Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters, locations, plots or ideas from the novels. However, I do own my original characters, plots, locations and ideas.

Summary: This story is Alternate Universe (what if) where a lot of the cannon plots and ideas have been completely twisted to make this into a more original idea and plot. Most of what you have read from cannon has been altered and or twisted and made differently. It is a "what if" things in the magical world went differently, and certain things in their past happened differently so the magical world turned out quite a lot different to how it is in cannon and most fan fiction. Therefore, the history of the magical world is different so if you read this story, please don't complain about such large or small differences unless I've made a genuine mistake in my own work. This first chapter will show you what you might expect. And I hope to redo the whole series.

Thank you, I do hope you enjoy so read and please do review and tell me what you think of this story.

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Chapter one

Hogwarts Express

Young eleven-year-old Harry James Potter stood in between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station wondering where platform 9 and 3 quarters could be located. His school trunk holding his new belongings was on a trolley in front of him as his emerald green eyes scanned the platform.

He sighed wondering why the magical people had to make things so difficult for him.

Shaking his head clear his unruly black hair breezed as he looked around ignoring most of the people trying to spot something that just seemed wrong or out of place that might be the entrance when he spotted a large group of suspicious red heads standing between the two platforms in front of one of the barriers.

Harry almost jumped as the oldest locking boy ran with his trolley at the barrier and disappeared, so he quickly rushed over just as two twin boys rushed through the barrier and phased straight through it and out of sight.

He waited and watched again as a plump red haired witch sent her last and obviously youngest son through the barrier before turning to her youngest and only daughter who just happened to be standing next to Harry staring at him curiously.

"Oh, dears, you best go together, you only have three minutes before the train leaves!" she cried out a little panicked.

Harry and the girl looked to each other and shrugged before charging through the barrier with their trolley's and out of sight. Harry felt quite scared admittedly, as he had just gone and ran at what looked like a solid wall without a second thought. He wondered mildly whether it was because he had been around magic for the past month that he didn't find that running through a solid was odd.

Harry held back his gasp as he saw the magnificent sight of the scarlet Hogwarts Express. He really did not want to stand out too much if he could help it as he did not wish to get picked on for anything that is not his fault as he had already heard a little about how these strange people for the most part thought.

Continuing towards the train and heaving his trunk onboard, and dragging it behind him finding and empty compartment. He had never seen so many kids stuffed onto one train before and had to squeeze his way passed people to find a place for himself, which was easier said than done, but he soon found himself a place and entered letting the door slid closed behind him.

He stowed his trunk away under his seat as he dropped down with a sigh onto the seat by the window. He looked out seeing that red haired family saying their final farewells. It squeezed at his heart wishing he had his parents to wish him well on his first ever trip to school, to kiss him farewell, and hug him tight wishing him luck. He figured life just sucked sometimes no matter how much he wished it didn't and he could attest to how unfair life is through his experiences throughout his short young life.

He chuckled sadly as he thought about all of the do's and don'ts his parents might have reprimanded him with before letting him jump onto the train after kissing and hugging him, but those were not thoughts he wanted to dwell upon or else he'll just sadden him self on this happy first day of school even though he is quite fearful of what to expect.

He had heard quite a lot of stories, or maybe rumours that made him want to reconsider his even attending the school, but it was better in his opinion than not learning magic. He could put up with racism, and even fight back if he had too, and quite frankly the thought of learning magic brightened his heart with every second he waited to finally be apart of this new school.

Shaking his head clear of depressing thoughts he realised the train was moving and he could not see the platform anymore as the countryside slowly whizzed by. It was a nice day out and he was quite fascinated and content to just watch the world wiz by out through the window. This was his first time on a train, and travelling alone and it simply enthralled him the feeling of freedom it allowed his head that he no longer had to put up with those who dared call themselves family continuing to ignore his existence, even if no one else acknowledged it.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?"

Harry jumped in startled surprise and turned to see that girl from the barrier standing in the open doorway with her trunk. She was unique in his opinion compared with her family. Her hair was not red or ginger like the others but a beautiful bright orange, it was sure unusual in contrasted to her chocolate brown eyes. Her skin a milky sort of white with some light freckles running along her nose and under her eyes.

He smiled at her nervously wondering how old she might be, slightly confused since she seemed younger than him, and he has not long turned eleven.

"O-ok, there's plenty of room," he agreed gesturing the bench opposite.

She gave him a small smile as she dragged in her trunk and shoved it under her bench before sitting opposite him.

