Harry Potter: Broken Beyond Repair

by 1998Babywriter

So what if Harry had been expelled from Hogwarts and been sent back to his neglectful aunt and uncle? Wallowing in despair and trying to regain some normality his life becomes a lot harder than expected. Scarred and lonely throw in some abuse, kissing, sex, a well kept secret and plenty of pain and his life becomes an unpredictable nightmare. Can he hold on long enough to escape?

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Worst Christmas Ever

The Christmas break was just a week off. Harry was dreading it. Though they had made some plans of things they were going do Harry dreaded having to be with the Dursleys. He had written to Ron his parents could not take him this year. He had been so disappointed, he had actually torn the letter up and stamped on it which had warranted a couple of slaps from uncle Vernon and the weekend locked in his room.

Just days to go Harry desperately tried to figure out to spend it anywhere but the Dursleys. He just didn't know what to do.

Then the day before the end of term uncle Vernon really lost it again and whipped him with the belt again. This beating was because Harry had tried to get some parchment and ink from his trunk to write back to Ron and write to Hermione. But uncle Vernon lost it. He threw him down and starting beating him with the belt. He didn't stop until harry was bleeding all over the carpet and screaming hysterically, tears pouring down his pale cheeks.

After the beating harry dragged himself upstairs and into bed. He didn't move until the next morning when he slowly got up and had a shower, which caused him a great deal of pain. Then he slowly, and carefully got dressed and headed to school. Georgie and Gabrielle noticed his extreme discomfort at the slightest touch. So Georgie, against the advice of Gabrielle, took him aside, well behind the sports hall where nowhere would see them, and asked him what was wrong. "Harry what's wrong. You been wincing at the slightest touch all day" she sighed

"I'm fine" he lied. He wasn't fine, maybe he should tell her. He had to tell somebody, get help.

"No you're not" she said sternly "I know you're not fine Harry Potter. Tell me what's wrong."

"Please Georgie don't make me do this" he pleaded with her

"Do what?" she frowned "Please Harry tell me what's going on"

"No" he looked down "I can't Georgie"

"Yes you can" she replied trying to sound reassuring to him. "Come on Harry, tell me what's wrong"

"No Georgie, can't tell you." He shook his head. He so embarrassed by it all. He couldn't stop uncle Vernon, a muggle beating him but he could fight off the most dangerous wizard of all time. It made him feel so utterly pathetic. And anyway he'd deserved those beatings, he'd asked for them by being him. The 'Boy Who Lived', a wizard, a freak show. And outrageously abnormal. "Just leave it"

Sighing she gave up, knowing she wasn't going to get it of him. It was a closed door with glue stuck between the frame and door itself so it would never open. Like the doors of his bedroom when he was being kept locked up for days on end. She looked at him, she knew something was wrong and it had something to do with the bruises that regularly appeared on his body. Georgie just didn't know.

They went back round to join the rest of their friends and the issue was dropped. For now. After the bell rung they all headed home for the holidays. And Harry had no idea how he was going to survive them.

The next day Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia left the house early in the morning to pick Dudley up from Smelting's, the boarding school he attended. They took him along because they simply did not trust him in the house even with six deadbolt locks on the door and bars on his window. They didn't talk to him, they barely conversed between themselves. Harry sat in the back arms folded watching the landscape changing as they headed to their destination. It was more interesting than staring aimlessly at his feet, at his tatty baseball shoes. He was in dire need of a new pair, the soles were coming away from the shoes altogether and they were riddled with holes. Finally they reached Smelting's. They drove through the grand gates and down the long winding path towards the assortment of large, grand and extensive buildings. Dudley had often boasted about how posh this place was, how it was probably definitely better than Hogwarts. It wasn't, it didn't come near the magnificent Hogwarts castle. The castle was grand with its original staircases and paintings that lined the walls. The great hall was perhaps the most magnificent room though, with its bewitched ceiling so it could accommodate events and seasons. Harry stared at the buildings they looked so dull and the grounds they sat in were just as dull. Compared to the Hogwarts grounds, which housed the forbidden forest, Hagrid's eccentric little hut and the quidditch pitch. It made this place look like a prison.

