(A/N: This story goes back and forth from flashback to present-day Hogwarts. Look for the labels and you'll understand.)
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PAST: PRIVET DRIVE
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"YOU BROKE IT!" Dudley roared, the sound of shattering porcelain having just rattled the house.
"I did not!" Harry retorted angrily. "You did it, you were throwing that ball at me!"
"And if you hadn't moved out of the way, it wouldn't have gotten hit!"
The two were fighting over who had broken Dudley's beloved piggy bank that he kept on a shelf in his room. He'd called Harry in there to get him to hand the rubber ball he'd been playing with back to him whenever he dropped it. Harry, reluctantly, had agreed in an attempt to keep his aunt and uncle somewhat 'happy' with him. Dudley had thought it would be funny to throw the ball straight at Harry, who moved and, well, here we are.
"What did you expect me to do, stand there and let you break my nose?" Harry yelled, giving Dudley a glare.
"Better you than Mister Clacker," Dudley grumbled, looking down at his broken bank. "You'll pay for that."
Harry had only a moment to catch the look of pure evil in his cousin's eyes before he took off running down the stairs. Dudley, who was slower, gave chase up until Harry ran outside. He watched the scrawny ten year old duck behind a hedge, where Harry thought that Dudley couldn't see him. His somewhat evil cousin laughed and locked the backdoor, then passed his attention to the television set and left.
"Stupid pig," muttered Harry, crouched between two hedges and leaning against a fence. "But which one? Both." He grinned slightly at his own joke and sighed, leaning his head back against the wood. He heard something on the other side of the fence, but dismissed it as either a stray animal or the wind. 'I'll just sit here,' he thought. 'Nice and shaded, away from Dudley. Looks kind of like a hidden cove, except with a fence...'
After sitting there for a few moments, a small sound stirred him from his thoughts, which were currently on what he would wear if he were a pirate and whether or not he would say 'arg' after every sentence. It was someone humming from the other side of the fence. Moments passed and the humming grew louder. Pretty soon, Harry could make out the tune to 'Greensleeves'.
"I-is someone there?" asked Harry nervously. He was answered by a panicked squeak.
"I'm sorry!" came a little girl's voice from behind him. "I didn't know anyone was out here. I didn't disturb you, did I?"
"No, actually, I liked it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Say, are you with the family that just moved next door?"
"Yes."
'Duh,' he thought. 'Why else would she be there?'
"Mind if I ask your name?"
"Madison! Madison Durelle. What's yours?"
"Harry Potter."
"Nice to meet you, Harry. I'm nine years old, how old are you?" Naturally, to a child, age is something to be proud of.
"Just turned ten four months ago."
"I'll be ten this month," said Madison cheerfully.
"When?"
"The twenty-eight of November."
It was the currently the eleventh.
"That's good, I hope you have a good birthday." Harry said, now beginning to enjoy a normal conversation. Normal conversations, for him, consisted between himself and some sort of animal or inanimate object, usually. Not that he was crazy, but that he was lonely.
"Thanks," the girl said with a happy giggle.
"MADISON!" an angry voice roared from the house on her side of the fence. "Get in here, now! What're you doing out in the bloody cold? Stupid child."
"Sorry!" she called back. Then, to Harry she said, "That's my step-dad, John. He'll be really angry if I don't hurry up. It was nice meeting you, Harry...can you meet me back here tomorrow around noon?" Madison asked hopefully. "You see, I haven't made any friends yet--"
"Sure," said Harry, glad to have made a friend himself.
"Thanks!" she called. He heard her stand up from where she was sitting on the ground. "Bye, Harry. I'm coming, John!" she yelled towards the house and Harry heard her run off. He then realized that neither of them knew what the other looked like.
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The next day, Harry watched the clock in the kitchen carefully until noon. Then, before either his uncle or aunt could order him to do something, he walked outside and sat down on the same patch of grass between the bushes as he had the day before and waited patiently for his new friend.
"Harry?" he heard a small voice call after a moment or so of waiting. "You there?"
"Yeah!" he said happily.
"Good, I was hoping you would be. My mum and step-dad are fighting. I hate listening to them fight because my mother cries."
Harry didn't say anything.
"Do your parents fight a lot?" asked Madison.
"No...my parents died when I was a baby."
Madison gasped. "I'm sorry! I didn't upset you, did I? I'm so sorry if I upset you, Harry."
"Erm...it's fine...don't feel bad about it..."
Harry was confused. No one had even been so considerate with him, so caring. He had just started thinking about this when he heard a loud scream come from Madison's house, then he heard Madison crying.
