Not What They Expected
AN: Hello all my loyal readers. Like I said before, I have a couple of new fics I want to get out of my head as soon as possible and this is such a fic. Be warned, there will be clichés and hopefully some stuff you haven't read before. While this Harry will be powerful he will also use finesse when he has to, if you're expecting an angst ridden, dramatic yaoi fest, you're reading the wrong author, no offense to those who enjoy boy on boy action it's just not my thing. So lets' get it on!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
"Out of the way woman!" a cold voice hissed.
"Please! Not my Harry!" a woman begged in terror.
"For the last time, move aside!"
"Never!"
"So be it, Avada Kedavra!" a jet of green light hit the woman in the chest and she drop to the floor as if her strings had been cut. The one who shot the green light approached the crib the woman was protecting and looked inside.
Inside was a child just over a year old, he had green eyes just like those of the woman lying in the floor just beyond his resting place, he also had black unruly hair much like that of his father who lay dead at the bottom of the stairs leading to this very room. This child was Harry Potter.
Harry now looked into the face of the man who had irrevocably changed his life already and was about to change it further. This man had sinister red eyes and a pale face and he now loomed over baby Harry pointing a stick right between his eyes.
"So, you are the one who was chosen to defeat me, I think not, no one will ever defeat me for I am eternal! Consider your-self fortunate, you will now join your blood traitor father and your mud-blood mother in whatever hell that will accept them." The man raised his flicked it at Harry.
"Avada Kedavra!" Another jet of green light flew from the stick straight towards young Harry.
Harry watched as the light came straight at him and felt the impact before all went dark.
Harry Potter awakened from his nightmare with a gasp. He was trembling and sweating from his most recent nightmare. He put on his round framed glasses and turned to check the time and saw that it was 4 am. Like always whenever he had that dream he knew he would never get back to sleep, so he got up from his bed and dug around in his wardrobe for a clean change of clothes.
As Harry exchanged his sweat soaked white t-shirt for a dry black one he looked around the room he had been living in for the past six years and still could not believe how his life had so drastically changed. Before he had the nice full sized bed with clean sheets and a warm blanket, he was regulated to the cupboard under the stairs with a worn out mattress, holey sheets and a threadbare blanket that never kept the chill out no matter how tight he wrapped your-self up in it.
All that changed seemingly over-night six years ago after that one incident.
(Flashback)
It was nice weather in Little Whinging, Surrey. The sun was up but it wasn't all that hot. There was a nice breeze making the trees and bushes sway back and forth. At the park closest to Privet Dr. the children were swinging on the swings, climbing the jungle gym and there was even a game of hide and go-seek going on. But back at Number Six Privet Dr. There was no fun to be had for one child in particular, that child was Harry Potter. At five years old Harry was busy at work weeding his Aunts garden while said Aunt was inside stuffing her Duddykins full of food that Harry him-self was never allowed to have.
Harry at been weeding since the early morning, he started in the back and worked his way to the side yard without a break in between, he knew better than to ask for a break or a snack or even a drink of water, it only insured that he would go that much longer with them.
As usual when given such tasks as weeding the garden or cleaning the house from top to bottom Harry worked on auto-pilot since he had been doing these chores for as long as he could remember. As Harry continued on his back breaking chore he heard the distinct sound of the front door opening and closing.
"Boy, come here" his Aunt commanded.
Harry knew better than to dally when he was told to do something, so he immediately got to his feet and went to his Aunt who had come to the side of the house to address him. His Aunt Petunia was a tall, skinny gangly woman with a horse like face and a long neck. Harry didn't know much about is Aunt except she had three passions, her son Dudley, gossip and being perceived as normal. Since Harry didn't fall into any of these categories she tended ignore him until chores needed to be done.
"Yes Aunt Petunia?" Harry said in a small voice.
"I'm taking Dudders to the park to play, you are to be finished by the time I get back or else do you understand?" she said coldly.
"Yes Aunt Petunia"
"I'm locking the house so if you finish before I get back wait in the back yard, don't you dare let the neighbors see how filthy you are." She demanded.
"I understand Aunt Petunia."
