The Façade of the Truth
Notes/Warnings: There are major OOTP spoilers in this chapter.
****************
Chapter two - There's no one left.
Harry Potter opened eyes his quickly and sat bolt upright in bed. A searing pain had shot across his scar. The boy fumbled around for his glasses on the bedside unit, and sat up against the headboard.
He was in his own room at the Dursleys' house. The sun hadn't risen yet, so the house was still dark and silent. Dudley ran away two days ago, so his loud snores were absent. Harry remembered his cousin leaving as clear as day.
------------ (Harry's POV)
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had gone out for the day, leaving Dudley and I in the house alone. They had both gone to London for a break, and so far, I had hardly seen my cousin at all.
As I was sitting at the kitchen table, deep in thought, I heard something smash in the living room.
"What could that be?" I remember asking myself.
"Stupid, just stupid." A voice, I recognized as Dudley's, said.
I put my mug of tea down on the table and got off the chair, curious.
"Dudley, is that you?" I asked loudly.
"Go away!" Dudley cried. Then, as I made my way towards the living room door, he spoke again. "I'll tell dad on you! Go away!"
"Dudley? What are you doing?" I asked, giving a slight chuckle at the end.
I turned the doorknob, hoping to get inside the room, but the door was locked.
"I told you to go away!"
"What are you trying to do?"
"None of your business!"
I leant against the door, slightly worried. Uncle Vernon would blame me if anything happened to him. He was still angry at what occurred last summer.
"Come on, Big D, open the door. I'll tell your little friends on you if you don't." I said anxiously.
Then, the door opened, and Dudley stood there. He had a full suitcase in one hand, and I could see that he had trashed the living room.
"What are you doing?" I asked, surprised. "You aren't.. leaving?"
"Yeah, I am. Get out of my way, Potter, because I'm going and you're not telling anyone." He replied angrily, pushing past me.
"What will Uncle Vernon say? You expect me to cover up for you?"
"If you don't, I'll come back and kill you."
Dudley eventually managed to get to the door with his huge, over-filled suitcase. He had a look of spite on his face, and just as he opened the door, he faced me again.
"Remember, if you don't cover up for me, I'll come and kill you."
Then, he walked out of the door and slammed it shut.
"I never knew how much my cousin was like Lord Voldemort." I said quietly.
Terrific, my sixteen-year-old cousin had run away from home and left me to clean up after him.
Uncle Vernon wouldn't appreciate this at all.
------------
Harry sighed loudly and got off the bed, his scar still searing with pain. But this meant nothing anymore, for he was used to the throbbing. He walked over to the window and opened his curtains quietly.
It was still relatively dark outside, and the streetlamps were still on, lighting the silent road of Privet Drive. The first full moon for the month glittered above the noiseless houses of Little Winging, making the air even more silent. The only moving thing in the street was one fluffy grey cat, which sitting on the wall, licking its paws carefully.
Thoughts came flooding into the boy's head as he looked up into the night sky. If Dudley hadn't left, everything would be much more simple. Petunia was the only reason Harry hadn't been thrown out, and at the moment, things weren't looking very good for her or Vernon. Dudley's departure made them both angry, and when she could take the arguing and quarrelling no longer, Petunia packed her bags and left to look for her son.
Harry turned his head around towards the door when he heard something in the next room. But no, it was only one of Uncle Vernon's loud snorts in his sleep. Hedwig gave a soft, tranquil hoot. She had apparently woken up.
The-boy-who-lived turned his head round again to look out of the window.
His scar seared with a sharp, sudden pain, and he froze suddenly when he saw something on the pavement across the road. Was it - no, it couldn't have been, could it?
Two scarlet eyes watching him intently from a black hood had just vanished off the side of the road.
No, it couldn't have been him. Not at this time in the morning.
Harry looked at his clock, now feeling cold and shivery inside. It read four o'clock. Vernon gave another one of his snorts in his sleep as his nephew got back into bed.
