Author's Note: This chapter will have physical child abuse! You've been warned!

Harry Potter was standing to the left side of the room while he waited for the Dursleys to finish their breakfast.

It had been nearly a week since the boa snake accident, he can hold onto one more day.

Harry heard a faint noise coming from the hall and he knew it was the postman.

"Boy, get the letters."

Harry knew what to say, otherwise they'll be onto them. "Make Dudley get it."

"Dudley…" Vernon said as his face never left Harry's face, "poke the freak with your smeltings stick."

Dudley gave Harry an apologetic look and swung his stick at him which Harry managed to dodge and went out into the hall to fetch the mail for the Dursley family, he looked through it but stopped when he saw his name on one of the envelopes.

Mr H Potter.

The Cupboard under the stairs..

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey.

The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment and the address written in emerald-green ink. But the weird thing…there was no stamp.

Turning the envelop over, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, am eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'

Harry turned back and stared at the kitchen's door, thinking if he should put the letter into his cupboard since his uncle Vernon doesn't really go in there at all since he can't really fit in there, or should he just take it into the kitchen with the other letters?

He bit his lips and jumped when he heard Vernon's loud voice,

"Hurry up, boy! What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" then Vernon chuckled at his own joke.

Harry knew he had no voice, but he did put his letter into his back jeans pocket and put the helm of his oversize shirt over it so his aunt or uncle could see it. He went into the kitchen and handed his uncle the letters that are meant for them.

Sometime later he was doing the dishes as part of his many chores. Harry was reaching to put the glass away but that was when Petunia noticed that something was in his pocket.

"Boy, what are you hiding!?" she sheeched at him and pulled the letter out.

Harry saw a brief panicked look on her face and shouted out, "Vernon!"

Harry and Dudley were forced out of the kitchen and living room, but it didn't stop them from listening in.

"Vernon, look at the address." Petunia was saying in a whisper, "how could they possibly know where he's sleeping? You don't think they're watching the house?"

"Watching, spying or they might be following us." he said, "But that old man said they wouldn't bother us as long as the boy is beaten."

What old man?

"But what do we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them that–"

"No," his uncle said, "we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer…yes,,,we won't do anything."

"But-"

"I'm not having one in this house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took the freak in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"

"I suppose…" his aunt said, sounding like she wasn't sure that Vernon's plans would work. "But…what if they send someone?"

"Pet, no one will come. That old man said no one can find the boy since those blood wards should stop anyone from looking."

"Of course, you're right, Vernon."

Now wasn't that interesting? Harry didn't know what who they were talking about, but they were scared of these people.

Harry, later at midday, was in the cupboard under the stairs writing in his diary, it was a gift from Dudley since he didn't like writing at all so he gave it to him.

Dear Diary,

Today was weird this morning. As soon as the walrus got me to get the letters, there was one address to me and they freaked out once they found out.

Who sent it to me?

How did they find out where my so-called-bedroom was in the house?

Who is this "old man" they kept mentioning?

Was this old man the one who placed me with the Dursleys after my parents died?

As much as I would love the answer to these questions, I know the Dursleys would never answer them because of the one rule they gave me, no questions allowed.

I need these answers.

Harry hid the diary under his pillow as he heard the kitchen door open and he sat up upright since Vernon hates it when he is laying down.

The cupboard under the stairs opened to reveal Vernon, he knelt down towards him and put a box beside him.

Harry knew Vernon would've burnt the letter that was addressed to him, it won't be the first time has done something like that. So he won't ask questions about it.

Besides….. He isn't in the mood to be punished for it just now.

"Harry, about this cupboard, your aunt and I have been thinking…you're really getting a bit big for it…we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."

Well, that was some changes with him calling him "Harry" and not "Boy" or "freak." for a change and Vernon being nice towards him?

Harry thought it was too good to be true. So he forgot about not asking questions just this once, "Why?"

"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle, slapping him in the face. "Take this stuff upstairs, now!"

The Dursleys' home has five bedrooms; one for his aunt and uncle, one for visitors (usually his uncle's sister, Marge), one for Dudley to sleep in and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit in his first bedroom.

