Chapter 1: The Boy Who Survived
In a maze of cookie-cutter houses, within a cookie-cutter neighborhood where only gardens could be described as noticeably different; a ten-year-old boy stood in one of the more impressive gardens. In his hands were garden shears, on his eyes was a pair of misshapen glasses. Those eyes shone a deep green that seemed to elevate his demeanor above the baggy, discolored rags caked in mud. A jagged lightning bolt scar on his forehead added to the feeling of mystery.
Those rags were what his Aunt and Uncle forced him to wear, and not just for avoiding mud. True, the gardening clothes were the worst of his clothes, but Harry Potter knew his Aunt and Uncle merely wanted to meet the bare minimum of societal acceptance, clothed. Not for him, for them. He was too smart a child to believe his Aunt and Uncle truly cared if he had proper clothes.
Harry clipped at a slightly misshapen bush. Sweat poured down his face and into his eyes. Thank god he had the garden hose in the summers. They dressed him in rags and let him look like an underfed gardener, signaling to everyone how to treat him, lower class. He was their charity case if they needed to feel pride, their nephew if they felt shame. Never guilt. No. He was lesser. If he hadn't gone to school or maybe not been so bright, he might have accepted their world. But it was a lie, just like the lies they told about him to others.
"BOY! Tell me you're done with those bushes! I need my car spiffed up for tomorrow, or you'll get no dinner tonight!" his Uncle Vernon's voice demanded from a window with a rosebush placed just below it.
The question required answering, or he really wouldn't eat tonight.
Harry walked as close to the window as he could, so as to not be accused of yelling for the neighbors to hear. "In the garden Uncle! I know how important it is for your car to look perfect. I don't know if I'll make it in time for dinner though." He paused and just before he was sure his uncle would complain, he continued, "I'll get your car done now so you don't have to worry about it for tomorrow."
A barely audible grunt of assent met his meticulous speech. The greyed top of his Uncle Vernon's head was just visible over his favorite chair. The fat-ass couldn't even be bothered to get up, thankfully Harry had learned to listen for his Uncle's voice.
He hated it. All of it. But the garden was much less tangible to his Aunt than the cleanliness of the car was to his Uncle. She hadn't a clue. The garden was a point of pride for her, and Harry allowed it to flourish. That was all she knew.
Free time meant other chores, or time in his 'room' aka his cupboard. The garden was outside where he could be seen by others. The garden was never 'done' was a good excuse not to be overworked and get some free time. He could work his 'funny business', as his Uncle called it, into the car, and then go back to gardening until dinner with his Uncle none the wiser. If Uncle Vernon knew he had used his powers-
The car was almost instantly cleaned with the wave of his hand. Harry adjusted his glasses, kept purposefully misshapen, and smirked. His fat Uncle was too busy watching TV inside. His rail-thin Aunt Petunia was equally glued to the screen if she wasn't busy cleaning the house… or gossiping with the neighbors. The parts of the house Harry was not trusted to clean tended to get quite dusty. A few hours in the garden occasionally working on flowers and his secret project, and Harry was satisfied. Thankfully he was working on flowers and not 'funny business' when Harry heard footsteps.
The slow trudge of his especially weighty cousin Dudley, and the quick footsteps of Piers, Dudley's partner in crime. To say partner in crime was no exaggeration either, who knows what vandalism they had visited upon the park today? Harry would be blamed eventually.
"Hey freak! Had fun gardening?" Dudley taunted. Piers laughed.
"Oh, why yes Dudley. I enjoy working with the flowers, you know that," Harry retorted. Dudley was trying to taunt him into talking badly about his chores. Vernon would have a great many things to say about a boy enjoying working with flowers, but Petunia wouldn't take kindly to her flowers being handled by an ungrateful boy who didn't appreciate them.
Harry hadn't made the mistake of being ungrateful for a few years now. He was aware his situation was abusive, but he also knew Uncle Vernon could be a lot worse if angered.
"Wow, you're a Nancy-boy potter." Piers sniggered. "Your cousin's a poofta Dursley!"
Dudley's jowls jiggled as he laughed tauntingly. "No no Pierce, don't you know? He's got a crush on the librarian, Ms. Adams."
Ms. Adams was a lovely old woman, though her age, yellow teeth, and hairy moles made her the butt of many a joke. Dudley liked to call her a witch, which always got his parents annoyed, even if they weren't aware. It was an invisible battle between Harry and Dudley. Dudley would set small little psychological bombs, subjects he knew would piss off his parents, and Harry would attempt to disarm them to the best of his ability. Sometimes, if Vernon or Petunia had a bad day, there was no disarming. His Aunt and Uncle sometimes purposefully did things if they thought Harry would be unhappy about it. Other times his Aunt and Uncle were easily manipulated by their 'middle-class values'.
