Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

Harry Potter and the Year that Changed Everything

By Fbline

Chapter One: Owl Post and Ultimatums

Five cobwebs. That's how many there was that he could see from lying on his bed. He supposed that there most likely were more that he couldn't see at the moment, but he didn't care enough to look for them. He was used to them by now, thanks to the ten years of his life that he spent under the stairs. There was also a smallish dent in the wall where Dudley had smashed it with his fist when he had been aiming to punch him in the face. Harry had been sent to bed without supper that night for hurting his cousin and making a mess. The only bright side had been that Dudley grimaced in pain for the next hew weeks when he'd give Harry the finger. That all seemed like a lifetime ago now, and in some ways it had been.

Aunt Petunia normally kept an immaculate house. The house wasn't so much clean as it was sterile and devoid of life. In the past Harry's room was kept in the same manner, but not anymore. Since the threat at they had received at the end of Harry's fifth year, his aunt and uncle had changed tactics and now almost completely ignored him. This meant that Harry's room had been left completely alone for over a year now, and it very much showed. Apart from the lack of serpent heads, it would have been hard to distinguish his room now from one at Grimmauld Place when they had first arrived there. It also meant that Vernon no longer badgered him constantly about chores and other work. For most boys, this would have been a great relief, but Harry wasn't like most boys at all. He continued to do his chores because it was all he knew, and because when he worked he didn't have to think about other things...or other people.

He would sometimes try to think about his upcoming and last year at Hogwarts. N.E.W.T.S. would be coming up, and those would greatly influence his future career opportunities. He still wanted to be an Auror, and to do that he would have to do very well in his subjects this year. His relative's constant apathy towards him meant that he was able to get a lot of studying done for the coming year. Looking over his books from last year, he couldn't help but feel a connection to his much more studious friend, Hermione. Thinking of her, he would allow himself a smile at the thought of her doing the exact same thing as he was. Thoughts of Hermione though most often led to thoughts of his other friends, including Luna. It was those thoughts that caused his smile to falter and his heart to ache.

He still felt that what he had done was right, but that didn't give him any comfort in his decision. He still wore the bracelet she had made for him last year and often ran his fingers along the long golden thread of her hair that she had used to make it. He could still see the tears in her eyes when he had told her that he couldn't love her like she wanted him to. He hadn't told her he didn't love her because that would have been a lie, and he could never lie to her. He just couldn't put her in any more danger than she was already in. When he wasn't longingly running his fingers over the small part of Luna that he still had with him, he was making good use of the mirror that Hermione had given him. He tried not to use it too often, even though Hermione constantly told him that she missed him just as much as he missed her. A loud sigh escaped his mouth when he considered the fact that he was in much the same place that he had been at that same time last year. The thought of going to the Burrow again was one of the few positive images he could focus on. Standing up to stretch his legs, he walked over to his desk to look over the letters that he had received so far this summer. Not surprisingly, most of them were from a certain blonde haired, doe eyed, girl A year ago her letters were light and had only small amounts of something more personal, whereas her letter now were always full of emotion and love. Every once in a while he would get one from her that would make it obvious that she was feeling down about their lack of a romantic relationship, but mostly she seemed as if she understood why he was doing what he was doing, even if she hated it. As in the past year, her true emotions could be discovered from the song lyrics she sent along with her letters. Harry was reminded again of what a great idea it had been to share his love of music with her, as it had helped bring them to a deeper level of understanding. As his thoughts continued to focus on the girl whose heart he had broken, he read over the songs she had sent him over those few weeks.

June 7^th

Fragile (Free)

I've been walking around all day, thinking

I think I have a problem, I think I think too much

I've been taught to hold back my tears and avoid them

But you've made pain into something I could touch

I've been walking around all day, laughing

Think I'd be better off without

And I bet you're sweet and hard to get over

So I'll cry and people will stop and stare

Now that's ok, let them stop and stare

I am fragile

I am hopeless

I'm not perfect

But I am free...

I've been walking around all day, waiting

And wait is all I seem to do

Cause I never get it unless I'm fed it

But this time I'll just have to

Yeah this time I'll just have to...

Say you're not around...am I finished?

If you're not around that's too bad

Hope you're safe and sound, not alone now

Cause you know I believe in you

I am fragile

I am hopeless

I'm not perfect

But I am free...

