A/N: Hey people. I really don't know where I'm going with this story yet, but I have a lot of great ideas! I love the Harry Potter stories, so here you go!
Harry sighed, as he got out of bed for the thirty-fifth time he'd been at the Dursleys, and crossed off another day there would be, until he could finally go back to Hogwarts, for his seventh year, which had been missed because of the horcrux hunting the previous year. It never occurred to Harry to tell the Dursleys about the Wizarding War. They'd probably scoff at him. Harry couldn't believe Dumbledore was making him stay at the Dursleys one more summer. Dumbledore was…well dead, but Harry had come up to the headmaster's office a lot after the War and talked with his painting about things. Staying with the Dursley's wasn't exactly a bonding experience. Yes, the Dursleys were so bad that they made Harry wish for school, and the only times he enjoyed there was doing his homework in the dead or night. Being asleep improved the Dursleys.
Uncle Vernon hated him. He was about as nice to Harry as Ron was to Crookshanks. Uncle Vernon worked at a boring drill company, bragged about his car (since he really didn't have anything else to brag about) and his temper really shouldn't be tested after 12 noon.
His Aunt Petunia wasn't much better off. She was bony and nosy, and spent most of her spare time sticking her head out of the window and spying on the neighbors. It was creepy. She recorded the neighbor's conversations.
Then, there was his cousin, Dudley. Harry felt very sorry to call Dudley his cousin. The guy was like Weight Watcher's worst nightmare. Dudley was wider than he was tall, put his foot through the T.V. daily, his interests stretched barely farther than a Big Mac, and the highlight of his day was probably eating a doughnut.
By now, Harry was seriously hoping that he'd be shipped off to Mexico for the summer holiday. The telephone in his bedroom rang.
"Unicorn turds!" cried Harry, muttering the wizard swear, and quickly picking up the phone, hoping it didn't wake up any of the Dursley's.
"Harry?" came Hermione's voice.
"Hermione!" cried Harry, relieved. "Help me, I need to get out of this mental institute!"
"What on Earth are you talking about, Harry?"
"The Dursleys, they're driving me mad!"
"For goodness sake, keep your voice down!" Hermione retorted. "Everyone's sleeping!"
"Where are you, anyway?" asked Harry. He assumed Hermione was in her house, but she could hear many different voices in the background. (Hermione's parents were still obliviated in Australia.)
"Oh, Ron and I are in a tent, the Weasleys are all in Egypt right now!" cried Hermione, happily. Harry knew Hermione wasn't trying to gloat or anything, but he would give almost anything to switch places with her right now.
Hermione lowered her voice. "Do you know he's called Lavender?"
"Lavender?" asked Harry. "Oh, right, er…oh no…"
"I know, she's so full of herself" said Hermione, distastefully.
Harry didn't really know how to respond. Ron had dated Lavender in the past, and he really didn't want that to continue. When Ron and Lavender were dating, Lavender always tracked Harry down in the hallway, asking him about his feelings on Ron. It led to very awkward conversations.
"Anyway…how is your holiday?" asked Hermione, weakly. She knew Harry was cooped up with the Dursleys again.
"Oh. Fine!" lied Harry, trying to sound happy.
"Harry, you don't have to lie" responded Hermione. "I know you're with the…horrid Dursley people!"
Harry and Hermione spent half an hour criticizing the Dursleys, until Harry heard Uncle Vernon's floor creak.
"Well, the Dursleys are up." Said Harry, bitterly.
"So is Ron, I'm pretty sure either Fred or George dumped water on his head!" We'll get you out of there as soon as we can Harry, I promise." And with that, she hung up.
How soon, wondered Harry, putting down the phone. Let's hope it's in a couple weeks or so!
"BUT IT' MINE!" Dudley yelled from the kitchen.
"Make that a couple days." Muttered Harry, through clenched teeth. September could not come sooner.
Breakfast was the usual: Horrid.
"BOY, coffee, now!" snapped Uncle Vernon impatiently, which was pretty stupid, because he was holding a cup of tea.
Harry sighed, and mutely started making coffee. He was used to this treatment. Aunt Petunia sat down and started nibbling on her toast. She took about fifteen minutes to eat a piece of toast.
Dudley was scarfing down bacon.
"Be careful, Dudders, you might swallow your fork!" Uncle Vernon said, in a failed attempt at a good-natured tone.
Dudley, who's mouth was so full of food, only managed to nod.
"Harry snickered. "Looks like he's killing the fork." He muttered under his breath.
Apparently, Uncle Vernon had the ears of a hawk. "What was that?" he asked.
"Nothing." Harry started stabbing the bacon with a fork.
"Duddykins wouldn't hurt a fly!" cried Aunt Petunia, sounding close to tears. Either Aunt Petunia was blind, or profoundly stupid.
"Not unless he sat on it." Harry had no idea what made him say it.
Uncle Vernon stood up. Dudley didn't even seem to notice the insult He was probably too busy with his pancakes to listen. Multitasking wasn't Dudley's thing. Vernon slowly stepped over to Harry the familiar vein in his forehead beginning to pulse.
