Ch.5

July 31st. The busiest day that Harrison had seen the circus since he'd arrived. Lively and bustling, and slightly overwhelming. But it had nothing on his scattered nerves about the show he would be performing with Olivia that night. Just as he'd asked, the following weeks leading up to it, Olivia had been training him in the routine they would be doing.

It was a rather difficult one; it took a bit for Harrison to get the hang of it without falling and forgetting what he was supposed to do next. Occasionally, some extra people would be there with him in case he needed to be caught. He was told he had to be very high up for this one.

It was his first time actually going by a set routine. Harrison was used to making his moves up as he went along in hopes that he at least looked like he knew what he was doing.

Olivia, always so kind and thoughtful, had offered to switch to an easier routine as the one she had chosen was usually done by those more experienced. But Harrison bluntly refused, and he stood his ground on that. Call him stubborn, but he didn't want Olivia to change anything just for his sake.

It was early morning, yet people were already up and about, packing for their move the next day and setting up for their last night. Harrison was sitting on his cot in the tent. When he had stepped outside a bit ago, he had retreated right back into the tent upon seeing all the commotion. He knew he should be out there helping, but his nerves were sent off the rails, and they prevented him from leaving.

The now eleven-year-old had made up his mind on whether he would stay or not and just needed to inform Olivia. He just hoped he wouldn't be making the wrong decision in traveling with the circus. Leaving or staying places had never been such a back and forth debate with him, usually the go-to answer being to go. No matter how good the place was. Leaving the Dursleys; was a no-brainer. Hopping from place to place was essential for him. Harrison didn't want to be caught and put into an orphanage or foster care. Or worse, he shipped right back to where he started.

Harrison's head fell back against his pillow. He thought that maybe getting a bit more sleep would help calm him, but he wasn't getting any with all the noise outside. Olivia had left before he first woke.

He hadn't meant to lay there for long, but the next thing he knew, it was mid-morning, going into early afternoon, when he finally left the tent. Dressed in his typical black leggings and a royal blue tank top, he went out, grabbing a piece of bread from the dining area. Most of the setup was done, and quite a few guests had already arrived. Harrison stuffed the last bit of bread into his mouth as he walked towards his set up when a voice yelled out to him from up ahead.

Marius, one of the many men that handled the technical things, stood by his setup. His usual silks were already hung up from the bars. Harrison stopped abruptly in his tracks and blinked his eyes owlishly at the large, bearlike man who was batting his hands at an attacking bird. An extremely fat barn owl, Harrison realized when he finally remembered the functions of his legs and began to walk again. The screeching drew passerby's attention, and Harrison honestly thought that the scene itself would make for a good attraction. Harrison let loose his giggles, and Marius managed to look over while he was battling for his life against the squawking bird.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha! Laugh it up, brat!" Marius mocked dryly, ducking down as the owl made a swift strike for his head. "Now, a little help would be nice!"

Harrison laughed along with the few others who had stopped to watch, and he went forward cautiously, not wanting to get hurt himself. He tried waving the enraged owl away from the man. However, as soon as he was near, the owl took notice of him too, and it moved away and dived back down. Harrison went to jump out of the way when it was clear that it was aiming for him this time. He was left shocked as the owl just landed heavily on his shoulder. Its demeanor completely changed in a matter of seconds, suddenly very calm as it stuck out its leg. Tied around the limb was a letter.

"Is it yours or something?" Marius grunted in question, yanking some fallen feathers from his hair. He had scratched across his stubbly cheek that was bleeding a bit. Looked like the owl managed to get a few good hits in.

Harrison shook his head, his gaze returning to the bird on his shoulder.

"Fuckin' barmy thing just showed up and refused to leave. It attacked me when I tried."

"Maybe you just have a bad aura," Harrison said with a smirk, shrugging. "They say that animals can sense things like that."

"Oh, I'll show you a bad aura." Marius took a fake threatening step towards the young boy, and the owl began to screech again, its wings ruffling up largely, its claws digging into the bare skin of Harrison's shoulders. Marius immediately moved back when Harrison let out a pained noise.

"Hey, hey! It's okay, you're alright," Harrison spoke softly, trying to soothe the distressed bird and giving Marius a look. He eyed the bird, then the letter around its leg. "...Is this for me?"

