A/N : Before you start reading this new chapter, I have some things to say first.
-First of all, thank you to those who recently favored and/or followed this story.
-Secondly, thank you for the reviews some of you sent to me. No I do not plan to add Leah Clearwater in the couple. Also I know this story will not be totally liked by anyone but I don't care. If I wrote fanfics, it is mostly for my personal pleasure.
-Thirdly, the chapters (as you must have noticed) are not as big as those I wrote in my previous fanfic 'THE BLACK KING OF KUOH'. If you wondered why then here is your answer : to write more chapters… or hope to achieve such.
Now that everything was said, I will stop wasting your time and let you enjoy this story in peace. GOOD READING EVERYONE !
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(Time Skip : 2 years later ; Current position : above the Atlantic)
The sky was clear as a plane left the airport of London City. Among the many passengers in it who were either looking through the plane windows, chatting, reading (for those who had a book or a piece of paper at least) or doing whatever they wanted, four people in particular were… interesting.
The first one was a big, beefy man with a large face who had thick, dark hair, a bushy black moustache, with hardly any neck (mainly because of how fat he was) and mean little eyes. To some people, he looked more like the offspring of a whale and a walrus.
The second figure belonged to a thin, blonde-haired woman with an unnatural long neck and large pale eyes. While the man looked like an overgrown walrus, she looked like a horse… a really ugly one.
The third figure belonged to a young boy… if you can call it that ! The child was the carbon copy of the walrus except that he had thick blond hairs and watery blue eyes. He looked like a pig… a really large pig.
On the plane, no one seemed to appreciate him because he would constantly whine and cried for sweets. Instead of reprimanding him, his mother would shush him down a bit before giving him some from her purses to make him stop. The father, him, would just say that his boy was growing and needed his sweets.
For the many parents on board, this child was a spoiled brat. Even the Hostesses and Stewards didn't liked him. The parents themselves were no better : the woman was constantly complaining about everything as if nothing was good enough for her and her husband looked constantly angry.
Each time someone tried to talk about how bad the pig-like boy was, he would become angry. His wife took a long time to calm him down because the last thing they wanted was to be kicked out of the plane. The walrus reluctantly calmed down but his anger was still there. So he could one do one thing : glaring at the tiny figure standing not too far from him.
The figure belonged to a 6 years old kid with messy raven hair and bright emerald green eyes. He was smaller than a child his age should and his clothes looked to be too big for him. In addition, he wasn't acting like a child at all, in fact, he barely did anything except looking at his feet.
Normally, children were full of energies and couldn't staid in one place without doing something mischievous. But it was not this one's case.
Because of this, some people in the plane, mainly the air hostesses and some parents, couldn't help but glancing at him once in a while with concern but couldn't do anything because of the people standing with him.
When a hostess tried to talk to him,either to ask him if the flight was good or if he wanted something, he would be either silent or would speak in a really soft tone. However, unlike the people he was with, he was polite and because of how cute he both looked and behaved (mostly due to him being shy), he became the hostesses' favorite customer.
Something that didn't pleased the two adults standing with him.
Who were those people you may ask ?
The walrus was named Vernon Dursley and he was an arrogant, surly, combustible, blustering, abrasive, petty-minded man who hated people who were different than himself. At the airport, he almost had troubles with someone because the latter was of African origin. With people like beggars, he would feel no sympathy. He would judge people based on their wealth or their status.
The horse woman was his wife Petunia Dursley née Evans was no better. She was nosy, spiteful, jealous, hostile and repressed woman who hated anything that wasn't normal (to her opinion at least). Like her husband, she had no sympathy for people who she deemed unworthy.
The child was their son, Dudley Dursley who was spoiled rotten by his parents. To the point that he was now obese. He was demanding, ungrateful (to an extreme), selfish and manipulative. He would constantly whine and fake-cry to get what he wants ! He was also a bully who loved picking on weaker and younger kids.
All three of them, apart of blood and love, shared another traits : their hatred and disdain toward the tiny figure with them. He was Harry James Potter, nephew of Petunia Dursley and their slave.
Yes you heard right :'slave'. Ever since he appeared on their doorsteps at Number Four Private Drive 2 years ago, they had been anything but nice and loving to him. They took pleasure in making him do every possible tasks in the house and when he wasn't doing good enough (in their opinions), he was beaten and starved.
