Harry's childhood had been less than ideal. The Dursley's treated him worse than dirt. He was a servant to them, not a child. He saw other children with their Aunts and Uncles laughing and playing, then he looked to his own aunt and uncle. Petunia and Vernon wanted nothing to do with him and the more he tried to fit into their family, the more they made him clean, made him do the gardening, made him cook. His chores were taken to the extreme sometimes.

He heard about other children who were beaten for not doing as they were told and was glad he never was. Being thrown into the cupboard without any food was bad enough.

When a letter came for him, Harry slipped it under the door to the cupboard under the stairs before taking the rest of the mail to his uncle. He sat through breakfast silently, just as the Dursleys always wanted him to, and then he went to his cupboard to wait for his chores.

As he sat on his bed, running the parchment between his fingers, he smiled. He always enjoyed outsmarting the Dursleys.

Breaking the wax seal on the back of the envelope, Harry pulled out the letter.

As he read he began to think that this was some elaborate hoax. But remembered that the Dursleys weren't smart enough for such things and began to believe that it might just be true. He remembered all the strange things he'd accidentally made happen.

The letter explained that he was to send a reply before the 31st July to tell this Professor McGonagall that he would be joining them. "How do I owl a response?" He thought.

"Potter! Come here!" His Uncle called.

"Yes Uncle Vernon," Harry said as he made his way back towards the living room, remembering to hide his letter. Before he left, he stuffed a piece of paper and a pen in his pocket.

"You'll be weeding the garden today, boy."

"Yes Uncle Vernon," Harry answered, hiding his glee at the prospect. Working in the garden meant he would be ignored entirely for the whole day. Harry traipsed outside and began weeding.

This was when he heard a hoot. An owl landed directly in front of him and held it's leg out. "What do you want?" He asked it.

It pecked his arm and hooted again.

"Are you the owl I'm to send my response with?" It hooted in a way that made Harry assume he was correct. He scribbled a quick response to the letter detailing his circumstances and that he would very much enjoy going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

On the 31st July, Harry's Birthday, a hulking great man appeared at the door. He asked for Harry saying that it was "Hogwarts business." Harry grinned and pushed past his Uncle.

Hagrid, as the man turned out to be, was here to explain the wizarding world to Harry and help him with collecting his school equipment. "You'll be needing to collect some money from Gringotts o' course," Hagrid said.

Harry was too busy staring at all of the weird and wonderful things around him to pay much attention to Hagrid.

Once Harry's school things were bought and packed into the trunk he would be needing for school, Hagrid took him back to the Dursley's with a promise to see him on 1st September when term started.

Hagrid had explained about the house system at Hogwarts and that Muggleborns (of which Harry was not but under the circumstances was to be treated as) were never given specifics about the houses to make sure they were sorted into the proper house rather than letting the preconceived house prejudices interfere with the sorting of entirely new blood.

Harry smiled and said that "That makes sense" before hugging Hagrid and saying goodbye.

For the month of August, the Dursleys mostly left Harry alone. He had been given Dudley's second bedroom, he assumed this was to try and convince him not to turn them into Newts or something.

The first day of September rolled around and Harry was driven to King's Cross station by a reluctant Vernon Dursley. Having not been told how to get on the platform, Harry stood around awkwardly, between Platforms 9 and 10.

A ginger woman, surrounded by her equally redheaded children walked past saying something about muggles. He followed the family and came to the ticket barrier. One by one the family vanished through the barrier.

"Excuse me!" Harry called. The woman turned. "Can you tell me how to get onto-"

"The Platform?" She anticipated. "Not to worry dear, it's Ron's first year as well. All you do is walk straight into the barrier. Go on, give it a try. Best to run at first, if you're nervous."

Harry eyed the barrier. Was he really going to do this? He took a deep breath and ran straight at the wall. He closed his eyes waiting for the crash, and when it didn't he pulled himself and his trolley to a stop.

He was finally starting to see the wonder of magic.

Finally, the train had set off. Harry had had some help of off the ginger twins, Fred and George, to get his trunk into the compartment. It was empty apart from him and he was happy. Suddenly, the door to his compartment slid open and a bushy haired girl poked her head in. "Excuse me?" She asked. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all," Harry said, gesturing for her to sit opposite him.

"Everywhere else is full," She explained as she sat down. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter," Harry said. Her eyes didn't widen at his name but she did frown a little as if trying to remember something. "You must be muggleborn."

"I am," Hermione said. "How did you know?"

"Purebloods and Half-bloods always know who I am," He explained. "If they don't they go into hero worship when I mention my name."

