Mad Eye Moody

"I see your majesty has finally decided to wake up." Said his aunt, Petunia Dursley as she noticed him sitting down at the table. " Well I hope you don't expect me to prepare you breakfast at this time of day. Or shall I say noon."

Harry looked up at the kitchen clock. It was only 9:45 in the morning and aunt Petunia was talking to him as if it was three o'clock on the afternoon.

 
"No need to worry. I can make breakfast myself." Harry replied to Petunia's comment on a calm tone in which sarcasm was more than evident. But still, he was pretty sure that they did not care at all about him or whether had breakfast or not.  For all he knew they wouldn't care if he starved to death.

"Don't you get that tone with your aunt, you ungrateful little boy…" said Harry's uncle Vernon. " as she had kindly waited for you to come and eat your breakfast…" -Harry had almost laughed when he heard the word kindly but he restrained himself and uncle Vernon kept on talking.  "But since you did not, she just gave it to my dear Dudley over here." He said this pointing to a big-sized boy sitting at his side.

That was Harry's cousin, Dudley, whose favorite past time had always been bullying Harry. The big boy looked up, his mouth full of Harry's breakfast, and started chewing slower as to make Harry angry. Harry just rolled his eyes and went over to the stove and made himself a half-decent breakfast.

Later on the day (after doing the dishes and mowing the lawn) Harry decided to take a shower.  The heat of the day had made him sweat more than any human being desires to sweat.

When he got out of the shower, he went to his room where he found Hedwig waiting for him with a letter. Before even getting dress he went over to Hedwig and grabbed the letter Hedwig was holding on her beak. He stroked her head and noticed that the letter was from his best friend Ron. He tore the letter open eagerly; he hadn't received any letters from him for more than a week.

Dear Harry
I hope you're not having such a bad time with the muggles. But I am sure that if they treat you badly, you can just write to Mad-Eye Moody and he can help you out right away. I reckon the muggles will go mental if they saw him at their house after what Mad-Eye Moody told them at the train station, when we got back from Hogwarts last term. Your uncle didn't seem so brave after Mad-Eye showed him his magical eye.'

Harry remembered this only too well.   The memory of Uncle Vernon falling backwards and colliding with a trolley cart was hard to forget.  He chuckled and kept reading.

My mum told me to ask you if you could meet us this Friday at Diagon Alley to buy our school supplies. I haven't bought anything yet. Then we could also visit Fred and George's joke shop too. They're doing pretty good with the store. They told me that for my birthday instead of giving me a present, I would get a year-supply of joke artifacts. Isn't that great?! But they told me I couldn't tell anything to mom because she is already mad at them for quitting school. But for some reason it doesn't seem to bother her that much. Fred also told me that they would give me some money if I promoted their new joke artifacts at school. You can join in the job if you like.

I have to go now because mom is going mental because I didn't clean my room and I really need to clean it before I get myself grounded, again. I hope you feel better and I await your letter telling me if you're coming with us to Diagon Alley on Friday. I really hope you do.

Wishes you a good end of summer,

Ron

P.S. You might have been wondering why it was Hedwig and not Pig who delivered you this letter. Well she came here this morning and wouldn't leave me alone until I started writing to you. I guess she just wanted to make sure you received letters with regularity this summer.

As he folded the letter, Harry was starting to wonder what Ron did before to get grounded but then aunt Petunia's voice brought him back to reality.

"Dinner is ready, my cute Ickle Dudders!!"

 
As Petunia said this Harry felt rather than heard Dudley's enormous body running downstairs. Harry was feeling very hungry so he went downstairs to have some dinner as well.

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When he got to the kitchen, he sat down at the table and saw that his food portion was much smaller than Dudley's'. He was too used to this kind of treatment to let it get to him so he just started eating. After a few minutes of silence, Harry decided he needed to ask for his uncle to allow him to go to Diagon Alley with Ron.

 "Uncle Vernon… My friends are going to Diagon Alley on Friday… to buy school supplies… and I haven't bought anything myself… Do you think I could go with them?"

"You think I am your personal butler, don't you? You think I am to serve you at your every request? Well I personally think not!!" snarled uncle Vernon.

Great… Harry thought…just great…

But suddenly, he had an idea. "Well I could always call Mad-Eye Moody and ask him to give me a ride to Diagon Alley…."said Harry maliciously, placing emphasis to the words Mad Eye.

 
"And who is this bloody Mad-Eye you're talking about?" said Uncle Vernon, unconsciously placing emphasis on the words Mad Eye as well.


"Oh, you know him…" -Harry affirmed containing a smile- "he's the man you talked to at the train station… remember?? The one wearing the bowler hat…"

Harry said this and watched as the color of Uncle Vernon's big, normally purple face, quickly ran out of his face.

"You don't mean… the one…. The one with t-t-the eye..." Uncle Vernon muttered pointing to his own eye as he said this; panic rising up on him. Harry found the panic on Uncle Vernon's face very satisfying.

"Yes, the one with the... hmm" –he said raising his eyebrow- "…eye … you know, that's why they call him Mad-Eye Moody..."

Harry waited a few seconds to hear Uncle Vernon mutter "ok, I'll t-t-take you to the b-bloody alley if that's what you want"


"Thanks!" and with that, smiling indeed, Harry took a last bite out of his dinner, stood up and went upstairs to his room.