It wasn't his fault. The teacher said he cheated. No he hadn't! He wasn't stupid, no matter what Uncle Vernon shouted or what Aunt Petunia gossiped. Harry was smart. He read a lot. He did his homework twice. Once properly in the library, and then scribbled in the cupboard at home. The first time he tried to turn in a proper assignment, the teacher mentioned it to Aunt Petunia and he was punished to the cupboard without dinner. So, he learned to hide his intelligence, not just his dreams. That didn't mean he cheated on the test though! He was just doing his best. Did he have to hide that now too?
Harry was fuming in the little chair in front of the principal's desk. He was anxiously waiting for Aunt Petunia. He was so in trouble for this. What would she take away from him this time? Two years ago when he found himself on the roof of the school he was suspended for a week for endangering himself and his peers. Aunt Petunia made him work outside and only fed him scraps. It was cold outside and she made him garden! There wasn't anything to even grow! He barely got any food. No wonder he was so tiny.
Aunt Petunia took him home for the day. Harry was sent outside to make everything more presentable. "No dinner tonight you freak!" crowed Dudley when he returned from school. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid to trust the teacher's words. Stupid to think that school was actually meant to make you better. Stupid to try. Harry was so done with that irritating man.
The next day at school the teacher made him retake the test during lunch. Harry purposefully failed it. As the teacher graded it he smirked at Harry, as if he knew that Harry was stupid and clearly cheated. It made Harry so mad. Why did everyone hate him so much? He wasn't a bad person. He did his best. He tried to do what he was told. Why wouldn't anyone give him a chance? As the teacher handed back his test with a big fat F, Harry gasped. His teacher's wig was blue. Oh no! What had he done? This was another night in the cupboard without dinner for sure. Harry just wanted to run away. He couldn't though. There was no where to go. He hoped that no one would notice. Unfortunately, everyone did.
Harry was sent home from school for a week again. He was also transferred to the other third grade class. No one could prove that Harry was the cause of the blue hair fiasco, but no one really wanted to listen to Harry anyways. That night in the cupboard, Harry didn't dream. Escaping into dreams didn't help that much anymore. Harry resolved to become better. So good, that no one could find fault. There wouldn't be another roof episode. No more dyed hair fiascos. No more problems with Aunt Petunia trying to tame his unruly hair. It was going to work out. He was going to change. No more dreams. It was reality from here on out.
AN: I changed the title of this story from what's in a name to the child who lived. I never really like the original title I gave this story and I think the new one works a lot better.