Chapter 1

Harry was idling on the swings, looking at distantly flying birds and wishing he could fly. Well, he amended his thoughts, if Aunt Petunia allowed him, that is. He wished Aunt Petunia knew how hard he tried to follow what she said. But cooking was… hard. His eyes teared up, but he quickly rubbed them away with the baggy sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. Crying lead to more punishments.

His attention was drawn to a lady walking back and forth on the road, apparently very confused about something. Running from Dudley's gang had taught him about all the roads around his neighbourhood, so he stood up, intent on helping the lady find where she needed to go.

"Ma'am?" he called out when he was across the road, but the lady didn't hear him. He shrugged and went even closer. "Ma'am?" he tried again standing just beside her, and yet again she ignored him.

Well, he was used to being ignored.

Harry gave one final attempt by grabbing her distressed hands. "Ma'am!"

She immediately careened back. He simply raised his hands, the universal sign of peace. "Are you lost? I know most of the places around here, could help you in a jiffy."

"You.. But… What? No." She was flummoxed.

Harry smothered the laughter bubbling in him. Adults didn't like it when you laughed at them.

"I said," he repeated himself, slowly, "I could help you find the place you are looking for."

"Oh…" The lady said, looking at him very weirdly. Was his hair being weird again?

The two stared at each other for a solid minute.

Harry shrugged. "Well, I'll be in the park if you need me." And he started walking back to his swings.

"Wait!" she called after him, "Yes, I do need help!"

"Oh," he stopped and turned around. "Where to?"

"Uh… the bakery?"

"Sure… I see where you went wrong. Shouldn't have turned left from Spenceley Street. Do you have a map? I can show you how to get back."

"No, I don't have a map."

"Fine, I'll lead you there. It's only a five minute walk."

"Thank you."

And so the lady and the boy walked down the street, the thoughts of one decidedly more nefarious than the other.

"So… what's your name?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you that," Harry waggled a finger in her direction as they continued walking.

"Fine. I won't tell you who I am, then."

Suddenly Harry was very curious about her identity. He held it for about a minute before he broke. "Who are you?"

"You first."

"Fine," he pouted. "I'm Harry."

"I'm Jane."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Jane," the etiquette lessons from his aunt suddenly kicked in. "Are you celebrating a birthday?" He asked after a moment.

"No… why?"

"You were heading to a bakery."

"Oh that, I'm just feeling so very hot. An ice-cream would cool me down."

Harry nodded. Not like he would know what either a cake or ice-cream tasted like.

"Would you like one?" she continued.

"Aunt Pet… I shouldn't take anything from strangers."

"But I'm not a stranger, am I?" she smirked at him. "I told you, I'm Jane."

"Okay. I'll have the ice-cream then."

"Good," and they continued in silence.

She did dab anaesthesia on her handkerchief.

OoOoOoOoO

"Here you go!" She said, wrapping the handkerchief around the ice-cream.

"Why…"

"So it doesn't stain your shirt when it melts. Don't want that happening, now, do we?"

Harry shuddered.

"Thought so. Now go on, don't be shy."

Harry nodded and started licking the ice cream.

She finished hers off quickly, simply waiting for it to work. Considering her past attempts, this was very unlikely, but this was the best plan she could come up with at such short notice.

She had been so disoriented, If asked she wouldn't even have been able to tell up from down, and yet when Harry had touched her hand, it had all faded away.

She had realised something very quickly. Whatever was protecting the boy, couldn't save him from himself.

He could injure or kill himself.

It suddenly made sense, why all the starving and beatings hadn't broken him. They were inflicted by others.

Now all she had to see was if he ate the anaesthetic willingly but unknowingly, would it work?

Looking at the discarded cone, a cream drenched kerchief, and the happily smiling face of the boy, she heaved a frustrated sigh.

Harry's face instantly dropped. "What's wrong? Did you not like the ice-cream?"

Her mask was back. "Oh don't worry about it." She waved it off.

New plan.

"Would you like to go out with me, again?"

"What?" asked Harry, stunned.

"Well, would you? I live nearby," renting a home would be easy, "and I don't really know anyone else around here…"

"Sure!" Harry replied instantly.

"Thanks Harry!" she plastered a smile on her face, cringing hard inside.

This would require a whole plethora of work, much more than she had anticipated. But she would do anything if it meant she didn't have to become the laughing stock of every two bit assassin this side of the pond.