Chapter 1: when a freak meets other freaks
discliamer: i don't own Harry Potter!
It was never meant to happen, not this way anyways, it just didn't. When Harry Potter was left with the Dursleys, no one could have guessed what fate has in stored towards the child, not even one Albus Dumbledore.
Harry grew up as a freak, being told so by his aunt and uncle, none of the neighborhood children had come to close enough to him to call him their friend, not after being told to stay away from him by their parents.
The Dursleys hated him for staying alive, when his real parents died, and spread false rumors about him being a gang leader, and a criminal, for some reason people believed them even though Harry was only three at the time. His life with his 'normal' family was a living hell; Harry could only guess what the reason was: because he was a freak.
No one really cared for Harry, and nowadays he was mostly left alone to wonder in the streets, in hopes that something will happen to him and he shall never come back. Once it almost happened, but, unfortunately for Harry, the kidnapper noticed who he was kidnapping, and abandoned the child out of fear for his life. Crazy isn't it…?
Then one day, when Harry was four and a half years old, one of the smaller children in the neighborhood come to him with a frightened expression on him face. The boy had black long hair, which unlike Harry, didn't look like a mess in every possible direction. The boy had an almost white skin and big dark black eyes, he was big, more than Harry that for sure, but he wasn't fat. The boy wore some nice black clothes and black shoes, and looked like a rebelled kind of kid.
Harry didn't know what the child needed to talk with him about, having never talk to anyone out of his 'family', and god know they didn't talk with him much.
"Are-Are-Are you H-H-H-Harr-r-ry Pot-t-t-ter?" the child asked with a worried look and a trembling voice. Harry merely nodded. After all he was indeed Harry Potter, there was no denying it.
"Could you have me in your g-g-g-gang?" the child asked, making said potter rise one of his eyebrows in an adult gesture, one that made him seem older then he really was.
The child looked like he was just punched in the gut "I-I-I mean, I, please let me join! I promise I will do anything you'll say! I will be your loyalist gang member yet! Just please, I don't want to go back! Please!" the child proclaimed. Harry looked at him, he didn't look like he was beaten up at home or anything, he looked better then Harry did, but how could Harry leave a child, younger then himself, when he was begging him for help.
Begging him!
Of all people the child chose to come to the freak! This must be a big thing if he did something like that!
"What's your name" said Harry more then asked, he wasn't allowed to ask such things, as if he did, he would have been beaten till he saw black spots dancing in front of him when awake. It was a bad thing, Harry learnt later in life, to see spot dancing in front of you, but also good, cause then the beating would stop.
"T-T-Trevor, sir… m-m-my name-name is Trevor" the kid looked scared, and Harry didn't know what to do to make him less scared of him, he knew nothing about talking to people, or correcting them, those usually ended up in him being beaten up.
"Trevor, while I'll have no problem taking you as a gang member, there is one problem" the messed black haired child said with indifferent voice. Trevor looked better, he almost smiled, but Harry didn't know if it will last any longer then the next sentence.
"What problem boss?" asked the child with a little more confident, Harry looked at him, and a little smile comes to his always blank face.
"My relatives lied about me having a gang, in fact most of what they said was made up to make people hate me" his small smile disappeared with that statement, and he now watched the black haired-eyed child in front of him.
"It was a lie" Harry nodded a slight nod "to make people hate you" again another nod, the child looked stunned, "so you never did what everyone say you did?" the boy asked again.
"No, I haven't. I had no reason to do such things, I was getting used to getting beaten up by my uncle, I had no time for such things. It would have been too much for me as a three years old to do what they say I did, when I was as badly hurt as I was. It is better now though, I leave them alone, and they leave me alone. So I'm sorry, I have no gang, I have no followers to do as I say. I am a freak, and that is all" the child now looking at Harry with the most amazed expression that his face could produce.
"What do you mean by a freak?" Trevor asked in a small voice. And so Harry explained about himself, about his family and the accident his parents were killed at. Trevor stood there and listened to the tale, it was something Trevor found he disliked; no one should be treated this way.
Now Trevor felt so stupid of how scared he had been of the boy, yes, he was a bit odd, but that to be expected with how he was treated. Trevor told Harry what made him come to seek his participation in the imaginary gang.
