The Marvelous World of DC: Part 2: Book 1:
Harry Potter and the Guardian's Light
Chapter 1: Revelations
July 31st, 2012, Somewhere just off the coast of Britain,
The winds howled as a storm surged over the rocky coast of England. Waves roses high into the air, only to come crashing down upon the rocks with a thunderous din, accompanied by the noise of the powerful winds. A small island just off the coast suffered steadfastly under the assault, as the sea soaked its barren soil. Upon the island sat a lone structure; a rickety, two-story shack. It was constructed from warped, water soaked wood, and its roof was missing shingles in some places. The whole structure looked like it could topple over at any moment.
The inside of the building was not much better than the outside. The bottom floor was a combination of a kitchen and a living room, with a small kitchen area accompanied by an old, dining table with deteriorated chairs, and a washed out couch. A fire place with the remains of a now dead fire in it was built into the wall near the couch. The floor had no floorboards; instead it was made of tightly packed dirt, as if the house itself was designed without a bottom. A set of questionable looking wooden stairs lead up to the second floor, which was separated from the first floor by a rickety wooden ceiling held up by exposed wooden rafters.
Two young boys each no older than twelve; slept in the downstairs area, one on the couch, the other on the floor. The one on the couch was noticeably overweight with a mop of blond hair. He wore a pair of flannel pajamas and slept with a large blanket. The boy on the floor had a head of unruly black hair and was noticeably skinny, especially compared to the other boy. He wore pajamas that were noticeably to large for him, and was covered by what appeared to be a table cloth. He was wide awake, looking at the ground with green eyes behind a pair of glasses with tape wrapped around the middle to keep them together. A scar in the shape of a lighting bolt sat on his forehead.
Lying on his belly, he drew the picture of a birthday cake in the dirt with his finger. Across it he wrote the words "Happy Birthday, Harry!" in big letters. He smiled to himself as he examined his handiwork.
"Make a wish, Harry," he whispered to himself, before blowing on the picture, erasing it from the dirt floor. Folding his arms, he laid his head upon them with a sad look in his eyes. Suddenly, Harry heard the unmistakable sound of movement outside the door, despite the storm outside.
"So this is the place, Miss Enchantress?" a deep voice asked from outside.
"Yes this is it, and I told you before, call me June," a female voice responded.
"Er, righ'. Sorry 'bout tha'. So should I knock?" the gruff voice asked.
"Well I think they all might be asl- Hagrid wait!" the female voice cried.
` There was a loud boom as something hit the door causing it to fall to the ground with a loud crash. Standing in the doorway was a mountain of a man. Easily standing 10 feet tall, he took up most of the door frame, with his stout frame giving him a round appearance. He wore a large fur coat along with tough work pants and leather boots. His hair was a mass of curly, black locks and his face was covered by a shaggy beard. A pair of warm, brown eyes looked around bewilderedly.
His eyes met with Harry's before he scratched the back of his head bashfully, "Sorry 'bout that" he apologized as he stepped into the room.
"What are we going to do with you, Hagrid?" the female asked, with an exasperated sigh as a woman stepped into view. She was an attractive woman with long black hair and bright green eyes. She wore a black jacket over a green shirt, along with beige pants and black, leather boots. She closed the pink umbrella she was holding and shook the excess water off, before handing it Hagrid, who took it with a smile.
Looking around the room, the woman; June, saw Harry and the other boy, who was now awake, looking at her.
"Oh, hello," she said kindly.
Suddenly, there was the thundering sound of footfalls coming down the stairs. Emerging from the stairwell were two people. One was a middle-aged, obese man. He had a mop of sweaty brown hair and brown eyes, with a thick mustache in the middle of his round face. He was dressed in a set of stripped pajamas and held a shotgun in his shaking, pudgy hands. Behind him stood a skinny, middle aged woman, shaking like a leaf. Her blond hair was done up in curlers and her blue eyes were wide with fright. She wore a long, pink nightgown.
"Who are you!?! What are doing here!?!" the man demanded.
