Chapter Text
Looking back, Harry Evans saw that three times in his life random doors and what lay behind them brought him happiness. Growing up he had very few happy moments with his Aunt and Uncle. All he had in those days were the memories of his mother. And while in his memories of her, she was often sad, it did make him happy to recall her before she died shortly before he turned two years old. He had no memories of his father happy or sad, nor did he know the man's name.
One of the first questions he recalled asking his Aunt Petunia was his father's name. She had told him that the man's name was unimportant since he had gotten Harry's mother pregnant before abandoning them. Aunt Petunia said that is why his mother had used her maiden name for his surname so she would not have anything to remind her of the man. It had been years later when Harry realized that his aunt said his last name was from his mother's maiden name which he took as his parents had possibly been married before he had been born. But by the time he thought of it, he had learned not to ask questions lest he got punished.
The first door that brought him happiness had been the front door of #4 Private Drive, where he lived with his Aunt and her family. On the day of his tenth birthday, something his family never did anything about, someone knocked on the door. Uncle Vernon ordered Harry to go find out who it was. When Harry opened the door he found a well-dressed black man with a shaven head on the other side. Taking in the man's high-end clothing, Harry assumed it was someone who had business with his uncle. "Does my uncle, know you are coming?" Harry asked confused for he had often heard his uncle and aunt rant about how non-white people were stealing the jobs and work of whites.
"I think not," the man said in a deep melodious voice. "I take it by saying uncle, you are Harry Evans?"
"Um, yes that is me. Do I know you? Are you my dad?" Harry asked in quick succession.
With a slight chuckle, the man shook his head, "I am afraid not lad. I have come to see both you and your guardians about what is coming next year."
"Jehovah's Witness?" Harry asked.
"Nice guess but no, shall we go meet with your family?" the man said.
Before Harry could answer his Uncle called out, "Who is it, boy?"
"Someone who said they wish to speak to you, Aunt Petunia, and me," Harry called back.
"WHAT?!?" Uncle Vernon thundered sounding angrier than seemed necessary. Harry heard the sound of a chair crashing to the floor and the house shaking a little as his massive Uncle burst through the door separating the kitchen and the hall. "Get out of here," Uncle Vernon ordered the man. "We don't want anything to do with you lot. The boy is not going to be part of that world."
"Mr. Evans must come to Hogwarts with the amount of power that we have detected off of him, if he does not learn how to use his gifts he could cause a lot of problems or even become a dark creature known as an Obscura," the visitor said keeping his voice calm.
"No, we swore we would stamp it out of him," Uncle Vernon said making Harry wonder what they were trying to stamp out and what was Hogwarts among other things.
"Stamp it out of him?" the man asked before turning to look and Harry pulling out a stick and waving it before him. "Dear Merlin," the man said as he grabbed Harry by his shoulder and pulled him out of the house.
"What is going on?" Harry asked unable to help himself knowing he might be punished for asking a question as well as leaving the house when he was not attending school.
"I am getting you away from those people, Mr. Evans, and taking you someplace safe," the man said as he directed Harry into a black car parked before his house. What was strange was he joined Harry in the back seat and the car began to move without a driver.
"What is going on?" Harry asked again. "How are we moving?"
"I was going to explain this to you and your family," the man said saying "family" as if it was some sort of curse word. "Mr. Evans, there is another side of our world that most do not know about. A side filled with magic and while people are born in that part of the world every once in a while someone like you is born."
"Someone like me?" Harry asked.
"We have some information that your mother could use magic as well but was born in a non-magic-using family. She passed her gift on to you," the man said smiling at Harry.
"I can use Magic?" Harry asked in shock.
"Has nothing strange ever happened around you, Mr. Evans, that you could not explain?" the man asked as the driverless car got onto the motorway headed towards London.
"Well, I somehow turned one of my teacher's wigs blue, and one time with a simple jump, I ended up on top of one of the lunchroom buildings," Harry said in a quiet voice worried about being punished even though the man had done nothing to him for asking questions.
