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To say Harry hated his life would be an understatement. Every punch and hit and slap sent him deeper into the darkness that lay beyond his dim eyes. He hated the Dursleys for what they did to him, but mostly he hated himself for letting it happen. If I could just be stronger…
When Hagrid came with his offer of freedom Harry felt his blanket of misery pulled off him at last. Like a burst of hope had finally flashed onto his grey life. But his initial excitement was soon replaced by anger. Everywhere he went people shook his hand and praised him and marvelled at the boy who lived. They repeatedly told him what an honour it was, how they had longed to meet him. They treated him right.
And yet, out of all the grateful and welcoming people he could have lived with he had ended up with the Dursleys. The people who treated him like dirt under their shoes, who starved him, who abused him.
Hagrid’s loyalty to this ‘Dumbledore’ annoyed him. Because as far as Harry could tell, he was the reason for his miserable life. He was the reason Harry woke up every day wishing he could end it all, wishing he could be more than just-
The sound of a train startled him out of his thoughts. The Hogwarts Express began flooding with children, from excited first years to bored seventh years all being hugged and kissed by their parents. No one had come to see Harry off and he stood alone, motiveless as everyone around him exchanged tearful goodbyes.
He made his way to a compartment and sat down by himself; head bent down over one of his charm books. To think this was all kept hidden from me...
A tall boy with flaming red hair and robes slightly too big for him opened the door. “Sorry mate, do you mind if I squeeze in? Everywhere else is full.”
Harry nodded, barely acknowledging his presence as he rapidly read one of the so-called ‘forbidden curses’. He couldn’t wait to learn magic, excited at the thought of torturing the Dursleys with tricks and spells after suffering 11 years at their hands.
“Uh, Ron Weasley nice to meet you…?”
Harry looked up at the outstretched hand. He sighed and reluctantly shook it “Harry Potter.”
Ron’s eyes immediately widened. “H-Harry- Harry Potter… no way your like- I heard all about… are you really-”
“Yeah I know I’m that guy,” and he showed him his scar to prove it.
“Woah” Ron breathed. “You're like- a complete legend!”
Harry ignored him and continued reading his book, wishing he knew a spell that could mute people.
“Do- Do you…?”
Harry sighed louder, becoming impatient. “Do I what?”
“Remember it?”
Harry shot him a confused look.
“You-know-who, when he… you know?”
“What killed my parents?” Harry shot back casually. He didn’t mean to come off as annoyed or bothered. But Ron’s ears immediately reddened, and he looked away, muttering an apology.
“A bit but I don’t want to talk about it.”
Ron nodded, refusing to look him in the eye. Harry assumed he was embarrassed by his remark but to be honest he didn’t really care about that. Hagrid had told him about his parents, James and Lily, how they were so loving and kind and innocent and a bunch of other stuff Harry had forgotten. But Harry didn’t feel much sadness when it came to them. After all, he didn’t know them, he didn’t remember them, he didn’t even think about them. They were just another thing the Dursleys had robbed him of. Being gawked and ogled a,t however, did annoy him. So, if Ron was going to fall silent and stop talking to him, then he was fine with that. At least he could read in peace.
The rest of the journey passed without much disturbance, Ron fiddled with his rat, Harry read his books and aside from an elderly woman selling sweets and a messy-haired girl asking if they’d seen a toad no one else disturbed them. Ron kept shifting in his seat though, stealing quick glances at Harry and then looking away. As if Harry couldn’t see him.
When the train came to a stop, he followed everyone else out of the train and got into a small boat with a couple of chatty kids. Ron however, stayed far back, refusing to go near Harry. They entered a hall where a tall and stern-looking witch read them some instructions and then disappeared through a door.
Harry was looking around the hall, admiring the moving paintings when a cold voice rang out. “So what they’re saying is true then?” he turned around to see a blonde boy with sharp features staring at him. “Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts.”
Immediately, his comment was met with a series of whispers and points, which Harry promptly ignored. He was beginning to get very sick of being treated like an animal on display.
“I’m Malfoy,” said the boy “Draco Malfoy, and these are my friends, Crabbe and Goyle.” Two large boys behind him nodded in acknowledgement.
