Chapter 2:(3532 words)

"Get up, freak!" shouted an angry Uncle Vernon from the outside of his cupboard one sunny Thursday morning in mid-June.

Harry shot up like a bullet at the sudden and rather headache-inducing wake up call, knowing that there would be hell to pay if he didn't make breakfast before heading to school. It had already been over a year and he still couldn't believe that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were even letting him go to the local primary school along with their precious 'Dudders'. Sure, Dudley would beat up anyone who so much as held open a door for him, but still, education was everything, and it was what would free from his horrible relatives, of that he was certain.

After quickly putting on some of Dudley's old clothes from about two or three years ago (and it was still several sizes too big for him!), the six-year old raced downstairs to begin making blueberry and cream pancakes for the other three members of the household. Of course, he didn't get any of them, as per usual.

School was the same as always, with him learning as much as possible while still pretending to get horrid scores in tests so that the Dursleys wouldn't hit him even more than usual. It was already bad enough with the various bruises decorating his petite frame, he really didn't need any more broken bones than he already had, or it would be near impossible to hide from the teachers at school. He also had a habit of hiding in a hidden corner of the small library at the school during meal times, as Dudley and his friends wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near there.

Unfortunately, he soon found himself on the way back to Number 4 Privet Drive, as the school day had ended about five minutes ago, and #4 was about half an hour away, though Dudley always caught a ride with Piers, one of his bullying friends.

That was when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and the voices of Dudley and some of his friends along with them. One of them called out, amongst splatters of laughter from the others, "Hey, look! It's the Freak!"

"Yeah!" cried another.

"Aww, why're you walking alone, Freak?" Dudley called tauntingly. "Where's mummy- wait, you don't have one!"

Another one of Dudley's friends chuckled, "Probably ran away the second she saw him! Maybe she even dropped dead from his freakishness!"

Harry tensed as he heard the responding laughter from the others. Dudley shouted from behind him, "Let's show him what she wanted to do to him when she found out how freakish he is!"

Seeing what Dudley said for the battle cry that it was, Harry raced up the street, sweat clinging to his chest and brow as his lungs worked themselves to the limit. Damn these large, baggy clothes! He was always freezing in the Winter and boiling in the Summer! It made it very difficult to get away from Dudley and the other bullies, at the very least, though he doubted that the Dursleys were smart enough to think of that themselves. It was just a lucky coincidence.

The next thing he knew, rocks were whizzing past him, most likely thrown by the members of Dudley's gang, death threats being shouted after the sprinting six-year old.

All that was in his head was the words, 'Escape. Escape. Get away. Just imagine how much more helpful it would be if I was something else, anything else, that would help me get away better.' The words were ringing in his head and, as he turned a corner, the world suddenly grew and he realised that he was much closer to the ground than before.

Underneath him, he felt four legs running as fast as possible, and he felt two ears on his head, long and pointed. What... what was he?

Deciding not to push his luck too much, he attempted to fit under the dumpster, with... alright results. His ears were pressed slightly against the dumpster, but he was otherwise fine. He was hiding, curled up underneath it, and had decided that he had, against all odds, somehow transformed himself into a fox.

He turned his head to look at Dudley and the three other members of his gang as they ran down the street. The pig in a wig was snarling, "I'm sure he went this way!"

Another nodded, "I am too. So where did he go?!"

Harry didn't move an inch. He had no idea what Dudley and his friends would do to a defenceless little fox if they saw one, so he made sure to not attract any attention to himself. He hid as still as a statue as the four bullies made their way through the street, searching behind fences and trees, it helped that he had mostly raven-black fur, like his unruly hair when he was human.

One of the bullies sighed, "It must have been his freakishness."

Dudley nodded, "Must have." He then grinned maliciously, "I can't wait to see what'll happen when he goes back home. Who knows what my mum and dad will do to him when they hear about this!"

Receiving laughter from the others, Dudley walked to the end of the street with Piers and turned the corner, most likely going to where Piers' parents were waiting for them. The other two separated at the other end of the street, one turning left and one turned right, to where Harry assumed must be their houses.

Only after he was certain that they weren't coming back did he slowly crawl out from under the dumpster, thinking, 'I don't need to be a fox anymore. I can be human. I'm safe.' His clawed paws patted against the pavement, and he soon transformed back into his human self. Harry mumbled, "How is this possible?" and he jumped when he heard a response about two meters away, behind him.

