Chapter 3: The Slow Descent

'Scratch scratch'

Harry was woken up by the scratching noises on his cupboard door. Harry was about to open his eyes and check on the source when he remembered the entity from the other night. He kept his eyes closed and body still, not wanting to alert the ghoul-looking Dudley by his door. Harry was ready to drift off to sleep, thinking the ghoul could not go into his cupboard. That was until the scratching noises found themselves on his door locks. Harry tensed when he heard the familiar unlocking noises from his door.

'Was the spell lifted already?!'

Harry's breath hitched when he heard the ghoul giggle. Harry's brain worked quickly to think of a plan to keep the ghoul away. He resorted to using magic, not wanting to risk alerting the ghoul of his consciousness. He reached out to his magic, just like he did during the day, and he felt it respond.

'Colloportus!'

"..."

The ghoul could still unlock the door.

'Shit! This is harder than I expected…'

Harry's ear twitched at the slow creaking sounds of his door, followed by squelching sounds of flesh. He dared not look at the eldritch horror that stood behind the door.

'Focus Harry!' He used all of his focus to repel the thing from his cupboard. Just like a while ago, his magic responded.

"SCREEEEEE!"

Bam!

Harry was startled by the loud screech from outside his door as his doors were shut closed, leaving the ghoul Dudley scratching on his doors once again. Harry opened his eyes, albeit hesitantly, to see what was happening.

Harry: Eek!

Harry gripped his blanket and backed away to the farthest wall from the door.

'Dudley': How dare you! I'm gonna shred you to pieces until nothing of you is left and devour you!

Dudley's face looked to be squashed and disgusting to look at, Harry resisted the urge to gag at the ugly sight before him. The ghoul threw tantrums and threats of Harry's death for hours until it was left tired from getting ignored by Harry, who simply looked at it in disdain. It gave one last wail, that could probably be heard by the entire neighborhood, before it melted into nothingness.

Harry sighed in relief, finally getting the silence and peace he needed. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead and placed his hand over his erratic heartbeat to calm it down.

'I swear… that thing acts exactly like Dudley, annoying and loud.'

Harry drifted back to sleep, but dared not to let his guard down again.

Harry woke up to his churning stomach, begging to be filled. He rubbed his stomach and waited a moment for his stomach to calm down. The door of his cupboard was unlocked by Vernon, with hands completely restored as if yesterday had not happened. Harry merely widened his eyes at the sight after he had worn his glasses.

"How come it's healed…" Harry muttered in curiosity.

"What are you talking about ya brat, move it already! We don't have all day for your chattering." Vernon snapped at him.

Not wanting to repeat the same incident as yesterday, Harry went out of his cupboard quietly and slammed his door shut. Vernon then led Harry to the kitchen where Petunia and Dudley were waiting at the dining table.

'Does the door reset everything for every memory being replayed? I wonder how much it could do…" His train of thought was cut off when he heard Petunia bark some orders.

"Freak! Go cook us breakfast, then tend to the garden. Make sure it's only weeds you pull out."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia." Harry answered monotonously like he always did in his life.

"And if I see you even pull out even a leaf that's not weed… you'll know what will happen." Warned the imposter Petunia as she returned to playing with Dudley. Harry took the warning to heart, no more punishments as much as possible.

Harry cooked a simple breakfast and snatched some food for himself and then headed outside the house. He inspected the garden and searched for any possible threats before he went to get the gardening supplies.

"I'm starting to get paranoid by all these life attempts… I need to calm down." Harry sighed and ruffled his bird nest hair from the accumulated stress. He went to the areas that needed tending the most and started his work. He had only been out for a short time but the scorching heat could turn him into a puddle.

'I swear to Morgana, had I not gained heat immunity I would've died from heat stroke. They seriously want me dead before the end of this replay!"Harry scrunched his nose and sighed at his misfortune.

As he tended to the garden he peaked at the neighboring houses to search for any signs of life, but all he got was fog and mosaic, making the surrounding areas indistinguishable.

'I wonder if I can go beyond those areas… how much can the door generate anyways? It seems to have its limits too.' Harry, while a wreckless Gryffindor, had some ounce of self-preservation so he had to let go of his curiosity. He very much values his life at the moment, who knows if there's punishment for going out of the house.

He continued tending to the garden and taking care of the plants until 4 PM when his instincts kicked in. He heard a familiar bell chime and unconsciously stepped back– not knowing why he did it in the first place.

Crash!

A flower pot crashed right in front of Harry, right exactly where he was originally standing. Harry frowned and looked up at the perpetrator who dropped the flower pot at him. He saw a glimpse of the familiar hollow eyes of a 5-year-old Dudley, who seemed to be giggling at Harry.

'That shithead! So he was the reason why the plate fell yesterday.' Oh how badly Harry wanted to incinerate the horrific menace. Harry sighed his frustrations away, there's no point in chasing after it. He quickly went to work and cleaned the mess that Dudley created, not wanting to face any punishment. He, fortunately, finished in time when Petunia came out to check on his progress. She nodded at his work, yet seemed to be displeased that she cannot punish him.

