Harry was woken by his bed being slightly jostled. He hated waking up from the best sleep he'd ever had and was about to roll over when the events of the night before crashed to the forefront of his mind. He shot up and looked around for his glasses.
When he found them and put them on, he saw Hagrid hunched over the fire, poking a few sausages and some bacon and eggs that were floating above the flames.
"Good mornin' Harry!" he said, sliding a couple eggs onto a small plate and then stacking some bacon on top. "Hope yeh like yer eggs over medium." He handed the plate to Harry.
"Brilliant," Harry breathed, smiling down at the food.
"Good. Eat up an' we'll get goin'. I wan' teh stop by yer house an' get yer things 'fore headin' teh London."
"Tha's okay," Harry said, his mouth full of bacon. "I don't have anything there. I didn't have much at Brutus's."
Hagrid nodded before popping a sausage into his mouth.
"Is Brutus a friend o' yours?"
"No, it's St. Brutus Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. I've been there for most of the last seven years."
Harry didn't see Hagrid's face change from relaxed and happy to riotous.
"What does Secure Center mean?" he said, all the cheer drained from his voice.
Harry heard the change and looked up, not sure what caused it. He swallowed a bite of eggs.
"It's a juvenile delinquent center. Basically jail for kids who can't keep out of trouble. The Dursley's sent me there when I was eleven."
Hagrid's face was stony, his eyes filled with a rage that threatened to break through. Harry was suddenly terrified of what the man could do with hands the size of manhole covers.
"Yeh've been in jail fer six YEARS!" he roared, shaking the shak around them. Harry popped to his feet and moved to the wall. He heard Vernon and Petunia crying upstairs. Hagrid looked at the staircase, eyes ablaze. Harry flattened himself against the wall, unsure of what was going to happen next.
Hagrid fumed for a minute before calming slightly. He then turned to the door and ripped it completely out of the door frame.
"Come on Harry, we need teh get goin'."
Harry grabbed his small bag and followed Hagrid out the door and down the path to the boat. Hagrid climbed in and motioned for Harry to follow. When he was seated, Hagrid tapped the boat with his umbrella and they shot off toward the pier. Harry wondered how the Dursley's were going to make it back to land.
Hagrid only spoke once to ask Harry where St. Brutus's was. Harry told him and they hopped on a train, Hagrid scaring the majority of the other passengers away.
They remained silent as they rode the train to London. Hagrid had taken Harry's stuff and packed it away in one of his pockets. When they finally got off the train, Hagrid seemed to have calmed down enough to talk again. He began to guide Harry through the streets of London before leading him into what looked like an old timey pub.
"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron."
It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the relatively dark room. Only a few people stood around, minding their own business. He did notice they wore some fairly unusual clothes. He saw a woman smoking out of a long pipe and a man in a top hat speaking to the bartender. Another man in a turban was at the bar reading a book.
"The usual, Hagrid?" the barkeeper called.
"Can't today, Tom. I'm on Hogwarts business." He clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Well I'll be," the man in the top hat said, his eyes falling on Harry. "It's Harry Potter."
The room quieted in an instant as everyone turned to look. Harry felt slightly uncomfortable. Usually when a large group of people were looking at him this intently he was about to receive a beating. It didn't help when they all rushed him at once.
He found himself shaking several hands and being introduced to everyone at once. They seemed to squeeze in from all directions. Hagrid eventually moved them out of the throng of people and made his way towards a door next to the bar and the man in the turban.
"Professor!" Hagrid called out. "Harry, this is Professor Quirrell. He will be one o' yer teachers at Hogwarts."
Harry stuck out his hand and asked, "What sort of magic do you teach, professor?"
Quirrell ignored his hand and stuttered out, "D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts. I look f-forward to having you in c-class Mr. P-Potter."
