A/N: The OC family was very loosely based off Noah's family in Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. You should check that book out!

Edit: Just made a few grammar/spelling corrections I overlooked the first time.

Chapter One

He'd only been at Number Four Privet Drive for two weeks. Each day had passed by in a blur for one Harry since his godfather, Sirius, had died in the Ministry. His days had become both long and incredibly short. There were times when he wondered if a day had even passed when in fact two had gone by without his knowledge. Back with the Muggles Harry roamed the streets of Little Whinging. Some days he walked from sunup to sundown, just wondering the streets if he was lucid enough to escape the Dursleys' house when they let him out to use the bathroom each morning. Sometimes he went to the park over on Mongolia Road and just sat on the swings. Usually he was alone, but sometimes other children played in the park, generally ignoring him.

Today, however, was different. Very, very, different.

Because today a family was moving in on the far side of Wisteria Walk.

Harry stopped at the entrance of the alley connecting Wisteria Walk and Mongolia Crescent on his way to the park to stare at the family just at the end of the street. He wondered why anyone would want to live in this cookie cutter neighborhood. There was no personality, no spirit, nothing.

So he had to assume this family was just like the rest of the people in this boring place.

Something stirred inside Harry, something he didn't really have a name for. But it was something that finally woke him up from his two week hiatus from being truly alive. The feeling increased the longer he stood there and watched the family move into the house. The feeling, he realized quickly, was curiosity. The fog around his mind was lifting, dissipating the longer he let his curiosity stir.

Finally he couldn't stand it.

He just had to go see who was moving in, even if it made him similar to the gossipers on Privet Drive.

It was a family of four, he saw once he got within a few houses of the moving truck. There was a man, a woman, a teenage boy, and a younger girl. The boy looked to be about his age, or might be going into seventh year, and the girl looked like she might start Hogwarts this coming term or the next. (Harry found it amusing that he was basing their age based on Hogwarts years.) The two men looked remarkably alike (he assumed if his father was still alive it would be a similar situation) and could almost pass as twins while the two females looked very similar. Once the girl grew up a bit Harry thought the two girls would look like twins as well.

'Speak of the devil and he, or in this case she, shall appear,' Harry thought in amusement as the woman exited the moving truck. She noticed him standing on the sidewalk in front of her new home and she stopped, setting her box down.

"Can I help you?" she called out, moving to greet him properly.

He opened his mouth, yet nothing came out. He wondered how long it has been since he had last really spoken. Harry cleared his throat and wet his lips. "I was just, ahem, taking a walk and I saw you- Do you- Can I-? I mean, I'd like to help."

She smiled gently at him. "Sarah Scott," she said softly, holding out her hand.

Harry shook it, bewildered that he had to introduce himself without someone knowing him already. "Harry Potter. Number Four Privet Drive," he added, nodding his head behind him. He studied the woman before of him. She had deep auburn hair pulled up into a ponytail out of her face and dark brown eyes that sparkled with joy. She was tall for a woman, taller than him (except that wasn't exactly hard to do...), lithe, and rather lean, though not unhealthily so. The woman, Sarah, was dressed in khaki shorts and a pale yellow tank top. All in all... she was rather beautiful, with her healthy tan and a make-up-free face.

"You sure you don't need any help?"

Sarah's smile brightened. "I'm not adverse to it, no. Hey, Leslie!" she called, waving over the man- her husband, Harry presumed. He came over, herding his two children over as well. "This is Harry, from Number Four Privet Drive," she told them with a grin. "He says he's here to help."

Up close Harry noticed that the two men and the two girls weren't all that similar. The girl had her father's hazel eyes and the boy had his father's dark brown hair and eyes just as dark as his mother's. The husband, Leslie, was broader than his son, and his wife was almost as tall as her husband. Leslie had longer hair than his son- the boy had a close-cut hairstyle with slightly longer hair on top. The girl had just slightly shorter hair than her mother and all four had a healthy tan compared to Harry's own pasty white skin. The girl was also almost as tall as Harry, even though he was at least five years older than her.

