Chapter 4: The Sleepover and The Inevitable

As the weeks passed his friendship with them grew and developed. They became the best of friends, though they'd all been friends for years they accepted him and he became a fully-fledged member of their group. While Gabrielle and Georgie hung with together with some of the other girls in their year, they did prefer to hang with them. They were more like brothers and sister than friends, the original five. He got on really well with Gabrielle, she'd taken him under her wing when he'd started there. She was always willing to talk and sit with him at lunch. She made him feel wanted, but something did bother him a little about it but he couldn't put his finger on it. But while they were great friends he desperately missed Ron and Hermione. Then Patterson made an announcement. "I'm having a sleepover this weekend I know Kyle and Bobby are coming, Gabrielle can't make it. So are you two coming?"

"Yeah of course I'm coming" grinned Georgie

"You?" he asked Harry

"Yeah I'll be there" he nodded, anything to escape Uncle Vernon for just one night.

The week quickly passed and Saturday soon arrived. He packed some things into his school bag. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen where his aunt and uncle were. "Erm. I was wondering if it would be ok if I could go to a sleepover at someone I go to school with' house" said Harry

"Who is this?" snarled uncle Vernon "Because you don't have friends. No one would be friends with a freak like you."

"Patterson" replied Harry trying to ignore his Uncle's cruel comments about people wanting to be friends with him.

"Is he a freak like you?" sneered uncle Vernon

"No he's not a freak like me" replied Harry "So is it ok?"

"No you can't go" said Uncle Vernon

"What?" Harry's face fell. He should've just left.

"You're not going boy" uncle Vernon spat "Now go back upstairs and stay there"

Harry left the kitchen but he didn't go back upstairs he went to the front door, opened it, went through it and ran off down the street. He didn't care if he got a beating when he got home he was just desperate to fit in and be a normal teenager, doing normal things that other people his age did.

He ran for a couple of streets before stopping. He walked the rest of the way there, it took an hour but he made it. Arriving he knocked on Patterson's door and he soon opened up. "Come on in Harry" he grinned "We're in the backroom chilling"

Harry followed Patterson through, leaving his bag in the hallway. Georgie, Bobby and Kyle were watching the huge TV and squabbling over a massive bowl of popcorn. "Hey guys Harry's here"

"Hi Harry" they all smiled

"We're watching this movie about some guys who get shot because these two idiots thought it would be a good idea. So you and I are picking the next movie" laughed Georgie

"Sounds good" smiled Harry.

They watched the end of the movie and riffled through Patterson's movie collection tossing them aside. Finally they chose Ghostbusters I and sat down to watch it. Having refilled their drinks and the enormous bowl of popcorn which seemed to have doubled in size they closed the curtains, flopped onto the cushions on the floor and hit play. After the movie they ordered out for some pizzas and talked while they waited for them to arrive.

"I can't believe your parents let you come" Harry remarked to Georgie "Here with four boys"

"Oh they know these guys so well. And they know my parents would break their necks if they tried anything I didn't like" smirked Georgie "Besides we're more like siblings than friends. We've known each for such a long time now"

Harry nodded, feeling somewhat dejected. He didn't know why. They'd accepted him so why did he feel slightly bitter. Perhaps it was because he'd never had friends at primary school and had two friends at Hogwarts and had left them behind. But then something came over him, a sense of relief, of happiness. He could have friends in the muggle world after all. He'd need them to survive the next two years, until he was seventeen and could leave the dursleys, surrey and go as far away as possible.

It wasn't too long before their pizzas arrived and they sat down to eat them. Each picking up a slice Patterson counted down from three… 3…2…1… go! They all shoved their slices into their mouths and took the biggest bite they could manage. Melted cheese and pepperoni fell everywhere. And the pizzas burned the insides of their mouths as they were practically flaming hot.

That night they all camped out in the humongous backroom of Patterson's house. They all told ghost stories, Harry used peeves and nearly headless nick in his. "He floated over the table and girl looked up at him and said: "Nearly headless, how can you be nearly headless?" he said "Like this" and pulled his head from his neck like opening a door. The girl grimaced and turned away."

"I would love to see that" Kyle proclaimed "If only ghosts like that were real"

"No that actually happened" Harry laughed.

"Bull crap!" said Georgie "Really?"

"Yes" Harry nodded. "It was hilariously scary and creepy"

"I bet it was!" she replied. "I would probably wet myself, scream my head off then run away like a terrified little girl if I saw that!"

