Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter characters. I am just playing around with the plot. I am making no money whatsoever.
Summary: Harry Potter is a know it all and the only way for him to survive is to find the love of a family.
Chapter 1: Harsh Realities
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore looked out his window and sighed. 'Why did life have to be so complicated?' he mused to himself. It was the night before school started and everything had to be perfect. All the corridors needed to be spotless, the food had had to be ordered, the dormitories prepared and the teachers needed to settle in. Because of that, it had been a stressful week.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a patch of black on the sparkling emerald green lawn. He turned his head to look and saw none other than Severus Snape, his fellow teacher, former student/spy and friend staring into the Abyss beside the lake. He wondered, 'Is this the year I'll finally tell him how I feel?' For, although Severus was all those stated, he was also like a son to him. Despite what people thought, the blue eyed head master did have trouble expressing his feelings after his family died. Grindenwald had killed them to lure Albus out of hiding. Since then, he has always made sure not to get too close to anyone.
Nevertheless, somehow this man had made Albus rethink this rule. He wanted Severus to become his family, his son, but was afraid of what he might think. Afraid of rejection. He wasn't sure he could go through the pain again.
Shaking himself from his daze, he sighed and turned from the window and went over to pet Fawkes, his phoenix. "Oh Fawkes, will life ever be easy?"
Severus Snape was indeed staring into the Abyss thinking. 'Another year, another bunch of brats, another drama, why don't I just quit?' he mused.
"You and I both know why." stated the voice in his head who he believed to be his conscience, "And maybe you will get up the courage and tell him this year." the voice added hopefully.
He snorted. Like that would ever happen! While it was true the only reason he stayed at Hogwarts was because he felt like Albus was his father, that doesn't mean he would admit it to him! The day that happened, he would adopt Harry Potter! The son of his worst enemy and one true love. Lily. Getting lost in his musings, little did he know that one day soon, both would happen.
Harry Potter, age 11, lay curled in a ball in his cupboard, barely conscious a day before school starts. His Uncle gave him the worst beating ever, even surpassing the one after Hagrid came and took him to Diagon Alley. This one was for the fact that he wouldn't be coming back until next summer and there was no one to do the chores. He had been deprived of food for a week and that made the beating all that worse.
Harry had a formulated list in his mind of the top 5 reasons he was beaten. One, his uncle felt like it or he was drunk. Two, he did something freakish (magic). Three, he doesn't finish the abnormally large list in the short time period he's given. Four, when he "beats" Dudley up, meaning Dudley falls and he gets blamed. Lastly, when he asks questions.
He had known not to ask questions since his first beating. His old questions were about how his parents died and why he had the scar on is forehead. Hagrid had told him. Hagrid had also told him how to get on platform 9¾. Trying not to raise suspicions with his relatives, he told them the platform was number 9.
Lately though, when taking his mind off the pain of his beatings, he has been getting flashes of images in his head. He assumes they are images from the past, present and future, though how he got them in his head are a mystery. The first one, he assumes it is from the past, is a man in a black cloak, holding a stick with a green light shooting towards a lady with red hair and a little baby. The second one, assuming it's from the present, is a man with a long grey hair, a long grey beard and bright blue eyes petting a bright red and gold bird. The third, assuming the future, was an older version of himself, being hugged by an onyx eyed man with a hooked nose and long black hair.
'I wonder if I'll ever be loved' he thought, before falling into a state of semi-consciousness.
Draco Malfoy, unbeknownst to him, was in a similar predicament to Harry Potter. He too was beaten by his father, but was beaten for his cheek and not any thing else. How he hated his father! He wanted to make his father really mad. After thinking for a plan to do that it suddenly came to him! Befriend a, dare he say it, Weasley, and try and get into Gryffindor! It was brilliant!
'I guess there is hope in the world' he mused, before falling into a deep sleep.