There was no point in worrying about it now. It was just his imagination, wasn't it? Besides, what would he be doing alone in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood? Wouldn't he have wanted to watch them, instead? Maybe even kill them. Moreover, he didn't even know where his rival lived.
He drifted back off to sleep, but only for a short while. Harry awoke when he heard a loud creak on the stairs, followed by the sound of footsteps drawing nearer.
"Aunt Petunia?" he asked under his breath. "Aunt Petunia, is that you?"
The doorknob rattled loudly and shook, as though someone was trying to get into the room. Harry turned over and buried his head into the pillow.
"Quiet boy." he heard Uncle Vernon say sleepily.
Hedwig began to hoot louder, and Harry gripped his patchwork blanket tighter around him. Footsteps could be heard walking away from the door, followed by heavy breathing. Then, it stopped.
He sat up quietly in bed, the quilt still clutched firmly in his hand. What was that? Why hadn't it entered the bedroom? Hedwig hooted loudly again and moved around inside her cage. It almost toppled over onto the floor.
Loud footsteps could now be heard coming from Vernon's room. They headed straight down the hall towards Harry's room, and then the door flung open.
All of a sudden, a blinding flash of bright green light filled the room, and Vernon fell onto Harry's carpet, not moving. He had a look of complete shock on his face, and his arms were stretched out. A cloaked figure walked swiftly towards the staircase and vanished, leaving Harry in a very confused state of mind.
"Uncle Vernon?" he whispered frantically. "Uncle Vernon?"
He scrambled out of bed and kneeled down beside his uncle. His eyes were full of surprise, and his mouth was wide open. Harry put one hand over his uncle's thickset arm and shook him slightly, not knowing what else to do. Petunia and Dudley were gone, so there was no one to help him.
Hedwig hooted loudly again and rattled her cage, which made the boy-who- lived look at her.
"Hedwig, what do I do?" he asked her, one hand still clutched to his uncle's arm. "I can't just leave him here."
Then, a thought struck him. A terrible thought. If anyone caught him here with a dead man, wouldn't they think he did it? They would blame him, and that could land him in Azkaban without a fair trail - like what happened to Sirius Black.
Sirius - thoughts came rushing into Harry's head. Maybe his godfather would help him now. What was stopping him? He ran over to his desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill from the drawer.
Just as he was about to write 'Dear Sirius', something stopped him. How could he write to his godfather? He didn't have a godfather - he was gone. he was dead. There was no one left to write or talk to. Remus Lupin would be no help - not if he was running around as a werewolf at this precise moment, anyway. Ron would just find his problem simply amazing, and Hermione would just break down into tears and tell him to ask Dumbledore.
"I can't tell Dumbledore. He'll just recommend me caution."
Then, another thought struck Harry. He was no longer protected or safe. Lord Voldemort had just been here - in this very house. How did he get in when he was supposed to be secure?
There was nothing else for it. Harry had to get out of the house tonight and go far away where he would be safe. Otherwise, Voldemort would come back for him, and even if he didn't, the neighbours would blame him for Vernon's death. Another quick glance at his uncle told Harry that he had to run away.
He walked over to his loose floorboard and pulled out his belongings. Then, he grabbed his trunk and hastily filled it up with his wand, books, clothes, robes, parchment, quills, telescope and scales. Then, he slammed the trunk lid shut and got back up off the floor to fetch Hedwig's cage.
A few minutes later, Harry stepped over his dead uncle and out of the door, his trunk in one hand and Hedwig's cage in the other. He was cautious going down the stairs in case any neighbours were standing there, waiting to take him to the police, or worse, Lord Voldemort jumping out at him. But eventually, he made it to the front door and went outside into the warm, silent summer air.
Part of the sun could be seen over the horizon, waiting to rise. The moon couldn't be seen so easily now, but the air was still as noiseless as it was almost two hours ago.
