Harry Potter was a slave.

He didn't know this, of course. For ten years, he grew up in a house with so-called family that treated him like dirt. They had him doing all the chores around the house from the time he could walk. The parent figures, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, also verbally abused him on a daily basis. He was also verbally and physically abused by his cousin Dudley constantly. They had the poor boy trained to be subservient and he did everything they said, just for the chance that they wouldn't berate him.

When he had started school, he still had no idea that he was a slave. He even lived in the cupboard under the stairs. It took him years to gather enough learning to understand what was being done to him. Unfortunately, after all the lies his guardians and Dudley had made him tell over the years to explain his injuries, no one believed him when he was old enough to realize what was going on and tried to complain about it.

Harry hated the Dursleys with every fibre of his being. With no other recourse than to take their abuse until he was old enough to run away, he waited patiently for the day to come. He knew he had to wait, because he was thin, underfed and malnourished, and weak from the daily beatings. He snuck into the kitchen when he could and stole food, just to keep his strength up. He lived from day to day, waiting, planning, and hoping... then one day in the middle of summer...

...a letter arrived.

*

What's this? Harry asked himself as he picked up the mail from the floor in front of the door. There was a large yellowish envelope with his name on it. Without missing a beat, he quickly tucked the letter into the waistband of his pants and pulled the extra-large t-shirt he wore down over it. He never thought he would be thankful for getting to wear Dudley's hand-me-down clothes.

“Get in here and get breakfast ready!” Petunia shrieked and Harry walked down the hallway.

“Give me the mail, boy!” Vernon spat as Harry entered the kitchen.

Harry quickly gave the other letters to him and went to the stove. He acted as if nothing was wrong and went about his normal tasks. He served the food and only gave himself a half-portion without even trying to sneak any, and neither Petunia nor Vernon could complain that he had taken too much. Vernon grunted acceptance and Petunia huffed haughtily, then they both started eating.

Harry took the cue and quickly ate as fast as he could, just so Dudley couldn't take it from him, then Harry stepped away from the table to wait in the corner. When the others were done eating, he cleared the table and washed the dishes, then he did a once-over cleaning of the stove and the counters. With that done, he went back to the corner to wait.

Petunia looked over at the kitchen and didn't see anything wrong; but, she couldn't help herself and pestered him. “I think I see a spot on the stove's handle.”

“I'll clean it right away!” Harry said and went over and cleaned it again.

“That's good enough.” Petunia said, satisfied. “You can go back to your cupboard now.”

“Yes, Aunt Petunia.” Harry said in the defeated tone that she liked to hear from him, and he strode out of the kitchen and went back to the hallway. He went into the cupboard under the stairs and closed the door. He didn't do anything, though. He knew what was coming and stayed quiet, then heard heavy footsteps come down the hallway.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A large meaty fist pounded on his door.

“Don't you be getting any funny ideas, do you hear?” Vernon said and hooked the latch to lock Harry inside the cupboard. “Petunia was nice enough to let you off without cleaning the living room first.”

“Yes, Uncle Vernon.” Harry responded.

After a few moments, Vernon grunted and tromped away. Harry waited ten minutes and listened intently for Dudley to pass by. He didn't have to bother listening so hard, because Dudley tromped down the hallway almost as loudly as his father and then the front door slammed. He waited another ten minutes, just in case, then he very carefully lifted his t-shirt and pulled out the letter.

Harry stared at the name and address on the front, because whoever sent the letter knew that he lived in the cupboard under the stairs. What else do they know about me? He asked himself and flipped the letter over to see that it was sealed with wax. He frowned and knew that the thick envelope would make noise if he tried to tear it open and if he tried to snap the wax.

Not one to be deterred by problems, Harry used his blankets as a buffer and wrapped the letter up in them, then he sat on it. He barely heard the crack of the wax and smiled, then he unwrapped the blanket to see the seal was shattered into several pieces and the envelope was open. He emptied it out and found several sheets of paper inside and glanced at them. One page was a list of really weird things, two other pages were the rules and requirements for clothing and conduct, and the last page was an actual letter.

Harry tossed the other pages aside and read the letter. Dear Mr. Potter, you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He read it over and over in his head several times, and it didn't make sense. What the heck is this? He asked himself and glanced at the other sheets. Is this for real?

Harry read the rest of the letter and his questions only grew. He moved on to the rules and regulations pages and read them several times, then he read the list. His mind had a hard time grasping that he needed to buy a pewter cauldron, size two.

What the heck is a cauldron? Harry asked himself, then his eyes caught something. A wand? A WAND? He rubbed his fingers over the list and glanced at the school's name. Does that mean it's a magic wand?

All of the plans he had been building went right out the window. If this thing was real... and he had no reason to think that it was... and yet, he desperately wanted it to be real.

Please send word by July 31 if you wish to attend. Harry read and frowned. What? How? He read everything over again, then again, and nowhere did it say how he was supposed to send them word.

“BOY!” Vernon yelled and Harry almost jumped out of his skin. “Get out here and get the fire going!” He said and unlocked the cupboard.

“Yes, Uncle Vernon.” Harry said, fear of being caught in his voice. He quickly folded the letter back up and tucked it back into the envelope, then hid it in his waistband and under his t-shirt. He left the cupboard and went to the living room and didn't ask Vernon why he hadn't left for work yet. He busied himself at the fireplace and set it properly, then with a heavy heart he took out the envelope and slid it in between the logs.

With no way to contact whoever he needed to contact, Harry couldn't keep it or leave it lying around anywhere. Either Dudley or Petunia would find it eventually, as they always found the things he tried to hide, so he lit it on fire. It burned up like it was year old kindling and the fireplace was almost immediately filled with a warm fire and it removed the chill of the room.

Vernon grunted and thought about praising the boy for getting the fire going so quickly, then changed his mind. He didn't want the boy to get his head filled up with nonsense, so he only slightly nodded as Harry left the living room.