A/N- Well, I said I wouldn't, and I wasn't going to. This story just
smacked me across the head. So, here it is. The long awaited (?) Sequel to
HP and the Return from the Plains of Misery. This one will be longer then
that one, I think. If you haven't read it, I would advise you to do so
before reading this one. That's all for now.
Harry James Potter looked at the train station, happily contemplating that for once, he was not heading back to Private Drive for his summer holidays. At least, not for all or even most of them. Harry had to stay there for all of three days, while his parents and Dumbledore finished setting up the wards on the house that the Potters purchased after the end of the school year. It would be interesting to see the look on the Dursley's faces when his mother and father came to pick him up. No one had told them that Dumbledore had discovered the cure for Avada Kedavra, so they still believed Harry to be their responsibility. Sure enough, as he bade his friends goodbye, he could see Aunt Petunia waiting for him. Somehow, she didn't seem her normal abrasive self. Her watery blue eyes were slightly puffy, as if she had been crying recently. Harry shook his head. Aunt Petunia only cried when Dudley was being a prat, and he wouldn't be home from Smeltings for another week. When he met her on the other side of the platform, her voice was as shrill as it always was.
"It's about time! I've been waiting for you for twenty minutes already! Doesn't your kind set any store in punctuality? I have to have dinner ready in an hour, and it will take half that to get home. Come on!" She turned, and her wispy blonde hair shifted to expose a large purple bruise on her neck.
"What happened?" Harry blurted before he could stop himself.
"Nothing. And don't ask questions!" She barked, hastily covering her neck with a decorative scarf and wincing when she accidentally pulled it a little too tight. Harry figured this wasn't the time to tell her that he now had special permission to use magic outside of school, since many of Voldemort's supporters were now on the run. Harry and several others had defeated him at the beginning of the year, but his followers didn't seem to realize that. It seemed that Lucius Malfoy, utterly unknowing of his own offspring's part in defeating the dark lord, made the decision to replace him. He was still commanding the Death Eaters, and so it was decided that Harry would be allowed to practice his magic to better defend himself when he needed to.
Aunt Petunia didn't say a word to him on the drive back. She chewed on her tongue and said nothing. Finally, when they pulled up to the house, she looked at him again.
"You look so much like your parents." She whispered, keeping her voice soft. Harry looked at her, wide eyed. She shook her head, and went inside. Harry lugged his trunk up to his room. He didn't bother unpacking. He knew he was going to be leaving again soon anyway. He heard Uncle Vernon come in, bellowing for his dinner. Harry stayed upstairs, he had eaten on the train and wasn't really hungry.
"Did you go and get the boy?" he heard Vernon ask.
"No, no, of course not. You told me not to. Why would I?" He heard his aunt respond, her voice high.
"I don't believe you! You sound exactly like you used to when I asked you if you'd been visiting your sister. I'm checking Dudley's second room!"
Harry noticed in the split second before he dove into his trunk for his invisibility cloak that Vernon hadn't even called it his room.
He scrabbled in the trunk for his cloak, and he heard Vernon's steps come thudding closer. Rapidly, he donned the large garment, and as he heard his uncle reach the top of the stairs, he realized his trunk! It was obvious evidence.
It was too late. The door swung open and beady eyes swung around the room. Not seeing the person he was looking for, the purple face began to recede. The door began to close, and Harry, relieved, began to move across the room. The door swung open again, and Harry froze. For a second his heart caught in his throat, he was standing in the middle of the room. If Vernon came barrelling in, there was no doubt that he would run into him. The bulgy man let out a bellow of rage when his eyes rested on the trunk in the corner, and then ran out of the room. Petunia heard her husband bellow, and was nervously waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
Harry heard the 'smack' even from his bedroom. He then heard the yelling.
"I told you I would not have that freak back inside this house! He is a danger to Dudley!" Another smack.
"He is my sister's son! Is it not enough that you forced me to give up my baby sister for adoption when you found out what she was? Harry is all I have left of my family! I will not give him up." Harry heard her whimper as Vernon slapped her yet again. Listening to the row downstairs, he figured that he probably should go to his new house right away. He didn't know that Petunia had fought to keep him. And what was this about a baby sister? First things first, though, he knew he had to defend his Aunt. He took his wand out from its hidden pocket, and reflected that it seemed he really didn't know her at all.
He went down the stairs, still covered by his cloak, and noticed that she was now sporting a large purple bruise on her cheek, and another one around her eye. Harry waited, it seemed that the fight was petering out. Vernon stomped out of the house, and Harry removed his cloak. He saw his aunt, weeping, on the stairs.
"Come on, Aunt Petunia. We're leaving. You don't have to put up with that great bullying git anymore. I have a place for us to go. It's not quite ready yet, which is why I cam here, but It will have to do. And there are some people there I think you might like to meet." The disfigured face looked at him.
"Why would I want to leave? I have Dudley here. My family is here. You are my sister's child. I feel nothing but obligation toward you. If you have somewhere else to go, I suggest you do so." She looked miserable, but Harry wasn't about to argue with her. His mother could come and take care of her.
