"Ugh, why are we here again Lissa?" a blonde woman was complaining to her companion.
"Because Mari, we never hang out anymore and you told me that you had the afternoon off from your job so I thought that we would spend that time catching up." an excitable young woman responded much to the other's chagrin.
Maribelle shook her head and smiled. "As much as I don't care for walking for such a prolonged period of time, I must admit, this neighbourhood has a rather charming vibe to it." Lissa grimaced.
"Really? I think it's boring."
"It has character!" Maribelle retorted.
"It's the same type of character then." Lissa stated "By the way you never stated what your job was, I assumed that it must be important if it keeps you this busy." Lissa said much to Maribelle's panic.
"Yes..It is very...VERY taxing..." She said through gritted teeth. "There has been many a day that I wish I could just QUIT..."
"Why don't you then? I mean if you hate it that much then why apply for it in the first place?" Lissa asks.
Maribelle sighed. "It's...very complicated, dear..." She replied softly.
"Mari, you can tell me anything. We're best friends aren't we?" Lissa said smiling gently.
Maribelle took a deep breath. "Well...I suppose...All right...I'll tell you..." As they were walking past #4 they heard yelling and something being thrown against a wall. The two look at each other and heat towards the house. "Whatever in the world could it be?" Maribelle asked.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good." Lissa answered.
"Indeed..." Maribelle nodded. Then they heard it...
"HOW DARE YOU DROP MY DINNER, YOU FREAK?! YOU RUINED MY MEAL AND DESTROYED ONE OF OUR BEST PLATES! IF YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK GLASS ON OUR FLOOR, LET'S JUST SEE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT BROKEN GLASS!"
"No...Please Uncle Vernon...I'm sorry, don't hit me with-"
There was the sound of an agonized scream combined with the shattering of glass. They gasp and Lissa takes the initiative and kicks the door open with all her strength and the two rush in.
"I didn't know you had that kind of strength..." Maribelle muttered.
"Not the time!" Lissa said urgently. Lissa grabs Maribelle's hand and pulls her along towards what they assume is the kitchen.
Inside, they saw a terrible sight.
A massively obese man, easily bigger than even Lissa's big brother, Chrom.
A tiny child, curled up in a ball, all kinds of horrible wounds all over his fragile little body.
It was like David vs Goliath...and Goliath was destroying David.
The obese man was slightly staggering with a blush on his face meaning that he was drunk enough to lose coordination in his hand was a broken bottle with the jagged edges pointed at the child and he was waving it in a threatening manner. A closer look made it clear that the shards of glass embedded in the boy's skin were clear evidence that this man had broken the bottle against the child. "Have another, FREAK!" The man prepared to bring the shattered bottle down onto the little boy...
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Maribelle shouted turning the obese man's attention to the two intruders, in his inebriated state he sees that Lissa had yet to let go of Maribelle's hand.
"The bloody hell's this, then?!" He exclaimed. "I don't need to take orders from a couple of filthy lesbians!"
Maribelle and Lissa blushed at the insulation at being lovers "Wh-what are you talking about? That's besides the point! What the hell to you think you're doing to that child?" Lissa said.
"I'm just...giving him what he deserves. He's a bloody freak, and this is his punishment for his freakiness." Maribelle looked down at the child, and her eyes widened in recognition.
"Why in Merlin's name is Harry Potter here of all places?!" Maribelle asks in shock momentarily forgetting about the Statue of Secrecy.
Lissa turned to give Maribelle a weird look. "Huh? What are you talking about?" She asked.
Vernon recognizes the usage of the word 'Merlin' from Petunia's description of those that live in the wizarding world "YOU'RE A FREAK LIKE HIM ARE'NT YOU?" he roars and lumbers towards the two in a drunken rage. When he was within distance, however, Lissa raised her foot just in time to nail him with a strong kick right where the sun don't shine.
Surprisingly Vernon did not fall, weather it was sheer willpower or drunken stupidity was unknown but it gave Maribelle enough time to pull her wand out and shout "Stupefy" and a red jet of light shoots out and stuck Vernon knocking him out. Lissa's eyes bulged out in shock. "What the...What was that?!" She exclaimed. Maribelle ignored Lissa for the moment and rushed over to Harry and started to look at his injuries.
