Warning: Unbetaed (In Process)

-I know Im supposed to be working on Promises and Guilt but I just got out of the shower and was like THIS MUST BE WRITTEN. Unsurprisingly this was the same way PaG began... Huh...

Harry found that it wasn't a question as to when the pain would stop. Rather it was when the pain relievers would kick in. Ever since that night two years ago, only weeks before his ninth birthday, when he was bitten by a rabid dog that his life had gone to hell. When he thought back on it he would remember the first few weeks as the most painful days of his life, whether or not this was because he was unaccustomed to pain on this scale Harry would never know. The first week he did nothing but scream, scream until his voice gave out and he had nothing left to give. After the first three days of screaming the Dursleys, brought him to the doctors, who after running a bunch of tests, told a incoherent nine year old that there was nothing they could do, that he would live with the pain for the rest of his life. They proscribed pain medication and told him to bare the pain for a week or two more, to just hold out until the medication was ready.

Those weeks were hell. After the first week of screaming, something clicked in Harry and he grit his teeth and waited. At first it was like a stream constantly crashing against him, seeming to send pain over every inch of his body. Like someone was bathing him in fire, every inch of him. Then after his medication was finally ready it became more of a dull throb, something akin to having a bruise on every inch of your body, inside and out, as well as occasionally coughing up blood, which his doctors told him was because his organs were somehow breaking themselves down only to be regrown almost at the same time, all this was interspersed with moments of intense pain when his medication wore off, those were times were the worst.

At that point Harry thought things couldn't get any worse. He was wrong.

Harry looked off into the sky. It was a full moon tonight and he knew that he needed to get inside and lock himself in his cupboard. If he thought about it the Dursleys were lucky that A.) he was a good person, and didn't hate them outright, and that B.) the wooden door on the cupboard could hold him back on the full moon, although he didn't think that B.) would be true for many more years.

The night of the full moon was both the best and worst night of the month for Harry. The full moon brought with it great agony. An even greater pain then what he felt without his medication, the unique and utterly impossible pain of feeling every single bone in your body growing and shifting around underneath your skin, it was one of the only types of pain Harry even screamed for anymore. However after the intense pain ended Harry felt nothing, only pure bliss, as with the loss of control came the loss of his constant agony. And it was for this reason that Harry found himself entering his cupboard with a small smile on his face. Harry locked the door behind him before giving three quick taps to the ceiling. About ten minutes later Harry heard the sounds of Vernon walking down the stairs, and then the sounds of multiple locks being pushed into place on his door, after all Vernon didn't want the little freak to escape, and Harry didn't want to be responsible for his Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin's deaths.

Harry lay down on the small cot pushed up against the wall of the cupboard, in only his boxers, which could stitch quite a bit and waited. At this point it was probably only four or five hours from midnight the time at which the pain would begin. And then he would awake to be patched up from his self inflicted injury, by his Aunt who didn't want to explain why she had a dead child in her house to the authorities. Somewhere in the back of his mind Harry faintly recalled that his eleventh birthday was coming up soon, and for some reason Harry felt that this year things were going to change. Harry closed his eyes immersing himself in his thoughts, he found that if he went deep enough sometimes he would be able to ignore the pain, even if only for those few blissful moments. And then just like that immersed in his thoughts that seconds became minutes and minutes became hours.

And then the clock struck midnight, and the pain began. It started as a sudden intense throb on his left calf, where he was bitten. Then the pain spread though his body, feeling as if someone was pouring liquid fire though his veins. This was shortly followed by the agony of all his bones dislocating and moving around his insides, and then reseting themselves in new positions. It was only after all of this that the pain spiked towards his head, and like always this was the last thing Harry felt that night.

Harry woke the next morning bleeding heavily, and writhing in agony like he always did after the night of the full moon. Three quick taps to the ceiling of the cupboard later and Harry was in the hallway getting bandaged by his Aunt, who was glaring at him disapprovingly all the while.

"Was all the screaming really necessary?" she asked in what Harry knew to be her most condescending tone.

