TW: Child abuse
The world was a dark place. Especially when Harry's only light source burned out like it had earlier this week. It quite literally turned his entire world black and white, though color did leak through at times. Only his time at school and doing chores were a reminder that such vibrancy actually existed.
Even when his light was working, his little cupboard under the stairs was a bleak little haven. It was that, at the very least. A haven from his aunt and uncle's easily angered gaze.
Aunt Petunia had such a critical eye and impossibly high standards for Harry. The kind that he could never hope to satisfy. Failing to meet them every time always led him to being yelled at, or worse. And of all the people living with Harry in such a hateful place, she was the kindest. His Uncle Vernon was a horrible man, prone to beating Harry for reasons as mundane as his coffee being cold and as hard to explain as somehow ending up on the top of the school gymnasium after being chased by his cousin Dudley's gang during recess.
When Harry got suspended for that strange incident, his uncle was furious. The rotund man could hardly speak, probably due to how hard he grit his teeth. Vernon's face, as it often did, had turned purple that night. The first sign that Harry wouldn't be leaving his cupboard for a good long while. The second was always his uncle's balled up fists. Sometimes it would stop there, but that didn't mean it was pleasant. The final sign was when Vernon grabbed his belt. By that point Harry was usually well into his own fantasy realm where it was easier to forget about the pain. The more he screamed, the longer it would last.
For Harry, it didn't matter in what manner the beatings happened or how long they lasted. The next thing was always being locked up in his cupboard. The only food he was given during these times was what had been left over after the others ate. Most days that was nothing. Dudley ate pretty much everything, and Harry wholly believed it was because the boy enjoyed knowing he was starving in his solitude.
It was strange how Harry's world worked. He worked for no pay, did what his supposed family told him, and mostly just tried to stay out of their way the rest of the time. The way it all felt reminded him of something he learned about in school.
Slavery. Harry Potter was a slave. If there was another way to view it, he sure didn't see it.
It was tiring. The bad thing about it all was that thinking about it just made him hate it all the more. Who cares how his teacher's hair magically turned blue in the middle of her yelling at him? It's not like Harry did it. Even if that's exactly what his aunt and uncle thought.
He had no control over whatever it was that kept happening around him. No matter what the stupid people in his life thought. Odd things just seemed to gravitate around him.
If there was a chance he could live a life far away from here, there was no denying he would take the chance without question. The next best things was to just be locked away in the solitude of his cupboard. Unfortunately, he had to leave the sanctity of his haven every so often.
Like today. What even was it? Oh yeah, that's right. His bloody cousin's celebration of birth. One of the worst days of the year, where Harry had to pretend to be happy. As if the constant reminders of the inequity between the two boys was supposed to bring him joy. Maybe not Harry, but Dudley sure as heck did. That was probably the point anyway.
Just when Harry was dreaming about his relatives leaving him alone in his cupboard all day, the whole door shook and he heard the very distinct metallic click of the lock being undone. And just like that, his day was ruined.
"Get up Freak!" Petunia practically screamed through the door.
Harry sighed. "Here we go again," he whispered to himself. Putting on his broken glasses, he slowly got up and left his cupboard. Slowly and meticulously, because there was no worse way to start an already horrible day than by scaring a spider and getting bit for his troubles.
Harry double-checked to make sure there weren't any of the creepy crawlies still attached to his twice to big for him clothing. He was just about to close the door to his cupboard when his cousin came bounding down the stairs yelling excitedly about going to the zoo. The blonde fatso threw Harry head first back into his cupboard and laughed as he skipped the rest of the way to the kitchen.
Grunting from the pain, Harry pushed himself back up and shut the door. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. It didn't change anything, but it helped him clear his mind. One day he would be able to run away and the police wouldn't have any reason to bring him back here. Like they always did. Annoyingly unhelpful.
Inside the kitchen, the festivities were already beginning for his ponce of a cousin who was already complaining about how unfair it was that he didn't have more presents than last year.
