Chapter 3: Leaving Privet
Had Harry gone mad? Did he really just have a polite and calm conversation about the wizarding world with Aunt Petunia? He sat on his bed in utter confusion. How did she know about protecting Harry and all that? Harry hadn't seen any owls the first three weeks he was at Privet; she must have been told before he got back or she just had other means of communication. Thinking of all this, Harry just couldn't figure out what made Aunt Petunia seem so…normal when discussing it. He know for a fact she hated her sister and all the magical stuff she did-what made her so understanding now?
"REMEMBER YOUR LAST, PETUNIA."
Of course! Harry just realized the reason for Aunt Petunia's change of behavior. He remembered last year when he seriously thought about leaving the Dursleys, and Uncle Vernon only encouraged him. At that moment, Aunt Petunia received a howler reminding her of her word. When she took Harry in, she swore to protect him; and she was the only Dursley that knew the horrors of Lord Voldemort, so she kept to it. Marybe Lord Voldemort's recent rise to power has knocked her to her senses…Harry made a mental note to ask Aunt Petunia about this.
Exhausted for the third day in a row, Harry yawned and took off his glasses. He changed his clothes and sat at his window, letting his mind wander. He thought about everything: what the Sorting Hat had told him in his first year, his first Quidditch game, Ron's fear of spiders, how evil the Malfoys are, Wormtail, how pretty Hermione looked at the Yule Ball (he dwelled on that for awhile), how mad he was when Ron was picked prefect over him, Cho's silly behavior, the reappearance of Bertha Jorkins…
And just as that thought entered his head, he spotted the petite dog laying next to a car across the street. She was sleeping-and twitching. This caught Harry's eye. Poor Bertha, he thought. Despite what Bertha Jorkins says, Harry knows she's not happy. He knows how she feels: pushed aside and unimportant. Well, he only felt that way during the summer at least. Bertha seems as if she's been treated that way for awhile, and now she'' trying to convince herself that she really is important. Harry felt so sorry for her and wanted to talk to her about it. But then he thought he'd better not-if it was him, he'd want to be left alone.
On that sorrowful note, Harry dragged himself to his bed and fell into his sheets. He fell asleep almost instantly.
~
A fair amount of time had passed since those three eventful days; it was July 31st and harry was packing to go to Ron's. Ron had only sent one letter since his first one-all it said was, "Remember, August 1st." Something must have gone wrong or he's just extremely busy, Harry thought. He exchanged letters with Hermione a few times and he didn't even bother to answer Cho's. He had also received a letter from Dumbledore; all it said was to stay indoors and see you soon. At first, Harry was furious because, once again, he could get nothing straight by owl. But today, Harry was content…he'd be seeing Ron tomorrow.
After putting his last robe into his trunk, Harry went downstairs to tell the Dursleys (he had decided to wait until the last minute so Uncle Vernon couldn't torture him by saying, "Do this and that, or you won't leave this home!").
"Hello, Uncle Vernon, lovely day, isn't it?" Harry asked Uncle Vernon sweetly with a smile on his face.
"It was until you came in." Uncle Vernon grumbled and went back to watching the telly. Harry could see he wasn't in a good mood.
"Er…well, I guess the rest of the summer will be lovely, then. Ron's family is going to pick me up tomorrow." Harry told him.
"You mean those carrot-topped weirdos? I don't care what the bloody hell they're going to do with you, as long as they don't make a scene. You hear me, boy?" Uncle Vernon shot at Harry, pointing his pudgy finger at him.
"Yes, Uncle Vernon, of course not." And Harry raced upstairs before Uncle Vernon changed his mind. It hit Harry just then that he had no clue how the Weasleys were going to pick him up. Any way they did, Harry just hoped it wasn't loud and noticeable.
Harry went through his day, barely eating because he was so anxious. That night he receive a short note from Hermione by owl: "On our way." He could hardly wait. As he lay down he imagined himself at the Burrow practicing Quidditch and laughing at Ron when Ginny scored on him. He was smiling as he fell asleep that night and his thoughts faded into his dreams.
Harry's alarm clock beeped him awake at 7:00 AM. He literally jumped up out of bed in excitement and pulled on some clean, almost decent looking clothes. He brushed his teeth and tried combing his hair and rushed downstairs to grab some breakfast. He avoided the Durseys and grabbed a grapefruit for himself. He finished eating on the stairs it in record time and started back upstairs to check if he packed everything. But just then he remembered he REALLY wanted to speak with Aunt Petunia so he went back downstairs into the kitchen. He found her washing dishes at the sink.
"Er…Aunt Petunia?" Harry said in a small voice. She looked at him sharply.
"What do you want?"
"I was just going to ask…well, I mean I need to know…I'm just a bit confused…" Harry really didn't know how to phrase it.
"Out with it, boy! I can't stand here all day listening to you stutter!" Aunt Petunia said, very annoyed.
