Harry examined the elderly woman. He couldn't remember ever having a visitor before. She was tall, with hair that once was black, but now showed substantial amounts of grey. She was dressed in black, and her face was fixed in a harsh expression. She looked at him, and said "Hello, Mr Potter. I have much to tell you", and indicated towards the Dursley's sitting room.

"Now, wait just a minute! I will not…" his uncle started to say. The woman turned to face him, and raised an eyebrow slightly. Vernon Dursley, not often a man intimidated, stuttered and fell silent.

The woman led Harry into the sitting room. His aunt and uncle tried to follow them, but the woman waved her hand, and the door slammed shut.

Harry jumped. "How did you…"

He was also silenced by a single look from the woman. Harry got the impression that she was good at maintaining control.

"Hello, Harry. My name is Minevra McGonagall. I am the headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry".

Harry thought he must of misheard. "Headmistress of where, sorry?"

"I am here because you are a wizard, Harry". McGonagall continued speaking as though she hadn't heard him.

"I'm a what?"

"A wizard. Tell me, Mr Potter. Have you ever done things you can't explain? Things that just feel like magic?"

"Well…um…I grew back all my hair overnight once…And last week, I made glass disappear…and talked to a boa constrictor".

McGonagall pursed her lips slightly. She didn't know what to make of the child being a parseltongue. As a learned witch, she was not one to immediately associate the ability with dark magic. Such an ability could be hidden in a family line for centuries. But it was curious.

Over the next half an hour, she explained the basic idea of magic to Harry. At first, he appeared to not believe her, until she set herself on fire. It was a simple and harmless spell, used centuries ago, by witches being burnt at the stake. None-the-less, it impressed the child, and he accepted everything she said after that. She explained Hogwarts, the merits of each house, and how a student was sorted. She also explained the basics of the wizarding world, especially the Statute of Secrecy, and the boy did not ask questions.

She also explained about his parents, and how they were killed at the end of the First Wizarding War. She talked about Voldemort, and about Bellatrix Lestrange, and the Halloween night, 10 years ago. It was then that the boy started asking questions.

"But why did they attack me?"

McGonagall sighed. She knew she didn't know everything about this. She would have to talk to Albus.

"I don't know exactly, Harry. A lot of people have theories. Your parents fought against both of them during the war. That is the simplest reason. There may be more to it, but I don't know enough to tell you".

Harry looked down for a minute, trying to process the information. "Well…what happened? How did I survive? What happened to them?"

"Again, this is somewhat speculation", replied McGonagall. "Something about you reflected their magic back at them. We know they both tried to kill you at the same time. Bellatrix overcharged her magic, trying to kill you. You see, Harry, as school you learn how much power to put into your magic. This is so you can control it. Bellatrix put so much power into the spell that it killed the first three people who arrived on the scene, and destroyed most of the street. Even today, a trained wizard could sense the magic, and who did it, because of the amount of power left behind. While she probably survived, she would have lost the ability to do magic for a long time. It is unlikely that she has regained the ability to use magic, even now".

"What about Voldemort?" asked Harry, tentatively.

"He died. Well, his body died. His soul…it wasn't left in his body, like a normal wizard. It would have escaped, as a spirit."

McGonagall saw that the boy was starting to shut down. This was a lot of complex information, and the child hadn't even heard of magic an hour ago. "Look," she started. "This is advanced magical theory. Many people do not understand it after seven years of school. I will explain more to you when you are older, okay?"

Harry nodded; his eyes wide.

Harry landed in a pub called "the Leaky Cauldron", and would have stumbled into a table if McGonagall hadn't held him up. He had just used something called a "portkey", and he didn't like it at all. On top of all the information McGonagall had given him, his head was spinning. They were here to by school supplies.

"But ma'am…" started Harry, as she pulled him swiftly through the pub, ignoring the startled shouts from various patrons. "I don't have any money. How can I pay for things?"

McGonagall replied, telling him to relax. She pulled out her wand, and started counting the bricks on the wall. "Your parents left you plenty of money, Harry," she told him quietly, as she hit the right brick with her wand. But she didn't know if he had heard her – the brick wall had just opened to reveal Diagon Alley, and he looked stunned.

Harry followed the headmistress through the crowded streets, straining his neck to see all the shops. After visiting Gringotts, the wizard bank run by goblins, McGonagall took him to buy his school supplies. They first stopped to get a trunk. McGonagall chose a Self-Shrinking trunk for him. It would shrink down to the size of a suitcase if he asked it to. She did, however, warn him about doing it in front of non-magical people. They also visited a potions supply store, where he purchased a copper cauldron, and the potion ingredients on his school list. After this, they visited a store called "Flourish and Blotts", where he purchased his school books, and a few books on magical society. They went to stores that sold writing supplies, school robes and casual clothes, and various other items he would use at school. After stopping by at Olivanders, where he purchased a wand (a very strange experience), and a wrist-holster for his wand, they had everything on his school list. On top of this, the headmistress had suggested he purchase an owl. He had chosen a beautiful snowy owl, with bright blue eyes.