The owl hooted in response, holding out its leg further. It allowed Harrison to untie the string, and once the letter was in his hands, the owl hooted again, spreading its wings and flying away.

"The hell..." Marius voiced, taking the words right out of Harrison's mouth. What was an owl doing running around during the day hours anyways? Weren't they mostly nocturnal animals?

Harrison shook his head and looked down at the letter. It was a tan envelope, and on the opening side was some sort of stamped crest reading "Hogwarts" over the top. Whatever that meant. Inside the crest were four different animals: a snake, a lion, some kind of bird, and a rodent of sorts. Sealing the envelope was pressed red wax with a large "H" in the middle. Harrison didn't know that people still sent letters with wax anymore, much less by bird. It reminded him of the Victorian books he would see in many libraries.

He flipped the envelope over and froze.

Mr. H. Potter

Tent of Olivia Marten

Parliament Square

Westminister, London

Marius stepped up beside Harrison, looking over the boy's shoulder curiously. "What is it?" He asked, then chuckled. "Never seen mail be delivered by a bird before. When are we, the 1300s?"

Harrison barely registered his words nor the humor behind them. He quickly tucked the letter between the band of his leggings and his hip, glancing at Marius blankly.

"You should get that looked at," Harrison suggested as he brushed past the older man back in the direction of the big tent. All thoughts and intentions of doing some small routines vanished from his mind. He heard Marius calling after him, and he felt a tad bit guilty as Marius had set up his area because he said he would be using it. But Harrison ignored him and continued walking, doubling his speed.

Maybe it was just some dumb prank pulled by one of the circus members? It was the only way he could make sense of a letter that had his exact location, right down to the same tent he was staying in and who the tent belonged to. A goodbye prank..?

But it still left behind a hard, cold feeling in Harrison's stomach. This was the exact reason he moved around so much. Harrison glanced around frantically as he walked, feeling like he was being watched or something.

Should he go find Olivia? Tell her that some weirdo was sending bird letters in the bloody 90s and knew where they were? Harrison prayed to whatever higher being that it was just a joke, no matter how unfunny it was. He wasn't sure where Olivia was at that moment, so he found himself returning to the tent. Hyperaware of his surroundings, looking for anyone that may look out of place.

Whoever had written the letter did not expect to receive a reply from him, as the owl had taken off immediately after taking it. Once inside the tent, Harrison pulled the letter from his waistband, smoothing out the crinkled envelope as much as he could. He broke the wax seal, removing the papers from within. There were several sheets, all folded up neatly to be able to fit within the envelope. Unfolding it with slightly damp hands, Harrison read the first page.

To: Mr. Harrison Potter

Tent of Olivia Marten

Parliament Square

Westminister, London

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students shall be required to report to the Chamber of Reception upon arrival, the dates for which shall be dully advised.

Please ensure that the utmost attention is made to the list of requirements attached herewith.

We very much look forward to receiving you as part of the new generation of Hogwarts heritage.

Yours Sincerely,

M. McGonagall

Beneath that was the name "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" and then a list of...whatever. Apparently, he was the headmaster.

Shifting through to the other pages, Harrison found a list of what looked like a supply list, more than most of which Harrison did not understand. Especially that long list under the name of the supposed headmaster. What the hell was a mugwump?

This was just confirming the idea that this was a prank. A thoroughly thought-out trick from the looks of it. With the authenticness of the letter, the wax seal, even the damned crest, it must have taken a while to even come up with. Harrison was almost tempted to believe it. Witchcraft and Wizardry...magic would certainly be an explanation for the things he could do, the things he had done, why his relatives hate him in the first place...his freakiness...

Harrison sat on his cot, scanning the strange letter again, before setting it down beside him with a bitter snort. Magic...yeah, right. It wasn't real; it couldn't be. If it was, he would have been able to use it to defend himself when he needed to. Where was this magic then? All those times, it would have been helpful. It had to be someone messing around. It had to be. Who else would know their exact location, this amount of information?

But...

Snatching the letter back up, his eyes roamed. His last name stood out in that deep black ink. They knew his first name, whoever wrote this. No one knew his last name. No one should, anyways. Because he certainly didn't tell anyone. That was one of his rules. Only use your first name, and if giving a last name is unavoidable, use a fake one. Hell, give a phony first name too! You could never know.