It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room.

He accidently bumped into Dudley and Harry gave him the short version on why he was up there.

"That's good! Isn't it?" Dudley asked him.

"Yeah, but you better go down and make a fuss about it otherwise they'll be suspicious about why you're not fussing about me moving into the bedroom." Harry told him.

Dudley nodded and went past him to go down the stairs to his parents.

Harry went in to sit on the bed, he waited until he could hear Dudley fake cry to his parents about him moving into the second bedroom.

If anything, Harry would rather live in the cupboard under the stairs with his letter than to be in the messy bedroom of Dudley's toys.

But Dudley's voice carried all the way upstairs, "I don't want him in there ... .I need that room…make him get out."

Harry laid on the bed, curling onto himself as he waited for his chores to begin. You see, Vernon is really funny about it.

Most days, Vernon makes him do all the house chores as soon as the breakfast is done or some days he makes him do the chores in the afternoon.

However the next morning, the strangest thing happened. Vernon, at breakfast, made Dudley get the post and not Harry.

"Dudley, get the post and don't even think about keeping anything."

Dudley gulped nervously and left, Harry knew he could disobey his dad so Harry held nothing against him as soon as he shouted out, "There's another one!"

With a strangle cry, Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall. HArry didn't dare to move from his spot on the floor, (Vernon made him sit next to his seat as if he were a dog) otherwise Vernon would punish him just for moving.

Vernon came in, looking very messy unlike other times. "Boy, go to your cupboard, I mean your room. Dudley, just go."

HArry got from his spot and went upstairs. Dudley looked at him with an apologetic look on his face, "Sorry. It-"

'It's fine, Dud. I have a plan. Besides, he would force you to beat me or something if you tried to hide the letter for me.' Harry signed.

Dudley nodded. "Yeah, probably."

"So don't be sorry about it." he told him, using speech.

Dudley understands some sign language but not a whole lot. So sometimes Harry uses sign language to him, but most of the time he has to talk.

Harry went into his bedroom, waiting for his uncle to come up with the very long list of chores.

But he never did. Most likely the walrus feeling overwhelmed from the mystery letters has made him forgotten. And for that, Harry won't complain.

Later at midnight, Harry got out of bed and slowly tried to sneak down the stairs. But he was very careful since one of the stairs creaked loudly for anyone to hear.

But his foot made contact with something very large and squishy. There was a shout and Harry fell and when he looked up only to see his uncle Vernon.

He had been sleeping on the stairs.

Vernon beat him a lot harder than he has ever done before, so Harry laid on the basement store in intense pain than he has ever felt before. His eyes slowly fell down as he accepted the darkness that took him.

The following morning he heard whispers, he weakly opened his eyes and saw Petunia.

"Vernon, you took it too far!"

"He was trying to get one of those letters, Pet!" Vernon said to her, "he has to learn that those letters aren't good for him."

"You didn't have to beat him to death! He won't be able to do the house chores while I'm out with our dudders."

Well as far as it goes with Petunia defending him, that was better than nothing.

"Did you even think about what would happen if those people do come by to find out about the letter and find him like this?!"

Vernon sputtered in trying to explain why he had to beat him nearly to death. "T-Then take him to his new bedroom and let him rest then!"

"I'm not touching it." Petunia said as he left the basement.

Vernon grunted and swung Harry over his shoulder, which sent a sharp pain in his rib. It took all his will not to cry out.

Vernon dumped him on the floor of the second bedroom and kicked him in the chest.

"Stupid freak."

With that being said, Vernon shut the door with a bang and went downstairs.

Sunday morning, a few days after he had recovered from the horrible beating Vernon gave him, Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.

"No post on Sundays," he reminded them happily as he spread marmable on his newspaper, "No damn letters today-"

Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of his head. Next moment, 30 or 40 letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air, trying to catch one and he did, tried to run to his room, but that wasn't possible due to his leg so Vernon caught him.

"WE'RE GOING AWAY, FAR AWAY!" he shouted, "Where they can't find us."

They drove for days, everytime they found a place that Vernon thought where the letters never came, they would show. So now Harry lies on the sandy ground of a hunt on the rocks out in the middle of nowhere in the sea.