"See you can use magic," the man said. "What you just described to me is something we call wild magic which allowed sensors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as well as those at the Ministry to detect your gift. That means that you are what we call a Muggleborn or at least a second-generational one. At the age of eleven, you will be allowed to go to school at Hogwarts, but before then I was to arrange for a tutor for you so you could learn a little bit about the magical world."
"And now?" Harry asked.
"And now I need to find you a place to stay," the man said with a sigh. "What can you tell me about your parents?"
"You don't know?" Harry asked since the man stated his mother had been a Muggleborn.
"We don't keep track of all Muggleborns but if say your dad is a Magical, he might have family that you could stay with and help you enter the Magical World."
"My aunt told me my dad abandoned my mom shortly after my birth, and she was my mom's only living relative which is why I went to live with them," Harry explained.
"I see, and your uncle's family, would they be willing to take you in?" the man asked.
"I would be safer in an orphanage. My Uncle only had a sister and whenever she visited she would sick her dogs on me," Harry said.
"Oh, dear," the man said making a note on a clipboard.
The second door that had brought some joy to Harry's life had come a few days after the man from the Ministry of Magic who introduced himself as Kingsley Shacklebolt, had taken him from the Durlsys. For a day and a half after being removed from #4, Harry had been housed in the special area within the Ministry of Magic as Kingsley looked for someone to take Harry in. After a few days, he found a likely candidate, Uncle Vernon's Second Cousin. So taking Harry over to the man's place in the Magic Self-Driving car, Kingsley and Harry waited outside to be let in after Kingsley knocked on the door. "Are you Kingsley and Harry?" a thin man with long black hair asked once the door was open.
"We are, and you are Chris Dursley?" Kingsly asked the man.
"Yes, I am. Coming in. Come in," Chris said moving aside to let them enter. Harry took in the small two-bedroom apartment with a combination kitchen and living area. "Hello Harry," Chris said kneeling and pulling Harry into a tight hug. "I have heard about what my cousin and his family have been doing to you. I am so sorry you had to live like that young man."
"There is more we need to discuss," Kingsley said closing and locking the door.
"Alright cool, cool. Just sit anywhere," Chris said moving what looked like a red dress off of a small footrest since there were not that many places to sit.
"While I did share with you that I took Harry from your cousin and his family's house due to their abuse of him. I had not stated why I had gone there in the first place. I know this might be a bit of a shock to you but in this world, some people can perform actual magic and Harry is one of them," Kingsley explained.
"I assume you mean magic, magic, and not like sleight of hand card tricks?" Chris asked. In answer to Chris' question, Kingsley pulled out his Wand and changed a coster into a frog and back again. "Wicked, and you said Harry can do stuff like that?"
"Not yet, Harry will need to go to school so he can be properly trained to use magic. Which is why I need to find him a place to live," Kinglsey said.
"Right, right well my place is your place if you want it, Harry," Chris said giving Harry a large smile and pulling him into another tight hug. "I may not have as much money as my cousin did but we will get by."
"Since you agree to take Harry in, my government will give you a small stipend for carrying for him," Kingsley said passing over an envelope of money. "This is the normal amount that a single Muggle parent would receive when we find one of their kids can use magic. School tuition and the like are all paid for in the Magical World but you will be responsible for school supplies. When Harry turns eleven a teacher will come to show you both to a place you can get the supplies as well as let you access the Muggleborn accounts at the bank. Until then usually once a week someone will stop by to tutor Harry in aspects of the Magical World along with some lessons in Potions and Herbology," Kingsley then left promising to check in every once and a while to make sure Harry and Chris were doing alright.
"Alright little man, I know I don't have much room but you can take the second bedroom," Chirs said once they were alone. "As I said I don't make that much money and while this will help out it is not enough for me to quit one of my jobs. I work two," Chris said before Harry could ask. "I work at a bar where I pull customers in to get drinks and sit with them to provide a friendly ear. I hope you don't mind but for that job, I do dress up in drag, so if that is something you are not comfortable with I can have Kingsley come back and find you somewhere else."
"No that is alright, it is your life who am I to judge," Harry answered with a small shrug.
