A/N: Harry and Dudley might sound older than they are, but that's how my ten-year-old cousin talks, so maybe he's precocious or something. I don't know when the full moons actually were, except in book three, so I'm guessing at it. Some bits are quoted from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.


Six Years Later…

Dudley was staring hard at the mail slot, as if he thought that this would make the postman arrive faster.

"Today, today, today, please be today…" he muttered.

Harry came to sit by his cousin's side, offering the blonde boy a plate of toast. "Auntie says you're not to starve yourself just because you want to get your letter as soon as you can."

Flit. Several letters were pushed through the slot. Dudley snatched them. "YES! They're here! They're finally here!" In his hands were two thick envelopes, addressed in green ink.

Harry found his letter being shoved into his hand as Dudley tore his own open. He covered his ears, as his cousin's shouts of joy were being made about three feet away.

Just as when they were five, the boys looked wildly different from each other. At a glance, one would never realize that they were related. Dudley had short yellow hair, sapphire eyes glinting with a mix of mischief and intelligence, slightly pointed ears, and muscles that made the eleven-year-old look like a short sixteen-year-old. And not a very short one, at that.

Harry actually looked his age. His dark, nearly black auburn hair was grown long to make it stay flat. He wore gold-framed glasses with no rims—the lenses were rectangles with rounded corners. Behind these were vivid jade eyes. On his forehead was a thin scar shaped like a lightening bolt.

Both boys, however, gave identical whoops of excitement as they raced into the kitchen.

"Indoor voices, boys," said Petunia absentmindedly. "You got your letters, then?"

"Can we call Uncle Remus?" asked Harry.

Petunia glanced at the calendar. "Well, since the full moon was two weeks ago… I suppose."

Dudley was already on the phone. "Hey, Uncle Remus! It's Dudley. We just got the letters! Yes, Mum said we could go to Diagon Alley as soon as we got them… Great!" Dudley hung up. "He's on his way over."

Remus arrived a few minutes later. At Vernon's request, he no longer Apparated directly into the living room, but his house wasn't that far of a walk. As always, the werewolf was nearly knocked over by the two boys the second he got inside.

"Oof! You boys need to think of a better way to say 'hello'. Hi, Petunia."

"Hello, Remus. Ready to guide two junior Marauder's through buying school supplies?"

Remus groaned. "I should have known they'd cling to that phrase… I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. Of course, you and Vernon will have to come along, to create Gringotts accounts for them."

"Well, they'll still need you along, if only to make sure that they don't prank everything in sight."

"Hey!" Harry grumbled in protest. "We cover one teacher in molasses and feathers, and they never let us forget it!"

"It was just last month. They deserve to be suspicious—remember the Chocolate Pudding Incident?" asked Dudley.

"Wasn't that an accident?"

"Since people allowed to punish us are in earshot… yes. It was a complete accident. But do the words 'Whoopee Cushion' ring a bell?"

"That was you, just you, immature, and gross."

"You laughed!"

"We were eight. It was the highlight of my year."

"Well, we'd better go," said Remus, seemingly not noticing the half-whispered conversation.


"Well, that's about it. I'm surprised we haven't run into anyone I know yet," commented Remus. "Just the wands and animals left."

"Animals?" repeated Petunia.

"Students may also bring an owl or a cat or a toad," Remus quoted. "I recommend that they both get owls—they can carry letters and everything. Wands, first, though." He led them into a shop whose sign read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.

The inside was filled with dusty shelves and long, thin boxes. The air seemed to tingle with some secret magic. There was the atmosphere of a particularly strict library.

Mr Ollivander turned out to be an old man with pale silver eyes. After making a speech about how the wands were constructed, describing Remus' wand, and measuring the boys in the strangest ways (ex: knee to armpit), he started testing them with the wands.

"Willow and unicorn hair…"

"Ash and dragon heartstring…"

"Perhaps oak and dragon heartstring…"

After what felt like forever, a holly wand with a phoenix feather core responded to Dudley. Gold sparks covered the entire shop. Mr Ollivander looked surprised. "Curious," he muttered. "Very curious indeed."

"What is?"

"The phoenix, whose tail feather is in your wand, gave one other feather for a wand core. Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. A very powerful wand…" he turned to Harry. "The one that gave you that scar."

Remus sucked in a sharp breath behind Harry's back. "Is that bad?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. As He Who Must Not Be Named no longer has that wand, who can say?"

Dudley may have found his wand, but none seemed willing to react to Harry. "Almost as though your wand has already been purchased…" said Mr Ollivander. He frowned, thinking hard. "A moment," he announced, and slipped into the bowels of his shop.

