Chapter 2 - The years start coming and they don't stop coming until the glass gets vanishing.


If canon Harry hated his time in Durskaban, I don't know the word to describe the anguish I felt. Well at least at first, I intended to improve the situation. Speaking of, not only were both Vernon and Dursley waaaay bigger than the movies, the movie version of Vernon was almost cuddly in comparison.

Same for Petunia, what a sour bitter woman unlike any I'd met before. That being said, there were a few times before I turned three where I noticed her stopping herself smiling at my antics, there may be hope yet for a better life at the Dursley's.

I didn't really do anything out of the ordinary to deviate from canon until I turned five.

I started simple, trying to see if I can feel the magic within myself. I don't know if this was canon or fanon or just from the number of fanfics I'd read in my old life, but many describe a magical core of some kind.

It took a few weeks but I eventually felt it.

It wasn't a round orb like core but felt like the magic was in every cell, heh maybe they could be measured like midi-chlorians, after banishing that blasphemous thought I carried on with my testing of magic;

I deduced that magic was not some concept 'within the soul' but part of the DNA.

I wondered if my previous life without magic made me more sensitive and aware of it in this one, at least this was my leading theory.

What I wanted to really look into is when casting magic how much could I feel it interact between myself, the sleep and the effect it has on the world around me.

I started with lumos.

I would imagine a small light at the end of my finger, and concentrated on pushing my magic to will the light into existence.

This was the morning in my cupboard under the stairs, in the pitch black surround by spiders a small white light flickered into being, I couldn't hold it for long but it felt as though all of me was vibrating, like the soft hum of an electrical generator hidden away. Ecstatic I had finally made something happen by choice. I accidentally broke the spell.

Over the next few weeks I practiced lumos over and over whenever I was alone until I only felt the hum of my magic when doing the spell if I focused on it purposefully.

I remember that when reading the books it occasionally mentioned that a child wanting something and it zipping to them across the room was a common bit of accidental magic, so despite it being either a fourth or fifth year spell like in the books I began working on accio and of course wingardium leviosa.

It wasn't just magic I was working on, I figured that when it boils down to it, many in the house of Slytherin could probably be saved from the dark side or at the very least show neutrality or possibly even join the light side in the war if motivated correctly and unfortunately if I believe they can be saved, it may be hypocritical to not include the Dursleys in that. So to that end I had been friendly with Dudley early on so he wouldn't want to bully and chase me later, and in regards to my house at Hogwarts I'd spent time thinking about that.

In terms of saving the House of Slytherin from itself, this couldn't really be done in Gryffindor, as the snakes wouldn't believe any approach to be genuine and not some kind of trap.

I also couldn't be a snake as I might lose the support of die hard light factioners, who's help I may need at some point, even though it would be the most direct way to influence the snakes.

Hufflepuff would be a useful choice in getting people to believe I just wanted to make friends and mend bridges, but they are usually looked down upon and I wouldn't know how long that would take to overcome.

Ravenclaw was the only house where I could maintain any kind of respected neutrality and still hit all my goals, so I had made the decision to be as studious as possible, something Harry had avoided in canon for fear of reprisal from the Dursleys for being better than Dudley, I wasn't going to let that happen to me.

As part of project Dursleys redeemed I would still help Dudley with homework but afterwards he would be able to do it himself.

Project Dursley was my personal effort into making the Dursleys better people if this proves possible of course.

To make it work I had to get Dudley to like me after that his parents should cave to his wants if it's anything like the books.

It's only since we had both turned four could I see the favouritism start to become negative to Dudley's own well being as he had slowly started to balloon outwards and the hand-me-downs I was made to wear require more effort to tie up.

This all brings me to a lazy summer day early in the holidays before my sixth birthday.

Petunia had made me clean the shed out and re-organise it regardless of the safety of a five year old, then she had Vernon 'supervise' me, by which I mean yell insults at me as I cleaned the gutters out at the top of a ladder that was far too wobbly, and would've probably buckled under Vernons weight.

I say lazy summer day as this was all they could be bothered to make me do, so I had been lounging around the garden. I'd decided to nap for a bit when a shadow that was as wide as it was long blocked the sky.

"Wot you doing?" Dudley asked stupidly.

"I was trying to nap."

"Show me the thingy again."

