~Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other characters or settings, blah blah blah, you know the drill, this applies for the whooooole story~
New Friends, Old Enemies
A Way To Earn Your Keep
Harry woke up to the sounds of his Aunt Petunia screaming at him. She was obviously in the kitchen waiting for him to start making the breakfast for the family. He could hear Dudley thumping around his room trying to wake up properly as well. His weight was obviously adding to the strain on the floorboards and increased the noise level considerably. In the background of all this he could hear his Uncle, Vernon Dursley happily humming away in the shower.
'Great,' Harry thought to himself, 'my first Saturday of summer break and already I'm just a slave for these horrible people.' He reluctantly threw his legs over the side of the bed and threw on some of Dudley's old baggy clothes and made his way toward the kitchen.
The eggs were ready, the bacon was simmering, and the pancakes were served when he heard Dudley stomp his way to the breakfast table. He was obviously irritated thoroughly for having to get up this early during the summer, especially on a Saturday. His Aunt as usual was spying out the front window at the neighbors. Harry was laying the last few things out as his Uncle came striding into the room with an unusually pleasant look on his face. Harry quickly slipped back into the kitchen to eat what he'd saved himself and to start the washing up. In the background he heard his uncle break the silence at the breakfast table.
"So Dudley my boy, I've got great news for you" he said with a smile, "the company is hiring some summer help up at the warehouse. What do you say to a nice job young man? We definitely need the help and it'll help you by getting you loads of pocket money eh? So what do you say?"
Dudley started protesting immediately. He threw a temper tantrum to rival that of a 2 year old. After nearly 15 minutes of this childish tirade, Mr. Dursley relented and permitted his son to do whatever his beastly heart desired. Harry then heard his Uncle mutter darkly, "Well I HAVE to get SOMEONE to fill in the spot." Harry turned and finished the washing up just in time to hear his Uncle shout out triumphantly. "AHA!! I've got it. GET IN HERE BOY!" he shouted with relish.
Harry dragged himself to the presence of Mr. Dursley and recognized a glint of malice in his eyes. "YOU will be taking Duddy's place at Grunnings this summer boy, and I'll hear no complaints either. This will be a way to earn your keep around here. Now get out of here, you'll be starting Monday, and if there is any evidence of ANY funny business, you will find yourself out on the street and never welcome here again. Do you get me boy?"
Harry nodded dumbly and walked away. 'Great' he thought, 'now I get to spend my holidays in a ruddy warehouse with that arse breathing down my neck the entire time.' He just hoped he'd get his chance to shove off to The Burrow and his best friend Ron soon before things could get any worse.
He found himself upstairs unwittingly pulling out his schoolbooks to start his summer work. 'Wow' he thought, 'Hermione must be rubbing off on me a bit more than I'd like.' This summer he'd been able to keep his things from being locked up in the cupboard. At the mention of his Godfather, Harry was generally able to avoid most confrontations. So he sat down and began his potions essay. He figured if he was going to spend the days working at that awful factory he might as well finish his summer work early.
Sunday night found Harry diligently finishing up his essay for History of Magic, thusly completing all his holiday work, much to his own surprise. He glanced over at the clock by his bed. 10:30. Harry got up and packed all his stuff away. Except for a few clothes Harry was actually fully packed and ready for his chance to leave the Dursley's, and the sooner the better he thought to himself. Harry finally settled down around 11 and fell asleep dreading the day laying before him. Thankfully, his mind was not haunted by any dreams of his experiences of the past year and he slept fitfully.