EDITED
It was a minute to midnight. A minute until the boy's eleventh birthday. And what was this boy doing?
Harry lay on a ratty blanket in a gross, small, old cottage in the middle of the sea. It was dark and ruddy with only one bedroom, a makeshift kitchen and bathroom, and a 'living room', which was just a very small space with a worn couch. Not to mention the fact, it wasn't exactly warm in this - it couldn't even be called a cottage - shack.
The Dursley couple inhabited the bedroom while Dudley and Harry got the living room. Of course, Harry got the short end of the stick and had to sleep on the floor while Dudley slept on the couch, snoring and half hanging off from his weight. It creaked with each breath he took.
This, of course, was no surprise to Harry. He was always second best to Dudley; in fact, he was a piece of dirt next to Dudley.
Harry James Potter was sadder than ever. Not only was his birthday near nonexistent, but he never got to see the letters, he was stuck with the Dursleys, and he was separated from his best friend, Anna.
Every year on his birthday, they would meet up at midnight. This was a tradition ever since the girl had moved to Little Whinging. Yes, it seemed a bit far-fetched, but the small children made it work. Usually, they would just sit on Anna's back porch and he would open a gift she had gotten him.
But this year, he would be alone. Harry had no clue where he was or how long he'd be there. All he knew was that this was because of the letters. When a plethora of the mysterious letters burst through the fireplace, the post slot and owls pecked at windows until they shattered, Vernon Dursley had enough. The man made everyone quickly pack their bags and, in less than an hour, they had piled into the car and were speeding off.
Harry's face had been pressed to the rear window of the vehicle and he caught one last glimpse of Anna, who was looking out the front window of her house. He took in every detail of her as if he would never see her again.
The birthday boy was in the process of drawing a cake with a stick on the dirt floor of the cottage when the time had changed to midnight. At that very second, there was a pounding at the door. Dudley jerked awake and Vernon and Petunia came into the room, staring at the door.
'What could it be?' wondered Harry. It was hardly burglars - they were in the middle of the ocean.
With two more bangs, the door flew off the hinges, and the Dursley couple hid pointlessly in the corner while Dudley hid behind a wall. In came a gigantic man, and behind him, a child's figure.
Before Harry could hide or react, he was engulfed in a small yet big hug, almost knocking him off his feet. His heart swelled a bit. God was he happy to see Anna.
"Harry! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy to see you! I mean, I always am but especially now because so much has been going on. The letters, I know everything now and-"
"A...Anna. I like you and all, but please, let me go. I...can't...breathe," wheezed Harry.
The girl quickly let go, her grey eyes big and cheeks dusted pink with embarrassment. "Heh, sorry, I was afraid I wouldn't see you again. It was hard to find you, didn't think we ever would." As Anna spoke, the giant picked up the door and leaned it against the frame, apologizing all the while. He took a seat on the old couch and easily crushed it.
Harry couldn't quite explain how happy he was to see Anna. Their tradition had not been broken and they were together for his birthday once again.
For a gigantic man, Harry believed he was behaving very normally. Sitting on the couch and it collapsing was not his fault because of his size.
"Darn, secon' one I broke today," the man muttered.
He pulled a pink umbrella out of his coat and pointed it at the fireplace. Sparks came out to the tip of it and it ignited the logs within.
The room instantly got warmer, brighter, and much more inviting.
Harry's eyes bulged. This was not normal. How on earth did the man do that using a simple ordinary umbrella? The last Harry remembered umbrellas were only useful for shielding one from rain, not igniting sparks to make a fire. Harry didn't trust the man, and he automatically grabbed Anna's arm, pulling her close; they often did this to each other when they were nervous as if it were second nature.
"Oh relax, Hagrid wouldn't hurt a fly." Anna's whisper was inaudible to everyone except Harry.
The boy relaxed just a bit but still kept a light hold on her; just in case the giant was going to unexpectedly pounce.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Uncle Vernon yelled.
Vernon, for the first time in Harry's life, voiced exactly what Harry was thinking. Walrus-man had come out from the 'Dursley hiding corner' and now stood in the middle of the room. His round figure cast a funny shadow, making him look as if he resembled an abnormally large football more than a human. His pudgy face was visibly beet red, even in the dim firelight. Harry had never seen him this mad, and it was terrifying. The fact that he was holding a rifle didn't make the situation any better.
"Well 'ello there! I'm Rubeus Hagrid and I came 'ere to give Harry these," said the giant, pulling out a letter and a box with a red, badly tied ribbon. The boy gingerly took both and started to open the letter when Hagrid whispered, "I uh...would open the box firs' if I were yeh."
So Harry did as he was told, and the box contained a squashed cake. The icing was an array of pinks and had greenish-blue frosting that said 'Happee Birthdae Harry'.
Nobody had ever done something so nice for Harry for his birthday, with an exception for Anna. It was a weird feeling but an amazing one all the same.
"T...thank you, sir," Harry stammered in awe. His heart warmed at the act of kindness. No, it wasn't the most pristine gift, but it was thoughtful and that's all that mattered.
"Anna told me yeh liked chocolate, so tha's what it is. And yeh don' need to call me 'sir', Hagrid'll do."
Next, Harry carefully picked up the letter and examined it. It had an ivory envelope, a red wax seal with a crest, and very neat handwriting with his name and address. It was just like the ones he'd seen before, but this was the first that he'd examined up close. The letter itself gave off an almost...magical...vibe.
"I...if you open that, I'll-"
"You'll what? Shoot him? Like hell you will," Anna growled and Vernon shut his mouth.
Harry tried to hide his smile at her choice of words but then turned to her and gave her a hesitant look. "It's okay Harry, you can open it."
He slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter. It read,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find the list enclosed of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall.
Harry's emerald eyes widened beyond belief as he scanned the letter. The words almost seemed to blur together with confusion. Witchcraft? Wizardry? Hogwarts?! 'This has to be a joke or a really weird dream,' thought Harry. No way could this be real. Harry was not special in any way as the Dursley's made sure to point out to him every day, so how could be entitled to go a school of wizardry? "I...I just don't understand..."
"Harry-"
"STOP! I FORBID YOU FROM SAYING ANY MORE!" Everyone merely looked at Vernon as he yelled from the corner, Petunia clutching on his fat arm.
"Harry-yer a wizard," the giant stated, grinning, as this was his favorite line in the whole series.
Harry's eyes shined with confusion. This couldn't possible. "I'm a...a what?!"
"A wizard 'o course," said Hagrid, shifting his weight on the broken couch. "with a bit of training, I reckon yer a good one, just like yer parents."
His parents were wizards too? This was all too surreal for Harry's little mind to take in.
The boy's eyes flitted to Anna, who gave a kind smile. She remembered when she explained to Hagrid that the two of them had been lied to about their past. The giant had exploded with anger and almost crashed the flying motorcycle three times as a result. "Both our sets of parents...apparently they were magical. Harry...they didn't die the way we were told...they were-"
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS HOGWASH!" roared Vernon, waddling forward, dragging the rifle along the floor.
Harry had almost forgotten the Dursley's were still in the room based on the extent of surprise of his discovery of being a wizard.
"It's 'Hogwarts', actually," Anna snickered. His small watery eyes pierced her with a glare. "So...we should go Harry. Ah, I can't wait! It's gonna be great-"
"I AM NOT PAYING SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!"
"NEVER," Hagrid started, rising abruptly from the couch. His voice was dangerously harsh. "INSULT." He lifted the pink umbrella, "ALBUS." whirled it around his head, "DUMBLEDORE!" and with that, he pointed it at Vernon, who was shaking with both rage and fear.
Just as Hagrid was going to shoot a spell at the man, he instead aimed at Dudley - who he had just noticed was eating Harry's cake - and hit him with a spell on his rear end. A pig's tail sprouted from there and the boy let out a squeal; he very much so resembled the animal.
Harry tried to hide a smile upon watching the scene. Anna, on the other hand, didn't bother trying to conceal her happiness at the sight of Dudley's tail. In their opinion, Dudley deserved that and then some for all the years of torment and bullying he put them through.
"Ha! You, a muggle, think you can stop the famous Harry Potter from going to Hogwarts?"
"What's a muggle?" Harry whispered in confusion.
"It's a term for non-magical folk."
"Change my son back! Fix him! FIX HIM NOW! Or...or I'll shoot you!" exclaimed Vernon shakily, pointing the rifle up at Hagrid's face.
Vernon, if at all possible, looked even more livid than before.
Hagrid's dark eyes narrowed and he grabbed the barrel with one hand, easily twisting it into a knot.
"Still plannin' on shootin' me?" Hagrid gave a chuckle before starting towards the door, Anna trailing behind him. When he noticed Harry staying still he asked, "Well, are yeh comin'? Or would'ja like to stay 'ere with these...Dursleys?"
"You better not step foot out that door, boy!" his uncle said, protesting uselessly.
Harry thought this was possibly the easiest decision he ever had to make. Harry would choose even strangers ahead of the Dursleys. He looked at the family. Vernon was clutching his - now useless - firearm, his stubby knuckles paper white and fat face red as could be. Petunia was sobbing over Dudley, chasing him in order to try to yank his tail off. And speak of the pig, he was yelling and muttering in confusion, occasionally letting out a pig's squeal.
At this moment in time, realization hit Harry like a brick: his family was so dysfunctional and weird.
"Bye, good luck with your tail, Dudley," Harry said with a sly grin, gleefully watching Vernon get angrier by the second because of his defiance. He turned and followed his fellow magical folk out the door.
Harry was still shocked and puzzled as to how he was a wizard. It just wouldn't sink in.
When they got outside, the boy asked, "I...I still don't understand, though. I'm Harry, just Harry. Why-"
"You're a wizard and I'm a witch. Harry, it's true and explains everything. That's why our backstory never made sense and why all of those weird things happen around. I know, it's hard to believe...but believe it anyway," explained Anna, a soft smile playing its way across her lips. "Now let's go...we've got to get ready for Hogwarts!"
Harry returned the grin, and in that moment, he couldn't be happier. As he watched the waves crash against the rocks and felt the sea spray graze his cheeks, he knew he finally felt like he meant something, like he belonged and was important.
And best yet, he was going to Hogwarts with the one person he'd choose over anyone.
~=~
In which some inline comments and old sections are preserved.
"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, I came here to give Harry these," Hagrid said, pulling out a letter and a box with a red ribbon on it. I grabbed the box and opened it. There was a cake inside that said Happy Birthday Harry.
^lmao wow i forgot Hagrid's dialect and his lack of ability to spell, i really did suck at writing.
"Anna told me you liked chocolate," Hagrid said. I smiled.
^*cue Lupin bursting through the door.*
"You're a wizard Harry," said Hagrid. I looked to Anna, waiting for her to say something.
^iconic
Harry: "And you're a hairy wizard."
"Ha! You stupid muggle! You actually think that you can stop the legendary Harry Potter from going to Hogwarts?" Anna said.
^snip snap the sass master is back
"YAY WE'RE GOING TO HOGWARTS!!!!!" Yelled Anna happily while hugging me and jumping up and down.
^lmao just started singing AVPM, OMFG I LOVE STARKID U DON'T EVEN KNOW