"Hey, easy now," June said, holding her hands up in a non-threatening way, "No need for guns. You must be the Dursleys. Vernon and Petunia, right? I'm June and this Hagrid. We just came to deliver Harry's letter and take him to get his things for school."
"Like hell you are!" Vernon threatened, raising his gun.
"Oh dry up Dursley, you old prune," Hagrid grumbled before grabbing the barrel and twisting it upwards, bending the metal. Vernon pulled the trigger in a blind panic, causing the gun to blow a hole in the ceiling. Hagrid backed away with a satisfied look on his face as Vernon stared at his gun in horror.
"Well, now tha' tha's taken care of let's get down ta business, shall we?" Hagrid asked as he began rummaging around in his large jacket.
"Um, excuse me?" Harry interrupted quietly, a shocked and confused look on his face, "But you never did answer Uncle Vernon's question. Who are you and why are you here?"
"Oh righ'. Sorry 'bout tha'. You mus' not remember me, seeing as you were only a baby las' time I saw ya" he apologized before straightening up to his full height and sticking out his chest proudly, "Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds and gamekeeper fer Hogwarts. An' this pretty woman, is June Moone, better known as the Enchantress and a member of the Sentinels of Magic," June gave a slight bow as Hagrid introduced her.
"Magic? And what's Hogwarts?" Harry asked, growing more confused.
"Let me answer tha', with this," Hagrid stated as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter, which he promptly handed to Harry. Taking it, Harry slowly looked over the letter. On the front, the letter was addressed to him, just like the other ones that Uncle Vernon had been trying to hide from him. Turning it over, Harry found the letter sealed with an old fashioned wax seal. On the seal was the picture of a shield divided in four. Each of the four sections contained a picture of a different animal, a lion, a snake, a badger and a raven respectively. Tearing the letter open he began to read it out loud.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards, Sentinel of Magic)
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 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress.
"School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Harry asked, still confused.
"Aye, it's the best school in the country," Hagrid boasted
"It's the only school in the country, Hagrid," June commented with a smile.
"Minor details," Hagrid said dismissively.
"But what does that have to do with me?" Harry asked.
"You mean they never told you, Harry?" June asked, surprise written across her face.
"Told me what?"
"Don't you dare tell him!" Petunia shrieked from behind Vernon, anger replacing fear in her features.
Hagrid glared at her before leaning down and talking to Harry in a serious tone, "Yer a wizard, 'Arry"
"I'm a what?" Harry asked, astonished.
"A wizard," June repeated, concerned.
"No that's impossible," Harry said, shaking his head, "I'm not a wizard. I'm…I'm just Harry,"
"Well 'Jus' 'Arry' le' me ask you this," Hagrid said, "'Ave ya ever done something…strange. Something ya couldn't explain?"
A thoughtful look crossed Harry's face, before he slowly nodded.
"Well, there ya go. 'At would be yer magic, wild as it is at yer age."
"I-I still don't believe you, how can people to magic. That's all fairytale stuff!" Harry said, agitatedly.
"Fairy tales eh?" Hagrid mused, examining the umbrella that June had handed him, "Maybe a demonstration is in order 'en?"
Turning to the fire place, he pointed the umbrella at it. With a flick of his wrist, a ball of fire shot out of the tip, igniting the wood in the fireplace, quickly creating a roaring fire.
"Still think its fairy tale stuff?" he asked Harry, who slowly shook his head as he stared at the fire in amazement.
"But how could you have not known till now?" June asked, "Haven't you wondered what your parents were like? How they died?"
"My parents died in a car crash when I was young," Harry stated.
"What!?" Hagrid cried out in shock and rage, before turning on the Dursleys, "A car crash killed Lily and James Potter? Tha's the lie you've been feeding 'im!?"
"A-A lie?" Harry asked, heartbroken, as he turned to face his aunt and uncle.
"Yes, it was a lie," Petunia answered with contempt, "I didn't see the point of going through this, not again. Mother and father were so proud when Lily got her letter, but I saw her for what she truly was. A freak. Just like you."
"How can you say something like that to your own flesh and blood!?" June seethed as Harry looked down at the ground sadly. Hagrid placed one of his large hands on her shoulder to calm her, before looking at the Dursley's with a stern expression.