Uncle Vernon ordered him out of the car. "Get out and put Dudley's things in the boot" he snapped. Harry nodded and followed Uncle Vernon inside. He studied the inside, just as he'd imagined, dull, grey walls, and non-original staircase. "Snap out of it boy and get Dudley's things"

Harry snapped out of his daydream and made his way over to Dudley and his enormous trunk, it was larger than his Hogwarts trunk, so considerably heavier. He took the handle and started to tug it back outside. It was so heavy that he had to stop for a rest. But Uncle Vernon noticed and he started moving again. Then a teacher came across him as he was leaving. "You're not a pupil" she frowned

"No" he shook his head "My cousin is. This is his trunk"

"You shouldn't be dragging that around dear child" she said sweetly "You look much too weak to do so"

"I'm fine" he replied

"Your cousin?" she asked

"Dudley Dursley, Year eleven" said Harry

"My condolences" she said jokingly

"I must go" he said suddenly feeling really faint and somewhat queasy "I need to get this in my uncle's car before he kills me". She smiled and he headed to the car. He lifted the heavy trunk up and pushed it into the boot of the car.

He then went back for the rest of Dudley's things. Because he was too lazy and precious to carry anything himself. But Harry didn't complain, he should do but he didn't because complaining, even if he was in pain, would earn him another beating. Once he'd put all of Dudley's things in the boot he went to get in the car. He went to get in the side he'd sat in on the way but as he went to get it Dudley shoved him out of the way and down to the floor. "Get up!" hissed Uncle Vernon "How dare you make a scene here?"

Harry pulled himself to his feet and got in the other side. Dudley spent most of the journey taunting and baiting him. Throwing hurtful insults and telling him how great his school was and how he had his great friends, some he had known for years and that he'd never do anything bad enough to warrant being expelled. Then changed tactics saying Harry had deserved to be expelled and that he'd never had friends at the 'freak school'. Harry stewed and tried desperately not to say anything or retaliate. But he gave up because Dudley said something that pushed him too far. He stated that his parent's had both been loony's who had been put in the loony bin (mental hospital) and had met each other and had him, making him doubly loony so that's where he went. "Shut up Dudley!" he hissed. Dudley laughed loudly and punched him, hard in the shoulder which warranted a definite retaliation from Harry. Harry gave him shove but he didn't really move because he was so fat. Dudley punched him again and Harry lashed out verbally. "Leave me alone you fat git."

"Dad" smirked Dudley "Harry called me a fat git"

"Only because Dudley won't stop tormenting me and keeps punching me!" Harry defended.

"Don't lie boy" uncle Vernon spat.

"But I'm not" said Harry.

"You are" said Dudley, a grin slapped across his beefy face.

"Leave him Dudley, it's not worth your breath" snarled Uncle Vernon "And as for you boy, I'll deal with you when we get home".

Harry gulped, he knew exactly what that meant. A beating. Another one, another immensely painful beating. Yes Uncle Vernon slapped nearly every single day but when he really lost it the beatings were a hundred times, a thousand, times worse and a thousand times more painful. Just like the last one, whipped with the belt again. He was scarred for life.

First Uncle Vernon made Harry get all of Dudley's things out of the car and take them to the designated places e.g. the kitchen and Dudley's enormous bedroom. Then he told him to get to his room. Harry went there and sat himself down on his bed. He held his hands together and stared uncomfortably at the floor. Then he heard heavy thundering footsteps coming in his direction and felt his heart skip several beats. The large man entered the room and slammed the door behind him. Then the large man lost it. "HOW DARE YOU!" he roared "LAY ON THE FLOOR AT MY SONS SCHOOL? HOW DARE YOU MAKE A SCENE LIKE THAT?!"

"Dudley pushed me over" he replied meekly "I didn't do it on purpose"

"DON'T LIE TO ME" He thundered "YOU DID IT TO EMBARRASS AND HUMILIATE US BOY. TO MAKE A SCENE!"

"I'm sorry" he said in such a tiny and pathetic voice it made him feel like he deserved the violent beating that was heading his way.

"NO YOU'RE NOT" Yelled Uncle Vernon "IF YOU WERE, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE CALLED MY SON A FAT GIT!"

"Dudley was taunting me about being expelled from Hogwarts!" said Harry, feeling really angry with Uncle Vernon.

"DON'T SAY THAT WORD IN MY HOUSE!" He exploded, spraying Harry's face with spit. "AND IF YOU WERE SORRY YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BACKCHATTED ME IN THE CAR AND RIGHT HERE!"

