I don't really have anything to say, so here's the Chapter:
Chapter One: Haunting the Dursleys
When Harry woke up on the first morning of his summer holiday, he right away wished he could fall asleep again. Life was better in his dreams.
Pulling on one of Dudley's giant t-shirts, Harry didn't even attempt to comb his hair. Instead, he wandered downstairs. Thoughtlessly, he began making breakfast, barely conscious of the fact that the Dursleys had yet to wake up.
Harry's mind was spinning and his insides felt so desperate. The whole of his problems drove him crazy.
Voldemort had regained power. Soon the Dark Lord would have his Death- Eaters back- the prison would not hold them for long. Voldemort was going to conquer and kill many innocent people. The terror that was spreading through the country was beginning to affect Harry.
Then there was the prophecy. Even when he wasn't thinking about it, the lurking note in the back of his mind reminded him that he would have to kill or be killed. The stress of realizing that it might be him who was the only hope of truly destroying Voldemort made his stomach ache.
And then, finally, there was Sirius. His godfather had died, and all because of him. If Harry hadn't been in such a mood to 'play the hero', Sirius would still be there. Part of him wanted to blame Snape. After all, he hadn't taught Harry occlumency. But Harry knew it was wrong. He hadn't practiced, hadn't even tried, to block people out. He'd wanted to see the visions. He'd wanted to know.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Harry finished making his breakfast and was just sitting down to eat when Dudley walked in. When the pig saw Harry's meal already made, he decided on taking the easy way out. Walking over to Harry, Dudley raised his fist to punch Harry aside and claim his breakfast. But just as he began to lower it on the unsuspecting victim, a loud voice bellowed from behind them.
"DUDLEY, YOU HAD BETTER NOT TOUCH HIM!" screamed Uncle Vernon. Surprised, the two boys spun around, their minds spinning. Dudley was wondering why his father minded him hitting Harry today, when every other time it was just fine. Harry was wondering where his uncle had gotten that hideous violet bathrobe.
"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND BOY?" bellowed Vernon, glaring at Dudley, and for the first time in his life, advancing on his own son, "IF YOU TOUCH HIM, ALL THOSE WIZARD FOLK WILL COME BURSTING INTO OUR HOME, READY TO- TO USE M-MAG... TO USE YOU-KNOW-WHAT ON US!" So that explained things. Harry didn't think it was legal for anyone to curse the Dursleys, but he nodded knowingly at Dudley, just the same.
At that moment, Aunt Petunia happened to wander into the kitchen. She smiled in greeting at her husband and son, but when her eyes found Harry, she made a slight whimpering noise in her throat and hurriedly turned her back. Finishing his meal, Harry quickly left the kitchen. The last thing he wanted to do was spend time with his insane 'family'.
Climbing the steps to his room, Harry walked straight to the window to let in Hedwig. She gave him a miffed hoot before dropping a letter on his bed and then proceeding to her cage. Harry walked over and began to feed her and give her clean water.
"Sorry about the window girl, but it was raining last night. I couldn't let the entire room get drenched." Harry told her, stroking her slowly. She nipped him gently to say she forgave him, and Harry turned his attention to the letter that was waiting for him on his bed. He carried it to his desk and unrolled the parchment.
Dear Harry,
I wrote this as soon as I got home last night- I can't believe I forgot to tell you. Hedwig must be really smart, because just as I was wondering how to send this to you, she showed up at my window. Anyway, the point is that I completely forgot to tell you that Ron's mom plans on us shopping for new school supplies on August 1st. I thought you'd want to know, so that you could have something to look forward to during the holidays. I hope the Dursleys treat you better this year, what with Moody's warning and everything. Write me soon to tell me you're okay.
Love from Hermione
Harry quickly scribbled a reply, telling Hermione about what had happened during breakfast. He set the letter on his desk, deciding to wait until later to send it. Hedwig deserved a chance to rest and relax before being sent out again.
Time passed as Harry and the Dursleys continued to live side by side, yet never interacting with each other. One night, after about three weeks of the silence, Harry received another letter, this one from a barn owl. Surprised by the strange deliverer, Harry pulled it open right away. It was a letter from Moody.
Harry,
Just thought I'd let you know I'll be visiting soon. Might want to warn that old prune, Dursley.
A. Moody
Harry quickly looked over the paper. Nowhere did it say when Moody was coming, only that he was. Warily, Harry listened to the sounds of Vernon's snores down the hall. Telling them was not going to be fun.
He approached his uncle the next morning. Vernon appeared to be in one of his rare, good moods. He'd actually gotten through an entire first helping without screaming or smacking someone. Still, Harry was worried about his uncle's response. Cautiously, he cleared his throat.
