CHAPTER TWO

Life without Hogwarts

            "BOY GET YOUR LAZY BUTT UP!!", a shrill scream brought Harry suddenly up. He blinked his eyes blearily for a few seconds before he got oriented. He was on his bed, in his room in number four Privet Drive. After these few seconds needed to get his bearings, he stood up on shaky feet, the events of last night gone from his mind entirely. He felt a cold draft and looked back to see that his window was open. * How in the world did it get open*, he wondered to himself before shrugging and closing the window, he'd probably left it open last night, maybe he'd let Hedwig out and had forgotten to close it when she came back. He was about to rush downstairs to stop aunt Petunia's incessant shrilling that had woken him up when he saw a letter on the floor and some present wrapping on the floor.

            He picked up the letter, curious to see what was written on it. For a few seconds after he read it, he was silent then suddenly he remembered every thing that had happened last night. It had been his birthday and had received very good presents from all his friends, even one from Fleur Delacour. He absently removed the chain around his neck and placed it under his pillow, next to the bracer he had received from Fleur. He then sighed loudly as the implications of what he had read last night came to his mind. He couldn't go back to Hogwarts. The only good thing in his life so far was Hogwarts and he couldn't go back, that meant that he would have to go to Smith(sorry, can't remember the full name) and be stuck with the Dursleys all year, but even worse was the fact that Voldemort would be able to get him any time he wanted as he would be stuck in a place far from any of the Dursleys. He would also not get to see any of his friends for a long time, no more quidditch, no more midnight excursions with the marauders map, no more escapdees with his friends, basically no more Hogwarts. Suddenly he felt like going back to bed and never waking up again until this nightmare was over.

            He was brought out of his introspection by the voice of Uncle Vernon thundering from down the stairs, " BOY DIDN'T YOU HEAR YOUR AUNT ? BRING YOURSELF DOWN THIS STAIRS NOW!!!" Harry shuddered, he was going to be stuck with this for years and now he couldn't even look forward to going back to Howarts. He was pretty sure that he would be dead in a few months. Holding back tears which threatened to fall at any moment, he hurried downstairs, ready for another horrible day at the Dursleys.

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            At the breakfast table, Harry was strangely quiet, not that he wasn't quiet before being that  he took every opportunity to avoid notice from any of the Dursleys. Today, though his silence was strange, a depressive silence which soon spread to every other member at the table. Uncle Vernon tried to break this silence by picking on Harry. " So boy " he said, his voice oozing venom " when are you going back to that freak school of yours" " It's called Hogwarts" Harry mumbled under his breath. Uncle Vernon pretended not to hear what Harry had mumbled and continued " I hope you don't think that I am driving you to the station this year" Dudley took a moment to grin nastily at Harry then he went back to stuffing his face with the fat - filled food he was eating. Aunt Petunia had gotten tired of almost force - feeding him his prescribed diet and had gone back to giving him anything he wanted cooing that her darling duddykins was adorable as he was and didn't need to lose any weight.

            " You don't have to" Harry said, " and why not, may I ask? " Vernon smirked, tasting victory. " Because I am not going back " Harry mumbled. The whole table fell silent, Dudley even stopped eating " Pardon me? ", Vernon said " I seem to have misunderstood, but did you just say that you are not going back? " " Yes " Harry said, then he rushed upstairs to his room and came back with Dumbledore's letter which he shoved into uncle Vernon's rigid hands " You can read it for yourself " he said and walked back to his seat.

            Uncle Vernon read the letter, his moustache twitching every few seconds. After he finished reading the letter he let it drop from his limp fingers and rubbed his hand over his face as if suddenly tired. Aunt Petunia picked up the letter from the table and quickly skimed her eyes over it, her face immediately losing all vestiges of color. Dudly had stopped eating and was watching the silent drama taking place around the table with interest. * Almost as if he can understand what is going on* Harry thought sardonically.   

            Uncle Vernon stopped rubbing his face and looked at Harry with a calm expression on his face. Harry was surprised, he had thought that uncle Vernon of all people would take this very badly, yet there he was looking calmer than he had ever seen him before. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad staying here. he should have known that this was the calm before the storm because uncle Vernon's face suddenly turned purple and the calm of his face turned immediately to a mask of anger. "HOW COULD YOU COME BACK HERE KNOWING THE DANGER YOU WOULD PUT US ALL IN! ", Harry recoiled, he had expected his uncle to be angry but not this angry! Aunt Petunia was still satring at Harry, her face pale and her mouth moving soundlessly. Uncle Vernon paid no mind to this as he leaned across the table to stare Harry right in the face and continued his rant, spittle flying from his mouth. Some had the misfortune to land in Dudley's food and Dudley not noticing absently took a bite of his food with the spittle on it. " YOU KNEW THAT KILLER, WHAT'S HIS NAME WAS AFTER YOU AND YET YOU STILL CAME BACK HERE!!" Uncle Vernon was panting loudly now, his breath coming in huge gasps with threatened any moment to turn into a full grown coughing fit. Aunt Petunia in concern for her husband came around the table and with great difficulty managed to stop him from ranting at Harry.

