"OH shut up you fat pig!" Came the yell of a small scruffy child as he dashed through the open sitting room door a wallet in one hand a letter in the other and his emerald green eyes sparkling in amusement as a heavy torrent of footsteps charged after him, however he was free of the suffocating confines of the small red brick house before his walrus of an uncle had even got to his feet ,
He laughed as he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him the mud and grime caked his hands and face after a long morning tending to the plants and he was rapidly losing speed as he reached the end of his life of normality in privet drive but he was free and as had always been the case nothing could dissuade the steely determination and joy set in his young face.
At Least that was what he at first thought but like all good things they come to an end and his freedom was a short reprieve from the gaunt truth he was now alone in the big world and at the early age of 7 he was outclassed, However he had his mothers letter and he knew what life he would live he was going to be free forever no one would stop him ,and he had that power, because he was a wizard his mothers letter told him so and it explained all the things he could do, his first stop on his road to freedom was to get to London and find 'his mother' lily potter's old home and to do that he needed a train and with his head held high he walked toward the station the big red brick fortress was crowded and near deafening and harry was astounded by all the people.
He managed to sneak behind a large group and made his way through the crowd towards the gunmetal gray and yellow locomotive finding a seat hidden beside a big burly man with chestnut hair and a scruffy beard. Over the long trip toward London he began to sate his boredom by beginning a conversation with the man next to him he seemed fun to be around and told amazing stories harry found out the man was going to be visiting his daughter who if his words were to be believed was an incarnation of an angel with near unrivalled beauty and intellect like all fathers see their beloved daughters harry thought, who just so happened to live in the same building as his mothers old home and with a moments hesitation they decided they would go together, that mans name was noel Palmer and his daughter was only nineteen years old his demeanor changed when he talked about his daughter harry wondered how amazing she was in person, he sat quietly for the most part as he heard about the adventure that was the older gentlemans life however the subject eventually came up and there was no good answer as to why such a young child was going to the big city all alone and all harry had to tell him was some form of truth, his relatives hated him and he was better off away from them sadly Noel had no reason to disagree with him for any reason apart from his age therefore it was decided his daughter would check up on him especially since if harry was to be believed he had no known documents that even proved he existed as he had never been to school or the doctor so to the outside world harry had never even existed eventually they made it to the station and they began their walk towards the apartment building and finding that harry was going to be staying across the hall they decided to introduce him to noels daughter earlier than expected and after a short explanation by Noel the lady turned towards harry ,
She was rather short at around 5'4 and had light auburn hair that reached the middle of her back she wore large circular classes and had striking aquamarine eyes, "hello" she said in a kind tone a smile gracing her lips "my names Jessica i guess i'll be your neighbor?"
She questioned and in Harry's politest voice he replied " Hi my name's harry potter, please take good care of me"
A cheeky grin spread across his face as he began to turn towards his new home "Goodbye Noel, Goodbye Jessica have a good night" he waved behind him as he pushed on the door and it creaked inward.
The place was tidy but clearly lacking of an owner for a decade or so it seemed relatively open plan consinsting of a slim hallway with a small alcove created as a storage area for any shoes and coats before it opened up into a large sparsely furnished sitting room with a maroon fluffy stained sofa and hardwood coffetable Infront of it there was a matching armchair facing a breathtaking view on the London skyline and an ancient looking bookshelf fit comfortably against the muted creme walls the conjoined kitchen that filtered perfectly from the living room along the left wall housing an old white marble island surrounded by more white marble counters all complimented with hardwood cupboards and drawers all painted in an olive tone with an embedded oven sink and washing machine with a large fridge hugging the wall and opposite the kitchenette there were two white doors either side of eachother the left leading into a much darker yet spacious bedroom that houses a large wall of shelves all empty and a large double bed slumbered in the center of the room pushed against the back wall with another picturesque view in direct line of sight from any occupents laid in said bed then the other door led into a black tiled bathroom with a large bath and shower that ran along the wall and a toilet aswell as sink just opposite. He exited the bathroom and checked the clock hung on the wall between the two doors and was shocked at the late hour and he decided it was as good a time as any to get some rest after all he had a long day tomorrow.
