The Pure
By Rosemae
Chapter One
Freak whimpered into the darkness, closed tight in his cupboard under the stairs. He had been bad today! He had wet his pants while out in the garden. Aunt Petunia had hosed him down and given him to his uncle to beat. He was then tossed in his cupboard without dinner. Dinner; an empty promise was all it was. Truth be told, Freak had not eaten in two days. He had not even been able to eat a few leaves from the tress or some grass from the ground while gardening. Hunger was something he was familiar with. He managed to drift off to sleep, in time.
"He doesn't have any magic, Lily..."
"He will grow up alone…"
"A burden on his brother…"
"He will grow jealous…"
"You're right, he is a burden. He will be unhappy… My sister will take him since he's normal."
Hadrian opened his eyes and looked up into the darkness. Dreams? No, Hadrian was sure they were memories. If there was one thing that made him just a little special, it's that he could always remember. He remembered everything. Sometimes it took a minute, but then it always came to him. He remembered every minute of being in this prison, and before.
He remembers his mother, her long red hair and light green eyes. He remembers his father, dark wild hair and smiling face. He remembers his twin, with whom he had shared nine months in the womb. He remembers his Uncle Siri and his godfather, Remus.
He remembers the night things went bad, before they got worse. That Halloween night, when the bad man broke into the home. The bad man. He still had nightmares about him. His eyes pitch black, his skin pale, and the stench about him. How the man walked stiffly, like one of the zombies in that show Dudley watched. Possessed. That was the word. The bad man, Hadrian was sure, was possessed.
The man killed the young teen who had been there with him and his brother. At one and a half Hadrian remembered that his brother had wanted to sleep in his bed that night. Much to the babysitter's distress. The two curled together in the crib, snuggling like they often did. William slept, but Hadrian woke up to the ruckus from downstairs. He watched the babysitter run into their room and try and shut the door. Then BAM, she hit the floor. Then the bad man entered the room and looked to the crib. He pointed a wand at them, and Hadrian felt a quiver. NO! his mind yelled as he clenched his eyes closed. BOOM! His eyes snapped open; a white dome surrounded him and William. It fell, and with it Hadrian passed out next to his sleeping brother.
He remembered that for days after that, his parents clung to him. There were more and more people around than normal. Each face Hadrian could remember but names were not often given. William was being hailed as a hero of some kind. Everyone wanted to be around him, and Hadrian remembered fading into the background. Months turned into a year, and one year into two.
Hadrian remembered his brother's fourth birthday, there was a big party. William and he may be twins, but they did not share a birthday. Hadrian James Potter was born on August 1st, at 12:02am. William Charles Potter was born July 31st at 10:12PM. It was at this party that he first heard whispers.
"A squib."
"No magic."
"Why keep him?"
Hadrian did not understand at first. But then, a week later, he remembered a doctor doing tests, then telling his parents that they were right, no magic detected. Then not even a week later he remembers standing outside of this prison next to his mom.
"Petunia, he has no magic; he cannot stay in our world. So, I am giving him to you. We will send you money monthly for child support. It will be a fair sum," his mother had explained, not giving him a second look as she turned without waiting for an answer. Then she was gone, and his hell began.
They never wanted him, and they had no problem with letting him know. He tried, at first, to get them to love him. After his sixth birthday, he understood that trying was not worth it. Then he started school, and they found out he was gifted. The teachers praised him, and he learned fast. Books were his friend, much to the disgust of his jailors. Soon they had enough of teachers calling, and all the talk about Hadrian, so at age eight he was pulled from school. They told everyone he was going to a special school. That never happened; no, he was locked away because they feared what he would say.
Aunt Petunia watched him, Dudley made sure no one talked to him, and Vernon kept him weak and in line. It was not long after being pulled from school that the beatings got worse, and that Hadrian noticed unexplainable things started to happen. He healed very quickly, and sometimes things exploded during the beatings. Sometimes when he was REALLY hungry food would appear in front of him. He knew this was not normal but was grateful for it when it did.
Hadrian shifted in the small space. He was unsure this time what it was that he had done, but his uncle was very, very mad! And he kept him locked up since just after his 11th birthday. The strange thing about it was, well, Hadrian remembers basically everything, but this time he was unable to remember anything he had done wrong. His uncle had not even blamed him for anything, just came into the house, grabbed him, and shoved him in his cupboard. Then nothing after that.
Hadrian had to admit it was a nice rest. It was late summer, after all, and he would rather be in his cupboard than doing chores around the house, or even outside managing the yard. He had not had a good long rest like this in a while. But truth be told, he had been in there for four days. He was at the point where he felt over-rested, filthy, parched, and starved. His aunt only let him out a few times a day to use the bathroom, then locked him up tight again.
