B-R-Y-A-N

A chill wind blew in the Nevada desert. Most people think that the desert is hot all day long, but it can get very cold at night. He didn't feel it, though; he had the clothes on his back, his motion, and his training to keep him warm. He blinked as the moon emerged from the clouds, its pale glow glaringly bright to his sensitive eyes. They weren't supposed to be that sensitive, but they couldn't be fixed without blinding him. He wondered how the night looked to others, to normal people; probably just like one long shadow, but he couldn't be sure. He hoped that They wouldn't be able to see him in the darkness; that They wouldn't come looking for him until morning. After all, he planned to be long gone by the time the sun rose. He had picked that day especially for the day of his freedom; it was, technically, his birthday. That was significant to him, despite the fact that They never acknowledged it. Even Logan had been the only one of Them with the decency to tell him what day it was. He actually found himself looking forward to it with an eagerness that he had never felt before. It spurred him on to run long after he should have slowed to a walk and made him revel in the fact that he could.

When the sun finally rose, it found him in a small gift shop at the edge of a town, eating a hot dog to get his energy back and trying not to squirm at the new sensation of taste. He had purchased sunglasses - with money he had stolen from various foolish people - and was glad for them now, being quite sure that the morning sun would have hurt him much more than the electric lights he had come from. He knew without a doubt that They had realized he was gone by now, but he didn't care. They couldn't find him anymore, not now that he was on his own. He might be only eleven years old, but they had trained him better than even they knew.

The hot dog finished, he threw away the plate and walked back outside. Now a new problem faced him, how to get to the airport. He could always run, but that would take too long; renting a cab was an option, but would lead to awkward questions and he would have to steal some more, and he didn't like that; he would have to hitchhike. After he found a credit card, that is. Not too difficult a task, considering people threw them out all the time. In fact he had found an unmarked card before lunch; not that he would be eating. Two meals in one day seemed a little gluttonous to him. His path set, he moved off toward the highway.

He hadn't even gotten out of the alley when a large bird, a tawny owl, actually, landed in front of him and stuck out its leg. He started, unsure of what to do. Nothing in his social protocol textbooks had said anything about delivery owls, but this one, he could clearly see, had a letter tied to it. Bending down, he gently removed the letter and awkwardly patted the owls head. It hooted happily. His eyes, naturally wider than most, grew even more when he saw the address on the letter.

2-18261-14 BRYAN

The Wilderness

Nevada

America

It was, he had to admit, clearly addressed to him. But no one knew of his existence except Them, and even They didn't bother to use his entire name, ID number and everything. This whole thing was very strange. He couldn't help his curiosity, though, so he hastily tore open the envelope.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear BRYAN,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We are aware of your special needs and have sent a courier to fetch you, who should be arriving shortly upon your reading of this letter.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

He was having trouble understanding - a new sensation in and of itself - what he had read in the letter. School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...aware of your special needs...sent a courier...should be arriving shortly! He cursed, using one of the words he had heard the clerk at the gift shop say. Someone who knew of his special needs would be coming for him soon! He had to leave and he had to leave now, but he didn't know where to go. He couldn't just run blindly or he might just run right into whoever was coming for him. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud POP and the sudden appearance of a man, rather shabbily dressed in a worn, odd-looking trench coat.

"You are Bryan, I suppose?" the man said in an English accent. Bryan didn't answer, he didn't know how this man had gotten here or who he was, but he bore a strong resemblance to Bryan's math teacher, despite the friendly smile; he had horrible memories of his math teacher. None of his fear or confusion showed on Bryan's face, though. He had long ago learned to school his emotions.

"Are you the courier, then?" Bryan asked, reverting to an English accent to match the man's own.

"My name is Remus Lupin," the man answered. "And I was sent to...er...fetch you, as it were. Please come with me, we don't have all that much time."

"I see no reason to," Bryan countered. "You don't know me; you don't know what I'm capable of. I could have you unconscious before you could pull out whatever weapon it is you're fingering inside your pocket. So either you tell me exactly what's going on, or you wake up four hours from now wearing nothing but a dustbin. Your call." The man sighed and slowly removed his hand. In it was not a gun, or even a knife, but a long, thin stick.

