Harry Potter

(A/N: I have absolutely no idea how to write in a child's POV so this is going to be awful. I mean, how do you write in a heavily abused 5 almost 6 year old's perspective anyway? I'll just pull some 'he had to mature fast due to circumstances' stuff. Seems plausable right? He's much more heavily abused in this story anyway so it might work. Now i'm just making excuses but whatever, here goes.)

Harry's POV:

Pounding on the cupboard door told me it was time to start another day in hell. I always wake up early from habit.

"GET UP FREAK!"

The shrill voice of Aunt Petunia rang through the house. The door to my room was finally unlocked and I went through the motions of the day starting with breakfast. Of course, I didn't get anything. Sometimes I will get a piece of bread and my lovely relatives will tell me how grateful I should be. Note the sarcasm. Most of the time I only get water.

I hate it. I learned a long time ago to make myself as unnoticable as possible. Questions = punishment. Noise = punishment. Facial expressions = punishment. The punishments are Vernon beating me severely.

I thought school would finally give me some peace and it has to an extent. I learned my name isn't freak but Harry Potter, school has to provide food and I can sometimes find food in the bins behind the kitchen to take home.

The library became my haven to hide from Dudley, my whale of a cousin. After I learned to read I read everything I could and I learned that my situation is illegal. So I went to a teacher. They didn't believe me. WHY?! I'm shorter than everyone! I have the scars to prove it! My hand is wonky from being broken too many times along with all my fingers. Many parts of my body are like that so why?!

I had to go without food for 9 days after that. An orphanage would be better than here even with all the horror stories i've heard. I don't believe half of them at this point.

It's like the whole world is against me! The librarian at the school once spoke to me about it and I remember crying myself to sleep in her arms. The next day she told me she went to the police about it. But something scary happened. The next thing I remember is being locked in my cupboard again and I went to school the next day. It was Tuesday when she told me about her going to the police, then the next thing I know it's Thursday. I don't remember Wednesday!

When I went to the library, the librarian was gone. Vanished. No one knew where she was. The police investigated and found nothing. I remember overhearing them from inside the bin as I was looking for food.

A teacher from another class noticed as well last month and spoke to me about it. I didn't cry this time. He's gone now. Vanished as well. And I don't remember Tuesday at all. Nothing. Completely blank. Something is happening and it's scary. Something... freakish.

I normally don't believe anything my relatives tell me. Like what they told me about my parents being drunks. I don't WANT to believe that and the few times they spoke about them, there's too much hate. But weird things happen to me all the time.

A week ago I suddenly found myself on the school roof when running from Dudley and his gang. I don't know how I got there. Luckily I climbed down without anyone spotting me but Dudley told Vernon and Petunia that I dissapeared in front of him. During my beating they kept shouting about Freakishness.

And I heal as well. Every time Vernon beats me, I wake up the next day all healed. No broken bones, no open wounds from the belt, only scars and deformed bones to tell me it's real. The only thing that never heals is the lightning bolt scar on my forehead. It's permanenly puffy and raw. Sometimes I have nightmares of a high pitched laugh and a green light and the scar is bleeding when I wake up.

My relatives know something. I don't know what, but they know whatever it is that happens around me. Freakishness happens around me all the time, but people disappearing? I didn't do that. I know that for sure. Losing memories as well? I really hope it's just me finally going insane because it scares me.

I finished making breakfast and loaded the plates full of food. I learned a long time ago to not show that I want some, it just hurts more when i'm forced to watch what I made being waved under my nose. They take sick pleasure in watching me starve. I don't know how I survived so long.

I kept my expression neutral to not give them any satisfaction and cleared my mind of all thoughts. I learned to do this long ago. It keeps the pain away and makes time seem to move faster as I do the housework. Vernon and Petunia call them chores but I do everything around here.

They finished eating the food I made and allowed me some water before doing the gardening. It's a saturday today so I have a whole weekend to endure. I kept my mind completely blank; the day passed in a blur around me. Night came before I knew it.