"Oh," Hermione said. "That's where I know the name from! You're in one of the History of Magic books I read."

"I am?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Hermione said pulling a book from her bag. She flicked through it and then held it open to Harry. "See?"

Looking at the page, Harry picked out his name. 'Harry Potter: the only known survivor of the Killing Curse and defeater of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named when he was barely a year old. His whereabouts are unknown, although it is believed that he will start at Hogwarts on his eleventh birthday.'

"I knew I was famous," Harry said. "I didn't think I was 'history book' famous."

"Well now you do," Hermione said. "By the way, do you know anything about the Houses?"

"Only their names," Harry said. "I was raised by my muggle Aunt and Uncle."

"Were you really?" Hermione asked. They then began to talk about tv shows and books and the like.

"How do you think we'll be sorted?" Harry asked.

"My brother says it's painful," A voice said from the door. Hermione and Harry startled and looked up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump, I've spent the last 10 minutes looking for a free space. Do you mind?"

"Go ahead," Harry said.

"You're Harry Potter!" The ginger boy exclaimed.

"See what I was saying earlier, Hermione?" Harry said.

"Yes I do," She answered with a chuckle.

"I am, yes," Harry answered. "That puts me in a rather awkward place, what's your name?"

"Ronald Weasley," The boy answered. "Call me Ron."

"Nice to meet you Ron," Hermione said. "I'm Hermione."

"So Harry," Ron said, after a while. "Do you know which house you'll be in?"

"I've been told that muggleborns, and myself because of being raised by muggles," Harry explained. "Aren't supposed to know anything about the sorting."

"I don't know much either," Ron said. "My parents think it's best to go in with a clear head and as minimal an idea about the houses as possible for my situation. My brothers are all in Gryffindor."

"Say no more," Hermione said. "I don't want to know."

When the trolley with food came by, Harry bought a little of everything for himself and Hermione to try and gave some of it to Ron.

Eventually they all had to change into their robes, the boys let Hermione do so first by leaving the compartment. Then they swapped over.

The sorting ceremony held a lot of surprises for all of the first years. Some had been told extravagant things, others new next to none, others actually knew none and even those that had a good idea weren't quite expecting a ripped old talking hat.

As the ceremony began students slowly made their way to the four tables already filled with students.

Hermione was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Draco Malfoy, the arrogant boy who thought he could sway Harry away from his friends, was sorted into Slytherin.

Sooner than he thought possible, it was Harry's turn and to everyone's surprise the hat shouted "SLYTHERIN!" Not long after being dropped on his head. Harry pulled the hat off and stumbled over to the table dressed in green. He sat down next to Malfoy with a sneer

Ron later went to Gryffindor. Harry was happy that he had joined his brothers.

When the Prefects lead the Slytherin first years down to the Slytherin common room, they took the shortest route through several passages that Harry wasn't sure he'd find again. They ended up stood in front of a blank section of wall with a portrait of Salazar Slytherin himself to the left. "Password?" He drawled.

"Merlin and Arthur."

Salazar flipped his wrist and the wall slid away. Inside the common room was decorated in a deep green, all of the lighting features were silver and the large windows filtered in a green tinted light. Harry realised that the other side of those windows was the lake. His eyes widened as what he thought was a mermaid swam past the window.

"New passwords along with lesson changes will be posted on this notice board," The Prefect announced gesturing to the board to the right of the entrance. "The boys dormitories are down the stairs on the left, the girls are up on the same side."

Harry, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Zabini were the only Slytherin boys and there weren't many girls either. He hadn't seen many students for the rest of the year either. He wondered why that was.

Their first day was all about settling in so Harry got used to his lessons. He sat with Ron in lessons he shared with Gryffindor and Hermione in lessons he shared with Ravenclaw. He didn't know anyone in Hufflepuff so then he sat with Draco.

Draco was a know-it-all that thought he could do anything because of who his family were. Harry found it annoying. Draco had very few friends and the two he had, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, didn't really seem all that friendly.

Neville Longbottom, a Hufflepuff, befriended Hermione and she introduced him to Harry and Ron. This meant that Harry then didn't have to sit with Draco in lessons that were shared with Hufflepuff.

Slowly Draco wormed himself in between Harry and Ron in Charms. Harry was set to work with Seamus Finnigan on the levitation charm whilst Ron was stuck working with Malfoy.

By the end of the lesson Ron was frustrated and angry. as he and Harry made their way towards the lake, with Seamus, Dean and Blaise, Ron said, "He's terrible. He thinks he knows everything. No wonder he hasn't got any friends."

