AN: This version of Harry is a punk, a street rat and an asshole. Since people don't change overnight, you'll have to put up with his behaviour for quite a while. I'm warning you so you won't expect the usual nice and ideal Harry Potter you see in every fic out there.
"Hello" – normal talk
'Hello' – thoughts
"Where am I?" Harry asked himself with a groan as he tried to lift himself in a sitting position.
He was exhausted. He didn't remember ever feeling as tired as he was in that moment. And he also didn't remember ever having had such a deep sleep as he had just had...that was because this was the first time Harry experienced magical exhaustion. Fortunately, it wasn't a severe case of it. In a few days, with enough rest and nutritional food, he'll be as good as new.
After asking himself that question, Harry glanced around himself, trying to understand his situation. First, he was not dead, that much was obvious. Second, it didn't look like he was imprisoned – there were no chains or ropes tying him down and there was nothing obstructing him from escaping through the large windows of the infirmary should the need arise.
Although he was quite paranoid for his age, even he had to admit that so far the old man that had supposedly came after him in order to capture him, had yet to do him any harm. He remembered that, in fact, the old man hadn't attacked him at all despite him trying to injure him with the use of his 'telekinesis'.
'What if he's actually one of the good guys? Like professor Xavier and his X-men?' Harry thought with a hint of excitement.
After all, if the old man didn't harm him in any way and if he didn't take any kind of action against him while he was unconscious, what should be there for him to be afraid of? However, Harry knew that regardless of the old man's reasons, he still had to remain cautious.
While Harry was pondering on all these things, Dumbledore received madam Pomfrey's notice that the boy has woken up. He had asked her to tell him directly because he understood that Harry was more than a little suspicious about everything. It was better if he didn't have to deal with too many new faces for the moment.
"I see you're up. It looks like a good night of sleep did a great deal in calming you." Dumbledore said with a hint of amusement in his voice when he arrived at the infirmary.
Although he tensed at the old wizard's arrival, Harry still had the decency to look to the side with a hint of shame. Indeed, now that Harry thought about it better, in his panicked state, he had not even given the old man a chance to introduce himself, immediately proceeding to hurl slabs of concrete at him.
"My name is Albus Dumbledore and I'm the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore began introducing himself.
"Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Harry asked with a wry smile. "Sure! And I'm Santa Claus, while my mother is Queen Elisabeth II."
Dumbledore frowned slightly at the boy's sarcasm but decided to not say anything for the moment, opting instead for a different approach.
"Then what do you call the things you've done if they are not magic?"
"It's simple." Harry replied. "I'm a mutant. One of the few people in this world whose genes have evolved and granted them superhuman abilities. I have yet to meet anyone like me – aside from you – but I know every mutant has a different power. I have the power of telekinesis. And you have the power to make things disappear. So why don't we cut the crap, mister?" Harry finished with a hint of hostility in his voice.
"First of all, mind you language Mr. Potter. It is unbecoming of someone of your age to speak like that." Dumbledore said sternly.
"Secondly" the old wizard continued "I think you have read too many Muggle comics for your own good."
Seeing the boy wanting to protest, Dumbledore merely picked up his wand and with a flick of his wand, he soundlessly conjured a 2 feet tall floating blue flame. With another flick of his wand, the flame instantly froze, transforming into ice. He then transfigured the ice in to a flock of canaries, which then were transfigured as well into snowflakes...snowflakes which did not melt upon touching the floor or the beds.
During this demonstration, Harry watched Dumbledore with his mouth wide-open.
"Can one of the 'mutants' you talk about do these things?" Dumbledore asked while he continued to demonstrate his skill in magic: a broomstick began to clean up the floor by itself, objects started to float around the infirmary room and as the icing on a cake, Dumbledore transfigured one of the beds into a large and very beautiful peacock. After finishing his demonstration, in less than five seconds, the room regained its former appearance as if nothing had happened there.
