Chapter 1: Chapter One – Dudder’s Birthday

Harry Potter was a most unusual boy. For one, he considered being a boy a bad thing. They were smelly and loud and obnoxious. Girls were pretty and they got to wear such pretty dresses. And secondly, he hated holidays and birthdays. School was the only time that he got much peace from his aunt and uncle. He still had his stupid, mean cousin, Dudley, to put up with, but Harry was usually fast and clever enough to avoid him and his cronies. 

Unfortunately, today was Dudley’s birthday, and they were going to the zoo with one of Dudley’s friends. Harry would normally have been dropped off at a neighbour’s place for the day, but she was unable to look after him, so he was stuck having to tag along with his terrible family. Uncle Vernon was glaring at him like it was his fault that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg. Truthfully, Harry would have prefered going to see Mrs. Figg, he always felt better after spending some time with her and her cats. 

Just as Harry was about to step into the car next to Dudley, Uncle Vernon put one of his big meaty hands on Harry’s chest, pushing him aside roughly, before slamming the door closed. “Now, listen here, boy. I will not have any funny business out of you today. Do you hear me? None at all. This is Dudley’s day, and by god, if you ruin it for him, you’ll be in your cupboard for a month. Got me?”

Harry nodded his head vigorously, resisting the urge to rub his chest; his uncle had been none too gentle about pushing him aside. Harry could see Dudley and his idiot friend staring at them from the car. Dudley’s piggy nose was even more like piggish because he had it pushed against the glass, a stupid grin on his stupid face. His uncle glared at him for a moment more, clearly trying to decide if Harry was telling the truth. Which he was, he had no clue why odd things happened around him sometimes, they just did. 

Uncle Vernon finally grunted, before stomping off to the driver's side door, yanking it open, before slamming it shut after he got in. Harry pulled on the door handle, only to find that Dudley had locked it. He glared at his cousin as he and his friend both pointed and laughed, making funny faces at him. 

“Get in, boy!” Uncle Vernon growled at him through the open window. 

Before he could respond, the door suddenly opened as he pulled on the handle again, and with a startled yelp, Harry fell over from the unexpected lack of resistance, the door narrowly missing his face as he sat on the ground. 

Harry could hear his cousin and friend roaring with laughter as he scrambled up and into the car, closing the car door gently behind him. His uncle was already in a bad enough mood, if he slammed the door he’d be in even bigger trouble. Aunt Petunia sniffed, no doubt unhappy that Harry had a wet bottom and dirty hands from his fall and had brought that into their clean car. 

“Come on, Vernon, let’s go. We don’t want to be late for our Dudder’s big day!” 

“Too right, you are, Petunia, my dear,” Uncle Vernon grumbled, grinding the car into gear as they roughly hopped forward before the car smoothed out. 

***

“Whoa! Look at that gorilla, he’s huge!” Dudley’s friend, Piers, said. 

Harry was always a little reluctant to learn the names of Dudley’s friends. He didn’t care for any of them and he always got an odd feeling whenever he was introduced, like he’d learned more about them than he should just by hearing their name. Harry was strange like that though, names felt weird to him, like a name had a meaning behind it. His name felt the strangest, it didn’t feel like it was his. Like it was wrong somehow, not his true name. 

“But… he’s not doing anything! He’s just sitting there looking stupid,” Dudley complained. 

Harry tried hard not to giggle. He had already thought the gorilla reminded him of Dudley, now Dudley apparently did too. But he knew if he did laugh, he would gain the attention of his uncle or cousin, and that was unpleasant to think about. It was always best when they ignored him. 

Aunt Petunia had sat down inside of the zoo cafe, stating that it was ‘all too much for her’, and so it was just the four of them wandering around, checking out all of the animals in captivity. Harry felt bad for them, he knew exactly how it felt to be locked up. 

He had been in such deep contemplation, that he hadn’t noticed that he'd stopped until someone ran into him, knocking them both over with a grunt and a yelp of shock.  

Harry heard a girl's voice speak, “Oof, oh no! I'm so sorry!” 

Bushy brown hair covered Harry’s face for a moment as a girl lay on top of him, her blushing face only inches from his. 

“Ouch, no it’s alright, it was my fault for stopping in the middle of the walkway to begin with,” he said, wincing slightly. 

Harry suddenly realised that he felt a kinship with this girl. A connection that was immediate and much stronger than he’d ever felt with anyone else before. Oh, great, now he was the one blushing furiously. Hed expected her weight to be uncomfortable, especially the closeness, but neither bothered him, surprisingly. They lay there for a moment longer, just staring at each other, until someone coughed politely nearby. 