Harry headed down the garden path with his trunk, not knowing where to go. He had to get away, yes, but where to? The Knight Bus. He could take the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley and stay at the Leaky Cauldron. He headed down the path and stuck out his arm.
BANG
The purple triple-decker bus appeared before his eyes.
"Right. Goodbye for good, Privet Drive." He said to himself.
****************
Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter not being very long. It was really just to say that the story is still going. I will try and update it more often from now. Yes, I took the cliffhanger away because I've come up with a new idea for the story. Please review this chapter! Thank you.
Reviews:
So many reviews for the first chapter, and they aren't too bad, either. I am happy to write this second chapter for you all, and I hope it's as good as the first one. Thank you all, you've all made my day.
lily-potter2010: I'm glad you like the story! Yes, the first chapter was a bit sad, but at least James is still alive. See? I've already said too much! Please keep reading! Thanks for your review!
Yolande: That's very kind of you to say it's a good story. I appreciate that very much indeed. I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for your review.
Baby Vader: You do sound as if you're enjoying the story, which I'm very thrilled about. I'm also pleased it's not repetitive. Thank you very much for your review, and I'm glad you like the story!
lucylu4701: Clearly, you like the story. I am very happy to hear that. Well, please keep on reading! Thank you for your review!
sharfulislam: Well, I'm glad this story has made you happier, really :-). I hope this chapter is as good as the first one, and I apologize for not e- mailing you when I updated. I was a bit busy. Thank you for reading the story and reviewing it!
Kurbani: Hello! If you did read my other stories, I hope you enjoyed them as much as this one. I'm glad you thought it was good! Please keep reading, and thank you for your review.
Facade1: Yes, but I must say that the future chapters won't be so bad. There is a huge story line that is slowly coming up, and I hope you continue to read it. Thank you for your review.
lily evans: Lily! My most recognizable and best reviewer! I'm glad you like the story (and all my others). But please say if there is anything wrong with any of the stories, then I can correct it :-). Thank you very much for your review!
Notes/Warnings: There are major OOTP spoilers in this chapter.
****************
Chapter two - There's no one left.
Harry Potter opened eyes his quickly and sat bolt upright in bed. A searing pain had shot across his scar. The boy fumbled around for his glasses on the bedside unit, and sat up against the headboard.
He was in his own room at the Dursleys' house. The sun hadn't risen yet, so the house was still dark and silent. Dudley ran away two days ago, so his loud snores were absent. Harry remembered his cousin leaving as clear as day.
------------ (Harry's POV)
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had gone out for the day, leaving Dudley and I in the house alone. They had both gone to London for a break, and so far, I had hardly seen my cousin at all.
As I was sitting at the kitchen table, deep in thought, I heard something smash in the living room.
"What could that be?" I remember asking myself.
"Stupid, just stupid." A voice, I recognized as Dudley's, said.
I put my mug of tea down on the table and got off the chair, curious.
"Dudley, is that you?" I asked loudly.
"Go away!" Dudley cried. Then, as I made my way towards the living room door, he spoke again. "I'll tell dad on you! Go away!"
"Dudley? What are you doing?" I asked, giving a slight chuckle at the end.
I turned the doorknob, hoping to get inside the room, but the door was locked.
"I told you to go away!"
"What are you trying to do?"
"None of your business!"
I leant against the door, slightly worried. Uncle Vernon would blame me if anything happened to him. He was still angry at what occurred last summer.
"Come on, Big D, open the door. I'll tell your little friends on you if you don't." I said anxiously.
Then, the door opened, and Dudley stood there. He had a full suitcase in one hand, and I could see that he had trashed the living room.
"What are you doing?" I asked, surprised. "You aren't.. leaving?"
"Yeah, I am. Get out of my way, Potter, because I'm going and you're not telling anyone." He replied angrily, pushing past me.
"What will Uncle Vernon say? You expect me to cover up for you?"
"If you don't, I'll come back and kill you."
