Disclaimer: In the beginning, nothing of this will be original. Harry potter and all characters plots and elements that are used are property of the author J.K.Rowling. This is an alternate universe fictional story beginning from the end of year one (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), the differences should become greater with each chapter. I have written quite a bit of it but the delay comes in the editing. Therefore, I make no promises as to how often I will update.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I never realised how encouraging good reviews could be. There were a few gaps in the plot of my story which I am now getting around so thanks. Those that reviewed, awsome.
The hopelessness of the situation came down on him. Everything hurt and his eyes burned. There was no one he could go to and no one he could trust, no matter what his friends would turn him over to Dumbledore.
Just the thought of the extreme betrayal of his mentor, a man that he thought had his best interests in heart, devastated him.
What hurt more was the fact that one action out of place and Dumbledore could destroy would destroy any life he could possibly hold, muggle and wizarding world alike.
His sobs grew desperate and he did not feel the presence approaching him.
'There there child, everything is going to be all right.' Harry stiffened and stifled his sobs as he felt the gentle hand against his shoulder. When the words sunk in he could not help but start crying again. Nothing was going to be all right, never again.
'Do you know what just happened kid?' Asked a masculine voice question emphasised on the word kid.
'Harry, and not exactly,' Harry attempted to grasp on to the concepts 'I remember blacking out in my cupboard while I was laying in bed, then I felt sharp pain in my arm, I think its broken, next thing I know I have rain falling on my face.' Harry spoke more to himself than his current companions.
'Cupboard near the stairs?' Asked the feminine voice.
'Yes? How did you know?' Harry tried to sense whether or not these people were dangerous. No magical presence, yet they were alive and human. His instincts told him to trust them and after he tried to see if there were any outside influences he started to relax.
'I heard you earlier I think, we were having dinner with those people,' the woman stated a hint of disgust creepd in on the word people.
'You are my uncles important clients?' Harry stated almost in disbelief, what were such kind people doing associating with his uncle?
'Uncle?' The man stated mortified. To treat family, any family like the way Vernon treated this child would be unheard of by any one in the Mason line. Even as a single child in a poor neighbourhood he was never treated that way.
'How on earth did that brute end up caring for a child?' The woman stated with a hint of anger in her voice. She directed her next question at the boy beside her, 'How long have you been living there?'
'Since my parents died...' And the memories of all that had happened thus far hit Harry hard. All the years of torment instigated by a man that had tried to get him to trust him.
'How long ago did that happen?' Asked the man.
'Ten years give or take.' Harry sniffled.
'How old are you?' Asked the woman horrified at what malnourishment was required to rob this child of his years.
'What's the date? I kind of lose track of the days sometimes...' Harry cut himself off before he continued to ramble.
'July 31st' the man stated clearly.
'Of course,' Harry muttered to him self 'Well then I just turned twelve, today even. I can officially say that this was one of my better birthdays.' The entire time Harry was speaking towards the ground he lifted his face up to smile at his companions. He did not notice the gasp as the people saw his eyes. The pupils were cloudy and his green eyes were unfocused.
...
Mrs Mason was almost as shocked as the boy that sat in front of her. Out of everything that she had learned in the last five minutes, standing in the rain under her umbrella (always have one sitting in the boot, never know when it is needed), she realised that she had yet to introduce herself 'Harry, I am Jules and this gentleman standing beside me is my husband Chris Mason. What do you say we take your belongings and put it in the car and we will go someplace to get something to eat? How does some fish and chips sound? I saw a shop a few blocks away from here near the park?'
'Really?' The boys eyes start to glow at the prospects of real food, though neither Mason saw it.
'After that we can get you checked out by a doctor friend of ours.'
...
The old woman, around the corner, did not even notice when her charges location became fuzzy for a quarter hour before it settled once more in bed.
It would take her two weeks before she became suspicious as to why he remained in bed almost constantly. And it would not be until September 1st when he should be going to school when she would become apprehensive. It took a month till she realised that there must be a problem with Dumbledore's wards. Since she had not been contacted by any post, she wrote it off as something that would be dealt with latter. Harry had to fine where ever he was.
...
Three hours latter and several phone calls, Harry was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office as the doctor got ready to serve him after hours. Jules had many contacts and took very little effort for the under the table deals required to keep Harry and his condition secret. An x-ray, some whispering about how he came into this condition and two forms filled out by the Masons, unsigned, latter he was getting his left arm put into a plaster cast.