Someone snickered. Peering to his right, Harry saw it was none other than Ron Weasley. Draco followed his gaze and glared at Ron coldly. “Think my name's funny, don’t you? Well there’s no need to ask for yours, red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley.”
Ron immediately looked down, ears reddening slightly. At that moment Draco reminded Harry a lot of Dudley, his cousin. But although Harry felt sorry for Ron, he couldn’t help but smirk slightly.
“You’d soon learn Potter,” Draco continued. “That some wizarding families are better than others-” he threw Ron a sharp look- “you don’t want to be making friends with the wrong sort-” he held out a hand- “I can help you with that.”
There was some silence and then–
“I’m Harry. Harry Potter,” Harry smirked, shaking Draco’s hand. “But you clearly already knew that.”
Draco smiled smugly and when the tall witch came back to lead them into the grand hall, Harry followed Draco into it, happy to have met someone who didn’t treat him differently. The grand hall greatly impressed him, with its tall, beautiful ceilings and bright, hanging candles. It made Harry feel finally at home.
The witch began reading out names, and each student would sit on a stool, have a strange talking hat placed on their head and be told which house they were sorted into. When Draco’s name was called out, it didn’t take more than a second for him to be sorted into Slytherin. He grinned at Harry and then moved towards the Slytherin table where he was greeted by loud applause.
Harry had read about the houses on the train. Of the 4 of them, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw didn’t particularly stick out to him. He couldn’t call himself loyal because he had no one to be loyal to and he was never very academic in school. But the other two houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin, had intrigued him greatly. Harry had thought himself quite brave, as he had put up with Vernon Durley’s rage for 11 years, eventually without crying or flinching. But he also felt he had ambitions, especially after discovering he was a wizard. To think there was a whole new side of the world that Harry had yet to explore excited him and he often found himself daydreaming of what he would go on to become.
When the sorting hat called his name, he excitedly made his way to the stool, ignoring the whispers that broke out immediately.
“Oh interesting very interesting,” he heard the hat say.
“Plenty of courage yes, and not a bad mind either. There’s a thirst yes, a need to prove yourself. So very interesting, now where to put you…”
Harry began drumming at the edge of his seat, suddenly anxious to see where he would be put. Everyone else had been so quick, why was the hat taking longer for him?
“Brave yes very brave, why not Gryffindor? You're sure to achieve greatness there...”
Harry thought of the proud Gryffindors he had seen so far. He thought of what he had read. To be a Gryffindor meant being brave, being a leader. It meant putting others before yourself. It meant making choices that benefited everyone. It meant having strength, courage and leadership. But did Harry really have that? Sure he had courage and bravery but could he use that to defend others? He wasn’t really here to help other people; he wanted glory for himself. He wanted to finally make a name for himself after being degraded and put down all his life. More than just the boy who lived. He wanted greatness and he knew he could get there. But only by himself.
He began repeating a line in his head over and over: Not Gryffindor, not Gryffindor.
“Not Gryffindor eh? Are you sure? Very well, it has to be… SLYTHERIN!”
Harry grinned and made his way to the Slytherin table, where a thunderous applause welcomed him. His fellow Slytherins whistled and cheered and patted his back as he sat down, taunting the other houses for missing out on the Harry Potter. He spotted Draco, a few seats away from him and flashed him a wide grin which he eagerly returned.
Harry looked up and saw the tall witch frowning slightly, her lips pursed. At the high table, he saw some of the professors shaking their heads whilst one greasy-haired man had narrowed his eyes slightly. He spotted Hagrid giving him a thumbs up although he didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic. Even the headmaster Dumbledore, easily recognized by his long silver beard, looked solemn and serious – despite the fact that he was clapping for him.
Harry ignored them though, knowing that if he cared about others, he would get nowhere. For now, he was home, in a safe place with a good house and sure to make lots of friends. They would be more like pawns though, just tools that would help him get to the top. Harry Potter was going to rise up, just they wait and see. And when he did they wouldn’t be shaking their heads and frowning. They would be kneeling.
Harry smiled, and for a second, his green eyes flashed red.