Harry stood by the window inside the classroom, watching the heavy rainfall. The weather was taking a turn for the worst and the school instructors had advised parents to come pick up their children early. Nick and Ellie weren’t available, and neither was his mum. That left Connor.

Harry knew the man wouldn’t be pleased when he arrived. It wasn’t much later when Connor arrived. Harry gathered his belongings and followed Connor out to the car. The rain was pouring by now and the two raced to the shelter of the car.

When Harry glanced at Connor from the corner of his eye, he could easily see that the man was scowling fiercely. Harry buckled his seat belt and then reached down in his bag to search around a book. As he pulled out the novel, an assignment fell out. It was a test that he had received back earlier that day and he hadn’t done too well on it.

Just as Connor started the car up, he had glanced over and had seen the test grade. He snatched it from Harry’s hands and skimmed over it. “Hm. I thought you were supposed to be smart.”

Harry looked down at his hands. He wanted to say he was smart and usually got better grades but chose to keep quiet.

“If you were Cathy’s real child, I’m sure you would have inherited her intelligence,” the older man stated off handedly.

Harry winced. Ouch. Connor really knew just what to say to hit a nerve. Harry bit his lip to stay quiet. It wouldn’t help matters if he decided to start yelling at the man anyways.

Harry was staring determinedly at the opened book in his hands. The car stopped at a stoplight and he could feel Connor’s gaze settling on him.

“Hm. I hate dealing with this nonsense of having to pick you up because the bloody weather. I should just take you back at the orphanage and then I won’t have to deal with this anymore.”

“NO!” Harry shouted. He couldn’t let that happen! He turned his horrified gaze to the man driving the car. “You can’t do that! Cathy loves me and she would never agree to it!

“I’ll tell her then! About you making me wonder around London by myself and--”

A sudden slap caused Harry to stop talking. Connor quickly pulled the car into an empty parking lot and turned his attention to the boy sitting next to him. The boy was sitting perfectly still with one hand pressed against the side of his face where he had been struck.

Connor reached out and grabbed Harry’s chin, forcing the boy to look at him.

“You will not tell Cathy anything of this sort. For one thing, she would not believe anything that a worthless little boy like you would tell her. She’d think you were making this up to gain attention or some other nonsense.”

“She would believe me,” Harry muttered out defiantly.

The grip on the boy’s chin tightened and Harry fought back a wince. “Fine then. Go ahead and tell her. You will just make things worse for yourself.” Connor released the boy’s chin. “And for her.”

“What?” Harry asked. Surely Connor wasn’t threatening to hurt his mum?

“You heard me. You are only making things worse for yourself and for Cathy.” Connor flashed the boy a smirk. “You don’t want that do you?”

Harry was already shaking his head no. “Please. Just please don’t do anything to her.” He really hated begging but it felt necessary right now. He didn’t know what he’d do if Connor decided to hurt Cathy. There was no way he’d allow that.

Connor smirked. The boy was too easy to manipulate. He wore his heart on his shoulder and made it easy to find the right buttons to push in order to ensure the boy’s silence. He really did love Cathy and had no intentions to hurt her, but the boy didn’t know that. Now that he had the upper hand over the boy, he would finally teach the child how all children should be: silent, obedient, and out of the way.

As Connor pulled back onto the road, Harry turned his attention to the falling raindrops outside. He knew things would be changing more, none for the better, and it unnerved him. There was no point in getting worked up over what was to come so he concentrated on watching the falling rain. As each drop fell, his breathing calmed down until he was as relaxed as he could be while in the car with Connor.

The holidays passed quickly and happily and before he knew it, spring was soon approaching. Connor was going to be starting to work Saturdays again, which meant that Harry would finally see Mr. Snape and ask him all the questions that he’d been dying to ask. As he read the book, Harry had written down all the questions that came to mind. Most of his questions were about how certain ingredients reacted with each other.

Harry was also glad to see the man again since it meant he’d get away from Connor for a few hours. After the incident in the car a few months ago, things had been relatively calm around the house. Harry had really been expecting Connor to jump out at any moment and explode at him for whatever he’d done wrong, but the man hadn’t done anything. The waiting and anticipation only made it worse for Harry.

