Chapter 14

Harry stood back from the house and admired his work. The job was complete Number 5 Privet Drive looked fresh and new look thanks to Harry's hard work. He didn't expect to feel this sense of accomplishment at his completed work. He looked at the house and knew that it wasn't just the paint he was proud of, it was the memories of the time with Chloe that flooded his mind when he looked at the house. He let out a long shuddering breath. Those days were over.

The knot in his stomach grew tighter. In just a few hours everything would change. Once the plan he laid out began there would be no turning back. There would be no time to explain to anyone why he was doing this and no possibility to change his mind but he had thought everything through a million times this summer and found no other way. He didn't see the point in thinking anymore. He only hoped his friends could forgive him someday.

The Dursleys hadn't noticed as he slowly emptied his trunks in the basement. Little by little he had managed to empty their contents to Chloe. She excepted his strange things under the promise that he would explain them to her later. She trusted Harry and tucked his books and papers away in her closet. The final item Harry needed to retrieve was his wand. The Dursleys had kept it locked away from him all summer in a small safe they kept I there bedroom. The locks were no longer a barrier to him now. While Aunt Petunia was on the phone, Harry quietly went upstairs into the Dursleys bedroom. The safe opened quickly and Harry held his wand for the first time all summer. He gave the wand a quick flick and lit the candles on Aunt Petunia's dressing table. All he had to do now was wait for Dudley and Uncle Vernon return home.

The Durleys treated Harry as if he was already gone. Aunt Petunia was fixing the dinners and didn't bother assigning Harry to household tasks. He was only required to finish the painting and stay out of sight when he wasn't busy. The calendar marking the days till he left had the 27th circled with big red letters on it saying "He's Gone at midnight!". Harry waited in his cellar. He wrote a note to Hagrid asking him to look after Hedwig until he could come for her. Like all his letters this summer he didn't offer any details. Hedwig didn't appreciate being awakened so early in the evening. She hooted and nipped at him and flew over to have a drink of water. She drank slowly, like she knew she was being sent away.

"I'm sorry Hedwig. You'll like being back at Hogwarts. With your friends in the owlery. They have the best mice there." Harry said stroking her.

Harry tied the note to her leg and used his wand to open the cellar window.

He said, "I'll miss you." And released her into the dusk sky.

She was quickly out of sight, behind the rows of identical houses. He felt like all his childhood days were flying off with her. The times when he worried about Quiddich, classroom marks and attending dances were fading into the distance on the wings of snow white owl. Harry collapsed on his bed. He ached to talk to his friends but he couldn't. He knew what he was about to do would put him out of touch with them for a very long time. Through all their years at Hogwarts they had always worked as a team. Now if all went as planned it would be impossible for them to help him. Harry straightened himself up from the bed and brushed some tears from his eyes. He started to pace the cellar floor with nervous energy.

Finally, he heard Uncle Vernon and Dudley pull up in the car. He listened will the family upstairs ate. When they are nearly finished he tucked his wand in his pocket and went upstairs.

Harry hurried outside without exchanging a word with the Dursleys. He stacked some empty paint can next to the shed in the back of the home. With everything straightened away Harry return to the ladder. He picked it up from under the windowsill. He pulled it up level with the windows. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. His hands sweat so badly he could barely hold the ladder still. Then with the ladder in just the right position, he let it fall. It crashed through the kitchen window. Then he let the back over the ladder fall back onto Aunt Petunia's prize winning lavender roses. The few that remained Harry crushed with his feet.

The effect was immediate. Aunt Petunia screamed. Uncle Vernon yelled his name. Dudley raced out of the kitchen, like a firefighter answering the bell, eager to witness the events unfold. Harry stood his ground in the roses and waited for the Dursleys to come down on him. He didn't have to wait long. Dudley stopped short of him so Uncle Vernon reached him first. Uncle Vernon knocked his from the roses into the side of the house. Aunt Petunia fell to her knees and screamed to the sight of her dead roses. Uncle Vernon ripped Harry up from the ground.

He shouted in Harry's faces, "What do you think you're doing boy?"

Harry braced for a blow but it was halted by a scream from Aunt Petunia.

"Vernon! Ruined! He's ruined them all!" Aunt Petunia shrieked was she held up the broken stems.

"See what you've done." Uncle Vernon said and gave him a shove toward Aunt Petunia.

She recoiled with the flowers in her hand and racked Harry across the shoulder with the bunch. Harry felt the thorns rip open his flesh. He was not certain of the sound he made but he heard Dudley yell as if he felt the pain as well. They all stopped for a moment and watched Harry as he recovered from the blow. Harry slowly turned from them and grabbed the end of the ladder. He gave the ladder a violent shove further into the kitchen.

"Fuck this house and fuck you." He shouted into Aunt Petunia's face.

The next thing he knew he was on the ground again. His face throbbed and his teeth felt lose.

Dudley stood over him with a clenched hand. Harry rolled to his knees and saw Chloe's eyes tearing from the other side of the hedgerow. He reached for his pocket and took out his wand. He stretched it toward her through the bushes. He felt the wand slide from his had.

Harry sprang back to his feet and yelled, "Ha, you muggles. That's what you get for treating me like some damned house elf all these years!"

The Dursleys stepped back from him in fear until they noticed what he waved at them wasn't a wand but a stick.

"Dad it's just a stick." Dudley shouted and knocked it out of his hand.

Harry heard the police sirens and took a deep breath and went after Dudley. The police arrived and pulled a wild eyed Harry off Dudley. The Dursleys ran to comfort Dudley.

They spoke to the police in franticly. Each completely the other breathy sentence.

"He went……crazy. He wrecked our……….house. Our windoow! He attacked us……….my wife…….my boy!"

The police still held Harry to the ground will a billy club across the back of his neck.

The police asked calmly. "Do you know him?"

"Yes" Uncle Vernon replied, "he's our nephew."

"What's his name?"

"Harry"

The Police officer continued slowly to Harry now. "OK Harry I'm going to let you up now. I want you to get up slowly to your knees and put our hands behind our head. Do you understand?"

Harry made a muffled sound and did as he was told. The police officer noticed his bleeding shoulder and growing welt on his chin.

"Are you hurt, Harry?" He asked again in a calming tone.

"I'm alright"

Uncle Vernon started, "I want this menace out of my house. What a waste he is. We tried to make him into something but look what happened. We took him in as an orphan gave him everything. For what? He'll throw away his life just like his parents. For nothin!1"

Without warning Harry was up off his knees and lunged toward Uncle Vernon.

"You bastard, They didn't die for nothing!" Harry yelled.

But before he could reach Uncle Vernon he was brought down again but this time he ended up handcuffed. That was all he needed to do. They would be certain to him away now.