Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Strains of Melody
And Another Begins
0 reviewsAn abused 5-year-old Harry Potter is rescued from the Dursleys' by muggles and adopted. There's just one problem: the person who adopted him doesn't exist. Non-explicit child abuse, future slash. M...
4Original
*
Taka walked back to the orphanage, careful not to walk so fast that the young boy clinging to his hand couldn't keep up. He still didn't know why the child had decided to trust him, but he thanked the Fates for it.
He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he crawled beneath that bush. Taka had been ready to stun his future Heir and 'port back to the Citadel, but instead the child had taken his hand and started pulling him towards the building.
He thought it would be a safe bet to say the boy wanted to go with him.
Around the two, the plants murmured, restless, from the light scratches of the grass to the deep bass groans of the oak and pine. Curious as to what could so excite the normally stoic nature of plants, he paused and reached out with his senses, asking a silent question.
Beside him, the boy looked up at the odd man. He could hear the song change, as the stranger did...something, something that twisted the melody into a different strain. After a moment, he smiled. Here was someone who wouldn't call him a freak.
Meanwhile, Taka was trying to sort out the flood of impressions he'd received from the greenery surrounding them. Anticipation, approval, and...wistfulness?
Startled, he sent out another query to his affinity. This time, he received actual words.
we will miss him. he sings to us.
Puzzled, Taka's musings were interrupted as he felt the slightest of pressures on his hand, and he looked down into the oddly trusting face of his Heir. He knelt, bringing his eyes level with the child's.
"Why do you trust me?" he asked quietly.
For a moment the boy studied him, smiling, before answering quietly. "You're like me."
The man's eyes widened. The sorcerer was shielding himself with the strongest shield he could create, to prevent his world's magic users from sensing him, and this untrained boy still knew?
He didn't resist as the child led him into the building and down the hall to Dr. Johannson's office. She looked up as they walked in. "Ah! You've found someone! Well, I..."
Taka didn't miss the surprise in her face as she spotted the boy stubbornly clasping his hand. "Harry?!" she gasped, incredulous.
Harry. So that was what the lad's name was. Now to find out why the doctor looked so amazed.
"Er, Mr. Merrion? May I speak with you privately?" the woman asked, still staring at the child. Nodding, Taka gently untangled his fingers from Harry's. He patted the boy reassuringly on the shoulder as he followed Dr. Johannson out into the hall.
"Doctor...?" he inquired, letting his voice trail off. "What's wrong?"
"Hmm?" She looked up, having been rather preoccupied with gazing blankly at the wall. "Oh! Nothing's really /wrong/, I just thought you ought to know more about this particular ward. You see, his circumstances...unhappily, they're not /unique/, but they are...unfortunate." Seeing Taka's impatience, she hurried on. "The lad's name is Harry Potter. He's five years old. His parents were killed in a car accident when he was a babe, and as his only living relatives, he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle." She grimaced. "The latter of whom decided to abuse him for the next four years, physically and emotionally." Ignoring his gasp, she forged on. "A concerned neighbor called the police a week ago, apparently after seeing Harry while he was outside."
He frowned. "And the uncle?"
The doctor smirked. "He- along with his wife, I am happy to say- is currently enjoying an extended stay in police custody."
"/Good/."
Dr. Johannson hesitated. "Do...do you still want to take him, then? You're the first person he's let get close to him since he arrived. To tell you the truth, we weren't sure he would ever trust anyone again." She looked at him appealingly. "You don't understand just how much of a miracle it is that he held your hand."
Taka was ashamed to admit, even mentally, that he was actually considering choosing a different Heir. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk the boy turning to the Void because of his past. Then, the memory of innocent, trusting green eyes floated through his mind, and the ancient mage knew what he had to do.
"No. I'm taking him home."
*
About half a dozen forms later, the mage and his new Apprentice were walking out the door, Taka now the proud guardian of one Harry James Potter, though it had taken some persuasion on his part to convince the doctor not to perform a background check. A pity he had not been able to do the same and so avoid the paperwork as well, but doing so would have left a rather large hole in the legal system.
Now came the hard part.
Once they were out of sight of the main building, Taka guided his charge in between two cars. Stopping, he kneeled so he could look him in the eye. "Alright, Harry. I'm going to take us home. Don't be afraid."
Waiting until Harry nodded uncertainly, the mage wrapped his arms around the child and began to murmur the words to the 'Port.
Harry gasped in delight as curtains of pure light sprang up around the duo. Amid their white glow- a white he would later think of as sunlight on fresh snow, but didn't because he had never yet seen snow- shadow-like runes danced to a music only they, and Harry, could hear.