The first Saturday in March was when Harry got his chance to meet up with Mr. Snape. The boy was so overjoyed, he just about gave the man a hug, but at the last minute decided against it. Mr. Snape didn’t seem the type to like hugs and Harry really didn’t know the man that well but he was still really glad to see the man again.

They settled down at their usual table and sipped their tea. Harry immediately began his questioning and wrote down the answers. Snape didn’t even get a chance to answer all the questions before Harry’s time was up. It wasn’t until the following Saturday when he managed to finish answering the boy’s questions.

“Might I make a suggestion?” Snape asked after he thoroughly answered each and every one of Harry’s questions. “I believe you would benefit from learning basic calming techniques, such as meditation.”

“ m‘kay,” Harry stated somewhat unsurely. “What for though?”

“I believe, since you are young, it will start by helping you organize your thoughts and assist you with retaining information better. In addition, it will aid you in gaining control over your emotions.” Severus explained.

Harry nodded. “Is this something you can teach me or do I need to get a book?”

“I will assist you as much as I can but it would be beneficial if you visited your local library.”

“So can we start now? Or should I read first?” Harry asked.

“We shall begin today. Start by picturing a calming moment in your mind.” The man instructed.

Harry concentrated on finding something to calm himself. The first thing that came to mind was when he sat underneath the shady tree in his backyard just the other day. It had been quiet and relaxing at the time.

“Do you have something in mind?” Snape asked and Harry nodded. “Concentrate on breathing in and out while visualizing the scene. Think about the sights, smells, what you heard.”

Harry did as he was told but couldn’t hold the concentration for long. There were too many sounds around them that kept distracting him. He looked up at Mr. Snape and said, “I can’t concentrate out here. There’s too much going on.”

“You need to learn to concentrate, despite what is going on around you. Tune out what is going on around you and focus solely on the memory. What are you using to concentrate on?” Snape asked.

“I was thinking about when I sat outside under the tree in my backyard a few days ago.”

“Perhaps you should think of something different. Use a stronger memory or action that is soothing,” Snape suggested.

It suddenly dawned on Harry what he should use. Once he thought about it and concentrated on all the details of the memory, he was able to tune out everything that was going on around him. It wasn’t until Snape tapped his arm, when he finally snapped out of it.

“I take it you were successful.” Harry blushed lightly and nodded. “What memory did you use this time?”

“Well, it’s not a specific memory,” Harry began. “I’ve always liked watching the rain so I imagined myself watching and listening to raindrops. I guess I’ve always found it sorta relaxing.”

Snape nodded. “That will be sufficient. I recommend that you spend five minutes daily disregarding everything that is going on around you. When you feel you are ready, increase the time to ten minutes a day and continue on. You need not to practice longer than thirty minutes a day.”

“Okay. Um, so how exactly does this help me learn to concentrate better?” Harry asked.

“You are essentially maintaining focus on one thing at a time. With practice, it becomes easier for you to get focused on the subject and maintain your focus without your mind wandering. These exercises are primarily teaching your mind the basic forms of discipline. It may not appear to aid you, but with time, you shall see the results of your hard work.”

Harry nodded his understanding and sipped his tea. He ungracefully spat it back in the cup and clumsily groped around for a napkin to wipe up the small amount that had spilled.

“Uh, sorry about that sir,” Harry apologized while blushing brightly. “Oh no,” Harry whispered as he checked his watch. “I’m gonna be late so I gotta go. Bye.”

Severus watched as the boy left in a hurry. He reached across the table and grabbed the notebook that Harry had accidentally left behind and stood up. Snape’s dark eyes quickly scanned the area, but could not spot the light-haired child anywhere. He paused briefly on a dark-haired man talking to a dark-haired child in a stern manner but continued searching for Harry. The boy wasn’t anywhere in sight so Severus decided to hold onto the notebook until next time he saw the boy.

Harry quickly ‘changed’ back and mentally cringed, wishing he hadn’t been late. Connor didn’t look pleased at all for having to come out here and search for him.

