Another day at Number Four Privet Drive. Harry woke up early, he could tell because no natural sunlight crept through the small cracks in the cupboard door. Nothing he could do about it. He lay back down. Waiting for someone to unlock the door.
Harry started thinking, "Why me?" Just as he did every morning as he stared at the wooden top of his cupboard which just so happened to be the underside of a set of stairs. A few years ago Harry daydreamed about someone swooping in and rescuing him. That clearly never happened. He lamented, "Sometimes imagination was the best one could do." Lying down, Harry had no clue how much time had passed but after a while, he heard Dudley's footsteps. Well, here comes the most obnoxious, cruel, annoying kid in the whole neighborhood.
"Wake up Potter! We're going to the zoo!"
"You are going to the zoo you overbloated pig" Harry murmured as Dudley's irksome cries broke his train of thought. Harry had to go to Mrs. Figg's house, number five Privet Drive. She was weird but kind. Did it really matter though? Did it? Anything to get Harry out of this hellhole of a house.
Dudley undid the deadbolt of the cupboard door. Harry grabbed his glasses and put them on. When Harry got to the kitchen he saw Aunt Petunia, Dudley, and Uncle Vernon were all sitting down. Always gotta see this every morning. What a way to ruin the day as always. Dudley cared more about the presents than anything, he was counting them from in his seat.
"Well don't just stand there, hurry up with breakfast!" Uncle Vernon barked, thinking he was intimidating Harry.
Honestly, Harry wasn't scared or intimidated. After all, every day was the same. Make breakfast, do chores, sneak scraps, more chores, free time, make dinner, chores, sneak some more scraps, a few more chores, get deadbolted back into the cupboard. Sometimes the usual beating would make room in his daily schedule. After all this time he managed to build up a small pain tolerance so the beatings weren't as bad anymore. Either that or Uncle Vernon was getting weak. Either way, Harry was fine.
But it was always the same, boring, wretched thing, over, and over, and over again.
xXxXxXx
It was a little over a month later, and it was Harry's birthday. Every day since Dudley's birthday he thought about the snake and the glass. There was no way he imagined it. It felt too real.
"Boy," Uncle Vernon addressed him, "Fetch the mail."
Harry did as he was told silently. Eh, the usual. Bills, letters from Aunt Marge- is that an advertisement for the least volatile dog? Huh? Who makes an- y'know what? Never mind, people can be weird. As he flipped through the bunch of letters, he saw a couple of postcards, some job offers he was sure Uncle Vernon wouldn't take, and -he couldn't believe it! He got mail! He, the runt of Privet Drive who always gets bullied. He threw it to the side, out of sight, and brought the rest of the mail to Uncle Vernon as all residents of the household went about their day without anyone being the wiser.
xXxXxXx
That night, after he got deadbolted into the cupboard under the stairs, Harry opened the letter with a smirk on his face. Earlier that day, between chores, he put the letter under a book in his little room.
Harry looked at the letter, it had his name, address, and even where he slept? Was this a prank? Clever idea of Dudley? Did he have a stalker? Oh no, he knew this wasn't good, stalker or prank.
"Here goes nothing," Harry muttered.
He opened it and read it anyways. After he read it through he realized what must've happened. It was so obvious! Dudley was pranking him. But handwriting this neat? What adult helps a child to prank another child? Perhaps it was just someone from Dudley's gang. No, no, only two of them could read let alone write.
He looked up from the letter only to realize how tired he was. He took off his glasses and put the letter back under the same book. He decided that he would reread it the next day. Man, was he wrong.
xXxXxXx
He woke up to the sound of Dudley screaming. Harry knew Dudley liked waking Harry up in some pretty weird ways but screaming wasn't one of them. Something was wrong. Harry tried to shove the door open but to his disappointment, it was locked. He was in a tight spot and if the stairs caved in he was, to say the least, screwed.
