The familiar jangle of the belt echoed down the hallway, making Harry's heart miss a beat. He sat up in his bed, which was stained with a number of different colours - crimson, yellow...everything which showed the clear sign of abuse.
The many locks on his door all opened with a click, Harry jolting at every familiar little 'clack' of the metal... His door swung open slowly, creaking frightfully like in an old horror movie, and like a horror movie, the 'murderer' stood in the door.
Vernon Dursley was holding 'the belt' in his hand. It wasn't any ordinary belt - he had customised this one himself. At the ends he had super-glued large, pointy stones - he had also glued spikes along each length of the belt.
He smirked one of his evil smirks, swung the belt to his side, and lashed it at Harry.
'Don't cry, don't scream, don't give them what they want...' he thought desperatly, clutching his pillows in agony and despair, yet after the twentyith lash, he let out a long and piercing scream, which he was sure could be heard all the way down Privet Drive.
Even with his eyes shut, Harry could tell that Vernon was satisfied. He heard his loud booming footsteps walk away from his body, and shutting the door, locking every bolt that was on the other side.
Harry turned over and tried desperatly to hold back his tears, and tried to get to sleep....sleep would ease his pain...
- - - - - - - -
A number of hours later, in the early morning, Harry heard something land on his windowsill from the outside. Harry painfully turned over, feeling his ribs move slightly out of place.
"That didn't feel normal," he said to himself sarcastically.
As he stared out of the window, he had only just noticed something - the Dursley's had failed ot bar his window, like they had done just before his second year at Hogwarts. On the other side of the window was a large white bird, who looked familiar.
"Hedwig..."
The snowy owl chirped loudly - Harry hadn't seen her since Dursley had chased her away down the road with a rifle. Harry had been sure she was shot, but he was obviously wrong.
"H-Hedwig, shush....I'm coming."
Harry climbed painfully out of bed. He was sure his arm must have been fractured.
Using a surprising smount of strength, he opened the window and let Hedwig in. Even though she couldn't display facial emotions the way a human could, Harry could tell she was horrified. Hedwig quietly flew over to his bed, as to make as little noise as possible.
Harry rummaged around for something - anything - he could use to write on. He finally found a shred of paper which had been ripped from the photo album Hagrid had gave him in his first year. The painful memories came back to him, when Harry had watched Vernon rip up his photo album, before burning it. He spotted a biro under his bed, which had been used by Dudley to stab Harry painfully in the leg.
He started to write, with shaky hands,
"To whoever Hedwig brings it to,
Get me away from this place, Please, I feel like they will kill me at any time.
Harry."
Harry checked the letter, read it twice through - his hand was shaking so violently the words were barely legible. He had no more paper, however - He rolled the paper up and gave it to Hedwig.
"Hedwig, take that to anyone, anyone...Ron, Hermione, Dumblefore, Hell, even Snape...please, just take it."
Hedwig nuzzled Harry under his chin affectionatly, which made Harry smile. He stroked her along her back, and smiled. With that, Hedwig flew out of the window and into the horizon.
"Please, hurry...."
Harry crawled back into his 'bed', and drifted off into what he hoped was sleep.
- - - - - - - -
Severus Snape looked out into the morning, inhaling the crisp air. The landscape around his derelict home was beautiful
- this was one of the only times he could come to his family mansion, when he had no more errands at Hogwarts. Though this place had many painful memories etched into it's past, when his family was not here, it had an ambience on peacefulness flowing al throught the mansion and its grounds. Severus felt so content he had even washed his hair, and it was now a non-greasy sort of silky smooth.
He had just turned away to go to the Great Hall when something had flown into the back of his neck. He felt the sharp pain of talons digging into his neck, and let out an 'argh' of pain. He turned around to see a large snowy owl on his desk, hooting loudly.
"Isn't that - aren't you Potter's owl?" he said quietly, spitting when he said 'Potter'.
The snowy owl nipped the back of his hand.
"Ow! Jesus - ow, what is it?"
Hedwig held out the leg which held the letter which Harry had given her, and he took it reluctantly.
"What the - I can't even read this, you stupid bird."
Hedwig screeched at him loudly, which made him recoil, placing his hand over his ear to block out the noise.
"Fine, fine - uhh...."
Severus quickly made out the lopsided and altogether illegible words, and sneered.
"Kill him at anytime?"
He was about to throw the letter into the fire, when he imagined Dumbledore's reaction - it was a look of sadness, when he found out Harry had been killed.
"....Argh."
Severs strode out of his room and up a flight of stairs, into a large empty fire place. At that moment Hedwig came flying into that room, hooting loudly.
"Fine, fine, alright-" Severus rummaged around for a spare bit of parchment, fining a large roll of stained paper. He picked up a nearby quill, dipped it in a pot of ink and began to write-
"Potter,
Tolerate them for a little while longer. I'll inform the Order.
S.S"
He handed it to Hedwig, who immediatly took off for the skies.
Severus scooped up a handful of grey powder, and stepped back into the fireplace.
"Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," he shouted loudly.
He let the ash in his hands fall to the floor, and he was gone in a flash of green flames.
The many locks on his door all opened with a click, Harry jolting at every familiar little 'clack' of the metal... His door swung open slowly, creaking frightfully like in an old horror movie, and like a horror movie, the 'murderer' stood in the door.
Vernon Dursley was holding 'the belt' in his hand. It wasn't any ordinary belt - he had customised this one himself. At the ends he had super-glued large, pointy stones - he had also glued spikes along each length of the belt.
He smirked one of his evil smirks, swung the belt to his side, and lashed it at Harry.
'Don't cry, don't scream, don't give them what they want...' he thought desperatly, clutching his pillows in agony and despair, yet after the twentyith lash, he let out a long and piercing scream, which he was sure could be heard all the way down Privet Drive.
Even with his eyes shut, Harry could tell that Vernon was satisfied. He heard his loud booming footsteps walk away from his body, and shutting the door, locking every bolt that was on the other side.
Harry turned over and tried desperatly to hold back his tears, and tried to get to sleep....sleep would ease his pain...
- - - - - - - -
A number of hours later, in the early morning, Harry heard something land on his windowsill from the outside. Harry painfully turned over, feeling his ribs move slightly out of place.
"That didn't feel normal," he said to himself sarcastically.
As he stared out of the window, he had only just noticed something - the Dursley's had failed ot bar his window, like they had done just before his second year at Hogwarts. On the other side of the window was a large white bird, who looked familiar.
"Hedwig..."
The snowy owl chirped loudly - Harry hadn't seen her since Dursley had chased her away down the road with a rifle. Harry had been sure she was shot, but he was obviously wrong.
"H-Hedwig, shush....I'm coming."
Harry climbed painfully out of bed. He was sure his arm must have been fractured.
Using a surprising smount of strength, he opened the window and let Hedwig in. Even though she couldn't display facial emotions the way a human could, Harry could tell she was horrified. Hedwig quietly flew over to his bed, as to make as little noise as possible.
Harry rummaged around for something - anything - he could use to write on. He finally found a shred of paper which had been ripped from the photo album Hagrid had gave him in his first year. The painful memories came back to him, when Harry had watched Vernon rip up his photo album, before burning it. He spotted a biro under his bed, which had been used by Dudley to stab Harry painfully in the leg.
He started to write, with shaky hands,
"To whoever Hedwig brings it to,
Get me away from this place, Please, I feel like they will kill me at any time.
Harry."
Harry checked the letter, read it twice through - his hand was shaking so violently the words were barely legible. He had no more paper, however - He rolled the paper up and gave it to Hedwig.
"Hedwig, take that to anyone, anyone...Ron, Hermione, Dumblefore, Hell, even Snape...please, just take it."
Hedwig nuzzled Harry under his chin affectionatly, which made Harry smile. He stroked her along her back, and smiled. With that, Hedwig flew out of the window and into the horizon.
"Please, hurry...."
Harry crawled back into his 'bed', and drifted off into what he hoped was sleep.
- - - - - - - -
Severus Snape looked out into the morning, inhaling the crisp air. The landscape around his derelict home was beautiful
- this was one of the only times he could come to his family mansion, when he had no more errands at Hogwarts. Though this place had many painful memories etched into it's past, when his family was not here, it had an ambience on peacefulness flowing al throught the mansion and its grounds. Severus felt so content he had even washed his hair, and it was now a non-greasy sort of silky smooth.
He had just turned away to go to the Great Hall when something had flown into the back of his neck. He felt the sharp pain of talons digging into his neck, and let out an 'argh' of pain. He turned around to see a large snowy owl on his desk, hooting loudly.
"Isn't that - aren't you Potter's owl?" he said quietly, spitting when he said 'Potter'.
The snowy owl nipped the back of his hand.
"Ow! Jesus - ow, what is it?"
Hedwig held out the leg which held the letter which Harry had given her, and he took it reluctantly.
"What the - I can't even read this, you stupid bird."
Hedwig screeched at him loudly, which made him recoil, placing his hand over his ear to block out the noise.
"Fine, fine - uhh...."
Severus quickly made out the lopsided and altogether illegible words, and sneered.
"Kill him at anytime?"
He was about to throw the letter into the fire, when he imagined Dumbledore's reaction - it was a look of sadness, when he found out Harry had been killed.
"....Argh."
Severs strode out of his room and up a flight of stairs, into a large empty fire place. At that moment Hedwig came flying into that room, hooting loudly.
"Fine, fine, alright-" Severus rummaged around for a spare bit of parchment, fining a large roll of stained paper. He picked up a nearby quill, dipped it in a pot of ink and began to write-
"Potter,
Tolerate them for a little while longer. I'll inform the Order.
S.S"
He handed it to Hedwig, who immediatly took off for the skies.
Severus scooped up a handful of grey powder, and stepped back into the fireplace.
"Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," he shouted loudly.
He let the ash in his hands fall to the floor, and he was gone in a flash of green flames.