Harry stepped out of the car at Kings Cross station, and walked towards platform nine. He didn't really believe he could find platform 9 and ¾. It didn't exist, he knew that. Since the McGonagall woman had shown up, his life had turned upside down.

He was a wizard! He would think it was just joke dreamed up by the Durselys, but creating Diagon Alley was a bit far, even for them. Plus, there was McGonagall setting herself on fire. He didn't think the Dursleys could make that just happen. And then there was goblins, his school robes, his strange textbooks, his wand, his o…

Harry was plucked from his thoughts by the voice of a loud woman.

"Packed with Muggles, of course. It's the same every year. They never notice, but still…"

Harry spun on the spot, and caught sight of an absurdly dressed woman with black hair, walking quickly in the same direction as Harry. She had a girl around Harrys' age, and a boy of about 15 or 16 in tow. The lady stopped at the brick wall between platforms 9 and 10, and began talking quietly to the young girl.

Plucking his courage, Harry pushed his trolley over to the woman.

"Excuse me….Excuse me! I was…I was wondering…."

"You were wondering how to get onto the platform?" Asked the woman, knowingly. "First year at Hogwarts? It's Fay's first year too." The woman motioned towards the girl, who gave a small smile.

"It's really simple. See the wall there?" The woman montioned towards the large, brick barrier between platforms 9 and 10. "If you walk towards it, like you're going to crash into it, you'll find yourself on platform 9 ¾".

"Oh….okay," replied Harry, hesitantly. He didn't quite know what the woman meant.

"Here, watch Tobias go through." The older boy walked towards the brick barrier without a word, and vanished. Harry flinched. The wall certainly looked solid.

Despite watching the older boy pass through, Harry was still hesitant. Why should the apparently solid barrier yield for him?

"Still nervous? That's perfectly normal," commented the woman. "Why don't you go through the barrier with Fay?"

Harry glanced at the young girl, who had still not said a word. The girl nodded slightly, and the two eleven-year-olds began to walk towards the barrier. Harry closed his eyes. He didn't notice, but the girl, Fay, had done the same thing. Suddenly aware that he should have already hit the wall, Harry opened his eyes.

There before him was a steam train, with several carriages. There were people all around him, and most were dressed peculiarly. Harry let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, and looked at Fay, feeling relieved. Her mother bustled through a minute later, and started pulling them towards the train.

"Hurry up!" she cried, walking forward. "You're going to miss it".

After shoving them through a carriage door, and bidding a quick goodbye, she stepped back onto the platform as a horn sounded. Seconds later, the doors had closed, and the train was pulling away.

Harry and the girl took a seat in the empty compartment they found themselves in.

"By the way, I'm Fay. Fay Dunbar" said the girl, extending her hand.

"Harry. Harry Potter" replied Harry, shaking her hand.

Fays' eyebrows rose slightly.

Professor McGonagall sat at her desk, and started sorting through paperwork. It took her five minutes to realise that she hadn't actually read any of it. It was midday, on the first of September. In a few hours time, all the students would arrive, and she would be a whole lot busier.

Her fireplace was behind her, and without warning, it flared up, and a figure stepped out of it.

"Hello, Albus", she said, without looking around. She had been expecting a visit from the Minister of Magic for a few weeks now.

"Minevra", he replied. "He's coming today, isn't he?"

McGonagall knew this wasn't a question. "I took him his letter a month ago".

"What does he know?"

"A lot," McGonagall replied. "As much as I could explain to him at the time".

"Is that wise? He is just a child." Albus Dumbledore looked worried.

"Keeping him in the dark will not help him, Albus".

"Have you reconsidered the Flamel's request?"

McGonagall sighed. Albus would not let this drop. "Albus, my answer remains the same. This is a school, and I will not risk the students. They have looked after it for 600 years, I believe they are more than capable".

The fire crackled ominously.

A/N - So, Hogwarts starts soon. I deliberately left the whole Diagon Alley/returning to the Dursleys thing short, because, honestly, everyone has heard it before. It made me bored to write it, and it'd probably make you bored to read it.

Anyway, the next chapter, "the Train Ride and the Sorting" is now underway. This is where it stops being "slightly AU", and starts being "Completely AU". Should be up in a few days