(31st October 1981)
Harry sat there, in his cot, wondering what was happening. "Haaaaaarrrrrrrry, time for bed sweet heart" Lily cooed. She pulled the blanket over him and tucked him in. was this a dream, a memory lost to him for over 80 year.
He tried to talk but only a quiet "mumumum ga" came out of his young undeveloped mouth.
"yes I'm your mummy, but it's sleep time now darling" Lilly cooed again, turning around and turning the light in the bedroom off.
This wasn't a dream then, or if it was, it was a very lucid dream. One way to check, look at his magical core using Occlumency, if Harry really was dreaming, he probably wouldn't be able to do so, or if he could he would just see his normal core.
What Harry saw shocked him, sure he saw his adult magical core he saw a representation of his soul, but he saw another core, another soul. But this body was already showing signs of dying. Baby Harry's small body couldn't handle his adult core, never mind its own developing core as well and that was just the cores, his soul was doing just as much damage.
Suddenly Harry could hear someone downstairs yelling, and someone else thundering up said stairs "Lily, it's him, take Harry and run, I'll hold him off". His mum had him in her arms less than a minute later even though the sound of spell fire began to rage downstairs.
"Avada Kedavra" came an almost hissing voice downstairs. Lily's despair was far to real as she turned and ran towards the doorway only to see Voldemort fly to the top of the stairway, blocking the way to the only room with a Floo in the house.
Lily, slammed the door, casting locking and reinforcement charms on it and running back to the crib. Putting Harry back down in the crib, "Damn these anti-apparition wards!" Lily sobbed.
All Harry could do was cry even though he knew what was happening, this was his mum about to die. "There there, mummy's here" Lily cooed, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Live for me ok" this time she placed he finger over Harry's mouth, seemingly calming the baby enough, to make him stop crying.
Harry suddenly knew what to do, he began dispersing his adult core, pushing the magic into the baby's very flesh, his skin. Lily watched as the baby began to glow, something about the magic emanating from her baby seemed to give her the last of the resolve she needed.
The door behind her blasted open and Lily turned to face her fate. "step aside" the hissing voice of Voldemort commanded.
"Never" Lily yelled
"Filthy mud-blood, Avada Kedavra"
The room around Harry's cot flashed green and there was a thud as his mothers body hit the floor.
There was only one thing left to do, the baby's body would never be able to handle Harry's older soul. He knew the baby would never know about the life his older counterpart had led, memories were part of what made up the soul after all.
Harry watched as Voldemort peered over the cot, smiling his weird post-euphoric smile "If only they had listened to me, they could have served me, but they died for you" he sighed.
"Avada Kedavra" Voldemort hissed once again, the green curse flying from his wand once more.
All Voldemort could do was watch as his curst hit something that seemed to eject itself from the boy's body, reflecting the curse back at him.
-oo00OoO00oo-
(24th July 1991)
Harry's sides hurt from the bruises and the hard bed he had been sleeping on only ten minutes ago. He bent down to pick up the small pile of letters destined for his uncle's fat hands a minute later.
As he walked down the small hallway he had the most incredible urge to shuffle through the letters as he walked towards the kitchen. Suddenly his eyes caught something that made him stop, eyes almost bulging out of his head.
MR. H. POTTER
The Cupboard Under The Stairs
4, Privet Drive,
Little Whinging,
Surrey
He quickly slid the letter through the crack under the door to his cupboard and hurried into the kitchen hoping his uncle wouldn't notice his delay. Handing over the letters he walked into the kitchen and pulled the frying pan out of the cupboard.
"HURRY UP BOY!" Vernon yelled "BREAKFAST WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE TABLE 5 MINUTES AGO" Harry knew he would probably get a beating later that night, and it was summer so he wouldn't hold back for the purpose of hiding Harry's mistreatment from the school system.
Harry waited till Vernon, his Aunt Petunia and Dudley finished eating and they walked his uncle out the door before he collected up the plates. He turned the sink on, and scrubbed the dishes.
-oo00OoO00oo-
After serving dinner, Harry quickly retreated to his cupboard, making sure to pick up his letter on the way in, hoping Vernon had forgotten about being late this morning with breakfast.
Carefully Harry opened the letter, being extra careful to make as little noise as possible. He pulled out the piece of folded parchment. At the top it had a crest detailing something called Hogwarts
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump International Confederate of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed is a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
If any assistance is required place your hand on the letter and speak "Auxilium Requiratur" and a Hogwarts professor will be sent out within a few days
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
By the time Harry finished reading he was stunned, was this why he could change the way he did.
Was this the reason he had been called a "freak", was this why he was treated the way he was.
Harry couldn't help feeling the emotion's rising within himself. As he began to sob he placed his hand on the letter and whisper between his sobs "Auxilium Requiratu" before putting the letter to the side and grabbing the rags he used a blanket and curled up on his tattered mattress.