It was worse when he was doing something better than his cousin or worse, trying to blame the pig when the latter did something bad.
Harry Potter greatly suffered at the hands of his relatives… and because of their treatment of him, he hated them with passion. He still remembered the day he woke up after the incident a the zoo as if it happened yesterday. The day his life turned from neglect to living hell.
00/(Flashback : 2 years ago)/00
Groaning, the raven haired four years old child slowly opened his eyes… before blinking in confusion when he found himself looking at some woods… and bottles of milk inches away from his face.
"Hum ? Where I am ?" he asked to himself as he went back on his feet looking around at his surroundings.
Harry realized that he was standing at the doorsteps of a two-floored house and as he looked at the neighborhood, he blinked when he noticed that all of them looked the same ! No originality at all ! The raven haired young boy was beginning to panic as he didn't know where he was but then he saw something at his feet.
A letter had fallen from his pajamas.
Slowly picking it, his emerald green eyes started to read what was on it… and tears began to run down his cheeks at what he heard.
'Dear Petunia,
I know we never got along in the past but I hope you have a good life with your husband and son. I know you probably don't want to hear ANYTHING about me or 'our' kind but I don't have much choice.
With this letter, you will find a young boy with black hairs and eyes like mine : he is my youngest son and your nephew, Harry James Potter. As for why he is at your doorsteps… well… me and his father decided it would be better for him to live in the Muggle World as he has no Magic in him.
The other reasons I leave him under your care is first because I have to protect him from people who want our blood. Being a Squib, Harry is unharmed against our enemies and so an easy target for them to use as leverage against us.
The second reason is because his godfather cannot take care of him. With him being a Squib, it would be too difficult for him to raise Harry as his own WHILE raising his own child !
It pain me to abandon him but it is for the Greater Good…
Please, I beg you sister…
Take care of him.
Once the danger will be over, we will come back to get him.
Your sister
Lily Evans Potter'
Once he finished reading, Harry's eyes were full of tears as his mind was processing the fact he had been ABANDONED by his own family.
"They left me..." he whispered brokenly to himself as he stared at nothing in particular.
Barely a minute later, the house's front door opened, revealing Petunia Dursley who upon seeing the boy, screeched like a Banshee.
"VERNON !" she called out loudly with her eyes still locked on the boy who had froze at this point.
"What is it Pet ?" a masculine voice asked from inside before a walrus-like man appeared behind his wife.
The horse-like woman didn't respond and instead, pointed at him with a thin finger. Following it, Vernon's own eyes widened at the sight of the boy before growling
"Who are you boy ?" he asked him menacingly.
Harry gulped in fear at the sight of the fat before shakily handing him the letter. Vernon carefully picked the piece of paper before slowly reading it. As his eyes went through the words, the man's face turned redder and redder.
"HOW DARES SHE ?!" Vernon roared in anger as he glared at the letter.
"What is it Vernon ? Who's 'she' ?" Petunia asked her husband with some concern and worry.
"READ THIS !" the fat man roughly handed her the letter before glaring hatefully at the boy who cowered in fear.
Petunia frowned as she picked the letter, wondering what had made him so furious so early in the morning, before slowly reading the letter's content. Needless to say that when she finished, she quickly turned her head toward the child with a murderous expression on her face.
"Wait for us inside boy !" she snarled at him and he quickly did what he was told.
"What do we do now Pet ? Should I leave the brat at the Orphanage ?" Vernon asked his wife once the boy was out of sight.
"No…we will take him… but there's no way on Earth we will raise him !" Petunia hissed disgustingly at him before an evil smirk grew on her ugly face.
"He might not be once of 'them' but he is still Lily's son… Not that she gave him to us, we can do whatever we want with the brat !"
"Such as ?" Vernon asked her with interest clear on his face.
"They expect us to raise him properly… but instead, what about teaching him his true place in this world ?~" Petunia inquired back in a sweet tone mixed with malice.
The two of them shared an evil grin before the two made their ways back inside with Vernon picking the bottles of milk. With the front door closed, the fate of Harry James Potter was now sealed.
00/(End of Flashback)/00
Since that morning, life had been nothing but hardship for Harry. At school (which Petunia reluctantly entered him in), he had to everything in his power to not do anything better that Dudley or else he would be beaten.
Thankfully, while they hated him, the Dursleys were trying their best to not KILL him. After all, if he had to die who will take care of the house or cooking their meals.
