London, September of 1989

It's been two years since Harry had left the Dursleys. He would've liked to say that, during that period, he had progressed in his goal, that he became stronger, more powerful. Yet, the sad reality was that he had stagnated.

After he escaped from the Dursleys, Harry realised that he didn't have any idea of what he was doing. All he had was a vague goal of becoming powerful. How, however? He didn't have a clue.

He had travelled to London in search of success. His uncle had always said that London was the city where everything happened. If Harry was going to become someone, that is where he would have to start. Yet, the city didn't meet his expectations. After all, there weren't many legal activities a boy his age could partake in to survive. So he turned to the illegal: stealing.

He never stole anything serious, just the money. He wouldn't have known what to do with the rest. It wasn't like shops were advertising the purchase of stolen goods. It was enough to survive. It brought more food than the Dursleys had ever given him. But surviving wasn't Harry's goal. He needed more power.

Harry was frustrated. He knew that he had something in him, the power he had used to fend off his uncle on that fateful day. At first, Harry had thought that he had imagined it. Perhaps the adrenaline of the moment had made him see things that weren't there. Yet, when he suddenly teleported while chased by a mad dog, Harry realised that it was definitely real.

He had tried to replicate it, but it just didn't work. His powers only seemed to manifest whenever he felt trapped, like he had no way out. The funny thing was that it was never the same. Sometimes, he threw objects without touching them. Other times, he turned invisible. He even once managed to fall through the ground and into the sewers!

If only he could figure out how to control them. No one would be able to hold power over him then.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud hoot. Harry smiled as he turned towards the owl.

"Hello, friend"

The snowy owl had appeared several times ever since he left the Dursleys. She was his very first friend, so that is what he decided to call her. Say what you want, but creativity had never been his strong suit. Besides, saying the word friend never failed to bring warmth to his chest.

The owl was a strange one. She was scaringly smart, and Harry talked to her like to any other human. She also seemed to feel whenever Harry used his powers. Anytime he pushed someone or phased through a wall, she looked at him piercingly as if it could see into his very soul. Harry chuckled at the thought. Smart she may be, but at its base, his friend was still an animal and didn't have many thoughts other than food and sleep. Nevertheless, Harry trusted her with his life. After all, that's what friends were supposed to do.

That's why, when she flew to a tree nearby and looked back at him expectantly, Harry stood up from the bench he used as a bed and bemusedly started following her. It was time for him to get up anyway. Workday would soon be kicking off, and that was when he made the bulk of his income.

After a quick five-minute jog following his feathery friend, Harry found himself in front of a chapel. He stared at the owl expectantly.

"What now? Why did you bring me here, friend?"

The owl stared back at him for a brief moment, before deftly flying into the half-open door of the chapel.

"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret it?" Harry muttered to himself and entered the chapel.

.

As the door creaked shut behind him, Harry's head swivelled around in wonder. The chapel was a majestic sight, the likes of which he had never seen before. The stone walls bore mounted torches, their dim glow creating a solemn atmosphere. In the chapel reigned a certain silence, a sort of enchanting stillness that Harry was scared to break. Yet, when Harry's gaze turned towards the altar, he couldn't help but let out his breath in awe.

At the altar, turned away from him, stood a woman. She was robed in a pure white gown that seemed to irradiate moonlight, illuminating the darkness around her. Her hair was a light blond, almost white and drifted gently around her, forming a pale halo.

Harry was entranced by the beautiful sight as if something was pulling him towards her. All thoughts of his friend flew out of his mind. All that mattered at the moment was the woman at the altar.

Slowly, her movements slow and controlled, the woman turned around, and Harry's breath hitched up once more. On her face lay a genial smile, that made something flutter in Harry's chest. The most striking element of her face, however, was her eyes. They were a pale blue and seemed to hold great depth. It seemed that they could see into your soul. Harry found them very familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint why.

Harry's musings were cut short when the woman opened her mouth and spoke in an angelic voice:

"Hi, Harry."

Harry's brow furrowed at the air of familiarity in the woman's voice. He was sure that he would've remembered seeing someone like her.

The woman let out a small laugh, which rewarded her with a slight glare from the boy.