"I think we'll be taking the boy now," Hagrid said calmly.
"Like hell you will! I don't care what that old coot says we-" Vernon's rant died in his throat as Hagrid stomped over to him and loomed above him dangerously.
"Don't ya ever insult Albus Dumbledore in my presence again," he said dangerously, before leaning close to Vernon, staring into his wide, frightened eyes, "Yer fighten' awfully hard for somethin' ya obviously don' care about, Dursley. I think we'll be taking the boy now."
Vernon could only nod in fear as Hagrid backed away with a nod of satisfaction. At the same time, June walked over to Harry and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, I know this must be a lot to take in, but we're here to help you. Why don't you go pack your things and we can be on our way?"
"Where are we going?" Harry asked.
"Wel,l someone has to bring you to get your school things. Might as well be us," she replied with a smile.
"Alright," he said with a smile, before looking embarrassed again, "I only have one change of clothes with me though,"
"Is that so?" she said, eyeing the Dursleys, who refused to meet her glare, "Don't worry about it, will pick you up some clothes when we get to London."
"We're going to London?" he asked, excitedly.
"Yep," she replied with a smile. At her encouragement, Harry jumped up and hurried towards the stairs, pausing only to glance at his relatives before racing up the rickety steps
Later
Harry walked down the stairs, a travel bag slung over his shoulder. Looking around, he saw his relatives huddled in one corner as Hagrid and June stood talking by the door.
"I don't like this, Hagrid," June whispered, visibly agitated, "How could have Albus have not known this was happening. They hate him. He wears ill fitting clothes, and it looks like they barely feed him. The way he looks at them…Hagrid I think he may have been abused."
"Albus has had a lot on 'is plate over the years. But wha' I think it really comes down to is, I think Dumbledore 'ad a little bit more trus' in family love 'en these…folks deserved,"
"We have to tell him"
"Yer righ'. This couldn't 'ave been what Albus 'ad in mind when he 'ad me bring 'Arry to them."
"You brought me to live with them?" Harry asked, announcing his presence.
"Oh! Um…Er…Yes. After yer parents died, I was the one who brought ya to live with yer aunt and uncle,"
"So you must have known my parents, right?" Harry asked with a thoughtful expression.
"Aye, I did," Hagrid replied.
"Do you…do you think you could tell me about them?" Harry asked, looking down at his feet.
A large smile crossed Hagrid's face, "Aye I could do that. Oh! That reminds me!"
Reaching into his large jacket, he began to rummage around for something in his pockets. From within the depths of his jacket, he produced a simple, cardboard box.
"Now, mind you, I may 'ave sat on it at some point," he explained it, opening the box. Within was a simple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Across the front, written in red frosting, was "Happy Birthday, Harry!"
"Wow," Harry said as he looked at the cake in wonder, "I've never had one before"
"A cake?" June asked.
"An actual birthday," Harry replied simply, still staring at the cake.
June leaned back, mixture of shock and disgust written across her face.
"I think we should save that for latter, don't you think Hagrid?" June said as she glared at the Dursleys, who refused to meet her gaze.
"Aye," he agreed, eyeing the Dursleys' son, who was staring at the cake greedily, before snapping the box shut, "I think yer right, June,"
"Alright Harry, is there anything else you'd like to do before we leave?" June asked.
Harry eyed his relatives for a few moments before turning back to June and shaking his head.
"All right," June said before turning and leaving through the door, Harry following behind her. Hagrid followed as well, stopping to pick up the door and fix it back into its frame. As he was about to close it fully he turned to the Dursleys and smiled at them.
"Be seeing ya I suppose," he grinned. The Dursleys only started at him, causing the smile to fall from his face.
"Err…right" he mumbled before he fully closed the door and turned away with a sigh. Down on the rocky shore was a small wooden dock, where two boats were tied. June was helping Harry into the boat as Hagrid wandered over.
"So, um June, how did you guys find me anyway?" Harry asked.
"Ah that's easy 'Arry. Ya see June's a magic tracker," Hagrid explained as he began to untie the boat.
