1 Hey! This is my firs fic. I'm WARNING now! :::::THIS WILL BECOME SLASH IN
A NEAR FUTURE::::: You have been warned…I don't want flames later on,
complaining 'cause it's gross, ok? 'Cause I DID warn! ( Oh yeah, rated PG-
13 for slash and language!
Summary: Harry and Draco both end up going to a muggle school…How you ask…read!
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except the plot, and the really pathetic names (you'll see) later on in the story. Everything that has to do with the magical world of Harry Potter belongs to the goddess of literature, J.K. Rowling.
/…/ Are thoughts
*…* Is for something really emphasized
*****…..***** Are flashbacks and when they end (duh. I explain it in the story, but just to make sure…)
1.1 Ashtrona Hills
-Chapter 1-
Muggles, muggles, muggles!
There was barely a week left until his 5th year at Hogwarts began, and Draco still hadn't received his letter.
He was pacing about his new room, brooding over his letter, when Cindy, an awfully annoying girl his age who'd been in the orphanage for nearly 6 years now, opened the door and came strutting in.
Cindy Cunnings had black, straight hair and baby blue eyes. She was about a head shorter than him and had a slim body. Every guy in Sunny Ray's Shelter for Orphaned Children was after her…that was, every guy but him.
She'd been after Draco the minute she laid her eyes on him. But Draco paid no attention to her. For some odd reason, he wasn't the slightest bit interested in her, beautiful physique and all. Besides, she reminded him a lot of Pansy, which was definitely not a pretty thing to be reminded of. It weren't her looks that reminded him of Pansy…Gods no!… it was the way she acted. She strutted around the home, acting as if she owned the place, with her nose stuck up in the air, ignoring everyone and scolding anyone who dared get in her way. But she always seemed to want to annoy Draco…goodie!
Her looks, apart from making her appear beautiful and snobby, also made her seem smart. But in reality, she was as far away from smart as you can get. She was a ditz…a really big ditz. You couldn't start a decent conversation with her; it was almost amazing.
"Hello Draco!" She squealed. "How did you wake up this morning?"
/Oh, bloody hell no!! / Draco thought. But, instead, he ended up saying "What do you want Cindy?"
"Oh nothing, I'm just here to see how my little Drakie-poo (1) was doing!" She squealed, yet again.
/AGH! Not the nickname! How much more like Pansy can she get? Why, oh *why* would you do something like this to me God? Why!? Even in the muggle world I have to deal with Pansy! / Draco thought.
"I'm fine. Now cut the nickname and get your arse out of my sight!" Draco yelled.
"Pretty arse, you mean." Cindy replied.
"Whatever. Now OUT! I'm still in my pajamas, and I need to change!"
"Oh, don't worry…go ahead. I don't mind." Cindy said, while finding a comfortable spot to sit in on Jake's, one of his (new) roommates, bed.
"UGH! Like I'm gonna change in front of *you*. Now GET OUT!!" he yelled, as loud as he possibly could.
Cindy looked startled. She quickly got up from the bed and made for the door saying "Jeez, calm down. You don't have to yell about it… I'll leave." And with that, she left.
"Thank the Gods, I got rid of her!! She's such an annoying… Pansy!" he finally snapped the name Pansy out, making it an insult towards both girls.
Draco went over to his trunk, still packed up since his arrival here, and dug out a gray, long sleeved shirt, along with a pair of black trousers. He *never* wore jeans. He thought they were very "un-stylish". He quickly shrugged out of his green silk pajamas, and slipped on his outfit. Going into the bathroom and grabbing a comb from the drawer were he kept his toiletries, he made his hair look considerably more presentable.
After making sure he looked absolutely splendid (A/N: as always…*sigh*…), he went over and made his bed. Then, he folded his pajamas and put them away in his trunk, all the while thinking /I can't believe I'm doing this! At the Manor, I never had to make my bed, or fold my clothes… /. Even after being in the orphanage for several weeks, he still couldn't get used to the fact that there weren't any house elves present to do his chores for him.
With his tasks completed, he walked out of the room, and went down the stairs to the "living room" of the joint.
He ignored Cindy and all the girls positively drooling over his appearance, and walked straight up to Angelica, the main caretaker and guardian of the children residing in the shelter (A/N: ?).
"Er…Angelica?" he asked, uncertain of how exactly he was going t phrase what he was going to say, while she turned around.
"Yes Draco, what can I do for you?" she asked sweetly, smiling at him.
"Um…right…well…have you received a letter addressed to me? Or seen any strange birds wandering about anywhere?" he asked, the second question sounding very strange, even to his own ears.
