Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter and as all you would get by suing me is a handful of pocket lint you can wisely assume I'm making nothing from this either… Also don't own Foamy and anything you see that reminds you of it doesn't belong to me as well…
Standing there beside his cousin staring at the large red train Harry found himself grinning for the first time in he didn't know how long. They were really going to go somewhere where he could learn to control all the funny things he did and make them stop. He just knew that if he could make them stop it would make his aunt and uncle pleased with him.
He hunched over slightly his head tilting down as Dudley started to move allowing him to follow his much larger cousin without it being as obvious who he was, he didn't want another scene like at the Leakey Cauldron which according to Draco was because of what had happened to his parents. He didn't much care what the reason though, he knew these people didn't want him and he didn't want them pretending. He had his family and now Draco he didn't need them.
His green eyes darted around as they made their way onto the train Dudley finding them an empty compartment when they couldn't find Draco. It didn't take to long to settle themselves to their things though Harry could honestly say he felt a good bit more comfortable when the familiar blond joined them. It really was better to have someone close who knew some magic already. A rather loud statement of "He is such a waste of good looks and toned muscles." Caused Harry to turn his attention to the open compartment door spotting a couple girls and a rather girly looking boy staring out the window at the platform it had been the male that had said that, but one of the girls patted him on the arm in short order with a sigh "Let it die dear. Just… let it die. He is a Weasley it will do you no good." The black haired boy wasn't sure what that had to do with a thing boy the male seemed to as he nodded dejectedly and let the two lead him off.
Harry let himself drift off as the train finally started to move turning his gaze to the window framed by gaze like curtains. There really wasn't much to see out there he caught a barn or two and a horse every now and then, but mostly it was just lots of empty space for the most part so he really was glad when Draco tapped him on his shoulder to let him know it was time to change into their robes as the sun started to fade.
When the train drew to a stop and they all made their way off an all to familiar voice was calling for the first years much to Harry and Dudley's displeasure. Still they couldn't help it and all three made their way to the large man settling into one of the boats where Draco offered a greeting to the dark skinned male already there who's name was apparently Blasie.
Harry was glad when Hagrid didn't remind long after they made the other side of the river though the peace was soon shattered by a loud whiney voice "I'm a poltergeist, not a specter in training!" causing most of those present to abruptly look up including Harry, but due to his position he ended up losing his balance and toppled back a couple steeps into another first year. His hair was fire red, his skin pale, and he had more freckles then Harry had ever seen, but the other boy didn't look at all happy. Harry wasn't sure what had happened to the whining voice, but suddenly he couldn't much care as the other boy shoved him away walking past him with an elbow in his ribs as a parting gift. He was glad to see the red haired boy shoved rather roughly not a moment later by a rather familiar figure, he couldn't help offering Dudley a grateful smile for the 'help'.
It wasn't but moments later when the elderly woman who had taken them from Hagrid's care appeared once more telling them to follow her. Harry stuck close to both his cousin and Draco glad to be able to hide behind or between them even if he knew it wouldn't last. When they stopped and the woman presented them to a hat that abruptly started to sing the green eyed boy was stunned to say the least and really didn't hear much of what it said. When people started to disappear as their names were called though he decided to pay more attention.
Dudley was the first of their little trio to be called and after a couple of moments the talking hat declared his cousin a Slytherin. Draco went next and the hat didn't even touch his head before sending him to where it had Dudley. Harry hunched even farther watching carefully, he didn't like being alone like this he wanted to be back with Dudley. Finally his name was called and he hastily made his way to the stool and hat his fists clenching when the hat spoke in his head. He hardly listened once more just silently begging to be let join Dudley. He barely heard the Hat's denial as it told him he wouldn't be a very good snake before it shouted 'Hufflepuff" much to his horror. He settled the hat on the stool with deceptively calm hands making his way towards his table sitting on the end of the bench as close to the Slytherin as he could offering Dudley a horrified look even as the whispering around him was blocked out by his own mind.
He could hear chattering going on around him a rather loud and mock put upon tone statement of "I haven't been sick in a whole month! This is cause for celebration!" he thought it came from Gryffindor, but he wasn't sure he even cared. He only cared that he had been separated from Dudley, what was he going to do?
He couldn't remember leaving that night or really much about the next few days if he was later asked. Harry had plenty of notes that he had taken and if asked he could perform what had been learned, but he didn't actually remember it. It wasn't until Friday that he finally got a chance to properly see Dudley again and that was when they had double potions just before supper. He couldn't help the lightening of his entire mood when he made his way into the room spotting his cousin. He kept his head down and his shoulders hunched as he made his way to the older boy quietly asking if he could join him and he was all to thrilled when Dudley agreed. He couldn't claim that he had any like of the professor for that particular class, but thanks to his particular study habits he was able to answer the questions the man asked him and was able to make his and Dudley's potion look nearly perfect. It was quite a satisfying feeling over all to know he had done something right.
It turns out that Hufflepuff didn't have very many classes with Slytherin though Harry couldn't understand why, he rather liked most of the snakes himself and he grinned at them when they called him a silver tongued badger. He had later learned that the Snakes thought he had tricked the hat into putting him in Hufflepuff which made him feel better. As the months started to pass though he made no real friends in his own house and became closer to the snakes which caused him to get more pointing and whispering. He didn't like it at all, but he was getting better at ignoring it so it didn't bother him as much as it had back in September.
