Disclaimer Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling

Onwards we march my delightful readers, I must admit to a rather large assortment of feelings for this chapter but all of them are overshadowed by excitement at my first review, on my first story! Very good yes. So going forward I will address one thing before we proceed, this story is AU like very AU if the evidence of escalated abuse and Harry's strange relationship with his magic wasn't enough of an indication the fact is that things are only going to go more of the rails from here. Hopefully, it makes for good reading… Oh also again this is rated M for dark, violent themes so if that bothers you then this story might not be for you as some of the stuff, I have planned could be read alongside Mick Gordon's masterpieces. So, enough stalling on we go!

Chapter – Of Witches

"… I just can't hold it in any longer, I have to know!" Roselyn excitedly yelped, a damp cloth in hand washing the abrasion on Harrys back the dirt and dried blood coming off easily with her tender care. "What was that? How did you do it? Was it magic? What are you?" A rapid volley of questions flew past her upwards curved lips.

"Hmm umm well that was my gift, I don't know what it is really, my relatives just call it freakishness, but my aunt has let stuff slip before about my mother so maybe it is magic like real magic," Harry responded voice light and filled with mirth as he scrubbed his legs in the basin his pants rolled up so he could clean his blackened feet. "As to how I do it, well it just comes naturally," with a tilt of his head his/their gift became visible and swirled through the air as bright green smoke before blowing up Roselyn's hair much to her amusement.

"Cut that out I'm trying to focus you witch's son," She chuckled as she stopped dabbing at his scarred back with the bloodied cloth to fix her hair that was now a ruffled mess.

"Oh, right your last question," Harry spun his small frame around so his dripping wet feet hung over the edge of the counter, and he could look at Roselyn's face clearly. "The truth is I don't know, my relatives always just called me a freak," Harry observed her face drop as a flash of contempt appeared, recognizable in the way her nose flared, and lips peeled back ever so slightly.

"Yes, well forgive me if I don't really trust their opinion on the subject, they seem to be quite freakish themselves."

"Well then what do you think?"

"Pardon?" Roselyn was taken aback unexpecting of Harry's query on the subject matter of what exactly he was. She didn't want to say it out loud for fear of hurting the boy, but he was most assuredly not normal. Unless she missed the supernatural losing its super and becoming the norm. "Hmmm… well honestly Harry I felt something when you showed me your gift it was like a surge of emotions and something in me was telling me that what I was seeing was definitely something… miraculous." A childish giggle broke her from her recollection to see Harry covering the lower half of his face as his eyes seemed to dance with sparkling lights.

"I'm really happy I showed you my gift, you're really nice Roselyn… umm," Harry felt his face warm and quickly looked away from Roselyn's kind face, too embarrassed by what he wanted to ask to keep making eye contact. It didn't help that his gift was recuperating very quickly and was now practically dancing around him its/his emotions like an aurora of positivity that tickled him to his core.

"What is it Harry, are you ok?"

"Oh, yes, it's just I wanna ask you something but it's a tad embarrassing," Harry replied to her question but his eyes still refusing to meet hers, at least that was the case until a soft touch shocked him as her hand rested lightly amongst his messy hair. His eyes darted over to Roselyn and were met only with kindness and understanding, her eyes locked onto his unperturbed by any freakishness.

"What is it, Harry?"

With a soft gulp, his hands slowly moved up to grasp lightly at her much larger hand, holding it firmly to his head as his gift swirled and danced amongst her fingers eager to share its/his/their feelings. With all the steely courage his small frame could amass Harry basically shouted the question in the small room they were in.

"Will you please be my friend?"

A shocked and deep silence descended on the room Roselyn stared surprised at the tiny child her eyes wide and filled with a flurry of emotion, but Harry was stony still, impatiently awaiting her response to his plea even his gift was frozen ridged making his stomach feel very unsettled.

"… Harry, can I hug you?" Roselyn asked gently after she had taken stock of this situation.

"Wh- I guess."