"Magic," the stranger told him. Harry spun around to look at who was talking, and he saw that it was a boy about his age, with wavy, shoulder-length, pitch-black hair, and zaffre-blue eyes. He was, of course, taller than Harry by two or three inches, and he was leaning against the brick wall of a house on that street.

Harry blinked, "Magic?"

The stranger nodded, "My father left many notebooks for me before he died, and they're all about magic, and what happened to him. I've tried some things out, and it turns out that it's real."

Eyes widening, Harry trying his hardest not to gape like an idiot, "Magic's real? But Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia always said that magic didn't exist."

"Are they muggles?" the stranger returned, and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Muggles?"

"Non-magical people," the boy explained, and Harry nodded, absolutely certain that the Dursleys could probably hurt him a lot more if they were magical.

Harry knew how crazy the boy sounded, but he would still trust him over his relatives any day, so that's what he did. "So, you're saying that what I did was magic?" At the nod he received, he asked, "So how am I magical in the first place?"

"Well, either your parents were magical, or you're a muggleborn," the boy returned. "If both of your parents are pureblood, meaning that they're descended from pureblood witches or wizards, then you yourself are a pureblood. If one of your parents is magical and the other is not, or is a muggleborn, then you're a half-blood, and if one is a pureblood and another is a half-blood, that's enough for you to be a pureblood as long as your half-blood parent has a pureblood parent. A muggleborn is someone who has two muggle parents. A squib is someone with magical parents who has no magic themselves. Does that make sense?"

After about a minute of thinking about it more thoroughly, Harry nodded, "I don't know what I am. I've never met my parents. Aunt Petunia always said that they didn't want me and they left me with them."

"Oh," the other boy responded apologetically, "I'm sorry. Mine are dead, I think. My father is, I don't know about my mother."

"Sorry about that," Harry told him. He then narrowed his eyes as he realised that he didn't know the other boy's name, "What are you called?"

"My name is Judas," he responded, "Judas Black. At least, that was what my father called me."

Harry smiled, and stuck out his hand, "My name is Harry Potter." The eyes of the stranger - Judas, Harry reminded himself - widened with shock and surprise, and also recognition, but other than that, he made no sign that he had ever heard of him before. He politely shook Harry's hand and grinned.

"I need to tell you all about the Wizarding World now!" he announced, "You should have known everything already, since you're famous in our world."

Harry froze for a second, "I-I'm what?"

"... You don't even know why, do you?" Harry shook his head, and Judas continued, "There are many different types of magic. Some is Light, and some is Dark. There are Light wizards and there are Dark wizards. There was a Dark Lord known as Voldemort in our world, who wanted to separate the Wizarding World from the Muggle World to prevent what I assume happened to you as much as possible."

"Y-you mean?" Harry stuttered, and instead of continuing, he pointing at his frail, thin frame, and Judas nodded.

"Yes, and I approve of that want. He and his followers were killing many Light families though, which I don't think is the right way to go about it, and the Light wizards fought back. In 1981, Voldemort went to kill the Potters." Harry's heart skipped a beat. "He didn't kill your parents or your brother, just injured them a bit, and they're still alive. He did try to kill you, though, and I'm talking about with the unstoppable killing curse that can't be blocked or reversed, when he tried to kill you, it just bounced off of you and killed him instead. It did give you that scar on your forehead, though." Harry went to touch it when Judas told him of that. "You're seen as the Saviour of the Wizarding World, but some believe that Voldemort is just very weak, instead of dead, and I agree according to the things that my father left for me."

Harry raised an eyebrow but didn't mention anything about the last part. Then, his eyebrows both raised in surprise, "I have a brother?!" Judas nodded, and Harry tried to calm down. It would do no good to shout, not now. "What about your family?"

"The Blacks?" Harry nodded. "Well, first of all, my mother's family is the Prewitts, and they're a mostly Light family. I don't know much more about them, really." He shrugged. "The Blacks are a very Dark family that supported the Dark Lord. My father was a Death Eater, which was what a follower of Voldemort was called. He had an older brother, who was best friends with your father and was undeniably Light, but he was sent to Azkaban, the Wizarding prison, for betraying them. I don't believe that for a second though, especially from what my father left me."

