Holy shit guys! I-I-I… How? What? I'm fucking speechless! I mean… Wow! Just Wow!

Over 100 followers and almost 60 favs and Without Silence is already in a community with just the prologue! I mean, I can't even… I really hadn't expected that you all would like it so much! I love you guys! *Throws cookies around* I really hope I won't disappoint in this… Oh gods… XD

The0Hidden0Key, EuphemiaJames, davycrockett100, Shetan20, Guest, DiagonAlleyParis, Guest, YokoTakamotoFenix, Guest, KatieMarrie, ScarletEmperess, Ann (Guest), pvamangafan100, ThirdEye (Guest), orihara alice, crazy dragon ninja, Guest, Guest, yggdrasil001 and Guest; Thank you all for leaving such lovely reviews! They always make my day! Please continue to do so :3

Q/A

Apathetic Lambchoppi: Thank you! And to answer your question, there most certainly is an explanation for how and why Harry's mute and how he actually knew. I sort of hinted at it in the prologue, I'm curious if you can find it. XD

~*~ Challenge! ~*~

I'm going to give you a little hint; the doctor said that there was nothing wrong with Harry's vocal cords or throat. But he did come to realize that there was something stopping Harry from talking. There is one more symptom in this chapter which will hint to what's wrong with Harry.

I'm really curious if anyone can guess it. ~*~

Leave a review! It's always nice for a writer to read about what you think about their story.
Don't be afraid to leave any constructive criticism or what you expect to happen in the future chapters. It can help a writer to get motivated to write, or give them inspiration. So don't worry, I won't bite.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. I only own this story and my creativity.

Warnings: Slash (not until some time though), slow build, time travel, cussing, violence, plotting, blood, (mild) gore, OOC, OC's and Mute!Harry

Beta: Beta-ed by my lovely friend: Anki! Please thank her to the moon and back for always doing such a lovely job at helping me by pointing out any mistakes I made.

You can also find this story on AO3

~*~WithoutSilence~*~

Chapter 1

"And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." ~ Meister Eckhart

~*~WithoutSilence~*~

A tuft of black hair could be seen from behind the slightly open door. It disappeared for a second before reappearing together with a pair of bright green eyes. Harry peeked around the door, scanning the hallway of its occupants before his gaze came to a stop on one particular person. He followed her movements, not daring to move his eyes away in fear of losing track of her again and being caught off guard. He had to make sure that she wouldn't find him; he was on the run after all.

Amanda, the young brunette nurse currently being spied on, paced in the hallway. She went from door to door to take a peek inside, and after deeming that what she was looking for wasn't inside, quickly went to the next.

The tell-tale sound of her shoes clacking on the floor started to come closer to where he was hiding and Harry quickly ducked back behind the door again, pressing himself to the wall as the door was opened a little further. Amanda's head peeked in, her sharp eyes scanned the room where a few of the older patients were laying on their beds. She gave an irritated huff and shook her head as she went on her way again. As the sounds her shoes were making slowly started to get farther and farther away- until Harry wasn't able to hear them in the distance anymore- did Harry finally peel away from the wall with a small sigh of relief.

Mrs. Jones laughed softly, watching the four-year-olds antics with a fond expression from her position on the bed.

"Shouldn't you be in your room, Harry? I think the nurse is looking for you. And you know it isn't nice to keep a lady waiting." Mr. Mason said cheekily, watching in amusement as Harry went red in the face from embarrassment. Harry shook his head wildly, pleading with his eyes to the elders in the room not to sell him out to the Nurse O' Doom. Of course Amanda wasn't really that bad. She was actually very kind and a great nurse. But Harry didn't want to sit through another check-up, even if it might be his last.

Mr. Mason shook his head in amusement at the child's antics before holding up two fingers to his mouth and making a twisting motion with his hand before making an exaggerated show of throwing something away behind his back.

"My mouth is sealed, soldier."

Harry grinned and quickly made a salute to the old man. Mrs. Jones was shaking her head all the while in fond exasperation.

The door suddenly burst open, an irate Amanda standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Harry squeaked in surprise, scrabbling to the closest thing which could give him some cover from the oncoming explosion that was sure to come. It happened to be Mr. Mason's bed, who raised his hands in mock-surrender the moment Amanda turned accusing eyes his way. He gave a small innocent smile, Amanda, unimpressed at the man's attempt at looking like an exemplary citizen, just crossed her arms over her chest.