And that was the most wonderful part of it all. The song soared around them, and through them, crying out its joy to the world in notes of such purity that the child nearly wept, but did not because tears only brought pain.
Anyone watching would only have seen a man kneeling in front of a boy, with no hint of the wonders that flocked around them. It was quite fortunate that no one was, because a moment later any such observer would have seen only empty space.
*
"Albus!"
The elderly wizard jumped, coming appallingly close to letting the lemon drop he'd been about to place in his mouth fall to the floor. Surprised, he turned towards his fireplace, where the head of an old friend sat among the flames.
"Arabella, my dear, you really oughtn't startle an old man so. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He pressed a hand to his chest, eyes twinkling madly.
"Not now, Albus!" Arabella Figg cried, exasperated. "The boy's gone!"
The Headmaster's smile vanished, as did the infuriating twinkle. "How?"
The former Auror shook her head, looking...guilty? "I've only just gotten back from visiting my daughter in Dublin, and the entire street's buzzing with it." She fell silent. Her gaze distant.
Albus waited, until he realized she had gone off into her own little world. "Well, out with it! The street's buzzing with /what/?"
Arabella snapped back into focus, looking at him sadly. "The Dursleys, Harry's aunt and uncle, they...they were arrested a week ago by the muggle police," she sobbed. "For child abuse. The...the police couldn't find any other relatives, so they sent him to an orphanage." The woman's face crumbled. "I'm sorry, Albus, but I couldn't find out which one." Another half-sob escaped.
"Now, now, Arabella," the Headmaster said soothingly as his mind raced. "I'm sure everything will be just fine once we get this sorted out."
"I was supposed to watch over him, Albus! And...and I never even saw a thing." The last was said in a quiet whisper.
The wizard sighed. "Don't worry, my dear, we'll find him. You just go on and get some rest. If you find out anything more just give me a firecall."
With a teary nod the disembodied head vanished from the fire, and the old man settled back into his chair, blue eyes still uncommonly grave. After a moment, he bent and pulled open a draw in his desk. Digging beneath his rather impressive sock collection, Albus eventually unearthed a sheet of parchment with three words written at the top: Harry James Potter.
He pressed his wand against the parchment with a muttered /Locatus/, and leaned forward as words slowly floated up into sight.
Orchid Grove Orphanage,
Surrey, England
With a relieved smile, Headmaster Dumbledore of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry summoned a house elf. "Ah, Tilly, isn't it? I was wondering if perhaps you could inform Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape that I would like to see them in my office."
Taka walked back to the orphanage, careful not to walk so fast that the young boy clinging to his hand couldn't keep up. He still didn't know why the child had decided to trust him, but he thanked the Fates for it.
He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he crawled beneath that bush. Taka had been ready to stun his future Heir and 'port back to the Citadel, but instead the child had taken his hand and started pulling him towards the building.
He thought it would be a safe bet to say the boy wanted to go with him.
Around the two, the plants murmured, restless, from the light scratches of the grass to the deep bass groans of the oak and pine. Curious as to what could so excite the normally stoic nature of plants, he paused and reached out with his senses, asking a silent question.
Beside him, the boy looked up at the odd man. He could hear the song change, as the stranger did...something, something that twisted the melody into a different strain. After a moment, he smiled. Here was someone who wouldn't call him a freak.
Meanwhile, Taka was trying to sort out the flood of impressions he'd received from the greenery surrounding them. Anticipation, approval, and...wistfulness?
Startled, he sent out another query to his affinity. This time, he received actual words.
we will miss him. he sings to us.
Puzzled, Taka's musings were interrupted as he felt the slightest of pressures on his hand, and he looked down into the oddly trusting face of his Heir. He knelt, bringing his eyes level with the child's.
"Why do you trust me?" he asked quietly.
For a moment the boy studied him, smiling, before answering quietly. "You're like me."
The man's eyes widened. The sorcerer was shielding himself with the strongest shield he could create, to prevent his world's magic users from sensing him, and this untrained boy still knew?
He didn't resist as the child led him into the building and down the hall to Dr. Johannson's office. She looked up as they walked in. "Ah! You've found someone! Well, I..."
Taka didn't miss the surprise in her face as she spotted the boy stubbornly clasping his hand. "Harry?!" she gasped, incredulous.
Harry. So that was what the lad's name was. Now to find out why the doctor looked so amazed.
"Er, Mr. Merrion? May I speak with you privately?" the woman asked, still staring at the child. Nodding, Taka gently untangled his fingers from Harry's. He patted the boy reassuringly on the shoulder as he followed Dr. Johannson out into the hall.
"Doctor...?" he inquired, letting his voice trail off. "What's wrong?"
