Chapter 1

Harry sighed watching the ceiling of his cupboard. It would be only moments before his cousin Dudley came running down the stairs, making sure to jump on the 9th step down so as to shake loose dust and cobwebs onto Harry's bed. Of course, Harry was used to it by now, he had lived this way since he was small, often using his cupboard to hide from his cousin. Dudley had decided at a young age that nothing made a batter punching bag then Harry, and had often recruited his brute like friends to join in his favorite game, hit Harry.

"5... 4... 3... 2.…" right as Harry reached one the ceiling shook and Harry closed his eyes covering his face to shield from the falling dust. He sneezed once and sat up, again counting down from 5. Again, once he hit one he heard his cousins voice just outside the door, yelling at him to get up.

Harry rubbed his temples and pushed the cupboard door open, climbing out and stretching his legs. He was getting much too big for his cramped little space, but he chose not to say anything, for multiple reasons. The main being he didn't want to be sent to the cupboard for a week without supper.

Harry walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a grumpy look from his uncle Vernon. He bowed his head and went to the small table, taking his seat. Harry was in the furthest seat away from his aunt, uncle and cousin, as usual. They spent most of their time reminding him that they didn't like him, and that he should be grateful they took him in at all. Harry had learned young, just to nod his head and keep quiet.

"I'm hungry mum." Dudley moaned from his seat at the head of the table across from his father. Harry couldn't possibly understand how he was hungry, seeing as he was the size of a small circus elephant. Harry laughed quietly to himself. That was hardly a correct analogy. Elephants were much cuter and far more enjoyable then his cousin.

"what are YOU laughing at?" Dudley sneered poking Harry with his smelting stick. Harry had become accustomed to finding small purple bruises on his ribs recently, since that was Dudley's favorite place to poke.

Harry shrugged. "I was just thinking. Nothing funny at all." he bit the inside of his lip hoping that would be enough to get Dudley off him. Dudley just shrugged and looked away, going back to complaining about his hunger pains, since he hadn't eaten in the last 8 hours.

Harry's aunt petunia rushed to her rather large son and handed him a plate of eggs and bacon. "here you are dudders" she smiled pinching his plump cheeks. "a nice breakfast for my favorite boy."

She turned her gaze on Harry. "there is a few burned strips of bacon in the pan if you want them. that's all you get though." she returned to the counter to pour herself a cup of tea.

Harry jumped up and went to the pan. He took the 3 strips of bacon greatly, not used to getting it. He usually got some toast and egg whites if they had enough left, otherwise a simple chunk of cheese and a glass of water. He dished up the bacon and smiled to himself, returning to his seat and taking a bite. Not to his surprise, Dudley was half finished already and in the middle of stuffing his face at that exact moment.

"we will be vacationing at the Lexham gardens this year, for the final week before school." Harry's uncle started. "unfortunately, we have to take YOU with us." he growled in Harry's direction without looking up from his paper. Mrs. Figg has broken her leg tripping over one of those dreadful cats." he shook his head as though it was the most horrifying he had heard.

As Harry had predicted upon hearing that he would get to join the family vacation, Dudley's face turned a lovely shade of purple that made him resemble a rather angry looking plum. Harry found this amusing but kept it to himself, knowing it would only anger Dudley further if he were to laugh.

"he CANT go… he ruins everything!" Dudley pouted quite pathetically to his mother, threatening one of his incredibly fake tantrums. Aunt Petunia, also sensing the danger, quickly smiled, rushing to her sons side. "don't worry Dudley, mummy wont let him ruin your time away from home. He can stay in the hotel while we have fun."

Dudley thought this over for a moment then shrugged deciding it could be much worse. "fine but he sleeps on the floor when we get there." he crossed his arms, saying without words that the argument was over and anything said after that would be completely invalid. Harry smiled inwardly just pleased he didn't have to look at more cat pictures until Mrs. Figg healed. Although he did feel rather bad she was hurt. She wasn't an unkind woman, she just smelled like old cabbage and dust.

. . .

Harry now sat in the luxury hotel of Lexham gardens. Although he wasn't allowed to the hotel suite, he felt much giddier then he had in years. It wasn't often HE was allowed to go places as well.

The Dursleys were out currently and Harry had the place to himself for an hour or two. He spent some time on the internet, looking at pictures of his soon to be school, and then retired to the plush couch for some quality time with the television. Harry felt it was much nicer being able to control the remote for once, rather then watching Dudley had scheduled for the day.

Harry was enjoying an interesting show about an odd looking man who solved crimes for people when the door opened. The Dursleys were home and without much notice the remote was wrenched from Harry's fingers and clicked to a station playing a show about a rather large beefy man traveling the world discovering new and exotic things to eat. Dudley, wanting the couch to himself, promptly kicked Harry off the sofa and onto the floor. Harry huffed and crossed his arms leaning his back against the couch.