"Breakfast's on the stove. Try not to burn it," Aunt Petunia growled at Harry as she walked over to comfort her clearly inconsolable child. "Don't worry, Popkin. When we go out we'll get you more presents. Is that all right?"
Harry flipped one of the bacon strips, doing his very best to suppress the urge to gag at his aunt's antics. Like she needed her own son's approval. His aunt and uncle were supposed to be Dudley's parents, but sometimes they treated the boy like he was a literal prince. It was gross how utterly entitled the prat had become from all the coddling. If he had to live in Harry's shoes for one day, he would probably be scarred for life by the end of it all. Though, the fact that all of Harry's shoes were handed down from Dudley didn't really lend any credence to that particular idea.
"Where's my breakfast, boy?" Vernon shouted across the room after Dudley started unwrapping his giant stack of expensive presents.
"Coming." Harry pursed his lips as he took the last of the bacon off the griddle and removed the eggs from the burner.
It wasn't ideal, but if he was sneaky enough he might be able to snag a piece of the bacon for himself. His cousin was distracted at the moment, so all he had to worry about was the hawk-like eyes of his aunt.
"Bad news, Vernon," Petunia said drawing the two adults attentions away from him. Harry quickly jammed the smallest piece of bacon in his mouth. It was still scorching hot and made Harry's eyes water, but he savored the taste all the same. As he slide a few pieces onto his uncle's plate, Petunia kept talking. "Mrs. Figg is in the hospital and can't take him. What are we going to do?"
Harry only half listened as they listed off the possibilities and why each of them wouldn't work. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure he was all that disappointed that Figg wasn't able to take him today. She was much better company, but the smell of all her cats made it difficult to breathe.
"You could leave me here," Harry suggested, immediately regretting it. He knew there was no way they would consider it now that he was the one to offer the choice, but he tried to sweeten the deal. "Lock me up in my cupboard."
"I don't think so," His uncle said with a suspicious glance. "I'm fond of this house and would rather it be here when we get back."
"I'm not going to blow it up or anything," Harry said with a shake of his head.
It was hopeless and the look of shock in his uncle's eyes gave Harry the impression that those had been the wrong words to say. Of course. All words were the wrong ones when it was Harry who said them.
When Aunt Petunia next spoke it was not quite what Harry thought was going to happen. "If nothing else, we can take him with us… and lock him in the car."
"That's a funny joke, Pet," Vernon said, initially laughing until he saw she was serious. "I'm not leaving the boy in our brand new car for the same reason I won't leave him here."
Harry thought about saying something sarcastic, but Dudley's wails were enough to garner the attention of the whole room. As if he had anything real to complain about. It was clearly fake if anyone was listening properly. Yet his aunt and uncle were such suckers for their special lump of a boy that they didn't noticed.
Dudley whined about how this was going to ruin his day and Petunia was trying to convince him it would all be fine. Harry wasn't very sure what was being said because he had stopped listening. He was so busy thinking about actually going to the zoo that he almost forgot himself. Until the doorbell rang.
Everyone froze but Dudley, who immediately stopped crying and raced to the front door.
"I don't think it'll really bother him that much," Vernon said. "He'll have Piers to have fun with. In any case," Vernon turned a fat finger towards Harry, who wanted anything but to look at the man at the moment. "You behave today. No attitude, no pestering your cousin. I want none of your freakishness happening today. You got that?"
"Yes, Vernon," Harry said. He closed his mouth and tried to make a silent vow to keep his mouth shut that day. That was more often than not one of the reasons he would get in trouble. As for the weird stuff, well that was just something he would have to hope went his way today.
Not too much later, they were on their way to the zoo and Harry was content to take up as little space as possible. Dudley made it a lot easier, taking up so much of the back seat all by himself that Piers was practically sitting on Harry's portion of the seat. But that was fine. The less attention he got today, the better it would be. He ignored the conversations, and just slunk into the background. Maybe they would forget about him entirely and he could lose them in the zoo, or he could sneak into the monkey enclosure. It was probably easier to live with them.
