Chapter 1: Arrival at the Burrow
Summer, as usually, had been pretty dismal. Especially since the guilt of last year's events was weighing on his shoulders like a rock the size of Hagrid. That combined with the despair of living with the Dursleys for the whole summer was almost unbearable. But as long as Harry had contact with Sirius, his wrongfully accused murderer of a godfather, and his best friends, Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger. Thinking of them brought thoughts of Hogwarts to his mind. He longed to travel the hidden passages and rotating walls of the castle, and to see Hagrid, the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
"Get up boy! Now!" Uncle Vernon yelled, interrupting his thoughts. He sighed and got out of bed, heading downstairs to make breakfast.
Before he could reach the stairs however, Uncle Vernon was brandishing a letter in his face that had marks where the owl's talons had dug into the envelope.
"A thing arrived this morning carrying THIS" He said throwing the letter at Harry. He quickly skimmed it and found that it was from Ron who was asking Harry to stay.
Before Harry could ask if he was allowed to go, Uncle Vernon started yelling, "If these are the people that were here last year then the answer is NO. I don't need anything else destroyed around here by those FREAKS!!"
Hearing this Harry had to hold back the urge to just punch his uncle right in his big, beefy face. But it was the next comment that put him over the deep end.
"......Don't know what you were thinking when you let those shabby looking pieces of vermin in MY house..."
Harry lost control there. With a yell, he ran Uncle Vernon into the wall with a mighty tackle. He had grown a bit stronger over the summer, but even he was surprised at the power of this tackle.
Uncle Vernon threw him off, and with a purple faced, animal roar he grabbed Harry, threw him into his room and punched him across the face. Hard. That's all Harry remembered.
He woke up with an icepack over his jaw. Tenderly, felt around the area where Uncle Vernon had punched him. He felt a sharp pain at the touch and recoiled his hand. Shakily he got up off the bed and looked around. He saw that he was in his own room and carefully head over to the mirror. He had a large purple spot where he had been punched and a cut lip from where he fell. After making sure he still had all his teeth he glanced at the clocked and saw that it read 6:20 PM. He had been out cold for the whole day. Since 7:20 this morning. He picked up the leter and read it over more carefully this time and saw that it said that the Weasleys would pick him up at 7:45 whether the muggles like it or not, as Ron had put it. He put on a decent pair of clothes and cautiously went downstairs. Uncle Vernon was sitting in his chair while Aunt Petunia and Dudley, his cousin were on the couch watching the news.
"Awake are you?" Uncle Vernon called, with a rather strained look on his face.
"Yes, and the Weasleys are coming for me any minute, so if you'll excuse me I have to get my trunk." Harry said with an vicious tone to his voice.
"Coming for you? Who said you could go?" Uncle Vernon said rather maliciously.
"I'm going whether you like it or not. At least they respect my existence, and I don't get punched out in their friendly hallways!" Harry shot back.
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY HOME AND MY WAY OF DISCIPLINE?!" Uncle Vernon roared and dove at Harry while Aunt Petunia screamed and Dudley laughed smugly.
Uncle Vernon got in a few good punches but just as he was getting ready to knock Harry into next week again, the fireplace roared to life with a giant green flame and out stepped Mr.Weasley, Ron, Fred, and George.
Seeing the scene of chaos before him, Mr. Weasley set off a loud bang with his wand and said, "Excuse me but what is going on here?!"
Uncle Vernon looked as though he just swallowed a very sour lemon as he was caught with a very bloody Harry Potter in his hands, in front of a fully-grown wizard and his children.
Seeing Harry's blood, Mr. Weasley shouted, "Harry! Are you all right? Here get behind me. Fred, George, go get Harry's things."
"You have no b-business here sir! I d-demand that you l-leave at once!" Uncle Vernon stuttered out. Harry though that Uncle Vernon was acting awfully brave with an angry wizard and his son pointing their wands at him.
"It is my business if you are assaulting my son's best friend!" Mr. Weasley shouted back. In all the years that Harry had known him, he had never seen Arthur Weasley so angry before.
"Harry catch!" George shouted and tossed Harry his wand from the hall. He grabbed it and pointed it weakly at Uncle Vernon, and in his weakened state managed to say, "You...stay..away from...me."
But Uncle Vernon had had enough. Just as Fred and George were disappearing into the flames with Harry's trunk, he caught the Weasleys off guard and threw himself at them, like an angry bull.
Mr. Weasley managed to dodge him, and yelled, "Harry, Ron, get out of here!"
Ron complied by half dragging Harry into the flames and yelling, "The Burrow!" and then they were speeding through the floo network and into the Weasleys kitchen.
"Oh goodness Harry!" he heard Mrs. Weasley say, as he rolled, beaten and bloody, onto the floor.
All Harry saw right before he passed out were the shocked faces of Ron, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny, and Hermione.