            Harry still sat on his seat no emotion showing on his face, mentally though he was a mess. His uncle didn't even care for him one bit. At first he had thought that his uncle just didn't like the so called weirdness in him because he was a muggle. But now he finally realized the truth, his uncle didn't like him at all, he would prefer if Harry just keeled over and died. He didn't even care for his safety. Harry wanted to cry, now he truly had no family. When in dispair over his lost parents, he had thought that maybe someday the Dursleys attitude would change towards him but now he knew that they would never change. To them he would always be the nuisance that had shattered their facade of normalcy by living when both his parents had died.  He was so absorbed in his misery that he didn't hear what uncle Vernon later said to him but when uncle Vernon said a sentence, he froze every inch of him turning to ice.

            Uncle Vernon glared at Harry as he stood up from the table withthe help of his wife. She got him a cup of water and pressed it to his face, after drinking deeply for a few seconds, the purple on his face strated to recede and his breathing calmed down. He was still angry at Harry for exposing them to danger when he could just have stayed all summer at the freak school of his, and now according to his headmaster they were going to be stuck with him for a long time, during which the person after Harry could come after him and decide to kill them too just for fun. At that moment he made a decision that would change Harry's life forever. He siad in a cold voice to Harry " That's it boy, I'm tired of putting up with you. You are going to St. Brutus's center for criminally incurable boys!!!".

            Harry started "What!!" he yelled out loud. Uncle Vernon replied " You heard me, YOU ARE GOING TO ST BRUTUS CENTER FOR CRIMINALLY INCURABLE BOYS" emphasizing the last part. Harry was on his feet in a second. " you can't do this" "watch me" uncle Vernon replied. Dudley by now was smiling hugely and soon burst out into full blown laughter. His whalish body making heaving sounds, he managed to get out " Ha Ha, Harry is going to st Brutus center for incurably criminal boys, Ha Ha, wait till i tell Pete about this".

            Harry tried to reason with his uncle, but met a solid wall of resistance. " My mind is made up, you are going and that is final" , "But When i st........", " NO!!" Vernon yelled, " and to make sure you comply, i am going to take your oh so precious owl from you and of course your freaky stick". Harry now was on the verge of crying.  Then his scar suddenly started hurting, amidst the pain he saw a scene from a horrible, nightmarish movie.

            Voldemort was in a room built with stone and was laughing cruelly. His pale lips stretched into a parody of a smile. His crimson eyes burning with an internal ferocity. Harry soon saw the cause for Voldemort's mirth - a man was kneeling on the floor in chains, from his attire, Harry deduced that he was a muggle, his face was covered with blood and he seemed to be looking at something and screaming silently. Harry followed the man's line of sight and what he saw made him sick to his stomach. A girl of about fifteen years of age was tied to the ground with stakes between her hands and legs which were spread apart. Blood coated her hands and face and her mouth was opened in a silent scream. By rights she should have been dead, but was still alive as a death eater was constantly casting a healing spell on her. A long line of death eaters were standing by the girl, the death eater at the beginning of the line pulled up his dark robes and squatted over the girl, a few seconds later, the girl's mouth opened even wider in a scream as the death eater thrust roughly into he nether regions. Harry got a sick feeling in his stomach as he realized that the girl was been gang raped. Beside the girl lay a woman who was obviously dead, she was in the same position as the girl and Harry realized that she was the girl's mother and she had been given the same treatment that her daughter was currently going through. Harry now understood while the man was screaming, he had been forced to watch his wife been raped to death and was being forced to watch his daughter suffering the same fate. Voldemort then looked directly at Harry and his smile got even wider. "Ah, Harry Potter", he rasped " Are you enjoying the show?" Harry gasped, how did Voldemort know that he was watching what was going on. "You know" he said conversationally " this was all put on because of you". Harry was surprised to say the least. " All the pain this family is going through and went through" he continued " Was your fault",  *My fault!!* Harry wanted to say, but no sound came out of his mind. " Yes, your fault" Vodemort said as if he could read Harry's mind " If you give yourself up to me. " Then I won't torture these muggles anymore" he said, spitting out the word muggles as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth " If not, well let's just say that I have a very creative mind". He then started laughing, at first it started out as a chuckle, then grew into a full blown laughter that sent chill down Harry's spine and filled his head with excruciating pain until he knew no more.