"Harry," Amanda said, her tone a warning in itself. Harry tensed before his shoulders dropped. He slowly shuffled forward, not daring to look up from his sock-clad feet. Amanda placed a hand on his shoulder once he was close enough and and started to steer him outside. Her grip was almost unbending, and Harry had the faint feeling that she held him so tight because she was afraid of losing sight of him again. The four-year-old could be slippery as hell when he wanted to be.

As they exited the hospital room, Harry quickly spun around and waved a quick goodbye to the two elders before following after the nurse with trepidation.

~*~WithoutSilence~*~

He shivered as the metal touched his chest and took a few deep breaths. Goosebumps sprung up on his bare arms and legs and left Harry squirming on top of the sheets.

"Well Harry, it seems you've been healed up quite nicely." Doctor Aker put the stethoscope away, finishing up his final check-up of him. It's been almost three weeks since he woke up in the hospital, and he's finally been declared healthy enough to be released. Some things still hurt- like his arm- and he still got headaches from time to time, but everything else had had been healed as was expected. "Though I must say I'm quite surprised at such a fast recovery. I've never seen anything like this in all my life. You are quite something, Mr. Potter."

Harry ducked his head and started to twiddle around with the sheets he was sitting on. A small, shy smile on his lips as green-eyes peeked through a fringe of messy black hair. He brought his right hand to his mouth and moved his hand forward again, looking as if he was blowing a kiss. Robert laughed and ruffled Harry's mop of hair, managing to make it even messier than it had already been. "It's simply the truth Harry, so you shouldn't thank me. But, you are most welcome." Harry grinned up at him a little, before slipping off the side of the bed and went to gather his things. He'd been given a few clothes for when he got released and a pair of new shoes as his old-ones had been ruined beyond repair (not that they had been much to begin with.)

He'd been learning some simple words and phrases in sign-language- like 'Thank you' and 'Hello'- after Amanda brought in a book about it. Harry had immediately started to dive into it (after he was done moping of course), as there wasn't much else he could do to entertain himself except staring at the ceiling, learning to read from the nurses and trying out the hand-gestures used in sign-language. He had been stuck in bed for about a week and a half after all.

The hospital staff around the Royal London Hospital had all quickly taken a liking to the small and very curious kid. They would often times see him roaming the halls once he had been allowed to leave his bed, observing everyone from a distance. Most would often forget he was even there and go about their jobs, not minding the small green-eyed child watching from afar.

But the same could also be said about most of the patients, especially the older ones. Harry had seen that some were quite lonely, and after a day of working up some courage he walked in to one of the rooms and sat by an old woman's bed. He had held up his book awkwardly (as he had only one free hand, the other was still inside a sling) and tried to explain with gestures what she was supposed to do with it.

It had been Mrs. Jones who he had first approached, a kind old lady whose children only visited her once a month or sometimes even less. She had been close to tears as she started reading from the fairy-tale book Harry had been given by one of the nurses.

Mr. Mason had been harder for Harry to approach, because the man's gruff appearance scared the toddler a little at first. Mr. Mason is an ex-soldier and was missing a few of his fingers on his left hand and had various scars on his face. It made the man look quite dangerous, even in his old age.

It had actually been Mr. Mason who had made the first move. Calling for the child to take a seat at his bed, and had started telling stories about his time in the military. Harry would listen attentively to the man, his green eyes wide and full of amazement.

It had been a fun time, Harry thought. He'd met loads of interesting people and had learned a lot of new things. He didn't want to leave. Not really. He still had so much to learn! Mr. Mason hadn't told him all of his stories yet and Mrs. Jones still wasn't finished with the fairy tale she was reading to him. But sadly he was healthy again and an officer was waiting for him in the hallway to bring him to an orphanage.

He could remember what his uncle Vernon had once said about orphanages, and that Harry should've been very happy that they hadn't left him at one. He shivered, bringing small arms around his chest as he shuffled to the door. Harry didn't want to find out how bad it would be there. Would they think of him as a freak? He was lucky that nothing weird had happened at the hospital (save for his abnormally quick recovery), or else he probably would've been thrown on the streets.

