Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do however own Hedwig. Ok, I admit
it, she's only stuffed and can't really fly and she's not really mine, but
I can pretend right?
It was two weeks before Harry was let out of the cupboard. Two long weeks of sitting in the dark, in a small cramped space, all alone with nothing but memories to keep him company. When Harry was finally let out again, he was a good deal thinner, and very pale. He also had dark circles under his eyes and for once, they weren't from Dudley.
Harry just couldn't sleep after his nightmares. He was terrified to even try to sleep. He was having nightmares every few nights, and even when he didn't have them, he didn't get much sleep for fear of them. The only thing Harry had to be thankful for, was that the cupboard was far enough away from the Dursley's rooms for them not to wake when Harry awoke screaming from his nightmares.
Uncle Vernon glared at Harry as he unlocked the cupboard door and snarled for him to start their breakfast. Harry hurried into the kitchen, limping as he went. He sighed in relief as he was once again able to straighten out his legs. At Harry's current height of 5'7", it was impossible to stretch your legs inside the cupboard, whether you were sitting or standing (and you really couldn't stand at all).
Vernon glared at the back of Harry's head as he followed the boy into the kitchen. He wasn't pleased about even seeing the boy, but the fact that Harry was now only a few inches shorter than him was irritating. There was, however, not much that could be done about that short of chopping off the boy's feet. There was also the issue of the back fence. It needed painting, and the boy might as well start earning his keep, rather than lying about doing nothing.
Harry placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of each of the Dursley's and then hopefully reached for some bread to make himself some toast. Vernon stopped that idea in a hurry though. "Don't even think about it!" Uncle Vernon snapped at him. "Not until you've painted that back fence and weeded the gardens."
Harry sighed as he headed outside to fetch the paint. He might as well get that out of the way first. He hated painting, he really did. Whenever there was something to be painted, it was always Harry that had to do it. No else liked to paint either. Harry grimaced as he opened the can of paint and dipped his brush into it. "Ugh! Now I'll smell like paint all day!" he muttered to himself as he began painting the fence. Luckily the Dursley's had a small yard, and therefore a small fence, just like everyone else on the block.
As Harry finished up painting the fence and put the clean brush away, he noticed a dove flying past overhead, and couldn't help but wish that Hedwig could have stayed with him. He now had no way of contacting anyone inside the Wizarding world. As much as he wished for Hedwig and her company, Harry couldn't help but think that she was much safer and better off than he was at the Weasley's house. Suddenly Harry's stomach did a flip-flop. What if someone sent an owl to him? He sure hoped that Ron would tell everyone not to send him any owl post this summer. He dreaded to think what his uncle would do after he had set his no owl rule and all.
Harry sighed and realizing that there was absolutely nothing he could do about the situation, turned and started to weed the garden. He couldn't help but notice the many petunias in the garden and gave a weak smile as he saw not a single lily of any kind in site. And lots of roses, Harry amended as he pricked his finger on a particularly vicious thorn. Now he realized why his aunt didn't want to weed her precious garden herself. Heaven forbid she should prick her finger on a thorn! Although a cursed spinning wheel would be nice.
Harry finished up the garden and put the clean tools away in the shed. Then he walked inside and washed up, all the while praying he wasn't too late for lunch. As he walked into the kitchen he saw Petunia and Dudley just sitting down to lunch, Uncle Vernon being long gone to Grunnings. He saw a third plate set for himself with a thin salami sandwich on it. As he glanced over at Dudley's plate he saw only one sandwich there as well, but this one was thick and likely as filling as about three large sandwiches. Harry surmised by this that Dudley was still on his diet, although he didn't look to have lost much weight at all.
As Harry finished devouring his small sandwich, Aunt Petunia said, "Now, this afternoon you must mow the lawn, and be sure to trim the edges! After that, I want you to come and sweep and kitchen floor, do the dishes, and wash all the windows." As Harry just stared at her wondereing how he was to get all that done in just a few hours before dinner, she added, "And make sure you tidy up the dining room for supper too, but I need everything else done before you start on that."
