Post by Harry Potter on Apr 11, 2010 5:28:17 GMT -5
OOC: Again, just posting with myself. I will be doing this quite frequently. Don't mind me 
Harry scanned his messy bedroom again, unsure of where to start. But he had to. Start, that is. After nearly two agonizing months with the Dursleys he was about to leave. For good this time. Hestia and Dedulus were coming in an hour and a half to pick up his aunt, uncle, and cousin, and Moody was coming in two hours to take him by side along apparation to the burrow. So he most definitely had to be packed and ready by then. But he had so much stuff and most of it he probably wouldn't need where he was going so he wasn't sure what to do with it. Probably he would end up leaving it behind and whoever bought the house once they were all free of it would discover them and be amused and then throw them out, thinking they were props for halloween or something.
After another moment or two of indecision, he finally decided to start with everything other than his trunk which sat open on his bed. So he began collecting things from the floor, his closet, under his bed, and in all the corners. He ran the vaccum and dusted. Half of his alloted two hours was gone, he was sweating, covered in dust, and the trash bin by his door was overflowing.
Now it was time to attack his trunk. He approached it warily. For the past six years he had never completely emptied it. Merely skimmed off the top half of it or so, leaving a layer of junk at the bottom like old quills and memoirs of his years at Hogwarts that he would rather not remember like a Potter Stinks Badge that flickered feebly a few times before dying completely. He tossed most of it without even really looking at the stuff. It was only when he plunged his hand back into the mulch ten minutes into the process and felt a sharp stab in the forth finger of his right hand that he decided to proceed with a little more caution.
He kept his bleeding hand elevated until he crossed the hall and rinsed it beneath the faucet in the tiny bathroom. He fumbled for a bandaid in the medicine cabinet above his head and reflected on the fact that even if he was of age and allowed to use magic all the time, this tiny cut would have given him a challenge right away. He made a mental note to ask Hermione about it, as fixing and dealing with cuts and gashes was going to be important in their near future.
He wrapped the bandaid around his no longer bleeding, but still slightly throbbing finger and returned to his trunk to find out what had done the damage. It was a tiny sliver of an enchanted miror that Sirius had given him. He blinked back the tears that were threatening and placed the glass sliver aside for the moment.
Cleaning out the rest of his trunk, even going a bit slower, didn't take too long. He was sorting everything into two piles. "Keep" and "Leave". His cauldron, school books, school and quidditch robes, and other things along this avenue would be left behind while some of the more important books, his potion kit, his invisibility cloak, and his muggle clothing were all repacked into an old rucksack. RAB's locket, the maurader's map, and Sirius' piece of mirror were tucked into the outerpocket, which was safely zipped up.
Harry picked up Hedwig's cage, his firebolt, and the rucksack before glancing around the unnaturally tidy room one last time and making his way back downstairs. He piled his stuff by the back door and cautiously approached the den where his aunt, uncle, and cousin were waiting with skeptical looks on their faces...well, on Vernon's face. Petunia looked nervous, and Dudley looked blank.
[Time for some direct quotes from the book to be slipped in. yay]
"I've changed my mind" Vernon finally said, beginning to pace.
"What a surprise" was Harry's immediate retort.
"Don't you dare" began his aunt shrilly, but Vernon waved her down, turning to face Harry head on.
"I've decided I don't believe a word of it. You just want to get us out of here. Well, we're not going anywhere." He dropped into his favorite arm chair with a stubborn expression.
Harry wasn't sure whether to laugh or throw something across the room in frustration. They had been having this argument for the past month, ever since Kingsley and Mr. Weasley had come for a visit and explained that the three Dursleys were going to be in danger and had to leave. And his uncle had been changing his mind every twenty-four hours since then. There had only been one change of heart that had been particularly amusing to Harry and that was when Vernon tried to repack Dudley's bag, unaware that his son had added dumbells to it since the last time, and had collapsed in a fit of pain and swears.
"I told you and so did Kingsley and Mr. Weasley"- Vernon's shoulders hunched up at the mention of Mr. Weasley and as the man had once blown up half the living room (although to Harry it had been highly amusing), he supposed he couldn't blame his uncle for not relishing any memory that involved Mr. Weasley. Pretending not to notice, Harry went on through clenched teeth, trying to be patient, "...As soon as I turn seventeen the trace and the spell that protects me and you will break. And you will be hunted by dangerous, dark creatures."