"Disgusting..." She mumbled. "The boy who lived...Living in such horrid condition..."
"Okay Maribelle what the hell is going on here?" Lissa all but shouted.
Maribelle turned to Lissa with a frown. "...I...I will explain later, Lissa...The child needs help..."
"Alright." Lissa said and the two started to work on Harry's more severe injuries. Lissa stared in awe as Maribelle pulled out a strange stick and began glossing over the child's body. "What is that, Mari?" She asked.
Maribelle sighs "This is my wand, Holly, ten inches and with unicorn hair. Magic is real Lissa, I'm sorry I had to keep it secret from you but that's not important right now. What matters for the moment is that this child survives, I promise I'll tell you all about it later." she said focusing on the task at hand. Lissa's jaw practically hit the floor as a light came from the end of the wand, and the unconscious child's limbs gently moved back into drops her wand exhausted "There, I've reset his bones but the more serious injuries has to be taken care of in a hospital." she said placing the wand back into her purse.
"...Amazing..." Lissa said softly. Lissa heads to the kitchen phone and calls for an ambulance while Maribelle watches over Harry. The young woman placed a hand on the boy's shoulder sadly.
"You'll be okay Harry." Maribelle said quietly.
Harry started to fidget and talk in his sleep "N-no more uncle Vernon, I'll be a good freak." he slurred much to Maribelle's shock.
"Oh my goodness..." She whispered. "Why on Earth is he even in such a horrid place?"
"Is he okay?" Lissa asks getting off the phone with emergency services.
"No, Lissa...He's severely wounded...Both physically and mentally..." Maribelle replied.
Lissa winced "Poor kid, the dispatcher said they'll be here in ten minuets, and that we should go with them to tell the paramedics the situation." she said gently brushing his hair with her hand inadvertently revealing the cursed scar on his forehead. "Wow...It looks like a lightning bolt...What are the odds of that happening?" She said.
"That isn't a normal scar Lissa, that is a reminder of our darkest time and also the lightest." Maribelle said thinking back to the war.
"...You do realize now you have to tell me absolutely everything you can about this whole magic thing, right?"
"I'm well aware of that Lissa." Maribelle said as the ambulance and the police show up.
Lissa picked Harry up to carry him to the ambulance. She looked at his face and smiled. "Awwww..." She cooed softly. "He's really cute..."
'It's hard to believe that the savior of the wizarding world was being abused by his own uncle. Something's not right here, I think I'll have to talk to Bones about investigating Dumbledore.' Maribelle thought as she climbs into the ambulance, looking out the window she sees the police hauling Harry's uncle and literally stuffing him into the back of the patrol car making it dip. Maribelle smirked slightly despite herself, amused by Vernon's sheer girth. She then turned her thoughts to Harry, when she saw him for the first time he looked so...broken, so fragile and so afraid 'What the hell happened in that home?'Maribelle thought to herself 'Whoever put him here has a reserved seat in hell for child abusers.' she thought darkly as the ambulance pulls into the hospital. Maribelle nudged Lissa. "...It would likely be best to call your family and let them know where we are." She said calmly.
"Yeah, maybe I should." Lissa said distantly focusing her attention to Harry.
"You're quite concerned for him as well, aren't you?" Maribelle said.
"To be honest, I was scared when that monster was heading towards us. I thought a strong hit to the nads would bring him down but he kept coming." Lissa said.
Maribelle smirked. "Well, if he had gotten to us, you could at least rest assured that Chrom would have hospitalized him and Emmeryn would financially ruin him..."
Lissa laughed at the image "True, and I can actually imagine Chrom threatening him with the family sword sweating like the fat pig he is." Lissa said making the two laugh at the thought.
"Well, regardless, he is still getting what he deserves." Maribelle said softly. "...What will we do with the child, though...? We've gotten him out of there...But he's essentially an orphan now."
"Emmeryn could file for custody of him until we sort this out." Lissa suggested.
