The World Through Emerald Eyes
Chapter Three
Harrison was watching the telly with Dudley while their mother made breakfast. The past few days had been hard on all of them and there had been a strain that hadn't been there before. While Harrison knew it was his fault, no one made the slightest remark or gave the slightest of gestures to make him think they believed the same. To his family, it didn't matter that his birth-side was strange when it came to him as a person, only that the birth-side was interrupting their life.
How they compartmentalized those facts still amazed Harrison. If he didn't know his family so well, he would have thought they would throw him out on the street.
Harrison slouched in his seat a bit more, relaxing into their summer morning routine. He and Dudley always watched something while breakfast was made, they ate with their mom – and their dad when he was home on the weekend – and spent the rest of the day doing whatever they wanted.
He smirked a bit, an idea lighting up his head, and he elbowed Dudley to get his attention.
"What?" Dudley asked, half turned to the telly and half facing him.
Harrison nudged him again, a little harder, and smiled innocently when Dudley grunted and faced him with a frown. "Hey, want to meet Mike and Dan at the park today for a game?" His skin still itched with hallowed discomfort and a game would do wonders in forgetting it.
Dudley gave a shrug. "Don't care."
Harrison rolled his eyes fondly. "Okay," he replied with a grin.
There was a knock on the door that startled both boys. The telly was too loud to hear the door. They knew that from experience. Sharing a glance, Harrison held out his hand the same time Dudley did. As one, they said, "Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!"
Harrison scowled at his scissors when Dudley triumphantly banged them with his 'rock.' "Dammit," he muttered and slid off their comfortable couch. Why would Dudley change his usual 'paper' now? Damn prat. He glared when Dudley laughed and made a vague motion to flip his brother off. Unfortunately, that only made Dudley break out into a fit of laughter.
"Someone getting the door?" Their mother asked over the loud voices from the telly.
"I got it!" Harrison called back, finally accepting his fate and making quick work of getting the door. It was nine in the morning on a Sunday. Who was out of their house so early on a Sunday? In summer? Harrison opened the door easily and what he saw answered his own questions.
Wackos, that's who.
The man on their doorstep was old; like, ancient, old. His skin was wrinkled and his hair was pure white. As was his beard which hung down nearly to his waist without a trim. His clothes would have been out if style ten years ago and the color – Harrison shuddered. The color was an odd mix of purple, black and, what? Were those yellow socks?
Harrison tried not to outright sneer at their company. This man didn't care how he was presented, but a Dursley was taught to always be dressed impeccably. Impressions were important, Harrison knew. His father had taught him and Dudley throughout their lives that it was important to dress your best and act even better because that's what people look for.
'No one wants to talk to a homeless slump of a man or invite a wreck to their homes, you hear me?'
Biting down a degrading comment, Harrison forced a polite smile. "Hello, sir. How can I help you?" If nothing else, reputation was important and Harrison wasn't about to taint his carefully constructed character.
"Ah, hello, my boy. This is the Dursley home, it is not?" The man's eyes were blue and twinkled down at him as he smiled happily down at Harrison.
Harrison shifted back, not liking the look in the slightest. "Yes. Is there something you need?"
The man shook his head. "No, not at all. I just need to speak with you, Harry. My name is Albus Dumbledore." The man held out a hand in offering.
Any polite smile fell from his lips and instead, he watched the man in horror. "Mom!" he screamed and battled the urge to slam the door in the man's – the freak's face. "Mom! Dad!" he cried, terrified.
Politics and manners aside, Harrison was only eleven years old. No matter what his parents taught him, no matter how mature he felt, he knew that his parents would be there to handle anything he couldn't.
"Harrison!?" a shrill scream reached his ears, the comfort of his mother's voice paling only slightly in the wake of two sets of thundering steps; one from the living-room and one from the stairs. "What's wrong, honey?" his mother demanded as she rushed up to him.
No matter how worried his mom was about him, the moment she glanced at the man in front of her, she let out a scream that nearly shook the windows.
"Petunia? Harrison!? What's going on!?" asked his dad and a moment later, he was standing behind the two, with Dudley sliding to a stop right behind him. "What's all this yelling about? Are you alright?"