"Good, get back to work." She said and turned on her heel and marched back to his cousin Dudley who had been too busy bouncing his new shiny red ball that he had gotten for Harrys birthday the previous week. Dudley was the spitting image of a movie character Harry had saw on television one day. He was round, rosy cheeked and occasionally he liked to roll around in his own filth. But unlike Wilbur the pig from Charlottes' Web, he had none of the endearing qualities.
Petunia only made it halfway to Dudley before she stopped. "Wait there for me Duddykins, I forgot my novel inside."
"We won't get to the park before my friends leave." Dudley whined.
"Yes we will Dudders, just give me a moment." She said and turned to go in the house while Dudley snorted and went back to his ball.
Harry already went back to his chores only listening with half an ear. He learned to multi-task, it came in handy when he had to keep out of his Uncle Vernons way. Harry hadn't been back to work long before he heard a scream.
"DUDLEY!"
Harry looked up from his weeding and saw Dudley darting into the street after his red ball. What Harry didn't see because of the angle he was at, was the semi bearing down on Dudley. So Harry, reacting to the utter terror he heard in his Aunts voice on instinct, shut his eyes as tight as he could and wished with all his might that his cousin would be okay and standing next to him when he opened his eyes.
POP!
"AAAAH! DUDLEY! DUDLEY!" Petunia screamed as she ran towards the street.
"MUM! MUM!"
Petunia skidded to a stop when she heard the sweet sound of that voice. She turned and there was her Dudley standing on the side of the house with a very confused expression on his face. She ran to him and dragged him into a crushing hug and rained kisses all over him.
"I thought I was going to lose you! I've never been so scared!" she said when she stopped raining kissing him on the frightened child.
Petunia looked from her frightened son to her equally frightened nephew and was completely lost on what to do next, as she was still in a bit of shock. She almost jumped out of her skin when a voice behind her startled her.
"Excuse me, Ma'am?" the person.
Petunia spun around wide eyed and came almost face to face with a complete stranger. Petunia felt like she was outside her-self as she took in his appearance, he was a tall older man, about 6'4 with stooped shoulders from his 60 some years of age, he had short cropped all white hair, a face craggly with age and a days- worth of unshaven beard. He was wearing a black and red checkered shirt buttoned up to his chin and in his hands he was extending a bundle of red mangled rubber.
Petunia looked from the mess of red rubber to the mans' moving lips and realized he had been speaking since she turned around and it took her shock induced brain a moment to catch up to what he was saying.
"Like I said the thing came out of no- where and I'll be happy to replacement it, miss." He was saying.
Petunia realized the red rubber mess was actually Dudleys ball that he had been playing with, Petunia tried to place a charming non-chalant smile on her face but felt it came out more as a grimace. "That is quite alright, it was a complete accident and easy to replacement." She turned to Harry and Dudley "You two go in the house while I escort this nice gentleman to the gate."
Both boys silently did as they were told and hurried in the house, they knew something had just happened, something that had scared their mother /aunt to near hysterics, so they stood silently in the living room not even turning on the telly to distract themselves.
Petunia came through the front door not long after the boys did and as she closed the door she leaned her back against it and took several deep breaths. She looked at the two nervous five year olds and couldn't hold back any longer she dropped to her knees and hug both boys as tight as she could.
Dudley immediately returned his mothers' hug with all the strength his chubby arms could muster and buried is head in her neck and let silent tears soak slide down his cheeks.
In contrast Harry had screwed his eyes shut and braced him-self for pain, he felt the arms go around his waist and started shivering, not knowing what kind of punishment he was in for.
Petunia felt her nephew shivering and looked at him and felt something she could only describe as the deepest shame and regret she had ever felt in her life. She felt an all new torrent of tears building behind her eyes now, these were not tears of relief, but of abysmal sadness at how she had been treating the boy. Petunia released both boys and sat back on her haunches and held both at arms- length.
"I want you two boys to go upstairs and wash up, I'm going to make us a snack and then we're going to watch some telly alright? Go on now upstairs." She said and shooed the boys away. Petunia stood up and went to the kitchen to clean her face and make some sandwiches. She had a lot to think on right now, chief among them is praying to God that she be forgiven for what she had been doing to her sisters' child. 'Things are going to change, I promise you, you nearly took my child away and had it not been for Harry I would have lost a piece of my soul. I will make a home for him here.' She thought as she looked up at the ceiling.
