Hello and welcome to my first fanfic, I hope this story is one the readers enjoy and if you have any suggestions to make or see any mistakes I made please let me know, thank you for taking the time to read this (I have done my best with grammar) I apologize if the first chapter is long, I intend to go through all seven years of Hogwarts and I wanted to get to the first year. When something happens similar to the books/movies I'll try and give a quick summary of it, I'll only go into detail if it's a change I made.

I know very little about the UK so I apologize if I got anything wrong, if you see where I did something wrong please correct me so I can fix it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter, JK Rowling is the true owner.

Edited 9/3/22

I have edited my first four chapters and hopefully made them better and easier to read, please enjoy.

"Speaking"

"Thinking"

[Reading]

A young ten-year-old Harry Potter was ready for a break, he had been ordered to do many chores by his aunt Petunia and the chores have taken up most of his morning, the only thing he was thankful for was that the house was empty. From what Harry was able to overhear early in the morning some of the neighbors were throwing a small party since it was a Saturday and the start of June and Harry knew his relatives, the Dursleys, couldn't resist going to show off. Harry could already picture his uncle Vernon bragging to others about a recent sale he made at his company while Petunia was sitting with many of the wives and mothers either talking about how her son Dudley was excited for his birthday on the twenty third or trying to listen in on a piece of gossip. He could even imagine his cousin Dudley hanging out with some of his gang either bragging about how he will be attending Smelting or stuffing his face with as much food as he could.

The thought of food made Harry's stomach growl as the small amount he was fed that morning wasn't enough to keep him properly fed but he had long since learned to ignore it and not try and ask for more food otherwise he'd risk either a lecture about not being so selfish and greedy from Petunia or a beating from Vernon. With the Dursleys having told everyone he was a delinquent he was never taken to any sort of party and usually left in the house if the party was in their neighborhood or with Mrs. Figg if it was far. Being left home alone Harry was given a warning about doing anything freakish and ordered to have a list of chores done by the time they got back, judging from the time Harry should have some time to himself since he was almost done.

The final chore was to clean the attic, this was normally not a chore for him but Vernon had been feeling Harry wasn't suffering enough and so added this chore last minute. Climbing up the stairs and pulling down the ladder Harry climbed up to see the attic for the first time, it was covered in far more dust than he expected. Sighing, Harry got started, while Harry cleaned he needed to organize many boxes that looked like they haven't been opened in years. Harry was almost done, all he needed to do was move a final unmarked box, picking it up Harry saw the box was heavier than the others but he quickly tried to move it to where it needed to be but sadly, knowing his luck, the bottom of the box opened up and everything fell out.

Sighing. Harry knew he needed to clean it up, looking Harry saw the box was filled with mostly old and useless stuff, he had found some old Christmas lights and broken decorations, books that looked torn and damaged, some old clothes that looked like they belonged to his aunt and uncle, even some shoes that looked damaged or had only one. Quickly Harry started to store the junk in other boxes while throwing away the damaged box, as Harry started to pick up the damaged and torn books he found one that was probably the least damaged, in fact looking closely it almost looked brand new aside from the strange symbols on the back. Hoping he might have found a new book to add to his small collection he had in his cupboard Harry glanced at the title and froze.

Harry stared at the cover of the book for a few seconds as the words registered in his mind, when his mind caught up he read out loud "Lily Potter's Journal." Harry had only one thought go through his head "Potter? That's my last name, was this my mum's journal?" Harry thought about how little he knew about his mum, when he had asked Petunia about her he had been told she was a freak like him who died drunk in a car crash when his parents were drinking and the crash gave him the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. He had been told so little about his mum, he wasn't even sure he knew her name, and now Harry was holding something in his hands that might have belonged to her.

Slowly Harry opened the journal to the first page and what he read confirmed what he had been thinking [To my son Harry James Potter, Harry I hope this journal helps you in case I am not there to help you myself, I have divided this journal into four sections but this first part is to help you understand how the journal works. I hope you keep it secret and only show it to those you trust and I hope I was able to help you in case the worst happens.] Harry wanted to read more but heard an old watch start beeping and realized his relatives would be home soon.

Rushing downstairs Harry hid the journal in his cupboard hoping he could get the chance to read it later. Quickly Harry rushed back upstairs to finish his chores before the Dursleys returned. While Harry cleaned he kept thinking about the journal, it confused him why his mum wrote he needed to understand how a journal worked, he wanted to read it but knew if he didn't finish cleaning Vernon might hit him again.

Harry barely finished cleaning in time, as soon as he closed the attic he heard the front door open and heard Vernon's voice "Boy, come here now!" Rushing downstairs Vernon questioned if his chores were done and after a quick glance Harry was given some food before being sent to his cupboard. Harry sat on his cot silently until he heard the noise coming from the tv and knew his relatives wouldn't bother him for a while. Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief before quickly pulling out the journal, he made sure he could quickly hide it in case they unlocked the door, ignoring the noise coming from his relatives Harry began to read but the more he read the more confused he became.

[I hope Sirius has been teaching you plenty about magic and hasn't been trying to make you into a prankster like him, knowing him he'd be proud to receive an owl telling him about the prank you pulled at school. I hope you know enough about magic to be able to activate the runes on the back of this journal so you can keep it better hidden, the first rune you will need to push some of your magic into to activate but once you've done this you should see the writing in the journal give off a light glow, this should help you be able to read the journal at night so you don't keep the lights on. The second rune will need to be started the same way and when it works you'll feel the journal become lighter meaning no one else will be able to see it except you. Finally, the last rune will require you to get a wand first but when you do you'll be able to easily push magic into it and say a phrase to allow someone else to read it other than you, the phrase is 'I Harry James Potter give permission to (the person's full name) to read what is written in this journal, so mote it be.']

