Wherein Hogwarts starts from age thirteen and Harry Potter, having lived a little longer unaware of the existence of magic, becomes, a little different, from the Harry we know and love. A story about exploring an AU and its small differences, which lead to large changes

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Harry Potter lives with the Dursleys, his relatives, if they can be called that, as their, either incredible obesity or giraffe like thinness set them quite starkly apart from the boy that is Harry Potter. Harry has been living with the aforementioned not-relatives, for some 11 or 12 years, he's not sure exactly, what age he was when he came to live with the Dursleys. What he can be sure of, is that from that day forth, he would no longer be treated with even the basic decency expected between strangers.

It is because Harry has been living with the Dursleys for so long, that when his uncle tells him to pick up the mail, when he notices a letter addressed to him, he immediately crumples it and jams it into his jeans pocket. Dudley bounding down the stairs with nigh a passing glance.

It is this change in events that leads Harry to his cupboard later that day, illuminating a slip of parchment with a flickering, tape-covered flashlight he picked up from Dudley's spare room a couple months back.

As Harry reads the letter inviting him to join the esteemed school of "Hogwarts" (who names a school that?), he decides he must ask someone for help, because, being told you're invited to a school and which supplies to get, seems to be a little lacklustre a way of of telling someone magic exists and that you've been invited to study it, breaking any preconceived notions about the nature of the world one lives in while at it. Maybe he's missing the page which explains, well, only everything.

Despite perhaps an inkling of doubt, Harry is quite certain Hogwarts is not some sick joke Dudley decided to play on him. After all, what letter would be addressed to the cupboard under the stairs, what would so perfectly explain every "freakish" thing he's done, but magic. So yes, Harry decides, magic can be the only explanation.

Harry, not knowing what else to do, writes his letter to the headmaster, Dumbledore (if anything about Hogwarts is fake, it must be the names, they're ridiculous!). He's certain writing an letter is what he should do, because the paper even says it expects a reply, although it says 'by owl' which he finds pretty weird. Harry shrugs it off and decides it must be a name for some sort of message service, like e-mail maybe. So Harry writes: that of course he wants to go to Hogwarts! But he's not really sure about magic and that maybe he hasn't received a letter and if the headmaster could please explain, because he doesn't know where to get cauldrons or robes or cloaks and it's all leaving him rather distressed.

It is two days after the reception of the original letter that Dudley complains about being bored and Harry's relatives take their 'precious Dudders' to the cinema. Harry is obviously left at home, because freaks don't deserve to go to the cinema, their trip is short, so they don't bother leaving him with mrs. Figg. For once though, Harry doesn't mind, as he takes his chance and swipes an envelope from the drawer his uncle keeps them in. He doesn't really know how to send a letter but he decides if he heads to the post office a couple streets down, someone might send it for him. Unfortunately, before he can step off the porch, a brown flurry of feathers swoops down (which harry only later recognises as an owl) and snatches Harry's letter before he can even blink.

Well, Harry thinks, staring at his empty hand, a little shocked, he wasn't exactly expecting a literal owl. But really, he's sending a letter to the headmaster of a magical school, so maybe it's not all that surprising.

Unsure what else to do, he heads back inside, if he doesn't get a reply within two or three days, he supposes his letter did just get stolen by a rogue owl and he'll send out another. After all, the invitation says he needs to reply before the 31st.

It turns out Harry was correct in waiting, because two days later, just as he's starting to get very worried and deliberating trying to sneak out to send his letter, the door is almost ripped off its perfectly oiled (by Harry mind you) hinges. This, by the biggest man Harry has ever seen, he's honestly pretty bloody terrifying, until Harry notices his friendly eyes lined with crows feet, twinkling down at him and the jovial expression he wears.

So, Hagrid, with two days to spare before July 31st, takes Harry to diagon alley. On the way he tells him about the Wizarding world, he even knew his parents! Harry wishes he knew more about them, aunt Petunia would just be more horrible than usual whenever he asked her about them, telling him they were despicable drunks who died in a car crash. Harry doesn't think they could have been that bad if they were friends with Hagrid and they were witches and wizards, but he's not going to go and tell Aunt Petunia that.

So Harry has what may be the most amazing day in his life, he gets robes and books and potions ingredients and even tries to get himself a solid gold cauldron, he can't help himself now that he's found out his parents left money for him. He's now quite certain Aunt Petunia lied to him, after all, his parents left him a vault filled to the brim with golden coins, if they had the forethought to leave him money, clearly they must have cared. Well, Aunt petunia would probably just say something nasty like: *hmph! The only reason your useless parents left you anything is because they didn't have time to spend it before they went and got themselves killed, leaving us to have to take you on as a burden!*

Aunt Petunia aside, Harry should have known a day this wonderful wouldn't last. As he gets his wand, Ollivander, the shopkeeper who sold it to him, mentions his scar. Wanting to know why people kept gawking at his forehead all day, Harry asks Hagrid, who in turn tells Harry why he's considered famous. He talks about a dark lord, the leader of an evil group, trying to kill all muggles and muggleborns, those being the witches and wizards born to muggles, like his mum, the man that killed Harry's parents. Voldemort. Well he hardly says Voldemort, Harry still has to strain his ears after the third time he asks Hagrid, as even then, it remains mumbled hastily, as if saying it could cause some horrible thing to happen.

Harry has never really hated anyone in his life. There was no love lost between him and the Dursleys, but it would have been unproductive to hate them. They were like an e part of someone's day, hating and being angry at them would have done nothing to help. However, it is when Harry first learns of Voldemort, that he thinks he must truly hate him.

So, yes, not much differs in this chapter, but I did try to include a few key differences, which will then spiral into further differences i.e. Harry not meeting Draco Malfoy or Quirrel and Gringotts not being robbed the same day, because he goes to Diagon Alley earlier or generally how the fact he's two years older and that having spent those years with the Dursleys will eventually show changes in his character. This is the first fanfic I'm posting and I don't have much of a story plan but I hope you'll all enjoy it