Part Two: Like Magic



Harry lay on the grassy slope and stared up at the clouds. He was watching the birds play tag and was imagining himself among them, darting in and out on his Firebolt. The ground beneath him was warm and dry and he was relaxed for the first time since returning home. Thoughts of the Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort, and Cedric Diggory were far away as he lost himself in the deep blue summer sky. He sighed contentedly and mentally chased down a larger bird that had come to spoil the smaller birds' game. He zoomed toward it on the Firebolt and sent it flying off in terror. "I wish it was that simple," Harry thought. "If only the real bullies in the world would be so easily frightened off, then I could have a real home with Sirius and we could all just get on with our lives." He felt the despair that had plagued him since Cedric's death creep back into him. He sighed again, turned over and rested his head on his arms. He closed his eyes and felt the grass tickle his chin and wondered what Ron and Hermione were doing now. Hermione was probably in Bulgaria visiting Viktor Krum and Ron was very likely not happy about that. Harry frowned as he pondered the change that had come over Ron this past year. He certainly was acting awfully possessive of Hermione and it was beginning to affect their close friendship. "I guess it would've happened to one of us sooner or later," Harry admitted to himself. "I just never saw it happening to the two of them." Thoughts of a relationship between his two best friends brought Cho Chang to Harry's mind. He pictured her face and wondered if he would ever have a chance with her.



Harry's musings were interrupted when familiar voices carried up to him from the other side of the hill. He crept up to the top, peered over and groaned aloud. Dudley and two of his Smeltings cronies were coming his way and he had no desire to run into them. He turned over and rolled down the hill, wishing, not for the first time, that he had his invisibility cloak with him. He scrambled onto his hands and knees at the bottom and stood up. Harry looked around for the best escape route and decided a straight sprint across the field to the woods on the other side was the best option. After all, he could certainly outrun Dudley and he was pretty sure he could outrun Dudley's friends. He spared a glance back at the top of the hill and saw the top of Dudley's head above the crest. He decided now was as good a time as any to start so he sprinted onto the field, hoping they were distracted enough in their conversation to overlook him. A shout from Dudley drove any such thoughts from his head and he increased his speed.



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"You promised us a go with the knife, Dudley. I want my turn," Reginald complained loudly.



"I told you. It's time to go home. My mum will have dinner on soon and then I can watch t.v.."

Dudley was tired of hearing his friends carp about the knife and decided to take his prize home. He had no intention of sharing it with them, and so he made up an excuse to get away.



"What about tomorrow?" Milton demanded. "You did promise and a Smeltings boy never goes back on a promise. It's part of the creed, remember?"



"I'm going to be busy tomorrow. Besides, I didn't go back on my promise . . . " Dudley was saved from trying to justify himself by Reginald's elbow in his ribs.



"Say, isn't that your nasty cousin Henry?" he asked, pointing out Harry's retreating form.





Dudley squinted at the running figure. "Hey, it is Harry. Hey! Stop!" he yelled. "I've got something for you!" Dudley turned to the two boys beside him. "You want to have some fun?" he asked wickedly. Reginald and Milton smiled nastily and nodded. "Let's get him!" Dudley yelled, and the three propelled themselves down the hill. "Whoever gets him, gets a go with the knife before we go home!" Dudley panted. The cousins needed no further urging to pick up their pace and within seconds had almost caught up with the fleeing boy.



Harry glanced behind him and saw that Dudley's friends were gaining on him. He'd no doubt in his mind what would happen if they caught him. It was a first class pummeling to be sure. Not wanting to be beaten up this particular day, Harry ran faster, but it wasn't enough. Milton, seeing Harry was speeding up, launched himself into the air and tackled the smaller boy. Harry hit the ground with a loud thud and enough force to knock the wind out of him. He lay there gasping for breath as a wheezing Dudley caught up and stood over him, sweat dripping off his large forehead onto Harry's shirt.



Dudley smiled. "Caught you, Harry. Now why did you run off? We only wanted to have some fun." An unpleasant laugh erupted from his fat mouth and Harry swallowed nervously. He would stay silent until he found out what Dudley was up to, and by then, hopefully, he'd have figured out an escape. Dudley ordered Reginald and Milton to pick Harry up and follow him, so he was roughly hauled to his feet and dragged unwillingly toward the small wooded area ahead.