The loud thumping of footsteps meant that Vernon Dursley had come outside to check on his car. "What are you boys jabbering about? Dudley, I heard something about a crush. Us Dursley men are much too manly to be involved in women's gossip!" Uncle Vernon puffed up his chest—or tried to as his gut stuck out more than anything.
"No, dad! Just Harry here having a crush on that witch!" replied Dudley.
Uncle Vernon turned puce. "Into some kind of freakishness boy?" he glared at Harry, and then gave a worried look to Piers, realizing there was a witness.
Harry knew what to do. "They're just teasing me, sir. My love of history sends me to the library too much." He liked history well enough, but he exaggerated his love of history because Vernon considered it a proper subject of men. Mostly he was keeping ahead in school. Right before his secondary education, Harry planned to suddenly have his grades shoot up. History was the only safe subject. One time Harry brought home a fantasy book; his broken arm had healed, the lesson remained.
Vernon relaxed. "So long as you know what a boy is supposed to be getting up to. I do like a bit of history myself." Referring to the one coffee table book Vernon uses with company when he wants to pretend at being upper-middle-class, but downplay when he wants to 'talk about his hardworking roots'.
Dudley looked upset that his little bomb had been disarmed. Soon after that, Piers had to leave for dinner with his own family, a bit of a momma's boy himself. Damn paper tigers, the both of them…
Harry kept Dudley's attitude in mind when preparing dinner. Dudley had the air of being particularly vindictive today. Then Harry remembered, Dudley's birthday was tomorrow. Harry cut onions as carefully as he could. For dinner, Petunia usually officially put things together, but Harry did all the prep and hard work. Dudley would eat everything on the plate, but usually had something to say about 'the size of the onions' if he knew Harry had cut them. Or the crisp on the bacon if Harry had made breakfast, which he usually did. One time it had spectacularly backfired when Dudley got too specific with something Harry had no involvement in, once. But on and around his birthday, it could never backfire.
Aunt Petunia sat down at the small table, waiting for Harry to put the final touches on dinner. "So Duddikins, I called Mrs. Polkiss and we're all set for the zoo tomorrow!"
"Zoo! Zoo! Zoo!" Dudley cheered, fork and knife in hand and banging on the table.
"Oho! Fancy a look at them lions? Maybe an elephant?" Mr. Dursley beamed with pride. Harry had hoped the lions might think his Uncle was a snack.
"Everything! I also want to make sure I open all of my presents BEFORE Piers gets here. I really can't wait mummy. You know how I get!"
"Of course, Duddikins, you've got mounds of presents this year too," reassured Petunia.
"How many?" Dudley's face darkened. The child prepared his crocodile tears should they prove insufficient.
"Boy's trying to get his money's worth! That's the spirit Dudley!" said Vernon as Petunia leveled a small glare at the portly and unaware man.
"34 dear…"
"BUT THAT'S ONE LESS THAN LAST YEAR!" Dudley slammed his fist on the table, causing the silverware to jump and rattle.
"Well, we are going to the Zoo, and the presents are-"
"MUMMY!" Dudley whined; the tears he had purposefully built in his eyes being used to great effect. His expression a mix of sad puppy and rageful indignation.
"We'll get you another present on the way, how's that?" Petunia walked over to the murderous Dudley and patted his head affectionately.
"Two more! I won't be able to open them before Piers gets here, so it's not as good."
"Okay, okay. Whatever you want dear," Petunia embraced Dudley. "What's taking so long with dinner? I did everything, all you needed to do was finish up!"
Harry responded, "Making sure the onions are perfectly done, Ma'am. Don't want Dudley's stomach to get-"
"Is that a threat boy? Done something to the food again, have you?" Vernon became suddenly livid. Harry suspected Dudley's whining got to him more than he let on. He never did anything to the food; Dudley had claimed as much last year.
"Absolutely not sir!" Harry gasped as if to perish the very thought. "I just remembered how last time I didn't finish it right and it upset Dudley. Aunt Petunia put such effort into the meal, I'm not as efficient as her-"
"Damn sight you are not boy! Know your place," Vernon relaxed in his seat, properly vented. Or maybe he was getting fatter and lazier.