Seeing the boy having no words at his display of magic, Dumbledore smiled at him knowingly while taking the chance to further solidify his argument
"Mutants are works of fiction – at least the ones you are talking about. However, people with supernatural powers do exist. What you have seen me doing moments before, can be accomplished by any wizard and witch that puts in enough time and effort. Magic exists and it silently influences our life, regardless of our choice of admitting it or not. Magic is - ...well, I'd better not start giving you a lecture about magic right now." said Dumbledore chuckling softly at himself.
"People that have the ability to use magic are called wizards and witches. Wizards have been existing along with ordinary humans since forever. But, ever since the Witches Hunts during Middle Ages, the wizarding population across the world decided to 'disappear'. As time went by, for the non-magical folk, wizards became nothing but a myth. However, magical people have organized themselves in secret communities and continued to live in relative peace without interfering in the non-magical world's affairs. Nowadays every country has a Ministry of Magic whose purpose is to keep the laws and to insure that the magical world remains a secret for the non-magical people."
"The United Kingdom has a Ministry of Magic as well and, moreover, there is also an institution of magical education, Hogwarts, which I dare say is one of the finest in the world."
Meanwhile, Harry didn't say a word, listening seemingly enraptured by Dumbledore's explanation, making the old wizards believe that he was stunned speechless by the revelations. However, that was actually quite far from truth: Harry was already fully aware of the existence of supernatural abilities since he, himself, had been actively using them for years. Besides that, Dumbledore's impressive display of magic expanded Harry's horizons even more...Hence, when Harry considered everything again, they idea of wizards living hidden away for centuries did not seem that far-fetched.
No, Harry was silent because he was thinking where was this new development leaving him. Was he going to be forced to live in secret like he rest of the wizards too? Will he be forced to attend this Hogwarts school?
Meanwhile Dumbledore took a small pause as well, thinking about how to manipulate...no, that's a bit too harsh of a word, he was thinking of how to proceed in order for Harry to accept his guidance – given the boy's rebellious nature, Dumbledore suspected that if he forced him to attend Hogwarts, he would cause an endless stream of problems; but he couldn't let this at Harry's free choice either since the boy was too distrustful of him. That's why he decided to approach him in a more "delicate" manner, by shifting the boy's focus to the benefits he'd receive by choosing to attend Hogwarts.
"Now there are two options in front of you: you can either choose to attend Hogwarts or not. It's up to you." - Dumbledore said and Harry's face almost broke into a smile – "However...there are a number of consequences that will follow each one of your choices." finished the old wizard, making the happy expression on Harry's face disappear in an almost comical fashion.
"If you were to refuse our offer, in order to keep the Status of Secrecy, the Ministry of Magic would be obligated to wipe off your memories regarding the wizarding world, including your own abilities."
"But, if you were to accept attending Hogwarts, you'd be given a free scholarship and a legal guardian. You would be instructed and trained to use your magic and you'll receive guidance regarding your future career and personal development. You'll also get the chance to discover more about your family, your heritage..."
If the first series of consequences made Harry scowl, the second one almost made him spit the 'old fart' in the face. Harry understood that Dumbledore's words could have been simplified like this: 'If you play like I say, we'll become best friends. If you don't, then, may God be with you, because you'll sure as hell need it.'
Moreover, Dumbledore pushing his 'heritage' in front of his eyes, made Harry even more sure that the old man had some sort of hidden agenda – he was way too accommodating to get him to attend Hogwarts, for Harry to not get suspicious. That was because mentioning family to an orphaned young teenager was like a killing move that would make 9 out 10 individuals listen to him as if he were some sort of prophet.
Most teenagers are angsty and the orphaned ones are even more. At least that was the idea Dumbledore went by when he threw 'the carrot'. What Dumbledore didn't know was that Harry was not like most teenagers. There was no place in Harry's life for sentimentalism or for playing the victim of the unfairness of the world after becoming a runaway. In order to survive another day Harry had had to be pragmatic and rational because there would be no-one to spoil him and give him anything. Everything he needed, he had to procure it with his own two hands. Victimising himself would not help him in the least. Sure, he had thought many times about his parents and how life would have been had he had parents like ordinary children; like any other child he had also once wished to meet his parents and to be showered in their love. But that was not meant to be. Life moved forward and he had to move along with it.
