FicWad

Emerald: Eyes to the Soul

Chapter 1 Freedom

A young boy with raven black unruly hair and emerald green eyes, lay curled up in a small ball, in a tight dark space. Light streamed in through the cracks in the door, his skin, pasty white, and pale, almost transparent. He was small for his age, at ten years old, nearing his eleventh birthday; he looked as though he was no older than eight.

The young boy was shaking from fear and pain he was bleeding from large bruises of purple and red, deep cuts were oozing blood from his arms and legs. However, the only noise that could be heard coming from him was a few whimpers and dry sobs. Harry Potter had unfortunately discovered at a very early age that crying only made things worse.

His, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley, ever since he could remember have tormented and tortured him. Calling him a freak, a waste of space and time, they force him to do all the household chores. He cooks their breakfast, lunch and dinner, and gets hardly any food for himself. He cleans the house and does the gardening, and yet they say he is lazy and all the neighbours have been led to believe he is a troublemaker.

Harry has only ever been to school for one year in his life. However, when his aunt and uncle discovered his grades were better that their sons, his cousin Dudley’s, and his teacher said he is gifted, all Harry got for his intelligence was a broken leg. Since then Harry was not allowed to attend school.

Harry had begun to believe that he was stuck forever to be a slave, beaten, and hurt for the rest of his short life. However, a few days ago he was sent a letter for which is the reason he hadn’t eaten since and why he was dragged from his cupboard bedroom under the stairs every morning and re-broken as his uncle called it. Because every time Harry was seriously injured for reasons unknown to him his body heals itself very fast, within a few hours all of his breaks are fixed and his bruises and cuts lessened.

A soft blue light slowly enveloped the boy and for the next few hours, the he had to suffer the agony of his bones snapping and twisting back into place. He gritted his teeth during the whole repairing of his body he did not want to-ever-cry out; crying would only bring him more pain if his so-called relatives heard him.

Finally, the soft blue glow dimmed and died out leaving only the light from the cracks in the door.

Suddenly he stiffened as he saw a large shadow pass by his door. “Petunia!” his uncle said loudly from the other side.

“Yes dear!” she replied as she came out into the hall just outside Harry’s door.

“I’ve had enough of these god dammed freaky letters!” Vernon boomed angrily. “We should get rid of the little freak before any of them turn up here!” Harry was now shaking with fear. What did he mean by get rid of?

His aunt seemed to be thinking for a moment before replying “but where? And how?” she asked worriedly.

“We’ll just drive him somewhere and throw him out!” His uncle proclaimed with apparent satisfaction.

The cupboard door pulled hard open blinding Harry with light he put his hands over his eyes to protect then, and felt a beefy hand grab his ankle, he screeched as he was-pulled from the safety of his cupboard. “Shut up!” His whale of an uncle bellowed pulling him into the hall, throwing him into the wall and all went black, and he knew no more.

Harry was shivering cold on a hard damp surface, slowly opening his eyes to see the bright sunlight streaming through the trees. He looked round to see that he had obviously been dumped in a small wood. He gently lifted himself into a seated position and realised that if his uncle had re-broken him that he had been lying on the dirt ground long enough for him to heal.

He wheeled around as he heard a quite voice hissing to his right. “Aww; poor infant abandonsss by that fatsss humansss.” Harry looked around franticly looking for whoever spoke but all he could see was a small crimson and black striped snake, which had a few golden dashes on its head.

Harry stared at the little snake for a moment in fear when the snakes yellow eyes looked up at him as though it only noticed he could see it. “Hello,” the snake hissed. “Are you hurt?” it asked, its voice seemed oddly young and male.

Harry just stared at the snake for a moment before replying in a strange hissing language. “H… hello, I’m not hurt… thank you for asking,” he stuttered. The snake looked at him in surprise as it backed away from him slightly.

“You’re ssspeaker,” it hissed at him. “It is an honour to meet you,” it hissed bowing slightly. “I have heard of wizards that can speak to us.”

“Ex… excuse me?” Harry asked getting the snakes’ full attention. “What do you mean wizards?”

“You meansss you don’t knowsss?” the little snake asked. Harry shrugged slightly not knowing what to say. “You are magic little boy.”

Harry just stared in shock for a few moments letting the fact that he was having a confiscation with a snake sink in and the fact the snake had said he is a wizard and that he is magic. “Well I guess that makes sense,” Harry replied thoughtfully. “That would explain how I can heal myself all the time.”

“Yesss I sssuppose it would,” the little snake agreed with a small chuckle. “Ssso what is your name little human?”

“Harry Potter… what’sss your name?”

