Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling. We are just playing around with some characters.

A whole new world

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley had never thought that taking in their hateful freak nephew would lead them to be faced with a horrid giant, their door shoved away, their terrified son chasing his newly grown pigtail, and their lives permanently shattered. They had tried to beat the abnormality out of the boy, hoping his people would forget about him. They had attempted to live a normal life with all their might, crushing the burden that had befallen on them. But their worst nightmare had come true and nothing could have prepared them for the wreckage that lay before their eyes.

"I'm a what? No offense, sir, but you are surely mistaken. I mean, I'm Harry, just Harry", he said, dumbfounded. After taking down the shack door, the man had apologized for the damage and introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had given Harry a letter like the ones the Dursleys tried to keep from him. Before anyone could snatch it from his hand, Harry had quickly opened it, longing to discover what it said.

The small dark-haired, green-eyed boy had been bitterly disappointed when he found out all of this had only been one big joke. The letter was all about a wizarding school, and Harry had known since his early childhood that such nonsense was not and could not possibly be real. So, naturally, when Hagrid tried to make him believe that he was a wizard – him, a wizard, no less! – he was not fooled. Surely the man was an insane patient who somehow managed to escape from a nearby psychiatric hospital. At best, Hagrid was mistaken. However, rather than bluntly telling the friendly man about his doubts regarding his mental health, Harry went for a more subtle approach. By telling Hagrid that he was nowhere near being a wizard, he hoped that the giant would realize the absurdity of what he was stating on his own.

Beady eyes radiated sympathy and love towards the tiny and frail figure staring confusedly at him. The man bore a tangled beard and a wild dark mane. He was twice as tall as the shack's now useless door.

"Well, 'just Harry', 'ave yeh ever experienced any peculiar moments? Like when yer angry, or real sad?" the giant watched as the boy's facial expression abruptly transformed. Although it was not quite the expression of sudden understanding he had expected. Harry had turned sulky.

"Yes, but that's because I'm a… freak", the little boy said.

"Yer not a freak Harry! Yer a wizard, and you'll be a great one once yer fully trained. After all, the apple never falls far from the tree. Ye'll be brilliant just like yer folk, James and Lily. In a few week ye'll be goin' to Hogwarts, and-"

Petunia's high-pitched shriek cut him off. Vernon jerked back. Both had turned red as tomatoes. Vernon looked about to blow up. He was shaking, barely holding back his anger. Petunia's disgust was conspicuous.

"Nonsense! He won't be going anywhere, except to Stonewall High. We took him in ten years ago, only out of the greatness of our hearts and we will not put up with any of this freakishness!" Petunia paused, then turned to Harry. "Of course, you're one of them, what else would you be? My blasted sister received a letter of her own when she was your age. Soon enough, she was off to that school where freaks of all sorts taught her all kinds of freaky stuff. Eventually, she married a good-for-nothing, and together, they had you. I thought I had gotten rid of her for good, but we had to take you in after someone blew them up".

Vernon nodded virulently in agreement. The giant roared, making the shack quake. The Dursleys turned white as ghosts, but kept their determined look on. The stranger had turned into a fury, his fierce gaze piercing through Petunia's tenuous body. Harry tensed up, his eyes glittering with contained anger and frustration. He clenched his fists and turned violently towards his aunt.

"Blew them up?! But you always told me they died in a car accident!"

"A car accident? For Merlin's sake, Dursley! Do yeh mean to tell me that Harry doesn't know anythin' 'bout 'is family history, anythin' about our – 'is – world?!" The giant turned bright red, and Harry was under the impression that he would explode any second. Hagrid clenched his fists, his big hands turning white, and started roaring and shouting unrecognizable words. Although Vernon was shaking with fear by then, he made one last attempt to get rid of the unwanted guest.

"Alright! That's more than enough, the boy's not going anywhere, and you're not telling him no more about your bloody abnormal world! Get out of my property at once, you damned fool, or I'll shoot you dead!" Vernon snapped, aiming his rifle at the intruder. The latter smirked, as if the muggle's threat were a laughing matter.