"I am sorry" said Harry. Though he knew he wasn't he would do anything to stop him from giving him the beating of his life.

"YOU'RE NOT" Roared Uncle Vernon before grabbing his shirt and yanking him off the bed. He threw him at the wall, probably expecting him to fall to the floor, but he remained standing. So he launched himself at the fifteen year old boy, who didn't have time to get out of the way. He wrapped his hands around his neck and tried to strangle him. Harry clawed at his uncle's beefy arms with his fingernails, trying to get the man away from him. Harry Potter may have single handily taken on and won against Voldemort in June and he'd been terrified but right now he was single handily taking on a his uncle a muggle, and was even more terrified. This is what his uncle had reduced him to. Then he moved his hands from Harry's neck and threw him to the floor.

Harry backed away from him but he easily gained on him. And backed him against the wall. Harry had nowhere to run and his heart dropped right from his chest into an invisible shredder. The next thing he knew Uncle Vernon's shoed foot flew at his face and landed by his nose. This happened twice more then he kicked him in the stomach winding him badly. Until finally he was laying on the floor, curled up in agony. But he didn't leave it there. No he took his belt from his trousers and started hitting him with it.

Harry felt the searing hot pains as the leather belt hit and sliced through, his skin. He screamed in agony. He just wanted it to end. For it all to end. He wished he'd never born been at all. Soon he could feel blood flowing down his back and down into his jeans and soaking his shirt.

Uncle Vernon eventually stopped hitting him with the belt and stormed from the room locking the door, all six locks, behind him. Harry lay in the middle of the room, crying hysterically the pain worse than ever before. He was shaking violently, shaking and crying hysterically. This is what his own Uncle had done to him. Because his cousin had pushed him over then deliberately provoked him in the car. He should've risen above it, been the bigger man. He hadn't, he'd asked for this. He'd deserved it… hadn't he?

He remained curled up in a tight ball on the floor for the rest of the night, crying and staring at nothing. His mind replaying today's beating, over and over again. He could not sleep so he laid there, not moving, awake all night long.

Harry spent the next three days locked up in his bedroom, only given one cup of water and nothing else. He had some biscuits left over from his last imprisonment but they had gone a bit stale. But he ate them anyway.

Finally on Christmas morning uncle Vernon let him out. "Cook breakfast while Dudley opens his presents" hissed aunt Petunia "And try not burn anything"

"Yes" he nodded before basically hobbling into the kitchen. He did his best and they ate it but Dudley turned his nose up at it even though he ate it all.

Then uncle Vernon cornered him again. "Get upstairs, take a shower and sort your hair out" he spat "Or else I'll cut it all off"

"Yes uncle Vernon" he gulped before going straight upstairs. The hot water in the shower made the deep welts and lacerations on his back sting like crazy and spent most of the time scrubbing crying his eyes out in agony. He got out and carefully pulled his best clothes on then tried to tame his hair. He tried and tried but it would not got. He really had tried but it wouldn't do as it was told. Finally he went down stairs where uncle Vernon did two things. First he laid down the law. "You only speak when you're spoken to, you do exactly as you are told and you do not mention anything. ANYTHING, about your kind" he snarled. "I told you to sort your hair out!"

"I tried uncle Vernon but it wouldn't stay!" he replied. The next thing he knew uncle Vernon was yanking him into the kitchen by his hair. He forced him into a chair and rifled through the cutlery draw. He took a pair of scissors out and walked back over to Harry and took hold of his hair. He started snipping and chunks of Harry's hair fell to the carpet. He cut at it until there was nothing left, until he was basically bald. "Clean that up" he spat. Harry obeyed and hovered up all of his hair. The hair that had half an hour ago been on his head.

It wasn't too long before Mr and Mrs Dursley arrived. Uncle Vernon greeted them and called Harry down from his room. "Ah finally sorted the boy's appallingly scruffy hair out" said Mr Dursley, a harsh and cold smile on his face.

"Nothing a good hairdresser couldn't fix" smiled Uncle Vernon. Harry stared at him, an immense loathing for him burning deep within. No hairdresser had done this to him.

"It looks a million times better" he added.

"I don't think it suits him" said Mrs Dursley "I preferred him with more hair"

"So did I" agreed Harry "I can't wait until it grows back"

"Quiet boy" hissed Uncle Vernon

"Now, now Vernon" said Mrs Dursley "Don't be so mean to the boy. I didn't bring you up this way did I?"

