Chapter Text
The boy who lived.
More like the boy who suffers and is constantly ridiculed and seen as a kid constantly grabbing for attention.
Harry Potter hated the title. He hated the fame. He had never even known his name until he started primary school. He had just been boy, brat, and freak. Harry thought in school he could make some friends, and be wanted for once.
But his cousin had chased that thought away, literally. He wouldn’t let any kids near Harry. Whenever one would get close to Harry, he would harass and threaten the kid until they learned that Freak was not to be hung around.
Then Hagrid appeared when Harry was eleven. Harry had been so hopeful, he should have known better, he really should have. A school of magic though? Harry thought he would finally not be the freak. He could fit in. Finally, belong.
Wrong.
As soon as he gets there, everyone is freaking out over his scar. That he got when his parents died . Yeah, he wants to be remembered for that. He was a baby, he doesn’t even remember the dark lord, not to mention how he defeated him. A baby defeating a dark lord? How did that work? That doesn’t seem right since his parents couldn’t do it.
Sometimes Harry really disliked how little sense magic made.
Every year at Hogwarts, Harry was threatened, in danger at every turn, ridiculed, and made to believe he was crazy. Then at the end of the year, even after proving he was right , he didn’t even get an apology. Then Harry would beg, plead to not go back to the Dursleys, where he would just be beaten and tortured. Only to be ignored, to be swept aside as some spoiled child. It hurt.
Then. There was Sirius.
Third year has been Harry’s favorite year so far. He found out he had family, actual family. He had a godfather who was falsely imprisoned and would have taken him in if he could. An uncle who was a werewolf and couldn’t even see him as a kid because of it. Harry was heartbroken. Then furious when he found out that it was because of Dumbledore. Dumbledore was the reason he had been starved, beaten, abused, and mistreated his whole life. Harry could have had a loving family, but instead ripped that away by getting his godfather falsely accused and sent to jail with no trial and making sure his honorary uncle couldn’t see him. It hurt Harry, so much.
That summer. He hit his snapping point.
It started off as usual. Woken up by yelling at five in his small bedroom, he at least had a bedroom now. Make breakfast, if he gets lucky he’ll get the scraps; Go immediately and start on the chores for the day; make lunch, get a glass of water and a softening apple, his cousin never eats fruits why does Aunt Petunia buy them, before going back to the chores.
He was working on dinner when it happened.
His uncle apparently had a bad sale at work, something didn’t go his way. He comes in grumbling and muttering as he goes to the kitchen. “Why isn’t my dinner ready yet freak?!” He yells at Harry, who holds back a flinch, turning to his uncle and looking towards the floor.
“I-It’s still cooking sir. It will be done in a few minutes.” Harry answered immediately, making sure not to make eye contact. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting off easily tonight.
He was right, Harry realized as a fist connected with his face, knocking him to the ground. His cheek stung, already feeling the bruise forming as his Uncle walloped on his body, ‘punishing’ him for it.
Harry just let himself go into his mind, disassociating from the real world. He was just so tired. He wanted to leave.
He wanted to make them hurt as he did.
Harry felt a snap inside him, and his uncle was knocked back and away from him, hitting the wall with a thud. He got up, his magic keeping Vernon pinned as the man yelled at ‘Freak’ to release him right that instant.
Harry just stared at him, eyes glowing red instead of their normal startling green. He smirked, grabbing a knife off the counter, one he had been using to cut onions earlier for dinner.
“Freak release me right this instant-” “ENOUGH.” Harry cut him off, glaring at the man. “I am done with you ‘uncle’.”
Vernon opened his mouth to yell again, probably more obscenity and words, but Harry waved his hand, cutting off all sound from his uncle. The thirteen-year-old smirked, walking over to his uncle. “I am done with your treatment. I am done being your slave. Your punching bag. I have done nothing but suffer since I have been here. I would have rather you left me on the porch or dropped me at an orphanage. You always say how lucky I am that you didn’t. More like how unlucky. ” Harry huffed, running the knife against the fat man’s cheek with a smirk. “Well guess what uncle? I. Am. Done. ”
He pressed the knife against the man’s skin, smirking more when blood dripped slightly down his face and the man grimaced. “I am going to make you suffer, just as you made me suffer. But don’t worry.” Harry told him, smiling softly.
“ I’ll end your suffering soon .”
Harry walked away from the house, a bag on his back as he left in the darkness of the night. It would be up in flames to destroy the bodies he had left of his dear family soon enough. He had a new pair of clothes on that he had bought before the end of summer, a dark green hoodie and jeans. The knife sat in his pocket comfortably, along with the wad of cash he had taken before leaving. In the bag was his shrunken chest and Hedwig’s bird cage, the owl flying beside him with a joyful hoot. He had also some more clothes that actually fit him and some items of his mother’s that he had found.
Harry knew he couldn’t stay in the area. There would be wizards surrounding the place soon enough. They would find the burned bodies but Harry was sure there would be no trace leading back to him.
Harry felt something watching him, making him subtly glance around to see if he could catch who.