Vernon heaved himself out of the chair, which groaned its appreciation, and began pacing again. "I thought there was a ministry of magic" he finally said.
"There is" said Harry, surprised at his uncle's memory of the inner workings of a world that he detested.
"There you go!" Vernon nodded forcefully. "Why can't we be protected by them from our own home? It seems to me that we qualify for some kind of package deal. All we're guilty of is harboring a marked man." He pointed at Harry frantically.
A muscle twitched in Harry's jaw. "Didn't you hear anything that we've been explaining to you? We think the ministry has been infiltrated. We're steering clear of it. But Hestia and Dedulus are more than up to the job. And they'll be here soon. There's no time for you to change your mind anymore. You're going." He pressed his lips together impatiently.
"Don't you dare" Petunia began again, but again her husband waved her down, staring intently at Harry, who stared coldly right back.
"Alright" Vernon declared. "Fine."
"Glad that's settled" Harry said cooly and he left the room. Moments later the doorbell rang once, and then about six times in quick succession. Harry knew it had to be Dedulus and Hestia as Dedulus was almost as fascinated with muggle objects as Mr. Weasley. Deciding it wasn't fair to ask Hestia and Dedulus to deal with his aunt and uncle alone before they left for whereever they were going, Harry undid the latch and let them in. "Hestia, Dedulus, thank you so much" he began but was interrupted from saying anything else by Dedulus' squeaky voice as he ran forward, and practically tripped into Harry, wringing out his hand several times.
"Harry Potter, what an honor." Harry smiled modestly and slid his hand free before leading the two wizards into the den where he discovered that his aunt, uncle, and cousin hadn't moved from their positions and that their expressions hadn't changed any either. "Good day to you Harry Potter's relatives" squeaked Dedulus as he bowed several times in respect, the same way he had done in the foyer with Harry. Vernon, and Petunia looked less than thrilled to be addressed that way whereas Dudley continued to stare straight ahead. "The plan, as I'm sure you know" Dedulus went on, oblivious to the tension in the room. "...is a simple one. We are aiming to time your departure with Harry's." He glanced at Harry briefly and there was something in his eyes that Harry was suspicious of.
"Mad Eye's coming to get me by side along, right?"
"Can't do it" Hestia spoke tersley, for the first time since they had arrived. Her expression softened. "Mad Eye will explain."
The Dursleys, who had listened to this short exhchange with looks of utter incomprehension on their faces, jumped as a loud voice screeched, "hurry up!" Harry looked all about the room before realizing that the voice had issued from Dedulus' pocket watch. "Quite right, we're operating on a very tight schedule, said Dedulus, nodding at his watch.
"Perhaps we should wait outside in the hall, Dedulus" murmered Hestia, obviously invisioning a lot of tearful farewells.
"There's no need" Harry muttered, but his uncle made any further explanation unneccessary by saying loudly,
"Well, this is goodbye then, boy." He swung his right arm up, almost as though he was going to shake Harry's hand, but at the last moment seemed unable to face it and merely closed his fist, swinging his arm like a metronome.
"Ready Diddy?" asked Petunia, fussily checking the clasp of her handbag so as to avoid looking at Harry altogether.
Dudley didn't answer, but stood there with the same blank expression he had been wearing almost all day. "I don't understand."
"What don't you understand popkin?" Petunia looked up at her son, concerned.
Dudley raised a large, ham-like hand to point at Harry. "Why isn't he coming with us?"
The temperature in the room might have dropped ten degrees in the sudden awkwardness that sprung up. "He doesn't want to" Vernon spluttered at long last. "Right?" His gaze found Harry's.
Harry supressed the urge to laugh derisively. "Not in the slightest."
"Well there you go then. Come on." Vernon started for the door. He only got a few steps before Dudley spoke again after an apparently painful internal struggle.
"But then where is he going to go?"
"Surely you know where your nephew is going." Hestia spoke up, breaking the awkward silence that had once again fallen.
"Of course we do" huffed Vernon. "He's off with some of your lot. Now come along Dudley, get in the car." Again, he marched towards the door, and again Dudley didn't follow.
"Our lot?" Hestia was outraged.