He'd never even told Olivia his last name, and she'd never pressured him to tell either, thankfully. The sender knew Olivia's full name too, though that could be explained away easily, he guessed. He doubted she was as secretive as he was over a name of all things. He didn't like it. This being a prank was drifting deeper and deeper away from being a possibility now. Harrison looked at the signed name at the bottom. This McGonagall character, he had no way of getting in touch with them to find out the actual truth. The owl was gone, and he had no address to even do a return to sender.

Even if he could, would that be the best idea? He would be taken away for sure. To an orphanage or forced back to his relatives. As bad as the streets were, Harrison preferred being able to come and go as he so pleased, to live life how he wanted, doing what he wanted without people telling him. Sure, he struggled to get a decent meal or place to sleep most of the time, but it was better than the added-on abuse he suffered on top of those conditions. And he would suffer much more being put into the system, he knew. He had heard the horror stories. No one cared about orphanage kids in the long run.

"Harrison, sweetheart?"

Harrison started, instinctively shoving the letter and envelope underneath his pillow. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Olivia enter. He turned to face her, smiling uneasily. That smile quickly faltered at the sight of the older woman raising an eyebrow at him. Behind her, Valerie and Simon were poking their heads through the tent flaps. As Olivia came and sat beside him, Valerie smirked at her friend.

"Someone looks suspiscious~," She said in a sing-along voice.

Harrison glared and grabbed a different pillow to chuck at the girl's head, which she dodged with a laughing yell. Simon picked up the thrown pillow and tossed it back to Harrison, careful not to hit Olivia by mistake.

Olivia shook her head in amusement at the kids' antics. "Is everything alright?" She asked Harrison. "Marius said something about a bird attack, and you ran off."

"First snakes, now birds. We have ourselves a Disney princess on our hands!" Valerie said jokingly. Harrison's lip twitched.

"I'm fine. Marius got pretty scratched up, though."

"I saw." Olivia's eyes narrowed for a moment before turning to Valerie and Simon. "Alright, you two. Can you give us a moment?"

Both gave her a reluctant look but obeyed the request. "Someone's in trouble," Valerie teased as they went, and Simon elbowed her, giving Harrison an apologetic look. He said something to Valerie that Harrison couldn't hear as the flap fell closed behind them.

"Okay, what are you hiding?" Olivia asked, sending a pointed look toward Harrison's pillow.

Harrison couldn't meet her eyes, and he just silently shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled. He didn't want to get her involved in...whatever this was.

But she already was, wasn't she? They knew her name and everything too. Though, she could always just deny knowing anything about his existence should anyone actually come looking for him. The only people he could think of that would be out to get him were the Dursleys. But why now? It's been two years since he left. Why wait this long to start a search for him? With how little his Uncle and Aunt cared about him dying in their care, Harrison didn't think they would care enough to come to save him from dying in the streets. They were most likely ecstatic that he was gone.

He hadn't gotten too far from Surrey, even with the constant moving around. So, it shouldn't take to years to track down one kid.

Harrison felt fingers go beneath his chin, bringing him out of his thoughts again.

"Chin up," Olivia said. She had been working on Harrison's adversity to looking people in the eye and had been pretty successful so far. But the habit was still there.

Harrison's eyes stared stubbornly at Olivia's chin, but the woman ducked her head lower to try and catch his gaze. She sighed. "You know I would never force you to tell me anything you don't want to. But if it's bothering you enough to run off like you did with Marius, it might make you feel better to share the burden."

Harrison grimaced. He both hated and loved how understanding and supportive Olivia could be; he loved it because it was all he could ask for, hated it because it made him feel guilty sometimes, especially at this moment. Reaching under the pillow for the letter, he brought it out and handed them over. There was no point in keeping it from her, he realized. She was truthful in her words that she wouldn't have forced him to say, but she had done so much for him, a total stranger. She let him stay, advocated for him, let him live with her. He had no right to hide things from her, to keep secrets like that. Besides, maybe she could confirm for him what this was.

Olivia took the papers, and several minutes of silence followed as she read. The only sound was the crinkling of the documents and the ones outside that mainly were just background fodder to Harrison now.

Harrison hadn't realized that he had lowered his gaze to his lap, but when Olivia's breath hitched sharply, he looked back up to watch her. He couldn't explain precisely the expression on her face, taking in the wide mocha eyes and slacked jaw, but he had a feeling that it wasn't anything good.

