The Boy Who Never Lived

The Zoo

Harry stared in wonderment when he got to the zoo. He stood there for a second, gaping at the bronze gate in appreciation. Vernon looked around worried that someone might find the child's behaviour odd and grabbed Harry's hand intending to pull the boy along. Harry, led by his uncle, looked at every animal enclosure he passed in fear and wonderment. When in front of the polar bears Harry hid behind his uncle while an old woman nearby cooed and said "I think your son is scared of the polar bears. They won't hurt you dear." Vernon turned bright red in anger and embarrassment.
"He's my Wife's Nephew actually." Vernon spat.
"Oh, dear me. Im sorry. It's just he looks so... How old is he? Six?"
Harry didn't know what he was more mortified by the fact that this woman thought he looked like Fuggly and Uncle Vermin or that she thought he was six when he was so obviously ten.
Dudley snorted as he realized what the woman had said. As the old woman walked away he started laughing loudly.
"She thought you were a baby!" He said obnoxiously "You could still get a kids menu!"
Dudley ran up to a nearby ice cream vendor and called his parents over to him. Harry stayed frozen in fear as a man in a uniform entered the glass cage with the giant bears. A white monster of a bear charged at the worker and Harry was about to shout for the man to watch out when he was spun around roughly by the arm. Vernon's red face was glaring down at Harry.
"Stay with us, Boy." Vernon said, holding tightly to Harry's arm.
They made- or in Harry's case was dragged- their way over to the ice cream vendor where Dudley was ordering a giant chocolate ice cream cone with extra sprinkles. They were about to walk away when the vendor turned to Harry and asked for his order. Vernon looked ferocious and Harry flinched away from his uncle.
"N-no th-thank you" Harry mumbled, staring at his feet.
"Oh, come now you must want something it's 26°c out! (80°F I had to google it because Im American) Have a cone." The vendor said.
"You heard the boy he doesn't want anything" Vernon said angrily.
The vendor glared at Vernon all too aware why 'the boy' was refusing to order anything. He put on a sickly sweet smile and waved a wand under the cart. 'imperio'
"Please, sir. I insist. Let the boy have an ice cream." The young adult said in a sickly sweet tone.
"Harry, get an ice cream." Vernon said, dazedly.
"But Dad-" Dudley started, mortified as his friend nearby was watching the whole encounter.
"Harry. Get an ice cream." Vernon repeated.
"O-one L-lemon ice pop, please?" Harry asked, noticing it was the cheapest thing on the list.
The ninteen year old handed it to Harry.
"Stay strong. You'll leave him soon." The vendor whispered as he handed the child an ice pop.
Harry nodded in understanding, causing his bangs to move off his scar, where the Vendor's eyes immediately jumped to in horror.
"Harry Potter?" He said, shocked.
"How did you-"
"Come along boy." Vernon said, dragging him along.
Harry winced as his already bruised wrist was pulled and pinched in a meaty hand. He looked back at the vendor, green eyes glowing in curiosity. The vendor tapped his wand against his head and sent Harry a kind smile. Harry looked at him even more confused. The teen with brown hair winked and dissapeared. Harry let out a small gasp and looked around in wonderment. How had he done that? Why had no one else seen?
By the time Harry was pulled out of his thoughts his head was ringing and he was standing in the middle of the Snake House. Voices were echoing off the walls and ringing through his head overlapping.
"Humansss, ssstupid humansas-My moussse iss cold!- sstop ssstaring at me you imbeccile!- I fucking hate my life." Words words words! Every where making the air heavy and making Harry weak. He grew pale and stumbled, making Vernon grab his arm to keep him standing as Harry's half eaten ice pop fell to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Dudley asked, staring at his rapidly paling cousin in horror. "Dad what's wrong with Harry?"
"Must be the sun..." Vernon muttered "go sit down boy, I'll go get you a water. Dont need you fainting and causing a scene." Vernon muttered, dropping Harry into a bench not too kindly before walking away.
