Chapter Text
...
Help... Please, someone.
Where?
Help, help me, have mercy on me...
Who's talking?
Mom...
Dad...
Can't you find them?
If anyone can hear me, please, I need help.
Company.
Someone...
A heart-wrenching scream filled the emptiness of the place.
A black-haired boy woke up with a start, got out of his little bed, and went to his mother's room, all those words, whispers, and screams repeating themselves over and over in his head. The light from the streets filtered softly through the windows, illuminating a woman with long black hair who slept peacefully. The boy sighed with relief and curled up next to her, who hugged him even in her dreams. The voice was silenced, and he was able to sleep again.
...
A boy sat in the darkness, feeling safe. There were no walruses with big mustaches or giraffes watching his movements from behind the ditches. But the moment those thoughts appeared, the memory of that day came back... There was no one to take care of him anymore. The redhead was gone, the man with glasses was gone, there was no one watching him in the shadows, not even the big dogs that appeared in his dreams. He hoped that someone would hear him, anyone; he placed his hopes in the safety of the shadows that someone would help him, and he begged the darkness to reach someone who could help him.
Help...
Please, someone.
Help, help me, have mercy on me...
Mom...
Dad...
If anyone can hear me, please, I need help.
Company.
Someone.
He let his small body collapse exhausted, tears streaming from his tightly closed eyes, hoping not to be ignored.
And he cried out so loudly that his vocal cords must have hurt, hoping for some response, that someone would hear his cries, and for a moment, for a tiny moment, he believed that someone finally did.
...
It was August 18, and only a week had passed since the last time the boy had heard the voice that had torn his heart apart. No one deserved to be so alone and begging for company. The little boy, still lost in unconsciousness, which usually lasted until noon on Saturdays, began to be awakened by the delicious aroma of what he thought was cake. His mother's voice gave him the final push to become aware of everything around him, and his mind made a great discovery:
It's his birthday!
He got out of bed quickly and tidied his blankets, the first task he had to do daily, regardless of the day. When he saw that they were neatly arranged, he quickly made his way to the kitchen of the small apartment and found his mother preparing all the food that her little five-year-old could ask for. He saw some sweets on the table and how his mother kept mixing while paying attention to the contents of the oven. Soon, the woman realized he was in the room because she had stopped looking at the oven to turn around and see where the child was, rocking back and forth, waiting for Sally to finish to avoid any accidents.
“Happy birthday, Percy! Now that you're awake, could you clean the table and put the sweets on the counter?” said the woman happily as she left the mixture on the stove and picked up a cloth. “When you're done, you can have one of the sweets.”
Percy nodded to his mother and quickly did as he was asked. He took all the sweets and left them on the counter to the right of the woman. He returned to the table, dragging a bucket and climbing onto a chair to reach the missing items. He took the bags and boxes that were there and threw them in the trash can, grabbed the cutlery and dishes to put them in the dishwasher. He still couldn't reach, but when he could, he would help his mother with that too. He approached Sally to ask for a cloth to wipe the dust off the table. The woman was waiting for the cake to cool so she could remove it from the cake mold and start decorating it.
“Mom, can you give me a cloth?” the little boy asked, and the woman handed him the one she had used before. “Thank you.”
The black-haired boy took the damp cloth and went to clean what was left. He left the cloth in the corner of the table while he dragged the jar back to its place, picked up the rag, and returned it to his mother.
“Thanks for your help. You can have your candy now,” Sally said, stroking her son's hair. “It looks like this is going to take longer than I expected.” The woman left the contents in the mold and went to wash the dishes.
Percy, oblivious to what the woman said at the end, took a chocolate and sat down to eat it quietly. He saw his mother humming as she finished cleaning the cutlery and smiled gratefully to have someone as wonderful as her looking after his well-being. He was sure that many others would have left him to his fate, seeing the amount of trouble he ended up attracting, even though he was so young.
“How about going out for a bit?” asked the woman, drying her hands. She knew her son couldn't sit still for too long. She saw the boy, who was still eating his chocolate, nod in agreement. “Put down the chocolate and go get changed. I'll finish tidying up here,” said Sally as Percy returned to his room.
