Wednesday And The Boy Who Lived

The Beginning

Day 3582 in Surrey's Home for Wayward Boys; a small institution for troublemakers and orphans, and Harry had never felt more dejected.

His own aunt and uncle had refused to take him in as a baby so here he was 10 years later. No one had wanted to adopt him so as he grew, he gradually accepted the fact that he would probably age out here. He guessed that nobody probably wanted a scarred child and made his peace with it for the last decade, accustomed to the white tendrils scar that looked like lightning striking.

However, now that his housemates were finally able to go to the schools outside of the institution, he truly felt more alone than he ever had. He yearned more than anything to feel the love and warmth of a family or even just a shred of normalcy.

Luckily for Harry, today would be much different than the last 3582 days and as he made his way to the animal exhibit for their free Saturday entry, a highly unusual family was making their way in the same direction...

                                                                                    Wednesday

This Saturday was extraordinarily gloomy; the sky was blanketed in dark gray clouds and a slight mist that slightly kissed the skin. It was Wednesday's favorite type of day. She walked alongside her parents, uncle and gratingly annoying younger brother. She detested leaving her home, but they had garnered more than a fair share of police and no-mag attention and they had decided that a fresh start was the best route for the entire family. And so they had relocated to a quaint town near bustling London.

They had frequently vacationed in Surrey, fans of the torrid weather, and had already established an estate here prior, so the move wasn't quite as jarring as it could have been. It had been a month so far and this was the first time she'd attempted to weather a family outing. She spotted an advert for a free day at the local animal exhibit and was eager to see if they had any poisonous reptiles they'd be willing to sell her.

If not, she brought her midsize black purse with her in case she decided to smuggle one out. They worked their way through the exhibits, saving the reptile room for last so they could make a hasty getaway if necessary. She was enamored by a particularly feisty Komodo dragon and had engaged in a fabulously interesting conversation with him. He told her how he had been injured on his home island and was taken to the exhibit to heal but they had never taken him back home. He made efforts to bite his caretakers as often as possible for their betrayal. Wednesday's heart softened for him and she wished that she could take him with her but her bag wouldn't fit such a magnificent beast. She waved her hand inconspicuously and the glass barrier vanished from the exhibit. The scaled beast hissed a hurried sentiment of appreciation and then scurried away quickly as he could manage. 

The meager number of constituents had fled the exhibit in a scared frenzy but a boy around her age caught her eye from the corner of the room. He had not even noticed the commotion, as he himself was seemingly engaged in an amusing discourse with the large Burmese python. She had never come across anyone with her ability to talk to reptiles and she felt strangely drawn to him. He had olive skin and messy black hair with shocking green eyes and a white birthmark that looked as if he had been freshly hit by lightning. He stood out as much as her own odd family. Where was this boys parents. She had been so absorbed, she hadn't even noticed her feet bringing her forward until she was a mere two feet away from him. He gasped and jumped up when he noticed her approach and went radio silent. He stammered a hello and awkwardly held out his hand.

She grasped it firmly and pulled him closer and asked bluntly, "How are you able to talk to snakes?" She refused to release her grasp until he stuttered out, "I don't know what you're talking about." His bright green eyes fully pleaded guilty so she tested him and addressed the serpent.