When they got there, Harry counted his blessings that nothing bad had happened yet. Sure, Harry could have mentioned his dream of flying motorcycles, but that wouldn't have done anyone any good. Not like Piers would become his friend over Dudley's bullish presence.
They passed a lady by the entrance who was selling ice cream. There was no question that Dudley would get what he wanted, and if something sweet was involved, it was something he really wanted. Piers got some too, but when the lady looked towards Harry, he refused to make eye contact with her as they stood there. No need to get carried away in the moment and makes things worse.
When they were walking away, Harry looked back over his shoulder and the lady had already moved on to her next customer. Good. No attention was good attention.
It was by far the most fun Harry had ever had in his life. He almost thought they were a normal family for a split second, before shaking the thought from his mind. There was no place for such fantasies. The world wasn't going to magically become a better place.
After a small lunch, they went to the reptile exhibit. It was darker in there than most the other enclosures in the zoo. Probably more to do with it being inside rather than out in the sun. It was unlikely that every one of the reptiles enjoyed such a place. Harry frowned as he looked in at each of the animals. They all looked so sad. Maybe they were as miserable as he was.
It didn't stop Dudley from running around with his friend, banging on the glass and trying to taunt the snakes out of their melancholy. Dudley only stopped when he reached the biggest snake in the building. Harry felt bad for the poor creature that was sleeping soundly, no doubt trying to to ignore the world around them.
"Why won't it move? Make it move!" Dudley pouted.
Vernon reached out with his umbrella and rapped at the glass with a much harsher sound than any fists could have achieved. There was no response from the great snake.
"It's still not moving," Dudley scowled. He he nudged his friend. "That's so lame. Come on, let's go find something more exciting."
Harry had no idea how his aunt and uncle found Dudley's incessant whining so cute. He nearly gagged at the thought. Petulant, annoying, and cruel. There was nothing about the blonde arsehole that even remotely fit such a description.
The group moved on from one exhibit to the next, but Harry just watched as Vernon twirled his umbrella in his hands. Anyone else would have thought it strange. It wasn't raining at all. His uncle's only excuse was that it was so hot he needed the shade. If that were the only reason, it would have been fine. However, Harry knew the real reason the bloated man was carrying it with him.
"Just in case," Vernon would say with a wicked smile, if Harry ever deigned to asked why. In case of what, he didn't need to wonder. His uncle was a violent man, and the only thing he would let out his anger or frustration on just happened to be Harry himself.
Letting out a breath and rolling his eyes, Harry turned back to the enclosure of the large snake and read the description. It was a Boa Constrictor from all the way in Brazil. It was so far from it's natural habitat. Harry wouldn't mind being very far from his own natural habitat, but the giant snake had to feel different in some way.
"I'm sorry," Harry whispered under his breath as he watched the slumbering serpent. "I know what it's like to be kept under lock and key. I wish you could be where you were meant to be."
The boa slowly turned it's head, keeping as low as it could. It looked up at Harry and winked. Well, it looked that way, but how could it really? It was only a snake after all. But Harry couldn't help himself. He winked back, stifling a laugh at the thought of what he was doing.
"How is it you speak my tongue, little one?" the snake said, and all thoughts of the ridiculousness fell to the pit that was forming in Harry's stomach. No way this was real. It was all his imagination.
"I'm not speaking your language," Harry insisted as quietly as he could. Not that it helped. A strange man frowned at him before hurrying away. Everyone else seemed unaware of what was going on. "If anything, you're speaking english."
The snake lifted it's head slightly and shook it as if denying what Harry was saying. It was so surreal that Harry could hardly believe it was actually real.
"You speak like snake," the boa reiterated. "I have never experienced such a thing. I am not sure I like it very much, but it is very interesting."
All the surrounding snakes had begun to move as well. Harry could hear their hissing, so why wasn't he able to understand them if he was hearing the boa clear as day. There was an african rock python next to them that was pressing its face against the glass of its cage. When Harry 's eyes met theirs, he could hear its sibilant voice form into words.
