In the Cupboard

In the Cupboard

By: HarryDude85

Thank you to those of you who have reviewed. I have already caught a few mistakes in my writing that I will correct.

I want to address some of the critiques, though. For the Harry/Hermione thing, I know that they are eleven year olds and they've just met, and that's why I'm not going to have them make out in the Room of Requirement in three chapters. But, I for one had a crush on a girl when I was 11. It wasn't anything major, I just liked her, but after elementary school, I never saw her again. And I know others who felt the same way about people. So it's not out of the ordinary for a girl or a boy to have a crush at that age. And, so far, I plan on it being a one sided crush for awhile. And remember, it was Hermione who blushed first in Diagon Alley. Harry only blushed because he made someone else blush, not because he thought Hermione was the most stunning creature in existence.

As for Dumbledore, don't worry, I plan for these him and Harry to sit down and have a chat soon. Remember, Dumbledore basically said to stop by any time Harry felt like it.

And for those worried about Harry becoming Uber-Harry or a male Hermione, I just wanted him to like books. He slacked off a lot in canon because Ron was his closest friend. That won't be true this time, for now at least. Being closer to Hermione and Padma, a Ravenclaw, he will be more studious. But don't worry; I hate it as well when people make Harry into Hermione's double.

As for the Weasley's, I'm still not 100 percent sure what to do about them and their situation, but they will be involved. Harry just might not be spending every summer at the Burrow, is all.

But I have taken you's people's advice and, starting after this chapter, I will cut down on the 'copy-and-paste' thing I have been doing. I may borrow some lines or descriptions here or there, but it won't be as rampant as it was before. I also realized that the whole "Parents dead. Oh sorry" routine was getting rather old, even when I was writing it. But I thought, and still do, it was rather necessary to show some parellel's for later chapter purposes.

And it will become even more AU once he gets to Hogwarts, so don't worry to those who are afraid it's not deviating enough.

Now enough chatter. I'll just say, 'I don't own any of these characters' and we're off!!


Harry's last month at the Dursley's was a drastic change from his previous ten years. For one thing, he no longer slept in the cupboard under the stairs. When Harry had gotten home from his first trip to Diagon Alley, Aunt Petunia took one look at his school things and told him that if he was going to have all that crap, then he would need more space. That was how Harry found himself in Dudley's second bedroom, the one that used to house all of his old, broken things that Dudley still thought he needed. Now he actually had a bed and desk and a place to stretch out.

That was another different thing. When Harry woke up in his new bed the day after Diagon Alley, he felt very sore. The combination of all those jerky movements in the Gringotts cart, his run in with Hermione, and him lugging all of his heavy stuff around Diagon Alley really took a toll on Harry. Now, Harry spends an hour after breakfast just doing some mild stretches in his room. Nothing too strenuous, but enough to keep his muscles from becoming inactive and sore and to stay in shape.

But possibly the biggest change was that now Harry spent most of his days locked in his room, reading his new textbooks. They were all fascinating, even the slightly boring ones like A History of Magic and Hogwarts, A History. But even they had cool information that Harry had loved to learn. Harry now knew what those animals on the schools coat-of-arms stood for. They were the symbols for each of the schools houses that students were divided into on the first night: Badger for Hufflepuff; Lion for Gryffindor; Snake for Slytherin; Eagle for Ravenclaw. Of the four houses, Harry thought Gryffindor and Ravenclaw appealed to him the most. Gryffindor because, while he didn't feel all that brave and noble, that had been Dumbledore's house, and he liked Dumbledore, and Ravenclaw because he liked to read and that seemed like the kind of house that would allow him to read and study more.

He was also taking Hermione's advice and practicing small, simple charms. He wanted to feel a little bit more comfortable on the Hogwarts Express (he had learned that was the name of the train) if he knew some spells. Already he had learned the Repairing Charm that Hermione had used on his glasses (you always need to fix something with Dudley as your cousin), the Unlocking Charm, Alohamora, and the Levitation Charm, Wingardrium Leviosa.