"Why are we going in there?" asked Milton.



"So no one sees us, idiot," replied Reginald. He turned to Dudley for support. "Isn't that right, Dudley?"



Dudley turned his piggy eyes on Reginald. "That's right, Reggie. Besides, I want to show Harry my new trick." Dudley caressed the knife through the cloth covering. "Don't you think he'd like to see some target practice?" Something in Dudley's voice warned Harry that this wasn't to be a typical session of 'what do we do to Harry'. A chill ran down his spine and he struggled to break free. Dudley halted long enough to punch Harry in the stomach before continuing on. Dudley's huge fist connected with Harry's diaphragm Harry felt the air rush out of his lungs. His knees caved under him and his head swam as he tried vainly to pull breath back into his body. Reginald and Milton sniggered evilly at his plight and tightened their grip on his arms. Harry was dully aware of their fingers digging cruelly into his flesh and his muscles ached from the pressure.



"Right here," Dudley announced when they were a suitable distance from the field. He pointed to a large tree at the end of a small clearing. "Hold him," he ordered. Reginald and Milton hauled Harry over to the tree and pinned his back against it. They stretched his arms out and stood slightly behind him. Harry was helpless to move or even struggle. His arms were rotated back far enough that he couldn't pull forward and the tree behind him prevented any movement backward. He looked silently at Dudley.



"Well, well, well. It looks like I've finally caught you, Harry." Dudley's gloating voice echoed among the trees. "How does it feel to be the one who's helpless while someone else laughs." On cue, the three boys burst into gales of mocking laughter. Harry shuddered, his eyes never leaving Dudley's face. Dudley's lips curled into a mock smile. "Do you remember when you laughed at me last year? When your friends made my tongue swell? Do you remember when that horrible beast of a man gave me a pig's tail? Do you remember when you let the snake loose and when you inflated Aunt Marge?" Dudley had crept closer and closer with each question. He stood very close to Harry now. Suddenly, he yelled. "DO YOU? ANSWER ME, YOU FREAK!"



Milton and Reginald stopped laughing. They looked at Dudley suspiciously. "What are you going on about, Dudley?" ventured Reginald hesitantly. Dudley turned a vicious gaze on the smaller boy. "Do you want in on this or not?" he snarled. Reginald recoiled in fear. He wasn't so sure about this anymore but Dudley, at this moment, frightened him, so he just nodded. Dudley switched his gaze to Milton. "And you?" he asked quietly. Milton just stared. Dudley laughed again and backed away. "Now, Harry, aren't you curious as to what this new trick I've mentioned might be? Well, just so happens I've been given a new toy, and I've been practicing with it all afternoon. I'm quite good at it, really. I've not missed a target yet." Dudley's hand caressed the cloth-covered knife while he talked. When he saw that Harry's attention was on the object in his hands, he slowly removed the covering, exposing the shining blade.



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"Dudley, you can't be serious," Harry whispered. "You can't possibly think you can get away with this."



Dudley shook his head. "I don't know what you mean," he said innocently. "I'm only going to show you how well I throw. Isn't that right, Reggie? Milton?"



"You are just going to scare him, aren't you Dudley?" squeaked Milton. "I mean, you aren't really going to, you know, stab him, are you?"



"Of course he's only going to scare him. Dudley wouldn't actually aim at him. Would you?" Reginald tried to make his shaking voice sound confident. Dudley didn't reply. He gave the blade a final swipe with the cloth and balanced the blade in his palm. "Let's see how close I can get." He winked at Reginald and smiled. Reginald smiled back, convinced that Dudley would only come close to Harry. After all, he'd demonstrated his remarkable prowess earlier and Reginald felt certain that Dudley's aim was true. He nodded reassuringly to Milton and pulled tighter on Harry's arm. Milton did the same, both boys wanting to make sure that Harry didn't accidently move into the knife's path.



Dudley hefted the knife a final time to test its weight and pulled his hand back. He aimed for the space above Harry's head and let the dagger fly.