(A/N: So I'm back again. I'm trying my best not to set too harsh of a pace for my update schedules, so I am allowing myself the luxury of taking a day off here and there, but don't worry, I don't plan on another long hiatus for a very long time. Anyway, that's enough from me, on with the show!)
A Cold Sleep
Part 28
The next morning, after having gone to bed later than expected, Harry woke at dawn. He realized almost instantly what it was that had woken him from his dreams as the owl at the window pecked again, asking to be allowed into the room.
With a sigh and a slight grumble at the disruption, Harry slid out of bed and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table where they sat atop his book. Only recently had he gotten used to the idea of sleeping without them and waking up to a blurry world. Tom had convinced him that it was entirely safe to do so by having Lucius give him a comprehensive rundown of the Wards surrounding the Manor.
Opening the window was not a quiet affair, and the rather small owl flapped into the room without hesitation. Normally the post arrived while they were having breakfast, so the fact that it had come to him early must have meant that it was urgent. The only question was, who had sent it, the owl was not one he recognized.
"Don't touch it," Tom said, still groggy but sitting up in bed. Harry instantly obeyed, dropping his hands and stepping away from the owl by several paces. The owl was not pleased with being ignored and loudly, for something so small, hooted its discontent with the situation.
"Do you think it's a trap?" Harry questioned as Tom rose from the bed, as soon as his feet were under him he snatched up his wand and pointed it at the bird.
"I am always suspicious of early post, as you should be. I know that most things can't make it past the wards, but there is always that chance," Tom stated and began reciting a list of spells that Harry was pleased to say that he actually recognized for once.
If the owl was bothered by the spell casting it didn't show it in the least. Instead the bird stood stoically as any bird ever did and looked almost bored by the time Tom had cast his last spell.
"Is it safe?" Harry questioned between jaw popping yawns.
"Yes, you're free to open it now," Tom said and then yawned himself, even Dark Lords were not immune to the contagious nature of a yawn, it seemed.
"Alright little buddy, le's have it," Harry said and the owl obediently put forward its leg. The letter was attached with a rather complicated knot that Harry vaguely felt he recognized as he used his wand to break it instead of guessing how to untie it and risking getting pecked.
The letter wasn't so much a letter; there was not envelope with an address to be seen. Instead it was a rolled up note on what looked to be lined notebook paper from the Muggle world. Now with his curiosity at its height, Harry unrolled the note and looked it over several times, understanding what he was reading but not entirely sure that he believed it all at the same time.
"Harry, is something wrong?" Tom questioned softly and Harry looked up at him, paper clutched tightly in his hands, with tears forming in his eyes.
"It's from my cousin Dudley. I don't know how he got an owl, but he's sent me a note all the same. It seems that my Aunt and Uncle threw him out not long after he released me. They worked out that he had done it, and they just, kicked him out. He has been sleeping on his friends' couches," Harry started but tears choked him up and he passed the note to Tom for his inspection.
Tom accepted the note and read it several times, his expression caught in stasis between rage and sympathy.
"He was thrown out with only what he could carry in a few backpacks, in the middle of winter. Neither of them cared what happened to him because he dared to take pity on you?" Tom said, parsing what he could from Dudley's less than perfect handwriting.
"They meant to kill me. No food, barely any water. I was supposed to die in that room. I knew that when they locked me in there. But I didn't think that it was that important to them for me to die that they would throw their only son out into the cold for stopping it from happening," Harry admitted, of course Vernon had told him of the plan to starve him to death, Vernon had always relished describing the punishment that he was about to bestow upon Harry. Dudley must have over heard him and decided to do something about it.
"I'll bet my Vault at Gringotts that they were offered money to ensure your death. This reeks of Dumbledore. No wonder he didn't care when you disappeared, he probably assumed that someone had done the job early," Tom stated and Harry swallowed thickly at the idea. Tears flowed from his eyes as he was forced to realize all over again that the Headmaster that had been so kind to him had also intended to kill him the entire time.
"But Dudley shouldn't be suffering because of me. Not because he decided to be nice and save me," Harry whispered and continued to allow himself to cry for his cousin and the pain that they had both endured thanks to Dumbledore's scheming.
"It sounds like his friends are doing their best to take care of him until he turns 18 and can find a proper job in the Muggle world. He has a support system at the very least, so you should try to let yourself breathe in that department," Tom said gently, indicating the note in his hands and allowing Harry to read it once again.
"Yeah, okay. I know his friends weren't cool with me, but as long as they're taking care of him, I suppose that's fine. But none of his friends are magical, so I still don't know how he got the owl," Harry said as he allowed himself to go off on a tangent in order to give his mind some time to calm down and his training to reclaim his emotions.
"Ah, the owl, that is indeed a strange development. He must have gotten some small spark of latent magic or else he wouldn't be able to call one to himself in such a way. Not a Wizarding owl that would know where to find you, that is. Normally you wouldn't be able to send an owl to a muggle, but if you wanted to write a response to your cousin, this owl should be able to find him again without a problem," Tom explained and Harry wiped at his eyes and cleaned his face with the sleeve of his night shirt.
"You mean, I could talk to him? Send him letters and check in with him without using the muggle post? That's brilliant. Can you make sure that the owl can't be traced though? I don't want someone realizing that I'm talking to him or else he might be in danger," Harry said and Tom gave a quick nod. He pointed his wand at the bird once again and said a few words before a brilliant glow surrounded the creature.
"There, it is done. I suggest letting the little fellow have a rest and get some food before you send him back to your cousin. That should give you time to compose a reply," Tom said and motioned for the owl to make its way to the Malfoy family's aerie where all manner of birds were kept.
"Thanks Tom thanks for understanding and for helping me out," Harry whispered and straightened his glasses, face now carefully calm and collected.
"Anything for you Harry," Tom said and swept him into a hug, kissing him softly as he did so.
(A/N: Well that's it for now. I hope that you enjoyed it and will leave me a review or a comment to let me know what you thought of it. As always, thanks for reading and I hope to see you next time!)