"Very well" said Uncle Vernon "Do come through"

He led them into the living room and they sat while he had to remain standing, as per usual. While they talked his mind wandered off to his friends. He bet they were having far better Christmases than his, far better Christmas holidays than his. They were all so far away though. What he wouldn't give to see Ron and Hermione today. That would be the best present he'd ever gotten, well maybe expect his invisibility cloak.

Then the doorbell rang again. "Get the door boy" said Uncle Vernon

"Yes Uncle Vernon" replied Harry. He went out into the hall and pulled the front door open to see Aunt Marge on the other side. "Take my bags boy" she hissed thrusting them at him. He took them and put them carefully in the living room by the tree Dudley had carelessly decorated the day he'd gotten back from smelting's while he was being beaten upstairs.

Soon it was time for lunch and while Dudley, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Marge and Mr and Mrs Dursley sat down at the table Harry had to take all the bowls of steaming hot vegetables and the gravy boat, containing piping hot gravy over to the table. Then while they ate he also had to wait on their every want and need. So refiling wine glasses, refiling the gravy boat and fetching napkins. He picked away at his small portion. It was all he was allowed but he didn't even think he could manage it. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had actually discussed how much he would have when they thought he'd been upstairs. But he'd heard them. So he had just one piece and a small piece at that, of turkey, two small roast potatoes, four sprouts, two tiny and burnt, carrots and one small Yorkshire pudding. Whilst Dudley had five, no six pieces of turkey, at least seven potatoes, a large helping of sprouts and carrots and three Yorkshire puddings. He noticed Mrs Dursley watching him as he ate, more picked at, his food. "Is that all you're having dear?" she asked.

"Erm" Harry didn't know what to say to her. He had barely any appetite due to starvation at the hands of his aunt and uncle.

"You must eat something Harry" she said, she was the only one who actually gave two ticks, well at least one tick, about him. "You're very skinny"

"I know. I have appetite problems at the moment" replied Harry

"Yes the boy has been very sick with a tummy bug" said Uncle Vernon trying to cover up the fact he had been starving Harry on and off for the last four months, well the last fourteen years to be completely honest. "Only just getting better aren't you boy"

"Yes Uncle Vernon" Harry lied. Wishing he could tell her just what her son had been doing to him over the last four and half months. Because he hadn't been sick, he'd been repeatedly starved. "It was nasty"

"You've always been a skinny little thing" she commented. He looked at her, "well it's not like I choose to be or is actually my fault" he thought to himself "it's your sons fault. He made me this way. I'd love to be able to eat a roast with four potatoes, three pieces of meat, a decent helping of vegetables and two Yorkshires. But I can't. No not me. Not anymore. I'm a freak, I'm waste of space, I'm a punch bag and I've not eaten since Thursday"

"Snap out of it boy" he heard Aunt Marge's voice snap. He realised he must've gone into that trance like state again and zoned out while he had been wallowing and stewing. "Now. If the boy doesn't want to eat the food his loving aunt has so lovingly cooked for him then that's his decision. He's always been an ungrateful little brat haven't you boy"

Harry stared at her, now this he was not answering. Not in the name of merlin. She had badmouthed his parents enough and she had badmouthed him even more and badmouthing him now while his mind was somewhat fragmented from the constant stream of abuse was not a good idea as was liable to lose his temper and blow her up again. So he kept his mouth shut. But…

"Speak boy" hissed Uncle Vernon

"No I haven't" said Harry. Uncle Vernon glared viciously at him. He was getting it later, he knew it. So… "Yes I have"

They finished eating the main course then Aunt Petunia served up several desserts, a Christmas pudding, a strawberry gateau and a log roll. Dudley, who had eaten the entirety of his main course, with three extra potatoes and a fourth Yorkshire pudding, had a bit of each dessert. And not just little bits, huge bits. He crammed them into his mouth like a pig at a trough. Uncle Vernon wasn't much different. Nor were Aunt Marge or Mr Dursley. Mrs Dursley was different only having a healthy sized slice of Christmas pudding. Aunt Petunia didn't turn to him and ask what he wanted. Instead she cut herself a piece of strawberry gateau then cleared the desserts away. "Isn't Harry having any" asked Dudley. Harry was shocked Dudley had even asked this. He hated him… no wait he wanted his servings.