"Th-that was my mum," she sniffled. "S-sometimes w-when they...they fight, John h-hits her." Harry heard her sob. "I h-hate when they fight. Someti-times, John gets mad and hits m-me."
A strange urge came over Harry and before he knew it he'd grabbed a stick from under the hedge and started digging.
"What're you doing?" Madsion asked with a small hiccup. By then, Harry had finished and stuck his hand through the hole under the fence, feeling around until he was holding her hand.
"Trying to make you feel better," he said. He was confusing himself. Why was he doing this? He never did things like this.
"Thank you," she said softly. "You know, you're my first friend in a long time. Mummy and John wouldn't let me go to school back where I used to live. They said I had no business with those violent children. Mummy home-schools me. I don't get much of a chance to meet other kids."
"I know how you feel," said Harry with a sigh as he leaned against the wood in an attempt at a comfortable postion with his hand under the fence. "Even though I go to public school, my cousin, Dudley, makes sure I don't make any friends. So, you're my first real friend too."
"At least we have something in common, no matter how bad it is."
"Yeah." Harry smiled. Suddenly, he felt something very cold on the hand he held with Madsion. "What is that?"
"Hmm?"
"The metal thing. Are you wearing a bracelet?"
"Oh, yes. Here, you can see it." She pulled her hand away and unclasped the bracelet, then carefully handed it to him through the hole under the fence. "Please be careful with it. It's my most prized possession. My real daddy gave it to me when I was a baby, before my mummy left him. See? There's one charm for each year of my life. Nine, see?"
"Yeah," said Harry. He looked over the silver bracelet and its small, silver charms; a teddy bear, a star, a horse, a ballerina, a fairy, a kitten, a mermaid, a music note, and a snow flake. "It's really nice." He handed it back to her.
"Mmhmm, but..." Madison sighed sadly. "This year I won't be getting a new charm. Mummy won't let daddy talk to me or anything. She said we're better off without him. I don't even know where he is."
Harry heard her crying and reached under the fence to pat her hand in comfort. A plan was forming in his mind. It would be difficult, he knew, but it would really make his new friend happy. He was going to try and get her a new charm.
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(A/N: I wrote all the plotting for this in school today. O_o; It took up four and a half pages.)
------
PAST: PRIVET DRIVE
------
"YOU BROKE IT!" Dudley roared, the sound of shattering porcelain having just rattled the house.
"I did not!" Harry retorted angrily. "You did it, you were throwing that ball at me!"
"And if you hadn't moved out of the way, it wouldn't have gotten hit!"
The two were fighting over who had broken Dudley's beloved piggy bank that he kept on a shelf in his room. He'd called Harry in there to get him to hand the rubber ball he'd been playing with back to him whenever he dropped it. Harry, reluctantly, had agreed in an attempt to keep his aunt and uncle somewhat 'happy' with him. Dudley had thought it would be funny to throw the ball straight at Harry, who moved and, well, here we are.
"What did you expect me to do, stand there and let you break my nose?" Harry yelled, giving Dudley a glare.
"Better you than Mister Clacker," Dudley grumbled, looking down at his broken bank. "You'll pay for that."
Harry had only a moment to catch the look of pure evil in his cousin's eyes before he took off running down the stairs. Dudley, who was slower, gave chase up until Harry ran outside. He watched the scrawny ten year old duck behind a hedge, where Harry thought that Dudley couldn't see him. His somewhat evil cousin laughed and locked the backdoor, then passed his attention to the television set and left.
"Stupid pig," muttered Harry, crouched between two hedges and leaning against a fence. "But which one? Both." He grinned slightly at his own joke and sighed, leaning his head back against the wood. He heard something on the other side of the fence, but dismissed it as either a stray animal or the wind. 'I'll just sit here,' he thought. 'Nice and shaded, away from Dudley. Looks kind of like a hidden cove, except with a fence...'
After sitting there for a few moments, a small sound stirred him from his thoughts, which were currently on what he would wear if he were a pirate and whether or not he would say 'arg' after every sentence. It was someone humming from the other side of the fence. Moments passed and the humming grew louder. Pretty soon, Harry could make out the tune to 'Greensleeves'.
"I-is someone there?" asked Harry nervously. He was answered by a panicked squeak.
"I'm sorry!" came a little girl's voice from behind him. "I didn't know anyone was out here. I didn't disturb you, did I?"
"No, actually, I liked it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Say, are you with the family that just moved next door?"
