The Unexpected.
By Em.
Disclaimer: I am not the owner of any of the characters or of any of the places. As many fanfic authors say, I am just taking them all for a spin. The characters and their personalities as well as many other things I've mentioned were made up by the renowned JKR. Whom I'm sure you're all familiar with.
Authors note: I have never shown my work to anyone other than close friends and family, therefore the feedback I have gained has been limited. I have submitted this cause I feel guilty reading numerous fanfics and not giving anything back. This isn't my usual style, but I've tried to write like JKR (not 100% successfully, but I've tried). I welcome constructive criticism and although I might feel a little hurt I don't mind flames, it's your opinion and you're entitled to it. Seeing as I have no beta reader and because I borrowed the books and have no references, please point out anything that's wrong. Last and by no means least I'd like to point out that I wasn't cruel by leaving you all on a cliff hanger (but it will be getting interesting) and yes I've gone for the traditional Harry potter beginning…Oh and I'd just like to say (I just keep going on don't I?) Sharte keep up the good work!
It was early in the morning at number four private drive and Harry was rushing around the room trying to find his second sock as Petunia Dursley screeched up the stairs for him to get dressed. Finding a green tatty sock of unknown origin under his bed, Harry shrugged and put it on-he'd been made to wear worse.
A few minutes later Harry was cooking breakfast as Vernon sat at the table reading the newspaper and smoking a cigar, which he thought, made him look successful.
"Dirty, dirty things." Petunia muttered under her breath as a large cloud of smoke flew at her face.
"What's that dear?" Vernon asked, she frowned, but had scarce time to answer before Dudley came waddling in, each of his rolls of fat quivering with every step he took. Harry grimaced before tipping all the contents of the pan onto the plate, which he handed to Dudley. The smeltings stick, which was Dudley's pride and joy, was firmly held in one of his fat hands ready to strike. Luckily Harry had only managed to be hit twice, because Dudley's weight meant that he couldn't run after Harry. 'Infact he can barely walk' Harry thought to himself and a small grin flickered briefly on his face. Vernon had noticed this and didn't want to miss any opportunity to make Harry's life hell.
"What is it boy?" He asked, one eyebrow arched.
"Nothing." Harry answered quickly trying not to smile as the thought struck him again. Uncle Vernon took another drag from his cigar and blew all the smoke in his nephew's face.
"There's no secrets in this house!" His voice on the verge of a yell. 'Not that you lied to me about my parents death and never told me that I, like my parents am a wizard.' He thought, but decided it was better not to voice his opinions.
"Yes uncle Vernon." Harry replied in monotone, as if he'd been saying those three words all his life (which he probably had). Harry put some more bacon and eggs on, because Petunia and Vernon hadn't had theirs yet. He looked at Dudley who had almost finished his first plateful. 'I think I'll put even more on' he thought. Dudley, who last year ate more than anyone Harry, had ever met managed, for some reason managed to eat even more this year. He ate so much that the Dursleys were having an even bigger fridge-freezer installed later that day so as to put all the food Dudley ate in it. The one they had now was big enough to fit Vernon in it. 'Maybe even Dudley will be able to fit in this one' Harry contemplated but realised that even a standard walk in freezer for cooking establishments would be a tight squeeze, especially seeing as in some instances Dudley had to walk through doorways sideways. He put the food in the middle of the table and by the time he sat down there was only a piece of bread and some burnt bacon left, which had been more than he got yesterday. He quickly ate his meagre breakfast and almost hurled when his Aunt began cooing at Dudley, because Nasty Harry hadn't cooked him enough breakfast. Vernon made to leave, but not before he shoved his red face right up against his nephews and gave him a lecture.
"Now listen to me boy." Harry had to use all his strength not to laugh at the bit of egg white attached to Vernon's moustache, which had a tendency to quiver with each word. "I'm going to work now. Your Aunt is in charge and if I hear from her that you didn't behave yourself and do all your chores you'll have me to answer to!" His face was gradually going purple and foamy spit was edging its way out of his mouth, he looked like he had rabies. "Now boy, the man is coming to install the fridge-freezer today. Stay out of his sight unless he wants you to get him something." 'How am I supposed to get him something if he cant even see me' Harry thought angrily 'I mean I'm not telepathic!' "Do I make myself clear!" He added and a few droplets of spit went flying out of his mouth, narrowly missing Harry, who grimaced.
"Yes Uncle Vernon." The monotone returned.