His mother died, and his father was the one who took care of him now, it was all good until he remarried again. His new wife was bad. His father didn't believe him when he told him how she mocked him and insulted him and his mother. This made the young boy look for some other form of family. One day, Trevor read a book that said that gangs, no matter who big or small, always took care of their own and were like big families that did whatever the gang leader told them to.
"So I started looking for you, and asked you to let me join" Trevor confessed. Harry looked at the sad looking Trevor, and felt bad for the first time that one of his relatives' stories hadn't been true. But then a brilliant idea popped to his mind. He could make that story true if he wanted, all he needed was a gang to rule.
"I've decided" harry said in that indifferent voice of his "I will start a gang, the gang of Freaks. Trevor as the first one to join the gang, you will be my second in command. But if others want to join us, they will have to come to see me. Only I shall decide who will join and who won't" Trevor's eyes light up and he looked so happy that moment Harry smiled again. It was the first day in his life since he started to live with the Dursleys that he smiled so much.
From that moment on, a new gang was formed. That gang of harry and the Freaks! The children of the neighborhood had one by one started filling the gang. None were, of cause, like Dudley and his friends. They all had home problems and a past mostly black. Harry took only those that were in need of an alternative home.
Slowly, the gang becomes famous, and those who joined had sworn to never say a word about who the real harry was, he needed the bad reputation the Dursleys had given him. He wasn't afraid to make some bad reputation for himself too.
The children of the Freak gang were Harry's new family, like he was theirs. He protected them, eat with them, talked with them, told them what to do and what not to do… in fact he was like their god, or a human god. They liked calling him that, mostly because when he was with them on a raid, miracles happened when they most needed them.
Magical miracles.
When Harry turned ten he had forty followers who were his family. If you asked one, he would tell you that meeting Harry was the best thing that happened to him in his life, and that he will gladly die to protect him. The scary thing was, they meant that.
The Freaks raids were mostly for bedding and feeding purposes, sometimes clothes, and seldom for luxuriance. His gang was located in an abandoned factory, where those of the Freaks who needed a place to stay could. Breakfast was served at ten in the morning; raids happened just after that, and lunch was at three.
Behind the old factory Harry made some of his younger charges grow vegetables to sell or eat, depending on the veg's quality.
All in all, life was good for one Harry Potter. Being a gang leader was the best thing he had ever done. He moved out of the Dursleys house, when he was five, and ever since then lived in that factory. He had friends, family, and followers. He had people he cared about and protected. He had food and a place to sleep. And no one was better than him when it came to fights. So yes, sue him, Harry Potter was happy, and liked the way he lived.
OOO
It all started to change near his eleventh birthday. The sky was still light blue, with big fluffy clouds flouting in and out of the pretty birds that flow in the air. One boy, who was now ten years old, run to Harry, his leader, and while breathing hard he tried to tell the other the bad news.
"It's the-the Whales again!" the boy, black familiar hair and eyes, said to the unimpressed leader.
"What have they done now, Trevor?" Harry Potter looked a lot different now than he did when the other first met him. First he wasn't so skinny, but maybe eating regular meals had something to do with that… secondly the boy have grown his hair so it will be a bit more tame-able. He did have the same pale skin and green enchanting eyes.
The thing that made him look differ the most where his clothes. Long gone was the big hand me down he got from his cousin Dudley, in their stand now stood Harry's new set of clothes. He had black shirt with white words that read 'piss off' and dark blue jeans, and dark black 'kick me' shoes.
"The Whales interfered with our raid and beat up two of our man" the now great fighter said with a hard tone. Harry's eyes narrowed slightly, as it was still hard for him to show emotions.
"Who?" the dark leader asked with a cold deadly voice. No one can hurt Harry's family and get away with that, not without a beating that is. And Harry was a damn good fighter.
"Alex and Darin, they got them good, we had a really hard time rescuing those two" said the second in command. Harry only nodded, and then he closed his eyes.
