Harry woke up far earlier than he would have liked, and much later than he was used to. As he struggled to untangle himself from the covers (he always slept restlessly and tended to dump his bedding on the floor, if he wasn't careful.), the other four boys in the room blinked against the morning light. Correction. Three of the four boys in the room. Ron was still very much asleep, snoring loudly. Grinning, Harry got up and shook his new friend's shoulder lightly.

”Ron! Wake up!”

”Whaa...?”

”C'mon mate, or we'll miss breakfast!”

At this, Ron sat up sharply, and Harry went off to the bathroom, sniggering. He looked around quickly, and found it empty. Sighing with relief, he looked the door and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked as he always did.

He saw his small face, and skinny arms and legs. His glasses were still taped and his hair was still unruly. He even had hand-me-down clothes, even though they were robes this time since the Dursleys had refused to buy him new ones. The frayed cuffs and too-short sleeves didn't bother Harry very much. He was used to it, having had to wear Dudley's old clothes for most of his life. He didn't even consider the unfairness of Dudley getting a brand new Deluxe Premium Set of Madam Malkin's Finest Hogwarts Robes for Young Gentlemen. It was, as Uncle Vernon had said, nothing less than Dudley deserved.

A knock on the door make him jump, and Harry quickly splashed his face water and brushed his teeth, almost tripping over his own feet in his hurry to finish. As he exited the bathroom, the Irish boy (Sean? Seamus?, Harry thought) gripped his arm lightly

”Hey, no rush. I didn't mean to take your place or anything.” His eyes drifted for a second to Harry's scar and then back to his eyes. ”Take your time.” Harry stared at him, baffled, then shrugged and went off in search of Ron and breakfast.

Breakfast was every bit as lovely as dinner the night before. Harry made sure to take a bit of everything at the table, just to make sure he didn't miss something. He immediately became very fond of toast with chocolate spread. At the Dursleys, he had only had plain toast, and the warm molten chocolate tasted like heaven. Harry was chatting happily with Ron and Neville Longbottom throughout breakfast, discussing teachers and if Professor Snape really was as terrible as everyone said. When Professor McGonagall came to give them their schedules, she look as strict and imposing as ever, even though she shot a slight smile at Harry, so small he was the only one to see it. It made him feel all warm and good inside, and he munched on his toast quite happy and excited for the day. As Hermione Grander started to tell everyone to hurry to class, Harry realized he had forgotten his Transfiguration textbook, and as that was their first class, he decided to run back to the Gryffindor tower to fetch it. Telling Ron he'd meet him later, Harry started off towards the tower.

As he turned around a corner, he was met with a familiar and stomach-dropping sight. His cousin, looking as fat and pig-like as ever. Harry absently noted that no Deluxe Premium Robes in the world could hide the fact Dudley was far too fat for his own good. A meaty hand shot out and gripped Harry's wrist, shoving him against the wall. They were in a small niche, in a smaller, more unused hallway. Harry might have had a chance if they had been just outside the Great Hall, but now?

”Potter. Think you're so great with your ugly scar... Wanting everyone's attention... Let's just wait until everyone discovers what a freak you are. Freaky Potter.” Dudley shook Harry with every sentence, and Harry tried to free himself and stop the room from spinning, but to no avail.

“A gryffindor. I heard some stuff about you people last night, and I'm pretty sure Mum and Dad will understand who's house is the best. Think you'll be able to fit in here, freak? Think again.” Harry bit his lip, and tried to come up with an answer.

“Haven't you heard, Duddykins? Every wizard that ever went bad was in Slytherin. Seems like they understand you just fine already, so there's no point in pretending to be a good little mama's boy here,” Harry finally replied.

Dudley turned pale, and then increasingly red, in a wonderful impression of Uncle Vernon, and Harry thought it best to try and get away. As Dudley drew back his fist, Harry dodged and started running as fast as his legs would carry him down the hallway. He knew Dudley had no chance of catching up with him without help from faster cronies and thus felt relatively safe. That is, until he crashed right into something hard and black. Or rather someone. Looking up he saw a hooked nose and pale thin lips drawn back to show crooked yellow teeth. Recognizing the man, Harry cowered. It was Professor Snape and he looked very angry.

”Mr. Potter,” he said, in a carefully controlled voice that scared Harry much more than Uncle Vernon's nonsensical yelling ever had. ”We do not tolerate running in the hallways in this school. Undoubtedly you found it below yourself to read the school rules, but I assure you, they apply to everyone, famous or not.”

Harry was entirely thrown off by the new attack. He just stared dumbly at the Potions Master, trying to figure out what he meant.

”I would at least have hoped that the Boy-Who-Lived would understand simple English, but that does not seem to be the case. Are you deaf, Mr. Potter?”

”Sir?”

”Obviously you are capable of speaking and hearing, which still leaves the question if you are too arrogant to bother reading the school rules.”

”Sir, I'm sorry, I just...”

”Quiet. I knew you were going to be trouble as soon as I heard you were coming to Hogwarts. Let's hope for your own sake, Mr. Potter, that you are not as big a dunderhead in Potions as you seem to be in everything else. Now get to class!”

Shocked by the vehemence in the man's tone, Harry could not move for a few second. Another glare, however, sent him walking very fast (but not running) away from the fluttering black robes of Professor Snape.

Harry checked his watch and groaned. He was late to his very first class at Hogwarts. What a start Harry, great job, he thought, as he struggled to find his way to the Transfiguration classroom. He felt almost as though the castle itself was doing its best to prevent him from ever getting to class. He had already fallen through the missing step in one of the staircases twice, once on his way to the Gryffindor tower and once on the way back. He had been careful not to step on the faulty step the second time, but fate seemed to be working against him, since which step was missing had changed since last time. Harry swore to himself as he used all the strength in his arms to pull himself up. By the time he got to Transfiguration, he was so late that Professor McGonagall assigned him extra homework as punishment for wasting class-time.

The rest of the classes of the day went a little better, and at least he wasn't late any more times. By the time lunch came around, he had managed to almost forget his intermezzo with Dudley in the morning and the strange conversation with the Potions Master after it.

Harry had realized that the study of magic was far more complicated than he ever would have thought. It wasn't just, as muggle books for children made it out to be, waving your wand and saying whimsical words, but a precise and time-consuming study where every syllable and movement had to be exactly right. Professor McGonagall's stories of transfigurations gone terribly wrong were enough to instill Harry with the greatest respect for thoroughness. He got some comfort from the fact that if he was struggling, Dudley was sure to be near dying with the exhaustion of actually having to use his brain.

Ron and Harry quickly became good friends. Not only could they be confused about the layout of the Hogwarts Castle, Ron also had hand-me-down robes, and didn't look down at Harry for his. That made Harry feel infinitely much better, and he managed to get through his first day without too many mishaps.

The rest of the week was fairly quiet as well, with lots of new faces and facts to remember. Harry saw surprisingly little of his cousin the first week. He spotted him sometimes at meals, sitting by Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, but other than that, Dudley was unusually absent from his life. If Harry hadn't been so wary, he might have pretended Dudley simply wasn't at Hogwarts at all. (How nice wouldn't that have been!) It wasn't until Friday, when he realized he had Double Potions with the Slytherins the next day that he knew he was in trouble.