He nodded at her, and then turned. She passed him on the stairs, and he called out her.
"Aunt Petunia?" She turned around, the swelling on her face more obvious in the better light. "Do you want me to do something about those bruises?" She looked at him, a curious expression in her eyes.
"Can you? I mean without getting into trouble." Harry nodded.
"I was given special permission, since I helped defeat the Wizard that banished my parents."
"He was still around? I though that he was some crackpot!" Then the full import of Harry's words hit her.
"You mean killed your parents, don't you?" She asked, her voice hard. For a moment, Harry was tempted to bark 'Don't ask questions' at her, but since she had gone against Vernon for him it didn't seem quite fair.
"No. Until the beginning of the year, I thought so. But apparently they were banished to the Plains of Misery instead. Dumbledore brought them back. That's my other plans. I'm going to live with my parents." She surprised him then, and pulled him into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Harry. There isn't much more that I can say. I'm so sorry. Go, enjoy what's left of your childhood. I may come visit. But please leave before Vernon comes home."
Harry nodded, unloaded his broomstick, bewitched his trunk to be feather light, and then bound it to the broomstick. He put on his cloak, and made sure that it covered everything.
"We'll keep in touch, Aunt Petunia. I promise." He said. And then, he cast a trunk in the corner of the room, and told her to open it. She looked frightened, still extremely wary of magic, but did as he bid her. When she opened it up, it had all sorts of normal Muggle candy, a few new outfits for Dudley, and a small bag of green powder. She looked at him questioningly.
"Why?" Was all she asked. Harry understood anyway.
"Vernon and Dudley's memories will be wiped of all knowledge of me. Yours will not. Take the powder and cast it into the fire if you need to talk to me, mom, or anyone else in my world. Say their name into the fire, and we'll answer as soon as we can. Any side effects are normal, so don't worry, all right?" He still disliked the woman, but he didn't want to leave her completely defenceless against the oaf that she married.
"You can feed the sweets to Dudley. Tell Vernon that you've noticed that Dudley loses more weight when he isn't tempted to disobey. They're enchanted to remove three pounds for each one that he eats. The new clothes are for the end of the summer, when he'll resemble something other then a baby rhino. Remind Vernon of the argument that you had with Dudley last hols when he wanted my trunk. Tell him that you got this one for him. He should have absolutely no trouble believing that. Got it?" Petunia nodded, and pocketed the powder. She watched as Harry mounted his broomstick, which was now hovering three feet off the floor. She let out a little gasp when he covered himself with it, and then he was gone. She turned and went downstairs, bruises fading fast thanks to a few gentle pokes of her nephew's wand, and contemplated her future.
A/N- Please don't forget to review! I'll post the next chapter in three days or at five reviews, whichever comes first!
Harry James Potter looked at the train station, happily contemplating that for once, he was not heading back to Private Drive for his summer holidays. At least, not for all or even most of them. Harry had to stay there for all of three days, while his parents and Dumbledore finished setting up the wards on the house that the Potters purchased after the end of the school year. It would be interesting to see the look on the Dursley's faces when his mother and father came to pick him up. No one had told them that Dumbledore had discovered the cure for Avada Kedavra, so they still believed Harry to be their responsibility. Sure enough, as he bade his friends goodbye, he could see Aunt Petunia waiting for him. Somehow, she didn't seem her normal abrasive self. Her watery blue eyes were slightly puffy, as if she had been crying recently. Harry shook his head. Aunt Petunia only cried when Dudley was being a prat, and he wouldn't be home from Smeltings for another week. When he met her on the other side of the platform, her voice was as shrill as it always was.
"It's about time! I've been waiting for you for twenty minutes already! Doesn't your kind set any store in punctuality? I have to have dinner ready in an hour, and it will take half that to get home. Come on!" She turned, and her wispy blonde hair shifted to expose a large purple bruise on her neck.
"What happened?" Harry blurted before he could stop himself.
"Nothing. And don't ask questions!" She barked, hastily covering her neck with a decorative scarf and wincing when she accidentally pulled it a little too tight. Harry figured this wasn't the time to tell her that he now had special permission to use magic outside of school, since many of Voldemort's supporters were now on the run. Harry and several others had defeated him at the beginning of the year, but his followers didn't seem to realize that. It seemed that Lucius Malfoy, utterly unknowing of his own offspring's part in defeating the dark lord, made the decision to replace him. He was still commanding the Death Eaters, and so it was decided that Harry would be allowed to practice his magic to better defend himself when he needed to.
Aunt Petunia didn't say a word to him on the drive back. She chewed on her tongue and said nothing. Finally, when they pulled up to the house, she looked at him again.
"You look so much like your parents." She whispered, keeping her voice soft. Harry looked at her, wide eyed. She shook her head, and went inside. Harry lugged his trunk up to his room. He didn't bother unpacking. He knew he was going to be leaving again soon anyway. He heard Uncle Vernon come in, bellowing for his dinner. Harry stayed upstairs, he had eaten on the train and wasn't really hungry.
"Did you go and get the boy?" he heard Vernon ask.
"No, no, of course not. You told me not to. Why would I?" He heard his aunt respond, her voice high.