"Trevor, I need you to look after them. Get those two in bed, and call the doctor. Escort him here if needed be. Do not let them out of bed unless it is absolutely necessary" the black eyes one nodded and started heading towards the injured two
"Tubby" harry said to his third in command. A girl with light bronze hair, and brown eyes, she gave him a wicked smile, knowing what he was going to do to this other gang now that they hurt their family.
"Get my jacket, the read one, I don't want to buy another one cause of some blood" he said while the girl nodded almost happily. She almost run to the leader's room and brought Harry his jacket. In two seconds Harry was dressed and standing. He walked slowly to the entrance of the factory "Tubby, Jon, Tommy, Kill, and Ruddy, you all are coming with me. Take more with you if you think that we'll need help" none did so following Harry quietly.
The six of them walked to where the raid was supposed to be, taking their weapons with them. Tubby had a club, Jon a baseball bat, Tommy an axe he found a few years ago god knows where, and Kill and Ruddy could fight bear handed like Harry.
"Here they are!" called one of the Whales in a warning "Potter's with em!" he said almost afraid.
In an instant the boy was passed on the floor Harry above him with his cold mask of a face. The others followed their leader smiling. No one was strong enough to beat their leader.
The Freaks stood in place waiting for the Whales to come to them. And they did. They were sixty gangsters, plus or minus, and where bigger and looked stronger then Harry and his friends.
The fight began, but unlike Harry predicted wasn't over in a sec. they really were strong. His friends were getting hurt. He couldn't let that happen now could he?
With a raging roar, Harry's speed increased ten times more and so did his strength. Now he took out ten gangsters in a heartbeat, making the odds even.
"Harry! Behind you!" shouted Kill in his deep voice, Harry ducked and Kill punched a boy who stood too close to Harry in the face. Harry smiled.
"Thanks Kill," he punched two who was going to go for Kill "didn't see him there" he said and only then noticed only two more Whales stood conscious, one of them was none other than his cousin Dudley.
Punching the other and taking him out of the game, he stood in front of the baboon "Dudley, what an unpleasant surprise… how have you been? I have not seen you since I was five, doing well I hope?" he asked with his cold voice his face a freezing mask, mocking the now imitation of his father overly fat cousin.
"I was, until you and your freaks ruined my day!" shouted the whale in rage in his eyes.
"I did? I am sorry; it's just that some stupid of a fool hurt members of my gang… I was so lost in rage I didn't know I ruined your day… but I'm happy to say this to you cousin, hurt one of mine again, and it won't only be broken bones you'll get. Jon, Kill… if you will?" the two boys grinned happily and started hitting the other boy.
When all was done, Harry and the other five went back to the not so abandoned factory. Tubby took the red jacket back to its rightful place letting Harry sit back in the chair in the center of the room. It was time to hear if there were more who needed to join the Freaks. It was always today at this time of the day for more than seven long years.
"Harry" Trevor came into the factory "I've brought a doctor!" he said "he said he would take care of Alex and Darin if he could talk to you first! He would do it for free too!" Harry merely nodded, he will see the guy. His family was a lot more important than some new follower.
The man who came into the room was really old. Harry never saw someone as old as that one. The man had twinkly blue eyes, white beard and hair, and light purple clothes.
"Are you Harry Potter?" asked the old man.
"Indeed it is I, why shall you seek me?" Harry said in his highest speech, the man was a scholar that much he knew, and he didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front to such knowledge. The old man sighed and looked into the child's eyes.
"I'm here to give you this"
A small letter, Harry looked at the old man with suspicion, a letter, really, that's why he came here to see the greatest of freaks, Harry Potter?
Harry opened the letter and read.
"Is this a joke?" the boy asked with a roll of his eyes, forgetting his high speech for now.
"No, it's not. Harry, you are a wizard, you can perform magic! Don't you want to learn how to?" the old wizard asked.
"No" was Harry's only answer. He was going to ask the old man to treat his family when another part of his family ran into the factory.
"Harry! It's the whales again! There are hundreds of them!"
Harry rolled his eyes and smiled.
"So what? We beat them before, we will beat them now, we are all good fighters, and I say fourteen of us will be enough" the boy shook his head still frightened.
"They brought their parents and the police! They're going to take us back home!" Harry's eyes flashed gold and he rose from his chair.
