Chapter One

So many times had he been told by passersby that he shouldn't, didn't, belong in the musty alleyway, but they were mistaken. It was the only place he had belonged, in six or seven years, after he was abandoned there. It was in thinking about this that Will, picking the caked alley's filth from his thin, knobby hands, was doing. He had had a lot of time to dwell on such thoughts, living alone in a seldom visited alleyway. No knew that he was there, to be exact, with the exception of a short, brown haired witch, who often deposited clothes and blankets at the narrow mouth of the alleyway for his use. Similarly, no one knew exactly how he had gotten there, with the exception of himself. He remembered being led here, many years ago, by his plump grandmother after his father's death. Having joined his wife, there was no one capable to care for him. His grandmother had left him at the ancient black door to the pub outside of the alleyway, hoping someone would look after him, and then proceeded straight to 's, where she suffered ill a few days then parted. Will had been scared of all the people, and as they all ignored him; the sniffling, sandy haired toddler, he wandered into the smokey alley, where he stayed. Here, he had nothing but the scrawny, wild alley cats for company. And, as he was thinking so, slouched upon a heap of fraying, mouldy burlap, a skinny black kitten swaggered over to him, a frail, bony paw clenched to her chest. He picked her up, studying her with his stormy grey eyes, until he spotted the source of her ailment. A thin wire thread, cold and jagged, had snaked its way around her paw, leaving a great bloody gash. He grimaced as she squirmed in his thin arms. All the animals knew to come to him when they were in need of help. They were, of course, the only thing as of yet that subsided his pang of loneliness. He pressed his blackened fingers to her wound, and watched the thin wire dissolve. Following it, the wound healed instantly into a scar, then was covered by fresh, soft fur. The kitten purred, and, setting her down to return to where she had come, he stood up to make upon his way. Suddenly, a clatter sounded from the mouth of the alleyway. Will whirled around, fists raised, expecting trouble, but none came. Standing at the end of a trail of mist, was a young girl, nearing his age but certainly succeeding his height, and she had dropped a handful of coins. He hesitated, then scampered over to help her recollect them. She was still in shock, and stammered, in a high, surprised voice,"You did, that was…."

"Magic, yeah,"He said casually, in practically a sneer, then hastily added, "How much did you see?"

"Enough." She said definitely, suddenly radiating an air of power, "I'm taking you to my Mum." And with that she put a hand on his shoulder and steered him out of the purple haze of the alleyway. As she marched ahead, Will was keeping a close eye on her, not knowing whether she was to be trusted. He couldn't help but notice she was a stunning girl, with a long, freckled face, large hazel eyes, and a head of brilliantly flaming red curls. He suddenly became conscious of his own appearance, and it was very poor. His clothing was shabby and scavenged, his once glossy blonde hair plastered to his head in sweat and grime, and his cheeks and hands were stained with soot. As he reached up to wipe the soot smudges from his left cheek, she whirled around, making him jump. "By the way," she said calmly, as if it was normal to be so energetic and unpredictable, "It's Rose. Rose Granger Weasley." She turned on her heel and continued her lead. The sky seemed so bright, out of the alley! And the shops, though poorly maintained, seemed so welcoming to him. She approached the nearest one, and Will's stomach lurched as he read the swinging sign above the quiet pub. The Leakey Cauldron. It was where he had been abandoned by his grandmother. He did not realize he had come to a complete halt. "Oh, do come on!" spat Rose impatiently, "Mum is expecting me back! We mustn't dawdle!"

"Oh...alright." He responded softly, surprised by her bossiness. She led him through the door and into the pub. A strange crowd was gathered at the bar, many of which were in completely concealed in swaying black cloaks. The sight of them made Will feel uneasy. The hair began to stand up on the back of his neck...what were they doing here? And then they were on the move again.

"Oh, they get plenty of strange folk her at The Leaky Cauldron," mused Rose, apparently having to have seen the look on Will's face. "I remember the first time I walked in here, I just stared." She gestured to a man with an oversized raven perched upon his shoulders. This didn't seem to surprise Will at all. Rose seemed that she would be a person to stare.

Finally, after weaving through a section of extremely strange visitors, they arrived to wooden backdoor. Rose exited first, then Will who was extremely excited to be leaving the presence of a pestering woman who kept begging him for common leeches. It didn't look as if he would do much escaping, however. A thick, well made brick wall was positioned right behind the exit, making it impossible for anyone to actually exit from that way. Will shook his head. The day was getting weirder by the instant. Then, to his great disappointment, the leech woman staggered out the exit as well, a corked glass vial full of them in one hand.

"Going in dears, I expect…" she said, and pulled well carved, intricate stick from the inside of her cloak. "Let's see," she muttered, then tapped a series of faded bricks with her wooden instrument. The bricks began to shift away, falling into place as a towering brick archway. Will rubbed his eyes. In all his years living in a mile of this pub, he had never seen any of this before, none of this strangeness, this magic… and to think he believed he was the only one to have it…

Behind the great stone archway was a great bustling series of shops, like none that Will had ever seen before in the area. The smog in the sky seemed to have lifted, and instead of the weary, gloomy, occasional traveler, clusters of families seemed to be milling about. Only one woman didn't seem preoccupied with the people or surroundings, a nervous looking, brown haired lady of around thirty.

"Rose!" she scolded, "I had no idea where you had wandered off to! And with all the people here today! Never run off without telling me!" And without further explanation, she gathered Rose up into a tight hug. Meanwhile, Will stood watching, feeling awkward. Though no passersby eyes were upon him, he felt foolish and embarrassed to watch this mother scold, then embrace her daughter. He didn't ever remember being embraced like that.

"Oh!" yelped Rose suddenly remembering and pulling away, "I think you know Mum. She works for the Muggle and Magical Creature Welfare Department in the Ministry. I believe she has left you some things."

Though practically none of this made sense to Will, he finally placed her as the lady who had left him blankets. He nodded politely.

"Mum, I saw him today, he healed a alley kitten's paw nearly as fast as a phoenix! I couldn't believe it! We always thought he was a Muggle! Can he stay with us until his letter comes?"

"Now Rose, calm down! I suppose he could stay with us," her face flushed slightly, "Just until his letter arrives. But first, I suppose I should introduce myself!" She said, turning from her grinning daughter to pale faced Will. "I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger… but to you!" She added jokingly, cracking a smile.

"Well, I guess I should introduce myself too…" said Will sheepishly, extending a cold, dirty hand for Hermione to shake. " William. Will Riddle."