Harry Potter Makes His Own Destiny

"Harry Potter Makes His Own Destiny"

Chapter 2 "The Letter"

Harry was going to be eleven years old soon, he would be changing schools. A momentous time for most children. In Harry's case, he couldn't think of anyone who would care. Certainly no one he lived with.

He and his uncle had locked horns many times over the years. Vernon had been worse since Harry's seventh birthday. Something had snapped in his uncle that day, Vernon had never completely regained control of his temper with Harry. As he got older their confrontations were less frequent, but this was only because Harry started to hold it in, crying himself to sleep in that little cupboard nearly every night.

Since that day he wondered where was this friend of his mother's? Why hadn't this person checked on him? If this person was a true friend they would have cared enough to see how he was doing. Was this person even still alive? For a long time Harry wondered why the teachers at school hadn't done something. He knew they saw some of what was going on but they turned a blind eye. How much influence did Uncle Vernon really have?

"Fetch the mail or you'll hurt for a week," Vernon told Harry. Harry was nothing more than a slave to these people. He had often thought about taking his own life, but an image of his mother and father would always come to mind at these times when he was the saddest. He knew they would be disappointed in him if he did that. He didn't even know how he new the images were his parents as he had no pictures, but he just knew. His mother had the most beautiful green eyes, just like his, and his father had the same messy dark hair, just like his. It was more than just similar physical attributes that made him know these were his parents. He could feel like they were reaching to him from the next life, and it would always lift his spirits, as well as make him sad in a different way because he missed his parents. He missed them even though he never really knew them. Each time it happened, Harry would get a little more determined to get away from this life, hold it in and get through. He knew he was meant for better things. He was going to make it, not just for his parents, they were his inspiration, but for himself, he wanted a better life, he deserved a better life, he would have a better life, just never give up. If he gave in the Dursley's would win, his spirit would be broken. His spirit was the only thing he owned, the only thing they hadn't taken away from him.

Pulling himself back to the painfully real world, Harry looked down at the mail. He stared wide eyed at the thick parchment envelope with his name and cupboard on it. He shook his head and looked at the letter again. It was his name, was this a dream? Then a thought struck him. Perhaps this was from the missing friend of his mother's.

Dudley saw it though and snatched it out of his hands saying, "What are you looking at? This can't belong to you. Wait how did your name get on this?"

Vernon grabbed it quick looking at it with a startled expression. His Aunt Petunia stared at the envelope dropping her fork into her breakfast. They exchanged glances and Vernon promptly tore the envelope and its contents to bits.

"What the hell are you doing? That letter was addressed to me, it even had my little hole in the wall listed on it," Harry exclaimed.

"How many times have I told you not to talk to us like that you little BASTARD," Vernon yelled, grabbing Harry by the collar an slamming him against the kitchen wall.

"No Vernon, not after this!" Petunia glanced at the scraps of the letter on the table.

The vain throbbed on Vernon's temple, his eyes bulged. Harry wondered if he had taunted his Uncle into yet another beating, or would Vernon explode first. Time slowed as he was thrown into his closet. He hit the wall hard and the shelves and canned goods rained down on his head. The door slammed shut. "Remember your place little boy," Vernon growled through gritted teeth. "It is only by my kindness that you have a roof over your head."

Harry heard the lock on the outside of the cupboard door slam into place. At least his Uncle would be leaving him alone for a while. It would be hours until the door was opened again.

Harry crawled out from the heavy pile. The room spun a little. He had better clean up this mess before any one saw, or this would be his fault too. He lifted the shelves back in place. With the final shelf, there was a sharp pain in his left fore arm and he nearly dropped it. He bit his lip, trying to fight back the tears from pain, then stiffened his legs to physically manifest his resolve. His right ankle gave way. Harry fell into a heap on the floor, tears rolling down his checks, trying to swallow his whimpers of pain. This time Uncle Vernon would not see how badly he was hurt. Harry would find a way to brace the injuries himself. He would hide it in the over sized hand me down clothes he wore. The thought kept ringing in his head, his uncle must not know.

Harry was grateful that he was a quick healer, but the scars were there, internal as well as external. But Harry was unable to do anything like attempt to retrieve the letters that kept being sent for several days.

It was Sunday and Harry could get around without too much trouble and was back to his chores when all hell broke loose. Apparently this friend of his mother's had finally realised he wasn't getting the letter. Harry was going to give this person a piece of his mind for waiting so long to check on him. He just had to find away to get one of those letters.

Some how he didn't think it odd the letters flying everywhere and the owls outside that seemed to be delivering them, on the contrary, it made him feel more normal, that the weird things that happened around him maybe weren't so weird after all. Harry finally was able to grab one of the flying letters and started to run when Vernon grabbed the letter away. He balled up his fist without thinking and started to swing at the boy. Petunia caught his eye and Vernon stopped in mid swing. "That's it! We are getting away from these damn letters!"

Harry was thrown into the back of the car and hit his head on the door while everyone else grabbed a few things. Vernon pealed out of the driveway, nearly hitting a brown tabby cat. He sped away not bothering to check if the door was locked, very unlike Uncle Vernon.