"Magic tracker?" Harry asked with a confused look.
"It's someone who can track magical people by the aura they give off. It's a bit of a rare ability among wizards," June explained.
"Yer not giving yerself enough credit, June!" Hagrid boasted as he stepped into the boat, causing it to rock violently, "June is one of the greatest in the world, second only to 'er teacher, Madam Xanadu, 'erself! I mean she's a member of the Sentinels of Magic,"
"Who are they?" Harry asked as Hagrid pushed the boat off the dock.
"It's a collection of some of the greatest wizard in the world. They 'elp make important decisions regardin' the wizardin' world."
"Wow!" Harry exclaimed, turning to June, "That sounds really impressive!"
"I guess," June replied, blushing a bit at all the praise, "it's really just because of my master that I'm in at all. But enough about me, how about we speed this up?" she asked rhetorically, before reaching into her jacket and producing a foot long stick, which she gestured with, causing the small wooden boat to speed along like a motor boat.
"Oh, by the way 'Arry, 'at thing I did back in cottage," Hagrid said with a slightly nervous expression, "can ya not tell anyone I did 'at?"
Harry looked at him with a confused expression before smiling, "Sure Hagrid, your secret is safe with me,"
Later that day, in London
Harry followed closely as June and Hagrid led them down the back alleys of London. He rubbed his eyes sleepily as he walked, trying to figure out how they had got to the city. One moment, he had fallen asleep in the boat ride to the shore; the next June was shaking him awake on a random park bench in the city. He chalked it up to some more magic; something he hoped he would understand when he went to this new school.
As he walked down the streets, he saw people openly gawking at Hagrid and his huge size. Harry wondered if his size was a magical thing, like June's ability to track magic. He'd have to remember to ask him later.
After awhile they came to an old stone building surrounded by others of similar architecture. The building had a few small windows and a simple wooden door. A sign hanging over the door depicted a large cauldron filled with a bubbling concoction. The name "The Leaky Cauldron Pub" was written across it.
Hagrid entered the pub without a word as June signaled him to follow. The inside was much what Harry had imagined a pub would look like, simple wooden tables and chairs strewn about, with a bar sitting along one wall. The bar was filled with a handful of people, all dressed in robes of different colors, except for the barman, who wore simple work clothes.
"Ah Hagrid," the bartender greeted warmly, "Stopping in for a drink?"
"Not today, got me some official business," Hagrid said waving him. It was at this point that the bartender became aware of Harry's presence.
"Merlin's Beard," he whispered in amazement, "Is that really him?"
Hagrid looked over his shoulder as Harry before turning back to the bartender and nodding in confirmation, "Aye, tha's 'im"
Before Harry knew it, the bartender was standing in front of him, shaking his hand vigorously.
"It's an honor to meet you Mr. Potter, it really is," he said with an excited look on his face.
"Um, yeah, good to meet you too," Harry replied, obviously confused.
"Potter?" a person asked from the other side of the pub, "As in Harry Potter?"
At that, the pub suddenly exploded with activity as the patrons surrounded Harry. Everyone seemed to want to talk to him and shake his hand. The whole thing was overwhelming, and Harry appeared he would pass out if Hagrid had not stepped in.
"All righ'! All righ' tha's enough. Let the poor boy breathe!" he said, forcibly pushing people out of the way and pulling Harry to his side.
"Hagrid, what's going on?" Harry asked, bewilderedly as Hagrid tugged him along toward the back of the pub.
"We'll explain later," June responded as she led them.
As they approached the door, another man walked up to them. He appeared to be middle aged, with a pale complexion, skinny build and a stooped posture. He wore a long purple robe with a matching turban wrapped around his head. He rubbed his hands together nervously as he looked around anxiously with his dark brown eyes.
"Oh! Professor Quirrell! Wasn't expecting ta see you 'ere," Hagrid greeted warmly.
