Chapter 1
Harry Potter.
The boy who lived under the stairs, at number four Privet Drive in Little Whinging’s, Surrey.
To most, he was absurdly shy and the type to keep to himself. He didn’t interact with others his age and was often alone on the playground at school. He would work alone during group projects and didn’t like to participate in class activities, preferring to stay seated at his desk and keep his head down. He had near-perfect scores on his tests, his writing was steady and legible, and he completed and handed in his homework when it was due.
All-in-all, the boy was simply an angel with some issues of social interactions. Things that could be solved with a little help from teachers and the other students. This was odd because Petunia Dursley would say he was a nuisance and a troublesome child who liked to break her precious (more like a downright rude and arrogant child) baby’s toys. To the Dursley’s the boy was a menace and everyone should know it.
Some of the teachers agreed with them and treated Harry with disdain and would scrutinize his every action like he was a ticking timebomb ready to go off at any minute. But he never did, he crossed his t’s and dotted his i’s like everyone else and never made a fuss if things went wrong. He was a fast learner and had never missed a day of class even if he looked sick. The teachers never found a reason to reprimand him, unlike his cousin.
Dudley was a menace.
He regularly tormented the other children in his class and had a habit of throwing a tantrum so bad sometimes they had to call his mother and get her to take him home. Those days it was usually a teacher who had to drop Harry off at home because the Dursleys would forget him at school. Dudley would mock the other students and during lunches, if he saw Harry, then he and his friends would bully the boy. They had to be separated on multiple cases where the boys would gang up and pile on Harry occasionally throwing punches or kicks.
Those days were when the teachers would question whether or not what Petunia had said about the boy was real or not. It seemed to be the other way around.
Dudley was the menace and Harry was the angel rather than Dudley being “an angel who could do no wrong” and Harry being “a real menace and a naughty boy”.
There was another problem that made some of the teachers feel like there is something seriously wrong with that household. A few of them didn’t really pay attention to the little boy since he kept to himself, but the more they heard about him from the other teachers and rumours circling the parents because of Petunia, the more they realized that something wasn’t right. When Harry’s homeroom teacher asked him where his lunch was the answer sent her on the warpath.
“I don’t have one.”
Mrs. Potsworth (Harry’s homeroom teacher) had called a meeting with the other teachers to discuss what to do about it but since they were unable to do much outside of the school, they decided to work on what they could inside the school. It was agreed that they would speak to the parents next time they had the opportunity and that some of the teachers would start a small fund to get the boy better school supplies and put money into a food fund.
It was not the first time they had noticed that Harry was neglected and that they vowed to make sure that boy didn’t continue to be while they has the opportunity to. Afterschool was usually pretty okay since Vernon Dursely would pick the boys up and drive them home but there were times when Harry got left behind, and when he did a teacher would pick him up and take him for a drive. Mr. Tenant would take him for ice cream and get him something from a shop though it was usually a candy bar or a soda.
The Vice Principal, if he had the time, would take him to a grocery store and they would get him little snacks and such he could hide at home in his backpack or under his bed. Though, they were unaware that he slept under the stairs, something he hadn’t told them for fear of something worse happening.
His homeroom teacher would fake the boy having detention and instead take him home and let him play with toys and games she had bought for the times he was over. She would make him a snack and give him a big hug when it was her turn to help out. The teachers would help him during lunch with any work he needed help with and it helped to keep him away from Dudley. Harry was grateful but he wasn’t sure how to feel about their assistance. It wasn’t something he was used to and he felt uncomfortable.
It was only when one of the teachers got a call from an old friend who had recently come back to town that Mrs. Potsworth realized that she had the perfect way to get Harry out of that household and give him a new home. If she could convince them to take him then she could flee to another country and get him to a safer location.
See, Mrs. Potsworth was a squib and she had married a Muggle-born who worked at Madame Malkin’s part-time. They both had recognized the Boy-Who-Lived’s name and knew that he was only a child. They refused to believe that someone had left the boy with a pair of magic-hating people willingly. Maybe whoever had dropped him off at his relatives say the way they treated their baby and thought that he would be safe there. Either way, they knew now that he couldn’t stay there as it would be counterproductive. Harry had to go to a place where he could grow up and be safe.