“Are you too stupid to tell time anymore?” The brown-eyed man hissed in Harry’s ear. He placed a hand on the back of the boy’s neck, making it look like a fatherly affection to those around them. What people couldn’t see was how tightly Connor was gripping the boy’s neck.

“No,” Harry replied. “I lost track of time.”

“That’s what you said last time,” the man snapped. “I warned you not to be late again.”

Harry swallowed. He wanted to apologize but his throat was suddenly feeling very dry.

“Get in the car,” Connor instructed and shoved the boy towards the car.

Harry managed to catch himself in time to prevent himself from hitting the car. He opened the car door and buckled his seatbelt. For the entire ride home, he sat quietly and perfectly still, not wanting to attract any more attention from Connor. At one point, he briefly peeked over and saw the man was scowling fiercely.

Harry was relieved once the car finally pulled up to their home. He was even happier to find out that Cathy was home, which meant that Connor wouldn’t do anything, or at least that was what he hoped.

Harry entered the house and looked around for his mum. She wasn’t anywhere in sight downstairs but he could hear her rustling about in the upstairs bathroom. Harry was on his way up to his room when Connor reached out and grabbed his arm. Harry yanked his arm out of Connor’s grip.

“Don’t touch me,” Harry snapped quietly since he didn’t want his mum to hear. Harry knew he shouldn’t have said that, but since his mum was upstairs, he was feeling rather brave.

Connor’s face turned a nasty shade of red and raised his hand to slap Harry. Since Harry had seen the hand coming, he was able to move, but Connor’s hand still caught the back of his head.

Harry lost his balance and fell onto the end table. The thin glass covering the end table shattered into a hundred little pieces.

“Harry? Connor?” Cathy called out from upstairs. She appeared at the top of the stairs, gasped, and came running down as quickly as she could.

“What happened? Should I call the medics, or should-”

Harry held a hand against the cut above his left eyebrow. “’m okay,” he said, trying to reassure her. He then tried to stand, but wobbled unsteadily.

“Don’t move,” Cathy insisted. She grabbed the towel that Connor had fetched and pressed it against the cut. “There’s so much blood,” Cathy added horrified.

“Head wounds bleed a lot,” Connor mentioned.

“Oh, ‘m s’rry. I’ll clean up,” Harry slurred. He was feeling rather disorientated at the moment and he couldn’t think of why.

“No don’t Harry. You don’t need to,” she insisted. “Can you pick him up and put in the car?” Connor nodded and Cathy rushed off to start the car.

Connor bent down and lifted the boy into his arms. “If anyone asks, you tripped on the rub. Understand boy?”

“Yess, Unc’ Vernon,” Harry mumbled, barely audible.

Connor wondered why the boy called him uncle Vernon. He didn’t know who this man was but assumed it was the boy’s previous guardian.

Cathy reappeared from the garage in order to open the door for Connor and did the same for the car door. She was clearly freaking out over the whole incident and was in no condition to drive so Connor took the keys. Cathy sat in the back, holding a cloth against the bleeding cut, while clutching Harry’s hand tightly.

Harry was sitting there silently, wondering why his aunt would be holding his hand. She never touched him unless it was absolutely necessary. He was really confused about everything going on around him. All he could remember was he hit his head. He didn’t recall if he was pushed or tripped on his own. Either way, it would always be considered his fault according to Uncle Vernon. That brought him back to his current ponderings. Why was his aunt holding his hand and why would his uncle, who looked skinnier that he remembered, be driving him to the doctors? Only Dudley was allowed treatment for his injuries. Speaking of Dudley, where was he?

Harry was torn from his musings as the car stopped. The driver can to the back and picked him up and carried him inside. Before he could try and focus on the man’s face, he was taken away by a doctor.

The nice doctor took care of him and stitched the cut over his eyebrow right up. She talked to him about inconsequential things, probably in hopes of distracting him from the pain. It didn’t matter anyways, he was used feeling some sort of pain. The friendly doctor told him to relax while she went to talk with his mum. Mum? Why would she say that? Maybe she thought Aunt Petunia was his mum or something.

