Chapter One: You're a Wizard, Harry
December 1989
Seamus stared numbly out the car window. Even after the funeral he still couldn't believe his dad was gone. And now he was on his way to an orphanage of all places. Fate could be cruel.
Things had been rough since they lost his mum two years earlier. Dragon Pox, the healers told them. It had all happened so fast. One week she was fine and the next she was in a coffin. At age seven Seamus lost his mother.
His dad had been crushed. Then, to make matters worse, there was the fight. Mum's brother Ronan had been furious. He said Dad should have recognized the signs and gotten her to a healer earlier. Of course Dad was a muggle and had no idea what the symptoms for Dragon Pox were. He said as much, but that had just made Uncle Ronan angrier. He had never liked Seamus's dad, said he wasn't good enough for his baby sister, and now here was the proof. He shouted a lot. He said his sister should've never married a useless muggle. That it was her husband's fault she was dead, and his stupidity was bound to get Seamus killed too. Dad took it as well as could be expected. He was hurt, Uncle Ronan's words compounding the guilt he'd already felt over his wife's death, but he knew Ronan was grieving, so he let him vent. Then he went too far.
When Uncle Ronan threatened to take Seamus away, Dad went ballistic. There was a whole lot of yelling, some breaking glass, and even some tears. It ended when, in a deadly voice, Dad told Uncle Ronan that Seamus was his son and forbid Ronan and his family from going anywhere near him. Afterwards, his dad had explained to a tearful Seamus that sometimes when a person loses someone they love, they don't know how to handle it and they lash out at the people around them. He told the seven-year-old quite firmly that Uncle Ronan was not a bad person; he just needed some time to cope with his sister's death, and then everything would go back to normal. Seamus had nodded, but inside he wasn't so sure.
That had been over two years ago, and Seamus had seen neither hide nor hair of his mother's family since. Not long after his mum died, Seamus and his dad left Ireland and moved to London. His dad wanted him to stay connected to his wizarding heritage. He'd been to Diagon Alley with his wife enough times to know how to get there, and made a conscious effort to take Seamus there at least every other week to keep him up to date on what was happening in the wizarding world. Although they lived in a muggle neighborhood and his dad worked a muggle job, the two of them spent the evening reading books they'd borrowed from the wizarding library and indulging in chocolate frogs. Together, they slowly began to recover from the loss of their wife and mother. So, naturally, fate took the opportunity to throw them another curveball.
Seamus looked at the clock for the third time that minute. 6:08. Something was wrong. Dad was supposed to be home from work half an hour ago. He always called if he was going to be late, even if it was just a few minutes. The nine-year-old paced frantically, glancing back at the clock. 6:09. He'd already called Dad's office and his secretary said he'd left at the normal time. He should've been home by 5:35 at the latest. Something was horribly, horribly wrong.
By the time the policeman showed up at quarter to seven, Seamus was in a full panic. He heard the words the man was saying, but he couldn't understand them. Car accident. Dad. Gone. Seamus stared unseeing at the officer.
The policeman took Seamus to the station and left him in an empty room. When he came back he had an older lady with him. She wore a green suit and a stern expression, which immediately softened when she saw Seamus.
"Seamus," the officer spoke slowly, "this is Ms. Leighman. She works for Child Services and she's going to ask you some questions." He nodded to her and stepped out of the room.
"Hello Seamus," Ms. Leighman smiled softly at him. Seamus just stared back at her, empty. "We're trying to find someone to take care of you. Can you tell me if you have any family nearby?"
There was a long pause, in which it looked like Seamus might not reply, then, "Uncle Ronan," he whispered, "but he lives in Ireland with Auntie Shea and cousin Fergus."
Ms. Leighman's smile faltered slightly, then quickly returned. "And does your dad keep your uncle's phone number in your house somewhere? Maybe on the fridge or in a notebook?"
Seamus blinked and shook his head, snapping out of his stupor. "No," he frowned. "He hasn't talked to us since mum died." Seamus doubted Uncle Ronan even knew what a phone was, and he could hardly have the lady send him an owl. Besides, he wasn't sure he even wanted to see his uncle after what had happened at his mum's funeral.
Ms. Leighman gave a resigned sigh. "Ok Seamus, I'm going to have you stay in a group home with some other kids until I find your uncle. Does that sound ok?"
Seamus nodded. "And what if," he cleared his throat, "what if you can't find him? Then where will I go?"
