Title: There Are No Absolutes
Author: gothgurl666
Beta(s): gothgurl's boy & sadlilgothgirl
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I am not making a profit off this fanfic.
Summary: AU. Harry Potter did not grow up with the Dursley's as planned. Instead Harry was left in the streets and Orphanage. There will be possible future slash and torture in this fic. Readers not interested leave now.
Rated: M
A/N: Here is my second chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to update but I had a loss of inspiration.
I don't have to pretend to be confused. Who is Mr. Potter?
Mr. Snape, noticing my confusion says, "Your name is Harry Potter and you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
He is obviously absolutely nuts. I look at him and can't believe he is crazy but . . . . wizards and witches, not possible.
I can feel his eyes burning a hole into my head trying to figure out what I am thinking, trying to put me into a neat labeled box and shut it.
I can't believe it and yet in some way it did make sense. Normal people didn't talk to snakes or knock other children into brick walls with invisible forces. I look back in the past and find more and more occasions where I shouldn't have been able to do some things that I did. I marked it up to my unbelievable good luck and abnormal ability to pick up skills.
I look up to find my headmistress reprimanding Mr. Snape in the corner of the office. Obviously she didn't buy it either. I can see that Mr. Snape is growing more and more irritated as his scowl deepens. His right hand slips into his cloak and I tense. I feel like beating my head in for leaving my blades in my room. His hand reemerges with a long stick. I know better than to relax, I have seen weapons stranger than this. He turns to her.
"Stupefy," Mr. Snape said. The headmistress falls to the floor in a heap. "We do not have all day Mr. Potter."
I try to determine if he is a major threat. If he is truly there to recruit me for a school then I am not in any actual danger but he could be lying. I will try evasion first to ascertain the risk.
"I do not know of whom this Harry Potter is that you speak of," I stated. His face contorted into a deep hate. I immediately return to a rigid state, ready to move and attack if necessary.
"Potter, I do not tolerate ignorance or impertinence from little spoiled brats."
I truly do not know what he is talking about. I have never been spoiled a day in my life. I have had to work for everything I have ever had. I don't know who he thinks he is to judge me when he doesn't even know anything about me. My anger threatens to overwhelm me but I have worked too hard to lose all my self control over someone who is obviously the ignorant one.
"Mr. Snape, first of all, my name is not Harry Potter. Secondly, you could not even begin to imagine what I have been through. Finally, I don't prefer the term 'impertinent'. Brutally honest is closer to the truth but the truth has been hard for many to accept."
He looks at me for a while astonished by me sudden outburst. I don't know if he believes me about my name. I know that that was the same name on the letter that was sent to me.
Mr. Snape starts cursing under his breath and mumbled something like, "Hagrid should have collected the boy", and something else about an, "old coot". He eventually turns back to me.
"You really do not know your name is Harry Potter," he asks.
I lock eyes with him and can not seem to look away. "Harry Potter is not my name. I am known as Solo here."
Once again he started to curse, this time not so quietly.
"Mr. Pott-Solo I do not know if I am qualified to tell you anything about your past or your future but as I am the one who will be introducing you into the Wizarding World I suppose I will be the one to tell you. Your name is Harry James Potter. When you were one year old you were attacked by the most powerful Dark Lord that this world has ever seen. He was a ruthless but cunning person. For some reason that I am not aware of, the Dark Lord targeted the Potters. Lily and James Potter died that Halloween night. The Dark Lord then turned his wand to you and said a deadly curse that cannot be blocked, but by some miracle the curse rebounded and hit the Dark Lord. Most think he is dead but do not believe it. He put too much into preserving his life to be killed that easily."
I don't know what to say so I say nothing. There is way too much to process at the moment so I decide to file it away until I am alone to think. I decide that a distraction is what I need so Mr. Snape will do. Mr. Snape has begun to interest me. It is like the saying of drawing a moth to the flame, except I would be sure not to be burned. He is a character with much depth to their personality that few would ever see. I make a promise to myself that whether we become friends, enemies, or acquaintances that I will try to see all the depths that I can. In my musings I forget that we have been standing in silence for about a minute.
With all the information that I have received I decide to concentrate on the most basic problem.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Prove it."
Without even a moments hesitation Mr. Snape takes out the stick (wand?) and promptly turns the headmistress's desk into a snake and then back to a desk. To say I am surprised would be an understatement. I accept that magic is not impossible. I think there was some part of me that already knew but I rely on my knowledge and cunning before instincts. After all, there is a place for instincts in a fight but in life power and word games have saved my life on more occasions.
"I received a letter not too long ago but I threw it away because I thought it a joke. Now that we have established it isn't where do we go from here?"
"I was instructed to apparate to your location and take you to get your school supplies for the upcoming semester," Mr. Snape said.
"What is an apparate?"
"Apparation is the act of transporting oneself to another location by focusing on the place, person, or object that you wish to apparate to. I was instructed to apparate directly to you, which was supposed to be at your Aunt and Uncle's house. Apparently the Headmaster has made a very big miscalculation."
"So let me get this straight, for the past eleven or so years of my life I was supposed to be at my Aunt and Uncle's house but instead I end up in this shithole. I was probably left here by said relatives and the person who put me into their care wasn't even aware that I haven't been there all this time." I am so pissed off; it is likely that I could kill anyone in my path at the moment. What an idiot. I don't think there is any way in hell that this 'headmaster' can ever gain any trust of mine . . . but schooling in magic is necessary. I get a reign on my temper and bury it for another time. I look up at him and I decide.
"Mr. Snape I am ready to leave."
"Professor Snape. I teach potions at Hogwarts." He pulled out what looked like a trading card. While Professor Snape was casting another spell on the card I had time to look at it. It Read:
Albus Dumbledore
Currently Headmaster of Hogwarts
Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for his discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.
