Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the concept of Merlin.

AN: Got bored and felt like writing up something random and this idea came to me. Now don't make the mistake of skipping the story due to the first few chapters, yes they are cliché. I've had many reviewers stating they were tempted to stop after this chapter, as they foresaw me falling into the traps many hp fanfic authors do, making Harry too powerful, too unrealistic etc. But many of those same reviewers have kept with it and are still following the story 160k+ words on.

I'll state it now for any hopeful readers out there. Neither Hermione nor Ginny will be in paired with Harry. The simplest reason is that neither character is compatible with my altered version of Harry. Seriously, this is not canon Harry as you'll see as the story progresses. Changing either of the girls personalities completely to make them compatible with Harry, in my opinion would take away the whole point of using them in the first place. I would rather just use a character that is not seen much in canon, if at all (eg. Daphne Greengrass, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Katie Bell, pretty much any female character in the series really besides Hermione, Ginny & Cho). The other option is to just create an OC, but why do that when you have that already with canon characters. 550k hits, 770+ reviews, 1600 favourites & alerts as of Oct/2012, thanks guys.

AN2: Not going to lie, the whole deleting stories for containing detailed sex scenes or graphic violent scenes is just retarded. Because of that, I turned off fanfiction for a while as many of you followers have noticed, but I'm back after getting some motivation back after so many nice reviewers and pm's asking me to make a return. The story has been edited once more since November 2012, hope you enjoy the read.

"No, please! Don't hurt him! Don't hurt my Harry" A young boy's emerald green eyes snapped open as the echoes of a woman's scream resounded within his mind once again. The same scream that came from the same nightmare, the nightmare that he had frequently dreamt, for as long as he can remember. A woman he felt he should know, screaming out, pleading for her life in exchange for hiw own. Cruel laughter the only response, just as a bright flash of green light fills his vision and he wakes up.

Harry Potter rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed quietly too himself. It still confused him greatly, despite the number of times that same nightmare occurred. What it could mean? He had once tried to talk about it to his relatives. But the reaction was something he would much rather forget than the dream itself, normally his Aunt was at least civil with him, but describing what he heard had her just as angry as his Uncle usually is with him.

Right now found the young, skinny 10 year old, currently laying back in an old bed in his brand new bedroom. Most people would probably find this strange, but Harry found it to be the best thing to happen to him in many years. That was because young Harry old room, was the cupboard under the stairs, so this was a great improvement for him.

Harry thought back on the last couple of weeks and couldn't help but feel confused about what was happening. First off, it started with a trip to the zoo for his Cousin Dudley's birthday. Considering he got lucky enough to go with them at all, was lucky. Considering his caring relatives couldn't trust him alone in their very normal house. They were planning to leave him with the weird old lady Mrs. Figg as usual. He thanked whoever it was that broke the old lady's leg, since he actually got to go do something exciting, rather than chores all day or listen to Mrs Figg talk about her cats.

But getting to attend the trip wasn't what confused Harry. Something much more amazing happened to him during that trip. Harry came to the discovery he had to ability to talk to snakes, something he was certain wasn't normal, which secretly made him happy. While this was amazing by itself, it was what happened after that really surprised him.

He felt a great anger well up inside him, as Dudley knocked him aside during his discussion with the boa restrictor. He wanted nothing more than the glass to vanish and his new friend to attack his cousin. Then, as if by magic, the glass holding back the boa constrictor vanished. In his shock, he turned away to watch the snake head into the crowded area nearby, when he heard his cousin yelping in fright. The glass had reappeared, trapping Dudley inside while his parents and friend banged the glass frantically.

Harry knew at that moment, that somehow he really was different than his relatives, than anyone he knew. Just as they had engrained into him, he was a freak, but inside of upsetting him, he was thrilled. It was just one more thing to add to the list of events that happened in his life that was simply, unexplainable before. Now these events have a explanation, him.

Usually he would just write it off, accept the punishment his Uncle gave him, trying to figure out why he was getting punished for something he didn't do. Now it was like puzzle pieces fitting together, making the picture whole again. As expected, once they got Dudley out and went back home, his Uncle had grilled into him and locked him in the cupboard with no dinner.

That was the beginning for random strangeness though, that following Monday, letters had been arriving addressed to him. One might ask why a letter would be an odd thing to receive, but for Harry it was extremely odd. For Harry lived a simple life, he had no friends thanks to his cousin scaring them away. His bedroom was the cupboard under the stairs at the time. And the letter that arrived was addressed the cupboard under the stairs. Well they were, at least until his Uncle paled reading it, then ordered him to move into Dudley's second bedroom, much to his Cousin's whinging and moaning. From then on, the letters kept arriving, a few more each day, with a new address, the smallest bedroom.

At first Harry thought it was just some sick joke they were all playing against him, to give him some form of hope. But who would waste so much time and money to keep it up? As the days went on, the letters began arriving in much odder and stranger ways, in much greater numbers. Whatever the case, it had freaked out his Uncle Vernon enough to grab his family and Harry, than make his way to an island that could only be reached 30 minutes by boat. The large man's cackling freaked out even his wife and son, thinking the man had lost him mind.

So here in the present, in the little cabin, Harry Potter lay on the floor, covered by a mouldy old blanket, waiting for his fat cousin's watch to flick to 12.00am. Only 10 minutes left to wait until he turned 11. Harry was a witness to his cousin's birthdays so he knew what he should expect to see, but personally he had no real experience. Never had he received as little as a 'Happy Birthday Harry' from his relatives as far back as he could remember, let alone a present or cake of some kind.

To be honest, he didn't even know when his birthday was until one of his school teachers wished him a Happy Birthday when he was 7. Being the attention deprived boy that he was though, despite the misgivings of his life, he couldn't help but hope that this year his relatives might actually remember his birthday.

"Like that would ever happen" He whispered to no one in particular as he quietly listened to the rain tapping against the hut, the sound of the water slapping against the rocks outside and the occasional roar of thunder in the distance.

Sighing knowing that even though they were in a hut in the middle of nowhere, it was highly unlikely his relatives would even hint that it was his birthday. Why would they ever treat him in any way other than a nuisance in their lives? Harry glanced at the wrist watch once more to see he only had 5 minutes to go. He drew a cake into the dusty floor of the cabin in preparation for the moment the watch hit the right time. What he didn't notice was he had stopped tapping his fingers as gazed intently at the watch. So he didn't notice as he began to draw strange symbols into the dirt on the floor, around his dusty birthday creation.

Harry's thoughts began to drift off to what he should wish for. He didn't want to waste it on some long lost relative that would come and take him away, after all, that had been his wish for that for as long as he could remember. Yet he remained with the Dursleys, constantly being abused physically and emotionally, with no one taking notice of him. Not to mention being a witness to his cousin getting the complete opposite treatment. Harry couldn't help but wonder what he did to deserve this life, should he blame his parents? Maybe some higher deity that chose to put him with his relatives?