After making dinner for them and watching as they ate everything, I was allowed a single overly burnt piece of toast and water. Vernon got up after and puched me in the stomach right when I finished eating. I knew it was coming and forced myself to swallow down what rose from my stomach as I knew I needed the food, no matter how little it was

Coughing and curling into myself on the ground I kept my mind blank, blocking out the pain.

"This is for being greedy Freak!" *Thwack!* "We gave you a roof over your head" *Thwack!* "and the clothes on your back." *Thwack!* "You didn't thank us for your dinner Freak!" *Bang!*

Coughing and wheezing, I managed to not cry out when vernon stepped on my hand through keeping my mind blank. I heard a crunch as pain flared up my arm. I wouldn't cry. I couldn't see Vernon properly from this distance but I knew he was taking pleasure in my suffering. I won't give him any more by showing pain.

Eventually it stopped and I went limp as Vernon dragged me to my cupboard, throwing me in roughly. It seems this weekend won't be so bad after all.

"You'll stay in there until you learn your lesson Freak." He snarled.

I knew what that meant. I won't be leaving the cupboard again until school on monday. With no energy left I passed out, hoping to dream about the stag and dog again. I always wake up crying for some reason, but it's my favourite dream.

That night whilst I slept, although I didn't know it, someone was standing over me.

"Hmmm... this is bad. Very bad. A few obliviations, a horrible childhood... oooh boy. Making people disappear? Dumbledore really wants you under his thumb. Heh, too bad Dumbledore, i'm gonna help him whether you like it or not."

"Oh? What's this? Mastered the first stage of Occlumency? Colour me impressed Harry. Ah. Survival mechanism. I understand now. At least this Harry is smarter than canon and loves to learn. Seems you inherited Lily's brains, you're very smart. Makes things easier for me."

"What else... emotionally stunted, low self esteem... You're like a toddler emotionally. I should set up a mind-healer or at least a therapist for him. This is way too much for interaction through a two way journal to overcome. But otherwise very mature. Too mature. This is horrible. Dumbledore you bastard."

When I woke up, something was strange. Something different. I was never able to sleep properly in my cupboard, always sleeping lightly. But I had a deep sleep, I could feel it. My mind also felt clearer than ever, like a huge weight was removed. I immediately noticed that I felt comfortable. More comfortable that I ever remember being. Physically.

The rustle of paper brought me out of my thoughts. I turned the crappy light on and looked around only to see a book on the door. Just stuck there. Somehow. There was a letter stuck on it without sticky tape. Immediately, I felt an overwhelming urge to read the letter.

I hesitated for a while before concluding that if someone wanted to harm me they would've done it already. I cautiously reached out. The moment I picked it up, the letter came off the book without a problem. Opening it, my eyes widened as I read further.

'Dear Harry Potter,

I'm sure you're confused and wondering what the hell is going on right about now. Let me begin by saying that magic is real. You're magical. It's why your relatives hate you. Your parents were magical. I'm magical. This book is magical. If you stop and think for a moment about all the strange things that happen around you, i'm sure you will believe me.

Now. First things first. The book stuck to the door. This is a two way journal. What this means is that anything you write in it will appear in mine and vice-versa. This will allow us to talk to eachother and I will answer any questions you have or just talk to you if need be. To use it, first drop a drop of blood onto it. This is a security measure so only you can read and use it. There are many security features on it so don't worry about damaging it or losing it as it will always come to you when you need it.

Next, if you haven't noticed yet, you have a pendant and a ring on. These will make your life a LOT easier. They're stuck on you with magic so you won't be able to take them off. They're enchanted with a very strong notice-me-not charm, which does what it sounds like. This will make people ignore you and forget you're there. Unless someone is concentrating very hard on you, everyone will act like you don't exist. It's also unbreakable so those disgusting excuses for human beings you call your relatives won't be able to break it.

If I made the notice-me-not charm any stronger, people would forget about you entirely which would be bad. There are many things to get you up to speed on Harry Potter, so don't hesitate to write to me in the journal. I won't always be available either so if I don't respond immediately, assume i'll respond at a later time.

