The Original Order reads Harry Potter Book 1.
Chapter Six: Letters From No One (Part Two)
Previously in the last chapter.
"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall where he landed on his back. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley ran out of the kitchen with their arms covering their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the kitchen, bouncing off the walls and the floor.
"That does it," Uncle Vernon said, trying to speak calmly but pulling out great tufts of his moustache. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away; far away! Where those blasted letters can't find us! Just pack some clothes and nothing else! No arguments!" He looked so dangerous with half of his moustache gone no one dared argue.
If only the Dursleys and Harry knew the letters would always keep finding them, no matter how hard they tried to hide.
(In the Present)
"Does Mr. Dursley really think going away with his family is the best solution?" Emmeline asked, finding the action of going away to different places extremely concerning. "No matter how hard he tries, the letters will always keep finding Harry." The brunette knew full well the Muggle would abandon Harry in a dense forest where he'd be eaten alive by wild dangerous animals or toss him into the ocean where he'd drown without anyone hearing his cries for help.
There were many more death situations, but the first two Emmeline thought of were horrifying. She just hopes Harry will be alright.
"It's exactly what Remus said before, Emmeline," Andromeda replied, also having the same thoughts as Emmeline, which made the mother hug Nymphadora close to her chest. "He's desperate to keep a letter away from Harry and would do anything to keep it that way, even if he has to drive away to someplace where he thinks it's safe."
"Maybe so, but I still think the only way for Harry to finally read his Hogwarts letter is by sending a teacher."
"We can discuss more about this topic later," Dumbledore said, putting the conversation to an end before it grew bigger. However, Emmeline's idea had him thinking about hiring people, namely Muggle-born graduates, to introduce children to the Magical World. That way, his fellow teachers won't be so tired or grumpy whenever they come back to Hogwarts after introducing a Muggle-born child to the Magical World. "Right now, let's focus on finishing this chapter."
"Albus is right," Minerva agreed with a nod of her head. "We have been dwelling on this chapter for a bit too long, despite being in a time bubble, and our emotions are quite high. Let's focus on finishing this chapter before we start having conversations."
Marlene took what Minerva said as a que to start reading the book again.
Ten minutes later, the Dursleys and Harry wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors with their bags pack and got into the car before speeding off towards the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father hit him round in the head for holding everyone up from trying to pack his television, VCR and computer in his sports bag.
Despite themselves, all the women in the room felt a protective feeling in their chest after hearing what Mr. Dursley did. On one hand, this was a start for Dudley to finally gain discipline. On the other hand, they didn't like how Mr. Dursley used violence on his child and nephew instead of giving them a stern talk. Did he really think violence is the key to gaining discipline? If so, then he has to be away from children.
The Dursleys and Harry kept droving and droving, either on a long road or on a different highway. Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then, Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. Every time he did this, he would mutter, "Shake them off…shake them off."
Sirius wanted to make a comparison comment between Mr. Dursley and Moody but stopped when the said person in the Room of Requirement glared at him, almost sensing what he was about to say.
The Dursleys and Harry didn't stop to get something to eat or drink all day, but just kept driving. By nightfall, Dudley was howling. He never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, missed five television programs he wanted to see and had never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.
'Good, see how you like having a bad day, brat,' Lily thought with a small amount of sadistic pleasure. 'Serves you right for bullying my son the last ten years.'
Uncle Vernon stopped driving at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp musty sheets. Dudley snore as he slept in his bed, but Harry stayed awake. He was currently sitting on the windowsill and staring down at the lights of passing cars, wondering…
"What do you guys think Harry's thinking about?" James asked, wondering what was going on in Harry's mind.
"Either all the events that's been happening in his life or the people sending the letters," Alice replied, bringing up the most excellent theory in the world, which was something everyone in the room agreed with. "It could be something else entirely, but I strongly believe what I said."
"We'll take your word for it," Frank said, wrapping an around his wife's shoulders and pulling her into a sideways embrace. "Let's keep reading the book."
The Dursleys and Harry ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel, a woman, came over to their table. "Excuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about a hundred of theses at the front desk." She held up a letter so that the Dursleys and Harry can read the green ink address:
Mr. H. Potter.
Room 17.
Railview Hotel.
Cokeworth.
Lily was surprised when the book mentioned her old hometown, making her feel happy and sad for obvious reasons. Happy because her son was in the area she grew up in and sad because he, Harry, doesn't know about said area.
Harry made a grab for the letter, but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared. "I'll take them," Uncle Vernon said, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.
Everyone scowled when Mr. Dursley knocked Harry's hand away from trying to reach the letter. That said letter doesn't belong to the former, it belongs to the latter!
"Wouldn't it be better to just go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of the family knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car and drove off again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.
Every time Mr. Dursley stops the car at a random location, everyone in the Room of Requirement becomes very tense and worried as they fear he will abandon Harry, only to release a sigh of relief when he resumes driving with his family and Harry. However, despite becoming relief Harry wasn't abandoned, it didn't make the tension and worry everyone had vanish.
