Disclaimer:
British? Yes
Female? No
Mind Bogglingly Rich? I wish!
Probability of being JK Rowling? 1%
I don't own anything but the plot and maybe a few characters along the way
Chapter 4: Revolution
The young Potter began the day after his emancipation by summoning his glasses from his bedside table; reveling in the freedom he now possessed. He once again read his OWL results that made his life as full as it was now. But today… today would mark the death of the old Harry Potter that seemed to be relatively easy to walk over and take control of, and it started with the Dursleys.
Walking downstairs, Harry decided that he had enough of the crap the Dursleys had thrown at him. So, instead of cooking their breakfast, he sat at the table and waited patiently the band of gorillas that were his uncle and cousin and his ostrich of an aunt. When his flesh and blood finally lumbered down to the empty table, they became their well-known maelstrom of abuse and directed their whole force unto the Potter, for all they were worth.
"Enough!" Harry shouted, unknowingly lacing his voice with magic and sending sparks of electricity through the air around him. His voice darkened as he spoke, "For as long as I lived here you have treated me as your own personal slave. I made you meals, I tended your garden, I took your beatings, and I made sure to stay out of your way but even so you seemed to go out of your way to make sure I was in the way. But that's all gonna change." He finished, quickly drawing his wand and pointing the business end towards his primary tormentors. "Go ahead boy" Vernon spat, "I'd love to see you expelled from that freak show you call a school!"
"Well let's just see that in action, shall we?" Harry returned smugly before making himself a cup of tea using only levitation and then summoning it with a simple accio. They all sat around the table, Dudley and Petunia twitching at every sound that might be an owl delivering a letter, while Harry and Vernon were engaged in a staring contest, both looking equally smug, though it was only Harry that took the occasional sip from his mug of tea. Soon enough, Vernon had joined his wife and son in looking for that godforsaken owl. Yet it never seemed to be coming. "Well I think that settles that, doesn't it Vernon? Now, there are going to be a few changes around here, and they're all going to be very pleasant for me, but not so pleasant for you… though I will say, this will be the last summer you need to 'look after' me because I will not be coming back here… ever. Now, first I will be leaving the house as and when I please; it is about time I visited a friend's house without them having to forcibly take me from your hands. Second, Hedwig is allowed to come and go as she pleases; you can and will do nothing to change that. I will no longer do any of your chores. Enough said. And I will be allowed to use the phone, TV and computer when the fancy hits me, disregarding whomever might be using these appliances at the time, and one last thing, I will not follow the diet required to make a baby killer whale lose all its body mass. Are we clear?" His eyes burning fiercely, forcing them to nod meekly "Now, I have a phone call to make, and after that possibly a friend to visit." He said jauntily as he sauntered toward the phone and dialing the number for one Hermione Granger.
The bushy haired witch in question was seated upon the couch in her home, reading a book while her parents were out at their practice. When the phone started ringing she started, before going to pick it up. As she did so, the unimitabe voice of one Harry James Potter was sent clear down the line to her ear. "Errr is this Hermione?" At the question she squealed in excitement "Harry! How are you? Why didn't you reply to my letter? Are the Dursleys still making your life hell? Are you ok?" She rattled off before the Potter could get a single word in. "Hermione!" He shouted as his friend went off on one, "I'm ok! But I want to explain some more. How about we meet up tomorrow and I'll explain everything?"
"Ok Harry, you've got it. I suppose you've got a way to get here since you must know my parents will both be at the practice all day?"
"Oh don't worry, I've got something in mind" he said, while Hermione could almost imagine his smirk. With that both teens went about their daily business, which was now absolutely nothing for Harry.
The next day Hermione left the house, book in hand, to sit outside under the tree in the hope of surprising her friend as he arrived. Though this was not to be as she heard the loud screech that could only be the trio of terrorisers Hermione knew from her primary school. lo and behold, across the crescent of the hill came Lucy Spence, Claudette Mcdonald and Lisa Lobo. "Well, well, well if it isn't mangey Granger, enjoying the sun mangey? Or maybe you're waiting for a friend from that boarding school of yours. Who would want to spend their free time with you mangey?"
"Well I'd assume that would be me. Wouldn't it?" A dark voice said from behind the tree at which Hermione sat. The shadow stepped into the light to reveal the form of Harry Potter. The three witches swooned, "Hey there, you're not from round here are you? How about we show you the town. That way you won't have to stick with ol' mangey Granger over here. What to you say?" Before winking and looking at the young wizard through half lidded eyes. "Well, I say you'd better scarper before I am forced to defend my friends honour," he said calmly but with a fierce look emanating from his emerald orbs. This look sent the girls packing and well away from the two warlocks.
"Shall we go inside then?" Hermione said briskly, not wanting to stay outside any longer. Harry nodded and followed her into her cream 3 bedroom detached home. As soon as they entered and closed the door Harry found himself engulfed in a hug that came close to breaking his back, though it only just stopped short of snapping his vertebrae. "Hermione. Need to breathe." Harry gasped out, which sent the witch retreating. "So... Shall I begin with my explanation?" A nod from Hermione sent him recounting the tales of the past few weeks. Beginning with the owl from Gringotts, and his change in mood, to his owl results, where Hermione briefly engulfed him again unpon hearing his achievement, and finally his emancipation. When the tale was done, Hermione sat back to process the information, before breathing a sigh of relief. "Well at least you aren't wallowing in self pity, eh?" She laughed nervously, drawing a laugh from Harry as well. "Actually I need some help Hermione; I contacted Sarah Crowe, y'know from the exams place, and asked if I could take the arithmancy OWL at the end of summer, and... Well... I was hoping you could... Y'know... Teach me?"