His aunt dropped a small bag in his lap. "eat that for dinner. It was left over from our meals, there should be plenty. Then I want you both in bed. We left you a blanket on the floor." she walked into the adjacent room and clicked the door shut.

Harry shrugged and opened the bag pulling out a roll and a chicken thigh. He smiled and pulled off a piece of chicken popping it into his mouth and swallowing it more then grateful. Dudley paid no attention to him as he ate, too absorbed in his TV show for much else.

Harry took his time eating, savoring the good food while he still could. When he finished he stood and stretched popping his back then going to the blanket that had been left for him. He laid on the floor and covered himself, closing his eyes and slipping easily into sleep for the first time in a while.

In his dream Harry couldn't see himself at all but felt he was moving, maybe even crawling somehow. He looked around and found he was in the house that often plaid a major role in his dreams. He felt it was probably his house from before his parents died. As usual with the dream he could see blinding flashes of light, and what sounded like a baby crying. He knew from prior dreams if he looked to the side he would see small blonde girl crying and reaching for him, and he also knew he would never reach her in time. His dreams always ended the same way. He would hear a woman scream, followed by a flash of green light, and then he would wake in a cold sweat on his back clinging to his covers.

He decided to get the dream over with and turned to the girl by his side, reaching for her. As always as soon as he did a scream pierced through him and he was shocked into near blindness from the light, then waking to find himself on the hotel floor. He gasped to catch his breath and reached up to wipe his forehead. He was used to this dream by now, but still didn't know where it came from, or who the blonde toddler he seemed to need to get to was.

Harry held his head and sat up shaking the dream from his conscious. He looked at a clock and discovered he had been asleep for 3 hours already, and it was now 1 AM. Harry sighed and laid back on the floor willing himself to go back to sleep. He could hear his cousin breath heavily on the large hotel bed and sighed. His cousin's snoring reminded him of a lumber mill, with enough saw sounds to wake a small forest.

As he lay consumed by his own thoughts Harry though her heard footsteps in the hall outside his hotel room. He sat up again and pulled his glasses from the bedside table he had stashed them on, putting them on. The room suddenly became focused and Harry looked around, straining his ears for any sounds. As he listened he heard again, the distinct sound of someone heavy stepping. Just as he was about to assume that uncle Vernon went for a late night snack, the door broke down shocking Harry's cousin awake.

"I ordered the soufflé, not the amaretto ice cream." he stuttered looking around, eyes glazed from sleep. Within seconds the door to Harry's aunt and uncles room burst open and a very angry uncle Vernon and wide eyed aunt petunia stood in the doorway.

Harry however was paying them no mind, as a very large heavily bearded man was standing in the room looking down at the broken door with slight amusement.

"sorry 'bout that." he chuckled bending over to pop it back into place. "tried to unlock the blasted thing but it just didn't work t'day." he shrugged looking at a pink umbrella in his hand. "ah well I s'pose."

The large man turned his gaze to the two boys by the bed and smiled. "well I'll be. 'aven't seen ya in years 'arry." the large man smiled broadly.

Harry kept his spot on the floor and gaped openly at the large man. He had never in his life seen anyone so large. He was also greatly surprised the giant man knew his name. no one is his life had paid much attention to him, and he had never known someone in the outside world might know him. He had always figured if they had they would have tried to contact him by now. He was 11 after all.

The beast of a man smiled again. "well 'arry, 'ows life been since you was a baby?"

Harry shrugged. "alright I guess…" he paused. "excuse me sir, not to seem rude, but who are you?"

Before the man could answer Harry's question he was being shooed by a very purple uncle Vernon. "you are not welcome here!" he hissed quietly through his teeth. "you are ruining a family vacation!" uncle Vernon stuck a sausage like finger in the mans face. Or, it was much closer to his chest really, as the man towered over even aunt petunia, who was the tallest among them.

The large hairy man laughed. "go soak yer head Dursley." he chuckled. "not that it would do ya any good mind you." he winked at Harry.

Harry laughed lightly then stopped when he cough the look on his uncles face. He could see the veins waiting to explode from his neck and forehead. Harry turned his gaze downward knowing he would be punished soon for inviting the large man, even though he had no idea who the man was.

The large man walked into the middle of the room sitting on the edge of the bed Dudley was currently frozen too. As soon as the man sat Dudley un froze and ran to hide behind his mother, who tried unsuccessfully to hide him behind her.

The man turned to Harry and smiled. "I am Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry." he puffed his chest out importantly. "I'm here to take ya to get yer supplies and then off to the station to go to school." he grinned.

Harry tilted his head and blinked a few times. "but… I'm already signed up for school." he paused. "did you say WICTH craft and WIZARDRY?" he gaped as it suddenly hit him. "there's no such thing!"