"It's fine, really" Harry assured her. "It doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter?" Hestia repeated, her voice rising ominously. "Don't these people realize what you've been through? What danger you are in? The unique position you hold in the hearts of the anti-Voldemort movement?"
She looked as though she could keep listing things so Harry jumped in with, "er...no, they don't. They think I'm a waste of space, actually, but I'm used to --"
"I don't think you're a waste of space."
If Harry hadn't seen Dudley's lips move, he might not have believed it. As it was, he stared at Dudley for several seconds before accepting that it must have been his cousin who had spoken; for one thing, Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself. "Er...thanks Dudley."
Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unweildly for expression before mumbling, "you saved my life."
Petunia broke down into sobs, staring at Dudley as though he had just saved Harry from a burning building.
"Not really" said Harry, continuing to feel as though this whole experience was just a bizare dream. "It was your soul the dementor would have taken..."
"Are we going or not" roared Vernon, reapearing yet again at the living room door and looking surprised to see his wife staring with teary eyes at Dudley. "I thought we were on a tight schedule" he added.
"Yes, yes, we are" exclaimed Dedulus, tripping forward to wring Harry's hands again. "We really must be off. Good luck Harry. I hope we meet again. The hopes of the wizarding world rest upon your shoulders."
Harry wasn't quite sure what to say. He settled for, "Oh...er, right. Thanks." He turned around to find himself nearly face to face with Dudley who had one hand outstretched. Harry had to repress an urge to threaten him with magic until he realized that he actually meant to shake Harry's hand and not bash in his skull. "Blimey Dudley" said Harry over Petunia's fresh sobs. "Did the dementor blow a different personality into you?"
"Dunno" murmered Dudley with something like a smile. "See you, Harry."
"Yeah." Harry took Dudley's hand with a smile of his own and shook it once. "Take care Dudley."
Dudley lumbered from the room, leaving Harry alone with his aunt. She seemed surprised and a little nervous. "Well, good bye" she finally said, without looking at him.
"Good bye." Harry watched as she hurried after her husband and son and then dashed back upstairs. He got to his window just in time to see the Dursley's car swinging around the corner, Dedulus squished between Petunia and Dudley in the backseat.
The sun was setting. It was almost time.
Harry scanned his messy bedroom again, unsure of where to start. But he had to. Start, that is. After nearly two agonizing months with the Dursleys he was about to leave. For good this time. Hestia and Dedulus were coming in an hour and a half to pick up his aunt, uncle, and cousin, and Moody was coming in two hours to take him by side along apparation to the burrow. So he most definitely had to be packed and ready by then. But he had so much stuff and most of it he probably wouldn't need where he was going so he wasn't sure what to do with it. Probably he would end up leaving it behind and whoever bought the house once they were all free of it would discover them and be amused and then throw them out, thinking they were props for halloween or something.
After another moment or two of indecision, he finally decided to start with everything other than his trunk which sat open on his bed. So he began collecting things from the floor, his closet, under his bed, and in all the corners. He ran the vaccum and dusted. Half of his alloted two hours was gone, he was sweating, covered in dust, and the trash bin by his door was overflowing.
Now it was time to attack his trunk. He approached it warily. For the past six years he had never completely emptied it. Merely skimmed off the top half of it or so, leaving a layer of junk at the bottom like old quills and memoirs of his years at Hogwarts that he would rather not remember like a Potter Stinks Badge that flickered feebly a few times before dying completely. He tossed most of it without even really looking at the stuff. It was only when he plunged his hand back into the mulch ten minutes into the process and felt a sharp stab in the forth finger of his right hand that he decided to proceed with a little more caution.
He kept his bleeding hand elevated until he crossed the hall and rinsed it beneath the faucet in the tiny bathroom. He fumbled for a bandaid in the medicine cabinet above his head and reflected on the fact that even if he was of age and allowed to use magic all the time, this tiny cut would have given him a challenge right away. He made a mental note to ask Hermione about it, as fixing and dealing with cuts and gashes was going to be important in their near future.
He wrapped the bandaid around his no longer bleeding, but still slightly throbbing finger and returned to his trunk to find out what had done the damage. It was a tiny sliver of an enchanted miror that Sirius had given him. He blinked back the tears that were threatening and placed the glass sliver aside for the moment.
