The motorcycle roared through the night sky, swiftly delivering Harry back home. As he hopped out of the sidecar, he cradled the trunk he had just bought, a broad grin spreading across his face. He waved enthusiastically and shouted, "Thanks, Hagrid!"

Hagrid waved in return and soon was driving off, leaving Harry to lug his new, large trunk to the front door, and knocking.

There was the sound of the latch pulling back before the door opened. It wasn't long after that he heard his Aunt's voice. "Oh. It's you. Hurry in, then."

Harry quickly pulled the trunk inside as she closed the door behind him. She sneered at him. "Well, to the crawlspace with you. I don't want to see any of those freaky things you purchased."

Harry was quick to bring his trunk to the small crawlspace door, but before he tugged it inside he opened it and scrounged through the contents. "Aunt Petunia?"

The woman, having not moved much to keep her eye on him, looked down at him without responding. He walked up to her with something in his hand. "I-I got something for you."

Harry's stomach churned from how nervous he was*.* He never had money in the past to buy anything, but now he did. His Aunt was always so angry at him. Maybe, if he showed he cared, she'd feel a little better?

Holding his hand out, Harry showed off a delicate and gently glowing lily flower that looked like it was made of crystal. Harry had seen it and thought of his mother; he hoped that his aunt would like it as well.

Aunt Petunia's face flickered with a whirlwind of emotions—first sadness, then anger—while Harry noticed something odd: a faint, swirling haze around her, as if a strange pulse of magic was briefly breaking through. *After being around magic in Diagon Alley, he had started to recognize it, to see it.

The cloud swirled around and through her head, its dark grey hue sending a chill down Harry's spine. It felt like pure vindictiveness, thick and oppressive, as if the very air around her had become saturated with malice he could almost touch.

Aunt Petunia gently raised her hands to the crystal flower, and when she took it, it shone with a gentle yellow light in her hands. Within the dark cloud, Harry caught sight of a faint glimmer of magic, swirling and pulsing as if struggling to push back against the malevolent force, fighting for control.

"L-lily…"

Harry didn't know what to do, but he felt a warmth in his back pocket. His magic surged, and as if responding to his confusion and tangled emotions, it leapt forward like an overeager hound, wild and unrestrained, crashing into the dark cloud with raw, unbridled energy.

His magic surged into the cloud and to the little flicker, empowering it, almost feeding it. The flicker shone and brightened before the dark cloud shuddered. Moments later, it seemed to soundlessly crack; as if it was made of glass.

With a bright flash, Harry had to avert his gaze as the shards of the gray magic shattered and turned to smoke, fading away.

Once the smoke faded, Harry looked at his aunt and froze. Aunt Petunia, the harshest lady he had ever known, suddenly started crying.

Holding the flower to her breast, Petunia's crying turned into an ugly sob as she fell back into a chair behind her. Her tears gently dripped down onto the flower as she tried to speak between heaving sobs. "Lily… I'm s-sorry… s-so sorry…"

She was saying other things, but Harry couldn't understand them. Knowing Aunt Petunia wouldn't be happy if he stayed out where people could see him, Harry hurried up the stairs to Dudley's room and knocked on the door.

"Hey, Dudley!" Harry asked. He normally didn't approach his cousin, but for the first time, he had a reason to.

Dudley's room's door opened, and he looked surprised at him. "What're you doing out of your hole, freak? Does mom know you're out?"

Harry pulled out the gift he had gotten for Dudley. He knew he couldn't use a broom, so instead, he got him something just as cool. A small figurine suddenly opened its wings, giving a mock roar. It shifted in Harry's hand, as Harry allowed it to climb into Dudley's.

"Is that… a dragon?" The boy's eyes shone in amazement.

Harry quickly grinned, seeing the amazement on his cousin's face. "Yeah, Dudley! I got it for you!"

Dudley watched the small dragon statue walk around his hand. It spread its wings and roared, even puffing out a bit of smoke. Harry had made sure the statue worked thanks to a rune under it, so Dudley could use it even though he was a muggle.

"That's wicked," Dudley said, looking at Harry. The look of appreciation in the boy's eyes was something Harry had never seen before.

"I know, right?" Harry beamed. The tiny dragon roared once more, and immediately slid under Dudley's thumb.

"See? It likes you. But you can't let anyone see it. It's illegal in the magical world and you could get into serious trouble if you do. When you want to have it turn into a normal statue, just hold it and say 'Sleep'." Harry explained, remembering the instructions the toy shop owner had told him.

