The anger caged children hold
Chapter 4: The anger caged children hold
He stares in disbelief and disappointment at the giant man in the doorway. Harry still standing in the corner of the room yet to be seen by the large hairy pile of rags that was supposedly a man, feeling deeply disappointed because the magic school that Selena had said was so amazing had sent a person that was quite frankly laughable to introduce Harry to the wixen world.
He was expecting some sort of teacher to come and give him his letter and maybe even help him convince the Dursleys to let him go, also tell him where to get school stuff. But instead, he gets this clumsy man who Harry doubts can do powerful magic, and the Dursleys will most likely not listen to a word he says.
The man starts to speak to a quivering Dudley clearly under the impression that Dudley is Harry. “Yer look different since the last time I saw yer, Harry." He tells Dudley in a booming voice a big (probably kind) smile, firmly set behind his matted beard. Dudley looks up in utter terror at the man all the while shaking like a leaf.
Harry takes a deep calming breath, checks that Selena is still invisible, and walks out from the corner and into the middle of the room to face the man. As he does this Vernon drops the gun, grabs Dudley and retreats to where petunia is standing in the far corner of the room.
“That's Dudley he's my cousin; I'm Harry.” He says annoyance leaking into his voice even though his heart beats frantically in his chest and all logic and instincts tell him to shut his mouth and hide. It's foolish of him to ignore, but... he needs his Hogwarts letter. He needs to get away from privet drive (Even if he can’t move out permanently at least he only has to spend summers with them).
“Ah, Harry! 'Las' time I saw ye, you was only a baby!” Said the complete stranger with a concerning amount of fondness. “Yer look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."
Harry narrows his eyes at the man before asking warily. "How do you know what I looked like as a baby?”
“Ah, well I knew yer parents, they were good people they were. I was right heartbroken when I found out 'bout what happened.” The man's smile dimmed and his beetle black eyes looked shiny as if he were about to start crying. “It was me who got you out of the house and brought you to yer aunt an' uncle. On Dumbledore's orders o' course.”
Harry felt anger light up like a bonfire in his chest at the man's words, all the wariness pushed to the back of his mind as he glared at the stranger with bitter rage. And Dumbledore? Who the hell is dumbledore?! Why did they get to decide where Harry ended up?
"You are the one that left me with them?" Harry points a finger at the huddle of Dursleys aggressively.
“Err...” The man says uncertainly.
"You and this- this Dumbledore left me? WITH THEM?! You chucked me out of the wixen world and left me to rot at privet Drive!? You kept me from magic !?” Harry snarls feeling as if he is drawing from the ever-flowing pool of rage deep inside his chest, the one that the Dursley’s have always made sure to fuel on a daily bases for the past decade .
"It was the safest place for yer Harry. That's what Dumbledore said.” Hagrid said nervously, he seemed to be shocked at Harry's anger. It almost seemed like he was expecting him to be grateful to see him, after he a complete stranger just turned up and told Harry that he left him alone with the Dursleys for ten years. Like he could just turn up and say Harry had his mother's eyes and that he looked like his father, and Harry would be happy to hear that.
He hadn't even known his surname until a few days ago. He doesn't know what his father looks like. Only just found out what his mother looks like from a DREAM! How is he supposed to be anything but angry at this man who chucked him to the Dursleys.
"Well! this Dumbledore was sorely mistaken!” Harry seethed, breathing harshly through is nose as his jaw felt clenched shut.
Selena hissed in his ear from where she lay invisible around his neck. "Be calm Star get the information we need and be angry later. Be smart like a serpent think and strike only when it serves you.”
Harry knew Selena was right (as usual). He needs to find out where to buy his school supplies and how to get to the school itself. He also needed to finally read his letter. So... he took a deep breath and did his best to stuff the rage down, anger is most useful when it is controlled. It will do him no good to throw his chance at freedom down the drain all because he couldn’t keep his temper in check. Clenching his hands in tight fist at his side he then looked at the Man and asked in and cool but calm voice, “Can I have my letter now?"
