Harry began to stir when he heard the sound of a honking car in the distance. Wait—honking cars? He quickly opened his eyes and sat up gasping in pain. His left arm was aching fiercely and looked swollen. His back was still very tender along with his aching ribs. Harry took a few slow breaths to calm his racing heart.

He blearily looked around and took in the unfamiliar setting. It was hard to see without his glasses but he used his good arm to grope around until he found the pair, thankfully they were still intact. They slipped on easily and everything came into focus.

Suddenly everything else came into focus. They’d kicked him out! Left him to fend for himself in who knows where. Harry closed his eyes and tried to fight off the memory of his own relatives dumping him because he was some kind of freak. It’s not like I could help it! Harry thought indignantly. I didn’t mean to grow my hair back.

The seven-almost eight-year old sighed and slowly got to his feet. He kept his left arm tucked as closely to his body as possible to help keep it from aching as much. If he even moved it just a bit, it hurt like mad!

Using his right hand, Harry reached into his pocket to see if he had anything at all on him. The only thing that came out of his pocket was some lint. Reaching into the other pocket revealed the little mirror that he’d found yesterday. That wasn’t going to help at all but at least he could practice changing his hair colour some more later. It was actually a pretty neat trick, even if it meant his aunt and uncle were right about him being a good-for-nothing freak.

Harry looked around the alley and decided to head towards the sounds of traffic. The alley was starting to give him the creeps, it was so quiet around here. He began walking, while keeping a hold on his left arm to prevent it from moving much. Harry’s stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t had any breakfast yet, if it was still even breakfast time. For all he knew, it could be late in the afternoon. How long had I been unconscious in the alley? Harry wondered.

After maybe an hour, if his ruddy watch worked then he’d know the actual time, he came across a small café. There were several small outdoor tables but only one happened to be occupied. Harry crept closer to the café when it was obvious the lady was finished with her meal, even though there was still food on the table. She left a tip on the table and exited the small restaurant.

Harry quickly used his good arm to stuff the few coins into his pocket and grabbed the basket of food before quickly dashing away. The smells of the food made his stomach growl again but he didn’t stop walking until he was safe distance away. He felt bad about taking the tip money, but who knew if he’d need it later?

Once he was a suitable distance away, he sat down and began to eat the food. Left over in the meal basket were the remains of the lady’s fish and chips. Right now on his empty stomach, nothing had ever tasted so good before, even if it was the remains of someone else’s food. He was rather used to eating the leftovers of the Dursley’s food. Thinking of the Dursley’s made him sad and yet angry at the same time. They were my family! How could they just abandon me like this?

Once the food was gone, he got up and wandered some more until he found what appeared to be an abandoned house. It didn’t look structurally safe since it leaned to the side so much but it would have to do. The sky was darkening and it looked like a big storm was coming in. After searching around for a bit, he found an entrance to the building that wasn’t boarded up. He carefully crawled though the opening and tried not to jerk his arm too much. Once inside, he looked around and studied his surroundings.

The house had old wall paper that peeled off the walls along with cobwebs everywhere. He’d gotten used to spiders in his cupboard so the webs certainly didn’t bother him. A flash of lightening and the roar of thunder caused him to jump and his heart to start racing. Moments later, he could hear the telltale signs of the rain starting to fall.

Harry looked around for a dry corner, away from the leaky roof spots, and curled up in it. The boy let the rain lure him into a peaceful state of mine as he tried to relax into the place that would temporarily be called his new home. Before long, he drifted off to sleep.

The rolling thunder awoke him later and when he looked outside, it was quite dark. His stomach growled but he ignored it. There was no way he was going to wander out there at night time!

Harry suddenly realized hunger wasn’t his only problem. He had to use the loo. He got to his feet, hoping to find something suitable in this house. It was a two story house and as he wandered around, he found the kitchen and dining areas. He vowed to investigate the whole house more once he found a bathroom.

He pushed open one door only to reveal an empty bedroom. There was a puddle in here, obviously from the hole that he spotted in the roof. He pushed open another door and found a bathroom. It didn’t look too good with the cracked countertops and rusted sink. There wasn’t even the customary water that he’d expected to find in the toilet bowl. He quickly did his business before returning to investigating the house.

