Author's Note: I've been amazed by the response to this story, and I'm glad so many people are enjoying it. Hopefully you keep enjoying it!

Hermione returned her last rucksack full of books back to the London Library without reading them. Instead, she threw herself into studying her new wizarding books. She ran her fingers over the carved wood of her vine wand, practicing pronunciation and devouring magical theory. She wanted to know everything about her new world. She took notes in brand new notebooks soon filled to the brim, and filled others with questions she had, saving them to ask people who would better know once she arrived at her new school.

She also spent a lot of time focusing on history, reading about the wars that had happened, and the falls of Grindelwald, Voldemort and the Death Eaters. At first she had been offended and angry at what she read, almost second-guessing whether she even wanted to go to Hogwarts. It wasn't just the history books, though. Many of the books mentioned muggles in only the barest terms, sometimes in a way that was almost condescending.

The history and culture books that Professor Snape had suggested did not shy from how much of the wizarding world felt about muggles, and it didn't conceal why either. The history books talked about how in Scotland accused witches as young as four had once been executed by being strangled before their bodies were immolated with bags of gunpowder around their necks, or the hangings in England, and the lucky escape of Alice Kyteler from Ireland, but also the horrific torture and death of Alice's servant Petronilla de Meath, who couldn't perform magic without a wand to save herself from being burned at the stake. It also talked about the security leak in America in 1790, which had led to a muggle shooting at suspected wizards and led to that country's Rappaport's Law and even stricter rules than the ones in the United Kingdom. She devoured the information on the Statute of Secrecy, how it had started from begging William and Mary for protection under the law and their refusal. Hermione wanted to believe that muggles were better now. She knew her parents had accepted her being a witch without much trouble, but even she had her limits. She knew some would be accepting, but not all. She remembered all too well Eddie Gibson's fear of her after her birthday party, or how she had been avoided and whispered about after the lights in her entire school had gone out when she had been hiding from bullies. Privately, she wondered if the two worlds could be brought back together someday.

Just because she understood the source, however, didn't mean that the stories about blood prejudice and how and why it worked hurt any less. She had finally found a place she felt she could belong, and it turned out that she would have to fight just as hard, if not harder to make herself a place. Well, no matter what, she would. She would learn all the ridiculous fiddly rules of society. She had done it in the muggle world, she would do it again. Surely she could find someone like her Aunt Aemilia who would be glad to extol the virtues of manners and etiquette without much urging. Sure, she didn't like Aunt Aemilia much, but she had learned from her nonetheless. She would prove herself to be better than any of them, muggleborn or not. The only way she could change things and make them better for everyone was to prove to them her value, and she realised quickly that she was going to have to be exceptional to overcome the bias.

Harry found some comfort in Agathos, as the snake was called, talking with the snake late into the night, until he fell asleep. The note helped too, reassuring him that the professor not only hadn't forgotten about him, but also that she cared in some small way. He so rarely felt as though anyone cared about him. She had not only remembered that he could speak to snakes and accepted it, but she also helped him bend the rules, just so he could have a pet to talk to - and even send a note when she thought the Headmaster might be slow in helping him get his letter, or sending a messenger, whichever.

The next day, no letters came, and Uncle Vernon was sure that his persistence and latest safeguards against the letters had been successful. Harry had worried momentarily that the Headmaster of the school, or even Aurora might have given up. That had faded quickly though, as the snake hidden under his shirt hissed comfortingly at him. He went about his day as if it was completely normal.

Then at just past one, came a knock on the door. Well, Harry assumed that's what it was, as the door shook and the sound went through the house.

Dudley blinked out of the stupor he had been in, watching the telly. ""Where's the cannon?"

Another knock came with an equally loud boom. Petunia looked to Vernon with an expression of fear on her pinched face. "The neighbors!" She hissed. "What will they think?"

Vernon looked sideways at her and moved cautiously to the door, opening it slowly, with a look as if he might be contaminated just by touching the knob.

In the doorway, slightly hunched over, was a giant of a man, with a long beard and a wild mass of hair, though it looked as though someone had wetted it down and attempted to smooth it over, and while his general size was intimidating, his black eyes seemed kind.

"I demand you leave at once, sir! We do not give to cold-calling doorstop traders!" Vernon said, finding his voice.

"I'm no doorstop trader, Dursley." The giant replied. "I'm here about Harry. Headmaster Dumbledore says he ain't been getting his letters." And then the giant walked right into the house, pressing Uncle Vernon against the wall with his bulk.