Angelica looked confused, but answered nonetheless. "No…to both questions. What is it with you and correspondence, Draco? Are you expecting any letters…from a friend maybe? And the birds, really…" she trailed off.
"Well…I'm expecting a letter, but not from a friend. You see, in a weeks time is the beginning of term back at my boarding school, and…" but he was cut off by Angelica, who seemed a bit annoyed.
"Oh, you and that boarding school! Draco, I've told you several times, you will be going to the same school as everybody else in this shelter!"
"But…"
"No buts! You will be going to Ashtrona Hills Secondary School, end of story!!" with that said, Angelica turned around, and headed up the stairs.
"ARGH!!!" Draco growled. How dare she yell at him! And how *dare* she treat him as if he were an inferior being! Didn't she know who he was!? Draco bloody Malfoy, that's who!! Whose shoes were probably worth more than her entire life!
Cindy, who'd witnessed the entire exchange along with several other kids who were playing some board game at the coffee table, came bounding up to him and happily said "Don't worry Drake, honey…you'll fit in wonderfully at Ashtrona Hills! And with me, head cheerleader and voted the winner of the Most Popular Girl award 3 years in a row, there at your side; they'll love you in a instant!"
Draco coughed. And it sounded suspiciously like "Lockhart wannabe".
"What was that, dear?" Cindy asked, batting her long eyelashes.
"Oh nothing, nothing" Draco ground out, impatiently. "Now sod off and get out of my way!"
And with that, he pushed the annoying Cindy away, and headed up the stairs, towards his bedroom.
He was going to find out what was going on…he just had to! Draco Malfoy was most certainly *not* going to set foot in a muggle school! Ever!
Those bloody gits at Hogwarts and at the Ministry had forgotten all about him. Where the hell were they, and how come they hadn't come to get him out of this place yet? And where the bloody hell was his letter!?
/Ugh! / Draco thought /I'm probably gonna end up going to that bloody Ashtrona Hills. What am I going to do!? I've never been to a muggle school before! Oh, this is going to be wonderful…just wonderful…/
@~*@~*@~*@~*@
/Oh my head! Ugh…damn! Be careful how you move there, you'll just end up hurting more than you already are. / Harry thought, as he attempted to move around in his cupboard.
He'd been in there almost the entire summer; with the exception of the times Vernon (he is definitely not my "uncle" any more!) let him out for the occasional beating. Truth was, after a while they didn't hurt as much…you get used to it, he guessed.
Harry felt hurt, but not only physically, emotionally as well.
Neither Ron nor Hermione had written to him during this entire time. And he knew that for a fact because his "family" always reminded him of it. Always parading around saying that Harry was such a big freak, that not even his friends cared about him.
And Harry had taken it personally. Not one letter…nothing. Not even the one from Hogwarts! Nobody seemed to care about how he was doing. Nobody had written to him…nobody had come to rescue him.
Another reason he had for actually believing the Dursleys was that, if he had received any letters, being the sadistic bastards they were, they probably would have ripped them to shreds in front of his face, just for the pleasure of seeing his sad and angered expression.
Harry twisted around some more, trying to find a comfortable position in which his (positively) broken ribs wouldn't cause him any pain.
He heard Vernon's heavy footsteps approaching the door. /Oh no! / he thought /What now? Please, oh please god let him be going to the kitchen! /
No such luck.
As soon as Vernon reached the cupboard, he angrily swung the door open (after unlocking it, of course).
"Boy!" he barked "I have terrible news."
/Oh crap. / he thought. /I'm in for it… /
"Yes 'Uncle' Vernon? Has someone come to pick me up, or something?" Harry ended up asking, part eager, part irritated and part anxious; the last one probably winning the round.
"No! What are you talking about boy? I thought I made it quite clear for you that I wouldn't allow any of your kind in here again! Besides, who would care enough to actually come all this way just to pick *you* up, mmmm?"
/Nobody apparently. Ron, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore…heck, even Hagrid!…where are you!? / Harry thought desperately.
"That's what I thought." Replied Vernon harshly. "Anyway, on with the news."
Vernon actually shivered at that. Shivered! Harry was both amazed and disgusted that he witnessed that…all that blubber…Blegh!
"What is it then?" he asked politely. Maybe a little too polite, because Vernon was eyeing him suspiciously.
"Well…it appears that you're registered under this house hold, therefore, the fact that you live here is known by the Ministry. Anyway, they're quite disturbed by the fact that this year, you are not enrolled in any school. How they knew you were enrolled in that devil school is beyond me…but they sent me a letter yesterday stating that I had to enroll you in a school this week…before the start of term." Then, Vernon proceeded to pull the most grotesque face Harry had ever seen.
