Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
"No, I can't be. I'm just Harry."
"Well, you better believe it young man. I've been awaiting your owl for several weeks now, we'd best be off. You've got some shopping to do and if my memory serves correctly, you won't be getting it done with these two lay-abouts. Come along now." The woman named Professor McGonagall reached out and took his hand, leading him towards the door. Since the only complaint he heard from his aunt and uncle were sputters of indignation at being called lay-abouts, he went with her. Surely wherever she was taking him was a happier place than with the Dursley family.
"No time for dawdling. Now don't let go of my hand and take a deep breath." He did and was suddenly met with a wholly uncomfortable squeezing sensation and fought off the urge to be sick when it ended. "Rather unpleasant your first few times, but you'll get used to it. Now come along, we haven't got all day. We've a tight schedule Mr. Potter, the train leaves in only two hours!" He let himself be tugged and lead around a magical street with signs everywhere claiming the name to be Diagon Alley. Not having the faintest idea where they were in the country, he let himself gaze on all the magical things around him. Spells being cast without so much as a thought, items floating midair and changing colour to attract the attention of passerby, cauldrons stirring themselves with strange concoctions inside...he could hardly contain his excitement.
They went to a curious bank filled with slightly scary goblins and endured another sickening form of transport before Harry was blinded by the gold in his vault. Having been told his entire life he wasn't worth anything, he only took a few pieces, but conceded easily enough when the professor tutted and filled a small pouch.
"That ought to last you for your supplies and a few galleons as pocket money if there's time left over and for the train." He thanked her and they continued looking for school supplies.
His favourite had been shopping for a wand. Mr. Olivander was a bit senile and sort of eclectic but Harry liked him. He had a calm sort of energy, even if his shop practically screamed chaos. He happily paid for his purchase and upon Professor McGonagall announcing that was the last item on the list, asked if there was a pet store that he could go to. She smiled and happily led him inside a shop while he decided if he wanted an owl, a cat or a toad.
Deciding against a toad was easy enough but he couldn't seem to make up his mind between a cat or owl when a quiet hoot and a white feather floated down in front of his face. He looked up and caught sight of a beautiful snowy owl with intelligent eyes. The bird launched from its perch and landed on his shoulder, gently tugging on his hair affectionately.
He named her Hedwig.
Their trip to Platform 9 ¾ was relatively uneventful. They walked to the end of the street and stepped into a fireplace before he was told to tuck his elbows and bend his knees slightly. He did so and after the world spun around insanely quickly with a flash of heat, he found himself looking at what had to be at least a hundred people mulling about around a crimson red steam engine.
Parents were hugging their children and teenagers were running to each other, no doubt to catch up after the summer. Like Diagon Alley, spells were used in large quantities and made him grin. He almost couldn't believe he was going to a magical school to learn how to do all sorts of things! But most of all, he was entirely too grateful to be leaving the Dursley house behind. He only hoped it wasn't a dream.
"Now board the train and mind your manners. I'll see you back at the school Mr. Potter." He nodded and made his way to an empty compartment.
He heaved his trunk in and settled down in his seat with a book to read for the ride. He was quite content with his little compartment for some time until the door crashed open and in flew a brightly redheaded boy that seemed about his age.
"Blimey, you'd think everyone lost their bloody minds over the summer. I'm Ron, hope you don't mind. Everywhere else is full." Harry blinked and then shrugged, motioning for him to sit down on the opposite bench.
"What a right state mum was in. Do you know about Harry Potter starting school this year? It's all in the papers, of course."
"I'm in the papers?" Ron's eyes grew wide and his jaw practically dragged on the floor. The sound of the train whistling snapped him out of it, followed by a jerk as the train started to move.
"You're Harry Potter?" Harry nodded. "Blimey, that's wicked."
Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure why. My parents were killed by a madman, why would that make me special?" Professor McGonagall had given him a brief synopsis of Voldemort while they were shopping, but he wasn't entirely sure why it made him so famous.
"Well, no one had ever survived the curse he used. Or just...they never survived him until you came along no matter how they died. If he wanted you dead, dead you would be. But you managed to survive. You're a living oddity-no offence."
"Non taken." After all, he'd been told his entire life he was a freak. He didn't need a stranger to tell him that, he already knew it.
Ron did most of the talking on the way to Hogwarts. He talked incessantly about his family and it seemed to Harry like he resented a lot of his older brothers for always being better than him at everything. Harry, quite annoyed now that the redhead was doing nothing but complaining about his family, was about ready to tell him to stuff it and that he shouldn't take them all for granted when a bushy haired girl opened the compartment door.
"Have you two seen a toad?"
Ron made a face and scoffed a negative. Harry, on the other hand, politely told her that they hadn't but they'd gladly keep a watch out for one. She turned to Harry and smiled, thanking him.
"Hermione, by the way. A boy named Neville is the one the toad belongs to. We're just a car down if you find him." She left just as quickly as she came, but Harry was relieved to know that not all witches and wizards were as negative as Ron.
When they got to Hogwarts, Ron told him about the different houses and although Ron made a point to downplay Slytherin as much as he could, Harry couldn't help but think that they wouldn't be that bad if Voldemort hadn't been in Slytherin.
Professor McGonagall met them all just inside the castle and cleared her throat.
"Students, welcome! I am Professor McGonagall, transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress for Hogwarts. You will be led to the front of the Great Hall to be sorted into your house. The four houses are named as such: Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each one represents a different quality; kindness, courage, knowledge and ambition. Your house will become your family away from home in your time here. I expect you to treat one another with respect and kindness regardless of your house." She led them inside to be sorted as the doors opened.