"Leslie Scott," the husband said with an easy smile, sticking his hand out to Harry. Harry couldn't help but glance at his left forearm for the Dark Mark. The man was clean, as was the woman. "You've met Sarah and these are my children, Daniel and Karen."

Harry's lips twitched up in a semblance of a smile for only a moment. "Nice to meet you," he rasped, his voice overworked already. He cleared his throat again. "Sorry. I-" He wet his lips. "Can I help? Please?"

Sarah cast him a concerned glance. "Are you alright? Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied, swallowing even though his mouth was dry. He glanced around nervously, waiting for a Death Eater to pop out. What was he doing out in the first place? Wasn't he safest at his relatives' house? He fingered the wand in his pocket. "Maybe... Sorry, I don't wish to be a bother-"

Sarah only smiled. "Don't worry, Harry. You're no bother at all." She hurried inside to get him a water bottle. Her husband returned to the truck to grab another box.

Daniel stepped up next. He frowned at Harry's attire. "Aren't you hot in that?"

Harry looked down at his oversized clothing, courtesy of Dudley Dursley. He wore threadbare jeans held up by a belt on the notch that would make the belt as small as it could possibly be and a shirt large enough to fall to his knees though not nearly as threadbare as his jeans. His wand was in his pocket and his shirt covered the handle. He shook his head. "Not really. The jeans are pretty thin..."

"Oh." Daniel glanced away, not knowing what to say. "So... Where's Privet Drive?"

"Just walk down the street," Harry replied, pointing behind him. "Turn right, and you'll find my relatives' place."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at his words. "Your relatives' place? It's not yours?"

Harry shrugged and moved to pick up a box. "I'm only here for the summers. I go to a boarding school up in Scotland." Why, why, why was he telling a stranger this? There was no point; he wouldn't be seeing these people after today. "It doesn't matter, really. Where do your parents want this box, you suppose?"

"We've just been setting boxes in the living room," Karen chirped, bouncing up next to Harry. She was grinning at him, and it was hard for Harry not to smile back. A smile finally broke free and the girl's grin widened. "There we go! I was beginning to worry you didn't know how to smile!" She grabbed a smaller box and bounded into the house.

Harry was startled at her words. "What...?"

Daniel clapped his shoulder; Harry's knees nearly buckled at the sudden action. "Don't mind her," he said, picking up the box his mother had abandoned. "She's always like that."

The two boys followed the girl into the house. They set the boxes on top of others already against the wall. Sarah came in, then, with the promised bottle of water. "Sorry, dear," she said, offering a smile as she handed him the water bottle. "The cooler managed to get buried underneath the dishes. What time do your parents want you home?"

Harry froze, the water bottle pressed against his lips. He took a few sips as he thought of an appropriate answer. "My parents are dead," he said slowly, calmly, as if commenting on the weather. "I... It doesn't matter when I go back to... their house, the Dursleys'. As long as I go inside before they lock the doors." He kept his eyes down and away as he took another sip of his water, hoping they wouldn't catch the semi-lie.

The four Scotts glanced at each other, each with varying degrees of confusion. However, Leslie shook his head, telling them to drop the subject. He would try to talk to Harry about it he was right... No, he wouldn't assume anything until he talked with the boy. Leslie didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah said, moving to hug him.

Harry moved away with practiced ease. "It's fine. They've been dead since I was a baby. I never knew them." He capped the water bottle and crossed his arms. He didn't miss the look Leslie sent him, but Harry wasn't quite sure what it meant.

"Come on, Harry," Daniel said, noticing his unease. "Those boxes aren't going to bring themselves in, you know!"

Harry was thankful that Daniel had interrupted. He always felt uneasy talking about his parents in situations like this. The two headed back outside once Harry had set his drink down. There weren't many boxes left; mostly all that was left was the furniture at the back of the truck. Harry knew, however, that he would not be able to help with the heavier furniture; he was basically skin and bones and Quidditch wasn't really a sport that would build a lot of arm muscle if you happened to be a Seeker. He told Daniel this (obviously leaving out the part about Quidditch; he subbed that part in with a comment about his boarding school not really having any sports) who just laughed and said:

"Yeah, I figured." Daniel grinned at him, ruffling his hair. "That's fine. You can always help my mom unpack, if you want."

