Chapter 001 Have you lost your marble?

The house at Number 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging, Surrey is perfectly normal. Thank you very much. Its occupants would certainly-vehemently- deny anything abnormal happening in their house. Vernon Dursley, the patriarch of this normal family, has a perfectly normal job at Grunnings Drills and has a perfectly normal wife, Petunia, and perfectly normal son, Dudley.

Both parents are proud of their only child, too proud, to the point of spoiling him but don't tell the Dursley parents that or you'll get a thorough lecturing to how it's perfectly acceptable to give in to their Duddikins's every whim. Only the best for their son would do after all. The only blight in this perfect family, in their humble opinion, is their nephew. One Harry James Potter.

"BOY! Up! Get up!" Light streamed in after a forceful yank of the small cupboard door. The noise woke up the last resident of Number 4.

"Hrng. I'm up." Suprisingly, to those who don't know of course, a young voice resounded out of the small, cramped space.

"You have ten minutes to be presentable. I don't want to be late to the Book Club. Now, boy!"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia."

Harry Potter was a pitiful seven-year-old boy… no thanks to relatives. Oh no, ever since he was dumped at his relatives' doorsteps Harry Potter's life at the Dursley household wasn't something that any respecting person would call decent. Freaking out and angry Petunia Dursley, after reading the letter that came with a one-year-old Harry's baby basket, dumped him in the utilities closet and since then it was all he knew.

At five years of age his Aunt Petunia hauled him from his cupboard under the stairs one fine morning and decided that he was ready to do house chores. His cousin Dudley was the darling of his parents so Aunt Petunia would sooner torch her prized rose bushes than let her son do any of the house work. So, at a tender young age, too young all told, that Harry the Freak started cooking, cleaning, and just all around doing everything that a normal five-year-old wouldn't normally do.

Since that day it's been one gruelling task after another but still Harry persevered. It wasn't like he could run away. He didn't know anyone aside from his 'relatives'.

One such morning after his Aunt Petunia, surprisingly enough, let him off from his chores early as she was going to her Little Whinging Book Club and Dudley was at his friend, Piers Polkiss's house. She didn't want her freakish nephew left alone in the house without her long neck craning to supervise his work. After breakfast- he only got a piece of toast and a glass of water- and closing all the windows and locking the front door to Number 4 Privet Drive his Aunt finally narrowed her eyes at him.

"Now, I don't want any funny business. You hear me?" She snapped at him.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia." Harry replied with stoic facade.

"Hmph. Now go. I don't want to see you until dinner."

Harry just nodded his head in return and saw Petunia walk down the sidewalk. Inside, Harry was giddy. It was rare when he was left alone to do whatever so he would finally have some peace for once. No annoying relatives and no chores! Well, the trimming he did to the rose bushes that morning didn't count. He liked gardening, you see. It's about one of the only things, including cooking, he didn't mind doing. It was also thankfully Summer break and so he was free to roam around.

With a prep in his walk Harry went to one of the places his cousin Dudley and his friends wouldn't go to, aside from the local library that is, the woods in the Park. Nobody really went there as some say that it was haunted. Harry thought the adults just didn't want the children going in there.

After a bit of a walk through the neighbourhood he finally saw it. There were some children around playing just outside the trees' boundary. Passing by the swings and the monkey bars Harry breathed out a pleasant sigh.

He's always loved solitude. He didn't get any of it at his relatives' house. It wasn't that he didn't want to have friends. Oh, how he tried. But his fat and stupid and mean…and did he say fat? cousin always drove them off threatening them if they ever talked to the 'freak' using his bigger bulk to intimidate the other kids.

"Yeah right." Harry snorted. He didn't mind, really. Not anymore. He'd long ago accepted that people are cowards. They'd sooner save their hides than help anyone. He did try, you know, oh how he tried telling someone. His teachers at primary school didn't really believe him, would most likely believe his relatives' rumourmongering about the Dursley family's rebellious and troublemaker nephew. No, he would rather just go by his lonesome. It was better that way than face rejection at every corner.

Looking around the dark-haired young boy appreciated the silence the canopy enforces on the forest's inhabitants. He never ventured too far when going into the wood but this time he relented a bit curious how tall the trees got as he went in deeper. How more and different looking plants sprouted here and there.

'It's colder here deeply surrounded by the trees.' Harry thought.

So absorbed in his musings that Harry didn't notice the ground he was walking on tripping on his feet.

"Oww. What the-" He grunted.

After getting up he noticed that the soil he stepped on was loose, like someone dug into it and then filled it back up. Turning behind him where he came, he knew he went in deeper into the wood than he thought. Looking back down and kneeling on the soft carpet of dead leaves curiously he dug some of dirt off top. After a minute of digging with his hands, surprisingly, he saw an ornate box. It was small no bigger than his palm. It looked like one of Aunt Petunia's boxes on the fireplace's mantel where she puts her fake pearl earrings in.

