Here's chapter 2, sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 2
Harry stood at the door to Privet Drive, sagging under the weight of his cousin Dudley, whom he was currently attempting to hold up. It seemed that after the dementor attack he was almost at the point of fainting, and he seemed most reluctant to talk or even attempt to walk by himself.
After the surprise of his neighbour Mrs Figg turning up and apparently knowing what dementors were, Harry had questioned her and found that she was a squib. This had been almost as surprising as being attacked by dementors in the sleepy muggle town of Little Whinging, especially considering he had gone to stay with her every year when the Dursleys were busy celebrating Dudley's birthday or going on holiday without him. Of course, the Dursleys wouldn't have left Harry with her if they'd known he was enjoying himself, Mrs Figg had told him, so that was how it had to be.
However, Harry now had more pressing issues to think about than the fact that his neighbour was a squib. He had used illegal magic, he was currently trying to support his almost unconscious cousin while he waited for someone to open the door, and he had no idea what was going to happen next. Would the Ministry of Magic try to expel him? His thoughts were cut short as the door was opened and he was deafened by the piercing scream his aunt let out.
"DIDDYKINS! What happened?" She screeched, looking in horror at Dudley's face which had turned a pale shade of green. Dudley took a shaky step forwards, and then promptly vomited all over the doorstep.
"VERNON! VERNON, COME HERE!" Petunia yelled at the top of her lungs. As Vernon arrived at the doorstep and started to help Dudley into the house, Harry slipped in behind them and sneaked towards the stairs, hoping to avoid detection. Sadly, this did not happen, as Dudley chose this moment to regain the use of his voice.
"It was him…he did something to me…" Dudley whispered hoarsely, pointing a fat hand in Harry's direction.
"GET IN HERE, BOY!" Uncle Vernon shouted, loud enough to rattle the ornaments on the mantelpiece. Harry reluctantly turned around and walked into the kitchen where Dudley had been ushered into a chair, and was now having a wet towel applied to his forehead by an anxious Petunia.
"What?" Said Harry rudely, not caring anymore. He just wanted to get upstairs and be by himself so he could wrap his brain around what on earth had happened this evening.
"You know what!" Shouted Vernon, moustache bristling in anger. "You did something to Dudley, didn't you? Admit it!" His face was turning red, his little piggy eyes screwed up as he squinted at Harry.
"I didn't do anything." Harry said flatly, knowing full well that they wouldn't believe him.
"LIAR!"
"I'm not lying!" Harry yelled back, getting angry now.
"TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO HIM!" Vernon was apoplectic with rage now, his face quickly turning from red to a dark shade of purple. Harry stared at him, his own anger bubbling and starting to reach the surface. He watched with satisfaction as the lights started flickering, and objects starting smashing around the room. Vernon walked towards him, hands outstretched as if to strike him, and Harry let out another wave of anger. The light bulb above Vernon's head smashed, glass showering down on his head, and an invisible shield appeared between the two of them so that Vernon couldn't touch him. With one last glare at his uncle, Harry turned and walked upstairs to his room, trying to calm down. Doing any more magic was not going to help him at this stage.
As Harry entered his room, he saw two owls sitting on his windowsill and he quickly walked over to let them in. One of them pushed forwards in front of the other, and Harry relieved it of its letter. The owl immediately flew back out of the window, so it apparently wasn't waiting for a reply. Feeling apprehensive, Harry opened it up and read the letter:
Dear Mr Potter,
We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past nine this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle. The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.
As you have already received an official warning for a previous offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 a.m. on August 12th.
Hoping you are well,
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Improper Use of Magic Office
Ministry of Magic
Harry stared blankly at the parchment. Expelled? He wasn't going back to Hogwarts? His heart dropped into his stomach, he felt sick and numb. Everything around him seemed to have faded away, and the only thing he could think about was that one line of the letter. '...has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. Harry gulped, and looked back at the letter in an almost dreamlike state.
