Chapter One

Harry Potter was a criminal, it has been said that if you treat and call a person something enough they will start believing it, and that was the case with Harry Potter. His crimes were stealing, vandalism, and assault. So far no one had caught Harry, nobody had proof that it was him so he had never been punished for it and at eight years old he was quite proud of himself. He stole from classmates and local stores, the Dursleys only feed him once a week so he had to get food somehow. The vandalism was a way to take out his frustration and pain of how he was being treated both at the hell hole he was meant to call home and at school. the assault on other children was payback for beating him up and teasing him, the only one Harry didn't dare to raise his fist to was his cousin Dudley. If he did harm Dudley then his uncle would most likely kill him.

Harry was not only a criminal but also a no good freak, he had special abilities he could blow up objects, vanish things, transform things and heal himself. Harry had discovered his special abilities when he was just three years old after his third beating, this beating had almost killed Harry and that was why his special abilities had kicked in he now had full control of the healing ability. Though the downside to his healing ability was the fact that every time he healed himself he got a new scar so his small body was covered in them, even his face sported scars. The second ability that Harry had mastered was the ability to blow things up. Harry had only been able to vanish small things but he hopped one day to make his uncle vanish...Not that he knew where Vanished things went. Harry only ever had transformed his old rags into slightly better looking clothes that fit him, he really had no one that cared enough to stop him or to stop the bullying.

Then there was one more thing that he had never been able to do again and that was fly, but what a feeling it had been the wind that had rushed passed his face as he flew backwards and landed on the chimney luckily no one had seen him or he would have been in big trouble. The feeling of freedom had been short lived but it had been there, he wanted more than anything to feel it again.

"Look who we found boys?" Dudley cried his friends making a circle around Harry

"Get lost Dudley" Harry snapped

Harry ducked the fist that one of the gang members threw causing another gang member to be punched in the nose.

"You're not meant to hit me!" grumbled the gang member

"He ducked" snapped the other member

a Third member went to grab him but Harry blasted him backwards causing the others to run off in fear.

"I'm going to tell Dad on you!" Dudley screamed

"Crap!" Harry hissed looking down at his shoes he'd be in a lot of trouble

Harry did want to go back to the Dursley's place, so he went to the playground instead. an hour later and a cop car pulled up in front of the playground.

"Hey you, have you seen a Harry Potter?" the cop asked

"Sure" Harry replied swinging backwards and forwards "What do you need him for?"

"Look kid do you know where he is?" the cop asked again slightly annoyed

"I'm right here" Harry answered a cheeky smile on his face

"You're the kid who attacked the Jones boy?" the cop asked in disbelief that this small boy could attack anyone.

The cop left his car and was surprised by the scars that littered the boys face and arms. maybe this boy was a no good criminal.

"He attacked first" Harry muttered

"That's not what the witness say" the cop said firmly

Harry shrugged he knew that they would never admit to trying to attack him before he even had a thought of attacking them.

"And?" Harry prompted

"You have to come to the station with me" the cop said

"What's your name?" Harry asked

"Officer Jeff" Officer Jeff said

"Officer Jeff" Harry repeated "Fine I'll come to the station with you"

Harry jumped of the swing and landed softly on the grass, the officer though sure the boy would not harm him placed handcuffs on him just as producer said...Or at least he tried to put them on but they simply slipped off.

"Come on kid" Officer Jeff sighed

Harry swung his feet the entire drive his eyes watching the road names and building as they passed by. it took half-an-hour before they arrived. Harry didn't pay much attention to the station other than the front desk there wasn't really that much to see. Harry was seated in a glass room with four chairs in it two on one side two on the other. in front of where he had been asked to sit was a set of handcuffs that were held to the table by a lope of metal.

"Good afternoon" a woman greeted as she walked into the room "I am officer Penelope and you must be Harry Potter"

The woman had a dark blue shirt and dark blue pants, she had auburn hair and green eyes.