"Thank you." And with that Roselyn leaned over and embrace Harry's small frame his tiny body was so small it was hard to think of the strength and endurance this child had seen as she could have held his entire frame in her arms with ease. She just held him, no words no comforting gestures she just encompassed him with her body and tried to convey the purest of care and affection she could to this trauma riddled child. It took a while but eventually, Harry relaxed his body going from stiff and primed to small grasping hands and a nuzzling head that pushed into her chest. "I bet you don't get hugged often huh?" A shake of his head confirmed her suspicion and enabled Harry to bury his face deeper into her warm body.

"Harry?" After a moment he looked up eyes filled with… something, Roselyn was unsure what, but they were filled with such depth of emotion she had no hope of deciphering his thoughts. "I would absolutely love to be your friend."

The damn broke a sputtering of tears welled up in those glowing orbs, only sheer stubbornness halting their descent down their owner's face. His small arms wormed their way up and coiled around her neck pressing him against her as his breathing became haltered and erratic, the familiar gasps of someone refusing to cry. He was definitely wetting her cardigan with his almost tears, but she didn't mind all too happy to comfort this damaged soul.

"… Why do I want to cry, I'm not sad and my injuries don't really hurt anymore so why the tears?" Harry queried, his cheeks puffing out and a face of consternation masking his visage. Roselyn stifled her humour at his adorable little face, cleaned of blood his confusion was absolutely precious with those big green eyes.

"Maybe they are happy tears," Roselyn chimed in.

"Happy tears? No crying is bad it's for babies," he stubbornly refuted lifting his chin in a show of blatant defiance.

"Hmmm well, hopefully, one day you will be grown up enough to cry for real," Roselyn spoke whimsically looking over her shoulder... so Harry wouldn't be able to spot the mirthful smirk she had let slip through.

"What does that even mean?" Harry huffed finally releasing his hold on her, his small frame moving away from her embrace and sliding off the counter to land on the lavatory floor. Roselyn already wanted to hug him and his adorably stubborn wannabe adult self.

"It means that you should be able to feel freely Harry, your emotions are yours and no one can tell you how to experience them." Roselyn's proclamation left Harry in a state of introspection that furrowed his adorable little brow.

"…"

"Don't worry about it, hopefully, you'll get it someday, for now, we should work out what to do next but first let's get out of the bathroom." Roselyn quickly guided him to the door and back out to the library proper, the mirth she felt quick to leave as the horror of the situation settled back in. She was helping a small, abused boy hide from his horribly violent relatives who he was absolutely terrified of… oh and the kid had magic powers, how fantastical and yet the feeling of disgust she felt about the whole scenario would not be denied so easily.

Glancing over her shoulder she saw Harry scowling at his shirt and the bloody mud stain on it. His scarred body on display made her stomach squirm ever so slightly but the moment that feeling of unease struck Harry's head shot up those eyes piercing her with worry, only for a small smile to carve its way onto his face as he stood up holding the shirt around his shoulders to hide the worst of his form. Roselyn felt a chill run down her spine and blood rush to her cheeks as a sudden mortifying thought pierced her brain.

"Wait! Can you read minds?!" Roselyn was suddenly nervous at the idea of her thoughts being laid bare before Harry, she felt unease at him knowing her selfish reasons for helping him was merely a desperate attempt to alleviate her sense of guilt over her past sins. Harry's small peaceful smile became a beguiled grin as he let a devious snicker slip past his bared teeth.

"Hehe, no I can't but I am really good at reading people, my gift tells me a bit of what people are feeling and then I just kind of draw from there, it is very helpful when you don't know how much trouble you are in. It's kind of like having a way to navigate around the numerous landmines of my family's temper."

"Oh… how useful." Roselyn was at a little bit of a loss at the explanation of the ability, but its usefulness was something that could not be understated. "So, what else can you do, can you like umm, turn someone into a toad?"

"A toad?" Harry queried incredulously, a singular brow disappearing under his messy tangle of hair as he walked with the first aid kit back to the bench a roll of gauze grasped between his chest and his chin.

