A/N Just wanted to say a big thank you to those of you who reviewed the last chapter. There's going to have to be more if you want chapter 3 though!
A massive thankyou to my fabulous beta, Starry Night Blue, who rocks.
Chapter 2: In which young Harry Potter learns about animals and other things
Elizabeth Rutherford led five year old Adam Black up to the top floor of St. Christopher's Orphanage. The staircases, hallways and landings were all equally drab and dreary as those on the ground floor. Several times, Adam heard the sounds of children laughing, shouting and on one occasion, crying from behind the many closed doors that the aging lady took him past. The pair stopped at a nondescript white-washed wooden door. Just like all the other doors they had passed, this one was dusty, its paint was in need of a new coat, and the once shiny brass handle was tarnished and dull.
There was no sound coming from behind this door, Adam noticed as he waited for Mrs. Rutherford to retrieve a set of keys from the pocket of her sensible, grey cardigan. As she rifled through the numerous keys, Adam glanced down the landing and noticed a pair of eyes peering at him from a doorway that had been opened just enough for a girl about his own age to stick her head out. The girl gave him a big smile before disappearing back behind the door once more. By this time, Mrs. Rutherford had located the key and opened the door, whereby she proceeded into the room beyond, which turned out to be a room full of clothes.
"Well come in then. We need to find you some more clothes," stated the principal. "Ones that fit you," she added as an afterthought.
Adam followed the woman into the clothes room where he stopped to look around in wonder. Every square inch of the ten foot square room was taken up with clothes. Around the floor were shoes ranging from tiny baby shoes up to shoes for teenagers. They were all second hand, but all were in better condition than the pair of handed-down, holey plimsolls Adam was currently wearing. Racks upon racks of t-shirts, shirts, tops, jumpers, trousers, skirts, dresses, shorts and coats were arranged in increasing sizes across two sides of the room. On another wall was shelf upon shelf of socks, underwear and pyjamas. All these items were new; it appeared to Adam, who was wondering if he was going to be given some new clothes of his own. On the wall with the door were cupboards containing clean towels and dressing gowns. These were not new, but were clean and perfectly functional, although they lacked a little softness.
"Right then, Adam." Elizabeth Rutherford's voice raised the boy from his bewilderment. "Let's start with underwear shall we." The black haired boy nodded in agreement, not having the daring to disagree with the woman, who was well into her stride now as an efficient carer and administrator. As it happened, she was trying desperately to focus on the job in hand and not risk looking into the boy's eyes, lest she would be so distracted by the tortured soul that could be seen there, that she would not be able to care for him objectively.
Adam held out his arms as his newfound guardian loaded him up with pants, socks, vests and pyjamas, before moving on to the rails of clothes for children his age.
"Any colour you prefer?"
"Black," mumbled Adam, after a pause.
"Black? Are you sure?" the matron queried. She turned to look at the boy and saw a look of determination there she knew she couldn't argue with. Something about those eyes simply controlled her. Luckily, Adam chose that moment to put the pile of underwear down next to him, ready to hold whatever she gave him next. As he did so, Elizabeth turned back to the clothes rails and began sifting through, looking for a selection of black items to clothe her newest charge.
Finally, after what seemed like and inordinately long time to the five year old, the pair left the clothes room, both laden with all the clothes, shoes, towels and a dressing gown that Adam would need. After Mrs. Rutherford had awkwardly managed to lock the door while she balanced her pile of things on one arm, she led the boy further down the landing. Adam glanced behind him towards the doorway the little girl had been peeking out of, and was surprised to see her smiling face looking at him once again.
Five doors down from the clothing room and on the opposite side of the corridor, Mrs. Rutherford guided the boy into his new bedroom. "This will be your bedroom, Adam. What do you think?"
Adam failed to respond to the older woman, but she was getting used to the fact that this boy didn't say very much. She did notice how he regarded the room with an amount of awe, as if he hadn't seen a bedroom before. But then, judging by how he had arrived here, and the fact that he was an orphan, perhaps he had never had slept in a bedroom before now. He wouldn't be the first to have come to the orphanage like that, and sadly, he wouldn't be the last.