Abandoned.

Left behind just like his family had done.

Harry sighed as he grabbed his coat from the hanger by the door- having to stand on a stepping stool to even reach the lowest hanging hook, specifically made for children- and quickly put it on. He hated being so small sometimes. It was already mid-November and it was getting colder by the day. Luckily he was used to being a little cold from his time at the Dursley's (the cupboard hadn't been the warmest spot in the house during winter), so he didn't mind it all too much.

The officer- who was going to bring him to the orphanage- had been leaning against the wall, and stood up straight as he saw Harry coming through the door with Doctor Aker walking shortly behind him. The two adults exchanged a brief greeting before Robert proceeded to give a brief summary of Harry's condition and gave the man an envelope before turning back to the toddler waiting patiently in the hallway.

Harry's attention had long since wondered to the people walking to and fro in the hospital. Nurses were bustling about and visitors were coming and going through the rooms lined up in the hallway. It sometimes surprised Harry how busy it was in a hospital. He wondered if it was normal for a hospital to have so many ill people. But it wasn't really like Harry had ever been in a hospital before, so he wouldn't really know.

And it wasn't like he could ask it anymore…

"-Harry," Green eyes blinked questioningly up at the patiently waiting man crouching in front of him. Robert shook his head, an amused smile on his lips. "You're going to have to go with this kind officer. He's going to bring you to your new home okay?" Harry nodded his head, wringing the strap of his new bag between his hands. It was becoming a nervous habit of his.

Doctor Aker stood up and ruffled Harry's hair. Rosy cheeks puffed up in indignation as small hands reached up to flatten down his hair again. Harry glared up at the tall adult, a warning look in his eyes. To the adults in the hallway though, the small green-eyed boy simply looked like an annoyed chipmunk, who had its nuts stolen from him. Harry's eyebrow twitched at the sound of laughter coming from the two men and gave an angry huff. They were seriously laughing at him?!

Harry stepped towards the officer once the man stopped chuckling, and took a hold of the man's outstretched hand. He looked uncertainly back as he walked through the hallway towards the exit. He didn't want to leave…

Robert waved a hand at him, "Take care kid!" Amanda stepped up beside the doctor, holding her clipboard close to her chest. They watched as Harry disappeared through the front-doors.

"I'm going to miss that little tyke," she said, her eyes suspiciously bright. Robert made a sound from the back of his throat, before sighing and turning back around.

He had work to do after all.

~*~WithoutSilence~*~

"Here we are, Wool's Orphanage." The officer indicated towards the building standing tall in front of them. It was looking quite run-down and gave off an unpleasant feeling. Harry looked at the high railings surrounding the building, and wondered if the officer actually got the place wrong. It looked more like a prison than an orphanage in Harry's young eyes. He shivered slightly as they stepped through the gates, if it was because of the cold weather or the building itself, Harry wasn't sure.

"This is where you'll be staying until you've either got adopted or become too old to be allowed to stay. You're expected by the matron, who will give you a room and the specifics of your stay around here." The officer continued to babble as they walked up to the door, Harry was feeling more and more apprehensive the closer they got.

The officer knocked three times on the door, the sound ringing loud in Harry's ears. There was some shuffling behind the door, before the sound of a lock turning and the door was slightly opened by a young woman. She eyed up the officer and only took notice of Harry standing silently behind the man's leg because he'd scuffed a pebble with his shoe. She silently opened the door a little wider, stepping aside to let them through.

The officer turned towards Harry, "I'll be leaving you now, as you'll be in good hands. Give this to the matron, everything she needs to know about you is written inside." The man shoved the letter doctor Aker had given him in the toddlers' hands before swiftly trekking back down the stone path without another word.

Harry watched him go, a little confused and more than a little scared of what was happening and what's going to happen. He turned towards the woman waiting impatiently by the door before taking a deep breath and stepping over the threshold. His young mind had come up with different scenarios about what would happen once he stepped foot inside the grim looking building. Maybe he would get yelled at, or a cuff over the head. Maybe the woman would turn into a chicken and cluck around flapping her wings. What if the roof fell down on them?! He would get in so much trouble if that would happen! But luckily nothing bad happened (safe for Harry almost falling on his face in his nervousness), and the four-year-old followed silently after the woman. Who still hadn't said a word.