No one that's the answer because ever since he entered (not by choice) their lives, they became lazy. They fully depended of him… except for money, it was Vernon's job as he worked at some enterprise called Grunnings.
If Dudley and Vernon were both fat now, it was mostly because of his cooking… which he never got to taste as they wolfed it down without leaving anything behind… only scraps for him to feed on. They were kind enough for allowing him to eat (but nothing big of course) or drink something but that was all.
Thanks to all this, his life at Private Drive had changed him physically : thin, pale, covered with scars and bruises… He looked more like a skeleton than a child.
Emotionally, it was another matter : he was broken. For him, the entire world was against him : his parents left him, his relatives hated him… and the neighbors saw him as delinquent thanks to Petunia and her nasty mouth !
Even people at school took pleasure in ignoring him or making his life miserable by giving the cold shoulders. He tried to act like a normal student by answering his questions right but always they would say he was cheating.
But there were not only bad things about all this. Thanks to the Dursleys, Harry learned how to cook or how to take care of a garden (even if it IS painful to pull out thorns from roses with his bare hands).
Also thanks to Dudley Dursley (aka Pig Boy) and his gangs of bullies, Harry's endurance grew a lot. To avoid being beaten by them, he had to run a long distance and by doing this a lot… His endurance apart, his stealth had improved greatly as well. He could now sneak everywhere without being seen or heard !
It was what mostly helped him in avoiding more beatings at school.
Sighing deeply from his seat, the young boy's mind went back to
someone he missed greatly : William Edouard Potter. His brother had always been there for him and now he wasn't. Did his brother missed him as well ? Or had he participate in this abandon ?
Shaking his head, he instantly got rid of the second thought : his brother was always protective of him so there was NO WAY he would allow him to be taken away.
The Harry's mind turned dark at the thought of his beloved 'parents' : Lily and James constantly seemed to 'forgot' about him. Why wouldn't they ? He was not the Boy-Who-Lived and he wasn't even MAGICAL like they were!
It was only when either William or someone else (Sirius, Remus, Minerva or Albus) asked for her that they remembered.
Otherwise, he was nothing more than a shadow.
Neglected, forgotten, ignored…
That's how he felt for the three years following that DAMN NIGHT ! But as if he had done something unforgivable, he had to endure TWO YEARS of abuse !
What did he do to deserves this ?!
Did he somehow angered a Deity !?
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, his thought went back to his actual situation and why there were now in a plane…
00/(Flashback)/00
Harry rubbed his forehead to get rid of the sweat falling down like waterfalls. It was almost the end of the day and Vernon will soon be back home. Since 1pm, the raven haired boy had been worked in the garden and it was not an easy task even for someone who did it many times.
The garden was rather large sized but thanks to him was extremely neat and the emerald-green grass was pristine and short. A large tree stood near the tidily-trimmed green hedge while roses grew in small plots on either side of the back door. A long with that, a small potted plant hung from a lantern by said entry.
All those plants were under Harry's care.
He had to take care of it almost everyday but the hedge was once a week. At first he hated doing this but he soon discovered that he had a gift with plants : they seemed to 'revive' under his fingers ! One day, a flower was literally dead but after touching it, it went back to its former self !
It was like Magic !
But he had dismissed the idea as he was no Magical.
At the souvenir of the flower, his mind went back to another memory : his talk with the old bear (whose name was unknown to him) at the zoo. How could he talk to it ? Could it work with other bears ? The Old bear seemed to know something but was unable to tell him thanks to the hooden man.
The young boy silently cursed the guy: if the hooded kidnapper had just waited a minute, maybe Harry would have known ! He had wanted to see the bear again to get some answers but his 'caretakers' always refused no wanting to waste money on him.
His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of Petunia Dursley
"BOY COME HERE !"
"Coming Aunt Petunia !" He called back in response as the young boy went back on his feet.
However, before re-entering the house, Harry made sure to put the tools he used back to their place so his Uncle wouldn't punish him again. Once it was done, he entered the house where he came face to face with his aunt Petunia who had her hands on his hips while glaring down at him.
"In the kitchen and start making dinner !" she harshly told him with narrowed eyes.
"Yes aunt Petunia..." He grumbled softy before heading toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was filled with spotless modern appliances, including a television and was mostly pink and white in colour. Thanks to Harry, the area was surgically clean. The dining room, which was at the same place, had a sizeable table, big enough to allow 6 people to eat together.