Harry understood a long time ago that life was not always fair: some people would have more than they needed while others would lose everything. People were not equal from the very moment they were born. That was the way life was and nothing could change that. His parents were dead and now there was nothing he could do about it. Thus, learning more about his parents was not worth it if it was at the exchange of his freedom. And because of that Harry was not going to fall for Dumbledore's bait. There was no way the old man would give him that information without requesting something else in exchange.
In the end though, Harry didn't really have a choice. He didn't even want to think about how would his life become like if he were to be deprived of what he had thought until then as being 'mutant powers'. Harry was getting angry just at the thought of being ordinary and powerless again, like years ago. And this kind of blackmailing was the worst type there is: forcing someone to do your biding while pretending to leave it at their choice...
After Dumbledore mentioned Harry's parents, he expected the boy to at least show some signs of excitement if not to immediately accept the conditions whole-heartedly. What met his eyes though, was exactly the opposite: the boy's face looked like he was doing everything in his power to not start swearing at him. Baffled and curious about what made Harry rage like that, Dumbledore sent a soft Legilimency probe, trying to see his surface thoughts.
'Erasing the knowledge about my powers, my magic? Making me become powerless, ordinary and weak again? Don't fuck around with me! ...This geezer thinks he's so smart trying to manipulate me... He fucking makes me want to snap his neck-'
...that was all Dumbledore managed to "hear" from Harry's thoughts before a very powerful pulse of magic impacted his entire frame, propelling him together with the stool he was seated on at 10 feet away from Harry's bed.
Startled by the sudden noise, Madam Pomfrey came in hurriedly, only to see Dumbledore sprawled on the floor barely conscious and moaning in pain and the boy, Harry, on his knees on the bed, tightly clutching at his chest with both of his hands.
Meanwhile Harry was scared, confused and amazed at the same time. For a moment there, he felt someone's consciousness enter his mind, but then the Gorgoneion hanging from his neck heated up to an almost painful temperature, making him nearly miss the fact that the intruder has been expelled from his mind.
'Was that telepathy?' Harry asked himself terrified.
He had never expected magic to be capable of doing even that! He was terrified especially because he realized the real capabilities of such a dangerous ability. If magic was capable of doing at least a tenth of what Professor Xavier from X-men could do with his telepathic powers, then what kind of concept was that?! It was one thing to see that in comics and a whole different thing to see it in real life. Imagine, to be able to see one's thoughts, to manipulate his memories, to erase his personality and to even bend his will! A telepath could even put someone in a state worse than death! The prospects of such an ability truly were terrifying.
As Harry was thinking about these things, he was tightly clutching the stone amulet hanging from his neck. He understood that the mysterious artefact had saved his hide once again and he couldn't help, nor did he try to fight off the feeling of attachment that surfaced at that moment. As if it had sensed Harry's own feelings, the Gorgoneion sent a soft pulse of magic seemingly (in Harry's biased point of view) trying to let him know that it was aware of them.
It was five minutes later when Dumbledore managed to regain his composure after the mental backslash he had suffered. He glanced warily at the boy in front of him, making him tense up. But unlike what Harry expected of him, Dumbledore had no intention of attacking him. Instead, the old wizard was studying him as if Harry was some sort of rare creature, sporting a scheming and calculative look in his eyes.
'Natural Occlumens?' Dumbledore asked himself. 'No, it can't be' the old man continued his process of thought as remembered that innate Occlumency barriers were nothing but a myth.
'To my knowledge there has never been registered such a thing...'
And Dumbledore was right. Never before had ever existed a witch or a wizard with innate Occlumency barriers. Not even famous wizards such as Morgan le Fay, Merlin, Salazar Slytherin or even Herpo the Foul and Andros the Invincible had boasted something like this. (1)
But how could Dumbledore possibly know that the seemingly old and unremarkable stone pendant that Harry was wearing at his neck was the culprit behind his violent expelling from the boy's mind?
Not finding a plausible explanation for the incident, Dumbledore focused his attention to the glimpse he had managed to take into the boy's mind... 'Making me become powerless, ordinary and weak again? Don't fuck around with me!' ...these words made Dumbledore have a feeling of deja vu once again.
