Sunday started off with a hearty breakfast, but Harry's mood quickly shifted as he ate with Draco. "What do you mean you're going to be busy today?" Harry asked, his voice almost a whine.

"My father is coming to get me for some important things at Gringotts. I will be gone for most of the day." Draco said, touching his lips with a handkerchief as he finished eating. "He should be here any minute. I'll be back sometime after supper, Potter. What, can't live without me?" Draco teased with a grin.

"No! I just wanted to do some spell research with you today. I found one where you can summon things to you as long as you can visualize where it is! I wanted to see if we could do it." Harry crossed his arms, giving a huff.

"We can do that next weekend, Potter. Besides, I'm sure Hermione, Ron, or Neville would love to spend time with you for it." Draco looked over to the door and stood. "Oh, there's Father now. See you this evening, Potter!" Draco hurried towards the silver-blonde man Harry had met in Diagon Alley. Turning towards Harry, Draco waved to him and Harry returned the gesture with a smile.

After Draco and his father left, Harry went over to Hermione. She looked like she had finished eating a while ago, and was merely reading at the table instead. "Hermione, would you like to research a spell with m-"

"Sorry, Harry, not today. Professor Flitwick pointed me to an older version of the Charms textbook to look over, and I wanted to read it in the library."

Harry's face lit up at the comment, a spark of hope in his eyes. "Could I come and read with you?" he asked, his voice filled with eagerness.

Hermione shook her head sadly. "Sorry, Harry, I just want to zone out for a bit."

"Okay, I'll ask Neville or Ron." Harry sighed, disappointment evident as he headed over to the Hufflepuff table. Neville was talking with a third-year Prefect. Patiently waitig for it to end, Harry spoke up. "Hey, Neville, I was considering checking out a spell and was hoping you'd be able to join me? Hermione has some reading to do, and Draco's out."

Neville shook his head, a sad look on his face. "Sorry, Harry. Cedric here has offered to let me see a rare plant in the greenhouses, with Professor Sprout's permission. It'll be blooming today, and I don't want to miss it!"

Harry thought of how amazing a magical plant blooming would be to see. "Would I be allowed to come?"

Cedric leaned over. "Sorry, Potter. It's in the Hufflepuff-only greenhouse, and as the name suggests, it's only for us Puffs."

"Oh, alright." Harry said. Seeing Neville's apologetic face, he added. "Maybe you could tell me about it later?"

Neville beamed, seemingly excited to show his friend. "Of course, Harry! I'll even try drawing it for you!"

Cedric nodded. "I'll use the spell to let the drawing animate, too. It'll be like seeing the real thing."

"Really? Thank you!" Harry exclaimed, practically beaming. If he'd had a tail, it would've been wagging with excitement. At least he'd get to see something cool today. "Alright, I'll go see if Ron wants to join me, then. Show me the picture at supper, yeah?" he added, as Neville and Cedric both nodded in agreement.

Heading over to the Gryffindor table, Harry saw many of them glaring at him. Ignoring the hostile looks, he headed over to Ron. "Hey, Ron!"

Ron turned over at him, and Harry swore he saw annoyance in his eyes for a second before his features seemed to turn neutral. "Yeah, Potter?"

"Would you want to come and try to learn a new spell with me today?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Ugh, really? That's extra classwork. Today's a day off, and we have classes tomorrow. I'd rather be listening to Quidditch on the Wizarding Wireless, or playing Wizards Chess."

"Wizard's Chess?" Harry asked, unfamiliar with the game. He also still had no idea what Quidditch was, though he remembered Draco mentioning it briefly when they met in Diagon Alley.

"Well, yeah. It's a board game where you have to protect the King and order the pieces to move about. See Seamus and Fred? They're playing a game."

Harry looked down the table, seeing one of Ron's brothers playing a game of chess with the aforementioned firstie. As they played, Harry heard Seamus' voice. "Bishop to A-3."

Harry saw the piece move on its own, and suddenly the Bishop took its staff, stabbing the pawn that was there and causing it to shatter. "Wicked!" Harry said. "But do you have to replace the pieces every time?"

"Of course not. It's Wizard's chess. The pieces fix themselves when the game ends." Ron said, taking a bite of sausage and speaking with his mouth full.

Harry winced a bit and looked away. "Um… so… could I play?"

A fourth year came over. "Shove off, Potter. Slytherins shouldn't be here. This table's only for the brave and righteous, not for filthy snakes like you."