Reed Sweetleaf was rough around the edges with a chip on their shoulder but she was a good person. A half-blood with more hatred towards the purebloods and England’s Wizarding community than most Muggle-borns. She didn’t have a nice word to say about the ministry or the Wizengamot and its speels about blood purity.
To her, they were a bunch of inbreed idiots sewing their own destruction. Having spent a lot of time in the muggle world she got to know the science behind inbreeding and the problems it caused. In the last 10 years, there have been more squibs born and hidden by the families than ever, reaching record numbers never before seen in recent history. In the next generation or two, the effects of having children with cousins or family by blood would show and drive the nail home.
Blood purity was nothing but a sham and Reed couldn’t wait to see it all crumble down. She may no longer live in England but she still had connections and family who did. Her own family had issues with Blood Purity as two of her cousins had gotten married and their child had turned out to be a squib. Both families were in an uproar and Reed hadn’t heard anything about the little girl since her 5th birthday. She knew the girl was either given away or dead but she had no contact with that side of the family anyway.
She was the perfect person to get Harry out of the muggles home and to a safer location. Mrs. Potsworth trusted her and had spent many a night with her husband going over the final details before sending a letter to her dear friend.
If there were a few false facts in the letter, then Reed would just have to deal with it, and by the time she realized it, Harry and Reed would already be out of the country. She had high hopes for her friend and her ability to raise a child but decided to pack a bag for Harry anyways though it didn’t contain much.
She packed his toys, added snacks, and stuck a nice dark green blanket in the main pocket so he wouldn’t be cold on his journey with Reed in the northern regions of Canada. It would also serve as a reminder of her and his time with her. She made sure to let the other teachers know about Reed but lied and said she was a family member Mrs. Potsworth had tracked down and spoke with taking the boy in. She would be breaking the statue if she told them a scorned witch was coming to kidnap the boy. They would never understand and she could get into some serious trouble with both worlds.
One the law in England would charge her with kidnapping, and two, her wand would be snapped and she would most likely be off to Azkaban. Being a muggle-born granted her much fewer rights than a Pure Blood or even a Half-Blood did and she probably wouldn’t even get a trial. It was a tragic thing to happen but the system was designed to benefit Pure-Bloods over others.
Getting back on topic, Mrs. Potsworth informed Harry to pack his school things and to make sure his home items are at least close to him as Reed would surely have a method of getting them all together and to her house. Harry didn’t really understand at first and only listened because his teacher said to. Over the span of a week, he had collected as much of his toys (the ones he got from the Dursley’s and from the teachers), and hidden them in a bag at the end of his bed. He had even snuck into Dudley’s second bedroom and grabbed a few of the less broken toys that wouldn’t be missed. Though, those toys were hidden at the bottom of the bag.
He wasn’t sure what else to bring or what to leave behind. He couldn’t take the sheets since they were his Aunt’s and there were some other bathroom items he hadn’t taken with him. Mrs. Potsworth said not to worry about it and that Ms. Reed would handle it when she got there and that he was just to pack what he needed. If there was something he missed then Ms. Reed would collect it and make sure he had it by the end of the day.
Ms. Reed was made out to be this fantastic person who was going to whisk him away and make everything okay. Harry just had one problem.
He was a freak.
His Aunt and Uncle said so, and they knew what was best. He had no reason to believe that they were wrong even though other people told him he wasn’t. Those other people were the teachers from his school and while he liked them and how warm they were at times; Harry knew they were wrong. His Aunt said as much the one time he argued on their behalf and told him to stop spewing lies. He got locked in the cupboard all night for that and missed dinner.
Thankfully Mr. Davies had brought a nice chicken and lettuce sandwich with cut-up carrots and ranch dipping for him that day. He was also surprised when he also got an apple sauce and a fizzy drink from the Principal at recess. He was very happy to accept them as he liked the slice grape fizzy. It was his favourite drink and when he was told to pack he made sure that he packed the cans he had into the bag given to him. He would be meeting them on Friday the next week so they could help him collect his stuff and get him settled over the weekend. He had some hopes but he wasn’t going to really pay then attention, it was easier not to hope than to hope and get then crushed.
