The Crème de la Crème

Chapter 1: Getting the Hogwarts Letters

It was a cold chilly winter day and children's laughter could be heard floating around the streets of the countryside. However there was one child who was not playing, instead he laid on his bed reading about adult matters that should not concern children. Draconis who was an eleven year old child with a warped perception of life was a Malfoy. And as everyone knows Malfoys do not play juvenile child games. Malfoys have to improve their knowledge of the world so that they may become the best that they can be. And as we all know Malfoys are always the best.

Draconis, who preferred to be called Draco by the way, was bored out of his mind. He had finished reading the old tome that was on politics hours ago and was eagerly waiting his Hogwarts letter. Every Childs first Hogwart's letter came on their birthday and as Draco's birthday was on the 15th of January his letter was coming today. He nervously fidgeted on the edge of his bed fervently waiting for the owl to come swooping into his sight. What if he didn't get in? What if they didn't accept him? What if he wasn't even a wizard and he didn't get in to any wizarding school? Of course these were just the concerns of an overworked and worried mind of a child and not of any great importance but they were important to Draco and as he sat there waiting for the owl to come swooping into his sight he worriedly bit his nails in anxiousness.

He had no need to worry as the letter in question was already on its way. The owl delivering it had been loaned to Hogwarts by Daigon Alleys pet shop – Eeylops Owl Emporium – which was in London. She was trying to hurry her last delivery of the day so that she could get back to the Emporium ready for her new owner to arrive. She was almost there 200m 100m 50m 25m and finally she was resting on the windowsill of her letters precipitant.

Draco had seen the said owl made his shoulders relax as he realised that he was getting his Hogwarts letter. He didn't get mail so this must be his Hogwarts letter. He reached out to take it and hesitantly opened the flap that was held to the parchment with a seal that had a raven a lion a snake and a badger all around a big H. His hands were shaking in anticipation and as he pulled the letter out of its casing.

The letter said:

Dear Scion of the Ancient and Noble house of Malfoy,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

He stared in shock for a moment but suddenly started running around his room screaming in elation before remembering the way a 'Malfoy' should act.

The Owl let a small smile pass through her lips, as much as an owl could, at the happiness the young child was showing before flying away in the already darkening sky. She flew to the Emporium where she tucked her head under her wing and went fast to sleep ready and waiting for her owner to come tomorrow.

Meanwhile on the other side of London a young boy with a lightening bolt scar, messy black hair and emerald green eyes sat looking at his clock waiting for it to strike midnight. His name was Harry Potter and being who he was every night since he was eight he had stayed up until midnight to wish himself happy Birthday. He was not happy with this arrangement but kept tradition as he always did wherever he was. On this particular birthday he was in a small old shack that creaked because of the storm outside and made Harry want to get tradition over with as quickly as possible. The shack had one bedroom which had a rickety old bed and one lamp light on a scratched bedside table. The main room only had a huge cold fireplace and a hard coach that didn't look like it had any stuffing inside. The floor was dusty and Harry had made good use of it by drawing a birthday cake in the dust. His relatives didn't give him a birthday cake and he would be scared if they did. He would be scared that they were imposters. His relatives mainly his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon never even gave him cards let alone a birthday cake. Harry never got presents for his birthday or Christmas. He never even got a simple good wishes or happy birthday! Then again it wasn't much different when it wasn't his birthday or it wasn't Christmas. He was either treated with cold indifference or hateful actions.

The first time that Harry realized that nobody loved him was when he was three. He was asking for food because he was hungry after not having anything to eat for the whole day. Dudley was given food after he had asked and Harry wasn't. Harry was outraged even at three Harry knew this wasn't right. He complained to his Uncle when he came home from work asking for food again. His Uncle dragged him by the eye and pushed him into the cupboard! He slammed the door and locked it shouting at him "Stop asking for food! You ungrateful little FREAK! Maybe if we leave you in there for a while you will learn your lesson!" They left little Harry in there for 6 months. Harry didn't know how he had survived! When he came out they started ordering Harry to cook. Harry had cooked breakfast lunch and dinner since then and was still doing it to this day.