The first floor had been looked over so he moved towards the staircase. The stairs didn’t even look sturdy but he decided to walk slowly and carefully up them. He felt curious about the old house and had to explore it. He was always curious but at the Dursley’s they hated when he asked questions, so he always had to keep his curiosity to himself.

The first door revealed another empty bedroom. Moving on, he opened the next door. It appeared to be a study because there was an old beat up desk in there. Harry entered the room and made his way over to the desk and pulled open one drawer. It was empty but when he opened the next one, he was surprised to find some paper along with some pens inside. He was about to continue exploring the house when he noticed a secret little compartment on the side of the desk. He opened it and saw a gold pocket watch that was covered in several layers of dust. He blew on it and some of the dust flew off. Harry then used the edge of his large shirt to clean it up a bit further.

On the cover of the pocket watch was the letter P in a fancy engraving. Harry thought it was perfect since his last name started with a P. He just hoped no one would ever come back here looking for it. He pressed the button and the watch opened. Inside was the clock, which wasn’t working. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t set the time since he didn’t know how to and didn’t want to risk breaking the delicate object.

He closed the pocket watch and slipped it into his pocket, next to his mirror, which were the only two things he currently owned, other than the clothes on his back.

He left the room and explored the rest of the house but found nothing else. He returned to his corner and sat down again. He shivered from the cold and curled into a small ball to keep warm. Thankfully it wasn’t winter, else he’d surely freeze. Harry stopped those thoughts, not wanting to think about how he’d survive the winter without any coats or blankets to keep warm.

He slipped his hand into his pocket and withdrew the mirror. Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to work on changing his hair again. It was easier this time to make his hair brown so he decided to try something different. He concentrated on giving himself a pair of brown eyes. He didn’t think it was going to work at first, assuming that only his hair would change but was surprised when his green eyes slowly turned to brown.

“Wicked,” he said softly.

He tried blue this time and the change came quicker. It seemed to get easier once he figured out what he was doing. Unfortunately it still left him feeling drained after he played around with his eye and hair colours. Once back to normal, his eyes slowly drifted closed until he fell asleep.

The next couple of days went basically the same as the first. In the morning, he’d walk around a bit and usually get some food from that same café. Not too many people ate outside since the weather wasn’t too good but the few that did were unknowingly providing him with a bit of food. He hadn’t dug through dumpsters or anything like that yet and hoped he could avoid that for as long as possible. Since he’d gone several days before with limited food, this wasn’t that big of a deal.

Harry’s evening were filled with fun as he worked on changing his hair into funny styles. He’d even got a Mohawk once, although it was hard at first. With his constant practicing, it was becoming easier and easier to make the changes. He even used it when he went out sometimes so that no one would notice the same kid visiting the café everyday. He may have been able to change his face but he was still stuck wearing the same clothes and his left arm still hung limply by his side. He really wasn’t too sure what he could do about that. He didn’t want to make the pain worse by trying to pop it back in but even if he wanted to try, he had no idea how.

The days continued to pass slowly with a familiar rhythm until one particular day. It had started out the same as the last few with him getting up and heading outside. The clouds had cleared up and more people were out and about. A couple had just left the café and he snatched their leftovers like usual. There was hardly anything but he still took it. He walked briskly, not wanting to run since it’d hurt his arm. He just turned the corner when he slammed into someone and landed on his bottom.

“I-I,” he cleared his throat. His voice was raspy since it hadn’t been used much lately. Harry looked up and stared into the soft blue eyes belonging to a man in a police uniform. Harry’s eyes widened further.

“Please-I’m sorry sir. I-I didn’t mean to run into you,” Harry stuttered as he gazed downward. He absently noted that the food he was carrying had been dropped and some sauce had spilt on the man’s shoes.

“Oh no,” he whispered as he partially scooted back from the still policeman, who hadn’t moved. What if the man was mad and threw him in jail? Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon always said that policemen throw evil little freaky boys like him in jail. He just hoped the policeman didn’t know he was a freak and lock him up.

“Now, now. It’s all right.” The man pulled a tissue from a pocket and bent down to wipe off his shoe. “No harm done, see?”

