Story: Come What May

School: Hogwarts

Year: Four

Theme: Healing/Injury

Main Prompt: [Emotion] - Disgust

Side Prompts:[Emotion] - Trust, [Weather] - Raining

Special Rule: Incorporate Dittany's meaning in Flower Language - Birth (Harry's 11th Birthday)

Links - Link to Story Three (Harry's Birthday wish at the end of the story), Link to Story Five (Meeting Daphne).

Note: Somethings were taken or paraphrased from the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the consistency of the story

Written for the IWSC Final Challenge

Dedicated to my friends William Soares and Tom Wilson both who passed away recently. Both of you will be sorely missed. RIP My Friends

Come What May

July 30th, 1991 - 15 Minutes to Midnight

'I wish I didn't have to live with the Dursley's anymore, that I had a family to love me. I wish I had friends and that someone would come and save me. Please let things get better … please.'

Harry Potter remembered that particular wish when he was five years old, and having his first ever birthday party at Arabella Figg's home. He listened to the rain hitting the roof of the dingy structure that his Uncle Vernon had drug the family to in order to get away from those letters that Harry wasn't allowed to see; letters that were addressed to him.

Harry Potter

The Cupboard under the Stairs

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

The letters that his Uncle Vernon said were for no one important. The letters that were delivered by owls. This was not how Harry wanted to spend the beginning of his birthday, not that he really had a choice. Then again, it was a lot better than his previous birthdays.

What confused Harry the most is that he had no idea what he did to make them hate him so much. Why his relatives had called him 'freak' or had so much animosity towards him. It seemed like every time he turned around, he was getting blamed or punished for something that he had no control over. Each year since that initial wish, it seemed like Harry's treatment got worse and worse.

When Harry was five, he was cooking breakfast and had slipped into a thought that this year would be different, that Aunt Petunia was wrong, that even Harry would have a birthday. It was being lost in this thought had caused Harry to burn the eggs and bacon, which set off Petunia, and she had hit Harry with a still hot frying pan. He remembered it clearly.

Midsummer - Morning of Dudley's Birthday - 1985

Harry was currently standing on a stool, frying the breakfast. Today found him quite distracted, and the shout from his aunt woke him up instantly.

"Look what you did, you little freak! You've burned the breakfast!"

Harry was barely aware of her grabbing the frying pan out of his hands and trying to dodge her when she swung it at his head. As much as he tried to dodge it still hit him on the side of his head. Harry screamed and hit the floor. His aunt was still shouting, and Harry couldn't hear any of her words clearly as he gulped back the tears and shrank away from her. Finally, when she pointed at the door, Harry fled back to the safety of his cupboard.

Harry remembered looking into Petunia's eyes with his emerald green ones and not seeing hate, but a hint of fear that quickly vanished as she yelled at him for burning the breakfast. The fact that he was related to such a two-faced woman caused a look of disgust to etch itself on Harry's face.

Then when Harry was around seven or eight, his Aunt was tired of his messy hair and rather than spend money on him had decided to cut Harry's hair herself. That was only because each time Harry came back from the barber looking like he hadn't even had his hair cut. Petunia had botched the job so badly that she had cut him almost completely bald except his bangs, and that was to cover what she called his 'nasty scar', only to have it grow back as if nothing had happened. He had spent a good amount of time in his cupboard for that little incident, and it wasn't even his fault. Even he didn't know how his hair had grown back.

Vernon and Dudley were just as bad. His Uncle blamed him for anything that went wrong, and while Vernon was not physically abusive toward Harry, he would threaten him, or throw him into his cupboard, and the door slammed behind him. Especially afterward, when Harry had ended up on the school cafeteria roof while running from Dudley and his gang. Luckily, nothing more than a sprain happened when that occurred.

Dudley, on the other hand, seemed to have a penchant for what he called 'Harry Hunting' in which Dudley and his gang of thugs would chase Harry down. His cousin would have a look of malicious glee on his face when they caught him and beat him down until they were tired. It was not uncommon for him to come home covered in bruises, and cuts when they were done.

Harry remembered one instance when it had been raining, his cousin had run after him on the way home from school. Harry's beaten trainers had sloshed as the frozen waters filled them as he ran down the walkways of the normally picturesque looking Magnolia Crescent Drive. Looking behind himself ever so briefly he could still see Dudley and his gang chasing him through the rain-soaked roadways, laughing and calling out to him as they tried to catch up to him

Fear of the beating he would get from them caused Harry not to notice the fact that his t-shirt and pants clung to his tiny malnourished frame. He tripped and fell to the hard wet pavement, giving them ample time to catch him.

Harry closed his eyes as the first punch landed on his body, knocking the wind out of him, and causing him to desperately try to suck in needed air. Soon a cacophony of blows and kicks rained down, filling his body with unbelievable pain; it was bad enough that he almost passed out. It wasn't long after that, that Dudley and the rest of them tired from beating Harry and made their way to another victim.

