Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If there are some things in here that may seem familiar, it's by pure coincidence or it was a happy accident brought on by my subconscious. I have no intention of claiming ownership of such things. Also, I am loosely following the events in the book with a twist. I know that there are elements of this story that may have already been featured in other works but I really do not know who started it all so I would just like to thank them for giving me inspiration to write this story. Above all, this project is for sheer fun and nothing more.
A/N: Well this is what I think Harry Potter would have been if he were a genius who already has a good control of his raw magic. This is based off the thinking that if Harry had been able to make things happen as a child that was unexplainable, he would have deduced it and would manage to harness it as he had time and cover since he was always locked up in his little cupboard under the stairs. In addition, this fan fiction will feature a Harry with a more aggressive aura masked in a good boy persona as part of his developed defense mechanism against the abuses of the Dursleys. As the story progresses, it may become kind of a Dark Harry depending on the reviews I'll get. As for pairings, it will depend on which girl I think will best suit Harry as things develop. Updates will depend on the number of reviews I get. So if you wish for the story to continue, do review.
I hope you enjoy! Please R&R and help me become a better author and hopefully entertain you with my deliverance of better writings.
HARRY POTTER and the Aphorisms
Chapter One:
"Last night I had a revelation
Somehow I have to make you pay
It's all about manipulation
And what it takes to get my way
I don't believe in soft solutions
No one makes a fool of me
Without receiving retribution
No one hurts me and goes freeI'll play on your fears, I'll leave you in tears
You'll never be the same, my friend
You're walking a line, it's a matter of time
You'll never rest easy againI've got the power to bring you downI've heard it said, to err is human
It's forgiveness that's divine
I thought about forgiving you, but
I want revenge, I want what's mine
I think it's time to settle scores now
It's time to set the record straight
You'll know it's coming, you won't know how
Or when, you'll have to watch and waitI'll play on your fears, I'll leave you in tears
You'll never be the same, my friend
You're walking a line, it's a matter of time
You'll never rest easy againI've got the power to bring you downYou know, it feels intoxicating
To be intimidating
It's invigorating
To see you shakingI've got the power to bring you downYou know something, you see it coming,
You know I will stop at nothing."
(Song: Bring you down by Red Delicious)
The boy awoke to the thundering sounds created by his whale of a cousin, Dudley, who found it amusing to run up and down the stairs where his cupboard was under. He opened one eye found himself getting covered with dust thanks to the stomping of Dudley. He slowly got up and stretched then dusted himself, being nonchalant about it since it has been a daily occurrence for him.
Harry James Potter was a bespectacled 11 year old with unruly jet black hair and a scrawny frame. He had brilliant emerald eyes that took on a look of detachment from everything around him but they were partially obscured behind his bangs. With eyes more focused and glasses put on, he surveyed his surroundings to disappointingly still find himself in his cramped quarters. He had been living like this for as long as he could remember. He had once woken up in a different place. A breathtaking scenery near a lake and a castle nearby but he was not sure if it was a reality or it had been just a dream.
Early on, he learned what he was exactly to his so called relatives; a freak who should be grateful to them for even taking him in. The death of his parents was never fully explained to him but was mentioned in passing that they were nothing more than a "bunch of fools". They said that his father was a drunkard who was foolish enough to get behind the wheel one day and drove himself and Harry's mother to an explosive end. With that, it was out of the goodness of their hearts that they took on looking after Harry. Harry never believed them. He always discounted the validity of their words by about 99% lest they be threats which he believed wholeheartedly. He was disgusted with his relatives and with himself for his helpless state.
As he opened the door of his 'room', he was suddenly shoved back in to it as his cousin pulled another of his morning routine antics on him. He winced as he rubbed his back and right leg, which slammed against the wall. Getting up slowly, he managed to reach the kitchen with a slight hobble to start his cooking duties.
When he walked in, he saw the usual sight of his Aunt Petunia busily looking at the television for the latest fashion or make-up being featured. He mentally scoffed at his aunt's attempt to beautify her horse-like face and less than impressive or even decent frame. He almost smirked but then he saw his Uncle Vernon who was seated at the dining table reading over the morning paper. He quickly clamped down on any emotions he had and put on his mask of detachment.