"Err…yer.. o-of course.” The stranger stuttered shocked by the rapid change of tone, and handed Harry his letter. Harry snatched it greedily from the man, he glanced at the Dursleys who were all huddled in the corner of the room terrified of what the man could do to them, they probably wouldn't try to take his letter now. So, he cracked the wax seal which must be the Hogwarts crest, and opened the envelope sliding the letter out carefully as if it was a precious treasure (because it was) the letter read…
HOGGWARTS SCHOOL FOR YOUNG WIXEN
~
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (order of Merlin first class.) Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, international Confed Of wixen.
Dear Mr Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School for young wixen. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the 1st of September. We await your owl by no later than the 1st of august.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress.
Harry stared at his letter the one he had been trying to read for over a week, and finally held safely in his own two hands. He was going to Hogwarts. Part of him knew he wouldn't fully believe it until he was actually there in the school, but the excitement of it all was helping him keep his anger down.
He already kind of knew that wixen use owls as some sort of messengers because the past week had been full of owls of all different shapes and sizes pointlessly delivering hundreds of school letters to number 4 privet drive. But he thought he better double-check just to be sure.
"What do they mean we await your owl?” He demanded.
"Gallopin gargoyles! That reminds me.” He said clapping his hand to his forehead with enough force to send a grown adult flying. Then he reaches into one of the many pockets of his huge ratty brown overcoat and pulls out a ruffled owl (Harry feels sorry for the owl who looks deeply confused after being shoved in a pocket for God knows how long) a quill and a piece of paper, and scribbles a message, as he writes he speaks the words aloud.
"Dear Mr Dumbledore, given Harry his letter, takin him to buy his school stuff in the morning, will collect your package from Mr Flamel’s vault aswell. weathers horrible hope you are well. Hagrid."
Hagrid, the name seems fitting, Harry thinks. Then Vernon seems to find his voice (Oh Jesus this is gonna be fun)
"The boy is not going! We have kept him from your world of freaks, and he will not be joining it now!" The indignant rage on his uncle's face is palpable, making Harry carefully back away until his back touches the wall and he has clear sight of the door.
"I'd like to see a great muggle like you stop him.” Hagrid says with a laugh, amusement shining in his beetle black eyes.
"He will not be going to that school of freaks!” Petunia hisses, her eyes flashing with a particular vile hatred that she saves only for Harry. “It ruined my sister it will not ruin him too; we kept him away from magic for a reason, it got my freak of a sister killed!” She spits the word magic out like its poison. Harry didn't know the details of how his parents died but he knew they didn't die in a car crash, and he had seen how his mother had been killed in the dream. He had a feeling Hagrid would be mad if he found out the Dursleys lied about his parent's death (As he seems to know them better than Harry ever has) so he decided to stir the pot, as a little act of revenge against the Dursleys.
He moved even further out of reach of both Hagrid and the Dursleys and said, "I thought my parents died in a car crash?"
“A CAR CRASH?! LILY AND JAMES POTTER DIE IN A CAR CRASH!!” Harry grasped at the name James.
James. his father's name was James Potter. Harry felt a twinge of grief in his heart for his father, but pushed it down, and focused on Hagrid’s yelling.
"This is an OUTRAGE; the boy who lived not know how his parents DIED!” The boy who lived why did Hagrid call him that? he filed the phrase away in the back of his mind for later.
“We didn’t tell him His parents were FREAKS! We kept the boy away from their un-naturalness in the hopes that he would turn out NORMAL! We didn’t tell him a word about what your kind can do, I have no idea how he knows about magic! I should have known the boy would turn out like them no matter what I did! He has always been a FREAK!” Petunia screams at Hagrid.
Harry watches as Petunia rages at Hagrid with deep satisfaction. For so long he has been the only target for Petunias anger, it’s brilliant to see it directed at someone else for once. He doesn’t really care that she is calling him a freak, it’s not like it’s a novelty to hear it.
Hagrid stares at Petunia in shock, this visit does not seem to be going at all how he expected. He recovers fairly quickly and goes back to shouting in his booming voice.
“YER kept him from Magic, ALL THESE YEARS?!! You told him HIS PARENTS DIED IN A CAR CRASH!? YOU call them FREAKS!?” And then he pulls out a pink umbrella that’s sparking with magic, from one of his pockets, and points it menacingly at the Dursleys.
