Prologue

Harry's whole life has been surrounded in mystery and darkness. The only thing he knows from his origin is his name, Harry James Potter. He really didn't like his name though. It was such a boring and normal name for such a unique boy. He hated normal.

Freak accidents started happening around him when he turned three, by the time he was five he could control his magic. Levitating objects was the first thing he learned, and then he started doing more and more. He could conjure fire with a snap of his fingers, control the other elements or change a toad into a flower; he even managed to change himself into a tiger cub. All of these things were done by the age of eight. When he was nine he tried to get into someone's mind, and after a few attempts, he succeeded. At age ten he discovered the ability to speak to snakes. They revealed the wizarding world to him and forever changed his life. It was at that point that Harry finally felt happy for the first time in his life since he could remember. He was going to have a home.

The orphanage was never a home to him, just a place where he slept and spent his days. It was where he grew up, but he never really acted like a child in the first place. Harry never cried or screamed as a baby, he never threw tantrums as a toddler or whined as a child. All his schoolwork was always done on time and he was always top of his class.

Chapter 1

July 31, 1991

Severus Snape walked up to the headmaster's office, confused on why he was being called. The school year hadn't even started yet and was a month away, so what was so important. The gargoyle at the hidden staircase asked for the password and Severus replied, "Lemon drops." The gargoyle swung to the side revealing a hidden passage up the office.

"Why did you need to see me headmaster?" His tone was polite but it was obvious to anyone that this is not the place he wanted to be right now.

"I need you to pick up a student and take him to Diagon Ally for his school things. He is not where I originally intended so he has no knowledge of the wizarding world." Severus could tell that Albus was tip toeing around the name of the student, in fear of his reaction.

"Who is this student that you do not wish to name for me?" He was getting suspicious at this point- and a suspicious Snape is not a good thing.

"Harry Potter." Albus told him in a meek voice.

That is when Severus lost it. "You want ME to pick Him up? Why can't Minerva do it?" He practically sneered.

"Minerva has other things to do already, and requested you see the boy for yourself before school starts and you judge him for no reason other than his personality and not his lineage."

Severus knew it was no use arguing with the Headmaster and just went along with it.

Later That Day

Severus peered at the shabby building in front of him, the words Wool's Orphanage written in chipping paint on top of the doorway. This place looked less than inviting with its crumbling grey bricks and weed infested lawn. He didn't know how this place was even livable, especially for children.

Inside the building contained the same amount of gloominess, if not more. Not even a speck of color was visible to the potions master, just various shades of gray. A lady, who he learned to go by the name of Mrs. Cole, stepped out of a door to his right. She was an old woman but still managed to give Severus a glare that could put his own to shame.

"Hello there. I am here to speak to you about Mr. Potter. He has a scholarship from a boarding school in Scotland, called Hogwarts."

"I've heard of that school before." Severus was taken aback at this. How could a muggle have heard of Hogwarts?

"If you may be so kind to answer, where you have heard of Hogwarts, since it is such a small and uneasily accepting school? The only reason Mr. Potter was enrolled is because his parents attended and expressed their wishes for him to go there before they passed."

"A young man by the name of Tom Riddle was enrolled also, for the same reason I believe. It is strange since they are so very much alike." Severus paled drastically.

"Mr. Riddle, if my memory recalls, came before my time as a student at Hogwarts but he was very… remembered for his politeness, until his true colors shone. He was a very cruel man. Can you explain anything about Mr. Potter's time here?"

"Certainly: Harry is a strange child. He is always top of his class and has a real ability for learning, polite to a T, and always says the right things. There is something hidden in him though, you can see it in his eyes and know that no matter how polite he is, you are only one mistake away from being dead. Strange things happen around him and they are not for the best." If possible, Severus paled even more.

"What sort of strange things?" He asked this knowing full well what the answers could be.

"Up until he was six Harry was bullied for everything as he was naturally small and a rather beautiful child. At age six everything changed when Tommy, another little boy a few years older, stole a black dog stuffed animal he had gotten for Christmas and ripped its head off. Everyone else laughed at him but they weren't laughing the next day when each and every one of their toys were hung up by a string tied on their ankle, with their heads ripped off. There is no proof of course. After that the children left him alone, until Paul threw his favorite book into the fire. The next morning, Paul woke up with his bed on fire. The second he got off the bed, covered in third degree burns, the fire put itself out. We checked Harry's room right after, but he was sound asleep. At age nine terrible things began to happen. Harry found a little snake on a camping trip we took and asked to keep it. I said yes because of its small size. A week later Harry comes back from his shower and there is a gift on his bed. Inside the box was his snake. It looked like he was sleeping, but in reality, he was dead. A month went by and nothing happened, then one morning, three teens are found dead in their beds, with no cause. Their hearts just stopped."

"These things are concerning, but there is nothing I can do about it due to the lack of proof. I also have to talk to him about his knew school."

"Follow me."

Snape followed without question, he just wanted to get this over and done with. His job was only to inform the boy of Hogwarts and tell him where to find the Leaky Cauldron, not to be pleasant to the kid. The things she was saying about Potter worried him though; the Dark Lord grew up in an orphanage, this same one, and look how he turned out. Mrs. Cole even told him there were many similarities between the two, and if that was the case then the Wizarding World was in for a rude awakening.

"Here you are Mr. Snape." She said this as quickly as possible before turning on her heel and walking away as fast as her feet could carry her without looking too foolish. Severus knocks on the door, more as a warning since he knows that the child will not answer him. When the door opens he is met with a child that, while looking a bit like James, was too perfect. It seemed as though he inherited both of their traits and even seemed to have enhanced in quality. His body was petite but not weak, his hair is the Potter's raven color, but it lay nicely on his head, the bone structure of his face was sharp with high cheekbones being the defining feature. It wasn't until he turned and looked at Severus that the full image of Harry made Snape sway on his feet. His eyes were radiating power, but they were haunted. Pain and hatred controlled every aspect of them.

"Mr. Potter, I am here to inform you about your acceptance into…" Before he could say more he was cut off.

"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The child did not even look up. Snape was shocked that he knew about the school.

"How do you know about Hogwarts? Who told you?"

"A beautiful serpent that lives in the garden told me. She informed me all about your school and the things I would learn. It sounds interesting, magic. Imagine all of the things you could accomplish with a wave of your hand, or wand if you choose to use one."

Severus was completely taken aback by this. The boy was a parselmouth and he already knew about the school, not to mention that he seemed older than eleven, he acted Severus's own age for Merlin's sake.

"Here is your letter Harry. Even if you know about the school you still need your supplies. Do you know where to buy them?"

"Yes, I can go by myself. I have been there before." It was just then that he noticed the book Harry was reading, Obscure Ancient Runes from Egypt. That book was well past any seventh years reading capability.

"I assume you know about your parents trust vault." His statement was met with a nod from the green eyed boy. "Good. I will see you on September 1st and hope to see you in Slytherin."

"You don't have to hope because that is what will happen. Goodbye Professor." With that the potions Professor left the Chosen One to his reading.

As the door closed the Boy-Who-Lived threw up a silencing ward and started to cackle madly for a few minutes before returning to his book.