The boy's eyes swept around the small room. It was small by the standards of his whale of a cousin, but to Adam, who could only remember the cupboard under the stairs, the room was huge. There was a bed, of course, a small desk and chair, a chest of drawers and a child's wardrobe. On one wall was a shelf, and opposite the door was a sash window. Adam's first sweep of the room identified all these things, but his second look round revealed more detail. There was a dark blue carpet on the floor. It wasn't thick and fluffy like his Aunt's but it was a step up from the cold, rough floorboards he was used to. The window was framed by blue curtains with stars and moons on, which matched the covers on the bed. This bed had a real pillow, too, not just an old cushion that nobody wanted anymore. Adam wondered if he could get into the bed right now, it looked so comfortable.
After those moments looking round the room, Adam followed Mrs. Rutherford's example and put the pile of clothes he was carrying on the bed, before looking at her expectantly.
"You wait here a moment, Adam. I'm just going to get someone I'd like you to meet."
Adam shrugged slightly at her words, and sat down on the bed as she headed out of the room. His hands absent-mindedly stroked the duvet cover, and he revelled in the softness of the fabric against his fingertips, while his eyes began scanning around the room once more.
Unlike the hallways and landings, Adam's bedroom was clean, and much brighter. The walls were painted a neutral but light cream colour. The furniture was only pine, but was in good order and had been kept free from dust and dirt. The window frame on the inside was in good repair, and recently repainted. Elizabeth Rutherford certainly diverted considerably more funds to the children's wellbeing than she did to the building's.
After a few minutes, Mrs. Rutherford returned to find Adam sitting on the bed, apparently staring into space. "Adam?" she called. "This is Grace. She would very much like to be your friend."
The boy quickly turned to look at the girl who stood in the doorway behind Mrs. Rutherford. It was the same girl who had been watching him from down the corridor, and, just as before, she had a big smile on her face. Adam couldn't help himself but smile at the girl in return, possibly the first genuine smile he had managed in many years. To hear that someone wanted to be his friend was like nectar to a bee, and something he had longed for, for as far back as he could remember.
"Well, I'll leave you two to get to know each other. Grace, help Adam to find his way around, and don't forget dinner at five thirty."
"Yes, Mrs. Rutherford," answered the little girl politely. Turning back to Adam, her face still smiling infectiously, she soon instructed him in where to put all his new clothes and shoes, how his dirty clothes should go in the laundry basket in the corner, where to find the bathroom and toilet on this floor and many other similar functions. After explaining where everything was on the top floor, where their bedrooms were located, the tiny pair looked around the whole of the orphanage; Grace showing Adam the classrooms, the dining room, the common rooms, where the office was and how to get outside into the garden. After about an hour of looking around the old building, both children were starting to tire, having walked up and down many of the old building's staircases. Eventually, they arrived back at Adam's bedroom, where Grace asked him the question that had been on her lips for a while.
"What's that on your neck?" She pointed to the spider's web tattoo on the rear left side of Adam's neck.
Self-consciously, Adam reached up and rubbed the place he knew the spider and its web to be. "I think it's called a tat-too," Adam replied. Over the last hour or so, he had become more talkative with Grace than he had been with anyone before. She wasn't threatening, or dominating. She didn't look down on him and make him feel small or insignificant. Grace was just inquisitive, smiley and full of chatter, and Adam was swept along with it.
"It's creepy. Why do you have spider's web tat-too?"
"Don't know," the boy shrugged. "I've got more." Adam proceeded to take off his old t-shirt, causing Grace to gasp in surprise.
"I like the bird one," said Grace. "But the rest are a bit scary."
"I know. I don't know how I got them. I just woke up yesterday and they were there. My aunt and uncle were mad at me. Please don't tell anyone about them, will you."
