DZ2's Den of Delights

Hi to all my loyal readers and those who enjoy my stories: The Den of Delights is open once more and for this next one, I'm going with an idea for my newest challenge: 'The Weather Wizard' and I only hope that you enjoy reading it as I enjoyed coming up with it;

The Oncoming Storm

"Where is your Mum? Where's your Mum, Potter?"

There were many things in Harry's life that, before that summer, he had been able to put up with concerning the Dursleys and their taunts and jibes about his family, but after hearing about her protections towards him, seeing her ghost aid him against Voldemort and then hearing her tell him that he was ready, Harry wasn't about to take it any longer.

Leaping to his feet, Harry advanced on Dudley and his thick-as-pig-shit mates as they laughed at him, "Is she dead? Is she a dead Potter?"

Drawing his wand, Harry pointed it under his cousin's fat jowls, the motion earning laughs from the others as they didn't understand the idiocy of their actions or decisions. Neither did they understand the danger that they were putting themselves in by targeting Harry when he was in the state of mind that he was in at that moment.

To put it simply: a haze of opaque red mist had fallen over Harry's eyes and, as he pressed the wand under Dudley's many chins, the young Gryffindor found the words of the Unforgivable Curses dancing on his lips, almost begging him to use them and their awesome powers.

'It would be so easy,' thought Harry, not really acknowledging what he had said or thought because of the sea of red that had fallen around him.

Instead, he let his magic do the talking and, deep inside him, something seemed to snap as it sought to obey its master's will: the skies around them suddenly darkened and, as Harry and Dudley's eyes met, the gang's laughter died down. What had once been a beautifully-bright sunny day in July was now a dark, overcast and, from the way that the wind howled and the clouds above them seemed to rumble expectantly, stormy day instead.

Meeting Harry's eyes, Dudley gasped out, "W-W-What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything," argued Harry, but even as he said the words, he knew that it was wrong: the gang took off and, with them, Harry and Dudley were left alone, giving Harry the freedom he had long since desired as he suddenly snapped, "Yet!"

"W-W-What do you mean?" asked Dudley, watching as Harry lifted his head to the skies, the clouds now being aided by an ominous rumble of thunder that seemed to drill its way into both boys' hearts.

"I mean," Harry scowled, feeling the red sea harden into solid rubies around his good-boy behaviour: what took its place was something that not many wizards had seen and even fewer had known.

For what took the place of the good boy was Harry's dark side and now, after all the pain, isolation, dictations from friends and loneliness of his heart and soul, Harry wasn't willing to hold it back anymore.

Facing Dudley, he continued with a cold, sneering tone as he explained, "I've had enough, Dudley! Of you, your overbearing, whale's love-child of a Father, your lightning rod, horse's head of a Mother and, especially, you fat imbecilic lump that makes Blast-Ended Skrewts look smart! I have had enough of you!"

A flash of lightning cut through the skies as Harry held his wand firmly in his hand; at the same time, rain began to fall on the ground so hard and so fast that it seemed to sting at Dudley's skin while Harry, miraculously, seemed unharmed. Instead, the rain almost seemed to bounce off of him while it also shielded him from his lard-butt of a cousin.

"S-S-Stop it!" cried Dudley, lifting a fist as he warned Harry, "I-I-I-I'll hit you: I will!"

"Go ahead," Harry snarled, his growl emphasised by another clap of thunder as he hissed, "I don't need fists to deal with scum like you anymore, Big D! So go ahead and try to hit me!"

Dudley did so, but his fist collided with what could only be described as a wall of hot and cold air that boomed in his ears, frightening and actually stunning the fat Muggle while Harry seemed both impressed and amused by the effort.

"Like I said," Harry hissed icily, "Try."

"D-D-Dad's going to…to be s-s-so mad with you when we get home," Dudley whimpered, but his words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Harry chuckled darkly before he shook his head slowly.

"Daddy doesn't frighten me anymore, Dinky Diddums," laughed the Gryffindor, his green eyes seemingly crackling with lightning as he added, "I've faced down worse than him and survived, not that my lot believe me for it. But it's okay, because I'm through playing sheep to the blind sheepdogs out there: now, it's all about me!"

With that, he stepped forwards and, looking Dudley in the eyes, he then added, "But I warn you now, Dudders, tell anyone what's happened here today and I'll let that worse thing into the house where him and his friends can have you and your freaks for whatever they wish!"

Little did Harry know that, as he said that, the magic protecting Privet Drive collapsed completely, leaving the young wizard to walk past Dudley before he headed for the path that would lead them back home.

"Come on, Dudley: move it…I'm getting wet!"

Okay, so there we go then: a short one, but I think it works as a challenge and as a prelude to the story: if you agree, then I think I'll add the challenge to a new and improved list of possible Dark Challenges for my poll;

So if you've already voted, then you might want to go and do so again; otherwise, enjoy whatever's coming up…

Anyway, next instalment to the Den coming soon…