It was 6 in the evening when Vernon Dursley trundled into #4 Privet Dr., Vernon is a big beefy man with a constant purple face, he had a black bushy mustache and blue mean eyes. Those blue mean eyes took in a scene in his living room he had never seen before, Petunia was seated on their sofa, her eyes looked like they were glazed over, his son and the boy (he's never call him by name even in his head) were on the floor sharing Dudleys toys. They were so engrossed in their playing they hadn't even notice him enter. 'That little monster is infecting my son!' Vernon raged in his mind. His faced quickly deepened in a purple rage and he was about to snap at the little freak of nature, when a hand was firmly placed over his mouth.
He looked into the glaring eyes of his wife with surprise and confusion but she just kept her hand in place and jerked her head in the direction of the stairs. He got the hint and placed his brief case next to the door and went up the stairs followed by his wife.
Although Dudley didn't see his father enter Harry did. Harry always did his best to stay out of his Uncles way whenever possible, his Uncle Vernon had never said a kind word to him since he could understand what words were. He continued to play with the toy trucks that Dudley had brought down from his room and waited for the eventual eruption, but it never came. He glanced in his uncles' direction only to see him and aunt Petunia heading up stairs, Harry didn't know what to think, his aunt Petunia had been acting different since that afternoon, first hugging him and allowing him to eat at the table with them as well. He was even told he was going to sleep in the spare bedroom upstairs starting tomorrow after they buy a bed for him, but tonight he would be sleep on the sofa and never again would he ever have to go back to the cupboard beneath the stairs.
(Flashback End)
Later on that night Harry got the full and complete truth from Petunia, his was a wizard, his Father was a wizard, his Mother, Petunias sister was a witch. They told him everything, about being dropped off on their door step in the middle of the night, about his parents being murdered by as Vernon put one of his people and about how Harry most likely saved Dudleys life that day. True to their word the next day Harry not only got a bed but clothes of his own too. Things weren't suddenly perfect for Harry, he still had chores but at least now he got a small allowance out of it. He was even promoted from "Freak" and "Boy" to just plain "Harry" now.
Vernon still hated him, which was fine, Vernon was one of Harrys' favorite people either, they stayed out of each- others way as much as possible, when Harry needed something Petunia dealt with it. Although when he did speak to Harry it was always kept civil.
Dudley and Harry got along as good as kids could get after Petunia made it clear to Dudley there would be no more picking on his cousin. Sometimes they got along, sometimes they didn't. They weren't the best of friends and they weren't enemies either.
Petunia had the most effect on Harry, every chance she got she told him about his partents or at least his Mom. She told him how smart she was and how beautiful. How harry had inherited her emerald green eyes.
Harry was looking out his window as he thought back on the past, he opened his window and let out two short whistles and backed away from the window, shortly after, Harry could hear a flapping getting steadily closer and suddenly a snowy white owl landed on the open window sill.
"Hello girl, did you have a nice hunt?" Harry asked as he approached her. Hedwig gently nipped Harry on the finger he was using to stroke her wing feathers. Harry had gotten Hedwig on his trip to Diagon Alley to pick up his school supplies. Once he saw her in the Eeylops Owl Emporium he looked into her amber eyes and knew he had to take her with him.
"You better get some rest girl, todays the big day." Harry said and watched Hedwig fly over to her perch, and settle her head under a wing to sleep. Harry watched Hedwig for a few moments and envied the way she could drift off to sleep so fast, he shook his head at the thought. "I'm jealous because my owl can sleep and I can't, very pathetic Harry." He whispered to him-self.
Looking around his room he tried to find something to occupy him-self until it was time to go to King's Cross, but his bags were packed, his books were as read as they were going to be for now. He suddenly had a thought "Tibby" he called.
A creature about two and a half feet tall, with skinny arms and legs, bat like ears and tennis ball like eyes and wearing a black and red livery with a large stylized P in the center of the top appeared in the center of his room. This was Tibby, an house elf or more specifically, one of Harrys' many house elves.
"You called Master Harry?" Tibby his head elf asked in a high pitch squeaky voice.