"Er, well…why were you so…er, understanding about Bertha and all that?" Harry asked, afraid any minute Aunt Petunia would start throwing plates at him or something.
"We all have to make sacrifices and band together in a time like this. Although I'm absolutely ashamed of myself, I know that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a danger to everyone, even NORMAL people like myself. Normally I wouldn't bother protecting you"-she looked at him and squinted her eyes evilly-"but since you're the only one who can defeat him, I need to keep to my word. Now, leave, I'm busy!" she concluded. Harry mumbled an "OK, thank you" and decided he need to say goodbye to Bertha. He opened the dog and called her name. Sure enough the brown dog trotted up to him.
"Well, I leave today. Thank you very much, Ms. Jorkins. You really make a difference." Harry added, trying to help with her depression. The little dog barked and licked his hand as Harry petted her. He smiled and stood up. "I guess both of us are going back where we belong. Where are you going to go anyway, Ms. Jorkins? Hogwarts perhaps?"
The dog nodded. Harry said he'd see her soon and goodbye, then went back inside. It was about 8:00 and Harry wished he knew what time they were coming. Bored and anxious, he went up to his room and ate his last Chocolate Frog he had saved from last year. At around 9:00 Harry heard the doorbell. Wow, they had the sense to ring the doorbell! Harry thought.
He bounded downstairs and tried to get to the door before any of the Dursleys could. Unfortunately, Uncle Vernon had been right by the door and was opening it as Harry came downstairs. The door was opened and Harry stood on his toes to see past Uncle Vernon. Standing there, looking sullen yet excited, was Hermione Granger.
"Hello, sir, is Harry in?" she asked Uncle Vernon politely.
"Yeah. He'll get his stuff. Stay outside until he does." Uncle Vernon said curtly, but when he turned around, Harry could see that he was satisfied with her "normal" appearance. As soon as Harry got to the door and saw Hermione closer he broke in a huge smiled and hugged her.
"Oh, Harry, missed you dearly!" Hermione said into his shoulder.
"You, too! Where's Ron?" he inquired as they let go. When he looked at her face, she was crying.
"Hermione! What's wrong?!"
"Just get your things and everything will be explained in the car." She said through tears. She turned and went back to a big black car. Harry was worried and with a knot in his throat, he retrieved his luggage and without a goodbye to the Durseys, he put his things in the trunk and got in the car.
~sorry this chapter is short and poorly written, but ive been stressed lately. thnx for the reviews ppl, keep em comin~
Had Harry gone mad? Did he really just have a polite and calm conversation about the wizarding world with Aunt Petunia? He sat on his bed in utter confusion. How did she know about protecting Harry and all that? Harry hadn't seen any owls the first three weeks he was at Privet; she must have been told before he got back or she just had other means of communication. Thinking of all this, Harry just couldn't figure out what made Aunt Petunia seem so…normal when discussing it. He know for a fact she hated her sister and all the magical stuff she did-what made her so understanding now?
"REMEMBER YOUR LAST, PETUNIA."
Of course! Harry just realized the reason for Aunt Petunia's change of behavior. He remembered last year when he seriously thought about leaving the Dursleys, and Uncle Vernon only encouraged him. At that moment, Aunt Petunia received a howler reminding her of her word. When she took Harry in, she swore to protect him; and she was the only Dursley that knew the horrors of Lord Voldemort, so she kept to it. Marybe Lord Voldemort's recent rise to power has knocked her to her senses…Harry made a mental note to ask Aunt Petunia about this.
Exhausted for the third day in a row, Harry yawned and took off his glasses. He changed his clothes and sat at his window, letting his mind wander. He thought about everything: what the Sorting Hat had told him in his first year, his first Quidditch game, Ron's fear of spiders, how evil the Malfoys are, Wormtail, how pretty Hermione looked at the Yule Ball (he dwelled on that for awhile), how mad he was when Ron was picked prefect over him, Cho's silly behavior, the reappearance of Bertha Jorkins…
And just as that thought entered his head, he spotted the petite dog laying next to a car across the street. She was sleeping-and twitching. This caught Harry's eye. Poor Bertha, he thought. Despite what Bertha Jorkins says, Harry knows she's not happy. He knows how she feels: pushed aside and unimportant. Well, he only felt that way during the summer at least. Bertha seems as if she's been treated that way for awhile, and now she'' trying to convince herself that she really is important. Harry felt so sorry for her and wanted to talk to her about it. But then he thought he'd better not-if it was him, he'd want to be left alone.
On that sorrowful note, Harry dragged himself to his bed and fell into his sheets. He fell asleep almost instantly.
~
A fair amount of time had passed since those three eventful days; it was July 31st and harry was packing to go to Ron's. Ron had only sent one letter since his first one-all it said was, "Remember, August 1st." Something must have gone wrong or he's just extremely busy, Harry thought. He exchanged letters with Hermione a few times and he didn't even bother to answer Cho's. He had also received a letter from Dumbledore; all it said was to stay indoors and see you soon. At first, Harry was furious because, once again, he could get nothing straight by owl. But today, Harry was content…he'd be seeing Ron tomorrow.