Summer, as usually, had been pretty dismal. Especially since the guilt of last year's events was weighing on his shoulders like a rock the size of Hagrid. That combined with the despair of living with the Dursleys for the whole summer was almost unbearable. But as long as Harry had contact with Sirius, his wrongfully accused murderer of a godfather, and his best friends, Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger. Thinking of them brought thoughts of Hogwarts to his mind. He longed to travel the hidden passages and rotating walls of the castle, and to see Hagrid, the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
"Get up boy! Now!" Uncle Vernon yelled, interrupting his thoughts. He sighed and got out of bed, heading downstairs to make breakfast.
Before he could reach the stairs however, Uncle Vernon was brandishing a letter in his face that had marks where the owl's talons had dug into the envelope.
"A thing arrived this morning carrying THIS" He said throwing the letter at Harry. He quickly skimmed it and found that it was from Ron who was asking Harry to stay.
Before Harry could ask if he was allowed to go, Uncle Vernon started yelling, "If these are the people that were here last year then the answer is NO. I don't need anything else destroyed around here by those FREAKS!!"
Hearing this Harry had to hold back the urge to just punch his uncle right in his big, beefy face. But it was the next comment that put him over the deep end.
"......Don't know what you were thinking when you let those shabby looking pieces of vermin in MY house..."
Harry lost control there. With a yell, he ran Uncle Vernon into the wall with a mighty tackle. He had grown a bit stronger over the summer, but even he was surprised at the power of this tackle.
Uncle Vernon threw him off, and with a purple faced, animal roar he grabbed Harry, threw him into his room and punched him across the face. Hard. That's all Harry remembered.
He woke up with an icepack over his jaw. Tenderly, felt around the area where Uncle Vernon had punched him. He felt a sharp pain at the touch and recoiled his hand. Shakily he got up off the bed and looked around. He saw that he was in his own room and carefully head over to the mirror. He had a large purple spot where he had been punched and a cut lip from where he fell. After making sure he still had all his teeth he glanced at the clocked and saw that it read 6:20 PM. He had been out cold for the whole day. Since 7:20 this morning. He picked up the leter and read it over more carefully this time and saw that it said that the Weasleys would pick him up at 7:45 whether the muggles like it or not, as Ron had put it. He put on a decent pair of clothes and cautiously went downstairs. Uncle Vernon was sitting in his chair while Aunt Petunia and Dudley, his cousin were on the couch watching the news.
"Awake are you?" Uncle Vernon called, with a rather strained look on his face.
"Yes, and the Weasleys are coming for me any minute, so if you'll excuse me I have to get my trunk." Harry said with an vicious tone to his voice.
"Coming for you? Who said you could go?" Uncle Vernon said rather maliciously.
"I'm going whether you like it or not. At least they respect my existence, and I don't get punched out in their friendly hallways!" Harry shot back.
"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY HOME AND MY WAY OF DISCIPLINE?!" Uncle Vernon roared and dove at Harry while Aunt Petunia screamed and Dudley laughed smugly.
Uncle Vernon got in a few good punches but just as he was getting ready to knock Harry into next week again, the fireplace roared to life with a giant green flame and out stepped Mr.Weasley, Ron, Fred, and George.
Seeing the scene of chaos before him, Mr. Weasley set off a loud bang with his wand and said, "Excuse me but what is going on here?!"
Uncle Vernon looked as though he just swallowed a very sour lemon as he was caught with a very bloody Harry Potter in his hands, in front of a fully-grown wizard and his children.
Seeing Harry's blood, Mr. Weasley shouted, "Harry! Are you all right? Here get behind me. Fred, George, go get Harry's things."
"You have no b-business here sir! I d-demand that you l-leave at once!" Uncle Vernon stuttered out. Harry though that Uncle Vernon was acting awfully brave with an angry wizard and his son pointing their wands at him.
"It is my business if you are assaulting my son's best friend!" Mr. Weasley shouted back. In all the years that Harry had known him, he had never seen Arthur Weasley so angry before.
"Harry catch!" George shouted and tossed Harry his wand from the hall. He grabbed it and pointed it weakly at Uncle Vernon, and in his weakened state managed to say, "You...stay..away from...me."
But Uncle Vernon had had enough. Just as Fred and George were disappearing into the flames with Harry's trunk, he caught the Weasleys off guard and threw himself at them, like an angry bull.
Mr. Weasley managed to dodge him, and yelled, "Harry, Ron, get out of here!"
Ron complied by half dragging Harry into the flames and yelling, "The Burrow!" and then they were speeding through the floo network and into the Weasleys kitchen.
"Oh goodness Harry!" he heard Mrs. Weasley say, as he rolled, beaten and bloody, onto the floor.
All Harry saw right before he passed out were the shocked faces of Ron, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny, and Hermione.