Chapter Text
Chapter 1
He may have slacked off since getting to Hogwarts but he'd always been pretty good at teaching himself subjects so now it was time to apply himself again. He figured Ron knew what he was doing when he signed up for electives but the crap classes they were taking wouldn't help him much in the long run. One note from his Godfather telling him (and them) that he had to spend at least 4 hours daily at the library working on his independent but required studies got him out of the house and away from their abuse for the better part of each day. He was having to study all the culture books that Muggleborn usually got and all the books the purebloods raised their children on (light, dark, and neutral) as well as the two electives he didn't take at school. Sirius sent him a number of books that he should have read upon entering the Wizarding world from the Muggleborn perspective and those he should have read had he grown up with his parents or other wizarding guardians (like Sirius). Culture shock didn't even begin to describe what he'd gone through when he read them. Customs, Holidays, rituals, high tea, low tea so many different things including wardrobe to learn and bad habits to unlearn. His summer class load was heavier than his regular one but for some reason he was really enjoying the challenge.
He'd always thought Hermione was smart but for someone who could easily memorize books she couldn't seem to see past the covers and implement that which she'd read. You don't go to a foreign land and expect them to recognize your ways you adapt to theirs. she wasn't adapting and spent most of her time trying to force her muggle customs on everyone else. She certainly wouldn't be able to reach her goal of working in the Ministry with her attitude and he knew she'd read the introductory books or she wouldn't have done so well in using the quill or in potions, she just chose to ignore the lessons. Ron, poor Ron, 6th child of 7 he was spoiled and forgiven pretty much everything but still was jealous of everyone else. His folks raised him well he was taught all the pureblood culture lessons if they didn't follow them anymore. (he'd learned from Percy of all people that his parent gave each child the choice to give up the Holiday's and Rituals when they turned 11) As adults, the Weasley's didn't follow the Rituals and Holidays that the rest of the Wizarding world did but it was by their own choice, each of their child decided when they turned 11 if they would or wouldn't. Their parent's didn't take them to the groves but they could go on their own and lazy Ron turned his back on anything that required thought and effort. Hopefully he'd figure out before it was too late that he needed to apply himself to get those accolades he dreamed of.
Now that he realized that neither of his friends were helping him fit in at all but were in fact using him to further their own personal agendas whatever they may encompass it was time to do what he should have done all along instead of just coasting by.
He let his friendship with Ron take precedence over learning about the new world he found himself a part of. His new first friend liked to play (Something that he'd never been allowed to do) instead of doing homework and studying. Following his habits and letting Ron distract him well that had been a mistake, now he was having to make up for the difference himself on his own time. This provided him with a reason to be out of the house and away from the Dursleys so it wasn't a total bust.
After he'd read the books that Sirius had provided on Culture the next lessons has been to teach himself everything he could about the other two electives offered at Hogwarts so that he could switch into them once classes started up again. Sirius was unyielding on this while Care of Magical Creatures was fun it wouldn't help him in the political arena or with defeating Voldemort and if you weren't a born seer taking divination was just stupid you couldn't learn to be a seer you had to be born with the talent. He'd ordered all the recommended books for Runes and Arithmancy but they'd be a week before they arrived so he was here in the Surrey Public Library looking up everything they had; surprisingly they had a good bit of information about Runes themselves (muggle perspective of course) and the general meanings behind each symbol and they had loads about the different mathematics.
His uncle seeing him with several textbooks on the different fors of math had demanded to know what he was up to. Harry being who he was and tired of well everything told him a bit of truth mixed up in a distraction. "Boy what is this nonsense about you needing to be at the library every day?"