He brightened at that, grinning. It was strange to smile again. It almost felt wrong, but... He felt better than he had since that day in the Department of Mysteries. It felt good to have someone want his help.

Even if it was something simple like helping a family move in.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I think I'll do that." Harry grabbed one of the remaining boxes and headed back to the living room. The two women were rummaging through boxes in the kitchen as they passed. Harry doubled back as the two other men returned outside for the furniture. "What do you need help with in here?" he asked, startling the two girls.

"Harry!" Sarah turned around, a hand pressed to her quickly beating heart. "You frightened me!"

Harry gave her a sheepish smile- it was easier to smile, now (even after only a few minutes with this family), and it seemed almost wrong not to in front of these people. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Karen bounced up to Harry. He wondered if she even knew how to walk because he had only seen her bounce around so far. She grabbed his sleeve. "Come, Harry!" the girl ordered mock-imperiously. She dragged him further into the kitchen to stand next to her mother. "We're starting with the kitchen while the boys bring in the heavy stuff."

It was nearly an hour until the furniture was placed within the house. Most of the furniture was placed in the appropriate rooms, but the pieces were not placed in their definite spots; the Scotts would do that later once the kitchen and at least one bathroom was done. Harry was definitely shy at the beginning, but after spending an hour with the two bubbly, easygoing women he was more at ease. He didn't return jokes, but he was less tense than when he had first met the family. When the kitchen was done the family moved to the living room to sort the boxes. It was decided that Harry would help the two Scott children move their possessions upstairs to their rooms.

Again, Karen didn't just walk to places- she just bounced around like an energetic puppy. She moved around the two teenagers in a fluid dance, moving just quickly enough not to trip them but moving just so to where the two boys were tripping over themselves. Although she was careful enough so they never dropped the boxes.

The two boys helped Karen with her room first. They arranged the bed, desk, wardrobe, and vanity in her room by her direction- Daniel on one side and Harry and Karen working together on the other. Once her room was arranged the way she wanted they moved to Daniel's room to arrange the furniture in there. The Scott parents came in as they were just putting the dresser next to the wardrobe. They requested help downstairs with the dining room so they could sit somewhere for dinner, which Sarah was going to make soon.

Harry was surprised that it was almost dinnertime already. How long had they been working? It didn't seem like they had been working long enough for it to be time for dinner. But... How long had he been walking before he had seen the Scotts moving in? He glanced at the clock and saw that it really was after six.

"Oh," Harry breathed, heading for the door. The dining room was mostly set and ready. "I guess I'll go, then. Will you need help tomorrow?"

Sarah shot her husband a confused glance before turning back to Harry. "You aren't staying for dinner?"

Harry was just as confused. "Oh, I don't want to impose..."

By now he had realized two things: One, these people were not the average cookie-cutter-house type people, and two, this family was compassionate and willing to help others, even strangers. Since he was not exactly a stranger but not exactly a friend-

"Oh, don't be obtuse," said Karen with a motherly frown. "You are much too thin. Are you anorexic? Is that why you don't want to eat with us?"

This shocked Harry. Trust Karen to be blunt with her ten-year-old antics. "I- No! Wait, what's anorexic?"

"You don't eat, or you don't eat much, on purpose because you believe yourself to be overweight," Leslie replied, shooting his wife another glance.

"I don't do it on purpose," Harry muttered when he realized they were waiting for an answer. He couldn't meet their gazes. "I just... forget, sometimes." Yes, just like his aunt and uncle 'forgot' to feed him, sometimes. "I... Alright, if you don't mind, then... I'll stay."

"Do you need to call-"

"No, they won't mind," Harry interrupted quickly. "Would you like help making dinner?"

The tense atmosphere dissipated at that as the family split up, the girls and Harry to the kitchen and the Scott men back to the living room to sort the rest of the boxes until dinner was ready. It was a simple dinner, just sandwiches, and the three were done quickly. At the table Harry tried his hardest not to eat like Ron, but he was just so hungry. He wondered when the last time he had eaten a real meal. Not since Sirius died, perhaps?