"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked the car at the coast, locked the family inside the car and disappeared.
The tension and worry increased tenfold when Mr. Dursley disappeared after parking near the coast, which made everyone sweat. One question appeared in their minds: Where did Mr. Dursley go?
It started to rain. Gentle drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled. "It's Monday," He told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."
Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday – and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week because of television – then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.
"Ooh, happy birthday, Harry!" Nymphadora exclaimed happily, making everyone chuckle in amusement. Hearing happiness was enough to make the tension and worry vanish and bring a good mood in the atmosphere.
Of course, Harry's birthdays were never exactly fun. Last year, the Dursleys gave him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.
And the good mood vanished completely after hearing that sentence.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Sirius exclaimed angrily, throwing his arms in the air. "Not only the Dursley's don't bother to tell Harry about his parents, but they don't get him presents?! This is the most disgusting family in the world!"
"Sirius, calm down!" Minerva barked sternly, making her former student calm down reluctantly.
"How can any family do that to a child?" Emmeline asked sadly, feeling tears pooling at the corner of her eyes. Never in her life had she heard of a Muggle family being cruel to a magical or normal child and she hated it.
"I have no clue, Emmeline," Lily replied, closing her eyes and breathing deeply through her nose. She was getting tired of all the things that's been happening to Harry and wanted this chapter to end. "I just have no clue."
"Should we…take a break from reading the book?" Dorcas asked uncertainly.
"No, let's keep reading," Moody ordered, also wanting this chapter to be over with so that he can blow off some steam. "We already took a long break; we don't need to take another one."
Uncle Vernon was back, and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought. "Found the perfect place! Come on! Everyone out!"
It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.
"Really, Harry? Really?" Remus asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "The no television part is what you're thinking about? Not the shack in the sea?"
"To be fair, Remus, I think Harry was thinking about it," Filius defended. "He was probably getting tired listening to his cousin's complaining."
"Storm forecast for tonight!" Uncle Vernon said gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" A toothless old man came ambling up to the Dursleys and Harry, pointing at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them with a rather wicked grin.
"I've already got us some rations," Uncle Vernon said. "So, all aboard!"
It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down on the Dursley's and Harry's necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours, they reached the rock where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.
The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.
'Thank Merlin our vacation houses are much better than that,' Narcissa thought, shuddering at the description of the shack. 'I would instant leave the moment I enter the house.'
Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire, but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. "Could do with some of those letters, eh?" Uncle Vernon said cheerfully.
Everyone tightly balled their fists after hearing the Muggle's cheerful tone. They really want to arrest or hex him so badly, but some of the people wanted to do more than just hex him.
Uncle Vernon was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching the house in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.
"It is true owls can't deliver mail in severe storms," Dorcas said, looking pained to say those words. "But some owls are extremely determined to deliver the mail, no matter how hard the journey will be."
As night fell, the promised storm blew up around the Dursleys and Harry. Spray from the high waves splattered on the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.
"Lousy Muggles," Hagrid growled angrily. "Can't even spare Harry a good blanket."
"Hagrid!" Minerva exclaimed, greatly taken aback from the anger in the usually kind man.
The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling in hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The light dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all and wondering where the letter writer was now.
Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof doesn't fall in, although he might be former if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters that he might be able to steal one when they, the Dursleys and Harry, get back.
Everyone doubted Harry will be able to steal a letter in the house since Mr. Dursley would make sure none fall into his hands, but they hoped he will get to read his letter soon.
Three minutes to go. Was that the sea slapping hard on the rock? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?
'Funny crunching noise?' Moody repeated in his mind, furiously thinking what could make such noise. It was either a person walking on the rock where the Muggle family and Harry are or rocks crumbling into the sea. He was leaning towards the former.
One minute to go and Harry would be eleven. Thirty seconds…twenty…ten…nine – maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him – three…two…one…
BOOM.
"What was that?" Lily asked, concerned what the sound was.
"I don't know," Andromeda replied, also concerned what the sound was as well. "Could be a thunderstroke or something."
The whole shack shiver and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.
"Oh, it's just a person knocking on the door," Andromeda stated, releasing a sigh of relief.
"That's good to hear," Lily agreed, closing her eyes with a smile.
Everyone else agreed with Andromeda…until they finally realized what she said. "WAIT, A PERSON IS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR!?"
And done! That's the end of the Letters From No One! I was going to add more sentences at the end, but I decided not to because I was getting tired, and I feel like there was enough reaction in the chapter. The next chapter will be the biggest reaction when the Order realizes the most important Pureblood families in the Magical World are dead.
I'm sorry I hadn't posted chapters in this story; I didn't mean to mean to make you all wait for two months. I hope this chapter makes up for lost time. Also, if the chapter is rushed or something, I apologize for that. I just want to get it out of the way so that I can work on my other chapters.
Write a review if you like this story and enjoy the chapter.
Next Chapter: The Keeper of The Keys