June 9^th

Just A Little Bit

Clearly, clearly I remember

Hiking up my skirt

Asking for your time

Clearly, clearly I remember

Nervous if ever confronted

And questioning myself

Perhaps, perhaps if I was better

Perhaps if I challenged myself

Perhaps if I was...

Just a little bit, stronger

Just a little bit, wiser

Just a little less, needy

Maybe I'd get there...

Just a little bit, pretty

Just a little more, aware

Just a little bit, thinner

Maybe I'd get there...

Clearly, clearly I remember

Pulling up my shirt

Staring blank ahead

Clearly, clearly I remember

Days of useless crying

Almost feeling dead

Perhaps, perhaps if I was smaller

Perhaps if I could control myself

Perhaps if I was...

June 15^th

Sorry

Vague sound of rain

Pierces through my song again

But I get distracted by the way

His toes moves when he plays

So I let it burn

I just poured my heart out

There are bits of it on the floor

So I take what's left of it and run it under cold water

And call him up for more

And I say baby- Yes I feel stupid to call you

But I'm lonely

And I don't think you meant it

When you said you couldn't love me

And I thought maybe

If I kissed the way you do

You'd feel it too

He said I'm sorry- so sorry

I'm sorry- I am sorry

He grabs my wrists

As my fingers turn into angry fists

And I whisper, "Why can't you love me

I'll change for you!"

I'll play the part

And I say baby- so I feel stupid to call you

But I'm lonely

And I don't think you meant it

When you said you couldn't love me

And I thought maybe if I kissed the way you do

You'd feel it too

He said I'm sorry- so sorry

I'm sorry- I am sorry

The last letter from Luna was still lying on his desk. It felt so natural writing to her now that it was as if they hadn't really parted. He sometimes felt as if she was actually there with him, but then he would remember why it was so important that she wasn't and that thought made him return to his wasteland of depression. Sitting down at his desk, he read again his latest letter he had received from her.

Dearest Harry,

I miss you. Daddy and I decided to go to Oslo this summer to look for ancient Viking magical ruins. We've gotten some really good pictures and stumbled across some possible leads. One rumor has it that there is still a group of Vikings that exist in the states, somewhere in the Midwest in an area called "Minnesota." Daddy is hoping to travel there in the fall when they are supposedly most visible. I'm looking forward to getting my O.W.L. results. I must say, the exams were rather challenging, I actually had to study for them! Ginny was a great help, as were all the rest of you. I'm looking forward to getting home soon so I can come to the Burrow. I should be there by tour birthday. I certainly hope that Fred and George bring back last year's "ceremony." I'll be sure to wear my best lip-gloss. Well, I've managed to stick to small talk, haven't I? I miss you so much, Harry. Every time I hear music, every time I see something beautiful, every time my heart beats, I think of you. Every night I look up at the moon and tell it about my feelings for you and I imagine that at the same moment you are looking up at the same moon and can hear my words. I feel closer to you at these times, and it makes me look forward to all the future nights we'll be spending together looking up at that same moon. I know what you told me, Harry, but I also know that love truly does conquer all. Well, I need to go so I can send Hedwig back to you before daybreak. I love you, Harry. I'm in love with you, and I always will be.

With all of my heart,

Luna

Harry had read the letter over and over all day. Despite trying to push her away for her own safety, Luna was still very much in love with him. In his first several letters that he had sent to her, he had tried to convince her that she needed to move on, to try to let go of her love for him. She had totally ignored his pleas and continued to tell him how much she cared, how much she loved him. Her letters caused his heart to ache in his chest, and he could only imagine what was going to happen when he actually saw her next. Mentally his resolve stood firm in his conviction he was doing the right thing, but emotionally his resolve was crumbling, and he had a sneaky suspicion that Luna was somehow aware of this. Setting her letter aside, Harry opened up one of the other two that he had received that day.

