Chapter Text
Harry’s lungs burned as he desperately ran through the street, his guardians yelling drowned out by the blood pumping in his ears and his feet hitting the wet asphalt beneath him. He ran like that until his lungs ached and burned like hot coals took up the air he breathed, and the smoke filled his esophagus, making sure that every ounce of clean air never made it to his lungs.
After a few blocks, his frail body gave out, and he fell into the middle of a short alley and desperately clawed at the collar of his shirt, but it was in vain as it did very little to help the burning sensation spreading through his chest. Slowly, the cold breeze filled his lungs and soothed the aching as the bitter winter air cooled his small body.
His lungs continued to have a dull aching as he steadied his breathing and looked around the empty alley he found himself in. A large garbage bin sat on the side of a small family restaurant, across from it, a few townhouses towered above him, cold and uninviting. When he went to rub his hands together, he flinched and let out a small hiss as a sudden pain reminded him of the small circular wounds Uncle Vernon had pushed into his skin when he had accidentally burned dinner earlier that night.
When he looked back up at the dull townhouses, he saw a peculiar sight: a door now sat in the previously plain brick wall. The door was old, a fair wood with a metallic knob. It looked wildly out of place and compared to the metal doors of the buildings around him, it was almost welcoming, and as he touched the circular doorknob, it felt warm. A welcome change to the cold dampness of the London weather.
The door opens easily, and the small boy was able to push it open silently despite its old appearance. On the other side was what looked like a doctor’s office, with white walls and minimal decorations on the floors and walls. Wanting a better look, he stepped inside, his eyes quickly glanced around, when his shoe made a high-pitched squeaking sound on the vinyl flooring. As he took in more of the room, the door behind him shut with a loud thud, and he heard someone coming closer.
Carlos was cleaning up a conjoining room when he heard a loud bang from the main lab. This wouldn’t have been strange if everyone hadn’t been sent home earlier in the day due to an event happening in the town square.
“Nils? Are you still here? It’s almost a quarter-” he cut himself off as he entered the room to see a fragile young boy staring back at him with wide eyes. The boy turned to look between him and the wall he stood next to. He looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
“Hey buddy,” Carlos knelt to the young boy’s level, though the kid avoided looking him in the eyes. “How did you get in here?” The kid just looked at the wall once more before looking at his feet and mumbled an apology. Carlos looked over the kid, he was small, probably around five or six, his clothes were dirty and very baggy on him, while his shoes looked like handme downs that were a size too small for him.
They both stayed there in silence before Carlos got up and went to grab his lab coat from a nearby rack. Walking back over, the young kid watched him closely, his green eyes trailing his every step behind taped-together glasses. When he bent over and put the white coat over the boy’s shoulders, he saw the smaller figure flinch slightly before looking up at him, bewildered.
“I have a feeling that you are lost,” he gave the boy a small smile, “you can stay with my partner and me until we find out where you came from. We have a kid around your age who would love to meet a new friend.” Carlos slowly reached a hand out, and the boy in front of him hesitantly took it. After a few seconds of contemplation, unease and surprise filled the young kid’s green eyes.
They arrived at a house much bigger than what Harry was used to seeing. It had a porch and a small yard in front, and a second story sat comfortably atop the main floor. When they entered, the living room had dark gray seating with varying shades of purple pillows scattered on it that complemented the neutral color of the walls nicely. Carlos, as the man had introduced himself, gestured for Harry to take a seat and disappeared behind a wall leading to what Harry assumed to be the dining area.
When he came back, he was with another man, he wasn’t tall nor was he short, he stood only a few inches above the scientist who had brought him here. The newer man had bright white hair that contrasted with Carlos’ black hair, and he seemed to approach Harry with a sense of caution, like Harry would break if a slight breeze tipped him over.
“Hello there,” He seemed excited as he sat on the floor across from a glass table placed between them. “What’s your name, kiddo?”
Harry stared at the man, noticing the purple ink on his arms lying across the glass surface in front of him. The ink seemed to move the longer he stared at them, but it was subtle enough that you wouldn’t notice right away. Finally, Harry looked down at his knees hanging off the couch.
“Harry…” It was barely a whisper, but it seemed as though he had heard him perfectly fine.
“Well, Harry, I’m Cecil.” Cecil leaned back, his white hair catching Harry’s attention once more, only this time, there was a glowing purple eye partially covered by his bangs. At some point, Carlos had disappeared as he entered the room once more. Both Cecil and Harry looked at him as he entered.
“I made the guest bed for you. I know it can be difficult to sleep in a new place, but you look like you need rest.” Carlos frowned as he looked over Harry once more, a look of concern on his face, but why would anyone be concerned about him? Most adults just ignored him or looked the other way. “Upstairs, I prepared some cleaning and bandaging supplies for your injuries,” Cecil looked at his partner when Carlos said this, “and there are some clothes that should fit you as well.”
The two led Harry upstairs, where they cleaned his wounds, apologizing many times whenever the cleaning solution made him flinch. After that, they left him to get dressed in the clothes they had left out, and both gave him hesitant “goodnights” before leaving him to sleep in the open room. Despite their kindness towards him, he found himself making a barrier of pillows around himself before he finally passed out, exhausted.