Chapter 2: A-Child-Deprived

Harry Potter is a weird child… That is the general agreement among everyone in Private Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. The boy was said to be orphaned in a car crash when he was only a year old… While nobody in Privet Drive knew much about his parents, Petunia Dursley, the boy's Aunt happily told everyone that his father had been a good-for-nothing drunk and his mother, a whore. Petunia didn't stop at that, she told everyone that Harry Potter is a no-good delinquent, which ruined all of his chances of having friends.

However, Harry Potter was anything but such a child… He may not be a genius or a prodigy, but he was still quite intelligent. The Dursleys always did their best to discourage him, so Harry simply decided to hide his intelligence to avoid punishment from the Dursleys. Harry quickly realized that getting scores lower than his fat cousin was enough to make the Dursleys happy and if the Dursleys were happy, the chances of him getting punished by them were also low as the Dursleys tended to ignore him whenever they would celebrate.

After all, there is no place for the 'Freak' when they celebrate something. For as long as he could remember, he was called 'Freak' by the Dursleys… Before going to Primary School, Harry didn't even know his name. His relatives used to call him a 'Freak' so that is what he believed his name was. The Dursleys still called him 'Freak' most of the time, they rarely used his name. Harry wanted to ask why they called him a 'Freak' when he had a name, but he knew well not to ask any questions.

Once Harry had asked Vernon about his parents and it was the worst mistake he had made in his short life to date. His Uncle decided that he needed a nice beating and he shouldn't be given any food for three days to go along with it. That is how Harry learned not to ask any questions, and he wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance. Going without food for a day was nothing new for Harry, but going without food for three days was something he never wanted to experience again.

From Library, Harry was able to learn what the word freak meant and it was a really mean thing to call someone 'Freak'… Harry realized that his relatives never shied away from making his life miserable, so it wasn't surprising that they called him 'Freak'. He had also heard his relatives referring to his 'unnaturalness' a lot of times, that may be why they called him a freak.

Harry knew weird things kept happening around him from time to time… Once he was incredibly angry at his aunt and a bulb exploded nearby, obviously, he was punished for that. Once he desperately wanted something to eat and the food floated into his hands from the dining table, which obviously earned him a beating. Then there was an incident when he turned his teacher's hair blue and once again he was punished by the Dursleys.

Then there was another incident when Aunt Petunia shaved him nearly bald, leaving a small fringe of hair to cover his lightning bolt scar. Petunia didn't want to spend money by taking him to get a haircut… Harry hated how he looked and felt, so the next day his hair was back. Of course, Petunia shrieked and shrieked for nearly an hour about his 'freakishness' and 'unnaturalness' before he was punished.

While Harry was curious about these weird incidents, he vehemently wanted to avoid such incidents at all costs. He had been punished every single time something weird has happened, so obviously he wanted to avoid such situations at all costs, but fate was a cruel mistress…

The day started like any other day for Harry Potter… He woke up early and cooked breakfast for the Dursleys while he only received a meager amount of food for himself. Harry has grown used to this… At least, he was receiving some food instead of getting nothing. Then he finished the rest of his chores before making his way to the school, dressed in his cousin's cast-offs. The Dursleys never bought him clothes, so he had to wear Dudley's cast-offs even though he didn't like them.

While school was okay, it could have been better if Harry had friends… In the beginning, some of the students tried to become friends with him, but Dudley and his gang chased them away. Harry felt heartbroken, but there wasn't much he could do… It wasn't like he could fight Dudley and his gang and if he did something to precious Dudders, then he will not only get a beating from Vernon, but he will also go hungry for at least a couple of days.

Unfortunately for Harry, his luck ran out when Dudley and his gang decided to play Harry Hunting… Obviously, Harry hated the game as he would be hunted by Dudley and his gang, if he was caught then he would get a beating which would only make his chores back at his relatives' house only harder. There was something else Harry found weird… His wounds would always heal overnight, well most of his wounds did.

Harry was particularly glad for having this ability or whatever it was called… Sometimes, he wondered if he had any superpowers like the Heroes and Villains in those comics he had seen some students bring to school, but all of those comics are works of fiction, right? At least, that is what his Uncle said and that is why his Uncle refused to buy Dudley any comics.

