Chapter 1: Accidental Magic

Harry had always known he was different. He hadn’t been allowed to play with the neighborhood children when he was young. The only time he ever even really saw them was in Daycare or school.

One time, Harry had been watching the girls at daycare playing with their dolls. Harry had always wanted to play with toys of any kind but Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia said he wouldn’t take care of them and that they’d break so he didn’t deserve any.

He had asked the girls if he could play with them, but they had crinkled their noses and said dolls were for girls, “Not stinky boys.” It made Harry sad. He saw how Dudley ruined all his toys, he always promised his aunt and uncle that he would take good care of a toy if he could just have one, but they just laughed at him and called him a freak

Now, staring at the girls giggling and having fun playing with their dolls, he contemplated just pushing them down and taking one, like Dudley would do. He really wanted a doll. He even stood up and began to walk back over to the girls. Halfway there, he stopped. He didn’t want to be like Dudley.

Harry turned around and sat back down by himself in his corner. He was so frustrated and sad and lonely. He really, really wanted a doll.

The air crackled with a strange energy. Everyone except Harry seemed to notice. I want a doll too! Harry practically screamed in his mind. A shock-wave burst from Harry’s body. The Daycare began to shake. Everyone except Harry felt a deep rumbling in their bones that made them nauseous. There were creaks and cracks as the walls began to splinter.

The minders began to panic scooping up children in a mad dash to escape the collapsing building. In the ensuing chaos, only Harry noticed one of the girls get engulfed in a pale light and, before Harry’s astonished eyes, shrink down to the size of a doll.

Harry acted without thinking. A small part of him knew that this was somehow a cruel and unusual fulfillment of his wish, but the rest of him was just worried for the safety of the very tiny little girl who could easily get trampled by a minder or child in the panic.

Harry covered the little girl with his body. He was occasionally trodden on or tripped over, but none of the minders tried to take him out. Harry picked up the scared and screaming little girl, cradling her gently and putting her in the overlarge pocket of his pants.

Harry made it out of the Daycare house just in time for him to escape the loud crash as it came down. Terrified parents were screaming, minders sat drinking coffee, looking severely traumatized. Children were crying. Strange men in powder blue robes were interviewing people. One came up to Harry.

“Hello, are you alright son? Did you get in a fight with one of the mug— er… the other children?” The man looked gruff and had a gruff voice, but there was a twinkle of gentleness and concern to it as well.

“I-I j-j-just wanted to play dolls with them, b-but they said boys weren’t allowed and then everyone looked sick and the house was coming down and nobody noticed her, there was this weird light, but nobody was gonna save her… I-I—“Harry felt sobs coming on.

“It’s okay, there there…” The man in the powder blue robes smiled soothingly and patted Harry’s back. “Happens to the best of us, not to worry. In future, try to control yourself, okay lad? You don’t want to hurt anyone, do you?” Harry shook his head. He didn’t want to be like Dudley.

The man ruffled his hair. “Good lad.”

After an hour the tumult was cleared up and everyone looked relieved and a bit dazed. The men in blue disappeared without a trace. When his uncle Vernon picked him up, the large man gave one astonished look at the demolished house, then the guilty look on Harry’s face. He frowned and his face threatened to go purple.

“Get in the car boy, we’ll talk about your punishment for… this,” Vernon began gesturing to the destroyed remains of the daycare house, “when we get home!”

Harry got in the car. Vernon was raving and barely coherent. Harry slumped in shame and put his hands in his pockets. He felt the tiny girl he had saved wrap her arms around his fingers, quivering in fear. I almost forgot. Oh no! What about her parents?

Harry was frantic for a moment, trying to remember if anyone was still looking for their daughter when Uncle Vernon had picked him up, but he didn’t think there was. I guess her parents abandoned her… I suppose I could take care of her.

Harry hid his smiling face. He had really wanted a doll to play with. Now he had one. He would always be careful, he knew she was still a person and no ordinary doll, but she would need him to take care of her. He would never let anyone take her away, she was his doll.

Vernon roughly threw Harry into his cupboard. It was all Harry could do to protect his new doll from being harmed when he fell. Once the cupboard was locked and bolted and Harry was sure no one would bother him, he took his hands from his pockets, carefully grasping his most precious possession in one of them. He opened his palm and gazed at the tiny little girl.

“Hello.” Harry whispered, hoping not to hurt her little ears or be overheard by the Dursleys, they would surely take away his precious doll if they saw her, and would probably hurt her just to teach him a lesson, or even worse, give her to Dudley.

The girl had long blonde hair that fell in ringlets and wore a cute pink pullover with a pink ribbon woven into her hair. The girl shook like a leaf as she gaze up into Harry’s gigantic face.

“H-h-hi, I’m sorry I w-wouldn’t play with you, p-p-please don’t hurt me!” the girl squeaked in fear. Harry frowned. He didn’t want her to be scared of him, he wanted to be friends. He was sure if he kept her secret, Dudley wouldn’t be able to make her not be his friend anymore.

