After accidentally turning into a fox, Harry found himself experimenting with the sensation as the days went by. Harry had returned to that spot, speaking with Mister Dark in secret after each success.

"So, it's this weird feeling that seems to draw in stuff from the air around me, and suddenly, it feels like… woosh!" Harry said quickly, trying to accentuate with his hands. The scraggy older man seemed to nod, listening.

"Yes, that's definitely magic.… Quite strong, as well," he explained. "A wizard's ability is normally dictated by how well they can draw magic from the world around them and hold it within themselves."

Harry's eyes sparkled, thinking about it. "So I'm like a balloon?"

The man laughed. "Somewhat. But you don't have to worry about popping or anything." The man's grin was hard to see under his big, bushy mustache. "But the major thing is, you should practice using that magic within yourself."

Harry nodded, and then looked down. "M-my Aunt Petunia doesn't like it when I do that. She calls me a freak, and says that I'm not to do any of that freakishness."

Mister Dark seemed surprised. "Petunia? Really? I used to know her, and she was quite a wonderful person. She always loved magic, and her sister always loved to share it with her." Harry was surprised to hear that. "Y-you mean you knew my mom?"

The man turned away, his smile quickly replaced with a frown. "I was… close with your mother a long time ago. But stuff happened, and things..." Mister Dark hesitated, and looked at the ground with a sad expression on his face. "Well, all you need to know is that bad things happened, and suddenly, I wasn't able to find you anymore. But, you'd best be getting back. We don't want your Aunt to be searching for you."

Harry was quick to agree, and he stood up to prepare to leave. Before he could, however, the man handed him a book. "Here. Try to read this when you can, and then try to use it in private."

Harry nodded, looking quickly at the title. "Magic Around You".

By the time he looked back, the man was gone. Mister Dark was a strange man indeed, Harry thought.

Harry soon turned and hurried back to his Aunt's home. He didn't notice the large, black dog that ran from the alley he was just in.

His chores were simple, making Harry thankful as he kept the secret book under his clothes and hidden. It was like it was calling to him, whispering that he could learn more about magic, more about this world he found himself in.

As he finished cooking dinner, he hurriedly went to his crawlspace, too excited to eat even a morsel as he hurried to his batch of carpets and took out the book.

The next few weeks were spent reading the book, and Harry found himself learning more and more about magic. It seemed to be based on willpower, and so Harry found himself doing several exercises to try to focus himself like that the book recommended.

A few more meetings with Mister Dark included discussions on had discussed new ways to focus his magic, which led Harry to a few ideas. After some time, he finally found himself starting to experiment.

At first, it was strange. Sometimes, after focusing, he would find himself with a fox's paw for a hand, or a fox's muzzle. A stub of a tail, or even sharp teeth. He was close, the boy's excitement building the closer he got.

After almost three months of trying and following the book, Harry had found the exact feeling. Tugging on the feeling and focusing his magic, he turned into a fox for the first time on his own power.

With his new fox form, Harry felt quite happy. He would sneak out of the crawlspace and explore Privet Drive. The knowledge he gained from being able to squeeze into small spaces wasn't something to be dismissed.

Slowly, Harry found himself "winning" more rounds of Harry Hunting. After a few more months, Dudley and his friends had to rely on ambushing Harry to catch him.

Of course, Harry couldn't always be on his guard, so when those Hunts happened, he would often return home with some nasty bruises. Still, Harry had always found he healed a little faster than "normal" people, so he wasn't too worried.

On the eve of his 9th birthday, Mister Dark had brought him another book. Harry had been excited about it as he gazed upon the golden-inlaid book titled "Nobility and Customs of the Wizarding World". What Harry found inside took his breath away. It was quite simply incredible.