Though Dudley had found a solution for it… He would simply take comics from other students so that he could read them… After all, nobody dared to deny Dudley. Harry wasn't like Dudley, so looked for superheroes in the library and that is where he read about Captain America, the first Superhero, who fought in the second world war and saved the world. According to his Uncle, Captain America never existed and the man was simply created by the Yanks as propaganda, so Harry didn't know for sure if superheroes really existed or not.

Back to the topic at hand… Right now, Harry was running away from Dudley and his gang, wanting to avoid them at any cost. After some time, he started to become desperate as Dudley and his gang were looking quite determined to catch him. Some days, Dudley and his gang would give up this game as they would get bored, but from the looks of it, today was not one of those days.

Harry badly wished for an escape from his tormentors and the next thing he knew, he was on the roof of the school. Something weird has happened again and Harry already knew that he was in a lot of trouble as there was no way to get down from the roof. Finally, the fire department was called to rescue him… He was already dreading going back home, knowing what was going to happen. He played around with the idea of never returning again… That will surely make his relatives happy…

Where will he live? What will he eat? Questions like that stopped him from running away… After all, he is only eight years old right now. There is no way he could make a living for himself at this age...

Harry's heart thumped as he made his way to his house… Harry knew that Aunt Petunia had received a call from the school. After all, even the Headmistress had to get involved… Harry entered the house and he was quite thankful to find that Uncle Vernon was yet to return. He decided to finish all of his chores as quickly as possible so that he could return to his cupboard before his Uncle returned. He even caught Aunt Petunia glaring at him while seething in anger.

Harry was about to start cooking dinner when he heard a car pull over in the driveway and his stomach dropped in dread… Harry started to tremble in fear as his Uncle finally entered the house. Petunia screeched as she started to tell Vernon everything about the incident at school… Harry simply stood at his spot while trembling in fear as his Uncle's face started to turn purple in anger and rage…

"BOY!!" Vernon snarled in rage and Harry cringed in fear. His Uncle called him and not answering was not an option.

Harry meekly walked up to the large man… His feet trembling as he walked, he was surprised that his knees didn't give in. "Yes, Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked fearfully and as soon as he finished, his Uncle's flabby arm slapped him down to the ground. Harry's world blackout out for a few moments as he blinked rapidly to regain his bearings and that is when the pain hit him.

"What did I tell you about using your freakishness, boy?" Vernon bellowed. "I won't have your craziness in my house, do you hear me? I will have none of it! How did you end up on the roof?" Vernon asked angrily.

Harry tried to get away from his Uncle in fear by crawling, but his Uncle leaned down and grabbed him by his shoulder, and picked him up. Harry's world blacked out for the second time when his Uncle slapped him again… Harry dropped to the floor for the second time. He had to force himself not to cry… He knew what would happen if he cried.

"I swear, I don't know. One minute I was running and the next minute I was on the roof!" Harry tried to explain, but his Uncle forcefully picked him up from the floor. Harry winced when his Uncle's grip on his shoulder tightened.

"You think you can lie to me, boy! Tonight I will beat the freakishness out of you!" Vernon screamed, his face puffed up in rage and anger.

Vernon had promised himself that he would beat the freakishness out of the boy when they took him in and that is what he was going to do! He wouldn't have freaks living in his house… Since he couldn't get rid of the boy, he would get rid of the nonsense in the boy itself! He would make sure that after this punishment the boy would think twice before using his unnatural powers on good, hardworking people such as themselves.

Vernon pulled out his belt after unclasping it and Harry's eyes grew wide in shock and terror when he saw that. The next thing Harry knew, he was screaming himself hoarse. Harry wasn't able to stop his tears as the belt buckle hit his legs… Petunia simply watched the scene from the back with a gleeful and satisfied look on her face. Her freak of a nephew was finally being put in his place. Harry started to beg his Uncle to stop, but his Uncle didn't stop, his rage driving him over the edge.