"OK, Adam. I won't."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
The two five year olds talked for a while longer, until they moved to Grace's room to look at some of her books and play with her toys; things she had acquired since she had been staying at St. Christopher's. They looked out of the window and Grace showed Adam how to make shapes in the clouds. For the first time in his life, Harry Potter, now known as Adam Black, was happy,
Dinner at the orphanage was nothing spectacular, but it was wholesome, fresh and healthy. Adam received a portion appropriate to a boy of his age, rather than the miserly portions his aunt used to serve him with. Having missed lunch entirely, he was fairly hungry, but years of underfeeding had left the boy immune to the pangs of hunger. For children in the nursery aged five and under, they had to be in bed by half past seven. Mrs. Rutherford came to check Adam had everything he needed, and having provided him with his own toothbrush, paste, and soap, Adam Black was settled in for the first night of his new life.
It was during this time at the end of the day that young Adam secretly brought out the snake from his wrist. As soon as the snake told him he could do the same with the other tattoos, Adam spent every night with a falcon perched atop his wardrobe. A large and unusual spider made a web and resided in a dark corner underneath the functional wooden desk. A black wolf cub slept curled up on the end of the boy's duvet and a sleek and glossy, not quite fully grown, black panther slumbered on the floor by the side of the bed. The snake generally found a warm spot, underneath the desk where hot water pipes ran beneath the floorboards.
Although he could instruct the five creatures using mental suggestions, it was only the snake who could communicate in words. It was via the hissing language that Adam firstly learned the purpose of these magical creatures. The snake gave him the sense of taste, and represented cunning and ambition. The falcon was the gift of sight, but also stood for courage. The wolf brought the sense of smell, and the virtue of loyalty, whereas the panther provided hearing and represented intelligence. Finally the spider was to be his sense of touch, and embodied all of these virtues together.
During the evenings, when Adam was supposed to be going to sleep, he would let the two larger animals play; they would roll around, wrestle and chase each other about the small room. He would stroke the soft feathers of the falcon and share in hissed conversations with the small black snake.
As the weeks progressed, Adam started to notice changes in himself. The obvious benefits of sleeping in a proper bed and eating regular meals were of obvious physical benefit, as much as the non-hostile environment improved his emotional well-being. In addition to these factors, however, Adam began to feel other things. Most obvious to the boy, were his heightened physical senses. Each of the five senses that his creatures represented had magnified in himself. As the increases came gradually, Adam did not really notice all of a sudden, but the steady improvement in his eyesight caused him to find his glasses were of the wrong strength. He did not realise what was happening each time he wished he could see clearly again, when his vision started to blur. As his eyesight improved, however, he realised his hearing and smell were getting better too. He knew what was being cooked for dinner from four floors away, and he could sometimes hear Grace talking to her toys from her room down the hall.
A heightening sense of taste meant that Adam could distinctly pick out all the ingredients in whatever he ate, regardless of how well they had been mixed together. This was not always a good thing, as a sponge cake is meant to taste of sponge cake, not of flour, eggs, butter and sugar. He senses of sight, hearing, smell and taste were not to the extent that his animals had them, and when he tuned in to their respective sensory gifts, he realised that although his own were good, the creatures' senses were still far greater.
Eventually he began to notice the changes to his sense of touch. Each surface, fabric or person he came into contact with began to feel unique. There was an innate difference in the texture of his pine desk compared to the old teak desks in the classrooms. The cotton of his bedclothes contrasted significantly with the artificial feel that some of his clothes had. All in all, the boy became extremely attuned to everything that was going on around him.
It wasn't just sensory enhancements that the creatures evoked in Adam. It seemed, within reason, that the longer his creatures spent 'out in the open' rather than as tattoos on his small body, the more of their physical attributes he developed also. He could not fly, like the falcon, of course, but the strength of the wolf and the agility of the panther did begin to manifest in the boy. The snake's reflexes and the spider's speed further enhanced his physical abilities. As the years ticked by, and the creatures all became fully grown Adam Black became an incredible child.
After a couple of months at St. Christopher's, Adam realised that the falcon, who spent many hours sitting atop the wardrobe staring towards the window, had only ever flown around his small bedroom. He had tried on many occasions to open the window, but it appeared to be stuck fast. Now that he sensed the longing in his avian companion, Adam desperately wished the heavy sash window would slide up, allowing the majestic black bird of prey to stretch its wings and fly off into the night. As soon as the thought finished forming in his mind, Adam watched astonished as a crack appeared in the painted window frame. With a creak, and a splitting sound, the lower sash window slowly raised itself, enough for an adult falcon to go soaring off into the starlit night.