Harry-

How are ya, mate? Are the Muggles still pretending like you don't exist? Look on the bright side, next year at this time you can pretend like they don't! I assume you are going to move in with Remus after graduation? I'm not really sure what I'm going to do yet. I know mum is hoping that I'll stay home, but I think I'd like to be out on my own for a change. Wouldn't it be cool if the three of us could live together at Headquarters? We could have big parties every night and all the women the place could hold! Of course, that's assuming you don't marry Luna first. HA! Could you imagine? I'm sure Hermione and I could throw you a lovely wedding. Knowing Luna, the ceremony would probably be held in the middle of a cornfield with Cramped Hoofed Slapjacks running around all over the place. And speaking of girls that I'll never see naked, have you heard anything from our Hermione lately? We write one another a couple times a week and she always seems to know what you're up to before I do. She says that she's having a good time on the Isle of Man. Do you know anything about it? Has she mentioned anybody? That's not a French colony, is it? I keep asking her when she's finally coming home, but she just tells me that I'll "see her when I see her." What the bloody hell does that mean? Of course I'll see her when I see her! I mean, she hasn't got an invisibility cloak too, does she? I still say she's barking mad, I just wish I wasn't still in love with her. Dad's still really busy, but he seems to be adapting better now. Oh, mum isn't nagging me as much lately. Now that my prat of a brother Percy has proposed to Penelope, she's been working on the wedding full stop. And don't laugh; you'll be getting an invite a well. Fred and George have been working day and night to come up with an appropriate wedding gift. I can hardly wait to see what they'll come up with. Ginny says hello, by the way. Mum is really proud of her since she's been doing so much "studying" with Neville this summer. I do my best to keep an eye on them, but it's not easy. Every time I catch them getting all googly eyed at one another mum makes me degnome the garden. I'll feel better when you get here; it's a tough job keeping an eye on things by myself. Well, mum's just taken the pie out of the oven, so I'd better go. Hope to see you soon, keep your pecker up!

-Ron

Harry laughed for the first time that day and felt a great comfort from his best male friend. He also made a mental note to try and distract Ron from hovering over Ginny and Neville while he was there. Ginny was very capable of taking care of herself, and Neville could use whatever affection he could get from her. Harry only wished that he could be allowed to have some in his life as well, even though he knew he couldn't. Not until he had fulfilled the prophecy, not until Voldemort was dead and he could finally begin to live.

Placing Ron's letter on the desk next to Luna's, Harry yawned and stretched to his full height before climbing wearily into bed. He had gotten a lot better at Occlumency over the past year, although he wouldn't admit to the fact of Snape actually helping him with anything. It had become easier to learn once he realized that emptying he mind was actually quite therapeutic. Letting go of his guilt was something he desperately strove for, although he could never seem to let it go completely. Memories of the death's of his parents, Sirius, Cedric, Hermione getting hit with the curse, Luna's teary eyes as he denied her his love, it all came back to haunt him when his defenses were down. Actually trying to let go of them made him feel like he could really control his life at times, a feeling he had never had before. He didn't kid himself that he truly did control his destiny, but he took some comfort in the things that he could control.

Thoughts of this nature caused him to feel other mixed emotions. In the worst-case scenario, he knew there was a very real possibility that he would not survive the final battle with Voldemort. In that case, the future was not something he need be bothered with since he wouldn't have one. He knew that worrying about dying a virgin was a very selfish thing to concern him self with, but it didn't stop him from doing it.

Realizing that sleep would not be coming anytime soon, Harry got himself up from the bed again and returned to the desk. He had said good night to Hermione an hour ago, so he decided to write back to Luna and Ron. Taking out a piece of parchment and a quill, he sat down to write Ron first.

Ron-

Hey there, mate. The Muggles are treating me ok, pretty much ignoring me like they did last year. Yeah, I can't wait until next year either. I think when I step out the front door here for the last time I'm going to jump about a kilometer in the air in joy. I guess I will be moving in with Remus. It'll seem weird to live in the same house that Sirius grew up in, but it would be great if the three of us could live together! I don't know so much about big parties, though. You need to remember that Remus will also be living there. I know he used to be a Marauder, but that was a long time ago. Oh, and very funny about me marrying Luna. I already told you, you'd be married long before I am. I don't know if it will be with Hermione or not, but regardless, I'll be fitting at last half of the bill for you. I'll be sure that the reception has plenty of food for you! And what was that about not seeing Luna or Hermione naked? You better mind yourself; Hermione would box your ears if she heard you say something like that. Hermione and I do stay in touch, and she told me to tell you she's looking forward to coming to the Burrow when she comes home in a few weeks. She also wanted me to give you a whack on the back of the head for asking her in your last letter if there were any girls on the Isle of Man. I'm glad to hear that your dad is doing better, last year at this time I know he was under a lot of pressure. I can't get over Percy getting married. I'm really glad he rejoined the family; I know Ginny had missed him. He's a lucky guy; Penelope is a really nice girl. It'll be interesting to see what Fred and George come up with. They better just hope your mum doesn't find out, or there will have to be one wedding and two funerals at the same time. As for Ginny and Neville, you need to relax about that. Ginny has a good head on her shoulders, and Neville is one of the nicest guys at Hogwarts. They both could do a lot worse, and Neville would never hurt her. Besides, are you willing to risk a bat-bogey hex? Keep in mind; Neville isn't the one you should worry about. Well, I need to write Luna back so that I can send Hedwig out with both your letters. Hope things are going well for you; I'll see you as soon as I can!