"Thanks, I'm Ginny Weasley by the way."

"Oh, uh, I'm Harry Potter, nice to meet you."

"You too… so are you new or something? I've never seen you around school before."

Harry blushed lightly as Ginny stared at him as if trying to remember if she might have seen him before but coming up with a blank. He ran his right hand nervously through his messy black hair at her scrutiny.

"N-no, I'm new, this is my first year. It was a bit of a shock finding out I'm a wizard."

Ginny looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and to Harry's mild amusement she was looking down at him as if she was superior.

"Oh, well you must be eleven then," she said knowingly. "I'm ten, but I've been going to Hogwarts since last year. Muggleborns like you start two years after purebloods."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her before he laughed, and she just stared at him in confusion. He had learned during his short life how to read peoples expressions better than most as it kept him from getting into trouble when he was younger.

"Sorry," he said. "Its just you sounded like you were trying to be mean about my heritage without actually believing in it yourself," he chuckled while she blushed light pink.

"O-of course I do," she answered defiantly.

He smiled at her cheekily.

"What does it matter, huh?"

"Of course it matters," she replied with a half-glare. "If everyone thinks I sympathise with muggleborns then I'll be treated just as bad."

Harry just gave her a pitying look while shaking his head sadly.

"Well that's just sad," he said. "Well if you don't want to be associated with a 'mudblood'," she flinched at the word he used which to his count he had already been called seventeen times since he joined this strange new world, not that such a stupid name bothered him. He could think of much worse things to call people and his uncle had used them all on him. "Then maybe I'll just go and find some of my own kind to sit with," he continued as he stood up and went to pull out his trunk.

Ginny looked horrified, reached out on instinct, and grabbed his hand. He looked round at her and looked at where her small hand held his tightly as if frightened of letting go.

"Please don't go," she pleaded with him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I-I don't have any friends at school; well not really, I don't have much in common with anyone in my year. Its just my family's very poor, and well that leaves my standing in the school very low as it is, and hanging out with a muggleborn will drop that even further," she said sadly as she let his hand go and dropped back into her seat.

Harry sighed as he retook his seat and smiled sadly. He understood all too well what it was like to not have any friends, and also knew what its like to be lower than scum, as his 'relatives' taught him well. He was actually surprised he turned out so well rounded and not a bitter jerk.

"So what are the teachers like with all this social crap?" he asked curiously.

She looked up at him hopeful, seeing his reassuring smile she smiled too.

"Most of them are fine, but the potion teacher is a complete jerk to everyone but his house," she said eagerly. "His names Professor Snape, and his house is Slytherin house, and they're all dark and horrid," she added with a shiver. "They creep me out, but the other four houses are ok, except maybe Nero House, it mostly has muggleborns, it's for the cunning and adventurous. It's just as disliked as Slytherin House mostly just because of the muggleborn thing. I heard that Rosette Nero one of the five founders of Hogwarts was a muggleborn, but nobody knows whether that's true or not."

Harry chuckled lightly while smiling. Ginny was probably the nicest person he has met so far in the wizarding world, and he thought the goblins were going to be the nicest and they were just plain rude. He laughed internally at that thought. It wasn't that every wizard he met were asses it was just they treated him as a lesser life form than even those weird little monsters that ran Gringott's wizarding bank.

"Well at least it doesn't sound too bad, so what house are you in?"

She just shook her head.

"We don't get sorted until we're ten, or in your case eleven," she answered. "Last year was just an orientation year where we're only taught a few easy spells, and the rest is all theory, math, English, and other classes like that, so we won't get left behind by muggleborns who went to muggle schools to learn those sorts of things. My whole family has been in Gryffindor House for centuries so I'll probably be in that house too."

Harry nodded in understanding. It sounded reasonable to him if a little unfair on muggleborns such as he since they still get to start a whole year ahead of them. But on a happier thought he figured that meant he and Ginny shall be in the same year.

"Well, how are houses picked anyway? And what says you go into them?" he asked with a curious frown since no one yet has told him much about the schoolhouse system.

"Well, there are five houses as you know," she began; he nodded and she continued. "First is Gryffindor, they're represented by a lion, and brave and courageous students go into that house. Then we have Slytherin, represented by a snake where the dark and ambitious students go, and after that is Ravenclaw, the raven, where smart people go, and Hufflepuff the badger where the hard working and loyal go. And last we have Nero represented by a fox where the cunning and adventurous end up, or as a lot of purebloods think, mainly muggleborns, but occasionally a blood traitor goes there."