Ms. Leighman paused and considered it. "Well," she began, "I suppose we would have to find somewhere more permanent. If I'm not mistaken McAllister's has an opening, or there's always foster care… " She trailed off.
"McAllister's," Seamus repeated. "That's an orphanage, isn't it?"
Ms. Leighman nodded. "But Seamus, I don't want you to worry about that. I'm sure I'll find your uncle in no time," she assured him.
Seamus nodded, but inside he knew better. They wouldn't find him. Uncle Ronan was a wizard; the muggles couldn't find him unless he wanted them to. And he didn't even know about Dad.
"Ok," he said quietly. Then a bit louder, "Ok."
Seamus was jolted from his musings when the car stopped in front of a tall, gray building with an imposing set of stairs. Here it was, McAllister's Orphanage. As he had predicted, Ms. Leighman had failed to find Uncle Ronan, and Seamus was now staring at his new home. Until Hogwarts, he reminded himself. Only a year and a half. He could handle a year and a half. He could be strong for his mum and dad. Ms. Leighman opened the car door, and they grabbed his suitcases, walked up the large stone steps, and rang the bell.
The doorbell rang.
"He's here! Harry James, the new boy's here!" The seven-year-old Alexa danced on her toes. "Oh, what do you think he's like? I hope he wants to play outside! He better not be boring like Connie. She never wants to do anything." Alexa shot a disdainful look across the playroom at a blonde girl who was staring blankly out the window.
The nine-year-old Harry Potter rolled his eyes from where he lay on the couch and gave his hyper friend a small grin. She was like this every time someone new came.
"Well if you're still running around like a crazy person when you meet him, he'll probably be too scared to play with you!" He teased, his green eyes bright with mischief.
Alexa scowled. "I'm not running around like a crazy person…" She mumbled mutinously, but made an effort to stand still.
Harry's grin faded and he sat up, suddenly serious. "Remember Lexy, his Dad just died. He'll probably be sad. He might not want to play right now."
"I know, I know." Alexa pouted, twirling a strand of long brown hair around her finger. "I'm just glad we'll have someone else around. Jack and Harry Patrick only talk to each other, Connie just sits at the window all day, and the others are only babies."
Harry shrugged in acknowledgement. "Well, I'll find out what he's like for you in a minute. Marianne wants me to help him unpack. When we're done I can introduce you." Alexa squealed in delight, causing Harry to pause and narrow his eyes. "You stay away from the sugar until then." He commanded haughtily, the laughter in his eyes belying his stern tone.
Alexa beamed at him. "Deal!" She cried, and promptly bounced off to bother Connie.
Harry shook his head and looked back at the stairs. He could hear Marianne's voice drifting up, probably talking to one of the Child Services people. He gulped, suddenly nervous. Although he was just as excited as Alexa to have someone else his age around, Harry didn't like it whenever a new kid first came. If a kid was coming to the orphanage, it meant their parents had either died or didn't want them. The new kids were always sad, and he never knew what to say to them.
Harry didn't know how to talk to the kids who were missing their parents because he'd never had parents to miss. He couldn't remember his own parents, didn't even know their names in fact. According to Marianne, he'd been left in a basket on the steps of McAllister's when he was fifteen months old, the only explanation in the form of a note stating his name, birthday, and that he had no living family. Harry still kept that note tucked away in his room. He'd spent many long hours examining it, but he'd yet to uncover any hidden clues to his origin. Indeed, the only hint he had of his past was the thin lightning-shaped scar he bore on his forehead. He traced the scar and sighed, turning his thoughts back to the new kid. Hopefully this one wouldn't be a wreck like Connie had been. All she'd done her first week was cry her eyes out. When she'd finally run out of tears she switched to staring blankly in the distance, and she'd been like that ever since. That was three years ago.
Light laughter drifted up the stairs, shaking Harry from his sullen thoughts. He stood up. It was time to go meet the new kid. Seamus, he thought his name was. Something funny like that. Harry self-consciously flattened his messy bangs down over his lightning bolt scar and slowly descended the stairs.
He followed the sound of voices past two large suitcases in the entryway and around the corner into the sitting room. There he found Marianne sitting on the couch across from a boy his age and, as he'd guessed, a strict-looking lady from Child Services. Harry turned his attention back to the other boy.