He twisted the rifle easily, leaving it damaged beyond repair. Petunia and Dudley gasped in unison, while Vernon froze, dumbfounded, his eyes fixed on the useless weapon. Harry was in awe at his new friend's superhuman ability. He examined the giant curiously, as though to find a way to absorb some of the strength he had just witnessed. He had always been bullied at school, and his frail and underfed figure had been of no use when it came to fighting back. Maybe Hagrid's protection would enable him to be left in peace in his new school…

"The choice's yours, Harry. Hogwarts's waitin' for yeh, and no one can keep you from goin' to school there if that's what yeh wish, not even yer relatives 'ere. So, Hogwarts or Stonewall High?" Hagrid asked. He made his way to the doorframe to take his cue.

"I don't care much for Stonewall High, thank you" Harry said with a grin, in Hagrid's tow.

The next morning, Harry did not want to open his eyes. What if it had all been a dream? After all, no one could be as tall and big as Hagrid. Giants did not exist, and, as his uncle had told him so many times, magic did not exist either. The sooner he would open his eyes, the sooner he would be able to go back to the real world. His aunt would wake him up angrily soon enough, and if he did not wake up then, he would be in for an even bigger disappointment. When he finally managed to force his eyes open, a jolt of joy burst into him. The three Dursleys startled when he got up. Dudley hid his face behind his arms, and tried to go under the small table in vain – his fat would never have enabled him to enter such a small space. Then, he knew that the giant Hagrid would indeed come back for him. As though to confirm his thoughts, the door was shoved away once again, as aunt Petunia's shriek and Dudley's cry pierced his ears.

The leaky Cauldron – an Inn warded against muggles – had been a very strange place to visit. Indeed, every warlock there had been keen to shake his hand and talk to him. Well, all but two. Professor Quirrell, his first year's professor in Defence against the Dark Arts, had seemed excited to meet him, enthralled as he was in his conversation with him. However, oddly enough, he had refused to shake his hand. That was when he had noticed a tall, thin dark figure examining him fiercely, bearing an expression between distaste and interest. Before Harry could ask Hagrid about this strange man with greasy black hair, the latter had cut short their call to the Leaky Cauldron. They had been headed towards Diagon Alley and his new friend had seemed in a hurry for some reason.

Diagon Alley was very different from all Harry had ever seen. He thought he was dreaming awake. Wizards and witches everywhere, in long emerald or black robes and pointed hats. Strange expressions such as "by Merlin's beard" reached his ears. In the muggle world, people seldom heard the hoot of owls. But there, it seemed to be a constant. Cats of various colours and shapes sometimes wandered away from their masters, attracted by a rat in a child's hands. Happiness filled the air. The atmosphere was fairy. He passed a group of young wizards amazed at the latest broomstick released by "Quality Quidditch Supplies" and labelled "Nimbus 2000". He imagined himself flying on the broom displayed, wind hitting his face and tousling his hair. His broad smile widened at the thought, even if a ball of fear made its way to his throat. He would have loved to spend the remaining month of his holidays in the crowded street, exploring every shop and every corner. However, he had to keep up with Hagrid's quick pace.

Their first stop was at Gringott's. He wondered how the twisted building could stand erect, and concluded it was heavily enchanted. Hagrid had told him it was the second safest place in the world after Hogwarts, but the silhouette of the building did not seem trustworthy to him. Small, seemingly vicious creatures – goblins – showed him to his late parents' vault, where he inherited a mountain of gold. Then, Hagrid withdrew a curious small package from safe number 713 and insisted that Harry would not tell anyone about it. Although Harry, curious as he is, tried interrogating his friend, the only answer he managed to extract was a muttered 'it's for Professor Dumbledore'.