Maribelle smiled. "Yes, your sister would readily do that, wouldn't she? She's always been kind and generous to a fault, and she's unlikely to turn a blind eye to a child in need."
"I don't think anyone would Mari." Lissa said.
"No, there are cruel people out there...That man we just defeated is a great example..."
"I know..."Lissa said sadly.
"...But, I will say, I do feel the good outweighs the bad. ...For the most part, anyway..." Lissa smiled at Maribelle's words as the ambulance pulls into the hospital.
"He really is adorable..." Lissa said softly as she looked at Harry.
"Let's get him inside so the doctors can do their job." Maribelle said letting the paramedics escort the two inside.
"Why'd he do it...?" Lissa asked softly. "Why'd he hurt such a cute boy...? It...It doesn't make...any sense...It's...It's..." Lissa buried her face into her hands to hide her tears.
"We humans fear what we do not understand, and that fear changes into hate." Maribelle said. She wrapped her arms around her friend as a form of comfort. "Everything will be alright Lissa, I promise." Maribelle said.
Lissa took a deep breath to compose herself, then glared forward. "...If Emmery doesn't adopt him...I will." She said firmly.
"Lissa dear, are you sure? You only recently reached eighteen years of age..."
"It doesn't matter if I just turned eighteen or eighty! I want to take care of Harry and give him the love that he should've had." Lissa said.
Maribelle smiled and giggled. "Just like you, Lissa...You always had a heart of pure gold..."
"Thanks, I'm going to look for a payphone and try to get a hold of sis or Chrom. Let me know if anything changes okay?" she said heading off to find said payphone. Maribelle looked after her friend's retreating figure and sighed as she sat down in a nearby chair. She sighs and merely let her thoughts drift towards what had happened earlier and realized that she was in the presence of the Boy-Who-Lived the savior of the wizarding world. She suppose she could bask in the glory for a brief moment before focusing on his welfare. She smiled at the thought of Lissa caring for the child. She was a sweet, caring person. She'd be the ideal mother for someone like Harry. She would raise him into a fine young man. She'd teach him to be polite to others, well-mannered...And she would be perfect for helping him get over his emotional stress. But maybe that isn't enough, maybe she should help in the more magical aspects of raising a child. Sure, she wouldn't be a very good mother at all...But she would try to help out the best she could.
Maribelle smiled at the idea of helping raise Harry become a good person like his parents would've wanted. She frowned. His parents...What would they say if they could see what had happened to their child? Would they be happy that Harry was now in a loving home and being cared for by people that would love him unconditionally? She doubts that she would ever get the answers but for now taking care of Harry is all that matters. She looked over at the room Harry was being treated in. And for the first time in a very long time she began to pray for Harry's safety.
'Please...Let him recover from this. Both physically...and emotionally...'
The door to the examination room opened and a doctor stepped out. Maribelle looked into his face, hoping for the best.
"It seems that you were fortunate to get to Harry in time, he's asleep right now but he can have visitors as long as you're not too loud." the doctor said.
Maribelle sighed with relief. "Thank goodness." She said softly. Lissa came back in, smiling ear to ear.
"Chrom and Emmeryn are on their way right now." She said.
"That's good, the doctor just informed me that Harry will be just fine and is sleeping." Maribelle informed her.
Lissa sighed in relief and took a seat. "Good..." She said softly. "When can we go in and see him?"
"We can visit him right now as long as we're quiet." Maribelle said.
Lissa hopped to her feet. "Well then what are we sitting around for? Let's go!" She said in a hushed voice. Maribelle giggled and the two entered the room.
They looked inside to see the sleeping child wrapped up in bandages. Concern filled the two as they enter the room, the sounds of the machines filling the silence.
"...We have to get him a good home." Lissa said.
"And he will be in one if your sister has anything to say about it." Maribelle said. Lissa and Maribelle wordlessly took a seat by Harry's bedside.
"You recognized Harry's name, how did you know it? Was it some type of magical spell?" Lissa asks her best friend.
Maribelle shook her head. "No, dear...This child is famous throughout the wizarding world..."
"How?" Lissa asks.
