7The inhabitants of Privet Drive would describe the Dursleys as an ordinary family, Vernom a hard-working man who arrived every day at 5:30 from work, Petunia a classic housewife who took pride in her garden and Dudley a child who had all the parental love anyone is capable of, a normal family like any other house in the neighborhood, except for the fourth resident of that home, Harry Potter.
According to Petunia her five year old nephew was a little devil who behaved horribly to anyone unfortunate enough to pay him any attention, so the mothers of the neighborhood children forbade the little ones to befriend the troublesome boy.
According to Vernom Harry had little appreciation for what was bought for him, any shirt or trousers he would destroy them in a matter of moments, so as a punishment he was made to wear his cousin Dudley's old clothes until he knew how to take care of his own clothes, no neighbor even questioned that they never saw him in those supposedly his clothes and accepted it as truth.
According to Dudley Harry had lice... not as clever a lie as his parents but between that and promises of violence against anyone who wanted to be Harry's friend, it did wonders to further isolate him from children his own age.
Harry could often be seen as young as five years old removing weeds from the garden with his bare hands, pulling out garbage bags much bigger and heavier than he was, standing alone in the neighborhood park without any friends or adult supervision, clearly cold and scared, but the neighborhood thought it was all well-deserved punishment for the horrors he caused in the interiors of number 4 Privet Drive.
What sensible person would accuse the couple who selflessly adopted the infant just after his parents were killed while driving drunk of being liars?
So Privet Drive continued to ignore Harry Potter the savior of the wizarding world as he silently suffered his childhood without familial love.
Of course, this only made it easier for a certain couple who didn't fit into such a normal neighborhood to begin their plan to change the chosen one's life for the better.
Harry Potter was alone in the playground, his uncle had a dinner with the company's top brass at home and his aunt warned him that she didn't want to see him near the house, the little boy just hoped that if he showed his aunt that he could follow her orders she would let him eat the leftovers from that feast of roast, mashed potatoes and shepard's pie, he hated it when his aunt forgot to feed him (or at least he hoped it was because she forgot and not the alternative).
The sun was starting to set flooding the sandbox where little Harry was with beautiful orange tones, unfortunately that scenery didn't distract him enough to forget the cold autumn airs that hit his bare arms, wishing for the sixth time that his Uncle Vernom had let him grab one of the jackets he inherited from Dudley the emerald eyed boy headed to the park benches to try to take some minimal shelter from the frigid air of that day.
Poor Harry, so concentrated he was conserving his warmth by covering the holes in that long, threadbare shirt belonging to his cousin that he didn't even notice anyone approaching him, much less that the noise of birds, cars and people had disappeared.
First he noticed how a shadow covered the orange light of the sunset, and then he felt how a long scarf began to cover him, for some reason, even though it was not even close to covering his whole body, a warmth ran through him from head to toe.
"That must be much better, don't you think, little shrimp?" said the jovial voice that belonged to the man who wrapped him in the scarf.
Harry finally looked up to see the face of the adult in front of him...
and kept looking up...
and kept looking up.
If Harry believed in giants he would definitely think he was standing in front of one, the man was much taller than his Uncle and instead of being fat like him he could tell that the clothes he wore did little to hide his defined body.
Until that day Harry had not known that an adult could look at him in such a tender way or with such a wide smile, for him it had only been looks of contempt on good days and on bad his uncles and neighbors were completely unaware of his existence.
"Wow such a child and you are already so socially awkward that you don't give such a charismatic man like me your thanks or your name, that will come to bite you in the ass when you grow up kid, I can assure you" that giant said with a mocking tone as he sat next to little Harry, the contrast of such a small child even for his age and that young adult so tall and wide could even be seen as comical.
"My... my aunt told me that I shouldn't talk to strangers," the boy said timidly at last.
The tall man looked surprised at that. "Really? I never imagined that horrible family saying sensible things."
"She says if I do they'll know I'm a freak and come to bother her at home" I could see the man's gaze darken and his brow furrow.
"Of course, I couldn't expect anything else from your uncles" said the man more to himself with his gaze in space. It only took a few seconds for him to regain his animated look and from his coat he pulled out two circular cakes each with a sweet coating on top of them resembling liquid "Hey shrimp, do this poor old man a favor, you see I have these two delicious cauldron cakes but I only want one, can you eat the other one? It would be a shame to waste it and I don't want to walk it all over the place.
With a growl in his stomach reminding him that he still hadn't eaten all day Harry quickly accepted that junk food without even thinking if it was a good idea, at the first bite Harry decided that that cauldron cake as the tall man had called it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in the whole world and in a few seconds that cake was eaten.
That man just looked at it with a smile "Wow and my wife used to tell me I ate like a pig, here's some shrimp you can eat the other one too".
Wisely ignoring the comment about his eating, Harry began with his second cake, this time eating it slowly to savor the divine taste.
"Thank you sir" between bites he was finally able to thank her not only for the food but also for the scarf.
"Really shrimp? Sir? You really make this young boy who still attracts the looks of the girls (Don't tell my wife, she'll kill me) feel like an old man".
