- Gift Giving Gala: Written for WolfWinks / Prompts: Harry/Ron (platonic), Muggle!AU

- 2017 Drabbles: Orphan

Word Count: 1,161

"Hurry up, orphan-boy," snarled Harry's cousin Dudley as the family climbed out of the car. It was Dudley's eleventh birthday today, and as a special treat, Petunia and Vernon had decided to take him out to the zoo with his friend Piers.

Harry had half-heartedly hoped that they would leave him in the car. Although he had been somewhat excited about visiting animals that he had previously only seen in the pages of his schoolbooks, he was beginning to doubt that the visit would be worth the taunting from Dudley and his friend. Piers and Dudley had been sat either side of Harry for the long car journey, and both of them had spent the duration prodding and poking him, pulling his hair and stealing his glasses.

"Get a move on," grumbled Uncle Vernon, who was already purple in the face from shuffling across the car park. He was a gigantic beetroot of a man, and anything that usually required minimal exercise was not on Uncle Vernon's schedule — but today was different.

"Oh, aren't we all excited for Diddy's special day?" Aunt Petunia cooed, ruffling her enormous son's fluffy blond hair as she spoke. Dudley muttered a 'gerroff!' while Piers sniggered, and Harry rolled his eyes behind their backs.

But Uncle Vernon had spotted him. As they reached the entrance to the zoo, he stuck out a fat hand to stop Harry, and crouched down to his level. "I'm warning you, boy. Anymore of that attitude, and you'll be lucky we don't leave you with the monkeys." He gave the front of Harry's shirt a quick, threatening squeeze, and then walked ahead of him, catching up with the rest of the family. Harry ambled after them slowly. He could only be so lucky for the Dursleys to leave Harry in the monkey enclosure — at least he would probably have more room there than he did at home in his cupboard.

The day at the zoo was as miserable as any normal day at home. The sun was blisteringly hot, and the Dursleys had forced Harry to carry Dudley and Piers's sweaty coats. They were bought enormous meals of hamburgers and fries and large strawberry milkshakes, while Harry was left to snack on the remaining few chip that Piers left. Afterwards, they were presented with gigantic chocolate ice creams, and Harry was given a cheap lemon ice lolly — but only after the lady in the van had been quick to ask him what he wanted. The animals were interesting, but as Harry looked in every tank, cage and enclosure, he could only mourn their poor habitat. He knew what it was like to be holed up in a box and have people staring at you. Harry was treated like a pariah most of the time because Dudley instilled fear in the other children at school. No one wanted to become Dudley's punching bag.

He longed for something wonderful to happen. For someone to appear in the middle of the night and tell the Dursleys that there had been a huge mistake — that they had dropped him on the wrong doorstep as a baby, that he really had other relatives who would look after him properly, and not treat him like a servant. Sometimes in the gloomiest days spent locked inside his cupboard, he dreamt up wild fantasies of magic, wishing that he could click his fingers and turn the Dursleys into frogs, and then fly off into the sunset on a broomstick.

But there was no such thing as magic. All Harry could do was wait for the next miserable seven years to pass, when he would finally be old enough to leave the Dursleys and live on his own.

In the afternoon, they wandered into the snake enclosure. Harry found himself watching Dudley banging rudely on the tank of a Boa Constrictor, demanding it to move. The snake was snoozing, but Harry saw it open an eye every now and then, though it didn't rise to Dudley's taunts. He wished that something would happen; for the glass to vanish and Dudley to fall into the pond at the bottom of the tank, and for the snake to slither out of it's captivity.

But of course, nothing happened. There was no such thing as magic.

Harry sat on a bench in the corner, watching miserably as the Dursleys continued to wander around the snake enclosure. Eventually Dudley seemed bored by the unmoving snakes, and the family left the room, leaving Harry behind. He didn't really mind. Whilever he was forgotten, the Dursleys weren't giving him grief.

"Mind if I sit?" a voice made Harry jump. He looked up into the face of a gangly redhead who looked around the same age as Harry. He nodded, and the redhead sat down beside him. "I'm knackered from walking around this place," he said. "My little sister loves this place. We must have been in every enclosure at least twice."

Harry shrugged. "It's okay, I suppose. If I was here under different circumstances, I might have enjoyed myself."

"I saw your dad and brother hassling you earlier."

"He's not my dad. He's my uncle, and Dudley's my cousin."

"Oh. I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley," he stuck out a hand, and Harry shook it.

"Harry Potter."

"Where are your parents, then?" Ron probed.

Harry licked his dry lips. He didn't normally talk so openly to strangers, but it had been a very long time since he had a friend, and Ron seemed nice. "They're…they're dead."

"I'm so sorry," Ron said quickly.

"No, it's okay. Well, it's not. I mean, they died when I was a baby. I never knew them. I've always lived with my aunt and uncle." Harry sighed. "They hate me, I don't know why. They always have done."

"I suppose I know how you feel," Ron replied. "My parents don't hate me, but I usually feel quite alone. I'm the second youngest of seven kids. My parents have always been so overrun with kids that I am usually holed up in my room."

"Seven brothers and sisters? That's pretty cool."

Ron shrugged, and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a shrink-wrapped sandwich. "Do you want to share this with me? I hope you don't think I'm being rude, but you're pretty skinny. You look hungry," he paused to unwrap the sandwich. It was brown bread, with some kind of paste as a filling. "It's not much. My parents don't have much money."

"You don't have to—"

"—it's okay," Ron tore the sandwich in half, and handed the bigger half to Harry. "What's the point of making new friends if you're not going to share things with them?"

Harry blinked at Ron.

"Sorry, did I say something?" Ron continued, biting into his half of the sandwich.

"N-no. I…I've just never had a friend before."

Ron grinned. "Well, you've got one now."