"I knew I would like you little man, or do you see yourself as a female or something else?"
"I was born male and for right now that is good enough," Harry said.
"Good, good. My second job is as an announcer for sporting events at the local stadium. Neither job pays much but we will be fine," Chris said as he helped Harry move his merger possession into his new room.
Chris had been correct, they did not have that much money, and while he worked his two jobs, Harry did not see him that much. Harry still liked living there compared to the Durlsyes. Harry was still in charge of cleaning and making food but Chris thanked him for it and showed him nothing but love and respect. Something it took Harry a while to get used to. Once a week, usually on Saturday or Sunday someone from the Ministry would show up and for two or so hours teach Harry about the Magical world as rather than Doctors and Nurses there were Healers and Medi-Magicals. In the Magical World there was not much taboo in dating someone of the same sex, nor was there any issue in people's choice of gender. During one of the lessons the Ministry worker took Harry to a place called St. Mungos and after informing Harry that the school and Ministry paid for everything, Harry got tested and inoculated for various Magical Maladies. This visit also healed Harry of various injuries he had sustained at Aunt Petunia's place making him feel better.
On Harry's eleventh birthday, just as Kingsley had promised one of the Hogwarts staff came to help him get supplies. Professor Sprout was a kind-faced slightly plump woman who told Harry and Chris about the subject she taught at the castle, Herbology. Harry thought he could do pretty well in the subject since besides cooking and cleaning for the Dursleys he also maintained the garden back at #4. As she directed Chris where to park near the center of London, Professor Sprout said that they could expand the money given to them from the Muggleborn accounts by exchanging Muggle money for Magical ones, but Harry knew that they would be unable to do that. Both Harry and Chris were surprised to see that the Magical bank was run by living-breathing Goblins. For some reason, the teller who helped them gave Harry a strange look when Professor Sprout asked for funds from the Muggleborn accounts, but for all he knew it could have just been a normal look for their kind.
Due to how low of funds they had, Harry had to get most of his stuff from second-hand stores. The only exception was his wand, which Professor Sprout said since he was a Muggleborn his first wand would be paid for by the Ministry, but if he broke it or needed a new one he would have to pay for it himself. Both Harry and Chris were excited as Harry tested out the various wands at a place called Olivanders before he found one that the owner said best suited him. His wand was ten inches long, very flexible, and was made of Alder with Unicorn Hair as its Core. As Professor Spout joined them on the trip back to the apartment, she informed Harry that his wand showed that he would be able to produce very focused magic, was quite adaptable, and was an agreeable person. Before she left them, Professor Sprout told Harry and Chris how to reach the Hogwarts Express on September, First.
Harry was excited to attend Hogwarts, but his joy was soon dampened by the looks at his shabby second-hand robes and patched backpack. He tried to not let it get him down for he was there to learn how to do magic, not necessarily make friends. Plus from what Professor Sprout told him he felt that when he got to the castle he would end up in Hufflepuff and from how she talked about the house they would accept him as Muggleborn, poor, and all. Yet when he was sorted, by a Magical Hat of all things, even when he argued with it to be sent to Hufflepuff it sent him to Gryffindor. A little while later the whole hall broke into a conversation as Professor McGonagall called out the name Neville Longbottom. Most of the students leaned forward as a lean boy with short-cropped brown hair strutted to the three-legged stool to be sorted. A few moments later the Hat also placed him in Gryffindor as he strutted over to the table as well taking a bow before he sat down. As he sat down, Harry noticed the Headmaster giving the boy a toast with his goblet a smile on his face.
Harry learned why everyone reacted the way they did to the boy during supper as he heard that Neville was considered the Boy-Who-Lived thanks to being the only known survivor of a Killing Curse. It seems that the Dark Lord had targeted Neville as a baby and had tried to kill him, and while Neville's parents had died he had survived. Neville had been raised by his Grandmother and Uncle who had made sure he never wanted anything feeling so proud of him despite the loss of his parents. Another boy who had been sorted into Gryffindor had already become friends with Neville on the train ride over and had proudly shared Neville's story with Harry and Dean Thomas who were both Muggleborns.
