A/N: This is going to be a long one, everybody! Please tell me your inferences... (; Love reviews, I would love to hear where you think this story is going (: ! Since this is just an intro, and Harry hasn't gotten to Hogwarts yet, it's kind of just everything you already know and have read... But... Why not, right? The rest will come later... Hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

I

Prologue: The Cupboard Under the Stairs

Harry lived with his Aunt and Uncle. Harry lived with his Aunt and Uncle because his parents died in a car accident. Harry lived with his Aunt and Uncle and Cousin. Harry lived in a cupboard under the stairs... Yes, you heard correctly. Eleven year old Harry's bed, was in the closet beneath the stairs, and honestly, he didn't even mind (not that he had anything to compare it to; he'd been there all his life). It was a safe house really, from all the awful things that happened in the rest of the house. Here he was isolated, away from Aunt Petunia's ugly glares and treating him like a slave, away from Uncle Vernon's purple faced shouting for no reason other than he just simply did not like Harry, and away from his Cousin Dudley's oversized potty mouth. Speaking of Dudley... and mouth... Harry reached up to run a finger across his cheek. It was sore from where Dudley's friend had hit in earlier that day. See, they liked to play a game where they would hunt Harry down, and then beat him. Usually Harry was fast enough to outrun the brutish boys, but not today... No, today Harry had been held and hit multiple times. Twice in the stomach, once in the ribs, and then a last shot in the face. Such was life though, for poor Harry. Not t mention, that his newest clothes (all his others had been ripped up during these foul games) - a rundown set of Dudley's that he'd outgrown in a week of overeating - still smelled like the grotesque boy. Harry sighed. He was leaning back in his bed, staring at the dusty uneven ceiling, pondering a better life. Only... seven more years until he would be able to move out. He wondered for the briefest moment if he would be able to get an after school job, to save up money for his new home on day. That thought was immediately shut down when he heard the family upstairs. Of course, he had to be home straight away so that he could cook, clean, and be bullied. It was only fair, the family had taken him in... right. He'd be better off on the streets. That was, in fact, another out that Harry had contemplated.

At some point during his pondering, thoughts, and general contemplation of life, Harry fell asleep. He was a heavy sleeper, after all these years of hearing obnoxious loud snoring from the other boys in the house. He easily fell into a deep, dream filled sleep.

A rat scuttled across his bed, a bed that he'd seen many times in this place... Dark walls... dead flowers on the night stand...The only light came from a floating torch maybe five feet away. The bed itself was comfortable enough, albeit a little bit hard, it didn't have any lumps or bumps and didn't squeak at all when he rolled over. 'Squeak'. What... Not that couldn't be the bed... The rat raced across his legs again, and he sat up, suddenly fully conscious and aware. Where did that blasted thing go... 'Squeak'. He turned around in his bed, reaching for his glasses. He couldn't reach them. 'Squeak'. Dammit. He went t get up, but suddenly heard screaming. No. No...

'Harry!' The woman's voice yelled. There was a flash of blinding green light that left Harry blinking away spots when it disappeared. There was a woman lying slumped across his bed. Dead.

'Squeak'. Christ! Where was that thing?

A dog suddenly crept its way up onto the bed, and laid itself down on Harry's legs, where the rat had just been. It lifted its head and growled at the darkness, where Harry still could only see the blur of distance. He tried to reach again for his glasses, but the dog was holding him down with its weight. It seemed to have put a paw down on his stomach, letting him know without words to stay where he is, before returning to face the ugly dark room.

The woman was gone, the squeaking had stopped. The company of the dog seemed to comfort him and he relaxed back down again. He was very tired after all. Time passed. Seconds, minutes, and then hours, and the dog remained where it was, lying protectively across Harry as he drifted in and out of sleep. He was suddenly shocked into full consciousness again when the dog began to growl loudly, snarling, mouth dripping with foam. His nose was scrunched with the effort and his sparkling white teeth glinted even in this blackness. This time, Harry didn't reach for his glasses. He just scrunched his fingers into the dog's hair, letting himself be comforted.

The screaming came again, 'Harry!'

The bed fell out from beneath him... Or... More like he had jumped into the air, shocked out of the horrid dream.

"Harry! Harry get up!" Someone was pounding on the door. He was back safe in his closet...

"Coming, Aunt Petunia!" He called, groggily fisting his eyes before he grabbed his glasses.

He emerged from his room a couple moments later, sporting clothes that were much too big for him.

"Hurry up boy, make the breakfast! Try not to burn anything... I want everything to be perfect for my Dudley's special day!"

Harry did as he was told, going into the kitchen and turning on the stove. He cracked some eggs, and filled a second pan with bacon. He would make the toast later so that it wouldn't get cold before breakfast was ready – a trick he'd learned very fast after being smacked painfully over the head by a newspaper.

Today was Dudley's birthday, he was turning eleven. The family was going to the zoo today. Of course, the family meant everyone with the exception of Harry, who would be paying a visit to Ms Figg.