"So…" he continued "tomorrow we will be going down to the nearest public school to enroll you. Anywhere will do. Just as long I'm not fined for not having one of the 'children' under my roof not receiving schooling." He looked at Harry nastily.
"Wha-what?" Harry stuttered. "You want me to attend a mu- I mean –a school? But…no! If I'm going to any school, it's Hog-"
"DON'T say it!" his 'uncle' fumed. "Just don't say it. Shut up if you know what's good for you!"
Harry recoiled, and immediately shut up.
"Like I said…tomorrow we'll be heading down to that public school down the block to get you enrolled. And that's FINAL!!" He added, as an afterthought. Then, as if to emphasize his point, he slammed the door and Harry, almost instantly, heard the lock click.
/Oh great! Just great! I haven't had schooling in the muggle world for nearly 5 years, and they expect me to easily fit in!? I don't mean to say that I had bad marks, no…quite the contrary in fact. I did pretty well. But I'm going to be *way* behind, that's for sure!/
Harry thought, trying to find a new position comfortable enough for him.
*~*~*~*
It wasn't until early the next morning that Harry was disturbed. Petunia came shrieking to his cupboards door, telling him to wake up, while pounding a fist to accentuate the order she made, with strength Harry never knew she had.
Harry groaned. /Too early… don't wanna…light…no / he thought incoherently.
Since this summer had been filled with (even) more hatred than usual, the Dursleys didn't seem to care much if he slept in. They didn't seem to notice his absence, or at least have the courtesy to show it mattered to them... even if it was by slaving him around the house, giving him chores to do. Of course, they were aware of the fact that Harry was locked in the cupboard under the stairs 24/7; but that was all for the best, really. They didn't want "The Devil" (A/N: remember?) prancing around the house. He was an absolute danger to anyone within a mile radius! How could they set "apocalypse on feet" free to the world…surely he would try to kill, *again*!
All of this was really getting at Harry. All the nicknames that had to do either with the end of the world, or with something evil; all the insults; all the time he spent cooped up inside this tiny cupboard. But most of all…the loneliness. The isolation. And the fact that his two best friends in the world didn't seem to care how his summer holidays were coming along.
Ron and Hermione knew how bad the Dursleys treated him. They *knew*! Why hadn't they owled? Why hadn't they called? Why hadn't they come to save him? Why hadn't they done *anything*!?
Truth was, Harry felt more alone than ever before in his life…and he had a feeling that it was all going to stay this way, for a while at least. He'd stopped hoping for someone to rescue him long ago, and now, he was just trying to focus on *living*. He didn't care how everything turned up. He didn't care if the Dursleys beat him, yelled at him, slaved him; as long as he turned up alive. If not for the sake of living, then simply to prove a point. After all…he *was* the "Boy Who Lived"…
Harry began to rise with a heavy heart when another shriek came.
"Alright, alright! I'm coming…honestly!" he muttered under his breath.
Not even minutes later, his 'uncle' fierce fully opened the door.
"Let's go boy! Don't want to be late now, do we?" Vernon asked, sarcasm dripping from every word that came out of his mouth, when he asked the second question.
Harry, now only having one available pair of clothes which looked rather good for having been worn the past few weeks, slowly stood up and went out of the cupboard, the sunshine harsh on his eyes, which were already accustomed to so much darkness. (2)
He, along with Vernon, went out of the house and got into the car (Vernon making sure Harry didn't ruin anything) and drove a particularly short distance to a large building, made of red bricks. There was a green, wire fence surrounding it and a large sign, made from stone, stood proudly at the entrance baring large, dark, bold letters which read: ASHTRONA HILLS SECONDARY SCHOOL. At the bottom in slightly smaller letters, it said: Public. (A/N: ?)
They slowly made their way towards the two large, wooden doors, which were the entrance to the school, Harry desperately trying in vain to smooth down his hair, and the various wrinkles in his clothes. He may not want to attend this school, but he still had his pride. And going into a school with an appearance only found in hell was definitely *not* a way to show pride or dignity.
After entering Ashtrona Hills, they went up to who appeared to be the school's receptionist and Vernon asked about the sign ups.
The woman, who looked in her mid forties, told them pleasantly to sit and wait for the Headmistress of the school to finish the work she was dealing with at the moment.
Nearly 15 minutes later, Mrs. Sheperd (they learned it was her name) told them to go on into the Headmistresses office since she was now ready to see them.
