Harry watched as the spider weaved an intricate web from his position down on the mattress. He looked at his watch,11:59. Great, he thought dryly. What am I going toto get this year? Sock, needle, extra chores or , god forbid, a beating. The beatings had come down on him like plague after what happend Sunday. He'd been planting vegetables for his aunts new garden. It had been a hot day, and he wished he could've had some wind to cool him down. All of a sudden,a breeze came out of nowhere and did exactly that! It was so wonderful and he wanted more. the gentle breeze became a strong wind, then a gale then a hurricane. By this time, Harry was scared and confused. He wanted it to stop. He shouted and ran into the house... sort of. The last few feet were sort of a run/float. The wind picked him up and threw him into his uncle who had been watching the whole thing from the back door. Harry had been back and blue when Uncle Vernon had finished with him. He had been beaten at random intervels after that, especially once his aunt saw the vegetables he had planted fully grown and blooming the next morning.

Harrys watch beeped, breaking him out of his thoughts. It was 12:00, July 31. Happy 7th birthday, Harry he thought. Harry continued to watch the spider weave until it had completed its task, by which time he had to go cook breakfast for the Dursleys. Hrry got a stool and checked to see what the possible outcome for breakfast would be. There was absolutly nothing there. Yipee, I get to go shopping. Any time away from this hellhole was good enough for him. Just then his aunt walked into the kitchen. "Aunt Petunia we need more food," he said.

Aunt Petunia looked downher nose at him and replied rather harshly,"Then what are you still doing here you scoundrel, go get some."

"But I need money."

Her eyes narrowed, nevertheless she handed him a tenner and he scamperd out of the house. If any one thought it was strange seeing a 7 year old out running by himself at this hour of th morning, they didn't say anything. Most of the girls his age seemed to be following him at a discreet distance at one point or another. It had been agreed long ago that Harry Potter was extremely handsome for his age, with his startingly green orbs and messy, jet black hair. He was quite tall as well, about 4'6. It had become a regular occurance to see him running down the street as well. He had learned long ago that it was survival of the fitest, along with a bunch of other things, like how to steal stuff or become a master of stealth.

He ran to the bus stop, a little out of breath but otherwise full of energy. Wen his bus arrived (5 minutes late) he saw a bunch of red headsled by a plump stout woman. There was two that looked identical, obviously twins, a boy whose face he couldn,t see becase it was stuck behind a book, a boy about his age and the one who intrested him most of all, a really pretty girl, about a year younger tha n him with freckles. The rest of the ride he couldn't help but stare at her.

He was jolted back to reality when the bus lurched to a stop. He got of and headed towards the grocery store.

!

Harry got off the bus, his arms laden with shopping bags. I hate my life, he thought. He was just about to head back to Privet Drive when he heard strange noises that sounded a lot like someone crying. Turning around, he saw the red headed girl that had been on the bus earlier sitting on a bench. Curiosly, he went and sat down next to her. Her head shot up and she looked at him with tear filled eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

She snivveled before replying,"I don't know were my mommy is."

Harry searched his pockets for a hankerchief and handed it over."My names Harry, Harry Potter."

The girl stopped crying and looked at him, no stared at him. Or more specificly, his scar. He frowned at her, wondering what she was staring at.

"Is there something on my head?"

"The scar," she said in awe, not really paying attention to his question.

Harry was used to attention from girls, although he never knew why, but this was the first time someone had payed attention to his scar.

"Do you know me from somewhere?"he asked.

" Of course, every wizard and witch alive knows your name." was the reply.

Harry was starting to wonder if there was something seriosly wrong with this girls mind or if the stress from losing her parents. Then he rememberd every time a total stranger had shook his hand or huged him. He rememberdthe strange clothes they wore. No sooner, memories of the strange accidents that happend around him. He rememberd one time when a particually nasty lad had insulted his parents. The boy had woken in hospitalthe next day,sporting burnson his face. The punishment that followed was severe and Harry quickly suppressed the memory.

'Wizards?" he asked.

She looked at him strangly,"Yea, you know, magic."

"Magic?"

