Harry Potter had always known he wasn't normal. He spent his entire life being told that the "freaky" things he did would always set him apart from everyone else. After learning that these "freaky" things he did were normal for magical children he still knew he was different.

He had been keeping a secret for his entire life and if it hadn't been for this summer he could have convinced himself that his memories weren't reality but a dream. Back before he had done any serious accidental magic, he would lose time. He would be in the middle of coloring or some other mundane task when he would feel a sense of fading. The next time he became aware of his surroundings it would be hours later and he would be in a different place.

When he got to first grade, these fadings and blackouts had become fairly common. It would happen about once a week and it usually occurred when he was supposed to be sleeping. It only stopped after his first serious bought of accidental magic. He had a teacher, Ms. Clancy, and she hated him. He was a quiet child who mostly kept to himself but she had been friends with his aunt for years which meant she had been told all about how he was a bully and a troublemaker. She never formed her own of opinion of him, instead believing everything his aunt had told her.

One day during class, Harry had been doing his math work when she came up the aisle to check it. He watched as she scanned the paper, her expression growing grim. She finished reading the paper before accusing him of cheating. After dealing with her for weeks, something inside Harry snapped and Ms. Clancy's hair went from a mousy brown to an electric blue right before his eyes.

Harry had no idea how he had done it, but just knew that he had caused the color change. He had smirked at first, as she realized that something wasn't right with her hair. He and the other students had laughed as she grew more distressed. It was hilarious to Harry until arrived home that afternoon.

He hadn't thought that she would call home. It seemed like a ridiculous story, even to Harry. He wasn't concerned with his relative's reaction because of their aversion to anything magic. No way would they believe Ms. Clancy's story.

But Harry was wrong; they did believe her story. That was the turning point in his life. Before, while he wasn't well liked by his relatives, he wasn't hated either. Yes he did have to sleep in the cupboard but before that incident he had never been locked in. He had always been able to eat the food he cooked and now he was lucky if he was let out to get the scraps. His uncle had never been kind to him, but ever since that incident he wouldn't hesitate to raise a hand to Harry.

Once he realized that these new rules weren't going to change, he did everything in his power to stop doing any sort of "freaky" stuff. After he was able to repress his magic, the blank spots in his memory also disappeared. He would no longer lose time and snap into consciousness in an unknown place.

He had mostly forgotten about those times until after he made the glass disappear at the zoo. With that rush of magic it seemed that something inside of him awoke, he just didn't know what.

Harry hadn't felt truly rested since he had come to Hogwarts. He would go up to his dorm at night but then it would seem like a blink of an eye and he would be standing outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, the sun just beginning to rise outside.

He knew that his friends would think he was crazy if he told them what was happening to him. Ron would probably say he was sleepwalking but he knew it wasn't sleepwalking; he never got to fall asleep in the first place. Hermione would just try and diagnose him with some mental illness and he didn't want to deal with that.

Christmas break started yesterday and Harry was left alone in the castle. He knew he wasn't really alone, some of the teachers were staying behind and a few of the students had opted not to go home for the holidays. Only one other Gryffindor had stayed, but she was a seventh year and spent every waking moment snogging her Ravenclaw boyfriend. The other kids who stayed were also older and he had never had the chance to talk to them.

Dumbledore and McGonagall had left, both cornering him before they went. They explained that the staff took turns every year to go home and see their families and this was their year to go. Madame Pomfrey was also taking leave and Dumbledore told him to go see Snape if he had any problems.

Harry had snorted at that. Snape hated him and while he was used to adults not liking him, he didn't want to make the man angry enough to assign detentions. He had enough to deal with as it was.

Getting practically no sleep had left Harry exhausted. He sat, watching the fire in the common room when he felt himself fading. He tried to pull out of it, but like before, he fell powerlessly into the darkness.