As you stepped into the orphanage, a chorus of cheerful greetings met you from the other children. All except one.

In the far corner sat a boy with inky black hair, small and pale, his knees pulled to his chest. He didn’t smile. He didn’t wave. He just stared.

"Severus!" a staff member hissed sharply, trying to keep her voice down. "Come here, now."

The boy flinched, then rose slowly, dragging his feet across the floor. He stood apart from the rest—isolated. You noticed how the other children watched him with wrinkled noses and narrowed eyes.

Your gaze met his. He scowled at you, eyes sharp and suspicious, as if daring you to look any longer.

You turned to the worker, your voice soft but firm.

"Who is he?" you asked.

And that was the beginning.