Here is a new story. I hope you'll like it. Harry is OOC, as usual with me.
On a normal street in a normal town lived a very normal family, thank you very much.
The only thing deviating from normality was this little boy who had appeared two years ago. The lady of the house explained to anyone who would listen that it was the son of her sister who had died suddenly with her husband. The master of the house explained to anyone who would listen that his sister-in-law had killed herself and her good-for-nothing husband in a car accident after consuming too much alcohol and drugs.
The neighborhood quickly understood that they should not talk about the little boy to the man who seemed to blame him for all the evils in the world. Several had gathered over the months to discuss their concerns about the child who seemed frail and always poorly dressed. Vernon Dursley (because it was obviously him we were talking about) was not a nice man and was short-tempered so many feared that he would end up becoming physically abusive towards his nephew.
When they told Petunia, she tensed and tried to reassure their concerns. She was not very effective, she herself did not seem to believe her own reassuring words.
She knew her husband. She had quickly given in when he had asked her to put Harry in the cupboard under the stairs and had said nothing when he had told her not to take care of him until Dudley had been pampered. She also feared her husband's mood swings and that he would attack her or their son if she did not obey him.
But what could she do? She had abandoned her studies when she became pregnant and had to get married urgently. He was the only one bringing money home and a divorce would cost her everything she had. She was sure that a judge would not give her custody of her son since she was without resources and she did not even appear on the deed of the house. So she tried as much as she could to soften Vernon's anger and only showed kindness to her nephew when he was away at work. She would have liked to succeed in getting him to quit his drinking habit but broaching the subject was the best way to send him into a fit of rage.
It was ironic, really. While he told everyone that her sister was an alcoholic, he was the alcoholic one. Although she had been extremely jealous of her sister, not only for her magic but also for her marriage which was much better than hers, she did not hate her and regretted not being able to give Harry the childhood he should have had.
.oôOÔOôo.
The neighborhood party was in full swing, adults were sharing gossip while keeping an eye on the many children playing in the street.
Every year, Little Whinging organized parties in the different districts of the city, prohibiting the circulation of cars in order to allow the installation of tables where adults arranged the food they brought as well as leaving a large free place for children games.
This year, Privet Drive had been chosen to host the party, much to the delight of Dudley and Harry. Especially since Vernon had been called to work by his employer so Harry didn't have to stay in his closet and could enjoy the games and the other children. It was rare for him to interact with his peers; his uncle refused to let him go with his cousin when he was invited to the neighborhood children's birthday parties.
For his part, Vernon was furious. His boss had called him this morning to ask him to come. He had hoped to spend the day chatting with his neighbors. It wasn't so much that he liked them but he particularly liked to brag about his professional success as well as proudly showing off his perfect son.
Instead, he arrived in a very bad mood at his office. He had been working at Grunnings for over ten years and was moving up the ranks step by step. He hoped that his boss, Mr. Smith, would retire soon because he was confident he would be the next director. This was probably why Mr. Smith wanted to see him today, the thought calmed him slightly.
Unfortunately, he quickly realized that this would not be the case when his boss entered his office accompanied by Miss Trudge, the head of human resources. They sat in the chairs facing his desk and coldly told him that several irregularities had been detected in the accounts and that they all came from sales made by Vernon.
He rebelled, denied it outright, turned red, shouted. Nothing changed, the evidence was there. If he didn't want the company to file a complaint against him, he had to accept his dismissal without complaint. Only the fact that the amounts were negligibleables (which is why Vernon didn't expect to be caught red-handed) saved him from an immediate trial. But Miss Trudge was clear that if Vernon tried to sue them for unfair dismissal, she would not hesitate to show evidence of his thefts and would have finished him professionally.
When he finished packing his things and left the building, Vernon immediately went to his usual pub. It was still early in the day but he needed a pick-me-up before he had to go home and tell his wife the news. She was going to have to find a job if they wanted to be able to maintain their current standard of living. And since she never finished her studies, she wouldn't get anything more than waitress or cashier.
The more hours passed, the drunker the man became. He managed to convince himself that his abnormal nephew was the reason why everything ended like this. Until then, the few pounds he put aside with each contract had gone unnoticed. Yes, it was this freak who had brought bad luck to him. He was sure of it.
Despite the waiter's attempts to restrain him, he got back into his car, drunk and angry as ever.
Miraculously, he managed to drive to Magnolia Crescent without having an accident.
Unfortunately, when he turned onto Privet Drive, he completely forgot about the party. He saw his fucking three and a half year old nephew running smiling down the middle of the street. The reason for all his misfortunes was having fun while his life had been reduced to dust.
His intoxicated gaze was focused on the little boy.
He didn't see the other children running with him.
He didn't see the adults who noticed his car start to react.
He didn't realize his foot had slammed on the accelerator until his car hit several children and ultimately drove into a tree, killing him instantly.
.oôOÔOôo.
Emergency services managed to save some children but not all. Six bodies were identified, one boy was missing.
The twins, Gabriel and Cassidy, had been crushed under the wheels of the car. Fritz, Charlotte and Jeremy had been hit head-on by the bumper. The oldest victim, Susie, had climbed the tree which was struck by the speeding vehicle and fell from the branch she was perched on, breaking her neck.
Only little Harry was not found.