Dudley was barely listening, instead fascinated by the dragon climbing around his hand. "You… aren't that bad, Frea- I mean, Harry." Dudley paused, glancing back with a strange hesitation before gently closing the door, his whisper barely audible as it clicked shut. *"Better get back to the crawlspace before Mum sees you though. She was pretty angry while you were gone."

Harry realized it was the first time Dudley had ever given him a warning for as long as he could remember. It was a strange feeling indeed.

Hurrying back downstairs, he saw Aunt Petunia was still sobbing in her chair with the crystal flower set next to her on the side table. Without another word, Harry quickly grabbed his trunk and pulled it into the crawlspace before joining it shortly after.

Uncle Vernon arrived home that evening, and it wasn't long before Harry heard a burst of commotion echoing from upstairs. *There was a lot of shouting, making Harry nervous. He felt his snake slither over and wrap around him calmingly, as if knowing he was frightened.

Did he do something wrong? Should he not have gotten those presents for Aunt Petunia and Dudley? Trying to read some of his new books was difficult, but as the commotion died down, he soon found himself once again lost in his books.

Not much later, the door to the crawlspace creaked open. Seeing the light from the kitchen, Harry hurried out to get his chores done. However, instead of finding Aunt Petunia giving him the evil eye as per usual, he found Uncle Vernon, who gestured Harry to the sitting room where Aunt Petunia and Dudley were waiting.

Aunt Petunia's eyes had dark shadows under them. It was obvious that she'd been crying for a while after he left her. Dudley himself looked horrible, as he seemed to have been biting his lip, some splotches of blood visible from how deep he had been biting it.

Uncle Vernon guided Harry to a seat before sitting down himself. "It's alright, lad. You should hear something that Petunia and Dudley have to say."

Harry was nervous once more. "I-I'm sorry if I did something wrong… I won't do it again!"

That made Aunt Petunia start crying again, and Dudley looked even more guilty. Uncle Vernon's voice was calm, helping to sooth the tension in the room as he spoke. "Nonsense, lad. You did nothing wrong. They just wished to say something to you."

Harry shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Noticing Harry's nervousness, Uncle Vernon rose from his chair, walked over, and placed a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry calmed down as his uncle's strong hand reassure him.

"Now, Petunia here has something to say first, lad."

Harry looked over at Aunt Petunia, who blew her nose into a tissue paper and tossed it into a waste bin that was overflowing with tissues beside her.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so… so sorry."

Harry was confused. His aunt was sorry? Sorry for what? What was going on? Was this a trick? She'd tricked him before in the past by pretending to be nice, something that had really affected him to his core.

Aunt Petunia saw the hesitation in his eyes as her tears continued to fall. "I-I don't know why I treated you like that all these years. Whenever I saw you, I was just so… so angry. And whenever Vernon spoke to me about it, I would make things worse. It was like a fog of anger, that filled my mind whenever I tried to think about you."

Harry shook his head. Was that the cloud of magic he had seen? Was this all because of that? Now even more confused, Harry did what was natural to him. "I-I'm sorry too, Aunt Petunia. Do you want me to do a double clean of the kitchen floor tonight? You seem to like it when I offer that." Harry's ending comment was normally something he kept hidden to himself, but Aunt Petunia seemed to need to hear him say that.

A fire seemed to light behind Aunt Petunia's eyes, as she sat up, wiping her tears. "It's not alright, Harry! All these years. Ten years of this… this hate towards you. All for the fact that my sister got caught up in the magical world, and not me. It was all… it was all jealousy. It had to have been. I can't just excuse it, but…"

Aunt Petunia took a deep breath and blew her nose again. "I can at least try to make amends and stop this treatment of you. Your uncle and I have spoken with Dudley about his behaviour. I don't know why I allowed it for so long. The bullying, the beatings, the abuse. God in Heaven, I should be in jail!" Aunt Petunia started to cry once more.

Uncle Vernon glared at his son. "And Dudley will been punished for what he has done. I could not believe what I heard; from my own son, no less! How could you grow up to become an important person if you torture those around you?"

Dudley's head hung lower, leaving Harry stunned silent.

What was going on? How had this happened? His aunt had always hated him. The fact she couldn't do much around Uncle Vernon was his only saving grace. But now she didn't hate him? That cloud, what had it been? Was she being forced to hate him? Harry decided to take the chance to ask about it, a well of bravery burning in his chest.

"Is this because of the weird magic stuff you had around your head?" Harry asked, his voice a bit unsteady. If things were different, then maybe, just maybe... he could talk about it?

Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley all froze in place.

"...What?" Vernon's response was the first, followed shortly by Aunt Petunia and Dudley giving shouts of consternation.

