The Boy Who Wanted to Live

End

Harry smiled sadly as his friends took turns hugging him tightly. The Hogwarts express was only minutes away from arriving at the train station where they would separate ways for the summer. Harry looked past the kids who surrounded him to see a slightly panicked Draco Malfoy looking around the hall of the train in search of something- or more so, someone. Harry smiled at the brown haired girl who was ranting about the importance of writing letters every week. In the excitement of their departure for summer even Ron Weasley, who had been ignoring Harry for the last month set aside his own stubbornness to shake Harry's hand. Harry looked away from Ron's blue eyes to watch the blonde boy in the hallway stop to ask a fellow student a question. His mouth shaped the name 'Caleb Scamander' and the Hufflepuff student held a rather confused expression on his face. The older student shook his head and responded with something that looked like 'there are no Scamander's  in our house,'  Harry's heart sped up like crazy in his chest and his eyes went wide as Draco started getting heated with the Hufflepuff prefect. The boy- Carwell Harry supplied in his mind was also starting to get angry and started yelling back.
"Er that's great Ron," Harry said cutting off Ron's speech about forgiving and forgetting and 'you owe me though's to scoot past his friend "I gotta go... err bathroom," he said uncertainly before sliding out of the carriage and silently saying the charm that changed his appearance. His green eyes turned to a golden honey shade, his long black hair shortening and turning strawberry blonde. He grew a few inches in the shadows of the door and sighed.
"I am telling you there is no Caleb in Hufflepuff!" Carwell said with increasing frustration.
"Caleb Scamander-"yes?" Harry asked walking up to Draco.
"I heard yelling," Harry said with a smile.
Draco relaxed and turned to look at his best friend with raised eyebrows.
"I thought I'd have to get the whole ministry involved to find you," Draco said with amusement.
Carwell looked at Harry with confusion. His dark eyebrows drawn together with hesitation, his mouth open slightly as if he was trying to find the words for what he was going to say. Harry swallowed hard and looked up at the older prefect, fear laced throughout his whole being. Carwell frowned and looked over the boy in front of him. He did indeed look like a Scamander, but Carwell was certain that no Scamander was enrolled in the school. The only Scamander children he knew of were much too young for Hogwarts. This boy, whoever he was, was certainly an imposter.
"I was wondering if you'd want to come over some time this summer, it's up to you of course but, if you'd like my parents were going to take a trip to Rio for a week to go to our beach house on the reef. Crabbe and Goyle are coming too but I was hoping you'd come as well," Draco was saying.
Harry's eyes never left the eyes of the prefect who was watching him with calculating coldness.
"I'll have to ask," Harry mumbled softly, his attention still on the older teenager.
Suddenly the train pulled into the station and Draco frowned heavily.
"I've got to go collect my things," Draco said with a frown "promise you'll write,"
Harry nodded as Draco walked off and he turned to walk away as well when a rough hand grabbed his arm tightly. Harry looked up at Carwell in fear and swallowed hard.
"Who are you?" Carwell asked angrily "and don't give me that crap about being a Scamander, because I know you arent,"
Harry swallowed again and looked around for any way to get out of this situation. Suddenly several doors opened and the hall was flooded with students. In the confusion Harry ripped his arm from the older boy's grip and ducked into an empty room. He let go of the breath he was holding and let the glamour fall from his body. Finally after catching his breath he collected his things and Hedwig from the compartment of the train and descended the steps back into muggle London. An hour later after a very long Taxi ride Harry walked up to the front door of number four privet drive and raised his knuckles to knock. A very familiar horselike face peered down at him, skinny arms crossed across a bony chest. Harry sighed and looked down. Petunia hurriedly rushed the small boy in the house, looked around to make sure no one saw his arrival and shut the door.