"What took you so long boy? You think we actually have the time to wait for you?" Vernon Dursley spat as he lowered his newspaper to glare at Harry.
"Sorry Uncle. Won't happen again Uncle." Harry said in a monotone.
"It better not! Hurry up and make the food boy! And get dressed after. Mrs. Figg's got the flu and can't watch you today so you'll have to come with us!" Vernon barked.
"Yes Uncle." Harry replied as he set about preparing the ingredients for the meal. He honestly did not care whether he was in or out of the house but he found himself mildly intrigued as to where they might be going for the day. He silently pondered if he would get a chance to sneak off and finally rid himself of his relatives should he make a run for it. Suddenly, he was yanked by the arm from his position in front of the stove and was spun around to face Vernon.
"You better not try anything stupid you little freak!" Vernon growled as some of his saliva sprayed onto Harry.
Unflinchingly, Harry nodded and turned back to his chores. He did not even bother wiping his face as he watched his uncle cautiously from the corner of his eye. Vernon smirked as he was satisfied with his handiwork and turned back to his paper.
On the outside, he seemed meek or more like a robotic boy that followed the orders of the Dursleys. He quickly learned that doing what they wanted pretty much guaranteed them leaving him alone. He avoided doing anything noteworthy since any praise for him meant beatings later.
'As if anything other than food ever got past that tub of lard's pea-sized brain' Harry thought to himself whenever the issue came up with him out performing his cousin in school. Nevertheless, he kept to himself and was often isolated in school. His isolation was self-induced since he did not want to have to mingle with other kids who seemed unable to keep up with his level of thinking. It seemed natural to find himself alone all the time while Dudley and his gang helped in assuring that other kids would never want to associate themselves with Harry.
To pass time, Harry would sometimes read and reading was easy as breathing for him as he set down book after book in a span of two hours. Soon enough, he had finished reading the whole library of his school even the materials slated for the secondary level. In addition, he has an eidetic memory that helped him recall with ease whatever he had read for him to distract himself with back in Privet Drive since he was not allowed to own anything. These two remarkable gifts of his coupled with his high intellect that perused the expansive library at his school, paved the way for Harry to be just unofficially finished with his schooling.
After serving his relatives with their huge piles of bacon and pancakes, he waited with an empty plate by the side of the table waiting for either his aunt or uncle to give him his food. Dudley came charging in and dug into the food with porcine gusto. Petunia on the other hand was concerned about her figure and decided to take small servings only. As for Vernon, he munched on his food like a starved bear. He did not even look at Harry who was standing just beside him waiting for his. It was Dudley who decided to give his cousin some breakfast but not without taking a bite out of it first.
Harry stared at his half-eaten pancake and bacon tidbits before shrugging and going to the back of the kitchen to eat. He figured that he would hopefully have something better to eat once they were out since his uncle would have to buy food for their lunch. He carefully cut out the area where Dudley had bitten the pancake before digging in. He was disgusted with the idea of digesting the pseudo-warthog's saliva. It was not exactly much of a meal as he finished his in three bites while his relatives were still stuffing their faces. Nevertheless, he tried to make his meal seem much more by chewing it slowly and drinking lots of water.
After breakfast, Harry proceeded to clean the dining and kitchen areas in fifteen minutes flat. He developed an efficient system for doing household chores since he knew that his aunt and uncle were impatient with him. Sometimes though when he was nearing the time limit he was given, the work was suddenly finished in a matter of seconds without Harry even touching them. He often wondered what could have caused this but he was glad that it happened whenever he was in a tight pinch. He would later learn the source of these welcome respites to be manifestations of his will. He had years of practice of making things happen by simply willing them but he was both afraid and joyous over this power. He knew that he had to know more about it before doing anything drastic.
Harry went into his cupboard to change into more respectable clothes his aunt got him which were only meant to be worn in public places. 'Pretentious twits the lot of them. They're just scared people might question my appearance and nothing more.' Harry thought as he tied the shoelaces of his battered sneakers.
