Harry spent a month in the cupboard without any food, just like his uncle said.
But that's alright, atleast Harry had more time to process everything.
He thought about lot of stuff, but especially one particular thing... the horcux in him...
Does he still have it? Or maybe the horcrux stayed and traveled back in time with him and his mind? Or maybe he has the horcrux in him because he got into his body from what he would consider as past self beforehe got sent back?
"That's maybe the reason I can still speak Parseltongue..." he unintentionally mumbled to himself a week after he got locked in the cupboard. Three weeks left.
Sure, he gets food, even though he only gets leftovers, and water too, he is fine, he had it worse before he got sent back, anyway.
**************
Three weeks later, he was let out of the cupboard under the stairs. It was very boring in there, but honestly, atleast he had time to process pretty much everything...
When he got out summer holidays were already lively. He saw two kids riding a bike outside the window in the entrance hall and Dudley seemed to be out with his friends, or as he calls them, his gang.
Of course, the first thing to happen right after the Dursleys let him out of the cupboard they told him to do the chores.
He absolutely doesn't want to be with his family nor Dudley's friends, so he spends as much time as he could outside, as far away from them as possible, for as long as he can. It's very boring but atleast he has a temporary way out.
But that's fine, he knows that next month he'll get his letter announcing that he was accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He just has to stay patient, calm and continue acting like he did when he was ten, no need to make them suspicious nor to get another useless punishment for acting up.
***********
One day Dudley tried to bully Harry:
"On that Stonewall school they apparently put heads of the first years in the toilet," Dudley was grimacing, clearly trying to provoke Harry, "Don't you want to try it?"
He hadn't reacted, he acted as he should and remembered what he said the first time and decided to say it again, becuase there's nothing wrong with just a little fun, right?
"No thanks," Harry said, repeating what he originally said as accurately as he can, "that shit bowl hadn't ever seen anything as disgusting as your head - it could throw up."
He then quickly got away, knowing it's not worth the wait and possible punishment that he might get from saying this. But he couldn't help but smile about it.
**********
One day in July, aunt Petunia and Dudley left and went to London to buy her dearest son new school uniform which they wear at Smelting's.
So Harry stayed with Mrs. Figg. She told him that the reason why she broke her leg was becuase she tripped over one of her cats. So it wasn't boring at her this time, she even gave him a chocolate cake, sure it tasted like it had a few years already, but he didn't mind, it had been what felt forever since he had anything good. She was even acting kinder to him then he remembered when it was the same time before. When he was originally ten he only thought that he had it better only becuase Mrs. Figg hadn't forced him to watch the photo album of her cats that time. This time he guessed that she was kinder to him becuase she knows that soon he'll get his letter from Hogwarts.
He knows that she knows about the wizarding world but isn't initially a huge part of it, because she's a squib. She's from a wizarding family, but she hasn't inherited the magical abilities. So now she lives in the muggle world. He also knows that she lives at Privet Drive because she's in the Order of the Phoenix and is supposed to look over Harry but not tell him about the wizarding world until he's old enough.
He even thought of telling her the truth at some point while he was still with her. The truth about that he somehow time traveled, but decided against it. It's probably for the best if she doesn't know.
*****************
That same night, when Harry was back at the Dursleys, Dudley came into the room, in his uniform. And just as he remembers; aunt Petunia started crying, repeating how much she doesn't believe her eyes, that this handsome, grown man is her little Dudders. Uncle Vernon also said that this was his best moment in his entire life. But Harry hadn't reacted much, he remembers how he originally thought that Dudley looks funny in his uniform, and honestly? He still thinks so.
*********
The next day, when Harry entered the kitchen he noticed a familiar smell, but he wasn't immediately sure why exactly.
"What's this smell?" He asked, genuinely wondering what he was smelling right now.
Aunt Petunia squished her lips together angrily. He remembered that she used to do that every time he dared to ask something.
"Your new school uniform." She replied, as calmly as she could.