"Hmm?" She looked up, having been rather preoccupied with gazing blankly at the wall. "Oh! Nothing's really /wrong/, I just thought you ought to know more about this particular ward. You see, his circumstances...unhappily, they're not /unique/, but they are...unfortunate." Seeing Taka's impatience, she hurried on. "The lad's name is Harry Potter. He's five years old. His parents were killed in a car accident when he was a babe, and as his only living relatives, he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle." She grimaced. "The latter of whom decided to abuse him for the next four years, physically and emotionally." Ignoring his gasp, she forged on. "A concerned neighbor called the police a week ago, apparently after seeing Harry while he was outside."
He frowned. "And the uncle?"
The doctor smirked. "He- along with his wife, I am happy to say- is currently enjoying an extended stay in police custody."
"/Good/."
Dr. Johannson hesitated. "Do...do you still want to take him, then? You're the first person he's let get close to him since he arrived. To tell you the truth, we weren't sure he would ever trust anyone again." She looked at him appealingly. "You don't understand just how much of a miracle it is that he held your hand."
Taka was ashamed to admit, even mentally, that he was actually considering choosing a different Heir. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk the boy turning to the Void because of his past. Then, the memory of innocent, trusting green eyes floated through his mind, and the ancient mage knew what he had to do.
"No. I'm taking him home."
*
About half a dozen forms later, the mage and his new Apprentice were walking out the door, Taka now the proud guardian of one Harry James Potter, though it had taken some persuasion on his part to convince the doctor not to perform a background check. A pity he had not been able to do the same and so avoid the paperwork as well, but doing so would have left a rather large hole in the legal system.
Now came the hard part.
Once they were out of sight of the main building, Taka guided his charge in between two cars. Stopping, he kneeled so he could look him in the eye. "Alright, Harry. I'm going to take us home. Don't be afraid."
Waiting until Harry nodded uncertainly, the mage wrapped his arms around the child and began to murmur the words to the 'Port.
Harry gasped in delight as curtains of pure light sprang up around the duo. Amid their white glow- a white he would later think of as sunlight on fresh snow, but didn't because he had never yet seen snow- shadow-like runes danced to a music only they, and Harry, could hear.
And that was the most wonderful part of it all. The song soared around them, and through them, crying out its joy to the world in notes of such purity that the child nearly wept, but did not because tears only brought pain.
Anyone watching would only have seen a man kneeling in front of a boy, with no hint of the wonders that flocked around them. It was quite fortunate that no one was, because a moment later any such observer would have seen only empty space.
*
"Albus!"
The elderly wizard jumped, coming appallingly close to letting the lemon drop he'd been about to place in his mouth fall to the floor. Surprised, he turned towards his fireplace, where the head of an old friend sat among the flames.
"Arabella, my dear, you really oughtn't startle an old man so. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He pressed a hand to his chest, eyes twinkling madly.
"Not now, Albus!" Arabella Figg cried, exasperated. "The boy's gone!"
The Headmaster's smile vanished, as did the infuriating twinkle. "How?"
The former Auror shook her head, looking...guilty? "I've only just gotten back from visiting my daughter in Dublin, and the entire street's buzzing with it." She fell silent. Her gaze distant.
Albus waited, until he realized she had gone off into her own little world. "Well, out with it! The street's buzzing with /what/?"
Arabella snapped back into focus, looking at him sadly. "The Dursleys, Harry's aunt and uncle, they...they were arrested a week ago by the muggle police," she sobbed. "For child abuse. The...the police couldn't find any other relatives, so they sent him to an orphanage." The woman's face crumbled. "I'm sorry, Albus, but I couldn't find out which one." Another half-sob escaped.
"Now, now, Arabella," the Headmaster said soothingly as his mind raced. "I'm sure everything will be just fine once we get this sorted out."
"I was supposed to watch over him, Albus! And...and I never even saw a thing." The last was said in a quiet whisper.
The wizard sighed. "Don't worry, my dear, we'll find him. You just go on and get some rest. If you find out anything more just give me a firecall."
With a teary nod the disembodied head vanished from the fire, and the old man settled back into his chair, blue eyes still uncommonly grave. After a moment, he bent and pulled open a draw in his desk. Digging beneath his rather impressive sock collection, Albus eventually unearthed a sheet of parchment with three words written at the top: Harry James Potter.
He pressed his wand against the parchment with a muttered /Locatus/, and leaned forward as words slowly floated up into sight.
Orchid Grove Orphanage,
Surrey, England
With a relieved smile, Headmaster Dumbledore of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry summoned a house elf. "Ah, Tilly, isn't it? I was wondering if perhaps you could inform Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape that I would like to see them in my office."
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