My Salvation
AUTHORS NOTE: I am so sorry! This chapter took longer to finish than I expected! I got swamped with a lot of crap really suddenly but don't worry I'm still trying to make time for this story! Now I think that I've kept you waiting long enough so... On with the story! *!~
CHAPTER 3: Of Early Mornings and Unexpected Arrivals
At exactly seven am, Lily and James jerked out of a restless sleep.
They had felt an odd sensation just moments ago but as they looked at eachother the sensation faded and a realization entered into their minds, it was morning!
They could go get Harry now!
Jumping out of the bed Dumbledore had lent them they began to quickly dress and get ready for the day. They were both extremely nervous however; what if Harry didn't like them? What if he hated them?
What if something had happened to him?
This last question was Lily's alone, she had known Vernon Dursley ever since Petunia had first brought him home... He was controlling, obsesive, and had a tendency to be violent. Lily had more than once seen bruises on Petunias arms in the shape of his thick, fat, hands.
Multiple times Lily had tried to get Petunia to see reason and break off the relationship but her sister had always been weak willed, a follower. And Vernon Dursley had taken advantage of that fact.
Lily wasn't the only one who dissaproved of him either... At first her parents had loved him, thought him nothing but the perfect gentleman he pretended to be... But when Vernon had come onto Lily one night, after she had told her parents because Petunia wouldn't listne, they too had attempted to get Petunia to end the relationship but to no avail.
After Petunia married him Vernon slowly but surely started ending any relationship she had that he didn't approve of... her friends, distant family, and even Lily and their parents...
Lily though had still attempted to keep in touch but her owls had never been answered... That is until Vernon decided to end them once and for all...
Lily could still remember it like it was just yesterday...
'If you ever write here with these infernal owls, or even write at all, you will not have a sister to write to!'
And Lily knew Vernon would carry out his promise... Merlin only knew what he had done to her poor Harry...
Meanwhile back at number 4 Private Drive young Harry was being beaten yet again...
His morning had begun normally... He had woken up to his aunt gently cleaning his body; he wasn't allowed to use the shower or tub, if he wanted to be propperly clean he was forced to use the hose out in the garden. Aunt Petunia would then clean his wounds the best she could with nothing but soap and water, he wasn't allowed and dissinfectant or medicine of any kind seing as Uncle Vernon claimed that his freakishness would help to keep him alive and heal him. Then she would gently help him dress before they went downstairs to cook.
Harry forced himself to stand, to move, to cook and clean... As the smell of the food began to register his stomach growled...
"Just a little longer Harry, today Vernon said you could have some food as well... It won't be much mind you but I'll bag up the leftovers and drop them in your room for later."
Harry looked up and smiled gratefully at his aunt...
As she had begun to grow slightly more defiant (not much mind you, she was still as feeble as ever) she had begun to sneak food for him more and more.
Harry truly loved his aunt but it was as if she were two different people... there was his Aunt Petunia, the one who only surfaced when it was just the two of them, the one who was kind and gentle, who alwasys offered Harry whatever comfort she could... Then there was the other Aunt Petunia that showed whenever his uncle or cousin were around... A ball of nerves who, much like a house elf, jumped at the chance to please the Dursley men.
He truly hated the other Aunt Petunia, he knew that it wasn't completely her fault of course... Vernon had conditioned her to be that way. When his uncle or cousin were around she would do or say whatever they expected her to... He remembered back to that day his first Hogwarts letter had come...
She had told him that she didn't know any more about it than he did... After he had finally found out about Hogwarts, about himself, she had told him that she had been hoping it was a mistake... So that Vernon wouldn't have any further reason to hate him. When she had said those cruel words that fatefull day in that hut in the sea Harry had been the only one to see her eyes... To see how she truly felt...
Regret, pain, loss, sadness... All of them fighting for dominance in her eyes.
"Harry be carefull! The eggs!" Aunt Petunia hissed pulling him out of his thoughts...
Great! He had burnt the eggs! They were still edible of course, just a tad crispy on the outside, but Harry knew what was coming... Another beating, just what he needed!
Some people would have been wondering why he would be getting a beating just for overcooking the eggs slightly, well, the answer was simple... Uncle Vernon didn't like Harry. Infact he hated Harry!
He looked for any reason to give Harry a beating...
Infact he had many a time beaten Harry for 'breathing too loudly'.
"Quick Harry start a new batch before-"
Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs... Too late.
Looking at eachother a familiar look of fear crossed between them...
"Its okay Aunt Petunia, I'll be fine," Harry whispered just before the Dursley men came in and sat at the table...
Vernon Dursley didn't think that he had asked for too much... In fact, he would say that he had been rather gracious!
He had not only cut back the freaks chores for the day but had also allowed the little ingrate to eat some of his hard earned food! The freak had been allowed to eat more today than he had been permitted the whole summer (a whole slice of bread, a full cup of water and even an egg)!
So where did the little freak get off with burning his meal!?
As red tinted the edges of his vision Vernon rose to his feet and lashed out at his nephew...
The first blow hitting just as the clock struch seven...
Harry had known what was coming but that didn't stop the pain...