Tom Marvolo Riddle and Harry James Potter. Both of them orphaned...they both grew up at an orphanage. Both had a frightening degree of control over their magic even before acquiring a wand – and Harry was even more outstanding than Tom. They were both very intelligent and resourceful and none of them had normal moral standards and values: one had terrorized the ones that had tried to bully him and had stolen their most prized possessions afterwards, while the other one has been living for years by using his magic to steal from others. Both Tom and Harry hated the thought of being weak and ordinary. They both wanted to have control over their own lives...
The similarities between the young Tom Riddle and Harry Potter were so glaringly obvious that Dumbledore would have had to be an utter fool to not notice them. And the thought of a second, even more talented Voldemort rising to power while not even the first one has been completely killed yet, was horrifying. In that moment Dumbledore vowed that he would do his utmost to guide Harry to the Light side. He would not allow himself to fail for a third time: his first failure had been Grindelwald and the second, Tom Riddle. Both his best friend and his most talented student had become Dark Lords in the end. This time Dumbledore would make sure Harry will follow his footsteps.
Dumbledore was considered by the wizarding world as one of the greatest wizards since Merlin and the best student Hogwarts has ever had after Merlin's graduation almost 1000 years ago. (2)
But even Dumbledore's talent with magic paled in comparison with Harry's when he was his age. Therefore, if he managed to groom Harry into becoming his successor and step in as the leader of the light against the Dark Wizards and Witches, Dumbledore could go to his eternal rest with his heart at peace. In that moment Dumbledore decided that that was going to be his purpose for the rest of his life. That was his resolve.
After a few good minutes of silence and tension, Dumbledore threw a meaningful glance at Harry before leaving without uttering even a word. And although the old wizard didn't say it, Harry understood that he no longer had the chance to choose. In that moment it has already been decided that he was going to attend Hogwarts.
Half an hour later
After Dumbledore left, a plump and gentle looking old nurse came to Harry and started waving her wand around him, doing some a final check up to make sure there was nothing wrong with him.
Moments later, a tall and rather severe-looking woman entered the infirmary. She had a very stern face and the square glasses she was wearing did nothing to make modify that impression. She was dressed in long, emerald robes, her black hair was drawn into a tight bun and on top of her head she was wearing a pointed black hat cocked to one side. If Harry had ever imagined how a witch looked like, then Minerva McGonagall fit the picture from his mind perfectly.
Although she was obviously around 70 years old and despite her weird choice of clothes (though not as weird as Dumbledore's), her demeanour and the presence she exuded warned Harry that she was someone he should be wary of crossing.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter! My name is Minerva McGonagall and I'm Deputy Headmistress of this fine institution."
"Good afternoon, ma'am." Harry replied trying to return her greeting politely.
Professor McGonagall nodded curtly and said as she turned her back and headed towards the door:
"Follow me closely, please."
Harry immediately tensed an asked a little more hotly than he had intended:
"Where are you taking me?"
She turned her face towards him and threw a searching glance at him, as if she was trying read him. She had been warned beforehand by Dumbledore that young Mr. Potter had some serious trust issues, but she didn't expect him to actually act like that.
"It's noon, and you have not eaten anything yet. We're heading to the Great Hall where lunch can be served." The professor said before turning her back to him again and said:
"You'd do well to not fall behind me as the castle can be quite dangerous for those not aware of its secrets"
'Castle?!' Harry exclaimed in his mind. 'Just what kind of school is this?' But he did not tarry behind and started following her as told.
Although he had expected to see grandiose architecture and beautiful sculptures along the halls as he had always imagined that castles looked like, the sight that met his eyes on the way to the Great Hall left him completely mesmerized. He had never imagined such a strange and crazy-looking place. The castle had a medieval appearance, but what shocked him to the core was that everything in the castle seemed to be alive: the tens of stairs were changing their positions by themselves and he had almost mistaken the first portrait he had seen with a telly: the beautiful lady painted on it was moving and talking! She actually winked at him, leaving him gobsmacked.
