I am Dyslexic: Language disability, meaning there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.

Disclaimer: JKR owns her works.

Summary: What if McGonagall had delivered the letter from the start like she had done for every other muggle-raised child? Why wouldn't she have wanted to check up on Harry when she loathed the Dursley's from day one? What would change when Harry has a new legal and competent guardian? Slytherin Harry. No godmoding. No Time travel. Reboot.

Chapter 1 - A Change in the Course

Harry frowned at the bowl with his new 'uniform' and was just grateful that he would not be attending the same school as Dudley.

There was a firm, but polite knock on the door.

Harry sighed and before he could be ordered, he said, "I'll get it."

When Harry opened the door he didn't know what had been expecting. But a particularly tall woman in a white floral dress and large-brimmed sun hat was not it.

Harry had never seen anyone quite like her before. Her eyes were green, though paler than his own emerald eyes, her greying hair was pulled into a tight bun, and her expression… she appeared to be observing Harry as closely as he was observing her.

"Who is it, boy?" Uncle Vernon called from the living room.

Harry felt heat rise to his cheeks, realizing he hadn't said anything to the woman, not even a hello.

"Um, hello, ma'am, can I help you?" Harry asked, slightly intimidated by her regal disposition.

Her face softened, "Hello, Mr. Potter, I've come to see you and speak with your guardians. My name is Professor McGonagall."

Harry blinked up at her, "You're here to see me? Are you from Stonewall?"

She shook her heads, "No, I am from Hogwarts, a private school your parents, Lily and James Potter enrolled you in."

Harry felt a happy thrill go through him. No one ever said his parents' names. And a private school? His hopes died. His parents had left him with nothing, there was no way the Dursleys would send him to a private school. But then this Professor McGonagall looked like she was made of some tough stuff, Harry would let her tell the Dursleys the news.

He held the door wider as Vernon came around the corner.

"Who are you?" Uncle Vernon demanded.

Minerva glared at him, stepping forward, Harry shutting the door behind her. Harry leaned against the door waiting for the ensuing fight that was sure to come. His Aunt and Uncle were never polite to people who wanted to help Harry.

"I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Harry gaped at the woman's back, Uncle Vernon gaped at her, and Aunt Petunia who had just walked into the hall gave a little squeak.

What happened next surprised Harry even more than an adult talking about Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Uncle Vernon's face turned purple and he bellowed, "THE BOY WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THAT CRACKPOT SCHOOL!"

Harry walked around the tall woman to meet his Uncle's gaze, "Wait, you're serious. You can't mean to tell me that Hogwarts really is a school for- for magic?"

"That is exactly what Hogwarts is for, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said cooly. "And you will be attending, as your mother and father did."

"We will not pay for it," Aunt Petunia said sourly, "Nor for any of his things."

"He will not be attending at all!" Uncle Vernon yelled. "We worked too hard to beat the freak out of him."

Harry glared at his Uncle, and definitely turned to the Professor, "Are you- um are you a witch then?"

Professor McGonagall looked at him, her lips set but something in her eyes was kinder when she turned to him. "Yes, I am, I teach Transfiguration."

"We will have none of your freakishness here! Get out! The boy will be normal," Uncle Vernon raged.

The witch ignored him.

Harry followed her lead and asked, "Am I a witch?"

"No," she said.

Harry's heart fell. How was he supposed to attend a magical school if he didn't have any magic? Maybe he could tell her about all the strange things that happened to and around him when he got upset.

But then she finished the thought, "No, Mr. Potter, you are a wizard, witches are female."

Harry grinned up at her.

"Aren't you listening to me, woman? I said he will not be going," Uncle Vernon insisted.

The Professor drew a wooden stick from her sleeve and unlike Dudley's smelting stick, Harry thought that perhaps it was magical, a wand.

It was quite possible Harry was dreaming. It was a good dream.

She pointed the wand at his uncle and said, "You certainly will not be allowed to stop him. His parents were great people, I taught them myself, and Harry will be great as well."