Harry trudged back outside to get the lawnmower. He knew he had to do that first because he had to get it done before it got too dark too see. As Harry mowed the lawn, he wondered what else the Dursley's had up their sleeve. Before this he had mowed the lawn and other such tiresome chores, but they had never trusted him to clean the house. That Aunt Petunia had always done herself. Now it looked like they were aiming to keep him busy and out of the way all day so they wouldn't have to see him. That was fine with him, as long as all the work didn't kill him, figuratively speaking, he hoped.
* * * * * * * *
As Harry was frantically cleaning the dining room, Uncle Vernon came home grinning from ear to ear and mumbling something about work, newspapers, and brilliant ideas as he passed the door to the dining room. Harry almost stopped polishing the dining room table to go and see what his uncle was so happy about, but thought the better of it, and kept polishing. It was a good thing he did too, because two seconds later, Aunt Petunia came in demanding, "Aren't you finished with that yet!?! I have to set the table. Hurry up or you won't get any supper at all!" Harry gave her a quick glance and hurriedly finished with the table before she could make any other threats.
Harry took his polish and other cleaning supplies and silently went to put them away and wash his hands. As he came back into the dining room where the Dursley's had already started eating, he saw that Uncle Vernon was still grinning insanely. As Harry sat down and helped himself to a small helping of mashed potatoes, Vernon looked at him and somehow managed to grin even more. Harry started to get very nervous. Whenever his uncle gets happy and it has something to do with him, it usually involves something very unpleasant on Harry's part.
Just as Harry started to get really nervous, his uncle started talking, "Tomorrow you're going to start earning that food you're eating."
Harry just gave him a blank look, thinking, 'What about these chores I've been doing? Isn't that earning my keep? I couldn't possibly do anything more in a day!''
Just then, Uncle Vernon continued, "I've gotten you a job delivering papers. You just go down to the office, get the papers, and deliver them all by six each morning. Nothing too complicated for you I hope?" he added with a sneer.
"No Uncle Vernon," Harry replied. He was barely managing to suppress a grin. He would be able to get out of the house everyday, at least for a little while. Even as Uncle Vernon was explaining how to get to the office, Harry's mind was whirling. If only he could come up with an excuse to stay away from the house all day.
Just as Harry thought that, Harry caught something that his uncle had said. "And after that, you'll go down to that burger joint that's two blocks away on Fox Street. You're going to work there. You'll have to go see about your hours, but they assured me that you'll be away all day," Uncle Vernon said. Harry could have jumped up and down for joy, but somehow managed to restrain himself. He once again tuned Uncle Vernon out, and went back to his own thoughts. '
Maybe this summer won't be quite so bad after all,' Harry thought. 'I won't see them all day and I-' Uncle Vernon interrupted Harry's thoughts with a slap across the face. "You will listen to me when I am talking to you! I refuse to repeat myself to the likes of you. You will be home every night for dinner so you can do your chores afterwords. Or else." As he was saying this, Uncle Vernon had dragged Harry off his chair and through the house to his cupboard. Harry was shoved into it and the door was shut and locked on those last two words.
Harry inwardly cursed himself for his stupidity. At least before he was out of the cupboard. He had had things to do to keep busy. He could just think about doing it as best he could and pretend that this last year had never happened. At night he was too tired to dream anything. Now he was in here again. He hoped it was just for tonight. Uncle Vernon had to let him out so he could go to his new jobs, right?
Harry shivered as he tried to stretch out and couldn't. He didn't like being in confining places. Not since....last year. It reminded him too much of being tied up and unable to move or escape or do anything at all to save himself. Or people like Cedric. As Harry thought of Cedric it all came back and swallowed him up in the memories again. All he could remember or think of was what happened. Harry shivered as he relived those events again. As if caught in some awful movie, he was forced to see them over and over.
A/N: Hello all, sorry for the wait. I've decided to post shorter chapters, and therefore more often. The question that I'd really like an answer for is this: Do you think I should rewrite the first chapter? I seem to have problems with first chapters, they're never much good. And sorry for the lack of any real things happening here. And I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews, especially Kelly who seems to have reviewed twice. Wow! I never hoped to get that many for such an awful chapter. Please keep the constructive criticism coming, it really does help. Thanks all!