Lastly is a bit about me. I can't tell you who I am at this time. This is more for my protection in case anything happens. I've been charged with looking after you and making sure you become the best you can be. The reason I can't tell you who I am is incase something happens, I can't have my identity getting out.

You are in a very tricky situation Harry Potter. There is someone out there that will do whatever it takes to keep you where you are. You think those gaps in your memory or your teachers going missing are you going insane? No. Someone erased your memories and wants you to be weak. Meek and pliable. Easily led. Biddable. They want you as a pawn essentially.

And yes, I did read through your mind. I know everything about you and your life. That's why I can't tell you my identity. The person keeping you here is the single most powerful and influencial wizard in Europe, possibly the world. That's why i'm going through a roundabout method to help you instead of being direct. If they come and read your mind, I can't risk it.

Through the journal, I will be teaching you anything and everything I can about the magical world, magic included. You need to be strong Harry. Not just for yourself either. There are bigger things than you or me riding on this.

P.S. I left the cupboard door unlocked incase your relatives forget about you.'

I sat there, stunned, reading the letter over and over again. Shakily, I lifted my right hand up to my face and sure enough, on my middle finger was a plain silver ring. Lifting my shirt, there was a wooden rectangle hanging on my neck with a few marks carved. There was a strange feeling from them I couldn't quite pinpoint. I tried but I couldn't take them off just like the letter said. It was all a bit too much to take in. I finally had answers. I finally knew what I was. I had magic.

After a long while of stunned silence, I took the journal into my lap but I couldn't open it. Shakily taking a deep breath, I bit my finger until blood dripped onto the cover, barely even registering the pain. There was a shimmer that went across it and I could open it. A feather quill like the olden days came out of the spine as soon as I did. It was completely blank. After spending a good while staring at it I remembered what the letter said and felt a bit stupid.

Setting the journal aside, I read through the letter again in case I missed anything. According to it, i'm being targeted by someone both powerful and influencial. The question though is why? And what was this about needing me to be strong? Bigger things? I have so many questions.

Thinking rationally, they could have done any number of things with me being asleep. I don't know what magic is capable of. They are the first person to do anything to help me that I can remember, so i'll take it as presented: someone is trying to help me but can't do it openly. I don't know who they are, who sent them or why they didn't come earlier, but now isn't the time to ask. I have to take full advantage of this!

Forcing my curiosity aside, I spent the next hour thinking everything through and calming down until my relatives were up. It was surprising what happened. Dudley normally stomps down the stairs every morning and makes fun of me for being locked up, but today he didn't do anything, like I didn't even... exist. The accesories! Looking at them, I immediately felt very grateful.

Petunia and Vernon didn't even complain about me loudly like they usually do just so I can hear. It was wonderful. I decided to open the book and write to whoever sent it. Using the quill provided, I wrote. It was even more difficult to write than using a pen on account of my mangled hand, but I ignored that and continued.

Harry - Hello?

??? - Ah, Harry Potter. I was wondering when you would use the journal. Seems you got a little impatient, not that I blame you.

Harry - Who are you?

??? - I can't tell you that like I said in the letter. Not until you've mastered the Mind Arts and become sufficiently powerful at least. Anyone can penetrate your mind until then and there is someone who would make me... disappear if he knew.

I suddenly felt very cold. It reminded me of...

Harry - Like the teacher and librarian at school?

??? - You catch on quickly. Yes. Exactly like that. I've been through your mind myself Harry. You didn't think losing entire days of your memory and people disappearing was normal did you?

My chest suddenly felt very tight as I swallowed thickly.

Harry - Who's doing this? And why me?

??? - There are many reasons Harry and it's complicated. You're in a tricky situation. There's a reason none of your parents' friends were able to raise you. There's a reason for your abuse and shitty situation. Your life is very complicated Harry.

Harry - What reasons?