Harrison couldn't speak and only stared at the man in the doorway who was calmly humming, a gentle smile on his lips.
"Who are you?" his dad demanded roughly. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, scaring my family like that?"
Harrison saw the freak's eyes flicker to his for a moment, confusion and surprise lighting his features, before his smile grew. "I'm sorry to startle you and your family, Mr. Dursley. I didn't realize me coming would be such a surprise." He glanced inside the house curiously. "May I come in? We have a lot to discuss."
Harrison gaped at the man. How rude would a person have to be to practically invite himself into a home? Especially when it was so clear that he wasn't wanted.
"No, you must certainly may not come into my home!" His dad's voice rumbled through them and Harrison felt himself relaxing into the presence of his father and his mother who was hugging him tightly to her. "Who the ruddy hell are you?"
"Ah! Excuse my manners." The man sounded surprise and gave a little laugh. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm headmaster at Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Silence fell on the group and Harrison had only a thought that Dudley must have turned off the telly for it to be so quiet, when his father exploded.
"Get out! Get out of my home! You aren't wanted here! You and freaks like you aren't wanted in my home!" he yelled as he pushed trough his family, forcing them all to get behind his much wider self.
Albus's face didn't change from the kind and happy look it had, though Harrison saw his eyes widen slightly. He turned his head a fraction and stared straight at Harrison when he said, "Well then, I see no problem, then, as I am not a -what was that word? A 'freak'? I am a wizard." He grinned down at Harrison. "Just like you, Harry. You, who can make things happen that others can't. You're special."
Harrison glared at the man from the comfort of his mother's arms. He didn't like this man at all. Not how he looked or how he talked. And definitely not what he has done in the past. Did this crazy coot think his parents hadn't told him of his background? Did he think his words would interest him? Because they didn't.
"I think this conversation is at an end," his dad spat out, grabbing the door to slam it closed.
Albus turned to face Vernon and grinned. "I do too, thank you," he replied, and briskly walked into their home. "The entry way is a horrible place to have this talk, I agree."
Harrison's jaw dropped. What was this man thinking? If this was how all Wizards were, he was glad he was raised away from it.
"He meant, this conversation is over. No more. Get out of our house, freak!" Dudley told the elderly man, angry and stiff, clearly trying to be strong while actually being terrified.
Albus smiled at the man. "A tail, I should think." he commented out of nowhere. With a flick of his wrist, Harrison saw a pig's tail start to grow from Dudley's backside.
Harrison watched with wide eyes as Dudley screamed in horror, soon joined in by both his parents who tried to catch the upset boy. "Get if off! GET IF OFF!" he cried.
Albus smiled as if nothing was wrong or out of place around him and caught Harrison's eyes and winked.
Harrison's eyes darkened and for the first time, he felt anger building there instead of fear. "You think that's funny?" he demanded suddenly, voice dead cold.
He watched as Albus lost his mirth completely and his eyes widened once more, mouth opening a bit in surprise. "I'm sorry?" he asked, clearly shocked.
"Is that funny to you?" he gestured to Dudley who was still running around, hands trying to pull the tail from his body, but crying at the pain. He glared at the man. "Do you enjoy hurting people? Get rid of it! Stop hurting my brother!"
Albus's face closed in on itself and quickly became calculating. With a distracted motion, he waved his hand and only when the tail disappeared from a hysterical Dudley, did Harrison feel like he could breath through his rage. "I apologize, Harry. I only meant it as a harmless prank – gone in less than an hour, I promise you."
Harrison scowled at the man, his hands clenched at his sides. Sweat was building behind his neck and he was chilled on the inside in fear at what this man could be capable of.
"You're not surprised at magic, I see." Albus continued.
Harrison scoffed. "Why would I be?" He crossed his arms. "I know all about it. About my parents and the 'Dark Lord,' that killed them, what I can do and everything else my mom and dad told me." He glared at the sitting man who appeared not to have a problem in the world and felt himself get angrier.
Just who did this man think he was? Interrupting a peaceful day – no, a peaceful life – with his freakish stuff and expecting something out of them. No one in their right mind would do that.
