It had been more then two full days since he last ate, and more then a week since he had a real meal. This was the break he was waiting for. He wanted to listen to the local news for any developments, and grab some food. He turned on the telly on his way to the kitchen, and set to the all news channel so he could listen while he ate. He opened the fridge, and to his disappointment, all he could find was some salad and leftover liver and onions, eggs and some cheese. He took a deep pull off the bottle of milk, and pulled out the bowl of eggs and the cheese to make an omelet. He also found a bag of crisps in the pantry, and put them aside for his stash.
He took the liberty of bringing his prize of eggs and cheese into the living room to enjoy a few minutes of the news.
…the explosions in local gas mains have been attributed to the missing line markers. The authorities have not released the names of the victims.
And in local news, there have been reports of gang violence in London today. Two local groups had been fighting over regional boundaries when the conflict erupted to a deadly finale. A total of five deaths have been attributed to the outbreaks.
Click . 'That's enough ,' Harry thought grimly as he switched off the television. ' It's beginning. The area they mentioned was blocks from The Leaky Cauldron.
Harry wondered what he would do for the rest of the day.
'Since they went to visit Marge, it'll be late tonight before they get back, 11:00 PM at least.'
And with his oaf of a cousin gone, it was fairly safe to go for a walk outside. He had some muggle money saved from last year and now was as good a time to buy some food he could hide in his cell.
As he opened the door, Pig flew in and buzzed his head. " Whoa! Slow down. Let me get the note." It was unmistakably from Ron. He looked at it and sighed. It was probably just mindless dribble about Quidditch or how great his vacation is going.
Harry was at the stage where he didn't even realise how low he was acting, and he had completely forgotten that this was the one summer where he was able to contact his magical relations safely and without fear. He was able to owl, and he even had Hermione's mobile number. The day he had walked away from Platform 9 and ¾ so confidently at the beginning of that summer, with strong promises to stay in contact with Hermione and Ron seemed like but a dream. He had since lost interest in talking or thinking about his favourite sport. He'd lost interest in even being with his friends. It seemed all Ron was interested in was being the friend of the great Harry Potter, not just Harry. He looked at the note one last time, and tossed it into the trash bin.
He still hadn't seen Hedwig since he sent his "status report" to Moody. Harry sighed. "Now I'm also abandoned by my own owl. Just great."
Harry tucked his wand in the left sleeve of his shirt, just in case. As he left the house, he pulled the door shut and had to leave it unlocked. He wound his way up Privit Drive, past Wisteria Walk to the alley to Magnolia Crescent then up Magnolia Road across from the Park's gate. There was a small grocery store on the corner.
As he crossed Magnolia, he noticed one of the neighbor children playing in the park, all-alone. "Must be that Evans kid. Maybe I'll chat with him later. Merlin knows I have no one else. "
That was the last thing he remembered. Suddenly, he felt his senses leave him, as he was engulfed in darkness.
Bring me the mudblood bitch. I have plans for her.
He began falling through the familiar abyss, but was pulled sharply as he was awakened by the pain of the attack. His cheek stung, and the wind was knocked from his stomach as a heavy blow was aimed at his chest. Everything started going black again as he instinctively pulled his wand from his sleeve. He felt something warm ooze under his collar, and he knew it was his blood. H e tried to shake the darkness from his eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his vaguely resembling a foot. Trying to catch his breath, he rolled away from the source of the last attack, where he was greeted with a sharp pain in his leg.
His eyes cleared , an as he gained his breath, he raised his wand arm and pointed to the attackers as screamed as loud as he could " STUPEFY!"
He heard a crack of the spell blast from where he lay and the three local boys, all members of Dudley's gang were thrown off their feet. He could taste the blood in his mouth where he had bit into his cheek on the first strike. He spun on his side to face the two behind him and without a thought; they fell to the ground as if bound. He felt an unknown energy radiate from his very being, and he felt no remorse for the petrified Muggles.
In his confusion, he realized he had an audience, not just the muggers, but also the boy in the park. He wanted to assure the boy there wasn't anything to be afraid of, and went to tuck his wand in his sleeve. That's when he noticed it was knocked out of his hand on the first blow. As he bent over to pick up his wand the boy ran off.