He was relieved when the door opened after his uncle got home. His aunt had him shower, and his uncle informed him that he was not permitted to go outside for a few weeks. Hadrian could not help but wonder if perhaps someone saw something and questioned his relatives. But he did not ponder the reason for long, as he was ordered to clean up and cook dinner.
The rest of the month he was kept inside. The beatings had seemed to lessen, and he was getting a little more food than normal. His aunt and uncle were acting strange, peeking out the windows constantly, and brooding. Hadrian could not remember a time when they'd looked so stressed.
But then it happened. On September 2nd, at 8:00 am on the dot, there came a knock on the door. Hadrian had just finished cooking breakfast for the Dursleys, who were sitting down to eat it. The knock made his aunt drop her fork, and his uncle stab at his plate.
"Go to your cupboard, boy!" his uncle demanded, and Hadrian quickly did as he was told. "You will keep quiet!"
Hadrian could hear the front door open. "What do you want" his uncle barked out.
"Hello, Vernon. Hello, Petunia. It would appear we need to discuss Harry," a female voice said. Hadrian wracked his brain; he knew that voice, and then he remembered. Lily. It was his mother at the door. "Are you not going to invite me in?"
"Both of you get in before someone sees you!" Petunia hissed. Hadrian heard the front door slam.
"What a lovely home you have, sister."
"Enough small talk. I take it you are here for the boy?" he heard his aunt say.
"Yes. It would appear that we were misinformed, and that he has magic after all," a male voice that Hadrian quickly placed as his father's responded.
"He's been doing freaky things since he was eight!" Vernon exclaimed angrily. "If you had ever checked in after pawning him off on us, we would have made you take him then! You never gave us a way to contact you, or even a chance to reject your request to care for him."
"We were informed by a healer that he was a squib. We were unaware he had any kind of magic until we were contacted last night by the Hogwarts Headmaster, who informed us that his name was on the First Years' list. Did you not get a letter regarding his acceptance into Hogwarts?" Lily asked. "It should have come just after his 11th birthday."
"It doesn't matter! BOY, get out here now!" Vernon yelled. Hadrian quickly scrambled from the cupboard and to the entrance hall. "Well, here he is! Now get out of my home, the three of you, and never come back!" Vernon ripped open the front door and stood glaring at them.
"Very well. Come, Harry. Thank you for your time, sister, Vernon," Lily responded icily as she turned and left the house. Hadrian followed her, and his father brought up the end. They traveled to the end of the street before they came to a stop. Lily turned and faced Hadrian, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"All right, Harry, we have a few places to go to get your school things, and then we will take you to Hogwarts. Grab my hand and hold on tight," she instructed, while holding her hand out to him. Hadrian hesitated for only a minute, before he grasped it and felt a tugging sensation. He closed his eyes as he felt the ground below him disappear, only two seconds later to smash onto it once more. Blinding pain raced through his body and he couldn't hold back a loud gasp. He was sure one or two of the cuts from his latest beating had re-opened.
"Up you go," James said as he hauled Hadrian back to his feet. Causing even more pain than before.
"That hurts!" Hadrian yelped out in pain. Involuntary tears sprang to his eyes.
James turned and studied him, frowning. "I did not grab you that hard."
"No, only the teleporting only ripped open the wounds from my last beating, and your sudden yanking on me made it worse."
"And what were you disciplined for?" James asked as he narrowed his eyes. "We expect that you will be well-behaved, Harry, especially in public. Or we will discipline you as well."
"I wasn't disciplined, I was beaten. You didn't leave me with the nicest people in the world! They beat me all the time and starved me! Kept me locked up!" That got the attention of both his parents. Lily's eyes, so like his own, swept over him from head to foot, and then narrowed thoughtfully. Hadrian hoped she would say or do something, maybe ask to see his injuries, but after a moment she shook her head dismissively and turned away without a word. James, on the other hand, merely looked impatient.
"Enough, we do not have time for this nonsense!" James demanded. "First we are taking you to Ollivander for your wand. That will most likely take a little while, so while you are there your mother and I will split up to get the rest of your school supplies. After we return to Ollivander for you, we will sit down for lunch, then get you your school uniform and other clothing necessities. If all goes well we should have you to Hogwarts before dinner time."
With that proclamation, James began walking down the street, leaving Lily and Hadrian to follow. Hadrian chewed on his lip in frustration as he was led down the street and to an old shop. "Okay, go in here and let Ollivander find you a wand. Then wait here until we get back."
Hadrian wasn't surprised that they both turned and left right after that. Nothing else was said, they just turned and walked further down the alley. So, Hadrian turned and walked into the shop behind him. A bell over the door jingled as he opened it. An older gentleman came out from a back room, carrying a few boxes in his hands. "Hello, child, are you lost?" he asked.
Hadrian shuffled into the room away from the door, letting it swing shut behind him. "No, sir, I was sent in here to get a wand for Hogwarts."
