(A/N: I answer a question!
Q: Did Madison tell her parents about talking to Harry?
A: No, she did not. John knew all along, he just didn't say anything because it got Madison out of the house.
Life is short; dance naked.)
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PRESENT: HOGWARTS
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Harry stared down at his trembling hands and hastily hid them in his pockets. "So...I heard this cracking sound, you know? Like someone breaking wood or something," he said. The boy spoke with a throat tightened with tears begging to pour.
Hermione reached out and put a hand on his upper arm in attempted comfort. "Are you okay?" she asked, her brown eyes glimmering with concern.
"You know, Harry," said Ron rather quietly, "you don't have to tell us all of this tonight. You can finish tomorrow or something, if you're...y'know...not feeling alright." The boy fidgeted uneasily with the corner of his robes. He didn't like seeing his friend upset like this.
"No," said Harry. He took a deep breath and pulled a hand from his pocket to wipe his eyes, trying to keep a the few tears there discreet. "Just let me finish."
"Alright," they each said in unision. Harry smiled slightly. He had great friends.
"Anyway, after that cracking sound, I passed out," he continued, "and when I woke up the next morning..." His throat tightened a bit more, but he went on.
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PAST: PRIVET DRIVE
------
A low whining sound stirred Harry from his sleep. His eyes fluttered open, he gasped and sat up. He was back in his cupboard! A sudden pain hit him and he reached up to feel a slightly swollen bruise on his left cheek. Harry groaned.
What was that noise? It sounded kind of like...sirens. Of course, why would there be sirens?
The memories of what had happened the night before came at him like a speeding train. John's drunken rambling, Madison being so scared, her giving him the bracelet, and then her screaming...screaming...and that horrible sound.
Panic rooted in Harry. He jumped out of the bed to see that he was still wearing his shoes. The Dursley's must've just dragged him inside and lay him in the bed. But, there wasn't time to ponder over that. He had to go see where those sirens were coming from and...and he needed to know what had happened to Madison.
------
There was no one in the house to stop him from getting to the door. It was as if they'd just abandoned the place entirely. Maybe they went somewhere while he was asleep and hadn't come back yet? Still, there were those sirens. Surely the Dursley's would want to see what those were all about, especially Petunia.
Harry placed his hand on the door knob and held his breath. He knew something really bad had happened last night and he wasn't sure if he was ready to see the outcome just yet. But, if something was wrong, he needed to be there for Madison. She was probably really upset and she didn't have anyone to talk to except him.
With a determined nod to himself, Harry turned the knob and pushed the door open. What awaited him on Privet Drive was really not what his ten year-old mind expected to see.
------
The entire street was full of people and cars. There were at least three police cars all clustered in front of Madison's house and two more trying to block the street. A 'DO NOT CROSS' line went from the outer part of the Dursley's front yard and all around Madison's house. People from all up and down the street came to gawk at the site, only to be pushed back by officers in dark blue uniforms who waved nightsticks threateningly to those who tried to pass.
People turned to stare at Harry as he slowly walked out onto the lawn to get a better view of Madison's house. A man in a uniform gave up trying to push people back and ran over to Harry.
"You live here?" the man asked.
Harry could only nod.
"Alright, come with me," said the man as he took Harry's hand and began pulling him over to the cluster of police cars. He led Harry over to the one farthest from Madison's house.
"Stay right here," he said in a firm tone.
Once again, Harry simply nodded.
"There's a good lad," said the man, patting Harry on the shoulder before he walked over to fend off onlookers.
Another siren sounded in the distance and Harry turned to see an ambulance come rolling down the street. Dread hit him as if fired from a cannon. The ambulance came to a stop outside of the small barrier the police cars had made. The door on the back popped open and three people jumped out. A police man waved to them and beckoned them over towards Madison's house.
Harry watched them pull a stretcher from the ambulance and wheel it over Madison's lawn, then into the house. A few moments later, it was wheeled back out, but differently. There was someone on top of it...and that someone was covered in a white sheet...Harry could tell by the long form and the obvious protrusions of a woman's breasts that it wasn't Madison. Still, the sight chilled him horribly. It just had to be Madison's mother.
He wondered where Madison was. Probably, hopefully, just crying somewhere with a different police man. Harry looked down to see that his arms were shaking terribly. 'Please,' he thought, 'please, Madison, please be okay...'
The people from the ambulance pushed the sheeted figure on the stretcher up into the ambulance and brought out another stretcher.
'Oh, God, no,' thought Harry.
They began wheeling it toward the house--
'No, no...' He began to tremble.
--and in through the front door--
'Please, not Madison, please...' His chest tightened, he stopped breathing.
--moments later, they wheeled out another, smaller, figure.
"No!" cried Harry. He ran forth and slid under the caution tape, then stood and ran towards the people from the ambulance. Several officers cried out, but he evaded their sweeping arms and made his way quickly to the stretcher.
The three people looked at him sadly.
------
(A/N: Really sucky place to end a chapter, huh? Sorry...)