"W-well, I saw this weird cloud around A-aunt Petunia earlier, when I gave her the gift. I hadn't noticed it before, but when I got back from seeing so much magic, I-I knew w-what I was seeing was magic.W-when I thought about it, it's been around her as long as I could remember. S-so, I used my magic, and pushed. The cloud seemed to break and f-fade away." Harry stammered. Was he going to be slapped for the freakishness by Aunt Petunia? Or was Uncle Vernon finally going to start hating him for his unnaturalness?

"That settles it." Uncle Vernon said sternly.

Harry's heart sank as he flinched away from Uncle Vernon's heavy arm still resting on his shoulder. Panic surged through him, thoughts racing wildly: they were going to throw him out onto the street or worse, send him to an orphanage for sure.

Vernon saw Harry's panic, and gently grabbed both his shoulders. "Harry. Harry! It's alright, lad. Everything is okay now. Harry, I recently questioned Petunia about the day you arrived. When she took the letter that rested atop your bundle, she had immediately read it. Since then, she always acted so angrily around you.

"When I returned home from my anger management course in the states, I came home to what felt like a woman tainted by anger far more than when I had left. Every time I attempted to investigate, Petunia would get angrier and angrier until I let it be. Eventually, I decided to let it go. As much as it felt strange to say it, it felt like that letter did something to your aunt and cousin. "

Harry's eyes went wide. "How do you know that?"

Vernon shook his head. "It's not a for-sure thing, lad. It's more what happened after and her actions since then. For one, your aunt was always so bubbly before you arrived. She seemed to become far more bitter over the years. No matter how angry she got, I always tried to be a good husband. A good father. For the sake of our marriage, and Dudders."

Vernon looked at Petunia, who had started to sob once again.

"You mean you and mom are going to split up?" Dudley all but shrieked, the utter panic making his voice raise.

"No, Dudders, you don't have to worry about that. Thanks to your cousin Harry, your mother will be safe now. But this means that things have to change around here. Dudders. I'm very disappointed with you about everyhting you have done to Harry. That stops now."

Dudley looked at Harry with an unexpected sense of relief, guilt, and gratitude, an series of alien expressions in his eyes that made Harry shift uncomfortably in his seat. Dudley had never regarded him that way before, leaving Harry feeling both uneasy and bewildered. Thankfully, Vernon continued speaking.

"However, the biggest thing that leads me to believe that the letter may have been altered by someone who wished harm upon the family is the fact that Petunia told me she had immediately taken it to the fireplace and burned it once she had finished reading*.*"

Harry seemed a bit confused at the comment. The fireplace was meant to burn things, so why was burning a letter strange? Harry received an answer moments later: "Your aunt never burns anything but wood in the fireplace thanks to the ash that could cause problems in the house. Such a small detail, easy to overlook but obvious when I thought back about it."

Harry felt a dawning realization in his mind. "Would you like me to find out at Hogwarts if there's any sort of magic that can do that, Uncle Vernon? Make someone so angry all the time?"

Vernon grinned at Harry's offer. "Attaboy." He reached up and patted Harry's head. "That's the quick-witted fox I know."

Vernon's tone got serious. "While you're at school, I wouldn't mind if you could do some research. Nothing too strenuous, and don't let your grades drop because of it, understand? But while you're at Hogwarts, I want you to look specifically for such things and see if that's possible. It will give us closure and the ability to move on with our lives."

Harry wore a blank expression for a moment before nodding as Aunt Petunia got up from her seat. A moment later, Dudley followed suit. Harry flinched at their approach, bracing himself for the usual confrontation, but to his astonishment, they both stepped forward and along with Uncle Vernon, enveloped him in a massive hug. It was the first genuine family embrace he had ever experienced, warm and enveloping, washing over him like a comforting wave.

In that moment, the tension in his chest began to melt away, replaced by a sense of belonging he had never known. It felt wonderful—like a shield against all the hurt and uncertainty he had faced, a fleeting glimpse of what family could truly mean.

As Harry went back to his crawlspace in a daze, he heard his aunt's voice behind him. He flinched instinctively, but to his credit, he managed to mask it as he reached for the crawlspace door. "Are you absolutely certain you don't want Dudley's second bedroom?" Aunt Petunia's voice could be heard from the kitchen.

"I'm sure, Aunt Petunia. I like it down here!" Harry spoke up then he slid into the crawlspace, the familiar carpets and darkness making him calm down after such an eventful day.

