The Life He Never Knew

Chapter 3

Harry officially hated his life. His mother had just told him that the were going to Aunt Petunia's house for Christmas. He had met his Aunt Petunia, her husband, Vernon, and their son, Dudley, once before. He knew his mum didn't have the best relationship with her sister, so he had thought he would be safe in the fact that he would never have see them again. And boy was he wrong. Lily had said that they would spend a week their to 'mend broken ends' and 'learn to be a family'. He closed his eyes and flopped onto his bed.
   
I shouldn't have yelled at Mum, he thought. She just wants to be friendly with her sister. There is nothing wrong with that. But he was still angry. It wasn't fair! He didn't want to spend his Christmas being bullied by his stupid, fat, pig of a cousin. There was a knock on his door.
   
"Honey?" His mum was calling.
   
"What?" He snapped.
   
"May I come in?"
   
"Fine," Harry muttered.
   
The door opened and his mother stepped in. She was wearing a green dress that brought out her long red hair and green eyes. She walked over and sat on his bed. Harry looked away from her.
   
"Look at me," she said gently.
   
Harry turned slowly.
   
"Do you want to talk about something?" Lily always encouraged him to talk to her whenever he was angry, sad, hurt, or just needed to talk. She believed in talking things out.
   
Harry sat stubbornly for a moment, before it all came spilling out. "Why are we going there for Christmas? Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hate me - us. Dudley does too. Why are you making me suffer? Why are you making yourself suffer? What about Dad? He hates it there too, but he goes to please you. Why do you go? What's the point of going to that hell hole anyway?"
   
Lily's eyes flashed. "Where did you learn to swear?" She asked.
   
"Dad," Harry replied.
   
Lily nodded, unsurprised. "Anyway, back to your questions. We are going there for Christmas because they are family, and Christmas is meant to be spent with family. Your Aunt Petunia and I have some - differences, but she's still my sister. I'm sure she doesn't hate you. Vernon and Dudley, I wouldn't put it past them." Lily's eyes flashed again.
   
Harry knew how much she disliked her sister's husband and spoiled child.
   
"I'm not making you suffer, dear. Like I said before, they are family and Christmas is meant to be spent with family."
   
"But, they don't treat us like family," Harry protested. "I like spending Christmas with You, Dad, Uncle Paddy, and Uncle Moony."
   
"Me too," Lily whispered. "But my sister means so much to me. I want to make up with her. After all these years. You don't know what it was like."
   
Harry nodded. He understood, even if he still didn't like it. "Mum, one more question. When you took me Christmas shopping, why was everyone staring at me?"
   
"That, dear, is a question for when you are older," Lily said gently. "There is something we need to tell you in a few years, that will explain everything. Just be patient. Anything else?"
   
Harry shook his head. "No, mum."
   
"Alright, start packing please."
   
"Yes mum," Harry said gloomily.

   
"Everyone ready?" Lily asked.
   
"Yep," James and Harry replied in monotone.
   
Lily ignored the tone. "Grab hands," she instructed.
   
The Potters all grasped hands and apperated. They landed in front of Number Four, Privet Drive, where the Dursleys lived. Lily knocked on the door. It swung open, and Harry's Aunt Petunia stood there.
   
"Hello," she said stiffly.
   
Well, Harry thought. That was a better greeting than last time. The last time they had come, Aunt Petunia had greeted them by screaming at his mum that it was her fault their mum was dead. She had said awful things, that had caused Lily to cry at night for weeks. She cried when she didn't think he could hear, but he wasn't deaf or stupid. He knew she was upset.
   
"Tuney?" Lily asked, tentatively.
   
"You came," Petunia stated.
   
"Well, of course! We wanted to spend Christmas with you!"
   
"I didn't think you would come."
   
"You're the only family I've got left, Tuney. Mum and Dad are gone. Aunt Eva's gone. Uncle Alan is gone. Ally and Sean are on the other side of the world. I need you." Lily looked scared, like she didn't know if her sister would tell her everything would be OK, or blow up at her.
   
"I dunno what you're so upset about. It's your fault their gone. If you weren't here, they'd be alive."
   
"Tuney, please," Lily begged.
   
"No. You can stay here, but I won't forgive you. Freak."
   
At these words, Lily burst into tears. James wrapped his arms around her, and Harry glared at his aunt.
   
"How old is the boy?" Petunia asked.
   
"He's eight," James said, glaring at Petunia.
   
"Wonderful," she said flatly. "He can sleep in Dudley's room. They are about the same age."
   
"No!" All three Potters shouted at once.
   
"He'll sleep with us," Lily said. "We wouldn't want to - intrude upon dear Dudley's privacy." Only Harry and James noticed a slight sneer in those words.
    