Harry spent more time on the stool than anyone else. The oddly silent hall was eerie in how quiet everyone was, but that was all washed to the back of his mind when the Sorting Hat started talking to him about the pros and cons of Gryffindor versus Slytherin.
The hat told him he'd do well in Slytherin and despite the fear coursing through him at the idea of being in the same house as Voldemort was, he conceded.
'If that's what you think is best…'
'Ahh, so you do have courage in you. Better be...GRYFFINDOR!"
The table full of red trimmed robes burst into applause and cheering as Harry went to sit down. Ron, unsurprisingly, was also sorted to Gryffindor and chose a seat a few down from Harry, which was just fine with him.
About halfway through the feast, where Harry had a very hard time restraining himself from eating too much too quickly, someone mentioned Harry's name and he was instantly swarmed. Ron quickly intervened, moving closer to Harry and telling everyone to back off a bit. Harry didn't even remember the curse that made him famous, a fact that Ron brought up frequently until the ruckus died down. Harry threw a grateful glance at Ron and tucked into the pudding he selected.
It was almost the end of the year when Harry snuck out of the common room and went to find Professor McGonagall. She didn't check in on the Gryffindors as much as Harry had thought she would, but she made sure each and every one of them knew where her office was and that they could come to her any time day or night if they ever needed her.
He knocked on her office door and eyed his trainers while his teeth worried his bottom lip. Doubt filled him. Adults had never listened to him before, so why should they start now?
The door opened and he looked up to see the professor dressed just as sharply at curfew as she was at breakfast.
"Come in, Mr. Potter. Have a seat." He walked to the comfy looking chair in front of the fireplace and she sat down in her chair before summoning a tea service. "What can I help you with?"
"Well...you see…" He looked to his lap and his fidgeting hands. He wasn't entirely sure how to start so he took a deep breath and hoped that he could spew out everything all at once to make it easier.
"I was wondering if Hogwarts had a program similar to the one over the holidays." She looked surprised at the question, but answered nonetheless.
"What do you mean by program?"
"Well, students who don't go home for the holiday break, or-or students who can't go home over the holiday break...is there something like that for the summer?" She looked thoughtful as she sipped her tea.
"I'm afraid I don't think there is. But we'll revisit that in a moment. Is there any particular reason you don't want to go home? Or feel that you can't?" Memories flashed before his eyes, phantom pains rearing their ugly heads with the imagined voice.
You will tell NO ONE or you won't ever make it out of this house alive again!
He winced, but tried to cover it up with a shiver instead.
"No Professor. No particular reason." She eyed him shrewdly and stood before bidding him to follow her. He did and she led him straight to a set of gargoyles surrounding a door he'd never bothered to try to open.
"This is Headmaster Dumbledore's office, Harry. If you ever want to ask something or if you ever feel like you can't tell me anything I want you to know that his door is always open. Even more so than mine, since I have classes to teach during the day." The door opened and out stepped the headmaster dressed head to toe in mistletoe green.
"How delightful, I so rarely receive visitors! Come, come, you simply must stay for a cup of tea."
"I'm afraid not, I've got grading to resume. Mr. Potter here might have a few free minutes for a cup of tea, though." She left then and Harry followed the headmaster up to his office on a set of spinning stairs.
"So Harry, how are your classes coming along? Not too difficult, I hope?"
"Not too easy either, Sir." Harry chuckled nervously.
"The perfect balance then! Please, help yourself. I have plenty of sweets and tea to go round." He paused and gave Harry a knowing look. "I may be old and senile, but I know a worried face when I see one. You know, I vaguely remember being your age-well, perhaps I was a year or two younger-and I was ever so worried that my mum would chop me up for potions parts if I so much as hinted I wanted dinner at a friend's house. Quite proud of her cooking, that woman."
Harry gave the headmaster a half smile. He could see that the man was phishing for information without being pushy, but he found he liked that a lot more than the blunt demands people tended to have around him.
"I was only asking Professor McGonagall if there was a program for students who can't go home to stay over the summer like there is for the holiday season."
"Ah, an interesting theory. You know," he pulled out a rather thick book that looked ancient and plopped it down on his desk before flipping through it. "I haven't had to look into such a thing but now that you ask, I think it's high time I take a peek. Don't you?" Twinkling blue eyes went back to the text, quickly scanning the pages.
"Aha! Here it is-oh, but that's terribly outdated! No, this simply won't do." He turned the text so Harry could read if he wanted to.
"It says here that we can allow students over the summer that can't go home, but the only caveat is having a ministry guardian who would allow it." Harry's shoulders slumped.
"And with what the Minister has been saying about me being dangerous I'm sure that won't work."
"Oh tosh, just because you had a bit of an accident-"
"An accident? You've known charms accidents worse than blowing a hole in the wall at the back of the classroom and also through the next two rooms as well? That's common?" Headmaster Dumbledore looked surprised at his small outburst and then started laughing.
"Oh my, is that what happened? I thought Filius was exaggerating! Nevermind, the fact of the matter is you're right. The minister is a bit afraid of you, I believe. You do have quite a lot of raw power and I believe he's worried you'll come for his job. He's even afraid of me taking his position. But I digress, until I can find someone in the ministry trustworthy enough to take over the position of your guardian I'm afraid you'll have to keep going back home. Unless they're abusing you, in which case we can press charges against them." Defeated, Harry shook his head and stood.
"No, I was simply curious. Thank you Headmaster." He left, wondering how he was possibly going to survive at the Dursley's knowing that they didn't treat him very well compared to people other than Dudley. Somehow, it was worse knowing that no one else he could think of was treated the way he was.
Maybe he really was a freak.