DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER, THE DURSLEY'S, OR ANY OTHER CHARACTERS! THEIR ALL MADE UP BY THE MIND OF IN INGENIOUS J.K. ROWLING!! IF I WAS THE AUTHOR OF THE GREAT CHARACTERS I WOULDN'T BE WRITING THIS, WOULD I? HOWEVER, I DO OWN HENRY SHAYDE, ANNE SHAYDE, AND AIDEN DEJAN SHAYDE (THE NAME AT LEAST) I ALSO OWN MR. TILBET. YES, I DON'T LIKE THE NAME MYSELF, BUT YOU WON'T END UP HEARING IT ALL THAT MUCH. IT WILL CHANGE...

A/N: Due to some confusion on my part, Harry will now be called Aiden at all times, except in his memories, flashbacks, or in confrontations (hint, hint). His full name, Aiden Dejan Shayde, gives away the fact that he will end up being adopted later on. I gave it away in the summary, which was an accident. I wrote the summary on auto-pilot, or something. I gave too much away, but it's too late now.

A/N2: I remind you, these chapters are going fast on purpose! They'll be skipping weeks months, and even years at certain points. Harry's (Aiden's) schooling should start around the fifth or sixth chapter. Not much happens for a purpose! Aiden, also Harry, is growing up in a muggle household that won't have much excitement...until a certain incident.

Thanks to jabarber69 for the long review! Had to make me think for a second...

Okay, this chapter is inspired by my brother because, even though he's a royal pain most of the time, he can be a great deal of help at others. He's even...brave sometimes. I'm sure I'm going to regret saying all this later

Dedicated To:

Sierra Sierra

Tom (my brother, not young Voldie!)

Also, to tansy1354, who might become my beta reader sooner or later.

NOW YOU MAY READ!!

Chapter Four: Believing

"Aiden?" Aiden jolted awake by the voice he knew was Anne Shayde, wife to Henry Shayde...a person he still didn't trust two weeks later. Anne Shayde held his respect a little more because of her motherly quality. She always had a truthful look in her eyes and she truly seemed to like Aiden, even though he was just a boy brought off the streets.

In the two weeks since he'd had the head-splitting attack, Anne had immediately tried to get him to look more like a person and less like a stick figure to no avail. Aiden wasn't able to consume as much food as one his age should because of his malnourished life. Slowly, his appetite was increasing, but not as much as Anne had been hoping at first. "You're all skin and bones!" She'd said as he barely touched his meal. "Surely you should be able to eat much more than that! You're a growing boy and I know that growing boys are bottomless pits. Believe me, I grew up the only girl with five brothers!" Aiden had ignored her and finished eating, excusing himself before retreating to the room they'd assigned him.

"Yes?"

"Aiden, I know you must be rather uncomfortable in my company. I'm a stranger to you, after all. I was just hoping to let you know that neither Henry nor I mean you any harm. We're just concerned."

"I know." Aiden shrugged. He did know, but it was still hard to understand that there was someone who actually cared for him. Before then, the only adults who hadn't beat him up was the Kindergarten teacher he'd had before he ran away and she was nice to everyone.

"You do?" Anne look surprised. "Aiden, there's something we need to talk about. Henry wanted to tell you himself, but you're more uncomfortable around him." She took a deep breath and continued, "Henry told me about what happened when he found you...about the pain in your head. We don't want to let you go back into the streets. It's a illegal for us to allow you anyway, but I don't want to hand you over to Social Security. I have no doubt you'd be adopted right away, but I still don't like the fact. Last night, Henry and I stayed up late and we've decided something if you'd allow us to. Aiden, we'd like to adopt you."

"What? Why? Everyone hates me!" Aiden tried to turn away, but Anne proved that to be impossible.

"Come now, not everyone hates you. Not by a long shot. Henry wouldn't have brought you here if he didn't like you, or care for you. And I love you like you were my own son, so we might as well made you my own son. It's always been my dream to have a little boy." She brushed Aiden's brown bangs away from his face and smiled. "You're a rather cute boy too."

Aiden blushed. He'd never been called cute before. The Dursley's had nly known him as a thorn in theirs sides, and on the streets he was just another innocent boy thrust into the worst world possible. "I don't know..."

"Oh, you haveplenty of time to decide. You don't need to worry about it right now. I was just hooping you would know that we're not like your aunt or uncle in any way. They were just horrible people to a little boy. You deserve the best life you can have."

Aiden smiled, "You say that everyday."

"I do, don't I?" She got up and flipped the light switch on her way out. "I didn't wake you before, did I? I didn't mean to wait until you were asleep. You only get a couple hours of sleep because of your head and those horrible nightmares you have every night."

"I don't mind." Aiden said and Anne closed the door, leaving Aiden in the darkness. For once, that darkness didn't seem so bad, so evil. Aiden tried to think what it would be like to have Anne as his mother and Henry as his father. Truthfully, he could fit into the family well, with his looks. Though Anne had blonde hair and brown eyes, Henry had brown hair and blue eyes. With Aiden's brown hair and brown eys, it would look like he got one trait from each of his 'parents'. Aiden liked the though of having parents who loved him. It was a a foreign thought, though.