'Hah! Take that!' Harry taunted in his head and went to take a bath to remove the collected grime. Petunia did not want him ruining dinner because of his unruly appearance. When he entered the bathroom he immediately went to check for any scarring or burns on his skin. He was surprised to see his skin unblemished and free of any injuries.

'Magic is really saving my ass right now. I really should learn more about it.' He nodded in appreciation for magic. He finished bathing and headed to the cupboard, wanting to rest after spending the day doing labor under the scorching heat of the sun. Except, the imposter Vernon called him to join them for dinner, which was unexpected. He entered the dining room with the Dursleys already sat down and food served.

'This is highly suspicious… They would never do this in the real world.' Harry narrowed his eyes at the Dursleys and cautiously sat down at the empty chair. He did not dare to touch the food even when the Dursleys urged him to eat, fearing that the food is laced with poison.

'I'm starting to wish that they don't have the mosaics, I can't read their intentions.'

Seeing how Harry had no intentions of eating first, the Dursleys started dining without him. Nothing had happened to them and merrily ate the served food. Harry critically eyed the tomato soup and bread in front of him before he went to give it a taste. He'd be lying if he said the food tasted horrible, but he still didn't trust it as he ate it slowly.

As Harry munched on his food, he felt something cold stab his tongue and slowly slide to his throat. His gag reflex kicked in and he tried to cough out the intrusive object. It got stuck in his throat, so Harry was forced to use his fingers to take it out carefully.

There on his hand was an embroidery needle, covered with his blood. Harry harshly threw away the needle and swiped away his remaining food from the table. He heard the porcelains crash and several needles drop to the floor as they hit the ground. He looked up to see the similar grinning faces of the Dursleys, mosaic already melted off.

"What's wrong boy? Not like the food?" Petunia asked him sweetly.

"Tch, the brat can't even appreciate the things we give him," Vernon scoffed at Harry's display of impudence.

Harry scowled at the imposters, his eyes glowing dangerously as they illuminated the color of the Avada Kedavra curse. He will not touch any food that was not made by him ever again.

'Fuck them all.'

He spat the blood that's in his mouth and wiped the blood from his lips before he left the dinner table. He dared not to speak, not wanting to damage his throat any further. He went into his cupboard and threw as much protection and locking charms he knew off. He probably shouldn't be reckless in his use of magic, but as of the moment he wants to rest undisturbed.

A familiar black screen greeted him. [Congratulations! Prepare for the next memory, player.]

Avada Kedavra green swirls in Harry's eyes as he irritably stared at the screen. He placed his glasses down and reached for the ratty blanket beside him. He covered himself up with it as he sat with his back on the wall. He drifted to sleep with the taste of copper on his tongue and the prickling sensation in his throat.

The night had been relatively quiet. There was no eldritch Dudley that night, most likely repelled by Harry's magic. His magic had also healed his recent injuries during his sleep. He woke up thinking how should learn more magic if– no, once he gets out of the door. Specifically medical-related ones since he'd been needing a lot of those recently.

His cupboard was opened by the imposter Vernon– mosaic back in place. Harry wore his glasses and got out, already knowing what to do next. He went to the kitchen and cooked another simple breakfast for the family of three, snatching some pieces of eggs and bacon for himself knowing that it was safe. He had the urge to put in any needles or any harmful substances in it but refrained from doing so. He served the family and then went to a corner to wait for any orders. They did not invite him to the table again, which Harry was grateful for. He silently listened to their chattering for any clues that may happen later.

Vernon: Marge will be coming later for lunch, be sure to dress up properly. Also, why not cook her your specialty?

Petunia: Of course dear, and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of your sister. Will she be bringing her dog?

Dudley: Oh! Ripper!

Petunia: Yes, Dudleykins it's Ripper. Such a good boy for remembering

Vernon: Ahahaha! That's my son, I'm sure Marge will bring you a lot of presents later.

Dudley: Oooh! Presents! I love presents!

Petunia gushed at her son, which made Harry scrunch his nose in disdain. Harry tuned out the rest of the conversation as nothing seemed to be useful anymore.

'Ripper… oh the bulldog that my pig aunt owns. It better not cause me any trouble.' Harry thought to himself. He heard Vernon bark out some orders for him to do before Marge arrive and he willingly complied.

Harry waited for lunch to arrive, already done with the chores assigned to him. While waiting for Marge to arrive, he decided to inspect the rest of the house for anything unusual. He was confident enough to defend himself if ever something happens, as he already got a grip on his magic. He just had to be cautious with his approach here inside the door, anything could lead to his death if he is not careful.

Nothing seemed to be out of place or noteworthy, but the house gave Harry an ominous vibe as if something was watching him. He guessed it to be Dudley, but hoped that it was nothing.

'Maybe because it's inside the door, nothing seems to be normal in it.' Harry didn't let himself linger in any rooms for too long, afraid that something will happen.

It was exactly noon when Marge knocked on the door.

"Boy! Go open the door!" Imposter Vernon shouts from the living room. Harry opened the door, expecting another mosaic-covered face and a bulldog. He was indeed greeted by Marge's mosaic face when she came into view, but her dog was far from what he had expected.