The belt kept hitting him over and over… Harry curled into a fetal position to avoid getting hit, but he didn't receive a reprieve from his Uncle, and then all of a sudden, the belt buckle hit him on the head, knocking him out, but Vernon continued to hit him… Petunia was the one who noticed that Harry was no longer crying or screaming, so she panicked and stopped Vermon from continuing.

"Vernon, what if he is dead? You know they will come after us…" Petunia blurted out with a panicked look on her face.

Vernon simply leaned down and placed his hand over Harry's chest. The boy's heart was still beating, so the boy was still alive. "He is alive… I am sure he will live" Vernon sneered in disgust. "Pet, no food for him for a week. Is the dinner ready?" Vernon asked and Petunia shook her head in denial.

"I am so tired… Can you prepare something quickly?" Vernon asked Petunia who nodded her head. "Good. I am going to throw him in the cupboard" He added as he picked up Harry in his arms, but there was no care for the boy.

"Sure" Petunia said as she made her way toward the kitchen. "Poor Dudders is probably hungry" Vernon heard Petunia mutter as she entered the kitchen, but Vernon didn't say anything. Vernon yanked open the cupboard door and tossed Harry inside without any care before slamming the door shut. He locked the cupboard and walked away but not before giving a hateful glare toward the cupboard while muttering about stupid freaks…

<Line Break>

Unknown to Harry and the Dursleys, there was another person who witnessed the whole incident… The said woman couldn't stop herself from sobbing after witnessing the cruelty. Lily Potter saw everything Vernon and Petunia did to her son… She had been watching the two of them do horrible things to her son since he was placed in their care. Lily hated the Dursleys with passion, just like Lily hated Dumbledore along with all the Muggles who mistreated her son.

Most of all, Lily hated herself for being this powerless… For six years she had been watching her son getting abused by the same people she fought to protect. Sometimes, Lily felt she made a mistake by not joining the Death Eaters. These Muggles deserved everything Voldemort and his merry band of Death Eaters were giving them, but Lily would quickly snap herself out of that line of thinking. Lily hated Voldemort too… The man tried to kill her son after taking her away from Hadrian. Voldemort was directly responsible for her son's misery…

Lily vowed that Voldemort would pay for everything he had done to her and her family… Lily hasn't been idle all these years. Yes, she was trapped inside some sort of astral space inside her son, but she could still think and work on Magical theories. There was a time when Lily decided to drown herself in research so that she could avoid watching her son getting abused by her bitch of a sister, her bastard of a husband, and their filthy spawn and that is when Lily discovered several things.

Lily was finally able to discover what the ugly baby thing was… Well, it was mostly a guess on her part as there was no way for her to cast Magic in this place… She already knew that the ugly baby thing was somehow related to Voldemort, but she was still horrified to discover that the ugly baby thing was a literal piece of Voldemort's Soul. A Soul Piece of Voldemort was latched on to her son. Lily had no idea how this Soul Piece was able to latch on to her son…

She didn't even know how or why this piece of Soul broke off from Voldemort's main Soul in the first place. Lily knew that she was completely out of her depth when it came to Souls as she only knew a couple of things when it came to this particular branch of Magic. The only reason she came across this topic in the first place is because she had been looking through all the knowledge in Potter library and there were only some mentions here and there.

Aside from that, Lily also discovered that someone had crippled her protection… Lily already knew who was responsible for that and she will have her revenge one way or the other. Most of the protection's power was gone… Albus bloody Dumbledore had ruined her work of art to protect the Dursleys' house. She still remembers what he said when he left her son at Petunia's doorstep. Yes, Lily would have her revenge and it won't be swift… Her revenge will be drawn out and painful…

Whatever was left of her protection, most of it was being used to restrain Voldemort's Soul Piece or Lily was sure that it would have tried to corrupt her son. It was only a small piece of Voldemort's Soul, so Lily wasn't sure if it was even strong enough to take over her son's body, and whatever was left of the protection after that was only strong enough to react if Voldemort ever came in contact with Hadrian, whereas the original protection was strong enough to rebound any Spell Voldemort would cast on Hadrian.