Q: Did Madison tell her parents about talking to Harry?
A: No, she did not. John knew all along, he just didn't say anything because it got Madison out of the house.
Life is short; dance naked.)
------
PRESENT: HOGWARTS
------
Harry stared down at his trembling hands and hastily hid them in his pockets. "So...I heard this cracking sound, you know? Like someone breaking wood or something," he said. The boy spoke with a throat tightened with tears begging to pour.
Hermione reached out and put a hand on his upper arm in attempted comfort. "Are you okay?" she asked, her brown eyes glimmering with concern.
"You know, Harry," said Ron rather quietly, "you don't have to tell us all of this tonight. You can finish tomorrow or something, if you're...y'know...not feeling alright." The boy fidgeted uneasily with the corner of his robes. He didn't like seeing his friend upset like this.
"No," said Harry. He took a deep breath and pulled a hand from his pocket to wipe his eyes, trying to keep a the few tears there discreet. "Just let me finish."
"Alright," they each said in unision. Harry smiled slightly. He had great friends.
"Anyway, after that cracking sound, I passed out," he continued, "and when I woke up the next morning..." His throat tightened a bit more, but he went on.
------
PAST: PRIVET DRIVE
------
A low whining sound stirred Harry from his sleep. His eyes fluttered open, he gasped and sat up. He was back in his cupboard! A sudden pain hit him and he reached up to feel a slightly swollen bruise on his left cheek. Harry groaned.
What was that noise? It sounded kind of like...sirens. Of course, why would there be sirens?
The memories of what had happened the night before came at him like a speeding train. John's drunken rambling, Madison being so scared, her giving him the bracelet, and then her screaming...screaming...and that horrible sound.
Panic rooted in Harry. He jumped out of the bed to see that he was still wearing his shoes. The Dursley's must've just dragged him inside and lay him in the bed. But, there wasn't time to ponder over that. He had to go see where those sirens were coming from and...and he needed to know what had happened to Madison.
------
There was no one in the house to stop him from getting to the door. It was as if they'd just abandoned the place entirely. Maybe they went somewhere while he was asleep and hadn't come back yet? Still, there were those sirens. Surely the Dursley's would want to see what those were all about, especially Petunia.
Harry placed his hand on the door knob and held his breath. He knew something really bad had happened last night and he wasn't sure if he was ready to see the outcome just yet. But, if something was wrong, he needed to be there for Madison. She was probably really upset and she didn't have anyone to talk to except him.
With a determined nod to himself, Harry turned the knob and pushed the door open. What awaited him on Privet Drive was really not what his ten year-old mind expected to see.
------
The entire street was full of people and cars. There were at least three police cars all clustered in front of Madison's house and two more trying to block the street. A 'DO NOT CROSS' line went from the outer part of the Dursley's front yard and all around Madison's house. People from all up and down the street came to gawk at the site, only to be pushed back by officers in dark blue uniforms who waved nightsticks threateningly to those who tried to pass.
People turned to stare at Harry as he slowly walked out onto the lawn to get a better view of Madison's house. A man in a uniform gave up trying to push people back and ran over to Harry.
"You live here?" the man asked.
Harry could only nod.
"Alright, come with me," said the man as he took Harry's hand and began pulling him over to the cluster of police cars. He led Harry over to the one farthest from Madison's house.
"Stay right here," he said in a firm tone.
Once again, Harry simply nodded.
"There's a good lad," said the man, patting Harry on the shoulder before he walked over to fend off onlookers.
Another siren sounded in the distance and Harry turned to see an ambulance come rolling down the street. Dread hit him as if fired from a cannon. The ambulance came to a stop outside of the small barrier the police cars had made. The door on the back popped open and three people jumped out. A police man waved to them and beckoned them over towards Madison's house.
Harry watched them pull a stretcher from the ambulance and wheel it over Madison's lawn, then into the house. A few moments later, it was wheeled back out, but differently. There was someone on top of it...and that someone was covered in a white sheet...Harry could tell by the long form and the obvious protrusions of a woman's breasts that it wasn't Madison. Still, the sight chilled him horribly. It just had to be Madison's mother.
He wondered where Madison was. Probably, hopefully, just crying somewhere with a different police man. Harry looked down to see that his arms were shaking terribly. 'Please,' he thought, 'please, Madison, please be okay...'
The people from the ambulance pushed the sheeted figure on the stretcher up into the ambulance and brought out another stretcher.
'Oh, God, no,' thought Harry.
They began wheeling it toward the house--
'No, no...' He began to tremble.
--and in through the front door--
'Please, not Madison, please...' His chest tightened, he stopped breathing.
--moments later, they wheeled out another, smaller, figure.
"No!" cried Harry. He ran forth and slid under the caution tape, then stood and ran towards the people from the ambulance. Several officers cried out, but he evaded their sweeping arms and made his way quickly to the stretcher.
The three people looked at him sadly.
------
(A/N: Really sucky place to end a chapter, huh? Sorry...)