Harry felt confused as he read not knowing what his mum meant by magic, what were runes, and who was Sirius? At first Harry thought this might have been a cruel prank his relatives were playing on him and he half expected the door to open and for them to start laughing at him but all Harry heard was more noise coming from the tv. Harry decided to flip to the next page and saw it labeled the four sections the journal was divided into, the first section was Lily's diaries, the second was Lily's school notes, the third was personal research, and the last was personal messages. Harry again felt the journal was a cruel prank since it looked like it only had one hundred pages but according to the page it had hundreds more, Harry, deciding he had nothing to lose, quickly flipped to the end of the hundred pages to see if it was a prank but suddenly he dropped the journal when the pages vanished and more appeared.

Harry saw the journal fall shut and it looked like the pages vanished and more appeared, thankfully it didn't make too much noise so his relatives didn't hear. Harry took a deep breath and picked it up again and this time slowly turned a few pages, nothing happened so Harry decided to turn to the end again and when he reached the end he saw the pages vanished and more appear. Harry was able to go forward a hundred pages at a time until he reached the section that read personal messages and he read the first message.

[Dear Harry, I hope that this journal is never needed for what might happened, I'm hoping we are reading this together on the couch and having a laugh, right now you're sleeping peacefully in your crib and I'm worried the worst might happen and I won't get the chance to see you grow up. I know Sirius will love you and care for you but I also know Sirius will tell you more about your dad than me, after all he and James are practically brothers so I made this journal so you can know about me too and I can pass on what I know to you. Harry right now you need to know some of the truth and that is we are fighting in a war against a dark wizard named Voldemort, if he should win this war then he will make sure people like you and me suffer and your dad might be punished since he doesn't support what Voldemort and his followers are doing.

We want you to grow up in a world that doesn't have a madman like him in it so your father and I, along with your uncles and our friends, joined a group determined to stop him from taking over wizarding Britain. James and I have faced him a few times and have managed to escape but now it seems like he's hunting us down so we had to go into hiding, from what I know our headmaster Albus Dumbledore has told us he's hunting us to get to you because there was a prophecy made before you were born, he didn't tell us sooner since he didn't want to worry us and it could have been about you or Neville but from what I remember Voldemort wants to kill you because you have the power to kill him. I'd sooner die than let him anywhere near you and I know James feels the same way but should the worst happen and we aren't there to raise you I wanted to make this journal for you as a way for me to pass on everything to you.

I know I'm a bit biased since I'm your mother but I believe one day you will become a powerful wizard who will do great things. I was fascinated by magic when I was first told it existed and I wanted to learn as much as I could, so many called me the brightest witch of my age and I would push myself more than most would so I'm hoping to pass on my knowledge to you, I know Sirius will love you as if you were his own but I wanted to make sure you knew your father and I love you Harry and we know you'll make us proud. We believe in you Harry and I know when you start Hogwarts you'll work hard in your classes, I hope I get to see it but if I don't then I know you'll do your best and make us proud.]

Harry nearly dropped the journal again but was able to slowly settle it down, his parents actually loved him, they didn't die in a car crash instead they were more likely killed by a dark wizard. Harry felt his eyes tear up but he quickly wiped them away and forced himself to not cry, he knew if the Dursleys heard him cry they would use it against him, he couldn't show he was weak in front of them again. Harry cried silently for some time before he was able to calm down and by then he heard the Dursleys had gone upstairs without checking on him, Harry pulled out an old watch he took from Dudley's second bedroom a while back and set an alarm on it so he wouldn't stay up reading the journal, sadly he knew he would have to get up early again tomorrow to make breakfast.

Harry picked up the journal again and read a bit more, the first few pages were his mum explaining to him about the journal and how it was made, it turned out his mum had been able to use magic to combine a bunch of pages together into this journal, she used a combination of spells and rituals to create the journal and she even added runes to the journal and a few drops of his blood to it so it would be bound to him. Harry saw that if he was too far away from the journal for more than three days the journal will vanish and reappear close to him but if he needed the journal right away and didn't know where it was there was a way for him to summon it to his hand. Harry saw it would explain all of this in the personal research section and while he wanted to keep reading the personal messages he also wanted to make sure the journal wouldn't be taken away from him so he turned to that section.

Harry was amazed at his mum's personal research, while the first few pages did explain more about the journal Harry read the part after that [Ever since my time in Hogwarts I have noticed how many witches and wizards always carry their wands and while I know this is normal I began to wonder why everyone always seems to rely on their wand, I have asked a few of my pureblood friends and they've all given me the same answer, that everyone needs their wand to use their magic but I have questioned this since a wand isn't necessary to use magic otherwise how are children able to use accidental magic. I know I didn't have a wand with me when I was able to show Tuni I could make a flower bloom in my hand, I began to wonder if people could perform wandless magic so I asked some of my friends and a few random people and I have been told pretty much the same thing by all of them, that only the most naturally gifted witch or wizard can use wandless magic but I didn't believe this.

I have looked up other magical schools around the world ever since I met someone from Beauxbaton and I have seen how other wizarding schools work. From what I have found out not all schools use wands, some used staffs, some bracelets, some rings, but then I found out there's a school that even teaches wandless magic, I looked up more about the school and I even had to order a few books from out of the country and I have seen that it is indeed possible for people to learn wandless magic. The reason why purebloods have told me otherwise is because many of them have grown use to the way they use magic, since they can do most things by waving a stick they don't see a need to try and learn to do it without a wand.

