I do not own Harry Potter. Any parts of this that resemble the books are probably from it.

In a world where Neville Longbottom was marked as Voldemorts equal, Harry Potter is determined not to be his Inferior and that leaves only one option...

June 3rd 1981 – Voldemorts Lair

"Which could it be...?" Lord Voldemort whispered to himself, he had just heard the prophecy from Severus, who had overheard it being told in the Hogshead. 'Would it be the half-blood or the pure-blood?' He would have said the half-blood, after all the Potter boy was a pure blood on one side and muggle on the other, just like himself and he knew how powerful he was. But he had looked at the relationship between Frank and Alice Longbottom, other than husband and wife, and they were very distant cousins rather than his maternal grandparents' twin brother and sister.

And the more pure blood the more powerful the child would be. But not too pure of course, it was all about balance...

Yes, the Longbottom child would be the Chosen One; he would deal with him himself. But Longbottom Hall was well protected, he would need a distraction. Bellatrix and the Lestranges had just finished a mission to the vampire covens, they would need a high value target to draw any reinforcements away, Diagon Alley would do.

And the Potters, well, he might as well clean up loose ends. He would send some lower ranked Death Eaters to deal with them...

October 1st 1981 – Potter Cottage

James sighed; he and Lily had been in hiding for six months now ever since Dumbledore had revealed that bloody prophecy to them and the Longbottoms. He liked Frank and Alice, they were good people and he hoped You-Know-Who wouldn't target their son, Neville. He knew it was best for them to stay safe but Merlin was it boring stuck in Godric's Hollow. He hoped it wouldn't be for much longer.

He felt a shiver go down his spine, the same shiver he got just before he and the other Marauders would get caught after a prank.

"Lily, I think we...

Suddenly the wards dropped, he could feel it. The magic linked to him, telling him of four intruders coming onto the property.

"Lily!" he shouted up the stairs, "Call for help, I'll try to hold them off!" He drew his wand from it holster on his arm and started transfiguring the room, determined to buy his wife and son some time. First he reinforced the walls before blowing out the window and sending out some transfigured animals to attack the intruders. A stag, a grim, a wolf and a giant rat, his personal Marauders bounded out of the hole and into the night, now illuminated by the glow of curses fired towards the house. He crouched next to hole, seeking cover, before returning fire, hoping Lily could find some help.

Upstairs

When Lily had heard James's cry she had quickly put Harry down in his crib from where she had been reading to him and moved over to the fireplace, grabbing the Floo powder and throwing it into the Fireplace.

"Sirius Black's Bachelor Pad!" she screamed as the flames roared green,

"...Boil you up some hot, strong love, to keep you warm..." she could hear his warbling echoing round the house he was staying in.

"Sirius! Where are you?" she watched as the door banged open and Sirius ran in his hair damp and a towel wrapped round him.

"Lils! What's wrong? I heard you shout," he said shocked,

"We're under attack, someone's found us," she gasped out, "Get Remus, get dressed and get here, we're going to need the help."

"What about Peter? Is he okay?" he responded, desperately trying to remember where he'd left his trousers.

"I don't know, we haven't heard anything about him," she replied before pulling her head out of the fire and turning to Harry. She ducked as the window behind her shattered, at this rate there wouldn't be a second floor left, as the roof was already gone thanks to James' transfigured attack birds. She picked him up and hurried down the stairs before placing him in the corner and conjuring some walls to protect him.

"Don't worry Harry, Mummy will be back soon," she said softly, as she saw her son's curious eyes watching her.

She finished the physical shields the started casting some wards over Harry's small fort before turning and hurrying to support her husband. There was no way they would take him from her or get to her son.

Sirius Black's Bachelor Pad

Sirius was hopping round his home, wand between his teeth, trying to pull on his trousers with on hand and throw the Floo powder into the fire place with the other.

"Thix magtholia crethenths!" he tried to shout at the fire.

Nothing happened.

He rolled his eyes and took his wand out of his mouth.

"Six Magnolia Crescent," he intoned carefully and quickly, he couldn't afford to waste any time after all. As soon as the fire turned green he stuck his head in and shouted for Remus. His shout woke a man sleeping in a chair by the fire, who clawed at the newspaper covering his face before throwing it to the side.

"Sirius?" he questioned, "what's wrong?"

"James and Lily are under attack, we need to help them!" he burst out,

"Move over," Remus ordered, "I'm going to them."

Sirius did so, trousers now in the right place, before taking another handful and throwing it into the fire

"Potter Cottage!"

