Arc 4, Chapter 2

The train finally came to a stop at King's Cross station. Everyone gathered up their belongings and headed towards the door and their families. Tonks pulled down the trunk and owl cage. The trunk was transfigured to look just like Harry's but was filled with miscellaneous books and other junk to give it the same approximate weight. Having been warned that Vernon would probably confiscate "Harry's" wand, Tonks had her own in a holster that was invisible to anyone but had another wand to give Vernon. To Vernon, all wands looked alike.

The three were first stopped by Molly Weasley who gave them all huge hugs, then turned to 'Harry' and said, "You know you're welcome at the Burrow this summer, Harry. I'll talk to Albus and see when he'll let you come over. Keep in touch, please," she said and ruffled his hair before taking her brood to the floo. Hermione and 'Harry' walked through the barrier to the muggle side of King's Cross to find her parents and "Harry's" uncle. The uncle wasn't hard to spot. He was the only man that large with a mustache glaring at the area between Platforms 9 and 10. 'Harry' walked slowly over to the man.

Vernon grabbed him hard by the shoulder and said, "Boy! You have the nerve to show yourself here after what you've done! You've messed with my family for the last time! Now come on!"

Tonks had looked around and seen Shacklebolt standing nearby watching everything play out. He gave her a quick nod to show he'd heard everything Vernon said. She followed Vernon to the car park and proceeded to put her trunk and cage in the boot of the car.

"Good thing you didn't bring that blasted bird with you! I was wondering what roasted owl would taste like. Looks like it was saved for now. You'd better hope it doesn't show up at the house, too," spouted Vernon.

"She won't, Uncle Vernon. She's staying with one of my friends this summer."

"Good! At least you've learned something!" he exclaimed.

The ride to Privet Drive was quiet, but Tonks took time to observe the man. He drove like a maniac and swore at all the other drivers who got in his way. She counted four yellow lights he ran and one red one. Once he got on the motorway, he swerved in and out of traffic. She was surprised the police hadn't stopped him for reckless driving! As they pulled into the neighborhood, she noticed all of the houses were similarly built. They were close together and each had a small front garden. Vernon pulled the car into the garage and jerked it into park.

"You! Follow me," he growled.

"Let me get my trunk first," 'Harry' said.

"Oh, you won't be needing it anymore. No more questions!" Vernon said ominously.

'Harry' followed him into the house and as soon as the door closed, Vernon rounded on him and punched him first in the stomach and then in the nose.

"I warned you not to come back or it would be the last thing you do! Now get in the cupboard and stay there! I'll deal with you later."

Tonks was baffled. Cupboard? While she'd been told something about Harry living in the cupboard under the stairs, she was hesitant to do as Vernon said. When Vernon didn't see 'Harry' moving fast enough, he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the cupboard then threw him in, kicking him in the ribs and kidneys hard while he did it. Before she could do anything more, the door slammed.

"We'll see how long you can go without food or water now, Freak!" Vernon said with an evil chuckle.

About that time, Petunia and Dudley walked in the door. Petunia was carrying a large sack of groceries. She glanced at Vernon and the cupboard and said, "I guess he was waiting for you at the station after all. That Headmaster of his must not know anything at all about what was going on here. Idiots the lot of them!"

Dudley whined, "Dad! You promised me I could have my second bedroom back when I came home from school!"

"I did and you shall. The Freak is back in his cupboard where he belongs. Search the room and if you find anything of his, bring it down. We're going to have a nice bonfire later this evening."

Dudley lumbered up the stairs as fast as his porcine body would allow him and would have started tearing the other room apart, except his father hadn't unlocked it yet. Instead, he went into his room and fired up the computer to kill some bad guys.

Tonks was hurt, but not badly. She quickly pulled her hidden wand and cast an episky at her nose. She wiped the blood on her shirt so that it made the biggest mess to prove Vernon had hit her. That would do until she could get out and get the other injuries checked. She knew she had a half-hour before the police were due to arrive. She was also glad she'd had something to eat on the train knowing she probably wouldn't get anything at the Dursleys. She could hear the baby whale upstairs stomping around and things breaking, but she wasn't much worried about it. She thought about transfiguring the old blanket in there into something more comfortable, but that would defeat the purpose of this whole ruse.

A half-hour later, Petunia called everyone down for dinner. The baby whale seemed to take perverse pleasure in standing on the steps and jumping up and down on each one as he descended to the ground floor. Dirt and grime fell on Tonks, but she just shook it off. Vernon came over to the door of the cupboard and said, "We're having a lovely shepherd's pie with a salad and cake for dessert. There will probably be ice cream involved. Too bad you won't get any, Freak!"

Tonks was tempted to shout back that she hoped it all tasted like dried snails but figured these morons might like it. She rechecked the time and saw it was just twenty minutes before the show was due to arrive.