Harry sat there for a few minutes until the nice doctor returned, followed by three people. One looked like his aunt, although her hair was lighter than he remembered, and the other two were older, judging by their grayish hair. Harry focused on the conversation his aunt was having with the doctor.

“The cut above his eyebrow was pretty deep and I had to put in several stitches. It should be all healed up within in a week or so.”

“Can we take him home now?” Harry was confused. That was not his aunt’s shrilly voice.

The doctor nodded, gave a few quick instructions on how he was to take it easy for the next few days, and then left to tend to other patients.

“Here are your glasses, Harry,” said the older man, who he still didn’t recognize. Harry slipped on his glasses and everything came into focus. He stared at the three people standing before him. He didn’t know who they were or what they were doing here. Where were Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon?

His head started to throb as he tried to think. The door opened, and instead of seeing his relatives, he saw a brown-haired man enter. Harry closed his eyes and looked down as everything came rushing back. He remembered everything from why he wasn’t with the Dursleys to why he was at the hospital in the first place.

“Are you sure you feel up to leaving, sweetie?” Cathy asked.

“Yeah,” the boy replied. “I’m fine. I just want to go home.”

“What happened? Did you trip on the rug or-?” Cathy questioned, waiting for Harry to reply.

“Yeah,” Harry replied again. His eyes darted over very briefly to Connor before turning downward. He didn’t feel like he could look his mum in the eye and lie to her face. He hated doing it, but he didn’t want to risk Connor hurting his mum.

“I tripped on the rug and hit the table, breaking the glass. Sorry,” he added.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” his mum reassured. “Let’s just get you home.”

Harry nodded and slowly stood. He was much steadier on his feet now than earlier. As Harry followed his mum outside, he missed the speculative glance his grandfather gave Connor. The young boy also missed the fact that his grandfather had seen his quick peek at Connor when he explained what happened.

“What happened?” Snape demanded the following Saturday when Harry arrived for their weekly study sessions. “Does this have anything to do with you being late last week?”

“What?” Harry asked breathlessly. Could Mr. Snape know? Did he see Connor scolding him last week? Then it occurred to Harry that Mr. Snape couldn’t have seen him since he changed his hair from the strawberry-blond that it currently is, to his normal dark hair.

“No, of course not,” the boy replied, trying to sound nonchalant. Harry thought quickly of something to change the subject. “Did you pick up my notebook last week? I left it here by accident.”

Snape nodded and didn’t want to let the subject matter drop, but decided to anyways. There wasn’t much he could do for this muggle boy. With his...record… he would probably get a one-way ticket to Azkaban for hexing a muggle, even if the man deserved it. Plus, he didn’t have any proof against the boy’s step-father.

Snape straightened in his chair and decided that if there wasn’t anything he could do, he would at least make sure the boy enjoyed their meetings. It was the least he could do, plus it would allow the boy some freedom away from his step-father. He could only hope this boy’s childhood wouldn’t turn him into a bitter old man, such as himself.

Harry woke up late one morning in July and went downstairs to pour himself a bowl of cereal. The past few months had gone by very quickly. It seemed like Spring was just arriving yesterday but now it was well into summer. Thinking back to the beginning of Spring reminded him of that awful incident with Connor. That had been the first time Connor had really hurt Harry, and it had shocked Harry that the man had done it while his mum was upstairs.

Ever since then, Harry had been walking on eggshells around Connor. It seemed that the man was content with that for the most part. He stayed silent, and mostly out of Connor’s sight when they were home alone together. Occasionally, he’d screw up and do something that apparently upset Connor. The man wasn’t afraid to show his displeasure anymore either, but he was always careful to make sure Cathy wasn’t home. The man also made sure that the ‘evidence’ was hidden beneath his clothes. That part didn’t matter as much to Harry, since he was rather skilled at hiding injuries and past scars.

