I've read a lot of fics where Harry is abused, or neglected, or left to other extraordinarily terrible circumstances. However, the vast majority of these fics portray a kind-hearted child that could do no wrong. At the very least, these Harry's are usually vulnerable and damaged and shy.

However, in real life many people will take this sort of negativity and have it spike outwards. Many of the bullies I knew were insecure and angry at themselves or their circumstance, and were the victim of some sort of bullying themselves, whether it be other children or an adult figure.

I do not write this fic to be apologetic for these people and children: they still will do genuinely mean and hurtful things, regardless of their own situation. Rather, I write it to imagine a different sort of Harry, a Harry that is still damaged, but less sympathetic at the onset. He is not Dark!Harry or Anti-hero!Harry, but hopefully a Harry that is just as worthy of healing and love as any other.

I hope you enjoy.

The picture from old school records (Albus had to do quite a bit of digging to get to them) looked like exactly what James Potter would have looked like at six years old, complete with round glasses and soft black hair that fell over the forehead.

But this boy in front of him, wearing a dark blue uniform that hung at least a size too large over a thin frame, bore almost little no resemblance. His hair was shaved close to his head, scar plainly in sight, and there were no taped together glasses perched on his face. He had a split lip and a dark red bruise shadowing his left cheek.

He did have green eyes, just like his mother, but they were not full of laughter like hers. They didn't have the sad, pensive look hers occasionally held either. Instead, the boy kept a hard, angry gaze with a sharp edge, revealing no surprise or vulnerability. Albus got the distinct feeling that if there weren't the bulletproof window clouded with scratches and fingerprints, the boy would not hesitate to slash his throat.

Both of them sat silent, waiting for the other to make the first move. The guard had told them they had twenty minutes.

Albus sighed.

"How are you doing, Harry?"

"What's it to you, old man?"

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I'd really prefer it if you called me Albus."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I don't have to call you anything, until you explain who you bloody are, why you're here, and what you want from me."

Dumbledore repressed the urge to sigh again. "Tell me Harry, have you gotten any unusual correspondence in the post recently?"

"I don't get any mail."

"Ah yes, quite reasonable that it might not have gone through that way." Albus could imagine the guards cutting the wax seal and laughing at the letter inside, magic school for scrawny Mr. Potter, and cruelly tossing it in the shredder. "Do you remember anything unusual of late? Perhaps an owl, with an envelope in its beak? Perhaps an owl that was at your window trying to get in?"

The boy made an admirable effort not to look surprised, but Albus could see the stoic gaze shake a little bit.

"Well, if it weren't for your… extenuating circumstances, you would've known that the content of the envelope would read as follows." He took out a piece of paper that didn't look quite normal, too thick and too yellow to be from a printer, and read it aloud.

"Dear Mr Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress"

Albus set the letter in front of him, turned towards Harry so that he could read it through the window.

"As for your questions, I am the headmaster of Hogwarts, I am here because we did not receive notification that you had read the letter, and I would like ask you if you'd like to accept our admissions offer."

At this, Harry let out a short bark of laughter. "A school of witchcraft and wizardry? Owls? I knew that your lot was full of idiots, but I didn't know that they picked ones this stupid."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're a social worker, aren't you? Trying to get at me by giving me this load of bull, trying to make me talk about my feelings or my bloody dreams or some other shite like that. Well, Mr. Dumbledore, I think you're at the wrong place for this. You should try those schools for slow kids that are fucked in the head, they'll eat it right up."

Harry leaned forward a little, smirking wickedly.

"I'll give you some extra points for that beard though, you do look like bloody Merlin."

Dumbledore really shouldn't have been surprised at any of this, and it was his own fault that he hoped the boy would have been delighted at the prospect of Hogwarts, or at the very least a way out of Feltham Young Offenders Institution.

"Perhaps this will convince you then."

Albus pulled out a wand, another detail Harry snickered at, and floated the letter in the air. Harry pulled back a little, doubt still not completely shaken. Albus sent the letter through the window, sending ripples through the plastic as if it were water, and had it gently land on Harry's lap.

At this, the boy's jaw dropped, and he frantically turned around. "Did you see that? Did you bloody see that? Oi!" The guard that had escorted him to the booth paid no attention, as if he were deaf. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!"

Albus allowed himself a small smile. "My dear boy, at the moment, the guard only sees a kindly old man visiting his grandson, asking him about his day and if he's been eating his vegetables. This too, was accomplished with magic."

Harry stared down at the letter, crumpling it in his hands. "You're insane, old man."

"Harry, I could show you many other things, magical things, fantastic things, but I believe you would simply brush them off as flashy tricks. I'm sure you are still a bit shocked at all of this, so I won't push you to make your decision now. Rather—"

Dumbledore took out a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, and sent it through the window like the letter.

"Take this box of jelly beans, think of them as a gift from my visit, they're quite good. If you would like to become a student at Hogwarts, put one of the beans underneath your pillow before the end of the week, and we'll respond within an hour or two."

"The guards—"

"Will not be able to see the box, or the beans. The other boys won't be able to either. Here is another gift." Albus took out a framed picture, something he'd wished to give to the boy for years. It saddened him a little that he could not pass this by hand.

"This is a picture of James and Lily Potter." Harry did not react, even as he saw the two figures wave at him from the image. "Your parents, a year before they had you." Albus's voice became much quieter. "I'm sure they'd be proud of you."

At that, Albus could see Harry just barely twitch. "I would stay longer, but it seems you aren't in the chattiest of moods." The old wizard stood up, and put on the bright purple suit jacket he had draped over the back of his seat.

"By the way Harry, even if you choose not to accept our offer, if you ever need anything, or would like to enjoy my company for some odd reason, just place one of those beans underneath your pillow, and I will try my best to accommodate you."

Albus expected a snapping reply of some sort, but Harry didn't even look up, his eyes fixed on James and Lily in the photo. Albus turned around, and walked towards the exit. He could hear the boy being roughly pulled out of his chair.

"All right you, looks like your visit is up. Back to the cell."

Dumbledore had never been so nervous about a prospective student's decision.