Harry regained consciousness with a flinch, barely moving as he tried to recall what happened. The last thing he could remember was lying on that dirty shacks floor, counting down the seconds until he was another year older, like he had done every year since he was old enough to know when his birthday was. But he couldn't recall blowing out his "candles". And why was the floor so much softer suddenly. Harry opened his eyes with a start as he felt someone sit beside him. He instinctively drew his legs into his body, desperately trying to protect himself from the blows his aunt was soon going to deliver. Petunia sobbed as she gathered him into her arms gently, holding him close as she desperately tried to reassure him. Harry stiffened as his aunt's arms wrapped around him, unsure of this new gentle demeanor towards him from the woman who had been the source of so much torment for all his life. Sighing, Petunia released her nephew, leaving only a hand on his leg. "Harry?" she said timidly, " We are so sorry for how we've acted. I don't know what was wrong with us." She sat there, a gentle hand resting on Harry's leg as he slowly processed what she had said. Harry hesitantly lowered his legs, not quite believing his aunt's words, but desperately hoping they were true. Petunia rose with a pat to his leg. "Come have breakfast, dear." she said, with a small, sorrowful smile, " then we need to have a very serious talk. But don't worry, you are not in any trouble." She turned and left the room, going downstairs. At that moment, Harry realized they were back at Number 4 and he was in an actual bed, with soft pillows and everything. He pinched himself, certain he had to be dreaming. But, no matter how hard he pinched, nothing changed. He was still in a soft bed, surrounded by fluffy pillows, in a room, covered with hideous flowery wallpaper. Shaking his head, he reached towards the bedside table for his glasses, only to suddenly realize he could see everything clear as crystal without them. Stunned, he turned and slid off the side of the bed and stumbled when he touched the floor, legs longer than he was accustomed to. Startled, he realized he was taller than he used to be. "What else has changed?" he wondered as he made his way towards the loo, shaky on his longer legs. Finishing his business, he turned towards the sink to wash his hands and yelped when he saw the face in the mirror looking back at him. HE distantly heard his aunt call out asking if he was okay, but he couldn't answer, too astonished by what he saw in the mirror. His cheeks, once sunken in and pale, were now full and rosy. His jawline, once soft and rounded, was now sharp. His ears had developed a point, almost like an elf from The Lord of the Rings. But his eyes were what really shocked him. Already an exotic emerald, now they shone with an otherworldly light and his pupils, once rounded, now were horizontal slits, giving his eyes an even more unnatural, ethereal appearance. Mesmerized as he was by his new looks, he jumped when a gentle knock sounded on the door. " Harry,lad, are you okay, my boy?" Uncle Vernon asked, softer than Harry had ever heard him speak before. Gathering his wits, he opened the door to his uncle standing there with a genuine look of concern on his face. "Sorry, Uncle Vernon," he said, bashfully, "I got surprised by myself in the mirror." Vernon nodded understandingly, but made no move to leave. Harry hesitated and braced himself, certain that this was where everything went back to normal. Vernon reached towards him cautiously before letting his hands fall to his sides. "Harry," he began haltingly, "I know it will take you a long time to trust your aunt and I. But please give us a chance. We will do anything and everything we can to make amends for how horribly we treated you. I still can't understand why we acted that way. And Dudley is absolutely distraught. He refuses to eat. Please Harry, let us have the opportunity to show you how much we regret everything you have been through." he begged, tears slowly rolling down his ruddy face. Seeing his uncle, who considered himself the peak of masculinity, openly weeping, convinced Harry that maybe this wasn't a dream. Bracing himself, he reached out and took his uncle's hand. "Okay, Uncle Vernon." he softly replied, drawing the now sobbing man into a gentle, hesitant hug. Vernon latched on to Harry as he fell to his knees and wept from the weight of the guilt he felt. His own father had been an abusive alcoholic intolerant man and he had sworn to never be anything like that towards any person, child or adult. Harry just stood there, holding his uncle as he purged the sorrow from his heart. How long they stayed there, he couldn't say. Finally, a great gurgling rumble broke through the cries of remorse. Harry blushed as his stomach made itself known. "Right then," Vernon stated, composing himself and releasing Harry, "You need some breakfast. Head on down to the kitchen and eat. Tell your aunt I'll be there directly. Just need to clean myself up a bit." Vernon smiled gently, feeling the catharsis that comes with releasing years of pain and guilt. He had a long way to go before he atoned for how he had treated his nephew but, here, in this moment, he had hope that, given enough time, he would be able to pay that enormous debt. Standing, he stepped to the side and let Harry go past him to get downstairs.