Sighing deeply, the raven haired boy started to work. As it is Saturday, he decided to make a 'Bangers and Mash'. In short, it was just sausages with mashed potatoes and gravy.
However, he had to make large portions to feed people like Vernon and Dudley who ate like 8 people would… while also hoping to have some for himself.
20 minutes later, Vernon Dursley entered the house with a look of joy on his face as he approached the living room.
Speaking of the living room, it had a boarded-up fireplace, in front of which sat an electric fire and the entire area was decorated in pastel tones of beige, salmon pink, and peach. It was cozy and homey.
It was at his part of the house that the fat man found his wife and son.
"PETUNIA ! DUDLEY ! I HAVE GREAT NEWS !" he loudly called out his family who stopped what they were doing (one was knitting while the other with watching TV) to stare at him.
"What is it Daddy ?" Dudley asked his father with some curiosity even if it was clear he was annoyed at having to stop watching his cartoons.
"I'm glad you asked Dudders !" Vernon inquired with a chuckle as he ruffled the top of his son's head.
Then he looked back and forth between the two of them before opening his mouth to answer
"I got a promotion from my boss !"
"Congratulations !" Petunia said to her husband with a proud smile while Dudley seemed… unaffected by it.
"So ?" he asked stupidly as he doesn't see the point.
"I also got airline tickets for Montana!" Vernon replied with a beaming smile as he pulled out three tickets from his pocket.
Petunia letted out a squeal of delight while Dudley looked… confused
"Where is Montana ?" he asked his parents who turned their heads to look at him.
"In the States Diddykins.." Petunia explained calmly to her son in response.
"We are going to America ?!" Dudley cried out in pure joy which caused his parents to chuckle in amusement at the boy's enthusiasm.
"Yes Dudders and we are leaving tomorrow !" Vernon explained with a smile.
The blond pig-like child cheered in pure bliss : he had always wanted to go to America… Well… It was more for the food than anything else.
"What ? Really ? But don't you have work next week ?" Petunia asked him with a frown despite her happiness.
"I have been given vacation for my hard work...We are free to go !" the fat man explained with a shrug.
Hearing the commotion, Harry paused in his work before shrugging as it was not really his problem. But then he heard Dudley's shouts and couldn't help but listening
"WE ARE GOING TO AMERICA ! WE ARE GOING TO AMERICA !"
Blinking in surprise, the raven haired boy suddenly felt hope spreading in his heart : maybe they will take him as well ? However, it disappeared as quickly as it came. Why would they take him ? For all he knew, he would be left at Miss Fig's house.
Arabella Figg lived in the same neighborhood than the Dursleys and sometimes played babysitter for him. He didn't liked her much as he often saw her shouting him looks of pity whenever she thought he wasn't looking.
That he disliked her cats a lot. Each time he approached on, it would jump away from him, hissing. They feared him for some reason. Well, at least it was the case the first times but even now, the felines looked cautious. They tolerated his presence but not ONE did he got to touch them.
Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, he went back to cooking, while feeling a bit jealous of the Dursley. He had heard a lot of people, either at school or outside, speaking about how America was great and all. He wanted to go there and see if it was true.
He was particularly interested in the wild part of America. Why ? Because Harry didn't liked living among many people. He was a loner after all and he liked it this way. That and he loved being in contact with nature. Either by taking care of a plant or simply by laying against a tree to rest.
The birds seemed to like him as sometimes, sparrows would either use his shoulders as perches or would nest in his hairs. One thing he discovered was how much dogs seemed to fear him. When he passed near one, it would bark loudly at him but also whimpering in fright.
His aunt Marge (who he met barely two months after he was left at the Dursleys' doorsteps) had a bulldog named Ripper. The second his eyes landed on the raven haired boy, he started whimpering in fright while backing away, much to his owner's shock and incredulity.
Sighing deeply, Harry then slowly set the table before carefully putting the warm food on it. Knowing Dudley, the pig boy would want a LARGE amount to stuff himself with it. Once he finished his work, Harry had just the time to breath before the other three occupants of the house entered the kitchen.
The raven haired boy quickly went away from their path as the last thing he wanted right now was another 'lecture' from his Uncle. Thankfully, the walrus was to happy to care as he and his family (minus Harry) started to feast on what the boy made.
"Vernon I… I cannot we will actually go to the States… but there is still one problem…" Petunia inquired to her husband after swallowing a piece of sausage.
