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Harry didn't know what was happening, but he didn't like it.
At first it was just his fingers and toes that felt all funny. Then the tingly-tickly spread up his legs and down his arms into his belly and stayed there
forever
.
Well, maybe not forever, but it sure felt like it.
Harry dropped his head back, accidentally hitting the wall of his cupboard.
Ow
, he thought, shuffling away. His cupboard felt bigger for some reason. His magic?
No
, he had to remind himself,
it doesn't work like that.
Someone was yelling outside. Harry was curious; the voice sounded familiar but not, and he wanted to see who it was and what was happening. The question filled his head with a strange buzzing that got louder and louder.
His cupboard door popped open.
Harry carefully stuck his head out. No one was there.
Uh oh
, he thought. Maybe this time it
was
his magic.
He stumbled up on to his feet, still curious now that the yelling was getting louder. It was coming from somewhere outside, so he padded his way over to the window and drew back the ugly flower-patterned curtain.
Aunt Petunia and Ms. Figg were arguing, Aunt Petunia pointing angrily at the flowers that had grown onto her lawn and Ms. Figg at Dudley’s toys scattered all over her own.
Oops. Harry was supposed to clean those up.
Aunt Petunia threw her arms up and stomped back towards the house. Harry quickly pulled the curtains shut and started to rush back to his cupboard, but he tripped and hit his nose on the floor.
Ow
!
He got back up, holding his nose, and finally reached his cupboard. All too soon, Aunt Petunia opened the door with a loud
crack
.
Harry heard more voices mumbling --
what now
? He pushed farther into his corner and listened as hard as he could. He couldn't quite hear…
“.......ake him! Good-for-nothing
freak
!” Aunt Petunia screeched, her voice getting louder and louder.
Uh oh
, Harry thought for the second time that day. Maybe the loud
crack
hadn't been the door.
Someone else walked inside. Harry heard their footsteps getting closer and closer to his cupboard. He was scared and just wanted to disappear so they wouldn't find him. He didn't want to get in trouble like he had last night when he had burnt Uncle Vernon’s chicken. His cheek still hurt.
The person knocked on his cupboard, a soft voice making its way through the door. “Harry Potter?”
Only wizards used his last name.
“Mr. Potter, we received a report for the use of underage magic,” the voice said. “Can you come out?”
Harry didn't want to come out. Would they take away his wand? He didn't even know he did magic. But the person was being awfully nice, knocking and asking and all…
Harry nodded to himself and slowly pushed the door open.
He saw Aunt Petunia first and wanted to curl up in his corner again. She was frowning and looked angry, her back stuff and her arms crossed over her chest. “What have you
done
to yourself?” She asked. Harry was confused. What did he do?
“Mr. Potter?” Harry looked at the other person. She was a kind-looking woman with purple hair, wearing Auror robes and a curious smile. “Can I call you Harry?”
Harry nodded.
“Okay, Harry. My name is Nymphadora Tonks, but you can just call me Tonks.”
Harry nodded again.
“Your birthday was yesterday?” Tonks asked softly, opening the door a bit more.
“Yes,” Harry whispered. “Did I do something wrong?”
Tonks immediately shook her head. “No, Harry, you didn't do anything wrong. But can you come with me? We need to go say hello to some people at the Ministry, okay?”
Harry bit his lip, then bowed his head and crawled out of his cupboard. When he was out he looked up at Tonks. She was really tall.
“You're really tall,” Harry said.
Aunt Petunia made a noise. “The freak’s gone and got himself shrunk.”
Harry frowned. “You're tall too.”
Tonks gave Aunt Petunia a look and took Harry’s arm, gently steering him out of the house. When they were outside she crouched down to his level.
“We’re going to Apparate there, so just don't let go of my arm,” she said. When he nodded again, they disappeared with a quiet
crack
.
.
Harry blinked. It was weird to go from a grassy yard to a big, crowded building. He looked up at Tonks, who gave him a small smile.
“We’re just going to visit a friend,” Tonks said, and began leading him to the stairs. They had to dodge a few people, there were so many bustling about.
“Nymphadora!” A stranger called, jogging towards the two of them. “I'm so glad I caught you --” He didn't even notice Harry as he grabbed Tonks’ other arm and pulled her away.
Tonks had to let go of Harry so he wouldn't get trampled, but a crowd of people went by and she disappeared.