Harry nodded and looked at the table tracing the lines there

"So, you're here on some pretty bad charges aren't you?" Officer Penelope asked

"Charges? I thought I was only here for one?" Harry asked looking up into the green eyes that were before him

"One for the assault and the boys mentioned that you steal from them and the other people in your school" Officer Penelope answered

"Oh" Harry sighed looking back at the table

"I'm afraid that you'll have to stay here until you trial tomorrow" Officer Penelope said

The trial took an hour in total about 30 people gave their statements against him only five of them were about the assault, the rest were asked questions about the theft, and if he had ever attacked them, of course everybody said yes. the disgusted murmurs that ran though the court when the girls admitted to be attacked by Harry, made Harry sink in his seat and glare at the table. The judge decided quite quickly after all the witness had spoken that Harry was guilty. Harry was sentenced to three months in a youth detention center.

It was a dark grey building that did not look at all inviting with high chain linked fence. On the top of the fence there was barbed wire. The building looked to be four stories high, and all the windows had bars on them. Harry didn't like the look of the building but he guessed that he wasn't meant to like the place he was being punished at.

The car pulled up in front of the building and Officer Penelope got out, she stretched before walking around the car and letting Harry out. Officer Penelope did not say anything to Harry once he had hopped out of the car.

there were two people at the front desk, a man in a dark blue uniform who seemed to be a police officer like Officer Penelope and a woman in a light blue top and black pants, the woman had black hair and brown eyes. the man had sandy blond hair and blue eyes.

the man with sandy blond hair walked past them giving Harry a glare

"Good morning Officer Penelope" the woman greeted "you here to see one of your charges?"

"No I've been given a new charge" Officer Penelope "This is Harry Potter"

The woman sneered at him before entering a few details and printing out an A4 piece of paper with the number 4350. The woman passed the number to Officer Penelope before moving to a cupboard behind her desk and pulled out a pair of overalls.

"Strip to your underwear and put these on" the woman told him turning back to her computer

Officer Penelope nodded before turning away herself

Harry was embarrassed but did as he was told glad that neither woman could see the word that had been engraved into his skin, the word was FREAK in capital letters right across his chest. The overalls were way too big he had to roll the sleeves and legs up about ten times before he could see his hands and feet. Once done Officer Penelope helped to pin the number sheet to his clothing.

"The boy might as well wait in the eating hall lunch is in five minutes" the woman said

Harry was lead by Officer Penelope and the woman down the hall to a barred door with lots of tables and cells behind it.

"They're expecting you for lunch" Officer Penelope told him

Harry sat at one of the tables where the woman could still see him if she looked down the hall. Five minutes later a whole heap of kids started to fill the eating area, Harry didn't pay much attention to the others around him, until three kids came his way.

In the group there was one boy and two girls, the boy had dark brown hair blue eyes and a scar on his left cheek, the girl on his right had bright red hair and green eyes the girl on the boys left had blond hair and grey eyes. All three looked to be older than him but it could be because Harry still looked like he was four and not eight years old.

"Hey new kid" the boy said sitting in front of him while the girls took the seats on either side of him. "I'm Harrison but most call me Arson, to my left is Julie, and to my right is Alex, what is your name?"

"I'm Harry" Harry muttered

Julie and Alex laughed softly at the changes that Arson and Harry share similar names

"Do you hate your name?" Arson asked

"Sometimes" Harry muttered "But I hardly hear it so...Sometimes I like it"

"Why don't you hear it often?" Julie asked

"My relatives hate me" Harry sighed "And my parents dumped me on their doorstep when I was one so I never heard it from them"

"That sucks" Alex muttered as the other two nodded

"You'll be bunking with us by the way" Arson said changing the subject

"How do you know?" Harry asked

"The only bed left is in our cell" Alex answered

"Ok, what did are you guys in here for?" Harry asked

"Arson" Arson answered

"Theft" Alex answered

"Vandalism" Julie answered "And you?"

"Theft and assault" Harry answered

"How long you here for?" Julie asked

"Three months, what about you guys?" Harry said

"Same for me, I got in yesterday, so I'll be released a day before you" Arson said

"Two for me" Alex muttered

"Three and a half" Julie answered "It was a big project"

"You four come get your lunches!" an officer yelled pointing at their table.

