Sine Amore

Harry doesn't know much about his past, only that both his parents had passed away and his aunt who was given guardianship of him gave him up when he was three. So honestly not a great start to life already. But things were looking up!

He was 10 years old (ten and a three quarters, thank you very much) and had been bounced around five diffrent houses before finally landing with his longest home yet, bordering on three years. His foster mum was a sweet, beautiful woman named Margo Quinn, who had the silkiest black hair he'd ever seen. Her eyes were a soft chocolate brown and had a kind look to them, and she always dressed in flowey dresses and skirts covered by a long shawl she had crocheted herself. She was very kind and affectionate to harry, taking him on mother son outings to cafe's and spending time teaching him to cook. She was harrys absolute favorite parent so far.

Her husband Adrien was pretty cool too. He was a tall man, much, much taller than his wife and had a harsh, rugged look to him. His face was always stubbly, and his eyes tired and sunken and his hair was almost as much of a disaster as Harry's, except his was a nice dirty blonde colour that complimented his pale complexion. Despite this harsh appearance Adrien seemed to be the exact opposite of his wife, silent, broody and stern but in all honesty he was just a goofball who loved his wife and by extension Harry.

They were the best family he had ever had, and he adored them. Being able to be with them now as their kid almost makes all the absolute bullshit he went through before hand worth it. He was okay now, he was safe. All was well and he was loved.

He was loved.

———————————————

Harry had just gotten home from school—he had just gotten a bike and was allowed to ride to school, which made him incredibly proud of himself for being such a mature kid that his foster parents trusted him with going to school and back by himself— and headed to the mailbox to grab any parcels or letters, as was one of his chores. Bill, bill, junk mail, letter for Harry, another bill—wait a goddamn second, a letter for who??

Harry hastily heads inside, calling for his foster parents. "Margo! Adrien! I got a letter! Someone sent me a letter!"

Both adults pause what they were doing, both having been in the middle of having tea as they stare at their child perplexed.

"A what? Who's it from kiddo?" Adrien asked, surprised.

"From a place call Hogwarts of all places" Harry replies, equally as surprised and a little confused. He hands the letter off to his foster dad's outstretched hands before coming up behind him to read over his shoulder.

"Hogwarts? The hell kind of name is that? Is it like a store or something? Harry you haven't mailed a random person without us knowing have you love?" Margo inquired, clearly confused as to what her child had just received in the mail. Harry never got mail, it was just a fact. All his friends had land lines in their houses so there was no need, and as far as they were concerned he had no other family to get letters from. 

"I haven't! I promise, i would have asked" Harry looks to Margo before looking back at the letter, intrigued as Adrien reads the front before looking the back as well and examining the seal.

"Huh..someone seems to know where Harry's room is..and the seal is well crafted so someone must have gone through a lot of effort to make this..that's a little concerning.." Adrien bites at his lips worryingly as he looks at his wife, her brown eyes meeting his green ones. "What do you think we should do sweetheart—this is weird."

Margo seems deep in thought for a moment before taking the letter carefully from her partners hands. "Let's read it, it could just be a prank from one of Harry's peers.."

"A prank? Margo, baby, that stamp is too well made for a child's prank"

"Mm. Yeah that part is a bit difficult to explain...Should we report it? I mean, how many people know the layout of our house? Harry doesn't have many friends over, and I'm doubtful any of our coworkers would do this..."

"Let's just check it out first Bub, it might actually be nothing. If it's  super concerning we'll report it" 

Margo gingerly opens the letter, trying not to rip the envelope as she removes the stamp. She takes out the letter and looks it over, brows furrowing more and more as she read the page.

"Dear Mr. Potter we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We will await your owl no later than July 31. sincerely yours, Minerva McGonagall deputy head mistress...what in the hell? This is a prank, it has to be.."

Adrien has a serious expression on his face, before turning to Harry and gently grabbing his hands. "Harry—if you get another letter like this please tell us, we'll report it. I don't like that whoever sent it knows the layout of our house. Maybe we should go back to driving you to school, I don't feel comfortable letting you go outside without us."

Harry pouts at his newfound freedom being taken away but somewhat understands where his foster parents concerns come from. He nods in acceptance, and Adrien ruffles his hair lovingly.

"Good lad. C'mon, I'll make you some tea, Margo and I bought some new biscuits for us to try."

