John turned out to be a tall man, obviously in his late fifties. He was quite a figure, with his impressive height and bushy eyebrows, yet his posture and cowardly behavior reminded Harry unpleasantly of Pettigrew. After interrogating Harry he came to the conclusion that the boy was no danger to society and would make a simply splendid addition to The St. Mary's Orphanage and was now quietly conversing with the old woman.

In the meantime, Harry was cursing himself for telling the man that his parents were dead. He only realized his mistake when John asked about his legal guardians. He couldn't exactly tell them about his relatives, his aunt and uncle weren't even married yet, so he just stared at the floor, not saying a word.

He was jarred out of his thoughts when the man grabbed his hand and shook him. "Are you slow or something? I told you to follow me." Harry had no other choice but to obey him.

The man opened the door and walked outside, looking expectantly at Harry, who was still blinded by all the sunlight. The old lady kissed the man goodbye, Harry assumed he was her husband, and glared at Harry. Harry clenched his jaw, angry and thinking about all the trouble he was in. John clearly didn't like that. "Quit dawdling, boy! I haven't got all day." Harry quickly scurried after the man who was already miles ahead, cursing whichever god he managed to piss off in his short life.


St. Mary's Orphanage turned out to be an old mansion, which had over the years clearly fallen into a state of disrepair. It was surrounded by a tall iron fence, which was overrun by thick ivy. John wrenched the rusted door open and ushered Harry inside.

Harry looked around. The building and its surroundings would have been impressive if it wasn't for the tall grass that was suffocating the ancient roses, shattered windows, the façade that clearly wasn't up to withstanding the affects weather and time had on it for much longer and the smell of decaying wood that wafted from the building.

Even though it looked uninhabited Harry could hear an occasional shriek and what sounded like sobbing from the inside. It raised the hair on the back of his neck. He was supposed to stay here? Were orphanages supposed to be this creepy or was it his rotten luck that he ended up in this particular one? Well, to be perfectly honest, he didn't like it one bit.


John walked with him towards the door and knocked loudly. The door opened with a deafening creak and Harry winced, but his reaction was not entirely caused by the noise. The woman that opened the door reminded him eerily of a hag he had seen once in an old book. Nope, he didn't like the situation at all.

The woman looked at him appraisingly and steered him inside. The place was cold and damp. "Follow me. There are some things we need to clear up before you can join your future friends" she said and led him down the poorly lit corridor towards what Harry guessed was her office. He was right.

She closed the door behind him and ordered to him to sit down. He did so and she started walking around him, a predatory smile on her lips. "Now, before you go anywhere you'll have to answer some questions." He shifted slightly in his chair, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Her smile became even more sinister. "Let's start with something simple, ok? Tell me, what is your name?" Seeing no problem in answering that, as his name was pretty common, he told her the truth. She nodded. "And how old are you, Harry?" At this question, however, Harry barely stopped himself from stuttering and told her, what he assumed, was his biological age. She seemed satisfied with that situation. "John has already informed me about your parents and legal guardians, or lack thereof." She leaned closer to Harry's face. "Well, Harry, Welcome to St. Mary's Orphanage." To Harry this sounded more like Welcome to hell. And he didn't know just how right he was.

She stepped away. "The rules are simple, though you might find following them anything but. You'll be a good boy, won't you, Harry?" Harry was more than a little unnerved. He was trying to look at anything but her and his eyes settled on a metal plate on her desk, which read Angelica Craven, director. "You will get two sets of clothes, access to a small library, a bed and three meals a day, but that's it. I don't know what you're expecting, but spoiling you brats rotten is not on my agenda. You will have to earn your stay." She turned to face him. "You will get up at six, eat breakfast and do whatever chores you are told to do. Lunch is at twelve o'clock. If you miss it you won't get anything. Is that clear?" Harry nodded, swallowing loudly. "You will have three hours to study; your knowledge will be tested every two weeks. After that you will get another list of chores to complete. Dinner is served at seven o'clock. The same rules apply here, if you miss the meal it is your fault. After that you can do whatever you want. All lights must be out at half past nine." She smirked at him. "Now, let's get you acquainted with your room-mates." Harry had no choice but to follow. A sentence echoed in his head.

Welcome to hell.


Thanks for all your reviews. As you can see, I finally updated. Hmph, you'd think I'd have more time since it's summer…oh well… Just so you know, I have no intention of abandoning this fic.

foolishbeloved – I hope my writing improved in this few months since I last updated. I have to confess that the first two chapters aren't nearly as well written as they could be. Hm, maybe I should find a beta?

glassdragon2– I have a feeling my update wasn't nearly quick enough (blushes)

Susan Potter, HPFan-JLM– I loved your review, and to answer your question: What he knew about Snape influenced his decision to become a death eater, but he had other reasons as well. They will be revealed later in the story. Sorry I can't tell you more, it would spoil the surprise.

lady sakura cosmos, Localfreak, Angela Lillith Potter, kitsuko, Moongypsy04, VtE, Flower Kid, Anashosh, TheWall