One hour to go and the snores of the sleeping boy next to him made Harry wrinkle his nose in disgust at the drool dripping down the corner of his mouth. The said boy was called Dudley. He was a horrible bully of a boy, taking advantage of children's fear of him always pinching lunch money or stealing mp3 players which he would then sell. The children had a right to fear him though as anyone who didn't comply with his wishes would get beaten up by Dudley's gang. It wasn't Dudley's gang because Dudley was the smartest! Oh no! It was Dudley's gang because Dudley was the dumbest. And it was a good job otherwise Harry's plan to get Dudley to leave the other kids alone wouldn't have worked.

On the last week of school Harry had devised a plan that would get Dudley to stop bullying other kids so that when he went off to his posh new school he wouldn't bully those children as well. It was all for Dudley's own well and good really then at least then he would have maybe a few friends and not minions. Harry had woken up the morning of his ingenious plan ready and rearing to go. After cooking breakfast like he always did and then he was out the door.

Harry's 'ingenious plan was to prank Dudley so that Dudley could feel the humiliation and fear the other kids did. Harry first set up glue on Dudley's assigned seat then he put a milk bucket under the table so that Dudley would step in it and he put grease on the floor in front of Dudley's chair so that Dudley would slip. All the children were sat down when Dudley came in. He paddled to the back of the classroom like the baby elephant he was and slipped on the grease sending him flying in the air. He dragged himself onto the chair and plunked his feet down one by one and the milk flew all on his feet and trousers. He was now sat on the chair and Harry was licking his lips in anticipation. Just as registration ended Dudley stood up to go to the toilet. Half of Dudley's pants were stuck on the chair. He didn't notice and couldn't understand why people were laughing at him. He ran home crying his eyes out. Aunt Petunia comforted him but it wouldn't stop him crying. Harry had hoped it taught him a lesson as he couldn't work out if the crying was the fake crying he sometimes did to get attention.

But now he knew as Dudley had not bullied any children in weeks. His plan had worked (for once) and the mission – Reformation of the Dursleys – had begun! His next plan was to get Aunt Petunia to see that her sister was not a Freak or horrible and to get her stop insulting them he wasn't sure how he was going to do it. As he saw it, it was going to be quite the challenge. However the biggest challenge by far was going to be Uncle Vernon. He harbored the most hatred against Harry however Harry didn't know why as before that day- when he was three- when Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had turned on him he and Uncle Vernon always used to go out to the park or to get an ice cream with Dudley. He used to have great fun! Now he was like their slave instead.

There was 10 seconds left to go till midnight and Harry started to count down. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Harry whispered to himself so as not to wake up Dudley "Happy birthday Harry!" But Harry couldn't complete his routine of saying a wish to himself as there was a BANG! All went silent! Another BANG! Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley were all up by now! Then it all went silent again! Then there was suddenly a huge creak and there standing in the doorway was a huge man. He was about 9ft tall and had a huge mass of scraggly hair and a beard that was just the same. Together they almost covered up the man's jolly brown eyes. He reminded Harry of a brown haired Father Christmas! His head kept banging on the ceiling as he made his way across the small shack each time letting out small noises of pain. Finally he flopped onto the hard couch in the middle of room letting out a small sigh of relief.

The giant then boomed in a voice that made the room vibrate "Hi Harry bet you know why I'm here! Ay! You excited?"

Harry replied back in a meek voice "I don't know why you're here sir. Sir, why are you here?"

The giant replied angrily "You don't know why I'm here what about Hogwarts? Professor Dumbledore?" He started mumbling "Oh if you don't know about that a bet you don't know about Lily and James either. Mcgonagall said those muggles were the worst sort! Lily's sister not even telling her nephew about his mother!" As he spoke his voice was getting louder until he finally shouted out for the entire world to hear "The worst muggles I tell you, not telling him about his own parents!"