Cleaning out the rest of his trunk, even going a bit slower, didn't take too long. He was sorting everything into two piles. "Keep" and "Leave". His cauldron, school books, school and quidditch robes, and other things along this avenue would be left behind while some of the more important books, his potion kit, his invisibility cloak, and his muggle clothing were all repacked into an old rucksack. RAB's locket, the maurader's map, and Sirius' piece of mirror were tucked into the outerpocket, which was safely zipped up.
Harry picked up Hedwig's cage, his firebolt, and the rucksack before glancing around the unnaturally tidy room one last time and making his way back downstairs. He piled his stuff by the back door and cautiously approached the den where his aunt, uncle, and cousin were waiting with skeptical looks on their faces...well, on Vernon's face. Petunia looked nervous, and Dudley looked blank.
[Time for some direct quotes from the book to be slipped in. yay]
"I've changed my mind" Vernon finally said, beginning to pace.
"What a surprise" was Harry's immediate retort.
"Don't you dare" began his aunt shrilly, but Vernon waved her down, turning to face Harry head on.
"I've decided I don't believe a word of it. You just want to get us out of here. Well, we're not going anywhere." He dropped into his favorite arm chair with a stubborn expression.
Harry wasn't sure whether to laugh or throw something across the room in frustration. They had been having this argument for the past month, ever since Kingsley and Mr. Weasley had come for a visit and explained that the three Dursleys were going to be in danger and had to leave. And his uncle had been changing his mind every twenty-four hours since then. There had only been one change of heart that had been particularly amusing to Harry and that was when Vernon tried to repack Dudley's bag, unaware that his son had added dumbells to it since the last time, and had collapsed in a fit of pain and swears.
"I told you and so did Kingsley and Mr. Weasley"- Vernon's shoulders hunched up at the mention of Mr. Weasley and as the man had once blown up half the living room (although to Harry it had been highly amusing), he supposed he couldn't blame his uncle for not relishing any memory that involved Mr. Weasley. Pretending not to notice, Harry went on through clenched teeth, trying to be patient, "...As soon as I turn seventeen the trace and the spell that protects me and you will break. And you will be hunted by dangerous, dark creatures."
Vernon heaved himself out of the chair, which groaned its appreciation, and began pacing again. "I thought there was a ministry of magic" he finally said.
"There is" said Harry, surprised at his uncle's memory of the inner workings of a world that he detested.
"There you go!" Vernon nodded forcefully. "Why can't we be protected by them from our own home? It seems to me that we qualify for some kind of package deal. All we're guilty of is harboring a marked man." He pointed at Harry frantically.
A muscle twitched in Harry's jaw. "Didn't you hear anything that we've been explaining to you? We think the ministry has been infiltrated. We're steering clear of it. But Hestia and Dedulus are more than up to the job. And they'll be here soon. There's no time for you to change your mind anymore. You're going." He pressed his lips together impatiently.
"Don't you dare" Petunia began again, but again her husband waved her down, staring intently at Harry, who stared coldly right back.
"Alright" Vernon declared. "Fine."
"Glad that's settled" Harry said cooly and he left the room. Moments later the doorbell rang once, and then about six times in quick succession. Harry knew it had to be Dedulus and Hestia as Dedulus was almost as fascinated with muggle objects as Mr. Weasley. Deciding it wasn't fair to ask Hestia and Dedulus to deal with his aunt and uncle alone before they left for whereever they were going, Harry undid the latch and let them in. "Hestia, Dedulus, thank you so much" he began but was interrupted from saying anything else by Dedulus' squeaky voice as he ran forward, and practically tripped into Harry, wringing out his hand several times.
"Harry Potter, what an honor." Harry smiled modestly and slid his hand free before leading the two wizards into the den where he discovered that his aunt, uncle, and cousin hadn't moved from their positions and that their expressions hadn't changed any either. "Good day to you Harry Potter's relatives" squeaked Dedulus as he bowed several times in respect, the same way he had done in the foyer with Harry. Vernon, and Petunia looked less than thrilled to be addressed that way whereas Dudley continued to stare straight ahead. "The plan, as I'm sure you know" Dedulus went on, oblivious to the tension in the room. "...is a simple one. We are aiming to time your departure with Harry's." He glanced at Harry briefly and there was something in his eyes that Harry was suspicious of.