"Old man, I know it's rude to ask this of you, but could you mend to Alex and Darin? I have something I need to take care of" the old man nodded with a twinkle in his eyes.
Harry left the factory he started to call home, and in front of him was indeed ten police man, his family's families, and the beaten kids with their parents.
"Are you Harry Potter?" asked one of the police, Harry merely nodded, while looking ultra-ly bored.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in his indifferent voice.
"We came to take those children you kidnapped and made to do all those horrible things!" said one of the mothers.
Made to do? Was that what they thought? Who dumb could they be? How could he, an eleven year old child, force forty kids to follow him and do whatever he wanted them to do against their wills?
"You are mistaken" he simply said.
"We all know that you are the one responsible!" said one of the parents; he was a tall man with blond hair and black eyes. Trevor's father.
"You are mistaken" Harry said one again, he would have tried to explain but his uncle was there, there will be no point in doing so.
"Kid, you are not an adult yet, so just let those kids go and you will get away with only a warning" a police man said with a soft voice, Harry looked at him. He was a short man with soft brown hair and brown eyes.
"They are free to leave whenever they feel like it" Harry's voice was soft though his voice was cold as ice; he didn't look at the policeman but at his uncle Vernon.
"Liar! You almost killed Dudley! You are a dangerous freak! That's what you are!" it was Petunia who spoke, she was angry, real angry, and for such a slim woman, she was the scariest one in the family.
"We". Said Harry
"What we?" his uncle Vernon said with his angry red face.
"We almost killed Dudley" Harry corrected him.
"That's enough! Officer! I demand that you will arrest him now and set all the kids inside free, so they could go back to their houses with their loving families!"
"Shut up" Harry's was looking at the ground, and his hair hid his face, his voice was calm but commanding.
"That was that boy?" yelled uncle Vernon with rage, he was starting to shake with fury.
"I said shut up, you old man of a whale!" Harry yelled looking at the lot of them and his eyes flashed gold. He was angry, so fucking angry!
"Harry that's not how you talk to family" Harry looked to where the new voice came from, behind him. It was the old man who he asked to treat his family.
"Old man… what are you doing here?" Harry's voice was soft once more, yet a bit confused.
"I finished treating your friends, so I come to see what all the noise was about" Harry nodded in understanding and returned to look at the angry mob.
"They want to take my family away from me" he said with deadly voice, and his eyes flashed gold again.
"Your family?"
"My friends are my family" Harry's voice was warm when he said that.
"If I could help you, will you go to the school in the letter?" the old man looked interested and for some reason Harry was sure the old man will be able to do whatever he said he will.
"With few conditions, yes" Harry nodded his head.
The old man smiled.
OOO
It was over without even a fight. The old man took out a brown long stick, and looked at all of the people present. Uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia looked so angry that moment that they could have exploded that very second.
Harry himself didn't know what the purpose of stick was; maybe he was going to smack it on their heads.
The old man looked at them ALL, It was really weird, he looked at them with his twinkly eyes, Harry could practically see the people being scanned while the old man simply nodded.
"I'm sorry, but I will need you to forget about what happened here today" said the old man with the twinkle still there in his eyes, the way he looked at them kind of scared Harry shitless.
They all seemed like they were going to protest, but the old man didn't give them enough time to do so. He waved his wand, he didn't say anything. He didn't need to say anything, as it seemed. A second later all of the people looked at each other too confused for their goods then they went to their houses.
"How did you do that?" Harry asked, he didn't know if should ask what he did first, but if he thought about it a bit he knew what the old man did, now if he could do that too, he could save his family. He could make sure no one, ever, shall tear them apart. The old man said he was a wizard, so he could do it too, right?
"It is simple really, Harry my boy, a little practice and everyone could do it" Harry looked at him taking everything in. The old man was a bit of an odd block. But a smart and powerful odd block.
"Could my friends do it, too?" Harry asked the old man, looking closely so he'll know if the old man was lying, he didn't think he will, but that was important bit of information.
The old man shook his head, no. Harry sighed and nodded in understanding, this was too bad; this kind of power will let them stay together without anyone able to set them apart.