If the original protection was still in its place, then Lily wouldn't have to worry about the Soul Piece… Her protection was strong enough to get rid of the Soul Piece, after all, she had created the protection with specifically Voldemort in her mind… She did not know how the protection would have reacted to her if it had all of its power, but she guess that it wouldn't have been anything fatal… After all, she wasn't wrapped in chains…

And there was something else Lily discovered… Apparently, she could mentally reach out to her son… She had been ecstatic when she discovered this, but all of her joy came crashing down when she discovered that she simply didn't have enough power to maintain their connection. Lily had been able to reach out to Hadrian in his dreams to provide him comfort, but she couldn't maintain the connection for longer periods of time… Then there was another problem… She could only reach out to him in his dreams as that is when the barrier separating this place and son's mind became weaker…

"Enough!!" Lily screamed out all of a sudden with a fiery look on her face.

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Without saying anything else, she started to wipe her eyes with her sleeves. Enough was enough… She couldn't watch her son getting abused anymore. She needed to do something or she would die trying. Right now, she didn't even know if her son would live through the rest of his childhood, and if this continued then there was a good chance that her son would not live long enough to receive his Hogwarts letter. That was more than enough to make a mother desperate and there was no saying what a desperate mother would do to protect her children.

With her mind made up, Lily started to make her way toward the ugly baby thing… What Lily was planning to do would have made anyone balk, but Lily was determined to go through with her plan… Lily would admit, it was a pretty stupid plan, but it was the only plan she had. Lily wasn't strong enough to maintain her connection, but there was a power source right in front of her… No matter what anybody said, Voldemort was a lot stronger than her.

Lily was planning to absorb the Soul Piece… She had no idea if the Soul Piece would affect her personality or not, but this is the only option she had. Lily did not know if she would grow stronger with time or not, but in these six years, she hasn't grown stronger, so she couldn't wait for something, which was probably never going to happen. Only six years ago, Lily would have emptied her stomach at the thought of merging herself with a piece of Voldemort, but Lily was no longer the same woman she was six years ago…

So, according to her calculations and theories, not only she will receive a power boost after absorbing Voldemort's Soul Piece, but the protection would also become stronger as it would no longer need to restrain Voldemort's Soul Piece. It was a win-win situation for Lily, but previously she refused to absorb the Soul Piece as it was bound to affect her personality to some extent… She simply didn't know by how much she was going to change or if the changes were even going to be noticeable or not…

That is one of the reasons why Lily hasn't absorbed the Soul Piece until now as she did not know how the Soul Piece was going to affect her and by how much, but she simply couldn't bring herself to care anymore. As long as she could protect her son, nothing else would matter. The rest of the world could burn for all she cared!!

It was clear that Lily has changed… Anyone in her place would have changed. She had to watch her son getting abused continuously for six years and there was no way to turn off the screen or the voices. That would leave a scar on anyone and worse of all, Lily blamed herself for everything. She shouldn't have sacrificed herself… Her sacrifice might have saved her son, but her sacrifice has sentenced her son to a miserable life. Death would have been much better than this…

Lily finally arrived in front of the ugly baby thing that was glaring at her with its crimson eyes. Lily stared at the ugly baby thing with a look of pure loathing on her face, but moments later, her features started to transform until an unsure look appeared on her face. "If only I wasn't desperate enough…" Lily trailed off. A determined look finally replaced the unsure look on her face.

The ugly thing hissed something at her… Lily almost flinched back as he held back a shiver. Obviously, she was quite aware of the fact that Voldemort was a Parselmouth, but Lily never imagined that Parseltongue could make her so uncomfortable… "I don't understand what you are trying to say, but it was probably an insult" Lily deadpanned as she started to get close to the ugly baby thing. Lily could already feel the invisible force trying to pull her toward the Soul Piece.