Harry cocked his head at the man. Something about the stuttering professor tickled something at the back of his mind. He couldn't place it before he was pulled away by Hagrid into a closed alleyway behind the pub. He looked around, confused as to what was going to happen when Hagrid pulled out his umbrella and started tapping the brick wall behind the pub.
Harry gasped as the bricks began to rearrange themselves into an arch way that led into the most colorful sight he'd ever laid eyes on.
"An' this," Hagrid said, guiding Harry through the archway "is Diagon Alley."
The alley was packed with shoppers. Most of them were dressed normally except for a few differences. Many of them had a cloak or robe over their regular clothes. The stores themselves were bulging out into the alley in the most random array of buildings he'd ever seen.
Hagrid first took him to the bank where he was given access to his trust vault. He could enter his family vault but Hagrid said he could come back when there was more time.
"Yeh can always come back an' see what's in there but we have a lot to do today so let's just get what we need for now. While yer doing that, I need ter pick up somethin' fer the headmaster so I'll meet yeh just outside the entrance, okay?"
When he and Hagrid met back up, Harry was led into store after store in order to get everything on his list. Most of the things were bought in the stores but set to be delivered directly to Hogwarts on his behalf.
The only things he kept with him were the robes he'd need to change into on the train to Hogwarts, a few of his books, and his wand, which he collected last.
The experience was odd to say the least but Harry walked out of Ollivander's grasping the warm wood, inherently feeling like he was connected to it.
As he paid the weird old man he turned to see Hagrid smiling and holding up a cage with a snowy white owl.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," He said, handing Harry the birdcage.
"I don't know what to say, Hagrid." Harry said, truly blown away by the gesture.
"You don' need to say anythin'," Hagrid replied. "Just use her to send me a letter or two over the term, okay?"
"Absolutely!" Harry reached his fingers through the cage and stroked the owl's head and she nibbled at his fingers. He could tell this was the beginning of a great friendship.
Hagrid eventually led them back to the Leaky Cauldron and bought Harry dinner. Hagrid's face had a look of concern as he stared into his food. Eventually he spoke up.
"I've got some questions for yeh before I have to leave." Harry nodded expecting what was coming.
"How did the Dursleys treat you?"
Harry immediately withdrew, not wanting to continue this conversation in the least. After several moments of Hagrid looking at him with concern, Harry finally spoke.
"Not well. I don't want to go into details but when I was a kid, before they sent me to St. Brutus', I spent many a day locked in a cupboard under the stairs with various cuts and bruises. I think I had a few broken bones but magic must have healed them because I was mostly fine the next day."
Hagrid's face darkened with every word before he asked about being sent to the center.
"Why were you sent there? Surely you weren' in trouble enough to deserve tha'."
Harry sighed. "Vernon sent me there on my eleventh birthday. He didn't want a freak like me in the house to corrupt Dudley. I never really understood what he meant until last night."
"Tha's no reason to send a child to a prison," Hagrid said angrily. He sighed before continuing.
"I think you best get a room here in the cauldron fer the rest o' the summer. If I have my way you'll never go back to that house."
Harry nodded, touched that someone seemed to actually care about his well being.
Hagrid leaned back, seemingly done with his questioning. Harry decided to ask a few questions of his own.
"Hagrid, you seemed pretty upset when I said my parents died in a car crash. I take it that's not what happened."
Hagrid sighed, clearly reluctant to talk about it. He took a swig of his drink before looking back at Harry.
"Yeah, I don't really know how to talk about it. I'm not really the best at explainin' things."
Harry waited, unsure what to say.
"Yer parents were two o' the best people I've ever met. They took the world by storm when they landed at Hogwarts. Yer Dad comes from a very old family that has been important in the magical world for years. He was the king o' the castle from his second year on. Him and his friends raised hell every year they were there but were also the firs' to volunteer fer any outside projects needed at the school."
Harry leaned forward, captivated by Hagrid's words. No one had ever talked about his parents before.