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon stood cowering in the doorway! Uncle Vernon held a package in his hands that was dropped because of his shaking hands. Dudley was hiding in the alcove in the fireplace trying to blend into the wall. Not very easy with how fat he was.

"What about my parent's sir?" Harry asked hesitantly. He didn't want to get on this mans bad side so his game plan was that if he acted meek then he might not think of him as a threat. "Didn't they die in a car crash?" …He was stood there silently and Harry was worried that he had offended him so he tried to explain stumbling over his words in his haste "I mean there is nothing special about that is there?" Then Harry mumbled bitterly to himself "Nothing special about a pair of drunks!"

The gaint didn't seem to hear me and for that Harry was glad as he suddenly shouted "JAMES AND LILY DIEING IN A CAR CRASH OUTRAGOUS!" His voice suddenly became low and menacing as he turned towards my Aunt "You told him his mother and father were drunks and died in a car crash you are filth. I just thought that you hadn't told him anything and not that you had outright lied!" Oh he heard! Whoops! "You muggles get out of my sight I never want to see your disgusting faces again!" Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon scurried into the other room Dudley still cowered in the fireplace but the giant didn't notice!

"Now Harry because those imbeciles haven't told you anything I guess I will have to!" He slumped down on the sofa and patted the spot next to him. Harry hesitantly sat next to him cautiously feeling the supposed hard lump. Surprisingly it was soft! Harry slumped into it in relief he hadn't sat down on a sofa like this in ages. The last time was when his Aunt, Uncle and Dudley went to America for a week and he had told Mrs. Figg that they were back a day early. Mrs. Figg is the batty old cat lady that lives at number six that hobbles around on her zimmerframe. If the Dursleys ever go out anywhere Harry was always sent to her unless there is something wrong.

Like for Dudley's last birthday Harry was supposed to stay at Mrs. Figg's house while they went to the zoo but Mrs. Figg broke her leg and he had to go with them. Harry was so excited. When they got there Dudley got an ice cream and Harry got the ice lolly Dudley didn't want. It was probably the best thing Harry had ever tasted! Then Harry and the Dursleys went to see a snake that now lives in the back garden at the Dursley's house because somehow the glass disappeared and the snake escaped. Dudley got stuck in there instead and after Dudley got 'wet' (he really just got wet shoes) they had to go home. Uncle Vernon blamed it on me as usual and I was locked in my cupboard until school started which was for a whole 2 months!

Anyway back to the present. "Harry, you're a wizard" Hagrid stated bluntly. Harry blinked in shock that was ridiculous 'maybe this man is crazy Harry thought!' Hagrid had seen Harry looking skeptical and tried to help make him see that he was telling the truth. "Have you ever done something strange? Something you couldn't explain?" Harry thinks for a moment and then realizes that this might be an explanation to the missing glass at the zoo. He looks at Hagrid expectantly ready for more information. "Here is your Hogwarts letter that has probably been trying to reach you for a few weeks now." Harry opened the seal on the letter which had a raven, a lion, a snake and a badger all surrounding a large H. So this was the letter that has been trying to come Harry thought. Those letters are the reason we came to this creaky shack in the first place. Harry looked at the letter disdainfully for a start but soon smiled. Someone must have wanted him at this Hogwarts place, to send so many letters!

He took the parchment out with shaking hands and slowly opened it. Harry read the letter carefully. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and opened them again. It wasn't a dream! He wasn't going to the local secondary school where he would have surely been buried alive. He was going to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry!

But Harry still has something niggling at him in the back of his mind! "Hagrid?" He asked "What about my parents?"

