Over the next few days, Harry fell into an easy routine. After the (quite chaotic) ping-pong match, Ben and he had gone to get dinner and retreating to their rooms later, it had turned out that they actually shared the bedroom. Besides them there was only one other boy who had claimed the top bunk and always came in late in the evening and mostly kept to himself and his friends otherwise.

At night, Harry would fall into his bed but not without changing into an actual pyjama in absolute delight. He couldn’t remember the last time he had owned one. Probably in first year. He snuggled into the blanket, drew in its fresh scent and wished that he could simply stay in Winterton forever. Life was so easy here.

No curious wizards and witches staring at him and his scar, no crazy mass-murderers out to get him, no overgrown snakes hunting him down and no lunatic teachers out for his blood.
He just felt kind of normal. If it was going to eat with the tall and slender boy, being outside watching Ben playing soccer with some other boys and occasionally joining in as well or just waking up in their shared bedroom, Harry for the first time in many years felt something near to enjoyment in the summer.

He couldn’t ignore the questions of what was to happen on September First, however. If nobody had found him until then. Would they miss him at school? Would they sent someone to retrieve him as Hagrid had done before his first year at Hogwarts?
Involuntarily Harry sniggered thinking about his dour potions master dressed like a muggle and pretending to be some kind of uncle just to get him out of here. A moment later, he sobered thinking about all the cauldrons he would have to scrub if Snape had to fetch him.
Harry turned over in his bed, slipping his hand under the pillow to reassure himself that his wand and Ron’s book were safely hidden. He glanced over to Ben whose shoulders were already moving in a slow and steady rhythm. Harry was curious why the other boy had landed here but hadn’t had the courage to ask.

It was easy liking Ben. It wasn’t only his infectious laughter after he had shot a ping pong ball into the shrubs or his explosive energy that had him bouncing after the small white thing reappearing holding it in one hand and half of the bush clinging to him. It wasn’t only his calm way that instantaneously had Harry relaxing around him or his easy manner of speaking. First and foremost it was the lanky boy’s gentleness.

Yes, he was outgoing, open to everyone approaching him, and always greeted other boys and the staff amicably. But for Harry it was the subtle gentleness and kindness Ben tried to show him even if, as Harry suspected, it was sometimes difficult for him. Ben tried cracking jokes whenever the three boys that Harry got unfortunately acquainted with on his first day were around. He subconsciously tried walking in a way that would shield the smaller boy. He attentively watched over Harry’s shoulder at meals.
Harry liked Ben’s complete unbookishness that was so unlike Hermione. He liked his down-to-earth attitude and clear talent not to react to provocation as Ron would. Harry had seen this while Ben was playing soccer and had talked the other boys out of a fight by making sure a disputed penalty shot was given even if it was not to his team’s advantage.

Watching Ben play soccer Harry wondered how the boy would do on a broom. He’d make an exceptional keeper. And Quidditch was really nearly the same except for the flying part.
Ben just seemed to attract the ball magnetically. Sometimes the ball was nearly into the goal but Ben would stretch to his full length and with the tips of his fingers nudge it back outside the net.
On one of these occasions, Ben had spotted him looking and excusing himself from the game jogged over to where Harry was sitting reading in the shade. When Ben had mentioned the small library, Harry was beside himself with joy.

"You okay there, Harry?” Ben asked breathlessly. Harry simply nodded.
“Want to join in?”
“No, I’m fine here.”
Instead of running off to re-join the match, Ben took off his goalkeepers gloves and sat down beside him.

“What’re you reading? Sorry, stupid question, I know.”
But Harry merely stuck his finger inside the book, shut it and held the cover up for Ben to see.
“The Hobbit? Is it good?”
Harry shrugged his shoulders.
“I guess. Never finished it in primary school. Saw it on the shelves here and thought it would be great reading it now.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess.” Ben scratched his short hair. His face and neck were red from the sun. Slowly he continued:
“Why didn’t you finish it before?”
Harry flushed and his knee jerked. Ben looked at it sharply.
“I- you see, the school library-” Harry took a gulp of air. And then it simply slipped out.
“My cousin Dudley ripped it.”
“All of it?” asked Ben with raised eyebrows.
“Yup, right down to the last page.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” said Ben and fell silent.

They watched the game in silence for a bit. After a moment, Ben turned to Harry again.
“You sure you don’t want to join the match? I bet you’d make a fine striker.”
Harry just smiled and shook his head.
“We can do something different if you like. Ping Pong or a card game? I saw that they had some board games inside as well.”
Harry gently shook his head again.
“I’m fine here.”
The second time in the last few minutes Harry was surprised when Ben didn’t stand up then. It was quiet for a while. Only the rustling of the leaves in the wind could be heard, their shadow on the concrete moving alongside with them. It really was a beautiful day.
Harry saw Ben twist his hands together and rubbing his gloves on his thigh.
“Um, I’ll leave you to the Hobbit then, Harry.”

He made to stand up. Harry didn’t know what made him say the next words. Maybe it was this tiny spark of warmth in his chest.
“Actually, um, could you, I mean, it’s nice just sitting…”
“Yeah, it is”, Ben easily agreed.
“I like talking to you.”
“Oh,” the boy looked surprised but happy.
“Me too.”

Harry smiled. He glanced sideways at Ben.
“Um, may I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Ben said leaning back and closing his eyes.
“Why’re you here?”
Ben’s eyes snapped open but otherwise he remained calm. He was quiet for a few minutes. His gaze wandered around as if thinking about what to tell Harry. Then he took a big breath.

“My mum and her boyfriend wanted to send me to a Military School but I didn’t want to go. I ran away.”
Harry’s eyes became round.
“Me too,” he whispered.
“Your mum wanted to get you blown up too?”
“No!” Harry amended hastily. “No, I meant-” he looked at Ben who was grinning at him.
“Sorry, bad joke. I- I always make bad jokes when I’m-” he broke off.