"Whoa!" cried out Adam, to no-one in particular. There was of course, no other person in his room. Although Grace had seen his tattoos, he had not shared the secret of the creatures with anyone. The slumbering forms of panther and wolf raised their heads at his exclamation, saw there was no need for concern, and both returned to their peaceful dozing. The snake, however, slithered up from his warm spot underneath the desk and coiled himself caringly around his master's right arm.
"You sssseem ssssurprissssed, young masssster."
"The window. It opened on itssss own."
"Did you not wissssh for it to be sssso?"
"I did, but…"
"You are a wizzzzard, are you not?"
"What?"
"You are a wizzzzard, young one. A powerful wizzzzard, in fact, I believe you are marked assss a champion of one of the Godssss."
"I don't undersssstand."
"Then I will explain, masssster. Firsssst, you are a wizzzzard. You have magic in your blood, and you will learn to usssse and control it, given time. I cannot help you with that, you musssst learn on your own. When you wisssshed for the window to open, the magic power you possssessss made it happen. Yessss, there issss much magic in you, young masssster.
Ssssecond, there issss a mark upon you. It issss hidden deep insssside, deep insssside your very ssssoul, sssshowing that you are the champion of one of the Godssss. Of which one I cannot ssssay, again, thissss issss a mysssstery for you to solve alone."
A stunned Adam didn't respond to the snake straightaway, allowing his mind to b swamped by images from the falcon's eyes. Even though it had flown high into the sky, the bird could see everything down in the city as clearly as if it was merely perched on the roof of one of London's old buildings. As the boy was drawn into to watching the bird's first flight, he revelled in the speed of the lights rushing past, after what seemed like only a few minutes, the black falcon, like a shadow in the sky, raced away from the city and out above a forest. Adam didn't know, of course, but this was Epping Forest, to the north and east of London.
Mesmerised by the falcon's flight, Adam forgot about the snake's words for the time being. The flight of the bird excited and exhilarated him, as it dived lower, into the trees and weaved through the canopy, searching for some unwitting prey. Soon, the hunt was over, and as the raptor tore into the fur and flesh of a young rabbit, Adam brought his mind back to his bedroom, not wanting to watch a rabbit ripped apart.
Seeing the snake still wrapped affectionately around his right arm, Adam suddenly remembered the incredibly words it had spoken; of wizards and champions. Sensing the question forming in the boy's mind, the black-skinned reptile lifted its head to its master once more.
"Yessss, young masssster?"
"You said that I am a wizard?"
"Yessss."
"So I can do magic?"
"Yessss."
"How?"
"How did you open the window?"
"I don't know. I jusssst wanted it to open."
"Then it ssssoundssss like you have your ansssswer."
"What?"
"You wisssshed for the window to open, and sssso it did. What else do you wissssh for, young masssster?"
The five year old boy's eyes grew wide as the snake's words dawned on him. As the young mind comprehended the possibilities in front of him, his naïve imagination reeled with endless thoughts and ideas. Eventually, after experimenting with many things, the exhausted but elated child fell into a deep slumber.
The months and years passed for the boy known as Adam Black. At night, hidden in his bedroom, this exceptional child continued to grow in extraordinary ways. Thanks to the influence of his animal companions, his senses peaked at a point somewhere between two and three times more sensitive than 'normal' wizards. His physical development also continued apace. No longer small for his age, the child was in fact slightly above average by the summer of his seventh year, but his speed, reflexes and strength were several years ahead of that.
His relationship with the five creatures had become one of complete acceptance. They were apart of him, an extension of his own body of which he had complete control, and he could tap into each animal's sensory gift at will; the majestic falcon's eyesight, the sleek panther's hearing, the warm wolf's nose, the guiding snake's taste and the odd spider's sense of touch.
Finally, there was magic. Ever since the first night when the snake told Adam he was a wizard, the boy practiced and experimented and tried out ideas that popped into his head. After approximately two years, he felt as if he could do anything. He could move things around simply by directing his thoughts, make things disappear with a wave of his hand, or change into something else. Recently he had managed to transport himself back to his empty bedroom from other places around the orphanage, although it had made him feel really weird the first few times.
