IMPORTANT: Read chapter 10 now for news (regardless of where you currently are in the story).
A/N: I own absolutely nothing. Everything belongs to J.K Rowling. My house, my car, my computer, it`s all J.K now.
Side note: This is my first attempt at creating a serious Harry Potter fanfiction. I will try my best to make an interesting story for you, but it will most likely be trash, so please go easy on me. If you for some godforsaken reason actually enjoy this story, then I regret to inform you that you may have a brain disorder, but there is a cure. Suicide.
"Harry, did you remember your Blemish Blitzer?" Lily Potter`s voice echoed through the hallways of their little home in Godric`s Hollow. "I know your face gets all itchy when you use it, but it`s so good for your skin!"
"More importantly, did you remember your Potion-making kit? I do hope the teachers at Hogwarts will let you use your own instead of those horrible low-quality ones they have in the classrooms", his father, Severus Potter, boomed.
"Severus, don`t say that! Dumbledore might hear you!" Harry`s mother joked as she approached her husband from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist. Severus turned around to face her, sighing slightly as he did.
"I do understand that it was meant as a joke, but when it comes Dumbledore, I presume something like that could actually be plausible".
As his parents shared a few jokes on Dumbledore`s expense, Harry was busy packing down the last of his possessions. He had brought with him all the items that was on the first year supply list, including his new wand made of holly wood, with a phoenix feather as its core. Harry had also been sure to bring some extra ingredients for potion-making, because he was positive the teachers at Hogwarts wouldn`t willingly supply him with fresh ingredients every day, in order for him to keep on with his personal studying of the potion-making arts.
Harry let out a long sigh as he studied his now rather empty room. His eyes automatically fell on his bookcase, and Harry couldn`t help but reminisce about all the evenings he had spent in his bed, reading books. His parents had forced him to read about Hogwarts, including its founders and Houses. He had also gained some basic knowledge about how the House Cup worked, which would undoubtedly be useful once he got sorted into his House. Harry loved reading, and he had devoted a lot of his time growing up to books. He had studied multiple aspects of the wizarding world, sucking in as much knowledge as he possibly could. As a matter of fact, just yesterday, he had read an interesting book about Kings Cross Station, which provided him with some amusing background information.
After studying the schedule he would be following at Hogwarts, Harry had been disappointed after he realized that he only had Potions class once every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If it was up to Harry, he would make it mandatory for all students to have Potions class at least once every day, because of the sheer extensiveness of the subject. But, since Hogwarts was a Wizarding School with way more than just one subject, Harry could, even with his biased opinion, see why it wasn`t possible for something like that to be the case. It would leave no room for other subjects.
"It doesn`t matter much, I suppose", Harry thought to himself as he dragged his suitcase with him towards the living room, where his parents were waiting for him. "I`ll still have more than enough time to study potions on my own. I did bring a potion-making kit with me, after all, together with my father`s personal recipe book".
Being raised under the same roof as Severus Potter had led Harry to take up his father`s interest in potion-making, and Severus had begun teaching Harry how to make potions at a very young age. This had led Harry to become even more interested in the subject, and before long, he was making potions he wasn`t supposed to make before his third year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Severus had been there for him every step of the way, constantly telling him what he did wrong and how to fix it.
Harry loved his father, and he couldn`t imagine how horrible it would`ve been if he had grown up in a different family. Maybe he would have been an adopted child, living in a home with parents that hated him. Harry shuddered just from the thought of it.
"Are you ready to leave, young man?" Severus asked him, putting his hand on Harry`s head. "Hogwarts is a remarkable school, led by a remarkable wizard, and you wouldn`t want to be left behind by the train, would you now?"
Harry looked up at his father with a big grin on his face.
"I have no intentions of doing so, dear father", he answered. Severus stared at him for a moment, before letting out a long sigh.
"You mustn`t talk like that, Harry. You will scare the other kids. For once in your life, try to act your age. You aren`t a Harvard professor, you are merely an eleven year old boy"
Harry muttered something about being vastly superior in terms of intelligence to other eleven-year-olds, and Severus couldn`t help but shake his head.