"I don't believe you! You sound exactly like you used to when I asked you if you'd been visiting your sister. I'm checking Dudley's second room!"
Harry noticed in the split second before he dove into his trunk for his invisibility cloak that Vernon hadn't even called it his room.
He scrabbled in the trunk for his cloak, and he heard Vernon's steps come thudding closer. Rapidly, he donned the large garment, and as he heard his uncle reach the top of the stairs, he realized his trunk! It was obvious evidence.
It was too late. The door swung open and beady eyes swung around the room. Not seeing the person he was looking for, the purple face began to recede. The door began to close, and Harry, relieved, began to move across the room. The door swung open again, and Harry froze. For a second his heart caught in his throat, he was standing in the middle of the room. If Vernon came barrelling in, there was no doubt that he would run into him. The bulgy man let out a bellow of rage when his eyes rested on the trunk in the corner, and then ran out of the room. Petunia heard her husband bellow, and was nervously waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
Harry heard the 'smack' even from his bedroom. He then heard the yelling.
"I told you I would not have that freak back inside this house! He is a danger to Dudley!" Another smack.
"He is my sister's son! Is it not enough that you forced me to give up my baby sister for adoption when you found out what she was? Harry is all I have left of my family! I will not give him up." Harry heard her whimper as Vernon slapped her yet again. Listening to the row downstairs, he figured that he probably should go to his new house right away. He didn't know that Petunia had fought to keep him. And what was this about a baby sister? First things first, though, he knew he had to defend his Aunt. He took his wand out from its hidden pocket, and reflected that it seemed he really didn't know her at all.
He went down the stairs, still covered by his cloak, and noticed that she was now sporting a large purple bruise on her cheek, and another one around her eye. Harry waited, it seemed that the fight was petering out. Vernon stomped out of the house, and Harry removed his cloak. He saw his aunt, weeping, on the stairs.
"Come on, Aunt Petunia. We're leaving. You don't have to put up with that great bullying git anymore. I have a place for us to go. It's not quite ready yet, which is why I cam here, but It will have to do. And there are some people there I think you might like to meet." The disfigured face looked at him.
"Why would I want to leave? I have Dudley here. My family is here. You are my sister's child. I feel nothing but obligation toward you. If you have somewhere else to go, I suggest you do so." She looked miserable, but Harry wasn't about to argue with her. His mother could come and take care of her.
He nodded at her, and then turned. She passed him on the stairs, and he called out her.
"Aunt Petunia?" She turned around, the swelling on her face more obvious in the better light. "Do you want me to do something about those bruises?" She looked at him, a curious expression in her eyes.
"Can you? I mean without getting into trouble." Harry nodded.
"I was given special permission, since I helped defeat the Wizard that banished my parents."
"He was still around? I though that he was some crackpot!" Then the full import of Harry's words hit her.
"You mean killed your parents, don't you?" She asked, her voice hard. For a moment, Harry was tempted to bark 'Don't ask questions' at her, but since she had gone against Vernon for him it didn't seem quite fair.
"No. Until the beginning of the year, I thought so. But apparently they were banished to the Plains of Misery instead. Dumbledore brought them back. That's my other plans. I'm going to live with my parents." She surprised him then, and pulled him into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Harry. There isn't much more that I can say. I'm so sorry. Go, enjoy what's left of your childhood. I may come visit. But please leave before Vernon comes home."
Harry nodded, unloaded his broomstick, bewitched his trunk to be feather light, and then bound it to the broomstick. He put on his cloak, and made sure that it covered everything.
"We'll keep in touch, Aunt Petunia. I promise." He said. And then, he cast a trunk in the corner of the room, and told her to open it. She looked frightened, still extremely wary of magic, but did as he bid her. When she opened it up, it had all sorts of normal Muggle candy, a few new outfits for Dudley, and a small bag of green powder. She looked at him questioningly.
"Why?" Was all she asked. Harry understood anyway.
"Vernon and Dudley's memories will be wiped of all knowledge of me. Yours will not. Take the powder and cast it into the fire if you need to talk to me, mom, or anyone else in my world. Say their name into the fire, and we'll answer as soon as we can. Any side effects are normal, so don't worry, all right?" He still disliked the woman, but he didn't want to leave her completely defenceless against the oaf that she married.
"You can feed the sweets to Dudley. Tell Vernon that you've noticed that Dudley loses more weight when he isn't tempted to disobey. They're enchanted to remove three pounds for each one that he eats. The new clothes are for the end of the summer, when he'll resemble something other then a baby rhino. Remind Vernon of the argument that you had with Dudley last hols when he wanted my trunk. Tell him that you got this one for him. He should have absolutely no trouble believing that. Got it?" Petunia nodded, and pocketed the powder. She watched as Harry mounted his broomstick, which was now hovering three feet off the floor. She let out a little gasp when he covered himself with it, and then he was gone. She turned and went downstairs, bruises fading fast thanks to a few gentle pokes of her nephew's wand, and contemplated her future.
A/N- Please don't forget to review! I'll post the next chapter in three days or at five reviews, whichever comes first!