Streetwise

The Dursleys... oh how he had hated them, he had no idea how he had even managed to live with them for as long as he had, but that day, on his 10^th birthday, after uncle Vernon had given him his daily beating and when aunt Petunia had successfully made him feel like a dirty, useless piece of shit because he had pushed Dudley for giving him a black eye...he had simply snapped. Without hesitation, Harry had sprinted out of the Dursleys' house without a backwards glance. And to this day, as hard as life was, and as hungry and cold as he was, Harry never regretted for one second for leaving the Dursleys. Smiling, Harry got up, stuffing his thin blanket in his oversized coat pocket. It was a new day, and the sky guaranteed the day ahead to be one that is warm and sunny.

* * *

Stumbling into the warehouse, Harry looked around. Nope, still not a shadow in sight, the abandoned building was cold and damp, the only sound was Harry's soft footsteps echoing through the deserted warehouse. Harry was puzzled, he knew that his friends wouldn't move locations without telling him about it, plus they would wait for him before starting their daily activities. What was going on? Could something have happened to them? Could the patrols have taken them all away? Harry bit his lip, none of his friends seemed the type to be controlled by adults, they were just... well, uncontrollable. It was hard to imagine them coping with life in a family, in a house, going to school each day, doing homework, eating meals at the dinner table. They would suffer so much! Well he wasn't going to stand around while they are forced to go to orphanages, or worse, foster homes. Harry turned around and made his way to the entrance, he didn't know how but he did know that he'd have to think of something fast if he wanted to rescue them! He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't realize the figures that suddenly popped out in front of him. In fact he kept on walking until he nearly had a heart attack when the figures collectively shouted out: 'SURPRISE!'

'Wh..what?' Harry managed after he had recovered from the shock.

'Oh Harry, you didn't think that we'd forget about your birthday did you? You know it's not everyday you turn 12!' Harry felt numb, it was his birthday, how could he have forgotten? He looked around at his friends, they all had stupid grins pasted on their faces, looking at him expectantly. Harry was the baby of the group, the others were all at least three years older, because of this they tended to be a little protective of Harry, treating him like a little brother or, sometimes when their parental instincts kick in, their child.

'Well aren't you going to open your presents Harry?' Startled, Harry grinned, presents, that was a foreign word in Harry's world, he couldn't remember ever getting a birthday present. His birthdays with the Dursleys were ignored, and Harry hadn't bothered to remind them, at first he used to get upset, but soon he learnt to be quiet and just live with it. His eleventh birthday was a quiet little celebration by him self, he had saved up a few measly pounds from his various jobs to buy a plain cupcake, a stand in for a birthday cake. Harry couldn't remember his first birthday, his only birthday spent with his parents, so in his memory his twelfth birthday was the best he'd ever had.

Still grinning, Harry felt a bit shy as he reached for his first present, wrapped in a piece of newspaper, it was a present from Goose. Goose was like a big brother to him, he was extremely street wise and always had some sort of advice for Harry, about all aspects of life. True, most times his advice were made up and didn't exactly come from experiences in real life, but they were always good for a laugh anyway. Inside the newspaper wrapping was a beautifully carved eagle, about to take flight. Each detail was given immense attention; the ornament didn't seem to have any flaws at all. At the corner of the wing, there was a G carved into the wood.

'Wow...Goose, this is magnificent, did you really carve this?' Goose nodded, he looked slightly embarrassed at the attention the eagle was attracting.

'Um...I really had no idea what to get you Harry, this isn't really practical but I hope you like it anyway'.

'Time for my present now...come on Harry, open it!' Goose rolled his eyes, Harry laughed, Thee was jumping up and down, shaking in anticipation as Harry began to open her present. She, though nearly 17, acted 7 most of the time, however when she did become serious, she can be quiet intimidating. Inside the neatly wrapped package was a beautiful stone, it was speckled black but when it was held to the light the stone would become almost transparent, the inside smoky and mysterious.

'Isn't it beautiful Harry? I found it on the streets a couple weeks ago, and thought who better to give it to than Harry...you know it reminds me lots of you. Very mysterious and more than what meets the eye!' Harry couldn't help but blush at this, he had never told his friends about the Dursleys, he'd always told them a fictional story about his past. He couldn't help but feel ashamed about the beatings, he wanted to forget about it all, and so he had adopted a similar story to the rest of the kids. That he was tired of adults controlling him, he wanted to be independent, so he ran away to make his own life.

'Well Harry, I guess my present is lucky last huh?' Grace, Harry felt closest to her than to either Thee or Goose, she, despite her name was actually very harsh and violent and constantly put on a 'wha-da-ya-want' face around strangers, and people whom she disliked. It was not until Harry got to know her, did he realize the real Grace, a very kind and motherly girl who was very realistic and practical. Grace had given him a blanket, hand sewn by her self. Harry gaped, he couldn't help himself, the material was thick and warm, definitely didn't look second hand. Grace worked, but still money was hard, after food and other basic living expenses, there was usually none to spare. Harry immediately felt guilty, it was all for him, Grace had saved up every cent, probably deprived herself of food half the time, just for him, Harry Potter, the boy nobody cared about, the boy whom the Dursleys had convinced everybody, Harry included, was useless and good for nothing. Harry could feel his eyes clouding over, he didn't want to cry, he was 12 now for goodness sakes, he was a man now, and men don't cry. Blinking back tears, Harry smiled at Grace, and silently said 'thank you' with his eyes. It was then that Harry Potter felt, for the first time as long as he could remember, that he was the luckiest boy in the world.