Chapter 3

It looked exactly as it always had; perfect, neat square lawns, adorned with perfect, neat flowers, with the not-so-perfect nosy neighbours peering out between the curtains of their bedroom windows, luckily Harry had had the good sense to jump behind a bush when he heard the sloppy crack of his nervous apparition. He did not relish Uncle Vernon's attitude when he opened the door to Harry at 10 o'clock at night. Harry shuddered, he had to call this place home, but it was as far away from home as he could possibly imagine it. He walked quickly down the street until number four came into view, the flickering consistency of the light seeping under the living room curtains told him the Dursley's were probably all watching television. He quietly trod up the path, eyeing the dahlia's that he had once been forced to water in the sweltering heat every summer's day, and rang the run-of-the-mill Dursley-ish doorbell.

"Better not be any of them religious types…" he heard his uncle grumble through the half open window. The 'religious types' had all but given up on the Dursley household as a lost cause, as every time a group called, Dudley and whichever gang member was round for dinner would poor treacle and feather's over them from the window above the door. Not to mention the fact that everyone assumed Harry went to a criminal's institution. With a mounting feeling of trepidation, Harry heard his uncle slide the locks back and the door swung open. Vernon Dursley's face immediately purpled over, as his bulgy, piggy eye's met with his nephew's.

"What do you want, boy?" He growled, "We hoped you weren't coming back this time!"

"Nice to see you too…" Harry grumbled, making to step through the doorway but his Uncle Vernon did not move his bulky form out of the way. Harry sighed, trying to keep his temper in check,

"I was staying with a friend," He snapped,

"Well why couldn't they keep you for another few days, those freaks owe us that much at least."

"I'm back for a while because I stayed too long after the school shut early." Harry ground out, coming up with the best lie possible to explain the fact that he had no choice but to be back here to renew the blood protection his mother's sister offered. Besides he didn't think his uncle would have a problem believing that Harry had overstayed his welcome somewhere.

"What!" Vernon Dursley shouted, and Harry was shocked that he cared so much about Harry's education, "Don't think for one minute boy that you can just stay lounging around here, you good for nothing-" Harry rolled his eyes,

"I'm staying for one night, then I'll leave tomorrow morning and you'll never see me again," he interrupted

"Not soon enough if you ask me," His uncle barked, but he stood aside,

"Well no one did ask you…" Harry muttered, luckily Uncle Vernon didn't hear him. Harry walked into the hall, and dropped his bag on the floor, as Uncle Vernon slammed the front door and moved into the living room.

"Who was it Vernon?" he heard his aunt ask,

"Ruddy boy's back," he growled in response. Harry was wondering how long Ron and Hermione would leave it before they turned up, when the doorbell rang, Harry stepped forward to open it, but before he could Uncle Vernon barged past, as Aunt Petunia stuck her bony neck round the doorframe to see who else may be calling at the late hour. She merely looked Harry up and down with a disgusted look on her face before turning her attention to whoever was on the other side of the door. Harry knew full well who it was and could even make out Ron's red hair through the mottled glass and Hermione's voice saying something in a warning tone. As Vernon Dursley swung the door open Harry caught a glance of Ron standing behind Hermione who was saying something to Harry's uncle in a polite tone, her hand outstretched.

"-is Hermione Granger." She was saying, she had obviously not told Uncle Vernon what she was or that she was a friend of Harry's, because he slowly reached out and a little suspiciously shook her hand.

"If you're here about religion," he grunted, eyeing Hermione up and down, "then I'll save you some time, we are not interested." He barked. Hermione seemed unperturbed.

"I'm sorry I think you must have misunderstood me, sir. We're friends of Harry's, we'll be staying the night if that's okay?" she explained a cold edge to her voice. Ron still had not said anything and Harry would have guessed that Hermione had warned him to stay silent before the door was opened. At least that's what he would have thought if he wasn't swiftly backing away as Uncle Vernon rounded on him,

"WHAT did she just say?" he spat, stalking towards Harry who was backing up quickly and running out of room. He could just see Ron and Hermione exchanging nervous glances over his Uncle's shoulder. He really did not want them to see this. Harry's back hit the locked kitchen door, and his uncle moved his bristling moustache to within inches of Harry's face,

"Harry…" he heard Ron say. His two friends had moved into the house behind Vernon Dursley, but both he and his Uncle ignored them.

