Clearly Dark

Chapter 1 - Pleasure and Pain

"Ha. Haha. Hahahahaha!"

Harry didn't know why, but he was laughing. It wasn't a funny situation, but he found it funny. Maybe it was her face? How it slowly changed from surprised to pained to terrified. Or maybe it was her fingers. How her fat fingers became fatter; how they expanded to become trice it's original gross size. Or maybe, it was what she said: "Vernon! Vernon! Help me! Vernon!" She had screamed, as she rose from her seat causing the creaking legs of the poor chair to be relieved of the heavy weight that had been thrusted into it.

Harry laughed again as he imagined the terrified face of his Aunt, Marge. In the moment, he had been shocked at what he had done. But now, at about 3am, and after a beating from Uncle Vernon, it all felt different; funnier. A lot funnier. Now, he didn't regret it at all.

He heard stomping and quickly lay back on his bed and threw the duvet over himself to pretend to sleep. He heard his door open then loud, struggled breathing before it shut again.

Harry sighed and opened the book on his lap again. He was meant to be studying but he got distracted by his memories but now, he was focused... for a little while though. Harry wasn't sure when, but he had fallen asleep and he was now awake. He looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was 6am. He had half an hour before he had to be up and start to make breakfast so he lay back down and thought about the dream he had.

It was back in second year, in the chamber of secrets. The strange thing about the dream, was that he wasn't just there watching it all happen again, he was watching from Tom Riddle's perspective. And as soon as he stabbed the diary with Basilisk's tooth, he felt some pain in his chest. But it wasn't like he was hurting himself, it was something else. Like a part of him getting hurt... with Tom Riddle...

Harry shook his head. He shouldn't think too much of it. People would think that he was a dark wizard or something. And he didn't want that at all. He was meant to be the saviour of the Wizarding World. That is his purpose. He wants to get rid of Voldemort to give him, his friends, and their children the best, and safest futures possible. With that in mind, he got up from his bed.

He slowly went through the day. He completed his chores like every other day and ignored the comments from the Dursleys like every other day. And when the evening came, he left for his evening walk to clear his head. He didn't want to use any magic and the Dursleys just made him want to hex, jinx, and curse then to a different universe. However, despite how pleasurable that would feel to do, he knew he shouldn't do it. This however, was all a bit strange to Harry. Even though the Dursleys have always been cruel to him, he had never thought about hurting them with magic till this summer. To say the least, he was afraid. Afraid of what he had become. Of what he could become. Afraid of what he was slowly becoming. The even sadder thing about it all, was that the mere thought of hurting the Dursleys, filled him with pleasure, joy. He wasn't sure exactly how he would like to kill - hurt them, but he knew it would be just as cruel as they had been to him, and just as gruesome as having to wash Dudley's vomit clothes by hand. Yes. That gruesome. But instead of getting vomit on his hands, it will be something else...

"Why are you looking at me like that boy?" Uncle Vernon asked. "Get inside before I shut the blooming door in your ugly face!"

"Sorry Uncle Vernon," Harry said as he walked inside the house and straight up to his room.

Harry gasped.

His room. A mess.

There was paper everywhere. Anger then fury slowly spread across his face as he saw what was written on one of the pieces of paper. These were pages of his books - his school books. He poked his head out of the door and heard laughing from down the stairs which added more fuel to his fury.

"That will teach him a lesson if the beating doesn't," he heard Uncle Vernon say which was then followed by more laughter.

Harry slowly breathed in and out as he sank to the floor and pulled out his trunk from under his bed.

He couldn't stay here any longer. If he did, there would be blood spilt tonight. They had crossed the line.

He quickly packed his trunk and picked up Hedwig's cage leaving the pieces of paper displayed messily on the floor. He struggled a bit to get both the cage and his trunk down the stairs but he did, and was met with the grinning faces of his relatives. His hand twitched towards his pocket but Hedwig let out a loud screech causing him to stop and just continue out of the door without even saying goodbye. When outside, Harry released Hedwig from the cage.

"I don't know Hedwig, just... just get help, please," Harry said as he walked away from the house with Hedwig's cage in one hand, and his trunk being rolled along the ground in the other.

Now that he had left, he didn't really know where to go but he just continued to walk. Eventually, he reached the small park near the Dursley's home and that was where he dropped the cage and trunk before sitting on it to think. He could go to the Weasleys, but he had no idea where they lived. And apart from that, he didn't really know where else.

Harry sighed.

Suddenly, he heard growling. He whipped his head around the area to find where it was coming from. He looked in a bush nearby and saw a dog. A big dog. A big, wolf-ish dog. Staring right back at him. It immediately stopped the hateful sound it was releasing and began to move closer to Harry. In reaction to it, he took out his wand and pointed it at the animal who still continued to advance on Harry.

Honk! Honk!

As sudden as the growling had began, the honking of a bus rang out in the dark playground and a purple, double decker bus appeared out of thin air and stopped right in front of Harry.

Harry jumped back in fear of being hit by the magical bus, and tripped over his trunk in the process. He quickly stood up and looked back at the wolf-dog to see it slowly retreating into the darkness of the bush it had emerged from.

"What you's lookin' tha' way for?" a man, most likely the conductor asked from the bus looking around the bus to try and get a glimpse of what Harry was staring at.

"Erm, I'm not really sure myself," Harry replied turning to look at the man in front of him.

"Wel-" the man began but abruptly stopped and pulled out a little piece of paper from his top pocket. "Welcome to the Knight Bus Emergency transport for the stranded Witch or Wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike," he pointed to the badge pinned on his right chest. "And I will be your conductor this evening." The man looked around then eventually at Harry. "Why choo still on the floor for? Are ya comin' in?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," Harry said as he began to stand up then pick up his trunk.

"No, no, you don't need to do that," the conductor said as he quickly jumped out of the bus to hold Harry's trunk. "Get on, I'll take this."

"Okay, thank you," Harry said as he hopped on.

After a short but crazy ride, Harry eventually arrived at the leaky cauldron and was officially scarred. Physically, and now mentally. The knight bus was another wizardry mode of transport he would never recommend. A mad driver and a talking head.

However, he had learnt a bit on the journey which he hadn't expected.

Sirius Black.

A mass murderer. A Betrayer. Escaped from Azkaban.

Harry shook his head from the foul information and dragged his trunk through the door which had a cauldron and a sign reading "The Leaky Cauldron."