A lone figure, tall, wearing all black, just disappeared out of sight so Harry couldn’t get a good look. He frowned, Hedwig, landed on his shoulder, looking around. Her presence grounded him, making sure he didn’t overreact as he headed towards the forest nearby.
It wasn’t until Harry was a good distance inside the forest that he stopped, eyes edging red as he let Hedwig fly above, landing on a branch as he leaned against the tree. “I know you’re watching me. What do you want?” Harry called out, his ears ringing after, making him hold back a flinch as Hedwig hooted in alarm.
“Impressive.” A voice rang in his head, making Harry look around, wondering where they were. “It had been a long time since one of the magic users snapped. Even longer than they weren’t immediately driven mad.”
Harry frowned, looking around. “So? What do you mean ‘snapped’?” Harry asked, guard up as Hedwig called a warning through their bond, the owl was silent as Harry looked behind the tree he leaned against, seeing the figure as he disappeared from sight.
“It means as it sounds. You snapped. You took care of those that caused you suffering. You ended them. You have unlocked a part of you that was dormant, something that is not easy to unlock, or control. It is something that not many can unlock, the darkness inside of them. Most do not survive even if they do, either dying from the shock of it after or going insane. Magic makes this case more likely.” The voice rang through his head, as Harry growled softly, loosening the hold on his magic, it had gotten easier to maneuver after killing Vernon, trying to sense where the stranger was. Whoever it was, they weren’t human, that Harry could tell. They were too tall, too thin, standing at least ten feet tall. The boy was weary, looking around as Hedwig made calls in their bond to where he next appeared.
“Who are you?” Harry asked, whistling lowly to get Hedwig to land on his shoulder, ready to bolt if he has to. Whoever this was, he knew he couldn’t fight them. He was too weak, his magic was already exhausted from earlier and he could feel the exhaustion settling in. Harry was in no shape for another fight.
“I go by many names little wizard,” The voice told him. “I am called the man-who-watches by some. By others, the Operator. But the name I am most known for and the one I go by most is Slenderman.” Harry looked ahead of him, seeing the figure appear and making him raise his guard. He was right about not being human, the figure stood about ten feet tall, arms and legs impossibly long. As he looked up, Harry was startled to see he had no face but did his best to hide his shock. “I am one of the watchers and caretakers of those that have snapped. I had been watching you for a week now, my senses telling me that you were close to snapping. It is my job to see if you were to lose control and need to be killed, or to offer you a place of safety with others like you.”
Harry frowned, guard still up. “Others like me?” He asked, not able to help the curiosity and hope blooming inside of him. He did his best to stomp it down. Harry knew that it wasn’t something to hope for. He had given up on that he thought.
Slenderman ‘looked’ at him and nodded softly. “Correct. You will live and train with others that have snapped. Those that have been rejected and proven again and again that they have no place in the normal world. With the magical world, I would become your magical guardian, as I suspect with how much they are hunting you now that you wouldn’t easily be able to run from the world.” Slender told him, making Harry frown.
“Of course, they’re already looking for me. Can’t help their ‘precious savior ’ when he’s being beaten and starved daily, but oh no, his ‘lovely aunt’ and her husband and son are dead and they now look for me.” Harry couldn’t help but spat out the words as if they left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Slender seems to process this information for now. “Yes, such is the way of those who cannot bother with anything that does not benefit them. I can become your magical guardian until you are of age. You will be able to continue your education and have a place to be safe; in return, all I will ask is you do missions for me on occasion to help keep the balance of the world in order. You will have the freedom to kill who you wish under certain restrictions, to not bring attention to our way of living. You can also leave whenever you wish as well, though not before you are of age without restrictions as well. This is for your safety and protection.” He explained to the teen. “You will also have medical attention and be able to start recovery for the abuse you have suffered, and I will be able to remove that soul piece clinging to you.”
Harry frowned, looking at him confused. “Soul piece?? I have a piece of someone’s soul in me?” He questioned, alarmed as the entity before him nodded seriously.
“It would seem that the wraith you call ‘Voldemort’ managed to stick a soul piece inside you as he died the first time. It is ancient magic that is usually not practiced anymore, especially not on another living being. It can be removed easily without harm to you luckily, as it seems there is some shield on your soul that caused it to not merge with you.” Slenderman told him, Harry processing the information.
That just seemed like his luck honestly. Having a piece of the bastard that killed his parents and caused him to live in pain for so long trying to leech off of him. Harry looked at the being in front of him, mulling over his words. Hedwig nuzzled his cheek softly, sending comfort through their bond. She would stay with him no matter what the boy chose. She was his familiar and she wouldn’t leave him until she died.
“Alright, Slenderman. I accept.” Harry replied, looking up at the being who seemed pleased, holding a hand out to the boy.
“I am glad. I will take us to where you will be staying along with several others.” Slender told him, making Harry nod as he grabbed the hand with little hesitation.
The two disappeared, and the wizarding world wouldn’t know what hit them the next time they saw Harry James Potter.