I internally sighed. As part of my plan to redeem the Dursleys the first step had been to get Dudley to think differently about magic, namely that it was cool.

I had 'confided' in him and shown him some basic magic and pretended I was scared but made home promise not to tell anyone, even his parents. This had endeared him to me and made him feel special as he knew something all the adults didn't

It now had the downside that he would want to see it everyday.

"Ok, but you have to read a whole chapter today."

"Urgh fine then."

I had found out he could be motivated to learn or read when provided something in return. This universe's Dudley was not going to be some bully and idiot, not if I could help it.

It was too bright out for lumos so I made a few of Petunias garden decorations float off the ground then made the grass in a three metre radius change to a deep purple. Despite having seen this before Dudley's eyes shot open wide as before, still amazed by the display.

"Cool." He whispered under his breath.

I had explained to him that his parents would be afraid of the magic and would call me freak and all sorts of names, I also wanted him to join in occasionally so as to not make them suspicious in any way.

Then I transfigured about a dozen small stones into little knights and got them to fight.

"Really, really cool." He whispered again.

Yeah I think this'll work.


This kept on for the next couple of years until one fateful day in school when I was seven, this was the year that the Dursleys really amped up spreading the Harry hate.

They had told my latest teacher how I was not to be trusted and I was a criminal etc etc yadda yadda yadda, this teacher took this as gospel and made this year of school nightmare-ish, until one day my anger boiled over and I sent a wave of anger and magic towards her causing the blue hair incident straight from canon.

Vernon did not like this and made it abundantly clear.

"Come here you little freak." He spat as his walrus-y moustache bristled and scrunched up along with the rest of his face as he turned red with anger.

"You little toe-rag, disrespecting your teacher and not owning up to it. How'd you do it? Some sort of dye or paint? Hmmmm? Your freakishness will not be tolerated in this house today or ever, get in your cupboard."

Interesting he went out of his way to suggest that it had a mundane explanation, I thought 'well may as well play it up.'

"It's not my fault it was like….like…..magic." I yelled at him.

He froze before he could throw me into the cupboard.

Petunia who had been in the lounge had now entered the hallway pale white, like she had seen or heard something horrific.

"Never use that word again, or we will ship you off to the orphanage." Her voice hard and cold as ice. "Do you understand me?"

I nodded as though I was terrified, but I knew that Dumbledore wouldn't allow it after these last six years or so.

I could feel the heat as Vernon's anger built again.

"Look what you've done now boy, you've upset your Aunt."

He threw me one handed under the stairs and I heard the bolt snap into place as I hit the wall and dropped onto the thin mattress and Vernons tirade continued for what must've been at least another fifteen minutes.

It only subsided when Petunia offered to cook him steak washed down with a large whiskey.

I could also hear him consoling her on the nasty thing that the freak said. They had dinner and made it extra loud and spoke about how tasty it was and how I wasn't worth the scraps they would put in the bin.

I had resigned myself to going hungry that night, and it hadn't been the first time anyway. Probably not the last either.

After watching tv for a couple of hours they went upstairs to prepare for bed.

I heard the walrus thunder down the stairs, he was there to let me use the bathroom before bed.

When I came back down ten minutes later he said,

"Now listen here boy, we took you in-"

Yadda yadda yadda, he went on for a minute about how they had taken me in 'from the goodness in their hearts', I'd heard it before and again knew probably not for the last time, nodding along I went back into the cupboard.

He then thundered back up the stairs.

About an hour or so after the lump of lard fell asleep I could hear footsteps before the bolt slid out of place and the door swung open to reveal Dudley.

"Come on, let's get you something to eat." He said while I was still laying on the threadbare mattress in shock of what was happening.

I knew I'd have an impact on him over time but not so soon.

"We'll come on then." He urged and rolled his eyes.

Dumbfounded, I trudged to the kitchen, Dudley started taking things out of the fridge and passing them to me.

"We shouldn't risk the light, could wake my parents up." He said as a matter of fact.


After that my life at the Dursley's improved significantly, despite all the housework they made me do, good ol', Aunt and Uncle couldn't understand why I somehow remained so chipper.

I was already counting down the days to my Hogwarts letter or letters heh.

All the while working on my magic and improving the relationship with Dudders, and by my eighth birthday I could perform a number of spells wandlessly and a couple nonverbal.

