What If ✔

Chapter 8: 3rd Year

⚠THIS CHAPTER HAS PARTS OF THE SERIES IN IT! ALL RIGHTS TO J.K ROWLING⚠

James's P.O.V

We were all gathered around the pensive again to watch Harry's 3rd year memories. Harry said this year was probably one of the easiest. We slowly entered Harry's memories. We watched as Harry opened his birthday presents from his best friends. Then Harry walked downstairs and grabbed a piece of toast to eat. None of the Dursleys paid any attention to him which I believed Harry enjoyed. He looked up at the TV Screen.

"...the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."

"Oi!" I yelled and Lily hit me on the arm. "Ow what was that for?" I asked. "Shush James and watch!" Lily answered.

"No need to tell us he's no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!" He shot a nasty look sideways at Harry, whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon.

Sirius growled dangerously and I was debating whether to shout at Dursley or keep it in. I kept it in anyways. When Dursley was talking about this Aunt Marge I felt sorry for Harry who kept stuttering. I guessed that he and this Aunt Marge hadn't had a great history. I was proud of Harry as he asked Dursley to sign his Hogsmeade Permission Note. I narrowed my eyes and knew it wouldn't end well when Dursley said he would monitor his behaviour and see. Sirius and I hated how Harry pretended to go to this Muggle school and say he was beaten by a cane!

"You mustn't blame yourself for the way the boy's turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it."Harry tried to concentrate on his food, but his hands shook and his face was starting to burn with anger. Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine. "It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup --" At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping.

I howled with laughter and Harry grinned at me hinting that there would be more later. Hermione was shaking her head in disgust and the twins were grinning from ear to ear. (A/N Although George didn't have 2 ears but never mind that!) We watched how Harry calmed himself down each day by thinking of his broomstick servicing car kit and I made a mental note to thank Hermione later. The last day when they were having dinner I sensed something was going to happen. Marge woman started talking about how Dudley was a good sized boy and would grow up to be like his father. She insulted Harry saying he was skinny and unhealthy. "THAT'S BECAUSE THE STUPID DURSLEY'S HAVEN'T FED HIM ENOUGH" I raged. I thought Lily would shout at me but she didn't. Instead she looked at Harry.

"It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia" -- she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel-like one "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result right in front of us." Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears. "This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?" "He -- didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at Harry. "Unemployed." "As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who --" "He was not," said Harry suddenly. The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over.