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Harry Potter was just a normal little boy, living in a normal little village. He kept to himself mostly, for he did not get along well with his cousin, Dudley, who was the same age as him. This was because he had been spoiled rotten. Aunt Petunia always gave Dudley his favourite foods while Uncle Vernon always allowed Dudley to do whatever he wanted.
This allowed Dudley to grow up with a sense of entitlement. Harry tried to avoid Dudley whenever possible, for his cousin was becoming quite the bully around town. As they got older, Harry wished he could do something about it, but as it was, he was utterly powerless to stop him.
Then everything changed when Harry’s eleventh birthday came around. He didn't expect anything to come from it. What was left of his family seemed to conveniently forget about him all the time. But this particular birthday ended up being a very special one.
That night, he was visited by a kindly old witch named Minerva. She came to him as a cat before reverting to her human self. She told Harry that she could grant one wish for his birthday, just one.
“I wish I could help those whom Dudley hurts all the time,” Harry said.
Minerva smiled softly at him. “Then your wish is granted, but beware, use your power only for good or you will have it stripped from you. Likewise, this power must remain a secret.”
Harry felt a tingling as she tapped his head with her wand before switching back to her cat form. He looked down just in time to see her disappear.
For the next few days, Harry began to follow Dudley around, but at a distance. He instinctively kept out of sight, watching as Dudley would head for his next target. Dudley's gang grabbed the unfortunate victim, holding him tightly to a wall so that Dudley could move in to punch some sense (as he liked to say) into the younger boy.
Harry felt time slow down. His clothes rippled, transforming into a black ensemble with a dark blue belt. A black cape billowed out behind him while his vision changed a little as a mask appeared on his face. He felt himself fly up into the air.
“Whoa!” Harry yelped, swooping in a sort of loop-de-loop for a moment before holding steady. “Alright. This is happening!”
He swooped down, crashing through the gang. Dudley felt the force hard as his body was flung back onto the hard pavement. Another dive allowed Harry to scoop up the boy. He flew away over a few blocks before letting the boy off, safely away from Dudley.
It took a few tries, but Harry eventually mastered the art of flying. He stalked Dudley for the next few years, always swooping in to save the day. It was a strange phenomenon no one could explain.
As they got older, Harry noticed how Dudley would always pick on someone half his size, or someone half his age. There was one boy Dudley went after every Tuesday, claiming to teach this kid some lesson he thought the poor thing needed to learn.
This week, the boy had received a new baseball cap from his father. Dudley instantly wanted it for himself. By now though, he was getting used to being thwarted by the masked rescuer people were starting to call 'Phenomenal Man', so he waited to take the cap when the boy was alone.
Harry was sitting on the swings when he heard someone crying. He got up to find the boy sitting on the bench at the edge of the park. He sat down beside him. “What's wrong?”
The boy shrugged. “Big D took my cap.”
“Do you think you'll get it back?” Harry asked.
“No,” the boy said. “Phenomenal Man could do it, but he wasn't around.”
“I'm really good friends with him,” Harry said. “I'll let him know. You go home.”
The boy smiled. “Thank you, Sir!”
Harry patted the boy's head before leaving. He hurried down one street before ducking into an alley. After shifting to his alter ego, Harry flew off in search of Dudley. He found his cousin stuffing his face with ice cream in the parking lot of the grocery store. He dived down, snatching the cap off Dudley's head as he passed.
Dudley squealed in surprise but Harry was already gone.
Harry dropped onto the roof of the boy's home. After a quick glance around, he climbed down to the bedroom window. It was open, so Harry slipped inside to put the cap on the bookshelf, along with a note. He headed back home to change back into himself before Dudley appeared.
Hearing a whoosh of air, the boy ran into his room. “Phenomenal Man?” His eyes darted about, hoping to see him, but he was alone in his room. His eyes landed on his cap, sitting on the top shelf. He hurried over to find the note as well.
Putting his cap on, he read the note.
“Don't worry. Phenomenal Man will always be around to save the day!”