-Harry

Placing the parchment into an envelope, Harry then addressed it to Ron and pulled out another parchment to write Luna. This letter would be the more difficult to write. He knew what he wanted to tell her, what he wanted the whole world to know, but he also knew that he couldn't write that. With a deep sigh he dipped his quill in his ink well and began to write.

Dear Luna-

I miss you, too. How are things in Norway? Came across many ancient Viking magical ruins? You might want to check on that rumor about them being in America first, I think you may be confusing them with an American football team. It may be a while before you get your O.W.L. results; I didn't get mine until close to the end of July. Yeah, Hermione said that they were hard as well, but I'm sure you'll do great like she did. I really hope you can make it to the Burrow for my birthday, having you there would be the best gift I could get. I'm not sure about having another "ceremony" like they did last year; I think that was just because of my turning sixteen. Besides, we need to be careful. I'd very much like to kiss you again, but that might lead to problems. I think of you when I listen to music as well. I keep on seeing your beautiful face with your gorgeous eyes, and your sweet and innocent laugh always beings a smile to my face. I know I shouldn't send you mixed signals all the time, but I really can't give you what you want, no matter how much I want to be the one to give it. I like to look up at the moon as well. I look at it and think about where you are and what you're doing. Maybe when we get to the Burrow we could take a nighttime stroll around the pond? It really is beautiful out there at night. Maybe you're right; maybe love will conquer all. You told me once that I was worth the wait. I can hardly believe that I am, but I do know that you are. Thank you for sticking by me and caring about me, I can't tell you how much it means to me. Well, I need to finish this up to send Hedwig out with it. I can't wait to see you again. I'll be thinking of you.

Always,

Harry

P.S. I head this song today and it reminded me of our relationship. I can only hope that the future will see it change into what we both want.

That For You

I'm not made of gold

I thought I told you so

With your hopes so high

I'll tell you one more time

You'll hear me if you try

I could never be that for you

I could never be that for you

I could never take your cloudy skies and make them blue

Keep on telling me I light your day

Hanging on to every word I say

I could never be that for you

That for you

Put it on the line

Wear it on your sleeve

It's up to me now

But I'll never make your broken heart begin to beat

I can't be your everything

I can not make things right

I'll tell you one more time

Maybe you'll hear me if you try

I could never be that for you

That for you

Folding Luna's letter into another envelope, Harry then walked over and opened the door to Hedwig's cage. For her part, Hedwig seemed to welcome the idea of a night flight.

"Hey girl, I've got a letter here for Ron and one for Luna. Try and get them to write back. You can peck Ron all you want, but go easy on Luna. Have a safe trip."

Harry then brought his owl over to the window and felt his arm weigh down as she took off. Watching until she was out of sight, he then turned and walked back over to his bed. Being able to write down his thoughts had helped him relax a bit and he was feeling a little tired now. As images of Luna looking up at their shared moon brought a smile to his lips, tiredness overtook him and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Despite his aunt and uncle ignoring him, Dudley was continuing to make his life as miserable as he could. Harry's cousin was still working out and boxing and he was now a veritable gorilla with only marginally better social skills. He continued to stalk the neighborhood with his gang of ruffians beating up random boys from ages six to sixteen, along with making lewd comments and gestures to any females that they came across. When no other distraction presented itself, they were more than happy to fall back on their favorite target of all- Harry.