It seemed to dawn on her that Harry had no idea what she was talking about."You don't know do you."

It wasn't a question."Know what?" he asked, getting a little frustrated.

"That you're-"

"GINERVA RONIP WEASLEY. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO WONDER OFF!" A extremly pissed off red headed woman that Harry geussed was her mother. She was marching up the pavement towards them. The girl,Ginerva, turned to him and said,"You're a wizard."

Then she pushed something into his hands and rushed towards her mother. Harry just stood there. One half of him laughed at the idea of him being a wizard, but the other half, the logical half told him every thing Ginerva had told him was true. How else could all of those strange things have happend to him. The object that Ginerva had pressed into his hands. It was a book. But it had a really strange title:Gr1 Book of Spells by Mirenda Goshawk. Harry stared at the title for a few minutes and decided that if these spells worked and it wasn't just a big practical joke, he would learn every damn spell, and practice till he couldn't stay awake. If not then he would just have to continue his miserible life.

Harry looked at his watch and did a double take. It was past lunch time! The Dursleys were going to kill him! Harry picked up the grocery bags, stuffed the book into pocket(it wasn't a big book and Dudleys pants pockets could easily have holded 4 more.) and ran all the way back home. He opened the door quietly and walked into the kitchen, trying not to be noticed and faling epicly. There sitting at the table was Vernon Dursley and he looked as mad as a hatter.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU. WE'VE MISSED BREAKFAST AND LUNCH BECAUSE OF YOU." Vernon's eyes were rolling in their sockets. Harry had never seen him this angry before. His uncle then grinned an evil grin that sent shivers down his spine."But don't worry," he said,"you'll get a fitting punishment." He then brought a baseball bat that had been concealed under the table.

An hour later, Harry was thrown into the cuboard with two broken bones, bruises every were and few cuts. Unable to keep his eyes open he drifted off into a painful sleep.

Harry woke up at the sound of his cheap alarm clock he had nicked from a gift shop. It was 4:00 AM he turned over to go back to sleep when he rememberd what happend all last afternoon. He sat up and checked himself. Other than a few cuts and bruises, he was fine. Harry felt an unfamiliar wait in his pocket and pulled out the book Ginerva had given him yesterday. This was a good as time as any to find out if this was just a joke or if he really had been lied to all his life.

He opened it on the first page.

Wingardiem Leviosa

This charm is the levitation spell and will allow

you to lift otherwise impossible whieghts and obstacles.

The book went on to explain the proper wand movements and pronounciation. Harry frowned, he didn't have a wand. What if you had to have a wand to do magic? Oh well, he'd try any way. Harry put a small toy soldier infront of him and waved his hand (instead of a wand ) like the book described while saying the incantation nothing happend, he tried again, still nothing. He was about to give up,frustrated, when a thought occured to him. If he could do magic then it would have to come from somewhere, from inside of him. He just had to reach out to it. So Harry sat and imangined what magic would look like and suddenly found himself in a blank, white maze with a tingling sensation throughout his body. Confused he walked down a right hand passage and the feeling got stronger. He kept on walking till he came to another crossroad. This time he took a left and the feeling diminished. Stopping Harry wondered why the tingling was going away, last time it had gotten stronger. Getting an idea, Harry turned and headed the other way and sure enough the feeling got stronger.

From then on, Harry followed the tingling and eventually he found himself in a round room with the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in the middle of the room. It was a big ball of energy, made up of all the colours of the rainbow, with slightly smaller balls of light were revolving around it. Unlike the bigger one , these ones were red, blue, green and , Harry walked towards it and touched it. There was an instant result. The smaller balls of light were sucked into the bigger one like vortex. The light wouldn't let go of Harrys hand, no matter how hard he tried. Slowly, the light spread into his fingers then his hand, arm, chest. Soon it coverd his whole body and the ball, which had been growing smaller as it had spread across his body, was now completly absorbed into his body. With a jolt, he found himself back in the cupboard,he looked down and saw that he was glowing slightly. A tingling sensation was rushing through him. He felt like he could do anything. He turned to the toy soldier and did the spell again.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the toy soldier lifted of the ground.