# # #
Dinner actually went well, Harry managed to scarf down a bit more than usual as Aunt Petunia had once again overdone it in anticipation of Dudley's growing appetite. All of the barbs by Dudley were managed. As much as they spoiled Dudley rotten, the contrast between Dudley and him surely worried his Aunt and Uncle. Harry was always unusually mature for his age, if not a tad anti-social when it came to his peers. Adults were forces of nature Harry needed to survive. Mostly predictable, potentially devastating. Kids his own age were the beasts, always needing to be fought off and occasionally compromising his shelter.
Contemplating in his cupboard, Harry clenched his fists. He hadn't managed to get to the library today. He didn't dare risk the ask with Dudley's attitude and birthday tomorrow. When school ended, the days and nights began to blend. He had managed to progress in his oddness though. Next school year, there would be no Harry hunting at all. The psychic powers he noticed years ago were coming along nicely. Whatever these powers were, they were very flexible. More importantly, without his ability to control his emotions, he would not survive the Dursleys. Maybe over the summer, he would try to see if he could do something a little less like psychic powers? Harry hesitated, every failed avenue was wasted time, but no avenue had yet failed.
"In the morning. Maybe I could risk something when they're at the zoo," Harry said through a yawn. He cleared his mind and went to sleep.
# # #
The next morning Harry awoke in a cold sweat, the only possession the Dursley's allowed him ringing loudly for him to wake up and make breakfast. He had that nightmare again about the shadow man and the green light, and a woman… screaming. He'd shower after the Dursleys so he couldn't be accused of taking hot water.
Harry opened the door to his cupboard and immediately set about making breakfast in the kitchen. Rashers, eggs, sausage, eggs, bacon, eggs, bacon again. There was enough meat and eggs to kill a lion, he would be very lucky if he got two eggs worth.
A few minutes later all of the Dursleys were downstairs in the living room. Dudley, squealing about his presents, with Vernon and Petunia swooning over the spoiled child. From what Harry could hear, a game console even. No wonder Dudley got fewer presents this year, or he would have anyway.
*RING*
The phone went off on the wall between the kitchen and hallway, disturbing the family and putting Harry on edge from the adjacent kitchen. Aunt Petunia went to pick it up. Unexpected calls never came to the Dursleys. Only telemarketers and Vernon's sister Marge would ever. His Aunt's gossip network was tightly scheduled.
"Hello… Oh my, that's unfortunate. Are you sure- no? Very well, goodbye," Aunt Petunia spoke stiffly on the phone. His Aunt looked sour, not a great sign. Any bad mood on Dudley's birthday would have drastic consequences for him.
"Trouble?" boomed Uncle Vernon from his chair.
"Arabella broke her leg. She can't take the boy," replied Aunt Petunia.
The nice cat lady down the street. Harry never came along to events, he always got stuck being babysat by Mrs. Figg. A few times recently they had tested leaving him to his own devices.
"I could stay home, or even go to the library," Harry added hopefully as he plated breakfast, hoping to steer the conversation in a favorable direction.
Vernon hesitated.
"NO! He has to come!" cried Dudley. Harry gritted his teeth. Dudley would have screamed for him not to come had he expressed the opposite desire.
"Duddikins, why do you want Harry to come? He wasn't going to before," Aunt Petunia inquired.
Dudley managed to think on his feet for once. "It will embarrass me if he doesn't come! Piers will tell everyone the freak didn't WANT to come to the zoo! It's so ABNORMAL! He just wants to experiment with his freakishness when nobody is looking!"
The first statement lit a bulb behind Aunt Petunia, the last statement convinced Uncle Vernon who turned purple-faced to Harry. "It IS odd, what are you up to boy? Well, it doesn't matter either way! Become presentable! Petunia can finish up breakfast."
Breakfast was already finished, the credit would go to his Aunt, and no doubt he would pay for her 'picking up his slack'.
# # #
Stuffed into the middle seat of the car on the way to the zoo, Harry Potter focused on keeping his emotions in check. He had wanted to be alone to experiment, and now was dragged into the minefield of Dudley's birthday celebration. If he didn't comport himself perfectly, he could go hungry. On the bright side, he could potentially enjoy going to the zoo.
"We're here!" Dudley said excitedly, he jumped out of the vehicle just as Vernon turned the key. Piers followed more slowly across the parking lot to the entrance as Dudley ran for a short burst.
Harry kept by his Aunt and Uncle's side. Their fear of his 'oddness' was a constant. Harry knew that if they suspected the extent of his experimentation, he could very likely have another broken arm and no food for a week. As much as they pretended to focus only on Dudley, Harry could tell, they were watching him. Trying to get away from the Dursleys at this point would lead to attracting their ire.
They walked up to the entrance and paid to get into the zoo, Vernon looked almost depressed at having to pay for 'the freak'. But what he did when they got through the entrance surprised Harry.
