Chapter 15:
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, what's cursive belongs to JK Rowling and is taken out of Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone.
For some time life went on as normal, but not for long.
As the weeks went on things were getting tense in the Dursley's house.
Dudley had turned eleven some time ago. They had celebrated it at the zoo, where Harry had an interesting conversation with a snake. Dudley had thought it to be very cool, but none of them had dared to tell his parents.
The holidays had started and with no school to attend Harry and Dudley thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Everything would have been perfect, if it wasn't for the letters.
The letters the Dursleys tried to hide from the boys.
Of course it didn't work. They caught on after the first time Vernon threw one of the letters in the dishwasher, when the boys entered the kitchen.
Those letters were slowly getting the bane of their short lives. The letters would leave Vernon in an extremely bad mood for hours, while Petunia seemed to be caught between hurt, sadness and fear.
Both, Harry and Dudley, had long since figured out, what the letters had to be about.
"I wish they would at least let me see them," Harry grumbled. "I mean, we already know the school we will go to after the holidays!"
"Maybe they are afraid you will change your mind... Who wouldn't want to learn magic?" Dudley put in.
"If it means we will become like mum and Petunia were, I don't want to," Harry exclaimed hotly.
"Maybe we won't," Dudley mused. "We are not our parents. Still, I would like to have a look at these letters. I mean, they are from a school teaching magic! Do you think they teach you to see the future? Maybe they have dragons!"
"Or flying broomsticks!" Harry added.
Dudley laughed at him: "Flying broomsticks? Really?!"
"Could be possible," Harry insisted. "Right, let's have a look at these letters. But how do we get past uncle Vernon?"
They spent some time scheming. By the time they were called down for dinner, they had their plan.
This night they went to bed early, for the next morning they would have to be up before the post arrived.
Both of them knew Vernon would probably also be there, to intercept the letter, so they had decided to send one of them to distract Vernon, while the other got the letter. Harry had volunteered to take the brunt of Vernon's anger, arguing that it was after all his letter and their scheme would be a lot more believable this way. Dudley had grudgingly agreed with him.
So the next morning Harry made his way downstairs, 'accidentally' tripping over his uncle. Vernon sure knew how to be frightening, Harry thought as he watched his uncle turn as red as a tomato.
Mr Dursley sized the boy by his arm and took him to kitchen, ranting about sneaking around and trying to read letters that didn't concern him the whole time. It took some time till Harry could get a word in edgewise.
"I am sorry, uncle Vernon," the boy muttered, trying to look as apologetic and devastated as possible. It seemed to work.
Vernon Dursley gave him one look, sighed and finally said: "It's okay, but you have to promise me you won't try to touch those letters again!"
"I promise," Harry agreed readily. "I am sorry for treading on you..."
"It's alright. Off you go then, it is still to early for you to run around!" Vernon send him back to bed.
When he arrived at his room Dudley was already waiting for him.
"What took you so long?" He asked. "Go on, open it."
But as Dudley went to give the letter to Harry, he refused. "You open it."
"Why?" Dudley asked curiously and maybe even a bit distrustful.
"I promised uncle Vernon not to touch them."
Dudley didn't need another invitation, quickly he opened the letter and began to read out loud:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
"You have been accepted, they write," Harry grumbled, after his cousin finished. "They make it sound like anybody would love to go to their school."
Dudley ignored him, beginning to skim the page attached to the letter.
"Wow," he exclaimed after reading quietly for a few moments. "They teach you to make real potions! And Defence Against The Dark Arts sounds great!"
Harry didn't say anything, but he couldn't help but want to go...
After some more quiet reading Dudley started laughing.
"They really want you to wear a pointed head and robes. And they have wands and brooms. I bet the brooms can fly, I would love to see that!" He exclaimed and for the first time he understood how his mother must have felt.
His face fell.
Harry only shrugged noncommittally. There was no way he could leave Dudley behind.
Their conversation came to an halt and soon Dudley went to bed.
Harry stayed awake that night, staring at the letter.
There was no denying it, Hogwarts sounded like a great place to go. The boy felt torn.
On one side, he really wanted to go. In Hogwarts he might even meet people, who knew his father!
But knowing Dudley wanted to go too, but couldn't and knowing what happened to his mother, he wasn't so sure anymore. There was every possibility that if he went, he would lose his foster family too. Could he really risk that?
A week later Dumbledore was getting nervous. He knew Harry Potter got his letter, but he had yet to send his reply! It was highly unnerving. Normally new students would reply within a day. Dumbledore also knew that there was every chance the Dursleys had tried to keep Harry from going. So he decided that after almost 10 years it was time to check up on the boy.
Tomorrow would be his birthday and also the deadline for the positive answers regarding the letter. A good time for a visit from the magical world.
Dumbledore nodded, he would send Hagrid and in no time he would have Harry's letter, saying he wanted to go to Hogwarts.
Next chapter on Wednesday. Entrance Hagrid :)
Please review and let me know what you think!