He read the next line, and came back to his senses slightly. 'Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand'. Harry's heart, which he felt had almost stopped, started pounding furiously in his chest. He couldn't let anyone destroy his wand. Whether he was expelled from Hogwarts or not, he needed his wand. There was no way he could let anyone destroy it. That meant he had only one option – to run away from Privet Drive, to never come back, to hide from the Ministry for as long as it took. It was with these terrifying thoughts running through Harry's mind that he suddenly cried out in pain and looked down at his hand. He had been nipped sharply by the remaining owl that he had completely forgotten about. Quickly, Harry took the letter from its beak and offered it some owl treats. It graciously accepted, then turned and flew out of the window.
Picking up the letter with a shaking hand, Harry reluctantly opened it up and began reading:
Harry — Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry, and he's trying to sort it all out. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE. DO NOT DO ANY MORE MAGIC. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WAND.
Arthur Weasley
Harry let out a long breath that he didn't realise he had been holding. Dumbledore was trying to sort everything out. Did that mean there was a slim chance he could go back to Hogwarts again? Did Dumbledore actually have any influence over the Ministry of Magic? A tiny seed of hope bloomed in Harry's chest, hardly daring to believe that this could still turn out ok. He supposed it would be best to stay put, like Mr Weasley had mentioned. He would only get into more trouble if he attempted to run away, although he didn't really want to stay here and wait for the Ministry to come knocking on his door either.
Sighing, Harry lay back on his bed to think, however he was interrupted a moment later by another owl tapping on his window. Harry got up slowly, wondering what it could possibly be this time. He gently took the letter from the owl, and watched it fly away into the night. Glancing down at the letter, Harry was pleased to see his godfather's writing on it.
Dear Harry,
Arthur just told us what happened, I hope you're ok. Dumbledore will try to sort it all out, so try not to worry too much. Remember, DON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE! I don't want the Ministry or anything else out there to get to you.
Love Snuffles
Harry smiled a little. At least Sirius was comforting, even if the letter was short and to the point. He flopped down on the bed again, closing his eyes and letting his thoughts wander. The happy feeling from Sirius' letter immediately started to drain away as panic took over. What if he never got to go back to Hogwarts? He would have no education, he would be left behind while Ron and Hermione went off together and forgot about him. The upsetting thoughts spun round and round in Harry's head as he lay back on his bed, and after a while he drifted into a restless sleep.
He was running again, always running, the dark corridor around him feeling claustrophobic and restricting. A door loomed at the end of the corridor and he raced towards it, feeling like the most important thing was behind that door and he would have important knowledge if he just managed to open it and get into that room…he reached the door and rattled the handle but it was locked, and he kicked at it furiously, fruitlessly, until his surrounding melted into something entirely different.
His frustration ebbing away immediately into a feeling of panic and fear, Harry saw the now familiar darkness with hints of gold and sparkling jewels flashing into his vision every now and then. Dread filled every fibre of Harry's being, and he could only stand and watch as he saw a hideous vision of a giant black snake twisting and writhing out of a ghostly book. Blood dripped from the hole that gaped in the middle of the book, and glistened on the teeth of the monstrous serpent. It was with that horrifying image that Harry awoke suddenly in a cold sweat.
Rolling over, Harry caught his breath and sighed, wondering when these terrifying dreams would stop. To distract himself, Harry decided he had to write back to Sirius and try to find out when he was getting out of here. Everything had turned on its head, and he needed to know what was happening as soon as possible.
Sitting at his desk, Harry pulled paper and a quill towards him and started to scratch out a message.
Dear Snuffles,
Ok so I've been attacked by dementors and I'm probably expelled from Hogwarts. What the hell is happening?! I need to know when I'm getting out of here, please tell me I can come and stay with you soon. Thanks for your letter, it's nice to know at least someone out there cares how I feel about all of this.
See you soon, I hope!
Love Harry
Harry beckoned Hedwig down from her roost on top of his wardrobe, and sent her off with the letter to Sirius. He hoped for the good of his sanity that Sirius would write back to him soon. Settling down on his bed, Harry resigned himself to a long wait, and drifted back off to sleep.
Ok so there you have it! In the next chapter Harry should get to Grimmauld place and the AU will kick in soon so it will get more interesting, I promise! Please please follow favourite and review! x