They walked into the Headmistresses office, which was quite large, and after introducing themselves (they soon learned her name to be Mrs. Nottingham) went right to business.
Vernon explained everything concerning Harry's situation (well, most of it anyway) and told her from the fact that he had studied in local schools before, to the fact that he'd been away in a neighboring country, receiving schooling for the past few years. He also showed her the record of marks Harry'd had up to the year he began at Hogwarts.
She seemed happy enough with Harry's marks, and understood perfectly that, since Harry had been studying away from home, they didn't really have a record of his marks for the past 4 years.
"Alright," she said "you will begin term on September 2. Your uniform will be as follows." And she handed him a list of the necessary items of clothing to complete the school uniform. "And you will be in classroom 5- A." (3) She stopped and smiled at them both in turn. "Are there any questions?" She asked Harry.
"No. I'm alright, thanks." Harry answered.
"Alright then! I'll see you next week! Until then…Cheerio!" and she stood up, opened the door to her office, and let them out.
"Well then, " Vernon said after they were already in the car "now hat that's settled, we'd better make your uniform…rather, you'd better make it yourself." And he gave Harry a cold look.
/Great. I haven't heard from my friends, I'm in a muggle school, and it looks like I'm going to be sewing for the rest of the week! Sounds fabulous…bloody *smashing!* / Harry thought sourly as they reached the driveway into 4 Privet Drive.
@~*@~*@~*@~*@
Not even 30 minutes after Harry and Vernon had left, Draco Malfoy and Angelica Parker walked into Mrs. Nottingham's office.
"Well hello there Ms. Parker! (A/N: Angelica's in her late twenties…she's single, duh…hence the "Ms.") Nice to see you again. Got another one, I see there? Great, great…now let's get you all settled in!"
And with that, they began the exact same procedure that had gone on in the same office, not long ago. About 45 minutes later, Draco was set, and all ready to go. (4)
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it? You'll do great there Draco, don't worry." Angelica told Draco, reassuringly.
"Yeah…sure…whatever…" He replied, scowling.
/Sure, it will be great…just great. I haven't heard from the wizarding world, I'm in a muggle school, and it looks like I'm going to spend, yet another of my weeks learning about morals and high self-esteem. Sounds fabulous…bloody *smashing*! / (5)
-End Chapter 1- tbc (if you want me to!)
(1)- I've read this nickname in millions of fics and I think it's hilarious!
(2)- In case you were wondering, they let him out once every 3 days to shower (other than the twice-a-day thing for natural necessities) and he tried to iron his clothes and clean them off for appearance.
(3)- That's the way they sort out classrooms here in Venezuela (where I live). According to your grade and section…but I don't know if that's the way they do it in England. *Shrug*
(4)- About his marks…I guess since he's in an orphanage it's not really important? I don't know! Why don't we just leave it as one of the many unsolved mysteries of the world, yes?
(5)- You know what they say, great minds think alike!
Anyway! For next chapter…the start of term!! Harry and Draco see each other…but I'm sorry to say, that slash won't be coming soon. I want to make it a "realistic" fic, not they see each other and BOOM…it's sudden love. This is going to be a first total loathing…then love fic, k?
Um…I WANT TO THANK ALL WHO REVIEWED!! You guys ROCK!…oh, I love you all! I can't believe I got 10 reviews on my first fic…wow! (for me it's special, anyway)
Thanks to:
(Hippy Flower) – You were my first reviewer! You'll see what will happen, don't worry!
(dljewel) – I'm sorry about the American phrases and stuff, but I can't help it 'cause I'm American! I'll try my hardest though…in fact, I did in this chapter. I hope I did better!
(Dursley hater) – I'm sorry, but I can't bash the Dursleys from my story. I hate them too, but without them, I wouldn't have a plot!
(Artemis-chan) – If people keep reading my story, and keep reviewing (HINT HINT!), you'll see where this goes.;)
(Mythical Vampyre) – Well, there went the 2nd chapter! Hopefully the 3rd will be up soon. =)
(daybreak-impression) - Ah, I liked your review the most! I'm so flattered! Let me tell you, ya'll made my day! Thanks…well, here's the 2nd part!
(mandraco) – I'll explain the owl thing later on…I still haven't quite worked it out, but it won't be up for a while anyway.
(IcyEyes202) – I don't know when the wizards are coming! You've got to read!! Lol…
(Draco Malfoy N Harry Potter) – Nice name. ;) Anyway, thanks! You'll see what happens to Draco…and I'm going as fast as I can!
(Miyu) – I hope I can finish it too…lol…thanks for reviewing!