On the table was a stack of presents for Dudley. Harry wasn't sure where he was supposed to put breakfast...

"Oh, no!" Harry heard, the pained voice was coming from the living room.

"What's the matter, darling?" He heard Aunt Petunia ask.

"Ms Figg is ill!" He whined. "She's broken her ankle, she can't look after Harry today!"

Harry's heart was suddenly lifted, and sunk down all at the same time. Not that he hated the woman, she was very kind. It was more the smell of cats and a thousand perfumes mixed together that he didn't particularly enjoy. See, Ms Figg liked t make various perfumes out of flowers from her garden, and some of them were very good! Mostly though, they simple smelled of old soaked flowers.

"What do we do, bring him with?" The voice sounded dubious, as if simply saying the words was complete and utter nonsense – something that the Dursley's did not accept into their home.

"Ha!" A slightly more masculine voice exclaimed. "Bring him with? Oh, Petunia." He laughed again.

The stairs were suddenly being pounded as feet smashed down one at a time, rather quickly. "Come with?!" A pubescent voice shouted. "Mummy, Daddy, no, please!" Dudley stammered. "Can't we just leave him here?" He was outraged. "He'll ruin my whole birthday!"

Although his parents tried to reason with him, Dudley only screamed and whined louder and louder until they finally conceded. It was then that he skipped into the kitchen, bumping Harry into the stove as he passed. Harry was used to this behavior though, and quickly caught himself in a way that wouldn't burn the palms f his hands.

Dudley sat down and started tearing open his gifts, feeling rather excited. Petunia and Vernon were still talking in the doorway, semi-concerned voices almost hushed. "What is he supposed to do here all by himself? Do we trust him to stay home alone?" "Surely not! Maybe someone else can watch him?" "No, no, there's no one else." "Well then... give him a list of chores to do?" "We really ought t bring him with..." "Blast... no. Just... Just let him stay here, he'll be fine. He'll... Like the quiet."

It was true. Harry was very excited to hear this news. Home alone? That was a dream come true!

X X X

Now... The Dursleys got out of the car, one by one. The two parents looked at each other, sharing the same cautious thoughts about the fourth person to step out of the car. Dudley looked less than pleased about the presence of his cousin, who he so readily despised. This was his day, not Harry's. It was unfortunate, Dudley's circumstance, but Harry didn't mind at all, in fact, it made his day at the zoo that much better knowing that Dudley was miserable. All of the Dursleys were.

They went around, sulking, trying their best t ignore the smaller boy, looking at lions and tigers and bears. They all seemed to be having a somewhat good time at least... They'd seen chimps swinging on ropes, zebras running, and some very cute looking baby hyenas. They were coming up on the reptile house though, and that just happened to be the favorite of both boys. Petunia could be less thrilled, but she'd survive. They moved from exhibit to exhibit, staring at the slow moving creatures; watching tongues flick, and eyes dart. A corn snake slid smoothly into its little pool of water, and a chameleon caught a stray fly.

Eventually Dudley came upon a snake that simply sat there, gloomily motionless. After the oversized males tried to wake the poor thing from its rest, they moved on to better creatures.

Harry stayed though, leaning over the rail, feeling bad for the thing. He knew what it was like to be locked in a small room and screamed at. They shared that in common. "Sorry 'bout them," he said to the snake, childlike and innocent, through the glass. "They don't know what it's like, lying there day after day..." The snake seemed to be listening, its head flicked to the side, watching Harry curiously through the window. "Can you... understand me?" He asked, feeling a sense of young excitement brewing inside of him. The snake... nodded? Harry was taken aback. He hadn't expected the snake to answer... More, he was just having fun. His eyes widened, "I'm away from my family too. My parents are dead. ... Do you miss them? Your family?" The snake appeared to move its head, Harry looked in the direction. Raised in Captivity the sign read. "I see. I didn't know my parents either."

Harry was suddenly knocked to the ground by an elephant of a boy, "Mum! Dad! You won't believe what the snake's doing!" Dudley shouted, pressing his pig nose up against the once clean glass.

Harry rubbed his arm where his large cousin had hit him, glaring angrily. Suddenly, without warning, Harry's anger faded as he watched his oppressor fall through the glass which had disa-... no... it couldn't have... The glass appeared to have... disappeared...? Yes, so it had! There was Dudley, sitting in the snake's pool, shocked, and looking very displeased. The snake slid around him and out over the railing. It lifted its head once again to meet Harry's eyes, and Harry could have sworn it had said, "thanks," in a sort of hissing voice.

"Any time..." Harry said, shock still controlling him. Around him the house exploded into shrieks, running, and the word "snake!" over and over again.

The boys were rushed home, and Harry, as usual, was locked in his room. Somehow, the occurrence of the vanishing glass had been his fault. Typical. Outside he could hear the family still freaking out, moving about like madmen. At least Harry had that to brighten his mood.