Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction using characters, settings, and plot lines from the Harry Potter world owned by J.K. Rowling. I own nothing except original characters.
So I'm reuploading this; hopefully it works
September 1st
"HARRY! DUDLEY! It's time to wake up!" Petunia's shrill voice bounced off the walls of the house as she called from the kitchen. Dudley jerked awake fell from his side of the bed with a plop. Harry groaned and pulled the clovers over his head. He could hear Dudley muttering cruses under his breath as he heaved himself from the floor and moved around their room heavy footed. Snuggling deeper into the warmth of the mattress Harry sighed and let his mind drift back into his dream world. He had just been about to ride a what? Ah yes, ride a pink spotted cow. Smiling Harry relaxed further as he began to image him and the cow. Just as he was about to once again be well and truly asleep, he covers were given a sudden jerk and he was cold. Hissing Harry jerked up and grabbed for the blankets only to see his cousin simpering at him from the foot of the bed holding them in his hand.
"Dudley what the bleeding hell? Its not even bleeding light out!" Harry violently gestured at the dark window as he shivered. When they had first gotten the flat it had come with a heater. However, as the weather had approached fall the air had become quite nippy. This had proven to be too much for the ancient heater, as it had promptly given out.
"Yeah well its not my fault that someone has to catch a bus at four in the bloody morning to go to their bloody magic school" Dudley grabbed a shirt from the floor and tossed it at Harry "Get dressed mum's cooking breky in the kitchen. Harry jammed his head through the shirt and pulled on a pair of trousers. Grabbing his Hogwarts trunk, He heaved at the handle to have it scrape loudly- and slowly across the floor. He turned to stare belchingly at his cousin. Dudley sighed as he pushed off the doorway to help Harry with his trunk. It was at times like this when they were staggering under its weight down the hall that he wished the trunk had one of those nifty featherlight charms. When they had been in the Alley, he and Dudley had saw a sign advertising trunks that were weightless due to this charm and had wanted to buy one. Unfortunately, his Aunt had informed them that it was out of their price range and that he would have to make use with one of the standard Hogwarts school trunks.
In the kitchen his Aunt wide awake bustling around from pot to pan string and flipping and frying a verifiable feast. Harry felt his heart clinch at the sight. After they had disappeared money in the household had been tight. Despite this, his Aunt still wanted to make a proper going away meal for Harry. Harry was going to miss them.
"Ah! Good! Your up. Can you please set the table? Only put three places out dearies, Vernon took an extra shift at the plant, so he'll be back latter; hopefully before you leave Harry"
Harry and Dudley nodded as they skirted Petunia in the cramped kitchen and grabbed silverware and plates. As they finished setting the table Petunia came in behind them platting sausage and bacon and ladling baked beans into a bowl. The whole ensemble smelled heavenly to Harry and he could feel his mouth fill with spit at the smell.
"Now eat up you too, Harry don't skimp, you have a long day ahead of you" Harry nodded in agreement as he placed several sausages on his plate and poured beans over them. "Are you excited Harry? Today's going to be you first day as a wizard!" Harry made a face at the reminder of what this delicious breakfast represented. Today was the day he was leaving for Hogwarts. His good mood evaporated instantaneously, and he glared darkly at his cup of orange juice.
"I heard that they only drink pumpkin juice" his replay was apparently not what his aunt was expecting as she sputtered in her coffee. He knew being moody now was not what she deserved but he couldn't help it. He was angry at having to go to the magic school, frightened that they would discover his secret and take him away, and already missing the family that he was leaving behind.
"Well I'm sure that there will be more to drink than Pumpkin juice" his Aunt wrinkled her nose in thought "I don't believe that Lily never complained about it and she absolutely hated sweet drinks – said they made her teeth ache – so it shouldn't be a problem" Harry stared glumly down at his sagging toast.
"… Maybe" at that Dudley snorted and waked Harry on the back of his head.
"Stop being such a wet blanket. You're going to a magic school, I swear if you mope one more time I'm going to introduce you to my fist" Dudley shook is fist in front of Harry for good measure and Harry had to grab his drink before Dudley hit it.
"Dudley!" Aunt Petunia gasped, scandalized that such a violent statement had passed though her dear angel's lips
Harry just laughed. Even though he was still frightened Dudley in his usual bull in a china shop, threatening way, made it a little bit better. "Thanks Big D! Don't worry I'll be okay and I'll write to you lots! People will think you are strange with the number of owls I'll be sending here" Harry looked down at his food and squirmed in his seat. He could feel his ears starting to heat up as he spoke into his food "you know, I'm really going to miss you guys" When the only answer he go was a rather large sniffle from his aunt Harry shifted further into his seat and busied himself cutting up a sausage.
