Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.
Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There is also canon-typical references to child abuse and denial of medical care. Feel free to back out if need be.
Author's Note: Okay, so I debated offering a translation of the brief exchange between Harini & Mobius that is in French, but I ultimately decided that it doesn't really need it because the context clues should be enough for y'all to get the feel for what is going on. The actual words being said aren't as important as the exchange itself. It's a very basic teaching exchange up until the end where he asks her to stay.
Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 14); MC4A (Year 4)
Individual Challenges: Tell My Story; Best Stories (Y); La Vie Boheme; Fix-It Felix; My Favorite Things; Magical MC (x2); Marvelous HP; Chef MC; Neurodivergent (x2); Rowl in Her Grave; Rian-Russo Inversion (x2); Ethnic & Present; Tiny Terror; Shifter MC; Extraterrestrial MC; Hold the Mayo; Gender Bender (x2); Sliding Scale; Go Fluff Yourself; Colors Galore; Lunar Era; Marvelous Cinema; Old Shoes (Y); Old Shoes; In a Flash; Bucket Listing; Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Green Ribbon; Greatest Gift
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 14 – Post-Term
Subject (Task No.): n/a
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Fantastic Beasts [112](Not trusting someone who is trying to be good to them); 365 Prompts [39](Limp); Scavenger Hunt [90](Huddling for Warmth)
Other MC4A Challenges: SuB [1E](Trip); AU [4B](Race Bent); Chim [Xylit](Protection; Gender Bend); Hunt [Su WD](Blind)/[Su Set](Kitchen)/[Su Con](Salad)/[Su Con](Milk)/[Su Con](Zucchini/Squash)/[Su Items](Lounger); Garden [Chores](Running/Jogging)/[Bed Types](Library)/[Flowers](Cream) /[Flowers](Emerald)/[Flowers](Royal Purple)/[Tools](Sweater/Jumper)/[Companions](Feline) /[Herbologist](Mint)/[Behind Green Eyes](Feline); Fire [x3](Time Warp; Family Matters; Flasher)
Representation(s): Desi & Autistic Harry Potter; Fem Harry; Trans Sylvie (Shapeshifted); Found Family;
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Deadliest Catch; Lovely Coconuts; Bast's Blessing; Creature Feature; No Touchy; Second Verse (Not a Lamp; Found Family; Nontraditional; Teat Juice; Zucchini Bread; Unwanted Advice; Car in a Tutu); Chorus (Pear-Shaped; Pocky Pockets; Wabi Sabi; Bee Haven; Machismo; Delicious Lie; Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; A Long Dog; Larger than Life; Unicorn); Demo 1 (Corvid Brain; Bad Beans; Under the Bridge; Horrible Love; Fruit Fly); Demo 2 (Lost Llama; Toto's Tribute; Abandoned Ship; Messing with Morlocks)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Tether); SN (Rail; Intercept); FR (Satisfaction); O3 (Oath); War (Obstruction; Sanctuary; Ennui); TY (Enfant)
Word Count: 921 words
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Outcast
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Harini lingered in the entrance of the Mason Public Library long enough that the librarian was starting to squint at her through the glasses perched on her nose like a gargoyle. The lens in the glasses were even thicker than the ones in Harini's glasses. In fact, Harini was fairly certain that her glasses were on older prescription of the librarian. It was possible. Aunt Petunia had just plucked them out of charity bin, on the hope that they would work enough that she wouldn't have to waste time and money taking Harini to the optometrist for glasses.
That had been the year before last, when Harini had started school, and while things were still blurry if she was tired, she could see most of what the teacher wrote on the board, so she supposed that the glasses did work.
She sighed in resignation, and shoved her way out into the heavy autumn rain. She was drenched in seconds. The only that kept her from freezing was the thin windbreaker she had on over her royal purple jumper. Knowing that protection wouldn't last forever, she took off running down the street.
The library was the halfway point between Brickman Primary and the Dursleys. Harini stopped on her way home from school, just to read for a half hour or so, but on days with bad weather, it also gave her a place to warm up. Today it just happened start raining while she was inside.
Coming to the little avenue separated the business part of Little Whinging from the residential part, Harini slipped into the small deli across from the alley that ran between Wisteria Walk and Ivy Circle. The cashier waved her back to the kitchen without pausing where she was sprinkling mint over a customer's salad. The eccentric owner of the shop was laying on a lounger near the backdoor, complete with a mirrored shade to focus the florescent lights onto his face. He had slices of zucchini over his eyes.
"Hey, Mr. M," Harini greeted. The man hummed in acknowledgment but pointed her towards the packaged sandwich and slice of berry pie set out for her along with an individual bottle of milk. "How are you today?"
"En français s'il vous plaît," Mr. M replied, blindly folding his shade. Harini grinned as he set it aside.
"Ça va?" she asked as he popped first one zucchini slice and then the other into his mouth. He shook his head like he was disappointed.
"Le manque de respect," he complained. Mr. M turned his head to the side as thunder rolled outside. "Rester?"
"Can't stay," Harini said as she tucked the meal away in her backpack. "Already late."
"Okay," he agreed as she pulled open the backdoor. "Straight home, kiddo. No more detours."
"Of course not," she agreed as the door closed behind her. The rain was lighter in the alley where most of it was redirected by the overhanging roof. She shook her head, making the water fall from her wild curls. She could already hear how Aunt Petunia's screeching over the water she would track in, and she wanted to whimper in preemptive exhaustion.
For a moment, Harini even thought she had.
The noise came again, sounding more plaintive than anything she could remember ever making. Harini tracked it to a bunch of bins halfway up the alley. Cautiously, she peered around them. She almost missed the small cream and gray kitten hiding in the shadows. She would have if it didn't blink open its emerald eyes right at the moment she had looked at it.
"Oh," she breathed. She crouched down and stretched out her brown fingers. The kitten looked at her, suspicious in the way that cats seemed to always be. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."
Harini waited patiently as it stumbled out of its hiding place. It tripped over its own feet, like it wasn't used to walking. Or maybe it was hurt? It seemed to be walking with a limp. Whatever was wrong, it got to Harin's fingers and sniffed at them before allowing Harini to gently pet it.
"I know someone who might help you," Harini told the kitten. "He's American and more than a bit obsessed with jet skis, but you shouldn't hold that against him. He really is a good guy. He makes me sandwiches." The kitten came a little closer. "He helps me practice my French. I'm going to go there someday, you know. There's this little city outside Paris which is full of freaks, according to my uncle. If there's that many, then one more wouldn't be noticed."
The kitten purred and pressed its wet head against Harini's hand. Careful to keep the motion slow and gentle, Harini picked it up and pulled it in. The poor thing felt like ice. Harini tucked it against her sweater as she stood again. It snuggled against her as it instinctively sought out the heat of her body.
Mr. M would take in the kitten. He was always helping those who couldn't help themselves. Like she had told the kitten, he was already helping her. He was weird but a really good person.
A swishing noise made her turn towards the mouth of the alley. There was a glowing orange rectangle that shimmered like the air above asphalt in the summer. Harini blinked at the sight, reflexively clutching her precious cargo tighter.
Then what looked like bobbies in riot gear came through the rectangle and everything descended into chaos.
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To Be Continue
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