True, Harry had put his own considerable muscle onto his once scrawny frame, but that would have only come in handy in a fair fight, something that the boys had never presented to anyone yet. One activity they enjoyed the most was to wait for Harry behind the shed in the back of the Dursley house. Uncle Vernon, knowing full well what would occur, would tell Harry to take out the trash, which was to be put next to the shed, and Harry would then walk into their ambush. Harry of course knew this would happen, but he would go along with it all the same. For him, it was easier to get the assured daily pounding over with so that he could get on with his day. The waiting was always worse than the actual beating itself. He had also learned not to strike back, since that only inspired them to more punishment that he didn't want. Once the beating was over, the boys would leave to go vandalize the park while Harry would limp back to the house and get cleaned up. Some nights he was lucky. The rest of the family would go out to eat and he would be left alone to study for the coming year and write letters while listening to music. Hermione would always get concerned when she saw him in her mirror after the fights, but admitted that he had very little recourse. She knew he had to stay there for "some reason", and since he couldn't use magic because of his still being underage there wasn't much he could do. Harry always ended up feeling worse for Hermione than he did himself when he would talk to her at these times. He could tell how truly concerned she was for him and that caused him to feel the all too familiar tightening in his chest at the thought of what pain it would cause her if she knew what his future held for him. A few bruises and scars would be nothing compared to what he was destined to face from Voldemort when the time came.

When his cousin and his gang of delinquents weren't beating him up or he wasn't studying for the year ahead, Harry focused on being physically prepared for whatever he may eventually be facing. He would wake early every morning and run the six-mile route from Smelting's and back. Smelting's was where his uncle worked as an assistant manager. Harry always wondered why his uncle would bother driving back and forth every day when it wasn't that far. He would then get an image of his rotund uncle on a bicycle and he would still be laughing when he returned to the house again. In the afternoons he would slip down to the cellar and use the state of the art nautilus equipment that Vernon had purchased for Dudley's training. Dudley had used it quite a lot in the beginning, but like everything else that had been given to him over the years, he had gotten bored with it and now had almost completely forgotten about it. Harry, on the other hand, loved to come down when nobody was paying attention to him, which was quite a lit of the time, and vent his frustrations on the gleaming metal fitness equipment. He stepped up the amount of weights everyday as he pushed himself like a man possessed. Curls, dead lifts, squats, he would work every part of his body that he could until he heard his uncle come home from work. Luckily, Harry was still relegated to wearing Dudley's old clothes that hung from his body like a circus tent so that the state of his physical self was not noticeable to anyone else. If it had been, his secret would have been out and he would have almost certainly been punished for it. He wisely decided that he would rather not go back to that again.

In the evenings after dinner and any potential beatings from Dudley and his company, he would go out for another run. This time he would run through the streets around the neighborhood. Being away from the Dursley's prying eyes, he would wear clothes more conducive to running when he did this. He liked running around the neighborhood in the relative cool of the evening so that he could look into the windows and look in at the normalcy of family life that he had been deprived of. The sight of families gathered around the glow of a television set caused him to feel hope for the future for some reason, as if he could believe that it could someday be him with his own family gathered around him. He almost felt guilty for thinking of something to unlikely, but he couldn't help but wish for it anyway. This reverie was usually interrupted by a whistle of a shout from a girl that had spotted him running and wanted him to be aware of their appreciation of his form. This would cause Harry's face to redden and he would then pick up the pace to get away from there as soon as possible. He may have faced the darkest wizard the world had ever known more times than anyone had before him, but the threat of a lust crazed girl, or in some cases woman, sent shivers down his spine. Because, even though he was the boy-who-lived, and even though his body had become something like an ancient Greek sculpture, he was still just Harry Potter.

The day that changed everything dawned like any other day. Harry awoke at a little after four in the morning and was out jogging by a quarter until five. The fresh morning air and the absence of people were always his favorite way to start the day. The rush of crowds and petrol fumes of later in the day always gave him a headache. On his way back to Privet Drive he passed his uncle's Astra turning onto the main street from Magnolia Crescent. As always, his uncle made no indication that he had seen him and drove on. Uncle Vernon always liked to be the first one into work in the morning. It wasn't that he was overly dedicated, be just liked to get there early so he could be sure to mark down the names of anyone that was late so that he could pass it on to the general manager. Needless to say, he was not invited out to lunch very often in the office.

