Disclaimer: I own nothing, J.K. Rowling does and she does a far better job of maintaining the world she created than I do.
A/N Hi, I'm starting a Harry Potter story for those who still enjoy them as much as I do. I do this as a writing exercise mostly, I have no illusions about being some great writer but still I find it fun and I'd like to get better. Ahem...this story starts in year 1 and will chronicle Harry's rise among the weird the strange and the unfathomable. Also the Durleys are less neglectful in this and people might generally be more grey than usual. There are some differing elements in this story and I hope you'll enjoy it. Also I am desperatly looking for a beta as I do not english very well, at the very least accent wise. Which is why Hagrid speaks so jarringly normal.
With that let's get on with it.
You're a...!
"You're a wizard Harry!" The huge figure standing inside the creaking hovel boomed. Harry blinked, feeling his glasses slide slightly down his nose. Now that he got a better look at the bushy bearded giant he realized the man didn't radiate any animosity towards him, rather a joyful expectancy.
He rose from behind the small overturned table and stepped past the Dursleys. "I'm a wizard?" He tried not to sound too hopeful.
"Get back here boy!" Uncle Vernon's hand reached for Harry's sleeve but he halted when the giant shot him a look. His face turned an eerie purple-red colour and his hand dropped back to his side. Harry looked between the two and he felt a sort of elation as he realized this was someone Vernon didn't have power over. He stepped towards the giant hesitantly, still guarded because when was the last time anything ever went right for Harry Potter?
The giant grinned and spread his arms. "You didn't get the letters Harry? You're old enough to go to Hogwarts now, everyone is looking forward to it." He scratched his bushy beard and coughed. "Well I say everyone…" he trailed off when he saw Harry's clueless look and shot an inquisitive look at the boy. "You...did get the letters didn't you? I mean you never signed them but Dumbledore just assumed the memories might be too much for you."
When Harry just stared at him, dumbfounded he looked past the boy at the cowering Dursleys. "You didn't tell him...did you?" Uncle Vernon, finding his...courage, pride or indignation at being treated as an inferior, jabbed a finger in the direction of the giant man. "You have no right!" he barked. "You left him on our doorstep for us to raise and I will not have him dabbling in…" here he chanced a glance at his shivering wife, her eyes firmly on the floor and her mouth slightly agape obviously trying to shut out anything what was happening at that moment. Vernon deflated slightly, his anger replaced by worry at his wife's condition. "We were to raise him...you lot never so much as lifted a finger!"
The strangely garbed giant reeled back as if slapped. "Well...I, that is...Dumbledore thought it better for him to grow up among family…" His voice halted slightly, his eyes turning towards the boy who looked so utterly lost in his too large clothes that hung off his thin frame. He smiled, his friendly eyes mirrored in the boy's beaten up spectacles. "You can come back to the wizarding world now Harry, you'll be treated as a hero! It's because of you we've had these peaceful years."
Vernon looked ready to say something but the giant gripped his strange looking umbrella and the large man fell back, bristling, next to his wife and son. Harry, who was still merely looking at the giant, overwhelmed by what the man was telling him was startled out of his reverie when he heard the low chiming of a bell. The giant's brow furrowed and he reached into his pocket, drawing out something that looked like a pocket watch with too many hands. It was rotating startlingly fast and Harry thought he could see his name on there, along with the names of the Dursleys and someone called Hagrid. He squinted as the giant cursed and read another name, fast approaching the hands that were together. "Marco." He mouthed.
Vernon's head rose sharply when he heard Harry say the name, again his mouth opened to say something but just then the giant, something in Harry's mind clicked and knew; Hagrid, whirled on the opened door and shouted "Stupefy!" There was the sound of clinking outside and smoke billowed into the shack. Loud coughing could be heard and someone stumbled into the shack.
Harry's eyes went wide, the figure was dressed like a knight straight out of a fairytale. He wore armour that looked, although dented, well-cared for and somehow managed to look slightly...familiar. Harry wondered why the thought had popped into his head, his scar burned for a second and suddenly he was looking at a painting of a man with a shock of red hair and a disarming smile wearing the same sort of armour.
He felt his legs give out beneath him but just as suddenly strong hands helped steady him, hands covered in mail gauntlets. His eyes stopped their spinning and he looked into the eyes of a young man, he seemed to be just out of his teens, with longish black hair tied in a ponytail. The man steadied him, then curled his hand into a fist and coughed as he turned to Hagrid. Harry could see him flash a grin. "You keep getting better and better Hagrid. Is Dumbledore still training you then?"
The giant, Hagrid, snorted and held out his umbrella threateningly. "You'll lay no hand on Harry!" He jabbed the umbrella in the other man's direction. Harry took a moment to study him he wasn't very big Harry realized, maybe just pushing six feet, but he somehow managed to look...tall. Maybe it was the armour. The man's brown eyes regarded the giant calmly and suddenly Harry realized why. Sure Hagrid had his magic umbrella but the strange newcomer had a large sword strapped to his back, coupled with a shield that seemed too heavy to lift. Broad he was as well, his relaxed stance somehow making him seem lanky where he was anything but. That was when the man half-turned his head to look at him and...winked and Harry, feeling slightly foolish for staring merely grinned back.
The armoured man held his hands up in a placating manner. "I've no wish to anger you Hagrid, I just came because the boy is old enough to take up his grandfather's blade now. But where are my manners…" He turned and for a moment Harry was certain that the man was going to talk to him but instead the man dropped to a knee in front of Uncle Vernon and bowed his head. "Grandmaster Dursley, it's...an honour to finally meet you. The Order is a darker place for you having left it." Harry blinked and looked at Uncle Vernon, who had squared his shoulders and looked a lot more broad than fat now and...old somehow like seeing the man kneeling in front of him had aged him years.
Vernon placed his hand on the young man's shoulders. "Rise Marco, or should I say Ser Marco now? I'll not have a du Lac kneel to me. You have your father's bearing and your mother's eyes." The young man flashed a grin and rose, his eyes on the eldest Dursley. "I'm glad to see time hasn't waned your honour Grandmaster." Vernon winced. "I rescinded that title the day I left." His eyes darted to aunt Petunia before returning to the knight in front of him. "Why did they send a du Lac to do recruitment? Couldn't one of the lesser knights have done?"
The knight shrugged. "There's not a lot of the old order left, the Morrighanan has weeded out a lot of the more...Grail minded of us. But I shouldn't bother you with this." He shook his head. "The truth is I got sent because they expected Dumbledore to send someone like Hagrid."Here he looked at the tall, silent giant. "You were never going to inform him of the fact that he has a choice, were you?" He said. Hagrid blushed to the roots of his beard and mumbled. "Dumbledore said they would have wanted it that way…" The knight nodded.
For the first time during the whole interaction Harry found his voice. "Ehm...I'm sorry, what's this all about why are you talking to Uncle Vernon that way, sir?"
The knight blinked and looked at Vernon who merely shrugged and said "I left everything behind, including that knowledge. I promised and a Dursley doesn't break his promise." His voice seemed to reverberate with some inner strength as he spoke the last part. The knight grinned again and turned to Harry, kneeling so he was of a height with the boy and looked into his eyes.
"Harry Potter, my name is Marco du Lac. Ser Marco du Lac, if the name doesn't ring a bell I'm afraid you'll be hearing a lot of boring stories about my ancestors if you decide to come with me. I'm here because I was sent by an Order within the Knights Templar, the Grail Knights to tell you that we seek to recruit you."
Harry blinked and Marco grinned. "You're a Templar Harry."