Harry could hear Uncle Vernon speaking from the other room. "I'll see about getting it expanded to a full room while the boy's at school. Every boy should be able to have a room of their own, and now that you're alright with the lad I can start using some of our retirement funds to expand the house."

Harry heard Aunt Petunia move to speak with Uncle Vernon as he went over to his small "bed". As he did, his snake opened its eyes and peered at him curiously. §§How wasssss your outing, sssspeaker?§§. The snake had wanted to comfort him earlier, but now it seemed time to distract Harry from what had just happened.

§§It was okay, but what came after… it's… I still don't know.§§ Harry's hissing response was muted. The small boy pulled his knees to his chest and sat in a fetal position. §§My aunt's always been mean to me, but I just found out it may not be her fault.§§

§§Whosssse fault would it be then?§§ The python asked, slithering over and gently sliding into Harry's grasp. The movement made Harry uncurl from the position with its gentle nudge.

Once the serpent coiled with him, Harry finally relaxed and pet the snake. It hissed a bit, a gentle sound that indicated it seemed to enjoy the attention.

§§I don't know. I don't know who sent the letter, and Aunt Petunia remembers nothing of it.§§ Harry said, his hand gliding down the serpent's coils.

§§Ssssso find out.§§ The python's response was curt, which caused Harry to look down at it.

§§I-I mean, I'm going to try, but it could be anyone!§§

§§The easiest question to ask, sssspeaker, is who would benefit from your family hating you?§§

Harry nodded, a look of understanding gradually settling on his face. §§That would make sense… I don't know who left me on the doorstep or what motives they had. I'd have to find out more. But all this is still… I… it's overwhelming, okay?§§ Harry said softly. §§Everything's happening so fast. Hogwarts, finding out I'm a noble, the magical world. Mister Dark prepared me for this a little, but I never expected it to be like this!§§

The python hissed, cutting Harry's rambling thought process off by changing the subject. §§I would like a name, sssspeaker.§§

Harry stopped. It had been a week now, and it hadn't left. The thought made him think for a moment. This snake was his pet. It was his. In a way, it was a living treasure. Harry felt encouraged with that train of thought.

§§How about Slither?§§ Harry's mind went to Slytherin, the house of the cunning at Hogwarts. He had been reading Hogwarts: A History off and on since he had gotten home, barely breaching the first chapter.

§§Sssssilly name. Why would you name me Sssslither?§§*The snake hissed. §§I would like ssssssomething more regal.§§

Harry laughed gently and pet the snake's eye-ridges. §§Picky picky.§§

He took a deep breath, feeling the throb in his chest intensify, a longing to transform into his fox form coursing through him. Before he even realized what was happening, he noticed his hand beginning to change slightly as he became lost in thought.

Relaxing into the feeling, his body shifted in the snake's grasp and he soon was his normal fox cub self. He relaxed in the snake's coils as he thought carefully. After a moment, he spoke, using that same hissing yip the snake seemed to understand.

§§Amber.§§

The python hissed. §§Amber?§§

§§For your scales.§§

Harry found it difficult to speak like this, but he was more at home in his fox form than his human form. Plus, he didn't feel sick when he used his magic in this form. Everything about it felt natural.

The python hissed gently. §§I like thisssss name. Amber. I sssshall be your Amber.§§

Harry gave a happy fox yip as he relaxed in the coils and considered something. §§Amber?§§

§§Yesssss?§§

§§Why do you call me Speaker?§§

§§Becausssse that is what you are. A Ssssspeaker to ssssscalekind.§§

§§So I could speak to lizards if I wanted to?§§

§§Sssssome. Not all are asssss intelligent as sssssserpents.§§

§§I see.§§ Harry wiggled a bit, positioning himself so he could continue reading while coiled within Amber's scales.

The next few days were interesting, to say the least. His aunt and cousin treated him neutrally, but for Harry, it felt like they were treating him as a king. He only had half as many chores around the house since Dudley was forced to do some, much to the boy's chagrin.

This extra time allowed Harry to pour over his books, learning and preparing for his classes. He found himself reading the potion book a few times, becoming fascinated by it and its hints about how some potions could be used as ink for runes. There were small excerpts here and there that mentioned runic magic and the benefits of ink over carving.

Harry wondered if his aunt and uncle could make potions. From reading the books on basic magic, he idly mused that while they wouldn't be able to use a wand, they might be able to stir the cauldron and add ingredients. Only the final portion of the potion used magic, at least it didn't say otherwise in the book.

As Harry thought of it, he grabbed a page of parchment and the pen his aunt had given him days earlier to write his response to the Hogwarts letter. He started scribbling down a list.