As Lily continued to walk towards the Soul Piece, the force pulling her toward the ugly baby thing continued to grow stronger and soon, the force was so strong that she could no longer step back and then the force finally became so strong that Lily could no longer hold herself back… Lily couldn't help but grimace in disgust when she finally came in contact with the Soul Piece and moments later, she started to howl in pain. She felt like her whole body was on fire…

The Soul Piece was also experiencing something similar. It also started to wail in pain, but unline Lily, its screams were completely inhumane… Both Lily and the Soul Piece continued to scream and after a couple of minutes, the Soul Piece finally started to merge with her. Lily started to scream herself hoarse, she had never experienced so much pain in her life…

She had heard about the Cruciatus Curse, but fortunately, she never experienced it. Lily felt her mind blanking out, but she forced herself to stay awake. She was experiencing so much pain that she was feeling like she was going to lose her mind. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like hours… When the Soul Piece was completely absorbed by Lily. she released a howling scream before she finally lost her consciousness…

~~A Few Hours Later~~

Lily groaned in pain as she groggily opened her eyes and that is when the pain assaulted her. A couple of sobs escaped her lips due to the pain… Her whole body was aching in pain. Lily clearly remembered what she had done, but to be honest, she wasn't feeling any difference, at least not mentally. There was no way of knowing if she received the desired power boost or not, especially with every inch of her body aching in pain.

'I will protect you, Hadrian… Whatever it takes…' Lily thought as she lost her consciousness for the second time. She was not only hurting, but she was also feeling quite tired, so there was nothing she could do right now except for resting…

~~Unknown Time Later~~

Lily shot up from the ground and started to heave… Lily's face was covered with sweat. After taking a few deep breaths, Lily opened her eyes and looked around. She clearly remembered what she had done, so she looked around, but there were no signs of the ugly baby thing. This was the first time Lily had fallen asleep in six years and it wasn't a pleasant experience, after all, Lily wasn't sleeping in reality. Lily no longer needed food or sleep to survive.

Lily hissed in pain as she slowly stood up and that made her freeze… Lily's eyes grew wide in surprise as she realized what she had done. Her hiss was way too clear… 'Did I become a Parselmouth?' Lily wondered incredulously and decided to give it another try. Lily hissed for the second time and once again, she was able to understand it. She wanted to conduct more tests, but there were much more important things to do…

Lily finally decided to test if she received the power boost or not and a huge grin formed on her face as she felt that she was now a lot more stronger than before. Lily fist bumped in the air and she immediately winced in pain. Even though most of the pain was gone, her body was still aching a bit. Satisfied with her power boost, she decided to inspect the protection and she couldn't help but smile when she felt that the protection was a lot stronger than before.

The protection no longer needed to restrain the Soul Piece, so obviously it was much stronger. Lily could also feel some sort of connection between herself and the protection, which wasn't there before. Lily did not know how much she could influence the protection and while she wanted to conduct some tests, there was something else she wanted to do before trying anything else… Lily couldn't help but feel nervous…

'What am I supposed to say?' Lily questioned herself in frustration. 'Hello, I am your mother, Hadrian' Lily immediately as she chastised herself for thinking something so stupid.

'Why is this so hard?' Lily groaned in frustration. 'Maybe, I should just go along with the flow… I think that would be the best' She finally made up her mind as wasting more time would simply make her more nervous. With her mind made up, Lily started to focus her power toward Hadrian's mind, so that she could reach out to him. Lily felt a pang in her chest as soon as she remembered the state her son was in… She had no idea what her son thought about her…

Will he blame her for his childhood? Will he blame her for dying and leaving him alone? She hoped not… It would break her heart if her son hated her, but she wouldn't blame him. He would be right to blame her, after all, Petunia was her own sister… Lily grinned in satisfaction as she was finally able to establish a connection with her son, but at the same, her nervousness also increased by several folds…

Before Lily could have a panic attack, a visage started to form right in front of her. Lily's knees grew weak as she realized who it was… The visage finally took a solid form and Lily's breath hitched as she found her own emerald orbs staring at her with curiosity, confusion, and fear… It broke her heart to see that Hadrian was afraid of her, but she vowed that she would make it right. She will make everything right…

Meanwhile, Harry Potter could only stare at the woman standing right in front of him. He did not know how, but all of a sudden he found himself in this strange space. The last thing he remembered was the intense beating he received from Uncle Vermon. So, it wasn't surprising that he was confused and afraid on the other hand, he was also curious. He found the woman standing in front of him to be quite familiar, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't put a finger on it.