"It really hurt" replied Harry staring off into the distance as he always did after these nights, as his he were trying to see something no one else could, still in shock from the return of the pain he normally felt.

Still in accordance with their monthly ritual, Mrs. Dursley got Harry's medication out of the cupboard where he always left it tossed the bottle to him, with a look which clearly meant that he was to expect no more kindness from her. Harry gratefully opened the bottle and muttered a thanks to his aunt while tossing back two pills into his mouth, this was as kind as his aunt would ever be to him, and honestly he was fine with that. The Dursleys never abused him, they just didm't treat him like a child, more like a free loader. He was given chores and worked to earn his living, and in return they paid for his medication, and for that Harry would do anything for them. Vernon of course said that it was because he didn't want to hear all of Harry's constant screaming, and to be honest Harry both didn't blame him or care, so long as he had his medication he was a far more normal member of society. It meant that he could go to school and learn to read and write, that he might one day be able to get a job, Harry recognized this and was thankful for the what the Dursleys had done for him.

Harry slipped back into the cupboard and began cleaning the blood off of the floor, from the nights self inflicted injury. Once the job was done Harry set about putting his clothes back on as he had taken off everything but his boxers last night to avoid destroying during the transformation. After pulling his shirt and pants back on, both of which were Dudley-downs, as Harry liked to call them, he laced up his shoes, which were also Dudley-downs, and stepped back out in to the hall, only to meet the eyes of Vernon Dursley, who only had one thing to say.

"Mail"

It wasn't a word so much as a command and Harry smiled up at the man before nodding and walking out the front door. The mailbox of, 4 Privet Drive, was like everything else about it, completely normal, mundane in ever sense of the word, it was a plain white color, and sported a black number four. It had no distinguishing characteristics, other then the fact that today a brown owl was sitting atop it with a letter tied to its leg, which it stuck out imperiously at Harry as if granting him the great honor of taking the letter.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at this, it wasn't everyday someone sent an owl to deliver mail. Harry slowly took the letter from the owl and found it was addressed to him, which as odd seeing as the only letters he ever got were from the hospital, and he couldn't remember them being sent via owl, let alone on such high quality paper. But there it was a letter to him sealed with wax and everything, embossed with a stylized letter H making it feel vary official. The front of the letter read,

Mr. H Potter

The Cupboard Under the Stairs

4 Privet Drive

Surrey

And just like that Harry knew everything was going to change.

Harry opened up the mailbox and removed the over letters, and then tucking the letter addressed to him in to his pocket before walking back inside and placing the mail on the kitchen table for his uncle and aunt, and then walking back into his cupboard to open his letter.

Once open Harry found two sheets of paper the first of which read,

Dear Mr, Potter

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

Was this some kind of joke? Harry found that hard to believe. I mean what kind of person trains an owl to deliver mail just to play a joke on some diseased child? Not to mention the fact that this 'Witchcraft and Wizardry' in other words, Magic, could explain why every full moon he under went such painful transformations, ones which as far as Harry knew were unique to only him. No this wasn't a joke, or at least Harry hoped so maybe he could get some answers.

Harry made his way to the front door to make sure the owl was still on the mailbox, which it was seemingly waiting for his return letter, Harry grabbed a pen from the counter and some paper before heading back into his room to write his response.

Dear Deputy Headmistress

I guess the best thing to start with would be, What is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have never heard of any such school, although who knows there are many schools. As I highly doubt this is a joke, due solely to the shear amount of effort such a prank would require, coupled with a few things in my own personal life I can only assume that magic does indeed exist.

On the subject of my personal life I feel it prudent to inform you that I am afflicted with a rather painful and unidentifiable disease, which among other things causes me to undergo a painful, shall we say transformation on the night of the full moon. If you have any information about said disease I would be more then happy to hear of it. Also your letter stated that there where books I would need to purchase and after a cursory glance at the list I have found that I have never heard of these books, nor would I know where to purchase them.

Again any assistance with these problems would be much appreciated.

