Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Summary: What if Petunia Dursley resented her sister, even more? What if Vernon Dursley took it upon himself to seek vengeance for his wife? What if Harry Potter faced the boggart that day in Professor Lupin's class? What if his deepest fear was not a dementor? Watch as a simple boggart rocks the foundation of Harry's world and the world of all those who know him. Warning: child abuse

Beta: MetalCloud and Lunicle (from the harrypotterfanfiction forums)

Story Note: This is the rewritten version of my old story Deepest Fear Revealed. The inspiration is the same, but the writing is a bit different.

Deepest Fear Revealed: Rewritten

By Potterworm

Prologue: Hidden Hurts and Hidden Truths

Sometimes, the minutest details can make all the difference in the world.

In another universe, not much different than the one we know, Petunia was even bitterer towards her sister, Lily. Instead of avoiding the topic of her freakish sister, she spoke often of the horrible crimes Lily had committed against her. She ranted to Vernon, and she let out all the pent up emotions of her childhood. She told Vernon of her resentment and her hurt. She told Vernon of her dislike. She told Vernon everything there was to tell - from her point of view, of course.

Now, Vernon Dursley may have been a brute of a man, but if there was one thing he concerned himself with, it was the happiness of his family. So when a young babe was dropped on his doorstep, he vowed vengeance against the boy and the society which had ruined his wife's childhood.

Other than their love for each other, Vernon and Petunia also shared another trait. Normalcy (and their desire for it) often controlled their life. And, by association, it controlled Harry's life too. He needed to be normal.

And so this other universe is not much different than the one we know. And it remains the same from any outsider's perspective. But when you look beneath the surface, you can find some things that have changed, and these changes are not for the better. As years go by, deepest fears will be revealed, as will deepest truths.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

As Harry wandered towards his common room, he barely noticed his surroundings. It had only been a week since the term had begun, and the fact that magic was real still shocked him. He couldn't help but wonder if his life would have been better had he known about magic. Would it be different? Could he have saved himself?

It didn't matter now, he thought to himself. No point in living in the past. Besides, everything would be better now. He could heal himself now. Finding the spell in the library books had taken him the whole week, but finally he would be okay. Normal, even. When Hagrid had told him about magic, shock had overwhelmed him. Once he was thinking rationally again, though, he had prayed for this moment.

He was interrupted from his musings by the voice of Ron Weasley coming from behind him. "Harry, where have you been?"

"Oh, I was finishing up the Potions essay. If I didn't finish it, Snape would murder me," Harry half-lied. He really did need to finish the homework; it was their first essay assigned, and he really wanted to start his magical education off well.

"So you went to the library?" Ron said, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Yeah, it was strange…there were books and everything…" Harry joked back in reply. Everyone knew Ron avoided the library like the plague.

"Very funny! Did you run into that know-it-all, Granger?"

"Yeah, she was huddled up in the corner under a pile of books," Harry replied, gesturing around to show the size of the pile. It went up to his head.

"Next time, do your homework in the Common Room. You won't have to run into her then."

"Alright, Ron," he said to Ron's retreating form.

As Ron made his way up to the dormitory, Harry glanced suspiciously around the common room. When his eyes saw no one, he snuck into the corner, behind a chair. Hiding in the shadows, he opened his book bag. He tossed out a few books next to him, Herbology, Transfiguration, and Potions, before he found what he was looking for. He looked at the yellowed parchment in his hands and read his untidy scrawl. With a nod, he waved his wand a few times, muttering "Episkey."

Harry gave a sigh of relief and put his books back in his bag before continuing to the dormitory.

Ron's snores were already filling the room, as Harry began to change into his worn nightclothes His back arched in anticipation as he pulled off his sweater, but he gave a sigh of relief when the pain was slight. He twisted around awkwardly to see his back and saw only faded marks. He examined his arms and saw the same.

It had worked. Normal. He felt normal.

His prayer was answered.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The weeks passed slowly, but classes progressed nicely. Harry was fascinated by some aspects of magic and bored by others. What struck him the most was the sense of normality that had fallen upon him. He lived for weeks like these. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and the same was true for Harry at the third week of school.

It was early in the morning, and he was taking his shower before the rest of the dorm woke up. Despite the healing spell, he still had scars on his back, and a few nasty bruises that he hadn't been able to heal. They were faded, but the scars were still noticeable, so he had yet to shower at the same time as his classmates.

He soaked up the warmth like a sponge, because the thrill of taking a long shower still hadn't worn off. Suddenly, as he was toweling himself off, and the steam had begun to dissipate, he heard someone coming into the room. He lunged for his shirt, and threw it on, and his trousers followed a mere moment later. When he looked up, he saw a tired looking Seamus rubbing at his eyes, half-asleep.

Seamus hadn't seen a thing, and he didn't even notice Harry, due to his being half-asleep. It didn't matter though, the normality was over, and the tentacles of dread were wrapping their way around Harry's stomach again.

The moment he finished changing, he grabbed his bag and raced to the library. His heart beat wildly as he headed towards the shelf. He noticed Madame Pince give him a strange look, but he assumed it was because of his frantic expression. He tried to tell himself to breathe as he grabbed a quill from his bag - nearly stabbing himself in the process - and a piece of parchment. He flipped through the book, and then another, and another, before finally he found what he needed. He scribbled down the spell, and the slam of the closed library book echoed in the library, before he fled to privacy.

He was hidden in a cramped bathroom stall as he stared at the parchment in his hands.

"Dissimulo, Dissimulo, Dissimulo," he muttered, waving his wand over his body. He glanced both ways as he left the stall. When he saw no one, he pulled up his sleeves and gave a giant sigh of relief. He twisted around to view his back in the mirror and saw nothing. There would be no more close calls.

There was absolutely nothing. No scratches, no faint outlines. Everything was normal. Everything could remain normal.

Author's Note: Please note that Dissimulo is a fictional spell that I invented. It's Latin, and it means to conceal, disguise, or to keep secret.