Bloodlines and Genders

Chapter Five

Quincy led him to the center of the building, where people were all circled around a fire pit, talking casually amongst themselves.

"Hey everyone, this is the new kid, Harry"

Harry gave a small wave, giving a polite 'hello'.
There was overlapping greetings of everyone else. Harry sat down between Quincy and an older girl wearing all black, covered in belts and accessories, with hot pink hair. She was silently watching the flames, occasionally popping her bubblegum.

The girl caught Harry staring, gave a loud pop of her gum and smiled. "I'm Heather, nice to meet you" she held out her hand to shake. Her voice was peppy, but there was a hint about f something not-so sane behind it.

"Harry Potter" he mumbled, shaking her hand.

"Alright everyone, as per our custom, we introduce ourselves one by one, saying a little bit about ourselves and why we ran away. Harry, since your new, you start." Quincy announced this quite quickly, but clearly.

"Um... hi. I'm Harry Potter. I ran away because..." he fumbled over the words, not exactly sure what to say. He continued anyway. "...because let's just say I wasn't exactly welcome there. My parents were killed in a car crash, so I was raised by my aunt and uncle. They hated me. Beat up every other day. Basically a slave. So I sneaked out one night and never looked back"

Harry slunk in his chair. There was a lot more than that. The memories alone were enough to make any kid go crazy. He decided to stop talking, and motioned for someone else to talk.

"Alright then, I'm Heather, and I like punk rock, hot pink, and girls. I was kicked out for being a lesbian. Other than that, I had a healthy relationship with my parents. At least until dad started drinking." She got a worried look on her face, and said "alright next"

A small boy maybe at least twelve waved. He was wearing an oversized red hoodie, baggy jeans, and a black beanie. He spoke quietly, and nervously.

"Hi, I'm Peter. I ran away because my parents were extremely homophobic. When I came out as trans, they locked me in my room and hid me from the world. They were ashamed of me. I was fed twice a week. Nothing more. Eventually, I figured out how to get the window open. I left without a trace. Other than that, I like video games, drawing, and snow."

Harry gave a small smile. Everyone here seemed really nice. Made him wish he ran away sooner.

"Hey I'm Mike" a blond boy spoke up. He had a scar over his right eye. He has a Ramones t-shirt and navy blue jeans. His arms were also covered in scars. "I think its obvious why I ran away. But I like music, Dungeons and Dragons, and murder mysteries.

Harry gave a small wave. But he couldn't help staring at his scars. Memories came and went, making him close to a panic attack. Someone touched him on the shoulder.

Harry jumped, reeling away from the sudden touch with a small yelp. Quincy pulled back in surprise. Harry had his hands on his head, breathing heavily, bracing for impact.

"Hey, are you okay? I'm not going to hurt you." Heather was giving him a concerned kind of motherly look. Harry took a deep breath, slowly lowered his hands.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine."

"Well do you need anything? You know what? You look skinny. Let's get you some food."

"That would be nice"

Heather gave him a gentle pat on the back. He winced a little, bit no one noticed. His ribs still hurt from the other day. He got up, and followed Heather to a corner of the building, where they set up this window with a small kitchen and grill.

Heather rang a bell on the counter, and a African American girl with a dirty apron, a polka dot dress, and hair pulled back into a tight ponytail came to the window.

"Harry this is Anna, or we call her Sous as a nickname. She's our chef, and a good one too. You haven't lived until you've had her beef stew. Sous, this is the new kid, Harry."

"Why hello there Harry! Nice to meet you! Let's get you fixed up. You look skinnier than a dried out twig. Come on, sit, make yourself comfortable. And don't you dare start scratching at that wound, or imma whack you with a spoon." She had a New Orleans accent, which surprised Harry. He was also taken aback at that last comment.

"But I didn't even scratch it yet"

"No, but you was thinking 'bout it"

Heather gave a small laugh. "Don't worry about her. It's almost like she's a psychic. She can guess what you gonna do before you do it. "

Harry grinned. Then Sous set down a bowl with a good smelling stew. Harry's mouth watered. He picked up his spoon, and said a polite thank you to Sous.

The stew was amazing. The vegetables were soft, and the beef added a salty flavor that brought the whole thing together. Pretty soon he was asking for seconds and thirds.

"Man what they been feeding you over there? You act like you haven't had good food in months" Sous remarked.

"I haven't" Harry replied, finishing off his third bowl. He handed it back to her, and asked if she had any water.

"Course I do. You want ice?"

He nodded. He took it with a thank you, and chugged the water. Sous gave him a refill, and asked about him.

"So, why'd you run away? Horrible food I'm guessing?"

"That's one reason. Another was the beatings, and basically being their slave. They also wouldn't let Hedwig out of her cage, and locked me in my room for weeks at a time."

"Who's Hedwig?" Sous inquired.

"My owl. She's off on a hunt right now, probably be back later today."

"Nice, that's a strange pet though. How'd you get her? What kind of owl is she?"

"She was a gift from a friend, and she's a snowy owl"

"Well that cool. When she comes back, I'll have a treat for her. I want to meet her."

Harry gave a nod and a nice smile. He thanked her for the meal, and got up. Harry immediately regretted that though. Pain shot through is ribs, and he doubled over, arm on the counter to keep him steady.

"Hey Harry, you okay? Let's get you to the sick bay, alright?" Heather wasn't asking though, and gave him support and he trudged along.

~~

Hey there. Thank you for reading.

Gods that was a long chapter, but a fun one to write. Hang in there though, this is a slow burn fanfic. It will be long. I'll update as much as I can.

Here, have some Dango 🍡