“I’d never hurt you. I’m going to take care of you. I’ve never had a doll before, or any toy, or even a friend. I hope you’ll be my friend. What’s your name?” Harry babbled, as children were often wont to do.

“I’m L-Lisa, I’ll be your friend, but I’m not a doll! I’m a real girl!” Little Lisa shouted, almost as if she had to prove it to herself. Harry scoffed.

“Well, of course you’re real. I’m not stupid, you know. You’re special, but you’re still my doll.” Harry stated firmly, then grinned broadly. “I’m so glad you want to be friends. I promise I’ll take good care of you, I’ll never let my aunt and uncle and Dudley find you or hurt you.”

“What about my mummy and daddy?” Lisa asked tearfully, worried she really was going to live the rest of her life as a doll. Harry frowned sadly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see them, none of the grown-ups seemed to be looking for you,” Harry replied. Lisa broke down into loud, (for her) wet sobs. Harry felt bad that he had forgotten and not looked very hard for her parents, but didn’t want to give up his new friend and doll. He gently stroked her hair and back hoping that would help to soothe her. It actually seemed to work, because after a minute or two, she sniffed and looked up at Harry’s massive face. His eyes are so pretty! Lisa thought, then blushed.

“Thank you for saying you’ll take care of me, you’re Harry right?” Lisa began. Harry nodded. “I’m really tired, is it okay if I go to sleep now?” she asked looking expectantly into her giant friend’s intense, caring gaze.

“Yeah, I’m tired too.” As if on cue Harry yawned. Lisa had to clap her hands over her ears at the loud noise. “Sorry.” Harry looked down into his palm sheepishly.

Harry laid down on his nasty cot and pulled his ratty old blankets tight. He kissed Lisa little head, much to her spluttered indignation. Harry didn’t notice he had left her face coated in spit. He tucked his new doll, safely in his arms against his chest “good night Lisa, I love you.”

Lisa’s heart melted. Harry was the first person outside her family to say that. If it was Harry playing with her and taking care of her, maybe being a doll wouldn’t be so bad after all. Tucked against her giant friend’s body heat, with the pleasant rhythm of his heartbeat, Lisa fell asleep before Harry did. Both of them had warm smiles on when Harry drifted off.

Hermione had always known she was different. The other kids would never let her forget she was the buck-toothed bookworm, the teacher’s pet, the weirdo freak. More often than not, Hermione would return home in tears after being bullied at school. She hid her pain well, but her parents still saw.

Admittedly a six-year-old that reads Kafka and Salinger is not exactly normal, even Hermione knew that. But, she couldn’t help herself. Whenever she saw a book, it was like being gripped with an insatiable hunger. Sometimes it was scary, but it was also an escape from a world with no friends and no one who understood her, so she gave in with gusto, devouring book after book.

Hermione never cared whether a book was well written, old, new, reference or novel. Just the simple act of reading the printed word was a balm to her aching pride and loneliness.

“Whatcha readin’ Know-it-all?” Simpered Annie Smith, leader of Hermione’s tormentors. Her two flunkies giggled stupidly. Hermione ignored them, growing tired of the same permutations of the same conversation over and over, day by day. “Oi, Bookworm, I was talkin’ to you!” Annie shouted again, tearing the book from Hermione’s grasp.

“Give that back!” Hermione huffed, her face going red. She had really had it with this same routine. The cruel group just giggled and tossed her book around in a childish game of keep away until in one gut-wrenching moment, it fell.

Hermione was stunned into silence as the book, a very rare first edition her father had tracked down for her birthday, fell into a nasty puddle of mud. The idiot children just laughed at Hermione for caring so much about a stupid book as she stood stock still, her rage building and her muscle’s tense.

Hermione wished very hard for something, what exactly she wasn’t sure, all she knew is that she wanted these girls to suffer.

The sky rent open as a swirling storm of black clouds appeared, crackling with lightning. The Earth shook around Hermione but she stood blind in rage, unfazed by the carnage around. She was the eye of her own personal storm. Annie and her flunkies stared into the face of the bookworm they had tormented and felt fear.

Then the world sprung up around them as if everything were growing to abominable heights. When the transformation was complete, tears had fallen down Hermione’s cheeks. She stared down at her former bullies in shock. Then she smiled a very wicked, unsettling smile.

Before the little girls could come to their senses and attempt escape, Hermione bent down and scooped up her new toys. Her evil grin never faded as she thought of more and more ways to take advantage of her new power over them.

Hermione deposited her five new dolls in her backpack, intent on waiting until she got home to begin playing. She picked up her book and looked at it sadly, but then a thought struck her. I managed to shrink Annie and the others just by wishing it, I wonder…

Hermione screwed her eyes shut and focused on how much she wanted her book to be better again. After a while she felt a strange tugging from her stomach and a tingling rush over her body that left her exhausted. She opened her eyes to see her book in perfect condition once more.

Hermione merely grinned.