"I'm sorry, Harry. It wasn't my intention to offend you. My name is Hathewiga Nightingale, and I am your friend."

Harry frowned at her words. Friend? What did she want from him? He had learned the hard way that he couldn't rely on anyone. The only one he was close to was an owl. A snowy owl, one that had just flown into the chapel... Oh.

"I see now that you understand", the recently named Hathewiga said, her eyes twinkling in amusement, "I'm sorry that I hid the truth for so long, but I believe that you are finally ready."

Hathewiga patiently waited for Harry to take all that information in.

"But... What? How? Are you an angel?" the young boy was bewildered beyond measure.

"No, Harry", she answered, "I am a witch, just like you are a wizard and a powerful one from all I've seen."

"A... a wizard?"

"A group of people hiding from the rest of the world and wielding a wondrous power called magic"

Harry perked up at the magic word, "Power? Do you mean the one I used on Uncle Vernon? You know how to control it? Teach me, please!"

The woman's smile widened at his enthusiasm, "Yes, Harry. It is, and I do."

She outstretched her right arm as a stick appeared in the palm of her hand. Waving her arm in a smooth circular gesture, she loudly spoke a string of unintelligible words. The fire of the torches flared, then flickered out as a gust of wind travelled through the chapel. For a few moments that seemed to last an eternity, darkness surrounded the nine-year-old boy before small balls of ethereal light appeared out of thin air, basking the chapel in a soft, enchanting glow.

Hathewiga stood beside him, looking at the mesmerising sight, "Beautiful, isn't it?" she whispered dreamily, "and you'll be able to do that too, and so much more. Do you want that?"

Harry's expression told her everything she needed to know.

"Then come with me. I will teach you all I know about magic. I will give you all you need to achieve your goal, and no one will be able to hold any power over you anymore. All you have to do is to come with me. Will you do that?"

Harry's head was reeling. Only a few minutes ago, he was a simple street urchin, pickpocketing to survive. And now he was offered a way to learn magic. Magic! Of all things! It didn't make any sense! But it didn't matter. He could deal with his shock later. All he knew was that this was a one-in-a-lifetime chance, and he wasn't about to let it go.

"Yes", Harry answered resolutely, "Yes, I do!"

Hathewiga's eyes lit up at his answer, "Then let's officialise this pact in front of magic itself!"

With a swish of her arm, a piece of parchment and a quill appeared from thin air and deposited themselves into her awaiting hand. "By signing this contract, we create an apprenticeship bond. I will be your mistress and you, my apprentice until both parties agree to part ways!"

She signed her name with a slight hiss and presented the quill to Harry. "Don't worry, it will sting a bit, but it's part of the process. Once you sign, I can tell you all about contracts in the wizarding world. If you want to, of course. The choice is yours."

Harry, however, didn't seem to listen. He was eyeing the piece of parchment with a dubious look. "What do you mean by mistress?"

Hathewiga's smile seemed to tighten around the edges. "It's more official than anything else. As you don't have one right now, it would make me your magical guardian, like a caretaker in the eyes of the law."

"Does that mean that you'll control how I live my life?" Harry was confused. He didn't need anyone to dictate his life. He had already had the Dursleys for that.

"Only enough to see that you are well taken care of. As for the rest, you're free to do whatever you want."

"But—"

"Look, Harry", Hathewiga interrupted him impatiently, "You're a good boy and clever enough to ask questions. Yet, sometimes, one mustn't look a gift horse in its mouth. The truth is, I want a student. Someone to whom I can give my knowledge and with whom I can redefine the limits of magic. I have seen many candidates that have potential. None have as much as you do, but they have some nonetheless. Now, it is your choice to decide. Will you sign the contract or not?"

Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat. He didn't want to depend on anyone, but sometimes, sacrifices needed to be made. And this seemed to be one such time. He just hoped that his choice wouldn't prove to be the wrong one.

"Only time will tell," Harry thought as he signed his name on the contract.

.

And done! To be honest, I was going to make Harry refuse her offer, but the story didn't seem to want to follow my line of thought. Even so, don't think that Harry's going to be overpowered because of it. He only has two years before starting school and Hathewiga is still an unknown. In any case, thanks for reading!
Burgundy Phoenix signing off