“Tonks?” He called, his voice shaky. Why did he feel all shaky? Harry’s vision started to get blurry. He tripped again, and this time decided to get away from the people. Ron’s dad worked here -- maybe Harry could find him?
With that idea in mind, Harry ran up the stairs.
.
He burst into a random office. He didn't know where he was or where to go. He’d even list track of how many floors he had gone up.
A man looked up from the desk, startled, then scowled. Harry shrank back into the hallway. He knew this man. He hasn't seen him more than a few times but he was so scary then…
“I-I’m sorry,” Harry stuttered. “I'm looking for Mister Weasley?”
“Mr. Potter? Is that you?” Lucius Malfoy asked.
Harry nodded slightly, moving a little farther back.
Lucius frowned even more. “Did you just have a birthday?”
“Why is everyone asking that?” Harry asked, confused. Lucius ignored him.
“Who are you with?” Draco’s dad didn't even sound mad, Harry thought. It was okay to talk to him if he wasn't mad, right?
“Tonks. But she got lost.”
Now Mr. Malfoy seemed a little mad. “Why are you here, little one?”
Little one
? Harry was even more confused now. “I -- Tonks said I did magic when I wasn't supposed to but I'm not in trouble but we’re still here to say hello to people.” His words came out in one long breath. “Do you know where Mister Weasley is? He might know where Tonks went.”
Mr. Malfoy shook his head slightly, then let out a big sigh. “Come sit with me, little one. We'll get this sorted.”
Harry tilted his head. “Will I get in trouble?”
Mr. Malfoy sighed again. “No. Just come in.”
Harry frowned, thinking hard. “But you're evil.”
Mr. Malfoy shot him a look and stood up. “Where would you get that idea?”
“Because of the bad snake symbol,” Harry said, nodding matter-of-factly. “Bad snake symbol means evil.”
“I'm not --” Mr. Malfoy started, then gave up and just started walking towards Harry, who moved a little more back. Mr. Malfoy did the same thing Tonks had done and knelt in front of the boy. “Harry. I know this is all very confusing, isn't it?”
“Uh-huh.”
“It's very difficult to explain right now, but you've come into some sort of creature inheritance. That's why you’re shorter now.”
“No,” Harry protested. “I'm not shorter. You're just tall.”
Mr. Malfoy gave a very very small smile. “Whatever you say, Harry. Now, how about you come in and I can make a few fire-calls.”
Harry frowned. “Mister Weasley?”
“If you wish, I will also contact Mr. Weasley.”
Harry smiled his biggest smile at Mr. Malfoy. “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy!” The older man’s lip twitched upwards.
“Come, little one,” Lucius Malfoy said softly, holding his hand out to Harry. Harry took it. The bad snake symbol definitely didn't mean evil, if Mr. Malfoy was so nice.
See, it would all be fine.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mr. Malfoy had his head in the fire.
Harry was a little concerned, but he didn’t want to just
leave
him. So he decided to stay there and wait patiently. He was very good at being patient; it wasn’t
him
that ran off to find trouble. Most times.
Mr. Malfoy coughed a little (it sounded very graceful, Harry would assure him later) and came out of the fireplace. He had a spot of soot on his face, and Harry couldn’t help but giggle.
“...Yes?” Mr. Malfoy said, looking at Harry curiously. “What is it?” Harry, instead of asking, padded over to where Mr. Malfoy was still kneeling on the floor. He reached out, meaning to wipe off the man’s cheek, but Mr. Malfoy leaned away. “Harry…?”
“You have stuff on your face,” Harry pointed out with a soft giggle. “Ewie.”
This time, when he reached out, Mr. Malfoy didn’t move away, but his face did scrunch up. Harry wiped the black spot off, but then it was all over his finger, so he wiped it on his too-big shirt.
Wait, when did his shirt get bigger?
A nervous feeling interrupted in Harry’s stomach. “M-mr. Malfoy?” He asked, not proud that his voice was all shaky again.
“Yes, little one?”
Harry looked at Mr. Malfoy, his eyes starting to fill with tears even though he wasn’t really that sad. “I —”
Mr. Malfoy all of a sudden looked concerned. “Harry, what’s wrong?”
“Mr. Malfoy, I think I’ve shrunk.”
He didn’t look concerned anymore. “It’s okay, little one, that’s normal. We think we know what you are now.”
“I’m a wizard.”
Mr. Malfoy smiled another one of his small smiles. “Yes, you’re a wizard, Harry. But you’re also something called a ditya.”