The woman took a step forward and Harry instinctively took a step back… The hurt on the woman's face was clear, and tears started to pool in her eyes. For whatever reason, Harry felt like he had done something really bad and for whatever reason, he felt like he needed to comfort the woman. Harry hesitated, but he finally took a step forward, and the woman beamed at him with the brightest smile he had ever seen on anyone's face.

"Who are you?" Harry asked in almost a whisper when he finally noticed the woman's eyes. 'Her eyes are just like mine' Harry thought to himself.

"I am… I am your mother, Hadrian" The woman smiled bitterly as she spoke and Harry's eyes grew wide as he stared at the woman claiming to be his mother.

"You are dead!" Harry declared. "Am I dead too? Did Uncle Vernon really kill me?" Harry questioned himself, but he was simply engulfed in a tight hug by the woman claiming to be his mother.

Harry wasn't a big fan of physical contact and while he was taken by surprise by the woman, he found himself relaxing in her embrace. There was a certain warmth and comfort in the woman's embrace… Harry did not know what to do, so he simply decided to enjoy the woman's warmth as long as he could… Harry almost panicked when the woman started to sob and apologize to someone named Hadrian and it made Harry grimace in bitterness.

'She must have mistaken me for her son, but why do I feel so familiar?' Harry wondered inside his mind. For whatever reason, Harry felt he had heard that name before.

Harry was quite aware of the fact that he was Harry, not Hadrian and while he didn't want to leave this woman's embrace, he knew he had to speak up. While he wanted to have a mother too, he couldn't take away someone else's mother. Harry knew how it felt not having any parents… "Mam, I think you have made a mistake. I am Harry, not Hadrian" Harry said bitterly. One part of him wanted him to take this Hadrain's place while another part of him wanted him to come clean.

The woman separated from him and Harry felt a pang in his chest, but he was dumbfounded when the woman started to laugh. "Oh… no, you are my Hadrian. I gave you that name while everyone else called you Harry… I hated that nickname and I still hate it" the woman said and Harry felt like someone had pulled the ground from under his feet. He had no idea how to react…

This woman was really his mother!! Only a few moments ago, Harry was worried that he was dead, but now that he was reunited with his mother, he was completely fine being dead. "Are you really my mother?" Harry asked in a fearful tone, but at the same time, he sounded oddly hopeful. He had no idea what he was going to do if all of this turned out to be a cruel joke arranged by his relatives.

"Yes, I am. You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this moment…" Lily trailed off as she ruffled Harry's hair and tears started to stream down Harry's eyes, and he jumped into Lily's embrace. Lily wrapped her arms around Hadrian protectively as she pulled him closer.

"Don't worry, Hadrian… Now that I am here, everything will be fine… I will fix everything. Whatever it takes…" Lily said lovingly as she started to rub her son's back, trying to comfort him.

"Please don't leave me, mom" Harry almost begged after hearing Lily's words and it broke her heart to hear such words from her son.

"I promise, Hadrian, I will never leave you… Mummy will be able with you from now on. She will never leave you again" Lily promised in a firm tone. Harry finally stopped sobbing and started to pull away from her… Lily wanted to keep hugging him, but she knew a serious conversation was probably in order.

"Am I dead?" Harry asked in a neutral tone, but she could tell Harry was hopeful.

"No, you are still alive" Lily said and a frown appeared on Harry's face

"Then how are you here?" Harry asked, looking somewhat afraid. "Did you abandon me?" Harry asked meekly and Lily immediately pulled him into her arms.

"No… no, Hadrian. I would never do that… Please give me a chance to explain" Lily almost pleaded and Harry decided to give her the chance. After feeling him nod in her embrace, she finally let him go. "Take a seat, honey. This is going to be a long story…" Lily said as she sat down on the floor and Harry also followed her example. After taking a long breath, Lily finally started to tell Harry everything about Magic and how she ended up in her current situation…

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