'I wonder what was in those letters? Who would try so hard to get them to me?' Harry mused in thought. Whatever was in them had scared both his Aunt and Uncle immensely, enough to let him have Dudley's second room against the boy's protesting, enough to nail the front door with wooden planks, enough to bring him out to this hut. Noticing that there was only 10 seconds to go so he decided to make a variant to the wishes he used to make, similar but different "I wish for a better life"

Since his eyes were closed he didn't notice the strange symbols he had been drawing begin to glow when the digital watch clicked over to 12.00am. As he blew where he thought the candles were located, something large smashed into the door causing a loud BOOM to resound. Harry's emerald green eyes snapped open wide, fear and confusion consumed him as strange floating symbols of light glowed in front of him. Curiosity taking over his fear, he began looking at them in wonder. With a large gulp, Harry cautiously reached out to touch one, the glow got brighter and brighter, to the point that he had to close his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was startled to find that he was no longer in the hut. In fact he couldn't work out where he was. There was nothing, literally completely nothing, just white, nothingness, as far as he could see. It was then that he realized there was nothing supporting him. He seemed to be floating, his mind went into panic mode, was that boom he heard an explosion? Meaning that he was dead? If this was the afterlife, he hoped he wouldn't always be this, it would make for a pretty boring eternity.

A low chuckle reached Harry's ears, from behind him. Spinning around somehow, he came face to face with a strange man in white robes. The stranger had a long white beard going to his waist, holding a long black staff. He also had piercing green eyes that Harry couldn't help but think was similar to his own. The old man chuckle grew at Harry's wide eyes, before erupting into loud laughter, that seemed to echo endlessly.

Harry got over the shock of another person quickly, believing that he was indeed dead and this to be some form of the afterlife, stated "U-Uh hello sir. Um, are you an angel?"

The man blinked twice in surprise, chuckled once more before saying "Well I would hope not, since you are not dead yet young man"

Harry's eyes widened and looked around again, confusion and panic once more settling in, he began firing off questions "If I'm not dead then where am I? And who exactly are you? What were those odd symbols I saw?"

Stroking his beard softly, the man lifted his other hand to halt anymore questions. Seeing that it had no effect as Harry seemed to ignore the gesture, he banged his staff, somehow causing a loud boom. Getting the hint Harry stopped talking and looked at him wide eyed. The old man simply responded "A difficult question to answer I'm afraid" At Harry's confused expression the man gave another short chuckle "To where we are of course. Okay young man, if I had to describe this place, I would say it is energy in its purest form. It is everything in existence, yet it is nothing as it has no shape, no form, so the energy merely exists."

Harry opened his mouth, then closed it, frowned and opened it again. The man simply slammed his cane onto something again before he could talk though. Suddenly Harry found himself on a large plain field, another slam of the cane and there were all sorts of animals and creatures, wildlife and fauna. Another slam and the area became nothing once more, Harry was literally gaping, he didn't know what to make of what he just witnessed, luckily it was like the man was ahead of his thought process "It can be anything that is requested of it, as long as you know enough about what you wish to create and have permission to do so. This place lives outside space and time itself, meaning here there are no rules, no regulations, it just simply, is. I suppose in a simple description, it can be called life, everything in the universe that has form, has some form of energy, this energy comes from here, this energy creates, quite literally, all life"

Undeterred by Harry's confused look he continued speaking "Personally I like to think of this place as the source of all magic, since that is what I referred it to in my day and what you will soon learn yourself. Those who can perform magic use the energy from this place to perform whatever they are trying to do, this is the energy they call upon. It is endless and ageless, there is no limit to what can be achieved if you have full control of the magical energy"

With a simple wave of his hand the nothingness started to take shape and Harry suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a field once more. With a blink remembering the man's words, he managed to mutter out a shocked "Magic?"

Another chuckle came the old man "Indeed. As for your next question, who am I? I am merely an extension of this place now, a caretaker or guardian if you will. However you do need something to call me do you, those titles sound so dull"

Then like a switch was turned, the man seemed to sit down even though Harry could see nothing underneath him. After staring intently into Harry's eyes he smiled softly "Yes. If you must give me a name, then take the name I last used while I lived amongst you mortals. Myrrdin Emyrs or you would likely recognize the nickname Merlin"

Harry's eyes bulged and he yelled out "You're the wizard MERLIN?"

The man just smiled before nodding "It is a name I have used before yes. I was the first to connect to this place or so I thought as a young man, to discover the source of my power as it were. I learnt to channel it to do what was considered miracles in my mortal life, or as it is known now spells. Over time I found I was not the first and I would not be the last to reach here"

Waving his hand once more, many different creatures, monsters, human like beings appeared in the field, frozen like statues surrounding Harry and the old man. "Ever since I came here, I discovered just how many different creatures and species are able to connect with this place as you can see. You see the universe is vast Harry, I'm sure you can't even fathom half of these species and creatures. In truth there are an infinite number of universes, always more being created at every second of every day. All of these are those that have natural methods of connecting to this place, the source, although few have had the skill to reach this place"

Harry was still staring at him in awe before he asked "Why was I brought here then? I'm no one special, I'm just Harry"

Merlin laughed at that statement before stating "Well, just Harry, you are quite possibly one of the most important people that will exist on the mortal plane in all the realms. I am unsure as to why, blame destiny or fate, but you have as much potential as I did as a youth, which is why I brought you here. Through this magic of this place, I know your past, present and future deeds, all possible lives you could have. You could be a great hero, an average man, galactic conqueror, anything is possible. But as great as many of them are, I have chosen you for a greater purpose, you will be the saviour of many. You will do more than be the hero of your world, you will become the beacon of all realms."

Tilting his head to the side trying to figure out what exactly Merlin stated, he couldn't help but wonder if he was so great, why was he with the Dursleys. "But why me?"

Merlin looked thoughtful for a moment, almost as if he knew Harry's unasked question. The old man bowed his head and let out a sigh "I guess it is because I see myself in you. When I first discovered this place, I did what I am offering you, travelled to many different worlds, learnt how different other humans and creatures learnt how to channel from here. Despite all of that knowledge, all the different men, women, and creatures that I've met, when I found you, saw the great deeds you could accomplish, good or bad. I knew you were the one"

Harry still looked confused and Merlin merely deadpanned "Simple put, I'm bored Harry. Knowing everything that was, is and will be on countless worlds, doesn't exactly make my existence interesting, however, by sending you back with certain skills and potential, it essentially creates a new universe linked to your own. This new world won't affect your original and the version of you there will live his life as it was meant to be. I have placed a block on this new world, I won't know what will happen there if you choose different actions than you would have made. That Harry, that quite simply is amusing for me and also gives you a chance at a better life. Not only that, it keeps you from unwanted viewers"

The last statement was said with a dark tone, making Harry slightly nervous, eyeing the old man curiously Harry asked "So what if I refuse this offer?"

Once more the old man seemed surprised, laughter once more echoed as he replied "Harry I've seen how your life plays out, even though it's sort of a happy ever for you. Your life is hardly simple and pretty, what's the word you youngsters use, ah yes, it was basically dragonshit for all of your 134 years. This way you get a good life and I get entertainment. I can't leave this place, if I did, someone else would take my place and who knows what their intentions might be. But if you still insist on saying no, well I shall just erase the current you, in other words, you will be back in that cabin as if you never came here, with no knowledge of this conversation since the moment I brought you here. As I stated, as soon as you return to the mortal plane, a new parallel universe will be made"

Blinking a few times Harry asked "So if you send me back can you give me my parents?"

