Chapter 3

Starting chapter 3 the second I got chapter 2 up. I really want to reach 20k words, cause then it'll feel like an actual story. Anyway, hope you enjoy! This chapter took a strange turn that even I wasn't expecting. Also, just want you guys to remember that Harry is an abused twelve year old, so his crying is acceptable. Also, I'm adding in some components of 'A Discovery of Witches' which I really enjoyed reading. I don't recommend it to anyone under the age of 17 though. Important AN at the end. School workloads picking up, so I have less free time to work, but I'm still trying. Anyway, enjoy!

It was two weeks later, and Harry's back still didn't feel right. After his punishment, the Dursley's had been surprisingly less strict on their rules. Apparently, they felt that he had properly learnt his lesson, which he had. He would never stay out after dark again. That's not to say that he was given all the freedom he wanted, but he was allowed to wander off after his chores, so long as he was back in time to cook dinner.

And boy, did this new freedom come in handy. As soon as he was sure he wouldn't be missed, Harry sprinted into the forest. He desperately needed to wash his back in a river. There had been no rain recently, and his wounds were starting to leak pus. His back skin felt tender and raw whenever he touched it.

Although the freezing water made him grit his teeth and clench his fists, he was able to get it clean enough to treat. He had heard about medicinal herbs from a woman in town, and they worked wonders when ground into a paste. His ability to work without hindrance was needed if he didn't want to incite his uncles wrath.

One time when he was 9, he had claimed too sick to trudge into town through a blizzard. Petunia promptly stripped him of his coat and shirt, and through him out the door. That had been the last winter he had stayed in the house, and the last time he complained about a task.

Harry spent his new free time either in the forest, or walking about the town. He thought about what he learned from that girl two weeks ago. He had been on the lookout for either of the kids he had seen in the clearing, but heard that the girl moved away. Harry felt guilty hearing that, knowing that she thought he would have told on her, which would have put he in danger.

He wished he hadn't ran away. He could have asked her how she did the magic. Harry hadn't seen the other boy, but suspected that he was still around. There wasn't much danger for a well established young boy who hadn't actually done anything wrong.

A whinny brought Harry out of his contemplation. He was doing his favorite chore of all, walking the horse. Normally, people didn't walk there horses around. They would ride them ride them to a nearby town, have them drag a cart, or just have them left in a farm until needed. The Dursley's horse didn't see much work. Vernon and Dudley were too large to ride such a small horse, and they were very clear that Harry was not allowed to ride her.

The horse nuzzled her head into Harry's arm. They were the same, in a way. Forced to work for the Dursley's until they died, whipped when they didn't do something right, and they were both regularly underfed. He pet her head as they walked out of the town properly. Harry hadn't seen much of Dudley recently, but he wasn't going to test his luck by staying within his domain.

"Oh my god." Harry thought as he noticed the strangest man he had ever seen waltz merrily in the direction of little whinging. "This is not going to end well" He ran up to the man, with the horse trotting behind (the horse has no name).

"Hey mister! You might not want to go that way." Now that he was stood in front of him, Harry could truly appreciate how odd the man looked. He wore a long magenta robe with strange symbols and little stars and moons stitched in. A large, pointy black hat with a wide brim sat on his head of silvery hair. He carried nothing but a briefcase, and had radishes and parsnips hanging on him like jewelry. He looked like the most stereotypical wizard imaginable, and Harry knew that that would not go over well with the townsfolk.

"Why ever not? Could it be that you're hiding something?" The man comically stroked the air under his chin as though he had a long beard. "Perhaps you are the keeper of a secret crumpled horned snorkak breeding ground?" The man leaned forward uncomfortably close and spoke directly into his face.

"If that is such the case, then you must know that I will not harm a single one of them. I came here only to observe and document my findings. Do not worry, I wouldn't tell a soul where they are located. Oh, where are my manners" The man stood straight again and said with grandeur, "I am Xenas Lovegood. Now please, take me to the snorkaks."

Harry gaped like a fish at the clearly deranged mans introduction. Finally, he responded. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I am not a keeper, and I've never heard of a crumpled horned snorkak."

The Lovegood man looked at him skeptically. "Hmm, I see then I'll just be on my way then. Have a good day, young man… OR SHOULD I SAY, SNAKE MAN!!" He had faked walking away only to whirl around and yank on Harrys earlobe.

"Ow! What was that for?" Harry rubbed his ears. This guy was definitely off his rocker. "I just had to make sure you weren't one of the snake people. Did you know that the ears are the weakest part of their disguises? Anyway, you are clearly lying. I'm on good authority that there is a gathering of snorkaks in this area for their mating season. Have you seen any? They look like rabbits, but with longer hair and spiralling horns."