The papers lowered into her lap, and she looked over at the young child beside her, her expression that of awe and confusion. Harrison stared back, eyebrows furrowed. Olivia slowly raised her hand and brushed his hair away from his forehead, fingers tracing the lines of his scar gently, a ghost-like touch almost, and she stopped at one of the ending points beneath his eyes.

"I thought it was just a coincidence," she whispered.

"What was a coincidence?" Harrison asked.

Olivia blinked, eyes kind of shifting to a more evident state at the sound of his voice, and her hand snatched back as if she had been burned. Harrison had to try and shake away the hurt feeling that threatened to rack through him in response to her actions. Had he made the wrong decision, showing her the letter?

"Harrison...I know you hate talking about your family, but," she bit her lip nervously, "did you know your parents, know who they are? Did your relatives ever mention anything about them and a school?"

Harrison, taken aback by the seemingly random and unrelated question, thought back before shaking his head slowly. "My parents died when I was a baby; that's why I lived with my aunt and uncle. They said they died in a car crash, but I don't think that's true."

"And their names?"

"...James, and Lily, I think." Harrison cringed at the added 'I think" at the end. He should know his parents' names at the very least, dead or not. But the Dursleys practically forbid even speaking about them besides the time they wanted to talk wrong about them. About how his father was a drunk, and his mother was no better off than him. They had no pictures of the two despite his mother being Aunt Petunia's sister. If anything, Aunt Petunia made herself out to be like an only child, like she had never had a sibling in the first place.

Olivia let out a borderline hysterical laugh that made Harrison jump a little, and she looked away across the tent, feeling and probably looking heavily exasperated.

She honestly hadn't thought about the Wizarding World nor her family very much in the past few years. She had left her family so long ago, she never even knew what had become of them. After she left, the only thing she had heard was about the end of the war against a Dark Lord, who was defeated by a one-year-old boy with a scar of lightning, orphaned and taken away to who knows where.

The Wizarding Britain had celebrated the death of this Dark Lord, and those celebrations ended up leaking into the Muggle world. The number of memory charms the ministry probably had to do was extensive. That was how Olivia had heard the story in the first place. From a drunken wizard who had caught her outside the train station and started rambling to her.

Usually, she wouldn't take a random drunk off the street seriously, and honestly, the man was at risk of getting pepper-sprayed and losing his ability to have children for grabbing her like he did. But he mentioned magic, and Olivia couldn't pull herself away. That was how she found herself sitting on a cold bench at the late hours of the night with a man telling a slurred story. She was surprised she even understood him half the time.

After that encounter, and as time passed, she heard less and less about it as things eventually calmed down again.

Olivia had no use for the Wizarding World, much like the Wizarding World had no use for her. So she never cared enough to go back, even if she had a way to do so, which she didn't. To see what had happened, what had changed. She had no contacts there. She had no contact with her family either. Those were the terms they had all been content with and agreed to, though they didn't leave on too strict bad terms. Olivia understood the situation, and she knew what her life would have been like had she stayed. She wondered if she would even be alive right then, as dramatic as that sounded even to her. But she didn't like the sound of this Dark Lord, one so infamous that people celebrated their death.

She had never known what the boy hero looked like, nor really his parents. She vaguely remembered the Potter heir, his father, who was a good decade or so younger than her. She had left long before he had even gotten his Hogwarts letter.

So when she met Harrison and saw the so very odd scar on his forehead, she hadn't thought that much of it. Sure it was a peculiar feature, and she had wondered how he had received it. Maybe he was born with it. She never asked. Olivia, with her profession, had seen odder. She didn't realize what it reminded her of until later, but even then, she had shrugged it off.

It could have been a coincidence, of course, right? Even if she had somehow gotten a glimpse of the baby Potter, that had been 11 years ago. And there was no way that they would leave their supposed hero in an abusive environment and allow him to live on the streets for two years. It had to be a coincidence.

And then, suddenly, Harrison could speak with snakes, and that coincidence was growing more and more suspect. A rare trait, even she knew, inherited by those of only one bloodline, a pureblood one. Olivia didn't think the Potters were connected with that bloodline, but she couldn't be wrong. No one had bothered to teach her anything. Why bother? She was a squib with no standing, despite the family she was born into.

Maybe Harrison was just some long-lost pureblood child. But nothing about the boy's mannerisms and knowledge suggested that to be true.