The boy's brown hair was cut short. As the adults conversed around him, his pale blue eyes roved the room, lost in thought. They slowly reached Harry and came to a stop. Harry gave him a small smile and a tentative wave. Although there was a familiar aura of sadness around the boy, Harry was relieved to note the absence of tears. Just then Marianne looked up.
"Harry James, perfect timing!" She smiled and waved him in. "This here is Seamus. He's nine, like you," she turned to the new boy. "Seamus, this is Harry James. The two of you will be living in the same dormitory. And of course you remember Ms. Leighman from Child Services," she added to Harry, gesturing at the other woman.
Harry nodded politely at the serious Ms. Leighman, then turned to greet the new boy, forcing a bright smile onto his face. "Hi Seamus. Welcome to McAllister's! You'll like it here. We're going to have school together after the holidays," he added.
Marianne smiled warmly at Harry. "That's right," she turned to Seamus, "You'll be attending St. Jerome's, just up the road."
Seamus nodded and smiled slightly at Harry. "Hi, Harry James. Miss Marianne says there are other boys in our dorm too?" Harry nodded.
"Jack and Harry Patrick," he informed Seamus, "They're older though, and brothers, so they mostly stick together. But they're still nice!" he hastily appended.
Marianne gave Seamus a small smile. "We have two Harrys here," she informed him with a wink towards Harry, "It's quite the popular name, so we use their middle names to tell them apart."
"Harry James," she turned her attention back to him, "Why don't you help Seamus unpack and introduce him to the other kids? Ms. Leighman and I have some paperwork to fill out." Harry nodded, and waved Seamus up, eager to get away from the adults. The new boy seemed ok. He'd even smiled, which was very rare for new arrivals.
"Come on, let's get your stuff." Seamus glanced back at Ms. Leighman, and at her nod followed Harry out of the room.
The boys chatted amicably as they dragged Seamus's suitcases up the stairs. Marianne had warned Harry not to ask Seamus about his dad, so he stuck with safer topics.
"Most of the kids call me Harry James," he explained, "but you can just call me Harry if you want," he said earnestly. "I'll answer to both. Make sure you use our middle names when Harry Patrick's here though or we'll get confused." Seamus smiled at the nervous boy.
"Ok Harry." He was rewarded with a bright grin.
"Our room is on the third floor," Harry continued, encouraged, "The first floor has the kitchen, dining room, and sitting room. We're only supposed to use the sitting room when we have guests," he cautioned, "Marianne's worried we'll mess it up otherwise. The second floor has the girls' dorm and the playroom, which is where the telly and all our toys are kept." Harry paused, pulling the stubborn suitcase around the corner of the second floor landing. He saw Alexa peeking out her dormitory door and winked at her. She giggled and quickly disappeared back into her room.
"The third floor has the boys' dorm and Sean's room. Sean is Marianne's brother; they run the whole orphanage, just the two of them. Marianne's the one who watches us mostly and Sean fixes stuff and keeps track of money. You won't see him around much except at night." He made a face. "The fourth floor has the nursery and Marianne's room. Luckily, the babies aren't right above us, or we'd never get any sleep. And there's a bathroom on each floor," he added. Seamus nodded, taking it all in.
"How many kids live here?" He asked the other boy.
"You're the eleventh, but lots of them come and go. It's us older kids who are here for good." The fact that no one wants to adopt a nine-year-old was left unsaid.
The boys reached the third floor, and paused to take a break.
"Ok," Seamus began tallying with his fingers; "So there's the two of us and two other boys in our dorm…" Harry nodded.
"Jack and Harry Patrick. Harry Patrick is twelve and Jack is fourteen." Seamus nodded and urged him to go on.
"Then in the girls' dorm there's Connie, Alexa, and Anna. Connie's eleven; she's really quiet and doesn't like to play with the rest of us. Alexa's fun though!" he quickly assured. "We go to the park a lot and play outside. But she's seven," Harry warned, "So she's kind of hyper." Seamus's smile grew.
"She sounds like fun." Harry nodded eagerly.
"She's the greatest," he declared. "And McAllister's is right in the middle of town, so there's loads to do. It's a rich neighborhood too, so the playground is really cool!" His smile fell. "Some of the kids don't want to play with us because we're orphans," Seamus frowned. "But Marianne says that it's their loss, and we don't want to play with kids like that anyway," Harry added, though he looked unsure when he said it. He peeked at Seamus cautiously through his fringe.