Harry felt a bit hurt. The pain hurt even more when Ron shrugged in response, not even bothering to defend his friend. "Sorry mate. That's the Gryffindor chess board. If the House doesn't want you, then nothin' I can do."

Harry's face fell as Ron shook his head, lowering his voice. "Besides," Ron muttered, glancing around, "most of the other Gryffindors are upset you didn't get sorted into our house. They're saying you're... evil or somethin'."

Harry frowned at that, almost shouting. "But I'm not!"

"I said, shove off, Potter! This isn't a place for you!" The fourth year shouted at him once more. The anger in his voice made Harry tremble a little.

"Oh, um… then I guess I'd better go." Harry said dejectedly. Ron shrugged, and turned back to his meal, while Harry slinked off. As he did, he heard laughter from the higher years that just seemed to make him feel even worse.

Harry had spent almost three hours with the spellbook he had found, carefully practicing the Accio charm. He had managed to get a few small things to come to him in the empty classroom, but nothing bigger than a baseball seemed to work with the spell. Still, he was happy with it but sad to be doing this alone.

When he left the library after he returned the book, Harry decided to begin exploring. Heading through the halls and watching the magic of the castle around him, he saw other students pass here and there, but Harry didn't bother them, instead wandering around the enormous castle.

Harry explored dozens of empty classrooms and broom closets—though he quickly shut one door after stumbling upon a pair of sixth-years kissing, muttering an apology as he dashed off. He avoided the third-floor corridor, remembering Dumbledore's warning; he'd rather not risk a nasty surprise to the head.

When he reached the fourth floor, Harry was struck by the silence—he'd expected the bustling activity, yet it was eerily quiet. Shouldn't there be the sound of work being done? Or something? Instead, it was dead silent.

Shrugging it off, he continued exploring. In some areas, he noticed colorful strands of magic twisting and converging around certain spots, like a wall across from a huge tapestry of a man teaching trolls ballet. Harry spent some time inspecting the wall, frustrated that despite all the magic, he couldn't find anything unusual. Even the mortar between the bricks was perfectly ordinary.

After giving up, he continued his idle wandering and passed portraits of many different figures. He waved to a few as he passed, happy when they waved back, finding himself close to the Great Hall. This time, he saw something odd. Instead of the normal magic of the castle, Harry saw a golden warmth. A bright, pure yellow was around an alcove with depressions lining the bottom of the alcove, barely visible only from the alcove itself. Harry walked up to it and curiously slid his hands along the cup-like depressions in the stone.

"Neat. I wonder what these are used for." Harry muttered to himself, as he traced his hand along the side. When he did, he felt a roughness. Poking his head into the alcove, he started to peer at the disturbance on the stone. It was those strange letters that Harry had seen before! As he stared at them, he felt his necklace heat once again. With a twitch from the back of his eyes, the letters shifted and suddenly made sense to Harry:

"The treasure of green pervades my line
And only those with the gift of careful mind
Can solve the riddle three

The first is treasure beyond compare
Born in the moon, and made of air
It shines with majesty

The second is ancient, strong and old
But hidden far within the fold
Of your mother's skin and bone

The third is hardy, and will not die
And in the deepest mountains lie
Its bands of sapphire stone

Those of my kin who wish to claim
What is hidden, and its fame
Shall gift me these tended three."

Harry dug into his pockets and pulled out a parchment, writing it down quickly. What was this riddle? What did it mean? Was it related to the depressions? As he finished writing it, he blew on the ink to dry it before putting it back into his robes. He'd ask his friends when they weren't so busy. Maybe Hermione would know something; she did enjoy reading Hogwarts: A History.

Leaving the spot, Harry never noticed the alcove seem to fade away from sight, seeming to make itself more ordinary to the naked eye.

Harry continued to explore the halls and corridors. He found magic tangled up around a large statue of a witch with a hump, but after doing everything he could to the witch, ranging from tweaking her nose to calling her names, he wasn't able to find anything out of the ordinary, just like with the wall on the seventh floor. With a grump, Harry soon left in frustration.

A few other secret passages were found that lead to different floors, and Harry even found one that would go from the Dungeons to just outside the Great Hall. He promised himself he would show Draco that one later. After all, that would save them a lot of time and effort when they woke in the morning.