Harry could remember the first time he changed, when he and Dudley were four years old. His hair changed from its black to a red, Dudley had burst into a fit of giggles. Moments later his Aunt Petunia walked into the room. She had yelled at him and called him a freak, practically kicking him away from her "Duddykins" she'd grabbed Harry and locked him in his cupboard for two days without food.
Harry quickly learnt to control his ability after that night, never using it around anybody else, always curios if there was anybody else like him. Bringing his thoughts back to the present he hoped that this "Hogwarts" was real, he hoped there were others like him. Harry cleared his thoughts and tried to sleep. His dreams that night filled him with hope for a better tomorrow.
-oo00OoO00oo-
(25th July 1991)
Harry looked up at the strange tabby cat that began to mewl at him, while he was gardening. It looked well groomed and friendly, so he decided to reach out hand and path the cat's back. After a few seconds the cat began to purr before walking towards the front door of number 4 privet drive.
Harry watched as the cat looked around quickly as if paranoid. Obviously spotting nothing the cat seemed to suddenly grow, becoming bipedal and losing it's tail while changing into an older woman wearing robes and a pointy hat.
"Are you Harry potter" the woman said.
Harry, who's jaw had been hanging limp suddenly realized he had been gawking, closed his mouth "Uh yes ma'am" he replied weakly.
"I'm Professor McGonagall, pleasure to meet you Harry" she sighed, Harry had no idea about magic.
Harry rose, taking off the gardening gloves "I-is this a-about that letter yesterday? Ill go get my aunt" Harry quickly rushed inside to get his aunt, leaving a bewildered McGonagall behind.
Why did Harry seem so nervous, or was it something else. She had known the Dursleys had been bad all those years ago, had Albus been wrong. No, perhaps Harry just read his letter and summoned her without telling his aunt and uncle. Then again, he did look thin for a boy his age.
Petunia Dursley had been laying on the sofa, getting into her latest novel when Harry came sprinting through the house "STOP RUNNING AROUND OR YOU WON"T EAT FOR A WEEK" she shouted as the boy came to a halt in front of her "And get back outside and finish the gardening" she growled in a threatening tone.
"but Aunt Petunia-" Harry began.
"NO BUTTS" Petunia cut off.
"there's a lady at the front door" Harry finished.
"well why didn't you say so" Petunia said slapping the boy in front of her across the head, standing up and straitening her dress.
Petunia walked across to the front door at the other end of the house. She swung the door open with a bright smile on her face, which proceeded to turn pale as her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Would you like to come in" Petunia rasped, leading the way to the kitchen.
Harry closed the door behind McGonagall who sat opposite Petunia at the kitchen table.
"Good morning, I'm professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress-" before McGonagall could continue she was abruptly cut off by Petunia.
"I know where your from, when the boy was left on our doorstep we sent a letter saying that he wouldn't be going" Petunia said, in a fit of rage.
Harry couldn't believe his eyes when the woman pulled out a stick under the table and a bolt of light shot out from it. What was just as strange was his aunt seemingly calming down almost straight after the bolt had hit his aunt.
"I'm sorry, we weren't aware of that. Such a shame to see Lilly's money wasted though, the school fee is non-refundable you see" McGonagall smirked at seeing Petunia's eyes light up in glee.
"His schooling is already paid for?" Petunia asked not sure if what she was hearing was true.
"Since the day he was born, James made sure of it."
"And everything will be supplied by the school?" Petunia asked again, trying to find the hidden costs.
"No, but the money in Harry's trust fund will more than cover the cost of his school supplies" McGonagall could barely contain her laughter at Petunia, her jaw was working itself yet no words were coming out.
Petunia was thinking about the hundreds of pounds she would save and it could all go towards a family holiday with herself Vernon and Dudley. She also had the benefit of Hogwarts being a boarding school "In that case I see no reason he cant go then" she stated hurriedly "though I have no idea where he needs to get supplies, or where to drop him off."
The other woman just sighed "I can get Hagrid to pick him up on the morning of the first of August and again on the first of September."
Petunia quickly agreed, but before she had time to usher McGonagall out the door "Will there be other people like me there?" Harry asked barely loud enough for McGonagall to hear.
McGonagall quickly turned to Harry "Yes, there will be many other young witches and wizards like yourself attending Hogwarts, we are after all a school for witches and wizards."
"That's not what I mean professor" Harry changed his hair color, flicking from its black, to a deep blue, a bright red before finishing off with his default black, then he grew half a foot before shrinking down again.
Petunia glared at his showing off his abilities and It was McGonagall's time to gawk at the boy. "How much do you know about our world Harry."
"Nothing" Petunia murmured.
-oo00OoO00oo-
Having spent almost the whole day talking to McGonagall, Harry was sad to see her have to go, she had told him not only about his abilities as a metamorphmagus, but also a little about wizarding culture in general and lent him a copy of Hogwarts: A History. However she had refrained from mentioning Harry's parents, something he had desperately hoped she would tell him about, how could his parents, after all being magical, die in a car crash. By the time Harry had finished making dinner and doing chores, he found himself a bundle of nerves and excitement for what was coming in a weeks time.