"Okay—can I have the chamomile?"

"Sure bud—Margo?"

"Earl grey for me lovely, I'm gonna go bin this"

"Alright darling"

And with that the letter was forgotten.

——————————————

It had been several months since the original letter incident and since then, somehow, Harry had forgotten about it completely, as his foster parents did a stupidly good job keeping them out of his sight. With every new letter they got, they would give each other a concerned look before trashing it. They had attempted to write a response but then quickly realised they both didn't know where Hogwarts was and also didn't have an 'owl' to send it with, so they gave up. Harry didn't need the stress of this weird situation, he had just gotten settled—He's smiling, eating healthy, constantly talking about his day and asking about theirs. He's finally comfortable enough with them to call them his family—to have this house as his home, and Margo and Adrien were determined to give him as normal a life that they could manage. Harry deserved that at the very least.

Currently, it was the day before Harry's 11th birthday and to say he was ecstatic was an understatement. When he first got moved in with the Quinn family they had thrown him a lovely party for his birthday since he had admitted to never having one with his previous families. He had nice clothes for once, had actual real presents. It was only five presents, a hoodie and pyjama set, a diary, a football, stationary and teddybear, but that was more than anyone had ever given him before and he was so incredibly grateful for them.

This would be the third birthday spent with Margo and Adrien and frankly, Harry couldn't be happier. He was finally at a healthy weight, he had grown slightly and was now just under the average height for boys his age and he had a quaint little wardrobe of clothing that wasn't just hand me downs and thrift shop finds.

Harry was currently brushing his teeth, and going through his bedtime routine when Margo appears and leans on the door frame, waiting to tuck him in. It may be childish to others but Harry loved that both adults took some time out of their night to tuck him in and tell him they loved him.

"You excited for tomorrow hun?" she asked, voice low and melodic. She seemed relaxed as she nursed a cup of tea.

"Mhm!" harry hummed, nodding happily. He stepped off his step stool (yes he still needs one shut up) and happily bounced over to his foster mother. "Can we read my book tonight, Margo?"

Margo chuckles, a soft smile on her face as she gently ruffles the boys hair, before taking a quick swig of her tea, finishing it. "Sure thing kiddo-go get set up for me, 'kay? I just need to get ready for bed too then I'll read to you."

"Whoop!!" Harry cheered before running off to his bedroom—he actually had a room!! With a bed!! And soft dinosaur covers that Adrien got him for Christmas last year and that Harry adored with all his heart— and quickly grabbed his special book and crawled into bed with his teddy.

Harry's special book was one he had been gifted his first Christmas with Margo and Adrien—it was called the "The Little Prince". It's about a young prince who travels from planet to planet, meeting different characters and learning about life. When he visits Earth, he meets a pilot and teaches him about love and friendship. Harry has always loved the story, and loved having it read to him. He wanted to go on adventures like the Little Prince, make good friends and fall in love. He knew it was silly of him to still be dreaming about stories like this but he couldn't help it, he just wanted a chance to be something more than what he currently was.

When Margo finally entered Harry's room he was already snuggled up in his bed, his book resting on his lap as he waited for her to cuddle him expectantly. She lets out a breath-like laugh as the boy pats his bed, gesturing for her to sit.

"You have your book, darlin'?" She asks, attempting to get comfortable on the single bed. She lets Harry snuggle up to her side as she wraps an arm around him, making sure he's comfortable and can see properly as he rests his tiny head against her.

Harry nods and Margo opens the book, clearing her throat for a moment before beginning to read. "The little prince. Chapter one, pictures.."

———————————————

It was barely a second past midnight when a loud, violent bang sounds at the door, startling awake the residents of the Quinn household. Harry sat straight up in his bed, clutching his teddybear to his chest as Margo came barging into the room, a frantic look on her face as she quickly scooped Harry up in her arms (goddamn she was stronger than she looked—) and quickly hid with him in his closet.

 "Keep quiet sweetheart, Adrian's at the door, he'll protect us" she whispered to him softly, gently moving his hair from his face as she held him close to her chest.

Harry nods silently, moving closer to her. This wasn't the first time Harry had endured something like this and therefore knew the protocol—stay quiet, stay out of sight and hopefully your existence will be forgotten. Margo was going through a breathing exercise above him, hand on her mouth to keep quiet as she tried to remember to breathe and keep her kid safe. Harry gently held her other hand as a show of support and comfort as he listens to the banging on the door get louder.

