Preface

He took a few steps out the door and breathed in the fresh air for the first time in years. He stared up at the sky before closing his eyes. The wind felt good on his skin, the heat of the sun warmed his bare arms and face. He turned to look at his saviour and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Harry James Potter peered out the window and stared outside where it was currently raining. Oh how he wished he could feel the rain on his skin. From what he understood, most people didn't like the rain. His Uncle Vernon usually complained on these days and it usually put his Aunt Petunia in a bad mood. He sighed, he had never had the luxury to discover whether or not he disliked the rain, or the snow, or the sunshine... for that matter.

For as long as he could remember, he was kept in the house. He was allowed to go anywhere he wanted inside, he could even watch the telly if he wanted, but he was forbidden from going outside. If the Dursley's had company, he was to stay inside his cupboard and not make a sound. No one could know that he existed... and he didn't understand why.

His Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Dudley left the house throughout the day, if he was left alone, he was locked in the cupboard. There were many times when he wished that they would forget to lock him in so he could sneak into the back yard. He wanted to know what it was like to smell fresh air outside instead of through the window.

He sighed and turned back to the dishes. The family had just finished dinner, one of his duties was to clean the kitchen afterwards. If did all his chores properly, he was allowed to do what he wanted, as long as it was inside. He planned to watch the telly with his aunt and uncle. This was the only time he could experience what 'outside' was really like.

As he finished the last of the dishes, he heard someone come into the kitchen. He turned to look at his overweight, purple faced uncle.

"Hurry up boy, we have a meeting with Dudley's school teacher. You'll have to spend the night in your cupboard," Uncle Vernon said.

Harry turned away to hide his disappointment. He quickly stacked the dishes into the cupboard and then he climbed off the chair and pushed it back to the table. He flinched as his uncle grabbed a hold of his arm. He wasn't hit a lot, but when he was, he was usually sore for days afterwards. Normally the man didn't touch him unless he was going to get a beating. However, this time the man just hurried him from the kitchen and into the hallway. His aunt and cousin were by the front door, getting ready to leave.

"Come on Dudders, get your shoes on," Aunt Petunia was saying.

"Why do we always have to have parent teachers night?" Uncle Vernon asked as he shoved Harry into the cupboard under the stairs. "Aren't report cards enough?"

"I don't know," Aunt Petunia answered as Uncle Vernon shut the cupboard door, leaving Harry in darkness. "This is a new teacher though, perhaps she'll be better than Dudley's last two."

Harry sighed. He felt very envious of his cousin, who was seven, the same age as he was. Dudley had started school two years ago, and was usually gone during the day, except during weekends, summer or other holidays. He wished he could go to school as well. He knew that the boy went there to learn how to read, write and have fun. He wanted to learn as well.

On some days, if his aunt was feeling generous, she would teach him something. She had taught him how to spell his full name, and how to add, but Aunt Petunia didn't have much patience. Most of what he knew was from the early morning educational shows. He knew his alphabet, his colours, his numbers, the days of the week, the months, and a few other things. However, what he wanted to learn most of all was to read. He only knew how to read: Harry James Potter and that was it.

Why couldn't he just go with Dudley to learn? Why couldn't he go outside? Sometimes he wished he would feel very sick so that he could go to the hospital (a place Dudley sometimes went), however, he'd never been sick enough to go. That was according to his aunt and uncle anyway... there were times when he caught something from his cousin that left him sick in his cupboard for weeks.

Lost in his thoughts, he jumped when the front door slammed. He waited for a few minutes before he tried the door of his cupboard, maybe his uncle forgot to lock the door. He sighed sadly when the door wouldn't budge. He didn't want to cry, according to his uncle, crying was a sign of weakness. However, he couldn't help it. Why couldn't he have a normal life like other children?

Was is because sometimes he did really odd things that defied logic?

A/N: You'll find out later why Mrs. Figg hasn't said anything to Dumbledore about never seeing Harry. And why he didn't do anything sooner. So if you're wondering about that, hold your questions for a bit please. Hope you enjoyed please read and review.

Right now I am trying to find out more about a child being stuck inside all the time because I think it will make Harry get sick easier once he goes outside more. I'm not really sure about it right now, but if someone knows, let me know. I am pretty sure I read some where that it can make a person more vulnerable though.