Harry did not know what to do. This clearly insane man (for who else would run around yanking on people's ears) seemed intent on entering the town, and while he wouldn't stop him, Harry would warn him away. "I'm sorry sir, but there are no creatures like that in Little Whinging. I've never seen anything like it. I must insist that you not enter. The people who live there don't like strangers."

The man seemingly ignored him as he turned to the Dursley's horse. "Is this true? There are no snorkaks in the area?" To Harry's surprise, the horse threw her head back and neighed. Lovegood nodded sagely and turned back to Harry.

"Very well, I will leave. Send me a letter if you see one. Before I go, would you like to purchase a copy of the quibbler? This latest edition includes the truth about the French Monarchs plan to liberate all croissants from foreign country's!" As he rambled, he threw his briefcase on the ground and dug through it. It wasn't until he finished talking that Harry noticed that the man was halfway inside the briefcase, and holding onto the sides to avoid falling in all the way.

Several strange things were flung through the air in search of the book. After a an incredibly small pair of boots nearly missed his head, Harry stopped staring and finally replied. "How is that possible?" How is that even possible.

The man straightened up and brushed off his shoulders. "Every witch and wizard worth the name carries an expanded bag of some sort. I dare say that you would make a most wonderful wizard. You've got an air of… potential to you. Anyway, I've to run. Owl me if you see a snorkak." The Lovegood man shoved a thin book into his hands and promptly turned into a glowing amalgamation of grey smoke that rose into the air and flew off.

Harry stumbled backwards clutching the newly acquired book to his chest. The entire encounter seemed unbelievable, but made him happy. An actual Wizard said that he had Potential! That was the best compliment he had ever received. Now that the man was gone, his actions didn't seem so strange. Perhaps all wizards were like that, hanging radishes from their ears and talking to horses.

And wasn't that world shattering. "So you can really understand me?" Harry asked timidly. She nodded her head and whinnied loudly. "Does it bother you that I pet you?" Harry asked, worried that she found it demeaning. She (for he didn't want the think of her as 'the horse' anymore) shook her head and nuzzled into his arms like she usually did. It made him feel 10 times better than it normally did.

"What should I call you?" He asked, only to sheepishly duck when she gave him a look. "Sorry, I forgot you can't talk. May I give you a name?" She tilted forward slightly, which he took as an affirmative gesture. They spent the walk back to the Dursley's house with Harry saying names, only for her to decline. Harry sensed a pattern that she seemed to immediately dislike traditional horse names. Eventually, he came upon a name she liked just as they reached the town.

The newly named Nora did an awkward nod at the suggestion of the name. Harry felt like he had actually made a friend, that he had a real connection to someone that didn't despise his existence. Nora butted against his shoulder when he stood too long at the gate. He was loath to close the stall after she was situated inside, knowing that that would make him knowingly part of her imprisonment. Nora noticed his conflict and nuzzled her face into his chest again. She then hooked her head on the gate and backed up, closing it herself. When the bar fell into place locking the gate shut, Harry let his tears fall.

She could have left this place, could've escaped and gone anywhere and been treated a thousand times better than she was now, but she stayed for him. She knew how bad it would have been if he returned to the Dursley's empty handed. Knowing that she was intelligent, Harry would never ask her to stay in this hell hole for him, but Nora stayed anyway, sacrificing her freedom for his sake.

Harry climbed over the stall and rushed over to hug Nora. This was the best day of his life. He had never felt loved or cared for before, but at this moment, nothing else mattered. He felt warm and happy, loving this creature who put his needs above hers, even though she was just a horse.

He eventually pulled away, knowing that he'd get in trouble if he didn't make something for dinner. Harry whispered in Nora's ear before he left. "Thank you, I'll be back with food." He stepped out of the stall, only to return seconds later with a bucket of water. He wordlessly placed it inside the stall and teared up slightly when she rushed over to it. He should have been taking better care of her, and Harry felt ashamed that he was only starting to after she had already done so much for him.

The only time Harry was permitted to be inside the house was when he was cooking or cleaning. He made breakfast outside because the Dursley's didn't trust him to be inside while they were asleep. Harry had been instructed to make a stew today for dinner, something he had done many times before. Thus he was allowed to do nothing but sit in front of the Dursley's fireplace for 2 hours, occasionally opening the lid to throw in some ingredients or stir it. This allowed him to dwell on his thoughts from earlier.

A wizard said that he had potential! Harry had been contemplating the magic situation for a while. Two weeks ago he had been convinced that he had done magic, but that certainty had faded, only to be sparked up again today. Could he do magic? What would that mean for him? That school ( Hogwarts, his mind supplied) sounded enticing. Maybe if he could do magic, he wouldn't have to stay here anymore.