He kept throwing himself at the door but it wouldn't break. He was trapped. Not willing to be stuck inside, he threw himself at the door, repeatedly. But it would not budge. Eyes going crazily from corner to corner in an attempt to find an exit as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, Harry tried everything he could to free himself. His body ached from throwing himself at the door but he didn't care. He tried putting all his pressure on the door but it did nothing.
For the first time ever, he was feeling claustrophobic. He leaned against the opposite wall and tried kicking the door down a few times. He couldn't. Shit. He tried hitting the door with a book.
To think, last night he was reading a letter, not knowing the horror that awaited him the following morning.
As he tried to break the door open, he heard Dudley and Aunt Petunia screaming as Uncle Vernon's gun went off. Every shot just led the other occupants to scream louder.
Shot after shot went off and then all Harry's ears were treated to was pin-drop silence. His heart tensed in anticipation as to what would happen next but then he heard a hard smack and a meaty thud. Aunt Petunia shrieked so loud that her shrill voice resonated within Harry's ribcage and made him cringe and the shrillness. They were all screwed.
"For Merlin's sake, shut up Dursley you great buffoon," said an unfamiliar voice.
"Your kind aren't welcome here!" Uncle Vernon yelled.
"Alright Alright," the man said, "I'll just take Harry and go- no 'eed ter be all figh'-ready and whatnot-. Ye are acti' as if I were a Death Ea'er or sumthin'
Oh shit. He was coming for Harry.
"No NO! You will not take MY NEPHEW AND MAKE HIM LIKE YOU LOT!" Uncle Vernon yelled.
Wait- what did he mean by "Like you lot?" Was this a gang? Clan maybe? Or were living relatives coming to take him away?
That didn't matter because there was the sound of something metal breaking. Harry tried his best not to make noise and let the stranger know where he was. Harry was terrified.
"Yer look like a sma't boy, 'ell me, 'ere is 'Arry Potter?" The stranger said to Dudley.
Well, Harry was screwed.
He heard Dudley's footsteps, then large, thunderous ones. Each footstep sent a shiver through Harry's spine. The whole house shook. Fear flooded Harry's veins. Harry grabbed a pen, ready to stab whoever was on the other side - besides Dudley of course. And then, he heard the clink of the door being unlocked.
The door was then torn off it's hinges by the stranger. The sight before Harry made him drop his pen in shock. He could not believe what he was seeing.
There was a man- no, no, not a man. He was a giant. A bloody giant, at least eight feet tall, a long beard, and, he was holding the door in one hand, and a letter in the other.
"Aye there Harry, the name's Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper of Hogwarts."
xXxXxXx
"So… that letter… it wasn't a prank," Harry said when Hagrid finished explaining.
Harry felt like he should've been grateful, but he wasn't. In fact, he was absolutely furious.
"Wh- why now? Why wait so long?" Harry turned to the Dursleys who all looked scared of the young wizard, "And you, why didn't you tell me? You knew! My parents didn't die in a car crash! They were murdered! And you never told me anything even remotely close to the truth. WHY?"
Yeah, Harry was angry. He was angry at everyone. He had a lot to be angry about; a decade of his life spent in this hellhole, waiting until the last second to tell him he could do magic, lying to him about his past. Why?
No. He wouldn't let his anger control him. This blasted giant was his key to becoming a wizard. His key to a new life, without the Dursleys.
He looked up. Everyone was staring at him. Dudley and Uncle Vernon looking terrified, Aunt Petunia looking disgusted, and the giant- was he crying? Whatever.
He breathed easier. He bottled his anger, he would let it out when no one was watching.
"Alright," Harry said. He looked at the mess. Aunt Petunia's favorite vase was shattered. Uncle Vernon's gun was broken in half and lied uselessly on the floor. The front door was broken. Oh yeah, and some neighbors were staring.
"Er," Harry said, he couldn't remember the giant's name.
"Hagrid," the giant said.
"Hagrid," Harry said, "People are looking."