Besides the things mentioned above, Harry also had a 'special' encounter, encounter which scared him out of his skin seeing as the one he met was actually a ghost. Moreover, he has also had the misfortune to meet the scariest ghost currently residing in the castle. Said ghost was pearly-white and slightly transparent, it had wide, staring, black lack eyes and a gaunt face. It sported a curly wig and It was dressed in robes covered in silver bloodstains. . .
At the sight of the bloodstained ghost suddenly appearing in front of him Harry freaked out and instinctively activated his magic. Much to Professor McGonagall's shock, with a simple wave of his left hand, Harry hovered a nearby metal armour protectively in front of him, not realizing at first that, for ghosts, physical obstacles meant nothing. However, to Harry's relief, after it stared at him for a few seemingly unending moments, the ghost floated away without even uttering a word, only nodding its head in respect at the witch.
Meanwhile Minerva McGonagall was looking at Harry in awe. She did hear Dumbledore saying that young Harry was an exceedingly gifted individual, but seeing is believing. Such a talented boy was sure go far in life; she became very enthusiastic at the thought of Harry ending up in her house. With such a talented student, Gryffindor would probably have a much higher chance to snatch back the House Cup from the Slytherins. And given who Harry's parents were, she was almost sure that he would end up in Gryffindor like them as well. . . If only she knew. . .
After a few more minutes of walking through the castle, the two finally arrived at the Great Hall. Normally, they should have gotten there in less than five minutes seeing as the Hospital Wing was on the first floor, but Harry would realise later on that professor McGonagall purposely took him on a mini tour of the castle.
Upon seeing the Great Hall, Harry was not disappointed: the charmed ceiling, the way the food appeared on the plates just for the five people that were seated at one of the four tables (it was the beginning of August, most of the teachers were also spending their holyday outside the school) and the event of the three owls bringing Dumbledore the mail, all of these gave Harry a surreal feeling.
As if warned by Dumbledore, the other two teachers seated at the table besides him and his deputy, didn't try to be overly friendly with Harry. The old man understood that unlike other eleven years old children, Harry didn't seem to like basking in a bunch of strangers' attention, regardless of their status as professors. Yes, Dumbledore was very thorough in his actions as he was dead-serious about grooming Harry. And one had to pay attention to every little detail when wanting to shape and to change someone else's personality.
Therefore, after introducing themselves as Pomona Sprout, professor of Herbology and the Head of the House of Hufflepuff and Septima Vector professor of Arthimancy, they started chatting amongst themselves, leaving Harry to his own devices.
When they ended their lunch, everyone but the Deputy Headmistress left to their own business. After Harry looked questionably at her, McGonagall told him:
"Since you'll attend Hogwarts starting with the 1st of September, you have to buy yourself the necessary of books, robes and other consumables. And don't worry about the money, as the Headmaster said, all your needs will be covered by the school."
Then she handed him a tick and heavy envelope, made of yellowish parchment. On it, written in emerald-green ink were the address and his name.
Mr. H. Potter
The Great Hall
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Turning the envelope over curiously, Harry noticed a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms with a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H. Upon opening it, Harry read on the first page:
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 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
On the second page, there was a quite long list filled with all kind of oddities.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes(black) One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK.
...
Faced with that list, Harry stared at it dumbly for a few good seconds after finishing reading...had Harry not seen moving stairs and talking portraits just a little while ago, he would have been tempted to throw the letter aside and scream 'bullshit' into McGonagall's face... the titles of the books looked as if they were made up to prank nerds. Even their authors had extremely weird (that being nicely said) names!
Although he felt an itch on the tip of his tongue to say something nasty, Harry fought against the temptation, managing to croak a question:
"Where...where do we get this...erm...this stuff?"
It wasn't the first time the Transfiguration teacher dealt with Muggleborns or muggle-raised new students, so she more or less knew what was going on through Harry's mind at that moment. The fact that despite his his normal rebelious attitude, Harry did not curse even once, was already a plus in her book. That didn't mean though, that she wasn't amused at him not finding his words upon reading the letter.
"Why, of course, on Diagon Alley!" said McGonagall with her usual voice, but if the slightly curled up corners of her lips were anything to go by, the Deputy Headmistress was in a very good mood.