(Couples: Harry/Ginny (eventually), possibly more later on)
(Disclaimer: Harry Potter and it's characters belong to J. K. Rowling and are being used in this fic without permission. No profit is being made off of this fic as it is for entertainment purposes only. The story and idea for it, however, belong to me. Plagiarize and die)
Vacation Gone Wrong... Or Right? (part 1)
~Harsh Reminder and Harsher Judgement~
by: AniDragon, aka Riona-chan
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A messy haired teenage boy lay on
his bed with his eyes closed, a pair of glasses resting on the table next
to him.
His room looked pretty normal for a 15 year old at first glance. Clothes were strung out everywhere, and a desk stood near the window with a few pictures on it. The only thing that seemed to stand out was a snowy white owl who slept soundly on its perch.
A closer glance, however, showed that the people in the pictures were moving.
Not to mention, the broomstick stored in the corner didn't look like it was made for cleaning.
The boy's green eyes suddenly stirred as a fluttering of wing and a high pitched hoot, a much higher pitch than he was used to hearing from his own owl, Hedwig, were heard.
Harry Potter sat up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and groped the table for his glasses. Putting them on, he smiled when he saw the small owl on his window sill.
"Hey, Pig." He whispered, holding out his arm to tell the small animal to come nearer.
Pigwidgeon, his best friend's owl, flew to his arm, stumbling and nearly falling, despite the short distance. Harry spotted a note attached to his foot. He quickly untied it and opened it.
Dear Harry,
How have you been? I hope your aunt and uncle, and especially that cousin of yours, haven't been giving you too much trouble. If they have, you know to tell us. I am sure Fred and George wouldn't mind trying out a few of their new products on them. Have you gotten your OWL results yet? I just got mine yesterday. I failed Divinations miserably, of course. I got an Acceptable in Astronomy, History of Magic, and Potions, which was much more then I expected. Then again, I have a feeling that a lot of people in our class didn't do well in Astronomy. I also got Exceeds Expectations in Transfigurations, Herbology, Charms, Care for Magical Creatures and Defence Against the Dark Arts. I bet Hermione got Outstanding on everything, but I haven't heard from her about them yet. How did you do? (If you got your results already, that is. I might have gotten them early since I'm a Prefect....)
Anyway, the reason I'm writing to you is to tell you that my family and I are going on a vacation soon, and we wanted to know if you wanted to come. You know, to get your mind off of everything that happened last year.
Write back soon,
Your friend, Ron
Harry clenched his teeth a bit at that last part. He had, in fact, been trying to deny Sirius's death since the beginning of summer. The note had given him a harsh reminder of it.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Ron was trying to help, after all. Maybe the vacation was a good idea. He wasn't sure if the Dursleys would accept, but then again, he didn't care much for their opinion anymore. Taking a quill from his desk and a piece of parchment, he quickly began to write his answer.
Dear Ron,
I've been doing okay, for the most part. I did get my OWL results, actually. Like you, I failed Divinations, and actually failed Astronomy and History of Magic as well. I got Acceptable in Herbology, and Exceeds Expectations in Transfiguration, Charms and Care for Magical Creatures, and, would you believe it? Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions!
Yes, Potions. Turns out it was the stress of having Snape for a teacher that had been bringing me down, and so the exams went really well.
As for the vacation... It does, actually sound very nice. It would be great to be with you and your family again, instead of stuffed up here all summer.
Where would you be going?
Answer soon,
Your friend, Harry
After tying the note to the owl's leg and sending it off, Harry sat back on his bed, took off his glasses, and prepared to try and sleep again. However, the moment he closed his eyes, unwanted images began rushing through his mind. Images of that fateful night at the Department of Mysteries... Sirius falling through the veil...
He opened his eyes quickly, knowing that sleep wouldn't be coming again that night.... It usually took Harry hours on most nights before he fell asleep, and even then his sleep was filled with nightmares. He sat up, putting his glasses on again, and left the room quickly.
He checked the clock on the wall as he made his way down the stairs and saw that it was 4 in the morning. The Dursleys usually woke around 6, so he had a good 2 hours to try and get his mind off of things before he had to think of coming back.
He put Dudley's old trainers on as quickly as he could and went outside, starting a brisk walk towards the park. This was starting to be a too familiar routine for him. Whenever he got any reminder of what had happened, he would go walk. Concentrating on walking got his mind off of everything, at least temporarily. It was a simple mantra, and it was the only thing that kept him from breaking down.
Simply one foot in front of the other, over and over again. Right foot, left foot, then repeat.
He walked for what seemed like hours. He didn't go very far. Once he had made it to the park, he turned and went back to Privet Drive and then again to the park. He only stopped when he noticed the horizon turn into a brilliant shade of pink. It was then that he finally went back to number 4, going inside and quickly seating himself in the living room, waiting for... anything... Anything would be better then sitting in the silence.
As if on cue, he heard footsteps coming down towards him and looked up to see Vernon throw him a glare.
"What do you think you're doing up at this hour, boy?" He spat out, "Not up to any 'funny' business, I hope."
"I was taking a walk. I just got back," Harry said simply, looking away.
"A walk?! This early? Not even you're crazy enough to do that! Quit lying and tell me the real reason your up... And moping about, on top of that! You've been bloody moping all summer! People are going to start thinking something's up if you don't smarten up!"
This last comment actually made Harry get up off the couch and turn back towards Vernon, "Is that really all you care about? Looking 'normal'? Hasn't it ever crossed your mind that if you treated me like a normal person with normal feelings, then just maybe I'd act the way you wanted me to?!"
Vernon's face turned a deeper shade of purple, "How dare you talk back to me! I knew that stupid school for... people like you... would just turn you into some delinquent! Can't even listen to authority...."
Harry clenched his teeth together, trying to hold back the comment that was forming, but alas, it slipped out, "Me, a delinquent? Compared to who, huh? Dudley, who goes around beating up smaller kids just because he can? Don't look at me like that, you know it's true! You're just so busy trying to look 'normal' that you can't admit that your life isn't perfect!"
A loud sound echoed through number 4 Privet Drive as Vernon's hand came down hard on Harry's face.
And yet, Harry paid it no heed. The sting on his cheek took away from the sting he had been feeling in his heart since Sirius had died.
"Fine then, believe what you want," was all he said as he walked passed Vernon and headed back upstairs, "By the way, some friends of mine are going on a vacation soon and they offered that I go with them. I decided to take them up on their offer."
"You what?!"
"I'll see you in a bit! I'm going to go do some of my summer homework now."
"You wretched child!" Vernon shouted.
Harry shut himself into his room, not even hearing the harsh words.
He leaned against his door frame, placing a hand over his face, as if he were massaging his brow. However, it was really so that he wouldn't see himself in the mirror.
For even in the privacy of his room, he was ashamed of his tears.
~End of Chapter 1~
(A/N: Ugh! Way too short! Also more dramatic then I had originally intended, but hey, nothing wrong with drama. Anyway, I promise to make the next chapter longer! Please leave a review! Compliments are treasured, constructive criticism is taken with open arms, and flames are used to roast marshmallows.)
~AniDragon, aka Riona, priestess of downloadable music, anime pics and Tas/Nuri angst~