'Harry Potter' © 1997 to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, all rights reserved. Infringement of copyright acknowledged.
Oderint, dum metuant
Chapter Two
It was Monday morning at Privet Drive. It was early, and so the only people who were awake at this time were Harry, the milkman, the birds and Dudley's pet chinchilla. Dudley had been given the chinchilla as a present for getting 3Cs and 2 Ds in his GCSE results. Harry could hardly see what was special about his fat cousin only passing five of nine GCSEs, but then, his aunt and uncle awarded Dudley for whatever he did.
Glancing at the clock, he saw he only had four more hours until the taxi his uncle had ordered to take him to Kings cross station arrived. Uncle Vernon had not done this out of the goodness of his heart, oh no, Harry had to pay for the taxi out of his own money. His godfather, Sirius Black, had made sure that Harry had some Muggle money for the holidays.
Starting to perhaps feel a little nervous, after all it was his last year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he knew that his aunt and uncle would not want Harry at the home once he returned. Harry was now eighteen years old, and stood at around 6ft 1. He still was not sure what he could do with his 10 OWLS, Hermione had passed all fifteen of hers, and Ron had passed eleven.
It wasn't that Harry hadn't worked at his OWLS, it was more of a "he had been unconscious in the hospital wing" one day and therefore missing several important exams which he could not take at a later date. Dumbledore had tried to re-arrange the exams Harry had missed, but the Magical Education Committee would not have it.
Looking at the clock again, Harry wished that he were staying at the Weasley's house for the summer holidays. Again the Weasley's had tried to talk Dumbledore into letting him stay, and again they had been told that he was safest with his aunt and uncle.
He could not wait for his final year at Hogwarts, but also he did not want to leave. What was he to do once he left? He did not know much about the wizarding world, despite the fact he'd been part of it for almost seven years now, he was not quite sure on the job options available to him.
Harry sat reflecting on his life at Privet Drive, secretly he was very grateful for all his aunt and uncle had done for him, taking him in, feeding him, giving him clothes and shelter, but he doubted he could ever tell them that.
"Boy! If you want some breakfast, you'd better get down here pronto!" Came uncle Vernon's deep, booming voice. Harry sighed and got off his bed. It was just another day, apart from in just under 3 hours time, he, Harry Potter, was going to leave the Dursley's house for ever. His school trunk held all his personal possessions from his time at the Dursely's.
"About time, to boy." Uncle Vernon said as Harry sat down at the kitchen table.
"Morning." Harry replied.
There was quiet whilst he ate his breakfast.
Uncle Vernon cleared his throat, "Harry, your aunt and I were wondering if you are planning to come back this year from your freak school?"
"No, I'm not planning on coming back." Harry replied with a definite tone. "So you can give Dudley back his second bedroom."
"That wasn't the reason I asked, boy."
Harry was starting to get a strange feeling about this, could it possibly be that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were interested in what he planned for the future?
"Why then?" He saw Uncle Vernon's face turn red with barely controlled rage; 'don't ask questions' was the number one rule in the Dursely's house if you wanted a peaceful existence.
"Because we're going to move house." He knew it had been too good to be true.
"Oh."
"Are you all packed for that school of yours?"
"Yes."
"Dudley, go and help Harry with his trunk. We don't want to delay the taxi driver when he arrives. The estate agent is coming shortly after."
Vernon gave his enormous son a warning look, which sent him and Harry out of the room in silence to fetch the trunk down. Harry suspected that his uncle was making Dudley help him as a punishment for failing to get on any college or sixth form course. That didn't matter though, they were going to pay a private tutor to tutor Dudley through his A-Levels.
Two hours later, Harry was sitting in the back of the taxi on his way to Kings Cross station to catch the Hogwarts Express for one of the last times.