"Oh, right." He mumbled as he remembered, if he were to really go to the State school he would've worn this. Oh how glad he is that he's a wizard and that he'll go to Hogwarts, oh and also the fact that he's really rich, atleast in the wizarding world.
"Stop being ungrateful." She told him loudly, "I'm uncolouring Dudley's old clothes. You'll have the same clothes as everyone."
"Okay," he said as he sat behind the table on a chair.
Just then Dudley and uncle Vernon entered kitchen, both of them not liking the smell, but ignoring it. Both of them sat down too. Uncle Vernon opened the Newspaper, as usual, and Dudley? Dudley brought his knobbly stick, which just like last time, he took everywhere, and now, he hit the table with it.
All of them heard the flap on the mail gap in the door and something fell on the floor. Harry's heart jumped with almost childish excitement, his acceptance letter from Hogwarts might've just arrived! He fought everything in him to not stand up and run to the door and check the mail.
"Go get the mail, Dudley," uncle Vernon said, not even looking up from the newspaper.
"No, make Harry get it." Dudley said unhappily.
"Go get the mail, Harry."
Harry suppressed a smile, he stood up and left the kitchen.
Once Harry was in the entrance hall, he wasn't trying to suppress his smile anymore. He quickly got to the front door and picked up the mail and went through it; a postcard from aunt Marge, a brown mail which by the looks of it, looked like a bill, and finally, a letter for him!
He fought everything in him to not make a happy sound.
He will finally get away from the Dursleys and go back to his actual home, Hogwarts, again!
He read the adress on the letter for him:
Mister Harry Potter
Cupboard under the stairs
Privet Drive 4
Little Whinging
Surrey
When he turned the letter for him around he saw the Hogwarts symbol: an H surrounded by four animals: a lion, representing Gryffindor; a snake for Slytherin; a badger for Hufflepuff; and an eagle for Ravenclaw.
He opened the letter, but just as he was about to pull out the contents of it when suddenly uncle Vernon called out: "come on! What are you doing there for so long? Checking if we hadn't gotten a letter bomb?" Uncle Vernon laughed at his own joke, but Harry was startled out of his excitement, memories and thoughts.
He sighed, he knows he has to go back to the kitchen, knowing very well that uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia are going to take the letter from him and act as if it wasn't important. They'll probably move him to the room on the second floor where Dudley left all of his old presents (which, he would be more then glad for, he doesn't want to sleep (and live) in the cupboard anymore).
So he got back to the kitchen, acting just like he did when he was ten. He was staring at his letter, trying his best to read as much as possible and suppressing a smile.
When he returned to the kitchen he was still reading his letter, hoping for the impossible: that nobody will notice that he's reading his letter from Hogwarts.
He gave the postcard from aunt Marge and the bill to uncle Vernon, who when he opened the bill mumbled something with a disgusted tone, and then briefly checked the postcard.
"Marge is sick," he announced to aunt Petunia, "she ate some spoiled oysters."
"Dad!" Dudley suddenly yelled out "Harry got something!"
Of course, just as Harry feared, someone had to notice; and of course it had to be Dudley again.
Suddenly, uncle Vernon took the letter from him.
"Hey!" Harry reacted and tried to reach for his letter, "That's mine!"
"Just who would be writing you?" Uncle Vernon grimaced, trying to make fun of him. Then he opened the letter with one hand and took out its contents with the other. Suddenly his face changed from red to green, to the point that there was no color left in his face, just as quickly as he remembers.
"P-p-petunia!" Uncle Vernon gasped for air.
Dudley also tried to grab the letter but Uncle Vernon was holding it so high it was impossible for him to reach.
But aunt Petunia eagerly grasped it, and just after she read the first line she looked like she might faint.
"Vernon! Oh my god - Vernon!"
Both his uncle and aunt were looking at eachother, both of them forgot that Harry and Dudley are there too. Dudley, who wasn't used to being ignored grabbed his knobbly stick and whacked his father.