??? - He's called Albus Dumbledore. He's over 100 years old and he's the single most powerful wizard in Europe. He's the head of the British magical government, the head of the international governmental council and the headmaster of Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. It's the school you'll be going to when you're 11. He has plans for you Harry. Plans I took steps to thwart last night.

I started shaking with fear and anger towards this Dumbledore character. Then something occurred to me.

Harry - How do I know you're telling the truth?

??? - Hahahaha, oh Harry, that's funny. You don't know. But would you rather trust me or wait until you're 11 to go to Hogwarts? I'll be blunt here. Your entire life has been set up by different forces to control you in one way or another. You have a few choices here. You can go along with it, you can run away, or you can throw off their control.

??? - The first option is automatically out and the second option is simply impossible. I have no doubt that Dumbledore has some of your blood. With that, he can track you anywhere in the world. I assumed you would choose the last one. To do that Harry, you need to become Strong. Powerful. And i'm going to help you do that. I'm going to help you become someone no one will dare to fuck with.

This was overwhelming and I couldn't breathe. Why do they want to control me? Why me?!

Harry - Why me?

??? - Hmmm... there are many reasons Harry. Right now however, none of that is important. You can't act on any of it at this point in time.

Harry - So you won't tell me anything at all?

??? - I suppose I could give you general information. You're famous in the magical world Harry. VERY famous. Britian had a war that ended 4-5 years ago now. It was an extremely dark time with people going missing everywhere. You didn't know who you could trust. It wasn't a normal war either. There were no frontlines like in the wars you learn about in school. It was much crueller.

Harry - But what does that have to do with me? And what do you mean i'm famous?

??? - Everything. The Dark Lord Voldemort who lead the death eaters, his faction, wanted to overthrow magical Britian. He went to kill you and your family on halloween 1981. He killed your parents Harry and he tried to kill you as well. That nightmare you have of high pitched laughing and a green light? That's a memory Harry, not a nightmare.

??? - When he tried to kill you, the spell he used, the Killing Curse, backfired on him. He hasn't been seen since then. The world believes that you stopped him. You stopped Voldemort that night. 

??? - You're known as the Boy-Who-Lived in the magical world. There isn't a magical person alive who doesn't know your name. Children grow up reading storybooks of 'Harry Potter's Adventures'. In the public's eyes, you're the hero of the magical world. You're the FIRST PERSON IN HISTORY to survive the KILLING CURSE! It's extraordinary!

Harry - But that doesn't make any sense! How can a baby stop a Dark Lord!

??? - Of course you couldn't Harry. That's just what the public believes. And believe me, the public of wizarding Britian are sheep. They will believe anything someone tells them, rumors turn into facts for them. The wizarding world is very strange and backward. Most of the world thinks your mother did something.

??? - If you want to know more, I will provide more information as you progress and learn more. Or you can find your mindscape and look through your early memories to find out what happened yourself. This is part of the Mind Arts which I will be teaching you.

It took a while to calm down again after the revelations.

Harry - So you're going to help me then?

??? - Yes Harry. I'm going to help you. I will advise you on anything you need and give you any information you want. I have a lot of recources at my disposal.

Harry - It's not fair. Why me? I just want a normal life!

??? - This will sound harsh Harry, but it's something you learned a long time ago. LIFE ISN'T FAIR. If you want something to happen, you have to MAKE it happen! Your family is gone Harry. There is no changing that. If you want a family now you have to make it YOURSELF!

??? - If you want the abuse to stop, you have to MAKE it stop! To do all of this, you need to be strong! I will help you become strong Harry Potter. The world doesn't heed the weak and it has no pity for the innocent.

??? - So if you want things to change, you have to MAKE those changes happen YOURSELF! You need to rise above it all Harry. Rise above everything and sieze control of your fate with both hands! Use your blood, sweat and tears to push forwards! Grab life by the balls with your own two hands! You understand me Harry Potter?!