"Oh!" he yelped in surprise, visibly shaking, "H-H-Hello, H-H-Hagrid. I w-w-was j-j-just p-p-picking some things up f-f-for the new sch-ch-chool year,"
"Ah! Me an' June 'ere were doing somethin' similar fer 'Arry" Hagrid said as he clasped one of his big hands on Harry's shoulder, knocking him off balance.
"Oh! Sorry abou' tha', 'Arry," he apologized as he helped Harry right himself, "Well, I guess I should introduce ya. 'Arry, this is Professor Quirrell, 'e'll be one of yer teachers at Hogwarts."
"I-I-It's a p-p-pleasure to m-m-meet you, Harry," Quirrell said as he extended his hand, which Harry shook.
"You too, sir," Harry responded.
"W-W-Well, I-I should b-b-be on m-m-my way. G-G-Good d-d-day Hagrid, Mr. P-P-Potter," he said, before leaving the pub.
"We should be getting along as well," June said as she opened the door and headed out behind the pub. Behind the pub was a small open area, closed off by a stone wall. Stepping forward, Hagrid drew his pink umbrella from his jacket. Holding it up, he tapped some of the stones along the back wall in a certain order. When he was done, there was a soft grinding noise as the wall opened up, stone by stone.
Harry gaped in amazement as a completely hidden area of the city. All the buildings were tightly pack, like the city was built in older times. The architecture of the buildings appeared to be Victorian era as well, with large windows revealing store fronts. The tight, cobblestone street was packed with people, all dressed rather peculiarly, at least in Harry's eyes. Glancing up, he saw dozens of owls flying about, much like the ones who had tried to deliver letters to him when he was still with the Dursleys.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Harry" June said, smiling at Harry's look of amazement.
That evening, in the Leaky Cauldron
Harry sighed as he sat at one of the simple tables within the pub. After the past day, he was both mentally and physically exhausted. In his fingers he twiddled what to anyone else would look like a finely carved stick, but Harry now knew what it truly was. A wand. His wand. At first, Harry thought the old wandmaker, Ollivander, had been off his rocker when he told him that all wizards had a connection to their wands, the focus of their magic. But now he began to think that the strange old man had been on to something. The wand felt…natural in his hand. Like it had always been a part of him. And hopefully always would.
He smiled as he continued to fiddle with his wand as he went over the day in his head. After they had arrived, Hagrid and June had led him to the wizarding bank, Gringotts, to get him some money. It was there that Harry got his first look at magical creatures. It turns out that the people manning the bank weren't actually…well men. They were goblins. Harry did his best to not stare at the strange looking creatures, though their ugly, elongated features and short stature made it hard. He got a few glares but something told Harry that they were use to it and that they were actually just naturally grumpy. Harry figured he would be to if he was looked down upon his whole life, literally or not.
It was at that point Hagrid left their company, claiming he had an errand to run at the bank. So June accompanied Harry to get money, from what he learned was his family's vault. They were taken by one of the goblins to the vault in a mine cart, though Harry acquainted it more to one of the roller coasters he has seen on the tele. It was fast, it was exhilarating, and at one point he could have sworn he had seen a dragon. Once they arrived, June had produced a key to the large, iron vault door. It was then that Harry discovered something else. His family had been rich. Almost obscenely so. The vault contained piles of wizarding money, with stacks of gold, silver and copper coins taller than him. After taking a handful of each type, and placing it in a small sack, June led Harry back to the surface to do his school shopping.
And they did a lot of shopping. Harry felt for certain that he had never owned as many possessions before now, something that seemed to bother June when he had told her. Along with his wand, he now owned a truck full of clothes, both 'Muggle' or plain clothes, and wizard's robes. In addition, he also had a stack of school books, which Harry was interested in looking at, something he never thought he would be when involving school books. Finally, sitting next to him was his favorite new possession. Perched in a brass bird cage was a snowy white owl named Hedwig. Hagrid had gotten it for him for his birthday, his first birthday present, though he didn't speak his thoughts as he had learned that it would only make June upset. Apparently, owls were used like carrier pigeons to distribute mail, though magic apparently made them a lot more reliable.
All in all, Harry had an exciting and amazing day, but there was still one thing bothering him.