Afterwards, Harry went to Ollivander's on his own as Hagrid left to run a few errands. As soon as he entered the grim shop, Harry felt uncomfortable. Mr. Ollivander was a white-haired tall man with long sideburns. His black eyes glittered almost unnoticeably at the sight of Harry's scar. Just as all the wizards he had met so far, Ollivander recognized him. He told him about his parents' first wands. This man's memory was as extraordinary as all the wonders Harry had come across in the past two days. Although Mr. Ollivander was very friendly, something seemed off about him. Harry could not help finding the shop and its owner creepy. All the more so when said owner told him the wand that had chosen him – after a pile of wands had damaged the shop while in his hands – was the twin of the one the 'great wizard' who had killed his parents and scarred him owned. Ollivander had a tendency to lean over Harry as he spoke, getting so close that he could feel his breath on his face and see his reflection in the wizard's eyes. Ollivander's eyes shone when he mentioned the dark wizard, showing both fear and admiration. The urge to leave the shop and find Hagrid became overwhelming. Thus, when his most awaited friend came back, a cage in his hand, Harry took all his belongings and left without waiting, only muttering a low 'good bye'.

When he was finally out of sight of the feared man, Harry saw the white owl's yellow eyes set on him. The Dursleys had never given anything on his birthday. Yet, that year, he had received both a cake and a pet. He burst in joy, and could just manage to restrain himself enough not to make a fool of himself in the midst of the crowded street. It was the first time in his life he was faced with so much love and attention. Although he could hardly keep his tears at bay with emotion, he had no idea whatsoever about how to show how grateful he was. The attention was so new and unwarranted that he felt uncomfortable about it.

Harry checked his list of school supplies. They still had to buy the books and the robes. They headed towards the north side of Diagon Alley. They stopped in front of a big shop called Madam Malkins displaying all kinds of robes, cloaks and gowns for witches and wizards. A couple of wizards were enthralled by the display, but the inside did not seem busy. Hagrid waited outside, with the ice cream he had bought Harry, as he did not want to soil any of the merchandise. A young blonde wizard stood on a stool, while a squat and seemingly friendly witch was bustling around his robes, waving her wand to make the tape measure move on its own, encircling at turn his arms, his waist and his thighs.

"Hogwarts, too?" the blonde boy said casually.

"Yeah" Harry replied, trying to sound as normal and relaxed as possible, so the boy would not realize he was out of place.

"I'm Draco, by the way. My parents are here too, getting me the rest of my supplies. Father is at Flourish and Blotts purchasing all of my school books, and some extras, of course. Mother already picked up my pet owl. It's a gorgeous eagle owl, you should've seen it, really, but mother just showed it to me before hurrying to buy me a trunk. Oh and my godfather's also helping out. He made sure I'm getting only the finest potions ingredients. He's a Potions Master, you know. So, he utterly refused to let me buy the pre-packaged ingredients they sell to first years. He selected mine himself. The freshest and highest quality ones."

Despite feeling a little bit jealous of the attention and care Draco was getting from his family, he couldn't help but enjoy hearing the boy go on about magic books, potions ingredients and pet owls. Not only did it remind him that the school he was going to attend was not an ordinary one, but it also made him feel as if he were in one of those happy ending movies - where children were loved and cheerful and parents were kind and always smiling – that he used to watch hidden behind a door or under a table.

"Your parents are wizards too?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, they were wizards" he replied "they're dead though".

"I'm sorry" Draco said.

"It's not like I remember them, so it's fine, really".

"Still, I shouldn't have. Here, take my ingredients set. I'll tell Uncle Severus I lost them on the way. He wouldn't mind buying me some more" Draco said, handing a carefully wrapped set to the boy he had met only minutes ago. Harry's eyes widened.

"No, no, I can't accept. Plus, I don't want your godfather to be angry with you." Harry knew first-hand what happened when his uncle was angry with him, and he did not want anything like that to happen to the surprisingly kind aristocratic-looking boy.

"Nah, he won't." he replied aloofly. "Give him a chance to visit the apothecary shop and he'll be glad, no matter what" he explained with a mischievous grin as he thrust the ingredients set into Harry's hands.

"Thanks so much, Draco" Harry said as the witch came forward to measure him and hand a receipt to his new friend.

"We'll owl the robes as soon as they're ready, dear. Although it may take a week or two, since the ones you chose are the most refined we've got", the small woman said softly before turning to Harry. "Oh, you're all measured up. Robes for Hogwarts as well?"

"Yes ma'am" he replied.

"Standard ones or do you have special requests?" she asked, taking a notebook from her pocket, ready to take Harry's order.