"The Regal 40 are a group of 40 families that have long had the most magical power in the world. Living here in Britain since the Fall of Albion, the 40 have long been the pinnacle of government in the wizarding community. Of the Regal 40, there are 8 Most Noble and Ancient Families, the highest and most magically powerful of the families. Then there are 10 Ancient Families, followed by the 8 Elder Families. The final rank are the Magical Houses, of which there are 14, including those who have long been the staple of the wizarding world, such as the Clearwaters and the Bones. Many of the lesser magical houses who are not a part of the Regal 40 consistently claim they are of higher sitting than they are, but magical tests have proven otherwise. This does not prevent them from attempting to change things, inventing the 'Sacred 28', something that this author considers laughable."

Harry was fascinated by the information about the nobility. Sacred 28, Regal 40,… so many different families! Harry quickly found himself turning the page, seeing a list of all of the nobility. It was quite a large list! As he read the list, he noticed a funny name, Longbottom, which made him giggle to himself.

After reading on, he also noticed that in the 8 Most Ancient and Noble families, the name "Potter" was listed.

He giggled excitedly, pretending it was his family, even though he knew it couldn't be. After all, Potter was a pretty common name. He knew of a classmate named Marcus Potter from school, and was quite sure there were some Potters in one of the houses down the street.

But still, Harry loved pretending to be an Heir or a Lord in private. Harry would pretend he was rich, and spent all day managing people like the book said; helping those under him, managing affairs of his estate, and otherwise being important.

Practicing bowing and learning how to speak to others while in private, Harry found a love in the nobility of it all. It was his favorite pastime, imagining he was a Prince of some far-off land, someone who wasn't a Freak.

Of course, eventually, he did make a small mistake.

When he had served up dinner one day to the family, he had accidentally given a servile bow and stated politely that dinner was served. All three members of the family were stunned and stared at him in astonishment, though Petunia had a big grin on her face.

The grin scared Harry. Had he messed up?

"Where did you learn that, boy?" Vernon's voice was curious, a tone that Uncle Vernon rarely used. Harry stopped, and straightened up.

"I-I found a book in the school library. I thought it'd be nice," Harry's tiny voice said after a few scant moments.

Aunt Petunia clapped her hands. "Finally! After all these years, we're actually getting through to you! You're learning to behave like a normal, actual person! Not like some little freak. Oh, Marge is going to love this when I write to her about it." Aunt Petunia seemed giddy, and Harry wasn't sure he liked that. He'd never seen his Aunt acting like that before.

Harry had waited until the three were done with dinner before taking the dishes to be washed. When he did, he heard Vernon talking to Petunia. "I admit I was worried that you were being too harsh on the boy while I was at work, Pet, but seeing him like that, it sounds like you're teaching him well." Uncle Vernon said.

Harry washed the dishes, using the time to listen in. "Oh yes, dear. He's very hard to teach. Belligerent and refuses to listen to me. I always told you that you should use the cane more-"

"I will not have that sort of talk in this house, Pet." Vernon's voice was harsh and rough, barking out the words quickly. "I told you this. My father used the cane far too much, and when I grew older, I realized such things would only harm a child." Uncle Vernon's voice concealed no small amount of anger in them.

"Vernon, Dear, there's only so much I can do otherwise. He's just like his mother. Headstrong, belligerent, and crass. I told you all about her, how she was a demented woman who was too freakish and unnatural for her own good." Aunt Petunia sniffed, as if angry her husband didn't agree with her.

"I said no, Pet. And that's final. Besides, you can see how the boy works hard, and now he's even learning manners. I'm proud of him." Harry's chest throbbed as he heard those words. Uncle Vernon was proud of him! He'd have to pour over that book even more. He'd make him so proud!

"Well, Dudley is learning well too. He's even getting a boxing scholarship for the Minor's League at St. Grogory's." Aunt Petunia sniffed again.

Vernon clapped his hands before turning to Dudley. "What wonderful news! You will be a fine lad in the future, Dudders. Mark my words. Keep on bulking up, though. The more weight you can put behind your punch, the better it will be!" Harry bit his lip to keep from snorting. If Dudley bulked up any more, he'd become the star of the football team, as the ball.