He wondered if she wasn't able to talk, like he was now.

The silence was awkward. Or as awkward as it can be for a toddler.

Harry wanted to fill the silence with as much noise as he could, sadly he couldn't talk to do that anymore… He could try jiggling his bag about, but Harry didn't want to risk getting in trouble on his first day by annoying the lady walking in front of him. And if he tried, he would likely stumble over thin air and knock something over, breaking it in the process.

He'd been clumsy ever since he woke up in the hospital. Tripping over thin air and knocking into various things. It was highly frustrating to the green-eyed-boy.

The first time he'd broken something in the hospital (a glass half-full with water), he'd expected to get yelled at like his Aunt and Uncle used to do. So he'd hidden under the bed sheets and refused to come out from under them as the nurses tried to coax him into eating.

Nurse Amanda eventually had to be called, and after a long half an hour of talking and reassuring him, he'd finally relented and wiped the tears away from his cheeks- his eyes red and puffy as he stared at his lap again. The guilt had gnawed at him for a few days, refusing to let up. He'd expected to be berated any moment, and would flinch away when anyone got too close. The nurses had been giving him sympathetic glances the entire time.

Harry let his mind wonder as they passed various gloomy hallways and went up a staircase. He thought back to the walk through the city. He had stared at all the cars and differently dressed people walking on the streets. He had never seen people dress like that or drive in cars like those. But, maybe it was normal here in London, he's never been here before after all.

Harry had to practically run after the woman once his mind had snapped back to the present. There was a little more distance between them than previously and Harry really didn't want to lose sight of his escort, lest he get lost. It was very difficult to keep up with the woman's fast pace, especially so with his short legs. Luckily the woman started to slow down once they reached a door at the end of the hall and Harry almost sighed in relief.

Idly he thought it was quite strange that he hadn't seen or heard a single kid in the time he walked through the building. Shouldn't it be bustling with children? It was an Orphanage… right?

She knocked softly on the door, a muffled voice answering only a second later.

His escort opened the door and peeked her head in. Harry could hear her say something- it was the first time he'd heard her voice, apparently she could talk just fine- before beckoning him inside.

Harry reluctantly stepped forward, gripping the letter between his small hands maybe a little too hard; as the paper started to crinkle under the abuse. He looked back at the woman who brought him here- he still didn't know her name- and watched as she shut the door after him. Harry stared at the wood for a few moments, not moving a muscle.

"Ahem," a cough behind him made Harry's back go straight. He turned around, looking down at his shoes as he shifted from foot to foot. He could practically feel the assessing look the woman in front of him gave him. It made Harry more nervous than he already was.

"Sit, boy." The harsh tone and the use of the word 'Boy' caused Harry to flinch at the command before he shuffled towards one of the bare wooden chairs standing in front of a desk. He had to climb onto it, as he was still smaller than the average four-year-old and the chair wasn't really made for small children.

The room was fairly simple, a desk with a big chair and a cabinet behind it. There was a heavy lock on the two doors, and it made him wonder what was behind them.
A small window on his right side was the only source of light, and gave the room a kill look.

The woman sitting behind the desk was looking at him, eyes as sharp as a hawk. Her brown hair* was kept in a neat bun and already turning grey. Age-lines decorated her eyes and mouth, making her look older than she probably was.

"What's your name, boy?" She looked at him expectantly, drumming her fingers on the hard wooden desk. "Well? You answer when someone asks you a question." Her eyes narrowed and Harry tried to make himself as small as possible in his chair. He reluctantly held his shaking hand out, the letter clutched inside a small fist. "What's that?" The woman asked harshly, taking the letter from him without waiting for a reply that wouldn't come. Harry quickly retracted his hand towards his chest, trying to sit as still as possible so as to not attract the woman's attention again while she was reading the letter. He used to do this at the Dursleys too. After all, he wouldn't get in trouble as long as they forgot he was even there.

A hum broke him from his thoughts and green-eyes locked with sharp-grey.

"Well, Harry…" she began, turning her nose up at the child in front of her. "I suppose I should welcome you to Wool's Orphanage. I am Mrs. Cole, the current matron here. Tell me, what is your age?"