Almost as good as his spell work and spell books, he was now writing to his new friends, Parvati and Padma Patil and Hermione Granger. He was unable to meet up with any of them, because they lived rather far away, but he was able to write weekly to them and have them write back. He named his owl Helena, after a person he read about in his one of his text books, and with her help, Harry had a very enjoyable last few weeks.

But perhaps the most interesting thing came to him on his birthday, July 31st.

Harry was lying on his bed, reading from One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. Like his previous birthdays, Harry was expecting no recognition from anyone about the fact he had turned 11. He hadn't told Hermione, Padma, or Parvati either so he wasn't expecting anything from them. He was still looking forward to his best ever birthday, though, with all of his books to read and spells to practice.

So it came to Harry's great shock when, in the middle of a chapter dedicated to poison healers, he heard a tapping come from his window. He saw on the other side, a large eagle owl perched on his windowsill.

Harry hurried to let it in. When the owl was inside, Harry saw that there was a rather large package tied to the owl's leg.

He quickly removed to package. After giving it some of Helena's water, the large owl flew back out the window and into the distance.

Attached to the package was a note. Written in loopy handwriting that Harry thought he had seen before, but not knowing where, the note said:

Your father left this in my possession before
he died. It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
A very Happy Birthday to you.

There was no signature. Harry stared at the note, than turned to the package.

Unwrapping it reveled that the gift was a kind of large traveling cloak. It was fluid and silvery gray. Harry picked up the shining, silvery cloth. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

'Why would somebody send me a cloak?' thought Harry. 'And did it really belong to my dad?'

Deciding he should at least try it on, Harry picked up the cloak and threw it around his shoulders. When Harry looked down at his body, he had to stifle a scream.

His body was gone. Yet he knew it was there, as he could move his legs. He took the cloak on and his body reappeared. Astonished, he put the cloak on again and watched as everything below his neck disappeared.

Hurrying to the mirror, Harry lifted his invisible arm and covered his head. He was gone.

"It's a cloak of invisibility," whispered Harry. He smiled. The things he could do to Dudley with this were limitless.

But that was more than a month ago, and Harry hadn't done much with his cloak except sneak downstairs at night and get something to eat. Harry still wanted to know who sent it to him, but was to busy reading and learning to give it much thought.

He hadn't told any of his friends about the cloak. He would, eventually, but he wanted to keep it a secret for now.

When finally, on the night of August 31st, Harry entered the living room, where the Dursley's were in the same places and doing the same things they were when Harry came into tell them about his letter a month earlier.

"Uncle Vernon," said Harry.

Uncle Vernon grunted, not looking up from his newspaper.

"You said that you would take me to King's Cross Station so I could go to school."

He grunted again.

"Well, it's tomorrow and I was still wondering if you would drive me."

Another grunt.

"Thank you."

He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.

"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

Harry didn't say anything. He knew from reading his books why they took the train, but knew that this time this was some abuse he was just going to have to take.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He hadn't read anything in Hogwarts, A History that would tell where it was.

"I just have to take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he said.

His aunt and uncle stared. Dudley wasn't paying any attention.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters."

"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"Yes there is," said Harry defiantly. "It's just that muggles don't know that it's there."

"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just see. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross."

"'We'?" asked Harry.

"Yes, all of us." He looked at Harry with eyes glistening with malice. "We wouldn't want to miss seeing you off."

This odd sentimentality left Harry slightly dreading tomorrow, despite the fact that he barely got any sleep, as he was so excited to be going.

When he woke up he made sure everything was in his trunk, grabbed Helena and headed downstairs.

The ride from #4 Privet Drive was an uncomfortable one. What do you say to the family you hated when you are about to go away for a year.

When they arrived at Kings cross station, Uncle Vernon unloaded Harry's trunk, dumped it on a cart and wheeled it into the station, which Harry thought was uncharacteristically kind. But then, he understood why, and why all of the Dursley's wanted to come for this, when Uncle Vernon faced him with a nasty grin.