The girl jumped, her face going even more crimson, before she quickly squirmed off of him. Harry suddenly realised that his uncle hadn’t said anything yet. Looking around, he realised that besides him and the girl, there were only two other people nearby, an older couple, both with amused grins on their faces as they stared at the girl and Harry. 

“Sorry,” they both said to each other and the older couple at the same time, still blushing. 

The man smiled warmly. “It’s quite alright, it doesn’t appear that anyone was hurt. So, no harm, no foul.” 

Harry stood there awkwardly for a moment or two, not knowing what to do, until the girl stepped closer to him, offering him her hand. “I’m Hermione Granger, I hope you weren’t too hurt, were you?” Her big brown eyes glimmered with concern for him, as her larger than normal front teeth worried her bottom lip. 

Instantly, Harry felt like he knew Hermione a little better, just from hearing her name. He knew that she was intelligent and brave, and had a thirst to prove herself. How he knew that, he had no idea. He also knew that it wasn’t her full name, but that made sense, many people Harry met had extra names that they usually didn’t state in a first meeting. 

Realising that he had been staring for perhaps a little too long, as Hermione started lowering her arm, looking a little hurt at his rejection, Harry grasped her soft and warm hand gently, before shaking it and smiling at her. “Sorry, I just got lost in your eyes for a moment.”

Harry blushed scarlet, he had no idea where that had come from. Hermione’s ears went bright red along with the rest of her this time. He could feel her pulse quicken through his hand. 

“I, err, that is to say, my name is Harry Potter,” he said awkwardly.

If it was at all possible, Hermione’s eyes went even wider, she seemed to recognise his name. Harry could sense it somehow. 

Hermione’s grip on Harry’s hand tightened as she took a deep breath, her eyes glancing over and noticing his lightning shaped scar for the first time. “Really? I’ve read so much about you. Did you know that you’re mentioned in multiple books? Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. I didn’t much care for Modern Magical History though. You’re even mentioned in Hogwarts: A History briefly, the eulogy for your parents was beautiful. What are you doing here?”

“Umm,” Harry replied, confusion written all over his face. 

Hermione looked confused herself for a moment, before she gasped, frowning. "You really don't know, do you?" Hermione asked, and her frown deepened at Harry shaking his head. "Well... I really must just come out and say it – You're a wizard, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened. “A wizard? Me? I’d rather be a witch,” he said, laughing at his joke. And ignoring the pang of pain he felt. “I mean Hermione, I couldn’t be. I’m just me, I mean, just Harry. Just a boy,” he finished, looking down at his feet. 

Something soft and warm engulfed Harry suddenly, startling him and making him flinch. Hermione instantly let go, stepping back. Harry noticed that she still held his hand though. “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you, it’s just that you looked so sad and lost,” she said, her eyes shimmering from unshed tears. 

Harry squeezed Hermione’s hand softly. “No, no, it’s okay. I was just not expecting it, at all.”

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He had almost mentioned that no one gave him hugs, but changed his mind. Hermione, despite how nice she was being, was still someone that he had only just met, pushing aside the weird kinship he felt towards her. 

Harry didn’t even know what to think about this magic business. What was she trying to accomplish here? He had no money, and he knew better than to get into a car with a stranger. 

Hermione sighed sadly. “I still shouldn’t have done it. I mean, we’ve only just met, and I already feel like we’ve known each other for years. Putting aside the fact that I’ve read all about you…”

He frowned, this nonsense about him being a ‘wizard’ and being in books. 

“Here, I’ve actually got one with me!” Hermione exclaimed excitedly. 

‘Got what?’ He wondered, before Hermione turned around and pulled out a book from a knapsack that the man was holding. Was he Hermione’s father or something? They hadn’t introduced themselves yet. Was that rude? Or were they keeping back to let their daughter talk without them interfering? Harry wasn’t sure of the answer, but it didn’t particularly matter at the moment either. He had more things to worry about, as Hermione stepped back towards him with the book. 

Hermione opened it up, flicking through the pages rapidly. “This is Hogwarts: A History, and here is where it mentions you and your mum and dad,” she said, handing the book over and pointing to the open page. 

Harry took the large book, frowning as he looked at the page Hermione had pointed to. His hands tingled from a strange feeling from the book, it was almost like a low level electrical current. The first thing he noticed was that several images on the other page were moving. So that was a thing apparently. 

Perhaps one of the greatest feats of the last few generations of Hogwarts Alumni is that of the sacrifice of Lily and James Potter and the defeat of the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, at the hands of little Harry James Potter. 