Across the hall jess and noel had already entered her apartment it was sparsely furnished after all she had only moved in recently and had very little money for luxuries so she made do and lived comfortably her father already worked himself to the bone near enough to send her to university she was going to be her families saving grace so to speak the one to take them to a brighter place of society, it's why today was such a special occasion her father very rarely had the time to visit and she was glad for the company, it got lonely in the city with no one you knew around, "so what's with the kid dad?" she said whilst putting the kettle on, the large gruff man took a seat on the small seat and let out a sigh "I'm not really sure duckie" he said and released another sigh his old tired bones cracking beneath his heavy coat "Ddaaddd!" she whined in exasperation "i said to stop calling me that here it's embarrassing what if somebody heard you" she moaned and noel just grinned at his daughter a playful light in his eye as he chuckled, oh how his baby girl had grown up, he remembered how little she used go be, he'd always find her by the river bank, she was a girl of the water, or at least that's what her dear mother used to say her little duckie he thought again with a chuckle before looking at what she'd become, she looked just like her mother and for that he was grateful, god knows he was an ugly blighter and not a day went by when he was not grateful for the pair of them " do you even know how old he is" she spoke again breaking his train of thought " he said he was around 7 so still barely a babe and yet he seems so smart, i see kids in the village twice his age act more childish, he said his relatives were unpleasant and i decided not to push to much but hes never even been to school and cant remember ever going to the doctors, hes all alone in the world and i didnt want to push him away by being to heavy handed and when i found he was staying here i decided it might be better if you just look out for him yknow" noel said in his gravelly voice and jess couldnt really disagree if the kid didnt have anyone then she wanted to help him "ok ill keep an eye out then i guess" she replied just rolling with the punches "so anyways how are you studies going then" noel spoke again changing the subject smiling again as she began to complain animatedly, "just like your mother" he thought.
Harry awoke early the next day and scoured all the cupboards he could and found absolutely nothing of value besides some old biscuits covered in thick green mold and a near empty milk bottle that had formed enough bacteria it seemed eerily sentient, the smell was near deadly and he found once he went to take a shower there was definitely evidence of a rodent of some kind behind the toilet, he decided his first port of call was some shopping for his new home and with that in mind he once again ventured into the big city coming across a quiet corner shop just along the way where he bought some easy to keep foods and some Toiletries before making his way home,
As he walked through the front door he heard another door open behind him and witnessed Jessica sprint from her room obviously in a hurry to where he didn't know but he still shouted a good morning before entering his home, that was a nice thought he decided, this was his home he was going to be happy here but he still had his mission and while he had no way of exploring his birthright before his letter appeared he could begin his learning, and so after storing his bought items he had he did, he gazed upon the towering bookshelf before him and he selected an old battered tome named basic arithmancy he understood very little and made notes with a pad and pen he had found in a drawer he highlighted the words he didn't understand and he simplified all he could,
while his understanding was rudemetery he grasped rather easily the importance of this subject after all know the way in which a spell was formed and functioned seemed like nothing but a boon especially if the book was to be believed he could begin to craft his own spells and other magics through his use of numbers and understanding the meaning behind them and while arithmacy was currently out of his reach the basis was set in things he'd already begun to learn that being maths and so he vowed to study mathematics he then spotted transfiguration and began to read and highlight unknown words from the basic introduction this branch of magic affected the world around him and was extremely useful in many aspects of life along with the charms book he found that spoke of spells that could do everything transfiguration could not and it was clear these were where he needed to place his focus but with no way of preparing he moved to the next tome the next tome was titled comprehensive guide to runes and for the first time he looked at the books on the shelf he had finally found one he could practice to a degree, the book explained to his understanding that runes were long dead languages that held a power embedded in the funny shapes and squiggles apparently called runes it spoke of runic circles and arrays and the comprehension of the book seemed to flow into his brain, he of course already knew he wasn't an idiot but he didn't believe he was a prodigy by any meaning of the word so he knew he'd have to work hard, he moved onto the next tome titled the mind arts and discovered a discipline that he he could begin right away again the book spoke of the ability of perfect recall of memories and increase in possible intellect a greater attunement to magic and the ability to deflect people who wish to read your mind he found the idea of understanding his magic to be a good plan and vowed to follow the steps the book spoke of, the last three tomes were a history book a brief overview of alchemy and a book of dueling that spoke of the theory that those of a healthy mind and body and continued practice of magic tended to become more resilient and adaptable to magic and it was necessary that as a duelist to be physically fit so they are able to dodge spells easily.
