Harry sat in his cupboard, shaking with excitement as he waited for Akatosh's instruction. Maybe he'll be shown out to make fire! Or maybe how to fly! Or to go invisible!

Akatosh listened to these excited thought and could only let out a weak sigh, he was struggling to think of something to actually teach the boy. He looked back through the memories of his Aldmeri followers for clues but the Aldmer were significantly more advanced in Magic than the boy is even as children so that was a bust.

'Harry.' He finally spoke in a low rumble, abandoning his memories as Auri-El to focus on his young charge. 'For now, you won't be shown anything too dangerous for your own safety.' He ignored the childish feeling of disappointment dutifully. 'For now, I will teach you how to use your Magicka and to manipulate it.'

Harry nodded, sitting up as straight as he could in the small cupboard. 'Right! What do I need to do?' Akatosh settled himself in, humming thoughtfully. 'Close your eyes and reach into yourself.'

Harry did so, though he wasn't sure how to 'reach into himself' in all honesty. So he tried to copy what he heard the meditation tapes say that his Aunt had bought to match the other neighborhood wives.

He tried to empty his mind and focus on nothing, just darkness. This seemed to be what he was meant to do as he felt Akatosh rumble approvingly. 'Imagine a pool of water, imagine looking into it and seeing nothing but the darkness. Imagine reaching out and sinking your hand into the water and slowly pulling it forth.'

Harry tried to follow the instruction, when he imagined a pool however it came out to the size of an ocean. As far as his mind could see was water, still and unmoving dark blue water.

In his mind, he lowered his hand into it, imagining it to be warm and pleasant ocean water unlike the ice cold tap water that Dudley would dump on his head in school. He felt the warmth roll up his arm as he slowly raised his hand up in his mind, the water raising with him as if he could lift the entire ocean.

'Good. Shape it, manipulate it, get used to how it feels in your hand until it feels natural.' Harry played with the water, making it bounce about in sharp pillars and forming the red coated big hat soldiers he had seen on TV guarding the Queen. He made them match in formation with a little giggle escaping him in the real world as he made them suddenly stumble and crash into a heap.

'Excellent, my child. Now dive in, embrace the water utterly and command it.' At this, Harry hesitated. The water may have been fake but it looked awfully deep, he looked down at it swallowing thickly. 'Trust me, my child. Trust in the Divines.'

With a deep breath, Harry tilted forward sinking into the depths. Warmth flooded his entire mind as feelings of electricity danced across his skin, leaving him feeling almost breathless.

Akatosh watched his following the lessons silently, contemplating his charge with a faint tilt of his head. Nearly all Dragonborn had some capability for magic, though some favored it more than others. Miraak, his first, in particular seemed to enjoy the art of sorcery far more than his replacement.

This boy however seemed naturally gifted for the art whilst swordplay seemed unnecessary in this world, judging by the odd loud weaponry he had seen the mortal 'television' through his charge's eyes when he could slip glimpses of it.

'You now grasp your Magicka, over time you'll find it as easy as breathing to reach it. For now I want you to focus it into your hand, imagine a ball if you will. Not too big mind you, baseball sized shall we say.'

Harry raised his hand to shape his Magicka, feeling the blue energy form against his palm. 'Now I want you to imagine light. The very concept of it, the removal of darkness, the warmth of fire... Imagine it then I want you to focus your magicka and make it.'

Harry took a deep breath, imagining the light when he first wakes up and turns on his dinky little light. Imagining the warmth of the sun when he works out in the garden, imagining the florescent bulbs of school.

There was a flash of light and he had to jerk his head back, blinking his eyes to try and restore his vision before staring in awe at his palm. There floating just an inch above his palm was a shining orb of light radiating various colors at the edge of the beams coming from it.

'Congratulations, Harry. That is the spell Magelight, I imagine you will find it useful.'

-x-

Harry had spent the next month toying with the spell, making it float about and stick to things. He found he could make it float four feet above him before it became too hard to hold and similarly, as long as he was within four feet of it he could leave it stuck to a surface indefinitely.

Naturally, this meant he had taken to using a dimmer version of it to read comics that he swiped from Dudley late into the night until Akatosh put his claw down and told Harry to sleep or he wouldn't learn anymore spells from the Dragon-God.

Obediently, Harry stopped that late night habit but he did continue to toy with the spell. Making it dimmer or brighter, changing the colors that shined from the orb, it may have been a minor spell but it was -magic- so naturally, he obsessed over it in ways only a child can.