“My name is SSSlyther,” the snake replied proudly. Harry smiled. Then Slyther moved closer to Harry and moved up his right arm. He was nervous at first to have the snake climb on him but when the snake just curled around his upper right arm gently he smile at him, “I ssshall accompany you and help you, I would feel dreadful if any harm came to my new friend.”

“Friend?” Harry asked uncertainly.

“Yesss, friend,” agreed Slyther with a slight nod.

“But where ssshall we go?” Harry asked with a bit of fear to his voice.

“First,” Slyther hissed. “You need to learn some basic magic, I’m not sure how magic works but I can help you figure it out, you’ll need to learn how to make food out of thin air.”

“C-can I really do that?” Harry stuttered sitting up against a nearby tree.

“I don’t know,” Slyther admitted. “But try wishing for it and concentrate hard on some of your favourite foodsss.”

Harry closed his eyes trusting his new and only friend, concentrating as hard as he could holding his hands out wishing with all his might for some of the delicious foods he was denied by his aunt and uncle. Then he felt something in his hands, he opened his eyes and looked on in surprise. He was holding a tray with a plate full of food with a knife and folk either side. (Bacon, Sausages, Mushrooms and Onions and buttered Toast with backed beans) there was a glass of fresh orange juice and a side plate with a slice of fruitcake.

“Eat,” Slyther hissed. “Get your strength up.”

“Do you want some?” Harry asked his friend.

Slyther chuckled amusedly. “No I do not eat that kind of food… I eat mice and ratsss.”

“Err… Okay,” Harry hissed trying not to feel too grossed out or sorry for the little mice that his new friend eats. Harry picked up his knife and fork and for the first time in memory ate until he couldn’t eat any more, he finished of his main plate of food and was quite full by then it tasted better than he could have imagined. He ate every scrap, and then he drank half of his orange juice, scoffed down his fruitcake, and washed it down with the rest of his juice.

Harry was happy, glad that his so-called family had thrown him out as if he was garbage. He was finally free and even though he was left out in the woods probably miles from his relatives’ home, he felt safe and contempt with his new friend Slyther. He wondered what he was going to do with his now empty tray when an idea hit him, he concentrated on his tray and it disappeared in a swirl of blue mist, he smiled sheepishly at his snake friend.

“What do we do now?” Harry asked Slyther.

Slyther looked his human friend in the eyes and had a look on his mouth that was almost a smirk. “Now my friend… now we see what you can do with your magic.” Harry smiled happily for a chance to see what he can really do because he, Harry is a wizard.

0oo00oo0

A few days later, on July 31 hundreds of miles away from Harry Potter and his Snake friend Slyther, Somewhere in Scotland in the tallest tower of a magnificent castle in a circular office with moving portraits on the walls. Sat at the desk was an old man with long white hair, and beard so long he tucked it into his belt. He wore deep purple robes with gold stars, and he had half moon spectacles with brilliant blue eyes peering over the top of them.

Beside the desk, on a golden perch sat a majestic crimson bird with golden beak and talons, the bird the size of a Swan, a Phoenix; Albus’s Phoenix Fawkes was grooming his feathers peacefully.

Normally Albus’s blue eyes would twinkle with merriment but today however, they did not even have a slight shine to them, he had just received some very grave news that a young boy by the name of Harry Potter had not received his acceptance letter into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his magical training.

The old man, Albus Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts School was looking at a small green glob on his desk that he had only glanced at over the past ten years. However, what he was seeing was very disturbing and Albus was turning ghostly white; you see this green glob is for the monitor wards that he himself placed on a certain boy’s house, number four Privet Drive to be précised, the house of the famous boy-who-lived, Harry James Potter.

According to the monitor wards young Harry hasn’t been in the house for three days now, but all the owls that have been sent out to him have gone to number four Privet Drive and no other address.

In addition, Albus wishes he had paid more attention to his monitor glob, because according to the glob healing magic has been used in the house nearly everyday since the boy was three years old and not for superficial wounds like the average child would get on occasions, scraping a knee. Sometimes the healing magic would last for hours, which would suggest that Harry has been suffering broken bones or worse everyday for the past eight years.

Albus knew he had to go there himself to check on the house he prayed the boy was still alive; he just had to be, he stood up. “Fawkes?” He asked. His Phoenix familiar flew from his perch and landed on his shoulder and in a flash of fire; they were gone to reappear in front of number four Privet Drive.

He quickly approached the front door and banged on it urgently, it was-opened moments later by a huge man with a twitching moustache. “What do you want freak?” the man said rudely making Albus frown with worry.