The thought left him empty, and he pushed his plate away, appetite gone. He had only managed to eat one of his sandwiches.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Daniel asked, laying a hand on his arm.

Startled, Harry pulled away. "Yeah, I'm fine," he managed to choke out. "I just..." He had been having a good time with this family. He had had fun when he had forgotten about his godfather; this was the first time he had even thought about Sirius since he had seen the family. What was wrong with him, forgetting about the man who could have taken him away? "I lost my appetite, that's all."

The rest of the Scott family stopped eating to give him concerned looks. Sarah even reached forward and placed her hand on his forehead, then his cheek and neck. "You don't have a fever..."

"I, er..." Harry leaned away from her touch, blushing furiously. It was quite strange, to be cared about like this. Usually Hermione fretted over him, sure, but not like this. Not so... tenderly. Harry knew he couldn't get too attached, in case Voldemort or his Death Eaters found out and used the Scott family against him. That thought alone nearly made him jump from his seat. "It was just a thought, that's all."

"About what?" Of course: Ever the blunt Karen.

Harry gave her a crooked smile. "It's fine, really. I should get going, anyway... Thanks for the meal."

Daniel stopped him with a hand. "Tell us what's really wrong. You shouldn't keep it bottled up."

And Harry found himself sitting back down and confessing everything. His friends hadn't written to him, yet, and he really just wanted someone to know what was on his mind. Of course he left out all the magical parts, but Harry told them about his falsely-convicted godfather, and how the man had come after him because Harry had done something stupid, and how he died, and how it was all his fault, and how utterly alone he felt, and he hardly knew his godfather but it didn't matter because it was the only true family he had left and now he was gone and-

"Shh," whispered Daniel, pulling Harry into an embrace- for it was not just a hug. Harry could feel Daniel trying to pour his own strength into him. "There, there. Let it all out."

It was then that Harry realized he was sobbing. Actually sobbing like a child. But it felt amazing, especially with strong, supportive arms wrapped around him so kindheartedly. Harry felt lighter than he had in weeks. It had been years since he had cried so hard like this, and even longer since someone had held him close like Daniel was doing now.

Harry finally pulled away, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. Daniel pushed his hand away to brush his tears away with his thumb. Leslie handed him a napkin to wipe away his snot. Harry let out a chuckle and said, "Sorry, I don't usually get so emotional like this."

Daniel wiped the last of his tears away. "Don't worry, Harry," he told him gently. "Everyone needs a good cry every once in a while. Was that the first time you cried for your godfather?"

"Yeah, I..." Harry looked away, embarrassed. "I'm not supposed to cry... I'm supposed to be strong."

"Bottling your emotions only makes you weaker," said Sarah with a gentle smile.

Oh, how that smile made Harry want to tell them everything, to spill the Every Flavor Beans about magic, and Hogwarts, and the madman who so wanted to kill him. But Harry knew he couldn't, because muggles weren't allowed to know about magic because they would be greedy and want magic to solve all their problems. Yet all muggles weren't like that- just look at the Dursleys. It would have been simpler to explain everything, though, if this family knew about magic.

The sound of a ceramic plate moving across wood pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at Daniel who smiled right back at him. "Eat at least half of your sandwich so I won't worry."

Harry glanced down at the remaining sandwich. He was feeling a little hungrier after his cry...

So, he finished the whole sandwich with the Scott family watching him in their peripheral vision. Each held a smile, and Harry felt rather proud of himself.

"So what's your school like?" Daniel asked once they were done eating. The five were just lazing around the table after a long day of working, sipping at their drinks. Harry thought it was rather fun and quite relaxing.

Harry smiled dryly at the question. What could he say about it? "It's... interesting, I guess. It's very remote and the only way to get there is by train that only runs between there and London only a few times of the year. I'll be leaving September first. It's a, uh, castle."

"Really?" said Karen in awe. "How big is it?"

