Anarchy Machines – Chapter 1

As much as Petunia tried, she found she couldn't resent the last living link to her biological family. She'd started off bemoaning her sister's existence when the bundle of blankets and baby was left on her doorstep, but after a while, she had to admit the kid grew on her. The only thing that concerned her was the magic. Harry was obviously going to be a very gifted wizard, she could see that even at fifteen months, but that led to so much fear. Over the years, she'd heard snippets of conversation regarding the wizarding war. Surely if Harry was a part of their world, he would end up being killed?

It was with a grim determination that she decided Vernon and herself would try to quash the magic.

They were always careful to favour Dudley over Harry. Their nephew got the smallest bedroom in the house, significantly more chores, and only the most cursory of praises was offered when he did well at school, but it always hurt Petunia to be treating him that way.

Despite being reassured that no one from the wizarding world would contact her, she received many owls from well-wishers. There was one that she was particularly warmed by, however. A fellow mother, who despite having very little money, took the time to knit Harry several thick blankets, scarves and jumpers as he grew up.

Petunia had deliberated for days about what she could possibly send in return that wouldn't be seen as patronising. In the end she even consulted the other mums from the boy's nursery group. Thankfully, one of them was able to suggest something. And soon enough, Molly received a huge hamper full of toys and family friendly board games. From that moment on, Petunia had what she could only describe as the most sympathetic confident she could've ever dreamed of having.

As Harry and Dudley progressed into primary school, Petunia noticed their interests changing a little. Dudley liked computer games, whereas Harry preferred to be outside, playing football with the neighbourhood boys. However, despite these differences there were still things they did together. The pair went swimming every two weeks with one of their friends from school, and they both joined a judo club in year three.

Oh, if Petunia had only known what kind of heartache the club would go on to cause them, she definitely would've put her foot down and refused to let the boys join. Unfortunately, they'd both seen The Karate Kid, and thought it was immensely cool!

It was one fateful Wednesday night on which the accident occurred.

For Harry, Wednesdays were his favourite, hands down. School was a breeze, given that it was both PE and art day, he and Dudley sometimes got McDonald's for tea, but more often than not had beans on toast before being whisked back to the school for judo club. Harry loved judo. He was good at it too. And so was Dudley! Nearly every day after school -and after homework- they'd go off up to the guest bedroom and pull the king-size mattress off the bed to practice their moves until they were utterly perfect. Aunt Petunia didn't mind, as long as they cleared up afterwards, and nothing was broken.

That evening everything seemed to be going swimmingly, Harry and Dudley were virtually owning anyone they paired up with, and having a blast while doing it.

That was, until their instructor chose Harry to demonstrate a particular throw.

The kid was a few years older, a bit bigger, and a bit heavier set, but Harry didn't think that was a problem as he twisted into the throw. That was, until it went wrong of course. The other kid was new to judo, and was scared of getting hurt, despite the padded gym mats on the floor. Although he was supposed to just let Harry throw him, the other boy panicked and flailed, and somehow swept Harry's weight bearing leg from under him.

Everything seemed fine at first, no harm done, but then microseconds after impact, the pain reared its ugly head.

There was a flurry of activity around Harry, as he cried out in agony, clutching at his battered leg. That move only made it worse though! Moments later the instructor was by his side, telling him to relax, to not move. That was easier said than done though!

Dimly, it registered that everyone was trying to distract him from looking at his leg. What, was there a lot of blood or something? Curiosity got the better of Harry as he tried to peer around the mountain of a man that was the sensei. Big mistake. Looking at it only made it hurt more. His leg was bent in the wrong way. Fearfully, he screamed, even as everyone was trying to keep him calm.

It took just minutes for an ambulance crew to arrive. Oh, Harry was so not their friend! Before they could take him to the hospital they had to straighten out his leg.

It was probably a good thing that all of the other kids had been ushered into a different part of the school, because those screams would've haunted them for sure.

A tense few minutes later, and he was on a stretcher, being wheeled into an ambulance.

From that point on it was a blur really.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon met the ambulance at the hospital, having dropped Dudley off to be looked after by someone else.

Having doctors poking around his leg was about as uncomfortable as it got, but thankfully he was allowed some medicine before too long. At long last, his pained cries subsided to miserable hiccups as the adults talked.

