Harry opened his eyes.
He felt like he was asleep and just woke up from a dream... no, a nightmare actually...
Wait... was it even a nightmare? It felt so weird... and familiar.... there's no way it wasn't real!
"Up!" A familiar voice called and banged on his door, "Up boy! Wake up!"
With a gasp he realized it was his aunt Petunia, ordering him to make breakfast... but why?
Only now had he seen fully where he is... he's in the cupboard under the stairs again.
"Did you say something?!" Petunia asked angrily, as if she thought that Harry's gasp meant that he said something.
He didn't reply.
"That's what I thought! Look over the bacon, and don't you dare to burn it!" She retorted annoyed, and then he heard her footsteps leading to kitchen.
Harry didn't do anything at first. He just stayed quiet, he closed his eyes and opened them again, everything stayed the same. He even pinched himself, he felt the pain. This isn't a dream... 'this is real,' he realized with shock.
He looked down at himself, he was wearing a pajama that's about three times bigger then the actual size he needs, so he knows it was originally Dudley's.
Harry heard Dursleys in the kitchen talking loudly, so he knew that he can't stay in the cupboard for any longer, and it absolutely didn't matter if he wanted to stay in the cupboard for now or not.
So, he sighed, changed his clothes, and when he picked up a sock and flinched slightly when he noticed a spider in it. He shook the surprise off, becuase as he remembers the cupboard is full of spiders and possibly some other insects. So he changed his clothes and was glad that there was only one spider in his clothes which he changed into.
He stood up and got out of the cupboard. He walked into the kitchen as slowly as he could. He doesn't want to be there, he didn't want to be with the Dursleys again. But there he is. He noticed the mirror in the hall, none of the Dursleys noticed him, so he quietly walked towards it and looked at himself. He flinched when he looked. He saw himself, but not the version of him he'd expected...
He realized that he's ten again...
"How...?" He mumbled inaudibly and unintentionally to himself.
"Hey! I told you to watch over the bacon!" Aunt Petunia yelled to Harry, not even coming out of the kitchen.
Harry sighed again, no more stalling, he has to go to the kitchen to watch over the bacon.
And so, he finally entered the kitchen.
"Finally! Took you long enough! Check if the bacon isn't burned!"
And thus Harry walked over to the pan in which the bacon is. Harry didn't even look their way, trying his best to act like he did when he was ten.
Uncle Vernon gave Harry a look which he understood immediately, 'put the bacon on our plates', and so he did that.
"Thirty-six," Dudley said, and then looked at aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon, they are Dudley's parents. "Two less then last year!" He said, getting angry.
Right, that was Dudley's thing, he gets very mad when something doesn't go the way he wants.
"Honey, you didn't count the present from aunt Marge, look, here under the huge one from mommy and daddy."
"Alright, then thirty-seven." Dudley said loudly, he was red in his face.
By the looks of it, it seemed like Dudley might push the table over. Harry completely forgot that Dudley used to do that sometimes. And now that he's back, he knows that now it might happen again.
"And what if we go out and buy you another two?" Aunt Petunia said, sensing the danger "How about it honey? Two more. Would that be enough?"
Dudley thought for a while, it didn't seem like it was easy for him to think about.
Finally he said slowly: "so, afterwards I'll have thirty... thirty..."
"Thirty-nine, sweetheart" Petunia helped him.
"Oh," Dudley let himself fall into a chair and grabbed the nearest present. "Alright then"
Uncle Vernon smiled.
"Our boy only wants what's his, just like his dad. You're a man Dudley!" Uncle Vernon praised Dudley and tangled his hair a little.
In that exact moment the phone rang and aunt Petunia went to go and pick it up. Vernon just watched Dudley open his presents, with a smile on his face. Harry didn't pay much attention to it, he doesn't care what presents Dudley got, he remembers that he got a new bike, video games and other presents as well.
Harry just stared at nothing, if anyone looked his direction they would immediately notice that unusualness, no ten year old would have the look in their eyes that he does right now.