I can see a great opportunity with this skill and I can even imagine the look of shock on most of the pureblood's faces when they see a muggleborn witch they always called a mudblood was able to do something no one in their families have been able to do in generations, I will write down my progress as I reteach myself to cast every spell I know wandlessly.] Harry looked ahead and saw his mum had written down all her knowledge on every spell she knew however Harry noticed after a few spells it only gave a description of what the spells do, the wand movements and incantations were replaced by words that read [When Harry turns twelve.]

Harry realized his mum must have charmed the journal to keep knowledge hidden until she felt he was ready, she probably intended to teach him herself. Harry was going to read on but he heard the watch start to beep and knew he had to go to sleep, as much as he wanted to keep reading he knew if he burnt anything for breakfast Vernon would likely hit him if not lock him in his cupboard without food again, before Harry put away the book he read about his mum describing how to feel her magic inside and push it out so Harry closed the journal and looked at the back.

Harry saw the same symbols now knowing they're runes and placed a finger on the second rune, Harry focused on trying to feel something inside of himself but after a few attempts he didn't feel much, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on feeling something in himself and soon he felt something feint but it was there, it felt like a familiar warmth he hadn't felt in a while but now he was able to somewhat draw it out. Harry was able to slowly draw it out and move it through his arm, he needed to stay focused since he felt he could lose it at any moment, finally after a few seconds he felt it reach his hand and directed it through his finger on the rune. Harry was able to finally feel it reach the rune and he felt the journal become lighter than before, almost like it weighed as much as a feather, Harry hoped it was true that no one can see it now other than him but just to be safe he still hid it out of sight in case Petunia saw it.

Harry rested on the bed and felt a sense of happiness, he had found out more about his mum and was able to find out not only was magic real, but he was a wizard, although he felt sadness at hearing his parents were killed by a dark wizard who was after him, Harry had so many questions he wanted to know but felt the journal would tell him everything. Harry needed to make sure his relatives didn't know anything about this otherwise they would get rid of it, he managed to finally get to sleep but for the first time Harry felt some excitement and happiness knowing soon he'd learn more about his parents.

Time had passed since then and Harry had been able to learn more from the journal, Harry was able to find a safe place outside away from his cousin and bullies and was able to practice summoning the journal, this took multiple tries throughout the day and when Harry was close to giving up he was able to move his hand in the way his mum described and say the proper words loud enough for only him to hear when he felt a spark inside himself before feeling the journal appear in his hand. A wide smile spread across his face as now he knew for certain magic was real and his mum really did write this journal, Harry had wanted to test the second rune although he was nervous since if this didn't work the journal would be taken away. Harry returned to the house and was holding the journal in his hand, Harry entered the house and walked into the kitchen and saw Petunia there, she glanced at him and Harry knew the journal was in her full view but to his relief she frowned and turned away.

Feeling joy knowing the journal was telling the truth Harry returned to his cupboard knowing the Dursleys wouldn't care about him unless they needed him to do something. Harry spent an hour reading his mum's diary and was able to see she made the diary when she first found out about magic and that she was a witch. Harry read how a kid she called Sev was the one who told her she could use magic after he saw her show Tuni, at first she felt mad he called her a witch but he explained to her magical women were called witches and magical men were called wizards. Harry read on and saw an old woman called Professor Minerva McGonagall had arrived on her eleventh birthday and explained Lily was a witch and showed off magic by turning into a cat in front of them an turning a table into a pig.

Harry read about Diagon alley, platform nine and three quarters and how to get on, he even read about his mum getting on the Hogwarts express however Harry felt some anger when his mum mentioned Petunia wanted to go to the same school but was rejected and even though his mum wanted to help her Petunia became mad at her and called her a freak making her cry, Harry now understood why they called him a freak. Harry had attempted to practice wandless magic but felt the connection to his magic break when he tried to cast a spell.

Reading from the personal research he saw his mum wrote she was going to practice each spell again by first trying to cast silently, then she will attempt to do it without the wand movement, lastly she would try without the wand but with the incantation and wand movement before slowly dropping those too. Harry realized he would first need a wand to build a stronger connection to his magic so he could learn wandless magic. Thankfully Harry could practice something without a wand his mum recommended called occlumency.

From the description in the journal Harry saw it was a way for him to organize his mind and keep better control over his emotions, but the most important was that it will shield his mind from anyone trying to use a spell called legilimency on him that will allow others to read his thoughts and see his memories. Harry was able to practice this each night by clearing his mind and slowly organizing his memories into different categories, he even felt his memory was slowly improving thanks to this. Harry knew he was two and a half months away from starting Hogwarts and hoped by the time he started he was efficient with the basics.

Harry continued to read the personal messages his mum left him and saw she was describing her life after graduating from Hogwarts and living through the war. From what she wrote Harry learned he had three uncles that were all close friends of his dad, their names were Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Harry wondered what happened to them especially when he learned Sirius was his godfather but he guessed that because of the war they must have died at some point.

Harry had learned his mum had been best friends with a woman named Alice and that she was his godmother and she had married a man named Frank Longbottom and had a son named Neville who was a day older than him. The more Harry read the more he wondered what his life could have been like if it wasn't for the war, judging from the journal he and Neville would have been best friends and his mum would have been the one teaching him everything she knew about wandless magic. Judging from how Lily described them Sirius and his dad would have taught him to pull pranks and most likely would have gotten him in trouble.