Merlin sighed and stroked his beard "This was actually the earliest point in your life that I could pull you here, your magical core was too small when your parents died. Plus there are is a very powerful man that had you shielded, I couldn't risk him discovering anything, it would attract annoyances, it has happened before. Good intentions maybe, but very stupid choices, you would be warped making you useless to my cause"

Merlin waved his hand again and an older version of Harry with brown eyes and a redheaded woman with green eyes appeared, but didn't move. "I can't even bring your parents to this place, but I can show you them. These are your parents Harry"

Shakily Harry walked over to touch them only to find his hand went right through them. He turned back to the old man in shock "This are merely images of what they looked like, as I stated, I cannot actually bring them to you. The rulers of Fate, Destiny and Time would stop me, harshly, I cannot risk interfering in their domain. I deal with creation, not with time and before you ask. No I cannot create copies of your parents in your world, it is against the rules, their fates are sealed. Especially as both versions of your parents were magical, a witch and a wizard, their very life force is linked to this place and you yourself. Bringing them back or any being linked to this place, would bring down the wrath of all of my equals"

Harry looked sad for only a few moments, he looked back to his parents, studying their features in detail. "I wonder if they even loved me?"

Harry felt something thing and hard smack him in the back of the head, causing him to fall flat on his face "Of course they loved you boy. Children these days, so naive"

Nodding happily at the words, he furrowed his brows as he registered what this 'Merlin' stated before. Shocked Harry exclaimed "Wait, does that mean I'm a wizard? That's why strange things keep happening to me?"

Merlin blinked in confusion before he clicked his fingers "Oh right, I pulled you before Hagrid told you all that. Hmm actually that's probably a good thing, the big boy is quite influential. Okay sit tight I'm going to show you the key events in your life in your main reality. After I finish I will remove that knowledge from your mind. Don't give me that face young man, I can't have you having preset opinions on certain people, or events that will come to pass. But to make the decision, I need you to understand what it is you can gain, as well as what you could lose"

Merlin then placed his ringer to Harry's forehead, suddenly images began flying through his mind. The images showed his 6 years at Hogwarts, his hunt for the horcruxes, his career with the auror, his family and his eventual death in his reality if left alone. By the end of it Harry was quite shocked at how much he would have had to go through in his life. While many happy things clearly happened, it hardly seemed to be worth all the bad. What baffled him was even though he knew events happening, he could not remember a single face or name or his loved ones.

Once the explanation had finished Merlin stated quite calmly "Now that is done, I need to know your choice Harry. Will you stay or should I send you back to live that life? If you are confused why you can't remember details, that is on purpose, it makes removing much easier, also technically doesn't break any rules"

Harry closed his eyes and appeared to be deep in thought, he was weighing all the pros and cons in his mind. With his new found knowledge, he agreed this could change many things, save people that had died, he couldn't remember who they were, but he knew their deaths pained him greatly. But what finally made him choose, was the fact that regardless of him staying, there would still be anther him living that life or something. "I'll do it"

Merlin was quite pleased with that outcome "Excellent, as I said, I cannot have you with any of that pesky little details of what could happen" He clicked his fingers, Harry's eyes grew cloudy for a moment, before clearing. "All done, are you ready to begin young man?"

Harry was confused, he knew he agreed to the training, but he couldn't remember why he agreed. Regardless he nodded cautiously. Merlin clapped his hands and held them out, he then began to chant slowly before frowning "Again, how could this have happened, it isn't her, then who could it be. It does not appear to be harmful... unless, no, that's impossible."

Harry looked at the old man mutterings in complete confusion, the old man sighed "No helping it, it will have to stay. Anyway, I cannot just transfer the knowledge of skills to you Harry, in case there is a link. Looks like we'll be doing this the hard way, but I'll still set up your mind for it" Merlin was going to merely transfer the knowledge into Harry's mind at first, then send him back. But to do so he would need to develop his mind greatly to be able to contain it all. Not to mention he was sure another higher being had marked him in some way, too prevent knowledge of his meddling he needed Harry's mind as protected as possible. So Occlumency training began.

After what felt like years to Harry, possibly was, went by in the timeless realm. The young man had changed drastically during his training. He had developed Occlumency shields strong enough to keep any current wizard out of his mind, with minimum effort too. Merlin did some strange magic and Harry had blinked at what he saw, surrounding him and the old man for multiple copies of them. Each Merlin taught Harry separate topics, than when done, they would fade and Harry would somehow know what the copy learnt.

He learnt Pureblood customs in great detail so he could interact with all students, this included laws, speech and proper actions. He learnt how to perform wandless magic, according to Merlin it was simply gaining a greater understanding of accessing the magical energy and controlling it, wands and the like were merely conductors to make it easier. Any spell he learnt in the future at Hogwarts, he would theoretically be able to perform wandlessly as well.

When Harry had asked the ancient wizard why he wasn't giving him knowledge of spells, Merlin had merely laughed and stated "Why would I make it that easy for you Harry? I'm merely giving you the skills to become great, you need to do it yourself though" causing the boy to pout for a few days.

His Magical core was pushed too it's limits and trained relentlessly via various exercises, at the moment it had increased to that of an average Auror, it would continue to grow once his physical body grew in real time when he returned. Anymore than that, Merlin was concerned he might be perceived as a threat by the magical community.

Physically Merlin had given him a few magical creature attributes using some strange rituals with blood and runes, but for the life of him, Harry couldn't remember exactly what Merlin did during the ritual. What Harry did remember was the pain and agony, he felt like every bone in his body break and reshape. His muscles and skin felt like they were on fire and slowly melting. His eyes had a searing pain that blinded him completely that lasted days. The overall pain seemed to last for months, Harry had never felt such suffering before, he was fairly certain that he would never feel such pain again either.

Regardless of what he went through though, he was very impressed by the results. He now had the strength, speed and regeneration like that of a Vampire. Minus the whole weaknesses thing and need to drink blood of course. He had gained enhanced senses similar to that of a werewolf according to Merlin. Then he also gave him some sort of affinity to the fire element, Harry wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but Merlin just winked and stated "You'll find out when the time is right Harry, it will come in handy"

All these traits would continue to improve as he got older, like that of a vampire or werewolf. The regeneration would prevent him from getting older then the age of 21, essentially making him immortal. Merlin also hinted that if he became skilled enough with his fire manipulation he might be able to fire travel like a phoenix, he refused to describe what exactly he meant by that, again only telling him to 'wait and see'.

Because of the magical ritual, Harry was no longer a small scrawny malnourished boy. He now was a foot taller, easily being above average height for an 11 year old. He had gained two animagus forms, although for some reason, Merlin seemed to indicate that it might be possible for him to learn more somehow. After the studying he had done on the topic though, two forms should have been impossible already, so perhaps there was a way but just wasn't known. They were a large black eagle, with grey feathers and a black lion, considering his age, there was only a small tuft of hair on its head, no mane since he was still young.