Dudley, him, didn't care about what was being said as his main preoccupation was eating.
"What problem ?" the fat man asked her back with food all over his mouth.
"What to do with him ?" The horse-like woman asked him while coldly pointing at a certain raven haired boy at the word 'him'.
Vernon's eyes landed on him for the first time since he entered and Harry was not shocked to find disgust and disdain shining in them.
"We will leave him with that Figg woman… I'm sure she wouldn't mind babysit him again in our absence..." the walrus replied with a shrug.
Petunia nodded in acceptance before they both went back to their dinner.
Unfortunately for them, Fate was having none of it.
Why ?
Because the next day, as Vernon climbed down the stairs with the luggages, Petunia, who was talking with Arabella Figg at the phone, looked at him with anger and frustration.
"Sorry again for the bother !" the horse face said in the phone before pulling it down with a sigh.
"What is it Pet ?" Vernon asked her with a frown.
"Miss Figg, apparently, went to visit some relatives and won't be back before a while !" Petunia literally spat in clear anger.
Groaning at those news, Vernon released a luggage to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration
"What do we do now ? We cannot leave the brat here… I don't trust him at all with the house..."
"And we cannot leave him with your sister… Poor Ripper is terrified of him for some reason..." the horse woman added with despair.
"We have no choice then but to take him along..." Vernon whispered with defeat.
"It seems so…" Petunia whispered back in equal frustration.
00/(End of Flashback)/00
And so they had no choice but to bring him along. Of course Dudley had throw a fierce temper tantrum, crying that he didn't wanted the Freak (it was their little name for him apart of boy because of how much he scared the dogs) with them.
But thankfully, the boy had quickly calmed down after he was promised sweets. Harry, for his part, was overjoyed : he was going to America ! And from what he heard, they were going to Montana , the fourth-largest states in the USA !
Montana was famous for its natural beauty, its diverse wildlife, and the abundance of natural mineral resources. Thanks to all this, Montana was nicknamed the "Treasure State". Along with that, the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone National Park are two of the state's most well-known features !
Harry was never been so excited in his life ! In fact, it was the first time since his trip at the zoo with William and his parents !
At the airport of London City, Vernon had to, much to his chagrin, pay one more ticket for Harry (he only had three from his boss after all) before the four had to wait at least two hours until all visitors could enter the plane.
Thankfully, it was a direct flight from London to New York where they would take another transport to take them all straight to Montana !
However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted by the pilot's voice echoing in the air
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into New York ! In preparation for landing in New York, be certain your seat back is straight up and your seat belt is fastened until we have arrived at the gate !"
Hearing this some people looked ecstatic and Harry couldn't retain himself from staring at the window : there he could see the famous Statue of Liberty in all her glory. Emerald green eyes shined at the sight of it and Harry used his self control to not shout with happiness
"WE ARE IN ALMOST THERE !"
As he looked through the window, he didn't see the dark look his Uncle and Aunt sent this way as they talked quietly to one another.
"I still can't believe you have to put up with him..." Petunia lamented to herself.
Why would she hate her nephew when he had no magic you may wonder ?
Because Harry REMINDED her of her sister ! His green eyes were so similar to Lily's that it sickened her. It reminded her of what she couldn't have and how her parents FAVORED Lily for being a Witch.
"I know Pet… But you know I was thinking…Maybe we could..." Vernon began to say before interrupting himself as someone , a Steward, passed near him to tell a kid to put back his security belt.
"We could what dear ?" the horse-like face asked him with a curious raise-brow.
Vernon glanced around to make sure that no one was listening before slowly lowering his head closer to his wife's, whispering softy into her ear
"I was thinking we could 'accidentally' leave him there..."
Petunia blinked a few times as she stared at her husband with wide eyes of shock. But then, her surprised look turned into an evil grin filled with malice as she replied softly
"It could work…Vernon you are a genius !"
The Walrus chuckled a bit as he shot her a proud grin
"When should we do it ?" Petunia asked her husband while giving a sideway glance toward Harry whose attention was fully on the outside.
"Once we are in Montana and where no one is watching~" Vernon's response filled her with anticipation as the two of them shared a gleeful look at one another.
Harry, him, was still staring at the city with stars in his eyes, unaware of what his relatives had in store for him.
Or what life had in mind for him there
(To be continue…)