"Marianne's right." Seamus declared confidently. "Anyone who doesn't like you just because you're an orphan is dumb. So what if you don't have parents. Stupid tossers." Harry giggled.
"Don't let Marianne hear you say that!" he crooned, but his smile was back in full force.
He waved Seamus across the hall and through a door labeled Boys' Dormitory. The room was huge, with four large wardrobes and four sets of bunk beds, for a sum of eight beds total.
"We basically each have our own set of bunks. There are hardly ever more than four of us, and when there are it's just for a week or two while someone's passing through. That's mine in front of us. Yours is the one next to mine on the left." He pointed to the side and the boys dragged Seamus's suitcases in that direction. "The ones to the right are Jack's and Harry Patrick's." Seamus nodded and opened his suitcase, gesturing for Harry to go ahead and do the same.
Seamus turned the conversation back to their fellow orphans. "So those two are brothers," he pointed at the empty beds across the room, "Connie's quiet, and Alexa's fun. Who else is there?" Harry smiled.
"Well Anna's four. She just moved out of the nursery and she likes to play with Ryan, who's three. He'll move to our dorm next year if he doesn't get adopted. The other three are Samantha, Tim, and Rose. They're all really little- less than a year old- so we have to help watch them sometimes. But they'll be gone by next year. Everyone wants babies." He said it in a factual way that spoke of his experience. Seamus snorted.
"I can't imagine why. All they do is eat, sleep, and cry. You'd think they'd want a kid who would actually do something."
Harry shot Seamus a wry grin. "Yeah, well, I guess not," he shrugged, feigning indifference. Seamus tilted his head.
"How long have you lived here then?" he asked with a frown. Harry sighed glumly.
"Since I was one," he admitted, "People want babies, but… Well…" He pushed back his bangs, revealing his scar. Seamus's eyes shot to Harry's forehead and widened. "They don't want the damaged ones." Harry finished quietly and looked away.
Seamus was silent for a minute, and Harry cautiously peeked back up at him. He stood open mouthed, staring at Harry's forehead. Harry fidgeted. This is why he kept his bangs long. He hated when people stared.
"I've had it as long as I can remember." He strained to break the silence. "Marianne said it looked fresh when I got here, maybe a day or two old. The note that was left with me said I had no living family, so she reckons I might've got it when my parents died," he babbled, "in some sort of accident or-" Seamus cut him off.
"You're Harry Potter!" he exclaimed with a dopey grin. Harry started, and then frowned in confusion.
"How do you know my name?" he asked the still-grinning boy.
"Everyone knows your name! You're Harry Potter!" Seamus repeated, as if his name alone explained everything. Harry's frown deepened. Maybe everyone at the orphanage knew his name, but that was about it. Even at school he didn't garner much attention, and he was always called Harry James, not Harry Potter.
"Ok…" said Harry. Seamus noticed his expression, and his grin faded.
"You are Harry Potter, aren't you? The son of James and Lily Potter? Defeater of You-Know-Who?" His eyes were pleading.
"Erm. Who?" At Seamus's crestfallen look, Harry clarified. "I mean my name is Harry Potter. I don't know what my parents' names were, but my middle name's James, so that could be my dad's!" he added hopefully. "I don't think I've ever defeated anyone though…" Harry frowned thoughtfully.
Seamus narrowed his eyes in concentration. "You said you've been here since you were one. Who brought you here?" he demanded. Harry rubbed his neck, embarrassed.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Whoever it was rang the bell and then left before Marianne saw them." Seamus grimaced at that.
"And that would have been in… 1981? November maybe?" He looked at Harry expectantly. Harry nodded slowly. This was getting strange.
"November third…" he confirmed, uncertain. Seamus's grin returned just as quickly as it had left. He glanced back at Harry's scar, and then nodded to himself, determined.
"Do you want to know how I knew that Harry?" Harry nodded nervously. "Ok, but first I need to ask you something." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Have you ever made anything strange happen? Maybe when you were mad or sad? Something you couldn't explain?"
Harry's eyes widened comically. He carefully glanced at the door before whispering back.
"One time when Anna was a baby Marianne asked me to watch her while she was on the phone. I wasn't supposed to lift her up, but she was crying. I was trying to calm her down and… I dropped her. But she didn't fall! She just sort of floated until I lifted her back into her crib. I didn't tell Marianne," he added guiltily. Then he perked up.