“I’ve come to see Harry Potter,” the old man answered, he noticed the large man visibly pale and go sickly green with fear.

“S… sorry but there’s know one by that name living here,” The large man shakily replied.

Some people in the wizarding world, those who truly know Albus Dumbledore say he never gets angry or if he did, it was on very very rare occasions the normally happy go lucky Professor Dumbledore had just reached breaking point. His power, projected with his anger, his eyes darkened and you could see the rage burning in the depth of his normally kind eyes.

“Dursley!” was all the old Headmaster said before pushing the oversized, Vernon Dursley out of the way with the strength of a man one hundred years younger. He moved straight to where he could feel the highest concentration of magic, leaving Vernon to cower in the corner by the front door.

Albus reached the cupboard under the stairs, dreading what he might find; he reached out and pulled the door open, and heaved, almost vomiting on the spot. The smell of blood and decay was as if acid to his senses, he looked away, took a deep breath, and looked back into the cupboard.

What he saw made his eyes water and a few sobs escaped him, there was just a thin mattress on the floor covered in thick layers of blood and allsorts of other bodily fluids. There was nothing else in the cupboard except a few items of clothes that looked like rags that would fit a baby whale better than an eleven-year-old child.

Albus turned to face the only Dursley in the house, Vernon. “Where is Harry Potter!” he spat finding it very hard not to shout. Vernon just seemed to shrink into the corner of the wall by the front door shaking with fear near peeing himself.

0oo00oo0

It has been a month since Harry’s birthday and Harry and Slyther were now staying together in a small cave in the same woods that they found each other. Harry discovered they were near a nice little village and Slyther has been trying to convince Harry in going to the village for help, but he will not go because he is frightened they might send him back to the Dursleys’.

Slyther even suggested finding some wizards or witches to help him because his relatives were obviously raciest towards magic, and others of his kind would understand better than, non-magical people. However, finding magical people will not be easy, so Harry decided that he would not bother. He was already very good at conjuring food and even changing one item into another, he has already turned a small wooden twig into a large rough wooden walking stick, which he uses because his right leg, once crushed under the car and it could not heal fully so without the stick it hurts to walk.

His favourite bit of magic so far though is levitation, he loves being able to make things float and fly things around in the air. Harry for the first time in a long while felt clean and fresh, he had used a large fresh pond to wash himself and his clothes in before using a bit of magic to dry himself and his clothes.

Harry was just walking happily through the woods towards the pond where he likes to sit and stare at the water, while thinking. He was chatting with Slyther and leaning on the badly made walking stick as he went, when all of a sudden something collided into him causing him to fall backwards onto his bum and Slyther to hiss angrily.

Harry looked up to see a young girl with pale skin and hundreds of freckles across her nose and checks, she had red and orange hair that flowed down to her bum and she was wearing a blue summer dress with flowers on it. Her chocolate brown eyes had tears, and it looked like she had been crying before she knocked him down.

They stared at each other in shock for a moment before the girl got to her feet and wiped away her tears, and brushed herself down. “Who are you?” she asked curiously, cocking her head to one side getting a good look at him.

“I’m Harry,” he replied shyly his cheeks tinting pink slightly. “Who are you?” He asked back keenly.

“Ginevra Weasley,” she said with a smile. “But everyone just calls me Ginny for short, so you can call me that to if you like?” she grinned at him and he could not help but grin back.

“Why were you crying?” he asked hopping nobody hurt her and threw her away too.

“Oh that doesn’t matter,” she said shyly coming closer to him. “Let me help you up,” she offered, putting her hand out for his and after a moments hesitation he reached for it and she pulled him up to his feet.

“So what are you doing out here, Harry?” she wondered aloud to him.

“Well I don’t have anywhere else to go,” he told her honestly, he was not initially sure, why he was telling this girl the truth he just felt that she would keep his secrets.

“What!” she shouted angrily making Harry recoil and stagger backwards away from the little red haired girl in front of him. When she saw his reaction her face softened completely “I’m sorry Harry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I… its okay,” said Harry timidly. “It’s my fault I’m sorry.”

“Well I was the one who shouted,” she blushed. “Why don’t you have anywhere to go?”

“My parents are dead,” he told her sadly. “And my aunt and uncle threw me away,” he added shrugging, looking down at his feet ashamed. Ginny went wide-eyed with shock, and then she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He was shaking, he did not know what to do he had never been hugged before. However, he felt so warm and cared for in that moment by a girl he had only just met, his arms were by his sides, his right hand loosened, and he dropped his walking stick as he did something he could not remember ever doing before, he cried.