Harry soon found Neville to be rather arrogant and full of himself with Ron seeming to bask in the glory of being his "best friend." Both were treated rather differently than Harry who, as he had feared, was looked down on due to how poor he was and being a Muggleborn. When classes began, Harry found he was decent, not great but not too bad in all his subjects. And though he earned High A's or low to mid-level EE's most of the staff did not pay him any special attention or ask if he needed any help in his studies as a Muggleborn.
They did not ask Dean this either so, Harry just assumed that he was to make it on his own, which he was rather used to. The only exception was Professor Spout who would chat with him and invite him to tea every once and a while to see how he was doing. The only thing Harry excelled in was flying but even if First Years were allowed to play Quidditch, he knew he would never be able to afford a broomstick. So he just enjoyed the time flying and hiding his joy at being better at it than everyone in his class, including the Boy-Who-Lived.
He did not want to admit, he was slightly lonely and missed both Chris and some of his old school friends from the year before. He had thought he had been close to being friends with another Muggleborn in Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, but after a troll got into the castle during Halloween she started to hang out with Ron and Neville. Hermione tried to get Harry to hang out with them but he could not stand the way the pair looked down their noses at his shoddy clothing. This coming from Neville, he could understand doing this, but from what he had heard about Ron, the redhead's family was also poor. Yet he acted like he was so much better than Harry just because he was Neville's friend. Harry was only able to stomach being around them for a week before he had to step back, a little upset that Neville and Ron seemed to be corrupting, at least in his mind, Hermione to make her nearly as bad as they were.
After walking away from the trio, he had only one major interaction with them during his First Year. Overhearing them talk about going down into the Forbidden Corridor, he tried to get them to not go. He found out how far Hermione had fallen as she cast a Full Body Bind on him causing him to fall back into the chair he had been in as they left the room. He had been paralyzed for over three hours before he was thankfully found by Ron's older brother, Percy who took the spell off of him. Harry quickly thanked him as he rushed to the bathroom almost not making it. He was glad Percy had helped him for everyone already treated him badly he did not even want to imagine how much worse it would get if he had been forced to pee his pants due to the Full Body Bind he had been under.
He tried to file a report against Hermione, Ron, and Neville for jinxing him, but Headmaster Dumbledore, himself put a stop to it saying that the trio had needed to otherwise they might not have been able to do whatever they did in the Forbidden Corridor. They had not even been punished for entering the place like several other students Harry had heard about but had been rewarded and given a massive amount of points cementing Gyrffindor's Victory in the House Cup. Not that they had needed any help in the matter. The Headmaster maybe thought he was making everything better about Harry getting jinxed by rewarding Harry with Ten Points for "standing up to his friends." It was all Harry could do not to let out a derisive laugh at that.
Harry's summer had been fun as he got to hang out with some of his old school friends who lived nearby and spend time with Chris again. And while he could not perform magic as he had been given a letter before boarding the train back saying it would be illegal to do so, Chris and he did spend the time they had together going over all the lessons Harry had during the year. Harry had loved telling Chris all about how it felt to fly on a broomstick, though hated having to lie about making some friends. Chris had used some funds to buy a small cake when he heard about Harry getting the last bit of points of the school year and his House winning the cup.
Harry expected more of the same during his second year, but that year brought him to the third door which changed his life. Harry had gone looking for a place to go over his potions book thinking he needed some extra help in the class. It did not help that Professor Snape seemed to only like Slytherin students and would bully and take points from Gryffindors at every opportunity. Harry could not study in the Common Room for Ron and Neville kept regaling everyone about getting stuck on the wrong side of the barrier at Kings Cross and having to fly a car to Hogwarts. Harry could not help but wonder why they did not ask their guardians to help or send a note to the school but did not think he would get anything but teasing remarks from the pair.
