Destiny Awaits

Authors Note:

Hi all this is my first Harry Potter fanfic and so I ask for your patience and understanding. I've read a lot of fanfiction over the years and thought I'd have a go. I don't claim to have perfect grammar and I know some of the ideas in this fic will have been done before so constructive criticism is always welcome.

My thoughts behind this story is that I want to make Harry a bit more mature and a little bit more like Tom Riddle was at that age without going so far as to completely change the nature of Harry. I always found it unrealistic that Harry would be content and completely innocent after the years with his relatives (he's only human after all) and it always bugged me that there did not seem to be much development in his abilities after Voldemort returns at the end of GOF. Because of this I will be trying to change that in this fic. Saying that, his friends will always be his main motivation once he actually makes some. Also this will not be a super Harry story where everything comes easily to him like becoming an animagus in two weeks with a magical form which shoots thunderbolts out of its eyes and so on.

I intend to go through all of Harry's Hogwarts years playing with various ideas. As for romance, I'm currently not planning on adding any for the simple reason that I not good at writing it and if I did it may ruin the story. This may change at some point but no promises. Also this fic will be in the first person perspective. Mainly because the majority of fics that I've read are in the third person perspective and I wanted to do something a bit different.

As far as the rating is concerned, I'm going to leave it at T for future violence, deaths, etc.

On that note all I can say is enjoy.

Disclaimer:

All Harry Potter characters, rights and so on belong to J. K. Rowling and I am making no money off of this.

Chapter 1 - Beginnings

Flashes of green light ark in brilliant colours, striking into the heart of the crowd. People fall lifelessly to the ground their open eyes unseeing. The remaining people start screaming as they try to flee to no avail. I look around me to find out what's causing this and I come face to face with a something from a nightmare. Stood there in a dark cloak with glowing red eyes and a familiar snakelike face he trains a wooden stick on me.

"Now Harry Potter, you die alone" the monster cries out wickedly.

The stick flashes and a familiar green light emerges. A whooshing sound accompanies it as it streaks towards me. I know I should move, get out of the way of the light but I cannot, my feet won't obey me. The light hits me in the chest…

I wake up violently, my small cover getting tangled in my legs as I attempt to escape my tormented dreams. Slowly reason returns to me and I realize I am safe and that there is no red eyed monster in front of me but instead lies the darkness of my cupboard.

As I calm my ragged breaths I think back on what I have just dreamt. I know red eyes from somewhere and I've dreamt of green light and screams for as long as I can remember but it does not help and it does not lessen the effect of the dreams on me.

As the last effects of the dream leave me I contemplate my life so far. I've lived at number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging with the Dursleys' my aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley since my parents were killed in a car crash 10 years ago. The same car crash that left me with a lightning bolt shaped scar on my forehead. They may be related by blood however they've made it quite clear over the years that we are not family. Every chance to belittle or punish me was taken advantage of. If I ever outshone Dudley at school I would be accused of cheating and then be punished accordingly. Life would be so much easier if I stopped trying, if I hid my knowledge and tried to be the perfect slave for them but I can't do that. If I did it would mean they would win and I have too much pride for that. Instead I excel in my studies wherever possible. I am at the top of all my classes and I'm never far from a new book to read. Saying that I don't exactly hide away with books by choice thanks to my cousin, no one wants to be friends with the "freak".

I can honestly say I hate them with every fibre of my being.

There's more to it than simple hate though. They've often commented loudly on how "freakish" I am, especially after one of the "incidents" and at those times I've seen glimmers of fear in their eyes. The "incidents" generally happen when I am scared or angry so of course one of the Dursleys' are usually present. One time Dudley and his friends were chasing me around the school trying to beat the "freakishness" out of me. I ran to hide behind the bins at the back of the school only to find myself a few seconds later standing on the school roof looking down at my confused tormentors. I was locked in my cupboard for a week after that one.

Another time was when my aunt shaved nearly all my hair off trying to tame its usual messy look. That night I dreaded what the other children at school would say the next day and to my surprise and delight when I looked in the mirror, my hair was back to exactly as it was before the shearing. Suffice to say my aunt was horrified.

I'm not stupid. I know I'm different from them. What I can do is almost like magic and since they continually remind me that magic doesn't exist I've decided that's exactly what I'm doing. Since the school incident I've been trying to control what I can do by using different emotions. Anger has so far been the best emotion however I know it's not practical as I can't become angry at a moments notice, plus I don't want to be angry like that all the time. It reminds me too much of red eyes. Recently I've been able to feel something different inside me when I use my gift. It's like an energy flowing through my veins that I can now slightly direct through my hands. It's difficult and many nights I've collapsed from the strain of it but I know I'm getting better. I've actually just recently had my greatest success. My glasses have always been a liability especially with the number of times they've been broken. So I decided to try and fix that. I focused that new energy out of my fingertips and into my eyes concentrating on how desperately I needed them to heal. It hurt there's no denying that but after the pain stopped I could see clearly. I've not needed my glasses since.

I hope to use this gift someday to get away from my relatives but until then all I can do is practice.

I shake my head as I realize it's time for me to make the breakfast for my relatives. I say for them, because I rarely get to have any.

Later after the Dursleys have risen and are eating breakfast, my uncle turns his beady eyes on me.

"Get the mail boy!" he shouts at me with a glower.

I sigh, hang up the towel I am holding and head towards the front door. I pick up the letters and am about to head back to the kitchen when something catches my eye. A letter with my name on it. I look around hurriedly knowing that I have little time. I walk past the stairs and quickly throw the letter into the cupboard as I walk past. There's no way I'm letting them know someone's written to me.

I relax my tense shoulders and try to act as normal as possible as I hand the remaining letters to my uncle and then resume cleaning the dishes. In my years here I've learned patience. I can wait a bit longer to read the letter.

Later that day when I have a bit of time to myself I sit on my bed staring at the letter in my hands. It has the name of my cupboard on it. I open the letter with unsteady hands, it's not written on paper but some kind of thick parchment. As I begin to read each line a sense of shock over powers me. Apparently my assumption of my gift being magic was right and I've been invited to a school called Hogwarts with others who can also do magic.

As my shock decreases a new feeling emerges, worry. The letter says I have to respond by owl but I don't have one. I decide to take one problem at a time. Quickly I tear off a bit of paper from my notepad and begin to write.

Dear Professor McGonagall,

I have just received your letter and would like to accept your offer to join Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry however I do not know anything about where to get the required supplies and neither do I have any money to purchase them. Could you please let me know if there is some kind of scholarship fund available. Also I have never heard of the wizarding world before your letter so could you please provide me with more information?

Your Sincerely,

Harry Potter.

With that I sneak outside and look around. At first I see nothing but suddenly a dark steak flying down in front of me. It's an owl and it's holding it's let out towards me expectantly. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I tie the letter and watch on as the owl takes flight into the night. All I can do now is hope.