Author's Note: I decided to take a look at this story again after three years. I hadn't realised it had been so long. I hope I made it better and not worse. I tried to make eight-year-old Harry's diary entry a little believable for a child to have written. In any case, here's the edited version of Dear Diary.

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters and plot belong to the author of the Harry Potter series. I make no profit out of this story or anything else that may be published on this website.

Dear Diary

Dear diary,

I found you today in the street, so this if the first time I write to you. I'm eight years old, but the way. I've just had a really bad day. More bad than usual. I came home from school today, but now I wish I hadn't. I really wish I hadn't.

Today is Friday, and Uncle Vernon had a day off. Aunt Petunia wasn't here to wait for me and Dudley (that's my cousin) to come home from school. I came home after Dudley. I should have walked faster. I always have to come home before Dudley, or else.

Because the time Dudley gets home is the right time to get home, never later. That's what Uncle Vernon said and Uncle Vernon makes the rules.

Uncle Vernon was so mad when I got home. I had made wait for me and I shouldn't do that because then Uncle Vernon would have to waste his time. You should never waste Uncle Vernon's time, that's bad. Real bad. He was extra mean. I think my leg is still bleeding a little. It hurts a lot.

I don't know why Uncle Vernon always gets so angry... Aunt Petunia doesn't. Well, she smacks my hand sometimes when I'm bad. But that's all really, that's not so bad.

Maybe he's not supposed to be so angry? Maybe that's why he didn't want Aunt Petunia to know, 'cause then she'd be real mad at him. But if I tell her he says it will be worse and I really don't want it to be worse.

You know what, diary? You're my second best friend. 'Cause Oreo the cat is my very best friend. The only friend I ever had before I found you. He's Mrs. Figg's cat but she says I can see him whenever I want.

She's the lady that I stay with whenever my family go to visit somewhere all together. I never get to go... I don't think I want to go but it would be nice if I could go to the zoo once. Dudley goes every year.

I have a secret I want to tell you. You have to promise you won't tell anyone, ok? When I'm alone at my family's house with my Aunt, she's really nice. Sometimes she even colours with me. But when Uncle comes home, she's mean again. I hate it when she's mean, she scares me.

I don't know if she loves me or not, but I really wish she would. At least I know Oreo loves me, he always comes to visit me when I have to do chores outside, like when I have to mow the lawn. Aunt Petunia doesn't want me to do it, she says it's dangerous. Uncle Vernon makes me do it when she's not home.

Uncle Vernon can be really mean sometimes... Dudley too. He's the one who broke my glasses. That's why I have to put sticky tape on them. I hope that someday I'll get a job. 'Cause when I get a little money, then I can get some brand new glasses. Just like Cole. Cole is Dudley's friend and he got new glasses the other day... They were really nice.

I tried to do something today and I think that maybe, I shouldn't have. I wanted to see my parents, you see? But my parents died when I was a baby. I've never seen my mum and dad and my family never talks about them.

I bet my mum was really pretty. The prettiest mum in the whole world. It's too bad I don't remember her. And my dad, my dad must have been a superhero. He was really cool, I bet.

So one day, I asked my Aunt how to go to heaven. She said that you had to die. That sounds really awful. But I really want to see my parents, I really do.

I tried to hold my breath once, to see if I could just stop breathing, but I got really dizzy and had to stop. So I didn't see my parents but I really, really want to.

My teacher at school says that we live because our heart beats. It gave me a new idea on how to die. What if I stopped my heart? I could make a hole in it and it would stop beating, right?

I went to the kitchen when no one was looking. My family was in the sitting room, watching the telly. They never pay attention to me when they watch the telly. So I went to get a knife, you know, to make a hole in my heart.

I think my Aunt had seen me with it. I was scared, what if I didn't want to die? I really wanted to see my parents though. Should I die... wouldn't it be better than now? With my Uncle and Dudley?

I never could get any farther than that 'cause Aunt Petunia opened the door and grabbed the knife from my hands. She asked me what I was doing.

So I told her. I told her I wanted to see mummy and daddy. I don't know why she did it, but she hugged me real hard. She cried a little I think. She also said that I shouldn't want to die, that it wasn't my time.

She said to wait until it was because it wasn't soon and to never try that again. Why, thought? I really wanted to see my mum and dad. But it is scary to die; I don't think I can die yet.

Well, I have to go to bed now, 'cause I have school tomorrow.

Goodnight Diary,

Harry.

Jennifer was in tears as she read it. This was her father's diary? Was he really treated so badly when he was just a kid? How could the greatest hero of all time, her dad, have grown up with such a bad family?

She put the diary back in its box, pushing it back in the cupboard under the stairs. She whipped the tears off her cheek, leaning against the wall wearily.

"Jenny? Are you alright?" asked her mother, Ginny Potter.

"Yeah mum, I'm fine."

Giving her daughter a sceptical look, Ginny made her way up the stairs, probably to do some much needed laundry.

Heading to the backyard where she knew her father would be, playing ball with her younger brother Brian. They always did that on Sunday afternoons.

Instead of playing ball, however, her dad was scolding Brian about something he had said.

"I'm warning you young man, If you ever say anything like that again, I'm going to make you clean the whole house, the muggle way."

"You wouldn't?!"replied her brother, horrified.

"Oh I would, I even have a vacuum cleaner in the cupboard just waiting to be used."

"You have a vacuum?" asked Jennifer, surprised.

"Yes I do." answered her father, turning towards her, "My aunt gave it to me a few years back."

She felt a sudden pang of sorrow at the mention of his relatives. Her sudden sadness must have showed because her father was frowning at her in worry.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine dad."

"You sure?"

"I'll talk to you about it later daddy."