Malfoy stormed right past them a stoic look on his face as he clutched his books and bag in a white knuckle grip. "I think he heard you."

"Serves him right."

Harry overheard Parkinson talking about how Draco had commandeered one of the girls toilets and had been crying since charms with Gryffindor. He wouldn't let anyone in, and Harry was starting to feel bad for him.

"Troll!" Quirrell yelled barreling through the doors. "In the DUNGEONS! Thought you ought to know!"

The Hall immediately started to panic, Harry saw Ron throwing chicken wings at the person opposite him in his haste to fill his pockets with pabic food. Neville appeared to be leaning heavily on a Hufflepuff girl, Harry thought her name might be Hannah Abbot, and Hermione had a calculated look hidden behind her panic. She caught Harry's eye and mouthed 'Malfoy'.

Harry's eyes widened and he snuck across to the Ravenclaw table and dragged her towards Ron. Where they together then dragged him out as they heard Dumbledore yell "Prefects take your Houses back to their dormitories. Teachers, follow me to the dungeons."

"Why are we going to save Malfoy?" Ron complained.

"Because he doesn't know about the troll," Hermione explained, straightening her blue tie nervously.

"And he's in my house," Harry said.

"Right," Ron said. "Of course. But didn't you say that Parkinson said he was in a

toilet?"

"Yes, Ron," Harry said. "Hermione, which toilet do you think he's gone to?"

"You had just had Charms at the time, right?"

"Yeah."

"The nearest girls toilet to there is most likely," Hermione said, she grabbed a sleeve of each of her friends and dragged them. "This way, come on."

They ran towards the Charms corridor and froze. Rapid footsteps were approaching from behind. "Quick!" Harry whispered pushing all three of them into an alcove behind a statue. Just as Harry pulled his robe behind the statue, his Head of House all but ran past. Robes billowing, Severus Snape was heading towards the third floor.

"Harry!" Ron said, pointing towards a shadow coming from the opposite way to which Snape had disappeared.

The troll.

"That's the girl's bathroom!" Hermione all but shrieked as it disappeared through a door.

An undignified screech rose from inside as they heard what sounded like the cubicles being smashed.

"Draco!" Harry yelled as he ran for the door. Hermione and Ron hot on his heels. They burst through the door to see Draco Malfoy pressed up against the sinks, his green trimmed robes, usually immaculate, were spotted in dust and debris.

The troll brought it's club down on the sink Draco was pressed up to and he only just managed to get out of the way. "Potter!" He yelled. "DO something!?"

Harry grabbed the shattered remains of one of the cubicles and threw it at the troll. "Distract it."

So Ron and Harry shouted insults and threw rubble at the troll until it turned towards them. Hermione, thinking logically, thought it best to get Draco out of the way. She made her way around the troll, carefully staying down and close to the wall. "Malfoy, come on," She said.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were having the club swung at them Harry ducked, Ron jumped. This left him hanging from the club as the troll went to swing again.

"Harry!" Ron shouted as the troll plucked him, upside down, from it's club and was about to swing. The young Slytherin hefted his wand and swished and flicked.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" He cried and, just as the troll was about to whack Ron, the club lifted from it's hand and dropped on its head. Ron was dropped, Hermione and Draco dragged him off to the side as the troll fell face first.

"Is it-" Draco started, swallowed and tried again. "Is it dead?"

"I don't think so," Harry said. "It's just knocked out." At that moment Flitwick, McGonagall and Snape burst through the door.

"You two!" She exclaimed pointing at Ron and Harry. "Explain yourselves!"

"Well you see-" Ron started.

"It was my fault," Draco said, before Ron could come up with something stupid.

"Mr Malfoy?" Snape asked with a calculating raised eyebrow.

"What do you have to do with this Miss Granger?" Flitwick asked.

"I noticed that Draco wasn't at the table during the feast," Hermione said. "So he wouldn't have known about the troll, I told Harry and Ron and they came to help me find him."

"What do you have to say for yourself Draco?" Snape asked. "Why weren't you at the feast?"

"I'd heard someone mention letting a troll in as a prank so I went looking for it," Draco said as if he was describing the weather. "I may have made a slight mistake by luring it in here."

"Very well," Snape said. "20 points from Slytherin Malfoy, note how I despise taking points from my own house."

"You three," McGonagall said. "Not many first year students would have been able to take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Isn't that right Professor Quirrel?"

"Q-Quite right," Quirrel stuttered, Harry hadn't seen him stood there.

"That is why I will be awarding each of you 10 points, for sheer dumb look."