"Another time this mean older boy was making fun of my hair 'cause it's always so messy. He said it was a pity I had no parents or they could brush it for me…" Both boys scowled, then Harry smirked. "The next day all of his hair was gone. He was really mad. He told everyone I did it, but I hadn't gone near him and no one knew how I could've done it…" He trailed off. Seamus looked pleased.
"I know how," he declared, leaning toward the other boy conspiratorially. "You're a wizard, Harry." Harry stood there, stunned. A what? "Don't worry!" Seamus assured him. "So am I. My mum had magic too, and so did your parents."
"But… How do you know that? You're too young to have known my parents… Did your mum know them?" Harry wondered aloud. Seamus shook his head.
"You see Harry, in the magical world you're famous."
"Famous?" Harry looked doubtful. Seamus nodded eagerly.
"Well, there was this dark wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and he was killing all sorts of magical folk, left and right." Harry's eyes widened and Seamus quickly continued. "Then, on the night of Halloween 1981, he went to your house. He killed both your parents," he winced and shot Harry an apologetic look, "but when he tried to kill you he couldn't! His spell backfired and then… He died!" Harry was staring at Seamus wide-eyed. "You're a hero in the magical world. Everyone knows your name and story," Seamus frowned suddenly. "Everyone except you, I guess."
Harry asked the question that was bugging him most. "But if I'm some famous wizard, then why am I here? I mean, I like McAllister's and all, but…" he trailed off.
"I don't know." Seamus frowned. "All the books say you're in hiding or off training somewhere. I guess they're wrong." He looked frustrated with his lack of knowledge.
"Books?" Harry squeaked. "There are books about me?" Seamus nodded, then jumped up. He quickly dug through his suitcase, before pulling out a book triumphantly. He handed it over to an anxious Harry.
"Modern Magical History," Harry read.
"It was my mum's." Seamus explained. "You can read it, just be careful with it," he begged. Harry nodded in understanding and began flipping through the book. "You'll be toward the end," Seamus began, "At the end of You-Know-Who's reign of terror." Harry suddenly gasped.
"What? Did you find it?" Seamus leaned over his shoulder.
"These pictures are moving!" Harry exclaimed in awe. "That's so cool! How are they moving?" he asked. Seamus smiled at him.
"Magic."
Later that night as Harry lay in bed, he thought about everything he'd learned that day. Magic. He couldn't believe it. Except… He could. It explained so much. A part of him had always know he was different… Now he knew why. He had magic. And Seamus did too.
After they'd flipped through the pages of Modern Magical History, the boys had quickly finished unpacking before taking Seamus around the orphanage and introducing him to all the kids. Lexy had been bouncing off the walls as usual, but Seamus took it in stride and they ended up getting along famously.
When the boys escaped back to their dorm that evening, Seamus once more began filling Harry's head with stories of the magical world. He talked about goblins and dragons and an alley in London that only magical people could find. Harry had wanted to go there at once, but Seamus reminded him that he was famous in the magical world and people would recognize him when they saw his scar. That had to be the strangest part of all of this. Not the evil wizards or moving pictures. No, the thought that he, Harry, was famous. The boys had talked it over and decided to wait a month or so before going to the magical marketplace called Diagon Alley. It'd be less crowded after the holidays, and they'd have time to find a way to hide his scar.
Harry smiled as he drifted off to sleep that night, wishing more than anything that he wouldn't wake up in he morning and find out this was all a dream.
Another boy lay awake in their dormitory that night. This day hadn't turned out at all like Seamus thought it would. When he'd heard he was going to an orphanage, he'd pictured dark rooms full of gloomy kids who were forced to do chores all day and eat gruel. Instead he'd found Harry bloody Potter! He couldn't believe it. And then to find out that Harry knew nothing about their world! Not who he was or where he came from… This Harry Potter wasn't the strong, fearless hero that Seamus had read about in books, he was the shy little orphan who'd made him feel welcome in his new home. He wasn't an all-powerful sorcerer, but a normal nine-year-old just like Seamus.
There was one thing that had bothered Seamus more than anything else that day. How had Harry ended up at McAllister's? He was certain that the ministry wouldn't just dump the Boy-Who-Lived at an orphanage three days after he killed You-Know-Who. Especially a muggle orphanage. So what had gone wrong? There were plenty of wizarding families who would have killed to raise Harry, so why was he with muggles, alone and unwanted? Either way, Seamus was sure that no one knew Harry was there. There was no way they would've knowingly let that happen. So that begged the question- should he tell someone?