But Harry doesn't really care how he looks right now, he knows that if any of the Dursleys notice he can quickly change his expression and they likely wouldn't think much of it.
He noticed that aunt Petunia returned only when she worriedly said: "bad news Vernon, miss Figg has broken her leg. She can't take him" and she pointed with her head in Harry's direction quickly.
Dudley seemed to forget to close his mouth. But Harry hadn't reacted, they weren't paying much attention to him anyway. Harry remembered how he felt when he first heard that, his heart jumped due to happiness back then. He was glad that he didn't have to go to miss Figg, becuase he was usually very bored with her, all they did was look at the photos of her cats over and over again. He remembered how excited he was, and how he foolishly thought that they might leave him at home, alone. That he might do a lot of fun stuff, like watch anything he wants on the TV, play Dudley's video games, and other stuff. But now he doesn't care about any of it. He doesn't care anymore, he hadn't cared for over 7 years now about any of those things.
"What should we do?" Aunt Petunia looked at him angrily, as if this was his fault.
"Let's call Marge," uncle Vernon suggested.
"Are you crazy? You know that she hates that boy!" She was talking as if he wasn't in the room at all.
They did that all the time so Harry didn't think much of it.
"And if, what's her name, you know, your friend - Yvonne?"
"She's on vacation on Mallorca," aunt Petunia put him back to Earth quickly.
"Then leave me at home," Harry suggested calmly, already expecting that they'll refuse just like they did the last time.
And of course, aunt Petunia looked as if she just gulped a lemon.
"And what?! When we'll return the house will be in ruins?!" She growled.
"Don't worry, I won't blow it up!" He pleaded, but he knew it was useless, no one was listening to him. He already expected it, atleast no one noticed that he's acting a little differently.
"I think we could bring him with us to the zoo," aunt Petunia thought out loud, "and leave him in the car..."
"It's brand new, he can't stay there alone..."
Dudley started whining loudly. It startled Harry a little, but when he looked at Dudley he remembered that he used to fake-cry all the time to get what he wants.
"My Dudders, don't cry, mommy won't let anyone ruin your birthday!" And thus aunt Petunia hugged Dudley tightly.
"I... do not... want... him to... come... with u-s!" Dudley yell-whined "he ru-ins ev-er-yt-hing all the ti-me!" And between mommy's arms he made an ugly grimace at Harry, to which he didn't react, he just stared blankly, Dudley seemed to notice it.
And then suddenly a bell rang, "oh my god, they're here!" Aunt Petunia called out startled and scared.
After a while Piers Polkiss, Dudley's best friend came in, with his mom. Piers looks just like Harry remembers him, a boy with a face like a rat. Dudley immediately stopped the pretend-cries, and acted as if he didn't notice Harry's face.
After about half an hour Vernon took Harry aside and with a furious face he warned him: "I'm warning you... I'm warning you, boy - no shenanigans, you hear me - or you won't get out of the cupboard until Christmas"
Harry didn't react, he wasn't feeling anything, but he forced to himself to look like he's a ten year old promising that he won't act up: "I won't do anything wrong, I promise."
Uncle Vernon didn't believe him, but Harry didn't care.
And then both of them sat in the car, everyone else was already sitting there. Uncle Vernon sat in the driver's seat and Harry sat next to Dudley and Piers.
During the ride, uncle Vernon was complaining to aunt Petunia. He remembered how his uncle loves to complain about everything, especially Harry. Today he was complaining about motorcycles and people who are riding them. He wasn't listening. He remembered how the last time this happened he had a dream where he rode a flying motorcycle and he ended up talking about his dream and getting yelled at.
Thinking about it now, he remembered that the motorcycle he dreamt about was the one he got brought to Dursley's as a baby by Hagrid the night when Voldemort killed his parents. The motorcycle originally belonged to his godfather Sirius Black... but he's dead now...