Potter Cottage

James crouched by the remains of the sofa, now transfigured into a stone wall that was protecting him and Lily, watching with pride as some of his wife's nasty charms hid one of the Death Eaters in the face, causing their robes to attempt to strangling them and shove themselves down his throat.

He spun as he heard the fire roar, and pointed his wand at whoever was coming through. He sighed in relief as Remus calmly stepped into the room before laughing as he was bowled over by Sirius being shot out of the fire and into the back of his legs.

"How many are there?" Remus asked him as he ducked a sickly purple curse.

"Seven at the moment and another two dead," he responded, before levitating some debris, transfiguring it into long spikes and firing them out of the gap in the wall. He heard a scream and grinned to them.

"What about Peter?" Sirius asked, as several curses were fired from his wand towards the Death Eaters.

"Not a clue, they must have tortured his location out of him" James said angrily, determined to avenge his friend.

With Sirius's and Remus's arrival the tide began to turn and another two Death Eaters died in quick succession, before the enemy reinforcements apparated in, four of them, including one Peter Pettigrew.

James's mouth dropped, "Peter..."

Sirius was less reserved. "You traitor! You sold us out to Him!"

"W-what else c-could I have d-done!" he shouted back nervously, "He is so powerful!"

"Died for them! Like we would have for you!" Sirius was incandescent, and he abandon his position to fire curses off relentlessly, taking two down before a green light hit him in the chest, and he crumpled.

"Sirius!" the others screamed, before following his example and standing to take out the Death Eaters quicker. The air thickened as the amount of curses doubled, then tripled. Lily fell, her body covered in cuts of all sizes and losing blood rapidly, but not before three more Death Eaters followed suit. Next was Remus, a conjured silver dagger stuck in his throat, then more Death Eaters, then finally James collapsed. He knew he only had a few minutes left. His wand was still pointing at the last Death Eater, his former friend and current traitor, Peter Pettigrew.

"P-please J-James," he squeaked nervously "Y-you w-wouldn't k-k-kill a f-friend, a b-brother, w-would you?"

"No... no, I wouldn't," he gasped out, as his wand dropped from shaky fingers, and with James Potter followed his friends to the next life.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief before clutching his chest. Or rather, where his chest used to be. His eyes glazed over and his body fell to the floor.

"For Harry, I would," Lily said, lowering her wand and pulling her body out of the pool of her own blood, and towards the fireplace where she could call for help.

Before she got have way however, she bled out.

The lower floor and the outside the cottage had been completely devastated, bodies and Debris everywhere. The upper floors were worse, having completely collapse in on themselves, and only the residual magic kept it from collapsing into the ground floor. James, Lily, Sirius and Remus were dead but it had taken an unlucky thirteen Death Eaters to do so, their bodies now cooling in the night.

With Lily's death the defences protecting the youngest Potter dropped and the curious child crawled to his mother's body. He shook her, gently at first then harder.

"Wak'y mamma," he cried, "com' 'ac'..."

July 24th 1991 – 4 Privet Drive

Harry's eyes fluttered open and he wrinkled his nose. There was a horrible smell floating into his cupboard from the kitchen, he pushed open the door and went to have a look. It came from a tub in the sink with some grey rags floating in some equally grey... water? He was hesitant to use the term with that liquid. He had a bad feeling these were going to be his in a short amount of time.

He turned to the hob and pulled out the frying pan, Dudley would want his bacon after all.

Speaking of which both Uncle Vernon and Dudley were at the table, Uncle Vernon reading the Paper and Dudley waiting to stuff his face. He heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.

"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.

"Make Harry get it."

"Get the mail, Harry."

"Make Dudley get it."

"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."

Harry dodged Dudley's Smelting stick and went to get the mail. A bill, a postcard from Marge and Letter. For him.

"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?"

Harry ignored the terrible joke, as he went back to the kitchen and handed Uncle Vernon his mail, before sitting down and opening his letter. He was just about to start reading when it was ripped out of his hands.

"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.

"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge.

"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped. Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.

"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!" They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.

"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.

"I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "It's mine!"

"Yes..." Uncle Vernon breathed out "It is... Get out."

"Pardon?" Harry replied, confused. What did he mean?

"Get out!" Uncle Vernon roared, "I won't have your freakishness under my roof!"

"What?"

"You're a wizard," Aunt Petunia spat out as Uncle Vernon picked him up by the collar and strode to the front door, "Same as your freak of a mother and father!"

"What!"

