His belly rumbled painfully in the dark. Weakly he tried to pry the door open but it did not budge.
It was locked from the outside. He shouldn't have expected anything less.
He was only five, but this was not the first time such a punishment had been inflicted on him. Just last year he had been in this situation, albeit a lot bloodier than now. His cousin had punched him in the face, the boy's fat hand breaking his glasses and his nose. And of course, it was he who was punished, not his cousin. Why would they punish his cousin? Their precious dinky dudidums.
Harry Potter snorted at the nickname and grew quiet when he heard movement on the other side of the door. He saw a large shadow pass by once and then again after a few moments. He heard the sound of heavy footsteps overhead, dust falling with each one. He held back a sneeze, knowing full well what would happen should he let one out.
He heard the door upstairs close and finally let out that sneeze, his whole body shuddering. He relaxed on the stained and smelly pillow and glared at the 'ceiling' of his 'room'. The cupboards under the staircase had been his prison for as long as he could remember.
"I hate them" Harry swore under his breath. His uncle and aunt only thought about themselves and their pig of a son. Not Harry. They put him down here, gave him food when they felt like it and punished him for no reason. Even the clothes he wore were things Dudley had outgrown.
There had to be someone out there who could come for him, some other relative that was not his uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia. His parents may have died in a car crash, but sure surely he had someone out there. Like Dudley's aunt Marge or Uncle Vernon's friend Rod who visited sometimes and gave Dudley and him some candy. Surely his father had some friends like them as well, or even his mother. They were both dead, killed in a car crash, but surely the Dursleys were not his only family.
His stomach roared in hunger and he curled up in pain. He hadn't eaten in two days, he wasn't sure how long this punishment would last. The kitchen was right outside, all he had to do was get out of there and sneak some food in. But he couldn't since he was locked up.
Maybe sleep will help, he thought to himself. But sleep didn't come to him, not with how painfully his stomach was protesting. He was going to be awake all night at this rate, hungry and in pain.
Something brushed against his leg, making him jump and hit his head on the bottom of the stairs. He heard noises upstairs, but they died down quickly enough. He pulled on the flimsy string and turned on the lights, only to stiffen. A snake, that's what had brushed up against his leg. A snake that was staring at him. How had that thing gotten inside of the house? How had it gotten inside his cupboard?!
It was a small thing, white as snow with deep red eyes. It stared at Harry and Harry stared right back. Then it did something that Harry was not expecting it to do.
"You can open the door," the snake said with a hissing voice.
Harry sat frozen for a second, staring at the snake and wondering whether he was hallucinating or not. He could be. He was hungry beyond anything right now.
"You are not," the snake said with a matter-of-fact tone, almost as if it read his mind. "Go and eat".
"I can't" Harry mumbled. "I'm locked inside."
"Use magic. You can get out using it."
Harry snorted, he really was seeing things.
"There's no such thing as magic" the boy said softly, even though he did think about it being real. It would explain all the weird things that happened to him. Like his hair growing back overnight or him flying.
The snake stared at him before slowly slithering over. It climbed up Harry's leg and up to his neck, where it wrapped itself around Harry. Harry was frozen in fear the whole time.
"Close your eyes and think about the door opening" hissed the snake. "Go on, it's easy."
What did Harry have to lose? He closed his eyes and tried to do what the snake said. He imagined the lock on the door just breaking off. He kept his eyes closed until he heard something rattle, snap, creak and hit the wooden floor. Tentatively tried the door and this time it opened, much to his surprise.
"Go eat."
Harry did not have to be told twice. He ran to the kitchen and then to the fridge. He almost sobbed at the delicious smell of the leftovers from dinner. He hadn't eaten in so long, and these people were having steak! He had smelled it from his cupboard, wishing he'd be given some. They had not given him any.
Not that it mattered anymore, Harry was practically stuffing his face with it.
"You see, magic is real."
Harry stopped when the snake spoke and stiffened when the lights turned on. Slowly he turned around and saw his uncle, purple-faced in anger.
"You dare steal from me boy?!" the giant of a man came charging at him. Harry shut his eyes and without much thought imagined his uncle twisting his freakishly large ankle and falling. A boom followed his thoughts.
Harry opened his eyes and saw the man on the floor screaming. His ankle looked horrible, foot twisted in such a way that Harry felt the food he had just eaten churn dangerously in his stomach.
"You're a powerful wizard Harry" the snake said cheerfully and Harry looked at it. "But I can teach you even more. Learn what I have to teach you and nobody will punish you ever again."
Harry stared at the snake. He was tempted by the offer. All his bullies would stop. His aunt and uncle might just treat him right.
Harry nodded and could have sworn the snake had smiled at him.