DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Little Harry Potter sat in his cupboard crying softly into his blanket, trying not to be loud. He had just had a nightmare involving a bad man with red eyes and a green light and had woken up screaming. His Uncle Vernon had immediately come down and given him a smacking for 'disturbing their sleep'. Harry had tried to tell him about his nightmare, hoping for at least a little comfort, but Uncle Vernon had held him by his neck yelling that magic didn't exist before growling at him viciously and hissing, "Remember this boy, you are nothing but a freak and no one will love you. Your mummy and daddy didn't want you and they left you when they died in that car crash. No one wants you. You do not deserve anything that Dudley gets. Be grateful that we're giving you shelter and the food from our table out of the pure goodness of our hearts AND STOP CRYING YOU FREAK!"

As Harry sniffed, he suddenly heard some rapping on the door and Aunt Petunia saying coldly, "Up with you. Get up Freak. Now!"

Harry whimpered and slowly got up, proceeding to open the door and get out of his cupboard. After being given a few minutes to brush his teeth, he was immediately shoved into the kitchen and forced to make breakfast for his relatives.

He ended up burning his hand on the stove while making an extra batch of eggs for Dudley. The poor thing was not even four and was already being forced to cook. He was not experienced. As he screamed in pain, he accidently knocked over a plate and it went crashing onto the floor and breaking into pieces.

Aunt Petunia came into the kitchen swearing, "How dare you break our dishes you miserable freak! We give you food and shelter and you can't even cook without causing so much damage."

Harry cried, tears falling from his eyes, but Aunt Petunia did not even utter a single compassionate word. Disdainfully, she treated the burn by washing his hand and dressing it before hissing, "Be grateful that you'll be allowed to eat something at all after ruining our breakfast you little undeserving freak!"

Uncle Vernon hit Harry and swore at him for what had happened in the kitchen. While he, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley all ate eggs and toast with butter and marmalade, all that Harry had was a slice of bread.

That afternoon while Dudley played outside on his tricycle, Harry had to weed the garden. Just before he could pull the last weeds out, Dudley came and trampled the flowers nearby before proceeding to beat up Harry.

He then starting shedding crocodile tears and yelling, "Mummy, the freak hit me!"

Petunia came out and screamed when she saw the trampled flowers. Without even trying to find out what had happened, she went over and slapped Harry yelling, "HOW DARE YOU TRAMPLE OUR FLOWERS AND HIT DUDLEY YOU HORRIBLE FREAK!"

Harry cried out, "I didn't do it. Dudley hit me and trampled your flowers. Aunt Petunia, please," and tried to hug his Aunt for comfort. Instead of at least hugging him back, Petunia shrieked and cruelly pushed Harry away shouting, "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME LIKE THAT! YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY HUGS! YOU ARE A BAD BOY AND A GOOD FOR NOTHING UNWANTED FREAK JUST LIKE YOUR PARENTS!"

Just then, Vernon came into the backyard and asked gruffly, "What's happening Pet? Has the ungrateful freak done something?"

Harry began to cry out, "Please, I'll be good! Please!"

After hearing Petunia's version of what had happened, Vernon growled and grabbed Harry by the neck yelling, "How dare you do that, boy! Come here, you freak!" And he dragged him inside and began to beat him. After some hard slaps and a final smack on his head, Vernon pushed Harry into his cupboard and hissed, "Remember that you are a freak and nobody loves you. No one will ever love you. Now you will stay there until dinnertime, and you won't get any of the good parts! Be grateful if you get anything for dinner at all!"

Harry was forced to stay in his cupboard, being let out only to do chores and cook dinner. And he was hardly given anything while the Dursleys stuffed themselves. Finally, Harry was beaten by Dudley once again when he tried to sneak just a little bit of food for himself, unable to resist his hunger. That bit of food was eaten by Dudley and Vernon and Petunia yelled at him and called him a freak and a thief before sending him to his cupboard and locking him in there.

Harry wept as he wrapped himself in the only sheet he had, not that it helped much. He wished he had died so that he would be with his Mummy and Daddy. But his relatives had told him that they had hated him.

Poor Harry wished that someone would at least say a comforting word, love him like Dudley was loved.

Little did he know that someone had been observing him and his relatives that day, and was standing just outside the house now.

Little did he know that everything would change tonight.