"I don't have a weapon and I was sent to find you and take you to Hogwarts," Lupin said wearily. Bryan didn't trust him. He tried to seek out the lie in the man's mind, but found some sort of block there; just another suspicious thing. He kept stealing glances at the stick in the man's hand, which he was holding as if it were a sword.

Bryan had never read a fairy tale, had never heard of a magic wand, and didn't know he was hearing a spell when the man suddenly whispered, "Stupefy" all he knew was that it was suddenly very hard to stay conscious. After a woozy moment he stopped fighting it and let himself slump to the ground.

The portkey he had brought with him took both Remus and the boy in his arms directly to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. It had been anticipated, knowing the boy's background, that he would have to be stunned in order to be taken to the school. It had not been anticipated that Bryan would be able to nearly fight it off. Remus was worried that it might have adversely effected him, so he made sure to waste no time in getting Madam Pomfrey. The old matron quickly checked him over while he told her about their interaction.

"Well, he seems tired, but other than that nothing seems wrong," she pronounced after a few long minutes. "Though I can't say that I would be able to tell very accurately. He has a very unique physicality; he's more muscular than an eleven-year-old should be, there are even tiny muscles on his brain. You say he tried Legilimency on you? That shouldn't even be possible without formal training. It will certainly be interesting to see how he comes along once term starts." Remus nodded his agreement and left to make his report to Dumbledore.

The headmaster was alone in his office when Remus got there and he motioned for his former pupil to sit in the largest of his office chairs.

"How did it go?" he asked bluntly. Remus sighed wearily.

"About as expected," he admitted. "The boy was in shock when I got there, refused to leave with me, he actually tried to get into my mind at one point, I managed to stun him, mostly because he had no idea a wand could be a weapon I'm guessing, but he darn near fought it off. Madam Pomfrey says he'll be fine, he just needs some rest." He let out a deep sigh. "This isn't going to be easy, Dumbledore. I don't think he even knows what trust means. You're sure you want me to be the one to teach him?"

"Remus, if anyone can teach him to trust people, you can," Dumbledore said, a soft twinkle in his eyes. "You know that lesson better than anyone else, and I think you'll find you have a few other attributes in common with young Bryan." Remus waited a moment, but Dumbledore didn't seem at all inclined to elaborate on this cryptic statement.

"Er...alright," he said finally. "In that case I should probably go. I ought to be there when he wakes up." Dumbledore just nodded and turned back to the rolls of parchment scattered over his desk.

Bryan woke up that evening wary and alert. That was nothing new; his surroundings, however, were. He was in a large room, very white, that smelled sterile, but in a more wholesome way than his room back There had. The shabby man, Lupin, was sitting next to him and smiling at him.

"I'm glad you're awake," Lupin said cheerfully, a description entirely foreign to Bryan. "You're just in time for dinner. Would you like to eat here or in the Great Hall?"

"Great Hall," Bryan said, analyzing his situation immediately and falling back on another protocol: in an unfamiliar setting, see as much as you can. Lupin held out a hand to help him out of bed, but Bryan barely even noticed it. He had never been helped out of bed in his life and he would never offer his hand to this suspicious person.

"How are you feeling, Bryan?" Lupin asked, again trying to spark up conversation.

"Normal," was all Bryan would offer him.

"That's good, you seemed a little worn out there. When was the last time you'd slept?"

"That depends, what time is it?"

"Five-thirty."

"Then thirty-eight and a half hours ago," Bryan said, seeing no reason to lie about something as inconsequential as sleep.

"Thirty-eight hours ago!" Lupin exclaimed. Bryan blinked at him and, taking his exclamation for disappointment, began to explain.

"Well, I did run flat out for about six hours there," he said, allowing a bit of defensiveness to come into his voice. "Otherwise I would have lasted longer." Lupin just shook his head - in amazement, Bryan could now tell - and led him silently out of the sterile room.