Maribelle sighs "A few years ago the wizarding world was in a state of a civil war, it actually began much earlier but suffice it to say no one was safe. A group of dark wizards calling themselves 'Death Eaters' has had all of the magical Europe in a stranglehold of sorts. Sure there was resistance groups but they did little more than hit and run tactics, even the magical government was under their control." Maribelle started.
Lissa's eyes widened. "That's awful!" She exclaimed. "Why did you wait so long to tell me this?!"
"We have what's called a Statue of Secrecy, basically it prevents wizards and witches from exposure to non-magicals, and likewise it prevents non magic users from finding us." Maribelle explains.
"No...I meant...Why didn't you tell me about all of this? We're best friends...We tell each other everything...This is a really big secret you've been keeping from me..."
"It's not by choice Lissa, I mentioned that people fear what they do not understand. As such if a magic user starts slinging spells around in the middle of say Times Square you can bet that there will be repercussions for both sides." Maribelle said.
"Still...Do you not trust me to keep your secrets? You know you can tell me anything, Mari."
"I was afraid..."Maribelle said hesitantly "Actually, you're not the first person I told this secret to, when I was fifteen and on break from Hogwarts I met this guy and we started dating. It was going so well and I felt comfortable enough to tell him, so I introduced him to my parents and I revealed my secret that I used magic, I thought that he would find it amazing or was in shock but I didn't expect outright fear and calling me a pawn for Satan. So my parents wiped his memory of the event and placed false ones saying that he realized that it would never work out and we broke up." she said with tears in her eyes.
Lissa looked at her sadly and hugged her. "Mari...I'm so sorry...I had no idea..." She said softly.
"The Statue applies to all magic users, even me. There are magic users that are born from those that have no magical ancestor, the're called Muggle-Borns, there are magic users that eventually marry a non mage and they eventually have a child, they're called Half-Bloods and finally there are those whose parentage are magic users that can be traced back for generations and they're called Purebloods. When we turn eleven we go to attend a magic school for seven years called Hogwarts, other parts of the world have similar schools but nonetheless we eventually graduate from the school." Maribelle continues. One particular Dark Wizard went by the moniker 'Lord Voldemort' and in his campaign he rallied every pureblood into and I quote "Purge the wizarding world of it's taint by removing undesirable elements in it." and his group killed anyone that opposed him and non magicals weren't safe either since they have no defenses against magic."
Lissa frowned. "That's terrible!" She exclaimed. "But he's gone now...right?"
"I don't know the details but apparently Harry's parents James and Lilly went into hiding and he somehow discovered their location, he killed James first and Lilly when she was shielding Harry, and when Voldemort tried to kill Harry the curse somehow rebounded killing him instead, and the scar on Harry's forehead is proof of that." Maribelle finished.
Lissa gasped, then turned to Harry. "Oh my goodness...This cute little thing killed that powerful dark wizard guy when he was only a baby?"
Maribelle sighs "Sadly, not everything was resolved when Voldemort was vanquished, his followers scattered and managed to slip through the cracks of the justice system and some of them got away Scott free by bribery and threats." she continued.
Lissa scowled. "That's stupid..." She muttered. "No offense, but your justice system sounds preeeeetty flawed."
Maribelle nods "It doesn't help that the current Minister of Magic is an ostrich in human clothing. He takes bribes and when a threat pops up he just denies it and continues to do it until the threat is over and then claim that it was his leadership skills that stopped the threat." she stated.
Lissa pouted. "I think I prefer being...not a wizard. No offence..."
"To each their own Lissa, personally I don't know what I would do without magic." Maribelle said.
"You seem to get by without it just fine whenever you come to visit. And sometimes you visit for weeks." Lissa pointed out.
"True, but it's just a matter of preference really." Maribelle countered, just as a knock was at the door. The two young women turned to the door, and a familiar head peeked in.
"Hello?" a young man a few years older than Lissa entered the room.
"Chrom!" Lissa rushed over to hug him.
Chrom grinned and hugged his sister back. "Hello, Lissa!" He exclaimed. "How's the boy doing? Is he all right?"
"They said he'll recover, where's your older sister?" Maribelle asked.