"I want to read that letter!"
"No, I want to read it!" Harry said, almost angry, "It's mine!"
"Get lost! Both of you!" Uncle Vernon ordered, irritated.
Harry didn't even move, he knew trying was useless, but for some reason he just couldn't stop trying.
"It's mine." He said, almost scarily calm, but still somewhat sounding like a kid.
"No!" Dudley retorted "give it to me!"
"OUT!" Vernon yelled out, and grabbed Dudley and Harry by the collars of their shirts, and threw them into the hall, and closed the kitchen door.
For a while Dudley and Harry fought as to who gets the position in front of the keyhole, and Dudley won, again. So Harry had to lay down on his stomach and put his ear to the gap between the floor and the door. He doesn't know why, but he genuinely wants to hear their scared discussion again; maybe for some satisfaction of hearing his abusers be scared. He didn't know why, but he still listened in on their conversation.
"Vernon," aunt Petunia started, her voice shaking, "look at the address - how did they know where he's sleeping? Do you think their watching our house?"
"They're watching us - spying on us - and are maybe even following us" uncle Vernon mumbled, irritated.
"What should we do, Vernon? Reply to them? Tell them that we do not wish to..."
Harry noticed that, just like before, uncle Vernon was walking up-and-down across the kitchen, out of stress, irritation and anger.
"No," he said sharply, "no, we leave it as it is. If they don't get an answer... yes, that's for the best... we won't do anything..."
"But..."
"We don't have anyone like that here, Petunia! Did you forget already how we promised eachother that we're going to beat those dangerous quirks out of him!"
*************
When uncle Vernon returned from work that day he did exactly what he did originally. He visited Harry in his cupboard.
"Can I have my letter back?" He asked, already knowing that, no, he will not get his letter back.
"No, it was sent to you by accident," uncle Vernon told him, "I burned it."
"I don't think it was by accident," Harry said calmly, almost not looking like a child, "my exact address was on it."
"BE QUIET!" Uncle Vernon said very angrily, even a few spiders fell from the ceiling. It took his uncle a lot in him to calm down, and forced a smile on his face.
"Hm - yes, Harry - you're right. Really, a cupboard. So, me and your aunt, we thought... we thought that it's probably a bit small to you now... and that it would be probably good if we move you to the second Dudley's room."
Harry didn't even react, becuase, just as he expected, they moved him out of the cupboard, in an attempt to stop Harry from receiving the letters, which most likely won't stop Dumbledore from making Harry get his letter from Hogwarts.
"Okay." He just replied, a small part of him is glad that he won't have to stay in the cupboard anymore.
"Move all of your things up. Right now." Uncle Vernon ordered him.
And thus, Harry grabbed everything that is technically his in the cupboard, he realized just now how little he had even in his original timeline in the cupboard. Everything that he owned as a ten year old was enough to take up in one go.
Once Harry got into what used to be Dudley's second room he put all of his belongings onto the table in the room, and then layed down on bed and just let his thoughts do their thing. He knows that, just like in the original, because they fear that other people in their street are going to find out about his "weirdness".
Harry didn't pay attention to his surroundings, he knows that in this room are Dudley's old stuff which he got as gifts and right now aren't working or they are a book.
From downastairs he heard Dudley yelling at his mom: "I don't want him there... I need that room... make him get out of there..."
Harry sighed and stopped listening.
*************
The next day everyone sat with their breakfast, but there was a kind of quiet Harry hadn't experienced during food since what felt a few months.
Dudley seems to be still in shock, although he beats his father with the Smelting's stick, and was pretending that he was feeling sick, he kicked his mom and threw his turtle out of the greenhouse's ceiling, he hadn't gotten his room back.
Meanwhile his aunt and uncle were exchanging dark looks with eachother.