Harry continued reading until he came across writing that was different from his mum's handwriting, it read [Dear Harry I've recently found out your mum was making this journal for you to pass on her knowledge in case the worst happens, I swear as your father I will do everything I can to protect you and your mother but I can see why your mum wants to make this journal for you, I hope it's never needed but should the worst happen I wanted to pass on my knowledge to you as well. I'm glad Lily is the one making this for you instead of me since it gave me the chance to read over some that she wrote and when I read more about how I use to be I can say I am ashamed to admit I was a bully.] Harry was surprised, his dad added to the journal as well and not only that but his dad admitted he was a bully.

Harry kept reading [I saw through your mum's view that I was arrogant and did what I wanted and looking back on it now I can admit I'm ashamed of it, a lot of what I kept calling pranks were just me bullying others and even though I grew out of it and became a man your mum could love I can see why she hated me back then, no wonder Moony and Lily became prefects instead of me, I guess I was able to become head boy when I finally grew up and your mum became head girl. I know Padfoot will probably teach you about how we use to pull pranks back then but I don't want to see you turn into the same kind of person I was, I want you to be more like your mum, I want you to be better than me.

I can already picture Padfoot acting overly dramatic saying where did we go wrong with you but just ignore him, your mum will probably kill me for this but I want you to still pull a few pranks to have fun but also make sure it's not you bullying others. I know you'll make me proud son, you come from the ancient and noble house of Potter but don't let our family name be an excuse to do bad things, instead become someone you want to be and we'll support you, take care of yourself Harry and study hard like your mum, love James.] Harry was surprised and a bit confused when he read that, he didn't know who Padfoot and Moony were but for now he put that out of his mind, he saw his dad was a bully his mum used to hate but he grew out of it and she loved him enough to want to be with him, Harry couldn't help but smile as he reread the message a few times.

Harry was able to read his mum's diary and saw it was her describing her life in Hogwarts, he read about how his dad and Sirius had met on the train but had been rude to her friend Sev and so they left. Harry saw his mum did think his dad was an arrogant prat who was full of himself but judging from how his dad became later he saw his dad did grow up. Harry continued to read the diary and saw his dad and his friends were mentioned a few times whenever they pulled a prank, while some Harry couldn't help but chuckle at, others he could understand why his mum called him a bully.

School had continued and even though Harry felt his memory improved he kept his grades low enough so the Dursleys wouldn't punish him again for doing better than Dudley. Harry had read more of the personal messages his parents left him, from what he saw his mum still tried to remain close to Petunia but she kept pushing her away and calling her a freak. The more Harry read the personal messages he saw the war was not going their way, his mum wrote how her old friend Marlene and her family were all killed, he read about how he had been friends with a girl named Susan but her parents Edgar and Jessica Bones were killed, he even read how two brothers named Fabian and Gideon Prewett were killed as well. Harry wasn't sure how often his parents updated the journal or when they died so he assumed there was more that happened after the last update but they never got to write it, Harry figured Sirius, Remus, and Peter all died in the war and that's why he's stuck with the Dursleys.

Harry often reread the personal messages feeling some happiness from them, he now knew his parents loved him and they wanted the best for him and were proud of him. Harry decided he would make his parents proud and complete his mum's work and learn wandless magic, this was a new feeling for Harry since he always tried to keep his head down and not stand out, he knew the Dursleys would never accept him, let alone be proud of him so he never tried but now he would.

Harry read the spells and saw his mum had learned to cast many spells wandlessly but she made a note that while wandless magic was more convenient the spells were less powerful than with a wand. Despite this Lily and Harry still saw how big of an advantage it was to have wandless magic so it was still a skill they would try to master.

One day Harry was woken up early enough to make breakfast for Dudley for his birthday, he knew he'd be left with their neighbor Mrs. Figg again so at least Harry could spend time away from his relatives. Harry did his best to ignore Vernon and Petunia when they greeted Dudley, although when he heard Dudley throw a tantrum when he got only thirty-six presents Harry used that chance to eat extra food before they would notice. Once they calmed Dudley down by promising him more gifts they all sat down to eat breakfast while Harry was given a small amount of food.

Harry listened as Vernon and Petunia were talking about how they were taking Dudley and his friend Piers Polkiss to the zoo, Harry hated him since every time Dudley and his friends would play Harry hunting Piers would be the one to catch him. Harry was hoping he could spend his time at Mrs. Figg's home reading through the journal, he had finished reading his mum's first year at Hogwarts and was about to read her second year but noticed the pages were blank, on the first page of her second year it read [Unlock when Harry turns twelve.] Harry figured his mum didn't want him to read through all of it right away so now he could only reread what was available.

Harry was ready to be left with their neighbor but sadly they got a call saying she couldn't look after Harry, Harry hoped this meant they would leave him alone with a list of chores since it was still time away from them but he heard they had no choice but to bring him along. Before Harry even got in the car Vernon threatened him about doing anything freakish so Harry had to promise he'd behave.

The entire ride there Harry used his occlumency to hide how annoyed he felt to spend any more time with his relatives, while the zoo sounded fun he would have preferred he'd been left alone so he could read more of the notes his mum wrote during her first year. Harry was able to have some fun at the zoo since his relatives were more focused on Dudley and Piers than him, Harry was able to see many animals and found he was interested in learning more, however Harry knew something would go wrong and it happened when they went to see the reptiles.