"But his parents got themselves dead, didn't they?" Uncle Vernon snarled. "Murdered by some maniac who was one of your kind. I will not have any of it in my house. You gave the boy to us and we will do with him as we see fit."

"But you told me they died in a car crash!" Harry exclaimed.

Dudley was watching this exchange silently behind his mother. He gave Harry wide eyes. Murdered was more interesting than killed while drinking and driving.

"We didn't want you to get any funny ideas," Uncle Vernon snapped.

Harry frowned, not quite understanding.

"How dare you?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"How dare I? You're the ones who gave him to us without asking. You're just lucky we didn't pawn him off to the orphanage. The boy is nothing but trouble."

"Is that so?" she asked raising a brow.

Harry felt his insides turn to lead, if this professor believed Uncle Vernon… there would be no escaping this place.

"It is so, he is a rude, nasty, ungrateful little boy," Aunt Petunia said, finally speaking up.

Harry wanted to say it wasn't true but he didn't think it would help, it never had before.

The professor flicked her wand and a paper appeared, a contract. "Sign this and I will take him off your hands then?"

Harry didn't believe, couldn't let himself believe it. How long had he wished that someone unknown distant relative would sweep him away? This couldn't be happening. This had to be a dream.

"If we sign that he doesn't have to come back?" Uncle Vernon asked, a cruel gleam in his eyes.

"Yes," she said in a clipped tone, waving her wand again, so that she held out the contract and a quill to him.

Vernon hurriedly took paper and signed it before passing it to Aunt Petunia.

And as much as Harry wanted to leave here, this Professor was a stranger and yes, it was cool that she had just done magic, but supposedly so was the 'maniac' who had killed his parents. But the paper was signed and vanished before he could voice his worries of being handed over to some lady who was a self-proclaimed witch.

Professor McGonagall turned to him, go get your things. Harry shook his head, "I'm not sure this is a good idea." Caught between unease and not wanting to reveal that his room was the cupboard under the stairs to her right.

"Harry, I know this is a lot to take in, but I can't leave you here if you are being mistreated."

Harry squared his shoulders, his innate stubbornness taking root, "How do you know if I am being mistreated?"

She didn't pull any punches, "You have bruises on your arms, you are overly skinny, and your clothes are several sizes too big for you while your cousin appears to be suffering from the opposite treatment."

"Dudley is not suffering," Aunt Petunia said harshly.

Professor McGonagall did not acknowledge that his aunt had spoken. "Please Harry, grab your things, I will explain everything once we leave here. You will only need to stay with me over the summer holidays until you turn seventeen, students who attend Hogwarts live at the castle."

Harry took in a deep breath and figured that if it was a choice between someone who had taught his parents -and seemed to have liked them, versus an orphanage he knew where he wanted to be. Cautiously, he went to his cupboard and pulled out his book bag. He threw in an extra pair of his best hand-me-downs and his drawings, his other art supplies already in the bag.

"I'm ready," he said when he emerged from the cupboard.

He almost climbed back into the cupboard when he saw the witch's face.

She spoke very slowly to the Dursleys, "You kept him in a cupboard?"

"It was the only place for him, being as he is," Uncle Vernon said.

Professor McGonagall's wand sliced through the air before she turned to Harry. "Let's go Mr. Potter, and leave this swine behind us."

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia screamed and grabbing their backends they ran into the living room, while Dudley shouting, "What's wrong?"

But Harry saw that his old 'guardians' had pink, coiled pig tails growing out from their butts, sticking through their clothing.

Harry took Professor McGonagall's proffered hand, thinking that whatever future awaited him, at least he would never have to return to this place. It was that fact that put a smile on his face as he walked down the steps of Number 4 Privet Drive for the last time.

AN: And there is the beginning of the story. I am likely going to change the plot a lot as I will be covering all seven years. I will not be skipping/summarizing any of the books so hopefully at least 200,000 word fic? That, as well as Minerva being Harry's legal guardian, is the split from the first draft which will have its own ripple effects.

Hope you enjoyed and please review? Ideas and wants are very welcome.