Who sent the letter and left me on the Dursley's doorstep?

Potions - Can muggles make them?

Runes - What are they?

Harry winced as a sharp pain shot through his chest while he wrote down the list. He'd need to uncover that as well, so he quickly scribbled it at the end of the list.

Find why my chest hurts when I go for a while without turning into a fox.

Harry took some deep breaths and the feeling slowly faded. It was getting increasingly worse, and he could barely make it through the night anymore without his daily romps. He wondered if something was wrong with him or his magic.

Still, he put some of the books back into his trunk. He suddenly heard a slight tinkling sound, and something dropped from his pocket.

He froze. The thing Hagrid took from Gringotts! He had completely forgotten about it, with getting his wand, and meeting Draco, and then sending the letter to Professor McGonagall.

Oddly enough, now that the object had fallen from his pocket, Harry felt a strange sense of emptiness, as the object seemed to feel like a part of him that was missing. His magic swirled toward the object, dancing around it as if they were made of the same essence, intertwined in a way that felt almost familiar.

Carefully, Harry reached out, fingers reaching and gently clasping around the small object. It resembled a small ruby-colored stone, about the size of a robin's egg, yet the magic it radiated was eerily comforting to Harry. Bathed in a deep, rustic red, the magic within it seemed to beckon him, singing softly as he picked it up, encouraging him to embrace its warmth.

As he did, the stone began to gently shine against his palm. The magic of the stone seemed to flicker and push into and around him, as though it was a living thing.

"What are you…?" Harry whispered as he watched the stone, the magic twisting as if it tried to answer him. The stone sparkled gently in the middle of his palm. It seemed to thrum and pulse with life, as if it wasn't a stone but a heart, beating gently in his hand.

Harry breathed in and out, and he found himself shifting into his fox form on instinct. As he did, his magic suddenly burst from his body, the shape of a raven and a gryphon appearing in his magic, almost like they were summoned.

The two magical images twisted around the red magic, almost as if they were examining it. After a moment, the two spectral beasts seemed to calm, then bowed before the red magic, disappearing before Harry's eyes.

As the two faded away, Harry gave a yelp when the stone sank into his tiny paws like it was made of liquid. Harry felt a bit of panic. What were those spectral beasts? And what did the stone do? He tried to look at where the stone was, but all he could see was his paws.

Suddenly, his paws began to glow, and before he could react, the magic surged through his body, racing up toward his neck! He yelped, tumbling backward as the stone's magic pressed against his neck and disappeared from view.

Desperately, he moved his paw upward, trying to touch the spot where the magic had entered, but all he felt was the softness of his own neck. Panic set in as he pawed around, feeling only his own fur, searching for any sign of the mysterious connection.

Immediately, he turned back into his human self, ignoring the protest of his body as he returned to a much less comfortable form. However, for some reason, the pain was dulled, nowhere near as it had been before.

Harry reached up to his neck, feeling it as his fingers suddenly touched cool metal. His fingers felt around and found out it was some sort of chain. Carefully, Harry touched and felt along the chain, reaching its zenith at the base of his neck.

At the base of the metal chain, he felt the stone, surrounded by that same cool metal. When he touched it, he suddenly felt the strange reassuring sensation, pulsing against his fingertips.

Harry moved out of the crawlspace and headed up to the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, he turned to the mirror. There, he saw it. It was like it was some sort of silvery metal necklace with a large ruby forming a pendant at the base of his neck.

Had he done this? Did his magic do this? Were those two spectral beasts related? Harry fiddled with it in the mirror and examined it. Along the edges of the pendant that held the gem, he could see on one side the gryphon and the other a raven. Just like the magical creatures he had seen before.

After a few minutes, nothing else seemed to happen. Returning to the crawlspace as quickly as he could, he flopped down onto his bed. Well, there is no sense worrying about it when there was nothing he could do, he thought.

He reached up and tugged at the necklace a few times, but when nothing happened, he relaxed and returned to reading his books.

-Author's Notes-

And so the bombshell drops. Seems that Petunia was affected by something, and the Dudley just grew up being told Harry was someone to despise. Well, it seems Vernon has finally stopped being so henpecked and taken control of his family.

Thank you all for the well-wishes about Hurricane Helene! Thankfully, this new one is not coming in my direction, but my prayers go out to all who are in Florida. Helene, and now this new cat 5? Ooof.

I believe that we will be able to do a second chapter this week. Next chapter begins Harry's adventure in Hogwarts proper, and the opportunity to make friends. I believe you guys might like the group that forms around him.

Once again, Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling. This is merely my own take on her story.