Harry was able to see a snake that was resting and doing its best to ignore everyone looking at it, for most they didn't care however for Dudley he was pounding on the glass demanding the snake do something, soon his relatives moved on leaving Harry alone to see the snake and he felt he should apologize to it. Harry was left surprised when he saw the snake respond to his voice, he asked it if it understood him to which the snake nodded, Harry realized this must be an ability magic let him do and wondered if he'd be able to talk to any animal or if it was just snakes, sadly Harry didn't get to wonder long since suddenly his cousin yelled and forcefully shoved Harry to the side to see the snake.

Harry felt his occlumency slip and his anger came out, he felt his magic react and suddenly the glass vanished and Dudley fell in, Harry saw the snake got loose and thanked Harry before leaving while people were screaming around him, Harry saw the glass reappear leaving Dudley trapped and while Harry felt some joy at seeing this he knew he was going to be punished for this. Harry saw the murderous look Vernon gave him as they got an employee to get Dudley out, Harry knew what was coming, on the ride back Harry stayed quiet preparing for what was to come and after they dropped off Piers and made it back home Harry was struck by Vernon.

Harry felt pain as Vernon yelled "YOU DAMN FREAK, I KNEW YOUR FREAKISHNESS WOULD CAUSE TROUBLE!" Vernon took off his belt and hit Harry on his back multiple times, Harry felt pain with each strike but could do nothing but try and hold in his screams. When Vernon finally stopped he threw Harry in his cupboard and locked it without giving him food, Harry laid on his bed trying to ignore the pain in his back, he now knew his magic always healed him so Harry just needed to wait and let his magic do its work.

Time passed since then and Harry was locked in his cupboard until summer had started, as cruel as the Dursleys were, they didn't let him starve to death so they fed him although it was smaller than usual. Harry had not let the time pass by without making progress, since Harry was locked up any time he wasn't doing his chores or going to school he used that time to study the notes in the journal. Harry reread the personal messages as some comfort while studying the personal research and notes so he could become a great wizard one day, once he was an adult in the magical world Harry had no intention of ever setting foot on Privet drive again.

On the twenty-fourth Harry was cooking while trying to ignore Vernon and Petunia go on and on about Dudley attending Smelting since it was Vernon's old school. Harry had memorized some of the notes from the journal and during the time he worked on his chores he'd review in his mind the notes hoping they would help. Soon mail had arrived and Harry was told to get it, just as Harry picked up the mail and walked back he froze for a moment when he saw he got his Hogwarts letter.

Harry's eyes widened as he saw his letter finally arrived, while he believed everything the journal said a small part of him still felt all of this was a cruel prank the Dursleys were pulling on him just to crush his spirit even more but now he held proof that it was real. Harry hid the letter and handed Vernon the rest of the mail, he tried hard to contain his joy otherwise they'd notice and do everything they can to crush it, as Harry walked away he pulled out the letter and was about to open it only for Dudley to snatch it out of his hands.

"Hey that's mine!" Harry said only for Vernon to question jokingly about who would write him, Harry saw the color drain from his face however when he read who the letter was addressed too and soon Dudley and Harry were forced out of the kitchen. Harry wanted his letter back but after trying to listen in on what Vernon and Petunia were talking about in the kitchen Harry heard his letter was torn apart. Harry was mad but he tried not to let it show, he tried to look on the positive side of this, maybe a professor will come see him just like one showed up for his mum or if they don't Harry just needs to find a way to get to Diagon Alley and hopefully someone there can help him.

Harry spent the day thinking of how he could get to Hogwarts but his train of thought was forgotten temporarily when Vernon informed him he would be moved to Dudley's second bedroom. Not once in his life did Harry believe he'd get his own room, he thought he'd live in that cupboard until he finally moved out but now he was given his own room, while in the past Harry had wanted this now he didn't care since he wanted his letter. Dudley had thrown another temper tantrum at this but for the first time Vernon and Petunia ignored him, Harry could tell they were scared of magic and remembering the letter was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs they must have feared what might happen, Harry had no idea their fear would continue to grow the coming week.

Harry had received more letters in the coming days and each time Vernon tried desperately to destroy them, Harry was even excused from most of his chores because of this. Even though Vernon had boarded up the mail slot the letters kept coming and increasing in numbers, even when there was no mail on Sunday letters poured out of the fireplace but sadly Harry was kept from grabbing one and forced out of the room. Vernon and Petunia became desperate enough to even leave the house for an unspecified amount of time, they drove around as though they were trying to shake off anyone following them but the letters continued to follow them until Vernon got the idea to stay at a lighthouse.

This was how Harry had found himself laying on the floor next to a sleeping Dudley on the couch while listening to the storm happening outside, Harry guessed from how many letters were being sent to him they wanted him to attend and could tell he hadn't received a single letter so Harry hoped someone might show up. Harry drew himself a birthday cake on the floor as he waited for Dudley's watch to count down to midnight meaning it would officially be his birthday, when midnight finally arrived Harry whispered to himself "Happy birthday Harry, make a wish." Harry blew away the dust that was his cake when suddenly he jumped when he heard someone pounding on the door, the noise caused Dudley to roll over and fall off the couch and Vernon and Petunia came rushing in.

The pounding continued until the door fell and crashed on the floor and a man that made Vernon look small stepped into the lighthouse. Harry guessed the man must have been over ten feet tall and he had a huge beard covering most of his face, the man faced them and spoke "Sorry abou' tha', didn' mean ter knock th' door down." The man bent down and picked the door up before putting it back, turning around he faced Harry and the Dursleys and introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid and the name connected with Harry.