"Eh?" Hagrid picked up the front door and put it back in place, "Obliviators 'ill 'ake care o' 'em."
Harry had a pretty good guess of what "take care of them" meant, even if he had no clue what Obliviators were. But he didn't have time to dwell on that. Blimey, he was a wizard!
"Um, Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"Yeah?"
"Where are you taking me?"
"Home."
xXxXxXx
"It says next I need wizarding robes."
"'is way 'arry," Hagrid led him to a shop filled with robes, "I won' fi', yer gonn' ha'e 'o go yersel'."
As he went into the shop, Harry took in his surroundings. The only thing magical in this shop was the tape measure taking measurements of a boy who looked to be around Harry's age. He was blond, short, well-groomed, and talking to someone who appeared to be his mother.
"I better be put in Slytherin," The boy said.
Harry had no clue what a "Slytherin" was but he guessed it was a high-class achievement.
"Of course, you will be put in Slytherin, Draco darling," the presumed-to-be mother said.
"Er, excuse me," Harry said.
"Another first year?" A kind-looking woman asked.
"Yes," Harry said.
"Stand here please," She told Harry.
Harry stood on the circular platform. Another tape measure zoomed out of piles of fabric and thread. The tape measure started measuring him.
"Hi," Harry said to the other boy.
Instead of saying hi or hello like any normal person, the blonde boy said, "Are your parents wizards?"
"Yes, both of them," Harry responded skeptically.
"Good, I wanted to make sure I wasn't talking to a filthy little mudblood. My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he acted like his last name entitled him to anything and everything, maybe it did, maybe it didn't. Harry had no clue. Harry also didn't know what a "mudblood" was either. Oh well.
"I'm Harry, Harry Potter."
Everyone stared at him, or well, the scar on his forehead. It was just like the Leaky Cauldron all over again.
"Blimey," the witch in charge of the shop said after a long moment of silence and stillness, "Well, thank you for all you have done Mr Potter."
Harry didn't choose to have his parents die to save the wizarding world and be raised by the Dursleys, but alas, that wasn't up to him. He felt his anger coming back up. No, no, not in public. He nodded at the witch kindly without speaking. He forced himself to calm down. People were watching. He wasn't about to ruin his new life that barely even started.
Another long moment of silence. The only movement was that of the tape measures, which started measuring Draco's eyelashes and Harry's teeth.
"That will be enough," the witch said and with the flick of her wand, the tape measures flew deeper into the cluttered shop, getting lost in mountains upon mountains of fabrics, threads, and robes. The tape measures were out of sight by the time that Draco approached Harry.
"Well, you will soon find some wizarding families are better than others, I can help you there. I can guide you," Draco extended his hand.
Harry was torn. What did he mean? Was he a classist? Racist? Did his parents work with Voldemort? He checked the mother's arms. She was wearing long sleeves. Harry was even more torn than before.
Harry didn't know how or why but he grabbed Draco's hand and shook it. Well, that's that. While they were only eleven years old, Harry felt like he just made a deal with the devil. Harry let his hand drop slowly. His shoulders felt heavy.
He took deep, slow breaths and looked around yet again. Mrs. Malfoy was looking happy, the witch in charge of the shop looked slightly scared of the exchange.
At least now he had a friend in the wizarding world? He tried to think more positively. He, the friendless, weird, misfit, made a friend. He was famous, he held the wizarding world in the palm of his hand. He was some kind of savior. Wow, this really was a fresh start. A sly smile slid onto Harry's face.
xXxXxXx
Harry and Draco have been exchanging letters via owls. Harry was waiting for Draco to show up at the train station. They were going to board the train together. If he was honest, Harry had no clue how to get onto the platform. Harry leaned against the wall, one hand on his trolley, the other dangling at his side. Suddenly he saw the Malfoys. Harry started following them while pushing his cart.
"Hi, Draco," Harry said.
"Hello, Harry," Draco said.