"Erm, Uncle Vernon?" he asked. As usual, Vernon grunted to show he was listening. "I, uh, Hedwig brought me a letter last night and, um..." he paused, wishing he didn't have to say it. "It was a letter from Alastor Moody-"
"Y-You're getting letters from that- that man?" squeaked Vernon, turning a lovely shade of green.
"Er, yes, letters, but that's not the point..." At the look in Vernon's eyes, Harry suddenly became positive that he wouldn't live if he told them.
"And what, exactly, is the point?" whispered Vernon, his voice a low growl.
"Ah, Moody sent me the letter to tell me, to tell me that he was going to be, uh-"
"OUT WITH IT BOY!"
"Moody's going to be stopping by!" Harry blurted out. The reactions were almost comical. Dudley's eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped onto the ground with a sickening splat. Petunia made a sad little whimpering sound, and her lips pressed tighter together than Harry thought possible. And Vernon, well, he went from green to white to bright red.
"I will not be having that monster in my house!" bellowed Vernon, jumping to his feet. He slammed his fist onto the table so hard that one of the teacups rattled so much that it fell off the edge.
"I really don't think you have much of a choice, you see, he didn't say when he was coming, so he might be on his way already, and it's not like he'd listen to you anyway, he thinks you're a great prune." Harry rambled on, immediately regretting mentioning the prune part.
"G-Go to your room, right now." ordered Vernon. Harry quickly complied.
Ten hours later, Harry heard a knock on his door. Glancing up, he saw Vernon glaring down at him.
"Er, did your friend mention how he would be getting here?" asked Vernon, his earlier anger now replaced with apparent fear. Harry hadn't thought about how Moody would be arriving. He'd picked him up on broomstick last year, but the Weasleys had come to him through the floo network.
"I'm not sure..." Harry paused, because a thought had suddenly struck him. Moody wasn't picking him up, he was just stopping by. He'd most likely just apparate into the house. Harry looked at his uncle, wondering about how to tell him that a man might just pop into their household. He found he never got a chance to explain, because the next second, Aunt Petunia started shrieking from the kitchen.
When Harry had arrived downstairs, he immediately saw that Petunia and Dudley were standing with their backs pressed against the refrigerator, staring toward the door. Turning to the door, Harry caught his first glimpse of Moody.
"Hello Potter." Was Moody's greeting, and the scarred man walked across the room. One of his eyes was fixed of Harry, but his other eye was rolling about inside his head, watching the Dursleys. "What are we having for dinner?" As the Dursleys huddled together, terrified, Harry felt himself smiling for the first time since he'd watched Sirius flutter through the curtain.
Not ten minutes later, they had managed to sit themselves around the table. It seemed that the Dursleys were trying to rush through things in order that Moody would leave just as quickly. Obviously Moody had noticed Vernon's frantic shoveling of food into his mouth, because Moody, in response, seemed to eat slower and slower. While Vernon and Moody both tried for records in how fast/slow you could eat, the rest of the table remained quiet and nervous. Petunia picked at her food, never taking her eyes from Moody, lest he make any sudden movements.
"So Harry, done your homework for the summer yet?" asked Moody. Harry thought about the five reports he had due when he returned to school. He looked at Moody, feeling a bit guilty that he'd neglected them for almost half the summer.
"Eh, no." said Harry. Moody frowned.
"I'd get on it if I were you. You may also want to start reading over your Defense Against the Dark Arts books from your first three years."
"Why's that?" Harry asked, wondering about who their new teacher would be.
"Let's just say you may have a few extra responsibilities for the beginning of the year, alright?" Moody said. He lifted a tiny bit of steak to his mouth and chewed it slowly, while the Dursleys continued to watch him in terror.
It was after the 'record-breaking' dinner that Moody decided to clean his eye. With a horrifying pop, his pulled it out and plunked it into the glass of water that Harry presented to him. Then he made a mistake. His mistake was leaving his eye alone, in the kitchen, with Karima.
Of course, Moody had no idea Karima was even in the country, let alone inside the house. No one really knew about Karima's present state at all, so it would have been completely pointless to suspect danger in the Dursley household. But getting back to the point, Moody foolishly left his eye in the kitchen, while he joined the Dursleys in the living room for a chat.
Now Karima knew all about Moody's powerful eye that swiveled around and could see through things. And Karima also knew that the magical eye would make the perfect toy for her idea, so, feeling no guilt, Karima simply walked over to the glass and pulled the eye out. Clutching it in her hand, she transformed into her eagle and flew up to rest on top of the refrigerator, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
"Harry, where'd you put that glass with my eye in it?" asked Moody, stumbling across the kitchen. Harry looked over at the table where he'd set the glass and was surprised to see only a water glass sitting there.