When the mail came, his uncle was trying to act nice to Harry, ordered Dudley to get it. And just like the first time, Harry heard Dudley knocking everything over with his knobbly stick, then he yelled back.
"He has another one! 'Mister Harry Potter, The smallest room, Privet Drive 4...'."
Uncle Vernon immediately stood up and with a stifled scream he ran to the hall.
Harry just stood up and calmly walked into the hall, he hadn't reacted much, he knows it's useless, he'll get into the possession of the letter soon enough anyway.
But Dudley, he fought for the letter. Harry just watched Dudley fighting his dad in an attempt to grasp Harry's letter, no matter how many times he hit his dad with the stick uncle Vernon still ended up sending both of them to their rooms.
When Harry got into his room and closed the door behind him he just sat on the bed. He knows that the letters will keep arriving, no matter how bad the Dursleys try to stop it from happening. He just has to stay calm, keep acting like a kid (he noticed it's getting easier and easier, day by day... "is it becuase I'm in my body when I was ten years old?" He thought outloud.).
***********
The next day it seemed like uncle Vernon was sleeping in front of the front door when him and aunt Petunia started talking about his letters and how they keep sending them.
Aunt Petunia is very scared but uncle Vernon is reassuring her: "you know, if they don't succeed they're going to give up" he said with his mouth full of nails.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Vernon"
"Those people are acting and thinking very strangely, Petunia, completely differently then the two of us."
At Friday Harry got twelve letters, they didn't go through the mail hole (it was barricaded), so someone pushed it inside through the gap between the floor and the front door, someone even pushed it through a window in the downstairs bathroom.
When Harry tried to get out uncle Vernon stopped him, holding a bunch of nails and a hammer saw him near the front door.
"What are you trying to do, boy?" Vernon asked, already getting angry.
"Oh, I just want to go out for a walk, you see." Harry replied.
"Well, you're not going" uncle Vernon is barely holding his anger back.
"Why?" He looked at the nails and hammer, and pretended that he doesn't know what uncle Vernon is doing that he's just taking a guess, "are planning on blocking the door?"
"Yes. Those darn letters won't come through."
Harry is almost fascinated how naively his uncle thinks. It's almost funny that uncle Vernon genuinely think that this will stop the letters.
"Alright" he made himself sound like an upset ten-year old. He then turned around and walked into his room, closed the door and layed down on his bed.
When it was Saturday he couldn't help but make the smallest smile you could ever see, by the first impression Harry didn't look like he was smiling but if you looked for long enough you could see the slight smile.
The situation got out of hand for the Dursleys. No matter how hard they tried the letters still came through. Today's number of letters was twenty-four, they got into the house inside the eggs.
"Why can't you just get them through the front door?" Confused milkman, who lives on the end of the street, asked.
"That's not important..." aunt Petunia said absent-minded.
So, when aunt Petunia tried to make sunny side-ups, she noticed that the eggs had no insides. Harry's letters were rolled in the eggs.
"Just who could care about you this much?" Dudley asked Harry, utterly confused, while his mom destroyed the letters in the kitchen garbage disposal.
While on Sunday, uncle Vernon was sitting in an armchair, looking exhausted and absolutely unhealthy, but happy.
"On Sunday mail doesn't come," he said boldly while spreading jam on newspaper, "no fricking letters..."
"If you think so" Harry thought happily.
Suddenly, at this exact moment, happened exactly what Harry was waiting for. Harry heard a whistle of something going down through the chimney and hit his uncle right in the back of his head. Harry couldn't stop himself from smiling; thirty, forty if not more, letters started shooting out of the fireplace. Harry felt nostalgia, he remembered how when this happened the first time he jumped onto a table and started trying to get a hold of atleast one letter.
He was snapped out of his memories, again, when uncle Vernon yelled: "out! OUT!" at everyone.