Dudley eventually managed to get to the door with his huge, over-filled suitcase. He had a look of spite on his face, and just as he opened the door, he faced me again.
"Remember, if you don't cover up for me, I'll come and kill you."
Then, he walked out of the door and slammed it shut.
"I never knew how much my cousin was like Lord Voldemort." I said quietly.
Terrific, my sixteen-year-old cousin had run away from home and left me to clean up after him.
Uncle Vernon wouldn't appreciate this at all.
------------
Harry sighed loudly and got off the bed, his scar still searing with pain. But this meant nothing anymore, for he was used to the throbbing. He walked over to the window and opened his curtains quietly.
It was still relatively dark outside, and the streetlamps were still on, lighting the silent road of Privet Drive. The first full moon for the month glittered above the noiseless houses of Little Winging, making the air even more silent. The only moving thing in the street was one fluffy grey cat, which sitting on the wall, licking its paws carefully.
Thoughts came flooding into the boy's head as he looked up into the night sky. If Dudley hadn't left, everything would be much more simple. Petunia was the only reason Harry hadn't been thrown out, and at the moment, things weren't looking very good for her or Vernon. Dudley's departure made them both angry, and when she could take the arguing and quarrelling no longer, Petunia packed her bags and left to look for her son.
Harry turned his head around towards the door when he heard something in the next room. But no, it was only one of Uncle Vernon's loud snorts in his sleep. Hedwig gave a soft, tranquil hoot. She had apparently woken up.
The-boy-who-lived turned his head round again to look out of the window.
His scar seared with a sharp, sudden pain, and he froze suddenly when he saw something on the pavement across the road. Was it - no, it couldn't have been, could it?
Two scarlet eyes watching him intently from a black hood had just vanished off the side of the road.
No, it couldn't have been him. Not at this time in the morning.
Harry looked at his clock, now feeling cold and shivery inside. It read four o'clock. Vernon gave another one of his snorts in his sleep as his nephew got back into bed.
There was no point in worrying about it now. It was just his imagination, wasn't it? Besides, what would he be doing alone in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood? Wouldn't he have wanted to watch them, instead? Maybe even kill them. Moreover, he didn't even know where his rival lived.
He drifted back off to sleep, but only for a short while. Harry awoke when he heard a loud creak on the stairs, followed by the sound of footsteps drawing nearer.
"Aunt Petunia?" he asked under his breath. "Aunt Petunia, is that you?"
The doorknob rattled loudly and shook, as though someone was trying to get into the room. Harry turned over and buried his head into the pillow.
"Quiet boy." he heard Uncle Vernon say sleepily.
Hedwig began to hoot louder, and Harry gripped his patchwork blanket tighter around him. Footsteps could be heard walking away from the door, followed by heavy breathing. Then, it stopped.
He sat up quietly in bed, the quilt still clutched firmly in his hand. What was that? Why hadn't it entered the bedroom? Hedwig hooted loudly again and moved around inside her cage. It almost toppled over onto the floor.
Loud footsteps could now be heard coming from Vernon's room. They headed straight down the hall towards Harry's room, and then the door flung open.
All of a sudden, a blinding flash of bright green light filled the room, and Vernon fell onto Harry's carpet, not moving. He had a look of complete shock on his face, and his arms were stretched out. A cloaked figure walked swiftly towards the staircase and vanished, leaving Harry in a very confused state of mind.
"Uncle Vernon?" he whispered frantically. "Uncle Vernon?"
He scrambled out of bed and kneeled down beside his uncle. His eyes were full of surprise, and his mouth was wide open. Harry put one hand over his uncle's thickset arm and shook him slightly, not knowing what else to do. Petunia and Dudley were gone, so there was no one to help him.
Hedwig hooted loudly again and rattled her cage, which made the boy-who- lived look at her.
"Hedwig, what do I do?" he asked her, one hand still clutched to his uncle's arm. "I can't just leave him here."