Olivia looked at the letter again. There was no mistaking that this was a real Hogwarts latter. It looked very similar to the one her sister had received. Mr. H. Potter. There was no mistaking the name either. How had this happened? How did they leave their savior to abusive relatives, for Harrison to become a runaway at the early age of nine, or else risk dying at the hands of the adults meant to take care of him, to love him? Had no one been watching, checking up on him? Clearly not.

A small hand appeared in front of her face, and she snapped back to the present. Harrison was still sitting beside her silently, watching as Olivia stared into nothing. She blinked over at him.

She couldn't tell him. She couldn't. She-

Whoever was granted guardianship, authority over Harrison clearly didn't care enough to check up on him and his wellbeing correctly. If he went to Hogwarts, there would be a big chance that he'll just be sent right back into his Aunt and Uncle's hands, wouldn't he? She looked at the delivery address. If he didn't show up at Hogwarts in September, they would come looking for him, and when they didn't find him at his relatives' home, they would come for his last known location.

Her eyebrows furrowed. She wouldn't be able to protect Harrison if it came to that. They had actual legal authority over the boy. What could a squib like her do?

"I need to leave, don't I?" Harrison asked quietly, looking at Olivia for an answer that he looked to already know.

"...that decision, it is still up to you," Olivia said after a moment. "But you have to know that if you want to continue your freedom like you have, leaving would be the best thing you can do."

She couldn't tell him everything because she barely knew much. Just a story told by a drunk man under the late moonlight. She didn't want to give him half-answers. Much less than half-answers. Harrison would learn of his heritage one day, and he would rejoin the wizarding world where he truly belonged. And Olivia could only hope that it would be at a time where he could hold his own against those he needed to.

And she hoped that Harrison would not hate her for not telling everything she did know when that all happened.

"I decided this morning that I want to stay," Harrison said.

"I'm not saying this because I want you to leave," Olivia was quick to explain. "If I had it my way, I would keep you here and never let you go." She chuckled. Then sighed. "But these people..." she gestured to the letter, "they'll come looking for you. And if they do, there is a chance they will force you back. I can't stop them if that happens."

Harrison was silent for a moment. "And who are these people exactly?" He asked. "This McGonagall person?"

"I'm not sure who exactly, but someone."

"I feel like you know more than what you're telling me."

Olivia chuckled. Harrison was both intelligent for his age and naive. You couldn't get much past him, yet he still retained that childlike obliviousness.

"I don't know much," she said honestly. "Not enough to protect you."

She met Harrison's eyes, the look on her face so pleading, so desperate for understanding, that it made Harrison's heart clench tightly within his chest. "Can you trust me enough to believe that I only want to see you safe, happy?"

Harrison hated to say he hesitated, he really did, but he saw only truth, honesty, behind her pleading eyes. He swallowed thickly.

"I don't want to leave," he said. So much for coming to his decision. But he didn't want to risk being taken back there. Taken by strange people who apparently had some control over him. As much as he wished to, as much as he yearned...he had to go, for both their sakes.

"Can...can we at least stay in contact, somehow?"

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Olivia took him to the Westminister library. The building was large, made of old light tan stone, the walls lined with large windows. The inside was even more spacious, and Harrison couldn't help but look around curiously.

The many libraries that he had taken shelter in were nothing in comparison. There must have been over a hundred places one could hide until closing, many ways to sneak in and out uncaught. But Harrison spotted some security cameras, much more than you would typically see in a standard library. It made sense; you would want-need-more security for a bigger place.

Olivia led him over to an area that had the three walls lined with desks. A big square table sat in the middle of it all. Computer monitors sat on the desks against the walls, big hulking machines, and kind of noisy. Some were already occupied by some college-aged students, who only glanced up briefly from their work as Olivia and him passed by. Olivia stopped at one of the unoccupied computers, motioning for Harrison to sit down in the empty chair.

"How much do you know about computers?" Olivia asked as she pressed the button to power on the machine.

"Just games," Harrison said.

On the rare occasion that the Dursleys would go out and leave Harrison in the house by himself, Harrison would take those opportunities to use some of Dudley's many toys and computer games. Only if he knew that they would be gone for more than a few hours, at least. He would watch the telly or shower while he had the chance. Or snatch some food to eat and save away in his cupboard, but never enough that they would notice the absence. Harrison always made sure that everything was put back in their original spots, and he would return to his cupboard to await his relatives' return.