"Ah, it used to be in that glass there." Harry pointed and Moody rounded on the table.
"Someone's made off with my eye!" Moody growled. "If that great prune or any of his family has touched my eye, I'll curse them!" Moody started toward the living room, most likely to holler at the Dursleys again, but he suddenly stopped and glanced back at Harry.
"It might not have been one of them, Potter. It might've been someone else." Harry frowned.
"Who else would be in our kitchen?"
"I wouldn't know Potter, but if it was someone else, you'd best be looking after yourself." Moody rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We'll be watching you too, but don't forget to look after yourself boy."
"I will." promised Harry.
Moody opened the door and stepped out, but threw one last sentence over his shoulder. "And do your best to locate my eye!" With that, the auror vanished, leaving Harry to hope that the Dursleys had taken Moody's eye, and not someone else.
Dudley's howl filled the house, causing all three of the other inhabitants to wake up. Vernon and Petunia immediately rushed to their son's aide, Vernon screaming things like, "If that ruddy man is back-" and "So help me I'll-". Yet Vernon never really got around to saying what he'd do, exactly, if Moody was indeed back in their house. Only after Vernon had banged open the door to Dudley's room did the boy's screaming stop. He didn't look up at his parents, but continued staring at a spot some five feet in front of him, horror on his face.
"Diddykins, what's the matter? Tell Mummy what's the matter, dear." soothed Aunt Petunia, reaching out to stroke her pig's hair.
"That- That man's eye was floating in my room!" squeaked out Dudley, his face turning purple. "It was watching me!"
"Come now Dudley, the man is gone, his eye wasn't in here, it couldn't have been." Vernon tried to calm his shaking son.
But Harry, who was now standing in the doorway to watch the trio, suddenly felt himself grow very cold. He remembered what Moody had said earlier in the kitchen. Someone had taken Moody's eye, and it couldn't have been Dudley. No boy could act out such fear; no boy could play such a convincing joke. Rubbing his arms, Harry wondered about who else had been in his house that night, and if that person was still there.
That's the end of Chapter One! I hope you liked it. I'll have the next chapter out shortly. It begins the 'evilness' in my story!
Chapter One: Haunting the Dursleys
When Harry woke up on the first morning of his summer holiday, he right away wished he could fall asleep again. Life was better in his dreams.
Pulling on one of Dudley's giant t-shirts, Harry didn't even attempt to comb his hair. Instead, he wandered downstairs. Thoughtlessly, he began making breakfast, barely conscious of the fact that the Dursleys had yet to wake up.
Harry's mind was spinning and his insides felt so desperate. The whole of his problems drove him crazy.
Voldemort had regained power. Soon the Dark Lord would have his Death- Eaters back- the prison would not hold them for long. Voldemort was going to conquer and kill many innocent people. The terror that was spreading through the country was beginning to affect Harry.
Then there was the prophecy. Even when he wasn't thinking about it, the lurking note in the back of his mind reminded him that he would have to kill or be killed. The stress of realizing that it might be him who was the only hope of truly destroying Voldemort made his stomach ache.
And then, finally, there was Sirius. His godfather had died, and all because of him. If Harry hadn't been in such a mood to 'play the hero', Sirius would still be there. Part of him wanted to blame Snape. After all, he hadn't taught Harry occlumency. But Harry knew it was wrong. He hadn't practiced, hadn't even tried, to block people out. He'd wanted to see the visions. He'd wanted to know.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Harry finished making his breakfast and was just sitting down to eat when Dudley walked in. When the pig saw Harry's meal already made, he decided on taking the easy way out. Walking over to Harry, Dudley raised his fist to punch Harry aside and claim his breakfast. But just as he began to lower it on the unsuspecting victim, a loud voice bellowed from behind them.
"DUDLEY, YOU HAD BETTER NOT TOUCH HIM!" screamed Uncle Vernon. Surprised, the two boys spun around, their minds spinning. Dudley was wondering why his father minded him hitting Harry today, when every other time it was just fine. Harry was wondering where his uncle had gotten that hideous violet bathrobe.
"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND BOY?" bellowed Vernon, glaring at Dudley, and for the first time in his life, advancing on his own son, "IF YOU TOUCH HIM, ALL THOSE WIZARD FOLK WILL COME BURSTING INTO OUR HOME, READY TO- TO USE M-MAG... TO USE YOU-KNOW-WHAT ON US!" So that explained things. Harry didn't think it was legal for anyone to curse the Dursleys, but he nodded knowingly at Dudley, just the same.