"Tomorrow I'll wake up, " He muttered to himself, "and nothing will have happened. I'll be sitting at the table and they'll try to make a dull conversation. They won't speak about adopting me. I'll just be the boy they'll shove away when their done with me."

Aiden woke up the next day with a clear head, realizing that he'd been nightmare-free for the first time since arriving at the house. No pain in his car. It had been weeks since he felt so great. He loved the feeling and decided to enjoy the lightheaded feeling he got with it. Knowing it wouldn't be long until Anne cam to wake him, Aiden pushed himself up out of the bed with a grin on his face. This life was growing on him and he knew it. Yet, he hardly could care.

Aiden dressed in some clothes Henry had bought for him a couple of nights ago, looking at them appraisingly. He hadn't the slightest clue why Henry would but such nice clothes for him, but he never dared to ask. If they wanted him to wear nice clothes, then he wasn't about to complain. However, he was curious as to whether they really wanted to adopt him, so he didn't stay in his room long.

"Henry, Anne?' Aiden called, knowing already where they were at this time of day. "The kitchen!' he heard call from a door on the right. "We're always in the kitchen!" Aiden rolled his eyes. Both Henry and Anne were usually serious people, but when something good happened, their personalities changed.

Aiden entered the kitchen, stopping suddenly as he realized there was an odd cheery feeling floating around...it almost made him feel better, but it took a little more than a happy Anne and a happy Henry to get Aiden to feel a lot better about himself. Aiden slipped quietly in his chair that had been assigned to him the first night here. It was almost as if they'd expected him to stay from the first night he'd arrived. "So..." Aiden said, quietly, beginning to become a little disturbed by the smile on Henry's face as the man read a paper. "What's going on? What's with all the sudden happiness all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean?" Anne smiled back at Aiden and he found off the possibility of rolling his eyes at her. Some people really knew how to get him mad for almost no reason. "Right now, absolutely nothing is happening."

Aiden caught the catch in her sentence, but didn't dwell on it. He was only nine after all, and he really didn't want to get into Anne and Henry's business. He knew he would get out more confused than when he went in. It was the unenviable for everyone. Aiden let it drop. "Any news?" he asked, knowing perfectly well that there wasn't. Nothing seemed to happen in this household and he liked it that way.

Anne looked at him as if she'd just remembered something quite important. "Oh, Aiden, I forgot to tell you!"

"Whatever it is," Aiden said seriously, "I can forgive you already. I got down here, what two minutes ago? Three? You were in your happy mode the whole time, so I'm probably saying this for no reason whatsoever."

"Shush you." She sat herself down in a chair next to Henry's and gave Aiden her warm smile. "I got a call from a nice sounding man this morning. Somehow, he found out that you've missed a couple of years of school and has offered to help you catch up, so you won't have to be kept back a couple of grades. I believe he said his name was Tilbet. Rather odd sounding name if you ask me, but he sounded quite wise. Would you feel comfortable learning here?"

Aiden's eyes flickered up to the motherly woman in front of him and he shook his head, his long bangs reaching down to his eyes, beginning to cover them. "I dunno. I thought you were just kidding when you said you'd adopt me. I never thought you were serious."

"Of course I was serious!"

Aiden shrugged again. "You never know. Personalities seem to change rather rapidly around me. You know, because no one likes me that much."

Henry sighed, clearly starting to get angry. "How many times must I tell you, Aiden? You are well liked. You are not hated. You are not ever unworthy of anything. You are a child and you deserve the ability to act like one before you grow up too much. You act too old for your own good, though, and you need to stop putting yourself down. The more you believe that no one likes you, the more likely the chance is that people will start to not like you. Act less mature, and you'll be fine."

Aiden was silent, struggling to find something that would get him back on Henry's good side. "This teacher, tutor, whatever he is..." Aiden said quietly. "What's he like? Must I really go back to school. It's been so many years..."

"Yes." Anne said firmly. "You will not grow up ignorant. I won't allow it. Mr. Tilbet will teach you everything you need to learn."

Aiden stayed silent, unable to find any part of himself that could be possibly happy at the news of a private tutor. They were suppose to be for those who were really smart and bypassed everyone else in class, or people unable to have enough smarts to get in a class. Aiden knew he was in the latter of the two.

"When do I have to start?"

"We've arranged him to begin to teach you every day, except for Saturdays and Sundays, for seven hours. He'll be coming here everyday at six in the morning and will work until one. Th rest of the day will be free for you to do what you please." Anne looked at her watch. "Henry, will you go check to see if the mails here yet? I don't feel like getting up and going out to the mailbox today. Honestly, why couldn't you have gotten a mail slot right in the door. Would have been a lot more helpful."

Henry grunted, and got up, leaving Aiden alone with Anne. Aiden was shocked that he was beginning to take comfort in this family. He'd never trusted anyone before, especially not an adult. When Aiden was younger, all adults were pictured as cruel and mean, and never to be trusted. Yet, Aiden found himself caring for Anne and Henry, like parents almost. Suddenly, the factor of them adopting him into their family didn't seem so awkward.