Harry stopped to think for a moment. Getting a new school uniform meant he got to wear something other than Dudley's oversized hand-me-downs, and he wanted to make sure his uniform was good enough not to attract any snarky comments from his future schoolmates. With all the money he had in his vault, he was sure he could afford the best. Better safe than sorry, he thought. Hogwarts was a new start, and he was not going to ruin it with a sloppy-looking set of robes.

"I'll have the same as my peer here, please" he said to the dressmaker "If you don't mind, of course, Draco" he added.

"It's fine. Following the good example of the Malfoy scion, eh?" Draco answered, amused and a little bit flattered.

Before Harry could reply to that, a blonde-haired woman that looked incredibly like Draco came in. Harry assumed she was his mother. She had Draco's proud and somewhat haughty look, yet much more distant.

"Let's go, son" she said. Stepping down from the measuring stool, Draco followed his mother out. At the last moment, the boy turned around.

"The name's Draco Malfoy. The address is the Malfoy Manor. Owl me before school starts". He said hurriedly. Harry could not help but find him stylish.

"Will do!" Harry responded happily.

Laid on his bed, Harry wondered whether he would enjoy every day at Hogwarts as much as he had his day with Hagrid. He had tried to immerse himself in the universe of magic before school started, but the only thing he had managed to save from the hurricane his uncle had turned into was his History book. He would rather have read the one about transfiguration or the one about potions, but as soon as he had made it home with his newly acquired possessions, Vernon had locked everything away. He had only had time to sneak the book on the top of the pile under his shirt, and it had turned out to be A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot. He had spent the whole month following his birthday reading it over and over again and taking care of Hedwig, his owl – he had found the name in the book he already knew by heart. The Dursleys had forbidden him to let her out of her cage, as they feared she might bring more of the fearful letters from Hogwarts. He was glad, however, that they had let her stay with him in his cupboard under the stairs. He had talked to her on more than one occasion to pass the time. She had become his faithful friend. She seemed to understand every word he would tell her, and to share any feeling he had.

He could not help thinking about the boy he had met at the magical tailor's. At first, Harry had not written a single word to Draco, for fear of losing face because of his lack of knowledge when it came to the wizarding world. He thought that a boy such as Draco who was granted so much attention and love could - and was seemingly a bit proud too - could only be cultured. Thus, he imagined that an ignorant such as himself could only be a laughing matter to Draco, and he could not risk losing a friendship that had not started yet. Therefore, he had planned to learn as much as he could about a world he had just discovered before venturing into a risky mail exchange. However, the Dursleys had disrupted his plans when they had locked up all of his belongings except for his history book.

But Draco was more eager to make his acquaintance than he had thought. Indeed, a great surprise awaited him one morning a week after his meeting with the blonde boy. Harry was awaken by a strange clanking noise on his window. An enormous and majestic grey eagle owl was fervently tapping his window and staring intently at him. Slowly and hesitantly, he had gathered all the bravery in his possession and had opened the window. He would never have imagined that instead of a letter from Hogwarts announcing he was expelled, he would find a regal envelop encrusted with mighty Arms. A careful cursive handwriting had indicated it came from Malfoy Manor. Relief had rushed over him and he had all but ripped the envelope in anticipation. In his letter, Draco had mainly complained about his two 'friends' Crabbe and Goyle, who were apparently 'the foolishest fools in the world whose foul mouths can utter but foolishness'. Harry understood that for the first time in his life, he would be able to have at least one friend. The most enthralling part of it all was that he did not have to worry about sounding ignorant, as he, at least, had a brain. Thus, during the three remaining weeks, Harry had also been entertained by Draco's stories about the noble Malfoy family and about Malfoy Manor, while Harry asked many questions about Hogwarts houses and their history.

Those three weeks had been the happiest he had ever been, and he could not wait to see his friend on the way to Hogwarts.

The next day, the Dursleys would take Harry to King's Cross, as Hagrid had ordered them to do. His ticket to Hogwarts Express was locked with the rest of his belongings, so he did not even know which platform he would be waiting in. His thoughts wandered once again as he started imagining his life at Hogwarts for the umpteenth time, leading him slowly towards a restful sleep.