Unremarkable In Every Way
All to often had Aris been called ‘normal.’ Everything since the first few months they were born had never told anyone they weren’t. They were found in rubble, long after the occupants had vanished from a small house in Godric’s Hollow. Supposedly dropped off by a parent who didn’t have the money to pay for how sickly they were, and left with a large scar up from their jaw to their cheekbone of which no one knew the cause of.
Sure it was obvious they had a story, but no baby can really tell a story well, so it’s lost to time. No point in inquiring a child who remembers nothing about why they were abandoned, or why they have a scar.
Aris was almost instantly snatched up and adopted by a very not normal couple, Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson.
Mr. Atkinson was a very eccentric geologist professor at a collage, and Mrs. Atkinson owned a small cafe in their home town Lavenham.
Mr. Atkinson was a very tall very slim man, and had a nice beard that he kept carefully groomed and nicely trimmed, and very messy brown hair that he hardly bothered to keep maintained. He was very kind, as well as very passionate and happy to join in on anyone else’s interests. His pockets almost never void of rocks that he could randomly place in your hands at any time.
Mrs. Atkinson was the type of woman who’s smile lifted the spirit of the room she was in, with long strawberry blonde hair and freckles all over her cheeks, she had particularly long slender fingers, which were very helpful in braiding and plating her hair against her head, as well as her knitting, which she was almost always doing when you saw her. She’d barely get to know you, before offering you a hat or a scarf.
They’d always wanted a child, but unfortunately weren’t able to have one of their own. So when they saw a little red headed baby with such a horrible start in life, the two of them had happily taken Aris in.
What they hadn’t known was that this little baby had a twin, a twin who’d been put with an entirely different family, and been given a totally different fate, and an entirely different scar.
You see, a day before little Aris was found in the rubble of a house in Godric Hollow, a horrible tragedy had taken place. One that ‘muggles’ would never hear of. One that a good portion of the world would hear about instantly, one that would make their bother famous.
Aris’ parents were murdered that night, just after their father managed to tuck the sickly child away into a secret cupboard an awful man had slunk into their home and killed Aris’ parents, as well as setting their brother a path to glory.
But Aris was just Aris.
The sickly child who had only been mentioned in one letter from their parents, and had grown up completely and utterly unremarkable.
With a head of short, deep red, messy hair, hazel eyes, pale skin void of any freckles or evidence they spent most of their time outside, and a slim scrawny figure perfect for climbing trees, they looked like any other child on their street. They wore few accessories other than a silver necklace that held a single ring, something that had been thrown in the secret cupboard with them. It was too large for their fingers, but they were sure it once belonged to their father.
They could be heard over any crowed they wanted to be. Luckily they were also very sensible and knew when to sit back and watch the show, and when it was time to speak out. They carried themselves with pride, even though there was no past to their eyes that was solid, there was enough future to build a fantasy.
***
Aris stared in their bathroom mirror, their eyes narrowed and scanning over their features. They aren’t sure when they started the morning ritual, but it had become a habit to try and guess what parts of their face was from which parent.
“What are you doing, darling?” Mary asked gently from the doorway of the bathroom, making Aris jump. They whipped their head around and stared up at their adoptive parent, their pale cheeks turning bright pink.
“I was just… trying to make sure I didn’t have any zits?” They smiled awkwardly and Mary chuckled. Aris’ parents had never made them feel weird or uncomfortable about wanting to know more about their biological parents, but something about it felt like betraying the couple who’d taken them in.
“Okay, well you don’t. Your dad made breakfast so you can come down when you’re ready,” Mary gave Aris a gentle peck on the forehead and vanished downstairs. The teenager swallowed back a sigh and leaned against the wall frowning.
Their eyes locked back with their reflection’s and their hand snaked up to grasp the ring hanging on a chain around their neck, and their other hand brushing over the scar on their cheek. It was like staring at a page without knowing how to read.
After taking a deep breath they went downstairs to eat, sitting at their usual spot at the table and taking a healthy portion of the mac and cheese in the center.
“So, how’s summer break been?” Jacob asked, smiling cheerfully.
“Your birthday’s tomorrow, are you excited?” Mary added with a huge grin, “We’ve got a gift we think you’ll adore. And we’re going to get cake and ice cream.”
Aris nodded and kept their eyes on their plate, “Sounds awesome.” They could feel Jacob and Mary’s silent conversation happening for a few seconds, before Jacob cleared his throat.
“Kiddo, we don’t have to do the normal birthday thing if you don’t want to. You can hang out with friends or-”
“It’s fine, dad. I mean it, it sounds great. I’m just a little out of it right now,” Aris glanced up at the bearded man and sighed, sitting back in their chair. The silent conversation went on, made up of subtle glances and raised eyebrows between the adults in the room. Aris didn’t want to be seen as a problem or anything, they didn’t want to seem ungrateful. They’d heard about how awful growing up in foster care was, so they were lucky to get adopted so quick and so young…
But it didn’t make them feel any less disconnected to their past, and it didn’t help that it always felt like they were missing something important.
“Well we get that, school starts up again soon so whatever you need to do to get yourself prepared for that,” Mary patted Aris’ shoulder and started eating her own meal, Jacob quickly following suit.
“Yeah…” Aris mumbled, fiddling with the ring around their neck and picking at their food. The rest of dinner was kind of slow, Jacob talked about work, Mary talked about work, both of them had pretty calm jobs, it’s not like they were cops or anything. Aris was used to most of what they talked about, but what really peaked their interest was when their dad mentioned something about a group of people on campus talking about ‘The Chosen One.’
“You think they were in some sort of cult?” Aris asked, sitting up and staring at their dad expectantly.
Jacob laughed and shook his head, “Kiddo if you can find a cult around here, I’ll pay you a thousand dollars. They were probably just some nerds talking about a game or something.”
“Well how were they dressed?”
“Why’s that important?”
Aris raised their eyebrows, “They were dressed weird weren’t they?” Jacob sighed and ran a hand through his unkept hair.
“Yeah, okay they were dressed weird. Robes and tall hats.”
“Like wizards?” Mary asked, chuckling. The thought was amusing, and a little perplexing. But Aris knew that their dad was probably right, the group was probably just too into roleplay or a nerdy game. Maybe even a comic-con or something.
“Wonder who the chosen one is,” they mused, leaning over on the table as they thought about it, “Maybe a dragon-born something or other.”
“Hmn, not likely. I’m thinking… Cleric with haunted past?” Jacob and Aris both hummed in agreement with Mary and went back to eating quietly, but something in Aris’ brain felt weird. Like a little memory trying to drag itself up from the depths of their head.
Flashes of darkness and a deep old voice, a baby crying, but they were back at the dinner table with their parents before they could take it all in.
They sat up straighter and glared at the table, trying to make sense of the weird flashes. That’d never happened before… the memory felt important though. Did it have something to do with their parents, or their abandonment?
Aris clenched their silver wear tightly in their hands and tried to drag the memory back out but it was like closing your fists around clouds.
Pointless.
“Aris, hun?” Jacob questioned, reaching a hand out to grasp their shoulder. They hadn’t realized they were breathing hard until Mary pressed a hand to their forehead.