There's an even bigger bang than before—Harry can feel the house shake with the force of it—as he hears the door come off its hinges whatthefuckhishappeningohmygod—and momentarily panics, praying to any deity that would listen that Adrien was okay and could handle himself—

A shout can be heard, and it's Adrien's voice—he's telling someone off, yelling and cursing them to leave his house, threatening to call the police before the shouts suddenly stop. Harry holds his breath, subconsciously moving even closer to Margo, curling up in her lap for protection as he listens to the light footsteps approaching his room. He can feel Margo tensing underneath him, ready to attack at any given moment.

"Baby...?" It's Adrien—that's Adrien's voice what the hell- "Margo, Harry come out it's okay—it's the guy who's been giving us the letters-"

"What the fuck!?" Harry startles as his foster mother quickly throws open his closet door. They're met with his foster dad's face, lips pulled into a slight grimace. He always has that expression when he's feeling confused and unsure. "Adrien are you sure? Like actually??"

Adrien nods, before pulling out a letter, the exact same letter from all those months ago, still intact, pristine, fresh and unopened.

Margo hesitantly takes the letter looking it over, eyes wide. Adrien seems like he just got done with a panic attack and Harry isn't sure how to feel. On one hand, what the fuck, but on the other he's really fucking curious about what's going to happen now.

"...is he serious? Is Harry actually a wizard?"

"Apparently. The guy out front is one two, he lit our fireplace with his umbrella, said his wand was broken and the pieces were put in it so he could still do minor magic."

"This is absolutely insane, just batshit crazy—what the fuck-" Margo laughs breathlessly—it's the kind of laugh one would laugh after experiencing a near death experience, slightly frantic and adrenaline filled—as she runs her hand through her hair, messing up her already messy bed head. She subconsciously pulls Harry closer to her chest.

"Language sweetheart."

"Right, sorry."

———————————————

After a good twenty minutes of debate on what to do the Quinn family decide to question their...guest. Harry didn't particularly know what he was expecting when they entered the room to talk with their mysterious letter man, but I was not for him to be tall as all hell. He was a big man, bigger than Adrien even—built like a brick shit house , one of his previous foster siblings would describe if he saw what was in front of Harry currently— he had broad stocky shoulders, and long shaggy black hair, and an even shaggier beard that smelt like smoke. The large man sat on their couch, which looked comically small compared to his large size, while Harry and his foster parents sat with him at their dining table.

"I got yeh a present—I might'a sat on it at some point, but It'll taste 'bout teh same" the man says, handing  Harry a slightly smushed box, when upon opening revealed a clearly home made cake with the words 'happy birthday harry' written shakily in green icing.

"Oh—thank you, it's lovely..um—can I ask? How do you know it's my birthday? Who I am?" Harry asked warily, placing his cake on the table next to him. Adrien immediately perks up at his question, placing a protective hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Yes, that's something we want to know too.."

The tall man sighed, face suddenly grim. "Right, yeh wouldn't know, would yeh? How much do yeh know about your parents passing?"

"Just that they died when I was young, I don't know their names, how old they were, I don't know anything.."

The mysterious man seems deep in thought before letting out a tired breath. "This is gonna take a while to explain. Ma, Da? Do yeh want ter hear this as-well?"

Margo and Adrien looks to each other for a moment before nodding resolutely, shuffling closer to their foster son. Harry was going to need them if he was going to hear this. "Yes. We need to know as much as Harry does."

The mystery man nods and sits up a bit straighter. "Right. This is a..story and a half but bare with me— I don't know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh-but someone's gotta-yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'. Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh-mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it...."

The man sits silently for a moment, seemingly choosing his words. "It begins, I suppose, with-with a person called-it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows-"

"Who?" Harry asks, face grim as he listens to the man with a morbid curiosity.

"Well-I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"

"Because people are still scared, Harry, blimey—See, there was this wizard who went...bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..."

Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.

"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.

"Nah-can't spell it. All right-Voldemort." He shuddered. Margo and Adrien can't help but look a bit perplexed. Hogwarts? Voldemort?  What on earth were these names and who was coming up with them??

"Voldemort?" Harry asks, equally perplexed before immediately getting shushed but the mystery man.