So grateful was Harry that he didn't even bother to tell him that not more than a few minutes ago the man had called himself a poor old man, well maybe it was more because he was distracted by eating his cake.
"What should I call him?" said Harry sucking his fingers as he finished his treat "My name is Harry by the way" he finally introduced himself, hoping the giant would stop calling him shrimp.
"Harry? Mmm... You look more like a shrimp than a Harry. And well shrimp would say that giving a poor starving child cauldron cakes makes us best friends for life, at least in my experience."
"Your experience?" mentioned Harry licking his fingers, not realizing that the man didn't answer his question.
"That's right shrimp, my best friend for life shared with me a whole cart of all the candy possible and believe me when you are a poor kid that really gets to the soul" a warm smile accompanied a distant look from that guy, lost in his childhood memories while Harry only affirmed with his head what he said as if wiser words had never been said.
"Tell me Harry, is it normal for your aunt and uncle to leave you alone for so long? Harry could feel that even though the man was asking that question he already knew the answer, he knew he couldn't tell the truth or his uncle would be angry with him and wouldn't let him out of his "room" again.
His dark thoughts were interrupted when a huge hand began to stroke his hair, the man who for some reason had not yet told him his name but had proclaimed himself his best friend (although the logic of nurturing someone and receiving eternal friendship sounds too right) was looking at him with a sad smile, Harry could only concentrate on how good that affectionate touch on his hair felt, his uncles might hate him but he never received any physical violence, except a slap from his aunt the first and only time he defended himself from his cousin's abuse, that said he never received any token of affection from them, no hug, pat, words of love, tender looks, nothing. That hand gesture from his new "friend?" was something he instantly loved, along with the warmth of the scarf and the cauldron cakes.
"Don't worry shrimp, if you want we won't talk about them...mmm... what would be nice to talk about" with one hand stroking his thick beard he wondered "oooh I know, you know Harry best friends tell each other did you all know that?" Harry started nodding his head (I had no idea about that).
"I want to tell you a secret of mine" he playfully looked to all sides as if he thought someone was spying on them, then leaned close to Harry's ear to whisper "The truth is, I'm a wizard"
Harry's eyes widened at the revelation, his uncle would definitely be mad at him for talking to his new friend, he should just walk away and wait somewhere else away from him, but actually talking to someone who looks happy for his company made him so happy that he ignored his fear "A wizard? My uncle told me that magic doesn't exist and only mentally challenged freaks believe in it."
"Well Harry your uncle and cousin are two pigs who for some reason learned to talk like humans, if that doesn't count as magic I don't know what does" Harry tried not to laugh at that, the best attempt a five year old could make. The man then pulled out a small wand that was hidden in the sleeve of his coat and with a few hand movements and a few words that sounded funny to Harry the man turned a leaf that was in the air into a beautiful green butterfly, Harry could not believe it, his new friend was giving him surprise after surprise.
"Pretty cool right?" Harry couldn't open his mouth any wider in amazement even if he wanted to "there are hundreds of wizards like me all over the world shrimp, my wife for example or even your parents."
This comment made Harry stop looking at the butterfly/leaf and give full attention to that giant.
"You... met my mom and dad?" He like any child always wanted to know about his parents, all his aunt and uncle ever told him was that they were alcolics who were the shame of their family,
"I know about them thanks to him, they were fair and loving people, they earned the trust and friendship of everyone around them and they loved you more than anything else in the world, they didn't die in an accident, they were killed for doing good by the most evil person that ever walked the earth." Harry's mind felt like it was going to explode from so much information, his parents were wizards, good people, they loved him, and they hadn't died because they were alcoholics. The only reason he wasn't crying was because he still couldn't take it all in.
"So your best friend is related to me, will he want to meet me?" the little five year old mentioned in the hope that he had a relative who might actually love him and tell him about his parents. The adult stared at him for a moment and with a melancholy look began to extinguish little Harry's hopes.
"I'm sorry Harry... there was an accident that separated us probably forever... he probably would have loved to meet you you are basically identical, only he is slightly less shrimp than you, just slightly" He could see how his words affected the boy so he tried to cheer him up and he knew exactly how "You know he told me several stories about your parents when they went to magic school, how about if I tell you some of them?"
And with a new twinkle in Harry's eye the man began to tell him the stories of James and Lily Potter, how they caused chaos with their practical jokes, how his mother was an ace in every subject ("Just like my wife") how his father was madly in love with his mother and she only accepted him until the seventh grade ("Kind of sad if you ask me shrimp, my wife had been surrendered to my charms since second grade") of how they were friends with a werewolf and how his father and best friend could transform into animals so they could be with him on the full moon ("but that's a secret, if anyone asks you, you don't know anything") among other extraneous anecdotes.
Harry was on cloud seven, between the stories of his parents, the warmth the scarf gave his whole body, some more magic tricks, the sweets his friend had with him that were endless (the cauldron cakes being his favorite followed by the chocolate frogs once he affirmed that they were not real frogs and it was only an enchantment that made them move like one) and above all that adult that gave him smiles and laughs, Harry could feel that this was how it must feel to have a dad.
The sun had finally set and Harry knew that as pleasant as this was he had to get back to his "home" or else his aunt and uncle would yell at him or worse yet forget he existed and leave him sleeping out in the open.