Harry struggled to get to his feet and make his way home where his aunt would berate him for being clumsy, and not to mention getting her floor dirty from him, bringing the filth from outside. Petunia would then make him clean up the 'mess he made' before sending him to his closet as punishment. While it wouldn't take long for the bruises and cuts to heal, the emotional damage seemed to build up, and there for a time, Harry had contemplated even the most horrid of thoughts to end his pain.

July 30th, 1991 - 1 Minute to Midnight

As the wind and rain continued to drum down on the weather-beaten shingles the noise sounding like a muffled drum, Harry had started to think about all the unexplainable things that had happened to him over the years. His hair regrowing, and him ending up on the cafeteria roof were just a few examples. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to figure out the cause of them.

As Harry continued to think, he watched the seconds click down on the beat-up watch that he had gotten from somewhere over the years. Harry couldn't remember where or whom he had gotten it, but he had treasured it nonetheless. He treasured the possessions that he had acquired, and the watch was just as special, just like the 'cake' he had drawn in the dust on the floor of the building.

Harry unknowingly held his breath as the seconds clicked away.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5

Harry watched as the second hand seemed to take forever, almost as if time was slowing down in his anticipation.

4, 3, 2, 1.

Harry blew out his imaginary candles, watching the dust scatter across the flooring.

'Happy Birthday to Me,' he thought.

And with that last second that had clicked, the loud boom that echoed throughout the building caused his eyes to snap up and be drawn to the dilapidated door as it fell down onto the floor.

Standing there in the frame was a big hulking form of a man, who for all intents and purposes would change the course of Harry's life.

Harry watched as the large man picked up the door and placed it back into the frame, shambling to the couch where Dudley was sleeping and plopped down almost sitting on his cousin, who had incidentally scurried to hide behind Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, the latter of which was standing there holding a rifle.

"You are trespassing, and I demand you leave at once," Uncle Vernon bellowed.

Harry watched as the large man slowly situated himself on the couch, which after a few seconds, collapsed under what Harry would assume was a great amount of weight.

"Dry up Dursley, yeh great big prune," the man grunted as the couch hit the floor.

Uncle Vernon had made a noise like a mouse getting stepped on as he jerked back.

Harry watched as the man started pulling things out of his jacket. Setting them down on the floor almost in a pattern. Watching in amazement as the large bearded man seem to pull an endless supply of things. Harry began to wonder where it was all coming from.

Looking over at his relatives, he saw a mixture of fear and disgust on their face when the smell of sausage hit his nostrils. Looking back, he noticed a large pan much like the one his Aunt had hit him with, loaded down with some rather large links of meat, and that there was a fire in the fireplace. After a few minutes, he offered Harry some of the links.

"Oh, before I forget, I have something for you, Harry." said the man as he reached inside his large jacket and pulled out a squished box, handing it to Harry. "Sorry, I kind of sat on it," he stated, handing the box to Harry.

Harry opened the box, and inside was a large, sticky looking cake and the barely legible words, 'Happy Birthday Harry'. He was touched that a complete stranger, someone who didn't even know him, had bothered to make him something for his birthday, and yet his relatives couldn't even be bothered.

Harry looked to the in front of him as he set the box aside. "Who are you, sir?" Harry asked, quizzingly.

Looking back at Harry as he cooked the Man stated. "Call me, Hagrid. Everyone does. I am the Keeper of the Keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Yeh know all about Hogwarts, don' yeh?"

"Erm...actually no," Harry said, looking bewildered. "I don't, sorry."

Hagrid looked at Harry, shocked. "Yeh have nothin' to be sorry for, Harry. It's this lot that does. We knew yeh weren' gettin' yer letters, but we never thought yeh knew nuttin' 'bout Hogwarts," Hagrid stood up as he moved the pan off the fire. "Din'cha ever wonder where yeh parents learned it all?"

"Learned all of what?" Harry asked.

"The fact of who your parents are, who you are." Hagrid started, then Uncle Vernon spoke up with a sudden burst of courage.

"Stop! I forbid you to say anything to the boy," Vernon yelled.

Hagrid paid the overblown whale no mind as he continued. "I mean you and your parents are famous, Harry."

Harry looked at Hagrid in confusion. "Me, I'm nothing. I'm just Harry."

Hagrid looked at Harry wide-eyed in shock. "Harry, yeh don' know who you are? What you are?" The groundskeeper asked, bewilderment in his voice.

Harry looked at him with a bit of confusion. For the longest time, he was called nothing more than 'Freak' or 'boy'. Very rarely had the Dursley's called him by his given name, and Harry looked at Hagrid and plainly stated.

"No, Sir."

With a hateful glare at Harry's aunt and Uncle before looking back at the young boy and in a calm, gentle voice stated the words that would change Harry' life.

