WARNING - GRAPHIC SCENES
I do not own any characters in this chapter I'm afraid. I also just wanted to say that, as much as I wish it were true, I' am not J. ... Chapter 3: Lumps, bumps, bruises and burns
6 year old Harry Potter woke up to the sound of his cousin Dudley thumping on his door to 'hurry up and make his breakfast'. Harry winced as he moved to get up using his broken arm and his mind wandered back to the night before.
-Flash back-
"BOY!" Vernon shouted "GET DOWN HERE AND MAKE US OUR BLOODY DINNER!". He winced and stood by the door of the bathroom wondering whether he should jump out a window or go down to the kitchen before he got slapped. He wasn't concentrating and so got a fright when he was shoved against the wall by large hands. Harry look up to see a VERY red faced Vernon staring down at him maliciously. "Why didn't you answer me boy?" he seethed at Harry. Harry just stood there, quivering, trying not to show any emotions.
"I... I didn't... Um... I didn't hear you" Harry murmured close to tears. Vernon raised his arm and slapped Harry across the face. Harry whimpered and tried to make himself as small as possible. Vernon pulled Harry towards him and shoved him against the wall again.
"What. Did. I say. About. Talking. Back to me?" Vernon dragged Harry to the edge of the carpet stairs, "Do you want to see what happens to freaks?" Vernon asked Harry. But before Harry could answer Vernon threw a well aimed punch at the back of his head which sent Harry spiralling down the stairs in a daze. Harry tried to pick himself up but was stopped by a sharp pain in his arm and saw it was swelling up. 'NO' Harry thought 'I must not give them any reason to use it to hurt me'. He looked up when Vernon started talking
"Dudy boy, come here and give Harry a few good kicks for being a snivelling coward" Vernon said grinning at his son. "How many dad?" Asked Dudley, Vernon looked down at Harry before he replied "until you feel he's had enough". Upon hearing this Harry tried to escape his cousin but Vernon stopped him by smashing his boot into the back of his head. Harry saw starts and went limp. Vernon dragged him by his hair across to the living room and dumped him in front of the fireplace. "NO!" Harry cried, "Please... No" but he could see it wasn't going to help him if he begged.
Vernon grabbed him by his not broken arm and pushed it into the fire. Harry screamed as the fire consumed his hand, travelling up his clothed arm. The smell of burning skin was mixed into the anguished screams of a 6 year old boy. When Vernon took Harry's arm out of the fire it was blackened and burned. Dudley then proceeded to kick Harry until he fell unconscious.
-End of flashback-
When Harry looked down at his burnt arm he felt a wave of relief wash over him, 'it's getting better already' he thought as the skin was, indeed, not as black but still almost as didn't look at his broken arm as he knew that it would get better.
There was another thump at his door "HURRY UP YOU LITTLE FREAK BEFORE I DRAG YOU OUT BY YOUR EAR!" roared Vernon. Harry let out a whimper that no one could hear before he walked out of his room, a broom cupboard but the only place he was allowed to eat, sleep, laugh, cry, play, or do anything really.
When Harry stepped out of the cupboard, Vernon cuffed him around the back of his head making Harry wince. "Boy, you'd better not have just shown emotion around me" whispered Vernon venomously. Harry was shoved into the kitchen and started the Dursleys dinner. When he carried the butter, jam, nutella and toast out into the dining room his Aunt Petunia saw burnt toast flakes falling off the crust and ordered Harry back into the kitchen, following him. When they entered the kitchen Petunia locked the door and faced Harry "you burnt the toast" she said calmly. Harry winced when she said that.
"Yeah" he whispered, voice full of fear. Petunia walked over to the chopping boards and picked up the thickest wood one in her collection. Its was the only one she used to beat Harry as it was the strongest she owned. She picked it up and walked towards Harry. He moved away from her until he realised that he had cornered himself. "You won't burn the toast again after this" she said cheerfully and she brought it down hard on his head. Harry slumped to the ground and started bleeding from a wound in his head. Petunia threw his limp body back into his cupboard and locked him in.
As Harry got older his punishments got worse. At the age of 7, the Dursleys started caning him every time he stepped in the wrong place. At aged 8 they had started to break his limbs, tying them in a way that would cause excruciating pain for him but not enough pain to let him fall into inky blackness, only untying him when they thought it he had been in the position long enough.
When he was 9, though, Vernon created a shed that was too hot to touch when it was in the sun, and too cold when it wasn't. They put Harry in this shed without food or water. Sometimes for days, sometimes for a week or two - with a few cups of water but still no food - 'he's being malnourished and was slowly getting very sick' he realised. His complexion had a yellow-Grey tinge to it and he was constantly feeling worse
One day after school Harry was getting a few canings when he accidentally shocked Vernon, they put him in there for 10 days with one cup of water to last him 'till he was allowed back out. When he came out they dragged him inside and began beating him senseless. They had a flat, round fire iron they prodded him with, burning rings on him. He was in so much pain that he'd fallen unconscious almost straight away, and yet they continued to mark him. They only stopped when Petunia realised that they had friends coming to visit later that day.
Harry woke up unable to move. He was about to call for help when it dawned on him that he was still with the Dursleys and this was just another one of his punishments. 'I'm not even allowed one day where I won't be beaten up' he thought sadly. Harry started sobbing quietly and whispered to no one "someone, please help me". He was yet to find out that would soon happen.