It happened on Harry's tenth birthday. He had finished cleaning the kitchen after dinner and was heading to his cupboard. His uncle had ordered him to go to his cupboard when he was finished with his evening chores. Harry knew that not going to his cupboard would lead to painful punishments, but his aunt and uncle were out of the house for a last minute business affair. They hadn't had time to get a proper babysitter, so they had sat Dudley in front of the television and let him watch his shows. Uncle Vernon had emphatically threatened Harry if anything happened while he and Petunia were gone. Mindful of the threat, Harry had finished the cleaning more quickly than usual. It was almost as if things were cleaning and sorting themselves as fast as Harry could think of them, but Harry knew better than to tell anyone about that.

Then, as he passed the stairs, he had heard the show that Dudley was watching. Harry knew he had time, and curiosity got the better of him, so he snuck up the doorway to see the show that Dudley was watching. He hadn't meant to watch for more than a few minutes, but the show had enthralled him. Harry had forgotten where he was and what he was doing when he felt the meaty hand take hold of his shoulder. His uncle had growled something low and mean, but Harry had been too shocked at his mistake to understand. He understood plenty though, when a fist knocked his glasses off his face and sent him sprawling onto his blanket under the stairs. Threats had been made, the door slammed and locks turned. Harry laid back and felt the wetness on his face. He looked at his hands expecting to see blood, but there was something wrong with his eyes. His vision was even more blurry than normal, and there was no color. His hands were an indistinct greyish blob, and they were covered with a brighter grey fluid. He hoped things would be better when he woke up, then he fell unconscious.

Harry panicked the next morning when he couldn't see. He fumbled for his glasses before remembering what had happened. He couldn't even see grey now. Everything was black. He held his hands in front of his face. Not even shades of black, he thought. Everything is just plain black. He thought about the night before. He had been stupid and got caught up in the show. It had been a great show, he thought. Humans and aliens living and working on a starship together. There had been some kind of robot person on the crew as well. They had been fighting another ship filled with beings that were part flesh and part machine. The machines, as Harry thought of them, had been very interesting. They were powerful. They could communicate with each other silently. They worked together flawlessly. It was this last bit that Harry found most entrancing. What would it be like to be part of a team like that? The humans and aliens had been lucky to escape.

Harry's thoughts returned to his present circumstance. What was he going to do now? What would Uncle Vernon do when he found Harry unable to see? Harry curled up in reflexive fear. Then he remembered some of the things that had happened to him before. He remembered running from Dudley and his gang, seeing the safety of the rooftop, longing to be safely up there, and somehow traveling to that safety. He remembered Dudley and his gang on the prowl, and Harry in their path with nowhere to hide. Harry had been too afraid to run that time. So he had frozen to immobility, closed his eyes, and prayed they would somehow not notice him. Fifteen minutes later, when Harry got up the courage to open his eyes, he had been surprised to find himself alone, hale, and Dudley and his gang nowhere in sight. He remembered his aunt cutting his hair, and he somehow regrowing it overnight.

The serious risk of the first two memories contrasted with the more frivolous threat of the last shocked Harry. Why had that memory popped up then? He considered for a minute or two, then realization shocked him again. He, Harry, had caused those things to happen. He had some kind of power. And if he could regrow his hair, why not regrow his eyes? But if he regrew his eyes, why make them the same weak things they were before? In fact, why not make them machine eyes, like the ones from the show? They had to still look mostly human, he thought. But green still. That was the one thing he had liked about his eyes. They would remain green, but with a slight metallic sheen and soft glow he decided. They would be much better than his human eyes though. He wouldn't need glasses at all. And he would be able to see things far away. And really tiny things, too. And they would shoot powerful lasers. Wait! That was comics not machines. But they would be able to help him communicate silently, the way the machines did. His idea for his new eyes settled, Harry concentrated on making them grow. He concentrated so fiercely, that he sank into a kind of trance and didn't notice the time passing. He didn't notice the noises his Uncle and Aunt made as they went about their normal routine the next morning. He didn't notice Dudley stomping down the stairs when he was called to breakfast. He didn't notice anything for three days.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had decided to leave the boy in the cupboard as a punishment the day after the incident. The day had been quite peaceful. The boy had made none of his normal ruckus. They could almost forget he was there, so they decided to leave him in there the next day too. After the third day, when there was still no noise or smell coming from the boy's cupboard, Petunia began to worry. She didn't want anyone to find out how they treated the boy. She knew the boy deserved it, but outsiders wouldn't understand. Besides, she was tired of cooking, and the boy needed to catch up on his chores. Uncle Vernon opened the cupboard door and bellowed at the boy to get his lazy bum out of bed and get to work.