"Boy! Come here!" Vernon beckoned Harry away from the group to talk to him one on one.
"Yessir?"
Vernon whispered as he gripped Harry's shoulder in pretended warmth to passerby's, in reality, his grip was a painful iron vice, "We both would rather you be elsewhere, but here we are. You have managed to not display your freakishness for some time now. Slip up here, and you will regret it."
"I had no intention and my accident-"
Vernon whispered harshly, throwing spittle everywhere, "Don't give me your excuses boy! In the real world, only results matter! You will not embarrass my family with your oddness. Understood?"
"Yes, Uncle Vernon," replied Harry.
"Good. I'm going to enjoy my son's birthday," Vernon emphasized son so as to make Harry clear of his status, "Make yourself scarce if you know what's good for you, we'll be back here in two hours."
Harry watched as his family walked away and decided to make the best of it. He had read about zoos, but hadn't ever visited one before. He really did want to see the animals. He walked along, looking at the animals in cages living their lives happily. Were they playing it up like him? Pretending to love their cage and living happy animal lives for the visitors? He wished he could communicate with them, but he quashed the impulse to try some new form of his powers on a giraffe happily eating leaves.
After a while of walking around and looking at all of the interesting animals, Harry began to get hot. Baking in the sun without shade would do that. He didn't have money to purchase a drink, so he went to the reptile house for shelter. Inside was blessedly cool and dark, it took a few seconds for Harry's eyes to adjust.
"Think I'll stay here," Harry said to himself, examining a beautifully scaled snake from behind a large glass pane. "What sort of snake are you?"
Reading the sign, it said, "Rainbow Brazilian Boa"
"A speaker? How rare. I don't know your human classifications though."
Harry jumped two feet and looked around. The area was empty. Nobody else around. Was he hearing voices? A prank by Dudley? Or perhaps… more powers?
"What was that you said? Speaker?" Harry looked at the humungous snake. He felt the change in his power, a shift within him, when he looked at it. He must be speaking snake! It curled and did the snake equivalent of standing upright. The snakes massive head parallel with Harry's as its tongue flickered.
"Oh yesss, a speaker. One who can speak the language of snakess, obviously. I am so bored here by myself. No one to talk to. Although the humanss gawking at my beautiful scales isn't the worst…"
"Do you know of other speakers? Where can I find them? Where can I find others with powers?" Harry asked hurriedly. He assumed he was a freak, an aberration. Were there more people who could do what he did?
"You are the only speaker I have ever met or will ever meet. Rarer than rare." Harry's heart sunk in his chest as the snake twisted towards him. "Others with powers though… are you not among your kind?"
"My kind?"
"EWW! The freak is here!" Dudley's squealing voice broke Harry's concentration.
Dudley ran in front of the glass and pressed his nose to it. "Woah! I've never seen a snake that big before."
"Truly an ugly human. That is a human, yes?" the snake said bemusedly. It uncurled and moved ever closed to the glass, the snake looked down on Dudley.
Harry broke his gaze away. He couldn't speak to the snake, not in front of Dudley.
"It's moving ooooh! I think it likes me!"
"Ah. You refuse to speak now in front of the pigboy. How unfortunate for me… Wise, but unfortunate. Seems we are both issssolated from our kin. I have been summoned by your kind before, young wizard."
Fireworks went off in Harry's head. Wizard? It explained so much, but also created far more questions. The incident with the Fantasy novel! Those weird people who had approached him and were shooed away by Uncle Vernon. THEY KNEW! Harry felt the oddness—no, the magic, boil inside him. The air filled with an electric charge.
"What are you doing! HEY! Stop it!" Dudley yelled as a small wind blew inside the Reptile House, Dudley stepped away from the source, Harry. And just like clockwork; his Aunt, Uncle, and Piers entered the reptile house. Harry immediately slammed the breaks on whatever was happening and cleared his mind. It died quickly enough for plausible deniability, but Harry knew he'd be in trouble by the way Uncle Vernon had turned purple and his menacing glare. The portly man lumbered over to him angrily.
"Boy, what are you doing?" Uncle Vernon towered over him, heaving from his brisk walk over.
Piers stood next to Dudley, slightly confused. Aunt Petunia uneasily put her hands to her hips and tried her best to be stern. He knew he would be in troub-
No, he was a wizard! They knew he had magical powers, they knew it wasn't oddness! His thoughts cycled like this until he came to a realization. Reactions to the fantasy novels, the word 'witch' setting off his Aunt and Uncle. They were purposefully suppressing it!
