Of Age
Chapter 5: The Last Look at Privet Drive
For a very long time Harry Potter was unable to grasp the bowl of floo powder that will take him to 4 Privet Drive There was a part of him that wanted to run away, and leave its occupants to whatever fate became of them. A thousand memories flashed in his mind as he stood in the hearth, his three best friends huddled behind him like a secret service team on the lookout. This needed to be done quickly, after all, the wards and ancient magic that had protected this place for 15 years had come shattering down with a single blow from the now deceased Vernon Dursley's massive hand. Death Eaters could arrive any second, once they arrived, he'd have to make his peace very quickly. The memories made him hesitate.
Three years old; toddler Harry is still learning to use the toilet. After a potty accident Vernon forces toddler Harry to sit in his own mess, not allowing Petunia or even Harry to clean himself up.
Six years old; the one thing Harry has from his parents is the blanket he was wrapped in when he was left at the Dursley's door (although he knows it to be the blanket he was wrapped in when taken from the car crash that killed his parents). With an evil sneer, Vernon uses the blanket as a rag while changing the oil in the car, then throws it away like a piece of rubbish while Harry looks on and cries.
8 years old; the nightmares have started, and Harry gets his first glimpses of what really happened the night his parents were killed. Despite his desperate cries to be let out, he is locked in his cupboard to suffer in darkness.
10 Years old, a malnourished Harry passes out in the rose garden after being made to work in the hot summer sun with no water or lunch, as punishment for sneaking food 3 days prior. The ambulance comes to help Harry, and when he returns to Privet drive, he is punished again for making a scene.
With a deep sigh and an affirming squeeze of the hand from Ginny, Harry gently picks up the powder and in a swoosh of green flames finds himself once again on Privet Drive. The sitting room was empty when Harry emerged from the fireplace. Harry advanced to the kitchen to find his aunt Petunia meticulously cleaning a spotless counter with a dishrag. Her movements were very deliberate, almost robotic. When she turned to face Harry he noticed immediately a change in her. Under her eyes were dark circles, she was exhausted. However, her eyes seemed somehow softer, her lips not quite as thin. She offered Harry a nod, and pulling out a chair at the table he pulled out his now worn portfolio. The kitchen was full of pictures of Dudley, the refrigerator alone had probably 30 pictures, held in place by magnets. Magnets from places they had taken Dudley on vacations, vacations that Harry was never allowed to go on. This brought new resentment to Harry and he nearly got up from the table to leave, but a voice deep inside him told him that he was doing the right thing. Harry steadied himself and looked his aunt in the eye.
"Aunt Petunia," Harry began. She was still clinging to her dishrag but had now sat at the table across from Harry. "I have something for you, but its shrunken and I will have to use magic to restore it to its normal size."
"The engorgement charm, your mother used it once on her…, well she tried it once at home when she was 13." It was as if she had spoken a foreign language, as Harry stared at her dumbstruck, in disbelief. "Go on Harry, let's see what you got, and you'd be surprised at how much I know about magic." Moments later, between Harry and Petunia sat a massive stack of neatly bundled muggle money, totaling 1.5 million pounds. It was Petunia's turn to look shocked.
" I know with him gone ( Harry paused at this, seeing the shadow that formed in his aunt's eye) that things will be tight around here. I want you to have this money, so that when I leave this house today, I can leave and never look back. Any debt I owed to you and him for taking me in is paid in full. It's funny you know, in this house I have heard my parents referred to as drunks, shiftless, unemployed leaches on society, and many other terrible things. Yet her we are Petunia, here we sit with the proof between us. My parents were richer than you and Vernon could have ever hoped to be, and they were heroes." With that Harry rose from the table and turned towards the sitting room. He had said his piece and he was leaving, and would never be coming back. It was Petunia's voice that stopped him dead in his tracks.
" I have something for you too, before you go. Wait just here and I will get it, it was your mother's. His mother's, how could it be? Harry had personally cleaned every inch of this house many times over, he would know if there were any of his mother's possessions laying about somewhere. She returned a moment later with a small cardboard box. Before handing it to Harry she spoke words to Harry that would forever change his perception of his aunt. "My sister was a hero. She was a hero in the same way that all mothers are. You see, we sacrifice mothers do. There is no limit to what we will sacrifice for our children, for their safety and security. I didn't always hate magic. I was fascinated by it really. I was always so thrilled when Lily would come home from holiday. I would make her spend hours telling me stories about Hogwarts, and the magical world. I'd read her schoolbooks and wish that I was magic too. And in the end, I guess I am, a little. You see, Vernon desperately hated magic, as you well know. I had never told him that I had a witch for a sister. When Dudley was born, an amazing thing happened to him when he was just a few days old. I guess he wanted more of his bottle, and I was nearly hit in the head when one flew off the changing table and straight into his hands. I was horrified. If Vernon found out Dudley was magic, my world would have fallen apart. To keep his powers from showing, I did whatever I had to do to keep Dudley happy, so there wouldn't be any power surges or whatever you call it. When you came to live with us, I had to be as cruel and demanding as I was, for Dudley's sake. He needed a father; he needed security. So I sacrificed my desire and love for you, for the love of my own child. Now that Vernon is gone….well if you…well things could be different. With that she stiffly held the cardboard box out to Harry. Wordlessly Harry turned away from his aunt, his jaw set and his eyes glassy. He didn't turn back to her, and not another word was spoken until he had lead Ginny, Hermione, and Ron through the sitting room to the front hall and out the door.
A/N: This chapter was pretty brief, but that little loose end had to be tied up. I had originally planned a nice little exit that involved Harry decking Dudley ala Hermione and Draco, but I decided I'd seen enough of the spoiled git, and couldn't stand to put him in a scene. Up next, Harry and the gang arrive at Godric's Hallow….stay tuned!