"Try this," he said softly as he returned. Harry took the wand, and a strange, shimmering light filled the shop. Now Mr Ollivander looked scared.

"What's the matter, sir?" asked Harry.

"Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. As I said," he whispered. "He Who Must Not Be Named no longer has his wand. Traditionally, when a wizard dies, his wand is buried with him - for reasons I cannot fathom, this one was sent back here."

Harry dropped the wand and stepped back. "That's the wand that killed my parents?"

Mr Ollivander picked it up, dusted it off, and held it out. "See that you show more restraint with it, Mr Potter."


Harry stopped pacing and sat down. He shivered as he looked at the wand in his hand. Gabriel, his male snowy owl, flew to his shoulder and hooted comfortingly. Harry put his wand down and reached up to stroke the soft feathers.

Petunia was still against having animals in the house, and had only agreed to let them have owls because the birds could spend most of the time outside. Dudley's tawny owl, Amber, was perched in a tree outside, in the backyard.

Harry and Dudley had both read all their schoolbooks over the past two months. Harry was wary about using his wand to practise magic, although Remus assured him that there was nothing to be afraid of. Cherry had gotten a hold of his wand while he and Dudley were visiting Remus, and buried it in the backyard. Harry hadn't been too worried—he and Dudley had enough skill with wandless magic that he didn't think a wand was necessary—but Remus had been mad.

"You can't lose your wand, Harry, you'll need it. There is no way you'll be allowed to stick with wandless magic at Hogwarts—it's too rare for you to get away with it. And while we're at it, no Parseltongue if you can avoid it."

"But what about if someone tries to prank me using a snake?"

"I really doubt that will happen."

"But what if it does?"

"Then only use Parseltongue if the snake is venomous."

"What if it's a giant Boa constrictor and it's strangling me?" Remus had rolled his eyes and dropped the issue.

Harry knew that he was being irrational, but he couldn't help fearing the wand that had ended his parents' lives. How was he supposed to just toss spells around with this… weapon? Mr Ollivander had said that the wand chose the wizard, and Harry was convinced that this wand had made a mistake. Was it sadistic or something?

How tempting it was to just snap the wand in half, burn it, stomp it, throw it away, get rid of it. Distance himself from the past as much as he could. It was painful enough when he'd gone to his parents' graves.

"Wands don't decide how they're used, even if they do pick their owners," Remus pointed out. "Just because Voldemort used that wand for dark magic doesn't make the wand itself a dark item."

"I can't use a murder weapon for school work."

"Just try not to think about that sort of thing."

"It's not the sort of thing I can just ignore, Uncle Remus."

"Think about how it's connected to Dudley's wand, instead."

Harry sighed. "I'll try, Uncle Remus."

Well, as long as he didn't try to hurt anyone with it, he supposed that things would be okay.


King's Cross train station was packed to the exploding point. Dudley was clinging to his trolley as he tried to get back to his family. Remus had already told him and Harry how to get through the barrier, so his parents were the only adults he knew at the station. Amber, in her cage atop his trunk, hooted and stuck her head under her wing, as though trying to block out the noise.

Jostled from all sides, he tried to reach the barrier between platforms nine and ten. He could see Harry slip through it, but no one else seemed to notice. The station clock said that he still had five minutes to get through.

"Excuse me," said a timid voice. Dudley turned to see a twitchy, bushy-haired brunette, whose eyes were flitting between him and Amber. "Can you tell me, er, how to get onto Platform 9 and ¾?"

"Sure, that's where I'm headed. If I can get through this crowd, anyway… You just walk straight for the barrier between platforms nine and ten, and you'll go right through it. My uncle, Remus, says that the school ought to send that information in the first-year letters, instead of just the platform number."

"I quite agree, no one in my family's magic at all, it was such a surprise to get the letter, but of course I was just thrilled…"

By now they'd gotten through the crowd and were approaching the barrier. "Uncle Remus says it's best to run through if you're nervous," said Dudley. The girl nodded and sprinted for the wall, with Dudley close behind her. There was a soft whoosh as they passed through the barrier, and they were suddenly able to see the bright red Hogwarts Express.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. Dudley Dursley." The blond wizard offered his hand to the brunette witch. She seized it eagerly.

"Hermione Granger. Pleased to meet you."

"Dudley! There you are!"

"Hey, Harry! This is Hermione. Hermione, this is my cousin Harry."

Hermione had seen the scar. "Harry, as in Harry Potter? It's so wonderful to meet you, I've read all about you, is it all true? I mean, some of it sounds rather farfetched—"

Harry scowled. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh—I'm so sorry, of course it's a sore subject for you—"

"We'd best get on the train. There're only two minutes until it leaves," said Dudley.