The conversation switched to talk of work, as Vernon nodded. "I got a promotion today, Pet. I'm now the Director of Development at Grunnings. I'm in charge of the team that designs the new drill heads at the factory." Vernon's voice was beaming with pride as Aunt Petunia clapped her hands in excitement.

"That's wonderful, dear! A Director, at age thirty! Oh, you must be the youngest director there." Aunt Petunia seemed ecstatic, though Harry wondered if it was because of the pay increase more than pride. Not that he'd ever say anything of the sort to his Aunt.

Once he finished the dishes, he moved to the counter to get his own small dinner. Taking the plate of what was essentially scraps, he moved to head to his crawlspace.

Before he could enter, he was stopped by Uncle Vernon. "Excellent work with your manners today, boy. Keep it up." Uncle Vernon's hand patted his Harry's head and, as the boy beamed up at him.

"Y-yes, Uncle Vernon! T-thank you!"

With that, Harry hurried to the crawlspace and shifted into his fox form. He preferred eating in that form as his stomach was smaller, and even the small scraps allowed him to feel full. As he ate he relaxed with his nobility book, fascinated by the knowledge hidden within.

Some weeks passed, and soon enough, it was nearing his tenth birthday.

Harry was woken up to a rapping at the door of the crawlspace. Yawning, Harry quickly turned back into his human form, shaking off some white and black fur that had stuck to him before quickly brushing himself off and hurrying to the door.

He found Aunt Petunia waiting for him, and the woman quickly handed him a bucket and a scrub brush. "The front driveway needs a good scrub. It's getting dirty. When you're done with that, make sure that you weed the garden and trim the hedges. When that's done, I want you to make sure that Dudley's second bedroom is cleaned. He had friends over yesterday. Then, get yourself cleaned up. Vernon insists that we're going to be taking you to the Zoo today with Duddykins but if your chores aren't done, you will not be coming."

Harry quickly gave a courteous bow and went straight to work. Working had become routine these days, but he had never received a reward before. Was he doing well? He felt a bit prideful as he cleaned. As he did, his mind considered more of the nobility book he had been reading.

It was such a fascinating book, learning about the tiers of nobility and their duties. The Eminent and Ancient Families were the ones in charge of managing magic itself; of learning and mediating arguments about it. They sat at the head of the Wizengamot, the governing magical body.

Next were the Most Ancient and Noble families. They were in charge of the day-to-day to day life of the magical world. Food, supplies, and otherwise managing the peasantry were all their duties. Harry had found that interesting. How do you manage so many people?

After that were the Elder families who were in charge of the finances of the wizarding world. They frequently collaborated with the Goblins, who were renowned for their skills as warriors and their expertise in finding rare metals and digging in the often acted alongside the Goblins, who were mentioned as being skilled warriors and had an eye for rare metals and digging in the earth.

Finally, there were the Noble Families, and they were the bulk of the Sacred 28 and the Regal 40. These families were all given different duties, from sanitation to protection and even managing magic creatures! Harry's head spun from just trying to think of how much work they had to do.

Each family had various seats in the Wizengamot, with Eminent and Ancient families having six, Ancient and Noble Houses having four, Elder families having three, Noble Houses having two, and Families having one.

Each family could trace their lineage back a certain number of generations, with the Eminent and Ancient families having once been related to King Arthur himself!Each family could be traced back a certain number of generations, with the Eminent and Ancient families once being related to King Arthur himself!

As Harry scrubbed the front driveway, he grinned at the thought of King Arthur. The House of Pendragon. Imagine his surprise when he read that it was real! Though the line had mostly died out, supposedly with the Fall of Avalon, which led to the extinction of the Eminent and Ancient Families.

Harry had wanted to find out more about the history of those days, but he didn't know where Mister Dark was getting these books. They didn't seem like normal books from the library. Maybe someday he'd be able to get him to bring him to where he was getting them.