During the boy's eighth year, his third at the orphanage, he discovered how to create things. He had been lying on his bed, trying to feel the magic inside him. What did it feel like to be a wizard? He wondered, not emotionally, but physically. And so, lying in the dark, the seven and a bit year old wizard focussed his thoughts on himself, searching for the source of his magical abilities.
As he lay in the dark, he could hear the steady beat of his heart. He could feel the rise and fall of his chest as his breathing fell into time with the rhythmic snuffly snoring of the wolf, which lay at the end of his bed. After what could have been seconds, minutes or maybe as long as an hour, he found it. There was a faint tingle, the tiniest of sensations, deep within his chest. As the boy focussed upon it, the tingle spread slowly, down into his abdomen and up towards his shoulders. Soon, his entire torso throbbed with pulsing energy, but he forced it to spread down his arms and legs and up his neck into his face. Finally, the pulsing, throbbing, sensation ignited his entire sensory system with a feeling so intense the boy could barely remain still. Fighting the urge to twitch and spasm, the sensational overload dissipated, leaving in its place the strange knowledge that a wondrous fire burned in his veins. However, Adam Black was left with the understanding of what magic was, and how to control it.
The young boy sat up on his bed, and assumed a cross-legged posture. The wolf, in its usual place towards the foot of the bed moved to the floor at its master thought. Adam held his hands out in front of his body, placing them together and forming a cup shape. Concentrating on the sensation of flaming energy he could feel within himself, he mentally forced that feeling, starting at his heart, down his arms and into his hands. Along his fingers he pushed until the raw, innate magic struggled desperately beneath the skin of his palms, fighting to be released into existence. Holding back for a few moments, to savour the moment, the feeling of anticipation was too much for the child and he allowed the crackling, bluish energy to flow from his hands into the waiting hollow they made together.
The swirling, energy coalesced into a ball of writhing blue flames about two inches in diameter. They were not hot, or cold in anyway, merely pleasant and surprisingly soothing to hold. Concentrating further, Adam willed the sphere of energy into a solid shape, and in barely a moment, the comforting softness of the magic was replaced by the cold, heaviness of a flawless, black, glass marble. Satisfied with his night's work Adam Black placed the black sphere on the desk which stood at the side of his bed. He commanded the marble not to roll, despite the slight slope of the old desk, and it remained stationary, held by magic to defy gravity until such time as the enchantment was released. Falling back on to his bed, the boy was asleep in moments, and even failed to stir when the adult male wolf leapt nimbly to lie on the bottom end of the deep blue duvet.
During the days, Adam spent most of his time with his friend Grace, who slept in the room down the hall. She kept to her promise, and continually remained silent about the tattoos which adorned the boy she knew to be called Adam Black. Due to Adam's solitary nature, the pair spent little time with the other children of the orphanage; one friend was enough for the unusual boy. Grace, on the other hand, would have welcomed more friends in her life, but no-one really had any desire to become close to her, in case it also meant coming close to the black-haired boy with the startling green eyes. Resigned, Grace willingly sacrificed the chance to make more friends, so that she could keep her connection with Adam. He had been hopelessly alone when he first arrived, and, being an exceptionally kind child, she could bear the idea of abandoning her relationship with him, leaving him alone once more.
One evening, towards the middle of July of Adam's eighth year, Grace was moving alone through one of the many hallways in the orphanage. It was approaching curfew for the children of her age, and Adam was already back in his room. He always went to bed diligently before lights out, something she didn't really understand, and never knew the reason why. On this occasion however, Grace found she was not alone in the hallway. Approaching her from the other end were three older boys; boys who had a glint of malicious intent in their eyes.
Grace continued up the landing, hoping that they would ignore her if she kept her head down. As it happened, finding this girl alone was exactly what they had hoped for, and as the girl drew alongside, the middle of the three shoved her forcefully into the wall, bringing her to a standstill. As the three crowded in and looked down at the frightened girl, the ringleader spoke harshly.