The morning that the Daily Prophet reported on a break in at Gringotts Harry's eyes widened and he quickly made his way to Draco and Dudley at the next table pointing it out "That was the vault that Hagrid got that what ever from." He informed them both quietly knowing that at the very least Dudley would want to know. They both gave him a hard look before motioning for him to sit between them as Draco gave the two rather muscled first years across from them a look that he missed, but it clearly told them to be sure and watch out for Harry after this. Harry didn't know what was going on, but his information had seemed to make his cousin pleased which was all he cared. Really not much else happened except for an attempted school wide panic when a troll was found in the school on Halloween, but when Harry spotted Draco and Dudley being rather calm he forced himself to do the same watching them for as long as he could when the Headmaster sent them all to their common rooms missing the look said man gave him.
When winter break rolled around it was Dudley who decided that they would go home though Harry didn't much mind. Sure he had his cousin here to keep happy, but he needed to know that his aunt and uncle were still ok too. One day a week after they got home though Harry was woken from where he slept in the cupboard by a rather angry voice that he knew all too well "I'll sign when I want to sign. Don't push me!" though it was the voice that replied that gave him pause not his uncle's words or even his tone. What was Dumbledore doing here? Harry didn't exactly ever find out, but what ever it was he knew it had made his uncle ever more angry because for the rest of the break he was kept in his cupboard with very little to eat.
When they returned to school he was glad to see Draco and have more time to spend with Dudley. While he hadn't noticed it these past months being so dependent on his cousin had made his closer to the other boy then he had ever been before with his aunt and uncle become suddenly not as important. When Draco pulled them aside and told them that Lucius had done some digging and he thought that the thing Hagrid had taken from Gringotts might have been a sorcerer's stone. Apparently it was due to some things that he had been able to get from Snape, but Harry didn't care they just wanted to know more and after the Headmaster's start of term notices they thought they knew where it had been put.
With that mystery settled though Harry decided to share with the other boys the conversation he had heard between Vernon and Dumbledore over the break. Neither of them could understand it either, but when they said they would figure it out he trusted them after all he knew Draco was smart and Dudley hadn't once made his do his work here so he had to be doing it himself, that meant he was probably smarter then he let on or maybe Draco was helping him get smarter. Harry didn't know but he trusted them to figure it out.
With that settled things went on for a while until the day that he caught Draco and Dudley chatting in a nook near the dining hall about the stone. He walked up just in time to catch something about someone wanting the stone and that they would need to find him later and tell him. Harry was quite pleased to know that they were willing to share what ever they had found with him and made his way closer intentionally making noise. The next hour was spent with Harry being told what they had learned and the trio making plans to beat them to the stone. Draco said he wasn't sure who was after the stone, but that if he didn't know Snape rather well he would almost say it was him.
The night after everyone finished their finals was the night that they acted making their way though the initial door was easy enough, but immediately it got harder. The dog they managed to subdue with a flute that Draco conjured when Harry realized what it was: a Hellhound. Harry had been rather found of the books in the library about magical creatures and he had remembering seeing a bit about them there. The devil's snare was actually something Dudley remembered amazingly enough, and it was Draco who managed to catch the flying key. Harry was the one who got them though the chess game, his strategy skills quite honed from years of trying to figure out the best way to get his chores for his family done. The troll was already knocked out and it was a combination of Draco and Harry who got them though the fire potion trial all of them moving forward when they found out the vial automatically refilled after being emptied.
The other side of the fire brought them face to face with Quirell the mirror that he was staring into. Amazingly enough it was Harry who managed to speak questioning what Quirell was doing here, but his words in return made him cringe. He had in some way still expected Snape despite Draco's words, but as the man continued to speak he grew quickly weary an quite suddenly his scar began to burn causing him to lift a hand to rub at it. A sudden lash of magic had them all crashing into the wall and later Harry would remember nothing after that point of what happened even after he was told he managed to defeat Quirell.
Now he was silently sitting in the Headmaster's office sipping at tea as he waited for the man. Professor Sprout had brought him up here and left him when he had tried to leave with Draco and Dudley telling him to wait. Harry shifted in his seat as he crossed his legs and unconsciously picked at his socks in between drinks of tea. He couldn't say he was glad when Albus finally showed up, but it was something especially as he had just poured the last of the tea into his cup.
The twinkle in the man's eyes unnerved him greatly and it didn't help that he was smiling such a 'warm' smile. When the man quite happily informed him that he wouldn't be going back to his aunt and uncle's because they had signed over custody to Albus he could feel the denial rising in him. No surely not, they needed him surely they wouldn't just get rid of him like that. Right? The fact that Albus didn't take it back and even repeated it just made things worse and Harry could feel something in him cracking. This couldn't be right it just couldn't! They wouldn't do that unless they didn't need him and if they didn't need him what was he good for? What would be do now?
Author's note: Ok sorry if this chapter seemed to move a bit fast, but most of it really wasn't 'important' it was esentualy a lot like the first book except for: No Harry/Draco fight in first flying lesson so no Harry on team and everything that went with that; No Hermione and Ron; He didn't get the invisibility cloak; He didn't fight the troll; Draco, Dudley, & Harry went down the trap door and got through all the trials and confronted Quirell with Harry being brained and forgetting most of it. The important part really was the end with the bit about Harry's guardianship being signed over to Dumbles which he made happen because while he wanted Harry to be pliable he didn't want him broken and trailing after Dudley and Draco the way he was. He thought he could fix it by taking Harry away from the Dursleys so that is what he has done, now we all get to sit back and watch Dumbles plan fall to pieces at his feet.