Excitedly, he brushed the remaining dirt off of it trying to look at the picture he noticed on top a little closer in the dim light under the woods' canopy. There was an etching of a creature? It wasn't any creature he recognised. Dare he say it looked a bit…pink…and alien. It was quite odd looking only having three fingers on each of its thin limbs. The thing's body was teardrop shaped with legs like that of a cat's would. At its chest area there was an odd protrusion like its rib bone was deformed. Its head was connected by a thin neck. It had a bizarre head with a large ring on top almost like a weird looking crown or a head piece with two horns both connected at its temples. The most notable thing about it was its tail. It has a long tail longer than its entire body but it was connected to its head which made it look kind of elegant and dangerous. The tail? head tail's? colouring was a darker shade of pink, almost purple, like its finger and toes. The creature also has striking red eyes like rubies glittering in the sunlight. Mesmerised, the dark-haired boy didn't notice the sharp protrusion on the box's side nicking his finger and drawing blood.

"Ah!" Hissing in surprise, Harry let go and it dropped on the ground. There was an audible click.

Raising his brows he carefully lifted it back and opened it. Inside it was a chain necklace. It was simple in make but the metal shimmered in iridescent glow. It was beautiful, Harry thought. Still mindful of any more sharp surprises the young boy took the chain out of the box. It really was very pretty. Aunt Petunia would be itching to take it when she saw it.

Shaking off unpleasant thoughts of his relatives, Harry examined the necklace more thoroughly. He noticed that at the end of the chain there was a small round metal made of the same material as the chain. There was a small button in the middle and he tried pushing it. An audible click sounded out again and he saw a small marble. It was a clear stone, perfectly round, that shined like diamond. At its centre there was a coiled strand of…something…he didn't know what but its colouring was the same as the creature's with strands pink, white, and purple.

"Wow." Harry was very drawn to the round stone. Holding it felt like it pulsed with something. Like it was alive. He felt tingly just holding it.

Carefully closing the round metal ball he gingerly put the necklace on. He felt possessive of it already. It was the first thing he owned that wasn't handed down from Dudley.

Satisfied with his find Harry put the box in the pocket of his oversized trousers which was barely holding on with a flimsy belt. Standing and brushing off his pants he thought of going to the local library to find out what kind of creature was depicted on the box. Nodding to himself he made the long trek back to the playground. Hopefully, he still has time to go the library.

—-

The library wasn't much to look at. It was a one-story, red-bricked building. As mentioned earlier it was one of the places that Dudley and his gang wouldn't dare go into. Far be it for his pig of a cousin to hold a book in his life other than bashing it on unsuspecting classmates' heads. Harry was always careful with the books which endeared him to the librarian and sometimes helped him find a book he hasn't already read. Stepping inside he nodded at the rather plain-looking but kindly old woman at the counter.

"Hullo, Miss Davidson." Looking up the librarian smiled a small smile at him.

"Good afternoon, Harry, dear. Back again?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I just need to go to the Animals Section." He said nodding politely.

"Of course! Goodness knows the kids in this neighbourhood need to read more books. You know where to find me if you need any help, alright?"

"Yes, Miss. Thanks." He smiled.

"Always so polite. Now do go on don't mind me."

Nodding again Harry went further inside and quickly located the books he needed. An Encyclopaedia of The Animal Kingdom. Animals You've Never Heard Of Vol. I & II. He even looked at The Prehistoric just to be sure.

Satisfied he chose one of the table by the window and started to read putting the small box beside the book for easy reference.

It was almost time to go back to Number 4 Privet Drive and Harry was disappointed at not finding any information on the creature. Maybe it was extinct or maybe it really was an alien. He also asked the old librarian and showed the box to see if she recognised it but to no avail. She even thought it was just a fancy drawing of a cartoon she might've seen on the telly.

Sighing he left the library after thanking the helpful lady. Arriving at Number 4 he noticed that all of Dursleys were back. Opening the front door he immediately saw his walrus of an uncle sitting on the sofa watching the local news.

"So you're back, eh? Thought you could waste your time doing nothing, hmm, boy? Help your aunt in the kitchen! Go on, get!" Uncle Vernon snapped at him.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry said monotonously. He wouldn't deign to show any emotions to his relatives.

"Hmph." Side-eying as his nephew walked into the past, Vernon was a bit unnerved by his freakish nephew's lack of emotions and stoic countenance.

After helping his aunt make a delicious pot roast, which mind you he didn't taste a lick of, and washing the dishes Harry finally was able to eat his dinner which consisted of an apple and a glass of water.

'Better than nothing' he thought.

That night after everyone but him was asleep Harry was in his cupboard took out his box and put it under his tatty cot where he put it together with some of his broken toy soldiers he found in the bin -most likely Dudley's - and some crayons. These were all that he had really but he was content with them. He didn't need much unlike his cousin who has a second bedroom upstairs where he dumps his uncountable broken toys over the years.

After arranging his things a bit he laid on his cot and threw over his ratty, well-used blanket. Taking out the necklace from under his shirt he stared at it still awed and mesmerised by its dim glow even in the darkness of his cupboard.

He was nervous earlier when he got back thinking his relatives would take his necklace from him but they didn't even notice it. Like every time they looked at his neck area their eyes would slid over it.

'I must be imagining it' he shrugged.

Finally closing his eyes, the dark-haired boy didn't notice the necklace pulsing with untold energy.