Before the Dursleys and Harry stepped out the door, there was a loud knock that came from it. Confused as to who might the visitor be, Vernon ordered Harry to answer the door while he and Petunia helped Dudley tie his shoelaces. As usual, Harry followed orders and opened the door.
The first thing he saw was a large pair of boots and as he inclined his head to look upward, he found that he had to look nearly straight up in order to see the face of this visitor.
"Uh…Hello? " Harry managed to say as he was amazed by the man's sheer height and amused by his thick beard.
"Oh 'ello there 'arry! You got your stuff ready now?" the giant asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.
"I…what? I don't know what you're talking about sir. And how did you know my name?"
"Boy! What's taking so long?" Vernon roared in the living room.
"Is that yer uncle? I need to speak with him" the giant said with a smile.
"I didn't catch your name sir." Harry managed to stammer as he began to dread the boiling anger of his uncle that never ended well for him.
"Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid. The last time I saw you was the day I brought you here when you were this big" said the giant as he gestured with his hands to indicate a size of about a foot or so.
"Brought me here? But I thought…" Harry said confusedly as a thousand questions began racing in his head but was interrupted by his uncle who had managed to get his bulk to the front door.
"Boy! What the hell are you playing at!" Vernon half-screeched and was about to hit Harry when he noticed Hagrid's presence.
"What the bloody hell are you? Petunia!" Vernon scampered as best as his thick legs could carry him back into the house.
"Well that was rude…" Hagrid looked on disbelieving at the greeting he received.
Without another word, the giant just stooped low and entered the Dursley residence and made his way to where Vernon ran to.
"Uh wait a minute! Mr. Hagrid!" Harry pleaded as he tried to stop the giant from entering the house. He did not want to 'earn' a beating.
"Oh don't ya worry about it 'arry. Besides, it could get wee bit uncomfortable if a lotta people saw me out there." Hagrid answered as he strode on into the living room.
Harry then held back and weighed the giant's words. He thought to himself that he would not be harmed by the Durselys given that this stranger was imposing and seemed to know him with a certain fondness hinted in his voice. He was now interested at what will happen to his relatives, secretly wishing for something bad for them.
Unfortunately, Harry was unable to witness anything since the kitchen door was closed. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley scuttled into the kitchen in an attempt to get away from Hagrid but the giant was not to be outdone and managed to swiftly make his way into the kitchen with his large strides before closing the door behind him. Harry could only hear muffled sounds as he strained to hear by pressing his ear to the door.
After moments which seemed like eternity because of suspense, the door opened. Hagrid came out first then followed by a pale-faced Vernon. Harry could imagine that in the flurry of events and heated exchanges between them earlier, there had to be a threat that made his Uncle clam up and sweat more than usual.
"So 'arry. Yer Uncle here agreed to send ye te 'ogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" Hagrid stated with a broad grin as he patted Vernon on the back.
"You!...You get to go to the school for freaks!" Vernon angrily spat as he balled his fists as if he was preparing himself to punch the much larger being beside him.
"It's not a school for freaks. It's for gifted boys and girls…those who can do magic! What's more is that ye get to learn under the guidance of the best headmaster ever! Professor Dumbledore!" came the reply of Hagrid who initially had a tone of disgust as he refuted Vernon's prejudices and grew more excited as he finished.
"So…a place to learn magic huh?" Harry started as he was absorbing this new development.
"Yes! And it will be fun! I promise! You would've known this sooner had you read your letters of acceptance since over a month ago. We were worried you didn't want to come so I was sent here to determine what's going on." Hagrid gestured to his Uncle who was getting paler by the minute as he was the only suspect for Harry's missing mail.
Harry did not even hesitate with his next words "When do we leave?"
Hagrid chuckled as he beckoned Harry to follow him out the door. The young boy followed the giant while ignoring his dumbstruck relatives. Despite willingly following Hagrid, instincts still told him to be careful of strangers.
Harry was less than impressed to find a large motorcycle with a sidecar parked in front of 4 Privet Drive. The giant clambered onto the motorcycle and got the engine running. Harry then warily seated himself in the sidecar then everything became a blur.
Thank you very much for your time. Please review if you would like to help me progress this story further. Take care!