A/N: Yes, yes, I know…I should be finishing
A Different Kind of Guy, but this plot poked into my brain and
wouldn’t go away so I thought I’d write it. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Not mine…it all belongs
to the great and powerful wizard of Oz…or rather…to the great and powerful
witch of writing, JK Rowling!
***
Summary: The night before Harry is sent his
first Hogwarts letter he has a very strange dream. Something about...
his parents…a mysterious letter…and magic… Takes place while Harry is
locked up after letting the boa out at the zoo.
“Go – cupboard – stay – no meals!” Vernon
Dursley shrieked at his nephew upon returning home from a ghastly visit
to the zoo. Harry left the living room quickly, with the assistance of
the sole of Uncle Vernon’s shoe. Rubbing the small of his back where his
uncle had kicked him, ten-going-on-eleven year old Harry Potter climbed
in to his cupboard and his bed at the same time, for the worn out old
mattress was the only thing that would fit in the tiny closet under the
stairs. Harry sighed. After accidentally letting a boa constrictor out
of its tank in the zoo, Harry was confined to the small, dark space under
the stairs until further notice. Only goodness knew when “further notice”
would be. He highly doubted that he would get anything to eat ever again
unless he did something about it.
Looking through the slats of the cupboard
door, Harry guessed it was the middle of the night. He wiggled the lock
on the door, wishing that Uncle Vernon hadn’t locked it. All of a sudden
he felt the lock grow a bit warm, and it slid a little under his fingers.
Eyes alight with wonder; Harry tried the locked door again. It opened!
Harry slipped out of the door, feeling very, very lucky, and went to get
some food from the kitchen.
A week or so later, Harry was still
in his cupboard. He imagined that school would be out for the summer holiday
now, and his birthday must be coming up, not that that was anything to
really look forward to. Sitting on his bed, Harry leaned his head on the
wall, staring into the darkness. A while later, sleep claimed him…
“Shh!!” The woman’s voice was excited
and hushed. “James, shhh! You’ll wake Harry! He’s ever so excited about
the letter. It’s been all I can do to get him into bed and asleep this
week! He wanted to keep watch at the window tonight. You did hear from
Hagrid, didn’t you?” Her shape was blurred, but Harry saw her beautiful
face, looking expectant and her long red hair shining in the firelight
of a cozy cottage fireplace. The man, dark haired and handsome, answered
patently, as if he had answered the question before.
“Yes, Lily, it will be here soon -
in a week, perhaps. Don’t worry. Everything will be perfect.” He wrapped
the woman in his arms and she leaned her cheek on his shoulder.
“I love you James.” She whispered.
A
flash of green light and the woman screamed. Harry tried to run towards
her, but the green light was everywhere, blinding him. He couldn’t see
where she was! A high-pitched laugh and the man fell. The woman screamed
again and Harry woke himself up, screaming too.
“MUM! DAD! MUM!” The sound ripped from
his throat, and he sat up fully, shaking. Harry wiped the cold sweat from
his brow. Still shaking, he slid the cupboard door open and tiptoed down
the hall. Padding to the front door, he opened it slowly, praying it wouldn’t
creak. Harry sat on the low, stone wall that separated the pristine yard
of Number Four from the pavement of Privet Drive and let the restless
night air wash over him, cooling the fever of the dream.
Harry thought bitterly of his parents,
and how wonderful life would have been with them. They loved each other,
and would love him. He glanced back at the house, where the occupants
were snoring uproariously. They had never loved him. Harry lay
down on his back on the wall and looked up at the stars. There were so
many of them. He wondered if anyone had ever bothered to count them before.
Deciding to try it for himself, Harry began to count, but fell asleep
after twenty or so.
As he slept, an owl swooped overhead
to land on the chimney of number four. It held a letter in its beak, but
as everyone on Privet Drive was sound asleep, the owl went unnoticed.
Harry awoke an hour or so later, and
slipped back into his cupboard before anyone awoke and saw him sleeping
on the garden wall. He shuddered to think what Aunt Petunia and Uncle
Vernon would say if they found him out of his cupboard. They didn’t know
that the lock on the cupboard door was faulty, and opened without a key.
A week or so after he was finally allowed
out of his cupboard, Harry was greeted by a horrid stench when he entered
the kitchen for breakfast. It turned out to be his new school uniform
for next year. Aunt Petunia was dyeing some old stuff gray for him. Great.
Thought Harry. Now I’ll probably be called “Elephant” or some such
thing at school. At least Dudley wouldn’t be there. He sighed and
sat down to eat breakfast.
The mail slot clicked, and Dudley,
rather than making the effort to walk all the way down the hallway, poked
Harry with his new Smeltings stick to make him go get the mail. Annoyed,
Harry marched down the hallway to retrieve whatever the postman had left.
On the doorstep lay a postcard, a bill and…a letter for Harry.
Fin.
A/N: well…it’s an odd little plot…I’m
not sure it works, but I kinda like it. I hope it’s comprehendible! Please
R/R!
