Hey guys! So, based on the few comments that I've received so far, it was made pretty clear to me that almost all the readers that found their way to my story are big fans of Harmony. Now, while I don't actually plan on pairing them for a while, rest assured that their relationship will eventually blossom into something more. Maybe. Guess you'll have to keep on reading to find out, haha. Not gonna worry about that until maybe fourth year at the earliest.

As a side note, please excuse any grammatical mistakes you might spot. I've tried proof-reading my stories several times in order to spot these mistakes, but some of them just slip past me. If you spot something glaringly obvious, please PM me and ill try to take care of it. Anyways, here is chapter three:

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters are the property of J.K. Rowling.

About half an hour had passed, and Harry was starting to get worried. Not only did he not recognize the neighborhood they were currently driving through, but he knew they should have arrived home by now. Thinking about asking his Uncle where they were headed, he quickly decided against it. It wouldn't do good to further enrage his guardian. Finally, after a grueling hour of waiting, the car stopped. Harry looked up and couldn't help but release a startled yelp, for standing in front of him was a huge building several stories high. And next to the entrance to this building was a sign that read the following: Kingsley Orphanage, London.

Harry stared at the sign, bewildered as to the way that things had escalated so quickly in the course of one day. Never did he think the Dursley's would go so far as to deliver him to an orphanage. Then again, they had never held back when figuring out ways to make his life miserable. The problem was, he didn't think they were bluffing. His Uncle seemed pretty determined to get rid of him, and sadly, there was not much he could do against it.

Telling Petunia and Dudley to stay in the car, his uncle got out and headed towards the entrance, not even looking back. Watching him walk through the small path that lead to the main building, he was unsure as to what he should do.

He looked at his aunt and realized that even she hadn't expected her husband to go this far.

After waiting around for a few minutes, Dudley started to fidget, which was always a sign that he was beginning to get impatient. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Mooom, can't we just leave the freak and head home already?" he whined.

Petunia just sat there motionless, staring at the car's dashboard without saying a word. Finally, she seemed to make her mind up about something and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Diddykins, I need you to get out of the car right this instance sweetie." She said in a voice void of emotion. Dudley just sat there, completely caught off guard at his mother's tone while Harry was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Mom, is there something wrong? Please let's just leave the freak an—"

"Dudley, if you don't leave the car this instant, you will be grounded for the rest of the school year! Now get out!"

Harry was completely gobsmacked. He had yet to hear his Aunt talk to her son like that, never mind threaten him with any sort of punishment. Now he definitely could not understand what was going on. Feeling betrayed, Dudley's eyes swelled up with unshed tears. Finally, he looked at Harry for several seconds before whispering something only loud enough for him to hear.

"I hate you".

Harry had never heard so much spite coming from his cousin. He didn't even have time to make a witty remark before Dudley unbuckled his seatbelt and left the vehicle, heading towards a small playground on the front lawn of the orphanage.

Petunia turned around and studied her young charge. She looked at him with a sad, reminiscing expression, focusing on the features that reminded her most of her sister. When she finally spoke to him, Harry didn't think his day could get any weirder.

"You have your mother's eyes, have I ever told you?" she said with unusual kindness. "Listen, Harry, we don't have much time, so I'm going to need you to pay close attention to me".

Getting over his initial shock at his Aunt mentioning her sister, nevermind using his real name, he murmured a quick 'okay' before Petunia reached behind her neck and undid the necklace that had always been there for as long as he could remember. It was a simple golden chain, with a small pendant containing a beautiful emerald in it. She gently took hold of her nephew's hands and placed the necklace in his palm, closing her hands around his.

Harry gasped as the necklace started emanating a soft, warm glow. When it died out, he opened his hand to find that the pendant had been replaced with a small, delicately crafted key. Its emerald was now shimmering with an ethereal beauty, captivating his gaze for several moments.

He was cast out of his thoughts when Petunia continued speaking.

"I'm sorry I can't explain everything, but you must trust me when I say that someday, everything will make sense. When the time comes, you'll figure out what that key is for, something that I have failed at doing. Please, don't lose it. Your mother gave it to me before..." She released a small sob, taking out a tissue from her purse to blow her nose in.

"It doesn't matter. Please, just take care of yourself, Harry."

As if on cue, the front doors of the orphanage opened to release Mr. Dursley from within. He reached into his mouth with his index finger and thumb, taking in a large breath in the process to give out a single, mighty whistle.