Yours Sincerely,

Harry Potter

Folding the letter Harry placed it back in the now folded envelope and walked back out to the owl and retied the letter to its leg. The owl gave a quick hoot and then fluttered its wings to take off, a clear sign to Harry that he was to back off. Harry of course obliged and watched it fly into the distance.

Two days later Harry met one Rubius Hagrid much to the chagrin of his relatives. Hagrid took Harry to a place called Diagon Ally to get his school supplies and told him about the wizarding world and of course the special place he held in it as the boy who lived. A fact for which Harry was not happy, his disease was already hard enough to live with without all these expectations being put on him by the population of the wizarding world.

It was after their little shopping trip when both males sat down, one large one small, to eat at a small outdoor cafe around midday that Hagrid brought Harrys disease.

"So 'arry I was told tha' you 'ave a bit of a problem." Began a sheepish looking Hagrid, obviously he didn'y know how to broach this subject.

"A few I guess, which one are you talking about" Responded Harry his voice quickly becoming much more serious.

"You know… tha' one that happens every full moon."

"Oh…. That one." Harry was beginning to feel uncomfortable, he wanted answers but really this wasn't his favorite topic.

"Right then what ya' know 'bout it?" Questioned Hagrid.

"Not much really just that I've had it three years and that the pain is worst on the full moon, when the changes happen."

"Worst? You make it sound like it 'urts at other times." Hagrid muttered the concern growing behind his eyes.

"Yeah thats right, even now I'm in pain. If it weren't for these…." Said Harry as he pulled out his bottle of medication, and placed it on the table between them,"…I would be screaming my head off in agony. Other then that its not that bad aside from occasionally coughing up blood, but you get used to it after a while." Stated the afflicted child as nonchalantly as he could, trying to make light of his disease.

Hagrid stared at him, at first as if trying to find the nonexistent mirth in Harry's eyes, and then after finding non his eyes filled with deep sadness.

"What 'cha got is called Lycanthropy, in other words 'yer a Werewolf." After this statement Hagrid coughed a few times and looked very uncomfortable.

"Oh." Was all Harry could choke out His Uncle was right he really was a freak.

"Don' worry 'array you can still go ter' the school we got special solutions ter' ya' problem at Hogwarts." Hagrid quickly reassured Harry who was close to tears at this point.

"So there are others like me? Is there a cure?"

"Well most werewolves aren't like ya' see most don' feel pain all the time, or cough up blood. But ya' there are others." Hagrid gave Harry another pitying look and then said "I hate to be teh' on tha' break it to ya' arry' but theres no cure for Lycanthropy."

Harry sighed dejectedly, he had figured as much, but it never hurt to hope anyway.

"Arry' I twer' told ta' tell ya' that you should be careful bout' who ya' tell bout' the more wolfy parts o' yer' disease. Not many wizards are to accepting o' werewolves these days"

Great one more thing to worry about then, not that he would tell anyone, if they knew he was a monster then he would be hated, and once again be without friends because of his disease, just like at public school. No kid wanted to be near the kid with a rare and deadly disease.

"Thanks for the warning Hagrid, I'll keep it in mind."

"No problem arry' remember my huts always open ter' ya'. Now then time to get ya' home."

After this both men, one tall one short left the cafe and returned to the extreme normalcy of the Dursley residence, all of Harry's school things in tow.

September 1

Harry had been waiting, ever since Hagrid showed up and told him all about the world of wizardry an now it was the day he was going to Hogwarts and now standing in the station searching for a platform nine and three quarters harry felt like a fool. How could he not even consider asking Hagrid how to access the mysterious platform? He had even shown up a whole two hours early so he could revel in his new life, and now here he was stuck in a plain old mundane train station with his snowy owl Hedwig and his trunk on a trolly, feeling like an idiot.

