Obliviate

Harry Potter was proud to say he was one of the most weird children in the orphanage, thank you very much. The matron said that he had been left here when he was barely one year old, with a letter saying his parents had died and there were no relatives who could take him in. Unfortunately, such cases of abandoning children were quite common, but no less frustrating.

Little Harry here, may have grown up in a normal neighbour, however, he was anything but. He was a straight A student, who loved Science and Math, hated Language and was a decent enough shot at football. He had been offered multiple scholarships due to his grades and was making a pros and cons list for them all.

All this sounds completely normal, you say? Well, Harry is a normal sort. Until you get to his abilities.

Harry loved Science and Math because his abilities gave him the means to break those laws. He could float objects, change the colour of various things, make soft things hard and vice versa, talk to snakes, make people not notice bruises, heal wounds, keep the bullies away from him. Everyone knew that you could only mess with him once because after that, he would mess you up.

As he continued to make his lists, there was a knock at his door. Nine year old Jane burst in before he could answer, throwing herself at him. Harry caught her and hugged her tight, both of them giggling lightly. Jane finally took a breath and, "The Matron is looking for you. It seems like there's another scholarship for you." "Ah, really? Harry hummed. "Must be one of the smaller schools. I already have the scholarships of the major ones here." He looked at Jane, her lips pulled into a sad pout at the thought of him leaving and he couldn't resist a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, J. I'll be back here for holidays and you can catch me up on all that's happening then. And you can continue working hard and soon, you can come to the same school as me because no way you'll not get the same scholarships I'm getting." He gave her his most charming smile, kissed her on the forehead while she giggled and then stood to go to the matron's office.

Walking in, the first thing that came into his mind was "Is that Santa?". He shook his head to clear it of ridiculous fantasies and looked to the matron. "Hi Mrs.Rez. You called for me?" Mrs. Rez was a strict but fair woman, who kept the orphanage running as best as she could with the limited funds. She pointed to 'Santa' and said, "This man is the Headmaster of a school, called Hogwarts. They said your parents went there and they want to see if you would like to follow in their footsteps."

Harry was surprised. This was the first time he was getting any information on his parents. He looked over to the old man, Headmaster, and although he had twinkling eyes and a genial smile, he knew bullies. Not from their face, but from his magic. He knew who wished him good and who simply wanted to use him. And his magic told him that this person in front of him, he may be calm right now but it would take just a short second to turn him into a raging inferno. But underneath all that, underneath the rot, there was something that he had noticed very rarely, only in a very few. The few who would sometimes walk up to him and shake his hand and leave.

"Harry, my boy. My name is Albus Dumbledore," the man's voice brought him back to the present. "I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts. Come, let us talk a bit alone." Harry gulped, wanting to run away from this man but knew he couldn't, not right now, and replied, "Of course Headmaster. Let's talk in the dining room. It is currently empty," he turned, leading the way.

"Actually, my boy, how about we go to your room? There is a delicate matter I'd like to talk to you about." And oh, his magic, was that a hint of greed? Why? Harry thought of sweet Jane and remained stoic, "I'm afraid that won't be possible, since I share the room with other children here. We can use the dining room. No one uses it except during meals, which is an hour away."

He could feel dissatisfaction from the old man, but there was no response. They reached the dining room and closed the door. Harry's breath hitched and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He turned to face the Headmaster, and was going to start his usual spiel about what benefit he would get from their school when the man raised his hand. "Before we start, i wanted to ask. Has something ever happened to you that couldn't be explained?"

Harry's heart started to pick up its pace. "Couldn't b-be explained?" he stuttered out. "Yes," replied Dumbledore. "Especially when you're feeling intense emotions." To tell the truth or lie? Now Harry was scared, at what his magic had told him so far about this man. But he could also see that this man had answers. And if the supposed school was real, training and resources. Perhaps a partial truth?

"Sometimes," Harry murmured. "I once turned a teacher's hair green because he kept calling someone an idiot." Dumbledore laughed - fake, whispered his magic - and said, "Yes, exactly like that. You see Harry, you, dear boy, are a wizard. And Hogwarts is a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Your parents were students at my school and put your name down for it as soon as you were born."

"is there a homeschool program?" "Alas, no," Dumbledore replied. "As a magic institution, we need to monitor how each student is working with their magic so as to not harm anyone." He went on to give more information,  but Harry let it all filter out. He thought about the lists he made, about Jane, about the other little terrors he'd ended up loving, and said, "If that's the case, then I would have to decline your invitation. It's that, i already have plans for school and I don't think those could be accomplished if I went to magic school for a long time." While it crushed him to give up on this opportunity, the impressions his magic gave him of the old man told him it would be better to stay far away.

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment, then asked very softly, "Do you know Harry, there is a very subtle form of magic in? We call it Legilimency. Do you know what that is?" Harry shook his head, eyes fixed on Dumbledore's. "It's a form of magic that can be used to, in oversimplified definition, read minds."

Harry was struck dumb, numbness spreading from his heart. He should have run, he should have fled at the first chance. He went to take a step back but found that he was paralyzed. Dumbledore crouched down in front of him. "Oh Harry, my boy, you just had to be difficult, didn't you? You should never have been here. You had a lovely aunt and uncle, who would have made you into the person the world needs. I'm sorry my boy, but i cannot afford another Tom Riddle. Time to say your goodbyes, though you won't remember them soon enough."

And then, he took out a stick, pointed it at Harry and said oh so softly, "Obliviate."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Harry Potter opened his eyes in darkness. The air was full of bleach and there was a stale smell underneath it all. Most worrisome, he felt he'd been stripped bare, like a part of him that usually protected him was missing.

"Up! Get up, now! It's Dudder's birthday. Get to the kitchen and start cooking!"

There was a latch. He opened it and got out. He had been in a cupboard under the stairs. It wasn't fair he was here when Dudley had two rooms. He ignored the wetness behind his eyes, and went to the kitchen to prepare a full English breakfast. There was nothing to be done. The Dursleys had took him in when his parents had been killed. They may not love him but they're all he'd ever known.

They're all he'd ever known.