Chapter 3

Harry POV

Chapter 2

Nearly ten years had passed,

"You're 11, or almost! Your letter is going to come soon!" Remus said excitedly, Sirius barked in agreement.

Oh, no I thought, I didn't want anyone to find out how the Dursleys treated me. But if this started before I got my letter they would definitely know.

since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets

Half the hall burst out laughing, Dudley looked down seemingly embarrassed.

— but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.

Sirius growled from the floor, I reached down and touched his head.

"Why would they not have any pictures of you dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked me.

I would have shot back a snarky remark if it was anyone else asking me. I didn't want anyone to find out about my childhood but if these books span into the summers then everyone is going to know no matter what I say now.

"Because they wanted to pretend I didn't exist, they don't like what I am or what I could have become, depending on the timeline." I told her gently. She looked slightly outraged at that but looked to calm down when wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.

No one else may have seen, not even Harry but Snape gave a very prominent wince at the head table.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.

"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove.

"You must have good ears Harry, I could never have heard that from the second floor!" Ron told me.

Little did he know that my bedroom at the time was- Oh God, No, No, NO, God No. They can't find out where I slept.

I jumped up, accidentally stepping on Padfoot's paw but I couldn't care at the moment. "Can we stop, skip this part?" I asked Umbridge as I walked up towards the front of the Great Hall. "Just skip to school or the train or something?" I demanded.

"Why, , would you like to skip ahead? What do you have to hide, is it more lies?" she questioned accusingly.

"No it's not 'more lies' I just have personal things and situations that have happened to me that I wouldn't like broadcasted to the whole school, my friends, my teachers, not only that but people from the Ministry as well. Again I tell you it's my life, shouldn't I get to choose what everyone I have ever known or cared about gets to know about me?" I almost yelled at Umbridge

"We are reading these books whether you like it or not! It would bid you well to remember that I am in charge here, you teacher, you listen to me!" she shot back.

I was about to retort when Dumbledore spoke up for the first time since he sat down. "Enough!" he shouted. "Harry, I understand you wanting to keep your life secret and your not wanting it put out there for everyone to see but personally I think that doing this would solve some problems, and seeing what happens in the future even if we won't remember." He told me calmly. I looked him in the eye and nodded, knowing that even if I could win to Umbridge I could never stop this if Dumbledore was for reading.

I turned around and walked back to my seat. I looked at the people closest to me, "Don't freak out, promise me you won't freak out." I told them.

They all skeptical agreed, I looked down at Sirius and whispered, "You too." He glared at me but slowly nodded. We all looked back towards the front and the book started again.

He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.

"So you're dreaming about the wizarding world?" Neville called from behind the line of Weasleys.

"Yeah," I answered shortly.

His aunt was back outside the door.

"Are you up yet?" she demanded.

"Nearly," said Harry.

"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."

Harry groaned.

"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.

"Nothing, nothing…"

Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them,

"Eww, Harry! Spiders really?" Ron asked. I just shrugged back.

put them on. Harry was used to spiders,

"How are you used to spiders?" Ron asked again, cringing. Hermione 'shh'ed him so the book could continue.

because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.

"WHAT!" Harry heard but not from who he expected. He was prepared for Remus, or Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, mabey Ron. But the first reaction that he registered was from McGonagle.

All around the Great Hall from all of the house tables, the head table, the extra tables added for the Dursleys and ministry officials, Dobby and Winky from the corner everyone was staring at me.

"Har-ry tell me that that isn't true!" Remus said with a false calm.

I didn't speak and just looked down. I felt a small hand under my face pulling it up, I expected it was Hermione but when I looked up I met the large brown eyes of Ginny. "Harry," she said, "tell us the truth, we just want to know so we can help you."

I looked back at Remus and nodded my head. That's when the expected blow up happened. Remus stormed towards the Dursleys, I wrapped my arm around Ginny's waist and pulled her out of his way. In that moment the look he had on his face scared me more than the werewolf in him ever could. By the time he had reached the Dursleys table Sirius was already growling and following after him, Hermione, and Ginny had wrapped their arms around me.

