Chapter One:
It was Friday the 31st of August, the day before Harry Potter was to return to Hogwarts. Detained in a dark cupboard as he was, Harry had no conception of what time it might be. He only knew that if he didn't take the Knight's Bus to Diagon Alley today, he'd have no supplies for his new term. Fingering the wand he had expertly kept hidden in the oversized pocket of his cousin's equally oversized hand-me-downs, Harry took a deep breath and pushed open the cupboard door. Before he could look up, he slammed into something warm.
Vernon, it seemed, hadn't left for work yet.
"What are you doing boy!" The rotund man demanded.
"Well.tomorrow is the day to go back to.my school, and I needed to get supplies" he said quickly, not daring to look at his uncle's rapidly purpling face.
"What, none of your freaky friends out and about to help you, boy? Given up on you?" Vernon said nastily
"No, they're just busy," he muttered. He had gotten an owl from Ron the day before, saying that he couldn't pick him up. The entire Wizarding world was preoccupied, and the Ministry workers like Arthur Weasley were busy with what Ron had dubbed 'You-Know-Who' business.
"Well if your own nasty little friends can't be bothered with the likes of you, I'll not be either. You're not going to that school of yours this year boy." The sadistic smile that began to stretch itself across Vernon's face did not bode well for young Harry. "Get beck into that cupboard until I tell you otherwise."
"You can't do this." Harry knew better than to anger his Uncle, but he could not stand for this. "I am going home tomorrow, whether you want me or not. I should think you'd be glad to be rid of me for the better half of a year, and-" Vernon grabbed Harry by his shirt, silencing the sentence that would have followed, and threw him against the cupboard door. The oaf kicked Harry once in the side, and was preparing to strike again when a voice Harry knew only too well interrupted.
"Potter, get off the floor."
Harry looked up, and was relieved to see his least favorite teacher, Professor Snape causing his muggle relation to back steadily away from his own slightly battered form.
"What is the meaning of this?" Vernon demanded, attempting to mask fear with anger.
"Professor Snape, this is my uncle Vernon." Harry began. The surreal sensation of introducing the two was novel enough to make him forget his throbbing side." Uncle Vernon, this is Professor Snape. He teaches potions at Hogwarts." Vernon was struggling between outright fear of a fully licensed wizard and uncontrollable rage at having such a thing invading his home. This battle kept him peaceably silent.
"Well hurry up and get off the floor," Snape snapped. Harry bolted off the floor, standing too quickly for his protesting body's comfort. "Potter, assemble your school things post haste. We leave for Hogwarts in two minutes."
"Hogwarts?" the boy questioned, disbelieving his hopes might be answered.
"Yes, Mister Potter. Evidently, it is the only safe place for you." Snape scowled contemptuously at Dursley at this comment. Vernon found his voice at this moment.
"What do you mean?" He rumbled.
"Potter is to be removed from this household.indefinitely. Furthermore," The Potions Master added with growing distaste, "a plot on the boy's life to be made tonight, and I'm afraid your family will have to vacate also. The Dark Lord will not leave muggles unscathed if the opportunity should present itself to harm them." Vernon puffed up immediately, interpreting the comment as a threat.
"We'll not be leaving our home, thank you very much. Your kind can't be trusted as far as I could throw you!" Harry attempted to retrieve his trunk, only to be forcibly halted by his uncle's beefy hand.
"Furthermore," Vernon spat the word back at Snape, "the boy's safety is our concern, and he can bloody well stay here."
"Mr. Dursley, it appears you leave me no choice." The potions master drew his wand and held it to the hollow of the obese man's throat.
"Release the boy."
Reluctantly, the oppressive hand was removed from Harry's chest, allowing the boy to return to the cupboard and drag out his trunk. This seemed to be the makings of a most interesting morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry let out a breath he was not aware he'd been holding in as he and those who most hated him neared the barrier between platforms nine and ten. The previous day's trip to Diagon Alley for school supplies and stay at the Leaky Cauldron had been far from pleasant. The Dursleys had alternated between cowering in fear at the sight of so many abnormalities and whispering muted threats of Harry's fate when they should find him away from his 'fellow freaks'. Then, of course, there was the boy's most hated Professor who only scowled contemptuously at the lot of them and barked orders. Harry hoped now that they had reached the Hogwarts Express, the Dursleys would be escorted elsewhere to the 'secure area' Snape had alluded to, but when they were prodded through the barrier by the irate potions master, Harry began to lose hope.
