Prologue/Chapter 1
Prologue
“I’ve got to go back, haven’t I?”
“That is up to you.”
“I’ve got a choice?”
“Oh yes.” Dumbledore smiled at him. “We are in King’s Cross, you say? I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to… let’s say… board a train.”
“And where would it take me?”
“On.” Dumbledore said simply.
Silence again.
Then, after a moment Dumbledore added, “Or… possibly, back. Back to the first day you received your Hogwarts letter. The day the first one arrived.” Harry looked up at the old professor in surprise. “Though, I feel I should tell you, if you went back now, this could all quite possibly be over for good. If, however, you were to go back further… just a few years, I think this story might be very different indeed. I never meant to make quite so many sacrifices… you would have the power to change things. Though, I’m not sure what, if any, memories you would retain. It is a very big thing Harry, what I ask you to do now, and any answer has to be with your whole heart, so think hard.”
Harry sighed, but when he pictured his fallen friends all he could think was that he had to try something. If Severus Snape could give his entire life for this, Harry could give seven more years. He knew that it would be difficult, but really, it couldn’t end up being any worse than it already was.
“I’ll do it sir. I’ll live it through again, and if I do remember anything, I’ll come straight to you.” Dumbledore glistened proudly at Harry. “Do you know which train I should take?” As soon as he asked, Harry realized that it was a stupid question, as of course he would be taking the Hogwarts Express; which promptly materialized beside them. Harry climbed the steps feeling slightly awkward without any luggage.
“Tell me one last thing.” Said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this all been happening inside my head?”
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”
Chapter 1
Harry Potter was confused. He had just woken up from what had seemed like a long intense dream, but he knew that it was actually much more. For a single moment just after he woke, Harry remembered every aspect of the ‘dream’ down to the last detail, but then as he woke more fully it faded until he was left with only vague feelings and the strongest conviction that it had all made perfect sense a moment ago. He wasn’t sure how he knew, especially since he didn’t remember much about the ‘dream’, but Harry was sure that the parts he did remember were real… except, they hadn’t happened yet.
Most of what Harry remembered didn’t make much sense. For instance, he remembered that he was going to be leaving his aunt and uncle’s house soon but, that couldn’t be right as he had nowhere else to go. He remembered strong feelings of friendship and family, which was impossible because there wasn’t one person he could ever remember even liking him in his entire life. He was grudgingly tolerated by the people at school and the Dursleys all hated him. Even Mrs. Figg, who was marginally nice to him and had actually given Harry a piece of cake the day before, (though, it was very stale) didn’t really seem overly fond of him. He remembered a sense of self-importance and that there was an evil man named Voldemort who only Harry could stop; and that was probably the most ridiculous thing, because Harry wasn’t important, and he couldn’t even stop the Dursleys from mistreating him; so, why in the world would anyone need Harry’s help to stop a strange man with no nose?
One of the clearest things that Harry remembered from the ‘dream’ was a pale man dressed completely in black. He had black hair that hung to his shoulders and dark eyes. He was tall and skinny, and his nose was crooked and hooked as if it had been broken a few times. The oddest thing about it was that although the man had an unpleasant scowl on his face, Harry got the distinct feeling that he trusted the man. That the man was worthy of respect and admiration and that he would never allow Harry to come to any harm. In fact, though Harry didn’t remember any specifics, he knew that the man had actually saved his life many times before.
It was an odd sensation, knowing all of these things without any explanation as to how he knew them. Harry had the sudden thought that maybe it wasn’t real at all. Maybe Harry was just going mad. Maybe it was all in his head. Then he remembered a voice from the ‘dream’ saying, “Of course it is all happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?” Harry didn’t recall ever having heard the voice before, but he knew that he trusted the voice irrefutably and so he didn’t question the validity of the ‘dream’ again.
After about an hour of staring at the ceiling of his cupboard trying in vain to remember anything else about the ‘dream’, Harry heard his Aunt Petunia come down the stairs. He briefly thought that maybe he could pretend to still be asleep so that he could continue to concentrate on the ‘dream’, but, ultimately, he knew that it was better to get up before Uncle Vernon so that the man didn’t accuse Harry of being lazy.
The morning that followed was extremely normal and he was momentarily distracted from the ‘dream’. Instead, Harry thought about how stupid he was going to look at Stonewall when he showed up wearing his home dyed ‘uniform’ and he contemplated ways to keep Dudley from hitting him with his Smelting stick. The ‘dream’ had almost been completely forgotten when Uncle Vernon sent him to get the mail. That is, until Harry saw the letter on the bottom.
There were only three pieces of mail that morning. One was a postcard from Uncle Vernon’s sister Marge, one was a brown envelope that he thought was probably a bill, and the last was addressed:
Mr. H. Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
In his entire life, Harry couldn’t recall having ever received a letter. Not from anyone. Yet, as he stared at the letter, he got an intense feeling of Déjà vu. Harry suddenly knew without a doubt that if he were to try and open the letter in front of his relatives it would be taken away from him for sure. So, on the way back to the table, Harry slipped the letter under the door of his cupboard and resigned himself to waiting until bedtime to read it.
The rest of the morning passed slowly with Aunt Petunia assigning Harry various chores and Dudley constantly blundering behind him in an effort to mess everything back up. At one point while Harry was weeding the flowers, Dudley stood behind him the entire time and poked Harry with the Smelting stick every few seconds. Harry was surprised to find that his cousin’s antics didn’t seem half as annoying to him as they usually did. He was too distracted by the letter and the odd ‘dream’ he had had the night before to care about what Dudley was doing. Eventually, Dudley got tired of being ignored and begged his mother to let him go to the park down the street with Piers. As such, Harry got a mostly Dudley free day and only had to deal with him again for about an hour before dinner.
The day wasn’t completely pleasant though, as he burned some of the food at dinner due to being so distracted. His Uncle punished him with a slap to the face and sent him to bed early without food. Though the slap was hard and would most definitely cause a bruise, and he hadn’t really had much to eat that day, Harry still considered himself slightly lucky because this meant he could read his letter early.
Harry broke the curious purple seal as quietly as he could and unfolded the letter.
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 to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
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 children’s clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Begginer’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic 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 Tremble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
Wand
Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set
Glass or crystal phials
Telescope set
Brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Harry stared in confusion at the letter. The contents were nearly unbelievable, but he could remember from the ‘dream’ that it was true. Nothing too distinct; a vague glimpse of a castle, the feeling of a wand in his hand, and a nameless spell on his lips. It was almost painful when he strained to remember any more. Still, Harry knew it was all real. Hogwarts was real and he was a wizard. And so was Voldemort.