Just as I am finishing the card it appears Professor Snape has finished his spell.
"Mr. Po-Solo, on the count of three we both grab the card at the exact same time." I nod my head in compliance. "One, two, three." We both grab the card and I feel as if I am being picked up under my navel by a hook. I decide I don't like it already but I am leaving where I have lived and hated my entire life. Maybe things will be different.
We land and I fall to the ground. When I get off the floor it appears we are in a small dingy pub. Not many people greet the potions professor but somehow I expected nothing less. The distressing thing is that everyone seems to be able to recognize me. So many people are surrounding me and calling me Mr. Potter or Harry that I think I might suffocate.
I hate attention unless I am the one to draw it to me. Observation and secrecy are in most cases the best option until a course of action has been decided. Although on occasion I have been known to be rash I know that to stay alive impulsive behavior is not the best selection.
I want to know why all these people seem to know me but from how Professor Snape acted earlier getting information from him might become hazardous to my health but I need to know.
Professor Snape finally got annoyed enough that he very coldly announced that 'Mr. Potter has much to acquire for the upcoming school year'. Many people look surprised by him because they had not even noticed there is someone else with me. After I shake hands with the last person, Professor Quirrell, everyone cleared a path around the aggravated potions professor and I follow behind him.
"Professor Snape I know I survived a deadly curse but why do I merit so much attention," I ask. He turns to look at me.
"No one has ever survived the curse that you were hit with, not to mention you defeated a wizard that had been killing and destroying his way to rule the wizarding world. People lived in terror of when they were going to die or dreading a letter that would inform them that a loved one had been murdered."
I drop the topic entirely.
We come to a brick wall where Snape takes out his wand and taps on a few individual bricks. I don't ask questions.
When the bricks begin to part I see one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. There are so many shops, shops where you can buy cauldrons, owls, wands, robes, and even blood lollipops. I have rarely been overwhelmed in my life but today might do it.
Professor Snape, who has steadily ignored my presence since we arrived, turns to me.
"We will get your money first. You will follow me and nothing else," he says. I have the urge to talk back but I know it will accomplish nothing so I nod my head.
We walk by the stores. I am trying to take in as much as I can. We reach the bank called Gringotts as the sign indicates. I try not to stare as we approach the counters and I see that . . . goblins are running the bank. Professor Snape approaches an open teller.
"We would like to draw money from Mr. Potter's vault," he asks. The goblin's eyes flick over to me and then the scar on my forehead.
"Does Mr. Potter have his key," the goblin asks. Professor Snape reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny golden key and hands it to the teller. The goblin examined it closely and then seeming to accept it calls another goblin called Griphook to take us to my vault. It is weird to think I have any money at all. All the money I have had at the orphanage was what I could steal or I did some very . . . unpleasant favors.
As we are lead away to the vault I see a very large person at the counter which is probably the only reason that I pay attention to what is said.
The giant person says, "I'm here about You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."
I don't hear anything else as we turn a corner. We come to a cart on tracks. I enter first followed by Professor Snape and then Griphook. The air is cool as the cart starts moving faster and faster. Left, right, right, left, middle fork, I stopped trying to remember after that, too many turns.
The cart comes to an abrupt stop in an underwater cave. Green smoke emerges from the door that Griphook opens. Inside there are all different colors and sizes of coins. There are piles upon piles and only my sense of dignity keeps me from running in there and throwing the money in the air and bathing in it. Instead Professor Snape removes a bag from his robe and scoops some money into the bag while I watch.
We all enter the cart and begin the ride back. We finally arrive back to the Gringrott's bank entrance and enter Diagon Alley again.
Professor Snape decides that we would get robes first so we approached Madam Malkin's Robes for All Ocassions.
When I enter there is already another boy being fitted but I am pulled up right next to him.
His hair is a blonde that is so light it looks dyed and his eyes are like liquid silver. His face is all sharp angles. He holds himself in a way that says he has never been pushed around. On some level this is appealing to me, to have some one as a friend that would make sure no one would ever touch me and yet I always have known that I alone would protect myself.
He finally notices me.
"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts too."
I nod.
"My Father is next door buying my book and my mother is up the street looking at wands." The boy's voice gives off the impression of boredom. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."
He reminds me a lot of the bullies at the orphanage but I guess in the end I became a bully too. It's the way of the world. The powerful rule the weak.
"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.
"No," I said.
"Do you play Quidditch at all?" What is Quidditch?
"I do- father says it's a crime if I 'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in?"
"Not at all," I say. I don't want him to think I know nothing but I am beginning to feel stupid. I am not stupid.
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family has been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"Of course'" I reply.
Professor Snape finally decides to make his appearance. The boy seems to light up when he sees the potions master. He masks his excitement but it is easy to see through his impression of boredom. He generally likes the Professor, interesting.
The boy and Professor Snape trade how are yous and general greetings. The Professor eventually notices me.
"Come along now Mr. Potter, it is time to get your wand," Snape says.
The boy looks at me in a type of astonishment before quickly remembers his upbringing. An attendant at the shop then decides to announce that we are both done being fitted. We both go to the counter and pay and are on our way out when he stops me.
"My name is Draco Malfoy." He extends his hand to me.
"Harry Potter, call me Solo." We shake hands.
A/N: So how was it? Let me know. Also I have I few other questions. First off, I was wondering if anyone wanted to see more of Kara and if they did where and when? Also, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on ships. I was probably going to have HP/LV, HP/DM and many others are a possibility. Let me know.
On another note I would like to thank ForgottenShadow for the support. It was greatly appreciated. Also fans of the fic Bloody Betrayals may have a while to wait for an update. The author is a very good friend of mine and she is having a lot of personal problems. I can only hope you will all be patient and hope for the best for her.