Once again, Harry didn't mention the last part, not wanting to be intrusive, since he knew that if he had anything from his father, he wouldn't be so quick to share it with a practical stranger. "I guess you can't choose your family. So, am I a pureblood, half-blood, or muggleborn? I'm not a squib since I did magic, right?"

Judas nodded with a smile. "You're a half-blood, since your father's a pureblood and your mother's a muggleborn. I'm a pureblood," he informed Harry, and the raven-haired boy nodded in understanding.

"Can every wizard and witch do what I did?" Harry asked interestedly.

Judas paused for a moment, "Ehh... kind of. Of course, with the existence of magic comes mythological creatures, such as dragons, fairies, werewolves, vampires, and many more."

"Really?" Harry asked, eyes wide with curiosity and delight from learning so many new things in one day.

Nodding, Judas continued speaking, "What you did is known as the Animagus transformation, where a witch or wizard transforms at will into one specific type of animal. It's incredibly difficult and is only taught in the last year of schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and even then, many don't manage to do it. Each witch or wizard has an animal personal to them. For example, I've heard of a professor at Hogwarts whose Animagus form is a tabby cat with markings around her eyes to signify her glasses."

"Oh. Does that mean that I have markings around my eyes, because I have glasses?" Harry asked as Judas gently grabbed his arm and guided him down the street.

"Not particularly, as I assume that it's not a signature thing of yours. Your much more likely to have bright green eyes, raven black fur, and a little marking for your scar instead of your glasses."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Why were you talking about mythological creatures before, then?"

"Because a werewolf always has the form of a wolf, as that is the most signature thing about them, but they can only transform into it on the full moon, and that's only if they're fully understanding and acceptable of being a werewolf. Most aren't, so they transform unwillingly as some sort of mutant half-breed between a wolf and a human, and very much murderous. A vampire, on the other hand, will always be a bat," Judas told Harry.

"That's interesting," Harry smiled.

Judas then grinned, showing off two pointed teeth, "Can I tell you a little secret, Harry?"

"Uhh, sure. If you want," Harry responded, trying to be polite.

"My grandmother on my mother's side was bitten by a vampire while she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. Usually, vampires can't have children, but since my mother was just about to be born, it worked. It made my mother a half-vampire, or, in other terms, a human with vampire skills and characteristics. She had a sister, who was born before her, so she wasn't a vampire. My mother became pregnant when she was seventeen, and I was born when she was eighteen, after my father died. I don't know what happened to her, but I remember that I was sent to live with my father's brother for a few months, who, like I said, was sent to Azkaban when you and I were one. I escaped the house where he lived and took a small never-ending pouch filled with my father's books, and I flew to the orphanage a few roads down. Of course, being a quarter of a vampire has its perks, and I can easily get around and explore."

"That's cool!" Harry grinned, but then he paused for a moment, "Aren't vampires supposed to burn in sunlight?" He looked up and saw a cloudless sky and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the bright, burning sun above them.

"That is true."

"Then how aren't you burning alive yet?" he asked worryingly.

"Well, you see, I was exploring a bit in the shade of the houses, searching for a way to the Wizarding World, which is my current goal at the moment. I only know about your fame from overhearing some witches gossiping to each other in London. So, I was exploring, and then I felt a deliciously Dark aura," Judas explained with a grin, showing off his pointed canines. Harry raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I followed it and it happened to lead me to you. It's the reason that I'm not burning, it kind of creates an invisible sphere of magic around you that, if I am inside of the sphere, protects me from the sun."

"That... is awesome!" Harry grinned, having a sudden appreciation for his love of books, as without it, he probably wouldn't understand a word of what Judas was telling him.

"I do wonder how you have such a Dark aura, since you are one of the main figureheads for the Light side of the war," Judas spoke, mostly to himself, but for Harry's benefit as well.

"You know what you said?" Harry asked, "About how you can easily get around, and that you're hardly ever at that orphanage you were left with?" Judas nodded. "That sounds like what I'm going to do, I think," Harry pondered quietly, though Judas still heard what he said.