"Harry, you can`t go around thinking everyone is an idiot. It won`t do you any good, especially not at Hogwarts".
There was an awkward moment of silence as Harry grudgingly agreed to be a "nice boy".
"I`m going to miss you", Harry blurted out, as a lump the size of a car appeared in his throat. No, he was not going to cry here. Not now. He had to be strong, he had to show his father that he was ready for this. Severus looked down at his beloved son, pride swelling in his chest. Harry had grown up to be a man of good qualities, despite his crusade against people of lower intelligence. Severus was not worried in the slightest about sending Harry off to Hogwarts. He knew that Harry would grow to love the place, just like he had all those years ago.
"Now, off you go! Wouldn`t want to make your mother wait any longer", Severus said, before giving his son a final hug. "Good luck, my boy". Harry smiled back at him, before slowly walking out the front door. Severus stayed behind, watching his son take his first steps into the life of a real wizard.
…
"Ahh, there you are, Harry! I was starting to think we might miss the train", his mother, Lily Potter, said to him as he walked out of the house. "Now, are you sure you brought everything?"
"Yes mom, I`m positive", Harry answered as he dumped his suitcase into the back of the car. His mother sent him a worried look, before shrugging it off. If he had forgot something, she could always send it to him with an owl.
Harry took one last glance at the house he had grown up in as they pulled out of the driveway. His father stood in the doorway, waving at them with a satisfied smile on his face. Harry smiled and waved back. He was going to miss this place.
…
It was the first of September in the year 1991, at exactly 10.50 am that Harry, for the first time, stood on platform 9¾. Fun fact, it was Evangeline Orpington, Minister from 1849-1855, who came up with the solution of adding a concealed platform at the newly built King's Cross station, which would be accessible only to witches and wizards. Overall, this had been a good idea, and it had worked well all things considered, but sadly, there had been several incidents with wizards and witches dropping their suitcases full of biting spellbooks and potion ingredients all over the polished floor, in plain sight for the Muggles to see.
Luckily enough, there were several Ministry of Magic employees that stood guard at King`s Cross Station, ready to deal with such situations. Even though the Muggles had an extraordinary ability to completely oversee any signs of magic, even if it was happening right in front of their faces, the Ministry didn`t fancy their chances, and usually always wiped or altered their memory, if a Muggle should happen to see something along those lines.
Harry had learned all of this from the book he read yesterday.
He stared in awe at the bustling life in front of his eyes. King`s Cross Station was a massive place, and even though Platform 3/4 was technically located inside a barrier that separated platforms nine and ten, it was still very huge. Wizards and witches of all shapes and sizes walked past him, some dressed in formal black robes, and others just wearing casual attire, for instance a hoodie.
"Okay then Harry, here we are", said Lily Potter, standing right next to him. "The only thing left for you to do, is to board the train. All of your luggage has already been carried inside, so don`t worry about that".
Harry looked up at his mother, and Lily could see the worry in his eyes. She sighed, and gave him a big hug.
"Hey, cheer up little man. You are going to Hogwarts! I`m sure you are going to make lots of friends, and have a great time".
Harry stared at his mother for a moment before answering.
"But mother, I don`t want a bunch of halfwits as my friends! Did you know that a large portion of the wizarding community still believe in blood purity? It`s absolutely ludicrous!"
Roughly about 98% of the entire world`s population could easily be considered idiots. Harry was unusually bright for his age, and the other kids had a tendency to think he was weird. Harry didn`t like that.
Lily let out a jaded sigh, before shaking her head.
"When will you learn? Well, its time to get going now! Good luck on your trip to Hogwarts! You have to send us letters at least once every week, to let us know how you are doing!" Lily said.
Harry rolled his eyes, and gently pushed his mother aside.
"I`ll be okay, mother", he said as he stared at the train in front of him. It was a marvelous sight, and it had a certain rustic charm over it. His fellow students were almost finished boarding, and only a few remained on the platform, saying their final goodbyes to friends and family.