"No popkin" replied Aunt Petunia "He's still got a funny tummy. He can't eat anything like this"

"Can I have his helpings then?" asked Dudley

"Of course popkin" she smiled. Harry was enraged. Sure he wasn't really sure could eat any dessert but it still wasn't fair not to even be offered any then have your share given to someone else who clearly didn't need the fats nowhere near as much as he did. Watching them eat his anger only rose and he stewed. But something else crept through his body and it was overwhelming. Watching them stuff their faces, with what was now their second helpings, was making him feel so nauseous. He felt completely and utterly nauseous, like he was about to throw up everywhere. So he stood up and went to leave the kitchen. "Where are you going boy?" Uncle Vernon's voice snarled

"To the toilet to throw up my lunch" he replied truthfully forcing the vomit down his throat.

"Sit down boy and don't be so utterly disrespectful" he spat.

"But I'm going to be sick Uncle Vernon I'm not lying" said Harry "I can't hold it down"

"Sit down now!" Mr Dursley snapped, he was just like his son. But Harry had to throw up and no matter what they said they couldn't change that. Feeling it rising in his throat he turned around and ran as fast as he could up the stairs, and into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He barely made it time. Seconds after getting in there in violently vomited into the bowl. He fell to his knees and clung to his stomach. He violently vomited several more times before resting against the wall next to the toilet and letting a few tears escape his eyes. Then footsteps came up the steps and someone rapped on the door. "Come out now boy" it was Uncle Vernon's father. Shakily he stood up, flushed the toilet, took some of Aunt Petunia's air freshener and sprayed it about before leaving. He went back down stairs where uncle Vernon told him to do all the washing up, wiping up and clearing away while they all watched 'Miracle on 34th Street'. But there was no point in complaining and besides he could hear the movie even if he couldn't watch it with his eyes. He spent nearly an hour washing, wiping and putting away. Finally when was done he went into the main room. There was nowhere to sit so he decided he would go up to his room and sit awhile. Muse. Perhaps seeing as they were distracted he get into the cupboard and get some of his books out. So he wasn't going back that didn't mean he couldn't learn. And anyway he'd finished reading the one Hermione had sent him. He needed new material and more parchment and a new ink pot. He couldn't tear his schoolbooks again because last time uncle Vernon had caught him doing so and had locked him in his room for the entire weekend with no food and half a jar of water. He went to leave the room but a voice stopped him. "Where are you going boy?"

"Upstairs" he replied "I would like to go and have a lie down on bed and have a nap"

"No. it's presents" Uncle Vernon said coldly. "Sit down there"

So harry sat down at watched as aunt marge and Mr and Mrs Dursley plied Dudley with present after present. Harry was so jealous, actually no he wasn't, not anymore. He grown up with this, he was used to it. It didn't hurt anymore. It hadn't hurt for years. True he'd spent the last couple of years at Hogwarts or with the weasley's, but he'd still had ten Christmases with them, ten years of getting nothing. He had gotten used to expecting nothing. Just like he'd gotten used to looking after himself and raising himself. He remembered that while Dudley had, had help from both of his parents, he'd had none from his aunt and uncle, even when he'd asked. He'd had to do his best all on his own and even when he did better than Dudley, coming top of his class because unlike Dudley he paid attention in class, (back then he had), they'd praised Dudley's awful, bottom of the class grades and ignored his achievements. No wonder he lacked in self-confidence. He gotten used to expecting absolutely nothing from anyone. Because for ten years of his life no one had cared about him. And now it was that way again.

As Dudley tore through his presents the doorbell started ringing. "Get that boy" Uncle Vernon ordered in his direction. Sighing he got to his feet and went to answer the door. Reaching it he pulled it open and was a bit shocked to see who was on the other side. "Gabrielle?"

"Hey Harry" she smiled "Can I come in?"

"I guess" he replied letting her in. After she came inside he closed the door and she took off her shoes and hung her coat over the banister. "What happened to all your hair?"

"Dudley shaved it off while I was sleeping" he lied "He thought it would be funny. Hopefully it will grow back quickly"

Then she handed him a small parcel. "It's nothing major" she shrugged. He opened it and found a book. "The 100 Best Defensive Spells and Skills Every Wizard Should Know"

"Where did you get this?" he asked

"Flourish and Botts" she replied. "In Diagon Alley. Don't tell me you don't know where that is"

"I do" he replied "So wait a minute. I'm trying to wrap my brain around this one. So you're a what a squib?"

