Here is the next chapter! I realize that this story might develop slower at first, but keep in mind that everyone she meets will be important!

Enjoy!:)


The sun was high in the sky, providing just enough heat to be uncomfortable. A trickle of sweat ran down the side of Hope's face. She ignored it as she squinted in the bright light.

Hope was currently sitting in the shade of the one tree that stood in the park that was about a ten minute walk from the Dursleys. It was a large tree that was remarkably unscathed if one was to compare it to the sad state of the playground. Someone had used bolt cutters to destroy one of the swings, while the other had been looped around the supporting beam so many times that I was impossible to reach without a ladder. Vulgar words were spray painted on the slide, and it looked as though someone had attempted to attach nails to various part of the playscape so that they would stick through an unsuspecting victims foot.

There was a reason that the place was practically abandoned. Hope knew that the vast majority, if not all, of the destruction was courtesy of Dudley and his little 'gang'. Not that Hope would ever be able to tell anyone. The blame would only be shifted to her, and she didn't want to think of the results for that type of offense.

Another drop of sweat dropped from her forehead, this time getting into her eye. Hope muttered a curse darkly under her breath at the stinging sensation and quickly wiped her face off with her shirt.

"Hey! Freak show!" An all too familiar voice yelled at her from behind her. Hope sat completely still, both refusing to respond to a name like that and hoping that the person hadn't really seen her. She heard footsteps behind her.

Before she could bolt to her feet, a thin, wiry hand grabbed a fistful of her shirt and jerked her up.

"Let me g-" Hope felt her breath go out of her as a larger boy slammed her into the tree trunk. The boy's name was Colton Bramble, and he was one of the few in Dudley's group of friends who actually enjoyed taunting and hitting her. Not a day went by that Hope didn't pray that he would end up being hit by a car or mugged on the way to school. Maybe that was too harsh, but as long as he couldn't catch her, he was fine.

"Do you think I'm stupid?!" Colton bellowed into her ear. Hope kept her mouth shut, wincing when he shook her. "I know it was you who told on me last summer!"

Unfortunately, Hope knew what he was talking about. She had seen the older boy attempt to climb into the second story of a random old man's home, and had pointed him out to a neighbor before fleeing. She knew that he had gotten into major trouble for that and had been grateful that she was leaving the following day to return to Hogwarts.

"Whatever you think I did, I didn't do!" Hope reprimanded herself for her shaking voice. She had never been afraid of the boy until now. Colton had always been a bully, but this was the first year that he was bigger, stronger, and faster.

"Shut up, you lying bi-"

"Colton!" Hope had never been thankful for Dudley, but she was glad when he appeared. Colton released the death grip he had upon her arms and took a step back. Hope looked to Dudley, but her cousin firmly refused to look at her. "I just got tickets for a new film! Do you want to come?" Dudley spoke smugly, but there was something off about him that Hope couldn't quite figure out.

"Sure." Colton stepped away from Hope, and the two boys walked away without another backward glance.

The moment they were out of earshot, Hope let out a shaky breath as she used the tree behind her for support. She was going to need to be careful to avoid Colton this summer. Dudley... Hope didn't know quite what to make of Dudley's action. If she were any less cynical, she would think that he was trying to protect her from the older boy. However, after the display last night where she had needed to threaten him, she knew this was not the case.

Why couldn't everything be easy for once? Was it too hard to even ask for even a month where she didn't need for fear for her life or well-being? For a moment, Hope let herself fold into a fetal position, her head tucked into her knees and arms hanging limply by her side. It was a soothing position, and Hope forced her body to relax. Temporarily.

As soon as Hope felt enough confidence to keep breathing, she opened her eyes, stood up, and walked out of the small park. The park itself was on a corner, and the street to her immediate right returned to the Dursleys. Hope went left.

From what Hope could tell, it was probably around three or four in the afternoon. The sun was at its peak and she felt it. Her skin was already tinged red from the rays.

There was a shriek if laughter from ahead, that caused Hope to jerk to a halt. She could see from where she stood a group of around five children running around in the front yard, playing in the spray of a sprinkler.

Hope let a smile grace her lips. She unconsciously move closer, but stopped about three houses down. She couldn't bring herself to move forward, even if she was only walking past the group of children.

Her reflection in the window of a parked car nearby caught her eye. Hope analysed her appearance for the first time that summer. She had yet to cut the dark, tangly mass of hair that was about half a foot too long for he care she could give it. Currently, it was tied back with a homemade hair tie made from the sleeve of an old shirt. Her skin was tanned, but had the look of being pinched from the lack of food thus far. Any skin showing was slightly burnt, promising to peel later. Hope's shirt hung on her thin frame awkwardly, grey with various holes. At least her pants more or less fit, since they were castoffs from Aunt Petunia.

The conclusion that appeared in Hope's mind was simple: she looked homeless. She suspected that even going a step closer to that house would lead to a neighbor calling the police to report her.

No. Hope turned away and began to slowly walk back to the Dursleys. There was something about the way that she saw herself in that reflection that struck her. She brooded on the subject for a moment before she realized what she was feeling. She saw herself as the Dursleys saw her. She was filthy.

Hope shuddered as she caught sight of number four privet drive. She could see the only window in her bedroom. The same window that her uncle had once upon a time barred so keep her contained. All that was left of those bars were a few holes in the brick, but the visual was still imprinted in her mind.

There was a small flicker of doubt in a dark recess of her mind that told her that her uncle was right in attempting to lock her away. Hope buried that thought even deeper as she slipped into the backyard and through the back door. She moved silently in the currently empty house, crossing the kitchen to the stairs. The same stairs under which she had spent a good portion of her childhood. Hope had to tear her eyes away from the cupboard door as she moved past to her room upstairs. The same room where the door had at least five different locks on it to keep any freakiness locked away.

Hope stood in front of her door, not even noticing when the feeling of acceptance took hold of her.