Disclaimer: Not mine
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all those who reviewed.
David 305: good advice. I'll bear it in mind.
Moo: sorry for the spelling mistake. Will use spell check next time as it upsets you.
Nacho man: thanx. Like the idea.
Runa R: oookay. Although you do have a point. I like being English.
Kateydidn't: Harry is only guessing about Voldemort getting visions, you may find out the truth l8er.
Abandoned chapter 6
The next morning Harry got up and went down to the common room to meet Ginny. He knew she was already there before he spotted her, sat by the fire reading her History of Magic textbook.
"Hi Gin." He went over and sat next to her. "Breakfast?"
"Ok." As they walked down to the great hall, Harry told her about his new power. Ginny got redder and redder.
"Can you feel what I'm feeling now?"
"Only if you want me to. I wouldn't just go digging around in your mind. I might accidentally feel things though."
"Good. I mean. You should know by now how I feel, I just would prefer it if you weren't constantly like, monitoring me."
"I'll try." Harry didn't want to tell her what he had felt that time in the corridor as he felt she was red enough already. The two of them sat down in the hall with the other Griffindors, and began breakfast.
The owl post came at its usual time, and there was a letter from Hagrid for Harry asking him to come for tea. Harry turned towards Hagrid who was sat at the teacher's table, caught his eye and nodded.
The first class was divination. Harry and Ron walked the long journey to the class and sat around the tables. Each table had four crystal balls on it. Harry, Ron, Dean and Neville were sat around the table at the back of the room nearest the window.
"Not this again.." Ron groaned.
Harry looked hard at the crystal ball. Nothing, just the normal foggy depths -hang on this wasn't normal, there was a strange shape in the crystal. He looked closer, excited.
"What is it Harry?" Neville asked noticing the look on Harry's face. Dean and Ron stared at him, as if expecting a huge revelation. Harry looked closer
"I see something" Professor Trelawney walked up behind him
"Concentrate hard boy." Her breath was hot on the back of his neck. He fidgeted, trying to ignore her.
"It's, It's.." the Snape was long, and wavy, almost like - he picked it up "A crack. Someone's dropped the stupid thing!" Professor Trelwaney backed of looking very irritated. Everyone around Harry's table snorted with laughter.
"Ooooh, harry! I predict that this wavy crack represents the turmoil of the future!"
"Nothing good could be shown by such a crooked line!" The teasing and giggling continued, the 'predictions' getting steadily more bizarre, for the rest of the class. Still, Ron seemed to be being friendly. That had to be a good thing.
History of magic and charms both passed without incident and soon the school day was finally over. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny (who demanded to come) went down to Hagrid's hut.
He opened the door startled. "Four of yeh? Ok well, you best come in" They went and sat around the table.
"Harry, I asked yeh here so I could say sorry. I know what happened with them Dursleys after I left. Professor Dumbledore is takin' you there tomorrow to get 'em to take yeh back"
"I don't want to go back! They threw me out not caring if I lived or died!"
"Dumbledore reckons it's still the best for ya and that they do care - summat like that anyway. He thinks he can reason with 'em. I tried to tell 'im but he wouldn't listen"
"Why hasn't he told me?"
"I said I would."
"Oh." Harry was fuming. Why were people always trying to decide things for him?
The five of them sat and drank the tea, swapping summer stories, before returning to the dormitories. The next day, Professor Dumbledore met Harry in the entrance hall and they travelled to Surrey.
The nearer Harry got to number four Privet Drive, the more he was taken by a sinking feeling. The Dursleys weren't going to take this well. Dumbledore and Harry were wearing muggle clothing. They knocked on the door.
The door was answered by none other than Aunt Marge.
"Hello."
"Aunt Marge. What are you doing here?" Harry was thrown by her being here. The Dursleys were going to flip when they found out that Harry had bought another wizard round during one of her visits. However, Aunt Marge was completely ignoring said Wizard and rounded instead, upon Harry.
"Insolent boy! Still haven't improved then. I always say, if a boy doesn't have good manners by the time he goes to high school, then he will be socially inept forever. Speaking of which, why aren't you there now? Vernon told me they lock you in there."
Harry was desperate to wear a huge insane grin and announce in his scariest voice "I escaped" but he didn't think this wise, especially with Dumbledore standing next to him. So instead he replied "This is my headmaster. He wants to talk to my aunt and uncle. Privately."
"Good morning Madam. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore. Are Harry's guardians at home?" At this moment Harry's 'guardian' came to the door.
"We don't want you're kind around here anymore."
"I need to talk to you about this."
"Marge. Please go to the high street and get something for us to have for dinner tonight."
"Vernon.."
"Please."
"Oh alright." Marge took her coat from the hook by the door and left. Harry and Dumbledore made their way into the kitchen.
