HARRY POTTER: LIFE CHANGES
Authors Note: THIS FANFIC BEGINS AT THE END OF SECOND YEAR. I AM GOING TO BE RUNNING THINGS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM CANON, RELATIONSHIPS BEGIN TO DEVELOP ETC. SOME ASPECTS OF THIS IS GOING TO BE NASTY. THERE WILL BE CHILD ABUSE; SOME MEMBERS OF THE DURSLEY FAMILY WILL BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. THERE WILL BE DUMBLEDORE BASHING THERE WILL BE MAJOR MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOW I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE GONE WHEN J.K. WROTE THIS.
SUMMARY:
Harry goes back to Privet Drive at the end of second year and finds that his relatives have put the bars back on his window, Vernon spans out of control and Petunia finally catches him at it. Things begin to change and Harry FINALLY gets the caring family he hoped for his whole life. (Will follow SIMILAR events to year three such as Sirius' break out and Pettigrew; however things that lead up to the end will be different). This will be H/HR, RW/LB, NL/LL, and GW/SURPRISE CHARACTER FOR YA.
Chapter One: Abuse beginning and ending
Twelve year old Harry James Potter heaved a sigh and gave a final wave to his friends as he followed his Aunt and Uncle out of the station. Dudley was sat in the back seat and Harry gasped as he saw that Dudley had not only lost A LOT of weight since last September but he was reading a sports magazine instead of playing with one of his many thousands of electronic games.
"Get in" ordered Vernon, Harry nodded but released Hedwig first. His uncle looked ready to kill something so he decided to make sure that he could contact his friends this summer.
"Hold on, Hedwig go and stay with Ron Ok?" he asked, she hooted and he leaned closer on a pretext of releasing the cage door "Come back to me after midnight girl" he whispered, she flew out of the cage and up into the sky, her white colour blending in with the blinding summer colour.
"What are you doing boy?" his Uncle whispered furiously
"Making sure that she can't keep you up this summer Uncle Vernon" he whispered. His Uncle nodded gruffly
"Fair enough now get in!" he ordered. Harry nodded as he flat packed Hedwig's cage and put it and the trunk into the Boot of the car.
"Hi Harry" greeted his cousin a genuine tone in his voice. Taken aback Harry replied with a slightly shocked tone to his voice.
"Hi Dudley, good year at school?" he replied making sure that Dudley could see that he had noted the weight loss and change in him
"Not bad, had to lose weight and change my attitude. The headmaster was threatening to expel me, eventually I realised that I had to start treating people better so that they wouldn't be nasty about me behind my back" he replied, Harry was gobsmacked, they stopped at a petrol station and both his Aunt and Uncle were out of the car.
"That's a good Philosophy Dud, I'm not going to lie to you, your looking much healthier and your sounding much healthier too, no wheezing or anything like that" he said.
"I'm going to warn you, Dad is still tanking mad about you escaping last summer, which by the way was BRILLIANT, He plans on locking you back up this summer but making you keep your trunk with you as they have had the cupboard under the stairs renovated so that they have more space at home. Also I have cleared out all my old toys apart from the bookshelf and the wardrobe, desk and bed, under the pretext that you'd contaminated them so they could go in the bin, but really its so that you have room to breathe in there" He said quietly noticing that his parents were coming back. Harry nodded at him, thanking him quietly and turned to look out of the window again as Dudley went back to his magazine.
Three hours later they were back in Privet drive. As Dudley had said Harry was allowed to keep his school things with him in his bedroom. This meant he would be able to do his summer homework as well on a night time as long as he kept things locked in his trunk in the day. He hefted his trunk into his room and heard a click and a locking sound on the door.
"You are in there until such time as we see fit to release you" Growled his Uncle. Harry sighed as he noticed the bars on the window but noticed they had a big enough opening that he would be able to get letters to and from his friends through them.
"Yes Uncle Vernon" he replied and then feeling as if he should do it properly "Are there any chores for me to do today?" he asked knowing that chores were the only way he would be allowed out
"Dudley wants to do them to earn himself some money, your services won't be required this summer boy, meaning your fed when we want to feed you, your to be out twice a day for the toilet and as previously stated, you can do your freaky homework as long as its locked up when the window cleaner comes on Tuesdays and Saturdays, that should keep the freak school from suspecting anything. If you tell anybody about the bars or being locked in then I WILL pound you into oblivion" said his uncle menacingly through the door.
"Yes Sir" he said softly retreating into his room so that he could unpack his things. With Dudley having cleared the room out, he realised now that it wasn't so small. He set his trunk at the end of his bed and unpacked all of his clothes into the wardrobe and chest of drawers, silently thanking whatever god there is that he was able to get new underwear and socks in Diagon Alley every year as he thought of all the older boxers and socks that he had before going to Hogwarts. He knew this year that somehow he had to get himself some new clothes that actually fit but didn't know when he would be able to.