Once back home, Harry grabbed a quick breakfast hours before Dudley would be waddling out of bed and then went upstairs to get a shower and change into some of his cousin's old cast off clothes. Once his body was safely hidden inside the yards of fabric he went back into his room and set about his summer reading and waiting for Hedwig to return. He had learned earlier in the summer not to even try to get hold of Hermione before noon. She liked the early morning almost as much as Ron did. He sat there for most of the morning and early afternoon before he decided that he should take a break and get some time in on the exercise equipment before his uncle got home. Dudley would be out beating someone up or propositioning a girl with his gang of thugs so he could slip down unnoticed, since Petunia would likely be over at Mrs. Next door's talking about that new young couple that had moved in a block over that was rumored not have been married. It was when Harry unlocked his door to head downstairs that he realized his plan wasn't going to work out this time.

Harry would have had to admit, Dudley did have the makings of a good boxer. From the punch he'd just received to the nose he'd say he was a natural. Later he would wonder how long his cousin had been standing there waiting for his opportunity to hit him, but at the moment he was more concerned with the loud crack that he heard when the meaty fist struck his face and the clunk of his glasses landing in the distance somewhere. As the initial shock wore off, the sound of laughter caused him to snap back into reality.

"What's the matter, Potter? I thought you were supposed to be some kind of great wizard and one punch can knock you out? Not so tough without your wand, are you? I never did pay you back for what you did to me two years ago, did I? All that flannel about dementos or whatever you called them. Well, I've got a demento for you right here."

Dudley then gave Harry a right cross to the jaw that caused another sickening crunching sound. Of the myriad of thoughts that now raced through Harry's head, the one he focused on now was that, unless he did something soon, Dudley could end up killing him, whether he actually intended to or not.

The first thing he needed to do was find his glasses. He set about patting the floor all around to find them, causing his fat cousin to laugh even more at him. Fortunately, he was able to find them before Dudley had a chance to step on them. They were still intact, likely thanks to Hermione's help with them over the years, so he put them on and shielded himself from the next shot that had been aimed at his chest. From the force of the punch, Harry was certain that it would have surely splintered his ribs if it had found its mark.

Harry fighting back, or at least defending himself, seemed to encourage Dudley. He was about to go into his boxing stance when he noticed all the letters and papers lying about on Harry's desk. Beating Harry up could wait, what he wanted now was to humiliate him first.

"What's all this, Potter? Letters from your redheaded boy friend? Is he lonely without you? Are you two getting married? You'll burn in hell just like your parents, you fag!"

The mention of his parents caused Harry to become angrier than he had been. The blood gushing from his nose increased due to his increased heart rate and his broken jaw screamed in agony from his clenching his teeth so hard together. Harry didn't notice any of this. If he hadn't been so mad he would have also felt the crackle of magical energy surrounding his clenched hands. Stupidly, Dudley picked a few of the letters up and read them over.

"What kind of a stupid name is Luna? Is she a stripper or something? Is it that girl that you are always with at King's Cross? I thought her name was Hermaphrodite or something like that. You must be using magic to pull a bitch like that with those tits. What's this about her being in love with you? How? Who would ever want a pathetic orphan piece of shit like you? And you said you couldn't love her back? Well, of course you can't, she doesn't have a dick for you to suck on."

The crackling energy was now sliding it's way up Harry's arm as he got madder and madder. Dudley could have beaten him into a coma and he could have stood it but this was too much and it would be stopped for good, right now.

"Dudley, you will put my letters back and never come into my room again. And, if you say anything about Luna or Hermione again you will pay...dearly."

The look on Harry's face and the hardness to his voice caused a flicker of fear to appear in Dudley's piggy eyes for a moment, but his arrogance quickly returned to the fore.

"Ha, what are you going to do without your wand? You couldn't lift my jock strap, you pathetic little...

Dudley never got a chance to finish telling Harry what he was. The next thing he knew he was back across the hall in his own room again. The problem with this was that there were now two Dudley sized holes in the walls from here he had been forced through them and there was a large knot in the back of his head forming from where he had slammed hard against his bedpost that had arrested his momentum before he could be blasted through his other wall and out onto the front lawn. Hearing the noise, the newly arrived uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia raced up the stairs to see what had happened. Seeing the destruction that had taken place, the both of them stood open mouthed looking through the walls from one boy to the other. Uncle Vernon finally found his voice and narrowed his eyes at Harry, a very common occurrence by now.

