Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Universe, all rights go to J.K Rowling; all characters and concepts of the Harry Potter Universe; both good and bad, are property of J.K Rowling.
Authors Note: Been working on this chapter for a couple of days, when I first started I had Cole be a lot more easy going in a way, not too much anger or cussing/cursing but once I start going through the dialogue you see a lot more emotion from him and I feel it came out a lot better because of it.
This chapter is also longer than the first, I left the first chapter as a cliffhanger and as a sort of run up to the main 'meat' of the story. I hope you enjoy what I have written, again if you feel like giving a review feel free. Let me know if the structure is sound, that it is not just a screen of text and also if it is too long or not long enough. I will try to write longer chapters as I go along, just need to get back into the swing of things.
Chapter 2
Total and utter silence except the groans of Vernon as he was slowly coming to. What Cole said echoed in Harry's head, Petunia's sister...but for all he knew his mother was the only sibling she had when she was younger and the only one related to Petunia alive was himself and Dudley. Yet this man had claimed to be related.
'What do ya mean sister, mum has no family left' Dudley exclaimed, a frown on his piggy face.
'What's there to explain, I am her brother...well adopted brother actually' Cole said with a frown on his face his arms crossed.
'What...I don't understand...' Dudley said, not surprisingly with a confused look on his face, Cole huffed with that admission.
'Look, my mother and father; your grandparents, were Peter and Iris Evans. Your grandmother gave birth to twins, Lily and I. Due to complications with our birth your grandmother couldn't have any more children. So your mother was adopted by the Evans when she was just 3, she was brought up like a sister even if not by blood.' Cole said, pacing a little.
'Your grandparents were squibs from old wizarding pureblood families; Peter the last scion of Lady Ravenclaw, Iris a cadet branch from the Hufflepuff family. Neither Lordships were to move to your grandparents because they were non-magical; the titles are also purely matriarchal so they could only really pass to women. Technically had Lily went into Gringotts and asked for an Ancestry Ritual she would have walked out as Lady Ravenclaw and Lady Hufflepuff.' Cole was explaining with his hands in his pockets.
'Lily and I were born as you know but by doing so we caused damage to our mother's reproductive system. Understand your grandparents wanted a big family, after separation from their families they worked up quite a fortune together and wanted kids more than anything. After trying everything your Grandmother Iris just couldn't get pregnant again, your grandparents ended up adopting Petunia from some backwater orphanage in Greater Whinging.
'What...do you mean the Evans were FREAKS?' Dudley spat in astonishment, not liking the fact that his mother's family would be considered abnormal.
'Freaks huh,' Cole scowled, 'Your grandparents were loving parents, they adopted your mother and treated her with love just like Lily and I. A freak wouldn't do that, knowing your mother and father your cousin was brought up in a loveless environment, it would be said they are the freaks!' Cole said glaring at Petunia.
'WE ARE FREAKS? I HAVE YOU KNO –'Petunia started to screech; Cole just intensified his glare and growled, 'Shut up Petunia, you keep your horse face closed.' After this Petunia looked like she was slapped not normally being reprimanded.
'You have brought shame on the Evans name, you were brought into the family nameless. Mother and Father clothed you, fed you and loved you. To treat your family like I suspected you have done, you are a direct contradiction to what it means to be an Evans. What was our family motto Pet, that was drilled in our brains from the very beginning?' Cole snarled stepping up to face Petunia, she just squeaked a little and backed into the door of the cupboard.
'Family above all; that is the motto our Father come up with as he was dismissed from his family on finding out he had no capacity to do magic. To do what you have done Petunia is spit on the efforts of the family Evans.' Cole starting to calm down a little, after his impromptu rant he took a breath and backed off.
'Once I have found out what you have done to the family name, I will rectify and take swift action on what you did.' Cole stated with dislike on his face, his tone resolute putting his hands back in his pockets..