The man looked Hadrian over, causing Hadrian to feel a bit uncomfortable. "It would seem appearances in your case are deceiving. You look quite young to be heading to Hogwarts. What is your name, child?" the man asked.
"Hadrian Potter, sir."
The man raised a brow at his name but presented him with a smile not a second later. "Pleased to meet you. I am Ollivander. I had heard that the younger Potter twin was a squib. But reading magic is not a definite thing, and to try and do it at such a young age. . . I am pleased to see that they were wrong. Now, young Hadrian, let's see about finding you a wand. Please hold out your dominant arm for me," Ollivander requested, while swishing his wand at a tape measure lying on the dusty counter.
Hadrian stuck out his right arm and watched in fascination as the tape measure danced though the air, and around his arm before it snapped back to Ollivander. "Good. Good, very good. Now, let's find you a wand!"
And with that, Hadrian's day got very interesting. Ollivander had him try wand after wand. There was a lot of swishing, and ever more disastrous results. Hadrian couldn't help but laugh; this seemed like a ridiculous method to try and match someone with a wand. "The wand chooses the wizard, young Hadrian, so it is only logical that the wizard has to try the wands. You are one of the harder ones…." At that point Ollivander started muttering to himself. It was hard for Hadrian to make out.
Suddenly Ollivander turned to Hadrian. "Well, we could keep going as we are, or we can try a different way. Most children your age are not very familiar with using their magic to feel things. However, if you concentrate and reach out with your magic, it is possible that you could feel a wand calling to you."
Hadrian figured it was a good suggestion, so he closed his eyes, focused on his breathing. He remembered reading a book on meditation once, perhaps that was what this instance called for. In, out, in, out. Hadrian felt himself drifting, and then there was a small tug. Hadrian jerked a little from it, then focused on where the tug came from.
BAM! rang out through the shop, and Hadrian's eyes snapped open. He watched as Ollivander walked down an aisle to pick up a box that had fallen on the ground. Ollivander picked up the box, and dusted it off. The aged man's hands shook some, and he glanced in awe between Hadrian and the box.
"Could it be?" Ollivander took the lid off and held the box out to Hadrian. The wand looked like two pieces of intertwined wood, one white, the other a light green. It was lovely, in Harry's opinion.
Hadrian plucked the wand from the offered box and inhaled as his magic and the wand seemed to become one. His magic seemed to wisp around him, like a gust of wind. It felt right, and quite complex, yet at the same time . . . balanced. Hadrian found he couldn't quite find words for it.
Before he could ponder any further, Ollivander spoke once more. "Truly, I am blessed. That wand could only match with one of the few born pure, gifted by Mother Magic to bring balance, what wizards of old called the Ar'rie. This wand is old, and I never expected to witness it finding its match, at least not while I was here in Britain. It is composed of White Ash with the core of freely-given Unicorn blood, merged with Willow containing the core of Thestral mane hair. Life and death, balanced together. "
Hadrian looked over the wand more closely; the two woods were not merely twined around each other, but rather appeared to be fused together into one smooth wand.
"Mr. Potter, I need to be frank with you."
"Please, sir, call me Hadrian."
"Of course, young Hadrian. But please be mindful of the information I have given you today. Ar'rie are rare gifts, and the likes of one has not stepped foot on British soil for many centuries. The laws concerning them here in Britain are crude. Keep the information to yourself until you are 16, or if by chance you find one of your Bonded before then, it would be safe to share after the bonding. I would speak with the goblins, they could provide you with a lot of aid. Ar'rie are revered and precious to all magical creatures and beings; they would see to it that you are well cared for and protected."
"Thank you, Mr. Ollivander, but are you sure I am an . . . Ar'rie?" Hadrian stumbled a bit over the strange word.
"Oh, I am positive. You see, my line has a gift that lets us see other's magics. It's how we are able to make wands and match them with the right people. Your magic is so bright and so pure, neither Light nor Dark but an evenly balanced grey, that shines like silver. I knew unicorn would fit you well, but the wood can sometimes be trickier. Ar'rie are rare, and they avoid Britain. However, that wand, it was made by my great-great-great-grandmother for another Ar'rie. Who returned it to my great-great-grandfather, to take care of. You see, that Ar'rie had a vision, that one day this wand would be passed to another Ar'rie, who would be in desperate need of its balance. So, when it fell from the shelf - well, I am sure you noticed my shock."
"Could you tell me more about the wand?" Hadrian requested.
"How about we sit down for some tea while we discuss that wand?" suggested Ollivander. Hadrian nodded in confirmation and was shown to the next room. It was a workshop room, with shelves full of wood and jars and boxes full of other components. Ollivander waved him over to a small three-person table that was set up at one side of the room. Harry sat while the strange old man prepared the tea, finally joining him at the table and pouring them both a cup.
