Harry Potter and the Cave of Revelation
By Aeowin
Chapter 3 The Surprise part 2
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I noticed in reviewing chapter 1 that I had misspelled 'Revelation' so it has now been corrected. I hope it doesn't cause any confusion (sorry! But as I have no beta, I don't catch all of my typos…hmm…maybe spell check would be useful ;-).
If anyone wants to volunteer to be a beta for me please let me know!
Thanks for your reviews. This is my first ff, so any encouragement is very appreciated, as are any suggestions. And now, on to the next chapter!
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Harry was completely terrified as he fought uselessly against his ropes. He struggled to keep his mind from carrying him back to the graveyard with Voldemort, but the similarities were too close. With one terror filled scream (only barely caught by the gag that Dudley had quickly thrust into his mouth) Harry descended back into the madness that was…
He watched helplessly as Vernon (or is it Wormtail?) strode purposefully towards the shed and begins to drag something very heavy out. Please, don't let it be the caldron…not again…I can't bear it! Please, anything but that!
Just as the heavy object (is it the caldron!) cleared the shadow of the shed's door, Harry recognized it for what it was.
And began to scream in total fury…
Harry fought in vain against his restraints as his uncle dragged his trunk from the shed towards the blazing fire. He knew, with a sinking certainty that he was going to be forced to witness the total destruction of his dearest possessions.
"Oh, do stop your carrying on, Potter," Petunia snapped. "We are doing this for your own good. If you wish to remain under our protection, you must be cleansed; you must be changed. You simply cannot be allowed to continue with this magic nonsense." This last was spoken so softly that had she not been standing with her face inches from his, Harry would have thought she was merely moving her lips, as if following along to a favorite song.
Harry began shaking his head back and forth so fiercely that spittle flew from his lips. He was trying to forcefully refute the entirety of his aunt's statement. He did not want to remain under his relations so called protection, he did not want to be cleansed, he did not want to be changed, and, if he and the entire wizarding world were to continue living, he, Harry Potter, must be allowed to continue with his magic!
Harry watched in absolute horror as his uncle opened the trunk and began to methodically sort through its contents. Books were carelessly tossed into one messy pile, while his broomstick servicing kit, sneakascope, invisibility cloak, and school robes were placed carefully beside the trunk. His wand and broomstick were left, untouched, inside. Harry wondered at this seeming thoughtfulness, until his gaze fell upon his uncle's face.
Vernon's face was filled with revulsion and apprehension as he quickly shoved the trunk away.
As his uncle stood and faced Harry, his face fell back into its familiar sneer.
"Now, Boy, on to your surprise. I had wanted to wait for your birthday, but your aunt thought it prudent that we rid you of every trace of your abnormal affliction. At least every outward appearance," mocked his uncle. "This is your first lesson. You WILL learn what happens to those afflicted with your abominable condition!"
With these words, his uncle snatched a book from the slipshod pile and read, in contemptuous tones, "Unfogging the Future, by Cassandra Vablatsky…what complete rubbish!" sneered Vernon, before tossing the book into the flames.
Harry, while trembling with anger, was hard pressed to hide his amusement. His uncle could not have picked a better book to feed the flames. Harry had known from the first day that he'd ever stepped foot into Professor Trelawney's classroom, that divination was, in his uncle's own words, 'complete rubbish'.
The sight of that particular book being consumed by the fires hungry flames did nothing to him. If his uncle fed the remaining divination books to the fire, Harry would do nothing more than cheer him on. But the very next book his uncle grabbed erased all amusement from Harry's mind.
"A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emerick Switch. What nonsense," Harry was blinking back tears as memories of his first trip to Diagon Alley came rushing back. He had felt such happiness as Hagrid had taken him around to all of the different shops. And now he could only watch helplessly as all of the reminders of that wonderful day were fed to fire.
"Care of Magical Creatures…" it went on and on. Not one book was spared. Harry's quills, parchment, everything was thrown unceremoniously into the flames.
The tears coursed down Harry's face. He realized that he could easily replace his belongings with one visit to Diagon Alley, but it still hurt to see all of his things being destroyed. Harry vowed to himself that once he left his aunt and uncles house, he would never return. Dumbledore could not make him. He didn't care about the wards anymore. Somehow he would find a way to remain safe from Voldemort without relying on his aunt's blood protection.
After the untidy pile of books had been reduced to ashes, Vernon turned his attention to the smaller pile beside the trunk. "What is this ruddy thing?" he bellowed. "How do I make it stop?"
As Vernon turned towards his nephew, Harry saw the sneakascope that Ron had given him for his thirteenth birthday spinning and glowing brightly in his uncle's hand.
