Destinies Collide

Nocturnal Surprise

Harry didn't think he'd had a hug before, not one he remembered, he thought once his chest didn't seem as tight and he didn't feel like his hiccups would make him choke. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon always avoided touching him, unless he did something wrong, and he thought he'd remember feeling so warm and safe. If this was what hugs always felt like, it was no wonder Dudley always glued himself to Aunt Petunia after the smallest upset. He really didn't want to move, but then he remembered he'd just yelled at Mr Wright, a bunch of times! Oh, he was in so much trouble.

"Sorry" he mumbled, scrambling back and ending up with his bum on the floor, looking up at Mr Wright.

"Don't be, it's alright," Mr Wright said instead of being mad, and it was so weird, but not bad. Harry didn't mind the kind of weird that didn't end with a belt on his bum "What did you mean, though? You said they took your name?"

Harry sniffed and looked down at his hands on his lap, feeling more sad than mad like he'd been when he ran off. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't call him Harry when he was small, just 'boy' or 'freak', then he was five and had to go to school and when the teachers called his name, he didn't know it. He told them, but when Aunt Petunia came to the school she told the teachers he was playing and being silly, but he really didn't know! He had a name all that time, and they took it away, and no one did anything, and it wasn't fair! Of all the things they did that broke the rules from the book Mr Wright showed him, he hated them the most for this one. His mum and dad gave him his name, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon shouldn't have taken it away. He doesn't look up while he tells this to Mr Wright, not sure he'll even believe him, but his superpower has to tell him Harry's telling the truth, right? Maybe he'll be the one that believes him.

"I don't know what to say except that I'm sorry you ever had to live with those people" is what Mr Wright says when he's done talking, and Harry looks back up to see him looking angry.

He doesn't like angry adults, at least not when they're mad at him, but Mr Wright wasn't even looking at him so maybe it wasn't about him? Maybe Mr Wright was mad at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon too? but Harry didn't know why he'd be mad, it was so long ago and it wasn't about Mr Wright's name anyway, but for whatever reason it was, it made Harry feel a little better, thinking someone else was angry too. But he had his name for three years now, that was a lot of time too. Maybe he was being silly.

"It's not silly," Mr Wright said, and Harry's eyes widened as he realized he'd been mumbling out loud "it was your name, you can be as upset as you want. But you're never going back, so don't let them make you so upset you can't enjoy that."

"I won't," he said, not wanting to let his Aunt and Uncle have anything else of his. They'd taken enough already.

"Good" Mr Wright smiled, and Harry thought he looked like when Dudley told Aunt Petunia he'd read a whole book on his own, but why would Mr Wright look proud of him or all things Harry wasn't sure "now, I know today's been full of a lot of changes, so if you want to stay in and rest, we can always go shopping tomorrow"

"'s okay" Harry shook his head, he didn't go shopping before unless it was for groceries with Aunt Petunia, and maybe if he left it for tomorrow Mr Wright would change his mind like Uncle Vernon did sometimes, so they should go now "can we go today?"

"Of course we can," Mr Wright said, standing up. Then his hand was reaching for Harry and he flinched away before realizing Mr Wright wanted to help him get off the floor and was now looking more upset.

"Sorry" he mumbled, taking the hand to help him up.

"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong" Mr Wright assured him "now let me show you to the bathroom so you can take a shower before we leave."