Smitten

The Dursleys left Harry sitting in his room, cold and alone. He had heard the door slam shut last night around seven, and no one had returned since. Harry had thought Uncle Vernon was joking when he said that he, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were leaving for two weeks; obviously he wasn't. The cupboard began to feel like it was closing in on him, and it scared Harry.

He had been locked in here many time in the past, but they always let him out within a day or two. He saw no hope in this happening now and it frightened him. He closed his eyes, wishing as hard as he could to be free from this place, and before he knew it, he heard the loud bang of the cupboard door flying open.

Risking his luck, he peered out the door, only to be met by silence. Harry stumbled off in a weak run and went up the stairs to relieve himself in the bathroom. With his stomach waging war on him, the next thing on his mind was finding food. As he walked slowly back down the stairs, though, a wave of dizziness hit Harry, forcing him to grab onto the banister to keep from tumbling down. His stomach rumbled again, the sound of it seeming to echo off the walls.

Harry checked for a the light switch as he pushed open the door to the kitchen. Flipping it back and forth, he realized there was no electricity. Even at eight years old he knew this meant that tonight he would be, once again, left in the dark. Shivering a little, he shrugged off the thought and opened the refrigerator door.

A strong smell hit him as he peered inside it -- the smell of mildew and the pungent odor of something long forgotten. He saw nothing inside the refrigerator, but two slices of cheese and half a jar of mayonnaise. Looking on the kitchen counter, Harry spottec a loaf of forgotten bread. Thinking he had discovered a feast, he set to work making a sandwich for himself, but when he opened the jar of mayonnaise, a sour smell hit his nostrils making them flare in disgust. Beggars could not be choosers, though, and this was all he had. Grabbing the bread, he tore off the moldy green edges, slathered it with the mayonnaise, and then placed a slice of cheese on top. Filling a glass of water, he sat down at the table to eat.

Ten minutes later, Harry wiped up any crumbs he had left and placed his glass next to the sink. He did not know what he was supposed to do now, so he wandered around the house. He stopped in the livingroom first/ There he stepped over to the mantle and peered at all the pictures of Dudley. There was even a family portrait of all the Dursleys hanging over the fireplace, next to which Harry noticed a bookshelf filled with the books Dudley would not touch. Many times Harry had wanted to just look at them, but he was banished from even being in the room most of the time. Taking a deep breath, he walked over and reached for one of the books.

Taking the book over to the couch, Harry sat down and opened it to the title page. "The Wizard of Oz." The title and the pictures inside intrigued him, and soon Harry was swept up into the world of Dorothy and her adventures in Oz. He smiled at the antics of the scarecrow and sympathized with the lion; he often could not find the courage within himself -- courage to stop his fears, or even the tears he let escape at night.

Two hours later, as the sun set, Harry lay down the finished book. He wondered to himself if there were such things as wizards who could take you away and bring you to somewhere safe, and if there were, where his was. Lying down on the couch, Harry fell into a dream of wizards, giants, and green light.

Harry awoke from his dreams with a start and realized it had grown late. Glancing down at his watch, he saw that it was ten and that he still had the whole night to go through alone. Shivering, he pulled his knees up closer to him and prayed for daylight to come.

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Dumbledore, a quiet and reserved man, was hard to rile up, but even he did not like to be disturbed in the middle of the night by a head popping out of his fireplace while he tried to sleep. Rolling over, he saw Arabella Figg, and she seemed beside herself with worry.

"Arabella, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late night visit?"

"Albus, I am sorry, but the Dursleys left yesterday and did not take Harry with them. Now there is someone moving around inside the house, and I do not know if it is Harry, or not. Do you think he is safe there all alone? He is but a child, Albus?"

Harry wandering the house alone did not worry Dumbledore. That the blood protection Petunia Dursley provided would not work if she were not there did worry him, though. Easing out of his bed, Albus headed for the dungeons and Severus.