"She's getting the paperwork to be Harry's guardian filled out." Chrom answered.
Lissa and Maribelle blinked. "...Well...How abrupt that was..." Maribelle said.
"Well Emm believes in getting things done in a smooth and precise manner." Chrom said.
"She hasn't even seen him yet..." Lissa said with a small smile.
"Does it matter? When Lissa told us what happened Emm immediately got on the phone with our lawyers and they sent the paperwork." Chrom stated like it was an everyday thing "Fredrick is being overly cautious as usual but she felt that Harry would be better off at the family home than in an orphanage." he said.
Lissa rolled her eyes at hearing Frederick's cautious response. "Oh, Frederick..." She mumbled. "He's a little boy, what's there to be cautious about? He can be so silly sometimes."
"In any event, Harry will be taken to our mansion as soon as he's fully healed." Chrom said.
"Awesome!" Lissa said.
Chrom smiled "Maribelle, my sister says that you haven't had time to catch up with my sister so how about you come over to the mansion for dinner tonight?" he asks her.
Maribelle smiled. "Well, if you're certain it's no trouble, I'd be more than happy to dine with you all."
"We'll have it when Harry arrives at the mansion so there would be no awkwardness." Chrom said.
"Wait...I think he's waking up..." Lissa said softly.
"I'll get a doctor to check up on him." Chrom said leaving the room. Lissa was immediately hovering over Harry, a smile on her face. She turned to Maribelle, and ushered her over.
"C'mon, Mari, come say hi." Harry groaned as he started to awaken, he noticed that the colors were all blurry, he assumed that he wasn't wearing his glasses. A unfamiliar voice spoke scaring him. "Here, you're looking for these right?" the voice was female and sounded chipper, he felt his glasses in his hands and automatically put them on. As he was putting on his glasses, he found himself curious to see who the voice that spoke to him belonged to...
There standing in front of him were two women both of them having blonde hair, one had hers up in a loose bun while the other had hers loose, they were the bun haired woman was wearing white pants, a matching blouse and a light red jacket. The other woman was dressed in a light blue skirt that reached her knees, a dark purple shirt and a blue denim jacket.
Harry blinked in confusion, then whimpered and pulled the blankets he was tucked in with over his head. The woman that handed him his glasses gently moved the blanket off him and gently gave him a hug "Hey,hey,hey it's alright. You're safe now, your uncle can't hurt you anymore." she said gently. Harry let out another whimper, and began struggling to escape her grip...only to whimper once more when he accidentally reopened one of his smaller wounds.
The second woman rushed over and placed a small gauze pad on it to stem the bleeding "Harry, try to relax, you're going to reopen your wounds from earlier." she said in a gentle tone matching the first woman's. Harry remained still, not wanting to hurt himself anymore, but he still trembled with fear and confusion, not understanding what was happening. Still, he didn't speak. Freaks were meant to be seen and not heard.
Lissa noticed this "Harry can you speak?" she asks him.
"Y-Yes...But...M'not allowed..." Harry replied softly.
"Can you please tell me why?" Lissa prompted.
"F-Freaks should be seen and not heard..."
"Harry, listen to me carefully, you are NOT a freak. Your uncle wanted to make you feel like that, he wanted to make himself feel better, trust me you are not a freak in any sense of the word." Lissa explained.
"But...He...He said...I..." Harry didn't even know what to say.
"Harry, your uncle has lied to you plain and simple. You have to trust me." Lissa said.
"But...He says grown ups are always right..." Harry replied.
"If I may interject, your uncle was about to kill you while drunk. Did you think that was right?" Maribelle said.
"I deserved it..." Harry said. "I shouldn't have even been born in the first place..." Lissa and Maribelle gasped at how he sounded, he sounded like he has given up on life. Lissa teared up, then immediately pulled him into a tight embrace. Harry was confused at the action, why were they hugging a freak like him? He didn't deserve anything, not even the air he breathed. So why do they care for him? He needed answers, and he needed them now. So he took a deep breath and spoke. "Wh-Why are you hugging me? Aren't you scared you'll get sick from touching a freak like me?"