"Yes, can you take me to Potter Manor please?" Harry asked politely.
"Of course Master." She chirped excitedly and grabbed his hand and popped the two the family own.
Potter Manor was a two story 14th century Welsh Manor in Northern Wales, it was on 75 acres of un-plotted land, the nearest beach was 2 miles away and his nearest neighbor was 14 miles away. Tibby popped Harry in the front foyer, in front of the wooden spiral staircase that lead to the second level of his home.
"Would you like anything else Master?"
"No thank you Tibby, I'll be in the study, come and retrieve me by 8:00 if I don't call for you sooner."
"Of course Master" Tibby said with a curtsey.
Harry spun on his heel and to the left of the staircase and opened the large wooden door. Harrys' inner sanctum was three walls covered by mahogany wood book shelves that flowed from the door to the middle of the far wall, in the middle of the far wall was a silver shield, engraved on the shield were the words "Non Timetis Messor" or "Don't Fear The Reaper". Harry walked to his desk and pulled out a chair usually meant for guest and turned it around and sat facing the wall opposite the shield. On that wall were two portraits, those of Charlus and Dorea Potter, his Grand Parents.
Charlus was what Harry imagined his Father or him-self would look like in old age, he had salt and pepper hair that Harry could obviously see used to be as black as night, his face was full of wrinkles but the ones around his brown eyes and the edges of his mouth were deeper than most as though he spent his entire life from beginning to end laughing. He was clean shaven with a narrow face and he a slim build, he told Harry he hadn't reached an extraordinary height, he was only 6 feet on the dot.
Dorea on the other hand still had a full head of jet black hair, with miniscule lines around her the corners of her mouth and her amazingly violet eyes. She had a round cherub face that she took full advantage of as a Black and a Slytherin. Harry had been getting to know the portraits of his Grandparents for the last month and even though he understood they weren't exactly real, he still felt like he was losing a connection to his past.
"Well hello my favorite Grandson!" Charlus said in a grandiose voice.
"Hello Grandfather, how are you?"
"Well the weather could be better, I won't complain." He said with a shrug.
"Must you perform at all times Charlus?" Dorea broke in.
"Come on love, you know it was my sense of humor that convinced you to marry me." he said with a smirk.
"No, actually it was the marriage contract, I've been meaning to tell you that for a while now." Dorea said in a haughty tone
Charlus gave an exaggerated gasp and grabbed his chest "Why must you hurt me when I show you nothing but love?"
Harry was silently chuckling at the back and forth between the two.
"Hadrian, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
(Harrys' full name is Hadrian James Potter for the sake of this fic)
Harry smiled softly, she never called him Harry always Hadrian "Bad dreams, I couldn't get back to sleep."
"Whenever I couldn't sleep, a nice cup of tea always did the trick, either that or fire whiskey, whichever was easier to get a hold of." Charlus pipe in.
"Charlus! Don't you dare put such notions in his head!" Dorea snapped at her husband and wishing she could resurrect him just to kill him all over again.
"Well I'm sorry Dorea, he's English and tea is just a part of life." Charlus said smile.
"Don't sass me you cheeky bugger!"
"HAHAHA!" Harry couldn't help but laugh, he quickly sobered though "I'm also a bit nervous about going to Hogwarts. I've known for a while I was going but this is a completely new world for me. I'm going in completely alone."
"Harry let me tell you something, it is perfectly normal to be nervous, it is perfectly normal to be scared, the most important thing is to not let them beat you. Use them to your advantage, if you're nervous about stepping into a new world, jump in with both feet. If you're scared to be alone once you get there then my boy, you make a friend." Charlus said smiling kindly at Harry.
"And if you're still nervous and afraid, then use your vast power and resources and make them all bow to your feet, you have Black blood coursing through your veins Hadrian and if you can't join them beat them into submission!" Dorea said maniacally.
"Oh Dorea! I love it when you get all sinister!" Charlus crowed.
Harry just shook his head and left the two somewhat disturbed portraits to do whatever it is they do when he's not around.
AN: This is just a prologue, review let me know how you like the premise and especially what I did with the Dursley. By the way I'm American not British, I try to integrate British terminology into the fic let me know if I hit the mark.