Harry looked Uncle Vernon in the eyes, his meekness and desire to please gone. There was no going back anyway. A broken arm? Starvation? He knew there was magic now, Vernon and Petunia knew. And there were others. Hidden, but Harry could seek them out instead of trying to survive on the streets.
"I've just had a revelation is all Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia. Could we speak privately? It's about that book on Wizards I wanted to get from the library." Harry said evenly, with a slight venom creeping into his speech for the first time in a very long time.
Vernon got even his neck to turn purple, the rage in his expression was unmistakable. Aunt Petunia's eyes widened like saucers, her hands clutched nervously at her dress. "Vernon dear. P-perhaps I should talk to the boy. You can keep the birthday going with Dudley and Piers."
Vernon continued to stare at Harry angrily, but Harry didn't back down as he did normally. He merely walked past Vernon, gesturing for his Aunt to follow, which she did.
"Let's get some ice cream boys, what do you say!" Harry caught Vernon saying, followed by cheers and them leaving.
Harry led his Aunt into an isolated hallway off to the side, where there was a single glass tank with a lizard and not much else. Nobody would overhear them here. Nobody would hear if things got out of hand. He was small, but she was powerless. Being alone with him was a mistake.
*Clack* *Clack* Petunia's shoes made furious noises catching up with Harry on the cool tiles of the Reptile House.
"Look here-"
"No," Harry interrupted for the first time in his life, "You will look here. I have put up with your… abuse, only to survive and remain off the streets. You will tell me what you know about wizards and witches, and I will go and seek them out."
Aunt Petunia laughed. "You act like we wanted you, like they wanted you. You were dropped on our doorstep without so much as a by-your-leave! I'm sure you'll end up going to that blasted boarding school next year, but we were told to take you in until you were at least seventeen, for your safety I might add! If you want to leave before then, you'll have to bring it up with them!" She finished her speech with a haughty expression and folded her arms.
He hadn't considered his safety was at risk. A school next year though. Meaning it was meant to be trained. Learning magic! Vernon had threatened Harry with some boarding school for disturbed children, was it all nonsense?
"Explain everything you know… Or I will obtain it through very odd means," Harry snarled, as his Aunt withered despite towering over him.
"You can't! It's against the rules!" she shrieked, until she remembered where she was and turned red with embarrassment. She scanned behind her into the main hallway, but nobody could be seen.
Harry bit the tip of his thumb. "I'm guessing, they don't know how I've been treated. Apparently, I'm important enough to someone for my safety to be of concern… And a school? Did you plan for me not to go? How will they react to my treatment?" Every word struck his Aunt and made her expression falter. "We both know rules are poor protection." He used his powers to pressure Petunia. He had used them last school year to winnow Dudley's circle of bullies, he hadn't dared to use it on Dudley. Now he used it against his Aunt. Atypical for him to take such a risk, but he didn't want to live like this anymore.
Petunia quivered, tears falling from her eyes. Crocodile tears or fear, Harry didn't care. His Aunt began to explain everything she knew or could think of, which was pitifully little. Both his parents were magical, they were murdered, he was famous, magic was mostly done with a wand, there was a hidden magical world with different money, children weren't allowed to use magic, 'normal folks' abuse was taken seriously, and there was a magical boarding school called Hogwarts.
"What was the plan supposed to be then?" asked Harry, as he eased up on the pressure.
"Normal families sometimes produce odd children; I expect you'll be introduced the same as my sister was. A representative of the school will be sent to get your school supplies and explain everything…" Petunia said, as her shaking began to stop. She then paled as if she hadn't realized the implications of a representative visiting so soon.
Harry relaxed somewhat. He was not as isolated as the Dursleys had led him to believe, they were just living in denial. The question was, what do to? He didn't wish to return to the cupboard and the potential danger of that house. The slight buzz of the heat lamps droned on quietly as Harry contemplated his options and Aunt Petunia fidgeted with her bony hands. Soon, the noise of a large grouping of people headed into the Reptile House could be heard.
"You want to head to Diagon Alley, don't you?" Aunt Petunia asked, looking down at her purse. She took out a twenty-pound note. "Take this."
Harry snatched the note. It could get him a cap and some fare. If he was famous, his forehead scar would be a dead giveaway.
"My sister wouldn't have left you with nothing- Whatever you figure out, you're always welcome back. I'll… talk to Vernon. And I'm sorry."
Petunia struck a pitiful figure. It might have given him hope, but he wasn't so insane as to expect a good relationship with someone who locked him in a cupboard for most of his childhood. She was covering her ass. If Harry went home with them, he was in for hell, but the representative would come by eventually. If he disappeared, no representative to hold them accountable.
"Goodbye," Harry said with finality as he walked past her.