"It would be unfair to let the boy become the subject of every witch and wizard's prodding and examination—not to mention just your average busybodies—before he is even able to speak. He'll be much better off like this for now," said Dumbledore to Professor McGonagall as they left Harry at the Dursley's.
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As the years wore on, Harry experienced a tormented childhood. He was maltreated by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon because Harry's mother and father were once wizards. However, Harry was oblivious of this fact. The Dursley's kept anything unusual, much less magical, as far out of reach as possible. However, this does not mean that there were not intimations that there was something more to Harry. Every once in a while strange things happened around Harry Potter.
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There was the incident with the snake at the zoo. He didn't know how it happened, but the glass to the snake case somehow disappeared. Not only that, but he appeared to be able to speak with the snake in the cage. And there was the time when he was walking around the playground, when he was able to move the sand in the sandbox. He was able to form various three-dimensional shapes with the sand, simply by willing it in his mind. He didn't even notice he was doing this until one of the younger children pointed it out. Another marked occasion was when he flew out of the swing. He didn't merely jump off. He soared to the other side of the park. No one saw of course, but it certainly left Harry stunned. Each time one of these odd events were witnessed by Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon, Harry would get a severe punishment.
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It was not until Harry was eleven when he finally found out the truth about his identity. It was then that he was visited by Rubeus Hagrid.
"What do you mean a wizard?" asked an utterly confused Harry.
"Yer mean they never told 'yeh?" replied Hagrid.
"STOP! STOP!" yelled Uncle Vernon.
Harry had had enough. Eleven years of torment were boiling up in side of him. Here he was, at the threshold of learning the truth about his family and identity and Vernon Dursley wanted to hush it up and take it away.
Harry turned a glare at his uncle and Vernon's head immediately shrank to the size of an orange. However, Uncle Vernon kept squeaking, "What are you doing to me?! Stop this at once!?" His Aunt Petunia screamed in horror. Harry faced her and she instantly turned in a miniscule mouse. Finally, Harry rounded on Dudley and with a gesture, his cousin had transformed completely into a piglet.
Hagrid was in shock. He had never witnessed a child—much less one who had never gone to wizarding school or had anything to do with the magical world—perform a non-verbal transfiguration spell like that. Hagrid stood with his mouth agape, handing Harry his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Meanwhile, Uncle Vernon was completely beside himself.
"HARRY POTTER!" It came out in squeaks even though Uncle Vernon was screaming at the top of his voice, totally incensed. "I Never want to see your face again, boy! You hear me?! I'm throwing you out into the streets! You can go survive with this … your kind of … oh, whatever you are! Stay away from us! Stay away from my family! Do you hear me?!" And with that the Dursleys scuttled off into the next room.
"I've got a lot of 'splainin ter do Harry. 'Specially 'bout usin' yer powers like tha'," said Hagrid.
"I don't even know what it did exactly. It just poured out of me. I could feel it first, then I thought it up and it happened! How? Will they return to normal?" asked Harry.
"We'll take 'o tha', but fers we have 'ta figger out where you'll be stayin' from now on," Hagrid threw his coat around Harry. "Fer now get some sleep."
Harry lay down, thinking of what just happened and anticipating his first day in a new world he would never have imagined.