'This does not look like ripper at all!' Harry gaped at the sight then quickly closed his mouth shut when the nauseating smell reached his nose.

Ripper looked to be an undead hound with a large spiked collar coming out of its fleshy neck. Harry grimaced at the foul smell the hound emitted and at the sight of spilling organs and liquids from its mangled body.

'Looks feral with all that saliva dripping from its mouth too… yuck.' Harry kept his disgust to himself, not wanting to start any confrontations. He stepped aside to let them in and guided them to where the rest of the Dursleys were. He stayed as far as he can from Ripper.

"Vernon! Petunia! I'm so glad to finally meet you again!" She enthusiastically greeted the others in the room. "Gasp! Is that my little Dudders? Come here to Auntie!" Dudley squealed when Marge carried the 6-year-old in her arms and smooched him until his face is smothered. She didn't even acknowledge Harry's presence in the room, which he could care less about as he does not want to deal with any more attention.

The undead hound followed its owner around as it was dragged by its leash, but it disturbed Harry how intensely focused it was on every move he made. He bet that the moment that leash is gone the hound would jump at him with no hesitation. Harry shivered at the imagination of being mauled by the hound and tried to ignore it as he tended to the food and dishes.

It was after the Dursley finished eating lunch that something finally happened. Harry could feel the nearing dread.

Petunia: Oh by the way Marge, what should we give Ripper? The poor thing seems to be starving

Marge: Oh don't worry about it, it can hunt its own food. Don't cha boy?

Marge patted Ripper on the head while she stared at Harry, who frowned at her. He did not like the look she was giving and slowly backed away from them now that the mosaics on their faces had melted off.

Harry heard the bell chime, and he made the run for it as the leash disappeared. Harry circled the dining table and then went straight to the garden as fast as he could, not knowing what to do next. The hound was faster than Harry had anticipated, it was immediately on his tail. The Dursleys and Marge came out of the Dining room to watch the game of cat-and-mouse, all grinning viciously at the scene before them.

"Go Ripper go! Rip his head off!" Little Dudley cheered on the hound as if he was watching a carnival show. Harry paid no mind to the others, too focused on dodging the hound's attempts of mutilating his body. He ran as fast as he could and dodged every time the hound lunged at him. He threw some spells every now and then but the hound easily dodged them.

Harry was starting to tire out, they'd been at it for twenty minutes and he does not think he can last any longer. It didn't help that the noises from all the cheering were disturbing his concentration nor did the endless stamina the hound had. He dodged another attack, which was extremely close to his neck for comfort. Had he been a second too late he would've been dead.

'Shit, shit, shit what do I do!' Harry was quickly running out of stamina and tactics, and the hound seemed to know it. The attacks are getting too close for his comfort, and his movements are turning sluggish by the moment. The hound circled on Harry, simply waiting for the right moment to pounce. Harry was thrown off balance when Dudley threw an egg at him.

'Fuck it got into my eyes!' He quickly wiped it off, not liking how it obstructed his vision.

The hound took this momentary weakness as an opportunity to pounce on Harry's neck. Harry's eyes widened at the sight of the hound mid-air with fangs bared out. For a moment he saw his life flash in front of his eyes.

'I still need to survive…no– I STILL NEED TO LIVE!'

He heard the bells chime. As if time stopped, the undead hound froze midair and then exploded in front of Harry, like a balloon that popped from being pumped with too much air. The garden was a mess– flesh, guts, and blood was scattered everywhere and the plants were torn apart by the impact of the explosion. Harry, who too was covered and flesh and blood, could only stare in shock at where the hound exploded.

"I…what?" Harry does not know what had happened, only that he wanted to live. Did his magic respond to his desperate wish? Harry then looks over the Dursleys, only to be met with furious inhumane faces. Harry gulped back his terror and tried to recompose himself after what had happened.

"Boy, go back to your room, and don't ever let me see your face." Marge's cold voice sliced the tense atmosphere. Harry suppressed a shiver and nodded at the order. He sprinted to his cupboard, not caring if he is covered in dirt, blood, and flesh. He closed the door and slid to the floor, leaving an utter mess on his cupboard floor.

"I-I actually took another life…" Harry stared at his hands and then collapsed onto his ratty mattress. He couldn't think straight. He remembered the dying screams of Professor Quirell– Voldemort as he disintegrated to ashes. He remembered the smell of burning flesh. He remembered how dirty his hands are.

"I'm a murderer." He whispered to himself and then he was embraced by the darkness of slumber. Cold engulfed the small cupboard as a shadow watched over Harry's prone figure.

[Congratulations! Prepare for the next memory, player.]

"Don't break on me, Harry James Potter. The world still needs you…"

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I had been extremely busy with school and the college entrance exam is soon so I need to focus on it at the moment. I might not be able to update for a month and a half to focus on the main projects and exams. Anyway, I'll make up for it soon and I'll try updating as soon as possible :D

P.s. I wasn't able to proofread this properly so apologies for the grammar mistakes!