Merlin had gone into great detail in talking to the opposite sex. In fact, it had opened Harry's eyes to the old man, as he seemed so serious with all other forms of his training. In this though, Merlin seemed almost childlike and giddy, with the thought he would be watching Harry, the young wizard actually shuddered lightly to himself. He kept mentioning a man he once met in his travels that he based his current personality off, a sage or something.

The training itself to Harry, was to be able to see manipulations from a mile away and doing them himself. From the Pureblood training, it was made clear to Harry that many women would do whatever necessary to gain favour with him, especially once he begins to show his power. The old man made it clear that whoever he chose to become his wife and partner, he would be able to give them his creature attributes as well.

He refused to state how that would happen until the time was right, Harry assumed it was so he didn't just pick the first girl he met and turn her. Merlin actually shuddered when Harry had voiced this opinion out loud, whispering about fangirls and muttered random harsh curses about people, Harry could only assume, he would meet at some point in his life. Yet he could never seem to understand or remember the names that Merlin stated, regardless, they were clearly girls Merlin definitely didn't want around Harry or at least Harry to turn.

Merlin had gone as far as to state, when it was time for Harry to move onto other realities and places. He would refuse to take them with Harry, unless he approved of them, whatever that meant, Harry still did not know. He also made it clear that he will likely be attracted to a few girls and not focus on the first girl he is interested in, he would only get one girl he will be able to turn and to do it after his 7th year at the earliest. Harry found this confusing, if he was going to be drawn to multiple people and he would have the ability to turn girls, why would it be limited to one. He kept this thoughts to the back of his mind though, Merlin seemed to be able to read his mind randomly Harry found during the training.

Other general knowledge was drilled into Harry, such as magic being magic, they couldn't be placed into categories of light, grey or dark, they just were, it was the intent of the caster using the spells. A simple levitation and stunning charm on a cliff edge could kill just as easily as a killing curse. Finally after whatever period of time had passed in the odd realm, Merlin deemed him ready to return and start his new life. "I think I have done all I can without invoking the wraith of those higher up. Are you ready for your next great adventure Harry?"

Harry clothes had changed to fit his new form better. He now wore some loose black cargo pants and a dark blue tight fitting shirt with two large red dual lightning bolts on the back, two small ones on his left front side. Harry had one question left though "Hey old man, out of curiosity, am I the first Harry you've sent back?"

Merlin merely chuckled at the question before stating "Maybe you are maybe you aren't, either way it doesn't really affect you, thus it really doesn't matter. Enjoy your new life Harry, we will see each other again"

BOOM!

Harry's eyes snapped open at the sudden noise and he looked around to find himself back in the hut he was in before he met Merlin. 'I wonder how long it has been since I was last here? I didn't need to sleep, eat or rest there' For a short moment, Harry actually thought he had somehow thought it all up somehow. That was until he saw his clothes, the fact he wasn't wearing his glasses and could see perfectly, then the strength he could feel in his body.

Harry couldn't help but let a smirk make its way onto his face. He blinked before the smirk became a grin. 'It was all real. All of it was real, I won't let him down' Harry thought with a determination. He flicked through his memories and his grin got wider as he felt his mental barriers and thoughts flowing much faster thanks to his mental training.

BOOM. Dudley Dursley jumped that time and stated "Where's the cannon?"

Harry looked at his cousin, the grin fading for a moment, only a moment, as it came back full force as the realization hit him. He was stronger than the fat little punk now. The young wizard merely shook his head at how stupid his cousin was from the statement, than his hearing picked up rushed footsteps coming from behind. Turning around, he saw a sight he burned into his memory, literally thanks to his Occlumency. Shaking in fear was his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. The large man aimed a rifle at the door before shouting out. "Who's there? Stay away, I'm armed"

Harry rolled his eyes before another boom and the door came off its hinges and crashed to the floor. Standing there was a giant of a man, that literally took up the entire space of the doorway, he had to bend down just to enter the small hut, doing so, completely ignoring the quivering Dursleys and calm Harry. The last thing Harry expected was for the big man to state "Sorry bout that, dun know meh own strength sometimes" Blinking at the fact the monstrous man apologized politely, he smirked when he saw the look on the Dursleys face as the stranger picked the door up, effortlessly, then reattached it to the frame.

The Dursleys literally looked close to peeing themselves in Harry's opinion. They all stood wide eyed, Harry wasn't sure when Dudley ran over there, in the corner under the staircase. Which Harry actually found quite amusing in a way, as under the staircase was his most hated place. All three were staring at the giant of a man, as said man began to turn back to face them, Vernon seemed to finally notice Harry and his change in appearance. The obese man gasped loudly and apparently completely forgot about a giant man in the hut and hissed out "BOY! What have you done you little freak? I told you Petunia, I told you we couldn't get it out of him, look at him. Tell me boy, why do you look like –"

His rant was stopped however when Hagrid strode over, snatched his gun from his shaking hands and tied it into a knot like it was a piece of rope, stating "Ah, shut up Dursley. Leave im alone, yeh big fat prune"

Harry, seeing this case of superstrength from the giant man, immediately tensed thinking he was some sort of magical creature. But he processed the statement he heard and relaxed himself. Turning to his gaping relatives Harry cheerfully stated "Guess I got a good growth spurt this year for my birthday Uncle, it's almost like MAGIC" Harry's eyebrow raised as his Uncle turned puce faced and his Aunt looked close to fainting on the spot, his cousin continued looking between Harry and the large man in the hut in complete shock, his chubby fingers moving at the same pace his eyes to each of them. Shrugging, Harry turned to Hagrid ignoring the looks on the Dursleys faces.

Hagrid did the same before smiling at Harry and stating "Well look at ow big yeh are 'arry, aven't seen yeh since yeh were a wee baby. Yeh look just like yer dad, ahh but yeh've got yeh mum's eyes, jus like Lily" He stated with a friendly grin and took a few steps towards Harry, dropping his metallic bowtie to the floor, resulting in a loud thump.

"You knew my parents sir? All I get told is that they were no good, lousy drunks, that got themselves blown up in a car crash" Harry put on his best innocent face as Hagrid eyes suddenly got fire in them. Harry could practically see the rage that was clearly building up within the big man's mind as processed his words.

