A/N: This is a story to see how much I can realistically 'fix' from the Harry Potter series with the smallest possible turning point. The point in particular is that Harry is more curious than his canon counterpart. I'll give you some background in this note, before moving on to the first point where it changes.

So Harry, being curious, likes to know about everything. This leads him to become more intelligent than his normal self, though he has to hide it, because he's locked up when he gets better grades than Dudley. However, his curiosity does lead him to engage in conversations with other kids in order to find out about them. They don't hang out with him, because Dudley's gang will beat them up if they do, but they all like him; partially because his curiosity is so innocent, but mostly because he assumes everyone else is as curious as he; and therefore has no qualms about telling his own secrets. In fact, he's extremely uncomfortable with secrets, and has none, except from the Dursleys. He becomes an avid reader, often sneaking books home that he's borrowed from teachers, and would get wonderful grades if he didn't throw all his tests.

None of this would show up, until the fourth chapter of the first book. For your convenience, I'll skip forward a little and bold the moment that it changes. Let's begin, shall we?

"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."

Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.

Hagrid was watching him sadly. "Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."

Harry finally found his voice. "You said that you knew my parents?" he asked, and Hagrid nodded. "Can you – can you tell me about them?"

"Well…" Hagrid shifted uncomfortably. I dunno that I'm really tha best person to ask 'bout that. I din' really get ter see 'em ver' much, see."

"Who would be the best people to ask?" Harry pressed, eager to find out all he could about his parents, from a source more trustworthy than the Dursleys.

"Lemme think for a mom'…" Hagrid leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Lesse'… there's Remus Lupin, 'e was a friend o' yer dad's. And then Professor Snape; that's the potions professor at Hogwarts; he was close ter yer mum. Then there was…" Hagrid shuddered. "Black. Sirius Black… but ye won't be wantin' ter know about 'im."

"No, really, I do," Harry assured the big man.

"e' was a traitor," Hagrid growled. "e' betrayed yer parents ter You-Know-Who. They would never ha' been found if 'e kept his mouth shut, but 'e told You-Know-Who. Then 'e killed another one o' yer dad's mates, Peter Pettigrew. Blasted 'im an' twelve muggles right out o' the street…

"But enough o' that, 'arry. Le's get back to Hogwarts."

"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.

A/N: At this point, it returns to the text of the book for a while.