"You are no longer welcome here, Boy!" Uncle Vernon growled out, as he opened the front door and Aunt Petunia shoved his letter into his hands, before throwing him onto the path. "And never come back!"

Then they slammed the door.

The Park

Harry was sat on one of the swings rereading the letter. He hadn't believed it the first time.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

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 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

He read through the other pages as well, he needed a lot of stuff, but more importantly,

He was a Wizard. Either that or the Dursleys were playing a prank to make sure he could go back. Somehow he suspected that wasn't the case. They'd always accused him of being a freak, was that his wizardry? His magic?

He had done some strange things for sure; he'd teleported onto the roof and made his hair grow back. As well as vanishing the glass in the zoo, the snake hadn't spoken to him but he had got the impression of a shrug, thinking back that was kind of impressive, and it had hissed and somehow he had understood that it was thankful to him. He didn't think that was impressive though he had always got on well with animals he just... understood them and them him.

He noticed an owl perched in a tree nearby. Unusual yes, but it did say that was how he should reply. He dug a scrap of paper out of his pocket and a stub of pencil, then wrote

I accept,

Thank you

Harry Potter

He held out his arm and the owl landed on him, then held out its leg. He tied the letter to it but it still looked at him patiently. He somehow knew it wanted some else,

"I'm sorry," He said softly, "I don't have any food for you." She, yes she, gave him a baleful hoot before stretching her wings and flying away.

He watched her fly out of site then walked towards the road. 'Bugger,' he thought 'I should have asked how to get their or where to get my supplies.' He continued to walk holding his letter. He stopped at the side off the road and held his letter in his right hand out in front of him again. 'What to do now...'

There was a deafening BANG and suddenly there was bus in front of him. Although, once he had gotten over his shock, he had never seen a purple triple decker bus.

Then the Conductor stepped out and addressed him,

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stuart Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this morning. Where do you wish to go Sir?"

"I-I don't know, I called you my accident" Harry replied, "Wait, can you take me somewhere I can get my school supplies? I don't know anything about the magical world..."

The man frowned at him, "You're a muggle-born? You should have had a member of the school staff explain everything to you."

Harry's cautious side came to the fore, it was probably best if the man didn't know he was homeless. "My parents died when I was young and my Aunt and Uncle aren't magical, but they said my parents were, and what's a Muggle?"

"A Muggle is a non-magical person, and if you were down as having magical parents that would be why none of the staff came to see you... Anyway Diagon Alley is where everyone shops so I'll drop you outside the Cauldron, that's the pub there. You got any money on you?"

"No Sir..." Harry replied despondently, his first contact with the wizarding world and he would lose it because he couldn't pay.

Stuart sighed, the kid had nothing and knew nothing either, well, it couldn't hurt once could it... "Alright lad get on, I'll let you travel for free this time, but only this time understood?"

"Yes Sir, thank you..."

Thirty Minutes later – Outside the Leaky Cauldron

"Thank you again Sir," Harry said as he stepped off the bus, he watched Stuart wave and the bus vanish before turning and walking into the pub. Stuart had told him a couple of things about the wizarding world, so at least he wasn't stumbling around in the dark still.

The pub was a grubby thing and the sight of someone buying a pint of ... something, whiskey possibly, reminded him he had no money, Knuts, Sickles and Galleons were what wizards used with their rather odd exchange rate. He walked over to the bar; perhaps the barman would know something...

"Ain't you a little young to be ordering from the bar lad?"

"I'm not looking for a drink, I'm looking for a job you got any going?" Harry replied, it was a long shot, he doubted a ten year old could serve alcohol.

Tom crinkled his brow in thought, since his youngest grandson had left Hogwarts last year he hadn't been able to help him out during the Summer Holidays and he was feeling a bit stretched, maybe the boy could clean or something.

"Call me Tom lad, you got any skills that could help me lad? Cooking, cleaning anything like that?"

Harry smiled, this could be promising, "I'm Harry and I can do both Tom, but I, er, need a place to stay..."

Tom frowned, 'a place to stay?' he took a step forward and looked Harry up and down, a bit skinny and his clothes were to big... "I won't ask why Harry, I figure it's none of my business, but you can bunk down in the storage room. My grandson used to use the bed in there if he was working late and couldn't get home. I can pay you fifteen Knuts an hour, is that okay?"

"Yeah," Harry smiled, "That would be great."

"Good, now get in the back and start cooking!"