"Well yeah, you know those old stories right." Roselyn was somewhat stumped, trying to work out how to explain to an apparent magic-user about the pre-existing stereotypes of magic users.

"Actually, I don't, my family sure didn't involve me with storytime, and I am normally not very welcome in here," Harry responded his small form disappearing over at her desk only the first aid kit being placed upon it showing her his current location.

"Why not?" Roselyn asked curiosity seeping into her voice.

"Apparently, the old lady librarian… well she is a devote Christian and I am a 'hell spawn' and a 'demon child' who is unworthy to be blessed with knowledge and literature." Harry's voice was stony and unflinching in his explanation.

"… What the actual fuck is wrong with this town." Roselyn shook her head with disbelief, she was told this was a perfectly normal place, perfect for her to just disappear into and escape the past. Bloody hell mum, you sent me straight to the same shit all over again.

"Couldn't tell you, I don't talk to people much," Harry responded removing the shirt from his shoulders and getting out a bottle of anti-sceptic along with some cotton buds. "Pardon me Roselyn but would you mind doing my back."

"Oh of course!" Roselyn hurried over to tend to the abrasion on Harrys back, thoughts of the past forced back as she focused again on the present. She began to dab the strong scented anti sceptic on his back, he didn't flinch at all, rather she watched him cut some of the gauzes with a scissor into small squares. She may of zone out watching him work so much so that she placed her hand unthinkingly upon his back, right over the brutal-looking brand. A rapid jolt as Harry sat up straight back rigid, made her realise her mistake.

"Don't you bloody dare!" Harry snarled his teeth bare and looking strangely blacked around the tips.

"I'm so so-!"

"Not you!" Harry cut her off his hand clawing the air in front of her as the air seemed to become alive and writhe like a bunch of translucent tentacles. "You will behave or so help me the both of us can be in time out." Harry spat at the writhing mass before crushing the abnormal thing in his hand, his eyes glowing balefully like a pair of emerald flames. The air around the two of them seemed alive with energy, Roselyn was positive that she could smell ozone, she felt the hair on her arms rise and her heartbeat pick up.

"Harry?" Fear tinged her voice, unease and caution tainting her question, but she was definitely nervous at such a reaction and that was without the blatant act of magic she just witnessed.

"Sorry… We are sorry, you startled me, and my gift reacted don't worry I pulled us back, I was just excited to have a friend helping me… sorry." Harry apologised with his head down, his body slumped, shame and remorse obvious in equal measure.

"I'm so sorry, Harry I didn't mean to scare you." Tears fell blatantly down her face, she just wanted to help, and she ended up scaring him even after he chose to trust her. I'm doing it again why can't I just help. She was not left to weep for long before Harry reached out his small hand, it was strangely warm as he caressed her cheek, shunting the tears away. Then something magical happened, in that brief instance of contact she felt Harry, she felt his gift and she knew everything he struggled to say.

She felt his remorse at scaring her, his guilt at his gift for trying to scare her away, his anger at himself/it/them. But the best thing she felt was his worry at her tears, his confusion at their existence, his desire to help and his hope that he hadn't ruined his first friendship. A laugh cut through her sorrow as something soft pattered across her chest… or through it. "I'm ok Harry I was just sad that I hurt you."

"… But you didn't hurt me, so you don't need to be sad, so please don't cry, please." His voice was a quick rush of childlike pleading and his big glowing eyes cut straight through her defences.

He is so adorable. "Can I hug you again Harry?" She pleaded hands itching to pat his messy hair.

"Umm ok." With that she latched onto him, hands securely on his arms away from his marred back, a lesson learned and one she would stick to.

"Umm, should I also apologise to your magic gift as well Harry?" Roselyn felt strange asking the question but when she felt it again, she was sure it was like a strange living thing. To her, it was completely unnatural, but she felt its aggression and its fear, so she knew it was real and truthfully, she felt bad for startling it. A soft spasm caused her to look down and see that Harry was giggling, childlike glee apparent on his face.