My list now included,

Lumos - nonverbal

Spongify - nonverbal

Alohomora - nonverbal

Colloportus - the locking spell

Homenum Revelio - the human presence revealing spell

As part of my preparation for the Wizarding world I thought it'd be good to have some offensive spells ready, and having remembered that an arrow conjuration/launching spell existed I cobbled together what I thought might have been the incantation from a Latin translation book I borrowed from the library, I knew the risk here but through my minor experiments into how magic interacts between myself and the world around me I figured most magic was intent and will based, and the incantations and wand movements simple help to come t the magic from yourself to the world. I'd managed to say nox instead of lumos but light up my wandnormally to end

It is Sagitta iactum, I don't know if this is the correct incantation but it was never given one and only mentioned in places beyond canon, which actually made me question if it would be easier for me to apply incantations to spells where only the effect is known or vice versa, but that's something I can research later.

Continuing with the list.

Sagitta iactum,

Avis

Depulso

Flipendo

All of these nine I could do pretty well, and I had some success with incendio, glacius, and I managed to get the tiniest of wisps from the patronus charm.

The next year in school really saw Dudley stop any kind of bullying, he still liked to hit things and those to combined got to the point where he was stopping his gang from the books bullying others, between that and me helping him understand the homework we both were top of the year, me at number one and him floating in the top five.

I also realised that over use of magic did make me tired, and the only way to improve it was to train it as though it was a muscle, to that end I started to exercise, and it didn't take much to convince Dudley to join me, afterwards I would then exhaust my magic. Slowly I was able to hold spells for longer, repeat spells more frequently one after another.

When I wasn't exercising or improve my magic I was reading, taking notes, studying, I spent hours at the library and it didn't take long for the librarians to know about Harry Potter, the boy who read half the books there and was working on the rest and his cousin who was happy to sit and read about different sports and cars.

This sparked Dudley to want to start boxing, I encouraged this and Vernon was shocked to find he had to agree with me on something.

I could see that Petunia no longer knew how to act around me as Dudley and I started to act more like brothers, the scrawny nerd and the protective stronger slightly older brother. Probably reminded her of her and Lily a bit too much.

We had such consistently high marks that Vernon and Petunia were called in by the Headmaster of the primary school to personally thank them for raising not one but two brilliant young men, I laughed like a maniac in my head as I could see them both sitting in the stuffy room thanking him with pride for Dudley and confusion on how they should avoid talking about me as I still had higher scores than him. I enjoyed watching them squirm in that situation. I managed to drop a line about how Dudley had basically helped single handedly end bullying in the school, even the older years showed him some respect in that aspect.

When we returned back to privet drive, there was cake and ice cream, massive slices for Dudley and Vernon, and a normal sized slice for Petunia. Dudley had taken on good eating habits and had shed a lot of the puppy fat, in a few years and heck, even now he was unrecognisable from the mini Vernon the books described him as.

With the midnight meals Dudley helped me get I was filling out myself, by the time Hogwarts came around I might even be of a healthy weight.

I was shaken from my train of thought when Petunia cut a fourth slice, albeit a thinner slice than hers, about a third of hers, and a scoop of ice cream half of hers. She stood up and put the bowl in front of me.

Vernon looked like he was preparing to turn a nice shade of puce when she spoke.

"I've noticed how you've encouraged our Dudders, and that shouldn't go….un…rewarded." She choked a little as though saying that actually hurt her and she slid the cake and ice cream in front of me.

I couldn't help myself but smile the whole time I was eating, I had made a huge break through in improving my relationship with my Aunt, huh odd how I now see myself as Harry rather than who I was before - I try to focus on my name in my past life but it slips away like sand through my fingers - either way this could lead to actually having a stable life between the crazy Hogwarts schooling that's heading my way.

Later lying in my bed I was thinking about the differences small and large I had deviated from canon.

It did feel especially odd to think that Dudley and I were both popular in our own ways, him with everyone, me in a much more easy going manner with those already more academically inclined. It felt even odder that I was basically cheating with having already been through school once, I always did enough juuuust to be the best but not show off and get mistaken as some kind of genius.


The next school year right after I turned nine years old the school had started a quiz team to compete against other schools, I joined this immediately and this was again on top of all I was previously doing.