"You will accompany Mister Potter and myself to Hogwarts." Snape growled. "Once there, you will meet with the Headmaster who will make the final arrangements of your relocation." Having long since learned that arguing with Snape yielded no results, the muggles remained silent.
Snape then escorted his charges to an empty compartment, where he promptly abandoned them. Eyes wide at the realization that he was alone with his uncle, Harry grasped his wand quickly, only to have it knocked from his hand with enough force to jar his bones.
"You'll pay putting my family in danger, boy." Vernon was not yelling, rather spitting each word out with an intensity of hatred Harry had never heard in his uncle's voice to date. This was not going to be pleasant.
His uncle backhanded Harry with enough force to throw him against the window with a loud crack. The boy who lived registered the sound of shattering glass long before he understood meaning of the burning sensation as shards embedded themselves in his back and arms. He idly wondered why there was so much glass and blood everywhere as he sank to his knees.
He remained kneeling, gasping breath when Vernon struck his face again. His oversized attacker prepared to strike again as someone entered behind, presence betrayed by the crunch of glass underfoot. It was Snape.
Whatever scathing remark the caustic professor had armed for the occasion died on his lips as he caught sight of the scene before him. Instead, it was a disarming spell that he bellowed, sending Dursley flying back.
He rounded upon the remaining members of the Dursley family, now cowering in a corner, fearing the wrath of an angered Professor Snape.
"That fat lout was beating your nephew!" Anger shook his entire lithe frame as he addressed Petunia. "He was under your care and you watched some oaf pummel your sister's son. Do you know precisely what I am capable of doing to you for your negligence, muggle?" Snape was now fingering his wand, malice radiating from him.
"Professor." a weak voice tried to soothe him. "Don't do it. Azkaban isn't worth it." The nearly unconscious form of Harry Potter attempted to stand and approach his teacher. Snorting, Snape acquiesced, and put the three in full body binds, to be dealt with by the headmaster at a later time, and turned to tend to Potter's injuries.
It was a companionable silence that the formerly hostile student and teacher spent watching the scenery roll by on the way to Hogwarts. But, as enjoyable as this newfound peace was, Harry's experience had taught him nothing, if not that peace never seems to last.
TBC.
It was Friday the 31st of August, the day before Harry Potter was to return to Hogwarts. Detained in a dark cupboard as he was, Harry had no conception of what time it might be. He only knew that if he didn't take the Knight's Bus to Diagon Alley today, he'd have no supplies for his new term. Fingering the wand he had expertly kept hidden in the oversized pocket of his cousin's equally oversized hand-me-downs, Harry took a deep breath and pushed open the cupboard door. Before he could look up, he slammed into something warm.
Vernon, it seemed, hadn't left for work yet.
"What are you doing boy!" The rotund man demanded.
"Well.tomorrow is the day to go back to.my school, and I needed to get supplies" he said quickly, not daring to look at his uncle's rapidly purpling face.
"What, none of your freaky friends out and about to help you, boy? Given up on you?" Vernon said nastily
"No, they're just busy," he muttered. He had gotten an owl from Ron the day before, saying that he couldn't pick him up. The entire Wizarding world was preoccupied, and the Ministry workers like Arthur Weasley were busy with what Ron had dubbed 'You-Know-Who' business.
"Well if your own nasty little friends can't be bothered with the likes of you, I'll not be either. You're not going to that school of yours this year boy." The sadistic smile that began to stretch itself across Vernon's face did not bode well for young Harry. "Get beck into that cupboard until I tell you otherwise."
"You can't do this." Harry knew better than to anger his Uncle, but he could not stand for this. "I am going home tomorrow, whether you want me or not. I should think you'd be glad to be rid of me for the better half of a year, and-" Vernon grabbed Harry by his shirt, silencing the sentence that would have followed, and threw him against the cupboard door. The oaf kicked Harry once in the side, and was preparing to strike again when a voice Harry knew only too well interrupted.
"Potter, get off the floor."
Harry looked up, and was relieved to see his least favorite teacher, Professor Snape causing his muggle relation to back steadily away from his own slightly battered form.
"What is the meaning of this?" Vernon demanded, attempting to mask fear with anger.
"Professor Snape, this is my uncle Vernon." Harry began. The surreal sensation of introducing the two was novel enough to make him forget his throbbing side." Uncle Vernon, this is Professor Snape. He teaches potions at Hogwarts." Vernon was struggling between outright fear of a fully licensed wizard and uncontrollable rage at having such a thing invading his home. This battle kept him peaceably silent.
