Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, do you not think I'd take the money and finish school to be a real writer? J/K! No, really, I don't own it!

URBAN CONFESSIONS

Prologue

I remember the time when I first met her. She had the whitest hair that I had ever seen. Her skin like aging marble, her face aged and still lovely. Her eyes the same color as mine.

She was my Great Aunt Anemone, my passed away Grandmother's younger sister. She was fifty-five when I first met her. She was eighteen years younger than her sister and traveled around with her husband around the world, never able to have children of her own after she lost her first as her sister did. Never mentioned amongst the family unless in hushed voices.

I was nine at the time she finally made an appearance and visited the family. My Uncle and Aunt made a big to-do over her visit. Great Aunt Anemone's husband had recently passed away and she had settled in a high class house in East London in the suburban town of Romford. The Urban family that she married into was very wealthy.

She was very sweet natured, but also very blunt with her opinion. It would send both my Uncle and Aunt into shocked silence when the elder woman would become very outspoken, criticizing the general life of the Dursleys. I tried to keep out of the way despite being quite comfortable with her, but she constantly dragged me to her side, making my relatives narrow their eyes. They never did like when the attention was centered on me instead of my cousin.

She told me after meeting me that I didn't look like a Harry. She told me I looked like a Harper. I brushed it aside with a shy smile, trying very hard to sink into the floor as my relatives expressed dislike of me quite blatantly as her back was turned to them.

Great Aunt Anemone didn't like that once she caught on to it which happened to be immediately. Over the years, I remember the constancy of her petitions to gain guardianship of me. She knew instantly how the Dursleys treated me after she arrived. It was almost like she was psychic.

Great Aunt Anemone was never invited over again. However she did give me her number and address just in case I ever needed a place to go when the Dursleys weren't looking. I think she knew that in years to come that I would need her when the Dursleys decided to get rid of me.

Before my third year at Hogwarts started, I thought about going there. I didn't want to be a burden though. So instead I went to the Leaky Cauldron. I wish I could have gone to her.

I never thought about it again until I was sitting on the train, riding back to the real world for the summer after I finished my fourth year. I listened absently to my friends, wondering if my Uncle would just not pick me up and I could head off to her home. I rolled my eyes. It always seemed likely.

And I had a feeling this would be the time it would happen.

I smiled when Crookshanks jumped into my lap and purred when I scratched under his chin. The smashed-faced cat bumped my hand with his head, demanding attention. I ran my hand through his fur, smoothing it down, gaining a deeper purr.

I looked out the window, watching the scenery pass by. The country was a lovely thing to see. I sighed and turned to shoot Hermione a tired smile which she returned with a warmer one, her eyes glittering with acknowledgement at my boredom. I turned to look out the window again, falling into a daze.

The train slowed down, jolting me back into reality. Crookshanks had jumped from my lap and trotted back to Hermione who scooped him up. I rose to my feet when the train came to a halt. I bid everyone goodbye, quickly excusing myself, saying that I shouldn't try my Uncle's patience.

I walked past the barrier and paused when I noticed my Uncle was not there yet. I decided to disappear through the crowd as I heard the Weasleys and the Grangers follow seconds later out of the barrier. Hurrying through the crowd, I made myself scarce, something I was good at when I was here in this world.

I ended up sitting in one of those large gathering areas near the entrance, keeping an eye out for my Uncle. He never showed up in the following hours. It was nightfall and I was starting to get very worried.

No, that wasn't true. I was thinking that my greatest fear of being abandoned by my own relatives had came true. Though I knew getting upset would get me nowhere so instead I did something productive to stall my reaction.

I decided to use one of payphones and was thankful that Hermione convinced me to carry muggle money in cases of emergency. I called the Dursley home and heard the voice telling me the number had been disconnected. I frowned.

What the bloody hell was going on?

I then called a neighbor, hoping it was my friend that picked up and not her parents. Her parents hated me with a passion. I still wasn't sure why since I didn't think it was anything to do with the rumors that my relatives told everyone. I was lucky when I heard her voice.

"Hello, who is this?" she asked with a pleasant, smiling tone.

"Hey, Electra, it's me, Harry, Harry Potter," I answered with a laugh. I never did like to make awkward conversations let alone on the phone. "Can I ask a question real quick like?"

"Sure, sweetie," she answered with a curious tone. She always called others endearments. It was rather reassuring. "What's wrong?"

"Is there anything going on over at the Dursleys?" I asked with a hesitant voice.

"Well they move--" her voice trailed off.

"What's going on?" I asked with a nervous voice. "They moved? Where?"

"Australia, if I remember correctly," she replied with a sigh. "Something about a job transfer. Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. Did they not tell you? They told everyone that they were coming back to pick you up and go to the new home."

"Well I've been here at the station since the train arrived some hours ago and nobody has shown up," I told her with a heavy sigh.

She was the only one that knew I was not going to a school for the criminally insane and instead to a private school in Scotland. We weren't very close, but she had always been rather kind to me. I considered her my only friend in Surrey.

"Well maybe their plane got in late and they're on their way now," she reassured me.

"Or they just abandoned me like I always knew they would," I muttered darkly.

"Now, now, don't brood," she laughed, making me smile slightly. Her laugh could make anyone smile. "Optimism is the way we should go about this situation. Like I told you, they're probably on their way to the station now."

"Well I'm glad one of us is optimistic and hopeful," I chuckled as I brushed the long strands of dark brown hair out of my face. I noted that I should probably cut it. The fringe fell down to my chin and the back was getting longer; grown out from the conservative cut I had done myself. I always had to depend on myself for appearance maintenance. Goodness knows my Aunt hadn't been good at doing anything with it. "Well I suppose I should just wait a little longer before having a full out panic attack."