Uncle Vernon grabbed Harry around his waist and threw him. Harry hadn't reacted much, he hadn't gotten angry, he was only disappointed, and slightly surprised. He has a childish disappointment of not getting a hold of his letter, but he's also surprised. By how he remembered this exact moment, his uncle didn't throw him when this much of letters came, he only grabbed him by the waist and put in hall... he didn't throw him...
"Listen to me very closely," uncle Vernon growled, trying to be as quiet and as calm as possible, while tearing huge chunks of his mustache with both of his hands, no wonder his past self was afraid of his uncle at this moment, he does look frighteningly angry. "Five minutes later, all of you, be ready. We're leaving. Pack something to wear. No talking back!"
And everyone did as they were told, without any complaint.
When Harry was in his room he just packed all clothes he has, as he was told. But his mind was thinking of what's going to happen. Now they're gonna move from one place to another becuase of how terrified his aunt and uncle are, but no matter where they hide, the letter is going to get to him. Soon he'll meet Hagrid again.
Ten minutes later all four of them were pushing through the barricaded front door and sat in the car, rushing through the highway.
Dudley was sobbing in the backseat, becuase his father gave him a slap of a backhand, when he tried to pack into his sports bag: a TV, Videorecorder and a PC. Harry was impressed by the fact that Dudley thought all of those stuff were going to fit in the bag.
They were in a car for a long time, Harry wasn't paying much attention. He knows what's coming, he's just enjoying watching his aunt and uncle be terrified out of their minds. Aunt Petunia didn't even dare to ask where uncle Vernon is taking them.
"We have to get rid of them," Uncle Vernon always blabbered everytime he turned the car.
They hadn't stopped even once. Not even for food or water. Harry can't stop the fascination towards his muggle family; uncle Vernon really seems to believe that they can get rid of people from Hogwarts if he takes them somewhere far away.
When it was night, Harry yawned, he knows it's too dark to look out of the window and see something, and he's getting bored of constantly thinking of what's going to happen, of Hogwarts, but also stuff that he can change. So he just leaned his head on his shoulder, closed his eyes and sat back.
Thirty minutes later, Dudley started whining loudly again, which startled Harry out of light sleep. Dudley whined about how this was the worst day of his life, how he was hungry, how he missed five of his favorite TV programmes and how bored he is. Harry just stared at him, looking like: 'can you stop whining? I'm trying to sleep if you haven't noticed.'
Finally, after three hours since Dudley whined about this being the worst day of his life, they stopped infront of some old and cheap hotel in some big city. They got out, uncle Vernon payed for two rooms. One for aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, the other room was for Harry and Dudley. Everyone went to bed. Harry remembered that the first time this happened he was staring out of the window, thinking. Now? Now he was bored of thinking and tired. So ten minutes later both Harry and Dudley were already fast asleep.
The next day they had for breakfast the same old oatmeal and toast with cold canned tomatoes. It wasn't good, but he ate worse before.
When they were almost finished the owner of the hotel came to the table:
"Excuse me, is someone from you mister Potter? I have about a hundred of those on the reception."
She showed the letter, the adress now saying:
Mister Potter
Room 17
Hotel with the view on the railroad
Cokeworth
Harry tried to reach his letter, but as expected uncle Vernon slapped his hand and he said:
"I'll take them"
The owner of the Hotel couldn't be confused and surprised enough, but she took uncle Vernon with her and to the reception, so he could take all of Harry's letters and destroy them.
*********
"Wouldn't it be for the better if we go back home?" Aunt Petunia asked inconfidently a few hours later, but it seemed like uncle Vernon hadn't heard her.
They are already in the car, going somewhere... Harry thought of where they are going now, and then he remembered! They are going to that hut practically on a rock in the middle of the sea. Soon the Dursleys wouldn't be able to stop him from receiving his letter! Soon he'll meet Hagrid again!
Thinking about Hagrid... he feels incredibly sorry for the fact that he had to watch Harry get murdered by the dark lord, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard of this decade, (if not century,( if not ever)). Harry had so much fun and good memories with Hagrid... he was the one who revealed to him that he's a wizard and reintroduced him to the wizarding world...
