So... Even though there seems to be some interest in the trial story I posted the other day, Bound Together, I couldn't get this idea out of my head. I decided to go forward with it, and I've really enjoyed writing it so far. I will continue Bound Together, I just can't give you a timeframe concerning updates for it. This story, however, I would like to update on a fairly regular basis; ideally once every or every other week (I'm sorry, I just can't write a chapter a day for you people...).
I intend this story to be rather lengthy, so I will try my best to keep the updates regular so it doesn't take years to finish.
Warning!: This story WILL contain Dumbledore, Ron and Molly bashing (potentially Ginny, but I've yet to decide on this just yet). If you like any of these characters, then I am sorry, but this story most likely won't be to your liking.
Anyway, I really do hope you enjoy this story!
All Encompassing Story Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter Universe!
Grey Skies Over the Horizon
Homecoming
.
.
.
The end of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry couldn't come any sooner. In his opinion, it had been his worst year so far. Now that he thought about it, every year at Hogwarts seemed to be worse than the last. Well, last year had come close to being as bad as this year.
In his third year, multiple attacks, mainly due to the Dementors, and a number of near-death experiences didn't help his mood throughout the year. But, he could deal with them. Somewhat...
On top of that, he had learned of his Godfather and the fact that he was innocent. But, Dumbledore had forbade him from speaking about the Azkaban escapee, further fouling his mood.
What bothered him the most throughout the year were all the snickers and jokes being thrown at him from behind his back, and in many cases right to his face.
Not only did he have to deal with Malfoy and his cronies, he had to deal with people from the other houses as well; including his own house. Groups of people from each house had been making fun of and harassing him all year for his 'fainting spell' on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione had been the only one to really stand up for him; not even Ron had said anything in his defense. Over the course of the year he had let it slide, telling himself that his red-headed best friend just didn't want to start any real fights. However, after the incident with Sirius and the swarm of dozens of Dementors towards the end of the school year, Harry and Hermione had overheard Ron talking with some of their other Gryffindor housemates.
"He was so terrified, I thought he was about to piss himself!" Ron had said with a laugh. "Sure, the Dementors were scary, but fainting? Seriously, what a pansy."
Both Harry and his bushy haired friend stood stock still in shock for a moment before Harry had turned on his heels and walked off. Hermione had tried to talk to him about it, but he just hadn't been in the mood at that moment.
After that, the two had started to avoid Ron, causing the red-head no small amount of annoyance. The night before they left the school to go home, Harry had been sitting in the common room and heard Hermione try to explain to Ron why she and Harry had been ignoring him. Harry just couldn't fathom how Ron didn't seem to understand what he had done wrong. Although, Ronald Weasley is by far the densest person I've ever met. Not even Dudley comes close, Harry mused.
After a talk between the three of them, though, Harry had decided to give the boy another chance. After all, Ron had been his best mate the previous two years, not to mention his first real friend in general. But, that didn't mean that he wasn't still hurt and irritated about Ron's comments.
Over the summer, he and Ron had sent each other a few letters and seemed to be mending the problems they had, to a point. Then, when their fourth year at Hogwarts started, they seemed to be fine. Although, Harry still tried to be a bit distant towards his best friend. After all, what Ron had said still hurt.
However, everything changed when the Tri-Wizard champions were selected. He had already been in a foul mood when he entered the common room, having been interrogated by the staff members, and belittled by the other champions. But, when he entered the common room, pretty much the entire Gryffindor house was there pointing hateful glares his way. The only people he noticed who weren't looking at him that way were the Quidditch team, Hermione, and Neville.
The arguments that followed with Ron and a number of his other housemates was the final straw. He and Ron would no longer be friends.
But, considering Harry was naturally a nice person, he had become civil with Ron towards the end of the year. Though, from Harry's perspective, it appeared that Ron thought they were back to how they had always been; best friends.
.
..
.