Harry groaned at the noise of his uncle shouting at him. He reflexively opened his eyes and immediately shut them again and covered them with his hands. Why was it so bright? His uncle shouted at him again, so he lowered his hands and started getting out of bed. He kept his eyes shut and groped around for his glasses. His uncle shouted at him again, and this time Harry understood the words. "Your glasses are broken freak. You'll just have to do without for now. Now, get out of bed and make us breakfast. And you'd better hurry, or you'll make me late for work."

Harry groaned as his muscled protested the movement. Harry made his way to the kitchen and began making breakfast. It wasn't as late as his uncle had implied, so Harry didn't have to rush too much. He was engrossed in his task, and he was hungrier than he should have been, so Harry didn't note how well he could see. His relatives ate the meal like normal. Harry ignored his hunger and ate what little he was normally allowed. After the meal, Harry began cleaning like usually did. His relatives went about their usual activities, and no one mentioned the incident or Harry's punishment. His aunt and uncle noticed that Harry's lack of glasses didn't seem to be hindering his ability to do his chores, so they said no more about it.

Harry had finished his house cleaning and was weeding the flower beds when he began thinking again. He had lost himself in the normality of his chores and let his mind wander. Mindless chores had actually helped, he thought. They had given him the peace and quiet he had needed to recover. His aunt and uncle didn't bother him while he was working, and even Dudley had learned not to interfere with his chores. That was about the only rule his parents enforced on Dudley. Oh, they still punished Harry for allowing Dudley to interfere, but they also punished Dudley, if in a more civilized manner. Harry thought about what had happened, and then grinned to himself as he realized he had new eyes. He began to test them to see if they were the machine eyes he wanted.

Harry concentrated on the stem of the rose bush in front of him. The stem grew bigger and the world around him faded into the background. Harry was surprised to see the little bugs crawling around on the tree like trunk the stem had become. He was fascinated at the world that existed on this one part of this tiny little bush. He stared at the tiny little world around him while he finished his weeding. When he was done he went the hose to wash up. His aunt did not like it if he tracked dirt into the house. After he cleaned himself, he waited to dry before entering the house to start dinner. He looked around the neighborhood and was startled as distant scenes leapt into focus. He got dizzy if he turned too fast. He would have to work on this part, he thought. He moved his head carefully until he was looking at the park at the end of the street. He could see the individual leaves on the trees. He could see the blades of grass. He could see the grains of sand. He could see the children playing on the swings and climbing on the jungle gym. He could see the child sitting by herself on a bench between the parking lot and playground. He could see the tears falling from her eyes as she pretended to read. Suddenly, she looked up and stared back at him.

Harry almost looked away. He normally did not make eye contact. His aunt and uncle had taught him that freaks did not look at their betters. Freaks were to keep their heads down and try to avoid notice. Harry would have looked away, but he felt sadness and loneliness that mirrored his own feelings but did not seem to come from inside. As he stared into the girls eyes he those feelings were muted. They were still present, but they were being covered over by confusion and fear.

Susan wondered why she felt like she was being watched. She couldn't see anyone looking at her.

Huh, thought Harry. Who was Susan? Oh, Susan was the girl at whom he was staring. Oh, he had asked his eyes to help him communicate with other machines. Was Susan a machine? No, she had no thoughts of being a machine. And she couldn't see him. He wondered if she could sense his thoughts. Too bad, all he could sense was a slow increase in her fear and confusion. Wait. That meant he could sense human thoughts. Huh. Wait, that wasn't Susan's thought. That spike of excitement. It was coming from the van entering the parking lot behind Susan. They were after Susan. NO! Susan was nice. They could not have her!

Harry ran as fast as he could, running even before finishing the last thought. He didn't wonder how he knew that Susan was nice. He didn't wonder why he cared. He didn't think about the water still flowing from the hose he had dropped. They were after Susan, and he had to get there before they could take her. They were driving a van, and they were closer! He had to go faster! Harry began pop forward with each step as he focused on saving Susan. He was at the edge of the park when the van skidded to a stop behind Susan. The side door next to Susan opened and two figures clothed all in black jumped out and grabbed her. Susan screamed. Harry didn't notice the screams of parents, minders, and children at the drama unfolding in front of them. He noticed the spike of Susan's fear, and he gave one last great leap. He blurred across the park and crashed into the two men before they could drag Susan into the van. The men went sprawling, and Susan went flying. Susan flew away from the men and Harry, and crashed to the ground, hitting her head on the pavement. Harry felt the spike of fear, the confusion of the crash, and the pain of hitting her head. When she lost consciousness, Harry did too.