It was two weeks before Harry was let out of the cupboard. Two long weeks of sitting in the dark, in a small cramped space, all alone with nothing but memories to keep him company. When Harry was finally let out again, he was a good deal thinner, and very pale. He also had dark circles under his eyes and for once, they weren't from Dudley.
Harry just couldn't sleep after his nightmares. He was terrified to even try to sleep. He was having nightmares every few nights, and even when he didn't have them, he didn't get much sleep for fear of them. The only thing Harry had to be thankful for, was that the cupboard was far enough away from the Dursley's rooms for them not to wake when Harry awoke screaming from his nightmares.
Uncle Vernon glared at Harry as he unlocked the cupboard door and snarled for him to start their breakfast. Harry hurried into the kitchen, limping as he went. He sighed in relief as he was once again able to straighten out his legs. At Harry's current height of 5'7", it was impossible to stretch your legs inside the cupboard, whether you were sitting or standing (and you really couldn't stand at all).
Vernon glared at the back of Harry's head as he followed the boy into the kitchen. He wasn't pleased about even seeing the boy, but the fact that Harry was now only a few inches shorter than him was irritating. There was, however, not much that could be done about that short of chopping off the boy's feet. There was also the issue of the back fence. It needed painting, and the boy might as well start earning his keep, rather than lying about doing nothing.
Harry placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of each of the Dursley's and then hopefully reached for some bread to make himself some toast. Vernon stopped that idea in a hurry though. "Don't even think about it!" Uncle Vernon snapped at him. "Not until you've painted that back fence and weeded the gardens."
Harry sighed as he headed outside to fetch the paint. He might as well get that out of the way first. He hated painting, he really did. Whenever there was something to be painted, it was always Harry that had to do it. No else liked to paint either. Harry grimaced as he opened the can of paint and dipped his brush into it. "Ugh! Now I'll smell like paint all day!" he muttered to himself as he began painting the fence. Luckily the Dursley's had a small yard, and therefore a small fence, just like everyone else on the block.
As Harry finished up painting the fence and put the clean brush away, he noticed a dove flying past overhead, and couldn't help but wish that Hedwig could have stayed with him. He now had no way of contacting anyone inside the Wizarding world. As much as he wished for Hedwig and her company, Harry couldn't help but think that she was much safer and better off than he was at the Weasley's house. Suddenly Harry's stomach did a flip-flop. What if someone sent an owl to him? He sure hoped that Ron would tell everyone not to send him any owl post this summer. He dreaded to think what his uncle would do after he had set his no owl rule and all.
Harry sighed and realizing that there was absolutely nothing he could do about the situation, turned and started to weed the garden. He couldn't help but notice the many petunias in the garden and gave a weak smile as he saw not a single lily of any kind in site. And lots of roses, Harry amended as he pricked his finger on a particularly vicious thorn. Now he realized why his aunt didn't want to weed her precious garden herself. Heaven forbid she should prick her finger on a thorn! Although a cursed spinning wheel would be nice.
Harry finished up the garden and put the clean tools away in the shed. Then he walked inside and washed up, all the while praying he wasn't too late for lunch. As he walked into the kitchen he saw Petunia and Dudley just sitting down to lunch, Uncle Vernon being long gone to Grunnings. He saw a third plate set for himself with a thin salami sandwich on it. As he glanced over at Dudley's plate he saw only one sandwich there as well, but this one was thick and likely as filling as about three large sandwiches. Harry surmised by this that Dudley was still on his diet, although he didn't look to have lost much weight at all.
As Harry finished devouring his small sandwich, Aunt Petunia said, "Now, this afternoon you must mow the lawn, and be sure to trim the edges! After that, I want you to come and sweep and kitchen floor, do the dishes, and wash all the windows." As Harry just stared at her wondereing how he was to get all that done in just a few hours before dinner, she added, "And make sure you tidy up the dining room for supper too, but I need everything else done before you start on that."