Now sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry found himself staring out the window. Shaking his thoughts away from the problems of the year, including the rise of Voldemort and Cedric's death, he idly listened to the chatter of the other occupants: Hermione, Neville, and Luna Lovegood. He had no problem with Neville; the shy boy hadn't caused him any trouble this year. Or any year for that matter. Plus, he couldn't really blame the Longbottom heir for not standing up for him. Neville was just too bashful and lacking in confidence. He also had no issues with Luna either, as she was just so nice, almost to a fault sometimes. She also got points in his book for being fun to be around.
After he and Hermione had started spending less time with Ron, they had found a good friend in Neville. And Luna, having already been friends with Neville, naturally started spending more time with them as a group. Harry smiled as he thought about this, just as he heard the door to the compartment slide open. But, he didn't have the motivation or desire to turn from the window and see who it was.
"There you two are, I've been looking everywhere for you! Why didn't you wait for me?" the familiar voice of the youngest male Weasley said with a tone of irritation. "Why are you with Neville and Looney?"
Still looking out the window, Harry felt his own irritation begin to rise. "Her name is Luna, Ron. Luna Lovegood. And they just so happen to be good company," he said, turning around just long enough to see Luna give him an appreciative nod. It should be obvious to anyone that a nickname like 'Looney' wasn't appreciated by the recipient. But, ever since Harry had begun spending time with the girl, he came to realize that the name bothered her much more than she let on.
Ron huffed and mumbled something under his breath. After a few seconds, he sat down and started talking about random nonsense, as if he didn't realize he had just irked everyone in the compartment. After a few minutes of his rambling, the boy got up with a sigh and said, "Well, I'm gonna go talk to Dean and Seamus."
He must have gotten bored since none of us were really talking to him, Harry thought.
"What a prat..." Hermione mumbled under her breath, but Harry heard it none the less. He agreed, but decided against saying anything, opting instead to just continue staring out the window.
He must have spaced out at some point, he realized, as the Hogwarts Express was now pulling up to the station. After he stood up and stretched, he pulled down his and Hermione's trunks.
"Well, I'll see you in a couple months," he said as Hermione pulled him into a tight hug, causing him to stiffen a bit.
"Yes. Promise me you'll send a few letters this time," Hermione said with a fake look of disappointment as she pulled back from the hug. Harry just nodded, earning a smile from his female best friend. "Good. Have a great summer, Harry."
"You too." Harry didn't think he was close enough yet to Neville or Luna to offer them a hug as well, so he settled on a firm handshake.
"Have a good summer, Harry. Feel free to Owl me too. It's just me and my Gran, so I'll be bored out of my mind," Neville said with a smile.
"Sure thing, Neville. Have a good summer. You too, Luna."
"Thank you, Harry. I would offer to exchange letters, but I'll be traveling with my father over the summer months. See you next year," the blonde girl said as the group left the compartment.
After exiting the train, Harry was making his way down the platform with Hedwig and his trunk in tow. As he was about to walk past one of the last train cars, he was surprised by a girl stumbling out of the doorway, almost bumping into him. The person whipped their head around and sent a cold glare back into the car.
"Tracy! What the hell was that for!?" she said to a second girl, who was just now making their way onto the platform in a much more elegant manner than the first person.
"You were going way too slow, Daph. I want to see our parents!" Tracy Davis said with a bright smile, causing her companion to let out a tired sigh. At that moment, both girls seemed to notice Harry's presence considering they were now looking at him. Tracy had a look of mild surprise, while the other girl, Daphne Greengrass, had an almost impassive expression. Almost. It was clear to Harry that she was trying her best to not show any embarrassment after being seen coming out of the train in such an ungraceful manner.
"Potter," Daphne said in an aloof tone.
"Greengrass. Davis," he said in greeting, offering a nod of his head to both girls. He noticed both of them now had looks of confusion and surprise, Tracy more so, but he could still see the slight change in Daphne's expression. Regardless of how minor the change was. He decided against asking what was on their minds, as he wanted to get out of the station as soon as possible. It wasn't like he was in a hurry to get back to the Dursley's; far from it. But, he wanted to get away from the Wizarding World for a bit. Especially considering everything that had happened at Hogwarts during this past school year.
