Little Love's Orphanage:
A young boy, age about 11, is just waking up in his home at the orphanage. Having been dumped there as a baby, the boy didn't even know his true name. The letter that was left with him told them only that both parents were dead and the relatives didn't want him. It hadn't said his name or age, but they figured he would be about 11, given he'd been a little over a year when they found him on their step. This boy had unruly black hair and piercing emerald eyes that held only innocence. As he'd been at the orphanage for ten years, he knew nothing other than that life and how to survive. When he was scared or hurt, he could make things happen and he taught himself how to harness that power to get the Matron of the orphanage to do as he pleased. Yes, our young boy was named Edmund (Ed for short) by the Matron. He knew it wasn't his real name and one day he longed to figure it out, if only to get revenge on the "relatives" that didn't want him.
Little Whinging, Surrey (Same Time):
The Dursley's of Number Four, Privet Drive were just waking. It had been ten long years since they'd left the "devil's spawn" at the orphanage and they were quite happy, thank you very much. On this nice normal day, Dudley was getting ready for school, Petunia was making breakfast, and Vernon was drinking coffee and reading the paper. An un-normal thing happened then. There was a knock at the door. Petunia looked at Vernon, who stood and answered the door.
"May I help you?" Vernon asked the man at the door. He had jet black hair and an aquiline nose. The man sneered at him.
"I have business with your nephew, Harry Potter. Is he here?"
"Never heard of a Harry Potter. Now get away from my house you freak." With that, Vernon tried to slam the door closed and would have succeeded if not for the man on the other side pointing a stick of wood at him. When Vernon saw the wood, he recoiled in fear. "W-What D-Do you want?"
"I want to know what you have done to one Harry James Potter."
"D-dropped him a-at an orphanage… ten years ago. It was called Little Love's Orphanage, in London."
"Muggle… you best hope that boy is still there." With that, the man turned and walked away.
Little Love's Orphanage:
Ed was just finishing dressing when a knock came at the door.
"Enter." He called. The matron opened his door and came in.
"There is a man here, looking to adopt a child." She said, smiling kindly.
"And what, pray tell, does that have to do with me. You know I am too old to be adopted."
"Actually, he specifically requested any boy ages nine to twelve." Ed finally looked at her.
"A boy?" A nod. "My age?" another nod. "Are you sure about him?"
"Of course. He already passed the background check. Please just come line up, Ed."
"Of course." Ed followed the matron from the room, forgetting that his scar wasn't concealed. It wasn't that he was ashamed of the scar, just that he learned that most parents wouldn't want him if he had it. As he lined up with the rest of the children, 10 in all, he looked at the others. He knew he was an attractive boy with his coloring and eyes, but had yet to be liked by parents. He soon gave up hope of ever leaving the orphanage, but he liked it there. No one messed with him because he was "weird". He was snapped out of his reverie by the matron returning with a man in a business suit. The man looked at the line of children, his eyes stopping on Ed.
"You, come here." Ed looked surprised, but went over to the man. The man brushed the fringe from his forehead and gasped. This was Harry, alright, but he didn't look like a Potter. He looked more like a… no, impossible. "What's your name?"
"Edmund, sir. I don't know my real name, but that is the name I go by." The man frowned and turned to the matron with a single eyebrow raised in question.
"He was brought to us in the dead of night, with a note that said nothing more than his parents were dead and his relatives didn't want him. We figure he's about 11 years old and that's all we know, really.
"Okay… I want him, if that's alright with… Edmund, of course." Ed smiled his first true smile and nodded shyly.
"Yes… that's alright." The man nodded. My name is Severus Snape. I'm a teacher." Ed frowned.
"Will I have to go to school? I'm probably way ahead of the classes for 11 year olds."
"Ah, but I teach at a boarding school for gifted children. I think you'll fit right in." Ed smiled and nodded. The two went with the matron and signed the paperwork for the muggle adoption. "Come on, Edmund, we haven't got much time. We must get you clothing and school supplies and the like." Ed smiled and nodded, following the man out. He could sense the difference in the man, like he could in himself. When they were out of earshot of the matron, Ed looked at the man.
"You're different than they are… you're like me, huh?" Snape raised an eyebrow.
"How could you tell?"
"I can sense it. What's it called?"
"Magic… what do you know about it?"
"Well, I can do really cool stuff with it, and if I try hard enough I can make almost anything happen. I even turned into an animal once, but then I slept for three days and the matron got worried so I didn't do it again."
"Oh really?" Snape asked, masking his shock. "How old were you when you did that?"
"Seven. I think. I turned into a wolf. It was really cool. When I turned back, I had to unlock my door manually because I was so tired."
"I'll bet you were, and you are eleven, Edmund. I should tell you that I… knew your parents." Edmund stopped dead in his tracks, gasping at the man.
