had been spent in equal parts, making up for months of missed chores and avoiding the Dursley's. It was actually fairly easy avoiding his relatives during the day. Uncle Vernon was at work for the better part of the day. Whereas his cousin was almost always in front of the TV or raiding the kitchen of all its sweets, or doing both. That was the only time Harry had ever seen the overweight boy multitask. His aunt was usually away catching up with all the local gossip at the Gardening and Book clubs she was apart of or catering to Dudley's needs. If she wasn't doing that, then she was standing over him, scolding him.

It was when his uncle got home that things got violent.

And it was one week ago his uncle had come home smiling so wide that his watery beady eyes became invisible under his rounded cheeks boasting loudly how he, of all people, had been nominated by his company to go over to the U.S. for a week and negotiate an agreement with a company over there. It might have been a business trip, but it was an all-paid business trip for the whole family. That included Harry, not that Harry would mention that. He didn't care if he went or not, but the Dursley's had cared.

The following days all Harry heard were the Dursley's arguing over what to do with "the boy," as Aunt Marge and Colonel Fubster had flown out to Majorca the week before for a few weeks and they did not have anyone else they could ask to go in Harry's stead. Of course, they had entertained the idea of leaving Harry behind, but neither his aunt or uncle trusted him to leave him left unsupervised in their house, so that idea was quickly scrapped, and Arabella Figg couldn't take him in for whatever reason. Harry thought she said something about one of her precious cats being sick, so the Dursley's were left with no other excuse but to take him along.

Of course, Harry had to deal with uncle Vernon accusing Harry of bewitching one of Mrs. Figg's cats, which Harry might have found funny since the Dursley's had never shown the slightest interest in any of their neighbor's cats, other than to say something uncomplimentary about them.

So here Harry was a week after his uncle had announced a "family trip" to Washington, D.C., waiting with a trolley at the luggage claim area of Ronald Reagan International Airport while his relatives went in search of some "actual food."

Harry scoured the area for the luggage, hoping that it would come soon as he was starting to get some odd looks. Harry knew he was a sight. A kid by himself, wearing an oversized, well-worn long-sleeved shirt, in an attempt to hide some of the welts, and cuts that littered his arms. As for his holey jeans, and the bruises that were visible there, he would let people assume whatever. It was uncommon for boys his age to be scuffed up as they tended to play rough, so it wasn't as big of a deal if the bruises showed down there where it would be harder for people to make a connection as to how the injuries actually came to be. But he knew people were watching him, and many were looking at him out of concern.

Harry didn't want their pity; it wasn't going to help him get away from the Dursley's. If anything, it would just serve as a hindrance and cause him more pain in the end. Harry was careful not to make any eye contact with any of the passing adults or engage in any conversations that were happening around him as people began showing their irritation at the apparent delay.

Finally, finally, the luggage appeared, and not a moment too soon, as Harry saw the Dursley's make their way through the crowd. It wasn't hard to miss them as the crowd parted for his uncle and cousin like the sea did for Moses.

"About time you got the luggage boy! We've been waiting for you to show your ruddy face for nearly half-an-hour now! We were about to leave without you and have you wait and find us at the hotel with the luggage finally arrived! Don't know how you would have done that without any money." His uncle hissed lowly at him when they finally approached him while giving him an evil eye before talking loudly towards his wife and son.

"Well, why don't we load up and drop the baggage off at the hotel before we find somewhere to eat, then we can do a bit of sightseeing."