"Mad Eye's coming to get me by side along, right?"
"Can't do it" Hestia spoke tersley, for the first time since they had arrived. Her expression softened. "Mad Eye will explain."
The Dursleys, who had listened to this short exhchange with looks of utter incomprehension on their faces, jumped as a loud voice screeched, "hurry up!" Harry looked all about the room before realizing that the voice had issued from Dedulus' pocket watch. "Quite right, we're operating on a very tight schedule, said Dedulus, nodding at his watch.
"Perhaps we should wait outside in the hall, Dedulus" murmered Hestia, obviously invisioning a lot of tearful farewells.
"There's no need" Harry muttered, but his uncle made any further explanation unneccessary by saying loudly,
"Well, this is goodbye then, boy." He swung his right arm up, almost as though he was going to shake Harry's hand, but at the last moment seemed unable to face it and merely closed his fist, swinging his arm like a metronome.
"Ready Diddy?" asked Petunia, fussily checking the clasp of her handbag so as to avoid looking at Harry altogether.
Dudley didn't answer, but stood there with the same blank expression he had been wearing almost all day. "I don't understand."
"What don't you understand popkin?" Petunia looked up at her son, concerned.
Dudley raised a large, ham-like hand to point at Harry. "Why isn't he coming with us?"
The temperature in the room might have dropped ten degrees in the sudden awkwardness that sprung up. "He doesn't want to" Vernon spluttered at long last. "Right?" His gaze found Harry's.
Harry supressed the urge to laugh derisively. "Not in the slightest."
"Well there you go then. Come on." Vernon started for the door. He only got a few steps before Dudley spoke again after an apparently painful internal struggle.
"But then where is he going to go?"
"Surely you know where your nephew is going." Hestia spoke up, breaking the awkward silence that had once again fallen.
"Of course we do" huffed Vernon. "He's off with some of your lot. Now come along Dudley, get in the car." Again, he marched towards the door, and again Dudley didn't follow.
"Our lot?" Hestia was outraged.
"It's fine, really" Harry assured her. "It doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter?" Hestia repeated, her voice rising ominously. "Don't these people realize what you've been through? What danger you are in? The unique position you hold in the hearts of the anti-Voldemort movement?"
She looked as though she could keep listing things so Harry jumped in with, "er...no, they don't. They think I'm a waste of space, actually, but I'm used to --"
"I don't think you're a waste of space."
If Harry hadn't seen Dudley's lips move, he might not have believed it. As it was, he stared at Dudley for several seconds before accepting that it must have been his cousin who had spoken; for one thing, Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself. "Er...thanks Dudley."
Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unweildly for expression before mumbling, "you saved my life."
Petunia broke down into sobs, staring at Dudley as though he had just saved Harry from a burning building.
"Not really" said Harry, continuing to feel as though this whole experience was just a bizare dream. "It was your soul the dementor would have taken..."
"Are we going or not" roared Vernon, reapearing yet again at the living room door and looking surprised to see his wife staring with teary eyes at Dudley. "I thought we were on a tight schedule" he added.
"Yes, yes, we are" exclaimed Dedulus, tripping forward to wring Harry's hands again. "We really must be off. Good luck Harry. I hope we meet again. The hopes of the wizarding world rest upon your shoulders."
Harry wasn't quite sure what to say. He settled for, "Oh...er, right. Thanks." He turned around to find himself nearly face to face with Dudley who had one hand outstretched. Harry had to repress an urge to threaten him with magic until he realized that he actually meant to shake Harry's hand and not bash in his skull. "Blimey Dudley" said Harry over Petunia's fresh sobs. "Did the dementor blow a different personality into you?"
"Dunno" murmered Dudley with something like a smile. "See you, Harry."
"Yeah." Harry took Dudley's hand with a smile of his own and shook it once. "Take care Dudley."
Dudley lumbered from the room, leaving Harry alone with his aunt. She seemed surprised and a little nervous. "Well, good bye" she finally said, without looking at him.
"Good bye." Harry watched as she hurried after her husband and son and then dashed back upstairs. He got to his window just in time to see the Dursley's car swinging around the corner, Dedulus squished between Petunia and Dudley in the backseat.
The sun was setting. It was almost time.