Harry nodded as he let the information sink in, it sounded to him like he would be best suited for Nero, Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff house.

"So all five houses take muggleborns right?" he asked interestedly.

Ginny then shook her head frantically.

"No, not all of them," she answered knowingly. "Slytherin House has never been known to take muggleborns, I just don't think they're ever dark enough, but they sometimes take halfbloods."

"Ok, but how do they find out where to put us? Who chooses what house will suit us best?"

Ginny smiled smugly.

"It's a cleaver, singing wizards hat that once belonged to Godric Gryffindor. We put the hat on and it finds out what house we would do best in and then shouts it out for the hall to hear."

Harry nodded eagerly, it sounded interesting and he could barely wait to see this hat and find out what house he'll be in when he thought of something, looking up at Ginny.

"What house do you want to be in?" he asked her interestedly.

Ginny was startled for a minute – nobody had asked her what house she wanted to be in before, and she had not really thought about it since she like everybody else had just assumed she would be in Gryffindor house like the rest of her family, though she sometimes wondered whether her twin prankster brothers were closet-Nero's with their cunning minds. However, now she was asked she gave it a little thought. It would be nice to be in a different house from her brothers.

"Uh, I'm not too sure," she answered truthfully after a few moments of thought. "I had always just assumed I would be in Gryffindor House like my parents were, and brothers, but I guess there still is a chance I might be different. It would be nice to be in a different house, maybe Ravenclaw since people mock Hufflepuff's for being week and pushovers. The only house I would hate to be in one hundred percent is Slytherin. Though going into Nero would be bad, and my family would not like it, if I became a Slytherin my parents would probably disown me, mostly bad people are made in that house like Death Eaters and You-Know-Who."

"You-Know-Who?" he repeated in confusion with a deep frown. "Death Eaters, what are they, and I'm afraid I don't know who."

Ginny gasped and stared at him in utter disbelief, unable to comprehend nobody telling him yet, so took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She now had a somewhat depressing mission set out before her, a mission she would rather not have, but she couldn't just leave his curiosity hanging like this.

"O-ok," she began nervously. "I'm only going to explain this once ok?" Harry nodded with rapt attention so she took another deep breath before continuing. "A while back we were at war with the death eaters. They were a group of purists. Witches and wizards who didn't think muggleborns had the right to learn magic, even though most purebloods look down on muggleborns they didn't agree. The death eaters bowed to their master and commander, You-Know-Who, the Dark Lord…"

"What's his name?" interrupted Harry interestedly, and wondering why she wouldn't just say it. It seemed odd as if she actually feared some terrorists name or something, a concept he found totally ridiculous.

However, Ginny just shook her head frantically looking afraid.

"W-we don't speak his name," she retorted with frightened eyes. "He was as bad as they came, and very powerful, and the darkest of all the death eaters, only Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts could ever stand up to him…"

"Please," he interrupted again looking at her pleadingly. "Tell me his name… spell it out if you don't want to say it. I don't want to fear a name I've never even heard before."

Ginny looked at him sternly for a moment before taking a long deep breath and biting her lower lip nervously. She could barely believe she was even considering it. If her mother ever heard her say his name out loud, she would be in a lot of trouble, for why she had no idea.

"V-Voldemort!" she hissed out in disgust, shuddering and looking amazed she had actually had the courage to say it out loud. She shook her head clear before continuing with the story before Harry interrupted again, though it seemed weird seeing someone not flinch at hearing the name, or show any reaction of fear. "Well anyway, he and his death eaters were trying to take over the wizarding world, murdering anyone who got in their way, and also attacking and murdering muggles for sport.

"Then just under ten years ago on a Halloween night, You-Know-Who attacked a baby boy, Neville Longbottom after he killed the babies parents," she paused here for a moment to regain her breath, as Harry leaned forward to make sure he didn't miss anything. "But something happened when he tried to kill Neville; his killing curse failed and destroyed him instead. Neville was just left with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, and lives with his grandmother now.

"He's here at Hogwarts, it's his second year now," she shook her head rolling her eyes. "I used to dream about how brilliant he'll be… the selfless hero and all that like probably every pureblooded little girl, but it turns out he's a bit of a jerk. I think all of the fame and praise he receives has gone straight to his head."

Harry chuckled lightly as he shook away the horrid images of a war from his young mind. He just hopes he doesn't ever have to worry about a war like that.

