Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter universe, all characters, plots, etc., belong to J.K. Rowling, that wonderful woman! I only own the few OCs in this story.

Warning: Mentions of abuse. It this bothers/triggers you, do not read.

Word Count: 1,245

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She was used to getting odd looks, she wasn't oblivious to the whispers from adults and children alike about her appearance. Even at the young age of five she had known she was beautiful, people had always told her that was the case, but she never felt beautiful with all the whispers and stares she got. She didn't understand why her scarlet locks and clear complexion mattered to all those strangers, but the overwhelming attention had forced her into an agoraphobic life, hidden away in solitude living off minimal resources.

Skylar grew up without parents, for she didn't consider her current caretakers "real parents". Velma and Gordon were cruel people, and Skylar had many bruises to prove it. While she was glad that the two adults didn't see her as anything different than any other child, she despised the cruel manner in which they treated her. She bottled up her anger while they beat her, and only said kind and polite things around them. Velma was an alcoholic and smoker; she liked to burn Skylar's creamy skin with her cigarettes. Gordon was a womanizer and alcoholic as well. He hit Skylar, and tended to smack her backside in a very demeaning manner. She supposed she should be grateful; her life could be a lot worse, after all. She constantly reminded herself that she was lucky to not be sexually abused, to not live in poverty, to only be nearly starved. She refused to wallow in her own self-pity. Skylar initially thought the two were a couple, but she soon realized that wasn't quite the case. She was quite mature for her age, and regarded the two adults as what she heard were called "fuckbuddies". Her sleep schedule was constantly off course, as she was often awoken by strange grunts and moans from Gordon and Velma's bedrooms.

Skylar had pleaded Velma and Gordon to take her to the zoo for months, and they finally gave in. Due to their lazy nature, they simply gave Skylar enough money to enter the zoo and she took her skateboard and fled. When Skylar arrived, she noticed a strange family entering the premises as well. Their was a rather portly man, not unlike Gordon, with a silly looking mustache, a skinny woman with a long neck that rather resembled Velma, and two boys. One of them was almost a carbon copy of the man, only younger, while the other was thin and scraggly looking, with messy dark hair and rounded glasses. Skylar shrugged and proceeded to check her skateboard and helmet into the nearest coat check.

Skylar had wandered aimlessly around the zoo, fascinated by the leopards and cheetahs, perplexed by the strange anteaters and camels. She had seen the animals before, albeit in a magazine or paper rather than right in front of her. The past hour or so was mostly a blur, only the brightest and strangest animals imprinted in her memory. She paid no attention as she walked into the Reptile House, causing her to bump into someone. She fell to the ground from the force, knocking her victim down with her.

"Sorry!" Skylar cried, flinching in the process. The last time she had bumped into someone they had beaten her, for Gordon was constantly in a terrible mood. She heard hands against denim, and slowly opened her eyes. The boy from before was brushing off his hands on his jeans and beginning to stand up, offering her a hand shortly after picking himself up off the ground. Skylar slowly extended her hand to meet his, and the wiry boy pulled her up with a strength she didn't realize he possessed.

"It's alright," The boy adjusted his glasses, "Accidents happen. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either." Skylar squinted at the unusual kindness of the stranger and looked around for the rest of his family.

"Where's the rest of you?" She asked quizzically. The boy looked confused as he processed her words.

"Oh, the others? I'm not quite sure...Dudley's probably taunting some poor animal, and Uncle Vernon…" He trailed off, pushing black locks from his forehead.

"What's that?" Skylar gasped suddenly, pointing at his exposed forehead. The boy looked up as though it would help him see.

"Oh, that's just a weird scar I have. I've had it for as long as I can remember...why?"

"I have a weird birthmark as well." Skylar shifted her auburn hair to reveal a star shaped mark beneath the corner of her right eye. She referred to it as a "beauty mark" if anyone asked, but in reality, she wasn't quite sure what the strange marking was. She tended to use her long hair to cover most of her face, including the odd mark. She felt abnormally comforted by the stranger, therefore she was comfortable enough to show him the odd marking.

"That's so strange! I've never met anybody else with something like it!" The boy smiled. "I'm Harry, by the way. And you-" He was interrupted by the pudgy boy from earlier.

"Hey nerd." The chubby boy smirked at the smaller boy. He didn't seem to notice Skylar as he pushed past Harry.

"Ugh, that's my cousin, Dudley." Harry groaned. Skylar giggled at his dramatic behaviour, and pulled him over to one of the nearby enclosures.

"Look!" She tugged on his arm and pointed at the large brown-spotted snake behind the glass. "Isn't it beautiful?" Harry adjusted his glasses once more and proceeded to peer through the glass at the large snake.

"I suppose it does have a nice pattern." Harry replied. From the corner of her eye Scarlet noticed Dudley banging on the glass.

"Make it move!" The pudgy boy shouted, pulling on the older man's sleeve. The mustached man tapped on the glass with a thick index finger and said, "Move". Dudley grew frustrated, his face turning a bright red, and he pounded on the glass again. "He said, MOVE!" When he realized he wasn't getting any results from the snake, he wandered off, the large man in tow.

"Sorry about him he doesn't understand what it's like, lying there day after day watching people press their ugly faces in on you." Skylar spoke in a soft voice.

"Are you speaking to the snake?" Harry asked her.

"Well, snakes are intelligent creatures, and I feel bad for him." She replied.

"How do you know it's a he?" Harry asked.

"Hmmm...I just feel like it is," She tapped her chin in thought, "I know!" She turned to Harry. "We'll just ask him!" She was mostly joking, but Harry went along with it anyway.

"Alright," Harry agreed, "Are you a male snake?" He asked the snake through the glass. The brown snake flicked its tongue out before moving its head in a bobbing gesture, most definitely a nod.

"Oh!" Skylar cried. "He can understand us!" Harry stood next to her with a gaping mouth.

"Let's ask him more questions!" She added excitedly. "My turn...okay Mr. Snake, do you talk to people often?" The snake shook its head, indicating his answer was a no. "Your turn!" She poked Harry.

"Do you um...do you miss your family?" He slowly asked. The snake flicked its tail to a sign in the enclosure. "It says; bred in captivity. Oh, well I never knew my parents either."

"Me neither!" Skylar added, glad to meet someone in the same situation as her. Harry looked at her in surprise.

"Mummy, Dad, come here you won't believe what this snake is doing!" Dudley shouted from behind the two. Suddenly, the glass disappeared and Dudley fell into the enclosure as the brown snake slithered out. It looked up at Harry and Skylar before hissing, "Thanks" and slithering off.

"Am I crazy, or did that snake just say 'thanks'?" Skylar whispered.

"Nope, I heard it too." Harry whispered back. Skylar turned to see the pudgy man and skinny woman heading towards the enclosure, spooking her a bit.

"Erm, I have to go," She told Harry, "See you again?" She ran to the coat check and promptly headed back home. As she re-entered the house and took off her helmet, she realized she had never given Harry her name.