I looked at the faces around me and was surprised at the sheer hate on Mrs. Weasley's face. I had never seen this much malic on any face. After one of her back breaking hugs ended she was off after Remus and Sirius, wand out. Everyone was speaking in some way, there were whispers all around and glances thrown in my direction, some of my friends and fellow DA members were giving outraged shouts from my house table and the others. I heard Hermione muttering different spells and hexes under her breath. Ron was balling up his fists looking ready to punch someone. I saw the twins whispering to each other and pulling joke products out of their pockets. looked undecided on whether to try and stop his wife or join her. I looked around the tables again and spotted Nevilling looking similar to Ron, which shouldn't have surprised me but did. I even noticed Luna's mystical look was gone. Bill and Charlie, who I hadn't spent much time with, were both very openly glaring at Vernon and Petunia. Tonks was looking after Remus in the same predicament as Ron's father. Ginny was still wrapped into my side, I had unknowingly not let her go, my arm still snaked around her waist as I surveyed the room. I realized how intimate the touch felt, I pulled my arm back quickly, immediately missing the touch.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" I trailed off my face turning red. I looked down at Ginny.

"Don't be, your fine." she told me, hugging me again turning slightly red herself. I hugged her back, my arms going around her waist again. When she let me go I was brought back to reality.

"You said that he would be safe there, that's what you told me, not to go and see him, not to try and get him back because he was safe! That's not safe, that's not happy!" Remus had stormed up to Dumbledore now, leaving a growing Sirius and a red faced Mrs. Weasley to continue to berate the Dursleys.

"Albus, did you even check on him, for 10 years did you ever go there and check on the boy?" McGonagall asked.

"Arabella was there and she said that he was fine, she was to alert me if he was in any danger." Dumbledore told them both.

"Arabella would not have been inside of that house and she was looking for Death Eaters and wizards, not if the boy was happy or loved. You told me not to pursue it, not to try and see him. I could have known him, he could have known me but instead he met me on the train when he was 13 and slept in a closet till he was 11!" Remus burst out.

I was surprised, I had not know Remus wanted to see me in my childhood. I looked around again and noticed that Ron and Hermione were on longer next to me. They were walking towards the Dursleys, I ran over to them. Hermione had gotten her wand out and was pointing it at Petunia, Ron had done the same thing to Vernon. Mrs. Weasley was so angry that she hadn't noticed what was happening yet. I grabbed both of their elbows but I couldn't pull them both with 1 hand each. Ginny ran over and put her arms around Hermione as mine grabbed Rons shoulders, we pulled them both back.

"It's not worth it, they're not worth it. You could get in trouble for attacking muggles. Thank you for wanting to protect me but it's not worth it." I told them but I'm not sure if my worgs registered with them.

"Why didn't you tell us Harry?" Hermione asked.

"It was my secret, my childhood was my secret, well you two know that I hate going home for the summer, you guys know that I love it here. I couldn't stand up to them, I still can't and that's a weakness. I was scared to tell you. I didn't want you to see that weakness." I told them, whispering the last part. I saw understanding dawn in their eyes, Hermione crushed me into a hug in a very Weasley like way, Rons long gangly arms wrapped around us next.

"Oh Harry, you are one of the strongest people I know, that can't change." Hermione told me.

"I know that now Mionie, I just didn't in my earlier years at school and it's been so long now that I just didn't think to mention it." I told her. They both pulled away. Ron's father was taking his wife back to her seat, she went begrudgingly with him. Remus was stalking back towards the Dursleys, Sirius was still barking and growling at them, and Ginny had grabbed Ron and Hermione's arms again. I let go of Ron and walked over to Remus, Sirius, and the Dursleys. Vernons face was fully purple and covered in fear and rage. Petunia had her arms wrapped around a crying Dudley and looked close to tears herself.

"Prof-Remus, it's fine come sit down." I told him. He didn't seem to register my words.

"Remus! Remus! Professor Lupin! Remus!" He still wasn't paying any attention to me. "Moony!" That did it, his eyes shot to mine. "You're going to get this worked up anytime the Dursleys do something you don't like we will never get through these books, now come sit down!" I told him. He turned back towards the Dursleys.

"If he ever tells me you have treated him badly ever again, I will turn you into a bug and stomp on you! Understand?" he threatened. They all nodded fear filled their eyes. Remus stomped back to his seat and sat beside Tonks, she laid a hand on his shoulder and he looked like he was relaxing. I turned back around and knelt down to Padfoot.

"You too, come on Padfoot." he turned his head to me with a look filled with hatred, his eyes softened when they met mine, he wined and turned to growl at the Dursleys one more time, then followed me back to my seat. I sat down next to Ginny, who had taken over her mother's seat when her father had sat in Ginny's old spot beside him. Sirius put his head on my lap and whined until I pet his head.

"Now that that is over can we continue now?" Umbridge sneered with disgust. No one responded so the book picked back up where it left off.