"So if Voldemort's," he stopped as she flinched before continuing as if nothing happened. "Gone, what happened to all of his death eaters?" he asked curiously, as he had a suspicion that not all is over.

"A lot of them were rounded up by law enforcement," she answered him. "But some of them either bribed their way out of jail, or they were 'noble and ancient' families so managed to blag their way out of trouble."

"Typical," he said with a shake of his head, disgusted. "No offence but the magical world seems a little messed up."

She shook her head and laughed.

"That's an understatement," she agreed amusedly smirking. "But not many really see it, or if they do they don't care, or don't mention it or try to fix it."

Harry chuckled when they were startled as the compartment door slid open to reveal a smiling plump woman with a large trolley full of snack foods and plenty of sweets. It was like a treasure trove of all of the stuff Harry had previously been denied in his life, and it brought awe to his emerald green eyes.

"Would you like to buy something, dears?" she asked them with a sweet smile.

Ginny blushed brightly but shook her head mumbling something about her mum having made her some sandwiches.

Harry however stood up with a huge grin, pulling out a small pile of gold coins from his pocket.

"I'll have some of everything," he declared joyously.

Five minutes later the snack lady had left and Harry had a small mountain of snacks on the bench beside him. Sweets and snack foods of the varieties Harry knew most of which he could never find within a muggle shop so thought to try everything.

"Help your self, Ginny," he said gesturing the sweets as he picked up one of the many pies and began to eat it with a smile. It was quite tasty mince and apple with a sugary top settling his sweet tooth, which all kids his age have.

Ginny looked from him to the sweets in thought, thinking back to the rushed sandwiches her mother made her this morning. She wanted to accept his offer for sweets and snacks but her stupid family pride kept her at bay. It was not often she was in the presents of someone who obviously had a bit of money because of her poor standing, and it made her a little uncomfortable, much like how she thought muggleborns feel a lot of the time.

She finally just shook her head.

"I can't… mum made me some sandwiches so I'll be ok."

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. He could tell easily she wanted some but she obviously had some serious issues with accepting things from people, maybe because her family is not very well off money wise so it seems awkward to her or something. He was not too sure since he is not exactly the most socially adept person, quite the opposite in fact.

"Don't be stupid," he retorted. "You're like my only friend, and first friend I've ever had and I want to share, plus do you honestly think I can eat all of this alone? We are friends now, right, even though I am just a lowly muggleborn?" he asked the last with a cheeky grin as he dropped a pie onto her lap.

Ginny groaned with a small blush as she picked up the pie, she looked at him as he watched her in anticipation. She gave him a small smile and bit into the pie.

"Yes, we're friends," she said as she swallowed. "I guess since we're each others only friend, that makes us best friends, huh?" she asked hopefully.

"Right," he agreed with a bright smile so she smiled just as brightly.

They spent the rest of the trip talking, eating sweets and playing a few games of exploding snap Ginny had brought to school with her. Harry learnt as much as he could from her, including a few spells that in his and Ginny's opinion were useless for much, unless you're being stupid. Seriously what use are coloured sparks, and a tickling charm is only amusing used against someone for a few minutes before it gets old and painful to your sides because you're laughing just as hard. However, those spells were easy and of no real practical use so they could barely wait to learn proper spells when they finally start classes.

He liked her and was glad he managed to find such a smart and knowledgeable friend, even though technically she found him since he was in the compartment first. Harry was thankful that other than the snack lady nobody bothered the pair as they enjoyed their time together, and Harry was practically praying to him self that Ginny and he will be in the same Hogwarts house, but if not that they will still be friends.

He was at last actually completely happy joining this strange new world, one where he now had a friend – a friend who enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed hers.

Unbeknownst to these two new best friends but this chance meeting would have greater consequences than just creating the friendship of two lonely children.

The world may never be the same again.

To Be Continued…

Authors Notes: Well I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I had the idea of reworking a lot of what JK did in cannon, and I've been enjoying this story greatly. As you will have noticed Harry is not the Boy-Who-Lived or remotely famous. I have also added a fifth house just on my own whim. I've always wondered why Slytherin's are meant to be cunning yet a snake is normally associated with darkness and not cunning.

The FOX is cunning though and adventurous, as well mischievous, so I added the fox house to it, and gave it a shorter name than the other four since it popped into my head while I was thinking of a name my mind wandered, so ten points to Nero if you can figure out where the name actually came from.