They both nodded to each other. They talked so much with letters they wore out almost every conversation topic. After all, their exchange at Diagon alley was exactly a month ago.
"Got your ticket?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, Got yours?" Harry asked.
"Yep," Draco responded.
"Alright, Draco, Harry," Mrs Malfoy said, "To get onto the platform, you have to run through that wall right there, it won't hurt. Don't worry dears."
Draco and Harry exchanged confused yet scared looks. Run through a solid brick wall? Has Draco's mom gone mental?
"I'll go with Draco first," Mrs Malfoy said, "Lucius, will you take Harry across?"
"Of course," Mr Malfoy said firmly, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.
Mrs Malfoy and Draco walked towards a solid brick wall, then ran, then disappeared.
Lucius put both hands on Harry's trolley. Oh no. he was scared, the seconds felt long, he started sweating, his hands started shaking as he kept thinking about it "It won't hurt" is something mothers tell their children right before getting a shot. Harry took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had to think rationally. Why on earth was he even overreacting? Even if it hurt a bit, or made him nauseous, it would be worth it. He was sure that it would be worth it.
Together, Harry and Mr Malfoy walked straight through the wall and onto platform 9 ¾.
As Harry and the Malfoys re-emerged on the other side of the pillar, Harry couldn't belive the sight that met his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it.
Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.
Looking back at the senior Malfoy, he thanked him for helping him find the train, "Thank you, Mr Malfoy," Harry said.
"Of course," Mr Malfoy said, "Now you and Draco go find a nice empty compartment."
With that Harry ran over to Draco and they got on the train together. This was it, it was happening, Harry was going to Hogwarts, and he felt great.
xXxXxXx
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" The trolley witch interrupted their conversation about the four houses.
Draco bought two sugar quills and four chocolate frogs. Harry couldn't help himself and bought one of everything. They all just looked tasty. So far Draco claimed he wanted- no, he claimed he would be put in Slytherin. Harry wanted to be put in Slytherin as well but Ravenclaw didn't sound too bad either.
After a bit, they switched to a conversation about what they thought classes would be like. While talking about potions, A bushy haired girl who donned the school robes (why on earth did she put the robes on so early?) opened the door.
"Hello, have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one."
"Nope."
"No,sorry."
Letting out an irritated sigh,the girl left. Exchanging a look, Harry and Draco resumed their conversation. After a while, they were interrupted yet again, by the sun setting. Seeing this, Draco realized that the castle must be near so both of them put their robes Harry didn't know how to put his black tie on so Draco laughed and tied it for him.
Maybe this wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe he didn't regret the handshake. Or all of this might go down the drain. But hey, he'll take what he can get.
xXxXxXx
As the sky darkened even more, the train pulled into the station. The pair hopped off as soon as they saw the chance. The chilly air of Scotland greeted them as they pulled their school robes closer to garner heat.
"Firs' 'ears! Firs' 'ears!" a familiar voice boomed.
Harry's face broke into a wry grin as he recognised that voice. Hagrid. He tried to look around where he was but that fortunately didn't take much time as he saw the familar half-giant towering over the large sea of what Harry assumed to be first years, holding a lantern. Harry and Draco walked over to Hagrid.
"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry shouted.
"'Ello, 'Arry. 'ow was 'e 'rain ride?" Hagrid asked.
"Good," Harry responded.
Hagrid then flashed him a grin and called out, "FIRS' 'EARS FOLLOW 'E!" and then he led them all towards the lake. And holy heavens was the lake huge. Harry then looked around to see how would they cross it and the answer just materialized infront of them, boats.
"Ge' inner de boa's!" Hagrid hollered. Harry and Draco got a boat to themselves.
"Do they expect us to row?" Draco said, clearly disgusted.
"Dunno," Harry muttered. Suddenly, the boats lurched. Guess that solved the rowing dilemma.
After a few moments of telling jokes, a large castle came into sight. Hogwarts. Finally.