"None of them?" he asked in interest, it was too bad really if the answer will be yes. Even three or four will help a lot.
"Well I can check but, even if they do, only at their eleven birthday they will get their Hogwarts letter" Harry nodded.
"Please do check" he said while sitting back at his chair. All forty of the gang members were there, hearing this conversation. At first the old man didn't want them to be here while this dissection took place. Harry didn't agree, for all he knew the old man could use one of his magics on him.
The old man nodded and sighed; he took a big breath in and went to each of the gang members to check. The gang members stood there quiet while the old man closed his eyes and looked for a magical core in them. Harry waited patiently until the old man was finished.
"Two of your… followers have the magic's gift" the old man said, going back to Harry. The black haired leader nodded, closing his eyes.
"Here are my terms for attending your school" his voice was cold, face blank as the night. The old man nodded waiting for the black haired terms.
"First, you will provide a suitable place for my… friends to stay within the school. Secondly, I want you to give my family… friends, I'm sorry, I'm too used to call them that… clothes, food, education and to take care of their well far. Thirdly, if we ever face an outside force who will try to tear us apart, to make us go back to our… real families I want you to stop it. Those are my terms" the black haired eleven years old said.
"Fine" said the old man his eyes closed while he nodded his head.
"So… when will the school start?" Harry asked, smiling.
"It is all written in this letter" the old man said, ignoring his Goosebumps, and a terrified strike in his skin. He was sorry for the dark lord to have this boy as his rival, the boy's only weakness was those kids, and they will be in his protection. The old man could almost see it, the world could be saved.
"I see" the boy said, "anything I'll need to bring? And where shall I buy the school books?" the old man smiled and nodded.
"Yes there is, it's a very beautiful place, maybe I'll take you there in a few days…" he had a dreamy look to his face "Diagon Ally, that's its name" Harry nodded while he listened to the old man.
"Where is it located?" the old man smiled.
"I can show you" he said waving his stick. The gang members were going to attack him but one 'WAIT' commend from Harry changed all that.
"I see, well thank you Albus" the old man nodded, surprised, though he didn't show that he was. The child was dangerous, that much he lord will be created out of him.
The old man smiled "so, now that this is all settled I have to go… you two friends will be fine by tomorrow, until then they shouldn't force they themselves to do things that tire them. Harry nodded and the old man smiled at them and disappeared into thin air.
They were left alone.
OOO
"So what do you think Harry?" asked one of the three girls in his gang, her name was Sara, she had long blond hair and lavender eyes.
Harry smiled, it wasn't a good smile, Sara knew, but it made her proud to see her little Harry smile like that, she was two years older than he was, and felt like she was his big sister. Harry was by no means an ordinary child, and she knew that, but what bugged her the most about his unordinary behavior, was the fact that he almost showed no emotions. To see him smile, even if it was this smile, it was a good thing. It was progress.
"I think this is a really good deal. I will go to that school. I will learn, so I will be able to protect you, and you will get the education that you now lack. A good deal"
The gang children nodded and started whispering about it all. It's going to be great.
After a bit they ate dinner and went to bed. In the morning there were thirty nine new tickets for platform 9-3/4. All were happily talking about it in breakfast and while in the raid. Near the end of the day it was the only thing that the kids talked about, Harry included.
Harry knew that the date for the start of the school was getting closer, he also knew that the things he needed were still in the shops and not here with him. It was no good, he wanted them here, this way he could start practicing now.
The next day Harry took two of his most loyal family members and went to Diagon Ally, while the rest went on a raid, those who couldn't like the smaller kids and some of the girls helped in the garden.
Most of the time, Harry was the one in charge of the garden. He had the most experience, he knew what to do, and none of the plants ever died in his carful hands, if so, they only grew faster.
Harry looked at the sign that said "Leaky Cauldron" and shook his head. The shop was hidden somewhere inside the shopping area in London, England. The Leaky Cauldron was nested between a Muggle (he had no idea what that was, but then again, he wasn't too knowledgeable about all this stuff) bookshop and a record store.