"Where's that freaky-eyed boy now, you midget. Your boyfriend can't protect you now can he?"
Grace was about to scream out into the musty air of this little-used landing when Adam Black stalked silently up behind the boys and tapped the middle one on the shoulder.
"Looking for me?" he asked, his voice as menacing as a nearly eight year old could manage.
"Yeah. That's right. You're a freak, with those spooky eyes and stupid black clothes. Its no wonder you've got no friends other than that midget."
"Don't call me a freak," whispered the younger boy. He looked directly into his aggressors eyes and fixed him with a stare that would have melted ice. The bullying boy was a few years older than Adam, and easily eight inches taller, but under the gaze of the black haired child he faltered slightly, and was unable to hold his gaze for more than a few moments.
"Well, we'll see how tough you are after I give you a pounding," said the older boy, trying to regain his composure. He took a swing at Adam, intending on punching him full in the face, but his fist never came close to the intended target. Moving with the speed and agility of the panther, Adam's left hand flew up to catch the fist about a foot in front of his face. The attacking boy was shocked, but had no time to react as Adam's right hand, infused with the strength of the wolf, pushed hard into his chest, forcing him back into one of his bullying friends. The two older boys stumbled and fell back over each other, finishing in a tangled heap on the ground. The third of the three bullies caught Adam's eye, but chose to back away, having seen the surprising strength the younger boy possessed.
Adam grabbed Grace by the hand, and started half-dragging, half-leading her down the landing and back to their own part of the orphanage. BY the time the pair reached Grace's bedroom, the girl was back to her usual effervescent self, singing the praises of her quiet friend, and thanking him continually for coming to her rescue. As Adam made to leave her in her room for the night, she quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek, and thanked him one last time for what he had done. It was, of course, an innocent action from one friend to another, but nonetheless it was the first touch of affection that he had ever received. Returning to his own room, Adam Black lay on his bed to remember what that moment had felt like; to be touched in such a gentle and kind way.
A few weeks later, a bright, sunny day dawned. Although he did not know it, today was the eighth birthday of the boy known as Adam Black. It was three years since he had been abandoned at the orphanage by his heartless Uncle, three incredible years in which Adam had, not that he knew it, become an amazing wizard. His unexplained tattoos of a snake, a spider, a falcon, a wolf and a panther, which he could call into existence as creatures to do his bidding, was almost unheard of in the rest of the wizarding world.
Almost.
Ginevra Molly Weasley woke with excitement on the morning of her fifth birthday. Her parents had promised to buy her a Harry Potter doll this year, and the little bundle of enthusiasm leapt out of bed and charged into her parents' room.
"Mummy! Daddy! Wake up!"
"Happy birthday darling," said the girl's mother, as the child raced around the bed to wake her father.
"Wake up Daddy, it's my birthday!"
"Hello Pumpkin. Happy birthday." The Weasley patriarch lifted his beloved daughter on to the bed with him.
"Can I open my presents now?" asked the girl, her eyes shining with hope as she turned her head to look at her parents in turn.
"After breakfast, sweetheart," said her mother. "You know the rules."
"Alright. I'll go and get dressed. I'm going to wear my favourite green dress!" With that last statement, the tiny redheaded girl dashed back to her own room, her excitement still at a seriously elevated state.
The girl tugged off her pyjama top and reached on to the dresser for her hair brush. Always before dressing she stood in front of her big mirror and brushed her long hair to get out all the tangles that develop during the night. Moving to stand in front of the looking glass, the young child had a surprise. On her bare chest, above her heart, was the image of a fox. It was a sideways image, and the animal's head was turned as if looking out away from her body. The girl instinctively lifted a hand to feel the place where the fox appeared, but it felt just like normal, soft skin. Then she noticed another image, this one on her left upper arm, a little way down from the shoulder. It was a magnificent red and gold bird, with its beautiful wings outstretched and its head tilted towards the sky. This was a wizarding house, and Ginevra Molly Weasley was a witch. She knew at once that this was a picture of a phoenix.
Assuming that the appearance of these two creatures on her chest and arm were attributable to her twin brothers, she felt it was only fair to get payback in the only way a five year old girl knows how.