One week later

Harry wiped his eyes, it was nine in the morning and he was looking around Diagon alley again. He had made two galleons in the last week working from ten until half two, then half three until half eight. He spent most of it cooking in the kitchen or cleaning the table and taking the empty glasses out the back where he could wash them. Tom had given him the day off seeing as it was his birthday; he was a good man but a tough boss.

He had spoken a lot about the wizarding world, things he thought a muggle raised boy ought to know, recent history, Wizengamot politics and a bit of local geography. He'd also told him about a junk shop where he'd be able to get his school books on the cheap and another that sold robes. He had checked Gringotts in the week and apparently his father had emptied the vaults in the war against Voldemort, the goblins not knowing where the money had gone. He had looked in Flourish and Blotts earlier in the week and he couldn't afford to buy new, same with his robes.

'Madam Malkins was very expensive.' He thought as he walked pass said shop, ignoring the head of blond hair in the window. 'Well,' he thought 'books and a wand first, robes later.' He manoeuvred around a giant of a man holding a package in his hand and muttering about carts before pushing open the door and going inside.

Later on

Harry had found the books easily enough, as well as a cauldron, even if it was a bit rusty. He was examining a set of scales, one side seemed to always be double the weight of the other (he'd been checking with Knuts), when a wand rolled out from a stained and ripped cloak. It was just over seven inches long and made of a rather light coloured wood.

Unfortunately for Harry he didn't know that the wand chooses the wizard; all he knew was that he didn't have a wand and this was the first intact one he'd seen. He shrugged; it would do, and picked it up.

There were no sparks, no rush of wind, nothing.

But then Harry didn't know anything thing was suppose to happen. He put it on top of the books in the cauldron.

This would have consequences that Harry wouldn't find out for a while yet.

September 1st 1991 – Platform Nine ¾

Harry was looking around the Platform, waiting for some space so he could board the Hogwarts Express. He spotted several people he'd seen in the Cauldron, a large group of red-heads caught his eye, the Weasleys, possibly the only people in Hogwarts poorer than he was.

And next to them, yes, that was the Longbottoms, the Boy-Who-Lived himself.

He'd spoken to him shortly in the Cauldron and he thought he was a bit arrogant, always going on about his 'special tutoring' to the youngest Weasleys and his other friends. They seemed quite taken with him. There were a couple of photographers and reporters around, all trying to get his opinion on how his first year would go.

Harry turned away from them and pulled his trunk onto the train, ignoring the cries about a ... 'Tarantula? Really?' His trunk was old and one of the hinges was broken, he'd spotted it the second time he went to buy his stuff in august, not having enough money to buy everything the first time around. He found an empty compartment and put his stuff away inside it, before sitting down and pulling out one of his schoolbooks. The copy of The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) was a missing cover but he had also gotten Grade 2 on the cheap with it so he started reading.

He noticed a head of blonde hair strut down the corridor, Malfoy was it? He had met him and his father, and could honestly say he didn't like either of them. Both of them had looked down their noses at him while he was cleaning the tables.

He sighed and went back to the description of the levitating charm.

Another Compartment

Parvati sighed, she and her sister had been sitting in their compartment talking, when the door opened and a bushy haired witch asked if she could join them. They'd agreed and now her sister and this girl, Hermione her name was, were chattering away about what spells they had tried and how successful they had been. They were more alike then she and Padma were. She'd just have to treat Hermione how she treated Padma, and how Padma treated her.

Nod, and let the words wash over her.

Later on - Harry's Compartment

He was looking at a section on the Lumos Charm; he'd never need a torch again, when a voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

He closed his book and put it back in his trunk before pulling out his robes and getting changed into them. They were second- or maybe third-hand and were slightly too big, almost dragging on the floor instead of just below the ankle, but they would have to do. Just like everything else.

When the train had finally stopped he pushed his way out and onto the small, dark platform before shivering in the cold.

"Firs' years! First' years over here!" he heard a voice booming over the crowd. He turned and pushed his way through the crowd towards the sound. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

The man looked familiar, but Harry pushed it out of his mind, he needed to concentrate on the path. It was narrow and bordered on both sides by darkness. Impressions of trees loomed out of the darkness and shadows of animals, darker patches in the gloom, flitted among them.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry moved to a boat and found himself sharing with two girls, one blonde the other a redhead. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Hagrid checked the boats then led them up a passage way in the rock before coming out onto a large lawn before moving up to a huge oak door.

"Everyone here? Yes?"

Then Hagrid turned, raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once and Harry's first response to the stern faced witch stood there was that she was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She turned and they all followed her inside. She led them to another huge door before stopping and letting them crowd around her.

"Welcome to Hogwarts."