Taking Harry completely by surprise, Dumbledore turned to Vernon and Petunia, who had been baking a cake in the kitchen.
"I have had enough of your despicable treatment of Harry. For years you've kept him down. Treated him with nothing short of cruelty and a complete lack of respect! I am disgusted. However, he needs to be with you for protection, as you well know. I wrote it in the letter to you when I left Harry here. You've been taking advantage of that ever since!! Now more than ever Harry needs your protection and you respond by throwing him out! I assure you that this is the most magically protected house in this country. You owe your protection to Harry. This summer he was lucky. Being away from here could have easily meant his death. It very nearly did!"
"You have no right to come barging into MY house telling me how I should and should not be treating this freak! You have no idea what he has been like all of these years. Things disappearing, changing colour, moving around! If we hadn't kept him in the cupboard he could have destroyed our house! Our neighbours could have found out!"
"Cupboard!? I knew from the Weasleys that you didn't give him enough food or decent clothes, but what's this about a cupboard?"
"They locked me in the cupboard under the stairs when I accidentally used magic as a child." Harry said as Vernon and Petunia seemed to have lost the power of speech. Harry was adding extra 'walls' to his mind to block out the hate.
"What?"
Vernon managed to say between gritted teeth "The boy had to be punished. He is not living here anymore and we will never protect him. Get out of my house. If that murderer comes around to find the boy, and you've made us keep him here, I will hand him over. I need to protect my own family."
"Harry is your own family!"
"No I'm not. Professor, I'd rather be in danger than stay here. Don't make me."
"Alright." Dumbledore sighed wearily. "We'll have to find a backup plan of some kind."
Professor Dumbledore gave a poisonous glare at the Dursleys and left the house. As Harry and Dumbledore marched down privet drive, Dumbledore waved his wand and the protection around number 4 vanished.
"Why didn't you tell me about the cupboard?"
"It's embarrassing. Hang on. You knew they didn't give me enough to eat and you still sent me there?"
"I didn't find that out until your second year, by which time it was definitely safer for you to miss a few meals than be attacked by Sirius Black, or later Voldemort. I should have checked on you when you were younger though. I'm sorry Harry"
The headmaster looked at his student fondly. He handed Harry the portkey, made a mental note to tell Arabella Figg that she could leave Privet drive and the two of them returned to Hogwarts.
A/N this chapters a bit shorter than I like than I like them to be. I'll try and update at the weekend. Busy, busy, busy.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all those who reviewed.
David 305: good advice. I'll bear it in mind.
Moo: sorry for the spelling mistake. Will use spell check next time as it upsets you.
Nacho man: thanx. Like the idea.
Runa R: oookay. Although you do have a point. I like being English.
Kateydidn't: Harry is only guessing about Voldemort getting visions, you may find out the truth l8er.
Abandoned chapter 6
The next morning Harry got up and went down to the common room to meet Ginny. He knew she was already there before he spotted her, sat by the fire reading her History of Magic textbook.
"Hi Gin." He went over and sat next to her. "Breakfast?"
"Ok." As they walked down to the great hall, Harry told her about his new power. Ginny got redder and redder.
"Can you feel what I'm feeling now?"
"Only if you want me to. I wouldn't just go digging around in your mind. I might accidentally feel things though."
"Good. I mean. You should know by now how I feel, I just would prefer it if you weren't constantly like, monitoring me."
"I'll try." Harry didn't want to tell her what he had felt that time in the corridor as he felt she was red enough already. The two of them sat down in the hall with the other Griffindors, and began breakfast.
The owl post came at its usual time, and there was a letter from Hagrid for Harry asking him to come for tea. Harry turned towards Hagrid who was sat at the teacher's table, caught his eye and nodded.
The first class was divination. Harry and Ron walked the long journey to the class and sat around the tables. Each table had four crystal balls on it. Harry, Ron, Dean and Neville were sat around the table at the back of the room nearest the window.
"Not this again.." Ron groaned.
Harry looked hard at the crystal ball. Nothing, just the normal foggy depths -hang on this wasn't normal, there was a strange shape in the crystal. He looked closer, excited.
"What is it Harry?" Neville asked noticing the look on Harry's face. Dean and Ron stared at him, as if expecting a huge revelation. Harry looked closer
"I see something" Professor Trelawney walked up behind him
"Concentrate hard boy." Her breath was hot on the back of his neck. He fidgeted, trying to ignore her.
"It's, It's.." the Snape was long, and wavy, almost like - he picked it up "A crack. Someone's dropped the stupid thing!" Professor Trelwaney backed of looking very irritated. Everyone around Harry's table snorted with laughter.
"Ooooh, harry! I predict that this wavy crack represents the turmoil of the future!"