"Muuuuuuuuum!" she yelled.
The Weasley family were one of the old 'pureblood' wizarding families, but unlike most of the others, they were not rich, or prejudiced against the rest of society, or constantly harping on about the old ways or traditional wizarding values. They lived in a small wooden house, near a village called Ottery St. Catchpole, in the county of Devon, in South West England. Surrounding the Burrow were miles of countryside, mostly farmland, which sprawled over the gently rolling hills. To the West, however, was a large wood, so large in fact it was known locally as 'The Forest of Wolves'. On one edge of the forest, the village was spread, as apart from a few central shops, the houses were spread over a few miles. Deep within the forest, another small wooden house stood. In contrast to the house of the Weasleys, this one was cold, lonely and haunted. Well, this is what the occupant wanted the locals to believe, and a few well placed spells coupled with the monthly sounds that a werewolf makes, even the magical members of the Ottery St. Catchpole community stayed well away.
The owner of the dwelling in the forest was, of course, Raymond Smith. His old white car was parked out the back of the house, packed ready for a drive to London. It had been three years since he had watched silently as the five year old Harry Potter had been callously abandoned at that orphanage. Three years on, all preparations complete and Ray was ready. Ready to go and get Harry and bring him back here to live. Looking forward to finally being able to ditch his made up muggle name, Remus Lupin sat in his kitchen drinking a final cup of tea.
Over the last few years he had worked on modifying the house so that it was fit for the cohabitation of an adolescent boy and a werewolf. The inside of the house was far grander than the outside led one to believe, with three bedrooms, a lounge, a dining area and a kitchen and a bathroom. The exterior would have suggested the old wooden cottage to have little more than two or three rooms at best. Remus had also constructed an underground cellar, were he could be locked away safely on transformation nights. Also the cellar contained a space for brewing potions, specifically the Wolfsbane potion. It had taken him the best part of eighteen months to perfect this, but he had been unwilling to have Harry come and stay until this precaution could be managed.
The final task had been to help his best friend, Sirius Black, escape from the wizarding prison, Azkaban. After almost eighteen months of planning, they had finally achieved it, and now Sirius was hiding out in his late parents' old home in London. Remus was going to go first to Grimmauld Place to collect him, and then they were both going to go to the orphanage and get Harry. With one last thought about what he had achieved, and what was about to come, Remus Lupin set his empty teacup in the sink, and headed out the back to his trusty car.
Thanks to a few slightly illegal magical enhancements, it was barely an hour later that Remus Lupin had travelled the near two hundred miles to London, had successfully collected Sirius Black, and was now parked outside the regal looking buildings that housed St. Christopher's Orphanage. Inside this building was Harry Potter, the son of their best friends, Lily and James. The Boy-Who-Lived. The defeater of the Dark Lord.
So, at nine o'clock exactly, two smartly dressed men knocked on the door with the peeling black paint, filled with apprehension mixed with excitement. They were finally going to get to see him again, the boy they had held as a baby, whom they had sworn to protect and love should the worst happen to his parents. This day was to be the first day of a new chapter, in all of their lives.
Adam Black was waiting patiently for his first class of the day to begin. Grace was sat beside him, chattering away a usual, and all around them the other children were ignoring the odd pair, or giving them a wide berth. The door to the makeshift classroom opened, and the children expected their usual teacher to stride into the room, but on this occasion it was Mrs. Rutherford, who was looking for Adam.
"Adam," she said quietly as she made her way across the back of the classroom to where he was sat. "Will you come with me please? There are two gentlemen here to see you."
Unsure what this could mean, Adam followed the principal dutifully, his mind racing as to who these men could be. It could be something to do with his relatives, the Dursleys, but they his Uncle had clearly suggested he wanted no more contact with his nephew. A few corridors later, Harry Potter cam face to face with the two men, who Mrs. Rutherford introduced as Mr. Smith and Mr. Black. The boy hadn't heard, however, he was too busy staring at the man he recognised. The brown-eyed man who used to sit in the white car was here. The man he had always felt was keeping a watch over him had come.
