DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING! DISCLAIMER!
By 4'oclock the next day Harry had packed and re-packed his trunk at least four times. Checking and re-checking he head everything he could possibly need and of course all of his prized possessions - the invisibility cloak he had inherited from his father, the broomstick Sirius had given him and the enchanted map; his birth right as the sole heir to the marauder legacy.
No.4 Privet Drive had been extrememly tense all day, the house was spotless and Uncle Vernon had even dressed in his best suit. This wasn't a welcome gesture just an attempt to be superior and intimadating. Harry spent most of the day in his bedroom, staring out the window. Eagerly anticipating the arrival to his freedom. He bounded down the stairs at quarter to five, hauling his trunk behind him.
He sat patiently on the steps, waiting, by 5'oclock Harry's foot was tapping insesintly on the floor. He just wanted to go, to leave this living hell.
"They're late!" Uncle Vernon snarled, stoming into the hallway and throwing an accusing finger at Harry. "Your Kind! Never giving any consideration to other people! Your parents were the same! Kept us waiting at poor Petunia's father's funeral, they did!" he roared slamming his fist hard down on the bannister.
The anger silently starting boling inside Harry, seething in him until his own hands began to shake in tightly formed balls. He was about ready to turn on Vernon when a great scream came from the living room and Dudley charged past Harry, escaping upstairs. Harry jumped up, loud bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys boarded up fireplace. He knew immediantly what must have happend, Floo Powder.
"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?" The unmistakable voice of Mr Weasley came hammering through the wall. "Ouch Fred! Stop moving! George go back! Tell Ron not to!-"
"AAAARGGH! Whats happend? Has something gone wrong?" Ron's panicked voice now joined Mr Weasley.
"Oh, no, Ron" began Fred
"No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up" finshed george with identical sarcasm.
"Harry?" Mr Weasley called again. Harry glanced ath his Aunt and Uncle before answering.
"Yes Mr Weasley! I can hear you, the fire place has been blocked up. The muggles have an electric one" he spoke loudly and clearly.
Vernon rounded on Harry, his face the distinct colour of a beetroot. "Listen hear you little freak! I don't know what your playing at but you fix this, you fix this now!"
"Now hang on a minute!" Mr Weasley's muffled voice blared through the wall angrily. "This isn't Harry's fault-"
Vernon cut his off, too angry to be afraid of a voice in a wall. "Its his kind thats the problem, abnromal, good for nothing, FREAKS!" he bellowed at the fire place.
"Stand back Harry" Yelled Mr Weasley.
BANG! The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up-fire-place burst outwards. Expelling Mr Weasley, Fred, George and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings. Mr Weasley immediantly straightend himself up, his face a pale mask of anger. "Fred, George grab Harry's trunk" he ordered, spying it lying in the hallway. "Ron, grab Hedwigs cage, all of you floo back immediantly. No arguments". The three sons didn't dare argue with their father, who spoke in such a quiet steady voice, it could have scared the 'boo!' from a ghost.
Harry stood statue like next to the sofa eyeing his Aunt and Uncle who had retreated next to the wall. They were held there under the heavy gaze of Arthur Weasley. The three boys quickly grabbed the objest and returned to the burrow, in a roar of emerald flames.
"Harry son, your turn" Mr Weasley held out the floo power bag kindly, still not tearing his gaze away from the Dursleys. Who were shaking terrified in the corner. "I'm sorry about all this my boy"-he said gesturing the rubble clad room-"I'll fix it before I go" he added sincerely.
"Well...bye them" Harry said stabbing at a shot of politness towards his Aunt and Uncle, for Arthur Weasley's sake. The Dursleys didn't say anything at all. Harry moved towards the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Mr Weasley put out a hand and held him back.
"Harry said goodbye to you" he almost growled. "Didn't. You. Hear. Him?" enuciating every word furiously.
"Goodbye" Vernon spat out resentfully. The only thing that held Harry back from giving his uncle a well deserved punch was Arthurs calming hand on his shoulder. He really didn't care what the Dursleys thought. He was almost free.
"Go on Harry, I'll follow after I've cleaned up"
Harry stepped into the fire, not even glancing back as he shouthed "The Borrow!" The next moment Harry began to spin very fast in a rush of emerald green flames. He spun faster and faster, elbows tucked into his side, excitment welling up inside the pit of his stomach until he started to feel sick and closed his eyes. He managed to bring himself to a hault before landing face first on the Weasleys kitchen floor. He was finally free.
"Are you alright mate?" Ron asked clasping Harry on the shoulder and leading him to an empty chair at the kitchen table. "I never thought they were that bad, I thought that bloody git was gonna hit you" he exlaimed.
"Wouldn't be the first time" Harry grumbled coldly, still reeling from the encounter.
"No!" Fred gasped
"He doesn't!" George shouted with equal horror. "That's barbaric!"
"It doesn't matter, I'm here now" Harry tried to shrug the the stituation away, he didn't want to feel pitied. Before anyone could say anthing else there was a faint popping noise, and Mr Weasley appeared out of thin air at Harry's shoulder. He was looking angrier then he had ever seen him.
"The NERVE!" he boomed, shaking the house. "To treat you like that, Ron said they hated wizards but I thought he was exaggerating! Your parents would never have stood for it Harry"
"Dad! Harry said his Uncle beats him" Ron interupted loudly. Harry wished he hadn't. Arthur became reder, fury clearly painted across his face. He didn't stand in kitchen for a moment longer and swept out of the room, passing his wife standing silent in the doorway. Mrs Weasley gave her husband a comforting squeeze on the arm before allowing him to stomp up the stairs.
"Mrs Weasley" Harry greeted the kindly witch, sadness and guilt evident in his voice.
"Oh Harry" she almost wept, walking straight towards him and seeting herself in the chair next to him. Grabbing Harry's hands in her own warmly. "Your parents, your, your parents"-she hesitated, searching for something in Harry's green eyes-" Arthur's right, James and Lily would never have stood for this. If they could see you now-"Mrs Weasely shuddered-" James would have killed him. He almost did once before. Your unlce slapped your mother, called her a freak and slapped her!" Mrs Weasley clenched her hands around Harry's.
Harry felt the tears stinging behind his eyes, but he refused to give his Aunt and Uncle the satisfaction. He couldn't understand, if his parents hated Vernon and Petunia, why had he been left with them? Why had he been left with people who hated every essence of his being? Harry hadn't notice Mrs Weasley stand up and start pacing madly around the room. Ron, Fred and George were all silent, each of them wearing similar expressions of outrage and sadness. Mrs Weasley began muttering, talking to herself, pacing back and forth in front of the large homely fireplace.
"I just, I don't see, James and Lily would never have wanted this. Why? Why then?" she started pulling at her firey red hair, stopping suddenly when Harry spoke.
"Its alright, I'm safe now" that sentence hurt Mrs Weasley more then anything she had heard previously. Silence enveloped the room, she took a deep soothing breath and placed a hand on her heart.
"Thats not the point Harry dear. You should never have been placed in that sort of environment" Harry cast his gaze down and flicked it up towards the doorway. Hermione stood there. Her face a blank canvas, just staring at Harry. Just staring. He dropped his head in shame.