"If you need anything, just call me," she told me with a lowered voice. I could hear her parents in the background now. "I'll try to help you as much as I can."

"No worries, I'll be fine," I chuckled as I rolled my eyes in amusement. "I'll probably never get to say this if they do show up, but I appreciate the fact that you've helped me out. You're a great girl."

"Someone ought to be kind to you," she giggled.

"Maybe I'll see you again?" I laughed. "Who knows?"

"It was very nice to meet you, sweetie," she told me softly. "When you next visit Surrey, look me up. Bye, Harry."

"Bye, Electra," I bid before hanging up.

Well that was awkward…

I dug around in my pocket and pulled out the folded up piece of tan paper that looked extremely old. It was, but that was beside the point. I sighed, setting my pride to the side for once. Perhaps now was a good time as any?

I slipped the money into the machine and dialed the number carefully, looking around before refolding the paper and shoving it back into my pocket. The phone rang three times before someone picked it up. I held my breath, nervous suddenly.

What if she didn't remember me?

"Hello, this is the Urban residence, may I ask who is calling?" I heard a strict male tone asking, forcibly sounding very upper class and posh however I could hear an underlining of something Eastern European in his accent.

"Hi, this is Harry Potter, can I talk to Anemone Urban please?" I answered with a steady voice, not sounding nervous at all. I added quickly as an after thought, "I'm her elder sister's grandson. She visited once when I was nine. She called me Harper during the duration of that visit." I let out a laugh. "I'm not sure if she'll remember me at all."

"May I ask the importance of this call?" he replied firmly. "She's in the middle of a dinner party with friends."

"She told me to call if I ever needed anything," I explained half-heartedly. I didn't want to just show up out of the blue. It would seem very rude. Now it seemed ruder since I just interrupted a dinner party. "I suppose this current situation I am in constitutes as an emergency."

"Let me retrieve her," he told me. "It will just take a minute."

"Thank you, sir," I replied with a nervous look outside, noticing the city was accosted entirely by the night.

I noted the time being half past nine and ran my hand through my hair again. I should've made these calls earlier. It was entirely rude to be calling this late in the first place. My nerves were rising and I didn't like being here quite as much as before. Too many open spaces and too many closed ones. An attack could be done fast and ugly, leaving none the wiser.

"Harper, are you all right?" I heard the familiar voice of my Great Aunt ask worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"I just got back from my boarding school a few hours ago and my Uncle hasn't shown up yet," I told her detachedly, now feeling miserable at having to state it aloud and hiding it for my pride's sake. "I called the house and the phone is disconnected. So I called a neighbor and she told me that there was a job transfer to Australia supposedly. I wasn't told this and I don't know if I should wait a little lon--"

"Where are you, Harper?" she asked firmly, cutting me off and taking complete control of the situation.

"King's Cross Station, ma'am," I answered instantly.

"You stay there," she told me. "I'm sending my driver Casino Cole to pick you up." She paused. "You'll recognize him instantly. He's rather tall, athletic build, exotic green eyes, black hair, tanned skin, a nose that looks like it's been broken repeatedly. You'll recognize him when you hear him speak. He was the one to pick up the phone earlier."

"But--" I tried to argue, but she cut me quickly off.

"I'll tell him you'll answer to Harper Urban," she continued, not wasting time. "I assume you still have that dark hair and my eyes, correct?"

"Er… yes," I replied with hesitance. "My hair's a bit lengthy though. Grown out from the conservative cut and not quite as dark as it used to be. It's a dark brown now. Black framed glasses."

"Good, good," she stated matter-of-factly. "Now you go sit down and wait. It might take awhile before he gets there. Have you eaten?"

"Not since the food trolley passed through in the late morning on the train," I answered nervously.

"If there is any place that sells food, go purchase some," she told me. "Then go sit down and stay put. Are we clear, Harper?"

"Yes, ma'am," I answered quickly.

"He'll be there soon," she reassured me before hanging up.

I bit my lip and looked around as I hung the phone up. Not seeing any food places or maybe just not caring, I went to drag my trunk back over to the corner and looked at Hedwig in her cage. She looked at me patiently, keeping calm in order to keep me calm.

"I think I have the worst luck there is," I told her with a sigh.

I leaned forward and poked my fingers through the cage. She nipped them gently. Then she hooted softly.

"This will be an interesting evening," I told her with a small smile.

She hooted again.

"You don't think so?" I asked with a frown.

She ruffled her feathers and hooted again.

"Am I not suppose to be the pessimistic one in this relationship?" I asked with amusement.

She hooted again and looked at me sharply.

"I know you're looking out for me," I sighed. "I just think we should be hopeful in this situation."

She gave me a sharp look again, ruffling her feathers.

"Oh, I know," I grumbled. "I was just trying to be optimistic for once. You can't blame me. We haven't ever been on our own before and I should think this time isn't supposed to be followed by bravado and all that nonsense."

She hooted softly before nipping my fingers again.

"And don't think you should go for help," I told her firmly. "My Great Auntie was really a nice woman when I met her. I don't think it was a show. I believe she'll help us."

She hooted softly before looking at me with eyes that seemed to be filled with patient understanding. I sighed as I leaned back in my chair, preparing myself for a long wait. Hedwig ruffled her feathers, shook her tail before seemingly going to sleep.

Yep, the worst luck ever.

Notes:

Just a sample of a story I am currently working on alongside Venom Kisser. Wanted to see if it'd get any attention. Comment to let me know what you all think. And, yes, the new chapter for VK is almost finished. I've been sort of in a block to say the least. The most?--I keep catching colds for four year old cousins. The stomach bug prior and lots of school work altogether. Thanks for patiently waiting and I hope this tides you all over till I can finish the new chapter of VK and edit it. Spa'sibo!