Vernon then realized that this big man was one of the freaks and suddenly he got back some courage "I demand you leave at once sir. I will not have you telling this little freak anything about his freakish parents. He's already shown enough freakishness as it is, look at what -"

That was obviously the wrong thing to say right now, as Hagrid turned abruptly with a glare. Moving faster than they would have expected someone his size to, he got right into Vernon Dursley's face. He looked like he was shaking with suppressed rage and grabbed Vernon by his pyjama top, lifting him completely off the ground "OW DER YEH... OW DER YEH DISRESPECT LILY AN JAMES POTTER LIKE THAT. AN ARRY IS FAMOUS IN OUR WORLD, OW DER YEH SPEAK TO IM LIKE THAT"

Hagrid was breathing heavily before he dropped Vernon unceremoniously to the floor and walked back to Harry, ignoring the Dursleys whimpering. Hagrid began to pace angrily, trying to calm himself down, after seeing Harry standing calmly, he took a deep breath "Anyway 'arry, meh names Rubeus Hagrid an I'm here to take yeh to get yer things for 'ogwarts"

Now Merlin had talked to him in great detail about Hogwarts, but the Dursleys certainly didn't, so he looked at Hagrid and tilted his head "What's Hogwarts sir? Why do you think I'm famous? I'm Harry, just Harry"

Hagrid's eyes narrowed again and he turned to look at the Dursleys who whimpered again. Turning back to Harry he stated "Well where else yeh think yeh'll learn it all like yeh parents? Surely yeh don't think they taught emselves"

Harry blinked and inwardly he was laughing hard at what Hagrid might do next, he put on the most curious look he could muster "Learn what Hagrid? I don't know what a whore or deadbeat is really, but I don't think I want to learn how to be one of them? When I asked my teacher at school he gave me detention for 'talking like that'" He finished with air quotes.

Harry heard his Aunt squeak at the 'innocent' statement, then watched as Hagrid was literally shaking in rage again, muttering things like "Filthy muggles", "e knows nothin" before he roared "DURSLEY"

Harry sensitive nose picked up a familiar scent coming from his relative's direction, he quickly realized that Vernon had just soiled himself, Dudley had a stain on the front of his pants, Petunia just remained pale, they were that scared. Hagrid bellowed "EXPLAIN"

When all he got was more whimpering, Hagrid snorted and turned back to Harry. Softly he explained "They were meant to tell yeh 'arry. Dumbledore, he left a letter for yeh with em, obviously hese filthy muggles ignored is wishes"

Vernon suddenly seemed to have had enough, clearly soiling one's self wasn't the last straw in this case, he squeaked out "Stop, I forbid you to tell the boy anything, if you do -"

Hagrid glared at him and harshly snarled "Yer've done enough Dursley, if tha wizarding world knew what yer've done, yeh'd be in Azkaban within the day, rotting with the worst of our kind, the kind that kill filthy muggles like ya for sport." Petunia burst into sobs, knowing about the wizard prison from Lily when they were younger. This seemed to please Hagrid as he turned back to Harry "'arry yer a wizard just like yeh parents"

This seemed like the perfect time for the new 'Harry' to act, so he stood up to his new full height and glared at his relatives, this was also something he didn't know, this Dumbledore guy was clearly the one that decided his fate was to be with the Dursleys. But these bastards didn't even have the decency to give him the letter that would likely explain why. Merlin never mentioned that.

To think that the whole time his worthless relatives knew full well why strange things happened to him, hit him at once as well. Yet despite that, they still treated him like he had an illness, even though he couldn't help it being the way he was born. Oh the rage began to fill him up, his eyes began to glow and he spat "You knew!"

Harry's eyes glowing and his bigger build was simply too much for Petunia Dursley, her emotions were in much too much turmoil as she fainted on the spot, landing on her Husband who had not lifted himself off the floor yet. Dudley was staring at Harry in shock at this new information, inwardly the boy was quite jealous, knowing that the scrawny little runt was now normal looking and was apparently a wizard like Merlin. Vernon meanwhile was gaping like a fish at Harry, his eyes leaving him for a loop.

Hagrid saw the eyes glow too and he chuckled knowing he would become a powerful wizard before handing Harry a half squashed box with the same letter his Uncle had been keeping from him. "appy birthday 'arry, sorry if it a bit squashed, should taste jus tha same"

Harry eyes returned to normal immediately and he blinked in surprise, he felt tears trying to fight their way to the surface. Thanks to his shields, he was able to dull down the overwhelming feelings slightly, enough to say "Thank you Hagrid" Shakily, the gifted boy opened the box first to see a half squashed cake, but it was clearly homemade and had 'Happy Birthday Harry' written on the icing, wiping the tears that had escaped from his eyes, he opened the letter to try and distract himself, reading

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards )

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Harry talked to Hagrid for some time and got him to explain how his parents had died plus why he was famous in the wizarding world. Thankfully, Hagrid's own rage at Dursleys and the disgusting story they fed Harry, led him to tell him the whole truth. Hearing that his parents were murdered by this Lord Voldemort and he himself being the one to supposedly vanquish him, led Harry to mentally scoff. It was likely something else happened but the fact Hagrid hinted that the dark lord might still be out there, led Harry to believe this was the 'Destiny in this world' that he was meant to complete. The question was, how long did he have until this dark lord reappears?

Harry also asked information on Hogwarts, the houses specifically, then the subjects, so he wouldn't make any slip ups in his knowledge during the shopping trip. The more information he had from Hagrid about Hogwarts, the less likely he would say something he should have no idea about.

Vernon had tried to argue that he wouldn't pay for the boy to learn magic tricks, but another eye glow from an angry Harry, had him rushing Petunia and Dudley out of the room. Harry didn't have to worry about them interfering with their discussion for the rest of the night. He went to sleep with a smile wondering what was in store for him the following morning.

The next day Hagrid and Harry left the hut, got on the boat the Dursleys brought, making Harry Snigger at how long they would be stuck there before they could get back. Hagrid used some sort of spell with his pink umbrella to speed up the small boat, to reach the shore. From there they headed to London using public transport.

On the way Harry glanced at the booklist, making mental notes of them all, he then asked Hagrid where they were going to get all of it. He just smiled and said that he'd soon see. Harry sighed inwardly when they entered the Leaky Cauldren, everyone wanted to greet him, he noticed the man that Hagrid introduced as Professor Quirrel gave him a calculating gaze instead of awe struck one that everyone else there was giving him. There was something about his stutter that seemed to make him out to be nervous, but his eyes told another story altogether. After learning he would be one of his Professors at Hogwarts Harry made a note to watch him.

He couldn't help but be impressed with the entrance to Diagon alley and all the magical shops in the area. Merlin had hinted that he enjoyed playing Quidditch, since it is a conversation starter with many purebloods, the old deity had explained it in great detail. Harry did indeed find the game fascinating, after discussing the houses the night before, Harry was almost certain he must have played on whatever house he was in, team. So when he passed all the kids talking about the new Nimbus 2000, he hoped he did indeed get on the house team.

Speaking about the discussion about the houses the night before, Harry couldn't help notice how Hagrid had very bias opinions on each of the houses. Merlin, rather, had treated them all as equal when he had explained them. Harry made the decision to use Merlin's opinions, Gryffindor for bravery and honour, Slytherin for cunning and ambition, Hufflepuff for honesty and loyalty, Ravenclaw for creativity and wisdom. Hagrid's was biased to Gryffindor and negative towards Slytherin.

Hagrid led Harry to Gringott's, a very large white building that easily stood out against all the other shops in both size and appearance. Only Harry noticed all the guards at the various entrances glanced at him as he passed by. Merlin told him he would get far in his new life by treating all magical creatures with respect, so he bowed his head slightly to the guards closest to him before entering the bank.