"It, I mean we... know you are sorry, it is ok. We just need to get used to having a person we don't need to be afraid around." Harry's beautiful smile was in full bloom, the child had no idea of what he was doing to Roselyn, but she was now very much protective of this magical little ray of sunshine, moonlight, yes right moonlight.

"Well alright Harry, but we should get back to patching you up. By the time we are done, you might look a little patchwork like, but I was always fond of those dolls as a kid." She teased Harry, the confused tilt of his head an obvious sign that he had no idea what she was talking about. "… just hand me some bandages." He did so, passing her the square piece of gauze and some Elastoplast to make it stick.

"… You were talking about witches." Harry pondered as Roselyn lined the gauze upon the wound taking care to cover as much of it as she could.

"Yes, I suppose I was, would you like to know more about them?" Enquired Roselyn her eyes never drifting as she taped the gauze in place, "there it's covered."

"Yes please, if you wouldn't mind, we… I mean I am curious about what my mother might have been like." Harry pleaded politely, his focus however was on the first aid kit as he was quick to return to tending to his numerous wounds. Starting with his knee as it was the worst and without all the blood and dirt, he could see that what he thought was a scrape was more akin to a missing section of flesh.

"Well, I'm by no means an expert but witches are often seen as women who practice witchcraft, stuff like magic rituals and potions around cauldrons," Roselyn explained passing Harry the bottle of antiseptic and a cotton bud as he rolled his pants leg up.

"Cauldron?" Harry asked seeking clarification about the strange word.

"Oh, a big metal pot, that the witches would make their bubbling potions in." Roselyn responded holding her arms out to display the size of a witch's cauldron, "all the while they would probably recite a spell or chant, I imagine," Harry dragged his attention from his leg back to her.

"A spell you say, do you know any?" Harry's curiosity was more akin to hungry greed as his eyes displayed an ominous level of intent.

"What? Oh, umm well maybe one but it's from a play," Harry's gaze bore into her his eyes staring with hunger while his body was solid still like a gargoyle. "Umm ok here goes 'double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.' Or something like that I think there is more, but I can't remember all of it." The quote provoked a blink from Harry followed by a melodious giggle that provoked a smile from Roselyn.

"That's a funny spell, they must be some strange witches. I say words when I use my gift, but I have always called them Commands, I wonder if they are different to spells?" While Harry pondered and treated his knee, Roselyn was struck with her own greedy curiosity.

"May I see one of your 'Commands' Harry?" Roselyn inquired, desiring nothing more than to see such mystical acts in motion again. Harry finished tying the bandages over the gauze pad and went into a thinking posture.

"Sure, but which one to use… hmm… oh I know, what would you like me to use, you pick something, and I will use the command closest to it… Or we could make a new one together!" His excited shout echoed in the empty library and sparked enthusiasm easily, quickly Roselyn's mind was aflutter with childhood memories, when she saw the world as a child, and everything was dream and imagination before cruel reality and age stole her wonder. Thoughts of lazy days when she desired nothing more than to befriend fairies and elves to...

"Can you make me fly?" She practically vomited the words out without realising, but what was more magical than flight, what else could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Harry was magical. As she looked at that small boy she watched as a Cheshire like grin split his face, pearly white teeth unnaturally white and his eyes sparking both literally and with metaphorical mischief.

"Lift." Harry intoned his Command, his tiny voice taking on a weird quality. It was the first time Roselyn heard Harry command his magic and the first conclusion she drew was that it would be more accurate to say she felt him command it. As if the air itself tremored she felt something swirl around her moving to engulf her… and then she was weightless, the pure euphoria she felt could not be hidden.