"You're a wizard, Harry."

Harry felt a bolt go through him as his world came to an abrupt halt. Harry looked at Hagrid with a questioning look.

"I'm what?" Harry asked with a mixture of confusion and disbelief on his face and in his voice.

With those words uttered, Hagrid eyes lit up with a fire. He strode to the Dursley's in two steps.

"You mean to tell me that he knows nothing of our world! his parents' world?"

Both of the Dursley looked as if they had swallowed a lemon at the mention of his parents, and to Harry's surprise, it was his Aunt who spoke up. She spoke with pure venom and disgust.

"There was no need, we swore that he would know nothing when we took him in."

Harry looked at the Dursley's with disgust, "You knew? All this time you could have told me what was going on?"

Petunia, who before now, barely registered her nephews' existence sneered at him and shrieked,

"Knew! Of course, we knew! How could you be anything else? Being what your mother was!" his aunt began to rant. One could tell this had been building up for a long time. "My parents were so happy when they found out. They were so proud! But I saw her for what she was… a freak!" Aunt Petunia stated with deep loathing.

"Then she met that Potter boy and they had you. Of course, I knew that you would be just as abnormal as her, and then she goes and gets blown up, saddling us with you," his Aunt stated, not realizing what she said.

"But you told me that they died in a car accident," Harry exclaimed, "caused by drinking."

At this, Hagrid exploded. "A car accident! That's not the truth, and you know it," the mountainous man yelled, causing the Dursley's to scuttle back into their corner.

"Hagrid, what happened to my parents?" Harry inquired.

Hagrid looked anxiously at Harry before he took on a determined look, and proceeded to inform Harry about the death of his parents and how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed them, and the fact that Harry had survived what was known as 'The Killing Curse', and because of that, Harry was famous in the Wizarding World.

Harry heard his Uncle snort in disbelief.

"That's a load of tosh! Now you listen here, boy, we knew your parents would have met with a sticky end, being what they were. In my opinion, they got what they deserved. But this utter drivel…" his Uncle started saying, and this set Hagrid off enough to where he started in on Harry's Aunt and Uncle for the third time this night.

Harry watched utter fascination that someone would come to the defense of not just his family, but for him as well. For years he had lost hope and thought that no one cared enough to even attempt to say something. Not his teachers, not the authorities, no one. Yet here was this man coming to his aid. It was then that Harry felt something he had not felt in a long time.

Hope.

As Hagrid continued to bellow at his relatives, he reached up and touched Hagrid arm. Which stopped the giant short.

Harry looked at the giant, with a smile, and said, "When do we leave?"

Hagrid looked at the Dursley's with an expression that made them fearful for their lives, before saying, "Tomorrow, Harry. We need to get your things from Diagon Alley."

Harry nodded before looking at the Dursley's with a mixture of disgust and pity, knowing that nothing would change them or their way of thinking. With that, he moved toward Hagrid toward the couch, and nestled into the large coat Hagrid gave him. Dreaming of tomorrow and what was to come.

September 1st, 1991 Platform 9 and ¾

Harry Potter looked around Platform 9 and ¾ with a bit of amazement as he thought about the world he had been introduced to the past few weeks. The wonderment of the Wizarding World had bedazzled Harry the next morning as he and Hagrid left with the dinghy that Hagrid had come to the island with. He had taken Harry to Diagon Alley where Harry's demeanor completely changed as the day progressed.

Gone was the child that had been abused, and mistreated, and in his place stood a wide-eyed boy taking in everything. Hagrid had answered all of Harry's questions as best as he could, even the most inane questions that would drive someone insane. Everything from the goblins to the wizarding world's clothing, Harry had a question for everything.

Not everything was pleasant though, Harry had his first encounter with bigotry when he went into a place called Madame Malkin's where he met a young boy named Draco that had left a bad taste in Harry's mouth. Truth be told, he was not impressed. He hoped that not all people in the wizarding world would be like that. It was as Harry left he had gotten his birthday gift from Hagrid. It was a lovely snow white owl that he had decided to name Hedwig.

It was through Hagrid's actions and gentle demeanor that would cause Harry to start trusting people in general, and through that caused a bond of trust and friendship to form between the once fragile boy and the gentle giant. Now Harry could honestly say that he had at least one friend to look forward to seeing when he started at Hogwarts.

As the train blew its whistle to signify that it was getting ready to leave, Harry decided to take one last look around. Taking everything in one last time, his eyes fell on a young blonde with ice blue eyes. They locked eyes. A small smile formed on his lips as he nodded slightly to her. She returned the nod with a slight smile of her own before stepping onto the train.

Harry turned to enter the train and got to his compartment he smiled to himself thinking of what was to come. While he was still nervous and slightly shy, he knew that with everything that had happened in these past few weeks, he would meet everything head on, and come what may, he would prevail.