Harry looked around for the source of the noise and found his Uncle frantically waving for him to come out of the car. Turning to look back at his Aunt, he decided to ask one last question.

"Why?"

It was a three-letter word that while so simple in text, conveyed many different emotions that haunted Petunia from that day on. Betrayal, contempt, and sadness would forever plague her dreams, making her feel like she had committed the most awful of crimes. So thoroughly involved in the abusive upbringing of her nephew, she now felt the weight of all the choices she had made since taking him in. She knew that she was past the point of redemption, but hoped that this last act of kindness would somewhat lessen her guilt and clear her conscience.

She answered by shaking her head, unable to put any excuse into words.

"Good-bye aunt Petunia".

And with that, Harry reached for the door, only to stop when his Aunt grabbed hold of his arm.

"For what it's worth, Harry, I always tried my best to lessen any punishment Vernon wanted to force upon you. I tried, I really did, but I know it was never enough. I realize it's not much, but it was the best I could do."

Before he could respond, they were interrupted by the sound of Dudley loudly knocking on the car's window.

"Hurry up, freak! Dad says to get over there right now before he comes here and has to physically remove you from the car!".

As Dudley finished talking, something stirred deep within Harry. All the memories of his cousin bullying him into submission and calling him a freak resurfaced. His cold, hidden hatred for the unfair treatment bubbled away angrily in want of retribution for all his past years of suffering.

With that last thought, Dudley was knocked away from the door of the car, flying almost fifteen feet before finally landing on his back. Petunia instantly got out, calling for the child that meant more than everything to her. Harry quickly put on the necklace and stuffed it under his shirt before opening the door and hurrying over to his uncle. He gave a sigh of relief when he noticed that his uncle was currently on the phone and had missed the little spectacle that just happened.

Realizing that he had company, Vernon quickly uttered a quick "I'm gonna have to call you back" before hanging up the phone and turning towards the boy. At first, he didn't say anything, he just stared at him with mixed emotion. He opened his mouth to talk, only to change his mind. Instead, he pulled out his wallet and procured a 100-dollar bill from it, signaling for Harry to take it from him.

"This is the last time you will ever see us, boy. Consider that money a farewell gift. If I were you, I would spend it wisely." And with that, his Uncle turned his back on him, and they parted ways, never to meet again.

Harry quickly took off his shoe and put the money into it, deciding to spare one last glance back at their direction. He was expecting to get a little emotional over losing what little family he had. Instead, what he saw almost made him burst out laughing. Petunia was currently bent down, trying to dust off her annoyed son who had been knocked into what appeared to be a numerous amount of almost full rubbish bins. But that wasn't the funny part. As they made their way back to the car, Harry suppressed a smile when he realized that they were oblivious as to what had really happened.

When they notice the brand-new pig's tail that his cousin was now sporting, they would be absolutely furious.

Not wishing to tempt his good-luck, he walked inside the building. It looked like his current predicament was not as bad as he had imagined. After all, he had just gotten a considerable amount of spending cash from his uncle, something he never thought would happen in a thousand years. He had delivered some justice upon his cousin for all the past years of taunting and resentment, even if it hadn't been done deliberately. Not only that, but he was finally rid of the Dursleys for the foreseeable future, something which he hoped would be permanent. Oh, and apparently, there was this HUGE secret about his past that he needed to figure out.


December 25, 1986

Harry was jerked awake to a familiar high-pitched voice calling his name. Sitting up on his bed, he wondered why he was being bothered at all. Christmas eve was last night, but he had never been particularly enthusiastic about the holiday, seeing as the Dursleys never bothered to gift him anything at all. Sure, he had gotten the odd gift here and there, but they mostly consisted of house-hold items. These so-called gifts were usually something which the Dursleys specifically chose in order to taunt and show him that he was not welcome into their house-hold, such as a coat-hanger, passed down clothes from his cousin and cleaning supplies.

Putting on his glasses, everything came into focus and he recognized his fellow orphan standing beside his bed, a kid who went by the nickname Ollie.

Ollie, who's original name was Oliver Debroux, was a short, skinny kid around 7 years old, much like Harry himself. He had striking light blue eyes and short blonde hair. Ollie had been there since he was four and was the first and only kid who had tried to befriend him. Unlike the other kids, Ollie was a quiet, smart child with a gentle soul. He was constantly picked on by the other children, mainly because of his fascination with plants and his kindness, something which made him an easy target. Harry had instantly taken a liking to this young child, almost to the point of over-protectiveness.