I love you all…and don't forget to review!! ;)
Oh! And if anyone wants to help me with my "British", please e-mail me. I don't know many British expressions, so that'd be a great help. Thanks!
Summary: Harry and Draco both end up going to a muggle school…How you ask…read!
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except the plot, and the really pathetic names (you'll see) later on in the story. Everything that has to do with the magical world of Harry Potter belongs to the goddess of literature, J.K. Rowling.
/…/ Are thoughts
*…* Is for something really emphasized
*****…..***** Are flashbacks and when they end (duh. I explain it in the story, but just to make sure…)
1.1 Ashtrona Hills
-Chapter 1-
Muggles, muggles, muggles!
There was barely a week left until his 5th year at Hogwarts began, and Draco still hadn't received his letter.
He was pacing about his new room, brooding over his letter, when Cindy, an awfully annoying girl his age who'd been in the orphanage for nearly 6 years now, opened the door and came strutting in.
Cindy Cunnings had black, straight hair and baby blue eyes. She was about a head shorter than him and had a slim body. Every guy in Sunny Ray's Shelter for Orphaned Children was after her…that was, every guy but him.
She'd been after Draco the minute she laid her eyes on him. But Draco paid no attention to her. For some odd reason, he wasn't the slightest bit interested in her, beautiful physique and all. Besides, she reminded him a lot of Pansy, which was definitely not a pretty thing to be reminded of. It weren't her looks that reminded him of Pansy…Gods no!… it was the way she acted. She strutted around the home, acting as if she owned the place, with her nose stuck up in the air, ignoring everyone and scolding anyone who dared get in her way. But she always seemed to want to annoy Draco…goodie!
Her looks, apart from making her appear beautiful and snobby, also made her seem smart. But in reality, she was as far away from smart as you can get. She was a ditz…a really big ditz. You couldn't start a decent conversation with her; it was almost amazing.
"Hello Draco!" She squealed. "How did you wake up this morning?"
/Oh, bloody hell no!! / Draco thought. But, instead, he ended up saying "What do you want Cindy?"
"Oh nothing, I'm just here to see how my little Drakie-poo (1) was doing!" She squealed, yet again.
/AGH! Not the nickname! How much more like Pansy can she get? Why, oh *why* would you do something like this to me God? Why!? Even in the muggle world I have to deal with Pansy! / Draco thought.
"I'm fine. Now cut the nickname and get your arse out of my sight!" Draco yelled.
"Pretty arse, you mean." Cindy replied.
"Whatever. Now OUT! I'm still in my pajamas, and I need to change!"
"Oh, don't worry…go ahead. I don't mind." Cindy said, while finding a comfortable spot to sit in on Jake's, one of his (new) roommates, bed.
"UGH! Like I'm gonna change in front of *you*. Now GET OUT!!" he yelled, as loud as he possibly could.
Cindy looked startled. She quickly got up from the bed and made for the door saying "Jeez, calm down. You don't have to yell about it… I'll leave." And with that, she left.
"Thank the Gods, I got rid of her!! She's such an annoying… Pansy!" he finally snapped the name Pansy out, making it an insult towards both girls.
Draco went over to his trunk, still packed up since his arrival here, and dug out a gray, long sleeved shirt, along with a pair of black trousers. He *never* wore jeans. He thought they were very "un-stylish". He quickly shrugged out of his green silk pajamas, and slipped on his outfit. Going into the bathroom and grabbing a comb from the drawer were he kept his toiletries, he made his hair look considerably more presentable.
After making sure he looked absolutely splendid (A/N: as always…*sigh*…), he went over and made his bed. Then, he folded his pajamas and put them away in his trunk, all the while thinking /I can't believe I'm doing this! At the Manor, I never had to make my bed, or fold my clothes… /. Even after being in the orphanage for several weeks, he still couldn't get used to the fact that there weren't any house elves present to do his chores for him.
With his tasks completed, he walked out of the room, and went down the stairs to the "living room" of the joint.
He ignored Cindy and all the girls positively drooling over his appearance, and walked straight up to Angelica, the main caretaker and guardian of the children residing in the shelter (A/N: ?).
"Er…Angelica?" he asked, uncertain of how exactly he was going t phrase what he was going to say, while she turned around.
"Yes Draco, what can I do for you?" she asked sweetly, smiling at him.
"Um…right…well…have you received a letter addressed to me? Or seen any strange birds wandering about anywhere?" he asked, the second question sounding very strange, even to his own ears.
Angelica looked confused, but answered nonetheless. "No…to both questions. What is it with you and correspondence, Draco? Are you expecting any letters…from a friend maybe? And the birds, really…" she trailed off.