Lunch came and went, but Harry was too engrossed in his journey through the castle corridors to bother with eating. He wandered through passageways, stopping to chat with several portraits, most of whom seemed delighted to have company. Many were napping or idly watching the empty halls, and Harry quickly realized they didn't often have visitors. As he asked them questions, they eagerly shared stories and bits of castle lore, clearly thrilled to be noticed.

Finally, Harry found himself heading down a long corridor, one that seemed to have doubled back a few times and made him come out where he had come in. It was a wonderful game, and so Harry tried to go backwards and forwards, experimenting with the endless corridor. Suddenly, the corridor shifted, and he saw a small stone hole appear in it.

"I wonder what this is," Harry murmured to himself, squeezing into the small space. It was snug but roomy enough that a full-grown adult could probably fit inside if they crouched. Well... maybe not Uncle Vernon

Harry giggled at the thought of Uncle Vernon coming in to explore with him and getting stuck as he crawled through the small tunnel. Oddly enough, it was rather well-kept and even had small bricks that gave off a dim glow, so it wasn't pitch black.

"I cannot believe-" Harry stopped, hearing a voice. "-fourth years! You should have been-" Harry could hear the voice as he crawled forwards a little more. He found himself at some sort of porthole, seeing that there was a painting covering it. Oddly enough, the painting seemed to act like a window; allowing him to see out of it like it wasn't there.

"Yes, Professor Babbling." Harry heard from a chorus of voices, seeing almost a dozen students in the room. The voice of the professor was loud, but the peek-hole wasn't positioned to be able to see the Professor, just the students. They seemed to be writing on a parchment, and Harry heard furious scratching at a blackboard.

"After seeing how horrible my replacement during my sabbatical was, I have no choice but to make all of you completely retake the first year, as I mentioned on Thursday. Today, we will begin with introductory Runes and work from there."

As the class began, Harry listened and started to find it fascinating. These were definitely fourth year students. Didn't Draco say there were classes that only higher year students could take? Suddenly excited, Harry dug into his robes and pulled out his Quill and parchment, setting his ink next to him in the tunnel. What fun! He was going to learn advanced magic!

Harry listened in as the Professor began the lecture. "Runes are the foundation of most magical arts that influence non-living objects, and some even ignore that restriction. Enchantment, which includes Broom manufacturing, as well as magical items, are almost always created using magical runes. Other professions include Wardmaster and Wardbreaker, both of which are heavily employed by both the Ministry and Gringotts, as well as things such as enchanting and magical tinkering."

Professor Babbling flicked her wand, having a broom next to her start flying around the room, as well as a kettle that seemed to heat with no visible flame, whistling after a moment. Harry was rather surprised; he had heard of portable stoves before! The magicals seemed to have their own version, but specifically used for a kettle. Idly, Harry wondered if they had discovered electricity yet.

Harry listened closely, fascinated as she continued. "Runes are the words of magic in its most basic form. A sword could become wreathed in fire or frost; a piece of armor could become nearly indestructible, and in the case of brooms, the runic carvings change how fast or dexterous the broom can become."

Harry noticed that most of the students looked bored, as though they'd heard it all before. But to him, it was fascinating, sparking a thrill of excitement. Imagine if he could do all those things! Make his trunk shrink and grow, or clean his clothes without needing water… His mind raced with ideas, quickly shifting to ways he could use magic to help his family at home.

"We will begin with the most basic of runes, similar to ancient Germanic runes called Futhark. Commonly used by muggles, history states that they may have seen magical peoples use them or gotten their hands on magical objects with them. More than likely, this caused them to attempt to replicate them and their effects."

Professor Babbling began explaining the runes, and Harry recognized the strange symbols from the ones Professor McGonagall had used around the basin. Each rune seemed to hold its own meaning—sometimes even two. Fascinated, Harry made a mental note to visit the Library afterward to check out a book on Runes for his nightly reading.

Soon enough, the remedial class had ended, and the students shuffled out. Harry put away his parchment of notes and his quill, carefully bottling the rest of his ink. He had used quite a bit, though he wouldn't have had it any other way with all he'd learned.

Sneaking back through the tunnel, Harry's stomach gave a loud grumble. He decided he'd grab the book on Runes before heading to dinner, eager to see Neville and Cedric's sketches of the rare plant.

Harry jumped into his bed, stretching gently. "I wish I could send a letter to Uncle Vernon. We've been here a week now." Harry groaned a bit, before Amber slithered from her favorite banister onto his chest. Draco had already gotten back, and was resting in his bed.

