Harry Potter was not in any sense, normal. Ever since he had remembered, weird things happened around him, the freakishness, as Vernon called it. One time, he had made a teacher's hair turn blue when she had been telling him off about cheating on the exam when he hadn't cheated at all.
Harry had realized then-as he sat in his cupboard stiffly, rubbing the balm he had sneaked from Aunt Petunia's supplies on his bruised back- that he had to be sneaky, to get lower marks than Dudley, and maybe someday he would move far away from the Dursleys and stop pretending who he was.
And one time, he had accidentally arrived on top of a roof when he had been running from Dudley and his gang.
That night as he cried into his scraggly blanket, his chest still stinging from Vernon's belt, he realized that he had to control his power, make it react in a way that he wanted, and then maybe he could be free one day.
After that day, Harry had spent most of his time, locked inside his cupboard, trying to make his mattress fluffier, and his blanket a bit warm. He didn't know if he imagined it or not, but he could swear he didn't feel as cold as he usually did, and the ratty mattress was more comfortable than it had ever been. He experimented with many things. He could turn rocks into little figures, make things vanish, make his bruises heal themselves and sometimes when he worked very hard, he could change his hair color, just the slightest bit so that no one would notice if he suddenly had blue highlights in his hair.
He made little lights appear in his cupboard when everyone was sleeping, he made the cupboard have just a little more space where he could put the paper he had nicked from Uncle Vernon's desk and the pencil that had been lying around in the kitchen. He wrote his plans on it, all the things he wanted to do.
It got bigger one by one, he could unlock his door whenever he wanted to, he could make his hair flatten, he could make it stay the same height, he even fixed the cracks in his glasses that he had spell-o-taped.
Slowly and slowly, he got better and sneakier and quieter. He didn't say anything to Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia without being spoken to, he didn't even answer Dudley's bullying chants, he merely locked all his thoughts in a box in his brain and tried to think of when he would leave away from all of them.
One day, he had found a large library, with double doors of marble and enormous pillars- when he had been hiding from Dudley. It was magnificent and the lady inside was really kind. From then, Harry spent most of his time there, studying about arithmetics, and advanced sciences and occasionally read other books. His favourite by far was the one named Matilda, about a girl who could do things, just like him. Her parents sounded a bit like the Dursleys and he compared them when he was feeling particularly stand offish.
But none of these was the most unusual things in Harry's life, he thought as he surveyed the man in front of him.
"And so... you're a wizard, Harry." James smiled.
Harry blinked, as James realized he wasn't saying anything and rambled on.
"I'm sorry you weren't told before, and terribly sorry about the situation at the Dursleys, nothing we could do about that, unfortunately. But you'll get settled in no time. Jem is going to love having you around, he'll teach you anything you need to know about anything, he's been getting extra training lessons and he'll probably be the best student in his year. Don't be afraid to ask for help, you know and he'd also be willing.."
"You're my father" Harry interrupted sharply.
"So where's my mother? And my brother?"
James smiled steely.
"Well, I've told you about Jem being the Boy-Who-Lived, so he's a celebrity here. People fawn over him every time he gets out so this place is rather conspicuous for a meeting. So, you have to stay there for a while because of the blood wards but Lily will be at Hogwarts. She's the assistant teacher at Charms and she teaches Muggle studies." He smiled again but Harry had enough experience it that area to know that it wasn't exactly genuine. But he was making an effort at least.
It was terribly intriguing in a different sort of way. And a part of Harry's heart burned with the injustice of it all. That he had to live with The Dursleys for 11 years while his twin was spending his life in luxury. And all because of some crazy old bastard who wanted to murder one year olds. And not even forgetting Dumbeldore, the headmaster that James had gone on about like he was a god. Harry didn't forget that he was the one who had suggested sending him to the Dursley's in the first place, oh no, Harry never forgot and he intended to get revenge on them all one day.
"I'm sorry kiddo, there are wards around your Aunt Petunia's house that make it safe so that your siblings and you can have a place to be safe in, if there are unfortunate circumstances. They take a week or two to power up so you'll be with us in no time. "
"Why?" Harry asked suddenly.
James blustered.
"The wards are so that you can stay safe and.."
"No, why did you leave me with the Dursleys?" Harry interrupted.
"It was for your own safety. We thought you were a squib and the Death Eaters would come after you if you lived with us. You would be in danger so we sent you to Lily's sister's house. There was only one condition Petunia would take you on, that we would not visit you, until you turned eleven. If you had a Hogwarts letter, then we would introduce you to the magical world. If not, you would be safer with them." He answered as Harry bent his head, trying to not shout at the man next to him.
He lifted his hand, checking his watch.
"I'm here on duty so I don't have much time, let's get you to Gringotts and then you can do the rest of your shopping."