"Adam," said Mrs. Rutherford. "Adam?"
Adam didn't reply but came out of his thoughts to look at her.
"These men would like you to go and live with them. They were friends of your parents."
Typically when Mrs. Rutherford spoke, Adam didn't reply, and this was no exception. Instead he turned back to the two men, looking at the brown-eyed man first. Staring into the man's eyes, Adam willed his magic to show him the truth; to reveal the emotions of these two men. As his own green eyes bore deep into the older man's very soul, Adam could see honesty, a longing to care for the boy, integrity and a desperate fear that he would not go with them.
Turning to the black-haired man, Adam looked equally hard into his eyes. This man also wanted to look after the boy, and was truly aggrieved at not having been able up to now. He also showed signs of excitement and a new sense of freedom.
Under the boy's piercing gaze, the two men both knew they were being tested. There was a power lying behind those eyes; eyes as green as emeralds that were almost hypnotic. Remus let out a sigh of relief as the boy's stare transferred over to Sirius. Despite the intensity of the boy's examination, Remus felt sure he had passed it; he only wanted to care for Harry, after all. However, the fact that as an eight year old, he already wielded the skill of legilimency was astonishing. Sirius and he were going to have to have a long talk about this later.
When Adam had finished his scrutiny of the two wizards, he turned back to Mrs. Rutherford, and for the first time in many months, spoke to her of his own volition.
"Mrs. Rutherford. The eyes never lie. I should very much like to go and live with these men."
"Are you sure, Adam?" the again lady enquired. "That was a very a short time in which to make a decision."
"I am sure. They have only good intentions, I am certain of it."
"Very well. Go to your room and gather your things together. I will go and find a bag you can use."
Adam nodded briefly at her, flashed a grin and the two men, and disappeared out of the office door. Once out of sight of the three adults, he willed himself back to his room, reappearing instantly beside his bed. Barely five minutes later, Adam had all of his belongings neatly stacked on his bed; clothes, shoes, toothbrush, and all the items that appeared unexplainably, but had actually been conjured out of nothing by the child prodigy. Mrs. Rutherford soon arrived with a flimsy hold-all that Adam quickly began stuffing with his clothes, so quickly that he didn't spot Grace hovering in the doorway.
Mrs. Rutherford instructed Adam to return to the office when he was ready, before leaving herself to complete some paperwork. As Adam looked up to see her go, he spotted Grace. Her usually happy face was downcast, and a few tears had fallen from her eyes.
"Are you really leaving, Adam?"
"Yes."
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
Grace ran into the room and gave her friend a fierce hug. Adam had no choice but to receive it and he patted her awkwardly on the back.
"Do you want me to ask if you can come too?"
Grace pulled away from Adam, and held him at arms length, looking at him appraisingly.
"No, I don't think so," she said after a moment's thought. "This is your new family, not mine. They came for you, not me."
"I'll never forget you, Grace," whispered Adam, quietly. "You were my first ever friend."
"Thank you, Adam. Go on then. I'll pray for you."
Adam Black took one last look around his bedroom of the last three years. He'd done so much in here – learnt how to do so many things. He'd grown strong and fast, and learned how to do magic. This place would always be special, as would the pretty blonde-haired girl who was stood there with him, and saying goodbye. The boy known as Adam Black walked out of the small room, down stairs and across landings until he reached the front door of St. Christopher's Orphanage.
'Yes,' thought Harry Potter. 'I was a lost soul. But I'm not anymore.'
Getting into the Remus' white car, Sirius sat in the back with Harry.
"First of all, Harry, let me introduce us properly. I am Sirius. Sirius Black. I'm your Godfather."
"And I, Harry," called Remus from the front seat, "am Remus Lupin, one of your father's best friends, along with Sirius here."
"Okay," said Harry. "But why are you calling me Harry? My name is Adam."
"Harry is your real name," explained Sirius. "Mrs. Rutherford told us that when you arrived at St. Christopher's, she had to give you a name, and she chose Adam Black."
"So Harry is my real name?"
"Yes. Harry Potter. And that's not all, Harry. You're a wizard, and a damned good one I'll bet."
"Yes. I know."