"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine – platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"

He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all. Even though Harry knew what he had to do to get in, it was still unsettling to have to stand there while the Dursley's laughed uproariously at him.

"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursley's drive away. All three of them were laughing.

Well, he wasn't about to let the Dursley's unnerve him. He knew from Dumbledore's letter that all Harry had to do was run at the barrier between Platforms nine and ten.

Making sure that no one was watching him, Harry placed Helena's cage on his trunk, positioned himself in front of the wall, took a deep breath and broke into a mild run. He closed his eyes when it was too late to turn, bracing for a possible impact, but none came.

Harry stopped running and opened his eyes.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought iron gateway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it. He knew he could.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowds, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another to another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heaving trunks.

A few carriages were already packed with students already. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform to find an empty seat. A taller boy ran by, turning around shouting, "If you want to say good-bye to me, you have to catch me, little sis," before running off again.

A little girl ran after him, tears in her eyes, but a laugh in her voice, shouting, "I'm trying, Cedric, but your to fast."

Harry could hear a nearby boy with dreadlocks standing by his trunk saying to what looked like his older brother, "I bet you 5 Galleons that someone screams when they see what I've got inside."

Harry finally found an empty compartment around the middle of the train. He put Helena inside first, than, using every once of strength that he had earned working for the Dursley's, lifted his trunk in as well. He slid it under his seat before finally sitting down. Now he just had to wait for Padma, Parvati, and Hermione.

He was excited to see all of his friends again, but something in Hermione's last letter really bothered him and he wanted to ask her about it.

She wrote something about "How come you didn't tell me you were Harry Potter? Did you think I wouldn't believe you? I just found out, and my god Harry, why didn't you say something? Anything!"

She than said she was going to find him and get to the bottom of this. Harry had no idea what Hermione was talking about, but her letter came a few days before, so he didn't see the point in writing back. 'At least I know that she will come to see me.'

Harry had just seen a big family of redheads enter through the barrier when the compartment door opened.

"There you are! We were looking for you."

"We were worried we weren't going to find you."

Harry smiled at the familiar faces. "Hi Parvati. Hi Padma."

The twins were dressed in jeans and t-shirts like Harry was, but Paravti's had a picture of some American muggle movie star Harry recognized, but whose name he couldn't remember, and Padma's was just blue and green striped.

"How have you been, Harry?" asked Parvati as she stuck her finger in Helen's cage to stroke her.

"Alright. I'm sorry I hadn't written to you guys, but Helena was at Hermione's for awhile, and she just got back two days ago, so I couldn't send anything."

"Its fine," said Padma. "I just wish we could have gotten together. And Hermione as well."

"So did I," said Harry. "But it just wouldn't have worked out."

Before either of the girls could have said anything, the door opened again. But it wasn't, as Harry had hoped, Hermione.

It was a blond boy. He had a slightly pompous air about him, but right now he looked kind of nervous.

"Is there room? Can I join you guys," asked the boy. "All of the other compartments are full."

"Sure," said Padma.

"Of course," said Parvati.

Harry scooted down on his seat to make more room. "I don't mind."

The boy smiled and climbed in and sat in the seat next to Harry.

When he sat down, the train began to move.

"It's a good thing you got on when you did," said Padma, as she moved to the window, followed by her sister and the boy. Harry figured, by their waving hands, they were saying their final good-bye's to their families.

Harry felt a little awkward being the odd man out. He took his wand out from his pocket and began fiddling with it, just to have something to do.

He was brought out or his thoughts when Parvati called, "Look at that little girl trying to catch the train." Bringing her head back in, she said, "Come on Harry."

Intrigued, Harry went over to the window, squeezed between Padma and the blond boy, and stuck his head out along with the others.