Hagrid laughed and patted the bed next to him. "Dumbledore said I might run into this problem." he looked at Harry suddenly serious. "yer a wizard Harry." he smiled. "just like yer mum and dad."

Harry gaped. "you knew my parents?" he felt something well up in his chest he wasn't sure of. He had never met anyone who had so openly talked about his parents. Even a little bit. His aunt and uncle discouraged questions of any kind and had told Harry his parents had died leaving it at that.

Hagrid nodded and smiled. "not personally mind ya… but yeah I knew 'em. Great people when I met them the few times I did." he looked at Harry like he was a dear friend. "ya got a lot bigger since I saw ya last. You was just a baby the last time I got to see ya." he smiled. "you and yer sister both."

Harry felt his eyes goes wide. "I have a sister?" his mind went immediately to his dreams and the blonde toddler. Could that be his sister? That would explain why she seemed important in his dreams.

Harry's uncle scoffed. "that girl was adopted. She's not the boys sister. She was an abandoned child they found in a gutter I'm sure." he crossed his arms. "don't go filling the boys head with hopes of other family. There isn't any." he glared In Harry's direction.

Harry looked towards his uncle then back to Hagrid. Hagrid smiled and shook his head. "don' listen to 'em 'arry. You and Samara were closer then any brother and sister I ever saw. An' adopted or not yer parents loved 'er like she was their own." he huffed towards Harry's uncle. "I'd argue that's family enough."

Harry tilted his head. "was she a blonde?"

Hagrid's face lit up. "ya remember 'er then?" he smiled brightly.

Harry shrugged. "maybe. I've had dreams of a little blonde girl. And I couldn't ever figure out who she was. She's my sister?" he couldn't help but smile thinking he had some kind of family outside of the Dursleys. Even if she was adopted and he hadn't seen her in 10 years. It was still better then his cousin.

Hagrid smiled. "I'd be willing to bet those dreams are yer sister yes." he clapped Harry on the back. "good to know ya remember 'er. She will be thrilled."

Harry smiled lightly. "does she remember me?"

Hagrid grinned. "of course she does. I don't think Samara could forget 'er brother if she wanted to." he clapped Harry on the back again. "you usually protected 'er, from just about anything." he laughed lightly. "it was pretty cute to watch." he looked like he was thinking back to the past. "firs' time I ever met ya and Samara, you sat in front of 'er shielding 'er from me actually." he laughed lightly. "yer parents took 'er in when ya both was jus' 4 months old each." he shook his head coming back to the present. "but anyway. I'm 'ere to take ye to get all bits and bobs. so… whenever yer ready. Ya don't need these muggles permission to go" he jerked a large thumb towards uncle Vernon and aunt petunia.

They both growled and ran to stand in front of the door. "he will not be going." uncle Vernon hissed. "we SWORE to put a stop to it. We even kept the little blonde girl from coming to see him so she couldn't tell him anything!"

Hagrid gaped. "you kept 'arry and Samara apart?" he stood and anger flushed his face. "they are the only caring family each other has and you stopped them from seeing each other?" he pointed his pink umbrella at uncle Vernon snarling some words. A loud bang echoed the hotel room and pink smoke billowed from the end of the umbrella. When he put it back down the Dursleys were surrounded by colored wisps and coughing within the swirling smoke.

Harry could feel anger building up inside him as well. He has a sister and had never even been told let alone allowed to see her. He was sure his parents would have rather had them both sent to an orphanage then one of them sent to family and the other to a new home. He couldn't understand why he had been separated from the closest real, loving family he had.

Harry looked up at Hagrid and nodded to him. "I WANT to leave. And if I don't their permission then id like to leave as soon as possible please."

The large furry man smiled brightly. "I thought ya might. I'm sure yer gonna be wanting to see yer sister to eh? Now that ya know ya 'ave one?"

Harry nodded. "that school you talked about. Will she be there too?" he wanted to get to know his sister as well as he could, and if possible go to school with someone who might not get the urge to break his glasses behind the cafeteria regularly.

Hagrid grinned. "she started this year too." he looked at the door and pulled it back off its hinges. "lets go then. Lots to take care of before classes start" he smiled back at Harry. "so we should be going."

Harry nodded and walked out with Hagrid, his mind spinning with new information. He had many questions and knew there would be time to get them answered eventually. But for now he was content in the idea that he may not have to see number 4 private drive, or the dursleys for quite some time. And that he had family other then them. Adopted or no, he was sure she would be a thousand times better then the dursleys on a good day. Especially with the way Hagrid had explained Harry and his sisters relationship before his parents death. He found himself hoping as much as he allowed himself that he and his sister would be able to get along like they had as toddlers. He wanted that kind of connection to someone.