I sat there, gobsmacked. Reading his words lead me to a revelation. Of course I knew that life wasn't fair. I'd experienced it my whole life. But it's the other things he said. Until now, i'd been going through life trying to hide and run away from my problems. Of course I always wanted to do what he was saying, make changes to my life and I had tried in the past! I really had! But I gave up when no one helped me.

Now though... fire burned in my chest, determination like I had never known filled me. I will become strong. I will fight with everything I have to to live. I may have help now, but it's clear they can't help me directly. I will follow their advice and sieze control of my life MYSELF!

Harry - Okay. I understand. Where do we start?

??? - Good! There are a few things to do first. The first is to fix up your body. Even if I help you as best as I can, without fixing up your body first it won't mean much. I'm not a mediwizard myself but I have access to potions. I will be coming periodically throughout the next few weeks at night to fix you up.

??? - I'll be starting with your bones. They're misshapen and disfigured. Growing like that won't be good. I'll be vanishing the misshapen bones completely and feeding you a potion to regrow them correctly. It's not a nice experience but it won't be anything close to the pain you've experienced in the past.

??? - After your bones are fixed I will be providing you with a bevvy of potions you will have to take every day in order to counteract your malnutrition and stunted growth. I will also be providing a lot of food for you as well. You should be at a proper height and weight within a year.

??? - Along with that I will be leaving you with some magical creams that can treat scars. Scars are rare in the magical world because we can fix them unless they're made by powerful magic.

??? - Most of yours will fade with time using the creams but i'm sorry to say that not all of them will. Some of your scars are from wounds that have been re-opened again and again. They will help them fade and get rid of the lumpy scar tissue, but you won't be able to get rid of them all.

??? - Finally are your eyes. Having bad eyesight is detrimental but will be especially crippling if you ever have to fight anyone in the future. And have no doubt Harry, you will have to fight in the future. I'm not sure what I can do at this time. I'll do research on this as your body is being fixed. Hopefully it fixes itself as I fix you up.

I sat there, in awe of the way this stranger can just pull out a plan to fix my body like it was nothing.

Harry - You mean... you can really fix everything? Really?

??? - Really Harry. Magic can do literally anything. ANYTHING. It's all a matter of power, knowledge and sometimes if you are willing to do it or not. The medical field of magic has always been incredibly advanced. Your problems are severe but they're not magical in nature. In other words, easily treatable.

I was very happy hearing that. There was no stopping the smile that appeared on my face. I waited as more words appeared in the journal.

??? - The second thing you need to do is master Occlumency. This is a magical mental discipline. Occlumency is the art of protecting the mind Harry but it is also much more than that. Through occlumency you can increase your learning speed, increase your thinking speed, increase memory retention to photographic level and much, much more.

??? - Basically Occlumency will systematically upgrade your mind in every way imaginable. There's so much it can do. There is so much you need to know and this will be the first step. As you progress, your learning speed will increase so it's better to start with this and learn other things whilst doing it.

??? - You have actually already mastered the first stage of it, now you need to master the rest. I will write instructions for occlumency after this conversation so you can get started right away. It takes a long time so best to get started early.

Harry - Wicked.

??? - Occlumency is very important Harry. Focus on it with everything you have. It will stop Dumbledore from messing with your mind, make you smarter, allow you to recover the memories that were erased and even allow you to remember your parents.

??? - But what you really need to do is get to the last and highest stage of the art. You NEED to do this as quickly as possible as a matter of life and death! There is something WRONG with the scar on your forehead. Telling you what it is right now would just make you panic. But Harry, it's extremely important that you do this. The quicker you can do it, the better. Everything else is secondary.

I swallowed from the seriousness of his words.

Harry - Okay. I will do that.

??? - You are incredibly emotionally stunted with severely low self esteem. We'll set you up with a Mind Healer for that. And make some friends if you can.

I could feel myself blushing in shame as I read that. I didn't have the confidence to respond.

??? - It's not your fault, but it will need to be rectified in order to lead a good life.

??? - Finally, as you focus on the mind arts I will be educating you about magic and the magical world through the journal. Sometimes i'll write myself and sometimes I will copy entire books into the journal. We need to get you not just up to speed but to go further. The more you know the better.