Some of the parents and minders stood frozen in shock at the scene before them. Others though, rushed to help. The two men rose from where they has fallen. They realized they would not be able to get the girl now. They scrambled into the van, and the van roared away over the sound of approaching sirens.

Harry woke up sitting in the back of an ambulance. The doors were open, and a young black man was examining him. Harry looked at the young man and felt his diminishing concern at Harry's apparent healthiness. The boy was scrawny. There was something a little off. But he wasn't bleeding and nothing appeared to be broken. "That was quite the brave thing you did lad." The young man spoke as he helped Harry sit up. "My name is David. What is your name?"

"Harry." Harry responded quietly and the young man shined a penlight in his eyes. Harry shied away from the light. "That's bright." He said plaintively. "Why are you doing that, David?"

"I'm a paramedic Harry. I'm checking your pupil reaction to see if you have a concussion."

"Oh, well, I feel fine. But that light is annoying."

David laughed at Harry's bluntness. Children could be the best patients or the worst. Lucky for him, Harry was of the former category. "Ok, Harry. I'll stop. I need your parent to sign the release before I can let you go though." David looked around, wondering why the parent had not shown up yet, missing Harry's flinch at the question.

"My parents are dead." David quickly turned his attention back to Harry at the sad voice. "I live with my aunt and uncle over there." Harry waved lazily at the street he had come from. "I saw the girl sitting by herself and thought she looked lonely. I left without telling my aunt to come and see her. That's when the men showed up and I tried to save her. My aunt is going to be so mad at me." Harry seemed to have forgotten about David. "Wait," he said suddenly focusing on David again. "What happened to her?"

"Your aunt?"

"No the girl. Did they get her? Is she ok?"

"It's ok Harry. The girl is fine. She hit her head when you knocked her away from the men. The men escaped in the van, but they didn't get her. She's been taken to hospital for treatment."

"Oh, good." Harry relaxed. "Can I go now."

"I'm sorry Harry, but I can't let you go without your aunt's permission. Do you know her phone number?"

Harry told David the number and settled in to wait as he called Petunia. Harry hoped she wouldn't be too mad, but prepared himself for punishment all the same.

oooOOOooo

Petunia noticed the water had been running too long. What has that freak done now? She thought as she glared out the window. The boy was nowhere to be seen, but she could see the hose laying on the ground and water rushing out. She went out and turned off the water. Where was that blasted boy? Just wait til Vernon gets home, she thought angrily. What was going on over at the park? She could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles and a crowd of people. Oh no, she paled at the thought. That freak is involved in this. I know he is. Oh, he is going to get it tonight. Petunia's thoughts of vengeance for the trouble the boy was causing were interrupted by the phone ringing. She put on her polite public face and answered the phone. Her eyes shown with anger, but her voice remained polite as she spoke with the paramedic. Running off after a girl indeed! Hero? As if!

Petunia went to the park and retrieved Harry. She was polite and pleasant as was required in public. She signed Harry's release and pretended to be pleased with his heroics. She could do little else as the crowd congratulated her on her nephew's exploits. If anyone noticed that her happiness did not extend to hugging the hero, well some families didn't act like that in public. If anyone noticed the timidity of the nephew, well he was probably shy and still in shock. The paramedic might have noticed, but he had been called to another emergency, so he left as soon as Petunia signed the forms.

Harry recognized his aunt's posture. He saw the truth in her eyes. He had broken the rule. Freaks were not to be noticed. He hoped his aunt would punish him when they got home. If she was really angry, she would wait for Uncle Vernon. Harry knew that would mean punishment for the act itself, and punishment for disturbing his aunt, and punishment for thus disturbing his uncle. His aunt was actually nice to him when they got home. She fed him and told him what a hero he was. He could see the truth in her eyes though. She wanted him relaxed when his punishment came. Harry prepared himself for the worst.

Harry thought he had prepared himself. He was wrong. His uncle had never beaten him that badly before. He had always been careful not to do too much damage. But really, being a freak in front of everyone at the neighborhood park. Obviously, his punishments had not been thorough enough.