He laid his head on her shoulder, cried, and wept, tears spilling from his eyes. He cried for his parents and he cried for all the pain his aunt and uncle had caused him. He cried because he had nowhere to go. All the while Ginny was holding him and rubbing his back in a comforting manner whispering soothing words into his ear.

After forty-five minuets, Harry’s crying eased up, to a few hiccups and Ginny pulled slowly away from him looking in to his beautiful emerald green eyes, they were like deep pools of conflicting emotions, waging war. Even through the puffiness and bloodshot red.

“Come on,” Ginny said taking his left hand and pulling him with her. Harry limped slightly behind her still holding hands so he quickly levitated his walking stick from where he dropped it to his right hand. They cleared the trees of the woods in silence. Harry wondered where she was taking him but then he saw it, a huge house with several chimneys and rooms sticking out at odd angles. Harry was not sure how the house was held together but it looked really cool compared with a suburban house.

Ginny led Harry to the back door of the property and was just about to open the door when it swung open for her, to reveal a plump red haired woman who had an angry scowl on her face staring daggers at Ginny, “Ginevra Weasley, where have you been!” she reprimanded.

Harry Scurried in fright behind Ginny a hand on each of her shoulders, while he was shaking he peeked over her shoulder at the angry woman. “Mum,” Ginny complained. “You’re scaring, Harry.” It was at this time that Mrs. Weasley noticed Harry cowering behind her daughter.

“Hello, Harry dear,” Mrs. Weasley said to him with a motherly smile then turned to Ginny when he did not reply. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked, concerned.

Ginny looked embarrassed as she took a deep breath. “His aunt and uncle threw him away.”

“Nonsense dear; why would anyone do that?” Mrs. Weasley asked chuckling at the ludicrous thought.

“But mum they’ve hurt him loads of times look at him,” Ginny begged pulling Harry round to stand beside her. Mrs. Weasley had to admit though; the poor boy looked very ill and sickly underfed. His skin was near transparent and the fact he used a stick to walk with did not go unnoticed, as well, his clothes were a lot bigger than he was. Molly Weasley was starting to worry that her daughters’ worries were very much justified.

“Well come on in you two,” she finally said moving back inside. Ginny took Harrys’ hand again and pulled him into the house with her where he found himself in a very interesting kitchen dining room where Ginny sat him down at the dining table.

“Mum he needs to see a healer,” Ginny told her mum.

“He can’t Ginny dear he’s a muggle,” Mrs. Weasley replied.

“What’s a muggle?” Harry asked from the table curiosity overcoming his fears.

Mrs. Weasley looked over at him startled. “Err… I didn’t know you could hear me, dear.”

“But what’s a muggle?”

“They’re magic,” Slyther suddenly hissed from his arm pointing his head towards both Weasley females, who had only just noticed the snake. “I can spell it all over this home.”

“Slyther says you’re both magic, like me?” Harry asked. Both Ginny and Mrs. Weasley looked startled and a little scared about something. “W-what’s wrong?” he asked, stuttering worriedly.

Mrs. Weasley was the first to get over her surprise. “Can you understand the snake dear?”

“Yes why?” Harry asked. “He’s nice; he’s the first friend I ever had… I found him when I woke up in the woods, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

“Well that’s nice dear,” Mrs. Weasley said brightening up. “I’ll just go call Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfree from Hogwarts, to see how we can help.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome dear,” she replied as she exited the kitchen, and Ginny came to sit next to him.

“What’s wrong with talking to snakes?” Harry asked Ginny.

“Nothing I guess its just Parceltongue, snake language is normally thought of as dark or evil,” Ginny told him but he just frowned and looked at his snake friend.

“Whoever decided that must be stupid,” said Harry with a nod. “I’m not evil.”

“Of course you’re not,” she giggled. For the next few minuets they talked about magic and Hogwarts the best magic school in the UK, and they even talked about Quidditch the magical sport and flying on broomsticks. When an old man with white hair and long white beard with navy blue wizards robes and half moon spectacles with blue eyes walked into the room followed by Mrs. Weasley, and a brown haired woman who wore white robes with a red cross on her chest.

“Ah, you must be Harry?” the old man asked with a sad smile and a slight twinkle to his eyes.

“Y-yes sir,” Harry stuttered scooting off his seat to hide behind Ginny.

“Well I’m Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and Wizardry,” he said then pointed to the other woman who Harry just noticed carrying a black medical bag. “This is Poppy Pomfree, Hogwarts schools healer. May I ask your second name?”

