Chapter 1

'It's over,' said Harry, his voice hollow. 'I've been expelled.'

Silence filled the room. Petunia was still clutching Dudley, who looked sickly and pale and whose eyes were unfocused, but both she and Vernon were now staring incredulously at Harry.

He felt nothing but blind shock at the content of the letter he held in his hands. Was it true? He had just saved his cousin and himself, and this was his reward? He let the silence spin out, though his heart was pounding in his chest and his head felt as if it was full of lead.

Finally, Uncle Vernon stood up. 'Right, boy,' he said, and there was meanness in every syllable he uttered. 'If you've really been expelled, I want you to go up to your room, right now, and stay there. I don't want to look at you any more.'

Harry stood up on numb legs. The letter slipped from his loose grip and fell to the floor but he ignored it. Then, as he turned and began walking to the door and out into the hallway he heard the sound of something being drawn and a small tinkle. He started to turn round again but Uncle Vernon came flying on top of him and Harry buckled forward under his weight as the two of them crashed to the hallway carpet.

'GET OFF ME!' Harry yelled, feeling the wind disappear from his chest against the floor under Vernon's excessive weight. As Harry reached up to one of the bars in the banister, Uncle Vernon's huge, porky arm flew out and seized his wrist.

'I'M NOT DONE YET, BOY!' Uncle Vernon thundered, and wrenched both of Harry's arms behind his back. Harry couldn't help crying out in pain, and he tried swaying from side to side, though that did nothing to topple the giant sitting astride him; Harry was flattened from the midriff down. Then, with a thrill of pure horror, Harry realised that what he had heard before was Vernon removing his belt from his jeans; Vernon had looped it several times around Harry's wrists, tying his hands firmly behind his back.

Seconds passed in silence; Harry gingerly tested the strength of his bonds and discovered that the thick leather belt was much too tight to slip out of. Grunting, Uncle Vernon climbed to his feet and, laying hold of Harry's shoulders, roughly pulled him to his feet. Harry didn't realise how painful it was to have Uncle Vernon sitting on his back until he stood up straight; white pain ricocheted across his belly and lower back and he doubled up, falling against the banister to stop himself going down again.

'You were expelled.'

Bent double, breathing harshly, Harry could hardly believe that the same man who had tackled him to the ground and tied his hands behind his back was now speaking to him in a level, rational voice. After the pain in his middle had subsided a bit, Harry raised his head to lock eyes with his uncle.

'You were expelled, and that means I don't want you leaving the house. I don't want you leaving your room to cause trouble.'

My room, Harry suddenly thought, feeling hopeful. My wand is in there.

'And you're not getting to any of your stuff either, boy, believe me!' growled Vernon, as if he had known exactly what Harry was thinking. He grabbed Harry's elbow and swung him round to face the bottom of the stairs. 'Now get up there.'

Desiring not to be pushed and kicked all the way up, Harry managed to run up the stairs without losing his balance. Uncle Vernon, quick and agile for a man so large, followed close behind. When Harry pushed his bedroom door open with his foot and stepped inside, Vernon charged him again, slamming into his back. Had it not been for Harry's bed to break the fall, he would have crashed onto the floor and broken his nose.

When he had shuffled out of his bedcovers, Harry saw Vernon standing there holding Harry's wand in one hand and his trunk in the other. He felt a pinch of amusement at the sight of Vernon holding the wand away from him like a stick of dynamite about to go off at any second and trying to look menacing at the same time. 'This can go up here' said Vernon, placing the wand on the higher-most shelf in the bookcase, which Harry normally wouldn't be able to reach without standing on a stool and reaching up with his hands anyway, 'and you, on the floor.'

Harry hastened to obey, but only because he was aching all over, especially in his shoulders. He knelt down on the carpet, but Vernon made a gesture by motioning with a downwards-facing palm; Harry was to lie flat on his stomach. He curled up, turning sideways on his knees as he did so, and landed gently on his side. Then he stretched out and rolled onto his stomach. His palms were wet with sweat and the belt was making his wrists sore, but as he uselessly tried once again to pull his hands free, Harry realised there was no way he was getting out of this without magic.