After a couple more hugs and kisses from his mother, Harry finally found himself standing inside of the train, looking for an empty compartment. They all seemed to be taken, until he finally came across one with only a lonely girl inside. She was currently reading a book of sorts. Harry decided to man up, and go inside to introduce himself. He slowly opened the door, and sat down opposite of the girl, facing her.
"Hello there, you perfectly functional member of the wizarding society", he said nonchalantly.
"My name is Harry Potter, and I`m a new student to Hogwarts".
Needless to say, Harry wasn`t exactly the best at socializing with other human beings. He had always been considered somewhat of a nutjob.
The girl looked up from her book, and studied him for a minute.
"I`m Hermione. Hermione Granger".
…
Dumbledore turned around to face Severus again, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"You intend to marry Lily Potter?"
Severus begrudgingly locked eyes with him, and it was clear that he was already determined to marry her.
"Yes, Albus. I wish to marry Lily. I am aware of the fact that my position and role at this school is a delicate matter, but this is something I must do. She needs someone, you must understand. I love her, Albus, and even though the loss of James still weighs heavily on her, she loves me too".
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sighed heavily, and a wave of tiredness hit him. Severus didn`t know the full truth. Albus had never told him about what really happened in Godric`s Hollow that cold October night. The public believed that James`s heroic sacrifice, combined with Harry`s young spirit, had been what had saved Harry and his mother. The story said that James`s soul had merged with Harry`s, creating a powerful magical barrier that shielded him from harm. This was, alas, not true.
But, since James Potter was no longer in this world, Harry would need a new protector, until he got old enough to protect himself. He would need someone to look after him, someone he could look up to as a father. Maybe, just maybe, Severus could fill that spot.
Dumbledore looked at him for what felt like an eternity, before finally nodding slightly.
"From this day forward, you will be known as Severus Potter. Your real name will still be Severus Snape, but on every legal document and to everyone else, you will have the last name of "Potter". Harry must not know. He must be kept in a closed environment, surrounded by no one else than his closest family. That means you and Lily, Severus. You will tell him you are his real father, and you will Obliviate him, and remove the memories he has of that dreadful night in October. He is not ready yet, Severus. He cannot know, it will ruin him.
Severus stared intently at Albus, taking in every word he said. He had to do this. For Lily, for Harry. After Albus was done talking, Severus nodded, and his face broke out into a grateful smile.
"Thank you Albus, you have no idea how much this means to me", he said, still smiling.
But Dumbledore didn`t smile back. He had to tell him. He had to.
"Do you want to know what happened in Godric`s Hollow that night, Severus?" Albus said in a voice filled with grave seriousness. The smile on Severus`s face vanished within a second, and a serious look took its place.
"What are you talking about, Albus?" Severus asked, surprised but serious.
"The reason Voldemort didn`t kill Harry Potter that night wasn`t because of his father`s sacrifice. It was because of something else entirely", Dumbledore said with a sad voice. All the blood in Severus`s face drained away, leaving him white as a sheet.
"Wha… what happened, Albus?"
Dumbledore gave him a sad smile.
"He ran, Severus. He ran because he was afraid of what lies dormant within Harry Potter".
…
"Did… did you just say… Harry Potter?" Hermione asked with a surprised tone. This was The Boy Who Lived? The one and only? She couldn`t believe it. The chance of him getting on the same train, sitting down in the same compartment as her was so slim, she could barely comprehend it.
"Umm… Yes, I`m positive that is who I am, miss Granger", Harry answered, confusion dripping from his words.
"Oh my god, I can`t believe it! Harry Potter! Right here! Now that is quite the surprise, I must say", she laughed, Harry looking more confused than ever.
"If you don`t mind me asking, how do you know my name?"
Hermione`s laughter stopped as fast as it started. Her eyes widened with shock, and she looked him straight in the eye.