Gringotts was a tall marble building with goblins in it. A goblin named 'Griphook' took them on a cart to a vault which had Harry gaping at the sheer amount of money in it. A part of his mind screamed at the bitterness that Jem had grown up with this and he had toiled as a servant. James told him that he had some business and left suddenly, handing him a wallet which he could take up to 2000 galleons from.
At Madam Malkin's, he got the school robes as well as a complete wardrobe. There was a pale boy in there who went on about Slytherin and how his mother and father were buying this and that. Thankful at escaping the boy he went to Twilfit and Tattings to get the formal robes James told him were worn in balls and the like. Dumping Dudley's old castoffs, he appeared from the shop wearing a dark green tunic with casual summer robes done in midnight blue and his hair flattened by the help of a hair potion.
He got his school books from Flourish and Blotts and met a boy named Neville Longbottom standing in line with his grandmother who was a very regal looking lady. Lady Longbottom suggested him some books about politics and heirs and anything about wizarding world in general. She had many things to say about James Potter and none of them was good, and Harry pulled a veritable poker face. Next, he went to the Apocathery for potions ingredients and Ollivanders from where he came out with a holly wand with a phoenix feather which Ollivander kept saying about how curious it was and a wand holster strapped neatly to his arm.
At last, he came in front of a shop named Darwin's trunks and bags. He looked around delightedly at the many types of trunks that littered the shop.
"What can I do for you?" a bored clerk asked.
"I would like to get a large trunk for Hogwarts." Harry replied politely.
"This way, please." the clerk informed him.
A bunch of normal sized trunks were arranged with an assistant who was holding out his wand to do other charms on the trunks.
"Can I see this one?" Harry pointed to a sage green trunk which was labeled extensive. The clerk opened in and Harry was amazed to step inside it. The room was even large than the combined bedrooms of Dudley.
A green rug was on the floor and the walls were painted a cheerful yellow. There were drawers and a space for his whole wardrobe. Even a mirror hung from one corner. He grabbed the bottom of a staircase to explore the top tier and came upon a large library. There were shelves and shelves which he was tempted to fill with books and even a plush carpet with a beanie to sit on. Harry climbed down with flushed cheeks and a cheerful smile on his face.
"Could I have this one, sir?" He asked as he climbed out.
The clerk shook his head in amusement.
"You haven't seen the best of it, Mr. Potter."
Grasping the trunk, he tapped it with his wand to reveal a dial. He turned it so it said 002, and opened the trunk.
Harry gasped in astonishment as he made his way inside the trunk. It was now a large space where the whole of the Dursleys house could have fitted in. There were three doors which Harry discovered to be mediocre sized room. Expertly transfigured furniture was placed in every room, twin sized beds, a wardrobe and couches to have a homey appearance. Laughing at Harry's astonishment, the man turned the dial so it now read 003. It was now a large dueling room with mirrors and boxing bags and Muggle equipment.
The next rooms were in order, a kitchen, a potions laboratory, a study room, a weird grassy ground with hoops which the clerk told him was a Quiddich practice room and a dressing room. The last two rooms were empty white rooms which he could customize accordingly.
"How much is this?" he asked
"That would be 780 galleons. Do you want any other enchantments?" The clerk asked.
"What would the other enchantments be?" Harry asked, handing the clerk the money and silently thanking James for allowing to spend upto 2000 galleons today.
The clerk handed him a paper and told him to choose five of them.
Enchantments
Enchanted roof : Trunk has an enchanted roof which changes according to the weather outside.
Portable : Set a word to conveniently shrink and enlarge the trunk at will.
Kitchen: Enchanted to have a small kitchen to prepare or store food for days, weeks or even months.
Anti- Theft : To prevent stealing, will set blood wards and password and will become invisible if the password is wrong after three times or blood wards don't identify.
Featherlight : Doesn't weigh much than a feather no matter how many things stored inside it.
Living conditions: Can store living beings inside for a month or two.
Privacy room : Can create another room which isn't visible to anyone except the owner.
After thinking for a while, Harry chose enchanted roof, portable, kitchen, feather light and living conditions. He payed an extra five galleons to engrave his initials, HSP, on the trunk in silver linings. Muttering the magic word to shrink the trunk, (Television), he put the shrunk trunk in his pocket and thought about how he had conveniently spent over half the money James had given him. Thinking about how he had slaved for the past 10 years, he put the guilt out of his head and grabbed a book bag and wallet having feather light and expansion charms.
James had said something to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon earlier, at which they moodily gave him Dudley's second bedroom. Opening the Hogwarts letter again that James had given him earlier, he read it over a second time, before falling into the land of dreams with a peaceful smile on his face.