He had hope that Ms. Reed was a nice person but he wasn’t counting on it. They would soon realize that he was a freak and throw him away. They weren’t going to want him around and maybe he’d get locked in a closet like the one under the stairs.
The very thought made the things still left unpacked in his room start to float. He panicked and the items started the spin rapidly around the small space before he was able to grab hold of them and keep them tight to his chest, wishing with all his might that they would stop moving and he wouldn’t be in trouble again. He felt something deep inside him roar in anger at getting punished and his skin felt weird and itchy.
He didn’t like the scary voice and he didn’t like the icky feeling it gave him whenever he got in trouble for doing freak stuff. The voice had been with him for a while always in the back of his head screaming for release. Harry was always afraid the voice and icky feeling would lash out and do something bad to the others around him so he kept it inside locked away as best he could. But he was only six years old and it was hard, sometimes the voice got loud and he got angry and then things happened and he would get locked up in the cupboard for the night.
It was all so confusing and only made things worse. The feeling went away after a while but it was getting longer and longer each time he got mad and made things happen. The icky feeling made his stomach turn and he felt very sick after it, sometimes even going to the bathroom to throw up. He would go to bed that night and woke up crying as bad nightmares kept him up. He would try and stifle the sobs as he wasn’t allowed to wake up his Aunt and Uncle.
“Momma… Daddy...” Harry would mumble as he slipped back into an uneasy slumber. Flashes of green light and a woman’s scream would echo in the background of each nightmare.
“Mommy loves you...”
------------------
Harry yawned and tried to pay attention to the teacher as they went over the small writing test they would be having but he was so tired. He’s been tossing and turning all the night before knowing that he would be leaving tonight to go live with Ms. Reed.
See, that very morning was Friday, the proposed meeting between the two and Harry has spent the week worrying over every little detail to the point that his sleep had been filled with bad dreams that kept him up. He’d spent days trying not to fall asleep in class and get his work done on time. But it was hard concentrating on things other than the meeting and his new living arrangements. Harry couldn’t help but panic over every little detail. His stomach was in knots and he was sure he was going to either fall asleep in class or run to the bathroom to throw up.
“Excuse me, is Harry Potter in class?” A head poked in the doorway and Mrs. Potsworth smiled at the children as they greeted her. Harry stood up at his name and shyly made his way other to her.
“Mister Potter?” His teacher called out.
“Yes, Mr. Davies?” He turned back and faced his teacher.
“Your bag?” Mr. Davies smiled and gestured at the forgotten school bag and work left on the desk. Harry blushes and shuffled back, collecting his things and slipping them into his bag in neat order before making his way back o Mrs. Potaworth.
“Class, remember what we say to people leaving?” Mr. Davies asked before smiling as the class of 19 six-year-olds sweetly said goodbye to Harry and the other teacher. Mrs. Potsworth let out a small laugh before guiding her charge out of the room and down the hallway. She hummed a sweet tune under her breath, happy that Reed was finally here and able to take the young boy away to a safer location.
“Mrs. Potsworth?” Harry suddenly asked.
“Yes, Harry? Is something the matter?” She asked, stopping and looking at the obviously worried boy.
He bit his lip, wringing his hands together, not sure how to ask his question. They had stopped just two doors before the Staff meeting room where one Reed Sweetleaf would be waiting to meet Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. He was sure they were going to get rid of him before they even got to leave the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia would tell her he was a freak and Ms. Reed would leave him behind.
“What if they don’t like me…?” Harry managed to choke out in a small voice. Mrs. Potsworth watched as he curled into himself, his arm held close to his chest. She smiled sadly at the display and knelt down, drawing the fragile boy close to her and hugging him gently. He lets out a small sob as a few tears fall down his face.
“Oh honey, it’s okay, I promise you.” She rubs a hand up and down his back giving some comfort to the distraught child. It hurt her heart to see him cry, to see him so distrusting of adults all because of his muggle family. “Reed’s a little rough around the edges but she’s a good person. She’ll love you, Harry, you’re a good boy. There’s no doubt about it.” She said and stepped back. Harry watched her with tears clinging to his lashes and trust in his bright bottle-green eyes.
“Okay...” He said in a small voice and took her hand when she offered it to him. She gave his small hand a light squeeze and they moved to enter to room.
Harry stared at the woman in front of him with awe.