"I-I have to go" his eyes watered as his body trembled even with the warmth of the scarf "My aunt and uncle will be mad if I bother them by being so late" as little Harry mustered all his willpower to stand up from that bench that had given him probably the best moments of his short life that giant warm hand gently stopped his shoulder causing Harry to turn his attention to that magical man.
"You know Harry, actually I'd like to ask you a favor, do you think you can help me?" that boy quickly nodded, he was the first adult to treat him well and he didn't want to lose that by denying him a favor, that's how friendships worked, right?
"Well you see... I have a little three year old daughter, she is the most beautiful thing you could imagine, she is a ball of energy like her father and as angry as her mother" that man laughed "She is destined to be the target of the eyes of all the kids when she goes to magic school with her beauty and character, she needs someone to protect her from all that, someone like a big brother, that's where you shrimp comes in, how would you like to be part of my family? You get a great father like me and I get to keep my wife (who would be your mother) from making a coup at home knowing it's two women against one man."
If before Harry thought his head was spinning now he felt it was reaching space, the best person he had ever known wanted to be his new dad, wanted to give him what he always wanted, Harry was expecting any minute to wake up in his pseudo bed and find out it had all been a dream.
"I-I don't know, m-my a-uncles would never let me" he was sure that his aunt and uncle would deny just so he wouldn't be happy "they will get mad and leave me locked up, they tell me that people like you, like my parents... like me are freaks and they don't want me to become even more of a freak than I am" Harry knew he had said too much and that if his uncle Vernom found out he would leave him locked up without food, the thought of that made the poor boy shed tears.
Harry was alarmed when he felt his new acquaintance put his big hands on his sides and carrying him as if he weighed nothing he pulled him to his chest and wrapped him in a hug, Harry who was still not used to physical affection (or any kind of affection) could feel himself melting at the feeling of warmth and protection.
"You know Harry, my friend I told you about also lived with relatives who didn't want him" Harry was startled by this and secretly felt a little better knowing that it wasn't so weird what he was going through with his aunt and uncle "he didn't tell us anything about it and said everything was fine, but every year my wife and I realized his true situation, every time we showed him affection, when we gave him presents, when my mother showered him with love and he didn't know what to do and how his relatives locked him in with bars on the windows. For some reason the adults never did anything for him and the three of us always questioned why and honestly when we had the answers it was not a satisfactory reason, my family always tried to give him all the love he deserved but I knew it was not enough, I always wanted to do something more for him. You remind me too much of him, you could almost say you are the same person and he died first before I let history repeat itself Harry" that man pulled him far enough away from his chest so that two pairs of teary eyes could see each other "My wife and I want to give you the home you deserve Harry, we want you to never go hungry or cold, we want you to feel what it's like to have adults who are there for you at every stage of your life, we want you to know what it feels like to fly through the clouds without a care in the world or run happily through the grass, I want you to know every part of the wizarding world that you and your parents belong to. "
"Harry I would be enormously proud to say that you are my son."
Harry was now sure that this was a dream, a beautiful dream that promised him everything only to return him to his aunt and uncle when he woke up.
But if this was a dream, why not take advantage of it for the duration?
"I-I would love for you to be my dad."
With a big hug and a big smile his new father welcomed him to what would be his second and better life, as he stood up he sat Harry on his shoulders who for a moment was startled by the height but then couldn't stop smiling at being carried like that as they walked.
"I promise you won't regret it shrimp, now come on your mother must be going crazy as she keeps the cats from being curious around here."
"The cats" wondered the boy feeling that what his new dad was saying didn't make any sense.
"That's right son" Harry couldn't help but feel warm at that word "the cats report directly to a crazy old goat who doesn't want things to change for the better."
Harry's eyes widened like plates as he remembered how a grey cat with black stripes stared at him many times as he walked out.
"Yes Harry cats are scary and Machiavellian, if your mother has a desire to get an old orange cat do everything you can to change her mind for a dog, he will protect us from the goats."
At the end of the park Harry could see a woman who was looking at him with a loving gaze, she unlike the man was rather short in stature and was holding a baby girl who had the same fluffy hair as her but with a reddish orange hue like her father. The man bent down so he could hold his baby as his wife removed Harry from her shoulders and pulled him to her, to give him a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead.
"Hello Harry, I'm your new mommy" she said in a soft, cooing voice "I'm sure the four of us will be very happy from now on. Welcome to the Granger family. My name is Hermione and as I'm sure my husband didn't introduce himself, this is Ronald Granger. Today is the first day of your new life."
In the end all the new emotions won out over the gigantic amount of sugar he ate with his father, who finally knew his name was Ronald and with the warmth of his mother's body he began to doze off only to hear his new parents arguing about something,
"Ron you shouldn't have!"
"Relax Mione, they'll have enough time to get out before the house is destroyed and this will only be after a few weeks."
"But anyway Ron think about the secret magic status!"
"You do realize we're basically kidnapping the chosen one right? If we are already going to commit one crime why not commit two?"
"You're going to be a bad influence on Harry."
"Come on love... Who do you think taught me that?