Harry Potter Travels To The Past

Ch 26 - The Zoo

Ch 26 - The Zoo

Disclaimer: Some of the writing here is derived from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. And there are bits in italic which aren't.

"But I don't remember her being ugly. I remember her from a dream. Didn't she have pretty ginger hair?"
Aunt Petunia looked like she had swallowed a lemon.
"DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, BOY!"
Harry ran as fast as he could, back to his cupboard.

"Bloody hell harry. Your childhood seems to be just as bad as mine," Sirius muttered.

"Oh," was all Harry could say. "Was your mother really that bad?"

"Don't even get me started on that b*tch. All was well, till I was eleven, and got sorted into Gryffindor. How can someone stop loving their son for that?"

An eight year old Harry was running for his life. Dudley and his big gang of 'friends', were chasing after him, as usual. Although he was short and skinny, Harry was very fast. He knew that there was no way they would catch up to him - Harry had developed a good stamina over the years. He just kept running around the school building, in a zig zag pattern to tire Dudley's gang out.

"So that's how you're such a fast sprinter," realised James. "I mean, when you caught me in the forbidden forest, and we ran back to the castle, i was nearly able to keep up with you. Damn your stamina is amazing! I can't even fly for that long on my broomstick!" he exaggerated.

Harry blushed.

Lily raided her eyebrows. Was JAMES Potter actually downgrading himself to complement someone else? The complementing was fine, but she'd expected him to say something like 'you're nearly as fast as me!' But Potter just admitted that Harry is better than him! Something about James seemed to have changed over night. Wait, did she just call him James?

However, a minute later, Harry came across a dead end. Dudley's gang had  managed to lead him to a place where there was nowhere to run. It turned out that they did have some brains after all. Harry's face was white.  He was trapped. This was it. He was going to be beaten black and blue.

"Oh shit," muttered Remus.

Dudley, Piers Polkis and the other four caught up to him by then, and advanced on Harry, circling him.

Six against one, Harry thought. Great. I'm dead for sure.

Actually, Harry had a plan. Well, if he ran for it, and jumped over those large kitchen bins, then he might have a shot. It was worth a try. So Harry broke through the boys circling him, and ran. To Harry's surprise as anyone else's, the very next second, he was sitting on the chimney.

"Accidental magic!" exclaimed James.
"Congratulations Harry!" he said, meaning to a dress the eight year old, not the 21 year old. But of course, the memory Harry couldn't hear him.

The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing the school buildings. as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big bins outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump.

"YOU DISGUSTING FREAK! CLIMBING THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS. CUPBOARD. FOR THE WHOLE WEEK. NO FOOD."

Harry was nervous. Uncle Vernon had never starved him for so long. The longest he had been confined to his cupboard was three days. But a week? He could deal with having no food,  but would harry die from the lack of water? He had read somewhere that humans die if they are deprived of water for more than three days. Surely Vernon wouldn't.... or would he?
"Take him to the cupboard, Petunia. And lock the door, so that the freak doesn't get out". Petunia nodded. She went to the kitchen, came out and firmly gripped Harry's hand and pushed him into the cupboard.
Harry was able to hear Aunt Petunia locking up the cupboard. Great. If it was locked, he wouldn't be able to steal any food.