"A speaker?" it asked, tongue jerking out as it cocked it's head at Harry. "I have not heard one speak in so long. Last was a wizard who said he would come back to save us all when he had destroyed the muggle world, but you are not the same. Are you his child?"
Harry was too shocked to formulate a response, but before he could wrap his mind around any of it his cousin came rushing in from behind Harry and shoved him to the ground as he raced to the python's cage and pressed his face up right against the snakes. The python immediately recoiled. Harry didn't blame it for doing so. Nothing would want such an ugly mug so close to their own.
Piers was running to catch up, and from the direction he was running there was no way Dudley would have run into him naturally. Harry seethed, gritting his teeth. Such a pomp little brat, and he was just going to get away with his ungrateful, mean-spirited attitude. The world didn't need more Vernon's running around.
The truth was that Dudley was actually a coward when it came to any animal. Even insects. If there was no glass, the pig would have likely been running for his life. If only the glass weren't there. Then the snake could strangle him and the world would be a better place for it. If only.
Then, as if hearing his thought and bending to his will, the glass vanished. Dudley, having been putting so much of his obscene weight on it, fell forward. His scream as he fell into the now open enclosure was deafening. No one around could have ignored the high-pitched wails that sounded much more like a girl than any boy Harry knew. Piers ran towards the quickly approaching globule that was Harry's uncle. His aunt wasn't far behind.
Vernon held out his umbrella like a sword and swatted at the python as it slithered out of it's enclosure.
"Get back," the python threatened. Not that Harry's uncle would be able to understand it. Harry wasn't even sure how he was understanding it. "It's so good be free. Thank you little one, I won't squander the opportunity you have given me."
"Don't mention it," Harry said sincerely. He was scared of being so close to a dangerous snake, but even now he was still more afraid that his uncle would somehow learn it was his own fault this had all happened. "Seriously."
"Goodbye," the snake said as they made their way towards the exit.
Harry briefly wondered where it would go, but the fact was that it would probably be brought back just like Harry was every time he ran away. He was so wrapped up in the thought that he almost didn't hear his uncle when he snarled out at him threateningly.
"Why can't you keep your freakishness to yourself?" Vernon hissed, using his umbrella to jerk Harry up off the ground.
They didn't spend any more time in the zoo once Dudley was back in his mother's cold embrace. Petunia wouldn't let the boy out of her arms after that, no matter how much he tried to squirm out. Vernon on the other hand remained as calm as he could which did not bode well for Harry. Piers just followed along like the rat he was.
It wasn't as long as Harry would have liked before they dropped Piers off at his house and had arrived back at number 4 Privet Drive.
Uncle Vernon was so purple faced by this point, his head was bound to fall off at any moment. He threw Harry up against the door of the cupboard under the stairs and sprayed Harry with spittle as he spoke.
"What is so hard to understand?" Vernon screamed, smacking Harry back and forth with his free hand. "Why won't you just stop being such a freak! Get in the cupboard and shut your yap while your there. I don't want to hear from you for an entire week. I don't want to see you. I don't want to know you exist."
"You know that's not possible," Harry said meekly as he scrambled for the door. "You'll smell me within a day unless you let me use the bathroom."
All the Harry got in return for that remark was another smack and his face shoved into the side of an all to familiar five gallon container.
"You know what to do, and if I so much as catch a whiff of your unholy stench I will make it a month."
"Like that'll solve the problem," Harry scowled. "I'll die and where will that leave you but with a rotting corpse. How will such a normal family explain the dead child locked away in a closet?"
"Shut - your - yap!" Vernon yelled and slammed the door behind Harry.
Peace at last. If Harry was lucky, he would be locked away for the whole month. Hopefully with food, but at least being left to his thoughts would be better than seeing his putrid relatives.
If not for the nightmares, he would sleep the entire time. At least his daydreams were pleasant. He could only hope this week would be the longest, most relaxing week of his life.