Harry thought about the times his mum mentioned a friendly giant of a man named Hagrid who was the keeper of the keys at Hogwarts and Harry realized this was him. While a bit intimidated Harry approached the man, Hagrid turned to Harry and smiled at him and greeted him cheerfully. Hagrid explained he was glad to see Harry again and was there to deliver a letter to Harry, Vernon tried to order Hagrid out but Hagrid easily bent the gun he was holding and Vernon didn't make a sound after that. Harry finally read through his letter and saw he was accepted to Hogwarts, he didn't want to reveal he already knew about magic so he pretended he didn't know and Hagrid explained to him he was a wizard.

Harry showed some anger when Vernon and Petunia tried to say he wasn't going to Hogwarts and listened to Petunia talk bitterly about his mum for the first time in years. When Vernon insulted Dumbledore however Harry saw Hagrid become angry, noticing Dudley was eating the cake he brought for Harry, Hagrid pointed his pink umbrella at Dudley's backside and a pig's tail appeared. Harry struggled not to laugh at this as his relatives freaked out but soon he was left alone with Hagrid who explained as much as he could about the wizarding world to Harry and promised they'd go to Diagon Alley tomorrow.

Harry had trouble sleeping that night but it was because he was excited about finally getting to see Diagon Alley, thankfully Harry managed to get some sleep before waking up the next day and after paying an owl for delivering the newspaper Hagrid took Harry with him to the Leaky Cauldron in London. Harry and Hagrid arrived at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and this was where Harry saw how famous he was, when Hagrid introduced him his name seemed to stop many people before everyone in the pub approached Harry wanting to meet him and shake his hand, Harry even shook the hand of a stranger he'd seen before who thanked him in public.

Harry noticed many of the people that wanted to meet him and shake his hand glanced up at the lightning shaped scar he had on his forehead before they were finally left alone. Hagrid then introduced him to a man wearing a turban named Quirinus Quirrell saying he would be one of his professors, while Harry did the polite thing and extended his hand to shake the man seemed to flinch at the gesture and simply nod before Hagrid took him to the entrance to Diagon.

Harry witnessed Hagrid tap the bricks in the pattern needed before they started to move and Harry felt his eyes widen as he saw Diagon Alley for the first time, he saw many witches and wizards walking around, kids older than him walking around doing their shopping or staring into some of the shops, he even saw owls and cats move around. It was better than how his mum described it and Harry felt a smile spread across his face, Hagrid informed Harry they need to go to Gringotts first to get some galleons, sickles, and knuts for his shopping.

Harry tried to remember what his mum wrote about the bank, it was important to be polite and respectful to the goblins working there and to get right to the point since goblins don't like wasting time. Hagrid did most of the talking to the teller who then called a goblin to take them to Harry's vault, when Harry met the goblin named Griphook he bowed and said "Thank you for taking the time to take us to my vault." Harry didn't notice many of the goblins stop and look at him, shock on their faces that a wizard was being polite to them. A quick cart ride later Harry saw Griphook placed the key Hagrid gave him into the vault door and soon it opened up and Harry was left speechless.

Inside the vault Harry saw piles of galleons, sickles, and knuts, Harry couldn't guess how much there was but he ended up asking no one out loud "How much do I have?"

Not expecting an answer Harry was surprised when Griphook answered "If you would like to know the exact amount you would need to speak to the Potter account manager."

Harry looked confused as he tried to remember if his mum mentioned anything about an account manager but his mind came up blank, Hagrid tried to say there was no need for that but Harry said "Please Hagrid, it could be important that I know how much is in here so I don't ever spend too much that I might not be able to afford my school supplies before I graduate, I promise it'll be quick."

Harry gave his best puppy dog eyes and Hagrid gave in "Alrigh' bu' don' take too long, we've got ter get the rest of yer supplies soon."

Quickly gathering more money than was probably needed in a bag they made a quick stop at a vault Hagrid needed to visit before leaving the vaults. Hagrid waited in the lobby while Harry was led to his account manager, before entering Harry once again thanked Griphook for his help before entering the office. Inside the room Harry was met with an older fine dressed goblin, the goblin spoke "Mr. Potter, I have been waiting to meet you, take a seat and we can begin."

Harry sat in front of the goblin and remembering his manners bowed in respect and said "Hello sir, I was hoping you could please help me, please call me Harry."

The goblin nodded and spoke "Certainly Harry, my name is Barchoke, my family has been in charge of the Potter vaults for generations and I've been waiting for the day you would return, I have here a list of the accounts you own but sadly as you are not of age you can't access the family vault."

Harry looked at the list and saw he owned three vaults, one was filled with precious gems and artifacts the Potters have gathered over the generations, there was the Potter family Vault and from the amount Harry nearly dropped the paper. His dad mentioned the Potters did have a great wealth but with this amount he wouldn't have to work in his life, he definitely needed to keep it secret from Vernon otherwise he'd try to steal it. Lastly Harry saw the vault number they had just been to and Harry saw the vault had twenty thousand galleons in total if all the sickles and knuts were added together, according to the list the vault will add five thousand galleons each year until it has been filled up then the extra will go to the Potter vault.

