At the age of eleven, Harry just received his Hogwarts letter. He discovered that he was a wizard and that what he had been doing all along was magic. He was amazed and excited beyond belief that a whole new world existed somewhere out there. A world not known in his textbooks, and a world where there were others like him. Maybe he could make some friends, since they all had "freakish powers". Maybe he would finally fit in. Maybe he would finally be wanted.
"Did you know Sssephora? I'm a wizard! " Harry hissed excitedly.
" Yesss yess child you are beyond reason....you already told me that a thousand timessss..." Sephora hissed exasperatedly.
" Aww come on don't be like that. You are coming with thisss Dumbledore guy who isss gonna pick usss up to the Wizarding World right?" Harry asked
" Of course I am...How can I trust this Dumblesss guy? I'm coming with you...besidessss what will you do without me? " Sephora hissed imperiously.
Harry just rolled his eyes, and just grinned happily that he found a way out of this terrible orphanage.
" Excuse me sir...are you Professor Dumbledore?" Harry politely asked the old bearded man in funny clothes who was talking to the lady behind the counter. He's just like me, a wizard!
" Yes I am. Why you must be young Harry. How are you my boy?" Dumbledore said as he assessed Harry.
Harry felt uncomfortable as he looked into Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes. He felt as though the old man standing before him could see right through him. Must be some mind reading magic thing. I must find out what it is and protect myself. Harry immediately looked away.
Dumbledore looked surprised for a moment but thought nothing of it.
" As I have explained in my letter, you will be boarding at Hogwarts to learn magic. There is a Hogwarts trust fund for needy students, and you can use the money to buy spell books and your wand. You might have to get your school robes and books second hand though." Dumbledore explained
" Wand? What do you need this wand for, if I may ask sir?" Harry inquired politely.
Dumbledore looked at him oddly. "Why, how else can you cast a spell? A wand helps to channel magic from your core, thus making magic possible to do for the average wizard or witch. Only a handful of people in the Wizarding world can do magic without a wand, or should I say wandless magic. I myself am one of them. So is professor Voldemort, your defence against the dark arts professor."
"Oh, I see. Thank you sir." Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. It seems he wasn't normal even in a different world. But then, professor Dumbledore could do wandless magic too, just like him. So maybe it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Are you all right Harry? Would you like me to follow you to buy your school supplies?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry shook his head. "I'm fine professor. Just nervous . I can get my stuff myself. Please just take me to Diagon alley."
It was at this point that Sephora slithered out of Harry's bag.
" Are you Dumblydorr?" Sephora hissed.
" Harry stand back! There's a snake about to bite you!" Dumbledore shouted in alarm.
Harry stared at Dumbledore in confusion. It seems Dumbledore, a famous and powerful wizard, could not talk to snakes. Great, another freakish trait he possessed.
" Don't worry she won't. She's my friend and she will be coming with me." Harry explained.
" Oh. Are you sure Harry? You might be mistaken for a Parselmouth and believe me when I say they are feared even though they are extremely rare . Salazar Slytherin, the most notorious Parselmouth, and one of Hogwarts's Four Founders, was feared for this ability too"
Harry filed the word Parselmouth away for research later. It seems the ability to talk to snakes was uncommon and labelled as a dark trait. Harry had a fresh start in the Wizarding World and he was not about to ruin that and be isolated again, just like at the orphanage. He decided not to reveal that he could understand snakes.
He just nodded, picked Sephora up to prove his point, and held on to Dumbledore, as they "vanished" and reappeared at Diagon alley, where Dumbledore bid him on his way.
After buying everything he needed, Harry stopped by at the Helena's Pet Emporium to buy some treats for Sephora. When the witch asked him what type of snake he was buying treats for, he showed Sephora to her and as soon as she saw Sephora wasn't in a cage like normal pet snakes, she screamed, backing away from him. She grabbed the money he put on the counter, threw him out, and slammed the door shut in his face, yelling about evil wizards and their fascination and control over snakes. Stunned, Harry was determined more than ever never to reveal his ability.