"What the bloody hell happened? What did you do to my son you...you freak?"

Harry felt the tingling all over his body now and feared what it could mean. He had obviously used magic, but he hadn't meant to. He also wasn't in possession of his wand. He had done something similar to this back in third year, but this time felt different. Thinking of all these things caused him to ignore his uncle's question, causing said uncle to forget his own fear of retribution from the order.

"Answer me, boy! How dare you assault my son in this way? We all put up with your...condition, and this is how you repay us? How could you attack poor Dudley? Who's going to fix this damn wall?"

Harry slowly came back into reality while the crackling energy surrounding him started to diminish. Taking in his surroundings, he could now see his very red faced uncle standing toe to toe with him, while his aunt was in Dudley's room across the hall attempting to bring the boy back to consciousness. Once the words his uncle was saying sunk in he went from shock and wonder over what had happened, to raw anger at him for his utter stupidity.

"What do you mean, 'poor Dudley'? Look at my face! Don't a broken nose and a shattered jaw give me the right to fight back? Who do you think did that to me, huh?"

The sound of a pitiful moan caused Vernon to look over at his son briefly to see that he was coming to. He then looked back at Harry with an even darker look than before.

"What's this twaddle about you being hurt? There's nothing wrong with you, well, nothing that wasn't wrong with you to begin with. You've got that damned scar and you're still ugly, but that's got nothing to do with my son!"

Harry could feel the tingling begin to start up again. What was wrong with his uncle? He knew that he'd never blame anything on his useless son, but how could he ignore the state he was in? Ignoring a few bruises was one thing, but he must have looked like hell now.

"Nothing wrong with me? How can you say that? Look at me!"

Harry then threw open the door to his closet and stared into the mirror. He was prepared for the swelling and the massive amount of blood he would be seeing, but the sight that met him was very much unexpected.

"There's nothing wrong with me...nothing at all."

It was true; Harry's face was perfectly fine, as was the rest of his previously beaten body. He put his fingers to his face to touch the places that had been broken and bleeding just seconds before and felt the smooth skin there instead. As he was wrapped up in his amazement over the unexpected healing, Dudley and Petunia came into the room with his fat cousin rubbing the back of his head where the angry knot continued to throb. Vernon took his son's arm to steady him and used his other hand to grab up the front of Harry's shirt.

"I've had enough of this! I've had it with your trying to hurt my son! You tried to kill him once before, and now you're at it again. Well, there isn't going to be a third time! I want you out of my house- right now!"

Harry stood there in shocked silence. The tingling in his hands had died down somewhat, but he was still stuck back on how he had not only blown his cousin through two walls, but had also seemingly healed himself at the same time. While he stood there trying to process it all, he was distracted by the small voice of his aunt breaking the heavy silence that had fallen in the room.

"Vernon, we can't throw him out. We've gone over this before. We can lock him up in his room again, but we can't throw him out."

Vernon released his iron grip on Harry's shirt and turned to look at his wife with the same look of intense anger on his face.

"What? Petunia, listen to me now, he's a menace! None of us are safe as long as he's here. He's attacked Dudley twice now, who's to say that the next time he won't kill him? He has to go- tonight!"

Petunia looked as if she was going to be sick. Her mind was torn between duty and fear. She was not used to making decisions- that had always been Vernon's job.

"Vernon, please, let's just get Dudley seen to and then have dinner. We'll keep Harry and Dudley away from each other until someone shows up to take him away. It shouldn't be too long."

Vernon's dark look became even darker. Petunia had never gone against him like this before, and he didn't care for it one little bit.

"Petunia, I will be the one that decides what happens in my own house! The best way to keep my son and that freak apart is to throw him out. I'm not going to sit around and wait for someone to pick him up; I want him out this very minute. You talked me out of this before, well, not this time. I'm giving you this ultimatum, woman. Either that freak goes, or Dudley and I do. So, what is it going to be? Your family, or him?"

Petunia leaned against the wall of Harry's room, looking as if she might faint dead away. After a few tense moments of everyone's eyes staring at her, she straightened herself up and looked over at Harry.

"Harry, do you know where we keep the big suitcase?"

Harry tried to read the emotion in her face and found that he couldn't.

"Yes."

"Then go and get it."