It was while he was busy berating himself that his insides gave a lurch and immediately Harry knew what was going to happen and threw us hand up over his mouth as quickly as he could, while leaning crouching down next to his cart trying to cope with the pain he was feeling. Then the coughing began and soon after he felt a warm liquid covering his hands. Each cough spiked the pain he felt and by the end of the torturous process Harrys felt his eyes water slightly from pain, something which by this point was no easy task. Now a days it took one of his transformations to generate enough pain to get him to cry. This was one of his worst coughing fits yet and when one happened many more were sure to follow that day.

It was only as the pain slowly began to ebb away that Harry realized that there was a girl kneeling down next to him one arm clutched to her shirt gripping it in anxiety the other on his shoulder. She was saying something to him in a worried tone.

Harry lowered his hand and quickly hid it behind his back and smiled at the kind girl.

"Hello sorry to worry you like that, I forget that most people aren't used to it. My names Harry by the way." Said a sheepish Harry, he was glad the girl was worried about him, but he was also rather embarrassed that she say him so weak.

"Your other hand, let me see it." The girl demanded, obviously she had seen his haste to hide it and wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"You still haven't given me your name" He responded trying futilely to change the subject.

The girl suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm pulling it and his hand out for her to see.

His hand was as he had suspected, covered in blood, it was almost as if someone had dunked one side of it in wet paint and then let then splattered paint over the rest of it.

Harry noticed the girl tense as he had expected she would, most people worried about others coughing up blood.

Harry shifted around uncomfortably in place stuck under the gaping eyes of the bushy brown haired girl.

"Are you alright? Are you sure you should even be here? Are you sick? Does this happen often? You sure made it sound like it does…" The girl was firing off questions at a breakneck speed and Harry while willing to answer couldn't keep up. So instead he coughed twice, cutting her off and began speaking.

"I promise I'm fine this happens often enough. I have a disease which doctors have been unable to identify." This was entirely true, a half-giant who was a groundskeeper at a magic school identified it for him. "I should be fine by tomorrow at the latest. Now I would like to know the name off the girl who is so concerned for a stranger." Harry said with mirth dancing in his eyes.

The girl looked at him obviously a bit mortified that this happened to him often, then after taking in his words she blushed, seemingly ashamed at her poor manners. "My name is Hermione, Hermione Granger. Its nice to meet you although I wish it were under better circumstances." Said Hermione with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Harry smiled back to her as best as he could, before glancing at the clock and realizing the time. He then reached for his pills in his pocket and opened the bottle with practice ease before dropping out two rather large pills and swallowing in one large gulp. Then after replacing the pills in his pockets he returned his gaze to Hermione and gave another sheepish smile.

"Sorry bout' that Hermione have to take them at specific times, and almost missed it just them."

She nodded to him a bit hesitantly before turning to look behind him at his trolly and subsequently the owl on it, at which point her face brightened.

"Harry is that your owl?" That his nod of confirmation she continued"are you going to Hogwarts as well then?"

Harry immediately perked up at that, "yes I am does that mean you will be attending as well, if so I am in a bit of a jam, you see I don't actually know how to access the platform, the teacher who informed me of the school never told me." Said Harry a desperate look plastered on his face.

Hermione looked excited by his conformation of attendance and responded "Yes I will be there as well, and of course I can show you how to access the platform." she said taking his hand and pulling him towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Harry pulling his trolly behind him. "My things are already on the train I only came back to get some food from the vendors out here, I suppose its lucky for you huh?" Hermione was beaming by this point, obviously she enjoyed helping people.

"Yes I suppose it is" It was at the same time that Harry was thinking she was a rather nice girl that she began to pull him into a run towards the barrier.

"Were going to go though the wall!" she yelled back to him.

It was at this point that Harry began to question how good a judge of character he was.

"Were going to wha….!" Harry didn't even have time to finish his sentence before the barreled though the wall and into a open air platform with a huge red train in wait, one which Harry was sure was not there before.

"Welcome to platform nine and three quarters Harry" said Hermione smiling at him and then giggling at the confusion she found in his eyes.

"Mione. Never do that again. Please." Harry pleaded, he would really rather not do something so mind bending as running straight at what appeared to be a solid wall ever again.