After putting his last robe into his trunk, Harry went downstairs to tell the Dursleys (he had decided to wait until the last minute so Uncle Vernon couldn't torture him by saying, "Do this and that, or you won't leave this home!").
"Hello, Uncle Vernon, lovely day, isn't it?" Harry asked Uncle Vernon sweetly with a smile on his face.
"It was until you came in." Uncle Vernon grumbled and went back to watching the telly. Harry could see he wasn't in a good mood.
"Er…well, I guess the rest of the summer will be lovely, then. Ron's family is going to pick me up tomorrow." Harry told him.
"You mean those carrot-topped weirdos? I don't care what the bloody hell they're going to do with you, as long as they don't make a scene. You hear me, boy?" Uncle Vernon shot at Harry, pointing his pudgy finger at him.
"Yes, Uncle Vernon, of course not." And Harry raced upstairs before Uncle Vernon changed his mind. It hit Harry just then that he had no clue how the Weasleys were going to pick him up. Any way they did, Harry just hoped it wasn't loud and noticeable.
Harry went through his day, barely eating because he was so anxious. That night he receive a short note from Hermione by owl: "On our way." He could hardly wait. As he lay down he imagined himself at the Burrow practicing Quidditch and laughing at Ron when Ginny scored on him. He was smiling as he fell asleep that night and his thoughts faded into his dreams.
Harry's alarm clock beeped him awake at 7:00 AM. He literally jumped up out of bed in excitement and pulled on some clean, almost decent looking clothes. He brushed his teeth and tried combing his hair and rushed downstairs to grab some breakfast. He avoided the Durseys and grabbed a grapefruit for himself. He finished eating on the stairs it in record time and started back upstairs to check if he packed everything. But just then he remembered he REALLY wanted to speak with Aunt Petunia so he went back downstairs into the kitchen. He found her washing dishes at the sink.
"Er…Aunt Petunia?" Harry said in a small voice. She looked at him sharply.
"What do you want?"
"I was just going to ask…well, I mean I need to know…I'm just a bit confused…" Harry really didn't know how to phrase it.
"Out with it, boy! I can't stand here all day listening to you stutter!" Aunt Petunia said, very annoyed.
"Er, well…why were you so…er, understanding about Bertha and all that?" Harry asked, afraid any minute Aunt Petunia would start throwing plates at him or something.
"We all have to make sacrifices and band together in a time like this. Although I'm absolutely ashamed of myself, I know that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a danger to everyone, even NORMAL people like myself. Normally I wouldn't bother protecting you"-she looked at him and squinted her eyes evilly-"but since you're the only one who can defeat him, I need to keep to my word. Now, leave, I'm busy!" she concluded. Harry mumbled an "OK, thank you" and decided he need to say goodbye to Bertha. He opened the dog and called her name. Sure enough the brown dog trotted up to him.
"Well, I leave today. Thank you very much, Ms. Jorkins. You really make a difference." Harry added, trying to help with her depression. The little dog barked and licked his hand as Harry petted her. He smiled and stood up. "I guess both of us are going back where we belong. Where are you going to go anyway, Ms. Jorkins? Hogwarts perhaps?"
The dog nodded. Harry said he'd see her soon and goodbye, then went back inside. It was about 8:00 and Harry wished he knew what time they were coming. Bored and anxious, he went up to his room and ate his last Chocolate Frog he had saved from last year. At around 9:00 Harry heard the doorbell. Wow, they had the sense to ring the doorbell! Harry thought.
He bounded downstairs and tried to get to the door before any of the Dursleys could. Unfortunately, Uncle Vernon had been right by the door and was opening it as Harry came downstairs. The door was opened and Harry stood on his toes to see past Uncle Vernon. Standing there, looking sullen yet excited, was Hermione Granger.
"Hello, sir, is Harry in?" she asked Uncle Vernon politely.
"Yeah. He'll get his stuff. Stay outside until he does." Uncle Vernon said curtly, but when he turned around, Harry could see that he was satisfied with her "normal" appearance. As soon as Harry got to the door and saw Hermione closer he broke in a huge smiled and hugged her.
"Oh, Harry, missed you dearly!" Hermione said into his shoulder.
"You, too! Where's Ron?" he inquired as they let go. When he looked at her face, she was crying.
"Hermione! What's wrong?!"
"Just get your things and everything will be explained in the car." She said through tears. She turned and went back to a big black car. Harry was worried and with a knot in his throat, he retrieved his luggage and without a goodbye to the Durseys, he put his things in the trunk and got in the car.
~sorry this chapter is short and poorly written, but ive been stressed lately. thnx for the reviews ppl, keep em comin~