"Yer Mum was one of a kind. She was a muggle born so she came into the magical world at seventeen. She dove inter her studies an' from her first year on she was the top of most o' her classes. She was also one o' the kindest people I've ever been around. Everyone was her friend or at least thought of her as a good person. Even the meanest people calmed a bit around her.
"Her an' yer Dad started dating in their final year though yer dad started tryin' to win her over in their third year. When they finally got together, they were both working on their masteries. They got married a year after graduation. Shortly after they announced that you were coming along."
Harry smiled, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
"Fer the three years they were out of school, they rocked our world. Yer Dad was an Auror, kind o' like a policeman. He worked hard an' put away a lot o' terrible people. Your mom on the other hand began helpin' write more progressive laws an' did everything she could to repeal some o' the more traditional, not so light laws that had never been addressed. Between his family's influence and her willpower, they slowly started changin' the world."
At this point Harry had forgotten about his food. He was clutching at everything Hagrid was saying as if it was a lifeboat. Hagrid sighed again and took another drink.
"Everythin' they did was hard. You see there was a war goin' on at the time. A few dark wizards had banded together and were terrorizin' everyone that opposed 'em. Yer Mum and Dad actually fought 'em a couple of times, which made yer parents even more popular with everyone who wanted nothing to do with the war."
When you were just turning one, Professor Dumbledore came to your parents with a warning they might be in danger. The leader of these dark wizards, Vol-"
Hagrid stopped suddenly and shuddered.
"Sorry, even all these years later it's hard ter say his name."
"It's ok if you don't want to say it," Harry offered.
"No, you need to hear it. I'm sure others will ask and I don' want you to be confused."
He took a deep breath and then a swig of his drink before continuing.
"His name was Lord Voldemort but most call him 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. He was brutal and had no problem killing anyone who got in his way. Those who followed 'im all but worshiped 'im, doing his bidding as if he were their actual lord.
"Anyways, Professor Dumbledore went to your parents teh warn them that Voldemort was looking for them specifically. He convinced 'em to go inter hiding until he could find out why you-know-who was looking for them.
"Before he could find out, you-know-who found your family. He- He killed your parents."
Harry was shocked, unable to really comprehend what he was hearing. Hagrid's beard was beaded with tears as he told the story.
"But somethin' else happened that night. Somethin' no one had ever even 'eard of before. You see, you-know-who killed your parents, who, from the look of it, didn't go down without a fight. But when he was finished with them, he tried to kill you."
Harry blinked, "But I'm still here. I'm alive."
"Tha's right, Harry. Yer still here. Somethin' happened an' when he tried to kill you the spell backfired somehow. It bounced off you and destroyed him leaving you with nothin' but a scar."
Harry reached up and touched his scar. He'd always thought it was something that happened when he was a baby.
"After tha' night, you-know-who was gone and you were an orphan. The magical world celebrated the fall of the Dark Lord and for 16 years we've been at peace. People around the world know yer name an' not a child in this country hasn't 'eard about you.
"After everything happened an' the chaos died down, Dumbledore asked me to bring you to your Aunt and Uncle's house."
At this Hagrid's face darkened again, angry at his part in Harry's upbringing.
"I reckon you are the most famous wizard in our world 'scept maybe Dumbledore."
Harry sat back, doing his best to digest what he was hearing. His parents sounded like amazing people and for the first time he felt pride in where he came from. For years he'd been ashamed of his background, growing up in such a miserable place had all but beaten any hope he had out of him.
Now, he suddenly had parents who loved him and did everything they could to care for and protect him. His sadness at their passing had replaced a somewhat apathetic feeling he had toward them before he learned the true story behind his life.
Harry looked up at Hagrid and smiled through tears.
"Thank you, Hagrid. It feels good to have parents I can be proud of. Hopefully I can live up to their legacy."
Hagrid nodded, not quite able to speak yet. He drained his cup and wiped his mouth before standing and pulling on his coat.