"It's a huge castle," Harry replied, "but not a whole lot of people attend... Maybe forty or fifty students per year, and there are seven years." He shrugged. "Not a whole lot to tell, to tell you the truth." There was no way he was about to tell these people just how dangerous his school actually is... He would definitely not tell them about the basilisk that hung out beneath the castle for hundreds of years before he defeated it when he was twelve.

"Have you ever gotten lost?" Karen asked, eyes wide.

Harry nodded, grinning. "Loads of times. One time my friend and I were late, so our teacher threatened to turn one of us into a pocket watch so the other could at least be on time," he said with a laugh. "And when we told her we had gotten lost she said she'd turn one of us into a map instead. I do have a map of a school now, though. It's student made with all the secret passageways. I don't think even the headmaster knows the castle as well as I do."

They talked for a while longer, trading information back and forth equally, although Harry kept the magic out of his tales which was a hard thing to do, considering everything he did was magic. Harry learned that Leslie had bought the bookstore on the edge of the business district of Little Whinging and his wife would work there as would his son when, or if, the shop got busy. Karen was treated like a princess, but she was not spoiled like Dudley. From just watching the family he knew they were very protective of each other.

It turned out that Daniel hadn't left any friends behind, which Harry thought was strange. The boy was very sweet and quite handsome, if Harry could say so. It was an odd thought, that, but Harry didn't pay it any mind as they asked him if he had any friends in the area or a girlfriend from school.

Harry shook his head. "I'm the only one in the town to go to my school, and it's hard to make friends with Dudley around." He hurried on before they could ask what he meant. "No girlfriend, though. I mean, I dated a girl last year, but it was kind of messy. She only dated me because... because she wanted to ask me about her boyfriend's death." He studied his glass of water intently, watching the beads of sweat run down the clear glass. "Her boyfriend was killed right in front of me, so she just wanted me because I was with him in his final moment." He shook his head with a laugh. "It was horrible. She's my only experience with girls so far, and if they're all like that..." He laughed again. "No thanks."

He missed the look Sarah shot at Daniel. "Was it really that bad?"

Harry shrugged. "She was crying when we first kissed, so... yeah." He blushed, not meeting their eyes. "And I don't really know many people here. Only my relatives and Mrs. Figg. She lives just down the street, you know. Oh, word of advice: Stay as far as you can from Dudley and his gang. You shouldn't go outside alone, Karen. He likes to pick on smaller children, no matter if you're a boy or girl."

"Why don't his parents do anything about it?" asked Leslie with a frown.

Again, Harry shrugged. "Most kids are too frightened to go to their parents and Duddykins is just the perfect little boy," Harry replied, the last part in a sickly-sweet imitation of his aunt. "My uncle only encourages him."

"Wait, he's your-"

Harry nodded, lifting one shoulder in a drawn-out half-shrug. "He's my cousin. I just wanted to make sure you'd be safe, Karen. You're too cute to get bullied by him," he teased, grinning at the morose girl.

Suddenly the girl jumped up and ran around the table to hug him tightly, landing in his lap in the process. "You poor, poor thing!" she cooed, smoothing back his wild black hair. Harry adjusted her so she didn't accidentally break his wand. "You should come live with us! You can sleep in my room, if you want. Can we keep him daddy? Please?" She had a puppy-dog pout in full effect, aimed directly at her father.

Harry was, to put it simply, stunned. Someone... actually wanted him?

"Let the boy breathe, Karen," Leslie said with an eye roll. "And we can't just keep him; he's not a pet."

Karen's pout deepened. "Yes, he is! Look!" She pulled at his hair until it looked like he had two cat ears. "See? Ears!"

Daniel patted his sister's hands away from Harry's head. "Maybe if you ask him nicely he'll come and play with you tomorrow."

Karen turned her wide-eyed gaze back to Harry. "Oh, Harry," she breathed out in awe. "Would you?"

Harry couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. "Of course I'll come back," he said, giving her a somewhat awkward hug. He'd never really given a hug before. But, the little girl didn't mind and just hugged him enthusiastically right back.

"Brilliant," she whispered in his ear.

That night, Harry fell asleep with a smile.