He caught the surprised looks from them, making a note that respect might get him further when dealing with the Goblin nation. From what he understood, Goblins are able to sense the strength of a wizard through some sort of sense, foreign to humans. Harry made the assumption from his Pureblood teachings that most of them, acted as if the Goblins were beneath them to demonstrate their power. Harry had a feeling it was their connection to magic itself, that the Goblins could sense the potential or the power a wizard wields, meaning they might be able to tell about his little upgrades. Well at least the size of his core anyway.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the sheer number of goblins working behind desks as he entered the foyer, shaking off his surprise, he followed Hagrid to the closest open teller. Harry bowed his head once again when they stopped in front of one before seeing the name badge "Good morning, Master Riptook"

The Goblin halted his counted immediately and eyed the young wizard that spoke, his eyes widening in surprise at whatever he saw. Hagrid chuckled, misreading the surprise for shock at seeing Harry's scar before stating "Mornin, we're ere to take some galleons outta Mr arry Potter's vault."

Riptook's eyes once more widened, looking at Harry in more detail, he could practically feel the raw power radiating from the boy, for one obviously so young it peaked the Goblin's curiosity. Only the more powerful members of the wizarding community let off such an aura. Not only power but the wizard showed him respect, something felt amiss. No youngling could possibly wield the raw power of a trained wizard before any training, deciding to act on his hunch he didn't ask for a key as usual protocol dictates, he instead brought out some parchment and a knife. It could very well be that another was merely polyjuiced to look like the boy. Looking at Harry with a feral grin, he stated "Cut your palm and allow a few drops to fall onto this parchment, it will show the vaults and properties that are under your name, as well as any... abilities that you may have. If you are lying about who you are, well, you won't have long to realize the consequences"

Hagrid was surprised since he hadn't heard of Goblin's doing this for free, then again, he was dealing with Harry Potter. It could be a security precaution as the Potter family was well off from what he was led to believe during the war. Saying nothing, he saw Harry nod and follow Riptook's instructions without complaint. Once a few droplets left his hand the small wound healed itself immediately. This surprised Riptook immensely, since it usually doesn't heal until the process is finished, the Goblin however quickly schooled his features and calmed his mind, having a feeling he was in for a shock. The boy didn't even hesitate, there was no current way to completely copy another magical being after all, so he must be who he says he is. The Parchment read

Name: Harry James Potter

Father: James Charlus Potter

Mother: Lily Marie Potter nee Evans

Current Heir of House: Potter, Black

Potter – When age of majority reached

Black – Only if current head of house dies and Age of majority reached

Future titles: Head of Noble and Ancient house of Potter, Head of Noble and Ancient house of Black, Scion of Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor, Magical Scion of Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin.

Current vaults:

Potter trust vault Number 793:

Current contents: 60 000 Galleons

(Yearly renewal to 60 000 Galleons to come from Potter Family Vault 213)

Maximum withdrawal limit of 5000 Galleons a month

Potter family vault 213:

Locked until Head of House position taken

Current contents: 643 564 200 Galleons, Family heirlooms, artefacts, books and scrolls

Gaunt family vault 436:

By right of conquest. Locked until Head of House Potter position taken

Current contents: 68 Galleons, Family books and Scrolls

Black family vault 228:

Inherit through death of Current Head of House Black

Current contents: Locked until death of current Head of House Black

Heir to Current Properties:

Potter Manor – Location unknown

Head of House ring portkey linked to property

Lily's Pad – Location Locked until Head of House Potter position taken

Grimmauld Place – Location unknown

Head of House Black keyed property. Class 7 wards active, must receive permission from current Head of House to enter or inherit Head of House Black position.

Hogwarts – 50% rights to the castle. Only able to inherit, if rightful scions of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sign their rights over.

Current Unique Abilities:

Wandless Magic, Occlumency, Parseltongue, Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed, Enhanced Senses, Eagle Animagus form, Lion Animagus form, Regeneration, Fire Elemental

Harry blinked a few times as he saw that he was apparently heir to House Black, as well as having access to this Gaunt Family's vault, well when he claimed his titles, which was 14 since he is the last in the Potter line as far as he knew. Not to mention one of the two houses he would inherit were descendants of Gryffindor, making him the heir. When he saw his abilities list, he looked up at Hagrid sharply but saw his eyes showed confusion. Just as he was about to ask Riptook the Goblin beat him by stating "Only you, your Head of House and the Goblin performing the ritual can read the parchment Mr Potter. Or in this case, only you and I"

Nodding his head Harry stated "I'm sure I can trust that the Goblin's won't reveal this information outside Gringotts?"

Riptook nodded to that statement. Thankfully Hagrid seemed to be fiddling with his coat as if trying to find something. Thus wasn't paying attention to what Harry asked before Riptook stated "I would like to pass this on to our leader if you would allow though Mister Potter" Harry considered the implications of it, before nodding once in acceptance. The Goblins that had already seen him would likely notify their superior either way just based on the power they felt "Very good. Do you have your key Mr Potter?"

That snapped Hagrid out of his daydreaming before he chuckled and said "Oh right, got it ere somewhere, 'old on a tick"

He rummaged through his jacket until he found the key and handed it over, Riptook looked it over before nodding and Hagrid then handed over an envelope, clearly the item that he had been rummaging for a moment ago. "It's from Professor Dumbledore, got to do with you know what in vault 713"

Riptook read the letter before nodding "This all seems to be in order, GRIPHOOK" he bellowed and another Goblin came running over to their teller. He handed Griphook the key and a black bag "Take these two to vaults 793 & 713. Answer any of Mr Potter's questions, understood?"

Griphook nodded after looking at Harry with wide eyes for a moment, "Of course sir, follow me" The two followed the goblin to the carts. Harry bowed his head again to Riptook as he passed, he also took note of his scent for future reference. Riptook followed the young wizard with his eyes until he was out of sight, he closed up his workspace and left with the parchment to show his director.

Harry found the cart ride down to his vault to be good fun, if not a little disappointing when he realized it only had one speed. He was shocked at the sheer amount of gold, silver and bronze coin stacks when the vault opened. Hagrid explained the money system used in the wizarding world, 17 sickles in a Galleon and 29 knuts in a sickle. Griphook handed him the black bag making him raise an eyebrow in questioning, the Goblin seemed to predict the unasked question.

"Once you enter the vault, the bag will bind to your family house. Only you or someone you authorise will be able to take the coins out of the bag. The vault is charmed to only withdraw the maximum limit the vault has charmed upon it, and the bag is able to carry up to a combined total of 1 000 000 Galleons at one time, a weightless charm is also on it for convenience. You can upgrade to our premium pouches at a later date if this amount is too low for you. To withdraw funds from the vault to the bag, just state how much you want removed while touching the crest. Only a Potter with a clear mind can do this, if you are forced to do so against your will or by a controlling spell or potion, it will not work. This same process is used to remove whatever amount you wish for transactions in the wizarding world"

Harry nodded and thanked Griphook for the explanation before he entered, noticing an elaborate crest appearing on the bag. Touching it with his finger he whispered "5000 Galleons" He noted a small stack vanished in his peripheral vision, than heard an odd chime, so assumed it had worked. He noted that Hagrid was looking at the bag in surprise, so Harry realized it likely wasn't common procedure to be given them for free. They headed down to vault 713 and Hagrid removed the only thing from there which was a small hand size sack which he pocketed.