"No I'm a witch, half-blood I think" she replied

"Boy who are you talking to?" a voice shouted "Come in here"

"We should go in there before he loses his rag. His temper is only this big" he gestured with his fingers. "By the way he looks like a beetroot crossed with a potato"

"That's a weird image" laughed Gabrielle before they went into the room.

"Who's she?" Dudley asked rudely pausing from ripping open present upon present. "Why's she here?"

"Well you're very polite aren't you?" Gabrielle said sarcastically in Dudley's direction "I must remember to be very polite to you". Harry couldn't help but laugh. She was fantastically sarcastic today. There was something about her that didn't quite add up though.

"Who are you?" Dudley demanded.

"My name is Gabrielle summers" replied Gabrielle "I got to school with your cousin"

"You're his friend?" asked Dudley, sounding very surprised.

"Yes" she shrugged "Nothing wrong with that" Dudley simply laughed and returned to opening presents. He and Gabrielle sat down in his corner and flicked through the book she had given him.

He'd lost count of how many presents Dudley had been given now. "Next one!" he said like he was five.

"No Dudley you've had lots" replied Mrs Dursley give him a frim look before casting her gaze to Harry and relaxing her expression. "I think Harry deserves his"

Harry looked up from his book and his mouth fell open. They had gotten him things before, socks that had been far too big and biscuits he hadn't been allowed to eat. But they hadn't gotten him anything since he was six years old. So why change the habit now. She reached into her bag and took a box out. Harry looked at it, it was a shoe box. He stood up and went over to her out of respect as she was quite old now, eighty one if he was correct. She handed the box to him and smiled "I hope you like them"

"Thank you" he smiled taking the box in his hands. He lifted the lid up and saw a pair of navy baseball boots like the ones he had. Only in much better condition. He had seen these in the discount sports shop in town, so he knew they had only cost five muggle pounds. But he loved them, it didn't matter. He wasn't their grandson, not really a relation. It was the thought that counted because he'd been in dire a need of a new pair. "How did you know?"

"I saw your trainers last we visited" she replied "I thought these would be perfect for you"

"They are thank-"

"Presents" Dudley cut over him.

Suddenly all the attention returned to Dudley and he got several more presents. They put another movie on and Harry decided to go up to his room with Gabrielle. When they got there, there was a brown owl sitting on the window ledge. Harry recognised the owl as Errol, the weasley's owl and let him in. he had a package attached to his leg. So he carefully untied it and gave Errol an owl treat. He unwrapped the package to find a photo frame with a picture in. he looked at the picture, he could see his mum and dad, Sirius, Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody and Neville's parents. He opened the letter and read it. It turned out the picture in the frame was a picture of the original Order of the Phoenix, set up by Dumbledore when they had first fought you know who. And Sirius had sent it. He stared at the picture and looked at his parents smiling faces wishing he could see those smiles in person. He placed in on his bed side table next to the picture of his parents. Well where it sat because Gabrielle was holding in her hands. "They look so in love" she smiled.

"Yeah" he sighed "I wish they were still here"

But then after an hour Gabrielle told him she needed to go home so he decided he needed fresh air and said he would walk her home which she agreed to. So he put his new trainers on and went downstairs. He pulled his coat on and went into the living room. "Aunt Petunia I was wondering what time you'll be doing tea?" he asked carefully.

"Seven o'clock" she replied

"Why?" asked Uncle Vernon

"I was going to go for a walk and walk Gabrielle home" replied Harry "To clear my head"

"Very well" said Uncle Vernon. Harry sighed with relief and left the house with Gabrielle. He pulled both his hoods on to keep his bald head warm. He walked down Privet drive, through wisteria walk and out onto Mongolia crescent. After walking her to her house he headed for the park, hoping to sit on the swing and sit for a bit. When he got there, there was already someone else sitting on one of the swings. A girl. He went over and he soon recognised her as Georgie. "Hey Georgie" he said

"Hey Harry" she smiled looking up from her book. "What are you doing here?"

"I just escaped" he joked "Nah Gabrielle came round and I walked her home. But I don't want to go back yet. My Uncles parents and sister are there. We don't get on so it's probably best I stay away. You?"