"Oh honey were going to miss you too" His aunt laid a boney hand on top of his arm and squeezed comforting. Harry grinned into his beans.
"how much time do we have until I need to go to the bus station?"
"Just under an hour"
Harry nodded and took his dishes to the sink. He had under an hour to lug his stupid trunk to the bus stop and then to Kings Cross station.
"We could go with you if you wanted?" his aunt suggested from behind him. Harry shook his head. As much as he would love for them to come, They had work to do. Besides, Harry was paranoid that someone would recognize Petunia. She might not be a witch herself, but she was the sister of one and had been exposed to the wizarding world. That coupled with nosy parents was not a good combination.
"No, I'll be fine, its just bus, King's Cross, then platform 9 ¾ which is really just a pillar in between the muggle platform 9 and 10. Besides, you and Dudley need to go shopping for Dudley's school supplies and Vernon will need to sleep after work"
A second latter the front door opened with a bang and his Uncle tiredly slumped into the kitchen.
"morning Pet" He accepted the platter of food that Petunia pushed into his hands and Harry watched as he gave her a wet smooch on the cheek as thanks
"long shift?"
Vernon nodded as he slowly lowered himself onto a chair and groaned in relief "the longest"
"Harry you have twenty minutes to get to the bus station"
Vernon paused in scooping beans on his toast "Is today the day you go off to your magic school?" His Uncle did not look him in the face but instead shifted uneasily in his seat. Aunt Petunia had explained to him that his Uncle had never really been comfortable with magic since and unfortunate event that involved an enraged Lily, a pig, and the color purple (Harry wasn't sure how that was frightening but his aunt refused to elaborate). Never less his Uncle still made the attempt to act normal when the subject came up.
"I'm about to leave for the bus station. Dudley volunteered to help me carry my trunk" Dudley glared at Harry over the countertop. Harry smirked back at him.
His Uncle grunted in agreement then reached into his trouser pocket. He set down a small pile of crumpled notes and pushed them across the table to Harry "This should be enough to get you a ride on that bus"
Harry looked at the notes and quickly shook his head no "Oh no Uncle, I have money for the trip, I can use my father's money. It's fine really" As Harry attempted to push the notes back towards his uncle a sausage slapped his hand away.
"Now see here! We might use that hocus – pocus man's money to send you to that hocus – pocus school but we are not unable get you on a bus!" His uncle punctuated his sentence by waving a sausage link in the air like a wand. "So you're going to take that money, get your skinny arse on that bus and knock their bleeding socks off at that school!" his uncle looked at him with a stern glare and took a firm bite out of the sausage in his hand. Harry nodded dumbly along and shoved the notes into his pocket.
Dudley lumbered over to his trunk and heaved up one side "Harry come on its time to go"
"Oh already? Well bye ill miss you all" Harry looked from his aunt to his uncle who both gave him encouraging smiles before he grabbed the other side of his trunk. With a couple of grunts and muttered swearing he and Dudley exited the flat and made their way up the street to the bus station.
It was after five minutes of uncomfortable walking, with a heavy trunk banging into legs, that they finally reached the end of the street and subsequently the bus station. The sun had just begun to peak over the dilapidated London houses and streak the sky in warm reds and oranges.
"Well this is it Big D" harry smiled nervously, he could hear the squealing brakes of the bus approaching. Dudley rolled his eyes and cuffed Harry on the shoulder
"Don't get all gushy on me Harry. You're going to school. I'll see you over Christmas" The Bus shuddered to a stop at the station and gave a belch of foul-smelling exhaust. A crabby faced man jerked the door open and glared down at the two cousins.
"Are you getting on? We have a schedule to keep" Harry slapped his cousin on the shoulder and smiled
"yeah I'm getting on, King's Cross" Harry passed the man his crumpled notes and heaved his trunk onto the steps. The driver eyed him and grumbled until with a put-upon sigh grabbed the trunks handle and yanked it up the rest of the way. Harry slid into a seat and watched through the window as the flat and his family grew further away.
Hey! So sorry that this took so long to post! It was actually supposed to be longer but then my computer decided to wig out and delete everything. I was pissed. I still am pissed. I had to rage write this quickly and just decided to end it at here and put the King's Cross section latter *sigh* so annoying. I'll probably go back over this latter and change some grammar but right now I'm too angry to look over it again. Any who I hope ya'll enjoy this (You have no idea how difficult it was not to write ya'll in the story, they are British not Southern) I now have mad respect for people that can write filler chapters because this and the last chapter were both filler in my opinion and I was about to die when I was writing it.