He pulled himself to his feet and stood over the defeated thugs. He looked them as they tried to crawl away. Before they could get very far he cast his gaze on them, freezing them in their tracks. His gaze burned at the group and in his eyes all they all could see was hatred and a foreboding that made them all soil themselves. "LEAVE NOW before I really get pissed off!" He growled at the boys, and they jumped to their feet as if an unseen hand freed them from the grip of the Earth.
Moments after the Dursley gang ran in fright, the young wizard's knees finally gave out. The blow to his head was still bleeding badly. Hunched on all fours like a dog, the dizzy feelings began to amplify. With a mighty heave, the eggs and cheese he consumed earlier left his body. The sight of the partially consumed eggs mixed with his blood had a repetitive effect. He kept heaving until there was nothing left and he felt a hand on his shoulder and one on his forehead, steadying his aim.
"What are you doing?" asked Harry incredulously as he was helped to his feet, by a very familiar smelling someone.
"-Arry, up you get, come on," came Mundungus Fletcher"s wheezy voice. "No good you laying down there."
"How long have you been here?" asked Harry crossly, as he dusted himself down, wincing slightly.
"Long enough to see 'em rough you up a bit," explained Mundungus, searching around in his pockets for his pipe.
"And it didn't occur to you to help me?" shot Harry, feeling a hot prickle of anger trickle down into his stomach"
"I'm 'elping you now," explained Mundungus lighting his pipe, and letting out several hearty coughs.
"Yeah, now I don't need it," spat Harry.
He couldn't believe that he'd been caught out like this; he'd been made to look stupid by Dudley's little cronies. Harry Potter-the same Harry Potter that had already faced the most dangerous wizard to have ever lived, the same Harry Potter that had taught practical defense to a large group of his peers the previous year, had just been beaten up by a gang of mindless thugs, and he'd been helpless because he wasn't allowed to defend himself.
As if this fact didn't make him indignant enough, the fact that a member of the Order- somebody bound to report back to Dumbledore, had witnessed the whole ordeal from afar, made him angrier than he thought possible.
"Now you've witnessed this little show, why don't you run off to tell Dumbledore all about the fact that you didn't see fit to help me, when I was getting my head kicked in" said Harry so rudely Mundungus raised his eyebrow involuntarily.
"Look Harry... mate," stumbled Dung helplessly "I've got to tell 'im I'm supposed to be watching over you."
"And you've been doing a great job haven't you?" Said Harry rudely. He noticed, with a savage stab of pleasure that Mundungus looked even more uncomfortable.
"It's my job mate, I got to report back everything I see don't I?"
"I've got a good idea," spat Harry, "You don't tell anyone about me getting... about what just happened- and I, I won't tell anyone about the fact that you failed yet again to protect me when you've been on duty."
Mundungus took a thoughtful pull on his pipe
"Or have you forgotten what Dumbledore threatened you with, when I nearly got my soul sucked out last summer?"
Mundungus regarded Harry apprehensively for a minute. "Easy," he warned. "There's no need for you to scrape over old ground son. If you don't want me to tell about what jus' 'appened that'd fine by me."
"Good" said Harry foully. "Now if you don't mind. I've got to go home and try and get the blood stains out of my shirt."
"Do you want 'elp cleaning yourself up a bit?" asked Mundungus, looking as if he wanted to do nothing less in the whole world.
"No, I want nothing from you," spat Harry starting to walk off.
"But," wheezed Mundungus , trying to keep up with Harry's pace. "You're in a right ol' state."
"Look!" shouted Harry, finally cracking "You go off and sort out a dodgy deal, or whatever you do, when you're supposed to be watching me, and I'll just go home like like a good boy . But if I hear that you've said just one word, about what happened just now, I promise you, you'll wish you hadn't. Understand?"
"Loud and clear," confirmed Mundungus.
As soon as he returned to his uncle's house he saw a snow-white owl waiting on the stoop. "Hedwig, where've you been?" He opened the door, and let his owl fly in behind him. She held a letter in her beak and one on each leg.
"So, you've been collecting letters for me. I was worried about you. I thought you abandoned me too." He took the three letters as she cooed, and looked at them. The first was from Moody, the others from Ron and Hermione.
Harry,
I expected more then a simple "I'm Fine". We need to know what's happening, if you notice any thing strange. Tell us everything you family's doing and saying. It's VERY important. If there's any hint of danger, I'll come personally.
We're having a member watch the area, and will be in contact with Mrs. Figg. You'll not see them unless you're in danger.