"Well, let's get yeh a room and I'll be off. You best stay in yer room most days. Yeh don' wan' to be gettin' overwhelmed by a crowd o' fans, do yeh?" He smiled at Harry, glad to be past the depressing conversation. "I'll stop by every now an' again to say hello."
With that, they got him a room which was bigger than any he'd had before.
The next day Harry came downstairs for breakfast only to be met by an imposing red-haired woman with a monocle. When she noticed him enter the room, she immediately approached him.
"I am Amelia Bones, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I'd like to ask you a few questions."
"Do I need to have a solicitor with me?" Harry asked, hesitant to talk to anyone in law enforcement, especially since he didn't even know what the magical world's law system entailed.
Amelia blinked in surprise.
"That shouldn't be necessary. I am gathering some information on what happened yesterday and was told you were there."
Harry still didn't feel confident but asked, "what happened yesterday?"
Amelia turned to the table, picked up a newspaper, and handed it to Harry.
Harry had to hold back his awe at seeing the pictures move. There were four goblins all conversing in front of a massive door that looked like a vault. The headline read "Gringotts Break In, Nothing Stolen".
"What am I supposed to know about this?"
Amelia produced a note pad and flipped a few pages.
"It was reported by the goblins that you were with Rubeus Hagrid yesterday, is that correct?"
"That is correct," Harry said, slipping into a neutral tone and expression. He'd been interrogated like this at St. Brutus several times and found that if he was as emotionless as possible the questions would go much faster.
Amelia looked him over with a discerning eye. His demeanor had shifted from confused to almost dead pan.
"Can you walk me through what happened while you were at the bank?"
"How does my time with Hagrid relate to your case?"
"I am investigating the break in and am speaking to everyone who was at the bank at around the time the robbery was estimated to have happened."
"Is Hagrid a suspect in the robbery?"
"We have not made an official statement regar-"
"I am not going to say anything that may or may not incriminate my friend."
"You are not very forthcoming with information."
"Ma'am, I just found out Magic exists two days ago. I had one of the most exciting days of my life yesterday in a manner I don't think you can comprehend. Now, you are asking questions about the man who pulled me from that hell hole. Questions that, without context, sound like you are fishing for a reason to get him into trouble."
Amelia was shocked. She wasn't used to anyone speaking to her in such a blunt manner, let alone a teenager new to the magical world. The only times she was ever spoken to in this way was when interrogating an evasive suspect.
"Very well. Did you see anyone unusual at the bank, someone conspicuous?"
"Like I said, two days ago I learned about magic. So yeah, everyone in Diagon Alley was conspicuous to me."
Amelia sighed, feeling like she was mishandling the situation.
"Mr. Potter, I don't believe you or Hagrid had anything to do with the break in, however, I am required to make a thorough investigation regardless of my personal theories. I understand you are new to our world and were exposed to many new things yesterday but was there anything in particular that you noticed that could help us?"
Harry thought for a moment.
"No. Hagrid and I were only at the bank for a few minutes to visit my vault, although Hagrid did split off from me while I was collecting my money."
"That matches other reports. Thank you for your time, Mr. Potter. I hope next time our meeting can be during less tense circumstances."
Harry nodded and waited for the woman to leave before ordering breakfast. Only two days in and things were already crazy.
Over the next month Harry read through all of his text books and had even gone to Flourish and Blott's to get a few more. He spent more than a little time at Quality Quidditch Supplies looking at brooms and asking questions about the sport. A few times he ran into someone who recognized his scar so he made it a point to keep a low profile.
After a week of exploring the magical world he decided to check out muggle London as well, seeing as he'd never been there before. He saw all the major sights and, after exchanging some of his gold for pounds, he did some shopping. He didn't know how much money he had left so he only bought a few clothing items and shoes.
Eventually, September 1st rolled around. Harry had spent the whole day before double checking his school list and making sure he had everything he needed. When handed his room keys to Tom before heading to King's Cross, he knew he was about as ready as he could ever be.