Barchoke handed Harry two lists and explained "The first list is full of businesses The Potters own or invested in and it has many products the Potters still earn money from, the second list is for properties the Potters own." Taking a quick glance at the first list Harry saw the Potters had invested in a few companies and created some products that still earned them money. Harry felt a bit annoyed when he saw he was earning money from a bunch of kids' books written about his life, he knew Hagrid mentioned he was famous in the wizarding world ever since he got his scar but he wasn't happy someone was making stories up about his life to write those books. Setting it aside Harry looked over the properties the Potters owned and saw there were a few, what caught his attention however was the mention of Potter manor needing to be rebuilt.

Harry asked "What happened to Potter manor?"

Barchoke explained "During the last war the manor had been heavily damaged and destroyed by the dark lord and his followers, your grandparents Fleamont and Euphemia had been killed in the attack." Harry was surprised as the journal didn't mention that, his parents mentioned his grandparents a few times but they never mentioned them being killed, Harry guessed they must have been killed shortly before his parents.

Barchoke continued "Your father, lord James Potter, had spoken to me about reconstructing the manor, we have already written a contract but without the signature of the head of house or heir then we cannot begin reconstructing." Reaching into the desk Barchoke took out a contract and more parchment and said "As you are the heir to house Potter you are allowed to sign, giving us permission to take out the required money from the family vault to reconstruct the manor, you are also allowed to decide which wards are to be used to protect the manor, while James had agreed to use the standard wards for the manor if you would like you are allowed to change them, here is a list of the wards we offer and their cost."

Harry looked over the contract before taking a look at the list of wards offered, he noticed wards that could prevent people from ill intent from entering, wards that could keep out dark creatures, even a ward that would prevent anyone from knowing the location unless he told someone where it was. The standard wards were ones that kept muggles from finding the manor, kept the place protected, and informed the owner of anyone entering the area. Harry figured his father thought the war would be over soon and so there wasn't a need for more advanced wards. Barchoke spoke "So what will it be Harry, would you like to keep the standard wards or would you like to pick new wards to add?"

Harry was about to agree to the standard wards when he stopped and remembered part of the journal, his mum mentioned how they had to go into hiding using something called the fidelius charm to keep them safe, she never mentioned who the secret keeper was but from what Hagrid told him about how Voldemort found them it meant they weren't completely safe. Harry had asked Hagrid about his parents and what happened to them as they traveled to the Leaky Cauldron and was told about how Voldemort came to their house at Godric's Hollow on Halloween and killed them before he tried to kill Harry only for his curse to bounce back at him and destroy him and all he got was a scar. Hagrid said he believed Voldemort wasn't human enough to die and could still be out there.

With that thought Harry spoke "I would like to upgrade the wards." Harry gave permission to use every ward they had to protect the manor and while it would cost more Harry didn't mind, with the money in the vaults he doubted he'd need it all and decided he'd rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them.

Barchoke and Harry finished up their business soon and Harry thanked him for his help, Barchoke informed Harry he would need to come back next year in order to make him the secret keeper of the manor, with that out of the way Harry returned to Hagrid to begin his shopping. Harry was amazed as they went shopping, wanting to complete his mum's work and make his parents proud Harry bought extra books in charms, transfiguration, and potions since he knew those were his parents' best classes. When Harry was getting his trunk Hagrid got him a standard trunk but Harry had paid extra for runes to be put on his trunk to make it weigh as much as a feather so he wouldn't have to carry around too much.

When Harry went to get his new robes they saw the shop a fair distance away just as a blonde kid came out and left. Harry waited to get his new robes and when he was done Hagrid surprised him with a beautiful snowy white owl as a birthday gift which he named Hedwig. Harry wanted to save the wand shop for last since he saw it as marking him as an official wizard, it had taken a few tries but Harry had found his perfect wand, and even though Ollivander informed him about his wand sharing the same wand core as Voldemort Harry still felt excited about having a wand. When Harry felt the connection he shared with his wand he now understood why wandless magic was tough for him but with a wand to practice he can work his way up to casting wandless spells.

With their shopping done Hagrid had gotten Harry a ride home and said he looked forward to seeing Harry at Hogwarts, on the ride back however Harry realized Hagrid never told him how to get onto the platform. When Harry returned to Privet drive he saw the Dursleys were leaving him alone, deciding not to push his luck Harry informed them he'd stay in his room and out of their way until he would go to school. The Dursleys agreed to this and Harry would only come down to get his food before heading back, Harry knew he wasn't allowed to cast any spells before school so he couldn't practice with his magic but he waited until it was late to perform something his mum mentioned in the personal research.

Harry read through the journal again and found a ritual his mum found and used [The familiar ritual is an old ritual nearly forgotten by many except for the oldest families, when James and I had stayed at Potter manor I was allowed to look through the Potter family library and after reading through many old tomes I found a ritual that looked useful. According to the tome the ritual was created hundreds of years ago by a muggleborn witch, the reason why this ritual is unknown by most is because the purebloods didn't want a muggleborn witch to be recognized as having created a useful ritual and tried their hardest to prevent it from being known by many and it was only ever mentioned in a few books.

The familiar ritual requires the witch/wizard to cut their finger and use their blood to draw a symbol onto an animal they would like to form a bond with. Once the symbol is drawn you are to place your hand with the cut finger onto the animal with the symbol, be careful not to move your hand and mess up the symbol, allow your magic to flow into the animal you wish to bond with and this should create a temporary connection that allows better communication between the two. During this phase you will speak to the animal and say what kind of relationship you would like to form with the animal, if you would like for them to serve you as a slave, become your pet, or become a friend and whichever relationship you choose it is up to the animal to decide if they accept.