He drew a cake and candles on the ground, "Make a wish, Harry."

HE blew the candles, then something happened. There was a bang at the door and he got up and hid in the side as his aunt and uncle came down, Vernon was even holding a shotgun.

The door popped down and obviously the man came in, "Sorry about that."

It was a man, so Harry peeked from his hiding spot to see a very large man, and he was way larger than uncle Vernon. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled bread, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

His mother's voice came into his mind, "Harry, when you go to Hogwarts, you'll meet a kind giant man called Hagrid. He's the one that sends us the rock cakes."

Harry didn't know what Hogwarts is, but he figured this man was Hagrid, the one that used to send the rock cakes from Hogwarts.

Harry watched with an interesting look on his face as the giant man, Hagrid, bent Vernon's gun. "Shut up, Dursley ye great prune."

Harry came out from his hiding spot, figuring the larger man won't hurt him. "An' here's Harry!" Hagrid said, "I haven't seen ye since yer were a baby, Harry. Yer look a lot like yer dad, but yer got your mother's eyes."

Harry just stared as Vernon made a funny voice, something both of them ignored. Even Dudley.

"Excuse me, who are you?" said Dudley, he sounded scared but Harry was surprised he said anything.

"His name is Hagrid." HArry told him.

"Yeh know my name, Harry?" Hagrid asked in surprise.

"I have a special memory, so I remember some things from before I was at the Dursleys. Mum mentioned to you once, something about rock cakes."

Hagrid did a laugh that sounded half happy but half sad at the same time. "Yeah, Lily was a great woman, that's for sure. But don't let that fool yeh, her temper was scarier than the depths of hell itself."

"Anyway, a very happy birthday to yer. Got summat fer yeah here. I might sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

Harry took a very large box from the man and opened it to see a cake with pink icing but the letters were green.

'Thank you.' Harry signed.

"What's yer doing, Harry?" Hagrid asked, confused.

"Oh, He's using sign language. He's deaf so sometimes he uses signs to communicate with people. But he can lip read." Dudley filled in for him, "he's saying thanks for the cake."

"Yer very welcome, Harry." Hagrid chuckled, then he looked at Dudley. "What yer name, young man?"

"Dudley, sir."

"Yer his cousin, right?"

Dudley nodded with a nervous squeak. But he did ignore his mother's calls to come behind her.

"Yer a nice boy. I'll let Dumbledore know about Harry."

He then looked at Harry, "But yer right. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." Hagrid told them, "Bet yeh know all about Hogwarts."

"Sorry, no." Harry said, deciding to keep talking since the giant man doesn't know sign language.

"No?" Hagrid said, looking surprised. "Don't yer wonder where yer mum and dad learnt it all?"

"Learnt what?" Harry asked, feeling even more confused. "Now wait jus' one second!"

He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.

"Do you mean to ter me," he growled at the two Dursleys, "That this boy knows nothin' about anything?!"

"But I know maths and things. So I do know some stuff." Harry told him.

But Hagrid just waved his hand and turned around to look at him so Harry could read his lips, "I mean, yer world, my world, yer parents' world."

"What world?" Dudley asked as Harry looked even more confused.

For once, he was glad Dudley was being a translator for him. Since everything felt very confusing and overwhelmed for the 11 year old.

They were an argument between HAgrid and the Dursleys. He turned to Harry again,

"Yer a wizard, Harry."

"I'm a what?" asked HArry in shock.

"A Wizard. And a thumpin' good one I'd say once yeh been trained up a good bit with a mum and dad like yours. Here's your letter."

But then Hagrid gave him the letter Harry had been waiting to hear for so long.

Harry opened it and read it,

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY.

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed 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 1st September. We await your owl by no later than 31st July.

Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall.

Deputy headmistress.

HArry stayed where he was as Hagrid pulled out a long quill and parchment and he wrote a note, which Harry read upside down.

'DEAR MR DUMBLEDORE,

GIVEN HARRY HIS LETTER, TAKING HIM TO BUY HIS THINGS TOMORROW.

WEATHER'S HORRIBLE. HOPE YOU'RE WELL.