"Don' say it! It's bad enough I had to! Don' go 'round saying that name out loud Harry, trust me, it ain't a good thing. Anyway, this..this wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, about twenty years ago now, started looking for followers. And he was good at gettin' them too—some were afraid of him, some agreed with his worldview an' some wanted his power, and he was gettin' himself power alright. Those were dark times Harry, very dark. Yeh didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches...terrible things happened. He was takin' over." He takes a breath.

"Course, some stood up to him-an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts—the school yeh'll be attending. The headmaster is one of the greatest wizards in our world, and the only man who scared You-Know-Who. Yer parents, Lily and James, were some of the few that tried fightin' him, and...he murdered 'em, in cold blood. But something else happened that night. He tried to kill you. And somehow, you made it out alive, with only that scar on your forehead—he disappeared after that, an' hasn't been seen since. That's why I know who ye are, that's why everyone in our world know who you are. You're the boy who lived."

Harry and his family didn't know how exactly they were ment to react to that. Harry was confused and saddened , while his foster parents were concerned and worried.

'And..He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named..he's gone right? For good? No ones seen him?"

"Nobody."

"What...what killed them? My parents?" Harry asked, sitting up a bit straighter now, a determined tone to his voice. Margo gave her boy a sad look, understanding why he wanted to know.

"A curse—an' a bloody horrible one a' that. There are three curses in our world that are illegal. We call them unforgivable's. One, is used to control teh mind—many of You-Know-Who's followers said this curse was used on them teh get outta being put in Azkaban, a wizarding prison-teh second is a tourturing curse, an' teh last...was teh one ter kill yeh parents. There's only one person in all o' history teh survive that curse, and that's you. No one knows how yeh survived, but ter was somethin' about yeh that night that stumped him.."

Harry and his family sit and processs what was said to them. Harry seemed to be deep in thought at the revelation, and stayed quiet. Margo and Adrien stayed quiet too, keeping a hand on their boy, trying their best to comfort him.

"..and—this school, Hogwarts..it's safe?" Adrien asked, face slightly tense. "If push comes to shove, he'll be looked after? Incase any more..dark wizards are still out there?"

The mystery man nods, understanding their concern considering the way their son got put in their care. "Yeah—Hogwarts is well protected an' yeh can only get there by a specific train that's well hidden."

"Right, that's good to know..Mar, can we talk for a moment? Harry are you alright to make some tea for you and..sorry we never actually got your name?"

"Oh!" The mystery man straightens up with an amused chuckle. "Right! So sorry—my names Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts! Yeh can jus' call me Hagrid though."

"It's nice meeting you, Hagrid, my names Adrien Quinn and my wife is Margo." Adrien gestures to his wife and Margo waves awkwardly. "Anyway—Harry? Tea?"

Harry nods and heads to the kitchen to put the kettle on. Adrien grabs Margo's hand and pulls her to their room to talk.

"Adrien what—"

"Should we let Harry go?"

"What? To—to the school?"

Adrien nods, face somber but determined. "Harry's a wizard—an actual real-life wizard baby! This could give him an opportunity to connect with his birth parents and his heritage! Hell, we might even learn more about our boy from this. This would be great for him, and we could get educated together on the wizarding world!"

Margo bites her lip as she thinks. One one hand, she's nervous and doesn't want to send her traumatised son out into a world that both he and they have no clue about, but one the other..Harry deserves to know the world his parents were from, what he was supposed to be raised into..

"...we're going with him to get school supplies—Hagrid might know how to get us there. We'll get books for us non magic folk so we can be prepared."

Adrien smiles softly at his wife, giving her a hug. He gently runs his fingers through her hair, humming softly. "We can ask Hagrid about us taking him to get his stuff and how to contact the school.."

After an hour of chatting and discussing what's going to happen, they decide that Margo would come with Harry and Hagrid to diagon alley—seriously what was with these people and weird ass names??— to get acquainted with how wizard money works and get better educated on what Harry will be learning. They weren't too thrilled about Hogwarts being a boarding school, especially Harry, but they decided to take a chance. Hagrid assured that Harry will be able to send them letters and would be seeing them at Christmas. Once all was said and done, they sent Harry back to bed, re-tucked him in, gave Hagrid a time to come back to the house and said goodnight to their guest before heading to bed themselves.

It was going to be a long ass day.