"Think you're being smart with me, boy?" asked Vernon, his mustache twitching. "Think you're some sort o comedian making cracks at Dudders like that?"
There were many replies Harry would have loved to say to that, but he went with the safe one, "No."
"Right." Replied Vernon, grinning and giving Harry a full view of his horrible teeth. "Think you're too good for us? Think you're better off with those…freaks?"
"Vernon…the windows open!" squeaked Aunt Petunia, in fright.
Vernon never broke eye contact with Harry. "Think you're some kind of big hero in the wizard world, with your…your magic…and your scar?"
Inside, Harry wanted nothing more that to strangle his Uncle, but a voice inside his head (which sounded considerably like Hermione's) told him not to rise. Not to give Uncle Vernon the satisfaction.
"No." was Harry's answer.
"That's right" said Vernon. There was a cruel glint in his eyes that Harry didn't like. "Because to us, you're nothing but slimy, worthless, and pitiful. You can't amount to much more in your magic world, because you're a freak. And nobody likes a freak." Vernon sat back down, satisfied.
Harry tried to remain as nonchalant as possible. This is just Uncle Vernon, he tried to tell himself. He knows nothing! But the words, slimy, worthless, freak came back to him. Nobody likes a freak…he heard Uncle Vernon's words come back to him.
Harry slowly made his way upstairs. Every step he took felt like another insult. Slimy, worthless, freak…slimy, worthless, freak…
Harry entered his room., slamming the door loudly. He already had enough on his plate at the time! He as reentering his seventh year at Hogwarts. And all he was getting, all the time, were flashbacks from last year…breaking into Gringott's…the visions of Voldemort torturing person after person for information…Hemrione tortured in Malfoy Manor with him and Ron forced to listen…the moment when he found out that he himself was a horcrux…Harry fell onto his bed in a deep sleep. Tap! Tap! Tap!
Harry looked up, jolting out of his sleep, expecting Lord Voldemort to be standing over him. Tap! Tap! Harry rubbed his eyes, and looked around. Outside his window was Errol, looking extremely windswept and careworn. Harry walked over to the window, opening it, along the Weasley family owl to feebly enter the room, wings flapping at an unsteady pace.
Harry glanced at his own snowy owl, Hedwig, asleep in her cage. Errol was carrying a fairly large parcel wrapped in crinkly newspaper. He wondered if it was from the Weasleys to send him food or such. The Weasley's mom probably sent Harry another year's worth of meat pies. She was constantly making remarks about Harry looking underfed. He was careful to not mention the Dursleys starving him in from of Mrs. Weasley. It wouldn't go down well on Mrs. Weasley's part.
Harry unwrapped the parcel carefully. Errol feebly hooted from Harry's writing desk.
"Fine" Harry sighed, rolling his eyes, and scooping Errol up, and silently placing him in Hedwig's cage. Hedwig hated being in her cage, let alone sharing it. Harry hoped she wouldn't wake up for a good 20 minutes.
Sure, enough, nearly half the box was full with at least a dozen meat pies. Harry silently thanked Mrs. Weasley. The Dursleys have resorted to giving Harry no food at all, and the only time Harry really ate was when his Aunt and Uncle took Dudley to heavyweight boxing practice, then went out to lunch. Since this only happened once a week, once they were gone, Harry went to the nearest store and had to buy a weeks worth of candy to survive. How did Harry have the money for that? Well…Uncle Vernon could never explain his continuing absence of money once a week.
But what really caught Harry's eye was a letter that was scrawled in Ron's handwriting. He snatched it up, immediately. It read:
Hey Harry!
You won't believe it mate, we won tickets to Egypt in the Daily Prophet! Again! I knew I liked that paper…I'll actually read it more than once a year now! Hermione's here too. I like her and all, but sleeping in a tent with her is murder…did you know she recites homework in her sleep? Anyway, I really wanted you to come, but you remember what Dumbledore said about having to stay with those prat relatives of yours. But we're coming to get you soon. I don't know what day/time it is back in England, but we'll be back at the Burrow before this gets to you. On July 5th, 2 A.M., we're coming to get you. If mum finds out, she'll go ballistic. Well, see you soon, mate!
Ron
P.S. I think Fred and George slipped something in your twelfth meat pie. I'm begging you, do NOT eat it.
Harry laughed, heartened. He felt so lucky to have Ron's family, they were practically his family now. And they were getting him on July 5th!
"Wait" Harry muttered to himself. "Today's the 5th!"
Harry went crazy. He started throwing everything in reach of him into his trunk, tearing things off his wall, and knocking over the table in the process.
He did not touch the twelfth meat pie.
A/N HEY GUYS, hoped you liked the chappy, there's much more of the story to come! I don't know how long it's going to be, but I'm estimating maybe…20 chapters? I'm probably off by 20. Well, read/review!
If you review, you get Mrs. Weasley's meat pie!
If you don't review, you get the twelvth meat pie…