Running Out of Time

Prologue

Freak sat inside the suffocating yet safe cupboard under the stairs. It had been Dudley Dursley's birthday today. The elder Dursleys had thrown a party to celebrate what Petunia had gushed was his "soul mark." Upstairs through the thin walls of the house, Freak heard Petunia Dursley talk about his soul mark in the form of a story.

"Every 4th birthday, without fail, a little boy or girl is blessed with a symbol that represents a beautiful connection to another little boy or girl. A connection that goes soul deep as the two will have been made for each other. Made to love one another, flaws and all." If there was one thing Petunia was good at, it was storytelling. She continued, "This mark is what is known as a soul mark, and this special person is your soulmate."

"Momma, how am I supposed to find them when there are so many people in the world?" Dudley asked.

"Oh honey, that's part of the challenge but, when you've figured out who your mate is, you will begin to see a timer every time you close your eyes. You will hear the sound of the slowly falling sand inside. This will only stop once you kiss, laying the very first stone for a strong bond." she spoke dreamily, "What is the timer for momma?" he asked curiously. This seemed to be what brought his mother to quiet pause, "Well," she seemed to stop to think, "The timer gives you five years to kiss your soulmate or... or you die." It was blunt but, there wasn't a delicate way to break these kinds of news.

"Are- are you and Daddy soulmates?"

"No," it was hard to hear but, Freak had heard it. For a split second, it had even sounded bitter, "No, but that doesn't mean that what your daddy and have is any less special. We love each other very much and, we don't need to be soulmates to know that."

"Sometimes you find someone else who is just as special to you than some stranger who you gave up looking for. As you said, there are so many people in the world that it makes finding that one person feels impossible. Finding someone else is common and not something to feel sad about." It was an enlightening conversation coming from Petunia. Not to mention Dudley seemed to be paying attention and asking some good questions.

Not that Freak was paying much attention to that. It was more caught up on the fact that someone out there was made for it.

Made to love it.

Ever since it could remember, it had only ever witnessed families showing that kind of unconditional love and care for one another. Never had Freak been graced with such love itself. Freak never grew bitter or jealous as it was groomed from a young age that it didn't deserve such care. And Freak believed it.

No, it just dreamed and imagined it was Freak and stayed content with that alone.

Now it knew that once it found that special someone, Freak would finally get to feel what it was like for itself.

So Freak waited patiently for the day it gained its very own mark, not that it knew when that day would come. Freak didn't listen to Dudley's jeers about it not having a soulmate. That was just too much for it to handle, even for Freak and all it's already been through.

On July 31st, it happened.

In an elegant script, the same shade as Freak's eyes were the words...Avada Kedavra