"Well, I'm going to teach you how to use an email," Olivia said. "We can keep in contact that way. Most libraries have computers for public use nowadays."

They sat and waited for the computer to finish booting up. Once it had, it wasn't hard for Harrison to catch on. Olivia helped him navigate the email site, set him up with an account, and taught him how to log in and log out properly. The email name they created for him was just the circus people's nickname, followed by his birth year. To be on the safe side, Olivia went to retrieve a blank index card from the front desk to write instructions on. She wrote down his email name and password on the back, and wrote her email there too, just in case he forgot anything.

As they walked back, Olivia handed the index card to him. "Be careful not to lose that, alright? I'd hate to lose track of you."

Harrison nodded. He would put it in his pack when he got back to the tent.

"I'll get you a ticket for the train in the morning," Olivia continued. "It would put me at ease knowing you won't be walking. Anywhere, in particular, you would like to go?"

Harrison blinked. "No, not really. But anything further away from Surrey would be best."

"Is that where your relatives live?"

"Yes."

"Right. Then that would be a good idea."

They returned to the tent, and Olivia excused herself to handle things later that night and the following day. She kissed Harrison's forehead softly, directly over his car, before leaving him to his own devices. Harrison stored the index card away in his backpack and stood in the tent for a moment until he suddenly felt like his heart was aching, so hard that he needed to step out.

To try and get his mind off things, he went back to his silks. The guests had doubled since that morning. Harrison asked one of the older workers if they could replace his silks with a metal hoop. He didn't feel like doing anything special; he really just wanted to be in the air, and with the ring, he could lazily spin and swing yet still pass it off as an actual routine of sorts.

Harrison didn't know how long he was up there for; the silks were replaced with the hoop like he'd asked. He remembered the blurred faces of people going by, some stopping to watch him, others only glancing then moving on. It didn't bother him; he didn't care. Harrison wasn't up there for them. He wasn't up there to perform.

Harrison was up there for himself, for his sake. Because being like this, in the air, it calmed him. It put him at such a peace that he didn't usually feel. Because he felt it. He would have broken down, like a child-was he not one?-and he didn't want to be seen like that by anyone.

He had to say goodbye. Goodbye to Valerie. Goodbye to Simon. To Marius, Mason, Siana. And to Olivia, officially at least. She would most likely leave it to Harrison to tell the other the news that he was going. It would be best to do it before tonight before everything gets too busy.

The cool metal of the hoop had grown warm under the hot sun and against his skin. Harrison hoped it would be cooler once night fell.

Harrison stayed up there a little bit longer before eventually coming down, letting one of the workers know that he was finished for the day. He found Valerie and Simon first in the animal areas. Simon poured water into a large bowl in Rajah's cage; the tiger's fur was covered in glitter. They must be preparing for the feline to go out.

Harrison was about to ask Simon where Valerie was when she came by with their mother.

"Hello, Shadow," their mother greeted him warmly. "What brings you over?"

"Just needed to tell Val and Simon something," Harrison said.

Their mother nodded, ruffling his hair up as she walked away. "Can't wait to see your performance tonight!" She called over her shoulder.

Harrison flushed but smiled anyway. Way to remind him.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for that soon," Simon asked, setting down the jug of water he was holding.

"Not for another hour or two."

Valerie watched off to the side as Shadow fell into a sort of small talk with her brother. She eyed the way Shadow pulled at his fingers, shuffled on his feet as they spoke. Her brother was his usual blushing self around Shadow. Valerie rolled his eyes. Anyone could see this crush from a mile away if only Shadow wasn't so oblivious.

"Shadow," Valerie cut in once they had found a pausing point. Two sets of eyes landed on her. "You said you had to tell us something?"

Harrison tugged on a strand of hair by his ear. "Er, right...um..."

Valerie sighed. "You're not coming with us, are you?"

Harrison opened his mouth, then shut it again. He nodded.

"Wait, seriously?!" Simon asked. "Why not?"

"It's not like I don't want to," Harrison said, slightly snappish. "Someone is looking for me, apparently. They'll take me back to my relatives if they find me."

Valerie immediately tensed up at that. She smirked evilly, cracking her knuckles. "If anyone wants to get to you, they'll have to go through us," she said, dead serious.

"Yeah!"

