I thank you all the favorites and alerts for this story. Thank you Aramenima Redwood!

Enjoy! =)


Chapter 2: Two wizards at Privet Drive...

The engine of the car finally stopped. Hermione carefully examined the house. She found it quite pretty. It was like all the houses in the neighborhood, it was a fairly standard residential area, different from where Hermione lived. She noticed that the garden needed to be maintained, the grass was high, bushy hedges, and flowers were a little faded. She didn't have more time to contemplate her new surroundings for the holidays; she got out of the car.

"Get the luggage boy!" Vernon roared. "And don't dawdle!"

"Yes, Sir," the-boy-who-lived replied laconically.

Harry's uncle didn't inspire Hermione with confidence, she didn't like that big mustachioed man who had scary eyes when he spoke to his nephew. She wanted to help Harry by taking her bag, but he whispered to her saying that she should follow his uncle and aunt. He added that he would take care of everything. Harry was glad that Dudley wasn't there since he could still get him into trouble. He dragged the two trunks into the entrance of the house, then returned to get Crookshanks' cag. Vernon grinned nastily upon seeing the orange cat.

"We don't have that bloody pigeon, it's actually an ugly cat instead! Probably flea infested as well, eh?" he growled.

Hermione couldn't stand when someone criticized her cat, she had argued throughout her third year with Ron because he insulted Crookshanks. She didn't respond to Vernon out of politeness and because she saw Harrys shaking his head to tell her to be quiet.

"And it doesn't come out of his cage!"

While Petunia didn't seem concerned with the conversation, Harry noticed that Hermione's cheeks became more and more rosy. He decided to change the subject to avoid an argument.

"Uncle Vernon, where's Hermione sleeping?"

"The old nuts came last week to add a bed in Dudley's second bedroom that we have given you out of the goodness of our hearts. Remember it!" he said shaking his finger in a threatening manner. "Get out now!"

Harry didn't wait any longer to take Hermione up the stairs. He took the two suitcases and headed up. He showed her the different doors and entered his own room with apprehension. Hermione noticed the locks on the door and raised an eyebrow, quite shocked.

"This is our room!" he said in a falsely cheerful tone as he closed the door.

Hermione looked with shock upon her best friend's room. To say that she could not believe her eyes was an understatement. It was hard to believe that the one who had to save the magic world lived in a small room that was so shabby. She knew that Harry's life with his family was not easy and that the Weasleys had sent him food during the summer. She had also noticed that he was always much leaner after the holidays, but this far exceeded anything she could have imagined. The room was quite small, but that was not what was most annoying. The room was completely empty, there was no personal effect that remained during the school year. There were no pictures, no books, no posters, and no games: the desk was desperately empty. The table seemed to be several decades old and the chair wasn't level, in fact, it was rather wobbly. The floor was dusty and the wallpaper faded. Her eyes then fell on the wardrobe, she wondered if it was as empty as the rest of the room. Peering at the bunk beds she decided that the top was for her. By the end of her inspection, her mouth was hanging open in astonishment. Harry was mortified, even if he was expecting this reaction since the Headmaster had told him that Hermione would spend the summer with him. He was at least happy that she had a bed; he had worried that she wouldn't for over a week. Hermione noticed his confusion and she said to reassure him:

"Don't worry, it's perfect and I'm happy to stay with you for the holidays."

"You can put your clothes in the closet if you want," he suggested.

"But where do you put yours?"

"Usually I don't use the cabinet, I leave my stuff in the trunk," he explained.

He felt the prying eyes of Hermione, but decided to pretend he had not seen anything. Hermione opened the closet and found that, as she had supposed, it was almost empty. She found some clothes that Harry immediately rushed to hide in a drawer. The Gryffindor said nothing so as not to embarrass him. Since they had entered the room, Harry's gaze was fleeting. With care, she sorted different piles of clothes.

"Can I put these on your desk?" she asked, pointing to several books.

"It would be better if you let them in your suitcase or if you hide them in the cabinet, um, you know, my family doesn't really like magic," he replied, grimacing at the word "family."

Hermione nodded and opted to leave her school supplies in her big suitcase. Harry watched her picking her things, even though he was embarrassed that Hermione discovered his condition, he was reassured by her presence. Watching her coming and going was rather soothing. The respite was short-lived:

"Potter, come down to help your aunt!" Vernon shouted up the stairs.

Harry cleared out of the room without looking at his best friend. He rushed down stairs four at a time and arrived almost immediately in the kitchen. Petunia was waiting a hand on the hip; she told him curtly what he had to do and went into the living room. Vernon then went into the kitchen and he scrupulously observed each move of his nephew, looking for an opportunity to attack him. Harry knew he was under surveillance; he carefully cut up the vegetables. Cauliflower was a little old so he selected the best parts to make the dish and was getting ready to throw away the rest when Vernon struck.

"Boy, you're not going to throw such good pieces in the dustbin, are you?" Vernon hissed. "Cook it for the other weirdo. I hope that she doesn't think she's particularly welcome here," he growled as he continued advancing towards Harry. "She's here because we have no choice, like you. If I could I'd get rid of you both!"