I was also pretty sure that this was the year Canon Harry had apparated into the room and had started to see if I could, something about the three d's.

Destination.

Three feet in front of me, duh.

I was in the garden on one side in front of the rose bushes and aiming to be on the other side of the small water feature Petunia had gotten installed last week of the school term.

Determination.

I really wanted to be there and in one piece.

Splinching here and now would be really really bad.

Deliberation.

Don't splinch, don't splinch, dontsplinchdontsplinch.

I stepped forward and twisted as the books described and SPLAT

Face first, face full of floor.

"Hahaha, what are you even trying to do Harry." Dudley laughed from the reclining lawn chair.

"You'll see." I threw back at him with a smirk.

Normally I wouldn't so blatantly practice magic in the open but 'Vernie' and 'Pet' as they called each other had asked Mrs. Figg to watch us, the only time they had asked her to watch us at number four rather than us go to Wisteria Walk.

Anyway she had the tv on in the lounge and had fallen asleep so perfect.

This time I breathed slowly, thought through each part of the little direction in the three D's and -

CRACK

I had vanished from one spot and reappeared in another, I had fucking apparated.

"Hell yeah!" I yelled triumphantly, before realising it was three feet forward yes, but also one and a half feet in the air.

"Aaahhh….oooph."

I landed hard and it knocked the wind out of me a bit.

"Holy moly!" A now shocked Dudley yelled.

He hadn't learnt any swear words yet so this was as close as he was going to get for a while.

"Shhhh Dud, you'll wake Figg up."

I was partly hoping the loud crack of disapparation would've, imagine the look on Dumbledore's face when Figg told him, knowing him he probably wouldn't believe it anyway.

But hey, a little bit more work and I could apparate.


The quiz team had mopped up in the local county and had moved up to the next rung of the ladder, and this was our third match up at this level when the unexpected decided to happen.

I was zoned out as the kids on the other teams names were read out and they filed into line behind their table one by one.

One name stood out.

The second to last name.

Granger, Hermione.

Hermione.

WHAT!?!?!

I was gobsmacked the rest of the announcers speech and snapped to when the first round began.

I answered all my questions and allowed the others on the team to answer some as there's no I in team.

The first two rounds ended with both teams winning a round and is with the deciding points to put us in the lead by a small margin.

I was still debating on wether or not to introduce myself to Hermione now or leave it to the canon meeting on the express.

I went to the loo and then the vending machine to get a twix, I was heading back over to where the rest of the team were sitting when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Ermm, hi… you left your change in the vending…" Hermione said, holding out the twenty pence I'd left.

"Thank you Hermione." I replied a bit too quickly.

"You're welcome." She said shyly. I remembered that she was bullied due to how she would flaunt her intelligence and was something of a teachers pet to boot. Chances are she hasn't got the confidence fake or otherwise she has on the train to Hogwarts, at least not until she knows she's a witch.

"So, it's nice to finally have some decent competition, even if we are going to beat you." I said with a grin to show I was joking.

Feigning shock she said,

"Excuse me, but we are the best team, two years in a row I'll have you know.

"Ehh, shame it won't be three then, at least you have time to get used to that idea."

We burst out laughing.

"So, you know my name, but they called yours out before we came to the table, they did announce the names of the losers earlier though this time." She asked teasingly.

"Ahh you must not have heard, they changed it around this time,

And I suppose you may, my name is Harry Potter." I replied.

We spoke for a little while longer and I wished her luck in the rest of the competition to which she quipped back.

"Won't need it but thank you anyway." Which was said as she walked away.

We won, but it was close. Hermione looked confused, her intelligence hadn't been tested like that before.


The quiz team progressed through the next two stages before reaching the semi finals, I saw Hermione at the quarter finals but she was against a different team, so was unable to speak to her. We were set to go up against each other to proceed to the finals.

"Hello Harry, I've come over to tell you to not be sad when we win today." She said, much more confident than when we last spoke.

"That's good advice for you to follow when we win Hermione.

"Yeah yeah, we'll see." She said while going to her team to prep.

We won again, as the rounds progressed I could see Hermione become more and more flustered.

We went on to win the whole thing.

As we were leaving I rushed over to her before we had to board the bus,

"Well Hermione, sorry but maybe next year your team will be in the final, either way all jokes aside I'm glad to make a friend even if they are in another school. See you next year."