He made his way around them and continued towards the magical exit that would bring him to the Muggle part of the station. Thinking for a moment, neither of the Slytherin girls had ever caused him any problems. He knew both of them tended to hang around Pansy Parkinson and her 'gang' of Slytherin girls, but neither of them ever did or said anything to him or his friends. Not this year, and not during their previous three years. Turning his gaze over his shoulder, he said, "Have a good summer."
Before he turned his gaze back in front of him so he could pay attention to where he was going, he noticed their confused expressions intensify just a bit. Once again, Tracy's change being more noticeable than the eldest Greengrass girl's. He wasn't surprised, though, as he had never talked to either one of them during their four years attending Hogwarts together.
Once he was out in the Muggle part of the station, he couldn't shake the feeling of being followed. Trying his best to locate whoever it was that was tailing him, without being too obvious, he couldn't see anything or anyone that seemed out of the ordinary for a train station. Pushing the sensation to the back of his mind as he saw his Uncle Vernon waiting very impatiently for him, Harry walked up to the whale of a man, mentally preparing himself to deal with his 'favorite' uncle.
"There you are, you little shit! I've been waiting far too long for the likes of you!" his uncle said, red faced with clear disdain in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Uncle," Harry said with a blank expression, not wanting to irritate the large man any further. Over the past few years, Harry had begun to realize that the less emotion he showed his relatives, the less his Uncle is likely to strike out at him. Last year, his homecoming consisted of one of the worst beatings he had ever received once the two got back to Privet Drive. All because he had simply chuckled at something someone in the station had said while he was walking out with his uncle.
Flinching as he remembered the pain of that night, he followed his Uncle to the car. Stowing his things in the boot of the new sedan, Harry got into the back seat. After all, the last time he had tried to sit in the front, his uncle had almost given him a concussion with the force of the smack Harry received to the back of his head.
The car ride home was unbearable, as always, seeing as there was not a single word spoken between the two. The tense silence just made the already long trip seem even longer. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Harry, they pulled into the driveway of the Dursley's home about an hour before dinner time.
"Get your freakish things out of my car and into your room! I don't want to see any of it even once while you're here. Do you understand me!?"
"Yes, Uncle," Harry said in an even tone as he began to do as he was told.
"As soon as you do that, get your ass in the kitchen and start dinner!" Uncle Vernon said as he waddled into the house. He's probably just gonna sit in his recliner and watch some stupid TV show with Dudley to relax after his 'exhausting' day, Harry thought before he let out a long sigh. He wasn't even in the house yet, and he was already being ordered around like a mistreated house elf.
Making his way into his relatives house, he went upstairs and deposited his trunk in the small closet of his room. Placing Hedwig's cage on the small nightstand beside his bed, Harry stuck a finger in the cage, allowing his owl to affectionately nibble on it.
"It's good to be home, huh girl?" he said in a sarcastic tone. Sighing, he then made his way back downstairs, as ordered by Mr. Dursley.
As he crossed through the living room on his way to the kitchen, he couldn't help but smirk as he saw his uncle and cousin watching TV, looking like two heaping piles of lard. Shaking his head, he lost his smirk. He didn't want his uncle to see him showing amusement in something. Walking into the kitchen, he saw his Aunt doing some paperwork at the diner table. Accounting maybe, but Harry would never ask.
"Aunt Petunia, what would you like me to make for dinner?"
His aunt didn't even bother looking at him as she said, "Dudley wanted something with chicken. I took out a package of chicken breasts earlier to thaw. You figure out the rest," she finished in a snappy tone.
Considering he would really rather be in his room relaxing than cooking after just getting home, Harry decided to make a simple marinated chicken dish with rice and a salad on the side. Although, his Aunt Petunia would be the only one to even touch the salad, as his uncle and cousin would never even consider touching a vegetable. Harry himself was only ever allowed to eat the scraps left over from the meal.
