Move On

Author's Notes- Hey people, this is my first one shot, so I hope you like it. I'd like to dedicate this one-shot to my sister who is currently holidaying somewhere in Italy and whom I miss very much! Thanks, and I'd grateful if readers please remember to leave a review!

Move On

It started after mum died from cancer. Dad was alone for a week before I returned home. Mr Watson had called me to his office to tell me the bad news and to reassure me that it was alright that I left for home and returned when I was ready. The funeral was scheduled for Sunday. I remember the lump that had formed in my throat and I waited till I was tucked up in bed before I cried. In the morning, I awoke to a snowy white owl tapping on the window, a letter in its beak, which I tore open. It just had to be a letter from Harry; why else would an owl deliver it? I was right, Harry had heard the news, he would be travelling home on Friday; I smiled, grateful that he would be there. Unsure of the procedures, I had hastily scribbled a note telling him thanks and handed it back to the owl; the creature had flown off immediately. In the next few days, I hardly spoke and I didn't eat. My mates left me alone, for which I hated them. I didn't want to be alone, with only misery to consume me. I packed up and left that Friday. The rain coming down in torrents, I dragged my trunk across the platform, waiting for the train to arrive. Ten minutes later, I sat drenched in a train compartment watching the rainfall, eagerly awaiting the comfort of Dad and Harry at home.

The house was deadly silent, the very house which was full of memories still fresh in the mind. Uncle Vernon's face remained forever expressionless and he left Dudley and me to deal with things by ourselves. I noted how he spoke to us both, it was in a cold, uncaring manner. I was coping, but Dudley seemed to be lost in despair. I could hear him every night, crying himself to sleep. Depression overtook him and he rapidly lost weight, which caused him to keep falling ill. Winter passed within Privet Drive and Christmas was treated as just another day. Dudley and I sat at the table on December the 25^th, eating micro waved soup from the day before, for dinner. The sun shone down on Privet Drive, but the curtains were drawn and it didn't seem to touch the darkness that consumed the house. Dudley and I were constantly left alone in the house as Uncle Vernon spent most of his time at the pub. He had lost his job because he would continually turn up to work drunk. Most days he left tins of food on the counter to make dinner, some days he didn't. He came home drunk most nights, telling Dudley and I of his most precious memories of his deceased wife.

It happened on one of these nights, Harry and I found that there was no food in the house and so we were unable to make dinner for Dad. We sat on the table rapping our hands on the cold wood, hungry and hardly talking. Dad arrived at half 11, eyes red and smelling of alcohol. He collapsed on the threshold and we both dragged him over to the sofa, heaving him onto it.

"Where is dinner?" he yelled at me.

"There's n-no food d-dad," I stammered. I had a sudden sense of foreboding, something was about to happen. Dad suddenly stood up unexpectedly and pushed me away from him. He had pushed me quite hard and I painfully crashed into the marble fireplace; pain coursed through my body and I screwed my eyes up with the agony. Wincing as I stood up, I realised I'd cracked a rib and I looked up in time to see Harry thrown across the room and slamming into the wall opposite. Dad stood there with a manic gleam in his eye, I gulped as I saw him remove his belt and I backed up against the wall as he slowly advanced on me.

It happened pretty much everyday after that, over little things like the tap dripping. Dudley and I were trapped in the house; food supplies were becoming less and less, as Uncle Vernon left no food or money anymore. I pretended in letters that I was fine, as were Dudley and Uncle Vernon. I didn't know why I lied, I just did. Ron and Hermione seemed to believe me and sent letters every other day asking how I was and telling me how things were at school. They'd passed their apparition tests and were studying hard, as the workload was growing bigger. It became pretty much routine. I just scribbled back short notes and sent them off. Hedwig died from starvation soon after. Dudley helped me bury her in the garden and we flattened the soil down afterwards, lest Uncle Vernon get angry with us for digging in the garden.

We found a guitar in the shed and we stood for hours on the high street, begging for money. Sometimes I sang and Harry played, and sometimes he sang and I played. We weren't very good, but passers by still dropped pocket change in the tin we had and it was often enough to buy some tins of food. I always thought Harry to be hero-like; we'd had letters sent from his school telling us of Harry's latest adventure. He was so....so strong and fiery. The fire seemed to have gone out, and we were now both together, miserable with what had become of our lives. The months passed and we both became desperate to escape. We set out one night, with a few supplies, but dad found us a few hours later, wandering around in the nearby park. We had been wondering where to sleep, when we'd been pulled into the car and kicked roughly into our seats. We'd only just entered the house when we turned to see Dad was waiting for us, belt in hand, and grinning. We didn't try it ever again.

Summer came ever closer and the owls from Ron and Hermione seemed more suspicious and worried. Still, I lied and reassured them that all was well and that I'd see them soon. I knew I'd do no such thing. I wasn't sure how I felt about going back to Hogwarts, what was the point in education when a powerful wizard was looking to kill you off as soon as possible? Anyway, it was too dangerous to leave. I'd remain here, and wallow in my misery.

It happened on June the 21^st, I can remember it vividly. Harry and I were alone as usual, when there was a knock at the door. We hid from view, glancing darkly at the door every few seconds as the knocks became louder and constant. It couldn't be dad, he'd never leave the pub so early, so it had to be someone else, but we wouldn't open the door, it might lead to another beating. Finally, after 5 minutes, the door flew open and slammed against the wall. Scrambling to our feet we got ready to run.