??? - Well, that should be everything for now at least. And don't forget to have some fun and relax every now and again! While all of this is extremely important, the whole point of all this is to make sure you get to live the best life possible. Don't lose sight of that.

Harry - I won't forget. Hey... why are you doing all this?

??? - There are a few reasons Harry. I probably won't ever tell you all of them, we all have secrets after all. I will say this though, I was charged with helping you by someone. I can't tell you who at this point in time. But suffice to say that I acceped their request. Plus there's Dumbledore. I don't want to live in a world where he holds power. Or even exists at all.

??? - You have the potential to become an extremely powerful wizard, much stronger than Dumbledore. And with your fame and status as magical Britian's hero, you're uniquely positioned to become a leader of the magical world. It would be a shame to see you never reaching your full potential.

??? - Good luck Harry. I'll put the instructions for occlumency as soon as we finish here. I have to go now. Write any questions you have and i'll answer them later.

Harry - Thank you so much for this! Bye.

He didn't write back after that so I assume he left. By the time I had finished re-reading the conversation I had with whoever it was I decided that although I don't know them, i'll trust them for now.

They haven't told me anything about themselves, but they didn't lie either and just said they couldn't tell me. Besides, I couldn't find fault with what they were saying either. My needing information and strength to overcome whatever forces are trying to control me makes sense. That couldn't be false.

There was just too much information in this conversation to go through quickly. First was this Albus Dumbledore person. Just from what he told me, I was feeling hopeless. No, don't think like that! Maybe not now, but I will get out from under his thumb! I have help I never had right now. I can do it!

Then there was the matter of being famous. I don't know what to think about that, but i'm honestly a little angry about it. Magical Britian, from what he told me, seems like a bad place to be. Then again, he was very scathing towards it so it could be personal for him. Why is Britian so bad anyway? I'll have to ask about that. But I can't understand how people believe a baby defeated a fully grown and obviously powerful wizard. It's insane! Something to think about later.

My parents... at least I know what happened to them now. I never believed my relatives when they told me anything. Petunia was always so full of venom when talking about them that I simply didn't believe her whilst Vernon was full of rage and fear.

Knowing they were magical means that Vernon probably never knew them very well. I have no idea about Petunia though. She's my mother's sister, so there is definitely history there but I don't know what. It doesn't matter. No matter their reasons, there is simply no excuse for how they treat me.

Overall, after thinking about everything they told me, i'm extremely excited. He told me I had the potential to become an extremely powerful wizard and although I really doubt it, it's a good dream to have. I'm trapped here and from what he said, i'll be trapped in other ways for a long time unless I change it myself. I will follow this new dream to become powerful enough to control my life.

And getting everything fixed as well! No more pathetic body. That would be a dream come true. The part about being emotionally stunted with low self esteem... it was extremely embarrassing to see it written so blatantly like that. I knew of course, subconsciously at least, but what else could I do?

I always had to push my feelings down to avoid more pain, only letting myself feel them when I was alone. Having it written like that felt like a smack in the face and brought it sharply into focus. This mind healer seems like a good idea.

I will do what they said. I will master Occlumency. It seems fascinating to me and if people are messing with my mind, necessary as well. Plus there is magic! I can't wait! Suddenly everything doesn't seem so hopeless anymore. I grinned to myself, feeling happy for the first time in a long, long time.

(A/N: Yeah... it definitely doesn't seem like the perspective of a child at all but I tried. Also, upon re-reading this, is it just me or does it feel like Harry isn't that different from the MC? I've always had trouble creating characters that are distinct from eachother. I will try to work on this during this story. Unlike the other chapters, this one was quite difficult because I was trying to make Harry a distinct character.

I feel I had little success but it's better than nothing. I've read worse in other stories. This story isn't that good or has any shiny new ideas, but at least it reads well right? I will be focusing on character interactions, character distinction and relations in this. Along with all the nerdy power trips and magic of course. Later!)