He saw what Parvati was talking about. A little red haired girl was running after the train, which was quickly gaining speed, tears streaming from her eyes. She clearly wanted nothing more than to join them on the way to Hogwarts, and Harry couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

He stretched out his hand to wave bye to her, knowing that she couldn't see him, but it made Harry feel better, having someone to wave good-bye to, even if he didn't really. He was out of the Dursley's clutches and was now journeying to a place that practically ran on him using his imagination.

Turning away from the girl when she became out of sight, Harry looked forward, at the landscape the train was rushing toward. It was a cloudless blue sky above them with bright green grass beneath them. The wind was rushing in his face, blowing his hair out of his eyes.

By now Padma and Parvati had returned to their seats and were talking to each other. Harry saw the blond boy looking around like he was. They locked eyes and smiled at each other.

Then the boy's eyes went to Harry's forehead and they widened in shock.

They both brought their heads back inside, but the boy's expression hadn't changed. His mouth had opened slightly and he was shamelessly staring at Harry's forehead.

Thinking that maybe a bug might have splattered there, Harry raised his hand to brush it off, when he felt his scar. 'Damn!' thought Harry. In his excitement to get here, Harry had forgotten to put on Dumbledore's tape. 'Oh well,' thought Harry, 'It's not that hideous of a scar, not for this reaction.'

Harry was about to respond to the staring, when the boy said something, only it was so soft that Harry couldn't hear it.

"What," asked Harry, and he could see that they had gotten the Patil twin's attention.

"Harry," the boy said, and while he was finally looking at Harry's face, it was still odd. "That girl," he said, pointing absent mindedly at the girls, "she called you Harry."

"So?"

And before anything else could be said, the door on the other side of the compartment opened and closed rapidly.

"There you are!" said an excited Hermione, rushing up to Harry and punched him lightly in the arm. "I have been looking for you all over this dang train! Harry, why didn't you tell me? You knew that I hadn't read any of the Dark Arts books, so you knew I didn't know. I wouldn't have cared. I mean, I might have cared, slightly, but not so much that I wouldn't have wanted to be your friend."

"Hermione," cut across Harry, holding his hands up to prevent her from hitting him any further. "What are you talking about?" He was beyond confused already from the boy, and Hermione wasn't making it any easier.

"She's talking about you," the blond boy said.

"I figured that out already, thanks. But I don't know what she's babbling about me 'knowing' and 'not telling her'. Not knowing what? Not telling her what?"

"You really don't know?" asked Hermione.

"No," said Harry, becoming annoyed.

"You don't know," said the boy and it wasn't a question.

"No!" said Harry. It was if he were on the playground and Dudley had said something awful about Harry, but everybody was refusing to let him in on the secret.

"Don't know what?" asked Padma.

"I don't know!" Harry slightly shouted, which he instantly regretted doing when he saw the shocked look on the twins' faces.

But before Harry could apologize, the compartment door opened again reveling a tall red haired boy with horn-rimmed glasses, already dressed in his Hogwarts robes with a gold badge that had a big 'P' on it pinned to them. Behind him Harry could see a small crowd forming.

"What is going on in here? We have just left the station, and you are already arguing? What's going on here?" asked the boy again, his face completely serious.

When nobody answered, the red haired boy said, even more firmly, "I am a school prefect. You will tell me. What is going on here?" he asked again, getting a little impatient.

"What's going on," the blond haired boy said, standing up straight, "is that Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."


Dumbledore's letter to Harry, with the exception of the word birthday, is from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, American edition, Pg. 202

The first conversation, or at least about 70 percent, between Harry and Uncle Vernon is from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, American edition, Pg. 89-90

The second conversation between Harry and Uncle Vernon is from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, American edition, Pg. 90-91

The description of platform nine and three-quarters is from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, American edition, Pg. 93-94

So, who's the blond boy? Any guesses, people. And what will the reaction of the train be when people realize that Harry Potter is with them? I don't know. I just write the damn things.

I debated with myself as to whether I should give Harry Hedwig. I compromised with myself by giving her a different name, because Harry has more books than he does in canon, so he had more options.

Later.