Harry shook his head frantically to show that he understood, while his uncle continued his threats:

"That old fool, who came to us, what a shame! I hope that yours strange friends won't turn up here!"

"They went to Romania," Harry whispered.

"Starting tomorrow, if you want to eat, you've got to do all your chores," Uncle Vernon said. "The slightest problem and you return to your closet!"

"Yes, sir."

"Vernon, are you coming?" Petunia shouted from the living room.

Vernon rushed out of the kitchen to the sound of of his favorite generic television show. Harry hurried to prepare the meal, he put the gratin in the oven and he put the rest of the cauliflower to cook in a pot of boiling water. He quickly ran up to his room. Hermione was reading a book, sitting on the desk chair. She looked up at him.

"Is everything okay, Harry?"

"Yes," he whispered, "I prepared the meal."

"Do you need some help?"

"No, it's being cooked. But, we'll have to eat in the kitchen."

Hermione didn't answer, taken aback.

"Please, Hermione, don't talk back to my uncle. In fact, don't talk at all unless they ask you a question and you should be fine..."

"Uh, okay," she replied.

"Our food won't be great," warned Harry.

Hermione told him not to worry, she would eat it. Red with shame, he reported the words of his uncle more toned. The Gryffindor couldn't believe this: Harry was considered as an house-elf, a less than nothing by his own family. She threw herself into her arms, wondering if she was trying to reassure him or herself. She was more worried, fearing the meals and the days to come.

"I'll help you to do what they want you to do," he said.

"I wasn't worried about that, Harry, but I feel sorry because I've never realized how difficult your life was."

Harry gently hugged her and asked her to go into the kitchen a little before seven o'clock.

"Boy, make me an omelet!" ordered Vernon, few minutes later.

Harry ran to the two stoves at full speed and began to heat up them up. Hermione watched him bustling, sitting in a corner of the kitchen, a plate on her knees. He flung open the fridge and pulled out the plate of eggs. He quickly beat four eggs in a bowl and threw them into the larger pan. In the same bowl, he broke two eggs that cooked in the second pan. He ordered Hermione to monitor the other omelet while he was serving Vernon in the dining room. Petunia didn't look at him when he came into the room; she was eating small bites, unlike her husband who cut chunks of meat with absolutely no delicacy while he was watching TV.

Harry returned next to Hermione, who had removed the pan from the heat. She had eaten some cauliflower and left some for her friend. He cut the omelet in half but he didn't get a plate for himself. Instead he put it on a piece of bread that was beginning to harden and ate it all, standing over the sink. He gave the rest of the omelet to Hermione who copied him, realizing that normally they wouldn't have had more to eat than the old vegetables and bread. Harry didn't wait to wash the pans and Hermione's plate. He brought out the dessert to his uncle and aunt and waited for them to finish clearing the table.

He was doing the dishes when Vernon shouted:

"Potter!"

Harry ran, his uncle was standing, waiting for him in the living room.

"Tell the other monster to come here!" he growled.

Hermione, who had heard the voice of Vernon Dursley, came without Harry calling her. She still wore her school robes with the Gryffindor crest. She twisted her hands nervously, looking around for support from Harry's aunt. But she remained stubbornly concentrated on her embroidery work.

"You," Vernon began pointing his finger dangerously towards Hermione, "I warn you, at the first weird thing, you'll clear off! It is already a great sacrifice to bear this freak," he said, pointing to Harry. "If you want to eat, you'd better to do what we tell you to do."

Vernon Dursley gradually took on a red hue that became more purple as he continued to speak. His eyes expressed fury unnamed, Hermione stepped back. Her heart was in her boots, in fact, Harry had never seen Hermione in such a state of fear since she had faced the Troll Mountains in the first year.

"And don't you dare to approach especially Dudley! He doesn't want to be contaminated by your abnormality!"

"Yes, sir," Hermione stammered, nodding her head frantically.

"Get out, now!"

Hermione was livid when she returned to the kitchen. Harry advised her to get ready to go to bed while Vernon and Petunia watched television.

He finished tidying up the kitchen and he took out the trash before returning to the living room to ask if they needed him. His aunt unceremoniously dismissed him. He was relieved. The evening hadn't been too painful. He had hardly seen Dudley, and he wasn't going to complain. Hermione waited in the bedroom wearing her pajamas, she looked out of the window and worried about the next day. She wondered how Harry could withstand such a pressure. When he came into the room, she decided to keep the question for later.

They didn't take a long to go to bed. Hermione kissed Harry before climbing into the bunk bed. They wished each other good night, and Harry turned off the light. Both had trouble falling asleep, they heard the couple go to bed, then Dudley who came back home. Harry was frightened of having nightmares and waking up the house now that he couldn't throw silencing charm around his bed. His head was filled with anxiety and remorse. Hermione didn't sleep either, she was thinking about the life of Harry in his family. She wondered how Dumbledore could have left to rot in this house while being aware of way Harry was abused by his family. He had added a bed in Harry's room, so he probably could improve it. But why did he do nothing? It was with these thoughts that our two characters fell asleep so far without finding a solution to their problems. Let them enter in a world that belongs only to them.

To be continued...

Please review !