"Dad has gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked his mom. Uncle Vernon has left the car, locked them in there and dissappear somewhere.
It started raining, on the roof of the car all three of them heard heavy and big rain drops. Oh, how glad Harry is that he's in a car and not outside it and not getting soaked. But Dudley started to sob, aunt Petunia absent-mindedly hugged him, but Harry just stared, focused on nothing, his mind in a forest.
"It's Monday," Dudley told his mom, "they have Xena on today... I want to sleepover somewhere with TV." Dudley whined.
Monday... yea, tomorrow he'll definitely get his letter. He vividly remembers that the night Hagrid came to the hut and gave him his letter on his eleventh birthday! How could've he forgotten up until now, how important this day actually is?
After what felt like an hour, uncle Vernon has returned, he was smiling. He also carried a long and thin box.
"What did you buy...?" Aunt Petunia asked, clearly trying to hide the fear, but she's failing miserably.
"I found an awesome place!" Uncle Vernon ignored her. "And we're going! Everyone out!"
And so, all three of them got out of the car. It was cold out, but everyone is ignoring (or atleast trying to ignore it) how cold it is outside. Uncle Vernon pointed at something resembling a cliff in the middle of the sea. At the very top of the cliff the worst hut all of them have ever seen is. He completely ignores how ugly it looks, it doesn't matter to Harry's mind, it will still replay the memory of Hagrid coming, giving him his letter and explaining to him everything Harry wanted to know about.
While they were going up, Dudley and aunt Petunia kept stealing glances at the box uncle Vernon is carrying, but Harry isn't. He knows that there is a rifle in it.
"For today's night they're reporting storms!" Uncle Vernon called out and happily clapped his hands together. "And this man was so thoughtful that he lend us his boat!"
A toothless old man has walked towards them with a smile, but that kind of smile that screamed: "I'm glad I'm getting rid of that darn hut"
The boat has seen better days: it's already half done.
"I got us something to eat," uncle Vernon announced, "so, everyone aboard!"
In the boat it was extremely cold, but Harry ignored the cold, his mind, again, going a completely different direction. He remembered how he traveled to the Hogwarts castle via a boat on the big black lake in his first year, all of the first years do it at the very start of a school year.
After what felt forever, they finally arrived at the shore, and walked to the hut, slipping and falling all the way through.
The inside of the hut was just terrible, but still, atleast they have a roof over their heads.
And, as it was the first time, the "food" that uncle Vernon brought was four bags of crisps and four bananas.
Uncle Vernon tried to make fire in the fireplace with the empty bags of crisps, but it was no use, they only crunched up and made smoke, almost no warmth.
"Some leaves could be of use," Uncle Vernon laughed at his own poor joke. Harry is impressed how his uncle can still be happy... probably fear stopped making him scared, it's probably too much for his stubborn brain to handle.
When it went dark, the promised storm happened. And thus, all of them agreed to lay down and to try and sleep. Aunt Petunia found some rotting blankets in the other room, and made a makeshift bed for Dudley on a couch. She and uncle Vernon slept on a bed that was about to break any second, in the next room. And thus Harry had to find the softest part of floor to sleep on, again. Hogwarts beds are pure heaven compared to him literally being forced to sleep on floor.
The storm was so loud he almost couldn't sleep. He was so hungry, but whatever, Hagrid will soon come. The night was noisy, but he couldn't care less about unimportant noise right now.
He couldn't sleep, so he just let his thoughts do their thing again, as he always does when he can't fall asleep.
Harry looked to his side, at Dudley's watch. Oh right, it's less then a minute to the midnight. He's almost eleven again.
Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one...
"Happy birthday to me" Harry mumbled.
BOOM!
A whole hut shaken by the impact, Harry quickly sat up. He stared at the door, trying to hide his excitement! It's Hagrid! Or atleast he hopes it's Hagrid...