They told jokes before finally going to sleep at four in the morning.

The next morning they played video games and cooked up a right weird concoction for breakfast. They laughed so much at what they had concocted. "And I thought some of my potions were bad!" harry laughed inside his head. They'd used waffles, chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, golden syrup, several different flavours of jam, sugar, some bacon and ketchup. It was vile to say the least and most of it went straight into the bin. After which they sourced some cereal. It was the first time in a very long time he'd eaten breakfast. They stayed for lunch before they all left.

Georgie's mum, Louise gave him a lift back to privet drive. She was a really lovely woman. "You must be harry" she smiled "Georgie has told me lot's about you"

"She has?" his cheeks went red

"Yes" replied Louise "All good. When she told me I was like Georgie can't you have friends that are girls! But the boys she hangs out with are good lads, Patterson is a good lad definitely a bit mischievous but good-hearted."

"Mum" Georgie hissed

"Georgie told me about your parents. It's a very tragic thing" she said sympathetically "Least you've got your aunt and uncle"

Harry didn't say anything. He hated them. He didn't have them, they hated him. He stared at the floor of the car. "Are you ok Harry?" asked Georgie

"Yeah fine, just don't want to go home to them. They're just so boring" he said

It wasn't long before they arrived. "Thanks Mrs Flynn"

"No problem" she smiled

"Bye Georgie" he said

"Bye" she smiled. Before her mum hit the gas and the car moved away from the house.

The last thing he heard was Georgie shouting that she would see him at school the next day and he looked forward to it because he didn't look forward to going in that house. It occurred to him that Uncle Vernon might be so mad that he would snap and kill him and he may not see her at school the next day after all. After all he had disobeyed him, he deserved this didn't he?

Stomach churning he unlocked the door and went inside. As predicted uncle Vernon flew at him and shoved him against the front door. "YOU LITTLE SOD!" he roared spit flying at Harry's face. "I TOLD YOU NO!"

"Well guess what I didn't listen" replied Harry "You've been hitting and abusing ever since I got back and I thought I deserved to have a good time with my friends from school."

"YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYTHING!" Exploded uncle Vernon. Harry had seen him mad before but never this mad. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE. YOUR PARENTS SHOULD'VE LET YOU DIE!"

"Oh that's it is it?" said Harry "Go on. Tarnish my parent's memory, their final dying act of love for me. Kick dirt at them and spit on them like you always have done"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH BOY!" He roared

Harry did shut his mouth, but what he had said was exactly what uncle Vernon had done. Saying he didn't deserve to live was disrespectful in more ways than one. Firstly it was very hurtful and secondly his parents had given their lives so he could live so by saying he didn't deserve to live was saying his parent's should've let Voldemort kill him. Disrespecting the final act of devotion and love towards their only son. And harry couldn't stand that.

Uncle Vernon let go of his shirt and moved back slightly. Harry took his chance and fled up the stairs but uncle Vernon pursed him. For a morbidly obese man he was incredibly fast. He stopped Harry from going into his bedroom to escape the beating he was about to receive. "I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU BOY!" He roared "NOWHERE NEAR FINISHED!" he grabbed harry and slung him against the wall.

"Get off me!" Harry cried trying to push him away. Uncle Vernon didn't relent and slapped him very hard around the face knocking his glasses off. Disorientated harry dropped his bag and continued to wrestle the corpulent man off him. Uncle Vernon was determined though and in the course of them wrestling he had hit harry no less than seven times around the face and stomach. Then they turned so Harry's back was towards the stairs. "Get off me you mad man!" Harry cried, knowing how close they were to the steps. He pushed him away. But Uncle Vernon made another grab for him but instead of grabbing him gave him a hefty shove that sent him tumbling down the stairs screaming. He bounced down the steps like a bouncy ball before landing in a heap at the bottom. He lay there in agony, too much pain to move for a moment.

He saw uncle Vernon heading towards him and managed to pull himself off the steps and into the hall but uncle Vernon quickly advanced on him. And he felt a deep searing pain on his back. Then again and again. He twisted his head to see uncle Vernon raise something brown above his head before slamming it down onto his back. It was a brown leather belt. A leather belt. He was whipping him like a donkey. With every agonising blow Harry howled a little bit louder. It was hell. "Stop" he cried "Please. Please stop" tears streamed down his cheeks.