"Harry." He answered in an all knowing tone, "Your Mum and Dad were witches and wizards too but were killed by an evil wizard so terrible that most wizards don't dare speak his name! Your parents were brave and good people and I am sorry that they died." Hagrid looked down in mourning for a moment. There was an awkward silence for a long time and Harry wondered if Hagrid had fallen asleep.

Suddenly he looked up again as if realizing he hadn't told Harry something yet! "Oh yeah!" He said just then slapping his head to his forehead! "I forgot to tell you that you are famous!"

"Famous?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yep famous! You see this evil wizard was thought to have been taking over the world as no one could stop him. Aurors..

"Aurors? What are aurors?"

"Aurors are wizarding policemen now don't interrupt! Aurors were called from all over the world to try and stop him but they all died. No one was thought to have stopped him but someone did! You Harry!"

"Me? But I'm nothing special! I'm just Harry Potter!" Harry replied panicking at the thought thinking about how people must expect so much of him and he could give so little. He didn't know anything about the wizarding world!

"Yes Harry Potter! The Boy-Who-Lived! |You are the boy Harry that when everyone died against the evil wizard you lived! Most people say that he killed your dad and then your mother who died protecting you and then he turned his wand on you! He said Avada Kedavra –the killing curse- which is said to be unblockable by any spell or object and you stopped it Harry! You didn't die and You-Know-Who did! Well at least that's what most people say. Codswollop in my opinion! I don't think he had enough human left in him to die! I think he's out there biding his time waiting for the right moment to strike! And we must all be ready for when the storm comes Harry!"

"Hagrid what was the evil wizard's name?" Harry asked

"I'll try! Vol-, Volde-, Voldemort! There I said it!" Hagrid announced triumphantly. "Most people do not dare to speak his name and that is why he is called You-Know-Who in polite society."

Harry shivered he was already developing a fear for saying the name. He hoped he would be able to defend himself when the time came. He resolved that he wouldtrain night and day if he had to so that he would be able to protect himself. Maybe he should set up a defense group so that people could protect themselves. Well it would probably be more of a study group at first…

While Harry was hatching plans Hagrid was studying Harry. He noticed the oversized clothes Harry wore his too thin body and his almost gaunt like face. This was not the face of a boy who was well looked after. Hagrid's anger started working its way to the surface again but he pushed it down quickly he didn't want to get angry at Harry again it wasn't his fault! But those muggles just make him so mad! Hagrid snapped out of his trance to see Harry watching him worriedly. Hagrid's heart melted Harry was such a kind hearted boy to be worried about a person like him.

"Are we going then Hagrid?" Harry asked

"Where to?" Hagrid asked still not quite out of his trance.

"Diagon Alley of course." Harry replied in bemusement "It says that I can get the stuff I need from school there on the letter that was in with the acceptance letter.

Huh! Hagrid mused. That wasn't on last year's letter! It seemed Harry had been reading more thoroughly threw his letter and had noticed his list for the school things. Now Harry was looking at the list again. His eyes widening as he read.

"Hagrid. How will I be able to pay for all of this? I only have £10 saved up from odd jobs around the village and I am sure all this stuff is very expensive." He was looking up at him curiously through big emerald eyes.

Just like Lily's Hagrid noticed but quickly answered Harry's question, "With the vault your parents left you Harry. Thinking of that I have the key right here. Where is it? I know it's in here somewhere. Ah ha!" Hagrid fished out a small gold key from his pocket and handed it to Harry. "I think I have a chain somewhere too." He rooted around for a bit before he took out a small gold chain that fitted straight through the hole in the top of the key.

Harry pushed the chain through the hole fastened it and put it around his neck safely under his shirt. "Now that we're ready we should be going Harry after all you never know what may await you in Diagon Alley Harry!" Hagrid stated.

As he and Hagrid trudged towards the boat leaving the Dursleys behind Harry sniggered they would have to hire another boat to get across from the island the shack was on. He imagined the scene that would take place.