"What, surely YOU of all people must know about…"
She was interrupted by the sound of the door sliding open, and in came a young boy with flaming orange hair. He was so ginger, in fact, that Harry could almost feel the vacuum where his soul should`ve been. He sat down next to Harry, a wide grin on his face.
"Hey, I`m Ron, Ron Weasley". The boy uttered the words with clear pride. Hermione was taken aback by the sudden entry of this random boy, so Harry decided to go first.
"Hello, I`m Harry Potter. Nice to meet you".
"Hey, I`m Ron", the boy answered. Harry stared at him for a second.
"Yes, I heard you the first time, Ron".
"And I`m Hermione".
A moment of awkwardness followed, but it didn`t seem to affect Ron, he just sat there with a dumb smile on his face. Suddenly, the boy`s eyes flew open.
"Wait, did you just say Harry Potter!?" he almost screamed. He sounded so upset, in fact, that Harry wondered for a second if the boy had been in contact with the Alihotsy Draught potion, which was known to cause hysteria.
"Yes, why does everyone keep assuming I`m not who I say I am?" Harry muttered.
"Wicked!" Ron said, still with the dumb grin on his face.
It was obvious that Ron wasn`t exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. Harry thought that if he concentrated hard enough, he would be able to notice every time a new thought came into the boy`s head.
"Well, I don`t know if "wicked" is a very accurate description of my name, but sure, I`ll take it as a compliment", Harry said after a long pause. Ron kept smiling. It was starting to freak Harry out a little, to be honest. Was that the only emotion the boy was capable of showing?
"So anyways, Hermione, you were about to say…?" Harry said, urging her to continue. Hermione shook her head from side to side a couple of times, before seemingly recovering her focus.
"Yes, what was it again… Oh, that`s right, the story of The Boy Who Lived! But, if you are who you say you are, how come you don`t know of what is practically your own legend?" she asked suspiciously.
"Miss Granger, I am absolutely certain I have no idea what you are talking about. My birth name is Harry James Potter, my mother is Lily Potter and my father is Severus Potter. I grew up in Godric`s Hollow, and I have never heard of this so-called "Boy Who Lived", so if you could just stop confusing me with this "legend" crap and tell me just what the hell is going on here I would be eternally grateful to you", Harry said, bursting out with everything he had on his mind in an instant.
Both Hermione and Ron looked completely shocked, and Harry could feel his face turning red. He had a tendency to go on random rants for no apparent reason, which had contributed to a lot of awkward moments in his childhood. It definitely held some relevance as to why Harry had never had many friends in his early life.
"Sorry", Harry muttered silently, his eyes fixed on the ground.
"Umm, okay, so what I was about to say, is that…", Hermione started, only to be interrupted by the door sliding open once again. This time, a black-haired boy stood in the opening, his eyes scanning the compartment nervously.
"H… hello, my name is Neville", the boy stuttered.
"Hey, I`m Ron", said Ron.
"Oh for the love of… That must`ve been the third time he has said that in the last two minutes",Harry thought to himself, slowly shaking his head.
"Is there room in here for one more?" Neville asked.
"Yeah, there is now. I need some fresh air, so you can take my seat", Harry said, tiredness creeping into his voice. He couldn`t handle being around lesser intellectuals for more than ten minutes at a time. The boy reluctantly switched places with Harry, and as Harry headed deeper into the train, he heard Hermione introducing herself to the new boy, and Ron chiming in:
"Hey, I`m Ron".
…
A/N: This first chapter is written purely to set up the universe my fanfiction will take place in. In this world, Harry`s mom, Lily Potter, didn`t die the night Voldemort attacked their home in Godric`s Hollow. Voldemort only killed James Potter, and Lily remarried Severus Snape several years later. Harry grew up believing Severus was his biological father, and he has no clue about what happened that night, or the fact that he is indeed "The Boy Who Lived". This means that Harry has no scar on his forehead.
If this chapter caught your attention, please leave a review, as it helps me grow and develop as a writer. Other than that, I will see you guys in the next chapter.
-Twisted