"MUMMY!" Dudley Dursley came sauntering into the entry hall. His eyes landed on the Potters. "Why are you here?" He demanded.
   
"Hi, Dudley," Lily seemed to be making an effort to be kind.
   
"How many presents did you get me for Christmas?" Dudley demanded.
   
"That - that doesn't matter," Lily sputtered.
   
Aunt Petunia opened the door wider. "Come in," she muttered.
   
James picked up their trunks and hauled them inside. Dudley scrambled out of the way.
   
"You know where the guest room is," Petunia hissed. With that, she turned on her heel and left.
   
"Well," James said. "That was fun."
   
"I'm sorry," Lily said. "I didn't realize they would be that way."
   
"It's alright, mum," Harry replied. "What can you expect?"
   
Lily sighed and turned to climb the stairs. James and Harry followed. The guest room was small, compared to the rest. There was a double bed, dresser, and a small closet. Harry looked around. It was so unwelcoming! It made him appreciate his room very much. Lily dug around in the closet and brought out some blankets and a pillow. She made a small but comfy bed on the floor. Harry smiled. His mum could make so etching out of nothing. He thought of Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley. It made him realize just how lucky he was.

   
"Christmas!!!" James threw the covers off Harry.
   
"Dad, go back to sleep," Harry groaned, not quite registering what James had said.
   
"Christmas!!!" James shouted again. The door opened. Uncle Vernon poked his head in.
   
"I just hate to interrupt early morning festivities, but some of us are trying to sleep!"
   
"Shut it Dursley," James said cheerfully.
   
Uncle Vernon's face turned purple. "I will not be spoken to like that!" He roared.
   
"Go back to sleep you two," Lily muttered from under the sheets.
   
"Tell that to your husband!" Vernon exclaimed, eyes popping.
   
"I told it to both of you, ding dong." Lily grumbled. "Now shut up!"

   
Harry and James sat awake for the next two hours while the rest of the house slept. There honestly wasn't much to do, so James told Harry stories from his Hogwarts days. The rest of the house woke up to find Harry and James sitting in the living room, laughing about a prank James played in third year.
   
"Now, really," Aunt Petunia said, when she saw them.
   
"Family tradition, presents before breakfast!" Lily squealed.
   
"That may be yours, but we always eat first, in a civilized manner, and then open our presents," Aunt Petunia said.
   
"Old tradition!" Lily said. She began passing out presents to each of them.
   
Harry ripped open his first present, from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, to find socks. He stared at them. "Umm. Thank you? I'll um, make good use out of these."
   
"We didn't think you would come, so we didn't get you anything," Aunt Petunia explained. "We had to improvise."
   
"Oh," Harry said. "Um, that's...nice."
   
The other presents were much more thoughtful. His parents got him his first ever real broom. It had just come out. Harry had heard his dad raving about it. The Nimbus 1998. It was a beautiful broom. He knew all about brooms from his father, but had never ridden one other than his toy one that came maybe 3 feet off the ground. That was his mum's rule, and it drove both him and his father nuts. But now, he'd be aloud to! This was the best Christmas ever!

   
After presents and breakfast, James and Harry went upstairs to admire the broom and for Harry to learn proper technique. Lily had said that Harry was now aloud to ride a broom, but he had to learn the theory of it first. James began showing Harry the proper grip. For an hour,they went on, chatting, working on the theory, until they heard a shriek.
   
"SOCKS! You got my son socks?! What kind of present is that?!" It was his mum's voice.
   
"You must understand that it was last minute. We didn't have anything," Aunt Petunia replied.
   
"You should always get your nephew something! Whether you're going to see him at Christmas or not! I always get Dudley a present! And he doesn't even deserve one!"
   
There was a silence. Then, "Get out. How dare you insult my son! Get outta here!"
   
"Maybe I will!" Lily screamed back. "If this is how you're going to act! I'm leaving this awful place!"
   
There was stomping on the stairs, as though someone very angry was coming up, which there probably was. James and Harry looked at each other. Lily came bursting into the room.
   
"We're leaving," she said, low and furious. "I'm outta here." She waved her wand, packing all of their things. She grabbed the trunks and shoved them into the hall and down the stairs. They landed with a crash! Aunt Petunia came hurrying in.
   
"Don't push trunks down the stairs!" She shrieked, beside herself.
   
"Won't be seeing you, Petunia," Lily snarled. She grabbed Harry and his dad's hands and apperated away.
   
They landed in front of their home. Lily was still fuming. "The nerve!" She growled.
  
Although Harry felt awful for his mum, who was most likely very sad that she and her sister hadn't made up, he was still a bit relived. And he could tell by the look on his father's face, that he was too.

A/N:

Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. Let me know what you think!

-Glyon1