After unpacking his meagre belongings and setting Hedwig's cage into the corner of the room away from view of the window which he knew would please his uncle. Just as he was getting his books out deciding to ensure he had enough parchment and quills in order to get ahead on his homework there was a soft tap on his bedroom door.
"Harry? It's Aunt Petunia. Under the loose floorboard are some pads of lined paper and pens. I thought you might need them for your homework. I know your mum always seemed to run out of parchment during the holidays. I know this probably shocks you but I will talk to you tomorrow once your Uncle has gone out to work" he heard whispered through the door as the cat flap opened and a large bowl of steaming Tomato Soup appeared along with a large hunk of bread. He figured they were going to try and keep him well fed this summer for some reason.
"Thank you" he murmured back through the door and listened to his Aunt's retreating footsteps before picking up the soup and bread and set it on the desk. Already his mind was whirring. Why were Petunia and Dudley being nice to him? Why would he suddenly be allowed to do his homework? Why wasn't he being treated like a slave? All of these questions filled his mind like the soup filled the bowl in front of him, he ate it thoughtfully but still through his musings found no answer to his questions and he knew that he would have to wait for his Aunt to come to him tomorrow.
He had long since finished his soup and bread and had tidied up his school things so that he did not leave them lying around to be found. He was laid on his bed staring at the ceiling going over things in his mind. He had come to a realisation since the encounter with the Basilisk. He needed to start focusing on his studies. He was starting his Electives for his OWLs this year and he knew his OWLs were just as important as GCSE exams in the muggle world. This was his future and he had to be serious about it even with the knowledge that Voldemort wasn't truly gone. Suddenly a scuffling by the door had him nervous he knew whatever it was couldn't be good.
His Uncle barged into the room red faced, drunk and extremely angry. Before he knew what had hit him he had been picked up and thrown against the wall.
"You won't escape this time boy! You are owed the flaying of your life!" he roared throwing Harry to the floor and turning him over. There was a large crack and then pain ripped through his back as his Uncle flayed his back with his belt. Harry bit his lip as the unimaginable pain coursed through his body time and time again bringing back memories of beatings before he went to Hogwarts. Suddenly it stopped and he heard his Aunt screeching
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING YOU INSANE IDIOT!" she was screaming at Vernon. Harry felt arms around him as Dudley pulled him off the floor and onto the bed being careful not to jar his back.
"…FOR BEING A FREAK!" Vernon was roaring at Petunia. She dragged him from the room their voices sounding all the way through the house as she tore him down to nothing for beating Harry.
Dudley had the first aid kit out and was cleaning and dressing the wounds on his back. Strangely Harry was coherent his Aunt having stopped his Uncle before he could do any major damage to him. He kept on biting his lip until his cousin had dressed his wounds.
"He has no chance now if he thinks mum is going to let him stay around. She had planned to try and divorce him this summer anyway because he has been cheating on her with his secretary, mum told me when I came home" Dudley was telling him grimly
"He hasn't done this to me since I was six, I wasn't expecting it at all" Harry said shakily as he sat up. Dudley looked at him sympathetically. They heard an almighty crash downstairs then of the basement door slamming. This caused both boys to run to the top of the stairs.
"You can stay in there while I call the police for child abuse!" his Aunt said venomously. Harry was astounded. He also knew there was no way he could allow his Aunt to call the police due to his magical nature. He cautiously descended the stairs where his Aunt was stood white faced and shaking.
"Aunt Petunia as much as I would like to see that tub of lard in prison we can't call the muggle police. I'm a magical child and they would need blood tests which would show up the anomalies that come from my magic. If we have to call any kind of Authority we need to call the wizarding authorities but before we do I need to contact my headmaster" he said gently putting his arm around her and steering her past the locked basement door into the kitchen.
"What will Dumbledore do that the authorities can't?" she asked as he made her a cup of tea after sitting her down at the table. The whole thing still seemed surreal to him but there was nothing he could do about it at this moment in time, his aim at the moment was to protect the statute of Secrecy
"This situation isn't that simple. In the wizarding world I am held as some sort of saviour because Voldemort was defeated when he killed my parents and then couldn't kill me. A lot of the pure blood elitists would give their right arms in order to say that The Boy-Who-Lived had inappropriate care at his muggle relatives house and it would cause such a scandal that it would also drag you and Dudley through the mud as well" he explained quietly sitting opposite her still feeling numb about the whole thing.
