I suppose I'll use this to keep you all updated since it won't fit in the summary. I'll simply post whatever I think is relevant at the time here, short and sweet, so you can be notified without having to read a long ass AN. One, the flashbacks won't be all through the story. Once Harry goes to bed for the first time, I plan for him to recount the past few days in a dream so I can dump those 3 chapters at once and continue along with the story. I also plan to feature the story of Alice and Frank Longbottom. Either Neville will tell Harry in a moment of friendship solidification, or Hagrid will tell him at some point further along. Perhaps Harry will go to ask more about Voldy and Hagrid will try to use their story to convey just how serious of a threat Death Eaters and Voldy are. Fuck it, you decide! Anyway, 10 house points to whoever emails me a list of significant changes I made. Dustblows123

Harry made his way awkwardly down the aisles of the old, crimson locomotive. Every alternating step sent him stumbling into a compartment door. He soon gave up on apologizing, because it didn't seem like anybody else on the train was affected by its rocking or the after effects.

His breakfast stayed put though, never making due on its threats to come back up. For a brief period, the happiest moment in Harry's life was finding a seemingly empty compartment and letting his stomach recover. As the city faded away, Harry though back on what was actually the happiest moment in his life. In his head he recounted the events leading up to the fateful night, beginning with his cousin's eleventh birthday.

THUD! THUD! THUD! came the footsteps over his bed. Surely that would be Dudley coming to wake him. Anticipating something special for the big day, he took a deep breath and slowly prodded the door open. In an instant he was pulled from the broom closet and his cousin had him pinned on the floor.

"Do you know what day it is Harry?" he asked. Before Harry could give the obvious answer, Dudley was squatting over his face. "It's your fartday!"

Harry tried to crawl away, but his cousins gas came before he had a chance. Harry was nimble, although he may not have looked it, but nobody could have escaped a situation with similar proportioned participants. He let out a disgusted cry as his cousin continued to pin him down.

When Petunia Dursley made her way downstairs, she already had the intention of berating Harry for the loud disturbance. Dudley was dumb, but he seemed to have a special intelligence for finding ways to make his cousin's situation worse. He sprang from Harry's chest and made his way into the kitchen surprisingly quick, disappearing just as his mother set foot in the hall.

"You awful, awful boy!" she shrieked, sprinting for the nearest aerosol. Aunt Petunia liked a clean, fine home. "What have you done, you? On this of all days. If the food we give you is gonna come back like this, I think it only right to take that food away."

Harry had survived ten years with the Dursleys, so he knew they'd never let him starve, but you never get used to eating just crackers and water until you're allowed normal meals again.

All of this had happened so fast. It couldn't have been a couple of minutes. Harry was just coming to terms with how stupid Dudley's joke was and accepting his punishment when Aunt Petunia started again.

Harry was interrupted from his recollection when he noticed the dirty looking boy in his compartment door. He was a scrawny red head, and Harry knew by looking at his poor fitting trousers that he too had older siblings. "Can I help you?"

Satisfied with the acknowledgement, he made his way into the compartment and settled down across from Harry, tossing his luggage haphazardly onto an overhead rack. He didn't think he was trespassing in any sense. He extended a hand in greeting. "Ron Weasley. I hope you don't mind if I join you. The only other compartments that are open have Slytherins in 'em."

"How long have you gone to Hogwarts?" Harry asked. He had considered asking what a Slytherin was, but realized he probably didn't want to find out just yet.

Ron chuckled. "It's my first year, mate. Your's too I assume?"

Harry laughed too. "Yes it is," he said. "I just thought...the way you present yourself...well I guess I'm jealous. Aren't you nervous?"

Ron shuffled in his seat so he could see down the aisle. When he was convinced nobody was coming, he spoke up. "You're a muggleborn aren't you?" Harry just stared blankly. "A wizard from normal parents," Ron clarified.

"Well, I suppose I was raised by muggles bu-"

Ron cut him off and continued. "That's it then! Of course you're nervous. I'm from a pure blood family, you see? So I've grown up around magic. I've had five older brothers to learn from. Of course, Fred and George don't offer much learning experience." He took on a look of pride and added, "Don't you worry then, I've got all the knowledge to help you around. My brother Percy makes me help him study."

Just then, as if out of nowhere, two teenaged boys appeared in the compartment crying with laughter. Ron jumped back in his seat and it seemed like he'd fly out of the train completely. Harry only stared in amazement. They had to be Ron's brothers. They looked just like him. They were more athletic, and at least two years older, but the red hair said it all.

"Where'd you bloody come from?!" Ron shouted, but he was drowned out by the twins' laughter. Eventually he gave up and shot Harry a look that just said "These two. Give me a break." Harry laughed at that, catching the twins' attention.