Wait... no, he's not. Harry somehow timetraveled back! Sirius is still alive - in Azkaban - but still alive!
Harry smiled slightly at a thought but immediately forced himself to stop smiling. He shouldn't smile, knowing his godfather is in wizarding prison called Azkaban. But he's glad that Sirius is still alive.
Luckily no one seemed to notice his quick smile.
It was a pretty sunny Sunday in the Zoo. When Harry looked around everywhere he looked he saw families with children.
Right at the entrance they bought Dudley and Piers chocolate ice cream. Harry wanted some too, but the two of them ended up pushing him away before the smiling lady in the window could ask him what flavor he wants, he didn't mind, he couldn't care less about ice cream right now.
Soon they entered the terrarium, he remembered how he was talking to a snake there and ended up making a glass, separating the snake and people, disappear and how Dudley and Piers fell through before the glass reappeared.
"Do something to make him move!" Dudley told his father. And so uncle Vernon lightly tapped on the window, and of course, the snake didn't react.
"Again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon did it again, but the snake kept sleeping.
"This is boring," Dudley announced and walked away.
Harry stood over the tank with the snake. He couldn't remember what type of snake this was. This was the very first snake Harry ever spoke to after all, he felt like he should know what snake this was.
So he looked to the side and noticed a sign. So he read it: 'American boa constrictor' under it was another that said: 'this exemplar was born in the Zoo'.
"I have thisss here all the time..." the snake said.
Harry looked at him.
"I know," he replied "it has to be so unnerving"
The snake nodded, clearly not caring that Harry is talking to him, that or he thinks that this is normal and an a-okay thing, that just nobody else wanted to talk to him. The snake is now on eye level with Harry.
"You're the first one to talk to me normally." The snake stated.
"What do you mean-?" Harry said, and then suddenly.
"DUDLEY! MISTER DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THE SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES!"
Dudley quickly got to them.
"Shove off," he told Harry as he pushed him so hard he tripped and fell headfirst to the floor.
Harry didn't even react, and when he looked up he couldn't tell if he was relieved or just didn't care, the glass didn't dissappear. Dudley and Piers were just leaning against the glass. Snake is just on the floor of his tank, just moving like any other snake would.
"Why did he go back down?" Piers asked.
"Dunno" Dudley replied.
Two hours later they were in the car again, driving back to Privet Drive 4.
Everyone, except for Harry, were talking.
Dudley and Piers were talking about the tiger they saw and how Piers should have one: "no," Piers replied, but he grinning "my dad would go nuts".
Aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon were talking about uncle Vernon's job.
After a while Piers just casually mentioned: "and you were talking to the snake," he looked at Harry "weren't you, Harry?"
That caught Harry off guard, "how did you-?" Harry realized he said that out loud and tried to pretend he hadn't said that at all, 'just act like you're ten again' he told himself in his thoughts.
"No? I wasn't talking to the snake?" He said, he tried to sound like a surprised ten year old scared of punishment.
When they got back, uncle Vernon waited until Piers left and then all of the Dursleys and Harry got inside.
"You. Were. Talking. To. A. Snake?" Vernon asked, already furious.
"No, I wasn't!" Harry lied, sounding like any scared ten year old would.
"You won't trick me! Cupboard! Right now! No food! You'll stay there for a month!"
Harry just sighed, still acting like a scared ten year old who tried not to show it. And so he went inside the cupboard under the stairs, uncle Vernon locked it and Harry layed on the mattress on the floor. Outside he heard aunt Petunia giving uncle Vernon brandy in his usual big glass.
Inside the cupboard Harry wasn't pretending anymore, nobody saw him here, so there was no reason to keep pretending.
While laying on the mattress his thoughts were running a marathon while doing barrel rolls.
Why and how did he timetravel? Right before he woke up here again he remembered a calm, warm, welcoming white light which was calling him. While he walked to it something strong pulled him back to the past...
He was murdered by Voldemort and now he's back in the cupboard...