I left before she could process, in canon and fanon she didn't have friends until October first year, and I had just used that word much earlier.

Next time we meet she'll know all about magic and the boy who lived.


Around my tenth birthday I realised I needed to start on occlumency but with no book and the only instruction to 'clear my mind' I decided to focus on my spells.

I could now do all previously mentioned spells non-verbally, all to vary degrees of strength.

Petunia's actions towards me had lost some of the edge to their coolness, I even had some basic items owned by myself and not hand me downs from Dudley.

My own underwear, socks and shoes, even a proper fitting coat.

Vernon remained his usual self though his angry tirades did happen less often, I believe this was due to how the other members of his family treated me now and his behaviour reflected theirs.

Between the start of September and Christmas I kept up with learning as much as I could, both in school and at the library, which now needed to order in the books I want to read as I'd almost read everything of interest there from a to z of sciences, art and literature.

I'd even requested the odd scientific journal or two, I'd also made a mental note to use some of the Potter wealth to invest in a few muggle companies when older and similar endeavours.

I had also started a little side hustle to earn some money towards the end of the previous school year, we're I would buy some sweets and resell them at school, I had to borrow my starting money from Dudley at first so it was slow going at first, but by the Easter time I had now saved little more than a grand.

The year flew by and we were fast approaching the Quiz team event, we got first in the local one again with ease, when they released the fixtures we would only see Hermione's school's team in the first round and the final if we were both in it.

I had been preparing for that day when Hermione would know all about the famous Harry Potter.er baffled

I was with my team getting some last minute training when I felt a familiar tapping.

"Hey Harry. I've been accepted into the school, and I've read all about you." She said excitedly, at least that's what she said at a twentieth the speed she actually said it.

I gave her a look full of confusion.

"Hey Hermione…I don't know what you mean by any of that but good luck today, I've been looking forward to this, hey you know I'm not sure they have this set up for secondary school, I'm going to have my Aunt ask about it. Anyway, see you up there."

"You...don't…know…" she said this as barely a whisper to herself as I happily went over to my team now it was time.

With her baffled and my cover intact I kept my distance to observe a much more confident Hermione, I could now how see she held her head a little higher and any bullying she received at that school probably didn't affect her as it may have before her birthday.

She clearly was still a bit of a loner though through her interactions with her team.

That was the last I'd seen of her, the competition had step up its questions difficultly at the semi final stage and they were knocked out, even I was surprised with some of the questions being asked.

We won the whole thing but with much more resistance from the last two teams we went up against.


Knock knock knock knock.

"Up, get up. Now!"

Dudley's Birthday, the Zoo.


After dishing out the bacon and eggs, Petunia broke the news that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg and couldn't take me.

Despite my much more brotherly relationship with Dudley the Dursleys made a point of going out of their way to have me not involved with his birthday celebrations as much as possible, forcing him to ask his parents to bring me.

As per canon the reptile house is where it all went down, I had lagged behind while looking at the Komodo dragon and turned to hear a commotion, Vernon was having a heated argument with some other man, about what o didn't know, I went to join Dudley and ask what was going on when I spotted the Boa constrictor display behind them.

"Hi there pal." I spoke to the snake in what must be parseltounge.

"A Sssspeaker?" It queried.

"Yessss friend, do you wish to be free?"

"Evvvvveryday."

"Be prepared."

I waited a moment as Vernon and the man drew closer to the case.

I cast the tiniest of inpedimenta jinxes causing the man to stumble like he had been pushed.

"Resorting to violence you lump?" He accused.

"Fine then."

He made as though to push Vernon, Vernon grabbed him, I willed the glass to vanish and cast a light wingardium leviosa onto the pair of them to help them over the railing.

The screams from the pair of them as the held into each other for dear life had me in pain while laughing.

"Thanksssss amigo." From the Boa as it passed me and went on to cause mayhem through the zoo.

I went into a second peel of laughter when they stopped screaming like babies to get out when they realised there's no snake and found the glass back in place and went right back to screaming.

Vernon of course blamed me and 'locked' me I. The cupboard.

Ahhh, the oddest of victories I thought to myself while giggling in the dark of my cupboard.

"Worth it."

Only a week left til my Hogwarts letter arrives.

Let's get this show on the road.