"Nothing good could be shown by such a crooked line!" The teasing and giggling continued, the 'predictions' getting steadily more bizarre, for the rest of the class. Still, Ron seemed to be being friendly. That had to be a good thing.
History of magic and charms both passed without incident and soon the school day was finally over. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny (who demanded to come) went down to Hagrid's hut.
He opened the door startled. "Four of yeh? Ok well, you best come in" They went and sat around the table.
"Harry, I asked yeh here so I could say sorry. I know what happened with them Dursleys after I left. Professor Dumbledore is takin' you there tomorrow to get 'em to take yeh back"
"I don't want to go back! They threw me out not caring if I lived or died!"
"Dumbledore reckons it's still the best for ya and that they do care - summat like that anyway. He thinks he can reason with 'em. I tried to tell 'im but he wouldn't listen"
"Why hasn't he told me?"
"I said I would."
"Oh." Harry was fuming. Why were people always trying to decide things for him?
The five of them sat and drank the tea, swapping summer stories, before returning to the dormitories. The next day, Professor Dumbledore met Harry in the entrance hall and they travelled to Surrey.
The nearer Harry got to number four Privet Drive, the more he was taken by a sinking feeling. The Dursleys weren't going to take this well. Dumbledore and Harry were wearing muggle clothing. They knocked on the door.
The door was answered by none other than Aunt Marge.
"Hello."
"Aunt Marge. What are you doing here?" Harry was thrown by her being here. The Dursleys were going to flip when they found out that Harry had bought another wizard round during one of her visits. However, Aunt Marge was completely ignoring said Wizard and rounded instead, upon Harry.
"Insolent boy! Still haven't improved then. I always say, if a boy doesn't have good manners by the time he goes to high school, then he will be socially inept forever. Speaking of which, why aren't you there now? Vernon told me they lock you in there."
Harry was desperate to wear a huge insane grin and announce in his scariest voice "I escaped" but he didn't think this wise, especially with Dumbledore standing next to him. So instead he replied "This is my headmaster. He wants to talk to my aunt and uncle. Privately."
"Good morning Madam. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore. Are Harry's guardians at home?" At this moment Harry's 'guardian' came to the door.
"We don't want you're kind around here anymore."
"I need to talk to you about this."
"Marge. Please go to the high street and get something for us to have for dinner tonight."
"Vernon.."
"Please."
"Oh alright." Marge took her coat from the hook by the door and left. Harry and Dumbledore made their way into the kitchen.
Taking Harry completely by surprise, Dumbledore turned to Vernon and Petunia, who had been baking a cake in the kitchen.
"I have had enough of your despicable treatment of Harry. For years you've kept him down. Treated him with nothing short of cruelty and a complete lack of respect! I am disgusted. However, he needs to be with you for protection, as you well know. I wrote it in the letter to you when I left Harry here. You've been taking advantage of that ever since!! Now more than ever Harry needs your protection and you respond by throwing him out! I assure you that this is the most magically protected house in this country. You owe your protection to Harry. This summer he was lucky. Being away from here could have easily meant his death. It very nearly did!"
"You have no right to come barging into MY house telling me how I should and should not be treating this freak! You have no idea what he has been like all of these years. Things disappearing, changing colour, moving around! If we hadn't kept him in the cupboard he could have destroyed our house! Our neighbours could have found out!"
"Cupboard!? I knew from the Weasleys that you didn't give him enough food or decent clothes, but what's this about a cupboard?"
"They locked me in the cupboard under the stairs when I accidentally used magic as a child." Harry said as Vernon and Petunia seemed to have lost the power of speech. Harry was adding extra 'walls' to his mind to block out the hate.
"What?"
Vernon managed to say between gritted teeth "The boy had to be punished. He is not living here anymore and we will never protect him. Get out of my house. If that murderer comes around to find the boy, and you've made us keep him here, I will hand him over. I need to protect my own family."
"Harry is your own family!"
"No I'm not. Professor, I'd rather be in danger than stay here. Don't make me."
"Alright." Dumbledore sighed wearily. "We'll have to find a backup plan of some kind."
Professor Dumbledore gave a poisonous glare at the Dursleys and left the house. As Harry and Dumbledore marched down privet drive, Dumbledore waved his wand and the protection around number 4 vanished.
"Why didn't you tell me about the cupboard?"
"It's embarrassing. Hang on. You knew they didn't give me enough to eat and you still sent me there?"
"I didn't find that out until your second year, by which time it was definitely safer for you to miss a few meals than be attacked by Sirius Black, or later Voldemort. I should have checked on you when you were younger though. I'm sorry Harry"
The headmaster looked at his student fondly. He handed Harry the portkey, made a mental note to tell Arabella Figg that she could leave Privet drive and the two of them returned to Hogwarts.
A/N this chapters a bit shorter than I like than I like them to be. I'll try and update at the weekend. Busy, busy, busy.