"Oh my god! I'm flying! Hahaha." She put her arms out to her side, she leaned left, and she felt herself float that way, startled at the movement she leaned the opposite way and back she went only to stop before she hit a bookshelf. Looking over at the desk she saw Harry with both arms up and a look of intense focus on his face, but his smile gave him away, she hoped he could feel that joy he was giving her. "Thank you, Harry," she tilted her body forward and drifted through the air to hover just over Harry's small form. Her hand reached out for him, and Harry grasped her fingers tightly, pulling herself down she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Wha- what was that?" Harry's face was flushed red, his grip on her hand shaky yet firm, confusion brimming in his face alongside a strange warmth.

"A thank you, my little witch boy, for helping me experience an old childhood dream." Roselyn confided tenderly, her body slowly coming back under the sway of gravity although her hand did not separate from Harry's. "Magic is truly amazing… you are amazing Harry… that settles it, Harry do you want me to help you?" Questioned Roselyn, her face a comforting smile accompanied by tender eyes.

"What, with bandaging my head and stuff? Yes please," Harry quipped happily to his new friend.

"No, well, yes I will happily help with that but what I mean is do you want me to help you with your family?"

"… What do you mean?" Harry felt his good mood wither at the thought of his impending doom at the hands of his uncles' meaty fists.

"I can protect you, you can stay with me, we can go to the police together. I will keep them from ever hurting you again and you can be free of them." Roselyn pleaded to the small child, his face glancing off, refusing to make eye contact with her, a tremble returning to his small frame at the mention of the police. "Or we can just run." At that, Harry made eye contact with her, the idea of just escaping with his friend appealing to him greatly.

"…Really?" Harry asked with such hope that his voice carried with it a small waver, a clear sign of the constricting feeling of trepidation.

"Of course, Harry what they did to you is monstrous… please, let me help you," Roselyn begged. Getting to her knees to be eye level with him she clasped his small hand in both of hers and pleaded. Hoping his magic would pick up on her authenticity, she needed him to know just how badly she wanted him safe, how bad she wanted to rescue him. She kneeled there for what must have been a good minute but finally, he broke the silence with a whisper.

"Ok."

Roselyn felt a weight wash off of her, she would do it, she would save Harry no matter what. Nothing would stop her this time, she wouldn't let it, her wish for a second chance was right in front of her. Harry was her second chance, a miracle made real in the form of a magical little boy, and she would die before she let another death weigh on her conscience. Her gratitude bled through into her smile and like that she was crying tears of such relief and joy that words would not allow her to express them. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try.

"Thank you, Harry, thank you for letting me help you."

…

Vernon Dursley was furious, his wife was currently cleaning up his son. His son had been attacked by a vile and evil freak. His son. Vernon Dursley was a respectable, normal, and upstanding member of society. This was the last straw, that little wicked freak had clearly been lying in wait for him to let his guard down, he thought that after last time the message would have sunk in, clearly, it had not.

"Vernon? Where are you?" Petunia came downstairs seeking her husband out, she had left Dudley in the bathroom upstairs.

"Out here Pet," Vernon called out from the shed in the back yard, he heard her footsteps behind him as she came to the door frame, Vernon didn't even look up to busy on his task.

"There you are! What are we going to do Vernon the freak has gone too far, Dudley needs to go to the hospital! the burns on his arms alone are going to scar! That's not even going into what that little monster did to his face!" Petunia hollered despite their proximity, Vernon didn't mind the ached it left in his ears though because she was right.

"… You take Dudders straight to the hospital then love, take the car, make sure he gets whatever care he needs," Vernon responded voice stony and even. Finally done with his rummaging he began picking up what he had been rooting around the shed for in the first place, finished he turned to his wife arms laden with the desired objects.

"And just what will you be doing, Vernon?" Petunia's gaze was ice-cold made all the worse by her pale eyes, Vernon knew well enough that she was incensed, her fury coming across in what she didn't say.

"I will be making sure that all this freak business ends tonight. As soon as Dudley is all fixed up, we will sell the house and leave, go somewhere those freaks could never hope to find us. But that little monster… well I will take care of him don't you worry." Vernon responded heaving a heavy coil of rope over his shoulder. "I failed you tonight love, I failed Dudders, as a man and as a father. But don't you worry, it's about time I give us the normal life we always wanted." With that Vernon exited the shed holding a jerry can in one hand while the other held a pitchfork and shovel.