After his brief overview of the magics he could and will learn he decided to take the dueling books words to heart as well as the mind arts therefore as it was nearing late afternoon he would make himself a Healthy meal and begin to exercise like he saw Dudley do before he started playing video games, he repeated the few exercises he knew of for hours before going to the shower again and letting the water roll over his body, he looked upon his arms and skinny frame as he leaned into the water and noticed all the scars that littered his lithe body they were not big but there was many across his body just small bits of disfigured skin from unattended wounds and he could see the way his skin stretched over his ribs each like peaks before valleys he was clearly malnourished, he decidedly thought he may need some help if he wants to get into shape and vowed to ask Jessica what to do when he next saw her, after his shower he made his way to his bed again, he stared at the dark ceiling working on what the book said he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind he was trying for a good few minutes before drifting off to sleep and awakening early the next morning in preparation for the day he began his exercises and went on a run around the block for endurance before returning to his home and taking a relaxing shower, a little later he began to make himself some eggs and toast with bacon to give him a good source of protein after his breakfast he walked across the hall to knock on for Jessica and after a few minutes a messy auburn bird's-nest opened the opposing door Infront of him her aquatic eyes barely open she was in plade pajama bottoms and a baggy band shirt her glasses hanging limply in her lithe hand "Gmorning Harry" she said with a yawn "what's up"she spoke again as she placed her glasses on her face, "Nothing much Jessica sorry for waking you up I was just wondering if there was a Library near by" harry asked kindly "Yeah sure I'm going to my university library later today if you'd like to tag along the books might be a bit difficult for you though little man" Jessica joked but Harry's face just lit up at the idea "yes please Jess" he almost shouts and they both giggle before jessica tells harry to go back home and she'll come and grab him in about an hour
And so he walked back towards his home before jumping onto the settee and nestling in with a book on dueling that mentioned that there was an entirely different form of dueling that involved swordsmanship rather than spells and it even spoke of other forms of combat and the races that practice them such as the goblin warriors that hold tournaments every ten years much like ancient Roman gladiators, by the time Jessica came to grab him Harry had convinced himself that swordsmanship was a great idea and on their way toward the library he was happily babbling about how he wanted to start working out like the strong men he'd seen on TV Jessica just laughed but there was a glint in the boys eyes and she knew he meant it, eventually they made there way through the ornate doorway of a huge chapel like building in which there stood so many shelves of tomes and guides it seemed like fiction and as they made there way past the reception and toward an old oak table that slotted itself between the long dead forest of literature that laid dormant around him the smell of the fresh parchment and old books made him at peace and his magic began to spread out around him leaving a comforting blanket around him as he perused the shelves he found numerous tomes he wished to read and began to devour the knowledge he could get his tiny hands on his peace of mind he found helped and allowed him to understand and remember his previous learning his mind subconsciously using his magical reserves to broaden his insights and his memory began to become as clear as crystal his head and heart at peace he recalled his occlumecy tome and found that the library brought him into a near meditative state allowing him to strengthen his mind and begin to form his own rudimentary sorting system so while he was learning his subconcious took initiative and began to form rudimentary barriers and a noncomplex sorting system very much like the library he now found himself in a wall of ancient bricks began to piece itself together like a century old puzzle box and the sturdy oak shelves lifted and connected from naught but his own magic first as small lights that began to coalesce into the splinters and fibers of the wood before drawing nearer into the slowly forming shape of the shelves surrounding him and slowly his memories began to find their way into place his mindscape formed and stable he began to become weary and realized his eyes were slowly closing the last thing he saw were the walls of his new favorite place fading around him, eventually he was nudged awake by a smiling jess the evening sun sending sedate orange beams through the ornate windows around them 'come on harry you sleepy head it's time to go home now' she said sweetly before leading him from the door and toward their homes and as he stepped through his front door his mind was still hazy deciding to go straight to bed he still felt a sense of serenity as he once again drifted off however instead of the dreams that he forgot or the nightmares of green lights and maniacal laughing he found himself staring at himself in the library the evening sun drifting through the window still he looked around the room and then at himself,
''Who are you?''