A short time after being admitted, Harry was being wheeled off for the first surgery.

When he woke up, he was surrounded by people. Some of whom he'd never seen before. Aunt Petunia was there, with a redheaded woman, and a boy and girl with the same hair colour. What they were saying didn't register in the slightest, he was too groggy from the anaesthetic, but he didn't miss the fact the woman presented him with a woollen blanket, like the ones he had at home, and suddenly he knew who it was. Quietly, he burbled something that may have been a thank you, before falling asleep again.

The cycle of wakefulness and sleep continued for a day or two, before Harry finally came to properly.

It took a few minutes before he became aware that his leg wouldn't move, as he tried to make himself more comfortable. In an almost blind panic, he threw off the blanket, and stared, expecting to see they'd chopped it off!

He sighed in relief as he say that his leg was just heavily bandaged. There were piles of cards and sweets on the bedside table, along with some fresh fruit. Harry then noticed that Aunt Petunia was there, rushing over to him.

Not long after, the doctors came too, and propped him up so that he could eat. And when they mentioned food, Harry was ravenous, even if he felt sick at the same time. They assured him that it would pass, and that he would be fine.

As much as the doctors assured him it'd all be fine, it really wasn't. Set back after set back occurred. An infection threatened the function of that leg further, and kept Harry in the hospital for far longer than anyone expected, requiring more surgery to deal with the necrotic tissue.

Eventually though, he was allowed to go home. But the problems didn't stop there! He was too weak to climb the stairs to get to his bedroom, so he had to sleep in the living room.

Harry quickly grew fed up of being an invalid.

It took some time, but eventually it looked like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, the brace could come off and he could be a normal kid again, but of course nothing ever went right.

Although Dudley really tried to be careful, he was bigger than Harry, and clumsy, and sent Harry flying more than a few times. School was suddenly a million times harder too, since he had to deal with his leg on top of lessons.

But no, a few bad falls really did set him back even further. Everything in that leg got weak, until he could no longer put any weight at all on it.

A slip on an icy street and a broken ankle certainly didn't help matters. Then, not only did he have a brace on his knee, but a cast on his ankle. At the very least Harry was used to getting around on crutches, and could be pretty speedy when he wanted to be.

But after that incident, things started to look better. Harry was still weak, and the doctors weren't sure if they could help him beyond supporting his damaged leg, and giving him crutches. Physical therapy helped. It hurt, but it helped.

At the very least, he could get to his own bedroom without help, and use the bathroom on his own. Those were two massive positives. After a while, Harry got used to the crutches and the brace. They were just a fact of his life now. When it got cold, he ached, and sometimes his knee swelled up, but that he could live with.

Eventually, life was pretty much normal. He was nervous about going to secondary school, especially with his leg the way it was, but Aunt Petunia assured him that everything would be alright.

On Dudley's eleventh birthday, they were going to the zoo, and Harry was really excited. Not just because they were going to the zoo, but because they were going to meet up with Mrs Weasley, Ron and Ginny while they were there. Dudley's loud shouts of "Wake up! We're going to the zoo!" Made Harry virtually tingle with excitement and anticipation.

Although he couldn't run around like Dudley, Ron and Ginny, he still enjoyed the day. Harry had to take frequent breaks, and Molly kept making sure he drank lots of water, but it was easily the best day he'd had since before the accident.

Although all too soon, it was time to go home. Sadly, Harry and Dudley bade farewell to the Weasleys, and climbed back into the car to head home.

It wasn't long after that day trip, that something unusual happened.

There was a letter for Harry, in the post. The address was written in emerald ink, and was weirdly specific about his living situation. Like, how did this person know he slept in the smallest bedroom? Aunt Petunia took the letter off him before he could read it, and told him that it would all be explained later, so not to worry about it. Not worry? Yeah right.

But, just a few weeks later, it really was explained. At around ten in the morning, shortly after Harry turned eleven, a man dressed in all black knocked on the door. He was lanky, and had black hair. The man introduced himself as a teacher at Harry's new school. What new school? Stonewall High? No, the man had laughed, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry almost fainted from shock.

He was a what?

And that was that!

"So what do you teach?" Harry asked curiously as they made their way through the crowded street known as Diagon Alley. Apparently this place was just randomly hidden in the middle of London? Well, Harry was still having a bit of trouble believing it all, but he was trying his best. Also trying his best to keep up with Professor Snape, because the man moved way too fast, and had to keep checking himself.