"Hagrid?" Harry said, looking at his wand. Hagrid looked up from the piece of birthday cake he had been eating.
"Aye?"
"Why is everyone so excited to see me, like when we first came to the pub?" he asked looking up at Hagrid.
"Um…" Hagrid said, freezing up.
"Relax, Hagrid," June jumped in, putting her hand on his shoulder to calm him, "I'll handle this,"
"Alrigh'" he replied, leaning back.
June took a deep breath, before turning back to Harry, "The best explanation for it, is that most of Wizarding Britain sees you as a hero,"
"A hero?" Harry asked confusedly, an emotion he was becoming quite familiar with, "I didn't even know about magic till yesterday,"
"Well you see, it has to do with how your parents died," she replied, cautiously.
"How my parents died?" he said, suddenly becoming quite.
"Yes. Now in order for you to understand, I'll have to explain some things to you," she explained, before taking a deep breath and continuing, "Britain wasn't always a good a place as you see today. Only little over a decade ago, it was a very dark place, at least in the Wizarding world."
"Why's that?" Harry asked, hesitantly.
"Back then a very dark and powerful wizard was fighting with the government. He had a lot of followers, called Death Eaters, with whom he terrorized the country. A lot of people died Harry, and those who survived still bare the scars of that time, physical or not. People are still afraid to say his name, usually referring to him as 'You-Know-Who' and 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'."
"What…What was his name?" Harry inquired.
June leaned across the table towards Harry, "Voldemort," she whispered.
"Voldemort?" Harry asked in a slightly louder voice. His eyes widened when he saw Hagrid visibly jump at the sound of the name.
"Yes," she replied, urging him to keep his voice down, "he held the country in a grip of fear…until one Halloween night, eleven years ago."
"What happened then?" Harry asked, though he felt like he didn't really want to know the answer.
"He came to your parent's house, in a village called Godric's Hollow. Your mother and father were very skilled wizards and enemies of his. It's not really known how he found them, as the house was magically hidden. But all that matters is he did. Your parents fought him of course, but he was too strong, and he killed them. Then he tried to kill you, alone in your crib. Then something strange happened. His spell reflected back at him, destroying him."
"It did? How?" Harry asked, very confused.
"No ones sure, seeing as no one was there at the time. Some of the greatest magic users on the planet have hypothesized as to what happened, but the fact remains that no one was there to witness it. All we know for sure is that you were the last one alive in the house. After that, Professor Dumbledore had you brought to live with your relatives, and the rest is history."
"Wow," Harry said quietly.
June nodded in response, "That's why people see you as a hero. You defeated Voldemort. You're the Boy Who Lived."
June sighed and put a hand on Harry's shoulder as a forlorn look crossed his face, "I know this is a lot to take in at once, but it will be alright. You should probably get some rest; you've had a long day. I was able to talk to Albus about the situation with your relatives and we decided that you will stay here until school starts, alright?"
Harry nodded, brightening slightly.
"Good, now let's bring your things up to the room I got for you. It's paid up until the time you have to leave for school. Consider it my birthday present," she said with a smile, as she stood up.
That night, as he lay in the four poster bed of the rented, private room, Harry tossed and turned in his sleep, his dreams filled with screams, green light, and hissing, laughing voices.
A/N: Sorry about the wait folks. As you can see the chapter isn't that long, as I plan on writing shorter chapters from now on. The real problem was that my computer got a virus, and the only way I could get rid of it was wiping my computers memory, thus deleting the half-finished chapter I already had. Combined with working retail during Christmas time made this chapter slow going. I've been able to work out a good pace for writing recently, so hopefully the next chapters will come along faster.
As another note, the way I'm going about writing this is that anything that I don't mention changing, can be assumed to have happened as it did in canon. Also, I'm unsure if I did Hagrid's accent completely right. I really just went by what it sounded like in my head. Feel free to point out if it's different from canon or if I didn't keep it consistent. Also I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I felt that the Marvelous World of DC was kind of a dumb title on my part, but I'm kind of stuck with it now. If you guys have a better suggestion, I'm all ears. I hope you enjoy the things to come! Later True Believers!