Harry's first meeting with another of his kind comes when he's nine in the form of a ginger Scottish woman.
Harry had been given Jody's permission to go and visit the library again- he still retained a fondness for the place, it wasn't very far from their house and only an idiot would hurt the sheriff's adopted kids in a town where everyone knew everyone.
On the way there he had been stopped by a ginger woman.
"Hello there dearie." Harry had been successfully taught not to talk to strangers by this point but the woman didn't seem to have any food, a van, was dressed very respectably and for some reason he just liked her. She smiled at him brightly with friendly eyes.
"I see you have some magical powers, laddie." Now Harry had been suspicious, Aunt Jody had told him not to tell other people about his powers because they wouldn't believe him and he hadn't told a single person. How would this random woman know then?
"What do you mean?" Harry had stared up at her curiously only for the woman to laugh, waving her hand.
"You cannae lie to me dearie- I can practically see magic and I know you have been acquainted with your own for a little while now." She crouched down to his level, "After all- I'm a witch too." Harry had looked at her for several more seconds before deciding to believe her.
"Okay. Would you like to come to the library with me? I'm going there until dinner- Aunty Jody wants me home by then." The redhead had smiled that same, shining smile.
"What's your name, lad?" Harry smiled too.
"My name is Harry- what's yours?"
"I'm Rowena. Do you like learning things my boy?" The boy nodded happily.
"Yes- I like learning lots of things!" Rowena grins excitedly.
"Well- what a coincidence! I would love to teach such a talented young wizard as yourself!" Harry just stared at her as if she was a unicorn or some kind of non-violent supernatural creature- not that there seemed to be many of them.
"Really?" She nods, still smiling widely.
"Really." Then she deflates a little, frowning and sighing melodramatically, "Oh, I forgot- you're going to the library, aren't you my boy… It's a shame-"
"I don't mind- I go to the library lots anyway! Please can you teach me about magic?!" The witch sighs sadly.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to teach you much in such a short space of time- and your Aunty might not approve. Most people don't like me, even other witches." Harry frowns disappointedly.
"Why don't people like you? I like you. You can meet my Aunt Jody too- she likes everyone! I can have lessons like in school!" The woman shakes her head, breaths shaky.
"I'm sorry my wee boy. It's just that- I was cursed by a very evil witch so that nobody who doesn't have magic can like me and most that do have magic are not very nice people my boy." By the end Rowena's voice is cracking into little sobs. The woman's eyes water and Harry sniffles sadly.
"But that's so mean- I'll come every evening if I can! I'll tell my Aunty Jody I'm going to the library and really I'll come to the tree over there so you can teach me magic!" The witch smiles gratefully, wiping away a stray tear and sweeping the boy up into a hug.
"Oh, Harry dearie- you are the most lovely lad I've ever met!" Harry, glad to be the ginger witch's friend and unable to see her face due to the hug, misses the smirk that spreads across her face.
So every day for a week Harry goes and visits his friend who shows up each time in a different- but equally beautiful- dress and teaches him all about sensing magic and how to manipulate it. Apparently she'll teach him the spells when he's older.
When a week has passed Jody smiles at the boy over the table as they attempt to eat as a family.
"You seem happy lately- good book series?" Harry nods happily, missing the last bit of the sentence.
"What's it about?" The boy's mind catches up with him and he says the first thing that comes to his mind.
"It's about witches and magic." Claire smiles, eyes wild as she ruffles his hair.
"Trying to get ahead so we can send all those monsters to hell." Harry nods, glad someone else provided the cover story.
"Yeah, it's really helpful actually!" Jody laughs fondly.
"Hey, not under my roof- we don't want you bringing any more of those things through the door even if you can get rid of them." Claire rolls her eyes and Alex continues checking her phone under the table.
So life continues on as normal for their ragtag family.
After several weeks Rowena is beginning to seem a little restless.
"Hello dearie- I have something new to teach you today!" She smiles widely, delicately sitting herself down on the bench behind the tree.
Harry is quite excited- they've been studying little things forever and he can do lots of things now including making objects float or writing by doing that and he's not doing so badly at learning the spells Rowena has set him to practise- even though she won't let him use them yet. He even knows where you can find most of the things you need to make a spell bag and the proper procedures to follow when doing it.
"Today I'm going to teach you projection." The boy smiles, looking up at her.
"What's that?" The witch grins, leaning down a little.
"It's when you can talk to others without words just by putting the words in their heads- when you get really good you can even appear in people's dreams or vision. That's how I'll be teaching you from now on." Harry gets more and more excited until she gets to the last sentence. His face drops in disappointment.
"Oh, don't worry lad! Auntie Rowena isn't going to run off on you now- I've just got to deal with something that's popped up and I don't know when I can get back. This way you'll get to finish your training and I'll get to find out some new things that I might be able to teach you- win-win my boy. Win. Win." The ginger witch pats his head and he nods sadly.
"Oh, come on now- don't be sad! It'll mean you really have time to go to the library too and you'll see me every day." Harry nods again, "Now- let's get started."
And so- without anyone knowing any better- Rowena Macleod successfully gains an apprentice and member for her own little coven right under the noses of the people hunting her.