Shortly after, they left the house and headed to a nearby park. The boy could barely contain his excitement but tried not to stray too far from his mother. When they arrived at the park, the black-haired boy quickly joined the other children. Some of them quickly grew tired of the constant distraction of the black-haired boy and moved away to play among themselves. Others stayed there, still playing with him, running back and forth, pushing or shouting, completely absorbed in their games. About two hours passed before the boy got tired and decided to ask the black-haired woman to go home. He said goodbye to the other children and took the black-haired woman's hand to return. They stopped a couple of times when the boy saw the shop windows and stared at a small sword and shield. He turned to ask his mother for the toy, but she was already carrying it inside. The item was purchased, and they returned home without further distraction.
“Thank you,” they both said and continued with their day.
Percy helped where he could and kept his mind occupied. They celebrated, and before they knew it, the sun had set, the place had been cleaned, and the leftover food had been put in the refrigerator. Sally took a tired Percy to his room and told him stories of magical creatures alongside gods. Soon after, the boy had fallen into a deep sleep.
...
It was Saturday, and that was all that mattered to the boy. He knew he would have a few hours before his aunt and uncle woke up. He had finally figured out how to open the door without Aunt Petunia. It took him days to get it right. He had used his free time to study the lock, examine the keys, and utilize that strange energy to manipulate the mechanism. Finally, after all that, he had managed to open it from the inside.
He managed to use the time to smuggle some food into his cupboard that the Dursleys would overlook. Shortly before eleven, he returned to the small, dark room without leaving a trace, even closing the lock without any problem.
Right on time, Petunia woke up twenty minutes later and banged loudly on his door, removing the padlock. Harry went out to the kitchen, listening to the woman's instructions, which by this point he already knew by heart. He understood that as he grew older, that list would get longer, but despite understanding that this wasn’t something a child his age should be doing, he was grateful that his body and brain were kept busy. Petunia finished giving orders and went back upstairs to wake up the wonderful specimens that made up her family.
The boy rolled his eyes. Those three were abhorrent beings. Although he wasn't too sure of the meaning of that word, he had heard the blonde say that about the neighbors she didn't like, which was the vast majority of Privet Drive.
He had been so focused on avoiding burning the food or making a mess that when he heard heavy footsteps on the stairs, he reflexively grabbed the first thing he could find and pointed it at the hallway. When he realized how silly he looked, he went back to his original task. He heard the Dursleys sit down and Vernon hurry him to serve the food. He didn't need any more time and took the three plates to the table, quickly returning to the kitchen to fetch the glasses and a jug of juice.
Without saying a word, he went out to tend to the garden. Sometimes he felt that the plants didn't grow under his care, but the strange energy made them bloom a little, as if to make him happy. He avoided wasting any more time and began to pull the weeds out by the roots. At almost one o'clock, he finished cleaning the garden of weeds, mowing and watering it. He went inside to prepare lunch. The family was in the living room watching some boring, easy-to-digest program. He continued his routine. Shortly before five o'clock, he left with Dudley for the park, where the other annoying children would insult him. He sighed resignedly. Shortly after arriving, the blond boy ordered the other children to chase Harry, who ran off while he was talking. Soon, he saw that group behind him. Dudley was the slowest, but he knew he was the strongest, while Piers was the fastest, and he was sure he would be the one to catch him. As soon as his mind told him this, he found himself surrounded by the children. Piers held him tightly in front of the others.
There was no escape. Fear overwhelmed him, running through his veins, and the energy that had helped him get out of his cupboard that morning made the bullies fall as they headed toward him. Dudley was the only one who had remained still, and when he saw everyone fall, he approached. On his third step, he fell, scraping his elbow and getting a bruise. Harry saw the blond boy grimace in pain, and his face showed satisfaction at seeing him hurt, however slightly. He also noticed how Dudley's eyes told him that as soon as he had the chance, he would tell Vernon about the incident. A new wave of fear filled him, and this time he knew that not even his energy would save him from the man's beating. The gang walked away at their leader's command, and when they returned to number four, Dudley went to complain to his father about his fall, blaming Harry and his weirdness. He only remembers the man's shout and the first blow that hit his body.
...