“I’m sorry sir,” Harry whispered. He kept his gaze down, wishing he wasn’t here now. He belatedly realized that his arm hurt from the fall along with his bottom.

“Like I said, it’s alright. Why don’t you stand up, lad?” He extended an arm but Harry flinched away and lifted his right arm to protect himself. Harry didn’t want to get hit again; his back was getting better but his arm constantly throbbed. Harry peeked up at the man, who wore a sad expression on his face. When the man retracted his arm and stepped back slightly, Harry slowly got to his feet.

“My name’s Officer Peterson. What’s yours?” the officer asked kindly as he looked the boy over. The child was wearing filthy clothing that didn’t fit properly and his left arm dangled there limply. The way he flinched away suggested abuse but he didn’t know for sure.

“H-Harry, sir,” he boy whispered. The boy’s stomach chose that moment growl, causing the boy to redden.

“You know, I was just on my way to lunch at this little café over here. Since your food ended up on the ground, would you like to join me?” he questioned.

“I-I couldn’t do that sir. I don’t want to impose,” the dark-haired boy replied.

“Don’t worry about that! Now come along. Let’s get something to eat.” He went to put his hand on Harry’s shoulder but the boy tensed so instead he dropped it.

“Thank you sir,” the young child whispered gratefully. He was too hungry to resist the temptation of free food.

They shared a table outside, since it was quieter. A waiter soon brought over some water and menus for them to browse. Harry glanced over the menu and searched for the cheapest thing he could find.

“What can I get for you?” the waiter asked Harry.

“I-I’d just like some toast please,” he said hesitantly.

“Toast? Are you sure that’s all you want, Harry?” Officer Peterson asked. “Why don’t you get the lad a turkey, ham, and cheese sandwich. Does that sound alright Harry?”

“Yes sir. It’s fine.”

“Do you want anything on it? Like mayonnaise, tomatoes, and lettuce?” the waiter suggested.

“Yes please,” Harry said quietly.

“And for you sir?”

“I’ll take the roast beef sandwich please, along with a salad. Could you get the boy a small salad as well?” the officer added.

“Sure thing,” the waiter replied. “What kind of dressing?”

“Ranch sound okay Harry?”

“Yes sir,” Harry responded, not looking at anyone. He didn’t even know this man but he was buying him lunch. He didn’t know what to think. Since when were people nice to freaks like him?

“I’ll be right back with your salads,” the waiter said as he took their menus. Their salads arrived quickly and they ate them in silence. After they finished their salads, the officer spoke up.

“So how old are you Harry?”

“Seven, sir,” he offered. “I’ll be eight in a couple more months.”

“When’s your birthday?” he inquired, trying to get the quiet boy to talk.

“July 31st,” Harry replied. “Sir,” he added. He’d been taught early on to address adults as sir or ma’am. He didn’t want to upset a police man who could have him arrested. He really hoped the man wasn’t planning on doing that after they finished eating. There had to be a reason Officer Peterson was buying him lunch. Maybe the man wants him to do something afterwards?

His musings were interrupted by the man’s voice. “Really? My birthday is only a couple days after that on August 3rd.”

Harry gave the man a small smile. He wondered if this man got to celebrate his birthday with his family or friends. At the Dursleys, he never got to have a birthday cake, presents or anything.

The waiter came over just then, set aside their salad plates and put their sandwiches down on the table. Harry waited until Officer Peterson began eating before he took a tentative bite of his food. It was delicious! He finished rather quickly, although made sure not to look like a pig in front of the nice police man. That was the best sandwich I’ve ever had!

Harry sat, still and quiet in his chair as he waited for the officer to finish. His thoughts were wandering as he wondered what would happen next. He didn’t think he was going to jail but surely the officer would want something in return for buying him lunch.

Officer Peterson finished his sandwich and paid the bill. Harry stood there, not sure what to do next. He settled with thanking the man. “Thank you very much, sir. That was very good.”

“You’re welcome Harry,” the man replied kindly. He paused for a minute, deciding what to say next. He spoke carefully, trying not to spook the boy off.

“How’d you hurt you arm, Harry?”

“Um, I dunno,” he responded, not looking the man in the eye.