Uncle Vernon did stop, a few minutes later. Harry dragged himself up to his room, pushed the door shut and flopped down on his bed. He couldn't lie on his back, he was in so much pain. Uncle Vernon had insistently whipped for over ten minutes. So he'd gone to a friend's house for a sleepover, it didn't warrant this. Or maybe it did. He deserved it. That's how he saw it.

He slept on his front but even that was agonising. What he really needed was madam Pomfrey from the hospital wing to treat his wounds with a spell or some potion. She was so caring and kind. He needed medical help but when he was in too much pain to even move that was impossible. His aunt wouldn't call for help. So he had to suffer it out.

The next day he was in too much pain to even get out of bed to go to school. He managed to get to the bathroom, where he examined his back. He looked at his back in the mirror, covered in deep welts and open wounds. Blood covered too. He took a shower but the water stung his back painfully.

He had to spend the next three days laid up because he was still in too much pain to move.

At school Gabrielle had decided to worry about harry and was expressing her feelings to her friends.

"Come on babe" said Zane "He's probably sick"

"I hate it when you use that word" said Kyle "It makes me sick"

"Maybe" said Gabrielle "Oh he worries me. He keeps coming into school with bruises. And remember the time after we went to the park and stayed there for ages? And then the next day he came to school with a black eye and a split lip."

"Yeah" said Patterson "I don't think someone jumped him either. He was so defensive about it"

"I know" sighed Georgie "If he doesn't come in tomorrow I'm going to go and see him"

"We'll all come with" said Kyle. They all nodded.

Little did the five friends know their new friend was currently laid up in bed barely able to move after being whipped for over ten minutes and shoved down the stairs by his own Uncle. They would've been horrified if they'd seen him on Sunday after the horrific beating.

The following day Uncle Vernon completely lost his temper. "IF YOU DON'T GET UP AND GO TO SCHOOL RIGHT NOW THE BEATING I GIVE YOU WILL BE TEN TIMES WORSE THAN THE LAST IS THAT CLEAR BOY?" He roared

"Yes" harry replied meekly. Through the pain he pulled himself out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom. Where he took a quick shower and had a wash and cleaned his teeth. Before going back to his room and getting ready for school. He went to the kitchen but… "Get out of my kitchen" aunt Petunia spat.

He did as he was told and left the house. He took the forty five minute walk to school very slowly, taking him nearly an hour. When he got to school he saw his friends and went over to them. "Harry!" smiled Gabrielle running over to him and throwing her arms around him causing him to winch quite significantly. "You're ok" then she heard him groan in pain. "Are you ok?"

"Yes" he lied. In truth her hugging had made his pain ten times worse than it had already been. "I'm ok. I had a cold"

"I was worried" she admitted. He looked at her, feeling so touched by her concern. "We all were"

"Yeah I was really worried too" admitted Georgie

Again they had P.E and harry knew had to sit this one out. He did not want them to see the deep welts that covered his back. So he came up with a fib to get out of P.E and it worked. He sat watching and thinking. He missed Ron and Hermione so much. He was thinking of writing to them but how could he tell them about what had happened to him? He couldn't, they would think he was weak. That he wasn't capable of defeating the dark lord. Or would they care? And not think he was weak? He was so torn up over it.

At the end of the day he went to the park with Georgie, Gabrielle, Patterson, Bobby and Kyle. They hung out for a while and he made an excuse to leave and go home so he didn't get another painful beating. "I have to go. My aunts doing dinner early because they're going out and if I don't get back I probably won't get any"

"Ok" nodded Patterson "See you tomorrow"

He nodded back to Patterson before turning around and leaving the park. He walked back to 4 Privet Drive and let himself in. He went straight upstairs and into his room. Though he was allowed to have some tea with them the portion size was ridiculously small and even with his scarce appetite, it didn't fill him up. He was still very hungry but he was not allowed near the fridge to get something else. So after he'd done the washing he went straight back upstairs and lifted up the loose floorboard and took out a packet of biscuits. He ate a couple before stuffing them back underneath the floorboard and putting it back in place.

As the days slid by the pain subsided but the welts struggled to heal. They were tender, very tender, to the touch. Georgie and Gabrielle noticed his constant discomfort as did the rest of their friends and they often asked him about it. But he could never bring himself to tell them about what had happened to him. Keeping it all to himself and pretending he was fine was Harry's way of coping. Well this wasn't coping, it was barely surviving. That's the way he'd always done it.