Harry lay in his cupboard. His face was swollen. He was sure he had bruises everywhere. But his chest and back were the worst. Every position he tried to lie in was painful. He could barely breathe. He wondered if his ribs were broken. He thought he would probably be dead if he weren't a machine. Well, he didn't want to go through this again. He would have to fix his bones so they couldn't be broken. He would never endure this kind of pain again. Harry sank deep into his desire to heal and strengthen his bones so they could never be broken again. His breathing stilled as his trance deepened. He gave no thought to the bruises. His bones were the important part.

oooOOOooo

Amelia cursed herself silently as she waited for her niece to awaken. The doctors had told her Susan was in no danger and would make a full recovery. Silly muggles. If they were at Saint Mungos her niece would already be healed. Still, they meant well. And it was her idea to try and hide out with the muggles. She couldn't believe that her enemies had used muggle means to try and grab her niece though. And who was the wonderful boy who had saved her? Amelia had come straight to hospital when notified of the attempted kidnapping and her daughter, oops, niece. She had been doing that more and more lately. She had raised Susan since her parents had been killed. It was almost ten years now. She couldn't help it if Susan meant as much to her as the child she never had. She had to find the boy and thank him. But first, she needed Susan to wake up, and she needed to be here when Susan did.

Amelia forced her thoughts away from Susan for a moment to consider who had been behind the attempt. She had been working with the muggle law enforcement since almost her entire family had been killed in the first war. She had thought it would be safer for Susan in the muggle world, and she kept her contacts open by liaising with the DMLE. She supposed it could have been muggle criminals behind the attempt, but she somehow felt that it wasn't that simple. She didn't have any evidence, but she felt sure that former death eaters had been looking for revenge. Hmmm. Well then, it was time to fully reenter the magical world. Susan would be going to Hogwarts soon, and she could help her daughter, niece, more if she could rise in the ministry. She would accept the appointment to head the DMLE that had been suggested. That decision made, she could take Susan out of here and obliviate the necessary muggles without distressing her career. Amelia turned to Susan, ready to apparate her to Saint Mungos, and Susan opened her eyes.

"Mum?," Susan questioned groggily.

Amelia grabbed her and hugged her desperately. "Oh, Susie, I almost lost you." The tears began falling as Amelia allowed herself to relax. She hadn't realized how tense the waiting had made her.

"Mum," Susan began, more alert now. "Did you see him, mum? Did you see who saved me? It was him, mum. It was Harry Potter!" She finished excitedly.

Amelia was overcome by her Susie calling her mum, so it took a moment to comprehend her daughter's words. Yes! Daughter! She thought emphatically. She pushed Susan back a little so she could look in her daughter's face. "Susie honey, can you tell me what he looked like?"

"Yes mum. I mean auntie." Susan stuttered a bit as she looked in her aunt's eyes.

"It's ok Susie." Her aunt encouraged. Pulling her back into the hug. "I feel like you are my daughter. You may call me mum if you wish. You don't have too, of course. We wouldn't want to forget your dear mother. But I think she would be happy that can give each other the love she isn't here to give." Amelia finished softly and hugged Susie a little closer. "Now, tell me about the boy."

"I was sitting on a bench reading my book. I started to feel sad, and I cried a little, then I felt like I wasn't alone. Like someone was watching me. I looked up, but I couldn't see anyone. I still felt like someone was watching me, and I couldn't look away. It wasn't scary though. It was like a friend I never met. I was starting to feel better when I heard the van squealing behind me. I turned around, and two men dressed all in black jumped out of the van and grabbed me. They started to pull me into the van, and Harry hit us. I don't know where he came from. I didn't see him before. But he was there." Susan had closed her eyes now, remembering. Amelia had been worried Susan would be too traumatized to talk about it, but Susan looked happy as she remembered her rescuer. "He was so cute, mum. His hair was all messy, but it was black as night, and it was gorgeous. He had these beautiful green glowing eyes. It felt like I was staring into them forever, then I landed and hit my head. Then I woke up here." Susan gave herself a small shake and looked at her aunt alertly. "Mum, is Harry ok? Where is he? I have to see him!"

"Shush Susie." Amelia said gently hugging her daughter again. "I don't know where he is right now, but I know he is not here in hospital. That means he's probably just fine and gone home. Don't worry. We'll find him. I have to thank him as well. He saved you for me." With that the two began to cry softly with each other for a few moments. Then they pulled back at the same time and smiled at each other.

"Come now," Amelia said. "Let's get you dressed and go tell Cordelia you're all right."

"Mum, I forgot all about Miss Cordelia. Does that make me bad? Is she ok?"

"She's fine honey. And no, it doesn't make you bad. A lot happened to you. I'm proud of you for handling it so well. Cordelia's waiting for us in the visitor's room. She feels awful that this happened on her watch. Now, let's go show her you're ok."

oooOOOooo

Harry spent a week in his cupboard. His Aunt would open the cupboard in the morning to place a tray of food. She would retrieve the tray in the evening. Harry ate the food and concentrated on making his body stronger. He wouldn't allow his Uncle to hurt him like this again. Machines were better than that.