"Well hurry up and get off the floor," Snape snapped. Harry bolted off the floor, standing too quickly for his protesting body's comfort. "Potter, assemble your school things post haste. We leave for Hogwarts in two minutes."
"Hogwarts?" the boy questioned, disbelieving his hopes might be answered.
"Yes, Mister Potter. Evidently, it is the only safe place for you." Snape scowled contemptuously at Dursley at this comment. Vernon found his voice at this moment.
"What do you mean?" He rumbled.
"Potter is to be removed from this household.indefinitely. Furthermore," The Potions Master added with growing distaste, "a plot on the boy's life to be made tonight, and I'm afraid your family will have to vacate also. The Dark Lord will not leave muggles unscathed if the opportunity should present itself to harm them." Vernon puffed up immediately, interpreting the comment as a threat.
"We'll not be leaving our home, thank you very much. Your kind can't be trusted as far as I could throw you!" Harry attempted to retrieve his trunk, only to be forcibly halted by his uncle's beefy hand.
"Furthermore," Vernon spat the word back at Snape, "the boy's safety is our concern, and he can bloody well stay here."
"Mr. Dursley, it appears you leave me no choice." The potions master drew his wand and held it to the hollow of the obese man's throat.
"Release the boy."
Reluctantly, the oppressive hand was removed from Harry's chest, allowing the boy to return to the cupboard and drag out his trunk. This seemed to be the makings of a most interesting morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry let out a breath he was not aware he'd been holding in as he and those who most hated him neared the barrier between platforms nine and ten. The previous day's trip to Diagon Alley for school supplies and stay at the Leaky Cauldron had been far from pleasant. The Dursleys had alternated between cowering in fear at the sight of so many abnormalities and whispering muted threats of Harry's fate when they should find him away from his 'fellow freaks'. Then, of course, there was the boy's most hated Professor who only scowled contemptuously at the lot of them and barked orders. Harry hoped now that they had reached the Hogwarts Express, the Dursleys would be escorted elsewhere to the 'secure area' Snape had alluded to, but when they were prodded through the barrier by the irate potions master, Harry began to lose hope.
"You will accompany Mister Potter and myself to Hogwarts." Snape growled. "Once there, you will meet with the Headmaster who will make the final arrangements of your relocation." Having long since learned that arguing with Snape yielded no results, the muggles remained silent.
Snape then escorted his charges to an empty compartment, where he promptly abandoned them. Eyes wide at the realization that he was alone with his uncle, Harry grasped his wand quickly, only to have it knocked from his hand with enough force to jar his bones.
"You'll pay putting my family in danger, boy." Vernon was not yelling, rather spitting each word out with an intensity of hatred Harry had never heard in his uncle's voice to date. This was not going to be pleasant.
His uncle backhanded Harry with enough force to throw him against the window with a loud crack. The boy who lived registered the sound of shattering glass long before he understood meaning of the burning sensation as shards embedded themselves in his back and arms. He idly wondered why there was so much glass and blood everywhere as he sank to his knees.
He remained kneeling, gasping breath when Vernon struck his face again. His oversized attacker prepared to strike again as someone entered behind, presence betrayed by the crunch of glass underfoot. It was Snape.
Whatever scathing remark the caustic professor had armed for the occasion died on his lips as he caught sight of the scene before him. Instead, it was a disarming spell that he bellowed, sending Dursley flying back.
He rounded upon the remaining members of the Dursley family, now cowering in a corner, fearing the wrath of an angered Professor Snape.
"That fat lout was beating your nephew!" Anger shook his entire lithe frame as he addressed Petunia. "He was under your care and you watched some oaf pummel your sister's son. Do you know precisely what I am capable of doing to you for your negligence, muggle?" Snape was now fingering his wand, malice radiating from him.
"Professor." a weak voice tried to soothe him. "Don't do it. Azkaban isn't worth it." The nearly unconscious form of Harry Potter attempted to stand and approach his teacher. Snorting, Snape acquiesced, and put the three in full body binds, to be dealt with by the headmaster at a later time, and turned to tend to Potter's injuries.
It was a companionable silence that the formerly hostile student and teacher spent watching the scenery roll by on the way to Hogwarts. But, as enjoyable as this newfound peace was, Harry's experience had taught him nothing, if not that peace never seems to last.
TBC.