Then, a thought struck him. A terrible thought. If anyone caught him here with a dead man, wouldn't they think he did it? They would blame him, and that could land him in Azkaban without a fair trail - like what happened to Sirius Black.
Sirius - thoughts came rushing into Harry's head. Maybe his godfather would help him now. What was stopping him? He ran over to his desk and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill from the drawer.
Just as he was about to write 'Dear Sirius', something stopped him. How could he write to his godfather? He didn't have a godfather - he was gone. he was dead. There was no one left to write or talk to. Remus Lupin would be no help - not if he was running around as a werewolf at this precise moment, anyway. Ron would just find his problem simply amazing, and Hermione would just break down into tears and tell him to ask Dumbledore.
"I can't tell Dumbledore. He'll just recommend me caution."
Then, another thought struck Harry. He was no longer protected or safe. Lord Voldemort had just been here - in this very house. How did he get in when he was supposed to be secure?
There was nothing else for it. Harry had to get out of the house tonight and go far away where he would be safe. Otherwise, Voldemort would come back for him, and even if he didn't, the neighbours would blame him for Vernon's death. Another quick glance at his uncle told Harry that he had to run away.
He walked over to his loose floorboard and pulled out his belongings. Then, he grabbed his trunk and hastily filled it up with his wand, books, clothes, robes, parchment, quills, telescope and scales. Then, he slammed the trunk lid shut and got back up off the floor to fetch Hedwig's cage.
A few minutes later, Harry stepped over his dead uncle and out of the door, his trunk in one hand and Hedwig's cage in the other. He was cautious going down the stairs in case any neighbours were standing there, waiting to take him to the police, or worse, Lord Voldemort jumping out at him. But eventually, he made it to the front door and went outside into the warm, silent summer air.
Part of the sun could be seen over the horizon, waiting to rise. The moon couldn't be seen so easily now, but the air was still as noiseless as it was almost two hours ago.
Harry headed down the garden path with his trunk, not knowing where to go. He had to get away, yes, but where to? The Knight Bus. He could take the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley and stay at the Leaky Cauldron. He headed down the path and stuck out his arm.
BANG
The purple triple-decker bus appeared before his eyes.
"Right. Goodbye for good, Privet Drive." He said to himself.
****************
Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter not being very long. It was really just to say that the story is still going. I will try and update it more often from now. Yes, I took the cliffhanger away because I've come up with a new idea for the story. Please review this chapter! Thank you.
Reviews:
So many reviews for the first chapter, and they aren't too bad, either. I am happy to write this second chapter for you all, and I hope it's as good as the first one. Thank you all, you've all made my day.
lily-potter2010: I'm glad you like the story! Yes, the first chapter was a bit sad, but at least James is still alive. See? I've already said too much! Please keep reading! Thanks for your review!
Yolande: That's very kind of you to say it's a good story. I appreciate that very much indeed. I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for your review.
Baby Vader: You do sound as if you're enjoying the story, which I'm very thrilled about. I'm also pleased it's not repetitive. Thank you very much for your review, and I'm glad you like the story!
lucylu4701: Clearly, you like the story. I am very happy to hear that. Well, please keep on reading! Thank you for your review!
sharfulislam: Well, I'm glad this story has made you happier, really :-). I hope this chapter is as good as the first one, and I apologize for not e- mailing you when I updated. I was a bit busy. Thank you for reading the story and reviewing it!
Kurbani: Hello! If you did read my other stories, I hope you enjoyed them as much as this one. I'm glad you thought it was good! Please keep reading, and thank you for your review.
Facade1: Yes, but I must say that the future chapters won't be so bad. There is a huge story line that is slowly coming up, and I hope you continue to read it. Thank you for your review.
lily evans: Lily! My most recognizable and best reviewer! I'm glad you like the story (and all my others). But please say if there is anything wrong with any of the stories, then I can correct it :-). Thank you very much for your review!