After finding all the things he would need to cook dinner, he began getting everything ready. After a few minutes of prep work, he started cooking the rice, as that would take the longest. Next, he threw the chicken in the oven and started cutting up various vegetables for the salad. Once he had finished with the salad, and was waiting for the chicken to finish cooking, Harry started to think about Sirius.
He had tried his best not to think about his Godfather while he had still been at Hogwarts. With everything else that had been going on in his life, he didn't need the added stress and sadness that went along with thinking about his dad's best friend. Yes, he had been ecstatic to hear about the man's existence, and even more so when he finally got the chance to meet him. But, it hurt knowing that they couldn't spend time together. Couldn't get to know one another; considering Sirius' current situation.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The loud, incessant beeping coming from the smoke detector shook Harry from his thoughts. Whipping his head to the oven, he saw smoke streaming out of it. As fast as he could manage, he turned off the stove, opened the oven door and with a hand towel, pulled the baking pan out and threw it in the sink. He turned the faucet on to cool the burnt chicken and baking pan. He was just about to open a window to air out the room when he heard heavy, thunderous footsteps making their way toward him.
As he turned around, his face paled and he noticed everything as if it were in slow motion. His aunt standing at the dinner table with her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl plastered on her face. His cousin, standing in the doorway to the living room, a big smirk on his face; probably excited for what was about to come Harry's way. His uncle, red faced, trembling and furious, stalking towards him.
Harry put his hands up in a placating manner as he shook his head and stuttered, "U-Uncle-" but wasn't able to finish his desperate plea for mercy.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, BOY!" his uncle said in a rage induced shout, now just a few feet away. Harry saw the large, meaty fist being raised. He saw as it started coming his way. Before he could react, he felt a huge force make contact with the side of his head, breaking his glasses, which cut his face in a few spots, and causing him to fall to the ground.
"Get up, you ungrateful piece of trash!" Vernon said as he grabbed Harry be the hair and started pulling him out of the kitchen, his broken glasses left behind along with quite a bit of blood spatter.
"You think you can go off on your freakish adventures, then have me drive for hours just to bring you back here where no one even wants you? Then, you have the nerve to ruin dinner for the whole family! I'll teach you the respect you're lacking, and I'll force that freakishness out of you if it's the last thing I do!" the morbidly obese man said as he dragged Harry up the stairs and shoved him down onto the floor of his bedroom.
Vernon slammed the door shut and started trudging over to the prone form of Harry. "If it weren't for that old freak, Dumble-whatever, paying us to keep you around, I probably would have gotten rid of you by now!" he said as he started kicking and punching Harry with no remorse. At this point, his uncle wasn't saying anything at all. He seemed to be content with giving Harry a beating that made last years seem like a slap on the wrist.
All Harry could hear for the next thirty minutes were the heavy breathing and grunts of his uncle, the sounds of bones breaking and all the other noises that went along with the devastating beating he was getting. The only other sounds he heard were the angry and frantic hoots of his beloved snow owl. He wouldn't cry, though. No matter how much he wanted to in this moment. No matter how much pain he was in. Years ago, he had promised himself that he would never again give his family the satisfaction of seeing tears in his eyes.
As Harry was kicked in the head with quite a bit of force, his vision began to lose focus. Finding it hard to breathe, and even more difficult to keep his now swollen eyes open, he felt himself starting to black out. The last thing he heard before he was rendered unconscious was a powerful, rage-filled shout: "STUPEFY!"
And there's chapter one of my new story for you! I really hope you enjoyed it. If not, let me know why! Like I said in the beginning author's notes, don't expect a chapter every day from me as I like to take my time thinking things through and editing to the best of my ability. With that being said, even if you know what you're looking for, it's still easy to sometimes miss a spelling or grammatical error. So, if you happen to spot one, shoot me a PM and I'll fix it!
Also, I rated this story as T so far. It will probably change in the future, but for now, I'll keep it at T. However, if any of you think this story should be rated M for the abuse scene, please let me know, and I'll change it immediately!
Thanks for reading, and see you in the next installment of Grey Skies Over the Horizon!
-Mystiirious
