Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story recognized as something in the actual Harry Potter book series. All I own is the story line.
Summary: Takes place in the summer after Harry's fourth year. Harry returns home to find a drunken uncle, a loving aunt, and a nicer cousin. Will Harry's life change now that Harry has a small family that will accept or maybe even love him?
Author's Note: This is an AU Fic. I already know that most of the characters are out of character. So I suggest if that bothers you, LEAVE NOW. And thank you for all those that read this, that knows that this is fanFICTON.
Warnings For This Chapter: Attempted homicide.
So This Is Perfect?
Chapter 1
Good-bye, Uncle
By: Love-Can't-Save-You
Harry Potter was laying in his room on a hot summer night. He had just completed he fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now let's not forget that he also helped (unwillingly of course) and witnessed the Dark Lord Voldemort return to his body.
And fate just wasn't on his side. He was back with his wonderful relatives.
Vernon was acting odd that day. He gave his nephew an actual welcome rather than his usual 'hurry up boy'.
Harry was still grieving for Cedric and how it was 'his fault'. Harry was in his room on his first night of his vacation when he heard shouting downstairs. His first instinct was that it was Death Eaters. (He had become slightly paranoid of them.) So, he grabbed his wand and hurried downstairs.
It turned out that it was just Petunia and Vernon arguing and his aunt throwing things. Harry also noticed a half empty bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. Harry started to return up to his room so he wouldn't get in trouble for spying, when he saw something that made him launch straight into the room.
Vernon had just grabbed Petunia by her shoulders and was violently shaking her. If Harry would have blinked he would have missed it. Quick as a flash Vernon slapped petunia with so much force that she fell onto the floor.
Harry guessed that his 'saving people thing' kicked in because he was soon at his aunt's side with his wand pointed at Vernon's head.
"Y you can't do magic outside of school. You'll g get expelled," Vernon said drunkenly.
"Not if I give him permission Vernon," Petunia said as she stood up behind Harry.
"Also I'm allowed to do it in defense, which I am doing to protect Aunt Petunia," Harry said sounding a lot braver than he felt.
"Get out now Vernon or I'm calling the police. This has gone on for too long Vernon," Petunia said confidently.
Vernon gave once last drunken glare at the two before he made a beeline to the front door and out into the night. As soon as the door slammed shut, Petunia broke down into tears. Harry stuck his wand back into his belt and bent down so he was eye level with his aunt.
He gently helped her up off the floor and onto the couch. About that time Dudley came down the stairs looking around cautiously as if Vernon could jump out at any given moment. He waddled on down the stairs when he saw his mother crying on the sofa and Harry looking very confused.
After a couple of moments of silence, Harry decided to break the ice. "So would anyone care to explain what's happening?"
Petunia, who had finally got her emotions in check answered him. "At the end of January, Vernon was fired from Grunnings, for not showing up to work. I was utterly confused because he always left for work like usual in the mornings. So when he returned home he was drunk. He yelled at me and Dudley for the littlest things. But then as the drinking continued to grow, he was becoming violent. At first he was abusing me, but then Dudley got expelled from Smeltings and he turned on him.
"You need to press charges Aunt Petunia. He'll just keep coming back."
"You don't understand Harry. Nothing will stop him from harming us."
"He won't if I'm here. He's scared of magic."
"But what about when you return to Hogwarts?" Aunt Petunia asked.
"Who says I'm going back," Harry said nervously.
"What? Harry. Oh Dear Lord help me,"Aunt Petunia said looking up at the ceiling. "We'll talk about this tomorrow. Harry, Dudley, make sure that all the windows and doors are locked please."
I could get use to this. No demands. Woo hoo. Note to self. Lay off the Bertie Botts. Harry thought to himself.
Later that night Harry laid wide awake in bed. His thoughts were plagued with Uncle Vernon, Voldemort, Cedric, his friends, and what was gonna happen now.
He turned and looked at his digital alarm clock and saw it was only 2:30 in the morning. Groaning, he rolled over and tried to get comfortable.
It wasn't five minutes later that he sat back up and put his glasses on. With a peculiar feeling that something was not right, he got up and headed downstairs with his wand out.
Upon arriving in the kitchen, he noticed the door's curtains jumbled up. Quickly going into defense mode he heard the smallest creek directly above his head. His Aunt's bedroom.
Running up the stairs quiet as a mouse, he saw her bedroom door ajar. Moving cautiously over to the wall by the door, he peered into the room. The scene in front of him made him shoot out a spell without thinking.
"STUPEFY!" Harry yelled at Vernon who was hovering above Petunia with a knife raised in a striking position.
Petunia jerked awake at the sound of Harry's voice. She almost fainted when she saw her now ex-husband's frozen body on the ground by her, with his hunting knife.
She jumped up and turned to the lights on to get a better look at things. It was then she noticed Harry just standing there.
She reached out and touched his shoulder which made him jerk as if he was in a trance. He quickly shot another spell at Vernon which bound and gagged him in tight ropes.
Harry turned and looked at Petunia, before pushing past her and Dudley, who now stood in the doorway.
Petunia picked up the phone and called the police. As soon as she placed the phone back on the receiver, there was two popping noises in the living room downstairs.
Harry appeared in the doorway looking scared to death.
"Harry, what is it," Aunt Petunia whispered because it seemed appropriate for the moment.
"It's Ministry officials. They're here to snap my wand because I did underage magic," Harry whispered back with his voice shaking.
"Give me your wand."
"What! Why?"
"No one is going to take my nephews wand when he just saved my life."
"Oh ok then." Harry handed her his wand, which she tucked safely into her house coat pocket. Motioning for the boys to follow her, Petunia headed downstairs to talk to the wizards and wait for the police to arrive.
"May I help you," Aunt Petunia asked flipping on the light.
Slightly startled the wizards turned to face the face the trio with their wands out. Harry let out a sigh of relief, when he saw that one of the wizards was Arthur Weasley.
"Are you Harry James Potter?" The ministry official asked.
"Last time I checked I was." Harry said cautiously.
"Harry, why did you use magic," Mr. Weasley asked sternly.
"My Uncle was attacking my Aunt with the intent to kill her. The only way I could do anything was if I stunned, then tied him up. He's upstairs right now, and the muggle police are on their way."
The ministry official hurried upstairs and levitated him on the sofa. He muttered the counter spell and Vernon woke with a start. He looked around furiously and then locked eyes with Harry.
Before anyone could act Vernon had Harry penned to the floor, and was strangling him.
"You no good for nothing freak! Why didn't I ever kill you when I had the bloody chance!"
Arthur and the dude that still remained nameless restrained Vernon while Petunia checked on Harry who seemed just shocked and only had bruises on his neck.
"Vernon Dursley, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Harry James Potter," the ministry official said.
Arthur took Vernon away while the other dude talked to the cops who had just arrived. Both men came back a few minutes later and looked at the three people who were sitting on the couch without a single expression on their face.
"Well now that has been taken care of, you Mr. Potter are excused for the use of underage magic. There will however be a hearing for punishment for Vernon Dursley. All three of you will be required to attend. We will send the trial date via owl post," the guy that remained nameless said before apparating out.
Harry sat alone in his room and stared out the window. Mr. Weasley had just left after talking to Harry about the importance of staying inside the house at all times.
Turning over onto his side, Harry fell into a rough sleep, with nightmares about Vernon coming after him again.