“Can I have a friend of mine take a look at it? He’ll make it feel better since I’m sure it hurts a bit,” the officer suggested.

“ ‘S not that bad sir,” Harry muttered.

“So would it be okay if my buddy looked at it anyways? You’d even get to ride in my car and we could turn on the sirens if you’d like.”

Harry hesitated. His arm really did hurt and it’d be nice to get it fixed. “Alright,” he agreed, looking down at his dirty shoes.

“Great! My car is parked just over here.” Officer Peterson gently led the young whelp to his squad car and opened the front passenger side door.

Harry looked up. “I’m sitting up front?” he questioned. He’d expected to sit in the back, where the bad people went.

“Sure! No need to sit in the back like a criminal.” Harry reluctantly sat down and the gentleman buckled his seatbelt on for him. The officer went around the car and sat down in the driver’s seat and started the car.

“You want the sirens on?” he asked.

“No, that’s okay sir,” Harry responded. For the rest of the ride, Harry sat there quietly wondering how he was going to get back to that old house before it got too dark.

“We’re here.” Harry looked up and noticed the police building in front of him.

“A-are you arresting me?” Harry asked fearfully.

“No, why would you say that?”

“I thought we were going to see your friend,” the young boy answered quietly.

“We are. My friend works here,” the officer replied with a small smile. “Don’t worry; I’m not going to arrest you. You haven’t done anything wrong have you, lad?”

Taking leftovers didn’t count as something wrong did it? “No, sir,” Harry replied.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s head inside,” the officer stated as he stepped out of his car. Harry followed him and slowly exited the car. His arm was still aching from his earlier fall and he made sure to keep it tucked closely to his body to minimize movement.

The officer gently placed a hand on the small boy, who flinched, and led him inside. He manoeuvred past several desks until he reached an interrogation office. He wasn’t planning on interrogating the boy; he just needed a room to place him in until he contacted child services and a doctor.

“Can you wait in here for me Harry?” the boy nodded. “I’m going to find my buddy to look at your arm and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Harry sat down in a chair as Officer Peterson left. He was reasonably nervous about being in a police station with all these bigger people around. He clutched him arm and tried to stop from shaking but it was useless. He was scared, alone as usual, and in a large unfamiliar building.

What felt like hours to Harry, but really was only 15 minutes, the officer returned with another man. This man carried a bag and around his neck was a stethoscope. He looked rather kind, but Harry was still weary of the larger man. Everyone looked so large to him but none were quite as large and scary looking as his uncle.

“Hi there,” the doctor greeted. “I am Doctor White. What’s your name?”

“Harry,” the boy answered quietly while clutching his injured arm to his chest.

“I see your arm is hurt. Would it be alright if I looked at it?” Harry nodded slowly.

“Do you think you can take off your shirt for me? So I can get a better look at it?”

Harry’s eyes widened. If he took off his shirt, both of these men would see what his uncle had done to him. He shook his head negatively.

“Please Harry?” the doctor pleaded. “I’ve even got another shirt here that you can wear once I finish looking you over.”

Harry closed his eyes and wished, with all his might for, all his scars and markings to disappear. He hoped his new talent for changing would help him right now hide those markings. If not, then these men would surely learn what a freak he was. He slowly peeled off his shirt, and kept his eyes closed, afraid to see the disgust in their eyes.

His eyes shot open when he felt something cold press on his chest. The doctor had out his stethoscope and was listening to his racing heartbeat. When finished, he went around the small boy and inspected his arm.

“It looks like your arm was dislocated. It will be painful to put it back in place since it’s been out of socket for several days now.” Doctor White concluded. “Is it alright if I give you a shot to numb the pain, Harry?” Harry just nodded his head, not wanting to speak right now. He watched as the doctor filled a syringe with clear liquid and came towards his left arm.

“Ready?” Harry bit his lip and nodded. The cool tip of the needle was placed against his skin and Harry held back the small wince that wanted to escape. The Doctor smiled encouragingly at him and handed the boy an icepack. “Please hold this on your arm to reduce the swelling and as soon as the medication kicks in, I’ll fix your arm right up.” Harry accepted the icepack and held it on his sore arm.