The first stop from Gringotts was Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions. Hagrid left to recover from the cart rides so Harry entered the shop on his own. As he entered a young blonde haired boy around his age with his nose held high marched on his way out. Harry inclined his head and the boy eyed him for a moment as if sizing him up before inclining his head back and walking out of the shop.

Harry looked towards the counter to see two witches, a short well dressed woman that looked to be around the age of 40 and a younger witch around the age of 18 wearing tight fitting muggle clothes. Inclining his head again they smiled before the older of the two asked "Hello dear, Hogwarts? We just finished doing that young man that left. Head over to the stools at the back and Jean will fit them for you"

Harry took a look around and noticed muggle clothes as well, he walked up to the stool as Jean came up behind and placed a long robe over his head and began to pin it to fit his form. "So are you just after the Hogwarts robes today Mr -?"

Getting a cheeky grin Harry stated "Potter, but since you asked so nicely you can call me Harry" His grin widened when her eyes flicked up to his forehead. Catching his broad grin caused her to flush and mutter apologies. He just waved them off before answering her question.

"No need to apologize, I'm more concerned for the fangirls that are bound to be at Hogwarts. From what I hear, I'm apparently quite popular" She giggled at the response "And to answer the question I'm actually looked for some dress robes as well. Also some everyday robes in a few darker colours. Actually I think I will need some muggle clothing for casual wear, I noticed you stock them and you obviously have good fashion sense in that department."

She smiled brightly at him with a light tinge to her cheeks, Harry let her work in silence from then on. Once she said she was done, he followed her to the counter and whispered something to Madam Malkin, he noted the odd gleam appear in the older woman's eye and the smile that she wore clearly conveyed she was extremely pleased. Jean passed him a catalogue and pointed to various clothing articles that he might like, for each one he agreed too, she would swish her wand and said piece would fly towards the shop owner. Who would start muttering under her breath, he saw the robes and clothing glow lightly each time, changing size clearly. Once they were at the correct size they would fold themselves and join the growing pile of clothing.

As they worked, he asked them a few questions about Hogwarts to make small talk, knowing he was a first year, Jean took over the conversation, seemingly quite eager to discuss her time there. He found out she was in Ravenclaw, than got an internship here when she graduated the year before last. She also described some of the Professors that are still there to give Harry a hint of what to expect once he arrived.

Harry ended up getting four sets of dress robes in black, dark blue, light grey and dark red. A few everyday robes in practically every colour he could think of, plus quite a large assortment of muggle clothing. The great thing about getting the muggle clothes from this store that pleased Harry greatly. Was that they all had charms placed on them, to adjust up to 10 sizes to fit the wearer's growing body, plus it would anger his relatives surely.

From Merlin's teachings, he likely wouldn't be able to use magic once he started school, but he still had his enhanced Strength and speed that was now natural too him. So it wasn't like his Uncle and Cousin could actually do anything to him or take the clothes, if they made a big deal of him owning them.

Harry began flirting lightly with Jean during their conversation, giving her compliments, discussing her looks as if the world was already well aware of the fact she was good looking. It caused the young woman to giggle every time, on occasion flirting right back. She made a point of mentioning that she can now brag to her friends, that the boy who lived flirted with her.

Once he finished getting everything he felt he would need, she winked at Harry before helping her boss with charming what was left. Harry watched them work in fascination, after all, this was in a way, the first true wand magic he had seen before. Merlin's magic was always done by waving his hands randomly, or slamming his staff against something. Once they finished up, Jean tallied the total up, it ended up being 563 Galleons, discounted too because of the bulk that he bought. He paid 600 for the items without complaint causing the two women to beam happily. Jean shrunk the bags down for him so he could pocket them. He made sure to give her a peck on the cheek before he left, took the owner's hand, kissing it lightly as he thanked her too. After promising to return to visit, looking specifically at Jean, he waved and left the store.

As Harry walked out he noticed Hagrid was outside waiting for him. Harry found out he had gotten some ice creams for them both, but because the young wizard was still busy in the shop. Hagrid had ended up eating both, waving off the big man's concerns, they headed off to the book store Flourish and Blotts. Harry got all his school books required for first year, as well as some books designed for muggleborns such as Magical laws, customs and the like. This was purely for Hagrid's benefit, so he could pass the info onto the Professors. That way when he came to Hogwarts, it won't be as strange that he knows so much. He also bought an Occlumency book that Hagrid tried to stop him to buy, stating it was much too advanced for him and could do major damage to his mind. Harry had to put his foot down stating he didn't want people able to poke through his head if he could do something about it. Hagrid let out a loud sigh before nodding his head in understanding.

Once he took them to the counter and paid for them all, had the books shrunk down, placed in weightless and expanded bags, he decided to get a trunk. Entering the store he was greeted by a middle age man that was balding. Harry inclined his head before asking "Hello sir, I'm after a trunk for my first year at Hogwarts. However I wish for one that has better protection then the standard trunk. Being the boy who lived I don't want to risk getting a basic one, price is of no concern."

The owner's eyes widened at the statement, flickering to the wizard's forehead. Then like a damn bursting, a broad grin came upon his face, introducing himself as 'Brady Shurlike', he started showing off a variety of high quality trunks. Harry ended up getting a 3 compartment trunk in the end, two of the compartments were 4x4m rooms. One would be for his clothes, the second would act like a library and study. The final compartment was a single bedroom apartment with a kitchen and bathroom, probably for aurors or hit wizards in Harry's mind. Apparently he wasn't technically legally allowed to sell it to him, but because of who he was, the man was all too eager to please. The trunk unfortunately couldn't be shrunk due to the charms placed on it, but it was made feather light, as well as being password protected, keyed to his voice.

For the third compartment, Harry paid extra to get a blood protection added as well. Hagrid's eyes were wide as saucers at the request, as the owner looked extremely happy as that meant more money for him. Harry also bought furniture from the man that probably cost more than buying elsewhere, but he didn't mind as it saved time as well as likely being all charmed and protected. They ended up staying and watching the man make the necessary adjustments to the trunk. Once done Harry tested it out by storing his things into the trunk, following the man's instructions, he keyed his voice and a few charms later, his password, as well as his blood for the final compartment. Having a random idea, Harry asked "Could another item, say a shrinking trunk, be able to hold this trunk?"

Brady actually looked at Harry with wide eyes, never considering that before, summoning one of his larger, cheaper trunks. He placed Harry's new purchase inside, than activated the shrinking feature. It worked perfectly, becoming roughly 5cm in length, 3cm in width and 4cm in height. The grin on his face and mad cackles had both Hagrid and Harry eyeing each other in confusion. It seemed to last a few minutes before he calmed down enough, he offered a 15% discount on his main trunk and the shrinking trunk for free, for Harry's marketing idea. After paying the 431 Galleons to the man, ignoring Hagrid's spluttering of the price, they left the store, to hear the renewed laughter of Brady.