'But why is this the first time we have heard of this, where have you been all this time?' Harry asked with a frown, just finding his voice after such a shock. Deep down he was raging inside, another relative that could have looked after him when his parents died. Things just didn't add up for Harry and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. Cole just frowned and reached further into his pocket, making Harry go to grab his wand but stilled when Cole pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Cole lit up, took a long drag and explained his absence.
'I was banished from the British Isles, never to return until the person that led the banishment left power. I spent most of my exile in French Polynesia, France and Russia trying to get by with the little Russian and French I knew at the time.' Cole said, smoke in mouth with his hands in his pockets.
'Banished...but what did you do to get banished, and I didn't even know you could still get banished these days.' Harry said with a frown.
'Why I got banished is of no concern right now, what needs to be done now is to figure out what to do with you.' Cole said inhaling his cigarette.
'What about me?' Harry said a bit incensed in being treated like a child.
'Well I can't just leave you with the Dursley's; no kid of Lily's should be treated like a punching bag and servant' Cole sweeping his eyes around the room, realising how sterile and loveless the house seemed.
'But Dumbledore said the blood wards –' Harry started to object.
'First off the old goat knows nothing of the intricacies of Blood Magics, he is a powerful wizard don't get me wrong but he doesn't know everything. Secondly the blood wards need to be tied to someone of the same blood as the subject for them to work, remember that Petunia was adopted so she is not a blood relative.' Cole explained, sneering at the subject of Dumbledore.
'Had there been blood wards as that bearded bastard stated and they were tied to Petunia, they would have crashed straight away. No, I could see the wards put up here. The basic protection wards against things like fire, a mail ward, anti-apparition and portkey wards and a power limiting ward are the only things protecting you here.' Cole listed off as he took a puff from his smoke.
'We need to get our rear ends out of here, we are sure to have been watched by the senile goats' Order. I need you to go up to your room and get your things. Take your cousin to help you with your trunk, that arm of yours needs to heal properly before you carry something heavy with it' Cole ordered looking at his nephews, as they moved to the door to the hall though Vernon objected.
'That Boy is going anywhere, that old coot said he had to stay all summer and by golly I am going to work that runt to the bone,' Vernon said as he wobbled slightly as he stood on his feet finally. Cole almost looked a little amused by this and just stated,
'He will be leaving, that I can assure you and there is nothing you can do to stop us. It's not like you want the kid anyway so why bother?' Vernon just purpled a little more but didn't rebuke what was stated, the only thing he hated most in the world other than "freaks" were Dumbledore and his nephew.
Silence covered the kitchen as Harry and Dudley rushed up the stairs, the floor boards creaking under the weight of Dudley's obese body. Dudley grabbing Hedwig's cage gingerly like it was the plague and Harry retrieving his trunk they made their way down the stairs, Harry making a lot of racket. Harry braced to expect Vernon's yelling but strangely it never came. Leaving the belongings in the hall for Harry and Cole to leave the boys returned to the kitchen that had an eerie silence.
'Ready to go kid?' Cole said finishing his smoke, slowly realising he was talking to him Harry just nodded.
'Ok, now we are going. Just to let you know Petunia I will find out what happened to the Evans fortune when I was away. If I find any irregularities I will be back with my solicitors.' Cole said, extinguishing his cigarette in one of Petunia's prized porcelain dinner sets. Petunia squeaked a little but with a returned glare didn't reply.
'Right, anything you want to say kid before we leave. This may be the last time you ever see them, get whatever you want off your chest.' Cole said nonchalantly, Harry thought just shook his head and said,
'No, I just want to get out of here.' Harry looked a little out of it, looking around he felt conflicted and a little confused. As they were walking out the kitchen door Vernon had to have the last say though.
'So, when are we going to be paid looking after the boy all these years? We worked our hands to the bone to provide for the runt and I expect compensation.' Vernon said in an uppity kind of manner trying to save face. Cole just scowled and stalked up to the fat presence that is Vernon Dursley.