It took a while to get all three trunks and both owls onto the train. The three of them found an empty compartment near the end of the train.

After the train started moving, a gangly, freckled redheaded boy knocked on the compartment door. "Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Come on in," said Dudley. "I'm Dudley Dursley, that's my cousin Harry, and this is Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley." The redhead sat in the seat nearest the door. Outside the door appeared a girl with shiny black hair and midnight blue eyes, followed by a pale boy with white-blond hair and silver eyes.

"Any room in here?" asked the girl.

"So far," said Dudley. "I'm Dudley Dursley, that's my cousin Harry, that's Hermione, and that's Ron."

"My name's Sandra, and this is Drake."

"Hi," said the pale boy softly. He looked like he never went outside.

"So," said Harry, looking at the three newcomers, "any of you follow Quidditch?"

Sandra shook her head, and then, seeing Hermione confused look, explained to her what Quidditch was. Drake and Ron, however, both nodded.

"Chudley Cannons rule!" Ron declared.

Drake looked shocked. "And here I thought I was the only Cannons' fan alive."


Harry and Dudley were both awed by the Great Hall. Remus had described it to them, but no description could do the school justice. The ceiling was especially amazing. It looked as if the Hall simply opened to the heavens.

Professor McGonagall, a stern witch, placed an old, frayed hat on a three-legged stool. A tear at the brim opened like a mouth, and it began to sing.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge by what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The school broke into applause, and Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll of parchment. "Abbot, Hannah!"

A girl with blonde pigtails approached the stool nervously. The Sorting Hat seemed to think for a moment before declaring "HUFFLEPUFF!" The table to the far left burst into applause.

A few names later: "Dursley, Dudley!"

Dudley calmly pulled on the Hat. Uncle Remus had a lot of faith in the Hat, and Dudley trusted it to put him in whichever house would suit him best.

"Hmm… intelligence and bravery. A sadly rare combination," whispered the Hat in Dudley's ear. "I think you'd do best in GRYFFINDOR!"

The table to the far right cheered, and Dudley went to sit next to "Brown, Lavender", who had been sorted three minutes earlier.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Finnigan, Seamus!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Granger, Hermione!"

The Sorting Hat took a few minutes this time. Finally, it declared "RAVENCLAW!", sending the table next to Gryffindor into a ruckus of applause.

"Longbottom, Neville" became a Gryffindor, "MacDougal, Morag" became a Ravenclaw, and "MacMillain, Ernie" became a Hufflepuff,and then Professor McGonagall called out "Malfoy, Draco!"

Drake went pink and slipped the Hat onto his head. Ron looked disgusted.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"He's a Malfoy?" Ron hissed incredulously. "That entire family's pure evil!"

Sandra gave Ron a Death Glare. "His father is pure evil. Drake is perfectly normal. That's why he didn't say his full name—he knew you'd judge him by it."

"SLYTHERIN!" the Hat announce. The table between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff applauded politely. Ron looked like his worst fears had been confirmed.

"Name one wizard or witch who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin!" he challenged.

"Sirius Black," Harry cut in viciously. The name of his parents' betrayer left a bad taste in his mouth. "Mass murderer, Death Eater, Gryffindor." Ron looked shocked.

"Potter, Harry!" The Great Hall exploded into whispers.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

So much for keeping inconspicuous, thought Harry, as people started craning their necks for a good look at him. He quickly pulled the hat most of the way over his head, so that no one would see him blush.

"Difficult," said a small voice in his ear. "Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes—and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So, I'll put you in… SLYTHERIN!"

More whispers erupted like hissing fires all over the Hall. Harry, still flushing, pulled off the Hat and went to sit across from Drake.

McGonagall glared at the whisperers, then read out "Quartz, Sandra!" Sandra took only five seconds to be Sorted—the Hat immediately cried out "SLYTHERIN!"

Harry and Drake cheered. There were only three students left. "Turpin, Lisa" was Sorted into Ravenclaw. "Weasley, Ron" broke a record in taking exactly three seconds to be Sorted. Harry noticed, as he watch Ron sit next to Dudley, that there were quite a few freckled redheads at the Gryffindor table.

"Zabini, Blaise" was also put into Slytherin, and the Sorting was over.


A/N: Before anyone asks, NO, Harry will NOT become evil just because he was sorted into Slytherin, and he and Dudley will NOT have a falling out just because Gryffindor and Slytherin tend not to like each other. The following chapters will show Harry and Dudley's separate first year days at Hogwarts, and a few letters home. Harry doesn't know about Sirius being innocent yet.