Harry followed Arson, Alex and Julie, to the other side of the eating space where an officer was standing next to a tray of food. he gave the four children their own tray, the trays contained broccoli, peas, a slice of ham and two pieces of bread.

Harry started with the broccoli and peas as he had never eaten them before, and he was surprised that even though they were mushy and overcooked they were still better than the stale bread that his aunt would give him. Harry stared at the bread he was surprised that it was a little soft not as hard as he was used to this bread was stale yet but it wasn't fresh either.

"Is something wrong?" Arson asked noticing that he hadn't eaten his bread or ham

"I've never had soft bread before" Harry admitted turning it in his hands "My aunt and uncle only feed me stale bread once a week"

"What? That's awful" Julie said

"Don't worry we'll talk more about this back in the cell" Arson promised "But you'd better eat it or the Officer will have you running laps"

Harry ate his bread and ham quickly he just finished as they were being told to pack their trays back in the trollies.

The three months went by rather quickly too quickly for Harry's liking. He was given three meals a day, at first it made him sick but he quickly became used to it. His bed was a lot more comfortable than the one under the stairs and he had found people he could trust. Harry had told Alex, Julie, and Arson everything about his home life and they had told him everything in return.

Harry abandoned by his parents on the front door step of his Aunt and uncle's, had not been treated like a child but like a slave, since the age of three he cooked, cleaned, did the gardening, went shopping and carried it home all by himself, if he stuffed up he was beaten.

Arson had an abusive father to both him and his mother but he had left after the first time Arson was arrested, his mother had become depressed and started drinking and smoking, Arson still didn't know what had depressed her about the situation but apparently or at least according to his aunts and uncles it was all his fault and that she had been glad to see Arson's father leave.

Alex lived on the streets or with Arson whenever she could get the money for rent. Alex hadn't always lived on the street she had lived with her Grandparents but after her first arrested she had run away. She ran because they just didn't understand that she needed freedom and they tried to lock her up both at home and at a boarding school. By the third time she was arrested they stopped trying to contact her and in their last visit told her if she didn't straighten up they would cut her out of the family. She never heard from them again.

Julie lived with Arson since she was kicked out of the orphanage. Julie was bullied constantly at the orphanage and had turned to vandalism to express herself, but she had been caught in the act one night and had been arrested, luckily for her she had meet Arson on her very first stay at the detention centre. It was lucky because Arson had stuck up for Julie from one of the bullies inside the centre, it also got her off the street. as they had both been released the same day.

The reason that Alex, Julie and Arson were in the same cell was because they didn't get along with anyone else and that started fights, so the officers had placed them together just to stop the constant fights. So the three eight year olds had formed their own group to defend and protect each other no matter what, they had bunked with others in their cell newbies but they had never really gotten along but there was just something about Harry and his small size that had made the group want to protect him.

Harry had also found out that the three also had similar abilities as he did, Arson could set things on fire and explode things. Julie could summon things, and transform things into other things normal pain and paint brushes, and Alex could transport things from one place to another say someones wallet to her hand, and she could change her appearance.

"You're going home today" Julie muttered snapping Harry from his thoughts

"Can't really call that place home" Harry sighed sadly

"I'm sure Arson will work something out" Julie reassured him

"What do you mean?" Harry asked rolling on to his side

"He'll convince his mother to let you stay over" Julie said

"How much is the rent?" Harry asked

"100 a week" Julie answered

Harry sighed there was no way he could make that money...unless he stole it but he would have to get better at it after all he thought that there was no proof but he wouldn't be in here for as long if he'd been better at stealing.

"Potter!" an officer said through the door "Your friend is here to pick you up"

Harry looked up startled, his friend? did that mean that Arson had convinced his mother to allow him to stay?

"Will you be alright?" Harry asked not liking that they had to leave her alone here for two weeks

"I'll be fine Harry" Julie replied giving him a quick hug as he passed

Harry left the cell excited, he followed the officer passed the main eating area, and through the barred doors he had come through on his very first day. And there at the end of the hall stood Arson and a tired looking woman who had grey hair and dull blue eyes.

"Harry!" Arson cried smiling

"Arson" Harry cried running forward and stopping just in front of Arson

"Lets go home" Arson said smiling