Albus was quiet for a moment and his eyes grew suspicious. "I admit, I'm surprised they told you," he finally told him.
Harrison shrugged. "Well, they did. And I want no part of it. None." He watched alarm enter the man's eyes and felt a sick satisfaction enter his gut. "Didn't you get my response to your school's letter?"
"I... did," he admitted hesitantly.
"Then I don't see the problem," Harrison ground out. "That should have been the end of it."
Albus shook his head with a sigh, adapting a sad look. "I apologize, Harry. I had believed that your relatives had written that reply. To keep you ignorant, you see."
"Why would they do that?" he asked cockily. He shook his head, not even waiting for an answer. "As you can see, they didn't. I know about magic and your world. I won't be going." His words were final.
"There, you heard him!" his dad finally declared, having assured himself that the other part of his family was safe. "Now leave and never bother us again!"
Albus sighed again. "Unfortunately it isn't that simple."
"And why is that?" Harrison demanded.
The headmaster met Harrison's eyes and before his eyes, the old man seemed to age a decade – if it was possible. "I didn't want to have to tell you Harry. Not yet anyway when you are still so young. You should be enjoying your childhood. But," he added, glancing at the Dursleys surreptitiously, "I can see there is no way around it." He made a show of taking of his glasses and sighing forlornly.
Harrison grit his teeth to stop from snapping at the man. He was tired of the act the man was playing. He was a Dursley – putting on a show was practically what they did everyday. He could recognize one a mile away.
"There is a prophecy about you and the Dark Lord. It fortels that you will be the one to destroy him forever."
Harrison felt his eyebrow arch incredulously as he stared at the sitting man who sat so out of place in his life. "And?"
Albus blinked at him. "And what, Harry? You're needed in the wizarding world; we all need you. You are one of us and you should be taught to hone your gifts – the gifts your parents gave you."
"Listen here, you freak!" Vernon thundered.
"Vernon!" his mother tried to shush the man, but he wouldn't quiet.
"No! I won't have some dirty, disgusting person like this man tell us how to live our lives!" He turned on the sitting man who looked not even remotely worried and pointed at him. "You and your kind left him on our doorstep without a care! Some sort of treatment for one you care so much about. You don't get to come in here and tell my son that he will be attending a school with freaks against his will!"
Harrison felt a happy flush run over his face, a warm glow settling in his heart at his father's words. But it didn't last long. Albus's stance, having been relaxed, stiffen in his seat. "With all due respect, Mr. Dursley, you are not James Potter."
"Damn right, I'm not! I raised my sons right! Both of them grew up big and strong with a good head on their shoulders. We left your freakishness behind in Surrey and along with it, the recklessness of that idiot Potter and Petunia's sister's lapse in judgment in marrying him!"
Harrison saw the wizard loose part of that constant smile and rushed to distract the man. "Mr. Dumbledore, I am happy with my family here. That – thing about the Dark Lord and I is pointless, isn't it?" He tried to twist his mind to the man's skewed thinking which was not an easy task at all. Years of backtracking and dismissing thoughts of magic and such made it difficult to curb the habit. "He died the same night as my birth parents, right?" He absentmindedly scratched lightly over the thunderbolt shaped scar under the fringe of his hair. He noticed when the man's eyes locked on the movement. "So it's done."
"I would like to think so, Harry, but I cannot." Harrison bit back the correction of his name,figuring it would be useless anyway. "I believe that Voldemort is back and searching for a way to regain power."
Harrison blanched bodily at that. "How would that be possible? If you're dead, you're dead."
"Freakishness, I tell you!" his dad exclaimed, face well on its way to becoming purple. "No one should be able to live after death! It's not natural!"
He watched Albus sigh. A stick fell into his hand out of no where and was suddenly pointed on his family. "Hey, what are you doing!?" Harrison demanded, running in front of his father, arms streatched out protectively though it wouldn't do any good.
"Just a silencing spell, I assure you. It's hard to speak to you with all this yelling. Surely it's bothering you too?" Albus asked cheerfully and more than a little curiously.