"Harry, you are not a freak." Maribelle said reaffirming what Lissa said "Your uncle is worse than anything, he's the freak not you." she said. And with that, she knelt down and joined her best friend in hugging Harry. The warm comfort was overwhelming and he felt the walls surrounding his emotions shatter and for the first time he started to cry freely. He buried his face into Lissa's chest, causing the sounds of his soft sobs to become barely audible.
After a few moments Harry stopped crying, he pulled away from Lissa's chest and asked "Why? Why do they hate me so much?" before a fresh wave of tears came.
Lissa let out a soft sob of her own and tightened her hold on him. "Because...they're evil...Pure...evil..."
Maribelle sniffs as well "Rest assured that they are getting the punishment that they deserve for harming an innocent child." she said, The two women both held Harry tightly, offering him all of the comfort they could. Harry himself continues crying until eventually he runs out of tears, his heart aches but it was lessened by seeing two women that saved him hugging him.
Harry looked between Lissa and Maribelle sadly. "Wh-What happened, anyway? I-If you d-don't mind me asking..." He said timidly.
"The last I saw the police were struggling to stuff your uncle inside a patrol car." Maribelle said.
"B-But how did they find me...? How did YOU find me...?" Lissa and Maribelle calmly explained how they found Harry with Maribelle exempting the use of magic. Maribelle considered telling him what he truly was... But she decided against it for the moment, let Harry heal mentally before dropping the magical bomb on him, though Chrom and Lissa's sister needs to know.
"Good news, Harry..." Lissa said softly. "My sister adopted you, so you'll be living with us from now on."
"Why would your sister adopt a freak like me?" Harry asks Lissa sadly.
"Stop it..." Lissa pleaded softly. "PLEASE don't say that about yourself anymore."
"But it's true isn't it? I am a freak that doesn't deserve to live!" Harry all but screamed at Lissa causing a strong wind to kick up.
"Harry, please stop!" Lissa held him tighter.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Harry screamed and Lissa and Maribelle were knocked into the wall by Harry's magic.
Maribelle hopped to her feet. "That is ENOUGH!" She said firmly. Her stern tone immediately got to Harry, and he began to regret his actions.
"I'm sorry!" he said pulling the covers over his head and started to tremble in fear of the woman. "I'm so sorry...I'm sorry...I won't do it again, I'm sorry, sorry sorry sorry sorry..." Maribelle started to reach out to Harry but stopped, she should've known better than to yell at him. Lissa rose to her feet as well, clutching her aching head with a groan.
Maribelle whispered "I'm sorry." before leaving the room crying at losing her temper and taking it out on a child. Leaving Lissa to deal with Harry.
"Mari, wait!" Lissa called out, reaching out for her friend.
Harry poked his head from the covers "I'm sorry for making Miss Maribelle mad." he whimpered. Lissa looked to Harry, an utterly heartbroken look on her face.
"It's not your fault Harry, she was just scared and worried for you." she said.
"No...It is my fault...Everything's my fault...I'm sorry...I'm just...gonna stop talking...I don't wanna hurt anyone else..."
"Oh Harry..." Lissa said before hugging him. Harry rested his head against her chest, feeling numb. However, he heard a faint rhythmic thumping noise coming from Lissa's chest...That sound soothed his nerves... "How about you get some rest. I'll talk to Mari okay?" she asked him.
Harry looked up at her. "Wh-What's the noise in your chest? The thumping noise?"
"That was my heartbeat why?" Lissa asks him.
"...It's...a really nice sound...I...I like listening to it...It makes me feel better..." Harry said softly. Lissa felt her heart melt at those words, and she smiled.
"I'm glad. Now how about that rest? I promise that everything will be alright." Lissa said as Harry starts to close his eyes. Lissa watches Harry finally fall asleep, for a moment she looks at his adorable face sleeping peacefully. She bit her lip...then let out a soft squeal of delight at his words, eyes shut and fists clenched by her face, smiling hugely. She forced herself to calm down, and rose to her feet. She bent over and kissed Harry's cheek. "I'll be back, sweetie." She said softly.
She gently shut the door behind her and went to search for Maribelle.