Soon afterwards Harry was sent outside by Petunia to do all the weeding. Silence had used to be a haven for him, because it meant that he wasn't being threatened or having abuse shouted at him. Gradually as the years at Hogwarts went by silence began to be a torment, it meant that he would ponder on all the things he'd been through and after his last encounter with Voldemort silence meant that he had to relive Cedrics death over and over again. Harry tried and tried to block the thoughts out and he only managed to get through the silence with concentrating hard on his chores. Two hours and the weed infested back garden was a lawn with lots of holes in it. Harry could swear that Vernon put Miracle Grow on the weeds a few weeks before his arrival. No sooner had he finished than his Aunt began screeching at him in her shrill voice, which reminded Harry of a Banshee, to do the front lawn.
Halfway through the job a van with the words 'Andyman' on the side pulled up just outside the house and a very largely built man stepped out of it. Harry turned to face him, still on his hands and knees.
"Hello." The man greeted him with a smile "Me names Andy, see." He pointed towards the van and Harry politely chuckled at the pun, even though he didn't find it funny at all. "Is this number four private drive?" He asked, but before Harry could answer Petunia Dursley was standing in the doorway calling out in her high-pitched voice.
"Harry get back to work!" her eyes darted towards the van and then back to Andy.
"Mr Smith, would you like to follow me into the kitchen." With that she disappeared inside. The man had a puzzled look on his face.
"Is your mum always like that?" He asked. Harry didn't like Petunia to be thought of as his Aunt, let alone as him mum and didn't want anyone to think he was her child.
"My Mum? No she's my Aunt, but yes, she always treats me like that." The man looked at him for a moment before hurrying after Petunia. The sun was at its zenith before Harry had finished all of the weeding. The front lawn had taken him longer due to the fact that he was hot, exhausted and aching all over. The ice-cream van that stopped outside next doors house for fifteen minutes didn't help. Especially when Dudley came waddling out to get a 'Double 99'.
After tipping the remnants of the weeds out of the old and battered bucket, into the dustbin and putting the tools into the shed, Harry went inside to get a glass of water. He'd just had his first mouthful when his Aunt came rushing in.
"What did your uncle say about getting out of the mans sight!" She shrieked so shrilly that it reminded Harry of nails being scraped across a blackboard. This startled Andy so much that he jumped and hit his head, but Harry was used to this and barely flinched.
"I was just getting myself a glass of water." Harry answered back; Vernon was going to kill him anyway.
"Me, Me, Me, Me, ME!" She screamed, but remembering that they had company regained her self-control. "Your Uncle said for you to make yourself scarce, Mr Smith doesn't want greedy little boys getting in his way." Dudley was sniggering from the doorway and appeared to have another ice cream in his hand. Harry was about to answer back, but before he could she cut him off. "Now do not enter this kitchen unless our visitor wants you to get him something. Now go and clean the windows, once you've done that you can go and tidy and sweep the garage." He paused for a moment, "Well!" she said impatiently with her arms crossed.
Harry wasn't exhausted; he was completely exhausted. He'd finished all of the upstairs windows and was halfway through doing the downstairs. In each window he cleaned Dudley greeted him by pulling faces and sitting lazily in front of an electric fan eating ice lollies, which just rubbed all of Harry's discomfort in his face. The next window was the kitchen one. Petunia would probably tell him off for being seen by Andy, but how was he supposed to clean this window without being seen; their whole purpose is for seeing through them.
After thinking of a few plans, which mainly involved a wet rag on the end of a stick, Harry decided to just go through with it. Frowning he walked up to the window and began to clean. Halfway through rubbing the glass dry Andy appeared and opened the window. 'Great' he thought, 'now I'm not just going to be killed by Vernon, I'm going to be tortured and then killed by Vernon.'
"Hello Mr Smith." He said nervously, his eyes darting to the doorway to see if Petunia or Dudley were standing there. 'No doubt if Dudley has seen he's gone to tell his mummy.' He thought bitterly.
"Andy, please." This helped Harry relax a little, but the tension was still there. "So why are you staying with your Aunt and Uncle this summer, surely your parents wouldn't leave you here if they knew the way they treated you." A wave of pain and sadness washed over harry and not until the man was asking him if he was alright, did he realise that he'd been staring into thin air for a few minutes.
"Yes, I'm fine, its just that my parents died when I was very young, which means that I have to live with the Dursleys." He finished and looked down.
"I'm sorry." Andy's voice was full of concern and guilt.
"You don't have to be." Harry replied and looked up. The mans eyes were studying his face and abruptly stopped when they reached his scar. "What did you do to get that?" He asked more cheerfully and pointed at Harry's forehead. "Fall out of a tree?" Harry didn't know what to say. He didn't want to lie to the man, but couldn't tell him that he got it when the powerful Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, just like his parents.