"You believe him then?" asked one. "Ronnykins the tour guide," said the other, waving his hands in mock wonder. "He can barely put on his robes without mum's help!" And with that they were laughing on the floor. For a moment Harry felt like he could really relate to Ron, but it was obvious he had a family that loved him very much. Apart from superficial similarities, they were nothing alike. Much teasing later, when a frizzy haired girl came by the compartment and gave a small cough, they took it as their cue to leave. The two boys vanished as easily as they had appeared.

"Ah! Night troll!" Ron exclaimed, and once again jumped back across the room. Harry didn't know exactly what a night troll was, but thought he had heard Dudley mention something similar when discussing a computer game. He shot a look at Ron, a signal that it wasn't okay.

"Very funny," the girl sighed. "I've heard about your brothers from the other girls. I suppose I should make this quick before you get me expelled. I'm Hermione Granger. You are?" She was looking at Harry.

"That's right! I've been sitting here this whole time and I don't know your name! Come on then, mate," Ron said.

"I'm Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you Hermione. What can we help you with?"

"W-well Mr. Harry Potter, I-I just wanted to say - to ask - if either of you boys had seen a frog - well, a toad - around the train." She was blushing and beginning to edge back into the aisle. "A boy named Neville's lost his and he'd very much like it back and he's just down that way! Thank you, bye!"

Ron couldn't contain himself as she disappeared down the train. "What's her problem? Hasn't she ever met a celebrity?"

Harry looked around the compartment, half expecting someone famous to appear the way Fred and George had. Then he noticed Ron staring at him. "Wait, you mean me?" Harry asked, surprised that anyone would even consider such a thing. "I mean, Hagrid told me it was a big deal. My parents dying. He told me it had something to do with a dark wizard's downfall. But celebrity?"

"Harry, what exactly did Hagrid tell you?" Ron asked, looking more serious than he had on the whole journey.

"He told me that when I was a baby, there was a very dark wizard. 'A real rotten one' to use his words. My parents fought against him, and were actually a threat. Hagrid said nobody had ever brought so much hope for the end of the war. So, this dark wizard tracked them down. My father went first apparently, because he was in the hallway. And my mother-" Harry took a breath."My mother was by my crib. She hadn't even cast a spell. She just bent over me, crying, and stood in his way when he came into the nursery. But she couldn't stop him. Then, with no opposition, he pointed his wand at me and said the curse that would finish the Potters. Except it didn't. Something happened and I survived. This dark wizard was destroyed and then they won the war."

"Harry," Ron said, "there is no 'and then'. That night we won. The whole wizarding world won! That wasn't just some bloke. It was Voldemort. He WAS the war. Everyone knows your name. You really were raised by muggles, weren't you?"

Harry just shrugged. "So you've met a lot of celebrities? You don't seem so shocked to see me."

"Well, my dad works for the Ministry of Magic - you'll learn all about them pretty quick - and I guess I've met some pretty famous aurors," he said. "They're like wizard police. And I'm from a pureblood family, remember? So a couple of distant relatives have written a book or two. I see one of them every other Christmas."

Before Harry could ask any more questions about Ron's family, the redhead was standing up and reaching above Harry to retrieve their trunks. "We'd better be getting into our robes soon. We'll be at the school by dark," he said. Sure enough, the sun was setting over a wet field. Harry resisted the urge to make a bad joke about the reflections being magical. For all he knew, there was actually a spell making the field shine that way.

Harry continued to think of fantastic things that were probably magic. It captured his attention, and he didn't notice his friend changing beside him until he was in his robes. They were frayed and a little large, like the rest of his clothing. Harry thought about the gold that his parents had left him and wondered if it would offend him if he offered to buy Ron new robes. It was stupid, but Harry had never truly had a friend before, and he felt as if he was supposed to cement the friendship somehow. Before he could consider it further though, the train screeched slowly to a halt. Harry was forced to get into his robes and join the queue of students waiting eagerly to exit the train.

"Don't worry," Ron said, "I won't tell 'em who you are."

Harry was comforted and smiled as he worked his way into the aisle. He was glad he'd have some time before more students like the frizzy haired girl were interrogating him. He thought about what the castle was like, and the life that was beginning for him.

"Harry get off the floor," Aunt Petunia said, still spraying air freshener frantically. "I want you dressed and ready to go in thirty minutes."

Harry looked confused. "Go where, exactly?" He asked.

"To the zoo with us," Aunt Petunia said, disappointed. "You're sitter had something important to do and we have to take you. Now get ready!"

Harry shut his eyes as she blasted him with the air freshener. He went back into the broom closet and picked up a pair of Dudley's old clothes. He would rather wear ill fitting clothes than the random assortment of items he received as birthday presents. Alas, Dudley's socks were all torn, and thirty minutes later Harry stood at the front door in a mismatched pair of calf socks, rolled so they were visible under his pants. He was being pushed out the door when Uncle Vernon remembered the mail. Everyone stopped what they were doing at the look on his face when he retrieved it.