"Well…I'm expecting a letter, but not from a friend. You see, in a weeks time is the beginning of term back at my boarding school, and…" but he was cut off by Angelica, who seemed a bit annoyed.
"Oh, you and that boarding school! Draco, I've told you several times, you will be going to the same school as everybody else in this shelter!"
"But…"
"No buts! You will be going to Ashtrona Hills Secondary School, end of story!!" with that said, Angelica turned around, and headed up the stairs.
"ARGH!!!" Draco growled. How dare she yell at him! And how *dare* she treat him as if he were an inferior being! Didn't she know who he was!? Draco bloody Malfoy, that's who!! Whose shoes were probably worth more than her entire life!
Cindy, who'd witnessed the entire exchange along with several other kids who were playing some board game at the coffee table, came bounding up to him and happily said "Don't worry Drake, honey…you'll fit in wonderfully at Ashtrona Hills! And with me, head cheerleader and voted the winner of the Most Popular Girl award 3 years in a row, there at your side; they'll love you in a instant!"
Draco coughed. And it sounded suspiciously like "Lockhart wannabe".
"What was that, dear?" Cindy asked, batting her long eyelashes.
"Oh nothing, nothing" Draco ground out, impatiently. "Now sod off and get out of my way!"
And with that, he pushed the annoying Cindy away, and headed up the stairs, towards his bedroom.
He was going to find out what was going on…he just had to! Draco Malfoy was most certainly *not* going to set foot in a muggle school! Ever!
Those bloody gits at Hogwarts and at the Ministry had forgotten all about him. Where the hell were they, and how come they hadn't come to get him out of this place yet? And where the bloody hell was his letter!?
/Ugh! / Draco thought /I'm probably gonna end up going to that bloody Ashtrona Hills. What am I going to do!? I've never been to a muggle school before! Oh, this is going to be wonderful…just wonderful…/
@~*@~*@~*@~*@
/Oh my head! Ugh…damn! Be careful how you move there, you'll just end up hurting more than you already are. / Harry thought, as he attempted to move around in his cupboard.
He'd been in there almost the entire summer; with the exception of the times Vernon (he is definitely not my "uncle" any more!) let him out for the occasional beating. Truth was, after a while they didn't hurt as much…you get used to it, he guessed.
Harry felt hurt, but not only physically, emotionally as well.
Neither Ron nor Hermione had written to him during this entire time. And he knew that for a fact because his "family" always reminded him of it. Always parading around saying that Harry was such a big freak, that not even his friends cared about him.
And Harry had taken it personally. Not one letter…nothing. Not even the one from Hogwarts! Nobody seemed to care about how he was doing. Nobody had written to him…nobody had come to rescue him.
Another reason he had for actually believing the Dursleys was that, if he had received any letters, being the sadistic bastards they were, they probably would have ripped them to shreds in front of his face, just for the pleasure of seeing his sad and angered expression.
Harry twisted around some more, trying to find a comfortable position in which his (positively) broken ribs wouldn't cause him any pain.
He heard Vernon's heavy footsteps approaching the door. /Oh no! / he thought /What now? Please, oh please god let him be going to the kitchen! /
No such luck.
As soon as Vernon reached the cupboard, he angrily swung the door open (after unlocking it, of course).
"Boy!" he barked "I have terrible news."
/Oh crap. / he thought. /I'm in for it… /
"Yes 'Uncle' Vernon? Has someone come to pick me up, or something?" Harry ended up asking, part eager, part irritated and part anxious; the last one probably winning the round.
"No! What are you talking about boy? I thought I made it quite clear for you that I wouldn't allow any of your kind in here again! Besides, who would care enough to actually come all this way just to pick *you* up, mmmm?"
/Nobody apparently. Ron, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore…heck, even Hagrid!…where are you!? / Harry thought desperately.
"That's what I thought." Replied Vernon harshly. "Anyway, on with the news."
Vernon actually shivered at that. Shivered! Harry was both amazed and disgusted that he witnessed that…all that blubber…Blegh!
"What is it then?" he asked politely. Maybe a little too polite, because Vernon was eyeing him suspiciously.
"Well…it appears that you're registered under this house hold, therefore, the fact that you live here is known by the Ministry. Anyway, they're quite disturbed by the fact that this year, you are not enrolled in any school. How they knew you were enrolled in that devil school is beyond me…but they sent me a letter yesterday stating that I had to enroll you in a school this week…before the start of term." Then, Vernon proceeded to pull the most grotesque face Harry had ever seen.