"What's wrong, does the Mistress wish to speak to me?" asked Harry with a suppressed yawn. Ollie looked at him like he was mad.

"What? No! Come on Harry, its time to open our presents!" exclaimed Ollie.

Groggily getting out of bed, he put on his slippers and walked towards his friend who was already standing by the entrance to their sleeping quarters. He cast a quick glance at the clock on the wall and saw that it was half-past five, annoyed that he had been woken at such an early hour.

"I don't see what the big fuss is about, I never get any presents..." he said with barely concealed bitterness. After all, it's not like it was Ollie's fault

"Well, looks like there's a first time for everything, I saw at least two of 'em with your name on them!" With that, Harry finally found enough motive to follow his only friend through the empty halls of the orphanage.

They reached the end of the corridor which lead from their rooms and entered a warm, inviting room, crowded with furniture and festive decorations. Everything seemed to be in its place like it had yesterday, except for the considerable number of gifts under the tree.

The Christmas tree was stationed a few feet from the fireplace, shining with a barely perceptible light and few hanging ornaments. There was a couch placed next to the tree, already occupied by two kids eagerly playing with their newly opened toys. Harry took a seat next to his friend, who was already in the process of opening his first gift and searched for the mentioned presents which supposedly bore his name. To his surprise, he found a total of three presents, one of which drew his attention more than the others.

Taking the present with the familiar handwriting on it, he contemplated on what it could possibly contain. Expecting it to be some sort of item from the Dursleys, meant to mock his current situation, he resigned himself to opening it first just to get it out of the way.

Harry tore at the wrapping, not really sure of what to expect. With the opened gift in his hands, he was hesitant when considering how to proceed. It was a battered old photo album, with a letter taped to the cover. He had instantly recognized the hand-writing of his aunt, something which certainly surprised him. He opened the envelope to find a small text written on it.

"Found this a couple of weeks back when cleaning the attic, thought you would value it more than I ever would. Merry Christmas."

He put the letter aside, curious as to what the contents of the album might be. Flipping the cover, his heart almost skipped a beat when he saw the picture on the first page. A young couple was currently waving at the camera on what seemed to be an altar. On the left stood a handsome man in what seemed to be his early twenties, with messy hair and similar features to his own. On the left stood a beautiful young woman, with fiery red hair and the most intense, green eyes.

Harry finally understood what his aunt had been referring to when she said he had his mother's eyes. He was so absorbed in the picture that he almost didn't notice Ollie talking to him.

"What's wrong Harry? Why are you crying?" asked Oliver with obvious concern.

With a sniff of his nose, he dried up his eyes with the sleeve of his pajamas and quickly reassured his friend. "Nothing, I just think that this might be the best Christmas I've ever had".

Oliver perked up to that and looked over Harry's shoulder at the picture.

"Who are they?" he asked, pointing at the young pair.

"Nobody, not important," said Harry while closing the album. Oliver shrugged and continue opening his presents. He would finish looking at it later in private, choosing to open his other presents instead. He looked towards the next gift, a small, carefully wrapped rectangular box. Wondering who it was from, he took a look at the small, labeled tag attached to it.

To: Harry

To keep you warm on the coldest of days, know that will never be truly alone.

-A.W.P.B.D.

He reached into the box to find… a pair of knitted woolen socks? He had no idea who it had been from, not being able to recall seeing the initials anywhere in the past- He had to admit though, the socks were very beautiful indeed, as far as socks went. They were a golden color, with a red band that went around by the mouth. What really caught Harry's attention though, was the pattern. It looked like some golden golf ball with wings had been sewn into it. While the design was indeed peculiar, it didn't really matter to him. Someone had actually taken the time to make him a present, which might not be that big of a deal, but to him, it actually meant the world. He promised that one day, he would find out who this person was and profoundly thank them for making his Christmas that little less dull.

So far, this was mounting to be one of the most memorable Christmas that he ever had, which was actually saying something. Christmas with the Dursley was always memorable, but never from a good point of view.

In the past, he was forced to help with the cooking, never being able to actually partake in the evening meal like he was part of the family. Instead, he was given a small plate with servings from whichever dish he helped cook and then locked into his cupboard. All he remembered from Christmas eve was hearing his relatives laugh with joy in the living room, listening to Christmas music, drinking eggnog and telling tales. It was no wonder that this year would top off the previous ones.