He looked over Petunia with an attempt at a smile. "Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"

He walked over to Harry, and put his broad hands on either of Harry's shoulders, smelling strongly of some sort of aftershave that was quite...potent. "An' here's Harry!" said the giant.

"Hello." Harry said, unsure of this messenger, but smiling nonetheless.

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

"You've...met me before?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Sure have!" Hagrid said, with a big grin. "I was the one tha' rescued ye from yer house and brought ye here after yer parents were murdered. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"Murdered?" Harry said, eyes wide, turning on his aunt and uncle. "You told me they died in a car crash!"

"CAR CRASH!" roared the large man, so angrily that the Dursleys all went pale and huddled together using the settee as a kind of barrier between them and the angry giant. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"

"We could hardly tell the boy!" Vernon argued. "We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"

"You knew?" Harry said, horrified. "That I'm a wizard?"

"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frogspawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.

"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"

Harry had thought that his world had tilted when Professor Sinistra had told him he was a wizard, but this...it felt as though his entire life was a lie. "Why?" He asked quietly. "Why were they killed?"

All of the anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious, worrying a large lip.. "I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Aurora said ye needed a messenger, an' tha' I shoul' be careful. Good woman, Perfesser Sinistra. I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."

"He's not going!" Vernon hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," The giant scoffed.

"A what?" said Harry, interested.

"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like thern. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

Harry couldn't help but wonder why he had to grow up with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, why he was left here, but he saved that question for another day. "So why bring me here after my parents were killed?"

Hagrid frowned. "Headmaster Dumbledore decided it was best." Hagrid said. "He's a wise man, Dumbledore. He was tryin' to protec' ye, I imagine."

"From who?" Pressed Harry. "What happened to my parents?"

Hagrid sighed. "Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..." He sat down on the settee making it squeak in protest, and stared at his hands for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"

"Who?"

"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..." Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.

"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.

"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort. " Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -" Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway...You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."

He lived. Harry felt a chill run over him. The old nightmare came back, stronger and more visceral than before: the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time: a high, cold, cruel laugh.

"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.

"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured - and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"

But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... "

In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.

"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily. He reached into his large overcoat, and drew out a letter, just like those that the Dursleys had been keeping from him. "There yeh are, Harry."

Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, #4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. He pulled out the letter and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

After a minute to enjoy the fact that he was finally holding a letter, he asked, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl - a long quill, and a roll of parchment.

With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

Given Harry his letter.

Taking him to buy his things.

Weather's fine.

Hope you're Well.

Hagrid

Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.

"Well, come on then!" Hagrid boomed. "We're off to get yehr school things!"

Harry looked down at his hand-me-downs and wished he had something better, but brushed them off with his sticky hands, and then followed Hagrid through the door, towards the street.

Uncle Vernon left the wall, waving his fist, face beet red. "You get back here, boy…!" But stopped, quite quickly as Hagrid turned on him, pink umbrella in hand.

"Mimblewimble." Said Vernon and closed the door.

As they walked to the train station, Agathos let out a hissing laugh, and slithered out from the warmth of Harry's shirt to wrap around his arm. "I told you." the snake gloated.

Before Harry could reply to his snake, Hagrid had noticed it. "Hey now, wha's that?!"

Harry held out his arm. "His name is Agathos. He's my snake. I have to hide him from Aunt Petunia, because she'd kill him."

A worried look crossed Hagrid's face, and his eyebrows creased, but it only lasted a second before he smiled. "Well now, tha's a fine pet, tha' is. Hogwarts usually only let's kids bring owls, cats, or toads, but, since yehr already got a pet, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Draco was originally supposed to go to Diagon Alley with his father, but at the last minute, Lucius had cancelled due to a problem at the vineyards, requiring him to go to the French holdings. His mother had also been busy, planning a charity gala with Harmonia Greengrass and Hildegarde Bulstrode, promising that she would take him in a few days. Luckily for him, Severus had arrived, hoping to ask Lucius for some stock from the Malfoy Apothecaries, only to find that he was unavailable.

"Blast it all, now I'll have to go to Diagon Alley." The Potions' Master groused. "Their quality is poor for the price, but I need proper fluxweed for the stores. Pomona still can't get greenhouse four to grow it to my standards."

Draco's eyes lit up. He had been waiting to get his school supplies ever since his letter had come, and his father had kept putting it off. "Uncle Severus…?"

Severus looked over at Draco, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"If you're going to Diagon Alley, will you take me to get my school things?" Draco usually didn't mind asking for things, but he knew his godfather was busy and not in the best mood, he didn't want to set him off. He had never seen Severus lose his temper, but he knew his father's, and somehow he suspected Severus's ire would be worse. "Father was going to take me, but he was called away, and Mother is planning the benefit for The Society of Distressed Witches."