“I’ll be just outside with Officer Peterson while we wait,” the doctor said before the two men stepped outside. Once the door was closed, they spoke with the child services woman who waited outside for them.

“What’s your analysis, Doctor White?” the woman asked, with a pad of paper in her hand.

“He is severely malnourished to the point where all of his ribs are visible. His left arm was dislocated and appears to have been that way for several few days now. Other than that, he appears to be in good health and no other markings or scars are visible.”

The woman made notes of everything. “Did he say what his full name was?” she asked Officer Peterson.

“No. He just said his name is Harry. I’ll ask him when we are finished here.” The officer turned his sad gaze to the small boy sitting in the room.

“Do you know how long he’s been on the streets or if he ran away from home?”

“I don’t know any of that for sure. I suspect that he was abused in his previous home because he flinches away from every touch. I even checked for missing child reports a few minutes ago and he doesn’t fit any descriptions.” Peterson concluded.

She nodded and made more notes. “When you are finished, I’ll have to drop him off at St. Lukes Orphanage unless you find any more evidence on his family.”

“Can I take him there instead?” Officer Peterson asked. “He’s been through so much today and I’d really like to be the one who drops him off, if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “I’ll give you all the paperwork and when you get there, just hand it to Ms. Morgan in the front office.”

“Thank you. I’ll go back in there and see if he’ll tell me anything about his family.” The officer disappeared through the door, leaving the doctor to talk further with the child services woman.

“Hey Harry. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine sir,” Harry answered shortly.

“Do you know your last name?” the officer asked.

Harry shook his head. He didn’t want to tell them in case they found out he was related to the Dursleys and then decided to send him back. “No sir. I don’t know it.” He looked down once again, not wanting to see any anger or disappointment on the nice man’s face.

“That’s okay. What about relatives? Do you have anyone we can contact?”

“No sir,” Harry answered quickly. He certainly didn’t want the Dursleys to be contacted and have them come all the way down here.

“Okay then Harry. I’m going to ask Doctor White to come in now so he can fix your arm.” He stepped outside and briefly told the woman that Harry didn’t know anything about relatives or his last name. The Doctor followed him back in once she had all the information.

“You can put the icepack down now Harry.” Harry placed it on the table. “This still might hurt a bit even though I gave you a shot earlier. Are you ready?”

“Yes sir,” he answered before bracing himself. Doctor White gripped his left arm and popped it back into place. Harry winced but showed no further discomfort.

“Okay there Harry?”

He nodded. His arm really did feel better for the most part. It was still numb but it felt better than it had for the last few days.

The doctor rummaged through his bag until he found a dark blue arm sling. He handed Harry a clean white shirt first and gently assisted the boy into it. Then he adjusted the sling to the right length before putting that on Harry as well.

“Your arm will be sore for a while longer now but you’re a young lad so it should heal pretty fast,” Doctor White stated. “Wear the sling on for at least a week so your arm will heal properly. Okay Harry?”

“Yes sir,” he replied. The sling was comfy and kept his arm in one place. This was better than having to hold his arm like before it was fixed. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“No problem,” the man replied with a smile. “I’ve got other people to visit so you take care.”

Harry gave him a hesitant smile back before looking back down. “Bye,” he added shyly.

“Good bye Harry.” The doctor waved as he left Harry and Officer Peterson in the room together.

“Come on Harry,” the officer said as he led the small boy from the room. He stopped by his desk and picked up Harry’s file before exiting the building.

Harry got in the car, thinking that the officer was going to give him a ride back to the café. They drove for a while, listening to the quiet radio. As the music played, Harry slowly drifted off to sleep.

He awoke when the car stopped and looked outside. It wasn’t the familiar place he was expecting. Instead the car stopped in front of a large brick building. Several kids were playing on the small playground towards the back of the building. Harry looked around, wondering where they were, until his eyes stopped on the sign “St. Lukes Orphanage”.

“Harry?” Officer Peterson asked. Harry tore his gaze from the sign and looked the man in the eye before looking downward. “I’m sorry but since you don’t know of any relatives, then I am required by law to tell the Child Services about you living alone on the streets.” The officer exited the car, opened Harry’s door and knelt down to the boy’s level.

He gazed sadly at the boy. “This is where you are going to live now.”