"So…" he continued "tomorrow we will be going down to the nearest public school to enroll you. Anywhere will do. Just as long I'm not fined for not having one of the 'children' under my roof not receiving schooling." He looked at Harry nastily.
"Wha-what?" Harry stuttered. "You want me to attend a mu- I mean –a school? But…no! If I'm going to any school, it's Hog-"
"DON'T say it!" his 'uncle' fumed. "Just don't say it. Shut up if you know what's good for you!"
Harry recoiled, and immediately shut up.
"Like I said…tomorrow we'll be heading down to that public school down the block to get you enrolled. And that's FINAL!!" He added, as an afterthought. Then, as if to emphasize his point, he slammed the door and Harry, almost instantly, heard the lock click.
/Oh great! Just great! I haven't had schooling in the muggle world for nearly 5 years, and they expect me to easily fit in!? I don't mean to say that I had bad marks, no…quite the contrary in fact. I did pretty well. But I'm going to be *way* behind, that's for sure!/
Harry thought, trying to find a new position comfortable enough for him.
*~*~*~*
It wasn't until early the next morning that Harry was disturbed. Petunia came shrieking to his cupboards door, telling him to wake up, while pounding a fist to accentuate the order she made, with strength Harry never knew she had.
Harry groaned. /Too early… don't wanna…light…no / he thought incoherently.
Since this summer had been filled with (even) more hatred than usual, the Dursleys didn't seem to care much if he slept in. They didn't seem to notice his absence, or at least have the courtesy to show it mattered to them... even if it was by slaving him around the house, giving him chores to do. Of course, they were aware of the fact that Harry was locked in the cupboard under the stairs 24/7; but that was all for the best, really. They didn't want "The Devil" (A/N: remember?) prancing around the house. He was an absolute danger to anyone within a mile radius! How could they set "apocalypse on feet" free to the world…surely he would try to kill, *again*!
All of this was really getting at Harry. All the nicknames that had to do either with the end of the world, or with something evil; all the insults; all the time he spent cooped up inside this tiny cupboard. But most of all…the loneliness. The isolation. And the fact that his two best friends in the world didn't seem to care how his summer holidays were coming along.
Ron and Hermione knew how bad the Dursleys treated him. They *knew*! Why hadn't they owled? Why hadn't they called? Why hadn't they come to save him? Why hadn't they done *anything*!?
Truth was, Harry felt more alone than ever before in his life…and he had a feeling that it was all going to stay this way, for a while at least. He'd stopped hoping for someone to rescue him long ago, and now, he was just trying to focus on *living*. He didn't care how everything turned up. He didn't care if the Dursleys beat him, yelled at him, slaved him; as long as he turned up alive. If not for the sake of living, then simply to prove a point. After all…he *was* the "Boy Who Lived"…
Harry began to rise with a heavy heart when another shriek came.
"Alright, alright! I'm coming…honestly!" he muttered under his breath.
Not even minutes later, his 'uncle' fierce fully opened the door.
"Let's go boy! Don't want to be late now, do we?" Vernon asked, sarcasm dripping from every word that came out of his mouth, when he asked the second question.
Harry, now only having one available pair of clothes which looked rather good for having been worn the past few weeks, slowly stood up and went out of the cupboard, the sunshine harsh on his eyes, which were already accustomed to so much darkness. (2)
He, along with Vernon, went out of the house and got into the car (Vernon making sure Harry didn't ruin anything) and drove a particularly short distance to a large building, made of red bricks. There was a green, wire fence surrounding it and a large sign, made from stone, stood proudly at the entrance baring large, dark, bold letters which read: ASHTRONA HILLS SECONDARY SCHOOL. At the bottom in slightly smaller letters, it said: Public. (A/N: ?)
They slowly made their way towards the two large, wooden doors, which were the entrance to the school, Harry desperately trying in vain to smooth down his hair, and the various wrinkles in his clothes. He may not want to attend this school, but he still had his pride. And going into a school with an appearance only found in hell was definitely *not* a way to show pride or dignity.
After entering Ashtrona Hills, they went up to who appeared to be the school's receptionist and Vernon asked about the sign ups.
The woman, who looked in her mid forties, told them pleasantly to sit and wait for the Headmistress of the school to finish the work she was dealing with at the moment.
Nearly 15 minutes later, Mrs. Sheperd (they learned it was her name) told them to go on into the Headmistresses office since she was now ready to see them.
They walked into the Headmistresses office, which was quite large, and after introducing themselves (they soon learned her name to be Mrs. Nottingham) went right to business.