Harry heard the doctor mumbling under his breath, but he could not pick out any thing specific. He felt the man's hand move to his face and holding open his left eye, changing the darkness levels before moving to the right.
He called to Mrs Mason and they, together found a surgeon that could do the laser surgery to remove the cataracts. He also wanted a MRI scan done to see if there was any bruising in the brain but that would require quite a few more strings to be pulled to use the MRI facility without question. Each were scheduled within the next week.
When asked if there was anyone he would prefer to stay with, he became very quiet and shook his head in the negative.
Harry missed the smiles that crossed both the Masons faces.
...
Mrs Mason knew from an early age that she would never be able to carry children. It was just not possible. Mr Mason knew this and accepted this before they were ever married. They had both talked about adoption but had constantly put it off until they were on better footing with fewer hassles with the business. Well there business grew and diversified but they had yet to come upon the later. The discussion was next year; it would be different, after the business year. But something always had come up to put it off yet some more. It must have been relegated to the realm of fancy years ago.
Then fate stepped in and gave them a chance to make a difference. Yet not even fate realised exactly how much.
...
Two days after the first doctors appointment Jules and Chris sat down with Harry for afternoon tea, even though he was only a guest he had never felt more at home anywhere else. Each of his hands were being held by one of the Masons.
'Harry we need to talk about a serious topic,' Jules started out, 'we want to offer you a home, I mean we want to take custody of you. Your family has not right to treat you the way that you have been,' she had heard some of the worse stories from him yesterday when he broke down in her arms. The bullying and the aggression, the chores and the psychological abuse, but what hurt her the most was that he had not known love since he was an infant. 'I already have the paper work, all I need is the Dursley's signature,' Harry's eyes grew wide at this and tears started to flow. Misinterpreting this Jules squeezed Harry's hand and mentioned 'Don't worry, Vernon wants our business, I will force him to sign, that is if you don't mind?' Harry stood up and walked around the table and gave them both huge hugs, which caused them all to start laughing.
"This is the way family should be," as soon as Harry thought about it he came to a decision, "No more secrets."
He backed away until he reached his chair. The look on his face told the Masons that this was a very serious conversation.
'Before you come to any decision you need to learn some thing about me... I don't know how to say this but, I will be blunt, I am a wizard,' to say that the Masons were not prepared for this statement was an understatement. If he said he was dying or a hermaphrodite this would be in the realm of what they were prepared for. Even if he was in a cult, though that was a stretch, it might be conceivably understandable. A wizard though, after Harry kept the serious face the entire time expectantly, almost looking sad, they realised that he was being totally honest, and all it took was that moment to accept that as the truth. They reached for his hands again and reassuringly squeezed them.
'Explain, what you mean son.' Chris said in a comforting tone.
That was when the Masons had their first discussion about magic, Voldemort, the-boy-who-lived, and Hogwarts, that lasted well until the early hours of the morning, neither ever doubting the authenticity of the fantastic stories.
...
'So you are telling me he forced them to be the way they were?' Chris was livid, how could a man with so much trust do something so abominable.
Harry started crying but shook his head no, 'It only influenced the choices they made, the way they thought maybe, but their actions are still their own. If they had not wanted to they would not have done it. Dudley was never even directed to do anything that was himself.'
'Could he do that to us, and people we know?' Questioned Jules.
Harry turned to them and had a strange glitter in his eye, like he was seeing something that was beyond their sight, 'He won't if I have anything to do about it. I think I know how to protect the two of you if you would let me,' he pleaded.
'Please, will we feel it?' Chris was honestly curious.
'Maybe it might feel like a slight nudge OK?' When both squeezed his hand he reached out and tried to feel their minds, thinking back to the voice of magic he knew he could have it leave these two people alone to their own free will, letting some of his own magic to flow into it to make it last he pulled back and smiled.
The Masons had felt the nudge and closed their eyes as they felt the warm glow.
Harry did not realise that at that point he did something monumentous, he used pure magic to achieve something good, by doing so he protected his soon to be legal guardians for the rest of their natural lives.
Review if you want. The more descriptive the better. Flames are just as welcome as long as they are constructive. The Masons are only a part of a sub plot that will solve some problems that I have latter on.