Hagrid had asked Harry why he got the protections on the trunk, Harry simply stated his cousin would steal all his things at home if he got a normal trunk, as well as people at Hogwarts that might try the same. Thankfully Hagrid believed the excuse. He got his potions ingredients next and Harry purposefully bought a few rarer ingredients just in case he needed them for whatever reason, the shop owner didn't mind once he heard he was selling them to the boy who lived. Hagrid was looking at various things in the shop so didn't notice Harry purchasing more than he needed. The owner actually gave him a stock inventory for the next time he came in, it was apparently self updating.

Harry only needed a wand now but Hagrid wanted to get him an animal as a birthday present. Harry in reality had never received a birthday present before, so didn't refuse. 20 minutes later he left the Owl Emporium with a beautiful snowy white owl, that he thanked Hagrid for profusely. He had bought a bulk of the finest owl treats and a perch for her to use when not travelling.

The last place was Ollivander's, the wand shop, this was what Harry was looking forward to the most. The two entered the store and Hagrid took a seat in the corner. "Good afternoon" A soft voice stated.

Harry looked curiously at the man before stating "Good afternoon sir" The man's eyes focussed on Harry and he stared at him intently. Confusion appeared in his eyes for a few moments, then they widened for a moment, quickly returning to normal. Harry noticed the minor mind probe nudge his shields but outwardly showed no reaction to the invasion of privacy.

"Ah yes, I've been wondering when I'd be seeing you Mr Potter. You have your mother's eyes but they hold much power behind them, much more then I believe I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. I believe she had a ten and a quarter inch willow with unicorn hair. Excellent wand for charms which I hear she exceeded in. Then there was your father who had Mahogany with dragon heartstring, quite strong in transfiguration. But you, I can already see you will be a challenge Mr Potter"

He sent a measuring tape to Harry, the charmed device measured him all over, as the wand keeper turned around and began rummaging through the shelves. Harry was wondering in the take measure was for show, to unnerve the customers. The tape was measuring the most random places that he couldn't fathom could link to what wand would work for him. Ollivander spoke of the uniqueness of each wand he brought to Harry. Each one Harry tried though was yanked away one by one.

Finally he gave Harry a wand that caused a burst of warmth through him and he knew this want was his. He learned from Ollivander that this wand, was Holly with Phoenix tail feather, but what was far more interesting, was that it was the twin of Lord Voldemort's own wand. Oddly enough Ollivander went on to say even though the wand matched, it still didn't seem quite right. After a dozen more wands with so little as a reaction, he reluctantly admitted it was the closest wand Harry will get with the cores and wood he was legally allowed to use.

The way he emphasised on legally made Harry curious, but he paid the 7 galleons for his wand regardless. After looking at other things in the store he also purchased a dragon hide wand hoister for his wrist, Ollivander approved the choice, stating that no one ever bought them anymore for Hogwarts. Especially since the war ended, the children of today took their wands for granted. When they left the shop, Harry gazed at his wand thoughtfully, it did feel like a good match, but as Ollivander said, there was something. Something that he couldn't place that made it seem, like it wasn't perfect, thinking on those lines he turned to Hagrid and asked "Hagrid is Ollivander's the only wand shop?"

Hagrid blinked at the question, putting on a thoughtful expression "Well I ear there's one in Knockturn Alley but yeh don't wan be eading in there arry. Dangerous and shady characters ang round" Harry nodded but made sure to remember to visit there in later years, he saw nothing wrong with having a backup wand that fit him better. He knew he could use wandless attacks but he'd rather have a back up wand then reveal that to someone.

Hagrid travelled back with Harry until the train stopped in Surrey, getting off the big man handed Harry his train ticket for the Hogwarts express. Looking at the ticket and seeing the platform number, he spun around to witness Hagrid tap a cup twice. Then he seemed to literally vanish from sight, cursing under his breath, Harry decided he would worry about it when he got to the station on the day. There were bound to be muggleborn students after all.

Catching a taxi, he made his way back to Number 4, Privet Drive. Upon entering the house his Uncle was waiting for him red faced, seemingly breathing heavily. The heavily obese man tried to intimidate, taking a few steps forward, fists clenched "Boy, you will hand over whatever freaky items that giant gave you, I won't have you having access to them in this house. They will be locked in your room until you leave to that freaky school... Understood?" Harry had a different idea and let loose a feral grin causing his relatives eyes to widen. He turned into his lion Animagus and let out a vicious roar. His Aunt passed out once again, his Uncle pissed himself before he dropped to the floor in pure shock.

Harry transformed back "I think not Uncle, I'll be in my room. I won't be cooking for you, I won't be doing any chores, I won't eat your food, so you don't need to worry about feeding me. You stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours" He would go out to eat so they didn't need to worry about feeding him with their 'hard earned money'. His Uncle nodded his head rapidly, Harry snorted at his Aunt's current position and Dudley's jealous look. Harry ignored him, heading upstairs to begin looking through some of the books he bought.

The following day

The next day Harry put on some tight jeans and Harry reset his trunk with new passwords so they wouldn't be able to get into it, just in case. After Harry came downstairs and saw his relatives at the kitchen table. They all had scared expressions on their faces, Harry merely waved cheerfully at them as he left the house, heading to a cafe nearby to eat. Some people had heard of him from his relatives, seeming to give him a wide berth. But when they saw how friendly he was with the waitresses, the friendly smiles he was sending their way. Well, the people of surrey that knew of Harry Potter were very confused, he was hardly the little delinquent they were told of.

Well some fathers were looking at him like everything they heard was true, when Harry began flirting lightly with some of the girls his age. Harry noticed how these girls didn't react at all like he would expect from what he learnt from Merlin, just blushing brightly and not really flirting back at all. Then again it was pureblood customs so maybe muggles acted differently. It wasn't like he had any real experience with muggles normal behaviour after all. If that was the case he probably shouldn't try and use certain 'tactics' on muggleborn students.

Timeskip

The month passed quickly, Harry had been reading through most of his school books diligently, he was annoyed that he could only read and not perform any magic apparently. He thought that perhaps he could practice before Hogwarts, but he didn't want to risk it setting off some alarm. He knew that in pureblood households they could, since there is so much sheer magic being used constantly. Shaking off the negative thoughts, he stood up and got out of the study compartment of his trunk. Closed it, then bit his thumb, running it over the third lock.

He had also stocked up on food through a mail service system a wizarding supermarket had set up. So entering the one room apartment compartment, he went into the kitchen and made a quick sandwich. Finally it was August 31th and he was excited to see Hogwarts after all he'd heard about it, after some thought, he decided to try and get a lift with his Uncle. Why spend money if his relatives wanted him gone after all. After finishing his light meal, getting out and heading downstairs, he asked his Uncle for lift, only getting the large man to agree after showing his ticket with the odd platform number.

AN: There we go, edited Nov 2012. Read and review - Mirabilis