Face paling, Harry struggled to hold the book up from his limp and cold fingers as he sat down on a nearby bench, shaking. He had recognised the names, even if he’d never known his parents' names. They just spoke to him. It was them, and that was his name. It was a shock, seeing that in a book that even felt and looked magical. It was the only thing he could think of that fit. 

Hermione sat down next to him, hovering, seemingly stuck in indecision between hugging him or not. 

Harry looked over at her, “What’s your full name?”

She froze, giving him a strange look before answering. “Hermione Jean Granger.”

Harry sighed, relaxing slightly, somehow, he knew that she wouldn’t lie to him. Hearing her full name had seemed to complete, or at least fill in some more blanks, of his understanding of who she was. He knew her better now. 

Hermione was still looking at him strangely. “Why does that matter?” 

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry answered softly. “I don’t know, it just does. I feel like I know you better now.”

Hermioned hummed, looking thoughtful, before she shrugged and sighed. “I’m sorry that I dumped this on you so suddenly. I just assumed that you would have already known all of this.”

Harry’s mind was still reeling from all of the implications of these revelations. His parents, Lily and James Potter, hadn’t died in a car crash like he’d been led to believe. And that he was a wit- wizard. That explains all of the odd things that happened to him. 

“It might even explain why the Dursleys were so nasty…” He mumbled under his breath. 

Hermione leaned in closer, her warmth and her scent suddenly closer. They weren’t unpleasant though, her presence was somehow soothing. “What was that, Harry?” she asked quietly. 

Before he could answer, Uncle Vernon walked back into the gorilla exhibit. “Boy! What are you doing, bothering these people? You’re ruining Dudley’s birthday.”

Mister Granger stepped forward, offering his hand for Uncle Vernon to shake. “My apologies if we’re intruding on a fun day out for you and your family. I’m Doctor Ethan Granger, and this is my lovely wife, Doctor Amelia Granger, and our daughter, Hermione. It’s a bit of an imposition I can understand, but would you mind terribly if Harry here hung out with Hermione for a while? We can bring him back to you at any time before you leave this afternoon.”

Uncle Vernon’s beady little eyes swept over the group, stopping on Harry momentarily before moving on to Doctor Granger and harrumphed, ignoring the proffered hand. “You don’t have to put up with him, the boy’s a menace, always doing strange things and spouting nonsense.” 

Hermione’s father let his hand fall before he opened his mouth to respond, but her mother interjected before he could. “Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s just kids being kids, right? We can have him back to you by no later than 2pm, if you’re willing.”

Harry could see a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his uncle's head and knew he had a difficult decision to make. On one hand, he wouldn’t have to deal with Harry for a few hours on his son’s birthday, but on the other, that’d also make Harry happy. Which in turn would make Uncle Vernon unhappy. Harry didn’t always easily understand people, especially strangers, and it was even worse if he had no idea of what their name was, but he’d known Uncle Vernon for a long time, and knew how his mind worked. 

Uncle Vernon finally nodded, fists clenched, but kept at his sides. He looked like he was resisting the urge to threaten Harry with them. “Alright. But no funny business, or you’ll be grounded for life. Do you hear me?” he growled. 

Harry nodded quickly, hardly daring to believe it. A whole day away from the Dursleys and he was at the zoo with a friend, his first proper one ever. He had had people wanting to be friends with him before, but the Dursleys, Dudley, in particular, had always scared them away. But not this time it would seem, or at least he hoped. 

Hermione gasped and squealed, hugging him tightly as she bounced up and down on the bench next to him, practically on top of him really. The squealing hurt his ears, but the rest he didn’t mind after he had gotten used to it. 

Doctor Granger clapped his hands once, smiling happily. “Excellent. Well, we’ll meet you at the zoo entrance at 2pm, shall we? It was nice to meet you.” 

With one last grunt, Harry’s uncle stormed off. Harry saw Dudley and Piers duck their heads back around the corner, out of sight, when they spotted Uncle Vernon coming towards them. 

“What was that about, Dad? Where’s Harry? Why is he with those people?” Harry heard Dudley nagging his uncle from around the corner. 

Uncle Vernon grunted again. It sounded like, “Never you mind,” but he wasn’t completely certain. 

“But…”

“I said, it’s none of your business!” He roared at Dudley, who promptly shut up. Harry could hear him struggling not to cry, and Uncle Vernon hated it when anyone cried. Pretty soon they were too far away for even his hearing to make them out. Harry sighed. No doubt he’d probably pay for it when he got home, but for now, he’d enjoy every moment he had with his new friend. 

~~~

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