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He looked at the Mickey Mouse watch he found at the playground a few weeks ago. "...ten, eleven, twelve dots and both hands are on twelve! Only 12 minutes to go!"
Though late to start, Harry was an intelligent boy for his age, but he could never show it. He learned that the hard way at the end of his first year of school.
The Creatures never taught him anything as they tried with the fat baby thing, but he was observant. Always watching, always listening. Peeking at the telly when Sesame Street was on to learn his letters and numbers.
It was not always so. Not until Longneck hit him with the cast iron skillet and heard something crack and Purple Vermin threw him in the cupboard again.
But cast iron doesn't crack like that, right?
When he woke up two days later, cheek stuck to his pillow by some disgusting black goo and a massive headache, he turned around his pillow and fell asleep again. The next time when he woke up, though very thirsty and dirty, he never felt better.
He could see without his ugly and now broken glasses and felt so very calm and collected. Even the stupid scar was gone!
When he had to do his chores, he smuggled the newspapers in his cupboard, instead of throwing them away when cleaning and with some difficulty he read what was happening in the world. A tree that fell on a bus during a storm, pol- politicks he didn't know yet what that was about. A dog that had to be put down, because it bit 3 people. A nice picture of a firetruck putting out a fire that he cut out and taped on the wall. The comics were fun, he cut those out too and put them in a cigar box.
"Oh! Three, two, one, Happy birthday to me~"
He slid open the matchbox that he nicked from kitchen earlier today and lit up a match and held it to the candle. "Happy birthday to me~." The little boy sang again and smiled as he watched the dancing flame for a bit and silently left the cupboard, put on his coat, shoes and backpack and took the keys from the bowl.
The now six year old Harry Potter stepped into the night and locked the door behind him. Quietly, not to wake anything up.
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A pale faced Albus Dumbledore looked at the serenely smiling boy who was too mesmerized by the roaring flames that shot from the roof of number 4 Privet Drive, flashing lights and firemen spraying water to notice him.
"Why are you smiling, my boy?" He finally asked when he came out of his stupor.
"It's my birthday, sir!"
"B-but what of your family!" As he weakly gestures towards the burning house.
"Family?" The little boy questioned in confusion as he finally turned his head and looked in the eyes of the weird old man and felt a funny tickle in his head.
'Oh Petunia, what have you done.' As images of his life came flashing before him. A purple faced Vernon dragging him with his meaty hands, a sneering and shouting Petunia
'He was supposed to grow up loved! For Merlin's sake, he didn't even see them as people!'
'He thought he had to feed the animals lest they go feral again!'
Shouting, hitting, lies, tantrums, starvation, pain, so much pain.
He grabbed his left arm. A cupboard... A newspaper article about a biting dog that had to be put down flashed by.
'My dear boy, what have I done.' He gasped.
As the flames finally died out, the sleepy boy that was standing on the lawn of number 12 Privet Drive thought he finally had a nice birthday for the first time.
Maybe there was no cake to go with the candle, but the fire sure was pretty to look at.
"Family, huh" He mumbled, as he walked to get a bit closer because the warmth of the fire disappeared and was finally spotted by an officer.
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16 year old Evan Williams looked through his album for old time's sake and opened on the old newspaper article of the fire where he used to live.
His aunt, uncle and cousin as he came to understand after his many therapy sessions.
The next article about a homeless man that was found dead on the lawn of number 12 the next day. The coroner guessed the excitement of the happenings there was too much for the old man's heart.
Shaking his head and mumbling about notice-me-not's when he later found out who it was when he saw his picture in a history book and remembered him. He then looked the many 'Boy-Who-Lived' articles.
He still wondered what was wrong with that McDonalds woman, or whatever she was called, for proudly announcing him in that filthy pub to the bartender. Getting mobbed and meeting the creepy DADA teacher didn't help things. Finding out he was worshipped because his parents got murdered but not him, did not enamor him to wizarding Britain.
When he found out the previous headmaster stole his vault key and a family heirloom and both of them dumped him on the doorstep at the Creatures den as a thank you... He plastered a polite smile on his face and just went through the motions from there on out.
He got Voldemort's brother wand... the next day the wand was headed for the landfill.
He went back to Gringots in disguise with his foster parents to look at his parents will, get a new permanent look, identity and a one way ticket to Massachusetts for the whole family.
Asking the Potter account manager to deal with the 'BWL' merchandize for 25% of whatever he could sue them for, taught them what a smiling goblin looked like. For an added 25% to get his godfather out of Azkaban and he was shaking hands with his first and only friend in wizarding Britain, as he declared himself as. From there it was smooth sailing.
Sirius Black was in the care of Gringots healers within 4 days thanks to... a house elf that helped misfile multiple pieces of paperwork at the ministry, A junior auror who was now on an all inclusive cruise, five members of the wizengamot who were now debt-free and a third year Hufflepuff girl with a flute. Still not sure what that was about, but no one was complaining when the results of a well paid Goblin spoke for itself.
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"Evan! Aunties Noir and the Tonks' are here! Come downstairs you dufus! I want cake!"
Chuckling about his sisters antics, he stopped his reminiscing about the past and tidied up his blond locks and checked over his clothing. Vicky should be here too in half an hour.
'No worries, just introducing your girlfriend to the family for the first time.' As he fought a blush as he though of the cute fifth year from Thunderbird house.
'Drat! Could have done without aunt Nova and her antics for another hour while introducing her, how does her wife even handle her fulltime!'
'A new identity to get away from it all' He said. 'What a great idea!' He told them. Wizards are already crazy, Sirius Black didn't just take the cake, but the whole freaking bakery.
'Nova Noir' The black haired bombshell introduced herself after the expensive potion regime, trying to smile sultry and failing. The massive grin and twinkling eyes won out. Crazy b... mutt.
As he spotted his birthday cake without candles, he couldn't help but smile. When the fire that resulted from that lone candle was put out on his sixth birthday, he never needed more for any birthday wishes.
"Happy birthday, Evan!"