House: Hufflepuff
Category: Short story
Prompt: "Normal [word]"
Word count: 908
Title: "Freak"
Warning(s): Abuse and slightly-creepy fans.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I am not JK Rowling, though I can see how you might confuse our names. "Spittingllama7856" and "Blue Rose" is just so close to "JK Rowling" isn't it?
~Blue Rose
"Freak!" Petunia screeched. She threw a frying pan at Harry.
Harry ducked against the flashes of the cameras, drawing his cloak up around him to hide his face. People were yelling at him.
"We love you!" a group of girls, no older than thirteen, yelled. Harry grimaced. It was disturbing to him to see girls as young as those declare their everlasting love for him.
"You should've died along with your rotten parents!" Vernon bellowed. He struck Harry across the face in a way that wouldn't leave any bruises but would hurt for hours.
"It's been three years since you defeated You-Know-Who! Do you have any comment on the speech Minister Shacklebolt made in your honor today?" a reporter screamed at him. He ignored her, even as she pushed a few people out of her way to get closer to him.
Harry pushed through the crowd, Ron on one side and another Auror on the other. They were offering stinging hexes to anyone that got too close. Ron learned a long time ago people get a little too enthusiastic in the presence of Harry.
Dudley slammed his foot into Harry's ribs, his face lit up with glee.
"Freak! Freak! Freak!" he chanted.
"Marry us, Harry!" a group of witches screamed off to Harry's right. He didn't look at them. It's not the first time he received a proposal, but coming from "us" it was a bit weird.
There was a series of blinding flashes, and Harry guessed that all the journalists got together to plan a stun-Harry-Potter-with-hundreds-of-cameras-going-off-at-once stunt. Harry staggered for a moment before righting himself.
Dudley pushed Harry into the wall, and Harry's head hit the wood with a crunch. He saw stars, but pushed himself off the wall and stumbled to his cupboard. Dudley didn't follow him.
Harry finally reached the Apparation point, and turned on the spot. He endured the familiar feeling of being shoved through a tight, rubber tube with his eyes clamped shut.
Harry closed his eyes as he felt Ripper's teeth sink into his leg. Marge was cackling, and Harry bit his lip to stop himself from crying out. Ripper shook his head back and forth, and Harry fell face-first onto the lawn. His eyes were still closed as he bit down hard enough to draw blood. He tasted sweat, blood and mud.
He opened his eyes and sighed in relief. Absolute silence answered him, and Harry gratefully sank into the chair in his office. He absently rubbed his scar, though it stopped hurting long ago.
"Bet you enjoyed that, didn't you, Potter?" Harry looked at Malfoy through the corner of his eye, who was leaning in Harry's doorway, looking far too smug for his own good. He knew Harry couldn't stand his fame and yet he said things like that simply to annoy him.
"'Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric? Is he your boyfriend?" Dudley asked. His gang jeered and laughed. The words hurt Harry more than they should've. His heart ached for the boy who died in the maze. For the boy he couldn't save.
"Please go away," Harry said lightly, turning to face Malfoy. His voice was strained. He had a headache and the desire to take a nice, long bath.
Surprisingly, Malfoy warily backed off from Harry and retreated to his own office just across the hall.
Harry sighed and conjured a mirror, wondering if there was something on his face that made Malfoy leave. He sighed again after he saw the long, bloody scratches on the left side of his face. He didn't even feel it happen. They were made by fingernails; his "adoring fans" somehow got past Ron. Again.
Harry was waiting on the platform, searching for Hermione while the Dursleys scowled and left. They wouldn't care if Harry got lost. In fact, they'd probably be grateful. If Harry considered it, he would be glad to be lost.
"Harry!" Hermione called just as Harry spotted her. She ran up to him with open arms and Harry gladly hugged her back. He managed to only wince slightly because of his injuries.
Hermione pulled back and beamed at Harry. She opened her mouth to no doubt greet him when she frowned.
"Harry, are those bruises on your neck?" she asked worriedly. Harry's hand shot up to adjust his shirt to hide them.
"No," he said, and blushed while he did. Hermione blushed too. She must've thought Harry had been with someone over the summer, then. As long as she didn't know the truth, that was fine with Harry.
Harry pulled out his wand and cast a few healing charms on his face, then wiped the blood off his cheek with his sleeve. Good as new.
Harry heard a crack and then Ron was beside him, breathless and pushing his hair aside.
"Blimey, you'd think they'd be over you by now," he wheezed. Harry gave a grim sort of smile.
"I wish they were," he said honestly. Ron nodded along, then gave him a grin that had Harry smiling along.
"It'll get back to normal soon."
"Freak!" Petunia bellowed and raised her hand to slap Harry.
"Marry me!" the woman in pink robes yelled and reached out towards Harry, trying to grab his hands.
"Yeah, Ron. Because my life has always been normal." Ron laughed, and Harry shook his head. Normal is not a word Harry would've used to describe his life. It never was, and probably never would be.