The Contract

Chapter 20

Corvus desperately desired to comply with his sons wishes. For it was the first thing he'd really asked for - the demands that he drop their hopeless cases didn't get included - in the years since he'd been put in Azkaban. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to go behind Harry's back and dole out the much needed punishment that this situation merited. In the end he had decided on one course of action, he'd paid someone handsomely to attack - but not kill - Vernon Dursley in jail. Marge Dursley received similar treatment, but from what he was told, she had been attacked dozens of times anyway, her attitude with the other inmates made her very unpopular. There was nothing strange about the attacks, after all, everyone knows how child abusers were treated.

As for Petunia Dursley she'd been in an 'very unfortunate' accident, with those Muggle automobiles weeks ago. He had felt she wasn't suffering enough, so a few spells here and there, and bam, she was hospital bound. Her landing in hospital, and without a soul to care for her son, Dudley Dursley had gone into care, and from what he knew, the boy was on a strict diet and miserable due to the rigidness of a stern family life he wasn't used to. Anything he tried was a strike against him, bullying, sneaking food, arguing back, it meant grounding, less television time, no dessert at the weekend - which he was allowed a small portion if he behaved - which had already been removed due to his attitude each week. So yes, so far, Dudley was miserable. The added clincher was attending normal school, in a district not his own. Smelting's had long been gone from the list of possibilities for Dudley Dursley after they lost a fortune.

On the upside, Dudley had already lost nearly two stone, long term, if he remained there his health would be all the better for it.

So, the Dursley's had one miserable Yule or Christmas as it were. Last year they were albeit small family, spoiling their son, giving him more gifts than natural, spoiling him to the extent that he failed to realize how lucky he had been. This year? Vernon and Marge were in prison, recovering from their beatings, Petunia was recovering from her accident all of them alone stewing in their misery.

And Dudley? Dudley was too, after loudly decrying them when all he got was four gifts, two of them bundles of clothes and no gift that he'd actually wanted. So, thusly, he had been relegated to his bedroom to think on what he had done, with the warning he would get any Yule Log if he continued to disrupt Christmas.

A stark contrast to Harry, who was positively beaming instead of watching with longing from his cupboard.

"Are you ready to go?" Corvus asked Harry as he wandered into the kitchen, it wasn't somewhere he frequented all that often. He had House-elves for that sort of thing, to fetch whatever he needed, whenever he needed. This was their domain, and why they had been hired in the first place, this and cleaning the well kept and immaculate manor. Admittedly a few had been hired especially to deal with the animals, but for most part, he did that on his own, they only did it when he couldn't, such as the time he had the flu or that time he'd done his back in. Or long drawn out Wizengamot meetings.

"Almost," Harry said, throwing Corvus a grin, almost jumping up and down excitedly, you wouldn't think he was going to Azkaban at all. Yet Harry didn't care, he'd been so happy after he'd gotten over Dumbledore's recent actions and the knowledge he'd be dealt with. Although...it may have something to do with the missives he'd let Harry read regarding the Dursley's just earlier that very morning. "I just need to put these in," with that two meals set with metal warmers - or coolers - around it, were placed in the box along with four hot chocolate flagons. All already spelled so the contents could not leak out, especially with the way the guards shifted everything to check.

"Are you sure you don't want to open your Yule gifts before we go?" Corvus asked, still in slight disbelief that he hadn't been alerted that Harry was downstairs at the early hours of the morning. He'd gotten up at his normal time, and had looked shocked to see the gifts under the tree, stunned to hear that they were for him. It made Corvus wish to throttle the Dursley's all over again. Gifts from other students at Hogwarts had come, along with a 'mysterious package' which he knew to be from Dumbledore, he saw enough of his writing on legislations and such that he'd pegged it immediately. He had also removed the spells upon the package, the tracking charm had been the first to go, thankfully his wards prevented such spells from actively working. Thus, Dumbledore won't know where Harry was living. The cheek of it though almost left him furious enough that he'd desired to break everything in his vicinity.