Harrison laughed, sitting down on a crate. "Alright, Bonnie and Clyde." He explained to them about the letter and what Olivia had told him.

"Hate to say, but it makes sense," Valerie said.

"That's what I thought," Harrison nodded.

"S-So there's no way you can stay?" Simon, his hazel eyes watering up, looked at Harrison with a borderline devastated look on his face. Valerie placed an understanding hand on his arm.

"I don't want to go back to the Dursleys," the jade-eyed boy said, forcing his eyes away from the two as his own eyes were starting to water as well. He sniffed. "Olivia taught me how to use an email and stuff, so it's not all bad, right?" He tried to sound reassuring. "We can still stay in touch."

"Oh, and you can see us whenever we come back around," said Valerie.

"I didn't know you guys come back to places you've already been."

The girl shrugged. "If the money is good. And since we stayed for a whole month, chances are we'll be back."

That made Harrison feel a little bit better. He would see them again, be around them, talk to them. And not just through a computer screen. It shouldn't take long to shake this person off his trail. Maybe one day, Harrison could return for good and travel with them. He could only hope.

"Are you leaving after the show tonight?" Simon asked.

"In the morning. Olivia is gonna get me a train ticket to someplace outside London for now."

Simon sniffled, a few tears actually falling from his eyes and down his freckled cheeks.

"Ah, Simon..."

"I'm really going to miss you."

"We all will," corrected Valerie as Simon stepped forward and engulfed Harrison into a tight hug. Harrison had started to cry too.

"Ugh, you guys are such babies." Valerie cleared her throat thickly. "All this crying."

Harrison peeked over Simon's arm and let out a choked, watery laugh at the sight of Valerie trying so hard to appear calm and collected. She was holding back her own tears and failing, slowly crumbling. Harrison reached out a hand for her, and the wall fell, and soon all three kids were holding onto each other, salty tears mixing together. Probably a little too tight, but Harrison didn't mind. What a sight they must be.

After a while, Harrison insisted that he needed to go say goodbye to the others as well. Valerie and Simon came to a firm, unspoken agreement and abandoned their chores and work to tag Harrison. They claimed that they would not waste the last times they had with him doing dumb chores. Who knows when they would see him next.

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The night was cooler like expected, but Harrison still felt very warm, almost like he was on fire. Maybe it was the bright overhead lights beaming down. Perhaps it was the indoor, stuffy air. Or perhaps it was just him, his nerves. No one else around him seemed bothered.

Harrison was pacing along with the upper levels of the big tent. Occasionally he peered down at the many people and performers below. It was almost time.

The outfit they had made him was better than he could have ever imagined. The leotard bodysuit he wore was almost his exact skin tone with glittery emerald green depictions of stars and the astrology sign Leo. The neckline and thick band around his waist was a darker shade of green, and he wore a silky pair of jade jogger bottoms, his feet bare besides the calf-high socks that left his toes and heel exposed.

They had done his makeup, which Harrison enjoyed much more than he thought he would. A gold and silver shimmer mix was blended across his eyelids, with a small eyeliner wing, a small line going down to connect with his scar. His hair was pulled up and away from his face, back into a bun to reveal the rest of his scar.

The scar stood out strikingly against his skin, with parts of it being lined with that same gold and silver shimmer as his eyes. For the first time, Harrison actually liked how his scar made him look.

Harrison had thankfully been able to speak with Mason and Siana before he had to get ready. Though the latter of the two wasn't very talkative after Harrison told her that he was leaving. Was it sad to say that he had gotten his feelings hurt by being ignored by a reptile? He caught Marius on his way to the upper floors of the tent.

Harrison paused in his pacing when he heard his name being called. It was Olivia, and as she approached, Harrison stared in awe at her appearance. Her outfit was made to complement his; their colors were just switched. Her leotard was emerald green where his was his skin tone, and her stars were her skin tone, and the astrology sign on hers was Sagittarius. Her leotard stopped mid-thigh, and she didn't have the same joggers he did. And her socks went up above her knees.

Her hair was let down, an afro surrounding her head and face like a dark halo with green glitter. Olivia smiled brightly at the sight of Harrison, embracing the boy once he was in arms reach, careful not to mess up either of their outfits.

"Oh, Harrison, you look amazing," Olivia said as they pulled apart. Harrison's face warmed.

"Not as much as you," he remarked bashfully.