"Petunia, dear, I think you ought to see this," he said. "Quickly, please." Aunt Petunia made her way from the car to Uncle Vernon's side. She let out a sharp gasp, looking as if she'd faint. "What do you think it means? A letter after all these years."

Dudley was trying to see the envelope, but his parents held it just out of reach of his stubby arms. "Lily got these all the time. They know if you don't open it," Aunt Petunia said. Harry was gonna ask who Lily was, but she continued. "Maybe if we just throw it away they'll leave us alone."

"Yes. Yes, that ought to do. Show them we don't want anything to do with their nonsense," Uncle Vernon said looking satisfied. He tore the letter to pieces, grinning smugly at Harry the whole time.

Ron snapped his fingers and he had Harry's attention again. "Someone's there," he said, pointing up the track at a lantern. A large, bearded man was beckoning the first years off the train and towards him.

"That's Hagrid, Ron!" Harry said, excited to see a familiar face. He ran up the platform, dragging Ron along. They were the first students to gather before the giant.

"Why, hullo 'arry," Hagrid said. "See ya met the Weasleys, then? Ain't too many better to make friends with on your first day. I trust you're Ron. Heard about ya from your brother Charlie way back when," he said, patting Ron on the shoulder as more first years joined them.

"Blimey, when Fred and George say giant they mean it. I thought they were just joking about you," Ron said, shocked. Hagrid looked as if he didn't know whether to be offended or laugh, so changed his focus to the other students.

"Ought to be all of your lot," he said, counting the first years. Harry liked Hagrid, but doubted his counting skills, and wondered if a lone first year would be left to find their way to the castle alone. But turning back, he saw nobody rushing to join them anytime soon, and vanished such a silly thought from his mind. "Alright then, best be movin' on. All o' ya, follow me. Ye'll get your first glimpse of Hogwarts momentarily. We'll be takin' the boats to the school, all firs' years do."

He swung his lantern around and they made their way from the platform down to a large lake. The light reflecting off the cold, black water shimmered occasionally. Thinking of what made the water shimmer brought up images of terrible creatures, surfacing only to check out potential prey. "Would the school let something like that stay in the lake?" Harry thought. It was absurd, and Harry was far too distracted to think about it anymore, because along with the other first years he was drawn to the source of the light. Most of the students let out rather loud gasps. One student squealed and looked as if she'd faint.

Before them was a great castle, its many towers piercing the Scottish skyline. From thousands of windows, the yellow glow of candles and torches silhouetted the dark walls against the night. It was perched high upon a cliff, directly overlooking the lake. Harry could just make out the light shining through an open doorway, at least twenty feet tall. The two massive doors had been thrown wide and the students, tiny from where Harry stood, made their way in dozens at a time. In the time that they waited there staring, half the school must have made their way through the doors.

Hagrid had made his way to the shore, where he was lighting the lanterns on an array of boats. "Down here you lot!" he called. "Four to a boat. Come on, don't be picky. This ain't the time to be choosing your friends," he instructed. "There'll be plenty o' time for that after the sorting. We shoulda been halfway to the school by now."

The students were making their way into the boats, some of them ignoring Hagrid and clearly thinking hard about which one to take. Harry and Ron found an empty one and, seated rather comfortably, thought that perhaps they'd get it to themselves. Harry was just beginning to ask Ron if he'd heard anything about the lake from his brothers when, to their disappointment, the frumpy looking girl stepped awkwardly onto the boat. Harry recalled her name was Hermione, but didn't recognize the boy she trailed behind her. The four of them sat rather cramped, with Harry and Ron trying to avoid eye contact with their new neighbors. Hermione seemed to have regained her self-control, but the other boy looked as if he had just lost his. Round and pink faced, he seemed to be looking anywhere but the water. Harry wondered if he had had the same thought as him, or if he was just awfully afraid of water.

Just then, there was a crack from Hagrid's direction. Harry just saw him putting his umbrella semi-stealthily away when, simultaneously, the boats pushed off. Each oar acted of its own accord, rowing in rhythm towards the castle. Side by side the boats must have looked quite spectacular; a wave of lamplight coming to crash against the cliff face. Slowly they made their way across the lake. Neville held down his lunch, and Hermione was mostly quiet. She tried to start them talking about lessons once, but caught on to the attitude in the boat rather quickly. After what seemed like an hour of silence, Harry noticed that they were coming up to the cliff. The oars showed no sign of stopping their enchanted rowing, but the face of the cliff was drawing closer every second. When they were only ten feet away from hitting solid rock, the boats still hadn't slowed, and Harry couldn't take it.

"Hagrid!" he shouted, standing so quickly he nearly tipped his classmates into the water. "Stop the boats!"