Vernon explained everything concerning Harry's situation (well, most of it anyway) and told her from the fact that he had studied in local schools before, to the fact that he'd been away in a neighboring country, receiving schooling for the past few years. He also showed her the record of marks Harry'd had up to the year he began at Hogwarts.
She seemed happy enough with Harry's marks, and understood perfectly that, since Harry had been studying away from home, they didn't really have a record of his marks for the past 4 years.
"Alright," she said "you will begin term on September 2. Your uniform will be as follows." And she handed him a list of the necessary items of clothing to complete the school uniform. "And you will be in classroom 5- A." (3) She stopped and smiled at them both in turn. "Are there any questions?" She asked Harry.
"No. I'm alright, thanks." Harry answered.
"Alright then! I'll see you next week! Until then…Cheerio!" and she stood up, opened the door to her office, and let them out.
"Well then, " Vernon said after they were already in the car "now hat that's settled, we'd better make your uniform…rather, you'd better make it yourself." And he gave Harry a cold look.
/Great. I haven't heard from my friends, I'm in a muggle school, and it looks like I'm going to be sewing for the rest of the week! Sounds fabulous…bloody *smashing!* / Harry thought sourly as they reached the driveway into 4 Privet Drive.
@~*@~*@~*@~*@
Not even 30 minutes after Harry and Vernon had left, Draco Malfoy and Angelica Parker walked into Mrs. Nottingham's office.
"Well hello there Ms. Parker! (A/N: Angelica's in her late twenties…she's single, duh…hence the "Ms.") Nice to see you again. Got another one, I see there? Great, great…now let's get you all settled in!"
And with that, they began the exact same procedure that had gone on in the same office, not long ago. About 45 minutes later, Draco was set, and all ready to go. (4)
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it? You'll do great there Draco, don't worry." Angelica told Draco, reassuringly.
"Yeah…sure…whatever…" He replied, scowling.
/Sure, it will be great…just great. I haven't heard from the wizarding world, I'm in a muggle school, and it looks like I'm going to spend, yet another of my weeks learning about morals and high self-esteem. Sounds fabulous…bloody *smashing*! / (5)
-End Chapter 1- tbc (if you want me to!)
(1)- I've read this nickname in millions of fics and I think it's hilarious!
(2)- In case you were wondering, they let him out once every 3 days to shower (other than the twice-a-day thing for natural necessities) and he tried to iron his clothes and clean them off for appearance.
(3)- That's the way they sort out classrooms here in Venezuela (where I live). According to your grade and section…but I don't know if that's the way they do it in England. *Shrug*
(4)- About his marks…I guess since he's in an orphanage it's not really important? I don't know! Why don't we just leave it as one of the many unsolved mysteries of the world, yes?
(5)- You know what they say, great minds think alike!
Anyway! For next chapter…the start of term!! Harry and Draco see each other…but I'm sorry to say, that slash won't be coming soon. I want to make it a "realistic" fic, not they see each other and BOOM…it's sudden love. This is going to be a first total loathing…then love fic, k?
Um…I WANT TO THANK ALL WHO REVIEWED!! You guys ROCK!…oh, I love you all! I can't believe I got 10 reviews on my first fic…wow! (for me it's special, anyway)
Thanks to:
(Hippy Flower) – You were my first reviewer! You'll see what will happen, don't worry!
(dljewel) – I'm sorry about the American phrases and stuff, but I can't help it 'cause I'm American! I'll try my hardest though…in fact, I did in this chapter. I hope I did better!
(Dursley hater) – I'm sorry, but I can't bash the Dursleys from my story. I hate them too, but without them, I wouldn't have a plot!
(Artemis-chan) – If people keep reading my story, and keep reviewing (HINT HINT!), you'll see where this goes.;)
(Mythical Vampyre) – Well, there went the 2nd chapter! Hopefully the 3rd will be up soon. =)
(daybreak-impression) - Ah, I liked your review the most! I'm so flattered! Let me tell you, ya'll made my day! Thanks…well, here's the 2nd part!
(mandraco) – I'll explain the owl thing later on…I still haven't quite worked it out, but it won't be up for a while anyway.
(IcyEyes202) – I don't know when the wizards are coming! You've got to read!! Lol…
(Draco Malfoy N Harry Potter) – Nice name. ;) Anyway, thanks! You'll see what happens to Draco…and I'm going as fast as I can!
(Miyu) – I hope I can finish it too…lol…thanks for reviewing!
I love you all…and don't forget to review!! ;)
Oh! And if anyone wants to help me with my "British", please e-mail me. I don't know many British expressions, so that'd be a great help. Thanks!