The rain hit the window of his nearly bare room with a soft pitter-pattering sound that calmed his frayed nerves. His uncle had come home drunk and beat him again. It had become a daily occurrence since his Aunt Petunia had left with Dudley, stating only
that she was tired of his behavior. The neighbors pitied him, and would often invite him over, or hire him to do gardening to get himaway from the house for a bit.
Dudley's old gang broke up when he left, and most ended up in jail or on probation. The ones that didn't left Harry well enough alone, and would occasionally wave to him in passing. Harry would wave back and smile slightly, before resuming his work.
Today, however, he'd had nowhere to be, and was unlucky enough to be in the house when his uncle got home. Bruises littered the side of his face, and his ribs were bruised to the point that it hurt to breathe. His ankle had been twisted, too, and was
now swelled and nearly black with bruising. Hedwig had been let out to hunt the day before and still hadn't returned, for which Harry was grateful.
Looking out the window again, his jaw nearly dropped at the sight of an enormous black owl making its way towards him with a letter in its talons. Opening the window, he let the bird in, and shut it again to keep the rain from getting in. Turning to the
owl, he held his hand out for the letter, only to be nipped at warningly. Confused, he tried again, only to be bit, while the owl hooted and ruffled it's feathers.
"Bloody hell! Are you hungry?" He asked it angrily, making sure to keep his voice down in case it were to wake him. Another hoot confirmed his thoughts, and he went downstairs and pulled out some leftover steak before heading back upstairs. The owl tore
a hunk out of the offered meat and held out its leg for Harry to grab the letter.
Gently, Harry grabbed the letter and broke the seal before reading.
Potter
Care to explain why your bloody owl came to my mansion of all places? I'm honestly curious as to why you would send her here, instead of your beloved leader of the light. She has done nothing but fuss and peck at me, and has even went as far as to attack my followers during meetings.
Awaiting your response,
L. Voldemort
As he read, his eyes got wider and wider, before he burst out laughing, which caused the owl to squawk at him indignantly. Apologizing quietly, he grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote out a response before looking back at the owl, who was waiting
with its leg stretched out expectantly.
Once he letter was secured, Harry opened the window and watched as the mass of black feathers flew off into the night.
This was going to be one interesting summer.