Harry held up four fingers as he stared wide-eyed at the intimidating woman. She reminded him an awful lot of his Aunt.

He didn't like her at all.

She eyed him sceptically* after he did so, probably not taking his word for it (figuratively speaking, of course.) Harry couldn't really blame her though, he looked younger and smaller than any other kid his age should. She eventually wrote it down on a piece of paper which lay in front of her after getting no further reaction from the green-eyed boy. "I'm going to explain the rules around here, boy. You better remember them, because you will be punished for breaking them. Do you understand?" She gave him a stern look as Harry silently nodded his head.

"Breakfast will be held in the mess hall downstairs from 8 'till 9 in the morning. Dinner will be held from 6 until 7 in the evening, if you're too late you won't get any food." She stood up, motioning for Harry to follow. He jumped off the chair, stumbling for a second, before following after the matron. Harry had to practically run (again) to keep up. Damn his short legs. Mrs. Cole led him around the building, showing him the mess hall, the kitchen (where no children were allowed. She gave him a pointed look as she told him that stealing wasn't tolerated.), the bathrooms (there were three in total, one for the staff and two for the children, boys and girls had to be separated of course.)

Mrs. Cole gave Harry a steely glare after he accidently knocked into a cabinet standing in the reception area, almost causing a vase with a few wilting flowers inside it to fall down. He made sure to not walk close to any of the furniture after that.
Mrs. Cole had told him that this room was used to receive couples who were looking to adopt a child.

She also said to not get his hopes up…

"Bullying won't be tolerated and violence will be punished severely. If we catch you harming any of the other children, be sure to not appreciate the consequences." She gave him a steely glance from her place next to him in the hallway, not once interrupting her brisk walk past the many doors. Every single one looked the same. Brown wooded and a little worn.

"All the children have to go to church every Sunday together with two staff members, no exceptions." Ah. That would explain why it was so… desolate. Today was a Sunday. "You'll be enrolled in the same school as all the other children." She gave him a long look, before sniffing a little. "But I suppose you also need some extra material." Harry looked down at his hands, suddenly not feeling all that well.

"This is where you'll be sleeping for now," Mrs. Cole suddenly stopped by a door at the end of the hallway. "Well, go on in." she said impatiently, looking pointedly at the door. Harry thought he saw disgust flash in her eyes, but it was gone so fast that he thought he was simply making things up. He turned the doorknob, slowly pushing the creaking door open. He glanced around the small room, not finding much of interest to look at.

There were two neatly made beds shoved against opposite walls. Two closets standing at either foots of both beds and a single window in between the beds, giving a view of the backyard of the orphanage.

All in all, the room was just as drab as the rest of the building and was very empty. It didn't really give off the feeling that someone sleeps here, so Harry was surprised to hear otherwise from the matron.

"You'll be sleeping with one of the older boys, as this is the only free bed we have at the moment." She shot him a sympathetic look, and as Harry blinked it was gone again.

Maybe he should get some sleep… Never mind that it was still morning.

"The children will be back by lunchtime, until that time you can put away your stuff and look around a little. Don't break anything." And with that cheerful piece of advice, she sharply turned around and left the room in a brisk walk.

Harry gingerly sat on one of the beds after the sound of Mrs. Cole's heels faded around a corner in the hallway and placed his bag- which he had with him all the time- next to him on the squeaky bed. He looked out of the window, watching the grey sky overhead and the bald trees standing around the yard. He had about an hour or so before everyone would be back, and Harry could feel the nervous jitters inside his stomach.

Taking a deep breath, green eyes narrowed in determination. He can do this.

This would be his new life from now on. A new beginning. A fresh start!
He hoped he won't blow this. He didn't want to be the freak anymore.

He might even make his first friend here!

Excitement bubbled up inside him as the child bounced on the bed with uncontained glee. Green eyes glittered as he stared wide-eyed at the room around him.

He can do this.

He couldn't wait to meet the other kids!

~*~WithoutSilence~*~

*I'm not really sure what colour Mrs. Cole's hair used to be, so I just went with brown.

*It might seem like it's written wrong for those who use the American form of English, but this is the correct word written in British English… You guys might've already noticed that I use that form of writing most of the time.

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