"Harry, Dudley... are you home?" called a girl as Harry and I met each other's eyes.

"It's them," he whispered to me as he walked slowly down the stairs.

I followed him and found him staring at the intruders, who I realised were Harry's friends, a girl with bushy brown hair and a familiar looking boy with flaming red hair. They stared back at Harry, evidently taking in his bruised face and black eye, and then they spotted me and stared at me.

"What happened?" the girl choked, tears welling in her eyes. It was Harry who answered.

"Uncle Vernon," he said.

Realisation slowly dawned on their faces and they turned to look each other in the eye; they looked at us once more.

"Come on! You're going to come with us. I can't believe it!" the girl said loudly.

"Get your stuff and we'll leave," demanded the boy. "You can't stay here!"

Harry didn't move.

"I'm not sure I want to...go," he whispered. The girl moved forward and embraced Harry, I could hear her whispering something to him. They broke apart and Harry slid down the wall to sit on the floor, the girl joined him.

"I know that," Harry whispered, his eyes red rimmed, "but its just...so..." I knew what was going to happen.

"I'm not going!" I screamed and ran upstairs. I could hear them chasing after me as I skidded into the bathroom and locked the door, sliding down to sit up against it. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave Dad; he was the only family I had and it wasn't his fault he was the way he was. As much as I wanted to escape, I didn't want to leave him alone. If I went with these people what would happen? I'd be put in a children's home, and no one would want me. I would be 'the boy who was beaten', classified as disturbed and potentially violent. I didn't want that. I had had enough change already, I had had enough! I wanted a family, a place called home. I wanted Dad to be normal and I wanted Mum. I wanted Mum now, more than ever. Why couldn't things be like they used to be? I listened to them arguing outside.

"Are you crazy?" the girl screamed.

"We have no choice... we'll have to force him out!" the boy shouted back.

"No, we won't force him. He's been through enough, we have to take him away as quickly and as willingly as possible, his dad's violent, and he's never going to change. Dudley deserves better than this," she said quietly.

Dudley sat there, as her words penetrated his mind, he was never going to change, never. It dawned on me that it was never going to be the way it used to be. There was no going back. Mum was dead and dad would remain violent and cruel. There was only one thing to do and that was to move on.

We all watched as the door unlocked and Dudley stepped out, forcefully wiping tears from his eyes.

"I'll come," he muttered. I wrapped my arms around him, giving him the comfort, I knew he needed.

"It's going to be all right. We still have each other; I'm your family. Your dad needs help and so do we, I realise now," I managed.

It was like a light had been switched on when Hermione talked to me, she made everything much clearer. She knew I hadn't had a carefree life, but she assured me that we were both better off, away from here. Her words were the answers to the questions I'd been asking myself and I knew she was right. After all, Hermione was always right. It struck me that I'd much rather suffer at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione at my side, then stay here and live like this. We had to move on.

Harry let go of me and I felt much better. The girl and boy looked at me kindly.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said and she took my hand and squeezed it. "This is Ron Weasley," she explained, indicating to the boy. "We're going to take you and Harry to the hospital and then call the Police. I think you should both pack some things. I'll wait here."

Dudley and I held onto Ron and Hermione as they apparated to the hospital and in a moments time we found ourselves standing at the entrance. After we were checked over, Ron had sent an owl to his mum and we next apparated to the Burrow, where we were greeted by Mrs Weasley who burst into tears at the site of us. The police arrived to talk to us both soon after and Uncle Vernon was arrested. Dudley and I talked about it afterwards and it helped us both feel better about it. Mrs Weasley was talking to us both when the police returned. They wanted a word with Mrs Weasley in private and so Dudley and I sat in silence until they walked back into the room.

"Pc Fen was thinking of putting you in a children's home," she said. "I told them there is a family right here, who would love to take you in and treat as their own. In fact, it would be a pleasure. Would you like that?"

Harry and I looked at each other. Ron's mum had been so kind to me ever since I arrived I couldn't think of anything better than being adopted by her. I realised that all of the things that my dad had told me about wizards were untrue. They were not dangerous people. In fact, I'd had seen the Weasleys before; I remembered where I had see Ron before. That day when they came to pick up Harry, Mr Weasley had been so friendly to dad, even though dad had been rude. The incident with that toffee had been my own fault; I shouldn't have eaten it, and the pig's tail? Well that had been dad's fault for insulting that Dumbledore fellow. I nodded to Harry, who turned back to Mrs Weasley and said yes. Mrs Weasley hugged us both, then, she addressed me.

"The police are starting to clear out your house, they found a letter in the attic, it was addressed to you," she explained as she handed Dudley a letter; Harry saw that the letter was sealed with red wax.

"You'll be attending Hogwarts with Harry at the next year," she gushed as Dudley read the letter. Harry grinned; Dudley was a wizard.

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Well I hope you enjoyed reading that... Initially there was a depressing ending... I'm not going to tell you what it was, because it was really sad and moving (well I thought it was). So anyway, if you liked it or would like to comment please follow the link to review! Cheers!