He wandered around and came to a small unknown bar at the outskirts of Diagon alley. He decided to buy himself a cheap drink, his very first treat. Harry took off his glasses, as he did not want to stand out in such a place and his huge, old and dirty glassed definitely made a statement.
He went inside the bar and immediately noticed the lack of patrons. There was only a drunk wizard wearing a hood that looked at him with the most intense red eyes ever, despite his drunken state. Harry immediately felt drawn to the wizard and he found out why. He could sense that the man was a speaker, just like him.
" You can talk to snakes". Harry stated.
Voldemort started. This boy knew he could talk to snakes ! Yet he hasn't seen him at Hogwarts before. Only Hogwarts students and staff knew of his infamous ability and his relation to Salazar Slytherin. They were forbidden to speak of it to anyone outside school, even their parents. Just who was this boy?
Through alcohol-induced blurry vision, Voldemort could make out messy jet black hair and emerald eyes.
" Are you all right? You seem totally trashed." the boy told him.
The great Voldemort was certainly not trashed ! Tipsy , perhaps, but certainly not trashed ! Voldemort made to tell the boy off, but he never got the chance as two wizards suddenly appeared out of thin air, wands drawn menacingly.
Voldemort knew they were here to attack him. Somehow they had managed to get wind of his location, despite him choosing an obscure place. They were little match for him however ,despite his inebriated state. He drew his wand too, but the boy was one step faster.
Harry stood in front of Voldemort almost protectively. He was not about to let another speaker like him come to harm just because he was too drunk to defend himself. Harry did not know why, but he felt as though he couldn't let this man die. He had to use his powers, no matter how freakish. He was saving a life here after all.
He called his magic out to him, felt the power surging through him, stretched out his hand in front of him, and willed the two wizards to be thrown against the wall. A white light and a powerful blast later, the two wizards were thrown against the wall, defeated temporarily.
Voldemort was about to attack the two wizards when the boy had wandlessly and non-verbally casted a blasting hex at them. Just who was this boy? He looked barely 10 years old yet he could do such advanced magic. Such an ability was unheard of in one so young.
While he was distracted by the boy's stunning feat of magic, both wizards managed to recover and catch him off guard with a slicing hex. He only had time to deflect one before the other caught him, slicing though his side. His side was ripped open and blood poured out freely, staining the dirty floor. Damn the boy for being such a distraction! Voldemort cursed himself. He had never let anything distract him in battle before. Then again, he had never met a wizard so gifted, other than dumbledork.
Harry was extremely angry. How dare those two wizards attack one wizard at the same time! Where was the honour in such a duel?! They were cowards, attacking in a team,just like those bullies in his orphanage! He immediately called forth his power and willed excruciating pain onto both wizards. Both of them collapsed and writhed violently on the floor, screaming in agony.
Even though Voldemort was in pain, he was still shocked. Merlin the boy was powerful and dark! To do a wandless and non-verbal Cruciatus curse, an Unforgivable no less, as if it were a simple cleaning charm! He watched transfixed as the boy stood confident and strong, emerald eyes glowing with a violent power bubbling beneath the surface. It was as though the Avada Kedavra curse was contained in those beautiful orbs. So beautiful ,yet so lethal.
He remembered the pain he was in, and coughed out blood onto the floor. Voldemort cursed again for showing a weakness. Damn! Who was this boy that kept making him act so unlike himself?! He was the infallible and the all powerful, highly respected and feared Voldemort, yet around this boy, he wasn't himself.
The boy immediately stopped cursing the already unconscious wizards and rushed over to his side.
The boy held him gently and whispered soothingly, healing his injuries. Voldemort could very well heal himself, but he was so comfortable in the boy's warm embrace, that he made no move to. He felt drawn to the boy like a moth to a he could attribute his attraction to the fact that he had never been hugged before in his life. For a few minutes, he revelled in this sudden unexpected comfort. All too soon, the boy released him and flashed a beautiful,loving smile at him. Then he took a look at his assailants, and fled, leaving the great Voldemort uncharacteristically stunned and captivated.