His small body had been sent tumbling off the chair as his uncles first made contact. Within moments heavy blows began to reign down on Harry's small form... Oddly however Harry couldn't find it in him to pay attention to his uncle...
What his attention was focused on so firmly was his aunt...
She looked as if she were at war with herself... Harry watched in distant curiosity as first her body froze, as she attempted to ignore what was happening but how her body began to tremble as his uncles onslaught continued...
AS he watched his aunts eyes he could see it... The thing he had always wished would happen but had never really believed could... She was doing the very thing that she was conditioned to never do!
He watched in awe as she stood up on trembling legs and began to slowly make her way around the dining room table... Petunia Dursley, no, Petunia Evans finally took a stand against the abuse... Finally defied Vernon Dursley...
Lily and James Potter ran down the winding staircase that led from Dumbledores office to their borrowed roomsnot bothering to slow down until they were half way to his desk only to realise that he wasn't there yet. Sitting on one of the couches within the rooms they impatiantly waited...
Soon they were joined by Remus and Sirius who were just as anxious to go get Harry as they were...
As if their arrival was a cue Dumbledore entered...
"Can we go now?" Lily asked him the instant she noticed him jumping to her feet along with the others.
"Now Lily, I know that your anxious but don't you think that you should eat something before you-"
"No!" They cut Dumbledore off.
"We'll eat once we have Harry, now can we please go!?"
"Very well..." Dumbledore sighed as he began to pace behind his desk. They were anxious to get to Harry... but obviously Dumbledore had something important to say before they left...
"Harry may demand that you confirm your identity-"
"We can answer any questions he may ask to confirm we're us." Sirius said instantly as the others nodded in agreement.
"How do you plan to get there?" Dumbledore asked next.
"We are going to apparate as close to the wards as possible and then walk the rest of the way," James explained quickly.
"Everything sounds in order, however, I have a faster way for you to get there," He said with that all too familliar twinkle in his eyes.
Dumbledore then motioned them over to the fireplace and made a floo call to his old friend...
Needless to say Mrs. Figg was in for one hell of a surprise...
Vernon glared down at the sobbing wreck that was his wife and the bloody limp that was his nephew.
How dare that little freak corrupt his wife!? His Petunia!? How dare that boy make his Tunie turn on him!?
Vernon could still hear her words ringing in his ears...
~Flashback~
"Thats enough Vernon," She said gently laying a hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down.
Whirling around Vernon smacked Petunia with such force that she was sent staggering into the edge of the table as she held one hand to her stinging cheak.
"Dudley," He growled and watched with sick pleasure as his son looked up, a feral grin on his face and a gleam of cruel expectation at the horrors that were to come.
"Go ahead and have a little fun with the little freak before you leave for your friends'. It appears as though I have to teach your mother her place..."
He hadn't punished her too badly of course, after all someone still needed to tend to the house and his no good nephew had been growing slower and slower as the summer went on...
Perhaps that was because Dudley had grown so very good at punishing the boy as well... In fact Vernon was extremely proud of what his son had managed to do in a few short minutes...
He had nearly drowned Harry in the dirty dish water, given him a cuncussion by repeatedly slamming his head into the hard countertops, then made the cuncushion that much worse as he repeatedly shut his head in the oven door with so much force that one of the hinges had broken and the door was now hanging crookedly... And last but certainly not least his little Dudders had used a large kitchen knife to carve into the freaks skin the words: queer, whore, slut, bitch, and skank...
He was so proud!
Mere minutes after leaving Dumbledores office found the small group leaving a shocked Arabella Figgs house and heading to Number 4 Private Drive, none of them even bothering to notice the fat blob that was rolling... erm, walking down the street in the other direction.
As they were finally about to walk down the walkway of 4 Private Drive Remus stopped dead in his tracks a horrified look on his face...
"What is it?" Sirius asked, fear tinting his voice...
Blood, fear, sweat, anger, horor, lust, despair, sex, pain, and a million other scents assaulted Remus' nostrils the second that he stepped foot on the Dursleys' property.
"What is it?" He vaguely heard Sirius say behind him but he wasn't as clear as he should be, as though he were coming through a dark tunnel...
Everything around him was being drowned out by fear. He was in trouble... Harry... His Harry... His cub was hurt!
Ignoring all else Remus sprinted up the walk and pounded hard on the door...
If that bastard didn't open it in the next thirty seconds Remus would blow it down!
~*!END OF CHAPTER 3!*~
AUTHORS NOTE: Once again, I'm so so so so sorry! I have finally finished this chapter as you can probably tell ;), and I promise, I'll try to get back on track! It's almost spring break (though it's only a 4 day weekend) so I plan on some extra writing time for those four days! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!
Heres a timeline-ish thing in case this chapters skips confused you...
6:00am- Harry is woken up, 6:30am- Cleaning and chores, 6:45- Eating, 7:00am- Uncle Vernon's first blow/James and Lily wake up to a strange feeling, 7:10am- Petunia steps in and tries to end beating/ James, Lily, Siri and Rem get ready to leave, 7:30am- Beatings are over/They leave Mrs. Figgs, 7:35am- Dudley is walking to Piercs'/ They finally arrive on the lawn!
Sorry if it was confusing!