"In a car crash." He cringed at the lie, but the man took it as if he cringed about his parent's death and pressed the subject no further. A sparkle of understanding in his eyes. Suddenly Harry saw Aunt Petunia in the doorway "Is there anything you want?" He enquired hastily, a pleading look in his eyes. After a moments pause Andy caught on and asked him to go and get his Aunt.
"No need." She snapped, "Harry get back to work!" With that she slammed the window shut. He continued to dry the window and looked at Andy, who was scratching his head and trying to improvise. He then smiled and got back to work.
It was dark when Harry had finished. Andy had gone ages ago, but was apparently coming back the next day to finish the job.
"Ruddy handymen, never finishing the job in time." Uncle Vernon muttered under his breath as Harry came in from the Garage. "You!" He yelled as he looked up from his tea. "What did I say before I went out." But before he could answer his Uncle he was cut off by another outburst of rage. "I told you not to disobey your Aunt and not to go near the man." The now very frequently seen shade of purple painted itself upon Vernon's face. "Now go upstairs without another word, or you'll be sorry." Harry paused, deciding what to do.
"No I will not. I've been up against worse things that you. I was only getting a glass of water, the man didn't even know I was there." He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the yelled response. Instead there was a stunned silence; he opened his eyes and whack. Vernon punched him in the eye.
"Get upstairs now, you'll be lucky if you get to come down after a week." Not one sound escaped Harry's lips, he didn't contort his face or cry he just went upstairs completely stunned.
Aunt Petunia looked at Harry in horror, an expression of surprise on her face at her husband's actions and Harry's reaction, or more lack of reaction. Dudley, who normally used him as a punch bag mirrored his mother exactly. "Ruddy cheek" Vernon muttered under his breath. With that the three of them ate their meal in silence.
Harry didn't go straight to his room; instead he went to the bathroom. Drinking water from the running tap and occasionally splashing his already swollen eye, he sighed. One week until he'd be at Hogwarts again and only two more summers after this one and he'd be free. He looked into the mirror. The swollen skin was turning an interesting shade of purple, very similar to the frequently seen shade on his Uncles face. Harry smiled, but quickly stopped as it hurt.
The next day, when his Uncle had gone off to work, Aunt Petunia unlocked his bedroom door (it had been bolted shut by Vernon, just before he went to bed) and came in.
"Harry!" Her shrill voice echoed off of the walls. "I've got chores for you to do." He sat up still half asleep and turned to face her. "I want the whole house cleaned before lunch." With that she left.
He was halfway through mopping the kitchen floor and wondering why Dumbledore had refused to allow him to stay at the Weasly's, even though it was really obvious, when Andy entered. 'What am I going to say when he sees the colossal bruise over my eye?' Harry thought, a pang of worry momentarily engulfing him.
"Hello Harry." Andy grinned cheerfully, but it faded when he saw the swollen and bruised mess of an eye. "How'd that happen?" He asked.
"Oh, you know." Harry paused, frantically searching his mind of what to say. Andy looked really worried and the last thing he wanted to do was get him entangled in the mess he called his life. "I walked into a door." A half smile briefly playing on his lips to make him sound more genuine. It worked as Andy let out a deep sigh and got back to work. Harry followed suit.
That evening, when he heard Vernon's car pull up on the drive Harry grabbed a roll and ran up to his room. He decided to write a letter informing Dumbledore that he was going to travel to London the day before school to get his supplies and sleep at the 'Leaky cauldron' before setting off to platform 9¾ and catching the Hogwarts express. He daren't inform Sirius, cause he knew he'd have a fit. Ever since Voldemort's return everyone was worried about him. Only a few people knew about what exactly happened and Harry was sure he didn't want Hermione and Ron to know, they'd already been giving him concerned looks and although Harry wanted to be sheltered he knew he couldn't let himself be. He had to be brave; everyone was counting on him. He wrote a similar letters to Ron and Hermione asking them to meet him there. Or should I say The Ron and Hermione, as they became a couple during the holidays.
The last week went by fast and Harry's ugly swollen bruise deflated and began to look like a slightly ugly bruise. He caught the night bus down to Diagon ally and got all his supplies. The trip was like every other year, except the list was longer.
Much to Dumbledore and Sirius' complaints (Dumbledore had told Sirius) he stayed the night at the 'Leaky cauldron' just like he said he would. Hermione and all the Weasly's stayed too, most likely to make sure he was okay. The only thing that annoyed him was that they kept sizing him up and treating him like a glass vase that was about to break. He guessed that Dumbledore just told them that last year was a devastating experience for him.
Before he knew it, he, Harry was on the train to Hogwarts and about to embark on another year of adventure, unlike anyone could have expected.