He put on the socks, immediately noticing that they gave off a small amount of warmth, something which by now didn't really surprise him so much as pique his curiosity.

Excitement bubbling through him, hardly waiting to see what else he got, he took the other gift into his hands. This one was a fairly simple one wrapped in green. He could tell from the tag that it was from the orphanage since there were several similar packages placed around the tree. Carefully opening, he found a small notebook with the word 'JOURNAL' written across it and a line under it where his name would go. While it might not be as significant as the other presents, Harry was nevertheless grateful for the thought behind it. Of one thing he was sure, he would definitely record his best Christmas to date as soon as possible.


February 21, 1987

Harry was currently on his bed, writing in his journal and listening to the other kids talking amiably between each other. According to the mistress, there were going to be a few visiting couples looking to adopt. While he was always hopeful of being the next lucky kid who got to go home with some loving parents, he wasn't naïve enough to fool himself. Not only were the chances of that happening slim, seeing as there were many younger children than him, but he never thought anyone would want to adopt a freak like him.

There had been a few weird incidents in the orphanage since his arrival, but never had they reached the point of where the adults in charge would have to intervene in the children's affairs. The other kids had started to completely ignore Harry, scared of the inexplicable things that seemed to happen whenever he got upset. But this was not necessarily a bad thing. For the most part, everything seemed to settle down, even to the point where Ollie was no longer being taunted for fear of any repercussions from Harry's part.

Even though he could not necessarily control these incidents, he took silent pleasure in being feared. Sure, this was unethical, but it didn't really bother his conscience, seeing as he wasn't actively trying to cause harm or misfortune to others. Being in a position of power enthralled him, pushing him to the point where he would try to manipulate these weird occurrences that always seemed to happen to him.

There was one thing in particular that he noticed, something that connected all of the events in some way or another. Whenever something unexplainable happened, he had been in a condition of strong emotional turmoil. Whether the driving emotions were anger, happiness or sadness, it wouldn't really matter. His intent would manifest into the physical world, trying to satisfy his desire and will things to be the way he wanted them to be. Something which he still planned on experimenting with.

Harry was brought out of his musings to the orphanage's mistress walking silently into their quarters.

"The first family this month has arrived, I want everyone to be on their best behavior, is that clear?" She asked of the children, giving Harry a quick glance. It was clear to him that she was suspicious of him for all the weird things that had happened so far, but due to the fact that she had no tangible proof, couldn't openly accuse him. All the kids muttered a quick 'Yes, ma'am' before returning to their previously interrupted activities. With that out of the way, the mistress quickly headed back to the reception area to introduce herself to the adopting parents.

Deciding that he didn't want to be in the middle of this meet-and-greet, he headed out to the gardens for some alone time. On his way out of the building, he caught sight of a family of three being escorted by the mistress to the front door, with two couples in their late twenties and a little girl with bushy hair. Not paying them any mind, he continued his way to his favorite spot, a swing set in the far corner of the orphanage's grounds.

The reason for this being his favorite spot was because it was exceptionally secluded, considering the fact that the grounds were fairly empty. And to be honest, no one really cared for the old, rusty swing set. Ever since Ollie had been adopted a couple of weeks back, Harry had grown more and more fond of this place, seeing it as the only way to get away from the harsh reality that was his life.

He was left alone for the most part whenever he spent time there, occasionally being called in for meals and special occasions. It was for that same reason that he was startled when a soft, almost melodic voice spoke to him in the sweetest tone.

"Hey, do you mind if I join you? It was getting a bit crowded in there."

Already frustrated that he had to put up with visiting parents, Harry turned towards the stranger, an objection already on the tip of his tongue. He was taken aback when he stared into those intense, chocolate brown eyes. They were calculating and shone with intelligence bellying the age of the little girl sitting next to him.

"Oh, excuse me, where are my manners. My name is Hermione, what's your name?"

So, there you go guys. Sorry it took more time to get this chapter done, I've been a bit busy these last couple of days, having little time to focus on the story. Either way, Hermione has finally been introduced into the story. I'm really excited to work with a new character, especially one that will have significant influence over the story's outcome. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I'm planning on posting the next one sometime between this Saturday and Sunday. Hope you have a good rest of the week!