This is my first attempt at novel-length fanfic, I have done a couple of poems & a songfic but I know that my creative writing isn't up to the standards of some of the other author's on here so plz be nice k? thanx! :o)

Disclaimer: everything u recognise is from the mind of the great J.K Rowling, anything u don't is mine!

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Unexpected Revelations

"James! James! James Godric Potter, if you don't stop that this instant I'll be forced to turn you pink again!"

James Potter immediately returned Harry to his crib and turned innocently to his wife, "Lily, darling, you know as well as I do that pink is Sirius' colour - I look better in purple!" As Lily's scowl turned grudgingly into a grin, James continued, "Besides, Harry likes flying, it settles him, and since you banned me from taking him on my broom, I have to levitate him to get him to sleep."

"No, you don't! You could just as easily rock him gently in your arms - it works for me!" Lily replied, even though she knew that she was fighting a losing battle. James would do what James wanted to do, no matter what you threatened him with. "Anyway, I just came through to tell you that dinner's ready." Having told him this, Lily left the nursery, knowing James would follow her.

As they left, little Harry Potter turned over and closed his eyes, welcoming the oblivion of dreams.

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The next morning, when Harry was cooking the Dursley's breakfast, he thought back to that dream and a small smile alighted his face. He loved dreaming about his parents as, along with a photo album, his dreams were all he had to remember them by. This was because an evil wizard had killed them when Harry was just 1-year-old called Voldemort. Harry had survived Voldemort's attack and it was this, along with his scar, which made him famous in the wizarding world.

After his failed attempt to kill Harry, Voldemort's spirit got stripped from his body and many though he died. In truth, he lived as a spirit for fourteen years and, just before the summer, had used Harry's blood to be reborn. It was during Voldemort's rebirth that Cedric Diggory got killed. This was another reason why Harry enjoyed dreaming of his parents. The dreams calmed him and reduced his guilt. They also encouraged him to become able to defend himself using ways other than magic. Since the start of the summer, Harry had joined the local library and taken out a number of books on self-defence. He had taught himself karate, judo & Ta'i Chi (sp?). He had also joined a fencing club so he could learn the basics of sword play. The Dursley's didn't know this, although they were suspicious about where he went for two hours every afternoon and how he had grown as much as he had.

Harry now stood at about 6'7" and he had filled out in a way that can only be achieved by rigorous physical training. He had grown into his features and his startling green eyes now held a twinkle reminiscent of Dumbledore's. His new muscles rippled when he moved his arms and were generally tense, the only indication that everything was far from fine in Harry's life. His thoughts returned to his aunt and uncle's bacon just before it burned and narrowly escaped yet another beating.

The beatings, when they started, were almost expected, the regularity and intensity of them, however, was surprising. Every summer, if something went wrong, Uncle Vernon took it out on Harry. This year was no exception. Unfortunately for Harry, this year the Dursley's hadn't won the best kept garden competition, nor had Vernon got the promotion he had been gunning for and Dudley's report card from Smelting's was so bad, even Aunt Petunia had difficulty skimming over the bad parts. All in all, Harry was looking forward to going back to Hogwart's this year even more than usual, and that was saying something.

After washing the breakfast dishes, Harry went up to his room to collect his gardening gloves - today he had to weed the garden. The first thing he noticed when he entered his room was the strange owl in Hedwig's cage and that the window, usually left open for Hedwig, was shut. He stepped cautiously into the room, eyes darting about for strangers lurking in the shadows.

Once he had taken just five steps, his door swung shut behind him and the strange owl took flight. It flew over to Harry and dropped a letter in his hands. Harry's hands shook as he turned the letter over and tried to recognise the writing. Trepidation filled him when he realised that he didn't know the sender and he slowly opened the letter.

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A/N: Ok I know that was a short chapter but I jst want 2 find out if thers any1 who wants to read this. Plz review & if u want 2 beta-read then say so in ur review & I'll email u k? thanx. Oh & flames will b used 2 cook Harry's tea - roast Voldie any1? Fawkes :o)