Ollivander stirred a small amount of sugar into his cup. "Let's start with the wood, shall we? White Ash is a rare magical wood. Ash, as it is, is normally very stubborn and picky when it comes to its allegiance. It cannot be won or gifted. No, it is meant for a particular someone. This is how I am sure you are an Ar'rie. White Ash, when matched with Unicorn, well, that makes for even more stubbornness! Only an Ar'rie can wield that wand, it will work for no other. I am sure this represents a stubbornness in you, as well. Unicorn blood freely-given is rare, and my thrice great-grandmother was very lucky to have saved the life of the Unicorn who provided the blood for this wand. Blood of a Unicorn freely-given represents life and power. Had my thrice great-grandmother used Unicorn hair, the wand would not be as powerful as it is. And yes, Hadrian, this wand is extraordinarily powerful. Its fused counterpart is Willow wood and Thestral hair. Willow trees are known to represent intelligence, insecurity, a kind heart, and great potential. They also are great when working with healing magic. Thestral hair is a most difficult ingredient. Hard to harvest, as only one who has seen death can see a Thestral. Thestral makes for a powerful core. As I said earlier, this wand is a balance of life and death. Life from the unicorn, death from the Thestral. Thestral are gentle creatures, shy and stubborn. The wand tells a lot about a wizard."
Hadrian smiled at him. "Are you suggesting I am stubborn?"
The old man fixed him with a kindly, yet knowing look, cocking an eyebrow. "I am sure that in some ways you are, am I right, young Hadrian?"
Hadrian laughed in response. "All right, I am sure that I can be a bit of all of the traits you mentioned. What about my brother's wand? What did it tell you about him?"
"Your brother's wand? That was a wand made of Dogwood, with the core made of Griffin hair. The wand is quite powerful and reflects that your brother is proud and enjoys creating mischief. I am sure he learned that from your father," Ollivander said drily. "The Dogwood is playful, and good for enchantments. Griffin hair shows that he is prideful, stubborn, and protective, good for offensive magic."
"Is he a good person? Does the wand tell you that?" Hadrian asked. After the long separation from his family, Hadrian was not impressed with his parents. However, he had hoped that this man had a peek into what he could expect his twin to be like.
"No, young Hadrian, the wand cannot tell me the true nature of its master. Only give me an idea of what is normally a common trait that the wand seeks in its match."
"Oh, I see." Pensively, Hadrian sipped his tea.
"There is a request I wish to make to you, regarding payment for the wand."
Hadrian glanced up at him. "My parents are going to pay for it when they return from gathering my Hogwarts supplies."
"Yes, I am sure they will. However, I would like to request a different method of payment."
Hadrian shifted in his seat. "And what is your request?"
"I would love the pleasure of taking some strands of your hair to try and use for my wand making. Five strands would be enough to experiment with." Ollivander explained.
Hadrian smiled up at him, "Only five? Are you sure that is fair? We could cut off a lock if it pleases you. I don't mind."
Ollivander held up his hand to cut Hadrian off. "No, five will do. You see, I would need to pluck the hair out by the root. The more root on the hair, the better it will merge with the wand. I do not wish to cause you any more pain than is necessary."
"I understand. Then I still insist that you take ten good strands. I can sit through a little hair pulling, so long as you inform me of the outcome of your experiments. If you have any successful wands produced I would also like to know when they pick a wizard or witch," Hadrian negotiated.
"Then we have a deal!" Ollivander said, excitement laced in his voice. Hadrian sat still while Ollivander one by one plucked the hairs from his head. It really did smart a little, and Ollivander had to pull more than ten strands because some strands did not come out with the root attached. Harry watched as Ollivander put the strands of hair into a box and closed it up tight. "Thank you for this, Hadrian. When your parents present payment for your wand, I will slip it back to you. A boy your age can always do with a little extra spending money"
Hadrian smiled, and thanked him for his kindness. Ollivander and he sipped their tea and talked a bit more about wand cores before a bell chimed as the door opened.
"Harry?" was called out by Lily Potter. Both Ollivander and Hadrian made their way back to the front of the shop. Lily Potter stood there by herself and explained that James had gone to get them a table at a local restaurant while she collected him. Lily inspected Hadrian's wand, then paid Ollivander the cost.
Ollivander, true to his word, slipped the coins into Hadrian's hand when he shook it goodbye. "It was a real pleasure to meet you, Hadrian. Please feel free to stop by for tea again," he said as they parted.
"I will, thank you, Mr. Ollivander," Hadrian replied.
Lily frowned at the conversation not liking how comfortable they were after such a short time together. So, she cut them both off, and dragging Hadrian from the store. "Come, we must meet up with James." She grasped his arm and pulled him alongside her down the street.