Remember, constant vigilance.
Moody
' So Dung was suppose to be there watching me. And they want details. What-ever… ' Harry thought to himself.
He tossed that note in the trash bin to join Ron's. Then he looked over the other two; there was another one from Ron. It joined the first. And there was Hermione's letter…
'Why bother…' he thought, and it joined the others.
Still hungry and stiff from the beating, he gave up on food for now, walked up the stairs to shower, and to clean up his wound. Up in his room, he stripped off his clothes, glancing briefly at his bloodstains before tossing them in his laundry. Wearing only his boxers, he walked to the shower, the first chance he'd had in several days to get properly cleaned up. He reached into the shower and turned on the hot water as hot as it could get. Vernon insisted on him taking cold showers, so to not waste HIS hot water. He just didn't care any more.
His wound burned in the shower, but it needed to be cleaned. He would bandage it later after he dried off, but for the moment the hot water felt incredibly relaxing on his aching body. He stood there under the spray for as long as the hot water lasted. When it started turning cold, he quickly lathered and rinsed.
It was still early, close to noon when he pulled on some clean clothes and fixed the wound. He had left bloodstains all over the towels in the bathroom, but he felt no inclination to cover up for himself any longer. If the Durselys couldn't accept that he was part of the family by now, then they could burn in hell.
He was still hungry, since the food he consumed earlier was left at the park; a fresh attempt was in order.
He walked down the stairs, and as he hit the squeaky steps, he gave them an extra bounce with his toes. His wand went back up his sleeve, ready for business. As he opened the front door, there was yet another owl waiting. This one had a larger envelope, again with official ribbons and sealed. He took it from the bird, thanked it, and looked the letter over. It was the results of his O.W.L.S. testing.
'Wonderful,' he thought. 'More bad news.' He was convinced he'd messed up several tests, since he had been too preoccupied. It joined the rest of his mail in the trash bin.
Again, he left the house for the food he needed. This time it was an uneventful trip.
At the grocery store, he picked food that didn't require special storage needs; a couple loaves of bread, cans of dried beef, cans of vegetables and cans tuna (he would have to "borrow" the can-opener from the kitchen) and some packets of crisps . Really nothing a typical 15-year-old would buy. The two sacks of supplies nearly wiped out his Muggle money, but that wasn't important. The food was.
At the park, he passed the spot where he was attacked, his dried blood still on the sidewalk. That's when he saw the boy again, playing alone. Harry remembered never having any friends to play with as a young boy, so he knew the loneliness this boy was feeling. Harry looked in his direction, and the boy looking nervous at seeing Harry again, stood and started to back away from him.
"Hey, don't be afraid." Harry called as he started to walk in his direction.
"S-Stay a-w-way from me… d-d-don't hurt me…" The fear Harry saw in his face wasn't from the scene this morning.
"What's wrong? I won't hurt you."
"Y-You're not one of those bullies? No, I saw you this morning… they were beating you up and you… you… what did you do to them?"
"It's complicated. Let's just say I'm better at defending myself."
"Can you teach me? They have always picked on me, especially that big one, but he wasn't here today."
"You mean Dudley?" Harry laughed out loud. "He's my cousin."
A wave of fear spread over the boy, "Y-your cousin…" his hand rose to his face in a defensive posture.
"Don't worry. He beat me up many times too, until he learned what I could do to him. He's still a git and a slob. I don't deal with him and he avoids me. My uncle still treats me like dirt. I'll tell you what. I'll tell him that if he bothers you again, and I'll find out, I'll turn him into a toad. And as for those other idiots, I'll caution them to leave you alone too."
"Like they did today?"
"Well, they didn't know who I am… but they will from now on. Do you know where they hang out?"
"Yes, there's an alley on the other side of the park, I've seen them."
"OK, tell you what. Help me get my stuff back to the house and we'll go looking for them to set them right."
Harry took his new friend back to #4, which was only a couple blocks away, and opened the door. "Come on, I'll show you Hedwig."
"What's a Hedwig?"
"She's not a what, she's my owl."
"You have an owl?"
"Yeah, it does seem strange, doesn't it?"
"I've seen a lot of owls flying around here most summers, but never during school months."
"Well that's because they're… well… just come on."