“James” Harry replied, confused, looking the old man straight in the eyes. Dumbledore felt as though his entire being, his soul, and his life was examined in that brief moment their eyes locked. He tried to enter the boys mind, but something he never thought possible happened, he could not gain entrance, and it was like the boys mind did not exist, but still he could see intelligence in the boys’ eyes, and sense above average power.

“I meant your family name, Harry.” Dumbledore felt he should ask even though he was completely sure who young Harry was now.

Harry gulped before answering. “Potter.” In that moment Molly Weasley and Poppy Pomfree gasped in shock, and Ginny Weasley span around in her chair staring in wide-eyed surprise at Harry while Dumbledore just looked at him sadly, with a few tears in his eyes.

“You’re Harry Potter?” Ginny squealed. “The Harry Potter?”

“I don’t know what you mean, I’m just Harry,” he replied with a few tears of his own. “You don’t like me now do you, because I’m a Parceltongue?” He asked sadly.

“Of course I still like you” she said smiling at him. “We’re friends aren’t we?” she asked hopefully. He just looked at her, smiled a small caring smile before she hoped off her chair, and gave him another big long hug, which brought tears to the adults’ eyes, and Harry did something he thought he would never do, he hugged her back, for a few minuets before they pulled apart blushing slightly.

“Well Harry,” Dumbledore interrupted a bit more cheerfully while Madam Pomfree and Mrs. Weasley brushed away tears from their eyes. “Would it be okay if Madam Pomfree checks you over?”

“O… Okay,” he says nervously as Pomfree approached with a thin small stick in her hand. “W-what’s that?” he asked pointing to the stick.

“It’s just a wand dear,” she told him kindly. “So I can diagnose how to help you.” Harry nodded as she waves her wand over his small frame. “Oh dear lord,” she cried out in panic scaring Harry who grabbed Ginny's arm after almost falling over. Pomfree turned to Dumbledore. “He’s had every bone in his body broken at least twenty times, some even more than that, it’s a miracle that he’s alive and even more so that he can walk.”

Harry gulped. “I have to use a stick to walk properly,” he informed her.

“I have no doubt about that dear,” she replied shaken, seeing his makeshift walking stick leaning up against the dining table. “He also needs glasses, plus all of the damage inflicted upon him has made him physically weaker than a normal boy his age, he’ll have to be on potions for a few years before he’ll be fully healed, and even then he won’t be up to the same level as a normal boy.”

“What about Hogwarts?” Dumbledore asked. “He should have started today.”

“I would not advise it yet,” said Pomfree with a thoughtful expression. “I would suggest start him next year when he’s fitter, with all those hexes and curses flying around he could get seriously hurt.”

“Yes, unfortunate, but I’ll have to agree,” he smiled at Harry. “Are you okay with starting school next year?” he asked. “You’ll be in the same classes as young Ginevra here,” he said. Harry nodded eagerly. “Mrs. Weasley’s already agreed to let you stay here during the year and holidays’ if that’s okay with you.”

“Yes, sir” Harry replied nodding brightly.

Dumbledore stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small golden key and a small blue blanket, and handed them to an ecstatic Harry Potter who hugged the blanket that was from when he was a baby then looked at the key curiously.

“It’s the key to your trust vault at Gringots bank,” Dumbledore informed him. “Your parents left you quite a lot of money,” he smiled at him. “Well myself and Poppy must be off back to school now.”

“I’ll send the potions and instructions by owl,” Pomfree told them. “You should get them by tonight.” The three adults left through the door they entered after Dumbledore and Pomfree said there last farewells.

“So where’s Gringots?” Harry asked as he and Ginny sat back down at the table.

“Oh, it’s in Diagon Alley,” she replied cheerfully.

“Am I allowed to go there?” he asked. “If I have a bit of money I should buy some clothes.” He looked down at the rags he was wearing and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll ask mum for you if you want?” he nodded just as Mrs. Weasley returned to the kitchen. “Mum.”

“Yes dear?” Mrs. Weasley answered.

“Harry wanted to know whether he can go to Gringots,” Ginny said with a smile while Harry nodded. “He wants to buy some clothes, and I have to agree he needs some clothes that fit him right.”

“Okay, we can go now dears?” she asked and both Harry and Ginny nodded that they did, standing up Mrs. Weasley led the two children to the living room fireplace and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny explained all about the Floo network and Floo travel.

Mrs. Weasley held out a flowerpot with a grey powder in it for Harry. “Take a hand full Harry, dear.” He did. “That’s it now dear, throw it into the fire and say loudly and clearly ‘Diagon Alley’ then step in to the green flames.”

“Ready SSSlyther?” Harry hissed to his snake.

“Yes, jussst be careful,” his snake replied.

T.B.C…