He was let out of the cupboard when the week had passed. He returned to doing his chores. He could feel his bones improving. The sun was scorching, and the weed were prickly and full of thorns. He needed stronger skin too. He still didn't get much to eat. Well, machines didn't eat either, did they. He just needed an internal power source like the machine that he wanted to be.

Harry concentrated on the improvements he wanted. He was feeling healthier though, and when he was no longer in constant pain, he began to feel lonely. His Aunt and Uncle had decided to ignore him, and they had instructed their son to do likewise. He got up each morning and was supplied with a minimal breakfast and a list of chores. No one spoke to him. He guessed that was all right, as machines didn't need to speak to the humans anyway. But he was still lonely.

At night, as he lay on his blanket in the cupboard, he remembered Susan's eyes. She had seemed nice for a human. Maybe it would be ok to talk to her.

The summer passed. Harry did his chores and grew accustomed to being ignored. He would dream of Susan often, but he didn't speak to another person the rest of the holiday. He was actually looking forward to going back to school as summer drew to a close. Even Dudley drawing a finger across his neck and eyeing Harry threateningly didn't stop Harry's anticipation. Machines needed knowledge, and Harry couldn't wait to get to school and spend as much time as possible in the library.

The school year went much as Harry had expected. Dudley and his gang were as vicious as possible at school, though they obeyed Vernon's and Petunia's orders at home. Harry tried to avoid the gang at school and spent as much time as he could in the library. After a few weeks of evasion and hiding, and failing and getting caught several times, Harry decided on a more efficient use of his time. He stopped running. He stopped hiding. Whenever Dudley and the gang would appear, he would drop to the ground and curl into a ball. He would take the beating, and when the gang was tired, he would uncurl and go on his way. He was covered in bruises, and his clothes were often bloody and torn. He didn't worry too much about it though. He had strengthened his bones and body to the point that he wasn't being seriously injured, just battered and bruised. He stopped worrying about beatings at home too, and he did his absolute best in school. He needed all the knowledge he could get to succeed in his quest.

Harry could ignore what was happening to and around him, but after a few months, the school officials and teachers could no longer do so. He was consistently bruised and bloody in class and in the library. His clothes were oversized, bloody, and torn. The headmaster called a meeting. The school officials decided to get involved. They watched and identified the perpetrators. They called a meeting with the perpetrators' parents. Vernon and Petunia were upset to have their family's dirty laundry aired in public. But it was too public for them to do anything drastic to Harry. They and the other parents made sure that Dudley and the gang knew Harry was to be ignored at school as well as at home. They could wait until school was out to extract their pound of flesh from Harry.

The school year passed quickly. Dudley and the gang couldn't touch Harry, but they could keep him isolated as possible. The other students soon learned that it was now de rigueur to ignore Harry entirely. Harry felt the loneliness, but enjoyed the freedom of being left alone. He tried to read his fellow student's thoughts and feelings like he had done with Susan at the park that time. It didn't work though. He could get snippets if he really concentrated, but he couldn't get the rapport and comfort he had received from Susan. He continually strengthened his body, though. He knew summer was coming. He also worked every day on an energy source for his body. He got a decent amount of food at school, but he was not allowed any food at home. He thought he might need to go all summer without eating. He still often dreamed of Susan. It helped keep the loneliness at bay. Even the machine on tv had had the companionship of other machines.

Summer was as bad as Harry had feared. But it wasn't as dangerous. He received his meal and list of chores every morning. He received his beating every evening. Vernon enjoyed causing him pain, but he obviously was wary of doing any long term damage. Harry only left the yard one time. He finished his chores and decided to go to the park. Dudley and the gang found him, isolated him, and beat him senseless. Piers wanted to leave him in the park, but Dudley figured it would cause too much trouble if Harry was found in that condition. So they carried him home and threw him in his cupboard. When Vernon came home, Dudley proudly explained when he had done. Vernon congratulated him on beating Harry and not leaving any clues. Dudley was learning.

Harry's violent and painful summer was interrupted when a letter arrived a few days before his eleventh birthday. He noted that it was addressed to Harry Potter in the cupboard under the stairs. He didn't get a chance to open it before Vernon took it. More letters arrived every day, but Vernon was determined that Harry not receive any of them. The beatings stopped though, and Harry was moved into Dudley's second bedroom. Harry didn't care about the bedroom, but he appreciated the absence of pain.

Vernon's frantic and desperate actions proved inadequate to the situation when Hagrid showed up. It was quite the storm, and the island cottage did not provide much shelter. Harry was quite curious about this new world Hagrid told him about. He was curious about his parents, and excited to go to this Diagon Alley the next morning. One thing was sure though, whatever Hagrid said. Harry wasn't a wizard. He was a machine.