Just like before, they sentenced him to one of his longest ever punishments. The days out of school were mostly spent getting to know the new reptile that would be his roommate. He didn't have a name; Harry had honestly expected that. He decided he was going to give the snake one.
Harry was bored out of his mind anyway, with nothing to do other than wait until the day his letter would come. The snake was rather funny; it had a good sense of humor. Harry found a friend in him. Other than that, Harry planned.
He knew that soon the summer holidays would arrive along with that letter. This time the Dursley's won't see it. Hedwig wasn't his, and he didn't know if he could get her again. Her tragic fate of before still hurt him. Some part of him never wanted to see her feathered face again.
But what would he do about Dumbledore? The man was a brilliant, manipulative bastard. He could find a way to gain control of him once more. Harry swore right then he rather die than let that happen. He won't be manipulated or controlled. He knew he couldn't be friends with who he wanted.
Some people were better left behind anyway. Hermione might be spared if she never had a thing to do with him. And he could only think retched thoughts of how Ron left them. He knew it was the locket's fault, but the sting of his abandonment was all-consuming.
Looking back, he probably wouldn't befriend them. He isn't the same Harry he was before. He was himself now; the second time around, he would try his own way. Harry was doing this alone; maybe that is how it should be? Him against all who wanted to destroy him. Him against Voldemort.
He knew that this time Slytherin was very likely. He also recognized he'd likely be an outcast and assumed a dark wizard. He'd be not just among a den of snakes that despised him but hated by the entire school. This time though, Harry wasn't going into this world unprepared. He will appear the person they all thought him to be.
Skilled, knowledgeable, and powerful. All things he hoped he could really be one day. This life would be a lonely one, but one that was his. He won't let down Fate, not again. Besides, eternal after-life suffering sounded like a worse future than just being lonely in this life.
He heard a hissy sigh and smiled slightly. Maybe he really wouldn't be that alone. The company of Rio might stave off his loneliness a little. When he gave the snake his name, he seemed to like it. And to be honest, Harry was pleased with his choice. The name suited the giant snake quite well.
Harry knew the days till that precious piece of mail would be dreadfully slow. He tried to tone down his excitement less the Dursley's catch on. He doubted they would though, they seemed happy to just ignore his existence. He closed his eyes to let himself drift off; he'd already thought enough for today.
The school year was finally over, Harry was let out of his cupboard. Honestly, he sort of wished he could remain inside. More often than not, the outside world managed to be worse than a cramped little room. Of course, none of Dudley's toys survived to see the summer sun. The boy had broken everything.
And now with him out of his safe space and nothing to entertain himself with. Harry hunting would be back with a vengeance. Dudley would probably invite his friends to join in for fun. Harry just clenched his jaw and reminded himself that he couldn't kill the person who really needed to leave this earth if he killed his relatives.
He found places where Dudley's gang couldn't get to or didn't know about. He was happy to say they haven't caught him once. He apparently developed a sense of when it was time to be out of reach. Other than avoiding Dudley, he counted the days down.
He couldn't remember the exact date the letter arrived but felt that the day was drawing near. It was really a shame he grew up in the neighborhood he did. When he was out of the house, he liked to go to rural places full of life and noise. Rio would tag alongside him and enjoy it the whole time.
He was an awful lot like Harry in that way, a trapped being that once free was in awe of how beautiful the world was beyond the glass. No matter what, Harry knew he would never stop loving this. If he ever had a chance to grow a family, he would raise them in a place like this.
Freedom and beauty practically flowed through these places like water. So, serene and peaceful. But as soon as the sunset reality gave him a shove, and he was sent back to the real world. Where he was just a boy with a task and nobody in this world who truly gave a damn if he lived as long as he finished it.
He could never be freed from the chains of destiny, and while he pitied himself for that, he continued to live. Cause maybe if he did give the people what they asked, they would take pity and grant him his only wish—a wish of having control over what he did and where he could take his life.
Harry was almost disappointed in himself, for he revealed a lot of this to Rio. It was weak; he knew that. But he trusted that snake; he had to confide in someone. Rio understood more than Harry could hope. He saw it in the creature's eyes. They had the same dream; the only difference was that Rio could have his goal. _
When Harry woke up this morning, he was greeted with a horrid smell. He groaned and tried to shove his nose in his bed so he wouldn't breathe in the toxic fumes. When it became clear that wouldn't work, Harry sighed heavily and got up to investigate.
A big tub of what must have been rancid liquid was sitting in the kitchen sink. Harry almost gagged as he neared it. It was much worse than a stink bomb, that was for sure. Then he realized what it was, Petunia's discount uniform for that school. It almost wholly left his mind.
The last thing he was worried about was some school he would never even step foot in. Petunia was glaring at him, he just glanced at her, and her eye twitched. He didn't say a word, no need to ask what it was if he already knew. But Petunia didn't much like that silence.
"It's your uniform for school." Harry just nodded and grimaced when he caught sight of the nasty-looking clothes. He was beyond glad he would never have to touch those things. Vernon and Dudley came down the stairs soon, their faces showing they didn't like the smell either.
Harry noticed that Dudley carried his Smelting stick. That thing left one too many bruises. He had no idea who oversaw the school was thinking. He must be some sort of sadist or just liked to see kids beat each other up with sticks.
Vernon just sat at the table reading his newspaper, ignoring how Dudley banged his stick on the table. Harry then heard something that made his heartbeat speed to twice its tempo. The click of the mail slot and the rush of DeJa'Vu. This had all happened before; it was the day he had waited for.
"Get the mail, Dudley." Gruffed Vernon, not even looking up from his paper. Harry saw Dudley about to say something but cut him off.
"I'll get the mail!" He said it quickly; Harry knew it wasn't likely anyone would protest, but he was too nervous. What if it wasn't there? Harry sprinted to the front door, skirting to a stop when he saw the pile on the ground. His eyes sparkled when he saw that glorious letter.
The start of a life free from at least one issue in his life. A home that was never here. The Hogwarts letter stood out so significantly with its parchment and ink. It was the most he ever felt like a child, staring down at that letter knowing the hope it held. 'To Harry Potter.' The familiar scrawled writing was the only thing that could dampen his mood.
"What's taking so long, boy?" Vernon yelled impatiently, and Harry snapped out of his stupor. He secured the letter in his oversized waistband and picked up the rest of the letters from the ground. He walked back into the kitchen and handed them to Vernon, who snatched them from his grip.
"Sorry." He said he hadn't really meant it and knew they could tell. But he didn't really care. Cause when he sat down at the table, he couldn't focus on anything but the future. The present was a distant annoyance to him. He was going to see Hogwarts again.
I'm so happy that people are actually favoriting this! It truly makes me happy, so thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
-Lemon Nugget