Gritting his teeth and biting back the automatic response to being called Boy he answers in utmost politeness, "Uncle, my godfather found out that I wasn't properly introduced the uh... other world. He was rather put out about it too said it bad enough I was raised here not knowing about but to not even get properly introduced is actually a crime there. He created a lesson plan and I have to learn all this stuff, everything from customs and culture to the politics and how the government there runs. Then he found out about the electives I signed up for, that teeked him off even worse. Seems I was skipped for the mandatory career counseling and without that I have no idea of what career to plan for and without a career plan I had no idea of which electives to sign up for. Because of that I followed my friend's advise and choose the same things as him. Let's just say he's all kinds of ambitious but has no intention of doing anything that even remotely looks like work, so I have to go through 2 years worth of lessons for two classes so that i can get into the accelerated classes. That means a lot of studying, note taking, question asking. I have to go to the library because I don't currently have the books I need. He's ordered me copies and sent me those he had on hand but the rest I have to borrow. Luckily some things do have err... normal equivalent that I can find at the library. He said some Libraries even have a section for my people although he's not sure if the Surrey one does or not."
Vernon in surprise, "Your kind have a government?"
Nodding he looks seriously at his Uncle, "Their Government is kind of like the normal one but with a few differences for instance they have a House of Lords they call the Wizengamot that also has a few seats for the common and a few that are awarded for outstanding deeds to the state. My family apparently has a hereditary seat so I have to learn all about the politics and how it runs, who usually votes with who, and who has a mind of their own. I don't even know right now who has my family's vote, that's how badly they've kept information from me. Now the main face of the government is the Minister for Magic right now that Fudge but he's a complete idiot he sends more mail to the headmaster of my school for help in making decisions than parents do about their children. There are a bunch of departments under him with their own heads including their version of Police. He keeps undercutting their funding and wonders why they can't do anything right. I haven't found out about anything that resembles a military but they must have an equivalent. Uncle they don't even teach government in school, maths are an elective, no languages, the closest they've got to science are Potions which is kind of like chemistry and herbology which is close to botany and care of creatures which i guess is sort of zoology. Sirius even mentioned something about me learning French or German and then said maybe both I hope he was just kidding or waits till next summer, or lets me do it as an independent study during term that might work. They don't even have any arts classes or music. I really have to wonder about the quality of the education they offer at this school if it's really suppose to be the best in Britain. That's why I have to study so much and so hard all summer long though."
His mustache twitching as he thought then spoke, "Well boy we tried to tell you that world was messed up but even we didn't realize how bad it was. I really wish we'd succeeded in keeping you normal, then you wouldn't have to deal with those idiotic backwards freaks. You can't keep coming at everything from the back Boy you'll never be in a position to act, will always being playing catch-up. That may be what they want but Pet and I are your guardians of record and I'm not going to allow it. I'm going to put you in for correspondence classes to help catch you up so you can take GSCE's that way you'll get as good an education as we can provide considering your circumstances. You'll be able to get the start to the language you spoke of and good grounding in algebra and geometry possibly even trig if you do well. Government too and the sciences, literature which might be a soft option but in society it doesn't do to not speak well and know about great works it really helps you to not sound stupid when you talk to people who find those things important. You know we don't have to do this but I won't have it come back and us be blamed for you not being properly educated with you being listed as our ward in your world. it'd be just like them to blame us for you lacking well I won't have it! You are related to Petunia so it's on us now. I expect you to get good grades and to ask for help if you have any problems in your real world studies - Petunia and I both got top marks.
Stunned by what his Uncle had said he stammers out in shocked surprise, "Thank you Uncle. I promise I won't let you down, I'll work very hard. I never expected... but I'm very grateful for this opportunity.
Harry pulls the book across the table intent on finishing his sentence. He'd scoured the library for any books he could find on school related subjects even though it was a Muggle library. Arithmancy he knew was advanced mathematics so he'd pulled out all the basic text books he could find from algebra up through trigonometry. The course work his uncle had ordered for him had been approved and the books would soon be in. He was kind of excited about it too a directed study would be easier to follow and being accredited courses he had people he could ask questions of if he ran into trouble. The books Sirius had ordered should be in too around the same time, he was worried about not taking enough of it in to get the classes that Sirius really wanted him in. That created a feeling in his stomach that he really didn't know how to describe but it was very unpleasant. What would Sirius do if he failed?