"They're staying the night." Harry told Uncle Vernon, more bravely than he felt. The big man in front of him was shaking with rage,

"You dare to bring in those…those FREAKS?" he shouted in Harry's face,

"What's going on dad?" Dudley Dursley asked poking his head round the living room door frame. Uncle Vernon turned suddenly,

"Petunia take Dudley back into the living room!" He ordered. Petunia Dursley had remained silent but as soon as she had realised what Ron and Hermione were a look of purest loathing had become etched across her face. Harry did not dare take his eyes away from his Uncle's face but he heard the living room door shut and the television volume grow.

"Harry…" began Ron again, concern evident in his voice,

"Ron shut up!" Harry shouted, as his uncle's face purpled again at hearing someone of Ron's nature utter a single word in his house.

"But he's gonna…" Ron began again. Uncle Vernon let out a yell like a winded rhinoceros and his hands went straight to Harry's neck, making him choke and shoving him backwards, pinning him against the door and slamming his head against the door, making his now oxygen starved brain swim even more as his vision grew dark. He could vaguely hear Ron shouting and Hermione calling that Ron wasn't allowed to use magic on him as he was a muggle and they'd be arrested. Suddenly Uncle Vernon let go with a yelp and Harry fell to the floor gasping.

"You think we'll put up with you after last summer, boy? You think we'd let you back into our house after all the trouble you've brought us? And now you want us to put up with even more of your lot! GET OUT!" He screamed, insanely. Harry was still gasping at his feet, his hands now clutched at his bruised throat, and couldn't yet stand.

"GET OUT! GET OUT!" he screamed again. Harry didn't move; even if he wasn't still dazed from nearly suffocating he couldn't leave. Dumbledore told him that he needed to stay here one more time, and he'd be damned if a little fight with his uncle was going to stop him. When he saw that Harry was making no move to leave, Uncle Vernon yelled again and kicked Harry angrily in the rib cage. Harry let out an 'umph' and slid over sideways so he was lying on the floor in a foetal position. He tried to move but there was no where to go, and he was severely winded from the kick. His uncle kicked out again, and Harry cried out, as he felt a rib brake. He coughed causing a stabbing pain in his chest and he was sure he tasted the metallic taste of blood in his throat. That was not good.

"You will leave my house!" his uncle shouted, "I don't care what that crack pot old fool said!" But that was the last straw, his uncle bloody would care what Dumbledore had said. Slowly and painfully Harry dragged himself off the floor, to look his uncle in the eye,

"I am staying and so are my friends," Vernon Dursley let out a roar, and drew back his fist, but Harry was ready, painfully he ducked and his uncles hand went straight through the kitchen door, he pulled it straight back out, yelling profanities the whole time, but Harry knew what to do. He reached into his pocket and drew his wand. Suddenly his uncle stopped. He had his fist raised ready to punch Harry straight in the face but had stopped at the sight of the thin piece of wood in his nephew's hand.

"Let's get a few things straight," Harry wheezed, he was shaking with rage, "number one me and my friends will be staying till tomorrow morning, number two you will leave us be, I don't want any more fights." He said, his voice so full of anger and hatred that his uncle's eyes almost looked wary. "Number three when we leave tomorrow morning we are permitted to take all the food we want." Vernon Dursley eyes narrowed angrily but he said nothing, "And lastly," Harry said, pressing the tip of his wand into his uncle's throat painfully, his voice becoming dangerously quiet, "If you ever refer to Dumbledore in that way again, you will not have a house left to throw me out of. Are we understood, uncle?" He whispered, his face millimetres from the enormous man's. Vernon Dursley made a grunting noise in the bottom of his throat, which Harry took to mean yes. Slowly he released the pressure of his wand from his uncle's neck, turned and without a word marched up the stairs, pausing only to allow Ron and Hermione to catch up with him. The three of them remained in silence as Harry stalked towards his room. He opened the door and dropped all pretences, groaning, he staggered across his bedroom floor towards his bed. He knew his uncle had broken a rib, but his slight on Dumbledore had caused Harry to ignore the pain for a while. Now though it was back in full force. His knees gave out as he got nearer to his bed and he expected to fall to the floor but two sets of hands grabbed him and helped him onto his bed. Ron and Hermione were watching him silently, panic etched over their faces.

"Thanks," he muttered, "Shut the door" he barely got out, before the blackness on the edge of his vision engulfed him and he passed out.