That’s when harry decides to step in, as much as he would like to see the Dursleys turned into pigs or something. He needs information and he needs to use the Dursleys fear of Hagrid to convince them to let him go to Hogwarts. He could finally stand up to the Dursleys now that he had an angry Hagrid with a pink umbrella.
“Uncle Vernon.” Harry says politely, everyone turns their heads to look at him, they seem to have forgotten he existed, being invisible is a common theme in his life so it doesn’t surprise him much. “I want to go to this school, and I am going to learn about my parent's world whether you like it or not. How about we make an agreement that way everyone will be happy.” Harry speaks in an even tone not wanting to insight more violence than necessary.
“What could you possibly give me boy!” Vernon snaps angrily, his eyes fixed on Harry’s face with what is very obviously murderous intent.
“Well, how about this... you let me go to the school. And it’s a boarding School so I will be out of your house for nine months of the year. You won’t have to deal with your freak of a nephew. I will pay for my own tuition and I will buy my own books and equipment. You can be rid of me for the low low price of nothing. Does that sound good?”
“How are you going to pay for all that, boy!” He shouts, spittle flying from his lips and his face is turning an unhealthy shade of red.
“That’s not your business, uncle Vernon.” Harry says continuing in an emotionless voice. “Will you agree to my deal?”
“Not my business?” Vernon splutters. “And what if I say no, boy? what could you possibly do to me!?” His uncle blusters angrily, Harry knows if Hagrid wasn’t here then Vernon would have beaten him to a pulp by now.
“If you say no then Hagrid here is going to turn you into a pig.” Harry states plainly, as he gestures in Hagrid’s direction. Hagrid still has his umbrella pointed at the Dursleys; he is staring at harry as if he has two heads, but doesn’t say anything. The Dursleys are now staring at Hagrid and his pink umbrella in absolute terror. It's a strange sight.
“O-ok f-fine.” Vernon says shakily, fear dripping though the anger. “You can go but I will not pay a single Pennie for that school of freaks, you are not allowed in my home for any holidays, and I will not be dropping you off at that school!”
Harry was about to explode with happiness, he was allowed to go! He actually got Vernon to agree! He was going to Hogwarts with Selena. He would learn about his parents' world! The world he should have always been a part of.
“That’s fine with me.” Harry shrugs. “It’s not like I enjoy my Christmas with you usually.” Then he turns to face Hagrid. “Where can I get my school stuff?”
Hagrid blinks slowly, he still looks shocked. “Err… well, Dumbledore told me to take yer to get your school stuff.”
“I don’t need your help, just tell me where I can get my stuff and you can go back to Dumbledore.” He snaps at Hagrid, patience is an unreachable concept for Harry tonight.
Hagrid blinks again in confusion, and then says, “Ok, err… the leaky cauldron it’s a Wixen pub in London, muggles can’t see it, just go in and ask for the barman to show you the entrance to Diagon alley. And you can do all yer shopping there.” He says shakily.
“Ok, brilliant. You can leave now Hagrid thanks for dropping off my letter.” Harry says in an overly cheerful voice. Hagrid nods and fumbles his way out of the hut.
With Hagrid gone he looks back at the trembling Dursleys, they look confused and terrified, Dudley is shielded behind them as Vernon and Petunia stare at harry in shock.
“Uncle Vernon.” Harry goes back to the emotionless voice. “Can you drop me of in London tomorrow morning? I will stay in a hotel somewhere for the rest of the school holidays, I will be out of your hair till next summer.” Vernon grunts and jerks his head in what harry thinks is agreement, and then he turns around dragging Petunia and Dudley with him to the bedroom.
Harry watches them go, and then walks over to the sofa and settles down for the night. He stares at the ceiling and the reality of everything that just happened crashes down on him.
He stood up to the Dursleys for the first time in his life. He got them to agree for him to go to Hogwarts. He is going into London alone tomorrow. He is leaving the Dursleys for the rest of the summer. He is going to be free for the first time in his life. He can’t quite believe it.
“Selena.” He whispers. “What have I just done?”
“You broke out of your cage, Star.” She hisses quietly, pushing her nose into his neck softly. “We are free.”