Chapter Text
Harry Potter lives with his aunt and uncle, in number four Privet Drive. He had since he was orphaned at just 18 months old. He should be grateful that they even took him in.
But, as he lay staring up at the stairs of his cupboard, he wondered if he ever could feel grateful for being so cramped all the time. Or feeling so small, swamped in Dudley's old clothes, all of the time. Feeling hungry most of the time. Confined, most of the time. Tormented… just a bit too often.
Harry knows he needs to get up - has to make breakfast and get the mail, then find a way to avoid dying of boredom while Mrs Figg is babysitting him. Because it's Dudley's birthday and god knows nothing can go wrong.
Harry rolls his eyes to himself, finally reaching over for his glasses and putting them on, allowing the cobwebs above him to come into focus. They have dust clinging to them - but Harry couldn't really care about that. He just needs to get–
"GET UP!"
TAP! TAP! TAP!
"UP!"
That.
Harry sighs to himself, rolling out of his bed and tapping out his shoes for spiders before sliding them on. He has breakfast to make.
Mrs Figg has broken her leg. She can't watch Harry. This means instead of not dying of boredom, Harry now needs to figure out how to deal with Dudley and his friend, Piers. And, of course, Dudley’s fake crying. Harry shrunk away a bit when his Aunt laid eyes on the red-haired boy. He really didn’t want this trouble, but he had never gone to the zoo before. He wanted to go, but he couldn’t say anything as Petunia’s eyes scanned over him, as though she was sizing up how much trouble he could cause on this simple day out.
“Best behaviour, Boy.” She warns with an accusatory finger pointed at Harry’s chest before Vernon could even speak his thoughts on the matter. She turns her attention back to patting her son's back. “Oh hush, Dudley, we won’t let him ruin your special day.”
Harry tried not to breathe too heavily, especially near Dudley, as the rest of the household finished getting ready. Piers arrived shortly before they were ready to leave, and Harry gave him and Dudley a wider gap than usual, hoping to avoid the snide comments about his red hair.
Petunia insisted he kept to at least his shoulders, and when he started to insist he ties it up, she forced him to cut a fringe to better hide his ‘hideous’ scar. It’s not his fault that he was in the same crash that killed his parents, let alone that the glass from the windshield had cut his forehead so much it looks like he has a giant lightning strike across half of it. But, The haircut is one that brings torment. A ‘girls’ haircut. Harry didn’t mind his hair, but he did mind people commenting on it like it was their business. And Piers was one of the people that did comment on it.
Harry was sneered at by the two other boys and his Uncle while they were loaded into the car. Vernon was going to pull him aside, Harry knew, but he fell short after a pointed look from his wife. Petunia had her moments when she’d protect Harry, or stand up for him. She’d look after him, to some degree. Sometimes she even sneaks him some food while he is on one of his punishments.
Harry is just glad that today is one of those days.
Harry ignored the hairpulling and muttered comments on the way to the Zoo, and he trailed at least a few metres behind the group as they wandered through the Zoo. The ice cream was a nice touch, and it made Harry’s day feel a little bit brighter. Eventually, they arrived at the reptile house, where there was a bit less sunlight and significantly less heat. Harry could feel a little bit of a sunburn already forming on his face, so the break was welcomed.
Plus, lizards are pretty cool, at least in Harry’s opinion.
Dudley and Piers immediately went over to the snakes, but Harry didn’t really feel like squeezing between them, so he was content enough to walk around the rest of the reptile house until they move along. It doesn’t take long.
The snakes themselves are cute, and Harry wonders if he could get one as a pet when he can finally move out. They are just… little noodles! Silly little things that wiggle to move because they forgot to evolve legs. Especially the non-venomous ones. The green tree snake is small and thin, like a shoelace. It moves to look at Harry as he passes, and Harry smiles slightly.
The larger snakes, however, are much more awesome than adorable. Harry doesn’t know how much care they’d need if he ever could get one, but the Boa Constrictor is… beautiful, really. The specific one this Zoo has is male, and he is just over 2 and a half metres long, born a year ago. He seems to be sleeping, curled mostly under the heat lamp in his enclosure.