Harry trudged back outside to get the lawnmower. He knew he had to do that first because he had to get it done before it got too dark too see. As Harry mowed the lawn, he wondered what else the Dursley's had up their sleeve. Before this he had mowed the lawn and other such tiresome chores, but they had never trusted him to clean the house. That Aunt Petunia had always done herself. Now it looked like they were aiming to keep him busy and out of the way all day so they wouldn't have to see him. That was fine with him, as long as all the work didn't kill him, figuratively speaking, he hoped.
* * * * * * * *
As Harry was frantically cleaning the dining room, Uncle Vernon came home grinning from ear to ear and mumbling something about work, newspapers, and brilliant ideas as he passed the door to the dining room. Harry almost stopped polishing the dining room table to go and see what his uncle was so happy about, but thought the better of it, and kept polishing. It was a good thing he did too, because two seconds later, Aunt Petunia came in demanding, "Aren't you finished with that yet!?! I have to set the table. Hurry up or you won't get any supper at all!" Harry gave her a quick glance and hurriedly finished with the table before she could make any other threats.
Harry took his polish and other cleaning supplies and silently went to put them away and wash his hands. As he came back into the dining room where the Dursley's had already started eating, he saw that Uncle Vernon was still grinning insanely. As Harry sat down and helped himself to a small helping of mashed potatoes, Vernon looked at him and somehow managed to grin even more. Harry started to get very nervous. Whenever his uncle gets happy and it has something to do with him, it usually involves something very unpleasant on Harry's part.
Just as Harry started to get really nervous, his uncle started talking, "Tomorrow you're going to start earning that food you're eating."
Harry just gave him a blank look, thinking, 'What about these chores I've been doing? Isn't that earning my keep? I couldn't possibly do anything more in a day!''
Just then, Uncle Vernon continued, "I've gotten you a job delivering papers. You just go down to the office, get the papers, and deliver them all by six each morning. Nothing too complicated for you I hope?" he added with a sneer.
"No Uncle Vernon," Harry replied. He was barely managing to suppress a grin. He would be able to get out of the house everyday, at least for a little while. Even as Uncle Vernon was explaining how to get to the office, Harry's mind was whirling. If only he could come up with an excuse to stay away from the house all day.
Just as Harry thought that, Harry caught something that his uncle had said. "And after that, you'll go down to that burger joint that's two blocks away on Fox Street. You're going to work there. You'll have to go see about your hours, but they assured me that you'll be away all day," Uncle Vernon said. Harry could have jumped up and down for joy, but somehow managed to restrain himself. He once again tuned Uncle Vernon out, and went back to his own thoughts. '
Maybe this summer won't be quite so bad after all,' Harry thought. 'I won't see them all day and I-' Uncle Vernon interrupted Harry's thoughts with a slap across the face. "You will listen to me when I am talking to you! I refuse to repeat myself to the likes of you. You will be home every night for dinner so you can do your chores afterwords. Or else." As he was saying this, Uncle Vernon had dragged Harry off his chair and through the house to his cupboard. Harry was shoved into it and the door was shut and locked on those last two words.
Harry inwardly cursed himself for his stupidity. At least before he was out of the cupboard. He had had things to do to keep busy. He could just think about doing it as best he could and pretend that this last year had never happened. At night he was too tired to dream anything. Now he was in here again. He hoped it was just for tonight. Uncle Vernon had to let him out so he could go to his new jobs, right?
Harry shivered as he tried to stretch out and couldn't. He didn't like being in confining places. Not since....last year. It reminded him too much of being tied up and unable to move or escape or do anything at all to save himself. Or people like Cedric. As Harry thought of Cedric it all came back and swallowed him up in the memories again. All he could remember or think of was what happened. Harry shivered as he relived those events again. As if caught in some awful movie, he was forced to see them over and over.
A/N: Hello all, sorry for the wait. I've decided to post shorter chapters, and therefore more often. The question that I'd really like an answer for is this: Do you think I should rewrite the first chapter? I seem to have problems with first chapters, they're never much good. And sorry for the lack of any real things happening here. And I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews, especially Kelly who seems to have reviewed twice. Wow! I never hoped to get that many for such an awful chapter. Please keep the constructive criticism coming, it really does help. Thanks all!