“I’m a what?”
The older wizard gave him a soft look. “It’d probably be better if someone else explained this, someone with more knowledge. I’ve called a witch down from the Creature division of the Ministry.”
Harry frowned. “So I had a birthday and got shorter and now I’m not a wizard anymore? But I can do magic?”
“No, little one, you’re still a wizard. Just wait here with me until Ms. Juliett comes.”
He nodded, a bit unsure, but Mr. Malfoy had been nice so far.
.
Lucius found it difficult not to sigh. He hadn’t expected this with the Potter boy. He wasn’t even technically supposed to be in the Ministry building that morning, much less alone with the
Boy Who Lived
, but he couldn’t exactly leave now.
He had nearly forgotten that the deti still existed. A ditya would only show every seven generations, and it had been over a half-century since the last. The child-like creatures were a force of nature.
He was harshly reminded of the fact when Harry Potter appeared, on the verge of tears, de-aged, and hopelessly lost.
Deti had evolved, through some show of the sadistic side of fate, to endear themselves most to Darker beings. Wizard, creature, beast — only the truly Light felt no pull to protect. A ditya was doomed to a life of forced connection, of being followed through every moment and never allowed privacy of their own.
But the deti could never enter into romantic relationships, blessedly ignorant as they were. Some weaker wizards-turned-deti had a chance, but those ditya lost the power with which they were granted by fate.
And a ditya was a true powerhouse.
Lucius prayed that the Dark Lord — the Darkest wizard he had ever met, and Lucius had spent far too much time in strained conversation with Fenrir Greyback — never met the child. The world would surely meet its end.
.
Someone knocked at the door. When Harry moved to answer, Mr. Malfoy gently pushed him back, getting the door himself.
It was a very pretty woman, with beautiful brown skin, long black hair, and bright blue eyes.
“You’re very pretty,” Harry told her, and she gave him a kind smile.
“I’m Andrea Juliett,” she said in a voice that sounded like song. “I work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And you, Harry Potter, are now included.”
“Mr. Malfoy said I’m still a wizard,” Harry told her. She laughed. Her laugh sounded like song too.
“You are,” Ms. Juliett said, crouching down. “But you’re also a creature. You can be many things, Harry, all at the same time. You’re not one or the other.”
Harry frowned. (He’d been doing that a lot, lately.) “No. Because if I’m
Harry
, I’m not
Freak
. I can’t be both.”
For a moment, the two adults looked furious.
“Who told you were a freak, little one?” Mr. Malfoy asked calmly. His eyes didn’t look calm, though, so Harry just shrugged instead of saying anything. “You can tell us,” he coaxed, holding out a hand.
“Later,” Ms. Juliett murmured to Mr. Malfoy. Harry didn’t think he was supposed to hear that. “Harry, I promise you’re not a freak. You can be many things, but you’ve never been a freak.”
“
I can’t be both
,” Harry tried to explain, but he could see that they didn’t understand. Mr. Malfoy dropped his hand, and Harry felt bad. But they just weren’t getting it!
“I’m just a normal wizard,” Harry said patiently. “I go to a normal wizard school with normal wizard friends and don’t do too bad and don’t do too good because that wouldn’t be normal and I’m
normal
.”
The two adults just looked sad, now, which didn’t make any sense at all to Harry. Normal was a
good
thing. Did they still not understand? He was being perfectly logical.
Mr. Malfoy’s frown reminded him of something, though, so he had to amend his argument a little. “Normal besides You-Know-Who, duh.”
It didn’t work. They still had that
look
on their face. Harry sighed, loud and tired like Ms. McGonagall sometimes when he got in trouble. (He wasn’t in trouble, but he felt like it fit the situation.)
“Never
mind
,” he groaned. “Can I go find Mr. Weasley now?”
Ms. Juliett stared at him for a long moment. “I’m sorry, Harry, but Arthur’s a bit busy right now. Are you okay with staying with Mr. Malfoy while you wait?”
Mr. Malfoy looked annoyed but he didn’t argue.
“Okay,” Harry said, shrugging.
Ms. Juliett managed to make it all the way to the door before Mr. Malfoy let out a long sigh. “Harry, let me be the first of many to say, you have
terrible
luck.”
“Hey!” Harry cried.
“One child was
enough
,” Mr. Malfoy muttered under his breath, but he smiled all the same.