Little Whinging, England (1991)
A small but cheerful town, as the locals described it; for Harry, it was simply hell. The boy, who would turn 11 tomorrow, was walking home with his head down. He knew what awaited him at home. Today they handed out his grades in science, and he had tried hard to fail; in fact, he had gotten a 01, because if he scored higher than his cousin Dudley, he'd be left without dinner for three days, not to mention the beating from his uncle Vernon.
But who would have thought Dudley would score a 00?
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Harry turned his head and found Jean Grey, his childhood friend, an 11-year-old girl with red hair and green eyes.
Jean: "Don't worry, Harry. Let's go to my house," she said with a contagious smile. "Yesterday my dad got me a SNES with a Street Fighter II cartridge! I bet I'll kick your butt!"
Harry: laughing "Okay, Jean! But do you think your mom will make those chocolate chip cookies again?" he licked his lips at the thought of those delicious homemade cookies.
Jean: "I bet she will. She loves baking desserts, especially when you're around," she admitted with a grin. "Let's go quickly! The first one there gets to pick Ryu."
As she finished speaking, she ran off, laughing.
Harry: "Hey! That's cheating!" he yelled, starting to run after her, laughing too.
Harry: "Yes! I beat you!" he shouted as he shoved another cookie into his mouth.
Jean: "Hmph! Winning one out of five means nothing," she said with a smug smile. "Admit it, Harry: I'm better than you at this game."
Harry: "Tch! Let's play another one, and I'll show you how it's done," he responded with a defiant grin.
Jean: "Fine! But let's make a bet. If I win, you'll have to do something I say. If I lose, I'll do whatever you say. Deal?"
Harry: "Deal! If I win, you'll have to give me your allowance for the entire month."
Three minutes later
Harry: "H-How is this possible?" he said, his voice filled with total defeat. "I didn't win a single round."
Jean: "I told you, Harry. I'm just better at this."
Harry: sighing "Alright, so what do I have to do?"
Jean: "W-Well, about that…" she said, blushing. "You… you'll have to give me a kiss."
Harry: "What!? That wasn't part of the deal!" he exclaimed, his face turning completely red.
Jean: "You accepted the bet and lost. Now, fulfill your part of the deal!" she replied, her face as red as her hair.
Harry hesitated for a moment, trembling slightly, and moved closer to Jean. Slowly, he closed the distance between them until their lips met in a kiss. Quickly, Harry pulled away, blushing more than ever.
Harry: "I-I think I should go home now. Bye, Jean!" he shouted and ran off, overwhelmed by embarrassment.
Jean, not turning around, sat there, softly touching her lips with her fingers and smiling sweetly. Then, she got up and threw herself onto her bed, rolling around while hugging her pillow, thinking about what had just happened.
---
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, England
Harry walked into his uncle's house, thinking about what had happened with Jean. Just the thought of it made his heart race. As he closed the door, his thoughts were interrupted when a newspaper was thrown straight at his head.
Harry: "Ouch!" He looked up, and all thoughts in his head were replaced by fear that made his whole body tremble.
Vernon: "Boy! What were you doing outside at this hour!?" he yelled with relentless fury.
Harry: "U-Uncle Vernon!" he replied, startled. "I-I was at a friend's house to… do the chemistry homework! Yes, that's it!"
Dudley: walking out of the kitchen with a piece of cake "That's not true! The teacher didn't assign any group homework," he said with a grin, revealing Harry's lie.
Vernon: "Not only do you sleep in my house, but you also dare lie to me!" He pulled off his belt with the greatest speed he could. "You miserable child! Today, you'll learn to respect the man of the house!"
---
The next day
In pain, Harry got up from his "room," which was nothing more than the cupboard under the stairs. He looked at the clock and saw it was 4:00 AM, so, despite the pain, he quickly left the cupboard and went to the bathroom for his daily shower before everyone woke up.
As he got into the hot bath, he felt his back burn from the beating he had received the day before. Finishing quickly, he dried off and dressed before going downstairs to make breakfast. However, as he descended the stairs, he found a letter left at the door. He picked it up and saw it was stamped with a crest featuring four animals: a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle. The letter was also sealed with wax that contained the same image of the crest.
Curiously, he turned the letter over to read: "Mr. H. Potter." Harry knew it was for him. No one else in this house had an H in their name. However, what caught his attention the most was the surname "Potter." Was that his last name? He had so many questions, so without further delay, he opened the letter.
---
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
Order of Merlin, First Class
Great Wizard
Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot
Founder of the Order of the Phoenix
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
---
"Hogwarts? School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" A thousand questions flooded Harry's mind, but at the same time, he started to make sense of some things that had happened to him in the past few months. He remembered, for example, when Dudley and his friends chased him, and somehow, he had ended up on the school roof. No one could explain how he got there—not even him! Hearing footsteps upstairs, Harry quickly hid the letter and went to make breakfast.
---
Jean: "A magic school? Are you sure it's not one of Dudley's pranks?"
Harry: "I don't think so, Jean. He barely knows how to spell 'traffic light,' so I doubt he's capable of writing a letter like this," he handed the letter to Jean.
Jean: looking over the contents "This is awesome, Harry! That means you're a wizard, right?" She picked up a rock from the ground. "Turn this rock into candy!"
Harry: "Okay!" He stared at the rock, trying to use his magic. "Wow! It's harder than I thought!"
Jean: "Well, I guess one day you'll be able to turn all the rocks in the world into candy! Imagine that, Harry! We'd never have to pay for candy again!"
Harry: laughing a little "One day, I'll make a gummy bear the size of the school, and we can eat it for years."
Jean quickly smiled at what Harry said, but slowly her smile faded until a sad expression overtook her.
Jean: "H-Harry," she said, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Does this letter mean you'll have to go to another school?"
Harry: stunned by the question "Y-Yeah, I think so. B-But whenever I'm not at school, I can come visit you. It wouldn't change much... I think."
Jean: "W-What if you don't go? What if you stay with me? You don't have to stay with the Dursleys. You don't have to go to that magic school. We can stay at the school we're already in, right?"
Harry: "Jean… I need to go to that school. They know my last name, and they might know more about my parents. What if they're still alive and looking for me? I have to know more about them."
Jean: unable to hold back her tears "Harry, you're such an idiot!" She started running home, covering her tear-stained face.
Harry: "Jean! Wait!" He tried to run after her but eventually gave up, sighing sadly as he walked home with his head down.
---
Harry was now lying in his bed, thinking about what had happened. His heart hurt, feeling as if it was being squeezed tightly. Tears threatened to spill and stain his face. However, a loud noise pulled him from his thoughts. He heard Aunt Petunia's gasps and a loud thud, like something falling. He quickly rushed out to see what was happening and saw a bearded man—though that was the least of it. The man was easily over two meters tall!
Hagrid: "Hello, Harry. It's good to see you," he said, holding out a cake that said "Happee Birthdae Harry."
Harry had no idea, but from that day on, his whole life would change.
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"Guys, this is my first story, and English is not my native language, so I hope you'll be patient with me. If you see any spelling mistakes or anything like that, feel free to point them out so I can improve. Thanks!"