This story was inspired, as you can probably tell, by "The Little Match Girl". I in no way own either the little match girl or harry potter, that right belongs to Hans Christian Andersen and J.K. Rowling. Only this idea belongs to me.
Now that's out of the way, enjoy!
Edit: Grammar and some other changed were done to allow the story to flow better
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It was a cold autumn evening when Harry was kicked out of his relatives home. Sitting alone in one of the small fake park houses Harry shivered. The sun was gone and only leaving the cold unforgiving winds of the night. Holding the little match box in his hand Harry just barely remembered the story that his teacher had once read to the class during story time. If he was right then the title of the story was called, the little hatch, no it was 'The Little Match Girl".
The little match girl was about a little poor girl that sold matches to the people on the streets, during winter with no proper jacket and no shoes. Everyone that that she went to wouldn't even buy a single match. Stone faced, stone heart, even the children of the sweetest of families didn't giving her a single cent, not even out of pity.
Harry felt tears sting his eyes when he realized just how similar his life was to the story. A little girl had reached out to people around her to buys some matches, but not a single person did. It was the same for him, he had asked, tried so hard for someone, anyone to save him, to take him away from the Dursleys, but all they gave were nothing more than just empty promises or just like in the story, they didn't even bother to do anything. He envied those people for their 'normal' lives. A type of life that he dreams of having.
The little girl didn't want to go home. She hadn't sold a single match and hadn't made any money. Her father would beat her for being so incompetent.
Whenever Harry had done anything that was even slightly better the Dudley he would be beaten and sent to his cupboard. They were supposed to be family; wasn't family supposed to love and care for one another?
The little girl was freezing her hands were like ice. A single little match made its way into her hand.
A match found its way between Harry's fingers.
Her hands, her body had long stopped shaking in the cold and a small thought echoed in her head "oh just how warm a single match would make me." She fought the temptation at first but she quickly succumb to it as a cold breeze cut though her.
Harry's hands shook as he placed the red end of the match on the box.
The match dance across the box and glorious orange-red flames came to life. Awe and wonder filled the girl as the world around her transformed. There In front of her, a iron stove radiating it's beautiful warmth appeared before her.
Harry lit his own match, fully expecting to see nothing at all. But when the match sparked into a flame, he was greeted with the sight of a beautiful fireplace that for some odd reason just seemed so familiar. Seeing the fireplace, Harry felt warm and content.
Then match burned out and when it did, it took the stove's warmth along with it..
The feeling didn't stay long though. The match in Harry's hand quickly burned out, leaving him feeling empty and even colder than he was before.
The little girl quickly lit another match, not wanting the feeling, the illusion to disappear. And once again, the world around her transformed, but this time instead of a stove, there was a table covered in a sheet that was as white as freshly fallen snow, with a feast. Roast goose that was filled to the brim with stuffing, creamy mash potatoes, freshly baked bread and all other sorts of food that she couldn't name but vaguely remembered.
Harry's hand went for another match and set it aflame before he registered what he had done. The flame illuminated and the small fake house in the park disappeared. It wasn't replaced by the fire place like last time but instead, there was a table in front of him, and on that table was a cake with strawberries and dark things which he believes was chocolate, that spelled out 'Happy birthday Harry!', the feeling of warmth and happiness over filled him. He was loved. He could feel it radiating all around him.
The illusion that the match gave fell once more. The girl grab another match and lit it anew. The scene was different once again. In front of her was a Christmas tree in a room that looked more magnificent than Nobleman's.
Harry hesitated as he caught himself about to light his third match, but in the end he still lit it. The wall of the little house stretched and shifted and before he knew it he was in the middle of a room with a huge christmas tree. One that was bigger, more magnificent and more magical than the ones he had seen at the Dursleys. The room was massive and cozy and in general looked a thousand time better than Dursleys could ever try during Christmas.
The match burned out for the fourth time, but this time when the flames went out, the star of the tree did not. It floated above her and scattered across the sky, twinkling at her. One of the stars fell and she was reminded of her grandmother, the only one that had ever cared about her. The little girl's grandmother had once said that 'when a star fell from the sky it was because someone had died and their soul had gone up to god'. She grab her fifth match and lit it once again.
Harry felt tears gather at his eyes as the glow from the lights hadn't gone out with the match, but became thousands of stars above him. He struggled to stop his tears when he saw two stars fall from the sky. Harry couldn't help but hope that those two stars were his parents, and that just like in the story his parents were now with god, waiting. With a flick of his wrist, he struck his next match.
The match was lit and within its warm glow stood the little match girl's kind, loving grandmother with her arms open toward her.
The house was gone once again and in front of Harry stood his mother and father. He knew that they were his parent because on one of the rare days were his aunt felt kind, she had briefly showed picture and told him who they were. They looked so happy and proud as they held their arm opened to him.
"Grandmother" The little match girl cried when she saw the old lady. "Take me with you, I know when this match goes out that you will disappear. You too will disappear just like the stove, the mouth watering feast and the beautiful Christmas tree."
Harry cried, the tears streaming down his face, as he reach out to his parents. "Please, don't leave me! Please take me with you! Take me with you before you disappear just like the fireplace, the party and the christmas tree! Please!"
The girl match girl quickly lit the whole match bundle desperately, just so that her grandmother wouldn't disappear just like the rest. Her grandmother glew so brightly, that it looked as if it was midday, and her grandmother gently took her into her arms. In each other's embrace they both flew higher and higher into the sky. They weren't scared for they both knew that where they were going would be a place where they would never be cold, hungry and that they would be surrounded with love. They were going to be by god.
With his cries still ringing in his ears, Harry took his own bundle of matches and it shined brightly along with his parents. His parents moved forward and embraced him, and he closed his eyes relishing in their warmth. As they were hugging he could feel himself being lifted away from the ground, but he didn't mind, after all all three of them were going to be going to god, in a place where they will never be hungry, cold or loney ever again. And the best part of the whole thing was that he was going to have a family, a true home.
The next morning, leaned next to a wall was a little girl that many recognized as the little match girl that always out trying to sell her matches. The little girl sat there frozen stiff and wore a her bright smile that followed her off into death, with a bundle of matches that was almost burned.
They all say "it was to keep herself warm." but they would never know what truly happened that night, all of the amazing thing that she had seen. For even though she is gone, she was now with her grandmother forever in peace together.
It had been three days after when the police had finally found Harry. The only reason why it took so long to find him was because a teacher noticed that he was missing, with no explanation at all. There in the little wooden house in the park sat little Harry leaned up against the wall smiling with a tear streaked face. The Dursleys were immediately arrested and their child removed from them for child neglect after they had found him and the way Dudley had acted towards his cousin's death. Many felt sad but no one had morn for him as no one had actually known the boy due to his cousin, so they along with the parents, the teachers and even the magical community, would never know of the magic and amazing things that Harry had seen that night.