Title: Revelations and Their Consequences
Author: Shadowchild
Summary: Harry faces choices he must make and some made already. Can the friendship of a small boy show him what life can offer and how precious it is?
A/N I'm back! Sorry this took so long but my computer lost it and I had to get my wonderful beta Julie to send me a copy. Plus it is the end of the nine weeks at school and that means tests.
So here's a new story (I know u want a sequel and we'll see) Harry is sixteen and he's growing up. Can a glimpse of a child's innocence help him?
There was no light in Privet Drive except from the twelve glowing streetlights. Even if you looked closely you would never guess that someone was awake in any of the houses lining the suburban street, You'd be even less likely to guess that that person lived in number Four because the most normal family in the world (or so they liked to believe) lived in number Four. There was, however, one person awake and living in number Four. His name was Harry Potter.
It was September first and Harry shouldn't have been in his bedroom in his aunt and uncles house. He should have been at his real home Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He should have been sleeping in a four-poster bed instead of a creaky cot. He stared out his bedroom window at the darkness outside wishing that was the case. It was not to be.
He'd been going to Hogwarts on September first every year since he was eleven. Since he was eleven he'd counted down they days until he could leave the hellhole that was the Dursleys'. He had known this year that he couldn't go back.
He hated the Dursleys and they hated him more.
His uncle had whipped him ever since he was a small child though no one knew. He was always so careful to hide his bruises at the beginning of the year. If his friends had known now they would think he was even more insane than they now must think he was. Why on earth would he stay in a place where his room was merely his cousin's junk room?
He scanned his room and cringed at its emptiness. The only other thing in it was his owl Hedwig's cage. Even that was empty. She had taken a letter to Hogwarts for him the day before. It wasn't a plea for help but rather a want to stay.
Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,
This will be a shock to you I am sure but I ask you to take me seriously. I cannot come back to Hogwarts. There I said it. Now I am sure you want to know my reasoning. The truth is Professor I do want to come back but that is of little importance. It is better for everybody if I stay here. Voldemort is after me and if I'm not there he has no reason to attack. My being at Hogwarts only endangers my friends and innocent people like Cedric.
If I stay here the Dursleys will be happy. They can push me around as much as they want and I can't hold the fact that I am leaving over their heads. I know Hermione and Ron might miss me but they will get over it. The Wizarding World may be shocked but eventually I will just be a legend. The tale of the Boy-Who-Lived, the perfect bedtime story.
As for me? Well I'll survive. I'll contact you at some point. I will miss Hogwarts.
Yours Sincerely,
Harold James Potter.
He knew Dumbledore wouldn't like the letter, but Harry didn't regret writing it.
Would he survive? If the Dursleys had anything to do with it he might not. They wanted him only as a servant. Now that he had tried to cut off contact with the wizarding world he could no longer threaten them with Magic. He sighed and stared out the window a bit longer. As he did, he saw something soaring toward him.
He quickly opened the window before the two owls ran into the window. One of the owls was a huge tawny owl with a package nearly as big as it was. The other he recognized as Pigwidgeon his best friend Ron's owl, carrying a rather large envelope.
They couldn't just leave him alone could they? He untied the packages from the two owls and they went to Hedwig's cage. He examined the larger package first and saw that it had holes punched in it. There was a letter taped to the top of it and Harry pulled it off recognizing Lupin's writing. He expected this. Remus Lupin had written him several times that summer seemingly watching over him as Sirius once had.
Dear Harry,
What the bloody hell do you think you are doing? You can't just run off like this! Yes, Dumbledore told me. He also told me not to try to talk you out of it but did I hang out with your father just to listen to authority? Harry, do you know what you are doing to yourself? And not just to yourself! To all your friends and the Wizarding World? And well Harry to me. I know I don't see you that much but if it means anything I'll miss you.
I was going to give you your birthday present in person but as that's impossible now I am sending him to you. Harry reread that did Lupin say him? He looked puzzled at the box but decided to finish the letter first. Yes HIM. Harry I am sending you a Crup. Your dad loved them. They are magical dogs not unlike Jack Russell Terriers and amazingly loyal. They also hate Muggles. I'd keep him in your room.