“Hey there,” Harry says, smiling softly at this snake, “Gosh, you are beautiful, aren’t you?” The snake raises its head slightly, and if snakes could look confused, Harry was sure this snake would be. “I suppose you aren’t used to people talking to you this softly, huh?”
The snake shakes its head, just enough that it’s Harry’s turn to be confused. “Can -” Harry lowers his voice slightly, “Can you understand me?” This time, the snake nods, and Harry gets the feeling it’s amused by his confusion. “Have you ever met someone else who you could understand?” The snake shakes its head sadly, and Harry frowns. “I don’t really think I’m all that special, but… I guess I’m just lucky-”
“Harry! Come along!”
“Ah, that’s me, unfortunately. I’ll come back one day, and we’ll talk some more, yeah?” Harry asks, and the snake nods before curling back up, a little tighter than it was before. Thankfully, the Dursleys' backs were turned while Harry was conversing with the snake, otherwise, it could’ve turned from a really good day to a really bad day very quickly.
Of course, Harry did have to endure the sun burning his cheeks and most of his shoulders all day, because his shirt kept sliding down. As if he doesn’t have enough freckles or gets burned from just stepping foot outside.
Harry was grateful when they finally got back in the car, allowing his skin a break from the harsh sun. Why did it have to be so sunny today? Why couldn’t it be just a normal, cloudy London day? Honestly, it’s not like his sunburn is going to magically heal up like that one time when Dudley decided to douse Harry in tanning oil so he burnt and by the next day Harry had gotten over the burn so well that he got grounded for lying about how bad it was the day before. Because it was one time, and Harry had known better than to go outside like that again, and today it was just too hot to wear a long sleeve shirt so he didn’t change. He wished he did now, though.
Harry was never particularly excited about the summer holidays, but this year he was allowed to go five blocks further away from home by Aunt Petunia's rules, so he should be able to go to a different neighbourhood and probably earn a little bit of money to get himself a wardrobe that actually fits him. And also, most likely before that, some suitable sunscreen. His eleventh birthday is coming up, and it would be nice for him to get himself something nice for once.
He could help some older ladies with weeding their gardens, mowing lawns or even washing cars or dogs, or walking dogs. Harry was old enough to help like that, right? He’ll make enough money to get himself a decent wardrobe if he manages not to get grounded this summer. He’d even be able to afford a part of his school uniform if he thrifts it! That might make his Aunt happier with him for a few weeks, at least.
Harry had been working hard, for nearly a week, and his little cupboard was starting to show it. He had bought newer shoes, two pairs of pants that don’t even need a belt to fit him (though they do need to be cuffed because they are way too long for him), and three summer long-sleeve tops, that he shouldn’t get sun burnt through, at a thrift shop that is just in the range that his Aunt had set for him. He also bought sunscreen for himself, which is part of the reason he wasn’t red as a tomato for all his hard work this week.
He had walked four dogs, gone to the shops for milk six times, washed one car and mowed one lawn, plus washed ten dogs (well, nine dogs and one cat, but still). He had walked away with a total of one hundred and three pounds, about twenty of which went to getting himself clothes while the rest was safely tucked away for when Harry would need them. Probably for school supplies, like a backpack or a new pack of pencils. His uniform, because that is still in the back of his mind.
Harry got up, ready to get the mail and have breakfast and get started on his work day. He was excited, for once. Mainly because he got to spend all day outside the house and he was getting paid for it. Harry got to the front door, palmed through the letters quickly and blinked at the letter addressed to him . That was quickly shoved into his pocket, while he was walking quickly up the hallway. He sat the rest of the letters with Vernon, ate his food quickly and left the house as normal.
He would read his letter at the park, under the bridge. As excited as he was, he wasn’t stupid. He knows that Vernon might not let him read his own mail, and Harry wants to know who is trying to talk to him.