Even to this day, his mum hadn’t seen the horrid collection of scars across his back and the lightning shaped one across his forehead. He always made sure his freaky talent hid them from her since it wouldn’t be smart to suddenly have scars appear one day from nowhere. Then she’d learn about all his freakishness and then she’d agree with Connor about sending him away. He wasn’t taking any chances, so they remained hidden.

The only one who knew about it was his grandfather. After spotting the Dursley’s in the toy store, he had ‘changed’ and apparently Nick had seen. Harry was incredibly shocked to learn that his grandfather really didn’t mind this freakish talent. In fact, the man was fascinated by it.

Harry missed seeing his grandparents. He used to see them all the time when Cathy worked since they’d be the only ones around to care for him. But ever since Connor entered the picture, Harry ended up spending “quality time” with him instead so that his grandparents weren’t stuck watching him all the time. Plus they had been helping a friend paint and remodel his home for the last few months on the weekends so they were often busy.

The weekends were Harry’s biggest joy though, even if it wasn’t spent with his grandparents. Every Saturday Connor worked, Harry would go with him, even if his mum was home. She always seemed to think it was sweet that Harry wanted to spend more “quality time” with Connor. Harry of course never did such a thing since he always left the car and walked directly to some public loo, where he would ‘change’ into the face that Mr. Snape knew him as.

Harry really thrived under Mr. Snape’s teaching. There was so much to learn about how potions were made. There were many different ingredients and lately, Mr. Snape had him memorizing the properties and uses of each ingredient. He’d quiz Harry and reward him with something for getting so many right. Sometimes Mr. Snape would give him candy rewards and they were always quite interesting to try. It was always a different type and something that he hadn’t actually heard of, nor seen in any store. Harry, being curious, tried to find out where they came from so he could buy more but Mr. Snape never said. His favorite, so far, were the chocolate frogs. They looked so realistic, he was afraid they’d come to life and hop away! Mr. Snape had just smirked at him when he mentioned this and had handed him another frog from the bag.

Other than learning about potions, he had been practicing the calming techniques that Mr. Snape suggested. At first, he thought it was really pointless and kinda hard. Sometimes there was too much going on and he couldn’t focus but other times, it came really easy for him. As usual, Mr. Snape was right though. After diligently practicing it, he became pretty good at learning to focus when he needed to and it actually helped with other things. Studying for a school test seemed much easier, for one thing.

In a way, it also helped him control his emotions. Mr. Snape had showed him how to hide what he was feeling because he said Harry would benefit from it. At first, that didn’t make much sense since he was only eleven; why would he need to hide his emotions?  It became clear though whenever he was around Connor. That man could easily spot his weaknesses and Harry decided that he didn’t want Connor to find out anymore. He already knew that he couldn’t stand it if his mum was hurt so Connor always made sure to mention that when he was being punished. Harry worked hard in his lessons with Mr. Snape and always enjoyed them, even if it meant that he willingly gave himself a ‘sixth day of school’.

Every Saturday after his time was up, he’d always walk away, wishing that he had more time. Harry was careful to not be late ever again since he didn’t want Connor to lose his temper again. He could handle the punishment, but if something were to happen like the table incident, others would notice. It was bad enough that Mr. Snape didn’t really believe his story about the incident. As it was, his grandfather seemed to be a bit… standoffish? cold? distanced?... from Connor lately. It seemed as he too suspected something wasn’t right with the whole incident.

Harry was torn from his musings when he thought he heard an owl hoot. It was the middle of the day. What would an owl be doing around here? Harry shrugged and continued eating his late breakfast. Maybe his mum or Connor left the telly on before they went to work.

Harry smiled at that thought. He was almost eleven and his mum had finally decided that he could be left home alone. The first time she left him home alone, she had called several times throughout the day to check on him. He was perfectly fine, of course, but it made him happy to know that she cared.

Harry rinsed his bowl when he was done and was drying his hands when he heard the sounds of mail being dropped through the letter slot. He walked over and reached down to pick up the small pile. As he shifted through the stack, he paused suddenly. He looked closely at one letter which bore an odd looking seal on it. He slowly turned the thick letter over to see who it was addressed to and his eyes widened in surprise.

To: Mr. Harry Potter…