Bryan was, despite all appearances, maddeningly curious. He gazed in wonder out of the corners of his eyes at the moving portraits, the stone walls, the dark corridors, really anything he could see. Thousands of questions burned in his mind, but he knew better than to ask them. Questions were not permitted, only observance and obedience; one of his earliest lessons. Lupin led him along many different passages and Bryan made sure to memorize the route, just in case something happened and he need to go back to the sterile room on his own. There was, after all, a comfort in familiarity. Finally, they stepped through a set of huge double doors and entered one of the largest rooms Bryan had ever seen. The ceiling of it reflected the outside sky, complete with the burning sun, and Bryan was suddenly painfully aware that he didn't have his sunglasses. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide his discomfort and soon he was squinting and blinking furiously to keep his large eyes from watering and aching. Lupin noticed and discretely handed him his shades.

"Sorry, I forgot," he said in a tone that must have been apologetic, Bryan wouldn't know. He merely shrugged, put on the glasses, and took a seat at one of the four long tables that spanned the length of the Great Hall. A fifth table, shorter than the others, sat at the front of the room. Bryan had guessed by now that he was at Hogwarts School and so figured that this table must be for the staff, though it was empty at the moment except for a thin, old man with a long beard who, despite his physical frailty, exuded an inner power that Bryan couldn't name. He was distracted from his thoughts by the sudden appearance of a mountain of food in front of him. Platters of things in all shapes, sizes, and colors lay before him and he mentally cursed his teachers for leaving his culinary lessons until he was twelve. He had no idea what most of this was. With an inward sigh, he took a little bit of everything and hoping his ignorance would go unobserved. His hopes were dashed when Lupin spoke up suddenly.

"Bryan, could you pass the pudding?"

Bryan cursed again. He hadn't the foggiest idea what 'pudding' was, let alone its location on the table. He would just have to ask.

"I don't know which one is the pudding, sir," he asked respectfully, "could you point it out?" Lupin blinked at him.

"Do you know what any of these foods are, Bryan?" he asked.

"No, sir," Bryan said, his tone carefully neutral.

"But what did you eat growing up?" Lupin asked with wide eyes.

"Ten ounces of high-nutrient gruel a day, sir," Bryan answered flatly. He dreaded the thought that this conversation might continue, but was saved that agony by the entrance of someone else into the hall.

"Sorry I'm late, Remus, Professor Dumbledore," said a boy with unruly jet-black hair as he walked, breathless and flushed and carrying a broomstick, up to where Bryan was sitting with Lupin. "I was practicing Quidditch and lost track of time."

"Perfectly alright, Harry," the old man said, smiling benignly down at him. "I would like you to meet someone."

"Oh really?" Harry asked, intrigued. He looked around and finally spotted Bryan. Lupin leaned back to make the introductions.

"Harry, this is Bryan," he said. "Bryan, this is Harry Potter. He'll be staying at Hogwarts over the summer as well." That was a mistake. Bryan was fed up. He stood up suddenly, his features twisting into a scowl.

"What makes you think I will stay here another minute?" he said, his voice low and, he hoped, threatening. "I refuse to allow myself to be imprisoned any longer unless you inform me completely on my situation." Harry's eyes opened wide in shock and confusion, but Lupin just sighed and looked at him sadly.

"You're right, of course," he said softly. "I've just been delaying it. Bryan, you are a wizard. You have magical abilities that others, ones we call Muggles, don't have. In order to help you understand what you can do and use it properly, you have been accepted to Hogwarts, the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. I was taught here myself, you know. You do not have to stay, but I ask you to consider the fact that Hogwarts is the safest place in the world if you do not wish to be bothered by Muggles." Bryan cleared his face quickly, not allowing the confusion he was feeling to show. He had shown too much weakness already by becoming angry. He noted that Harry was looking very confused indeed, his gaze constantly shifting from Bryan to Lupin and back again.

"Can I ask a question," he asked quietly. Lupin looked rather taken-aback.

"Of course, at any time," the man answered quickly.

"Was it magic you used to bring me here?" he asked, before his nerve could fail him. Before he could stop, though, all his questions came pouring out. "Where is 'here' anyway? What was that little stick thing you had earlier? What's Quidditch? How did the food just appear? Why did you come after me in the first place? What did the letter mean, you know about my special needs? Does that mean..." he faltered, and his gaze fell on Harry for some reason, "Does that mean...you all know...everything about...what...I am?" Unsure of himself all of a sudden, he ran out of the room and followed the imprint in his mind back to the sterile place.