"Harry? Are you okay?" Dudley said, worried.
"M'fine, Big D, go enjoy your birthday..." Harry said, holdinv his head in pain.
"Mom???" Dudley called for Petunia, afraid that Harry might die.
"What's wrong my sweet duders?" Petunia asked, grabbing her sons face.
"Something wrong with Harry" Dudley said, tears filling his eyes.
"He is faking." Petunia said, not bothering to look at the child who was starting to faint.
Harry's head slammed off the bench and Dudley jumped, grabbing his cousin and pulling him into a sitting position.
"Harry? Harry are you okay?"
Deep inside Harry's foggy brain his magic was destroying a block on his powers, shredding it violently from itself. The block was strong and Harry's magic weak but his magic continued until the block was gone. The loud voices in his head dimmed until they were whispers and he could eventually pick and choose which ones he wanted to hear. Harry's mind slowly began to clear and he regained consciousness.
"Harry?" Dudley called.
"I'm okay, Duds..." Harry mumbled, rubbing his head.
"Enough pretending boy! Stand up before someone sees!" Petunia whispered.
Harry slowly stood up, and stumbled.
"Mom he needs to sit down!" Dudley said, thinking how horrible it would be to have Harry sent to the hostpital when they were supposed to be celebrating his birthday.
"Hush, dear, he is okay. See?"
Harry looked ashen and wobbly but he didn't look like he would faint again, so Dudley nodded and walked off to look at a snake. Petunia glared at Harry and walked off to check on Piers. Harry stumbled his way over to the snake Dudley was looking at.
"Why wont it move?" Piers asked.
"Move!" Dudley said loudly, making Harry's head ring with pain.
"Hes asleep!" Harry cried, before he could stop himself.
Dudley muttered about the snake being boring as Piers glared at Harry. Harry took a step back wincing. Harry watched as they walked over to a different area that held the iguanas. He turned to look at the giant snake in front of them.
"Sorry about them. They don't know what it's like... Lying there every day having people shove their ugly faces at you." Harry said, feeling trapped himself.
The snake raised itself off the log it was resting on and stared at Harry.
"Can you hear me?" Harry asked, shocked.
The snake nodded and winked at him, which shocked Harry even more since Snakes dont have eyelids. Harry looked around for his uncle. Hed been told not to do anything freaky. Would this count as freaky?
"D-do you talk to people often?" Harry asked, once he was sure no one was paying attention.
The snake shook it's head.
"It's just... I've never talked to a snake before. Not that I know of anyway." Harry said, looking at the sign nearby. "You're from Berma aren't you? Was it nice there? Do you miss your family?"
The snake lifted it's tail and pounted at the sign: Bred in Captivity.
"Ah. That's me as well. I never met ny parent's either."
"MUMMY! DAD YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT THIS SNAKE IS DOING!"
Harry felt himself be shoved hard and fell onto his side, wincing as he hit his broken rib on the cement. He glared up at his cousin wishing he was the one whe felt trapped. The glass inbetween the fat snob and the snake enclosure dissapeared. Dudley let out a strangled cry and waved his arms in the air before landing in a cold pool of water. The snake let out a hiss of annoyance and slid out of the case. It paused, looking at Harry.
"Thanksss." It said.
"Anytime." Harry said, shocked.
The snake slithered off with a joyful "Berma here I come!"
Dudley inside the enclosure stood up in the small pond and went to get out. However he slammed his face upon the glass-which had reappeared- and let out a groan of pain. He unintelligently slammed his fist on the glass, reminding Harry of the Gorilla enclosure they had been to an hour before. Petunia of course looked over to where her Duddykins had been and let out a highpitched scream. Vernon's face turned an unhealthy shade of purple as Dudley screamed in terror inside the cage. Harry tried to hold in the giggle that threatened to erupt from inside but in the end it hadn't mattered anyway for Vernon still blamed Harry for the event and when they got back to Private drive that evening Harry had been beaten severly and thrown unceremoniously into his cupboard under the stairs.