When the Dursleys were ready to go Uncle Vernon's face would get redder and redder as he would try to explain where the other boat had gone. He would eventually get a boat and that boat would be a rowing boat. Uncle Vernon would have to row to get to the other side. Then he would have to be sweaty until he got to number 4 Privet Drive where he must get a shower. However the shower wouldn't be on and he would have to wait all smelly on the sofa. Aunt Petunia would get mad being the clean freak she is and finally it would all be resolved but not before Uncle Vernon panted trying to get up the stairs. It would have been a sight to see but sadly Harry was going with Hagrid so he wouldn't get to see the fiasco.

Harry sighed in regret that he would not see the different looks on his Uncle's face. Hagrid looked at him weirdly and asked "You alright Harry?"

Harry just nodded at him distractedly and stepped onto the boat that Hagrid was already in. The boat toppled dangerously because of his weight before steadying when Hagrid tapped the side of the boat with his umbrella. Harry looked at the umbrella curiously but thought now wasn't the time to ask as Hagrid was already rowing the boat in long strokes.

They were at the other side in a few minutes and started walking towards the train station which Uncle Vernon had passed on his way to the shack. People were looking at Hagrid weirdly as being 9ft he wasn't your average human. When they got onto the train Hagrid took up at least 3 seats pushing off a little old lady who was sitting there before.

Hagrid then had the gall to comment "Why do all Muggles make the seats so small?"

Harry thought that maybe it was because Hagrid was bigger than the average person but perked up at being given the opening for the question he had been meaning to ask for a while now. "Hagrid, what is a muggle?"

"Well a muggle, Harry is somebody non-magical."

"But why don't people just call them non-magical then it would be far less discriminating!"

"I've never thought of it like that but I suppose your right. In our world people put labels onto things in our world because of the prejudice people in our world have. They call magical creatures monsters and non-magical people muggles because they think they are disgusting or unnatural. Pureblood Supremacists hate muggles because they think that the lines of magic should only be pure. And the names just stuck I guess. I shall endeavor to call mugg- I mean non-magicals, non-magicals from now on!" He saw Harry's confused look when he said purebloods and remembered that Harry was raised by muggles. He kept forgetting that. "Purebloods are people who have had magical parents for three generations. Half-bloods are people with one pureblood and one muggle or one muggleborn parent. And Muggleborns are people with two muggleborn or muggle parents. The Half-bloods and Muggleborns are all called mudbloods by the pureblood supremacists and this is an insult as it means you have dirty blood." Hagrid didn't know why he had given such a long winded explanation but thought it might have something to do with not being able to explain anything hardly and then it was like he suddenly broke an invisible barrier and it all rushed out at once.

Harry nodded his head understandingly and looked as if he were thinking about something. They walked in silence until they got to some place called The Leaky Cauldron which Hagrid walked in. Harry noticed that many people seemed to be walking in that direction but veered off suddenly. It was weird he thought there must some kind of barrier around it.

He and Hagrid walked into a dark, dank room filled to the brim with people drinking a weird frothy drink that looked like beer and a red drink that looked a bit like the whiskey Uncle Vernon had in his drinks cabinet. He walked in slowly. Everyone greeted Hagrid but it seemed like a ripple of silence fell over the place when their eyes fell on him.

A voice at the back shouted in wonderment "Is that? It can't be! It is! It's Harry Potter!"

Suddenly it seemed as if everyone was snapped out of a trance. There were voices left, right and center. "Pleasure to meet you Mister Potter!", "Thank you Mister Potter thank you!" "Mister Potter I'm so glad to see you again!"

Harry was overwhelmed until he felt Hagrid's heavy hand fall on his shoulder and gently guide him to a door in the back. Out the back there were a few bins, a drainpipe and a plain wall.

Hagrid tapped the wall with his umbrella mumbling "Two up and one to the left." The wall opened bit by bit and Harry's eyes widened in amazement. Then Hagrid very aptly stated "Harry, Welcome to Diagon Alley!"