“You ran away as well?”
“I- so, I well- my relatives they were-” Harry couldn’t finish his sentence.
Ben just nodded.
“Was it them that poisoned you?”
“Oh. Nah, that was after I esca- I mean, after I ran away. I was very hungry and I- I ate something out a rubbish bin.” His ears became red and he expected Ben to laugh. But the boy just looked at him somewhat sadly, Harry thought.

“Police picked me up though and drove me to hospital.”
“Oh man, that had to be really bad though, if they brought you there.”
“I didn’t really- well I was pretty out of it I guess.”
Ben laughed but it wasn’t a happy laugh just somewhat of an resigned snort. Harry knew the feeling.
“How did you end up here?” he wondered.
“Me?” Ben asked and it seemed as if he tried to school his expression.
“Police picked me up, same as you.”
“You’re from around here?”
“Not exactly. I’m from the coast. It’s about a two hour drive away.”
“And you don’t want to go back?”
Ben furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Harry askance.
“No, why would I?”

Harry thought about that for a while. Then he just stuck to his first impulse and said:
“Cause of your mum. Don’t you miss her? I guess she misses you too.”
“Well, you don’t know my mother very well then.”
If someone else had said that, it would have sounded accusingly but out of Ben, it just sounded disappointed. Harry thought their conversation would end there because its topic had turned south very fast and he didn’t really know what else to ask the other boy. He didn’t want to pressure Ben into talking about things Harry himself wasn’t comfortable with speaking about. But Ben kept going on his own.

“I guess, maybe, the only one who will really miss me maybe a bit is my neighbour.”
“Your neighbour?” Harry asked nonplussed.
In his experience, neighbours were just nosy people that had to be kept quiet at all costs. Heaven forbid if they would spot a blade of grass out of place on the Dursley’s manicured front lawn.
“Um yeah, he’s this really quiet dude. Only lives there in the summers really. But he- he helped with my mother. I- we have dinner sometimes. I like his cat.” He paused and scratched his head again.
“Sorry. That sounds stupid. I like his cat? He’s not this sort, I mean he’s not, you know…”
Harry just shrugged.
“You know him well then?”
Ben let out a gush of air.
“As well as one could know such a private guy I guess. Kind of a nerd, I’d say.”
Harry had to laugh.
“What classifies one as a nerd?”
“Well, you know”, Ben threw up his arms.
“Watching Dr. Who or Star Trek, reading a lot…”
Harry laughed even louder and waved his book in the air.

“Oh! No, I didn’t mean it like that Harry!” Ben hastily amended. “Anyways, it’s not bad to be a nerd, right? It’s only what people make of it.”
Harry sobered but kept smiling.
“I guess you’re right. So Star Trek. Is it anything like Star Wars?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen Star Wars.”
“Oh. Well, me neither, not really anyways.”
Ben glanced at him funnily but didn’t press Harry.

Three boys were walking across the yard. They could hear them from far away and saw them making rude gestures.
“Hey losers!”
“Faggots!”
“Look at them two poofs Lewy!”
Ben looked at Harry and rolled his eyes. Then he put on a smile and to Harrys great consternation, he waved at them.
“Don’t!” hissed Harry and tried to grab Ben’s arm. The boys hushed immediately and stared at them. Just as Jad wanted to come at them with clenched fists, Lewy grabbed his arm and held him back. A social worker was crossing the yard at this very moment and looked critically at the group of them.

“Time for dinner boys!” he called out and continued on his way.
“Just you wait!” spewed Jad when they met at the door to go inside.
“We’ll get you!”
“Oh man, so afraid right now!” Ben said and gently pushed Harry through the door and past the boys.

“What’d you do that for?” whispered Harry bewildered when they had sat down with their dinner plates.
“What? It worked, didn’t it?” Ben shrugged his shoulders and began eating as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
When Harry hadn’t so much as taken one bite out of his sandwich, Ben looked up sharply.
“You have to eat Harry! Especially after your food poisoning you need the food to regain you strength.”
“Okay mum!” grumbled Harry but smiled and popped a piece of apple in his mouth.

“Actually,” Harry continued, “You should do something about your health as well.”
“What?” Ben swallowed a mouthful of tea. “What do you mean?”
“Your sunburn. It looks bad.”
“Oh, well...” Ben seemed to hesitate.
“My mum cut my hair. It’s been bad since then with the sun and all.”
“Oh,” Harry said quietly, “I really don’t like your mum.”
“What? You don’t even know her.”
“Don’t have to,” replied Harry and speared a cucumber with his fork just to make his point.
“She cut your hair specifically for the Military School?”
Ben blanched.
“I- she didn’t- I didn’t even know about that then.”
“See!” Harry exclaimed and waved the fork in the air.
Ben continued eating stoically not looking up at Harry. Nevertheless, he followed Lewy and his gang with his eyes when they came in and his shoulders only seemed to relax again when they sat down a few tables down from where Harry and he sat.

Suddenly Harry jumped up from his seat.
“Wait here!” he addressed Ben and disappeared like a whirlwind in the corridor. He would really make a good striker, Ben thought.

A few minutes later, Harry sprinted back into the room. He held something red in his hand.
Harry sat down in his chair again and slowly opened his hand and placed the faded red fabric on the table.
“For you.”
“What is it?” asked Ben curiously.
“Have a look.”
Gingerly Ben lifted the cotton thing from the table and held it up. Then his eyes lit up.
“Awesome Harry!”
Quick as lightning he put on the cap.
“Awesome!” he repeated and grinned widely at Harry.
“Thanks so much!”
Harry smiled. He really liked Ben.