They went up the stairs to Harry's room, where Hedwig was sleeping on her perch. Harry quickly put his things away in his clothes closet. "Hedwig, wake up, I have a visitor." She gave a hoot at being wakened, and not even to deliver a message. "She delivers my letters to my friends."
The boy's eyes grew with each second as he looked around in Harry's room. Glancing at the titles of the tomes on his desk, his eyes grew wider.
"Before you ask, I go to a special school for gifted kids. I can't tell you any more then that, but rest assured I can handle those bullies. Let's go. I want some fresh air. Just a sec…" Harry grabbed a pre-wrapped sandwich he bought. "I'm a bit hungry. You want anything?"
"N-no thank you." Harry could tell he was very nervous.
"Ok, let's find those bullies and have a talk with them."
It took them 10 minutes to find the group; laughing and bragging about the kid they beat up today, how he managed to escape with his life. The one on the far right bragged about how he got that blow over his head. "Never saw anyone bleed like a stuck pig before."
"Next time, don't hit someone from behind." Harry stated with his wand in his hand, ready for action.
"Look who's back," said a member that wasn't there that morning. "Looking for another beating?"
"No, I'm ready this time, and I don't sneak up on people like a coward. I'm here to warn you to leave this boy alone."
"And who the HELL do you think YOU are."
"You all know Dudley? I'm his cousin. The one they sent to St Brutus's for the Incurably Criminal. Would you like to find out WHY they said I go there?" His eyes began to glow with the anger that had been building for the past week.
"D-D-Dudley's cousin… THAT cousin?"
"Yes. And if you had a brain between you, you would have known that BEFORE you attacked me today. You're lucky I wasn't thinking, or you all could have been killed."
"HAH… he couldn't hurt any of us."
"TRY ME!" Harry was itching for a fight. A whirling sound engulfed the wizard as he was surrounded by a glowing, swirling wind that gave him a menacing appearance, his magic zipping through the air, like static in a lightning storm.
The original five again all soiled themselves and turned to run. The newcomers, seeing the others flee, turned tail also.
"See, I knew they'd run," he said as the wind died.
His young companion's mouth hung wide open at the sight he just witnessed.
"They won't bother you again. And I'll tell Dudley the same. Come on, I'll walk you home. What's you name?"
"Mark," was all he could get out of his mouth.
Ron's first letter:
Harry,
Glad to hear from you so early. Bill and Charlie have come home for the summer, after what happened a couple weeks ago. It shook them more than when Ginny almost died and you saved her.
I never said this before, and I know I should have, but thank you for saving my sister's life. You will always be more then a friend, more then my best friend. You're the brother I've always wanted. Someone I could not only rely on, but also confide in. I know I'll never find a better friend than you.
You will always be my closest mate, not because of what you've done, but because of who you are, deep inside. You're our strength, Hermione's our brains, and I hope I can fit in as well at some level.
I love you, Harry. You're my best friend. Stay safe.
Ron
Hermione's second letter:
Harry,
I found out that Snuffles' house was taken away. I'm so sorry how and why it happened. I wish I were there with you now to tell you what I know you need to hear. Ron had invited me to stay at the Burrow for the summer, since I decided not to go with my folks. I'm going there tomorrow, and wait for you to come here. I've been waiting for you to call me; I really want to hear from you.
You're always in my thoughts and in my heart.
Please, stay safe.
Love always
Hermione
Ron's second letter:
Harry,
Haven't heard from you in a few days, is everything ok?
We found out that Hermione's going to be staying here, while her parents are abroad and since Snuffle's house is gone. We never found out what happened. Dumbledore simply said that because of what happened to him, we don't have permission to use it any more. He said it's going to a new owner soon if his will isn't upheld.
We're going to get you in a couple weeks, just before your birthday, so get ready.
See you soon, mate.
Ron
OWLS letter:
Mr H Potter
Enclosed are the results of your O.W.L. examinations.
Ancient Runes.......................................NA
Astronomy............................................A
Arithmancy...........................................NA
Care of Magical Creatures...................O
Charms.................................................O
Defense Against the Dark Arts.............O
Divination............................................A
Herbology............................................E
History Of Magic.................................A
Muggle Studies.....................................E
Potions.................................................A
Transfiguration.....................................OThere are three passing grades for each exam, Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, and Acceptable. There are two failing grades Poor and Dreadful. If a subject was Not Administered, a grade indicating this is also recorded. Note that only marks above and including 'A' are marks that allow you to pass the subject.