"Yes."
'Duh,' he thought. 'Why else would she be there?'
"Mind if I ask your name?"
"Madison! Madison Durelle. What's yours?"
"Harry Potter."
"Nice to meet you, Harry. I'm nine years old, how old are you?" Naturally, to a child, age is something to be proud of.
"Just turned ten four months ago."
"I'll be ten this month," said Madison cheerfully.
"When?"
"The twenty-eight of November."
It was the currently the eleventh.
"That's good, I hope you have a good birthday." Harry said, now beginning to enjoy a normal conversation. Normal conversations, for him, consisted between himself and some sort of animal or inanimate object, usually. Not that he was crazy, but that he was lonely.
"Thanks," the girl said with a happy giggle.
"MADISON!" an angry voice roared from the house on her side of the fence. "Get in here, now! What're you doing out in the bloody cold? Stupid child."
"Sorry!" she called back. Then, to Harry she said, "That's my step-dad, John. He'll be really angry if I don't hurry up. It was nice meeting you, Harry...can you meet me back here tomorrow around noon?" Madison asked hopefully. "You see, I haven't made any friends yet--"
"Sure," said Harry, glad to have made a friend himself.
"Thanks!" she called. He heard her stand up from where she was sitting on the ground. "Bye, Harry. I'm coming, John!" she yelled towards the house and Harry heard her run off. He then realized that neither of them knew what the other looked like.
------
The next day, Harry watched the clock in the kitchen carefully until noon. Then, before either his uncle or aunt could order him to do something, he walked outside and sat down on the same patch of grass between the bushes as he had the day before and waited patiently for his new friend.
"Harry?" he heard a small voice call after a moment or so of waiting. "You there?"
"Yeah!" he said happily.
"Good, I was hoping you would be. My mum and step-dad are fighting. I hate listening to them fight because my mother cries."
Harry didn't say anything.
"Do your parents fight a lot?" asked Madison.
"No...my parents died when I was a baby."
Madison gasped. "I'm sorry! I didn't upset you, did I? I'm so sorry if I upset you, Harry."
"Erm...it's fine...don't feel bad about it..."
Harry was confused. No one had even been so considerate with him, so caring. He had just started thinking about this when he heard a loud scream come from Madison's house, then he heard Madison crying.
"Th-that was my mum," she sniffled. "S-sometimes w-when they...they fight, John h-hits her." Harry heard her sob. "I h-hate when they fight. Someti-times, John gets mad and hits m-me."
A strange urge came over Harry and before he knew it he'd grabbed a stick from under the hedge and started digging.
"What're you doing?" Madsion asked with a small hiccup. By then, Harry had finished and stuck his hand through the hole under the fence, feeling around until he was holding her hand.
"Trying to make you feel better," he said. He was confusing himself. Why was he doing this? He never did things like this.
"Thank you," she said softly. "You know, you're my first friend in a long time. Mummy and John wouldn't let me go to school back where I used to live. They said I had no business with those violent children. Mummy home-schools me. I don't get much of a chance to meet other kids."
"I know how you feel," said Harry with a sigh as he leaned against the wood in an attempt at a comfortable postion with his hand under the fence. "Even though I go to public school, my cousin, Dudley, makes sure I don't make any friends. So, you're my first real friend too."
"At least we have something in common, no matter how bad it is."
"Yeah." Harry smiled. Suddenly, he felt something very cold on the hand he held with Madsion. "What is that?"
"Hmm?"
"The metal thing. Are you wearing a bracelet?"
"Oh, yes. Here, you can see it." She pulled her hand away and unclasped the bracelet, then carefully handed it to him through the hole under the fence. "Please be careful with it. It's my most prized possession. My real daddy gave it to me when I was a baby, before my mummy left him. See? There's one charm for each year of my life. Nine, see?"
"Yeah," said Harry. He looked over the silver bracelet and its small, silver charms; a teddy bear, a star, a horse, a ballerina, a fairy, a kitten, a mermaid, a music note, and a snow flake. "It's really nice." He handed it back to her.
"Mmhmm, but..." Madison sighed sadly. "This year I won't be getting a new charm. Mummy won't let daddy talk to me or anything. She said we're better off without him. I don't even know where he is."
Harry heard her crying and reached under the fence to pat her hand in comfort. A plan was forming in his mind. It would be difficult, he knew, but it would really make his new friend happy. He was going to try and get her a new charm.
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(A/N: I wrote all the plotting for this in school today. O_o; It took up four and a half pages.)