HAGRID.

P.S. WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HARRY's DEAF, SIR. COULD IT HAVE BEEN ON THE NIGHT OF HIS PARENts' DEATH?'

Harry cleared his voice after he read that last part, so HAgrid looked at him. "No, it's not. I, uh…I lost my hearing years ago while I stayed with my aunt and uncle."

Dudley nodded to confirm this. "I don't have a good memory like Harry, sir. B-but…"

"Not another word, dudders!" Vernon said.

That shut Dudley up, most likely due to fear of being rejected by his parents.

"I see." Hargid said, and scribbled the last part out.

'NEVER MIND. BUT HARRY CAN LIP READ AND HE KNOWS SOMETHING CALLED, SIGN LANGUAGE'

Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped the note in its bleak, went to the door and threw it out into the storm. Harry prayed for its safe flight wherever it was going. Hargid then came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.

Harry then found out everything, who his parents really are, not two people that got behind the wheel drunk and died. But they were real heroes, the man that killed his parents and how he is now famous in the wizarding world for vanishing the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, when he was just one year old.

But the only thing Harry didn't understand….is how he did it as a baby?

"You KNEW?" Harry asked his aunt and uncle in a sad tone once the shock was over. "You knew all along and never told me?"

"Of Course we knew." His aunt sneered and went into a rant of how abnormal his mum was. "Then she met that Potter, had you and got herself blown up!"

"BLOWN UP!? You told me that my parents died in a car crash!"

Hagrid then pointed his umbrella to the two Dursleys, "Lily and James Potter died in a car crash? How could a car crash kill them? THAT'S AN OUTRAGE!"

"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Vernon.

Hagrid looked deadly now, "NEVER. INSULT. ALBUS. . .ME."

"Daaad.'

Harry looked at Dudley to see him fake crying again, "If Harry goes to this school, then you won't have to see him…." he then looked at Hagrid. "For how long?"

Well…basically from September to June. So…9 months, 8 if Harry decides he wants to return to them during Christmas."

"SEEEE? Let him go and he won't be around."

"FINE! HE CAN RUBBY GO!"

With that being said, he took his wife into another room. But he came back for Dudley.

"Dudders, come on."

"No, I think I'm fine, dad!"

"Fine." Vernon gumbled, he had never denied Dudley what he wanted.

Hagrid just started at the larger boy that basically blackmailed Vernon then he smiled. "Well, better than me usin' magic."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Oh, well ... .I was at Hogwarts myself but I, er….got expelled ter tell yer the truth in me third year. They snapped me wand in half but Dumbledore let me stay as a gamekeeper."

Harry blinked in shock, not sure what to say.

"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow." said Hagrid. "Gotta get yer ter town, to get all yer books an' that."

Hagrid took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.

"Yer can kip under that," he said. "Don't mind if it wriggles a bit. I think I still got a couple of dormice in one of the pockets."

Harry and Dudley looked at one another, then both of them giggled at the idea of the giant man carrying mice in his pocket.

In the middle of the night, Harry woke up from his strange dream of the long nose man again.

"Harry?"

Harry looked at Dudley, "did you have a bad dream?"

"Not exactly. I sometimes dream of a man in a long black cloak and robes. He also has a long nose."

Dudley made a humming sound, "Maybe you're like a Jedi and your dreams are telling you something?"

"Maybe."

"Harry?" asked Dudley once more as Harry laid back down.

"Hmm?"

"Promise me….that you won't forget me while you're at your magic school?"

"Never." Harry told him. "Ever since I saved you from that dog, you've been a great cousin to me. You'd be mad if you think I'm going to forget you."

Dudley smiled and both boys fell asleep.

Harry wondered what his time in the wizarding world would bring him, but he just wants one friend in this cruel and dark world. Yeah, Dudley's been a better cousin to him since he saved him from the dog but….

He just needs a friend that will see him as just Harry, not as the orphan or freak. Just Harry…

...

Next Chapter will finally be Harry meeting Draco, his first friend. I'm a little unsure what to do with Dudley since he's good in this fanfic. Some ideas are welcomed!

Remeber to comment!