'Well consider this an I.O.U' Cole said, followed by a full body powered head butt to the nose, breaking to Vernon's pig like snout.
'VERNON!' Petunia screeched, pulling a neatly folded handkerchief from her dress pocket trying to stem the bleeding from her husband's bleeding and broken appendage. Vernon just groaned and glared out of a squinting eye in hate, his eyes blinded slightly by tears.
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'Well let's go kid; we need to hit the road' Cole said, slightly happier after causing pain to the fat walrus. Harry just followed with a feeling of shock and also a small bit of satisfaction seeing Vernon get his comeuppance. Cole grabbed the beat up looking trunk of his nephew while Harry retrieved his beloved Hedwig's empty cage and open the front door to escape the dreary halls of Durskaban. Harry followed behind Cole up the path to the front fence when they were interrupted by a slurred voice.
'Ey, 'Arry where ya up to, you know Dumbldoor told ya not s'pposed to leave ya relations home. Back inside now tha' a good fella' said Mundungus Fletcher appeared under an invisibly cloak, struggling to keep upright smelling strongly of alcohol and a foul smelling tobacco. Cole just dropped Harry's trunk in frustration, grabbed Dung by the scruff of the neck and slammed his head into the front door of the Dursley House, knocking him out cold and leaving the smelly vagrant on the front step.
'Stupify' Cole said turning around grabbing Harry's trunk walking down the path away from that accursed place.
'Where are we going?' Harry hurriedly said following in stride with Cole, Cole just focused in front of him.
'Magnolia Crescent, just rented a place there. We just have to walk through the park and shouldn't take 5 minutes. It's best you keep any more questions till we get there, we are a bit too open here to be overheard' Cole instructed Harry, Harry just nodded with a frown hating being out of the loop and feeling a bit impatient. They proceeded through the park, thankfully the overgrown grass didn't impede the path. Walking through the dreary park they found themselves on Magnolia Crescent, walking a little further after passing the identical houses they came upon a gentle curve in the road, at that curve sat a simple looking house; something that did not look abnormal or strange in any way. Walking up to the gate a beat up wooden post-box appeared with the number "25" on it.
'This is it, moved in about a week ago so some stuff might be in boxes but it will do for now till I find out about the Evans accounts.' Cole said opening the gate, walking up the path to the faded, white wooden front door.
The house looked bland, Harry thought. It was a faded white colour with gutters looking like they have been recently replaced, still an aluminium colour. The roof looked kind of weather-beaten red colour and some of the tiles were cracked and chipped. The garden bed was bare and the grass thinning in some areas due to the heat of last year and just recovering. Cole opened the door jiggling the lock a little made his way into the house.
'Well it's not much, but my house is yours. We can take your stuff into your bedroom and you can come down when you are ready for dinner.' Cole said walking up the stairs.
'Room on the right is yours, I am just across the hall and there is a spare room at the end of the corridor and a loo if you need to freshen up, there is also a study opposite the spare.' Cole said opening what was to be Harry's room for the stay. It was a nondescript room, with a single bed, in built wardrobe, desk and brass stand for Hedwig's cage. Simple curtains draped the window that faced the front yard, sun shining though looking like it was starting to fall soon.
'Anyway, you make yourself comfortable. When you're ready you can explore, just be careful in the study I am soaking a cauldron in preparation for a batch of Pepper-up. Dinner is at 6, it will be a bit simple till I can go shopping tomorrow.' Cole said leaving Harry in his new room, left with his thoughts of what has occurred in just a day. It looked like the start of an interesting time for Harry Potter.
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Authors Note: I guess I will leave it there for now, keep an eye out for new chapters that I plan to be publishing soon. As I said at the start of the chapter, you can either review my story so far or even give me a PM letting me know what you think. Next chapter hopefully coming out in the next couple of days. Some more exciting happenings coming soon.