Please reconsider,
Remus.
P.S. I had the breeder train the Crup not to bark much.
Harry set the letter down blinking back tears before turning to the box. He opened it and inside was a small dog sleeping. Harry reached in and picked him up. His eyes opened slowly and when he saw Harry he began to lick his face. Harry smiled and held the dog at arms length.
"Well then. What shall we call you?" The dog wagged his forked tail and Harry smiled again. "How about James?" the dog tilted his head. "No that's too formal for you. Jimmy it is!" the dog squirmed from his hands and began to lick his face again. Harry petted him and he settled in Harry's lap.
Harry looked over Lupin's letter again his thoughts going to the man who had been a father figure to him for the past years. He would miss getting to know Sirius better. Would miss hearing more about his parents but it had to be this way.
Harry then opened Ron's letter:
Harry Mate,
Don't do this Harry it's stupid. Hermione's all torn up and so's Ginny. I was mad at you when Dumbledore called us into his office this afternoon but now… It's not the same without you here. You better get back here. Blimey I'd never thought I'd start a year at Hogwarts without you Harry. Even Snape asked me where you were.
Lupin told me early in the summer (he's been at the headquarters a bit lately) that he was getting you a Crup-I hope you've gotten it or else I'm in trouble- so I thought I'd get you this. It's a bottle of invisibility animal pills. With it you can keep him with you. I used to use it on my Puffskin when we'd go out into the village. The other thing is a potion that you put in a Crup's water and it stops them from hating Muggles for a week at a time. Figured you'd need it.
I miss you mate,
Ron
Harry also missed his best friend more than he wanted to admit. It pained him immensely to be doing the Dursleys chores while he knew his friends were on the Hogwarts Express. He longed for the laughter and fun he'd had on all of his journeys to school. That would just have to be a memory now however. He was never going to go back.
Harry pulled the two bottles out of the envelope and put them underneath the floorboards. He put Jimmy down and pulled something out from underneath the floorboards. It took some tugging and his shoulder ached. Vernon had taken to hitting him every single evening and he still hurt. He settled on his bed with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The Crup originated in the southeast of England. It closely resembles a Jack Russell Terrier except for the forked tail. The Crup is almost certainly a wizard-created dog as it is intensely loyal to wizards and ferocious toward Muggles. The book went on to talk of Crup licenses and removing the tail but Lupin had it seemed already taken care of all that. He closed the book and Jimmy looked at him from where he had settled on Harry's bed.
"Well Jim I guess it's just you an' me for a while." He gathered the puppy in his arms and stroked his fur. "When I was a kid here I always did want a dog. Good thing I can keep you invisible. I'm not promising much food 'cause the Dursleys don't feed much." The dog licked his hand as if to say, That's okay. I like you. Harry smiled.
"Hedwig'll be back soon too. She'll like you I think." He looked over at Hedwig's cage and realized with a start that the two owls were still there. He quickly opened the window and sent them out. He'd send Hedwig with replies later on. He couldn't let his 'family' see them.
When he said he wasn't leaving they'd made him swear not to talk to "those freaks." So in other words he didn't let them see him talk to his friends. He wouldn't talk to them though. He couldn't let any one else know where he was. He stood by the window and listened to the Dursleys snore for a bit. Jimmy sat near his feet and he absentmindedly stroked him.
He remembered nights when he was young lying in his cupboard after Vernon yelled and/or hit him. He had longed for someone to be with him. He'd watched Dudley destroy pet after pet. When they were eight Marge had given the boy a pug. Aunt Petunia had hated it and locked it up with Harry. Harry had loved that dog but Dudley accidentally ran over it with a remote control car.
Harry settled in his bed Jimmy settling near his feet. Harry closed his eyes and willed sleep to come. It was unfortunately not to be a peaceful sleep. He tossed and turned through out the night