"Anne?" Aiden said, remembering a question she'd asked not to long ago. At the time he hadn't felt the need to answer it, but now it seemed like they needed to know. "I've never gotten the chance to tell you anything, have I?" She looked up from the paper she'd snatched away from Henry when he'd went to get the mail. "I'm nine." He started, knowing he would tell her only the most basic facts. "And I've been one the streets since I was seven years old..." He related his story as much as he dared, minus names and certain events they would have told him was impossible like when he woke up with an alternate look and the time when he made a man fly across an alley because of a threat.

"Oh, you poor dear," she said when he was done, ruffling his hair a bit, "you've been through an awful lot for a nine year old. I didn't expect it that bad." She suddenly seemed to remember something. She stared at his hair and smiled gently. "However, I think it's time you had a haircut. As it is, it looks a little untuidy for my liking."

"Leave the boy alone." Henry reappeared with an open letter in hand, grinning once more. "Alyssa wrote."

Anne jumped from the seat and snatched the letter away, letting a grumbling Henry have the paper again. "Oh, it's been nearly a month this time. She better not have gotten another detention like last time."

"Who's Alyssa?"

Henry and Anne stared at Aiden, in shock for a moment. "Uh..." Anne managed to get out weakly. "I think we have to tell you something..."

"You think? Who's Alyssa?" He repeated. These adults were keeping secrets. They didn't trust him...had they ever trusted him at all. "Who is she?" Aiden knew his face was most likely bright red by now, from the embarrassment of yelling at them.

"Alyssa," Anne said testily, looking at Aiden wearily. "If we adopted you, Aiden, then that would make Alyssa your sister. She's our daughter. She's nine and is at a boarding school in America somewhere. She insisted on going with her other friends. We were going to tell you," Anne gushed out, "but we didn't know what time was right. You were still weak up until a few days ago and we didn't want to shock you with the information."

Aiden slumped over, knowing he'd clearly overreacted. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "I was scared though. You were keeping secrets from me. I don't like people keeping secrets--it makes me feel like I'm not trusted."

"Aiden," Henry said, " in this family, we trust you with our lives."

The Order of the Phoenix meeting was becoming strained. The lack of information put a damper on everyones mood, including those who were never cheerful to begin with. Severus Snape was included in that particular group. Most of the members were fidgeting, as reports began less and less interesting as the weeks went by. The lack of You-Know-Who and his supports, the Death Eaters, gave the group nothing to do. Most wondered why the group was still running.

The members looked up as Albus Dumbledore spoke again, thinking that it was time for them to go. The hour long meeting had been excruciatingly long and everyone was stiff. "I know by now everyone wants to go home." There were murmurs of agreement. "And I think it's about time we wrap this meeting up. But before you go, I want to give you all an update on our mysterious 'Aiden' boy scheduled to come to Hogwarts in a few years. I took another look at the List and saw that Aiden is now Aiden Dejan Shayde. You may all go now."

The member got up slowly, stretching before heading out. Wizards and witches alike walked out the door of 12 Grimauld Place, eager to get away from the building that had held them for several hours. Only when they arrived at their own homes did they dare to think of the mysterious boy, Aiden Dejan Shayde, and what he would hold in his hands in the future.

As the last Order member filtered from the room, Albus, Minerva, and Arthur and Molly Weasley remained, contemplating the mysterious boy. "Is he suppose to be special in any way, Heastmaster?" Minerva asked, never taking her eyes off Dumbledore's face. "Why would he appear on the List so late?"

"Ahh, Minerva," he sighed, "The real question is why Harry Potter disappeared from the List. He's an obvious wizard and I always thought he was strong enough to survive."

"Albus," Molly said softly, "It's hurting everyone that Harry Potter is gone, perhaps for good. The world is probably doomed by the rise of You-Know- Who in the future and I personally wish to see my children free wizards, but now I know it's not meant to be. Everyone's starting to get over it. At this moment we need to deal with the ones who are still alive, people like our Aiden Dejan Shayde here."

"I know, Molly, but I ever wanted to live to see the wizarding worlds spiraling downfall. Now it seems like I'll be one to fight in it myself. The first war was enough for me. I haven't a clue what I'll do when the second one rises."

"We'll fight," Arthur said sadly, "And I guess we'll have to keep the wizarding worlds hopes up when we all know we'll lose to You-Know- Who and his idiotic Death Eaters."

After-the-story-A/N: Some may notice that Anne is a lot like Mrs. Molly Weasley and I meant for that to happen. Though I never really wrote that much of it, Harry had no trust because of the Dursley's and his life on the streets. In order to gain that trust back, I needed someone who he would easily trust, but I didn't think it was the right time for him to meet a wizard! Otherwise this story would be very different, as Harry would be living with the Weasleys instead. I liked this story better, though, so this was what I went with.

Review Responses

jabarber69-- I didn't know that, actually. I'm not a big T.V. person. Anyway, I heard about it online and I saw a couple of sites that said it was being worked on and was going to come out in a couple of years. Shows what I know. I should probably check my facts more next time. Oh well...