It was just like any other day at Number 4 Privet Drive. Vernon was off to work at Grunnings and Petunia was out shopping with her little Diddy-dums because such a perfect and intelligent boy couldn't possibly go without anything his morbidly obese heart desired. Were you to look at the house you'd see a small but very lush garden without a blade of grass out of place and a beautifully maintained house, which fit right in with all the other beautifully maintained houses. Practically sparkly. Should you open the door you'd see a house chalk full of shiny surfaces and floral prints with perfectly placed framed family photos on the walls and mantle. Currently the house was dark and quiet as its inhabitants had all gone out for the day… all except one.
Hidden in the cupboard under the stairs was a 5 year old Harry Potter. He was currently curled up on his side on a small cot, clutching a thin but obviously much loved blanket to his chest. His eyes were closed in sleep and his small chest rose and fell beneath the large, dirty shirt he was presently wearing. Even though he was covered in dirt and dust it was easy to see that, beneath it all, he was a very beautiful child. His skin was pale and smooth as porcelain, shining lightly when some minute light managed to make its way through the crack under the door. His hair was long, brushing the middle of his back in a sheet of raven locks the same color as the thick lashes that were resting softly against his cheek. He was small though, smaller than was healthy for a child of his age but still undeniably stunning. His pink lips were relaxed and parted and if you looked closely you would see his eyes flickering as he dreamed. However, the most amazing thing could only be seen as those delicate pale lids suddenly snapped open.
Slightly unfocused in the dimness of the cupboard, Harry's full consciousness slowly returned with no one to see the swirling silvers tendrils sluggishly retreat to reveal startlingly jade colored eyes. The only remnants of which being a small silver ring circling his pupil.
"I've had one of those dreams again" Harry thought to himself as he sat up on his cot, wrapping his blanket around his small shoulders then slowly pushing a lock of hair out of his face. He leaned back against the wall of the cupboard, though slightly uncomfortable his blanket at least offered a bit of cushion from the hard wood.
Ever since he could remember, Harry would have strange dreams as he slept at night. His oldest and most familiar dream was of a bright flash of green light, with a scream and high pitched laughter. His most recent dreams, however, had begun to get even stranger than that. He would dream of a pale ferret and red weasel viciously scratching and biting each other, and of a red- headed teenage male looking into a mirror and laughing at his reflection. He would dream of a black bat with angry eyes being chained down and pulled in two and of a bumblebee with a shriveled wing slowly falling to the ground. Harry didn't understand why he was having these dreams and he had no one he could talk to them about.
"Uncle Vernon doesn't like me to talk and Aunt Petunia would just say it's my fault for being a freak." Harry sighed to himself as he pulled his legs up and leaned his head against his knees. He just didn't understand why his family hated him so much, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with all of his crazy dreams. "It could be worse though." he thought to himself with absolute conviction. He just knew that he was lucky that his relatives mainly chose to ignore him rather than to actually have his Uncle carry out his threats of beating some real manners into him. Oh, it had been close a couple of times when he was younger. His uncle's face would turn purple with rage and then he would rear up, hand raised and storm in front of his nephew, but right before he would strike it would be like he changed his mind and he would just demand Harry to get into the cupboard and stay out of his site. Now, though, his relatives just had a list of rules he had to follow.
Do all of the outside chores on the list you are given while we are out of the house.
When we are home you are to stay in the cupboard.
Do all inside chores once we are asleep so we don't have to look at you.
No talking
You will only eat what we are gracious enough to serve you.
NO FREAKISHNESS
And Harry would follow the rules to the letter. His Aunt would slip the list of chores under the cupboard door in the morning before she and Dudley left and then they would find any excuse not to be in the house until Uncle Vernon got home from work. He would come out of the cupboard once they pulled out of the driveway, eat the piece of bread his Aunt left out for him, and then work in the yard until it was done. Sometimes it would take all day and he would have to rush into the cupboard when he saw his Aunt's car pull down the road, but some days there would be less to do and he could relax in the air-conditioning with a glass of water until his Aunt pulled in the driveway. He would then stay in the cupboard and take a nap until his relatives went to bed and then come out and eat whatever his aunt saved him from supper, it was never much but it was still better than nothing. He would then mop, sweep, dust, do laundry, clean the bathrooms, do the dishes, get all the food prepared for the meals the next day, and whatever else needed to be done. He would then tiredly drag himself back onto his little cot and fall asleep.
"Well no use moping about!" Harry sang to himself as he made his way out of the cupboard, grabbing his chore list as he pushed open the door and made his way to the kitchen. As he happily ate his bread he thought about how no one in his family had probably seen more than a glimpse of him since the rules were first implemented when he was three. In fact, he was pretty sure his relatives liked to pretend he wasn't there entirely. "Just like a house- elf" he thought to himself. "Wait… house- elf? What's a house-elf" Harry wondered before shaking his head, cleaning the crumbs off of the table, and heading outside.
It was pretty hot that day so Harry pulled an old string out of the pocket of his baggy shorts and tied his hair back with it. He hummed as he headed towards the side of the house to get the water can and fill it up with the hose. "Dudley gets to go to school in a couple of weeks." Harry thought as he lugged the heavy can over to the flower bed, "I heard Aunt 'tunia telling him that he'll get to learn how to read and write and everything!" he remembered as he watered the begonia's "I think it's pretty weird since everybody knows how to read and write, why would you go somewhere just to learn something you already know!" Harry giggled to himself. Harry didn't understand that not everyone was like him, that it was strange to know how to read and write if there has never been anyone to teach you. That not everyone had the instinctive knowledge that he seemed to possess, but then again, he WAS only five.
Harry danced around the garden as he pulled weeds, cut stems, and watered the plants. Laughing cutely as a butterfly he disturbed flew up and landed on his nose before hovering around his head and flying away. It was like his own little routine… hop-hop-*shake booty*- hop-hop-spin-repeat. He was dancing his way over to prune the bushes when he suddenly stops and tilts his head to the side. His eyes flash silver right before he throws his hand out just in time to catch the snake that had propelled itself out of the push to attach him as he got to close.
"~Let me go man-child or you'll regret thisssss~" it hissed as it attempted to bite him as he held it just behind its head.
Harry looked at the snake he held in his hand, not even phased that he had just miraculously saved himself. It was a lovely snake, in Harry's opinion; it was a deep black with a band of blood red with hazy edges down the middle of its long body. Its mouth was also black and it had long, pearly white fangs that it was currently trying to jab into his thumb.
"~I didn't know sssnakesss could talk!~" Harry exclaimed, looking at said snake in wonderment.