With the driveway completed, Harry moved on to the other chores he had been assigned. It didn't take him long; he was getting pretty good at it, he thought. Finally, he headed inside to go and get dressed, and he saw Vernon sitting in his favorite chair.

"Excellent work, boy. Now go get ready to go." Vernon said as he looked up from the newspaper he was reading.

Harry smiled, and hurried to switch his clothes without another word.

Soon enough, the four were headed to the zoo, one of Dudley's favorite birthday locations. The boy always loved to see the tigers, though Harry mostly stuck around the snakes since he found them rather pretty.

This time, however, he found Vernon sticking with him while Aunt Petunia and Dudley hurried off to the tiger exhibit.

"So, lad, how have things been the past year?" Vernon's voice was gruff as always, but Harry had gotten used to the roughness of it.

"E-everything's been fine, Uncle," Harry said with his small stutter.

His Uncle moved behind him, and peered at the snake he was looking at. "You know, boy, a lot of people are scared of snakes. A shame, really. Many of them are merely misunderstood."

Harry seemed curious. What was his uncle talking about?

"I just want you to know, boy, I might be hard on you at times, but I want to say that you are my nephew, no matter what. Don't be afraid to come to me if you need anything. No matter what Petunia says." Uncle Vernon patted Harry on the head. Harry opened his mouth before he closed it after a second, thinking about what his Uncle had said.

Uncle Vernon wasn't home for a majority of the day, sure, but he WAS the patriarch of the family. It made Harry think carefully, and he soon was lost in thought.

The small nine-year-old was interrupted when he noticed his uncle speaking again, ushering him forward to rejoin the other two.

When they got home, Harry had a lot to think about when under the crawlspace. His Uncle was his favorite of his "Family", that was for sure. But why had he spoken like that today? What was going on?

The question was answered soon after, when Vernon announced that he was going on a business trip for five months. Grunnings had wanted him to head to a mining site in Germany, to look over the different drills used and try to find improvements.

Harry found himself filled with dread at the announcement. His uncle was leaving? For so long? This would be the longest trip he'd ever taken.

There was a dark glimmer in Dudley's eye as he heard the announcement; Harry had noticed it quickly. He had a feeling that the next five months were going to be hard. Still, he had Mister Dark, at least, and his nightly romps as a fox.

A shudder slid down his back as he thought about it. Five months without Uncle Vernon? He hoped nothing bad would happen.

He should have known better.

The very evening that Vernon had left, Petunia had called him out of the crawlspace and explained to him that Harry was to scrub the house from top to bottom.

It had been just the beginning, made worse when Dudley made sure to torment him every chance he could.

The worst part was when Dudley tipped over the bucket of suds in the kitchen. Harry had gotten such a slap that his head had been ringing afterwards for minutes.

The nights were always the best, where Harry could return to his crawlspace. It didn't even matter to him that Aunt Petunia told him that freaks should remain in dark places, something she always was happy to do.

His crawlspace was his den, his home. His books were there, and he was always happy to read them. But after a few days, he had finally reached the end of Nobility and Customs of the Wizarding World.

Of course, the customs at the end were rather specialized. The talk of Duels and Blood Feuds were interesting, though. Harry had found himself imagining he could challenge Dudley to a duel; maybe then he'd leave him alone.

Of course, Harry didn't think he could beat Dudley, but it was his dream, and he could imagine, right?

The day after he had finished the book was a sad one for Harry. After spending so long reading it, having finished such a good book left him feeling empty, a fact he shared with Mister Dark. Whenever he told of it, Mister Dark always returned with a new book, so Harry wasn't sad for long.

The week after Harry had told Mister Dark, the man had a book with silver letters printed upon it. However, Harry sat there, stunned when he read the cover.

"Spells and Runes: An Introduction". Harry was stunned.

A real spell book! Like something out of a fantasy novel! Harry gave a light squeal, hugging the book to his chest, and almost barreling Mister Dark with his excitement. The man's ear-to-ear grin told Harry he wasn't alone in his excitement. Harry didn't waste any time, pouring over the book as soon as he made it back to his crawlspace.