"Oh of course Harry- the end of this summer?! Harry we have so much work to do! I have to draw up a schedule. Where did I put all my old text books?-"
"Hermione calm down, we've got plenty of time, and I know your schedules always help but let's not try to go overboard, yeah?" Harry interrupted calmly. Hermione drew a deep breath and closed her eyes before opening them once again with excitement and rushing inside to locate all the necessary materials for the immense study session they had coming.
The first day seemed the hardest for Harry, starting to learn a whole new subject took him a little time to adjust to, however they soon settled into a routine which included Harry shifting daily to Hermione's house for a 3 hour study beginning at 9 in the morning the a 2 hour break followed by more study til 5 in the afternoon at which point they would just talk and Harry would then leave by 6. During these times the two teens got to know each other very well and were able to pick our certain habits the other had. And so the summer rolled on, studying and relaxing the main points of order. Almost too soon, Harry stepped into the ministry and made his way to the examination office on the 6th floor. He sat in the cold metal chair in front of the small wooden table. The examiner stepped into the room and placed a sheet of blank paper on the table saying, "The questions will appear as soon as I start the timer." No sooner had he said "You have 1 hour," and clicked the stopwatch did the questions appear. The questions didn't faze Harry as he raced through the paper with seeming ease, though the question about freezing charms had him flummoxed for the most amount of time.
An hour and a bit later Harry left the isolation room to make his way to the practicals area. Here he saw many people from Hogwarts, that stemmed to have failed one or more of their owls and were determined to do something about it. Advancing to the arithmancy area Harry decompiled the spell of his examiner to find the weaknesses in the casting and flow of magic through its medium. Leaving the exam cubicle and the building fairly happy that he hasn't failed, at least.
Despite the exam being over, Harry still went to Hermione's house and spent his days with the brightest witch, before returning to the Dursleys to spend his nights. The pair grew closer as friends, and now knew eachother well enough, their communication was almost telepathic, despite Hermione being faster than Harry, they were able to know what the other was thinking at the simple mention of a single word and then follow the though process through to end at the same result. At the beginning of their final week of holiday, the anticipated owl from the ministry arrived, stating Harry had attained yet another Exceeds Expectations, though in Arithmancy this time. "Well I guess we can't put school shopping off anymore," Harry said as he entered Hermione's house with the letter. Before stuffing it into his pocket and grabbing Hermione's hand and running his ring, sending then spinning into Diagon Alley. "Harry! That could've beef dangerous!" Hermione shrieked slapping him hard on the shoulder, "and I don't even have any money to buy my things!"
"Well then it's on me, you helped me with the exam so I treat you by buying your school supplies as well as anything you want from the aalley. How's about that?" Harry said trying to keep a straight face as Hermione began to boil over. But seeing his mind wouldn't be moved, she settled for a huff of annoyance, before starting into the alley.
"HARRY? HERMIONE?" a loud voice shouted above the rukus of the alley, and sure enough, there stood Ronald Weasley who invited them to the Leakey Cauldron, for food before shopping began.
Once ensconced in the tavern, Ron brought them both plates while balancing him own on his forearm. Harry surreptitiously rubbed his ring, once again seeing the pink glow of 'the potion' and following the trace that led off it he found a figure also glowing pink. It was in fact the outline of one Ginevra Molly Weasley. So he ate the plate of food knowing full well he was immune, watching the face of the Weasley at the table. The eyes he saw were filled with greed and jealousy. Not two traits that sat his long time friend well. Once again the Potter was happy to postpone judgement, despite the evidence of his eyes. Harry and Hermione left the bar and headed to Diagon alley once more and browsed the shops, buying as they pleased. Soon enough they finished and Harry shifted their purchases and their owners back home.
Two days before the Hogwarts express was due to leave, 8 tawny owls shot from the owlery of Hogwarts, heading to their respective targets. Announcing the new senior perfects for the coming year. In Little Whinging, an owl flew through the open window of the surprised Harry Potter, as he opened the letter with trepidation he soon found that the new he so wanted last year was finally his, his jealousy over Rons perfect position was short lived, but still remained, now here he was finally given the chance to be a perfect and he sure as hell wasn't going to mess it up. Another owl swooped into a window in Crawley, where Hermione Granger opened the letter and took the pin out and admired it for a second. I almost thought I had lost this last year she thought as she placed the pin on her table and left her room to relax under the tree in her back garden. Molly Weasley starred out of the window of her kitchen, Albus had said the perfect letters were going out today, so Ron's must be winging its way here she thought to herself. Though the owl never came. The thought that Ron had been dropped as a perfect made the Weasley matriarch's bleed boil. It seemed a howler was winging its way to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Finally September the 1st rolled around and the duo of Harry and Hermione spun onto the platform and faced the scarlet engine, basking in its magnificence for a moment, before boarding and finding an empty compartment. Ron joined then a short while later and the engine moved off. Destination: Hogwarts.
A/N: So, another one down! Harry seems to be an adequate arithmancer. That'll be the first and last we ever see of the Dursleys (I think). Harry is now a prefect, instead of Ron, since the dumbass didn't actually do anything in his 5th year that was even remotely prefectly. Harry and Hermione are closer and understand how the other acts naturally (remember that it will be important later). Next chapter, Hogwarts, changes, new teachers and a whole loada trouble! I'll try to update regularly but hey! No promises :)
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Me out!