Harry Skellington was a strange child of a monster. He looked like the perfect mixture of his mother and father; bone white skin and snow white hair with black eyes with the palest pastel green irises that seemed to glow, especially since the skin framing his eyes were black and sunken. His face were stitched together, the two blackened skin had a line of stitched scar connecting them across the bridge of his perfectly preserved nose making it looked as though he wore glasses. The scarring on his mouth stretched from the corner of his blackened lips up toward his ears making it looked as though he has a stitched up grin, thus making him resembling much like his father Jack the Pumpkin King. Also, the skins of his fingers had come off thus giving him bony claws for fingers and the remaining flesh make it looked as though he had on a pair of fingerless gloves.
Tall for his age, what made him stood apart from the rest of the children of Halloween Town weren't just his parenthood or his remarkably beautiful macabre appearance. No, it was the fact that Harry grow. It had frightened Sally that he grew, though his head can come off and like his skeletal father, can walk as he 'sleeps' without running into things. He also does not have a pulse and his skin was as cold and as perfectly clammy like a proper corpse. But still, Harry grew like a living child. They found this out when he aged 2, or rather in his human age; 5.
Doctor Finkelstein had tried to stop it by taking and cutting off some of his bones but he merely grew and replaced his missing bones. Since science could not 'cure' this anomaly, they went to the witches and it was there they found out about Harry's mortal heritage. Harry was no mortal child. He was a wizard. But even they do not know why or how Harry continues to 'live' as though he still live a living life. After months of asking around about such an unheard of thing from those living in or passing through Halloween Town, even going so far as to go through every other Holidays, the Skellington decided that Harry will be their special child.
And as a child, Harry was a delightful existence despite his growing condition. He loves everything and everyone, from the tiniest to the largest of monsters and was a favourite of Santa Clause. He also remarkably frightening when he wants to be, a talent they applauded Jack for passing down to the young Prince of Halloween. With his innate magic, Harry learned to be the best monster in Halloween Town. He sought out the best teachers around him other than his father and by the age of 7, or rather 10, he can phase through walls and peoples and disappears and reappears wherever and whenever he wanted to.
Indeed, Harry was a screaming delight to Halloween Town. Although he seemed to have a habit of forgetting that his head can come off. But despite his larger and taller body and his talent for frightening the pants off of others, Harry was far from mean. The pranks he played were harmless and meant for laughter and he despise bullies. It seemed that while a living child, he was bullied and though he could not remember his life as a human, the impression it left within the headless child was strong.
Everyone knew how much Harry wanted to become a Headless Horseman, something that he looked forward to when he grew large enough to mount a horse. It was also the only reason he wasn't depressed that he added another inch every few months. So imagine their surprise when Harry received a letter from the human realm.
It was a warm summer and Jack was busy scribbling down new plans for next year's Halloween. It was his job to make sure each celebration was a screaming success. And with his little assistant, the idea each year was more creative than the last one….however….
Jack sighed, "Where did he go off to this time?"
Sally chuckled as she placed a tea next to his already messy table, "Maybe looking for fresh ideas? I was sure he said something about going to the Witches Shop," She looked pointedly at the smaller desk across Jack's covered with scribbling of notes written in two different handwritings. Harry has this habit of writing with both hands and sometimes forgot that he wrote backwards with his other hands. Jack frowned, getting a headache at the jumble of backward spellings jotted down by Harry.
Harry; a name that the boy chose for himself…
When he first stayed with them, a new born, Jack and Sally were looking for a name to call their newest addition when Sally decided to leave the name choosing for the little one to choose. They didn't care that their 'baby boy' cannot read, just pick up the name that he likes. They will read it for him. And Harry had chosen Harry.
While reminisce the memory with Sally, the front door opened with a bang. It was common when Harry was excited to share something new with them thought Jack have been trying to discourage it. Jack was rather old fashioned in his way of discipline and etiquette though not a horror of a father like how most human father of the 50's was like. So when Harry popped up the stairway to their shared office, Jack was scowling over his cup of tea, "Harry, you know what I said about slamming doors,"
If the boy could blush, he would have. But it was something that cannot wait much longer so he rushed to his plush chair and looked at his parents, "Papa, Mama, I have something to show you,"
Sally stared at him in concern. The boy sounded absolutely breathless and she reached over to touch his cool skin, "Are you alright dear?"
Harry smiled, "I'm fine, Mama, but look!" He pushed an almost crumpled piece of letter toward them. Jack frowned. They get letters all the time, being ruler of Halloween but Harry acted as though this letter was something different. Knowing better than to brush it off Jack received the letter and looked at the address…nothing odd there…
He looked at the broken red wax sealer and took notice of the seal. This was an odd one since he has never seen such a seal before; a shield of sort with the typical ribbons curling elegantly around the bottom, which was common but the almost familiar silhouette of squished animal figures was not familiar with any known seal that Jack knew. Opening the rather expensive folded paper, Jack took out the letter and started reading. He may be just a skull but he can be extremely expressive. Sally stared in concern when Jack stopped moving his skeletal head and his 'eyes', if possible, widened even more.
He looked at Sally and wordlessly gave the letter to her. She took it with a slight frown and looked at it. She gaped and looked at Harry, "But this…"
Harry nodded, "It's from the human world!" He pointed at the name written elegantly on the paper, "It's addressed to me but I don't who 'Potter' is. I know it's me because it written right there; 'Skellington'. But why would there be a 'Potter' in the middle?"
Sally shared a look with Jack and then at Harry, "Perhaps it was your name while you were human?" It was well known tradition to adopt children among the newly wed 'dead' and so it was no secret to Harry. Harry frowned, "But why would a school from the human world look for me, especially the 'living' me? Didn't they know I'm already dead?"
As the boy pondered over this, Jack was reading the content of the letter. The address was immaculate and it was so obvious that though the letter may look as if written by hand, it was done so by something else. The only thing that may have been written by an actual person would be the signature. Rubbing the temple of his skull, Jack stood up from his place, "I'll be visiting the Witches Shop sisters. The letter did say something about Harry being a wizard,"
Harry looked up from studying the wax sealer, "Why would I be wizard? I'm nothing like Shock,"
Sally played with his silvery hair, "Well, we know nothing about your life as a human. It could be that you are a child of a witch and wizard. The only thing me and Jack know is that how much we love you as our son. We love you the moment we found you, Harry,"
Harry would have blushed but as it were he smiled sheepishly, "Love you to, Mother, Father,"
Sally shared a looked with Jack as she held him close to her dissected body, knowing that Harry will soon grow out of saying such endearment loudly and openly. The moment they learned that Harry will continue to grow like a living child, Doctor Finkelstein had gifted them with a stack of books to help them learn to be good parents for Harry through his years. The teenage chapters spoke much of how at that particular age children tended to estrange themselves from their parents.
With a promise to return for dinner, Jack went off to visit the sisters…