With a deep breath, Harry entered the kitchen to see his aunt facing the stove, not cooking anything, just braced against the counter. Her shoulders shook, giving away that she too was softly weeping. Trusting his instincts, Harry stepped up and hugged her from behind, gently wrapping his arms around her narrow waist. "I still don't know what's going on, Aunt Petunia," he softly said, "but as long as you can promise me what is happening is real, I don't care about the past. I forgive you." he continued, turning to face the table, where Dudley sat, moving food around on his plate, but not actually eating anything. "You too, Dud." Dudley looked up from his plate of food with red rimmed eyes, searching his cousin's face for any hint of anger or deceit. All he saw was the same kindness and longing for family that he and his parents had ignored for so many years. Nodding, he turned his attention back to his food and slowly began to eat. Harry took a seat and began fixing himself a plate,heaping eggs, bacon, and bangers and mash high as he set out to fill the gaping maw that was his stomach. He saw Vernon enter the room out of the corner of his eye and immediately cross it to engulf Petunia in his beefy arms. In the lounge, the phone rang, sharp and grating. But no one moved to answer it, too busy eating or comforting one another to care who was calling.
After an emotional breakfast, where Harry ate even more than Dudley, the Dursleys and Harry gathered in the lounge. Seating Harry in the luxurious Barcalounger, Petunia settled herself on the couch directly next to him, with Vernon and Dudley filling in beside her. Wringing her hands, Petunia began to speak. " I suppose the best place to begin is by saying magic is real. " she started, hesitantly. "There is a whole hidden world full of witches, wizards, and all sorts of mythical creatures. Your parents were part of this world. Your father, James, was a noble lord who could trace his ancestry back nearly five thousand years. Your mother, Lily, my sister, was what is known as a muggle born. That means she was the first known magical being in her family. Oh, I was so jealous of her. I wrote the headmaster of her school so many letters begging to be allowed to go with her. But I couldn't. I'm what's known as a squib. Some one who has enough magic to see all the wondrous things around them but can't actually perform any spells. I was so angry. I began to ridicule Lily, treating her like a freakish monster. Then, our father was diagnosed with cancer while Lily was away at school. I wrote to her and begged her to do something to help. I begged her to save our daddy. And she did. She came home the next day with a magical doctor who cast a spell and suddenly Daddy wasn't sick anymore. It was then I realized that Lily's magic was a gift. That was during her fifth year. From then on, we were closer than ever. I used to help her study her school books over the summer. We wrote hundreds of letters back and forth, talking about boys and complaining about teachers." Petunia paused as she reminisced. "She didn't always like your father. At the beginning, she couldn't stand him. She called him an arrogant toe rag. But something changed in her last year. Suddenly, all she could talk about was how amazingly sweet and generous James was. I was so shocked by the sudden change in attitude I wrote a letter to one of her teachers asking them to make sure he hadn't put her under a spell. But it wasn't a spell. It turned out that the previous summer, James' parents, your grandparents Harry, were killed by a magical disease that they didn't have a cure for. Losing his parents so suddenly forced your father to mature. He had changed and this new James Potter was what my sister fell in love with. And fall in love, she did. They married each other straight out of school in a ceremony that has been used by witches and wizards since the days of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed. It was also the last time I saw my sister alive. A war had been slowly growing in the magical world and your parents were determined to fight it. A wizard who claimed to be a dark lord was set on eradicating any and all muggle influence in the magical world. He killed entire families, from the oldest of grandparents to babies in the crib. Your parents fought against him. Your mum still wrote to me but she could never visit for fear of leading the dark lord to her family. I don't think she even visited our parents. Then that awful night happened. Your parents had gone into hiding with you. They used some unbreakable spell to hide their home. They chose one of their friends to hold the secret of where they were. But they were betrayed. The friend they chose was a coward. He went to the dark lord and told him how to find you. He came on Halloween, as day turned into night. He killed your parents. But when he tried to kill you, he couldn't. He disappeared that night and hasn't been seen since." Petunia finished her story, weeping in memory of the sister she had lost. Harry sat silent, confused about what all this had to do with him but grateful all the same to know that his parents had loved him. Seeing the confusion on Harry's face, Petunia composed herself and picked a familiar looking letter up from the coffee table. "You are a wizard, Harry." she said gently, handing him the letter. "Just like your father and mother before you, you have the ability to perform magic. That letter is your acceptance to the same school your parents attended. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Harry shook as he reached out to take the letter from his aunt. Turning it over, he saw a strange crest stamped in green wax, sealing the envelope. With a deep breath, he broke the wax seal and took out the two page letter to read.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards)
Dear Mr Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 10 August.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Turning to the next page, Harry saw a list of strange supplies:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1.Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2.One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3.One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4.One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"Is this actually real?" he questioned his aunt incredulously. "This isn't some elaborate joke? Where would I even get all of these things?" Petunia laughed, a melodious sound that Harry had never heard before. "It's very real, Harry." she replied, smiling genuinely at him. "As for where to get your supplies, there is a hidden market off Charing Cross road, called Diagon Alley. We'll be going there tomorrow." Stunned, Harry nodded silently, unable to process just how much his life was changing what seemed like overnight.