Akatosh found it immensely amusing that the boy was so fascinated by a spell Mages typically can do without even thinking. It was a charming fascination that warmed his heart and would have had Julianos demanding to take Akatosh's place. Assuming Mara didn't beat them both to take the boy.

'Good morning, Harry' The Dragon-God rumbled as the boy woke up, Harry giving a radiating feeling of joy in his head as he sat up and took his glasses. It felt nice to be acknowledged really, even if it was only ever the voice in his head.

Harry went about his business that day, collecting the trash and tending to the garden when it was time to get the mail. He stood at his tip toes to pull the mail out of the metal box and began to shuffle through before pausing at a bizarre sight.

Mail. For him, of all people.

'H. Potter.
The cupboard under the stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surry'

Harry stared in confusion at the letter, turning it over to look at the red wax seal holding it shut. It looked like a crest of some sort though making it out was a bit difficult.

'How bizarre, perhaps you should keep it to your-' "What is taking so long, boy?!" Harry jumped as Uncle Vernon came up from behind him, swiping the letter out of his hand.

The large man stared at it in confusion before something seemed to dawn in his expression, his face turning a dark puce color as he grabbed Harry by his collar. "Get in the house!" He roared as he threw Harry inside, the small boy hitting the floor and rolling before hitting the wall.

Harry laid on the ground, groaning as he held his aching ribs. Akatosh rumbled soothingly as he focused his energy to ease the pain, Harry could barely make out his Uncle ranting about being the 'unnaturalness' out of him to his Aunt as she shrieked back about 'them' finding the family.

It all ended with Harry being thrown into the cupboard without even bothering to check on his injuries, thankfully they weren't serious but that was hardly the point.

'W-What's happening, Akatosh?' Harry tried to sit up before he felt a hand to his chest pushing his back down. 'Rest, Harry. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, you just keep to get your rest and not move so much. I will keep an eye on things for you.'

With that Akatosh put him to sleep, manifesting himself to take vigil over his charge whilst he slept.

-x-

The Uncle was quite determined to cause trouble for his young charge, it took a few pushes of his influence to keep the angry horker of a man away from the cupboard. 'By Anu, mortals are so rowdy.' Akatosh let out a rumbling sigh as the man ranted about another letter arriving... Then another, and another.

Akatosh watched with amusement, using his magic to teleport food to his young charge as he witnessed the uncle's absolute fit as they became warmed with letters and owls. Eventually coming to the climax of a massive swarm of letters filling the living room.

'Perhaps we should slip away, Harry.' Akatosh began to speak but in his brief distraction the mortal Uncle could finally slip past him to rip open the cupboard door. "Come on, freak! We're leaving!" He grabbed Harry by the collar, dragging the poor boy out of the cupboard.

The dragon was forced back into the boy's mind as he was shoved into the backseat of the car. "Uncle Vernon?" Harry's questioning tone was ignored as the door was slammed shut. 'He's finally going to get rid of me.' The boy couldn't help but think fearfully as the Dursley family loaded up into the car and Vernon sped out of the driveway.

-x-

Uncle Vernon drove like a mad man, his knuckles white as he drove around the winding road of the cliffside. They've tried three hotels and each one had mail waiting for Harry at the front desk, Dudley had tried complaining about the shows he was missing but Vernon just ignored him and Petunia couldn't even comfort him as she was watching her husband fearfully.

'Merciful Eight, could he turn any sharper?!' Akatosh hissed angrily in Harry's mind as the car sped around a corner in a flash, the rain doing little to slow it down as it finally came to a firm stop outside an old rickety looking building. "There... There. We'll just hide out here for a bit." Vernon definitely seemed a bit on the crazed side as the family was forced into the old building for the evening.

'Just keep calm Harry, it will be fine.' The dragon tried to keep his charge calm as he settled into a corner, the Dursley's taking the fire for what little warmth could be found in the cottage.

For a few hours it was silent and Harry even began to fall asleep under the threadbare blanket he had claimed when there was a sharp thunk of a fist on the door. Vernon's eyes shot open and he snapped up a shotgun to point to the door. "Go away!"

There was another thunk followed by another before finally with a sharp crash the door was smashed forward by a massive absolute bear of a man in a heavy brown trench coat. "Ach, sorry 'bout tha'." He carefully slipped in, picking up the door to set it back into the door frame.

"Harry Potter?" Harry hesitantly nodded, staring up at him with big wide eyes. "Ah'm Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper an' Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts." He gave a gap toothed grin through his thick bushy beard, his hand digging into his coat to pull out one of those damned letters. "An'ah'm 'ere to make sure ya get acceptance letter!"