Harry just glared at his uncle and said nothing. Not that he could have spoken had he wanted to. The cloth that Dudley had tied tightly around his head wouldn't permit him to do more than grunt. You figure it out, thought Harry. He was slightly surprised at the activity of the sneakascope; it had never gone off around his relatives before. Or had it?
Harry always kept it inside his trunk, usually wrapped in an old school robe. Maybe it had been trying to alert him for the past three years that his uncle was untrustworthy.
Like I needed a sneakascope to tell me that! Thought Harry, angrily. Still, the whirring little glass top made Harry even more nervous. Why had it chosen to go off now? The entire time his uncle had been destroying his books, it had sat quietly. What had changed?
Vernon, seeing the look of complete loathing coming from his nephew, started growing very angry. Up until now he had been quite happy. He had been thoroughly enjoying himself as he ripped pages from those disgusting books and watched them curl up as the flames did their work. But seeing that insolent look on his nephews face enraged him. How dare that little whelp look at him like that! After he had taken him in out of the goodness of his heart, the boy had no right!
His eyes narrowed menacingly as he looked at the glaring boy before him. He had had enough. He'd teach that little brat some respect, and he would enjoy doing it!
He smiled cruelly at Harry as he gently set the sneakascope on the ground. "You like this, do you?" he asked. "Some little treasure your parents left you, is it?" The look of utter hatred never faltered. "Well, no matter. As I said before, I will rid you of every visible trace of your abnormality. Then we'll set to work on getting rid of the unseen traces," he growled, menacingly.
With that, he quickly jumped onto the sneakascope, shattering it. It was so completely destroyed that no reparation spell would ever be able to restore it.
After obliterating the sneakascope, Vernon was like a man possessed. He snatched up the school robes and shredded each one before throwing them into the fire. As he reached for the last item in the pile, Harry started screaming and thrashing about, as much as his restraints would allow.
That was a mistake. His uncle now knew that this was something very special to Harry. Vernon grinned evilly as he held up Harry's invisibility cloak and slowly ripped it in two. He then placed a small part of it into the fire just long to set it aflame. Then, holding the cloak away from him, he carried it to his nephew and stood directly in front of him.
Harry was shaking with fury. This could not be happening! He had lost both of his parents, and now he was watching the only thing his father had left to him be destroyed. As his uncle walked towards him, Harry wished with every fiber of his being for his wand. He wanted to hurt his uncle as he had never wanted to hurt anyone before. He wanted to tear at his uncle's fat face with his fingers, he wanted to kick and pummel this man until he begged for mercy. And Harry did not feel merciful. He longed to make his uncle tremble in fear and agony.
As his uncle stood before him, Harry uttered every curse he could think of. He could not believe that he had ever been frightened of this disgusting pig of a man. He swore to himself that he would never show fear before Vernon Dursley again.
That was an oath he was not to keep.
Vernon raised the burning cloak towards his nephew, and sneered. "I think I'll start cleansing you of your affliction now."
Harry's eyes widened in horror as he realized his uncle's intent. Vernon took one last step forward and dropped the burning cloak onto Harry's lap.
Harry was frozen with shock. Of all the many, many times his uncle had beaten him, Harry had never feared for his life. Until now. One look into his uncle's eyes told Harry all he needed to know. Vernon Dursley insane with hatred towards him. This time, Harry knew, Vernon would not stop until he, Harry Potter, was dead.
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I know, I know! I did it again! Damn these cliff hangers! Alas, I am but a vessel the story flows through…. (Well, it sounded good, anyway! And, it gets me off of the hook!)
I promise to update VERY soon. If it helps, I don't think the next chapter is going to end in such a drastic way…but then again…
Rosiegirl- Sorry about the confusion. I had a little bit of trouble when I tried to update last time, but 'The Worst Summer' is chapter one, and of course 'The Surprise Part One' is chapter two.
In trying to correct the spelling of the title, things got messed up, but I think I've got it straightened out now!
whisky lullaby- Your wish is my command! Hope you like!
angel74- Sorry! But at least I'm updating as quickly as I can!
KaiKoi( )-Here ya go! And thank you for your enthusiasm! It really makes me want to keep going!
ShadowedHand-Now you know. I hope it was what you wanted.
Lady FoxFire-Did you guess?
Dark phoenix in flight-Thank you! You cannot know the total fear I had when I posted the first chapter! These great reviews make it easier for me to write and to post.
Thank you all so much! Chapter 4 is coming soon. As always, please R&R. Also, if there are any interested betas out there, let me know! Spell check helps some, but it can't catch the story slip ups!