Childhood Friendships

He loved flowers. They weren't his favorite, nor he thought they were his only favorites to look at but he didn’t mind the colors or what they symbolized, just the sentiment behind it.

The first time he saw one was a small child, maybe three years old or so and the sight of them was enough to make him cry out in delight, reaching for the little boy next to him who looked up at him curiously, asking what was happening with the big guy all the while holding onto the hem of the adults dress, tugging on it softly as he tried desperately not to lose track of his older brother, who had disappeared somewhere in the sea of people.

When he felt the soft press of lips against his cheek, followed by another on his forehead, he giggled happily.

“You're very cute,” The woman said quietly, pressing another kiss upon his forehead before moving away again, “Come with me to get something nice for you. It'll be fun.”

He wanted her to stay with him. Why wasn't she here? What could she possibly want from him that she couldn't get anywhere else?

The moment she turned to leave, she vanished into the crowd of people and left her little brother standing alone in the crowd.

He watched her go for a while and tried to find his way back to his brother. Where had he gone? Did they let him play too? Were there any animals nearby?

After an hour or so of trying unsuccessfully to follow someone in a crowd of people without knowing where they had gone, he lost the will to keep going.

So he sat down and rested himself against the nearest wall, watching all the strangers move about as if he wasn’t even there.

That is until a hand suddenly landed on his head.

‘What are you doing here?’

The young man jumped slightly, looking up into the face of the stranger who was crouched down in front of him, smiling gently.

‘Where’s my brother?’ he asked.

‘Your brother’s right over there,’ the man pointed toward where his brother stood talking to a young lady with bright red hair and glasses.

Sighing with relief, he climbed up from the ground and ran over to join his brothers side, hugging his neck tightly when he reached him.

‘What took so long? Where have you been?’ his brother asked him with wide eyes and messy blond hair, the ends curling around his face in all directions and a grin splitting his face.

‘I can’t remember,’ he replied honestly, leaning forward until his head touched his brother’s shoulder. His brother’s arms wrapped around him immediately, rubbing his back lightly as they waited for their parents to arrive and drive them home so he would never have to spend another day in such a crowded place.

His parents always insisted on letting him walk home after playing at the park. The first time they had taken them both to play in the park, he had fallen a lot but when his brother had caught him he had been allowed to run off instead of being held, running around and pretending to be someone else so he could escape punishment. And his parents hadn’t found anything wrong with this, laughing along with him as they chased each other through the playgrounds.

That particular day, however, the sun was out, shining brightly as they strolled through the streets together.

‘Let’s play tag!’ they both exclaimed, grabbing each other’s hands and running full speed towards the playground.

They slowed down when they arrived near the slide, panting heavily from excitement and exertion, before jumping up to stand on the edge, yelling loudly as they pretended to be someone else to scare other children.

It only took seconds before the sound of laughter rang through the air, making them look around in curiosity, wondering where the source had come from. When their gaze fell on a group of people standing on the other end of the playground, they immediately grinned and started climbing over the edge excitedly, racing across the playground towards them.

Their parents called their names, running after them and begging them to return before they got hurt or worse, to please try and slow down.

By the time they had reached the group, they were already panting and laughing breathlessly; their fathers and mothers standing next to them with matching grins while their nannies smiled fondly.

‘Are you alright? What happened?’ asked Mr. Dursley, taking his daughter’s hand and leading her closer, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to go so fast, darling?’

‘But I know how to be careful!’

‘She’s quite right, Mr. Dursley,’ said Mrs. Dursley, stepping forward to hold her husband back, ‘But don’t you worry, your son isn’t in any danger, dear.’ She ruffled Arthur’s hair before pulling him close and whispering softly in his ear, ‘We’re just glad you’re safe.’

‘Oh.’ He blinked slowly, glancing down to see if anyone had noticed their slip and then turning his gaze back toward the other kids, noticing for the first time that his sister, Dudley, was standing next to them. She looked angry but he couldn’t make out exactly what she was thinking.

Suddenly, the other boy moved forward and grabbed his wrist, dragging him roughly past the rest of his friends, leaving Harry with no choice but to stumble along behind Dudley.

Dudley’s grip tightened every time he stumbled but thankfully Harry was able to stop before he actually ended up falling.

They stopped halfway through the park when Dudley threw her hand down on the grass beside her feet. With her free hand she reached back and pulled a piece of grass from it, throwing it in the air and catching it expertly before tossing it back.

Harry glanced at his hand then back at Dudley and wondered why she was still holding onto his wrist. He wanted to pull away, wanting to run ahead of the strange boy.

As soon as he did, Dudley’s grip loosened once more.