"Nonsense," Olivia chuckled. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind Harrison's ear. "Now, slight change of plans. We'll be starting at the bottom rather than lowering down from here. Is that okay?"

"Yeah." Harrison tried to prevent his nerves from overwhelming him once again. He could do this, he could, and he would. They went down to the bottom together as it was almost time.

"Olivia?"

"Hm?" She looked down at him.

"What if I mess up?" Harrison couldn't help but ask.

Olivia turned her back to the center and placed her hands down on his shoulders, crouching down to be at eye level with him. "You'll do great. You did amazing when we practiced, and you'll do the same now. Don't let the crowd sike you out."

Harrison opened his mouth to respond when the already loud audience erupted into a roar of applause, and Harrison's words were drowned out. His body tensed up, and Olivia squeezed his shoulders.

"You'll be fine." She stood back up. "Deep breaths. Remember what I taught you. Ready?"

Harrison breathed in like he was told, trying to calm his heart as the performers leaving the center passed them by, some wishing him luck. He could only manage some shakey half-smiles and nothing more; he would thank them properly later.

Deep breaths, Potter, deep breaths. In, out. In, out. He could do this.

Olivia took his hand as they walked into the center circle, and it took everything in him not to stumble. They stood facing each other beside the set of black silks, palms pressed together. Olivia's warm smile like the sun and her motherly aura kept Harrison from focusing on the many eyes on him from the audience. Harrison nodded firmly, more to himself than to her, just as the music began. Olivia fell back to lay on her back, and Harrison raised his arms straight into the air, back straight and slightly arched.

He forced his mind to go blank and watched his steps as he stepped over and grabbed the black fabric in one hand, moving around it on his toes to grab the other one with his free hand. He brought them together and lifted himself up. He could see Olivia getting to her knees out of the corner of his eyes. On her feet now, her movements were ever so graceful as Harrison slowly climbed upwards. Harrison ripped his attention away from her. He needed to focus.

Harrison reached the top just as he felt the tugging on the silks below, and he wrapped the fabric around his legs, one hand above his head and the other below his thighs. Palms sweaty, Harrison tightened his grip. Facing down now, Olivia was grinning up at him, and it told him that he was doing well. She gripped the silks in her hands, and she was climbing up after him. She maneuvered herself upside down once she was halfway up, and Harrison settled himself right above her feet.

The next thing he knew, as Olivia still was upside down, legs pointed outwards to the sides, Harrison slid down and stopped in a similar position in front of her, legs tucked into his chest. His head rested against Olivia's chest, arms hanging down, and their fingers entwined. The cool metal of her rings grounded him. He didn't worry about falling.

Harrison was only a little aware of the audience. Aside from the noises and chatter, it was just like their practice sessions. Olivia's chin rested on the top of his head; it moved like she was talking, but Harrison couldn't hear her clearly over the noise.

He closed his eyes, imagining that she was speaking praises to him.

Harrison pulled himself upwards again, turning around. Olivia's hand found his ankle aligned with hers, and he leaned backward, free arm out. He kept his eyes closed; he didn't want to risk failing at the sight of the crowd. He stood on the backs of Olivia's thighs, and with his back against one of the silks, he carefully walked up the other silk before flipping upside down again, toes pointed to the ceiling.

Olivia had straightened up, and she pulled herself up to him, pressing a kiss on his forehead before dropping back down, leaving Harrison giggling.

The rest passed in a blur, and after what seemed like an eternity, Harrison was on the ground for the last time. The last bit of performance would be left up to Olivia. Harrison played down on his back like Olivia had at the beginning, and with the largest, happiest grin on his face, he looked up to watch Olivia. His limbs were aching severely, but Harrison still moved his arms every which way, hoping he didn't look too stupid. Olivia hung directly above him as the music came to a close. Harrison reached up with his hands, and Olivia grabbed them, pulled him up, and twirled him around until Harrison stood with his back to her. She dropped down to the floor behind him and wrapped an arm around his upper back.

The audience's applause was just a dull roar in the background. Harrison's chest was heaving, but he didn't feel distressed. He felt light. He felt free. He wondered if he looked the same as he thought Olivia had that first night. Valerie and Simon were there, he noticed, standing by the benches, clapping for him, yelling delightfully in support for his friend.

It was such a shame that he had to leave right when he'd gotten a taste of euphoria in his life.