Harrison shook his head venomously. "Listen, I don't care if that is how your people do things, but you don't go around using m-ma-magic-" he choked on the unfamiliar and forbidden word - "on innocent people just to get what you want! My father never yells." At least not at Dudley and him or their mom. "Mr. Dumbledore," he ground out, emerald eyes blazing with anger, "I am happy here and I don't care what your world needs. I won't be going and I would appreciate it, if you would take your leave now."
The man stared at him sadly. "I didn't want to do this, Harry." His stick disappeared, but he stood up and looked forlorn. "We left you with your relatives for your safety. Things were hectic after Voldemort was killed and we worried that you would be the target for rogue Death Eaters or overzealous fans."
"Yes?" Harrison felt sick again, a feeling he definitely didn't enjoy in the slightest.
Albus sighed again and Harrison fought the urge to yank on his hair in frustration. Enough with the theatrics already!
"Well, your parents willed you to Sirius, but he was only your Godfather. You have a Godmother as well; a Mrs. Longbottom. Your mother was her son's Godmother too. Your family wasn't the only one torn apart by the war however, and she and her husband both... lost the capability to take care of you."
"I don't see the point of this line of information, sir," Harrison bit out. He felt his father's large hand settle on his shoulder. It felt both like an anchor and the chain, keeping him steady while also locking him in place.
The wizard pursed his lips for a moment, seeming to think. "By law, you wouldn't go to your muggle – nonmagic persons – you would go to Mrs. Longbottom's mother who acted as a witness to the signing of the agreement."
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Harrison shouted. "What law says that's possible? If the Godparents are unable to take care of me, than my other relatives should suffice."
"In any other case, yes. However, the Ministry of Magic would never allow Harry Potter to stay in the care of muggles. There would be an uproar in the public and an outcry of rage. You are a hero in our world, my boy, and hundreds of families would line up to adopt you if you chose not to live with Augusta."
Harrison's mind registered what had to be the name of his 'substitute Godmother' quickly before settling on the hard facts. Was this what blackmail felt like?
"You won't take my son from me," his mother spoke up now. Her voice was shaky with fear, but it didn't lack conviction. "I'll take this to court if you will. Harrison is our son and I'll reveal your freakish world before I let you take him."
"You won't have a choice." Harrison heard the words spoke as a simple fact when they should have sounded menacing. Was that possible? "Magic can do a great many things, Petunia. If you even hinted at possibly revealing our world, your fate would be out of my hands." He shook his head. "The Ministry takes care of risks, not I."
"So I don't have a choice?" Harrison asked then, turning the facts over in his head and coming up with the same conclusion.
"I'm sorry, Harry. But this is the way it is." Albus seemed genuinely upset at the outcome, but Harrison knew it could be for a dozen reasons. "But if you agree to come to Hogwarts willingly, to learn and practice magic with others, I have no doubt that you'll come to love it. It's where you belong."
"I belong here, with my family," Harrison replied, staring defiantly back at the tall man before him. He battled the frustrated tears that seemed to fight their way past his lids.
Albus smiled softly then. "And you still will. Every Summer and Christmas break, children can leave school to be with their families." He reached over and patted Harrison's free shoulder lightly. "I wouldn't and couldn't keep you from the ones you love. Happiness and love are the strongest emotions in the world and can define the very way we live." He grinned, instantly happy again.
"Now, Harry. Since your letter returned with a denial, there is no teacher scheduled to take you to get your supplies. However, I happen to have some time to spare and would be delighted in taking you myself. We can leave as soon as you're ready." He paused and looked down at Harrison over the rim of his glasses. "That is, if you've decided to go to Hogwarts after all."
Harrison swallowed once, then again. Both times it did nothing to sooth his throat. He looked over his shoulder as his scared family, but mostly at his angry father and the tears that his mother was shedding for him. He had done this to them. He had brought this into their lives even if it was unintentional or unknowingly done.
He met Dudley's pleading gaze and gave a completely fake smile that was weak and felt strange on his face. He blinked back the tears that arose and turned to face the man who was ruining his life and glared with watery eyes. "I'll go. Just let me get dressed."
Was it just him or did the sound of his footsteps on the stairs seem incredibly ill-boding?
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