But the Dursley's would never allow him to go toa normal school, let alone a Magic school. The mere thought of even bringing up magic to the Dursley's was laughable. Harry cringed, and tried to shut down the idea, but it stuck. This was something he wanted, and Harry never wanted anything but food, and a warm bed to sleep in. The idea grew in his head until he thought of Nora. Now that he had Nora, he couldn't leave her behind. " but she can come with you too," A traitorous voice in his head tried to convince him. " You could take care of each other"

As his thoughts shifted gradually to Nora, questions started to form in his head. Was there something special about that allowed her complex thought? She had always seemed like a normal horse, but Harry hadn't been looking for any real intelligence. And the wizard hadn't really done anything except talk to her. If she wasn't special, then the only logical conclusion would be that all horses are sentient. What about other animals then? Harry eyed the chopped up chicken breast and had the sudden need to vomit. Had he eaten a sentient creature? Harry's whole world shifted and the food suddenly changed into something disgusting. Where before it had always been something he had wanted a part in eating, now the chicken looked like a rotting carcass. He was handling a dead body.

This time he really did vomit, running out of the house before expelling the meager contents of his stomach all over the back door mat. Harry fell to his knees and dry heaved for a minute. He then got up and ran into the stalls, seeking comfort. He may have only known Nora for a couple of hours, but they had been together for most of their lives. She was the only one he could confide in.

Harry fumbled with the lock and gracelessly fell into the stall when it opened. He dragged himself over to Nora's sitting form and latched onto her neck, crying. He truly was the monster that the Dursley's always said he was. Nora nudged his shoulder as much as possible in her current situation. After a few minutes, Harry looked up at Nora, still sniffling.

"A-are all an-nimals as smart as you are? Do they all thoughts and p-personalities?" Harry still felt sick with himself, but it wouldn't be so bad if they weren't as smart as Nora. But when Nora nodded, Harry's sniffles turned to loud wails of grief and despair. He was a monster. He had longed for the taste of the flesh of an innocent creature. It didn't matter that he didn't know they were smart, because it was still flesh.

Harry rolled over and vomited again, still crying. Nora tried to nudge him to get up, but he was unresponsive other than to keep crying. His head felt woozy, and Harry thought he heard his uncles voice. Suddenly, Harry was lifted into the air and being carried out of the stall. Harry continued to cry. A little voice inside of him tried to reason that it was a part of nature, that animals eat other animals all the time. Harry's wails picked up again after that thought. He felt disgusted that even after doing the horrible deed, he could try to justify it.

He was tossed to the roughly while his uncle shouted angrily, but he was to absorbed in his grief to listen. Harry just continued to wail as his uncles fist came down upon him, but he felt no pain. Vernon gasped in shock and stepped backwards after his first blow went straight through his nephews torso. Now that he cared to pay attention, Vernon noticed the sudden puddle that was slowly growing, originating from the crying boy on the ground.

As another wave of self disgust and grief washed over Harry, a sudden eruption of water flung from his body in all directions. It came from the ends of his limbs, his hair, it even shot out of his eyes. It escaped with enough force and volume to knock over Vernon (who had a sizable volume himself). The pressure on the fence became too much that it broke and his uncle was washed out into the surrounding forest.

" I'm so sorry!" Harry tried to yell to the sky, only for it to turn into a gurgling sound. His form was starting to become more see through, almost to the point where he wasn't able to be distinguished from the surrounding flood of water. " I didn't know!" His wails persisted, and the Dursley property continued to flood.

All of a sudden, the cascade stopped and Harry slumped to the ground, void of energy. He was frozen to the bone and tired beyond what he thought was possible. He choked out a few last few sobs and collapsed, exhausted. Nora, who had surprisingly survived the flood when the stalls had not, ran toward Harry. She then picked him up by his shirt with her teeth and somehow slung him onto her back. Once she was certain he wouldn't just fly off, Nora escaped into the forest.

IMPORTANT NOTE!

I'm looking for a beta reader to help with this story. I feel like I'm moving things along too fast, and that I'm not adding enough description or time to think between important parts. I didn't intend to have Harry's Grand Escape happen this early, but that's how it came out. Also, Harry's views on eating meat kind of came out of nowhere. I myself am not vegetarian or vegan, but I think it may add some interesting elements going forward. If any of you readers have ever read The Magisterium or A Discovery of Witches', then you may notice that I'm just plucking parts of their stories and adding it to mine. I'm not classifying it as a crossover because they don't take part in the same universe, and because I feel that since their such small series. I know that a show for A Discovery of Witches' recently came out, but I haven't seen it. Anyway, Read and Review please, I'm waiting on my first comment!