The library was no better for Hermione was there having gotten sick of Ron and Neville's story. And since Harry still had nightmares of the jinx she had cast on him where he had fallen forward and cracked his head open, he could barely stand to be around her in class. Let alone the library where she might come over to check his work and offer unasked help. Thinking he might find more books that would help Muggleborns in Potions, Harry headed up to the Muggle Studies Department. Finding the department practically empty he felt he could do his studying here after he found a book. The third important door in his life was the door to the Muggle Studies Music room. Opening it up he found unlike the rest of the department the room was in use.
"Welcome," a blonde boy Harry recognized as the so-called Prince of Hogwarts. The Fifth-Year Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. "I don't think, I have seen you before," Draco said uncrossing his legs and standing up from a throne-like chair. Unlike the throne that the Headmaster used in the Great Hall, Draco's did not look as gaudy or out of place. Especially as there had been a group of students arranged around him like a royal court as Harry had opened the door. "All are welcome here no matter how... ungroomed they are," Draco said walking forward and holding out his hand to Harry.
"I was just looking for a place to study," Harry said trying to back out of the room only to find the door had shut behind him.
"You can study here, we do not mind. We are here to help. Come in, relax, and have some fun with one of our hosts," Draco said taking Harry's hand when Harry did not offer it to him.
"Host?" Harry asked confused.
"Yes, my dear. This is Hogwart's exclusive Host Club. We provide entertainment for those without any, a sensitive ear and shoulder to cry on when life gets you down. We even offer to tutor if someone needs it. That is if you can pay," Draco said arching an eyebrow at Harry's shoddy robes which he had at first thought had been artfully torn in a fashion statement but now just noticed they were old and ratty. Draco turned around and addressed one of the boys behind him. "Theo, who is this exactly?"
A tall pale-skinned boy pulled out what looked like a student leader opened it and read out, "This is Harry Evans, a Muggleborn boy from Gryffindor House with good grades but not one to draw attention to himself. His best subjects are flying, Herbology, and Charms. I do believe he lacks the necessary funds to pay for our services,"
We know of him," a pair of twins said from beside Nott. "We think he is friends with our little brother."
"As if," Harry muttered.
"Ah then you have some sense in your head," the twins said laughing a little.
"I am sorry, my dear boy but I trust Theo, and if he says you cannot afford us, I am afraid I will have to ask you to leave. But do come back if your fortunes increase. A meeting only costs five Galleons. So until we meet again," Draco said lifting Harry's hand to his mouth to kiss it. Harry was not going to allow that to happen as he pulled his hand free only to stumble back and run into a podium standing randomly in the middle of the floor. Harry quickly turned but could not stop a vase that had been resting on top of the pedestal as it crashed to the floor. The friendly smile slid off Draco's face as if it was water. "Oh, dear that was unfortunate."
"I can pay you back for it. It just might take me a while," Harry said quickly.
"Mr. Evans that vase was one-of-a-kind not to mention Magic resistant so it can not be easily repaired. It cost about 83,000,000 Galleons," Theo said making Harry's face drain of color. "I do not see you paying it back anytime soon, even if you gave us part of the wages from the job you find after graduating."
"Oh, I just got a wonderful idea," Draco said clapping his hands together with a large smile on his face.
"What's up, Draco?" a Sixth-Year Hufflepuff that Harry recognized as Cedric Diggory asked.
"Well, Professor Sinistra has forbidden us from using House Elves here so as a way to pay us back, I say we allow Mr. Evans to be the Host Club's House Elf," Draco said.
"Brilliant idea boss," Fred and George Weasley said.
"I am not anybody's House Elf, whatever that is," Harry said.
"You did say you would pay us back, did you not?" Theo asked closing the ledger with a snap.
"I did," Harry said.
"Well, working as a House Elf, or servant for the Host Club will allow you to pay us back before you graduate. And I suppose if you are here we can help tutor you if you wish. You did say you were looking for a place to study correct?" Theo asked arching an eyebrow.
"I did," Harry admitted again.
"Excellent, Mr. Evans, Welcome to the Hogwarts Host Club," Draco said with a beaming smile back on his face. Harry could only sag his shoulders in defeat wondering how bad this was going to go.