"Well, why don't you, Potter?" Draco asked from his bed, where he was leaning back on his pillow.

"I don't have an owl. Hagrid said he thought he may get me one for my birthday, but since I'm not allowed two pets at Hogwarts, he decided not to."

Draco blinked. "And is there some reason you can't use a school owl, Potter?"

"School… owl?"

Draco sighed. "The school has owls that are for student use, Potter. How do you think the poorer families, like the Weasleys, send letters back home? None of them have their own owl."

At the revelation, Harry's face scrunched up in embarrassment. "I… never thought of that. Where are they kept?"

"In the owlry, it's past the Astronomy tower and up two flights of stairs. It's easy to get to." Draco said. Harry repeated the directions to himself.

Draco sighed. "Listen, have your letter ready by morning and I'll take you to the owlry."

"Oh, alright. Thanks, Draco!" Harry grinned, and Draco rolled his eyes. Turning over to his bedside table, Harry grabbed his quill, ink pot, and parchment and started to write.

Dear Uncle Vernon,

The first week at Hogwarts was pretty crazy. There's some really long classes that we have to take… nine hours of classes a day! It's a lot of work, but a lot of the subjects are really fun. There are things like Charms and Transfiguration, though Defense Against the Dark Arts is a wash. The teacher is tough to understand, and his babbling gives me a headache every time I enter his classroom.

Potions is incredible. The Professor is REALLY hard on me, but I think it's because he knows I can do well if I put my mind to it. There are so many dangers from making potions, but if you learn how ingredients interact, it seems like it'd be easy! I wonder if you could do it; there's no real magic needed during the brewing that I noticed.

I haven't found anything on any magic that changes someone's mind, but I have been to the library. It's huge! It's got to be even bigger than the library you took me to once in London. And that one was enormous too! It's going to take me a while to find anything about our special research.

I have made a few good friends, at least one from every house! The houses are the places we were sorted into, depending on our talents. Everyone seemed to make the person who sorted us stop for a while; that's unusual, I hear.

First is Draco Malfoy. He's the son of a rich family; the heir, in fact! Families and ancient magics passed down by them are super important to wizards, and because he's from an old family, he gets a lot of respect. He even has two other boys named Crabbe and Goyle that were assigned by their fathers to be his bodyguards! He can come off as a bit of a blowhard sometimes, but I really think that we'll get along well. Did I mention he's in my house, Slytherin?

Next, a girl named Hermione Granger. She's someone I met on the train who's brilliant, and loves books as much as I do. She's really bossy and seems to always think she knows best, but she's really nice besides that. I love spending time in the Library between classes with her.

Next is Neville Longbottom; he is a boy who is extremely timid and really hard on himself. I want to try to get him to open up if I can. He really seems to have trouble with magic, but I think there's something wrong with his wand.

Finally, there's Ronald Weasley. He's got absolutely no filter on his mouth, even for his friends, but he seems to be a nice bloke. He has a large family, all of them magical, and he's also from an old magical family, but one that's fallen on hard times. He can sometimes be mean without thinking, but I want to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. But from what I have seen, he has worse manners than a starved dog at the Gryffindor table. Sometimes I wonder if he doesn't get a lot of food at home.

I really hope Dudley is doing well at Smeltings, and can't wait to show you and the rest of the family my magic at home! I hear there's something called the Statute of Secrecy that would normally prevent me from doing magic at home, but later this year I want to see if I can send a letter to the Ministry of Magic and get permission to practice. At least as long as it's only all of you that are around.

I hope this letter reaches you well; Hogwarts has their own owls, so I'll try to send you a letter every so often. Thank you so much for helping me get here, Uncle!

With Love,

Harry Potter

-Author's Notes-

Last night, I finished my Stage 2 proofreading for Book 1! Now all 41 chapters are finished and ready for Betaing. As they are beta'd, they will be released on the same 2 per week schedule. If you're interested in helping Beta, send me a message on Fanfiction or AO3!

So, a little bit of a teaser for things in the future. Do you understand the riddle? Well, if you don't then you have nothing to worry about. It's not meant for us normal folk; it requires someone with a specific set of skills. Skills that first-years wouldn't have!

Thank you so much for all of the follows and reviews. Each and every one means the world. Thank you for sticking with this story!

Harry potter is owned by JK Rowling, not me.