Severus was tempted to say no and let Draco wait for Narcissa or Lucius and another day, but he reminded himself that he wanted to encourage Draco to be more open-minded, and he couldn't do that from a distance. "Very well." He agreed, with a curt nod. "Let your mother know and go get your things."

Draco rushed off happily and Severus shook his head slightly when the boy had left the room. He never doubted that Lucius loved his son, but his old friend was fickle with his attentions, and always had been, easily distracted by the next plan, the next investment, the shiny new toy. He had the privilege to pass Draco off to his wife or one of the elves as a baby and even now had other things on his mind.

Draco stood in Madam Malkin's, feeling flush with success. He had a brand new wand, hawthorn and unicorn hair, reasonably pliant and ten inches long. Ollivander had congratulated him, saying that hawthorn was a complex wand, and only chose wizards of great talent, full of contradictions. He liked the sound of that, and then Severus had surprised him with the gift of a wand sheath.

Severus wasn't prone to giving gifts without reason, and when he had told Draco that he was proud of him for how he had grown and sure he would do well at Hogwarts, explaining that the first thing he had bought himself with his salary from Hogwarts was a wand sheath, it had made Draco feel as though the wand sheath was worth more than the galleons it cost. If he was a girl, or prone to emotion, he might have hugged the dour man, but he wasn't and so he didn't.

Now, he was getting his robes fitted and feeling more and more like a wizard instead of a child. He stood as straight as possible for the seamstress to do his work, trying to imitate his father's stance.

"Hogwarts, dear?" Madam Malkin said from the door to the shop. "Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

Madam Malkin came back with another boy, who looked his age, with dark hair and bottle-green eyes. Draco turned his head and grinned. "Hello, Hogwarts too?"

"Yes," said the boy, and then Draco's eyes went wide as a snake slithered up from somewhere under his shirt up to settle on his head. "You have a snake? I thought we were only allowed owls, cats and toads!"

"Um." The boy said. "We are, but he's already my bonded familiar so…"

Draco was amazed by this, and held out his hand to the boy. "You'll probably be in Slytherin then, if you've bonded with a snake. I'd watch out for the other houses, they might hurt him, especially the Gryffindors. I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Harry Potter." The boy introduced himself and Draco almost dropped his hand in surprise as the boy - Harry Potter - shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Harry." Draco said.

"You too, Draco." Harry said, smiling. "Thanks for the warning, but you don't think the teachers would let anyone do anything to pets, do you?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know, but I'd keep him close anyway. Father says most of the others hate Slytherins because they don't understand ambition. Professor Snape says they're suspicious and fear what they don't understand, and even if you're not in Slytherin snakes are associated with it." He grinned arrogantly. "Because it's the best house, obviously."

"Professor Sinistra said Salazar Slytherin could talk to snakes, and that's why it's his symbol." Harry said, absorbing this information. He wasn't sure why that would be hard to understand.

"He was a parselmouth." Draco agreed. "Professor Sinistra would know all about it, she's the only teacher other than Professor Snape from Slytherin House. My father says that Headmaster Dumbledore tries to keep from hiring Slytherins. He's on the Board of Governors, so he'd know."

"All finished, Mr. Malfoy." the witch doing his alterations said, interrupting them. "You're ready to go."

"Thank you." Draco said, trying to imitate his father's nod as the robes were spelled into a box for him. He turned back to Harry. "I suppose I'll see you on the train?" he suggested. "I can help you from falling in with the wrong sort."

"Sure." Harry said, watching as the blond boy left. "See you then." He was a bit arrogant, and reminded him vaguely of some of the boys from Little Whinging, but he had been friendly enough and hadn't thought he was weird or looked worriedly at Agathos.

"I like him." Agathos hissed. "He didn't shriek like the woman in The Leaky Cauldron, or smell bad like that other professor."

Severus climbed the many flights of stairs between the dungeons and the astronomy tower after ensuring all his ingredients had all been put away properly to preserve their potency. He strode through the classroom to Aurora's chambers, and found her sitting in her study, scribbling furiously.

"Draco believes he made friends with Harry Potter today." He told the witch, vaguely amused at the way her ponytail of braids wriggled with each move of her head. It reminded him of a gorgon.

Aurora paused and glanced up at him, reaching for a book on her desk. She turned a few pages and smirked as she read: "Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns…"

"Sing for our time too." Severus quoted back, almost smiling. "Sing for our time too."