Remus suddenly understood what Dumbledore had meant. Bryan had said 'what I am', not 'who I am'. The boy, like Remus himself had once, considered himself less than human. This was going to be tricky.

"Er...Remus," Harry said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. "Could you tell me what that was all about?" Remus sighed.

"Bryan was not born, Harry, he was created," he explained slowly, "by a muggle agency in America. They were trying to design the ultimate human, and they made Bryan. He escaped from their institution two days ago, just in time to receive his Hogwarts letter."

"Bloody hell," Harry said softly. "That's harsh. Doesn't seem like they treated him that well there, either. Think we should go after him? He might get lost."

"Somehow I doubt that," Remus muttered, but he got up and followed Harry out of the hall. They wandered all around the area near the Great Hall, but there was no sign of Bryan anywhere. Harry was about to get truly worried when Nearly Headless Nick floated out of a wall nearby.

"Nick!" Harry called excitedly. "Have you seen a little boy, about eleven, but tall for his age, and with darkish brown hair and sunglasses?"

"As a matter of fact, the Grey Lady just told me she ran into a boy near the Infirmary," Nick replied thoughtfully. "Said he took one look at her and turned right around to run the other way. Almost like he'd never seen a ghost before."

"He probably hasn't, Nick," Remus sighed. "Well, let's go find him, Harry." The boy nodded and led the way through many of the secret passages that cut shortcuts across the otherwise overwhelmingly large castle. The infirmary was strangely cold when they arrived, and Remus realized that the window was open. With a gasp, Harry ran over to the window and leaned out. With a chuckle, Remus closed the door and restrained him.

"Don't worry, Harry," Remus said softly, then raised his voice. "You can't hide here forever, Bryan. I can smell you. Please come out." There was a rustling and a small shape suddenly fell from the ceiling where he had been concealed among the buttresses. He landed gracefully on his feet.

"What do you mean, you can smell me?" he asked accusingly.

"I am a werewolf, Bryan," Remus said gently. "I can smell a lot more than regular people." He waited for the look of anger, disgust, fear, or pity that everyone else showed, but he was unprepared for Bryan's blank look as he said, "What's a werewolf?"

"A werewolf is someone affected with the disease of Lycanthropy," Remus tried to explain. It was difficult, he'd never met someone who'd never even heard of a werewolf before. "Every full moon I transform into a large, wolf-like creature who craves human flesh. If a person is bitten by a werewolf during the full moon and lives, then they become a werewolf, too. I was bitten when I was four." Bryan seemed to think this over.

"So do you lock yourself up during the full moon?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes, but just as a precaution," said Remus. "There is a potion called Wolfsbane that allows me to keep my human mind in control while in wolf form." There was another pause.

"What's a potion?"

"Er...a potion is a mixture of ingredients with magical properties that combine to make a liquid with entirely new properties," Remus recited what he remembered from the introduction to his old potions textbook, amazed that he could remember it at all. Bryan stared at him for a moment, then looked away.

"I see what you're trying to say," he said softly. "But you're wrong. I'm not like you. Your inhuman side only comes out once a month. I have no human side. You were wrong when you told Harry that They created me to be the perfect human. I was created to be the perfect soldier. I was made for the specific purpose of being able to kill."

"But you don't want to," Remus pressed. "You ran from that life, to lead one of your own. That's much of what I have done."

"Yes," Bryan conceded. He started to slowly roll up his right sleeve. "But there is one key difference. I belong to someone." He revealed on his shoulder a small, black barcode engrained in his skin. Harry knelt down next to him and pulled up his fringe, revealing his famous lightning-bolt scar.

"We all have our marks," he said slowly, "but that doesn't mean we belong to the people who gave them to us. There is a very evil wizard named Voldemort. He gave me this when I was a baby after he killed my parents. Somehow, he transferred much of his power over to me. That does not make me a different person, it just gives me more responsibility. You are the same. Other people gave you your strengths and marked you, but you are still you." There was silence. Remus couldn't be sure if Bryan had heard or not, the boy just stared out a window.