"It's very noisy in my house." She laughed closing her book "My big brothers teasing my little brother and sisters. Two brothers, two sisters. And there's dads mum and mums parents and aunt somebody and her two children. My god it's just heaving with people and noise. I had to get away before I went mad and had to be committed"

"Rather be there than my house. Jesus I could kill Dudley. He would barley let me have my present before jumping down his grans throat for his next present" said Harry, feeling rather bitter about that. "Get anything nice?"

"A couple of tops and a couple of books, not Jamestown trilogy though" she replied "Oh and we got a joint game. Gran gave me this massive box of bits to make my own jewellery. I'm not sure I'm really going to use that. I don't really do jewellery. You?"

"These" he nodded down to his shoes "And my godfather sent me a picture of him, my parents and some of their friends."

"What else?" she asked

"Nothing just these" he replied, feeling really embarrassed. "I told you my aunt and uncle don't much care for me and I don't get on with my uncles sister or his parents. His mum got these for me though. That's all I got this year"

"You must be kidding me?" she laughed

"No" he shook his head

"What about your cousin?" she asked

"So many I've lost count, it's got to be over a hundred now." He replied laughing.

"Don't you feel jealous?" she frowned

"No, I'm used to it" he shrugged "They've never gotten me Christmas presents. When I was… one year they gave me a toothpick and another year they gave me 50p. That's about it. I'm used to getting nothing. I've learned to expect it. It doesn't hurt anymore."

She looked at him, that wasn't exactly a nice thing to hear. One being his cousin had, he had said getting on for a hundred presents and he'd gotten two, a pair of five pound trainers and a picture of his parents. Two he'd learned to expect nothing. And the fact that he had told her, 'it doesn't hurt anymore'. That meant he was more than used to it. Sighing she changed the topic. "You didn't come on Saturday. You missed out on such a good time. Patterson oh my god you've should've seen him" she was trying her hardest not to laugh. On Saturday they had planned to go for a pizza and see a movie then go skateboarding. "He did this flip thing and landed like a beached whale on the floor. Then walked into a lamppost and a couple of old ladies. We all nearly pissed ourselves with laughter at the movie and Bobby dropped his expensive meat feast pizza all over the floor in the pizza place. We got kicked out of there"

"Sounds like it was really fun" he sighed heavily looking down at his feet.

"Why didn't you come?" she asked

"Something came up, we went to visit some distant relatives" he lied. No he had been locked in his room recovering from his uncles violent beating two days earlier. But she didn't need to know that.

"Anyway you're still all coming round to mine on the twenty eighth, we can have a laugh then." He looked at her. "Yeah if I'm not covered in fresh welts and bruises and being kept prisoner in my room" he thought darkly.

"Of course" he faked a smile

They sat and talked for ages. He kept his hoods up so she didn't see he was now bald, because hopefully it would grow back by the morning, it usually did. He left at ten to, though it only took him five minutes to get home from the park. He let himself in and went into the kitchen. They were all sat down at the table eating to their hearts content. He checked his watch, it was just before seven and she'd said seven. He went over to sit down but Uncle Vernon stopped. "No boy you're an hour late. You don't get any"

"But you said seven" he replied

"No six" said Uncle Vernon

"You said seven" he said, suddenly feeling so angry.

"Tough. Go and sit in the corner now" he spat.

"No Harry" said Mrs Dursley "You give the poor boy some food. He's anorexic already"

"I'm his guardian" Uncle Vernon seethed "He gets nothing. Now go and sit in the corner boy!" Harry sat himself down in the corner and watched as they ate. Dudley deliberately slapped his lips to make him jealous and somewhat nauseous. When they were done, after mince pies and more desserts, they made him wash up while they went into the living room to watch a third movie. While they were in there, now pretty hungry he sneaked some sausage rolls into his pocket and stuffed a leftover sandwich into his mouth. He stuffed a couple of them in his pocket too. When he was done he went upstairs and ate them quickly. Three sausage rolls and two triangles, that had been a four triangle sandwich, filled him right up. Though this probably had something to do with his lack of appetite.

Uncle Vernon called him down to say goodbye to his parents and aunt marge. He thanked Mrs Dursley for his brand new trainers again before they left. The moment that door closed uncle Vernon unleashed utter hell on him…