At that moment, Aunt Petunia happened to wander into the kitchen. She smiled in greeting at her husband and son, but when her eyes found Harry, she made a slight whimpering noise in her throat and hurriedly turned her back. Finishing his meal, Harry quickly left the kitchen. The last thing he wanted to do was spend time with his insane 'family'.
Climbing the steps to his room, Harry walked straight to the window to let in Hedwig. She gave him a miffed hoot before dropping a letter on his bed and then proceeding to her cage. Harry walked over and began to feed her and give her clean water.
"Sorry about the window girl, but it was raining last night. I couldn't let the entire room get drenched." Harry told her, stroking her slowly. She nipped him gently to say she forgave him, and Harry turned his attention to the letter that was waiting for him on his bed. He carried it to his desk and unrolled the parchment.
Dear Harry,
I wrote this as soon as I got home last night- I can't believe I forgot to tell you. Hedwig must be really smart, because just as I was wondering how to send this to you, she showed up at my window. Anyway, the point is that I completely forgot to tell you that Ron's mom plans on us shopping for new school supplies on August 1st. I thought you'd want to know, so that you could have something to look forward to during the holidays. I hope the Dursleys treat you better this year, what with Moody's warning and everything. Write me soon to tell me you're okay.
Love from Hermione
Harry quickly scribbled a reply, telling Hermione about what had happened during breakfast. He set the letter on his desk, deciding to wait until later to send it. Hedwig deserved a chance to rest and relax before being sent out again.
Time passed as Harry and the Dursleys continued to live side by side, yet never interacting with each other. One night, after about three weeks of the silence, Harry received another letter, this one from a barn owl. Surprised by the strange deliverer, Harry pulled it open right away. It was a letter from Moody.
Harry,
Just thought I'd let you know I'll be visiting soon. Might want to warn that old prune, Dursley.
A. Moody
Harry quickly looked over the paper. Nowhere did it say when Moody was coming, only that he was. Warily, Harry listened to the sounds of Vernon's snores down the hall. Telling them was not going to be fun.
He approached his uncle the next morning. Vernon appeared to be in one of his rare, good moods. He'd actually gotten through an entire first helping without screaming or smacking someone. Still, Harry was worried about his uncle's response. Cautiously, he cleared his throat.
"Erm, Uncle Vernon?" he asked. As usual, Vernon grunted to show he was listening. "I, uh, Hedwig brought me a letter last night and, um..." he paused, wishing he didn't have to say it. "It was a letter from Alastor Moody-"
"Y-You're getting letters from that- that man?" squeaked Vernon, turning a lovely shade of green.
"Er, yes, letters, but that's not the point..." At the look in Vernon's eyes, Harry suddenly became positive that he wouldn't live if he told them.
"And what, exactly, is the point?" whispered Vernon, his voice a low growl.
"Ah, Moody sent me the letter to tell me, to tell me that he was going to be, uh-"
"OUT WITH IT BOY!"
"Moody's going to be stopping by!" Harry blurted out. The reactions were almost comical. Dudley's eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped onto the ground with a sickening splat. Petunia made a sad little whimpering sound, and her lips pressed tighter together than Harry thought possible. And Vernon, well, he went from green to white to bright red.
"I will not be having that monster in my house!" bellowed Vernon, jumping to his feet. He slammed his fist onto the table so hard that one of the teacups rattled so much that it fell off the edge.
"I really don't think you have much of a choice, you see, he didn't say when he was coming, so he might be on his way already, and it's not like he'd listen to you anyway, he thinks you're a great prune." Harry rambled on, immediately regretting mentioning the prune part.
"G-Go to your room, right now." ordered Vernon. Harry quickly complied.
Ten hours later, Harry heard a knock on his door. Glancing up, he saw Vernon glaring down at him.
"Er, did your friend mention how he would be getting here?" asked Vernon, his earlier anger now replaced with apparent fear. Harry hadn't thought about how Moody would be arriving. He'd picked him up on broomstick last year, but the Weasleys had come to him through the floo network.
"I'm not sure..." Harry paused, because a thought had suddenly struck him. Moody wasn't picking him up, he was just stopping by. He'd most likely just apparate into the house. Harry looked at his uncle, wondering about how to tell him that a man might just pop into their household. He found he never got a chance to explain, because the next second, Aunt Petunia started shrieking from the kitchen.
When Harry had arrived downstairs, he immediately saw that Petunia and Dudley were standing with their backs pressed against the refrigerator, staring toward the door. Turning to the door, Harry caught his first glimpse of Moody.