"If you wish, you can always come with me. It'll be easier to hunt with another animal there, anyways," Judas smiled cheerfully at the thought of having a friend. "It's how I get most of my food, the orphanage is very poor and can't afford much food, and they all hate me for being 'different'. I'm lucky I took my father's books or I would have probably hated myself as well."

"Now that I know about my magic, I do think that I like myself a little bit more, especially since I did a really complex transformation before I even went to magic school. Hogwarts, was it called?" Judas nodded. "I'd love to hunt food with you," Harry grinned. "I admit, the Dursleys don't really feed me very well. I'm curious, though. Do you drink blood like a full-blooded vampire?"

"No, I don't. I just need Dark magic to sustain the extra magic and powers I have, and your aura is doing that and more!" Judas grinned.

Harry stopped walking, making Judas stop too. "Can we go now?"

Judas raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Sure. Want to see my favourite places to hunt? Be warned, though, it's a field. Well, a park, but still, it's practically a field."

Harry giggled, "Anything's better than the Dursleys, and hunting in a field doesn't sound so bad if you're a fox. I think it would be pretty boring and annoying if you're a human."

"Well said, Harry," Judas grinned. "Come on," he guided Harry into a small, deserted alleyway and the two transformed, with Judas now being a little pitch-black bat with enchantingly blue eyes, and Harry with eyes that were still the petrifying colour of Death, and was rather helpful when it came to hunting, as many creatures were drawn to Death, it appears.

(-Line break!-)

A few streets away, Arabella Figg was worrying since she couldn't find little Harry anywhere. Perhaps he finally made a friend at that school of his and was staying over? Still, she should check with the Dursleys, or Dumbledore would be disappointed in her.

Mrs Figg picked up her walking cane and slowly made her way to Number 4 Privet Drive, and she hid behind the fence and listened to the Dursleys speak with disgust about their magical nephew. She had never actually heard them speak about Harry before, and she couldn't believe what she was hearing! They despised that poor child! She had grown to care for the sweet little boy over the years, who never complained about her excessive number of cats, or her atrocious cabbage soup, so she had to get him out of the- no, she had to help hi- no! She had to tell Dumbledore, and the Order of the Phoenix! They'll be able to help.

She rushed back to her house and to her fireplace before fire-calling the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who was currently at the school, talking to a snarky potions master.

(-Line break!-)

In the meantime, Harry was sprinting down streets, chasing after Judas, who was leading Harry to the field/park that he liked to hunt in, while Harry experimented how fast he could run as a six-year old in a fox's body.

He was also rather confused about the colours of his fur as a fox, as was Judas.

The majority of his hide was a dark auburn, unlike the raven-black that he and Judas were expecting. The tips of his four legs, two ears, and tail were all black, and there was a little bit above his right eye where there was a lightning pattern with white fur, obviously signifying his signature scar. Of course, his eyes remained the Death-green colour that Harry adored. Judas had asked him about it, and Harry could only shrug at the auburn colour; as far as he knew, he had black hair and the Dursleys were blonde, so they were both unsure how Harry had an auburn pelt.

Still, the combination of colours just seemed perfect for Harry, and he thought that Judas being a pitch-black bat with wonderfully blue eyes suited the boy just fine as well.

(-Line break!-)

Also, at that moment in time, the Dursleys were feeling absolutely furious at their magical nephew and cousin which they raised so kindly, though that quickly changed to delight when he never returned later. Of course, that changed once more when they opened the door to find Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and Arabella Figg, all with very unhappy frowns on their faces.

Petunia fainted.

A/N: You know, originally, I was going to have Harry and Judas stay behind at the Dursleys to see if any wizards would show up to check why Harry wasn't there anymore, and they would confront them and ask if they could join them in the Wizarding World, but I decided that doing that was too soon for Harry to be reunited with his family. They'll still spy on them, though, they just won't talk.

Remember, Dumbles isn't evil in this story. Nor is Snape, or Mrs Figg, or Voldemort either. Also, I don't want the Malfoys to be evil either, since I hate a snooty Malfoy. Keep sending me suggestions for who you want as a villain, it'll be really helpful for me to write a story that you'd like!

This author's note is much shorter than the previous one, and I've already written the next chapter, and the author's note in that one is absolutely massive, probably more so than the first chapter's one. So, enjoy this shorter author's note in the meantime. ;D

Enjoy!