"You're famous for your parents dying?" she asked amazed. She had, had no idea of the true nature of her sister and brother-in-law's deaths only that they had died giving their lives for her nephew
"Unfortunately, I hate being famous for something that I clearly didn't do but they don't see it like that. After eleven years of hell on earth they needed something to celebrate I guess" He shrugged.
"So where does your Headmaster come into this?" she asked
"Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and as such has good pull at the ministry so that this can be kept quiet. He should be able to falsify records here in the muggle world that Uncle Vernon is put away not necessarily for hurting me but for hurting a child or even ensure that a trial in our world is kept quiet. Nobody but people who can be trusted can know about this Aunt Petunia" He said thinking hard. He needed to get a message to Dumbledore as soon as possible.
"I had no idea Harry. I swear to it when you were little I didn't know he did it to you then either" she said fretfully the full situation coming back to her. He nodded and squeezed her hand a thought occurring to him.
"I Understand. DOBBY?" He shouted tentatively hoping that the little elf could hear him. The was a near silent pop and the creature stood in front of him still proudly wearing the sock that had freed him from the Malfoy family.
"The Great Harry Potter calls Dobby?" he asked bowing deeply. Harry rolled his eyes as his aunt looked on a mixture of shock, amusement and worry across her face
"Dobby I need you to get Headmaster Dumbledore to come here to me as soon as possible. Tell him that my Uncle just tried to beat the freakishness (Yes use that word Dobby) out of me" he said and the little elf nodded his eyes wide as he disappeared with another almost silent pop.
"Who was that?" asked his Aunt
"The one responsible for the mishap with the Masons, The one who spent all year trying to save me and almost getting me killed instead but also the one who I helped free from his horrible masters at the end of last year. Dobby is a house elf and they are mostly bound to serve and are treated harshly and horribly by their masters. Dobby's old master was responsible for a Diary bearing an imprint of Voldemort getting into the school last year and setting loose a forty foot Basilisk (A snake with the power to kill with one look into its eyes). I killed it and the imprint" He said and his Aunt's jaw dropped as she realised just how little she knew her nephew.
About twenty minutes later there was a knock on the front door. Harry nodded to his Aunt to go and answer it as he sat with his cousin at the kitchen table. There were voices in the hall and then into the kitchen walked Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagol and Professor Snape.
"What's going on Harry?" Asked Dumbledore gravely, seeing Harry pale and still shaking tiredly at the table. Harry looked into his mentor's face and then relayed the whole story. He saw McGonagol's nose flare and her lips tighten into a thin line and Snape was white with Fury
"Where is he?" asked McGonagol her voice shaking. Petunia handed her the basement door key and she and Snape went to deal with his Uncle while Harry and Dumbledore sat at the table.
"Harry I can only apologise for what you must be going through right now and I can see that you are weak and need your bed so I won't take long. Just know that your Uncle will be dealt with accordingly and will not escape punishment. I think it will be best to do this in the muggle world so that it is not leaked to the wizarding press. You are right when you say this will hand more ammunition to the pureblood elitists about the dangers of muggles. Are you sure you will be ok Harry?" He asked softly
"Yes. My Aunt and Cousin seem to have changed their tune and I know they won't hurt me. You should know my plan this summer is to actually try and do a good job on my studies. If you have next year's book list that would be helpful" said Harry amazing the erstwhile professor even more.
"Of course, this is the preliminary book list it isn't confirmed but you can be sure that things aren't going to change much" he replied handing over the piece of parchment.
"Sir I want to change mine and Ron's elective from divination to Ancient Runes and I would also like to take Arithmancy as an extra credit class on the weekend and take the OWL with everyone else in fifth year" he replied thinking for his best friend as well as himself. This year he would kick Ron into a decent study pattern if it killed him. The way Ron picked on Hermione was unacceptable
"Ronald as well?" enquired Dumbledore
"It's for his own good sir. He wants to be better than his brothers but doesn't try. This year that is going to change" said Harry with determination in his eyes
"Ok but you should know that normally one student cannot decide another's electives but in this case that should be overlooked because I agree with you" said Dumbledore his eyes twinkling. Harry nodded as the professor rose and joined the others in the hallway with his Uncle who was being handcuffed by muggle police that his Aunt had obviously called.
"Here are all the paper's he has concerning the fraud and the photographs he took of the children, I do not ever want that man in my house again" his Aunt was saying to the inspector.
"Certainly ma'am. This guy is going down for a long time" the inspector assured her as they bid him goodbye. The three professors left not long after and then it was just the three of them. The clock chimed eleven o clock in the evening as they stood there in silence.
"I think I'm going to go to bed. We can all talk more tomorrow and work out a plan of attack from there" said Harry. His Aunt and Cousin nodded and then they too decided it was time to go to bed. It had been a long day for all of them and all three of them slept peacefully that night.