"Hello Potter." Was Moody's greeting, and the scarred man walked across the room. One of his eyes was fixed of Harry, but his other eye was rolling about inside his head, watching the Dursleys. "What are we having for dinner?" As the Dursleys huddled together, terrified, Harry felt himself smiling for the first time since he'd watched Sirius flutter through the curtain.
Not ten minutes later, they had managed to sit themselves around the table. It seemed that the Dursleys were trying to rush through things in order that Moody would leave just as quickly. Obviously Moody had noticed Vernon's frantic shoveling of food into his mouth, because Moody, in response, seemed to eat slower and slower. While Vernon and Moody both tried for records in how fast/slow you could eat, the rest of the table remained quiet and nervous. Petunia picked at her food, never taking her eyes from Moody, lest he make any sudden movements.
"So Harry, done your homework for the summer yet?" asked Moody. Harry thought about the five reports he had due when he returned to school. He looked at Moody, feeling a bit guilty that he'd neglected them for almost half the summer.
"Eh, no." said Harry. Moody frowned.
"I'd get on it if I were you. You may also want to start reading over your Defense Against the Dark Arts books from your first three years."
"Why's that?" Harry asked, wondering about who their new teacher would be.
"Let's just say you may have a few extra responsibilities for the beginning of the year, alright?" Moody said. He lifted a tiny bit of steak to his mouth and chewed it slowly, while the Dursleys continued to watch him in terror.
It was after the 'record-breaking' dinner that Moody decided to clean his eye. With a horrifying pop, his pulled it out and plunked it into the glass of water that Harry presented to him. Then he made a mistake. His mistake was leaving his eye alone, in the kitchen, with Karima.
Of course, Moody had no idea Karima was even in the country, let alone inside the house. No one really knew about Karima's present state at all, so it would have been completely pointless to suspect danger in the Dursley household. But getting back to the point, Moody foolishly left his eye in the kitchen, while he joined the Dursleys in the living room for a chat.
Now Karima knew all about Moody's powerful eye that swiveled around and could see through things. And Karima also knew that the magical eye would make the perfect toy for her idea, so, feeling no guilt, Karima simply walked over to the glass and pulled the eye out. Clutching it in her hand, she transformed into her eagle and flew up to rest on top of the refrigerator, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
"Harry, where'd you put that glass with my eye in it?" asked Moody, stumbling across the kitchen. Harry looked over at the table where he'd set the glass and was surprised to see only a water glass sitting there.
"Ah, it used to be in that glass there." Harry pointed and Moody rounded on the table.
"Someone's made off with my eye!" Moody growled. "If that great prune or any of his family has touched my eye, I'll curse them!" Moody started toward the living room, most likely to holler at the Dursleys again, but he suddenly stopped and glanced back at Harry.
"It might not have been one of them, Potter. It might've been someone else." Harry frowned.
"Who else would be in our kitchen?"
"I wouldn't know Potter, but if it was someone else, you'd best be looking after yourself." Moody rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We'll be watching you too, but don't forget to look after yourself boy."
"I will." promised Harry.
Moody opened the door and stepped out, but threw one last sentence over his shoulder. "And do your best to locate my eye!" With that, the auror vanished, leaving Harry to hope that the Dursleys had taken Moody's eye, and not someone else.
Dudley's howl filled the house, causing all three of the other inhabitants to wake up. Vernon and Petunia immediately rushed to their son's aide, Vernon screaming things like, "If that ruddy man is back-" and "So help me I'll-". Yet Vernon never really got around to saying what he'd do, exactly, if Moody was indeed back in their house. Only after Vernon had banged open the door to Dudley's room did the boy's screaming stop. He didn't look up at his parents, but continued staring at a spot some five feet in front of him, horror on his face.
"Diddykins, what's the matter? Tell Mummy what's the matter, dear." soothed Aunt Petunia, reaching out to stroke her pig's hair.
"That- That man's eye was floating in my room!" squeaked out Dudley, his face turning purple. "It was watching me!"
"Come now Dudley, the man is gone, his eye wasn't in here, it couldn't have been." Vernon tried to calm his shaking son.
But Harry, who was now standing in the doorway to watch the trio, suddenly felt himself grow very cold. He remembered what Moody had said earlier in the kitchen. Someone had taken Moody's eye, and it couldn't have been Dudley. No boy could act out such fear; no boy could play such a convincing joke. Rubbing his arms, Harry wondered about who else had been in his house that night, and if that person was still there.
That's the end of Chapter One! I hope you liked it. I'll have the next chapter out shortly. It begins the 'evilness' in my story!