Inside the pub, it was dark and shabby, with a bar and a number of tables in the shadows of the corners. In stark contrast to the grubby downstairs of the pub, there were some unexpectedly pleasant rooms upstairs where passing wizards and witches could stay for the night. These rooms were reached by way of a handsome wooden staircase, and contained comfortable beds, highly polished oak furniture, and a crackling fire which was always burning in the grate to welcome the visitor to their lodgings.
The Leaky Cauldron was a popular wizarding pub in London, harry knew from the few memories Harry saw within the old man, Albus. It was, so it seemed, the entrance to Diagon Alley.
The leaky cauldron was built, "to serve as a gateway between the non-wizarding world and Diagon Alley." Or that was what the old man showed him when he gave him the knowledge about this place.
To Muggles, (Harry still had no idea what that meant) the pub appears to be a broken-down old shop front on Charing Cross Road. The rear of the pub, however, was supposed to open up onto a chilly courtyard and the entrance to Diagon Alley.
To gain access, a witch or wizard tapped the bricks in the wall in a counter-clockwise order.
For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby, Harry thought. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old barman, who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut.
"welcome!" said the innkeeper "my name is Tom, do you want to order something?" he asked the trio.
Harry looked around, wondering if maybe he really should order something, he wanted to know how wizard's food tasted like before going to his new school. He looked around…
Beneath the stairs leading to the second floor, was a second set of stairs leading to the basement. The stairs come out on the right wall where two sitting areas containing red couch and chairs were nestled in each corner on this side. The front wall had a stage with red curtains in front of a lowered viewing area. The back wall was blank, but the left wall had another red sitting area, and a bar. However, the basement, it seems, had been locked off for no apparent reason.
"I guess we will, right boys?" harry asked making the other two nod "I don't want to go shopping in Diagon Alley without eating or drinking before" he said while sitting at the nearby table, the innkeeper looked at him in understanding and nodded.
"What would you like?" asked the innkeeper.
"I have this much" harry said and placed some money on the table "do, surprise me" with those words the small man went for a second.
"Harry should we really?" asked Trevor "we might need those for your books"
"That's right Harry, there was a lot of things that we needs to buy for you, according to your Hogwarts letter!" said a white haired boy with red eyes.
Harry sighed "and how do you suggest we will get there?" he asked, the two boys looked at him with blank faces.
"By buying here something the innkeeper will help us to get there" as if by magic the innkeeper came back with three fire whiskies and smiled at them.
"Of course I have no problem helping, I will just need to see the Hogwarts letter" he said. Harry nodded in understanding and pulled the letter, giving it to the innkeeper.
The man's eyes grew as big as they could get "you are Harry Potter? The famous Harry Potter?" Harry merely nodded, having no idea what the big deal was, so he had a gang, so what?
The innkeeper gave the trio their money back "I can't believe I took this money from the Harry Potter!" he said apologetically. Harry had no idea why he was acting this way, but it was too good to pass up, he could use it.
"I needed your help, and I didn't want others to know who I was" he said. Harry wasn't stupid, he knew that the moment this innkeeper was so fascinated with his name, the other wizards will be too. He needed a plan fast.
"Ho, please let me help you Harry, sir!" said the innkeeper begging, it was unnerving for Harry, and it really was.
"Fine, but you have to keep it a secret" the innkeeper nodded in understanding and waited patiently until the three finished their drinks.
"If you'll ever need anything else, anything! Please, don't be afraid to ask it of me" said Tom, the innkeeper. Harry nodded; he never forgets such useful things.
The entrance is behind the "The Leaky Cauldron" in a small, walled courtyard with a trash can. The innkeeper helped them into Diagon Ally;
"Welcome, Harry, to Diagon Alley." He heard someone say, but he was sure it was only his imagination.
At its sight Harry wished he had eight more eyes...
There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...
Inside the Alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights; some even have tables out front with colored umbrellas. Particularly during the days or weeks before school starts at Hogwarts, the location is packed with witches and wizards, though shops are open year-round as witches and wizards travel to the location for various goods.
Amanuensis Quills is a small stationary shop located in Diagon Alley, immediately next to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. It is a store that sells different types of quills and inks, and that's where the trio went to first…
OOO
More in the next chapter of Harry Potter and the gang of Freaks!