When the animal accepts the relationship you are to speak these words 'I, (my name), wish to form a bond with you, (animals name), as my (relationship chosen), with magic as our witness the bond is formed, so mote it be.' If done correctly a bright glow will cover the two for a moment then vanish, the witch/wizard will then be able to communicate with their animal and feel a connection between the two. Warning the ritual will weaken the witch/wizard's magic to the point even simple spells cannot be performed, this effect will last a month and when the month passes the animal will feel more magical, energetic, and stronger just as their owner.]

Harry read through all of it a few times to make sure he knew the steps properly, when he knew no one would disturb them Harry spoke to Hedwig "Hello Hedwig, I'm really excited to be going to Hogwarts with you, before we go I would like to form a bond with you, this bond should help the both of us and make sure we can look out for each other." Harry saw Hedwig understood enough that Harry wanted to do something with her and stood still for whatever Harry was about to do. Quickly Harry had cut his finger and was able to trace it on Hedwig to form the symbol, Hedwig seemed to be upset at first but as the symbol was being drawn she seemed to calm down as though she understood this was going to help them.

Harry finished drawing the symbol and took a deep breath before carefully placing his hand on Hedwig's chest, once he knew the symbol wasn't ruined Harry started to push his magic towards the owl and soon he felt as though Hedwig could understand him. Harry spoke "Hello Hedwig, my name is Harry James Potter and I would like to form a bond with you, I would like for us to be friends so that we can help each other and support each other."

Silence was all Harry heard as he waited for Hedwig to respond, he could feel that she was thinking it over, finally the suspense was broken when Harry heard a feminine voice in his head "Hello Harry, the offer you make is one I would be glad to accept."

Harry smiled and felt some of the tension leave his shoulders before he focused again and spoke the required words "I, Harry James Potter, wish to form a bond with you, Hedwig, as my friend, with magic as our witness the bond is formed, so mote it be."

They started to glow as Harry heard the same voice speak "So mote it be." Both Harry and Hedwig glowed brighter for a moment before the light vanished and soon Harry felt more tired than he had ever felt before. Harry fell back and sat on his bed breathing heavier than before, he hadn't noticed yet that his finger was no longer bleeding or that the blood on Hedwig's feathers was gone but soon he was startled when he heard the same feminine voice speak "Hello Harry."

Looking up Harry saw Hedwig was in front of him and he heard her say "Thank you for forming such a bond with me, I had no idea a bond could be formed, I am grateful to be bonded with you."

She flew up to him and landed on his shoulder before nuzzling up to him, Harry couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit before speaking "Thank you for accepting the bond Hedwig, I'm glad that we've become friends, lets both do our best when we get to Hogwarts." Harry spent some time after that testing to see how his bond worked with Hedwig, to others they would only hear Hedwig hooting, they learned this when Vernon yelled for Harry to shut his owl up. They also learned that Hedwig didn't need to make a sound as their bond allowed them to speak to each other through their minds.

Time continued on and Harry spent that time studying his books to prepare for his classes, thanks to the Dursleys being afraid of him Harry only left his room to eat or use the bathroom, whenever he didn't study he spoke to Hedwig and the two of them were getting along well. September first was quickly approaching and Harry needed to get to Kings Cross to board the train, thankfully his mum explained how to get on so he didn't need to worry too much. Harry approached Vernon and asked if he could take him to Kings Cross as he needed to be there at ten, even though the actual time was eleven Harry wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Vernon agreed as they needed to take Dudley to get his tail removed, Harry packed everything into his trunk and was able to get to sleep the night before. The morning of September first the Dursleys went with Harry to Kings Cross and Vernon was the one who walked Harry into the station, Harry ignored when Vernon laughed about the platform number and when they got to the barrier Vernon mocked Harry about the platform not being there before leaving. Harry was glad he was gone as now he could go through the barrier, despite trusting in his mum's words Harry couldn't help but feel nervous as he approached the barrier.

Taking a deep breath Harry started to run towards the barrier and just as he was about to crash he closed his eyes expecting an impact only for him to pass through, opening his eyes Harry was met with the Hogwarts express and his jaw dropped. He smiled as he admired it, looking around Harry wasn't surprised there weren't many there, it was mostly older students who were all in their own groups talking to each other. Harry spoke "Well Hedwig this is where our journey begins, are you ready?"

Harry could feel her excitement as she spoke "Of course, let's go!" Harry chuckled at seeing how excited she was, ever since the bond completed and Harry got his magic back Hedwig had felt far better than she ever had.

Stopping quickly Harry looked around and made sure no one was watching, when he knew no one was looking in their direction Harry flicked his wrist and the journal appeared, quickly turning to the personal messages Harry read his mum's message [Even though it's still eleven years away I can already see myself crying knowing my baby is leaving for Hogwarts, I swear if James tries to convince you to pull some pranks then every time you get detention that's another night he's spending sleeping on the couch. When you start Hogwarts Harry make sure you do your best and work hard, make some good friends you can trust and have fun with, and listen to your teachers, I'll look forward to watching you grow and become an amazing wizard.]

Harry closed the journal and smiled, taking a deep breath he faced forward and whispered to himself "Watch me mum, dad, I'll make you proud." Harry stepped onto the train with his trunk and Hedwig ready to start his life at Hogwarts. When Harry stepped onto the train a girl with bushy brown hair stepped through the barrier.

To Be Continued…

Thank you for reading this fanfic, I hope to get your opinion on it, for first year I will quickly go over some parts but the story will get longer as more changes alter the story.