The new book made the next few months almost tolerable. His Aunt and cousin made sure to keep him "in his place", but he always had his books to return to. When things were at their worst, Harry had always found Mister Dark in their secret spot, as if he had somehow known.

Their discussions went to spellwork and magic almost every time they met, with Harry always a bundle of questions. Mister Dark always answered them the best he could; Harry was "brimming with talent," according to the man. The man always seemed to enjoy Harry's ability to turn into a fox, spending time lecturing about magic with the boy in his lap.

Every so often, Mister Dark seemed to trail off, his eyes clouding over and growing wistful. Harry always remained quiet in those moments, even nuzzling into his hand if he was in fox form. It seemed to help, since Mister Dark would eventually come out and continue the lecture when he did.

Harry had found he adored his time with Mister Dark, and his nighttime runs each night.

Uncle Vernon's return was punctuated with the large man bringing home gifts from Germany. For Aunt Petunia, he had gotten a rather beautiful German nutcracker that was hand-carved in Germany. For Dudley, he got a really cool steel tankard which Dudley started pretending he was drinking beer from almost immediately. However, what surprised Harry most was that Uncle Vernon brought him a small present as well: It was a small toy drill.

Harry had loved it, giving his Uncle an enormous hug as he immediately brought it to the crawlspace, putting it with his other treasures.

Harry's reading of the spell and rune book had made the boy interested in what was called "Runes".

From what he understood, they were magical symbols that could be carved into different materials to create what was called an "array." The Array could do many things, and Harry was excited to see examples of it in the book. From warding a place to influencing the objects, it was a wonder to see.

The book also explained how many different spells worked. However, unlike the runes, the spells required a wand, which was something Harry knew he couldn't get. He seemed a bit disappointed as he read over all the neat spells, spending time practicing with a simple little stick.

As Harry finished reading the spell book, Mister Dark already had another book ready for him. This one was quite thick, and the front cover had an embossed picture of a short creature in full armor. "Magical Creatures: A History."

Harry read in small print underneath that it was supposedly "Number three in the best-selling 'A History' series". So there were more? Were these like encyclopedias? Harry had seen those in the library the one time he had gone as a small kid.

Harry shrugged and opened the book, and began to read.

Almost immediately, he found himself lost in the stories within the book. Stories of fearless goblin warriors fighting entire flights of dragons, centaur seers predicting dangerous cataclysms and saving tens of thousands of lives.

The book was filled with histories of magical beings, wood elves deep within the forests, enclaves of naga in the Sahara desert, and so many more.

Every section Harry read, he discovered more about their culture and their lives, knowledge that fascinated him to his very core.

Without even realizing, he had stayed up the entire night reading a story about a skilled goblin blacksmith who had forged a sword so great it was called "perfection" in the goblin's tongue. Excalibur. A sword given to the human king, Arthur Pendragon, to signify his ascension to the crown.

The sound of knocking at the crawlspace door made Harry jump. He quickly had come to a quick realization; it was morning already!

He quickly put down the book and hurried out to get working on his chores. But for the rest of the day, his mind swam with goblins, elves, centaurs, and merfolk, and the stories of their people.

-Author's Notes-

And so we have another chapter released to the public. On some weeks, I will try to give you guys two chapters a week, the second releasing Thursday or Friday. The story will be weekly still, but sometimes I'll give you guys a treat here and there when I get enough chapters edited well enough.

Once more, anyone who is interested in being a beta reader, no matter your skills, I would love to have you. Even someone who can tell me if a story is coherent or simply makes sense is someone who can help. Reviews are welcome, but I know a lot of you guys probably are busy, and like me, only read these stories on your phone or in between larger projects!

So, more studies with Mister Dark, and more books that Harry treasures. More of the world begins to show itself, as Harry already knows much more than he did in canon around this time. A fascination for magic and the magical world will make him a fundamentally different person from here out.

As always, Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. This is a fan recreation of her story.