Chapter 3

Since the first day, Harry and Peter became as thick as thieves. In each other, they had found a kindred spirit, a friend that they both had craved for. Someone to talk about anything that cropped in their head, and eager partner to banter with. Those two little boys became as close as brothers in a very short amount of time. Maybe it was the blessing of childhood, where no restriction was put upon the individuals, or the social norms one had to follow to form a close relationship with someone. If a child liked someone, they were not afraid to show said affection. And if it was to someone close to their age, it often became a lifelong, treasured friendship.

Harry found that there were many similarities between himself and Peter. Both of them were orphans. Peter's parents – Richard and Mary Parker, were said to be lost, presumed dead. Richard Parker was a brilliant scientist who was working on a Government project. He and his wife left a then-toddler, Peter, with his brother and sister-in-law before they boarded a plane to fly to Washington, to meet with the people responsible for the research grant. Unfortunately, their plan never landed at the destination, it was lost shortly before taking off from JFK. Ben and May Parker, Peter's uncle and aunt, had lost their hopes after knocking on every door they could for the past four years for any news about their family.

Ben Parker was a retired Marine. He was discharged from service after he sustained some injuries. After a few years of drifting from one job to another, he was offered the post of Assistant to the Head of Security at the London Branch of Stark International. May Parker used to be a nurse in the Children's Ward at the local hospital. When Ben was offered the job, they took young Peter with them and shifted their small family across the pond, in hopes to heal their wounds and starting their small family anew in another country.

The Parker family had taken an immediate liking with the Potter child. They had moved into a house on Magnolia Crescent, just a street over from Privet Drive where Harry lived, and Peter was enrolled into Little Whinging Primary School. The two boys struck up a quick friendship and when Peter brought him home, May and Ben were very happy that their nephew was finally reaching out for other children his age. Harry was a polite little boy, albeit a little skittish. He was very sharp and observant and studious enough to keep up with their bookworm of a nephew. They welcomed the little boy with opened arms because he made Peter go out of the house, even though it meant only to the backyard and with books tugged under their arms, it was better than cooped up in his room all day.

However, May had heard some disturbing rumours when she was out grocery shopping. Apparently, around the small suburbia, young Harry was known to be a disturbed child, a delinquent who was very well on his way to follow in his parents' footsteps on becoming a terrorist when he would grow up, among other things. When she brought his concerns to his husband, Ben at first, told her to say nothing to either of the boys and just observe them. Thus, they closely watched whenever Harry visited their house. It was slightly alarming that Harry never invited Peter over to his house. They always came back to the Parker residence after school and worked together on their homework. It was really hard to believe that a quiet and polite child like Harry would be tagged a budding terrorist.

Ben pointed out several glaring inconsistencies in those conclusive opinions of Harry. First of all, his appearance, the clothes he wore were always several sizes too big for his small frame, and they were ripped or stained. The Parkers had never seen him wearing anything that was actually in his size. Ben, being of a sound and curious mind, took a few walks around Privet Drive and observed the Dursley residence. The family never missed a chance to show off their opulence. Their own child, Dudley, always wore what was the best in the market, always had the latest toys and was seen to roam about with his little group of friends. He had also seen this group terrorize the smaller children around the local playground. But whenever he asked around, the parents of the victimized children always told that their child was harassed by that no good delinquent from Number Four, Privet Drive. None cleared actually who the tormentor was, but the rumours and the daily occurrences almost cemented everyone's opinion about Harry Potter.

Ben had seen on several occasions the Dursley child to chase Harry with his gang. The boy was quick on his feet and managed to evade the children most of the time. But luck was not always in his favour, so when he was caught by the group, he was beaten up, badly. Ben wished that he could step in and stop those young hoodlums, but it was Harry who stopped him. He wasn't a psychiatrist and certainly didn't know how the brain worked, but Ben had experiences of bullied youngsters. He had seen them during his time as a training officer of the new recruits. He had seen his fair share of quiet youngsters who preferred to be left alone to their own devices. If someone tried to talk to them about the bullying they were being targeted to, they pulled away and whatever sense of security they had felt or built around others, were not enough for them to abandon the very same people due to a strange sense of shame, a fear of being seen as weak. For that reason, Ben was afraid that if he stepped in, Harry would stop being around Peter. He didn't want his lonely nephew to lose his only friend.

When he brought his findings to his wife, May had at first turned red in shame. She told him that she shouldn't have jumped to conclusions without having enough proof to go with it. They talked among themselves about what to do with the situation. In the end, they had come to a decision that they wouldn't raise the issue just yet. They were, after all, new faces in the locality and yanks to boot. None would take them seriously if they were to point a finger at one of their own. All they could do for the time being was give Harry however much a sense of normalcy for the small amount of time he spent under their roof.

In truth, Ben loved to see the boys flourish in their own way. May and he tried and tried again for a child of their own, but it was not in their fate. When his brother became a parent, Ben was very happy for him, with maybe a hint of jealousy. He poured all his love for his non-existent child for his brother's child. When May and he held young Peter in their arms for the first time, they thought that it was their little family which finally was completed. After the incident with Richard and Mary, they tried to be the parents for Peter that he never knew growing up. And when fate brought Harry to them, they were ecstatic. Their little family grew a bit more.

Harry, the bright child that he was, was at first a little bit wary of the Parkers. With time, he came to see them more as his family than the Dursleys. It was May who would feed him and Peter after his day at the school. It was Ben who would sit down with him and talk about general things, making him and Peter aware of the larger world through these conversations. It was Peter who became just like a brother to him. In the darkness of his cupboard, Harry often wished that someone would come to take him away from the Dursleys. Well, nobody came, instead, he got to meet the Parkers.

Life was looking up a bit for Harry Potter.