Before Petunia could ask more questions, the side gate opened, and she watched two police constables enter the backyard alongside three other men. She recognized all of them except one of the police constables, they were the fathers of Dudley's friends. Petunia bit her tongue stemming all further questions, she pecked her husband on the cheek and hurried to collect Dudley, the sooner he got to the hospital the better. As to whatever other business happened tonight… Her family was in danger, whatever happened to the little freak with her sisters' eyes didn't matter. He had hurt her precious little angel, she would never forgive the little vagrant… Never.

After he was sure his wife was well out of earshot, he turned to the gathered men. "Gentlemen I assume you all know why I called you here, so I won't waste time, the little freak I housed out of the goodness of my heart has decided to violently assault our children. Well, tonight I'm taking a stand for all the normal folk trying to live their lives. Now, are you in or out?" Vernon would be grateful for their help, but he was just as able of taking care of this himself if need be.

"… Dennis had to go to the Hospital as well, torn hamstrings, the boy couldn't even walk." One of the constables spoke up voice full of piss and fury. He was Dennis's father, Aaron, and the one who had found the boys and reported the message to Vernon knowing a little something about the abnormal situation around the freakish little Potter boy. "I don't know the full story behind the little chit, but I know you didn't want him, yet he was forced on ya, and now my sons in the hospital." He paused spitting on the ground fist clenching the sleeves of his shirt so tight his knuckles turned white. "Enough chat, let's find the little monster."

"Agreed." The other men all chimed in each a father of one of the boys, except the other constable who was Dennis's godfather.

"Right then let's go." Vernon adjusted the rope on his shoulder and followed the men out of the backyard and out to their vehicles, a police cruiser and a work truck belonging to Polkiss. As Vernon put his stuff in the back of the work truck, he heard the officers talking to someone over the radio. Shortly after Dennis's godfather turned to all of them a cruel glint in his eye and a proper smirk smeared on his face.

"Apparently someone has reported a bunch of strange shadows moving around the library by the school. Even though it closed nearly an hour ago." He explained to the small posse of enraged men. Realization hit Gordons's father first a large, intimidating man who had worked in construction just about his whole damn life and his body showed it. But it was his wit that was more remarkable about the man, he was a prolific gambler always quick to clean out anyone dumb enough to play him. Rumour had it that he was a bit of a loan shark oftentimes resorting to intimidation to make people pay their debts.

"That's where he gave our boys the runabout isn't it," he spoke voice like steel, smooth and sharp, a mean gleam in his eyes. Vernon was not ashamed to say that the man intimidated him his muscular frame and being over 2 meters tall was enough to make any men size him up cautiously.

"Yep, so I think I know where we are heading first," Aaron spoke up already hopping into the driver's seat of the cruiser, his motion causing the others to hurry along. Vernon got into the back of the police cruiser his large frame was cramped in the back, but he would bear with it to get his hands around the freaks throat. Malcolm's father joined him with a cricket bat resting on his lap that he caressed with a look of hate.

Vernon felt a wave of vindictive glory, he was finally going to be rid of that freak and never again would he have to worry about witches and wizards or magical nonsense ever again. He felt comforted with the fact that normal people had learnt how to take care of witches and their ilk long ago. After all, everyone knew what to do when you caught a witch.

You burn them.

"Alright men, let us do a spot of Harry Hunting," Vernon hissed as the car pulled out of the street.

Chapter 5 is all done hope you are all enjoying reading it, I also may have gone back and edited another chapter but that was only to add a page break to try and clear some scene confusion. Like I said this is my first work I'm still trying to get a hang of it I just hope you guys can enjoy reading it. Oh, and to my wonderful first commenter thankyou very much, you will forever hold a very special place in my mind. It is a wonderful thing to get confirmation besides a number chart that people are reading my work. In your honour, I will try and get the next chapter out much, much faster than this one was.

Until next time my readers.