"UP! GET UP NOW!" Aunt petunia's shrill voice woke him up in the wee hours of the morning. It was six in the morning and Harry was still half-asleep. He was used to waking up this early though.

He groggily got up and went to the bathroom to shower and get dressed and freshen up in 10 minutes.

The Dursleys didn't like it if he took long showers. Sometimes he never even got to shower.

He went to the kitchen where aunt petunia was taking a glass of water out of the microwave and mixing a slice of lemon in it. She scowled at him and told him to hurry up and make breakfast and clean the kitchen. Harry sighed but got to work. Quick and fast. That was the key to peace in this blasted house.

He made sure to time everything right so that he was out of the kitchen before uncle Vernon and Dudley came down to eat but also that the food remained warm so that uncle Vernon had one less excuse to beat him that day. Not that it helped much; his uncle sometimes faked excuses just to beat him. And he was Dudley's personal punching bag.

By 8:00 am, uncle Vernon and a still asleep Dudley were downstairs for breakfast and harry, with his stale piece of bread and glass of water had rushed out back to his cupboard.

Quick as lighting, he ate the apple from his stash and washed it down with water, juice and milk again. Then he ate the piece of bread too. He didn't get much food so he wouldn't give up any piece of food he had. food was food and harry was hungry year long.

His uncle had left for work at around 10:00 am and he had been handed out a long list of chores for him to complete by aunt petunia.

He often wondered how the chores never got finished despite the fact that he worked every single moment of every single day.

At around 8:00 pm, he made dinner and went back to his cupboard and aunt petunia gave him a glass of water and a peach and waited until he ate to take the plastic utensils away then locked the door. The family ate in fine china everyday which harry wasn't allowed near, except to clean and wash it of course.

Uncle Vernon was late today. Harry knew he would show up drunk. He just knew it and he also knew he would get the beating of his life today. And he wasn't looking forward to it one bit.

He knew it was hopeless but he still prayed to god to not be beaten.

True enough, uncle Vernon crashed into the house at around midnight, completely drunk.

He headed straight for Harry's cupboard. He took him out by the hair and beat him with his belt before punching his mouth and stomach and kicking him. When he was satisfied, he threw him in and locked the cupboard.

Once again, Harry fell asleep wishing for someone to come take him away from this hellhole before he died.

And the way his life was going, he felt it would be pretty soon.