"Mione?" Questioned the bushy haired girl

"Yeah its a nick name. You know those things friends give each other?" replied the boy as if he were explaining things to a small child.

"Your my friend?" asked Hermione obviously a bit stunned.

"I haven't really had many and I would be happy to have you as my first Mione!" Harry replied hopefully maybe he could get at least one friend this year.

For a minute Harry thought he could see her eyes watering up before she closed her eyes and nodded furiously, "I would love to be your friend, to be honest I haven't had many either."

"Well then I suppose we have a lot to learn" Smiled Harry back at his new friend.

"Yes, I'm sure we do" Smiled Hermione right back.

The two approached the large red train the station was fairly quiet right now as it was a full hour and a half before departure and the two worked together to get Harry's things onto the train.

They then stepped inside the train and found themselves a compartment, and sat down, Hermione taking out books and Harry taking Hedwig out of her cage, having brought her with him onto the train for company. Hedwig sat on the window sill while the two settled into the compartment, once they were feeling comfortable, Hedwig swooped down and perched on Harry's shoulder, before beginning to prune herself, eliciting a laugh from Hermione.

"Hermione, Hedwig. Hegwig Hermione." Introduced Harry.

"Nice to meet you Hedwig!" beamed Hermione, who seemed to be genuinely excited about meeting her. Hedwig on the other hand stared at her for a few seconds before hooting and returning to preening herself. Hermione looked a little downtrodden by this but quickly picked herself back up. She then took on a more serious expression and looked almost nervous.

"Harry I know this must be a sensitive subject but what do you know about your disease?" Harry cringed at this he really didn't want to get into this talk this early on. "I'm worried about you, I mean you were coughing up blood earlier and you said that happens often, maybe if I know more about it I can keep my ears open for a way to make things easier for you." Harry looked at her surprised by how ernest she was, and gave a sigh.

"I don't really know much just that my body is in a constant state of pain. See without my medication I would be in a lot more pain. My aunt and uncle told me I wouldn't stop screaming for the first few days after I first displayed signs of the sickness. Honestly I don't remember much about it, just a lot of pain, the pills help but to be honest its not like the pain goes away so much as I'm used to what they dull the pain down to by now." At this Harry could see the beginnings of tears in Hermione's eyes.

"Harry I'm so sorry, that sounds absoluetly dreadful." Remorse for her question glistened in her brown eyes.

Harry just gave her a smile another one which didn't reach his eyes, and continued talking, "As for the blood, the doctors say I've got if pretty bad, apparently my own organs a breaking them selves down and then regenerating just as fast…and tha…" Harry's words were cut off by yet another fit of coughing and more blood. "….Sorry bout that, where was I oh yeah and that while it isn't lethal it, well it causes quite a but of harm to the body, the blood is from my lung splitting open and then repairing itself, the doctors call it a miracle that my body is healing it self so fast." Harry said chuckling a little to try and stop the tears that were so obviously about to fall.

Hermione just looked at Harry after he finished talking, he obviously didn't notice the blood that had splotched onto the sides of his mouth and she felt her tears begin to fall. This poor boy he got dealt a poor hand in life, and here he was still trying to live like another normal person his age… well another wizard his age. She fished around in her pockets before pulling out her handkerchief and leaning over towards Harry, and dapping at his blood splotches. At this Harrys eyes widened a bit and then began to water and Hermione heard him croak out,

"Thanks, Mione, normally I have to do that myself…" and Hermione felt all the weight behind that sentence, she would be there for him. And he would be there for her, they were friends now, and even with as little experience as Hermione had with friendship she knew that this Harry, her friend needed someone to rely on, and she would be that person.

"I know, were friends now you don't have to do everything yourself anymore" She said pulling him into a hug. Harry wrapped his arms around her in return and she could sense the suppress rolling off him in waves. Surprise at her acceptance of what he considered his greatest flaw.

And it was like that with his blood soaked hand staining her blue turtleneck that a friendship was sealed.