"Potions. A fascinating subject. Precision and accuracy are absolutely paramount, as well as an in-depth knowledge of how each ingredient might react with another, among other things," Professor Snape explained brusquely as they walked toward the bank.

"Do you think I'll be good at it?" Harry went on to ask, extremely curious. If Potions was like cooking, and didn't require much magic, surely he'd be okay at that right? He wouldn't make a fool of himself.

"I don't see why not. It requires dedication, willingness to work hard, be out of bed at all hours of the night to make the smallest adjustments and additions. Your mother was gifted when it came to potions, in fact," Snape had supplied, almost as though he wanted to put Harry off. Wait, his mother was good at it?

From that very moment on, it was like Harry was obsessed. He wanted to absorb every detail about the subject that he could. Why was his mother so fond of it? What was his mother like, even? The professor seemed hesitant to respond at first, but soon enough he wouldn't shut up, which was kind of refreshing, because up until that point he'd just sort of glared at everything. But talking about potions definitely made him happy. And Harry noted that when he was happy, Snape was much easier to be around.

The talk proved so useful though. Once he'd got his money from the bank, they started shopping for his equipment. Snape supplied all sorts of helpful tips about how to chose potion ingredients, what type of knives would be best, and yet more.

Wand shopping was absolutely exhausting, and it took forever! Harry went through at least twenty before the golden sparks shot out of the one he'd ended up with. What was the deal with that anyway? Snape had the answer for that too. The wood and the core were good for different types of magic, and certain people just naturally favoured different areas of magic.

When they passed a group of kids ogling something in a window, Harry had to look himself. A broomstick? Did witches and wizards really ride broomsticks? Snape to the rescue once again, informed him that it was mostly for recreation, and that there were other modes of transport available nowadays. Quidditch sounded like something Harry might've been interested in, had he not been so injured, so it was with a heavy heart that he tore himself away from the Nimbus 2000, and carried on shopping.

When it came to buying books, Professor Snape once again proved to be a useful asset, offering up advice on some additional books, to help get him started, instead of just the basic reading list.

Most thankfully, Madam Malkin took pity on him when he hobbled into her store, and once she'd finished measuring up the two that were already there, she closed up, so that she could focus solely on getting Harry seen to as fast as humanly possible.

After several long hours, the only thing left to get was an animal companion of some kind. The Magical Menagerie should've been called the Magical Cacophony, since it was so loud in there, but Harry still looked in baskets and cages looking for the perfect pet. Snape assured him that it wasn't essential, but it was nice to have one. He'd never owned a pet before, and he was a bit worried about looking after one with his bad leg, but he decided he'd do it. At the very least it'd give him some responsibility. It took some real searching, but Harry found the perfect little kitten. She was a grey and white tabby, who looked like she was wearing little socks. That was the one. Yup. Without hesitation, Harry christened his new kitten Moonstone, or Moon for short.

And that was it -school shopping done, and it was time to go home again.

Harry was buzzing by the time he got back to Privet Drive. He excitedly told Aunt Petunia all about it, who admitted she remembered a similar experience with her sister. Harry was excited to take Moon up into his bedroom, and make her a bed, and play with her. And he was also looking forward to reading his textbooks. Which was a really weird thing to think! Harry had never struggled in school, but he never really had to try hard either, he just did okay.

That evening, when Moon jumped up into bed with him, and curled up between his pillow and the wall, Harry's heart melted.

The rest of August passed quickly, and September 1st couldn't come soon enough! It was with excitement and intense trepidation that he followed Aunt Petunia onto the platform to meet up with the Weasleys. Molly helped him through the ticket barrier, and when he caught his first glimpse of the Hogwarts Express, he was amazed. When he asked about it, Percy gave him a brief history of the biggest concealment charm ever.

Once in a compartment, Harry pulled Moon out of her basket, and laid her in his lap, so that he could start reading, crutches propped up aganist the window, and his leg stretched out to the seat in front of him.

Okay, so lets be real here, I hate the portrayal of the Dursleys. I used to think it was fine, but now that I'm older it makes me super uncomfortable, so they're decent human beings okay?

Anyways, that aside, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!